Bristol Life - Issue 308 by MediaClash

ISSUE 308 / NOVEMBER 2021 / £3

ISSUE 308 / NOVEMBER 2021 / HOW GREEN IS OUR CITY?

GREEN STREETS

HOW BRISTOL IS SAVING THE PLANET

CLAUS ENCOUNTERS

IT’S PART 1 OF OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE (AND WE’RE NOT EVEN SORRY)

PEARLʼS AN ACTOR

WHY THE LONG CALL’S PEARL MACKIE IS THE STAR WE NEED RIGHT NOW

CABINET DECISIONS

KITCHENS NOT-SOCONFIDENTIAL

ACTUAL PEOPLE AT ACTUAL PARTIES!

OUR SOCIETY SECTION’S BACK

EDITOR’S LETTER

Green light

How sustainable is our city?

’m an accidental eco-warrior. I’ve had the same furniture since the mid1980s – second-hand Victorian stuff, mostly, bought because it was cheap and kept because it shows absolutely no sign of falling apart. I prefer vintage to fast-fashion; I’m rather proud of the fact that the frock I wore to this year’s Bristol Life Awards was older than half the guests. I darn socks rather than buying new ones, because I’m a bit tight. I can’t remember when I last ate at a chain restaurant; why would I, when they’re not a patch on Bristol’s indies? I buy as much food as possible from our local farm shop, because it’s a pleasure to visit. I only permit unpackaged fruit to cross the threshold, partly because I once saw a photo of a tarantula in a Fairtrade plastic bag of bananas, and I really can’t be doing with that. Our garden is blamelessly bird- and beefriendly, because it’s far easier to let wild things grow than cultivated ones, and we’re lazy. It’s easy being green when you’re doing stuff you like anyway. However, many local businesses go to huge lengths to be as sustainable as possible, even when it’s far from being the easiest or cheapest option. It was impossible to run a comprehensive round-up of all our green heroes – it would have been easier to list Bristol firms who don’t have a sustainability agenda – but in a nod to COP26 this month, we take a look at just a few who are making us proud. After all, we have a reputation to maintain. Back in 2015, Bristol was the UK’s first European Green Capital; it’s good to know that the city is still making strides towards becoming a healthier and happier place. Just don’t ever ask me to get on one of them Vois. . .

DERI ROBINS Follow us on Twitter @BristolLifeMag Instagram @BristolLifeMag

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Issue 308 / November 2021

PHOTO BY @SAMBALYPHOTO

Any colour as long as it’s green . . . COVER Bristol Old Vic Theatre Schol graduate Pearl Mackie co-stars in new ITV thriller The Long Call: see page 12

ARTS

11 12 18 24

ARTS INTRO Rare sightings from the RWA collection THE BIG INTERVIEW Pearl of the quarter WHAT’S ON Guess what it’s beginning to look a lot like BRISTOL HEROES This life is more than just a read-

through

29 BOOKS We ﬁnd our booksellers in celebratory mode 30 STAND-UP GUY Putting the Chris into Christmas 33 THE VERDICT A sexy start to the autumn season

FOOD & DRINK

36 RESTAURANT Sashimi over to King’s Road 41 CAFÉ SOCIETY It’s eco-conscious; but how’s the cake? 43 RECIPE It’s casserole weather . . .

SHOPPING

45 CHRISTMAS SHOPPING ’Tis the damn season.

Write this down.

55 FASHION It’s a sherpa thing PHOTO BY BEN ROBINS

GREEN BRISTOL

58 SUSTAINABLE CITY Bristol was European Green

Capital in 2015. So how’s it all going?

BUSINESS

75 BRISTOLWORKS Feeling the white collars of the city

PROPERTY

82 INTERIORS Kitchens not-so-conﬁdential 98 SHOWCASE The biggest new development in the Croft

for years

PHOTO BY STEVE TANNER

REGULARS 6 9 69 106

SPOTLIGHT Stuﬀ we thought you’d ﬁnd interesting BRIZZOGRAM Night moves SNAPPED People out partying BRISTOL LIVES Sophia Brown

33 Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors Colin Moody, Stan Cullimore, Milly Vaughan, Chris Cox, Phil Haughton, Jamie Rees, Storysmith Books Advertising manager Neil Snow neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk New business manager Craig Wallberg craig.wallberg@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Jake Horwood jake.horwood@mediaclash.co.uk Production/distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah. kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager/production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@ mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Bristol Life MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash. We’re a West Country-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help. Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

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SPOTLIGHT Gardens

CHINA IN OUR HANDS

Here’s a nice little story to tie in with the green feature running through this issue. The garden rated Best Show Garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be recreated at the University’s Botanic Garden in 2022, as a gift from Bristol’s twin city of Guangzhou in China. The Guangzhou Garden, which also won a gold medal, was designed by Peter Chmiel, director of local landscape architects Grant Associates. Inspired by the holistic approach of environmental planners in Guangzhou, the garden features a pool of water, trees, shrubs, shelters, green foliage, and white, blue and yellow perennials. It also highlights the benefits of responsible city planning, and underlines how designers must work in harmony with nature to connect people with the natural world. With a focus on climate change, this is an eco-garden with an aim to make a difference. grant-associates.pr.co

Bristol on the box (again)

BRISTOLLYWOOD, BABY

Museums

BRISTOL IS LIT

When the visitor services team at Clifton Suspension Bridge were invited to hold a crowdfunder as part of the #SupportOurMuseums campaign, they decided to do something a little bit different; something that would lift the spirits of everyone in the city. Following a successful campaign, the bridge was illuminated on 22 October, turning the skyline blue for miles around – a spectacle that was duly snapped by everyone who knew how to set a long exposure along with plenty who didn’t. As well as bringing the smiles, the Light the Night campaign raised a total of £13,390 for essential funds to support the work of the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust. Win-win. cliftonbridge.org.uk

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Another week, another major Bristol-filmed show on the box. This time it’s Showtrial, BBC One’s new Sunday night thriller; it’s been produced by World Productions, the team behind Vigil and Line of Duty. The series filmed across the city between March and June this year. Spotters guides to the ready, please, as you tick off all the familiar locations – there are many, including Underfall Yard, looking drop-dead gorgeous (that’s a clue). “Showtrial was shot in its entirety in and around Bristol,” says producer Christopher Hall. “We benefited from the huge variety of available locations in and in close proximity to this very photogenic city. Bristol is extremely filmfriendly, with terrific crews, a great production base at The Bottle Yard Studios and a thriving technical and creative community. It’s no wonder that so many productions are finding their way to Bristol. I want to return as soon as possible.” Hot-shot brief. Bratty rich girl. Bristol Life very One of them slags off Bristol... much enjoyed this show, apart © WORLD PRODUCTIONS - JOSS BARRET T, BBC from central character Talitha’s parting comment about Bristol, at which point she lost BL’s sympathy completely. A provincial whathole, now...? Oh, and eyes peeled around the city for Daisy May Cooper – that’s Kerry Mucklowe of This Country. She’s filming her new comedy-thriller here right at the moment. What’s it about, then? Three words: toxic female friendship... filmbristol.co.uk

SPOTLIGHT

ONE NIGHT IN BRISTOL

From light trails to games of tones, these images by three local photographers make Bristol look like a movie set. No wonder everyone wants to film here!

TOP ROW:

@darren_ridgway; MIDDLE ROW: @petegriffiths80; BOTTOM ROW: @sambalyphoto

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THE ARTS S N A P S H O T S O F B R I S T O L’ S C U LT U R A L L I F E

SISTER ACT

It’s not that unusual to see idiosyncratic details in sacred art – crucified donkeys and the infant Jesus holding a rugby ball spring to mind – but that doesn’t detract from the cherishable oddness of Madonna and Albino Wallaby by Leslie Glenn Damhus, an academician of the Royal West of England Academy. Leslie’s Madonna is just one of the important artworks by women currently on show at the Victorian Methodist Church on Whiteladies Road. It’s part of The RWA Collection: Our Heritage, Our Future, hosted by the gallery while the main building is being refurbished. The show is totally free, and features many masterpieces from over 150 years of British art, some of them unearthed from storage for the first time in years. To find out more about the remarkable female artists associated with the RWA, visit rwa.org.uk/blog

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PEARL’S

THE BIG INTERVIEW

JAM Bristol Old Vic Theatre

School graduate Pearl Mackie is making waves – and breaking down barriers in the process Words by Deri Robins

ristol can take a certain amount of credit for the rise of Pearl Mackie. She spent three years at Bristol Uni studying drama, followed by two years at Bristol Old Vic’s prestigious two-year foundation course; since then she’s worked pretty much constantly on stage and in TV, her best-known role being Doctor Who companion, Bill Potts. More recently, Pearl’s been back in town filming scenes for ITV’s new thriller, The Long Call. Scenes were shot at a wide range of Bristol locations: The Showroom on Bath Road, The Old Stillage pub in Redfield, Harbourside, Royal York Crescent, Paintworks and Leigh Woods. And while the show is set in Devon, and partly filmed there, don’t be fooled: many of those coastal scenes were actually shot at Portishead and Severn Beach. So what was it like for Pearl – last seen around these parts shooting Doctor Who in Redcliffe Caves – to come ‘home’? Good, but slightly uncanny, apparently. “Bristol is a special place for me,” she says. “ When I was staying at the Marriott during the filming of The Long Call, I was really close to the Uni halls of residence where I used to live. “It was quite surreal, walking around the places where I’d spent five very vivid and sometimes challenging years

of my life. I knew the neighbourhood so well – everything I remembered was right there.” Bristol may have nurtured her, but showbiz was already in Pearl’s blood. Her maternal grandfather was screenwriter Philip Mackie, who in the mid-1970s wrote the script for the TV adaptation of Quentin Crisp’s autobiography, The Naked Civil Servant. John Hurt played the role of Crisp, a gay writer, actor, exhibitionist and raconteur. “I never met my grandfather, but my mother says that we share some characteristics. I like that. It makes me happy.” After graduating from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Pearl was cast in her first TV role, as Anne-Marie Frasier in BBC One soap Doctors. “I loved it,” she says. “It was a terrific series. In fact, I can honestly say I’ve loved every role I’ve acted in.” After Doctors, another big role came along, in the National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This brought Pearl to a new, very wide audience – including Stephen Moffat, Doctor Who’s showrunner at the time, who was exceptionally keen to have Pearl in the series. The role of Bill Potts was specially created, and Pearl became the Time Lord’s companion in the tenth series, helping Peter Capaldi’s Doctor to combat a dire onslaught from the Cybermen. “I loved playing opposite Peter,” she says. Endearingly, Pearl seems to love everything. “The dynamic was really special.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW The TARDIS transported Pearl to another universe, and more prosaically, to worldwide stardom – the series is watched by avid Whovians in more than 90 countries. As she says, “it’s proper, globally huge”. Pearl was the first openly gay character to have appeared in Doctor Who – something that would have been virtually unimaginable when the series first launched back in the comparatively unswinging Sixties. “Things have improved with regards to diversity on the screen,’ she says. “I know I’m lucky to have played Bill, and I know it was an important role.” Diversity, or the lack of it, comes in many forms. As the only child of a white mother and a black father, Pearl was aware from a young age that black actors on screen were very scarce; when they did appear, the roles they played were restricted. “It’s been interesting to see how the role of black women in films has changed,” she says. “As a child, I didn’t see very many black faces on television at all. But by the 1990s, in film and TV, there were black comedies, black sitcoms. Opportunities had certainly increased.” In one exchange with the Doctor, Bill Potts seems to reprise this feeling: Bill: “Regency England. Bit more black than they show in the movies.” The Doctor: “So was Jesus. History’s a whitewash.” If Doctor Who helped to increase awareness of gender and ethnic diversity, as well as helping take Pearl Mackie’s name to a huge audience, The Long Call, ITV’s rather Broadchurch-esque new drama based on the novel by Ann Cleeves, seems set to build on that. Playing opposite Pearl is Ben Aldridge, who Fleabag fans will gleefully recognise as ‘the arsehole guy’. Ben plays DI Matthew Venn, recently returned to live in a small community in North Devon with his husband, Jonathan. Pearl plays his deputy, Jen Rafferty, a single mother and a victim of domestic violence. “She’s a survivor, from an abusive relationship,” says Pearl. “It’s a really important drama. The characters are human and flawed, and sometimes they get it wrong. And sometimes they know that they’ve got it wrong – there’s plenty of self-doubt in there, as well.” Pearl, who has gone on record for expressing the wish that the next Doctor be portrayed by someone who is non-binary, says she’s thrilled that the new drama has a gay bloke as a main character. “It really explores his sexuality, but doesn’t just focus on that. I think that’s quite important.” Pearl came out as bisexual in 2020, so has more than a little empathy with both Detective Venn and Ben himself, as another member of the LGBTQ community. “It brought us even closer together. We both felt ‘seen’ by each other, and by the team making it. It felt very comfortable to be accepted by Breakthrough role: Bill Potts was the first openly gay character in Doctor Who

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Don’t expect any UST: Pearl as Jen Rafferty with Ben Aldridge in The Long Call

this family that you make when filming over a long period of time. I think it really benefited the work, too. I’m a queer black woman, and I’m very happy with who I am. So I’m glad to be part of this.” Pearl hopes that as a member of the LGBTQ community enjoying increasing success, she may help some viewers, perhaps across a wide age range, to come to terms with their own specific diversity. “You see, representation is important. And if it helps other people to see me on TV, that’s amazing. To have an increase in LGBTQ actors in mainstream shows is very important.” And while the role of Jen doesn’t focus on race, Pearl feels it’s equally crucial for black people, especially young people, to see themselves represented on screen. As we’re edging into BLM territory here – and it’s a subject Pearl doesn’t shy away from on her Twitter account – shall we talk about Edward Colston? Oh, go on, let’s . . . She says she enjoyed the fact that the statue made a sudden change of venue after being removed from its plinth. “I absolutely loved it! And I really loved the way Google Maps changed their map to show him at the bottom of the harbour. I wish I’d been there to see it all happen. It was so powerful, and I was cheering!” Pearl is currently shooting a reimagined version of Tom Jones, based on the novel by Henry Fielding, playing Honour Blackmore. It’s no surprise when this most enthusiastic of actors adds “It’s a terrific role!” But let’s end where her career began: here, in Bristol. “I was offered a flat to stay in during filming which was even nearer than the Marriott to Bristol Old Vic and my old stomping ground, but I thought it would be better for my mindset to be somewhere different. “Although there was so much I’d loved about Bristol, I didn’t want to return to those days, where there was so much grappling with who I was, and what I wanted to be, and how I was going to get there. Had I known then how my career would have gone, including being cast as Bill Potts – a real game-changer for me – I’d have been much more at peace with myself. “There was an element of returning now to Bristol to film The Long Call where, without wanting to sound arrogant, I did feel really proud of myself for how far I’d come. I’d really have liked that girl back then to see me now.” She doesn't come over as arrogant at all. In fact, Peal Mackie seems completely lovely. n The Long Call is currently screening on ITV

“I’m a queer black woman, and I’m very happy with who I am”

12 November-12 December 2021

EXHIBITIONS Until 27 November

THE RWA COLLECTION: OUR HERITAGE, OUR FUTURE The currently-closed-for-refurb RWA exhibits major works from its collection at the Victoria Methodist Church; see also page 11; rwa.org.uk

Until 19 December

THILDE JENSEN: I AM NOT INVISIBLE The result of Thilde’s four-year project documenting the homeless community in America; at MPF martinparrfoundation.org

