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

After First Bus made cuts to services in 2024, local organisations came together to ensure a replacement was delivered. But when it comes to public transport, should the community be in the driving seat?

Aphra Evans
Aphra Evans

Reports

Illustration of a three tower blocks held by rope falling on three people's heads, on a pink background

As Bristol battles to build affordable housing, developers are still gaming the system

The Cable has uncovered a brazen attempt by prolific property developers to escape building affordable housing, at a time when the city is still falling well short of its own targets.

Matty Edwards
Matty Edwards

Reports

This image features the logo and title for Bristol Unpacked, a podcast presented by The Bristol Cable. It includes stylized illustrations of host Neil Maggs and this week's guest, comedian Jayde Adams in yellow circles against a grey abstract background.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked from the archive, with the city’s comedy legend Jayde Adams on loss, laughter and local voices

Delving into the Unpacked vaults, Jayde and Neil discuss the politics of comedy, the power of grief, and the dearth of Bristolian accents in the media and on TV in this episode from 2022.

George Colwey Rosa Eaton Neil Maggs
George Colwey, Rosa Eaton and Neil Maggs

Photography

Two older women enjoy ice cream and sausage and mash together, at the table of a cafe.

Photo essay: The oldest town in Bristol

Photographer Pitlad takes to the streets of Bedminster to document the changing faces of the neighbourhood

Priyanka Raval
Pitlad and Priyanka Raval

People's History

An 19th-century illlustration showing a group of people, imagined to be in Elizabethan England, throwing objectss at a cockerel.

Cock-throwing, dog-tossing and bare-knuckle boxing: the brutal history of Pancake Day in Bristol

Shrove Tuesday is a minor holiday at best these days. But turn the clock back, and both animals and humans in Bristol would have had a lot more than pancakes to worry about as Lent approached.

Eugene Byrne
Eugene Byrne

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

The former Whitchurch Athletics Track risks being bulldozed to make way for a planned housing development. Can local campaigners save it?

Matty Edwards
Matty Edwards

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Neil Maggs

This image features the logo and title for Bristol Unpacked, a podcast presented by The Bristol Cable. It includes stylized illustrations of host Neil Maggs and this week's guest, family courts barrister Lucy Reed in yellow circles against a grey abstract background.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with barrister Lucy Reed, on opening the secretive family courts to scrutiny

The family courts, which make orders for children to be taken into care, have long been a hidden world, but that's now changing. Neil talks to barrister and transparency campaigner Lucy about why this matters, and how the system needs to change.

Alex Turner George Colwey Neil Maggs
Alex Turner, George Colwey and Neil Maggs

Features

A man with glasses and a beard stands in front of a park playground, showcasing a casual yet thoughtful demeanour.

Project helping new dads cope with parenthood faces uncertain future

Dad Matters, set up in 2024, has been supporting men across Bristol to navigate the tricky challenges of early fatherhood – but the council is now working out if it can continue funding the service.

Matty Edwards
Matty Edwards

Opinion

Illustration of an individual sitting at a desk with head in hands, and a door with bars visible in the background.

School exclusion, child imprisonment and a state of punishment

A psychologist, who has worked with children in Bristol’s secure estate and pupil referral units, says the way England treats struggling children makes them believe they’re destined for failure.

Chris Bagley
Chris Bagley

Cable Community News

Illustration of an individual sitting at a desk with head in hands, and a door with bars visible in the background.

Editorial: Why the Cable will be shining a light on child imprisonment

The Cable's investigations lead introduces our new long-term reporting strategy that puts impact at its heart – starting with a deep-dive on child prisons and exclusion from society.

Sean Morrison
Sean Morrison

Features

‘Like riding a wave – then the water cuts out’: Bristol’s TV workers hit by redundancies as companies close down

In a perfect storm caused by streamers, social media and Hollywood strikes, talented Bristol screen workers are being left in the cold by redundancies and companies shutting up shop, making a competitive industry even tougher for new and diverse talent.

Aphra Evans
Aphra Evans

People Just Do Something

Two individuals smiling at the camera, standing close together. One is wearing a 'Bristol Cable' branded T-shirt and the other a plain green T-shirt. The text 'PEOPLE JUST DO SOMETHING' is displayed across the front. In the background is a grainy image of high-rise buildings.

Listen: People Just Do Something, with Joshua Dávila on putting the blockchain into use for the left

How do cryptocurrencies work? Why does the right love them so much? And how can blockchain technologies be used for more positive social purposes – or even authentically left-wing ones? Join Priyanka and Isaac to find out…

George Colwey Priyanka Raval
George Colwey, Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval
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