FEATURING:
• Interviews with Factory Films Director and Novelist
bexclusive christmas edition
• The Legend of The Fallen Eagles • An International Student’s view on the English School System
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Contents Christmas magic German tales of Knecht ruprecht and a poem by Tristan Watson
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EaStbourne food bank
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creative director of factory films interviewed
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How you can help this Christmas...
Interview with Julie Heathcote on the media industry
School system- UK vs italy
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Visits to bexhill college
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author mick finlay discusses new book arrowood
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Bexhill m.P interviewed
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The fallen eagles
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marriage is a choice
The brutal reality of forced, child marriage
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christmas baking recipe
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Italian student, Ginevra Rescigno, gives her perspective on Bexhill College
Army visit and U.S Diplomat talk at Bexhill College
All about the new crime fiction novel by Mick Finlay
Huw Merriman shares his thoughts about his own life, politics and the role of young people.
Short story written by Jack Fenton
Get baking this holiday!
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The darker side of Christmas KNecht ruprecht Being half German, half English I grew up with two different forms of Christmas. Every year I would celebrate Christmas twice, once on Christmas Eve and the second on Christmas Day, after having had my traditionally British Christmas feast. German Christmas is quite different, being centred on the figure St. Nicholas, one of the original inspirations for Santa. I would always know if I was in St.Nicholas’s good books or not since I did not want to receive a beating by Knecht Ruprecht, or as he is called in Austria, Krampus. For those who haven’t heard of Knecht Ruprecht, for the purpose of this article I will call him by his German name, it is sometimes depicted as a demon like creation. He is a creature who travels from house to house with St. Nicholas. However, as St Nicholas would put gifts into the good children’s shoes, the naughty children would be taken away by Knecht Ruprecht - put into his Sack which he carried around with him ... never to be seen again. Lots of European countries have variations of the Knecht Ruprecht/Krampus myth, which really explores the idea that for every good in the world, there is an equivalent evil ... that with light, comes darkness. Knecht Ruprecht is the shadow version of Santa – his evil alter-ego. So make sure you’re good this Christmas. 4
Weihnachtsmagie (Christmas magic) Sharing is caring, giving is loving, Sharing, emotions spark to life Cold air breeze, in winters chill A dream, white Christmas to see, Every kin, family glow, Every kin, stories past, tails to last, Midnight strikes, distant jingles hear, Mornings might, milk, n Mcvitie disappear, Windows sight, landings white, Wonderers, white, yellow in night, Roasting scent, every stage, Roasting sight, table, plate.
by Tristan Watson
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Eastbourne food bank
With Christmas here very soon it’s worth sparing a thought for the increasing number of people who find this a very challenging time of year. The use of Food Banks is on the rise and they’re now to be found in 400 different locations across the U.K – including in Eastbourne. Joseph Humphries and Kirsty Smith were sent to find out more about this phenomenon that has become a part of our social landscape. They visited Eastbourne Food Bank and met with Howard Wardle, the Operations Director, during the busy run-up to the Festive season. How long has Eastbourne Food Bank existed for? How long have Food Banks existed in the U.K? Eastbourne Food Bank began in 2014. The Food Bank is actually part of a wider organisation called the Trussell Trust which was created in 1997. Intially the trust worked with homeless and vulnerable young people in Bulgaria but then it became clear there was also great need in parts of the U.K. The first Trussell Food Bank in the U.K opened in 2004 in Sailsbury and there are now over 400 across the country.
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How many volunteers do you have?
Within the whole schedule we have around 150 volunteers, although not all are full time. Tuesdays is our busiest day as we distribute food then, particularly as we’re not open on Mondays. We’re open to the public from Tuesdays to Fridays. How is it funded? Is it all from small donations or do you have business sponsorship? We are funded by individual donations of money and food. We also provide clothing and basic toiletries etc. Larger companies sometimes make donations of unused material – for example we recently had a consignment of Mangoes from Tesco. They were rejected for shop use because a few in each box had superficial damage but they were
perfectly edible and would have to gone to landfill otherwise. Supermarkets are trying make a visible contribution – usually with food that is still edible but not easy to sell. Other businesses do sponsor us directly – we’re currently in talks with Primark to take some of their returned stock. Donations come from a range of sources; the public, schools, churches and a range of businesses. There are high costs; we rent the building and have to pay all the usual utilities. We have three full time members of staff but a lot of our workers are volunteers. How do people access a Food Bank? Do they have to be referred or could anybody in need turn up?
