‘Bristol is a city of huge disparities’

There is so much to celebrate in Bristol but we wouldn’t be doing the city justice without also recognising it is one with huge disparities.

At Bristol24/7, we want to use our platform, influence and connections to make the city a better and fairer place. We are a community interest company, which means that alongside our journalism, we run and support projects in the city in three key areas:

• Creating opportunities for young people
• Amplifying marginalised voices
• Supporting environmental projects

Each year, we publish a social impact report to let you, our readers, know what we’ve been up to in these areas. Read on for the overview and highlights of the work we’ve been doing, or read the full social impact report here.

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None of our independent journalism, nor our social impact work, would be possible without the support of our members. Please consider joining us to ensure Bristol has an independent media voice for years to come.

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Our independent journalism

Following the pandemic, we’ve been focusing on rebuilding our arts and culture coverage. We’re delighted to have hired a Culture Editor, a Music Editor and a What’s On Writer to bring you the best and latest of Bristol’s vibrant culture.

Creating opportunities in journalism is a key part of our work. In November, we took on a trainee reporter, Betty Woolerton, and she is completing her NCTJ training on the job. Betty has also taken on the role of LGBTQ+ Editor to continue our work amplifying stories from this community.

The expansion of the editorial team has allowed for more time to be spent on longer more in-depth features, including investigations into Bristol’s cladding crisis and local flooding.

Cladding protest – photo: Reece Lipman

An investigation by Bristol24/7 Editor Martin Booth uncovered an unlawful police raid on a student flat last summer. Avon & Somerset Police were initially unable to reveal which officers from which force had taken part in the unlawful raid – but Martin’s tenacity eventually paid off and Thames Valley were named as the force that the guilty officers were attached to.

The Bristol24/7 investigation has led to a change in police protocol about how so-called ‘mutual aid’ operations are carried out. For this work Martin was also nominated for the best local journalist at the British Journalism Awards.

Over the last year, the team have been working hard to bring back our selection of printed guides, including the Student Guide and Festival Guide. Our Student Guide forms an essential part of welcoming and orienting new students attending either of Bristol’s universities to the city and is given out for free in university halls and at freshers fairs.

The EatDrink24/7 guide has returned to Bristol – photo: Jon Craig

This year also saw the return of EatDrink24/7, our independent, comprehensive celebration of Bristol’s food and drink businesses. EatDrink24/7 is free of charge and distributed across hospitality venues and places of high footfall across the city.

Read the full impact report here:

Climate and Sustainability

Without question, one of the most treacherous problems facing society is climate collapse. We recognise that in the face of a climate and ecological emergency, the most impactful thing we can do with the platform we have is communicate the scale and urgency of the problem; hold individuals, businesses and local government to account; signpost information and opportunities; celebrate progress; and connect people, businesses and ideas.

In July this year, we hired a dedicated Climate and Sustainability Editor, and we believe we’re the first local media organisation to do so. Valentina Hernandez Gomez has brought so many ideas to our team about how we can communicate the climate crisis and we’re excited to continue to develop this role and this coverage. We hope that other organisations will follow our lead and put the climate at the top of the agenda.

Valentina is Bristol24/7’s first Climate and Sustainability Editor – photo: Eunice Gomez Manrique

Read the full impact report here:

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If you believe in putting the climate at the top of the local and national news agenda, please support our work by becoming a member today.

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Work experience

There is a lack of diversity in journalism, which is not only unfair on those who seek opportunities in media but also because of the influence that journalists have and thus the biases that they can perpetuate. One of the reasons for this is that traditional routes into journalism have been through either knowing people in the industry or having the time to write as a hobby – something which is not available to those who must work to support families or have other commitments. We want to change this.

As well as our paid Community Reporters initiative, we run a work experience programme almost every week of the year for anyone that is interested in journalism. We work with community organisations across the city to ensure that these opportunities are open to all. In the programme, we offer dedicated professional development time and we publish people’s work on our site and social media channels.

Sarah Dalton and Sanjana Idnani came to Bristol24/7 on work experience last year – photo: Martin Booth

We have also partnered with local inclusion charity Babbasa to help us reach more young people in Bristol with our programme. Through this partnership, we are also working with City of Bristol College and Creative Youth Network.

Community reporters

We think that how communities are reported on is incredibly important in how they perceive themselves and influences behaviour, development and investment. It’s very easy to see negative examples of coverage of Bristol’s most deprived and disengaged wards, but much less common to see those communities celebrated.

Charlie Watts reporting on Paraorchestra parade in Knowle West – photo by Martin Booth

When people start talking about the challenges these communities face and celebrate their achievements, that perception starts to change. We hire and train individuals from the most underrepresented areas in Bristol to tell stories on our platforms about their communities from within.

Now in its third year, our community reporters programme continues to go from strength to strength.

Charlie Watts, who initially joined us in 2018 on work experience and now manages the programme has gained his ILM level 2 in management this year.

We’ve recruited two new community reporters this year, Caitlin Quinn who reports on Kingswood and deaf and disabled communities in Bristol and Ella Calland, who reports on Shirehampton. Mary Milton continues to cover stories from her home turf of Sea Mills.

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None of our independent journalism, nor our social impact work, would be possible without the support of our members. Please consider joining us to ensure Bristol has an independent media voice for years to come.

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Supporting local charities and groups

Every year, we support a few chosen local charities with marketing and promotion and have given away more than £20,000 of free advertising on our platform to support good causes in the city. Over the course of the year representatives from our partner charities are also invited to speak at our networking events and we help connect them with volunteers, fundraising opportunities, and collaborators.

We are currently working with Edible Bristol, Babbasa and Square Food Foundation.

Charlotte Fife in the Square Food kitchen with Lilia Chedzey, who’s taking part in the How To Be A Chef programme – photo Ellie Pipe

We are proud to continue our partnership with Bristol Rovers Women’s FC, which has been in place since the club was reformed by Bristol Rovers Community Trust in 2019. The Gas Girls have won back-to-back promotions and now play in the fifth tier of women’s football. But above and beyond what the team do on the field, Bristol24/7 has helped to raise the profile of the community work that the players and backroom staff do across north Bristol.

Read the full impact report here:

Main photo: Rob Browne

Read next:

• St Werburgh’s city farm crowdfunding to continue community services
• Tackling the big questions climate change poses
• Sustainability read of the month: ‘Hope in Hell’ makes justice to its title
• Foodbank facing empty shelves amid unprecedented demand

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast here: