The Bristol Magazine March 2020

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Issue 189

THE

I

MARCH 2020

MAGAZINE

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

£3.95 where sold

BIOPHILIA BLOOMS SPRING STORIES PLUS...

THAT’S DR BIRDGIRL TO YOU Through the binoculars: Bristol’s answer to Greta receives doctorate

EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY

Self-reliance and resisting the false promises of tech, at Festival of Ideas

THE NEW SUFFRAGETTES

Rules for rebellion from the Women’s Equality Party founding leader

JUSTICE: SEEN TO BE DONE

Crime & confidence: a look inside Bristol Magistrates’ Court

T H E C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T M O N T H LY G U I D E T O L I V I N G I N B R I S T O L

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Contents

March 2020

REGULARS ZEITGEIST

JUSTICE SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

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Top activities for the month to come

CITYIST

It is vitally important that we have confidence in our criminal justice system. Hollye Kirkcaldy examines the decline in court reporting

SPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

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Catch up on local news and meet dancer Deepraj Singh

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is celebrating its 150th anniversary back in Division One for the first time in over a decade

BARTLEBY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

TECHNOLOGY

Scream if you wanna go faster...

Resist the false promises of technology and instead, says Margaret Heffernan, mine your own creativity to create futures we can believe in

FOOD & DRINK NEWS

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Tidbits from local chefs, producers, restaurants, initiatives

ENVIRONMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

BRISTOL UPDATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Far from smoking behind the bike sheds, many of our local young adults are making like Greta and seeking to repair our ecosystems

News from local businesses and community organisations

FAMILY FUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Ideas for things to do in the city if you’ve little ones in tow

EDUCATION NEWS

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News from the sector

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Snippets including our exciting 1 April Harvey Nichols collaboration

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Nineties pop’s Louise Redknapp on getting back to studio and stage

THEATRE

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What’s the significance of The King & I in today’s world?

WHAT’S ON

WILD BRISTOL

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Pete Dommett is in Fishponds where an amphibian army is on the move

CITY HISTORY

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INTERIORS

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SONGWRITING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

PROPERTY

Stokes Croft’s Cafe Kino is championing female musicians this month

News from local estate agents and developers

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Bumper section featuring illustrator Dave Bain, Grayson Perry at the Holburne in Bath, the latest show at the RPS and Art Battle Bristol

FEATURES BOOKS

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CEO of the Young Women’s Trust Sophie Walker on everyday activism

FASHION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 St Peter’s Hospice is hosting a pop-up at John Lewis this month

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GARDENING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 32

Elly West on the art of bonsai, associated with virtues including patience, calmness, balance, respect and love of nature

ART & EXHIBITIONS

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All aboard the biophilia train, say various Bristol businesses – plus, take a look at some common kitchen mistakes and a beautiful home design case study

A cross-section of the city’s varied events scene

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Andrew Swift traces the vibrant past of the Bristol area that began as a secluded valley, and looks at future plans to breathe new life into it

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC

HABITAT

ON THE COVER We hope the biophilia movement is here to stay – flick to p92 to read a little more from a few of Bristol’s interiors folk. Image courtesy of Arlo & Jacob

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THIS MONTH WE...

Congratulate... ...Thekla’s door manager Grayson Underhill, honoured with National Pubwatch’s Bravery and Meritorious Conduct Award for his efforts to rescue a woman from harbour waters in 2018.

“Grayson went above and beyond the call of duty and it is truly commendable,” said Thekla GM Alex Black.

from the

Heard...

EDITOR

A

ccording to a theory of the biologist Edward O. Wilson, who popularised the term ‘biophilia’, its meaning is concerned with the innate affinity of human beings with the natural world. As spring nears, local interiors buffs have been encouraging us to get on board and align our indoor spaces more closely with the outdoors (see p92). The biophilia theme has been burgeoning within the context of home and workspace design for a while but has become more part of mainstream conversation, with many hoping this school of thought will become second nature when mapping out spaces, decorating with wellness in mind, and making buildings, and their output, less damaging environmentally.

Speaking of living, breathing things, did you know that just about any tree can be trained as a bonsai? On p100, Elly West gives us more on the gardening art form – full of symbolism and associated with virtues such as patience, calmness, balance, respect and love of nature. In the Wild Bristol column, it’s one for the toad from Pete Dommett, who is joining Avon Reptile & Amphibian Group on their patrol, following the city’s amorous amphibian army as it emerges from the undergrowth and makes tracks in March. Our interview with Birdgirl features on p76 – the Chew Valley teen has been studying and seeking to repair our damaged ecosystems for years, and set up Black2Nature grassroots camps to get inner-city youngsters from BAME backgrounds in touch with the environment. Yet to even sit her A-levels, she has just been awarded an honorary doctorate

by University of Bristol, recognising her activism and conservation work – making her the youngest Briton to receive such an accolade.

We’re celebrating various other inspirational females this issue, to coincide with International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day – among them the songwriting collective championing female musical talent in Stokes Croft (Write Like A Girl, Cafe Kino, 7 March), plus popstar Louise Redknapp talking about her comeback, political activist and CEO of the Young Women’s Trust, Sophie Walker, (read her latest book Five Rules for Rebellion) and heavyweight thinker Margaret Heffernan. The latter is being welcomed by Bristol Festival Ideas in March, to share her fascinating thoughts about self-reliance and resisting the false promises of tech and its predictive nature – and how we must mine our own creativity and humanity to create futures we can believe in.

A bumper art section features Bristol illustrator Dave Bain, Grayson Perry in Bath, the latest from the RPS and Art Battle Bristol’s grand final at the Anson Rooms, while, later, we skip from court-room reporting to Gloucestershire Cricket’s 150th anniversary like it’s nothing, and squeeze in a bit more besides. Bye for now!

...Music legends Chic will play the Amphitheatre on 16 July – good times!

Applaud...

...Bristol Rovers Community Trust, hosting its first ‘sleep out’ on 6 March, giving fans the chance to sleep overnight in the Memorial Stadium and raise funds for Caring in Bristol. Included is panel discussion ‘Can Football Tackle Homelessness?’, plus bacon butties and a terrace ticket for the home game against Sunderland on 10 March.

Chuckled at...

AMANDA NICHOLLS EDITOR Editor’s image by Paolo Ferla; ferlapaolo.com

@thebristolmag

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...The new Speedwell road named Cheers Drive, after the Bristolian slang phrase used to thank bus drivers. The road was named by residents following a 2018 poll.

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Ronan Keating plays on 5 June

top things to do in MARCH

GIVE

PLAN AHEAD...

Exactly 20 years after the release of his selftitled debut solo and number-one album, Ronan Keating is returning to the stage with a record that he describes as a “greatest hits of brand new music”.

Entitled Twenty Twenty, the four-time platinum-selling singer and songwriter will be taking his new album to some of the biggest stages in the UK as part of an extensive summer tour. With the new record released on 1 May, the long-awaited tour will start on 5 June, with Ronan appearing at the Bristol Hippodrome on 26 June.

Doctor Dracula at Ashton Court

Prepare to be amused, inspired and terrified in equal measure with the innovative new play by Exeter-based theatre company Four of Swords.

Adding a unique twist to the story of Doctor Dracula by urging audiences to give blood, the play will be appearing at Bristol’s Ashton Court Mansion from 18 to 28 March.

The pioneering multimedia production will plunge the audience into an exploration of blood and its symbolic significance in mythology and religion, raising awareness of genetic blood conditions. A simple prevention and cure for some conditions is to give blood and the play aims to improve understanding of rare and treatable disorders. Throughout the play, characters will encourage audience members to give blood, with the aim to help the Exeter 10,000 research project.

• four-of-swords.com

CELEBRATE Mark International Women’s Day this month with thousands of women from across Bristol, with performances, activities, discussions and workshops that inform, inspire and celebrate women.

On 8 March, City Hall will play host to over 50 free events, including the Women’s Adventure Expo, art, discussions, live music, storytelling and self-defence classes. There will also be free transport and a free creche on a first come, first served basis.

Be a part of this extraordinary opportunity and enjoy live music, talks, stalls and a bit of female bonding.

• ronankeating.com The Bristol Improv Marathon is on 13 March

International Women’s Day is on 8 March

• bristolwomensvoice.org.uk

MARVEL For a staggering 26 hours, a team of 30 intrepid performers from Closer Each Day Company, the Bristol Improv Theatre and the Wardrobe Theatre will create an entirely improvised play using nothing but their skill and imagination.

The performers will take to the stage on 13 March to not only test their skill but their stamina. This year’s theme is the age of empires and emperors: Rome. Tickets £15 all-you-can-watch, so choose however many of the two-hour long episodes as you wish.

• thewardrobetheatre.com

WATCH Back by popular demand, the brilliant Wilderland Wildlife Film Festival will be returning to theatres aroud the UK and Ireland on 1 March, including Bristol’s 1532 Performing Arts Centre. Showcasing important and breathtaking stories from the natural world, captured by filmmakers from around the globe, these groundbreaking films will offer audiences unparalleled insight into some of the world’s most incredible wildlife.

A must-see for lovers of wildlife, film, travel, conservation and adventure.

• wilderlandfestival.com

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Wilderland Wildlife Festival on 1 March

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ZEITGEIST

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THE CITY

My

BRISTOL

THE BUZZ

Meet local dancer and choreographer Deepraj Singh

Step into summer, baby This summer, Glasgow indie darlings Belle and Sebastian are bringing their alternative pop sound to Harbourside as part of the Colston Hall Presents programme on 17 July.

The seven-piece band will be joined by special guests Django Django for a high energy, one-off evening, opening the Bristol Harbour Festival. This will be the fifth year Colston Hall has programmed at Bristol’s Harbourside Amphitheatre, following sell-out performances from Goldie and the Heritage Orchestra in 2015, Outlook Orchestra in 2017, Jimmy Cliff and Grandmaster Flash in 2018, and last year’s two consecutive concerts from New Order and The Specials.

“Belle and Sebastian are one of those great indie bands that have influenced countless others, with a huge back catalogue that will look and sound incredible against the backdrop of Bristol’s Harbourside this summer,” said Todd Wills, artistic director at Colston Hall. “Having Django Django also on the bill will make this a gig unlike any of the Harbourside shows we’ve presented before.”

This year marks 24 years since Belle and Sebastian released their debut album Tigermilk, sparking a cult-like following around the world. Now, 11 albums later, the band will hit a select few dates on the European festival circuit before arriving in Bristol for the first time since playing to a sold-out crowd at Colston Hall in 2015. Indie electro quartet Django Django will play what is set to be their largest Bristol show yet. Their third album, 2018’s Marble Skies, was met with critical acclaim, blending genres to create a unique sound.

• For more information on the Colston Hall Presents programme, please visit colstonhall.org/whats-on

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Most of the time I try to start the day off with some meditation. I then go on to a short workout with strengthening and stretching, followed by planning upcoming workshops/classes or going to teach said classes. Among all of that there are dashes of project planning, rehearsals and little bedroom jams/improvisations/next-level procrastinating!

My work with writer and poet Saili Katebe has combined spoken word and movement with the topic of deconstructing race and masculinity. I am also working on a collaboration with illustrator Amber Phillips, where we will be creating a cross-disciplinary short film using movement and illustration.

My worst grade at A-levels was in dance, but today my career highlights include performing at Buckingham Palace and Sadlers Wells; and touring Akademi’s The Troth, choreographed

by Gary Clarke, around India and the UK.

Image by Rachel Eames

The seven-piece band will play Bristol on 17 July

For the past year I have been working with a very good friend of mine, Sammy Paul, who has been managing and producing my dancebased YouTube channel, Dance Nomad. In March I will be performing for Forged Line Dance Company with a piece called Treasure, looking at our connection with the ocean. I will also be performing as part of a platform for creatives of colour known as KIOTA on 22 March at the Wardrobe Theatre. The piece is a collaboration between myself, Saili Katebe and Aisha Ali and is exploring our loss of agency as people of colour and how we can reclaim it. It will consist of a mixture of dance, spoken word and vocalisation/singing.

Bristolian creatives I admire include: Penultimate Theatre Company, Palomar Theatre Company and illustrator Amber Phillips, Gather Up, KIOTA – Aisha Ali and Shagufta Iqbal, Saili Katebe and Katy Noakes.

On heavy rotation on Spotify at the moment: Masego, Kaytranada, H.E.R., Mac Ayers, Pip Millet, Ari Lennox, Kojey Radical, Kiefer and J Dilla.

To eat, drink and be entertained in Bristol I’ll head to Oowee Vegan, St. Nick’s Market, Watershed, Orpheus Cinema, No. 51 and the Wardrobe Theatre. Leftbank is one of my new favourite spots to go and jam at. Live music, good energy, good people and everybody willing to dance and groove. In March I’m going to see Akram Khan’s Chotto Xenos at Bristol Old Vic. This year I’m teaching on the Boomsatsuma dance theatre course, creating an original piece about the environment for Bath Festivals; plus there’ll be more Dance Nomad videos and copious auditions and collaborations throughout the year.

I grew up in Whitehall and then my family moved to Redland for the latter part of my secondary school education. If I was mayor, my first action would be to bring more awareness to the relevance of the arts within our education system. Also to look at how we can keep those artist communities thriving within the city via connections, hubs and boosting accessibility in to the arts. n • Follow Deepraj on Twitter @Deepyraah

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Image by David Jeffery Hughesy

THE CITY Floating film star

WELLVERSED

A new film has been released by Thekla owners DHP Family, featuring footage of the Herculean effort it took to save Thekla. Last summer, the boat sailed into dry dock to undergo a £1million renovation to give it a new hull, essential to keep the legendary boat afloat in Bristol’s harbour for another half-century. Up to 50 workers in the Albion Dockyard battled around the clock seven days a week to give the world-famous party boat – a bucket-list venue for many musicians – a brand new steel hull in record time. One hundred tonnes of steel and three tonnes of weld wire later, their efforts saw Thekla returning in shipshape fashion to its long-term berth in Bristol’s Floating Harbour.

Bristol legend, DJ and producer Roni Size, a regular on the boat, shares in the film what Thekla means to him. “I hope it outlives me,” he says. “Long may it last.” Thekla general manager Alex Black added: “A life at sea combined with almost four decades in the music industry had taken its toll on the ship’s hull and it was time to do a little more than just patch it up. Manufacturing and installing the new hull was a huge project and a mammoth undertaking for all involved but it should ensure Thekla’s structural longevity for around 50 years. It would be devastating to lose such a prominent venue from the Bristol scene. Like all music venues in the UK, we have a lot of uphill battles to remain operational but fortunately for us the ship’s integrity is no longer one of them.”

• facebook.com/theklabristol

Here and now Trinity Centre has been chosen as part of a groundbreaking national cultural project with more than 40 commissions, which will create an intimate snapshot of British communities in 2020. New artworks will examine the concept of community in arts centres across England, by handing over power to centres, artists and audiences. The project, supported by Arts Council England and the National Lottery, promises unprecedented representation of working class, disabled and BAME artists. It will see arts centres commission and host works – as wide-ranging as an Asian wedding experience in the Midlands, to explorations of the concept of home for disabled and D/deaf communities – examining and exploring the hopes, dreams, aspirations and fears of communities across the UK. ‘Here and Now’ hopes to establish a new democractic template for arts commissioning, with the help of Bristol-based Iranian artist, musician and filmmaker Roxana Vilk who will meet with community members to host workshops, culminating in a celebratory festival at Trinity later in the year.

• here-and-now.org.uk

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This month: Louise Gethin’s ode to the SS Great Britain

Ship’s Diary I was the biggest, the best, the strongest – the first iron-hulled steam ship. You should’ve seen me. I was the pride of the engineering world, a miracle and the most beautiful sight in the harbour. My black hull shone in the sunlight, sliced at playful tide, and cast dark grace in the depths.

My masts and funnel reached for the skies; bright bunting fluttered in the breeze. ~ They all came to see me; people lined the quays, waving hats and handkerchiefs; boats of all shapes and sizes swayed in my wake. There was shouting and noise, cheers and the blast of my horn bursting the clouds. The captain and his men stood tall, checked charts and grinned.

In the cabins, my blushing mirrors caught bosoms of hopeful maids and proud chests of eager men; crinoline brushed my gilt; timbers shivered with delight. At night, the passengers feasted long and hard on roasted hog and glazed vegetables. They drank mead and wine until they were fit to burst. Music ebbed and flowed. And the laughing rippled in my veins as I sailed under the stars and travelled the world. ~ Then, one day, I was burden, no longer wanted, too expensive to repair. Engineering moved on. I was willing to work, begged them not to go, promised to be good. I hoped my former glory would stand for something. They didn’t hear my cries, rushing on to all that was newer and cheaper, filling the skies with flying ships. They left me in the sand to rust; sand scraped my every pore, sand climbed in every bunk. My cracking skin burned under the sun; flaking iron fluttered in the wind.

Corroded and eroded by the laughing sea that washed away masts and pride and feasted on every bold inch of my hull. Storms came, thrashed me with lightning whips. Creaking timbers rotted one by one. Gilt peeled until I lay still. So still lay I. Watching moon and sun.

I was quiet as a grave. ~ Long after my soul had gone to sleep, they came – the men. I was not forgot. At first, I didn’t believe. It couldn’t be. Not after all that time.

They drew plans and maps and prodded my sides and sighed and talked of miracles. When they first moved me, I thought I’d fall to pieces; everything so fragile and worn. But they were gentle, collecting my parts, writing in their notebooks, drawing sketches and taking photos.

Hope grew as they pulled me home. Everything ached and creaked on the long journey. Mile after mile, day after day we passed through waters where I’d sailed with pride. Then, there it was – the gorge, Clifton Bridge, Bristol. I wanted to cry with pain and shout with joy.

When we arrived, there was a small crowd. They put on brave faces and one or two even raised a cheer. I wasn’t much to look at – browned and broken. I felt ashamed at what I’d become. ~ Once I was docked, they called in carpenters, shipbuilders, experts in iron, engineers. Year after year they scraped and hammered, crafted and grafted until my hull was once more complete. I was re-painted – I shone back in the sunlight once more. I’m not strong enough to sail again but they don’t seem to mind. And I feel safe where I am, overlooking the waterfront; ferries and pleasure boats passing to and fro. The Matthew keeps me company and people come to see and touch me with awe. I even have all my masts with bunting fluttering in the breeze. And, if I listen hard, I can hear cheers from the past carried on the wind.

• To submit creative writing for potential publication, email editor@thebristolmagazine.co.uk

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THE

B R I S TOL MAGAZINE

Perpetual motion Follow us on Twitter @thebristolmag

E

veryone seems to want to go faster at the moment. Phones are going up through the Gs at a bewildering rate.

Suddenly it’s not enough for a train to travel a hundred miles an hour. They’re supposed to go at twice that speed.

Meanwhile, superfast broadband is virtually a human right. My mother now has it in her Somerset village, and uses it to watch episodes of The Crown on catch-up.

Until the invention of the steam engine, nobody had ever travelled faster than a horse can gallop, which meant that was the speed information travelled too. I suppose carrier pigeons might fly faster than a horse can run, and then there were systems like the beacons lit in sequence to spread news of an imminent invasion or somesuch, but you get the general picture. Until about 1840 life moved at pretty much the same pace it had in 840.

In a port like Bristol, time related closely to tide. Most people, goods and information came in with the tide and left with the tide. If you stand on one of the bridges over the New Cut you can see how the water rushes in and then out, with just a moment or two of stillness at high tide. Until the Floating Harbour was built, that tide flowed twice a day, in and out of the city, keeping the whole place in almost perpetual motion. Everybody depended for their livelihood on this coming and going, which meant everyone depended on the tide.

For centuries, you could say, life in Bristol was ruled by the moon.

Clocks were not important until the railway connected Bristol to London, then suddenly time was something you measured by the movement of hands around a dial rather than by the rise and fall of water. Other revolutions followed: the telegraph offering the almost instantaneous transmission of information; the telephone; aeroplanes and cars. And then faster planes and faster cars. I can assume today that the drive to my mother’s Somerset village will take an hour, more or less. It’s about 50 miles, which I imagine would take quite a long time on a horse. Actually, I once looked up the journey using a certain online map provider and saw that it was predicted to take 14 hours.

My first thought was that the motorway was somehow terribly broken, but it turned out that I had accidentally asked for the directions on foot.

I did make the journey by bike once, which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend. I arrived wet and saddle sore, but with a much stronger sense of where I’d been than normal. The hills, in particular, had made a bigger impression than previously, but there were other sights and sounds – and smells – I would not have noticed in a car. Crossing the Levels I was mesmerised by the peaty black water in the rhines, to the extent that I stopped at the Peat Museum for a quick look round.

Thinking back, that slow-mo journey south from Bristol was a bit of a treat. Mostly I’m rushing out of the house, late, and impatiently hustling onto the motorway by the quickest possible route. Likewise, since there are now trains that get to London 20 minutes quicker than usual, I charge off to the station (late) and am appalled if this new fast train is held up for any reason. No doubt people using HS2 will soon get used to travelling at two-hundred-and-something miles an hour and start grumbling that the journey to Birmingham from London STILL takes whatever it is. Perhaps we won’t be happy until we can teleport like they do on Star Trek, but then people will start saying, ‘hang on, why can’t I be there and here at the same time?’ And then another chapter will begin. Meanwhile, The Crown seems unchanged by its superfast delivery. Life in the 1950s continues to move slowly, even for the Royals. ■

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See more online www.thebristolmag.co.uk

Contact us: Publisher Email:

Steve Miklos steve@thebristolmagazine.co.uk

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BRIST OL MAGAZINE Bristol and Exeter House, Lower Approach, Temple Meads, Bristol BS1 6QS Telephone: 0117 974 2800 www.thebristolmagazine.co.uk © MC Publishing Ltd 2020 Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bristol Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers.

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MUSIC | INTERVIEW

“We all have our happy place and the studio is definitely mine,” says Louise

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MUSIC | INTERVIEW

LET’S GO ROUND AGAIN Nineties pop starlet Louise Redknapp is back in the world of music after a considerable hiatus.

She tells Jenna Morice all about it ahead of her gig in Bristol this month

R

ising to fame in the 1990s as one quarter of R&B girl group Eternal, followed by a successful solo career selling over 15 million records worldwide, Louise Redknapp is returning to music with her first album in 20 years, Heavy Love. We found out more as she prepared to make her way to SWX, Bristol this month.

This is your first album in almost 20 years – how does it feel to be back in the studio?

For me, going back into the studio felt very natural. We all have our happy place and the studio is definitely mine. It felt so nice to get stuck in and be creative and actually do something that I know I love and something that suits me. It never feels like a job, it’s a part of who I am.

Was the return to music always on the cards?

I always hoped I would return to music but you never know; it’s one of those things where all you can do is hope the opportunity comes along.

The music industry is quite cut-throat and it moves so quickly, so when you take a break to have children you don’t know if you’ll be back or not, but I’m just going with it and seeing what happens. I’m just made up to have the opportunity again!

...It’s a bit of a trip down memory lane, though I am adamant that it won’t be a nostalgic act...

Can you tell us more about the new album? What’s the inspiration behind it?

Music has to come from within for me. It’s a personal journey and I really feel that this album is just that. You write from the heart when you write, and as I co-wrote most of this album, it has a lot of sentimental feelings for me. It’s quite upbeat and positive, which is the one thing I wanted it to be; an album people want to dance around to and can say yes, this song makes me feel good, puts a smile on my face and makes my heart sing a little. Even though lyrically the tracks don’t shout ‘everything is hunky dory and I’m the happiest girl in the world’, it’s empowering in its positive and joyful vibe.

Lead Me On really does that – that’s the track that you worked on with Clean Bandit?

Yes, Jack from Clean Bandit wrote that song and then I jumped in and worked on the lyrics too. That song was all about feeling summery.

There are lots of different genres on the album, including R&B and some old-school ballads. Not The Same certainly has more of the gospel

sound of my Eternal days. I’m really proud of this album and I enjoy listening to it, which is something I haven’t always been able to say.

The album was recorded in Sweden, LA and the UK. Did the locations influence any of the tracks?

I would love to say I was inspired by the Swedish landscape, but in reality you go into the recording studio and don’t come out again for many hours. You often record in a particular location so you can work with certain artists and producers. Sweden is renowned for having great writers and producers that are up there with the Americans and the Brits. They have a talent for creating hits and exploring new sounds, which is why I wanted to work in Sweden. I feel they always come up with something very different to what I’m working on in the UK or America. They’re really creative producers.

You’re going on tour with the album in March. Are there any pre-show habits or rituals you’ll be reviving?

Apart from sharing a quick shot of tequila with the band and crew, the most important thing I want to bring to this tour is the party spirit. The song I’m opening the tour with is called Hammer; it’s one of my favourite songs from the album and I can’t wait to go out there and actually perform. I want everyone to have a good time, relax and celebrate the music. I want it to feel like a really good night out and not a sensible gig.

It’s safe to say you’re pretty excited about being back on tour, but is there anything you find daunting about being back?

The most daunting thing is people wanting to come to the shows! I’m pouring my heart and soul into this tour. It’s been such a long time since I’ve done a show that this album is about celebrating 25 years in the music industry. It’s a bit of a trip down memory lane, though I am adamant that it won’t be a nostalgic act. There will be lots of old songs but with a lot new twists – we’re going to play around with everything.

I’m working with the fantastic musical director Steve Anderson, who has a real talent for reviving music that was recorded 20 years ago, bringing it up to date and making feel current. I’m lucky to work with great musicians who make these tracks, some of which are almost 25 years old, sound fresh because they play them with such creativity and passion.

You worked with some big artists on the new album: Clean Bandit, Sinead Harnett and JoJo to name a few. Do you have any dream collaborations for future albums?

