Bishop Sutton, Priddy and Chewton Mendip were featured in an exhbition at Cheddar last week, as communities from across the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty celebrated the results of their collaboration with three artists.
Celebration
of Mendip villages
Bishop Sutton, Priddy
and Chewton Mendip were featured in an exhbition at Cheddar last week, as communities
from across the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty celebrated the
results of their collaboration with three artists.
Two artists, storyteller Jane Flood and digital artist Kate Green have been working with community groups in the AONB, including Bishop Sutton, Chewton Mendip and Priddy, for the last six months, and the images on this page were unveiled at the exhibiton. At Bishop Sutton Jane and Kate worked with a youth group, and at Priddy and Chewton Mendip they worked with the school Key Stage 2 children.
Through workshops the groups have produced stories based on local legends and beautiful banners featuring local landmarks. The work will be a lasting record of people's enjoyment of the natural beauty of the area. The material produced is to be included on new information panels near the relevant communities.
Nationally renowned public artist Michael Fairfax is designing the information points, one of which is to be sited by Chew Valley Lake. Information on footpaths and local flora and fauna will also be included so that visitors get a better understanding of the area. The aim is to have the information panels installed before next summer.
The project is being run by the Mendip Hills AONB Service and Take Art! Somerset's rural arts development agency with funding from the Mendip Hills AONB Partnership and the Arts Council. Jim Hardcastle, Development Officer for the AONB Service said: "This project and future phases of it will have a lasting effect on the landscape and how people perceive it." Boundary markers at entrances to the Mendip Hills AONB are also being planned and more information panels.
Hands
off our payphone
Payphones in Stanton
Wick, Nempnett Thrubwell, and Chewton Keynsham are facing the end of the line
in a new plan from BT.
Villagers at Stanton Wick (pictured) are overwhelmingly against the plan, viewing the payphone as a resource and a landmark, and well as being a piece of history. They remember the successful campaign to save the village payhone at Chelwood, five years ago. Nempnett Thrubwell Parish Council is due to consider its response to the plan on May 4, and Stanton Drew PC will consider the plan at its on May 6 meeting.
BT has assured people that it will continue to provide a comprehensive payphone service although the growth in the number of mobile phones means fewer phone boxes are needed. However, some observers expect that it will be just a matter of time before more rural payphones are earmarked for removal. Across Great Britain, of the 75,000 BT phone boxes on the streets, only 29,000 are profitable, 19,000 just break even and 27,000 lose money.
Chew
Valley twinning trip to France
A wonderful Easter weekend was spent in Vern-sur-Seiche in Brittany by 35 villagers
of all ages from across the Chew Valley.
After an overnight crossing from Portsmouth to Le Havre, the coach arrived in Vern midday on Good Friday. The afternoon was spent, in glorious sunshine, renewing old acquaintances and making new friends. The group were shown round the primary school and adjoining nursery school. The state provides free nursery places for all children from the ages of 2 to 6, when primary school starts. The nursery school is generally open from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm.
Friday evening was spent with host families, enjoying the first of many very long and typically French meals accompanied by wine or beer or cider or local liqueurs (and sometimes all four!). Saturday morning saw the children at the modern ice rink in nearby Rennes.
Many of the adults travelled on the new underground railway (eat your heart out, Bristol!) to the morning market in the city centre. A happy couple of hours were spent exploring the 400-plus stalls selling local meats, cheeses, vegetables, herbs, bread, sausages etc etc. Various titbits were sampled! On Saturday afternoon, some people joined in with the children's badminton and football at the village sports centre. The more adventurous took the French on at the Breton game of pallet (similar to boules, but played with small metal discs) - and won!
There was a meeting with representatives of the numerous local sports, music and leisure clubs and associations, all of whom are looking forward to receiving information from their counterparts across the Chew Valley.
