Bristol: Behind The Headlines

Is the word ‘Brizzle’ becoming more acceptable to use? Or is it still a heinous crime against all true Bristolians? Lucy Wheeler of Beast in St Nick’s Market speaks to Martin Booth about the controversial topic in this week's podcast. We also sit down with Carla Diogo, a sustainable designer and maker, as well as the co-owner of Two Six Four on Church Road. She talks to Ellie Pipe about sustainability, repair and mend and inspiration and Reporter Betty Woolerton learns about forest schools.

In March 2020, the UK went into its first lockdown. In this episode of Behind the Headlines, Reporter Mia Vines Booth speaks to Bristol filmmakers and photographers Colin Moody and Tom Whitson about their new film, What Does Normal Look Like? exploring what happened to Bristol's creative sector in the months following. Listen along as Colin and Tom discuss the importance of the film for collective healing, following the difficulties creatives faced and the uniqueness of our city's cultural sector in adapting to the pandemic.

In this week's episode, we go behind the scenes of a new documentary film set in a south Bristol estate that is grappling with stereotypes and lack of opportunity. We also meet up with an artist who has a created a set of Bristol-themed playing cars, as well as get the reaction to the latest strike in the ongoing conflict in Israel from a Palestinian Bristol University student.

In this week’s podcast, we are hotfooting it from a radiographers’ strike outside a hospital to the unveiling of a colourful new mural in Broadmead featuring some much-loved familiar faces. We also chat to Head of Bristol24/7’s Head of Audience Meg Houghton Gilmour about our perks campaign, where members can get access to a host of discounts, competitions and freebies, and why you should support local independent journalism.

To celebrate the start of another academic year, Bristol24/7’s Student Guide is back and better than ever. From local indie businesses, alphabetical pub crawls to unmissable events, alternative study spaces, our favourite cheap eats and top societies, the magazine is brimming with content to get students pumped about the next chapter of their life. In this episode, Co-Editor Edie Attridge chats to two UWE Bristol graduates looking back on their three years as students in our wonderful and wacky city.

This episode is sponsored by Future Leap Sustainable business network Future Leap has opened the city’s first carbon neutral media studio. Future Leap Media Studios are located on Oakfield Road in Clifton, inside the Old Chapel, and are available for anyone to use - from budding podcasters to accomplished filmmakers. Beneath a co-working and event space, the brand new media studio in the basement houses a film studio, podcast recording rooms and a photography studio that can also be used for meeting or green room hire. In this episode, Bristol spaces manager Deepika Kesar and marketing and communications manager Iris Hable tell Bristol24/7 about what the facilities offer Bristol.

2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the Bristol Bus Boycott which saw the “colour bar” lifted from public transport after months of peaceful action and paved the way to the Race Relations Act of 1965 and 1968. In this episode, Reporter Mia Vines Booth speaks to Julz Davis, founder of Curiosity UnLtd, about his season of events which will commemorate the boycott. We ask: How should we remember the boycott, how should we honour the legacy of those that took part and what work still needs to be done to make Bristol a city of racial equality?

With rising costs at all stages of the supply chain, restaurants have recently been forced to increase prices at an unprecedented rate - but are they now at risk of alienating diners? In this week's podcast, we explore this question and hear from chef, restaurateur and owner of the Pony Chew Valley Josh Eggleton, Telegraph food columnist Xanthe Clay, co-owner of Bianchis Group Dominic Borel and Bristol24/7 Deputy Editor Ellie Pipe in a panel discussion that took place at the launch party of EatDrink24/7 - your independent guide to the city's food and drink scene.

The Grassroot Activators Programme (GAP) is youth and community worker Ben Carpenter's answer to the issues young people in Bristol face. With the first year of the "transformational" programme coming to a close, reporter Charlie Watts speaks to Grassroot Communities' CEO & founder Ben and GAP participants Catherine, Brandon & Theo to find out what impact it has had. The programme is also starting up again in September, with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds urged to take part to reach their full potential.

Fresh plans have been submitted for an open air swimming pool and cafe in Eastville Park. Campaigners say more swimming facilities are needed in Bristol and the pool would offer an inclusive space for the local community to enjoy. However, some have raised concerns over potential extra traffic, parking, and environmental impact. In this week’s podcast, reporter Betty Woolerton heard from two passionate groups campaigning both for and against the lido proposals.

