One day we’ll surprise you by bringing out an al fresco dining feature in November. This, however, is not that day. We know exactly what you want right now: long, hearty, lazy lunches, ideally consumed no further than ten feet away from an open fire and a dozing labrador. Pre- or post-prandial walk optional; I’m happy to skip it if you are.
We also suspect – call it a hunch – that you don’t particularly want all the faff of cooking a roast or doing the washing up, especially if you’re down to do Big Christmas in six weeks’ time. So why not treat yourself to something entirely delicious created by a top chef? Turn to our feature on page 44, where we have 20 top places to tempt you.
Incidentally, the restaurants will be thrilled to see you. It’s no secret that hospitality is having it tough these days, which seems extra unfair given how generously the sector, especially in this city, looks out for vulnerable people. A more community-minded, collaborative, mutually supportive bunch you’ll never find; in the meantime, their A-game cooking has put Bristol so decisively on the food map that many people cite it as the reason they want to live here.
It’s the street art, however, which is currently wowing travel-guide gurus Lonely Planet, which has just listed Bristol as one the top 50 places in the world to visit for that specific reason. It’s the only UK city to make the list; smugness is permitted.
Street art has never existed in its own bubble, of course; Bristol’s music scene has always marched to a similarly rebellious drum (’n’bass), it’s all connected at some level. Colin Moody and Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley touch on this in Up All Night, their new book on Bristol nightlife; we only had space to mention it brie y in this issue but there’s more to come in our next one.
Which, by the way, is our Christmas issue! I could pretend to be cool, I could lose the exclamation mark, straighten the italics, but who would I be kidding? Steel yourself for an insane amount of festive cheer, and remember; it may not snow, but it’s always a white Christmas in Bristol Life world.
DERI ROBINS
Wake up and smell the gravy, or maybe the gilda: it’s time for Sunday lunch
Bristol Life editor
Issue
376 / November 2025
ON THE COVER
The one with the six bedrooms, 40ft reception rooms and it’s own lift; see page 100
ARTS
11 BL LOVES Colin and Jas have been Up All Night bringing you this one
12 WHAT’S ON Six pages to inspire you to leave the sofa
22 ART The delightful and multi-talented Bill Ward
28 BRISTOL HEROES Everlasting love
COMMUNITY
36 FARM LIFE Wellies on, we’re off to St Werburghs
FOOD & FESTS
40 RESTAURANT A touch of class
43 CAFÉ SOCIETY Unexpected beachy vibes on the Glo Road
44 SUNDAY LUNCH Please refrain from licking the pages
SHOPPING
58 ED’S CHOICE Checkmate
NETWORK
69 BUSINESS NEWS The Entreconf review, the Bristol Property Awards preview, it’s all go for our events crew
Clifton LitFest returns between 14-16 November, bringing big ideas, creative energy and local spirit to the Village.
Now in its sixth year, this homegrown, volunteer-powered festival has evolved from a quiet local gathering into a nationallyadmired celebration of ideas, and the 2025 edit brings a stellar line-up of thinkers, writers and change-makers across over 50 events.
Bristol photographer Martin Parr will lift the curtain on a career spent capturing the quirks of (mostly) British life; former Green MP Caroline Lucas talks about her bold new vision for Another England; bestselling historian Peter Frankopan applies The Silk Roads lens to today’s shifting world order, and Jonathan Dimbleby revisits the history and experiences of the Palestinian people since 1948.
There’s also an element of joyful reinvention in the mix, as Deborah Moggach muses on love later in life, Jessica Hepburn re ects on heartbreak and Himalayan climbs, and art historian Franny Moyle gives overdue centre stage to the unsung women painters of the 18th century.
But the LitFest isn’t just about household names; it’s a platform for new voices, urgent issues and local stories. Topics this year range from AI and activism to culinary history and folklore, to grief, urban wildlife, gender, protest and who gets to tell which stories –and why.
For festival chair Paula O’Rourke, this spirit of exchange is what makes Clifton LitFest so special. “The festival is powered by people who believe in the value of ideas”,
Yet more literature THE WRITERS’ TALES
TOP: Share your views on Bristol’s libraries ABOVE: Martin contemplates a life in photography
she says. We’re proud to offer a space where national conversations unfold on a local stage, where writers and readers, thinkers and neighbours come together to share stories which challenge, inspire and connect us.”
For more: www.foccal.com/litfest
Bristol Beacon has hosted a bunch of seriously impressive stars from the literary world since it reopened; in recent months alone we’ve had David Olusoga, Grayson Perry and Fran Lebowitz taking the podium in the Hall.
Up this month is Canadian author Margaret Atwood on 11 November, talking about her new autobiography Book of Lives: a Memoir of Sorts of the defining moments of her life, from her unconventional childhood in the wilds of Quebec to the seismic cultural shifts that have shaped her work.
, which covers some
And while 11 July may seem a very long way away, you’re advised to book now if you want to see David Sedaris, one of America’s most engaging and caustic humourists.
Street art
SPRAY FOR BRISTOL
So many accolades come Bristol’s way that we don’t even bother mentioning half of them, but this one’s nice: it’s the only UK city to be named by Lonely Planet in its top 50 destinations in the world for 2026 – and it’s all down to its street art.
“No city in Britain uses its urban landscape as a canvas quite like Bristol”, says the guide, concluding that it has “some of the best street art anywhere in Europe.” A handy little boost for Upfest when it returns in 2026. For more: www.shop.lonelyplanet.com
Looking for the perfect Christmas stocking filler? David’s though he’s expressed unhappiness over the book’s huge popularity. Why? Ask him yourself; that’s exactly what evenings like this are designed for. For more: www.bristolbeacon.org
Santaland Diaries is hard to beat,
: David know that next column isn’t going to write itself : Margaret, in possibly ironic Handmaid’s Tale red
Our cover star last issue: This Common Ground by Oshii
THE ARTS
SNAPSHOTS OF BRISTOL’S CULTURAL LIFE
AFTER DARK
ew book Up All Night has been a labour of love for photo-journalist Colin Moody and writer-broadcaster Jasmine Fetibuah-Foley. The project grew out of their mutual love for the nighttime economy, music scene and pub life in Bristol, from traditional pubs on the brink of extinction to the new superclubs, and everything in between. Lavishly illustrated with Colin’s photos, it’s both a love letter to after-dark culture and an explanation of why it matters, while sounding a warning klaxon that its survival depends on our continued support. Full feature in our next issue; in the meantime you can buy it here for £15; www.thehistorypress.co.uk
WHAT’S ON
7 November5 December 2025
EXHIBITIONS
Until 23 November
BRISTOL PRIDE
X MARTIN PARR
The legendary photojournalist showcases a retrospective of photos taken at the annual Pride festival. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery; bristolmuseums.org.uk
Until 21 December
STEVE MCCOY: PROXIMITY
Retrospective exhibition of photography by Steve, exploring a deep connection with the people and places of Merseyside, where he spent years living and working; at MPF, martinparrfoundation.org
Until 28 December
RWA 172 ANNUAL OPEN
One of the UK’s most prestigious open-submission exhibitions returns, welcoming artists at all stages of their careers; at RWA, rwa.org.uk
Until 11 January
NOUR JAOUDA
Solo exhibition by Libyan artist Nour, whose uid, multi-layered textile works traverse the languages of painting, sculpture and installation to produce ‘landscapes of memory’. Spike Island, spikeisland.org.uk
DAN LIE: SLEEPING METHODOLOGIES
Dan’s commission celebrates natural cycles of transformation and the interdependent exchanges that structure ecosystems; Spike Island, spikeisland.org.uk
Until 8 February
EMMA TALBOT
Emma brings her complex visual poems to life across drawing, silk paintings, sculpture, installation and animation; Arnolfini; rno ni or u
Until 26 April
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The prestigious exhibition of nature photography, back at Bristol Museum; bristolmuseums.org.uk
29-30 November
NORTH BRISTOL ARTS TRAIL
The trail inviting us into artists’ homes, studios, and community venues across Redland, Bishopston, Henleaze, St Andrews, Ashley and Horfield; northbristolartists.org.uk
SHOWS
Until 8 November
THE BOOK OF MORMON
Knock knock: who’s there? Mormons
The misadventures of a pair of missionaries, from the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Bobby Lopez, co-writer of Avenue Q., returns to Bristol Hippodrome, atgtickets.com
THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY
Step into a world of deception, desire, and deadly ambition: the movies nailed it, so did the T series, but for the stage version the team have gone directly back to the Patrician Highsmith novel. At BO , bristololdvic.org.uk
GURT HAUNTED
Most Haunted Live meets This Country in this part-improvised, partdevised, fully Bristolian, seasonally appropriate comedy thriller at BO , bristololdvic.org.uk
Until 9 November
THE PILLOWMAN
A writer in a totalitarian state is interrogated about the gruesome content of her short stories and their similarities to a number of childmurders taking place in her town. Martin McDonagh’s comic-macabre themes of child mutilation, tyranny and freedom of expression aren’t for the faint-hearted; we once watched, amused, as a Bath auditorium
emptied in the interval. Bristol may be made of sterner stuff. At the Loco Klub, locoklub.com
4-29 November
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Red Rope Theatre return to the Anglican Chapel in Arnos ale Cemetery with a gothic horror adaptation of the Dickens classic; redropetheatre.co.uk
11-22 November
MAMMA MIA!
... here they go again. It’s the jukebox musical which draws on the Swedish pop of ABBA and puts it in a Greek island setting – that’s showbiz for you. At Bristol Hippodrome, atgtickets.com
12-15 November
MURDER SHE DIDN’T WRITE
Edinburgh Fringe faves Degrees of Error bring their sleuthing shtick back to BO . Not only do they riff amusingly in classic improv style, but they’ll create a classic murder mystery on the spot; all you have to do is solve it. bristololdvic.org.
14-15 November
THE LEGENDS OF THEM
A memory: reggae pioneer Sutara Gayle hears her radio debut from
Flags out, Brits out: Kneecap are heading to Prospect
Holloway Prison. Another: she’s engulfed in the Brixton uprising sparked by the police shooting of her sister... A roof-raising chronicle of Sutara’s singular, extraordinary life, and the legends who have guided her BOV, bristololdvic.org.uk
15 November
I DON’T HAVE A MATHS GCSE
Mia Borthwick takes us on a LOLworthy musical journey through her own insecurities and low self-esteem after being diagnosed with dyscalculia; at TFT, tobaccofactorytheatres.com
17-22 November
UNCANNY: FEAR OF THE DARK
Danny Robins and his team of experts are back with scary reallife stories and witness accounts. Storytelling and paranormal investigation at its best, using a unique backdrop of sound, video projection and theatrical magic. BOV, bristololdvic.org.uk
18 & 20 November
THE GEMINI KILLER
The . 2 to London has a curious array of passengers. As the classes mix, they get to know their fellow travellers and enjoy the reliable service that British Rail offered in the 20s, until the shock discovery of a murdered body. Acta Community Theatre invite you on board a comedy murder mystery with an interactive element; acta-bristol.com
18-22 November
DEPARTURE
Movement artist Masumi Saito and composer/musician An-Ting, explore themes of ritual, death and the spirit, at BOV, bristololdvic.org.uk
21 November-11 January
MOULIN SCROOGE
And the Christmas shows are up. It’s a comedy mash-up, so it can only be The Wardrobe; the titles a clue, need we say more? thewardrobetheatre.com
24-29 November
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
You really can’t go wrong with this tale at Christmas (see also above). At Redgrave, Patrick Barlow’s highspirited stage adaptation breathes new life into the Dickens story; redgravetheatre.com
25-28 November
RIVERDANCE
The Flatley phenomenon is celebrating 0 years in the toe-
tapping biz with an anniversary tour, featuring dancers who weren’t even born when the show first began. Bristol Hippodrome, atgtickets.com
27 November-17 January
RAPUNZEL: A HAIRY TALE
The TFT’s Christmas offering is an inventively playful take on the Brothers Grimm story, from the talented team who brought you Cinderella: A Fairy Tale, The Borrowers, and Oliver Twist. Guaranteed to be magical and heartwarming, tobaccofactorytheatres.com
4 December-10 January
TREASURE ISLAND
What could be more Bristol than this piratical yarn? Oh, and it has Jayde Adams in it! BOV, bristololdvic.org.uk
5 December GEOFFREY CHAUCER’S MEDIAEVAL CHRISTMAS FESTIVITYE
John-Luke Roberts’ annual night of festive carousing hosted by the ‘great poot’ Chaucer. A suitably weird way to welcome in Crustmas; Alma Tavern, almatavernandtheatre.co.uk
5 December-4 January
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Polka Dot Pantomimes do what they do best, with this classic panto at Redgrave; redgravetheatre.com
5 December-10 January ANTARCTICA
At the bottom of the planet the South Pole is a magical, windwhipped world of snow, ice and some of the most wondrous creatures on Earth. BO ’s Christmas shows for very young theatregoers make the ideal introduction to theatre. bristololdvic.org.uk
6 December-4 January JACK & THE BEANSTALK
Strictly speaking it arrives one day late for this issue’s round up but it seemed rude not to include; it’s the Hippodrome’s big traditional panto and along with local names you know and love it has a pair of showbiz bighitters in the form of Will Young and Charlie Brooks. atgtickets.com
CABARET & COMEDY
Ongoing
CLOSER EACH DAY
The world’s longest-running improvised comedy soap continues at Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com
TOP: The time for scheming is over, Cat Burns; now get back to the music
MIDDLE: Poet, playwright, rapper, you name it, it’s Kae Tempest BOTTOM: Stand and deliver: Adam’s at the Beacon
BRISTOL IMPROV THEATRE
For the full programme, see improvtheatre.co.uk
THE GAFFE
Stand-up LOLs from some of the sharpest, funniest comedians on the circuit, at Bristol’s hottest new comedy club: t e ffe o e u o
12 November
ABI CLARKE: ROLE MODEL
Abi lived the modern-day dream. She posted a video online, went to bed a nobody and woke up to thousands of followers. Four years later, this is the debut show they’ve been waiting for, though it may not be exactly what they want from her. BOV, ri to o i or u
13 November
AHIR SHAH
The show’s not 100% done, and Ahir’s not sure what it’s going to be called yet*, but he spent a couple weeks figuring it out in Edinburgh and feels pretty positive about the whole thing. It’s about love, money, family, responsibility, fear, forever, and frogs. *Suggestions welcome afterwards. Wardrobe; t e r ro et e tre o
14 November
JOHN HEGLEY: FOLK TELLING
Tales told by and for family members, figures and figments from fêtes, hotels and history. Deft, deep and daft, told in verse sung and spoken – new ones, refreshed ones and a cardboard octopus (the arms do not move). Wardrobe; t e r ro et e tre o
15 November
INSTANT WIT
The improv OGs are still making stuff up on the spot at Alma Tavern; t ern n t e tre o u
16 November
JOSIE LONG: NOW IS THE TIME OF MONSTERS
Josie’s back with a new show about discovery, wonder, extinction and how to walk through a landscape of monstrous disaster. There is also a good tip about silt, we’re promised. BOV, ri to o i or u
17 November
JIM JEFFERIES: SON OF A CARPENTER
In his last Net ix special, the Aussie stand-up riffed on stuff such as the laziness of koala bears, the injustice of male pattern baldness and why he’ll never drink again. Who knows
what delights he has in store for us this time? Beacon, ri to e on or
21 November
SARA PASCOE: I AM A STRANGE GLOOP
Have you ever woken in the middle of the night and thought something so smart and astute that you couldn’t wait for the world to wake up so you could tell them? This show is that thought. In that it doesn’t make much sense, and is a bit weird on re ection. Beacon, ri to e on or
23 November
KILLIAN SUNDERMANN: THIS BOY IS CRACKING UP
Killian always dreamed of being a rock star. His shower renditions of o e i n o haven’t catapulted him to fame, but he’s doing much better at comedy. Wardrobe, t e r ro et e tre o
27 November
HORATIO GOULD: RETURN OF THE SPACE COWBOY
At 27, Horatio is a tribal elder of Gen . Existing on the cusp of two age groups, and desperate for something meaningful to believe in, he explores the crisis facing young people seeking a purpose in life that isn’t fat jeans or rock-climbing. At 1532, ri to o u
28 November
BURTON & BURROWS: THE BEST & THE NEW
Needing a top-up of hope, kindness and empowerment? Juliette Burton brings the best bits from past shows, while Marc Burrows warms you up with new and old material. Expect bisexual nerdery with an unhealthy obsession with Christmas music, ’90s nostalgia and a terrible grasp of people’s boundaries. Alma Tavern, t ern n t e tre o u
30 November
BABATUNDE ALÉSHÉ: HIGH EXPECTATIONS
One of the fastest rising stars in British comedy is at the Beacon, taking us on a journey through family life, newfound fame, and the wonders of Costco; ri to e on or
WILL ADAMSDALE: AI, AI, OH…
“Or how I wrote a hit sitcom with ChatGPT but we’re not talking now.” Perrier Comedy and Fringe First winner Will’s new autobiographical show about technology, creativity and escape: a story of bots, writer’s block
TOP: Lady Nade’s back, and this time she’s afloat
MIDDLE: Our friend, electric: Gary’s playing Telekon live BOTTOM: Wet Leg hope to have dried out by the time they get to Beacon
WHAT’S ON
and getting away from it all, at Wardrobe; thewardrobetheatre.com
4-6 December
ROB BECKETT: GIRAFFE
Rob’s wife thinks it’s going to be tough for him to be away from the family, but since he quite enjoys a lie-in and a hotel buffet breakfast he thinks he’ll cope. What else did you have planned for this evening? Sitting next to your partner on the sofa scrolling TikTok in silence? You did that the last three nights. Head to Beacon instead; bristolbeacon.org
MUSIC
For more events see: Bristol Beacon (bristolbeacon.org); St George’s Bristol (stgeorgesbristol.co.uk); Trinity (trinitybristol.org.uk); The Louisiana (thelouisiana.net); Thekla (theklabristol.co.uk): O2 Academy (academymusicgroup.com); Bristol Folk House (bristolfolkhouse.co.uk); Electric Bristol (electricbristol.com); The Hen & Chicken (henandchicken.com); Prospect Building (theprospectbuilding.com) and Gallimaufrey (thegallimaufry.co.uk)
Until 8 November
