Sent this letter last night to Sally Challoner and Tim Pemberton at BBC Bristol, I look forward to posting the response:
Hi Sally and Tim,
I recently attended the "Meet the BBC" event at the Pierian Centre back in May. I was representing my professional workplace but I was particularly interested as a co-ordinator of Bristol Feminist Network.
Over time, BFN has had some rough handling from the BBC, particularly the radio arm of the network. Your colleagues seemed keen to encourage community groups to get in touch with stories, explaining what sort of things you were looking for, and the best way to make contact. It all seemed very positive, with BBC Bristol appearing to want to make a real effort to engage with local community groups.
However, I was particularly disappointed by the events of last week. My colleague, Sian Norris, was asked to go on to a radio show to discuss the uniform of the female beach volleyball players, following an article by Julie Bindel in the Guardian about the subject.
Sian gave her point of view about the representation of women in sport as an invited guest on the show, and the host even remarked that she was "very diplomatic". We had assumed this was the end of the contact on this point.
You can imagine our dismay when we were pointed towards this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-14502888
I feel the article misrepresents what took place - that Sian was asked specifically to speak to BBC Bristol radio about the uniforms, with the clear intent that she would criticise them. Sian had not approached the BBC with this story. Other speakers were given the opportunity to air their views and it took the form of a "phone in show". Secondly, Sian was not told that anything she said would be placed on the web arm of the BBC. The phrasing of the headline implies that Sian was criticising the women, when in fact she was careful to discuss the wider issues around the representation of women in sport, an issue that is important to BFN. As a result of the online article, Sian has received a couple of aggressive emails that focus on one of the quotes in the article - a quote that was out of context when not heard alongside the rest of what she said during the phone-in interview.
I would ask that the BBC reassesses their contact with BFN. The event in May seemed to be asking community groups to contact the BBC with stories, and that the organisation was keen to represent a range of local activity and events. Do you not think that we communicate with other community groups? Do you not think that when we are misrepresented in this way, and our words taken out of context and used against us, this will disincline other groups to contact you with their stories?
I hope you will take on board some of my comments and I would willingly engage in conversation with you about how we can improve this relationship.
Best regards
Anna Brown
BFN co-ordinator
Wednesday 17 August 2011
Wednesday 3 August 2011
The Chief
We got a car:
So now we can drive ourselves up to the front of the hotel:
And drive to mountains.
We decided to walk/hike/climb up the Stawamus Chief, known as The Chief. Research told us there were three peaks, the first was pretty easy, the second a bit harder and the third - nails.
Off we set, happy as happy people.
There was a waterfall:
There were also many many steps and stairs to climb. I was very impressed that the BC parks people had gone to such an effort to make the mountain accessible, it's great. But by bloody hell, it was hard work, stepping up and up and up, seemingly endlessly. Who needs a stairmaster when you can walk up a mountain?
See the stairs. They were huge!
I had to do lots of stopping and huffing and puffing.
At first, as you ascend, you're in your own little bubble but then, as the going gets tough, you enter a strange camaraderie with everyone else on the mountain. We came across Etil (evil taskmaster lady) who was with her kids and trying to inspire them up by saying "Chop chop!" a lot. She also had a stick so I decided to try to stay ahead of her. But we kept overtaking each other and said hi every time. It was nice.
Near the peak/summit, the mountain just becomes rock and they've put ladders and chains in to help you. It was a bit scary, but Rob was really helpful and we just did it. Here is an example:
So, we did that, and walked up the granite and got to the top of peak one. Hurrah!
Here's Rob:
Here's me & Rob:
I think this is me on the way on #1, not sure. Looks good though:
(am small yellow speck, bottom left).
So, we chatted with Etil a little and her family and then went down. There was a fork from #1 peak to #2 so we decided to go for #2. Whoo hoo!
This felt a bit easier going up, although still pretty tough, and the climbing/scrambling sections were definitely a lot more scary, as you will see. I was quite slow so we had to let a few people past, including a man with a dog in a bag.
We got to the top and looked down on #1 peak, in the middle ground of this picture:
Snowy the dog had made it in her bag:
Us:
And we chatted to the Canadians a bit, who were very lovely:
Then we had to go down. Bloody hell, bits of it were scary! On one occasion I just said, "I don't know how to do this!" particularly as granite is quite slidey after several thousand people have walked on it. I'm so glad it was a dry day!
