Bristol Life – Issue 310

ISSUE 310 / NEW YEAR 2022 / £3

ISSUE 310 / NEW YEAR 2022 / GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT

HOT SHOTS

THE WORLD’S BEST WILDLIFE PHOTOS AT M SHED

PERRY CHRISTMAS

GRAYSON’S ART CLUB AT BRISTOL MUSEUM

DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE

MARK RYLANCE IS DR SEMMELWEISS

BRISTOL HEROES

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EDITOR’S LETTER

W

34

Good libations

Top cocktails to see in the new year

ay, way back in the mists of time, it was decreed that Bristol Life should be a three-weekly publication. Which is all very well, except that now and again this leads to some rather unwieldy publication dates.

This issue, for example, comes out on 24 December. Now, I’d love to think that as soon as it arrives in your life you’d press pause on all your last-minute Christmas preparations in order to give it your undivided attention.

Mid-present wrapping? Sweep the hollycovered paper off the table, and let the tubes roll unheeded to the corners of the room.

Maybe brew a double espresso, to counteract the effect of the eggnog/Baileys/neat gin you’ve been gently sipping since10 am (because, you know, Christmas), the better to focus on the sparkling copy. You’ll definitely want to cancel plans for brunch.

Well, we all know that’s not going to happen. Nothing can stop the Bristmas juggernaut at this stage in proceedings.

Instead, please regard this as your Twixmas issue. A nice little read for that lovely, sleepy time between Christmas and the New Year, when you couldn’t tell anyone what day it was even if they put a gun to your head; when trifle for breakfast seems a totally acceptable lifestyle choice, and you’re genuinely puzzled as to what happened to all the cheese.

After the frantic race towards Christmas, and the slightly idiotic excess of the big day itself, we need these dreamy, befuddled days to recuperate, especially if we’re planning on having it large again on New Year’s Eve. So, take your time. Have a fabulous Christmas. This issue will be waiting patiently for you on the other side.

DERI ROBINS Follow us on Twitter @BristolLifeMag Instagram @BristolLifeMag

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Issue 310 / New Year 2022 COVER Now or Never Negroni from The Coconut Tree; lots more bevvies on page 34

ARTS

14

13 14 18 22

ARTS INTRO Doctor in the house WHAT’S ON Eyes on the 2022 prizes ART We wish you a Perry Twixmas WILDLIFE The world’s best nature photography’s back

at M Shed

28 BRISTOL HEROES Reasons to be cheerful (Part I)

FOOD & DRINK

34 COCKTAILS Call us Old Fashioned, we don’t mind 43 CAFÉ SOCIETY Hasta la Bar-1st-air, baby!

45 PHIL HAUGHTON Marmalade season

SHOPPING

47 FASHION The comfort zone

LIFESTYLE

52 GOLDEN YEARS Later living

BUSINESS

63 BRISTOLWORKS It’s the city’s business

18

PROPERTY

69 BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS Winners and

highlights

81 JACK HEAD The cost of the catchment 83 SHOWCASE Square deal

REGULARS

© JONNY ARMSTRONG, WILDLIFE PHOTOGR APHER OF THE YEAR

6 9 32 90

NEWS Stuff we thought you’d find interesting BRIZZOGRAM Bristol sparkles on CHRIS COX The night before (or just after) Christmas BRISTOL LIVES Bryan J Mason

22 Editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors Colin Moody, Stan Cullimore, Chris Cox, Milly Vaughan, Jack Head, Phil Haughton Advertising manager Neil Snow neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk New business manager Craig Wallberg craig. wallberg@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Jake Horwood jake.horwood@mediaclash.co.uk Production/distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash. co.uk Deputy production manager/production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Bristol Life MediaClash, Carriage Court, 22 Circus Mews, Bath, BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

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www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 5

SPOTLIGHT Music

SOUNDS OF THE CITY

One of the highlights of the (normal) Bristol summer is Bristol Sounds: an eclectic mini-festival brought to you by Crosstown Concerts, traditionally held over four or so nights in June at Lloyd’s Amphitheatre, and featuring top-notch acts, typically on their way to or back from Glastonbury.

Sounds is back for 2022; announced so far are Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (one of very few gigs Noel’s playing next year); electronic duo Jungle, and Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg of First Aid Kit, supported by Bristol’s Katy J Pearson. The gigs will be expanded into all-day event for the first time, with gates opening at 2pm and a full bill of support acts. Book now; make the most of it before someone decided to plonk a gurt big hotel close to this spot or something.

Bristol Sounds runs 22-26 June 2022. facebook.com/BristolSoundsOfficial Some sibling acts seem to get along better than others...

Art trail

TRAIL OF THE UNEXPECTED

Aardman’s festive animation Robin Robin – so good, they named it twice – has been one of the more adorable of the seasonallyspecific offerings on the box this Christmas. To add to the fun, a local collab between Aardman x Netflix x Upfest x Alex Lucas brought a new art trail to the streets of BS3 this month, depicting the characters of the film on walls and buildings from Bedminster Parade to North Street.

The project was devised to showcase the local craft and creative community in Bristol, with a trail map created to allow us to find the characters.

“Thank you to everyone who has stopped by and shown us love on this project,” said Alex (above), “Especially Bristol Street Art and Graffiti who provided us with pastries – they really kept us going. On the colder days of painting it really is heartwarming when people stop to say hello.”

And Aardman are spoiling us this Christmas; Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas also landed on Netflix this month. The ewe-aah factor is truly off the scale. aardman.com; lucasantics.com

Congratulations to one of our favourite photographers, Sam Binding, who won the Historic England category of the Historic Photographer of the Year Awards with his misty Clifton Suspension Bridge photo @sambinding; historicphotographeroftheyear.com

6 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Comedy

THAT’S FUNNY

Also comprehensively back for 2022 is Slapstick, as the UK’s biggest celebration of silent, visual and classic screen comedy returns with a celebrity-led programme of live events at Bristol Cathedral, Redgrave Theatre, St George’s and Watershed.

As usual, the Silent Comedy Gala will be the centrepiece of the event.

This year’s host is actor, author and presenter Stephen Mangan, who will introduce a triple bill of silent comedy masterpieces including Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman, accompanied live by the European Silent Screen Virtuosi, along with shorts starring Laurel & Hardy and Harold Lloyd.

Admit it; you’re smiling already.

Slapstick runs 26 to 30 January slapstick.org.uk

SPOTLIGHT

AND SO THAT WAS BRISTMAS Bristol really brought the sparkle this year, from the Vintage Winter Wonderland to the many markets, light trails and projections. There was even a giant festive Gromit on a flatbed lorry; or did we dream that one?

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THE ARTS S N A P S H O T S O F B R I S T O L’ S C U LT U R A L L I F E

DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE

When it comes to the world of theatre, TV and film, names don’t come much bigger than Sir Mark Rylance. He was the first artistic director of The Globe, he’s won every award going, from Oliviers to Tonys and an Oscar, and has enough BAFTAs to make a set of bookends. He was once named in the Time 100 list as one the most influential people in the world. And next month sees his inaugural appearance at Bristol Old Vic for the première of Dr Semmelweiss – a new production conceived and co-written by, and starring, Mark, directed by Tom Morris.

The play tells the story of Viennese physician and surgeon Ignaz Semmelweiss – now recognised as an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures, but viewed as a maverick at the time. Confronted by the terrible death toll of childbed fever in 19th-century Vienna,

Semmelweiss makes a discovery that could save hundreds of thousands of new mothers; but when the medical establishment questions his methods and doubts his sanity, he finds that being a pioneer is not enough. Years later, he is haunted by the ghosts of the women he failed to save. Is it too late to convince the medical establishment to see the truth?

And if he tries, what will be the cost?

It’s a major new production, involving music and dance, steered by two titans of the English stage, with the theme of a 19th-century pandemic that echoes our own. It’s hard to think of a more apposite or persuasive reason to rush back into the theatre.

Dr Semmelweiss plays Bristol Old Vic 20 January-12 February 2022; bristololdvic.org.uk

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Everything they do, they do it for you: Robin Hood at Bristol Old Vic

© BEN ROBINS

WHAT’S ON 24 December 202124 January 2022

EXHIBITIONS Until 3 January

BRISTOL PHOTO FESTIVAL The excellent biennial festival continues to show across the city – and it’s all free. bristolphotofestival.org

Until 16 January

STEPHEN GILL: COMING UP FOR AIR The Bristol photographer gets a major retrospective at Arnolfini, leading us from the flea markets of Hackney Wick to his home in the Swedish countryside. arnolfini.org.uk LUCY STEIN: WET ROOM Building on a lasting engagement with goddess culture and witchcraft; Spike Island; spikeisland.org.uk PEGGY AHWESH: VISION MACHINES Single-channel films and video installations forged in the ruins of originality and authority, probing the critical potential of play; Spike Island; spikeisland.org.uk

Until 13 February

SUTAPA BISWAS The British-Indian artist engages

with questions of identity, race and gender in relation to time, space and history; Arnolfini, arnolfini.org.uk

Until 5 June

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Back at M Shed with a new set of extraordinary images; see page 22. bristolmuseums.org.uk

Until 4 September

GRAYSON’S ART CLUB Artworks chosen by Grayson and guest celebs during his TV series of the same name; at Bristol Museum; see page 18. bristolmuseums.org.uk

SHOWS

Until 31 December

CINDERELLA Polka Dot Pantomimes in association with the Redgrave bring what might well be the most loved panto of all – with real ponies... redgravetheatre.com

Until 2 Jan

SNOW WHITE The Hippo does its panto thang, with bird of a feather Lesley Joseph as the Wicked Queen and Rob Rinder as the Man in the Mirror; atgtickets.com

14 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Until 6 January

LITTLE WOMEN IN BLACK The Wardrobe’s annual festive mash-up takes diabolical liberties both with Louisa May Alcott and the Men in Black films, to lolworthy effect; thewardrobetheatre.com

Until 8 January

ROBIN HOOD: LEGEND OF THE FORGOTTEN FOREST For BOV’s festive biggie, the Wardrobe Ensemble bring wit, warmth and archery to put their own spin on the evergreen legend; bristololdvic.org.uk SHERLOCK IN HOMES III: MURDER AT THE GAMES Interrogate the suspects and attempt to unmask a murderer, as you pit your wits against some of the UK’s most talented performers and improvisers. Online; bristololdvic.org.uk

Until 9 Jan

OZ TFT hits the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. Will Dorothy have the heart, courage and wit to defeat the powerful Oz and make it back home?; tobaccofactorytheatres.com

5-22 January

DREAMGIRLS The story of the rise to fame of The Dreams – Effie, Lorrell and Deena – three talented young singers in the turbulent 1960s. They’re not the Supremes, but they may as well be.

At Hippodrome; atgtickets.com

18-29 January

THE LATE-IVITY There’s late, and then there’s a fortnight late – but after all, this is Living Spit at The Wardrobe. The mistletoe may be manky and the tinsel tired, but Howard and Stu will be delivering the same cornucopia of comic Christmassy crudeness that they did in December.

