Bristol Sounds is back with a stellar line‐up of legendary acts
SKIN STORY
One inclusive make‐up brand is taking on toxic beauty standards
FAR EAST FEASTS
Avoid Japan’s cherry blossom crowds and follow this culinary trip instead
MAGIC MATHS
How an artist’s dream led to a trailblazing method that’s radically changing mathematics
Our essential guide to the best music, food, comedy and nature festivals this year
Vivid
Artist
Alison Larkman has created new experiential art involving people living with ME and long-Covid
Tuck into dinner at one of the city’s newest eateries, French concept Lapin
Travel content for everyone, whether you want to stay in the UK or explore as far as you possibly can
Local interior designer Kay James reports back from London Design Week with the latest trends
EDITOR from the
Welcome to this kaleidoscopic whirlwind of a May magazine, where our features shimmer with sequins, morph from creature to concept and burst with colour like a festival field at golden hour. It may feel as though you’ve walked straight into the mayhem of festival field mid-Saturday afternoon, straight from a quiet day at your desk. Feeling a little dazed?
As your unofficial host, my job is to pour you something chilled, wrap you in a fabulous kimono and guide you through this joyous cacophony. Let’s make sense of the magazine we’re about to dive deep into together.
First stop: artist Brook Tate’s tent. I hope you’re ready to take an otherworldly trip inside his dreamscape and find out how performing as a multi-dimensional zebra helped him devise a colour- and shapebased maths problem-solving method that’s landing on the school desks of primary school children across the country this month. Intrigued? He’s ready – sketch book in hand – to explain it all on page 22. Deeper in the woods, page 44, there’s a giant Mirrorbox from the mind of Alison Larkman. Step inside and you’ll hear stories from voices who can’t join the festival in person, but who shine all the brighter within its mirrored walls for being heard.
We haven’t forgotten the festival essentials either: plenty of co-ord outfit ideas that’ll have everyone in the crowd asking you where you’ve been shopping (page 14) and some luminous beauty looks for your face and hair (plus something to keep you smelling sweet all weekend) on page 16.
If all this talk of long weekends spent with loved ones in a field has you inspired, then check out the line-ups in our ultimate festival guide on page 30. And if you’re more ‘retreat under the stars’ than ‘dance till dawn,’ don’t fret. On page 60 you’ll find some special UK getaways to help you, well, get away from it all.
Publisher Steve Miklos
Email: steve@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Financial Director Jane Miklos
Email: jane@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Editor Rosanna Spence
Tel: 0117 974 2800
Email: rosanna@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Editorial Assistant Isabelle Blakeney
Email: isabelle@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Digital Editor India Farnham
Email: india@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Production Manager Jeff Osborne
Email: production@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
Advertising Sales Liz Grey
Email: liz@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
For advertising enquiries, please contact us on 0117 974 2800 Email: sales@thebristolmagazine.co.uk
The Bristol Magazine is published by MC Publishing Ltd. An independent publisher.
Every month, The Bristol Magazine is hand delivered to more than 15,000 homes in selected areas. We also deliver direct to companies and businesses across the city. Additionally, there are many places where we have floor-stands and units for free pick-up: The Bristol Magazine 0117 974 2800
Rosanna Spence
CLIFTON ARCADE
Shindig Festival. Image by Dan Cadell
We specialise in design, manufacture and installation of bespoke kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, home studies and media cabinetry.
Bristol Walk Fest is back throughout May (which is also National Walking Month), with a wealth of walking-related events and activities. There’s something for everyone, from nature trails, scenic hikes and historical tours to walking sports, family-friendly strolls and culutral walks. So, grab your favourite pair of walking boots, and don’t forget to stay hydrated! bristolwalkfest.com
Explore gender stories
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery will explore the complexities of gender identity in the upcoming Gender Stories exhibition starting 31 May. Featuring works by Grayson Perry, David Hockney and Catherine Opie, this groundbreaking exhibition invites visitors to delve into the multifaceted world of gender, challenging traditional binary narratives and exploring how gender intersects with sex, identity, and sexuality across cultures and history. Trans artist and educator, Mister Samo, has been commissioned to create two large murals in situ in the lead up to the exhibition launching. brism.us/gender
Attend a wine tasting
Virgin Wines is bringing one of its sought-after tasting events to Bristol, as the company celebrates its 25th anniversary. Promising an enjoyable fun-filled day out for all those wine lovers out there, Virgin Wines’ team of experts as well as some of their talented winemakers, will be at Ashton Gate Stadium on 17 May, with more than 150 of its best hand-crafted boutique wines ready to try. This tasting is an excellent way to try wines you otherwise wouldn’t, explore different wine regions and grape varieties and discover some exciting new favourites. virginwines.co.uk/events
See exciting new theatre
Revolt She Said. Revolt Again by Alice Birch (pictured) is a series of intimate, sharp and darkly funny vignettes where language, behaviour and power collide, grieving the inherited violence that shapes womanhood. The George Devine award-winning play, described by the Daily Telegraph as “a cluster-bomb of subversion”, is part of a series of double bills (showing alongside Deposit by Matt Hartley) from the 19th Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Summer Festival, on at Bristol Old Vic from 22 May until 14 June. (Photo by Edward J Felton.)
Tickets for all eight plays over the four-week festival available via bristololdvic.org.uk
Cruise around the harbour
Join Mr Brunel for Brunel’s Great Bristol Packet Experience on board Bristol Packet’s Bagheera. Cruise around Bristol’s historic harbour, with Mr Brunel as your guide. While at sail, you will discover the stories behind some of Brunel’s greatest work and how his projects changed not just the city, but the whole world! Disembark at Brunel’s SS Great Britain and spend the rest of the day at your leisure exploring the iconic ship, plus two fascinating museums that bring history to life. Available at various dates this summer.
Book your tour via the website ssgreatbritain.org
Awakening , courtesy of Mister Samo
The City is t
The City is t
Image credit: Katie Simmons
MyBristol
Meet local filmmaker Arthur Cauty
I moved to Bristol on a whim – I didn’t know anyone here and really didn’t know anything about the place – but I’ve lived in and around the city for 12 years now, and it feels more like home than anywhere else. My childhood was split between London and Devon, so Bristol feels like a perfect midpoint. It’s smaller than London but still has a lot going on, plus loads of accessible green spaces and beauty spots nearby to escape to – so it’s a good fit for me.
One of the things that attracted me to Bristol as a filmmaker is the city’s sense of independence and community. I’ve always found the film scene here to be friendly, welcoming, and inclusive. There’s less gatekeeping, fewer egos, and more collaboration. There’s also a kind of punk, do-ityourself mentality that I identify with and that’s always been central to how I work. For me, Bristol is an encouraging and motivating place to make films – I’ve never had to look far to find a compelling story to tell.
Somewhere that’s inspired me is the Bristol Megascreen – which for those who don’t know is the formerly forgotten IMAX theatre, now part of the Bristol Aquarium. The team at Forbidden Worlds Film Festival brought it back to life in 2022 and have been running festivals and one-off screenings there ever since. It’s an awesome space in the truest sense of the word, and the subject of my new film, The Big Picture, which – fittingly – premieres at Bristol Megascreen on Wednesday 28 May to open this year’s Forbidden Worlds Film Festival.
I moved to Bristol long after the IMAX had closed, and weirdly, I’d lived here for nearly a decade before I’d heard anything about an IMAX being here. I knew the building – a big, cylindrical red-brick tower on the Harbourside – but since it’s right next to the aquarium, I just assumed it was a giant fish tank. Turns out a lot of people shared that assumption!
The Big Picture tells the story of the old IMAX and how it came to be revived as a community cinema space. It opened for the millennium, but a series of problems led to it closing in 2007, with everything – the screen and the original IMAX projector – left sealed inside. Just the fact that it had remained intact, yet weirdly completely forgotten, right in the middle of a city with such a thriving film scene – I thought was crazy. But what really grabbed me was the story of the people reclaiming the cinema. It wasn’t demolished, it wasn’t taken over by some corporation – it was revived as a community space. That was really exciting to see. At its heart, it’s a story about Bristol’s film community – people who had the passion and vision to bring this incredible space back to life.
I’ve always been a fan of Aardman, although I’m still yet to find a way to incorporate stop motion into my documentary work! David Attenborough and the Bristol-based BBC Natural History Unit have been a positive influence on my work, too – not just for their technical craft, but for their thoughtful, human-centred storytelling. I’m also inspired by more independent voices in the city. There’s a strong culture of grassroots, socially conscious filmmaking here. Projects that come out of places like Watershed or Calling the Shots often challenge conventional formats and tell powerful local stories with global relevance.
Watch The Big Picture at the Bristol Megascreen on 28 May, 7pm. Tickets available via forbiddenworldsfilmfestival.co.uk
Plans for Quakers Friars revamp submitted
Exciting changes could be coming to a bustling corner of the city centre, as plans have been submitted by Bristol Alliance Partnership to transform the Quakers Friars area into an even more modern destination blending wellness, work and shopping.
At the heart of the proposal is a revamp of the first floor above the current shops, where space will be opened up for new uses – potentially including a health centre and flexible workspaces. Down at street level, shoppers can expect redesigned shop fronts that make better use of window space and allow for brighter, more open displays. There are also plans to merge two smaller shop units on Narrow Weir into one larger, more flexible space, while behind the scenes, extra storage will be added to support existing retailers. While the exact mix of new tenants hasn’t been confirmed, the upstairs space could become anything from a modern GP clinic to co-working offices. There’s also the potential for a new two-storey retail or café-style unit.
You can explore the plans in full on the council website: pa.bristol.gov.uk
Boots Cribbs Causeway store gets a glow up
The Boots store in Cribbs Causeway has been given a health and beauty makeover of its very own, with a revamped look that includes major upgrades designed to improve the shopping experience.
Beauty fans looking to expand their collection are in luck thanks to a modernised beauty hall, where they can find more than 30 new premium brands launching for the first time in Boots, including Rituals, Prada, Milk MakeUp, YSL, Urban Decay, Neom, Drunk Elephant, Kerastase, NARS, Aveda, Ouai, Laneige and many more.
The much-loved brands haven’t gone anywhere though, so customers will still be able to buy products from No7, Liz Earle, Soap & Glory and Boots’ own brand ranges in store. Shoppers can also enjoy access to unique services, such as hair styling on GHD and scalp analysis from Aveda.
People seeking healthcare will find everything they need in one area, with health services, the pharmacy and Boots Opticians now located closer together for ease. More private consultation rooms have also been added to increase access to vital services – such as vaccinations and blood pressure checks.
The store is also home to a number of other health and beauty services, delivered by specialist experts, which you can find out more about by visiting the website.
boots.com | 116 The Mall, Cribbs Causeway Shopping Centre, BS34 5UP
Wylde Jewellers
Celebrates Sale of 1,000th Wylde Flower Diamond®
Nicholas Wylde, renowned jeweller and designer, is thrilled to announce the sale of his company’s 1,000th Wylde Flower Diamond®, a landmark achievement in the brand’s distinguished history. The Wylde Flower Diamond®, celebrated for its exquisite beauty and superior craftsmanship, has become a coveted symbol of elegance and love since its inception.
Featuring 81 precisely-cut facets, with the eight facets on the base specially crafted to reveal the breath-taking flower-like shape that gives the diamond its name, this signature design ensures a brilliant sparkle and remarkable depth, capturing light from every angle.
“We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone,” says Nicholas Wylde, Founder and Designer. “The Wylde Flower Diamond® is designed with precision and passion, and each one represents the culmination of artistry and craftsmanship. The sale of our 1,000th diamond is a testament to the dedication of our team, as well as the love and appreciation from our clients around the world.”
Each Wylde Flower Diamond® is a work of art, carefully graded by the International Gemological Institute (IGI), one of the longest-established and most respected diamond grading organisations in the world. The diamonds are graded based on weight, clarity, and colour, ensuring the highest standards of excellence. Additionally, each diamond is laser-etched with a unique number and the Wylde Flower logo on the girdle, marking its authenticity and individuality.
Avon Wildlife Trust announces bold new dairy farm project
Avon Wildlife Trust has acquired a 44-hectare former dairy farm on the North Somerset Levels and Moors.
Thanks to support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the charity is taking on one of its largest projects to date, with a vision to turn Ebdon Farm into a haven for biodiversity by letting nature take the lead.
The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has acquired the farm on behalf of Avon Wildlife Trust and provided a two-year window to allow time for the Trust to raise funds to take ownership over the long-term.
The Ebdon Farm project has been supported with development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to allow the project to progress its plans to apply for a full grant of £4.25million at a later date. This will enable the Trust to discover more about the habitats and wildlife on the farm, and to liaise with the local community about what makes this location special and what would make a good community resource in the future. avonwildlife trust.org
Bristol artists celebrate 80 years of Moomins at Southbank Centre
Afghan artist Nabil Amini, who’s a member of Bristol Refugee Artists Collective, is collaborating with Bristol-based Woodland Tribe to create a big build of the Moomin House, Moomin pier, bathing house, bridge and boat on the Riverside Terrace in London this month (23 May until 1 June).
Moomin 80: From Afghan Valleys to Moominvalley is cocommissioned and co-produced by Counterpoints Arts and the Southbank Centre, made possible by the support of Moomin Characters Ltd., and is in celebration of 80 years since the publication of the first Moomin story, appearing ahead of the centre’s Refugee Week 2025 programme (poster section shown below). If you’re planning a half-term trip to London, check out one of the many events planned – children are invited to join the fun, explore the installation, create art together and help decorate the house, boat and pier. southbankcentre.co.uk
Ebdon Farm gate (Photo: Stephanie Chadwick)
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Match made IN HEAVEN
Step into the holiday season with our curated collection of stylish co-ord sets available from local fashion outlets – ideal for sun-soaked breaks away, sparkling soirées and relaxed evenings in the garden, where great food and golden hour moments linger long into the night...
Tide Flow Wide Leg Linen0 Trousers, £75.95, all in Pine0 seasaltcornwall.com0
CHANEL
Chance Eau
Splendide
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100ml
£149
KÉRASTASE
Nutritive, High
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Shampoo for Very Dry
Hair With Niacinamide
PositivelyGlowing
250ml, £26
URBAN DECAY
Slick Day Clear
Brow Gel
£24
Boots at Cribbs Causeway has recently had a glow up, and is now home to more than 30 new premium brands, from Prada to Drunk Elephant and YSL. With a summer full of festivals ahead, treat yourself to some luxuriously luminscent looks that will make sure you stand out in the crowd (and smell great all weekend, too)... boots.com | 116 The Mall, Cribbs Causeway BS34 5UP
YSL
Black Opium
Illicit Green
Eau de Parfum 75ml, £112
PRADA
Dimensions
Refillable
Eyeshadow
Palette
SOL DE JANEIRO
Cheirosa Perfume Mist
Discovery Set, £38
LANEIGE
Water Bank Blue
£67
MILK MAKEUP
Cooling Water
Jelly Tint Stick
5g, £22
Hyaluronic Cream
Moisturiser 50ml
£33.50
RITUALS
The Ritual of Mehr Sweet Orange & Cedar Wood
Foaming Shower Gel 200ml, £10.90
DRUNK ELEPHANT
C-Firma™ Fresh Day
Vitamin C Serum
28ml, £70
Production images of War Horse, featuring the cast (credit to Brinkhoff-Moegenburg)
A battle cry
Inspired by Sir Michael Morpurgo’s best‐selling novel, the National Theatre’s acclaimed production of War Horse is back galloping around the country, with a stage stop at Bristol Hippodrome 3‐21 June.
Vicky Edwards talks to the award‐winning author...
Marking 110 years since the start of the First World War, the new tour of War Horse also coincides with the 40th anniversary of the book’s publication. Selling more than two million copies world-wide, the backstory of Sir Michael Morpurgo’s literary thoroughbred is every bit as captivating…
“I was born in 1943 in London, so I was aware, very early on in my life, what war did to flesh. A gentleman called Eric Pearce used to come to tea with us. He was a lovely man and I knew that he was a war hero. He had been a Fleet Air Arm pilot. He was very smart, but he had terrible burns on his face, an ear and fingers missing and only one eye. Mother always told me not to stare, but I couldn’t help it. Well, Eric lived to be almost 100 and I kept up with him. On my last visit to him I apologised for staring at him as a child. And he said something rather wonderful: ‘I remember very well indeed. And I liked it. What I never liked was when people looked the other way.’”
Other examples of the human cost of World War II that were close to home include Michael’s Uncle Peter, a handsome young actor who was killed in action. “The shadow of war hung over everyone long after D Day. We didn’t talk about being depressed, but we’d say that ‘it was difficult to laugh.’”
“ What if the horse, as a neutral observer, told the tale about the universal suffering of war? ”
Motivated by an interest in military history, he went into the army. But while it gave him a real understanding of the power of camaraderie, ultimately he couldn’t square war as being in any way sensible. He left, he says, “on a point of principle.”