SIMPLE THINGS FESTIVAL
Electronic, indie, post-punk, rock and pop: the 11th edition of the boundary-breaking week celebrating contemporary music returns to Beacon, bristolbeacon.org
Until 19 November (Wednesdays)
THE GRANARY CLUB LIVE
A line-up of the region’s finest musicians take you back to the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, when The Granary Club was a cornerstone of Bristol’s live music scene. granarybristol.com
7 November
BAILA LA CUMBIA
Formed in Bristol in 200 , surfing the early wave of the resurgence of interest in Colombian music. Baila La Cumbia have performed at big festivals and filled many a dance oor; now they’re bringing to party to OMA; e r t ri to o u
8 November
DEVON
The singer-songwriter headlines Thekla with a collection of songs written mostly at night, when silence allowed space for re ection, revealing the parts of ourselves often hidden away. theklabristol.co.uk
9 November
KAE TEMPEST
Spoken word artist, poet, rapper:
it’s hard to condense all Kae does here, but expect a highly emotive and immersive experience with themes ranging from personal transformation to social commentary and political issues; at O2; academymusicgroup.com
10 November
ADAM ANT
Post-punk, glam rock, new wave, Adam’s surfed them all, and he’s at Beacon with the backlist to prove it. bristolbeacon.org
12 November
ENGLISH TEACHER
Combining art rock, post-punk and experimental pop into something sharp, surreal and deeply personal, English Teacher’s music pairs jagged guitars, layered synths and mathy rhythms with frontwoman Lily Fontaine’s poetic, socially aware lyricism. On stage, they’re unpredictable and electrifying, moving from spoken-word intimacy to blistering noise in a heartbeat. Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org
13 November
ELIZA CARTHY & JON
BODEN: THE WASSAIL
Two top folkies team up to bring traditional festive feels to St G, and yes, if you don’t count our Christmas parties feature two issues ago, we believe that this is the first time we have written ‘festive’ this year. It definitely won’t be the last. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
14 November WET LEG
Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers’ band has become a Grammy-winning, chart-topping live force, known for their offbeat humour, brash riffs and chaotic energy. With second album
TOP: If you think we won’t be going big on the Wildlife Photographer of the Year in our Christmas issue do you even know us? Here’s a taster
MIDDLE: Ripley, still telling porkies at BOV
BOTTOM: Bob Vylan, speaking his truth at Prospect
Moisturizer, they bring a sound that’s messier, punchier and impossible to pin down; expect heavy guitars, sardonic lyrics and a set full of fresh material, cult favourites and razorsharp delivery when they come to Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org
THE EMO FEST
The greatest tribute night to the music that was never just a phase. Make with the heavy eyeliner, lace up your high-tops and get ready to rock to all your favourite nostalgic anthems, at Crane; seetickets.com
COPLAND 125
The anniversary concert is a celebration of Aaron Copland’s music through works for organ, piano, and chorus, spanning his earliest compositions to his final piece, Proclamation, from 1982. Church of All Saints, aaron-copland.com
16 November
GARY NUMAN
The quintessential 1980s icon brings his landmark Telekon album back to for a special 45th anniversary tour; it’s coming to Beacon; bristolbeacon.org
17 November
PENGUIN CAFE
Breathing new life into the timeless music of Penguin Cafe Orchestra with a show featuring all the classics and the singular sound that has enchanted audiences for decades. Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org
18 November
KNEECAP
Get yer Brits out, because Gaelige warriors Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí are headed to Prospect. Dress code: tricolour balaclava and Palestine ag. theprospectbuilding.com
19 November
LUCY SPRAGGAN
A collection of reimagined tunes from Lucy’s back catalogue of seven albums, plus brand-new songs, at Electric Bristol; electricbristol.com
20 November
BOB VYLAN
Appetite for agitprop rap not slaked by Kneecap? The equally controversial and frequently banned Bob follows hard on their heels at Prospect; theprospectbuilding.com
NOUVELLE VAGUE
The renowned bossa nova project founded byMarc Collin and Olivier Libaux celebrates 21 yearssince the release of the first album, along with
the launch of the latest; at Trinity, trinitybristol.org.uk
JIMMY GALVIN
The Bristol neoclassical composer and pianist (“Some of the most beautiful haunting music you will ever hear”– The New York Times) returns to The Mount Without for a solo show; as ever, Jimmy’s raising funds for a good cause, ie The Bristol Drugs Project. themountwithout.co.uk
HEAVEN 17
The She eld synth-rockers, still going strong and coming to O2; academymusicgroup.com
21 November STARSAILOR
...as are the Wigan post-Britpoppers, academymusicgroup.com
SAINT SENARA
They had us at ‘dirty blues, Southern Gothic Americana and dark country’. They make a big sound for two people with a guitar and a tambourine, and they’re at the Ill Repute, illrepute.co.uk
22 November JAMES HYPE
The global DJ brings his Hï Ibiza’s SYNC show for a world-first charity concert in which every ticket directly builds micro-homes for people who don’t have any; a new kind of concert series from the creators of BillyChip®, at Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org
24 November
CMAT: IT’S THE EUROCOUNTRY TOUR!
Irish singer-songwriter Ciara MaryAlice Thompson – “pop’s gaudiest, gobbiest star” (Guardian) brings her country-infused pop to O2. Catch her before she gets even bigger; academymusicgroup.com
28 November CAT BURNS
Everyone’s favourite Celebrity Traitor shows us what she can do when she isn’t skulking about in castle turrets. Her lovely gospelinfused guitar-led indie pop has made her a previous BRITS nominee. At O2; academymusicgroup.com
28-29 November
CLUB SPIEGEL, SYMPHONICA ORCHESTRA: IBIZA CLASSICS
Beefa’s greatest hits in full symphonic glory – soaring strings, thundering brass, and euphoric
drops to lift the roof off the Spiegeltent; christmasspiegeltent.co.uk
31 November
LADY NADE AND FRIENDS
Bristol’s favourite singer-songwriter hosts muso friends from across the globe in this special concert onboard The Balmoral; ladynade.co.uk
1 December
DIZZEE RASCAL
Mr Rascal brings his “no-holdsbarred celebration of bass, beats, and raw energy” We Want Bass tour to O2; academymusicgroup.com
2 December
STEELEYE SPAN
A selection of favourite songs from across the years, led, as ever, by lead vocalist Maddy Prior. Part of a UK tour in support of Con ict, At St George’s, stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
3 December
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING
The Manc art rock band bring their eclectic sound and complex, avant-
garde-inspired lyrics to Prospect; theprospectbuilding.com
5 December
FATBOY SLIM
He’s right here, right now, specifically at the increasingly busy Prospect Building; theprospectbuilding.com
OTHER
Ongoing
BRISTOL FILM FESTIVAL
Now spooky season has past it’s back to the usual eclectic mix of bangers, at various venues; some great Hitchcock’s classics this month ri to e ti o
11-12 November
AN EVENING WITH MARGARET ATWOOD
A rare chance to see one of the world’s greatest living writers in person, as she talks us through her new memoir oo o i e e oir o ort at Bristol Beacon, bristolbeacon.org
TOP: Nairobi love story: Rifiki at Afrika Eye BOTTOM: Everything Everything: you can’t ask for more than that
11-12 November
SISTALAND
New festival which centres the voices of women, non-binary and trans creatives; Prospect, sistalandfestival.uk
14-16 November
CLIFTON LIT FEST
Over 70 speakers pitch up in the Village, with headline appearances from Kate Humble, Caroline Lucas and Martin Parr; foccal.com/litfest
AFRIKA EYE
The South West’s biggest celebration of African cinema and culture, at various venues (see also page 114); afrikaeye.org.uk
15 November
MIAMI VICE ’80S NIGHT
The Granary Club brings the glamour of the 1980s to life with plenty of synths, funk, colourful, cocktails and classic Miami Vice episodes rolling on the projector; join them in electric dreams. thegranaryclub.com
22 November
ENGLISH WINE FESTIVAL
This isn’t just a tasting (they say); it’s
a full-on English wine intervention; fizz, white, rosé, red and orange, out to change everything, one glass at a time. At Averys, iewa.uk
22 & 29 November
MADE IN BRISTOL GIFT FAIR
Unique, handmade gifts from over 200 of the South West’s finest artists and makers, all under one roof at Bristol Beacon; bristolbeacon.org
28 November-7 December
BRISTOL PALESTINE
FILM FESTIVAL
The BPFF returns with a vital programme spotlighting the creative storytelling and defiance of filmmakers from Palestine and beyond. Against intensifying challenges to freedom of expression, BPFF celebrates art that ourishes in the face of adversity and censorship; various venues, ri to ff or u
30 November
SIR DEREK JACOBI
The revered thesp looks back at six decades in the biz with his partner, the actor and producer Richard Clifford. At Redgrave, redgravetheatre.com n
The Bristol-based performer is part of the legendary Little Bulb children’s theatre company, which brings Antarctica back to Bristol Old Vic this Christmas after premièring 10 years ago.
A film I could watch over and over again:
Labyrinth! Such a massive part of my childhood (and uni life, weirdly). I enjoy randomly exclaiming ‘You remind me of the babe’ and seeing who answers.
A painting that means something to me
Starling Bird with a Pink Belly. Am I allowed to have my eight-yearold’s painting? She worked really hard on it and it’s very impressive.
Best TV show ever
It’s going to have to be BBC’s Ghosts. I love that gang!
My favourite binge-watch
My friend has just convinced me to watch Grey’s Anatomy. I may currently be 20 years behind but I am loving it … and excited to see how they all age.
A book that changed my life
Well, if we’re talking life-
changing, I’d have to say Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man. It was when I was acting in the stage show that I met Julia and her lovely late husband Malcolm, and we’ve been working together ever since.
A book I could happily reread James Patterson’s When the Wind Blows. I last read it about 15 years ago, and it still pops into my head every now and again.
My dance floor/karaoke banger Simply the Best – just love trying to hit the high notes for the amusement of anyone watching.
Podcast pick
I’m currently loving You’re Dead to Me, and learning about a historical person while having a good old giggle. Feeding my obsession with Horrible Histories in a grown-uppy sort of way!
Sum up your life philosophy in five words Being silly gets you through.
Antarctica is at the Weston Studio at Bristol Old Vic from 5 December - 10 January www.bristololdvic.org.uk
CULTURE CLUB with Peta Maurice
He’s asking you to marry him, you little fool: Joan and Larry return to Manderley again in Rebecca, Bristol Film Fest
Bill Ward – actor, surfer, photographer – has just published his first book of seascapes. Wetsuits on then, we’re going in…
Words by Deri Robins
Pics by Bill Ward
“It’s the feeling of total freedom, the symbiosis of it, the literal ‘immersion’ of it, that has resonated with me most”
It takes talent and perseverance to succeed as an actor; you need skill and determination to make it as a photographer. Impressively – almost unfairly, you might say – Bill Ward manages to excel in both. Before he embarked professionally on either career, Bill was an account director for two big London advertising agencies – BBH and Saatchi and Saatchi. “I loved it”, he says, “but I’d always wanted to be an actor. I’d done loads of it at school and university [he has a history degree from Bristol Uni], so I decided to put myself through drama school when I was 32, came out when I was 33, and here we are.
My first three years were pretty much all theatre, fringe and repertory in particular. Quite a few of my first jobs were as an actor-musician, playing clarinet as well. I loved the sense of freedom I felt on a stage, the exploration, the adventure, the self-expression. I’d never felt anything like it – I still haven’t.
“I was very lucky to do three plays in a row at Bristol Old ic within my first couple of years of leaving drama school: Antigone, A Chorus of Disapproval and The Beggar’s Opera. They were my first proper repertory theatre gigs, and I have very happy memories of them; Bristol Old Vic is such a beautiful theatre, a real treat.”
An eclectic number of roles followed – within one year alone he played angry young man Jimmy Porter and irascible old man Prospero – from musicals to Shakespeare, comedy and drama. Any favourites?
“There are a couple that spring to mind: playing Yank, a man who falls in love with a gorilla, in Eugene O’Neil’s The Hairy Ape at Southwark Playhouse required a complete physical transformation which involved putting on two stone of muscle and a full-on New York accent.
SEASCAPES: Bill uses a technique called Intentional Camera Movement to put his camera in the path of breaking waves
ABOVE: Being a surfer has taught Bill a lot about the natural energy of water
ARTS
A remarkable, daring play. And most recently, this time last year in my home town of Newcastle, playing a violent and abusive dad in the most extraordinary show I’ve ever been part of, Gerry and Sewell, written and directed by Jamie Eastlake. Very funny, very touching, absolutely filthy. A sellout run, an audience of thousands of ag waving Geordies, many of whom had never been to the Theatre Royal before. I laughed and cried my head off every night. Absolutely seismic. Brave, inventive, accessible. Everything I think theatre should be about.”
Bill eventually arrived on our T screens in the early noughties, playing Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street between 200 –200 and James Barton in Emmerdale between 20 –20 . It was huge fun , says Bill, who genuinely seems to get a kick out of everything.
“Soaps are so unlike any other job in the acting world, on so many dimensions. Unlike most kinds of drama, there’s no beginning, middle, or end. Your character’s past is sketchy at best, their future unknown. All you have is the present. The writers are writing for you in real time. There’s no rehearsal, and you’re filming up to scenes a day, often out of order, across multiple episodes. You’re making instant choices, and backing them. Invigorating stuff
For his role as abuser Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street Bill worked closely with Women’s Aid, becoming their ambassador. Soaps seem increasingly keen to include social issues within their storylines; something Bill feels is essential to ensuring their continued relevance.
“The most important part of a soap, I think, is having characters, situations and dilemmas which viewers can recognise and empathise with. Keeping their fingers on the pulse of what’s actually going on in the real world, and finding a way to explore that, accurately, in a way viewers can genuinely relate to, in the programme.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
IMMERSIVE is Bill’s pioneering Ocean ICM project, a fouryear photographic investigation into water, energy and movement. It’s about what happens when you physically get into the sea, with a wetsuit, waterproof housing and a moving camera, and become literally immersed within, and surrounded by, the very thing you’re photographing.
All the photographs in this collection were taken with long exposures and a moving camera out among the breaking waves in, on, or underneath the ocean with Pentax DSLRs, C-Skin wetsuits and EWA-Marine Waterproof Housing.
Given the unpredictable nature of the profession, Bill counts himself extremely lucky to have worked “pretty much at out as an actor over the last 2 years; Bristol audiences may recently have seen him playing Polixenes in the Tobacco Factory Theatres’ The Winter’s Tale
“I’ve acted in over 60 plays professionally, and over 30 films and T shows since I started back in 2000. I tend to split myself about 0 each across television and theatre, and try and stay across as many genres as I can: dramas, musicals, comedies, Shakespeare, whatever comes up.”
But acting is only half the story. Bill is also a creative landscape and seascape photographer who has won numerous prizes, given talks at photography events all over the world, and become an ambassador for Pentax cameras. Indeed, the main reason we’re here today is to talk about his new book of seascapes, Immersive
“Photography is very much the other half of me, the yin vs the acting yang”, he says. “I started out with a Kodak Instamatic when I was seven. My brother and I would get on our bikes and ride around Newcastle, taking photos of other people’s expensive cars. That and our dogs, family etc – but also water. I took a lot of photographs of where we went on holiday: the Northumbrian coast, Cornwall, Lake District. Water everywhere.
Later, I was filming a pilot for a new detective show out in Montreal in 200 . We had a five-month wait after the pilot to see if it was going to go to series (it didn’t, in the end). This meant I couldn’t take any other acting work for five months, so I set myself a project: photographing winter on the coast of Eastern England. I bought my first digital SLR, my first tripod, and spent the next four months in the wind, rain and snow next to the sea, culminating in my first exhibition, WinterTide.
Any favourite oceanic spots?
Wherever I happen to be When I’m at home, that’s the Bristol Channel. I’ve had a huge amount of joy over the bridge around Porthcawl, Southerndown etc – the South Wales beaches are beautiful, and the water has an unusual murky silty quality that merges wonderfully with fading evening light. Cornwall, Northumberland, Outer Hebrides and Brittany have been my other go-tos for my Immersive project; the water in Cornwall and the Outer
QUICKFIRE
What brought you to Bristol, and keeps you here?
“I first came here as a student way back in the mid’80s. I absolutely loved it here, and always thought I’d return. My partner is from Somerset, so when we had kids it felt like the perfect place to come back to. The best thing we ever did.”
Where’s your manor, and what’s your favourite thing about it?
“South Bristol – the bit I literally never visited as a student. Love the number of campervans per square inch. Magic.”
Favourite corners of the city?
“The green spaces, Leigh Woods and Ashton Court in particular; the floating harbour; Watershed. And Bristol has so much sky!”
Any secret skills?
“I’m surprisingly good at telling the time without a watch.”
Most regrettable habit?
“Eating multiple packets of Midget Gems on long car journeys.”
What are you doing immediately after answering these questions?
“I’m on stage with The Shawshank Redemption for a sold-out extra matinee here in Belfast at the gorgeous Grand Opera House – just about to head across the pond to the State Penitentiary!”
The Shawshank Redemption comes to Theatre Royal Bath between 2-7 February next year.