Helping at Christmas If someone is in real need they can turn up – we wouldn’t turn somebody down. The usual route is to be referred through debt charities, a school, doctors orsocial workers. You are issued with a card and we ourselves can issue it too. This entitles someone to a three day food parcel. We also offer help with debt advice as well giving primary relief through food donations. Do you think that poverty (including food poverty) has got worse over the last few years? Without a doubt – there has been a rise in UK homelessness, cost of living has gone up and wages haven’t kept up with the pace of inflation. Tell us about your average client – is food poverty very wide spread? A wide range of people – working class men are the most vulnerable group. We’re seeing an increasing number of young people living without family support. We also see some people who have been well off and who have fallen on hard times through losing their jobs, falling into debt etc. We see people in expensive clothing, driving nice cars sometimes – always feeling shamed. Poverty can affect anyone. Are low incomes the problem or do you ever help people who are in debt trouble, even though they might have a good job? Is it true that professionals such as Nurses sometimes have to use FoodBanks? We haven’t noticed a high number of nurses but, as stated, anybody can end up using a Food Bank – especially if they’re poorly paid to
start with. Zero hour contract workers are probably the most vulnerable group because people are so uncertain of what they will earn each week – it’s hard to plan. Do any of your clients initially feel embarrassment or shame for having to use your service? If so, how do you overcome that? We’ve become adept at comforting people – some people see coming here as the low point of their lives, we’ve had people break down at the door. We try to help people look towards the future and make them feel that this is the first stage of their recovery. We also make sure we don’t use any packaging with Food Bank branding. Tell us about the average day at the Food Bank. There’s no such thing as an average day – you could be allocating and storing goods, doing office work or working directly with clients. Volunteer work tends to be very hands on and practical. Tell us about the team of people who work and volunteer here. We do have some religious people but not exclusively. There are people from all kinds of background – some are retired, one is
unemployed. We have a few young people but not as many as the older age group. In fact, couldn’t it be argued that Food Banks ‘bridge the poverty gap’ and allow things to stay as they are? We are filling a gap that government should be working in but this isn’t something we’re happy with. The public are generous but there isn’t any direct funding from government. Some of our clients are in debt because of the delays in Universal Credit being paid on time. Does business (especially food related business such as supermarkets) have any moral obligation to help the Food Bank movement? It can be a benefit to a supermarket’s public image to help us but hopefully that isn’t there only motive – I’d like to think that there is a moral compass at work too. Wouldn’t real success for you be if you could close down – if you were no longer needed? Do you think that day will ever come? Yes – we hope that day will come but in the current climate it’s not going to be any time soon. Written by Joseph Humphries and Kirsty Smith
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An Interview with Julie Heathcote
During the October half term I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with one of the Directors from an independent television production company called Factory Films, which is based in Brighton. Factory Films create content for a wide range of broadcasters, including the B.B.C and Channel 4 – from educational material to programmes that explore social issues like ‘Fifty Years of Being Gay’ and ‘Skin Deep’ (a programme about attitudes to facial appearance). Factory Films has also recently branched out into scripted material for the first time, producing a comedy series ‘The Cramps’.
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There are two directors who run the business and one other who does the financial work for the company itself, these are; Julie Heathcote, Co-founder and Creative Director, Lisa Fairbank, CoFounder and MD of Factory films and lastly, Sarah Callaghan, Factory Films’ Production manager. I had the pleasure of interviewing
Julie Heathcote, an extremely energetic, experienced and successful television executive.
We began the interview in an editing suite after she had offered me a drink and shown me around her working studio, where I had led with asking about Julie herself. I had asked her to tell me about herself, including how and why she’d joined the broadcasting industry. She told me that she’d been working in the media industry for roughly twenty years. At H.E she studied for a degree in music which, in turn, led her onto to working on a lot of music productions. At the end of this she found a job working a live t.v quiz programme, a role that lasted for a couple years. Julie emphasised that she wouldn’t have achieved what she’s achieved today without perseverance. This meant that, no matter what happened, she would always constantly apply for jobs and hand her CV to companies and people within the industry. She emphasised that she was told ‘No’ considerably more times than
‘Yes’. She said that one of the greatest assets for anyone hoping to enter the industry is resilience; the ability to get back up and carry on after a knock back.
I then asked her some questions about her company, Factory Films itself. I asked about the company’s very clear and ethical mission statement about working with the public (to be creative, curious, collaborative), as I was curious about how she’d formulated this approach. Julie said that she believed that these weren’t just a slogan but were the core values that had been essential to her company’s success. She went on to say that these aspects are extremely important and should be essentially considered all the time. She emphasised the link between the ‘curious’ and the ‘creative’ and told me that wide reading and strong interest in current affairs and social issues was really important. Factory Films have regular creative meetings where all members of the team pitch ideas for future projects – nomatter how it looks on the screen, it all begins
with something as simple as some ideas on paper. This led me to ask about the ‘collaborative’ element of the mission statement. I asked Julie whether she thought the media has patronised ‘ordinary people’, especially in the past? Are things different now? For example, has social media changed things? Julie responded with stating that social media has changed the landscape massively. The ability for ordinary members of the public to appeal to a wide audience, as well as the way audiences can give direct feedback, has impacted the media more than people can comprehend. She mentioned that her son, who is young, uses YouTube to access all his media entertainment, instead of using television. Julie believes that the role of television is fundamentally changing when you have access to all kinds of content on demand.
As a female executive in a company run by three women I also wanted to ask Julie about whether the industry was more difficult to succeed in for female talent. She had a few thoughts about this subject; a lot more of the technical roles are male dominated. Camera operating, for example, is still an area where there is a shortage of women practitioners. She did, however, feel that women are a lot more represented on television these days; either being the presenter or having roles in make up or costumes. She acknowledged that for the many female freelance workers in the industry working
conditions can be vulnerable. A lot of television is now created by independent companies who hire people on a job by job basis, so if a female freelancer gets pregnant, for example, she can find her contract isn’t renewed. If on the other hand, you are a successful woman playing an integral part in creating a production then the treatment is far better. At the end of the interview I had realised the journey that Julie had embarked on to get to this point of where she is today, a result of 20 years of broad experience and careful management of her own career.
