Each week Bristol Business News gives a prominent member of the city’s business community the last word on its weekly e-bulletin. This week Laura Rawlings, co-presenter of BBC Radio Bristol’s Breakfast show, answers our 10 questions.
What was the LAST: 
Film you watched? Pride. It’s one of the few films I’ve seen lots of times and have hired from the library to watch with friends. It’s a great piece of social history, fab soundtrack, the disco dancing scenes make me want to be there and seeing people overcome prejudice and come together makes me happy. It’s really uplifting. On the big screen…I saw the winning short films and animations at this year’s Encounters Film Festival in the Watershed and was really impressed by the talent and creativity.
Book you read? Jon Ronson So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. Most days there’s a story about someone who’s said something that’s provoked outrage on social media (the classic ‘Twitter storm’). This book looks at those who shame people online and those who’ve been shamed – and made me think about how we react to these stories. Ronson’s an entertaining writer, he’s picked some profound examples and I stayed up way past bedtime because I needed to find out what happened.
Music you bought/downloaded? Three things… The Essential Philip Glass CD. I heard a radio show about the American composer’s life – driving a cab and writing music back in the 70s in Manhattan. It made me want to hear more of his work. Erased Tapes Collection VI – it’s a collection of alternative/electronic music and it’s got a song by Nils Frahm that I’m currently addicted to. It’s called Hammers. He plays piano and performed that particular track for the BBC Proms. Mind blowing! I also bought Nocturne by Siouxsie and the Banshees – the album’s got some of their best songs and I’m a fan.
Concert or play you went to? Dancing to Roni Size and Reprazent outdoors at Arcadia in Queen Square. Wow! The theatrical spectacle of ‘the spider’ and the lightning lord (!) then being transported back almost 20 years to my early dancing days in Bristol – watching Roni Size. Everyone was up for it – it felt like the best way to round up summer. Big up Bristol!
Sporting event you attended? Watching Bristol’s Lee Haskins win the interim IBF bantamweight title earlier this summer. Lee was on top form in front of a lively home crowd at Whitchurch Sports Centre. The place was rammed. I went back to his dressing room afterwards for the interviews and his face was a picture of total joy.
Holiday you went on? This summer I spent a few days in Falmouth and Watergate Bay. It’s the first time I’ve been to Cornwall since going for a young farmers weekend away (ages ago!). It was stunning. I swam in the sea, ate loads of food and randomly bumped into an old school friend. We hadn’t seen each other for nearly 20 years. How does that happen?!
Restaurant you ate in? Bakers & Co on Gloucester Road. I still wake up early at the weekends – so I’m usually pretty hungry by the time anyone else is around. I had two perfectly poached eggs, mushrooms and crispy bacon. Ready for action after that.
Thing that annoyed you? Trying to pin down care for an elderly relative. In many ways we’re really lucky with the health and social care we have but some parts of the system aren’t good enough. It’s frustrating that little seems to improve and families have to keep pushing to get anywhere.
Thing that made you laugh out loud? My colleague, Steve Yabsley. Steve presents the lunchtime show on BBC Radio Bristol. He’s off beat and blooming funny. You just need to give him a whirl at midday. If you’re lucky, you’ll win an imaginary plump leech, called Archibald. It’s that kind of show…. 
Piece of good advice you were given? ‘Live every day as if it’s your last because one day you’ll be right.’ Thanks for that Will Guyatt.
Award-winning radio presenter Laura Rawlings co-hosts BBC Radio Bristol’s Breakfast show – following a stint as the corporation’s afternoon presenter for Bristol and Somerset. Throughout Laura’s decade long broadcasting radio career, her warm voice has been heard hosting news, music and speech shows on stations across the dial from the West Country to Yorkshire. Laura also hosts events and does voiceovers for a range of clients. For more info visit www.laurarawlings.co.uk, facebook.com/rawlingsontheradio or @laurarawlings on Twitter.
