by Angela | Jan 31, 2018 | Arts/Culture/Heritage, Community
31st January 2018
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Swindon Library Local Studies
Hello dear listeners. I hope you’re well.
It’s struck me that, aside from a post the other day about volunteers for the Citizen’s advice centre, I’ve been a bit lax about posting on here this month. What can I say? I’m busy! Busy with AA Editorial Services, busy with Swindon Civic Voice, busy with Swindon Hour (Twitter) and busy with a personal project of mine. And that brings me to the purpose of this post. Which is simply to give a shout-out to the lovely people running the Swindon Library Local studies section – up in the gods of the central library. And gods they are!
I’ve always known that the local studies service is a terrific one. That’s no a surprise. But I’m in there a lot at the moment for help with a book I’m writing about Swindon (due out in the summer if it all comes off) so I now have cause to experience their service myself. And it’s great!
Many moons ago, before the current library came to pass, I’m told that the stuff they have in the local collection was packed away in boxes, on high shelves that you probably needed an appt 6 months in advance to access. So how – how lucky is Swindon to have this reams and reams of stuff all about Swindon so easily to hand? And even better with friendly staff that are sooooooo knowledgable. Though they will go to lunch just as I’m rocking up. The audacity – it’s outrageous! 😉 But seriously – from this Born again Swindonian – a big thank you for all the help so far. I’ll be back though. As Arnie says. #obvs
Key Resources
The full list of resources that local studies can provide is here: https://www.swindon.gov.uk/info/20026/libraries/302/local_studies_local_history_and_genealogy
Here’s a few to whet your appetite:
- A comprehensive collection of printed historical material for the Borough of Swindon and the surrounding area.
- Books, reports, pamphlets, scrapbooks, DVDs, VHS, ephemera – covering all topics.
- We offer extensive genealogical resources, such as the GRO index of all births, marriages & deaths in England & Wales (1837-1999), the GRO Overseas Index, the International Genealogical Index (LDS) and local census records with surname & street indexes where available.
- All local parish registers and Bishops Transcripts (from 1538).
- Free access to premium websites like Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archive.
- Extensive collection of local periodicals like parish magazines, and journals.
- This includes staff newsletters for local firms like Austin Rover, British Rail, Garrard, Great Western Railway, Pressed Steel, Will’s Tobacco, and Vickers.
Sadly their opening hours have been reduced. Cut backs don’t ya know?! So this is when you’ll find them:
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 10.00am – 4.00pm
Saturday 10.00am – 1.30pm
Unless they’re at lunch!
The other totally fantastic thing they do is this:
Local Studies photograph collection
‘Our online photographic gallery can be found at www.flickr.com/swindonlocal
- Includes over 5,500 fascinating images and still growing.
- Most are selected from the Local Studies collection but thousands were kindly shared with us by current and former local residents and local history enthusiasts.
- Free to view and fully searchable by name, date, place, street or other keyword.
These images are only a small fraction of the main collection which can be viewed in Local Studies.’
It’s incredible!
In the ether:
E-mail: localstudies@swindon.gov.uk
Telephone: (01793) 463238
Please follow us on Twitter (@SwindonLocal) and like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LocalStudiesSwindon
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by Angela | Jan 19, 2018 | Arts/Culture/Heritage, Community, Theatre
19th January 2018
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The Phoenix Players
Well dear listeners. Earlier this week, Swindon Old Town Rotary kindly invited me along to one of their breakfast meetings to talk to them about this here blog and related matters. They are a jolly friendly bunch of people so despite public speaking not being my favourite thing it was okay. I think. Old Town Rotary are of course the organisers of the world famous (in Swindon) charity duck race: http://swindonoldtownrotary.org/duckrace/
However! The main purpose of this post is to give a shout-out to the Phoenix players (a rotarian shoved a flyer into my hand so I thought I best had TBH 😉 ) and their forthcoming production of The Ladykillers at Swindon Arts Centre.
The Phoenix Players presents
“The Ladykillers” by Graham Linehan
A classic combination of black comedy and slapstick farce directed by Colin Wilkins.
