Editorial Editor Sarah Pusey
Content Rachel Shircore Marcus Siddall Freya Morris Richard Hall
Design Tom Pountney Jack Smith Patrycja Cudak Rachel Shircore
Photography Zack Saitoti Max McClure Elodie Barakat Sanjay Mistry Becky Bird
Proof reading Alistair Evans Sarah Hopper Liz Tomlinson Emma Brown
Graduation; The end? Or the start of something new? Creating this issue has only reinforced how fast my own graduation is approaching, marking not just the end of a fantastic four years at UWE but also the beginning of a new job, new flat and ultimately a new chapter in my life. But graduation does not just apply to university degrees. With summer just around the corner, the next few months will open up a whirl wind of opportunities; festivals, travelling, summer work, holidays, moving houses, moving cities even. In this issue we thought we’d give you a helping hand by providing info on the local festival scene, what some UWE graduates have done in their year since leaving and potential new living arrangements (squatting anyone?) On top of this, Westworld has been invaded by those creative Bower bods showing off their graduate collections in the Fashion section. So with the graduates of 2008 I take my bow. Westworld has gone from strength to strength this year so who knows what will happen in the years to come? It’s never too late if you have something to say, we’re always listening... Sarah Pusey Editor
Contents
4. The Sky is Your Limit 7. One Year On 14. A house is made of walls and beams... 20. UWE Graduate Fashion 22. Summer Lovin’ 27. Hidden Gems 28. UWE Events
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the sky is your limit
by freya morris
When it comes to planning the future I am the worst offender...
I
have spent years researching and contemplating what to do next with my life. It would probably surprise you that although finishing in a few months, I have absolutely nothing planned. I have researched every possible choice that is available to me and I am stuck at a dead-end. Instead of letting this knowledge go to waste, I will impart what I have learnt onto you! I have narrowed the options down into three categories: further education, employment, and “time out”. Further study includes anything that requires YOU to pay to learn, such as another degree, a teaching certificate or an MA. ‘Employment ranges from work where employers pay for your placements, to internships and full-time employment. “Taking time out is not a holiday, but where you take time out of the typical ‘work’ environment. This can include travelling, workexperience, family commitments and so forth. This is for anyone coming to an end of a chapter of their life. This is often an option for recent graduates as time away from ‘real life’ can provide an opportunity to think about the above options
.
5
F
urther education can be complicated because money is always an issue; chances are you will already be in debt from being an undergraduate. It is a tempting route to take as it puts off going into the “real world” for another year or so and lets you indulge further into the subject you like the most. Not only this but chasing after further qualifications also carries with it a delusion of grandeur. The “title” of Master carries a seduction and temptation that can carry on further to a PHD; all of a sudden the prospect of becoming a Professor can be very appealing. However tempting the reasons may be, these are probably the wrong reasons for pursuing another degree. If another qualification is not required for your chosen career path, it will probably be best to wait until later in life to indulge in study again as a parttime student. It may sound obvious but I have found it immensely vital to research the industry I want to enter into. If further study is advantageous or essential, such as a PGCE for teaching, then you must do it straight away! A great source of info is the Prospects website that gives valuable advise and people’s experiences: www.prospects.com.
yst e r
Employment is brilliant because it gives us money! The best thing I ever did was get a part time job. I had to start at the bottom of the barrel of course and I will give you a brief outline: Somerfield, then Waitrose, a phone job from Pertempts helping with government campaigns, Bristol Old Vic in the box office, then workexperience at Meningitis UK, followed by a summer job with a Balloon company doing marketing/sales.
