Bert’s Books Swindon. It’s taken me a while to get to this – I’ve a long list. But at last, here I am with a few lines about Bert’s books Swindon. Bert’s Books, has morphed from an online bookstore – and that still exists here – to a physical store in Swindon’s Old Town.
Bert’s Books Swindon
Where is it?
That’s kind of important eh? You’ll find Bert’s Books Swindon at:
Bert, aka Alex Call, began his working life in the book world with WH Smith. Bert’s career there lasted for sixteen years. Three of them as a shop assistant in the Swindon branch, followed by thirteen years in head office as head of book marketing and promotion. Take a look at his Twitter feed and I think we can agree that experience stood him in good stead.
But then, in 2019 came redundancy. And that is when he set-up his Bert’s Books website – see the link above. His original plan with the website was to sell books he’d reviewed on his blog. He also set up a subscription service:
‘Subscribe to one of the monthly bundles or visit the shop and pick out some of the great books already selected. If you can’t find what you’re looking for then use the contact page to send your request.’ But then the pandemic happened and the subscription service took off.
Ambitions
So! The website was going well with the subscription service simply flying. But Bert’s ultimate ambition of opening his own book store remained unachieved – in no small measure thanks to the pandemic. Until earlier this year that is when the gorgeous shop you see above, opened its doors.
The focus of the shop reflects that of the website. There you’ll find a great mix of commercial books, non-fiction – and a lovely children’s section. Bert is also on a mission to uncover hidden gems from areas of the community that are less well-represented.
Plus ….. there’s good coffee to takeaway – and cake too. So, y’know, what’s not to love?
The personal touch
The Bert’s Books website declares: ‘Welcome to Bert’s Books, your online bookshop with the personal touch.’
And it does have that for sure. Order a book from the website and it arrives with a ribbon wrapped around it. This is now a legendary touch amongst Bert’s followers.
Bert is also super responsive. See a book you want and you can’t get to the shop? No problem. Message Bert and he’ll get it onto the website quicker than you can blink. It doesn’t get much more personal touch than that!
I’m not at all sure how the St Barnabas church muralscame onto my radar. But onto it they came. Thus I felt compelled to include these astonishing paintings – and the church itself – in Swindon in 50 Buildings. While researching that book, myself and Royston Cartwright had a drive out to Gorse Hill – the location of St Barnabas to have a look. Sadly the church was closed but we got photos of it for the book.
Anyway – I’ve managed to see them now! Myself and Linda Kasmaty went to a talk about them in the church.
St Barnabas’ Church Murals
About the artist
These wonderful works are the creation of one John Perret, the priest of Stanton Fitzwarren. John Perret entered this world in 1892, Nr Lyon, France. And he departed it in 1971 at Whitchurch-on-Thames.
Born into a devout Catholic family in France, he became exposed to Anglican theology during his studies. He later moved to the UK and became an Anglican priest. A step that prompted his family back in France to cut off all contact.
At length Perret became involved in the Parish and People movement. This involved Anglican reformists advocating for Parish Communion as the main worship event in parishes – and for a collaborative, team approach to ministry. Perret made contact with the reformist movement in France and and set-up student exchanges with Anglican and Catholics able to celebrate communion together.
Perret’s family rift healed after Vatican II – a series of council meetings that initiated change and dialogue in the Catholic Church.
A student in France at the time, Perret fought in WWI and found himself taken prisoner. He told a story of a German soldier saving his life: ‘he gave me some wine, called an ambulance …not a bad welcome to Germany.’
The reason for the murals
The raison d’etre for these works is as a thank you for help given to his parish during a period of illness. But they’re also an offering to God: Ad Mairorum Del Gloriam: to the greater glory of God. An aid to worship.
As far as is known, John Perret had no training in art. It’s clear though that he had ability. God-given if you like – and he used that ability to create this stupendous offering to God. They’re certainly not your usual church art.
The image below explains all the sections of the mural. There’s too much for me to recount here – I urge you to go and see them!
The scene before you on the south side of the chancel and Sanctuary represents the movement towards the altar, the offering of St Barnabas, the apostle, carried on by the parish, whose patron he is.
The murals are designed to fit within this church. Their aim is to show how we connect with God – not only on Sundays but in our daily lives in Swindon.
