Area in Focus

The Cable wants to tell more stories from different parts of Bristol. That’s why, every three months we’re getting out into a new area, listening to locals and telling stories that matter

Two women standing in a park next to a fence on a sunny day, with three children riding bikes in the background.

Area in Focus

‘We’ve got a fighting chance’: How Hillfields is reviving a vital community hub

After a year of hard graft, Hillfields is on the brink of reopening its community centre — and locals can’t wait. At the heart of it all is Sarah, a grassroots leader with a big vision for what shared space can be.

Priyanka Raval and Begonya Miranda

Area in Focus

A bright yellow bus parked on the street with its door open. A building with scaffolding is in the background

When a lifeline bus route was axed in Avonmouth, the local community stepped in

Aphra Evans

Area in Focus

A man in a dark jacket stands in front of an overgrown Family Caring Centre sign, surrounded by trees and branches.

‘South Bristol loses again’: new race to save athletics track

Matty Edwards

Group of six cheerful young people posing together in front of a colorful graffiti wall with the word 'Hartcliffe' (partly obscured) on it.

Area in Focus

South Bristol’s new youth centre is technically in Knowle West. Can it deliver for kids from Hartcliffe too?

A huge Youth Zone, part of a national network, will be opening in 2026 by the Imperial Retail Park. But is it what this side of the city needs? And will young people feel welcome, no matter what postcode they live in?

Hannah Vickers

Exterior view of the Giant Goram pub with significant roof damage. A 'For Sale' sign is displayed in front of the building, with a parked car nearby.

Area in Focus

They built a huge wind turbine, but can they bring Lawrence Weston’s last pub back from the dead?

Alex Turner

youth bus opening ceremony, several young people gathered around two adults who are about to cut a read ribbon all in front of a colourful bus.

Area in Focus

Somewhere safe: how a modest cash boost could have a big impact on youth services in Kingswood

Alex Turner

Area in Focus

The car park kickabouts tackling anti-social behaviour in Hartcliffe

Football charity the Robins Foundation responded to reports of antisocial behaviour outside Hartcliffe’s Morrisons by organising football sessions in its car park. It’s led to a claimed 60% drop in complaints.

Michal Grant

General Election 2024

Listen: Area in Focus – will Rees‑Mogg lose to Norris in North East Somerset and Hanham?

Across the Bristol area, people are deciding how they will cast their ballots on 4 July. With polls finding many Conservatives in previously safe areas are vulnerable to losing their seats, is Jacob Rees-Mogg a goner?

Mary Holditch, Alex Turner and George Colwey

Podcasts

Listen: Area in Focus – the fight for the St Paul’s dentist’s

In February, hundreds of people queued up on Ashley Road for several days to register for NHS dentistry, as the local practice reopened. In this episode, we tell the story of the campaigners who fought to ensure their neighbourhood did not lose a vital health service.

Alex Turner, Mary Holditch and George Colwey

Area in Focus

A woman and a man stand smiling in the hall of a community centre

How St Paul’s residents fought to make the Malcolm X Centre a space for the community

The Malcolm X Centre on Ashley Road is one of Bristol’s most well-known and treasured community venues. What’s less well remembered is the struggle local people went through to lay the foundations for that status.

Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins

Area in Focus

Listen: Kingswood locals care about everything but a ‘meaningless’ by-election

In this episode of our Area in Focus series, we explore how the border town’s high street is struggling and, thanks to boundary changes, it’s facing a political identity crisis

Mary Holditch, George Colwey and Sean Morrison

Area in Focus

St Paul’s, through the eyes of the reverend patrolling for peace

For years, the Reverend Dawnecia Palmer – a United Nations Peacemaker – has worked on Bristol's inner-city streets. After a recent spate of stabbings rocked St Paul's, she's praying for an end to the 'pandemic of the blade'.

Priyanka Raval

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Area in Focus

‘We’ve got a fighting chance’: How Hillfields is reviving a vital community hub

When a lifeline bus route was axed in Avonmouth, the local community stepped in

‘South Bristol loses again’: new race to save athletics track

South Bristol’s new youth centre is technically in Knowle West. Can it deliver for kids from Hartcliffe too?

They built a huge wind turbine, but can they bring Lawrence Weston’s last pub back from the dead?

Somewhere safe: how a modest cash boost could have a big impact on youth services in Kingswood

The car park kickabouts tackling anti-social behaviour in Hartcliffe

Listen: Area in Focus – will Rees‑Mogg lose to Norris in North East Somerset and Hanham?

Listen: Area in Focus – the fight for the St Paul’s dentist’s

How St Paul’s residents fought to make the Malcolm X Centre a space for the community

Listen: Kingswood locals care about everything but a ‘meaningless’ by-election

St Paul’s, through the eyes of the reverend patrolling for peace

Area in Focus

‘We’ve got a fighting chance’: How Hillfields is reviving a vital community hub

When a lifeline bus route was axed in Avonmouth, the local community stepped in

‘South Bristol loses again’: new race to save athletics track

South Bristol’s new youth centre is technically in Knowle West. Can it deliver for kids from Hartcliffe too?

They built a huge wind turbine, but can they bring Lawrence Weston’s last pub back from the dead?

Somewhere safe: how a modest cash boost could have a big impact on youth services in Kingswood

The car park kickabouts tackling anti-social behaviour in Hartcliffe

Listen: Area in Focus – will Rees‑Mogg lose to Norris in North East Somerset and Hanham?

Listen: Area in Focus – the fight for the St Paul’s dentist’s

How St Paul’s residents fought to make the Malcolm X Centre a space for the community

Listen: Kingswood locals care about everything but a ‘meaningless’ by-election

St Paul’s, through the eyes of the reverend patrolling for peace

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