Stokes Croft is a sliver of land between the suburbs Kingsdown and Bishopston and inner city St…read more Pauls. It's definitely not the prettiest of areas. In fact it's pretty grey and depressing, with a fair few boarded up shops and a constant stream of cars roaring through on their way home or into the centre of Bristol. Possibly because people want to counter the dullness of the place some amazing grafitti has popped up here, which the grandly named People's Republic of Stokes Croft have claimed responsibility for. Some of the murals are beautiful (which of course are liable to change or get wiped out by the council without any notice) and I think it's a brave attempt to bring a little colour to what is a drab part of Bristol. There isn't yet a walking tour, but I can imagine one popping up - Bristol's urban art has been attracting a lot of interest recently. It's easy enough to see the sites by one's self though - a wonder along Jamaica Street and the road Stokes Croft itself should mean you see a few interesting sites. Their website reveals them as a fairly serious bunch. They have maps, ambitions to be some sort of official community group, and a mission statement that says they want to promote Stokes Croft as a 'cultural quarter'. I hope they go from strength to strength and continue to brighten up Stokes Croft. That their chairman Chris Chalkley was arrested for painting a 'Welcome to Stokes Croft' sign shows they've got a way to go before everyone comes round to this view.

Stokes Croft: a gift and a curse to Bristol's culture. On one hand, this area of town is dodgy as…read morethey come, with antisocial behaviour and crime, this is a threatening place to be if you're alone and feeling vulnerable, especially towards the St James Roundabout. On the other hand, Stokes Croft is a gem. Full of artists and musicians, businesses like venues, cafes and arts centres are rapidly growing, what with Hamilton House, the Left Bank Centre, Metropolis and Cafe Kino all newly developing. When I miss Bristol, I miss places like Stokes Croft, but also can feel a little unsafe walking around there. It's definitely worth a visit. This is Bristol as much as Clifton is.

This is one of the highlights of Bristols social calendar, and it's free! Usually around the first…read moreweek in July, St Pauls Carnival brings all of the communities of Bristol together, with a colourful parade starring the local primary school children and other community organisations from noon onwards. Come down for the parade (usually around noon).The streets are buzzing, and the sound systems that adorn the streets (often in front gardens of houses) are loud and pumping. As soon as you enter the area you'll smell the Caribbean food delights of Jerk Chicken and Curried Goat coming from the local stalls dotted round the area, and the backstreet makeshift bars. It's always worth bringing some alcohol with you for the day, but if you do run a little low, and need to purchase, shop around a bit as you could pay as little as £2 a can (rather than the £4 some people were charging)...the choice will be...redstripe, thatchers, or rum punch...that's just kinda the way it is. The sound systems will be playing, reggae, house, drum n bass, dub, and will run until midnight, so after a chilled out day checking out the sights around the area, it's always fun to have a little dance in the street.

At the beginning of every July an explosion of colour, a riot of music and dance, and an all-night…read morerave in one of Bristol's most infamous neighbourhoods joins the city in community spirit (for one day, one night only). By day there's the colourful carnival parade with Brazil-style costumed performers dancing round St Pauls. It's all wholesome fun for all the family and a lot of local schools get involved. Portland Square is filled with jerk chicken stalls and various performances by big names such as circus school circomedia or small motley crews of hippies take place in the grassy park which forms the centre of the square. Throughout St Pauls there are concerts (hosted by local radio station Ujima FM) and various other eclectic forms of entertainment such as poetry readings and market stalls. By night things are very different. Massive soundsystems are rigged up on a few key streets and heavier sounds of drum and bass and jungle take over from where dub and reggae left off. The same carnivalesque spirit pervades, but things do get a little darker (and I'm not just talking about the level of light here). St Paul's carnival is one of the best days out Bristol has to offer. It also serves a social purpose in attracting residents from other neighbourhoods to a historically marginalised area, creating an inimitable spirit of fun and unity which transcends social and cultural boundaries.

