Bristol: Behind The Headlines

Did Sarah Ann Henley’s billowing skirts save her life when she fell from the Suspension Bridge in 1885? Is there any truth in the infamous tale of the Bristol Zoo car park attendant who scammed his way to happy retirement? And was a lost child really found in the Mall Cribbs Causeway with a bottle of hair dye and a new change of clothes?

These are questions explored in episode 77 of the Behind the Headlines podcast, where we hear from author and journalist Eugene Byrne on the gruesome, miraculous and ridiculous Bristol urban legends heard in the pub, at bedtime story time and Mumsnet.

Climate anxiety, defined as a chronic fear of environmental doom, can take different shapes and can comprise a wide range of feelings.

In episode 76 of Behind the Headlines, we spoke to Dr Dan O’Hare, an educational psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of Bristol who recently published a paper on the climate crisis and its impact on young people, on the role of climate anxiety in our city and beyond.

A for Alpha is taking the DJ scene by storm, one gig at a time.

Abby has played in venues around Bristol, launched her own record label, and teaches DJ lessons from her studio in Stokes Croft.

Rachel Sutherland spoke to Abby in the latest episode of Bristol247’s Behind the Headlines podcast about how she's grown as a DJ, record label owner and producer, her favourite venues in Bristol and how her passion for music from a young age has driven her success in the music industry in Bristol and beyond.

Hart's Bakery has been here for ten years, with some of the most popular bakes from that time making one-off reappearances on the menu from Tuesday to Saturday.

Ahead of the bakery celebrating a decade at Temple Meads, Laura Hart spoke to Bristol24/7 Editor Martin Booth where she was joined by her husband and business partner Pete Young, and head baker George Roberts.

In episode 73, Editorial Assistant Mia Vines Booth meets with Charlee Bennett, the CEO of Your Park Bristol and Bath.

Sitting in the seemingly picturesque St Andrew's Park, Mia and Charlee discuss a recent investigation by Your Park which found that disabled people and unpaid carers face 'disproportionate barriers' to Bristol's parks. 

They explore what these barriers look like practically and what can be done to overcome these. 

In Episode 72, Reporter Betty Woolerton speaks to Tim Sigsworth, CEO of akt, a trust that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer young people who face homelessness. 

They delve into dealing with rejection from family, how mainstream services often are not equipped to deal with queer people and why this community is so overrepresented in the homeless population.

Dating back as many as 500 years, Yew Tree Farm is now Bristol's last remaining working farm.

Once under threat from development, there is hope that houses will not be built on the land, with an extra layer of protection recently granted thanks to the farmland no longer earmarked for housing in Bristol City Council's new Local Plan.

In Episode 71, Catherine says that Yew Tree Farm is "a forgotten little piece of Bristol but I think it's the most special piece of Bristol".

In Episode 70, Dulce Pedroso, a campaign committee member for Bristol Cycling Campaign, speaks to Rachel Sutherland about her vision for the future of safer cycling, walking and wheeling in Bristol.
 
Dulce questions the dominance of having cars "everywhere, all the time, wherever, whenever - with everyone else having to adjust their lives and movements around that".

Gene Joyner has done it all. He's been a European champion badminton player, an ex-chair of St Paul's Carnival, a trustee of SS Great Britain and a regular on Ujima Radio.

The new CEO of Fareshare South West also boasts a whopping 40 years' worth of experience in the food industry, working everywhere from Parsons Bakery to Better Food Co.

So what happens when you combine 40 years worth of food industry experience with a far-reaching local imprint? Bristol24/7 met with Gene at the Fareshare South West offices in St Paul's to find out. 

An activist, academic, TEDx talker and social psychologist, Lewis Wedlock is the creative director of Black Bristol and runs OTR's Project Zazi, which focuses on creating opportunities, building aspirations and empowering young Black people.

Throughout Black History Month, Lewis has been going into secondary schools, where he has been exploring issues of race and identity with students.

Bristol24/7 Deputy Editor Ellie Pipe caught up with Lewis in OTR's Old Market office to talk masculinity, mental health, identity, Black History Month and more.