Going on to become a teacher, a decade later, in 1976, he and his wife Clare relocated to Devon. Setting up Farms for City Children, a charity enabling children from disadvantaged communities to experience the adventure of working together on farms in the countryside, they settled into rural life.
‘I was there with horses’
In the local pub, The Duke of York, Iddesleigh, Michael encountered Wilf Ellis. An octogenarian who had served in WWI when he was seventeen, one day Ellis opened up to Michael. “And Wilf said something that day that was to become life changing for me. He said ‘I was there with horses.’ He then spoke about his experiences, including how he had been at the bottom of a mud-filled trench when a German soldier carrying a bayonet approached and yet, for some reason, couldn’t follow through.
“He also told me this: ‘All we had was fear. We each dealt with it however we could; some went silent, some screamed and some went mad. What we couldn’t do was talk to each other about it.’ But Wilf told his horse things that he couldn’t tell anyone else. The horse was his best friend. And then he said to me something I couldn’t quite believe. He said: ‘And that horse, he listened.’”
Discovering that as many horses as men were killed during WWI, an idea came to Michael: “What if the horse, as a neutral observer, told the tale about the universal suffering of war?”
Aware that this had been done in stories like Black Beauty, but still not entirely convinced, he dithered. Then, one rainy evening on the farm, he spotted a young boy in the yard. A visitor with the Farms for City Children programme, the child, who was non-verbal, was standing by a stable door. About to send him inside, Michael realised that the boy was talking to the horse. “A fellow sentient creature that he trusted, he talked to the horse as a friend. And the horse was listening. It wasn’t sentimental; there was a relationship.”
Albert and Joey
He started to write War Horse. Encompassing themes including family and community, courage, loss, hope and reconciliation, the remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey is set against the backdrop of the First World War.
Published in 1982, the book received critical acclaim but didn’t sell in any notable numbers. Then, 23 years later, Tom Morris at the National Theatre approached Michael. Morris wanted to stage a play with an animal puppet at its heart. His mother, having heard Michael talking about the book on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, believed that War Horse could be the perfect story. “Thank goodness he did what his mother told him for once!” says Michael dryly.
Initially fearful that Joey would be reduced to a pantomime horse, he accepted Morris’s invitation to watch footage of South Africa’s ground-breaking Handspring Puppet Company. “The video was of this extraordinary giraffe puppet walking across the studio floor. I found that I was crying. It was so moving and done so well. I thought if they can do this with a giraffe, they can do it with a horse.”
And they did. The most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, beautifully adapted by Nick Stafford and directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse engages audiences of all ages. Powerfully moving, dazzlingly inventive and with stirring music and songs, it has won more than 25 major awards, thrilled 8.3 million people worldwide and sent sales of the book soaring.
One of the most life-affirming plays you will ever see, the new tour schedule includes a visit to Bristol – a city that has strong artistic connections for Michael. “Tom Morris was director at the Old Vic there for many years, but also my wife’s father [Sir Allen Lane] went to school there. He went on to found Penguin Books.” n
War Horse is at Bristol Hippodrome from 3 to 21 June 2025. Tickets are available online via atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome.
Kaiser Chiefs
Supergrass
Olly Murs
The Fratellis
The Sounds of music
Open‐air concert series Bristol Sounds is back this summer, from Wednesday 25 to Sunday 29 June, promising five unforgettable nights of live music set against our city’s iconic waterfront backdrop. Here’s a taste of what you expect from this year’s world‐class shows....
Celebrated as one of Bristol's leading music events and a staple on the UK festival calendar, Bristol Sounds never fails to deliver an eclectic mix of acts, drawing music lovers from across the country. This year is gearing up to be no different with the likes of Olly Murs, Supergrass, Kaiser Chiefs, Texas and The Fratellis announced as headline acts – sharing the stage with an extensive cast of legendary supporting acts to boot.
“We can’t wait to bring Bristol Sounds back to the harbourside for another incredible year,” says Conal Dodds, promoter at Crosstown Concerts, which organises the event series. “It’s always been about the fans and creating unforgettable nights in one of the city’s best locations. When curating our line-up, we want to make sure there’s something for everyone – and regardless of what music you’re into, you’re guaranteed to have a good time. There’s always such great energy at the Amphitheatre from the artists and the crowds and Bristol Sound is more than just gigs; it’s a celebration of live music, right here in the heart of the city.”
Indie legends
Indie rock icons Supergrass, who burst onto the scene in the mid-90s, will bring their genre-defining sound to the Amphitheatre on Wednesday 25 June as part of their 30th anniversary reunion tour, which will see them playing their debut album I Should Coco in full – proving they're still at the top of their game.
Kaiser Chiefs will also bring a night of indie magic to Bristol Sounds with their smash hit bangers including I Predict A Riot, Oh My God and Ruby. The Leeds-based band, led by Ricky Wilson, have been a festival favourite for over a decade and guaranteed to bring a crowd-pleasing performance crammed with hits. Taking over the stage on Thursday 26 June, this will be the first time the band has played Bristol’s Amphitheatre in 10 years – and a very welcome return.
Then Saturday 28 June will see The Fratellis explode onto the stage, bringing iconic hits such as Chelsea Dagger and Whistle For The Choir to the festival. Saturday’s Bristol Sounds will kick off earlier than the other days, providing an afternoon-to-evening extravaganza packed with incredible live performances from legendary acts.
All-round anthems
Legendary Scottish band Texas will take over the Amphitheatre on Friday 27 June, complete with a set filled with their five-decade-spanning hits. Celebrated around the world for anthems like I Don’t Want A Lover, Say What You Want and Inner Smile, Texas’ performance promises to be an unforgettable evening of live music.
Pop fans will be delighted to see Olly Murs land on the Bristol Sounds stage on Sunday 29 June, delivering his show sparkling with pop-bangers. Having risen to fame on The X Factor, Olly has since become one of the
UK’s most successful male solo artists, with multiple platinum albums and unforgettable singles like Dance With Me Tonight and Troublemaker
This will be a guaranteed lively evening of feel-good anthems and vibes that will have crowds skip, skip, skipping to the beat
Show of support
This year’s Bristol Sounds headliners will be supported by a stellar lineup of acts. Thursday 26 June will see Brighton quartet Lime Garden –whose debut album One More Thing dropped last year to acclaim – support Kaiser Chiefs. Their fusion of disco, indie and surf rock brings a fresh, unpredictable twist to the stage. Also supporting on the evening will be Morgan Harper-Jones, a Manchester-born singer whose beautifully honest songwriting and soulful delivery has drawn comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman.
Supporting Texas on Friday 27 June are South London indie heroes Turin Brakes, fresh off the announcement of their 10th studio album Spacehopper, out this month. With over two decades of genre-defying music under their belt, and hits including Pain Killer (Summer Rain) and Underdog (Save Me), their rich, emotive sound is the perfect opener for an incredible Friday night.
Heading to Bristol Sounds with Olly Murs on Sunday 29 June will be chart-topping singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan. Like Olly, Lucy first became known from her famed appearance on the X Factor back in 2012. Plus, joining The Fratellis on Saturday 28 June are 90’s icons Cast, Britpop faves Sleeper, Welsh rap legends Goldie Lookin Chain, genre-bending Stereo MCs and and DJ Press Play With Stacey. n
Bristol Sounds takes place from Wednesday 25 June to Sunday 29 June. Tickets are on sale now via bristolsounds.co.uk.
Image credit: Ania Shrimpton
Brook & the Amazing Multicolour Maths Book
Painter, writer and musical theatre maker Brook Tate hit headlines recently with his ingenious Multicolour Maths book. He speaks to Rosanna Spence about his alter‐ego Debra the Zebra, the inspiring dream that split apart the very fabric of reality – and how his life (and now many others’, too) will never be the same again
Brook developing the method while in India (credit: Arto Marttinen)
Eagle-eyed readers may already recognise Brook Tate from one of the many news outlets that picked up his Multicolour Maths book, which has radically altered the way some brains can understand maths forever. It’s really quite something to behold – especially for someone like me whose frustration with numbers drove me to tears many times as a child. But we’ll get to his incredible maths method in a moment, because besides crunching numbers (and transforming them into colourful mandalas) Brook is a multi-talented artist who’s been blending the worlds of painting, writing, and musical theatre in his unique style.
His creative world is a mind-bending menagerie of animal characters, technicolour mathematical mandalas with an honest vulnerability running throughout that has followed him on a near-10-year self-healing journey, starting from being ex-communicated from the Jehovah’s Witness community in 2016, taking him up to present day.
A self-taught painter and guitarist, his creative journey began in 2011, selling portraits of his friends before venturing into the theatrical world and discovering his parallel universe alter-ego Debra the Zebra (she began life as a simple character created for Brook’s nieces, but has grown to become so much more… “it’s not just a costume, nor is it drag. Debra is a real person to me; she has her own life and brings a lot of power and positive influence into my own”). His stage works, Mr. Maglump (counting among its audience Andrew Lloyd Webber himself, no less) and My Great Giraffe, both inspired by stories he wrote for his nieces, premiered at the Bristol Old Vic in 2019, with the latter transforming into a picture-book-musical during the pandemic. His 2021 hit Birthmarked was a standout at the Bristol Old Vic and made waves at Edinburgh Fringe 2023, where it was even hailed as one of the ‘Best Shows At Fringe’ by The Stage
There’s a lot going on in Brook’s realm. And despite the fact he’s been busy in talks for more projects that may well see Debra the Zebra’s plane of existence developed into a whole new world of representation for all ages – which he teases includes working with a world-class production house linked some of the most popular and time-honoured shows on the telly – we manage to grab hold of one luminescent idea tumbling from Brook’s brain and explore it in depth in a conversation held via Zoom between Bristol and India. But as it turns out, much like the interconnectedness of all things, Brook’s Multicolour Maths project is inextricably linked to his other creative endeavours – notably the aforementioned Queer zebra.
Brook in Bristol
“In 2016, I was excommunicated from the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and after that, I ended up moving to Bristol,” Brook explains.
He’d been planning to study paediatric nursing at the University of the West of England, yet wasn’t able to join the course due to failing the maths entry test (an important point in this story). But the two days spent in Bristol for the interview process were enough for Brook to feel spellbound by our city. “I just knew I needed to be in Bristol,” he recalls. “So, I packed up my things into boxes – my oil paints, my guitar, and of course, my clothes – and moved here.”
Within the first week, Brook found the much-loved Leftbank Open Mic night and began sharing music he’s written. But the lyrics, which on the surface sounded like romantic break-up songs, actually held a deeper meaning.
“It felt secretive,” he says, “because the lyrics of many of my songs were about being ex-communicated, losing family and losing my faith in God. I was expressing everything I was feeling, but no one really knew exactly what I was singing about. It wasn’t until years later that I decided to share what those songs were really about, and that’s how Birthmarked the musical came to be.”
“ Performing in theatre was taking so much out of me, because it’s such a vulnerable process ”
Birthmarked (directed by Olivier-winner Sally Cookson) told the story of a young gay Jehovah's Witness coming to terms with his sexuality and finding his feet (and high heels...) in a world he once believed would be destroyed at Armageddon. The show also saw Debra the Zebra brought to life.
“As I performed her, I began to subconsciously imagine her existence in a parallel universe… how she became Brook. In the story, she gains flamingo wings and an elephant tusk on her head, turning into this kind of drag, Frankenstein-esque unicorn. But she doesn’t even realise that’s what’s happening to her. She jumps off a mountain, flies so fast that she splits the fabric of the universe, and explodes into a rainbow of colours as she enters our universe… smashing right into me in the belly of Gayle the Whale.”
Despite the psychedelic, playful nature of his storytelling, it’s underpinned by deep existential discovery for Brook. Birthmarked drew an immensely positive reception, but there’s no escaping the intense effects that come with this kind of revealing, personal storytelling.
“Performing in theatre was taking so much out of me because it’s such a vulnerable process. It made me realise just how much I’d given,
Brook as Debra the Zebra (credit: Arto Marttinen)
how much it had helped me grow, but also how burnt out I was. I started to feel like I wanted to do more with my art, something different.”
All change, please
It was after Birthmarked’s stand-out success at Edinburgh Fringe that Brook found himself at a creative crossroads. Between pondering Debra’s journey alongside his own, and choosing a new direction for his art, he couldn’t ignore an intrusive thought bringing him to the very start of his Bristol experience, and it felt like it might offer a solution: “It hit me: it was maths. I needed to understand maths. Why was I even thinking about maths? I was so bad at it, but I became obsessed with the idea.”
So, Brook bought himself a maths textbook, grabbed three random dice he found in a drawer, threw a keychain abacus and his painting set into a bag, then headed to India. “India had been significant for me when I was a Jehovah’s Witness doing missionary work; it helped me see the world differently and led to many realisations. So, I went back there, but just a few days after I arrived, I jumped into a lake, cut my foot open and a seashell got stuck in it. I was on Munroe Island and couldn’t walk.”
Brook dragged a chair under a tree and tried to work through his maths book, frustrating as it was, then after nearly giving up, on New Year’s Eve 2023, the colourful temples and buildings surrounding him took on a new light. “I wondered, ‘how many colours do we have?’ At that moment, I counted them: white, black, brown, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Ten colours. And I thought, I don’t think I’m missing any important ones, and I don’t think I’m forcing anything onto this list. I looked at the 10 colours and then thought, ‘We also have 10 numbers... What if we could do maths using colours instead? So, I painted the colours onto my sketchbook and started experimenting. I tried using traditional maths symbols – addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division – but it didn’t quite flow. It just didn’t work. I kept trying for a few days, but something still wasn’t right.”
A dream come true
The answer, it turns out, lay in a dream a few nights later. Brook had been nervous to talk about this at first, because he thought people would think he was just being “wild or crazy, or maybe too extravagant”.
“But since I started sharing it, I’ve learned so much – about problemsolving, about dreams, and about two states of consciousness called hypnopompic and hypnagogic, which happen when you’re waking up or falling asleep. I think that's exactly what happened to me: my dream, my subconscious, the coincidences, everything lined up perfectly. I was
in the right place at the right time, with the right foot injury, to have this moment of reinvention.”
In this dream, he walked into the Island Gallery in Bristol, and all around the walls were abstract paintings filled with circles, triangles, and other shapes. “They were beautiful, but very abstract, and I immediately knew they were my paintings. But I didn’t recognise them. In real life, my paintings are usually very realistic, so seeing this kind of abstract work was strange. I walked up to one of the paintings, and as I did, I melted into it. Suddenly, I was floating above the gallery, like I was in an astral plane or something. I could see the roof of the gallery, and then the entire city.
“As I floated higher, these patterns just started flowing out of me, like they were dribbling from beneath me, and I saw them stretching out, folding and unfurling. I floated above England, and then above the whole planet, watching these endless streams of colour pour out below me. It was like I was flying in space, watching everything unfold.
“I woke up from the dream and realised: that’s it – this is maths. I knew then that I had to try to capture it. So, early that morning, I sat down and painted my first calculation. And within just under two weeks, the whole method solidified itself.”
So, how does Brook’s Multicolour Maths method actually work? It uses 10 distinct colours to represent the 10 numerals we use, from zero to nine, and three unique shapes: a circle, a teardrop and a triangle.
The circle is just a number, neutral and doing nothing; it’s simply a number. The teardrop represents addition and subtraction, depending on how they’re read, while the triangle represents multiplication and division, again, depending on its orientation. Brook is also keen to further develop the method for people who have colour vision deficiency.
“With these three shapes and 10 colours, a whole world of patterns starts to unfold. It’s endless, and there’s no equal sign, so there’s no hidden pressure or sense of competition – no subliminal message telling you to ‘show me how clever you are’. Instead, it’s all about creating beautiful patterns and doing maths along the way.”
Brook tested his theory working with kids in the village he was staying in, who spoke Malayalam – of which Brook spoke little to none.
“We didn’t share a language, but they still asked me what was in my sketchbook. I told them, ‘I think it’s maths. Now, I’m not a maths teacher, and I was still nervous about maths myself, not really knowing what I had created. But within just 15 minutes, they understood it.
“We spent nearly two hours doing maths, painting with maths. And when I left, I was just blown away. I thought, ‘This is incredible’. After that, it felt like the universe kept nudging me forward, saying, ‘Get this out there. Do it. Now’. And so, here I am. It all started from a dream, and now I’m really invested in it.”
Multicolour Maths uses 10 colours and simple shapes, and can be read in any direction. Shown here: 3 + 5 = 8 and 8 - 5 = 3 (credit: Arto Marttinen)
Brook’s book: Multicolour Maths - Calculate in Colour (Credit: Arto Marttinen)
A class act
The response to Multicolour Maths has been “life changing”, with Brook receiving feedback from teachers the world over who are downloading the course. One Bristol-based teaching assistant emailed to say she’d been working with two students struggling with maths, who after trying the method were painting the two times table until they ran out of paper. The boy was so enthused, he even taught another class how the method works. Multicolour Maths will also land in the hands of primary school children across the country this month as part of a useful toolkit distributed by charity National Numeracy as part of National Numeracy Day activity.