There are a million and one people I would love to work with! I’d love to sing with the likes of Sam Smith and I’d even like to go a little old school and work with Jamiroquai. ■ • Louise Redknapp performs at SWX, Bristol on 15 March; swxbristol.com

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FASHION | SPECIAL

PALE &

Interesting

An easy alternative to this season's neon brights – opt for shades of caramel, beige, off-white and stone. The minimal palette is very much in the spotlight for SS20, showcased on the catwalks by fashion’s big hitters Salvatore Ferragamo, Helmut Lang, Prada and Bottega Veneta. Look out for simple slip dresses, pale knitwear and wide-leg trousers in muted shades and go head to toe with co-ordinating accessories. We asked the womenswear team at Harvey Nichols Bristol to select their new-season hero pieces.

Max Mara roll-neck cashmere jumper, £630; Totême tapered-leg trousers, £250; Gianvito Rossi suede sandals, £575; and Wandler leather belt bag, £460.

Gestuz wide-leg jeans, £130

Vince V-neck cashmere jumper, £290

Samsøe & Samsøe checked trousers, £120

Free People cotton-blend jumper, £90

Vince brushed cotton-blend shirt dress, £390

Isabel Marant Étoile cotton-blend shorts, £255

Bec & Bridge satin midi dress, £225

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Free People faux fur jacket, £130

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Eileen Fisher silk crepe de chine long shirt, £420

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FASHION | SPECIAL

Marc Jacobs The Softshot 21 leather cross-body bag, £460

Stella McCartney logo medium faux leather tote, £640

Olivia Burton Marble Florals rose gold watch, £85

Gucci Indya 105 leather ankle boots, £970

NEUTRAL GEAR

Valentino Garavani VRing leather top handle bag, £1,690

Complete this season’s pale trend with co-ordinating accessories for a look that’s straight off the catwalk with these SS20 must-haves Accessories featured are available from Harvey Nichols, Cabot Circus, and online at: harveynichols.com

Sophia Webster leather espadrille sandals, £295

Valentino Garavani VLogo 105 leather sandals, £685

Miu Miu blush square-frame sunglasses, £205

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 23

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BOOKS | FEMINISM

Rebellion rules

International Women’s Day – 8 March – has a sharp contemporary relevance in a culture where the rights of women still need fighting for. Sophie Walker’s new book offers a template for incorporating activism into the everyday, says Simon Horsford

L

ast year, Sophie Walker, the founding leader of the Women’s Equality Party (WEP), was hailed as one of The New Suffragettes in Vogue magazine. Walker stepped down from the WEP role in 2019 to champion new campaigners, activists and leaders from different backgrounds – she’s now CEO of the Young Women’s Trust and director of the Activate Collection, a feminist group which aims to “fix politics through representation”. Much of her philosophy and belief in the urgent need for change is captured in her latest book, Five Rules For Rebellion.

As we order a couple of pots of tea, Walker laughs at the suggestion that she is a modern-day feminist. “I do not spend any time thinking about who I am. I am much more interested in what I am doing and what I can do to help.” And for the past 10 years or so, Walker has been helping women find a voice, via her time with the Women’s Equality Party and now with Five Rules For Rebellion, which lays out a set of ideas about how women can incorporate activism into their lives by channeling ‘hope’, ‘despair’ and ‘rage’ into something positive. It draws on the thoughts of several activists and campaigners as they discuss their work on everything from equality and access to education to abortion rights. Far from a strident polemic, it’s a well argued, thoughtful and

Sophie is now CEO of the Young Women’s Trust

heartfelt call for positive action. “What I wanted was to write the book that I would want to read,” she says. “As a journalist and writer, I tend to write things through to make sense of them and I had come through this sort of firestorm [10 years of activism], if you like, and wanted to construct something useful for other people who might be feeling the same way.”

What has driven Walker is her belief that “there is a need for activism and a fundamental need to find different ways to bring about peace and equality and that we are faced with some huge questions.” In this sense, she says, her aim in the book was to “write a philosophy of activism that would find nourishment in the most difficult bits of it. I also wanted to interview other activists, so that, maybe, by talking to each other we can help each other move forward.”

Among those interviewed by Walker are the Irish campaigner Ailibhe Smyth, activist and food writer Jack Monroe and Nigerian peace worker Joy Onyseh. “These amazing women have dealt with particular circumstances and learned lessons that seemed to plot along a journey that become the five rules. I also noticed common areas of experience that chimed with what I had felt. I started with three very clear ‘rules’ – despair, anger and hope – but my experiences of doing media work made me want to explore how we talk to each other in a more collaborative way, so that’s how the last bit of it came together [‘Collaborate with Compassion’ and ‘Practise Perseverance’].

Looking back to her time as the leader of the WEP, I wonder if she believes the party has been a success, or whether it failed to galvanise opinion? “The four or five years of the Women’s Equality Party was an absolute rollercoaster,” she recalls. “We all lived through about 100 years of politics in that time. It was challenging and exhilarating but as the leader of a brand new political party that was trying to directly challenge [the main parties] and offer answers to some of the big questions we were grappling with, it was like being hit by lightning. I learnt a lot but I also felt this is too big, it felt like throwing yourself at a brick wall.”

...We have seen the other parties contort themselves to look a bit more like ones that understand women’s equality, with Boris Johnson calling himself a feminist...

Walker believes the WEP, which now has a new leader, still has an important impact on how we incorporate women’s perspectives into politics, and create policies that speak to women’s experiences and needs. “I think they’ve done some really important work on how to do politics differently as a small party when up against a really restrictive voting system – first-past-the-post – that effectively forces you to vote for what you don’t want rather than what you do, and we did some really good stuff in terms of talking about collaborating with and

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BOOKS | FEMINISM

working with other parties. And we looked at how to be a member of more than one party and finding common ground.

“I have good friends in all of the UK political parties – apart from UKIP,” she says with a laugh, “who sat down with us and tried to find ways of working.”

She thinks that the emergence of the WEP, who have done a lot of work on the importance of investing in care – believing it should be seen as an investment rather than an expense – did have an impact on the policies of the main parties. “We have seen the other parties contort themselves to look a bit more like ones that understand women’s equality, with Boris Johnson calling himself a feminist – that’s a whole other issue – but I do think the conversation has changed and in part that is due to the arrival of the WEP.” Taking part in two elections (London Mayoral in 2016 and the General Election the following year) must have been fascinating, I suggest. “The mayoral election was an absolute blast,” she recalls.

“We’d been open for about 10 months [the party was formed in 2015]. It was joyful and terrifying.” Walker got more than 50,000 first preference votes. The following year in Shipley, West Yorkshire, she stood against Conservative MP Philip Davies, chiefly because he’d tried to block a domestic violence bill with an ultimately unsuccessful filibuster. “It was a nasty campaign. He (Davies) was always perfectly nice to me, but a lot of his supporters were deeply unpleasant and the Labour Party was vitriolic. I was trolled and abused.”

...The promise of social media to connect people has been tainted by the same kind of limiting behaviour and bullying and silencing of women that we see offline...

The last point raises the question of social media and how women are frequently targeted. “The promise of social media to connect people has been tainted by the same kind of limiting behaviour and bullying and silencing of women that we see offline…

“Our future tech is being written by men according to their own experiences and so creating a future which is mimicking our past, one that doesn’t give space to different perspectives. Women’s journeys through social medias and what they are guided to look at are very different from men’s.”

And yet Walker, who is very active on Twitter, opining on everything from Brexit to parenthood, adds that she started using social media 10 years ago when “I was feeling lonely and isolated as the mother of a young child with autism and I discovered online communities that sustained and fortified me.” Tellingly, however, she doesn’t feel social media is the place to have effective conversations about activism. In the book, Walker highlights how it doesn’t allow for complexity or nuance and that it is far better to meet face-to-face. “Activism is in community,” she says, adding that social media should be used tactically as a first step to make fresh connections that can then be taken offline into fresh collaborative spaces.

Confident, strong-willed and with an infectious sense of humour, Walker fervently believes our existing political system simply doesn’t work for everyone. “You can choose to look at the fact women still only make up a third of political representation at national and local level, or at policy making, where 10 years of austerity have hit women disproportionately.” Her last point is based on a House of Commons library analysis in 2017, which suggested that 86 per cent of the burden of austerity since 2010 has fallen on women.

In the book, Walker highlights various barriers to a fair and peaceful world and I wonder if she remains hopeful of change. “There are huge global questions that people are grappling with around the world, from globalisation to technology to the future of work and jobs and

the increasing fragility of the planet and, in the face of that, ‘yes’ people are coming up with some very binary choices. There are selfstyled populists, who want to hang on to their own power and influence and they are doing it by dividing and conquering and telling us all that it will all be fine if you just stay in your place and that is very alluring to some people.

“On the other side, there are movements growing, who reject that approach. I am hugely heartened by that. At the Young Women’s Trust we had some research, which showed that 70 per cent of young women between 18 and 24 regarded themselves as feminists, the same proportion identify sexism as a major problem and one in 10 has taken part in some form of activism or protest in the last year.”

Walker believes there is an impatience for change. A recent survey

by University of Cambridge researchers concluded that there was huge dissatisfaction with democracy within developed countries, which was at its highest level in almost 25 years. In 1995, it claimed, the proportion of those dissatisfied with democracy in the UK was 47 per cent. It’s now 61 per cent.

In the same vein, Walker cites figures that claim 70 per cent of young women say their confidence in politicians has plummeted because they don’t see any responses from politicians to their lives.

With stories of young women struggling with increasing childcare costs and having to decide between paying bills or buying food, Walker suggests: “For those people, politicians are completely distant and have no bearing in their lives.”

Naturally we move on to the #MeToo movement and I ask whether it has become now more about victimhood. “I think there are those who would seek to portray #MeToo and feminism more generally as women trying to portray themselves as victims,” she says. “And that is part of a centuries-old trend of telling women it is their fault. Some men have no idea of the spectrum of abuse that women experience, from catcalling and domestic abuse to rape and violence. But also the extent to which that abuse forces women to edit themselves to change their behaviour or clothing or quieten their voice.

“There are lots of reasons it didn’t work, part of that is patriarchy doesn’t like being told what to do. There were also women of colour affected, but their stories weren’t told, so it was presented as white women telling ‘us’ what to do. And presenting experiences also has to be about presenting solutions.”

Walker, who lives in London with her family, says in her book that no single event made her an activist; rather, a combination of them. “We become activists because we reach breaking point,” says Walker.

Influences include her parents. “My mum and dad were working-class northerners, who were p****d off with the levels of injustice that they had lived through.” Born in Blackpool, Walker grew up in Glasgow. In the Seventies, they marched about everything from the miners to CND, and her mother was also active in the Women’s Liberation Movement. ”They gave me a sense that you have to be fully in the world and speak up when you see something that’s not right or fair.”

Then there was the battle to get recognition for her eldest daughter’s autism and about whom she wrote so movingly in Grace Under Pressure: Going the Distance as an Asperger’s Mum. “A huge push was being a single parent trying pay the rent, trying to keep a job and trying to get support for my daughter that wasn’t there and understanding a society that holds in utter contempt those who are different and those who need care.”

And yet Walker remains positive about the future, although, she admits, to be so, she has to reset every day – “it’s a deliberate thing.”

And going for a morning run (she used to run marathons) is “the most immediate way to meet the day.” On a lighter note, I mention the Frozen movies as a celebration of sisterhood. “I love them,” she says.

“Little girls belting out songs about female empowerment.”

As we say goodbye, I wonder if Walker thinks we live in rebellious times – “I think people are mobilising in a way I find incredibly invigorating” – and if she has a message. (Yes.) “For us all to want a lot.

Don’t settle for less because the less you settle for, the less you get. Want it all.” Those turn-of-the-century suffragettes would be impressed. n • Hear Sophie speak at Waterstones Bristol on 8 April, 7pm; iconbooks.com/news/five-rules-for-rebellion-events THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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Photography by Tom Campbell

FASHION | COLLABORATION

Pre-loved & premium

Support St Peter’s Hospice this month by popping along to their exciting new John Lewis pop-up

T

he city’s largest charity retailer, with 51 shops across the greater Bristol area, St Peter’s Hospice raises over £2.5million through its clothing lines each year – which goes towards the running of the adult hospice – all the while playing a prominent role in the reducing, reusing and recycling of goods. Donations to the shop not only save unwanted items from landfill but also help support the charity’s vital work.

This month St Peter’s Hospice is partnering up with John Lewis at Cribbs Causeway to launch an in-store pop-up shop, selling a range of premium pre-loved ladieswear. “This is a wonderful opportunity,” said Jayne Clarke, director of income generation at the hospice. “Alongside hosting our own evening events and fundraising activities in the store, we look forward to showing the benefits of charity shopping to this new audience.” Garments will include high-end clothing from brands 26 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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such as Hobbs, Fat Face, Phase Eight and Whistles, and the hospice team will also be promoting their 2020 events, including The Rugby March and Tour de Bristol. Meanwhile, in celebration of The Year of the Nurse, John Lewis is holding a pamper evening for St Peter’s Hospice nurses.

“We are passionate about being involved in our local community,” added Alan Andrews, partner and community liaison co-ordinator at John Lewis & Partners. “We’ve strong connections with many local charities but are particularly excited about our collaboration with St Peter’s Hospice because many customers and partners have been touched by their outstanding work.” ■ • The pop-up shop will be located in the ladieswear section from 12 – 29 March; stpetershospice.org.uk

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 29

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THEATRE | MUSICAL

What marked out South Pacific was its liberal stance on race relations, and The King and I continued the project of closing the gap between dierent cultures

There is a romantic subplot but the main players act out a more deeply resonant story about east and west, men and women, tradition and modernity

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THEATRE | MUSICAL

Getting to know...

The King and I How good is your knowledge of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic? And what is its significance in today’s world?

Words by Jasper Rees

A

testament to the lavish heritage of gloriously romantic musical theatre, The King and I is considered by many the greatest musical from the genre’s golden age. Now, featuring a company of over 50 world-class performers, a full-scale orchestra, classic songs and extravagant costumes, a critically acclaimed, multiple Tony Award-winning version of the production is having its turn in Bristol this month.

How well do we all know The King and I? The story of a young English widow who takes a job teaching the children of the king of Siam is one of the ‘big five’ from Rodgers and Hammerstein. It has some happy tunes – not least I Whistle a Happy Tune, as well as Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance? Some may remember that Yul Brynner clung tenaciously to the title role rather like a real king refusing to let go of power. He died a few months after his 4,625th performance, 34 years after his first. Most have experienced the musical via the 1956 film.

But it’s in a theatre that The King and I really needs to be seen. A sumptuous spectacle directed by Bartlett Sher, the 2015 Lincoln Center Theater production, which has embarked on a UK tour following its sell-out season at the London Palladium, has four Tony Awards to its name and a full house of rave reviews: “I doubt I’ll see a better production in my lifetime,” said The Wall Street Journal; “Breathtaking.

Exquisite. Remarkable,” said The New York Times, and “Too beautiful to miss! An astonishing achievement,” exclaimed New York Magazine.

Set in a glittering palace where everyone dresses in ravishing costumes, it’s the most visually splendid of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, and teems with a small army of the king’s children, wives and servants. But as Sher says, “It is essentially a very large-scale twoperson show.”

...Yul Brynner clung to the role rather like a real king refusing to let go of power. He died a few months after his 4,625th performance, 34 years after his first...

The King and I has a long and intriguing pre-history. The real Anna Leonowens kept a diary of her time teaching the children of the king of Siam in the 1860s. It was published in 1870 and remains, as such, a fascinating snapshot of a hidden world emerging into the light. Three quarters of a century later, the novelist Margaret Landon fell on the journal as a rich source for a heavily fictionalised reimagination of her story entitled Anna and the King of Siam. That was instantly snapped up by the Hollywood producer Darryl F. Zanuck and was filmed with Rex Harrison.

It may seem an odd choice for Rodgers and Hammerstein. At that point they were known for ambitious, all-American stories. Oklahoma!

(1943) and Carousel (1945) brought solace on the home front during

the war. Their next success, South Pacific, focused on the American experience of conflict, based on the eye-witness stories of combatant James A. Michener. And yet what marked out South Pacific, and helped win it the Pulitzer Prize, was its liberal stance on race relations: the song You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught explained that no-one is born a racist. The King and I featured no Americans, and yet it continued the project of closing the gap between different cultures.

...If a tale of ancient royal protocol, polygamy and slavery was a challenge to 1950s American values, it has a different task to perform now...

This is most apparent in the spectacular show-within-a-show in the second half. To impress visiting diplomats with Siam’s project to modernise, the king commands Anna to stage a version of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the book by Harriet Beecher Stowe which, in the 1860s, was a very current commentary on slavery. It doubles as a wonderful opportunity for dazzling spectacle, courtesy of set designer Michael Yeargan, costume designer Catherine Zuber and choreographer Christopher Gattelli.

The director thinks of Rodgers and Hammerstein as “good liberals investigating these cultural issues. Hammerstein’s attraction to certain stories in which these kinds of transformations was very well keyed to pushing the entire form ahead.” Their politics didn’t extend to ethnically appropriate casting; the original cast had two Asian actors.

This tour, like the London production and the New York incarnation before it, showcases the talent of young actors of Asian ethnicity.

If a tale of ancient royal protocol, polygamy and slavery was a challenge to American values in the 1950s, it has a different task to perform now, Sher argues. “Whenever we address a classic, we must address what is the immediate significance of the work right now. The question of education of women in the Third World, the position of women moving from a patrilineal society where power is maintained through marriage and he’s got millions of wives – and how a schoolteacher comes in and transforms that – it’s a complete reason to do the show. It’s what theatre does.”

There is a romantic subplot in The King and I, but what is richly unusual about it is that the main players act out a subtler and more deeply resonant story about east and west, men and women, tradition and modernity. It’s beautifully expressed in Shall We Dance?, the climactic duet between Anna and the king which is most memorable as the ecstatic meeting of minds, hearts and, most of all, feet. And that will always be timeless. ■ • The King and I, Bristol Hippodrome, 24 March – 4 April; kingandimusical.co.uk

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LOCAL | EVENTS

WHAT’S ON IN MARCH Declan J Donovan will be playing on 5 March

Paul McCaffrey is at the Hen and Chicken

City of Bristol Choir: Duruflé Requiem by Candlelight 4 March, 7.30pm, All Saints’ Church Duruflé’s passionate and moving Requiem is at the heart of this concert as the 100-strong City of Bristol Choir is joined by cellist Richard May and organist Richard Johnson to perform music by Tavener, Ešenvalds, Barber, and a new work by Amy Summers. From £15; cityofbristolchoir.org.uk Declan J Donovan 5 March, 7.30pm, 21 March, Louisiana Having just finished a run of shows with Tom Walker at the end of last year, Essex singersongwriter Declan J Donovan will embark on his UK tour this month. Donovan was one of the only unsigned acts to play BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend, appearing alongside Taylor Swift and Florence & The Machine. From £8; declanjdonovan.com Simon Evans’ The Work of the Devil 6 March, 8pm, Redgrave Theatre One of the country’s best-loved stand-up comedians, Simon Evans, is back on tour again. Following on from Genius and Genius 2.0, he’s visiting venues up and down the country with his new show The Work of the Devil. From £16; redgravetheatre.com Paul McCaffrey: Lemon 6 March, 8pm, Hen and Chicken After a hugely successful 2019 Edinburgh Festival, Paul McCaffrey is back with a standup show in which he delves into married life and how he ruined his honeymoon. From £9; henandchicken.com Memorial Stadium Sleep Out 6 March, 8pm, Memorial Stadium Bristol Rovers Community Trust was delighted to announce its first ever Memorial Stadium 32 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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Sleep Out, giving fans the opportunity to sleep outside overnight in Bristol’s famous Memorial Stadium and help raise funds for Caring in Bristol; bristolroverscommunity.org.uk Ngaio 7 March, 1.30pm, St George’s Born in London, Bristol-based for the last 20 years, Ngaio is the founder of Booty Bass, a DJ collective that has been making big waves in the UK festival scene over the last 12 months and will be performing at St George’s this month. From £7.50; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Henleaze Concert Society: Prairies and Pastures 7 March, 7.30pm, Trinity-Henleaze URC The Bristol Ensemble performs that most English of masterpieces and one of the nation’s favourite instrumental works, The Lark Ascending, as well as Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Hoedown from Rodeo, and Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. From £16.50; henleazeconcertsociety.org.uk Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman 8 March, 8pm, The Folk House Celebrating 25 years of making music together, this popular husband-and-wife duo will revisit and reinterpret songs which span their career.

Twice winners of ‘Best Duo’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Kathryn and Sean have long established themselves as one of the UK folk scene’s most rewardingly enduring partnerships. From £16.50; bristolfolkhouse.co.uk Welsh National Opera: Carmen 11 & 13 March, 7.15pm, Bristol Hippodrome Jo Davies’ new production, set in 1970s Central America, will bring all

No 189

See Ngaio on 7 March

the passion and drama expected of this iconic opera. Bizet’s alluring music exposes the emotion of the characters to create a tension that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From £13; wno.org.uk Welsh National Opera: The Marriage of Figaro 12 March, 7.30pm, Bristol Hippodrome Through a series of twists and turns, The Marriage of Figaro will keep you guessing until the final scene, with Mozart’s sublime score brilliantly bringing the action to life. From £13; wno.org.uk The Six Wives of Henry VIII 12 – 14 March, 7.30pm, Wardrobe Theatre 18 – 21 March, 7.30pm, Theatre Shop Craig Edwards directs Howard Coggins and Stu McLoughlin in the acclaimed comedy of many errors and frequent mistakes The Six Wives of Henry VIII, a lively and absurd journey through the hysterical history of one of England’s most famous kings and his poor, unfortunate wives. From £12; thewardrobetheatre.com LYRA: Bristol Poetry Festival 13 – 22 March, times and venues vary After last year’s roaring success, Bristol Poetry Festival is returning to the city in March for the second time. Featuring an array of local, national and international poets and performing in venues around the city, the 10day festival is offering free events to encourage as many people as possible. Festival pass from £50; facebook.com/lyrabristol Baritone Elevenses with Bruce Saunders 14 March, 10.30am, Holy Trinity Church The baritone Bruce Saunders performs a solo recital, accompanied by Richard Johnson, as

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part of the ‘elevenses’ series.

Patrons can enjoy coffee and cakes from 10.30am and the 40-minute recital begins at 11am. Suggested donation £5; westbury-parishchurch.org.uk Shreya Devnath 14 March, 2.15pm, St George’s Experience a magical journey through Indian classical and folk cultures with Shreya Devnath and Praveen Sparsh. They play traditional Indian songs – songs of freedom, love, joy and self-belief – exploring the musical and lyrical diversity of India. From £12; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Bristol Concert Orchestra 14 March, 7.30pm, St George’s Rossini’s sparkling, effervescent overture to Semiramide raises the curtain on Bristol Concert Orchestra’s evening of dramatic music under conductor Stefan Hofkes. From £15; bristolconcertorchestra.org.uk The Royal Opera screening 17 March, 7.15pm, The Royal Opera House Celebrate the 250th anniversary of

Beethoven’s birth with a live cinema screening of The Royal Opera’s new production of Fidelio. Beethoven’s only opera is an uplifting story of risk and triumph and the Royal Opera House cinema broadcasts offer audiences the best seat in the house, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. To book tickets visit roh.org.uk/cinemas Dane Baptiste's The Chocolate Chip, 19 March, 8.30pm, Hen & Chicken Star of hit podcasts Dane Baptiste Questions Everything and Quotas Full as well as a TV sensation (Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Sunny D), the acerbic comedian tackles race in his typically unfiltered, original and provocative manner. From £12; henandchicken.com Benjamin Francis Leftwich 20 March, 7.30pm, St George’s Prompted by his new single Elephant, Benjamin Francis Leftwich is taking a more intimate show around the country to venues he hasn’t played at before.

EDITOR’S PICK...

BRISTOL’S WOMEN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL

Hadley Freeman, 28 March

28 & 29 MARCH, WATERSHED

The Bristol Women’s Literature Festival is the oldest women's literature festival in the UK and the only one to feature an all-woman line-up.

It was set up almost as a bet between its founder, journalist Sian Norris, and writer and broadcaster Bidisha when they were discussing the gender disparity at many festivals they attended.

The festival will return to Bristol’s Watershed for the fourth time since its creation in 2013 on 28 March.

Presented with Bristol’s Festival of Ideas and supporting Womankind, it aims to celebrate the diversity and creativity of women writers, counter the male dominance of cultural festival

line-ups, and promote women’s literary history.

It will include many talks from the likes of Hadley Freeman and Viv Groskop, who will cover themes such as women writing the wild, auto fiction and memoir, writing the fourth wave and women in translation.