Until 16 January

STEPHEN GILL: COMING UP FOR AIR The Bristol photographer gets a major retrospective at Arnolfini, leading us from the flea markets of Hackney Wick to his home in the Swedish countryside. arnolfini.org.uk LUCY STEIN: WET ROOM Building on a lasting engagement with goddess culture, witchcraft and idea of the anima; Spike Island; spikeisland.org.uk PEGGY AHWESH: VISION MACHINES

Single-channel films and video installations forged in the ruins of originality and authority, probing the critical potential of play; Spike Island; spikeisland.org.uk

Until 13 February

SUTAPA BISWAS The British-Indian artist engages with questions of identity, race and gender in relation to time, space and history; Arnolfini, arnolfini.org.uk

13-24 November

BRISTOL CLAY An exhibition showcasing the possibilities of clay from women artists and makers; at Centrespace Gallery; insta @bristol.clay

16-21 November

BIG JEFF JOHN: WELCOME TO MY WORLD Over 30 paintings by Bristol’s dedicated gig-goer, celebrating his love of music and sparking conversations about mental health. At The Island, artspace.uk

20 Nov-12 Dec

PINK LADY® FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Love food? Love photography? Want to see the best food photography in the world? Head to RPS, where the

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BOV have themselves a Merry Men little Christmas

Pink Lady Awards celebrates its 10th anniversary. rps.org

27-28 November

NORTH BRISTOL ARTISTS The trail celebrates its 20th anniversary with the usual heady mix of art, ceramics, jewellery and more, at makers’ homes and other local venues; northbristolartists.com

27 Nov-5 June

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Back at M Shed with a new set of extraordinary images taken by the best nature photographers on the planet. bristolmuseums.org.uk

4-5 December

BSPOKE16 This new artists and makers trail launched across North East Bristol last year; now it’s back, with around 100 makers on board; bspoke16.co.uk

SHOWS

Until Christmas (date tbc)

IN BETWEEN TIME: THE RUPTURE Bristol’s renowned performance organisation IBT hosts its ninth festival. The Rupture sets out to inspire audiences through thought

provoking, interactive work from highly regarded artists, exploring themes such as queerness, home, family and belonging, joy, nature, and escape. inbetweentime.co.uk

Until 13 November

FRANKENSTEIN: THE MUSICAL Move over Mel Brooks; Howard and Stu of Living Spit are here with their all-singing, all-dancing Creature. At TFT, tobaccofactorytheatres.com

Until 20 November

MACBETH Murders, witches and betrayal: Shakespeare’s dark tale of the corrosive nature of ambition is brought to the BOV stage by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; bristololdvic.org.uk

18-23 November

OF CHRISTMAS PAST The only thing more devastating than finding out that Santa doesn’t exist is discovering that he does; fable, fiction and comedy combine in Douglas Walker’s festive one-man show for grown-ups. tobaccofactorytheatres.com

18 November-6 January

LITTLE WOMEN IN BLACK After a surprise close encounter, the

PHOTO BY BEN ROBINS

WHAT’S ON

PHOTO BY © LASSE KURKELA, WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

WHAT’S ON March sisters swap their needlework for neuralyzers and take off on an intergalactic collision course with the worst scum in the universe. It’s the Wardrobe’s annual festive mash-up, of course; thewardrobetheatre.com

The original Rude Boy and Specials frontman celebrates 40 years in the biz; at Thekla. theklabristol.co.uk

17 November

SEASICK STEVE The master of timeless, acoustic country blues comes to Hippodrome. It’s just Steve, an old guitar, and you. atgtickets.com

19-20 November

MY VOICE WAS HEARD BUT IT WAS IGNORED A gripping tussle for power and an urgent interrogation of racial identity, written by emerging playwright Nana Kofi Kufuor. At TFT, tobaccofactorytheatres.com

18 November

GLASS ANIMALS The four-piece’s third album, Dreamland, is a return to form: a pop record of rare scope, vision and emotional depth, we’re assured. O2; academymusicgroup.com

22-27 November

HAIRSPRAY Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart rides again. You can’t stop the beat at The Hippodrome; atgtickets.com

NATURE RECONNECT Arctic Ice Music brings pioneering ice instruments, Scandinavia’s best jazz musicians, and Inuit, Sami and Siberian singers to St George’s; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

25 November-8 January

ROBIN HOOD: LEGEND OF THE FORGOTTEN FOREST Wit! Warmth! Archery! BOV’s festive biggie is brought to you by Wardrobe Ensemble, in a magical tale about taking aim at the things you believe in, shooting straight from the heart and becoming the hero you were born to be. It’s also about the power of responsible taxation. bristololdvic.org.uk

4 Dec-2 Jan

23 November

ST ETIENNE The 90s indie-dance band who helped to usher in Britpop bring their melancholy wistfulness to Trinity. trinitybristol.org.uk

30 November

SNOW WHITE Lesley Joseph is The Wicked Queen, Rob Rinder is the Man In The Mirror and Bristol annual panto fave Andy Ford does his annual panto thing at The Hippodrome; atgtickets.com

10 Dec-9 Jan

OZ TFT hit the yellow brick road. Will Dorothy have the heart, courage and wit to take on the all-powerful Oz and find her way home? Sometimes the smallest voice can shout the loudest... tobaccofactorytheatres.com

MUSIC

Until 19 November

KEYBOARD FESTIVAL The return of St George’s ivorytickling fest, celebrating keyboard music of all genres; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

12 November

BILLY BRAGG Still making waves, the tireless recording artist, live performer and political campaigner comes to O2; academymusicgroup.com clockwise from top:

Our favourite nature photography show’s back; Sleaford Mods are still a bit unimpressed by everything, tbh; It’s Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth, but not as you know them; Living Spit do the monster mash

13 November

NEVILLE STAPLE

THE WURZELS Drink up thy zider, ’cos them Wurzels are at St George’s, performing a career-spanning set from the past 50-odd years. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

1 December

SLEAFORD MODS Nottingham’s electro-punk duo are charged more than ever, railing against hypocrisy, inequality and apathy with their inimitable, scabrous sense of humour; at O2. academymusicgroup.com

2 December

RALPH MCTELL Produced by the legendary Tony Visconti, Hill of Beans is Ralph’s first album of original material for nine years; come and hear the tracks at St George’s. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

3 December

ISATA KANNEH-MASON Classical elegance, tenderness, and pathos, and the occasional flare of keyboard pyrotechnics from pianist Isata at St George’s; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

7 December

MADDY PRIOR: CAROLS AND CAPERS The queen of folk and her Carnival Band bring the festive party to St George’s; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 19

WHAT’S ON

LET US SLEIGH We’ll be going big with the Xmas factor in our next issue, but you can start jingling early with our round-up of the main festive hotspots 5 Nov - 23 Dec

BRISTOL’S CHRISTMAS MARKET The big one’s back, turning the shopping quarter into a village of wooden chalets selling a selection of gifts as well as festive food and drink. bristolchristmasmarket.com

14, 28 November; 2, 9, 12 December

WINTER FAIRS Estate of the Arts hosts five fairs, including the all-new night markets; local makers stalls, live acts, open studios (‘partially!’), food, drink and an animation cinema. estateofthearts.co.uk

19 Nov-24 Dec

LIGHT UP BRISTOL Head to Ashton Court Estate after dark for a festive illuminated walking experience. lightupbristol.com

25 Nov -31 Dec

CHRISTMAS SPIEGELTENT Our favourite in-tents festive venue pitches up once

again, with an inclusive and exhilarating mix of parties and entertainment; christmasspiegeltent.co.uk

26 Nov - 23 Dec

BRISTOL LOCAL CHRISTMAS MARKET Makers and producers sell tempting handmade wares along with locally produced ciders, beers, cheeses and jams. bristollocalchristmasmarket. com

27-28 Nov, 4-5 Dec, 11-12 Dec

MADE IN BRISTOL GIFT FAIR Up to 200 designer-makers take over the foyer of the Beacon with three weekends packed full of local talent. madeinbristolshop.co.uk

3-31 Dec (selected dates)

CHRISTMAS AT AVON VALLEY There’s ice-skating, a light trail, enchanted village, Polar Express miniature steam train and more to bring all the festive feels. avonvalley.co.uk

4-5, 11-12, 18-24 December SAIL WITH SANTA Take the kids on a special festive Bristol Ferry ride and join the ferry elves on the hunt for Santa. Book early; bristolferry.com

All the festive feels at Spiegeltent

Big collars, big laughs: Harry’s at the Redgrave

COMEDY Ongoing

CLOSER EACH DAY The world’s longest improv comedy soap continues to bubble amusingly away at The Wardrobe, every other Friday; thewardrobetheatre.com

13 November

DALISO CHAPONDA: APOCALYPSE NOT NOW 2020 didn’t go to plan for Daliso, but he’s back out of the house and at the Wardrobe with a slick, sharp look at life. thewardrobetheatre.com

14 November

RHOD GILBERT: THE BOOK OF JOHN In a six-year hiatus from stand-up, a lot has happened to Rhod. Almost all of it s**t. The funniest stand-up in the known universe comes to Hippodrome; atgtickets.com JOHN SHUTTLEWORTH’S BACK! John returns to regale us with an evening of classic songs and back stories, pausing only to reapply the Deep Heat. BOV, bristololdvic.org.uk

19 November

HARRY HILL: FIGHT! Harry’s at Redgrave, talking about his new autobiography and sharing clips from his huge home movie collection; redgravetheatre.com

21 November

MICHAEL SPICER: THE ROOM NEXT DOOR The man from The Room Next Door finally leaves said room and walks out onto the live stage of TFT; tobaccofactorytheatres.com

5 December

BOOTHBY GRAFFOE An evening in the company of an artist thought to be of one of the best at whatever it is he does; mostly singing songs and talking nonsense. Surreally funny, and the musicianship’s great. thewardrobetheatre.com

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10-12 December

MERRY CHRISTMAS! (DESPITE THE CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES) How many ways can the festive season go wrong? The Grinch whisks away everyone’s presents; terrorists take over Nakatomi Plaza; Alan Rickman gives a gold necklace to his vampy secretary instead of that nice Emma Thompson. Luckily, Bristol Improv Theatre has assembled a crack team of comedians and musicians to take the edge off; improvtheatre.co.uk

12 December

SOPHIE HAGEN One of British comedy’s most exciting talents, although she’s Danish, cult podcaster, and the author of Happy Fat comes to BOV; bristololdvic.org.uk

OTHER Ongoing

BRISTOL FILM FESTIVAL The occasionally-site-specific screenings continue right up to the end of the year, with everything from comedy (eg Bottle Shock) to action (Die Hard 1 and 2), family movies (Harry Potter) and cineaste classics (The Battleship Potemkin); bristolfilmfestival.com

Until 16 November

AFRIKA EYE The South West’s biggest festival of African cinema and culture returns with new and classic films, Q&As and shorts by black British filmmakers; afrikaeye.org.uk

15 November

WILDSCREEN A one-day hybrid event at Harbour Hotel interpreting the key messages of COP26 and providing a toolkit for storytellers. wildscreen.org

17-19 November

FESTIVAL OF ECONOMICS Global economists and experts debate some of the key questions of our time; at We The Curious, bristolideas.co.uk n

GREEN DAYS No Planet B. No more time for flim-flam. We got one shot at this. Words and pictures by Colin Moody

BRISTOL HEROES

ow many days to save the planet? I’ve seen so many ‘events’ taking place, talking about how we need to be carbon-neutral etc, but curiously keep finding myself in traffic jams stuck behind twin fuel-injected power statements. This month’s Bristol Heroes offers a reset to look at some of the little things that spark green hope.

These sticker instant responses seem to be all the rage. And for me it’s also high art when they get it on the nose from time to time.

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Here, a child who’s been learning about the tides that wash up to, and sometimes over, the harbour defences has chosen to leave the simplest, oldest form of a mark: a handprint on the wall. A mark that will just wash away in the rain. Could we take this as a symbol for a new generation’s idea for living with nature instead of dominating it? (He says, switching the car’s airflow to ‘internal only’ because the Ranger’s fumes up front are too strong...)

As you sit down to your dinner in that fancy establishment, have a look at the salad. Go on. Lovely, isn’t it? It might have come from one of the city’s urban farms, growing veg less than three miles from the city centre. But with more office space, and containers lying empty after lockdown, it may have been turned into one of the city’s urban vertical salad farms. Eco-power lights the interior, and your balsamic partner grows beneath this manmade sun. They are cropping up (oh god, did I really say that!) all over, and we haven’t even begun to talk about aquaponics, with fish keeping the roots in tip-top condition.

Remember when Luke Jerram put all those little boats in the woods? It got me thinking about how odd we are when we walk through nature, as if we are apart from it somehow. We might need to completely rethink our relationship with the natural world. If we do, we might stop consuming three planets’ worth of resources in just one world. Might be worth a stop, lie down and think-about session.

“Eco-power lights the interior, and your balsamic partner grows beneath a manmade sun”

And this was when I became aware that there was a cost to constant growth. A small green space, a couple of football pitches wide, that lost all its meadow space when they built that bus junction off the M32. I’m not gonna start looking at the bigger story here, about getting us out of our cars and onto the buses – even though I do have time, ’cos the matrix says it’s 26 minutes till the next one; but we might need to think of green spaces as our gold reserves in the future, if we want our plants pollinated naturally.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 25

Remembering when Greta came to town. Little voice, big impact. She’s a green hero, and for me her power definitely sits in making other people, especially the young generation, feel they can make a difference. Talk truth to power. And maybe get the biggest human existence save of all time by making the planet habitable by 2050 and beyond.

Whatever your thoughts on Extinction Rebellion, and the way the roads get blocked, it does make me wonder what’s next. When I first documented their interventions they were just stopping traffic intermittently. Few minutes of stop before they stepped to the side for a few minutes of go. But what next, if the COP 21 meet-up leads nowhere? It’s the Paris Agreement; but that’s just nations. On a street level we still have head-to-head disagreement, at least in protest moments.

The young people at the youth march for climate that happened just before Covid will grow up to enter the adult world. I’m hoping they make better choices than my generation, which when I was growing up was big on growth, collapse, growth, collapse, and repeat.

26 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BRISTOL HEROES

“Remember when Greta came to town? Little voice, big impact”

8 9

Back to Greta. She spoke, we listened; now governments need to act. No planet B. No more time for flim-flam. This life is more than just a read-through. We got one shot at this. Colin is available as a ‘mini-mobile PR/ marketing/social media unit’, to shoot striking street-style photographs at live events: parties, launches, promos and performances, for impactful immediate social media. Fees start at £100 for a two-hour package. email: mrcolinmoody@gmail.com Twitter: @moodycolin; Instagram @moodycolin319

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 27

t: 0117 279 0980 | m: 07956 846307 e: simon@bristolcityroofing.co.uk

www. bristolcityroofing.co.uk

EMILY & DAN ROSS STORYSMITH BOOKS

Moving stories

lease forgive us for a little housekeeping announcement to frame this issue’s column – we promise it’s relevant. We were so fortunate to find our little shop on North Street back in 2018, and to sell books in its wonky split-level space with its beautiful fireplace, high ceilings and challenging lack of storage. But ever since our first Christmas we knew that we would, at some far-off point in the future, need a bigger shop. The good news is that we’ve found it. The even-better news is that it’s about three minutes’ walk further up our beloved North Street. The cherry-on-the-cake news is that

“The Books of Jacob is about as rich and satisfyingly complex a novel as you could hope to read, leavened with ambitious themes”

Dan and Emily have upped sticks and moved down the road; but they still found time to round up a few new must-reads we finally have space to grow into – so more books, more browsing, more coffee, more storage (we know storage is boring, but to a bookseller good storage is like a finely tuned engine or a perfect glaze on your Sachertorte). It’s been a delight to design our dream bookshop behind the scenes, and this month we’re finally ready to open the doors. If you haven’t already popped in to see our new space, we hope to see you soon. So, what books will be gracing the most prominent spots on our recommendations shelf ? Fortunately for booksellers and readers alike, our dedication to ferreting out the most superb new reads survives undimmed, is even enhanced, in our new surroundings… The Books of Jacob – Olga Tokarczuk (translated by Jennifer Croft) It’s nearly 1,000 pages long, it’s translated from Polish, and it’s the story of a Jewish man who wanders through 19th-century Europe, switches religions, is heralded as a Messiah and denounced as a heretic, and generally romps around in an epic musing on the mysteries of religion. A tough sell to the casual reader, you might think. But as our bookseller Siubhan discovered while she read it, it lives up to that huge billing – it is about as rich and satisfyingly complex a novel as you could hope to read, stuffed with finely-wrought details and leavened with ambitious themes. Tokarczuk is a Nobel prize-winner and a literary force of nature, and we were transfixed by her previous novel, the delightfully titled (and much shorter) Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead; so it’s a treat to have her back.