For now, Multicolour Maths is an online course and a self-published book on Amazon, despite offers from publishers, because Brook wants to wait until he has solid research data to show just how powerful the approach really is (he’s currently on the look-out for a research partner, should any readers be interested in supporting its development).
Brook has also been experimenting with applying Multicolour Maths to the periodic table, with the goal of creating a “garden of elements, a whole new concept where each element is represented as a flower, a beautiful, colourful flower”.
While this new world blooms around Brook, his hopes for the project remain the same: “I really hope it helps people like me – adults who just couldn’t grasp maths. The book looks like it’s for kids, and it is, but it’s also meant to help adults understand the foundations of mathematics in a way I never could. I didn’t see the beauty in maths before, and that’s why it felt like a closed door for me when it came to further study. What’s been incredible and motivating throughout this process is zooming out and realising that the majority of people in highlevel roles in society – whether in finance, design, healthcare, science and technology – are people who’ve grasped linear, black-and-white maths. Many of us, especially in creative fields, feel like we’re not ‘intelligent’ in that way. But what I’ve realised through this experience is that it wasn’t me, it was the way maths was presented to me. It was the written form that was the barrier.
“Now I wonder: what could society look like if artists, writers, and creative people could grasp maths the same way they understand their art? What if they could see maths in its beautiful form? Multicolour Maths has been a complete breath of fresh air artistically for me – it feels like an entirely new chapter. It doesn’t have roots in my trauma [like previous work and performances]; it’s all about healing. And seeing it heal others has been incredibly meaningful.” n multicolourmaths.com | Brook’s two books Multicolour Maths Calculate in Colour and Multicolour Maths on Munroe Island are available to purchase from Amazon. All photos taken by Arto Marttinen (artomarttinen.com).
Brook is applying the method to other learning (credit: Arto Marttinen)
What’s On...?
Our guide to the best things to see and do this month
Walk For Nepal n 9-11 May, Multiple Locations
Join local organisation the Pahar Trust and put one foot in front of the other to help raise £10,000 to build two new earthquakeresilient schools in Nepal, providing a safe, supportive learning environment for 131 young students. You can walk 3km or 30 miles, or 10,000 steps a day – it’s up to you! Choose your own location (whether it’s your local neighbourhood or up a mountain, wherever suits) and set up a JustGiving Fundarising page, linking to the Pahar Trust’s Walk For Nepal Campaign page. pahar-trust.org/walk-for-nepal
Help Bristol’s Homeless Paint Fest n 10 & 11 May, 10am until 4pm Spring Street, Bedminster BS3 4PZ
Join a fun-filled day of live painting, live music, food (including jerk chicken wraps) and good vibes. Have you ever wondered how street artists create their masterpieces? See first hand as they transform this area into high-end mural pieces. A variety of cold and hot drinks will be served. Tickets are free on Eventbrite (search HBH Paint Fest 2025), but spaces are limited. helpbristolshomeless.org
In Conversation with Sir Michael Palin n 13 May, 7pm
St George’s Bristol, BS1 5RR
Sir Michael Palin will be welcomed to St George’s for an unforgettable evening of conversation with Mike Gunton, executive producer and creative director of BBC Studio’s Natural History Unit. The two giants of broadcasting will explore their experiences and passions for global travel and adventure from either side of the camera.
Michael’s decades as a celebrated explorer began with the BBC series Around the World in 80 Days in 1989 and has run in parallel with Mike’s extraordinary career producing countless award-winning productions about the natural world. The event is raising funds for St George’s Bristol. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
Harold Stephens: Later Life Financial Planning Under Labour - Free Seminar n 14 May, 1.30pm
Stoke Lodge, BS9 1BN
With sweeping changes to pensions and inheritance tax announced in Labour’s first budget, your financial future may look different than you expected. Join for an exclusive seminar to uncover how these
changes could impact your plans – and what you can do to stay in control. To book your place on this free seminar, delivered by Chartered Independent Financial Adviser, Richard Higgs, call 0117 3636 212 or email community@haroldstephens.co.uk
Pint of Science
n 19-21 May
Wiper and True Taproom, Left Handed Giant Taproom and The Steam Crane
Explore the fascinating research topics brought to life by the awesome scientists who study them. With an array of captivating subjects to dive into, you'll find something that sparks your interest. Topics covered in this year’s local events include journeying through the human body, cancer innovations, methane skies and black holes, and diamond batteries. pintofscience.co.uk/events/bristol
The Waterboys
n 22 May, 7.30pm
Bristol Beacon, BS1 5AR
The Waterboys have been led by Scottish singer/guitarist Mike Scott since the 1980s and have evolved through many line-ups, winning a fearsome concert reputation along
Brass Junkies will perform at Bristol Jazz Festival’s Fundraiser
the way. The band is touring their audacious new album on Sun records, Life, Death And Dennis Hopper, which tells the story of the maverick American actor and trailblazer. Audiences can expect Waterboys classics, new directions, drama, improvisation and musical fireworks. bristolbeacon.org
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Summer Festival
n 22 May until 14 June
Bristol Old Vic, Weston Studio
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School will be taking over Bristol Old Vic's Weston Studio, marking the 19th run of this student-led project. Join for a celebration of collaboration and creativity, which sees graduating directors and designers taking the artistic reins across four double bills. From dystopian farms and clinical drug trials, to absurdist friendships and revolutionary politics, they’re presenting a smorgasbord of contemporary brilliance. Can't choose which double bill to see? Treat yourself to a festival ticket and see all eight plays for just £40!
Tickets via bristololdvic.org.uk
Bristol Jazz Festival Fundraiser
n 28 May, Doors 5pm (6pm start)
The Mount Without, BS2 8FN
Bristol Jazz Festival is making a defiant return with a One-NightOnly Festival Fundraiser: a high-voltage celebration of jazz, community and resistance. The early evening to late-night show will feature performances across two stages from a powerhouse lineup: The Jazz Defenders, The Good Stuff Gospel Choir, Rebecca Nash & Raph Clarkson, The Brass Junkies and Moscow Drug Club. Attendees can expect a genre-spanning journey through modern jazz, gospel, brass and swing. Food will be available in the courtyard and the crypt bar will be open. bristoljazzfestival.co.uk
Barrington Tabb Exhibition and Auction
n 29 May & 5 June
All Saints Church, Clifton & Clevedon Salerooms
A remarkable collection of paintings by renowned Bristol artist Barrington Tabb will be auctioned on Thursday 5 June at Clevedon Salerooms. Ahead of the sale, a private viewing will be held on the evening of Thursday 29 May in the beautiful surroundings of All Saints Church, Clifton. Although the event is by invitation, those with an interest in Tabb’s work are very welcome to attend. To request an invitation, please contact Henry Michallat at hm@clevedonsalerooms.com.
Alliance Française: Open Air Cinema
n 22 May, 6pm
Millennium Square
Experience the charm of French cinema with family and friends in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Need a dose of culture? This free event is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the film Les Algues Vertes with French subtitles and immerse yourself in the joys of French language. Alliance Française also offers language courses, so brace yourself for a summer filled with French culture and vibrant community spirit. Go for the film, stay for the language! afbristol.org.uk
Family Diary
Our pick of the best things to see and do with the little ones this month
Forest Walkies with Wallace & Gromit at Westonbirt n Until 27 May
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, GL8 8QS
Join Wallace & Gromit for the ultimate forest walkies. Bond with your pooch by taking on dog-tastic challenges together, solve crossword clues and have lots of fun along the way – with everyone’s favourite dog and owner duo for company. Follow the route using the OS Maps app to find a series of panels. Each one has a fun challenge for you and your dog to take on and a crossword clue for you to solve. More info on route timings and suitability can be found online. forestryengland.uk/westonbirt
We Are Family: Half-Term Art Workshop
n 27-28 May, 11am until 1pm & 2pm until 4pm Arnolfini, BS1 4QA
Two days of fun for families from Arnolfini Creatives in Residence, Let’s Make Art. For May half term you will be looking at the main themes in the Barbara Walker: Being Here exhibition and families are invited to respond to them in imaginative and joyful ways. Please don’t wear your best clothes, and prepare to get messy! No need to book – just drop in. arnolfini.org.uk
Shrek The Musical
n 14-16 May at 7.30pm and 17-18 May at 2.30pm Winterbourne and District Community Association Community Centre, BS36 1QG
“Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek…” And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand... and his name is Shrek. Watch this amateur production of Shrek The
Musical, based on the Dreamworks Animation Motion Picture and the book by William Steig. Limited tickets are still available via ticketsource.co.uk, or call the box office on 0333 666 3366
Exciting Science
n 25 May, 11am & 2pm
Redgrave Theatre, BS8 3LE
This brand new, exciting and educational show will amaze and astound all ages from 4 years and upwards, as the ‘Exciting’ is put back into ‘Science’ (...see what they did there!) With fun and fact-filled experiments, watch in amazement as a volcanic eruption is recreated; a vacuum cleaner is turned into a missile launcher or have aim taken at you with a smoke blaster! So, stand clear and prepare for action, as this show is full of wiz, bang, pop.... and splurt. redgravetheatre.com
WALL•E at The Planetarium
n 28 May, 6.30pm until 8.40pm
We The Curious, Millennium Square, BS1 5SZ
Bristol Film Festival is presenting another screening of the perennial Festival favourite WALL•E. This delightful sci-fi misadventure is both an epic voyage into humanity’s future, and a nod to silent comedy cinema. Explore The Planetarium’s space gallery before the screening and see if you’re cut out for a life in space, then recline in this unique screening space. As the lights dim, your journey will begin with a tour of the Solar System in a Planetarium star show. bristolfilmfestival.com
Spot’s Birthday Party
n 28-31 May, 11am, 2pm & 4pm
Tobacco Factory Theatres, BS3 1TF
Join Spot and his friends for this engaging and interactive show for everyone age +2 and their grownups. With integrated Makaton, catchy songs, dancing and lots of interactive party games, this is going to be the best birthday party ever! Based on the beloved Eric Hill classic Happy Birthday Spot, this brand-new adaptation is the perfect introduction to theatre for children – they’ll be encouraged to sign and dance along with Steve the Monkey, Tom the Crocodile, Helen the Hippo and Sally and Sam, Spot’s parents, to say a big ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPOT!’ tobaccofactorytheatres.com
Art Skills 7-11's: Painting Stories on Fabric
n 29 May, 10am until 12pm
Royal West of England Academy, BS8 1PX
Paint on fabric, inspired by Sudanese Tobe (traditional women's wear that is hand-painted), using brushes and acrylic colours, while incorporating threads, sequins, and embroidery with artist Maria Faiomy. This workshop highlights how Sudanese textiles, historically symbols of elegance and identity, can also be a tool for empowerment and self-expression. You will explore how cloth connects women across generations and cultures, weaving stories of resilience, creativity, and strength into the fabric. Tickets are £15 from rwa.org.uk
Image: WALL•E (credit: Disney Pixar Studios)
¡Viva la fiesta!
Start planning a summer to remember with our pick of some of the West Country’s finest festivals and events. Want to get your hands on the hottest tickets in (and out of) town? Simply scan the QR codes provided...
SHINDIG FESTIVAL: 22– 25 MAY
GOOD TIMES: 21– 26 MAY
CHIPPING SODBURY
Good Times concerts are heading to Chipping Sodbury this month, promising a range of unforgettable outdoor shows with headline artists including Craig David, Billy Ocean, Sister Sledge, Will Young, Jools Holland, Scouting for Girls, Gabrielle, Skunk Anansie and many more. Expect a huge stage complete with video walls, epic lighting rig and lasers and world-class PA system. There is also a family-friendly concert with Andy and The Odd Socks on Bank Holiday Monday, plus a huge comedy gala finale starring Gary Delaney, Henning Wehn and headliner Katherine Ryan.
Final tickets are available now from goodtimeslive.co.uk
Shindig Festival is back, in spite of all the odds! Dubbed a pint-sized Glastonbury and recommended by Emily Eavis, the festival will be held at a new site: Charlton Park Estate in Wiltshire.
The line up includes Gilles Peterson, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Moonchild Sanelly, Asian Dub Foundation, Ibibio Sound Machine, Artwork, Gentleman’s Dub Club, Dub FX, Mr Scruff ft. MC Kwasi, Dan Shake, Gardna, Romare (Live) and The Reflex. You can expect plenty of secret venues among the arboretum.
Bringing a healthy dose of foot-stomping funk and a packed programme of entertainment for all ages, Shindig Festival offers relaxation and revelry in equal measures.
Tickets are £205 and can be bought from shindigfestival.co.uk
BIG BANQUET: 23 – 26 MAY
Big Banquet returns to Caldicot Castle from 23-26 May 2025. The Street Food Circus event brings together some of the best-known street food traders from across Wales and the West, along with high-wire circus entertainment, and a range of activities for the whole family. The Big Banquet brings feast-style communal dining tables to the medieval castle – with plenty of space for families to spread out around the grounds. Entertainment includes a free circus school for children, high-wire performances, a bubble disco and a fire show. Evening sessions include DJs and on Friday night, the Old Time Sailors, a 20-strong sea shanty band.
streetfoodcircus.co.uk
Image: Edward J Felton
SUMMER FESTIVAL: 22 MAY– 14 JUNE
BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School will be taking over Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio, marking the 19th run of this student-led project.
Join the renowned drama school for a celebration of collaboration and creativity, which sees the graduating directors and designers taking the artistic reins across four double bills. From dystopian farms and clinical drug trials, to absurdist friendships and revolutionary politics, they’re presenting a smörgåsbord of contemporary brilliance.
Can’t choose which double bill to see? Treat yourself to a festival ticket and see all eight plays for just £40!
Tickets: £15 Double Bill, £40 Season Tickets
Book yours at bristololdvic.org.uk
WELLS COMEDY FESTIVAL: 23 – 25 MAY
Wells Comedy Festival has some incredible names on the line-up this year. The BAFTA-nominated and multi award-winning Mark Steel will be heading to Somerset alongside Spencer Jones, who makes a huge return this year as a firm favourite. Live at the Apollo’s Hal Cruttenden is back with a brand-new tour show and Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Lucy Pearman joins the bill. Plus, Sara Pascoe and Simon Amstell (pictured) have both added extra shows due to hugely popular demand. Also on the stellar line-up are Rosie Jones, Amy Gledhill, Glenn Moore, Rhys James, Jessica Fostekew, Nick Helm, Chloe Petts, Katie Norris, Joe Kent-Walters, Chris Cantrill, Thanyia Moore, Abby Wambaugh, Mat Ewins, Michael Akadiri, Peter Rethinasamy, Marjolein Robertson and more! Tickets are selling fast for the festival’s four gala performances, which will feature fabulous line-ups of acts.
Tickets are on sale at wellscomfest.com
HOMESTEAD: 18– 20 JULY
Homestead is a boutique festival for the over 25s, taking place 18-20 July at Fernhill Farm in Somerset.
With a 1,500 capacity and a handpicked lineup of live music, DJs and top-class comedy, it’s a weekend for grown-ups who still know how to party. Expect intimate stages, beautiful countryside, and unforgettable sunrise sets. Tickets include locally-sourced breakfast and a Bloody Mary cocktail each morning, with local food, sustainable practices, and £5 drinks across the site. It’s all the good bits of a festival – no faff, no stress –just three perfect days where wild things play. homesteadfestival.co.uk
Founders Will and Jess Lardner
BRISTOL FILM FESTIVAL SUMMER SEASON:
4– 6 JULY, MALL GARDENS, CLIFTON VILLAGE
Now in its third year, Bristol Film Festival’s open-air, undercover garden cinema event returns – bigger and better than ever!
Taking place in the beautiful Mall Gardens in the heart of Clifton Village, enjoy more than 20 films, from gripping documentaries to feel-good singalongs. Relax in the Central Arena before the film, with drinks, art displays, tastings and local food vendors, then make your way into one the two cinema spaces for the main event. With covered seating, a state-of-the-art LED screen and wireless headphones, enjoy your film come rain or shine – it's a Summer experience that’s not to be missed.
More information and tickets: bristolfilmfestival.com/summer
FESTIVAL OF NATURE: 7– 15 JUNE
The UK’s biggest free nature festival returns this June, with a powerful new theme – all about water – designed to take audiences beyond the typical green spaces and discover the importance of an often overlooked vital life force.
