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 Albert Goodman partner Chris Walford answers our 10 questions.
What was the LAST:
Film you watched? Guardian of the Galaxies Vol 3 starring Chris Pratt, which is down to having two young lads who are 12 and 16 and huge Marvel fans. They take me along for the ride and I’m not embarrassed to admit I think I thoroughly enjoyed it, probably more than the boys themselves.
Book you read? Conn Iggulden’s historical novel Empire, which is the latest in his Golden Age series, and is centred on Pericles defending Athens from the marauding Spartans about 400 BC. This enables me to combine my amateurish interest in history with a really good, atmospheric page-turner, which brings to life an array of really fascinating characters.
Music you bought/downloaded? It’s quite a while back but it’s the simply amazing album Lungs by Florence and the Machine. I’d love to see the band live because Florence Welch is clearly an incredible performer and I’d like to think that with a bit of luck her mother Evelyn Welch, the University of Bristol’s vice-chancellor, can use her influence and persuade her daughter to come and perform here in Bristol next summer.
Concert or play you went to? The Lions Brass Band 4 Youth, also known as the Clevedon-based North Somerset County Youth Brass Band, which is aimed at young musicians like my son who plays the tuba. The last show I saw was Magical Bones – of Britain’s Got Talent fame – at the Redgrave Theatre in Clifton. It’s a marvellous venue because it’s so intimate that the audience feels part of the show. Thankfully I didn’t get dragged on stage for one of the magic tricks.
Sporting event you attended? I’m a big rugby union fan and really enjoy trips to Ashton Gate to watch the Bristol Bears in action. So it was brilliant to see Pat Lam’s side kick off their Premiership campaign in style with a thrilling victory over Leicester Tigers – although I must admit I’m especially looking forward to seeing the Bears take on Gloucester in December. That’s because Gloucester is still my team which feels a bit treacherous as I’m based here in Bristol. But my allegiance to Gloucester is down to the fact I was brought up in nearby Cheltenham before I headed down the M5 to the University of Bristol 23 years ago, met my future wife here and never looked back.
Restaurant you ate in? The Bristol branch of Cosmo, on Clifton Triangle, which is best described as the United Nations of buffet restaurants because it’s an eatery that boasts a menu of 150 dishes from all over the world. Its global cuisine means young people like our boys can get to experiment without committing to something that they might not like and can sample a vast array of food for the first time which is great. The atmosphere is really lively as well and it’s no surprise there are always queues to join the fun.
Holiday you went on? We’ve just enjoyed a lovely long weekend on Dartmoor, with lots of walking and cream teas but for the big family holiday we headed off to France and the Perpignan area. It’s a fantastic part of the world and what made the holiday extra-special is that we left all but one of the four family mobile phones back home. We even considered relying on an atlas instead of a phone sat-nav until we thought better of it. But overall, it was a great idea once I overcame the strangeness of the first few days when I was constantly checking my pockets looking for my telephone, for no reason at all.
Thing that annoyed you? Chargers – phone and computer chargers! They’re never where you left them and they’re normally needed mid-call/message.
Thing that made you laugh out loud? There’s always a lot to chuckle about when you’ve got kids in the house, but nothing has made me laugh quite as much as a recent family game of Pictionary. There were 10 of us sat round the table, pitting our wits against each other in the drawing/guessing game and to say it brightened up an otherwise damp Sunday afternoon was a huge understatement. The pictures were hilarious and the responses they prompted were side-splitting.
Piece of good advice you were given? I have Martin Thatcher, of Somerset-based Thatchers Cider fame, to thank for his wise words that he shared at a recent business function here in Bristol. Martin advised on the importance of always seeking a second opinion and never just taking a first answer. That’s sound advice which can be applied not only to business but to lots of other walks of life as well.
Chris Walford is an increasingly prominent figure in the Bristol business community thanks to his role leading the recently opened city centre office of ambitious chartered accountants Albert Goodman. The experienced audit and corporate partner opened the doors of Albert Goodman’s new King Street base in May as the Taunton-headquartered practice set its sights on looking to better the service offered to Bristol-based clients with a full-service offering from its in-house experts as well as expanding its client portfolio and attracting new talent. When Chris isn’t busy working on the business services front, the father-of-two loves to unwind by walking up and down the Mendip Hills with the family and their dog, Ted the Italian Spinone.