Piranesi – Susanna Clarke We know this one has been causing a national stir since it won this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, but one of our book clubs took on this intoxicating work in October and the response was so intriguing that we had to feature it in our column. Fresh out in paperback, Piranesi plunges you into a world where our titular main character stalks the interconnecting halls of an enormous labyrinthine, where the tides can rush in at any moment and there is only one other living person sharing this bizarre place with him. Completely unique and deeply, superbly immersive, this novel asks of its central ﬁgure: could there be more people out there? Whisper – Yu-Ko Chang (translated by Roddy Flagg) If you’re still in need of something spooky despite the season having passed, then you may consider this Taiwanese ghost story that our bookseller Callum was taken with on discovering it recently. Ethereal voices stalk the characters of this book before they meet their end – but to whom do they belong, and what do they mean? Elements of murder mystery, folklore and a softly woven political subtext combine with a knotty plot for this gratifyingly macabre curio. Of course, these are just a few of our recent favourites, and you’ll be heartened to know that we’ll be armed with countless recommendations when you visit us at our new shop. Did we mention we’ve moved shops? Oh, we did? Well, you can’t blame us for being excited. Think of the storage. Storysmith, 236 North Street, BS3 1JD. storysmithbooks.com www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 29

STAND-UP GUY CHRIS COX

A Chris-mas tale: Part I

Just like our annual gift guide, our new columnist is spreading the festive love over two issues. Here’s the first one

ne of the reasons I moved out of London is that most of my work was no longer in London. Sure, it was good to be close to Heathrow, to be able to fly around the world to do shows, but when shows could happen anywhere in the world there was no need to be in London. I held out for a bit, just in case I got a royal invite at the last minute, but alas that didn’t happen, and the constant dry-cleaning costs for my tux were no longer worth it. No Yas Kween for me. Anyway, as the law of the sod has it, since moving to Bristol,

I’ve found myself going to London for something every week. Dashing from rehearsals of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; checking in on a chef at The Ritz for which I’ve created magic, and seeing newly opened shows (& Juliet is a lot of fun if you want a good night out, fyi). It’s been somewhat non-stop; a phrase that will create the dumdum-dums in the mind of every Hamilton fan (also a great show, but you can see it free on Disney+ with the original Broadway cast. Annoying that I paid a small fortune to go to New York to see that original cast for bragging rights. Damn that mouse).

“Parkway coffee shop is one of the most depressing places I’ve ever been to, and I once went to a Wetherspoons in Hull at chucking-out time” 30 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

I’ve been getting the train, due to the lack of an actual floo network or ability to apparate, but I’ve found myself never quite knowing which station to go from. As Dickens would’ve put it, a tale of two stations. Temple Meads v Parkway. Parkway trains are quicker, but the platform’s colder to wait on, and the coffee shop is one of the most depressing places I’ve ever been to – and I once went to a Wetherspoons in Hull on a Saturday night at chucking out time. Temple Meads has the strongest selection of overpriced food and drink, looks prettier and has a picture of the Suspension Bridge above the urinals so you can pretend you’re peeing in the river. This is the point in the article where I’d give you an answer as to which one is better. But I don’t have an answer. Sorry. Where do your allegiances lie? You can tweet me on the info below if you’re that way inclined. However, while waiting on the platform at Parkway, getting blown by the wind, my mind turned to Christmas. My last few festive seasons have been spent on stage at Broadway and Sydney Opera House, meaning I’ve got classic photos of the kids with Santa screaming their heads off both at Macy’s in New York and on the beach in Sydney. But this one will be my first in Bristol for over 15 years. Old traditions will be returning; as a kid I went to the panto every year, so I’ll take my tiny humans to the magnificent Bristol

Hippodrome to see Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs; oh yes I will, oh no I won’t, etc. I’ll make new traditions. The new Light-Up Bristol event at Ashton Court looks illuminating. You know, ’cause it’s loads of beautiful flashy lights in the trees creating a magical winter walk-through, it’s a real bright idea. Again, sorry; stuck in panto comedy land. I’ll enjoy secretly laughing as the tiny humans fall over as they try skating for the first time at the newly opened Planet Ice, and if I get it on film that’s £250 in my pocket: thanks, You’ve Been Framed. Then, of course, I need to think about visiting the big man himself, and this year The Mall at Cribbs have teamed Santa up with Paddington, because nothing says Christmas like marmalade-loving bears. I’m actually over excited about this. Paddington 2 is one of the best movies of all time (seriously, watch it with all the family over Christmas and thank me. I’m not messing around here, just wait until you see Hugh Grant.) We’ll get to meet and have photos with the big bear after doing some sort of Christmas present hunt before meeting the big, sticky Santa. I’m assuming he’ll be sticky due to the marmalade, not because he’s joined the Sticky Bandits (Home Alone 2, another Christmas movie to watch.) Maybe this year I’ll get a photo of the kids smiling next to Santa rather than screaming their heads off. magiccox.com; facebook @ilovecox twitter @bigcox; insta @magiccox

PHOTO BY STEVE TANNER

THE VERDICT JAMIE REES

Defining moments What a start for the return of live theatre in Bristol . . .

’ve been waiting 20 years as a theatre critic to use the old cliché “If I could give it six stars, I would”. Finally, a show has come along where I can use it. The show I’m talking about was made right here in Bristol, too, and how proud we should all be of that fact. Once in a while, a piece of theatre comes along and becomes a defining moment both for the company that has produced it and the wider industry as a whole, and Wuthering Heights from Wise Children and its artistic director Emma Rice, shown at Bristol Old Vic, is one such piece, We talk a lot, in theatre, about production values – the lighting, sound, scenery and props used to enhance a piece of theatre – and the team here have reached the zenith of this theatrical ambition, using puppetry, a set that seam-

lessly transforms from moor to manor house, and a band of musicians who are much a part of the narrative as is the spoken word. Of course, you also need actors to turn in the finest of performances, and a visionary director to bring it all together, and this is what has happened with this show, in spades. Wuthering Heights is not the obvious place to start if you want to make a show for people to love. With so many unlikeable characters, and betrayal, greed, murder and deception at every turn, it’s not the most uplifting of tales. Somehow, however, this production brings warmth to the Yorkshire moors in a way Mother Nature never could. Ash Hunter makes a brooding and brutal Heathcliff, performing the role with quiet, understated menace. Lucy McCormick is mesmerising as Cathy: half rock-

“Once in a while, a piece of theatre comes along and becomes a defining moment for the company that has produced it”

Unwise children: Cathy (Lucy McCormick) and Heathcliff (Ash Hunter) do their wild, wild love thing. We doubt it’ll end well

chick, half semi-feral wildling. Special mention must also go to Katy Owen as Isabella Linton and Linton Heathcliff. What she achieves in both roles is a masterclass in comic timing. Elsewhere, it was so good to be back at the Wardrobe Theatre this month. How could I not go and see a play called Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats? If the name wasn’t enough to get me there, the show’s reputation, trailing critical acclaim from the Edinburgh Fringe, certainly was. This show surprises, shocks and delights in equal measure. For all of the laughter, what we come away with after the hour is over is a sobering true story of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a controversial figure who was murdered in brutal and disturbing circumstances after investigating alleged Maltese government corruption. As fine a piece of Fringe theatre I’ve seen, with two outstanding performances from Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole. Week after week I’ve had

the simply joyous experience of sitting in the wonderful Bristol Hippodrome watching live musical theatre, one highlight being Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. This show has broken the mould of the genre for me in terms of the realness of the storytelling. Not since Blood Brothers have I seen a British musical tug at the heartstrings as powerfully as this show. And while everybody might be talking about Jamie, I would like to talk about his mother Margaret, played so wonderfully by Amy Ellen Richardson. In her song He’s My Boy, where she sings about her ‘perfect mistake’, you can hear a pin drop as she belts out the high notes. It’s almost panto time for this venue, but be sure to check out their packed programme of musicals coming up, with no fewer than 19 shows from Les Misérables to Disney’s brand new Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I can feel my jazz hands taking over my body already . . . Follow Jamie on Twitter @JamRees

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 33

KIBOU

Sashimi over to Clifton’s new Japanese hot kitchen, where the good times and the sushi roll Words by Deri Robins Photos by Ben Robins

RESTAURANT

f you go down to King’s Road today, you’re in for a big surprise. read up on the subject you’ll disappear down a rabbit hole and not be Especially if you pop down after dark. Because new Japanese seen for days; ramen may just be soup with noodles and other odds and restaurant Kibou has just opened, right next door to the equally ends thrown in, but the whole thing has taken on a semi-mystical quality. flirty-looking Dirty Bird, turning this quiet Clifton backwater So, I didn’t have the ramen, but I did order practically everything else, into a riot of fuchsia neon and floral excess: a cross between starting with a cocktail from a list I would have happily worked my way downtown Tokyo, Kew Gardens and an influencer’s boudoir. through from top to bottom. While the daughter sipped a frothy pinkIt’s the third Kibou from this group – they don’t like hued gin concoction in a dainty glass with a worryingly slender stem, being called a chain – following successful launches in Cheltenham I supped an emerald green Tanoshii, a refreshing mix of tequila with and London. They’ve set up shop within the old Nettle and Rye site, melon and ginger, and like everything in Kibou, exquisitely pretty. a sizeable, two-storey affair, allowing for plenty of discrete areas. The An exceptional waiter maketh a meal, and we had the great good décor’s so gorgeous that you need to build in a good ten minutes to soak fortune to have Caelum dancing attendance on us. He was such cheery it all up: the sexy lighting, the intimate, velvety booths, the lounge with its company that if he hadn’t been a bit busy we’d probably have invited jewel-coloured armchairs, the shimmering full-width bar, and the open him to join us. He steered us through the menu, recommending this, kitchen in which serious-looking chefs brandish serious-looking knives. suggesting that, including the Volcano roll: 10 pieces of salmon, avocado and The Eastern vibe is ramped up by the lavish use of foliage – full-size trees! tobiko, dipped in tempura, fried and drizzled in Kibou sauce. – along with murals and projector animations, including a giant geisha If you’ve only ever had supermarket sushi, Kibou’s will come as painted by UWE graduate Martyna Sabadasz. a revelation. A world away from those The effect is evocative and futuristic; you fully dispiriting little plastic trays with their claggy expect her to wink at you seductively, rice, tired slivers of fish and ThumbelinaDINING DETAILS Bladerunner style. sized plastic fish containing a meagre squirt Kibou, 16 King’s Road; 0117 450 2930; kibou.co.uk This is Japanese dining, but of the high-end of soy sauce, the Volcano delivers oceanvariety. This is not one of those little izakaya fresh seafood wrapped in fabulously sticky Opening hours Fri-Wed 12-11pm; Thurs 12pm-12am joints where you grab a quick beer and a rice, all with a satisfying element of crunch. Prices From £4-£9.9 for small plates rising to a beef snack on the way home; this is the glamorous, Another standout was the nasu dengaku; teriyaki at £22.90; see full menu online sophisticated world of cocktail and sushi bars. charred and miso-glazed, the aubergine flesh Drinks International wines, beers and spirits, many Somewhere you’ll want to linger, and make a was reduced almost to a souplike texture you Japanse; don’t miss the signature cocktails night of it. could scoop out with a spoon; far nicer than Service Top-notch; charming, friendly and helpful Delighted by everything, and charmed by that sounds. The baos did their usual pillowy the welcome from the smiley staff, we trotted thing – we had ours with tender marinated happily up the hand-painted stairs to our comfy upholstered booth. I duck. Golden crunchy karaage pieces were excellent, if no more exotic was accompanied by four millennials, all of them old East and South than fried battered chicken. Even better was the ebi stak, a very superior East Asia backpacker hands. Like everyone under the age of 35, they’ve spin on the prawn toasts you get in a Chinese takeaway. We also loved sushied in Tokyo, sashimied in Seoul, and generally noodled their way the takoyaki, battered fishcake globes encasing small pieces of octopus, across the continent, so were totally unfazed by the lengthy, A3-sized topped with tonkatsu sauce and strewn with bonito flakes. menu. One side alone is covered by sushi options – California rolls, Oh, and the millennials did have the ramen, which they tell me was hosomaki, temaki, nigiri, sashimi, futomaki, tataki – all of which basically fine, if not life-changing. But if the broth didn’t quite have the insane riff on raw or seared fish with rice and nori. On the other side are depth of flavour that causes ramen freaks to lose their mind, it came plates for sharing, along with gyoza, baos, the kebab-like kushiyaki, and generously packed with tender sliced pork belly, an initially weird-tasting tempura. And that’s even before you get to the large plates – sukiyaki, but ultimately moreish tea-stained boiled egg, pak choi and noodles, and donburi, katsu, teriyaki, poke bowls and the stir-fries. all in all, the millennials declared themselves full and happy. Oh, and ramen. As you may have noticed, ramen mania has swept the The puds are as effulgently pretty as the cocktails. Leave room for the country. This fairly humble dish, originally imported from China, now Japanese Garden, a glassful of chocolate ganache; or do as we did and attracts levels of geeky devotion rarely seen outside a Comic Con. If you order the mochi: sweet, chewy rice dough balls filled with ice-cream. thought humankind had hit peak nerd through arguing over whether Is this the most authentic Japanese restaurant in the UK? I doubt it. Cobb was awake at the end of Inception, just wait until you hear the true It’s probably not even the most authentic in Bristol. But I can’t think of ramen believer comparing broths. anywhere that serves up more enjoyable, crowd-pleasing, high-quality To write credibly about ramen, you really need to have lived in a ramen grub in lovelier surroundings. You probably don’t need a reminder of why town; preferably Fukuoka; preferably for at least five years. If you try to you’ve missed restaurant dining so much, but Kibou brings it anyway.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 37

GREEN TO GO! Showcasing some of the best places for vegan food in and around Bristol

SCOOP WHOLEFOODS BRISTOL

98A WHITELADIES ROAD, BS8 2QY TEL: 0117 330 3366; UK.SCOOPWHOLEFOODS.COM

PIZZAROVA

GLOUCESTER ROAD | PARK STREET | WAPPING WHARF PIZZAROVA.COM Pizzarova’s ever-expanding plant-based offering has stolen the hearts of many Bristol vegans. All of their pizzas can be made using their indulgent cheese alternative, creamy in texture and an excellent replacement for mozzarella. Their harissa-marinated tempeh is nutrient-rich, and offers something different to processed alternatives. Smokey and nutty in flavour, with a light heat from the marinade, vegan or not, it’s delicious and perfect on pizza. Their extensive selection of locally and sustainably sourced vegetables makes their vegan offering that much more tempting. Next time you’re feeling peckish you must try the new olive tapenade and artichoke bread, and their iconic vegan garlic mayo, washed down with one of their many plant-based soft and alcoholic drinks.