• watershed.co.uk Continued on page 34

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Grace Carter is heading for SWX

Enjoy Exultate Singers on 28 March

This new single takes Ben back to his routes, with signature hushed vocals over delicate guitars. From £15; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

crowning masterpiece. Tickets from £12; bristolbach.org.uk

Samantha Lindo 21 March, 1.30pm, St George’s British singer-songwriter of mixed Jamaican heritage, Samantha Lindo mines a rich vein of subject matter in her songs. Her full band brings together a stylish mix of soul, jazz, triphop and spoken word and, this month, she will be performing a stripped-back set focusing solely on her voice and words. From £7.50; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk Bristol Choral Society: Symphony of Psalms 21 March, 7.30pm, Bristol Cathedral Bristol Choral Society, one of the leading big city choirs in the UK, returns for another spectacular season showcasing timeless classics and lesser known choral gems. Conducted by Hilary Campbell, the choir is known as one of the leading big city choirs in the UK. From £11; colstonhall.org The Jacques 21 March, 7pm, Zed Alley Hot London four-piece The Jacques have shared their latest single, I Never Want To Be Your Boyfriend, and confirmed an extensive UK headline tour. We’re told that their new tracks represent a thrilling taste of what’s to come as they re-emerge from the shadows and are catapulted headfirst back into the whiteheat of the public eye. From £9; thejacques.co.uk Bristol Bach Choir 21 March, 7.30pm, St George’s Bristol Bach Choir present an immersive performance of Haydn’s Creation. This unforgettable performance will be something of a feast for the senses and the soul. The Creation is filled with soaring melodies, blockbuster choruses and vibrant orchestral writing and is widely considered to be Haydn’s 34 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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Bristol Phoenix Choir 21 March, 7.45pm, Clifton Cathedral Bristol Phoenix Choir and Orchestra, and the Bristol Cathedral Consort, conducted by Paul Walton, with soloists Helen Vincent (soprano) and Alex Learmonth (bass), will perform Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem and Vaughan Williams’s Five Mystical Songs. From £15; bristolphoenixchoir.org.uk Grace Carter 24 March, 7pm, SWX After placing at number three in the BBC Sound of 2019, Grace Carter went on to headline the BBC Introducing stage at SXSW before heading out on her own sold-out UK and European tour. She wrapped up the year supporting Lewis Capaldi on his massive academy run and, now, the Brighton singer is set to tour the UK again this month. From £15; gracecarterofficial.com Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival 26 – 29 March, times and venues vary Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival is back for another barnstorming string of toetapping events. This year, along with the vast array of music on offer, the festival will also host music workshops as well as superb latenight jam sessions at Bambalan; bristoljazzandbluesfest.com Worm Disco Club at the Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival 27 March, 8pm, Fiddlers After five years of countless gigs, parties and festivals, Worm Disco Club have now announced their new label, Worm Discs. It will be launched at the Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival with the mission of providing a platform for fresh contemporary acts to release their music. From £10; bristoljazzandbluesfest.com

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Exultate Singers: Easter by Candlelight 28 March, 7.30pm, St James Priory Exultate Singers will be performing in a candlelit Easter concert in the medieval church of St James Priory. From £10; exultatesingers.org Menopause Day 28 March, 10am, Alchemy 198, Gloucester Road With talks and workshops packed with selfhelp tips, Alchemy 198’s Menopause Day is set to be a friendly and informative day in Gloucester Road’s gorgeously arty bar (which features a fantastic cocktail list too). Whether you’re going through the menopause, or want to learn more about it before you do, this is a chance to learn techniques and share experiences. From £30; eventbrite.co.uk

PLANNING AHEAD Craft4Crafters Show 2 – 4 April, 10am – 5pm, Bath and West Showground The biggest hobbycraft show arrives back this April with an array of craft suppliers, exhibitors and workshops. It attracts some of the best needle and hobby craft traders from around the country. Visitors can expect two floors packed with everything from fabrics to sewing machines. From £10 (£8 in advance); craft4crafters.co.uk Steve Harley Acoustic Band 15 April, 7.30pm, St George’s After releasing his latest album Uncovered, Steve Harley and his band have showed no sign of slowing down and they are back in Bristol with their new tour this April. From £28.50; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk n

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MUSIC | WRITING

Image by Tomodo Photography

Like the look and sound of Write Like A Girl events? Get involved at Cafe Kino on 7 March

WRITE LIKE A GIRL

Stokes Croft is championing female songwriting talent this month at Cafe Kino – Samantha Luxa tells us more

Image by Tomodo Photography

Beth Keeping

Martha Clements

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Emily Faye

Image by Tomodo Photography

Vic Allen

Images by Alysse Gafkjen

ristol’s strong musical heritage has inspired, helped produce and attracted a range of artists and genres over the decades, in and around its varied live venues, and this month the city will celebrate some of its best up-and-coming female talent. Aiming to champion female songwriters, encourage mutual support among them and start conversations about women in music, it will “put female songwriting talent back in the spotlight and inspire more women to create original music,” in the words of Emily Faye, one of the artists bringing the Write Like a Girl initiative to Stokes Croft.

With the female-empowered movements of recent years, there are more and more voices calling for women to be heard in the industry. Songwriters need to be a member of a performing rights organisation to be paid for their work and, according to figures from the Performing Rights Society for Music – this country’s collection society for royalties – fewer than one in five UK songwriters are women with only 17% of PRS members female. So, why are there fewer female writers? “The actual number of women writing songs could be much higher than 17%, but these women are not registered songwriters with PRS, so unless they are a member of another organisation they are classed as amateur ‘hobby’ writers as they are not making any money from their music,” explains Write Like A Girl’s Beth Keeping, who is a songwriter and artist herself. “If we had access to the number of female writer credits on songs that get released and make money, it would be a lot lower than 17%.”

Over the last few years, there have regularly been stories in the United States about the lack of equal play for female artists on the radio. Recently a writer for Variety tweeted that they heard a country radio station play the work of two females twice in row and made a quip about whether the show in question would be fined for doing so, referring to the underrepresentation of female artists. The whole thing blew up when the radio station replied, stating the unwritten country radio rule that they were not able to play two female artists back to back, not even groups that had female members. This issue has existed for years, with some radio stations repeatedly claiming that their listeners prefer male artists. The story caused public outcry, with female artists calling out said stations for this all too common response. “The barriers that women face are just as big off-air,” continues Beth. “If you look at the credits on the few songs by female artists that are played on the radio, they are often co-written with and produced by men. Female writers and producers are not getting the same opportunities, and I wonder whether it would make female artists feel more empowered to express themselves lyrically if they had another female writer in the room to collaborate with.”

A rising star on the UK country scene, Write Like A Girl founding member Vic Allen articulates it from her perspective: “Writing songs is a way of expressing my emotions and experiences, and helps me to heal from bad ones. To write as a woman can make you vulnerable as people can be quick to judge and label you as ‘whining’. It’s so important to continue writing what you want to as otherwise songwriting isn’t as enjoyable and people won’t connect to your music. I think there are a lot of female writers, but in the music industry they are not taken as seriously. I’ve been told (by a man) that without boys I’d have nothing to write songs about, which I thought was very unfair as I write about a lot of other subjects – and men write about women/break-ups all the time!”

Despite the challenges, female songwriters are striving to make successful careers and are receiving recognition. Bristol country soul queen Yola was nominated for four Grammys this year, and won Artist of the Year at the UK Americana Awards. She also contributed tracks to The Highwomen, a country music female supergroup Members include Grammy-winning artists Brandi Carlile and Amanda Shires. Female songwriters are joining forces and collaborating to take a positive step forward to make changes within the industry and this month Beth, Emily and Vic will perform at the Write Like A Girl event in a writers’ round format, telling the stories behind their songs. Guests include Bristol country-pop singer Kelsey Bovey, whose music – including debut single Define Me – covers emotional responses to social situations including her experience of being bullied. Martha Clements, an acoustic pop singer-songwriter from Chipping Sodbury, will also attend, sharing her emotive storytelling, lyrics and melodies ahead of the release of her debut single, and joining them will be Bristol’s Danielle Celeste – just back from Nashville where she co-wrote with a number of talented songwriters and is currently working on her first release. ■

Bristol country soul queen Yola won Artist of the Year at the UK Americana Awards

• Write Like A Girl, 7 March, Café Kino. Tickets £10; facebook.com/writelikeagirluk THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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ARTS | INTERVIEW

LEFT: Illustration developed for the New Psychotherapist magazine, covering climate change and a feeling of being lost at sea while trying to rescue the situation BELOW: (Top) Dave Bain in front of a collaborative mural at Redland train station, created with fellow illustrator Zoe Power; (bottom) editorial illustration for a Cycling Magazine feature on bicycle sizes for shorter, taller and bigger-build body types OPPOSITE: (Top) Character for beer festival promotion; (bottom) crop of an artwork for a Bristol Children’s Hospital corridor project

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Imagery in action

The work of Bristol illustrator Dave Bain is bold, energetic and full of a sense of warm-hearted community, says Emma Clegg

I

mages thrumming with energy, vibrant colours, intertwined figures, wild midair gestures, chaotic limbs, acrobats balancing in a human tower, trapeze act rabbits and monkeys swinging in gay abandon. Looking at Dave Bain’s illustrations is certainly a colourful, visually dynamic experience.

Some of his pieces have distorted long arms and contorted body positions – but why on earth not drink a pint of beer while wrapping a leg over your head and putting the foot of said leg flat against the wall? Filling a picture space is not something that Dave is coy about, with the action in his work generally stretching from corner to corner. “I have been pushing my characters more and more to contort themselves around the shape of the frame and clients like it and ask for it,” says Dave.

Dave, who grew up in Canterbury – with early inspirations being Tintin and Asterix comics – studied illustration in Falmouth, and is now based in Bristol, where he has lived for 15 years: “I’d been to Bristol a few times and really loved the down-to-earth nature of it all.

It felt very creative and the music scene here was a big draw. I think most of all it is the creative circles of people that are what has kept me here.”

The style of Dave’s work has changed in character over the years. “During the illustration course in Falmouth we were encouraged to try all sorts of things. I found my voice with colour and with a particular painterly traditional style – I got very excited about texture and composition, and this has stayed with me.

“Then about 10 years ago I helped set up a studio with a screen-printing area, which motivated me to learn the ropes, with help from talented printer friends. I threw myself into printing and teaching print techniques.

This experience brought a stronger sense of

colour to my work, thinking about shape and form and blocks, and this transformed my way of illustrating. I adopted a similar workflow: lots of drawing, overlaying sketches on a lightbox and scanning in shapes and line, with the final composing and colour done digitally. It’s almost a digital form of screen-printing.”

It can be hard securing your first commission as an illustrator, but Dave’s experience was a positive one. “I feel fortunate as one of the tutors at Falmouth got me a small job while I was still at university, but I was also lucky enough to have an agent look after me for a time.”

This allowed Dave the time to form relationships with his own clients using social media and postcard mail-outs to self-promote.

His paid projects are diverse in character, divided between commercial (examples being CBeebies, Aardman and Cycling Magazine) and community projects (such as NSPCC, Oxfam and the Teenage Cancer Trust). Dave explains that his experience as an illustrator has often merged with areas right on the borders of what might be expected. “There are loads of exciting areas in which illustration is being used. That has been one of the things that has kept me excited, taking advantage of the grey fuzzy borders of what constitutes illustration, involving perhaps a community mural or visual notes for dry meetings that need a bit of livening up.”

One of the biggest murals that Dave has worked on was at the Bristol Children’s Hospital, where the brief was to transform a hospital corridor using artwork, for which he had to go through a lengthy formal submission to explain his ideas. “It wasn’t a narrative mural, because people join and exit the corridor at different points, so I created short vignettes.” The 200-metre corridor included access to the burns unit, and the artwork there was designed in cool colours and featured water. Dave collaborated with a local sculptor who turned some of his visuals into mini sculptures at one of the entrances.

“I don’t want anyone ever to see this hospital artwork – for obvious reasons – but various friends, and even people I don’t know have messaged me, and said what a difference it made to walk their child down the corridor, looking at all the artwork and forgetting their own problems.”

Dave has also worked on visuals for a kids’ play park that is specifically designed for children with learning disabilities, and has done a series of workshops in schools for children. He describes a workshop in Wales that he ran with a musician and a technical

expert. “The musician worked with the children, getting them to create music using their hands to make sounds. I worked with them to create artworks that were gestural, using textures with a raised surface. We then put paint on the textures, pressing paper into them and mark-making. The technical contributor then transformed and animated these things using levers and dials, getting the kids to interact with them as they were looking at a screen where their artwork creations were combined with the music.

“It was a beautiful afternoon with about 20 kids with their carers in an independent cinema in the middle of Wales, using the screen and celebrating all their creations.

It’s an example of the furthest edges of what happens when you are an illustrator.”

Dave loves to work in sketchbooks. “I end up working across two or three. I have never thrown one away – they are my visual thesaurus and mind bin. The ebbs and flows of freelance work mean that if there isn’t a commission coming in or if I’m waiting for feedback from clients, I just dive back into the sketchbook.”

Every few months he hosts regular panel talks and events in Bristol organised with the Association of Illustrators, designed to get conversations going within the industry. The idea of working together is intrinsic to Dave’s philosophy. “I despair when I hear artists saying they don’t want to see anybody else’s work in case they copy it. That’s ridiculous – people have always been inspired by creative work around them. I love Instagram and following illustrators who I admire, and the composition and ideas that feed through. It’s fantastic if it feeds into my work in some way – I mean why not? It’s part of being alive and being creative; I don’t want to ignore it.” n • davebain.com

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EXHIBITIONS

STATE OF THE ART Age of Women, Room 212/Alchemy 198, throughout March

See gorgeous work from the likes of Toni Burrows

Gloucester Road’s Room 212 and Alchemy 198 are focusing particularly on women during March to coincide with International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day. The exhibition in Downstairs Gallery is a group show based on the female form through her decades. Additionally, there will be a Living with Menopause Day at Alchemy 198 on 28 March. This will include kinesiology, a nutrition workshop and a film by UWE senior film lecturer Liz Banks, whose work over the last few years has looked at women’s sexual and mental health. Red Moon Diaries draws on the personal diaries and performances of 10 women across Bristol to explore their inner thoughts and feelings during the menopausal years. £30 for the day or £5 drop-in if space on sessions. Proceeds to Penny Brohn.

• alchemy198.co.uk

The Art of Spring, Clifton Contemporary Art, 7 – 28 March To mark the arrival of spring, the gallery will be featuring four key artists whose work frequently embraces new life, strengthening light and growing warmth: the stir of nature as the seasons change. From the found treasures, ancient landmarks and Cornish flora that inhabit Stephanie Axtell’s harmonious tableaux, to Lynne Cartlidge’s luminous, subtle still-life pieces, Maggie Matthews’ elemental but intricate landscapes and the immersive mixed media canvases of Sally Stafford, it’s high time to welcome the longer days, through the art of spring.

Bristol Independent Artists Exhibition, Hamilton House Gallery, 5 – 11 March Head to the Hamilton House Gallery space in Stokes Croft this month and see works from the Bristol Independent Artists Exhibition, featuring a mixture of artists covering a wide range of media. Expect to see oil paintings, photography, portraiture and sculptures.

The artists involved are Lucian Mclellan (life drawings), Andrew Stevens (sculptures and gothic), Stephen Lewis (photography), Hamilton (ceramic sculptures) and Graeme Robbins (oil portraiture).

• hamilton-house.org/gallery-space

• cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk Minotaur and the Four Winds

by Andrew Stevens

Tête-à-Tête in Striped Mug by Lynne Cartlidge

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Michael Amato – Grandma's TV Room

LIFE THROUGH A LENS

Su Cassiano tells intimate stories from the LGBTQIA+ community in Taiwan

The 2020 edition of the world’s longest running photography exhibition is on

Chirag Jindal reveals a network of lava caves hidden beneath Auckland

Catherine Hyland examined the Mongolian sumo culture

Rift by Cody Cobb

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ith the award winners announced for the 162nd edition of the Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition, the show is on the road at Paintworks. American photographer Cody Cobb was awarded one of two prestigious awards for his stark landscapes, made during periods of extended solitude. Cobb, by way of sharing his interpretation of what it means to be human on “this strange and fantastic planet,” immerses himself in the American West for weeks at a time, stripped of basic human comforts and isolated within unfamiliar terrain. His series Strange Land captures the emotion of the land as much as the topography; portraits of the Earth’s surface made while in various states of being lost, cold, hungry or sleep-deprived.

“I’m forced to confront the staggering indifference of the forces that have shaped our existence,” he explains of the process. “In this exhaustion, there’s a moment of surrender to the unforgiving and unknowable. When isolated in an unfamiliar terrain, there’s a calmness that settles over me and I’m only allowed to observe as my internal experience becomes entangled with the external topology. These photographs are an attempt to capture a surreal and occasionally confusing glimpse at the subtleties of enormity.”

Under 30s award winner Chirag Jindal, meanwhile, works at the intersection of documentary journalism, new media art and cartography.

Based in New Zealand, Jindal’s series Into the Underworld reveals a network of lava caves hidden beneath Auckland. Reduced to urban myth, their existence is not common knowledge and ongoing discoveries often go unreported by the urban developers that destroy them. Jindal’s images are created using LiDAR, an emerging form of lens-based imaging applied in archaeological surveying and criminal forensics.

Check out a few more of our favourite images below, as well as their diverse inspirations...

constant stream of breaking news and imminent threats might have a lasting effect on our collective conscious,” said Michael.

Catherine Hyland – Rise of the Mongolians How does a landlocked country with a population of three million manage to maintain its identity against the hyper-nationalism of neighbours like Russia, China and Japan? This is the question that Catherine Hyland poses in her project on Mongolian sumo wrestlers. It’s a sport that has made for an astonishing success story for Mongolia – between 2003 and 2014, the country dominated sumo, providing successive champions (or yokozuna in Japan) and making sumo wrestling a path to fame, riches and a particular kind of glory for young boys in Mongolia, a tough, yet climatically fragile land.

Su Cassiano – Menu Ma and Yellow on Menu’s family rooftop, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2019 This image is taken from the series A Brighter Summer Day, which tells intimate stories from the LGBTQIA+ community in Taiwan in the period leading to the legalisation of same sex marriage and the aftermath. In 2017, the Taiwanese government declared it unconstitutional to exclude same-sex couples from marriage, giving Taiwan two years to vote for the bill, and tearing the country apart. Seven million people voted against but on 17 May 2019 same-sex marriage was legalised, Taiwan becoming the first country in Asia to make the move. Nevertheless inequality prevails regarding adoption or marrying a foreign person. Stigma and stereotypes are still attached to same-sex relationships, and more so regarding gender issues. The existence of a gender diverse people is often hidden as gender binaries are strongly enforced. ■ • To find out more about these images and others, visit the International Photography Exhibition which runs until 22 March; rps.org

Frederic Aranda – Ian at Home “The line between reality and fiction is often blurred for an actor and I wondered how we could express this visually in just one photograph,” talented photographer Frederic said of his magnificent shot of Sir Ian McKellen, during a recent Instagram takeover for the RPS. “The line between what is projected and what is actually there. Ian often talks about how his fascination for the theatre started as a child when he peeped behind the curtain after a Peter Pan performance, aged six. He could see the cables and boxes everywhere. The world of how it all worked extended before his eyes and the contrast between the make believe and real parts of the stage fascinated him. Before being an actor, he was a stagehand backstage. So instead of him posing in front of a photographic backdrop, I felt he should be ambiguous about what’s ‘projected’ and what’s real.

“I often get asked why on earth I haven’t airbrushed the socket on the wall, the radiator, the clamps or even the tape and scissors on the radiator,” Frederic added. “What’s more, why isn’t everything just cropped out around the fabric? The reason is that it’s so much more interesting to let reality creep in to something staged and to show the contrast of high and low, what we want to show and conceal.”

“The Aranda portrait displays the makeshift gown to great advantage,” says Sir Ian of the shot. “But my actor’s vanity draws me to the face. Often photographs of me seem to present a character I might play, rather than the person I feel. This time it’s different – I recognise my bewilderment before the camera’s gaze and some sadness not to be able to look more cheerful. Also there’s an hauteur that is perhaps appropriate from an actor with no other part to play but himself but wrapped in such a kingly garment.”

Michael Amato – Grandma's TV Room, October 2014 Fear Culture, USA is a photo essay that examines the prevalence of the 24-hour cable news cycle in the life of the average American. The series of photographs attempts to highlight how omnipresent the television and cable news are in the everyday public and private environments we inhabit. Imagery from newscasts of past, recent, and current events are contrasted with happy homes and relatable everyday settings. “My purpose in developing this project was to draw attention to how a

Frederic Aranda – Ian At Home

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ART | COMPETITION

Arctic Scream by Andrew Burns-Colwill

Profile of a Man by Krystan Sharpe-Young

Self Portrait

by Liam Callebout

Blank canvas

A handful of artists are poised with their paintbrushes, ready to enter into creative combat at their easels this month.

We found out more about the regional heat of the Bristol-born competition Art Battle at the Anson Rooms

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rt Battle Bristol came into being after organisers spotted something similar taking place in the States and loved the idea. Borrowing it, and recruiting countless volunteers, sponsors and artists with a view to making it happen here, they began to put on small live-art competitions which became so popular they upped their ambitions. Featuring the winners of these events, the first Bristol grand final takes place this month, with a portion of the income generated due to be donated to South West Children’s Hospice. The winner will go on to a national final to decide who will travel to Tokyo for the international final in October, when over 30 countries will be represented by their individual artists.

Over the past two years of excitement, action, colour and creativity, Bristol audiences have seen artists with faces covered in paint during art battles, artists dancing barefoot, artists quite literally throwing paint at their canvas – some finish 10 minutes early and stand and have a drink and a chat while others are frantically creating until the bitter end, as time evaporates into the ether. A night of drama, it’s a spectacle all ages can enjoy, watching beautiful work being created from scratch in just 20 minutes. From mid-March, Art Battle Bristol will be showcasing studio works from the competing artists at its first pop-up exhibition in the Galleries Bristol. The winner of the grand final will also get a solo show for two weeks in April as part of the prize. The question is, who will you put your money on? Here we learn a little more about a few of those going brush to brush, and pieces previously created for Art Battle.

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Sophie Long Accomplished muralist and painter Sophie is best known for her work in raising awareness of the conservation of bees and animal issues.

“Dying Out In A World Of Colour is a continuation of my Dying Out piece I painted for Upfest 2018. The fading bees are a clear indication of their unfortunate future unless we do something drastic to save them. No bees, no life.” “We knew Sophie had been working on timed painting for a while and that she would focus on animals,” says Art Battle. “We had no idea they’d still blow us away when we saw her create them live!”

Liam Callebout “With a clean style and distinctive mark, Liam, we knew, was a top-notch illustrator,” say Art Battle organisers, “but we didn’t know what to expect as most of his work is digital. Once we saw the half-shaded face in the first round, we knew we were in for a treat.” “Self Portrait is something a tad removed from my more usual work,” says Liam. “I quite fancied drawing myself but ended up not being able to take it very seriously.”

Krystan Sharpe-Young This skilled and subtle portrait artist has an eye for detail and a knack for capturing the moment. “Profile of a Man is still my favourite piece of art I’ve created,” says Krystan. “It is part of a series which explores male fragility through traditional portraiture and expression of emotion.

While preparing for ArtBattle I wanted to challenge myself to something new; I love humans and portraiture so this was always going to be my subject but I wanted to

loosen up. I decided to experiment with makeup sponges as painting tools to see how this would affect my usually perfectionist portraiture, and simply loved the effect.”

Andrew Burns Colwill “Our oceans are disappearing, our world is heating up and people do nothing,” says Andrew of Arctic Scream. “This bear is screaming at the industry that’s come and taken away its ancestral home.” “We knew Andy as a force coming into Art battle but didn’t know what to expect from such a versitile artist on the night,” say organisers.

“He took a surprisingly conservative approach in round one with his lovely Suspension Bridge but really blew us away with his beached boat in the final. Can’t wait to see what he brings in the grand final!”

Us either – let the paint fly... ■ • Art Battle Bristol, 26 March, 7pm, Anson Rooms; artbattle.com

Dying Out In A World Of Colour

by Sophie Long

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ART | EXHIBITION

Cocktail Party, 1989 © Grayson Perry, courtesy of Victoria Miro

Class and associated social mores are a recurring theme typified in the vase Cocktail Party which features several ‘terrifying’ middle-class women

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ART | EXHIBITION

Pots for trendies: Perry’s pre-therapy years A Bath exhibition surveys one of today’s most eminent social commentator’s earliest forays into the art world, through which he began to express his search for identity. The Holburne director Chris Stephens evaluates the works on show

G

rayson Perry is one of a very select band of artists whose work appeals to audiences beyond the usual museum and gallery-goers. Through his writing and work on television, he has come to be something of a “national treasure” and recent exhibitions have been hugely popular. Though some featured tapestries associated with his TV series, he has, as he observes himself, a unique brand as the “transvestite potter”. For those of us who, like him, grew up in the 1960s and ’70s, it is extraordinary that a working-class, cross-dressing boy from Essex should have become the leading, and most articulate, commentator on British society and on masculinity. But it was not always so straightforward and the exhibition at the West Country’s Holburne Museum, ‘Grayson Perry: The PreTherapy Years’, reunites for the first time the early works that helped make Perry’s name and through which he started to explore and express his search for his own identity.

Perry studied art in Portsmouth and his earliest work was in collage, installation and film before a friend suggested, in 1983, that he try pottery. As a schoolboy, a pottery class had prompted his first experience of fetishistic excitement. His earliest ceramics brought together traditional forms and styles with iconoclastic references to sex and religion. He was associated with a group of artists – the NeoNaturists – who through painting and performance explored a kind of new-age practice, drawing on ideas of magic and shamanism. Some of these themes fed into Perry’s ceramics which featured references to death, devilry and various forms of spiritualism. In these early works there was a clear strategy to shock, almost for its own sake. Graphic images of sexual activity and fetishism combine with Nazi and other symbols. This was an art coming out of the post-punk moment, with memories of the Sex Pistols or Siouxsie Sioux wearing swastika armbands. At the same time, it connected to the New Age movement which hit the headlines in 1985 when the police blocked a group of travellers from staging a festival at Stonehenge, and Perry himself was associated with some of the key figures in the New Romantic movement that grew out of certain nightclubs at the end of the 1970s.

...His earliest ceramics brought together traditional forms and styles with iconoclastic references to sex and religion...

The title of the Holburne exhibition is significant. Once we had agreed with Grayson and his gallery that we would make a show of his early work, a discussion ensued about when ‘early’ ended. We decided that the artist’s move from smaller fringe galleries to the high-end Bond Street dealer Anthony d’Offay in 1994 marked a suitable turning point

which happened to coincide with a change in his style. It was at that moment that the larger, more lustrous look that characterises his pots now came into the work. It was Grayson himself who, when we told him the proposed cut-off date, said, “Oh, the pre-therapy years”.

