This year, for many first-year students, began with a move to Metal Works, a brand new student accommodation which opened at the beginning of this academic year.
Located in Bedminster, the accommodation is a towering, modern block, conveniently located next to the high streets of Bedminster, the bustling harbourside and city centre. However, students were left waiting for their move-in day to actually come, as the opening was delayed. This left freshers in the lurch
with a late start to the university experience, and seemingly nowhere to live until after Welcome Week.
This led to an uproar from students and parents alike, causing concerns about students and the experience of isolation, having no initial place to live or meet each other. At an
already stressful time, this was sure to make the transition into university life that much harder.
First year Zoology student, Thomas Hardyman, lived in Metal Works this year, and, when speaking to Epigram, said ‘Although luckTurn
Continue reading on Page 5
Fr om left to
right:
photos
courtesy of Isaac
Howie,
University of Bristol & PETA
Editorial
Amaan Ali Co-Editor-in Chief
Whenership across the country.
Truthfully, this year hasn’t been easy. Leadership is often romanticised and seen as a badge of honour rather than the daily grind it is. Navigating the demands of running a publication, maintaining editorial standards, supporting writers, and protecting our independence, all while being visible in a space that wasn’t always built for someone like me, has been a challenge. And yet, it’s also been one of the most formative and a rming experiences of my life.
at the University of Bristol, both of whom will step up as Deputy Editors-in-Chief next year. Their passion and integrity will shape Epigram’s future for the better. I also want to recognise Rhiannon Jenkins, our brilliant Deputy News Editor, Karen Mends, Opinion Editor, and Aditi Hrisheekesh, Deputy Music Editor, whose work helped push our coverage forward and made real strides in improving representation and diversity in our pages. And of course, winning Best Publication was the icing on the cake, a moment I hope the team will treasure as much as I do.
Another key moment came during my interviews with Carla Denyer and Thangam Debbonaire, where I was able to challenge them on diversity, which served as a reminder of how important it is to ask di cult questions, especially to people in spaces of power.
I stepped into the role of Co-Editor-in-Chief of Epigram, I was making history, though I didn’t quite realise it then. After 35 years of this paper’s existence, I became the first South Asian Muslim to lead it. It’s a milestone I carry with pride, but also with the weight of what it reflects about the slow pace of change in student media and lead-
That growth wouldn’t have been possible without the brilliant team I had the privilege of working with. Our Student Publication Award wins were a collective achievement, proof that hard work, creativity, and tenacity can thrive even in di cult times. Whether it was breaking stories, crafting clever headlines, or pulling together last-minute layouts, this team showed up, and kept showing up, for each other and for the students we serve.
I’m especially proud of Sofia Lambis, who was highly commended as a Rising Star (Best Newcomer), and Faniki Deche, recently named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Students
This was also the most diverse team in Epigram’s history, which was a fact reflected in the range and depth of the stories we told. From features like ‘Doctors aren’t listening to us’: Decolonising medicine at Bristol and confronting medical racism, to opinion pieces like ‘Colston’s in the harbour, so why is he still in our university?’, we pushed boundaries and platformed voices too often overlooked. Lighter pieces, like ‘Was my Mickey Mouse degree worth it?’ brought balance through humour and critique. Our Film&TV section equally filled me with a sense of immense pride, as a long-time fan of Doctor Who, the interview featuring Varada Sethu ahead of her role in the show was particularly special.
Amaan's favourite articles this year
Kebabs, Kwik-Emart and culture: interactions between students and South Asian business owners
Amaya Lewis Patel
Second Year, English and Classical
This piece has stayed with me. It’s sharp, personal, and unafraid to sit with discomfort. The writer brilliantly connects everyday student moments with broader questions about racial stereotyping and how ‘bossman’ culture subtly reflects deeper dynamics of class, identity, and power. It’s the kind of article that challenges you, but gently, through storytelling rather than lecturing. This piece speaks to the kind of honesty and reflection I wanted Epigram to make space for during my time as Co-Editor-in-Chief.
Coach's
Diaries: My experience coahing university Men and Women's Football
Faniki Deche Sports Editor
This piece is honest, reflective, and pushes past the usual “man coaches women” narrative to ask deeper questions about whether football is still too stuck in its masculinity. The metaphors (chickens vs sheep!) are brilliant, and there’s real warmth in how Faniki navigates the learning curve of coaching women’s football. He did an amazing job challenging assumptions and making space for vulnerability in sport. It’s a piece that really epitomises what Epigram is all about.
But what I’ve learned this year extends far beyond the newsroom. I’ve seen firsthand how exhausting it is to constantly advocate for inclusion while being part of a system that too often resists it. With attacks on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion programmes across the UK, rising Islamophobia, and past events like the Southport riots, we are reminded again and again that representation is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. My year at Epigram has only strengthened my belief that storytelling is a powerful tool in challenging dominant narratives and reimagining our collective future.
This is also why the work doesn’t stop here. While I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, there is still so much to be done. It cannot take another 35 years for an award-winning student paper like Epigram to choose another editor from a minoritised background. Diversity in leadership must not be treated as a one-o or a check-box exercise; it must become
In Conversation
with Varada Sethu - Playing the new Doctor Who companion
Aditi Hrisheekesh Co-deputy Music Editor
I loved this article because it beautifully captured Varada Sethu’s creative journey and the cultural influences that shaped her as an actor. Her reflections on growing up around Indian classical dance and how it informed her performance style were especially powerful. Her honesty about the challenges of pursuing a creative career as a South Asian woman really resonated with me. The piece was uplifting, thoughtful, and left me feeling genuinely inspired.
the standard. That means actively mentoring new voices, ensuring editorial coverage reflects the full spectrum of our student body, and never settling for surface-level progress.
To the next editorial team, I say this: Be bold. Not just in your headlines, but in your hiring, in your politics, and in your values. Take risks, but also build safety nets for your writers, for your readers, and yourselves. Recognise that neutrality is not always the correct approach and that choosing whose voices to amplify is a political act.
As I look ahead to a future in writing, journalism, and public service, I take with me the lessons this role has taught me: resilience, critical thinking, and the importance of holding space for others. I hope that Epigram continues to evolve not just as a newspaper, but as a platform where the next generation of students can find their voice and be heard.
Thank you to those who believed in me, supported me, and challenged me to grow. I leave this role not with disillusionment, but with conviction. We don’t need perfect institutions; we need institutions that are willing to be transformed. And we’ve only just begun.
Co-Editors-in-Chief: Annie McNamee & Amaan Ali Deputy Editors: Sofia Webster & Will Standring
Co-Editors: Josie Hodgson & Maud Humphries & Will White
Correspondent: Julia Anna Masluszczak Subeditors: Eve Davies & Bobbi Carsley
Film & TV
Editor: Max Bradley-Cole
Deputy Editors: Meadow Wattret & Chien Wen Sow
Subeditors: Nadiya Jackson & Marianne Chatburn
Annie McNamee Co-Editor-in-Chief
Andso, it’s over.
Four years of late nights writing essays, Thekla Thursdays, skipping lectures and catching up on seminars, flying back and forth from Bristol to Glasgow and back again, writing for Epigram, sending emails about Epigram, editing articles for Epigram, organising the Epigram team; you get the gist.
My time at university has looked pretty similar to the average experience, albeit with an extra year. I spent first year drunk, second year anxious, and third and fourth year
Music
Editor: Benji Chapman
locked-in at the ASS. I got addicted to booking the single-person study pods on the ground floor – if I can give you one piece of advice it’s to try writing your essays in them. As soon as you shut the door you’re in a world of silence and warmth. Like a library womb. But I digress.
Despite editing this paper for the past year, I’ve never formally introduced myself. I’m Annie, I’m Glaswegian (and Irish. Irish first if you ask my dad), and yes, uni would have been free if I’d stayed at home. In fact, I got o ers from Edinburgh and St Andrews, and applied to Bristol as a joke. Somehow, I still ended up down south.
After a ‘hedonistic’ (as my ex-boss put it) nine months in Hiatt Baker, I had a bit of a tough second-first year. Having realised I hated the French half of my Film and French degree vraiment, and so redid my first year, switching to Film and English. All my course friends ended up in the year above me, and I felt pretty isolated at the time. Then, something magical happened: I found Epigram
It’s no coincidence that my two favourite years at university have been the ones I’ve spent involved with this newspaper. My first ever article was called ‘The Ultimate Christmas Movie Guide’ and it’s fine, but it was a start. Then I wrote an article for arts, which an editor absolutely gut-
Deputy Editors: Aditi Hrisheekesh & Megan Foulk
Subeditors: Amelie Peters & Sophie Scannell
Sci-Tech
Editor: Corin Hadley
Deputy Editors: Miles Gilroy & James Lewis
Subeditor: Ellie Barnes
Head Researcher: Harrison Phillips
Sport
Editor: Faniki Deche
Deputy Editors: Sean Lawrenson & Adam Mountain
Subeditor: Mihai Rosca
Design
Lead Designer: Julia Mullins
Deputy Designer: Alexandra Hill
Resident Designers: Will White, Miles Gilroy, Corin Hadley & James Lewis
Head Photographer: Harriett Sanderson
Business
Managing Director (President): Livy Naylor
Deputy Director (Vice-President): Angelica Singh
Finance Director (Treasurer): Ella Mason
Marketing Director (Social Secretary): Claudia Tipper
Ads & Sales Director: Anika Sharma
Media Ethics & EDI O cer: Lily Wheeler
Head of Technology: Dhillon Thurairatnam
Social Media
Social Media Manager: Charlotte Kyle
Deputy Social Media Manager: Eleni Paraskeva
Social Media Creator: Daisy Yates
ted of all humour or levity. I’ve still never forgiven her. It was then that I decided to keep inserting myself at every opportunity until someone put me in charge so I could Make Epigram Fun Again (MEFA). Clearly, spite is a powerful motivator for me. To be clear, revenge was only a small part of my determination to become Epigram’s editor. The paper I inherited from last year’s team – shoutout Amelia Jacobs and Roya Shahidi – was great, but I knew there were places we could be better. We weren’t a cohesive community, and we didn’t provide adequate training to our writers. So, we organised writing workshops and more socials. We didn’t have as much of an impact on campus as we could have, so we launched Break the Mould. I won’t go on too much about our achievements – you can have a proper read through our highlights on page 14.
Then, the awards came. That’s right, you’re currently holding the ‘Best [student] Publication’ in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Inside you’ll find the nation’s best sci-tech section, words from Sofia Lambis, one of journalism’s best ‘Rising Stars’, and information on an award-winning campaign. I also won the ‘Outstanding Commitment’ award. I know you’re supposed to be modest about these things, but I’m very proud of all that our wee paper has managed to do this year, and I probably won’t stop talking
about it until I win a BAFTA. You’ve got to manifest these things, right?
And so we come to now. University is over, and so is my tenure as editor of Epigram. This is an emotional jabhook right to the stomach for me. Some people have actual children, some have pets, but for the past year I’ve had Epigram. It fulfilled many of the same roles a child would: keeping me up at night, requiring my undivided attention even when I was exhausted/hungover/working, and taking a village to look after. There has definitely been less puke and dirty nappies though.
I will miss this silly little newspaper more than my degree, but I know that it’s going into safe hands. Our incoming Editors-in-Chief, Julia Mullins and James Lewis, are brilliant, kind, capable journalists, and I cannot wait to see what magic they work on Epigram for 2025/26.
We’ve also got Sofia Lambis and Faniki Deche lined up to be deputies. Faniki was named as one of the SU’s top 50 most influential students this year, and we’ve already gone over Sofia’s achievements. Daisy Yates, social-media extraordinaire, will be our Digital Editor, and Sci-tech alumni Miles Gilroy is going to be in charge of print. Memorise those names, cause one day you’ll see them on Good Morning Britain or interviewing Jude Bellingham on a red carpet.
During a social, Corin, our SciTech editor, pointed out that if you aren’t into sports or going out all the time, or tabletop gaming, it can be hard to find your people. Epigram has, for so many of us, filled in that gap. Producing a paper is cool, but getting to hang out with such interesting, interested people? You quite simply can’t beat it. They’re all on page 18, and they’re now some of my best friends.
The most rewarding part about leading Epigram is watching your team, who will become your friends, flourish. I’ve been so touched by the number of people who’ve told me that I gave them the confidence to write more, or to get involved for the first time. I am but a lowly student, but somehow I’ve had an impact on people’s lives. I write for a living, and yet I have no way to express how much that means to me. My passion for the paper, and for the people in it, is something I know will long outlive my tenure as editor.
This year’s team has been great, and I hope next year’s is even better. If you’ve ever attended an Epigram event, picked up a paper, or liked an Instagram post, thank you. At the end of the day, we would be nothing without our readers.
Thank you for an excellent year. And from me it’s a massive, heartfelt, goodbye Epigram!
Annie's favourite articles this year
‘Defeated... very defeated’: One student’s mould nightmare
Break the Mould was one of my favourite things Epigram did this year. It was so rewarding to get people chatting about their shitty landlords and even shittier housing situations, especially when we got to write about them. I spent months listening to students’ housing horror stories, and my jaw was still on the floor reading Bibi’s. Timely, well assembled, and a perfect example of why we needed Break the Mould, James’ article is the epitome of proper student journalism.
AND IF YOU DON’T KNOW, GET TO KNOW: The Bristol Ballroom Community
The UK is currently a scary place for trans people, but in the Ballroom ‘shame can’t get in the door’. Ziggy’s article is a potent blend of personal experience, in depth research, and colourful storytelling, with a healthy dose of queer joy sprinkled on top. This article takes the reader on a journey into a pocket of safety from a nation which is increasingly hostile to the LGBT community, and it’s a surprisingly touching read. As if that wasn’t enough, this was Ziggy’s first ever time writing for us. What a debut!
Walls within university: an international student POV
A great opinion article could only have been written by its author. It should have a unique perspective which will be new to most of us: that’s exactly what Satako’s recount of her experience as an international student from Japan provides. Not only does she explain why, at times, she’s been made to feel like an outsider, she connects her stories to broader sociological issues in the UK as a whole. That’s not easy to do, and for that reason this article has stuck with me throughout the year.
James Lewis Sci-Tech Co-Deputy Editor
Ziggy Himsworth Second Year, English
Satoko Arai Third Year, Sociology
Features
‘You’re
your own person’: Final-year students share what they’ve learned at university
Editor's Choice:
And just like that, the 2024/25 academic year is over, making this our final print edition and, sadly, my final editor’s choice! I thought there was no better piece to choose than Hannah Stainbank’s compilation of final-years’ words of wisdom. Detailing mistakes made and lessons learned, with honourary mentions to some iconic moments (Cherry VK in La Rocca I’m looking at you) Hannah o ers us a vital reminder to seize our university years, to take it all in, treasure every moment — good and bad. So to everyone preparing to graduate this year, I hope this piece encourages you to do some reflecting of your own and to share your own words of wisdom with a poor first year who has no clue how hard second-year’s going to hit them!
Navigating university definitely has its ups and downs. It can be hard not to feel like you should be making more of these short years as you struggle to fit anything else in. To help make sense of the chaos (and maybe make you feel a bit better about any questionable decisions you’ve made on nights out), Epigram spoke to final-year students who’ve been through it all. Whether you’re a fresher or a final-year, their reflections are full of honesty, mistakes, and hard-earned wisdom for you to take forward, whatever your next step may be.
gerbombs without getting palpitations, as it is about getting a degree.’
Katie, a third-year English student, agreed that there’s more to university than lectures and libraries: ‘Uni is all about meeting people and learning when to let people go.’
‘It’s hard, and it’s ok if you find it hard’
One of the biggest challenges of university life is striking the balance between academics and, well, everything else. Esme, a sixth-year Medicine student, reflected on a conversation she had with a friend about to graduate. The friend felt that she would have failed university if she didn’t get a first, as ‘she never joined a society, never went to sports night, never really joined in “uni culture” because she was so focused on her first.’ Though the friend got a first and has since started a successful career, Esme believes that ‘university is as much about meeting people, joining societies, finding out you can’t drink Ja-
She added that one of the most valuable lessons was learning how to navigate the world on her own. It wasn’t always smooth. Going into third year, after a late decision not to take a year out, Katie found herself without accommodation. She was rejected from ‘probably 40 di erent places’ and was ‘considering living with a bunch of 60-year-old women.’ Finally, she found an ad on Facebook and took ‘a shot in the dark’, motivated by the fact that she liked the girl’s cowboy boots in her profile picture. All went well, and ‘now they’re three of my closest friends in the entire world’. Her advice for anyone looking for last-minute accommodation: ‘[Not] everyone on Facebook is weird.’