38 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The largest selection of zero-waste, plastic-free and ethically sourced products, all under one roof. At Scoop they have two missions: to improve people’s health and well-being, and to safeguard our planet for future generations. Shopping with them allows you to buy as much or as little as you need, limiting the amount of food waste in your home. Bring your containers to fill up, or use one of their recycled paper bags, and make sustainable shopping your new routine. They also specialise in supporting local food producers and British farming. With over 1000 natural and organic food, household and beauty products, kombucha and ketchup on tap, a nut butter-making machine, a coffee grinder, refills of all your household essentials, they strive to be your one-stop shop for sustainable shopping.

SPONSORED CONTENT

FLIP

81 NORTH ST, BRISTOL, BS3 1ES TEL: 07795 445633 FLIPFOOD.CO.UK FLIP is an ethically vegan shop and deli on North Street, BS3. We only stock items that are free from animal exploitation. In our kitchen, we create delicious deli treats for you to take home as well as providing a range of quality sandwiches and hot food items. The shop offers selected items to support great home cooking for vegans and everyone. For Christmas, we provide specialist hampers and vegan cheese boxes. We also offer a buffet service for parties and business meetings.

EDEN CAFÉ CLIFTON

10 WATERLOO STREET, CLIFTON, BS8 4BT TEL: 0117 3292051; EDENCAFECLIFTON.CO.UK EDEN combines the relaxation and modern sophistication of an idyllic Sydney brunch spot with tantalising flavours from classic dishes from around the world. Founded by childhood sweethearts, EDEN commits to delivering honest, great-tasting beautiful food that just happens to be vegan, in a setting as delightful and charming as Clifton Village itself. “At EDEN we strive for great quality and delicious flavours. We use local, premium, seasonal ingredients to promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle, with just a little touch of sweet indulgence too. From our locally roasted coffee to our freshly prepared dishes and desserts, at EDEN you can spoil yourselves without spoiling the planet” say founders, Jon and Rosie Winter.

THE CANTEEN

80 STOKES CROFT, BS1 3QY TEL: 0117 923 2017 CANTEENBRISTOL.CO.UK/FOOD

CASA VERDE

The Canteen came back from lockdown as a 100% vegetarian restaurant, meaning they have a full range of amazing vegan dishes ready for the tasting. From nutritious Buddhafull Bowls at lunchtime filled to the brim with grains, veggies and tasty tempeh, to a wonderful small plates selection for the evening, you can try a little bit of everything. Favourites like Roasted Aubergine Chermoula, and melt-in-the-mouth Artichoke Fritters with Salsa Verde Mayo are not to be missed. And don’t forget Sunday, the best day for feasting on their famous vegan roasts. Served up with all the tasty trimmings sourced from local farms, what’s not to love?!

136 MINA ROAD, THE MINERS ARMS, ST WERBURGHS, BRISTOL BS2 9YQ; TEL: 07543 872663 @CASA_VERDE_CATERING Casa Verde is a plant-based dirty-food specialist. It’s run by David Hazell, a former Michelin-starred head chef, who brings all of his experience toward bringing vegan fast food up to the next level. They will be running out of the Miners Arms in St Werburghs for the foreseeable future. They don’t believe there needs to be any compromise on flavour in plant-based cooking, and would hold all their dishes up to their animal product counterparts, but at the same time being a little nicer to ourselves and the planet.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 39

VEGAN AFTERNOON TEA

A CLASSIC BRIT ISH INSTITUTION, RE MIXED FOR MODERN TI MES

A delicious selec tion of homemade savo ry and sweet delights, paired wi th bottomless speciality loose lea f tea. Feeling fancy? ... Add a glass of Pro secco, or a cocktail!

EDEN’s Afternoon Tea is a wonderful experience well worth sharing. Available Wed - Sun • Limited spaces • Online Booking required • Optionally Gluten Free 10 Waterloo Street, Clifton, BS8 4BT • 0117 3292051 • edencafeclifton.co.uk • @edencafeclifton

CAFÉ SOCIETY STAN CULLIMORE

Two men in a hub

There’s a lot more to eco-conscious Future Leap than cake. But you know Stan; he’s a bit single-minded…

his week’s coffee spot of choice is on the Gloucester Road, opposite Zetland Road, near the Arches. Would have been much easier just to say it’s on the site of the old Maplins, but I’m not sure everyone remembers that far back in time. Sigh. The joys of staying in one place for decades. Names change but the places stay the same. A textbook example of recycling in action, I suppose.

“Some places have charm by the bucketload, others have it by the thimbleful.This place has got heaps of the stuff; enough to fill a few wheelbarrows,sustainable or otherwise”

Speaking of recycling, from what I can make out, the café is part of the Future Leap Sustainable Business Hub. Though, in truth, there are so many long words on the shop front that I wasn’t quite sure what was going on where. Either way, it promised sustainable catering along with ethical food and drink. Not quite sure what it all means, but since this is a column about coffee and cake and not politics, it wasn’t something to worry my silly little head about it. Phew. All I had to think about was the quality of the coffee. If you want to know more about the business end of things, it’s all at futureleaphub.co.uk First thing you notice when you wander inside the premises is that there is a whole lot of stuff going on. There is a shopping area filled with wholesome, ecotype goods, an events space, and plenty of tables spread all over the place, perfect for hanging out and drinking. After choosing a spot right in the middle of the room, my companion and I had a look at the menu. A pleasant mix of toasties, salads and breakfast burritos, along with a bumper crop of finelooking cakes on the counter for afters, with vegan alternatives to everything, if that’s your bag. The coffee and toastie were top notch; very pleasant. Simple but

delicious. Well worth the journey. But even more enjoyable was the people-watching to be had. A feast for the senses. The space was full of earnest professionals, young and old, either working away on laptops, having meetings over lunch or just hanging out with friends. Was great fun trying to work out what they were up to by reading the clues on display. Ah, the joys of being old and invisible. Regular readers of this column will probably know by now that I am a big fan of atmosphere in cafés. Can never work out if it’s the décor, the clients, the staff or just good old-fashioned magic. But some places have charm by the bucketload, others have it by the thimbleful. This place has got heaps of the stuff. Enough to fill a few wheelbarrows, sustainable or otherwise. After finishing our coffees, we went for a wander round the shopping zone, where there are lots of tempting goodies on offer. Made me understand why so many punters were sitting around, taking their time, enjoying the ride. The whole place exudes a calm, unhurried happy vibe. Definitely going back to the Future for another bite someday. n Former Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer stancullimore.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 41

RECIPES PHIL HAUGHTON

The best thing about chilly weather? A cast-iron excuse to eat filling, deliciously warming casseroles . . .

BEEF IN THE BOG You’ll find an overwhelming number of recipes for boeuf bourguignon, beef casserole, daube of beef, and so on. So much is written about the importance of method and ingredients, and how it ‘ought to be done’. However, we can also just enjoy good, simple ingredients, cooked in a method that brings out the best in the beef cuts we use. Go to a butcher’s, farm shop, or good retailer where you can buy organic grass-fed beef. Ask for a cheaper cut, but not brisket for this dish – you could use shin, or some braising cuts. You might want 1 kg per four to five people, but adjust quantities to suit your numbers and appetites. The dish keeps well for a week in the fridge. Ingredients 1kg beef, cut into cubes of around 2.5 cms or more 100g salt pork lardons or streaky bacon 2 or 3 onions, diced (or 300g shallots are very lovely instead) 300g carrots, diced 3 cloves garlic, crushed A handful of mushrooms A good squeeze of tomato purée Half bottle red wine – any decent table wine will do A slice of orange peel, if you like, skin without the pith. It adds a lovely top flavour A couple of bay leaves, some mixed herbs –

fresh is ideal, but dry is just fine – salt, pepper, juniper berries if you have a few; and a stick of celery doesn’t go amiss, if you have one. Method Heat your oven to 160ºC. 1. Use a heavy bottom pan to fry off the lardons or bacon until crispy. Take them out, leaving the oil and add chunks of beef and brown on all sides. I know it’s tempting to add all the beef, but it’s much better if you do no more chunks than will cover the bottom of the pan with a bit of space for turning. 2. Place all beef with the lardons in a bowl, once fried or browned. Add a little wine to the pan to deglaze and pour over the fried meats. 3. Give your pan a bit of a wipe, and then add some olive oil. Fry the onions slowly until they’re soft, add garlic and herbs and fry a little longer. 4. Now replace the meat along with the carrots, mushrooms, tomato purée and orange peel, if using. Season with salt and pepper, and add a few juniper berries. Pour in your red wine, bring to a simmer and stir gently for a couple of minutes. 5. Cover and put it in the oven and leave for at least three hours. (If your pan doesn’t fit in the oven you will need to transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.) The meat will be soft but not falling apart, the carrots will have absorbed lots of flavour and added their sweetness to the whole dish. Serve with beautifully mashed potato and some greens.

Phil Haughton is the founder of Better Food, a group of award-winning stores and cafés in Bristol that specialise in organic, local and ethical food and products. Better Food won Best UK Independent Retailer at the 2021 Soil Association BOOM awards. Phil is also a speaker on the subject of organic farming, and author of the book Food For Thought, from which this recipe is taken. Food for Thought is Phil’s first book. Through a colourful mix of inspiring personal stories, tempting recipes, helpful tips and insightful contributions from 12 thought-leaders and change-makers, Phil shares his passion for organic farming and his mission to create a world where food, nature, business and community can all thrive together in harmony.

For more: betterfood.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 43

CLAUS ENCOUNTERS (OF THE

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

FIRST KIND) HOLLOW TREE HIDEAWAY, £5.25 One in a range of very pretty pop-up card models that also double as advent calendars; so much more appealing than that endlessly irksome elf on a shelf… From Pod Company 24 The Mall thepodcompany.co.uk

It’s the most wonderful time of the magazine year! In the first of our inescapably festive Christmas shopping guides, we bring you all the decorations, and all the food, and all the things to cook and eat it with. More in our next issue www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 45

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CHRISTMAS HANG-UPS Those halls aren’t going to dress

themselves, you know. Choose between ice-cool hues of blue and silver, or warm, cosy gules...

SHOPPING LIST 10

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46 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

1. Faux-fur panda, £5.95; Pod Company, thepodcompany.co.uk 2. Walther & Co palm leaf in brass, £45; Maze, mazeclothing.co.uk 3. Jungle animals bauble, £4.50 each; Pod Company, thepodcompany.co.uk 4. Sass & Belle snow leopard bauble, £7.50; Fox+Feather; foxandfeather.co.uk 5. Alessi ‘Melchiorre’ bauble; £19; Bristol Guild, bristolguildgallery.co.uk 6. House Doctor Christmas car, £12; Maze, mazeclothing.co.uk 7. Hanging cable cars, set of 4, £18.50; Cox & Cox, coxandcox.co.uk 8. Hermes bust bauble, £12.50; Cox & Cox, coxandcox.co.uk 9. Baby deer bristle decoration, £4.50; Graham & Green, grahamandgreen.co.uk 10. & Klevering space ornaments, set of 3, £21; Grace & Mabel, graceandmabel.co.uk 11. Walther & Co leaf wreath, £75; Maze, mazeclothing.co.uk 12. Madam Stolz paper pulp llamas (set of 2), £22.75; Fox+ Feather; foxandfeather.co.uk 13. Glass sprout, £3.95; Graham & Green, grahamandgreen.co.uk 14. Walther & Co large mistletoe in zinc and brass, £65; Maze, mazeclothing.co.uk

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 1

SHOPPING LIST 2

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1. Ceramic flamingo, £14; Hannah Turner, hannahturner.co.uk 2. Bloomingville glass bead gingerbread men, £10 each; fig 1, fig1.co.uk 3. Standing wooden robin, £10; Bristol Artisan, thebristolartisan.com 4. Sass & Belle carolling squirrel, £10; Mon Pote, monpote.co.uk 5. Madam Stolz small hanging bell, £3; Movement Boutique, movementboutique.co.uk 6. Metal vans, set of 2, £10.50; Cox & Cox, coxandcox.co.uk 7. Soft toy Gromit decoration, £6.95; Gromit Unleashed Shop, grandappeal.org.uk 8. Faux-fur giraffe, £6.25; Pod Company, thepodcompany.co.uk 9. Sass and Belle lucky cat, £10; Mon Pote, monpote.co.uk 10. Ben the Badger, £8.95; Graham & Green, grahamandgreen.co.uk 11. Wool reindeer Santa, £6.25; Pod Company, thepodcompany.co.uk 12. Wool fox on skis, £8.50; Pod Company, thepodcompany.co.uk 13. Felt carol-singing reindeer, £25; Cox & Cox, coxandcox.co.uk 14. Glass caravan, £13.95; Graham & Green, grahamandgreen.co.uk 15. Mini-felt kids, £1.50 each; Pod Company, thepodcompany.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 47

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BRING OUT THE FIGGY PUDDING And while you’re at it, get the rest of

the larder stocked and your foodie gifts sorted at the same time. You know the yule rule: one for them, one for you… SHOPPING LIST

1. Cavern hamper, £159; Cave Wine Bar, cavebristol.co.uk 2. Gingerbread cider & chilli pickled eggs, £9; Gingerbread Preserves, gingerbeardspreserves.co.uk 3. Devon Blue cheese, from £6.50; Bristol Cheesemonger, bristol-cheese.co.uk 4. Ross & Ross brussels sprout dust , £3.95; Harvey Nichols, harveynichols.com 5. Spicy cider chorizo pokers with vintage Cheddar, £3.50- £45; Somerset Charcuterie, somersetcharcuterie.com 6. Ballancourt duck pate, £8.50; Papadeli, goodsixty.co.uk 7. Nicolas Vahe flavoured salts, £9.00 each; fig 1, fig1.co.uk 8. Christmas cider and cheese box, £24; Box Local, boxlocal.co.uk

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48 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 5

SHOPPING LIST

1. Damson gin, £20-£216; 6 O’Clock Gin, 6oclockgin.com 2. Makers & Merchants mulled cider syryp, £7; fig 1, fig1.co.uk 3. Thatchers Cider Barn range: Redstreak, £2.55; thatcherscider.co.uk 4. Green Cuisine morning after hangover comforter cracker, £2.95; Harvey Nichols, harveynichols.com 5. Snow globe orange and gingerbread gin liqueur, £26; Harvey Nichols, harveynichols.com 6. Vergani Moscato panettone, £19.95; Papadeli, goodsixty.co.uk 7. Rococo salted caramel seagull eggs, £9.95; Papadeli, goodsixty.co.uk 8. 180g bar Tony’s milk chcolate, £3.98; Hugo’s Greengrocer Deli, hugosgreengrocer.co.uk 9. Mr Stanley’s whisky toddy fudge, £5 (from £10); Grace & Mabel, graceandmabel.co.uk 10. Decorate your own chocolate nutcracker, £12.95; Harvey Nichols, harveynichols.com 11. Coco Chocolatier bars, £5; festive cracker, £5.95; fig 1, fig1.co.uk or cocochocolatier.com 12. Lazzaroni Original Amaretti, £14.95; Papadeli, goodsixty.co.uk

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Support local th is year with our award-winning gift boxes.

GET CHRISTMAS WRAPPED UP!

Choose from set boxes or build your own with over 150 locally-sourced treats made by the finest smallscale artisans.

