The Bristol Magazine December 2017

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THE

Issue 162

I

december 2017

MAGAZINE

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

£3.95 where sold

Hosts of Christmas Past Tyntesfield turns the clocks back for its very Victorian extravaganza

PLUS ★ Stocking fillers ★ Mercury Prize-winner Benjamin Clementine ★ Festive beauty ★ Olympian Emily Diamond ★ Mixology merriment 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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Monday - Saturday: 9.30am - 5.30pm Sunday: 10.00am - 4.00pm

Inside Clifton Down Shopping Centre Whiteladies Road Clifton BS8 2NN

Manchester . York . Sutton Coldfield . Bristol . Farnborough . Brentwood . Aberdeen . Tunbridge Wells Beverley . Exeter . London - North . London - West End . Liverpool . Chichester . High Wycombe

MOVE. Faster. Sell with Knight Frank.

Our understanding of the ever-changing market enables us to price your property accurately so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving.

Call +44 0117 295 0425 to arrange your free market appraisal.

Knightfrank.co.uk/bristol bristol@knightfrank.com

Guide price £2,950,000

Clifton An impressive Grade II listed and beautifully presented Victorian house (approx. 5,757 sq ft).

7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms (3 en suite), 5 reception rooms, 1 bed annexe. Off street parking, store, large gardens totalling 0.32 of an acre.

Guide price £1,000,000

KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk nTheMarket.com TM

Guide price £900,000

Clifton

Kingsdown

Immaculate Grade II listed 4 bed semi detached family home (approx. 1,822 sq ft) with sunny gardens. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, drawing room. Covered balcony and gardens.

Versatile Grade II listed townhouse (approx. 2,795 sq ft) with exceptional views. Master suite, 4/5 further guest bedrooms, bathroom, sitting room/guest suite, drawing room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room, large gardens.

Guide price £1,275,000

Guide price £565,000

St Briavels

Clifton

Only 25 miles from Bristol, a detached six bedroom house (approx.

4,432 sq ft) in a private setting, with a separate 2 storey studio/home office block, gardens, walled kitchen garden, woodland and paddocks. In all about 10.8 acres. Only 25 miles from Bristol. EPC: F.

A spacious Grade II listed courtyard apartment (approx. 1,730 sq ft) with garage. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, drawing room, study, kitchen, vaulted utility, extensive storage. Courtyards to front and rear, private garage.

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MOVE. Faster. Sell with Knight Frank.

Our understanding of the ever-changing market enables us to price your property accurately so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving.

Call +44 0117 295 0425 to arrange your free market appraisal.

Knightfrank.co.uk/bristol bristol@knightfrank.com

Guide price £950,000

Redcliffe Backs An immaculate city centre penthouse (approx. 1,286 sq ft) overlooking the floating harbour.

3 bedrooms (2 en suite), bathroom, open plan kitchen/breakfast/dining and sitting room. Sun terrace, allocated parking. EPC: B.

Guide price £1,095,000

KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk nTheMarket.com TM

Guide price £595,000

Redland

Clifton

Stunning family home (approx. 2,876 sq ft). 4 bedrooms (1 en suite), bathroom, 2 WCs, 3 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room. Workshops/ utility/cellar. Gardens, parking, access to communal garden. EPC: E.

An attractive stone built mews house (approx. 991 sq ft) in the heart of Clifton village. 2 bedrooms, study/bedroom 3, bathroom, reception, kitchen/breakfast room, utility, off street parking, courtyard garden. EPC: D.

Guide price £695,000

Guide price £899,999

Portishead

Charfield

A contemporary family home (approx. 2,653 sq ft) with views across the Bristol Channel. 4 bedrooms, shower room, bathroom, 3 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast/family room. Gardens, double garage and parking.

EPC: C.

Immaculate house (approx. 2,806 sq ft) with views. 4 bedrooms, bathroom, shower room, 3 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room.

Gardens, garage/stable block, menage, paddocks. About 1.93 acres.

Further land available. EPC: C.

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MOVE. Faster. Sell with Knight Frank.

Our understanding of the ever-changing market enables us to price your property accurately so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving.

Call +44 0117 295 0425 to arrange your free market appraisal.

Knightfrank.co.uk/bristol bristol@knightfrank.com

Guide price £995,000

Kingswood, Near Wotton under Edge An impressive, immaculately presented Grade II listed former Rectory, located in the heart of the sought-after village of Kingswood. 7 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 shower rooms, 4 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast with a pretty landscaped garden, garaging and ample off street parking.

Guide price £725,000

KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk nTheMarket.com TM

Guide price £1,000,000

Chew Valley

Near Regil and Winford

A unique house (approx. 2,325 sq ft) with views to the Mendip Hills. 4 bedrooms, bathroom, shower room, drawing/dining room, kitchen, breakfast/ sitting room, study, garden room. Garage, parking and gardens. EPC: TBC

Former farmhouse (approx. 3,553 sq ft) with views. 5/6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 4 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room. Gated entrance, drive, garage, gardens, paddock. About 2.4 acres. EPC: D.

Guide price £750,000

Guide price £795,000

Old Sodbury

Kington, Near Thornbury

An immaculate 4 bedroom house (approx. 2,688 sq ft) situated on the outskirts of Old Sodbury. 4 bedrooms (all en suite), vaulted sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast. double garage, parking and garden.

EPC: D.

Attractively converted barn (approx. 2,454 sq ft) in a semi-rural setting.

4 bedrooms (1 en suite), family bathroom, sitting room, kitchen/dining room, conservatory. Pretty gardens and grounds, adjoining 4 bay outbuilding. EPC: E.

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62

32

48

Contents

December 2017

REGULARS ZEITGEIST

PRACTICAL MAGIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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14

Eat, drink, be merry and kind this month

CITYIST

Treat someone to a gift experience they won’t forget

SEASON OF GOODWILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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16

We meet artist Emmeline Simpson and catch up on local news

BARTLEBY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A pearl of wisdom for young folk on the hunt for fulfilment

BRISTOL AT WORK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Meet talented local poet Malaika Kegode

READ ALL ABOUT IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Books to get stuck into over the holidays

MOTORING

Image by Evoke Pictures

We zoom in on some of the city’s many excellent charities and find out what they’re up to at the moment

CREATIVE

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56

We try our hand at the historic craft of glassblowing

SPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Jessica Hope talks to Bristol-born Olympic athlete Emily Diamond

FOOD & DRINK NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

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66

Chris Lilly on McLaren’s most powerful Super Series car in production

Tasty tidings from our local eateries and producers

HOT TOPIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

THE CULTURE

Melissa Blease tackles the contentious subject of restaurant no-shows

WHAT’S ON & HAPPENINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

MIXOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Get the diary out!

Weighing up where to go for festive cocktails? We’ve a couple of ideas

MUSIC

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48

Tristan Darby’s Christmas picks for traditionalists

We chat to Mercury Prize-winner Benjamin Clementine

EXHIBITIONS

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52

What’s on at our local galleries this month?

FAMILY DIARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Seasonal city fun for the younger ones

HISTORY

WINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

HABITAT WILD BRISTOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Pete Dommett has been studying the urban fox

INTERIORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

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86

Considering a new kitchen for the new year? Start right here...

Andrew Swift is on the hunt for ghosts of the commercial kind

GARDENING

FEATURES

Brown is the new green, says Elly West

SHOPPING

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22

Our Christmas gift guide has ideas for all the family

BEAUTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Want a festive Fenty face à la Rihanna? Tips from her global MUA

FESTIVE FUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Step (back) into Christmas past at Tyntesfield

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PROPERTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Industry news, plus a look at Keynsham’s awesome new Chocolate Quarter development

ON THE COVER

The festive season is off to a splendid start as Tyntesfield turn the clocks back for their Very Victorian Christmas – flick to page 28 for more (image by Steve Haywood)

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Join the Gibbs family around the roaring log fire this month (image by Steve Haywood)

THIS MONTH WE’VE BEEN...

Excited for...

Open the doors of perception...

...The UK’s first virtual reality arts festival at Watershed (1 – 3 December), showcasing the world’s most creative VR studios. From a wildlife safari to a trip through a surrealist painting, the immersive experiences demonstrate an emerging world of creative potential

from the

EDITOR

Sampling...

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality...”

– Washington Irving

W

ith this heart-thawing sentiment in mind, the National Trust team at Tyntesfield have flung open the doors to their gorgeous old Gothic house in Wraxall – inviting us to step back to simpler times of Christmas past and join the resident Gibbs family of 1891 for a full-on festive celebration. If you fancy immersing yourself in storytelling, dancing, games and best-loved Yuletide traditions as the staff of the house prepare for the big day, there’s a look at what’s in store at their Very Victorian Christmas on p28 – and plenty more joyful holiday happenings from pages 40 and 74.

Continuing the subject of seasonal goodwill, Jessica Hope has been finding out what some of the city’s charities are up to (p34) and what we can do to help at a time when misfortune is felt most keenly. You could also do your bit to help the local vulpine population by having some foxy little guests to Christmas dinner this year – learn more about the often misunderstood city dweller on p72.

We spent some time with one of music’s most intriguing and uncompromising artists recently, Mercury Prize-winner Benjamin Clementine, ahead of his Colston Hall performance on 8 December. His has been a remarkable trajectory of both hardship and success, and his first show in the main hall (having sold out The Lantern previously) is sure to be pretty great. Flick to p48 for our chat with him.

If you’re looking for mixology-based merriment (who isn’t?) we’ve a couple of classy drinks destinations (p62) for those off out-out, and wine suggestions (p64) for Christmas dinner traditionalists. We also talk restaurant no-shows – a hot topic, particularly at this time of year – with Melissa Blease.

As well as the gift guide, there are ideas for experiential presents if you want to treat someone to the chance to try a new skill or reactivate a dormant one.

On our wishlist? Ooh, The Book of Dust please, Santa (p50) and something, anything, from Fenty – Rihanna’s inclusive debut cosmetics line (tips on p24) and one of 2017’s top inventions according to Time. Ah, you shouldn’t have...

Editor’s image by Paolo Ferla; ferlapaolo.com

12 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

thebristolmag.co.uk

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...Hotel Chocolat’s alternative mince pies – dried fruit eschewed in favour of chocolate truffle and burnt caramel praline (a decision we wholeheartedly support)

Starting on...

Image by Dan Regan

...The Christmas shopping, of course.

The experience is all the nicer at the festive markets – Harbourside’s is a favourite, running every weekend until Christmas Eve with 60 stalls, mulled drinks and live music to up the cheer levels

AMANDA NICHOLLS EDITOR

@thebristolmag

...The Ivy’s new gin, marking the restaurant’s centenary celebrations and with notes of spruce, sage, ivy leaf and almond. Dreamy with a slice of orange and elderflower tonic (you’re welcome)

DECEMBER 2017

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@thebristolmag

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ZEITGEIST

Top The happy volunteers at Foodcycle Bristol

5

things to do in DECEMBER

EAT

GIVE It’s important to take a moment to think about those who are less fortunate than us, not just at Christmas, but the rest of the year too. There are plenty of charities around Bristol working hard, 365 days a year, to provide help for people and animals in need, including the enthusiastic volunteers from Foodcycle Bristol (pictured above) who tackle food poverty in the city by taking surplus food from local retailers and making it into delicious and nutritious meals for hungry local folk every Saturday at Barton Hill Settlement, Ducie Road.

We’ve rounded up just some of the Bristolbased charities making a difference in the local area, and listened to the stories behind their beginnings, on page 34.

For us, it’s all about the food when Christmas comes a-calling. Whether it’s homemade, warm mince pies with a dollop of clotted cream, or the smell of turkey and pigs-inblankets sizzling in the oven – we reckon we might try new Cargo II addition Meatbox (see p58) for high-welfare, sustainably sourced turkey, ham and trimmings this year – it’s the licence to guzzle that makes this time of year. And with Christmas markets galore in Bristol, as well as mouthwatering festive restaurant menus, we’ve made our peace with having slightly tighter trousers this time next month…

DRINK

Hyde & Co mixing up a storm

Needless to say, we want something to go alongside all the seasonal grub we’re going to be munching on. How about a visit to Thatchers Cider Shop in Sandford for all your apple and pear-based beverage needs?

If you’re looking to increase your vino knowledge, Bristol Wine School offers a variety of wine courses, as well as gift vouchers. See Tristan Darby’s choices for a Yuletide tipple on page 64, perfect for sipping over Christmas dinner or toasting in the new year. Or, if you’re in need of some cocktail inspiration, take a look at page 62 – we’ve rounded up some of our favourite places for a pokey potion or three.

BE MERRY ’Tis the season to be jolly and all that – and Bristol is bursting with festive events and concerts throughout December, so there’s plenty to get merry about. Arguably our favourite Christmas film, Love Actually, will be playing at Colston Hall on Saturday 2 and Tuesday 12 December, 7.30pm, with Craig Armstrong’s emotive score being brought to life by a full orchestra. Tickets are limited, so get them quick if they’re still available.

But don’t be disappointed if you can’t get tickets, as we’ve got a bumper ‘what’s on’ section for other seasonal goings-on around the city from page 40 that you can enjoy throughout the month. And if you’re wondering what to do with the kids over Christmas, then check out our guide from page 74 for lots of ideas for events that the whole family can enjoy together.

TREAT TIME Trying to think of what to give someone at Christmas can be a stumbling block, and giving dad a funky pair of socks might not suffice this year. So we’ve got your seasonal shopping sorted with our gift guide from page 22, to inspire your present-buying for everyone – right down to the family pooch.

Why should Rover miss out on the festive fun? We happen to love these bottles of Pawsecco – yes that’s right, still ‘wine’ for cats and dogs, from Barkers of Clifton...

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THE CITY THE BUZZ

BRISTOL

Manchester-born guitar virtuoso, singer, songwriter and producer Matt Schofield also plays The Lantern on 16 March (image by Al Stuart)

Meet artist Emmeline Simpson

Get your blues on...

Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival has announced its 2018 programme, featuring special commissions, an excellent line-up celebrating 50 years of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland and a host of both legendary and rising stars.

The festival opens on 15 March with Bristol jazz supergroup Get the Blessing who, along with Portishead video artist John Minton, are delving into the city’s film archives at Create Bristol, discovering over 100 years of footage shot by its residents.

Meanwhile, under the baton of William Goodchild, a specially recruited 30-piece orchestra will fill Colston Hall’s stage to perform small-screen classics from the likes of The Professionals and Parkinson. Then on 18 March, a 16-piece line-up featuring Iain Ballamy, Yazz Ahmed and Laura Jurd will be performing the entire Electric Ladyland album in sequence, with special arrangements by guitarist Denny Ilett, inspired by the legendary Gil Evans’ Hendrix reworkings of the 1970s. Revered percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie will also be returning to Colston Hall with a new collaboration with Ant Law’s Trio HLK. Growing up in Saudi Arabia, Ant’s influence of early jazz and blues, rock guitarists and Arabic music, coupled with time at the prestigious Berklee School, have helped him create a unique new voice on the scene.

The Friday night will see Incognito shaking the dance floor at the O2 Academy with the incredible vocals of Carleen Anderson, whose show sold out St George’s earlier this year.

Also during the festival, the rich seam of music to be found in cartoons will be revisited; and there’ll be a feel-good gig celebrating the 50th anniversary of massively influential trio Cream’s legendary ‘farewell’ concert from the Albert Hall in 1968.

Celebrating the genres’ century-long history and paying homage to the origins of the music with doyens of the scene and performers at the top of their game, masterclasses and workshops plus much more, this festival is one not to miss.

• bristoljazzandbluesfest.com 16 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

My

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What brought you to Bristol?

I came to Bristol in 2002 when I started work as a researcher at BBC Bristol – I’m originally from Shepperton outside London. After my degree in Spanish and anthropology at UCL, I worked at ITV and then as a freelance director – in between contracts I began to concentrate on my collage technique and produced a series of images of Bristol which I sold as prints at arts trails.

How did you turn a hobby into a business?

Having my first child, Finlay, gave me the push. I made some Bristol collages into greetings cards, and would push him around shops to see if any would stock them. I could see that while Bath and London have lots to offer in the way of souvenir and gift items, Bristol as a city was not being celebrated enough. My local card shop took a small number, then others started to stock them and I set myself the challenge of producing another six images so I could sell a Bristol calendar.

I tentatively got 100 printed, which soon sold out so I took the plunge and got another 400 printed which also sold. I started to believe it could become a business, began to source suppliers and develop product ideas and by spring 2010 I was selling tea towels, coasters, mugs.

What’s your USP? My technique involves drawing an image of a Bristol landscape and then ripping pieces from old magazines to create interesting textures – a piece of fabric, peeling paint, some writing, for example – which I then use to add collage to the line drawing. I have a whole collection that I delve into to find inspiration (including The Bristol Magazine!) and I add paint, oil pastel and coloured pencil to create the final image. These collages are then incorporated into products.

Since beginning in Bristol, I have expanded into cities such as London, Bath, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Oxford.

No 162

What’s planned for 2018?

I am hoping to develop a range of oilcloth bags for Bristol as well as taking the city ranges to various trade shows around the UK. I am also hoping to design some new images of Brighton. I recently took a photography course at Folk House and am enjoying getting out and about and improving my skills when I get the chance.

What are you reading or listening to?

I love Arcade Fire and Ed Sheeran, and I’ve just finished All The Light We Cannot See by Antony Doerr which I think was the most moving book I ever read.

Which local café are you loving?

My latest favourite is Little Victories at Wapping Wharf – I’ve been visiting this area quite a bit recently, taking in every detail, as its my latest Bristol image!

What will you be doing in December?

I will get to the Grayson Perry exhibition – we are so lucky to have his work here.

What hobbies will you be pursuing?

I love learning new art techniques and am hoping to start a course in jewellery making or enamelling which will be a lovely contrast to what I do.

• emmelinesimpson.co.uk

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THE CITY

Grand announcement

Gromit’s got company! xx

Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal has unveiled which Aardman character will take to the streets of Bristol for its third major arts trail – except it’s not one, but three that will be appearing in the 2018 event.

Returning for the sculpture trail is Nick Park’s beloved canine character Gromit, joined by his pal Wallace and arch nemesis Feathers McGraw. “Gromit is so well loved and has universal appeal, and since our inaugural trail in 2013, he has gone on to help us raise over £6million for Bristol Children’s Hospital,” said Nicola Masters, Grand Appeal director.

“Wallace and Gromit have played a huge part in our 22-year history as a charity, and it’s wonderful to have them both join us for our next fundraising adventure, with super villain Feathers coming along for the ride!” From 2 July until 2 September, over 60 sculptures will descend on Bristol to raise money for the children’s hospital and Special Care Baby Unit at St Michael’s Hospital. Dr Giles Haythornthwaite, Emergency Department consultant and major trauma lead at Bristol Children’s Hospital, added: “We’ve worked with The Grand Appeal for over two decades, together providing leading, life-saving care to thousands of sick children and babies from across the South West and beyond. The enormous support of the charity has helped us become the world-leading children’s hospital we are today. The trails bring a real sense of excitement to the patients we care for, and will help us continue to provide the treatment they need and deserve.”

BRISTAGRAM Some of our favourite recent snaps taken by folk around the city! Tag your Bristol pics using #thebristolmag

One of o ur favourite Castle Park spo ts b @bevlove y svegas

• grandappeal.org.uk

ollege ance on C Remembr colin319 dy oo m @ Green by

Winter heartwarmers In partnership with Age UK, Channel Four has announced a festive edition of Old People’s Home for Four-YearBe sure to tune in for feel-good viewing Olds. The Christmas special returns to St Monica Trust’s Cote Lane retirement community and reunites residents with some of their young friends from Bristol nurseries – including The Southville Centre – to find out how taking part in the series has impacted their lives.

Social isolation is one of the biggest problems for the elderly and never more so than during the Christmas period. Loneliness can impact hugely on our health, with a recent report suggesting it can be as damaging to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The initial two-part series, which aired in August and averaged an audience of 2.8million, was inspired by an American scheme which brought together groups of older people and four-year-olds for a six-week period, to attempt to prove scientifically that the younger generation can transform the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the older for the better.

For the first time, a team of geriatric specialists medically tested the impact the children had on the older group and delivered significant results, showing major improvements in the mood, memory and mobility of the older residents. But what has happened since the experiment ended? Are the older group still showing signs of progress? Did the friendships develop further? In the December special, the older adults and children will prepare for a carol service at which their families will be the guests of honour – Santa Claus and his reindeer may even attend...

“Seeing the impact the children had made not only for a heart-warming watch but had real-life legacy,” said Channel Four’s Lucy Leveugle. “We are delighted to be back at St Monica Trust to see how our contributors’ lives have changed and to highlight the very real issue of loneliness at Christmas.”

• stmonicatrust.org.uk

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Old Marke t’s @thegossip nailbar is just gorgeo us!

Loving thei r work

ies e gorgeous sk We’ve had som by ed ur pt ca e on recently – this bristol @universityof

Fab @goforag ing finds this seas on

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A

few years ago I got involved in a project looking at old West Country apple varieties. My task was to explore the countryside for old or forgotten orchards, and I have to say that if you’re in need of a relatively local rural quest, I’d recommend it. The counties stretching from Worcestershire and down south to Devon are full of such places, Romantic spots as a rule with their gnarled trees and unfamiliar fruit…

But I sense a stirring of unease. It’s December, I hear you mutter – we’re here to talk about Christmas. If you want to discuss fruit you’ll have to wait for Apple Day to come round again, next October. You’ve missed the apple bus this time around. You’re late!

That’s how we think, isn’t it? Everything in its place. Everything in its season. It’s the same with our kids as they grow up. They’re supposed to know their times tables at this age, and to read Harry Potter at that.

From the ages of two to 20, children follow a schedule as relentless as the calendar. Every couple of years there’s a big decision to be made as to what happens next, and while this is all fine and dandy for most youngsters, the approach of each crisis point invariably finds some who are not ready.

I was thinking about this because several friends, and friends of friends, have children who are stuck. They’ve come out of secondary school or sixth form and haven’t been able to take the next step, or even to work out what it should be. One very able and pleasant young woman I know made unfortunate A-level choices, dropped out of sixth form, started another course but also struggled with that, lost confidence and now has an unsatisfying job with no obvious way out. To those close to her (and no doubt in her own mind) this seems like a disaster. She’s ruined her chances. Messed up her life, etc, etc. But is this really the case?

Those of us who have reached a – ahem – certain age would probably agree that the young woman’s life is not the disaster she and her family imagine. Self-esteem can be a fragile thing when you don’t have much experience to fall back on, so it’s important that loved ones help her keep her spirits up, but provided she stays mentally healthy she will eventually join the large number of people who struggled in their youth but went on to lead happy and successful lives.

It may be small comfort to parents who find themselves in this situation, but perhaps I could return to the unseasonal subject of apples for a moment… In my researches I discovered many old varieties that I had never seen before – cider apples like Kingston Black (inedible, but delicious once pressed and fermented) and classic eaters such as Blenheim Orange. But among all the many lovely old varieties, one particular apple stood out. It’s still my favourite, and plenty of other people share my opinion.

Though shapeless and rather drab – one food writer noted its resemblance to a potato – Ashmead’s Kernel is an apple of exquisite flavour. It’s as if someone had taken three or four differently delicious apples and combined them; there really is nothing else like it.

However Ashmead’s Kernel is not available for Apple Day in October.

This most flavoursome of apples is about the last to ripen, and is not usually ready to eat until late November or – horrors! – December. Yes, it’s a Christmas apple, defying the calendar as the most interesting people often defy the schedules we force on them when young. It’s something we could all perhaps do with remembering at this time of year, when the pressure of the calendar is at its most intense. And if your child seems to be stuck, don’t despair. The best are not always the quickest. ■ 20 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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GIFT GUIDE

IN FOR A

TREAT

ORANGE BLOSSOM COLLECTION, £78

...Christmas present inspiration for every member of the family

Includes a gorgeous body and hand wash, cologne and body creme.

Jo Malone London; jomalone.co.uk

REVERSIBLE HOODY, £18/£20

➔

Pooch-perfect for chilly evenings. Barkers; barkersshopfordogs.co.uk

MASTER & DYNAMIC HEADPHONES, £319

STONEWARE BOWLS, £10.20

Make someone’s commute a whole lot smoother in 2018.

Harvey Nichols; harveynichols.com

A little something from the chic Danes at Madam Stoltz?

Movement Boutique; movementboutique.co.uk

CHOCOLATE WREATH, £20

Perfect for culture lovers and those who seem to have everything, with free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK, as well as 50% off major exhibitions; artfund.org/national-art-pass

PENGUIN VASES, FROM £120

BAUBLES FROM £25, VASE £82

GEOPLANTER, £25

Handmade from responsibly sourced plywood.

Bristol stockists include Paper Plane on Gloucester Road and Dustbowl in Clifton. Priormade; priormade.co.uk

DECEMBER 2017

PRINT & FRAME, £32.99

A fab Frida Kahlo print for the stylish bohemian in your life.