Wrington
dads upstage Johnny Depp
We knew
it was going to be a special day the moment Simon Trafford, a normally slight
of hair 6ft 2" Brummie, strolled nonchalantly from the make-up room looking
like Farrah Fawcett Major in a fight with a pair of crimson velvet curtains.
This was the day that six ordinary dads from Wrington acted their wigs off with Johnny Depp and John Malkovich. And it had all begun rather innocently. A passing remark by Nick Lalande, husband of Jess, employee of Bristol's Oscar winning wig-making company OKT, had been the catalyst.
"How about making a bit of money for the PTA by acting in a bawdy Hollywood romp called 'The Libertine' for a day, boys?" We all nodded our acceptance of the offer. Little did we know that this was to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. And so we found ourselves, early one crisp March morning in the town square at Wells, be-wigged, clothed in the finest floor-to-ceiling robes over flouncy blouses, stockings or tights (depending on your preference) and black shoes with bright shiny buckles. Our mums would have been so proud of us - so like the daughters they never had.
The whole square was a tottering mass of men in wigs, with tide marks slowly rising up their once glistening drapes as the drizzle set in. Around 130 'Lords' in all, awaiting the call from Wells Cathedral where we were due to film. As I said to Emma later that night: "It was just like being on a proper film set," (probably because it was). Vast catering vans, dozens of baying schoolgirls demanding to know if we were famous, and a number of confused elderly tourists asking whether there was a special service on and whether we would be prepared to have our pictures taken.
By 10.00am we were on set. Everything was just how you would imagine it to be. Hoards of crew, each with a very specific job - "bloke that looks after props", "woman that snaps clapperboard", "chap that has lightmeter". The director had his hat the wrong way round, they were all far too young.
Nick, a ribbon having been tied to his hair by Peter (Jess's boss), was positioned by the director to be in shot for the first scene. The rest of us extras gathered in the centre of the set awaiting selection. Memories of being picked for football at school came flooding back. Simon Fawcett Major and Al Cruse were chosen immediately - no doubt for their innate acting talent and character-filled faces.
Dozens of extras were swiftly whittled down to a remaining few. Myself, Dave Smith and Fionn McDonald were left standing like lemons, the boys that neither team wanted, our day of fame apparently over before it began. And then, finally, the call came: "You, there, you, next to him, you, just above him". Soon John Malkovich was filming a short scene and by midday, a hush of anticipation had enveloped the whole set. "OK everyone, prepare for rehearsal."
All went quiet, and then, through the doorway a dishevelled, bent-double figure supported on crutches dragged himself in. It was Johnny Depp, in character, as the disease-riddled 17th century poet, The Earl of Rochester. Line after perfect line, expression after intimate expression. What a professional. An impromptu round of applause resounded around the set. Over and over again the same scene was filmed. Different parts of the speech, from different angles with different reactions demanded. We had to learn lines.
Complex lines demanding the height of eloquence. Lines like 'hurrah' and 'boooohh'. Nick was serene. Dave Smith brooding like a professional. Fionn was resplendent in his Little Bo Peep wig set off by a beige ribbon (the sign of a lady's favour), and Al was asked if he could be available for a second day's filming. We all concentrated. Focus on the actor, NOT the camera, we were told.
Half way through the afternoon I found myself in shot. Johnny Depp just four feet in front of me, reciting his lines. Me, directly behind him, in camera. Focus on Johnny, I thought to myself as I turned my head to follow his stumbling body. I congratulated myself for not looking at the camera. However as I turned my head I realised that my wig wasn't coming with me. I felt the left side of my face disappearing into the flowing mass of hair, my right ear eventually exposing itself with a slight 'ping'. "Cut" shouted the director. "Johnny we need to do that again."