Use EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT CODE ‘BristolLife10’ for orders placed before 30th November. Select your delivery date in advance and include a personalised handwritten note free of charge! Get in touch and make your order at www.boxlocal.co.uk

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 1

4 6

SERVING SUGGESTION All the gifts for all the cooks,

with a few you’ll want to keep for yourself

SHOPPING LIST

10 11

1. Robin eggcup, £16; Hannah Turner, hannahturner.co.uk 2. House Doctor teak salad servers, £32; fig 1, fig1.co.uk 3. Rice DK stoneware dishes, from £24.50; fig 1, fig1.co.uk 4. Wooden cake slice, £22; Midgley Green, midgleygreen.com 5. Alessi Anna G corkscrew, £40; Bristol Guild, bristolguildgallery.co.uk 6. Madam Stolz mango wood serving dish, £26; Movement Boutique, movementboutique.co.uk 7. Cabanaz retro timer, £12.95; fig 1, fig1.co.uk 8. Pasta maker, £29; ProCook, procook.co.uk 9. Gyuto Japanese-style handforged iron chef’s knife, £550; Nouko, nouko.co.uk 10. Nkuku pasta bowl, £22.50; fig 1, fig1.co.uk 11. Cherry wood potato masher, £18; Prior, priorshop.uk 12. Recipe books: THE CLASSIC CHOICE: Simple: effortless food, big flavours avours, by Diana Henry THE COOL NEW RELEASE: Shelf Love Love, designed to make the most of your larder, by Ottolenghi THE BRISTOL CHOICE: Root by Rob Howel, for recipes with a plant-based focus; Tapas & Copas by Owen & Tom Morgan at Bar 44. All good bookshops; try Storysmith, storysmithbooks.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 51

CLIFTON CERAMICS & FINE JEWELLERY

WANTED We buy for cash

SCRAP GOLD & PLATINUM Simply bring your old jewellery to our showroom in Bristol or send it in to us by special delivery. (Please give us a call for more details)

SS. GREAT BRITAIN EXCLUSIVE DESIGN FROM MOORCROFT POTTERY A LIMITED EDITION OF ONLY 30 PIECES

For more information visit www.cliftonceramics.co.uk 0117 373 0256 • 58 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4JG

On your behalf, we can also sell re-saleable, unwanted jewellery items in our windows on a sale or return basis. Photo ID required in all circumstances.

KEMPS OF BROADMEAD 33 Union St, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 2DJ T: 0117 926 4888 | www.kempsltd.co.uk Email: kempsbroadmead@gmail.com

Tel: 07854239926 info@cliftonwineschool.com

A very warm welcome to Clifton Wine School! We are a local wine school hosting events in Bristol and Bath. Choose from our Cheese and Wine Matching night, a Fine Wine tasting, Wines of the World evening courses, Gin tasting, and so much more. We also do unforgettable hen parties and corporate events. We don’t sell wine, we give you confidence to choose the best wines for yourself.

You can purchase any course or tasting as a Wine School Gift Voucher starting from £30 the perfect present for any wine lovers!

Tastings, courses and events now also available online. www.localwineschool.com/bristol

New award winning sparkling red out now just in time for Christmas! Silver IEWA award winning.

£1 from every bottle goes to support Bristol’s hospitality scene with our friends at Bristol Food Union

Available from direct from www.dunleavyvineyards.co.uk and local stockists. Email to ﬁnd your nearest: hello@dunleavyvineyards.co.uk

WINDOW SHOPPING MILLY VAUGHAN

Baum und Pferdgarten Derya Coat, £399, Grace & Mabel

The sherpa things to come

Lolly’s Laundry Andy Jacket, £165, Maze

Indi & Cold reversible teddy coat, £249, Maze

Selected Femme Nila quilted poncho, £160, Fox + Feather

Fawna two-in-one teddy jacket, £60, Fox + Feather Knowledge quilted jacket, £175, Truce

Cosy up to the fabric that currently has fashion by the short and curlies

very season has its rising stars, and this year the fabric having its turn in the spotlight is sherpa pile and quilt. Pile, despite the unfortunate connotations to anyone over the age of 40 or in a child-bearing situation, generically means any fabric made by the ends of short threads; but sherpa has a characteristically curly pile, rather than ﬂeece, which can be smoother and more reﬁned. It has the hallmarks of a winner, with its durability, warmth and economical factors, and

autumn/winter 2021 has seen this fabric made into coats, jackets, gilets, hats, headbands, scarves, gloves; basically, anything that can pull oﬀ the pile. That said, Ugg went one step too far by creating sherpa trousers, which, while undoubtedly keeping the wearer as warm as toast, is a look that very few can adopt without looking like a woolly mammoth. Then we have quilt – another fabric having a moment, and one not to be confused with ‘puﬀa’. When you hear the word ‘quilt’ it’s really hard not to think of your nan’s patchwork bedspreads; but

“Sherpa trousers will keep you warm as toast, but it’s a look that very few can pull oﬀ”

quilt in this coat context is plain, padded and has the square seam lines either diagonally, which is a personal favourite look of mine, as it’s more eye-catching, or horizontally. Quilt is cropping up on gilets, zipped tops and jackets as well as the standard coat, with lots of big square external pockets, and in fabulous, warming hues of olive, navy and burgundy. A mum friend recently asked me what she could wear to stop her from freezing her t**s oﬀ watching her sons play rugby at the weekend. Other than dressing like Ygritte from Game of Thrones, or as one other mum did recently,

like a faux-furry Russian spy, both of these fabrics are the perfect practical warming option. For extra warmth you can layer a Sherpa base layer with a quilt coat/jacket on top. Or, to be the snappiest mascot on the sideline, you can wear one garment which combines both of these contrasting and complimentary fabrics, such as the Maze navy jacket or the Fox + Feather caramel jacket shown above, thereby killing two fashion birds with one hot stone. ■ @millyvaughan on instagram camillapettman@mac.com

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ONE TO WATCH

SUPPLIERS AND SERVICES

SPONSORED CONTENT

THE STORY MATTERS At FRANKLY in Wapping Wharf , shopping ethically is made easy . . .

ringing her sustainable vision to life, Frankly store owner Helen Symonds set out with a mission – to make ethical shopping more accessible, creating a haven for independent brands in the vibrant community of Wapping Wharf, Bristol. The first thing you notice as you enter the shop, which is housed in two repurposed shipping containers, is the gorgeous smell of natural bath oils and scented candles. Inside you will find jewellery that is empowering women in Uganda, children’s books that support wildlife charities, men’s gifts made from recycled bike inner-tubes in Malawi, bath and body products made by a Bristol charity and much more.

Each product is hand-picked by Helen herself, and chosen for it’s sustainable or charitable credentials because, as the sign says, ‘the story matters’. “Our community has been so supportive over the last year,” says Helen. “Opening right before the November lockdown in 2020 wasn’t ideal on the face of it, but Bristol is amazing at supporting independent shops. I love nothing more than chatting to customers about our brilliant brands and sharing tips for shopping more ethically. Here are a few of my top, easily achievable tips.”

GET ORGANISED! “I know this is a boring one, but if there is anything more likely to get you falling back on that Prime next-day delivery option, it’s the pressure of finding a last-minute gift! Pick up gifts you know your family and friends will love as you see them, and keep them safe ready for birthdays and Christmas (just don’t forget you bought them, only to find them in January!)”

helping you purchase what’s right for you. At Frankly we offer a gift service called The List – just tell us exactly what you love, and we can help your gift giver select the perfect gift for you. No more waste! Chat to us in-store about how it works.” n

KNOW THE STORY “Understanding the story behind a product really adds to its value. At Frankly we love nothing more than telling the stories behind our brands. Maybe it’s beautifully packaged chocolate designed by adults with learning difficulties, or baskets woven by women in Cambodia, providing them with safe employment – knowing the story really brings everything to life.”

SHOP SMALL “Most small shops are only too happy to go above and beyond with customer service,

shop online at frankly.store Unit 5, Cargo 2, Museum Street, BS1 6ZA www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 57

HOW GREEN IS OUR CITY?

Bristol was European Green Capital in 2015; but how are we doing right here, right now? Mal Rogers takes the city’s sustainable pulse

The ‘Energy Tree’ at We The Curious

58 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

GREEN

eezer in a pub in Bristol was asked in 1999 what he reckoned the next millennium would bring. “Hash will be legal; cars will be illegal.” Well, he wasn’t quite right. Yet. But we’re heading in that direction. Whole swathes of Bristol are closed to private cars; streets have been pedestrianised, cycle lanes built, and 20mph speed limits imposed across the city. Bristol is e-scooter central – the city Vois more than anywhere else in Europe. Buses take priority, and you can even catch a ferry that’s hydrogen-powered. As regards hash, Bristol Life couldn’t possibly comment. But what we can say is that Bristol, Britain’s first-ever European Green Capital back in 2015, now scores high across a raft of environmental markers such as air quality, recycling and low carbon emissions. We now sit in the same company as other European Green Capitals such as Stockholm, Denmark and Hamburg. And with Bristol’s unique sense of fun, even people failing their driving test often mumble they were just helping the environment. Bristol has increasingly become a centre for companies who promote a greener lifestyle. A green constituency now exists in the city, because Bristol has found out something very important: sustainable practices mean a higher quality of life for everybody.

CUISINE, CREATIVITY AND CARBON NEUTRALITY

As a cultural hub, Bristol attracts open-minded, creative people. The home of Banksy, Massive Attack and Idles, Bristol, more prosaically, is also a media hub with up to 2,000 related companies. Now, here’s a sweeping generalisation, but you’ll find as generalisations go, it’s a good one: creatives tend to be environmentally aware, and they like to spread that message. Good example – Aardman Animations. Asked to come up with an educational HTML5 game for European Green Capital year, up popped Sustainable Shaun from the Aardman pens (in both senses of the word). As well as its cultural vitality, Bristol has a distinct culinary individuality. Many restaurants have realised the advantages, both immediate and long-term, in every possible way, of using local produce. Serving vegetables that taste as if they’ve just been pulled out of the allotment is the way to go from every angle: environment, viability and profitability. Bristol is also a vegan hotspot – named the unofficial vegan capital of the world,

THE GREEN REGISTER

Bristol is a magnet for green companies and organisations. The eco-organisations that regard our city as home include:

The Environment Board — works closely with other eco-minded organisations Bristol Green Capital Partnership — a network of organisations working towards sustainability Sustrans — the walking and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network

no less. Meat consumption is seen as a major contributor to climate change, although in the interests of balance we have to add that this isn’t a straightforward binary equation. The city of Bristol is a tangle of tight streets and villages, but one interspersed by traditional parks, nature reserves, a harbour and large open spaces such as The Downs. All these help to make it a place where you can breathe easily. Many Bristolians are now trying to ensure that future generations can continue to do just that.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESSES

Below, we take a look at just a few of the businesses that have helped to turn Bristol a deeper shade of green.

Building the city FIRST BASE

What they do: Mixed-use developer, now redeveloping Soapworks, transforming the former Gardiner Haskins site in Old Market into a vibrant new district for people to work, live and play. The green deal: “Sustainability is at the heart of our plans for Soapworks,” says project director Lucinda Mitchell. “We’ve taken a ‘fabric first’ approach to building design, prioritising energyefficient materials.” Other eco-friendly innovations include triple glazing, enhanced thermal insulation and airtightness. What can Bristol do better?: “The city is already recognised internationally as a leading green light. Delivering the Bristol Heat Network will be a major achievement and has the potential to make an enormous impact in reducing the city’s carbon emissions. Long-discussed improvements in public transport infrastructure will be fundamental in helping Bristol deliver on its impressive and ambitious One City Climate Strategy.” First base motto: “We place sustainability at the heart of all of our developments.” firstbase.com

URBANE ECO

The green deal: Brislington-based Urbane Eco constructs sustainable, carbon-saving homes – new-build and retrofit. Building fabrics made up of natural products is key; this ensures airtightness and so less energy. UE make sure homes are box-checked for comfort, heat loss, carbon emissions and the wellbeing of the occupants. The green deal: Urbane Eco renovated the showhome at Heron Road in Easton for the city’s Council Warm Up Bristol campaign. The company is now launching Phabb houses. “They really are phabb!” says MD Nick Lloyd. “It stands for Passive House and Building

Centre for Sustainable Energy — an independent national charity that promotes innovative infrastructure pointing in the direction of net-zero

Black and Green Ambassadors — celebrating diverse leadership and community action on environmental issues in Bristol and beyond

The Soil Association — focuses on how we farm and what we eat The Schumacher Institute — the independent think tank that examines environmental, social and economic issues

Black Seeds Network — Black Seeds Environmental Social Justice Network provides a platform for environmentalists of colour to socialise, gain support, seek opportunities, develop innovation, knowledge and expertise on environmental issues

Climate Leaders Group — made up of organisations that have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030 and have a plan for reducing their emissions

The University of Bristol and UWE — both universities continue research into climate change, sustainability projects and environmental studies

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Biology. What really makes sense to me is that our homes should not only be energy-efficient, but also not contain any toxic chemicals.” . What can Bristol do better?: “We need to train a new generation of builders in the importance of sustainable building. The Green Register of Building Professionals, started by green pioneer and architect Lucy Pedlar, was one of my own inspirations.” Urbane Eco motto: “We must build intelligently, healthily and holistically.” urbane-eco.co.uk

BDP

What they do: Award-winning architects and design practice. The green deal: “Our expert team have research and development

funding to explore ways our design can make positive change from the earliest stages,” says CEO Nick Fairham. “Our new BDP carbon calculator has been designed to deliver greater clarity during early stages of design by accurately estimating the embodied carbon of developing design options. “We have taken these steps to ‘green’ our own business operations and cut our carbon emissions, but our real impact is through the projects we deliver. From new, state-of-the-art hospitals to citywide master plans, we work with clients to adopt more progressive strategies to increase sustainability and protect the environment.” What can Bristol do better?: “It may seem somewhat counterintuitive for an architect to proclaim this, but we have to focus on reusing and refurbishing existing buildings wherever possible – which is by far the most sustainable solution,” says Nick. BDP motto: “Sustainability goes far beyond carbon emissions. At BDP it’s about changing mindsets and behaviour. It requires a collaborative approach to design, operation and management.” bdp.com

The shops BETTER FOOD

What they do: Shops and cafés selling goods that prioritise local and

organic produce, to minimise environmental impact. The green deal: “In addition to sourcing the right products to sell to

Coming soon to Finzels Reach: Cubex’s new office development Halo will be one of the UK’s most sustainable buildings

“Sustainability is at the heart of our plans for Soapworks” – First Base

BRISTOL’S CV AS THE UK’S SUSTAINABILITY CAPITAL

It was European Green Capital in 2015. So how’s it all going now? — Load of hot air: Bristol gas consumption is less than any other comparable city in the UK — Load of rubbish: Bristolians recycle or compost well over a third of their household waste — Meals without squeals: Bristol has been described as the vegan capital of the world — Elementary energy: Bristol’s harbour ferry Hydrogenesis is the first hydrogen-powered boat to operate in the UK. A zero-emissions fuel-cell craft, it produces no direct emissions. Many experts are backing the element hydrogen as an excellent fuel option. Bristol’s future aim is to get the gas from renewable sources. — E–scooters, non-polluters: Bristol has greater Voi usage than anywhere else in Europe. Meanwhile, local green heroes Good Sixty deliver local produce and groceries via eco-bikes.

