Bristol Life – Issue 363

A YEAR OF BRISTOL BEACON IT FEELS LIKE IT NEVER WENT AWAY

FLOCK THERAPY

THE LIGHT FEST’S BACK TO BRIGHTEN UP THE NIGHT

LIVING THE DREAM

DOWNTON-ESQUE GRANDEUR, EIGHT MILES FROM BRISTOL

GRAND DESIGNS IF THEY BUILT IT, WE WILL WATCH

END GAME UPLIFTING MOMENTS FROM 2024

HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY, SLAPSTICK!

(AND LOOK WHO’S HEADING OVER TO CELEBRATE)

+BRISTOL COMEDY FESTIVAL

I’ve shared this page with an eclectic bunch of luminaries in my time –Wallace & Gromit, Cary Grant, Massive Attack, Stephen Merchant, Mark Rylance, Maisie Williams – Yoko Ono! – but the little dude shown on the left is easily the weirdest. Yes, even weirder than Yoko.

From a literal point of view, he also happens to be the most luminous. He’s one of The Whilers – a new light installation made up of three larger-than-life creatures engaged in a mystical conversation (non-verbal, although they’ve been known to burst into performative song) and he’s coming to meet you at Bristol Light Festival this month. Apparently he’s part-sloth and part-dragon, and as I furiously type the final page of this maga ine on Christmas Eve before collapsing in a distinctly unfestive heap, I am adopting him as my spirit animal.

I clearly remember the very first ight est – it had the distinction of being one of the few events not cancelled in 2020. But of course Bristol Life has been around much longer than that; in fact we’re exactly one year older than Slapstick, which launched in 2005. As you’ve probably worked out, this means the festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and guess who they’ve lured to Bristol to host the gala? I’m such a fan that it was touch and go whether he’d bump the Whiler off page . Flick to the feature to see who I’m on about.

Between them, Slapstick and the Light Fest bring fun, light and laughter into the coldest, gloomiest months of the Bristol year. Best of all, from a selfish point of view, they furnish us with lots of great pics to fill up the mag when there isn’t much else going on.

A small proviso. Because this maga ine goes to press in December, all of the above does rather depend on nothing untoward happening between now and February 2025. I am still haunted by the memory of my gung-ho editor’s letter in the January 2020 issue. ‘The new Roaring Twenties’? Yeah, sure.

I’ve been burnt before.

Brightness falls

DERI ROBINS

Bristol Life editor

Issue 363 / January 2025

Table by Bruce Munro, coming to Bristol

10 COMEDY A bunch of all-stars and the usual suspects join in Slapstick’s 20th anniversary celebrations

ON The fag-end of the Christmas shows and the first fresh buds of the year

Commercial manager Neil Snow neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk Business development manager Tony Robinson tony.robinson@mediaclash.co.uk Production/ operations manager Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk

executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@ mediaclash.co.uk Bristol Life MediaClash, Unit 9a, Greenway Farm, Bath Road, Wick, Bristol BS30 5RL 01225 475800; www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

MORE THAN MUSIC

Big congratulations to Bristol Pride for winning the Best Non-Music festival gong in the 2024 UK Festival Awards.

It’s great to see Bristol Pride’s passion-driven achievements recognised; extending beyond music into a day of activities and an iconic parade justifies their win, said Andy Lenthall, the Awards’ CEO. “Pride is a movement driven by a community, and this 100% fan-voted award shows that Bristol Pride has created something extra special.

Last summer’s festival saw record numbers attending the Pride March and estival Day on the Downs, headlined by legendary electronic trio The Human eague. Bristol Pride will be revealing its 2025 line-up for the stages over the coming months; over 200 artists are expected to perform, and 2025 wristbands are already available for the full fortnight of events, which will run 28 June-12 July. For more: www.bristolpride.co.uk

Street art

D’YOU THINK HE

SAURUS?

Of course, if you want to be paleontologically pedantic, the official Bristol Dinosaur was a little plant-eater named Thecodontosaurus who scurried around these parts in pursuit of vegan nibbles back in the late Triassic. You can see Theco’s bones at Bristol Museum.

However, just as famous locally is Andy Council’s Bristol dinosaur artwork, which incorporates well-known Bristol and West Country landmarks in its design; its most famous incarnation was the Stegosaurus he created in 2015.

Now, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Andy has created a huge new 60 sq m T Rex mural

Festival HAY TO NIGHT

in Cabot Circus. If you’ve stopped off at C te for a coffee and the cup starts to wobble, this may be your sign to quickly move on . . .)

Local references abound in the mural; the Suspension Bridge forms the creature’s tail, Harbourside and the terraces of Cliftonwood its spine, and College Green the head, with the spires of the cathedral wittily providing teeth. There’s Wills Building, Cabot Tower, Dean Lane skatepark, the Knowle water tower and the Totterdown mosque – but we don’t want to spoil all the fun, so get down there and see it yourself. Prints are also available from Upfest. www.upfest.co.uk

Ever looked at the Bristol festival calendar and thought, “Nah; nothing much on”?

A highly unlikely scenario, we know, but if you’re really stuck for inspiration, know that the Hay Festival is coming to Bristol for the first time this arch, with an afterhours night promising “big ideas, performances, provocations and new thinking”. he famous literature and arts festival began in in Hay-on- ye, and now runs events all over the world. As global C ulie Finch says, e believe culture belongs to everyone. hese one-off nights in cities around the offer audiences who might not have the chance to come to us in ales the opportunity to enjoy that uni ue blend of Hay Festival inspiration.”

Hay Festival After Hours will take place at Bristol Beacon on arch. For more: www.hayfestival.org/afterhours

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THOSE CITY LIGHTS

Sure, we love the Light Fest (page 28) – though to be honest, Bristol’s pretty lit all year round

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Only whe

THISPAGE, CLOCKWISE: Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator; Blazing Saddles (obviously); The House on Trubnaya; Hundreds of Beavers; I Was Born, But

OPPOSITEPAGE, CLOCKWISE: Harold Lloyd in The Freshman; yep, more beavers; Goodness Gracious Me; Norrtullsligan

n I laugh

Slapstick is celebrating its 20th anniversary next month –and just wait until you see who’s heading our way to celebrate Words by Deri Robins

PHOTO:

It wouldn’t be Slapstick without Stan and Ollie; Angora Love is part of the anniversary gala, along with Buster in Steamboat Bill, Jr (opposite page)

You know how the old gag goes. Someone asks someone who’s been badly wounded whether it hurts, and they reply, “Only when I laugh”. Well, hopefully nobody reading this has broken too many bones recently, but it’s a fair guess that postChristmas tristesse has started to set in; the decorations are down and the credit card

balance is up, it’s really cold out there, and really, is there anything worth getting out of bed for until spring returns again?

Well, yes, there is, because Slapstick Festival is back from 12-16 February with its 20th anniversary edition: we’re talking 35 silent and classic screen comedy events, live appearances by well-known funny people and a generous helping of satires and spoofs, all guaranteed to turn the grumpiest of frowns upside down.

As ever, the festival’s agship event is the silent comedy gala, taking place at Bristol Beacon on Valentine’s Day. Our host this year is the multi-award-winning actor Martin Freeman, with keyboard legend Rick Wakeman improvising live to one of the three silent comedies on the bill – a 1929 short called Angora Love, starring Laurel & Hardy, who Martin (and probably everyone else) counts among his all-time favourites. Other classic movies shown during the gala will be Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant (1917) and Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill, Jr (1928), both accompanied by live music from the European Silent Screen Virtuosi led by Guenter A Buchwald.

There will also be a special performance by The Matinee Idles, the acapella group made up of Bristol-based actor Paul McGann and fellow members of the 1970s/80s doo-wap chart-toppers Darts, reprising an appearance they made at the first Slapstick Gala in . Paul McGann sings; who knew?

Elsewhere in the programme there’s more Buster Keaton, in both his first and last starring roles; WC ields; Harold loyd, and Ukrainian actress Anna Sten, taken from the USSR to Hollywood

BE OUR VALENTINE

Look who’s coming to host Slapstick’s 20th birthday gala on 14 February

We first fell for him as Tim in e e – the sole relatable everyman among a cast of grotesques. However, Martin Freeman soon went on to prove he had more strings to his bow than acting the straight man to Ricky Gervais; he’s blossomed into one of our most versatile and sough-after actors, both in comedy ( reeders o e tua y at ty ot u – and serious drama ( e es onder ar o on ess on and, of course, playing Dr Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Holmes in er o . which lies somewhere between the two. There’s even been a clutch of Marvel movies, along with e obb t. Maybe don’t mention the last one if you bump into the foyer; none of it was his fault.

Martin will host the Valentine’s Day centrepiece of Slapstick’s 20th birthday celebrations.

“We are thrilled beyond words that Martin has agreed to host our 20th birthday gala,” says Slapstick director Chris Daniels. “He is known and loved worldwide for a huge variety of roles, and but what makes him extra perfect for the festival is that he is charming, witty and a genuine admirer of the comedies and comedians which Slapstick champions.”

Gala tickets are already on sale – buy them online or from the Bristol Beacon box office on Trenchard Street. br sto bea on or

COMEDY

A CAST OF THOUSANDS…

…well, almost. A drumroll please for Slapstick 2025’s star turns, including:

Samira Ahmed, Stephen K Amos, Alasdair Beckett-King, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Ben Elton, Harry Enfield, Martin Freeman, Graeme Garden, Adam Hills, Robin Ince, Peter Lord , Mike McCartney, Mark Miodownik, Paul McGann, Nigel Planer, Lucy Porter, Matthew Sweet, Meera Syal, Ryland Brickson, Cole Tews and Rick Wakeman.

Among the other live or online guests this year are Dr Harriet Fields, granddaughter of WC Fields; Melissa Talmadge Cox, the granddaughter of Buster Keaton; Geoff Posner, the director and producer behind many of the UK’s most successful TV comedies and numerous film writers and historians, critics and cultural commentators.

: Charlie Chaplin’s 1917 silent romantic comedy short The Immigrant shows at the Valentine’s Day gala. The scene in which Charlie’s character kicks an immigration officer was cited later as evidence of his anti-Americanism when he was forced to leave the United States in 1952

by Sam Goldwyn of MGM with hopes of transforming her into the new Greta Garbo. Her film The Girl with a Hat Box is among a 1920s trio of movies poking fun at Soviet politics and opens a strand showcasing how different filmmakers and actors have mixed comedy with satire, parody and mockery to make a point.

Other films in the same strand include Mel Brook’s swipe at racial prejudice, Blazing Saddles starring Gene Wilder (fun nugget: he trained at Bristol Old ic Theatre School, you’re welcome Charlie Chaplin’s ballsy take-down of Hitler and Nazism in The Great Dictator; Dustin Hoffman in Oscar-winning form sending up gender expectations in Tootsie, and a th anniversary showing of Dr Strangelove, Stanley ubrick’s still relevant sci-fi about mad men and bombs, in which Peter Sellers famously plays three different roles.

Standout performers from British sitcom are duly honoured, too. Harry Enfield is at Bristol Old ic on ebruary sharing his favourite screen comedy moments, and their in uence on his own character creations such as oadsamoney, Tim Nice-But-Dim, hormonal teenager evin and radio has-been, Nicey. The same date and venue will find Nigel Planer saluting his late co-star Rik Mayall and celebrating the characters Rik portrayed in T series such as e oun nes t y atfla

The New Statesman and Bottom; later on Neil will appear in a separate event exploring the origins of two of his inventions, hippie Neil and theatre luvvie Nicholas Craig.

Earlier, on ebruary, the creators of Goodness Gracious Me will reunite to explore the impact and legacy of the pioneering radio and television comedy series which redefined British comedy by challenging stereotypes and spotlighting British-Asian experiences.