Wednesday 24 to Saturday 27 January 2018.
At the Arts Centre, Devizes Road, Swindon at 7.30pm.
Click here to buy tickets: https://swindontheatres.co.uk/Online/tickets-phoenix-players-swindon-january-2018
About the Phoenix Players
From their website:
‘The Phoenix Players started life in 1954 but under a different name, The Poetry Circle Players. The story behind this is that way back in the past, 1946 to be precise, the first Arts Centre opened in Swindon. At that time one of the Public Library Ancillary Societies was the Poetry Circle, a group which met at the Arts Centre to read and discuss poetry and verse plays.
The group flourished and reached a point where it was decided to present these verse plays to the public, which proved to be a popular decision and in 1954 a drama section was formed. In September of that year the Poetry Circle Players presented their first production, ‘The Firstborn’ by Christopher Fry. In the early 1960’s the Poetry Circle ceased to exist. This meant that the now flourishing drama section needed a new name and so became The Phoenix Players.
It is now one of the leading drama groups in the town with a string of successes to its name. To date it has presented well over 200 productions and in September 2014 The Phoenix Players celebrated their 60th anniversary … ‘
If you’re feeling social, find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thephoenixplayersswindon/ and on Twitter:
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by Angela | Dec 30, 2017 | Arts/Culture/Heritage, Community
Honour’s list recognition for Swindon Viewpoint’s Martin Parry
30th January 2017
Wow! This is fantastic news. Swindon Viewpoint featured in one of the early posts on this blog. I’m super thrilled to see that Martin Parry has had his work recognised in this way. An MBE for Swindon Viewpoint Man!
Last year it was my great fortune to be present in the Wyvern theatre for the screening of Railway Town and on the panel that followed it. Such a wonderful piece of work. Buy it. Watch it. Love it.
“Railway Town is my tribute to the people of Swindon who I have grown to appreciate and care greatly for.”
Buy Railway Town and Fire and Steel here: https://viewpointcommunitymedia.org.uk/shop/
The press release below tells all.
And Martin Parry is not the only one in Swindon to be recognised in this way. Shahina Johnson, CEO of Create Studios got a gong too. See here: https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2017-12-29/west-country-local-heroes-recognised-in-new-years-honours-list/
Swindon film-maker Martin Parry recognised in New Year’s Honours list
A Swindon man has received one of the country’s top awards in the 2018 New Years Honours list. The British Empire Medal, a division of the M.B.E., is granted in recognition of meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the nation.
Martin Parry, one of the country’s longest-serving exponents of Community Media, has been honoured for services to the nation in the fields of Film, Media and Music.
The accolade came for work that includes rescuing and continuing to maintain Swindon Viewpoint, Britain’s longest surviving community television service, as well as for wider media archive work.
Long-time Swindon Resident
A Swindon resident since 1980, Martin grew up in Herefordshire and after school trained as a Communications Engineer.
After a period at Hereford School of Art he studied Sociology and Psychology at the University of Southampton in the late 60s. In the early 70s he lectured in Communications at a college in Hertfordshire. After that, Martin trained teachers in Media Studies for the Inner London Education Authority.
Further Qualifications
In 1974 Martin won an MA scholarship in Psychology and Sociology. This took him to Canada, where he next worked as Community Channel Producer for a regional Canadian TV station. There he developed community programming and among other projects, originating some of the world’s earliest music videos. His next work, for the National Film Board of Canada, won him an international award for history documentary.
Returning to Britain in 1979 to raise a family, Martin took up a British Film Institute funded position as filmmaker-in-residence for Swindon. Within weeks, he got involved with Swindon Viewpoint. At that time, SV was the only surviving community cable television experiment of the FIVE licensed by the government in 1973.
Viewpoint was experiencing financial difficulty and would have sunk into the annals of media history were it not for Martin’s enthusiasm, tenacity and dedication.
“I’ve always believed in the potential of everyone, not just media professionals, to come up with original creative ideas and their right to use the language and technology of communication for their own ends.”