Finally, I had asked Julie what advice she’d give to anyone hoping to enter the television industry.She emphasised the importance of being able to sell your abilities; you have to ask yourself … why you? What makes you special and how useful can you be? On top of this, when trying to pitch yourself you have to offer your services and stand out from the rest. If you have a simple array of skills and not much experience then you are less likely to be chosen than someone who has experience in editing, filming and being on a practical live set.
Creative Director of Factory Films. Written by Jack Eastman
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school system : UK vs ITALY: The first contact that I had with the English system was when I saw the Bexhill college website, trying to decide if I wanted to spend one year or more abroad. I instantaneously found it interesting and catchy, making the school seem completely different from the Italian one. Finishing the third year in my high school, a language school in my city, Milan, I was quite afraid of the new experience in another country. I didn’t know what to expect from the college and what the teachers expected from me. Then, when I came here, I felt really enthusiastic seeing how many facilities were available for the students. In my country, schools aren’t well equipped, and the materials are often sub-standard. The lessons started the 6th of September and since then, I began four subjects: English, French, Media Studies and Graphic Design. I had never studied the last two before, as in my country you can’t choose your subjects but just the type of school (Classic, Scientific, Linguistic, Artistic etc.) and in mine those just don’t exist. Moreover, in Italy I used to study seventeen different subjects and having the possibility to concentrate just on four was great.
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During the weeks, I’ve started to better understand the English school system, finding many differences from the Italian one. The first noticeable thing is that in England, students have more specified knowledge, as they study in a deeper way just a few subjects. In Italy, we usually study thirteen/fourteen subject, in some schools such as mine up to seventeen. But we study in a general way, except for a few subjects that are related to our type of school (for example as mine is a language lyceum I study three languages in a really specific way). We’re divided into classes that are always together for every course. I think that the two systems have both advantages and disadvantages. It is good to specialise in just few subjects, as you can completely focus on just those and have better results. On the other hand, having a general knowledge of many different subjects can open your mind to other options or ways of thinking and that can be useful in the future. Another important point is the quantity of facilities. There is a lack of resources in Italy that can’t be ignored. Coming here and visiting the college the first time, I was in state of shock. I’ve never thought that a school could have so many facilities and that made me think that in my country things have to change. In addition, the approach to keep all the classes clean is good, even if I think it’s a bit to over the top sometimes. In fact, in my country it is possible to eat and drink in class, which actually think it’s really good but sometimes students don’t get everything clean, which is something that I don’t really like. England’s prohibition of food and drinks in class avoids that problem but, at the same time, I think that if students are responsible enough it will be good to let them eat also outside the refectory.
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the support given here is really different
A difference that I found interesting is the approach that teachers have with students. In England, the relation is more informal and, at the same time, more close to the student. In Italy, generally speaking, it’s more formal. An example can be that we have to use the “lei” form with teachers, which consist in a way of speaking used to express respect to unknown people or adults. Moreover, the support given here is really different from the Italian one. In fact, I’ve never had a tutor class or a tutor in general with who I can talk about everything, but we just have the “coordinatore di classe”, a teacher that deals with class general problems. I think that in this case, the support given in England is much better than the Italian one as in here it seems that all teachers really care about us and in my country, even if there are exceptions, it’s not always like that. The last relevant difference is how school is structured. In my country, we aren’t divided in different courses, but we are assigned to one class. Every hour teachers move from one class to another but the students will stay together for the entire day. Moreover, in my lyceum, we have six or seven lessons per day, every day (including Saturdays), that are fifty minutes each.We only have two ten minutes breaks, one at the end of the third hour and one at the end of the fifth.
The total amount is forty hours per week (for almost every other school the total is thirty and they have six or five hours per day). This is pretty intensive and stressful but, at the same time, we learned to concentrate for long amounts of time. Moreover, we finish school at 14:05, so we have all the afternoon to study, relax or do any other activity. In here the approach is more similar to the university one and I find it pretty relaxing and stimulating but sometimes confusing, as I don’t always remember when I have courses or not. I think that both the systems are pretty good and it really depends on which approach you prefer. Talking with some other Italian students, I found that some of them prefer ours, others prefer the English one. I still haven’t decided which one is my favourite, so I can conclude that a mix of the two would be the best one, because I’m convinced that, a larger number of subject, as in Italy, studied in an environment like the English one would be perfect.
Written By Ginevra Rescigno, 1st Year Italian student 11
VISITS TO BEXHILL COLLEGE The army visited Bexhill College in October. Mollie Thompson tells us all about her day as a new recruit...
Tuesday 10th October saw the army come into Bexhill College. They provided team building workshops throughout the whole day for Level 2, Level 3 Uniformed Services and Level 1 SVS class. The day was spent out on the field, with eight different team building workshops. The mixture of students were put into groups with people they weren’t familiar with, which highlighted the importance of team building and communication. Students were able to ask the army service members questions about their career, lifestyle in the army, and anything else military related. Some even went as far as discussing FIFA. Team building activities included structure building, problem solving, running and tug of war. The day also involved using many skills such as teamwork, communication, knot tying and logical thinking. This was really beneficial to many of the students wishing to sign up to the army after college and it even opened opportunities to others who probably weren’t considering the army in the first place, however now their decision may change.
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All of the army personnel were really nice and helpful to everyone, they even stayed behind to chat to those who wanted more information. Students seemed to thoroughly enjoy the day; it definitely made a change from the usual classroom environment! This will definitely be a day remembered by many students, and the majority of them are currently looking forward to which service will be coming into college next.
U.S Diplomat Jessup Taylor visits Bexhill College CÄCILIA COPLAND and CORALIE LOUIS hear his thoughts about the state of the world’s future.