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— Climate justice: Bristol is a Fairtrade city, doing business with nearly five million workers in 58 developing countries. This is environmentally key. Most of us in Bristol will have clocked up a larger carbon footprint by the time we’re 40 than, for example, a dozen African villages put together. They need help, and we need to do it – sustainably. It will be good for them, good for Bristol, good for the planet. — The sound of silage: Bristol has four city farms: planting, growing, rearing animals sustainability. In Bristol, Farmer Brown has become Sustainability Brown. — Techy town: Bristol’s microelectronics cluster is the UK’s biggest outside London — Nurturing nature: Avon Wildlife Trust manages 1,100 hectares of nature reserve sites in Bristol and the surrounding area. Salt marshes and wetlands, wildflower grasslands and ancient woodlands, are all looked after by the Trust. Wildlife happens in the most unexpected places. Even in the middle of Whiteladies Road, you might come face-to-face with a twitcher trying to get a better view of a peregrine falcon.

GREEN The science centre WE THE CURIOUS

What they do: Science centre and educational charity, aiming to

inspire positive behaviour change.

The green aim: “Being more environmentally sustainable, both for

our building, but also in our role as a science centre,” says sustainable futures innovator Roddy Skinner. “In the last 10 years we’ve reduced our energy output by 31 per cent. In 2019, we became the first science centre to declare a climate emergency. We commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. One of the first actions we took following this was to stop having an ice rink, due to high energy and water consumption, and to work with Bump to run a roller disco instead.” What can Bristol do better?: “More eco-friendly heating is one of the lodestars of eco-friendliness. We The Curious steers towards that. For our building, there’s work to be done in upgrading our air-source heat pumps and other building systems, and we’re also working on our suppliers in our supply chain to encourage them to change their practices to be more environmentally friendly.” Motto: The current range of activities for visitors is focused round the theme ‘a better world is possible’. wethecurious.org

The fitness expert FEEL FIT

What they do: Clifton-based fitness studio. The green deal: “One of our business values is to do the best we

“Bristol has increasingly become a centre for companies who actively promote a greener lifestyle” our customers, in recent years we’ve significantly expanded our refill ranges,” says marketing manager Matthew Philpott. “Also, almost all of our fruit and vegetables come unpackaged. In addition, to encourage customers to refill and bring their own reusable packaging, we launched a refill reward scheme called Bee Better, which incentivises customers to refill and get free organic hot drinks in return, or exclusive offers.” What can Bristol do better?: Bristol needs to focus on people growing their own fruit and vegetables at home.” Motto: “A better, fairer food system for all.” betterfood.co.uk

can for the planet and others. We plant a tree for every item sold and membership taken out at our studio,” says founder Ellie Crawley. “Some equipment in the studio is made from recycled materials, as is our flooring. We try to work with sustainable brands and businesses, and track the journey of products to make sure they have the lowest carbon footprint. Our bikes and the tree-planting scheme mean we are carbon-neutral already, but we can do more!” What Bristol could do better: “More local and regional clean-ups including rivers and beaches.” Motto: “We have three homes: our minds, our bodies and our planet.” feelfit.com

FRANKLY

What they do: Frankly sells thoughtful, ethical and sustainable gifts at Cargo in Wapping Wharf. The green deal: “All the brands we work with have sustainability at the forefront of their ethos,” says owner Helen Symonds. “I believe we all have the power to change the way businesses think about sustainability through the buying decisions we make.” Environmental issues are key to Frankly’s operation, an approach that allows customers to know what carbon footprint their purchase has left on Planet Earth.“Explaining the stories and the supply chains behind the brands we work with is a big part of what we do. There is so much greenwashing around nowadays. Customers really appreciate that we do the legwork, checking that brands do what they say they do.” Practical steps at Frankly include environmentally-friendly packaging. But, as Helen points out, it’s an expensive exercise for small business. “We try to reuse packaging whenever we can.” What can Bristol do better?: “Everybody at Frankly cycles, walks or takes the bus to work. Getting cars out of the city centre would be my number-one priority. We need segregated cycle paths, better lighting and cheaper public transport. That would all help hugely.” Motto: “Buy less, buy better.” frankly.store

Beekeepers on the roof of We the Curious

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GREEN NAME A LOCAL GREEN HERO “Rural food and drink producers from a farming heritage tend to have a really strong passion and commitment to the environment. Yeo Valley and Wyke Farms are just two examples” – Thatchers “The Green Register of Building Professionals. From its beginnings in Bristol many years ago, it is now a national organisation providing high-level training in sustainable building all over the country” – Urbane Eco “We work closely with Scoop, Smaller Footprints and Future Leap to see if we can make a bigger impact together” – Feel Fit “Good Sixty’s been doing a great job helping our city’s independent food retailers hold their own against the threat from big supermarkets and online giants” – Pieminister Tristan and Jon of Pieminister learn about the trees they’re planting this winter for Forestry England

“Ovo Energy has made great strides in moving the UK energy market towards a net zero future” – First Base

The producers PIEMINISTER

THATCHERS CIDER

peak of piedom, and made with sustainability firmly in their pie DNA.

is very conscious of the regenerative nature of ecology. “Every year we plant new apple trees in and around Myrtle Farm, and we have beehives in our orchards. We like to plant wildflowers to provide valuable foraging for the bees and insects. Six years ago we stopped using plastic rings on our can packs – a really important step for us.” Motto: “Make cider sustainably” thatcherscider.co.uk n

What they do: Make pies. Their award-winning creations are the very The green deal: “We set ourselves nine sustainability targets last year,

to hit by 2025,” says head of press Romany Simon. “They cover animal and ecological welfare, climate change, waste, and of course human welfare and wellbeing. We are asked with increasing regularity about our sustainability policies; but that’s not always been the case. For example, we decided to use free-range British chicken from the start, at great expense, even though our customers didn’t seem to care that much. It’s great to see how much attitudes have changed.” What can Bristol do better?: “Support local businesses. Good Sixty does a great job helping our city’s independent food retailers hold their own against the threat from big supermarkets and online giants. “Bolder decisions need to be made to make non-car travel safer. I’d also stop all insecticide spraying in public spaces, such as pavement edges – these are great for insects and the money spent on killing weeds could be better spent.” Motto: “Bake things better – better for the planet and better in terms of deliciousness too.” pieminister.co.uk

What they do: Make cider. Mmmm.... The green deal: Martin Thatcher, fourth-generation cider maker,

Ellie from Feel Fit: “We have three homes – our mind, our body and our planet”

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Hope Rise, a pioneering net-zero carbon social-housing scheme in Bristol, was exhibited at the COP26 climate change summit this month in Glasgow. One of just 17 sustainable building projects chosen worldwide, it was included in the Build Better Now virtual reality online exhibition, which aims to demonstrate opportunities available in cities for limiting environmental impact of buildings. The St George scheme was developed by ZED Pods, working alongside Bristol City Council, Bristol Housing Festival and YMCA Bristol. The project is a socially focused development of 11 homes for vulnerable young people at risk of homelessness. Uniquely for the UK, the housing is erected on stilts above an existing public car park, retaining 100 percent of the original parking spaces. For more zedpods.com

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SPONSORED CONTENT

SUSTAINABLE, FUN & STRONG FEEL FIT introduces eco-conscious style and fitness

t’s the small things, as well as the big things. We use 100% compostable packaging for our mailouts, we use 100% recycled labels, swing tags, recycled rubber gym flooring and recycled rubber bumper plates; but the bigger picture includes planting a tree, and having over 1,500 trees in our forest; our bikes, that have generated nearly 10,000 green energy watt hours since May this year; and our activewear, made from recycled fishing nets recovered from our oceans. Tell us about the sustainable activewear that Feel Fit has created We use ECONYL® – 100% regenerated nylon fibre from fishing nets recovered from our

oceans and pre and post-consumer nylon waste. Producing 10,000 tons of ECONYL® material saves 65,100 tonnes of CO2 emissions – so when you buy from, or train at, Feel Fit you really are making a difference to our planet. We created the activewear with REAL people in mind, for every shape, size and look – items you won’t throw away, and will never let you down in any workout. Feel Fit is not only your best friend in the form of a pair of leggings, but in the studio too; we are supportive, encouraging and uplifting – just like that bra top . . . How is Feel Fit different to other studios? We don’t believe there is one size that fits all. Fitness doesn’t have a shape, size, look or colour, gender or age – it is a feeling, and everyone should have the right to feel it. We make fitness fun and sustainable – we are training for longevity, for life. And we encourage others to find what they love. We break down those fitness narratives and we don’t really conform. Why? Because we are all individual. We also understand women: their bodies, and the need to adapt things to work with their bodies. We specialise in ladies’ health, hormones and training. Women are not small men. Tell us about the charity work you are doing We have set up Feel NEW and are working with charities in Bristol. We offer our fitness classes to them for free, we build a programme to suit the new students and we help build their confidence, strength and understanding of fitness. We help with nutrition, wellbeing and resilience, and we work with the charities to help

more people who don’t have access to a gym or studio to be able to feel what you feel. On choosing sustainable fashion brands . . . • Know your materials. Virgin materials such as polyester make up 55% of clothes globally and these are derived from fossil fuels and take years to break down. • Try to reduce your water footprint. Production of textiles uses 93bn cubic meters of water annually – the equivalent of 37m Olympic swimming pools. Be more conscious about your water footprint. Organic cotton uses 97% less. Shop our organic cotton range on our website. • Avoid microplastics pollution. Washing our clothes releases thousands of microplastics into our waterways, oceans and causes harm to marine life, and eventually to us. Use a guppy bag or other such bags to wash your clothes in. We have three homes – our minds, our bodies and our planet – and we are helping build a stronger you, future and planet. We believe in you, and making you feel fit, strong, confident and amazing; just as you are. ■

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Christmas at

WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk Come along to our festive events with singalong carols, mulled wine, festive treats and eco gifts on Thursday 25th November and Thursday 9th December 5-7pm Christmas trees for sale from 1st December

SNAPPED AC ROSS BR IS TO L , O N E SH I N D I G AT A T I M E

Xxx

Ruth Player, GM at Kibou and Scott Paine from Akashi-Tai Sake

KIMONA THEIR PLACE

Clifton’s wildly instagrammable new Japanese hot kitchen, ramen and sushi bar opened with a launch party attended by members of the Bristol Bears, local business owners, representatives of Clifton BID, family and friends and the everhungry local media Photos by Ben Robins benrobinsphoto.com

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Duncan and Emma Iraci

Jay Mead, Nathan Lee and Kevin Stokes

Mirco Bertoli and Daddy G Xxx

Mark Jones and Dr Darah Glennie

Jen Reid, Moses Mead, Jay Mead, Ernest Arathoon, Sharon Palmer

PIZZA THE ACTION

Jen Reid and daughter; Dale Daniels

Hyde & Co Group held a soft launch to welcome their a new pizza restaurant on Whiteladies Road, bringing back the much loved Flour & Ash pizzeria with a fresh new look and feel. Photos by Jon Craig @JonCraig_Photos

Sandra Mead Daddy G with Jay Mead

Michael Presley Sharpe

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Reach the best in the west Affluent, active and influential and just a call away

Bristol Life team 01225 475800

SOCIETY

Matt Casey, Carine Martinez-Webb, Lisa Tucker, Bob Irwin, Mark Callaghan, Kimberley Dorman, Josh Butler and Ellie Callaghan

Eddie Farwell MBE

DOING IT FOR THE KIDS

Liz Childs, Deputy Chair Board of Trustees at CHSW and Phil Yorke

Lisa Cains CHSW nurse, Melissa Toney from GL Law, Rob Berry and Katie Owen CHSW nurse

CHSW’s Charlton Farm hospice, the only dedicated hospice facility for children and families from Bristol and the surrounding areas, celebrated its 30th anniversary with a ‘Night at the Museum’ on Saturday 9 October.

Ian Downs ‘Downsy’, Thomas Rose - Hammer Time Auctioneer and Amanda Gallagher from CHSW

Samir Savant, new Chief Executive, St George’s Bristol; Angela Hewitt, pianist and Suzanne Rolt, outgoing Chief Executive, St George’s Bristol

Ben Heald, Chair of Trustees at St George’s Bristol and Suzanne Rolt, outgoing Chief Executive, St George’s Bristol Sian Goldharber and Trish Brown, staff of St George’s Bristol

Yoma Smith, Great Western Credit Union

GRACE NOTES

Claire Smith, Buro Happold; Maria Crayton, Trustee of St George’s Bristol and Diana Hall, Trustee of St George’s Bristol

St George’s Bristol held a reception to celebrate Suzanne Rolt’s tenure at St George’s Bristol and to welcome new chief executive Samir Savant.

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It’s the city’s business

BRISTOLWORKS Heart of the community Get involved in the 2022 Bristol Life Awards – while you still can . . .

he Bristol Life Awards is one of the city’s glitziest events of the year; a night when Bristol’s best and brightest don their gladdest of glad rags and gather to celebrate the community focus, creativity and tenacity of businesses from across a wide range of sectors, from creative to pro-services, hospitality to hair and beauty. But the Awards oﬀer so much more, with opportunities to get involved via sponsorship. Bristol Life Awards sponsors beneﬁt from months of promotion in the marketing materials for the Awards, which reach thousands around the city; the networking opportunities provided by the night itself, and by association with an event that has earned its place as a staple of the Bristol business community calendar.

Sponsorships vary, with opportunities including category sponsorships and feature sponsorships (including sponsoring the Awards afterparty) to even more exclusive Gold, Silver and Platinum sponsorships that come with a range of benefits from bespoke marketing assets, to your own company table and the opportunity to present an award on the night. You can contact harriette. dixon@mediaclash.co.uk and neil.snow@ mediaclash.co.uk for more information. The Bristol Life Awards are all about celebrating the heart of Bristol: its community. It’s an event filled with positivity, fun and hope – and an invaluable opportunity to connect and collaborate with other businesses in the city. Sponsorships are filling up fast – the time to get involved is now. For more: bristollifeawards.co.uk

BRISTOLWORKS

THE HISTORY

Bristol General Hospital was designed by WB Gingell, Henry Crisp and George Herbert Oatley – Bristol’s most renowned architects. It first opened its doors in 1858, making a grand statement with its Italianate stonework and French Renaissance rooftops. The new hospital cost £28,000, with much of the funding coming from local workers, who gave a penny a week towards building and running costs. During WWII the hospital suffered severe bomb damage which all but destroyed its original fabric. Mansard roofs were lost, along with the magnificent ogee dome topping the octagonal tower. Much of the 20th-century development of the site consisted of poorly considered extensions which lacked any sense of vision or formal masterplan. The hospital finally closed its doors in 2012 when the planned South Bristol Community Hospital opened and the services were transferred. City & Country acquired the site in June 2012.

DID YOU KNOW?

The ground floor of the main building is home to two Michelin-starred restaurants, Casamia and Paco Tapas, along with pizzeria Pi Shop.

TESTIMONIAL

“It’s great that City & Country has been able to save something so old and special in the centre of the city. The attractive, deep, big windows are amazing, and for me are the best feature.” The General resident, Daniel Torrens-Spence

Restoration drama Alex Reid of City & Country talks us through the regeneration of one of Bristol’s most desirable residential developments – The General

ity & Country is the market-leading heritage developer in the UK, with two major developments currently running in central Bristol: Factory No 1 in Bedminster, and The General in Redcliffe – a large-scale regeneration of a Grade-II Victorian Grade-II hospital, with an idyllic location overlooking Bathurst Basin.

Work to reinstate the ogee dome (now replaced with a zinc clad replica) was completed in 2017, meaning the building has been returned to the proportions, scale and appearance of its original 1853 design. Other retained features include roof lanterns, timber sash windows, crittall windows and the listed ornate wrought-iron gates and railings.

Tell us about the regeneration of The General

The development is over 90% sold, with just a small selection of apartments remaining. Prices start from £425,000 for a two-bedroom apartment.