To really make a splash, the centrepiece of the packed nine-day festival will be a living, breathing 8x8m wetland brought to life in Bristol’s Harbourside, being constructed in the middle of Millennium Square. Running across Bristol and Bath, the festival features more than 80 events, most of them free. The theme of water literally runs through the heart of the festival, with the River Avon connecting events in Bristol Harbourside and along Bath’s waterfront, from wildlife boat trips and outdoor exhibitions to paddleboarding taster sessions and screenings with a river view. Highlights include a wildlife boat trip with expert zoologist and TV personality Ed Drewitt on 10 June, exploring how Bristol’s waterways support life from the Severn Estuary to the city’s Harbourside; ex-BBC presenter Ali Vowles’ environmental chat show aboard a boat on 11 June, with guests including environmentalist Natalie Fée and artist Bandele; and the festival’s first ever nature-themed club night, Club SOL, presents Listen to Your Mother, at the Old Market Assembly on 13 June, featuring local DJs, good vibes and summer sounds. For more information, visit bnhc.org.uk/festival-of-nature
DANCING BODY: 5 – 8 JUNE
A new immersive dance festival is coming to Three Pools Farm in Wales this summer – blending 10 styles of movement with the sweaty abandon of a club night. Dancing Body is the freshest offering in the British festival calendar: a three-day celebration of movement whose organisers refused to accept that dance belongs either in bars and clubs or classes in neon-lit mirrored studios. Unlike many dance retreats, Dancing Body is open to everyone – from seasoned shakers to complete beginners – and offers a mix of workshops, parties and wellness experiences with no pressure to perform. By day, the festival will host a lineup of teachers leading participatory workshops in a rich mix of styles including forró, swing, belly dancing, zouk, afro dance, voguing, contact improvisation, 5Rhythms and ecstatic dance – open to all, with no experience necessary. In the evenings the rural venue will transform into a club-style night out, with top DJs, a natural wine bar and a mezcal takeover by London’s Stoke Newington venue, Doña Bar. thedancingbody.com
Image by Anna Barclay
Image by Jonathan Buckley
THE DIG FOR VICTORY SHOW:
14 –15 JUNE
NORTH SOMERSET SHOWGROUND
Step Back in Time with the Whole Family! Celebrate wartime heritage with an unforgettable day out at The Dig For Victory Show – a vintage family festival like no other! Held just outside Bristol on 14 & 15 June, this immersive 1940s experience brings history to life for all ages. Let the kids explore the sights, sounds, and stories of wartime through hands-on learning, re-enactments, and a special 1940s farm. Discover military vehicles, live music and dancing, history talks and vintage stalls full of character. Enjoy the children’s trail, vintage games, delicious local food, a charming tea room and bar, arena events and more. Whether you’re a history buff, vintage lover, or just after a fun and educational day out – The Dig For Victory Show is the perfect way to honour the past, connect generations, and have a blast doing it. digforvictoryshow.com/store
YEO VALLEY ORGANIC GARDEN FESTIVAL:
18 – 20 SEPTEMBER
The first ever Yeo Valley Organic Garden Festival takes place from 18–20 September 2025 in the stunning surroundings of the Yeo Valley Organic Garden, near Blagdon and the Mendip Hills. This three-day celebration of sustainable gardening – without trowelling on the heavy stuff – offers an inspiring mix of talks, demos and panel discussions led by top experts including Arit Anderson, Frances Tophill and Tom Massey. Alongside practical ideas and a joyful, down-to-earth atmosphere, visitors can enjoy garden-themed shopping and delicious, locally sourced food. Expect myth-busting advice and a fresh, accessible take on planet-friendly growing.
Tickets available now at yvogardenfestival.co.uk
BRISTOL SOUNDS: 25– 29 JUNE
Celebrated as one of Bristol’s leading music events and a staple on the UK festival calendar, Bristol Sounds delivers an eclectic mix of acts, drawing music lovers from across the country. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Bristol Amphitheatre from Wednesday 25 June to Sunday 29 June, the open-air gigs offer a stellar summer festival experience. Supergrass; Kaiser Chiefs (with special guests Lime Garden and Morgan Harper Jones); Texas (with special guest Turin Brakes); The Fratellis (joined by Cast, Sleeper, Stereo MCs, and Goldie Lookin Chain); and Olly Murs (joined by Lucy Spraggan) have been announced for 2025 – with more supporting acts yet to be revealed.
bristolsounds.co.uk
Wonders of the world
This month, Gloucester Road Books tell us about four special events taking place as part of Translated By, Bristol: a new festival celebrating translators and translated literature, taking place in the city from 12‐25 May
Translated By, Bristol is founded by author/translator Polly Barton in collaboration with two independent Bristol bookshops: Gloucester Road Books and Storysmith. It is, to the organisers’ knowledge, the first festival of its kind, not just in Bristol but in the UK. Literature in translation is an increasingly significant part of our reading diet in this country, especially for people who buy their books from independent bookshops. As this vast exciting world opens up to us, the team feels it would be missing an important opportunity if they did not pause to consider the process and
Nicol Hochholczerová and Julia Sherwood will be in conversation (13 May) on the new novella, This Room Is Impossible To Eat – go along to discover this unflinching and beautiful work, written by Nicol and translated from Slovak by Julia and Peter Sherwood. In this minimalist, poetic novella with autobiographical elements, Nicol weaves a story of obsession and power and how both can lead to damage and separation. Rich with symbolism, its explosive themes –of eating disorders, abusive control and family dysfunction – are delicately handled with honesty and intelligence.
the people involved in making it happen. The festival will celebrate the art and practice of literary translation, foregrounding the translators themselves. Events will include in-depth conversations with translators, conversations between renowned authors and their translators, discussions of the translation/publishing process, a translation dual and a translation event for children.
Full event info, including location and tickets, are available from the website translatedbybristol.com
Join author Hassan Blasim and translator Jonathan Wright on 12 May as they discuss their new short story collection Sololand with fellow translator Basma Ghalayini. The characters in Blasim’s latest collection all find themselves in impossible positions – from the ISIS cook working undercover to retrieve ancient manuscripts from a desecrated site, to the refugee in Northern Europe unable to process the devastating dislocation of exile. Violence, intolerance and insecurity stalk them at every turn. And yet, for all their trauma, Hassan’s stories – strung through with intrigue and absurdist humour – are somehow able to draw us in and help us appreciate the infinite complexity implicit in even the most black-and-white contexts.
In partnership with The International Booker Prize, Translated By, Bristol will be hosting shortlisted translators for the 2025 award in conversation about their nominated books, and literary translation in general, with the prize's administrator, Fiammetta Rocco.
The conversation (on 17 May) will be accompanied by readings and a Q&A. At the time of writing the final lineup was still to be confirmed. Shortlisted books include: On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated
Translated By, Bristol is proud to present an evening with Max Porter (author of Grief is the Thing With Feathers, Lanny and Shy) in conversation with two close collaborators: translators Saskia van der Lingen (Dutch) and Charles Recoursé (French) on 14 May, who have both translated all of Porter's major works to date. The event will feature discussions with Max, Saskia and Charles, as well as readings in multiple languages, a Q&A and a signing. This will be an incredibly rare and cool chance to discover Porter's hugely beloved body of work in a totally illuminating new way.
from Danish by Barbara J. Haveland; Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated from French by Helen Stevenson;Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda, Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated from Italian by Sophie Hughes, Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi and A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated from French by Mark Hutchinson.
Book shelf
The shortlist is in: six remarkable books are vying for the International Booker Prize 2025. This year’s selection spans seven countries – Denmark, England, France, Japan, Italy, India and Scotland –and for the first time ever, every shortlisted title is brought to you by an independent publisher. The winner will be revealed on 20 May at London’s Tate Modern – with the £50,000 prize shared equally between the winning author and translator/s – but why wait? Dive into the shortlist now and discover the stories everyone will be talking about… Summaries from The Booker Prizes. Visit the website for more information | thebookerprizes.com
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated from Italian by Sophie Hughes, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
Perfection follows an expat millennial couple attempting to live their dream in Berlin, but finding themselves ground down by the inevitable disappointment of the modern world and the warped reality of social media. Anna and Tom are committed to their digital lives, and feel at home among the meticulously curated food and furniture photos they and their friends share daily, but gradually struggle to find meaning in their superficial existence.
Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, published by And Other Stories
Mushtaq – an activist and lawyer – vividly captures the extraordinary everyday lives of marginalised Muslim women and girls in southern India, in 12 witty, vivid and heartbreaking stories, which were originally published between 1990 and 2023. Each of Mushtaq’s memorable characters – feisty daughters, audacious grandmothers, selfless mothers – are fighting to survive and thrive in a society where the odds are stacked firmly against them.
On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated from Danish by Barbara J. Haveland, published by Faber
An antiquarian bookseller is trapped in a time loop, waking up each morning to find it’s always the 18th of November, day after day. The first part of a septology, the original Danish edition was self-published – translation rights have now been sold in over 20 countries. The Washington Post concluded: “If Samuel Beckett had written Groundhog Day it might read something like On the Calculation of Volume”.
Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated from French by Helen Stevenson, published by Small Axes
Small Boat takes the true story of a group of migrants’ tragic attempt to cross the English Channel in a dinghy in 2021, which resulted in the deaths of 27 of those on board, and turns it into a shocking modern morality tale. It’s told largely from the point of view of a woman working for the French coastguard, who received – but rejected – the migrants’ desperate calls for help, and must now explain her actions to the authorities.
Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda, published by Granta Books
Humans in the far-distant future find themselves on the edge of extinction –children are made in factories, while adults are watched over by AI beings known as Mothers. Leaping back and forth across thousands of years, the book asks bold questions about humanity’s strengths and flaws, and our collective resilience in the face of devastation.
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated from French by Mark Hutchinson, published by Lolli Editions
Serre captures the love and despair of an intense platonic friendship between the Narrator and his best friend from childhood, Fanny, who suffers from severe psychological problems. Through a series of fragments of memory that skip back and forth in time, the Narrator struggles to capture the essence of the enigmatic, contradictory Fanny, who always seems to remain just out of reach. Deeply moving, the book was written in the aftermath of the death of Serre’s younger sister.
I WANNA BE ADORED…
STEVE TASKER, co‐owner of Watkins and Tasker Vets, loves being a vet.
Brimming with affection and care, he describes the joyous bond between pet and owner.
Steve, owners adore their pets, tell us more about the special relationship that exists between pets and their owners. Being a vet in general practice is a very special place to be. We get to see such a huge variety of pets each day. All shapes, all sizes. Their owners also reflect the infinite variety of people types! Some are anxious and worried about their pet, most are eager to learn more about their pet’s condition, plenty have become like long-standing friends to the practice. What crosses and binds all of them is the absolute love for their pet. Their adored pet.
What’s it like being a vet these days?
Our job is simple yet complex. It’s important we work with each owner to reach the best outcome
for dealing with and treating whatever the health issue may be. Our vets and nurses are more than capable of this, but it is the external factors that must be considered, alongside the medical ones. Our job is not to plough forward doing everything and anything we can for the patient, but more to produce a sensible plan, catered directly for the individual owner, and their circumstances. We call this ‘contextualised care’, and it means we can do our best for that adored pet, whatever the financial situation may be – through having an open conversation about the ‘range’ of options available. I love that variety. Not all ill pets need blood tests or a CT scan for example, but some do. We can use our experience to guide. That’s a huge privilege.
What makes your practice a special place to work in?
We have three vet practices in North Somerset, being Yatton, Nailsea and Portishead. We have lovely clean and open premises and great bits of medical kit within them to aid and assist treating the variety of pets we see. What’s so much more important is the team of massively talented people that are entrusted by our clients to look after their special pet. From the smiles in reception, to the care and love from the vets and nursing team, not to mention the background support staff, everyone is there because they care. Co-owner Holly Charlton and I are beyond proud of the fantastic team we have.
The practice has a recent ‘new look’. Can you tell us about the ideas behind this?
Of course. Our previous look hadn’t changed for
25 years, and when we initially thought about refreshing our website, it became apparent we needed to update the overall look as well. Working with the brand design team at Ice House Design, we concentrated on the strong bond between pet and owner, comprising love, care, friendship, companionship and trust. This was where our Adored Pet project started. Our new tag line is Your Vets for Adored Pets, and this sums it right up!
We developed the heart shape with the ‘wonky’ cross within it to represent the love for the pet, combined with the medical care we can provide. It’s a slightly off-beat style, some might say quirky (have a look at the font we use!) and we love it. We think it shows off our practice personality quite beautifully.
Steve Tasker BVSc MRCVS. Owner and Vet, Watkins + Tasker Vets
Watkins + Tasker Vets provide veterinary services for all pets from cats and dogs, through to rabbits, guinea pigs and the more exotic pets too. Our hydro.vet offering sees patients for hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and laser treatments. We have a 24hour service and cover all of our own out of hours care. Our vets, our nurses, our premises, 24/7. wtvets.co.uk
Your Vets for Adored Pets
Imperfect perfection
Fresh from her appearance on BBC One show Dragons’ Den, Millie Flemington‐Clare – the accomplished founder of accessible and inclusive make‐up brand Human Beauty – reflects on her experience
Perfect is boring. Human is beautiful. That’s the rallying cry behind Bristol-based make-up brand Human Beauty, an accessible and inclusive venture from Millie Flemington-Clare who was the centre of much discussion online after a memorable appearance on BBC One show Dragons’ Den.
Human Beauty is different to other make-up brands, in that it prioritises good design to help ensure its products are accessible to everyone, including Disabled and Neurodiverse users.
Features include trademarked anti-roll packaging that’s easy to grip, sensory-friendly formulas with no strong smells, and NaviLens and QR codes containing visual and audio descriptions for people who are blind or may have colour blindness. Millie also ensures that inclusive models are used to showcase her products, but also always uses Disabled or Neurodiverse photographers and make-up artists behind the scenes for her campaigns.
Millie knows first-hand the challenges of accessibility in beauty. She is one of just 2,000 people worldwide who live with Cystinosis, a rare condition affecting – among other things – people’s kidneys, eyes and growth rate. So, growing up, makeup became a tool for self-expression and confidence, yet she never saw herself represented in mainstream beauty. This experience has fuelled her mission to ensure that everyone feels seen, valued, and empowered.
Entering the dragons’ den
Why was her appearance the source of much debate? Well, Millie had been hoping for a £50,000 investment from one of the dragons, with a 20% share in her business. Deborah Meaden declared her pitch “the best deal I've ever seen in the den!”, despite the fact that Millie walked away without any financial backing, “…You've given away none of your business and you've got loads of help.” Instead, she was offered the time and
support (ranging from distribution aid, online retailing and sourcing assistance to teaching the “dark arts” of social media) from dragons Stephen Bartlett, Touker Suleyman and Peter Jones.
After her pitch, Millie stated that the dragons’ help would be “gamechanging” for Human Beauty. The aftermath of the show saw the founder receive lots of press attention – with opinions varying from the dragons being ‘condescending’ to jubilation about how lucky she was to get these offers of support.
Since the show, the dragons’ teams have reached out to Millie, with varying levels of support: she received an office tour from Stephen and his team (though at the time of writing was yet to be taught any social media secrets); Peter’s team offered someone to help with Human Beauty’s website, though they found little fault with the existing set-up; and Touker’s people have reached out offering support and advice, though Millie explains that this help – if and when she takes up the offer – will not be free.
“Since the show first aired, we’ve done more sales than ever before,” Millie says. “And ultimately, we’ve reached a much older audience than I’d expected, too. But that just demonstrates that my products, especially the mascara, are suitable for everyone. No one my age [26] watches live TV, and thousands of people don’t have a TV licence.” She notes that because of people catching up on the show via BBC iPlayer and on social media, Human Beauty’s exposure has been more gradual.
How does Millie feel about being a Disability advocate on TV? “Ultimately, there are so many positives and I have made a difference in people's lives. I get hundreds of messages and comments every day on social media, and people spot me in the street to say ‘shout louder’ and thanking me for what Human Beauty is doing. Interactions like that make it worthwhile. It’s a community, and the fact that I am making real changes to the beauty industry, meaning people feel seen and heard, is such a lovely feeling.”
Liquid Confidence™ Mascara
Millie Flemington-Clare
Millie’s mission
Since the show, Millie has been eager to share more of her story – some of which was cut from the final edit. Before appearing on Dragons’ Den, she already had a number of accolades to her name, including featuring in in Superdrug’s Faces of the Future, being named Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2020, Graduate Start-Up of the Year 2023, Judges’ Choice Award at the Santander x UK Awards 2022, and Innovate UK’s Inclusive Innovation Award 22/23 (which included a £50,000 grant).
“I also have a first-class honours degree in digital marketing, which I got while I was having two kidney transplants – right in the middle of my degree,” Millie adds. “And I was told I’d never achieve the Innovate UK grant because Human Beauty was a make-up brand – but it was seen to be innovative. My third-year figures were £65,000 – £60,000 of that was through grant funding and winning competitions because of my pitching skills.”
Human Beauty challenges the status quo of the beauty industry, and likewise, Millie wants to challenge the status quo for what might be assumed about Disabled business founders. “People outside of my world hear ‘Disability’ and think wheelchair user, but actually the reality is, any one of us is just one accident away, or just ageing, to become part of the Disabled community. It's such a wide umbrella term. If your eyes get bad when you're old or you get arthritis or shaky hands, which ultimately, pretty much everyone does as you age, you are part of that community, whether you want to identify as Disabled or not. It's not a bad word.