Hebrides is crystal clear, and a real counterpoint to the murky beauty of the Severn Estuary.
“I tend to have ideas, and then investigate them. That can be anything, really: mud, cranes, blossom, decaying wood, starlings, concrete. Whatever catches my eye. I have a current project on dandelions. . .”
In creating Immersive, Bill combined two of his favourite things: surfing and Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), the process of deliberately moving the camera while taking a photograph.
After breaking a few cameras during his first tentative forays, Bill wisely invested in waterproof housing
“I began wondering what might happen if I put the two of them together. I’ve been a surfer for over 30 years, and I started to become interested in what would happen if I could put a moving camera in the path of a breaking wave. I had never seen it done. The more I investigated, the more I started to realise I was getting the kind of photographs I’d never seen before, and so the book evolved from that.”
After a few cameras were ruined during his initial experiments, Bill bought waterproof housing for his DSLR, put on his wetsuit and spent the last four years swimming with a moving camera around the coast of the UK and northern France.
What were the biggest challenges he faced?
“There wasn’t really a precedent for doing this kind of thing, which is one of the reasons that I really wanted to do it, but that does mean that you’re very much working it out as you go along, trying out different techniques, different equipment, following hunches etc, until you develop a way of working, moving and making that specifically suits you.
“Apart from the photographs themselves, it’s been the feeling of total freedom, the symbiosis of it, the literal ‘immersion’ of it, that has resonated with me most. Utterly glorious.” n
You can order Immersive at www.kozubooks.com For more www.billwardphotography.co.uk
EVERLASTING LOVE
You know those padlocks the council removed from Pero’s?
Words and pics by Colin Moody
Ah, the romance. You come to Bristol, you fall in love, and the feeling is so dizzying you spin all the way to the hardware shop to buy a love lock, and then presumably a second spin to the engraver to have your love etched for all eternity onto said love lock.
This issue’s heroes are the dreamers who sealed their love in a lock on a bridge with forever dreams.
Let’s have the sparks y, from the angle grinder, and take a look at love locks lost. Images that contain at the same time a trace of the passion of love, the rust of time passing and just a whiff of the violence of council hardware in the energy of removal.
2 4
1
A metric tonne of love.
This is one of at least two skips of locks the council have begun fi lling after removing them from Pero’s Bridge.
My fi rst question about the locks is this: what happens if you break up? Do you just come back and tap in the code? oila: lock back in your hand, ready for your new love.
2
Maybe, like Shirley and Eric here, you locked your love to Pero’s Bridge. A beautiful bridge named after a freed slave, so whacking locks all over it is not at all weird energy then.
And for years their love presumably grows. Shirley and Eric who went for the cheaper of the locks I found in the skip.
You see, to interrupt this romantic yarn, Bristol City Council might want to raise that swing bridge on occasion, and maybe when Shirley looked into Eric’s eyes they didn’t realise the weight of their love. One lock would merely be a tri e when it comes to the operation of a bridge, but hundreds and thousands of them?
To quote Love Affair and their hit Everlasting Love, “Whenever love went wrong, ours would still be strong, we’d have our very own, everlasting love…”
Nah.
It’s in a skip by the harbourmaster’s o ce, mate.
3
Imagine this one printed in caps lock.
This took a heavy tool to remove. because, and I am just guessing here, that this love ‘MRL’ was one of the Google searches that cropped up. Could this be a love lock to celebrate that amorous subject ‘maximum residue limit’, the legal limit for pesticide in food – loving someone enough to make sure that their food is within food safety limits? Ahhhhhh.
Or could it mean ‘magnetic resonance lymphangiography’, a medical imaging technique of your lymphatic system – perhaps two medical students who just used MRL to make sure each others lymph nodes are compatible?
Or is it just two lovers from the Monster Raving Loony party?
4The owl. In some cultures it can be a symbol of good fortune, intelligence and wealth. But it can also symbolise the need to look beyond superficial glamour and seek true wisdom.
Deep lovers, these two.
At the base, in very good permanent marker pen in caps, is the word ‘reindeer’. Just ‘reindeer’, no ‘baby’, so that’s OK.
It’s a Chubb lock. That’s one up from Yale, so this is clearly a bigger kind of love.
“It’s a bridge named after a freed slave, so whacking locks all over it is not at all weird energy then”
5Wow!
Who put this lock on the bridge?
What is the story? Just wow wow wow.
And the front is just the half of it. This is not just a love lock, this is a movie prop; this is an entrance in the underworld to the boss-level lover.
6Here is the back of the lion. It’s £10.50 on Amazon at the moment so it may not be quite so magical as first appearances suggest.
If your phone allows AI translation from camera dive-in, see what you can make from the markings here. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful locks I’ve seen from the bridge, and one the harbour master held back from the stash for its beauty.
7Ganesh.
Lord of beginnings and remover of obstacles.
Perhaps these two people had an obstacle that needed to be overcome. Wisdom, success and good fortune almost certainly came their way thanks to this cultural offering. What happens to that now it’s been bolt-cut away? Hope they got a good slice of all that good karma before it happened.
8The big lock.
WHATEVER HAPPENS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF US IN BRISTOL.
Until it’s all melted down to make railings… ooh, that are still in Bristol!
Young lovers with your dreams, I salute you.
The more you spent on the locks the bigger the blessing – there, we all know it, it had to be said.
If you or anyone know any of these love stories do get in touch and we can follow up this whimsy with cold hard facts.
Local educational leaders tell us about their duties, both managerial and pastoral
ROSS WOLVERSON
HEAD OF QEH
JUNIOR SCHOOL
0117 930 3087; www.qehbristol.co.uk
At how many schools have you been the head teacher?
My first appointment was at an outstanding state school in Wiltshire. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working in both the independent and state sectors, within both senior and primary education. This breadth of experience has given me a deep understanding of the different educational contexts and the many ways in which schools can help young people to flourish.
What exciting things are coming up at QEH Junior School?
One of the great privileges of working within an independent school is the freedom to design and deliver a curriculum that truly reflects our educational philosophy. This year, we are delighted to launch our new Horizons Programme, an innovative initiative that brings together eight or nine subjects beyond the national curriculum.
We believe that every child should have the opportunity to explore a wide range of disciplines that encourage curiosity and independent thought. The programme includes subjects such as financial literacy, philosophy, politics, photography, film studies, and street dance.
LISA BROWN
HEADTEACHER OF JUNIOR SCHOOL, REDMAIDS’ HIGH SCHOOL GDST 0117 962 2641; www.redmaidshigh.co.uk
How does your school differ from others?
Each of these areas has been chosen to broaden our pupils’ perspectives and to help them develop confidence, creativity, and a genuine love of learning.
What do you find most satisfying about your role?
The most rewarding aspect of my role is working with the children here at QEH. They are exceptional in every sense: full of energy, curiosity and kindness. It is an absolute privilege to spend my days supporting and learning from them.
Our location, in the heart of one of Europe’s most dynamic and creative cities, adds a distinctive dimension to school life. It is a joy to play a part in nurturing the next generation of Bristol’s young men. QEH occupies a unique position as the only single-sex boys’ school in and around the Bristol area, which we believe is more important than ever. We seek to be a national voice for positive masculinity, helping young men to navigate the complexities of modern life with empathy, integrity, and confidence.
We are also proud to be the only accredited values-based school in the region. This means that we provide dedicated lessons focused on the development of values that are essential for wellbeing in contemporary society, including meditation, controlled breathing and self-reflection. These lessons help our pupils to grow into thoughtful, grounded and content individuals.
What is QEH Junior School’s ethos?
Our ethos is beautifully encapsulated in our school motto, which has endured for more than four centuries yet remains just as relevant today: ‘Whilst we have time, let us do good’.
This guiding principle lies at the heart of everything we do at QEH Junior School. It inspires both pupils and staff to use their time, talents, and opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the wider world.
At Redmaids’ High Junior School we are small enough to know everyone, look out for each other and celebrate success together, but we are big enough to enable a variety of social interactions, friendships and a range of opportunities beyond the classroom. Our single-sex environment allows girls to flourish. If this is something that you are unsure of, come and visit us. Once you are immersed into school life, you won’t realise there are no boys. The football nets are up in the playground and used daily by the girls at playtime while traditionally male-orientated subjects have a gaggle of girls enthusing, and extra-curricular clubs in robotics or maths are well-attended.
What is your school’s ethos?
We are proud of our inclusive community, where everyone is valued. We put the girls at the forefront of our planning, and everything is designed for them. We believe the ages 7-11 are pivotal years for girls to develop in confidence and think independently and we encourage them to take on new challenges and discover what they are passionate about, in a nurturing environment.
What are you most proud of professionally?
The mutual respect I have cultivated with the children is key to their development within the school. I am proud that I continue to learn alongside the children and that they find me approachable and know that I will help them when they need it. Integrity is a key value for me in every aspect of school life. As Headteacher, the resource that I am most proud of developing during my tenure is the Junior School library, book clubs, author visits, writing workshops and our sensory room.
What exciting things are coming up at your school?
I love the excitement and thrill of the pantomime coming into school before Christmas, where we enjoy an intimate performance in our own hall, and the children immerse themselves wholeheartedly into the moment. Not forgetting the annual arrival of Father Christmas to open our Christmas Bazaar; we have been in contact with the North Pole and he is able to fit us into his busy diary again, thankfully, but we are never sure how he will travel, by bike, car, over the roof or by sled.
Over my seven years at Monkton, we’ve transitioned from the international primary curriculum to Innovate. – a bespoke curriculum that encourages creativity, independence, and deeper thinking. My background in early years made me realise that while we encourage creativity in young children and at university, there’s often a gap in between where learning becomes too prescribed. At Monkton Prep, Innovate now brings learning to life – blending history, geography, and science with hands-on experiences in social anthropology, architecture, and engineering.
How does Monkton differ from other schools?
At Monkton, every child is truly known. We don’t just teach, we inspire. The Innovate Curriculum encourages pupils to be ambitious in their own way, to explore their interests, and to think critically. It’s a place where individuality is nurtured, and that makes all the difference.
What do you most enjoy about teaching?
For me, the most rewarding part of teaching is seeing children grow and change. Being part of their journey—watching them make mistakes, improve, and take pride in their successes is a privilege. I love those moments when pupils surprise me by thinking independently and taking control of their own learning. It shows they feel confident to be themselves, and that’s what truly matters. A classroom full of children who want to be there, who are excited by lessons and eager to innovate, is a joy to be part of.
How does Explore Learning differ from other tuition schools? If you’re a parent looking for tuition you might hope that your tutor helps your child to pass their next exam, move up a set in class or cope with the next homework challenge. You might not think that tuition could have an impact on the rest of your child’s life. At Explore Learning that’s exactly what we do. We build skills and confidence that go far beyond the classroom, helping children to grow into resilient, independent learners ready to thrive in every part of their lives.
How do you see AI and tech shaping the future of learning support? We believe the truly transformative impact of AI can be found in adaptive learning and personalised curriculums. It’s not about making the education process easier, nor is it about replacing human educators. At Explore Learning, our technology uses AI to help us make education more impactful for every student by adapting to their individual needs.
What’s the team at Explore Bristol like in four words?
Confidence-builders, trusted, friendly
DAN SIMSON
HEAD OF INFANTS & JUNIORS BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL 0117 973 6109; www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk
Is this your first appointment as head?
Not quite; before joining BGS in September 2025 I spent 14 years at Sefton Park Infant and Junior Schools here in Bristol, first as a class teacher before becoming deputy head and then as head. Those years really shaped my understanding of what makes a school thrive: strong relationships, shared values and a collective belief that every child can achieve remarkable things when they feel supported and known. I’m excited to bring that same spirit to Bristol Grammar School Infants and Juniors.
What do you find most satisfying about the job?
Without question, it’s the relationships. Getting to know each child as an individual and understanding what makes them light up is one of the greatest privileges of being in education. When you create a culture in which every child feels known, supported and encouraged, they naturally flourish – academically, emotionally and socially.
I still have the enormous pleasure of teaching classes in the Infant school and retaining that connection with the classroom enhances those important relationships. As a parent of a child in the Senior School I was already familiar with BGS and I know that sense of belonging is something BGS does so well.
What is your school’s ethos?
At BGS, our ethos is simple but profound: we know and value every child. We believe children learn best when they feel safe, respected and inspired. That means nurturing not just academic excellence, but curiosity, kindness and independence too. It’s about helping each
child to discover who they are, what they love, and how they can make a positive difference in the world.
How does your school differ from others?
What makes BGS stand out is the genuine sense of community. It’s a school that not only strives for excellence but does so with heart. Every decision starts with the question: What’s right for the child? That care and individual attention run through everything – from how lessons are taught to how we celebrate each pupil’s achievements, big or small.
What advice would you give your 10-year-old self?
Focus on being curious and believe in yourself. Try new things, make mistakes, and remember that learning is a lifelong adventure. The best version of yourself is the one that keeps growing.
VINCE MACLEOD
SAMANTHA GOOCH
YEAR 1, TEACHER
TOCKINGTON MANOR SCHOOL
01454 613229; www.tockingtonmanorschool.com
What do you most enjoy about teaching?
Being in the classroom is FUN! I am constantly evolving and the Year 1s that I teach really keep me on my toes. Even after 20 years, every day brings something surprising.
Describe your teaching style
I use lots of visuals, objects and ‘acting out’ to encourage questioning, discussion and deeper thinking. I like learning to be fun, so children want to find out more, but I also have high standards.
What are your views on homework?
For young children, it is their parents’ weekly link to knowing and sharing what their children are learning at school. I try to keep it short but meaningful and throw in a family activity or challenge every few weeks. By doing something together, it often surprises parents just how much their children know.
What extra-curricular activities does your school offer?
We have such a vast array of clubs and
EARLY YEARS LEAD & RECEPTION TEACHER, BADMINTON SCHOOL 0117 905 5200; www.badmintonschool.co.uk
Where did your teaching career begin, and what drew you to the profession?
My first experience working with children was as a canoe instructor in the South of France. I took school groups on immersive two-day river trips which was lots of fun. From there, I decided to train to become a primary school teacher and I quickly realised that my energy and creativity were well suited to the early years! Today I try to make the classroom learning experiences just as exciting as my river adventures in the South of France.
In your view, what makes this school, and your classroom, distinctive?
A distinctive feature at Badminton School is the dynamic within the Early Years, which consists of two classes: Pre-Reception (3-4 years) and Reception (4-5 years). We have a unique hybrid approach, where some lessons are taught in mixed-age groups and in other lessons girls are taught the curriculum for their specific age group with their peers. This promotes a strong sense of community and belonging, while fostering independence and enabling children to work at their own pace.
What projects or learning experiences are you most excited about this term?
It’s always wonderful to introduce the different celebrations and traditions that are observed around the world at this time of year and to learn about celebrations that the children practise at home. We will be learning traditional songs, being creative with different art forms and learning about different countries. We also have plenty of exciting stories to learn and use as inspiration this term for our story crafting project. To finish the term, Reception will be joining Year 1 and 2 to perform in the Christmas production, which we are all really looking forward to.
How would you describe your teaching philosophy or your classroom ethos?
My philosophy is to facilitate the things that come naturally to children so that they can learn in a way which is authentic to them. Children love to play and explore, to be physically active, to create and to think critically. We provide a broad range of experiences which are underpinned by challenge, choice and opportunities for children’s voices to be heard. In my view, developing a strong sense of self and personal agency is one of the most important gifts that we can give to young people.
activities for our children – and many not your average sports or games. My Year 1 pupils can choose from things like robotics club, gardening, street dance or choir. For older children there is horse riding, golf, archery, ornithology, Radio club and debating among many others. We have over 40 different clubs across the school – extracurricular activities are a big draw card and create such a rich experience for the children.
What advice would you give a newly qualified teacher?
On my first teaching practice, my Key Stage 1 mentor said “Both you and the kids can only do one all-singing, all-dancing lesson a day. Any more, and you will all be exhausted and won’t achieve anything.” It really stuck with me - be kind to yourself and the children. Plan your WOW lessons over the week but also allow for some simpler lessons with familiar activities that let you and your students reflect and which calmly reinforces their understanding.
What key bit of advice would you give to parents when choosing a school?
Visit. Take a tour and go with your gut. Do you get the right feeling in that setting? You’ll know it when you do - I did! TMS is always open for tours because we know this is the best way to see a school in action and show off how the children experience school every day.
HOME IS WHERE THE FARM IS
First opened 45 years ago, St Werburghs City Farm remains as welcoming and inclusive as ever
Words by Bobbi Carsley
Alittle pocket of rural happiness in the city, St Werburghs City Farm has been open for 45 years. As with any longstanding community initiative, it’s seen the area grow and change around it, but has remained unwaveringly faithful to its ambition of welcoming all who enter. From those attending the much-loved summer fair, to gardeners in the community allotments, to members of one of its programmes, many people’s paths have led them, in one way or another, to the site.
Often, as is the case for the farm’s director Jenny Howard Coles, it’s a place that people have found themselves returning to throughout their lives. Having grown up locally, Jen tells us that the farm first became an important presence in her life during her childhood.
“I have lots of big, important memories of being here as a young person. I knew it was always a place I would return to in some capacity. I certainly wasn’t envisioning myself returning as the director, though – that came as much of a surprise to me.”
“Everypersonsingle here has somethingunique to offer”
One of the first things that strike you about the farm is the strong spirit of collaboration among the network of staff and volunteers who run the site and contribute to its projects.
“Our work is all about connecting people to green space and where food comes from”, says Jen. “It’s very targeted around people who have the least access. At the end of the day, every single person here has got something unique to offer.