Though he had actually first engaged with psychotherapy in 1997, that throw-away remark proved prescient. It was through therapy that he came to terms with his problematic childhood and the complexity of his identity as a transvestite. Before that process, we can see that he was seeking that resolution – or at least expressing the lack of it – through his art. As a consequence, a number of the works are challenging in their imagery.

...The conventions and pretentiousness of the art world are other frequent targets for Perry’s affectionate but nonetheless piercing satire...

There are several pots and plates which include graphic images of a sexual nature, including domination and humiliation, but these are balanced by others which reveal Perry’s fascination in those days with such archetypes of feminine power as newsreaders like Sue Lawley and Jan Leeming, Princess Diana and then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Equally, many of the themes that we see in his art today were already apparent in the 1980s and early ’90s. Class and associated social mores are a recurring theme, typified in the vase Cocktail Party which features several terrifying middle-class women. Essex, Perry’s home county, and the predominantly pejorative way in which it is discussed, appears again and again. The conventions and pretentiousness of the art world are other frequent targets for Perry’s affectionate but nonetheless piercing satire. It is a world of which he was becoming increasingly a part but he did not shy from satirising himself, populating one plate with the gallerist’s banter for its sale. In another, he sets a self-portrait alongside a criticism of his own work: ‘An amateurish hero in the true Brit school of peeved bigot …makes pretentiousness a virtue and makes pots for trendies’.

That same plate embodies Perry’s unique combination of the form and material of the object and his characteristically witty satire: through poor handling, the plate twisted and cracked, prompting him to title it Self-Portrait Cracked and Warped. It is a fitting work to promote an exhibition in which we can see the artist trying to understand his own psychological make-up as well as the works around him. ■ • Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years runs until 25 May at The Holburne Museum in Bath; holburne.org/grayson-perry

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WEDDINGS | ADVERTORIAL

Where romance blossoms at Berwick Lodge ❥ Being the small and intimate venue that Berwick Lodge is, there is strictly only ever one wedding a day. Hire is based on exclusive use which means that couples can make the very best of the beautiful gardens and its features for the 23 hour hire. ❤ The Victorian summer house – originally used by ladies of the house for afternoon tea overlooking the gardens – stands in the stunning grounds of Berwick Lodge and has been reconditioned to host small and intimate elopement weddings.

The cute veranda, lit up pathway and rustic feel make it a popular backdrop for couples’ wedding photographs.

❤

❥ The ever-popular rustic look fits so well for wedding breakfasts on long tables. A simple garland of soft ruscus and mixed eucalyptus and occasional gold votives keep the look fresh.

❤ Down the garden towards the orchard stands a unique gazebo, featuring a circle of Grecian marble ladies and a decorative dome roof, ideal for outdoor blessings and couple photographs. ❤

❤ Venue: Berwick Lodge @berwicklodge

❤ Photographer: Charlene Lovesy morlove.co.uk ❤ Flowers: Zoe at Flourish & Grace@flourishandgrace

❤ Blousy spring blooms of white, coral and pink peonies, large headed garden roses and lisianthas all give a romantic and elegant style to the tables

❤ Table styling: Clare at Luxe Touch Events @luxetouchevents

❤ Model: Megan @meganashx

❤ Hair & Makeup: Emma Jones @emma.hmua

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❤ The building dates back to 1890 when it was built by a General for his daughter as a wedding present. Berwick has been filled with romantic since the very start! The venue has many original and reclaimed features, keeping it in style with the era but with a luxurious, East meets West vibe. 14 bedrooms and suites have been installed with all the little finishing touches and luxuries that provide both relaxation and comfort to you and your guests. ❤

❤ Long rustic tables: Abbas Marquees @abbasmarquees1

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GRITTLETON HOUSE Welcome to our Home This beautiful family owned Victorian Mansion in the Cotswolds, will be throwing open their magnificent doors for their ‘WEDDING OPEN HOUSE’ on March 15th 2020 and the House has never looked so fabulous. Over the last few years the Shipp family have enjoyed restoring areas of the House. Most notably the extremely elegant master bedrooms – not only are they stunning but also huge, and the beautifully light and airy Victorian Orangery.

The House will be dressed for a wedding, with plenty of inspiration from Grittleton House’s team of talented suppliers. Come and enjoy a glass of bubbles and sample some tasty canapés, all freshly prepared by the in-house Michelin trained chefs.

Experience the relaxed atmosphere as you wander the house and grounds with plenty of time for contemplation!

Matthew Shipp, said, ‘We love Grittleton House and we love sharing it, not only is it magnificent but it also has a wonderful calm feel. During the Open Day couples will have access to all areas both inside and out and of course the beautiful new bedrooms, there will also be a couple of new surprises.’

Grittleton House offers true flexibility.

If you are looking for that unique and special venue, somewhere to call home for the duration of your stay (weekend and day packages available), this is the perfect setting for you.

♥

Can’t wait?

Contact Emma arrange a personal appointment: 01249 782 434 www.grittletonhouse.co.uk

LIVE ♥ LOVE ♥ LAUGH

March 15th 2020 12.00 - 3.00pm Join us for a complimentary glass of fizz and canapés and experience the wonder of Grittleton House dressed for a wedding.

Can’t wait visit our website www.grittletonhouse.co.uk to arrange a personal appointment.

Grittleton House, Wiltshire, SN14 6AP Tel: 01249 782434

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Cordon bleu catering: The Pony & Trap

It seems to be a bit of a well-kept foodie secret but did you know that, as well as running the Michelin-starred Pony & Trap in Chew Magna, talented siblings Holly and Josh Eggleton also run an events catering company, planning and hosting weddings, parties, corporate and family events across the South West?

For nearly 15 years, The Pony & Trap team have been designing and developing the catering for a wide variety of events in usual and unusual locations – in marquees in fields as well as in the homes of those wanting a dinner or event catered for from their own kitchen. “We start by meeting up to talk about the event you want, what experience you want your guests to have and what your ideal menu will be,” explains Holly. “That might be a number of canapés, a threecourse menu, celebratory sharing dishes or perhaps a buffet or even a tasting menu!

We’ll talk though the service and help organise the timings of your event to ensure it runs smoothly, from the set-up, to the day, and finally the clean-up. We use produce from the South West region, from high-quality, like-minded suppliers we love to champion, to do the best job we can.”

• For further information please email events@theponyandtrap.co.uk or visit josheggleton.co.uk

Imagine having the likes of top Bristol chef Josh Eggleton catering your event!

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Tinsel and tiaras from Victoria Percival

Elodie Crown, £495

Victoria Percival is the hot name of the day for bridal accessories – described as “modern-day luxury for style-focused brides”.

With years of experience in both bridal hair and makeup, Victoria made a natural transition to innovative fashion-led headpieces, earrings and gorgeous hair pins.

These are not just worn for weddings, as illustrated by her varied list of celebrity clientele – including the likes of Tess Daly, Katherine Ryan and Camilla Thurlow.

If you want to be showstopping and remembered for your styling – get with the VP tribe.

• Stocked at Carina Baverstock Couture; carinabcouture.com

Venice Earrings, £225 THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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Hotel & Restaurant



Watersmeet Hotel is a luxury four-star hotel with spectacular sea views offering one of the finest coastal locations in the West Country and an award winning two-AA rosette sea view Restaurant. This Spring our popular Rambler’s Package is back! Retreat for three nights of luxury in a deluxe sea view room, indulge in three courses each evening and one afternoon enjoy a Devon Cream Tea in our sea view lounge, package price £795.00. If you can only escape for one night, opt for our Luxury for Less package, stay the night in one of our luxury suites and start your stay with a toast with a bottle of Champagne. Enjoy 3 courses that evening and breakfast in the morning, package price £300.00.

Should you be lucky enough to escape last minute our late availability rates are updated weekly on our website offers section! Book and enjoy the full Watersmeet experience.

Escape to the past without leaving the comforts of home behind!

Railholiday is a family company offering sustainable holidays in beautifully converted railway carriages in the pretty village of St Germans, Cornwall.

Direct trains from Bristol • £25 off if you come by train • Wheelchair friendly carriage • Pets & families welcome • Fully heated • Open all year • Four miles from south coast beaches • Ten acres of private woodland to explore

www.railholiday.co.uk - 01503 230783

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FOOD & Drink

TASTY TIDBITS FROM THE CITY’S RESTAURANTS, CHEFS AND PRODUCERS Josh Eggleton is up second, following Briony May Williams

TRIPLE BATH & WEST BILL This year’s Royal Bath & West Show is ramping up the foodie appeal with its all-new ‘Great British Kitchen’ – championing the very best of the wonderful produce available in the region.

The Bath & West’s former theatre space has undergone extensive refurbishment to give it a fully functional demonstration kitchen on the stage. This will be put to good use over the three days of the show (28 – 30 May) with three top chefs with local connections performing cookery demonstrations. As much as possible they’ll be using ingredients available to buy from the food and drink marquee for the convenience of those wishing to try out the recipes at home. First up, on opening day, is Briony May Williams, who came to the public’s attention in the 2018 series of The Great British Bake Off. Using one of the best-known and loved products of Somerset, among Briony’s demo dishes will be a fruity cider apple pie. Briony will be followed on 29 May by Josh Eggleton, owner and chef patron of the Michelin-starred Pony & Trap in Chew Magna; and closing the demonstrations on 30 May is Dean Edwards, who appeared regularly on ITV’s Lorraine and This Morning. Each chef will perform three demonstrations, which will be free to attend, although numbers will be limited, so be sure to get there early on the day if you want to secure a seat. Tickets for the Royal Bath & West Show are on sale now.

• bathandwest.com

PUT BRISTOL ON BARDEN’S MAP

GIVE THEM SOME TRUTH

Nominations are being sought from producers in Bristol and the South of England for a new artisan food award. The Britannia Artisan Food Collection – supported by cooking appliance manufacturer Britannia – is being curated by food and drink journalist and broadcaster Nigel Barden, and will map the UK’s best produce and producers, having launched in Wales in November, moved north to Scotland in January and then travelled to the north of England.

From November 2019 to March 2020, Britannia has been seeking nominations from the public for their favourite food and drink from where they live. From jams and honeys to bread and charcuterie – and not forgetting local ales, ciders, and spirits – the best recommendations will be awarded a place on Britannia’s Artisan Food Collection map.

Nigel Barden has been a familiar voice on national radio in the UK since the 1990s, and he has spent almost 30 years championing artisan food and drink producers in the UK. Each month, Britannia has been releasing a podcast in which Nigel discusses a region and its food and drink culture, and reviews three of the best nominations from within.

“We’re passionate about great food and exceptional cooking, so we’re really excited to see what hidden gems we can unearth across the British Isles,” said Jane Rylands, head of communications for Britannia. “We’re eager to see what produce those in the know from Bristol will recommend.”

Those who wish to make local recommendations can do so by visiting Britannia online or via social media and using the hashtag #BritanniaArtisanFood.

TV presenter and farmer Adam Henson has launched a campaign educating children on where food comes from. With #FeedMeTruth, he hopes to encourage nurseries and schools to make their food supply chain transparent, creating a generational shift in how the nation engages with and values food provenance.

“The appreciation and understanding of food starts with children simply knowing how and where the ingredients on their plate were produced, but they don’t,” he said. “Every school dinner has a story to tell – a journey. It leaves a footprint. We need every child to explore, be inspired and learn from it.”

The campaign will offer a way to show the journey of every plate of food and help drive the change through supply chains.

The service and tech is being provided by Happerley, a not-forprofit organisation founded by farmers to validate the provenance of food ingredients and empower consumers. “By working through the food chain to deliver the full story of the ingredients that make school dinners, our hope is we can create a seismic change in understanding that impacts on children’s health and nutrition, the environment and sustainable food production,” added Happerley founder, farmer Matthew Rymer.

• For more information, visit britannialiving.co.uk/britanniaartisan-food-collection or nigelbarden.com

• feedmetruth.co.uk

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JUSTICE SYSTEM GARDENING

Images: @JonCraig_Photos

Dr. Peter Reed, chairman of the Avon and Somerset magistrates bench, has seen the decline in media reporting first-hand over nearly 30 years

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JUSTICE SYSTEM

SEEN TO BE DONE It is vitally important that we have confidence in our criminal justice system. Hollye Kirkcaldy examines the disconnect between the public and the system, and the lives that can unravel unnoticed behind it due to the decline in court reporting

T

here are 12 court rooms at Bristol Magistrates’ Court – unimposing with tiers of desks and banks of seating, a Plexiglass dock the only stand-out feature. They are a far cry from the traditional dark wood-panelled court rooms we are comfortably familiar with from TV legal dramas. But few people outside of the justice system – defendant, police, legal representative – have ever seen inside these 12 rooms on Marlborough Street, despite them being open daily to the public.

For while open justice is a core democratic principle, there is now a vast disconnect between the public and the criminal justice system, caused largely by a decline over the past decade in court reporting by local and national media.

Magistrates’ courts, the first port of call for virtually all criminal court cases, from murder to theft, have seen the worst of the drop-off. Behind the hundreds of listed charges read out weekly in Bristol Magistrates’ Court, there are lives which have unravelled but pass unnoticed and unreported, their stories now invisible without press scrutiny in court.

Dr. Peter Reed JP, chairman of the Avon and Somerset branch of magistrates, has seen the decline in media reporting first-hand over nearly 30 years. “When I first started as a magistrate in 1992 there was a reporter from the local press in court every day,” he said. “Now it is unusual to see a reporter at all.”

...The courts take great care to explain the reasons for the decisions, and if these were published, it would increase public understanding and confidence in the fairness and balance of the courts...

Despite the vast array of hearings that take place daily at magistrates’ courts, there are now only certain types of ‘newsworthy’ cases which guarantee media attention – those of serious violence and sexual offences, those involving celebrities and hearings involving animal rights are top of the list for the ‘name and shame’ headlines which attract readers.

Over the course of a fortnight in November, for example, only one case among the hundreds at Bristol Magistrates’ Court attracted the attention of a journalist. The reporter attended for the brief hearing of a 61-yearold man appearing for the first time after being extradited from Spain on multiple charges of managing brothels in Cheltenham and trafficking sex workers into the country. The case was deemed too serious for the sentencing powers of the magistrates (a maximum of six months’ imprisonment) and it was sent to Crown Court for trial at a later date.

A joint study carried out in 2018 by the University of the West of England’s law and media departments concluded that as few as 0.01% of cases coming through the magistrates’ court nationally are now being reported by the press. The lack of public visibility leads inevitably to a dangerous misconception that the justice carried out seemingly behind closed doors is not being held to account.

“It is vitally important the public has confidence in our criminal justice system,” said Dr. Reed. “Many people do not know how the courts work. When announcing the verdict in a trial and pronouncing sentence, for example, the courts take great care to explain the reasons for the decisions, and if these reasons were published, it would increase public understanding and confidence in the fairness and balance of the courts.”

Dr. Reed echoed recent comments by the Lord Chief Justice that having journalists and members of the public in court ‘keeps everybody up to the mark’.

A lack of funding for both courts and media has been a key factor in the decline of press reporting in magistrates’ courts in particular. Between 2010 and 2018, half of the 323 magistrates’ courts nationally were closed by the government and the buildings sold to raise funds in part for a £1billion digital transformation programme of the court system. In Bristol and the surrounding area, local courts including Bridgwater, Chippenham, Yate, Gloucester, Frome, Cirencester and Stroud were closed in the space of just two years, while a further 22 were closed across Wales.

Inside Bristol Magistrates’ Court

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JUSTICE SYSTEM

...The treadmill of hearings provides a snapshot of urban society, where addiction is pervasive, mental health issues have become the norm rather than the exception and theft is a common offence...

Combined with the closure of local newspapers – 245 titles nationally in a similar timeframe – it is no surprise that journalists are now a rare sight in court. Editors on a limited budget are understandably unwilling to allow their reporters the time to attend a magistrates’ court without any guarantee of a solid news story return.

Many local news outlets now have to rely heavily on the pre-approved press releases distributed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) once trials are completed.

Marcus Keppel-Palmer, a law lecturer involved in the UWE study, believes that media reporting of this kind leaves the public without any important context. “Reporting using press releases from the CPS or the local police isn’t independent scrutiny,” he said. “It doesn’t have the rich consideration of the issues behind it. There is a litany of stories about drugs, domestic violence, alcohol which are issues in our society and which don’t get reported.”

The treadmill of hearings passing daily through Bristol Magistrates’ Court provides a revealing snapshot of today’s urban society, one where addiction is pervasive, mental health issues among defendants have become the norm rather than the exception and theft is a common offence. On one recent day in court, a woman in her late thirties, from Fishponds, cried as she admitted stealing more than £500 of chocolate, alcohol and tinsel from ASDA in the run-up to Christmas. She was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay just £32 compensation. Another woman in her forties, from the Stokes Croft area, pleaded guilty to behaving aggressively after drinking a bottle of port in the street. She had a string of previous convictions for similar anti-social behaviour and admitted that she had a problem with alcohol for which she was actively seeking help. Magistrates fined her £117, payable at £10 per month from her income support.

Many individuals charged with lower level crimes – possession of cannabis and driving under the influence, for example – enter a guilty

plea and accept a fine to avoid a lengthy trial. One man in his thirties, who was from Bedminster, pleaded with the magistrates to hold off on collecting his fine instalments for another few weeks as he was still waiting for his Universal Credit to start. He had been driving a moped while drunk and was knocked off by an Audi, breaking his legs and leaving him unable to work.

The Bristol Post, one of few local papers to still send a journalist regularly to Crown Court for bigger cases, publishes a weekly list of people convicted at the magistrates’ court but details only the charge and the sentence. With no other Bristol publications regularly attending court, the many issues currently facing the legal system in the city and beyond pass beneath the radar.

Cuts in legal aid, forcing many defendants to represent themselves in court, and delays in bringing cases to trial, are common. Most recent government figures put the average time from offence to completion of the case at magistrates’ court at 161 days, up 5% from last year. One hearing in Bristol in November involved an offence of fraud which allegedly took place more than two years previously but was only now coming to court.

...Editors on a limited budget are understandably unwilling to allow their reporters the time to attend a magistrates’ court without any guarantee of a solid news story return...

Mr. Keppel-Palmer believes this so-called ‘justice reporting’ – wider reporting of the justice system and the administration of justice – is even more important than a round-up of convictions. “News media should report on matters of public interest, and it’s not just the naming and shaming that’s important,” he said. He believes that the state of the legal system will not improve until it is pushed higher up the news agenda by journalists reporting on the issues directly and regularly from court. “Local media are trying to do their best, magistrates’ courts are trying to do their best,” he added, “but without some funding, none of them have the resources.” ■

A lack of funding for both courts and media has been a key factor in the decline of press reporting in magistrates’ courts in particular

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Leadership Skills for Tomorrow’s World University of Bristol offers part-time Masters in Strategy, Change and Leadership for senior professionals

The University of Bristol is offering a part-time Masters programme in Strategy, Change and Leadership. This part-time programme is for aspiring senior managers and is designed to fit around the demands of a busy job.

Today’s leaders are facing the most challenging operating circumstances for a generation. The necessary skills and competencies have shifted from the motivation of employees in a buoyant economy to change management and strategic leadership in this landscape of budget cuts, increased hours, more sophisticated technology and leaner workforces. Few organisations have escaped these changes whether they are in the private, public or not-for-profit sectors.

The University of Bristol has recognised this and designed a bespoke Masters degree in Strategy, Change and Leadership aimed at providing senior managers with the tools and techniques they require in order to navigate their organisations through such demanding times.

Programme Director, Helen Ballard says “I am delighted that we are able to offer this type of programme. Excellent leadership is critical in this challenging climate, and high performing organisations are recognising the need to further develop their managers. This practical Masters degree will offer a return on investment from day one.”

To find out more about the programme, come along to our open evening at the University on Wednesday 25th March from 6pm – 8pm. Contact Cheralyn Dark for details: efim-scl@bristol.ac.uk

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SPORT

Gloucestershire versus Glamorgan

Artist Silent Hobo’s handiwork last summer

Images courtesy of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

Playing Sussex and (pictured right), Mark Alleyne, who led the Glorious Glosters to six one-day titles in five years at the turn of the century

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SPORT

Back on top for the big 150

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club will celebrate its 150th anniversary back in Division One of the County Championship for the first time in over a decade – and it has an inspiring vision for the future, says Jeremy Blackmore

G

loucestershire is the club of the legendary WG Grace and steeped in the earliest history of county cricket. Yet it marks its 150th anniversary as much by looking to the future as celebrating the achievements of the past, with ambitions to embody the values of modern-day Bristol: environmentally sustainable, creative, diverse, urban and family orientated. “It’s massively exciting; not many organisations get to 150.

But it’s as exciting about where we’re going to, as much as where we've been,” says club chief executive Will Brown, reflecting on the milestone.

“It is an honour to work in a club which has hosted so many great players who have graced these pitches and seen some amazing matches.

But we’re constantly developing; the world doesn’t stay still.”

Since the Glosters’ last notable anniversary 50 years ago, cricket has been transformed with the introduction of shorter formats aimed at drawing in larger crowds. This year sees the advent of a new and controversial 100-ball tournament.

Bristol, too, has changed – something that has guided Gloucestershire’s vision for its own future. The club acknowledges that to be around for the next 150 years means adapting and changing along with the city and wider region. “It’s as much about how we can keep this club vibrant, how we can keep it relevant for people and, crucially,

Will Brown

how we can reflect the views and values of the communities we serve,” Brown continues. “If we can reflect those views and values then they’re more likely to want to spend time here. If we can identify the things that make Bristol or Gloucestershire unique then, as a resident, you’ll think: that’s somewhere I feel at home, that’s somewhere that represents me.

“Hopefully, we can do some really good work together and make this a really safe, happy and welcoming environment for people to come to.”

What are those unique characteristics that define county cricket in Bristol and Gloucestershire? From a playing point of view, Brown cites grit as an important trait. For example, the club won their most recent piece of silverware when they beat Surrey in a thrilling One Day Cup Final at Lord’s in 2015. Gloucestershire battled back from behind to win by just six runs.

...For too long we tried to play cricket at Bristol like we were playing cricket at Cheltenham.

It’s a different beast...

I

Gloucestershire also pride themselves on a strong team ethic, too, without egos. “I do think there’s absolutely a determination because of that, that everyone can contribute and is expected to contribute within the team,” says Brown. “And because of that we can fight from any position. So, from a playing point of view, they are the things that I really value here. The team balance is exceptional and that grittiness, the ability to not always to win pretty but to win, is a massive part of what we do.”

Gloucestershire’s home ground may be in central Bristol at Nevil Road, but the club serves the whole county and is renowned for hosting the world’s longest-running cricket festival at Cheltenham. If there was an increasing sense of dissonance between the two centres, it is something the club has recognised. “I think for too long we tried too hard to make them the same experience and it shouldn't be,” says Brown. “If you reflect the town and the city and the region more than the cricket sometimes, the cricket will take care of itself.”

That means celebrating Cheltenham’s unique characteristics: the idyllic College Ground lined with magnificent buildings and marquees, and knowledgeable crowds enjoying county cricket on long sunny days.

“It’s Wimbledon for cricket,” says Brown. “It’s a different environment, it is a festival, there’s no doubt about that. So, let’s play to that. I don’t think we’ve ever been embarrassed about it, we’ve always celebrated it, but let’s continue to celebrate that and add things in there that make it more of a festival.”

That means supplementing Cheltenham fortnight with events such as guest speakers which in this anniversary year include special visits from Gloucestershire legends.

Bristol has also found its own identity. “For too long we tried to play cricket at Bristol like we were playing cricket at Cheltenham,” THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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acknowledges Brown. “It’s a different beast. It is urban, it’s much more diverse. It’s a big city, sixth or seventh biggest city in the country, so let’s make sure that we are putting the city of Bristol at the heart of what we’re doing.”

Those urban values were vividly demonstrated with bespoke street art designs and installations transforming the County Ground as part of a major revamp last summer. Spectators passing through the Grace Gates at the Nevil Road entrance can view the creations of Silent Hobo, the street artist who has worked with the club to bring images of cricket and the city of Bristol to life on six of the ground’s large walls. In addition, a giant yellow cricket ball, featuring the club crest, is depicted bursting out of the main entrance wall to provide a 3D element to the artworks.

The extensive project was born out of the desire to better reflect the Club’s brand and colours – yellow and black – around the ground and be in-keeping with its city and community. “Bristol is one of the most internationally renowned street art cities and the Gloucester Road area itself is a haven of colourful street art, reflecting its creative neighbourhood,” says Brown. “Street art is something that has helped establish Bristol as an international visitor destination and we worked closely with the team at Visit Bristol to ensure consistency in approach in marketing the city – that’s why you can see Bristol’s main attractions and icons reflected on the walls. It is a way to recognise the city’s and club’s heritage in a fresh, contemporary way.

“The design – which celebrates our city and that cricket is a game for all ages, genders and races – is something that will help to bring our ground to life, help to attract a new audience to the game and our venue, and ensure that the Bristol County Ground is more easily identifiable to visitors and spectators, be they in the venue or watching on television.”

The street art designs have reimagined scenes from cricket’s past – including a giant depiction of WG Grace – and place male and female cricketers, young and old, in a contemporary setting with famous Bristol landmarks. Concorde even makes an appearance, trailing a message for the social media generation: #GoGlos.

Gloucestershire also aims to match Bristol’s green credentials and ambitions. It intends to become the most environmentally sustainable and conscious club in the country. That means putting in 115 bike racks, 12 electric vehicle charging points and 40 water refill points. All the club’s electricity comes from renewable energies.

Bristol’s reputation as a tech city is also reflected in the new augmented reality app being launched this year, while the club has a strong emphasis on children and families. “We are trying to walk the walk with what we believe are the core values for the people that live in Bristol,” says Brown. “If I think about Bristol, it’s big, it’s diverse, it’s a little bit alternative, it’s very environmentally conscious, quite green, it’s very hot on health and social wellbeing, trying to improve deprivation and help people. Very big on digital, a real ideas city, very creative.

Those are pretty much our values too.

“So, a lot of shared values between Cheltenham or Gloucestershire and Bristol but what we’re trying to do is just make the venues a little bit more unique in their own space.”

The club begins its 150th anniversary year back in Division One of the County Championship for the first time since 2005. Coach Richard Dawson led his team to promotion on the final day of last season and there is a distinct sense of pride and excitement around Nevil Road as the club returns to the top flight. They are particularly looking forward to the resumption of West Country derby matches against local rivals Somerset. “We can’t wait,” says Brown. “It’s obviously commercially important but more than ever it’s about cricketing importance and that’s what’s particularly nice about Div One now that there are teams we’ll be playing Championship cricket against that we will not have seen for a really long time. To get the likes of Yorkshire down to Cheltenham as part of the festival there, it’s fantastic. Another festival club with hugely loyal supporters.”

Last season saw Gloucestershire make a third Vitality Blast appearance in the last four years and there are hopes of going further in the competition this year. The club is marking the 150th anniversary in style with a series of celebratory events for members and supporters.

During the summer, Mark Alleyne and other Gloucestershire greats will play a series of matches against clubs in the region.

The Bristol County Ground will host England’s men’s and women’s

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teams for two high-profile floodlit international matches. Australia’s men are the visitors on 16 July for a One-Day International, while the ground will host India’s women in a T20 International on 27 June. Bristol is also one of the host venues for the new Welsh Fire women’s team in the new Hundred competition. ■ • Find a full list of Gloucestershire’s 150th anniversary events including details of a special new kit and community day at gloscricket.co.uk/150

Club history Dr Henry Mills Grace, father of legendary Gloucestershire and England batsman WG Grace, was responsible for the early days of Gloucestershire when he founded Mangotsfield Cricket Club.

This later amalgamated with Coalpit Heath CC to become West Gloucestershire CC. He eventually achieved his ambition on 2 June 1870 when Gloucestershire CCC played their first County match against Surrey on Durdham Downs. WG played and led Gloucestershire to victory by 51 runs.

In 1888 negotiations began to purchase some land at Ashley Down and a year later the ground became home to GCCC. The first game at the Nevil Road ground was on 1 July 1889 against Lancashire. In the same year the County established their club’s colours of fawn, brown, pale grey, dark green, red and navy blue.

The club’s honours board features a host of greats – from Wally Hammond, who has scored more centuries for Gloucestershire than any other batsman, to Tom Graveney, Zaheer Abbas, Mike Procter, Courtney Walsh and Mark Alleyne who led the ‘Glorious Glosters’ to six one-day titles in five years at the turn of the century.

Gloucestershire records 1870 – 2019 HONOURS County Championship Gloucestershire have not won the Championship since it became official in 1890, their best position being second in 1930, 1931, 1947, 1959, 1969 and 1986. Prior to 1890, it is generally accepted that Gloucestershire were Champion County in 1873 (shared with Nottinghamshire), 1874, 1876 and 1877.

Gloucestershire were promoted to Division One of the County Championship in 2019.

Knock-out Trophies Winners of the Gillette Cup in 1973, the NatWest Trophy in 1999 and 2000, and the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy in 2003 and 2004.

Benson & Hedges Cup Winners of the Benson & Hedges Cup in 1977 and 2000, and the Benson & Hedges Super Cup in 1999. Runners-up in 2001.

Sunday League Champions in 2000, winners of Division II in 2002 and 2006 and winners of the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2015.

Twenty20 Cup Runners-up in 2007, Quarter-Finalists in 2016, 2018 & 2019.

Second XI Championship Champions in 1959 Second XI Trophy Runners-up in 1995 and 1997

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TECHNOLOGY

EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY: The question people most often ask about the future is, essentially: what is going to happen? It’s the wrong question because we don’t know

Unpredictive text We must resist the false promises of technology and instead, says Margaret Heffernan in her new book, mine our own creativity and humanity to create futures we can believe in

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T

he TED talks of heavyweight thinker Margaret Heffernan, a keynote speaker at the Festival of Ideas on 6 March, have received millions of views, striking a fascinating anthropological chord. The Bristol talk by the business mentor and entrepreneur – ‘How Should We Think About the Future? – will draw on her latest book Uncharted, challenging our ‘prediction addiction’, exploring the limitations of AI, big data and even genetics in predicting the future, and considering why instead of trying to plan with perfect accuracy, we should, with a sense of hope, prepare robustly and embrace a certain level of inefficiency. The Texas-born philosopher spoke with us about the complexity of human life, outsourcing our own skills, fear of the unknown and the dangerous dependence on tech.

TBM: What’s your philosophy in a nutshell?

Margaret: I’m not sure it’s a nutshell, but here goes: I’ve been lucky always to do work I loved. I think everyone should have that opportunity – but I recognise that most do not. So I’m curious about what gets in the way: individual misconceptions and biases, organisation design and working habits, bad thinking, misplaced assumptions etc. I believe that everyone has the capacity for imagination and selfdetermination but few people develop or use them, and that we would all be happier, healthier and safer if we could.

...The deployment of tech is like doing public drug trials just by offering everything to an unsuspecting public...

What’s your background and what prompted you to embark on this?

As I say, I’ve been lucky always to do work I loved: first at the BBC where I started as a dictation typist but went on to be a radio and then TV producer, then running tech companies in the US, now as a writer and teacher. I’ve encountered, managed and employed hundreds if not thousands of people and, as a consequence, thought long and hard about what makes them productive and happy.

What have been your experiences of prediction addiction?

My experience shows that the question people most often ask about the future is, essentially: what is going to happen? It’s the wrong question because we don’t know. Most of the news is prediction and guesswork.

But the most expert forecasters say the best they can do is anticipate 400 days ahead. That’s the experts! The rest of us, maybe 150 days, maybe less. So what’s going to happen? We don’t know. How many jobs will automation destroy? Don’t know. Will autonomous vehicles ever be generally available? We don’t know. What will happen after 31 December when we really are out of the EU? We don’t know. Human life is complex; that means it unfolds in ways that are non-linear, where events might contain patterns but they aren’t predictable, and where very small things (like viruses) can have a disproportionate impact. Epidemiologists knew that there would be epidemics – but it is impossible to predict where or when or what. So the question ‘what is going to happen?’ just sucks you into speculation and propaganda. The better question is: ‘what could happen?’ – ‘what could we do?’ ‘what should we be doing?’ ‘what are the options?’ and ‘how can we explore them now?’

What are the most dangerous false promises of tech? Will reliance on it mean we eventually evolve without certain skills, such as risk-taking and imagination, through lack of use?

I think it is already having that effect. It’s startling to me how hard people find it to go for a walk without a map! I think the dangerous promise is that it works for our best interest. It doesn’t. Shoshana Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism is an eye-opening account of the degree to

which technology companies seek to develop products that condition human behaviour in ways that make us more profitable for them. This in itself is an abuse of power. In addition, there is a growing body of evidence that shows that, when we use tech, we outsource to it the skills we have, and could use, ourselves. Sometimes this doesn’t really matter; I’m fine with my phone remembering all those phone numbers instead of me. But choosing my friends? Making decisions for me? Even our dependence on GPS reduces our spatial awareness and memories. The more we use these technologies, the less we develop these skills ourselves.

And the more we let tech think for us… the less we think for ourselves.

What’s your biggest pet peeve related to people’s tech habits?

I hate people walking down the street looking at their phones. I appreciate in a new place where you must get somewhere on time, GPS is useful. But I see people walking down the street watching TV, reading, looking at the person they’re talking to on the phone. This doesn’t just mean they walk into people and lampposts or that they might not notice danger when it’s in front of them, it also means they don’t really know where they are. Even using the map, they have less sense of where they are and find it harder to remember. And I’m struck by the fact that it is so hard these days to make eye contact with people.

Why do we find it hard to find joy in the unpredictability of the future?

Fear of the unknown drives a lot of human behaviour; many argue it’s why we invented religions and why people still read or do horoscopes. Being able to anticipate the future – it’s going to rain, I’ll take an umbrella, or I know it takes 10 minutes to walk there so I don’t need to leave until three, all of these kinds of thought patterns bestow tremendous advantages. I know if I run, I’ll get to the other side of the road before a car hits me! But the bigger, longer terms things – what kind of job will I like, who should I marry, where do I want to live? – are matters of exploration and require that we learn to interrogate the world and ourselves to understand the world and ourselves. Otherwise we’re automatons, just doing what we’re told.

Now, I know some school teachers would love that (!) but the essence of education must be to learn to think, and act, for ourselves. Sounds easy; turns out it’s really hard. My third book, Wilful Blindness, was all about failures and scandals in organisations and companies where people knew what was happening but did nothing. They didn’t know what would happen if they spoke up, so they stayed silent. If we insist on knowing outcomes before we can act, then we end up doing nothing. And doing nothing can be damaging and dangerous. ‘Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.’ – John Stuart Mill.

You’ve been compared to Karl Popper; what do you think of that?

Well I wouldn’t compare myself to Popper but I think his argument that history doesn’t repeat itself is correct. His argument was that it can’t because those in the future will know about what happened today and shape their decisions accordingly. What advances humanity is new knowledge which, by definition, we can’t know until it’s here.

Is there one nation that seems most wary of or eager to accept tech?

I think Sili Valley is a pretty pervasive marketing monster and that no nation is immune to it. I am heartened that there is so much more scepticism around tech and its intents than there has been in the past.

The deployment of tech is really like doing public drug trials just by offering everything to an unsuspecting public. I think it’s time to regulate technology that we know has an impact on how people live and think. More than a few tech CEOs agree – because they fear that a competitive market is pushing them to design choices they themselves don’t like but fear that, in the absence of rules, they have to implement to stay in the game. That race to the bottom is one in which we get trampled on. ■ • Uncharted: How To Map The Future is out now; Margaret’s talk takes place on 6 March; ideasfestival.co.uk THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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BITE-SIZED BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY NEWS FROM ACROSS THE CITY Keepers Graeme Dick and James Dennis in Longleat's Koala Creek

TOGETHER

COMMUNITY CARE The first of eight new children’s homes planned for future years has opened in one of Bristol’s residential areas. Frome House, managed by Bristol City Council, has been designed with a family-home feel and layout, specifically for children in care. The children who have recently moved into the modernised property have amenities on their doorstep, including leisure activities, schools, shops, places of worship and youth clubs.

Most children in care grow up in a foster family and, while that is the mainstay of Bristol’s care, children’s homes provide an important alternative.

Seven other properties, similar to Frome House, will open over the next three years across Bristol. “Everyone deserves to have a safe place they can call home, especially the most vulnerable children,” said Councillor Helen Godwin, cabinet member for children, families and women. “It is our aspiration to have inhouse accommodation more closely replicating family life and meeting the needs of children with complex needs which cannot be met through foster care or other family placements. This home has been tailored to the requirements of our children living here so that they can grow and develop. By redesigning and having a larger number of smaller homes with care and environment focused on therapy and providing support to deal with traumatic experiences, we will be able to offer a wider range of matching and placement options so we can find the best possible homes for our children.

Businesses in the South West are set to benefit from exporting opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean this month with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT).

The LatAC Roadshow will be held at various locations across the UK including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast. Taking place at Leigh Court House on 12 March, the Bristol event will provide businesses with insight into the latest exporting opportunities in vibrant and dynamic markets such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile and the Caribbean.

Joanna Crellin, HM Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, will lead, alongside trade experts from DIT, who help businesses gain specific market insights and identify potential partners in the region.

“The Latin America and Caribbean region is bursting with opportunities for UK businesses to explore,” she said. “Over the last decade, the UK has doubled its exports to several countries in the region, showing a strong demand for high-quality British products and services. The LatAC roadshow presents a valuable opportunity for businesses looking to capitalise on this growing market.”

Latin America and the Caribbean combined is equivalent to the world’s third largest economy after China and the USA, offering vast potential for UK businesses across sectors such as food and drink, advanced engineering and energy.

• gov.uk/dit

• bristol.gov.uk

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Longleat has released a song to help raise money for their bushfire charity appeal. Featuring a 30-strong choir made up of staff and keepers, Together was written by a member of the Longleat team and recorded at the Cheese & Grain studio in Frome.

As well as the choir, it also includes didgeridoos and Aboriginal voices, along with 40 musical instruments, and it took 120 studio hours to complete. It was originally played as part of a special ‘Australian Summer’ event last year, celebrating all things Australian and marking the opening of Koala Creek at the Wiltshire attraction.

“The song was inspired by our partnership with South Australia and the arrival of our southern koalas,” said Daisy Mercedes, Longleat’s event manager. “The use of song has been a means of communication among Aboriginals for generations and connects people with the land. The lyrics were written to recognise how people in Australia and across the world come together in both good and bad times.

“We feel this is a great way for us all to show our support, help raise awareness and fundraise for the people, wildlife and land affected by the bush fires across Australia,” she added.

The song can be downloaded from iTunes and Google Play. All money raised will go directly to the organisations Longleat is supporting in South Australia. A video, featuring footage from South Australia, the rescue work undertaken by Longleat keepers and the choir recording the song, can also be viewed on Longleat’s YouTube channel.

Since its launch, the Longleat Supports Australia’s Suffering Wildlife charity appeal has raised close to £27,000 for rescue and rehabilitation programmes in South Australia. Last month, two Longleat keepers travelled to Australia to assist with ongoing rescue efforts from the bushfires.

• For more information and to donate to Longleat’s appeal please visit longleat.co.uk/information/longleatsupports-australia's-suffering-wildlife

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EVENTS | FOR KIDS

Family diary

Ideas for things to do with the little ones in Bristol this month

Comedy and Magic Family Show 14 March, 4.30pm – 5.30pm, Smoke & Mirrors Enter Smoke & Mirrors and be greeted by the in-house close-up magician who will bamboozle you with great magic. Take your place among the 1920s-style seating as the comedy magician entertains. Suitable for ages seven and above, £9.50 – £10.50.

• smokeandmirrorsbar.com

Top pick...

DON’T MISS...

Dolphin Play and Languages Every Sunday from 1 March, 3–4pm, Badminton School The first bilingual school in Bristol to teach Spanish and English. In the classes, learn language acquisition, communication and sports development from former Arsenal and Spanish international footballer. During the well structured classes, stimulate the domain of psychomotor learning, cognitive and physical activities through football and handball games. Suitable for ages two to five years and their parents; dolphinplaylanguages.com

constellations, unveil the secret lives of stars, and think about the fate of planet Earth in the 3D planetarium with lively and knowledgable presenters creating a remarkable show experience. Suitable for ages six and above, £3.50 plus general admission; wethecurious.org Curious Kids 7 March, 10am – 11.30am, Wiltshire Museum Stories and multi-sensory fun for curious minds, plus the chance to delve into the past and have fun learning together – using different materials, sounds and songs to look at different themes from the Saxons at Home collection. Suitable for ages two to five. £4, booking essential; wiltshiremuseum.org.uk

Farm Tots Every Wednesday, 10.30am – 12pm, Lawrence Weston Community Farm Parents and children under five can help look after the animals and gardens at this community farm. £2.50 admission, or £2 if you are a farm member; includes a drink and snack. Call before visiting to check the session is running on the day; lwfarm.org.uk

Scribble and Sketch 7 March, 12.30pm, RWA A fun and informal art and drawing workshop inspired by the exhibitions at the RWA. Get creative in this friendly and relaxed environment. Suitable for all ages, free event; rwa.org.uk

World Book Day 5 – 8 March, 10am – 4pm, Dyrham Park Celebrate World Book Day at Dyrham Park, with a storytelling and creative activity on site.

Exchange your £1 book token for an exciting new read in the shop. Set off on an adventure and create your own story in a trail around the parkland. Suitable for all ages, free event but normal admission applies; nationaltrust.org.uk/dyrham-park

Home School to Zoo School 10 & 11 March, 10.30am – 5pm, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm Join in with some bugtastic activities. Solve the bug detective trail and meet real-life critters in the workshop. Learn more about creepy crawlies and how they are important to the environment. Suitable for home-educated children, £7, booking essential; noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk

Spring Stargazing 3D 6 March – 20 May, 10am – 6pm, We The Curious Wander into the giant silver ball for your very own guided tour. Discover famous

What a Wonderful World 14 & 15 March, 11.30am and 3pm, The egg Before anything new is made it must be dreamed. Create the universe, starting with putting the stars in the sky, and move through

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history. Discover fire and celebrate the new world that you have made. An immersive and creative experience. Suitable for ages two and above, £8 children, £9 adults; theatreroyal.org.uk Shakespeare Week 2020 Launch Event 16 March, 10am, Brunel’s SS Great Britain Children from two Bristol schools will perform their interpretations of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet for the annual national celebration of Shakespeare for primary school children.

Suitable for all ages, free event; shakespeareweek.org.uk Clifton High School 18 March, 7pm, St George’s Bristol The talented pupils of Clifton High School perform for the annual concert. Children from all ages across the school come together to showcase performances of the highest instrumental and choral standard. Suitable for all ages, £5 children, £8 adults; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk TYNTEtots: The Little Red Hen 18 – 20 March, 10am – 11.45am and 1pm – 2.45pm, Tyntesfield Enjoy storytelling, crafts and games inspired by the classic story of The Little Red Hen. Become a baker, play with farmyard friends and plant seeds. Suitable for ages two to five, £6 children, £2 adults; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield 21st Century Kids: Bristol 19 March – 19 August, 10am – 5pm, M Shed Hear young people from across the city reflecting on their experiences, challenges and hopes for the future. See their photos, watch the interviews and add your own reflections on youth. Suitable for ages eight and above,

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free event; bristolmusems.org.uk Toddler Explorers: Flowers 20 March, 10.30 – 11.30am, Somerset Rural Life Museum Join in the fun with themed arts and crafts, museum objects and storytime within the lovely surrounding of the museum. Suitable for ages one to three, £5, booking essential; swheritage.org.uk Aftermirth: Daytime Comedy Club for Parents 20 March, 12.30pm – 2pm, The Wardrobe Theatre An adult comedy club that you can bring your baby to. Each show features three top circuit comedians delivering their usual club routines, so the material is mature and sweary with the odd birth story flashback… The only difference is it’s during the day. Adults, and babies under 18 months only. £10; thewardrobetheatre.com Mini 21 & 22 March, times vary, The egg Mini tells the story of two characters and space, which becomes a magical place of discovery. Explore space, shapes, sounds and colours put into play in front and around you. They react and come to life as a result of their movements and thus compose a magical design. Suitable for ages two to four, £10; theatreroyal.org.uk Autism Friendly Early Opening 22 March, 9am – 10.30am, We The Curious Sometimes a big and noisy venue with lots going on can be challenging for visitors on the autism spectrum. The science centre will open early so you will have an hour and a half to explore the exhibits at your own pace, chat about your discoveries and join in on some intriguing

TYNTEtots: The Little Red Hen at Tyntesfield

activities. Suitable for all ages, £4.95; wethecurious.org Dragonbird: Theatre Sessions 24 March, 10.30am & 1pm, Tobacco Factory Theatres Experience the magical world of theatre with lots of fun and laughter on the way. Expect giant nets, silky rivers and singing with gusto, led by puppets Dragon and Bird. Suitable for pre-school ages. £4.50; tobaccofactorytheatres.com Baby Art Hour 27 March, 10am – 11am, Spike Island Led by artist Éilis Kirby, play with colour, shape, texture and learn easy ways to create using simple methods and materials. Suitable for ages five and under, £3; spikeisland.org.uk Science for Kids!

28 March, 10.30 – 11.30am, Zion Community Centre Bill Bailey takes you on an educational ride as you learn about the magic of science in a fun and relaxed environment. Suitable for ages four and above, £3, booking essential; zionbristol.co.uk ■

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EDUCATION NEWS UPDATES FROM THE CITY’S SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

ROAR TALENT

Compass Point School hosted the launch event, with students from Ashton Vale and Luckwell Primary Schools taking part

SHOW OF SUPPORT

NEW AT THE DOWNS

Children’s author Rachel Delahaye visited Redmaids’ High Junior School recently to raise funds to help Australian wildlife. Instead of receiving a fee, she asked the school to donate to WIRES, a wildlife rescue service in New South Wales helping the countless animals affected by fires, droughts and record high temperatures. Rachel touched upon the situation in Australia, then the importance of stories, giving tips on writing techniques and launching BBC Radio 2’s 500-word short story-competition. “Stories are what make us human,” she said. “We use them to share our history and experiences, and to teach us important moral lessons. Most of all we tell them because they make life fun and interesting.” For more about Redmaids’, head to the open morning on 3 March.

• redmaidshigh.co.uk

Debbie Isaachsen has been appointed the next headteacher of The Downs Preparatory School from September.

Currently head of Heatherton School, part of the Berkhamsted Schools Group, she sits on the executive team of the prestigious group, and a willingness to innovate and develop the curriculum has been a hallmark of her vibrant leadership style.

She will be joined at The Downs by her husband Alex – a generalist primary school teacher with a passion for computing, who is looking forward to being fully involved in school life – and children Bella and Oscar. “After a rigorous selection process we are delighted to have appointed Debbie,” said Mark Burchfield, chairman of governors. “Debbie’s outstanding abilities, strong personal values and qualities fitted our requirements exactly.”

• thedownsschool.co.uk

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Primary school children in Bristol recently became the first to enjoy a lesson in animation based on the new animated adaptation of Judith Kerr’s much-loved classic, The Tiger Who Came to Tea. ScreenSkills, the charity for UK screen industries, has collaborated on the educational resource with production company Lupus Films, which made the TV special which premiered on Channel 4 over Christmas. The lesson plan is designed to excite primary school children about jobs in the animation industry and concludes with children creating their own animation.

Commissioned by the ScreenSkills Animation Skills Council with contributions from the animation industry to the Animation Skills Fund, the resource consists of a flexible plan which can be run as a single lesson or a series. It includes teacher notes, a presentation, a project book and additional lessons in maths and science.

“This is a lovely way of opening the minds of children to how an animation is brought to life,” said Seetha Kumar, chief executive of ScreenSkills. “It is a natural way of encouraging them to develop skills – technical, social or creative – that will be useful whatever they do later in life. We also hope it will plant the idea that animation could be a career. We’d love to inspire future generations of animators.”

The lesson plan was made available on the ScreenSkills website to coincide with the start of Digital Cities Week in Bristol – a series of workshops and masterclasses that take place at locations across the UK to boost digital skills and introduce young people to new tech. The animation lesson plan is the first in a new series on careers in the screen industries, created by ScreenSkills in association with the Into Film education charity and Arts Council England. The next plans are due to be launched this month.

• screenskills.com

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ENVIRONMENT

Mya-Rose has also been campaigning for more diversity in filmmaking

Image by Chris Bahn

Birdgirl loves to visit the oak trees at Ashton Court, as well as Brandon Hill and Leigh Woods

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ENVIRONMENT

THE NEW YOUNG REBELS

Far from smoking behind the bike sheds, many of our local young adult generation are making like Greta and seeking to repair that which has been damaged within our ecosystems and environment

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eventeen-year-old Bristol birder, blogger and conservationist Mya-Rose Craig – AKA Birdgirl – can now add honorary doctor of science to her bio, should she wish, because last month the University of Bristol saw fit to award her a very special degree.

The sixth-former, yet to sit her A-levels, was recognised for her efforts to bring about positive change via Black2Nature, which she set up in 2016 to lead the fight for equal access to the natural environment for visible minority ethnic (VME) communities. Now, inspired by Forest of Avon Trust’s new initiative Replant Bristol, she’s getting involved with its ambition to double Bristol’s canopy cover. “It’s a really bold target and one that will require everyone to work together,” she said. “I want to do my bit to raise awareness of the value of trees, and the benefits they bring to our city, as well as let people know what they can do to help.”

Here we learn more about what make the young activist tick.

the largest eagle in the world. I had tried to see one all over South America but did not have any luck until visiting the Brazilian Amazon last summer. We tried an old nest site four times and, on the last visit, just before leaving for home, I saw one sitting in a tree. It was so exciting and probably the happiest I have been in my life, ever.

What got you interested and so actively involved in these issues?

Malala is so brave, which gave me a lot of courage especially when faced with racism and trolls. It feels absolutely incredible to be rewarded in this way and I hope that I can use my honorary degree to raise awareness of the work I’m doing with Black2Nature. It’s currently a not-for-profit organisation but we recently applied for charity status. We really need to attract corporate sponsors, grant funding and volunteers so we can offer more nature camps for ethnic minority children and teenagers from areas of deprivation, as well as campaigning for equal access to the natural environment. Our next conference will take place on 17 June in partnership with Wildscreen Festival and the University of Bristol.

Trees are a really important part of the solution in fighting climate change, and I’ve recently started planting them in my grandad’s village in Bangladesh. We’re very lucky in Bristol to have a large urban forest comprising some 600,000 trees. Not only do those trees absorb and store CO2 and combat air pollution, they also add colour and life to our urban spaces, which improves our health and wellbeing. And, of course, many species of birds live in the tree canopies. However, 75% of the city’s most common tree, the ash, is expected to be lost as a result of ash dieback. As well as protecting existing trees, we need to urgently expand the city’s canopy cover, and ensure new planting is suited to a changing climate.

Tell us about your birding achievements so far – was this a passion you discovered yourself or were you introduced to it by someone?

I have been birding all my life as my parents and older sister were really into birds. They took me on my first twitch to see a rare lesser kestrel from Europe when I was only nine days old. By the time I was a toddler, I was used to being outside looking at birds and when we went to see a rare black lark on Anglesey, the bird came quite close to me and I pointed and shouted ‘birdie’ – my fourth word – a little too loudly. I think it was important to me that my older sister Ayesha was mad about birds. When I was three years old, she was 15 and really cool. So if she loved birds, I was going to love birds too. When she finished her GCSEs, we went to South Africa to celebrate with our first family birding holiday outside Europe. It was brilliant to see so many animals and I spent the long drives looking at the mammal guide book and getting Ayesha to read the names to me. A few days into our visit to Kruger National Park, a troop of monkeys walked into the track and I immediately shouted “vervet monkeys!” My family assumed I had made up the name until they looked them up in the field guide and realised that I was right. That was the first and last time they doubted my identification skills.