I love the idea of a city farm - a real working farm complete with animals in the middle of the…read morecity. The one in St. Werburghs describes itself as a green oasis in the heart of the city and it's true. Surrounded by sleepy terraces you're welcomed by authentic farm smells and sounds. The only thing missing is the grouchy farmer telling you to get off his land They've got the full gamut of farm animals and there are various activities on offer. There's a big education focus and they get loads of school kids through here (its probably the first time a few them have seen where meat actually comes from). You can just have a look round though, and there's an excellent cafe when you can get a slice of cake. The products of the farm are on offer too, if you're looking for a bit of dinner. A relief after miles of concrete and graffiti, St. Werburghs farm really is an oasis

St Werburghs Farm is one of a couple of inner city farms in Bristol. It's an amazing achievement…read morethat is constantly improving and expanding within the confines of this densely populated environment. Flanked on three sides by things that deny access (sprawling allotments and private land), there is only one road leading to the place, which makes for a pretty secluded feel, despite the fact that it is smack bang in the middle of such a heavily populated area. The main attractions are, to my mind, the endlessly grumpy pigs who tend to complain and moan to each other, but are seemingly indifferent to humans. Then there's the much more sociable goats who occupy the main enclosure and can be viewed from the street. My favourite is an unfeasibly large billy called Elvis who goes to some incredible lengths to reach the hawthorn tree that is cordoned off within their grassy compound, usually involving death defying feats in an effort to scale the fencing. There's no entry fee, but donations are welcomed. With the Farm pub and café adjacent, there's everything needed for a fun packed day out for all the family.

This is St James Priory, the home of Benedictine monks in the early 12th century to 1540. This…read morechurch was used as a place of worship for 900 years and Robert Earl of Gloucester (illegitimate grandson of William the Conqueror) found the Priory of St James in 1129. The church was then closed down till the 20th century and being the oldest building in Bristol, it was all alone until a woman called Susan restored it in order to help get homeless addicts off the street. I got the privilege of meeting Susan today and I could see how passionate she is and was about the project. She's a lovely person to be around and told me the history of the church and of her journey and project. Susan decided to raise £4m for the building and £1m to build the rehab centre in the church which unfortunately has shut down. Susan had 80 volunteers including 3 paid day workers and 1 paid night worker. She helped 1400 people who now work as officers within the community and office workers get off the street. Susan had to cut down on her good work because the government came in and set rules that only professionals or certified workers could be part of the project which meant that she had to let her people go and continue looking after it on her own. Although she can't help as many people now as she did, she touched over 1000 lives with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund which she won for her passion in helping people get their lives back. I just wanted to express how inspired I was about her story and passion to help others. This is not only a church, it's a survival ground and it's a ground in which people who had no faith in their lives, had faith and belief restored again. Now, that's religion.

St James's Priory claims to be the oldest building in Bristol. Recently restored, it has well…read morepreserved Norman arcades and an early rose window. It is now part of a charitable project offering support to vulnerable people, especially those struggling with addiction. The church has regular services led by a priest from the nearby Roman Catholic church of St Mary on the Quay. History The Priory was founded as a Benedictine house by Robert, Earl of Gloucester (1100-1147), in 1129. Robert was the illegitimate son of Henry I and a key player in the conflict between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. He is buried in the church. The church was made parochial in 1374 and the bell tower was erected in 1375, paid for by the parishioners. The priory continued until the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII, after which the west end of the Priory Church became the parish church. Alterations included the rebuilding of the south aisle in 1698 and the north aisle in 1864. The church was declared redundant and closed in 1984. In 1993 it was reopened by the Little Brothers of Nazareth, and a project for people in need established. The church was substantially restored in 2009-11. The church The west front is in many ways the most interesting: above a rubble wall (now rendered), are a row of Norman interlaced rounded blind arches, surmounted with an unusual (and very early) example of an oculus, or rose window. This consists of a circle surrounded by eight outer circles, with inter-twined rope decoration. At te east end, the rather plain tower forms a prominent landmark from the Haymarket. The south porch (towards the west) has a short tower and is an 18th century addition. Inside, the nave has arcades of five bays of rounded arches on round columns with attached shafts and cushion capitals, dating from the 12th century, albeit much restored. The roof corbels are in the form of mediaeval heads, brightly painted. The neo-Norman west wall is 19th century as is the inner north aisle of polished pink granite columns (the outer aisle has been separated off to provide exhibition and seminar rooms). The south aisle is more interesting and contains most of the monuments, beneath a row of large 4-light windows and more colourful corbels. The church has some interesting monuments: pride of place goes to that of Sir Charles Somerset (d. 1598), found through a modern door at the west end of the north aisle. There is a late 12th or early 13th century mediaeval effigy on the south wall under a large moulded arch. Well preserved, it is not clear whether this is in fact the tomb of its founder, as claimed on a wall plaque: his tomb of polished jasper was at the east end, which makes it unlikely. Among numerous 18th and 19th century wall memorials, there is an interesting brass on the east wall, surrounded by strap-work, commemorating Henry Gibbes (d. 1636) and his family. The church is open during weekdays for private prayer and there are regular masses.