Over 150 years after it was first built, City & Country has sensitively and painstakingly restored this wonderful building to its former glory through a vast, all-encompassing project that has spanned more than six years. To achieve this, we used an in-house team of specialist historians and architects, who unearthed a vast library of original photographs and historical documents that were studied closely, revealing much of the original floorplans and layouts. An expert technical team spent time researching the most appropriate methods to restore aspects of the building, including the most effective way to clean the pennant and Bath Stone dressings to the external facades. Significant original features that have been restored and reinstated include the stone fountain and ornamental sculpture, which now take pride of place once again in the tranquil courtyard, and a large French châteaux-style mansard roof.

How many homes have been sold?

We know that the most recent release is the Edward VII Wing. Can you tell us a little about this?

The Edward VII Wing is an exclusive collection of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, which forms part of the wider Grade-II hospital and marks the final phase of homes at the development. The grandest of these apartments feature private terraces overlooking the River Avon. A glazed atrium has been added to the rooftop of the wing, creating a collection of contemporary homes that provide panoramic views across Bristol. A concièrge service is provided, as well as secure underground car parking. For more: cityandcountry.co.uk

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BRISTOLWORKS

Simon and Greg in conversation at the Avon Gorge Hotel

PEDAL TO THE METAL SIMON WEAR, founder of Play Sports Network on taking an idea to a multi-channel, multi-platform, multi-billion-pound business

ollowing the success of its inaugural digital event in the summer, EntreConf returned last month for a special dinner with 50 entrepreneurs and advisors at the Avon Gorge Hotel in Clifton. Headliner of the night was Simon Wear, founder of Play Sports Network, the world’s largest cycling media company delivering original content across multiple channels and platforms. He took the stage with MediaClash’s Greg Ingham to share how he grew one idea into a multi-billion-pound business in just a few years. Here is some of that conversation: After 18 years with Future, where you started as a sales exec and later became chief operating officer, you left to launch your own business. What was that like? I remember day one so clearly – it’s bizarre. I remember buying an Apple Mac and peeling oﬀ the cellophane, having a blank computer and no business and thinking – well, go on then. It was exciting and terrifying. I knew I

wanted to do something with video, to distribute content on social platforms. Most media businesses want viewers to come to them, their channel, website, etc, but I wanted to create content to serve social media platforms, which was a different way of thinking about things – but I had no idea how I was actually going to do that. How much funding did you have at the start? I put £230,000 into the business the first day. I sold my house and my car. I was very fortunate to have the most incredible, supportive wife – her general view was we’d end up getting divorced if I carried on in my corporate life, so it was a good thing really! I didn’t pay myself for two-and-a-half-years, and then I paid myself £20,000 for the next two years. I wanted to use the revenue created to employ people with skills that I didn’t have. Tell us about seeking investment I spent a year raising £1.6 million from nine angel investors – it took a lot of meetings to find them. There are two types of investment – there’s smart

money and there’s dumb money, and I didn’t just want money, I really needed help. I met a guy called Andrew Croker, who became my chairman – he’s the most connected person I’ve ever met – he was the catalyst to meeting the other eventual investors in the company. How have the investors helped – other than their money? One angel investor, Oli Slipper was key to the second round of investment. He was brilliant because while I was in the middle of doing the everyday work, he said – these numbers are amazing, let’s go and raise a load of money, let’s go and get £5 million. He had the experience of having been through it to have the conﬁdence to say – you can do this. That was in 2017, and Discovery (owners of Eurosport) invested £5 million for 20 per cent of the company. Then, in 2019, Discovery took a majority stake. How was that experience? Incredibly stressful. This was the most important thing other than my kids in my life. What did you do when the deal was done? Cried. It was so much bottled-up tension and stress of the most important thing you’re working towards for a sustained period of time – it was just exhausting. Then the next day we said – right, let’s go. We’ve got all this capital, now we can do stuﬀ! So... what did you do? We’ve built an OTT (over the top) app for streaming sports online, which

we’ve since invested about another £25 million in over the last two years – before Discovery that would have been ridiculous, even if I could have borrowed the money, it would have been ridiculous. You get to a point where the risks are too high to take on alone, because you could end up with nothing – and you could also put a load of important, brilliant people out of work, which was not for me. When you were still at Future, wondering about starting your business – what made you think ‘I can do this’? I had a lot of imposter syndrome for the ﬁrst ﬁve years or so at Future. I worked with so many smart, hardworking, fantastic people, and I didn’t have a degree or an amazing education or anything. That pushed me to work really hard. The great thing about those experiences being around loads of smart people is, you learn so much all the time, and the value of that is way more than your salary. All the things that I needed to build my business, truthfully came from that period of time, learning from them – including Pete Stothard and Mia Walters, two really key people who then joined me at Shift, plus Jim Smith who came from Imperial as our CFO. If you had the chance to start over, would you do it all again? Yeah, totally. It was the best fun.

EntreConf will return on 30 June 2022. You can still watch talks from the successful July EntreConf on the website. For more: www.entreconf.com

CABINET RESHUFFLE Cooking space; family hub; dinner party hangout: the kitchen does more heavylifting than any other room in the house. If you want yours to look like the ones shown over the next few pages – and who wouldn’t? – read on . . . By Ursula Cole

Kutchenhaus’ anti-fingerprint units in Mineral Green, combined with walnut reproduction door fronts. Sophisticated and rather sexy . . .

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KITCHENS

“Everything happens in the kitchen. Life happens in the kitchen”

t’s a much-repeated truism that the kitchen is the heart of the home. But then that’s the thing about truisms; they have a habit of being true. Considering an update? Should you rip out all your old units and replace them with a cool new look you spotted on Pinterest, or is it best to invest in a timeless classic? How about buying a few cans of chalk paint and just giving everything a makeover? What about technology? What’s a Quooker tap when it’s at home? What even is a ‘smart kitchen’? Everything happens in the kitchen. Life happens in the kitchen. Who said that? Doubtless somebody very wise. However, they didn’t go on to describe how to design one, so that’s not much use. Luckily, our bunch of local experts were far more helpful . . .

ISLAND LIFE

According to a 2020 report, UK homeowners spend an average of £34,000 renovating their homes – and a hefty chunk of the funds went on new kitchens. Kitchens don’t come cheap; this isn’t the time for making impulse decisions. Rather than being seduced by the latest look that caught your eye on instagram, it’s best to choose classic styles and features that are unlikely to date – including that ever-popular element, the kitchen island . . .

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KITCHENS

Meals in teal, at an Eighty2 kitchen in Belgrave Road home; below: Hush knows what’s important in family life

“Installing any kitchen is an investment of time, effort and money, so you want to reap the rewards for years to come,” advises Simon Douglas of Schmidt. “Don’t rush it – think about how you may want to use the space, both now and as your needs evolve. “Planning a move to home working? Create a space. Kids due to leave home soon? Will a sit-down dining or a bar-style perching spot be more important in the long term? Could an island unit or peninsula be the perfect place to showcase your cooking skills, while forming a safe work zone if younger family members arrive? It’s best to be realistic about your needs and future plans during the early phase of your kitchen design planning.” “A kitchen is a huge investment,” agrees Kate Hosier of Hush. “As such, we’re not trend-driven at Hush, but offer timeless classic designs which will never go out of style. However, certain features, such as the kitchen island, are still top of our clients’ wishlists. The larder cupboard or pantry is another desirable element in any kitchen, but we are also seeing a demand for countertop cabinets housing either a breakfast cupboard or a drinks cabinets. The kitchen has definitely become more of an entertaining space, post-lockdown.” And speaking of entertaining, “a central island will allow guests to gather around the cooking space,” according to Tim Baber, art director at Eighty2 Interior Atelier. “On the other hand, if it’s all about the food, make space for a professional appliance set-up; or if you need to keep a big family happy, maybe it’s all about that perfect pantry.” Denis McCahill of John Charles Bespoke Kitchens lists a few more essential elements. “Great extraction, a thoughtful lighting design, and a convenient working area for fridge, cooking, sinks

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and dishwasher” – but warns that we should never over-design. “Make sure to leave room for meals with family and guests. Sometimes, less is more.” Charlotte Wright of Hobsons Choice believes that the hiding or minimising the appearance of appliances has longevity. “Advances in technology make it even easier to conceal appliances, shrinking their size and changing how they operate. Even the door handles can be removed, opening simply with a knock or a push. “Integrated kitchens look clean and tidy, preventing gaps down the sides of free-standing appliances where dirt can accumulate and be hard to clean. They also allow colours, patterns, and textures to flow unimpeded, and lines can wrap around the kitchen, unbroken.”

SHAKER IT OUT

Ask a kitchen expert to describe a timeless kitchen, and it won’t be long before you hear the word ‘Shaker’. Ironic, really, to consider that a style invented by an unworldly religious community with zero interest in trendiness should have become a byword for fashionable design. “The pared-back, understated elegance of a Shaker-style kitchen will never date” says Louise Mitchell of idesign. “The design is based on principles of simplicity, utility and honesty. The focus is on practical design and craftsmanship, reflected in well-made furniture of minimalist design with little or no decoration.” Tim Baber agrees that this style of kitchen has truly stood the test of time. “This may be due to its versatility; a standard Shaker door can be embellished with trims and in-frame designs, or kept simple and modern with a lay-on door in a fresh colour.”

INSPECT A GADGET “Quooker taps are becoming increasingly requested, by almost 40% of our customers. These taps provide hot, cold and even sparkling water” – Kate, Hush “Trending at the moment is the ‘party’ tap from Zip, with chilled, sparkling, instant boiling, hot and cold water, all through one spout” – Denis, John Charles “WiFi home connectivity allows you to control your appliances from your phone. While doing the family shop you can tap an app to set your freezer to boost, ready to receive the frozen food, and preheat your oven” – Louise, idesign “Many appliance manufacturers are leading the market with a wide assortment of features, from pyrolytic cleaning all the way to a slide-and-hide door for easier access. – Maisie, Gardiner Haskins “The Kaelo wine cooler integrates directly into the countertop and will keep a bottle chilled at the perfect temperature for up to four hours” –Tim, Eighty2 “Under-counter freezer drawers can be changed into a drinks cooler at the flick of a switch, offering clever pull-out racking storage” – Denis, John Charles

Ben Argent has noticed a recent trend towards freestanding kitchens: reminiscent of the traditional kitchen, but elevated by a contemporary vision

“It’s great if there’s loads of storage but if it’s not easy on the eye, are we missing the point?”

KITCHENS TRICK OR TWEAK

“Throw the rulebook out the window” – Schmidt

TREND ZONE

OK. We’ve agreed not to invest in some flash-in-the-pan trend that will be replaced by a new look approximately three hours after the paint’s dried. But that doesn’t mean you can’t splash a bit of cash on a few of the latest trends by way of an update . . . Kate Hosier advises that “fluted edges are having a moment – whether it’s a fluted sink or fluted glass on a wall cabinet,” while Simon Douglas predicts a shift away from matt finishes on splashbacks, towards gloss and in particular, coloured lased panels. “A glazed splashback is not just easy to clean – it will also reflect the light around the room, with effective results regardless of the colour, and is a quick swap that can create a whole new feel for a room, all for not a lot of money.” Similarly, “textured tiles, and even wallpaper, seem to be having a moment,” says Toby Payne of Neptune. “Mixing old with the new, and accessorising with antique finds, creates a uniqueness people seem to be craving right now.” Rob Cash advises that Kutchenhaus is introducing a number of new coloured anti-fingerprint door fronts into the range, that are perfect for family life – “and the new colours – Fjord Blue, Mineral Green and Montreal Oak – look stunning.” Another trend identified by Rob is maximising space within kitchens, by creating a bank of tower units, and if the space allows, installing up to the ceiling. “This creates a striking look within an open-plan kitchen, and also provides additional storage.” Charlotte Wright is loving two-tone kitchens. “Many Hobson’s Choice clients choose to create a bulthaup b3 kitchen featuring two contrasting furniture finishes. A combination of wood, walnut, cherry, olive, or stained oak, with a complementary colour – white, gravel, clay or flint – gives the kitchen a relaxed, warm, timeless style. “The choice of worktop, splashback and flooring can bring even more visual interest to the room: think the intricate patterns of marble, quartz or granite, tile textures and layout, or the tone and grain of wooden flooring. By carefully considering the many options available with a professional designer, your new kitchen can transcend yearly trends and still look amazing in 20 years’ time.”

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THE PERSONAL A comparatively small change KITCHEN can make all the difference. “There is something rejuvenating Firstly, we’re talking handles – about having a kitchen that or indeed, the lack of. doesn’t feel ‘off the shelf’, and “One of the easiest ways to that’s a trend we keep seeing our update a kitchen is to change customers requesting. Throw the handles,” says Kate Hosier. the rulebook out of the window “Replacing wooden handles in favour of unexpected paintwith solid brass will instantly colour pairings. Kitchens are elevate a dated kitchen.” rife with colour opportunities, Maisie Swift of Gardiner from appliances or flooring, to Haskins,on the other hand, window treatments, kitchen tile tells us that rail profile ideas and non-standard cabinet handleless designs are combinations” – Simon, Schmidt becoming increasingly popular – “If you are looking for a sleek modern design, you can achieve a simple streamlined look with this sleek profile”. Similarly, Bradley of Foxon & Foxon tells us the team is “currently doing loads of true handleless kitchens for a real contemporary look.” Or maybe you could consider replacing the work surface? “This a fantastic way to update a tired existing kitchen,” says Denis of John Charles; the team are currently loving quartz work surfaces and splashbacks, using Caesarstone’s Calacatta Nuvo with quartz supplied by Marmobello. Maisie of Gardiner Haskins agrees that changing the worktop can breathe a new life into a bland kitchen, brightening up the room and giving a new coat of polish to the design. “Under-cabinet lighting can also transform your kitchen, eliminating shadows and giving the illusion of more space. It can also save energy, by taking out the need to illuminate a whole room.”

“Decorative wallpaper can dramatically change the kitchen space” – Hobson’s Choice

KITCHENS PLANNING A KITCHEN: THE GOLDEN RULES

Bradley of Foxon & Foxon sums up the four main elements to consider when planning a kitchen • Aesthetics: it needs to be pleasing on the eye. It’s great there’s loads of storage but if it’s not easy on the eye are we missing the point? • Storage: to contradict my above comment, we need to try and incorporate as much as possible, so we can keep the workspace clear, clinical and minimalistic. • Flow: the kitchen needs to flow, not stop, start. Consider where you want to eat, cook, socialise etc. • Worktop: this is a very critical decision; the choice of a worktop can make or break a kitchen.

Mix timeless greys with prety hues, and change up the furniture: kitchen by idesign; below: Dark units work beautifully with subway tiles for Neptune

And don’t underestimate the difference a new splashback can make. Tim Baber knows that this can change the feel of a kitchen instantly: “A clean, simple subway tile can bring a modern touch, while a hand-made tile can bring a bohemian element and a touch of warmth.” Best of all, some of the most effective tweaks don’t require any major change at all. “Accessories such as soft furnishings, lighting, plants and other decorative items can be used to style the kitchen,” says Charlotte Wright. “These can be changed to refresh the space, bringing in new colours and textures, or showcasing the latest interior trends. For example, the introduction of decorative wallpaper can dramatically affect the appearance of the kitchen space.”

HUE GOES THERE?