Here's me negotiating a gully. This looks like a massive pose, but I was actually going down it like this. Slow progress!
But we made it back down, all the steps and steps and steps. I was a bit tired by this point, and after all the squatting, stepping, twisting and bending I broke a bit. It took me AGES to do the last couple of hundred metres. Other people were more or less just running past us, but I was properly tired and my legs and feet HURT.
I eventually got down and got back and then we went out for dinner, where I treated myself to a beautiful chocolate cheesecake. It was amazing. And we met someone in the restaurant whose mother was from Fishponds. Small world.
Today I am properly broken, I can hardly walk! We were going to do a zip wire thing across the Whistler Valley, but I couldn't manage the "trek" part of that so we just pootled round Whistler for a bit and then came back to Squamish where I bought some wood carvings. I am now surrounded by Canadian souvenirs and have NO IDEA how to pack them in my case which seems to have shrunk. Wish me luck. Home tomorrow.
So now we can drive ourselves up to the front of the hotel:
And drive to mountains.
We decided to walk/hike/climb up the Stawamus Chief, known as The Chief. Research told us there were three peaks, the first was pretty easy, the second a bit harder and the third - nails.
Off we set, happy as happy people.
There was a waterfall:
There were also many many steps and stairs to climb. I was very impressed that the BC parks people had gone to such an effort to make the mountain accessible, it's great. But by bloody hell, it was hard work, stepping up and up and up, seemingly endlessly. Who needs a stairmaster when you can walk up a mountain?
See the stairs. They were huge!
I had to do lots of stopping and huffing and puffing.
At first, as you ascend, you're in your own little bubble but then, as the going gets tough, you enter a strange camaraderie with everyone else on the mountain. We came across Etil (evil taskmaster lady) who was with her kids and trying to inspire them up by saying "Chop chop!" a lot. She also had a stick so I decided to try to stay ahead of her. But we kept overtaking each other and said hi every time. It was nice.
Near the peak/summit, the mountain just becomes rock and they've put ladders and chains in to help you. It was a bit scary, but Rob was really helpful and we just did it. Here is an example:
So, we did that, and walked up the granite and got to the top of peak one. Hurrah!
Here's Rob:
Here's me & Rob:
I think this is me on the way on #1, not sure. Looks good though:
(am small yellow speck, bottom left).
So, we chatted with Etil a little and her family and then went down. There was a fork from #1 peak to #2 so we decided to go for #2. Whoo hoo!
This felt a bit easier going up, although still pretty tough, and the climbing/scrambling sections were definitely a lot more scary, as you will see. I was quite slow so we had to let a few people past, including a man with a dog in a bag.
We got to the top and looked down on #1 peak, in the middle ground of this picture:
Snowy the dog had made it in her bag:
Us:
And we chatted to the Canadians a bit, who were very lovely:
Then we had to go down. Bloody hell, bits of it were scary! On one occasion I just said, "I don't know how to do this!" particularly as granite is quite slidey after several thousand people have walked on it. I'm so glad it was a dry day!
Here's me negotiating a gully. This looks like a massive pose, but I was actually going down it like this. Slow progress!
But we made it back down, all the steps and steps and steps. I was a bit tired by this point, and after all the squatting, stepping, twisting and bending I broke a bit. It took me AGES to do the last couple of hundred metres. Other people were more or less just running past us, but I was properly tired and my legs and feet HURT.
I eventually got down and got back and then we went out for dinner, where I treated myself to a beautiful chocolate cheesecake. It was amazing. And we met someone in the restaurant whose mother was from Fishponds. Small world.
Today I am properly broken, I can hardly walk! We were going to do a zip wire thing across the Whistler Valley, but I couldn't manage the "trek" part of that so we just pootled round Whistler for a bit and then came back to Squamish where I bought some wood carvings. I am now surrounded by Canadian souvenirs and have NO IDEA how to pack them in my case which seems to have shrunk. Wish me luck. Home tomorrow.
Monday 1 August 2011
Mountains, lakes and the ocean
Some observations about Canada:
- It is very very big. You knew that, I knew that, but still. It's big.
- It is VERY EXPENSIVE here. Like, a tub of butter/spread costs about $3.50. For reals. And the exchange rate isn't *that* good, although I am useless at working stuff like that out. Unless stuff has got seriously expensive in the week I have been away, it's really quite pricey out here.