“In Dragons’ Den history they have never successfully invested in a Disabled female founder. Disabled entrepreneurs are 400% less likely to secure investment and female entrepreneurs only make up 2% of venture capital investment, so being a female Disabled founder in that world is another story. This is despite 25% of UK start-ups being founded by Disabled entrepreneurs.”
The next six months are crucial for Human Beauty, with Millie determined to make her business profitable. “I’m looking for investors who match my ethos and want to make real change,” she says. “Hopefully that will include an investor who’s from one minority group. I’m also working on another business to create much wider societal impact in terms of making brands’ products more accessible. Ultimately, I want to create cross-industry change to make accessible products.”
Millie’s mission to push back against the beauty industry’s “toxic traits that push perfection” continues. “Human Beauty is a make-up brand for everyone though, not just Disabled people. We’re creating cosmetics that are accessible for all, because accessible design is simply good design –making products better for everyone.” n
You can watch Millie’s episode of Dragons’ Den on BBC iPlayer now. For more information about Human Beauty, Millie’s story and to buy her products, visit humanbeauty.co.uk and follow @humanbeautyldn on Instagram and TikTok
Millie during her pitch on Dragons’ Den
ART and exhibitions
Tell Tales by Darcy Whent, Centrespace Gallery, 2-8 May
Tell Tales by Darcy Whent explores memory, identity, and the tension between truth and fiction. Through painting, sculpture, and installation, the exhibition reflects on how childhood memories evolve and how personal history is shaped and reshaped over time. Themes of autofiction, motherhood, and emotional conflict run throughout the work, inviting viewers to question the reliability of their own recollections. Tell Tales is on at Centrespace Gallery from 2-8 May. The private view is on Friday 2 May from 5pm – free entry, all welcome.
centrespace.org | darcywhent.co.uk Centrespace Gallery, 6 Leonard Lane, BS1 1EA
Image: Shimmer (2025) oil on linen 91x91cm
Tapestry of Black Britons, Arnolfini, 9 May until 29 June
Tapestry of Black Britons is a multi-participant evolving artwork touring the UK, curated by founder and creative director Paula Ogun Hector and woven by Bristolbased textile company Dash + Miller. Tapestry of Black Britons aims to elevate Black British History, contributing to and amplifying an inclusive historical narrative that serves as a platform for community remembrance, whilst building awareness that Black British history is British history.
This woven artwork explores the African and Caribbean contribution to Britain from the Romans onwards, echoing the Bayeux Tapestry and incorporating Kente cloth weaving and Caribbean textiles. Individual woven panels will be uniquely created in the style of an artist, featuring portraits, seminal historical moments, protest, joy, African deities and diasporic poetic imagery. This work addresses gaps in British history, drawing attention to more than 1,500 years of Black presence.
arnolfini.org.uk |
16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA
Image: East African Pioneers (1943) on the loom
Credit: Imperial War Museum (K 5145(A). Photo
credit: Dash + Miller. Designed by Paula Ogun
Hector
Summer Rain by Addison Karl at Rainmaker Gallery, 16 May until 5 July
In this exhibition, multi-disciplinary artist Addison Karl (Choctaw & Chickasaw) presents canvases and drawings that offer a counter-narrative to the blankslate mythology of North America. The paintings are landscapes, filled with colour theory and ancestral code. From the desert heat of Arizona to the saturated greens of Oklahoma, the works hum with the quiet resonance of stewardship, of land as relation, not resource.
Paired with these landscapes are ink drawings of imagined yet remembered architecture. Mound cities, re-rendered with fluid geometry and Mississippian visual language. Cosmologies embedded into the built environment. Collective memory of Chickasaw and Choctaw towns mapped into earth over centuries. Massive earthworks layered by hand, built in relationship with the sky and waters, shaped by meaning. Summer Rain is a convergence, a weather system made of colour, memory, and place. It reminds us that even in silence, the land is still speaking – and sometimes, all it takes is rain to re-grow its knowledge systems.
ONE MAN RIOT by Duke Mitchell at Huw Richards Evans Contemporary Art 1–18 May
Duke Mitchell is presenting his solo exhibition
ONE MAN RIOT in Bristol. Mitchell recycles the salvaged and second-hand materials of Bristol by creating original artworks that combine observations with art historical themes and humour – from the streets of Bristol to art galleries, museums and private collections anywhere. Speaking on his pieces, Mitchell says: “From the outside looking in, painting can look like a peaceful, therapeutic process. For me it is a constant internal battle (a ONE MAN RIOT, if you will), forged into an artwork – a battle against the prevailing winds of culture, taste and art production.”
The artist will be in attendance each Saturday afternoon during the exhibition, offering attendees the opportunity to gain insight into his creative process and discover more about individual artworks.
114th Annual Art Exhibition by The Bristol 1904 Arts Society 3–11 May,10.30am – 4.30pm daily
This year, the Exhibition comprises more than 100 excellent traditional and modern paintings, a number of contemporary sculptures and many 35mm film and digital photographs. Paintings will be a mixture of subject including traditional landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still life both representational and abstract.
A new addition this year will be a range of ceramic, metallic and natural wood pieces. The photographs have been especially selected to be both emotive and thought provoking. The Exhibition, the Society’s principal artistic event, will be held in their main hall in the grounds of the Red Lodge. All exhibits are for sale to the public.
bristol1904arts.org | Red Lodge, Park Row, Bristol BS1 5LJ
Clifton Arts Club Members’ Spring Fair, Abbots Leigh Village Hall, 27 May until 1 June
Once again, the oldest, largest art club in the country, Clifton Arts Club brings its Members’ Spring Fair to the excellent Abbots Leigh Village Hall, on the evening of Tuesday 27 May to Sunday 1 June.
The original members were taught by Manet and the 2025 exhibition will not disappoint. The artists include professionals and highly sought after internationally and locally talented semi-professionals using a wide range of media prices start from £35. Free entry and open 10.30am-6.00pm daily, late night opening on Thursday 29th. Snap up a bargain at the Private View on Tuesday 27 May, 6.30pm-8.00pm.
6 Church Rd, Abbots Leigh, BS8 3QP cliftonarts.org
Image: Sheep may safely graze, Woodspring Priory, Stuart Nurse
BS9 Arts Trail – 7 & 8 June 2025, 11am–5pm, Henleaze, Stoke Bishop & Westbury-on-Trym
Discover 87 talented artists at the 2025 BS9 Arts Trail, sponsored by VWV, taking place across 13 venues in leafy north Bristol. Meet local artists and explore a wide range of artforms including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, jewellery, glass, enamel and wood turning. With prices ranging from £3 to £3,000, there's something for every taste and budget – whether you're after a greetings card, handcrafted jug, distinctive jewellery, or a show-stopping painting. New for 2025 is a special prize draw!
Collect stamps from three large and three small venues to enter and win one of seven original artworks, including a cityscape by Chris Dye (pictured), a necklace by Caroline Casswell, a Super Moon print by Emma Catherine, a handmade plate by Prerna Candiramani, and a signed poppy print by Nancy Chambers. Most venues offer amenities like cafés, toilets, and step-free access.
The trail is walkable, cycle-friendly, on bus routes, and has nearby free parking. All venues are easily reached from The Downs. For full details and a free trail map, visit bs9arts.co.uk
Soft Power: lives told through textile art, at the Royal West of England Academy, 17 May until 10 August
Soft Power: lives told through textile art highlights how cloth can play a unique role in telling our stories and is used to communicate life’s journey. As something we encounter daily, cloth creates an immediate connection between the artist and the viewer, making these stories feel familiar and relatable. The artworks focus on storytelling. They bring to light personal and collective experiences, from the autobiographical and hidden struggles of marginalised individuals to stories shaped by major events like the pandemic. The works share intimate and emotional portrayals of selfexpression while making bold statements about empowerment and change. They highlight how cloth can connect women across cultures, recording and reflecting their experiences.
rwa.org.uk | Queen’s Road, Clifton BS8 1PX
Image credit: Alice Kettle
People On A Platform, by Oliver Bennett, Sandwi, 4 May until 28 July
Bristol-based street photographer Oliver Bennett spent a year documenting everyday life at Bristol Temple Meads. Starting this month, people to see a selection of his fascinating photographs at the Sandwi café in Clock Tower Yard (just two minutes’ walk from the station).
People on a Platform captures Temple Meads in all its many moods, from rainy Monday mornings to frenetic Friday nights, from Cheltenham Races week to Glastonbury, from high summer to Christmas. Sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant, these photographs capture moments that we might otherwise miss, showing how the extraordinary can so often be found in the ordinary.
Local artist Alison Larkman’s travelling art concept I Would Be Here If I Could is about to embark on a journey to meaningful places that people living with ME and long‐Covid can no longer easily reach. To coincide with ME Awareness Week 2025 (8‐14 May), Alison tells us more about the project…
Where in the world do you wish you could be right now? Now what if you were suddenly faced with the possibility of not leaving your home for some time – say, for example, you were living with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) or long-Covid? Your choice of destination might surprise you. Far-flung holiday locations could become less important, ushering into their place a certain tree, cherished city view or landmark nearby that you greatly miss.
More than 2 million people in the UK live with ME and Long Covid, including Bristolbased artist Alison Larkman, who lives with life-altering ME. Both neurological conditions share symptoms of extreme fatigue, pain, and cognitive difficulties, leaving many housebound for months or even years. Disconnected from lives they once led, prolonged isolation takes a huge toll. Unseen and unheard in daily life, their absence has made them invisible.
Alison’s work often explores themes of invisibility, fragility and the unseen. A former international rower, Alison studied at Chelsea College of Art, Newlyn Art School and Spike Island. In between those times, she has run businesses, worked with Hell’s Angels and retreated with ME.
It was that very experience – months being housebound due to an ME flare up and dreaming about where she would be if she could – that motivated Alison to create I Would Be Here If I Could, asking other people experiencing similar health issues where they would go if they were able to.
“I thought people would say holidays, but what was really interesting was that ordinary locations came up,” Alison recalls. “One person who uses a wheelchair just wanted to go to the park to see their children on the swing. It made me think, what if someone had just asked to go downstairs?”
Reflecting on this, Alison called out for submissions, gathering stories and locations from people to create a collection of places people wished they could be in.
I would Be Here If I Could has taken the shape of the Mirrorbox – a large interactive sculpture, made in Bristol by Amalgam Modelmaking. Constructed from two-way mirrors, once you step inside and you will disappear from view, but can still see out, so you can listen to the message from the person who has chosen that place while you look out at the place they would be if they could.
The Mirrorbox needed to be easily manoeuvrable (Credit: Alison Larkman)
Alison Larkman with I Would Be Here If I Could (Credit: Sasha Snow)
Constructing the Mirrorbox at Amalgam (Image: Alison Larkman)
“I love the fact that it sort-of interrupts someone’s day,” says Alison. “someone who might be out and about, and there’s suddenly this mirrored box, giving them a bit of a pause and time to think. Either way, they can just walk by, or come in and and find out what it’s all about.”
More than 100 recorded messages have been left for places across the UK from parks to beaches, opera houses to shopping centres for people to listen to via a headset inside the box (there’s also a transcription to read). Through stories and memories, these messages tell of special times and places that are important, amplifying the absence of so many people. “It’s become an archive of voices. And I think the recordings have become their own piece of art, in a way, and I think it's really important that people can keep interacting with it.”
Visitors to the mirror box are invited to write a postcard back to the person who recorded the message and requested the location: “People can find a connection with someone through the love of a place. It’s not going to solve ME or long-Covid, but it’s giving people a voice, letting them tell a story.”
I Would Be Here If I Could’s unique nationwide journey will be starting from Bristol in June, connecting those now absent with those who stand at their place. From an oak tree in Ashton Court to the top of Glastonbury Tor, the Mirrorbox will stop at five well-loved locations in and near Bristol. Then over the next two years, the Mirrorbox will travel across the UK, its journey determined by the project’s participants, stopping only at locations where someone has left a message.
Alison explains that I Would Be Here If I Could is the largest
collaborative art project in the UK co-curated with people living with M.E. and Long Covid – giving voice and presence to those who by their condition are so often absent from the everyday.
“This is social art at scale. A space for so many to express their creative voice and be heard beyond physical boundaries. We are a small team running a big project. More than 60% of the team are living with ME and long-Covid. We come from lived experience and as such a place of deep understanding.
“So many people living with chronic illness and disability have experience and great skills but cannot commit to traditional working patterns due to the fluctuating nature of their conditions. We are looking to challenge that.”
I Would Be Here If I Could has received funding from Arts Council England and The National Lottery Community Fund, but the project is actively looking for further support and partnerships to extend the Mirrorbox’s journey. “The whole project is about people,” Alison says. “It’s a living project, it will always be evolving into the piece of work it needs to be. I love the idea that it will keep popping up all over the place.” n
For more information and confirmed dates of when and where the box will appear, plus to listen to all of the messages left for places across the UK on map, visit iwouldbehereificould.com.
Follow @iwouldbehereificould on Instagram and Facebook. You can find more about Alison’s artwork at alisonlarkman.com
The Mirrorbox at Spike Island (Credit: Andrew Viney, itsviney.com)
Expert opinion
From Chris Yeo, of Clevedon Salerooms and a regular expert on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow
Bristol’s Lowry
Aremarkable collection of paintings by renowned Bristol artist Barrington Tabb (1934–2022) will be auctioned on Thursday 5th June at Clevedon Salerooms. Ahead of the sale, a private viewing will take place on Thursday 29th May in the beautiful surroundings of All Saints Church, Clifton. While the event is by invitation, those with an interest are warmly encouraged to attend. To request an invitation, please contact Henry Michallat at hm@clevedonsalerooms.com.
It has been said that the artist Barrington Tabb (1934-2022) was to Bristol what L.S. Lowry was to Salford. His was a unique artistic talent, a Member of the Royal West of England Academy (RWA), whose instantly recognisable paintings of Bristol, his beloved home city, could be found in the private collections of David Bowie, the Marquess of Bath, and many others.
Born into a working-class family, Tabb lived his whole life in and around the Bristol area. A chance meeting with a French artist who was painting a view of Christmas Steps when Tabb was thirteen was enough to convince the young boy that art was where his future lay but the realities of life intervened and he went on to become an engineering inspector in a bus factory, his artistic ambitions taking a back seat. He began painting in his spare time, developing his distinctive style largely without formal training, allowing his creative voice to flourish freely over the years.
In Tabb’s hands, thickly encrusted strokes of oil paint capture scenes of everyday life in Bristol’s streets, railway sidings, pubs and parks. Strongly influenced by French Post-Impressionism and Primitivism, Tabb’s portrayal of Bristol’s urban landscape is more than mere topography, each scene is imbued with emotional depth and a powerful sense of place; less about how the city looks than how it feels.
Barrington Tabb remains a significant part of the city’s artistic heritage. His legacy continues to inspire artists and art lovers alike, reflecting a true mastery of capturing the spirit of place through his unique, self-taught vision. ■ clevedonsalerooms.com; @chrisyeo_antiques (Instagram)
Barrington Tabb (1934-2022) RWA, Oil on board - Moonlight on bottom of Christmas Steps, Bristol
Grape expectations
Words by Tom Bleathman from The Great Wine Co.
May has finally arrived and Spring is in full bloom. To celebrate this vibrant time of year, The Great Wine Co. is hosting an annual ‘Great Spring Tasting’ and we would love for you to join us. The tasting will showcase 40 different wines that we believe are perfect for the spring and summer months. This includes exciting new discoveries, hidden gems, and of course, some of our all-time favourites. This event will take place in the recently refurbished Treetop Café on Thursday 8 May, 6.30pm-8.30pm. Tickets are £20 and are available either through the QR code below or on The Great Wine Co. website (greatwine.co.uk)
The wines that are available at this tasting are also on offer throughout May. Here are three of my standouts:
2020 Alta Langa Limited Edition, Fontanafredda
A sparkling wine that’s made in the Champagne method and produced by one of Italy’s oldest and most renowned producers, Fontanafredda. Made using a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this is made in a light, refreshing style providing notes of citrus, apple and baking bread. £29.50 to £24.50
2023 Pinot Noir Rosé, Viña Leyda Viña Leyda are one of The Great Wine Company’s iconic producers and have been making a variety of outstanding wines for many years. This Pinot Noir Rosé is expressive, bursting with raspberries and cranberries on the nose. The palate is crisp and tangy, complemented by a creamy texture. You can almost taste the sunshine. £15.50 to £12.50
2016 Gran Reserva, Sierra Cantabria
Sierra Cantabria are regarded as one of Spain’s top wineries and their expert hand means it’s a one-way ticket to deliciousness! The nose is brimming with figs, dark chocolate and vanilla bean and the palate has super-soft tannins, crammed with pronounced flavours of dates, seasoned wood and liquorice. Perfect for a special occasion and an essential in any collector’s cellar.
£44 to £36.50
Bristol
Your morning brew doesn’t have to cost the Earth...