On Wednesday the 11th of October 2017, Bexhill College’s social science students were fortunate enough to be in the presence of American diplomat- Jessup Taylor. Taylor gave us a fairly extensive rundown of modern day U.S and world politics. This opened our eyes to the bigger picture behind international relations; some key modern day issues revolve around getting on with countries who, in many ways, are antithetical to the U.S’s stated values. First off Taylor told us, “we don’t live in a black and white world.” He expanded on this idea by explaining that the news often frames foreign affairs in terms of right and wrong but that real-life diplomats have to take a more nuanced and pragmatic view when they do their work. Diplomats like Taylor do their work out of the public gaze wheras, he said, politicians are very much restricted by their image in the media. The media love a dramatic and potentially dangerous situation – which is exactly what diplomats strive to avoid. As an example he cited Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un playing out their arguments using controversial and inflammatory rhetoric. Taylor told us that this kind of posturing is the exact opposite to what the diplomats try to achieve.
He did, however, couch these observations in a way that wasn’t directly critical of President Trump – who he said was a very adept manipulator of both social and mainstream media. Taylor acknowledged that many people find the current President disagreeable, not least for his active use of Twitter. Taylor did, however, point out that President Trump is bringing a lot of worldwide attention to his ideas with his unconventional approach.
times was his recommendation that we, “remain active with it.” In other words, young people are the ones who are able to create new directions in our society. Meeting Jessup Taylor made us feel the importance of staying engaged and active within political and social issues.
Life as a diplomat is a tricky task, one that is reliant upon building relationships. The successful diplomat needs to make friends in unknown places, attend numerous receptions and, most importantly, travelling the world. As a political officer the successful diplomat must have an acute sense of awareness, being careful of what it is he says and whom to he says it. Whilst also, very often, trying to find out sensitive information of his own. Jessup Taylor himself is on his fourth assignment having been to China, Brazil and South Korea. Taylor understands the reality of politics and some students were interested in whether his own view of the future was an optimistic one, or not. His response emphasised our importance as the next generation. A phrase he used several
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Arrowood by Mick Finaly is a crime fiction novel that has just been published by Harper Collins. It’s set in the same fictional universe as Sherlock Holmes but Holmes himself doesn’t appear in the novel. The London portrayed in the book is also less cosy than Conan Doyle’s London – being violent, dirty and poor. The protagonist of the novel, Arrowood, is a down at heel private detective who hates the more successful Sherlock Holmes with a passion. His first adventure is a missing persons case that leads him into conflict with London organised crime, the British Establishment and the Fenians (that’s the Victorian equivalent of the I.R.A).We met with the author of Arrowood, Mick Finlay, in Brighton this half term and found out about the novel, the creative process and the proposed t.v version. Mick Finlay has been a songwriter, a university psychologist professor and a short story writer. Now, with the publication of his fast-paced 1890s crime fiction novel Arrowood, he is a successful novelist, with even a possible TV adaptation in the works. Our interview with him has given us an insight into his personality and his novel’s origins. With his training as a social psychologist he told us he was always interested in the workings of people in their communication, interaction, influence and behaviour. As such, it was important to his background that he tried to incorporate into his characters’ “inconsistency”; saying that people “contradict themselves, which is quite important in what I do to realise that people are not as consistent and whole as we like to think; people have many different faces.” This is an element that was clearly evident in the novel, the reader is often given pause by the characters’ nuanced behaviour. Mick’s background
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An interview w
M i c k
influenced how he wrote the lead character of Arrowood, who is an amateur psychologist himself as well as a detective.
Finlay states that he had to “read what was written in the 1890s to know how much he would actually know- he sometimes gets it wrong as they were wrong about a lot of things.” Despite this, he was able to include some modern day ideas as Arrowood, “tries to experiment with his own ideas about psychology.” Mick often spent hours toiling over research for the novel and has, “shelves full of books about the Victorians”. He even looked for obscure facts such as “would a horse fall over?” and was particularly grateful for the book ‘How to be a Victorian.’ Finlay told us that he, “wrote the first 6 chapters with no plan whatsoever just to try and get the characters and the setting.” With regards to the whole novel he said , “I knew the ending but I had no idea how I would get there.” He estimates that he planned only, “thirty to forty per cent” and even then he was unsure of how many of his characters would make the final draft, only the very major events. If he ever had days where he felt he couldn’t write, he would “go for a walk. Walking restarts your creative process.” What interested us about the novel was the main character’s distaste for Sherlock Holmes. Finlay responded o our inquiry by describing his thoughts when reading the Sherlock Holmes novel; he wondered, if Holmes had been real, “how would other crime detectives in London feel?” He then explained that he thought that they’d be really jealous of him. this idea for a charcter
struck him hard, “someone who’s less successful than Sherlock Holmes … a more ‘real world’ detective”. Thus, the main character Arrowood was born. In terms of fleshing out the character Finlay wanted to make him the complete opposite of Sherlock Holmes’s characteristics. Where Holmes is “fit”, Arrowood is “overweight”; where Holmes is logical and deals with physical observations and clues, Arrowood is emotional and interested in human psychology. While he states that, “I always write in first person, always have”, the influence of Sherlock Holmes is also clearly depicted through the novel’s writing style; he explains that, “the Holmes stories are mainly written in first person and I was initially modelling it on the Holmes stories.” We asked Mick about his thoughts on creativity and how it develops. As an introverted child, Finlay often read to occupy his time; “some of the best moments when reading a book for me is when a character has some perception or understanding,
ith Arrowood Author
F i n l a y
and I think that that’s exactly how I feel, but iv’e never been able to understand it that clearly myself.” This passion eventually influenced his current career as he now dives into being a writer. Finlay’s journey as a novelist has been a long road, it was not his first goal in life; starting from his teen years he was a songwriter for his own band which continued on for 10 years, and he only started writing a few years after- it’s been 20 years since.