ABOVE: No, they’re not all called Spot; BELOW: Start ‘em early
COMMUNITY
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES
“We celebrated 45 years of the farm in July, and welcomed many of the people who founded it back in 1980 back for a special event. One of our volunteers gave a speech about how being part of the programme affected her. I know she was really nervous about doing it, but she stood up, and she had her notes in her hand, and then she just spoke and she didn’t look at her notes. It was so real and heartfelt. When you hear someone actually speak about what it really meant to be part of an activity, it kind of blows you away”
– farm director Jenny Howard Coles
As a charity and not-for-profit organisation, the heartbeat of the farm’s operations are the variety of projects it runs to work with and support different members of the community. Their longest-standing scheme, which has been running for decades, is a five-day-a-week programme for adults with learning or physical disabilities, in which members are given the opportunity to get involved with horticulture and gardening as well as being instrumental to animal care across the farm. Additionally, a child-and-youth team coordinates myriad activities for young people, including alternative provision, youth clubs for different groups, school tours and forest schools.
Jen stresses the importance of forest schools for all urban children in ensuring they build vital, potentially transformative connections with nature. If you don’t have a garden, and your school is in the inner city, you could potentially grow up with very little access to playing in nature. I think developing that from a young age is something that can carry you through your life. It’s a funny word to use, but it’s like you want people to build a sense of entitlement to nature, because it’s really hard to love something and care for something and steward something that you don’t feel like you can hold and be in.
“You want people to build a sense of entitlement to nature”
Allowing every individual to build confidence in themselves and their skills through encountering new experiences at the farm is central to the charity’s ethos. The farm gets a lot of referrals for its programmes. although anyone who feels they fit the criteria for an specific programme, and thinks they would benefit from its services, can submit a form via its website, where a full list of the community programmes can be explored online.
As with most charities, St Werburghs City Farm, relies on voluntary donations as an integral part of its funding. Monthly donations, business sponsorships, nominations for charitable fundraisers, even remembering the farm in your will are all avenues through which people can give back to the farm.
I think the farm is somewhere that has a place in people’s hearts , says Jen. It’s somewhere people come back to, generation after generation, with their families.
When I ask Jen what she hopes the farm might offer a first-time visitor, she replies, I hope that people would appreciate or enjoy having something that’s free to access, and open seven days a week all year round. I hope that when people come here, they might think of someone else they’d like to bring with them next time. There’s something really important to us about being a constant for our community, and being something that’s reliable.
Speaking from my own encounter, the passion, hard-work and immeasurable care that goes into St Werburghs City Farm is palpable from your first step onto its paddocks. Animals, plants and people alike all benefit from its green pastures, with each new experience leading visitors to discover something new about themselves. n
For more: www.swcityfarm.co.uk
ABOVE: It’s amazing what you can grow in a large planter
“I think Boiling Wells [a 2.5-acre woodland site near the main farm] is so special. It’s only open for specific events and activities; it does feel like a sort of hidden gem, but it’s just there, it’s in the city, it’s so close.”
Jen’s favourite memory:
“As a child I can remember being at Farm Club when I was probably about six or seven, being in my wellies in the duck pond. We were cleaning it out with brooms, and being in there with a load of other kids, scrubbing the inside of the duck pond and sliding around in our wellies and feeling like we were doing a very, very important thing.”
CLOCKWISE: Man-sized beetle wreaks havoc beside community allotment; a group walk through St Werburghs woodland; that there’s a golden guernsey goat; make sure that horizontal’s straight
THE METROPOLITAN
The stylish decor, friendly welcome and tempting all-day menu ensures The Met remains a serious go-to for the Whiteladies set
Words by Deri Robins
First of all, how do you define a metropolis? And can Bristol justifiably be described as one?
Dictionary says yes. The word can be used for any bustling urban centre, especially if it’s the chief city of a country or region. Bristol clearly qualifies on this score. It’s the undisputed boss-town of the South West, it’s been referred to as the alt-capital of the UK, and bustle could be its middle name. If a city could have, you know, a middle name. Brisbustletol. Only a handful of other UK cities tick this box, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that very dining destinations call themselves ‘The Metropolitan’. There’s the London hotel in Mayfair, of course (no relation) and Manchester has a pub of the same name. There’s also one in Amersham, but surely it’s having a laugh.
Bristol’s The Met, as it’s affectionately called, certainly feels very metropolitan. It rejoices in one of the most sophisticated frontages on Whiteladies Road, all black paint and darkened glass, with the name of the restaurant picked out in a stylish sans-serif font. The decor inside is a match – a sleek sea of black, taupe and woodiness mingled with exposed brickwork, faux-foxed glass, and modern art designed to evoke, perhaps (we’re just guessing here), the most famous Met of all: New York’s MOMA gallery. It exudes a quiet confidence; it’s really all rather zen.
Unlike the reception staff at the Park Lane hotel, who dress in DKNY and smile with lips tight around their teeth when you turn up in H&M, nobody judges you by your clothing labels when you walk into Bristol’s Met. Despite its pared back, minimalist good looks the vibe is inviting and cosy here, the waitstaff smiley and welcoming.
Drinks first, though, and with tedious predictability it’s a margarita for me. The Met describes theirs as spicy, so our server Ray very properly opens a discussion on whether I’d like the heat turned up to ten or kept to a wimpier one or two; I’ve received shorter and less well-considered consultations in a hair salon. It’s perfect, and I chink the glass happily with that of my dining companion, whom I’ve known ever since we were fresh and lovely young things working in that other well-known metropolis a hundred or so miles down the road. You know, the one that used to be quite good, but which everyone now leaves for Bristol.
The smaller dishes turn up promptly and all at once. Fat grilled scallops come in their shells, swimming in a very good sherry butter; clearly, you can take the boy out of Spain, etc. We hop across the border to Portugal for a plate of salted cod fritters, crispy and hot, with very garlicky aioli for the dipping, and then take the slow boat to Tijuana, where an Italian immigrant named Caesar first dreamt up his eponymous salad. Jose cuts the baby gem into wedges rather than pulling it apart, but I’m not quite sure what’s to be gained from this variation; surely the main pleasure of the dish lies in the decadently coated individual leaves. I’m not sure Caesar would entirely approve.
Service: Friendly and helpful Atmosphere: Elegant but relaxed
When it opened in 2022, The Met served breakfast, lunch and small Asian-inspired plates in the evening. There have been a few changes since then, both on the menu and in the kitchen. The brunches disappeared, then reappeared.
Original head chef Adam Armstrong moved on, French-Irish chef Stephane McGlynn was in for a while, but for the past year the role has been filled by the superbly monikered Jose Antonio Ceballos Perez, formerly of London’s Barrafina.
Jose’s modern British and pan-European dinner menu can be approached in two ways. You can order a mixture of dishes between you from the small and larger plates, or if you’re not big on sharing you could go down the starter-mains route. There are snacky starters too, including chips; the temptation to turn these into a buttie with the house focaccia is almost overwhelming, but given the hearty promise of the dishes to follow we somehow manage to overcome it. We are wise to do so; portions are generous, and we order far too much.
Tell you what is truly wonderful, though, and that’s the confit potato, which is deeply, deeply indulgent with its creamy layers of Old Winchester cheese and black garlic. I remember The Met having a version of this on the original menu, and as soon as you taste it you’ll realise their wisdom in keeping it on as a signature dish. Order it, please.
The larger plates arrive, and we’re very grateful we held back on the chippie starter. A crispy pork belly is excellent, with all the melting pull-apartability you could wish for and spot-on crackling. The autumn palette on a plate, it comes with supremely smooth creamy mash and and carrot purée, with cubes of pickled apples for piquancy.
A very, very smoky aubergine schnitzel should please cooking-overfire fans, while the tempura hake is posh fish and chips, unpretentiously plated up with a puddle of tartare and minty peas, crushed rather than mushed, with a little pot of curry sauce.
Almost defeated, but valiant to the end, we share a hefty slice of custard tart, wonderfully eggy in its crisp pastry casing.
Since The Met first opened on Whiteladies it’s been joined by many excellent other dining joints, all of which make a persuasive bid for your time and money. However, this neighbourhood restaurant easily holds its own. It’s swish enough to feel a bit special, well-priced enough to make it a regular treat, and best of all, chef clearly likes to feed you; you definitely won’t leave hungry. On a street that’s seen more than it’s fair share of changes in recent years, The Met is a keeper.
CAFÉ SOCIETY STAN CULLIMORE
Love shack
If they Fix it, Stan will come
This issue’s coffee shop of choice is a fun-sized little sweetheart and a new kid on the block, so double-bubble ticks all round for the lucky CS crew.
I’m talking here about Fix, up on Gloucester Road just around the top of Pigsty Hill, opposite Kelvin Players. A place I know very well indeed, mainly due to some of my grandkids going there for dance lessons when they were little. Very nice café there, too. But before we get down to fixing facts, talking teacups or chatting caffeine, time for a brief bit of backstory.
A few weeks ago, while strolling to my local shops, I noticed
“This sweet shack looked for all the world like a buxom little beach hut that had set out for a day at the seaside but somehow got lost along the way”
a rather winsome little white and greige café had appeared out front of one of the shops.
This sweet shack looked for all the world like a buxom little beach hut that had set out for a day at the seaside but somehow got lost along the way, then decided to make a home for itself in the suburbs. Whatever it was, it looked decidedly cute and tickled my café curiosity – partly because it was positioned outside a charming little boutique I had never actually set foot inside, though I had often admired for its oral themed window displays. Thinking it was an outdoor addition to a hitherto unexplored ower shop or similar, a couple of us popped along to check it out. Very glad we did. Turns out, there is an excellent reason I have never been inside, because Nuala Morey isn’t a ower shop at all; it’s a rather stylish hair salon. As a man with fewer follicles than fingers, I haven’t felt the need to think about those sorts of places for ages. Anyway, once I’d worked that out, everything else made perfect sense. Seems like someone has had the rather brilliant idea
of converting the unneeded front terrace into a cutesy little tea garden, complete with picket fence, picturesque tables and chairs and, of course, the bijou beach hut thingy front and centre.
The very friendly chap inside the hut – there he is, just above these words – made us feel most welcome and served up a couple of coffees that were totally topnotch. Flawless. Ten out of ten. Oddly, my coffee companion and I weren’t in the mood for snacks or sweet treats, though they do have a small but perfectly formed selection on offer.
So, there you have it. Must say, it was really pleasing to sit at such a sweet pavement café, watching the world wander past in search of shopping. I even had a regular reader of these columns come up and say hello, which is always nice.
Long story short, they fixed it for us. Fabulously. n
Former The Housemartins guitarist Stan is now a journalist and travel writer; @stancullimore on instagram Google up Stan’s daily substack blog: Diary of an Urban Grandad
D S A UN Y T N L I E CH U M EA I Y E S K L
What do we want? Lunch! When do we want it? Sunday! Where do we want it? The choice is wide, tempting and varied...
Words by Deri Robins
From Yorkies and crisp potatoes to velvety gravy and proper puds, Sunday lunch is all of the best British edible inventions served at once”, say our friends at Pieminister. “There’s something life a rming about eating a roast at this time of year.”
It’s not just an autumn thing, of course. You can have a perfectly lovely Sunday lunch in July, maybe taken al fresco; fine if you’re a fan of wasps and chairs that aren’t quite as comfy as the ones indoors. But when the days get shorter, darker and nippier, the prospect of this meal takes on an almost mystical allure: hearty food and rich wines, ideally consumed no further than ten feet away from an open fire, the dog warming your feet and crossing its paws for dropped scraps.
Bristol has a wide selection of menus and avours to rock your Sunday world; it’s not all about the roast, though yeah, it mostly is. All come with sides popularly known as ‘all the trimmings’. but as we couldn’t face typing those three words every single time please just take that as a given.
1AQUA
Aqua has been making Sunday lunch special for 27 years. Think juicy slow-roasted meats, crispy roasties, Yorkshire puddings and rich, glossy homemade gravy, all guaranteed to leave you satisfied without breaking the bank. Can we bring the dog? Pooches are very welcome on the heated outdoor terrace.
Welsh Back & 153 Whiteladies Road www.aqua-restaurant.com
3BANK TAVERN
“A uniquely inhospitable place” – their words, not ours – the Tavern has purveyed ale and victuals on John Street
since the 1800s, “surviving an alarming number of riots, two World Wars, Bristol City Council town planners and Thatcher”. Since being named Britain’s best Sunday Lunch at the Observer Food Monthly Awards in 2019, the waiting list has gone loco; they reopen bookings in January and always sell out in hours. Should you manage to bag a cancellation you can expect braised beef short rib, rolled belly of pork, chicken ballotine, or broccoli and stilton pithivier for veggies.
Can we bring the dog? You sure can; they even have hooks under the tables for leads.
8 John Street www.banktavern.com
4
4BAR 44
Unsurprisingly, tapas fave Bar 44 likes to do things with a Spanish twist. Think huge uffy Yorkies with chorizo, crispy roasties in duck fat with garlic and thyme, and cauli ower cheese with Manchego; horseradish aioli to go with the 35-day dry-aged Hereford beef, and burnt apple
2BANK BRISTOL
sauce for the overnight roast Duroc pork belly. Small plates are available, too. Factor in a leisurely mooch around Clifton Village before or after for ultimate Sunday vibing.
Can we bring the dog? Only on the pavement tables outside 18-20 Regent Street www.grupo44.co.uk/bar44
“Social feasting is at the heart of what we do at Bank, and Sunday lunch is the epitome of that”, says Dan O’Regan. “Our Sunday roast stays mostly true to tradition, but we love putting a few small twists on each dish; smoke and fire feature heavily, as it does on the rest of our menu. We have some incredible sharing roasts on Sundays, particularly our Hereford Cross sirloin from the fire, with braised beef shin and shallot. Can we bring the dog? “Absolutely. We have dog bowls and treats available so they won’t go hungry while you eat.”
107 Wells Road; www.bankbristol.com
5BIANCHIS
This much-loved Montpelier trattoria is always fully booked at weekends, for reasons which become crystal clear when you visit. On Sundays, they say, “We’re doing our classic Italian twist on a British roast – whole fish, porchetta and beef, with lots of oven-smoked veg for the table to share. Dom’s famous Bloody Marys are the naughty spicy hit; opening time is 1pm, and 4pm is kickout time so we can all go to the pub at 6.30.”
Can we bring the dog?
No, but it’s honestly worth hiring a dog-sitter. 1-3 York Road; www.bianchisrestaurant.co.uk
6CHRISTMAS STEPS
There is no wrong time of year to visit the atmospheric Christmas Steps pub, but it’s in the misty, chilly months that its historic charm comes into its own.
“We are one of the oldest pubs in Bristol, dating back to 1600”, says Dave Smeaton. “It’s a lovely area to visit on a Sunday; it’s nice to potter down the steps, taking in the ambience of the old architecture around you.
“The menu draws on locally sourced meat and veg, with great vegan and vegetarian roasts.” (The cider-braised chicken is particularly calling to us). “Our Glamorgan sausages are a speciality made with Caerphilly cheese, leeks and mushrooms – a lovely alternative to meat, and something that pairs well with the classic trimmings.”
Can we bring the dog?
“Of course, we love dogs and you can take them for a nice walk around the Old City afterwards.” 2 Christmas Steps www.thechristmassteps.com
7THE GRANARY
Sundays at The Granary are all about sharing generous plates, easy conversation and the comforting rhythm of a long, lazy lunch. Set in its beautiful Bristol Byzantine home on Welsh Back, The Granary serves weekly-changing Sunday specials alongside its à-la-carte menu, celebrating the best of local farms and seasonal produce. Expect abundant, avour-packed dishes: tender roast beef from Ruby & White, slow-braised Chew Valley lamb, crisp pork belly, or spiced half chicken served with tabbouleh, atbreads and pickles. Vegetarians are equally spoiled with the likes of crispy celeriac dauphinoise or roasted squash with Jerusalem artichoke purée. Can we bring the dog? Of course! They’ll have their own Granary bowls.
32 Welsh Back www.granarybristol.com
5
8GAMBAS
“In Spain, Sunday lunch is the time to gather with family and friends”, says GM Ander Mendive Barcos. “At Gambas we offer a Sunday sharing feast. We love starting with a gilda and vermouth – this is the proper way to do it. We also have a seasonal rice, it’s duck and mushroom at the moment, and following our recent trip to Galicia we’re working on a Sunday seafood sharing plate, which should be available soon.
Can we bring the dog?
¡Ciertamente! Welcome both inside and out on the terrace. Unit 12, Cargo 2 www.gambasbristol.co.uk
BY
PHOTO
LOUIS SMITH @STUDIOWHISK
10THE KENSINGTON ARMS
“Sunday lunch at The Kenny is at the heart of what we do”, says head chef Oscar Davies. “Top-quality SouthWest meat and vegetables, roasted with care and attention. Everything is homemade, including our four-day gravy, and there’s laidback family vibes in the restaurant with a roaring fire in the winter months.” Fun fact: “The process of our famous gravy starts on a Tuesday and finishes Friday.
Chef recommends: the game parfait, daily bread, quince and crudites. Can we bring the dog? “Yes, and we have treats on offer. One regular always orders a dog-sized roast for their brown lab!” Well, that’s certainly made our mutts prick up their ears . . . 35-37 Stanley Road www.thekensingtonarms.co.uk
9HARBOUR HOUSE
“At Harbour House, set in Brunel’s beautiful old boathouse, the roast is as relaxed as the view of boats bobbing on the water outside, glasses clinking, and plates piled high with West Country goodness”, they say.
Each dish is a comfort-filled masterpiece of golden roasties, vibrant greens, sweet carrots, silky pumpkin purée, tangy red cabbage, a towering Yorkshire pudding and creamy cauli cheese. Ruby & White supply the cuts: dry-aged beef striploin, slowcooked lamb shank, crisp pork belly or chicken supreme.