Martin’s Early Swindon Years
During his early years in Swindon Martin conceived of and initiated, Media Arts (lately called “Create”) as a hub for both community and arts-based media practice. It became known nationally as one of the most successful media workshops of the 80s. He fund-raised and secured local authority support and was able to equip the initiative with the assets of Swindon Viewpoint. From 1991, Viewpoint was no longer able to access these resources. But Martin, with the help of his family and some of the original staff, maintained and operated Swindon Viewpoint as a public access TV service for the town.
There are now well over 2000 programmes available to view on demand on Swindon Viewpoint. The main body comprises programmes produced by Viewpoint itself, further enhanced by the collection of Western Film Archive (WFA).
Martin set up WFA in 1987, with the support of David Puttnam, to collect and preserve regional film material. Through his diligent (and voluntary) curation work, the WFA has amassed around 500 hours of film and tape in an archive. The collection spans almost 120 years of the region’s film-makers.
Freelance Film Maker
In the 1990s Martin became a freelance film-maker. But he’s continued to work on a voluntary basis for a number of national media organisations. Organisations such as the National Training Policy Committee for the Film Industry, the British Video History Trust and as a council member for the Community Media Association.
Training others
In Swindon and the local area, Martin has been responsible for the voluntary training of hundreds of local people and community groups across the town in the skills of media production.
Through grants from the National Lottery schemes and other grant-aiding bodies, Martin and his volunteers, operating under the Swindon Viewpoint banner have managed the production of hundreds of arts and music videos. And almost as many films for community organisations. He’s represented the interests of groups from refugees to railway workers.
Viewpoint continues to work at the cutting edge of social awareness communications. It has recently produced a new range of incisive films for local organisations on key social issues of our day. They include ethnic, age and gender equality, immigration, mental health and domestic violence.
Martin has plans for 2018. He’s developing a number of innovative projects designed to enable broader public access to community media resources both contemporary and historic. He also continues to work on the rich heritage of archive films. Many are as yet undigitised – and to embark on new education programmes around their use within the education system.
by Angela | Dec 17, 2017 | Arts/Culture/Heritage, Community, SAPAC, Switch on to Swindon
17th December 2017
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A Community Library Launches at the Swindon Hindu Temple
To be fair, ‘A community library LUNCHES at the Swindon Hindu Temple’ would have been an appropriate heading being as how this event was celebrated with a food festival. Oh such scrummyness. Sadly for me, I’m getting over a virus and my normal appetite for Indian food – well food in general – is not, at the moment, up to scratch,
But that’s all a digression. I’ve been to the temple before so though it was about time it got a mention on this here blog. Because y’know, the overall vibe at the temple is never anything but welcoming and inclusive. It’s just lovely.
The temple came on to my horizon via Carole Bent – the photographs below are hers. Thanks Carole. I do try with photographs but they never come out right. Harrumph!
I had no idea, until Pradeep spoke at the event, that the community library that the temple has set up is part of the town’s library network. I though it was cool anyway. But when I heard that I thought it was even cooler! It was super fab to see Liam with the book bike there reading to the children!
Some pictures from yesterday’s library launch and food festival:
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Pradeep, Swindon Hindu temple chairman
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Library Liam with the book bike
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Gujarti books in the library
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Smiling, happy ladies serving food
You have to take your hat off to Pradeep Bhardwaj, chaiman of Swindon’s Hindu temple trust, and his associates. What they’ve achieved with a run-down industrial unit on the Cheney Manor estate can be described as miraculous. And a testament to what can be achieved with will and passion.
As Pradeep told the Swindon Advertiser last year when the Temple celebrated its official opening:
“For many here it is the biggest day of their lives. There have been Hindus in Swindon for 60 years but there hasn’t been a temple or community centre.
“I am very proud, more than proud, I am humbled. To be able to accomplish something like this for the entire community is beyond my wildest dreams.
“Throughout our lives we keep chasing dreams but having seen what it’s like to do this I would be willing to forego any of my personal dreams.”