Although only part time, the jobs I undertook helped me to discover what I did and didn’t enjoy in a variety of areas. Knowing a bit about admin, retail, leisure and charity work, I decided to research other routes. Before I knew it, I became editor of the Comment and Debate section of the WesternEye and have loved every minute of it. I am still looking to gain more experience because getting into the publishing industry is very competitive. Each job I have been in was based on the experience of the last one and therefore I think
it is vital to get experience (whether voluntary or not). Any experience of employment is better than none. If you are in your first year or second year these are probably the best times to try and gain experience. Most of these jobs came from the UWE Jobshop and I found work experience using www.do-it.org.uk.
e th
The second thing to consider, if you are graduating this year or next is to look at industries that offer internships and placements. UWE’s Career Survival Guide says that you need to research your job market and when is best to focus on applying for jobs because some “companies may start recruiting a year ahead while smaller firms may only start looking for people when they have graduated”. Have a look ahead of time if you can because these placements are made for graduates.
world
If you are considering taking “time out” then do it. I wish I had taken the opportunity to travel. I am still considering doing this after University because the UWE careers guide says that companies and businesses do not frown upon it. It is probably the only time you will be able to do these things without repercussions. If you want to travel, start a family, or do voluntary work, then do it! You will never have such an open opportunity to do them again. Do not look back and regret the choices you made. There is always a chance to work later. My mum had a family in her early twenties (and there are four of us) and she took a part-time job and then a part-time degree, when we had all started school. She is now a teacher and loving her job with no regrets.
i s ur yo
Only you can answer the question - what is best for you. Sometimes we would love somebody to map our lives out for us, but how boring that would be! Begin to understand yourself, your abilities and the job market and you can begin on your way to sorting your life out. In writing this article I have come to realise that I should try everything, this is probably the only time I will get such opportunity to experience so many things. If in doubt, give it a try. It is the only way to find out. Sometimes we have to grab life with two hands and jump out of the comfort zone.
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One year o
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After finishing a post-Uni six week work placement at Oasis’ head offices, I signed up to loads of job websites and sent out CV’s to many different companies. I heard back from very few of them. The reality is that fashion design offices receive many applications and there are only very limited places available. While l was looking for career jobs’ I had to work so I got a job at Topshop as a concession manager for the companies ‘Upper 5th’ and ‘Famous Forever’. I have worked there now for six months and whilst I enjoy my job, it’s not what I want to do. My current job and lifestyle do not live up to the plans I made before leaving University to be honest. I was under no illusions when leaving and I did not ever think that I would just walk into a design job. I enjoy my life now and when Uni came to an end I was ready to leave and try to find a job. Hopefully in another six months I will be living in London and getting paid for designing clothes at Upper 5th which are sold in n h Selfridges and Topshop. as
BA(H s) F on
g na a M Conc ession cher(Sha ea ng (Hons) En ha gl BA is i) I never h
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intended to go to UWE, or even be in Bristol, but fate rolled the dice and that’s where they, and I, landed. When my degree, and a fantastic three years in Bristol, came to an end I found myself in a similar situation to when I began. Plans had been dropped and circumstances had considerably changed. Fate had rolled the dice again, and come up with question marks. I think it happens to a lot of students; your degree ends before you’ve realised it and suddenly you have to make a decision and step into the big bad world, but which road to take? I lingered at the crossroads for a summer, and then, just as quickly as I had found myself studying at UWE, I found myself teaching in Shanghai. I had no other commitments and an overwhelming desire to leave Britain. It was not what I had planned, but life doesn’t follow plans, it is always changing and surprising you. Having a degree behind me allowed me to take such an opportunity. I don’t think I’ll do this forever, but I know that now this door has opened for me, it will open others.
L
8
on... Ja me
On leaving Tech College in Hereford I decided I wanted to do a course in music technology and engineering. In the final four months of my degree I began compiling CV’s and covering letters to send out to various companies. I kept an eager eye on all of the media job websites, in particular mediauk.com, which is where I found the advertisement for my current position of Broadcast Engineer to be based at the Bristol office of GCap Media PLC, who are the UK’s largest commercial radio group. After a gruelling assessment day and an interview, I received a call from my now line manager offering me the job! I was very pleased as GCap Media is a great company to work for. To date I’ve progressed through the trainee stage of my position, and am now a Broadcast Engineer. After a few months a new position arose, based Br along the M4 region, working as the in-house engineer for GWR Wiltshire, oa in Swindon, but also covering a number of different sites as dcast well. I now have a company car, and often travel to different areas of the country to help out with the new installation gi of equipment, maintenance and cover/support other ne engineers in my region.