Only this time it’s got a slightly different title. And they’re doing it In January. thewardrobetheatre.com

20 January-12 February

DR SEMMELWEISS The much-postponed and almost certainly unmissable new drama, devised by and starring Mark Rylance and directed by Tom Morris, finally opens at BOV; bristololdvic.org.uk

23 January

THE SNOW QUEEN Ballet Theatre UK dance their

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Ready to party? There’s a strong nostalgia feel to this year’s events, from turn-of-the-century Europe to the Roaring Twenties and NYC in the 1950s The Roaring 2.0s The UK’s largest 1920s themed party comes to the Spiegeltent for this year’s Masquerade Ball, with burlesque dancers, cabaret acts, circus and swing dancers; the 13-piece Dutty Moonshine Big Band brings electronic dance inspired by days gone by; christmasspiegeltent.co.uk Roaring ‘20s This is no ordinary shindig, old sport; this is a carefree, Gatsbyinspired soirée of dancing and revelry at The Square Club, with fancy dress, a grand buffet, casino, dancers and a live band; thesquareclub.com Can U Jack at Propyard The Warehouse Takeover is an all-night club event across the 80,000 ft² former factory; countdown will be headed up by one of Britain’s most renowned deep house/techno DJs and producers, Hot Since 82. propyard.co.uk At The Great Gatsby Mansion Make like Scott and Zelda, and head to Ashton Court Estate for a lavish, indulgent and highly exclusive event, reminiscent of the Gatsby parties with a funky little twist. eventbrite.co.uk Studio 54 A night inspired by NYE’s iconic nightclub at Bambalan. Channel your Halston, Warhol, Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger for a hedonistic evening of glitter, glamour, disco and cocktails; leave the white horse at home, though. bambalan.co.uk

Propyard

Ashton Court

A Night on the Orient Express The Milk Thistle transport you back to a bygone era to one of the most glamorous excursions through history: a trip on the legendary Orient Express, across turn-of-the-century Europe, from Paris to Munich, Vienna to Budapest, Belgrade to Constantinople, all through the medium of cocktails – and a detective mystery... milkthistlebristol.co Cocktails through the ages As the clock strikes midnight, Hyde & Co are keeping it classic. Choose from two sittings, and select your choice of three cocktails; those in for the late one will be treated to a glass of Champagne at midnight. With only a limited number of tables available, this will be an exclusive evening, ideal for anyone wanting to escape the crowds and see in the New Year with excellent cocktails in a more intimate setting; hydeand.co Propaganda NYE Blowout Where all Bristol’s indie kids and emos at? Who wants to ring in the new year with Avril Lavigne, Yungblud, and Paramore as well as classic indie bangers from The Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and more? Who wants their new year’s toasts to be soundtracked by The 1975?

And to my hipsters, who just wanna dance the night away to Tame Impala, Pale Waves, and Jungle while nursing a cool beer? Basically, where’s the New Years Eve Party for kids in skinny jeans? At the O2 Academy Bristol, that’s where… academymusicgroup.com New Year’s Eve Party at Racks Bar & Kitchen The legendary, black-tie, free-bar New Year’s Eve party returns; the dress code is exclusively dinner jackets and cocktail dresses; racks-bristol.co.uk

above: Great tunes. No cheesy banter: Van Morrison; below: What time do you call this, Living Spit?

beautiful retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale; at Redgrave; redgravetheatre.com

MUSIC 18 January

TOM ROSENTHAL Since being hailed as ‘Britain’s best unknown songwriter’, Tom’s made significant movements to becoming better known; despite having five albums to his name, he only started playing live last year. Now he’s at Trinity; trinitybristol.org.uk

22 January

SOUL II SOUL The double Grammy-winners take their acclaimed Club Classics tour back on the road, and into O2. academymusicgroup.com

24 January

VAN MORRISON Don’t expect cosy anecdotes or crowd-surfing. He probably won’t even smile. Do expect one of the greatest pros in the business and his ace band for a night of flawlessly great blues, r&b, jazz and soul; at Hippodrome; atgtickets.com THE STREETS Dry your eyes, mate; Mike Skinner and the lads are headed to O2; academymusicgroup.com

COMEDY 23 January

JIMMY CARR: TERRIBLY FUNNY The king of the one-liner warns the gloves are off for his new show.

Having political correctness at a comedy gig is like having health and safety at a rodeo. Now you’ve been warned, buy a ticket for the Hippodrome; atgtickets.com

OTHER

Until 31 December

BRISTOL SPIEGELTENT The brilliantly atmospheric venue is back, with its usual brantub of shows and parties including the NYE ball; christmasspiegeltent.co.uk

15 January

OLIVER STONE: HOW I FOUGHT MY WAY INTO HOLLYWOOD One of the most controversial film-makers in Hollywood history shares his life and work in this special event at St George’s. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

22 January

SUGGS: A LIFE IN THE REALM OF MADNESS After his first tour-de-force show, My Life Story, the Madness frontman is treading the boards again, and heading for the Redgrave; redgravetheatre.com n

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ART OF THE NATION

Grayson with his portrait by Becky Tyler, created solely with eye-tracking software

16 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ARTS

Had your fill of the festive madness? Grayson’s Art Club has just opened at Bristol Museum, and we can’t think of a better antithesis to the turkey and tinsel than an hour spent in the gallery’s cool halls, soaking up the most eclectic show in town

D

Words Ursula Cole Pics @joncraig_photos uring 2020, Grayson Perry and his wife Philippa – herself an artist as well as a psychotherapist – set out to unite and divert the nation via their TV show Grayson’s Art Club. Occasionally they’d be accompanied by their cat, Kevin.

Each week over Zoom, Grayson and Philippa asked famous artists and creatives how they were spending their time, and invited them to respond creatively to lockdown. The public were also asked to share their artworks, and over 17,000 entries were submitted in a vast range of mediums from paintings and photography to ceramics and textiles.

Now, many of these artworks, along with pieces by Grayson and Philippa, can be seen at Bristol Museum in a blockbuster show based on Season Two of the series, featuring contributing artists and celebrities such as Alex Horne, Banksy, Chila Kumari Burman-Singh, David Bailey, Derren Brown, Sir Frank Bowling, Holly Walsh, Jane Seymour, Johnny Vegas, Lianne La Havas, Lucy Sparrow, Mawaan Rizwan, Polly Morgan, Russell Tovey, Sue Perkins, Tom Allen and Yinka Ilori.

Taken separately, each artwork presents a powerful, poignant and personal response to the pandemic. Collectively, they form a lasting artistic record of the weirdest year in most people’s memory.

“There are six themes,” says Grayson. “We’ve got family, we’ve got nature, we’ve got dreams; we’ve got work, travel and food. These were subjects we thought everybody would have something to say about.”

And because there was no single large room available in the building for a temporary exhibition of 100 pieces, “The exhibition is laid out right through the whole museum like a trail; sometimes you come across a whole room full of the exhibition; sometimes it’s just individual pieces that are woven into the wonderful collection here at the museum.” Look out, for example, for Grayson’s Mr Chonky Chonk, currently residing with the permanent collection of Bristol stoneware.

You’d have expected the professional artists to come up with something tasty, but the celebrities featured in the series were also full of surprises: Boy George’s colourful, sequinned paintings of his ‘disco family’, for example, or Anneka Rice’s frieze full of figures weaving in and out of bunting.

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ARTS None of the celebs nor the internationally known artists are allowed to dominate the work by the public, meaning that an astonishing degree of amateur talent is on show, along with the stories behind them.

One of the charms of the exhibition is its huge variety, with surprises at every corner. There’s the portrait of Grayson by Becky Tyler, created entirely with eye-tracking software. There are Grayson’s urban fox paintings, and Philippa’s hand-painted coffee table. Comedian Mawaan Rizwan’s Favourable Chicken Shop. Banksy’s Create Escape stencil, as used on the side of Reading Gaol. There’s Johnny Vegas’s pottery, and a giant monochromatic canvas by Russell Tovey. One of the quirkiest exhibitions is a whole room by Lucy Sparrow, whose Triple Art Bypass is created entirely from felt.

And Grayson’s favourite piece? “Obviously, all the ones I’ve made are my favourite pieces. As you’re an artist, if you’re not making your own favourite art, there’s something worrying about it. But I do love the train ticket rug very much. And the Sydney Opera House washing-up basket is particularly clever.

“The team at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery have created a fitting tribute to the many touching and memorable works of art that were created by people all over the country. I particularly enjoyed flyposting the fanzine I created in episode four onto the gallery walls…” n Grayson’s Art Show runs at Bristol Museum until 4 September 2022 bristolmuseums.org

from top: Alan Measles by Grayson Perry; Grayson and Philippa;

Lucy Sparrow’s Triple Art Bypass

right: Bansky’s Create Escape stencil

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HIGH-FLYING BIRDS The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition has made its annual migration to Bristol, alighting, as ever, at M Shed

PHOTOGRAPHY

HIGH-FLYING JAY By Lasse Kurkela

Winner: 15-17 Years Lasse wanted to give a sense of scale in his photograph of the Siberian jay, tiny among the old-growth spruce-dominated forest. He used pieces of cheese to get the jays accustomed to his remotely controlled camera and to encourage them along a particular flight path.

E

very year, the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition seems to carry a more urgent subtext.

In a perfect world, photographers would return from idyllic, unspoilt locations with rolls of images showing animals leading their best lives. And if ‘best lives’ means a cheetah running down an antelope, or a penguin being attacked by a faster, bigger ocean predator, that’s OK; we may find the shots upsetting, but that’s the natural world for you.

We can deal with nature red in tooth and claw; far more distressing are images showing the knock-on effect of human behaviour on the planet’s fauna and flora: the vanishing coral beds, shrinking rainforests, overfished oceans, melting ice caps, and (the ones we guiltily tend to walk past quickly) shots of wild animals in captivity.

And yet, due to organisations such as UNESCO, and its World Heritage List, there are glimmers of hope. In Daniel Rosengren’s aerial image The Fantastical Rainforest, for example, you can see a perfectly round hole in the ground in which huge trees are thriving – a lush mix of palms, broad-leaved trees and climbers. This is Chiribiquete National Park; thanks to public and political mobilisation, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2018, becoming Colombia’s largest protected area. It’s not rocket science. If we stop doing the damage, nature will return.

Taken from every imaginable corner of the globe, the photos are thought-provoking, sobering and technically brilliant. While a lot of them are disturbing, we’ve chickened out as usual and chosen the softer ones. But do go along and see them all; the exhibition always lands in December, offering the ideal excuse to haul yourself out of your post-Christmas stupor, take a brisk walk along Harbourside and check in to see how the world looks, through the lenses of the best nature photographers in the world, right now. n Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. At M Shed until 5 June 2022; bristolmuseums.org.uk

HEAD TO HEAD By Stefano Unterthiner

Winner: Behaviour: Mammals Stefano followed these reindeer during the rutting season. Watching the fight, he felt immersed in “the smell, the noise, the fatigue and the pain”. The reindeer clashed antlers until the dominant male (left) chased its rival away, securing the opportunity to breed.

Reindeer are widespread around the Arctic, but this subspecies occurs only in Svalbard. Populations are affected by climate change, where increased rainfall can freeze on the ground, preventing access to plants that would otherwise sit under soft snow.

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THE GREAT SWIM

By Buddhilini de Soyza

Highly commended: Behaviour: Mammals Five male cheetahs strain against the current of the raging Talek River in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve.

A period of relentless, unseasonable rain at the end of 2019 caused the worst flooding local

elders had ever known. Cheetahs are usually strong swimmers, but the unusually turbulent water of the flooded river posed a serious threat.

Dilini spent hours watching nervously from the opposite bank as the coalition, led by the lead male, searched for a suitable place to cross.

Calmer stretches of water were likely to conceal

lurking crocodiles while the more rapid parts could drag the cheetahs downstream with ease.

“Suddenly, the leader jumped in,” Dilini says, “followed loyally by the other four. The strong torrents and underwater currents dragged the cheetahs almost 100 metres downstream.”

There’s a happy ending, folks: eventually all five cheetahs made it safely to the other side.

LYNX ON THE THRESHOLD

By Sergio Marijuán

Highly commended: Urban Wildlife Across the world, humans have created new habitats. Many animals have adapted to these built environments, some more successfully than others. These images focus on the magic of the commonplace, the surprise of the unexpected or the wonder of the normally unseen.

After months of waiting, Sergio’s carefully set camera trap finally gave him the picture he wanted: a young Iberian lynx perfectly framed in the doorway of an abandoned hayloft on a farm in Spain.