Iota; iotabristol.com

Made in Somerset pottery Dennis Chinaworks, these wintery penguin pieces are flapping great. Clifton Ceramics; cliftonceramics.co.uk

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Re-useable, in Pukka’s Womankind design, and made from natural, rapidly renewable bamboo fibre for guilt-free supping.

Pukka Herbs; pukkaherbs.com

NATIONAL ART PASS, £65

50% milk chocolate, studded with cookies and florentines...

Hotel Chocolat; hotelchocolat.com

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BAMBOO TRAVEL CUP, £8.99

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From the unique, festive Aurora collection. Check them out at the Bristol Blue Glass Christmas open day on 2 December, where there’ll be demos, mulled wine, mince pies and more.

Bristol Blue Glass; bristol-glass.co.uk

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GIFT GUIDE

BEEHIVE ADOPTION PACK, £36

Armchair beekeeping is the feel-good gift that gives back. Promote the pollinators! Includes a year’s hive sponsorship plus honey, lip balm, and updates from Pat the beekeeper; bbka.org.uk

LILY’S KITCHEN DOGS’ ADVENT CALENDAR, £10

This Clifton shop for canines stocks celebratory ‘pawsecco’ too! SOLD. Barkers; barkersshopfordogs.co.uk MASSAGE HAMPERS, FROM £15

DOUBLE PANNIER BAGS, £50

Made to order, they can include homemade avocado body oils, organic vegan lip balms, massage vouchers... Loop Massage; loopmassage.com

Know a cycling enthusiast? Course you do, you live in Bristol! 35-litre capacity, will fit on almost any bike, available to order.

Bristol Bicycles; bristolbicycles.co.uk

GLASS ART, FROM £95

We’d love a winter scene painting in fused glass by Jane Reeves... Hint, hint.

Portside Gallery; portsidegallery.co.uk SILK SHIRT, £250

CASSEROLE SET, £136

We don’t reckon she’ll be taking back this digital rose print number – got to love that midnight blue silk satin.

Sophie Cameron Davies; sophiecamerondavies.com

Pro Cook’s cast iron crockery in graduated turquoise set is high on our kitchen arsenal wishlist. Clarks Village; clarksvillage.co.uk

Photo by Jo Hounsome Photography PANETTONE, £9.95 CASSETTE CUFFLINKS, £55

We’re talking Christmas snack table essentials – and who can argue with the gift of food?

Carluccios; carluccios.com

We think these, by Maria Allen, might be the most adorable things we’ve ever seen. Diana Porter; dianaporter.co.uk

FAMILY RESERVE, £9.99 PUSH-ALONG CRAB, £9.99

This cute, colourful little creature from Bedminster’s new toy shop, snaps its claws as it moves sideways. Toyville; toyvilleshop.co.uk

Thatchers’ 11% sparkling apple wine is made using a century-old family recipe and the first gentlypressed juice of the Katy apple.

Thatchers; thatcherscider.co.uk

ZIGGY STARDUST DECORATION, £16

We’ve fallen for this painted glass incarnation of Bowie’s most famous musical alter ego.

National Theatre Bookshop; shop.nationaltheatre.org.uk

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BEAUTY

Rihanna’s cosmetics range was big news this year and has been hugely popular – prompting #FentyFace to trend online

FENTY GETS FESTIVE Make-up artist Hector Aspinal advises on how to wear one of the most exciting new ranges of the season

W

hen Rihanna brought out her own personal brand of cosmetics earlier this year, we thought we had pretty much reached peak excitement levels – and then she went and announced a Christmas collection, full of cosmically-colourful, super-shimmery, gorgeous products perfectly suited to the party season, and our squeals were probably heard for miles around. With the range now available at Harvey Nichols Bristol, we asked Fenty Beauty’s global MUA for a few tips on how to apply the new must-haves to best festive effect...

Smoky eyes

Which products are best for a festive version of this popular look? One of my favourites for creating a smoky eye is the matte Matchstix in espresso, which you can use all over the lid and lower lash line. Then set it with your favorite Galaxy palette eye shadow for an extra touch. I like to set it lightly for a daytime look and then layer on to get the shimmery pay-off, for more drama. The shade variety also makes it easy to try your smoky eye with different pops of color. Then of course, finish with mascara.

Application tips: Option one is to apply matte Matchstix in amber all over the lid, lower lash and softly difuse into the crease. Using a damped brush, apply Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in ‘Trophy Wife’ (pictured, right) on the centre of the lid and tear duct. Finish with mascara. Option two is to create a winged liner look using glitter release liquid liner in ‘Alien Bae’. Smudge the outer corner to create a smudged liner effect. Then dab the Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette (see image, right) shade ‘Mars on Fire’ on the lid for extra sparkle. Finish with mascara.

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Holiday season highlights

What would you recommend for achieving that warm, healthy glow?

The Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighters are amazing. They’re really easy to apply and layer together, and they’re super versatile as far as highlighters go. They can not only be used as a highlight, but also as eye shadow or lipstick base. As the holidays near, I’d say Killawatt in ‘Trophy Wife’ is your go-to. You can use it to sparkle up your classic cat eye and it will both amp up and extend your look. You can also apply ‘Moscow Mule/Ginger Binge’ on lids and lower lash lines or on your lips with a Gloss Bomb finish.

Application tips: Depending on the look, you don’t want to bring too much attention to all features. I love creating a healthy glow with highlighters and high points of the face are the safe way to go. Brow bone, tear duct, the bridge of your nose, upper cheeks and Cupid’s bow. If highlighter is the focus of the look, I like to apply a good amount on the high points of cheeks, lids and tear ducts.

Mistletoe-ready lips

How can we best create a bold statement look?

Starlit Hyper-Glitz Lipsticks (pictured, right) are beautiful and layer effortlessly. Apply ‘Sci-Fly’ all over the lips and create a pouty effect by layering a good amount of Trophy Wife on the Cupid’s bow and centre of the lips. Finish by layering the Galaxy collection’s cosmic gloss in ‘Astro-Naughty’.

Parting tips: Fenty Beauty is all about having fun, being creative and feeling your best. So mix, match and play. Use the Galaxy palette to create a festive holiday look – in addition to shadow, you can use it as a highlighter or a top coat on a Shimmer Matchstix base. ■

P25.qxp_Layout 23 20/11/2017 13:08 Page 1

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FESTIVE EVENTS

Hosts of Christmas Past The team at Tyntesfield turn the clocks back to simpler times and invite us all for Christmas at the Gibbs family abode...

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FESTIVE EVENTS

Join the whole family Gibbs – who bought Tyntesfield in 1843 – and their house staff around the tree this season (image by Steve Haywood)

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FESTIVE EVENTS

T

he days of National Trust properties battening down the hatches and simply closing up for winter are long gone. Quite the contrary, now, in fact, with elaborate, immersive events taking place in some. The guys over at Tyntesfield – the gorgeous Gothic revival house in Wraxall – have been hard at work since March, preparing all the various elements of their ‘Very Victorian Christmas’, which has just opened to visitors and runs until 3 January.

From drying natural foliage collected from around the estate’s gardens and parkland, to sewing each and every one of the Victorian costumes by hand, the whole team are involved in bringing Christmas 1891, with the Gibbs family, to life.

An early start Hugh Harris, events officer for the National Trust at Tyntesfield, is the mastermind behind the estate’s festive offering. “Christmas, for me, starts in February, pretty much as soon as last Christmas has been packed away – we always want next year to be bigger and better so we have to start planning early,” he tells us.

“Straight away in the spring, the whole team, including staff and volunteers from every department – curatorial, catering, retail, conservation, marketing – gets together to talk through how last year went and start generating new, exciting, festive ways to present Tyntesfield for next time.”

By the time spring ends, the garden team will have already planted the flowers and foliage which will bloom throughout the summer before being dried and made into decorations in the autumn.

Rich seams This year, there are several new and exciting elements to Tyntesfield’s Victorian Christmas, including the festive celebration of the Gibbs family’s estate workers, who have decorated Home Farm with all kinds of pretty, homemade decorations. These trimmings have been hand-sewn by a team of Tyntesfield volunteers who have been meeting since July for weekly ‘sew-ins’ on the estate.

“We’re so lucky to have such a great team of volunteers at Tyntesfield,” says Hugh, “their sheer passion, and the energy they put into bringing our seasonal visitor experience to life, is awe-inspiring.”

This hardworking crew won’t just be working behind the scenes either – come Christmas, many of them will be in character as Victorian residents and guests of the estate.

Get into the spirit Visitors can join in the fun by singing traditional carols around the piano, by practising their ballroom dancing skills under the watchful eye of the lady of the house, and by pitching in with the Gibbs family’s pantomime rehearsal in the beautifully grand surroundings of the big, old house.

Additionally, for the first time, on set dates in December, they can also visit the cook as they prepare the Gibbs’ Christmas pudding order at Chaplain’s House – which usually serves another purpose as one of the National Trust’s holiday cottages, welcoming visitors from far and wide.

An authentic story Hardly touched in a hundred years, Tyntesfield is a unique, nearcomplete example of a Victorian estate and Christmas really brings its spirit to life with all its traditional decorations and costumed historical characters.

“Each character is based on a real person from Tyntesfield’s history,’ explains Hugh. “For example, our butler, George Pollard, really served the Gibbs family as a butler before marrying a woman called Emily Constable, who was actually the cook at Tyntesfield at the time.

“The research into the characters was completed by a team of volunteers, who used historic photographs and the censuses of the time to make sure everything is as accurate as possible; from the stories the characters tell our visitors to the costumes that they wear – handmade by Tyntesfield volunteers and based on Victorian patterns and images.”

Delightful seasonal scenes such as this one are sure to leave you feeling warm, fuzzy and festive (image by Steve Haywood)

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There’s stacks for the kids to get stuck into (image by Paul Blakemore)

Every inch of the estate is beautifully bedecked (image by Peter Hall)

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FESTIVE EVENTS

Perfect your dance skills under the watchful eye of the lady of the house (image by Paul Blakemore)

Special events Throughout December, the Tyntesfield team will also be welcoming a variety of local choirs to perform festive concerts in the estate’s Victorian chapel. Visitors will be greeted with a mug of mulled wine and a puff-pastry mince pie at Home Farm to set the Christmas scene.

Meanwhile, for children under five, along with their families, Tyntesfield’s learning team have created an especially seasonal edition of their popular ‘Tyntetots’ sessions with storytelling and games inspired by a classic Beatrix Potter tale.

“We had great fun planning our Christmas sessions, inspired by The Tailor of Gloucester,” says Tyntesfield’s learning assistant, Tish Russell. “Because the story is all about the fabrics and silks the tailor uses, it really reflects the festive opulence in the house.”

Families will be able to create their own tree decorations, test their tailoring skills, play festive games and experience the season in the traditional Victorian setting.

Throughout December, a variety of local choirs are invited to perform in the Victorian chapel (image by Peter Hall)

Seasonal shopping Within Tyntesfield’s Cow Barn shop, the estate’s retail team have been planning for months to stock the shelves with the very best in decorations and gifts, including the traditional selection of National Trust-inspired collections and an ever-growing choice of locally sourced products. From hampers to homeware, decorations to board games, there’s plenty to inspire if you’re looking to get some of the Christmas shopping list ticked off, including all the traditional foodie favourites; mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas puddings galore.

On 2 and 3 December, there’s also Tyntesfield’s festive food and craft market which takes place at Home Farm, featuring a range of local stall-holders offering freshly baked seasonal goodies, homemade jewellery, hand-crafted ceramics and lots more. ■ • While pre-bookable Very Victorian Christmas tickets are sold out, the majority of tickets are available on the day, and there are plenty of other wonderful festive events and attractions at the property; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield

All the decorations are handmade throughout the year by hardworking volunteers

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CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Got a speed demon in the family? A rally drive could be just the ticket

PRACTICAL MAGIC Life is all about new experiences and, as such, experiential gifts are on the rise. So why not give a loved one a present they’d never expect: a real treat they’d never buy for themselves, the opportunity to put their creativity to use or the chance to challenge themselves in a way they’ve always wanted to?

On your marks, get set, bake!

If your intended recipient spent most of their Bake-Off viewing time banging on about how they only wish they could make such edible objects of beauty, We wouldn’t mind a go at perhaps a these sweet designs confectionery-making (image by Evoke Pictures) class would be the present for them.

Anna Cake Couture in Clifton offers gift vouchers for tuition in everything from macaron, cookie and biscuit baking to decorative sugarcraft and drip cakes.

• thisisanna.co.uk

Inside job Home decor hankerings would be well-sated via local interior designer Zoe Hewett, who runs full and half-day workshops to teach attendees how to find and use inspiration, be confident with colour and make a moodboard to take away. Vouchers are available in £10, £25 or £50 denominations and can also be redeemed against design services and face-to-face consultations.

• zoehewettinteriors.co.uk

the skills they Arm a pal with their home need to refresh

If said special somebody is showing signs of the speed demon variety, sign them up to a high-octane driving experience where they can get their fill of thrills. We loved the rally drive and single-seater experiences at Castle Combe Circuit – or you can hop in the driving seat of the legendary Lotus Elise if that’s more your bag.

• castlecombecircuit.co.uk

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DECEMBER 2017

Tour de force One for the foodies, The Bristol Food Tour is a unique walk visiting independent eateries for generous tasters. Enjoy a culinary adventure, stories behind the businesses and insider info about the area plus a few tasty surprises along the way.

The beautifully designed vouchers cost £40 and are valid for a year. Keep an eye out for new 2018 routes including a vegan tour.

• thebristolfoodtour.com

Game of kings How about a half day’s polo experience? Ideal for non-riders who have always wanted an introduction to the sport, or those who’ve had time off and want to pick up the mallet again.

Pretty packaged vouchers start at £145 and are redeemable at four clubs across the country.

• poloexperiences.com

Perhaps you know someone who’d love to try a spot of polo

Screen star

A taste of life in the fast lane

32 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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Why, yes, we’d love an introduction to screen-printing (so kind of you to think of us!) at Live Ink’s Old Market studio. Informal classes cost £50 including a tshirt and tote bag to Intro to screen-printing? print with your Yes please design. Once armed with the techniques, you’re ready to print on all sorts of fabrics.

• theliveinkco.com

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BRISTOL | CHARITIES

Underwater synchronised swimmers put their heads together for St Mungo’s

Art Refuge UK

A TIME FOR GIVING Jessica Hope rounds up some of the Bristol-based charities who work hard, 365 days a year, to provide support for local causes

W

hile many of us will be enjoying the festivities with our families and friends this Christmas, some will not be so fortunate. Here we zoom in on a handful of the charities from around the city, working all year round to provide help for people in the local community, as well as some of our furry friends, to find out how we can help.

ABOVE & BEYOND Above & Beyond is the official charity of the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust which oversees the nine city-centre hospitals. Raising more than £3million every year, the charity aims to make a difference to patients, their families and the dedicated staff. The team fundraises to create welcoming environments, provide world-class facilities and the latest equipment, support staff training and development and fund innovative research – and the charity depends on its volunteers who steward events, drop off flyers, and get involved in craft and bake sales. If you fancy volunteering, go online or call: 0117 927 7120. This Christmas the charity is holding its first National ‘Elf Service Day on Friday 8 December, encouraging people across Bristol to pay £1 to dress as an elf for the day. Its Christmas Star Concert is also being held on Thursday 14 December at Bristol Cathedral. Tickets are available to buy online.

Visit: aboveandbeyond.org.uk FOODCYCLE BRISTOL First established in London in 2008, FoodCycle is a national charity that aims to tackle food poverty and unite communities by creating delicious meals out of food that would have otherwise been wasted.

Every Saturday volunteers pick up 60 – 100kg of surplus food donated by supermarkets and local retailers and cook nutritious meals to around 30 – 40 people at Barton Hill Settlement on Ducie Road, Bristol. The charity is always looking for more volunteers to join the hosting or cooking team, just go online to find out more.

Visit: foodcycle.org.uk/location/bristol ART REFUGE UK Art Refuge UK works with people who have been displaced because of armed conflict, trafficking, natural disaster, famine, or political or religious persecution, by running programmes that offer opportunities for people to make art, reflect, and share their work. Art Refuge UK, founded by Frances Fox in 2006, was originally named The Painting Club and started life in the Tibetan Homes Foundation, Mussorie, 34 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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India. It was created by Friends of Tibetan Women’s Association as a series of after-school painting clubs for refugee children where they painted their memories of Tibet, the journey into exile, and life in their new schools in India. It provided an opportunity for creativity and healing after what had often been a frightening journey. While members of the charity are spread around the UK, Art Refuge UK chose to be based in Bristol because of its connections with refugee focussed organisations operating around the city. Commenting on how the charity has made an impact, their spokesperson said: “We were really delighted to learn, during our pilot art therapy group in Bristol, that two of the group members had regularly accessed our art therapy groups in the Calais refugee camp. We really hoped that in providing art therapy here in the UK we would help provide a bridge into their new lives here, but we were deeply moved when we made this fantastic discovery.”

Visit: artrefugeuk.org RSPCA BRISTOL DOGS AND CATS HOME The RSPCA Bristol Dogs and Cats Home rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes thousands of injured, sick, neglected and stray animals every year, as well as providing emergency wildlife care. Established as Bristol Home for Lost and Starving Dogs in 1887, the charity is committed to providing the best quality of life for all of Bristol’s animals. To mark its 130th birthday this year, the home is holding a special anniversary walk on Sunday 3 December. If you would like to get involved, email: fundraising@rspca-bristol.org.uk.

Visit: rspca-bristol.org.uk STREETSMART Originally set up in London in 1998 to tackle homelessness, business people William Sieghart CBE and Mary-Lou Sturridge expanded StreetSmart outside the capital in 2000 after seeing that Bristol was a city with an increasing number of homeless people as well as a thriving restaurant scene. During November and December, StreetSmart fundraises by adding a voluntary £1 onto restaurant bills at eateries around the city. The money raised is then distributed among projects that help homeless people around Bristol including Emmaus, St Mungos and One25. Since the charity was established, it has raised more than £8million to help people across the country. To donate to StreetSmart over the festive period, visit one of the participating restaurants around the city such as Pasta Loco, Soukitchen or Wilsons, enjoy a delicious meal and donate £1 when the bill comes. Visit: streetsmart.org.uk

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BRISTOL | CHARITIES

OFF THE RECORD BRISTOL Off the Record Bristol provides free, confidential and self-referral mental health information and support to young people across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Many young people between 11 – 25 go to OTR for support around depression, anxiety, OCD, stress, self-harm and family problems. The charity provides counselling as well as group work, creative therapies and workshops, giving young people tips on how to look after their wellbeing. Established more than 50 years ago, there are multiple Off The Record charities that work independently of each other across the UK. OTR was formed after it became apparent that there was an absence of a free and confidential service for young people to go to for help. In 2018 OTR hopes to run more ‘hubs’ around the city – drop-in spaces where young people can go, hang out, learn about what the charity does, and have a casual chat with OTR staff and ‘peer navigators’ about what support they would like.

Visit: otrbristol.org.uk A LIFE FOR A CURE Following the sudden death of 16 year-old Ryan Bresnahan in 2010, his parents, John and Michelle, and sister, Charlotte, set up A Life for a Cure, an appeal which looks to eradicate all forms of meningitis. The family, who live in Bristol, couldn’t believe how quickly Ryan died without showing any signs of the illness. Michelle says: “We weren’t prepared to accept this as we didn’t want to see other amazing young lives being lost to the devastating disease, so we set up the charity to raise awareness and funds to support research projects into finding a preventative vaccine.” A Life for a Cure holds regular fundraising events including an annual hockey tournament and rugby memorial match at Clifton Rugby Club, which have raised £460,000 to date. The charity recently held its biggest fundraising event, the Blingo Ladies Evening (that’s bingo with a bit of bling thrown in) at Clifton College, when an incredible £19,000 was raised on the night. A Life for a Cure will be involved in the Henleaze Christmas Festival on Wednesday 6 December, 4 – 8pm on Henleaze Road. Visit: ryanbresnahan.org PENNY BROHN UK Penny Brohn, from Bristol, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1979.

She knew instinctively that she needed more than just medical treatment, she needed to care for her mental and emotional wellbeing.

Penny and close friend Pat Pilkington launched The Bristol Cancer Help Centre soon after. They recognised that cancer impacts everything, and so they wanted to empower people with cancer to live as well as possible for as long as possible. Penny Brohn UK’s free adult residential and day courses focus on aspects including diet, exercise, relaxation, relationships and practical issues, to help people to have more control of health and wellbeing. The charity helps around 10,000 people a year, from numerous locations across the UK. Penny Brohn UK’s Christmas Concert will be at Clifton College on Friday 8 December, doors open 6.15pm. Go online to book tickets or call 01275 370072. Visit: pennybrohn.org.uk

A FoodCycle volunteer picking up surplus food

Rex from The RSPCA Bristol Dogs and Cats Home

ST MUNGO’S St Mungo’s is a national homeless charity with a huge presence in Bristol. Through a recovery based approach, the charity helps people experiencing homelessness on every step of their journey towards rebuilding their lives. Founded in 1969 in London, the charity has expanded across the country to deliver services to keep people healthy, housed and hopeful. In Bristol, the charity runs 22 projects from outreach, support in the community, mental health support, hostels for women, men and people with complex needs, and a recovery college. The number of homeless people is increasing across the city. In November, St Mungo’s launched its pioneering fundraising campaign Safer Off The Streets, alongside other local homeless charities – The Julian Trust, Caring in Bristol and Crisis Centre Ministries – with money raised helping to fund the four night shelters the charities run. People can donate online or via one of the three contactless donation points outside Tesco Metro and Primark on Broadmead, or at Bristol Energy by the Watershed. Visit: mungos.org WESPORT The West of England Sport Trust champions sport in local communities and schools, creating more opportunities for people of all ages to get involved in physical activity and promote maintaining an active lifestyle. Set up in 2006 by current CEO Steve Nelson, Wesport is one of a national network of County Sport Partnerships and covers four unitary authorities – Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire. One of Wesport’s areas of focus is active workplaces, including running workplace competitions. In the past this has included golf, softball and netball events. The charity will be holding a badminton tournament in March next year, so look out online for more information about this over the coming months. Wesport has just started a new programme working with The Royal Foundation – Coach Core Apprenticeships. This involves working with a range of sports and community organisations to recruit sports coach apprentices, which will develop up to 60 young apprentices in the next three years. Visit: wesport.org.uk ST PETER’S HOSPICE St Peter’s Hospice cares for adults with life-limiting illnesses. The charity aims to improve the quality of life while extending care and support to patients’ families and loved ones. All of the hospice’s services are free of charge, however it costs the charity around £20,000 a day to provide this level of care, and it relies on gifts in wills, donations, fundraising and money raised in its retail shops to reach this sum. St Peter’s Hospice began as a community-based hospice in 1978. St Peter’s Lodge was opened in 1980 with beds for six patients, and the hospice moved to Knowle in 1986. The purposebuilt hospice in Brentry, north Bristol, was opened in 1998. Visit one of the hospice’s shops over Christmas and you will find a bespoke range of Christmas cards, wrapping paper and gifts, as well as furniture, vintage and bridal items. Visit: stpetershospice.org.uk n

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This young writer is championing one of the most ancient literary forms to cut through the white noise of our busy digital world

BRISTOL @ WORK: Malaika Kegode

We shine a spotlight on the local folk who make up the varied fabric of city life.

Words by Verity Hesketh

W

ith brittle and brutal shots of honesty mixed into the formidable cocktail that characterises her work, poet Malaika Kegode is one of the brightest lights to recently ascend Bristol’s performance scene. Somehow, in the short space of a few lines, it’s easy to start breathing the same air as her protagonists.

“In the same way as feelings and emotions, poems should be accessible,” she says, “but that does not necessarily mean that they can’t be difficult.” Many of us picture poetry as something unobtainable, but by framing chewy emotions with the mundane and everyday, Malaika irresistibly pulls you into her orbit.

In an online age overwhelmed with up-to-the-minute everything – news, opinions, pictures, videos and memes – this young writer is championing one of the most ancient literary forms as a way to cut through the white noise of our busy digital world, writing about what some are afraid to confront. Her first collection of poems published this year (Requite) speaks of what it is to be a young woman finding her way: from growing up in sleepy, bucolic Devon to moving to a big city.

Addressing everything from addiction to heartbreak, friendships to race, she is totally unafraid: smart, sassy and incredibly real.

Despite sometimes using social media as a stage for her work, which is undoubtedly important when you are now almost as likely to find the medium on a daily scroll over a morning coffee as you are while walking through the aisles of a bookshop, Malaika is keen to disassociate her poetry from the ‘likes culture’. “There’s an element, between some modern poets, of point-scoring and, in desperation, just hitting on a popular idea and therefore not having true belief in what 36 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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they’re saying. Unfortunately, that sort of poetry is straying into the territory of the ‘inspirational’ quotes on sepia landscape backgrounds – all those incredibly simple, reductive messages about smiling, going outside, and therefore everything working out for the best. Life isn’t like that! Poetry has so much more to it.”