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S ic yst ems Engineering B sc Mu s
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o, we’’ve given you the lowdown on your potential future, but what about the people who have been there, done that, and are just queuing in an orderly fashion for their T-shirts? Four UWE graduates tell us what they’’ve been up to in the year since they left university...
M ott igh c al S
Aim hig
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Ho
ns) Drama
BA
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,
Co-ordinato r.
I didn’t want to go to Uni near my home as I just needed to get away and stand on my own two feet and discover a new place. It was all part of a big thrill not knowing what was going to happen to me. I wanted to stay in Bristol for at least another year HS C after my course finished as I wanted to get a job and try , l and support myself without loans or moving back in with my folks. My intentions after that year or so of working were and still are to move to Canada for a year then to Western America then Tokyo to work and play live music. I was in the right place at the right time to get my current job. I’m a coordinator for HSC Aim higher, it’s part of my job to create new and diverse road shows to help young people aspire towards higher education and to give them the confidence to let them do what they want to do. I’m currently very happy with my job, it wasn’t what I had planned to go into as initially I wanted to be a lighting/sound designer. As it is I get to be hugely creative, I can afford to pay all my bills for the first time in years and I get to make a difference to young peoples lives.
Squat
Words by Richard Hall Photography by Elodie Barakat
M
ost of us are likely to have an idea of what the rest of our life will look like, even if that idea seems vague and somewhat hard to conceive right now. Most people take it for granted that they will ‘choose life, choose mortgage payments, choose washing machines, choose cars, choose fucking big televisions’ etc etc. These things are considered signs of success, they are what most people strive for. But what of those who make a different choice, who choose life, not in the traditional sense, nor in a debauched Irvine Welsh sense, but who live a life unrecognisable to us iPod-wielding students. Fitting with the graduation theme of this issue, new beginnings, a new life, I visited a squat in Bristol dubbed The Red Factory’ to meet with a group of Bristol squatters.
seconds upon entering the square for me to find the building I am looking for; spray painted in the window are the words “peace and love“. After a brief explanation as to why I am here I get shown through a stone-walled hallway, up some stairs into the main room of the squat. Roughly ten people are sat around the room on an assortment of sofas and chairs cobbled together, the room is lit with a few strip lights setting a moody, yet inviting scene. Anita Ekberg stares out from a crumpled film poster for ‘La Dolce Vita’, statements, dictums and graffiti cover the walls along with posters and pictures all of which create an atmosphere similar to that of an art studio. It is certainly a contradiction to the austere picture I confess to have imagined.
It’s a dark Monday evening as I walk onto Portland Square, a location as well known for the grand buildings that surround it, as for the nefarious inhabitants that dot its footpaths. The Square is dimly lit by lantern style street lights which surround a fenced off park, the kind you see in the wealthier areas of London. It only takes a few
A weekly BHAM (Bristol Housing Action Movement) meeting is taking place so I take a seat on the floorboards. The group are discussing things that are needed for the house such as plumbing parts, shower heads and curtains. It is an informal and relaxed meeting with people waiting patiently for their turn to talk,
ting
someone mentions that they had spoken to a group of Bulgarians who were looking for a squat in Bristol, three people volunteer to help them find a place to live. “If they come here and tell us they want a place we can go straight out and find somewhere“ says one of the volunteers, this is one of the main activities of BHAM. After the meeting I spoke to one of the organisers about the group, Gerry told me: ‘BHAM is a group of squatters and their supporters, they are there to aid and support people who are homeless or who would like to squat, “we find them somewhere to live, help them to get in if needs be, provide them with materials, court help and generally be around if anything goes wrong.“’ Those of you who remember coverage in the local press surrounding a group of squatters occupying Bristol North Pool early last year will have unwittingly encountered BHAM already. That particular campaign was exemplary of the groups’ political activities, “we campaign against the privatisation of public land and housing and for the defence of public space’ reads the BHAM website.“ From my three visits to the Red Factory I have witnessed the important role that BHAM play in helping the homeless of Bristol. It is on the frontline in the very