“Veggie diners are well looked after with a mushroom Wellington or cauli ower steak, and there’s a perfectly portioned small roast for those with smaller appetites. Seafood fans will love the whole roasted plaice with lobster bisque – a coastal ourish that nods to Harbour House’s maritime roots.”
Can we bring the dog?
“Yes, they get their own Harbour House dog bowl. Just make sure they bring their wallet.” The Grove; www.hhbristol.com
11LAPIN
“We don’t hold anything back at Lapin”, promises Dan O’Regan.
“Classic French cuisine is about big avours, rich sauces and top-quality ingredients, which hit all the rights notes for Sunday, and chef Jack’s irreverent cooking style provides some fun twists and turns along the way.”
Chef recommends: whole roasted duck crown with roast beetroot, pig’s trotter, bacon and prunes – an epic sharer.
Can we bring the dog? They’re welcome on the terrace. Cargo; www.lapinbristol.co.uk
12KITCHEN BY
KASK
If you aren’t aware that Frankie’s Fried Chicken and Wa es has taken up residency at Kitchen, what have you been doing? Luckily for y’all the Sunday brunch runs until 3.30, so expect such delights as millionlayer hash with huevos rancheros, and fried chicken with wa es with a choice of four avours from maple-glazed to hot honey – and our personal fave, short rib beef.
14PIEMINISTER
“Pies and Sunday roasts are two of the best things you can eat, so to bring the two together on one plate is a thing of beauty”, say our favourite pastry-botherers.
Chef recommends: “The Big Cheese – vintage cheddar potato and leek in a pie with Emmental and cider. If you’re worried you’ll miss the meat, have it with the free range British pork scratchings and sausages!”
Can we bring the dog?
“We’ll be sad if you don’t.” Reckon they would be, too. 24 Stokes Croft; 7 Broad Quay; www.pieminister.co.uk
15PASTURE
Steak restaurant Pasture is all about celebrating the best of British farming, with a focus on quality and sustainability. ”We roast large joints of dry-aged, grass-fed sirloin along with our house cuts of tomahawk, chateaubriand and porterhouse, served Sunday-style with sides and bottomless gravy”, says chef-proprietor Sam Elliott. “We’ve even elevated the classic roast with some fireroasted twists. One of the current stars is our overnight lamb shoulder to share; cooked in its own fat it’s incredibly tender and crispy.”
Can we bring the dog?
Only on the heated outdoor terrace. 2 Portwall Lane www.pasturerestaurant.com
There’s also a kids’ option for just a fiver.
Can we bring the dog?
Sure can. 36 North Street www.kaskwine.co.uk/kitchen
13THEMETROPOLITAN
Roasts are served in the warm and inviting candlelit dining room from midday to pm; choose from beef sirloin, chicken, crispy pork belly or shoulder of lamb, with vegan vegetarian options. Maybe start with a cocktail, a Bloody Mary, or a glass of fizz with some snacks before the main event? See also page 0. 72 Whiteladies Road www.metropolitanbristol.com
16PIGSTY
“As a restaurant famed for its highwelfare pork, Sunday roast is a big deal. Our roast is definitely one to be beaten, but we have plenty of other meat options as well as great veggie and vegan dishes. Our sides deserve as much of a shoutout too, especially our famous PIBs (pigs in blankets). Can we bring the dog? Absolutely; it’ll make their day. Gaol Ferry Steps; www.thejollyhog.com
17THE PONY CHEW VALLEY
The flagship and OG gaff of the Eggleton family, this legendary Chew Magna gastropub reopened in 2022 with a beautiful new glass-walled dining room overlooking the kitchen gardens, in which you are warmly invited to stroll, and refurbished private snugs. If you’ve yet to pay a visit, Sunday is the ideal opportunity.
“Sunday lunch at the Pony is a proper threecourse affair – starter, main and dessert with all
the sides”, says Josh Eggleton. “That may sound fancy, but we still treat it like we’re inviting our own families into the restaurant – the best of both worlds.”
Chef recommends: the Cornish fish soup with crostini and herb oil.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, in the front area of the pub, but not the main dining room.
Moorledge Road, Chew Magna www.theponychewvalley.co.uk
18THERAILWAY INN
Prepare for both the expected and the unexpected at Myrtle Farm, home of Thatchers, where you can sample exclusive ciders that Thatchers only sell in their pub and farm shop. On Sunday they serve traditional Sunday roasts – beef with a side of cauli ower cheese is a firm favourite – but also special dishes such as caper and seaweedcrusted hake with lemon- zested mash, pressed leeks, pickled grapes, and a mussels and eronique sauce.
Can we bring the dog? They’re more than welcome in the bar area and can even order their own dinner bowl.
Sandford, Winscombe www.thatcherscider.co.uk
19ROOT BRISTOL
Instead of the classic Sunday roast, there’s a small plates menu to share, flipping the norm by having vegetables at the forefront with a little bit of meat on the side.
“Classically, Sunday lunch is meatfocused, but we pride ourselves on
being able to cater to veggies and vegans with ease”, says head chef Rob Howell.
Chef recommends: the honey and brown butter custard tart. Can we bring the dog?
Only on the covered, heated terrace Unit 9, Cargo 1; www.rootbristol.co.uk
20THESPOTTED COW
Southville’s favourite gastropub sources all its produce from the best local suppliers, and has a passionate kitchen team; no wonder they were listed as having one of the best roasts in the UK by Big 7 Travel last year.
We’re having the Hereford Cross beef sirloin with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce served with maple-roasted parsnips, roasted carrots with star anise and orange, braised red cabbage with red wine, squash purée, kale and Savoy cabbage. Can we bring the dog? Yes, they love dogs and have a bespoke range of dog treats. 139 North Street www.thespottedcowbristol.com
THE AUTUMN INGREDIENTS BRISTOL CHEFS ARE LOVING RIGHT NOW
“Every autumn I get excited about pumpkins and squash. So many interesting varieties; great for vegetarians, but also pair nicely with game meats such as venison or duck” –Jack Briggs-Horan, Bank
“Our regulars rave about our parsnip purée. We also use the peel in our lunch menu, served with sandwiches, because we like to utilise as much as we can from every ingredient” – Dave Smeaton, The Christmas Steps
“Hand-dived scallops and octopus, both from the UK. Amazing quality” –Ander Barcos, Gambas
“Our homegrown butternut squash that goes in our Wellington, and a delicious soup” – Josh Eggleton, The Pony Chew Valley
“Girolle mushroom, served with our Somerset Saxon chicken roasted over coals” –Oscar Davies, The Kenny
“Butternut squash. We love to use it in risotto, made with pickled shallots, touched driftwood goats’ cheese and crispy sage” –Emma Russell, The Railway Arms
“Hebridean Lamb. Charlotte, one of our chefs, has a smallholding in Backwell, where she and her partner Nathan (our sous chef) rear a small flock of Hebridean sheep” – Rob Howell, Root
“Venison. Amazing flavouralways best over the colder months” –Jack Briggs-Horan, Lapin
“Bold Bean Co’s Queen Chickpeas – the only chickpeas that really work in our new vegan Chana Rama pie” –Romany Simon, Pieminister
MARY JANE COURT SHOES, £139
If Viv Westwood had been asked to style Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, the result might well have been this bold pair of courts
From John Lewis, Cribbs Causeway www.johnlewis.com
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD GRANNY FRAME HANDLE BAG, £250
Not ready to fully commit to the tartan craze? Baby steps, then
From Harvey Nichols, 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com
CHECK MATE
Tartan’s rocking the catwalks; it’s St Andrew’s Day on 30 November; Claudia’s been putting on the plaid in The Traitors. Sometimes you just have to go with the ow
BARBOUR UMBRELLA, £45
We’ve taken a rain check. See what we did there?
From Cooshti 57 Park Street www.cooshti.com
SAUSAGE DOG HANGING DECORATION, £4.50 (FROM £8.99)
This knitted canine is fully Traitors-ready with his smart plaid coat. You just know he’s got to be a Faithful, right? ro orn in ri to ur e e www.borninbristol.uk
LOLLY'S LAUNDRY BILLIE COAT, £124 (FROM £249)
Classic long coat in soft, heavy black-and-white wool, at a surprisingly good price
From Maze Clothing 18 The Mall www.mazeclothing.co.uk
Cut in The Queen’s trademark asymmetric style. Keep it classic, or team with fishnets, DMs and an old political tee for full-on punk rebellion
From Harvey Nichols 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com
CYNTHIA LAND FRILLY
TARTAN TOTE BAG, £95
The frills say ‘cute’, the tartan gives a bit of edge; the perfect carry for when you want to make a statement without saying a word From That Thing, 45-47 Stokes Croft www.thatthing.co
WEEKEND MAXMARA FURIO SCARF £107.50 (FROM £215)
Not a fan of scratchy Shetland wool? Furio’s luxurious oversized scarf comes in 100% cashmere From Grace & Mabel, 18 The Mall www.graceandmabel.co.uk
MANASTASH PLAID SHORTS, £79.99 (FROM £159.99)
No jokes about ‘Donald, where’s your troosers’, please From Cooshti, 57 Park Street www.cooshti.com
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD REVERSIBLE WOOL PONCHO, £525
You don’t have to bleach your hair peroxide like Paula Yates circa 1970s, but there again, why not? From Harvey Nichols 27 Philadelphia Street www.harveynichols.com
WOOL OVERSHIRT, £225
Woven the traditional way at Abraham Moon, one of the oldest wool mills in the UK. Thick and warm enough to use as a shacket From Peregrine Clothing www.peregrineclothing.co.uk
TARTAN TROUSERS, 33”, £20 (FROM £28)
If a look comes back into fashion, check out your friendly local retro store: they’ve seen all the trends come and go, and prices will be far lower than anything on the high street From Beyond Retro, 20 Broadmead www.beyondretro.com
ROSE IN APRIL BUMBAG, £49
Sling it over your shoulder, clip it round your waist – check mate
From Fox & Feather, 41 Gloucester Road www.foxandfeather.co.uk
These trusted experts are here to guide you every step of the way on your special day
GEORGINA DURBIN
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON CADBURY HOUSE 01934 834 343 www.cadburyhotelbristol.co.uk
What do couples love most about your venue?
Couples tell us it’s the balance of it all; the wowfactor of a grand country house paired with the warmth of a modern, relaxed atmosphere. They love that they can make the day completely their own, whether that’s a traditional wedding breakfast, a vibrant cultural celebration, or something totally outside the box, while the
views never fail to steal the show and provide a perfect back drop for the special days photos.
Also, given our space and location, if couples want to add a big bang to their celebrations they can easily add on a fireworks display
Which spaces can be used for ceremonies and receptions, and what are the capacities?
We have a choice of spaces to suit every couple. The Drawing Room is perfect for summer weddings with direct access to our grounds and gazebo, whilst the Great Room offers a beautiful backdrop for larger celebrations seating up to 350 guests. For those wanting something truly unique and intimate, our Master Suite in the 18th-century turret is all romance and charm.
Do you hold a civil ceremony licence, and is there a wet-weather/backup plan?
We do! All our spaces are licensed for civil ceremonies, and our team are absolute pros at
CLARE CHANDLER
CLIFTON ROCKS
0117 973 1342
www.cliftonrocks.co.uk
How did you get started in jewellery design, and what drew you to it?
My lifelong passion for jewellery started at 14, going from evening classes to university. What continues to draw me to jewellery-making is the process of taking raw materials then crafting something unique and beautiful. This in turn becomes a piece that holds lifelong sentiment to the wearer. Clifton Rocks has grown so much, it’s an absolute dream to be in our new shop in the heart of Clifton Village.
What makes your wedding pieces unique?
The majority of our wedding and engagement rings are made in-house and are exclusive to Clifton Rocks. We also host around 30 UK based designers, who all have their own distinct style.
Describe the process when designing a bespoke piece
We start with an initial consultation with an in-house jeweller and discuss design ideas. Then we create a design brief, based on the customer’s own unique style. After the quote, we draw out a few sketches and the chosen design can be turned into a CAD render or silver sample to help visualise the final piece.
creating beautiful indoor setups if the weather doesn’t play ball. Whether sunshine or showers, you’ll have the perfect setting ready to go.
Are there on-site bedrooms or getting-ready spaces? What about nearby accommodation? Yes! We have 132 bedrooms on-site, including six beautiful suites. My personal favourite is The Loft Suite, which we allocate to couples for their wedding night on a complimentary basis (subject to availability). It’s a gorgeous space featuring an open roll-top bath, four-poster bed, and cosy seating area — the perfect retreat after your celebrations.
For getting ready, we offer The Boardroom Package, which includes mirrors, a clothes rail, and a steamer, plus the all-important prosecco, fruit juices, and pastries. It’s the ideal space to relax and enjoy your morning with your nearest and dearest before saying “I do”.
Do you support cultural or multi-day celebrations, and how do you approach them? Absolutely, we’ve proudly hosted everything from South Asian and African weddings to traditional English and fusion celebrations. Our team are experienced in working alongside external caterers, décor specialists, and cultural traditions, ensuring every element is celebrated authentically and beautifully. We also work with those looking to customise their own day, using our space with self catering options available.
GREG CHESTER
SANT FFRAED HOUSE
www.oldwallscollection.com
What is the best part of your job?
What’s not to love! If I had to choose, it would be either the final pep talk I have with each half of the couple just before they walk into the ceremony, or that overwhelming sense of pride when the couple and their family tell you it was everything they had imagined and more.
What’s the most magical moment you’ve witnessed at a Sant Ffraed House wedding?
Genuinely, every wedding has a magical moment. One that stands out was an impromptu outdoor first dance with a sunset backdrop; it was electric. It was a late summer wedding, glorious weather, and the bride said to me, “Make this wedding extra” – as if we needed the encouragement!
What makes Sant Ffraed House special?
Couples have exclusive use of the entire estate. Sant Ffraed House offers everything couples could wish for, from beautiful indoor and outdoor ceremony options to two fabulous bars, luxurious accommodation and a reception space offering breathtaking views of the magnificent Monmouthshire countryside setting.
What’s your top insider tip for making the most of the venue? Trust the team. Let us take the reins so you can relax and truly enjoy your day.
OLLY MEACOCK
OLLY THE PHOTOGRAPHER
07752 184066
www.ollythephotographer.com
What is it that you love about working on weddings?
It’s honestly the people. Every wedding day is full of emotion, chaos, laughter and little unscripted moments, and that’s what I love capturing. I get to see everything unfold from behind the lens, from morning nerves to late-night dance floor moves. No two weddings are the same, and that keeps it exciting.
How would you describe your signature style?
Natural, relaxed and real. I don’t do awkward poses or forced smiles — I’d rather you forget I’m even there. My job is to tell the story of the day as it actually happened, with all the energy and joy that comes with it.
What’s the best bit of advice you could give a couple?
Focus on what actually matters to you. Don’t get too caught up in trends or what you think you ‘should’ do. The best weddings I’ve shot are the ones that feel totally personal, where the couple just do it their way.
LUCY LYON
WEDDING RING WORKSHOPS
07779381842; www.lucylyon.co.uk
What type of jewellery do you specialise in?
I specialise in wedding ring workshops. Under my guidance couples can create their own wedding rings in gold, silver or platinum using traditional jewellery techniques in my beautiful workshop in North Bristol.
Why make your own wedding rings?
Your wedding rings are more than just jewellery. They are a daily reminder of your love and the promises you are making to each other. Creating your wedding rings with your own hands adds a deeply personal layer of meaning. The workshop is about spending time together, creating memories and the wedding rings of your dreams.
What is your favourite part of the wedding ring workshop?
It has to be during the polishing process where the rings suddenly start to sparkle. The joy and sense of achievement on the faces of my couples as their beautiful rings come to life is so rewarding and why I absolutely love my job.
How far in advance should couples get in touch to book in their wedding ring workshop?
I offer a free consultation so we can look at different design options, so the sooner we can get the ball rolling the better. Ideally we would book in the workshop at least a few months before the wedding so there’s plenty of time to allow for hallmarking and any additional details such as engraving or sparkly diamonds.
IMOGEN HAWES
ROSE & CO FLORAL STUDIO
www.roseandcofloralstudio.com
How and why did you get involved in the wedding industry?
I have always loved flowers, ever since starting work in a florist shop as a teenager. I went on to study floristry and horticulture, and to work for top florists and event companies in London and beyond, and I always knew I wanted to open my own studio. My aim is to create beautiful and memorable events for my couples, producing gorgeous floral designs and making the client’s experience both empowering and special.
What do you specialise in?
I specialise in creating visually stunning and seasonal wedding flowers entirely tailored to each couple. My team of florists and I create stylish and bespoke florals for every element of a wedding –I create everything from large venue installations to delicately wired buttonholes.
How would you describe your signature style?
Colour palette is so important when I design wedding flowers, and I also focus on texture, detail and timeless design. I would say my style is extremely romantic, from the initial moodboard to the finishing touches on the wedding morning.
ROBERT TAYLORSOUTHALL
ZEBEL
0333 034 8899 bristol@zebel.co.uk www.zebel.co.uk
What does Zebel specialise in and what makes your work stand out from other tailors or designers?
Your dream wedding attire starts here! We specialize in crafting one-of-a-kind suits for grooms and brides. With a fabric range exceeding the thousands, we deep-dive into color palettes and patterns to create your perfect look. Fit and functionality are non-negotiable. We pride ourselves on working with all shapes and sizes to ensure you look and feel incredible on your big day.
The difference with working with us is the collaboration and experience. We work with you to design your dream outfit, sharing our expert knowledge and honest opinions every step of the way at your own pace in a comfortable environment.
How have wedding styles or requests changed in recent years? Wedding suit trends in recent years have seen a significant shift from strict formality toward individuality, comfort, and personalized style. Grooms and brides choosing suits are moving away from rigid tradition and embracing options that genuinely reflect their personality, and can often be worn again.