From modest beginnings, Malaika has undoubtedly had a significant impact on Bristol’s literary landscape, founding Milk Poetry, which is fast becoming one of the UK’s leading spoken word events. She performs at festivals such as the Edinburgh Fringe, Boomtown and Womad, and has also performed for Roundhouse and BBC 1Xtra, at Tobacco Factory Theatres and Bristol Old Vic. Mentioning Bristol has the same effect on Malaika as flicking a switch on in a darkened room. “I’d wanted to move to Bristol for ages – it was the dream city – and the opportunity landed when a job at Tobacco Factory Theatres’ box office popped up, and I got it. The majority of my friends have specifically moved from places to be in Bristol – I think that’s hugely inspiring and meaningful.

“I’ve been working with theatres for the past six years, since finishing A-levels,” she continues. “I didn’t go to university or anything like that, just got stuck into being creative. I’ve always wanted to be a writer; I’ve always been crafting stories and making things up, even before I could write them down on the page.”

Performing a poem is intrinsic to Malaika, right from the conception of the idea. “I always have my best ideas at the most annoying, inconvenient times – when I’m in the shower and have no pen to hand, or when I’m walking in a hurry… In these moments, I tend to repeat

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the poem over and over to myself until I can get near a notepad or a computer to start jotting it down.

“I perform the poem to myself first – I think doing it in this way helps me to see if it’s going to work or not. I try not to ever rubbish ideas; if they’re not perfect for right now, they could be perfect in a month, a year’s time.”

Milk Poetry nights were started by Malaika a couple of years ago.

“I spoke to the Tobacco Factory enough about poetry that they let me have the theatre to myself for a little bit, after a lot of bending their ear about how great poetry is! The nights quickly snowballed in popularity and now Milk happens on every third Monday of the month at The Room Above, at The White Bear pub on St Michael’s Hill, and also at other times in The Tobacco Factory.”

For audience members wanting to speak poetry as well as listen, the microphone is also bookable: absolutely anyone can step up and share their words. As well as making it a poetry night for anyone and everyone, Malaika takes care to book a variety of exciting performance poetry artists. These are no ordinary poets either; think world slam champions, poets commissioned for national papers, national museums, galleries and festivals. For a fiver on the door, you can’t go far wrong.

Complimentary silk shade with all Moorcroft lamps

...Poetry on the page can seem incredibly dense and difficult to get a grip of, and then when spoken, it becomes a living thing...

“Poems and stories existed long before the written word, and I think that performing poems as well as reading them is important – they deserve to be heard,” says Malaika. “I don’t think there is a poem existing that doesn’t warrant a reason to be spoken and heard.

“My favourite poets are people who play around with that format; poetry on the page can seem incredibly dense and difficult to get a grip of, and then when spoken, it becomes a living thing.”

Perhaps most importantly, in a world full of rush, crush and frenetic busyness, spaces to connect and therefore disconnect are important.

Events like Milk are vital for preserving and nurturing community as well as talent. Malaika sees them as places to have ‘deep chats’ where anything and everything can be discussed face-to-face, far away from the smothering load of social media, where anxiety can be a natural byproduct of overuse.

Poetry has the power to reverberate through time, speaking to us in a way that prose can’t; if prose did the job perfectly, there would be no need for poetry. This malleable medium is very much alive and kicking, always changing and matching our modern needs more than ever – we recommend giving Bristol’s talented purveyors some serious attention.■ • Follow Malaika on Twitter: @MalaikaFKegode

Malaika founded Milk Poetry, one of the UK’s leading spoken word events

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LOCAL | EVENTS

WHAT’S ON

It's A Wonderful Life will be shown at Curzon Cinema, Clevedon

Bristol Ensemble will be performing at Colston Hall and St George’s Bristol

FROM 27 NOVEMBER UNTIL WEDNESDAY 20 DECEMBER

Christmas at Highgrove, The Highgrove Estate, Tetbury, Gloucestershire Enjoy exclusive shopping and dining at the private estate of The Prince of Wales, under an hour’s drive from Bristol. The Orchard Room venue will be brimming with unique gift ideas and artisan wares, while the new restaurant space will provide the perfect backdrop for dining with friends. Entrance is by prebooked ticket only. Tickets from £5.95. Book at: highgrovegardens.com or call 0333 222 455 EVERY WEEKEND UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE, 11AM – 5PM

Harbourside Christmas Market, Canon’s Road Make sure you head to the harbour for Bristol’s biggest alternative Christmas market – featuring around 60 stalls with gifts by the best local makers and creators, as well as a delectable selection of street food, live music, mulled drinks, and much more. Visit: theharboursidemarket.co.uk THURSDAY 30 NOVEMBER – SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER, OPENING TIMES VARY

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Bristol Cathedral

Smithson Gallery returns for another winter pop-up event, selling a collection of art from its popular artists as well as high quality products from independent designers including Red Bird Makes, Catherine Tough, Forbes and Lewis and Hannah Turner. Pick up a unique gift of artwork for Christmas.

Visit: smithsongallery.co.uk; theforgebristol.com

Revd Dr Clive Barrett will explore the stories of some of the men who refused to fight during the First World War for moral, religious or political reasons.

Admission free, everyone welcome. Visit: bristol-cathedral.co.uk SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER, 12 – 6PM

Festive Fun at Wapping Wharf

SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER, 10AM – 4PM

The independent businesses along Gaol Ferry Steps and at Cargo at Wapping Wharf will be showcasing an array of offers and discounts to visitors to kick off the festive season. There will also be a satsuma peeling contest (oh yes indeed!) and Madeira tasting, as well as a hog roast and festive mulled cider, plus lots of other offers and events. Visit: wappingwharf.co.uk

Etsy Made Local, M Shed

SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

SATURDAY 2, 9 AND SUNDAY 16 DECEMBER, 10AM – 4PM

Made In Bristol Christmas Gift Fair, Colston Hall Offering more than 200 stalls, the fair showcases the region’s most skilled designer-makers from jewellers to toy-makers, glass-makers to weavers. Free entry. Visit: colstonhall.org

Local designers will showcase their handmade gifts at this popup shopping event hosted by Etsy.com. Find the event on Facebook or email: etsyinbristol@gmail.com to find out more.

SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER, 1.30PM

The Conscientious Would Not Go – Christian Resistance to War talk, Chapter House,

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Christmas Market, Arnos Vale Local craftspeople and producers will be selling their products, plus there will be Christmas stories from across the world being told, and seasonal refreshments. Free entry all day.

Visit: arnosvale.org.uk SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER, 2.30PM

Royal Marines Band Christmas Concert, Colston Hall A special evening of musical entertainment featuring wellloved, rousing tunes, performed by the men and women of this world-class band. The night will raise money for leading maritime charity Seafarers UK. Tickets: £15.05 – £21.50. Visit: colstonhall.org

FROM 4 DECEMBER MONDAY 4 DECEMBER, 8PM

Bristol Concert Orchestra, St George’s Bristol This concert features the rousing overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner’s only comic opera), followed by Beethoven’s exquisite Violin Concerto, and concluded with Sibelius’ Symphony No 1.

Tickets: £8 – £15. Visit: bristolconcertorchestra.org.uk SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER, 10AM – 4PM

Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith, The Wardrobe Theatre One of the finest duos to have emerged onto the British folk and acoustic scene in recent years.

Jimmy and Sid’s combination of outstanding vocal work, sensitive instrumentation and powerful social conscience has brought them widespread critical acclaim.

Tickets: £8/£11/£14. Tel: 0117 902 0344 or visit: thewardrobetheatre.com

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TUESDAY 5 DECEMBER, 10.30AM – 2.30PM

Wreath Making Class, Thornbury Castle Create your own festive wreath using foliage and seasonal materials, ready to take home and hang on the front door. £79 per person, includes class, refreshments, two-course lunch and wine. Spaces are limited.

Tel: 01454 281182 or visit: thornburycastle.co.uk WEDNESDAY 6 – MONDAY 11 DECEMBER, TIMES VARY

Bristol Palestine Film Festival, various venues around Bristol Exploring political resistance through a range of artistic mediums, from tapestry to hiphop, Bristol Palestine Film Festival showcases the work of filmmakers sharing their creative interpretations and real experiences of life in Palestine.

Many of the films featured have never been screened in the UK before and almost half have been produced by female filmmakers.

Visit: bristolpff.org.uk WEDNESDAY 6 DECEMBER, DOORS OPEN 7.30PM

The Puppini Sisters, Christmas Spiegeltent, Waterfront Square Returning for another year, the talented Puppini Sisters are back for another vintage evening of musical entertainment, showcasing their harmony singing style, with swing-style re-workings of modern pop songs, plus some old festive favourites. Tickets from £22.

Visit: christmasspiegeltent.co.uk THURSDAY 7 DECEMBER, 6.30 – 10PM

After Hours: Feast, We The Curious

Explore the newly named science centre after the kids have gone home. This event is all about feasting, so expect a delicious evening of tasty treats. Visitors can also check out the winter stargazing planetarium show.

18+ only. Tickets: £8.95 adults, £7.95 concs. Visit: wethecurious.org

Fancy The Royal Marines Band Christmas concert at Colston Hall?

THURSDAY 7 DECEMBER, 7.30 – 9PM

Winter Lecture: Sore Tales of Giant Pliosaurs, Priory Road Lecture Theatre, University of Bristol The pliosaur was a fearsome predator with enormous teeth and powerful jaws, patrolling the late Jurassic seas of south-west England. Dr Judyth Sassoon, from University of Bristol, will explore the life of the two pliosaurus species displayed in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

Free event, but must be booked in advance. Visit: bristolmuseums.org.uk

be joined by Cheddar Male Choir, Penny Brohn Community Choir, High Down Schools, Clifton College and Clifton High School choirs for this festive concert, raising money for the charity. There will be refreshments and a raffle, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Tickets: £10 adults, £6 concs, tel: 01275 370072 or visit: pennybrohn.org.uk/event/christ mas2017

FRIDAY 8, 7 – 10PM, AND SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER, 11AM – 6PM

FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Join Bristol Phoenix Choir for this annual concert of festive music and readings, as well as punch and mince pies. Tickets: £10 adults, under 16s free. Visit: bristolphoenixchoir.org.uk or call Opus 13 music shop: 0117 923 0164 for tickets.

Belinda O’Hooley & Heidi Tidow, Bristol Folk House

SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Jamaica Street Artists Christmas Party, 39 Jamaica Street, Bristol Jamaica Street Artist Studios is opening up its doors this Christmas, so pop along for a mince pie and mulled wine, where you’ll be able to meet around 40 artists and discover a real mix of artwork. Plus there will be lots on sale, from large to small paintings and prints, to gifts and cards. Visit: jamaicastreetartists.co.uk FRIDAY 8 DECEMBER, DOORS OPEN 6.15PM

Penny Brohn Christmas Concert, Clifton College Chapel Cancer charity Penny Brohn will

Join Belinda and Heidi for an evening of beautifully performed original, contemporary, and traditional winter songs from their new album WinterFolk Vol 1, produced with BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winner Ben Walker.

Visit: ohooleyandtidow.com SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER, 4 – 6PM

Music, Lights and Merriment, Avebury, near Marlborough

gift stalls. Visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Christmas with the Phoenix, Tyndale Baptist Church, Whiteladies Road

Christmas Baroque by Candlelight, Bristol Cathedral London Concertante, Britain’s finest and most active chamber ensemble, will be performing a selection of 17th-century festive classics by musical masters such as Bach, Handel and Telemann.

Visit: londonconcertante.com SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Soak up the atmosphere by listening to carols while enjoying a delicious mince pie or take part in the liqueur tasting in the shop.

Includes entry to the Museum Barn where there will be artisan

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SATURDAY 9 – SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER, 11AM – 4PM

Christmas Fair, Newark Park, near Wotton-under-Edge Head to the beautiful setting of Newark Park this month, where there will be lots of lovely stalls selling a range of unique gifts, seasonal treats, traditional crafts, hand-made goodies and more – perfect for bestowing upon that special someone. Usual admission charges to the venue apply.

• Visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/newark-park Christmas at Newark Park © National Trust

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LOCAL | EVENTS

Belinda O’Hooley & Heidi Tidow at Bristol Folk House

shanties and traditional songs thrown in. Tickets: £5, free for under 18s. Visit: theraffpack.co.uk SUNDAY 10 DECEMBER, 10AM – 5PM

In Bristol Christmas Fair, In Bristol Studio, Unit 19B, Barton Hill Trading Estate, A rare selling event where you can view, buy and commission work directly from studio artists and designers. There will be everything from stocking fillers to larger artworks, as well as seasonal workshops such as wreath-making, mug-painting and Christmas stocking-making.

Workshops start from £5 per person, suitable for all ages.

Entrance is free; inbristol.org

FROM 11 DECEMBER MONDAY 11 DECEMBER, DOORS 7PM

Ultimate Christmas Quiz, The Passenger Shed Whether you’re looking for a Christmas party or a night out with friends, this quiz night promises to get you in the festive spirit. There’s also a chance to win £500. Teams must be between eight and 12-strong.

Tickets: £15, includes Lovett pie and mash, quiz entry and DJ until 1am. Tel: 0117 971 0320 or visit: hypeagency.co.uk MONDAY 11 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Bristol Cabot Choir Christmas Concert, Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cabot Choir will perform Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s joyful Messe de Minuit pour Nöel, as well as carols. Retiring collection for Bristol’s Off The

She Makes War at Crofters Rights

Record. To book tickets, tel: 01179 923 0164 or 0117 962 6521. Visit: bristolcabotchoir.org

Theatres’ ‘Beyond’. Suitable for 16 years+. Tickets: £14. Visit: tobaccofactorytheatres.com

TUESDAY 12 DECEMBER, 8 – 8.45AM

WEDNESDAY 13 AND SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Mindfulness with Wild Wolf’s Yoga, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Experience calming mindfulness in the unique and beautiful setting of the Old Masters’ Gallery to set you up for the day.

Tickets: £5, concs £4. Visit: bristolmuseums.org.uk to book.

TUESDAY 12 – SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

On Golden Pond, The Kelvin Studio Theatre Join The Kelvin Players Theatre Company for the tale of Ethel and Norman Thayer who have enjoyed returning to their summer house, year after year, for 48 years. Norman is a curmudgeon with an estranged relationship with his daughter, Chelsea. At Golden Pond, he and his wife nevertheless agree to care for Billy, the son of Chelsea’s new boyfriend, and a most unexpected relationship blooms.

Tickets: £12 adults, £10 concs.

Visit: kelvinplayers.co.uk TUESDAY 12 – SATURDAY 30 DECEMBER, TIMES VARY

Living Spit’s Nativity, The Theatre Shop, Queens Square, Clevedon With the usual mix of silly songs, pitiful puppetry and more Biblical befuddlement than you can shake a figgy pudding at, Living Spit’s Nativity promises to be a cornucopia of comic Christmassy crudeness that you’ll never forget.

Presented by Tobacco Factory

Carols by Candlelight, St James Priory, Haymarket Exultate Singers perform an exquisite programme of Christmas music in the beautiful surroundings of Bristol’s oldest building, St James Priory. Tickets: £14 – £19, under 18s £4, includes warm mince pies and spiced fruit punch in the interval.

Visit: exultatesingers.org or call Opus 13 music shop: 0117 923 0164.

WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Handel’s Messiah, St George’s Bristol Bristol Ensemble and the Choir of Royal Holloway return to St George’s in another collaboration as they bring to life Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, in a semistaged performance. Conducted

by Rupert Gough and directed by Roger Huckle. Tickets from £12 – £25. Tel: 0845 4024 001 or visit: stgeorgesbristol.co.uk FRIDAY 15 DECEMBER, 6.30PM

Purple Rain – A Celebration of Prince, O2 Academy Bristol A celebration of the life, legacy and music of Prince. This full eight-piece live band delivers a non-stop, hit-packed show, complete with horn section and Jimi Love as the unsurpassed Prince. Tickets: £22.50 per person. Visit: academymusicgroup.com/ o2academybristol

Christmas with The Overtones at Colston Hall

SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER, 2.15PM

Music for Christmas, Lord Mayor’s Chapel, College Green Join Bristol Chamber Choir for settings of Ave Maria and carols from various countries to get you in the festive mood. Tickets: £10, visit Eventbrite to book: http://bit.ly/2lMeIPq. Tel: 01275 843900 or visit: bristolchamberchoir.org.uk SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Bristol Choral Society and Bristol Ensemble, Colston Hall One of the South West’s premier symphony choruses is teaming up with one of Bristol’s most impressive chamber orchestras for a concert of festive music.

The programme includes Finzi In Terra Pax and Holst’s Christmas Day. Tel 0117 203 4040 or visit: colstonhall.org SATURDAY 16 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

Bristol Bach Choir’s Spirit of Christmas, St George's Join Bristol Bach Choir as they celebrate Christmas through a programme of uplifting music and humorous and profound readings. Tickets from £5 – £20.

Visit: stgeorgesbristol.co.uk; bristolbach.org.uk, or call: 0845 4024001 / 0117 214 0721.

SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER, 2.30PM AND 7.30PM

Gasworks Gala Concerts, St George’s Gasworks Choir, Bristol’s very first community choir, celebrates its 20th anniversary with two magical gala concerts. The 160continued on page 44

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LOCAL | EVENTS

Living Spit’s Nativity at The Theatre Shop, Clevedon

Festive fun at Harbourside Christmas Market

strong choir, dressed in fiery red and orange, delight audiences with their brilliantly arranged mix of a capella music, from pop, soul and funk, to classical, African and jazz. Visit: stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/ gasworkschoir.co.uk for tickets.

SUNDAY 17 DECEMBER, 4PM AND 7PM

Insight Ensemble’s Winter Dreams, The Loco Klub Explore a magical underground journey down the Loco Klub tunnels, discovering the classical soundscapes of winter through ice, snow, forests and folklore.

Features full symphony orchestra, soloists, dancers, shadow puppets and performers.

Dressing-up encouraged but wrap up warm. Visit: headfirstbristol.co.uk

FROM 18 DECEMBER MONDAY 18 – WEDNESDAY 20 DECEMBER, 1.30 – 3.30PM

Christmas tours of Avebury Manor, Avebury near Marlborough Discover more about Christmas

through the ages on this guided tour of Avebury Manor. Finish with a delicious cream tea.

Booking essential, tel: 0344 249 1895. £15 per person.

MONDAY 18 DECEMBER, 3 – 4.30PM

Fossils & Evolution, We The Curious Travel back in time and discover what rocks and fossils can tell us about the history of life on Earth at this adult workshop. £9.70 per person. To book a place, tel: 0117 9157777. Visit: wethecurious.org MONDAY 18 DECEMBER, 7PM

Christmas with The Overtones, Colston Hall Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with crooning five-piece, The Overtones, who will be singing festive classics such as White Christmas and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Tel: 0117 203 4040 or visit: colstonhall.org MONDAY 18 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

A Carnival of Carols, St George’s Bristol

The Carnival Band and Bristol Ensemble join forces to celebrate the festive period and have fun.

Tickets from £14, available from St George’s box office, tel: 0845 40 24 001 or visit: stgeorgesbristol.co.uk MONDAY 18 DECEMBER, 8PM

Thick Richard: Swear School, The Wardrobe Theatre

WEDNESDAY 20 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

A fast-paced crash course in everything you wanted to know about bad language that school couldn’t teach you. Join the class of sinister puppets as punk poet Thick Richard looks at the history, definition and use of swearing in his darkly humorous, educational show.

Tickets: £10, £8 concs. Visit: thewardrobetheatre.com

A Christmas extravaganza performed by the 100-strong voices of City of Bristol Choir and Bristol Ensemble. Enjoy beautiful orchestral pieces and Christmas carols – there’s even a chance for the audience to sing along as well. Tickets: £14 – £28. Visit: cityofbristolchoir.org.uk; bristolensemble.com

TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER, 5.15PM

FRIDAY 22 DECEMBER, DOORS OPEN 7PM

Shoppers’ Carols, Bristol Cathedral Experience a moment of calm in among the busy-ness of the season with a short carol service.

Free, all are welcome. Visit: bristol-cathedral.co.uk TUESDAY 19 DECEMBER, 7.30PM

The Bootleg Beatles, Colston Hall The Bootleg Beatles are the world’s most famous Beatles tribute band, and continue to draw critical acclaim from across the globe with their impressive recreation of, arguably, the greatest pop songbook of all time. Visit: colstonhall.org; bootlegbeatles.com WEDNESDAY 20 – THURSDAY 21 DECEMBER, 7PM

Exultate Singers will be performing at St James Priory

this popular concert of seasonal music interspersed with readings, lit by thousands of candles. Tickets: £15 – £30; available from Wells Cathedral Shop Box Office: 01749 672773. Visit: wellscathedral.org.uk

Candlelight Christmas Concert, Wells Cathedral Join Wells Cathedral Choir for

Christmas Spectacular, St George’s Bristol

An Evening with She Makes War, Crofters Rights, Stokes Croft Blending indie rock with melancholy torch songs, She Makes War will be showcasing brand new material as well as work from her years on the music scene. Tickets: £8. Visit: musicglue.com/shemakeswar/ tickets SATURDAY 23 DECEMBER, 10.30AM

Organ Elevenses, Holy Trinity Church, Church Road, Westbury-on-Trym Organist Richard Johnson gives this month’s popular Organ Elevenses recital. Coffee and cakes will be served and the 40minute recital gets under way at 11am with a large-screen projection of the organist.

Suggested donation £5 on the door in aid of the Organ Fund. continued on page 46

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LOCAL | EVENTS

A Mad Hatter’s New Year’s at Clevedon Hall

The Choir of Royal Holloway will perform with Bristol Ensemble at St George's Bristol

SATURDAY 23 DECEMBER, 1.30PM

It’s a Wonderful Life, Curzon Cinema, Clevedon Frank Capra’s classic Christmas film features James Stewart as George Bailey, the small-town man whose life is turned upside down one Christmas when he is shown what life would have been like if he had never lived.

Visit: curzon.org.uk SATURDAY 23 DECEMBER, 7.45PM

A Baroque Christmas, St George’s Bristol

SATURDAY 30 DECEMBER, 4.30PM

North by North West, Curzon Cinema, Clevedon Starring Bristol’s Cary Grant, this is one of Hitchcock’s most tongue-in-cheek features, which laid blueprints for the modern action thriller. Visit: curzon.org.uk SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER, 7PM

An exquisite evening of Christmas music from the golden Baroque era, including festive music sung by solo soprano Fflur Wyn. Tickets from £14. Visit: bristolensemble.com; stgeorgesbristol.co.uk OPEN DAILY UNTIL SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER, 10AM – 8PM

Bristol’s Christmas Market, Broadmead Get into the Christmas spirit while wandering around the wooden chalet stalls selling unique gifts and delicious treats.

Visit: xmas-markets.com

FROM 25 DECEMBER

A Mad Hatter’s New Year’s Eve, Clevedon Hall “You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret: all the best people are…” Things are going to get “curiouser and curiouser” this New Year’s Eve as Clevedon Hall hosts a Mad Hatter’s party complete with bonkers decorations, themed food, a live band, fireworks at midnight and lots of surprises. Tickets: £109.

Fancy dress is wholeheartedly encouraged. Visit: haroldsclub.co.uk/products/newyears-eve-2017

THROUGHOUT DECEMBER THROUGHOUT DECEMBER, DATES AND TIMES VARY

Christmas Concerts in the Chapel, Tyntesfield

SATURDAY 30 DECEMBER, 10AM

Theatre Tour, Bristol Hippodrome See Bristol Hippodrome from a different perspective as you explore the theatre in this private tour. Walk backstage where numerous stars of the stage have walked before, and see what it’s like to stand in front of all those rows of ruby-red seats. Tickets:

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£14.50 adults, £12.50 children.

Tel: 0844 871 3012 or visit: atgtickets.com

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Tyntesfield will play host to a range of local choirs who will showcase their talent in the historic building’s glorious chapel. Includes a hot drink and mince pie. Booking essential, concerts will sell out quickly, tel: 0344 249 1895. Admission: adults £15, children £10. Visit:

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SATURDAYS OF EACH MONTH, 12.30 – 1.30PM

VARIOUS DATES AND TIMES THROUGHOUT DECEMBER

Archive in Five, Brunel Institute, ss Great Britain

Enchanted Christmas, Westonbirt Arboretum Explore the arboretum on this magical illuminated trail and see the trees in a whole different light, quite literally. Tickets: £14 adults, £7 children, free for under fives. Advanced booking required. Tel: 03000 680400 or visit: forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt to book. Plus, visit the Chrismas Village where you can meet Father and Mother Christmas.