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literal sense that it is made up of homeless and squatters alike. As well as supporting Bristol squatters, they are an important vehicle in transferring people from the street into some sort of accommodation, where possible they support people with getting into official housing. What BHAM offers that is seemingly unavailable elsewhere is its role in boosting the morale of people living on the streets, helping to deal with some of the problems they can expect to face, Gerry explained the ways in which BHAM helps to do this: “we see if they want to do anything creative like run a nursery, newspapers, or whether they are just isolated, we work with people to make them feel like they are not on their own, raising people’s morale, you find homeless people can be just stuck in a doorway in Clifton, which can be very lonely, whereas if you’re squatting with a group you feel that you’ve got people behind you.“ As someone picks up a guitar on the other side of the room and begins to strum ’East of Eden’, I’m offered a can of cider by a man named Rav who tells me about his experience of squatting. “I finished university in Portsmouth,“’ he explained, ‘“moved to Bristol and starting getting into music. I was working in a call centre and at Blue
The names of the people interviewed in this article have been changed for the purpose of anonymity.
Mountain in the evenings, then I just thought, I don’t want to do this anymore. I made the decision to do things that I wanted to do, things that benefited the community,“ Rav now plans to teach Maths to the residents of the Red Factory. There is a great number of people who choose squatting as an alternative lifestyle. The greatest wave of squatting seen in Britain came after the Second World War; construction of houses had been postponed during the War
and a great deal had been destroyed by bombing. Servicemen returned from battle with nowhere to live. Today the picture isn’t quite as bleak, but lack of affordable housing and the high number of empty properties (689,675 in England according to the Empty Homes Agency) has led many people into choosing to live in squats. The squatting movement as an alternative lifestyle was at its peak in the late sixties and early seventies, as Steve Platt recalls “people had
a place to sleep there are people who will go out with you and find an empty building for you to sleep in. a sense of living somewhere special, symbolised by the street carnivals and parties which became a regular feature. Squatting began to be more than just finding a roof, it offered a sense of community, a way of life in its own right.“ The Red Factory offers this same sense of community. Until a month ago it was a disused, abandoned cardboard factory, it is now a community arts centre for the homeless with film nights, yoga, a meditation room, foreign language lessons and maths lessons for a community that feels disenfranchised, and who would not normally have access to these facilities. It has been transformed, and continues to be transformed. People who need to eat can be fed here, if they need
It would be an oversight to write about squatting without acknowledging that there is a serious inequality inherent in today’s society; it is normal for some people to own several houses and for others to sleep in a doorway. Of all the worthy causes that would have benefited from the billions of pounds that were spent instead on bailing out a small British bank, housing the homeless would be one. Squatting and indeed homelessness will continue as long as the people that do it continue to be ignored by the government of the fourth largest economy in the world. Squatting is to many of those who partake, a political statement, a reaction to lack of housing and to the more general problems of
capitalism. For people who believe housing is an inalienable human right, squatting is as much about protest as it is finding shelter. The political side of squatting has created movements around the world, both in and out of developed Western capitalist societies. Squatting can be a political statement that emphasises the gap between the wealthy and the poor and in socialist countries, and countries with strong socialist parties, squatting can be used to solve homelessness. Residents of the Red Factory were reluctant to talk about their politics as many of them engage in direct action, suffice to say that apathy is not a problem.
the moral objection that some people have, his answer was simple: “try being homeless.“ On revisiting the Red Factory for some more photos I was dismayed to learn that the residents there are now facing eviction, the community arts centre could once again be transformed back into a derelict factory. On my way back from the Red Factory however I was pleased to see that another community based squat had opened up just around the corner from my house in the Little Theatre, Colston Street, offering a free art exhibition as part of a coordinated day of action for squats around the world. It seems community squats are here to stay, and I for one am glad.