Living with entirely new people in first year can be one of the most overwhelming (and exciting) elements of university. Nostalgia
from our parents’ generation often creates pressure to make university the best years of our lives by cramming in as much as possible. However, it’s a good idea to try to make the most of these years. Nim Mudher, a fourth-year Biomedical sciences research student, says their biggest piece of advice is to ‘say yes to everything’ (within reason).
Ailsa, a fourth-year Art History and Spanish student, found that in her first year, ‘the chronic people-pleaser in me couldn’t say no to anything.’ Though it led to some good nights out, ‘I ended up painted green, passed out in my doorway, and my boyfriend at the time had to drag me up the stairs’. Ailsa soon felt burnt out.
‘Regrets are always a learning point’, she continued, ‘But if I could go back, I would just shake my shoulders and be like, “You’re your own person, you don’t have to please everyone all the time.”’
Esme shares the sentiment that it’s key to remember who you are. She found that one of the biggest learning curves was finding out ‘how many posh people there are!’ Her advice is to remember that ‘you worked as hard, if not harder, to get here. Try not to feel inadequate and be proud of where you’re from. And always, always, call out people who use the word “chav”.’
She also shares regret about not putting her mental health first, wishing she had asked for help sooner: ‘University is tough. You’re flung hundreds of miles away from all the support you’ve ever known, to live in shitty accommodation, to fend for yourself for the first time. It’s hard, and it’s ok if you find it hard.’ Lizzie, a fourth-year Eco-
nomics and Management student, also shares that slipping into ‘nocturnal habits’ can be ‘so bad for your mental health’ and stresses the importance of going into university and making course friends. Though it’s all about balance, it’s also important to ‘go out and dance until morning and make those silly decisions. You will never have another time in your life to do that consequence-free!’
self into your hobbies. Also, ‘being in La Rocca with all your pals, Cherry VK in hand, Sports Car by Tate McRae playing’ can’t hurt either.
‘The best could still be yet to come.’
It all seems to come down to putting yourself out there and knowing it does all tend to work out in the end, even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment. Ailsa values being frank with yourself about the inevitable lows: ‘You’re not going to do well in every module. You’re going to get some bad grades, and you just have to tough it out.
You’ll probably fall out with people, and boys will be mean, and you just have to learn from it.’ She finds the best way to pick your-
Third-year Biology student, Charlie, said one of her favourite memories is ‘enjoying Bristol in the summer after exams’, and there’s still more of that to come. So, whether you’re just wrapping up your first year or counting down the days to graduation, it’s important to remember to slow down and take it all in. No one gets it completely right, and everyone’s journey through university often looks very di erent. It’s a few hectic years full of messy nights, mistakes, and friendships, but the best could still be yet to come.
As Katie puts it: ‘I’ve learned so much. I’m happy to close this Bristol chapter. I hope the best years of my life start now – what a blessing to be able to say that.’
Hannah Stainbank, Second-year, English
Photos Courtesy of: NelRoden
Editor
Reuben Kerbes
2024/25 Academic year in review
Bethany Banks reflects on the key moments from campus, to paint a portrait of the defining moments of this year the University of Bristol
Bethany Banks
Second Year English
Continued from the front page
First year Zoology student Thomas Hardyman lived in Metal Works this year, and when speaking to Epigram, said ‘Although luckily I was able to sleep at a friend’s house, it was still reasonably annoying and I felt I missed out on a formative university experience.’ However, Thomas was able to recognise the positives of Metal Works, as he reflected that ‘the shared experience of being in a new accommodation far from the main campus, as well as missing Freshers Week, definitely seemed to bring my flat closer together.’
Although the delayed start initially disrupted students' university experience, for some, it ultimately fostered a stronger sense of connection among them.
December 2024 – Bristol named 12th most
sustainable university in the world
Certainly a positive achievement, in December the University of Bristol was named as the 12th most sustainable university in the world by the QS World Sustainability Rankings 2025. With the Green Party ‘winning every council seat available inside their target parliamentary constituency of Bristol Central’ and becoming ‘the largest party on Bristol City Council’ earlier in May, it was great to see the university only add to Bristol’s reputation as a sustainable place to live.
outrage and protesting at their continued use. The Forced Swim Test is a practice that places small rodents such as rats into inescapable cylinders of water, and has faced scrutiny for many years, deemed as ‘cruel and useless’ by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
PETA were involved in the frequent protesting of the test within the university campus, leading demonstrations such as ‘Dr Killsalot’ or the ‘Head of Animal Torture’, an activist dressed in a lab coat, goggles, and gloves, calling for an end to the practice by Beacon House on Queen’s Road.
Some of the features that earnt the university 12th spot include Green Labs certifications for all laboratories on campus, and the university’s beautiful Botanical Gardens, a great place to bask in the sun after a tough exam season, and try and spot some wildlife in the upcoming summer months!
January 2025 – Forced swim tests finally banned
Continuing the theme of the University’s approach to wildlife, in January the use of Forced Swim Tests were finally banned after much
The test has long been a controversial way to ‘investigate the neurobiology of stress’, and was finally deemed obsolete under increasing pressure from students and activists alike.
March 2025 – Derby Day
Derby Day is Bristol SU’s biggest sports festival, and went ahead this March featuring 25 sports, 10 universities, and hundreds of students for an action-packed day of sporting competition and fun.
Bristol triumphed in many sporting events, including a Men’s Lacrosse
win over Cardi , and the Men and Women’s teams for Basketball, the Bristol Spartans, reigning supreme.
Epigram spoke to Jed Hurrell, a second-year Business Management student, and Social Secretary of University of Bristol Men’s Rugby, about Derby Day and what makes it such a special day in the world of Bristol sports. He described Derby Day as ‘always lots of fun’, saying ‘it’s always cool to see the university as a collective get behind each other and support all the teams.’ It’s the sense of community and camaraderie that makes Derby Day so important to Bristol students, not just the chance to triumph against rival teams!
In typical rugby fashion, Hurrell highlighted the pros of ‘good beers’, along with ‘good vibes’, making it a ‘good day out’ to be had by all, sporty or not!
April 2024 – Bristol Reach University Challenge Semi-Finals
Continuing with the theme of competition success, this April saw the Bristol team come far in University Challenge, reaching the semi-finals, another near-miss after 2023’s place as runner-up.
The team was made up of Captain Kevin Flanagan, who is studying for a PhD in AI, Ted Warner, a MSci Biology student, Olivia Watts, an Organic Chemistry PhD student, Bridie Rogers, a Medicine student and Reserve player Nathaniel Joyce, a MSci Biology student.
The team had an excellent run this series, managing to beat some formidable opponents, including Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, Exeter and the Open University. Bristol’s players came in strong with a wide breadth of knowledge, from music, to physics, to the tradition of tea ceremonies.
Whilst the coveted first place wasn’t quite clinched this year, it can be said that certainly, Bristol are not far o now.
Overall, this academic year has seen some huge changes and developments for the University of Bristol, from new accommodations to new awards in sustainability, to sporting and intellectual success.
As students unwind and the term comes to a close, all that is left to do is prepare for the next academic year, which is sure to be even bigger and better!
Photo courtesy of: Nel Roden
Photo courtesy of: Harriett Sanderson
Photo courtesy of: Metalwork s
Me, my mum, and mental illness:
Dealing with my mother's breakdown and keeping up with a degree
An honest insight into the life of the Editor-in-Chief we all know and love
Annie McNamee Editor-in-Chief
I’m in a small, windowless room in a hospital somewhere in the south of Glasgow. To my right sits my dad; he’s fiddling with a bottle of Coke, I’m fiddling with a bag of tangerines. I’m meant to be in a seminar 400 miles away discussing politics in Fahrenheit 451 or Lolita, but instead I’m sitting here, staring at an empty wall, waiting to see my mum.
The last time I had seen her was about three weeks prior, the day before I flew back to Bristol from home in Glasgow. By that point her health – mental and physical –had been declining for
months. I had tried everything I could think of to cheer her up; daily walks to Costa, family movie nights, I even bought her a journal. However, when mental illness really gets a grip on a person there isn’t much you can do – at least not without professional help. On February 3 2024, my mum was sectioned and began a three month stay in a psychiatric ward.
Her story is hers to share (which she has!), but illness never just impacts one person. It worms its way into every part of life, like a carnivorous jelly, consuming family members and friends along the way. So, I have my own story to share. My experience is no more or less important than anyone else's,
‘When mental illness really gets a grip on a person there isn’t much you can do – at least not without professional help.’
to mental illness. I’ve gone through the Student Health Service’s four or five times for various ailments, and more of my friends have taken Sertraline than Ketamine, which is saying a lot in Bristol. I thought I knew what bad mental health looked like, but I’d never watched it take someone over so completely. The experience was alien, so I didn’t have the language to describe what was going on even if I’d wanted to. Luckily, though, I didn’t feel the urge.
Knowing that people might treat me di erently or give me concessions I didn’t need made me want to crawl out of my skin. I am sentimental when it comes to childhood teddy bears and birthday cards, but I’m also from Glasgow, so I’m cursed with the inability to be too sincere about anything. Where I would have usually communicated with humour I was left mute. There wasn’t much funny about the situation, and jokes only made people (understandably) uncomfortable. I got to know the exact grimace Nathan, my extremely English boyfriend, makes when he’s thinking ‘I’m not sure if this is a joke or if you meant that’ very well.
This is when I began to realise how much of a taboo exists around the very concept of a psychiatric hospital. I found it easy to explain to people that my mum was unwell, but got a lump in my throat when I had to explain how. When I did, people got tense. Over 52,000 people were sectioned under the mental health act in the UK in 2023-24 – and the number is rising – which means that, statistically, someone in your life probably knows someone who has been hospitalised due to their mental health. So why are we still unable to talk about it?
We have hidden the realities of mental illness from public view.
You can picture someone going into surgery, doctors rushing down halls wheeling half-conscious patients as they shout for fluids; such a clear image of psychosis doesn’t exist in the cultural mind. The concept of a psychiatric ward sounds Victorian. You think of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or the Bell Jar, of dungeons or electric shocks or straightjackets. Clearly, this is not a gracious picture.
But it’s not the 1960s anymore, and being an inpatient saved mum’s life. It was tough – on her, on my dad, my seventeen year old brother, even my dog sensed something was up – but it was essential. The nurses at Leverndale hospital who looked after her are real life superheroes; they are paid very little for long shifts taking care of patients who are often aggressive or unresponsive. At the depth of mum’s illness, her nurses were kind to her, and able to care for her around the clock in a way that wasn’t possible at home. It’s essential that we get better at discussing the realities of psychiatric care not only to better recognise early warning signs in our loved ones, but to give credit to the doctors and nurses who dedicate their lives to caring. These facilities and their sta members respect the dignity of their patients, and they don’t deserve to exist under the shadow of the ‘insane asylums’ of the past.
tail how hard she worked in recovery, how excellent the standard of care was at Levernale. It’s another to explain how it all made me feel.
‘Over 52,000 people were sectioned under the mental health act in the UK in 2023-24.’
When it comes to my own experience, I have a severe case of proverbial lockjaw. Nobody, perhaps even including me, knew exactly how I was keeping last year. I threw myself into my uni work, and in a bizarre twist of fate my grades started to improve. I took on more shifts writing for Time Out. I signed up for various societies, and applied to be Editor-in-Chief of this paper. I went to the Eras Tour three times, got a radio show on Burst, returned to musical theatre for the first time in years, set up a campaign against mould, won a few awards, and refused to miss a single seminar. For an outsider, I just looked like I was having a great year. In reality, I was doing anything I could to avoid thinking for too long. As far as coping mechanisms go, I suppose it’s better than becoming a smoker or getting into skydiving.
But it didn’t feel right to finish university, where I spent most of my time writing for Epigram, without writing about the thing that shaped much of my university life, particularly because this paper has been such a rock for me throughout.
Living where we live, and having as strong a relationship as my family does, we were the lucky ones. Not everyone has someone at home who can help them readjust after being discharged, nor is there a hospital bed free for everyone who needs it. Those living in less a uent areas are three and a half times more likely to be admitted to an inpatient mental health facility, and if you don’t have a safe place to go back to, you’re much more likely to end up back in hospital. By not talking about the realities of mental illness, and how they can a ect anyone, we do our most vulnerable neighbours a great disservice.
‘I'm not embarrassed by what happened to mum. In fact, I'm very proud of her.’
This brings me back to that room in that Glasgow hospital last year. My mum wasn’t very talkative at the depths of her illness, but every time we sat in that meeting room together, there were two things she’d ask me: how’s Nathan? How’s Epigram? Maybe there was something magical about these two parts of my life that permeated the barrier between my mum and I at the darkest times, allowing for some connection when we both needed it most. Or maybe I just never shut up about my newspaper or my boyfriend and so branded them into her brain forevermore. I’ll leave you to decide which you prefer.
I’m not embarrassed by what happened to mum. In fact, I’m very proud of her. It’s one thing to de-
When I began writing this article, I wanted to write what I needed to read last winter. I remember feeling so guilty for not being at home to help out, or for feeling anything bad
Continued on the next page
at all when mum was struggling so much. I needed to be strong, to get up and do my work, and not let my family down when they needed me most. I put such a huge pressure on myself to deal with the experience ‘properly’, but there’s no such thing. I felt I had to deal with this monster alone, because I had no idea how many people around me would be willing to help carry all this extra emotional baggage I found myself with.
‘If you hit rock bottom with enough velocity, the rules of physics dictate that you’ve got to bounce back up, and so mum did.’
Watching my mum become unwell was also watching my dad care for her day and night. Visiting her in hospital was watching dozens of sta members who had dedicated their lives to helping people in her position do thankless work because it mattered, because they cared. Struggling myself was seeing how the people around me
rallied to help me keep going. My friends bought me treats and sent me cards to let me know they were thinking of me, and, of course, Nathan was there day and night. Giving me a hug when I couldn’t sleep, cooking me dinner when I forgot to eat, walking me to uni when I didn’t want to go alone. It is only in the very darkest of times that you realise how many people there are in the world willing to hold up a light for you.
If you hit rock bottom with enough velocity, the rules of physics dictate that you’ve got to bounce back up, and so mum did. She was discharged at the very end of April, just before my twenty-first birthday. By the time I held my party a month later, she was up dancing.
She’s been at home – except when we went on holiday to Naples –and feeling better ever since. That would not be the case had she not spent three months in hospital.
A year later, it’s not over. The feelings linger, the worry that somehow things might take a turn for the worse is always buzzing at the back of my mind, and sometimes I close my eyes and find myself back in that Leverndale waiting room. Few memories are etched into my mind as clearly as that one. Sometimes I can even still smell the hospital, that care-home mix of medicine, bleach, vomit, and sweat. All of that lives within me, haunts me sometimes, but I’m glad it does. I don’t want to forget because I don’t want to stop being grateful that we got through it.
I am, probably more than most, my mother’s daughter: she studied Film and English at uni, as do
Editor
Deputy Editor
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Subeditor
Jess Cohen
Daisy Yates
Ilona Ho mann
Reuben Kerbes
Subeditor Nel Roden
I. She taught me to cry at every movie, how to do eyeshadow (she still does it better than me), brought me up to be politically active and interested, and neither of us would be caught dead at a campsite. She’s even a journalist. I can’t overstate how much of me I owe to her, and I hope that in the past year I’ve been able to give a little of that care and love back.
No sleep, just vibes: The glorification of academic su ering
Sophie Lee explores the glorification of academic burnout and how competitive studying can get
Lee
Second Year, English
Although the university experience is often marketed as three years of partying, drinking, and socialising, it is easy to forget that the main objective of a university education is a degree, with students aiming towards academic achievement. However, balancing academic study with personal life and extracurriculars can often lead to high levels of burnout and competition, creating an unhealthy environment for students.
Self-care is often the last thing on many students’ minds during intense exam periods, as all-nighters in the library become commonplace, and constant productivity is viewed as the norm. This intense ‘grind culture’ has become embedded in student identities, with many students feeling as though if they’re not working all the time, then they’re not working enough.