Get closer to history as maritime curators and volunteers take you on a journey of discovery with precious items from the archive vault. Learn about the stories of those connected to ss Great Britain through original artefacts and diaries. Free drop-in event, no need to book. Visit: ssgreatbritain.org

NEXT MONTH...

UNTIL SUNDAY 7 JANUARY, TIMES VARY

TUESDAY 9 - SATURDAY 13 JANUARY, TIMES VARY

Winter Wonderland at The Mall

Sunset Boulevard, Bristol Hippodrome

This is a fantastic festive experience encompassing the South West’s largest open air ice rink (over 1,000 sq. metres), Santa’s Enchanted Ice Castle, a magical Christmas train ride inside The Mall and a selection of festive foodie treats to enjoy.

Prices for activities vary, booking in advance is advised. Visit: mallcribbs.com

Don’t miss Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning musical starring Ria Jones as Norma Desmond. This production is a compelling story of romance and obsession, based on Billy Wilder’s legendary film. Tickets from £18. Visit: atgtickets.com/bristol

UNTIL SUNDAY 7 JANUARY, DATES AND TIMES VARY

Winter Wonderland, Wookey Hole Caves, Wells Step into Santa’s grotto and explore more than 20 festive attractions at Wookey Hole this Christmas. If you pre-book then children will receive a special invitation from Santa. £15 per person. Visit: wookey.co.uk EVERY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND THE FIRST TWO

WEDNESDAY 24 JANUARY, 2 – 5PM

Heart Failure Patient Day, The Vassall Centre, Gill Avenue, Fishponds Dr Yasmin Ismail, a consultant cardiologist at the Bristol Heart Institute, and a team of experts will answer questions and give practical advice about heart failure. Includes sessions on managing medication, safe exercises, diet tips, dealing with anxiety and stress and new treatments. Tel: 0117 342 6691 if you would like to attend.

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MUSIC

Benjamin’s latest album focuses on the theme of travelling – an idea that was inspired by some strange wording on his American visa (image by Micky Clement)

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‘AN ALIEN OF EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES’ We meet one of modern music’s most intriguing artists ahead of his return to Colston Hall this month

S

inger, songwriter and pianist Benjamin Clementine won the Mercury Prize in 2015 for his debut album At Least For Now, which told the story of his survival as a homeless young man in Paris. Having escaped a troubled home in North London at the age of 20, Benjamin fled to France where he slept rough and busked on the Metro, honing his musical craft before being discovered by an agent, returning to his home city, and making waves with his television debut on Later…With Jools Holland. His unusual, poetic and incisive songwriting, powerful vocals and penchant for barefoot piano-playing have made him a real person of interest to us over the last few years, so we gladly took the chance to find out a little more about this talented, original artist, as well as his latest album I Tell A Fly...

So your Colston Hall show will be your first in the main hall – how does it feel to be returning, having developed so much?

It feels great. Obviously with my kind of music and my kind of career, it takes a bit of time before getting the chance to play these beautiful places. It’s an honour and I’m looking forward to sharing my music with the people of Bristol.

What themes in this album do you feel people might relate to? Have you drawn on very different experiences this time?

We’re all travellers and wanderers, particularly here in the UK – people are from all kinds of places and I feel that this album is about humanity in the sense that we’ve been travelling for millions of years. It’s basically an address to suggest that someone who is travelling shouldn’t be looked down on, that one has to travel to live. I feel that’s the whole point of this second album.

How did you go about building the songs on this album?

I started composing it when I was living in New York – at that time I was living with my now ex-girlfriend. It was a really tumultuous relationship, we did have fights and she’d go out and come back, whereas I’d hardly go out... I’m not an outgoing person. So I stayed home most of the time and she’d expect some loving and I’d be busy composing my music, thinking about what to write next and so on and so forth. That’s what I can remember from composing these songs.

However it all started with my visa, which was called an ‘alien of extraordinary ability’ visa and that blew my socks off, so the album started in America then eventually I came back to England to finish it.

What did you take from your time in the US last year?

There are lots of different people cultures, beliefs and religions. They’re a lovely people, most are very kind and respectful. The county has beautiful landscapes that I really enjoyed, such as Albuquerque and Texas, the kind of places you’re advised not to go.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’ve got this huge book of the complete works of Oscar Wilde that I’m reading. I’m particularly paying attention to the ones that are not very well known such as The Model Millionaire and The Selfish Giant. I like things that are not very well known...

Which country do you feel understands your performances the most?

Funnily enough, it’s Russia and Portugal. I honestly don’t know why but you always find your people and apparently that’s where a lot of people get me. In Portugal I don’t even have to open my mouth and it feels like I’m playing a stadium.

Which comparison to another musical artist are you most flattered by?

I’m me. I’m me and that’s it, there’s no-one like me. An artist can’t be like another artist, it’s not true. You can certainly have influences and gain influence from other artists but I think we’re born with influences and we later on find out who we’re similar to or influenced by – it’s an innate thing. As an artist you might certainly be original and that’s what I believe I am... I suppose that’s why I’m having difficulty as no one knows what the f*** I’m doing.

How have you settled into life in the music industry, post-Mercury Prize?

I don’t think I have settled yet, I’m still doing what I want to do and if on paper it looks like it, I don’t think I am. In terms of the Mercury award, this was by fortune. It was by fortune that I got my album mixed with other artists’ albums and that the judges somehow picked me.

Critics have struggled to place your music – how do you describe it?

I’m an original artist and I have been since the very beginning. They’ve never heard what I’m doing and I’ve never heard what I’m doing before.

It’s up to those critics to compare to whoever they want to compare me to. If a critic says my music is great, that’s an opinion but if a critic says my music is rubbish that’s also an opinion. I find it really hard to understand a critic’s point in trying to categorise music – just appreciate or not appreciate the music.

Do you have any pre-stage rituals or habits?

No, I just go on stage and play and I play what I would play in my bedroom. I don’t believe in any gods; when you’re struggling you have to fend for your own self, no god is going to save you.

What else would you like to achieve?

As an artist I want to achieve so many things but more than anything I want to be a great human being. I want to love more and be nicer to people – this is the biggest thing for me to achieve. I want to achieve the basic principles of being a human being.

You wrote a dictionary – are you working on any more side projects?

I am still working on the dictionary; the biggest mistake I made was to say I was working on a dictionary because now everyone is asking me about it! I have written it, it’s a first edition, I just haven’t had time to see a publisher, but I do have a few in mind who sometimes come to my show. I think I’ll give music a break when I’m about 30 and concentrate on writing and eventually we’re going to see that dictionary. I want to go under different monikers to release certain things, but time will tell.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’m not listening to anything at the moment because right now I wake up, go backstage and take a shower, eat a little, get ready for the show, play the show then afterwards move onto the next show. I haven’t got time to listen to music unfortunately, but I do read. I’m reading most of the time when I’m not performing.

How did it feel to be named a creative genius who defined culture last year, by the New York Times – alongside the likes of Michelle Obama?

If you work hard, people will find things to call you. For me this was a gesture to celebrate the artists they’d interviewed in their piece – it’s for the mass really, I don’t think it’s genuine. But if it is then so be it, it’s just another fan saying ‘I like your work’, so thankyou very much. ■ • Benjamin plays Colston Hall on 8 December; colstonhall.org THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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BOOKS

STOCKING FILLING STORIES Foyles bookshop’s Charlotte Pope suggests some fab new reading material for the holidays

UNCOMMON TYPE BY TOM HANKS

Tom Hanks: screenwriter, director, actor in such Hollywood classics as Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan, all-round nice guy. Tom now adds author to his vast repertoire as he releases his first collection of fiction. In this collection of stories, each tale stands unconnected and alone except for one thing: in each, however briefly, a typewriter plays a part. Hanks is a proud collector of old typewriters so we think it is a lovely decision for him to feature them so centrally in his work.

Introducing characters including a teenage son discovering his father’s secret life, and a World War II veteran dealing with the mental and physical scars of combat; Hanks has revealed himself to be a talented, welcome new voice of contemporary fiction.

DINOSAURIUM BY CHRIS WORMELL AND LILY MURRAY

The much-loved Welcome to the Museum series is back with yet another excellent book, designed to give you a fully curated experience of a fantastic museum exhibit without leaving your own home. This lavish, large hardback is colour-illustrated in minute detail, and is jam-packed with plenty of dinosaur facts. Not only is this book fascinating and informative, it is an incredibly beautiful object in itself, I think, with pages that would not look out of place framed on a wall. Dinosaurium is a real gem, and is sure to put a smile on the face of any dino-mad child (or adult, for that matter) while they’re kicking back and digesting their Christmas lunch this year.

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BOOK OF DUST VOLUME ONE: LA BELLE SAUVAGE BY PHILIP PULLMAN

Finally it’s here: the long-awaited return of Philip Pullman, to the world of His Dark Materials. Pullman describes The Book of Dust not as a sequel or a prequel but an “equal”, a companion work to sit alongside his beloved fantasy series. La Belle Sauvage is part one of what promises to be a gripping series, returning to the world of daemons, alethiometers and Dust. Set a decade before the events of Northern Lights, we see the return of Pullman’s beloved character Lyra (here returning as an infant) and find out just how and why a young girl ended up living at Jordan College. Cleverly written with Pullman’s trademark ingenuity and flair, this is a the essential gift for His Dark Materials fans this Christmas.

BLUE PLANET II, BY JAMES HONEYBORNE & MARK BROWNLOW

We have watched, agog, the remarkable images Blue Planet II has revealed on our screens: from fish that can swallow birds whole, to the wonders and mysteries of the deepest, unexplored parts of the ocean floor. The stunning BBC series is now immortalised in a fantastic book to keep and utterly cherish, filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes details (just how did they get that close to such amazing creatures?) accompanied by vivid images from the programme. This is a beautiful coffee table book and would make a wonderful present for all animal lovers, nature fans and, well, everybody really.

(You can almost hear the kindly tones of David Attenborough as you read!)

BAD DAD BY DAVID WALLIAMS Bad Dad is the 10th novel from the 20 million bestselling children’s author, and is sure to be at the top of many a child’s list as they send them off to Santa and his elves. There are all kinds of dads in the world: there are good dads, and bad dads...

Frank’s dad used to be a champion racer – he was the undisputed king of the racetrack, Gilbert the Great! But when an accident sends dad from hero to zero, Frank and Gilbert are left with nothing.

Soon they’re in the grips of the dastardly crime boss, Mr Big, and when Gilbert is thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit, it’s suddenly up to Frank to save him. The question is: can this father and son team take on Mr Big and win?

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EXHIBITIONS

STATE OF THE ART Women with Vision, RWA, 16 December – 11 March

Helix (detail), Sandra Blow, 1990, acrylic on canvas (image © Sandra Blow Estate)

The RWA is marking its 160th birthday by sharing the work of ground-breaking women artists, past, present and future.

Across four major exhibitions, the gallery will bring together important artworks by Turner Prize-nominated Cornelia Parker, Dame Elisabeth Frink, Sonia Lawson, Sandra Blow and others, to explore their profound impact.

Coinciding with the Vote100 British Women’s suffrage celebrations, Women with Vision will celebrate these artists and how their work shaped the world, featuring painting, drawing, collage, print and sculpture.

The RWA owes a lot to women artists, and from its foundation to the present day, has had them at its heart. The building cost £2,000 to build, money that was donated by philanthropist Ellen Sharples when she died in 1849, and it was the first Royal Academy of Art to have a female president. The RWA also has a female director and many female academicians. This diverse exhibition takes a walk through the RWA’s fascinating history and shines a light on the people that shaped it.

• rwa.org.uk

Cath Read, Artemis, ongoing

Christmas Show, Coldharbour Framery & Gallery, 1 – 24 December

Cath Read, co-founder of the successful North Bristol Arts Trail, is an awardwinning artist whose work draws its inspiration from the interwoven rhythms, patterns and light of British landscapes and coastal fringes. After many years of working in pastels, she is now painting in oils and enjoying the outcome.

From paintings and prints featuring frosty nights and misty mornings, to fiery red raku pots, huge silvered vases and burnished bronze lanterns, the gallery has a range of fabulous local art and craft to counter the cold outside and fill your home with a warm and welcoming vibe. The annual Christmas open evening, on 1 December, is a great chance to meet up with local artists, many of whom will be showing their latest work – expect new pieces

by Abigail McDougall, Cath Read, Jenny Urquhart and more, as well as a range of Fairtrade stocking fillers and individual gifts at affordable prices.

• artemisbristol.co.uk; cathread.co.uk

Off the Track, Ashton Court

• coldharbourgallery.co.uk

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EXHIBITIONS

Brave Poor Things: Reclaiming Bristol’s Disability History, M Shed, until 15 April A landmark exhibition exploring the previously hidden histories of deaf and disabled people in Bristol. It’s estimated today that there are one billion disabled people in the world, yet their history continues to be overlooked, even while their stories are intrinsic to the environments we live in and around every day. This show tells the unique story of The Guild of the Brave Poor Things; a pioneering social and educational space for disabled people, founded in Bristol in 1896 by local philanthropist Ada Vachell. The Guild set new benchmarks for disabled people, affecting the ways they were treated and viewed by society, and more importantly, how they viewed themselves. The Guild’s 1913 building was exemplary in its design, often described as the first purposebuilt building for disabled people; it played a unique role in bringing together people with physical impairments in order to socialise and enjoy themselves in a place free from judgement or stigma. It also offered routes back into work by enabling apprenticeships and teaching members to make items that were then sold. The exhibition displays artefacts made by these members, archive material and photographs depicting life at the Guild. There are also interactive elements including a digital game, and a film created by young people in Bristol.

• bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed

Native Color, Rainmaker Gallery, until 25 February This exhibition celebrates the range and depth of colour investigation flourishing within 21st-century Native American art; and masterful colourists including Nocona Burgess, Billy Hensley, Dan Lomahaftewa, Debra Yepa-Pappan and Cara Romero.

The focus is the work of artist and curator Tony Tiger, who is inspired by the expressive use of colour in the traditional ribbon-work appliqué designs of Sac and Fox tribal regalia and in Seminole patchwork. Other highlights include the paintings of Yatika Starr Fields, who describes his canvases as “sensation through color and movement”; Comanche painter Nocona Burgess who has perfected a method of applying vibrant pigments onto dark backgrounds that he describes as “painting outward”; and the late Hopi and Choctaw artist Dan Viets Lomahaftewa.

• rainmakerart.co.uk

● Midwinter Mix, Clifton Contemporary Art, 1 – 24 December Red Dirt Dreaming by Tony Tiger A rich mix of new work by gallery artists including Sally Stafford, Robert Jones, Masako Tobita, Lynn Golden, Tom Hughes, Maggie Matthews and Stephanie Axtell. There will also be a new collection of Stephanie Cunningham’s graceful stoneware animal sculptures, porcelain bowls and vases by Trevor Lillistone as well as beautiful bespoke jewellery by Anthony Feiler. During the run up to Christmas, the gallery will also be open on Sunday 17 December and on Christmas Eve. • cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk

Winter Blackthorn by Robert Jones

● Grayson Perry: The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever, Arnolfini, until 24 December If you haven’t been down to see this fab show at Arnolfini, this month is your last chance! The exhibition tackles one of charismatic artist Grayson Perry’s primary concerns: how contemporary art can best address a diverse cross section of society. On show for the first time outside of London, the exhibition is central to a programme of events inspired by Perry’s irreverent take on contemporary culture. In the exhibition, Perry continues to explore many of the themes and concerns that recur in his practice, drawing from his own childhood and life as a transvestite, as well as wider social issues and his abiding interest in his audience.

• arnolfini.org.uk

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CREATIVE

GENTLY BLOWING BAUBLES Head to Bristol Blue Glass to try your hand at the historic craft and take home a festive treat

F

irst made here during the 17th century, the city’s famous blue glass is known around the world for its quality and beauty, so when we realised we hadn’t so much as a shard of the stuff to call our own, we set about remedying the situation.

Keen to find out a little more about the making process itself, we head to the Bristol Blue Glass studio and shop on Bath Road, where we’re booked in to have a go at blowing our own bauble in time for Christmas. We’re greeted inside the gorgeous glass-filled shop by bubbly general manager Sharon before being taken downstairs, where the jolly team, led by head glassblower Dave Barry, are singing along to Dean Martin as we enter the oven-like workspace, which feels more like Ibiza, midday, than Bristol, mid-winter.

Glassblower Bliss finishes up a heart-shaped creation of hers, while we adjust to the toasty temperature, and takes us over to the ‘glory hole’, also known as the ‘mouth of hell’ – a brick-built furnace functioning at the same temperature as a volcano and containing a crucible full of liquid glass. Into this, we stick a pre-heated blowing iron – a metal tube that Bliss uses to rake the surface and gather the glass. Returning to the workbench, turning the iron as we go to ensure our blob of molten minerals stays central rather than drooping off the iron, we start to shape – Bliss using hand tools to achieve the basic bauble form, us blowing down the tube attached, to hollow out the glass. There’s everything from long point jacks – used as a finger to shape and mark the glass when needed – and tweezers to pinch out bits during formation of some pieces, to pliers, knives, files and a wet paper pad used to protect hands from the intense heat of the glass.

It’s no mean feat, becoming a glassblower, with traditional apprenticeships taking seven years, plus plenty more learning on the job, says Bliss. It takes a great deal of skill, and everything in the Bristol studio is freeblown – no moulds used – which is pretty impressive when you see some of the shapes out front in the shop.

These include creations of ruby glass, made just as it was during the reign of Queen Victoria when Bristol makers first produced it at The Great Exhibition of 1851, using 24-carat gold as an expensive but powerful colouring agent to achieve the rich red hue.

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We return to the furnace to get our piece back to working temperature whenever needed, going back and forth until we have the correct shape. The beautiful, fiery orange sphere on the end of our iron cools to the customary midnight blue thanks to the cobalt oxide that’s added to the melt before making traditional blue glass items.

Once we’re happy, we give the metal pole a knock, and the glassware breaks off at its weakest point, where we then stick another blob of hot glass, fashioned into a hook, onto our bauble so it can be hung on the tree. To complete the process, we must assign our creation to the annealing oven to bake at 400-500 degrees, remove stresses from the glass and reduce the risk of shattering, then allow it to finish cooling down gradually overnight. Only after that, can we take home our own little piece of Bristol history, as well a real enthusiasm for the craft and a desire to see whether they need any Saturday girls...

• You can try your hand at glassblowing your own bauble for £20, or

undertake a full beginner’s course and learn to make other simple decorative items including a glass goblet, for £400; bristol-glass.co.uk

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FOOD & Drink

TASTY TITBITS FROM THE CITY’S RESTAURANTS, CHEFS AND PRODUCERS Images by Silkie Lloyd

A TAVOLA TIME Bespoke event space The Forge has teamed up with an exciting foodie duo to present a delicious-sounding seasonal event this month. A Tavola – the project of the talented Stephanie Boote and Max Pasetti, formerly of Bocca di Lupo, Trullo, Yard Paris and Bristol’s own Bar Buvette – specialises in serving rustic Italian food and wines at public and private events and will be setting up inside the gorgeous Colston Yard venue on 10 December. The Winter Wine and Pasta Bar event (sounds like the perfect place to start chowing down and working on some extra layers for the chillier months, no?) costs £16.50 and runs from 3pm to 11pm so visitors can drop any time. Drinks include Campari cocktails, European natural wines by the glass and soft drinks; while the foodie offering will comprise of a menu of antipasti, pasta and dessert – the likes of mortadella with pistachios; finocchiona and endive pickles; agnolotti in broth; and squash ravioli with walnut brown butter. Drooling? You know what to do...

• Instagram: @atavolabristol

RIGHT MEAT RHETORIC PIZZA THE ACTION Fanatical about making Neapolitan pizza the traditional way, popular eatery Franco Manca got in on Bristol’s food scene last month – celebrating by giving away 500 free pizzas. Made from slow-rising sourdough, the menu marries new flavours with traditional ingredients and Neapolitan flair. “When my cofounder and I first started Franco Manca, we visited a small farm in Somerset with Albino Scalzitti (a small artisan cheese maker from Molise) to start our mozzarella production using celebrated West Country milk and we are still using the same recipe today,” said founder Giuseppe Mascoli. “We’re more than happy to be back in this neck of the woods.”

Eat proper meat: that's the new strapline from award-winning organic farmer Luke Hasell, who now has his fingers in one more pie after adding a new butcher shop to his portfolio. Meat Box, taking the final two units at Cargo 2 at Wapping Wharf, opened last month with everything from that last-minute, outdoor reared, pork chop for dinner, a hand-cut and rolled organic joint for Sunday lunch or delicious Christmas ham. "Meat Box is all about ethically sourced meat that's traceable and damn tasty to boot,” said Luke, who is part of Eat Drink Bristol and Valley Fest.

“We're sourcing the best pasture-fed, organic meat alongside charcuterie and hams from Bristol and Somerset's finest.” The expert butchers are more than pleased to chat and advise, are taking requests for more unusual cuts and meats, and are proud to be offering the whole animal wherever possible.

Expect organic thick-cut Barnsley Lamb chops and 3040 day dry aged pasture fed steaks alongside Sunday roast favourites, handmade organic burgers, mince and more.

• meatboxbristol.co.uk

• francomanca.co.uk

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Very Best Wishes for the Festive Season

Cider Tasting Christmas Parties

From all the team at T H E

a

BRISTOL

taste of Bristol!

MAGAZINE

Cider Tasting Hampers & Gifts Advertisers please note: The deadline for receiving copy for the January 2018 issue is Wednesday 13 December

Telephone 0117 974 2800

Bristol Cider Shop Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol BS1 6WE www.bristolcidershop.co.uk • (0117) 929 3203

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 59

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An app and online portal, that will allow local eateries to streamline the deposit holding process, is being developed to combat the problem

MANNERS, PLEASE...

Pulling a no-show at a restaurant is up there with the worst offenders in dining etiquette. Melissa Blease reports

T

he date was set three weeks ago: dinner this evening, at a friend’s house. Your place at the table in somebody’s home awaits you, and that somebody has been preparing for the event for days – not least of all on the day itself, when the last of the ingredients have been brought, the prep is fully underway and the scene is carefully set. Unless you’re the unfortunate victim of a dire emergency, you wouldn’t just not turn up, would you?

Of course you wouldn’t! And yet, countless people believe that, when the situation isn’t quite so personal, it’s okay to do just that, giving little thought to the effect that their inconsiderate behaviour has on many small, independent businesses.

“Our restaurant has 41 seats at capacity and, like all small restaurants, our profit margins are thin: we make approximately 40% of our weekly take at the weekend, when people mainly book online or over the phone,” Steve Gale, of Cheltenham Road’s Flour and Ash, told us. “One evening recently, we were fully booked, but come 8pm we were half empty because a large table cancelled their booking 10 minutes before they were due to arrive, and two other tables simply didn’t show up. We were suddenly 34% of our capacity down – I doubt we scraped anywhere near any kind of profit that night.

“We call round on the day to try and reconfirm tables that have been booked, but we don’t ask for a deposit as many people simply don’t want to pay a deposit on behalf of a crowd – would you put your credit card down for five other people and then have to fork out, say, £120 that you’d have to claim back from them if they cancelled on you?

Probably not.”

Ben Porter, general manager at recent opening Wellbourne in Clifton, has experienced similar difficulty. “The problem of no-shows has a major effect on our business as we’re only a small restaurant with just 25 covers,” he said. “We’ve had large parties book and then not show up, representing the loss of a quarter of our revenue for the whole 60 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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evening. We work on a turn-table basis as well, so if a table is reserved for diners who don’t arrive, we would have more than likely turned away guests who could have taken that table. We don’t really want to start taking deposits for larger groups as we’re a very neighbourhoodfriendly restaurant, but we have started ringing larger parties 48 hours prior to their reservation to confirm, which is working well. Then, if they do have to cancel, it gives us time to fill the space.”

Cousins Ben Harvey and Dominic Borel, at Pasta Loco in Cotham, are also reluctant to demand cash upfront, but they have started to think of measures to combat the issue. “We don’t take a deposit or card details as we like to be a little more approachable than that, and we’d like to maintain our reputation as relaxed restaurant,” they agreed.

“Having said that, it’s really frustrating to have to turn people away then suddenly find that we’ve got space due to no-shows. The people who think its okay to not let us know when they can’t make their reservation are lazy and disrespectful. We’re currently part of a WhatsApp group with about 30 other restaurant owners, discussing what action is best to take on this, but at the moment, we ban no-shows from making any future bookings. We’re trying to get ResDiary – our online booking system – to set up a linked, city-wide banning group, so if we block someone on the platform for failing to turn up, they’ll be blocked from other participating restaurants too.”

However, The Cauldron’s executive chef Henry Eldon, based in St Werburgh’s, has decided that a deposit is simply a necessary evil. “We’ve struggled with a varying level of no-shows, as well as last-minute cancellations and table numbers significantly dropping on the evening of the booking. In the past, we’ve had 40% of reservations, for what we believed to be a fully booked Sunday roast sitting, not turn up, which has led to an obvious loss in turnover and, on some evenings, profit.