As its finale, the festival will honour comedian, actor, author, scriptwriter, lyricist and director, Ben Elton when he becomes the latest recipient of an Aardman Slapstick Comedy egend Award to celebrate his many contributions to satire, including stand-up rants, cameo roles and credits on the likes of The Young Ones, Blackadder and start ro

There’s lots more going on, too, including simply hundreds of beavers; check out the full programme at the link below.

ets or a a st e ents are on sa e no t r es start n rom around o e ore t e u ro ramme s t s a st or u

TOPROW Harry Enfield, Ben Elton MIDDLEROW Robin Ince, Stephen K Amos

BOTTOMROW Rick Wakeman, Paul McGann

ABOVE

INSETBELOIW: Niger Planer hots a tribute to late pal Rik Mayall

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

more recent films and T shows including on their own work.

its 20th anniversary this year, with a five-day celebrity-rich programme

sure to further cement its reputation as Europe’s biggest festival of screen comedy.

Rewind. Chris originally launched Bristol Silents in 2000 to promote and celebrate silent cinema; the first event was a selection of ouise Brooks films in October at Arnolfini.

In January 2005 Bristol Silents established the Slapstick Festival. Chris’s original idea was for a one-off weekender, thinking it would mainly appeal to other members of Bristol Silents followers along with film fans who might have heard of Charlie Chaplin or aurel Hardy, but never seen them up on a big screen.

In fact, Slapstick 2005’s dozen or so screenings, with live music at Watershed and the now-named Bristol Beacon, cleared 1200 tickets and was immediately hailed as the start of another great Bristol institution.

Back then, the stars were confined to those up on the big screen. However, it soon began to emerge that many showbiz personalities not only shared a love of silent-film-era comedies but wanted to share their enthusiasm with audiences and acknowledge their in uence on

As a result, by , the festival had become a standalone event no longer a mere offshoot of Bristol Silents, but a not-for-profit organisation in its own right with Chris as CEO. There was a change of description, too it was now a celebration of silent and classic comedy”, with an ever-widening programme of talks and events: a profile of The Goodies; the favourite comedies of Marcus Brigstocke; the stars of Steptoe & Son and the comedies of Aardman Animations.

The festival was also the moment when the ever-growing level of showbiz support for Slapstick was underscored in style. At very short notice an unexpected change to his filming schedule meant Dara Ó Briain had to drop out from hosting the agship gala. A plea to ictoria Wood for her to step in produced an Oh, go on then” reply and a message to Chris from Dara saying: I see you traded up! .

Similar support was shown when Stephen Merchant left his seat in the audience to take over gala hosting duties after news of a family emergency forced Robin Ince to leave during the interval. It was demonstrated yet again when an accidental double booking prevented Christopher Biggins from fronting a screening of The Rocky Horror Show, and Jason Donovan appeared in his place.

Today, the festival continues to mix the old and new; the earliest film in the line-up dates back to 1911, while the most recent is 2024 black-and white Gold Rush-style pastiche

Hundreds of Beavers, currently winning awards, hearts and minds worldwide.

Over the years there’s also been a steady increase in the number of days over which the festival takes place; there’s been more online sharing of events, especially via Slapstick’s ouTube channel, and more events outside the festival’s dates for instance, Comedy egend events with rench Saunders, Barry Humphries and Sir en Dodd and a series of Stand-Up for Slapstick fundraisers.

Audiences have broadened too, partly due to the introduction of events for young people and families; the bringing in of British Sign anguage interpreters, and partnerships with other local organisations.

Whereas the first Slapstick sold just over , tickets, mostly to locals, the festival now attracts visitors from all over the and far beyond, taking the estimated total attendance to 150,000 with a further 6,500 seats up for grabs this year.

Did I ever imagine in that Slapstick would still be around in says Chris. The truth is that while we were preparing for the first, I didn’t envisage there’d ever be another. But everyone who attended seemed to have a good time, and there were lots of ‘see you next year’ comments at the end of it, and it’s all just gone on from there.”

Slapstick 2025 runs from 12-16 February at Bristol Beacon, Bristol Megascreen, Bristol Old Vic and Watershed For more www.slapstick.org.uk

Practically anyone who’s anyone in British comedy has appeared at Slapstick over the past 20 years: from left to right, Victoria Wood; Lee Mack and Barry Cryer; all three Goodies, dwarfed by Stephen Merchant (to be fair, he dwarfs everyone)

WHAT’S ON

10-31 January 2025

EXHIBITIONS

Until 19 January

SOPHIA AL-MARIA AND LYDIA OURAHMANE: GREY UNPLEASANT LAND

Migrants to the UK, Sophie and Lydia examine the myth of England and the stories that have been told about origins and belonging. At Spike Island; spikeisland.org.uk

Until 16 February

RINKO KAWAUCHI: AT THE EDGE OF THE EVERYDAY WORLD

The Japanese photographer’s poetic, dreamlike work often focuses on finding beauty in ordinary moments, imbuing mundane scenes and objects with a sense of wonder. At Arnolfini; arno n or u

Until 27 April

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

The NHM’s touring exhibition of award-winning, thought-provoking images from the natural world is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

At Bristol Museum and Art Gallery; bristolmuseums.org.uk

25 January-27 April

PAULE VÉZELAY: LIVING LINES

Bristol-born Paule was a key figure in 20th-century British abstract art. Her vivid explorations of colour and line fill this retrospective exhibition at the RWA – the largest solo show of her work in over 40 years. rwa.org.uk

SHOWS

Until 12 January THE LITTLE MERMAID

You know the tale/tail, now see what Bristol Old Vic have done with it. Expect a gentle eco message with new songs, circus and dance; bristololdvic.org.uk

Until 18 January NOTTING HELL

Bloody Hell! It’s the Wardrobe’s 2024 festive mash-up! Think Kaos meets Richard Curtis.... thewardrobetheatre.com

Until 19 January

HANSEL AND GRETEL

It’s Grimm at the TFT this year, as the Factory Theatre transforms into a magical land for the classic fairytale; tobaccofactorytheatres.com

16-25 January

PLAY ON

Set in the jazz scene of New York’s Cotton Club, this stylish retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a syncopated symphony of melody, mistaken identity and romance, fusing the music of Duke Ellington with street dance choreography. At BOV; bristololdvic.org.uk

17 January

MALVOLIO BETWEEN THE SHEETS

Yes, that Malvolio, with the same old problems but in an updated setting. Join him on his tragicomic journey as he narrates how it all began, introduces you to his favourite live piano music, shows off his newlydiscovered preferred colour and, against all the odds, has the final say. At Alma Tavern Theatre, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

18 January

TALES FROM THE WASTELAND

If the world was ending, what would be the one thing you’d want to survive? A twisted cast of wastelanders take a single suggestion from you and craft an entire show

Fancy some moody goods? Del Boy and the fam will be happy to oblige when Only Fools & Horses comes to Hippodrome

with no pre-prepared characters, story or dialogue. Alma Tavern Theatre, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

21-25 January

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN (ABRIDGED)

One newbie and two self-professed Janeites, through almost all means imaginable, tackle the entire canon of Jane Austen’s works in just 80 minutes at Alma Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

27-29 January

CABIN FEVER

Fresh Ink Theatre take turbulence to a whole new level as it offers an engaging and uproarious perspective on the comedy that unfolds among the confined passengers on an airplane. Alma Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

27 January-8 February

ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES: THE MUSICAL

Stick a pony in your pocket – The Trotters are back in this critically acclaimed musical featuring cherished material from the TV series, music from Chas & Dave, and the theme tune as you’ve never

heard it before. “One Del of a show!”chortled The Sun, but then it would, wouldn’t it? At Bristol Hippodrome; atgtickets.com

COMEDY

Ongoing CLOSER EACH DAY

All the drama of Succession. The grit of EastEnders. The rumpy-pumpy of Sex Education. Not remotely like Slow Horses; the world’s longest-running improvised comedy soap continues to bubble away amusingly at The Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com

12 January

GYLES BRANDRETH: CAN’T STOP TALKING

Giles can’t keep his mouth shut. He even talks in his sleep. What’s it all about? He’s going to tell you, because this is his life story: a rollercoaster of tales and revelations from his unlikely life in showbusiness and politics. At BOV, bristololdvic.org.uk

12-25 January THE BRISTOL COMEDY FESTIVAL

A brand new comedy festival is coming to Bristol, with tour shows, work in progresses, roast battles, local talent, a comedy competition, stand-up, sketch comedy, secret headliners, pop-up events, comedy on King Street, and even a late night comedy rave; see also page 20. Various venues; thebristolcomedyfestival.com

15 January

DRAG BINGO!

There’s a new drag duo in town: local arty menace Canvas and Gloucestershire dancing sensation Latina Ballroom have teamed up

to bring you lots of balls… big balls... Alma Tavern Theatre, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

17 January

JIMMY CARR: LAUGHS FUNNY

Some people are repelled by Jimmy’s dark brand of comedy. This show is not for them. But if it’s the kind of thing you like, then this is the kind of thing you’ll like. At Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

18 January

TIM OLIVER AS DAVID BRENT

Tim’s impersonation even won Ricky Gervais’s seal of approval; come along to Ashton Gate and have a two-course curry and a disco while you’re at it, ashtongatestadium.co.uk

24-25 January

PAULINA LENOIR: PUELLA ETERNA

Acclaimed designer turned virtuosic clown, Paulina presents a tale of birth, life and death told through the eyes of renowned couture poet Puella Eterna. At Wardrobe, thewardrobetheatre.com

26 January WONDERHAUS

The brightest and bravest gems of live performance, comedy, clowning, circus, music and miscellany, freshly mined from the depths of the collective subconscious, returns to Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com

28 January

SARAH KEYWORTH: MY EYES ARE UP HERE

It’s been a big year for Keys. They turned thirty, got diagnosed with ADHD and had top surgery, but perhaps the biggest adjustment is to the revelation that maybe their mum was right all along – not about everything, obviously, but Keyworth Sr probably had some solid points. At BOV; bristololdvic.org.uk

19 January

SCARLET SMITH: ANY OBJECTIONS?

Scarlett is a Bristol electro-acoustic harpist and comedian who combines her love of funky alt-harp bops and celestial soundscapes with whimsical narratives and stand-up comedy; at Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com

30 January

ALASDAIR BECKETT-KING: KING OF CRUMBS

New jokes from the crumbliest comedian in the game; it’s a work-

TOP: It’s all going swimmingly for The Little Mermaid at BOV

MIDDLE: Play on! Shakespeare meets Ellington at BOV

BOTTOM: Alexander Bennet seems to have had a few mishaps en route to Alma Taven

Come

in-progress, so play nice, Alma Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

FELICITY WARD: I’M EXHAUSTING

Felicity ( e e Australia) had a baby. She’s here to riff about pregnancy, not getting pregnant, birth, post-natal depression, motherhood, identity, sexuality, the disintegration of life as it was: all the big topics, nothing left out. At Redgrave, redgravetheatre.com

31 January

COUNT BINFACE

The universe’s favourite novelty politician brings his special brand of sci-fi satire and unbeatable manifesto to Wardrobe. Cheaper croissants? The nationalisation of Adele? The return of Ceefax? All those, and more; thewardrobetheatre.com

ALEXANDER BENNETT: EMOTIONAL DAREDEVIL

A comedy show about risk, for people unsatisfied with how things are going, by multi award nominated comedian Alexander; at Alma Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk

GIGS

Ongoing

BRISTOL BEACON

Daily gigs, encompassing orchestral, folk, world, indie, jazz and less

easily classifiable shi le; for full programme see bristolbeacon.org

ST GEORGE’S BRISTOL

Classical, world, folk, talks, more, at St George’s; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

23

January FEMA KUTI

The afrobeat icon’s passion and drive remain undiminished; his advocacy for global causes has been both tireless and impactful, with his recent performances serving as a testament to his in uence and brilliance. Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

27 January BODIES

Touching, adventurous and transcendent, featuring eight exceptional voices and no instruments, the band delivers a performance spanning indie and neo-classical with a strong ear for melody, Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

31 January

LADY BLACKBIRD

The American-born jazz and soul singer-songwriter, known for her powerful voice and raw emotional depth, comes to the hall of the Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

MARTYN JOSEPH

The folk musician known as The Welsh Springsteen brings his percussive guitar style and powerful voice to the Lantern at Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org

OTHER

Ongoing

BRISTOL FILM FESTIVAL

The year-round fest with the something-for-everyone remit, often at site-specific venues, gets into its new-year stride with a fresh bunch of crowd-pleasers; br sto m est a om

Until 12 January

FIND THE FLOCK

A couple more days of the Shaun the Sheep trail at Bristol Zoo project. Gotta catch them all;(shouldn’t be too hard, there’s only 12 of them). bristolzoo.org.uk

31 January-5 February

BRISTOL LIGHT FESTIVAL

The lovely illuminations are back for another winter with 10 days of dazzling light-based artworks to brighten the night. See page 28. br sto t est a or

TOP: No strings attached: it’s the wholly vocal Bodies at Beacon MIDDLE: Count Binface is back to sort out the pressing questions of the day BOTTOM: Meanwhile, Jimmy Carr just wants to take the p**s out of everything

WHAT’S ON BURT WILLIAMSON

In our last issue we chatted to one half of Bristol Comedy Festival’s founders, Harry Allmark. Now meet the other guy.