Kitchens and home interiors are fashion-led, and will often reflect seasonal changes, so Louise Mitchell suggests we experiment with colour and have fun. “Swap electrical appliances for coloured versions, add a coloured glass splashback behind your hob, or change the knobs or handles on your exiting kitchen units.” So, what colours are hot, and which are not? “Deep rich tones of blues, greens and almost black are definitely hot right now,” says Kate of Hush. “Bold colours exude sophistication and luxury, while metallic accents such as aged brass or copper complement them beautifully. Metallic finishes are being used – not just for cabinet handles but for worktops, taps and even pendant lighting.” Don’t be fooled by reports that grey has had its day. However, “while grey is always popular, there is an increasing demand for colours that make a statement,” says Maisie Swift. “Manufacturers are producing more

and more bold finishes, such as turquoise or deep blues. Many people are choosing to mix their colours as well, to bring out the dynamics of a streamlined design.” “Although greys are still very much in, we love it when clients break the mould and go with pops of colour – green and blue are proving very popular,” agrees Bradley of Foxon & Foxon. Tim Baber finds that the trend for green kitchens has continued – “but with a lighter touch; moving away from the darker shades, soft sage greens and teal now take centre stage. Green is a colour we typically associate with nature, something we have all been craving in the past year; it helps to bring calm, and ground us in our space.” Charlotte Wright, on the other hand, is drawn to the neutral end of the spectrum. “As the hub of the home, the kitchen is a busy and sociable space, often utilised for multiple purposes – cooking, dining, work and relaxing. A calming, neutral colour palette provides a backdrop that is ready for any activity, whether it’s dining with the family or an afternoon working from home. “ But neutral doesn’t have to mean beige. “Right now, we’re loving rich, earthy tones in the kitchen, such as our new seasonal colour, Clove, says Toby Payne. “A deep, bold neutral. It feels inviting, but unexpected.” n

YOU HAVE BEEN READING Eighty2 Interior Atelier eighty2.co.uk Gardiner Haskins gardinerhaskins.co.uk Foxon & Foxon foxonandfoxon.co.uk Hobsons Choice hobsonschoice.uk.com Hush Kitchens hushkitchens.com

idesign interiors idesigninteriors.co.uk John Charles johncharleskitchens.co.uk Kutchenhaus uk.kutchenhaus.com Neptune neptune.com Schmidt home-design.schmidt

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 89

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Picture credit: eightysixstudios.co.uk

BUILD BRISTOL

Construction on the cards? THE BUILD BRISTOL GROUP will get the job done and dusted

annah Walkiewicz is the Founder of The Build Bristol Group a 4 times Bristol Life Award finalist who also received Highly Commended at the 2019 Bristol Property Awards.

WHAT DO YOU DO... The Build Bristol Group is a commercial & residential construction company. We are proud to offer design and build – managing the whole project with a turnkey service from start to finish.

HOW DID YOU START.... Back in 2013, we identified an opportunity in the market for not just a good building company but an excellent one. From modest beginnings with a select few builders and craftsmen, we are now in our 8th year and have a brilliant team of 25.

WHY APPOINT US... The Build Bristol Group offers clients a

turn-key service for clients who’ve never undertaken a build it can be daunting we have a core team of Architects, designers and project managers who will help you through the whole process. Hannah also understands city living with a family…as a busy Mum to 3 school aged children! Hannah says ‘I often ask clients what they need to get from their home… I ask the question are you happy here? Do you have the foundations of what could be a brilliant home then investing in it makes sense.’

RECENT PROJECT... We’ve recently finished this beautiful family home in Henleaze, Bristol. The house hadn’t been updated in a very long time so required a full renovation. We also added a huge kitchen extension. The end result is a stunning space for the whole family to enjoy.

WE LOVE... One of the core strengths of our business is working with equally brilliant local businesses

in both Bristol and Bath. Lucy and Tim’s project saw us work again with Thomas Speed a brilliant Bristol based Architectural Designer. The kitchen has been designed by Eighty2 a Bristol based kitchen company. n

The Build Bristol Group Consultancy | Design | Build 01179 091969 www.thebuildbristolgroup.com www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 91

Chipping Sodbury Kitchens & Bathrooms is a supplier of quality fitted kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms. We have a range of kitchens from British to German, modern and traditional.

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Telephone: 0117 924 6165 Showroom: 400 Gloucester Road, Horfield, Bristol, BS7 8TR

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CUSTOM MADE IDESIGN INTERIORS believes that helping clients find the right balance between practicality and appearance requires a personalised approach

ouise Mitchell, one of the two directors of idesign interiors, works in close collaboration with each customer, supporting them at every stage: from helping them articulate their initial ideas; to designing and planning their ideal kitchen, always with one eye on the budget; to projectmanaging the installation, to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. The other director, Adam Wood, a qualified cabinetmaker and craftsman with many years of skill and experience, takes responsibility for fitting the kitchen, working just as closely with the client, so that their dream is realised, regardless of the individual quirks and irregularities that every property has.

WHAT DO YOU DO? “I’d like to say we do everything!” says Louise. “Creating a new kitchen can be a daunting task, whether it be in an older property or a new build, and we really are here to support and advise at every stage. We provide a complete design and installation service, tailored to each customer’s individual needs and desires.

Sometimes we are working alongside other professionals who are already in place, but many times this does mean taking care of absolutely everything.”

HOW DID YOU START? “idesign interiors has just celebrated its 11th birthday. We formed the company after seven years of working together for other companies,” says Louise. “We knew it was an incredibly successful creative partnership, and we both shared a vision of how a kitchen design and installation business could be – personal and professional, inspirational but not elitist, highly individual and yet offering exceptional value.”

“This is one of my favourite parts of the job – I love getting to know people and helping them work out exactly what will best suit them. People are all so different, and there is definitely not one right answer to a question where kitchens are concerned.”

WE LOVE... “We love an unusual creative challenge – designing a kitchen for an oddly shaped room, enhancing the architecture of an older property, modifying furniture for clients with specific needs. Our lives would be very dull if all kitchens were rectangular and white . . . “ n

WHY CHOOSE US? “A kitchen needs to work well, and also look beautiful. Everybody’s needs are different – depending on, for instance, the size of their family, the sort of cooking they do, how else they are intending to use the room – and, of course, everybody’s aesthetic tastes are different. We don’t offer a one-design-fits-all service, but spend time getting to know what’s best for you, within the budget you have available.

idesign interiors (SW) ltd, 36 Woodborough Road, Winscombe BS25 1AG idesigninteriors.co.uk 01934 844 144 | info@idesigninteriors.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 95

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PROPERTY

CROFTERS, RIGHT? It’s the biggest new development for the Croft in many years... By Ursula Cole

98 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

hese days, it’s rare that major new developments are wholly residential; the buzzword is ‘mixed development’, suggesting a more holistic approach – not merely building homes, then, but a stab at creating a new community; the kind that’s worked so well in, let’s say, Wapping Wharf One of the most notable new schemes of this kind is PG Group’s Carriageworks in Stokes Croft, which has been designed to give a new lease of life to the Grade II building while transforming the site of the nearby Westmoreland House, demolished in 2018 after remaining derelict since the mid-1980s. The new cluster of homes will provide studio, one-, two- and three- bedroom apartments, which are now available to reserve. Help to Buy is offered on a large number of the homes, which have a guide price of between £215,000 and £425,000. Two show apartments, along with the sales office, are now open; viewings are available on request. The apartments are part of a wider scheme that

HOUSE NUMBERS Where? Stokes Croft What? 145 studio, one-, twoand three-bed apartments with retail spaces and a market square How much? Guide price £215,000 -£425,000 Leasehold: 998 years Anything else? Reserves taken now; Help to Buy available Get involved The sales office is open TuesdaySaturday 10am-5pm. To find out more or to make an appointment, contact Savills on 01179 100 360 For more savills.com

will bring 145 new homes to the area while creating a number of new retail spaces and a market square. The commercial spaces will be made available exclusively to independent retailers, with the public marketplace designed for use by small, artisan businesses. The apartments are marketed by Savills residential. “Being the first new residential scheme of its kind in the area, Carriageworks is generating a good deal of interest, especially among first-time buyers,” says associate director Melanie Fernandes. “Located in the heart of one of the most vibrant parts of the city, the apartments are well-designed and of a high specification. Tailor-made for contemporary living, many of the apartments in the Carriageworks building have double-height ceilings and floor-toceiling windows. “Several have private outdoor spaces and views over Bristol. An attractive market square at its centre will enhance the area’s already impressive line-up of independent retail.” And here’s Anna Fairman, head of sales and marketing at The PG Group: “Carriageworks is a significant regeneration project for Bristol, and we are

THE HISTORY The original Carriageworks building, which became home to T&J Perry’s Carriageworks and Harness Factory in 1804, was burned down and its replacement designed by Bristol architect, Edward William Godwin. The redesign was considered a masterpiece of Victorian industrial architecture, and its three storeys of arcading, window arches of alternating purple pennant and brown Bath stones and ground floor arcades, left open to display the carriages, became a cultural and historic pillar of Stokes Croft. After decades of disrepair, the majority of the building could not be saved, but the façade has been carefully restored back to its former glory.

delighted to be able to offer Help to Buy on many of the apartments,” she says. “First completions are due by the end of this year, and the entire site will be completed by spring 2022. “This project was an ideal fit for us, as we specialise in taking on difficult buildings and transforming them into desirable homes. Carriageworks will provide Bristolians with another great chance to enjoy living in the centre of our unique city environment.”

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SUSTAINABILITY 24 MARCH 2022

RESEARCH-BASED KEYNOTES, PANEL SESSIONS AND NETWORKING SCAN HERE FOR MORE

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Please email annie.kelly@mediaclash.co.uk to find out more on how you can get involved

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REIMAGINING THE PAST REDLAND COURT offers an opportunity to own a slice of history

or the past two years, Juniper Homes has been transforming Redland Court. As the development enters its last phase, over 70% of the beautiful apartments and homes are now sold, and many are occupied. The project presented many challenges, but the result is a landmark development where no two homes are quite the same. The range of designs include spacious apartments, duplexes and triplexes, and lovely houses. The style and character of each building has influenced both the high-quality specification and finishes. The Manor House and East Range are among the last buildings to be completed. Built on the site of the 1960s School Gym, East Range has six new two- and three-bedroom town houses with outstanding views across the newly landscaped residents’ private park,

private outdoor terraces, ultra-fast reliable fibre broadband connectivity, and allocated parking; they also fall within the desirable Redland Green School catchment area. Part of the colloquially termed ‘Golden Triangle’ of Redland, Cotham and Clifton, Redland consistently has many more buyers than houses for sale, with large family Victorian and Georgian homes in serious demand.

BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS

IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME TO DOWNSIZE?

With Bristol University, Bristol Royal Infirmary, the city centre and Harbourside all easily accessible, Redland is an ideal location. It’s home to many independent and innovative retailers, cafes, pubs, and restaurants, meaning you’ll never be short of places to visit. This is a truly unique opportunity to own a slice of history in a sought-after area. But don’t just take our word for it – book a private tour today and find out for yourself. n

For anyone living in the area, who has even had a glimmer of a thought about selling, now could be the time to act. “If you’re used to living in an older property, you might think new-build or historic conversions may lack character,” says Jon Morgan, director of Juniper Homes. “If so, I’d like to invite you to just come and look at Redland Court, because if any development could change your mind, this might just be the one – particularly if you want to stay in the area”. As resident Sheila Campbell said, “it’s an opportunity not to be missed”. The last building to be completed at Redland Court will be the Manor House. An important landmark in Bristol, this jewel in the crown of the development has long been acknowledged as ‘a fine example of the architecture of its time’. Built between 1732 and 1735 by John and Martha Cossins, one of the main challenges for Juniper Homes was to honour the historic fabric of this Grade-II* building, while introducing all the modcons buyers expect.

The restoration of the grounds was just as important as the built environment, and reinstating the clear view to the Manor House was top of that list. The land has been cleared, creating a residents’ private park, including a wildflower meadow, rewilding of the boundaries, and wildflower planting throughout.

NO BETTER LOCATION

INFORMATION 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom homes all available from £500,000 - £1.5m.

Call Savills on 0117 910 0360 or Ocean on 0117 946 9838 www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 101

Bristol & Clifton's premier Commercial Property Agents Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk

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QUEEN CHARLOTTE STREET, CITY CENTRE OFFICE • Ground floor suite • Opportunity to purchase • 1,263 sq ft • Price on application

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BRISTOL LIVES

“The group is designed to motivate women to visit routes that stoke interest and wonder” aren’t you? Do you know Bob Marley? Is Africa this hot? At least you don’t have to worry about getting burnt.” The list goes on. I have been leading at least four walks a month, which will

SOPHIA BROWN

Meet the organiser of Steppin’ Sistas – a walking group for women of colour

ophia grew up in a rural part of Chippenham, moving to Bristol in 1995 with three young children. Professionally she has always worked to support young people and vulnerable adults; in her leisure time she’s a passionate walker. And now both strands of her life have come together, in creating a walking group specially designed to encourage women of colour to get out into the countryside…

We set up Steppin’ Sistas

in April 2021, to encourage an interest in walking and thriving in open spaces. The group is designed for women of colour over the age of 18 in the Bristol and South West area, motivating them to visit places to which they might not otherwise have ventured, including rural areas around Bristol and further afield; routes that stoke interest and wonder.

The aim is to support women

with their wellbeing and physical health. We want to encourage more women to walk in the countryside and coastal areas at a leisurely pace, to make them feel comfortable and confident, in places where they would usually feel marginalised. While solo walking, I have had racial names shouted at me.

In the walking group, we have been stopped and asked “Oh, is there a concert going on, or something?” We have been sneered at, and had one comment from a couple of people asking “where the hell did all this lot come from?” Once, walking in an urban area, one person in a group shouted out, “Oh look, there’s more of them”. Another encounter, at a pub in the summer, a man approached me and two friends and said, “I bet you lot are used to this weather,

106 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

change to two walks a month in the new year on weekends only. I usually fit them around my fulltime job. The range of walks differ from low to medium and high terrain; we cover the countryside, coastal areas and urban areas. Depending on the members’ abilities, I make sure to balance the different levels of walks. There are 504 members in the group, and sometimes I feel

bad because as the only trained walk leader I can only take out 30 at any one time. Sometimes we can have 30 women on a walk, sometimes three; it varies.

We also cover day trips

once every two months, where children are welcome accompanied by an adult. Everyone pays for their own travel and food, as we are a nonprofit group. We are hoping to reach out to funders in future to support us with travel to furtherafield places, and walk-leader training. Many women say their physical health and mental health has improved massively through the walks.

Some mentioned that they enjoy walking with other women, as they feel less lonely; sometimes the friendships they make in the group lead to social evenings or days out. All the women who have been on walks say it gives them a sense of belonging.

My own favourite walks are

Glastonbury Tor, the Portishead to Clevedon coastal path, Pensford to Keynsham, Cheddar Gorge, Eastville Park to Snuff Mills, Greyfield Woods, and Lords Wood outside of Pensford.

My tip is to join a walking group first rather than going

out alone, as you can pick up loads of advice and walk in good company. Make sure you have the right walking footwear for the type of walk. You can ask us any questions or raise any concerns; walks are open and free, there’s no pressure to come on a walk. It’s a group where you just turn up at the meeting point, and sign a disclaimer. There’s no competition regarding how far each person can walk, or judgement on your walking ability; we support each other and look out for each other. The group has women from all different walks of life; friendly, understanding and mindful. I live on the border of Bristol and B&NES; I wanted to keep

that countryside environment close to help me feel grounded.

If I had friends visiting from out

of town and wanted to show them Bristol at its best, I’d take them to the Harbourside, St Nicks Market and Stokes Croft.

Apart from walking, I love solo travelling abroad, spending time in peaceful places, growing flowers and plants, and meeting spiritual people.

Join the group at Bristol Steppin’ Sistas on Facebook For more bristolwalkfest.com/ provider/steppin-sistas