Prior to Arrowood, Finlay had published several short stories and had one almost publication. Arrowood itself took him two years to write while working full time and even when it was accepted, it had to go through several changes for another year before it was published. He states that, “the version you see is probably the 20th version of Arrowood.” The process of writing, he says is, “a collaborative thing… there’s a community behind it. For me it’s three good friends who are writers too, my agent and my editor. It’s all of these people’s reactions to it which form the book.” When
asked how he kept his ideas unique, he replied with amusement, “I don’t think I’ve had an original idea in my life.” He relays that he doesn’t know where they come from but firmly believes that they are the result of his experiences; “I’m in my fifties now, I’ve read thousands and thousands of books, watched thousands of films, known many people. All of that is the material that makes a book. I’ve used bits of my friends’ characters for my characters.” His only advice on the matter was to, “be conscious that your goal is to surprise the reader… Ask yourself: is that what everyone else would write?” He elaborates by saying that, “it doesn’t have to be a big twist in the plot, just make sure that the next event is something another writer wouldn’t have thought of. Stop writing what comes easily. And try and make the characters conflicted.”
Clearly, this has paid off. A possible television adaptation of Arrowood is in the works, and while Finlay states that, “it’s a long way from being made” he does tell us that
script writing meetings are currently occurring. He reports that he is being heavily involved in the writing process, stating that “they want to do something I’m happy with and they’ve got loads of questions for me about Victorian London and the characters.” While it still needs a star, a director and to be pitched to a television company, this adaptation of the novel appears to be off to a strong start. With the interview drawing to a close, we asked Finlay if he had any final advice for budding young writers out there. First and foremost, he stresses how important it is to “read, read, read. Keep reading all the time.” However, he also tells us to remember that “writing involves a lot of rejection and failure. It’s very difficult to get an agent.” He gives the example of a fantasy novel, stating that, “they might have just signed three fantasy writers in the last year and they’re now looking for a crime writer. They may love your book, they may be the perfect person to represent you, but it’s just come at the wrong time.” Finlay makes it clear that there is an element of luck involved in success, and “you’ve got to be really psychologically tough, because you’ll fail and you’ll fail. Be prepared for that.” The first Arrowood novel is out now and available in the LRC. The second novel in the series Arrowood: The Murder Pit is out in February 2018. Written by Izzy Wheeler, Moira Mendoza and Hannah Simmons. 15
Huw Merriman M.P for Bexhill came into college to share his thoughts about his own life, politics and the role of young people. INTERVIEW BY Ashley Riley and John Mead
What was your early life like and what brought you into politics? Huw told us that his interest began when he was around the age of 16. He was brought up in a family who were very politically active; left wing and active trade unionists, with a strong interest in community support services and public service. Huw’s different views emerged as he studied ALevel Economics which, he explained, gave him a greater awareness of what it takes to ensure money is borrowed wisely. He told us, “I suddenly realised that actually if you want pay for all these public services you have to pay for, then you have to get it out of the people paying taxes rather than borrowing huge amounts of money.” Huw eventually went to Durham University and studied Law. What are your duties as a Bexhill MP? Huw’s a member of the Westminster Transport Select Committee, he regularly takes parts in votes and the other part of his job is to go out and meet the public; usually to help them and to answer their questions. Of all the different sides to the job, Huw considered his work with the public to be the most important. He claimed that the things he learns ‘on the ground’ then inform decisions made in Westminster. Tell us about new house building in this area. There seems to be a lot on land that should be left undeveloped for public use. Also, doesn’t more housing just mean more people, which puts pressure on local services like school? Huw had a lot to say on this issue and we considered it fairest to give some of answer on this point
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directly. He told us, “The unfortunate reality is that people don’t necessarily want to see housing too close to where they currently live but they want housing generally because they understand that people have got to live somewhere and that means that they have to build in their locality. I think that’s the biggest challenge facing us, I think everybody has to accept the reality that we have a real housing shortage right now. All three political parties have put a figure of a million homes within 5 years. So eventually we’ll be building about two hundred thousand a year. There should be a consensus across the political party that more need to be built. Nationally we have to come together because, ultimately, we need to recognise that if young people are going to advance they are going to have the same aspirations their parents did; that means they’ve got be given the opportunity to live somewhere. This means, unpalatable as it may be, that housing has got to appear in people’s locality; they’ve got to accept it and embrace it. Take your point about schools; at the moment there’s a shortage of teachers. We can’t get young teachers to move to the area too because there is no housing for them, it’s too expensive because there’s a shortage. These issues are all linked and more complex than they first appear.
