Illustration of a family sitting on a bed in a hotel room, with protesters outside the window.
Voices

A veteran journalist reflects on the hidden traumas he has witnessed over a quarter of a century of hosting refugees in his Bristol home

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The Bristol Cable – Merchandise Design Contest

Share with us your designs and you stand to win a cash prize of £500. Help us bring forth our latest official merchandise, made by Bristolians, for Bristolians.

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Sisterhood of sound: 10 years of Saffron

Founded in Bristol in 2015, Saffron is a non-profit organisation working towards gender equality in the music industry. A decade on, its founder and one of its alumni reflect on its successes and what still needs to be done

Rage is the fire, love is the oxygen

With a fragile ceasefire on the horizon in Gaza, Nikesh meets Anam Raheem, a writer and founder of global mutual aid network Gaza Champions

Bristol: City of Sanctuary?

Bristol became a City of Sanctuary in 2012 — a promise to welcome those fleeing persecution. But has it lived up to that pledge? Historian Colin Thomas looks back

When we’re deported, will mum be allowed to visit?

St George’s flags are going up all over the country. Nikesh reflects on what this means, and how to explain it to young kids without dampening their joy

Refugee Women of Bristol: Bridging Cultures

Susannah Eley works with Citizens Advice and has come to know the women of Refugee Women of Bristol. Here, she reflects on what the charity means to them: the community they’ve built, and their strength in the face of a hostile immigration system

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From audio investigations and Bristol Unpacked to deep-dives into local issues and recordings of live events.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with West of England mayor Helen Godwin on doing leadership differently – and sorting out the buses

WECA chief Helen, who won the mayoral election for Labour in May, talks election pledges, building relationships, and learning from Andy Burnham to put the West Country on the map.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Lee Haskins, the world champ boxer who never left Lockleaze

Neil chats to former world champion Lee Haskins about keeping rooted in community and family, life after the ring and why boxing gyms are more inclusive than you might think.

Listen: People Just Do Something – Mike Jay and the radical history of nitrous oxide

Isaac interviews Free Radicals author Mike Jay about Bristol's Pneumatic Institute, its founder Thomas Beddoes and the radical history of nitrous oxide.

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The Big Story

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Uncovering injustice and wrongdoing

A year ago, Bristol showed up to resist racist, anti-migrant hatred. But the fight’s not over

Bristolians have been reflecting on the days of defiance in August last year. Who should we thank, who is to blame? And as the far right prepares to return to our streets this weekend, how do we build on the resistance?

Filton 18: ‘The more you oppress people, the more they will rise’

The British state is treating Palestine Action activists who targeted an Elbit Systems Israeli arms facility on the outskirts of Bristol like terrorists – subjecting them to repressive sanctions in jail as they await trial.

Enduring trauma, and a struggle for justice: one year on from the Barton House high-rise evacuation

On 14 November 2023 an east Bristol tower block was evacuated over fears it could collapse, making national news. A year on, residents tell the Cable about the disruption to their lives, the ongoing impact on their wellbeing and their children's – and how a community has been left traumatised.

This Better Work

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A series with in-depth and informative coverage on the world of work in Bristol and beyond.

Tech workers need unions too

With mass layoffs and poor working conditions becoming widespread across the sector, it’s time for techies to get organised. 

‘Everyone should do something, but it needs to be useful’: Unions walk out in support of Palestine

Workplace days of action encourage workers to engage in a lunchtime walkout in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The actions have generated debate within unions, but build on a long history of international solidarity in Bristol.

Explained: What is Labour’s new Employment Rights Bill, and what does it mean for Bristolians?

In October Labour introduced the Employment Rights Bill, calling it the 'biggest upgrade to rights at work in a generation'. Why does it matter, where could it be better – and when will it make a difference to people's lives?

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What does belonging mean to you?

The Cable asked members of Bristol Refugee Artists Collective — made up of 15 members who’ve found community and expression through art — to respond to this question. Their artwork reflects the complexities, struggles and unexpected joys of migration

In love and in limbo: Queer migrants who found love in a hostile environment

For queer migrants, building a life in the UK means navigating a hostile immigration system - steep visa fees, sponsorship hurdles, and uncertain futures. Roshan De Stone meets some of the people who found love and belonging, in spite of it all.

Moyah: Sound of survival

MoYah — rapper, Afrofusion artist, activist — sits down with The Cable to trace his journey from Mozambique to Portugal to the UK, and how that path shaped his sound and sense of self

Explained: What do council funding reforms mean for Bristol?

After austerity hollowed out council budgets, the new government is changing how local authorities are funded, so is there light at the end of the tunnel for Bristol?

Watch: How Section 60 contributes to rifts between police and the communities they serve

Youth workers, community leaders and the founder of a police monitoring group explain the damaging and traumatising impact of controversial 'suspicionless' search powers in Bristol.

VIDEO: Chief constable challenged on ‘anti-racist policing’ progress and stop and search reform

It’s been a year since Avon and Somerset’s chief constable Sarah Crew admitted her service was institutionally racist, but what is she actually doing about it?