We’ve therefore taken the step of charging a deposit of £5 per person at the time of booking, via card payment over the phone, for tables of six

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DINING OUT

D AN IN AR W BO O D N IL ME W GA

or more covers, and every table on our Sunday roast service. While this has eliminated most of our issues, it does take time and is a bit of an issue when people don’t have their card details to hand. But I’m working on an app and online portal called Nuggets – a revolutionary app that will allow Bristol restaurants to streamline the deposit holding process. We’re working on integrating this app with all major booking services, but it’ll also be able to run independently as an instant, secure and fully-customisable deposit holding system. It is now in its beta testing and we’re looking for restaurants to partner up with for trials.”

Several other restaurateurs, meanwhile, firmly believe that booking no-showers are baddies committing a “crime” for which they should be forced to pay. Wilks charge a last-minute no-show/cancellation fee of £25pp, while Casamia have taken their no-show policy even further than that by introducing a non-refundable, ticket-only system for diners wishing to sample their tasting menu, paid for in advance – well, if we’re booking theatre or concert tickets, paying for hotel accommodation, or buying anything online, we’re expected to pay in advance, aren’t we? Those in support of the Casamia policy believe that the only people who aren’t comfortable with it are those who are hedging their bets: making various reservations for the same night and then seeing how they feel when the date comes around.

“I genuinely believe that there’s a growing group of diners who book several restaurants for one particular evening then decide on their final destination when the time comes,” says Steve Gale – and several restaurateurs I spoke to while researching this feature wholeheartedly agree, with one (who understandably chose to remain anonymous) even suggesting that a fellow restaurant owner has made fake bookings in order “to sabotage the success of the business next door.” While that kind of dastardly behaviour can never be proved, bet-hedging does seem to have become a bit of a trend – and it’s a global one, too.

Last month, online Australian booking site Dimmi made headlines when it put nearly 40,000 diners on a no-shows blacklist, having discovered that many users were making multiple bookings for the same date under different pseudonyms. Dimmi has seen a 25% drop in their clients’ no-shows since adopting the policy and as a result, other online restaurant reservation services such as OpenTable are expected to follow suit; as our social lives become increasingly app and online-led, this most recent development will no doubt encourage a sigh of partial relief in restaurant world.

But how do we, the (hopefully well-mannered) restaurant customers view the situation? Bristol food blogger Charlie Harding (bedsitbonnevivante.com) finds the whole situation abominable. “We can educate the public until we’re red in the face about why no-shows are more than just an inconvenience, but the sort of people that do this couldn’t care less – they’re the sort that sit on their own on the outside aisle of the train or bus pretending they can’t see it’s packed. But sadly, we aren’t about to be blessed with a society of polite and courteous people and the answer to how to prevent the worst of them wasting everyone’s time and money isn’t an easy one. Naming and shaming online seems a bit harsh, but I do think restaurants should be sharing their no-show names with each other to find those repeat offenders and have them blacklisted. Deposits would help but honestly, they do put me off booking into places. The Ox has started taking card numbers to charge a fee in the event of a no-show, though, and I’m happy to do that. In Bristol, most of the restaurants I know and love are great with letting people know if there is a spare table free via Twitter and I think they get snapped up.”

Indeed, there are several savvy eateries in Bristol who use Twitter very effectively in the case of a no-show; that’s when their social media feeds spring into life. So, there’s a top tip at the end of the rather grim little tunnel we’re exploring: if hungry foodies use their Twitter accounts wisely, they could bag themselves some of the best seats in town and do a restaurant a big favour. But of course, not everybody has a Twitter account – and not every restaurateur, manager or staff member has the time available to maintain one at peak times.

If every restaurant customer maintained a sincere level of respect for the hardworking business folk who make dining out such a pleasurable activity, such businesses wouldn’t be facing such a crisis. But as we’ve found, it’s a sad truth that many think it’s okay to reserve a table at a lovely, popular independent restaurant and then not turn up when the date and time arrives. Booking no-shows? We say “No way.” ■

Molesworths of Henleaze 101 Henleaze Road, Bristol, BS9 4JP

Molesworths of Frampton 147 Church Road, Frampton Cotterell, Bristol, BS36 2JX

0117 962 1095

01454 777337

www.henleazebutchers.co.uk THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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FOOD & DRINK

The Courvoisier VSOP, apple brandy, hazelnut Jagermeister and acorn vermouth-filled Major Oak, on the new menu at HMSS

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FOOD & DRINK

FINE SPIRITS Weighing up where to go for Christmas drinks? We sampled a few concoctions in the name of getting into the festive mood

T

he season to make merry is upon us, and if you’re anything like us, you’ll be spending any moments not taken up with Christmas shopping, larder stocking, or hurriedly working towards end-of-term deadlines, kicking back with a boozy beverage. Sorry, not sorry, etc, etc. If you love your spiritous potions but you’re not sure where best to begin in Bristol, here are just a couple of our current favourite cocktail spots to get you started as well as some suggestions for having a go at home...

Hyde & Co Hidden in plain sight just off Clifton Triangle, Bristol’s original modern-day speakeasy is still winning awards and pushing boundaries.

Founded by local trio Nathan Lee, Kevin Stokes and Jason Mead, it has become one of the city’s best-loved drinking dens, spawning sister bar The Milk Thistle, The Ox restaurants, Pata Negra and Bambalan.

The ethos has always been to provide drinkers with a unique sense of escapism and make them feel as if they’ve stepped back in time, with as much of a focus on quirky decor as exceptional drinks. The latest menu, ‘The Last Carnival’, has garnered accolades including a spot on the prestigious Imbibe Drinks List of the Year, and is inspired by 1920s New Orleans, telling the tale – through the medium of cocktails – of an intrepid private investigator who becomes embroiled in a grisly murder case. The team are currently creating the next instalment of their story, with a menu inspired by 1920s Paris and the Art Nouveau movement.

Her Majesty’s Secret Service Classy Clifton punch house HMSS has launched a light-hearted, illustrated menu journeying through Britain’s favourite landmarks and attractions, from the White Cliffs of Dover to Loch Ness, with intriguing ingredients such as acorn vermouth, laughing gas and even a chip of ‘prehistoric stone’... Founder Ben Alcock and the team designed their ‘Guide To The British Isles’ in the style of a vintage pocket edition travel companion – a great conversation starter in itself if you’re planning a festive first date this month. Expect cocktails of the interactive, playful and impeccably presented kind – a far cry from your standard concoction. We loved the Loch Ness Mobster (silver tequila, peach wine, lemon, absinthe, laughing gas) and the Twister (a creamy creation featuring pear voddy and kiwi sherbet) over a game of Jenga; equally the beautiful celery and asparagus-infused Greenhouse Project. ■

❅ Snow Ball ❅ 40ml Martell VS Cognac, 20ml spiced sugar syrup, 25ml cream, 12.5ml Pimento Dram, whole egg. Shake hard, serve long, finish with lemonade.

Not quite like Grandma used to make: we love Hyde & Co’s take on the classic, and divisive, Snowball

Bocabar We love a little light boozing in Bocabar’s fairy-lit, redbrick warehouse, dotted with vintage lamps, comfy sofas, local art and interesting artefacts for sale, and complementing the creative Paintworks spirit. Their ideas are quirky (ever tried the Wham Bar Sling? It’s got an actual Wham Bar in it) and we always pop in for a Porcelana when we can – an Espresso Martini reworking where rum and chocky bitters take centre stage.

Bocabar’s Clover Leaf looks beautifully festive

Harvey Nichols’ Second Floor Bar offers a glam setting for cocktail consumption (image by Jon Craig)

❅ Clover Leaf ❅ 30ml Death’s Door gin, 30ml Twisted Nose dry vermouth, 20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 10ml Bristol Syrup Company raspberry syrup, half an egg white. Dry-shake the egg white hard for 10 seconds. Add all other ingredients with cubed ice. Shake and fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with mint leaf.

Harvey Nichols The Second Floor Bar, with its silver ceiling and long marbled bar, is an elegant, relaxed space with cocktails designed by an award-winning expert mixology team. There’s a regular programme of cocktail masterclasses that can be booked privately if you fancy some one-toone tuition, plus a resident DJ kicking off the weekend on the last Friday of the month. Here are a couple of Victoria Burt’s current favourite tipples: ❅ The Gentleman and the Pirate ❅ 20ml Gentleman Jack whiskey, 20ml Pyrat XO Rum, 12.5ml Ancyho Reyas chili liqueur, 12.5ml caramel syrup, a dash Jerry Thomas Own Decanter Bitters, one dried orange wheel and pecan nuts to garnish. ❅ Chase This ❅ 20ml Finlandia, 20ml Chase rhubarb vodka, 15ml lemon juice, 15ml rhubarb liqueur, 5ml pomegranate syrup.

Pen & Ink at HMSS – this one features Calvados Pays d’Auge and spiced claret cordial (sounds divine, right?)

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FOOD & DRINK

Oeno-files This month, Tristan Darby’s pairings are dedicated to the traditionalists popping a turkey in the oven on Christmas Day; but they should also work nicely for those opting for creamy veggie dishes or pies

Tristan has been considering how to get the most out of both bottle and bird this Christmas

T

urkey itself isn’t a particularly flavoursome or rich meat, but to get the most out of both bottle and bird, you’ll need to pair it with a wine that has enough flavour and character to stand up to the richer accompaniments on the plate.

As far as whites go, wines with a fuller body, ripe fruit flavours and creamy texture work best – particularly oaked, fruitier styles of chardonnay. A good choice would be Rustenberg Chardonnay 2016 (£13.99, Waitrose) from South Africa. Stonefruit flavours are complemented with a lovely creamy texture, some oak and a zip of citrus peel to finish the wine and cut through the richer servings on your plate.

A heck of a wine for the money.

Well-made chardonnay from France’s Languedoc, such as CalmelJoseph’s Villa Blanche Chardonnay 2016 (£10.99, Avery’s) can offer great value compared to some other chardonnays at a higher price point, and deliver the right balance of fruit, power and oak needed for Christmas turkey – a good tip if you have many glasses to replenish at your table. However, if you want to pull the cork on something a little more special, then richer styles of white burgundy such as Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils Meursault 2015 (£34, Avery’s) will work beautifully, too. If you’re not a fan of oak or chardonnay, you’ll need to find a wine with enough fruit and character to stand up to the food. I’d choose Yves Cuilleron Vignes d’a Cote 2015 (£18.99, Grape & Grind) – a textbook viognier in a fine floral, and stone fruit style from one of the Northern Rhone’s most heralded winemakers, with six months of ageing both on lees in tank and then in barrel for added depth and complexity.

Turkey is a low-fat meat, so when looking for a red, bear in mind that there’ll be nothing much to soak up tannins. Ideally, you’ll need a fairly smooth red that has enough fruit and character to not be lost with the richer trimmings, but without overpowering. A classic grape for the job is pinot noir. If you’re looking for a burgundy, shop for crus with more power like Pommard or Gevrey, as lighter and more elegant wines can be easily overpowered, but be prepared to pay well.

A pinot with a good concentration of flavour and some complexity and class at a very reasonable price point is Cono Sur Limited Edition 20

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Barrels Pinot Noir 2015 (£15, Tesco) from Chile. Elegant, but richly plum-fruited with a complex smoky/savoury character and a hint of spice. A wine that really delivers – and my turkey red of choice last year.

A good alternative to pinot, if you like your reds with more depth, is the deliciously smooth Kangarilla Road Shiraz 2016 (£13.99, Majestic) from McLaren Vale, Australia. It has bags of mouthwatering blackberry, a touch of sweet oak and some warming spice, but all in good balance.

Maturity in red wines brings the softer tannins and mellowness required for turkey, and La Rioja Alta Vina Arana Reserva 2009 (£20.49, Waitrose) is a beautifully mature Rioja from a traditional producer in a traditional Reserva style. Long ageing in barrel and bottle before release gives the wine complex flavours of ripe strawberries and sweet spices married with savoury leather and a subtle smokiness. This will likely be my Christmas table wine of choice this year. It’ll also be good if you’re serving duck, roast beef, lamb or grouse. Happy basting!

• Tristan is owner and tutor of Bristol Wine School. For tips on wines for other Christmas dishes and more general festive and non-festive wine tips, check out the blog at bristolwineschool.co.uk

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MOTORING | TEST DRIVE

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MOTORING | TEST DRIVE

THE REAL MCLAREN Breaking into the 700hp club, this is McLaren’s most powerful Super Series car in production.

Engineered in Woking, it’s also automotive perfection. Words by Chris Lilly

A

s famous names go in the car world, there aren’t many bigger than McLaren. It has a heritage built up over more than 50 years – although predominantly as a racing team.

As a manufacturer, McLaren has rather less history, technically only going back to 2010 – ignoring the part it played in the earlier Mercedes-Benz SLR and legendary McLaren F1, which were essentially just special projects.

Despite its limited impact on the timeline of the production car then, McLaren has got its skates on. Already we have had the 12C, 650, 675, 570, and P1. Considering there were convertible versions of three of those models, plus long-tail or GT specifications and various special editions, a quick count on the company’s website shows 19 models since 2010. For a company in the rarefied world in which McLaren sits, the Woking-based firm has been rather busy.

The latest is the £218,020 McLaren 720S. This is the secondgeneration of McLaren’s Super Series, which sits above the Sports Series for extremely rapid sports cars, and below the Ultimate Series reserved for hypercars – of which only the P1 has resided so far. The 720S is a supercar in the traditional sense, taking on the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Porsche in the fight for the ultimate road car.

McLaren’s stats stack up well too, giving the 720S some convincing foundations on paper at least. The ‘720’ part of the badge refers to how much horsepower it produces. That oomph comes from a new 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8, which also produces 770Nm of torque, and it all goes through a smooth and quick-shifting, sevenspeed dual-clutch gearbox to the rear wheels.

A power to weight ratio of 561hp per tonne is good for a 0-62mph time of just 2.9 seconds. Drivers will hit 124mph from standstill in only 7.8 seconds, and the McLaren will top out at 212mph. Bona fide supercar indeed.

Numbers are only part of the game though. Apart from the engine, McLaren has also used a new version of its carbon-fibre tub – the Monocage II. A fresh design language has come through too, as has new suspension and an updated proactive chassis control system.

Starting with the Monocage II; this provides a light, but extremely strong basis around which to build the 720S, and the new version also helps with the McLaren’s practicality. Upper components are thinner than before, which creates an airy cabin with excellent visibility – for a supercar at least. It has also made the sills smaller and easier to climb over. The styling is something that sees form follow function to a degree, but the 720S – which can look a little odd in some photos – works very well as a design in the metal. It helps that when you have a look about it, you can see the channels and vents behind the bodyshell; all there to work the airflow to keep the 720S on the ground at speed without the need for flicks, flaps, and huge wings.

There is a rear wing, it must be remembered. It’s built into the smoothly sculpted rear so discreetly that I had forgotten about it until testing the brakes, when it popped up in the rear-view mirror, acting as an air brake. That air brake helps bring the 720S to a stop incredibly quickly when needs must, with a strong and progressive brake pedal giving confidence in how well you can control the McLaren.

The 720S bristles with technology, but the best bit is that it can either be used intensively, or left to its own devices and the systems get on with things behind the scenes.

level whether accelerating or braking hard, or tipping the 720S into corners far quicker than one should. Pitch and roll is remarkably well contained, and the rest of the time – when you’re not driving on a track or like a nutcase – the 720S behaves like a Grand Tourer with a comfortable ride and a ‘use-all-day’ suppleness to its springs.

Should you wish, you can change the settings, and even split the configurations of engine and chassis control, but you will rarely need to do anything with the McLaren on the road – it’s that flexible. The gearbox is happy to let it potter along at sedate speeds around town without fear of stalling embarrassingly. Equally, the 720S is quick enough even in normal settings to reconfigure your mind to what’s possible on UK roads.

Even in fast cars, there is normally a thought process needed when you come up behind something to be overtaken. It might be clear, but is there enough space to accelerate, get past, and then drop back into the correct lane? In the 720S there is always space. The pick-up offered by that V8 shows no sign of turbo-lag, and an almost telepathic throttle response will pin you into your seat as a huge grin spreads across your face.

It’s that combination between huge speed – there is mention that the 720S is as quick around a track as a P1 – and everyday usability that makes the McLaren such a special car. In McLaren’s lowlier Sports Series, I prefer the ‘softer’ 570GT to the sharper 570S because I feel that, in the highly unlikely situation I’ll ever own one, I could use more of its potential more often.

In the 720S there is no similar need for the practical option – though there is only the S available in the 720 series anyway. The breadth of talent displayed by the McLaren means it can be both track-day superstar and GT in one. The seating position might be set-up to encourage heel-and-toe driving and perfect racing lines, but I reckon the 720S will cross a continent and deliver its occupants at the other end as refreshed (and happier) then when they left.

It’s a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde creation in the best possible way, with such a blend between the extremes that it doesn’t feel as though you’ve got two different characters, but one supremely talented car. ■ • mclaren.com

The car’s suspension uses the proactive chassis control to keep things

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BRISTOL UPDATES BITE-SIZED BUSINESS AND ECONOMY NEWS FROM ACROSS THE CITY

TECH DUO SUCKING UP STATUS QUO

IN SAFE HANDS

NEW RECRUITS

A professional director, senior manager and educationalist with a wealth of experience in the health and commercial sectors, and with a strong public service ethic, has joined Emersons Green NHS Treatment Centre as its hospital director.

Rob Thomas has a strong track record in health care management, operating in the public and private sectors. Previous roles included directorial/management positions at BMI Healthcare, Circle Healthcare Westminster, NHS Wales and the Armed Forces Hospitals Programme in Khamis Mushayt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He will also be hospital director at Devizes NHS Treatment Centre.

“Emersons Green and Devizes NHS Treatment Centres are excellent hospitals, staffed by skilled, dedicated teams with excellent patient experience at the heart of everything they do,” said Rob, also an active volunteer with the Samaritans. “I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues and the local NHS community to ensure patients continue to receive very timely access to care in line with NHS waiting times guarantees.”

Bristol law firm Barcan+Kirby has strengthened its team with the appointment of two trainee solicitors, after an open recruitment process.

Isabel Harper and Anne Pascal joined the firm last year as paralegals working in clinical negligence and commercial property respectively. Each will now complete a fourseat training programme over two years in order to gain experience in litigation, family law, conveyancing and private client work, before qualifying as fully-fledged solicitors.

The firm’s array of services, ranging from conveyancing to contentious probate, will allow both trainees to shadow senior solicitors with a variety of specialisms and turn their hand to an array of legal tasks.

“Congratulations to Isabel and Anne on their appointments as trainee solicitors,” said executive partner Anna Wilson. “Our trainees are an integral part of Barcan+Kirby’s long-term success. Our training programme provides them with a strong foundation on which to build a career in the legal profession. We look forward to supporting Isabel and Anne in their development over the next two years.”

• emersonsgreentreatmentcentre.nhs.uk

• barcankirby.co.uk

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Two plucky local engineers are hoping to take on Dyson and other vacuum heavyweights, with the launch of their first cordless vacuum in 2018.

A new name in the home appliance industry, Lupe is the creation of Bristolbased product engineers, Pablo Montero and Lucas Horne, who met at Dyson; where they both enjoyed distinguished careers before leaving to pursue other ambitions. The pair reunited several years later after they were inspired to create a better cordless vacuum solution, and quit their day jobs to pursue a dream of creating a product in their own vision, free from the restraints of a large organisation.

Aiming to disrupt the vacuum cleaner industry, their ground-breaking technology claims up to 100% pick-up performance – more than double leading competitor products for the same energy. Optimising simple aerodynamic principals to avoid diverting airflow energy away from the key task of removing dust, the patented technology offers superior cleaning in an extremely energy efficient manner.

Development began in 2015, with the team securing a steady stream of investment including two Innovate UK grants. “The UK demand for cordless vacuums continues to grow at an incredible rate,” said Pablo. “It presents a huge opportunity for a new start-up with the right product. Consumers have clear frustrations which we will tackle to shake up the status quo. The wealth of innovation in the South West’s vacuum sector is truly inspirational. There’s nowhere quite like it. Our ambition is to feature on that roll-call of regional technology greats!”

Lucas added: “We’re keen to nurture young engineers and offer a collaborative environment to grow great ideas – the pool of talent from the universities of Bristol and Bath makes the region an incredibly attractive proposition to develop a hard tech business.”

• lupetechnology.co.uk

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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE? JIM GRIDLEY

Christmas can be fraught with difficulties for divorced and separated parents. Family law expert & Barcan+Kirby Partner, Jim Gridley, gives his tips for a stress-free holiday period.

I

t might be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, but Christmas can present childcare conundrums for divorced and separated parents.

Most ex-couples won’t be marking Christmas together, but with both parents (not to mention grandparents) wanting to spend the festive period with the children, it isn’t always easy to reach an amicable agreement.

Tempting as it is to ignore the issue, this can often lead to conflict and uncertainty. And, as most separated parents know, arguments with your children at the centre are distressing for them and unlikely to lead to a harmonious Christmas holiday for anyone.

It’s worth putting a plan in place for Christmas as far in advance as you can. Or, if your children are old enough, speak to them and find out what they want to do. After all, this is about them getting to spend time with you as much as the other way round. If they feel that their feelings and opinions have been listened to, Christmas will be much happier for everyone.

So, what are your options?

1. Assume usual co-parenting arrangements will apply. So if dad always has the children on a Saturday and Sunday, and Christmas Day falls on one of these days, then the kids go to dad.

2 Share out Christmas and Boxing Day, ideally giving each parent a full day. Alternating mornings and afternoons inevitably involves more shuttling between houses, more travel and far less quality family time – so agree a timetable and iron any niggles out in advance.

3. Swap Christmas Day and Boxing Day each year so each parent takes a turn. Alternatively, keep the same days for future years. Children love routine and you could find yourselves making new family Christmas traditions.

4. Let one parent have the kids over Christmas in return for a similar concession for the other parent. For example, if mum has the kids over Christmas, dad can take them away for the New Year.

5. Have two Christmases! With tree, turkey and all the trimmings. Most children love Christmas and with this arrangement they get to enjoy it twice.

6. If you can’t reach an agreement, mediation can be used as a final resort. And, once you’ve agreed an arrangement, it’s wise to make a similar plan for future Christmases (and other holidays) so you don’t face the same difficulties again in 12 months. n If you have any questions about co-parenting at Christmas or any other time, or if you’d like to speak to Jim about a family law issue, call us on 0117 325 2929 or email him at j.gridley@barcankirby.co.uk

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Photograph by Sam Hobson; samhobson.co.uk

FOX OF DELIGHTS This month Pete Dommett takes a look at our special relationship with this city dweller

A

s a young boy in the late ’70s, I remember watching a Wildlife on One special about Bristol’s foxes. The programme included an amusing montage of various russet-coated characters lying on lawns, rolling about in flower beds and snoozing on shed roofs, accompanied (I think) by Hoagy Carmichael’s Lazybones. To me, living further south in rural Somerset where I’d never seen so much as a single fox, Bristol appeared to be some sort of vulpine utopia.

And it was. Sightings of foxes in the city increased sharply at the end of the Second World War and were common by the early ’60s. As in other built-up areas of Britain, Bristol’s foxes showed a distinct liking for semi-detached suburbia. These neighbourhoods, mainly in the north-west corner of the city, had everything foxes needed: goodsized gardens with plenty of places to sleep during the day, raise a family and find food. Bristol’s foxes had never had it so good and, as a result, their numbers grew. By the beginning of the ’90s, it was reckoned that the city had the highest density of foxes found anywhere in the world.

Then, in 1994, things dramatically, and drastically, changed. It’s estimated that over 95% of Bristol’s foxes died following an outbreak of mange. Almost overnight, they’d become rare animals and now, more than 20 years on, the population is still in a state of recovery. High mortality rates and short life expectancy make it hard for foxes to bounce back: it’s likely that only half the number of cubs born in the city each spring make it to their first birthday, and those that do, rarely live for more than another year. Cars are the biggest killers by far.

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But life is good for those foxes that do survive. Finding enough food has never been a problem: as opportunistic omnivores, they’ll eat anything. Urban foxes readily hunt wild birds, mice and voles, and forage for worms, insects and, in the autumn, fallen fruit. The biggest item on a Bristol fox’s nightly menu, however, is scavenged food. Contrary to popular belief, this is not rifled from bins, but mostly put out on purpose (usually in the form of meat, bones and bread) by well-meaning people. In fact, a survey by the University of Bristol found that, in the parts of the city where foxes live, around one in 10 households feed them. And as long as you don’t hand-feed or over-feed them, says the Mammal Research Unit, there’s no harm in that. Many Bristolians get hours of pleasure from inviting ‘their’ foxes to dinner.