I'm a big fan of Trinity as a venue, art centre and community space. These guys do so much more…read morethan a lot of people know about. First and foremost, and what you'll probably know it for, Trinity is a music venue. They host some big names and book some really cool up-and-coming acts. I saw Disclosure there about 18 months ago with a crowd of 300. And I know that Alt-J also played there shortly after they won the Mercury prize a couple of years back. During the day, early evenings and weekends you'll find lots of regular dance and music classes for kids and young adults and over 50's. They also do bike workshops and monthly gardening sessions going on. You can also hire Trinity for your own events or gigs, which is something I've looked when hosting events before. A few of us went o Trinity of Sunday evening for their annual firework display. It was RAMMED! The queues was huge but the seemed to get everybody in pretty quickly. The fireworks were good, but nothing spectacular. Good value for the £2 donation though. Trinity is now home to Bump Roller Disco. They do kids and adult sessions and it's definitely on my list of things to do in Bristol. I've never roller skated before, so we'll see how that goes!

The Trinity is very much a part of Bristolian culture, and is typical of the values and aspirations…read moreof many of the creative types that live here. An 800 capacity venue, with a multi-purpose remit, the programme is pretty varied. I've been to vintage fairs and flea markets here, attended closing night extravaganzas / after show parties of the indie music festival, Venn Festival, and been to well patronised gigs of amazing singer-songwriters like Josh Ritter and Laura Marling. Being a converted church, there's a sizable garden, that is often used during the summer. They have a fully licensed bar at most events, offering some great local ales and organic drinks, but i find them a little pricey.

Much gratitude to the Salvation Army who performed minor miracles in their efforts to help me after…read moremy car was towed by the council last night in Bristol. If it hadn't been for the extreme generosity of spirit of the people at The Salvation Army in providing me with all sorts of assistance, (use of their office computer, the printing of my insurance certificate and ultimately taking me to Avonmouth to retrieve my car etc.) I would have faced the prospect of, as a female, sleeping rough in Bristol in sub-zero conditions as I could not have afforded a hotel or a taxi to North Somerset where I live. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been so well supported by people who had no obligation to assist me whatsoever. I have emailed them today to offer my voluntary support as a way of saying thank you for their kindness. Tracey, the Minister on duty at the Salvation Army Citadel, dropped me off at the pound, making a considerable trip in icy conditions, despite having a young child with her, who obviously would have preferred to go home for her tea. Matt, one of the lovely people who works in the offices at the Bristol Salvation Army HQ had previously supported all of my efforts to find out what had happened to my car, (I thought it had been stolen), by surfing the internet and making calls etc. He then printed documents that were essential in order to get my car released. I cannot say thank you enough!

This shop stocks good range of second-hand clothes for men and women at prices that are cheap even…read moreby the standards of most charity shops. I bought an as-new pair of high quality trousers for 2.50 recently. The selection of books, CDs and other items is generally much more limited, though this fluctuates. Remember to try clothes on in the changing room, as they are often incorrectly labelled!