I recognise the frustration because people want to keep what’s beautiful about the country side but there are places where we can build. It needs all of us to actually take into account, not just the views and the history of somewhere. but also the future. I think that’s the big debate that we need to confront people with; that’s not always a popular thing for politicians to do but we’d be failing at our duty if we didn’t.” We asked Huw about how he saw the younger generation. We’re often portrayed as if we’re lazy, obsessed with social media and not interested in politics. We asked if this is our generation’s fault, or is it the fault of mainstream politics for not engaging with us. Huw admitted that the younger generation today are on the cusp of lots of changes. He gave driverless cars and robotics as an example – by 2030 it’s estimated that thirty per cent of jobs will be significantly impacted by new technology. Huw felt that the negative press given to the younger generation is unfair and that a lot of our talent and creativity as a country comes from the U.K’s hard working young people. Huw said that the 2017 General Election indicated an upturn in young people’s political awareness. He credited this to technology – particularly the role of social media and felt it was a good thing. We challenged Huw on the issue of social inequality. Jacob Rees Moggs recently said he found the existence of food banks ‘rather uplifting’ because they show people’s generosity. But aren’t they a sign of economic failure? Did Huw know about the Food Banks in Eastbourne and Bexhill – especially the fact that they often cater for people who are in work but still not managing. There has also been a rise in homelessness under this government. Huw had a lot to say on this subject so we’ll quote him directly, “I think that’s an interesting concept why people are using food banks. If you take the employment market at the moment we’ve never had as many people in work as we have right now about 32 million people in work. That’s a record number. In my constituency there are only 500 people out of 100,000 people at any time looking for work. However, we are also seeing more people using food banks which tells you perhaps low pay is an issue and that we are actually not allowing competition in the work place to increase wages. We have inflation that is currently setting prices going up higher than what earnings are”.
When we asked Huw how he hopes to change this he told us that government needed to legislate to implement the living wage. We next asked why he felt the Labour party did so much better amongst younger voters than the Conservatives in the recent election. Again, we will directly quote Huw’s responses: “Your generation is facing something very similar to previous generations, in terms to where we need to appeal to you so we have always been the party about opportunity and aspiration. Our offer is to give you the tools that you need to get on with life and then try and get the state off your back so that you can enjoy the rewards but at the same time paying your share of taxes to help who maybe haven’t been able to take the same opportunities you have. I think your generations should be attracted by the conservative message. If Jeremy Corbyn comes in and nationalises royal mail and all the utility companies, makes all student tuition free that is going to cost hundreds of billions. If you’re the older of spectrum that won’t impact you because you’ll still be picking up you pension, and you will not around as long for when it comes to paying the bill. Right now because we owe a huge amount of money because of all the money we have borrowed over the years it costs £40 Billion pounds each year just to pay interest on our over draft. If we the take hundreds of Billions more, its going to cost even more than forty Billion. Just put it in full part figures That’s more than what we spend on our school budget right now, just paying the interest. Not the debt. Just the interest. Jeremy Corbyn claims he can pay for it by putting corporation taxes up but that means corporations then don’t have as much money to spend on labour, to invest in technology and to employ people. You could be a student you get free tuition and you got no job to go to, so I would say that actually young people have the biggest to lose by a Labour government that spends the way that it spends, therefore we should be the most viable home for you. There’s are issues that currently we’re not speaking to you about such as housing opportunities and considering reducing the voting age to sixteen; then we’ll be talking your language rather than leaving the Labour party to do it.” Additional Notes: Current minimum wage is £5.60/hour for 18-20 year olds, rising to £7.50/hour at age 25. There is no current bill in parliament to raise this to ‘living wage’. Labour M.P Jim McMahon’s bill to lower the voting age was ‘talked out’ (filibustered) by Conservative M.Ps at the end of October.
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t h e Fallen
An eagle soared overhead. * For a moment he was in the fields of Rome, surrounded by golden wheat, beneath a cloudless sky. Olive trees crowned the distant horizon; a mother’s laughter echoing along the tree woven path. He turned. His family waited by the villa. He walked to them, though with each step they seemed further away. His walk became a run until the sky turned purple; the throbbing vein of Jupiter’s wrath. They faded … still waving to him.
* Gaius turned his head, pulled back to reality by the snap of a twig. Trees loomed all around. Something howled in the distance, cutting through the mist. A cry that sent shivers to his spine. Another followed. It wouldn’t be long now. They had begun as a legion. Now only four remained; the rest lay strewn across the dense Forest, food for foreign crows. Their skulls would decorate the halls of those they were sworn to destroy, their armour would shelter the enemies of Rome. Gaius’s brother lay amongst them in that damned Forest, hopefully slain in battle. Everyone knew what those savages did to Roman prisoners. They were separated during the bloodshed along that narrow path, where the fighting raged so bitterly. Concealed by an unnatural mist the Picts fell upon them like a foul disease. Stricken without warning the legion’s defence crumbled. Gaius had been near the front of the column and was able to fight his way out, using the same mist that betrayed them to save himself.
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He turned to see Marcus who clasped his hand, a wellaimed sword stroke had claimed three fingers and the makeshift bandages were seeping with blood. Another howl. Rufinus raised his hand; everyone stopped. From an alcove made under the roots of an ancient tree emerged eight legionaries and their centurion Decimus Flavius Maximus, limping with help from two of his men. Half his plume had been hacked off in the fighting and his greaves were bronze with blood. A low murmur of relief arose from the soldiers : swords were pushed back into scabbards. Decimus opened his mouth to speak but faltered… the centurion collapsed. Rufinus glanced at the pool of blood seeping from the leg which had been opened by
a Celtic sword. A sad sense of nostalgic fondness overcame him, troubled by Decimus’ condition and what it meant. His old friend might have been handsome before the legion, but his nose had been broken many times over the years and never properly healed. An ear had been lost to the belly of a Pict last winter, of which he must have seen thirty at least. Rufinus turned, as an Aquila he held command, ordering Marcus and Gaius to bandage the wound with a piece of cloth from their cloaks but Decimus refused.