We can all enjoy them, though. If you’re lucky enough to live in the leafier parts of Bristol (in places like Sneyd Park, Sea Mills, Westbury-on Trym, Stoke Bishop, Coombe Dingle and Henleaze) you might well see them going about their business on a daily – or nightly – basis. At this time of year, youngsters are leaving their family groups to find territories for themselves and adults are looking their best with long, new winter coats and lustrous, bushy brushes. Sadly, I still don’t live in a particularly foxy area, but I know a good spot in Clifton where I can pull up in the car, put on some music and watch them quietly. And it’s even better than on the box. ■

• For more information on foxes, visit thefoxwebsite.net – maintained by The University of Bristol’s Mammal Research Unit

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READER PRIZE DRAW

WIN!

WITH BARKERS OF CLIFTON THIS CHRISTMAS

S

ome fantastic treats are up for grabs for five lucky dogs in Bristol this Christmas. Barkers of Clifton is giving one barker the chance to win a Lily’s Kitchen Christmas hamper full of tasty goodies that are sure to get tails wagging. Four barkers could also win a 5 star Full Body Groom.* Located on Portland Street, the must-visit shopping destination for dogs and their well-behaved owners is getting into the festive spirit. The store is currently filled with a wonderful selection of festive toys, treats, and personalised gifts, which have been handpicked especially for the four-legged family members of the household. The Lily’s Kitchen hamper up for grabs is filled with delicious chicken and duck dishes, a filling three bird feast, tasty cheese and apple training treats, and much more.

To be in with the chance of getting your paws on this festive hamper or indulgent groom, send your details to: competitions@thebristolmagazine.co.uk All entries must be submitted by midnight on 17 December. All winners will be notified by email with details on how they can redeem their prize.

You can also ensure your barker is looking their best for Santa by visiting the store’s spa. Their groom can be upgraded for only £10 to the Festive Splendour spa treatment. This includes a limited edition ‘Festive Splendour’ scented Christmas shampoo, a ‘Deep Sea’ bath soak to nourish skin, condition the coat and relax the muscles, a soothing paw wax, fresh breath foam, and a gentle ear clean. This is all finished off with a spritz of their ‘Festive Splendour’ special Christmas fragrance! Your barker will also receive a free festive bandana to ensure they look and feel great this Christmas.** The Clifton store is open seven days a week, with extended opening hours in the run up to Christmas, so pop down and see the team in-store soon. For more information, please visit www.barkersshopfordogs.co.uk Terms & Conditions: • *This must be redeemed between 01 January 2018 – 28 February 2018. Please contact your local store directly to book in **Subject to availability No cash alternative. All emails submitted are treated confidentially and are not held by any party for any marketing puroposes. Only the winning entries will be contacted.

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 73

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EVENTS | FOR KIDS

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

Ice skating sessions with We The Curious Open daily until Tuesday 16 January, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day, opening times vary, Millennium Square The impressive 450m² ice rink is returning and will run underneath the iconic chromeplated Planetarium building, making Bristol’s harbourside a winter playground for young and old alike. There will also be a carousel, a skyview wheel, an après-ski bar and stalls selling delicious hot food and drinks. Plus, there will be special At The Movies film screenings on Big Screen Bristol throughout the festive season.

Ice skating tickets: £9.50 adults, £7.50 children.

• wethecurious.org

Top pick...

Christmas at Lacock Thursday 30 November – Sunday 31 December, 11am – 4pm, Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot Museum and Village A fun festive family trail and the chance to meet Father Christmas, as well as the annual Christmas tree festival in the abbey cloister.

Visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock-abbey-foxtalbot-museum-and-village

DON’T MISS...

A very Victorian Christmas Saturday 25 November – Tuesday 2 January, Tyntesfield Step back in time at Tyntesfield and see the season’s best loved traditions come to life with this immersive Victorian experience. With stockings full of festive family fun, traditional decorations, storytelling, dancing and games, soak up the atmosphere as the Gibbs family and their servants prepare for the festivities.

There’s also the opportunity to take a carriage ride to meet Father Christmas on dates in early December, advanced booking required, £15 adults, £25 children, includes mince pie and hot spiced apple.

Visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield or tel: 0344 249 1895.

Beauty and The Beast Thursday 30 November – Sunday 14 January, times vary, Tobacco Factory Theatres Deep in the forest lives a very unusual figure, suffering under a terrible curse. In a poky farmhouse on the edge of town, three daughters and their weary father are struggling to make ends meet. But everything changes when Belle dares to enter the forest…

This re-telling of the classic fairy tale is full of surprises and delights to remind us that beauty – and beastliness – are only skin deep. Suitable for ages five and above. Ticket prices vary.

Tel: 0117 902 0344 or visit: tobaccofactorytheatres.com 74 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales Thursday 30 November – Sunday 14 January, times vary, Bristol Old Vic Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s spellbinding tale, this also weaves The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Thumbelina with the Little Matchgirl’s devastating story. Tickets: £35.50 – £7.50. Suitable for ages eight+. Tel: 0117 987 7877 or visit: bristololdvic.org.uk Snow Globe Friday 1 December – Sunday 7 January, The Lantern at Colston Hall, dates and times vary All Kid Carpet wants for Christmas is snow...

So he’s hired Gary Barlow’s super-massive Snow Globe to guarantee a white festive season. But the Snow Globe is a whole new, weird world and his Christmas plans are diverted by a gang of ridiculous characters, power ballads, silly dancing and a cheeky talking refrigerator. Suitable for three – seven years. Tickets: £13 adults, £8 children. Visit: bristololdvic.org.uk No 162

Christmas celebrations with Father Christmas Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 December, 11am – 4pm, Newark Park Explore Newark House, beautifully decorated for the season with greenery from the estate. Create some Christmas crafts and visit Father Christmas in his cosy drawing room (£4 per child, includes gift).

Booking essential, tel: 01453 842 644.

Visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/newark-park The Harbourside Christmas Market Every weekend from Saturday 25 November – Sunday 24 December, 11am – 4pm, Harbourside The market will take over the Harbourside with 45 stalls selling festive decorations, arts, crafts and gifts. There will also be a street food market with a cosy covered seating area, live music, and a bustling bar of winter themed drinks. Visit: theharboursidemarket.co.uk Victorian Christmas Weekend Saturday 9 – Sunday 10 December, times vary for activities, SS Great Britain Brunel’s SS Great Britain is transformed into a Dickensian, winter scene complete with a beautifully decorated dockyard, Victorian characters and even falling snow. There will be Christmas card workshops, hot chocolate, storytelling and carols, as well as the opportunity to climb the mainmast!

Event times vary. Visit: ssgreatbritain.org to book tickets.

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EVENTS | FOR KIDS

Peter and the Wolf at St George’s Bristol

Paddington at Colston Hall

The Ugly Duckling Sunday 10 December – Sunday 14 January, times vary, Tobacco Factory Theatres Frost. Ice. Quiet. The farm is sleeping, snuggled up for warmth. Suddenly the peace is shattered by the arrival of… a duckling.

Scruffy, clumsy and nothing like his fluffy yellow siblings, our unlikely, gangly and slightly wobbly hero sets off on an epic adventure to find the place where he truly belongs. Hans Christian Andersen’s muchloved story comes springing to life with Travelling Light’s trademark joyful and moving storytelling. Tickets: £12 adults, £9 concs. Tel: 0117 902 0344 or visit: tobaccofactorytheatres.com Little Jurassic Explorers Every Tuesday and Wednesday until 13 December, 10.30am – 12.30pm, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery This morning session allows under five year olds to interact and explore the museum’s exhibition Pliosaurus! Children can listen to tales of marine creatures and dinosaur pals during story time, meet Doris the pliosaur and play with the toy dinosaurs and jigsaws.

There’s also the opportunity to get up close and examine the pliosaur’s massive jaws and use a dentist mirror to get a better look of its teeth. Drop in session, pay what you think.

Visit: bristolmuseums.org.uk A Christmas Carol Tuesday 12 – Thursday 14 December, 7.30pm, 1532 Performing Arts Centre, Elton Road, Clifton “Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.” – An extract from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. A rich man sits alone in his gilded tower and awaits the ghosts of his past and his future. Award-winning Proteus brings Dickens’ best-loved story to the stage in this fast, funny, physical and contemporary adaptation. With puppets from acclaimed puppet maker Nick Ash of Scratch Built Productions (Polka, The Globe, Little Angel), this is A Christmas Carol for our time. Suitable for ages six+. Visit: bristolgrammarschool.co.uk/1532

Paddington & The Snowman Sunday 17 December, 3pm, Colston Hall A tale of mishaps and mischief as Pui Fan Lee narrates the story of Paddington Bear’s first concert, when the marmalade-loving bear arrives in England from Peru and travels to the Royal Albert Hall. After the interval the classic film The Snowman will be screened, coupled with spine-tingling live orchestral accompaniment. Tickets: £14.50 to £28.50.

Tel: 0117 203 4040 or visit: colstonhall.org Family Carol Service Sunday 17 December, 3.30pm, Bristol Cathedral Children (and adults) can go along dressed up as a character from the nativity to this family carol service, where there all be a special appearance from Charlie the donkey.

Visit: bristol-cathedral.co.uk The Nutcracker Thursday 21 – Friday 22 December, 2.30pm playshop / 3.30pm performance, The Theatre Shop, Queens Square, Clevedon Journey with Clara through the enchanted kingdom and close your eyes, make a wish and dream of a land of sweets, snowmen and malevolent mouse kings. Suitable for ages four+. Tickets: £8. Tel: 0333 6663366 or visit: theatreshop.org.uk

Peter and the Wolf Saturday 23 December, 2pm and 4pm, St George's Bristol Give the whole family a Christmas treat at this special children’s concert which features Prokofiev’s well-loved musical tale, Peter and the Wolf. Tickets: £14 for adults, includes one free child’s ticket, additional children’s tickets £7 each, from St George’s box office on 0845 40 24 001 or stgeorgesbristol.co.uk The Muppet Christmas Carol Sunday 24 December, 2pm, Curzon Cinema, Clevedon The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic Dickens tale of an old and bitter miser’s redemption on Christmas Eve. Stars of Magic Wednesday 27 – Saturday 30 December, times vary, Redgrave Theatre, Percival Road, Clifton Internationally acclaimed magicians descend on the city for a magical extravaganza unseen anywhere else in the UK. This family-friendly show features six incredible magicians, each delivering their own unique brand of breathtaking performances to astound, delight, tickle and bring the house down in a wave of enchantment. Tickets: £20.50 adults, £17 concs. Visit: redgravetheatre.com

Toddler Carols Wednesday 22 December, 10am, Bristol Cathedral A new informal service especially for families with toddlers. You can sing your favourite Christmas tunes while moving around the cathedral, with no worry about noise or wrigglers.

The Muppet Christmas Carol at Curzon Cinema

Family Festive Evening Friday 22 December at 7.30pm, St George's Bristol A feel-good family festive evening of carols and Christmas music – bring all the family to sing festive favourites with members of City of Bristol Choir, accompanied by professional orchestra The Bristol Ensemble and led by David Ogden. Tickets from £14, available from St George’s box office: 0845 40 24 001 or stgeorgesbristol.co.uk THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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By Dr Caroline Pascoe, Headmistress of Monmouth School for Girls

ENGINEERING MORE FEMALE SCIENCE CHAMPIONS The latest figures suggest that we need 186,000 new engineers in the UK every year between now and 2024 to fill the engineering skills gap.

The Girls’ School Association has teamed up with Siemens UK to deliver a new training scheme to attract more girls to pursue science and engineering careers.

Fortunately, here at Monmouth School for Girls our STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are thriving and we encourage our students to follow them.

Engineering may not be a subject people often associate with girls but we understand that inspirational teachers and exceptional role models can counter any subconscious bias towards STEM. STEM subjects are the foundations of the industrial and corporate world and can open girls’ minds to the many possibilities as well as boosting their confidence.

By tradition, the application of science is more focused on areas of interest to boys and textbooks can reflect gender stereotyping by showing men in cars or playing sport, with women on telephones.

The country’s most famous scientists are men and it’s clear we need more female scientific champions.

Our weekly science club allows our girls to take part in activities spanning all three sciences, including engineering and robotics.

Last year, Kia, a pupil at the school, was awarded first prize in the annual STEM Challenge sponsored by engineering giant, Renishaw plc.

Kia’s sister Sky had previously won the challenge and our destination of leavers speaks for itself with a large number of former pupils studying science and engineering at top universities. If we can show girls and young women what others have achieved before them, I know we can spark more girls, at a younger age, to take part in science, technology and engineering.

At Monmouth, I believe we are heading in the right direction. n *The Schools have an established bus route covering the Thornbury area.

For more information, visit habsmonmouth.org, call 01600 711104 for Monmouth School for Girls or 01600 710433 for Monmouth School for Boys.

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EDUCATION NEWS

UPDATES FROM THE CITY’S SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND ORGANISATIONS The programme will get a whole new set of students involved in January

GOOD FOUNDATIONS

NEW MUSIC RESOURCE BACKED BY AARDMAN

HURRAY FOR BRISTOL’S ECO-SCHOOLS

Bristol Plays Music – a music education hub for the city, which currently provides music tuition and workshops in 91% of the city’s primary schools – has launched a unique resource to support music education and development in local schools. In partnership with industry experts, the organisation has also developed a new Secondary School Music Curriculum which provides innovative schemes of work including a specialist film composition unit created with Aardman and a classical composition module by well-known Bristol-based composer Richard Barnard. Kids can now compose their very own musical film scores and study film composing techniques including spotting, leitmotif and Mickey Mousing; while Bristol Plays Music has also been encouraging creative listening with its Minute of Listening, featuring natural and industrial sounds drawn from such iconic sources as Concorde, the Suspension Bridge, Bristol Zoo and Harbourside.

Thirteen schools across the city, supported by the council’s sustainable learning team, have received the green flag award from the Eco-Schools initiative, for their commitment to improving their local environment. A celebratory ceremony was held on board The Matthew, with children from the eco-committees invited to enjoy food from 91 Ways, live music and speeches by Natalie Fee from City to Sea and Tim Knappett from Keep Britain Tidy.

This year, the children have actioned ideas including the hosting of an eco-fair, community litter picks, campaigning about dog waste and newsletters full of top tips for their community. “I am delighted to have so many Bristol schools awarded a green flag for their contribution and commitment to becoming more environmentally conscious,” said Councillor Claire Hiscott, cabinet member for education and skills. “It is so important that children learn the value of our natural environment, as it is their world to inherit and their challenges to face if we don’t make changes now.”

• bristolplaysmusic.org

• eco-schools.org.uk

OVO Foundation has partnered with West of England Mentoring on a regional secondary school programme in which OVO employees mentor Year 8 and Year 10 students from disadvantaged areas of Bristol, and give them an insight into the world of work, as well as guidance with their future careers.

During the six-session programme, OVO employee mentors help students to overcome barriers, develop career pathways and gain key employability skills such as interview practice and CV writing. The partnership builds on OVO’s successful education schemes including Future Builders, which gives young, homeless people the opportunity to refurbish properties that then become their home, while also moving into an apprenticeship or employment. Fourteen OVO employees have been participating in the programme, supporting more than 30 secondary school students at City Academy and Oasis Academy Brislington before the end of the year.

The programme will then begin again in January 2018.

“OVO is delighted to be involved in the WEM programme for the first time this year,” said Gaby Sethi, head of OVO Foundation. “We’re committed to supporting ongoing learning opportunities, both for OVO team members as well as local schoolchildren. In partnering with two schools, this programme will help to further develop the leadership skills of our mentors, as well as raise aspirations and provide an insight into the world of work for children who live in disadvantaged areas.”

Victoria Knight, WEM Mentor, OVO, added: “The programme allows me to build on the leadership skills I’ve gained through our in-house learning and development courses, which are delivered through OVO University, and challenges me to engage, mentor and lead a very different group of people than I do in my day to day role.”

• ovoenergy.com/foundation

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SPORT

CROSSING THE LINE: Emily celebrating after coming second in the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.

Image: Mark Shearman / British Athletics

SPRINTING TO VICTORY Jessica Hope talks to a Bristol-born, silver medallist sprinter about her successful career, and solicits her advice for the young, budding athletes of the future

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SPORT

F

ollowing the impressive results from the IAAF World Championships in London over the summer, no one can deny the talent the Great British athletics team has when it comes to running. As well as securing six medals, the squad achieved five fourth places, demonstrating the sheer talent coming up through the ranks – there will certainly be some British athletes vying for medals in future competitions that other countries will be keenly looking out for.

One of the stand-out championship moments, in my opinion, was watching Britain’s 4x400 metres women’s team sprint with determination to silver medal victory on the final night of the competition, in front of a roaring British crowd. The athlete whose job it was to run the final leg of that relay, with the pressure of the Polish team right on her tail, was Bristol-born Emily Diamond. Cool, calm and collected, the 26-year-old ran a clear leg, gaining distance on the runners behind her to secure second place for herself and her team mates Eilidh Doyle, Zoey Clark and Laviai Nielsen.

I asked Emily about the victory and how she felt, being the last one on the team to run in the race. “It’s a pressure leg to run last in the relay,” she says. “You really have to be able to hold your nerve and hold people off. If you have a bad leg earlier on in the race, there are people after you who have to make up for it. But running last means there’s pressure to get over the line, and you don’t want to have a bad last 100 metres. I didn’t want to lose the opportunity for the silver medal. I just had to make sure that there was a big enough gap to get away from Polish runners.”

Born in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, Emily spent the majority of her childhood living in Clifton. She grew up with the influence of athletics around her, with both her mother and grandmother being competitive long-jumpers, and her grandad a sprinter. “Mum’s parents started off the athletics love in the family, and they all love that I am carrying it on,” Emily tells me. “Both my grandparents won English Schools’ Athletic Association medals when they were young and I think they met while competing, so they are very proud and supportive that I have gone down the same route.”

So how did Emily first try her hand at athletics? “My mum took me along to Whitchurch Athletics Running Track when I was really young – I think I was probably still in primary school. I was too young to be involved in the outdoor training sessions, so I started doing indoor sessions and I also played a lot of tennis.

“It was when I moved to Bristol Grammar School, where I had so many opportunities to try new sports. BGS got involved in lots of interschool athletics competitions, which I loved, so I swapped from tennis to athletics,” she says.

Aged 15, Emily began considering a career as an athlete. “Mum took me to the University of Bath and I began doing long-jump sessions a couple of times a week, just because that’s what mum had trained to do.

The coaches there then saw my ability for sprinting.”

So began the transition from long jump to running. “I used to take part in long jump at school athletics competitions and then just rock up at the sprinting races and try my hand at that. And if you’re quite successful at something then you tend to enjoy it more, so I started to focus more on sprinting.”

After finishing school, Emily was awarded a scholarship to read sports and exercise science at Loughborough University. “The university was an amazing support,” she remembers. “The scholarship system helped me financially, and we had mentors for university work if we were struggling.” It was during her final year that Emily found out she had been picked for the Great British team for the London Olympics in 2012. Despite only running the 400 metres competitively a handful of times, Emily was chosen to be a reserve for the women’s 4x400 metre team. “At the time, the Olympics wasn’t really even in my sights, so I was just in awe of everyone there,” she says. “I met lots of my idols, like Jessica Ennis-Hill and Nicola Sanders, and I just took in how everyone else worked and carried themselves.”

With this experience under her belt, Emily was driven onwards to great success in 2016. Just a few weeks after winning the gold medal in the 4x400 metre relay at the European Championships in Amsterdam, Emily was on the podium again – much to her surprise after a dreadful bout of food poisoning – this time winning bronze in the same event at the Olympics in Rio. “We knew we had an opportunity to grab the bronze medal and we thought we were more than capable of getting it.

It was one of the best nights of my life,” she smiles.

The success didn’t stop for Emily and the relay team when they competed in the IAAF World Championships in London earlier this year and secured a medal on home soil. “The noise the crowd produced was something I’ve never experienced before,” she recalls. “The arena is like a fishbowl, so all the sound goes down onto the track and it is like a Mexican wave of noise as you run.

“When I got to the final 150 metres, I wasn’t sure whether the crowd were shouting because the runner from Poland was catching me up or cheering because we were so close to finishing second. Not many people get the chance to do a lap of honour in front of a home crowd, so that was an amazing experience.”

In order to get these incredible results, Emily trains at the University of Bath six days a week for two to three hours a day. “The university has been excellent in helping with providing facilities and coaches,” she says. Emily is coached by former European Championship gold medallist sprinter Jared Deacon, who really helped guide her to success.

“He’s put together great programmes of training for me and knows what it takes to win medals. The main challenge of having him as a coach is that he works in Scotland. So we keep in touch as much as possible and I video my training sessions and send them to him.”

As well as having a gruelling training programme, many athletes do not receive enough funding to train full-time and so take on extra jobs.

Up until March 2017, Emily worked at Prior Park College in Bath as an administrator in the sports department. “The school was so supportive in letting me have time off for competitions and training. I loved that job, especially because I love organising things, and the staff were amazing. But I knew that I needed to leave in order to get to the next part of my career.”

Away from the track, Emily enjoys visiting schools and local clubs, including her former training club Bristol and West Athletic, to meet young people and inspire them to become professional athletes. “I spoke to some young athletes recently and showed them my medals,” she says.

“I talked to them about how I’ve been in their shoes, and told them that if they carry on with their training, then they could win some of their own medals in the future.”

So, can she impart any advice for young people considering going into athletics? “Just give it a go. Try not to focus on just one event – do as many as possible and see what you enjoy. Your abilities in different sports can change over the years, so it’s good to try a variety. Also, listen to your body – learn the differences between bad pain and good pain, and make sure you take an extra rest day if your body needs it.”

And what about the parents and carers of children with athletic potential? “Parents need to learn how to speak to a child after they’ve had a bad performance,” Emily advises. “To understand how to listen to the child and work out how they can deal with these situations. I would recommend reading The Chimp Paradox by Professor Steve Peters – it is a great book that can help parents learn the psychology of helping a child with training and dealing with bad results.”

With her sights set on the Commonwealth Games in Australia and the European Games in Berlin and Glasgow next year, Emily will certainly be one to watch for more medal glory in 2018. ■

Emily with Paul Blake and Eilidh Doyle following their medal success at the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics in Rio

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DIY natural skincare gifts

By Gemma Hurditch for CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine).

E

very festive season luxury skincare items are sure to appear somewhere on our present list. If you have the time and inclination, you could make your own for a really special gift.

DIY skincare recipes that require fresh ingredients, such as avocado in a face mask, are not ideal as gifts. Unless used immediately the ingredients can quickly turn rancid, or look unappealing. Best save those for your own pampering New Year renewal programme!

The easiest way to go for your festive gifts is to master one or two recipes with longer-lasting ingredients. Try out our suggestions below for recipes that suit most skins types, and have fun experimenting with essential oils to make variations.

Gently warm the coconut oil in a heatproof bowl suspended in a saucepan of water over a low heat. Slowly pour in the Almond or other ‘carrier’ oil and mix gently. Remove from the heat and stir in the Geranium and Lavender oils. Pour into glass jars, predecorated if wished. Leave to cool before putting lids on. They are ready for use right away.

Variations There are lots of changes you can make to personalise your gift. For example: • Coconut oil soothes sensitive and irritated skin. Shea butter will do the same.

• Castor oil is cleansing, in fact you can use it on cotton wool as a cleanser, but make sure that the oil is organic.

• Lavender or Chamomile oils are soothing and suit all skin types.

• Patchouli and Sandalwood oils are traditionally thought of as ‘masculine’ scents.

• Peppermint and lemon oils are reviving and refreshing.

• Orange and geranium oils are purifying and uplifting.

Important: Make sure you use only good quality essential oils, as fragrance oils can be full of toxic nasties.

Nourishing moisturizer Christmas is usually a season of drier skin due to the indoor heating and the cold weather outside, so a nourishing/balancing moisturiser can be a real winner for all the family.

5 tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut oil 1 ½ tbsp Oil – Avocado/Castor/Almond oil, or for oilier or younger skin choose Jojoba oil 2 drops of Geranium essential oil 2 drops of Lavender essential oil

Bath bombs These can be a great way to relax and warm up on a cold winter’s night and they make a lovely gift which can be beautifully presented. You’ll need to invest in a bath bomb mould, which is a round mould like a tennis ball that opens in two halves. You’ll find simple recipes on-line from the manufacturers of bath-bombs, and if you want to get creative, you can add several drops of natural food colouring, or dried lavender or rose petals.

It’s worth remembering that chemicals applied to our skin as creams, lotions or makeup can be absorbed directly into our blood stream. It pays to be just as careful about what we put on our skin as what we eat, so we recommend keeping ingredients natural and preferably organic.

Of course, looking after our skin means eating well to ensure that we are getting all the nutrients we need, reducing stress, and addressing any imbalances in our microbiome (the bacteria in our gut). A consultation with a CNM trained Naturopath, or studying a CNM course can promote both skin health and overall health.

