The Bristol Tab needs you! Again!

Calling all substack addicts! A new year always comes with big intentions. THIS is the term you promise you’ll be more organised, more academic, and slightly less reliant on alcohol. Re-Freshers’ Week is the perfect moment for that reset: you’re back, you know how uni works now (maybe), and you can finally choose to do things because you want to, not because someone told you to.

So if you’re looking for a new hobby this year: something creative, social, and actually useful, let us introduce you to The Bristol Tab!

Who are we?

The Tab is a student publication run by students, for students. We write about what’s happening on campus and in the city, especially news that’s going to affect the student population. Our news writers cover stories in real time. News writing is fast, engaging, initially scary but genuinely a bit addictive once you get started.

We’ve covered lots of big juicy news stories this year:

• Palestine Action hunger strike: Prisoners taken to hospital as MPs raise concerns
• Police statement after hundreds of items taken during Bristol Museum archive raid

Alongside news we publish lots and lots of features, it’s probably how you’ve heard of us! Culture, lifestyle, opinion, relationships, deep dives and more. If you’ve ever had an opinion about anything and wished moe people would get it, there’s probably a featue in it! You don’t have to write like a “journalist”, we care about your ideas and want to hear YOUR voice, and that’s what our readers want to.

Here are some of my favourites:

Most Read



I’m gagging at how much the PhD student Jade’s vibey cardigan on The Traitors cost



Finally, OnlyFans father and son speak out and share the gritty logistics of their joint venture



Oh no, there’s been a tragic update in Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s relationship

• Freshers’ reflections: The no good, the bad, and the ugly
• The Bristol bubble: student experience of term breaks at the University of Bristol
• Alternative ways to get to campus without the U1

No experience? Perfect.

I want to make it so clear. You do not need to be “a writer” to join The Tab. Most of us weren’t when we started. We can help you come up with ideas, guide you through the writing process, and edit your work so it’s the best version of itself. Some people write every week, some write occasionally, and some just like being part of the team and seeing where it goes. There’s no pressure!

How do we we work?

We meet every Tuesday at  6 pm in The White Bear on Kingsdown. Most weeks that looks like having a pint, catching up, and chatting a lot of nonsense in a semi-productive way. The meetings are genuinely fun and very relaxed. As editors, we usually come in with half-formed ideas of things we’d like to cover. The best part is opening those up to the room and letting writers build on them, challenge them, or take them in completely new directions. That’s where our strongest pieces come from. We don’t just talk at our writers, we want to hear from you.

We commission both news and features, but we also love pitches from writers. If you’ve got an idea you’re excited about, we want to hear it. If you don’t, that’s fine too, meetings are where ideas start to take shape, and no one’s expected to arrive fully prepared.

The sensible bit

As fun as it is, being involved in student journalism is also incredibly valuable. Writing for The Tab gives you published work with your name on it (which never stops being cool), real experience in student journalism, and the opportunity to take on editorial roles as you progress.

It’s also a strong talking point for job applications and interviews, no matter what field you’re going into. For some of us, The Tab has been the starting point for careers in journalism and media. It’s taken me on to an MA in Journalism, with experience at Heart Radio, while Thea has worked with The Times and Sky News. That foundation started here, with The Tab.

Whether you’re set on journalism, just curious, looking for a creative outlet, or want to test the waters and see if it’s for you, it’s a great way to get your foot in the door and build skills that actually carry forward.