ROZ & DEBS
NAOMI LAKE
BRIDAL BY NAOMI
07775908299
www.bridalbynaomi.com
What do you love most about creating hair and makeup looks for weddings?
I love getting to know my clients and helping them discover what truly makes them feel their absolute best. There’s something so special about creating a look that captures the essence of the moment while staying true to who they are. It’s all about celebrating their natural light so they feel completely themselves—but elevated, radiant, and most importantly, confident.
How would you describe your signature style?
Think fresh, glowing skin and soft, natural tones—with a pop of colour on the lips or a flick of liner if that’s your style. For hair, it could be a modern, elegant updo or relaxed, textured waves, but the goal is always the same: effortless beauty. Every detail is tailored to you, part of a greater story, authentic—and never overdone.
Can you tell us about one particularly memorable wedding you’ve worked on? There are too many moments to mention,
THE WILD ZINNIA 7717 02 45 05 www.thewildzinnia.com
How would you describe your signature style?
We are known for wild, garden-inspired florals that celebrate the beauty of each natural season. From bouquets to ceremony arches, our arrangements are effortlessly romantic with a touch of the unexpected.
What do you love about working on weddings?
No two weddings are the same, the flowers at their best in the field change each week, so our florals are as unique as the love the couple has for each other.
What’s the best bit of advice you could give a couple?
Go with the seasons. Use a florist who works with seasonal British flowers and trust them to make the magic for you. Choosing flowers that are at their natural peak ensures your arrangements will be the most beautiful, fragrant, and sustainable. Allow your florist to guide you; it’s often those unexpected seasonal touches that make your wedding florals truly unforgettable.
from dancing together mid-makeup to shake nerves, hearing heartfelt stories from family, meeting people’s pets, seeing my client’s personalities shine, or watching the reactions when my client is about to leave for the aisle. It’s a joy to witness every moment.
What inspired you to get into bridal beauty and the wedding industry?
I’ve been working as a makeup artist and hairstylist for nearly 17 years, and next month marks a decade of being freelance—a milestone I’m immensely proud of. After all this time, what means the most to me is hearing from clients who still remember how much fun they had getting ready, or seeing them share their wedding photos year after year. Knowing I was part of such a joyful, lasting memory is truly the most rewarding part of what I do.
What do you think sets your work apart from other bridal artists and stylists? I work with a lot of people who don’t wear makeup every day, so for me it’s so important to take the time to understand my clients and their comfort zone. But I also work as a beauty and wellness writer! I love chatting about skincare and incorporating this knowledge into my clients’ looks.
DIANA PORTER JEWELLERY
0117 909 0225
www.dianaporter.co.uk
How would you describe your design style or aesthetic?
Organic luxury, textural and unique. Our signature textures such as the ‘Strata’ and ‘Molten’ draws inspiration from rugged Cornish coastlines and combines polished and matt finishes to enhance the depth of details. We love rose-cut diamonds and irregular cut gemstones, drawn to the ones with unique colourings and distinct patterns or inclusions which make each de-sign unique.
Describe your process when designing a bespoke piece. Our process begins with a consultation. This is the perfect opportunity to find inspiration and try on different styles. From here we make a wax model to help visualise your ideas. Once confirmed, we cast the model in precious metals such as Fairtrade Gold. Alternatively, we can remodel heirloom pieces to combine gold or stones from inherited jewellery.
What inspires your jewellery designs?
Diana always found inspiration in words, songs and stories. Her ‘on and on’ collection is in-spired by eternity rings writing ‘on and on’ continuously around rings. We create bespoke wedding bands in this style with each partner’s name handwritten around the band as a sym-bol of togetherness and eternity.
INDIA & JACK ROTHWELL
INDIA MEE JEWELLERY
0117 990 2738; www.indiamee.co.uk
What types of jewellery do you specialise in?
We specialise in creating bespoke engagement and wedding rings, individually designed for our customers to reflect their style and tell their stories, with thoughtful personalised touches. Designed and crafted from our studio in Montpellier, we focus on using ethically sourced gemstones and metals. It’s the best feeling crafting such sentimental pieces that are cherished by our customers and worn everyday, becoming future family heirlooms.
What wedding rings do you create most?
Lots of shaped wedding rings, because it’s really important that a wedding and engagement ring sit perfectly together, in both style, and fit to ensure the longevity of the ring. Most shaped-to-fit rings can’t be bought off the shelf, so having one created bespoke is often required, and also a fun process to be part of. With us, you can view multiple handsketched design ideas and choose your favourite style.
Best advice you’d give to couples choosing their rings?
Reserve part of your wedding budget for your dream rings. Your wedding rings are such a sentimental part of your day, they become a daily reminder of your wedding and the love you have for each other.
CLARE WITHYMAN CENTRE MANAGER, FOLLY FARM
01275 331590; www.follyfarm.org
Tell us a bit about one fun wedding that you’ve been involved with... It’s impossible to choose one wedding as they’re all so individual and personal to the couple, but last summer, we had three very fun weddings all in one week. It started with a Wind in the Willows picnic with guests seated outside on hay bales, the next wedding included a magical surprise with the arrival of ‘real-life’ unicorns, and the week ended with a Royal Navy wedding with uniforms, traditions and plenty of practical jokes!
What makes you different to your competitors?
We’re hidden within Avon Wildlife Trust’s 250-acre nature reserve with views right across the Chew Valley – it’s hard to find a better location. We’re also really flexible and try to avoid the ‘one-size-fitsall’ approach; we offer the choice of several ceremony locations, we tailor timings to suit the day and we create bespoke menus and drinks packages. Plus, all profits are gift-aided to the trust.
What would you say to a couple considering an outdoor wedding?
Do it! Uniting with your loved one surrounded by nature is a very pure and personal experience. Search for a venue that gives you that emotional reaction and remember, outside weddings are not only for summer, Spring and Autumn offer equally special outdoor experiences.
EVIE SMITH
EVIE’S MAKEUP
07794 744906; contact@eviesmakeup.com
What’s your process for getting to know a bride’s personal style before the big day? Getting to know my brides is one of my favourite parts of both the trial and the wedding morning. It’s such a special time to connect and understand who they are — not just how they want to look. I love learning the little details: what makes them smile, their favourite music, and how they want to feel on their wedding day. Those conversations help me create something truly personal and authentic.
How did you get involved in the wedding industry?
It all started by accident! I began as a wedding singer and actress, and while studying drama in LA, I often did hair and makeup for shows and other actors’ headshots. Somewhere along the way, I realised how much I loved it. When I returned to the UK, I started assisting makeup artists while still performing at weddings—but before long, makeup completely took over. That’s when I decided to focus on bridal hair and makeup full-time, and I’ve never looked back.
How would you describe your signature style?
My signature style is natural, glowing, and timeless. I focus on enhancing each bride’s features, not changing them. Bridal makeup should make you look like you—just the most confident, radiant version. I love creating soft, luminous looks that feel effortless and beautiful, even years later in your photos.
HANNAH ROBERTS
RUBY RANDS WEDDINGS AND EVENTS 07740 197838 www.rubyrands.co.uk; @rubyrandsevents
What is it that you love about working on weddings?
It’s a privilege to be part of such a special journey with my couples. There’s nothing better than seeing everyone have a great time, knowing I have been part of bringing the experience together.
What is it you do that makes you different to your competitors?
I worked in the events industry for 20 years before launching my wedding business, so I have excellent creative know how, experience, knowledge and contacts, all of which enhance my wedding planning offering.
What’s the best bit of advice you could give a couple?
If you are able to invest in one service from a wedding planner, On the Day Wedding Coordination would be my absolute must! It’s definitely worth setting some budget aside for this. It’s my most popular service. You and your guests can then completely relax and enjoy every moment of the big day, with a professional running all of the detail for you in the background.
What’s on trend at the moment?
Eco conscious weddings. Intimate micro weddings allowing couples to book their dream venue without the huge spend with larger guest numbers. And non-traditional wedding dress with a focus on jumpsuits, bright colours and wedding décor to match!
NETWORK
FLYING HIGH
THE SOARAWAY SUCCESS OF THE ENTRECONF AWARDS 2025
SCENE SETTING
Aerospace Bristol hosts the illustrious ceremony
PLAY TO THE GALLERY
Smile for the camera!
CELEBRATION & CHEERS
260 gather to honour the finalists ALL THE WINNERS
18 crowning moments
FLYING HIGH
Bringing together its largest-ever group of entrepreneurs from across the region, the EntreConf Awards shone a spotlight on some truly remarkable local success stories – and, as GREG INGHAM reveals, the evening had a little help from one very iconic aircraft…
As Concorde’s signature sonic boom echoed through the venue at the start of the EntreConf Awards, there was no mistaking this would be no ordinary evening. Held beneath the legendary supersonic aircraft at Aerospace Bristol, the setting was a deliberate and powerful statement. Concorde stands as a symbol of bold ambition and visionary thinking: the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that makes the impossible possible. Yet it’s
also a product of extraordinary collaboration – between countries, sectors, engineers and artists –mirroring the partnerships between entrepreneurs and professional services that the awards also sought to honour.
The evening opened with a dynamic joint presentation from Amanda and Nick Spicer of Your Eco, this year’s headline sponsor. What followed was a powerful story of tenacity, strategy and ambition, building on last year’s win to push their business even further.
Next came a whirlwind 15-minute keynote which covered cutting-edge facilities, a tech revolution, economic
transformation and a £500 million regeneration vision. Delivered with cool confidence by Jane Khawaja, director of Bristol Innovation, the presentation revealed exciting plans for the Bristol Temple Quarter and its future as a hub for forwardthinking entrepreneurs.
Celebrating entrepreneurial excellence across the region, from early-stage startups to established businesses and across diverse sectors, the Awards were co-hosted by the ever-engaging Lucy Stone, head of marketing at Bath Spa University. You’ll find the full list of winners on page 73, and every one of them is worth a deeper look, whether via their websites or socials.
“CONCORDE
STANDS AS A SYMBOL OF BOLD AMBITION AND VISIONARY THINKING”
One standout was DRIFT Energy, whose ‘Oceans of Energy’ concept highlights a game-changing use of marine power. The company’s decision to base itself in Bath was driven by the city’s strong marine talent pool, rich investor networks, and thriving tech ecosystem.
And one of the night’s most uplifting moments? The final award, Entrepreneur of the Year, went to James Courtney of LU Rewards. The judges praised James’s visionary leadership, resilience through setbacks, and smart pivots”, ultimately leading to an eight-figure exit. It’s the ultimate entrepreneurial narrative arc”, they said.
But beyond the celebration, the Awards were also about something deeper: connections. When you bring hundreds of ambitious minds together, shining a light on dozens of success stories, extraordinary things can happen. Serendipitous encounters, shared energy, and fresh ideas: the kind of magic that makes events like EntreConf so impactful.
Entrepreneurs get to set their own trajectory, shaping new worlds from scribbled-down hunches to fully-formed ventures. And they define success in their own way. Well: almost. On this night, success was defined by our panel of judges, and awarded to the creators, builders and dreamers driving their businesses forward.
And just like that supersonic aircraft overhead, their businesses are boooming…
For more: www.entreconf.com
ENTRECONF AWARDS WINNERS
ADVISOR
WINNER: THIRD HOUSE
EMPLOYER
WINNER: DIGITAL WONDERLAB
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
WINNER: GS VERDE CORPORATE FINANCE
CATALYST
Sponsored by
WINNER: HUM4NS
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by
WINNER: JAMES COURTNEY
HEALTH & WELLBEING
Sponsored by
WINNER: RIPPLES WELLBEING
ECOMMERCE
Sponsored by
WINNER: SUSAN MOLYNEUX COSMETICS
FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR
Sponsored by
WINNER: JULIA KEMP
LEGAL ADVISOR
WINNER: RWK GOODMAN
PHOTOS BY SHARAYAH WILLIAMS
MEDIA
Sponsored by
WINNER: FOURTH FLOOR
SCALE-UP
Sponsored by
WINNER: LUX REWARDS
SUSTAINABILITY
WINNER: DRIFT ENERGY
PRE-REVENUE
WINNER: PAWPASS
SCIENCE
WINNER: ENSILITECH
TECHNOLOGY
Sponsored by
WINNER: MOLENDOTECH
PROPERTY
WINNER: ASPIRE TO MOVE
SMALL BUSINESS
WINNER: UNFOLD
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR
Sponsored by
WINNER: CAMERON MILLS
LORRAINE OWOLABI SUPPORT ACT
Could
your business benefit from a virtual assistant?
Lorraine partners with business owners, CEOs, and founders as a trusted strategic partner. “I don’t just handle admin tasks”, she says. “I anticipate needs, think ahead, and help run businesses without the stress of scaling. My clients gain a partner genuinely invested in their success, not someone just checking inboxes.”
What was your career path before setting up Lorraine Freelance PA?
I spent 20 years as an executive PA, mainly in aerospace, supporting senior leaders and managing complex operations. This taught me to anticipate challenges, think strategically and provide exceptional support – skills I now bring to business owners and founders.
What inspired you to start Lorraine Freelance PA?
After being made redundant in 2020, I took the leap to create the business I’d been imagining. My experience with high-performing leaders taught me exactly what support they need, allowing me to deliver the same level of excellence across industries.
What’s the main philosophy behind the business?
We focus on genuine partnership and trust. Beyond completing tasks, we handle operations as if they were our own, anticipating problems, offering strategic suggestions, and building seamless systems. Integrity, excellence, and long-term relationships set us apart.
How did you overcome the challenges in the early days? By delivering exceptional results, communicating clearly, and letting my work speak. Early clients became champions, and referrals soon became my most powerful marketing tool.
How has your business model changed or evolved since you first launched?
I started solo, doing everything myself. Now I have a talented team, but we’ve stayed personal and selective about clients, prioritising quality over quantity. This ensures consistent, high-level support without losing our human touch.
What types businesses do you most enjoy working with?
Clients who value support and trust
us to manage operations so they can focus on growth. When there’s alignment, we become partners in their success, not just service providers.
Which service or offering do you find brings the greatest value?
The real value comes when we become a trusted partner. We manage operations, identify ine ciencies, offer strategic suggestions, and anticipate challenges before they become problems, helping clients transform how they work.
How do you differentiate your services from other PAs, executive assistants and digital marketing supports?
Experience and strategic thinking. We’ve supported top-tier leaders, managed complex operations, and handled sensitive matters. Our business acumen ensures clients receive proactive, high-level support beyond traditional admin.
What systems, tools, or processes are essential to running your business smoothly?
Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom are essentials. We also adapt to client-specific tools quickly, ensuring processes always deliver the best results. Flexibility and learning are key.
How do you manage scaling — both in handling more clients and in maintaining quality? uality comes first. We intentionally work with fewer clients, delivering exceptional care through a talented team who share our values. Growth without quality is meaningless.
How do you attract new clients and keep existing ones loyal?
Clients stay long-term because we create genuine partnerships. Marketing focuses on LinkedIn, Instagram and my website, but referrals from happy clients remain our most reliable growth-driver.
Clients sometimes worry about transition problems from one service to another – how do you handle that?
With clarity, documentation, and care. Every process is systematised, and onboarding or offboarding is smooth, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
“GROWTH WITHOUT QUALITY IS MEANINGLESS”
What are the biggest challenges or misconceptions clients have about working with a virtual PA / external team?
Two main ones: trust and outsourcing effectiveness. We prove both through confidentiality, insurance, and consistently e cient support, showing remote work can match or exceed in-house results.
How do you stay current with trends in digital marketing, remote work and productivity tools?
We never stop learning, reading, webinars, and staying curious. AI enhances our work strategically, improving e ciency without replacing the personal touch.
What advice would you give someone who’s thinking of outsourcing or delegating tasks in their business?
Research thoroughly, check reviews, verify insurance, and have a real conversation. Find someone you connect with; they’ll become a true partner in your business.
What has been an absolute career highlight for you?
Growing from solo freelancer to a limited company with a team – but the most meaningful highlights come from clients’ success and feedback, and from knowing we’ve made their business better.
Where would you like to see the business in five years time?
Continuing exactly what we do now: providing trusted, high-level support to great clients, keeping the personal touch, and helping businesses focus on growth without admin overwhelm.
Anything else we should know?
I’ve just launched a four-week pilot executive program. It’s designed specifically for people who are on the fence, who know they need support but are hesitant about making a long-term commitment.
For more: www.lorrainefreelancepa.com
IF WE BUILD IT…
. . . the cream of the region’s property sector will com, as THE BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS returns for its biggest edition to date at Ashton Gate Stadium on Friday 28 November
Thank you to all our sponsors including: Your Eco (headline), Design Seven, EntreConf, Floresco, South West Business Finance, Sprague Gibbons, Stantec, StudioHIVE, Workman, YTL Developments and Bristol Life.
And to our partners: Ashton Gate Stadium, Beaufort Capital, Burston Cook, Close Brothers Property Finance, Knights, Pluto Finance, Quantum Development Finance, RWK Goodman, Spratley & Partners and Woodstock Homes. Partner tables and tickets are available. Please check on the website or Bristol Property Awards social media channels for the very latest updates.
Last November, Bristol’s most prestigious property professionals collaborated for the Bristol Property Awards – a spectacular event that once again recognised the achievements of this incredible sector. From commercial properties to residential homes, rising stars to dynamic developers, all property aspects were celebrated. And this year will be the biggest yet, after a record number of entries were received.
On 28 November we’ll be crowning the deserved champions of 2025, with hotly contested categories including sustainability, aimed at any business which has delivered an eco-conscious project, pushed the boundaries of design and ethics with consideration to environmental impact, lifecycle and the local community.
The Rising Star Award also makes a popular return, being presented to an individual in a company who is making a huge industry impact, and is on the path to future success.