The North Mural
The scene on the north side represents the mission of the church expressed by the spiritual coming of St Barnabas to Gorse Hill. It’s a movement from the altar, showing that worship, which begins with offering, cannot remain barren. It must instead issue in action and conquest.
Things to look for
Should you go and visit St Barnabas – and DO – these things are so worth seeing, look out for:
1. St Barnabas and St Paul represented as Jupiter and Mercury 2. They reach Gorse Hill and its gas works – they’re supported by the prayers of the churches they leave behind and raise a fiery cross. You can see Swindon in the background with the GWR Works and the green downs behind. 3. The men of the parish, helped by God’s grace – symbolized by a powerful angel, raising a factory from the dark world of greed towards the peace of God and offer it to him. 4. The women of the parish offering their children 5. The young men offering a railway engine 6. The parish priest presiding over the corporate offering of the family.
And so, so much more! They really are the most incredible, amazing works – and if anything falls into the category of hidden gem these wonderful works of art do. And we have them! In Swindon! We must treasure them – they have to be unique. I can’t think that another church anywhere could have something like this.
St Barnabas’ Church Murals – the young men offering the locomotive and the mothers offering their children.
St Barnabas’ church is one of Swindon’s ‘railway churches’ built to serve the employees of the GWR works and a 15 minute walk from Swindon town centre with its football ground, shops, pubs and railway station. We have a fine set of contemporary stained glass, a rood, and our sanctuary has a unique mural depicting Swindon as the ‘New Jerusalem’.
The other three railway churches are St Mark’s, in the railway village, and St Augustine’s in Rodbourne and St Luke’s at Broadgreen.
Marios restaurant Gets Reboot – Zues Guenaoua the new owner.
So, the other day, post Girls About Town on Swindon 105.5, Jo Garton and myself decided to be ladies wot lunch. After some musing about were to go we settled on Mario’s. Jo had been once or twice already – me not at all. So what with that and feeling the need to escape the sun for a while, off to Mario’s we toddled.
I remember taking my daughter there for her 16th birthday. I’m not entirely sure I’ve been since – and she’s now 42! So that makes Mario’s a Swindon institution. Indeed – the restaurant turns 50 later this year.
From the Swindon Advertiser
Zues took over from Nino Coniglio in March. Since then he’s made some heavy investment in the place, with new lighting, seating and tables. Also, he’s spruced up the bar, cleaned the floor and walls and installed new heating and air conditioning systems. The menu is new too!
‘The 53-year-old has lived in Swindonsince 1996 and been managing restaurants since 2009, starting with Da Vinci on Faringdon Road, then setting up Piazza Fontana in Cirencester for 16 months before overseeing another restaurant in Faringdon between 2014 and 2020.’
Zues said: ‘Now I’m back working in Swindon, where I belong, and looking for a new challenge. I have a lease for 25 years so I’m here for the long haul.’
‘We have two really good Italian chefs here who use great ingredients and do things properly. The existing chef has been retained and joined by a new colleague to work on a revamped menu and specials.’
He’s a super nice chap for sure and he gave me and Jo excellent service – and that’s always nice is it not? Def hope to return before too long.
PARALYMPIAN, CHRIS SKELLEY, TRIUMPHS TO TAKE GOLD IN JUDO AT BRAZIL GAMES
Swindon Paralympian Takes Judo Gold. Paralympic gold medallist, Chris Skelley, gold winner at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, took gold at the Sao Paulo IBSA Grand Prix in Brazil (July 1 & 2).
The 29-year-old Judo champion, who lives in Wiltshire, found himself pitted against fellow teammate and long-term friend, Jack Hodgson. Chris defeated him to take first place, by a narrow margin. He’s now ranked as the world number three.
‘This win was exactly what I needed for me to have full belief in myself and my ability to succeed at this level in judo,’ says Chris, who experienced a knock in confidence after the Tokyo games.
‘It sounds illogical to say winning a Paralymic gold medal can knock your confidence. But it’s not that unusual for athletes at this level to feel like that after such a big achievement. It can be difficult to know what to do next. So this win has been a massive help in getting me back to my normal confident self. I now feel I’m ready to take on the next challenge.’
Swindon Paralympian Takes Judo Gold – Chris Skelley
What’s next
Chris will now go on to compete in the World Judo Visually Impaired Championships in Azerbaijan in November. The world championships are the first qualifying event for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Chris is aiming to compete there, and he says he’s excited about the challenges ahead over the next few months.