- It is a new place. We're on the West Coast, so obviously the most recent place to be "settled" but still. You don't find yourself falling over old churches like you do at home. Or anything old, really. Quite a contrast to Rome, where we were earlier in the year (I wish I was as jet-setting as I sound!)
- Tax is not added. So, you see something that costs $2.50 and you take it to the till. But it doesn't cost that much, because they add the tax at the till. It's about 12%, so not loads, but still enough that getting the correct change out is a bit complicated if you don't have good maths brain like me. And it's just annoying - it doesn't cost $2.50, so don't say it does!
So, after the wedding on Saturday, and some mooching on Friday, we had to travel to Squamish, which is between Whistler and Vancouver going North up the coast.
We looked into renting/hiring a car but it was extremely expensive, so we naively thought we'd be OK. Ha. Ha. Ha. HAHAHAHAH.
Still, we were innocent at this stage in proceedings. So Sunday morning we battled across Vancover with our baggages and got to the Greyhound station and queued up and got on the bus. I'm sure the journey was very beautiful but I was mainly concentrating on not vomiting everywhere as the road twisted and turned, the bus shook from side to side and the air conditioning was blowing a gale against my ankles. Did I mention I get car/coachsick? It was was HORRIBLE. When we arrived I sat down on a bench and Rob went to explore a bit.
It is very beautiful here, surrounded by mountains, some of them snow-capped. But I felt a bit weird, sitting outside a drugstore with two cases and rucksacks, reading a book, as people passed by to do their shopping.
Rob came back with a map to the hotel. We walked. We could not find the hotel. I'm not sure what happened next, but we went to a cafe where I had a fruit and brie salad (YUMMY! *and* healthy!) and they called us a taxi.
The hotel was up the freeway/highway and really rather far away. This is when we realised a car would be somewhat handy. Oops. But it was so expensive!
Squamish is developing as a town, or should I say *was* as the money has run out. Outside our hotel is a big pile of rubble where two restaurants were meant to be. But they never got built. The taxi driver was very nice and optimistic, while my heart sank into my boots. The hotel is literally in the middle of nowhere. Walmart is sort of over the road, but that's not exactly a destination!
We checked in, drank some tea and went to Walmart. Which is basically Asda without any fresh food. Very strange. We got some fake Leibniz biscuits, which turned into dinner. I did some internet research which turned up a local car hire and some stuff to do, so I felt a bit better, although a bit nervous as today is a bank holiday (BC day).
So, today, up we got, had breakfast and got a taxi to the Adventure centre, which is a like an awesome tourist information office with a cafe, gift shop and people who will let you hire bikes. Hurrah! We had a moment's trouble with a cash point that wouldn't give either of us money, but we paid by card and off we went. I asked one of the workers there about crossing the freeway/highway and he was like, "Eh it's no big deal!" but as far as I was concerned, it was like crossing a motorway! There were traffic lights and it was fine. Hurrah, we were off!
Then Rob fell off his bike at a junction changing gear. But he was back on and off! Hurrah! We rode around a bit, and down to the "beach" where some dogs were playing which was cute, and we got this picture of Shannon Falls, the third largest waterfall in British Columbia, doncha know? ;)
Then we went into the town and Rob got some cash, hurrah!
We had lunch at cafe called Zephyr which was full of hippies and served things like raw lasagna. We had falafel wraps which were thankfully warm and served with nacho crisps.
Back on the bikes for a pootle around town and then we decided to go to the Spit which the taxi driver had told us about. The trail started off as asphalt, then turned into hard earth, and then turned in more or less shale, which kicked off a hell of a lot of dust when cars went past.
We stopped off at a little section of the path to look at the view:
I was worrying about the bike tyres, but they survived and we got there. There wasn't much there, really, I was expecting something structural beyond portaloos, but the view was amazing:
We stopped there for a few minutes, watching the people, but it was seriously windy so we came back. The Spit is a man-made structure out in to Howe Sound, I think especially for aquatic stuff. It must be great if you do that stuff.
Ride back was ok, and much quicker than the ride down there. Here's me on my bike:
We had a drink at a place called Howe Sound brewery, returned the bike, got some gifts and taxi-d back to the hotel. I think we are going to Wendys for dinner. Wish us luck.
And wish us luck for hiring a car tomorrow, we'll be a little bit limited without one!!
- It is very very big. You knew that, I knew that, but still. It's big.
- It is VERY EXPENSIVE here. Like, a tub of butter/spread costs about $3.50. For reals. And the exchange rate isn't *that* good, although I am useless at working stuff like that out. Unless stuff has got seriously expensive in the week I have been away, it's really quite pricey out here.