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Feet-treat Other products that will keep include foot balms.

Decant some coconut oil into small gift jars from a larger jar of organic coconut oil (you may need to stand the jar in warm water until it becomes liquid), pour into your gift jars and add 10 drops of peppermint essential oil per every 30ml of coconut oil.

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 83

Nuffield December dps.qxp_Layout 1 22/11/2017 13:16 Page 1

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Staying Safe in a Winter Wonderland!

For those of you who will be jetting off on a skiing holiday over the next few months, the sports injuries experts at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield offer some advice on how to stay safe on the slopes.

I

t happens every year around this time.

That morning you have to de-ice the car before work for the first time, or find your warmest, woolliest scarf to wear as you walk the kids to school. Those tell-tale signs winter is on its way. And while the highlight of winter for many of us is Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or the Strictly Come Dancing final, for others the season brings with it the annual pilgrimage to the ski resorts of Europe or North America.

Skiing and snowboarding, like all sports, include an element of risk for those who participate, not least because they involve hurtling down slippery mountains at speed!

Nobody wants their dream holiday to be scuppered by a trip to the local emergency department, and whether it’s just a sprain or a more serious break, injuries sustained while skiing and snowboarding can be extremely disruptive. Someone who understands this well is Dr Stuart Miller, one of Nuffield Health’s expert Sports Physicians.

Based at Nuffield Health’s Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield in Clifton, Dr Miller not only cares for many of Bristol’s sports and exercise enthusiasts, he is also Chief Medical Officer to the British Paralympic Team, and a sports physician within the English Institute of Sport.

Dr Miller says: “As far as high-octane sports go, skiing on the whole is relatively 84 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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safe, and serious injuries are not common.

However, for those who are affected, it can be unpleasant and could spell the end of a much longed-for sporting holiday.

“Knee ligaments are the most common site for injury among skiers, whereas snowboarders are more likely to hurt their wrists or shoulders. The pressure put on these muscles and joints while out on the slopes is quite distinct and not necessarily something your body is prepared for, even if you have a high general level of fitness.”

workshops for this very reason.

“Once you’re at the ski resort, you really need to make sure you’re using the correct equipment. The introduction of Carver skis has dramatically reduced injury, particularly to knees. Learning how to take advantage of their unique ability to turn easily is extremely important and it’s worth getting a few lessons. It might surprise you to know that many significant knee injuries occur at slow speed, so beginners are particularly vulnerable.”

Pre-ski

To help you keep safe and have fun on the slopes, Dr Miller has these tips:

Nobody heads to Chamonix, Val Thorens or Whistler with injury in mind, but it’s important that both professional and novice skiers take measures to reduce their risk of accident and injury by preparing well before hitting the piste.

Dr Miller said: “Preparation is key when it comes to sporting holidays, especially skiing.

Ideally you should speak to your physiotherapist or gym trainer a few months before your holiday to set up an exercise regime that will improve your lower limb strength and flexibility, as well as your core stability. This will not only help to lower the risk of injury but will also reduce fatigue and make your holiday that bit more enjoyable.

At Nuffield Health we run Preventing Injury

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• Warm up – Go for a brisk walk and do some gentle stretches and joint movement exercises.

• Ski within your capabilities – Don’t be persuaded to try slopes and speeds you can’t cope with.

• Wear a helmet – Significant head injuries can occur in high speed collisions and when hitting icy slopes, so wearing a helmet really is a no- brainer!

• Wear snug ski boots – To help prevent ankle injuries, have your bindings professionally checked and adjusted, and

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ensure you have ski edges that are sharp enough to control the ski. Don’t opt for cheap equipment, particularly at the end of the season when kit can become worn out.

• Get the right length skis – It might sound obvious but this will differ depending on your height, experience, and how you ski.

• Use the correct DIN setting – DIN is the industry adopted scale of release force settings for ski bindings. Using the correct setting determines how easily your boots are released from your skis, and getting it wrong can cause serious injuries when you fall.

• Warm down – Make sure to do some stretches in the evening, so you’re fit and ready to start again the next morning.

Aprés-ski On average, only two per 1,000 skiing days and five per 1,000 snowboarding days will result in the need for medical attention. Even then, most injuries on a skiing holiday are sustained away from the slopes, i.e. falling over in the resort!

However, if injury does occur it is vital to seek professional advice as soon as possible, and set up a training programme that will not only repair the damage but ensure a full recovery.

Dr Miller said: “Most skiing injuries affect the lower limbs, primarily the knee, as the skis strapped to the feet can cause abnormal twisting movements. Ligaments within the knee try to prevent excessive movement, which means they can often be the first to sustain damage. It is important to remember

that just because a bone isn’t broken, it doesn’t mean the injury isn’t serious.

“At Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield, we have a team of specialist consultants and physiotherapists dedicated to repairing joint and sports injuries. Our patients also benefit from our unique Recovery Plus programme which offers tailormade support to help build joint movement, strength and control, not to mention overall wellbeing, following an operation. So if you’re injured while out on the slopes, it’s a good place to visit for a follow-up consultation once you’re back home.” (For more information about Recovery Plus, see panel, right.)

For less serious injuries, Dr Miller suggests following the simple steps of PRICE, which stands for Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate, and can be applied to all minor sports injuries, not just those endured on the ski slopes:

• Elevate the affected body part, ideally above heart level. This will also help to reduce the swelling.

If you are in a lot of pain or you suspect your injury is a break, seek immediate medical attention. It can be tempting to continue having fun on the slopes, but your injury could get worse or you could do yourself more harm than good. Have a friend help you safely down the mountain, and seek medical help.

• Protect the injured joint/limb, for example by using a splint or brace to support.

• Rest to prevent further injury. If you’ve injured your leg, take your weight off it and avoid continued movement. If it’s your arm, avoid lifting anything and try to keep it still.

Recovery Plus is Nuffield Health’s flagship recovery programme available free of charge to our private patients who have surgery at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield.

• Ice the injury regularly. Create an ice pack rather than placing ice directly onto your skin, which can burn.

It embodies Nuffield Health’s complete end-to-end approach to healthcare, providing you with the support you need to get back on your feet faster after your procedure, following post-operative physiotherapy.

• Compress with an elasticated bandage, splint or Tubigrip. Be careful not to wrap it too tightly though, because this can cut off circulation to the area below the bandage and cause further swelling.

Recovery Plus provides you with a personal recovery programme, health check, exercise and diet advice, together with a 3 month membership at a Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing Gym and your own recovery coach. So if you do sustain an injury on your skiing holiday which requires further treatment and physiotherapy at home, Recovery Plus will ensure you’re doing everything you can to maximise your recovery, and get back on the slopes next season.

London Olympics and Paralympic Games, looking after the welfare of athletes from all over the world, which Stuart describes as the highlight of his career.

Dr Stuart Miller is a pioneer of Sports Medicine, specialising in a wide range of sports and musculoskeletal injuries in both recreational and elite athletes, as well as the less active population. His particular interests include running injuries, groin pain and injuries from racquet sports, rugby and football.

He is Chief Medical Officer for the British Paralympic Association, and was the lead doctor for the Paralympic team in Rio 2016, Beijing 2008 and the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi. In 2012, he was the Lead Sports Physician for the

He is also a founding fellow of the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, and in 2008 became the first formally recognised specialist in Sport and Exercise Medicine. At a more local level, he is a Senior Sports Physician within the English Institute of Sport at the University of Bath, and until recently was also the University’s Clinical Director of Sport and Exercise Medicine.

For more information about Recovery Plus, visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol/ recovery-plus

In his spare time, Dr Miller is a keen sportsman, having competed in rugby, swimming, athletics and football. He also enjoys tennis, badminton, long distance walking, and cycling, and took up karate while looking after the national team.

Dr Miller holds clinics at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, The Chesterfield every Thursday from 2pm-6pm. To book an appointment, call 0117 911 5339.

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital The Chesterfield, 3 Clifton Hill, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1BN Tel: 0117 911 5339 www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 85

Andrew Swift.qxp_Layout 2 20/11/2017 16:05 Page 1

GARDENING HISTORY

Remnants of another life in King Square

GHOST TOWN Andrew Swift has been out hunting for signs of the city’s commercial history

T

hose faded advertisements for long-forgotten businesses – otherwise known as ghost signs – are among the most potent reminders of a bygone age, and a surprising number can be found in Bristol. Some are easily spotted, but most are elusive, tucked away in back streets or so faded that only a few stray letters are legible. Yet they can be doorways into the city’s hidden past, and tracking them down and unlocking their secrets can be strangely addictive. If you’re prepared to take the risk, whet your appetite with these stories behind some of our most evocative signs.

• On the corner of Whiteladies Road and Worrall Road, you’ll find a ghost sign dating from around 1884, when WM Appleton opened a cycle depot there. The sign not only advertised bicycles and tricycles, but also perambulators, washing machines and other, now illegible, items. However, at some stage, when it was repainted, the logo of the Cyclists’ Touring Club filled much of the lower part of the sign.

William Appleton also opened a cycle depot in Weston Super Mare, which seems to have been more successful, for around 1892 he gave up the business on Whiteladies Road to concentrate his efforts there.

The Fry’s advertisement on Fraser Street

Perry Road is home to the cheapest house in the city, apparently

• The sign for Easton Colliery is easy to miss, but provides one of the most tangible links with Bristol’s time as a coalmining centre. Easton Colliery opened in 1834, and eventually employed several hundred men. Accidents were a regular occurrence, and in 1886 an explosion claimed the lives of eight miners. It closed, after a prolonged strike, in 1911, and demolition started the following year. The office building on St Gabriel’s Road survives however, along with its sign.

• One of Bristol’s most impressive ghost signs, on Cave Street off Portland Square, is currently covered by scaffolding. It is pictured here (below, right) before the building’s long overdue refurbishment began, advertising the business of Parsons & Co, Boot & Shoe Manufacturers, who were there between around 1876 and 1902.

• Bristol brand Fry’s was established in 1761 and by 1822 was the largest commercial chocolate producer in Britain. In 1885, a trademark was registered for Fry’s Pure Concentrated Cocoa – it can be seen emblazoned on a wall at the end of Fraser Street, overlooking Victoria Park.

• If you walk along Hanover Street – the alleyway south of the Hippodrome – and look up, you will see a 19th-century sign for a piano factory on the back of a building in Denmark Street, where Abraham Dimoline established his factory in 1840. The style of lettering is consistent with this date, making it one of the oldest signs in Bristol.

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Look up as you traverse Hanover Street for the piano factory sign This building on Cave Street advertises a boot and shoe-maker Parsons & Co

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HISTORY

• In 1912, a society ‘to care for the spiritual and social well-being of the deaf and dumb in Bristol’ opened an institute at 4 King Square.

By the time it moved to newly-built premises across the square in 1962, the sign on its wall (our lead image, pictured left) had been repainted several times. Over half a century on, earlier versions of the sign have reappeared as later ones have faded, creating what ghost-sign aficionados refer to as a palimpsest.

• George’s Brewery was absorbed into Courage’s in 1961, but reminders of it still linger if you know where to look. Its sign is on the back wall of a pub which is itself under threat, having been recently forced to close. The Three Crowns on Blackswarth Road in St George dates back to at least 1826, and was rebuilt in 1904, but closed in October amid widespread protests. So far over 1,100 people have signed a petition to save it, along with this reminder of Bristol’s brewing heritage.

• 3 Perry Road is ‘The Cheapest House in Bristol’ according to its ghost sign – the lower part of which has almost completely disappeared. A matching sign – on which ‘Builders supplied with ...tres, ...sses and ...nrichments’ can be made out – has suffered a similar fate. They probably date from around 1890 when number three was occupied by the Cecchini Brothers from Tuscany, who made plaster mouldings or ‘enrichments’ for builders.

• A splendid palimpsest sign can be found on the side wall of 5 Victoria Parade in St George. The building was occupied by Albert West from around 1925 to 1937, which presumably accounts for the earlier sign for West Bros, Builders, Decorators and General Contractors. As for the later sign, the Victoria Cake Co Ltd moved into 3 Victoria Parade around 1927, expanded into number five when Albert West moved out, and commissioned a sign to cover up the old one. Today, both jostle for the attention of passers-by, providing graphic testimony of the building’s history. ■ • Andrew’s books include Ghost Signs of Bath, Walks from Bristol’s Severn Beach Line and, newly-published, Country Walks from Bath.

You can just make out the sign for Easton Colliery

The shrapnel-scarred sign in Temple Gate and, below, Victoria Parade’s palimpsest

• A shrapnel-scarred sign for J Bishop & Co’s Coal Office – an earlier sign visible beneath it – can be found in Temple Gate, on an archway of the original Temple Meads station. The company was founded by Frederick Bishop in 1894, folding two years later. When he appeared before the bankruptcy court in July 1897, it was revealed that he had started the business with virtually no capital, obtained coal on credit, sold it at a loss, spent the money, and then had liabilities of almost £1,400. While so many reputable, long-lasting businesses have disappeared without trace, the name of this one lives on.

The old brewery sign on the back wall of The Three Crowns in St George (image by Tim Belsten)

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 87

Kitchens.qxp_Layout 1 20/11/2017 15:06 Page 1

We’re in love with the Infinity Plus Contour Bumblebee, Baltic & Chalk White

NEW YEAR, NEW KITCHEN? Are you thinking what we’re thinking? Then head to the specialists at Wren – they’ve the biggest kitchen collection in the country

I

f the run up to Christmas has focused your attention on updating your home, the good news is there’s plenty of inspiration to be found at Bristol’s Wren Kitchens this winter – from brand new kitchen ranges to endless extra colours and finishes.

Maybe you’re thinking of remodelling your kitchen or family room, and if that’s the case you’d do well out of a trip to the specialist showroom on Lysander Road – one of 68 nationwide. We’ll bet our bottom tenner that you discover a dream kitchen whatever the budget.

Brand new is the fully built Infinity Plus Ultra collection, available in all sorts of different colours and featuring two of Wren’s most popular designer-style kitchens at affordable prices. You might choose the crisp, complementary profiles of Milano Ultra or try the simple, straight lines of Slab Ultra – both made using the latest technology and aiming to redefine the designer kitchen.

Infinity Plus, designed, manufactured and fully built in the UK by Wren, has all the elements you need to create a bespoke kitchen – with a choice of 15 frontal styles and thousands of unit sizes and special feature units, there are millions of potential combinations so it’s the next best thing to a handmade kitchen.

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Infinity features five of Wren’s most popular styles and colours, and those extra-watchful of the purse strings can try the new Vogue range, with which you are assured of the same quality of units and the same standards of manufacturing as the Infinity kitchens, but flat-packed for further affordability.

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Take a look around and then choose from a wide selection of worktops plus a large range of handles, taps and appliances. There are 100 different types of unit available plus feature units in 17 colours – including wine racks (essential, no?) dressers and pet beds meaning there’s space for everything and everyone.

Since its launch, Wren Kitchens has grown to become the UK’s number one kitchen retail specialist (the largest in terms of retail sales to consumers – rather than trade purchasers – according to Mintel Kitchens and Kitchen Furniture September 2016, and Nobia Annual Report 2015), and has established a reputation for beautiful, well-manufactured kitchens.

...There are millions of potential combinations so it’s the next best thing to a handmade kitchen...

There’s plenty going on at the moment, and the team of kitchen designers are more than happy to talk to and advise anyone looking to get the most out of their space and budget with a clever design. Pick up their new brochure and have a read over the festive holidays, or check out the options online before making a fresh start in 2018. ■ • Wren Kitchens’ winter sale starts on 26 December.

There are kitchens, classic or modern in style, on offer at half price plus an extra 25% off normal prices, which includes all kitchens in the top two Infinity Plus and Infinity ranges; wrenkitchens.com

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 89

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 91

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GARDENING

BROWN IS THE NEW GREEN ...So don’t go clearing everything away after flowering season, says Elly West

W

hen I’m creating planting plans for clients’ borders, I’m nearly always asked for year-round colour and interest. That’s why I have a list of go-to plants – those solid performers that keep giving even when the growing season draws to a close. Those that flower for months, then put on a stunning winter display of seed heads, are worth their weight in gold. Until fairly recently, the trend was to clear borders when plants die back, leaving bare brown earth ready for a fresh start in spring. Think of the grand, double herbaceous borders typical of stately homes, with a team of gardeners to weed, mulch, stake and clear at the end of the season. But there is much beauty to be found in the dead and dying, and the trend today has moved towards leaving plants standing over winter, only clearing them in early spring when the new growth starts.

The Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf pioneered this trend as a leading figure of the ‘new perennial’ movement. His approach utilises grasses and perennials, planted in blocks and chosen for their shape and form rather than flower colour.

Texture is key, as is seasonal beauty. “The skeletons of the plants are for me as important as the flowers,” he says, and as such he chooses plants that have an ‘afterlife’, which in turn makes them better for overwintering insects and the ecosystem. You can see his work at the Hauser and Wirth garden in Bruton, Somerset, which is open all year round. He’s designed the planting scheme for the entire site, including Oudolf Field, a large perennial meadow with plenty of grasses 92 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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that come into their own in autumn and winter, creating a landscape of swaying brown fronds.

If you’re planning a year-round garden, make sure at least 25 percent of your plants are looking good in each season so you have an even spread. Invariably, spring and summer will dominate as bulbs pop up, and fresh green leaves sprout in abundance, but when you’re choosing new plants, keep in

...There is much beauty to be found in the dead and dying; and the trend has moved towards leaving plants standing over winter... mind what they will do in winter as well. Think about which way the sun shines, especially the low sunlight of the winter months, and try to position plants with interesting seed heads where they will be backlit to best effect. Coated in frost and sparkling in the sun, the effect can be magical, and is somehow all the more appreciated in winter when gardens can often look bleak and bare.

Above: Sedum seedheads continue to put on a display through winter, especially when dusted with frost

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GARDENING

I love using ornamental grasses in borders, mixed with perennials and shrubs, to add movement and also for their long season of interest. If you have the space, go tall, as the fronded plumes are more likely to catch the low winter light. Miscanthus sinensis has airy plumed seed heads from August right through until January or even longer, fading from gold to a silver-grey and reaching two metres or more in height.

There are some attractive variegated and dwarf forms as well.

Clump-forming calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ is another favourite that’s great as an informal hedge or screen, with its multitude of upright bronze flower stems reaching around a metre tall. A smaller grass that cries out to be touched is stipa tenuissima, or Mexican feather grass, which has particularly soft, feathery fronds. At around 60cm tall, it can be squeezed into just about any space or is happy in containers.

There are also plenty of flowering perennials that more than earn their

Doing it up brown: Elly’s top five plants • Phlomis russeliana: The candelabra seed heads combine well with wispy grasses and stand tall and sturdy through the winter • Hydrangea: Large flowers dry to form long-lasting pom-poms in shades of beige, bronze and cream • Stipa tenuissima: One of the most tactile of grasses in my opinion, and compact enough for just about any garden • Lunaria annua: Also known as honesty, the silver coin-like seed pods are great for indoor displays • Sedum spectabile: When the flowers die, the seed heads continue to put on a display, especially when dusted with frost

keep after the blooms have faded. Honesty is more often grown for the seed heads than the flowers. While the blooms aren’t too noteworthy, the seed heads light up the winter border with their luminous, paperthin, penny-like discs. Phlomis russeliana is another plant that I prefer after the flowers have died, the seed heads creating a distinctive tiered effect like balls on a stick.

Hydrangeas actually benefit from being left standing in winter.

Leaving the large mop-head flowers protects the tender new buds from frosts as they form, so resist cutting them back until spring. The faded flower heads will sparkle in the sunlight when glazed with a winter frost.

Eryngium, or sea holly, has distinctive thistle-like seed heads that create a delicate, lacy network, while sedums are great all-rounders from late summer through the winter, when their flat panicles of flowers fade and crisp up into beautiful, dark brown seed heads.

Seed heads can also be cut and brought indoors to add to flower arrangements or to use on their own. A few stems in a vase make for a good seasonal display, or you can spray them gold or silver to add a touch of festivity.

This style of gardening, leaving plants standing, is a trend that suits low-maintenance gardeners, as well as those who want to do their bit for wildlife. Not only will your garden look good, but it will provide much needed food and shelter for birds and small mammals in the colder months. The more you leave, the greater the variety you’ll provide to cater for different creatures. Teasels act as a magnet for butterflies and bees in summer – and then their seed heads look great as well as being loved by goldfinches. Birds will prise out the seeds of many different plants, including sunflowers, honeysuckle, coneflowers and echinops, and beneficial insects and their larvae will find homes in old stems and seed heads.

So think twice before you pick up the secateurs, as you might just be depriving your garden of some winter wonder. Sometimes it’s good to be messy...

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DECEMBER 2017 | THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 93

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Now’s the perfect time to get your garden ready for the weather ahead.

I’ve wasted countless days and a small fortune, trying to maintain tired wooden fences that looked dreadful and always required yet more work.

Discovering Colourfence has changed things forever!

It’s scientifically tested and rated to ensure when professionally installed it can withstand wind gusts of up to 130mph. This year when my neighbours are wasting precious leisure time treating their fences with a variety of preservatives, I’ll be giving my Colourfence a quick hose down then sitting back to enjoy my garden.

As the Colourfence system offers a lasting solution to fencing woes it’s easy to see why many regard it as the premier fencing solution on the market.

Colourfence won’t rot and it resists weather that quickly damages wooden fences, it has none of the drawbacks of wood but plenty of added bene ts and it’s better value too! High quality AND

great value – it’s a customisable product with a variety of colours and styles offering a first rate finish. The materials and fitting are so good that Colourfence is guaranteed† for 25 years!

To find out how Colourfence might benefit you and arrange your free no obligation quote, I strongly suggest you call one of their helpful experts.

THE COLOURFENCE PROMISE Virtually maintenance free Saves time and money – no annual treating required Guaranteed for up to 25 years† Unbeatable value compared to other fences Versatile range of colours & sizes No risk professional installation

KF PIF full Page December 17.qxp_PIF Full Page 25/11/2017 09:57 Page 1

BRISTOL PROPERTY | IN FOCUS

W

oodfield Road is in a desirable residential situation in the heart of Redland; a mile from both Clifton Village and Gloucester Road. The beautiful brickwork and bay windowed frontage sits back from the road and the interior has been enhanced and carefully maintained. There are four floors of accommodation allowing for flexible use, and the Victorian proportions give an abundance of natural light. Lovely period features can be found throughout. The ground floor reception rooms are a gorgeous mix of the traditional, with fireplaces, cornicing and sash windows, along with contemporary style and comfort. All the sash windows have been refurbished and some have original shutters. The kitchen/breakfast room is immaculate and finished to the highest standard and includes integrated Miele appliances. The kitchen overlooks the rear garden and doors lead out from the dining area making this the perfect entertaining space. On the upper floors there are four consistently sized bedrooms. The master bedroom has a separate dressing room and luxurious en suite shower room and the spacious family bathroom has a walk in shower and fabulous roll top bath. The potential for further living space can be found on the lower ground floor, currently used as cellar, workshop and utility and there is also the possibility (subject to consents) of creating a further bedroom in the extensive loft void. There’s an easily maintained walled garden to the front and the south facing rear garden blends a level lawn with decking. Parking comes in the form of an allocated off street space for one vehicle. This is a gem of a property with space for a growing, or extending family to put down some roots and early viewing is recommended.

26 WOODFIELD ROAD REDLAND

Knight Frank, Regent House, 27A Regent Street, Clifton, Bristol. Tel: 0117 317 1999

Guide Price £1,095,000

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

• Four bedrooms with space to expand • Immaculately presented • Period features • Family bathroom, en suite to master bedroom, 2 guest WCs • Private gardens and access to communal gardens • Parking

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DECEMBER 2017

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 95

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PROPERTY NEWS UPDATES FROM THE SECTOR Each of the new properties comes with Ballerina kitchen and access to the landscaped courtyard

ON THE MARKET

GAME-CHANGER

TOP PRIZE

More than 2,000 homebuyers in the Bristol area have used Help to Buy to get on to the housing ladder or move to a larger home since the scheme was launched in April 2013, according to latest government figures.

First-time buyers accounted for 81 per cent of sales – local housebuilder Barratt Homes believes the scheme has been a real game-changer for many, and the figures come as the government announces an additional £10billion for the scheme to help more people get on the housing ladder. “It’s great to see so many people benefitting from the scheme which makes home ownership more affordable,” said Andrea Pilgrim for Barratt Homes – currently working on developments in Charlton Hayes, Park Farm, St Matthias at Fishponds, White Church Court and Lyde Green.

“It’s vital we keep spreading the word that buyers need just a five per cent deposit to buy a new home – these figures demonstrate how popular the scheme has become.”

Help to Buy allows any homebuyer to secure a brand-new home under £600,000, with the government lending 20 per cent of the value of the property in the form of an interest-free equity loan for five years, meaning buyers gain access to some of the great mortgage rates currently available with just a 75 per cent mortgage.