‘It’s an important moment in my overall competitive ambitions. And, now that I’m home from Brazil, I’m keen to get back to training so that I can start to prepare for November.’
Chris has been training at the British Judo Olympic and Paralympic National Training Centre in Walsall since 2013. He practices 3-4 sessions per day, at least five days a week.
Competing against one of his closest friends in Brazil for the gold medal was an added challenge that Chris wasn’t expecting to face.
‘It was strange to be up against Jack,’ he says. “We’ve been close friends for about ten years and even used to share a house together. It’s the nature of competition at this level that you’ll often face someone for whom you have huge professional admiration. But to be competing against someone who is also a close personal friend and whose wedding you’ll be going to the following weekend is not an everyday occurrence! It was a good fight, though, and I’m happy that we both gave it our all.’
Many years now
Skelley has been participataing in judo since he was five-years-old. He says it was a huge comfort to him when he experienced sight loss as a teenager.
‘I’d worn glasses from a very young age. I’d always had to have written materials at school blown up to A3 to have any chance of seeing the content, so my vision has always been an issue. But it was very difficult to get any kind of clarity from doctors in the UK about exactly what the problem was. By the time I was having significant difficulties at the age of 17, there was a suggestion that I’d been making it all up.’
After travelling to the US at the age of 19 to undergo intense testing of all his physical systems, Chris was finally diagnosed with ocular albinism. This is a genetic condition which can include the photophobia and blurred vision symptoms that he’d been living with all his life. He’s now registered blind and says getting the diagnosis in the States was a strange moment in his life.
‘It was surreal. Even though I’d always known that something wasn’t right, doctors had told me for years there was nothing wrong with me and that I was making up these symptoms. I now found myself not only believed, but diagnosed with this condition, and it would mean that parts of my life were going to have to change.’
Judo – the constant in his life
A constant in Chris’s life throughout all this was his nightly judo routine’ He says it’s what kept him going and enabled him to remain positive during such a challenging period.
The fact that, ten years later, I am practicing judo professionally and have an Olympic gold medal under my belt is incredible. Bringing home this latest gold medal from Brazil makes me more determined than ever to compete at the highest possible level. I can’t wait to get to the world championships in November.’
Chris lives in Wroughton, near Swindon with his fiancé Louise Hunt PLY who was herself one of the UK’s most successful Paralympians in tennis.
The couple are getting married in September.
Chris’s sponsors and partners include British Judo; British Paralympic Association and the National Lottery. To find out more about him visit https://www.chrisskelley.co.uk
Find below a press release fromOlympia Publishers about We Paid to Play. As it happens, this book written by a Swindonian is familar to me. Given that I have zero interest in sport of any kind, I have to say that it held my interest. I know that sounds a bit like damned with faint praise but, given my aforementioned, lack of sporting enthusiasm – it’s a proper compliment. It has a chapter about Swindon – that helped! 😉
We Paid to Play – book cover
About the book
By Kenneth McLauchlan, this book comprises an interesting and educated read about the history of English and international football.
In the book, McLauchlan discusses football from its beginning to current times. And from grass roots football to international standard football, across all countries.
With discussion about experts involved in the game from the early days such as Rous and Pentland, the book gives an interesting insight into the world of football. The author touches upon racism and hooliganism in football too – a subject under discussion at the moment in the media.
We paid to Playis a fascinating read. The author has a clear love of football at all levels. It’s an ideal read for anyone with even only a passing interest in football. Everyone will learn something new.
About the author
Kenneth McLauchlan is a retired material scientist, born in Cambridge. After school he went to college in London spending four years doing a course in Applied Physics, involving three separate industry placements in different parts of the country. After college, Kenneth worked for almost two years at Middlesex Hospital in different roles.
He began working at Metal Box as a material scientist in 1977 at Acton, London, moving out to work with Metal Box in Wantage in Oxfordshire in 1980, while living in Swindon.
A major passion through his life has been playing, watching and discussing football.
This is his first book.
Publisher information
Published by Olympia Publishers 30-06-2022, £9.99, Paperback, 194 pages ISBN: 978-1-80074-083-9 Category: Autobiography (sports)