What is your favourite species?

My favourite bird species is the southern cassowary from Queensland, Australia. It is six feet tall, looks like a dinosaur, has a blue face and red wattle on its head, cannot fly and can kill with one kick. The other interesting thing about this bird is that the male looks after the chicks for quite a long time. There is another bird that I have wanted to see more than anything else since I was young. On a flight to Ecuador, when I was eight years old, I picked out 10 amazing-looking birds from the field guide that I really wanted to see. I saw all of them except a harpy eagle,

Where are your favourite Bristol nature spots?

I live in the Chew Valley just south of Bristol and love visiting my local patch, Chew Valley Lake. I go there at the weekend to go bird ringing for scientific study. In Bristol, I love Brandon Hill, Leigh Woods and Ashton Court which are all fantastic for nature.

How does it feel to be being awarded an honorary degree at such a young age, following the likes of fellow young hero Malala?

Which other young Bristolians should be recognised for their work?

Lara Lalemi is a STEM postgraduate student at the University of Bristol who organised the first ‘Being BME in STEM’ conference last year to tackle the under-representation of BME students in science, technology, engineering and maths and the racism they face, especially from lecturers and universities. Her work is inspirational.

What would you like to campaign to change next in Bristol?

I think my campaign to improve ethnic diversity in the nature, conservation and environmental sectors, including education and filmmaking, is far from finished. The sector is only 0.6% minority ethnic after five years of campaigning. Although some small changes are taking place, there needs to be a seismic shift. I hope my next conference will be supported by the wildlife filmmaking sector as there were very few representatives in attendance at my last conference in October 2019.

We xxxxxx also need wildlife films to be relevant to minority ethnic communities – for example by filming in places like Jamaica, Somalia or Bangladesh.

What else is in the pipeline for you for 2020?

I am going to be concentrating on my A-levels over the summer, and I hope to do lots of talks after that. I would really like to go to the UN Biodiversity Conference in China in October. I’m hoping one of the UK’s conservation organisations will give me the opportunity to speak about biodiversity, which I’ve been campaigning on since I was 11 years old, and the terrible impact that western conservation policies are having on indigenous peoples around the world, which I have been learning a lot about in my role as an ambassador for Survival International. ■ • To find out about Replant Bristol, visit forestofavontrust.org/replantbristol; or birdgirluk.com to see Mya-Rose’s blog THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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EXCLUSIVE READER EVENT

TOGETHER WITH

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HEALTH & BEAUTY NEWS FROM THE SECTOR

GLASSHOUSE GIVES BACK

STREETS AHEAD

Westbury-on-Trym’s sustainable beauty salon The Glasshouse Eco Salon – previously known as Samuel David Hairdressing which was taken over in the summer of 2019 by Wendy Glass and her sister Janice – has been working on ways to reduce its environmental impact.

The salon’s staple products come from Italian family-owned brand Davines which prides itself on promoting awareness of environmental impact via its global projects – most recently their ‘A Tree of You’ project saw Davines plant trees for every person who digitally created a tree based on their location. All ingredients in the products, as well as packaging, are, where possible, naturally derived, helping to reduce their carbon footprint. The ethos is all about “giving back” to the world, which aligns with that of The Glasshouse Eco Salon which has now joined the refill revolution, offering free tap water refills to reduce plastic bottle usage, as well as a shampoo refill system for clients who want to bring in their used bottles to be refilled for a small discount off the usual price to encourage reusing, recycling and upcycling.

• theglasshouseecosalon.co.uk The salon’s staple products come from Italian familyowned brand Davines

BEAUTYFOOL BRISTOL: JOIN US! Calling all beauty lovers! On 1 April, The Bristol Magazine is teaming up with Harvey Nichols for a gorgeously unmissable reader event. If you’re looking to pick up some top tips and tricks from the best in the world of beauty, join us on the ground floor at Harvey Nichols Bristol from 6.30pm – 9pm and enjoy complimentary consultations, makeovers and masterclasses from brands such as HUDA Beauty, Fenty Beauty, Marc Jacobs, Laura Mercier, Stila and Hourglass, as well as one-to-ones on fragrance and make-up looks with Tom Ford, Jo Malone hand and arm massages and ‘scent for you’ experiences, and Sisley’s heated paraffin glove treatments, plus prosecco, a live DJ and goodie bags. Tickets cost £10, redeemable on beauty purchases made at the event.

• Tickets available from Eventbrite; https://bit.ly/2UTpp2q

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Robots could soon become an even more common sight at Southmead Hospital due to a partnership exploring their potential to enhance patient care. North Bristol NHS Trust and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory at the University of the West of England are collaborating on robotics development and other healthcare tech to improve patient health and hospital experience.

Southmead Hospital is one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in Europe, with robots conducting cancer surgery, dispensing medicines, transporting supplies, and analysing blood samples.

Under the partnership, NBT will consider how emerging technologies, such as AI, machine learning, and socially and physically assistive robots, could be used to better support patients. For example, they could give post-operative patients personalised guidance to regularly eat, drink and exercise, helping them to recover in conjunction with their therapy team.

Robots connected to smart sensing devices could also be used to help patients recover in the comfort of their own homes.

They, in future, may also be able to assist nurses and doctors back at Southmead when extra treatment or a visit is needed.

“Southmead is one of the UK’s pioneering hospitals in its approach to technology, with robots already in use to transport supplies and support more efficient surgical procedures,” says Professor Praminda CalebSolly, leading research at Bristol Robotics Laboratory. “This partnership will build on that impressive work. By bringing together the university’s research expertise and the hospital’s clinical expertise we can create a leading centre for healthcare technology.

Robotics can enable a more effective use of the existing workforce, allowing humans to give the human contact and robots to be used as smart tools to support and complement their work.”

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Mum and daughter Amanda and Emily Thompson’s health problems led them to retrain in Nutritional Therapy, studying with CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine).

Amanda: “After years of suffering from joint swelling and immobility, in 2013 I was diagnosed by a rheumatologist as having Rheumatoid Arthritis. He prescribed extremely powerful drugs that could have serious side-effects.

After 8 weeks I decided that the drugs weren’t for me. My GP confirmed that it would be ok just to stop the drugs from a safety point of view, but said it was a stupid thing to do in terms of helping my condition.

“I read a book about the impact of Nutrition, and decided to see a nutritional therapist. She gave me a diet plan, working to

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heal my gut and reduce inflammation in my body. Within 6 months I felt ‘normal’ again and was able do everyday tasks without pain.

What I learnt later, when I decided to retrain for a career in Nutrition, was eye-opening and helped my understanding much further.

“I lead an outdoor life with lots of hiking, and live a drug-free existence. Two years after my original diagnosis, with lots of hard work, my blood tests came back as normal.”

Emily: “After being inspired by my mum’s journey back to health, I saw the same nutritional therapist for fatigue and digestive issues.

Within a short period of time I felt completely different, more energised and also happier within myself. Combined with the dramatic change in Mum’s health, we were both captivated by the power of Nutrition. I knew that that was what I wanted to study and do for a living.

“I knew that the naturopathic approach to health was the right choice for me, so I enrolled at CNM, the College of Naturopathic Medicine. Within a week Mum and I had decided to do the course together. Since we qualified we set up a joint holistic practice.

Gaining the knowledge, confidence and ability from CNM to help people change their lives has been a tremendous privilege. We feel so lucky being able to make new careers doing what we love.”

Amanda and Emily Thompson, Nutritional Therapists, CNM Graduates

Save the Date: CNM Event 14th March 2020 Discover how natural therapies promote true health and vitality. Our event is packed with inspiring tips on how to nurture yourself in natural sustainable ways.Geoff Don And if you are thinking of turning your passion into a career, this Open Event will also cover what you need to know about studying at CNM.

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WILD BRISTOL

One for the toad

Bristol’s amphibian army is on the move in March. Pete Dommett finds out more in Fishponds...

For these amorous amphibians, the annual journey from the city’s undergrowth to its lakes and ponds can become a matter of life and death

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hy did the toad cross the road? To get to its ancestral breeding grounds, of course! As punchlines go, it’s not the best, but at least it’s ecologically accurate. This month, adult toads – along with frogs and newts – are emerging from the undergrowth (where they’ve slept through the winter) and moving en masse to mate and spawn in Bristol’s lakes and ponds. For these amorous amphibians, this annual journey can literally become a matter of life and death.

Most toads make their way back to the ponds that they were born in. Not much is known about what guides them there: it could be the alluring scent of pondweed; the compelling croaking of alreadyarrived males; the magical pull of magnetism; or a combination of all three. Whichever sensory sat nav the creatures follow, the same route is used each year, regardless of what hazards lie in the way. And, unsurprisingly, the biggest danger of all in urban areas is traffic.

The conservation charity Froglife estimates that 20 tonnes of toads (a rather macabre and shocking statistic) are killed as they cross busy roads during their spring migration. As a result, the organisation is encouraging people to take part in special ‘toad patrols’ at the most popular crossing points and to give the animals a helping hand. Andy Ryder, of Avon Reptile & Amphibian Group, started such a patrol in Fishponds 10 years ago.

“Toads start to move during the first run of warm, wet evenings in early spring,” Andy explains. “This is usually in late February or early March, but is very weather dependent. The patrols begin around this time and might last for several weeks.”

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The amphibians of Fishponds traverse Ridgeway Road, by the bridge above the Bristol-to-Bath bike path (which also poses a threat to them), as they head for the nearby Alcove angling lake (still known locally as the Lido). Interestingly, toads thrive in fish ponds (as well as Fishponds) because, while fish happily eat the tadpoles of both frogs and newts, they’ll leave toxic toadpoles well alone. With less competition for food, the developing toadlets get a headstart in life.

Rich Scantlebury, one of Andy’s team of willing volunteers, tells me how the patrols work. “As soon as it gets dark, we go out with a torch to look for toads. We pop any that we find into a bucket and then release them safely into the Lido. It’s simple!”

But effective. Last year, the Fishponds group saved 700 toads (plus a handful of newts) from near-certain death-by-car. In 2018, the figure was over 1,000. The Ridgeway Road patrol is the only official toad-crossing in the city, but with others in Bitton, Abbots Leigh, Pill, Portishead, Clevedon and several other locations, more than 8,000 amphibians are rescued every year across the old Avon area.

The patrols are a perfect example of how easy it is for people to help the wildlife on their local patch. They also provide crucial data for national monitoring projects that are working to combat the current decline in common toads across the country. Devoting your evenings to stopping sexed-up toads from being run over might sound like a joke, but losing this much-loved species would be no laughing matter. ■ • To find your nearest toad patrol, and more information on how you can help, go to froglife.org/what-we-do/toads-on-roads

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DON’T LET KNEE PAIN STOP YOU LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE

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e all know that keeping active is one of the key ingredients to living a healthy life, but for some of us, a bad knee could be enough to prevent us from being as active as we would like. When knee pain interferes with activity, it is a sign that we should seek medical help. A visit to an orthopaedic surgeon can help you get a diagnosis and treatment. The surgeon will determine if the pain has been caused through injury or a more long-term issue, such as osteoarthritis.

Knee Arthritis in Bristol Did you know: • There are 5000 people in Bristol with severe knee arthritis.

• Of the UK’s ten “Core Cities”, the population of Bristol is the most physically active.

• Up to 25% of people with knee arthritis will retire early due to knee pain.

• Most knee arthritis is under-treated.

When people talk about knee arthritis, it is usually osteoarthritis to which they are referring. Arthritis means ‘joint inflammation’, and osteoarthritis is the most common form.

Osteoarthritis is characterised by inflammation and ‘wear and tear’ damage to the knee. It develops over time, and can sneak up on you.

The process of damage and wearing out of the joint cartilage surface eventually results in bone grinding on bone in the knee, which is a painful and disabling condition. There are several risk factors for osteoarthritis, including your genes, lifestyle factors, previous injuries, hypermobility and obesity.

The symptoms of knee arthritis include pain and stiffness, and may lead to a loss of mobility. Symptoms range from mild to severe.

There can be a mild background ache in the knee, which might interfere with sporting activities or a long walk. In more severe cases, it can be a constant severe, disabling pain, which makes walking very difficult or impossible. Pain may also be so severe that sleep can be disturbed and there is pain at rest.

The normal activities of daily living may become difficult to perform. Roughening and fragmentation of the knee joint surface may also lead to catching, clicking, clunking or similar symptoms. Swelling of the knee joint is often seen, and in severe cases, the shape of the knee may change. In the worst cases, loss of mobility can lead to poor cardio-respiratory fitness.

Nuffield Health: The complete pathway for arthritis treatment in Bristol Nuffield Health offers a complete team for arthritis treatment. Every step of the patient’s journey has been considered, with surgeons, physiotherapists, personal trainers and nutitionists working together to bring you the most complete treatment pathway in the city.

The Joint Pain Programme, available at Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing Clubs, helps to maintain muscle strength and reduce the need for surgery. In more severe cases, the Nuffield Health hospital provides cutting edge technology with advanced injections and robotic-arm assisted surgery. After patients complete their basic post-operative rehabilitation, they also have access to Nuffield Health’s Recovery Plus enhanced recovery programme, at no extra cost.

Some of the treatments we offer for arthritis: • Physiotherapy • Steroid injections • Advanced biologic injections • Weight loss therapies • Robotic-arm assisted knee replacement Advanced biologic injections For those patients who might be suffering with arthritis but are hoping to avoid surgery, there are less invasive, non-surgical options available, such as injection therapy. This can prove beneficial in managing joint pain to the point whereby the need for surgery is delayed or mitigated completely. A new technique available are biologic injections, which uses a patient's own anti-inflammatory cells to reduce pain and swelling in arthritic joints.

Robotic-arm assisted knee replacement Knee replacement surgery has evolved, with innovative, state-of-the-art robotic-arm technology now available to assist the surgeon with the procedure. This brings a range of enhanced benefits for the patients, including even greater surgical precision, which in turn leads to decreased post-operative pain and faster recovery. Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital is the only hospital in the city to offer robotic-arm assisted knee replacement surgery, highlighting Nuffield Health’s commitment to providing our patients with the best possible treatment. The decision to proceed is made with your surgeon, so that you fully understand the benefits and risks of each procedure.

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Damian Clark says: “Although we call it 'the robot', it is actually an improvement of the whole process. It begins with a pre-operative

Consultant Orthopaedic Knee Surgeon Mr Damian Clark and members of the theatre team, with Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital’s roboticarm, used in knee replacement surgery.

CT scan to very accurately plan the surgery.

The robotic-arm is able to guide the surgeon to complete the joint replacement with milimetre precision. More precise surgery means less disturbance to the patient’s tissues, and it enables a faster recovery.”

The team At Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, our team of Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons hold regular clinics with very short waiting times.

Consultants specialising in knee surgery include Mr Jonathan Webb, Mr Damian Clark, Mr Richard Baker, Mr Sanchit Mehendale, Mr Hywel Davies and Mr James Robinson. Call our Enquiries team on the number below, who will be able to assist you in booking a consultation.

It doesn’t matter if you want to climb a mountain or simply tidy the garden, any symptom that prevents or limits your ability to do the things you love is cause for concern.

With a little help, a bad knee doesn’t have to impact your quality of life.

If you have been experiencing knee pain and would like to find out more about your options for treatment, Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital is holding a free public open event on Tuesday 31 March at 6pm, when you can meet Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Damian Clark. To find out more, or to book an appointment with any of our Consultants, call 0117 911 5339, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol.

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital 3 Clifton Hill, Bristol BS8 1BN nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol

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CITY HISTORY GARDENING

The life of Jacob’s Well

White Hart Inn, demolished 1877

Andrew Swift traces the vibrant past of the Bristol area that began as a secluded valley, and looks to the future as plans to reopen a small swimming pool promise to inject new life into the fine Victorian building that is Jacob’s Well Baths

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or many people, Jacob’s Well is probably synonymous with lengthy traffic queues, high stone walls and tall modern buildings. And, even though it is less than 10 minutes’ walk from College Green, it is astonishingly little known. Few parts of Bristol are so steeped in history, however, and the further back you go the more extraordinary that history gets.

A thousand years ago, it was a secluded valley, with a brook running down through woods to a muddy pill on the Avon. In the 12th century, after a Jewish community became established in Bristol, its members – looking for a suitable place for a cemetery – settled on this valley. Not only was it off the beaten track, but there was a wellspring to supply water for a ritual bath. In 1290, however, Edward I ordered the expulsion of Jews from England. The cemetery and ritual bath were abandoned, their whereabouts were soon forgotten. All that survived were legends and a name – Jacob’s Well – that lingered on, even though the track that led down the valley became known officially as Woodwell Lane.

Conduits from the well supplied water to houses around College Green, but otherwise little changed until the early 17th century when the pill was converted to a tidal dock. A limekiln was built nearby, and the track to College Green became known as Limekiln Lane. Soon, houses, shops and alehouses sprang up alongside it, and an inn, the White Hart, was built facing the dock. Then, in 1729, a playhouse opened on the west side of Woodwell Lane. Bizarre as this may seem, there were good reasons for building it there. Theatre companies were fed up with being hounded out of Bristol by puritanical magistrates, and, as the boundary between Bristol and Clifton ran along Woodwell Lane, being on the west side of it put the playhouse beyond their jurisdiction. And, as the spa at Hotwells was starting to attract fashionable visitors, it was ideally placed.

Even so, it was a ramshackle affair, wedged between two alehouses, from one of which a hole was knocked through the wall to ply the audience (and the actors) with liquor. Actors exiting one side of the stage had to walk round the back of the playhouse if they wanted to enter from the other side. This was a source of great merriment for local hoodlums who sat on the grassy slopes above, regaling them with choice suggestions, although things are said to have turned a little sour after one 86 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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thespian, failing to see the funny side, threatened them with a gun. The playhouse closed when the Theatre Royal opened in 1766.

The tidal dock had been converted to a dry dock where ships were repaired. Other industries arrived – a glasshouse, a ropewalk, a distillery, a brewery, which in the early 1800s was owned by Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt.

In surrounding lanes lived shipwrights, mariners, carpenters, sawyers, lime burners, alehouse keepers, glassmakers and customs officers.

Even though some of Clifton’s grandest houses overlooked the valley, it was very much a working area, and, as the 19th century dawned, its population boomed. In 1823, a retort house of Palladian monumentality was built near the dry dock for the Bristol & Clifton Oil Gas Company – 17 years later, the company took over the site of the adjoining glasshouse to build even grander buildings. In the early 1840s, local residents would have looked across the river to see Brunel’s SS Great Britain taking shape on the opposite bank and many crossed by ferry to help in its construction. In 1836, in the aftermath of the Bristol Riots, Woodwell Lane was chosen as the location of one of four new police stations built to stem similar occurrences.

Industrial expansion had brought riches for the few, but hardship for the many, along with inadequate and insanitary living conditions.

Improvements came slowly. In 1852, Woodwell Crescent, a row of shops and dwellings curving from Woodwell Lane to Limekiln Lane, was built.

Ten years later, in a bid to improve Limekiln Lane’s image, the council’s improvement committee renamed it St George’s Road.

In 1867, almshouses, endowed by Thomas Hill of Clifton Park, were built on Woodwell Lane, to provide accommodation for ‘12 poor women’. Two years later, Woodwell Lane – rough, narrow and uneven – was widened, creating a broad highway, cutting deep into Brandon Hill, which had to be held back by high retaining walls. And it was around this time that it started to be known as Jacob’s Well Road. In 1877, the old White Hart was demolished to build a church.

Two of the most important developments were not instigated by the council, however, but by some remarkable women. In 1874, Dr Eliza Walker, one of Britain’s first qualified women doctors, along with her friend Lucy Anne Read, opened the Read Dispensary, funded by

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charitable contributions, on St George’s Road, where women could be treated by female doctors. Three years later, social housing came to Jacob’s Well, thanks to Catherine and Susannah Winkworth, the daughters of a silk merchant, who set up the Bristol Industrial Dwellings Company and persuaded wealthy backers to fund the development of 80 tenements on the site of the old playhouse.

Jacob’s Well’s most iconic building, however, did come courtesy of the council. The well had long supplied a cold bath or ‘dipping place’, but the baths, opened in 1889 and fed by the same spring, were palatial by comparison. Built of Cattybrook brick and terracotta, they rose majestically above the surrounding area like a grand Venetian church. As for the legends concerning the well’s original users, they are legends no longer. The site of the Jewish cemetery was discovered in the 1840s, when Queen Elizabeth Hospital was built up the valley. In 1987, a dig by Temple History Group at the well site discovered steps leading down to a chamber cut into the rock. One word could be deciphered on the lintel over the entrance – the Hebrew word ‘zochalim’ meaning ‘flowing’.

This area has seen many changes, but other traces of Jacob’s Well’s history can still be seen. The dry dock has long been filled in, but its footprint survives as an open space presided over by a bust of Samuel Plimsoll, while the nearby gasworks, after years of dereliction, have been converted to residential accommodation. The original hall which housed the Read Dispensary was demolished in 1904 for road improvements, but its replacement still survives today, albeit converted to offices. The tenements built through the efforts of the Winkworth sisters were demolished in the 1950s, but Brandon House now provides social housing on the same site. Woodwell Crescent houses independent businesses in the city, including two traditional pubs, vintage clothes, vinyl and audio, antiques, Indian snacks, electric bikes and one of the West Country’s finest second-hand bookshops.

The police station closed in 1967, but the building – still with its 1836 sign – is now the HQ of Avon Wildlife Trust, a nod to the days when the valley was filled with birdsong rather than traffic.

Away from the main roads, though, there is still tranquillity to be

THE

KI TC HE N PA R TNER S

• jacobswellscommunityhub.com The distinctive baths dominate the area

'We felt confident throughout the whole process that our kitchen would be every bit as perfect as it has turned out to be.We wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Kitchen Partners and thank all the team involved'.

- Derek & Niki T

The Kitchen Partner Design Studio formerly in-toto Kitchens Bristol.

DESIGN STUDIO

found. It is mostly steps rather than roads that lead out of the valley – up to Brandon Hill on the east and Clifton on the west. The most evocative are White Hart Steps, leading through an archway up past cottages, gardens – and Bristol’s most unlikely bus stop – to World’s End Lane, high above the floating harbour. Or wander up Gorse Lane – looking almost as though it belongs in a Cornish fishing village – to the longabandoned Strangers’ Cemetery, where those whose visit to Hotwells to take the cure proved unsuccessful were laid to rest.

It is Jacob’s Well Baths, though – one of Bristol’s finest Victorian buildings – that dominates the area as they have done for over 130 years.

After closing in 1977, they were used as a dance studio, but, after the keys were handed back in 2016, three local women – Sally Silverman, Judy Goldsmith and Heather Watts – founded the Jacob’s Wells Community Hub to save them. As a result of their campaign, there are now plans to reopen a small swimming pool, as well as a community health and fitness facility and a range of studio spaces suitable for dance and exercise. With such a vibrant history and community spirit, the only wonder is why so many people have still to discover one of Bristol’s most fascinating hidden corners. ■

Founders and Lead Designers - Fiona & Clinton

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Inspirational kitchens, practical living

* T E R M S & C O N D I T I O N S A P P LY

www.thekitchenpartners.co.uk 102 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2QY | 01179 466433

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BUYING CARPET & FLOORING IN BRISTOL MADE SIMPLE

Welcome to The Carpet Barn in Bristol.

We have one of the largest selection of carpets, laminate, vinyl and Karndean flooring in Bristol and the South West region. Our flooring showroom is conveniently situated at Longwell Green Bristol with free parking; so when buying your next carpet or flooring, why not come and experience our wide range, first class fitting service and great prices for yourself?

You‘ll be spoilt for choice with our wide range of carpets and flooring...

FITTING AND DELIVERY SERVICE Find us at: The Old Coachworks, Bath Road, Longwell Green, Bristol, BS30 6DL

Telephone: 0117 947 7721

Visit us online: thecarpetbarn.co.uk

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DESIGN | HOME

spring interiors Biophilia (bio-phil-ia) (n) An innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world.

The biophilic trend is taking interiors by storm. With designers innovatively creating ways to incorporate the natural world into the places we live and work, more of our indoor spaces are beginning to be mapped out with wellness, respite and energy efficiency in mind.

Biophilia literally means ‘a love of life’ and there have been numerous studies over the last 35 years on the benefits of this style of design, with one study showing productivity, as a result of being in a biophilic built environment, can increase by 8% in offices and by 20% in schools.

This month, four knowledgeable Bristol interiors folk talked to us about how they work and how we can add natural and raw materials to our homes to help us create a calm and rejuvenating space for reconnecting with nature.

Biophilic design as interpreted by Arlo and Jacob (see also image above)

Top tips and trends For the floor Designers suggest incorporating natural stone and wood or riverbed, meadow and forest floor-inspired surfaces underfoot.

The goal is to create textures that have similar qualities to those of natural environments.

For the ceiling Think hanging plants, circadian lighting installations, skylights, eye-catching ceiling designs that draw the eye upward towards any natural light. Be sure not to overlook this as an opportunity to bring bright colour and natural views to your home or to your workspace.

Arlo and Jacob “Explore fabric textures and patterns to express the qualities of nature in a sophisticated way. Include hints of green, teal and olive and make these feel contemporary by balancing them with a neutral interior and modern furniture. Make nature part of your interior story by interweaving subtle details such as botanicalinspired prints or organic-looking home accessories.”

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Integrate the green Think about all the senses. Designers are increasingly including ‘living walls’ in designs, adaptable dividers that soak up sound and are therefore more conducive to peace and quiet, and large green installations to introduce plants to a room.

