James Lewis

I am a 21 year old student, aspiring journalist, and current student journalist. I am co Editor-in-Chief of Epigram, the University of Bristol's student newspaper, and winner of Best Publication at this year's SPA awards. When I'm not in Epigram's office you'll find me at the library trying to do my English degree (and probably getting distracted by Epigram). 

Epigram •

Free bus pass axed for students living outside Stoke Bishop

The free bus pass used to be offered to all first years living in undergraduate accommodation.Last year, the pass offered unlimited trips on the U1, 3, 4, and 72 bus routes. This has been reduced to the U1, 5, and 77, with free travel on the 3 and 4 only between Bristol city centre and Coombe Dingle.  However, those who applied for accommodation before 1 May – the date that eligibility for the bus pass changed – can still redeem a free bus pass, even if they liv...
Epigram •

Uncorking Winestock’s price tag

When you think of Winestock, images of wholesome reunions and avoiding that first-year flatmate might spring to mind. Many also feel it to be an event whose ticket price isn’t justified, reliant on social pressures to draw a crowd.‘Winestock is an all-inclusive food and wine festival [...] your food’s included in the ticket, your drinks are included, we’ve got fabulous entertainment from firebreathers to DJs and jazz bands,’ Pascha, Head of Operations at Wine...
Epigram •

A real ASSL: Humanities students unhappy with library closure

For months, the ASSL – both revered and despised – has been trapped behind orange fences as refurbishment continues. But until recently no reopening date was given. While Monday 20 October will see access to the library’s print collection restored, the ground floor won’t reopen until 17 November. This delayed reopening has left some students in the lurch and others feeling like the university doesn’t care about humanities students.  A University of Bristol spoke...
Epigram •

Ballot opens for whether staff will strike or not

Staff at the University of Bristol, and 136 other institutions in England, will be balloted by the University and Colleges Union (UCU) from today (Monday 20 October) over what they call a ‘derisory’ pay offer from the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), and a ‘worrying escalation’ of proposed job cuts. The UCU are the trade union that represent academics, lecturers, administrators, IT support staff, librarians, and other workers who enable the...
Epigram •

Review: MTB's production of Alice by Heart @ Loco Klub

It’s Alice in Wonderland – but not. Consciously not, in fact. There’s no idyllic Victorian English countryside in Alice by Heart – originally written by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson in 2012 – no no, this is London in its darkest moment, The Blitz. We meet the characters during an air-raid, seeking shelter in a Tube station. Our Alice (Marcia MacSween) is joined by the rest of the cast on stage, who all take multiple roles throughout, and there’s Alfred (Coo...
Epigram •

Arts and Social Sciences Library to reopen on 20 October

Epigram can reveal that the ASSL’s upper floors will be reopened on Monday 20 October. In an exclusive statement given to Epigram, a University of Bristol spokesperson said that the reopening on 20 October will restore ‘access to all print collections and both large study areas. The ground floor, which is nearing completion, will reopen during the week commencing 17 November.’ The ASSL has been shut since 13 June 2025 as it undergoes a £1.8 million refurbishment...
Epigram •

The SU's Housing Fair has ‘everything’ you need to know about renting

November’s dragging on, the nights are closing in, and temperatures are dropping faster than students with that cold going round. All students want to do is curl up in the ASS and check off those days until exams are over. Sadly, the reality of being a student in Bristol means that if you need a house for next year, you’re already looking. It’s a minefield. You won’t need to ask around for long before coming across students with housing nightmares. Broken boilers...
Epigram •

‘Weeks of disruption on campus’ if the University of Bristol does not reconsider redundancies

Staff at the Centre for Academic Language and Development (CALD) have voted to take industrial action in July and August over the University of Bristol’s plans to make 45 staff members redundant. The centre was established in 1989 to provide English language education to students, ‘whether or not English is their first language,’ to ensure everyone at the university have the level of English needed to complete a degree. They offer an International Foundation Pro...
Epigram •

Wills Memorial Building marks 100th anniversary

On June 9 1925, exactly 100 years ago today, Wills Memorial Building was opened by King George V and Queen Mary. The arresting, neo-Gothic building, which many Freshers can be excused for thinking is a cathedral, has been the place of graduation, stressed exam seasons, and equal measures of life-pondering doom and elation for 100 cohorts of students. The 66 metre tall tower not only houses a 9 1/2 tonne bell, which will be manually rung out for all of Bristol to...