LOCKDOWN CHICKS

By Gagana Mendis Wickramasinghe

Highly commended: 10 Years and Under Through the long days of a lockdown in 2020, Gagana watched a pair of rose-ringed parakeets raise their young inside a dead tree left standing outside his family home in Colombo. From his balcony Gagana captured the moment three chicks peeked out of their nest.

Rose-ringed parakeets are native to South Asia and parts of central Africa. Feral populations of these bright green birds have also become established in cities around the world, where they may compete with local species for nesting sites.

24 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHY

GRIZZLY LEFTOVERS By Zack Clothier

Winner: Animals in their Environment Zack decided these bull elk remains were an ideal spot to set a camera trap. Returning to the scene was challenging. Zack bridged gushing meltwater with fallen trees, only to find his setup trashed.

This was the last frame captured on the camera.

STORM FOX

By Jonny Armstrong

Highly commended: Animal Portraits Jonny is a professor of fisheries and wildlife ecology at Oregon State. He and his colleague willed the red fox to reach them before the heavens opened. “Adjusting the manual flash was awkward,” he says, so he pre-set the power for a soft spotlight – just enough to bring out the texture of the fox’s coat at a relatively close range.

Red foxes live in diverse habitats across the world. Jonny had followed this fox over several days, watching it forage for berries, pounce after songbirds, and playfully nip at the heels of a young brown bear.

26 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

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1

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS In the first of a two-parter, Colin selects a few heroes that help to sum up Bristol in 2021 Words and pictures by Colin Moody

28 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BRISTOL HEROES

L

et’s look back at the best of 2021.

And let’s put the brakes on before we re-enter the danger zone of 2020.

The effects of that year are profound, and you will notice they influence, in every, way the choices I’ve made for Heroes to end this year.

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2

“If any metropolis can make this recovery work for the whole community, it’ll be Bristol”

3

Ah, Bristol. If any metropolis can make this recovery work for the whole community, it’ll be this one.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work on one project in 2021 that encapsulates the way Bristol thinks and the way Bristol acts.

The Where’s It To? campaign reaches out over all the city, and showcases the amazing independent businesses we have. I’ve visited hundreds of local shops, restaurants, tailors’ workshops, pioneering community hub cafés and more, and each street we go to has a guide.

Here’s the poet Miles Chambers, whose words have been immortalised in the shutters of Bristol Old Vic. Here he’s guiding us around St Paul’s and Stokes Croft, with a brief stop at Dad’s Cabs to enjoy the music coming from the car outside. “They’ve always got the best music on in the cars,” he tells me as we wind our way through another selection of indies.

I love introducing our presenters to businesses they never knew, and capturing on camera that spark of wowness: the kind that happen when you first walk in to that place that does those little patties, or the florist that has that flower your mum likes, or the fellow on the side road who can make the torn sleeve of your favourite jacket look as good as new again. This moment by the cab stand makes the whole project real to me.

But excuse me, because I’ve got 25 or so more streets to cover.

2 4

A scene from a pub in mid-December, as viewed through the bottle glass windows of one of Bristol’s historic inns on Guinea Street.

We’re back in these social hubs now, and supporting them with trade and atmosphere.

However I have many friends whose recovery from 2020 has involved a major shift in their social patterns. Have enough of us booked for Christmas, for those table-top cracker-joke fireside experiences, or are our visions of the boozer permanently distorted, like this view through the door? How we see the pub may never be the same again.

3

What kind of city are we making for future generations? When I was asked to shoot the new Upfest work going up around the city I thought this image answered that. There are little moments when young kids – they may or may not be unicorns – see the kind of imagination going up on walls that they play with in their little wonder-minds all the time.

We have no idea yet how wonderful their world might be, growing up with both inner and outer imagination, and where that might steer the collective consciousness of the city.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 29

BRISTOL HEROES

“Just because you are having major front-of-house building work does not mean you have to miss out on Smoosh”

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4

Live music is back. As someone who lives in the pit during a normal summer season I can’t tell you how good it felt to be there again.

So grab a trombone, get your lyrics down and go perform. Photo here taken at one of many music moments now emanating from Bristol Beacon. If not now, when?

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5

I hope they print this big. The glasses she’s wearing show that expensive film truck that rolled into the harbour. And that’s the expression when life becomes art. That’s the reaction. What impressed me was how quickly one of the local team behind the new safety signs around the harbour got a shot with the sign that says GETTING IN IS THE EASY PART.

6

MESSAGE SHIP TO SHORE >>>We have been at sea a long time.

Stop.<<< >>>We request shore leave with utmost urgency regarding morale of the ship’s crew.

Stop.<<< >>>Have sent crew to Propyard for rest and relaxation. Stop.<<< >>>Message ends.<<<

7

Just because you are having major frontof-house building work does not mean you have to miss out on Smoosh. An amazing event where the notes of Massive Attack and Portishead were played by the Paraorchestra as they processed theatrical style through Filwood.

8

Will we be locked down again while you are reading this? I just want to log it just in case there was a beautiful moment in 2021 when double-vaccinated mates felt they could at last hug each other. And this was the first hug I’d seen with my eyes for over 18 months. Just gonna leave this here.

Colin is available as a ‘mini-mobile PR/marketing/ social media unit’, to shoot striking street-style photographs at live events. Fees start at £100 for a two-hour package. email: mrcolinmoody@gmail.com Twitter: @moodycolin; Instagram @moodycolin319

30 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

7 8

STAND-UP GUY CHRIS COX

The night before Christmas

Or maybe it’s just after Christmas; it all depends on when you happen to be reading this column . . .

H

olidays are coming, holidays are coming etc… etc… [note to Ed: assuming someone will now pay the royalties to Coke?] Although, actually, holidays are over, holidays are over, might be more apt, depending on when your eyes alight on these words.

Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, and just like the stink of those leftover sprouts in the fridge, there’s no getting away from it.

As I said in my last little chat

with you, Christmas is normally the time when I’m away standing on stages around the world (have I mentioned in this column that I’ve played Broadway?) Last year and this year, however, I’ve turned my home office into a home studio. Zoom into my stage and you’ll see me putting the ho ho ho in show, with a virtual Christmas mind-reading act.

Companies like PayPal, Salesforce, Hasbro and loads of ones you’ve never heard of have been booking my virtual mindreading show to entertain their clients, colleagues and enemies.

You know what? I bloody love

“The mute-all function is a lifesaver when it comes to heckling, but not so much when it comes to not getting to hear someone go OH MY GOD THIS GUY IS AMAZING. AND SEXY” 32 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

doing them; for a start I get to do a show in my slippers. FYI I’m pretty sure Huw Edwards does the news in his slippers, too.

I get to connect with people around the world and read their minds via the wonders of the glorious internet. It’s been a real mission to work out how to read minds online, but this time last year, I cracked it like an Easter egg, which will be on supermarket shelves by 2 January, I promise you. The mute-all function is a lifesaver when it comes to potential heckling, but not so much when it comes to not getting to hear someone go OH MY GOD THIS GUY IS AMAZING. AND SEXY. Working out what to get my four-year-old tiny human for Christmas looked like it’d be a mission, but then I discovered the Toniebox; this awesome screen-free audio system which kids can use to play stories and songs. It’s soft, cuddly and can be taken anywhere, but the coolest thing is when I go back on tour I can record stories for her, then she just pops a Tonies figurine in the top of it and it’ll play them back to her.

For Christmas we got her the Julia Donaldson books, complete with a Gruffalo figure that goes on top of the box and starts playing the story. It’s much better than my made-up tales in which nothing rhymes. Now she can listen to stories in her own time.

She can press a button and it will play, leaving me time to sleep – it’ll make my day. See! Gotta get my rhyme practice in before I go to Nantucket.

There was a big debate this year about the Christmas dinner.

Last year we got a huge turkey.

The sort of turkey big enough for Mr Bean or Monica off of Friends to stick their heads into, because we were expecting to have all the family over. Instead we ended up having a turkey for eight to be consumed by two.

I got very good at using it up with clever inventions such as turkey chilli, turkey pie, turkey frittata and a personal favourite, turkey with a side of turkey.

We decided to get the samesized bird this year, fresh from a Yatton farm via the confusingly named Bakers of Nailsea. So that’s Mr Baker the butcher. It is not a bakers; although why a baker called Mr Butcher hasn’t set up Butchers of Nailsea selling cream cakes is beyond me. Pop the shops next to each other, confuse everyone and cause a viral sensation. It’s what the internet was made for. Well, that and poor-quality mind-reading Zoom shows done by a man in his slippers.

It’s not like the old days of in-person shows, like that Christmas in Cancun, where the poster got a little lost in translation and ‘Show must end soon! See this breathtaking magical performance that will leave you speechless’ became ’The magicians will leave you breathless as they finish their mounting’. Couple that with a guy called Cox in it and you have a very different show. magiccox.com; facebook @ilovecox twitter @bigcox; insta @magiccox

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COCKTAILS

CALL US OLD FASHIONED… …actually, call us any cocktail name you like – it’s nearly New Year’s Eve, and we know what we’re going to be drinking come the midnight bells…

W

e considered kicking off this feature with a brief history of the cocktail. Maybe throw a few drinking puns for good measure (hey, there’s one right there!).

You know; how we’re thinking of renewing our gin membership, or how time flies when you’re having rum. That kind of thing. It was worth a shot, but ultimately we decided that all you really wanted and needed from us at this time of year were some great recipes. So let’s mix, muddle and roll with the help of Bristol’s best bartenders; and remember: vodka is made from potatoes. Potatoes are vegetables.

Vegetables are good for you. Happy New Year!

Note: As ever, we asked our bartenders to swerve the more obscure ingredients, explaining that not everyone has access to aloe plucked at dawn from the hillsides of Myanmar and infused in unicorn's tears. On the whole they’ve listened, but if a recipe calls for something you’d struggle to source, get creative and come up with your own alternatives. Us? We’re ordering in the chataigne, fig liqueur and Licor 43, and slavishly following each recipe to the letter…

34 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

FILTHY XIII

A baby-blue beauty from this Cheltenham Road bar, loved for its cosy ambience and cocktail creativity; filthyxiii.com

Blue Hawaiian

“Because tropical flavours aren’t just for summer," they say. "This twist on a Blue Hawaii delivers feelgood flavours that could put a smile onto the toughest Grinch's face. The warming spice coming from the bitters and the soft blue hue of the cocktail make this really festive.”

35ml white rum 5ml Circumstance Cane (optional but recommended) 25ml blue curacao 45ml fresh pineapple juice 30ml cream of coconut (we use Coco Real) 2 dashes of angostura bitters Shake hard, and strain into a fancy cocktail glass over cubed ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge, a cocktail cherry and umbrella.

BAR 44

No surprise that this bunch of hispanophiles put sherry in their espresso martinis; we'd have been disappointed if they didn't. bar44.co.uk

Café Solo Martini

"We’ve given this many names over the years; this is just the current one. It’s been called a Pedrotini, a Pedro Espresso and a few others.

One of our best-sellers, and a simple extension of an espresso martini. Great to give you the second wind you may need after a long dinner or lunch before carrying on into the night."

25ml vanilla vodka 18.75ml Pedro Ximénez sherry 12.5ml Licor 43 liqueur 50ml fresh espresso, chilled or room temperature Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and then shake hard for 25 seconds.

Double strain (through the shaker and a fine sieve) into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with three coffee beans and cocoa powder.

THE COCONUT TREE

Twice-winners of a Bristol Life Award, our Sri Lankan favourites provided us with our beautiful cover image this issue; you can also find this negroni on the menu at their Triangle and Glo Road branches. thecoconut-tree.com

Now or Never Negroni

"Island botanical flavours served with a sour lipsmacking lolly… not for the faint hearted, definitely a festive party starter! The flavours of this cocktail are an intense surprise and delight for the senses. A great gin as the base spirit, bitter spicy, earthy tones of the Suze, and sweet premium vermouth oozing a delicate vanilla sweet taste. Add the sour lolly and you won't be able to get enough!" Dangerous...