The University of Bristol’s 2021 Student Wellbeing Survey found that higher levels of anxiety coincided with exam periods, with 43 per cent of respondents who took the survey before the summer assessment period reporting symptoms of anxiety, compared to 36 per cent of those that took
the survey during or after. Additionally, according to the 2024 Bristol Degree Outcomes Statement, only 26.2 per cent of students achieved a first class degree in the 22/23 academic year.
So the question remains, why is it that students feel so much pressure to achieve a first? While it is evident the data links academic burnout with heightened mental distress, it prompts a deeper inquiry - are academic expectations the sole driver of student anxiety, or are there broader cultural and systemic pressures at play?
During the 2024/25 academic year, the University of Bristol altered term dates to move January exams to December, creating an earlier exam period in both TB1 and TB2. This had a significant impact on many students, with Emma, a second year Chemistry student, commenting that she found the Christmas exam season ‘insane - there was no way I could revise so much content in such little time [and] I couldn’t go over content during term since the workload then was too intense.’
Although the University marketed the shift in exam period as beneficial to students’ mental health, personal experiences of students have been seen to contradict this, with many reporting that revising for exams while also completing coursework contributed to higher stress levels.
Although the simple answer to this might seem to be to separate exams and coursework more clearly, overlap-
ping deadlines aren’t the only factor in rising levels of academic anxiety. Often, a sense of competition can arise, as students strive to be seen to be working at all times of day. Online tools such as Flora, Notion, and the Pomodoro Method provide ways for tracking workloads, but these statistics can give rise to harmful comparisons, as students may compare how many hours they’ve been revising. This can lead to unhealthy habits, as studying becomes competitive, rather than focusing on academic outcomes. In this way, revision has shifted from a tool by which to learn content, to a way to show o academic superiority. These competitive attitudes clearly aren’t present in all students, but the evidence suggests that it has a huge impact on many students across the university.
Eleni, a first year Psychology in Education student, told Epigram that she
‘felt a lot more pressured to be revising constantly’ during exam season, and often left ‘for the ASS at 7pm and [didn’t] get back until 3am.’ These unhealthy habits can have a knockon e ect on other aspects of student life, with Beth, a second year Film student, agreeing that, after long nights of studying until the early hours, she tends to spend the next day sleeping, which negatively impacts her mood. It’s clear to see that these competitive environments lead to both personal and academic burnout, so what is the best way to combat this?
Common ways of students coping with burnout are to socialise with friends, maintain normal routines, and make sure to reward themselves while studying. Although the main point of going to university is to get a degree, life at university is so much more than this. From getting involved
with university societies, to attending quiz nights at local pubs, or going on a charity shopping spree, there’s so much that can be done to avoid academic burnout. Although it can seem like there is no escape from ‘grind culture’, it’s important to remind yourself that University is more than just the degree you walk away with.
Even stepping away from your laptop screen for five minutes can help take your mind o the work you need to be doing. At the end of the day, even though your degree is important, you should never sacrifice your mental health in favour of academic achievement. The University’s Students’ Health Service o ers informal wellbeing advice as well as professional medical support, so never feel afraid to reach out.
Sophie
Photo courtesy of: Reuben Kerbes
All photos courtesy of: Annie McNamee
Epigram sits down with second-year Philosophy student Ella Chambers and her landlord, Arnold Wette, to unpack both sides of the mould issue present in Ella's house
Sagal Khalif, Second Year Law
Editor’s Note:
As I come to the end of my tenure as editor of Epigram, I’ve got a lot to be proud of. We won some awards, increased our readership; all the usual stu journalists bang on about. But what sets us apart, and what we’re proudest of, is Break the Mould.
This campaign was born out of frustration and many mouldy, mouldy bedrooms. Plans were drawn up at the height of winter from damp student bedrooms, and our launch was marred by intermittent rainfall. Break the Mould may not be changing the world (yet) but, if nothing else, it gave a voice to the thousands of students at Bristol University living in substandard housing at luxury prices.
And that’s not even all. We are still in the early stages of discussing our Rent Review system with the SU, and we’ll continue to spotlight the very worst mould horror stories our readers shared. This month, I hope you enjoy Ella’s.
Thank you for all of your support for Break the Mould. Back when I was stewing in my freezing student house back in December, I had no idea that anyone else would care about my little passion project. As it turns out, pretty much everyone does.
Here’s to a mould-less future!
Annie McNamee, Editor-in-Chief
Landlord replaces black mould with slightly greener mould to signal commitment to sustainability
n a bold move applauded by exactly zero people, Redland-based landlord Arnold Wette has replaced the longstanding black mould in one of his student properties with a more ‘ethnically-ambiguous’ shade of green mould, in what he describes as a significant step towards climate-responsible housing. 'We’re all about greener living’.
to be called a landlord, claiming the term is ‘too capitalist’, opting, rather, to be known as a ‘property custodian’. ‘It’s all about building a regenerative relationship between humans and nature, something we lost with the introduction of tenant protection laws.’
‘They’re students. They’re supposed to cough.’
‘This isn't about cutting corners’ said Wette, who refuses
Wette currently charges £250 pppcm for a 7-bedroom maisonette in the heart of Redland, coming fully furnished with original 1970s carpets and two mushrooms, a price that seems likely to increase with his new initiative.
When asked if tenants had reported ongoing health issues, Wette readjusted the goggles of his PPE gear; ‘they’re students. They’re supposed to cough. Builds resistance for their nights out. Also, if they’re coughing, it means their lungs are working.’
vided some incense sticks, an Asthma + Lung UK pamphlet, and an invoice for cleaning fees.
‘Students don’t need solutions,’ Wette stated. ‘They need to try breathing properly. I breathe perfectly fine in that house.’
‘Wette has dismissed all allegations of neglect.’
Second-year Philosophy student Ella Chambers, who believes she has been living in the property since September, says she first raised the issue of mould ‘Sometime around, I want to say November? Could it be August?’. Pausing, she stared blankly at the wall. 'Honestly, it’s hard to remember anything these days. I haven’t had a coherent thought since Teaching Block One. The walls started growing black and now I can’t tell which memories are mine and which belong to the flat.’
In response to her initial complaints, Wette delivered a humidifier instead of the promised dehumidifier, along with a handwritten note suggesting she ‘lean into the air’s natural liquidity.’ He also pro-
The landlord was last seen spreading a handful of chia seeds in a damp corner of the living room for the purpose of ‘textural variety’. In response to the ongoing complaints from students, the University has released a statement advising students to seek support if they are having issues with housing, and provided a helpful three–step process:
1. Email your landlord.
2. Wait 2-3 months
3. Go to your A&E
Despite the pressure from the young tenants and the Student's Union alike, Wette has dismissed all allegations of neglect. ‘I’m not some Dickensian slumlord,’ he said whilst polishing a reclaimed wood clipboard. ‘I’m cultivating micro-environments. These kids are lucky, they're living inside a living thing. How many people in Redland can say that?’ According to a survey conducted by Epigram, it turns out
interviews, Ella had forgotten who we were and asked if we were there to treat the mould in her room, and Wette had announced a rent increase for the following calendar month. Epigram reached out to him about this change, and he confirmed it was due to the mould enhancing the market-value.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr Wette has since requested a correction to the article, insisting the mould is “chartreuse” and “emotionally intelligent.” We regret the oversight.
*This article is satire, any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental*
Photos courtesy of: Miles Gilroy
Break the Mould wins Best Project or Initiative at the SPA awards
Miles Gilroy SciTech Deputy-Editor
After five months of incredibly hard work, over 600 signatures, coverage from the BBC and The Big Issue, o cial acknowledgement from the SU, and endorsement from Lucy Pears (among many, many other feats), Break the Mould has won Best Project or Initiative at the Student Publication Association’s national awards ceremony.
An honour shared by the whole team behind the campaign, this award reflects the countless hours put into the fight against poor student living conditions as well as the equal concern for the issue on a na-
tional scale, far beyond just Bristol.
According to David Chipakupaku, journalist and producer at Sky News, ‘Break the Mould is a vitally important collection of student journalism, highlighting an issue that is becoming prevalent across the UK housing sector. The reporting is forward-thinking, and the ambitions of Epigram with this idea should be noted. Smart, zeitgeist-aware campaigning journalism, worthy of a national.’
the petition, spreading the word, and standing up for what students deserve. It is thanks to everyone reading these words right now that Break the Mould has been recognised in such prestigious fashion.
On behalf of the entire Epigram team, I would like to thank you from the deepest point in our collective hearts, and welcome you to continue this journey with us as we enter the new academic year.
Our Proposal
This award is directed at the team behind Break the Mould, but, of course, it is as much yours as it is ours. This campaign would be nothing more than an idea without the hundreds of you signing
Epigram is launching ‘Break the Mould’ to improve the conditions of student housing in Bristol and beyond, with a particular focus on tackling mould. We are lobbying the Bristol SU to extend their ‘My Rent, My Rights’ campaign by introducing ‘Rent Review’, a student property review system where renters can review their house or flat, for example its condition, any issues that arise, and the speed and e ectiveness of the landlord’s responses. This would work together with an SU-run accreditation system, where good landlords are approved by the SU. Both the rating and the accreditation would be visible to all students. This would incentivise landlords to focus on the quality of service they are providing to tenants, and help students to avoid poor housing.
As Epigram, we will also create a dedicated page on our website containing information about mould, its consequences, and best practices to prevent and fix it. This, we propose, would be linked to on the ‘My Rent, My Rights’ campaign page to give students an accessible bank of information that they can use.
Whether you’re graduating this Summer, or you're stuck here for another year or two, always remember to…
Break the Mould!
What's next for Break the Mould?
Break the Mould has been a huge success! But where does it go from here? Editor-in-Chief and brains behind the campaign, Annie McNamee, considers Break the Mould's future
Annie McNamee, Editor-in-Chief
So far, Break the Mould has been focused on raising awareness on campus, and beyond, about the poor quality of housing most students pay high rents for, and platforming student horror stories. That may be great, but we know what you’re thinking. ‘What about Rent Review’, you cry, ‘wasn’t that, like, the whole point?’ Fear not, dear reader. The short answer is we’re working on it.
If you’re unaware, Rent Review is a system thought up by our Policy Lead, Nathan Flanders. It
would be a sort of TripAdvisor for landlords, where you’d be able to check out your landlord before you signed on the dotted line. If they had good reviews, you’d go ahead without worry. If they didn’t, you might think twice. This isn’t supposed to be a punitive measure, it’s about holding landlords to account, and empowering students to make informed choices about where they live. Sounds great in theory, but, we’re sure you’ve noticed, it doesn’t exist yet.
These things take time, but we’ve begun talking to the SU about helping us make Rent Review a reality. Sadly, many of us will graduate before the system is up and running, but we hope that the legacy lives on, and that some of you first and second years will see it become a reality in your (university) lifetimes.
In the meantime, we’ll continue sharing your stories. Got a dodgy landlord or a leak that won’t go
gmai.com and share your story. You can even be anonymous. We won’t stop yelling about the shit condi-
tions so many of us live with until they go away. Maybe by the time out kids are at uni, this will all be a distant nightmare. Fingers crossed.
We’ll also keep providing you easy to understand information about how to prevent and battle mould. We have an entire tab on our website dedicated to the stu . It’s properly helpful, we promise.
Finally, thank you so much to everyone who’s supported our cause. We’re not done yet, but we couldn’t have gotten started without the overwhelming support of the student body. At the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of students who got fed up, and seeing that we’re not alone has been exhilarating. We’ll see you in the next year to continue Breaking the Mould.
Nathan Flanders, Policy Lead
Photo courtesy of: Julia Mullins
Photo courtesy
Opinion
Kebabs, Kwik-E-mart, and culture: Reflections on interactions between students and South Asian business owners
Editor's Choice:
Second Year, English and Classical Studies
The post-night-out kebab shop pilgrimage is more than just a greasy tradition — it’s a rite of passage for students across the country. But how often do we really see the people behind the counter? Too often reduced to the faceless, catch-all term “bossman,” their stories are left untold. In this edition’s Editor’s Pick, Amaya Lewis-Patel peels back the foil wrapper to explore these overlooked late-night encounters and unpacks the broader, often stereotyped, portrayals of South Asians in popular culture.
In my first year at university, my accommodation was opposite a kebab shop. Dehydrated and hungry after a night out, my flatmates and I would herd towards its welcoming neon sign. As a pescatarian who cannot stand the dryness of falafel, I abstained. I would wait for the others just outside the fried-food warmth of the shop.
While my friends recited their orders, learnt by heart, I eavesdropped on the conversations of the drunk students around us. White boys in quarter-zips would deliver loud lectures, boasting about who they had 'got with.' I was never quite sure who they thought they were impressing. The middle-aged man behind the counter would attempt to conduct the carefully tuned orchestra of cooks behind him over (or under,
in the quiet tones of his native tongue) the din. Then, there was an obsequious, 'Thanks, bossman.' Then a handshake-cum-high-five dripping in irony and the grease of the chips that would be left half-eaten on some kitchen counter stained with years of vodka-crans and VKs.
‘Walliams perpetuated and legitimised a stereotype for the whole generation of readers who are now my peers.’
And on the way to the club, we would walk past the corner shop. Again, I would witness the strange interactions between white male students and the man behind the counter. Some inside joke would be referenced by the boy, and the man would reply with a laugh or a taught response through smilingly gritted teeth. I felt sick and avoided eye contact. There was nothing obviously ‘wrong’ with what the boys were doing, and they may have viewed it as friendly banter. Yet it made me remember the fake Indian accents and stereotypes about
nerdy brown kids that I had encountered in school – maybe this was the new, adult version of it.
'Bossman.' The name asserts a respect, a deference to a ‘boss’ and superior, even as it confirms the (ab) use of this man’s labour and dignity. There is nothing deferential in the term. An appellation of racial, socioeconomic othering – yet another way of laughing at the brown man.
Think of Raj, the corner shop owner in the David Walliams children’s books, like Gangsta Granny or Boy in a Dress. He provides humour because he is a caricature of South Asian corner shop owners. Walliams perpetuated and legitimised a stereotype for the whole generation of readers who are now my peers. These novels, or their BBC adaptations, were my first exposure to the South-Asian-corner-shop-owner stereotype. I remember being excited by the fact that the corner shop opposite my grandparents’ flat was also called 'Raj’s News'. I assumed that the fictional Raj was based on the Raj I knew, who spoke in Gujarati with my grandfather on his weekly visit to buy the Sunday paper for my grandmother. This man had watched me grow up, and always greeted me with a smile and a 'say hello to your grandparents.'
I wasn’t sure how to make sense of the dirty shop, financial opportunism, and sneakiness of the Raj in Walliams’ books. He was nothing like my Raj. Unwilling to explain racial stereotyping to an eight-yearold, my mother pointed out that it was a common name in India: it must be a coincidence. She reminded me that my uncle was also called Raj – and he was a doctor.
Though South Asians make up the
largest non-white ethnic group in the country (6.9%, compared to 4% Black and 1.3% Chinese and Asian other), our invisibility in the media is undeniable. Alienation and ‘othering’ rely on the ability to reduce the multiplicity of South Asian identity to a stereotype, a single racial image. It is not unique to the UK: in America, there is Apu from The Simpsons who owns the ‘KwikE-Mart’, voiced by a white man putting on an Indian accent.
as being rooted within the community. A shop is only your local for the years of university, or more likely for the one year that you live near it. The relationship formed with its owners is necessarily temporary and given less thought.
‘Will you greet the owner by name like an old friend, or will you only remember that catch-all term, ‘bossman’?’
Yet it is undeniable that this stereotype stems from reality. Many South Asian immigrants to the UK in the late 20th century turned to self-dependency, opening their own shops. These businesses have often been open for generations, seeing children become parents and grandparents.
In a student city, however, the constantly changing clientele seems to break down this sense of shop
So, next time you go into a corner shop to collect your Vinted parcel, or stumble into a kebab shop for a late-night doner, remember that you are being allowed into the space. Your voice can go down a few decibels for the two minutes you wait for your cheesy chips. Because maybe, in twenty years, when you revisit your university city, the shop will still be there, unchanged – if it has not been pushed out by a minimalist co ee shop or supermarket chain.
Will you greet the owner by name like an old friend, or will you only remember that catch-all term, ‘bossman’?
