‘Collaboration between Bristol’s businesses is key’

Earlier this year, Flagship opened a new “design-led coworking space” on Colston Avenue. As the community manager at Flagship Bristol, Miranda Grattan’s role is to make the lives of members a little easier, to run events (when the world allows for it) and to help things run as smoothly as they can.

Flagship bosses say they’re “passionate about creating an eco-friendly and productive working environment which values members and acts as a hub for Bristol businesses to collaborate and develop together”.

Miranda takes a people-centric approach and says she is keen to develop a modern workplace that acts as an incubator for creativity and business success, as well as focusing on minimising the company’s environmental impact.

What’s the one thing that inspires you to get up in the morning?
It’s the people of Bristol that inspire me to get up in the morning. Bristol is such an eclectic place to live and the people of the city inspire and entertain. Our members at Flagship range in demographic and the industries they work in yet there’s harmony and enjoyment in the space. Plus, it is a beautiful place to be.

Flagship Bristol coworking space has opened on Colston Avenue – photo courtesy of Flagship Bristol

If you could pick one thing to change in Bristol, what would it be?
Bristol is a place where people care – not too long ago it was named the Green Capital, the first city in Europe to hold the title. The city has some incredible initiatives and companies focusing on sustainability and I would love to see more being done to push forward the green movement.

I would personally love to see Bristol re-wild and improve on the existing green spaces. The lockdown saw many areas come back to life as they were left to grow freely, inviting nature back and bringing communities together. For me, this is something that makes living in the city so special and I’d like us to strive to ensure that those glimmers of hope and new life stick around, in turn promoting positive change in our community and bringing people together again.

With this in mind, I’m delighted with the news that Better Business has joined forces with The Forest of Avon Trust and can’t wait to get stuck in with volunteering on behalf of Flagship.

What does a Better Bristol mean to you?
Better Bristol means an inclusive, progressive and environmentally engaged space. It is all about community, a sense of being able to rely on your neighbours, local businesses, supporting independents and thriving in a city where no one is left behind. As a coworking space, we encourage independent voices to be heard and accepted and look to develop an environment where businesses are supported.

What one action could you as an individual take?
Get to know your city and the community and support local businesses. Take a chance on companies that you don’t know much about, they may just surprise you.

And what action could your company take?
As a new(ish) business, we’re lucky that we don’t have many bad habits to break. We constantly strive to implement eco-friendly processes in the workspace, it’s somewhere we spend most of our time, yet sustainability hasn’t always been at the forefront of the way offices function and this is something Flagship is passionate about changing. We’ve partnered with a 100 per cent renewable energy provider and chemical-free, vegan cleaners. We reduce, refill and recycle and we’ll always buy from local independents where we can.

Our community is growing. As it develops, we want to ensure that every member’s voice is heard so that everyone is about to make a positive impact on our environments both inside Flagship and outside in Bristol.

Miranda says Flagship strives to implement eco-friendly processes in the workspace – photo courtesy of Refill Bristol

What do you want to see from the Bristol business community in the next five years?
Collaboration between Bristol’s businesses is key, I’d like to see us working together to learn from one another and better our city with workshopping, conferences and educational talks which help us to break down borders and work together to improve environmental and social elements in Bristol.

Main photo courtesy of Flagship Bristol

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