For those of you who are having trouble letting go of Ashton Court Festival, you will be pleased to hear that the weekend in July that would have traditionally seen the grassy plains tuther side of the Suspension Bridge chock-a-block with cider and music lovers managed to hold its own smaller party this year. Sunday 20th July 2008 saw a few hundred Bristolians emigrate for one sunny afternoon across the river in the creation of one giant picnic party in the true spirit of Ashton Court Festival.
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Bristol City Council’s CREATE Centre, located in Cumberland Basin, is designed to act as a vehicle for promoting sustainability and progressive environmental design and offer support, advice and information for such initiatives. Entry is free, and the centre hosts numerous events and exhibitions throughout the year. Recent highlights have included last months eco-design exhibition, which showcased entries to the Bristol Design Festival and sculptor Stuart Murdoch’s stunning recreation of the Suspension Bridge using Coke cans to mark the recent Recycle Week and now exhibiting until 3rd August.
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“Sustainable living is all very well, but people also have to get on with living their lives’” concluded a timely piece in my local paper about alternatives to petrol and diesel. This is an illogical, contradictory statement though since if we don’t live our lives sustainably (ie. in a green way) we will not be able to ‘get on with living’ them due to the flooding, drought or rapidly rising food and fuel prices caused. The ‘alternative’ to sustainable living is one that by definition cannot be continued BECAUSE it’s unsustainable. This is why I believe the green agenda, which some (wrongly) say becomes secondary in economic hard times, has never been more relevant. It is the route to more stable, secure and affordable lives!
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Graffle is a raffle of urban/street/graffiti art where esteemed international artists are asked to donate an original piece of artwork which is then raffled off at a cost of only £10 per ticket with all the money raised going to children’s charities.

The first Graffle took place in Bristol back in January and 32 street artists donated pieces, raising a total of £20,000. The outstanding success of the event and it’s great reception from the urban art scene has meant the organisers will be hosting another Graffle this summer!
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It seems everything is coming up roses for cycle fans in this fine city of ours: 2008 has seen hit after hit of good news for those that love to pedal!

Right at the beginning of the year, the Bristol based sustainable transport charity, Sustrans, won the coveted ‘National Lottery People’s £50 Million’ award – receiving 42% of the votes – with it’s Connect2 project meaning they would receive a huge cheque of National Lottery money to invest in walking and cycling schemes across the UK; money which is being matched to the sound of £100 million and is already making a difference around the country.
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Saturday July 5th 2008 saw the streets of St Pauls yet again awash with people and smiles, colour and vibrancy and plenty of Red Stripe and jerk chicken as the annual St Pauls Carnival celebrated its 40th year in style. That’s forty years of free music, amazing atmosphere, jaw-droppingly flamboyant parades and forty years of celebrating African and Caribbean in Bristol in a swell of positive energy.
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August sees the launch of Barter Buddies, a Bristol-based networking site where members can barter goods and services with people in their locality and discuss sustainable living.

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The annual carnival celebrating African and Caribbean culture has remained a part the Bristol calendar for over forty years, giving local dwellers the well earned opportunity to relax with free music, jerk chicken and good vibrations and this year’s event was no exception, ensuring many more to come.

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Since the Pro Cathedral project finished last December, Artspace Lifespace have been busy negotiating and putting plans together for their biggest undertaking to date. Working closely with developers Urban Splash, the group have now secured the old city centre fire/police station formerly known as Bridewell and renamed it ‘The Island’. As ever Artspace Lifespace hopes to demonstrate how important it is that buildings in our community are used in a positive, if not necessarily traditional way; demonstrating the value of transforming derelict buildings in to vibrant spaces.
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The Slow Food movement was founded in Italy in 1986 in response to the opening of a McDonalds restaurant at the foot of the historical Spanish Steps in Rome. It is a backlash against cheap, mass-produced fast food – hence the name - and the increasing loss of interest in cooking and taking time to enjoy meals.

Bristol is home to the world’s first regular Slow Food Market, held on the first Sunday of every month on Corn Street. It is Bristol’s biggest market and fills the streets with delicious and often unusual produce. The Slow Food manifesto demands that food is regional and seasonal and aims to protect rare and traditional foods and methods which are in danger of becoming obsolete. An example of such a food can be found right here in Bristol in the form of tempting Somerset artisan cheeses.
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