- It is a new place. We're on the West Coast, so obviously the most recent place to be "settled" but still. You don't find yourself falling over old churches like you do at home. Or anything old, really. Quite a contrast to Rome, where we were earlier in the year (I wish I was as jet-setting as I sound!)
- Tax is not added. So, you see something that costs $2.50 and you take it to the till. But it doesn't cost that much, because they add the tax at the till. It's about 12%, so not loads, but still enough that getting the correct change out is a bit complicated if you don't have good maths brain like me. And it's just annoying - it doesn't cost $2.50, so don't say it does!
So, after the wedding on Saturday, and some mooching on Friday, we had to travel to Squamish, which is between Whistler and Vancouver going North up the coast.
We looked into renting/hiring a car but it was extremely expensive, so we naively thought we'd be OK. Ha. Ha. Ha. HAHAHAHAH.
Still, we were innocent at this stage in proceedings. So Sunday morning we battled across Vancover with our baggages and got to the Greyhound station and queued up and got on the bus. I'm sure the journey was very beautiful but I was mainly concentrating on not vomiting everywhere as the road twisted and turned, the bus shook from side to side and the air conditioning was blowing a gale against my ankles. Did I mention I get car/coachsick? It was was HORRIBLE. When we arrived I sat down on a bench and Rob went to explore a bit.
It is very beautiful here, surrounded by mountains, some of them snow-capped. But I felt a bit weird, sitting outside a drugstore with two cases and rucksacks, reading a book, as people passed by to do their shopping.
Rob came back with a map to the hotel. We walked. We could not find the hotel. I'm not sure what happened next, but we went to a cafe where I had a fruit and brie salad (YUMMY! *and* healthy!) and they called us a taxi.
The hotel was up the freeway/highway and really rather far away. This is when we realised a car would be somewhat handy. Oops. But it was so expensive!
Squamish is developing as a town, or should I say *was* as the money has run out. Outside our hotel is a big pile of rubble where two restaurants were meant to be. But they never got built. The taxi driver was very nice and optimistic, while my heart sank into my boots. The hotel is literally in the middle of nowhere. Walmart is sort of over the road, but that's not exactly a destination!
We checked in, drank some tea and went to Walmart. Which is basically Asda without any fresh food. Very strange. We got some fake Leibniz biscuits, which turned into dinner. I did some internet research which turned up a local car hire and some stuff to do, so I felt a bit better, although a bit nervous as today is a bank holiday (BC day).
So, today, up we got, had breakfast and got a taxi to the Adventure centre, which is a like an awesome tourist information office with a cafe, gift shop and people who will let you hire bikes. Hurrah! We had a moment's trouble with a cash point that wouldn't give either of us money, but we paid by card and off we went. I asked one of the workers there about crossing the freeway/highway and he was like, "Eh it's no big deal!" but as far as I was concerned, it was like crossing a motorway! There were traffic lights and it was fine. Hurrah, we were off!
Then Rob fell off his bike at a junction changing gear. But he was back on and off! Hurrah! We rode around a bit, and down to the "beach" where some dogs were playing which was cute, and we got this picture of Shannon Falls, the third largest waterfall in British Columbia, doncha know? ;)
Then we went into the town and Rob got some cash, hurrah!
We had lunch at cafe called Zephyr which was full of hippies and served things like raw lasagna. We had falafel wraps which were thankfully warm and served with nacho crisps.
Back on the bikes for a pootle around town and then we decided to go to the Spit which the taxi driver had told us about. The trail started off as asphalt, then turned into hard earth, and then turned in more or less shale, which kicked off a hell of a lot of dust when cars went past.
We stopped off at a little section of the path to look at the view:
I was worrying about the bike tyres, but they survived and we got there. There wasn't much there, really, I was expecting something structural beyond portaloos, but the view was amazing:
We stopped there for a few minutes, watching the people, but it was seriously windy so we came back. The Spit is a man-made structure out in to Howe Sound, I think especially for aquatic stuff. It must be great if you do that stuff.
Ride back was ok, and much quicker than the ride down there. Here's me on my bike:
We had a drink at a place called Howe Sound brewery, returned the bike, got some gifts and taxi-d back to the hotel. I think we are going to Wendys for dinner. Wish us luck.
And wish us luck for hiring a car tomorrow, we'll be a little bit limited without one!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)