Danica Priest is one of Bristol's most vocal, ardent and committed environmental campaigners. Originally from the USA but now with British citizenship, she lives in Headley Park. When not doing her day job as a web developer, she enjoys running marathons and ultra-marathons. It was while running around her adopted city during lockdown that Danica first became aware of how many green spaces across south Bristol in particular were under threat of development. Here, Danica speaks with Bristol24/7 Editor Martin Booth on how to be an effective campaigner, accusations of being a NIMBY and where Bristol should build much-needed homes in the midst of a housing crisis.

Campaigners in Knowle have been celebrating after plans to redevelop Broadwalk Shopping Centre were rejected. The Redcatch Development Partnership, which wanted to knock down the ‘failing’ facility and build up to 850 flats in blocks as high as 12- storeys, says it is now reviewing its next steps. In episode 86, Community Reporters Editor Charlie Watts speaks to Knowle resident Laura Chapman, of the Broadwalk Redevelopment Community Group, who is calling for the developers to work with the community on a scheme which is up to six-storeys and preserves community and retail space.

PHAT is a queer-owned security firm set up to make people feel comfortable and safe when they are on a night out. Founder Ola Poroslo spoke to Betty Woolerton about their club night Crotch, the need for positive reform in the industry and how PHAT provides a new model for event security.

The council is set to lift a ban on swimming in Bristol harbour for a five week trial starting on Saturday. Ahead of the pilot, Reporter Betty Woolerton spoke to Johnny Palmer, founder of Swim Bristol Harbour, Labour councillor Ellie King and Green councillor Patrick McAllister, on accessible blue spaces in the city, the physical and mental benefits of wild swimming and how the pilot in Hotwells will be made safe.

St Paul's Carnival is returning to the city in July for the first time in three years. The Covid-19 pandemic temporarily put the colourful celebrations on hold, but now the carnival is back and is expected to attract more than 100,000 people to the streets of St Paul's for a day of connection, community and culture. LaToyah McAllister-Jones, executive director of St Paul's Carnival, speaks to Rachel Sutherland about the wider meaning of the celebrations, how communities can get involved and what to expect from this year's historic event.

Rain Dogs, a new comedy drama starring Daisy May Cooper, airs on BBC One on Tuesday, after filming almost entirely in Bristol. The eight-part series follows the life of Costello Jones, a single mum who’s struggling to become a writer while living in poverty, trying to stay sober and being a good parent. Editor Martin Booth speaks to actors Ronke Adekoluejo and Jack Farthing and producer Ciara McIlvenny on filming in our city, working with Daisy and more.

As the work or the tallest wind turbine in Bristol begins and the regulations covering onshore wind energy are being debated nationally, alternative energies are more crucial than ever. In episode 81, we speak to Dr Hannah Bloomfield, a research scientist at the University of Bristol, who has spent the last eight years studying the impacts of climate variability and climate change on national power systems. We explore fascinating concepts such as wind droughts, how those affect energy production and how our city is making the most of its energy production capabilities.

A new app hopes to explore sites and landmarks in the city which have connections to the histories and legacies of transatlantic enslavement. Decolonising Memory is a new augmented reality app designed to take users on an alternative tour of Bristol, using narration, art, dance, music, spoken word and interactive elements. Trainee Reporter Mia talks to the app's creators, Dr Jessica Moody from the University of Bristol, Kwesi Johnson and activist Cleo Lake about how it can make Bristol's history engaging and accessible for everyone.

Emily Koch is an author and writer whose third novel, What July Knew, was published earlier this month by Harvill Secker. In this episode of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast, Emily talks to Martin Booth about her new book, the inspiration behind it and our city's flourishing literary scene.

Yoga is known to have great benefits for our physical and mental health, but what if puppies are also thrown into the mix? In this episode of Behind the Headlines, we spoke to Lucy Coxon, the woman who has brought the joys of practicing yoga with puppies to the people of Bristol. The 24-year-old talked about how she launched her business six days after coming up with the idea to bring it to our city and how she ethically sources her puppies. Lucy also spoke about her dream of incorporating an adoption system into her classes by using rescue puppies and helping them find forever homes.