Burt is a comedian working in Bristol.

“I’ve mostly worked on the production side in the past, helping to run gigs and create shows, but I’ve found myself on stage a lot more lately, which I can’t say I mind,” he says.

I ran a Bristol comedy festival in Old Market in 2022, which was a huge success. When Harry mentioned he was interested in running a festival a few years after it seemed like the perfect time to revisit the project and bring it back bigger and better than ever.

element of originality of which a lot of other comedy scenes would be envious.

If you look at the comedy talent in this city, we undoubtedly punch above our weight –local acts like Firuz Ozari, Paul Hilleard and Eva Bindeman are all cleaning up at national competitions. But we don’t have a dedicated comedy club, and a lot of bookings go to comedians from outside the city. Also, sometimes when acts are planning their tours Bristol gets missed out and acts may just do Cardiff instead. All of this is changing though, with this festival and the burgeoning grassroots scene, and I think we’re only a few more years away from being one of the best comedy cities in the UK. In fact, we’re probably there already. Come the end of this decade, no one is going to be skipping Bristol.

I think a lot of the best comedy comes from empathy, which is something culturally Bristol has in spades. Combine that with a great West Country sense of humour, and a willingness to see the fun in things, and you’ve got a recipe for success. We’re openminded and don’t take ourselves too seriously, and as a result we’ve seen waves of innovative and curious comedians bring an extra

Expect everything from the Bristol Comedy Festival! We’re doing roast battles, new-act showcases, tour shows, works in progress, international headliners and everything in between. There will be nothing else quite like it in Bristol – it’s across 40 venues with 120+ different shows involving hundreds of acts in dozens of different formats and types of show. It’s a comedy behemoth, which has involved lots of planning and a lot of spreadsheets. Lots and lots of spreadsheets. So all we need you to do now is turn up and enjoy it.

a mainstay of the British comedy calendar. It’s essential viewing for anyone who likes to say “I saw them before they were big”.

There are no barriers to entering the competition beyond having an association with Bristol and the South West. We’re trying to create an inclusive space that isn’t the rough ride a lot of comedy competitions can be. I am gutted that I can’t enter myself, because I’ve set it up – it’s everything I’d want a competition to be, and the career boost certainly wouldn’t go amiss!

Funniest acts in the UK right now? Oh man, you guys are really trying to get me in trouble – they’re all fantastic. Chelsea Birkby and Pierre Novellie are brilliant, thought-provoking comedians. Stephen Merchant has to be one of the best comedic minds our nation has produced – it doesn’t hurt that he’s from Bristol, either.

How would my nearest and dearest describe me? Constantly gigging and should probably do comedy less.

I decided I should get out of the house and tell jokes instead.

My most regrettable habit is probably my fixation on reduced supermarket food; I’m obsessed with the bargain, even if I end up buying stuff that I don’t need. Whole salmon for a fiver? Definitely. Can I cook it? Probably.

If forced at gunpoint to come up with a new year resolution? To stop hanging out with people who have guns and love ultimatums. Or to wear more bulletproof vests.

My favourite short joke... My father was a drink driver –although he preferred the term ‘milkman’ – Ted Milligan

I’m super excited about the comedy competition – we’ve had so many applicants already and I genuinely think it’ll become

My secret skills include an ability at any moment to turn an unrelated conversation into one about comedy. Also the video game Dota 2. I used to be on some world leaderboards before

The Bristol Comedy Festival runs 12-25 January at various venues www.thebristolcomedyfestival.com

“A LOT OF THE BEST COMEDY COMES FROM EMPATHY, WHICH IS SOMETHING BRISTOL HAS IN SPADES”

A YEAR OF MUSIC

Bristol Beacon reopened 12 months ago – and now it feels as if it never went away

Words by Ursula Cole

Bristol Beacon has just celebrated its first anniversary.

Of course, the building itself is a lot older than that, with the Hall formerly known as Colston first opening as a music venue back in 1867. Six years ago it closed for a major refurbishment, finally reopening in November 2023 with a brand new name. Unveiling its gorgeous new mosaic-clad foyers and state-of-the-art auditoriums, it launched with an inaugural concert named Trip the Light Fantastic in which The Paraorchestra collaborated with Surgeons Girl, a composer and performer working with analogue hardware; Limbic Cinema made it extra immersive with the help of some trippy light projections.

Twelve months later, it feels as if it’s never been away; it’s equally hard to remember it was ever called by a different name. As our listings pages fill up once again with the world-class music acts and comedy shows the Beacon attracts to the city, let’s take a look at some of the achievements from the past 12 months.

Since that spectacular opening night, over 380,000 people have flocked to concerts at the venue. From world-class performances to community workshops, graduations and festivals, Bristol Beacon has once again grabbed the attention of Bristolians of all ages and tastes. You may well have a favourite Beacon moment from the past year; the team at Beacon certainly do. As we reflect on this important milestone, we asked two of them to share their personal highlights.

RICHARD

PRIMARY MUSIC LEAD

What’s been your favourite moment since the reopening?

Packing the brand-new stage with 550 primary school children and a live band last November 2023 and hearing them sing so powerfully that we definitely had ‘something in our eye’.

Tell us about your most nail-biting experience

When I thought about getting them to jump up and down for the guitar solo during the Queen song

The Miracle. I thought, “This is the first time we are stress-testing the tiers on the stage – and I’m using 550 children . . .”

What has been your highlight performance so far?

Callum Beattie, the support act for Bare Naked Ladies. We bought both his albums the next day and my sixyear old is now his number-one fan.

CROUGHAN

top: Opening night with The Paraorchestra and Surgeons Girl. If you’re looking for us, we’re in the stalls down on the left

opposite page, clockwise: Ezra Collective; Fatoumata Diawara; Callum Beattie; a new name; it’s not all about sitting quietly in seats

PHOTO: AMY FERN

BRISTOL BEACON

CONNIE BADLEY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICER

Favourite memory since the reopening?

I took my friend to see Penguin Cafe – she had recently lost a loved one, and named a seat after him. When we sat down we realised his seat was directly in front of us by chance. Penguin Cafe performed a song called Noone Ever Really Leaves and we were bawling; it was like he was sitting watching the show with us.

Any nail-biting experiences you can share?

I was running a workshop with young people, and in the break they played hide-and-seek and went missing. We searched everywhere and finally found them in Beacon Hall watching the sound check for Paul Weller.

What has been your highlight performance so far? Le Savy Fav at Simple Things – they crowd-surfed and stood on a table in Beacon Hall.

Book up your next personal highlight at www.bristolbeacon.org

clockwise from top: .

Paul Weller; Penguin Cafe; Le Savy Fav; Charles Hazlewood conducting The Paraorchestra

BRIGHTNESS FALLS

BRIGHTNESS

A giant disco ball, mystical beasties and lots and lots of amingos: just a few of the illuminations awaiting you at the 2025 Bristol Light Festival

Words by Deri Robins

How did we ever survive the long, dark February nights before Bristol Light Festival came along? It launched in 2020 (though only just), was scuppered by Covid in 2021 then returned in style between 2022 and 2025. And now it’s back again this month, with a fresh selection of intriguing illuminated artworks designed to brighten up the gloomiest nights of the year, bringing colour, vibrancy and a dash of childlike wonder to the city.

If you saw anything of the earlier trails, you’ll know the score. Everything’s free; just wander the city’s streets between 5-10pm – you can follow the location map on the website if you like to be structured, amble randomly if you’re the crazy spontaneous type –and see the lightworks come to life.

Hopefully, you’ll stop off to support a few retail and hospitality businesses along the way; part of the trail’s mission is to boost trade at a traditionally quiet time. Last year’s festival saw 275,000 visitors heading into town to marvel at the artworks, bringing a handy £8.7m of extra revenue to the city centre.

The first artworks have been announced, including the world première of the whimsical The Whilers, the return of Illumaphonium with the South West debut of Somnius, and the delightfully kitsch spectacle of Rhamandus Table, which will see internationally renowned artist (and Bristol graduate) Bruce Munro returning to the city with a flock of pink flamingos in tow.

Here goes, then:

Who are The Whilers, and what do they want? All is revealed over the page. . .

“Bruce wants audiences to enjoy the piece for exactly what it is: a vibrant depiction of some of nature’s most flamboyant and gregarious creatures”

Rhamandus Table by Bruce Munro aims to showcase nature in a

“Bristol is a city of such community and connection, and that is exactly what we want to capture with these creatures”

THE WHILERS BY AIR GIANTS

Experts in interactive soft robotics, Air Giants will be wowing crowds at the event with the word première of these strange, pneumaticallycontrolled robotic creations – a trio of otherworldly creatures on a journey into the unknown, who are stopping briefly in Bristol to interact with its residents and each other.

Air Giants’ Bristol-based team comes from diverse backgrounds with broad experience in theatre design, software development and inclusion; their work is centred around connection and companionship. Using cuttingedge robotics research, The Whilers uses nonverbal sounds and language to communicate with one another (though they may burst into a kind of song) and to take notice of audience members for a fully immersive experience.

“It’s a real pleasure to present the world première of The Whilers at Bristol Light Festival”, says Air Giants’ Emma Powell. “Bristol is a city of such community and connection, and that is exactly what we want to capture with these creatures. Although they are just passing by,

their ability to connect with audiences due to sensors detecting human movement will make their stay an impactful and memorable experience. The Whilers offers a chance for people to stop, pause and enjoy some time with ethereal robots the likes of which they’ll have never seen before.”

RHAMANDUS TABLE BY BRUCE MUNRO

Taking inspiration from the original plastic pink flamingo creator Don Featherstone, and from CS Lewis’s literature, Rhamandus Table aims to showcase nature in a whole new light.

The installation, a flock of white flamingos illuminated with an array of continually changing dawn hues, brings a new layer of artistry to the traditional flamingo statue associated with front yards in America. Bruce wants audiences to enjoy the piece for exactly what it is: a vibrant depiction of some of nature’s most flamboyant and gregarious creatures.

“It’s a pleasure to participate in Bristol Light Festival for 2025”, says Bruce. “I have many warm memories of my time at the faculty of Art and Design at Bristol Polytechnic, where I completed a fine arts degree in 1982 and just scraped through with third-class honours.