Do you have a coffee machine, but worry about the waste produced by the pods it uses? Well, we can all exhale a collective sigh of relief, because coffee pod recycling points can now be found in Bristol’s three Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (at St Philip’s, Hartcliffe Way and Avonmouth), thanks to a partnership between Podback and Bristol Waste Company.
Podback, the UK’s coffee pod recycling scheme, has installed dropoff points at all three of Bristol Waste Company’s Household Reuse and Recycling Centres, making it easier for people to recycle their used aluminium and plastic coffee pods. This will save valuable resources from going to waste and will help boost the city’s recycling efforts.
A full list of participating brands and further information is on the Podback website: podback.org/recycle-checker
Bristol & District CAMRA Pub Of The Year celebrated
The Rising Sun in Frampton Cottrell has been awarded the accolade of Bristol & District branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Pub of the Year for 2025 and The Drapers Arms in Bristol is the runner-up.
Each year, the Bristol & District branch of CAMRA invites local members to nominate pubs for consideration in the branch Pub Of The Year competition. The finalists from this nomination stage are then judged against various nationally designated criteria to decide the result.
CAMRA Bristol & District Branch Chair Richard Brooks said: “Pub Of The Year is not just about the beer, and judges are required to weigh up the full customer experience and whether a pub offers that something extra.
“This year, judges considered The Rising Sun to be a fantastic large community pub that has a lot to offer. Not least that it also has some very reasonable prices and so provides good value for money in these trying financial times. As The Drapers Arms is a micropub it's offering it obviously more limited. But despite it's small size, it was able to secure the runner-up position. Congratulations to both pubs!”
Great Spring Tasting, 8 May, The Great Wine Company, Treetop Cafe, Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AP Use QR code to book.
Pasture returns to Balloon Fiesta
Pasture will once again be on site at the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in partnership with Albert Goodman, serving delicious food over the weekend.
Following the success of last year’s onsite restaurant, Pasture will be returning for second year serving delicious food to Fiesta goers from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 August from a specially-curated menu for the event. Alongside the indoor experience, adjacent to the team’s on-site restaurant, Pasture will be running a BBQ service throughout the day, under new concept PRIME. This project by Pasture will be a new, casual dining affair, encapsulating the best of Pasture over the years with many new tasty additions. Get Pasture Fiesta tickets from bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk
Harvey Nichols’ New Spring Set Menu
Visitors to Harvey Nichols can take a seat at the Second Floor Restaurant for a showcase of the season’s finest flavours, in partnership with Brugal Rum, as part of the eatery’s new Spring Set Menu. Crafted using its freshest, locally-sourced ingredients, the menu prioritises bright and blossoming flavours.
Starters include Smoked Trout Raviolo with Wye Valley Asparagus and Lamb Breast with Pomegranate Molasses. South Coast Cod with Courgetti and Wild Garlic Aioli and Duroc Pork Tomahawk Rhubarb with Radish and Spring Onion feature on the main options, and for dessert, choices include Mango Bavarois and Peanut Parfait.
The delectable dishes will be accompanied by Brugal’s equally enticing Dominican 88 cocktail – a tropical fusion of sparkling wine, peach syrup, lemon and Brugal 1888 Rum.
Enjoy three courses with a Brugal Dominican 88 cocktail for £35 per person.
harveynichols.com
27 Philadelphia St, Quakers Friars, Broadmead, BS1 3BZ
Asparagus with sauce gribiche
Owner Dan O’Regan (pictured centre)
Santé!
Rosanna Spence ventures down the rabbit hole to discover the newest French kid on the block in Bristol – Lapin – from the culinary minds behind BANK in Totterdown
French eatery Lapin (which is French for ‘rabbit / bunny’ if, like me, you’re not au fait with the lingo) has leapt onto Bristol’s dining scene, burrowing confidently into its new home in the heart of one of the city’s most exciting food quarters – the Cargo 2 containers at Wapping Wharf. Despite the restaurant only being open for a matter of weeks, Lapin’s team has turned heads in its move to boost the presence of French cuisine in the city, which remains surprisingly underrepresented (you could probably count the truly great French kitchens here on one hand).
With its white-coated front-of-house team, prix fixe menu and air of quiet sophistication, Lapin offers a loving twitch of its whiskers and a respectful nod to tradition – but this is French dining reimagined. There’s a playful, modern Bristolian twinkle in this rabbit’s eye.
Helmed by restaurateur Dan O’Regan and executive chef Jack BriggsHoran – the powerhouse duo behind award-winning fire restaurant BANK Bristol in Totterdown – Lapin takes the time-honoured blueprint of classic French cooking but mischievously tears out a few pages. And it works. The moment you step through the door, you’re greeted by the intoxicating aroma of toasted, nutty brown butter as the dishes fly across the pass, becoming richer and more decadent by the minute. A playful nod to the restaurant’s namesake, tiny rabbit emblems pop up everywhere from table-tops to tableware.
We briefly considered the excellent-value prix fixe menu (just £29 and offered daily in limited numbers), but couldn’t resist going à la carte to explore more of what was on offer, kicking things off with slices of south west Westcombe saucisson and a golden-crusted baguette served with salted butter.
Drinks-wise, front-of-house team Tiernan and Carole have compiled a wine list that spans more than 60 wines available by the glass, celebrating both French vintages and global takes on classic French varietals, and a welcome mix of household names and lesser-known bottles. For anyone daunted by the sheer scope, tasting note categories help guide your choice, whether you're after a white that’s ‘crisp, mineral and refreshing’ or ‘textural, buttery and complex.’
Our aperitif? Two chilled glasses of Lillet Blanc and Rouge, served crisp over ice; refreshing and reminiscent of my dining partner’s mother’s homemade Pineau des Charentes.
Moving onto starters, I had the gloriously chunky Wye Valley asparagus (bang in season) served with a classic sauce gribiche and a generous drizzle of that aforementioned aromatic beurre noisette, topped with toasted nuts to bring out the caramelisation of the butter. (Note: save yourself some baguette to mop your plate). It was fresh, rich, and the first of many moments where I let out an audible sigh of pleasure on the first bite. My friend’s rabbit rillettes was delicate, paired beautifully with carrot confiture – she noted how tender the meat was.
For mains, my Provençal barigoule swapped out the usual artichoke for fennel, nestled in a tangy stew that was bright and rich with olives and aioli. My friend’s confit duck arrived crisp-skinned, sitting proud atop a springtime cassoulet studded with smoky kielbasa and topped with an impressively-sized tomato, slow-roasted until sweet. Carole suggested a glass of skin-contact Calcaires Nord Domaine Monplézy from the
Languedoc to pair with my friend’s confit duck – one of two skin-contact wines on offer. I fancied something white and buttery for my stew and was recommended the Felicite Domaine Monplézy, a blend of Marsanne and Rousanne. As a digestif-cum-dessert, I went for the traditional trou Normand – an cleansing mix of apple brandy and apple sorbet designed to “clear a hole” in the stomach for more indulgence. And it worked... I couldn't resist sneaking a few spoons of my friend’s dessert, the St Émilion au Chocolat that was rich and indulgent with hints of amaretti and a topped with crunchy biscuit.
On my next visit, I’ll be carving out time (and space) for Lapin’s showstopping whole roast duck crown à l’orange; a 45-minute wait, but seeing the crisp skin, blushing meat and a bitter-sweet bigarade sauce served to others on my visit already has me planning my return.
Other highlights we almost ordered, but are firmly on the radar for next time: pig’s head salad with forced dandelion, lobster bisque a l’Americaine en croûte, rabbit leg with boudin noir and apples, and skate wing with brown butter hollandaise and sea vegetables. And let’s not forget the duck fat frites, green beans with persillade – plus add-ons like a spoon of caviar or a scoop of Rollright cheese. For dessert, maybe the Basque cheesecake with rhubarb. Or the éclair Suzette. Or... both?
Lapin bounds effortlessly between old school and new ideas. Upon opening, owner and founder Dan said: “I think it’s fair to say we’ll be one of the more relaxed and convivial places where you can enjoy a decent spoonful of caviar.” And I couldn’t agree more.
Arrive hungry, come prepared to consume lots of butter and be assured that French cooking in Bristol has just become even more exciting. n
lapinbristol.co.uk | Unit 14, Cargo 2, Museum Street, BS1 6ZA
Front-of-house team Tiernan and Carole
All photos by Ed Schofield
Bristol at work
LOCAL BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATION UPDATES
New Chair for Bristol Hoteliers Association
Adam Flint (pictured right) has been named as the new Chair of the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA), taking over from Raphael Herzog (left), who has held the position for six years.
Adam, who is General Manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Bristol City Centre, said he knows he has some big shoes to fill. He said: “I am confident that, with the support from everyone, we will continue to run a fantastic organisation. My passion for hospitality and the industry continues to be stronger than ever, and this new role enhances this even more. Our main focus for 2025 and beyond is to develop our ‘people strategy’, working with industry partners, colleges and learning and development organisations. To that end, we will strive to support Bristol as a whole and be the lead in industry for our sector, via our social and charitable network, too.” bristol-hoteliers.co.uk
Ambulance Charity receives boost to help with cardiac arrests
South Western Ambulance Charity has received £142,000 to help with out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The charity is one of the first NHS ambulance charities in the UK to receive funding from NHS Charities Together through its £1.85 million Community Resilience Grants Fund in partnership with Omaze. Working with 13 NHS ambulance charities across the country, the fund is designed to build community resilience and equip more people with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond in an emergency. Currently, only one in 10 people who suffer a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive to return home to their families. However, rapid action can significantly improve survival rates. Timely access to defibrillation, for instance, can increase survival chances to more than 50%. swambulancecharity.org
The Bottle Yard’s
TBY2 facility named the world’s most sustainable film/TV studio
BAFTA albert, the leading authority on environmental sustainability in the screen industries, has released its 2025/26 Studio Sustainability Standard Report which confirmed that The Bottle Yard’s TBY2 facility is officially the highest performing studio of the year – making it the most sustainable film and TV studio in the world.
TBY2 is rated Outstanding with an overall score of 97%, the highest of 31 global studio participants and a 4% increase on last year’s score. Meanwhile The Bottle Yard’s main site (TBY1) is rated Excellent with a score of 83%, a significant improvement on its previous Very Good rating (78%).
“As a dual-site complex, The Bottle Yard Studios accommodates productions working at a range of budgets with differing needs – but our commitment to sustainability is consistent across our entire operation,” says Laura Aviles, Head of Film (Bristol City Council). “Our state-of-the-art TBY2 facility has sustainability embedded into every element of its design, including its 1MW community-owned solar rooftop, whilst our main site continues to drive forward a regime of improvements and our operational team makes every effort to help productions work more sustainably with a particular focus on supporting a circular economy here in Bristol. We remain fully committed to continuing this important work going forward.”
The Bottle Yard Studios is currently shortlisted for Studio of the Year at the 2025 Global Production Awards which celebrate outstanding and sustainable work in the world of film/TV production, locations and studios. The awards take place on 19th May at the Cannes Film Festival. thebottleyard.com
How long term investing can build stronger returns
Read on to find out the potential benefits of long-term investing and why time in the market beats timing the market.
The chances of achieving positive returns increase over time
Over the long term, markets trend toward growth. The longer you remain invested, the greater your chances of not only recovering from downturns but also achieving strong overall returns.
During periods of market volatility or downturns, it’s natural to feel concerned when you see the value of your portfolio decline. This may tempt you to exit the market in an attempt to avoid further losses.
However, a decline in value is only a paper loss unless you choose to sell. By staying invested, you give your portfolio the opportunity to recover.
The market also has a better chance of beating inflation over time
In addition to increasing your chances of positive returns, the market also has a better chance than cash of outpacing inflation over long time horizons.
A financial planner can help you to create a plan that focuses on long-term, steady growth rather than short-term reactions.
To speak to a financial planner, get in touch.
If you would like a review of your pensions and investments and whether you are on track to achieve your financial goals, please contact us for a free consultation.
Education matters
NEWS FROM THE CITY’S LEARNERS & LEADERS
Applications open for Balloon Fiesta Roadshow school programme
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in partnership with Albert Goodman is inviting schools across the region to apply to participate in the Schools Tether Roadshow as part of its 2025 community programme. Bringing the magic of ballooning directly to classrooms across the city ahead of the main event on the 8-10 August, schools can apply to host a tethered hot air balloon before the summer holidays. The initiative, designed to complement the curriculum, will see hot air balloons set up in school fields throughout July, offering pupils the chance to get up close to a real balloon, meet pilots, and learn about the science, engineering and teamwork behind ballooning. Applications close on 30 May.
For more information, visit the website bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk/ get-involved/charitypartnerships
Fairfield recognised for improved work with Disadvantaged students
Fairfield High School has been recognised as the 103rd Most Improved school in England for the progress made with disadvantaged students. This ranking, based on the latest data from the Department for Education (DfE), places it among the top 103 out of 3,000 schools across the country. Additionally, in the South West region, Fairfield is ranked joint 9th, sharing this position with other top-performing schools. This achievement highlights Fairfield’s ongoing commitment to ensuring all students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have the best opportunities to succeed. Furthermore, the school prides itself on its strong holistic approach to education, prioritising pastoral care, family support, academic assistance and attendance management. These core areas have been embedded within Fairfield’s ethos and played a key role in continued success for its students.
fairfield.excalibur.org.uk
Image credit: Paul Box
Education matters
An ‘unforgettable’ trip to France for Redmaids’ Year 5 students
Year 5 at Redmaids’ High Junior School recently returned from a fun-packed three-day trip to the stunning northern Opal Coast of France where they immersed themselves in French culture and language.
The pupils listened carefully, translated what they heard and were keen to use their vocabulary from lessons in school, as well as new words learned during the visit.
“It was a joy to accompany the girls to France,” says trip leader Mrs Gollop. “Everyone complimented them on their manners and their enthusiasm to speak French. They all have such wonderful memories together.” Anna in Year 5 added: “My favourite thing was probably the aquarium because there were so many sea creatures. I loved the sea lions. It was also really fun being with friends and trying lots of French food!” redmaidshigh.co.uk
Law firm helping to inspire children’s career paths
National law firm Foot Anstey and education charity My Future My Choice are giving school children in Bristol the opportunity to explore their futures in law and finance, as part of the Curious About Law and Finance project. The unique educational project allows children to explore different career paths through the creation of Top Trumps-style cards that showcase career journeys, job highlights, challenges and advice for young people.
Curious about Law and Finance engages children aged 8-12. By participating, children gain insights into a variety of career paths, explore the skills and knowledge needed in the world of work, and learn the importance of balancing different aspects of life for success and wellbeing. The project also helps break down barriers, showing young people, regardless of background, that careers in professional services are accessible and achievable.
footanstey.com
A country like no other
Travel Counsellors’ expert Jess Masters shares her guide to visiting Japan outside of cherry blossom season – a journey through Japanese culture and cuisine
When prompted to think of Japan, one would be forgiven for imagining cherry blossom season – a time when the country’s sakura bloom in pinks, whites and creams, drawing millions of visitors each year. This is one of the quintessential images of Japan, but it’s far from all the country has to offer.
While beautiful, cherry blossom season is also the peak time to travel –think skyrocketing prices and enormous crowds – which can detract from the whole reason you ventured to Japan in the first place: to experience the natural beauty of this ancient and fascinating country. At 55% larger than the UK, Japan is well worth visiting at any time of year, not just during cherry blossom season.
Instead, embarking on a culinary tour of Japan lets you experience its culture through all the senses: taste regional dishes rich in history, experience the smells and sounds of the markets, and see artistry and tradition in every plate. This nine-night example itinerary combines fastpaced cities, peaceful districts, and glorious hot springs with the opportunity to taste authentic Japanese flavours.
A delicious welcome
Arriving in Japan is simple, with multiple direct 13.5-hour flights each day from London Heathrow into Tokyo, Japan’s capital city. For extra convenience, fly from Bristol with a short layover at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, totalling around 17.5 hours.
One could easily spend two weeks in Tokyo, but three nights serve as an introduction to this world-renowned city. No visit to Tokyo is complete without seeing the Old Town – particularly Senso-ji, Japan’s oldest temple and a must-see for experiencing traditional Japanese culture. On the grounds of Senso-ji, Nakamise-dori dates back to the 17th Century and is a vibrant pedestrian street where you can sample snacks and sweets from its street food vendors.
Should the hustle and bustle of the capital become too much, head to the Hama-Rikyu Gardens, where you can relax in tranquil surroundings, complete with a traditional tea house. You could also take a stroll through the Imperial Palace East Gardens. The flavours and aromas of Tokyo are everywhere, but consider a visit to Tsukiji Market – a must for food lovers. Here, you can experience traditional Japanese market culture: sample delicious seafood, peruse kitchenware and crafts, and wander the historic alleys packed with shops and restaurants. Another must-visit for a culinary
tour is Harmonica Yokocho – ‘Harmonica Alley’ – named for its resemblance to harmonica reeds. During the day, enjoy a laid-back atmosphere with cosy clothing stores, fishmongers, and traditional sweets makers; in the evening, start with a sake and hop from eatery to eatery, enjoying local sushi, gyoza, and dashi-simmered oden.