The temple’s website describes its vision thus:
- Establish “Cultural Hub & Centre of Excellence” – first of its kind outside India
- A Social, Cultural and Community Hub accessible to all community groups with an interest in Indian music, dance, arts, culture, religion, cuisine, literature, health & wellbeing
- Establish Swindon as a Cultural destination, one of the top places to visit in England, promote cultural & religious tourism, attract new businesses & investment
- Ambitious project – unique in nature, scope, impact & overall vision
- Contributing significantly to the local area & economy
- Demonstrate long-term, strategic benefits of community-based enterprise
Amen to all of that is all I have to say!
What a wonderful Switch on to Swindon ambassador Pradeep is.
At this point I feel I should give mention also to SAPAC – another Asian organisation/group that Swindon is blessed to have in its midst. They too open their doors, their activities to anyone that is interested regardless of culture.
There’s lessons for us all from both these groups I feel.
The Hindu temple on the ether:
The website for the Swindon Hindu Temple is here: http://www.swindonhindutemple.org.uk
They’re on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SwindonTemple?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
And a public Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SwindonHinduTemple/662513007208181/
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by Angela | Dec 6, 2017 | Arts/Culture/Heritage, Theatre
5th December 2017
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Wyvern Theatre Peter Pan Panto time
Well listeners it’s that time of year again. Oh no it isn’t! Oh yes it is! If Christmas is coming then the Panto is here.
Like all good theatres up and down the land, the Wyvern Theatre stages (see what I did there?) an annual pantomime. And this year it’s Peter Pan. Now were I to nitpick I’d be honour bound to say that, properly and traditionally speaking, Peter Pan isn’t a panto at all but a play and a novel by J.M Barrie. I guess now though, Peter Pan is a cultural icon and doing a panto version keeps the story alive.
The play, entitled ‘Peter Pan – or the boy who wouldn’t grow up‘ premiered in London in 1904.
Both versions of Barrie’s story tell the tale of Peter Pan – a mischievous little boy who can fly. He has lots of adventures on the magical island of Neverland – a place where mermaids, fairies, native Americans and pirates live.
The inspiration for both play and novel came from Barrie’s friendship with the Llewelyn Davies family. Barrie continued to revise the play for years after its debut until publication of the play script in 1928.
Tradition dictated a petite woman played the character of Peter Pan in the play. I daresay because in size and voice timbre they’d be better believed as a small boy than a grown man. One does have to suspend disbelief a tad more when it’s a grown man in tights flying about the stage. But hey – this is panto not a Pinter play.
Anyway onwards and UPWARDS to Swindon’s own Pantastic production
Oh we had the best time. This is a riotous performance with a terrific ensemble cast. The pirates, the indians and the lost boys all.
Not being an Eastenders viewer (I’ve never heard the theme tune in its entirety) I was keen to see Adam Woodyatt in action as Captain Hook. After seeing last year’s panto where the leading man was wooden to put it mildly I thought he made a quite decent stab of it. I said stab … oh suit yourself … He – well everyone TBH got proper warmed up in the second half.
But the top spot in the panto performance league has to go to Antony Lawrence as Smee. He does a terrific job as the comic turn – the Peter Pan equivalent of the ugly sisters, Widow Twankey etc. He’s fabulous on his own and together with other cast members – superb.
Like all good pantomimes this one has its share of song and dance routines, slapstick, innuendo, corny jokes, brilliant comic timing and of course – LOTS OF SHOUTING. And getting wet????!!!! Pirates with nerf guns??? Hmmm ….. In short: Pantastic panto pandemonium at Peter Pan. LOVING the alliteration opportunities here!
All in all it’s a great production that I heartily recommend. Oh no I don’t! Oh YES I DO!!
The wonderful Wyvern people have probably noticed my pitiful photography efforts so sent me some publicity shots to use. Not a bad idea!
Photography Credit: Pete Dewhirst.
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Adam Woodyatt as Captain Hook
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Peter Pan
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Peter Pan and the lost boys
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The children captured by Captain Hook
Book now!
Peter Pan in the Town Gardens
Incidentally – there’s a statue of Peter Pan in Swindon’s Town gardens.
Here’s a report from BBC Wiltshire when the statue was beheaded!
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