20mls Sri Lankan Colombo 7 Botanical Gin OR any London dry gin – just not a flavoured one 20mls Suze aperitif 20 mls Belsazar white vermouth.

Lemon Sour lolly Add cubed ice to a mixing jar. Pour in the gin, Suze and vermouth, churn for 20 seconds and pour over ice into a sturdy and stylish glass tumbler.

Garnish with lemon: take a large lemon wedge, peel off the fruit section, take the rind, put slits in it vertically and pin together with a small wooden clip.

Finally, add a large sour lolly.

LOOSE CANNON

An indulgent cocktail from this stylish independent bar just off Millennium Square; theloosecannoncocktailbar.com

Tender Loving Pear

As the days get colder, this warming cup of festive cheer sings praises to everything that the season has to bring.

30ml spiced rum 20ml crème de cacao 30ml pear purée 1 tsp cocoa powder 30ml pineapple juice 1 /8 tsp cinnamon powder Whipped cream Chocolate powder or freshly grated dark chocolate Add all but the last two ingredients to a saucepan and place over a low heat. Let the mixture slowly come to a boil, routinely stirring.

Take the saucepan off the heat and carefully pour into a mug.

Top the drink off with some whipped cream and grated dark chocolate.

BOCABAR

One of three festive cocktails currently being served up at Bocabar Paintworks and Bocabar Finzel’s Reach. Call in if you’d prefer to try the Frangeliclause, or the Chocolate Orange Liftoff; we just couldn't resist the name of this one bristol.bocabar.co.uk

Fairytale of Manhattan

37.5ml Buffalo Trace bourbon 20ml Pedro Ximenez sherry 10ml Cherry and vanilla syrup 10ml citric acid 3 dashes of angostura bitters Fill a rocks glass halfway with ice, add ingredients and stir for approximately 30 seconds. Top up the glass with more ice.

Garnish with a maraschino cherry on a cocktail stick laid across the top, and an orange slice on the side of the glass.

COCKTAILS

ESPENSEN SPIRIT

Sam Espensen makes gorgeous fruit-infused gins and vodkas at her distillery at St George; see her onlne shop at espensenspirit.com

Practical Magic

An excellent winter aperitif – sharp, sweet and grown-up.

50ml Espensen Spirit 'Pump up the Jam' raspberry gin 15ml lemon juice 15ml fig liqueur 10ml Suze 2 dashes orange bitters Put all ingredients into a rocks glass then add ice to nearly the top.

Using a long-handled spoon or similar, give it a good stir for at least 10 seconds. Garnish with orange twist or fresh figs.

DIRTY MARTINI

As the name suggests, Dirty Martini is renowned for its extensive range of martinis and signature cocktails; you'll find them on Corn Street. dirtymartini.uk.com

The Snowman

30ml Jameson Irish whiskey 15ml Baileys 15ml Speculoos syrup (or cookie syrup, like you’d use in a coffee) 30ml double cream 50ml soda water Chocolate powder to garnish Mini-cookie Shake all ingredients except the soda water, cookie and chocolate powder together with plenty of ice.

Strain into a glass and top up with soda water.

Sprinkle chocolate powder on top and serve with a mini-cookie.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 37

COCKTAILS NADU

Nadu bring the flavours of Sri Lankan and Tamil cuisine to the heart of Stokes Croft – and now to a cocktail trolley near you. nadubristol.com

Spiced Pear and Vanilla Rum Sour

50ml Plantation 5yo rum 25ml homemade spiced pear and vanilla syrup (see below) 25ml fresh lemon juice A couple of drops of Mrs Betters Bitters Miraculous Foamer (can use egg white or chickpea water instead for same foaming effect) 3 drops of allspice bitters (this can be made at home by leaving allspice berries in strong booze like Wray and Nephews) For the homemade syrup 2 whole conference pears Vanilla essence or powder 2 star anise 2 cassia bark Clove powder or 6-8 cloves A piece or nutmeg or nutmeg powder Edible flowers (to make it extra pretty) First, make your homemade syrup. Start by boiling some water and adding one and a half pears, sliced up into the water. Bring the water down to a simmer and add your vanilla and spices to taste. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes and set aside to cool. Strain out the spices and pear.

Put the cocktail ingredients into a shaker and dry shake (with no ice) first to make a foam. Then add ice and shake hard again. Add ice to your glass and pour your delicious fluffy Christmas drink over it.

To garnish, use the remaining half pear and slice into neat slices. Use three slices to make a pear fan to balance on your drink, grate some nutmeg over the foam, and add edible flowers to finish.

6 O’CLOCK GIN

HOME COCKTAILS

Cocktails and gifts, delivered to your door! Check out the website for the full range and services: homecocktails.co.uk

White Chocolate Espresso Martini

6 O’Clock make strikingly smooth artisan gins, handcrafted in small batches, using traditional skills and only the best natural ingredients.

“The name was inspired by our long-held family tradition of indulging in a G&T at 6 O’clock; a custom still enjoyed at the distillery today,” says product manager Tom Fowkes.

6oclockgin.com

6 O’clock Gin Sloe Mulled Spiced Apple

50ml 6 O’clock Gin Sloe or Damson Gin 200ml cloudy apple juice 1 x Pukka Vanilla Chai teabag Infuse the cloudy apple juice by gently heating with the teabag in a saucepan for around 20 minutes. Pour the sloe into a heatproof glass or mug, and top up with your spiced apple juice. Snuggle up and enjoy.

50mls vodka 20ml coffee liqueur 100ml Mozart White Chocolate Cream 40ml double cream 40ml espresso Add to shaker and fill with cubed ice. Hard-shake for 10-12 seconds and strain into a martini or coupe glass. Garnish with grated chocolate and coffee beans. For extra effect dip glasses into melted chocolate and chill.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 39

t: 0117 279 0980 | m: 07956 846307 e: simon@bristolcityroofing.co.uk

www. bristolcityroofing.co.uk

CAFÉ SOCIETY STAN CULLIMORE

Sign ’o the times

I

Hasta la Bar-1st-air, baby!

f there is one thing you shouldn’t resist, in my humble opinion, it is a shop or café with a childish, pun-based trading name. Would be rude to walk on by, that’s my thinking.

Reason is simple: if they have made the effort to try to make you smile, the least you can do in return is put a bit of custom their way. Show a bit of gratitude.

Appreciate the artistic ardour.

“If I am ever out and about, and find a fish and chippy with a name like Cod Almighty, I am putty in its paws. Or flippers”

For example, if I am ever out and about, and find a fish and chippy with a name like Cod Almighty, then I am putty in its paws. Or flippers. Seems churlish to resist such simple signage charms.

If there is something else you shouldn’t resist, also in my humble opinion, it is a mobile café that appears in the middle of a lovely park. One of the few silver linings over the last couple of years has been the procession of new, mobile coffee spots that have sprung up around town.

Whatever quirky vehicle they use, whether horsebox, tuk-tuk, campervan or caravan, they have definitely brought an extra added joy to Bristol life.

All of which is a rather longwinded way of introducing this week’s café of choice, the cunningly titled Bar-1st-air 747.

Based in the back of a van, tricked out to look somewhat like an earthbound airplane, what’s not to love? Ticks many boxes right there. We came across it while taking the dogs for a morning walk at Brandon Hill; apparently the van’s often to be found there.

When it’s not raining too hard.

The friendly lady who runs it cheerfully warned us she needed a few minutes to get things up and running, which was perfect, as we had dogs to deal with first. So it

was, after a few pleasant circuits of the tower, after a squadron of squirrels had been chased up tall trees by our hapless hounds, we found our footsteps leading us inexorably towards the smell of fresh coffee.

We went for a muffin to share along with a couple of coffees then headed for a bench in the sunshine and prepared to be content. The coffees were top notch. Fabulous. Hot, tasty and full of natural goodness. Can’t say I was a huge fan of the muffin. It was big and blousy, a blueberry beast; the grandkids would have loved it, as would anyone who likes their muffins mahoosive. But personally, I am more into small but perfectly formed temptations.

Mind, I’m also a fan of bacon butties, and when I returned to the van to put our empties away, I noticed their blackboard. Among the treats on offer, they do a fine line in bacon rolls.

Sigh. When will I learn to do my research? That would have been just what the doctor ordered.

Ah, well. I’ll know exactly what to ask for next time. Hasta la Bar1st-air, baby! n Former Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer stancullimore.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 43

RECIPES PHIL HAUGHTON

It’s marmalade month – and the undisputed stars of the season are the knobblyskinned Seville oranges

DAD’S MARMALADE We’re just about to hit Seville orange season, and it always brings a smile to my face when the beautiful organic oranges arrives at the Better Food stores. Our dad loved marmalade, and was the master marmalade-maker in a house of up to 30 people. Marmalade takes quite a while to make, but you can stop and start the process if you need to. Made from fresh Seville oranges, it was thick-cut, chunky-style, and with less sugar than standard recipes.

Some tips first: The oranges: Seville (organic of course) – have a strong sour and bitter flavour that can bear the addition of lots of sugar without becoming sickly sweet.

The sugar: most recipes call for twice as much sugar per weight of oranges, but 1½ times the weight of sugar to oranges works for me.

The lemons: two or three for every kilo of oranges helps with setting when using less sugar.

The pan: the bigger the better, preferably nice and wide.

Some recipes don’t pre-cook the oranges, but my Dad’s method of doing so makes it easier to scoop out the flesh and pith and slice the skins, without juice going everywhere.

Ingredients 2 kg organic Seville oranges 4 to 5 organic lemons 3 kg organic granulated sugar This will make a total weight of 5 kg-ish. That’s about 12 large jam jars. Halve the recipe if this is too much.

Method • Put all the oranges and lemons in the pan with about 4 pints of water or enough to cover them. Don’t worry about them bobbing above the water line. Bring to the boil. Put a lid on the pan and boil until the orange skins are softened (around 30 to 40 minutes). This step can be done the night before.

• Line a large mixing bowl with a muslin cloth, letting the edges hang down the outside.

• When the fruits are cool enough to handle, lift them out, leaving the liquid in the pan. Halve all the fruit crossways. Pick out the pips and drop them into the muslin-lined bowl, then scoop all the flesh and pith into the jam pan.

• Stack your skins in piles of four on your chopping board, cut sides upwards. Using a sharp knife, cut in half lengthways, then slice widthways – as chunky or fine as you like. Return the sliced peel to the pan. Add another 1.5 litres of water.

• Tie the corners of your muslin together, and submerge the bag in the pan, suspended from the handle. Add any juice that has already run

through the muslin. Note the depth of liquid and bring to a fast boil.

• Occasionally squeeze the muslin bag against the side of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon to get all the pectin out. Boil to reduce the marmalade by a third; this could take up to an hour.

• Take out the muslin pip bag, add your sugar and bring back up to a rolling boil. This is when you need to stir regularly – and carefully!

The solids sinking to the bottom of the pan can bubble up like volcanic lava if left too long without stirring.

• Boil for 30 minutes to an hour then start testing by placing a few drops onto a cold saucer taken from the fridge. Let the drops cool then run your finger across – if the mixture wrinkles a little it’s ready. It’s better underdone than over (you don’t want to burn the sugar).

You can always cool it and re-boil again.

• Ladle marmalade into clean jars, which don’t need to be hot, but don’t bring them straight in from a cold storage shed! Put clean sterile lids on when very hot. This gives a good vacuum – you don’t need to use wax paper discs.