“I never thought I would be lucky enough to make a living as an artist, so it feels like a full-circle moment to come back and show this piece of work here. Many of my works, including this one, were inspired by books I’ve read. In this instance Rhamandus Table is a bit of fun on a number of levels, the main one being that it’s a tongue-incheek interpretation of a chapter in CS Lewis’s Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”

C-SCALES BY BRUCE MUNRO STUDIO

And there’s more from Bruce, who has also created C-Scales as his second installation for Bristol Light Festival this year. A screen made up of 1,849 CDs and DVDs, in its simplest form it tells the story of light.

below left: Somnius by Illumaphonium is a cosmic blend of light and sound which responds to the audience

below right: C-Scales by Bruce Munro: “a post-Christmas winter warmer from the Antipodes”

FESTIVAL

Initially designed for Sydney Harbour, the artwork serves as an exploration of how water absorbs and reflects light, creating something as abstract as it is beautiful. The audio track accompanying it is inspired by Barangaroo in central Sydney, reflecting the shoreline sounds of the plant life, people, trade, shipping, commerce, buildings and day-to-day life of the Antipodean region.

“Both Sydney and Bristol have such strong connections to water, so it feels very natural that this artwork should get its first largescale viewing at Bristol Light Festival,” says Bruce. “For the Bristol iteration, an array of animations will be projected onto a suspended façade of CDs and DVDs, giving the effect of a sea shedding scales of light into the location. The resulting reflections paint both the architecture and visitors with shimmering skeins of light, resulting in a subtly immersive installation.

“It’s a joy to bring this work to Bristol; simply said, it’s a postChristmas winter warmer from the Antipodes.”

SOMNIUS BY ILLUMAPHONIUM

For their second visit to Bristol Light Festival, following a dazzling double offering in 2023 with Continuum and Halo, Illumaphonium is returning with their latest work, Somnius – a cosmic blend of light and sound which responds to every movement of the audience. As participation in the installation grows, so does its soundscape and reactive illuminations, immersing crowds in a playful environment which puts them in control of their experience.

Its appearance at Bristol Light Festival will be Somnius’s South West debut. “Bristol feels like a second home to us, so it’s really special to bring the work to one of our favourite UK cities”, says Gemma Mills of Illumaphonium.

“We know the people of Bristol love to come together and participate, and that’s a really important part of this piece; the more people engage with the installation, the more of an experience it is. This is our most ambitious project to date, combining a quarter of a million light pixels and 970 sound bars, all soldered by hand. The spatial and synthy sound design combined with the use of light, will create an environment which allows people to escape into another dimension.”

above: Let it shine: Our Beating Heart by Studio Vertigo has over 11,000 mirrored tiles

Swing Song by Bristol Light Festival (let the kids have a go too, yeah?)

OUR BEATING HEART BY STUDIO VERTIGO

A giant disco ball composed of more than 11,000 mirrored tiles, the South West première of this visual spectacle comes from multidisciplinary design and fabrication Studio Vertigo, led by artists Lucy McDonnell and Stephen Newby.

The heart symbolises togetherness, shared love and the multifaceted aspects of the human experience; visitors will be able to revel in the refracted light, enjoying a moment of joy and festivity together as they see themselves reflected in the impressive structure. The piece is made sustainably using glass and jesmonite and only requires 4 LED spotlights to bring it to life.

Coinciding with the arrival of Our Beating Heart, disco balls around the city will have a colour wash to match the artwork at nearby locations such as Four Wise Monkeys Mr Wolfs, Mothers Ruin and the Clayton Hotel.

“The multi-faceted mirrored surface reflects the diversity of the crowd, creating a sense of unity and shared experience”, says Lucy McDonnell.

”Bristol is such a cultural hub, with a nightlife scene that is as inclusive and diverse as it gets, so this work feels like the perfect piece to showcase at Bristol Light Festival.”

AND MORE WHERE THOSE CAME FROM

As we go to press, details of further light installations are still filtering through, but there’s time to shoehorn just one more in.

TETRA comes to us from Ottomata, an experiential design studio specialising in new technologies. According to the website, it’s “an exploration of a tactile interaction and a poetic representation of the different forces surrounding us. By capturing the strength of touch in retro-projected spandex pieces, audiovisual content is generated, modulated and destroyed by the public.

“The interactors are elevated to the role of creators, in a mission of solving the abstraction of a cosmic universe.”

No idea what retro-projected spandex pieces might look like? No, us neither, but this pic might help a bit.

Bristol Light Festival is a free event and will run from Friday 31 January to Sunday 9 February. www.bristollightfestival.org

SWING SONG BY BRISTOL LIGHT FESTIVAL

A festival favourite, Swing Song is back for more immersive musical play and (would you believe) bigger and better than ever, with two new sets of swings being unveiled.

Swing Song uses tracks produced especially for the festival, with each swing controlling a different musical element. Users have a choice of percussion, bassline and melody, and each movement contributes to the music generated by the swinging – swing low for chill beats and high for a dramatic crescendo, all combined with a dynamic light show to enhance the sensory pleasure.

“We’ve been blown away by how well-loved Swing Song has been for the last two years,” said the festival’s creative director Katherine Jewkes, “o much so that we have invested in rebuilding the swings so that they can become a permanent fixture in the programme. After the festival the swings will head off on tour, bringing a taste of Bristol Light Festival to different places and showing what our creative industry in the city has to offer.”

With its playful multi-sensory immersion into colour, sound and light, the swings offer a siren attraction for grown-ups as well as kids – but please don’t be tempted to push a small child off the seat in order to have a go. . .

END GAME

Moments to bring light into the darkest time of the year

Words and pics by Colin Moody

The end of a year is not just about numbers counting down to zero and then disappearing. It’s real. The long nights, we mourn the sun, that blessed sun, on our skins, lighting the way. All those artificial lights play with you and it can all go a bit Bladerunner in your head.

So here are some random end-of-the-year heroes, moments from the last few months of 2024 which for me capture that spirit of, yes, it may be dark, but we are going to rise, and rise, and hold… on.

1

Doreen Doreen at the Beacon here, quite literally holding open a space and letting the light of a hundred filaments bla e in.

We commune with bands and gigs at this time of year in a different way. It’s more than that – we have to, ’cos if we don’t, we run out of this special ingredient which keeps us going until spring.

2

We won’t all make it.

Sometimes that family heirloom Argos artificial Christmas tree and those overused car mats just seem to be getting us down. I imagine the seats from the back row of the Picasso have also a story to tell. One of family stress and mess.

Remember that, as a lot of us purged over Christmas, followed by those ridiculous resolutions to not over-purge in January. And get that quid back from the Asda trolley; start the year with a little cash boost.

3

It’s effing cold again, so spare some thought that we don’t all get to feel that warmth through our bones every night. I always felt that when we wrap up in all our layers we often get to hide from the world just a little bit; shu ing around in a big grey coat has a lonely asteroid vibe about it on the streets at times.

So wrap up, feel the layers and remember that’s a real luxury, and look out for those fellow citi ens. City of caring. Bristol. Warm hearts.

4 Shop and Drop.

At the end of the year I also take stock of things changing in my world. Maybe you do the same. There is one place that has shifted so much this year that sticks in the mind. East Street in Bedminster. They have been struggling on lots of levels to grow. This street, older than Bristol itself, has been at the centre of life in this area for generations. Now, with many cranes escorted away, the large blocks around it are nearing completion and headquarter-sized receptions are opening, all alongside the street’s remaining greengrocers, butchers and pubs. Or is it just pub singular now?

A new generation slides in, meeting the old. It could be a beautiful hybrid, like those bustling markets you see in London; alongside millionaires: you can have the realness. Let us see. Here a local shopper passes by the grocers on East Street and the image only really works when it’s shifted a little. Let’s see what shifts.

“A new generation slides in, meeting the old. It could be a beautiful hybrid”

BRISTOL HEROES

5

Take a look at this tree, stark against the landscape. See how it stands firm against that bleak but beautiful white snow. On the Downs.

It has stood there for decades and can take all that is thrown at it, those branches creaking into the sky will wait patiently for the sun to return and it will grow again. Stradivarius went out into the deep woods of his home to find the slow-growing trees whose wood grain was so fine he knew he could turn them into the most beautiful violins and other instruments that we might now hear played at the Beacon.

It may seem at this time of year that things seem to stop, but it is just the pause before the surge, and deep inside this fro en place there is beautiful music waiting.

6

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love.

There is no greater beauty and love than that shown at the Grand Iftar every year. Glad to see it return to St Mark’s Road in Easton last year. Communities coming together to sit, to eat, to chat, to bypass all that stupidity and shouting online.

7 How do you celebrate So many ways.

Whatever your style, whoever you choose to mark the big changes with, do it feet tall.

8

rom when the ueen was here. As in, still alive.

ust a reminder to be grateful for every slice of delicious homecooked food that might pass your way. Not everyone is so lucky, to enjoy that ease with which so much gravy goes down.

So be a good monarch and make sure the realm around you is safe and warm, and spread some good cheer. We’ve see it in the movies, let’s see if it’s true.

Colin Moody; content creation, online images Twitter @moodycolin; Instagram @colinmoodyphotography www.colinmoodyphotography.wordpress.com

EMILY & DAN ROSS STORYSMITH BOOKS

It’s 2025! (You don’t get much past us.) It’s time to begin a new chapter –or indeed, several

Working in a bookshop means you not only get to hear all about people’s New ear’s resolutions, you also get plenty of ready-made metaphors for your own entry into : blank page, new chapter, cracking the spine what we’re saying is that we’re all set, and we’re feeling positive about the next year’s reading.

This happens every year, but it’s incredibly heartening to look out across the expansive hori on of what’s to come otherwise known as a spreadsheet and see the rich

offering ahead; a promise of many evenings well spent, and shop conversations yet to transpire. We would look further forward, but for now we’re just going to clue you in on a few real highlights for the first couple of months of the year.

We Do Not Part by Han Kang (trans. e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris)

It’s fair to say Han ang is having a moment’, as they say. or years she’s been a darling of the literary community, but late last year she pocketed the ultimate gong: the Nobel Pri e for iterature. ew could argue that this isn’t a

well-deserved accolade, as her oeuvre has somehow maintained that magical balance between accessibility and profundity, without veering too far in either direction. And with We Do Not Part, an aptly chilly read for the start of the year, she has created an unexpected synthesis of unsettling thriller and deeply human examination of the human condition as we all rapidly age, as well as an unconventional paean to enduring friendship and art.

As our main character trudges through the thigh-deep snowdrifts on her way to her best friend’s house to feed her pet birds while she’s stuck in hospital, you’ll have no inkling of what’s in store, and you won’t guess it either and that’s how it should be.

Love In Exile by Shon Faye

We love few things more than a local icon turning their in uence outwards and becoming a true star, beyond the confines of their home town. Bristol native Shon aye is one such example, and her groundbreaking The Transgender Issue from was a truly epochal book that transformed conversations across the world.

unswerving, yet we’re made to feel emotionally conversant with aye’s own personal experience, which is the characteristic that turns this from a necessary book into a truly loveable one.

There Lives a Young Girl in Me Who Will Not Die by Tove Ditlevsen (trans. Jennifer Russell and Sophia Hersi Smith)

We got a bit obsessed with Tove Ditlevsen when her three-volume memoir known as her Childhood’ trilogy was republished a few years ago, and the steady drip of hitherto-undiscovered and retranslated nuggets from her back catalogue have been charming and unsettling us ever since.

“We love few things more than a local icon becoming a star beyond their home town”

To experience an artist’s work in this piecemeal fashion is fascinating, and with the prospect of this brilliantly-titled poetry collection so far we’ve only had memoir and fiction we’re itching to uncover more. Perfect for fans of Deborah evy and all things wintry, we’ll be wrapping up warm in preparation.