He spoke raspingly: “ Do not waste your time, mine has come.” He wiped blood from his lips. “Some of you may make it to the wall.” He tried to smile, instead showing a grimace. Rufinus kneeled beside him, locking eyes and arms in silent sadness; memories of years under the eagle together between them. Rufinus nodded and turned from his centurion friend, who lay slumped against the tree. Marcus and Gaius pulled him to his feet and offered one last salute. They set off again, Rufinus paused: “I shall see you soon, old friend, even Pluto won’t bar our way.” With that they trudged onwards. Another howl in the distance … nearer. The soldiers were silent with the weight of loss and grim determination. The butchery of friends and brothers in arms had hardened Rufinus. The wolf cloaking him was matted with blood, his wind
Eagles wearied face covered in the gashes of today’s fight. The mark of Mithras was all too faint to see under the dented helmet. A cry in the distance, Rufinus stopped briefly before continuing with the blank expression of overwhelming loss. The mist was beginning to lift, time was against them. They marched for five more hours until the mist dissolve to reveal a small clearing. In the distance, lay the wall. The howl was now upon them. Their silence grew louder. They would not make it. They would be cut down in the first mile. One of the legionaries whispered, “How much longer?” Rufinus did not turn but stared through the clearing. He thought of his wife and child in Eboracum. “Too long. The hounds have our scent.” Gaius rested his hand on his companion’s shoulder. Rufinus sighed, the rushing blood in his ears almost drowning out the shouts behind them, “This is it. I’m sorry I couldn’t lead you further.” “I don’t think it matters anymore.” Rufinus plunged his battered gladius into the ground along with his shield and unslung the eagle of the Ninth Legion. Splattered with blood it glimmered even in the darkening skies, illuminating radiant gold streaks of light. “Rome will not be able to repay the debt it owes us. The fates have struck us a cruel end but the gods have taken pity for to die with brothers, with friends, there is no surer sign. The Eagle will not fall to surrender, they will have to wrench it from my corpse! It has been an honour to serve with the last of the Ninth.” The barbarians now stood opposite their prey. They wore animal skins, the only armour their distinctive blue-grey waves that covered the body. The heavens opened as if to cleanse the arena. The hunters charged, the last legionaries raised shields and poised their swords, willing death to come. Rain drenched their tattered clothes, splattering off helmets and armour. Lightening flashed to show the gods’ approval. Rufinus screamed insults to the wind cursing men and gods both. He grasped the eagle in one hand, gladius in the other. The wind tugged at his cloak, like a madman he stood at the prow of danger, waiting for impact. They collided. Shield met shield, sword crossed sword and the only sound were clashing metal and the storm. Lightening
WRITTEN BY
JACK FENTON
illuminated bloody swords and bright gold. Marcus fell first, throat opened by a boar spear. The Celts surrounded them. Rufinus lashed out wildly using the eagle as a mace; swinging it in deadly arcs and burying his gladius into soft flesh. Gaius fell from a thrust to the back, he collapsed to his knees, finding peace in the madness before falling. The defence collapsed as the Picts swarmed over them. Trumpets sounded in the distance. The air hummed with the tune of ecstatic vengeance, earth turned with the fury of thunderous hooves. “Roma Invicta!” “Roma Invicta!” Waves of Horses swept past, their riders hacked down, blades brought low now sliced through hides and tasted flesh, gleaming with crimson tears, as they severed sinew from bone. The cries of man and horse became entangled in the cool air, such was the song of battle. The hunters scrambled towards the undergrowth. But too late … The eagle fell.
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Le mariage est un choix Enfance Volée
"le mariage forcé est un crime et un abus des droits de l'homme."
Le mariage forcé, c'est quand quelqu'un est marié à une autre personne contre son gré ; souvent une jeune fille, épousant un homme beaucoup plus âgé. Les enfants veulent juste une enfance normale mais s'inquiètent qu'ils trahissent leur famille (s’ils refusent de se marier avec la personne choisie par leur famille. Personne ne peut nier que le mariage forcé est un crime et un abus des droits de l'homme. Forcer un enfant à se marier montre un manque total de respect pour leurs sentiments ou leurs ambitions.
Tradition Inhumaine
Beaucoup de gens pensent que c'est une tradition parce que le mariage arrangé se passe depuis très longtemps. Cependant, à mon avis, cela ne justifie pas forcer quelqu'un à épouser contre leur volonté. Les femmes sont souvent traitées injustement et maltraitées. En France, le mariage forcé est contraire à la loi. Cependant, dans d'autres pays, le mariage forcé est courant. Je pense que c'est immoral et dégoûtant que les gens puissent donner leur fille comme si elles n’étaient que des marchandises.
Engageons-nous !
Certaines personnes croient que les parents veulent que leur enfant ait au moins un abri et de la nourriture. Je pense que si les gens sont si désespérés, que d'autres pays devraient aider beaucoup plus à arrêter le mariage forcé. Mais il est très difficile de changer des mentalités parce que les gens ne savent rien d'autre. Je crois que les femmes qui sont des victimes du mariage forcé doivent être courageuses et on devrait les encourager de parler de leur enfance volée pour qu’elles puissent éduquer les gens et mettre fin à cette pratique inhumaine. Propos recueillis par Susie D-B octobre 2017.