Phil is the founder of Better Food – four awardwinning shops and cafés in Bristol, that specialise in organic, local, ethical food and products. He is also the author of the book Food for Thought, containing a mix of recipes, tips and inspiring stories from organic change-makers. For more: betterfood.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 45

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Happy New Year’s Eve; no pressure...

A

t the start of December, I positively yearn for Christmas, with all its spicy smells, wood fires, traditions and carols. However by the time it’s New Year and the tree is drooping, I am likewise dropping my festive needles. I morph from Mrs Christmas to Mrs Party Pooper, as New Year can be overrated and wildly overpriced, with all of the pressure to have fun. It is like the limoncello you’re offered in Italian restaurants after a long meal; you don’t really want it after all the courses, but think you should and then immediately wished you hadn’t.

They haven’t all been terrible, in fact some of the best New Years have been in a remote rental cottage, among close friends, taking it in turns to cook and pulling a groin muscle playing a highly charged game of charades.

But this takes a lot of organisation to arrange back in October, when Christmas is all we can see looming over the horizon like a large polar bear, obscuring the 31 December from view.

In contrast, during one NYE I mistakenly drank so many espresso martinis to keep me awake until midnight that when I staggered home at 3am I spent the rest of the night jittering in bed.

So like any sane rational person I decided to cut my losses at 6am

“By the time it’s New Year and the tree is drooping, I am likewise dropping my festive needles”

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Aery Happy Space scented candle, £26, Frankly Store

and go for a run to try and sweat it out. I got a lot of pity jeers from revellers still on their merry way home, who assumed I had just got up after a night in.

Although, I have done that as well. I mean stay at home alone, after being freshly dumped. My brother tried to cajole me out along with him, and couldn’t comprehend the idea of me wanting to lick my wounds and snuggle up in my comfies in front of Jools Holland with a half-bottle of Champagne.

I loved being in charge of the destiny of the night, as I couldn’t face a night of ‘such fun’ ending

in another disappointment.

So if you don’t find yourself in party mood this New Year’s Eve – maybe single and alone, or not single but wishing you were – treat yourself to some new comfies and remember that trying to find an Uber in a pair of heels and chilblains at 2am along with everyone else in Bristol can be deemed fun for some, but a virtual hug on the sofa from Jools and music by his friends straight to your living room has its place and time once in a while. ■ @millyvaughan on instagram camillapettman@mac.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 47

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We believe there is no blueprint, no one plan that fits all or secret new way. We understand that everyone’s circumstances are different, we believe that fitness and training should be fun and enjoyable. We help people find what makes them happy when training, how movement is good for the mind and body and how to move injury and pain free. To help find confidence in what they can do as being mentally strong as well as physically strong carries over into every day life. That is why we are proud of what we do; we are all inclusive, you’re not just a number

here. We want everybody to find that feeling – we have even taken that feeling and made sure our sustainable clothing range inspires every one of you to find a healthier, happier and more confident you. Designs to suit every shape, curve and exercise or everyday activity you may take part in.

We have always wanted to spread this message even further and bring all of our experience in coaching both strength training and life coaching to deliver a whole weekend of Feel Fit feelings, and this year we did just that with our Feel You Retreat.

It is important to find a studio, gym or trainer that understands you. You should find coaches who understand you and can help tailor sessions to your needs and circumstance. It could be a simple walk, a shorter session or even a good old stretch and flow – whatever it is you need your trainer should be there to guide you.

Come and find Feel Fit in Clifton Village, and if you can’t get to us don’t worry we are online too, to help guide you to a stronger you and future.

Because we are stronger together. ■

FEEL YOU RETREATS This year we ran our retreat down in Croyde, Devon. We took 12 lovely ladies on a weekend to learn just how important it is to reconnect with your body, to find who you are and to push some comfort zones.

The weekend was a mix of ocean therapy, coaching, fun, giggles and plenty of yummy whole foods and wine of course!

You can check out dates for 2022 here feelyouretreat.co.uk

myfeelfit.com | 07771 695666 www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 49

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THE CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE

Christmas is coming, and for many of us, this year will be a chance to make up for the somewhat restricted festive period of 2020. However, it’s possible to be so preoccupied by the celebrations that it’s easy to forget about our health and wellbeing. Here, the specialists at NUFFIELD HEALTH BRISTOL HOSPITAL offer advice on how to enjoy a healthy holiday season FESTIVE FEASTING If we struggle with how we feel about our body, we can worry about the impact that festive merry-making could have on our weight. We might still be thinking about our lockdown weight gain, and have been trying to shed a few pounds before Christmas, either to fit into a party outfit or so we can give ourselves permission to eat whatever we like from Christmas Eve until New Year. Clinical psychologist Dr Vanessa Snowdon-Carr explains: “This is part of a familiar ‘lose it, gain it’ cycle, because by the time we get to Christmas, we’re so fed up with the diet that we then go overboard. While we may eat a bigger meal than usual on Christmas Day, it is the additional food and alcohol throughout December that adds to weight gain. We can tell ourselves that it doesn’t matter because we’ll refocus in January, but is that how we want to start the new year, feeling horrible about our body?

“So, how about deciding which are the meals you really want to be able to indulge in, and

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which are the little extras through December that you could do without? And when you do eat Christmas food, use some of the mindful eating principles: make sure you slow down, savour it and enjoy every mouthful!”

Even if weight isn’t a concern for you, the excesses of the festive season can still put a strain on our health, in particular our digestive system. Consultant gastroenterologist Dr Amanda Beale says: “A gut suddenly required to cope with large amounts of Christmas pudding, smothered in brandy cream, can sometimes show the strain. Most of these odd gut symptoms will resolve quickly but, if persistent, can suggest underlying bowel problems.”

Dr Beale continues: “Any variation in bowel habit, new pains, or bloating that is still present in the New Year could indicate an underlying bowel problem. This in turn can cause poor absorption of nutrients, leading to anaemia and significant fatigue. If you have any concerns, seek medical advice.”

SHARE THE LOVE, NOT THE GERMS We should not forget the potential threat Covid could pose in upsetting our plans to have a happy family Christmas this year, but we should also remember that the festive season falls during the winter flu season. Like Covid, flu is a serious illness which can cause death, not only in vulnerable groups, such as older people and those with an underlying medical condition, but also among people who are fit and healthy.

Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital’s infection prevention co-ordinator, nurse Janice Bowler, explains: “You can have either of these viruses and pass them on to others without displaying any symptoms yourself, so being immunised not only protects you, it protects those around you, including

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family, friends and work colleagues. If you are unfortunate enough to have flu or Covid in the run-up to Christmas, rest up, and self-isolate until you’re better.

“Your friends and loved ones won’t appreciate catching the infection from you, and then being struck down over Christmas itself. As well as getting the vaccine, you can help to reduce the spread of germs by regularly washing or sanitising your hands, and continuing to wear a face covering in enclosed spaces.” There’s still time to get the flu jab, so speak to your GP surgery or a local pharmacist if you would like more information.

PREPARE FOR A STRESS-LESS CHRISTMAS Christmas is usually portrayed as a happy, social, family time, but for many it doesn’t live up to these expectations. Even for those people who enjoy it, Christmas can still be stressful and there’s a price to be paid afterwards for overindulgence. Bristol GP Dr Gill Jenkins tells us: “The main problems GPs traditionally see before Christmas revolve around the stress of trying to provide the ‘perfect’ Christmas, or conversely being aware that you will be alone. Fear of getting into debt, not meeting loved

ones’ expectations, and feeling lonely all lead to increased self-harming, sleep difficulties and panic attacks. A heightened feeling of loss, anxiety and depression occur and the social media phenomena of competitiveness, oneupmanship and ‘fear of missing out’ add to the stress. After the event we see more problems related to overindulgence of food and drink, including indigestion and a realisation that alcohol use may be a problem, and weight gain that needs addressing. It almost makes you wonder why we do it!”

Dr Jenkins suggests: “Planning is key, with a realisation that Christmas is about sharing time and simple pleasures with the ones you care about. Remember to refresh stocks of simple ‘over the counter’ medicine, such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, indigestion or diarrhoea medicines, and ensure you have enough of your regular medicine to last until after New Year. Doctors surgeries and chemists may be closed, but there is always a GP out-of-hours (OOH) service in case anyone does fall ill, or alternatively, call 111 for advice and a GP appointment.

Try to avoid A&E, as hospital emergency departments are always overrun at this time of year.” ■

Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital offers weightloss treatment, gastroenterology clinics, and a private GP service. For more information, visit nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol, or call 0117 911 6062 to book an appointment.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 51

GOLDEN YEARS The face of retirement living is changing; our current elderly population expects a high standard of life, whether it’s their own home in a carefully created community, or a residence offering full-time care

By Ursula Cole

THE VINCENT

Privately owned apartments in Redland The Vincent offers bespoke retirement living for people over 60 who want to live as part of a community. Overlooking Durdham Downs, the development is an easy walk from the best of Redland, but also offers its own self-contained social and lifestyle hub. Life revolves around the arboretum garden, the barista-fronted coffee bar, the lounge and private dining room, gym, stretch studio and hydrotherapy pools, while a concièrge service is the first port of call for everything from booking a spa treatment to information on Bristol’s latest exhibitions.

For more: pegasuslife.co.uk

THE CHOCOLATE QUARTER

Private apartments in Keynsham Created by Bristol charity St Monica Trust within the former home of Fry, latterly Cadbury’s, The Chocolate Quarter offers luxury retirement living within beautifully designed apartments, public spaces and diners.

The facilities in the £60 million development – a spa, gym, pool, craft studios, hairdressers and salon, pizzeria B Block, and bistro Somer Dining – are all open to the public, encouraging intergenerational use, with world-class food on your doorstep and comedy and cinema nights For more: thechocolatequarter.org.uk

THE HAWTHORNS

Retirement community with a breath of sea air Situated on the seafront at Clevedon, The Hawthorns is a recently refurbished, purpose-built community for independent senior living, that provides the highest quality rental option for a monthly fee.

The high-quality facilities have a friendly, home-from-home atmosphere, with a choice of stylish apartments, all with their own kitchen and en-suite shower room. Communal areas include a dining room with restaurant-quality food and table service, a cinema, therapy and treatment room, hair and nail salon, games room, library and beautifully maintained landscaped gardens. Residents can take

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The Chocolate Factory

RETIREMENT

“Independence is the single greatest driving force in our new generation of retirees” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 53

The Vincent

advantage of the sea air with their own nine-hole putting green and landscaped grounds; there are also easy walks along the coast.

For more: hawthornsretirement.co.uk

STOKE GIFFORD RETIREMENT VILLAGE

Homes to buy or rent within a retirement village community The ExtraCare Charitable Trust is a registered charity with a vision: to create better lives for older people, creating sustainable communities that provide homes older people actually want, lifestyles they can enjoy, and care if it’s needed.

A vibrant community has been created at the £53m retirement village in Stoke Gifford near the University of the West of England campus. There are 261 apartments, with homes available for outright purchase, shared ownership and rental.

Around 18 social and health facilities are open to residents and local older people, families and volunteers, including a reception and main street, shop, café/bar, library and IT suite, hairdresser, salon, craft room, fitness suite and village hall. The village also has a wellbeing centre, and care and support is available on site for residents who need help to live independently (around a third of the community).

For more: extracare.org.uk

AUDLEY VILLAGES

Luxury private homes in a retirement community Audley works to create luxurious and aspirational properties for those looking to downsize – not just as a place to live, but a place to enjoy with a real sense of community. The model is far from that of the traditional care home, allowing owners to maintain the independence they value so highly. With a portfolio of 18 villages across the country, Audley’s vision is setting the bar high for a new kind of retirement living.

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Stoke Gifford

RETIREMENT

The Chocolate Quarter

THEY SAY . . .

THE VINCENT

“Independence is the single greatest driving force in our new generation of retirees.