With her long-awaited follow-up, Love In Exile, aye’s focus shifts to the ueer experience of finding and defining love, the damage done in failing to do so, and what that means in our increasingly politicised climate. The writing is clear-eyed and

We hope that your postChristmas stacks of yet-to-be-read books are looking healthy after the gifting season but, well, how to put it not too healthy. And if that’s the case then rest assured that your local booksellers are primed to re-enliven those stacks, to help you start that new chapter

Visit Storysmith at 36 North Street, Bedminster; 0117 953 7961 www.storysmithbooks.com

CAFÉ SOCIETY STAN CULLIMORE

The Great Bristol Bake-on

Strap yourselves in, and set the controls for the heart of snacky heaven

OIt’s in an enclave of light industrial units, just behind Old Market, right next to the beginning of the Bristol to Bath cycle path. I first stumbled across it online, and the pictures were so beguiling, the CS crew just had to pop along and try it for ourselves.

hipster, artisanal, open-plan bakery, coffee shop and cake innovation studio, the inside of this place is exactly what you would get. Everything just works so well. Walking through the door feels great, the space smells superb and the other customers were a lovely bunch, too.

ne of the many joys of these modest café musings is they give me an excuse to explore parts of Bristol I don’t really know that well. This issue’s coffee shop of choice is a perfect example: The Bakehouse on St Philip’s Road. If you don’t know where that is, exactly, join the club. Nor did I until we got there.

“If you asked AI to create a picture of a perfect postindustrial, funky, hipster, artisanal, open-plan bakery, this is exactly what you would get”

We were not disappointed; their coffees, cakes and savoury creations were the stuff of dreams. Gorgeous, lush dreams of desire and delight. The display of cakey goodness that greets you at the counter was so mouthwatering, so pictureperfect, I was nervous about getting close enough to take a photo. Didn’t trust myself to be able to resist their siren call.

However, as we were under strict instructions to go for savoury satisfaction, we settled on a round of pasties. We could easily have gone for any of the other goodies on the menu; they seem to specialise in the sort of tastebud-tingling baked goods that invite you to sit back, strap yourselves in and set your controls for the heart of snacky heaven. Which is, dear reader, exactly where we found ourselves when our order arrived. In case it isn’t obvious by now, it really was a gem of a place. If you opened up your favourite AI generator right now, asked it to create a picture of a perfect post-industrial-themed, funky,

We found ourselves chatting away to a few of them in passing and couldn’t help but notice they included an eclectic crosssection of the café society world. There were blokes in hi-vis who had popped in for lunch, young couples with babies who came for coffees and conversation, along with office types, students and passers-by. In short, it was a melting pot of friendly, happy folks. Bit like our lovely little city.

All in all, it was a real thrill to discover such a superb place hidden away so close to home. A reminder of just how lucky we all are to have so many excellent coffee establishments in this beautiful bit of Britain we call Bristol.

Another glorious reason to raise a glass of something caffeinated and give thanks to all those brilliant cafe folk out there. Cheers! n

Former The Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer; @stancullimore on instagram Google up Stan’s daily substack blog: Diary of an Urban Grandad

CHARLIE TAYLOR KASK WINE

Happy new drinking, everyone . . .

In an absolute groundbreaking slamdunk of a sledgehammer against convention, I’m kicking off this column at the start of with resolutions. But these aren’t my resolutions: these are the six resolutions you should be adopting if you want to get the most out of wine this coming year

. Be kinder to your body. I mentioned in an earlier column that many supermarket wines contain scores of chemicals, additives and preservatives why choose those when there are plenty of bottles that are made organically and with minimal intervention ie little added, little taken away , available from places in Bristol such as AS , Corks, Cave, Averys and numerous indie restaurants?

. Be kinder to the environment. Much global wine production is

terrible for the planet, ruining the soil with fast-farming herbicides and pesticides with a priority focus on uick profit. Instead, choose wine made by small farmers who care about their land because it’s been in their family for generations and they want it to be for generations more.

. Save money. ou probably missed it amongst other headlines in the October government budget: from February, the duty on wine will increase. So how do you save money while still enjoying good wine? Here’s my Martin Lewis moment: by a quirk in the system, wines that are at . and AB are going to see a reduction in the amount of duty applied to them. So seek out these AB s and duty will represent a smaller percentage of the price. Of course, you could also stock up in January, before the price changes come into play.

. Travel more. Over the last few years our most exciting discoveries have been bottles from wine regions we’d previously never heard of, despite many of them having wine-making traditions that stretch back thousands of years.

Take Bulgaria the Thracian alley in the east of the country was the main source of grapes for Ancient Troy, but due to the impact of communism it’s not well-known here: which means, some fantastic wine at great value prices. Or Transylvania vines were introduced by the Roman more than 2000 years ago and its cool climate, volcanic soil and three river valleys that bring minerals from the mountains down to the vineyards are ideal grape growing conditions.

Or riuli, my personal fav region in on the Italian side of the border with Slovenia, this is home to some of Italy’s greatest white wines, far more interesting, avourful, textural and complex than that bottle of Pinot Grigio in your fridge.

Our top tip destination for ruguay. Shaped by a mild Atlantic climate, ruguay is more comparable to European wine regions such as Portugal, Galicia and Bordeaux than its atin American neighbours.

. But also think local. English wine is getting better and better and better and it’s now not just sparkling wine that is made well in our green and pleasant this year we’ve had some truly epic whites, rosé and orange, and even a couple of reds.

ust a word to the wise it can still be over-priced for the quality, largely due to the climactic challenges of making wine in our country, so you’ll need to dig a bit deeper to find the value or just ask us .

. Try something new.

Supermarket shelves are full of the same 10 or 20 grapes but a new year brings change, so stop playing safe and try one of the other , plus varieties out there. es it’s risky, but this is where the great local bars and wine shops our city is home to come in all of the people I know who work in them would be more than happy to help you take a step out of your comfort one. So swap out the Sauvignon for a riulano, the Cab Sav for a Saperavi, and the Malbec for a Mavrud, and you’ll have a more adventurous year than the last. Happy New ear!

Three wines to try this year (now!)

Friulano ’22, Ferlat

This white is both velvety soft and lively and fresh, with rich minerality and aromatic note of jasmine, dried owers, summer fruit and a bitter almond finish I seem to find in many Italian whites.

Saperavi ’21, Bedoba

Saperavi is a dark-skinned grape, native to Georgia and usually creates full and juicy wines savoury and spicy with notes of blackberries, herbs and black pepper, it’s ideal for this time of year. Bedoba is the Day of uck’ a Georgian holiday that takes place on anuary.

Mavrud Reserve ’19, Zagreus rom the Thracian alley, this wine is rich and complex, with notes of dark red fruits, dark chocolate and pepper, and a long, long finish.

Visit KASK Wine at 51 North Street, Bedminster BS3 1EN; 07522 198081 www.kaskwine.co.uk

THE COSY CLUB

Let’s not mess about. It’s brass monkeys out there. What we really want to do is hibernate, but as they won’t let us, let’s snuggle into furs and sheepskins and make like Jon Snow during a particularly harsh winter up at The Wall

BELLEROSE HOSWEL BAG, £110

If nothing else, your phone and credit card will stay nice and cosy From Maze, 26-28 The Mall www.mazeclothing.co.uk

PAUL SMITH FAUX FUR TEDDY COAT, £435

Thick, cuddly and in a bold, blocky two-colour design

From Grace & Mabel www.graceandmabel.co.uk 32 The Mall

MONGOLIAN GILET, £325

When the dress code is party, but you don’t fancy freezing to death

From Mint Velvet 44 Regent Street www.mintvelvet.com

I

GREEN FAUX FUR COAT, £48

Psst. Want to stand out from the crowd? Pre-loved is better both for the wallet and the planet, and nobody else will have exactly the same item

From Beyond Retro 20 Broadmead www.beyondretro.com

SOREL WOMEN’S TORINO BOOTS, £165

JAKKE ARELLA FAUX

SHEARLING HAT, £90

Keep your head cosy and the rest of you will feel warmer. Scientific fact From Harvey Nichols, 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com

If it does deign to snow in Bristol, which it generally does in, oh, March, you’ll be as prepared as a scout with these stylish, waterproof, furlined boots

From Ellis Brigham, 160 Whiteladies Road www.ellis-brigham.com

DRIES VAN NOTEN

RANGEL FAUX FUR AND DENIM COAT

£1,695

eave the rest of the pack to their leopard-print; this shaggy alternative to cosy coating is a real head-turner From Harvey Nichols, 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com

GUSHLOW & COLE

SHEARLING SHAWL SCARF WITH LEATHER TIE, £275

Not only will this keep you warm, but you’ll look like ulie Christie in Dr Zhivago

From Harvey Nichols 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com

BABBI SHEEPSKIN SLIPPERS, £125

Not just for winter; the

www.toa.st

CARHARTT WIP

FAUX FUR W’ ACTIVE JACKET, £199

A kind of hybrid between a bomber jacket and a hoodie, but, you know, also furry

From Cooshti, 57 Park Street www.cooshti.com

BELLEROSE HELADO BAG, £110

Admittedly cream is a brave choice; guess you could always carry it around in a protective clear plastic bag

From Maze, 26-28 The Mall www.mazeclothing.co.uk

UGG SCUFFITA SLIPPER, £80

With uffy cross-straps and rich suede overlays, it pairs perfectly with robes and loungewear for weekend relaxation

From Grace & Mabel, 32 The Mall www.graceandmabel.co.uk

BROWN FAUX FUR

MITTENS, £45

nbelievably soft and uffy, while turning your hands into adorable mamma-bear paws

From Mint Velvet

44 Regent Street www.mintvelvet.com

I I

GOLDEN YEARS

The face of retirement living is changing; in 2025, our elderly population expects a high standard of life, whether it’s their own home in a carefully curated community, or a residence offering full-time care

By Ursula Cole

The words ‘retirement home’ have slightly downbeat, dowdy connotations, which wholly fail to re ect the high, often luxurious standards to be found in many of Bristol’s best later-living establishments. We asked those working at some of Bristol’s most successful retirement quarters to talk through the pros and cons of moving to a community aimed at the over-60s.

THE CHOCOLATE QUARTER

ocated in the former Cadbury’s actory in eynsham, offering retirement apartments and a -bed care home as well as office space, an award-winning café and pizza restaurant, pool, hairdressers, pottery studio and host of other facilities.

What makes it so special?

The development exemplifies the St Monica Trust’s commitment to creating communities in which older people can ourish through connection, contribution and choice. To encourage intergenerational use, the ground oor of the retirement village is open to the public, with local businesses and restaurants, including pizza restaurant B-Block, fine-dining Somer Dining, a health spa, hair and nail salon and a cinema. There is also a vibrant events programme and regular community activities designed to encourage the public to use all the facilities.

Tell us about the rooms

Charterhouse offers communal kitchen and living areas with spacious private bedroom suites. They are all en-suite, and offer air conditioning, wi-fi, full-height windows and the facility for in-room dining, with all modified diets and specialised dietary needs catered for.

What are you most proud of about your accommodation? It’s the attention to detail which sets The Chocolate Quarter apart.

Isn’t it iconic? The famous Cadbury’s chocolarte factory now houses some of the best retirement apartments in the South West

Residents can step into the grand atrium to enjoy the style and luxury of a five-star hotel, in which modern living meets Art Deco-inspired styling in the refurbished building, while still providing the high level of care and customer service for which the St Monica Trust is renowned.

THE VINCENT

The incent in Redland consists of one-, two- and three-bedroom independent later-living apartments, along with a wellness area comprising gym, spa and stretch studio; an arboretum garden and communal lounge, all within walking distance of Bristol’s city centre.