There are also new categories this year for
The Bristol Property Awards has been created, designed, promoted, sold and organised by MediaClash, the South West’s leading events company. It also produces client events, from parties to launches, talks, receptions to conferences.
Please contact: neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk
outstanding individuals and for the city’s longstanding pillars, the property legends.
Just like in 2024, it won’t be all about the winners, though. The daytime event will be packed full of informal networking opportunities, with plenty of time for catching up with clients and friends before the threecourse lunch and awards ceremony and, indeed, afterwards at the bar.
Congratulations and good luck to this year’s finalists, and a big thank you to everyone involved in this year’s Bristol Property Awards, from our spectacular sponsors to our esteemed judging panel who you’ll find on page .
See you all at midday on 28 November at Ashton Gate Stadium.
For more: www.bristolpropertyawards.co.uk
HEADLINE SPONSOR
LAST CALL FOR TABLES AND TICKETS
UNMISSABLE ANNUAL PROPERTY CELEBRATION
• Generate new business: ideal event, all main players
• Connect with clients: valuable time together, prestigious event
• Join us on 28 November: One place, one time – priceless opportunities
OUTSTANDING ARRAY OF FINALISTS
ARCHITECT
• AWW
• Barefoot Architects
• BDP
• Purcell Architecture
• StudioHIVE Architects
CIVIC & COMMUNITY
• Bridewell Magistrates Courts by Purcell Architecture
• Elizabeth Close by Elim Housing
• Gap House by BDP
• One Lockleaze by Goram Homes and Vistry Group
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Sponsored by South West Business Finance
• 3 Rivergate by Lambert Smith Hampton
• 32 Queen Square by Beacons Business Interiors
• Turner & Townsend’s o ce by Wylde IA
• Welcome Building® by Trammell Crow Company
CONSULTANCY
• Building Energy Experts
• Coreus Group
• Curtins
• Dundas Building Surveying
• Fulkers Bailey Russell
• GIA Surveyors
• Lich elds
• Mode Consult
• Ridge and Partners
• Stantec
• Sustainable Construction Services
• Watts Group
CONTRACTOR
Sponsored by StudioHive
• Airsat Construction
• Beacons Business Interiors
• The Build Bristol Group
• Henlie Group
• JAS Building Services
• Je Way Group
DEVELOPER
Sponsored by Stantec
• Acorn Property Group
• Autograph Homes
• Redcli e Homes
• StudioHIVE
• Verto Homes
• Woodstock Homes
EMPLOYER
Sponsored by Bristol Life
• AMD Solicitors
• AWW
• Coreus Group
• Je Way Group
• Purcell Architecture
• Ridge and Partners
• Workman
FINANCIAL
Sponsored by YTL
• Cotterell and Cotterell
Commercial Finance
• Land Rich
• Mortgage Style
• WR Ethical
INTERIOR DESIGNER
Sponsored by Floresco
• Beacons Business Interiors
• Design Seven
• Emily Rickard Design
• Goodchild Interiors
• Hannah Redden Interiors
• Ivywell Interiors
• Marta Rossato Interiors
• Nola Interiors
• SJP Interior Design
• Stylemongers Of Bristol
• Wylde Interior Architecture
KITCHENS
• Gardiner Haskins
• The Kitchen Den
• Somerset Kitchens and Bathrooms
• Vicky Elmore Kitchens
LEGAL
• AMD Solicitors
• Barcan + Kirby
• Watkins Solicitors
ONE TO WATCH
Sponsored by EntreConf
• Acen Properties
• By Design Bristol
• Design Seven
• Henlie Group
• LandRich Select Partnerships
• Cote House by Lucent Investment Group
OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL
Sponsored by Workman
• Daniel Finn, Henlie Group
• Gary Fisher, Mode Consult
• Hannah Walkiewicz, The Build Bristol Group
• Jamie Cope, Cotterell and Cotterell Commercial Finance
• Natasha McGrath, AWW
• Vicky Karavatsi, Curtins
PARTNERSHIPS
• Building Energy Experts & Partners
• Elim Housing & NHS BNSSG ICB
• Goram Homes, Vistry Group & Partners
• Lambert Smith Hampton & Partners
• LandRich Select Partnerships
• Trammell Crow Company & Partners
• Woodstock Partnerships
PROPERTY AGENT
• Balloon Letting Co
• Burston Cook
• Hootons
• Host360
• Joint Living
• Lambert Smith Hampton
PROPERTY LEGEND
• Acorn Property Group
• Alide Hire
• Gardiner Haskins
• JAS Building Services
• Urbane Eco
• Workman
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
Sponsored by Design Seven
• Brabazon by YTL Developments
• Bradley Stoke Way by Woodstock Homes
• Bucklands Place by Acorn Property Group
• Dyrham View by Redcli e Homes
• Elizabeth Close by Elim Housing
• Hare’s Leap by Autograph Homes
• Lacuna Gardens by Verto Homes
RISING STAR
• Charis Date, Orega
• Claudia Goodyear, Dalbergia Group
• Hope Hopkins, Your Eco
• Jack Callard, Lich elds Bristol
• Jake McCabe, Host360
• Maya Challoner, Cotterell and Cotterell Commercial Finance
• Tristan Beard, StudioHIVE Architects
• Vicky Karavatsi, Curtins
SUPPLIERS AND SERVICES
• Alide Hire
• Clearview Recruitment
• Flagship Consulting
• Hybr
• Staged Homes Co
• Square Works
SUSTAINABILITY
• ASH Studios
• AWW
• Building Energy Experts
• Ecosurety by Interaction
• Fulkers Bailey Russell
• Lacuna Gardens by Verto Homes
• Stantec
• Sustainable Construction Services
• Trammell Crow Company
• Urbane Eco
• Woodstock Homes
TRANSFORMATION
• Bridewell Magistrates Courts by Purcell Architecture
• Cote House by Lucent Investment Group
• Gap House by BDP
• The Hangar at Brabazon by YTL Developments
• Temperance House by StudioHIVE
• Turner & Townsend’s o ce by Wylde IA
• scent Hotel & Spa by Woodhouse and Law and GEM Solutions
CATEGORY SPONSORS
BRISTOL PROPERTY AWARDS
THE JUDGES WILL DECIDE…
ALISON BRACEY, OWNER OF BRACEY INTERIORS
Alison heads up a family-run business in the heart of Clifton Village which has been running for over 50 years, providing complete interior solutions. She offers a wide range of services including a full design service, in-house making, bespoke joinery, upholstery and colour consultations.
DAVID MACE, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT BAYLIS ESTATES
David brings over 40 years’ experience in the property industry. At Baylis Estates he has overseen the delivery of nearly 2m sq ft of retail, leisure, office warehousing and motor trade developments across the South West.
NICK SPICER, CEO AT YOUR ECO
The CEO of Your Eco, a certified B Corp™ solar energy company, is a former British Army infantry officer. Since transitioning to renewable energy, he has designed and overseen the delivery of over 30mw of clean energy capacity across the UK and internationally.
AMY RUDRUM, DIRECTOR AT ESTATE LEGAL
Amy is a highly experienced commercial property litigator with over 20 years’ experience. She is also co-founder and owner of Estate Legal, a boutique Bristolbased property litigation firm. Specialising in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, her work focuses on landlord and tenant asset management.
JULIAN COOK, COMMERCIAL PROPERTY PARTNER AT BURSTON COOK
Julian has specialised in commercial real estate as a chartered surveyor and became a director of SW Business Space at the age of just 25 before setting up his own practice in 1993. Burston Cook is now a leading practice in Bristol specialising in commercial real estate and advising a wide variety of national, regional and local clients.
NICK STOPARD, CO-FOUNDER OF BOARDWALK
Since founding Boardwalk in 2015, Nick has been on a mission to reshape the property industry and transform the way people sell their homes. As Bristol’s only B Corpcertified estate agent, Boardwalk continues to put community, creativity, and connection at the heart of everything it does.
CORALIE MCKEIVOR, DIRECTOR (REAL ESTATE) AT FREETHS
Coralie specialises in clean energy, EV charging and infrastructure projects. Alongside her legal practice, she is passionate about equity and inclusion, serving as president of Bristol Law Society and junior vice chair of Women in Property South West.
KEVIN HUNT, SENIOR DIRECTOR AT BNP PARIBAS
Kevin leads a team of property professionals covering planning and development, residential, valuation, lease advisory, building surveying, agency and investment. He’s also a senior director in BNP Paribas’ national development and planning team, focusing on residential, commercial, mixed use, sports/leisure and education projects.
NICOLA CHAN, FOUNDER OF NICOLA
Nicola founded Nicola Chan studio in 2019, following several years with leading architecture practices in London and Bristol. Her work focuses on residential projects and alongside her practice she leads an undergraduate design studio at the Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff.
CHAN STUDIO
80 YEARS OF FINANCIAL WISDOM LAMPIERS CONTINUES TO PUT PEOPLE FIRST
Change is nothing new in the world of pensions, but the headlines that followed the October 2024 Budget understandably caused a stir
The Government’s draft proposals would, if approved, mean pension funds could be included in a person’s estate for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes from April 2027.
It sounds worrying, yet the key word here is draft . These plans are still being debated, although we expect the final rules to be similar or the same as the draft. What matters most right now is perspective, planning, and staying informed. That’s where good financial advice makes all the difference.
WHY PENSIONS STILL MATTER
Even with potential changes on the horizon, pensions remain one of the most effective and tax-efficient ways to save for the future.
“ EVEN WITH POTENTIAL CHANGES ON THE HORIZON, PENSIONS REMAIN ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND TAXEFFICIENT WAYS TO SAVE FOR THE FUTURE”
Today, the average 65-year-old man can expect to live to around 85, and a woman to nearly 88, with one in four reaching their mid-90s. That means a pension may need to provide an income for 25 to 30 years or more, longer than many people spend working.
PENSIONS STILL OFFER:
• Tax relief on contributions, giving an instant boost to savings
• Tax-free investment growth while funds remain invested
• A 25% tax-free lump sum (within limits)
• Separation between business and personal assets, invaluable for business owners
• For most people, the long-term benefits of pension saving far outweigh the possible inheritance-tax implications.
WHAT MIGHT CHANGE
If the proposals pass, pensions could be counted as part of your estate when calculating IHT. However, the familiar exemptions remain, anything left to a spouse, civil partner, or charity will still be free of the tax.
The age-75 rule also stays in place: benefits from someone who dies before 75 are usually tax-free, while after 75 they’re taxable at the recipient’s income-tax rate. In other words, the system is evolving, not being rewritten.
PLANNING, NOT PANICKING
It’s easy to be unsettled by headlines, but thoughtful planning can prevent surprises later. Reviewing who you’ve nominated to receive your pension benefits, checking whether your scheme allows flexible options such as beneficiary drawdown, and keeping your estate plan up to date are simple but important steps.
Independent research shows that people who take professional financial advice accumulate, on average, £47,000 more wealth over 10 years than those who don’t. Not because they take more risk, but because they plan more effectively.*
LAMPIERS: PEOPLE FIRST, ALWAYS
At Lampiers, we’ve been guiding families, professionals, and businesses across the South West for more than 80 years. Proudly independent and Chartered since 2015, we combine heritage with modern thinking to help clients navigate change with confidence.
Whether you’re planning for retirement, passing wealth to family, or simply making sense of the latest rules, we’re here to help you turn information into clarity, and uncertainty into a plan.
Get in touch to start a conversation about your financial future.
Sources: Office for National Statistics (2024); International Longevity Centre UK, “What It’s Worth” report.
This advertorial is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. A pension is a long-term investment not normally accessible until age 55 (57 from April 2028 unless the plan has a protected pension age). The value of your investments (and any income from them) can down as well as up which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Your pension income could also be affected by the interest rates at the time you take your benefits. The tax implications of pension withdrawals will be based on your individual circumstances, tax legislation and regulation which are subject to change. You should seek advice to understand your options at retirement.
You should note that the changes from April 2027 are draft and may change before they are finalised. The suitability of any decision will be made on current legislation.
Lampiers Financial Planning is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Number 606848. Registered in England and Wales under Company Number 02094288. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate estate planning or tax advice.
CABINET RESHUFFLE
The kitchen is the hardest-working room in the home. Isn’t it time you gave yours a bit of a glow-up?
Words by Ursula Cole
“The trend for open-plan isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving”
And just like that, the temperatures plummeted, the garden ceased to be the most important social space in the home, and we all scuttled back indoors again. And where are we all congregating? In the kitchen, of course.
So, how’s yours looking these days? Perhaps a bit shabby round the edges? Not as e cient as it could be? Too many kitchen sync dramas? Feel it’s time for a cabinet reshu e? Anything else we can do to help with the aid of a dodgy pun? Or shall we just ask a bunch of experts?
1DIVIDED OPINIONS
Before we zero in on the details, here’s the big question: is the trend for open-plan kitchen and living space going anywhere?
“It isn’t disappearing; it’s evolving”, says Paul Garland at interior design studio Design Seven. The move now is towards ‘broken-plan’ or zoned layouts, where the kitchen is distinct yet still connected to adjoining living and dining areas. Islands are being designed as multi-use collaboration zones for cooking, prepping, chatting or hosting. Hidden pantries, pocket doors and seamless storage solutions add a sense of calm order, ensuring the kitchen works hard behind the scenes while maintaining its visual appeal.”
1. DIVIDED OPINIONS
MAINIMAGEOPPOSITE:
KITCHENS
2TRENDZONE
Next; what trends are in, and are any going out?
“We’re seeing a real move towards richer designs with warmth and depth, such as timber veneers, red-toned kitchens, scalloped handles, oating shelves, and pantries says Freya Gibbons from Made by Husk, who create custom-made kitchen fronts to transform existing cabinets. There’s a definite appetite for warmth and character. On the way out? The more traditional Shaker-style kitchens are starting to make room for bolder, more contemporary detailing.
3HAVING IT ALL
“With remote working now a norm, the kitchen often doubles as an o ce, homework station, and social hub , says Richard Harris of home retailer and interior designers Gardiner Haskins.
“In response, we’re designing islands with plug sockets, lighting that can shift from task to ambient, and even concealed work nooks within cabinetry. While open-plan isn’t going away, many clients are looking for partial separation, such as crittall-style glass dividers or sliding doors, to hide mess and reduce noise without cutting off light.
Loads of people are turning part of their kitchen into a little bar area or coffee station , says Rob from German kitchen design and fitters Kutchenhaus. The kitchen’s not just about cooking any more.
4THE MOODY HUES
The least expensive – possibly the only inexpensive – glow-up you can give an existing kitchen is a new coat of paint. So, what colours are we all going for?
“We’re seeing the same cosy, warm hues that are trending across interiors in general , says Ian Tomlinson of Chaunceys Timber
Flooring. Rich, darker timber tones are making a strong comeback, moving away from the pale, Scandi-inspired oors that have dominated in recent years. Dark finishes are ideal for creating a moody, luxurious feel, and bring instant sophistication to any kitchen. These deeper shades work particularly well in kitchens because they ground the space, highlight lighter walls and cabinetry and create a cosy, intimate atmosphere.
The dominance of bright whites and cool greys is finally softening , says Paul from Design Seven. Warmer neutrals are taking their place, such as taupe, mushroom-toned greige and creamy beige. Alongside these calm foundations, earthy, nature-inspired hues like clay, terracotta and muted greens are becoming the new go-to kitchen colours. It’s a shift towards spaces that feel grounded, warm and timeless rather than stark or overly minimal.
Richard Harris of Gardiner Haskins is on the same page. Soft browns, warm greys, clay, muted terracotta, olive, and natural wood grains are dominating colour schemes, often paired with textural finishes such as uted cabinetry or matte stone surfaces. These tones offer a timeless appeal, while creating a space that feels both lived-in and sophisticated.
Looking ahead to 202 , colour psychology is also playing a role , says Richard Harris. Earthy tones speak to a desire for slower living, nature-connected interiors, and a retreat from the high-gloss minimalism of years past. We’re expecting moss green, muted ochre, sand, and even soft peach to start making subtle appearances as designers and clients push for personality with softness and soul.
ABOVE: The trend for earthy hues isn’t going anywhere; paint by Little Greene LEFT: A hidden coffee nook, by Gardiner Haskins
4. THE MOODY HUES
3. HAVING IT ALL
2. TREND ZONE
Made by Husk’s unit fronts offer an instant transformation
7. THE LIVED-IN LOOK
We may not all be blessed with a kitchen steeped in history, but adding vintage items can inject instant personality: by Devol
KITCHENS
5PALE AND INTERESTING
“Then there are still the lighter kitchens, a little more minimal, with dull gentle beiges and creams, old wood and concrete, giving Ibiza vibes”, says Helen Parker of handmade kitchen designers and makers Devol. Add natural decorations such as dried foliage, ra a and vintage cane furniture. This look is simple and uncluttered; light stone ooring, or brick oors, handmade rugs and a colour palette that sticks to natural tones. No fancy lighting, something industrial or wispy and natural. Open shelves and beautifully crafted pottery and linens – this kitchen is like a summer holiday.”
6THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL
“Homeowners increasingly want their kitchens to have personality, and ooring is a fantastic way to do this , says Ian Tomlinson. Playful, patterned oors are becoming popular, from parquet with subtle twists to contrasting wood tones. Not only do they make a striking visual impact, but they also add warmth and character, instantly elevating the space.”
6. THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL
THE WATER DR
The Water DR researches, sources, installs and supplies scientifically-supported drinking water filtration systems and reverse osmosis products for homes & businesses.
“The height of luxury nowadays means appliances that not only deliver the best available practical functionality but also deliver exemplary taste and health benefits”, says Elisa Smith.