They want to enjoy their later years in comfort, and keeping the mind and body active is important. The Vincent, is especially attractive to single retirees, who are looking to meet people and build relationships.”

THE CHOCOLATE QUARTER

“The current elderly generation want to live in open communities, with access to people from different generations, who will keep them feeling alive and vibrant.”

THE HAWTHORNS

“The demands of the retirement sector are growing and developing quickly, as those entering the age bracket have progressively experienced more in the way of hotels, travel, and an overall high standard of life. They don’t just want an apartment

in a retirement block with a residents’ lounge; they want a supported, active and healthy lifestyle within a friendly and vibrant community.”

STOKE GIFFORD

“Older people don’t want an institutionalised model of care. Independence, being part of a community and having opportunities to rekindle old skills or learn new ones are all key to people’s expectations.”

ABBEYFIELD

“Residents tell us they ‘started to live again’ when they came to us. We take away the stress of living alone.”

AUDLEY VILLAGES

“The Audley Club offers such facilities as a pool, health club, library, restaurant, bar and bistro. Owners can use the facilities to stay active and socialise, and there is also access to flexible care if needed – enabling them to live an independent and healthy life.”

The restaurant and Audley Club are also available to those in the local community, which makes the village a vibrant community and stops it from having an isolated feel.

For more: audleyvillages.co.uk

ABBEYFIELD

Retirement houses in the Bristol area Abbeyfield’s focus is to support older people and enable them to remain independent. It’s the ideal option for stress-free retirement for those who are struggling to live alone; many residents still drive their own cars, and continue to be active in the community. Abbeyfield sees its role as helping them to do this for as long as possible.

For more: abbeyfield-bristol.co.uk

TREWIN LODGE

Privately owned retirement apartments for sale in Yate Trewin Lodge is a contemporary collection of 65 one and two bedroom retirement apartments located in a popular residential location.

Facilities include an owners’ lounge and coffee bar for socialising, beautifully landscaped gardens to relax in and a guest suite for when family and friends come to stay. Safety and security features are included for added peace of mind and there is a regular programme of social events for owners to take part in.

Yate Shopping Centre was redeveloped in 2016 and is just 500 yards away, accessible via a flat level walk. It provides excellent shopping as well as hairdressers, banks, pharmacies, coffee shops and a post office.

Adjacent to the shopping centre is the library, several doctors’ surgeries and a leisure centre – ideal for keeping fit.

Within a mile of Trewin Lodge is the picturesque market town of Chipping Sodbury which is an ideal place to visit at any time of the year with plenty of cafés, pubs and restaurants, many independent shops and free parking.

For more: churchillretirement.co.uk

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IN GOOD COMPANY

ABBEYFIELD BRISTOL & KEYNSHAM is turning the tables on loneliness for Bristol’s older generations with a stress-free and affordable retirement option

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lmost eight million people are currently living alone in the UK, and one of the largest groups is the over 75s. Older generations are especially vulnerable to loneliness and with added disadvantages such as limited mobility or lack of confidence in using technology, it’s all too easy to become cut off from society.

“Loneliness is a big issue and we recognise the pandemic has exacerbated this,” says chief executive Frances Stretton. “We know that many older people are really struggling to live on their own and sadly are unaware of the options.

People think they need to stay in their homes until they need to go into care, but this is far from true.”

THE ABBEYFIELD SOLUTION Abbeyfield Bristol & Keynsham has five supported living houses around the city and offers a wonderful alternative for older people wishing to remain independent. Residents enjoy the privacy of their own apartment, either studio or one-bedroom, but benefit tremendously from dining communally, daily coffee mornings and a calendar of social events.

“We know that people don’t thrive when they’re isolated, and being connected with others on a daily basis helps us feel that we belong. The impact on the happiness of our residents is huge,” insists Frances.

AN AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE Abbeyfield’s apartments are available to rent and fees are inclusive of all utilities and delicious home-cooked meals – keeping true to the organisation’s promise of a stress-free life. Fees vary from house to house, but Abbeyfield aims to be affordable to everyone.

VISITING TIME Beautiful new show apartments at Abbeyfield House, Redland Road, are now open for viewings. What’s more, Abbeyfield has halved the cost of a trial stay if potential residents book in before the 31 March. n

Retirement houses in Redland, Henleaze, Easter Compton, Hanham and Keynsham abbeyfield-bristol.co.uk 0117 973 6997 www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 59

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A HOME FROM HOME

Excellent 24-hour Person-Centred Care is just one of the things that make CLEEVE LODGE RESIDENTIAL HOME a standout choice for later living

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isa, Registered Manager, and her highly skilled Care Team provide excellent 24-hour Person-Centred Care. They are supported by Kelly, the home’s Business Administrator, and a full complement of Catering and Housekeeping Staff to ensure that every need is provided for.

Cleeve Lodge prides itself on having long-term Staff and a low turnover of Care Staff which is a bonus for continuity for its lovely Residents.

Cleeve Lodge Residential Home is a delightful period property with beautiful gardens in Downend, and we pride ourselves in providing lovely accommodation and facilities. Rooms to the back and side of the property overlook King George V Playing Fields. Our rooms are over three floors, each floor has its own bathroom with bath and shower; our baths have hoists so that we can cater to all needs. We have 30 en-suite bedrooms, and three of the larger rooms can provide a home for couples. All rooms are furnished to a high standard, we encourage new residents to bring as much of their own furnishings as they like, to make it feel like home.

Activities are an important part of everyday life at Cleeve Lodge. Activity Co-Ordinator, Clair organises entertainment and crafting to cater

“CLEEVE LODGE PRIDES ITSELF ON HAVING A LOW TURNOVER OF CARE STAFF, WHICH IS A BONUS FOR ITS LOVELY RESIDENTS” to every Resident’s needs. If anyone prefers to do something a little quieter, we have one-toone sessions with Staff members. Clair keeps everyone just as busy as they like to be.

Our Hairdressing Salon is a hit at Cleeve Lodge, with a hairdresser coming in weekly to make sure that everyone has their hair washed and styled. We also have a Foot Practitioner come to us every 6-8 weeks.

Our in-house kitchen team provides nutritious home-cooked meals that are changed seasonally.

Two choices are offered daily but alternatives can be cooked to your personal taste. Special dietary preferences and allergies are also catered for.

For more information get in touch with our friendly team or visit our website to take a virtual tour. We are also on Facebook and Instagram highlighting our daily activities and events. n

Please call us on: 0117 9702273 or e-mail cleevelodge@kewcaregroup.co.uk kewcaregroup.co.uk xCleeve Lodge Care Home xCleeve Lodge Residential Home Recommended on Carehome.com www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 61

It’s the city’s business

BRISTOLWORKS FOLLOW THEIR LEADER One of Bristol’s oldest charities has launched a search for a new CEO. Bristol Charities is a registered UK charity which provides opportunities and support for people and communities to improve lives through grants, housing and charitable projects in Bristol and South Wales.

Current CEO Anne Anketell has led the organisation for eight years, with key achievements including the merger of two of Bristol’s oldest almshouse charities; the building and opening of a state-of-the-art extra care housing scheme, Haberfield House in Stockwood; and purchasing and developing a new vision for Bristol’s first multigenerational centre for living and working, the Vassall Centre, Fishponds.

Anne will continue to lead the team of architects, planners and Anne Anketell Bristol Charities’ trustees and partners to develop the next stage of plans for the Vassall Centre, with discussion with tenants, stakeholders and the local community ahead of planning application, before handing over to her successor in April 2022.

“We are hugely grateful to Anne for her hard work, creativity and highly successful leadership of Bristol Charities, helping us to grow the charity to support more elderly and vulnerable people and deliver many more much-needed, modern and affordable homes for older people,” said chair of trustees, Richard Gore.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to join Bristol Charities’ leadership team to continue our transformation and take forward ground-breaking projects to improve and enhance the lives of people in need in Bristol and the surrounding areas.”

For more bristolcharities.org.uk

START-UP SUPPORT

T

he Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BPIC) – a new hub to support the development of new business in Bristol – has opened on the ground floor of Central Library.

BIPC Bristol is designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs, startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises across Bristol; it’s part of the British Library’s National Network of Business & IP Centres, supported by the Intellectual Property Office.

The BIPC offers free access to £5 million worth of business intelligence resources and databases, including market research, grants, company data and reports, along with intellectual property support to protect your ideas, and spaces to meet, study and research your business planning There are also free events, workshops and webinars to help you start and develop your business; follow BIPC on Eventbrite to find out about events and book places.

BIPC Bristol also offers free one-to-one sessions online or in person with BIPC advisors and industry experts.

For more: bristol.gov.uk

@JONCRAIG_PHOTOS

BRISTOLWORKS

Shine bright

Breaking Bread: 2021 Platinum winners

A few top tips for writing a nomination that stands out

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fresh season of Bristol Life Awards is almost upon us. The nominations are open, and now is the time for Bristol’s businesses, charities and creative types to shine.

But how to make the most of your nomination?

We’ve got a few tips...

Take your time

Do not – we beg you – leave your nomination until the deadline looms. You’ve got ages, so use that time well. Start making a list of all of the successful moments of your year. Ask yourself: what have you achieved? What makes you stand out? Think on it a while.

Show don’t tell

Everyone says ‘we’ve had a great year’. The judges want much more than that – they want to know

precisely why it’s been so great. Get into the weeds, leave no stone unturned and paint a detailed picture of your excellence. This is not the time for modesty.

Give as much information as possible, but get to the point.

Testify

Don’t be modest, but don’t exaggerate either.

If you say, for example ‘we’ve used social media to build our business’, you’d better believe the judges will check out your feeds – so if you’ve only tweeted twice this past year you will be rumbled.

Gathering testimonials is a great way to persuade judges of your greatness. Of course you know you’re wonderful, but if you can get a customer/ service user to say why they think you’re great, and be detailed about it, all the better. Judges want three testimonials from the last 12 months that make you most proud.

Step into the judge’s wig

Have fun with it

Be honest

Consider the experience of the Bristol Life Awards judge: you’re faced with pages upon pages of information about great local businesses and projects. They’re the best of the best. Everything starts to blur into one. Make it easy for them.

Express yourself clearly and concisely.

Seriously. It’s all too rare that we make the time to sit and reflect about everything that’s gone well in the last year. Take this as an opportunity to give yourself a hearty pat on the back.

For more: bristollifeawards.co.uk

Offices in: Henleaze, Whiteladies Road Clifton Village, Shirehampton 0117 962 1205 www.amdsolicitors.com

PRIVATE CLIENT - FAMILY - PROPERTY - COMMERCIAL

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DIVORCE MYTHS

Over the years, our clients have shared some weird and wonderful myths about divorce and separation. Rebecca Aston-Jones, senior associate in the family team at INCE (Bristol), dispels some common myths and clarifies the law I want a ‘quick divorce’ Despite the portrayal in the media, there is no such thing as a ‘quick divorce’. Even if you are a well-known celebrity, there is one divorce system and the process is the same for everybody.

I want a ‘meal ticket for life’ While a spouse can secure a maintenance order for life, this is incredibly rare. A court cannot force a party to find a job, but judges are keen to see parties gain financial independence as soon as possible. If a ‘clean break’ is possible between the parties, this will always be the preference.

Full disclosure is not necessary Parties should make frank, relevant and continuing disclosures with each other, setting out full details of their circumstances. Usually, parties are required to disclose twelve months’ worth of bank statements, three months’ worth of payslips, up-to-date cash equivalent transfer values for all pensions, and any debts and liabilities. The consequence of not disclosing assets can be serious, from a cost order being made against you, to adverse inferences being drawn, or in some cases, a prison sentence for contempt of court.

The ‘50/50 split’ The starting point is 50/50; however, there may be justification to move away from equality.