Amaya Lewis-Patel
Photo courtesy of: Roman Rezor
Photo courtesy of: George Bakos
Editor Deputy Editor
Deputy Editor
Subeditor
Moser ..........Riana McConochie ........................Ellen Jones
Is studying abroad worth it? Student reflections on a year away
Studying abroad is often hyped up to be a life-changing opportunity, but does it actually live up to the expectations?
Sophia Stockden
Fourth Year, English and Spanish
After spending a year away from Bristol on my own year abroad, I’ve experienced all the highs and lows of living in another country, from the thrill of independence to the challenges of homesickness and culture shock. Now that I’m back, I find myself questioning: was it all worth it?
One of the biggest takeaways from my year abroad was the sheer amount of personal growth, as cliché as it sounds. Moving to a new country forces you to be independent in ways you might never have experienced before. Navigating public transport in a foreign language, figuring out how to set up a SIM card, or even just grocery shopping in a completely di erent system - it all pushes
you outside your comfort zone.
At first, it was overwhelming, but, over time, I became more confident in handling challenges on my own. It goes without saying, the cultural immersion was incredible. From adapting to a new lifestyle, discovering local traditions, and learning how to properly pronounce words I’d been butchering for years, I found myself understanding the world from a fresh perspective.
If you’re studying a language, this aspect is even more valuable - it felt like the language finally clicked for me. University might be able to teach you how to undertake a political debate or discuss climate change in your chosen language, but no number of seminars can compare to making small talk at the bus stop, gossiping with friends, or even just eavesdropping on the train in your target language. By the time I left, I had a level of fluency that finally felt natural rather than forced.
Then, of course, there was the travel. Being based in a new country meant that weekend trips to nearby cities or even di erent countries were easier and often
cheaper than they’d be from the UK. It was a massive privilege to be able to a ord to do this, it felt like the gap year I never had.
But, while Instagram might make studying abroad look like the perfect year-long holiday, the reality isn’t always so picture-perfect. The first two weeks were some of the hardest, everything just felt so frustratingly di cult. Simple tasks you would never think twice about at home, like paying at the supermarket, suddenly became the most nerve-wracking ordeal in the world.
Homesickness hit me much harder than I expected. I missed the little things – Sunday roasts, familiar accents, even the weirdly specific Bristol Uni in-jokes. While I made great friends abroad, it sometimes felt isolating to be so far from my usual support system. Thankfully, this can be remedied with regular calls to home and even looking into the uni’s support programmes.
Academically, the adjustment was also tougher than most had anticipated. Whilst I cannot comment on the experience of studying abroad, as I did an internship, many of
my friends realised di erent university systems meant di erent expectations, grading styles, and sometimes even language barriers when it came to coursework and groupwork. As someone who worked, it’s hard enough to talk to your boss in your native language, let alone in your second one.
Financially, studying abroad can also be a major strain. Even with grants and loans, the cost of flights, visas, and a generally higher cost of living in some countries added up quickly, especially since Brexit meant the end of the Erasmus funding. Thanks Brexit. It’s also incredibly di cult at times to find guidance on visas or travel advice, I’m sure if you ask anyone who’s done a year abroad about this, you’ll be met with a groan and an eyeroll.
And then there was the return home – something no one really warns you about. Reverse culture shock is real. After spending a year adapting to a new way of life, coming back to Bristol felt both comforting and strangely disorienting. Friends had moved on, the city felt di erent, and I found myself longing for the independence and
adventure I had just left behind.
So, was it worth it? Despite the challenges, I wouldn’t trade my year abroad for anything. The growth, experiences, and memories made it one of the most rewarding parts of my university life. However, it’s not for everyone. If you’re considering studying abroad, it’s worth thinking beyond the highlight reel; there will be di cult moments, and it requires resilience and adaptability. But, if you’re willing to embrace both the highs and the lows, it can be an experience that shapes you in ways you never expected.
I think, speaking on behalf of most students who have done a year abroad, it will be one of the toughest things you’ll ever do, but also the most rewarding. In fact, if you need extra reassurance, according to a recent poll uploaded to Epigram’s Instagram story, 86% of responders said that they thought their year abroad was worth it.
Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. But I’d go into it knowing that studying abroad isn’t just about the adventure, it’s about learning to navigate life in an entirely new way.
Living in the student bubble limits our experience of Bristol
Not my hometown, but I know my way around?
OnTikTok, this caption has recently been accompanied with picturesque slideshows of people’s university cities. For Bristol students, it probably includes sunset snaps of the suspension bridge, fresh veg for sale on Cotham Hill, and Park Street on a bright day.
But the radius of what makes up ‘Bristol’ for most university students is pretty limited; the majority of students look for housing in the Clifton, Redland, and Cotham region. Even those, like me, who venture up Gloucester Road, are rarely more than a 20-minute bus ride from city centre.
Compared to most university cities, Bristol students are somewhat spread-out. Other areas with large student populations often have single neighbourhoods overrun.
The Guardian reported that in the Lenton neighbourhood in Nottingham, as many as 90% of the houses are student households. This large proportion has created major tension between student and family homes in the area. So, by contrast, does this small dispersion of student households over a few more central neighbourhoods mean Bristol students are more engaged with their community?
When I moved into my second-year house, in the St Andrews neighbourhood, we were somewhat surprised to see our neighbours and their little children. First-year accommodation puts you in another world. Your life is spent in
small flats, with only student neighbours. This was a bit of a change.
We got their phone numbers and were promptly added to a group-chat for our road. On it, people sent pictures of local cats gone missing, cars parked badly, and dates of street parties. Our neighbours brought round a green recycling bin when they had a spare. It was all very quaint.
But, this sense of community can be somewhat rare for students. Bristol City Council claims that areas with high levels of ‘Houses in Multiple Occupation’ (HMOs), specifically student housing, results in ‘reduced community engagement’ because of the transient population in the area. Certain roads or neighbourhoods are completely changed by the student presence.
The University gives out informa-
tion directed at students living in these family neighbourhoods. You’ve probably come across the signs hung on lampposts in areas like Chandos Road, reminding students to keep quiet at night. On the university website, they encourage students to introduce themselves to their neighbours with an ‘introduc-
tory greeting template.’ It’s clear the university wants to encourage good relations between students and the community, even if it’s just to save their own backs if things get messy.
For the full article go to: epigram.org.uk
Ruby Smith Third Year, English
Photo courtesy of: Kristina Papp
Co-Editors Deputy Editors
Subeditors
More than 500 students faced penalties for using AI last year
A freedom of information request submitted by The Student Eye revealed that more than 500 students at the University of Bristol faced AI related penalties in the 2023/24 academic year.
Annie McNamee
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Three years ago, generative Artificial Intelligence was a novelty, and its best use was making uncanny images of monkeys in hats. Now, it's well on its way to taking over the world, and, by extension, university campuses.
Still in its infancy, the hard data on how much students use AI and how it's impacting their education is limited. However, a freedom of information request submitted by the online publication The Student Eye has revealed that there has been a 7414% increase in students being penalised for their misuse of AI in assessments since 2021, with 526 being issued in the 2023/24 academic year.
This statistic alone portrays a slightly sensationalised version of events. There are obvious reasons as to why, as AI becomes more powerful and more ubiquitous, more students are using it, and misusing it. However, given that these numbers are from last year, it seems likely that this year that number will have risen again.
The university considers 'unauthorised use of artificial intelligence to complete a piece of work
in a manner that circumvents the design of an assessment' to be cheating. It told The Student Eye that it does not rely solely on AI detection software to decide whether or not a student accused of cheating is guilty, and that such programmes simply '[provide] additional evidence to aid a discussion with the student as part of a possible plagiarism investigation'.
Some are completely against its use in an academic setting, whilst others argue that, used correctly, it can be a powerful tool for furthering your learning, automating the necessary, if tedious, elements of studying – such as referencing, and leaving you with more time to do the actual thinking. The university's o cial stance is somewhere in the middle. A statement on the University of Bristol's website states that: 'Generative AI cannot replace the hard work of getting to grips with threshold concepts in a discipline. '
At the same time, it can o er support to students, co-piloting with them in novel ways, sense-checking, summarising, and guiding students with structuring ideas. 'We need to define its use, rather than letting it define how we and our students use it.'
In terms of assessments, the 'default' position is that 'minimal' use, such as 'using spell and grammar checkers to help identify mistakes but not rewrite chunks of text' is acceptable. Some schools adopt a zero tolerance policy, while others have begun to bake the use of AI into their exams. In order for a penalty to be issued, a student would have had to use AI in a manner that is specifically prohibited by their school.
Photo courtesy of: Freepik
Bristol Students’ Union has responded to the Supreme Court’s ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
Sofia Lambis News Investigations Editor
OnApril 16, the UK Supreme Court delivered a judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers, ruling that the 2010 Equality Act's definition of sex is 'binary' and refers to biological sex.
Consequently, someone with a female Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) ‘does not come within the definition of a ‘woman’ under the Equality Act.’ This means that although transgender women remain protected from discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment, a protected characteristic, they are no longer protect-
Maud Humphries, Josie Hodgson, & Will White
Bea Learmouth & Rhiannon Jenkins
Lambis
Otto Proctor & Cerys Larsen
Bristol SU responds to Supreme Court Equality Act ruling
ed from discrimination as women.
Following the ruling, British Transport Police announced that trans people held in custody will be searched by an o cer of the same biological sex, regardless of whether they have a GRC. Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Chair, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, said ‘single-sex services like changing rooms must be based on biological sex.' The EHRC have issued temporary guidance on single-sex spaces and will provide updated codes of conduct to services including the NHS and prisons.
In a statement issued last Thursday, Bristol SU said they were ‘disappointed and upset’ by the ruling. ‘We recognise and stand in solidarity with our trans community. Transgender, non-binary, and intersex identities are all valid, irrespective of any court ruling,’ they said.
The SU said they were liaising with the Trans, Women’s, and LGTBQ+ networks, and will continue ensuring their Members Code of Conduct protects trans students. Links to helplines
such as Switchboard and Trans Aid Bristol were also provided.
The statement comes after the Doctor Who society wrote an open letter to the SU, asking them to outline how student groups can support trans students and to 'clarify that transgender individuals are still protected under the code of conduct.' You can read the SU’s full statement online or via our website.
Universities across the UK have also responded to the judgement. The University of Durham pledged to 'comply with UK law and to ensure the privacy and dignity of every member of our community,' whilst Southampton SU acknowledged that students may 'be feeling afraid' and 'vulnerable' due to the ruling.
Last month, the UK's first openly trans judge Victoria McCloud announced her plan to bring the government to the European Court of Human Rights over this ruling. She says the judgement left her feeling 'contained and segregated' and will seek a declaration that the ruling 'violate[s] [her] fundamental human rights'.
‘A powerful voice for Bristol students’: Epigram awarded at Bristol SU 50 Most Influential
Sofia Lambis News Investigations Editor
On May 8, Bristol SU announced the winners of this year's 50 Most Influential Students award.
The awards showcase individuals and groups who have gone above and beyond, shaping the university experience for people around them, and demonstrating 'exceptional dedication, talent, and a genuine desire to make positive change.'
Epigram featured among the winners, recognised as 'a powerful voice for Bristol students.'
'The society o ered free op-
portunities for students to enter journalism, spotlighted underrepresented groups and investigated major campus issues.
Its first-ever campaign, Break the Mould, fought for better student housing, gained SU support and attracted national media coverage.
Epigram’s reporting on housing, student safety and inclusion has driven real change. The team also overhauled design and distribution, boosting readership and expanded its contributor base to over 500.
With five wins at the Student Publication Awards, including Best Publication and Best Project, Epigram has grown into a dynamic platform for high-quality journalism,
student-led advocacy and lasting impact on the Bristol community.'
Among the winners was Epigram Co-Editor-in-Chief Annie McNamee, who was recognised as an individual winner for her 'outstanding work' launching the Break the Mould campaign and 'creating a diverse, supportive community for student writers to grow their skills.'
Faniki Deche, Epigram sports editor, was also recognised for his work as the first ever coach of the University of Bristol Women’s Fourth Football Team. Faniki 'has helped establish the Fourth Team as a competitive side, with many players now set to progress and the team aiming for promotion.'
Photo courtesy of: Bristol SU
EpIgram's Top Ten - Group pic - Headshotssection goodbyes - Most Likely to
Photos courtesy of: Harriett Sanderson, Julia Mullins and Annie McNamee
Epigram's top ten moments from the 2024/25 academic year
Daisy Yates & Reuben Kerbes Co-Deputy Features Editor & Features Sub-Editor
From landmark interviews to award-winning campaigns, 2024/25 has been a year to remember for Epigram. We’ve hosted renowned journalists on campus, handed out over 800 papers in a single day, and even uncovered the story behind Bristol’s most iconic kebab van. With so many highlights to choose from, there’s no way we could possibly rank them. So instead, here are ten of our proudest moments from the year: in no particular order, but all equally brilliant.
Getting behind the counter at Jason Donervan
Every student has their Jason Donervan story. Whether it’s a postclub pilgrimage or an emotional reunion with cheesy-chips after a deadline, the iconic Clifton Triangle van has become a rite of passage for Bristol students. This year, our Sports Sub Editor Mihai Ro�ca sat down with JJ, son of the eponymous Jason, to uncover the story behind the establishment.
Mihai discovered how ‘Jason Donervan’ came to be, tracing the path of Mustafa Durdu (who we all know as Jason), who moved to the UK as a young migrant with a dream of lifting his family out of poverty. Through relentless hard work and determination, Mustafa built his business from the ground up, creating a legacy that would not only provide for his family but also set an example for his son, about the importance of perseverance and giving back.
Epigram’s first ever liveblog at fight night
As student fight-nights become more popular, Epigram’s Sports team sought to capitalise on these growing events, and wanted to do it in a way that has not been achieved here at Epigram before.
Faniki Deche, our Sports Editor, opted for a live, ‘as-it-happened’ style of reporting, as well as a social media take-over to document the excitement of such an event.
This live-blog style was a huge hit, keeping students who were unable to attend themselves up to date by the minute, as well as showing a post-event breakdown of what happened, and when.
The success of this style was recognised, and the Sports team have continued on this trend of live-blogging, each met with a resounding victory for Epigram and our outreach!
Coverage of the SU elections
Led by News Editor, Will White, and supported by our very own rising star Sofia Lambis, Epigram’s News team worked tirelessly this March to cover the University of Bristol Student Union elections. Kicking off with a special editorial, the team introduced readers to the candidates and examined the key issues shaping student politics this year. As voting opened, our team dived into highlighting manifestos, fact-checking claims, and encouraging students to engage with the process.
The excitement culminated on the 14th of March, with live results night coverage, reporting from Senate House as the new SU Officers were announced. From interviews to real-time updates this was an all-hands-on-deck moment for Epigram, and one we are very proud of.
Partnership with Watershed
This year our Film&TV section achieved a major milestone by securing an exclusive partnership with Watershed - Bristol’s leading independent arthouse cinema. This collaboration awarded contributors access to the early sta screenings, allowing them to review films before they hit general release.
It was the work of Sofia Webster, our Co-Deputy Editor, that made this opportunity possible - but it’s the entire section, and any student with a passion for film who now benefits from this connection.
The partnership not only strengthens Epigram's presence in the local arts scene, but also gives student writers the unique chance to review cinema that falls outside of the mainstream.
Redesign of print and socials
As part of a new direction for Epigram in 2024/25, we hired our fantastic Art Director Julia Mullins, and Deputy Designer Alex Hill. With a clear vision and unstoppable work ethic (we’re talking all-nighters that stretched to 7am), they led a full redesign of our print editions and social media presence.
From cover to cover, their work has breathed new life into Epigram, combining sharp visuals with a clean and modern design, and we must admit - it looks bloody gorgeous. Julia and Alex’s dedication and creativity this year have elevated our publication to a new standard, transforming it into not just something to read, but to truly admire.