What features make you stand out?

The gym, spa and stretch studio; expansive gardens and communal lounges for residents to enjoy and socialise in, and apartments built to the very highest specifications. However, what is truly uni ue about The incent is its design. Apartments are spread across the beautifully

restored ueen ictoria House, originally built in , and two new Regency-style buildings, Charlotte and acob.

What amenities are available for residents?

The incent is a vibrant community, and residents enjoy daily activities supported by our onsite life host, including water aerobics, games afternoons, ui es, get-fit classes and much more.

What are you most proud of about your accommodation?

rom its uni ue architectural design, paying homage to the ictorian in uence of the site, to the specification of each and every home, to the dedication of the general manager and life host, every effort has been taken to curate a uni ue and inspiring community.

ABBEYFIELD

A not-for-profit organisation dedicated to combating loneliness, by

providing a unique living arrangement for those seeking to maintain independence while enjoying the benefits of communal living.

The organisation’s commitment to the supporting the independence of residents is evident in its provision of unfurnished ats, allowing residents to personalise their space and create a true home-from-home environment. At the same time, the package includes three daily meals, coverage of all utility bills and council tax, and the reassurance of an on-site team available to assist residents should the need arise.

What special features make you stand out?

Each house has its own uni ue characteristics. While every resident has their own at, each house offers a communal lounge and dining room that encourages socialising, particularly at mealtimes.

What amenities are available for residents?

Residents enjoy a vibrant community inside their house, and each house is well situated to take full advantage of the local area. Every Abbeyfield House has a calendar of social events, which includes film nights, live entertainment and trips.

What’s the dining experience like?

We try to make every mealtime a special social occasion, so each house has a communal dining room. Homemade meals are provided twice a day, at lunch and dinner, by our on-site cooks, and residents have the freedom to choose to eat breakfast in the dining room or their own at. They can also invite family members to join them for meals.

What are you most proud of about your accommodation?

“The Chocolate Factory e em es t e t on a rust’s omm tment to reat n ommun t es n o der eo e an flour s t rou onne t on ontr but on and o e

As a charity, our focus is on being able to offer people new friendships and new experiences without the old stresses and worries of maintaining their own property. Our residents often tell us they’re enjoying a whole new lease of life, and they wish they’d moved in years ago. We take a truly holistic approach to our residents’ well-being, which lies at the heart of everything we do – our core aim is to enhance the uality of their lives in every way possible.

LOVELL PLACE

uxury care home offering exceptional residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short breaks, with a uni ue and sector-leading model of care. The team’s innovative, award-winning approach is built around the dedicated Homemakers team who help residents to continue living life in the way they want; above all, they are friends and companions, providing emotional support and a sense of community. This groundbreaking approach makes the experience more like living in your own home a family environment which creates a natural, nurturing, and caring way of life.

A mixture of old and new at The Vincent; TOPRIGHT: an apartment at The Vincent

What amenities are available for residents?

Spacious en-suite bedrooms designed in a range of themes; a café where they can meet family and friends; a wellbeing and beauty salon, and a cinema – complete with popcorn.

What special features make you stand out?

In addition to the en-suite bedrooms, Lovell Place features a number of spacious companion suites for couples and companions seeking extra space, or individuals desiring a larger, more comfortable room. Furnished to an exceptionally high standard, many rooms also open onto beautiful landscaped gardens.

What’s the dining experience like?

Our resident chef prepares a range of delicious home-cooked restaurant- style meals tailored to our residents’ dietary requirements; family can also join for a special meal in the private dining suite.

What are you most proud of about your accommodation?

Our luxury care home offers everything residents need to enjoy a fulfilling care experience, all within the comfort of their home, along with the support of our exceptional team. Lovell Place is a wonderful place to call home. n

YOU HAVE BEEN READING

The Chocolate Quarter, Trajectus Way Keynsham; www.stmonicatrust.org.uk

The Vincent, Redland Hill www.pegasushomes.co.uk

Abbeyfield, Bristol & Keynsham Society various sites; www.abbeyfield-bristol.co.uk

Best Life; www.bestlife.org.uk

Lovell Place, Sparrowbill Way www.hamberleycarehomes.co.uk

CARE IN (YOUR) HOME

If moving to a retirement community isn’t for you, for whatever reason, Best Life Care Group is an in-home care provider dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals who require companionship, care, and meaningful connections.

“Our services are thoughtfully designed to support adults in their later years or individuals with memory loss, acquired injuries or diagnoses as well as those in need of companionship, enabling them to maintain their independence, dignity, and well-being,” they say.

They offer a range of personalised services, including one-to-one companionship and day clubs across three venues for individuals with memory challenges. “Each interaction is tailored to create joy, alleviate loneliness, and support everyday tasks, whether that’s a shared cup of tea, a stroll in the park, or a fun trivia game.”

Clients include adults seeking social interaction, families needing respite care, and care homes looking to enhance their activity programs. They also partner with communities and charities to extend their reach, ensuring no one is left without support.

www.bestlife.org.uk

Did you know retirement communities could look like this? On the left, The Chocolate Quarter, to the right The Vincent

A FOCUS ON WELLBEING

At HAMBERLEY CARE HOMES, luxury care meets personalised wellness

Situated in Bristol and close to Bath, Lovell Place and Meryton Place offer a nurturing and harmonious environment designed to enhance the lives of residents. With dedicated wellbeing coaches, and a multi-award-winning care approach, an atmosphere of joy, comfort and fulfilment is created, ensuring every individual receives the support they need to thrive.

The happiness and holistic wellbeing of every resident is prioritised. A personalised approach to care is taken, recognising that each person’s needs are unique. The team ensures that the right level of support is provided, empowering residents to maintain their independence while enjoying the luxury of bespoke care. Whether through physical activity, mental stimulation or social engagement, there is a focus on creating a balanced lifestyle that brings true joy and satisfaction.

PHYSICAL WELLBEING: ACTIVE LIVING IN A LUXURIOUS SETTING

Spacious, beautifully landscaped grounds offer a peaceful sanctuary for gardening enthusiasts, providing residents with the chance to connect with nature and enjoy the outdoors. Additionally, regular outings, visits from local schools and nurseries, and heartwarming PAT dog therapy

sessions with our furry friends are offered. There is dedication to supporting you in living life on your own terms.

SOCIAL WELLBEING: CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY

At Meryton Place and Lovell Place, the importance of social connections is well understood. Residents can continue to engage in their favourite hobbies, meet new people, and participate in a range of community activities designed to foster friendship and interaction. The spiritual wellbeing of residents is also supported, helping them to stay connected to their faith. These homes are designed to provide a sense of belonging, where every individual feels valued and supported.

EMOTIONAL WELLBEING: CARE AND SUPPORT ON HAND WHEN NEEDED

When a resident’s care needs change, wellbeing coaches are quick to respond, ensuring that residents receive both physical and emotional support. They are always available to listen, discuss concerns, and provide the necessary guidance, ensuring that residents benefit from the care experience they deserve.

Hamberley want their residents to look and feel their best, and that’s why they also offer

a range of pampering services to nurture the emotional wellbeing of residents, as well as access to all of the exceptional facilities within the homes. From indulgent beauty treatments at the wellbeing and beauty salons to exquisite dining experiences, every day is an opportunity for relaxation and self-care. Their commitment to emotional wellbeing ensures that every resident enjoys a happy, healthy, and luxurious lifestyle. n

Find out more about life at our luxury care homes, and discover the upcoming wellness activities and events at Meryton Place and Lovell Place – contact our friendly teams today: enquiries@hamberleycarehomes.co.uk; www.hamberleycarehomes.co.uk

Lovell Place: 0117 171 2330; Sparrowbill Way, Patchway, Bristol BS34 5AU Meryton Place: 0117 171 2331; 213 Bath Road, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1TN

THE INAUGURAL AND INSPIRING ENTRECONF GO LAUNCHES AT ARNOLFINI

INTO SOMETHING GOOD

EntreConf GO is inspiring the next generation

On 14 November last year, the first EntreConf GO –a new conference for young entrepreneurs, designed to help them develop their ideas and businesses – was held at Bristol’s Arnolfini. The event attracted over 150 registrations, with many 16–25-year-olds descending on central Bristol for an afternoon of insights from existing business owners; some with decades of experience, others just beginning their journeys.

There were over speakers throughout the day, covering a

variety of topics offering aspiring entrepreneurs the inspiration they need to progress, with sessions ranging from startup stories to pitch tips, building resilience, value of brand, business for social good and networking dos and don’ts.

The conference’s lead keynote speaker was Georgia Stewart of Tumelo, who provided the inside story of a business transformed into one of the UK’s fastest-growing financial technology scale-ups.

The afternoon featured a mix of bright young thinkers from up-and-coming brands such as Edgie Eats, Localverse, Remedy and uture Talent Group, as

well as advisors from established Bristol organisations Bright Evolve, Inclusive utures and Tech Good. Here are a few interesting learning points that the attendees took away:

. There are many forms of success, and many motivations behind starting a business. Remember: it is up to you. ou get to define what is valuable to you – as many of the experienced speakers explained, including Maria Berryman of T O Group and Sunjay Singh of ife Media.

. Seek advice. Pretty much every entrepreneur has benefited from others – friends, your team, older

entrepreneurs, mentors, professional advisers in finance and law even their parents. People are usually willing to help, so ask! And that very much includes the advisers who featured at Arnolfini.

. Always be ready to learn. Too often, we often think that education equals learning, and that therefore it somehow stops at 16 or 18, or whenever you leave college or uni. But the smartest entrepreneurs are always learning, always testing. The future is indeed unwritten: and it’s up to us all as entrepreneurs, and the Bristol community, to write it.

For more: www.entreconf.com

All the action from EntreConf GO Pictures by Narrated Frames Photography; @narratedframes

The Traditional Timber Window Co.

Providing a range of window services in Bristol, Bath and surrounding areas. We supply and install Hardwood Windows and doors and specialise in transforming single glazed sash windows into double glazed heat efficient ones while retaining all traditional features. Proudly serving Bristol and Bath for more than 35 years. Our products are lovingly handmade in the UK.

BEST GET CRACKING

Nominations for the Bristol Life Awards 2025 close shortly – have you submitted yours yet?

By Liam Jones

With nominations now open, the panel of independent judges being prepped, and few category sponsorships remaining, excitement for the city’s biggest business celebration is steadily building.

You only have until 23 January to nominate your business for this year’s Bristol Life Awards, due to be held on 20 March at Ashton Gate. And yes, that’s not long – but the entry process is simple and free, so what’s stopping you from showing Bristol (and the world) what makes your company shine above the rest?

All you need to know about how to win an Award is available on the website, where you’ll

find top tips highlighting what the judges are looking for, and how to launch your case for a winning nomination.

The Bristol Life Awards are the business highlight of the city. They are Bristol’s most prestigious, most tightly contested Awards, with the greatest number of local companies involved. Tickets are always in incredibly high demand; they go on sale on 28 January, coinciding with the announcement of this year’s finalists.

“Every year hundreds of brilliant businesses enter the awards for that shot at glory, so standing out amongst the crowd is key,” said Steph Dodd, managing director at MediaClash, Bristol Life’s publisher. “Our top tips are there to help make the most of this opportunity and guide those looking to showcase the very best of their business!”

Already on board through sponsorship

is platinum sponsor Optimising IT, along with category sponsors Alliance Wales & West, EntreConf, Hawkins Insolvency, SLX, Thatchers, The Wave and, of course, Bristol Life Feature sponsors also include 6 O’Clock Gin, Ashton Gate and Watches of Bath.

The Bristol Life Awards are on 20 March at Ashton Gate Stadium.