‘A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and “The poorest man hath dreams. This sentiment is echoed as true a title and by the residents of the Red Factory. just right to the land What they have created is much more as the richest man.” than a roof over their head, it is a community, a place they feel a part of, this was expressed by James, a resident of the Red Factory and a squatter since 1986; “it’s not just about a place to live, if it ever becomes that it’s wrong, this is a place for people to express themselves in a positive way.“
My visits to the Red Factory taught me the importance of these community squats, not just to keep people off the streets, but to provide a sense of worth to homeless people. It also led me to dismiss entirely any legitimacy I had attributed to the moral objection to squatting which I had contemplated momentarily in my ignorance, the notion that squatting is wrong simply because someone, somewhere owns the property. It is worth considering who commits the greatest sin, one who finds shelter in an empty building or one who keeps several buildings empty until it best serves their bank balance. My opinion is that housing is an inalienable human right which trumps any right to private property. When I asked Gerry what he thought of
Gerrard Winstanley, the Diggers, the earliest squatters.
the web we weave... UWE Graduate Fashion. Photography by Zack Saitoti and Max McClure
Print and knitwear designs by Cathy Craig, BA (Hons) Fashion/ Textiles
Fabric manipulation by Katie Burglass, BA (Hons) Fashion/ Textiles
Fashion photography by Sophie Taylor, BA (Hons) Fashion
Womenswear, designed by Alex Kaegler, BA (Hons) Fashion/Textiles
Fashion illustration by Natalie Tye BA (Hons) Fashion
Menswear by Vikki Li, BA (Hons) Fashion/Textiles
summer lovin By Rachel Shircore.
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Festival in tion. It its reloca 2004 after ngrove moved to He 2001 temporarily in l) to Bris the Park (South to aution due th. ou as a prec m d an foot s, re gu outbreak of fi attendance ws, la Plummeting g in ns lice be a changes in s to d safety . It i day 20th health an s h er y t ct or n ri st ur mo compuls ts, on Sat with oming requiremen security the c e festival eptember a d an ng es d S oundi entrance fe led to the slow city wi day 21st s surr front. e n l r u al u S t ce fea presen ater and tdoor and w be moved e Festival. ling main ou itheatre death of th al l ir l sp i of w clouds hts amph Under dark ub nig vening. r 2007 did the l fo c k oo d tl word n the debt, the ou Gigs a come the e use of the ead ising but om r pr p e e s d h ok not lo insi is t let the vent ncern rely an e entitled a fused to o re c e ls y th ca M lo u and ot be walk val’. S spirit die ‘festi a city cann be able to ned community ganisation or it e s e of p ce acros al’. Will w ng an o ets not-for-pr last chan e i e v on i y r t r n t s r ve s ca ‘fe was gi y the the look Regretfull ooted er around r. f y ve e l co r n re a ce o d b on to i d c us e t f e ns o n ohol e agai bottl dmead? We ricted alc the gods were festival 07 20 t a e s o th e r get he r of B again and second ing s to t signs to led on the am be s pward 80 I u . in was cancel h e ra g n al u o ti hi o z en t h rr t t to free abou and haps day due to ay r e pl v m e i P to t . le a . r unab ity A answe ssarily neg bands were the c rm of plications im r e l o c ia f e o nc f re unn the fina to save s new ventu dow too great ew ad anting thi e and sha n n n. io were just at id k qu w li a to t h om t s fr r o A ny e I n of 2007 o ov the compa t ly s he Ju l e a i th v r t 20 no t memo festi On Friday his is rs: ppy y Festival t a it s un h m r m a Co my ise ppe nable Bristol re organ ? It a on unsustai ise we a Court on of the n m a Ltd called de e e m th ate i c as t i n t es l e ss o p t lo n e r in Court financial does hton ce or mous Ashton “This repla ival at As ure o of the infa t t t g hopin evious fes a new ven ch and Festival. pr r Bristol whi rt fo , e a w s t h no o s t h at t l, So wh ? Wel , but original e ed to one ity spirit Court t urse. its commun co o the of y limi hich l’ va e esti tru t necessaril ite, but w of g in go another ‘f nd s co t al r one se mber is no festiv I am not fo a nu nising tdoor compass those orga u o n m da e th to en rely for 2008 as could e events.