"39,000 girls are forcibly married each day"
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A Stolen Childhood
Forced marriage is when someone is married to another person against their will; often a girl, marrying a much older man. Children just want a normal childhood but are worried that they are betraying their family (if they refuse to marry the person chosen by their family) No one can deny that forced marriage is a crime and an abuse of human rights. Forcing a child to marry against their will shows a total lack of respect for their feelings or ambitions.
"I think it's immoral and disgusting that people can give their daughter away as if they were just chattel". Inhuman Tradition
Many people think it's a tradition because arranged marriage has been going on for a very long time. However, in my opinion, this does not justify forcing someone to marry against their will. Women are often treated unfairly and abused. In France, forced marriage is against the law. However, in other countries, forced marriage is common. I think it's immoral and disgusting that people can give their daughter away as if they were just chattel.
Let's Commit Ourselves!
Some people believe that parents want their child to have at least shelter and food. I think if people are so desperate, that other countries should help a lot more to stop the forced marriage. But it is very difficult to change mentalities because people do not know anything else. I believe that women who are victims of forced marriage must be brave and should be encouraged to talk about their stolen childhood so that they can educate people and put an end to this inhuman practice. Report compiled by Susie Dighton-Brown in response to UN International Day of the Girl Child
Marriage is a choice
Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.
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MEASUREMENTS: INGREDIENTS: 100 GM 75 GM 1 EA 200 GM 1/2 TSP 1/2TSP 1-2 TBSP 50 GM
BUTTER SUGAR EGG YOLK FLOUR, SIEVED MIXED SPICE GROUND CINNAMON MILK CURRANTS
FOR THE ICING: 1 TSP 125 GM 1 TBSP AS REQUIRED
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LEMON JUICE ICING SUGAR WATER FOOD COLOURING
Christmas Biscuits Recipe (10 Biscuits)
METHOD 1. PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 1800C. LINE TWO BAKING TRAYS LINED WITH BAKING PARCHMENT. 2. CREAM TOGETHER THE BUTTER AND SUGAR INTO A BOWL AND BEAT TOGETHER UNTIL LIGHT AND FLUFFY. BEAT IN THE EGG YOLK. 3. SIEVE IN THE FLOUR AND SPICES AND ADD ENOUGH MILK TO GIVE A FAIRLY SOFT DOUGH. BRING TOGETHER, USING YOUR HANDS, TO MAKE A SOFT DOUGH. 4. ADD THE CURRANTS TO THE MIXTURE AND KNEAD IT LIGHTLY ON A LIGHTLY FLOURED WORK SURFACE. ROLL OUT TO A THICKNESS OF ABOUT 5MM. CUT INTO ROUNDS USING A CIRCULAR CUTTER. PLACE ON THE PREPARED BAKING TRAYS. 5. BAKE IN THE PREHEATED OVEN FOR 15 MINUTES, OR UNTIL PALE GOLDEN BROWN. 6. TO MAKE THE ICING, PASS ONE TEASPOON OF LEMON JUICE THROUGH A FINE SIEVE, TO REMOVE ANY PIPS OR BITS. MIX THE ICING SUGAR WITH THE LEMON JUICE, AND THEN ADD ABOUT TWO TABLESPOONS OF WATER, ADDING IT LITTLE BY LITTLE UNTIL YOU HAVE A RELATIVELY STIFF BUT SMOOTH ICING. ADD A SPLASH MORE SIEVED LEMON JUICE IF NECESSARY. 7. DIVIDE THE ICING INTO SEPARATE BOWLS AND MIX IN FOOD COLOURINGS OF YOUR CHOICE INTO THE SEPARATE BOWLS OF ICING, UNTIL YOU ACHIEVE THE DESIRED SHADE. 8. SPOON A LITTLE ICING INTO A PIPING BAG AND PIPE YOUR DECORATIONS ONTO THE BISCUITS. FOR A SMOOTH FINISH, YOU CAN PIPE THE OUTLINE OF YOUR DESIGN IN THE FIRMER ICING, THEN SLACKEN IT DOWN A BIT BY MIXING IN A LITTLE MORE WATER, GIVING THE ICING MORE OF A RUNNY CONSISTENCY, AND USE THIS TO FILL IN THE DESIGN. 23
Our first edition of Bexclusive has been a collaboration OF... THE Production team Chloe Chatenoud, Abi Dowling and Chloe Keen Writers and photographers Cacilia Copland, Jack Eastman, Jack Fenton, Joseph Humphries, Coralie Louis, John Mead, Moira Mendoza, Ginny Rescigno, Hannah Simmonds, Kirsty Smith, Mollie Thompson and Tristan Watson. With a big thank you to the following Bexhill members of stafF Emily Alcock, William Cohen and Aaron Pain Another big thank you to the interviewees who specifically and generously gave their time for the purpose of this magazine... Julie Heathcote– Factory Films, Mick Finlay– author of Arrowood, Huw Merriman M.P, Howard Wardle– Operations Director and Eastbourne Food Bank AND WITHOUT THE DIRECTOR AND EDITOR OF THE ARTICLES, THERE WOULD BE NO MAGAZINE, THANK YOU STEVE BAILEY!
Work begins on the April 2018 second edition of ‘Bexclusive’ in JanuarY. Send any material or ideas for articles to: collegemag@bexhillcollege.ac.uk