"...any list which omitted George White and Roy Fedden would be a travesty."
"I nominate Professor Colin Pillinger whose Beagle 2 lander so very nearly made it to Mars. Beagle 2 was the Matthew, the ss Great Britain of our times, and all the more poignant that when the 'dog' was lost, Colin said, on that Christmas morning in 2003, in heartbreaking understatement, 'It's a little bit disappointing...' in the Bristol accent which he has always retained and became as much his trade mark as his famous sideburns. So near and yet so far."
"I should like to nominate Roger Bennett... Apart from his involvement with the Blue Notes Jazz Band and many prominent members of the Bristol Muscial World, his 25 years as presenter of the morning programme on Radio Bristol can never be equalled. He was a perfect gentlemen and his wide experience in journalism and broadcasting contributed to the pleasure of listenting to him every day."
"Dorothy Reynolds and Julian Slade – created Salad Days and thus financed the present establishment of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School."
"David Attenborough for taking the Natural History Unit around the world."
"Russ Conway... He sold over 65 million records worldwide and held the affection of Bristolians until his death in 2000."
"Thomas Clarkson – Hugely important to the anti-slavery campaign, who bravely started his research in Bristol. A great counterpoint to Edward Colston."
"John and Charles Wesley... The two brothers are remembered in the Wesley Memorial in Westminster Abbey. The relief shows them in profile (John in the foreground with Charles behind) and this is an appropriate illustration of the way in which their respective gifts complemented each other and how their preaching reached thousands around the country. It is this work, which began in Bristol and spread out around the world, that continues to influence and inspire today."
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