“” ant to me he of this event t d w i gence p w t er e y o em e t ci o n ut k y immediate hey d n Court, b live. For is testimon t al iv o st S fe a l and another f a Ashto of it ion o le of Bristo and copy sence specificat notion e to the peop s or e pl ex e e ion to and ld, their pass me, th val was th i e creative l wor t t th e s l se e l f a ca r a at a show h th p t le op hub e of pe of a losed ifically unique rang c n . e ty ci n c is a spe make up th the you Festival ed w o to, l Bristol l fo ain is once ag rails that t by ng run knowi , you s, e end ach r e h e t t n lu vo at e r twould d. Surely on a no l t i o for-prof the g our usual have been g y n i th k wi basis. They a town t all year into ts l en eing fundraising l ev b o g r in d t is s an fundra in many more up lined
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of onted and c o n f r ockets ture p l u c ip , t t by en he r tainm ake t citing, m enter d l ex wou be more music he still t z z u r? b l i a al e h e t ill t th but w throughou mimicking flying w not just d the no al an Is it l’s carniv be? Why u vi up St. Pa party ught t e o s ca stival’ I stre ‘fe h am e thoug w this is th o t h I d n ? a d in e n ntai ople o e c , p l a v s i , ti a fes her phere atmos hat make t e wh t of or music ess grass nt l d r n a o g a t re r g o n imp alki ow One I’m w e. is h t e r r e c v n e w ent l co o a h t cal ion ll lo will the quest re wi e d w n a d the an d, ll be splaye be di talent sti ind the beh e West’s force ment? Th g n i n e i t a i t s driv r b e we ent l a v ’s r i y i t a d des e Fes l s its rected e t Bristo a t di ly s nity : clear commu rtainment e a e t iv n t for e a e f nd o he cr weeke to bring t istol and r m “We ai ities of B ther for n ge commu thwest to ebration, the very young or the very u o el S c e of th old. That I cannot complain nd of showcase e k e e a w , and n about. o i t a WE inspir alent.“” I suppose in my romantic he U d t t f l loca rs o nds, ‘Dea e eyes all good festivals n n i w e Ba won The should symbolise community, of th e already e l e t bat ’ hav lace on th k diversity, a touch of hippy n u F he Zebra ight to a p love, eccentricity, bohemian mer. T s m r u s r i s a i the ge th festival w n living, and a passion for a t s o main petiti s r the music that can touch your o m f o c o a t log rtis t of a l ; soul in that cliched way. u s s r e e the r al design Alex I think if I can walk down ke; c i o l l a c i r fo Graph vices the street (shoes on mind) E o n W U So ent and a rec ate won. with music driving the , e n t i n Do spir gradu d steps I take, sensing a huge n a n g her Desi drive r anot at and excited crowd ahead nity o f u m e m c o c rm pla of me, eager to explore he fo ns in remai t’s just t . Having d I the day’s events and the e g . y r n t a a i e h y the c e uncontrollable urge to as c h t u o t tha mor ough able submerse myself in it s thr event pefully en festival e o until the early morning h h t y l o sil wil ty t not ea ts it would have done its sibili n acces se who can e ev o d job, be it a festival’ or h e t s l i l r wi fo rgan halls l. O not. trave community edia and m n I wish it well, and look i h , n i y t wi ed etr e po e showcas forward to the 20th o d enabl b that l to l s September, 2008. a t e n d t ar nme exclu enviro not
the best of the west 08 frica for A uly Music turday 12 J a ute, y - S 11 Jul re: Montac e h W c set l Musi Somer £16/18/20 ationa n r e t t n l Adu ) al Bath I Festiv e 2008 Cost: ild (varies n h u C J - 7 21 May re: Bath REE Whe some F , s u o i Var Cost: Maker Sunshine Festival 1 August - 3 August Where: Cornwall e v k Li Brea June Cost: early bird’££75 h c 2 Bea adult w/e ticket 12-16yrs e - 1 eath, n u J 9 lz ££50, 5-12yrs ££30, under e: Po Wher rnwall sit 5 free o p Co e 0 d 9 (£3 kets) 7 £ : Cost ures tic rs sec maste Board l r u Rip C nleashed U ust 9 Aug wall Exeter Summer Festival t s n u 8 Aug wquay, Cor Friday 13 June until e N u d lt : Where : ££54.99 a iday & Thursday 19 June 2008 t s F Co t, r Where: Exeter ticke 99 each d n e k £29. Cost: Various, some FREE wee urday t a S £ Stonehenge Saturday 21 June 2008 Where: Stonehenge, Wiltshire Cost: FREE (including FREE car park)