Then one of those surreal moments that brought home the magnitude of what we were doing. It was just a slight nod, almost unnoticeable. It was Simon Fawcett Majors, our own 'Traff' directing Johnny Depp where to stand to continue shooting the same scene. By 6.00pm filming for the day was over. We went back to the town hall, de-wigged, disrobed and dishevelled. A beer and a curry followed with a lifetime's experience to be mused over. And £500 raised for PTA funds. So thank you, Jess, thank you, Liz at OKT for dressing Simon like a Charlie's Angels heroine, thank you Mr Malkovich and thank you Johnny. "The Libertine" is due out next year.
by Ian Noble
Barrow
Gurney Festival 2004
Barrow
Gurney has a varied programme lined up for this year's festival, in June.
The inspiration behind the first festival was Derek Lucas, a resident of Barrow Gurney who taught at Bristol Grammar School. Since his death several years ago, the artistic co-ordinator has been David Selwyn who is ably assisted by the rest of the committee and this year's festival which will run from June 10 to 13 has a very exciting programme on offer.
The event is a combination of lectures and music, and strives to include young musicians and artists both local and from further afield and to offer something for all ages. The festival this year starts off with a treat: a chance to learn more about the history of Barrow Court and the families who lived in it in an illustrated lecture entitled 'Barrow Court: a house and a home' by Iann Barron CBE, a resident of the Court.
This will take place on Thursday June 10 in the Great Hall of Barrow Court at 8pm and tickets are priced at £9 including wine. Barrow Gurney Village Hall will be the venue on Friday June 11 at 8pm for a performance by The Hui Trio (violin, cello and piano). This is a new and exciting young ensemble, all of whom met at the Royal Northern College of Music. Tickets are again £9 to include wine.
It is the children's turn to be entertained on Saturday June 12 when the fun will start at 12 noon in the village hall with resident of the village Anthony Churchill bringing along his delightful Pink Strawberry Puppet Co in a show called Rumble in the Jungle. Tickets are priced at £3. This will be followed at 1pm by Fun on the Green when you are invited to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the green.
From 2.15pm there will be children's races and games for all ages: everyone is welcome. That evening The Pindrop Club will be performing in the Village Hall. This popular band has a strong local following and play a wide range of instruments including slide guitar, mandolin, tin whistle, and the home made tinkelele - half ukelele, half olive oil tin! Tickets are priced at £11 and will include a light supper.
On Sunday June 13, Furse Swann, Chairman of the Thomas Hardy Society and noted reader of verse will present 'Divided Selves: Thomas Hardy and C Day Lewis'. Later on the Sunday evening you are invited to 'An evening with Andrew Shore'. All booking information can be obtained from (01275) 472950 but hurry: on past experience tickets for the festival sell very quickly!
Old
Down Acoustic Music Club
The Old Down Club goes from strength to strength and can boast one of the highest
numbers of performers and audiences in this area.
More often than not we are stretched with too many people wanting to perform. We aim to finish at 11pm but I have not yet found the assertion to disappoint artists and hence often run over. It is because of this success that we have decided to promote live music further.
From the autumn we will be kicking off with a double bill of Mike Silver and Keith Warmington. We are also looking forward to providing the dates of Rory Mcloud, Vin Garbut and other big names closer to the time. In order to get a quick mailing list of potential viewers we aim to start off with well known artists who will pretty much bring their own audiences.
Because the club has generated a healthy bank balance it can book big names, even though the venue only holds around 60 people as it can afford to subsidise them. So the future is bright thanks to all those who support the acoustic nights. We continue to welcome new musicians and audience members alike. Our aim is to provide a good evening's entertainment where people have a stage on which they can perform to a sympathetic and like minded audience.
Because I and a lot of others like to play ballads we are always looking for people that can provide the variety of upbeat music. We can boast a lot of singer songwriters - and a lot of men! So anyone out there who can add to the variety are very welcome, particularly of the female persuasion. The Old Down Acoustic Club is called a Club but it is not a membership thing. You only have to turn up and play or listen, there is no pressure on you to join anything or make any kind of commitment - it is simply an open stage night.
Cathy Judge