A full-day city sights tour with a local guide will take you to Tokyo’s most famous spots. Pair this with a traditional dinner boat cruise, known as a yakatabune, where you can enjoy a delicious meal while taking in fantastic views of the city skyline.
After a taste of Tokyo, jump onto the famous Shinkansen – the ‘bullet train’ – for 90 minutes to reach Hakone, a mountainous spa region famous for its onsen (hot springs), traditional ryokan (Japanese inns), and natural beauty. The Hakone Ropeway, a cable car, offers views of the Owakudani Valley, Lake Ashi, and even Mt. Fuji when the weather is clear. The Hakone Free Pass (available as a two- or three-day ticket) is a worthy investment at around £30–£35, giving you unlimited travel and discounts at attractions.
Immerse yourself in Japanese culture by staying in a ryokan. These traditional inns offer an experience far beyond lodging – many include onsen and meals such as kaiseki, a multi-course seasonal Japanese dinner.
Nakamise-dori street, on the grounds of Senso-ji
Tsukiji Market
Kyoto
After two nights in Hakone, the Shinkansen will take you comfortably to your next stop: Kyoto. Known as the ‘heart of Japan’, Kyoto is home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 1,600 Buddhist temples, and 400 Shinto shrines. Travel back in time at Nijo-jo Castle – historically significant and architecturally stunning, it’s a must-visit.
Kyoto’s most famous site is the vermilion gates of the Fushimi Inari shrine complex. A visit at sunrise or after sunset typically means smaller crowds and stunning lighting for photography enthusiasts.
Foodies can spend an entire day exploring department store food halls and markets. Nishiki Market is considered the best in town – arrive before noon to beat the crowds. Pick up snacks to go – yakitori, sashimi, sweets – and head to a park or riverbank for a picnic. In contrast, Sanjo-kai Shotengai, where locals shop, is full of independent stores. Visit both and compare your experiences over dinner – an ideal foodie day in Kyoto.
Other must-sees in Kyoto include the spectacular Ryoanji Temple, home to Japan’s most famous zen garden, and Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion. Or, try your hand at origami or enjoy the art of a tea ceremony with a Tea Master.
Osaka
After three nights in Kyoto, the final stop before returning to Tokyo is Osaka – the ‘nation’s kitchen’ – where you’ll spend two nights. Famed for its culinary scene and gastronomic heritage, Osaka also boasts the 16th-century Osaka Castle and the futuristic Umeda Sky Building, with its floating garden observatory offering panoramic 360degree views.
Be sure to explore Minami, a lively downtown district. Stroll through Dotonbori, a vibrant shopping and entertainment area, and sample local delicacies like okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) and takoyaki (octopus balls). Also in Minami, Kuromon Market is renowned as the city's kitchen. A visit here lets you explore the ingredients behind classic Japanese dishes – miso, wasabi, bonito flakes and konnyaku (‘jelly potato’) in their raw form. The final leg of your introduction to Japanese culture and cuisine takes you back to Tokyo for a final night before your return home. As the Japanese say, “mata ne” – see you later – because you’re almost certain to return. n
Contact Jess directly for more information about Japan and many other holiday destinations at jess.masters@travelcounsellors.com
Osaka
Okonomiyaki
Shrines in Kyoto
Yakitori
Sashimi
Great British Getaways
From scenic walks and bike rides to refreshing swims, indulgent food experiences, tranquil spa escapes and magical nights under the stars, a UK holiday offers endless ways to unwind, explore, and be inspired. It’s not just a break away from every day life; it’s a chance to rediscover the beauty close to home while giving a boost to local businesses. We’ve picked four great, British getaways that prove staying closer to home can sometimes be the most extraordinary destination of all...
SEVEN HILLS HIDEAWAY
Nestled in 50 acres of rolling countryside overlooking the Brecon Beacons, Seven Hills Hideaway offers luxury glamping with a sense of adventure.
Perfect for families and couples, the spacious safari tents – each with a private bathroom, fully equipped kitchen and outdoor tub – blend the comforts of home with the magic of the great outdoors.
Spend your days exploring scenic walking trails in the nearby National Park or indulging in the award-winning artisan food spots of Abergavenny, before unwinding in your hot tub beneath the stars. Rediscover your adventurous spirit in the heart of the Brecon Beacons.
sevenhillshideaway.co.uk
SOUTH WEST LAKES TRUST
Whether your passion is watersports, angling, walking, cycling or simply enjoying nature with loved ones, you’ll find the perfect escape at South West Lakes Trust’s picturesque campsites in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.
Book your spring getaway now at one of South West Lakes Trust’s five lakeside campsites. Choose between the majestic Wimbleball Lake on Exmoor and the idyllic Roadford Lake on the edge of Dartmoor, or experience a different view of Cornwall at Tamar Lakes near Bude (pictured), Siblyback Lake near Liskeard or Stithians Lake near Redruth. All the lakes have footpaths and cycle trails, woodlands, play areas, watersports and cafes.
swlakestrust.org.uk/activities
Image by Gareth Williams Photography
THE WATERSMEET HOTEL
The Watersmeet Hotel in Woolacombe, North Devon has recently won in the Best Waterside Hotel category in the UK and Ireland Conde Nast and Johansen’s awards for excellence. The luxury four star boutique hotel has one of the finest coastal locations in the whole of the West Country, with stunning sea views across the waters of Woolacombe Bay. The hotel overlooks Combesgate Beach and North Devon's rugged coastline with its own private steps down to the sandy beach. With an array of facilities such as an award winning two-AA rosette restaurant, informal bistro restaurant, indoor and outdoor pool with spa facilities, it is the perfect choice for couples, families or groups alike.
watersmeethotel.co.uk | 01271 870333
SHARPHAM HOUSE
The Sharpham Trust’s new retreat programme for Autumn Winter is now available to book online. Nestled on the tranquil banks of the River Dart, near Totnes, South Devon, this internationally-recognised centre combines mindfulness retreats with nature immersion in various venues on the beautiful Sharpham Estate.
Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by modern life's demands or longing to reconnect with your authentic self, Sharpham provides guided meditations, relaxation and quiet contemplation within stunning natural surroundings. With 40+ years of experience, Sharpham creates a safe, nurturing space to discover transformative tools to support your mental and emotional health. sharphamtrust.org/whatson
MBST: Healing Knee damage from Sports injury to Arthritis
The cellular repair that results from applying MBST can be applied to so many conditions, as well as patients young and old.
This repair process has been proven at quantum cell level in award winning independent research from the university of Innsbruck. It leads to transformation in patients’ outcomes, injuries, mobility, pain and suffering.
Here are two such examples of different knee conditions that I’ve helped heal in the last few months
Steven (37) is an experienced Ice Hockey player for Bristol Pitbulls as well as a coach. He had a really severe infra patellar tendinitis which had intra substance tears. Very painful. He couldn’t do anything with the leg due to pain and associated weakness and quad wasting. After MBST he quickly showed signs of improvement. Tendons take time to heal so we took things steady… After 4 months he was back on the ice and after 6 months he’s almost at full activity. A great outcome for an awkward condition.
Jeremy (87) came to me with stage 3/4 knee arthritis and was struggling with stairs in particular as well as night pain. He’s a very experienced chorister and needs to be able to stand for long periods whilst performing. Scans showed his patello-femoral joint had almost full thickness cartilage loss, as well as degeneration in the tibiofemoral compartment. At 87 years old he’s a remarkable healer and has been pain free and fit for stairs since the end of his treatment course.
Age isn’t a factor with MBST. Vitality however does play a part. A lot of my older patients are still living life to the full, getting the most they can from it, yet certain parts of their bodies wear down and become a challenge. This is where MBST can be life changing, adding energy of stimulation healing and regeneration.
On top of the Mendips
Andrew Swift ascends the Mendips, following a path that treads through memories of some darker moments in history and rewards you with welcome Spring sights in equal measure
This month’s walk heads to the highest point on the Mendips, a bleak stretch of moorland where Bronze Age burial mounds and the remains of a World War Two decoy town command spectacular views in all directions. En route, it also takes in the remains of the Mendip lead mining industry, a lost Roman settlement, complete with amphitheatre, and a hidden woodland, carpeted in late spring with bluebells and wild garlic.
The walk starts in the tiny village of Charterhouse on Mendip. To find the parking area, turn down a lane by the Charterhouse Outdoor Centre, signposted to Blackmoor Reserve (BS40 7XR; ST501558). If the car park is full, more parking is available in a lay-by 400m south of the Outdoor Centre, from where a footpath leads up to the starting point.
As soon as you step out of the car, you are in a strange and almost entirely man-made landscape. Lead has been mined and smelted on Mendip since the early Iron Age, but it was the Romans who established it on an industrial scale. Tacitus, writing some 50 years after the Romans invaded Britain in AD 43, claimed that one of the main reasons for the invasion was to gain control of the country’s mineral wealth. They were shipping Mendip lead out across the empire within six years of their arrival, and built roads linking the leadworks with ports on the Bristol and English Channel coasts.
Lead mining continued after the Romans left and in the Middle Ages was controlled by Carthusian monks from Witham Friary, near Frome – which is how the village came to be called Charterhouse. Early smelting methods were fairly primitive, and the vast piles of slag left behind contained enough lead to make them worth resmelting when new techniques were developed. What you see around you today is almost entirely the legacy of 19th-century efforts to rework earlier slag heaps.
A dark history
Follow a broad track leading north out of the car park and, after a few metres, when it forks, bear left. After another 175m, turn left to follow a footpath sign down four steps and continue past a pond, dammed as part of the lead-making process. After crossing a stream, go through a kissing gate (KG) and carry straight on. Another KG leads onto a road, on the other side of which is the site of a Roman town. Dispel any thoughts of gracious living, however – this would have been a grim place, built for the lead workers, many of whom would have been slaves or prisoners of war, and the dire effects of lead poisoning would have been endemic. Turn right along the road and after 150m turn left up a lane (ST503562). After about 500m, look out for humps and bumps in a field to your left. This is the site of a Roman amphitheatre, but we can only guess as to the nature of the spectacles laid on here. At the top of the lane, bear left by the wireless masts along a bridleway. After 850m, a gateway leads onto Black Down (ST490569). Two tracks lie ahead – take the deeply eroded one on the right with a Mendip footpath waymark.
Track across Black Down
Site of the amphitheatre
This high moorland is characterised by heather, gorse, scrub and bracken. As you carry on, the trig point marking the highest point on Mendip –Beacon Batch, 325m above sea level – comes into view ahead. As you approach it, look out for three Bronze Age burial mounds on your right, part of a group of 16 known as the Beacon Batch barrow cemetery. The views from here are fantastic, with the whole sweep of the Bristol Channel – from the Severn Bridges to beyond Porlock – visible on a clear day, while far below Blagdon Reservoir nestles in a fold of the hills.
Decoy war town
Carry on westward from Beacon Batch along a straight and stony path (not marked as a public footpath on the OS map). The little mounds alongside the path date not from the Bronze Age but from 1941, when a decoy town was laid out across Black Down. Here, in the darkest days of World War Two, lights shone and fires burned to trick the Luftwaffe into dropping bombs on Mendip instead of Bristol.
After 550m, when a bridleway cuts diagonally across, carry straight on along a rougher path, indicated by a small post with a footpath sign. After another 600m, when you come to a rough strip of grassland cutting across the path, turn left to weave your way past pools of water – something of a surprise on this high plateau and much resorted to by the wild ponies that roam the down.
After 200m, as you approach a gate, you will spot a large mound on the right, covering a bunker from which the lights and fires of the decoy town were controlled (ST471569). After going through the gate, carry on along a rocky path between fences; when you come to a lane, turn left.
The lane passes GB Gruffy Nature Reserve, which you can turn aside to explore if you wish. A little further along the lane, turn right across a cattle grid along a drive (ST479564). This leads past the evocative ruins of an ancient long house, just past which the drive forks. Bear right and after another 250m – just before a pair of sturdy gateposts – turn left through a handgate with a West Mendip Way waymark (ST477557).
Carry on alongside a wall for 900m, before going through a handgate and following a stony track downhill through Long Wood, whose banks are carpeted in late spring with bluebells and wild garlic. Go through a KG at the bottom (ST487550) and carry straight on before turning left through another KG signposted to Charterhouse. This leads into a valley with the intriguing name of Velvet Bottom, where you are once again surrounded by the ruins of the Mendip lead industry. The broken-down walls you have to negotiate are the remains of dams, built as part of the refining process. An information board further up provides copious information on the history of this dry, silent valley. As for its name, that is due to the rabbits who keep the grass so neatly cropped.
After 1700m go through a KG and turn right along a road for 60m. Go through a gate on the left and follow the path as it curves left to return to the car park. n
Discover more of Andrew Swift’s work at akemanpress.com. All photos provided courtesy of Andrew Swift.
Distance: 6.5 miles
Time: 3.5 hours
Level of challenge: Generally straightforward, although with rough and muddy stretches, especially on Black Down. Dog owners need to be aware that basking adders may be encountered in the undergrowth. Map: OS Explorer 141
Long House ruins
World War Two bunker
Velvet Bottom
Trump’s Tariffs & Global Trade Wars Cause Market Chaos
James Kenward; Independent Financial Adviser
Concerned About Your ISA or Pension Investments?
In uncertain times like these, diversification is key. Our independently recommended portfolios are spread across a wide range of sectors, asset classes and global regions, helping to manage risk. We also favour active portfolio management, where skilled managers can respond to market movements. For example, recent increased allocations to bonds and gold have helped balance risk as global trade tensions escalate.
It’s important not to panic. As we’ve seen, political developments can change quickly. A reversal in policy or new stimulus – such as those seen in the EU and China – can provide fresh opportunities. Despite today’s uncertainty, rising bond prices, lower oil costs and currency shifts may support a future recovery in equities once trade policy becomes clearer.
While short-term market noise can feel overwhelming, long-term perspective and a diversified approach are usually the most effective strategies. We strongly recommend investors avoid knee-jerk reactions. Our recommended portfolios are built to navigate volatility while remaining aligned with each investor’s goals and risk appetite.
Are you sitting on the side-lines, watching on in hope rather than expectation? Does your ISA or pension have a handful of self-picked funds chosen years ago and not looked at since? Did you originally take pension or ISA investment advice but not seen the adviser for a review in quite some time? It might be time now for a second look from a local, independent financial adviser.
We offer complimentary investment portfolio reviews to help you understand your current position and assess whether any changes may be appropriate.
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Designer day out
Kay James, Bristol‐based interior designer and founder of K Interiors, shares her top five takeaways from London Design Week, which she visited recently
There’s something quite magical about the start of London Design Week. Even before you step inside the Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour, there’s an energy in the air. From the overthe-top flower displays bursting with springtime colour, to the audible buzz as fellow design lovers, industry insiders and creatives queue up to collect their passes.
As an interior designer, this is one of the highlights of my year. It’s both a source of inspiration and a chance to reconnect with what's fresh, innovative and – though I really hate to use this word – ‘trending’ in our industry. And 2025’s collections didn’t disappoint. Between mesmerising artist demos, heritage design talks, and new brands just waiting to be discovered, I left brimming with ideas for upcoming projects.
Exciting pieces in unexpected places
The moment you walk in you’re met with a series of ‘pop-up’ stands along Design Avenue – this is actually one of my favourite parts of the show. These aren’t the permanent residents of the Design Centre, but rather hand-picked designers, lovingly referred to as House Guests, showcasing unique products, especially for the event. It’s a bit of a treasure trove. You might discover a maker who’s exhibiting for the very first time, or a more established brand trialling a new concept. This year, I loved Martin Huxford’s lighting, the fluid furniture by Fiona McDonald and the earthy paint palette of Rose Uniacke to name a few.
I always find this area especially energising. It’s the place to get a feel for what’s bubbling under the surface, whether that’s experimental textiles or one-off lighting pieces. It’s such a great reminder of how dynamic and everevolving our industry is. And honestly, if you’re planning a big project, these exhibits alone could overwhelm you with ideas.
This season’s style? A tale of two vibes
I’m never one for encouraging people to blindly follow trends – we all know how quickly those can come and go – but I do find it interesting to see the mood of the moment. And this year, two distinct styles stood out to me. On the one hand, there was a strong showing of ditsy, small-scale patterns in pastel shades, often with a nod to nature. Think English country house, but with a twist. Designers like Birdie Fortescue and Bertioli by Thyme were showcasing soft colour palettes and lots of layering, giving an almost nostalgic feel. The look felt modern thanks to clever colour choices and styling, yet still very homely and familiar.