the Eden Sessions 27 June - 25 July Where: St Austell, Cornwall Cost: £40
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val Festi gust u Bloom A 0 1 ngs, ust 8 Aug Seven Spri e : Where cestershir s (5id K Glou , 5 8 E; s £ adult er-5’s FRE d Cost: n u , £30 £25 15yr) rvans campe The Green Man Festival 15 August - 17 August Where: in the Brecon Beacons, Powys, Wales Cost: ££105 (children under 12 free). Live -in vehicles ££35
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Beyond the at bars, clubs, trodden parks Academy and So you’ve theheard usual of thecircuit regularof nights the Students’ Union, thecity Carling and the Thekla, about used the underbelly of Bristol? There liesis aa whole of well-worn seatingbut sowhatoften for meeting friends, less host known other many towhom students their regular Being path. venues, Unfamiliar most,don’t andcount quiet on amongst the sunniest of clientele. days, these that tomuch see more of Bristol they want you to status means next time placesbit more retain diligent as quality from thantheir semi-secret amongst your visit, you as won’t they be short places detached to take them. Hidden most friends Bristolcomeoccupants do of their sense Each of issueexistence Gems into the landscape. nooks and Go crannies of Bristol you a trailcollection of from digs the deep surrounding hours along to theshow same without bars, pubs, anyone shops, labels, and designers that can city be counted being all some its of meeting else, clubs escape the bustling lifestyle as and the most unique, interesting lost and and downright quirky in the restrictions; get purposely wonder where youwild, are. Words by Marcuss Siddall | Photos by Elodie Barakat
Spike Island Amongst the sprawling patchwork and confusing array of goings-on down in Bristol’s Harbourside lies Spike Island. The aesthetics of the building are disconcertingly clean cut and formal on approach, unmissable from behind the familiar row of terraced housing; but not out of place, its old brick heritage glares out from behind the smart, high lettering that bears its name. A long row of bicycles face up to the harassing parallel parked cars opposite and the southward facing outdoor seating makes the time honoured therapy of people-watching an easy one. Boiler suit clad, paint splattered and visibly brimming with enthusiasm, the students and other types constantly protrude from the heavy glass doors to help counteract any pretensions you may have as to what lies inside. Lots of natural light and a great atmosphere make the bar’s pricy menu feel less damaging. Where else could you sip on a Hoegaarden whilst listening to Richard D James?
River Avon Trail Whether you’re on foot or cycling, the River Avon trail is relaxing and peaceful escapism. Anyone taking the main line from Temple Meads to Bath Spa would have seen it had their eyes been irresistibly drawn to the line of colourful long boats and a path intertwined with the surrounding greenery. One of the most picturesque periods of the trail is the wood-lined area by Hanham – but less inclined cyclists might want to take the suggested detour to avoid getting muddy and wet. The collapsing banks along this area are soft and nearby at all times; this certainly isn’t the place for speedy rides. Instead, the low lying and well-sheltered path deserves a more thorough and relaxed approach. Of course you could go in the opposite direction towards Avonmouth, where the second highest tidal range in the world awaits you, but it’s the former direction – up stream – that seems more logical.
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