The judge assesses this at their discretion, considering the age of the parties, the current and potential income and earning capacity, the standard of living enjoyed by the parties

before the breakdown of the marriage, and contributions made by each party during the marriage. If there are children involved, their needs are paramount.

I do not need a financial order if I am divorced This is one of the most common misconceptions. It is essential to have a legally binding consent order drawn up, ideally at the time of divorce, to reflect the agreed financial settlement. Without an order in place, all potential claims between the parties remain live, which is risky for both parties further down the line as circumstances can change significantly.

My spouse has a successful business and I am entitled to an equal share of it When deciding if a business is ‘non-matrimonial’, a court will consider whether the business was established before the marriage, if one of the parties inherited it, and if it has grown substantially post-separation due to the efforts of one particular party.

If you are a business owner, it is important that you seek early legal advice so that you are aware of your future risks. It might also be prudent to put a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement in place to protect your business interests.

My spouse is the beneficiary under a trust and I will benefit from this The court has a duty to consider all available

assets and resources to the parties. Often, there is dispute around whether a trust forms part of the matrimonial pot or not. The court might be called upon to decide whether trust assets should be used to meet the needs of the parties or to achieve equality and fairness in long marriages.

It does not matter geographically where I initiate my divorce proceedings When parties have connections to multiple jurisdictions, it must be carefully considered where it is best to instigate divorce proceedings.

The choice of one jurisdiction over another can have major implications. For instance, England and Wales are well-known for broad powers to produce fair financial result, whereas other jurisdictions may be less flexible and generous. It is imperative that you take early advice and act quickly to secure the most favourable jurisdiction for your case. ■

If you would like to discuss any of these points further or obtain initial family law or private wealth advice, please contact Rebecca on RebeccaAston-Jones@ incegd.com or 0117 405 7556

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 67

© @JONCR AIG_ PHOTOS

BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS

RAISE THE ROOF!

The Bristol Property Awards returned on 12 November to Ashton Gate, recognising and celebrating the cream of the local construction industry Sameena Ali-Khan

P

roperty matters. Maybe it matters more in rapidly-growing Bristol than in most other places. And it’s not just about builders, or developers; it’s about landowners, planners, visionaries, entrepreneurs, deal-makers, architects, engineers, consultants, developers, builders, suppliers, designers, lawyers, accountants, conveyancers, financiers, mortgagers, underwriters, marketers, all manner of specialists, interior designers – and agents: for lettings, for resi, for commercial.

The tectonic plates in Bristol are shifting.

They will transform huge swathes of our city right through the centre to the benefit of us all. Tectonic plates take time to shift. But shift they do.

With all the clever companies, all the energy, all the opportunities, no wonder the return of the Bristol Property Awards – this most auspicious of events in the local construction industry’s diary – was so eagerly awaited.

At midday on 12 November, hundreds of Bristol’s finest property people, all in the most celebratory of spirits, descended on Ashton Court – not merely to discover who had won this year, but to celebrate the success of

the entire sector. The coveted Awards were triumphantly claimed, of course; but equally importantly, introductions were made, job opportunities explored, deals discussed, partnerships sounded out and vital, glorious insider gossip shared. In short, it was an afternoon where business, networking and friendships happened.

It was thrilling to see the array of participants, from the coolest of Bristol’s indies to the largest of the sector’s corporates; from local to regional to national. This was the chance to say that Bristol property matters: commercially, practically, aesthetically.

Proceedings were hosted seamlessly by BBC presenter, journalist and newsreader Sameena Ali-Khan, aided by MediaClash’s chief exec Greg Ingham.

When so many contribute, so many benefit.

We thank all who backed these Awards, enabling this occasion to happen and for value to be created for all.

Over the following pages you will see the coverage received through your support of the Awards. Keep reading Bristol Life’s regular property pages to be ahead of the game for next year’s Awards.

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BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNERS The judges faced some incredibly hard decisions, but after much debate, here are their choices . . .

Photos by @JonCraig_Photos

ARCHITECT

CIVIC DEVELOPMENT

COMMERCIAL AGENT

Sponsored by

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT Sponsored by BLAISE BCF

Commercial Finance

SOURCING FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR CLIENTS

WINNER: ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION SKILLS CENTRE AT CITY OF BRISTOL COLLEGE, CLARKEBOND

WINNER:

THE DISTILLERY, GLASSFIELDS

BY AWW

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER

WINNER:

STRIDE TREGLOWN

WINNER:

BURSTON COOK

WINNER:

INTERACTION

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 71

BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS

CONSULTANCY Sponsored by

DEVELOPER Sponsored by

FINANCIAL Sponsored by

WINNER:

SERVICES DESIGN SOLUTION

WINNER:

YTL DEVELOPMENTS

WINNER:

SOUTH WEST BUSINESS FINANCE

CONTRACTOR Sponsored by

EMPLOYER Sponsored by

FUNDER

Sponsored by

JOINT WINNERS:

HALSALL CONSTRUCTION AND WILLMOTT DIXON

WINNER:

CALIBRO CONSULTANTS

WINNER:

PARAGON DEVELOPMENT FINANCE

BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS

GREEN INITIATIVE

Sponsored by

ONE TO WATCH

EARTH TRUST, CURTINS CONSULTANCY

WINNER:

MOOSE STUDIOS

RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Sponsored by

WINNER:

WINNER: BROOKS DYE WORKS, ACORN PROPERTY GROUP AND GALLIARD HOMES

LEGAL

WINNER:

BEVAN BRITTAN

RESIDENTIAL AGENT

WINNER:

NEXA BRISTOL

RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER Sponsored by

WINNER:

EJ STUDIO

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 73

BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS

RISING STAR Sponsored by

WINNER:

ALEX CARRON BROWN, AWW

TRANSFORMATION Sponsored by

WINNER: WAPPING WHARF PHASE 2, UMBERSLADE AND MUSE DEVELOPMENTS

SUPPLIERS AND SERVICES Sponsored by

WINNER OF WINNERS Sponsored by

WINNER:

ALIDE HIRE SERVICES

WINNER: WAPPING WHARF PHASE 2, UMBERSLADE AND MUSE DEVELOPMENTS

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 75

SNAPPED AC ROSS B R IS TO L , O N E SH I N D I G AT A T I M E

Greg Ingham

Helen Brewer and Alexandra Wegera, AMD; Charlie Kershaw, Burston Cook Callum Lamden-Kerr and Sam McConnell, Marsh Commercial

Jasmine Main and Jenny Winter, Main Interiors

HOT PROPERTY!

Rob Gregory and Jonathan Brecknell, Urban Creation

The Bristol Property Awards returned in a cloud of glory on 12 November at Ashton Gate. This, the third Bristol Property Awards, was hosted by the BBC’s Sameena Ali-Khan, and attended by hundreds of professionals from the local construction industry, who in addition to the Awards presentations enjoyed a champagne reception and fine dining.

Photos by @JonCraig_Photos

Becky Stone, Rozzanna Farbrace, Nicola Bright, Kelly Flanagan Marcus Robinson, Lou Ripley of Mortgage Style

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Adrian Davies, Urban Creation; Lisa White and Joe Weston, Dunkleys Chartered Accountants

Rob Higgitt, Nexa; Jon Sexstone, Wanderlands; Matt Powel, Small World Group

Marcela Pomphrey, 299 Lighting; Chris Kelly, Spratley; James Pomphrey, 299 Lighting; Chelsea Hopkins, Dan Camion, Cathy Palmer andJohnny Palmer of Pytch Air; Simon Pyne, Greener Energy Futures; Jordan Tomkins, Pytch Air; Mark Gregory, ASI Scott Holtby, Snorkel; Oscar Thompson and Nick Lewis, Allied Hire

Blane Perrotton and Holly Callan, Pride IMS; Jeff Spears, Mark Essex, Clare Whittingham, Terry Whittingham, Tamsin Harrison), Jenny Gee and Zoe Gittins, all Juniper Homes

Dan Grzonka and Angela Grzonka, BROND Brand Design

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PROUD WINNER OF THE FINANCIAL CATEGORY

Bridging Finance

Commercial Mortgages

Property Development

Property Investments

Buy To Let Mortgages

01225 800849 | www.swbf.co.uk @SWBusinessFinance

@s_w_b_f

South_West_Business_Finance

southwestbusinessfinance

South West Business Finance is a broker of credit and not a lender. South West Business Finance is a trading name of Aspire Commercial Finance Limited Registered in England & Wales under No: 09076273 Aspire Commercial Finance Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (690089) also a member of the NACFB (06/0035/CM) Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up on repayments on a mortgage or any other debt secured on it.

60% RESERVED

Methuen Park, Chippenham A prominent and highly sustainable new development of flexible business units in an established Business and Retail Park location with excellent access to the M4 motorway.

FOR SALE / TO LET – NEW BUSINESS UNITS ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

High quality new development of Small Business Units Unit sizes available range from 1,360 sq ft up to 10,350 sq ft (126 – 962 sq m) EPC A Rating Capacity for solar PV panel and electric car charging point installation Highly Prominent location fronting the A350 Excellent Communication Links Dedicated Car Parking Freehold and Leasehold Options

For further information and pricing, please contact the agents:

www.ashvillegroup.co.uk

Giles Weir 07973 400806

Giles.Weir@eu.jll.com

Jordan Spear 07562 205767

Jordan.Spear@eu.jll.com

James Gregory 07917 188006

JGregory@alderking.com

Spencer Crowder / Katie Walker 01179 450577

ANGUS MEEK ARCHITECTS

Key Features:

BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS

ARCHITECT Sponsored by Vickery Holman AHR AWW Barefoot Architects Buckley Gray Yeoman EJ Studio O’Leary Goss Architects Stride Treglown CIVIC DEVELOPMENT Sponsored by YTL Developments Advanced Construction Skills Centre at City of Bristol College, Clarkebond Astry Close, Barefoot Architects Park Centre at Knowle West, Clarkebond Wapping Wharf Phase 2, Umberslade and Muse Developments COMMERCIAL AGENT Sponsored by Spaces Burston Cook ETP NEXA Bristol COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT Sponsored by Blaise Commercial Finance The Distillery, Glassfields by AWW Huboo at 41 Corn Street, Curve Workplaces & Arcudio One Portwall Square, Nord Soapworks, First Base COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER Buckley Gray Yeoman Curve Workplaces & Arcudio Interaction Main Interiors Wylde Interior Architecture CONSULTANCY Sponsored by Redland Court reimagined by Juniper Homes Cook Brown Building Control Curtins Consulting ETP Hydrock J4 Projects MDA Consulting Mode Consult MPC Nash Partnership

Paul Basham Associates Services Design Solution (SDS) Vickery Holman Western Building Consultants CONTRACTOR Sponsored by Marsh Commercial The Build Bristol Group Halsall Construction Harris Evolution JAS Building Services Missiato Design and Build Willmott Dixon DEVELOPER Sponsored by Planning Portal Acorn Property Group Hawkfield Homes Juniper Homes Nord Urban Creation YTL Developments EMPLOYER Calibro Consultants Curtins Consulting Flagship Consulting Halsall Hydrock Morgan Structural Nash Partnership Vickery Holman Willmott Dixon FINANCIAL Sponsored by MDA Consulting Advantage Financial Solutions Mortgage Style South West Business Finance Willow Brook Mortgages Windsor Hill Mortgages FUNDER Sponsored by Bevan Brittan Paragon Development Finance Shawbrook Bank Willow Brook Mortgages GREEN INITIATIVE Sponsored by Willmott Dixon Earth Trust, Curtins Consultancy Fable and Form Greengauge HYBR PYTCHAir Wylde Interior Architecture