Going big? Go biodynamic Maximise natural light and think about installing systems that mirror natural sunlight conditions to help regulate sleep patterns and mood.

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Jasmine Main “Plants, natural light and rustic materials are key to the biophilic trend that is storming the interiors world right now.

Bring in lots of plants, layer up the natural textiles and embrace Mother Nature by using organic materials such as wood,” says Jasmine. “Mirrors help to bounce light into those dingy corners of your room and create the appearance of space – as well as doubling the number of those all important houseplants! With spring on the horizon it’s the perfect time to freshen up your home with this botanical trend.”

Young & Norgate Sustainably sourced and reclaimed wood is still very big. “We feel privileged to work with natural materials,” say the Montpelier-based furniture and joinery specialists. “There is a deep respect for the timber which is sourced sustainably under FSC guidelines. Every board we pick up is different from the last, has its own characteristics, and we try to use this in the best way possible to enhance the design of the final piece.”

K Interiors “Adding plants to a room is a wonderful and sustainable way to add interest and ‘finish off’ the look,” says designer Kay James. “Lush greenery and variegated foliage look great against a backdrop of any colour or pattern and create a feeling of freshness. They literally breathe life into the room. Not only that; a beautiful plant is a cost-effective item that, if cared for properly, will last for many years to come.” ■ Design by Jasmine Main

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GARDENING INTERIORS PROMOTION

Top mistakes to avoid when renovating your kitchen Handy tips from the voices of experience at Gardiner Haskins Interiors

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hether or not it’s your first-time renovating, most people will face some form of challenge during the process of transforming a kitchen into their dream vision. So, the kitchen designers at Gardiner Haskins Interiors have kindly compiled a list of common mistakes to help you avoid them when renovating your kitchen.

4. Ensure that you have a clear lighting strategy. This is important for your kitchen as you will have different sections of the room which will require more attention to lighting than others. For instance, you may need spotlights for preparing meals and softer lights for dining areas.

Designing your kitchen lighting will help to balance the ambience of the room and contribute towards creating the desired finish.

1. Don’t think you can do it alone. Even if your job field is very relevant to renovating, ensure that you see a kitchen designer before starting the project. A professional will be able to share their expert tips and recommend ideas you hadn’t even considered. The planning service at Gardiner Haskins Interiors is free and will guarantee expert advice to help transform your kitchen into the perfect space.

5. Always remember to try before you buy. Browsing showrooms and requesting samples of paint and materials is vital before ordering anything, especially if you’re ordering online. Going into stores and picking up various samples is useful as colours and textures may appear different in reality compared to online. The Gardiner Haskins kitchen showrooms in Bristol are home to more than 17 beautiful kitchen displays including working kitchens from brands such as Crown, Prentice, Mackintosh and English Rose, and are ideal for finding inspiration, with kitchen designers on hand, ready to give expert advice and help.

2. Don’t leave the choosing of your appliances until the end. Instead of waiting until the last minute, it’s better to choose worktops and cabinetry which fits around your appliances, rather than having to choose a washing machine which will fit in with your new cupboards.

At Gardiner Haskins, kitchen brands such as Prentice can create bespoke units so that appliances fit like a glove.

3. Never forget your surrounding spaces. Remember to ensure that you protect nearby rooms and surfaces from inevitable dust, possible paint drips and debris when renovating. Cover them up with old blankets and throws which you don’t mind getting dirty. Doing this will help to minimise the chances of splashing paint on TVs and damaging walls.

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6. Don’t choose the wrong kitchen installer. Ensure you take time to choose an experienced installer with a good track record, such as Gardiner Haskins’ installers who stay close and inform you every step of the way, from the start to the finish of the installation process. ■

• Find this helpful? Visit the Bristol showrooms to explore the range and book a free consultation; 0117 9292288; gardinerhaskins.co.uk

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An award-winning interior designer with a personal touch Do you ever wish you had the courage to be a little braver when it comes to decisions about your home décor? Matching colours, patterns and textures to create comfortable spaces that perfectly suit the way you live.

That’s exactly what I can help you accomplish. I take a practical approach to interior design, giving you the confidence to tackle difficult design decisions and achieve the home you’ve always wanted, but never believed you’d be able to create.

Ready to get started...?

kay@k-interiors.co.uk | www.k-interiors.co.uk Call for a free phone consultation: 07906 167 710

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INTERIORS | CASE STUDY

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Transform a cottage into a modern, open-plan space. This might feel a big ask, but Architect Your Home, which specialises in architectural home improvement projects, took on just this, creating a series of living areas flooded with natural light and including floor-to-ceiling glass doors with garden views. Managing director Jude Tugman explains the process

T

The clients’ main request was for Crittallstyle metal doors to the rear elevation. Initial Pinterest images that they sent included metal doors with an arched head, but they were persuaded not to use arched door openings as they would not have suited the period character and aesthetic of the property, or the construction of the rear extension.

The original house was a small cottage with timber features. The traditional timber theme was adopted in the modern extension by using exposed timber ceiling joists that continued externally under the roof eaves.

The main challenge proved to be the kitchen layout. The architect went through a number of design orientations of kitchen island with the clients, eventually reverting back to the original proposal. Such a to-and-fro design development process is quite standard, and being able to evaluate different options allowed the clients to find just the right solution for them.

The new single-storey rear extension across the full width of the existing house and the internal ground-floor alterations allowed the clients’ ideas and desires to be accommodated in a fluent and coherent way. n • architect-yourhome.com; barget.co.uk

ABOVE: This corner window gives a wonderful double aspect view to the garden and the soft timber panelling creates a calm contemplative place to sit and think BELOW: This dark timber kitchen, designed by Barget, sits contentedly in this open-plan space and looks out across the family seating area into the garden beyond

Photography by Martina O’Shea

his detached cottage in Bushey had been extended a number of years previously with a two-storey rear development, before the homeowners then decided they wanted to achieve a more openplan arrangement.

The clients had a very focused attitude to the design style for the interior before the extension started. The pre-conversion plan had internally subdivided rooms along the rear ground floor, and this gave very limited transparency between the living spaces and the external terrace. The clients wanted the extension to create an open-plan kitchen, dining and family room, providing suites for both entertaining and family life. Natural light was a key part of the plan, as well as the need to make a close connection to the garden views outside.

The architect met the homeowners initially in March 2016. The early design meetings that then took place with paper and pencil sketches avoided any dramatic alterations of the design. The scheme level drawings were submitted for a planning application in May. The drawings were then developed to the construction stage and were despatched for tendering in September 2016.

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Sliding doors enable the spaces to be either contained or free-flowing into each other, and the step up to the kitchen gives a sense of transitioning from one room to the next

The extension has a wonderful sense of open space and yet each area is carefully delineated and has its own specific character. Here the soft blue sofa creates a cosy sitting area in this charming family living area

WWW.THEBATHMAG.CO.UK

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Elly’s Wellies

Garden Designs

Turning your ideas into beautiful spaces Elly’s Wellies Garden Designs will help you maximise the potential of your outdoor space and tailor it to your individual needs. Whether you are looking for a complete garden redesign, or just need advice on what to plant in a border, Elly’s Wellies will be happy to help.

For a free initial consultation, contact Elly West

www.ellyswellies.co.uk ellyswellies@gmail.com 07788 640934

craftsmanship means FOCUSING ON FINE DETAILS AND TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE EVERY JOB OUTSTANDING

SEE CHECK A TRADER AND GOOGLE REVIEW FOR ★ RATINGS OPENING TIMES MONDAY – FRIDAY 8.00 AM – 5.00 PM SATURDAY 9.00 AM – 12.30 PM MARBLE SUPREME T: 0117 956 3030

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THE LITTLE BOOK OF

HOMES, INTERIORS AND GARDENS Our guide to Bristol’s best businesses and services

spring

/summer 2020 PROMOTED CONTENT

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HOMES & INTERIORS | BRISTOL GUIDE 2020

Inside out I­ t’s­time­to­get­your­house­in­order.­Our­spring/summer­guide­features­all­the­best­trades­and­services­to­help­spruce up­your­house­and­garden.­Whether­it’s­a­small­decorating­touch­or­an­ambitious­major­project­this­directory­offers a­great­range­of­expert­services­to­make­all­those­home,­interior­and­garden­ideas­become­reality.

THE CARPET BARN The Old Coachworks, Bath Road, Longwell Green, Bristol, BS30 6DL 0117 9477721; thecarpetbarn.co.uk Specialising in turning your house into a home, The Carpet Barn is a Bristol based carpet and flooring business that offers the same choice and quality as top national companies, but at a lower price. Offering professional fitting services for all carpet, vinyl, laminate and Karndean flooring, also providing a bespoke carpet edging service – a convenient way to use leftover carpeting to design a rug perfect for your space. The Carpet Barn prides itself with providing all customers with a quality and reliable service.

No matter the size of your flooring needs, The Carpet Barn guides you to your perfect match.

JOHN BOYCE PLASTERWORK Unit 5, Channel View Farm, Clevedon, Bristol BS21 6US 07970 278028; john-boyce.co.uk John Boyce Plasterwork Ltd is a locally based company with over 30 years’ experience in the plastering trade, tackling any size of job from a simple repair to a complete restoration project. The team has a large range of moulds built up over the last three decades and is capable of matching and reproducing any type of plasterwork. The company also has a large range of stock cornices and ceiling roses to pick from, with something to suit most tastes and budgets.

They carry out ceiling surveys and repairs, lime plastering and rendering and bespoke one-off pieces; offering free, noobligation quotes and advice. Visit the website for a taste of what John Boyce Plasterwork can offer.

JUST SHUTTERS 0117 3701594; justshutters.co.uk/bristol Whatever your style – contemporary, modern, cosy or traditional – Just Shutters have the perfect fit for you. The shutters do not fade, warp or age and come with a lifetime guarantee. Rob and Linda Reeves are experts in the field, trained to the market-leading Just Shutters standard. Passionate about shutters and transforming the homes of local people, with an understanding of outstanding quality, great value, and professional customer service. Work closely with Rob and Linda as they tailor Just Shutters to your tastes, giving you honest and impartial advice. Just shutters has the largest range of material and finishes in the UK, granting you choice and options for your shutter style.

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HOMES & INTERIORS | BRISTOL GUIDE 2020

PAUL WHITTAKER BATHROOMS AND WETROOMS

0117 2230086 / 07879 666221; paulwhittakerbathrooms.co.uk Showroom by appointment at Bathroom Solutions, 54 Redcliff Street, Bristol BS1 6LS Paul Whittaker Bathrooms and Wetrooms is a design, supply and installation bathroom company with a huge reputation in the Bristol area. Working closely with his clients, Paul is able to deliver cleverly designed bathrooms and wetrooms, expertly installed by his experienced team of fitters. With 3D design layouts to help with decision making and project management through the course of the works, Paul Whittaker makes bathroom renovations easy and stress-free.

GARDINER HASKINS Brunel Rooms, 1 Straight Street, Bristol BS2 0FQ 0117 9292288; gardinerhaskins.co.uk Gardiner Haskins Interiors has luxury interior showrooms that allow you to create your dream home. With help from a knowledgeable and skilled team of design experts, you can design your very own bespoke kitchen or bathroom. Create your own curtains and blinds in the made-to-measure department. Complete your home with finishing touches in our bed showrooms, with over 40 beds on display from brands such as Harrison, Sleepeeze, Millbrook and Dormeo and more. With an experienced bed team of over 40 years, you can guarantee exceptional customer service.

Open seven days a week with a free customer car park.

AHM INSTALLATIONS Showrooms in Wellington and Yeovil 0800 7316495; ahminstallations.co.uk

THE KITCHEN PARTNERS The Kitchen Partners Design Studio, 102 Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2QY 0117 9466433; thekitchenpartners.co.uk After ten years as well-known in-toto Kitchens and with fifteen years design experience, Fiona and Clinton Patey felt it was a perfect time to create an independent brand. One that would not only offer clients a greater freedom of choice, but also the best quality, prices and lead times when considering a kitchen renovation. So, two years ago they launched The Kitchen Partners, a design and planning installation service that’s built on collaboration, challenges the norm and exceeds expectations.

When you work with The Kitchen Partners you work directly with Fiona and Clinton, from the initial enquiry, throughout the design, to the final completion. They will ensure the journey always begins with you. It’s your kitchen, your home and you will be a fundamental part of the process, with access to everyone involved.

Need a little inspiration this year? Visit The Kitchen Partners design studio and showroom for a range of timeless and contemporary kitchens, up-the-minute design ideas and expert product knowledge.

For 20 years, AHM Installations have paved the way for mobility in the home, helping both the elderly and people with additional needs to feel safer in the bathroom. AHM Installations can provide wet rooms, walk in showers, walk in baths, automatic toilets, raised toilets, grab rails and shower stools. The AHM team pride themselves on delivering a professional service by sales surveyors and fitters who are very experienced in dealing with the most complex of bathing requirements. All share a common knowledge and expertise in dealing with the most vulnerable of people and show great empathy which is much appreciated by customers.

Every customer receives a free bathroom survey and a no obligation quotation, as well as free advice on available government grants. AHM Installations are a member of BHTA (British Health Care Trades Association) and Check a Trade as trusted trades people. AHM Installations have showrooms in Lincoln, Kent, Leicester and Somerset.

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HOMES & INTERIORS | BRISTOL GUIDE 2020

MARBLE SUPREME Unit 8, Bridge Road, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 4FW 0117 9563030; marblesupreme.com Marble Supreme provides master craftsmanship in stone. Whether you’re looking for new stone worktops for your kitchen or bathroom, it offers a range of materials to suit your needs. With over 20 years of experience, the team produce a wide range of products from beautifully crafted granite kitchen worktops and flooring, right through to bespoke stone fireplaces, vanity tops, splashbacks and sink surrounds. They provide a complete service – from sourcing the perfect stone for your needs, to crafting perfectly fitting, beautifully finished kitchen worktops. They also pride themselves on delivering the very best in granite, marble and quartz stone, knowing their creations will play a part in family life for years to come. Whether you know what you want or are considering the options, the team is happy to discuss your plans so pop into the Kingswood showroom.

GAROLLA 0800 468 1982; garolla.co.uk Boost your kerb appeal today with one quick and easy purchase from Garolla. The nation’s largest roller garage door installers, Garolla specialise in creating beautiful, bespoke garage doors that can truly transform your home’s exteriors.

And with local installers across the country, it couldn’t be easier to update your home.

Hand-crafted by highly skilled professionals, every Garolla roller shutter garage door is created with your home in mind.

Increasing your thermal efficiency, safety and security these garage doors are an invaluable addition to any home and allow you to sleep easier at night. Available in a range of 18 stunningly vibrant shades and two different slat sizes, you can design the perfect accompaniment to your home’s style and architecture.

TRADITIONAL UPHOLSTERY SCHOOL Unit 2, Holt Holdings, East Lane, Holt, Wiltshire BA14 6QU 07505 651030; traditionalupholsteryschool.co.uk

SOLARSENSE Helios House, Brockley Lane, Backwell, BS48 4AH 01275 461800; solarsense-uk.com Solarsense has been designing, installing and maintaining awardwinning sustainable solutions for homeowners since 1995. With more than 10,000 residential renewable energy installations alone, they offer unparalleled experience within the industry.

Whether you’re looking to install a fully integrated home solution or single technology such as solar PV panels – Solarsense have the technical skill set to design a bespoke energy system capable of reducing your carbon footprint and increasing your bank balance.

The company is able to install residential solar panels, battery storage, heat pumps, solar hot water systems, electric vehicle charging points as well as offering maintenance and repairs.

They pride themselves on building strong relationships and will offer industry leading advice, guide you through the installation process and offer help with commissioning your EPC, planning applications and more.

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In its new home surrounded by rolling Wiltshire farmland near Bradford on Avon, The Traditional Upholstery School has now been recognised as one of Britain’s top craft training centres. The School offers courses for everyone, from fun one-day hobby classes to professional training for prestigious Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF) diplomas. Students travel from all over the UK for acclaimed classes ranging from creative lampshade-making to deep-buttoned footstools. Some want a creative day out – others are looking to train for a new career or lifestyle.

All are expecting free cake... and they are never disappointed. This small, friendly school is owned and run by local upholsterer, lampshademaker and author Joanna Heptinstall, as well as her team of expert tutors and Nellie the dog. But mostly by Nellie.

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LUMINATION LIGHTING

SUSTAINABLE KITCHENS

Lumination, within Gardiner Haskins, Broadplain, Bristol BS2 0JP 0117 922 6435; lumination.co.uk

Unit D4 Avondale Works, Woodland Way, Bristol BS15 1PA 0117 9616471 sustainablekitchens.co.uk

Lumination Lighting is a leading specialist retailer of lighting products and services stocking more than 20 of the leading industry suppliers from UK, Europe and the Far East which includes their own exclusively designed and specified ranges. Lumination understand that lighting design is not only about the location, intensity and control, it is about the aesthetics and the ambience created. They provide a comprehensive service covering all aspects of lighting and offer a design service to help you achieve the best possible results. There are hundreds of products on display in the showroom and online and thousands more products available to order. The store is manned by trained and experienced advisors who actively ensure that they are in touch with latest trends and technological developments and are only satisfied when you have exactly the lighting you desire.

All Sustainable Kitchens are created with the highest quality and most sustainable materials and are bespoke to your family and lifestyle. Once they have perfected your design, it’s lovingly handcrafted in their Bristol workshop using local suppliers.

The kitchens are designed to last you a lifetime giving them ultimate sustainability; they come with a 30-year guarantee with prices starting from £25,000.

The Honest Kitchens range offers standard sized cabinetry made from the same sustainable and quality materials as a more affordable approach to your dream kitchen. The cabinets are designed and handcrafted the while you source worktops, appliances and installation.

Sustainable Kitchens are passionate about making the best choices for your kitchen and for our planet.

ARLO & JACOB 94C Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2QX 03300 945 855; arloandjacob.com Arlo & Jacob create handcrafted furniture that makes you feel at home. As champions of craftsmanship, their unique sofas, chairs and footstools are made the traditional way in their factory in Long Eaton.

The showroom on Whiteladies Road reflects the spirit of buzzing Bristol. Filled with an inspiring mix of traditional, contemporary and mid-century designs, there is a range of sofas to suit your home. Pop into the showroom and discover the curated collection of 120+ house and designer fabric ranges. Feel inspired by the diverse range sofas, armchairs, footstools, cushions and exceptional house fabrics. Discuss your interior needs and vision with the Arlo & Jacob style consultants.

Enjoy complimentary drinks whilst the kids explore the children’s play area and unwind in style giving the furniture the ultimate comfort test.

THE HEGARTY WEBBER PARTNERSHIP 01934 853273/ 07532 075782; hegartywebberpartnership.com The Hegarty Webber Partnership designs and transforms gardens from city courtyards to country house estates. Lesley and Robert, former Head Gardener of Bristol Botanic Gardens, combine responsiveness to their clients’ wishes with design flair to create stunning bespoke landscapes.

With their extensive design experience, project management skills, unsurpassed plantsmanship and horticultural knowledge, their clients are assured of a rewarding investment with a significant improvement to their lifestyle. They work together on each project, guiding their clients seamlessly through the process with abundant enthusiasm, attention to detail and a real sense of fun.

When off-duty, Lesley regularly plays tennis, runs, skis and enjoys singing in a local choir, while Robert collects contemporary paintings and prints and is ruled by his black, fluffy ‘diva’ rescue cat.

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BOCONCEPT 51-53 Merchant Street, Bristol BS1 3EE 0117 9293503; boconcept.com BoConcept Bristol store on Merchant Street is situated in the heart of the bustling city centre, providing a calm haven of beautiful Danish inspiration for today’s discerning customer. Delivering contemporary designs for living, dining, sleeping and working areas of the home, BoConcept offers a high quality yet affordable range of furniture and home accessories, many of which can be tailored to suit constantly evolving lifestyle needs.

BoConcept continues to innovate, ensuring good design and functionality go hand in hand. With the help of professional interior designers and a free interior design service, BoConcept continues to achieve room solutions that help fulfil customers’ dreams.

Originally founded in 1952, BoConcept’s unique furniture customisation sets it apart from other furniture brands and has led to a portfolio or more than 260 retail branches worldwide.

MANDARIN STONE 15 Regent Street, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4HW 0117 9731552; mandarinstone.com Renowned for its comprehensive natural stone collection, Mandarin Stone has gained quite a reputation for its on-trend and beautifully designed porcelain. Ranging from tiles that cleverly mimic materials such as wood, concrete and marble to striking glazed and patterned tiles, the collection has endless surface design possibilities.

Established for over 25 years and with 10 inspirational UK showrooms, it offers dependable specialist knowledge as well as technical expertise. Almost the entire natural stone and porcelain collection is held in stock in the UK, so lead times are short.

RAINMAKER GALLERY 123 Coldharbour Rd, Bristol BS6 7SN 0117 944 3101; rainmakerart.co.uk Jo Prince of Rainmaker Gallery knows from experience that choosing the right artwork for your home and work space is a guaranteed way to significantly enhance the quality of your life and to celebrate cultural engagement. Selecting paintings or prints purely as surface decoration is a golden opportunity wasted.

Great art can change the way we experience the world. It demands our attention and challenges us to think differently. Jo’s advice is; always buy art that resonates on a deeper, even intangible level and it will continue to fascinate and engage long after your colour scheme has changed. Rainmaker Gallery specialise in contemporary art by Native Americans from the United States and Canada.

Rooted in the cultural life of over five hundred Sovereign Nations, the exhibitions of paintings and fine art prints reflect the innovation, individuality and diversity of Indigenous artists with powerful messages relevant to us all.

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MAIN INTERIORS

YOUNG & NORGATE

384 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8TR 07727 234570 maininteriordesign.com

Unit 10 Montpelier Trading Estate, Station Road, Bristol BS6 5EE 0117 3706565 youngandnorgate.com

Founded in 2010 by Jasmine Main, Main Interiors is one of the most exciting and forward thinking interior design studios in Bristol. They offer a unique service tailored specifically for each of their client’s requirements, whether it be home staging for sale or rental, show homes, new build and developments, HMOs, student accommodation and furniture packages or residential projects.

Main Interiors is comprised of a team of driven and passionate people who can take your project right from the development stages through to completion, easing the stress of design and increasing the value of your property. With a proven track record for success in creating some of the most unique interiors on view in Bristol today, Main Interiors pride themselves on offering an affordable solution to any interior design need.

Joinery and furniture specialists based in Montpelier, Bristol. Young & Norgate offer design, fabrication and installation services to bring bespoke interiors to life.

Using sophisticated design software and state of the art machinery the emphasis is very much on doing things properly – with a highly experienced team of designers and craftsmen on hand to manage the process all the way through.

Typical joinery packages include kitchens, wardrobes, and staircases.

KINDLE STOVES Glenavon Farm, 331 Bath Road, Saltford BS31 3TJ 01179 243898; kindlestoves.co.uk At the heart of your home should be the perfect stove. Kindle Stoves is a local specialist in clean burning, eco design ready stoves approved for burning wood in Bristol, with a woodburner to suit every home and every style. The team stock the super-efficient Woodwarm, Contura and Rais models as well as many more, offering a full installation service – from fireplace alterations, to slate hearths and stone fireplaces.

Their lovely new showroom, situated just outside Keynsham, has one of the largest displays of wood-burners in the south west and is open seven days a week. Pop in for advice and brochures or to book a home survey. They also sell seasoned logs, gas fires, and the Big Green Egg outdoor cooker.

HUSK Cargo 22, Cargo 2, Museum St, Bristol BS1 6ZA 0117 4420377; madebyhusk.com HUSK offers an affordable way to add custom elements to your kitchen. Door/drawer fronts and countertops are designed to work with both IKEA and Howdens kitchens.

Material options have been chosen with durability in mind, so no need for maintenance and hardy enough to withstand busy family lifestyles.

The product works well in any space. Whether it be an architectural new build or period property, their colour swatches, taps, sinks, handles and worktops will fit right in. Timeless design with just the right amount of personality.

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GARDEN AFFAIRS Trowbridge Garden Centre, 288 Frome Road, Trowbridge BA14 ODT 01225 774566; gardenaffairs.co.uk Garden Affairs specialises in made-to-measure, high-quality garden buildings. The extensive display of top-notch garden offices, posh sheds, summerhouses and gazebos can all be made to the size and style you require – flexibility is what they’re all about here. Take a look at the range of garden rooms – with contemporary concepts that solve the problem of space constraints, especially in city gardens.

The Linea range of modern, Scandi-style cabins are perfect for all uses, comply with most planning guidelines and look great too.

Garden Affairs offers a fixed-price installation service throughout the UK, or you can choose for a DIY kit to be delivered to your door.

LOAF Unit 1D, Centaurus Rd, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, BS34 5TS 020 3141 8300; loaf.com Brit-brand Loaf makes laid-back furniture for people to kick-off their shoes and lead happier, more relaxed lives. Launched in 2008, the homeware brand has made it their mission to encourage people to enjoy their homes more. The comfy sofas and upholstered beds are hand-produced in Long Eaton, Derbyshire - the heart of British upholstery making. And the mattresses are handmade in Wiltshire.

The brand opened its eighth Shack in Bristol in August 2019 in Cribbs Causeway, the West of England’s biggest shopping destination. The 5,000 sq ft Loaf Shack includes a mattress testing station, oodles of squidgy sofas and arcade games for little (and not-so-little) Loafers to enjoy, making it a haven for kicking back and relaxing. There’s even an old-school ice cream parlour where visitors can lap up their favourite scoop.