Photo courtesy
Photo courtesy of: Julia Mullins
Photo courtesy of: Annie McNamee
Photo courtesy of: Dylan Gardner
Photo courtesy of: Julia Mullins
Our Break the Mould campaign
This year, Epigram launched ‘Break the Mould’, a campaign spotlighting the unacceptable standard of student housing. With first-hand student testimonies, investigative reporting, and a dedicated print edition, the campaign called on the SU and local authorities to take action. Our petition to introduce a ‘Rent Review’ system, where students can review how effectively their landlords responded to issues, gained over 600 signatures, and the campaign was featured by titles such as BBC News, The Big Issue, and Greatest Hits Radio! Epigram also won ‘Best Project or Initiative’ at the Student Publication Awards this April for our work on ‘Break the Mould’! This is an incredible result and a testament to all the hard work that went into this campaign. We are excited to carry on our work campaigning for students next year, so keep your eyes peeled…
Writing workshops
As part of a move to make student journalism more accessible for beginners, this year’s Epigram team held a series of interactive workshops for new writers. Editors from Music, Scitech, Sports, and Features all hosted classes that broke down the ins and outs of each of their respective sections.
Whether you were a seasoned journalist or a complete beginner, there was lots to learn! From interviewing techniques, writing style, or general conduct practice, no one left without feeling like a more confident journalist.
Not only were they massively informative, they also provided a comfortable space for new writers to get acquainted with the teams, and helped reinforce the sense of community we aspire for here at Epigram. With high turnout, great feedback, and a fresh set of editors, you can be sure that this will return next year.
Student Publication Award wins
Leading on from our successes in 2024, Epigram brought home five awards at the yearly Student Publication Association (SPA) awards this year, including Best Publication! Credit is due to everyone that has worked on Epigram, and it couldn’t have been achieved without all of our contributors, editors, and executives. This is something everyone who’s passionate about Epigram should be proud of, but there are some standouts worth commending:
Our Co-Editor-in-Chief, Annie McNamee, won the ‘Billy Dowling-Reid Award for Outstanding Commitment’, and she couldn’t have earnt it more. Juggling her final year of university and Co-EiC is already an achievement, but to bring Epigram to the centre stage with five awards is undoubtedly worth serious commendation.
Not only this, but Epigram also won the prize for best Science Publication/Section. This can be accredited to the quality work done by our SciTech team led by Corin Hadley, who pulled the section from being potentially scrapped, and made it an integral part of Epigram
Sofia Lambis also took a podium, winning ‘Highly commended’ in the SPA’s ‘Rising Stars’ category. She is definitely one to keep an eye out for!
Women in Media careers talks
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Epigram traditionally hosts a 2-day event, honouring some of the brilliant women shaping today’s media landscape. This year, we decided to take it further and expand the conference into a month-long series! Organised and hosted by our incredible Equality and Wellbeing Officer Lily Wheeler, every Wednesday in March we welcomed panels of three inspiring, passionate women who shared their candid insights into navigating an often male-dominated industry. From personal challenges to career defining moments, the sessions were not only empowering, but also practical, giving attendees the chance to ask any burning questions they have about breaking into the world of media. As part of the event, we were honoured to have welcomed Susanna Reid - presenter of Good Morning Britain and former Epigram Editor - who returned to Bristol 30 years after taking the helm of our paper. Susanna reflected on how Epigram shaped the early years of her journalism career, offering both heartfelt stories and sharp insights into the realities of working in national broadcast media. Her presence was not only a proud moment for Epigram, but a powerful reminder of where student journalism can take you.
Talk series with Sarah Gordan and Paul McNamee
One of Epigram’s most exciting events this year was our free Talk Series, organised by our Managing Director, Livy Naylor. Featuring some of the biggest names in journalism, this series aimed to inspire the next generation of media professionals. It gave students a rare chance to hear directly from industry greats, ask questions, and discover how they too can succeed in the volatile media industry. We kicked off with Sarah Gordon, former Business Editor for the Financial Times, who shared her fascinating career journey - from reporting through the 2008 financial crisis to navigating the digital shift in journalism, all while balancing motherhood. Next was Paul McNamee, Editor of The Big Issue, a publication that prides itself on a ‘hand up’ policy, partnering with those who too often go unheard. McNamee offered straight-talking advice and useful guidance on how to climb the journalistic ladder, and how to stay true to yourself whilst doing it.
We’re honoured to have welcomed these speakers this year. For students dreaming of a future in journalism, this was a chance to get a peek at the inner workings of the industry and come face-to-face with some of the legends in the field.
(From left to right) Photos courtesy of: Bristol SU, Annie McNamee, SPA, Julia Mullins
NEWS
From nationwide riots, to Supreme Court rulings, to SU elections, to mouldy homes, news covered so much this year. It’s been so lovely to work with everyone paying such close attention to the hustle and bustle of Bristol life.
Opinion
Serving as Opinion Editor has been an incredible experience that’s opened my eyes to a diverse range of perspectives and challenged me to think in ways I never had before. I'm incredibly grateful to my amazing team, the wider Epigram family and Amaan. Thank you for making my time in the society so meaningful.
Senior Team
Annie McNamee Co-Editor-in-Chief
What to say about the Epigram team! If these are the journalists, policymakers, and lawyers of the future, we’re all in safe hands. It’s been an absolute joy to edit this paper for the past year. We’ve won awards, hosted Susanna Reid, and broken national stories, but the real news is the friends we made along the way. (Sorry. But also seriously.)
I’d like to extend a special thanks to my ever-reliable senior team (pictured to the left) and the incomparable Livy Naylor, Epigram’s very own Madame President. She’s kept this ship from sinking several times, and she sent the money over to get these pages printed. We would be nothing without her ability to balance choral singing – which she is excellent at – and managing a newspaper. What a versatile girl. Designers Julia Mullins and Alex Hill also deserve a special shoutout for their talent. The pages you are looking at only look this gorgeous because of their eye for detail and 2am shifts in the ASS library.
I can be a pretty intense editor at times. Deadlines are deadlines and I won’t publish anything that isn’t up to scratch, but every single one of these people has risen to every challenge I’ve posed. Help me organise an entire campaign? Sure, easy. Can we put a yearbook in the final edition? Consider it done. Who wants to take the megaphone and shove newspapers into oncoming hands outside Senate House? Everyone, apparently.
From all of us in the senior team, thank you, thank you, thank you. What a wonderful year, what gorgeous faces. Expect me to be in contact for many, many years to come.
After two years with Epigram, it’s finally time to say goodbye! Thank you so much to the Features team for always patiently bearing with me, for all the incredible editorial work and writing, and, most importantly, for all the hilarious chats in pub gardens over a shared pint! Daisy, Jess, Reuben, and Ilona — it’s been a pleasure, you lot are the best in the biz.
Our incredibly hardworking team of Arts Editors has continued to expertly promote Bristol's burgeoning creative community, push the boundaries of arts criticism and engage with a vibrant and creative student body. We have been lucky enough to interview and work with some incredible artists, writers, actors and creatives who continue to help make Bristol the epicentre of progressive art making and discourse
Nel Roden Features Editor
Bruno Bridger Arts Editor
Karen Mends Opinion Editor
Will White News Co- Editor
Photo courtesy of: BBC Arts
film & TV
With the most incredible and hilarious team, I have absolutely adored creating a section that enables its writers to really get to grips with their loves and loathes of the current cinematic zeitgeist. We've had amazing opportunities, a wealth of incredibly talented writers, and a series of masterfully written reviews that would put any other publication or Letterboxd user to shame.
Design
You can tell by those big grins that Alex and I have become an iconic duo. Every Thursday afternoon in the office with you has been an absolute joy — even when we've been fighting desperately with InDesign. Print redesign, socials redesign, style guides, logos, posters... We have put in so many hours over the past year and it's absolutely paid off. Shout out to the SciTech boys and Will W for always lending us a hand at short notice. <3
Our music section contains five divas, no more, no less. We are a team of dreamers and go-getters who take student journalism just the right amount of seriously. This year, we interviewed some incredible artists, spotlighted local talent, but maybe most importantly of all had a good time along the way; making new friends and hosting karaoke nights.
Epigram Sports 24/25 will go down in history as a section that broke new ground. We secured solid partnerships with Student Fighter promoters with our trailblazing live blogs and brought quality coverage of Derby Day. Surely the greatest team of all time. Not until next year ;)
What an amazing year! Everyone should be so proud of their contributions. Epigram really is an amazing way to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. As I’m leaving I’ll let you in on a secret that I hope gives anyone considering joining a nudge in the right direction - I only wrote my first article this year (after becoming President!). I know that the team next year will do an amazing job and I can’t wait to see what they achieve.
Faniki Deche Sport Editor
Corin Hadley SciTech Editor
Livy Naylor President
Julia Mullins Design Lead
Benji Chapman Music Editor
Max Bradley-Cole Film & TV Editor
Epigram Class of 2025
Amaan Ali Co-Editor-in-Chief
Annie McNamee Co-Editor-in-Chief
Sofia Webster Deputy Editor
Will Standring Deputy Editor
Livy Naylor President
Ella Mason Treasurer
Anika Sharma Ads & Sales
Claudia Tipper Social Sec
Lily Wheeler EDI Officer
Dhillon Thurairatnam Head of Technology
Josie Hodgson News Editor
Maud Humphries News Editor Will White News Editor
Beatrice Learmouth News Deputy Editor
Rhiannon Jenkins News Deputy Editor
Sofia Lambis News Investigations
Otto Proctor News Subeditor
Cerys Larsen News Subeditor
Karen Mends Opinion Editor
Alex Creighton Opinion Deputy Editor
Ellen Jones Opinion Subeditor
Hannah Moser Opinion Deputy Editor
Riana McConochie Opinion Subeditor
Nel Roden Features Editor
Jessica Cohen Features Deputy Editor
Daisy Yates Features Deputy Editor
Reuben Kerbes Features Subeditor
Ella Heathcote Arts Deputy Editor
Bobbi Carsley Arts Deputy Editor
Julia Anna Masluszczak Arts Correspondent
Max Bradley-Cole Film&TV Editor
Meadow Wattret Film&TV Deputy Editor
Benji Chapman Music Editor
Megan Foulk Music Deputy Editor
Aditi Hrisheekesh Music Deputy Editor
Sophie Scannell Music Subeditor
Corin Hadley SciTech Editor
James Lewis SciTech Deputy Editor
Ellie Barnes SciTech Subeditor
Miles Gilroy SciTech Deputy Editor
Faniki Deche Sport Editor Adam Mountain Sport Deputy Editor
Mihai Rosca Sport Subeditor
Angelica Singh Vice President
Alex Hill Deputy Designer
Julia Mullins Lead Designer
Eleni Paraskeva Deputy Social Media
Chien Wen Sow Film&TV Deputy Editor
Nathan Flanders BtM Policy Lead
Epigram's Most Likely To... as
Susanna Reid returns to Epigram 35 years on Beyond Campus
The final event of Epigram’s Women in Media saw Susanna Reid, of morning television fame, deliver a keynote presentation about her career from editor of Epigram to Piers Morgan’s co-presenter.
Julia Mullins Second Year, Philosophy & Politics
Susanna Reid is a longstanding presenter of ITV’s Good Morning Britain – their award-winning breakfast show – the culmination of an impressive career working for programs like BBC Breakfast and BBC News 24. Susanna’s interview with Boris Johnson was shortlisted for a BAFTA in 2023 and she won Network Presenter of the Year in 2024, which she is nominated for again this year.
In 1990, Susanna Reid was studying Philosophy and Politics at the University of Bristol and in her second year, responding to a desperate ad-
two years earlier making Susanna one of the first editors. In those days Epigram printed weekly and they were – or rather Susanna was – ‘obsessed’ with membership of the National Union of Students. 'No normal student is obsessed with the NUS,’ Susanna laughs, admitting it was her biggest mistake as Editor of Epigram.
35 years later, Susanna is back on campus and – more importantly – back at Epigram for the final event of our Women in Media 2025 series. In a stunning Epigram red suit no less. After a ‘nostalgia tour’ of her old haunts, she’s sat down to
‘If it hadn’t been for Epigram, I simply wouldn’t be the presenter of Good Morning Britain.’
chat with our current Editor-in-Chief, Annie McNamee, to tell us what she’s been up to since her Epigram days.
Susanna spoke of the importance of ‘grabbing your opportunities.’ She said ‘if it hadn’t been for Epigram, I simply wouldn’t be the presenter of Good Morning Britain.’ She impressed the value of making mistakes; ‘you don’t need to be brilliant to start with, you need to be willing to learn. You need to accept you are going to screw up’ and told us to ‘please don’t worry about failing.’ She told us that ‘it’s okay to take a break’, which is the same advice she gives her children.
Susanna’s command of the audience was unsurprising, considering her career. The audience was engaged, laughing on cue at the tales of her five years working beside Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain. She politely described working with Piers as ‘lively, particularly the morning he walked o ... but you can only do that once’ later adding that it ‘may surprise you to know, but Piers and I are friends.’
So, what does a day, – or more accurately morning –
look like at Good Morning Britain?
She tells us that she’s ‘got [her] routine down to a fine art’ likening the early mornings to ‘airport time’; alarm set for 3:40. She reckons the only ‘sane’ people awake are those headed for a flight, but I think she’s forgetting this is prime time for students dragging themselves home from a club. By four a.m. she’s on her way to Television Centre and brushing up on the morning’s headlines. Then it’s shower, wardrobe, hair and makeup, ready for the five a.m. editorial meeting. By six a.m., come hell or high water, they go live to the nation.
Susanna admits that it is a high-pressure environment, but that is why ‘[she] absolutely love[s] it.’ This fast pace drew Susanna to broadcast, saying that it ‘felt so instinctively right for me.’
While at the BBC, Susanna came second in the 2013 season of Strictly Come Dancing and explained that the ‘magic glitter dust’ brought her to the attention of ITV. So, Susanna left the BBC to launch Good Morning Britain.
The Sun declared that Good Morning Britain would be cancelled by Christmas. The article – printed on page three – is now framed on her wall. She proudly told us that Good Morning Britain celebrates 11 years on air this month, while the page three model is no more.
Susanna was composed for the whole two-hour talk, but like the politicians she interviews she carefully avoided one question. When asked by a member of the audience what the biggest mistake of her career was she said, ‘that is not the worst, I’ve done things I won’t mention.’ No ammunition for a headline sadly, but good to know she wouldn’t underestimate the room full of eager student journalists.
‘I wish I could go back and do it all again.’
Leaving the nation’s favourite child, the BBC, in favour of the comparatively glamorous ITV made her ripe picking for the tabloids. Paparrazi were camped outside her home, and Good Morning Britain found themselves in headlines ‘pretty much every single day’ in their early days.
After the talk, we crowded around as Susanna pulled vintage issues of Epigram from her Louis Vuitton suitcase. Excitedly flipping through pages to see what had been added or cut over the years – no SciTech section back then. I admitted to Susanna that I had been the one to scrap ‘Between the Sheets’ and promised her it would be back in its rightful place. I didn’t know quite how far back it went.
Having Susanna back in our own lecture hall was a reminder of Epigram’s legacy and an inspiration for how far our paper might take us too. She told us, ‘I wish I could go back and do it all again.’
Photos courtesy of: Harriett Sanderson
Noreen Masud on her memoir A Flat Place
Epigram interviews University of Bristol tutor, lecturer and acclaimed writer Noreen Masud, discussing trauma, solidarity and resisting the demands of capitalism in an interview on her 2023 memoir A Flat Place
Ella Heathcote Arts Deputy Editor
If you look up Noreen Masud’s memoir A Flat Place you’ll be met with pages and pages of reviews, recommendations and awards it’s been shortlisted for. And it’s nothing if not entirely deserving of these, but I knew Noreen before I knew her award-winning memoir. I knew her as a lecturer and tutor (my favourite one, to be clear) –her course on trauma and literature was eye-opening for me, her seminars were unmissable, some of the most engaging and open discussions I’ve had since I’ve been at university, attested by the attendance which barely dwindled over the term despite the 9am Monday slot we’d been cursed with.
Noreen’s book A Flat Place follows her through various flat landscapes, beginning in Lahore, Pakistan,
where she spent her childhood, and continuing in the UK. Memories of Noreen’s life are woven into her pilgrimages, grappling with identity – not just her own, but often the identity of a place, the impact of colonial legacies.
I sit down with Noreen in her office on campus, and she immediately puts me at ease (I think it’s usually the interviewer that’s meant to do that, but I imagine my nerves were palpable, so I was grateful). We start talking about the book; she tells me that when she started writing it, it was meant to be solely about flat landscapes, without mention of her own life. When she sent
it to her agent, he responded, ‘It’s very nicely written, but it’s weird.’ It was at this point that she explained her diagnosis of complex PTSD to him, how it informs her view of the world, and he told her she should really include it in her book. ‘The image of the flat landscape’ she says, ‘became an increasingly compelling way for me to understand what has happened to me in my life.’ This was the birth of her memoir.