© @JONCR AIG_ PHOTOS

THE FINALISTS

LEGAL AMD Solicitors Ashfords Barcan+Kirby Bevan Brittan Insight Law ONE TO WATCH Advantage Financial Solutions Box Makers Yard Fable and Form Mode Consult Moose Studios Pride Consulting IMS Windsor Hill Mortgages RESIDENTIAL AGENT Air360 Property Management Glover Property Group HYBR NEXA Bristol RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT Sponsored by Shawbrook Bank Box Makers Yard, Legal & General & Urbanbubble Brabazon, YTL Developments Brooks Dye Works, Acorn Property Group and Galliard Homes Corten House, Barefoot Architects Kingsgate House, Harris Evolution Old Pump House, Newland Homes Redland Court, Juniper Homes Wapping Wharf Phase 2, Umberslade and Muse Developments RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER Sponsored by Missiato Design and Build BS9 Interior Design The Build Bristol Group Clayton & Company

EJ Studio Hannah Redden Interiors TME Interiors RISING STAR Sponsored by Halsall Construction Alex Carron Brown, AWW Alex Stephenson, Paul Basham Associates Emily Khatib, Air360 Property Management Tyler Gaston, Vistry Western SUPPLIERS AND SERVICES Sponsored by JAS Building Services 299 Lighting Alide Hire Services Antea Photography Bespoke Frameless Glass Flagship Consulting James Lawley Architectural Image Studio Moose Studios The Property Photographer Service Design Solution (SDS) TRANSFORMATION Sponsored by AWW BAWA, Wylde Interior Architecture Bristol North Baths, Berkeley Place Brooks Dye Works, Acorn Property Group and Galliard Homes Market Quarter Studios at Baldwin Street, Stride Treglown Old Pump House, Newland Homes Orchard Street, JAS Building Services Redland Court, Juniper Homes Senate House at University of Bristol, J4 Projects Soapworks, First Base Wapping Wharf Phase 2, Umberslade and Muse Developments www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 79

PROPERTY JACK HEAD

The cost of the catchment

Property price premium makes private school fees appear cheap…

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“Like most things in life, if you want something outstanding, you usually end up paying for it”

ristol’s parents are inadvertently paying a premium for access to ‘outstanding’ level state secondary education, after a recent study by Trussle.com found that buying a property near an Ofsted outstanding rated school comes with an additional £175,022 cost on the price of the property (UK average).

According to the research, parents in our city face an average property price of £457,000 when choosing to live near an Ofsted-rated ‘outstanding’ state secondary school.

This figure would frighten many, but Bristol’s doting mums and dads seem open to paying this premium. A whopping 75% of those surveyed said that they were willing to pay a higher property price to be close to an outstanding secondary school, while 78% said they would consider moving to a new house to be closer to one.

It’s no secret that local education options are a very important consideration for many home movers, but would Bristol’s parents really pay an additional £175,000?

Paying this house price premium is an eye-watering prospect for most, but I can’t help but view this house price premium in a somewhat positive light. Being Bristol born-andbred, I can remember just how limited secondary school options were in the ’90s and ’00s. So, for

me, it’s fantastic to see Bristol’s state secondary school options now so vastly improved.

Two private schools during my school days (Bristol Cathedral and Montpelier High School) are now state-run and performing excellently. Then with the recent additions of Redland Green School, Bristol Free School and the brand spanking new Trinity Academy, it fi nally feels like the good reputations of many of our city’s primary schools are being matched by our secondary schools.

Bristol’s secondary schools are certainly on the up, with improving educational standards and facilities. However, many parents still aim to send their children to a private school and based on a pure cost comparison if you factor in the price premium highlighted by the research done by Trussle.com, it could be cheaper to live outside the catchment area of an outstanding rated state school and send the kids privately – with change for the annual summer holiday!

We all know the decision on the education of our children is a complex one, not purely based on economics. But, like most things in life, if you want something outstanding, you usually end up paying for it.

Jack Head is the founder of Bristol agencies Boardwalk Property Co. and The Letting Game instagram: @thepropertypatron email: jack@boardwalkpropertyco.com

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CANYNGE SQUARE Ursula Cole admires an immaculate contemporary home that harbours a deep respect for its Georgian heritage www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 83

PROPERTY

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t’s hard to think of any architectural era that did ‘refined domestic charm’ better than the Georgians. The Victorians, being the Victorians, couldn’t resist bringing in fiddly Gothic touches – turrets and gables and sundry overwrought intricacies – but the classic simplicity of the preceding era proved impossible to improve on.

The perfect example of the breed can be found at Canynge Square. As we’re always keen to pedantically point out when featuring this area in these pages, the Square isn’t square at all – its more of an isosceles triangle, enclosed by tall, timelessly pretty stucco homes.

Number 26 is a typically lovely example. Spread over no fewer than six floors, if you count the basement, which we do, it’s been renovated to a magnificent standard by the current owners, who have spared no expense in creating a truly remarkable home.

You reach the main entrance of the house through the private, enclosed front courtyard, with its sizeable patio bordered by a raised bed of lavender; you can also head down to the lower ground floor from here, via steps to the side of the courtyard. At this level you’ll find the splendid kitchen – more on that later – along with a fully fitted home cinema. You could easily hold movie nights for friends here. Perhaps you could issue tickets on the door.

Back up at ground level you’ll find yourself in an impressive entrance hall; take a minute to admire the mass of elegant period detailing, from the walnut flooring to the ceiling archways and ornate cornices.

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Slightly bucking the Georgian trend for housing the main sitting room in the first-floor front room, both main reception spaces in this house are found at ground level, leading off the long hallway: a cosy living room with a large sash window, ceiling rose, cornicing and shutters, and a characterful dining room.

Worried it might be a tad inconvenient to have the dining room on the floor above the kitchen? They’ve thought of that. There’s a dumb waiter service neatly concealed within a floor-to-ceiling panelled shaft connecting the dining room to the kitchen below.

At the end of the hallway is a guest cloakroom – not a space we’d normally bother to write about, but this one has backlit marbled panels, a feature that offers the perfect example of the attention to detail in this home.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the kitchen.

Those familiar with the name Tom Howley will be quick to recognise the company’s signature, beautifully crafted units; there are Miele appliances, which include an oven, steam oven, wine fridge and dishwasher, along with a sizeable walnut-clad kitchen island with a countersunk gas cooker. Bright and airy thanks to large floor-to-ceiling windows, the kitchen opens to a private east-facing courtyard garden.

The kitchen shares the lower-ground floor with a snug/cinema room that makes a spectacular addition to the home, with state-of-the art technology concealed within the walls and ceilings: there’s a wall-mounted TV with additional or optional use projector screen, with connectivity to an array of integrated ceiling and wall

speakers. This room can also be accessed directly from the vaulted area towards the front of the property, with independent access up to the front courtyard.

Head down one final flight of stairs to the basement, and you’ll find a utility room and a gym.

The first floor of the house is entirely given over to a luxurious master suite, consisting of a spacious bedroom, a truly one-of-a-kind bathroom and a private west-facing balcony. Along with the underheated white marbled floors and free-standing tub, the bathroom has dual sinks and an oversized glass-sided walk-in shower.

Over the top two floors are four further double bedrooms and two bath or shower rooms. These secondary bathrooms are no afterthought; the second floor bathroom scales the heights of boutique hotel-level luxury with its bath, walk-in shower and magnificent micro ‘fish scale’ metro- tiled wall, whereas the third floor shower has a particularly inviting curved ‘snail’ shaped walk-in shower.

Outside, the back courtyard is appealingly landscaped to create an ‘indoor/outdoor’ environment with plenty of room for casual dining and outdoor cooking; the whole courtyard is fully enclosed with a raised wall, making it very private. The front courtyard catches much of the afternoon sun and offers further possibilities for al fresco dining delights.

To the front is one of Bristol’s best kept secrets; the well-maintained public garden, with a fabulous expanse of lawn and mature borders, that’s regularly used by the Square’s families all through the year. n

HOUSE NUMBERS Bedrooms 5 Receptions Drawing room, dining room, cinema room; large kitchen/breakfast room Bath/shower rooms

3

Anything else?

Basement utility room and gym Gardens Attractive courtyard gardens; communal lawned ‘square’ Guide price

£1.7 m

For more Rupert Oliver, 14 Waterloo Street, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4BT 0117 452 3555; rupertoliver.co.uk

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BRISTOL LIVES

“I concluded that I was a failed author, so I might as well go on and be a failure at other things ” now become more mainstream, but publishers weren’t prepared for it when they first read it. I’ve been surprised that the reaction hasn’t been one of shock; instead, people have said it’s an easy read and they enjoy the humour. It just goes to show that there are a lot more weirdos around nowadays.

Was lockdown a help or a hindrance to your writing?

BRYAN J MASON

Sometimes it takes nearly 40 years to become an overnight literary success…

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ryan wrote his black comedy Shaking Hands with the Devil in the late 1980s, but put the novel away in a drawer after his agent narrowly failed to get it published.

He dug it out every ten years or so, and each time he did he was surprised to find that he still enjoyed reading it and found it funny. After making some changes, including firmly placing the action in the late ʼ80s and early ʼ90s, Bryan resubmitted the novel, which has now been published by Pegasus.

“I am a published author – at last!” he says. “I wrote my book in the late 1980s, but gave up after I failed to get a publisher to commit. I concluded that I was a failed author, so I might as well go on and be a failure at other things. Which largely I have been! After reading it again a few years ago, I decided that its time had finally arrived.”

As well ‘published novelist’, what else is on your CV?

In the past, I worked as a brush salesman and rent collector, made sound effects for BBC Radio and have been a tax inspector and occasional actor.

What’s Shaking Hands with the Devil about, then?

The book is a black comedy about a serial killer and a detective. It’s essentially a romp, with a variety of comic characters operating in a macabre setting, although there is no graphic violence. Mike Bullen, the creator of TV series Cold Feet described it as ‘a twisted and twisting tale’, and another reviewer said that it ‘combines comedy with tiptoeing into the sinister underbelly of society’.

I can’t argue with that.

Why do you think the book was initially turned down?

The subject matter and tone have

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Although I am a bit of a loner, I do need social stimulus, so felt I missed out on the real-life experience that forms the basis for my writing. Having said that, there was more birdsong, which raised my spirits.

What books did you love as a child?

As an only child, I always sought company in books. I read everything from HG Wells to Spike Milligan via Agatha Christie.

Choose some desert island books (we’ll allow you three)

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole – a comic masterpiece; A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry – the finest novel ever about the human condition; and The Path to Power

by Robert Caro – the greatest writer ever, not just of biography.

I eagerly await Volume 5 of his collected Life of Lyndon Johnson.

Current favourite author?

David Peace, writer of the Red Riding Quartet and Tokyo Trilog y has it all; great storytelling and dialogue combined with a daring, almost confrontational style.

Do you write full-time, and what’s your writing method?

I am currently fitting my writing

alongside daily life, but there’s nothing like just sitting there until it’s done. I have set myself a deadline of next May for the first draft of my next novel – An Old Tin Can, set in Belfast during the Troubles, with a Jewish detective spotting a serial killer loose amid the sectarian violence, which should serve up a good dollop of humour.

Basically, I am an oddball.

Where’s your manor?

I live in Hotwells and enjoy being close to everything that Bristol has to offer – great theatres, cinemas, restaurants, and green spaces are all within easy walking distance, despite the hills. I adore the city’s alternative, rebellious vibe, but have promised not to rant on about e-scooters.

Favourite restaurants and drinking holes?

I love the Old Market Assembly bar with the Wardrobe Theatre attached, and closer to home the Spotted Cow and Hen and Chicken in Southville are both wonderful places to eat and drink.

Any secret skills?

I am a mind-reader And what is your most regrettable habit?

I knew you were going to ask me that . . .

Shaking Hands with the Devil is published by Pegasus at £10.99. For more bryanjmason.com