At the other end of the spectrum, bold, tribal-inspired prints were having their moment. I’m talking graphic, statement designs with personality. Casamance and Osborne & Little were leading the way with an Aboriginal feel that I can imagine working well on full-length curtains or as an upholstery fabric for a design centrepiece. Rich in texture and grounded with earthy neutrals, I was quite drawn to this direction. It has a bit of edge and drama, without losing elegance.
Images (top to bottom): Bertoli by Thyme, Kay James and Birdie Fortescue
The beauty of watching live artistry
One of the joys of Design Week is the chance take in live demonstrations from industry artists and creators. One of my favourite moments was seeing artist Geoffroy Pithon painting at Casamance. There’s something truly special about witnessing the origins of a design unfold; his abstract works have been translated into wallpapers and fabrics that are produced and sold by the brand today. Seeing the hand-painted roots of these pieces really does add another layer of appreciation.
I love the idea of turning artwork into something you can actually live with, as opposed to just admire on a gallery wall. Design really is about emotion as well as aesthetics.
The importance of reflecting on what’s right for you
One of the best pieces of advice I can give to someone visiting, and this applies whether you're in the industry or simply an interiors lover, is to absorb what you see and then take time to reflect. Yes, explore the trends (there’s that word again!), get excited about colours, patterns and textures. But don’t get so blinded you forget to consider how it would fit within your own home.
After the show, I popped to Designers Guild and was instantly uplifted by its signature candy-coloured stripes and fresh palettes. It felt like spring bottled up into a showroom – so light and happy. It’s a brand with a confident sense of identity. Contrast this energetic styling with some of the more pastel or earthy-toned spaces back at the Design Centre, and you’ll really get a feel for how different aesthetics can look and feel. There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ when it comes to designing your own interiors, it’s about what resonates with you, and what complements the architecture and personality of your space.
If you’re attending the show, especially if you’re doing so with a project in mind, can I recommend going with your designer? It’s so easy to fall in love with a look and make a spur-of-the-moment purchase that just doesn’t work at home. Having that expert eye with you will help keep everything in perspective.
Taking inspiration from the past
One of my unexpected highlights was a talk on heritage design in historic properties, hosted by GP & J Baker’s Ann Grafton, introducing House & Garden editor Hatta Byng and Historic Royal Palaces’ chief historian Tracy Borman. The discussion centred on the architecture and archives of the Royal Palaces that have inspired the creation of the new Royal Court fabric and wallpaper collaboration. They talked about fabric choices, historical research, and how contemporary designers have honoured the legacy, while modernising at the same time.
It was a fascinating deep-dive into the importance of integrity in interiors. Behind every thick velvet curtain or woven tapestry is a rich history of craftsmanship, culture and context. And as designers, it’s our job to be mindful of that – even when we’re working with contemporary homes. Great interiors shouldn’t just be beautiful; to make sense they must work as a part of the story of the building in which they sit.
My final thoughts
Whether you’re a seasoned designer or just beginning your interiors journey, I’d wholeheartedly recommend the show – especially if you’re gearing up for a renovation or refresh. Just remember to take it all in, allow yourself time to reflect, and focus on what truly speaks to you and your space. And if you come away with one fabric sample, a bold new idea that truly excites you, or simply a phone full of photos to add to that Pinterest Board, then I’d say it’s been a day well spent. n
To find out more about London Design Week and K Interiors, head to the websites: dcch.co.uk/london-design-week | k-interiors.co.uk
Images (top to bottom, L-R): Designers Guild, Geoffroy Pithon at Casamance, Hyde House and David Hutton
IIt’s showtime!
Garden designer Elly West thinks there’s something very special about visiting a horticultural show. This month, just in time for the start of the 2025 show season, she writes about how these events help to inspire ideas for her next project
f you love gardens and gardening, there’s something special about visiting a horticultural show, whether it’s a world-renowned event such as RHS Chelsea Flower Show, or a local garden fair. This month marks the start of the gardening show season, when greenfingered enthusiasts come together to buy, sell and display all things gardening. Shows are the perfect place to celebrate the joys of the great outdoors, pick up expert advice and shop for unique garden finds.
I am always on the lookout for new products, colour combinations and plants that I can use in my designs, and the show gardens at the larger events never cease to amaze me with what is possible in a small space. RHS Chelsea Flower Show, taking place from May 20-24, was launched in 1862 from a tent in Kensington, and is now the most famous gardening event in the world, showcasing cutting-edge design, and attracting more than 150,000 visitors each year and 500 exhibitors from around the world. The show gardens here are the main highlight and can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to build.
Full-grown trees are brought in, rocky landscapes and waterfalls created and buildings erected, all for the less-than-a-week-long event, then dismantled in the five days following. The most expensive show garden ever was David Domoney’s Ace of Diamonds garden in 2010, which included £20 million worth of diamonds.
These are generally very much stage sets and show pieces, rather than actual feasible or sustainable gardens. The number of plants per square metre is phenomenal and breaks all the rules – there’s no following the label’s guidelines here – they’re crammed in much more densely than you would ever plant in a permanent garden border, and everything is chosen to look perfect in the moment. But they are great places to gain inspiration, whether it’s colour schemes and plant combination, interesting materials for hard landscaping, or other elements such as water features or garden statuary.
I also love browsing the nursery stands and plant marquees, where rare and unusual varieties can often be found. It’s a great opportunity to chat to the growers, pick up some tips and share in their passion. And the chance to shop and seek out a bargain is always a bonus. As well as beautiful plants, there are often exclusive show deals to be found on everything from sheds and hot tubs to furniture and sculptures.
The first of the season’s big shows is Malvern Spring Festival, from 811 May. This year’s theme is ‘Plants and People’, exploring the way plants impact our lives, and how they can benefit our mental and physical wellbeing. Indoor gardening is a key feature, with the first ever RHSjudged Indoor Plant Gardens, as part of the show’s Festival of Houseplants, which was newly introduced last year.
Upcoming shows
RHS Malvern Spring Festival, Three Counties Showground, Malvern: 8-11 May
RHS Chelsea Flower Show, London: 20-24 May
Gardeners’ World Live, NEC, Birmingham: 12-15 June
RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, East Molesey: 1-6 July
Frenchay Flower Show (80th Anniversary), Frenchay Village Green, BS16 1SZ: 12 July
Henbury Flower Show, Henbury Village Hall, BS10 7QG: 19 July
Portishead Summer Show, Portishead Show Field, BS20 7RA: 26-27 July
Yeo Valley Organic Garden Festival, Blagdon, BS40 7SQ: 18-20 September
Closer to home, and at the end of the season, one I’m looking forward to is Yeo Valley Organic Garden’s first ever festival, from 18-20 September. Television faces Arit Anderson, Alys Fowler and Frances Tophill will be among the gardening experts attending to give talks and share their knowledge, and the overall message will be to get greener in the garden. Tickets are on sale at yeovalley.co.uk/events.
Tips for visiting a show include going early (or late!) when it’s likely to be quieter. Bigger discounts are also sometimes offered at the end of the day. Wear comfortable and weather-appropriate clothing and footwear, and expect to do a lot of walking. Take a notebook or use your phone to record plant names and images that you can use as inspiration in your own garden. Plan ahead and check the timings for particular exhibitors or talks and demonstrations that you want to see, and chat to the experts who will be more than happy to share their advice. One of the huge benefits of visiting a show is having this access to professional growers, designers and horticulturists.
A visit to a horticultural show doesn’t have to end when you leave the venue. It’s a chance to take your new knowledge, inspiration and purchases home to help transform (or just improve!) your garden.
Many shows have online resources, so you can revisit favourite exhibits and learn more about the plants and designers featured, or get hold of the full plant lists for the show gardens.
Even if you’ve only got a small plot, container planting, vertical gardening and small-space solutions are often prominent features at shows, offering ideas that can be recreated at home. Many events also highlight organic practices, wildlife-friendly gardening or growing your own produce, with easily transferable ideas. n ellyswellies.co.uk
Plant of the month: Dicentra
My first garden (owned as an adult) when I lived in London introduced me to the beautiful late-spring and early summer bloomer, Dicentra spectabilis (recently renamed by those with the power as Lamprocapnos spectabilis, for reasons unknown).
I didn’t know what it was when it first pushed its way through the ground around March time. It looked slightly fleshy, pale and alien-like, but definitely something of interest.
I kept my eye on it as it grew, unfurling from its somewhat lumpy start to a graceful and elegant plant with arching stems and feathery leaves. From the stems hang beautiful heartshaped flowers in shades of pink, red-pink or white, giving it the common name of bleeding heart.
In the wild it’s found in moist soils on the edges of woodland, so will grow in sun or partial shade, and mixes well in woodland or cottage-garden schemes. The leaves yellow and go tatty by mid-summer, so grow it among later bloomers such as hardy geraniums and the shade-tolerant foliage of hostas, ferns and hellebores, which will take over as the dicentra fades. Plants die back to nothing over winter, but will reappear in spring.
Image opposite: RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2024: Suzy Dean and Isabel Delaney’s Grand Appeal Garden that raised money for the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
The Argoed is unquestionably one of the most prominent private residences in the Wye Valley with an extraordinarily rich history to match. The property was visited by Charles I during the Civil War, was home to the Probert’s who served as MPs in the late 17th Century and home to the Chairman of the Great Western Railway. It was also where George Bernhard Shaw wrote The Man of Destiny and Mrs. Warren’s Profession, where Beatrice Webb, founder member of The Fabian Society hosted prominent friends and guests towards the end of the 19th Century and was the former home of Led Zeppelin rock legend Robert Plant.
The Argoed is a beautifully presented and imposing, Grade II-listed, three storey country house. The core of the property dates back to Jacobean times. This special home is set within approximately 10 acres, enjoying breathtaking views, an impressive arboretum and a ‘monumental’ stable block. The famed architectural historian, John Newman, described The Argoed quite simply as ‘tantalising'.
It is perfectly evident that the present owners have lavished the house with much care and attention, not least of all by refurbishing the sash windows and intelligently relocating the kitchen/breakfast room into the heart of the home; making full use of its dual aspect and incorporating a five door electric AGA. A transformation which lends itself so much more to 21st-century family life. The impressive reception hall offers a large wood burner on one side and an attractive stairway on the other. The property comprises five reception rooms, principal suite, wood panelled guest suite and five further bedrooms, a total of four bathrooms, kitchen/breakfast room, guest cloakroom, two utility rooms, integral garage, gardener’s workshop and WC, greenhouse, stable block and five additional rooms across the entire second floor.
Knight Frank | 1 The Mall, Clifton, BS8 4DP | 0117 911 9591 | knightfrank.com
The Argoed, Monmouth
• 7 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 5 reception rooms
• Well-fitted kitchen with 5-door electric AGA
• Spacious master bedroom
• Plenty of outbuildings
• Jacobean wood panelling
• 10 acres of gardens and grounds listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales
Guide price £2,600,000
PROPERTY NEWS
DISCOVER THE LATEST NEWS FROM BRISTOL’S PROPERTY EXPERTS
Trump’s Tariffs –Helping Homebuyers?
US President Donald Trump’s ‘tariff war’ on the world sent the US and UK stock markets into turmoil. Whilst the UK housing market is sensitive to economic shifts, could we in fact see a positive outcome in the UK housing market?
Mortgage Rates
The impact of the havoc in the stock market will clearly be felt on buyer’s investments and pension pots, but many analysts are positively suggesting that there could be a silver lining when it comes to mortgage rates.
With traders reporting an expectation of three rate cuts this year, I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Robert Langley, Director of Langley House Mortgages: -
“While Trump's tariffs are a U.S. policy tool, they can still ripple through global markets, including the UK. When trade tensions rise, global economic uncertainty tends to increase, and that often leads to a shift in investor behaviour — typically toward safer assets like UK gilts. This can push yields down, which in turn can lower mortgage rates, as lenders price deals based on gilt yields.
Back in 2018–2019, during the height of U.S.-China tariff escalations, we did see some downward pressure on UK mortgage rates, with average fixed-rate deals dipping slightly as markets responded to global instability. While tariffs themselves don’t directly set UK rates, they can influence Bank of England policy and market sentiment, which then impacts borrowing costs for homebuyers”.
Whilst analysts are making positive noises about the potential positive impact on mortgage rates, there are also several more indirect implications of tariffs to homebuyers.
Uncertainty
Whilst mortgage rates have one of the biggest impacts on the housing market, so too does volatility. Volatility in the stock market, and a potential weakening of the pound are further examples of factors causing buyers to take stock as to whether ‘now is a good time to buy’, with buyer sentiment likely to remain fragile.
Global Supply Chain
The costs of importing construction materials into the UK is likely to increase which will have a significant impact on the ever-increasing costs of developing and refurbishing properties. This is likely to see a continued appetite amongst buyers to pay a premium on ‘turn-key’ properties and potentially have less of an appetite for a property that needs extensive work.
So, whilst for some, who might be backing their purchase via a sale of investments, now is too uncertain, for others it is perfect. The month of May brings its usual dump of seasonal supply (think green lawns, leaves on trees and flowering borders) so buyers are afforded extra stock, which in turn brings additional choice.
Coupled with the much-anticipated drop in rates (as we go to press several of the leading banks and building societies have released sub-4% mortgage rates) we are likely to see reduced costs.
For those therefore who have the “money saved” and the motivation to move, May might well prove the month to jump in.
Whatever stage you are at in the search for your perfect home, we’d love to chat.
Lili Oliver
Oliver Roth Property
Consultants
T: 0117 9877 828 | E: home@oliverroth.co.uk
HQ OFFICE TO LEASE
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Julian Cook FRICS Jayne Rixon MRICS Charlie Kershaw MRICS Finola Ingham FRICS Tom Coyte MRICS Charlotte Bjoroy BArch Luke Dodge MRICS
Tom Coyte
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
St Mary’s Way, Thornbury TO LET - £16,000 pax
1,186 sq ft (110.23 sq m)
An exciting opportunity for a ground and first floor unit at The St Mary’s Centre in Thornbury. Situated under the busy covered passageway. Ample customer and staff parking on site.
Coxley Business Park, Wells FOR SALE - POA
3,318 sq ft (308.25 sq m)
Excellent roadside freehold investment producing a rent of £32,000 rising to £35,000 pax from April 2026. Prominent position fronting onto the A39.
Henleaze House, TO LET (May Sell) – POA
2,104 – 4,546sq ft (196 - 422.5 sq m)
The Mall, Clifton TO LET – POA
820 sq ft (76.18 sq m)
A bright ground floor and basement premises within an exceptional position on The Mall in the heart of Clifton Village. New terms available.
A self contained property over two floors currently in use as offices, but benefiting from use Class E— therefore suitable for a wide range of different uses to include office, medical, leisure etc.
High Street, Hanham FOR SALE - Quoting £185,000
1,082 sq ft (100.52 sq m)
An exceptional freehold split over ground floor and first floor in the heart of Hanham High Street. Offering 1082 sq ft (100.52 sq m) of accommodation, the property is available with vacant possession.
Horseshoe Lane, Thornbury
TO LET - £17,500 PA
1,032 sq ft (95.87 sq m)
A bright and airy ground floor commercial unit with glazed frontage at St Mary’s Shopping Centre in Thornbury. New
High Street, Kingswood FOR SALE – POA
1,254 sq ft (116.5 sq m)
Freehold for sale. Would suit owner occupier, developer or investor. Prominent corner position. Retail and offices available as a whole. Potential for residential conversion, subject to planning.
Badminton Road, Downend FOR SALE – POA
1,343 sq ft (124.77 sq m)
An excellent opportunity to acquire a freehold high street office / retail unit fronting on Badminton Road in Downend. The property is sold with vacant possession and presents to a high standard to suit an owner occupier or investor.
Whiteladies Road, Clifton TO LET – POA
11,984 sq ft (1,113.31 sq m)
A high quality HQ office which has been upgraded to a high standard, providing very good quality office space with a light and contemporary feel. Ample on site car parking.
Whiteladies Road, Clifton TO LET – POA
712–3,032 sq ft (66.14–281.67 sq m)
A prominent high quality, contemporary refurbished office over 4 floors. Large forecourt for up to 5 cars. New lease to be agreed. Suitable for a wide range of different uses.
Tom Coyte
Clifton, Bristol | Guide Price £POA
An exceptional detached Grade II Listed family home on one of Clifton’s most exclusive garden squares; with over 4000 sq. ft of accommodation enclosed in a fabulous walled south-west facing garden
Stunning Grade II Listed family home on a sought-after garden square | Fully detached with enchanting walled south-west facing garden | Four double bedrooms with three bath / shower rooms | Bedroom five / dressing room | Elegant through-drawing room and dining room opening out into the garden | Family kitchen with AGA and French doors into the garden | Lower ground floor sitting room / bar and cinema room with steps up to the garden | Large utility room and two further cloakrooms | Sensational vaulted wine cellar and further cellar / vaulted storage | Fully fitted outdoor kitchen and a separate summer house in the garden | Direct access from both Canynge Square and Canynge Road | No onward chain In all circa 4845 sq. ft (449 sq. m)