Chappell & Matthews has announced a prize draw offering Bristol residents the opportunity to win mortgage or rental payments for an entire year.

One lucky person will win the main prize, which is up for grabs for anyone who wishes to enter the draw via the Chappell & Matthews website – simply click on the link and fill in the entry form – or, alternatively, for those who pop into their nearest branch in person. In addition, another 11 names will be drawn from the hat as runners-up, to have their council tax paid for a year.

Running across all brands within the Countrywide Group, the competition launched last month and will run until Wednesday 31 January.

Since 1913 Chappell & Matthews have successfully handled the sales and lettings of town and city, village, country and coastal property, farms and estates, from Bristol to Bournemouth. According to exclusive research to mark the launch of the prize draw from Countrywide – Chappell & Matthews’ parent company as well as the UK’s largest estate agent – average mortgage payments in the UK are £7,837 per year (increasing to £11,854 in London and reducing to £6,068 in Scotland) so the prize will make a huge difference to one local resident’s life.

All winners will be contacted directly within seven days of the draw taking place.

• barratthomes.co.uk

• chappellandmatthews.co.uk/prize-draw

96 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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DECEMBER 2017

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No 162

The latest batch of homes have been launched at award-winning development The General in Bristol.

The New Yard offers 71 properties, arranged in four buildings and with a central landscaped courtyard in the heart of The General. Mostly one and two-bedroom apartments, there are also a small number of three-bedroom apartments, duplexes and houses.

Each property is offered with a luxe, fully inclusive specification – rare for new-build developments these days – and Ballerina kitchens with stone worktops and appliances from Siemens, as well as sleek marble-tiled bathrooms.

“The New Yard offers house hunters the best of both worlds – the efficiency and ease of a new-build home combined with the benefits and historic appeal of The General,” said Suzanne Aplin, sales and marketing director at City & Country. “There has been great demand for one and two-bedroom apartments at The General, as professionals seek a stylish city-centre home. The New Yard will give buyers a perfect opportunity to get onto the housing ladder. We expect the onebedroom apartments in particular to be some of the most popular across the development and we are encouraging interested parties to register for more information now so they are not disappointed.”

The contemporary new buildings have been designed to reflect the industrial past of the site, where historically a range of warehouses once stood. Flour House and Sugar House comprise 63 apartments in total, with some featuring private terraces or balconies. Meanwhile Lawrence House and Gingell House (named after local architect W.B. Gingell who designed much of the original hospital) include a collection of just eight three-bedroom houses and duplexes, all with garden or private terrace.

The New Yard apartments have guide prices from £250,000 to £750,000.

• cityandcountry.co.uk

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

(0117) 934 9977

FOR SALE

43 BROAD STREET

• Waterfront studio style offices

• Busy city centre location • A3 restaurant, shop or office use…

• From 428 sq ft (ground only) to c 2,300 sq ft (whole) • Terms on application

• C 1,500 sq ft • Unique development • Only £250,000

164 WHITELADIES ROAD

FOR SALE – PORTISHEAD OFFICES

• Prominent busy location

• Modern office building

• 2,314 sq ft

• Shop with A2 consent

• 9 car spaces

• 733 sq ft

• Freehold price o/a

• £17,500 FOR SALE PENTHOUSE OFFICE SUITE

ECONOMICAL OFFICES • 1,720 sq ft + 420 sq ft stores + 6 car spaces • Avon Valley Park, St Annes, BS4 • New lease • Only £8.90 per sq ft

• Close to Queen Square BS1 • 2,433 sq ft • Modern open plan

51 PARK STREET BS1

RETAIL / CAFÉ BS1

• Large retail unit with A3 use

• St Stephen Street

• 1,300 sq ft + basement

• 350 sq ft

• Busy location

• New lease

• Busy pitch

• £11,000 pax PORTLAND SQUARE – BS2

UNION STREET BROADMEAD PRIME RETAIL UNIT

• Located on the prestigious Portland Square • 3,360 sq ft – floors from 532 sq ft • Car parking to the rear for up • Flexible lease terms

Julian Cook FRICS

Jayne Rixon

Burston Cook December.indd 1

MRICS

Charlie Kershaw MRICS

Finola Ingham MRICS

Tom Coyte BA Hons

• 705 sq ft sales + 624 sq ft lower ground • High footfall – great pitch • New lease • Only £25,000 pax

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

• Rent reviews • Property Management • Investment Sales / Purchase • Development & Planning • Dilapidations Advice

21/11/2017 11:52

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

BEST WISHES for 2018

at BURSTON COOK

We look forward to helping you in the New Year!

Julian C ook

Jayne Rixon

Fino la Ingham

Charlie Kershaw

Tom C oyte

Our Bristol Team

David Burston

Emily, Lucie & Hayley

Chl oe Burston

Our National Team

(0117) 934 9977 Burston Cook December.indd 2

• • • •

Sales / Lettings Acquisitions advice Valuations Landlord & tenant

Our Marketing Team

• • • •

Rent reviews Development advice Investment Dilapidations

• Property Marketing • Auction Services • And more.... visit our website for more info 21/11/2017 11:52

THANK YOU TO OUR CLIENTS & FRIENDS FOR HELPING US TO HELP OTHERS Jakes Wheels Jake, an amazing young man suffers from muscular atrophy and needs to urgently upgrade his wheelchair to aid his mobility – we are proud to help Jake and his family

Bristol Down Syndrome Trust Helping to advance the development and education of children with Down Syndrome in Bristol – www.bristoldownsyndrometrust.org.uk

Julians’ 400 miles in 4 days £8,500 raised for local Charities

Lord Mayor’s Children Appeal Helping Bristol’s poorest children at Christmas.

A ‘Life for a Cure’ Meningitis Appeal Working with Michelle Bresnahan (founder of this amazing Charity) to raise money to save lives. www.ryanbresnahan.org

BURSTON COOK LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THEIR SUPPORT OF LOCAL CHARITIES THROUGHOUT 2018 Burston Cook December.indd 4

21/11/2017 12:55

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PROPERTY

LIFE COULD BE SWEET...

Take up residence in an old chocolate factory, you say?

Okay, there’s no Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room à la Willy Wonka, but the facilities at St Monica Trust’s inclusive new retirement accomodation are still pretty cool...

T

a-daaaa! With all work now completed on the much anticipated Chocolate Quarter – the new residential development on the site of the former Cadbury’s factory in Keynsham – and facilities open to the general public, we thought we ought to, you know, show you round the place.

The £60million development from Bristol charity St Monica Trust offers a luxury retirement zone – although not quite as we know it, with 136 retirement apartments and 93-bed care home Charterhouse, plus pretty impressive facilities intended for the entire community, with a view to encouraging intergenerational use and preventing isolation of the elderly.

There’s also office space and retail outlets, and residents and visitors can dine at authentic pizzeria B Block, chill out in a spa or get the blood pumping in the gym before diving into the swimming pool or getting in some quality viewing time at the cinema. There are even craft studios for woodwork, pottery and art skills to be honed in, plus a hair salon, barbers and nail salon for when a little personal grooming is in order.

Once home to some of the nation’s favourite treats, the site was previously the location of the Somerdale Factory, originally built in the 1920s by J.S Fry and Sons. The iconic red brick buildings have been lovingly refurbished to maintain their landmark status and interiors have been designed to maintain the integrity of the heritage at the site.

Well-known for pioneering accommodation solutions that enable residents to enjoy and maintain their independence, the Trust has always aimed to challenge the retirement village model by pushing new boundaries in the sector. “The care home market has changed and developed so much over the last few years and with The Chocolate Quarter we really wanted to create something special, and fit for the future,” said chief executive David Williams. “We want it to be used by all, to create a hub of social activity that negates the need for older people to feel like they’re being isolated and instead allows them to feel part of a buzzing intergenerational community. The site has historically played such an important role in the local community and with The Chocolate Quarter we want to restore that, while building new homes tailored to the needs of aspirational older people.”

Next to the River Avon, with quite fabulous views, but only a fiveminute walk to the centre of Keynsham, the Quarter affords a mix of town and country living, with apartments coming complete with balconies, gardens and terraces as well as access to communal rooftop gardens. Jane Clayton Interiors has taken charge of aesthetic design, and each abode includes a laundry room, en-suite walk-in showers, Neff’s slide-and-hide oven doors, underfloor heating and night lighting – even motion sensors which turn on low-level lighting for night time bathroom visits. Nan and gramps, take note...

• Check it all out at the community open day on 2 December, when there’ll be pizza demonstrations, smoothie masterclasses, kids’ film screenings as well as the chance to find out about gym membership, residential show homes, nail and hair salon services and art classes; thechocolatequarter.org.uk 100 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE

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DECEMBER 2017

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No 162

The old factory was originally built in the 1920s

Get the blood pumping in the gym

Prop.qxp_Layout 7 20/11/2017 15:13 Page 2

PROPERTY ART

Don’t want to cook? Head to one of the lovely new eateries

Dive. Right. In.

THEBRISTOLMAG.CO.UK

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DECEMBER 2017

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THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE 101

Clifton

Andrewsonline.co.uk

Highland Square, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2YB ÂŁ650,000

0117 405 7659

A striking four bedroom townhouse with spacious and flexible accommodation arranged over three floors. Set just off Whiteladies Road with all of the features most would expect in a Clifton townhouse of this calibre.

Energy Efficiency Rating: D

clifton@andrewsonline.co.uk

To view more properties and other services available visit Andrewsonline.co.uk

Bishopston Andrewsonline.co.uk

Nevil Road, Bishopston, BS7 9EQ ÂŁ600,000

0117 944 4400

Andrews December.indd 1

A well presented bay fronted, four bedroom end of terrace home with lots of original charm and character throughout.Downstairs the accommodation comprises a living room, second reception room/fourth bedroom and then a separate dining room with the kitchen beyond. Upstairs there is a family bathroom, master bedroom benefitting from an en-suite shower room and two further bedrooms. Externally the property has open aspects to the front and rear and side access to the rear garden.. Energy Efficiency Rating: E

bishopston@andrewsonline.co.uk

To view more properties and other services available visit Andrewsonline.co.uk

20/11/2017 15:33

Westbury-on-Trym Andrewsonline.co.uk

53 Fallodan Way, BS9 4HT £715,000

Bespoke, stylish and individual all describe this four bedroom detached house with cloakroom, utility room, fourth bedroom/study, stunning kitchen / dining room and lounge has full width bi-folding doors opening out onto the beautiful 47’ x 38’ rear garden. Energy Efficiency Rating: D

0117 405 7685 westburyontrym@andrewsonline.co.uk

To view more properties and other services available visit Andrewsonline.co.uk

Harbourside Andrewsonline.co.uk

Rownham Mead, Hotwells, Bristol, BS8 4YD £410,000

0117 911 4749

Andrews December.indd 2

Facing a private communal green, this is a well maintained 3 bed property comprises of a double glazed porch area leading onto the living room, a kitchen/diner, three bedrooms and a bathroom. French doors from the kitchen/diner open to a south-facing, paved garden with well-stocked borders; a rear gate also provides access to the house. A separate garage is situated nearby. Energy Efficiency Rating: D

harbourside@andrewsonline.co.uk

To view more properties and other services available visit Andrewsonline.co.uk

20/11/2017 15:34

Henleaze 108 Henleaze Road, Henleaze

t: 0117 962 9221 Email: henleaze@cjhole.co.uk

MONTROY CLOSE, HENLEAZE Guide Price £765,000 A substantial, natural four bedroom detached 1930’s style family home, built in the early 1950’s and positioned within a quiet cul-de-sac in central Henleaze. The ground floor consists of a spacious hallway, two receptions, front with bay and “Claygate” fire, and rear with French doors leading to a 18m lawned family garden, kitchen/breakfast room and downstairs cloakroom/WC. The first floor has a central landing, four family bedrooms, bathroom and separate WC. Further benefits include a detached garage with modern roof, private driveway for several vehicles in tandem format, gas heating, double glazed and marketed with no onward chain.

EPC E.

Westbury-on-Trym 25 Canford Lane, Westbury-on-Trym

t: 0117 950 0118 Email: westbury@cjhole.co.uk

COOMBE BRIDGE AVENUE, STOKE BISHOP Guide Price £650,000 A significantly extended, semi-detached four bedroom family home including loft conversion with ensuite. Three additional bedrooms and modern family bathroom, the ground floor has a welcoming hallway with dual aspect, living room with bay window and open fire, second reception dining room overlooks and leads to garden, extended modern kitchen with triple aspect overlooking family garden, downstairs cloakroom WC, 23m x 14m garden, garage and double driveway in tandem format. EPC D.

Other offices also located across Bristol and Somerset

CJ Hole December.indd 1

23/11/2017 10:54

Bishopston 92-94 Gloucester Road, Bishopston

t: 0117 9232 888 Email: bishopston@cjhole.co.uk

NORTH ROAD, ST. ANDREWS Guide Price £585,000 SOLD - DISCREETLY MARKETED

ELTON ROAD, BISHOPSTON Guide Price £775,000 REDLAND GREEN SCHOOL CATCHMENT

A stunning period residence ideally located in St Andrews within a moments’ walk of the popular Gloucester Road and St. Andrews Park. This semi-detached home is set in an enviable plot boasting a brick paved driveway offering parking for two vehicles, secure side access and a large family garden enjoying a secluded sunny aspect to the rear. Internally the property has been much improved by its current owners and offers to the ground floor: welcoming entrance hallway, bay fronted lounge complete with open fire, dining room, cloakroom and extended kitchen breakfast room opening onto the rear garden.

To the first floor can be found three bedrooms and the family bathroom.

Retaining a wealth of original features throughout, further benefits include modern gas central heating and spacious under croft storage area. EPC E

We are delighted to offer to the sales market this substantial semi-detached Victorian family home arranged over three floors; located just off the Gloucester Road and within the APR for Redland Green School. The ground floor comprises bay fronted reception room, further reception currently used as a study, and, a full width lounge/dining space with bay opening onto the kitchen. Five wellproportioned bedrooms, one with ensuite, and, the family bathroom occupy the upper floors. Externally, there is a family garden boasting an open aspect with a spacious patio and lawn. This property is a welcome addition to the local market; an internal inspection is highly recommended to appreciate the quality and space on offer. EPC E

MANOR ROAD, BISHOPSTON Guide Price £595,000 NO ONWARD CHAIN

CLAREMONT ROAD, BISHOPSTON Guide Price £900,000 SOLD ON OPEN DAY

Offered to the market with no onward chain is this stunning period family home ideally located in West Bishopston just moments from the popular local school on Bishop Road and the many amenities on Gloucester Road. Spanning three floors, the property offers, in brief: welcoming entrance hall, bay fronted lounge with fireplace, second reception room with double doors opening onto the rear garden, cloakroom and a spacious dual aspect open plan kitchen diner to the ground floor. The first floor offers three double bedrooms and the family bathroom. The internal accommodation is completed with an impressive master suite to the top floor boasting Juliette balcony, ensuite shower room and built-in wardrobes. The property further offers a west-facing landscaped rear garden.

Retaining a wealth of period features throughout yet benefitting from tasteful improvements by its current owners; an early inspection is required to appreciate the space and quality of this well-apportioned property. EPC D

This spacious semi-detached period family home is located in the ever popular West Bishopston within the APR of Redland Green School and just moments from Gloucester Road. Sat within an envious elevated plot, the property boasts spectacular south-facing views across Redland complemented by a raised deck, a brick paved driveway offering off street parking and a spacious brick built garage/workshop. Internally the accommodation offers an entrance vestibule, hallway, cloakroom, sun room, lounge, study, kitchen/diner and utility to the ground floor. The first floor offers four well-appointed bedrooms, the master complete with en suite and dressing room, along with a family bathroom.

The property also offers basement, undercroft and garden room with WC, all accessed via the rear garden. Further benefits include replaced double glazing throughout and modern boiler along with income generating solar panels installed and owned by the current owners. EPC C

Other offices also located across Bristol and Somerset

CJ Hole DECEMBER.indd 1

21/11/2017 11:49

Clifton t: 0117 923 8238 (sales) t: 0117 946 6588 (lettings) clifton@cjhole.co.uk

www.cjhole.com It’s too cold, it’s too wet, the house doesn’t look it’s best’. There are all sorts of reasons why people put off selling in winter, but did you know that almost four million people were searching for property on Rightmove during Christmas and Boxing Day last year? And there are all sorts of solid reasons why you can successfully sell before spring. If a house is ever to feel welcoming and warm, surely, it’s winter? There’s no need to wait for the most competitive time of the year when buyers

have traditionally more choice, we can definitely help you sell or let in December. Besides - what’s not to like about a twinkling tree in Clifton Village, ice on the grass tips of Durdham Downs and the steamy windows of cosy city bars after a stroll down our famous Christmas steps? Realistically? Bristol sells whatever the season.

Howard Davis M.N.A.E.A Managing Director - CJ Hole Clifton

CLIFTON Guide Price £599,950 A well-presented modern semi-detached house in an attractive Clifton mews. The house offers: Lounge, kitchen/breakfast room with doors leading to enclosed patio area, three bedrooms, bathroom and detached garage. We strongly recommend an early appointment to view this superior Clifton mews house. EPC TBC

CLIFTON Guide Price £995,000 A Victorian house with a versatile interior, which is currently arranged as a Top Floor two bedroom flat with sun terrace, a First Floor one bedroom flat and a Lower Ground Floor and Hall Floor two bedroom maisonette with garden. Ideal investment property. EPC’s 2 x C, 1 x D

Download our dedicated iPhone App today

CJ Hole Clifton November.indd 1

22/11/2017 09:56

CLIFTON Guide Price £485,000

CLIFTON Guide Price £359,000

A grand and beautifully presented hall floor apartment located on a popular tree lined road in Clifton. The property comprises: Lounge, good sized kitchen/diner, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. An early inspection to view this property is recommended. EPC TBC

A well-presented garden level flat situated in a most convenient location. The flat has its own private entrance, living room, kitchen, utility/storage cupboard, two double bedrooms (bedroom 1 with built in wardrobes), bathroom and conservatory. Offered with no onward chain. EPC D

REDLAND Guide Price £320,000

CLIFTON Guide Price £225,000

An individual and beautifully presented Grade II listed cottage with the convenience of local shops just a short walk away. This lovely home has been sympathetically modernised over the years and has managed to retain much of the character you would expect to find in a listed cottage. EPC D

An attractive two bedroom retirement apartment a stroll away from nearby Whiteladies Road, Clifton Down Shopping Centre, restaurants and cafes. Situated on the first floor the property offers: Hallway with storage cupboards, living room with bay window, kitchen and bathroom. EPC B

REDLAND SOLD – VENDORS FEEDBACK

STOKE BISHOP SOLD – VENDORS FEEDBACK

Vince exceeded our expectations. We could not have asked for better from an estate agent. We felt we could completely trust Vince’s advice and rely on his expertise. Our sale was quick as he had said it would be, indicating the price and marketing were spot on.

Rachel Smith - often got more information from her about what was happening than from our solicitor. Always felt she was doing what she could to help move things along. Vince also helpful.

Download our dedicated iPhone App today

CJ Hole Clifton November.indd 2

22/11/2017 09:54

Redland ÂŁ275,000

Clifton Office 0117 946 6007

Two bedroom flat

A perfect flat for someone keen to take on some cosmetic updating.

The flat is situated in a superb location just a few minutes walk from Gloucester Road, with 2 equal size double bedrooms and spacious rooms throughout. The property also has allocated parking and use of a communal garden. EPC - TBC

oceanhome.co.uk

Ocean December.indd 1

Westbury-on-Trym Office 0117 962 1973

Poplar Avenue ÂŁ585,000 Four bedroom house

This truly stunning 4/5 bedroom Family home is located in a quiet cul-de-sac area of Stoke Bishop and really needs to be seen to be appreciated. The current owners have completely modernised the property throughout to create a very welcoming, spacious living environment. EPC - D

21/11/2017 09:54

Cotham ÂŁ315,000 Two bedroom flat

A superbly maintained and presented first floor flat situated in a very convenient and popular area of Cotham, just a short distance from Whiteladies Road, Gloucester Road and the City Centre. A large living room, plenty of natural light and a private sun terrace make this a lovely flat in a great location. EPC - TBC

John Repton Gardens ÂŁ525,000 Four bedroom house

This beautifully presented four bedroom detached family home is positioned within a quiet cul-de-sac in the sought after John Repton Gardens. The ground floor accommodation offers welcoming hallway, downstairs w/c, and two reception rooms, with the dining area providing access to a conservatory. EPC - D

Ocean December.indd 2

21/11/2017 09:32

Rupert Oliver FP.qxp_Layout 1 22/11/2017 10:06 Page 1

Rupert Oliver FP.qxp_Layout 1 22/11/2017 10:06 Page 2

Lower Almondsbury, Bristol | OIEO ÂŁ895,000 A superb detached family home close to excellent local schools, situated in enclosed south facing gardens with an expanse of parking and generous internal living accommodation.

Detached family house | Currently a successful Bed & Breakfast | Versatile family accommodation | Drawing Room Dining Room | Study | Superb open plan family kitchen & snug | Conservatory | Five bedrooms and four bathrooms (three en-suite) | Delightful south facing gardens | Driveway parking for numerous vehicles and an integrated garage | EPC: E Circa 2775 sq. ft (258 sq. m)

Fieldgrove Farm | Bitton

Guide Price £1,399,950

A fabulous period farmhouse presenting an exceptional lifestyle opportunity, equidistant between Bristol and Bath. This superb property is located along a private no-through lane and bordered by its own 9 acre paddock, incorporating a small copse. In addition, the period farmhouse has an outstanding fully converted 37’ party barn.

EPC: G

Cedar Tree House | West Stoughton

New Price £899,950

Country living at its very best. Set within a lovely hamlet of West Stoughton just over a mile away from the Saxon village of Wedmore. With a grand total of sixteen properties within the hamlet, the order of the day is peace and quiet along with horse riding, dog walking and family.

Fine & Country December.indd 1

20/11/2017 16:14

The Orchard | Emersons Green

Guide Price ÂŁ775,000

These two very unique five bedroom homes were built in the early part of this millennium. Hidden away behind electric gates and at the end of Emersons Green Lane these properties boast three bathrooms, three receptions, a superb open planned kitchen family room and plenty of parking.

EPC: D

Barrow Court | Almondsbury

Guide Price ÂŁ575,000

Just west of Bristol City Centre is the small but rather exclusive Barrow Court development. Set within the countryside, offering stunning and far reaching views, but also offering very flexible accommodation set over three floors, is this very attractive former Coach House.

Fine & Country December.indd 2

20/11/2017 16:14

RichardH arding Chartered Surveyors • Estate Agents • Auctioneers • Valuers

CLARE ROAD, COTHAM

guide £915,000

SALISBURY ROAD, REDLAND

guide £975,000

A most attractive and engaging, 4 bedroom semi-detached Georgian style villa (circa 1860) arranged over two levels with front and rear garden plus off-street driveway parking. A fine period residence with a civilised atmosphere and generously proportioned accommodation throughout. Principally arranged over two large floors with plenty of light and space. Enjoying an elevated position with views, close to Cotham Gardens Park and Redland train station, within easy reach of the amenities of Gloucester Road and the city centre, university and hospital areas. EPC: E

An attractive 5 double bedroom Victorian semi-detached family home situated in a lovely leafy Redland location within just 600m of Redland Green School and further benefiting from a 55ft south westerly facing level rear garden, off street parking, integral garage and exciting scope for gentle cosmetic updating to suit individual requirements. Loved and enjoyed by the current family owners for the last 47 years, this property retains many period features and has a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Enviable location for families within a short stroll of Gloucester Road/Cheltenham Road and Zetland Road, nearby the green open spaces of Cotham Gardens Park and Redland Green Park. EPC: F

Professional, Reliable, Successful

0117 946 6690 www.richardharding.co.uk 124 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2RP

Richard Harding December.indd 1

20/11/2017 15:35

LEESE NAGLE Here to accommodate I N D E P E N D E N T E S TAT E A G E N T S

TEL: 0117 962 2299

www.leeseandnagle.co.uk

125 STOKE LANE, WESTBURY-ON-TRYM, BRISTOL BS9 3RW

|

sales@leeseandnagle .co.uk

WESTBURY ON TRYM £550,000 We are delighted to present to the market this extremely rare 2 bedroom detached bungalow with a southerly facing garden in a lovely cul-de-sac. The property is on the level and offers great access to the amenities in Westbury Village as well as Stoke Lane. The house is offered chain free and is a prime opportunity for a local downsizer. Viewing Highly Recommended. EPC - F

WESTBURY ON TRYM £695,000 We are delighted to offer this fabulously presented 1930’s 4 bedroom detached family house located on this popular fairway. The house is conveniently a short walk from the centre of Westbury village, Canford Park, Blaise Castle Estate and Henbury Golf Club. EPC - E

Leese & Nagle December.indd 2

21/11/2017 11:50