For more: www.bristollifeawards.co.uk @BristolLifeAwds

The team at SLX – winner of the 2024 Platinum Award

MEET THE FAMILY LAWYER

From marital breakdowns to establishing child access, these are the local experts who can help guide us through the tough times

JAYNE MARTINS

PARTNER, FAMILY | HEAD OF THE FINANCIAL REMEDIES TEAM

RWK GOODMAN 01174 540 540 www.rwkgoodman.com/family

What is your favourite part of the job?

I have the privilege of really helping clients who are often going through a very difficult time. I enjoy seeing clients emerge from the separation far stronger than when they started. Watching clients start a new life is truly rewarding. I am also a family mediator. I really enjoy working with separating couples, encouraging people to work together to find a solution and remain child-focused.

What is one of the biggest mistakes you see your clients making?

Making life-changing decisions without all the information. We often help clients who are in crisis and they can make important decisions impulsively, often led by their emotions, rather than really thinking through all the options. It is my job to encourage them to really consider it and make sure they have all the relevant information and advice before making big decisions.

What was your first job?

I worked in a pharmacy in Torquay, serving behind the counter. I initially wanted to be a pharmacist, so it was great experience. I then decided that science A-Level was not for me and a legal career beckoned.

KATHERINE LAUDER

PARTNER, FAMILY | HEAD OF CHILDREN AND DOMESTIC ABUSE TEAM

RWK GOODMAN 01174 540 540 www.rwkgoodman.com/family

What do you specialise in?

I advise and help parents who are no longer in a relationship, and who need to establish arrangements for their children. This often involves advising on a range of complex issues and ensuring children are protected from harm. Parents often seek advice regarding where their children will live, how much time they will spend with each parent, and which school they will attend.

I also specialise in advising grandparents and other extended family members, and I represent children through their court-appointed Cafcass guardians. I help victims of domestic abuse to protect themselves (and their children), and where required, assist them to access support services and to obtain urgent protective orders. I head up our specialist children and domestic abuse team who practice from our Bath and Bristol offices.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Having the privilege of meeting with and advising individuals, often at times when they are in extremely distressing and stressful circumstances. I love helping individuals to prioritise and protect their children and achieve child-centred outcomes. I get great satisfaction from assisting victims of domestic abuse, who have bravely taken the step of seeking help. I’m proud that we offer a free-of-charge 30-minute initial appointment, and that in addition to privately funded services, we continue to offer legal aid.

Jayne Martins

Katherine Lauder

RICHARD SHARP

SHARP FAMILY LAW

01179 055 055

info@sharpfamilylaw.com www.sharpfamilylaw.com

What do you specialise in?

Helping separating and divorcing clients to protect children, preserve assets, and limit the destruction and cost that too often occurs when relationships breakdown.

What are the misconceptions around what you do?

There can be a belief that divorce must be fought in court. After over 35 years as a family solicitor, I truly believe every divorce is unique. No one process or outcome works for every family, including court litigation. Once I’ve listened to my clients’ concerns and priorities, I help them select the right approach for their divorce or family issue, advocating a constructive approach to divorce that strives to preserve and not destroy.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Solving client concerns – helping them go from despair to hope, and from fear to security, so they can move forward with their lives.

What professional accomplishment has made you most proud?

Founding Sharp Family Law, a firm focused on minimising the financial and emotional cost of divorce and supporting clients to secure the best outcome for themselves and their families.

REBECCA EELS

PARTNER, STONE KING 01225 337599

www.stoneking.co.uk

What do you specialise in?

I am a highly experienced family lawyer and mediator having worked in this area of law for over 25 years. In particular, I specialise in complex cases involving children and complicated divorce matters. Recognising that every family breakdown is unique, I tailor my approach to address the specific needs and circumstances of each client. I have particular expertise in handling divorce finances, especially when there are significant assets involved, such as large pension funds, businesses, or substantial capital.

Having extensive experience in both children and financial matters, I am able to assist those families where they may have both these issues to resolve, thereby ensuring continuity throughout the course of their separation.

What key advice would you give to somebody considering a divorce?

My key advice would be to seek legal advice, even if you think your divorce is amicable. It’s easy to assume that if both parties are getting along, there’s no need for professional guidance. However, divorce can have long-term financial, emotional, and legal consequences that may

EMILY ROSKILLY

ROSKILLY & MILLS LLP

07940 984 777

www.roskillyandmills.co.uk

What is unique about your company?

We provide specialist legal advice to unmarried couples; whether at the outset of the relationship or following separation. We take a collaborative and empathetic approach which is demonstrated by the launch of our podcast series “A journey through separation”, which can be found on our website.

What is your favourite part of the job?

We are very keen to support our clients and provide a refreshingly different and modern approach. It is very rewarding to assist someone at a difficult stage in their life and to see the vast difference from the initial meeting to the last meeting. We really enjoy collaborating with others, whether that involves recording a podcast or publishing articles or presenting on the rights/lack of for unmarried couples on separation.

When is the best time to seek legal advice?

Often at the outset of your separation which can often be at a time when you may not feel ready to face taking legal advice.

not be immediately obvious, even in the most amicable of situations.

A solicitor can help you understand your rights, clarify any legal obligations, and ensure that any agreements made are fair, reasonable, and enforceable. Divorce involves important decisions about assets, property, finances, and children’s arrangements. Having a legal professional guide you through the process can help you make informed decisions that protect your interests and prevent potential issues down the line.

Even if both parties are in agreement, it’s important to have the proper legal framework in place to ensure that everything is settled in a way that’s legally binding and reflects your best interests. Early legal advice can save time, money, and stress in the long run.

Getting clear, specialist advice at the outset will reduce time spent often worrying about the possible outcomes, your rights or lack of rights and your next steps.

JOURNEY TO THE JOB

ROB HOWARD

The co-founder and CEO of Accurise tells us how he went from bars and bands to business management

Istarted out my career in hospitality running a chain of leading bars and restaurants across the UK as an operations manager”, says Rob.

“By the age of 21, I became the youngest licensee in Birmingham. Alongside this I also ventured into the music world as a self-employed tour manager. Working with a variety of bands, I went on to tour with the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs and Florence and the Machine playing across various venues and festivals in the UK and Europe.

What led you to co-founding your own business?

After a while I decided touring around Europe didn’t quite have the longevity I was looking for and I returned to my sweet spot in operations within hospitality. I’d always actually had a love for spreadsheets, so it was at this point I decided to stay within the realms of the sector but go fully down the finance route. I progressed to senior management accountant

and eventually managing director of an accounting firm specialising in hospitality. I became interested in how using intuitive technology and software could be applied in accounting and as a result, got curious. The challenge I faced was that many organisations were resistant to change, which led me to pursuing my own journey and going on to start my own company as cofounder of Accurise

Can you give us an overview of Accurise?

Accurise is an accounting company specialising in software provision, innovative processes and specialist embedded teams. Our standard services include producing management accounts, bookkeeping, reconciling banks and balance sheets, and offering businesses information and support.

Tell us about the culture at Accurise

Accurise was founded on the core belief that happy teams produce the best-quality work. That’s why we do things a bit differently and have

a genuine people-first environment where our team thrives. Accurise has been four days a week from day one. It’s not a compressed week; all employees do 32 hours a week and it has proven to enhance productivity across the board. We also offer exible working hours and trust our staff to get their work done in a time that works best for them, in line with their routine.

What inspired the decision for a four-day working week?

Every employee works as part of a team and it’s between them to organise their hours for four-day working while ensuring client service. In addition, we also offer employees unlimited holiday and as a result, they take less sick leave. Taking all this into account, we’re proud to have a staff retention rate of which is testament to the culture we’re creating here.

How does this ethos support your staff?

Throughout the country there’s a whole group of excellent people who have taken maternity leave and

then come back into the workforce. Juggling childcare or school hours, they start later and finish earlier. The reality is in almost every business they are given the same workload as the person sitting next to them, only they have to do it in less time and get paid less for it. And they do it, and do it just as well.

We’ve put an offering into the market to target those people with demands outside of work that says, do the exact same work that you are doing at the moment but we’ll pay you for it, properly. There’s a culture of transparency within our organisation. Everyone understands the benefit of working this way and is committed to making it work.

Why was it important to adopt a hybrid working model for your staff?

We recognised that many of our employees want a hybrid model with exibility to be able to work from home or come into an office environment. There’s no mandate. It’s choice.

A key driver for opening our new premises on Corn Street is to provide the capacity to attract new clients and top talent from across the region. The new space is supporting our modern way of working and providing a positive experience for clients and staff alike.

We’re on a mission to attract more people with industry leading skills into the organisation, so it’s critical we provide facilities worthy of that calibre. The new location has put us in the heart of the city centre and alongside a growing hospitality and recruitment community, where we believe we have a strong role to play in helping these organisations to scale effectively.

Tell us about your client portfolio

Accurise’s sweet spot is the point at which an organisation is looking to scale at pace and mature its finance function uickly. This is often following investment, and during a period where there’s an urgent need for more sophisticated reporting. Many of our customers are hospitality businesses with - sites. But there are exceptions such as Wingstop which is growing rapidly. Today, we work with well over 300 individual restaurants with a combined revenue of over £400 million.

For more www.accurise.net

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

Whiteladies Road, BS8 TO LET – POA

693 – 1,010 - 1,703sq ft (64.38 – 158.21sq m)

Attractive offices, refurbished to a contemporary standard. Car parking also available by separate negotiation. New flexible lease terms available.

Eagle House, BS1 TO LET – POA

5,565 sq ft – 11,840 sq ft

(517 – 1,100 sq ft)

A landmark building in the heart of the city centre offering Grade A accommodation. Exceptional break-out spaces, to include auditorium, bookable meeting rooms, showers, and bike storage.

Unity Street, Bristol TO LET

362 sq ft – 2,750 sq ft

(33.6 sq m – 255.5 sq m)

A most attractive period office building refurbished to a good standard with attractive rear courtyard garden. E Class use therefore suitable for a range of different occupiers.

St Pauls Road, Clifton TO LET – POA

2,618 sq ft (243.21 sq m)

A substantial end of terrace office building providing self contained accommodation over ground and upper floors with excellent on site car parking. The space is due to be refurbished to a contemporary standard.

Mariner House, Prince St TO LET – £23.50 psf

1,242 sq ft (115.38 sq m)

Loft style office accommodation located in the city centre benefiting from passenger lift, shower facilities, and excellent bike storage. Annual leases available.

Berkeley Square, BS8 FOR SALE – POA

4,015 sq ft (372.99 sq m)

A fabulous opportunity to create a magnificent family home within the upper terrace of Clifton's renowned Berkeley Square, with ample parking. The property suits investors seeking to benefit from the current income produced within the property.

Durdham Park, BS6 TO LET – POA

1,042 – 2,948 sq ft (274 - 97 sq m)

Two self-contained buildings located within close proximity to Whiteladies Road and Clifton and Durdham Downs. The properties can be available as a pair or separately. Currently benefitting from educational use although would suit other uses (STP).

St Mary Street Thornbury TO LET – £15,000 pa

905 sq ft (84.07 sq m)

Open plan ground floor retail premises in a prime position at the St Mary’s Centre. One allocated parking space to the rear and further benefiting from an external seating area to the front.

Etloe Road, BS6 TO LET – POA

1,273 sq ft (118.27 sq m)

A ground floor, self-contained “Class E” premises available to let in the popular suburb of Westbury Park. May suit a range of uses.

Waterloo St, Clifton TO LET – £22 psf pax

810 – 1,079 – 1,934 sq ft (75 – 100 – 179.6 sq m)

A self-contained office to rent with shop frontage onto Waterloo Street, in the heart of Clifton Village. Would suit other uses under Class E. Due to be refurbished.