“Kitchen appliances have historically focused on cooking or brewing the perfect coffee, but how about the quality of your water? Reverse osmosis is the gold standard for water filtration. Clean, high-purity water is fast becoming a non-negotiable in health-conscious households. Water is the foundation of so much in the kitchen; it deserves the attention it’s finally getting.
“You can’t actually live without water, and you certainly would love the taste of reverse osmosis pure water – why would you not live without it?”
Just because the interiors word has lost its collective mind
browns, you don’t have to abandon your pale Scandi dreams; room
7THE LIVED-IN LOOK
“I am seeing and loving kitchens that have a bit more personality, using old prep tables, dark wood, textiles, paint effects and more muted colours”, says Helen Parker of Devol.
“Homeowners are valuing heirlooms, recycling old textiles, using vintage tiles and finding beautiful soulful cupboards that work alongside their new kitchen cupboards.
People love sourcing vintage, one-off or unusual things for their homes these days. The fun of an antique fair, holiday ea market or an online find can be addictive; it gives you a whole new world of interiors which gives you a sense of achievement and joy when you find unique pieces that fit perfectly in your home.
Black kitchens with natural terracotta oors, rich copper worktops that are dull rather than glitzy, fabric covering up shelves and appliances and in pantries, give a softer, more lived-in feel to the room. Warm rich wood, a clever mix of old and new that feels gathered over time, rather than all bought in one go. This look is taking over from a brand-new kitchen, it’s a way of mixing old and new and making your kitchen interesting, exciting and different.
5. PALE AND INTERESTING
Cornish Slate mix with chevroned floors:
by Chaunceys
over
by Little Greene
KITCHENS
9SHELF LIFE
Open shelves offer an opportunity to approach storage as more than purely decorative, integrating it into new parts of the kitchen to improve functionality or the ow of the space , says interior designer Marta Rossato. “Open shelving on a kitchen island, for example, is an aesthetic and practical choice to display and store books or wine bottles at the same time.
“Rather than wall-to-wall closed cabinetry, I like a strategic mix of open shelves (for display and daily items) and closed units (for the clutter) to help spacious and small kitchens feel lighter and more spacious. A great example are purpose-built corners and bespoke zones. By designing niches such as a coffee bar with liftdown appliance housing, or a streamlined charging and mail zone tucked under the worktop, you don’t just ‘fill every inch’, you turn an awkward angle into an intentional detail that supports how the family moves through the kitchen.”
10INSPECT A GADGET
8LET’S TALK ABOUT STORAGE
What clever solutions are everyone seeing?
“Appliance garages and pocket-door cabinets are now a musthave , says Paul of Design Seven. Perfect for hiding toasters, coffee machines and general clutter while keeping everything accessible. To make a small kitchen feel larger, visual cohesion is everything: continuous surfaces, minimal join lines and soft, light-re ecting tones make a huge difference.
“Storage is where we’re really seeing innovation”, says Rob of Kutchenhaus. “Hidden drawers, vertical pull-outs and appliance garages make such a difference, especially in smaller spaces. Handleless units help with the spacious feel, and glass-fronted cabinets or open shelving can really open things up.”
“Smart storage is key”, says Freya at Made by Husk. “Integrated appliances keep things streamlined, and bench seating with hidden storage makes a brilliant use of space. For smaller kitchens, keeping cabinetry light, cohesive and clutter-free really helps to open everything up visually.”
“The new generation of smart appliances blends in beautifully”, says Richard of Gardiner Haskins. “Features like touchless taps, integrated downdraft extractors, smart ovens, and voice-controlled lighting are in high demand, but it’s less about showing off tech and more about seamless, intuitive living.
“Smart tech is moving fast”, says Rob from Kutchenhaus.
“Flex induction, built-in extractors, ovens you can control from your phone; people love anything that makes life easier. Wine fridges, boiling water taps, pull-out pantries – that’s the luxury stuff our clients go mad for. Got to say, I wouldn’t want to live without a built-in coffee machine myself!”
And simply everybody seems to love a boiling water tap: “It replaces the kettle, saves time and keeps the worktop clutter-free – a small change that genuinely improves how the space is used every day”, says Paul of Design Seven.
Many of our experts mentioned the joy of hobs with integrated extractors; though for Marta Rossata, pull-up tower sockets come a close second in the musthave stakes.
Chauncey’s Timber Flooring www.chauncey.co.uk
Design Seven www.designseven.co.uk
Devol Kitchens www.devolkitchens.co.uk
Gardiner Haskins www.gardinerhaskins.co.uk
The Water DR www.thewaterdr.com YOU HAVE BEEN READING
Kutchenhaus www.uk.kutchenhaus.com Made by Husk www.madebyhusk.com
Marta Rossato www.martarossato.net
10. INSPECT A GADGET
8. LET’S TALK ABOUT STORAGE
9. SHELF LIFE
The importance of the right shelving; kitchen by Ben Argent
Sleek handless cabinets by Kutchenhaus
A DREAM KITCHEN COME TRUE:
RAY & SANDY’S GARDINER
HASKINS TRANSFORMATION
A casual evening chat turned into
The result is a stunning, sociable space that’s perfect for everyday living and entertaining.
“Once the genie was out of the bottle, it wouldn’t go back in,” laughs Ray. What began as an idea to knock their galley kitchen and dining room together soon expanded into plans for a small extension, creating an L-shaped openplan kitchen-dining space with garden access.
The couple envisioned a sleek, modern kitchen with handleless cabinets, a calm grey palette and low-maintenance finishes. After exploring several suppliers without finding the right fit, a friend suggested Gardiner Haskins Interiors. “We just popped in to have a look,” says Sandy, “and met designer Alec Yull, who was brilliant - he really listened and gave sensible advice.”
“ALEC WAS FANTASTIC, HE WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE, HONEST AND CREATIVE. IF WE EVER, DID IT AGAIN, WE’D GO STRAIGHT BACK TO GARDINER HASKINS”
a full-scale kitchen transformation for Ray and Sandy Hughes
Their visit to the Bristol showroom was the turning point. The couple fell in love with Stoneham Latitude kitchen furniture and marble-look quartz worktops. During the design process, Alec persuaded Sandy to reconsider her stance on having an island. “He explained it would add storage and workspace, and he was right,” she says. “It’s the best decision we made.”
The final design blends pale and dark greys with rich walnut details - from the elegant breakfast bar to open shelving and
drawer interiors. Ray’s favourite feature is the bar pantry, complete with slide-away pocket doors and a beautiful walnut finish. “It’s fantastic when we entertain — everyone comments on it,” he says.
The kitchen also features top-tier appliances, including Neff ovens, a Quooker tap for boiling, chilled and sparkling water, and a discreet downdraft extractor that rises smoothly from the worktop.
Installation took just two weeks, and the couple were impressed with the craftsmanship. “The team were great - really detail-focused,” says Sandy.
Now, their kitchen is truly the heart of the home. “It’s changed how we live,” says Sandy. “Alec was fantastic, he was knowledgeable, honest and creative. If we ever, did it again, we’d go straight back to Gardiner Haskins.”
Want to design your dream kitchen with Gardiner Haskins Interiors? Visit the showroom in Straight Street, Bristol, BS2 0FQ or visit their website www.gardinerhaskins.co.uk/kitchens
COTE HOUSE
On Clifton’s Promenade
sits a home so grand that it has its own lift
Words by Ursula Cole
It’s easy to overdo the superlatives in these features, but we try to keep a few back for the rare properties which truly merit them.
Words such as spectacular. Sumptuous. For once, we’ll even let through a ‘stunning’. Cote House is the kind of home we save them for.
Let’s start, as all appreciations of fine properties must, with the location. The house sits on the fabled Promenade, one of Bristol’s most prestigious roads, anked by substantial villas which once housed the city’s noblest families – indeed, they probably still do. The row frames the north-western edge of Clifton, overlooking the Gorge and bordered by its famous avenue of mature beech trees. It’s an easy walk to the Village; handy for the Downs, Leigh Woods and Ashton Court, and a cinch for membership at The Lido if you’re lucky enough to get on the list.
Having set the scene, let’s move on to the house itself, though such a mundane word as ‘house’ hardly begins to cover the grandeur on offer here.
At over 10,000 sq ft it’s one of the largest private family homes in the city, and if the stats are a little meaningless just picture five oors housing six bedrooms, two sitting rooms measuring a staggering 40-plus feet each, a vast L-shaped kitchen diner – ‘broken plan’, as all the cool kitchens are these days (see page 88), a lower-ground oor devoted entirely to leisure and pleasure, with a gym, cinema and a pentagonal garden room with a barrelled ceiling – and of course every kind of ancillary room you could wish for.
But let’s start at the approach; at the gated pillars which open to an expanse of paved driveway offering plentiful parking: ideal for the glamorous parties you’ll be practically obliged to host here.
Sheltering the double front door is a deep and imposing entrance porch. Inside, the hallway wraps itself around
the side of the house, veering off into a central hallway with stained-glass features, high ceilings and access to the lift. That’s correct; this house is so vast and multi-storeyed that it possesses, its own internal elevator.
Divided by wedding doors, the huge ground- oor reception room observes the front drive and garden through a trio of sash windows; a pair of marble fireplaces bookend the far sides of the room.
Across the hallway lies the kitchendining room with its stained-glass seating alcove; at the far end, French windows offer instant access to a raised paved terrace, which leads down to the garden below. Light-filled and uplifting, the kitchen is beautifully fitted out, its curved oversized central island and wrap-around breakfast bar as inviting as any boutique hotel’s.
You can, of course, take the lift – we imagine the novelty of owning one of these will take a good while to wear off – to the top and lower oors, though you might prefer to sweep up the beautiful balustrade staircase, lit by a custom built chandelier which drops down from the top oor to the hall three oors below.
The first- oor drawing room is an elegant mirror of the sitting room downstairs, with a back room that’s just as happy to serve as a home o ce or snug as it is a guest bedroom; another bedroom next door has its own
PROPERTY
en-suite. The grandest bedroom lies above: a suite which includes a dressing room and a luxurious bathroom; check out the beautiful glass shower wall on the previous page.
The house comes with an unusually large plot of land for an urban home – just over a quarter of an acre. At the back, the very private south-east facing walled garden has mature trees rising higher than the house itself.
The garden can be reached from the ground- oor sun terrace as well as steps to the side of the house, and also from the garden room on the lower-ground oor. It’s mostly given over to lawn, with plenty of space for play, dining, cooking and entertaining, while the terrace leading from the kitchen, shaded by a mature ash tree, is the perfect spot for casual outdoor dining.
An enormously elegant home, Cote House has been meticulously refurbished and comes presented in a state of uncluttered magnificence. You merely need to move in your existing furniture – if, indeed, you think it’s up to the task.
HOUSE NUMBERS
Where? Clifton
Guide price: £4.5m
Bedrooms: 6
Receptions: 3
Bath/shower rooms: 7
Outside: Large private back garden, terrace, large parking area
Call my agent: Rupert Oliver www.rupertoliver.co.uk
BRISTOL & CLIFTON’S PREMIER COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AGENTS
Keep up-to-date with our latest news, deals, testimonials and market comment at our website: www.burstoncook.co.uk
Waterside Offices, BS8
TO LET – £22 psf
2,375 sq ft (220.64 sq m)
Modern and contemporary offices, providing open plan space with stunning views overlooking the harbourside. 4 car parking spaces and fitted meeting rooms.
Old Street, Clevedon, BS21
TO LET - £13,000
1,068 sq ft (99.22 sq m)
A ground and first floor retail unit within a mid-terraced building situated on Old Street, Clevedon. Available now, may suit various uses under Class E.
Whiteladies Road, BS8
TO LET - POA. 1,500 – 9,000 sq ft (139 – 839 sq m)
Two substantial semi detached period buildings interconnecting on each floor. Currently as offices, the property readily suits other employment uses such as consulting rooms, post production facilities, day nursery, medical uses etc.
King Square, BS1 FOR SALE - £1.25M
5,910 sq ft (549 sq m)
A substantial commercial building available to purchase, with potential for residential redevelopment or other commercial uses (STP). Freehold for sale with vacant possession.
Horseshoe Lane, BS35
TO LET – £17,500 PAX
1,032 sq ft (95.87sq m)
A bright and airy ground floor commercial unit with glazed frontage at St Mary’s Shopping Centre in Thornbury. New lease.
Hyland
Mews, Clifton
FREEHOLD FOR SALE —SUITABLE FOR OCCUPATION / INVESTMENT
A rare opportunity to acquire a mixeduse freehold in one of Bristol’s most desirable districts. Comprising a well presented studio office of 1,646 sq ft and a 2 bed self-contained flat, plus forecourt parking for 5 cars. The freehold is available to purchase.
Hampton Road, BS6 TO LET – POA
5,382 sq ft (500 sq m)
Located at ground floor level the property has potential to suit a variety of different occupiers. E Class use - therefore suitable for a wide range of different uses. Could be split to offer two individual commercial units of c 2.600 sq ft.
Newlands Farm, BS16
TO LET - £44,300 PAX
2,685 sq ft (249.41 sq m)
A two storey former farmhouse converted into offices and refurbished to a high standard, located adjacent to the Bristol & Bath Science Park and the Bristol Ring Road (A4174).
Queen Charlotte Street, BS1
TO LET – POA. 667 – 2,556 sq ft (61.96 – 237.45 sq m)
A fine example of a period property that has been refurbished to the highest standard providing high quality accommodation. Available to rent as a whole, or consideration may be given to a floor by floor letting.
St Mary’s Way, BS35
TO LET – £16,000 PAX
1,186 sq ft (110.23 sq m)
An exciting opportunity for a ground and first floor unit at The St Mary’s Centre in Thornbury. Situated under the busy covered passageway. Ample customer and staff parking on site.
Julian Cook
FRESH THINKING OVER A FINE LUNCH
Unique social business occasion: live interview with Nicola Masters, co-founder of The Grand Appeal
Monday 17 November at Harbour Hotel Bristol
Sponsored
BRISTOL LIVES
SIMON BRIGHT
The
life of Afrika Eye’s founder
somehow
makes our previous Bristol
Lives seem ever so slightly . . . tame . . .
Simon grew up in whiteruled Rhodesia, returning to what had since become Zimbabwe after attending university in the UK. In the 1980s, with Ingrid Sinclair, he established Zimmedia, making anti-apartheid documentaries for international broadcast. He and Ingrid moved to Bristol just after the Millennium, where they founded the Afrika Eye festival.
After setting up your film production company Zimmedia, you and Ingrid left Zimbabwe. Why was that?
The first years of imbabwean independence were thrilling, but when the black opposition under Morgan Tsvanigarai threatened Robert Mugabe’s monopoly of power, Mugabe used the race card to demonise any opposition and blamed all whites. The restrictions on filming made
work impossible, and to top it all I was imprisoned without being charged for something I didn’t do.
You have lived and worked in a number of African countries. Which is your favourite?
Mozambique, whose seaboard stretches from coral reefs in the north to the golden sandy beaches of the south. It has a very rich history, with dhows crossing the Indian Ocean to trade with ancient Persia, India and even China since the eighth century. But above all I love the generous creativity of the different Mozambican peoples. It was a Mozambican film which inspired Ingrid and I to make Corridors of Freedom – immedia’s first international TV documentary.
Some of your work has taken you to into dangerous territory. Any particularly
“I truly appreciate Bristol’s diversity and inclusiveness.
Freedom
is sweet”
hairy experiences you can share with us?
In 1988 I travelled the Limpopo railway line, on only the second train in years to make the journey without being blown up. The side of the track was littered with the wreckage of previous train convoys. Our train was ambushed and several people were hit by bullets, but fortunately none died, the film crew and I were unharmed, and the convoy got through.
Why did you decide to settle in Bristol?
It was Ingrid’s home city, and bliss after a prison cell and the turbulence and anxiety of Zimbabwe in the early 2000s. My experiences of the violent intolerance of Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe mean I truly appreciate Bristol’s diversity and inclusiveness. Freedom is sweet.
What led you to found the Afrika Eye festival?
There was almost no African cinema being shown in the UK when we arrived, yet knowing the fabulous diversity and cultural richness of films from all over the continent, I was keen to see how African films would be received by Bristol audiences. We put on some screenings, with discussions to follow, and this became the Afrika Eye festival.
As well as introducing us to movies by filmmakers from Africa or of African heritage, the festival celebrates live music, dance etc. Do you have talents in any of these areas? We have made several films about music and dance in Southern Africa. I love it and I am told I am no mean dancer when the mood takes me.
Is there still a need for festivals like Afrika Eye?
There’s a saying “Always something new from Africa”, but the mainstream news and social media mainly tell tales of disaster. A good way to get a nuanced view of the resilience, cultures and creativity of this vast continent, and stay inspired by Africa, is to catch some of the great films championed by the Afrika Eye festival.
For its 20th birthday edition the festival is raiding its back catalogue to screen some of the standout films it’s shown in the past. Can you recommend a couple?
Flame – the story of a female freedom fighter in the liberation of Zimbabwe. It features live Hawker Hunter jets firing real rockets, for fans of action scenes, and will be followed by a chat involving the director and lead actor. I am also a fan of Alain Gomis’s Felicité, a showcase for the exuberance of Kinshasa.
If someone has attended a screening and wants to continue the African vibe at home, what should they eat and drink, and what music should they be playing?
Music: Zimbabwean Thomas Mapfumo, Miriam Makeba singing jazz, or Fatoumata Diawara from the soundtrack of Timbuktu. Food: boerewors (sausage) or nyama (steak) cooked on a braai (BBQ) or a pick from Ethiopian restaurant Zara Habesha in Easton. Drink: a very cold beer, preferably Zambezi.
Afrika Eye runs November 14 to 16 For the full festival programme see www.afrikaeye.org.uk
