People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol favourites: Finn Mackay
Finn Mackay is a feminist activist and researcher, and senior sociology lecturer at UWE, whose book Radical Feminism: Feminist activism in movement is published this month. She founded the London Feminist Network and helped revive the Reclaim the Night movement.
Here are Finn’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Coffee#1
“I’ve got a sweet tooth and love mochas and hot chocolates from Coffee#1, particularly their After 8 hot chocolate. My favourite shop has to be the one in Clifton Village as I used to live in Clifton Wood and pop in there after a walk around the Downs and over our lovely bridge.”
Kingfisher Cafe
“This new addition to central Fishponds has good vegetarian and vegan choices for breakfasts and roasts, and the staff are very friendly. Kingfisher Cafe is conveniently near my place of work at UWE Frenchay campus where I teach sociology and also near to lovely weekend walks around Snuff Mills and along the river. The Kingfisher team are currently running a public vote for customers on whether to let dogs accompany their owners to the cafe, and I hope the ‘yes’ vote wins. I don’t have a dog so have to make do by petting and fussing other people’s dogs so this would be a fine opportunity for dog napping!”
Indigo Social Networking
“A really dynamic team of fabulous women is behind these social events for lesbian, bisexual and trans women in Bristol. When I first moved to the city I didn’t know anybody, so I went along to one of their speed friending evenings. It wasn’t a dating night so wasn’t really pressured or tense, it was just a chance to meet other people in the city and make new friends. I’ve made lots of friends through Indigo social evenings held at Goldbrick House on Park Street as well as at their lively Hush club nights.”
What The Frock! comedy nights
“Anyone who is a woman, or who has a mother, daughter, friend, colleague or partner who is a woman will know that women are funny. I mean funny strange as well as funny ha ha! What the Frock! is a Bristol institution bringing great comedians to the city, including really big national names as well as launching and showcasing local talent. As the comedy circuit in the UK has been and often still is quite male-dominated, it is important to create a space for women to get a foot through the door and onto the stage. I like to go along to their comedy evenings when I can and I’ve seen some great acts here.”
Shout Out Bristol LGBT Radio
“This one isn’t a place, though it is a community. I love the team at Shout Out, which is Bristol’s own lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community radio station. I’ve been a guest on a few shows and met some lovely people and debated some really interesting topics, from marriage equality to Conchita’s beard on Eurovision! It is a great show to tune into for music, chat and events in the city.”
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