ELLY’S WELLIES GARDEN DESIGNS 01275 462759 / 07788 640934; ellyswellies.co.uk

WREN KITCHENS Cribbs Causeway Retail Park, Lysander Road, Bristol BS34 5TX 0117 2443168; wrenkitchens.com A visit to the Wren Kitchens website reveals an exceptional choice of over 60 kitchens in three ranges to suit all tastes and pockets. The Vogue, Infinity and Infinity Plus collections are further divided into modern, shaker and traditional styles allowing you to create your own perfect kitchen. Add to this your choice of handles and thousands of unit sizes and you’re well on your way to creating a truly unique room which will be the heart of your home for many years to come. Book a showroom appointment for a free consultation with one of Wren’s expert kitchen designers; chat about layout and design requirements; see a personalised 3D design and get a quick price estimate, with no obligation to buy. Whether you’re looking to follow the latest colour trends or choose something timeless and classic, Wren will have the kitchen for you.

Elly’s Wellies Garden Designs can help you take your garden to the next level. With qualifications in horticulture, garden and planting design, our lovely gardening columnist Elly West offers a bespoke, personal and friendly service whether you are looking for a complete overhaul and redesign of your garden, or just some help deciding what to put in a border. The process starts with a free initial consultation, where Elly will visit your garden and discuss your aims and objectives. From here, the creative process can begin, keeping you involved at every stage as necessary to ensure the end result is something affordable that you can enjoy for years. Elly works alongside reliable landscapers who can build your project, offering a complete, professional service.

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STEPHEN GRAVER Elmsgate, Edington Road, Steeple Ashton, BA14 6HP 01380 871746; stephengraver.com Stephen Graver does things differently. The company ethos is to differentiate themselves by offering a unique combination of totally bespoke designs, installation and project delivery. Whether it’s a kitchen, bathroom or a bigger remodelling or renovation project, or something specific or unique to a certain space – you can be assured of innovative design and total project management. It’s also why most of their business is by recommendation or word of mouth and why you’ll find a client testimonial behind each of their projects. Stephen Graver’s project management and after-care are second to none, which is another reason why they have relationships with clients that last much longer than the end of their renovation projects. Their business is built on reputation and they really care about getting it right, first time, every time. For more inspiration, and to see just why they’re different, take a look at their website and view the extensive gallery of finished projects. If you’re in the process of planning your own home improvements, talk to Stephen Graver to see how they can bring your ideas to life.

ANNA DESIGN BESPOKE FABRIC COMMISSIONS 01761 471663 / 07779 951691; anna-design.uk Anna Fraenkel has been fulfilling textile commissions since she was 17 and for the last decade has been working with national interior design company Jane Clayton. She specialises in textiles for the home and for events and parties. Whether you’re looking to transform a village hall into a beautiful wedding venue, your children’s playroom into a magical circus tent, want something unusual for an event, or simply want some curtains, blinds or cushions for your home Anna will visit, advise and bring your ideas to life.

PARK FURNISHERS Willway Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4AZ 0117 9669253; parkfurnishers.co.uk Park Furnishers is known by many as a premier destination for furniture, flooring and fitted kitchens, celebrating 50 years as a proud, independent, family-owned business. On display you’ll find over 300 sofas, 100 dining sets and 100 different beds. There’s a huge choice of carpets and flooring to discover, with many stocked rolls and remnants ready for immediate delivery. The kitchen department has over 20 fitted kitchens on display and the consultants offer a free measuring and design service. As well as all of the above, you’ll find a host of home accessories including lighting, pictures and mirrors. While you take time out to discuss your options, complimentary tea and coffee is available in the instore coffee lounge.

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ETONS OF BATH 108 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BG 01225 639002; etonsofbath.com

HURLEY ENGINES AND GARDEN MACHINERY Unit 7, The Maltings Industrial Estate, Brassmill Lane, Bath BA13JL 01225 336812; hurleyengines.co.uk Hurley Engines and Garden Machinery have been trading in Bath since 1967, providing services such as engine machining and re-manufacturing in their fully kitted-out engine machining workshop. Hurley’s are main dealers for some of the world’s leading industrial engine manufactures such as Kubota, Yanmar, Briggs & Stratton and various other brands. Over the last ten years Hurley’s have added garden machinery to their roster and began supplying, servicing and repairing commercial and domestic products ranging from chainsaw and strimmers all the way to woodchippers and tractors, becoming main dealers for some of the worlds leading brands such as AL-KO, Hayter, Weibang, Stihl and many others. Hurley’s will also collect and deliver within the Bath area. Call the team today for any inquires you may have.

FIAT LUX 8 Bath Street, Frome BA11 1DH 01373 473555; fiatlux.co.uk Fiat Lux opened its Frome showroom in 2003, and since then it has been the go-to place to see a huge range of superb lighting, from traditional fittings and shades to the most up-to-date trends in contemporary lighting designs. For interior lighting projects there are fixtures and fittings, bulbs, coloured cords and cables in every possible combination, as well as a full display of exterior lighting ideas. Fiat Lux works with leading manufacturers such as Vita, Original BTC and many more and is an established favourite with property developers, architects, interior designers and all lighting aficionados, professional and domestic.

Whatever your style, mood or interior desire, then a trip to Fiat Lux will really light up your ideas.

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Founded in 2006, Etons of Bath is a specialist interior design practice focused on refurbishing, renovating and reinvigorating period homes and hotels. Their team of 12 interior designers, planners and project managers help you plan, design and deliver classically inspired interiors that add value, turn heads and improve the use of space. They cover projects of all shapes and sizes from large country estates to Bath townhouses, small apartments and cottages, boutique hotels to bijou boltholes combining creative flair and solid experience together with a passionate and friendly team.

BONITI Dunsdon Barn, West Littleton, Wiltshire SN14 8JA 01225 892200; boniti.com Run by Giles and Simon Lunt, Boniti is a high-quality interiors (and exteriors) business, whose showroom is a destination for all types of natural stone, porcelain and timber flooring, as well as decorative tiles, stoneware, Kadai firebowls, garden furniture, homeware accessories and the very desirable Everhot range cookers. Boniti has an impressive client list of property developers and a specialist bespoke service that can supply and fit worldwide.

When it comes to any project – both large and small – the Boniti team are masters of their profession and it shows in every detail.

You can reach the showroom easily from junction 18 of the M4.

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KÜTCHENHAUS Clifton Down Shopping Centre, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2NN 0117 2130896; kutchenhaus.co.uk

K INTERIORS Highdale Road, Clevedon, North Somerset 07906 167710 k-interiors.co.uk Award winning interior designer Kay James, of K Interiors, specialises in helping home owners in Clevedon and the surrounding areas be just that little bit braver when it comes to their décor. She has a particular talent for combining colours, patterns and textures to create interiors that not only look beautiful but stand up to the demands of modern family life. With a personable style and a sustainable ethos, Kay is the perfect choice if you’re nervous about getting things right or simply don’t know where to start.

Why not book in for an eye-opening Inspire session or call fora no obligation chat about how Kay could help you achieve the home you’ve always wanted but never dreamed you’d be able to create?

Kütchenhaus is the UK arm of company Nobilia – the largest manufacturer of fitted kitchens in Europe, making up to 3,000 kitchens daily. This means Kütchenhaus can not only keep prices competitive but still deliver high quality, German-engineered kitchens. They provide a wide selection of kitchen styles and can create both traditional and contemporary looks in matte and gloss textures. With their free design service, they can come up with superb, photo-realistic images giving a clear visual of a customer’s ideal kitchen. They also supply a full range of appliances including Bosch, Neff, CDA and Miele. Buying a kitchen is a big decision, and the Kütchenhaus team in Bristol work closely with every single client to give them complete confidence in their important new purchase.

ARCHITECT YOUR HOME 0800 0515304; architect-yourhome.com Architect Your Home’s service kicks off with an initial design consultation in your home – think of this as the real starting point of your project. It will provide you with sketch drawings of a properly considered and collaborative design proposal, help you develop a clear understanding of the practical implications of your design and equip you with the necessary tools so that you can move your project forward confidently to the next stage.

During the consultation there will be an in-depth discussion to fully establish requirements and aspirations, a set of sketch design drawings showing the proposals, advice on planning permission/listed building consents/structure etc, an agreed proposal by the end of the session, and recommendations on the next steps and how to move the project forward. 

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THINK ONLY TREE: Mendip Bonsai Studio’s polytunnel, workshop and outdoor benches are packed with bonsai

Small wonders

Bonsai is an art full of symbolism and the belief that miniature objects have mystical powers concentrated within them, says Elly West, associated with virtues like patience, calmness, balance, harmony, respect and love of nature

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rees are the most long-lived and majestic additions to our landscapes and gardens. As I sit here writing this I’m looking at a huge oak tree opposite my house, so to be able to produce such a thing in miniature is certainly fascinating and perhaps even miraculous. When I was a child I used to love the assortment of shallow dishes and contorted gnarly trees in my grandmother’s garden – her attempts at bonsai – some more successful than others. She and my grandfather enjoyed walking, and I think a lot of the specimens that made their way into the garden were ‘found’ out and about, perhaps growing among some rocks where the roots had been naturally restricted and some of the work already done. She’d take a trowel with her on walks, just in case, which I’m obviously not advocating, but was, for her, accepted practice in the same way as deftly taking a cutting or seed head from a stranger’s front garden when nobody was looking.

The word bonsai means ‘tree in a container’, and bonsai has been practised in China for over 2,000 years. It first appeared in Japan during the 12th century, but didn’t become popular in the UK until the latter half of the 20th century. It’s an art that’s full of symbolism, closely connected to Zen Buddhism and the belief that miniature objects have magic and mystical powers concentrated within them. It’s associated with virtues like patience, calmness of mind, attaining balance and harmony, respect and love of living nature. Remember Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid films? “Think only tree.”

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I visited John Trott at the Mendip Bonsai Studio near Shepton Mallet to find out more about this ancient art. John has 93 RHS gold medals to his name and well over five decades of experience. His garden contains a polytunnel, workshop and numerous outdoor benches packed with bonsai, in all different shapes (and sizes, within reason!) – some evergreen, some deciduous, and numerous species and cultivars.

Just about any tree can be trained as a bonsai, he says, and one of the most common misconceptions is that they are indoor trees. This is because they are often found relatively cheaply in the large DIY chains or even that well-known Swedish home store, sold alongside houseplants – the Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) being the most popular variety for the indoor market.

“Indoor trees may only get 25% of the light they need to do well,” John says. “Better to start with an outdoor variety such as hornbeam or larch, or Chinese juniper is a good evergreen starter tree.”

If you do choose a Chinese elm, it will need some frost protection in a cold greenhouse or similar over winter, but John advocates leaving it outside through the summer where it will really benefit from the extra light. He also points out that it’s a deciduous tree, so when it drops its leaves, don’t assume it’s died as new ones will (hopefully) then grow in the spring.

John’s own first tree was an ash, which he still has 55 years later in a tiny two-and-a-half-inch pot. Leafless in January, to me it just looked like a short, fat stick, but John is clearly attached to it, as to all of his

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trees, refusing to name a favourite. The oldest in his collection is around 150 years old, but there are also many that he has grown from seed – bonsai in its purest form.

His passion for bonsai started as a teenager, when he used to walk his dog past a Japanese garden, and then grew over the years with him setting up his nursery in 1996. “I find it therapeutic and relaxing,” he says. “I also like the fact that everyone can do it, whether they’ve got a large garden, a small garden or no garden.”

Now, he spends much of the year preparing for and exhibiting at the RHS shows, but he also holds workshops throughout the year, passing on his knowledge to others, whether they are complete beginners or have some experience.

There’s no question that patience is needed for this hobby, whether you are waiting for a seedling or cutting to mature, or carefully trimming an established tree with snips. Wires are used to bend the stems to a particular form, and the roots will also need regular pruning to keep them comfortably within the confines of their shallow dish.

Then, for John, there is weeding and removing moss from the bark to get them in show-worthy condition. There’s a lot of responsibility attached to maintaining and caring for trees that could be decades, if not centuries in age. The oldest bonsai tree, at the Crespi Bonsai Museum in Italy, is believed to be around 1,000 years old. You wouldn’t want to forget to water that one.

“It is a responsibility,” agrees John, “and some will die. But a bonsai tree that’s cared for can live a lot longer than a natural tree that’s subject to cold, heat, flooding, man’s influence. We are custodians of time.

Losing trees is always a risk – the Beast from the East was a killer – but you’ve not really done bonsai until you’ve lost one. Then you think, why did it die? And you learn from your mistakes.” ■ • John runs workshops throughout the year and the nursery is open by appointment. Visit mendipbonsai.co.uk to find out more. Look out for him at RHS Flower Show Cardiff from 17 – 19 April. Visit rhs.org.uk for full details, and ellyswellies.co.uk for more on Elly’s garden services

Plant of the month: Japanese maple Japanese maples are a popular choice for both Japanese-style gardens and for bonsai, with their delicately dissected leaves and graceful, compact habit. Spring is my favourite time, when the new, softly tactile leaves are unfurling in shades of fresh green, burgundy and red. But they also come into their own in autumn with glowing foliage colours. In the wild they are found on the edges of woodland, out of strong winds and with some light shade and shelter, and in a garden they will appreciate the same. Strong sunlight will scorch the leaves, making them crispy, while harsh winds will cause leaf drop. In the ground, avoid pruning as it’s easy to spoil the shape. If you are growing as a bonsai, start with a young tree with flexible stems and plant it in a shallow pot with good drainage. Shape with the ‘clip and grow’ method, cutting back new shoots to between two and four leaves every couple of months in the growing season, so that the tree fills out but stays small. You can also wrap wire around the trunk and branches to bend them to the shape you want. Root pruning should be done when the tree becomes pot-bound, removing about a third of the roots. This could be yearly with a new, vigorous tree, or every few years once the tree is established.

With due care and daily watering in hot weather, your Japanese maple could live for well over 100 years.

Create space with a garden room GARDEN OFFICES • LOG CABINS • STUDIOS • SUMMERHOUSES POSH SHEDS • TIMBER GARAGES • OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES

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BRISTOL PROPERTY | IN FOCUS

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his immaculate modern family home is located at the heart of the beautiful suburb of Clifton Village and just a stone’s throw away from the city’s bustling Park Street.

The light and airy three-bedroom property has been beautifully arranged over three floors, emphasising its high degree of natural light and elegant high-end finishes.

On the ground floor, a bespoke open plan kitchen/breakfast room, with under floor heating throughout, offers the perfect place to entertain guests. The innovative kitchen design has created ample storage and allowed for a range of integral appliances to blend subtly into the space. Flowing seamlessly from the kitchen is a useful large utility and guest WC, with a glazed sunroom completing the ground floor.

The first floor boasts a spacious sitting room, providing a further area to entertain or simply relax at the heart of the house. The first bedroom and contemporary guest bathroom gracefully flow through to the back of the house.

On the second floor, and enjoying excellent outlooks, are two consistently proportioned bedrooms, with a bespoke tiled ensuite complimenting one of them.

Outside at the front, the property offers an integrated covered carport, while at the rear, an established walled courtyard garden. This is the ideal home for a lively family with plenty of space to grow. Full details and viewing are available with agents Knight Frank.

Knight Frank, Regent House, 27A Regent Street, Clifton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 295 0425

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2 CLIFTON CLOSE CLIFTON VILLAGE BRISTOL • Three bedrooms • Sunny rear courtyard garden • Two spacious sitting rooms • Close to Clifton Village and Park Street

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DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY

PODVILLE OFFICES • A hub of 12 high spec shipping containers

• High St Nailsea • Consent for 9 residential units

• Each 4 – 6 desks • All inclusive

• Price £495,000

• Ready to occupy 45 HIGH STREET, BS1

4 WESTBURY MEWS, WESTBURY ON TRYM

• Retail shop with upper floors • Suit various commercial uses • Shop & upper separately available if needed • New lease – Rent O/A

rists of moto 1000’s daily passing

BRIDGWATER ROAD (‘AIRPORT ROAD’), BRISTOL • Retail/showroom • 1st floor office separately available if required • Close to Bristol Airport yet 15 minutes from BS1 • New leases – low rent

Julian Cook FRICS

Burston Cook March.indd 1

Jayne Rixon MRICS

Charlie Kershaw MRICS

Finola Ingham MRICS

Tom Coyte MRICS

• Mews office building • For sale freehold • 1,241 sq ft • Price O/A

LIGHT INDUSTRIAL UNIT/WORKSHOP TO LET

Holly Boulton BSc(Hons)

• 1,728 sq ft • Central Bristol location • Wolseley Road, Bishopston

• Sales / Lettings • Acquisitions • Valuations • Landlord & tenant • Auction Sales

• Rent reviews • Property Management • Investment Sales / Purchase • Development & Planning • Dilapidations Advice 15/02/2020 14:33

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PROPERTY NEWS

BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM ACROSS THE CITY’S BOOMING SECTOR Shots such as this one have made the cover previously

Executive chairman Mark Beard

FAMILY VALUES

PHASE ONE DONE

Construction firm Beard has published a book marking 125 years of the company.

Penned by deputy chairman Alan Beard, 125 Years of Construction 1892 – 2017: A Family Story traces the history through five generations, beginning with the wayward George Henry Beard, whose son Edward established Beard in 1892, at the age of just 14. He lived to 104 and featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest working career.

Alan is now 87 and still plays an active role in the business. His son Mark is the fourth generation to head up the firm.

From its Swindon HQ, the firm has expanded into Oxford, Guildford and Bristol – including the construction of new toll-houses for Clifton Suspension Bridge.

“This has been a real labour of love,” says Alan. “We have always been a proudly family-run firm; tracing its history has also enabled me to learn much more about my own family’s past.”

Mark added: “Tracing the firm back to its origins is a powerful reminder that although the construction industry has changed a great deal, the fundamentals – doing the best job and treating people well – are the same now as they were in Queen Victoria’s time.”

Bristol developer Cubex, with funding partner Fiera Real Estate, have sold Finzels Reach’s Fermentation Buildings to Mendip District Council for £11.9million, reflecting a net initial yield of 5.43%.

The sale represents one of the final elements of phase one of Finzels Reach with the estate now in the shared ownership of a collection of institutional and private investors. Hawkins & George, the fully let build-to-rent apartments, were handed over to Grainger last year, and cutting-edge, green office building Aurora was sold to Royal London Asset Management. AXA forward funded the Premier Inn hotel and Bridgewater House was purchased by a private European investor.

Cubex now has its sights set on future development opportunities in cities and towns across the South West and Wales, and forging ahead with work on the second phase of Finzels Reach. “This sale marks an important milestone for us in our journey to transform this once derelict city-centre site into a vibrant new quarter for people to live, work and socialise,” said Peter Walford, director at Cubex. “It has been hugely satisfying to see Finzels Reach come into its own and recognised as one of the city’s new social hotspots.”

• beardconstruction.co.uk

• finzelsreach.com; cubex-land.com

108 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

|

MARCH 2020

|

No 189

COMPETITION ALERT: CALLING ALL BRISTOL PHOTOGRAPHY HOT SHOTS...

Independent property consultancy Maggs & Allen is offering amateur and professional photographers the opportunity to feature their photograph of Bristol on the front cover of their April 2020 property auction catalogue and to win a £100 cash prize for the winning submission.

The brief for the photograph is simply an interesting and unique image that is iconically Bristol. While the Maggs & Allen team consists of property auctioneers, they are not simply looking for photographs of houses – the front covers of previous brochures have featured various images (see example pictured left).

Entries can be posted on their Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages or emailed to rob@maggsandallen.co.uk. To enter the competition, you must submit a high resolution jpeg image that has not been published previously in any other publication or on any other website, and by submitting an entry you grant Maggs & Allen permission for your entry to be published on the Maggs & Allen auction catalogue, website and any other electronic or print marketing material. It must be your own work, not containing any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use, not containing any trademarks, and not showing inappropriate or dangerous behaviour. Where an individual whose image is featured in a competition entry is aged less than 18 years old, a parent or guardian must have given the relevant consent.

The closing date for entries is 20 March; go capture!

• maggsandallen.co.uk

cjhole.co.uk

CHAPEL GARDENS, WESTBURY-ON-TRYM

WOODLAND GROVE, STOKE BISHOP

This substantial executive family home with exposed brick and mock Tudor finished façade is immaculately presented throughout. The accommodation briefly comprises front to back living room, a separate formal dining room and home office/study. Further benefits include the private landscaped family garden with open outlook and double integral garage. EPC C

A fabulous brand new five bedroom detached family home arranged over three floors. The spacious master suite is full width to rear with walk in dressing room and ensuite overlooking the landscaped garden which includes Indian sandstone, recessed hot tub, and contemporary planting.

EPC B

3

2

5

£935,000

2

4

5

£1,000,000

CAIRNS ROAD, WESTBURY PARK

THE AVENUE, SNEYD PARK

Located in Westbury Park, this traditional terraced ‘Victorian Villa’ has been extensively improved over recent years to create a fantastic family home.

Westbury Park offers family buyers the ideal location, given its proximity to three nearby primary schools and more importantly the priority intake area for Redland Green secondary school. EPC D

A light and airy palatial first floor Victorian conversion positioned within the ever popular Sneyd Park within walking distance of Durdham Down.

Externally, beautifully maintained mature communal gardens surround this delightful detached stone fronted former dwelling and the apartment also benefits from allocated parking with additional visitors spaces. EPC E

2

2

4

£725,000

2

2

3

£580,000

Clifton Office

Henleaze Office

Westbury-on-Trym Office

161 Whiteladies Road Clifton, BS8 2RF

108 Henleaze Road Henleaze, BS9 4JZ

25 Canford Lane Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 3DQ

Tel: 0117 962 9221

Tel: 0117 950 0118

Tel: 0117 435 1867 clifton@cjhole.co.uk

CJ Hole March.indd 1

henleaze@cjhole.co.uk

westbury@cjhole.co.uk

15/02/2020 14:34

hamptons.co.uk

Congresbury, North Somerset Guide Price £950,000

An exquisite 19th Century 5 bedroom detached house with far reaching vistas of the Mendip Hills. The property has been fully renovated and extended throughout to create a beautiful and modern family home. Set perfectly within approx 3.92 acres of land, with stables & double garage. EPC: E.

Clifton, Bristol Guide Price £750,000

A fabulous Grade II listed 4 bedroom split level courtyard apartment, with its own private entrance and courtyards to the front and rear, situated in the iconic Royal York Crescent, a stunning Georgian terrace in the heart of Clifton Village. EPC: Exempt.

Redland, Bristol Guide Price £1,530,000

An impressive 3,470 sq ft end of terrace Grade II listed house, built in a late Georgian style on this fabulous corner plot in Redland. The property has two self-contained lower floor apartments, off street parking, garage, Westfacing rear garden and roof terrace. EPC: Exempt

Hamptons Bristol

Sales. 0117 369 1004 | bristol@hamptons-int.com

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Harbourside, Bristol | Guide Price ÂŁ730,000 An exceptional two-bedroom lateral apartment within an award-winning luxury development; with over 1000 sq. ft of paved private terrace and superb water views.

Stunning circa 1230 sq. ft lateral apartment in a striking modern apartment building | Exceptional 270-degree views across the Avon cut and Bathurst Basin | Over 1000 sq. ft of private south and west facing paved terrace | On the doorstep of two Michelin one-starred restaurants | Concierge service | Allocated under croft parking space with lift access | Striking dual aspect reception room with underfloor heating | High quality open plan kitchen with central island | Exquisite master bedroom with en-suite bathroom | Further double bedroom and separate bathroom | EPC: B (85%)

In all circa 1232 sq. ft (114 sq. m) with 1081 sq. ft of paved private terrace (100 sq. m).

Westbury-on-Trym Office Call: 0117 962 1973 Mail: westburysales@oceanhome.co.uk Search: oceanhome.co.uk

Check out our latest reviews and 5 star rating on Trustpilot

Henbury BS10 £385,000 3 bedroom house We are delighted to offer this beautiful & spacious link detached home to the BS10 market, this wonderful home has been updated by the current owners offering stylish decor and modern finishings.

The property is located on Gleneagles Drive in Henbury which offers convenient access for the nearby motorway network.

EPC TBC

Stoke Bishop BS9 £780,000 5 bedroom detached house

Coombe Dingle BS9 £615,000 3 bedroom bungalow

An exquisite and versatile detached family home built approximately 2002 with three wonderful floors of accommodation. Tastefully renovated by the current owners. As you approach your presented with a recessed porch leading into the entrance hall, living room, kitchen/diner with bifold doors to garden, utility room, cloakroom, two landings leading to five bedrooms, office/bedroom six, main family bathroom & two en-suites.

An exceptional and rare three double bedroom bungalow in a setback location offering flexible spacious accommodation. This much loved semi detached home was built in 1963, the current family took up residence in 1984 and have constantly cared for and updated this wonderful home.

EPC TBC

EPC TBC

100’s more properties across our 11 local offices – oceanhome.co.uk

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Clifton Office Call: 0117 946 6007 Mail: cliftonsales@oceanhome.co.uk Search: oceanhome.co.uk

Check out our latest reviews and 5 star rating on Trustpilot

Redland BS6 Guide £750,000 4 bedroom terraced house A fantastic spacious (circa 1505 sq ft / 140 m sq) four bedroom mid terrace family home in the heart of Redland. Set in an elevated position on a quiet side road, south facing with a double bay window the property is lovely and light. The property is in excellent condition throughout, full of period features and charm. EPC TBC

Redland BS6 Guide £795,000 5 bedroom terraced house

Redland BS6 Guide £440,000 2 bedroom first floor flat

A well-presented and spacious townhouse with double garage and off street parking space, set within the catchment for Redland Green School and Westbury Park Primary and local amenities. 25ft x19ft raised sun terrace with southerly aspect and positioned immediately adjacent to the wide open space of Redland Green, this wonderful family house has an immaculate full width kitchen/ diner and far reaching elevated views.

Set within an impressive detached Victorian building, providing a level approach to the nearby Durdham Downs. Providing high ceilings with ornate cornicing, this elegant, a 19’8 x 14’10 living room with front facing bay window, a stunning dual aspect kitchen/diner, two large double bedrooms with pleasant outlook to rear. There is also a large secure private storage room in the cellar.

EPC TBC

EPC C

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