With this in mind, I ask her if the writing process was therapeutic for her. ‘I didn’t write it to be therapeutic’ she tells me straight away, yet ‘I think that was the first time I wrote about my life and someone didn’t try and minimise it or dismiss it. I was believed, and that was really powerful’, ‘now it’s just a bit of paper (she flaps the book around in the air) I’m no longer tormented by it.’
‘So much of our media is [...] owned and controlled by people who have an active interest in perpetuating and increasing inequality in our society’
Did she feel any pressure, then, to round things o for the sake of the book? She responds by telling me about her strong resistance to
the idea of ‘healing narratives.’ ‘Capitalism says you’ve got to heal so that you can go back to being ‘productive’’, she gestures air quotes, expressing her opposition to this, her desire to resist those demands.
But how can she do this? How can a contemporary writer focus on ‘solidarity’ rather than being ‘useful according to capitalism’s terms’? Noreen’s father was a dominant figure in her childhood, whose abuse is recalled throughout the book. Yet she also writes that he was ‘not a bad man.’ I ask her if it was hard, in the face of his influence, to write these words, to attach this to his legacy, and her reply takes the conversation on an unexpected turn. She mentions the slew of popular books ‘about bad Muslim men’ circulating when she was younger, and the normalisation of Islamophobia in recent years. ‘I was absolutely terrified of reinforcing those ideas’; ‘I did not want what had happened to me to be misap-
‘I think that was the first time I wrote about my life and someone didn’t try and minimise it or dismiss it. I was believed, and that was really powerful’
propriated, misread to fuel Islamophobia.’ She makes her point very clear, ‘my father behaved the way he did not because he was a Muslim, but because he was an Anglophile, because he was left with this great sense of postcolonial inadequacy.’
Her point couldn’t be more relevant in the face of Elon Musk’s recent fascination with the Rochdale grooming cases, inspired by and inspiring yet more Islamophobia in the press and online. ‘Muslim men are a socially palatable monster’, Noreen says on this point. She becomes visibly upset now, as she begins talking about recent events in Gaza: ‘it makes me sad and angry when people say “so many of the people killed in Palestine are women and children”,’ ‘but what a tragedy it also is to lose beautiful, caring, loving Palestinian men. Their lives matter too.’
We move away from the topic, and onto another important figure in Noreen’s life, her mother. She was largely a passive figure in Noreen’s childhood, something she grapples with in the book. The relationship between the two is by no means simple. But as they journey through Orkney together, her mother begins to open up, and their relationship seems to strengthen. I ask Noreen about her relationship with her mother since the book’s publishing. It was a huge step for her, she says, she can now look at her mother and say, ‘I don’t understand you, but I love you.’ This motto has had a far-reaching e ect on Noreen’s life. This is what’s important, she asserts – to be able to stand with someone even if you can’t relate to them. It is a message of hope that Noreen conveys, both in her book and in our conversation, of solidarity through struggle.
Our lives are dominated by extremity – of emotions, of opinions and voices, of events – so I would encourage every student to read A Flat Place, and to consider flatness for a while.
Photo courtesy of: National Trust Images/Chris Lacey
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Editor
Masluszczak
A prescription with no side-e ects: Can the arts help curb our poor mental health?
Grace O'Sullivan explores the arts as a positive force for change in a climate of poor mental health
Grace O'Sullivan
Third Year, English
di cult to diminish the conversation surrounding poor mental health in England. Particularly since the pandemic, mental health di culties have skyrocketed, with one in four adults statistically likely to experience a mental health problem each year. These statistics are daunting, and present a destabilisation to the way that we live, work and socialise. In light of the suggestion of cuts to disability benefits, which include those claiming on the basis of mental illness, the necessity to approach this health crisis is pressing.
Encountering mental health troubles, particularly as a young person, should not be carried with shame. Faced with an unstable future, in which media exposes us to the shocking realities of the world around us, it is unsurprising for our emotional wellbeing to take a hit in response to some extreme stimuli. The necessity to look after yourself can seem feeble, but it remains important.
Whilst I can’t imagine that there is one fix-all solution to the state of mental health in England, the phrase ‘arts on prescription’ intrigued me. Surely, doctors rely on medicines, and not something as unscientific as the arts? Could the arts, which are facing harsh budgeting cuts in the UK, begin to be recognised as an important contribution to a national health issue?
Arts on prescription refers to an alternative dialogue between health professionals and patients. A professional would look to address a person’s relationship to the arts, suggesting participation in something creative as part of a more holistic attitude to supporting their emotional wellbeing. Artistic experiences are recommended as a therapeutic aide, potentially alongside mental health medication or therapy. It’s important to note that this is in no way a conspiracy theory against Big Pharma - I believe that medication is a valuable tool for people struggling through rough patches. This mode of prescribing is designed to work with, not instead of, existing medical practices; Sir Jeremy Farrah, chief scientist of the World Health Organisation, urges us not to see ‘Science and the Arts as separate endeavours’.
This phenomenon began to become especially prevalent among practic-
Arts Recommends
Slow Days, Fast Company
This book is a sumptuous picture of Southern California that envelops the reader in its luscious haze – a far cry from the drizzly Bristol April showers. In just 200 pages, Babitz whirls through ten visions of a sun-baked Los Angeles and delves into the glamourous lives within, from film-stars consumed by fame, to haughty socialites consumed by drugs, to deadly Italian femme fatales. This book is a love letter to the bygone Los Angeles of the 1960s and 70s, and Babitz’s seductive wit will make you long to join her on those slow, romantic days.
es in Switzerland, where park runs, comedy and museums are being put on prescription. Here, it is notable that the arts is not a purely individualistic indulgence, that its implementation encourages people to proactively engage in their wider communities. In a society su ering from a loneliness epidemic, encouragement of communal participation in creativity may help address an even wider social issue.
Whilst I myself, a person gifted with an upbringing decorated by artistic culture, am receptive to this shift, I feel it is important to acknowledge the social barriers that artistic culture is arguably structured on. Research shows that the creative industries remain 'elitist and inaccessible' to those outside the middle and upper classes. With lower socioeconomic groups having historically been more at risk of su ering with mental health difficulties, is it callous to recommend an elitist culture as an antidote? Leisure time itself is a commodity - can everyone a ord to fritter it on the new Barbican exhibition?
However, with a more nuanced approach to the rollout of prescribed arts, the position of artistic culture as an elitist institution could actually become more inclusive. In selective clinics, patients receiving this prescription have been o ered
the opportunity to access these cultural outings for free. If this trend is consistent, access to the arts becomes cheaper, not merely reserved for those who grew up in middle-class, Guardian-perusing households. Not only could we anticipate a healthier society, but the wealth barriers to creativity may become slowly eroded if it is implemented on a large scale. Personally, I think this prospect is a cautiously optimistic glimmer in a climate that is rapidly failing to recognise the value of the arts. Creativity alludes to a more hopeful representation of the human spirit
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981)
Assembly (2021)
Kitchen (1988)
Navigating work, family and relationships, Brown depicts the experience of assimilation by laying bare the consciousness of an upper-class, black, British woman and the constant sense of alienation she feels in modern Britain. In only 104 pages, set into vignettes, Assembly lets the reader piece together the narrative for themselves, confronted by a narrator exerting her own disintegration under the weight of the pressures of the societies she must conform to for acceptance.
- one that is generous and open to uniting communities. With services under crippling pressure, a quick fix in the form of medication may still sound like the logical route.
I hope, however, that arts on prescription will eventually be recognised as a valuable contribution to improving our collective wellbeing as well as benefiting individuals. Jarvis Cocker (whose advice I am very susceptible to accepting) declares that we all possess a creative spark; I'd like to think that realising this can only be a force for positive change.
Photo courtesy of Grace O'Sullivan
(1974)
The five things Peter Hook taught me about graduating
A review of the bassist's latest show turned into of a reflection on what journalism taught me
Benji Chapman Music Editor
It's the final stretch now. Student tenancies are coming to an end, internships (if they've been secured) are being prepared for, and last-minute tickets to South-East Asia are being scrambled for. The world, as we know it, is coming to an end.
University is finishing. But, luckily for you, we have some good music to listen to while we go out and face the wide world. Here's what I had to think about following my interview and more recent attendance of Peter Hook's Get Ready tour that is keeping me optimistic in such uncertain times. When I started writing for Epigram I was basically just talking about the music that interested me. If you dig around you'll even find one of my first ever pieces, which was about the history of the Minecraft soundtrack.
head at the moment, which is that everyone 'starts from zero' when they try something completely new. When you graduate, no matter what's next, things are going to significantly change. That is unfortunately pretty much unavoidable.
‘Nobody wakes up a professional.’
At one point or another, we'll have to try something that we've never done before. Maybe you're starting a new job, a Master's, or only just beginning to figure out what it is you want your career to look like, if you even want one that is.
‘Things are going to significantly change.’
Something that keeps me sane though is the fact that when Peter Hook bought his first bass, he didn't even know the di erence between that and a sixstringed electric guitar. He mistakenly bought a £10 amplifier without a speaker, so when he plugged it in, no sound came out. But the fact that the bass guitar was so poorly made meant that he had to find a new way of playing it. And he wrote Unknown Pleasures on it. He started from nothing, and then co-wrote one of the greatest post-punk records of all time.
You never know what perspective you'll bring to the table, precisely because you're a newcomer.
As Hooky took to the stage at the Marble Factory for a whopping three hour set of New Order and Joy Division classics, my mind was cast back to the time I was first writing for Epigram, and earlier still got first introduced to Unknown Pleasures by my mum aged 16. The resultant piece that came to my mind wasn't so much a conventional review, but more of a homage to the voyage that music journalism has taken me on, from Minecraft soundtracks to a (semi) review of one of the greatest bassists of all time.
Everyone leaves a little bit clueless
There's a saying going around my
Experience beats knowledge
The author Mark Twain said, 'Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.'
I can't decide if I like this saying, or the way Peter Hook said to me better, which is that when he was twenty, he 'didn’t know [his] arse from [his] elbow'. What I'm articulating here is that you can't learn without actually doing something, and often failing in the process. Nobody wakes up a professional. You can only gain experiencing by doing stu on the fly.
People don't become experts just because they read books. They got their hands dirty and put themselves out there. Is that sometimes a very scary thought? Absolutely. But is it possible to get started somewhere? Most definitely.
Just look at how badly it went when Peter Hook opened the Hacienda nightclub. Or how 'Blue Monday' actually lost money on each copy, due to its expensive silver inner sleeve. Even into his later years, when the Hacienda first opened, the fact that he and the other members of New Order were opening a club with no previous experience meant that it was basically a commercial failure. But they learned from it. And sure - on paper - it was a flop. But where else would you want to be during the '90s in Manchester?
The world will keep turning
Right now, it feels like the world is only turning faster. New technology seem to come out every other month that alters the course of history, a new divide arises between political factions that didn't exist a week ago, and global conflicts only increase in tension and scale.
We could probably all do with a pause. With the structure of university being pulled from under me and you, this is now more of an inevitability now than a choice. When the world lost Ian Curtis in 1979, there was almost no understanding of mental health: it just didn't "exist". Nowadays, as Hooky himself said, 'I'm better educated.'
The need for people to take the time to connect with the things and people that really matter post-university are essential: it will probably actually help you achieve your longer-term life goals in the long run, because your priorities are in check.
Don't let the "finish line" in life become the centre of your own uni-
and worse, me and Hooky agreed that the world is largely indi erent in the grand scheme of things. Whatever it is that fulfils you, just hold onto it tight. And don't be afraid to step o this crazy magic carpet ride every now and then. Just remember there's a seat saved for you when you're ready to get back on.
Sometimes you just need to sit on your friends
You're probably either currently living in the same house or at least the same city as your best friends. First and foremost, don't panic if you're not all staying in Bristol.
Not only will you likely stay in touch in one way or another, but making friends at the next place you're headed to will be just as exciting as the process of making new friends during university.
Just don't be afraid to call old friends out when they're neglecting their wellbeing later on. They may even thank you eventually. When I had my interview, Hooky said that it was the main thing he regretted not doing to help Ian Curtis.
sheer force if necessary. So take a seat. It's a long ride ahead.
Say thanks to mum
And last but not least, say thanks to your mum. Fittingly, this was who Hooky devoted his final song to at his show in Bristol. In his own words, 'that's where we all go when things go wrong.' Sure enough, when things hit the fan, that's normally where I'll be headed. After all, I wouldn't have even known who Peter Hook, Joy Division, or New Order were if she hadn't recommended them to me.
Going back to an earlier point, our mums are probably so sought after as a port of advice for their invaluable experience in handling our own breakdowns and neuroses. So when you get the chance, say thanks for all they do. It's definitely worth a lot more than one day a year, that much is certain.
‘Don't be afraid to go back to your mum.’
This was what inspired me to pick it as another piece of advice that was ringing in my mind when I saw Hooky live: 'I would have took him home and I would have sat on him until he got better'. We all know, inside, how caught up things can get in our train of thought. Nobody is supposed to deal with these thoughts alone, and that's what friends are for.
The best friends that I've met at university are the ones who don't just ride with you on the "train of thought". They'll know when to pull you back onto the station with
Remember also whether it's a mum, pet, friend, or mentor, that there will always be people like mums who are there to look out for you. Even when university comes to a close. And they don't just do it because they have to: you will give them a lot of reasurrance too, in your own way. It's this unspoken, reciprocal kind of love that really makes the di erence here.
So when the student houses are departed from, and we all move on to whatever is next, don't be afraid to go back to your mum.
But keep your head up and remember that, with the next challenge, you have people like that to guide you through it. Or, in the very least, some incredible music to soundtrack the experience!
Photo courtesy of:MarkMcNulty
Sean Lawrenson
Co-Deputy Sports Editor Cassia are a band built for the summer. Every year, their music reflects days spent in the park
Following a busy few months touring in North America and Mexico, the band are preparing to take their new album on tour across the U.K. Having played Trinity Centre back in the winter of 2022, their show at SWX on 15th May feels both a big and natural step up.
Vocalist and lead guitarist Rob Ellis, bassist Lou Cotterill, and drummer/ vocalist Jacob Le sat down with Epigram to discuss everything from touring to their dream collaboration. At the beginning of our Zoom call, the boys quickly tell me about the impact of their North American tour. 'We had a bit of a heavy night last night,' Rob Ellis tells me, echoed by Jacob who informs me they only had a couple of hours' sleep.
Despite this, they are in good spirits, each armed with a co ee close by, as our conversation drifts over to their new album Everyone, Outside.
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In conversation with Cassia
I ask them how they came to settle on that name. 'We were just chatting about it one day, trying to figure out artwork ideas... it just seemed to make sense.'
'It’s an answer to our last album,' Jacob Le tells me, referencing their 2022 album Why You Lacking Energy?. 'Because our last album was a little bit slow, and I think that it’s just fun to play live [...] There’s still sentimental stu , not necessarily overly positive stu ,' Rob adds. 'But when we wrap that in these really upbeat feelings, it really gets us, like a happy/sad thing.'
The balance they strike is evident in the first four singles released from this album. The seemingly upbeat 'Miles Out' is filled with melancholic reflections on a relationship turned sour. Their music combines feet-tapping rhythms with catharsis, a collective experience close to healing. 'You’ve kind of got to reverse it,' Ellis says.
'It’s like 'Perfect Day' – you can’t tell if it’s happy or sad, and I think that’s really cool.' Within five minutes of the call, I can tell just how much the band get on.
'It’s kind of like therapy, be-
cause we don’t really chat to each other,' jokes Cotterill.
Wanting to know a bit more about the people behind the band, I ask them about their favourite gigs they’ve been to as fans.
Their choices – Elton John, Tame Impala (playing Blackpool, naturally) and Vampire Weekend – highlight their love of the live experience. Whether it’s losing yourself in the audience or, in Le ’s case, chatting to Tame Impala while having a smoke outside, that feeling is hard to define but unmistakable. Moving back to the album, I ask what can be expected from the rest of the record. 'There’s lots of di erent vibes,' they tell me.
'They exist in the same space, but there’s lots of newer, unexpected twists and turns.' The band seem so excited when speaking about the project. They tell me the album is the culmination of a process that lasted just under a year and a half. 'Usually it was like, get in the studio three days after touring and you’re just like "what have you got?" and it’s just like "nothing",' Jacob laughs.
