Matty Edwards

3 weeks ago | thebristolcable.org | Matty Edwards

“We’re now into a semi-regular routine every few weeks of getting our masks out, putting our gloves on, buying mould remover and spraying down rooms in the flat to try to get rid of all the black mould.”This is now normal life for a resident of Queen’s Court, a historic art-deco block of flats in Clifton, where renters of around 80 flats are living in squalid conditions.

3 weeks ago | national.thelead.uk | Matty Edwards

“There are kids who have breathing problems because of the damp in these flats. I've not had working heating for 16 years. My son was born in February – it was bloody freezing. “The majority of us are still traumatised to this day. Ask how many people have slept through a whole night since we came back…” Yasmin is one of the residents of Barton House, a Bristol council-owned tower block that was evacuated in November 2023 amid fears the building could collapse.

1 month ago | thebristolcable.org | Matty Edwards

Illustration: Joe Watson-Price Steph Culpin stands up in the stuffy room in Bristol’s City Hall to say her piece. “Myself and another 54 leaseholders are living in an unsafe building, and it’s at risk of a fire spreading… It’s terrifying to know we’re living like this, but also having a freeholder that is ignoring our requests to get this fixed. “We shouldn’t let these companies continue building until they honour their responsibilities to the residents of Orchard House,” she continues.

1 month ago | thebristolcable.org | Matty Edwards

Local dad John Pearce, who is leading the campaign to renovate Whitchurch Athletics Track. Photo: Alexander Turner In 2022 a BBC series aired in which former England cricketer Freddie Flintoff went back to his hometown, Preston, to see if he could use cricket to help young lads with limited opportunities. It was cheesy TV, but the show beautifully captured the powerful social role sport can play, especially for young people in deprived areas. As someone who played cricket growing up, it moved me.

2 months ago | thebristolcable.org | Matty Edwards

The Labour government has promised to ‘fix the foundations’ of council funding after years of austerity left local authorities up and down the country at risk of financial ruin. But what do these changes mean in practice for Bristol? This week, councillors will vote on the city’s budget for 2025/26, including £43m of cuts despite the extra funding from the government.