Skip to content

Bristol in pics: Wintry scenes, Gromit and elves

Tech South West A group of four women in smart dresses pose for a selfie at the South West Tech Awards at Ashton Gate. They are outside on a balcony with the stadium and pitch in the background at night. They are all smiling and posing for the phone cameraTech South West
The Tech South West Awards brought cutting-edge companies from across the West to Ashton Gate this week

We got a brief taste of winter this week, with snow falling in the city on Tuesday but not giving the covering seen in other parts of the West.

The flurries did add to the atmosphere as the city centre became more festive, and Aardman gave a taster of the next Wallace and Gromit film which will be shown at Christmas.

And up in Bishopston there was a special unveiling to mark the spot where Cary Grant grew up before heading to the bright lights of Hollywood.

SnowStudios A Bristol Rovers player stands still during a training session with heavy snow falling. He has a blue jacket on with a black vest over the top of it, and also a black knitted hat with the Bristol Rovers club badge on itSnowStudios

Layers: Although Bristol avoided the snow covering that affected other parts of the country on Tuesday, there was still enough falling to make Bristol Rovers players need to wrap up warm during their training session. It didn't seem to do any harm as they won 1-0 away at Mansfield on Saturday.

Sam Hull A red panda looks down on the photographer from a tree at Bristol Zoo Project. There is snow on the branches of the tree and the panda's fur is wetSam Hull

New home: Laya, the new red panda at Bristol Zoo Project, was one of the animals who braved the cold winds and snowfall of Tuesday when Bristol had a brief taste of proper winter.

Simon Boddy A woman with ginger hair polishes a Gromit statue at the launch of the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail in Bristol. The statue is covered in individual pieces of sparkling material, and is in many colours. The woman is wearing a red and white shirt with a black dressSimon Boddy

Guess who's back? It's official, the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail will see the familiar sight of Aardman characters across Bristol in the summer of 2025. The news comes as fans look forward to the latest Aardman film, which is being released over Christmas.

Plaster Communications A large Christmas elf in a red and white outfit is pictured on the parapet of a building on the side of Park Street in Bristol. Behind the statue of the elf, the street is visible with traffic on it and cars parked either side. In the distance the Wills Memorial Building can be seen and it is a sunny day with clear blue skiesPlaster Communications

Perched: Brunelf, Bristol's very own giant Elf on the Shelf is back, appearing on Park Street on Friday. He will move around the city between now and Christmas Eve and the best selfie taken with him will win a £500 shopping gift card thanks to two of the city's Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

Getty Images Players from Bristol Bears Women and Ealing Trailfinders contest the ball during their Allianz Premier 15s match in Bristol. The weather is wet with rain falling. The Bristol players are in their home kit of thick blue and white hoops, while the Ealing players have a black kit with a purple patterGetty Images

Thumping win: Bristol Bears Women scored four tries on their way to an emphatic win over Ealing Trailfinders on Saturday up at Shaftesbury Park in Frenchay.

Tech South West A group of three people from Bristol company Neurosonics stand with an award at the Tech South West Awards held at Ashton Gate. In the centre of the trio is a man with long hair and glasses holding the award, and he is flanked by two women, one brunette and one blondeTech South West

Cutting edge: The sixth Tech South West Awards were held at Ashton Gate this week, celebrating the 18,000 tech companies in the region. Bristol companies Neuronostics (pictured), Albotherm and WASE were among the award winners.

PA Media Players from Bristol City and Burnley contest the ball at Ashton Gate. Heavy rain can be seen falling around them. Bristol City are in their traditional red shirts and white shorts while Burnley are in their away strip of light blue shorts and white shirtsPA Media

Wet and windy: Bristol City took on Burnley in a lunchtime kick-off at Ashton Gate on Saturday, as Storm Bert hit the West. A Jaidon Anthony goal was enough for the visitors to take the points in a 1-0 win.

Musicians from the Bristol Ensemble practice at the Trinity Centre. One woman is playing a violin, another is playing the clarinet and in the foreground a man in a cream jumper is playing a cello

Play on: Musicians from the Bristol Ensemble have been working with three local schools on a special performance to celebrate the group's 30th anniversary and also 15 years of its music education Preludes Music.

Jo Bushell/Barnaby Johnson Two figures made from wire mesh face each other on the cobbles of St Luke's steps in Totterdown, Bristol. One of them is standing holding the rail alongside the stairs and another is sitting down smoking a pipeJo Bushell/Barnaby Johnson

Past lives: Totterdown residents have been retracing the steps of people who may have walked up St Luke's Steps over the past 140 years. The Museum of Totterdown joined local residents to research the history of the area for a project called Ghosts on the Steps, part of a larger heritage trail.

A blue plaque created in memory of Bristol actor Cary Grant is seen between two thick red drapes, at its unveiling. The plaque reads "Historic England. Cary Grant (Archie Leach) 1904-1986 Actor and Film Star lived here as a child." The text is in white writing on the blue background of the plaque

Bristol born and bred: A blue plaque was unveiled on the childhood home of Bristol's Cary Grant, real name Archie Leach, who grew up in the city before he headed to Hollywood to become an acting legend. The plaque can now be seen on the Bishopston house where he lived with his parents.

SBL Academy West of England mayor Dan Norris stands in the centre of a group of people facing the camera. He was visiting Sir Bernard Lovell (SBL) Academy in Oldland Common when the picture was taken and the other people photographed, four of them, are either staff or pupils at the schoolSBL Academy

Question time: West of England Mayor and MP for North East Somerset & Hanham Dan Norris was quizzed by pupils when he visited Sir Bernard Lovell Academy in Oldland Common as part of UK Parliament week. Lowering the voting age to 16, accessible transport and support for pensioners were among the subjects he faced questions on.

Empica A group of volunteers from St Peter's Hospice in Bristol stand holding short Christmas trees. They are smiling at the camera and are wearing high-vis jacketsEmpica

Treemendous: Bristol's St Peter's Hospice volunteers are once again gearing up to collect people's Christmas trees once the festive season over, when the trees will be recycled to raise money. Of course most of us haven't even got the tree up yet, but if you want to donate, the collections will run from 10 to 12 January.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More Bristol galleries