This extra time led to around
60 songs. 'It’s the classic band thing where it’s like yeah, 100 songs,' Jacob says. '2000 songs,' Rob adds to the joke. Despite so much material, they didn’t feel overly sentimental when choosing what made the cut.
'We felt alright about bringing the scythe down on certain tunes,' Rob says. 'It should happen fairly insistently, for it to hit.' The band describe the chopping and changing of songs with such freedom, and the album
Medieval Summer Sounds
Golden Brown
The Stranglers
The defining song of this year’s online medieval revival. The song charted at #2 upon its release in 1982 and has seen a TikTok renaissance, providing the soundtrack to many a viral medievalcore video. The videos feature fast paced images spanning from medieval facsimiles to BBC Merlin, collaged and cut up to the rhythm of harpsichord stabs.
The jaunty, driving harpsichord at the heart of the song will make you feel like you’re running through the corridors of a vast castle, face lit by only a candle. Something magical is definitely afoot
Bigmouth Strikes Again
The Smiths
The lyric ‘AndnowIknowhowJoanofArcfelt /astheflamesrosetoherRomannose/andher Walkman started to melt’ is what tenuously connects this song to the Middle Ages for me.
When listening, I like to erase the mental image of a half-joking-half-serious Morrissey feigning persecution and bemoaning the consequences of his o ensive ‘bigmouth’. Instead, I vest myself with the power of rebel girl Joan. Divine messages! War in the body of a girl! On the bus with my wired earphones, I am her! Maybe I’m just as bad as him…
Byrd one breere Traditional Folk
This song is known as one of the earliest love poems in the English language. The subject of the song is a beautiful woman who flits around like a bird in a tree. But the language is tinged with questions of transformation and death.
It’s a little profane, ‘Might I have her at my will,’ the speaker sings of their love, but revering too, ‘she may save me from my sorrow’. Read Carol Rumens’s analysis in the Guardian’s poem of the week for more insight on its endless complexity.
benefits for it. You move from upbeat, feet-tapping songs like 'here & now' to floating ethereality in others, such as 'fractured.'
The album is a fantastic piece of work from the band. I ask if there is any artist they’d be keen to collaborate with in the future. It would be good to have something that’s a really interesting mix, between us and them,' Jacob says. Rob’s immediate answer of 'Pitbull' cracks everyone up.
For the full article go to: epigram.org.uk
Blue Bell Knoll Cocteau Twins
I’m only now making the connection between singer Liz Fraser’s beautiful, eerie, twisting melodies and the ornamented melodies of the medieval church. The alien lyrics of the Cocteau Twins remind me of the language of the Middle English poems I’ve met in my English studies – familiar, indecipherable. Impossible to translate in an exam setting.
I initially picked this song because it features yet another harpsichord. Which is more of a baroque instrument than anything. Quick google and… baroque is not medieval. Whoops!
Photos courtesy of: @wearecassia
Photo courtesy of: Parlophone Records
Photo courtesy of: Warner Music UK
Photo courtesy of: Nettwerk Productions
Photo courtesy of: 4AD
Meet the woman behind the new Doctor Who companion
Doctor Who season two has blasted o , and fans are already buzzing. Ncuti Gatwa rockets back into the TARDIS and his new companion, Belinda Chandra, is introduced. Played by Varada Sethu, who you might remember as Mundy Flynn from last season’s episode ‘Boom’ - is hopping aboard as the new companion. The first episode wastes no time, flinging viewers into a sudden, intergalactic ride that’s every bit as unpredictable as it is exciting.
I sat down with Varada to discuss her acting journey and early creative roots and it was clear why she’s so magnetic on screen. There’s an unmistakable spark to her with a natural charisma when speaking about her craft, making the conversation both enlightening and enjoyable. Varada’s artistic passion took root early. Growing up in Kerala, South India, until she was six, she was surrounded by a culture that regards the arts highly. ‘It’s very much a part of Indian culture,’ she recalls, reminiscing on the admiration for the Malayalam movie industry and its actors. Despite this reverence, she pointed out that pursuing the arts professionally is often viewed with skepticism within the community.
‘I think as a culture, we’re really invested in the arts but we’re not always supportive of our kids doing it as a career.’ Even while attending veterinary school at the
University of Bristol, she always knew acting was her calling. ‘The passion and commitment come from within,’ she explained. ‘My advice would be to work really, really hard on yourself and believe in yourself, because no one else can do that for you. No one else.’
Indian classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam also influenced her early relationship with performance. ‘It’s such an expressive art form that inherently goes hand in hand with acting,’ she noted. Learning to convey emotion through dance built her confidence and taught her how to connect with an audience - she speaks of the various roles that one must embody in a Bharatanatyam performance, nurturing a range of expressions and skills that prove invaluable on screen.
When asked about her favourite role, Varada admits it’s a toss-up between Belinda Chandra in Doctor Who and Cinta Kaz in Andor. Belinda’s assertiveness and clear boundaries helped Varada cultivate similar strengths in her everyday life - acting, in a way, can build a kind of ‘muscle memory’ for life’s challenges, without exposing you to any real-world consequences, she noted. Varada learned she’d landed the part of Belinda only a couple of weeks before shooting, at ‘breakneck speed’ - much like Belinda’s own whirlwind entry into a tumultuous world of robots and space-
Aditi Hrisheekesh, Co-Deputy Music Editor
Editor’s Choice:
One of our writers, Aditi Hrisheekesh, was lucky enough to bag an interview with actress Varada Sethu, who stars as the new Doctor Who companion, Belinda Chandra. Read on to find out what it was like working with Ncuti Gatwa and the di erences between filming on Doctor Who versus Star Wars.
time anomalies. ‘I hadn’t processed it in that moment,’ she said, reminiscing on the moment she found out. Having played Mundy Flynn in the previous season’s episode ‘Boom’, the excitement she had on set then was undeniable. ‘I had such an amazing time on set and walking away was quite hard,’ she said, not expecting to come back.
On the sci-fi front, the sets of both Andor and Doctor Who share one clear advantage: the 'talking to a tennis ball and green screen thing’ was minimal on both. Varada praised the ‘attention to detail’ on each set and how you can feel ‘the love and energy that goes into the job’ when the set is right in front of you. The environments for both sets felt undeniably livedin for Varada, especially on Andor which felt like a proper town. The tangible props for Doctor Who, like the ten-foot-tall robots, were truly there, making it easier for her to ground herself in her character’s reality, no matter how fantastical her surroundings may be.
Furthermore, Varada’s strong rapport with co-star Ncuti Gatwa stood out, ‘I absolutely love him.’ She
acknowledged how the energy he brought to the set was extremely ‘dynamic and you just want to match it’, which created what she called ‘a beautiful, kind of family setting’. This sort of camaraderie, she noted, could ultimately transform even the most challenging days on set.
We also spoke about how she prepared di erently for each role. Getting ready for the role of Cinta Kaz in Andor wasn’t something Varada stepped into lightly. She spent months preparing for Cinta, ‘diving into her psyche, into the kind of trauma that she endures.’ She found herself poring over material that stretched her understanding of a revolutionary struggle - one book in particular, Shoot the Women First by Eileen McDonald, came as a real turning point. ‘It’s incredible. It’s a collection of interviews with women who are in revolutionary movements all around the world.’
She continues, ‘There’s a throwa way line about it - but what Cinta experiences is essentially genocide. It is a very di erent experience playing a character who is traumatised, who I also had a lot of time to do research for. Every
part of her being is angry and hurt.’ Belinda’s background, by contrast, was closer to Varada’s own, she noted, and her prep had to happen on the fly - she was literally ‘thrown into the deep end’ (no time for a months-long deep-dive).
Tonally, of course, Andor is ‘dark and gritty’ and geared towards adults, whereas Doctor Who leans more family-friendly. For Varada, acting is also rooted in an honest fascination with human psychology. ‘When you’re playing a di erent personality, you can pick up on the good traits’. Acting, as Varada sees it, can influence the self, being able to absorb the depth and intricacies of each character. By embodying the experiences of others, one can gain a ‘deeper understanding of the human condition’ - it is a unique way of gauging the human experience where empathy is of the utmost importance.
‘I love the spirit of Belinda,' Varada concluded. 'I love when she kind of became her own person and less like me. She’s such a special person that I got to embody for a while and I learned a lot from her. I hope to carry her with me.’
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Review: Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other
Maggie Barret is the wife of renowned photographer Joel Meyerowitz. He’s published 53 books, received the Guggenheim fellowship twice, and has had his worked displayed internationally in esteemed galleries such as MoMA and the Tate Modern. I think it’s safe to say that Joel is prolific, yet throughout this documentary, it becomes clear that his wife is too. An artist in her
own right, Maggie has published five novels, a play, and a collection of short stories, she draws, plays the piano (beautifully might I add), and is in every aspect of her life, an artist. Yet despite her unrelenting creativity and her equally expansive oeuvre, she has remained in the shadow of Joel’s camera throughout their time together. That is, until now.
Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other, a title that struck me like a slap in the face when I first read it, is a documentary by first time directors Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet. It follows the relationship between (can you guess?) Maggie Barret and Joel Meyerowitz as they navigate love, ageing, mortality, creativity, and even something as simple as their shared space. I had no idea what the film was about prior to watching, as I love to go into things with no preconceptions, and I can say that I was swiftly blown away.
The film opens with a whistle-stop tour of their lives communicated via picture and voiceover. The sequence creates this sort of sentimental launching pad from which the film kicks o and you’re immediately endeared to the couple both thanks to Maggie’s quippy wit (or witty quips) and Joel’s calm assurance. This is followed by a succession of gorgeous vignettes that converge to create a really lucid portrait of their life in rural Tus-
Road:
Amid a trend of anxiety-inducing kitchen dramas like The Bear and Boiling Point, La Cocina’s band of chefs are motivated not by achieving the perfect dish, but by the pursuit of their dreams. That, and freedom from a grinding system that renders them cogs in a chaotic machine.
Courtesy of Watershed I was kindly invited to watch Blue Road, a documentary by Sinéad O’Shea about Irish Author Edna O'Brien. After the credits rolled, I left the screening with one word in my mind: formidable. Edna O’Brien was a truly formidable woman.
cany. One of these initial moments that stood out to me was this scene of Maggie and Joel together in the bath. It’s just a simple, static, shot, with the couple situated to the left, Maggie’s back is to the camera as the couple share a kiss. It’s so beautiful and so tender and all I could think is how rarely we are presented with a love between two elderly people that is this raw and a ectionate. This is something so important and it permeates the whole film.
I have found in life that there is this poisonous, pervasive belief, especially amongst young people, that once you reach a certain age your life is over, and it seems that number is ever dwindling. To o set the dread caused by this you must have loved, achieved, and triumphed all before the age of 50, 30, 25, 21 and
so on. Yet Maggie and Joel’s life is the direct antithesis of this. They are constantly reinventing themselves, learning, doing, being, more and more and more. It was just so life a rming and reassuring that even at their respective ages they still had more that they wanted to do and more that they were doing.
The film, however, is not all sunshine and rainbows, Maggie and Joel’s relationship, like any, is comprised of light and dark. Maggie is intermittently at odds with Joel and his success, often feeling like an accessory to him and his career. Although Joel is acutely aware of this, taking great care to introduce her immediately to any approaching fan.
For the full article go to: epigram.org.uk
to One:
What is the price of silence? Leonardo Van Dijl seeks to answer this question in his directorial debut Julie Keeps Quiet. In an exclusive tennis academy, tennis prodigy Julie faces a di cult choice when her tennis coach is suspended following the
a past student.
This documentary captures Ono and Lennon as they immerse themselves fully into New York’s surroundings, culture, and turbulent political landscape – the couple find themselves fighting for activism against a backdrop of Nixon’s government and the Vietnam War.
Max Bradley-Cole Film & TV Editor
A review of an amazing documentarty about the relationship between two larger than life artists.
Photos courtesy of: IMDb
death of
La Cocina Review by Bethany Banks
Blue
The Edna O'Brien Story Review by Maia Rizzolo Black-
Julie Keeps Quiet Review by Juniper Gardner
One
John & Yoko Review by Bethany Banks
Photo courtesy of: IMDb
Photo courtesy of: IMDb
Photo courtesy of: Break Out Pictures
Photo courtesy of: La Cocina Film
Your 2024/25 SciTech Wrapped is here!
SciTech Subeditor Ellie Barnes takes a look back at all of SciTech's amazing achievements this year.
Ellie Barnes, SciTech Subeditor
What an incredible year for the SciTech section! Corin, Miles, James, and I congratulate you all and want to express our sincerest gratitude for writing such amazing articles and coming up with the most intriguing ideas. To acknowledge and praise the amazing scientists that have worked with us this year I have composed a SciTech Wrapped!
we are extremely grateful for.
This year we have published 38 articles on the Epigram website (at the time of writing), compared to the equally impressive 30 last year. The aim has been to keep science fun and interesting, encouraging people to see that science doesn’t have to be tedious and full of statistics - it can be relevant and exciting!
This year we were able to collaborate with the Intersectional Feminist Society. Jenine Alathari, a second year biochemistry student, discussed with Sonia Jordan, Tess Rayner, and our very own SciTech editor Corin Hadley about the heavy metals that were found in sanitary products. Being able to relate science to real, topical issues is something that has been so important for us and sharing that with other societies is a privilege
Furthermore, SciTech deputy editors James Lewis and Miles Gilroy collaborated with Robogals for the second part of our International Women’s Day series, where they discussed the overrepresentation of men in the STEM workforce and how Robogals are breaking boundaries. They are providing more female role models that encourage women to feel comfortable and seen when expressing their interest in the field.
Hannah Stainbank wrote on the University of Bristol’s Student's Union ending all forced swim
innovations, to the history and chemistry of bread, to Skyrim. I have thoroughly enjoyed editing his articles or just seeing his name pop up in the SciTech email.
experiments that were used to understand the neurobiology of stress, creating a beautifully fused science and student news article. I think merging the topics of sections to create something more diverse and current will only be beneficial for us to improve the section.
Harry Mayes wrote an astonishing four articles for us this year. His work ranged from AI
Alice Guskov, another quad-contributor, has impressed us all this year with her fascinating articles about the mini-moon that joined us in late 2024, the sustainability of Christmas, the benefits of learning to code, and now the
helped answer any questions or queries about writing for us. It was lovely to put faces to names and get to meet some of the many talented writers in our section. This is something that we all agree would be beneficial to continue next year to create a more social and interactive aspect to the section.
The Student Publication Association National Conference 2025 took place on the 5th of April in Exeter where, I am proud to announce, we won ‘Best Science Publication’! This means we are
o cially the best student lead science publication (or section) across the whole of the UK. Obviously this couldn’t have been done without our incredible writers and my remarkable SciTech editors. I am incredibly proud and honoured to have worked alongside such astonishing people who are interested and care so deeply about the world. Not only did we win ‘Best Science Publication’ but Epigram won ‘Best Publication’ overall! There is something so special within this newspaper and the environment it fosters and it is truly beautiful to see that recognised at a higher level. I am grateful to be a part of it and hope that you all feel the same.
If you would like to write for our award winning SciTech section over the summer or next year you can join the whatsapp group, using the QR code in the top right corner, and take commissions we put out, or pitch us an idea through our email: scitech.epigram@gmail.com !
life and death of the Gaia space observatory. Alice’s breadth of style has kept us glued to the pages all throughout the year.
Cali Stott has kept us up to date on all things AI and computing this year. Her articles about the new Isambard 3 supercomputer at the University of Bristol and how AI is a ecting banking have been informative and extremely engaging. Cali’s ability to explain complex scientific ideas in a digestible way has been second to none.
One particularly impressive aspect we have added this year is the writing workshops, these happened across the whole of Epigram and
workforce
Editor Deputy Editor
Deputy Editor Subeditor Researcher
Corin Hadley
.............. Miles Gilroy
.............. James Lewis
.............. Ellie Barnes Harrison Phillips
Alice Guskov recounts the life and achievements of the European Space Agency's Gaia space observatory
Alice Guskov Second Year, Astrophysics
Gaia, which stands for Global Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics, has nothing to do with the Greek goddess of the same name. This Gaia is a European space observatory tasked with creating the largest and most precise 3D map of our galaxy.