BUILDING THE CITY

Eight miles from Bristol stands a Grade-II country mansion with a dower house, five cottages and 57 acres of land –£13,950,000 to you. Turn to page 74 to snap it up – or, you know, just admire it

GRAND DESIGNS

Since it first screened in 1999, Grand Designs has become one of the most revolutionary reality shows on TV, and its appeal shows no sign of diminishing. To celebrate 25 years of the series, the team have brought out a new book

We’d already seen shows like Changing Rooms, in which hapless couples entrusted neighbours to give their home a makeover with the help of industry experts. We tuned in mostly for the fun of seeing their horrified expressions. But then Grand Designs came along, hosted by interiors and lighting expert Kevin McCloud. This took things to a whole new level; forget a fresh lick of paint, now we were talking brand-new homes being built from the foundations up.

When it first launched in few members of the team imagined it would still be going strong in 2024, but it turned out to be TV gold; the idea of following a house emerging from an empty muddy site to become a sparkling des res connected with viewers from the start. Indeed, the very phrase ‘grand design’ has now become synonymous with ambitious, architectural endeavours.

“Costs spiral wildly; big life events intervene”

So what’s the fascination? There’s the architecture, of course – the enviable, unique designs, the innovative building methods and techniques, the cutting-edge sustainability that points the way for the rest of us. Then there’s the sheer unpredictability of the outcome; we never know quite what’s going to happen over the two, three and often more years of the build. Thousands of decisions need to made, both right and wrong; big life events intervene. Costs spiral wildly over budget; compromises need to be made, while for a few unlucky people, projects are abandoned altogether. There’s courage, hope, occasional despair, and a touch of madness; all human life is here. We applaud our house-builders when they succeed; we shake our heads with the wisdom of hindsight when they fail.

And now there’s a new book out to celebrate 25 years of Grand Designs, focusing on some of Kevin’s favourite game-changing homes from the series. The houses are found in all parts of the country, but the following excerpts feature two close to home.

Episode aired 2008

Owners Martin and Katherine

Architect Martin Pease

Build cost £350,000 (as of 2007)

The core tension that lies within White Box Syndrome hovers between the excoriating rigour of a home that’s minimal and white both on the outside and inside – an almost colour-free place that suggests no-one lives here, let alone a family with dogs – and the architectural purity of the idea. On the one hand you can admire something built to such a demanding regime. On the other, can you live in something so perfect?

Well, this family certainly could. Churchill’s well-worn quote that ‘we shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us’ applied here. Any architect will also understand the inherent tension in this phrase, between servicing a client’s needs and re ecting how they like to live, and delivering a building which is also an expression of hope and desire. As architect, client, parent and partner, Martin knew he had to tread this knife-edge path of design, and the Grand Designs film of this build told the story of this design journey.

As a commercial architect, Martin seemingly without effort brought a sheen to this building, a glamorous finish and an image of professional cleanliness which companies want, and which many homeowners wonder, longingly, why it is their homes don’t have it. It’s an unusual term for a building, but this is quite a sexy house: high-gloss and high-class. Its uncompromising nature makes it very seductive.

But that is to miss the project’s core ambition: to provide a gamechanging home for a family. One that explores the fascinating territory of how buildings look after people, which is best expressed in another uote, this time from Philip ohnson, a New ork architect who, like Martin, built offices for business clients. He said: All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts or stimulates the persons in that space.”

SUGAR CUBE, BRISTOL

Sugar Cube: high-gloss and high-class

APPRENTICE STORE, SOMERSET

Episode aired 2009

Owners Ian and Sophie Architects Threefold Architects

Build cost approx. £485,000 (as of 2009)

Working on an old building – one that might be listed, have a rare industrial value or be an archaeological site – is a balancing act. The old paper mill that Ian and Sophie bought in 2005 ticked all these boxes, and so what followed was the expected high-wire act with planners, conservationists, industrial historians and ecologists.

There were the stunts and tricks along the way that all old buildings throw into your face to throw you off the wire. Here, the challenges included three buildings with changes of level to match; industrial heritage (the mill once made Turner’s watercolour paper); no foundations, and mounting costs.

The scale of interventions can range from doing nothing to an old place, leaving it to fall down (still an acceptable route in some conservation circles and a standard method for ancient monuments until recently) to the opposite extreme of knocking it down and rebuilding it from scratch. Both are much easier than the balanced route Ian and Sophie took; both are unimaginative and neither saves our heritage nor the carbon footprint of the built environment.

Mercifully, Ian and Sophie’s own vision, coupled with the imagination of their architects, Threefold, produced a beautifully conserved set of buildings that are elegantly stitched together. The foundations are now secure, the lime pointing exquisite, the windows and doorways retained. Yet the house is also remarkably contemporised; it is open, light and spacious. The masterstroke is that the circulation through three buildings at three levels is now not just improved but transformed, thanks to the invention of a set of gantries, levels and staircases that weave continuously around and through one spine wall, like a ribbon, to always land you in the right place. All testimony to the creative and interpretive role that passionate owners and their architects can play in reimagining the past. n

Grand Designs at 25 is published by White Lion Publishing; RRP £28

Apprentice Store: beautifully conserved buildings elegantly stitched together

“The house is contemporised;remarkably it is open, light and spacious”

THE BEACH HOUSE ESTATE

Don’t get derailed by the name. This wonderful estate eight miles from Bristol is nowhere near the coast; instead, the 57-acre gem is surrounded by lush rolling hills beyond its manicured lawns

Words by Verity Evans

The beach house, you say? Access to the ocean via a gate at the bottom of the garden, I assume?

Doubtless coastal views from the master bedroom? An outside shower for sloshing sand out of crevices? It sounds utterly divine, but where can this be in a landlocked valley eight miles from Bristol?” I asked.

I was getting carried away while on the phone to Knight Frank estate agents, but it turned out the beach house in question is not just a beach house, it’s The Beach House, and The Beach House Estate at that.

Rather than being the kind of beach house by the sea I was imagining, this sandstone pile is nestled in 57 acres of picturesque parkland and farmland. It’s a huge plot which comprises the eponymous main house, as well as The Beachcroft dower house, extensive gardens and grounds and numerous cottages and outbuildings.

Indeed, the whole estate offers an unparalleled blend of luxury, history and Cotswoldian charm which wouldn’t look out of place in the current Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals. It’s located in the hamlet of

Beach – hence the name, has breathtaking panoramic views and is on the market with Knight Frank for a whisker under £14m. The Beach House Estate has undergone recent renovations that have preserved its architectural integrity. It’s hard to sum up the exquisite beauty of the main house, but imagine huge lead-shot windows, billowing curtains, silk walls, sweeping staircases, inglenooks, crafted cornices and stained-glass windows.

Two reception rooms, in the form of dining room and drawing room, offer sophisticated spaces in which to welcome guests, but the heart of the home is definitely the Clive Christian kitchen, a masterpiece featuring a signature marble island and La Canche oven.

The orangery provides a more casual space for relaxing, and three large glass double doors lead to an outdoor seating space. A laundry room, scullery kitchen, and a spacious family living room with an open fireplace complete the ground oor.

The first oor houses a large principal bedroom, complete with en-suite and his-and-hers dressing areas. An additional dressing room and bathroom, as well as a library and two en-suite bedrooms, provide ample space for guests and family members. The second oor offers four more en-suite bedrooms, including a soft-play room, the likes of which you’d expect to see in a high-end gym or hotel.

Wander around outside among the lush lawns, mature trees and beautifully landscaped ower beds and you’ll soon see Beachcroft, a substantial Grade-II Dower House painted in the lightest of blues, complementing the pale sky on a winter’s morning, and included in the sale.

This property is also fresh from renovation, resulting in a beautiful and functional space. The ground oor has a drawing room, two living rooms, family room, kitchen with original features, and laundry room. Upstairs, the main bedroom has a large en-suite bathroom and dressing room, while four other bedrooms, including two with Jack & ill en-suites, offer exible options for family life.

The property also features an enclosed parking area, a large coach house building, and a coal/log store. Finally, around a neat traditional courtyard you’ll find a cluster of four excellent cottages, all of which have also seen recent upgrades.

So, there we have it. The Beach House Estate may not be the coastal mansion I’d originally envisaged, but it’s certainly no less special for its inland location.

HOUSE NUMBERS

BRISTOL LIVES

HEIDI VAUGHAN

The artistic director and CEO of Tobacco Factory Theatres leads the organisation in its creative programme and business needs – and sometimes she gets to direct some special productions, too…

Igrew up loving storytelling, music, art an d peopl e – theatre is the culmination of all of these”, says Heidi. “My career has spanned working with young people and community theatre projects right up to large scale productions such as The Winter’s Tale, which I’ll be directing at TFT this spring.

“The one thing all of these strands in theatre achieves, and the reason I do what I do, is that theatre connects us to our need to make sense of the ever-changing world. It unites us, allbeit fleetingly, as a broad community, as an audience.”

“Theatre connects us to our need to make sense of the everchanging world”

our industry is going through probably the biggest and most challenging changes it has seen in a generation, there’s a creative confidence at T T which has always been there, that I’m so proud and excited to be cultivating further.

My ambition from day one was to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and that the work we present is one of wonder. It’s a very exciting time, where we’re not afraid of change but where we see it as a moment of opportunity and curiosity to try things differently. We can’t be afraid of change and, similarly, of saying: if it works perfectly well as it is, then let’s celebrate it.

Do I have any dream projects? Plenty! Reintroducing Shakespeare back to the programme in spring is just one of these. We’re putting together a glorious cast of Bristol actors for The Winter’s Tale. It’s incredibly important to me that we really celebrate the talent and creative ecology of this city.

of cake and cuppa in The Snug in the Tobacco Factory Bar.

Favourite place for a special meal: I went to Sonny Stores on Raleigh Road for the first time last week and that was a real treat – the food and service was extraordinary.

Secret skills: I love a dance oor and though others may say differently, I think I have some rather skilled moves!

My nearest and dearest would describe me as fun-loving, loyal, authentic, hard-working and ambitious.

Most regrettable habit? So many of them! I have to keep quite organised to keep on top of things and as a consequence I have developed the regrettable, unconscious habit of automatically tidying things away at home and not remembering where I’ve put things – which is infuriating for my long-suffering partner Pete and our two children!

We talk a lot about gateway experiences in theatre being so important to building new audiences. Whether you’re a child seeing your first Christmas show, or an adult coming to the theatre for the first time later in life, that first experience of live theatre is so important. We pride ourselves at TFT on curating a programme of work which is accessible to as many people as possible both in content and price. It’s essential to the future of our industry, and also the creative city we want to live in.

I’ve followed the work of TFT since its inception, and the organisation’s story is a remarkable and inspiring one. It felt like the natural next step for me to join as AD, and while

I have a lot to thank Bristol for I was born in Southmead and I studied here, too; it has shaped me, not only in terms of my career, but my friendships, my experiences and mistakes as well as my thinking about the world. I care for it deeply and think I would be a very different person without its vibrancy, energy and openness.

Favourite Bristol spots: I delight in the food options in St Nicks Market, which I eat by the waterside or in Castle Park. I welcome the peacefulness and sanctuary of St Mary Redcliffe. aila’s Café on Church Road is a great place for affordable and delicious food, Arnos ale Cemetery for a walk and talk, and of course, for a treat, a slice

My new year resolution is to swim more – the water is a brilliant place to think and dream.

Immediately after answering these questions I’m hopping into rehearsals for Hansel & Gretel, one of T T’s festive shows this year. I’ve caught bits of it in rehearsals throughout the last few weeks and it’s beautiful; full of music, laughter and seasonal magic. The technical rehearsal is when all the elements of the piece come together, sound, set, lighting and costume. It’s a glorious offer performed in the round by excellent actormusicians. Come along!

Hansel & Gretel runs at TFT until 19 January. For more: www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com