Long-established costume hire company Bristol Costume Services and film/TV industry healthcare specialists MRU Services have become the two latest additions to the city’s Bottle Yard Studios creative hub.
Their arrival brings the total number of companies based at the dedicated film and TV studios in Hengrove to 21, further bolstering the significance of the studios as a regional centre for creative industry businesses. 
Existing companies at the site, a former wine warehouse and bottling plant, offer a host of services spanning creative, digital, technical and audio/visual expertise to grips, transport, structural, fire and safety assistance.
Bristol Costume Services was founded in 1990 and provides period and contemporary costume and accessories for hire to the theatre, TV and film industry. With a hire stock of more than 90,000 costumes, it also operates a professional workroom which delivers pattern cutting and making as well as costume alteration and maintenance, dying, breaking down and fitting services.
Previously based in Filwood, where its premises spanned three floors, its new base in The Bottle Yard’s main warehouse building has enabled them to place their entire costume collection across approximately 30,000 sq ft on one single floor, pictured above with stock and below before the firm moved in, with a first-floor workshop and office area. 
Louise Nipper of Bristol Costume Services, pictured below with her team, said: “We’re very happy to be successfully installed on site and part of such a friendly, like-minded community. It took our team of 10 more than three weeks to move – with three 40-ft pantechnicon lorries transporting up to eight loads a day, each containing 30 rails of costumes.
“Forklifting our machinery over a fire escape in a giant wooden box to be installed in our beautiful new workroom was certainly a sight to behold. After such a monumental task, it’s safe to say we’re never moving again. We’ve definitely found our forever home at The Bottle Yard Studios.”
MRU Services supplies experienced health care professionals, primarily registered nurses, to support TV and film production companies. Its unit nurses help ensure the smooth running of productions by proactively supporting cast and crew to maintain overall health of productions teams. 
The company can also work closely with stunt co-ordinators and animal handlers, and in some cases can supply a fully equipped ambulance with appropriate staff including registered Paramedics.
MRU Services director Jim Gardiner, pictured below left, said: “Since forming in 2007 we’ve supported a large number of TV production companies filming in the Bristol area, often based at The Bottle Yard Studios. The TV industry is expanding in Bristol and we’re really pleased to have moved on site to continue to our work as part of the Studios’ tenant community.”
The Bottle Yard Studios site director Fiona Francombe said: “As we approach our on-site capacity for tenant premises, we’re delighted to add costume hire and emergency unit health care to the comprehensive array of services now available at The Bottle Yard.
“Bristol Costume Services has been delivering expert costume hire and dressmaking services to the industry for almost 30 years, so when we learnt they needed a new home we were keen to bring them on board and offer them the vast space needed to house their entire operation in one place.
“MRU Services has provided cover on site for visiting productions over the years, so it feels an equally good fit to have them here permanently to place expert health care at productions’ fingertips. We welcome both companies as they join our creative hub, now the largest community of specialist businesses supporting film & TV production based on a single site in the region.”