Launched on December 19 2013, it has two identical telescopes with a common focal plane featuring three science instruments to determine the properties of nearly two billion objects. The astrometric instrument uses parallax to determine the distance of an object as well as its proper motion to find its velocity. The radial velocity spectrometer determines an object’s Doppler shift, and the photometric instrument finds stellar characteristics such as temperature, mass and chemical composition.
After launching, Gaia entered its operational orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, where the orbital motion is in equilibrium with the gravitational forces, allowing it to hover. L2 is a very popular destination for observational spacecraft because it is behind the Earth, and therefore, observations are not a ected by the Earth’s shadow, which can distort images. However, Gaia did not start taking observations as soon as it reached
Celebrating Gaia’s decade of achievements
to Earth daily and measures each star an average of 70 times over five years. As you can imagine, this is a lot of data, requiring robust data-handling software. In fact, the University of Bristol’s Astrophysics Group received a grant in 2013 from the UK Space Agency to further develop data-handling software to access the data from the Gaia mission. This software was authored by Dr Mark Taylor, a research fellow and local contributor to the Gaia mission in the School of Physics, who is ‘proud to be contributing to the hundreds of scientists on the Gaia project and [looks] forward to discoveries about the way the Galaxy formed and the properties of the stars that live within it.’
L2. It required four months of calibration and o cially started taking measurements on 25 July 2014 - beginning its 11-year mission.
Spinning once every six hours, Gaia sends up to 100 gigabytes of data
By Miles Gilroy SciTech Deputy Editor
On the 5th of April 2025, Epigram’s SciTech section was ocially recognised as the best science publication or section by the Student Publication Association (SPA).
I speak for the whole of the SciTech editorial team when I say that this award means the absolute world. We have put in countless hours of work behind the scenes to grow this section into what it is today and, while it’s not all about awards, it is nice to be recognised on a national scale.
That being said, this award is as much yours as it is ours. Without
So far, there have been three data releases to the public, with a fourth estimated in 2026 and a final legacy catalogue in 2030. The first data release in 2016 revealed the positions and apparent brightness for 1.1 billion objects. The second release in 2018 expanded upon this data and provided evidence for a past collision with another galaxy, causing the Milky Way’s disc to be curved rather than flat. The third
SciTech wins best science section at SPA awards
your readership and incredible articles, this section wouldn’t exist and we are eternally grateful for all you have done this year.
Here’s what Andy Extance and Emma Hattersley from the Association of British Science Writers had to say about our section:
‘After the section was nearly scrapped at the end of the last academic year, the hard work of the editorial team has produced an impressively engaging section. Innovations such as the introduction of the role of ‘head researcher’ and an idea-generation workshop helped create compelling, accurate copy. The section’s focus on working with the design team, contributions to the ‘Break The Mould’ campaign against
unhealthy housing and discussion of local scientific issues showed a great understanding of their audience. They also bravely tackled the issue of animal testing in their piece on how their university banned experiments that force mice to swim.’
data release in 2022 contained data for over 1.8 billion stars and attempted to patch some of the gaps in previous data. As a result, it identified new star clusters, exoplanets, black holes, quasars and galaxies! I may be biased as an Astrophysics student, but that is incredible. And there is another data release still to come, which will further reveal the intricacies of the universe and continue to revolutionise astronomy.
The Gaia mission was originally meant to last five years, using about a dozen grams of cold gas daily to function. It has greatly exceeded this time frame and is running low
on fuel. As a result, it was sent into a ‘retirement orbit’ after switching o its systems around the sun on 27 March 2025. It has been a very emotional moment for everyone who has worked on the mission for the past several years, with the Gaia Mission Manager Uwe Lammers stating, ‘we will never forget Gaia, and Gaia will never forget us.’
Although Gaia will no longer be taking new measurements, this is just the beginning of Gaia’s impact on astrophysics. The huge amount of data it has collected will guide astrophysics for many years to come and possibly lead to many more ground-breaking discoveries.
Editor's Note:
Here it is. The end of the road. And what a journey it's been.
Whether you've been an avid contributor or just a loyal reader this year, Corin, James, Ellie, and myself would like to thank you sincerely for joining us.
It has been hard work, but fuck me was it fun.
I'm sure I also speak for the other three when I say this year has been more successful than I could have ever imagined and that is entirely down to you guys. Thank you for reading our silly little section.
Have a great Summer - Miles :)
Illustrations
Photo courtesy of: European Space Agency
Photo courtesy of: Harriett Sanderson
Sport Coach's diaries: Managing UBWFC 4's
Growing up as a football fan in Kenya, the women’s game carried this Wild West mystique to it. Apart from the World Cup and the Olympics, it was never really on television which meant those occasions carried an excitement akin to when the FA Cup Final was the only time you could watch Sir Stanley Matthews (or Marta in this case) on TV. It was this bubbling feeling of wanting to know more about this game that motivated me to take up the role as coach of my University Women’s Fourth Team. As a student who also plays for my University Men’s Team and coached their fifth and sixth team last year, these are my experiences entering women’s football.
The start of men’s training sessions are a bit like herding chicken. Whenever I set up, balls are already flying around. Some are doing rondos, a couple are exchanging long passes and others are taking shots. The chickens are everywhere until you call them with your set up and they come dribbling back. However, the women are a bit more like herding sheep. I’m setting up but the balls aren’t flying. I turn around and I see them waiting for me to finish before stepping in.
Faniki Deche, Sport Editor
Editor's Choice:
Since this is the last print of my tenure as Sports Editor this is a love letter to my time coaching both the Men's fifth and sixth football team as well as the Women's fourth team. I think it is a unique position to be in that is not often spoken about as I got to experience and adapt to both sides of the game. Here are my thoughts and observations for anyone interested in coaching.
this “chicken-behaviour” to be important for a player’s individual development, but I found out within this space there’s a lot of authority placed on the coach as the perceived holder of wisdom.
‘Within this space there’s a lot of authority placed on the coach as the perceived holder of wisdom.’
Eventually I ask why, and they respond with “I didn’t know we could do that” and “that would be disrespectful.” Honestly, I find
I believe this comes from their surprisingly short “careers” compared with my male teammates. Even in the fifth and sixth men’s teams, many were among the best in school and have been playing since childhood. Meanwhile, a good number of the girls only started playing seriously post-2020 with the Lionesses winning the Euros being a key factor meaning the guys have more self-confidence in coaching themselves. As a result,
my first role was to be a confidence builder for the girls to trust in themselves to take initiative without solely relying on my knowledge.
My biggest struggle about coaching women is communication. Personally whenever I give instructions to individual players, I would reference current professionals that match their playstyles. However, over 97% of the players that I know in depth are men, which worked well when coaching guys but feels disingenuous in this context because it’s the same sport but a di erent game. The pace and physicality is di erent so telling them to watch Iniesta is less helpful than telling them to analyse Putellas’ game.
Moreover, most of the girls extensively follow the women’s game. I remember one time the girls were talking about how Arsenal lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League and I was like “Real need to beat Athletico in the second leg to play Arsenal?” but they meant the Women’s UCL so you’ve got to understand their game if you want to teach them how to play. It honestly feels like learning a new language, because you need to expose yourself to it by watching it consistently and you need to start thinking women’s football in order to speak it.
so there’s still lots to improve.
Tactically, it’s clear that football was coded by and for men. From the dimensions of the pitch, goals and balls, the women’s game has had to adapt and so do my tactics. Take goal kicks. You cannot default to going long at this level because girls who can kick that far come at a premium. Good news is that pressing becomes key and an easy way to create chances. Bad news is, especially at the beginning when I had to build confidence among the group, buildup becomes a problem.
‘It’s the same sport but a di erent game.’
‘Our opponents either had a white man in charge or none at all.’
The players don’t trust themselves to play through presses and going long is a problem. So you have to compromise and we settled on playing over the press. With teams pressing high, they leave gaps between their defensive and midfield lines where one of our attackers could drop in. You lure them in with the keeper playing it short to the centre back who, with a moving ball, doesn’t have to kick far and with lift can bypass the press and find our attacker between the lines. A couple of successful plays and the opposition drops deeper creating more space for the centre backs to play thus building their confidence game by game.
I made personal files for each player stating their roles, strengths and weaknesses and I tried to compare their profile with current female players. I based my criteria purely o FC25 ratings
Sticking to how male dominated this game is, I was very naïve on who my opposition coaches would be and I think it’s because of Emma Hayes’ recent rise which painted a false narrative on how
diverse coaching really is. Only half the Women's Super League (WSL) managers are women and it’s worse at this level. Basically, our opponents either had a white man in charge or none at all with their captain taking responsibility. One did have a female among their coaching sta and I greeted her first assuming she was the ga er but she was the assistant to another white man. As a man coaching women I do begin to question whether “I am the problem.” The original job description stated they preferred a woman but I applied and fortunately landed the role which I love but I cannot help but wonder whether I am part of the glass ceiling blocking female coaches.
Coaching is regularly framed as paternalistic with the greats seen as father figures but I remember one training session where one of my players was visibly underperforming. I asked if anything was wrong and she confessed that she was on her period but kept quiet and went on with it. In all fairness, why would she tell me? I would never get to experience that but football moves on devoid of any empathy towards female experiences. In that regard, coaching women requires you to be maternalistic.
Can I become a mum? Should I and is it even possible? Funnily enough, on Mother’s Day, after our penultimate training session of the year, the squad gifted me flowers and a thank you card for the season. So maybe in a way, I have.
Photos courtesy of: UBAFC & UBWFC
Bristol Bloodhounds clinch national title
Reflection of Bristol ice hockey's successful performances at the Nationals
Geography
On the 5th – 6th April 2025 weekend, the Bristol Bloodhounds went undefeated in eight games to win the British Universities Ice Hockey Association Tier 3 Non-Checking National Tournament.
The 2011-12 season saw the last Bristol team until now – the Bristol Lions – who ceased to exist with the closure of the Bristol Ice Rink in 2012. This team struggled to continue without Student Union funding or support, yet still recorded an impressive 52 registered players across two teams for the final season, according to BUIHA archives.
Over the last year, the Bloodhounds have faced similar struggles – with the Student Union rejecting fund-
ing and grant applications, and a lack of ice time at Planet Ice Bristol. This meant that heading into Nationals, the 9-player roster (the smallest of the tournament) had never all been on the ice together at the same time. In fact, several players had never met the rest of the team until that weekend.
Saturday morning saw a 9:03 am faceo against Nottingham Mavericks F. After being led to Changing Room 5 by kind-hearted members of the Manchester Metros and the Glasgow Stags C (foreshadowing) (cheers Luke Raven), the Bloodhounds changed into their kit, unsure of what to expect for the upcoming four games.
#87 Abbott of the Mavericks quickly opened the scoring with a strong shot against Bloodhounds goalie Viikberg the Viking, laced up for his first ever game. However, this was soon followed by two strong goals by alternate captain #97 Kirill “the Thrill” Korchinov and #12 Chris Neville to put Bristol back in the lead. #57 Josh
Foley scored another to close the game with a 3-1 win to Bristol.
Shortly after, the Bloodhounds faced o against UEA Avalanche B. This game saw the first point of the tournament from one of Bristol’s development players, #6 Lance Shi, credited with a secondary assist on Foley’s first goal. Korchinov scored another for Bristol to win 2-0, with Viikberg facing just one shot this game.
After a few hours to rest, Bristol faced o against Newcastle Wildcats B, a team with some of the best jerseys in the tournament and an intimidating reputation. Luckily, Korchinov opened the scoring just seven seconds into the game, shortly followed by Newcastle receiving a 2-minute slashing penalty. Alas, Bristol must patch their power-play units for next year, as #69 Bird scored a short-handed goal for the Wildcats, tying the game. Korchinov responded with the game-winning goal for a 2-1 win. This was perhaps Bristol’s toughest game of the weekend, with a strong amount of o en
Deputy
Editor
Bloodhounds to rip some hard shots.
The first day of the tournament ended with a more relaxed game against She eld Bears G: a 1-0 win for Bristol focused on providing the development players with more puck control time and some good shot attempts.
Sunday looked to be a tough day, with two more group stage games before playo s. 7:40am saw an early start against Imperial Devils
Without enough time to change out of our kits, the final group game followed against Leeds Gryphons D –a joyous team to play! Neville and Korchinov were the goal scorers of this match, closing out the group stage with a final 2-0 win to Bristol.
For the full article, go to: epigram.org.uk
Bristol Run Club: The club overtaking Bristol
Run clubs are overtaking the country, with their promises of co ee, community and Strava kudos.
Emma Gri ths Second Year, English Literature
Nowadays, it seems that everyone and their aunt has joined a run club. The lure of co ee, pastries and the ability to meet new people is a very potent one indeed, especially in a generation which is shown to be increasingly less interested in the traditionally hardcore drinking culture of university.
possibly think of, from the London based Scrambled Legs bashing out 30kms on a Saturday to the more social groups like Runners and Stunners aimed at inclusivity regardless of body type or speed, there is always an opportunity for people to find new friends with the same love of getting out and about - or let’s be honest, just a particular penchant for baked groups.
‘I made a TikTok’ and it blew up a bit. We met at 10am and sixty people came along.’
Run clubs - and the rise of running in general - is something that has significantly changed the social scene post-lockdown. Catering to any requirements that you could
One of these groups that has overrun (excuse the pun) Bristol is Bristol Run Club, formed by Lucia Shiner in September 2023. Having recently reached 10k followers on Instagram, the group is increasingly popular, luring people out every Thursday and Sunday with the promise of good company, inclusive paced groups and (obviously) a sweet treat. However, its popularity was never something that Lucia banked on. Run clubs are often sponsored by sports brands like Runna or
Strava, or led and backed by ‘runfluencers,’ but Bristol Run Club was simply born because 'I just wanted to make friends in Bristol.'
This number has only continued to grow. Bristol Run Club has increased from one group to three differently paced groups, with varying distances. The response has been sensational, with people joining in not just for the actual running, but for the general positive atmosphere and community that BRC so
carefully fosters. The importance of this low-pressure, supportive environment is obvious, as Lucia spoke of 'a girl [on the first ever run] who came up to me afterwards and said “I could only run 1km but I wanted to meet you guys for coffee so I walked the rest,”' something that prompted Lucia to include a designated beginner’s group because 'whether you can run 5km or 30km or 1km, creating somewhere where everyone feels that they can join in regardless of their
running ability is so important.' The vast array of runners within Bristol Run Club’s flanks, from beginners to those who took part in the annual Bristol 10km and Half Marathon, is also an interesting comment on the place that running occupies in people’s lives nowadays.
For the full article, go to: epigram.org.uk didn’t phase Bristol, winning 2-1.
Alina Marner Second Year,
Photo courtesy of: Bristol Run Club
Photo courtesyof:ReidysPhotos
EPI-GAMES
REGULAR CROSSWORD
by Miles Gilroy
ACROSS
1. Over 600 people have signed to break it (5)
15. ______ is ______ (6)
17. Time waster (7)
3. Ratite native to Australia (3)
4. Who should be held accountable for dangerous student living conditions? (8)
5. Like an ASMR creator (10)
7. Home of Good Morning
of Epigram
9. Mike Myers' swampdwelling persona (5)
10. Arctic inhabitant (5)
11. Nefarious plans (7)
12. Best publication, perhaps (5)
14. WILTY? wins entertainment (5)
22. Post-Triangle meal (13) DOWN
1. Satnav predecessor (4)
2. Popular start to an NYT game (5)
KILLER SUDOKU by Alice Guskov
5. Search engine! (5)
3. Photoshop, for example (6)
4. Gentlemen thief (5)
6. Like a haunted house, maybe (9)
8. Promise of a bloom (7)
9. Amateur astronomer (9)
10. Sounds like supermarket categorisation (4)
13. The world's largest urban forest (6)
16. Scent of a Woman Oscar winner (6)
18. A short adjective (3)
19. The most stable element (4)
20. Shift+CTRL+Z, for most (4)
HOW TO KILLER
All columns, rows, and 3x3 boxes are filled exactly like in regular sudoku.
However, every square is part of a cage, indicated by dotted lines. The squares in this cage must add up to the cage's sum.
No numbers appear more than once in a cage, even in different lines or 3x3 boxes.
Need extra help? Remember the Rule of 45:
If each column, row, and 3x3 box must contain the numbers 1-9, then the total sum of these regions must be 45.
