The Bournemouth Rock – Issue 15

Debt roulette Michael Seymour

OPINION Gove tries to shorten summer

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Students have been warned that gambling could put their degrees at risk.

The advice comes as almost 50% of 18-24 year old respondents in a new gambling survey admitted to some form of gambling in the previous four weeks.

SUBU Advice Manager, David Stock, said: “Gambling might not be a problem if you can afford to lose the money you stake. But debts can spiral quickly and could ultimately mean you have to leave BU.” He urged anyone concerned about gambling and financial problems to ask for advice and help.

“If you’re struggling to make ends meet then talk to SUBU Advice or the Money Advice Service – both are free, confidential and independent,” he said.

A participation survey released by the Gambling Commission last Thursday showed a slight increase in the number of young people gambling compared to the year before, putting the total now at the highest it has been since the survey began in 2006.

One 18 year old Bournemouth University student in his first year, regularly stakes £50 a week - mostly on online football accumulators, more than doubling that some weeks. The student’s main source of income is his student loan, but also receives £100 a month to help support him.

He has experienced both sides of gambling - getting into hundreds

Continued on page 3

FEATURES Danny Wallace is flying high P18

SPORT EXCLUSIVE

A survey has revealed the number young of people gambling is at its highest ever ROBERT O’MAHONY

Mother battles to cut out knife crime Tazz Gault

NEWS EDITOR

A mother whose son was stabbed to death two years ago is now taking steps to warn young people about the dangers of knife crime.

Jane Ormerod from

P16

Bournemouth set up Turn Your Back in memory of Nicholas, who was killed in Boscombe in April 2011. He was 29.

The charity is the first of its kind in Dorset, and hopes raise awareness on the dangers of knives, but to support people who have been victims of knife crime.

“Although Turn Your Back is in Nicholas’ memory, it’s for the benefit

of all knife victims, and to try to prevent other parents going through the same experience.

“I never understood what it was like to lose somebody. It takes you into a whole new world that’s very alien. It’s a club I didn’t want to join and it’s a club I can’t leave, so I just have to do the best that I can in his name,” said Ms Ormerod.

AFC Bournemouth hosted the

launch on Saturday, April 6 just two days before the two-year anniversary of Nicholas’ death.

The charity hopes to go into schools to hold workshops with year six and year seven children.

“I personally feel that the age group between junior and senior

Continued on page 3

Cherries taste promotion success P30

2 news

Thursday 2 May 2013| The Rock

Festival of Learning comes to town Hailey Hammer

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

THURSDAY, 2 MAY 2013

News

Pregnant mums get painted tums

5

Opinion

Newspapers learn nothing from Leveson

14

Features

Is print hitting back at tablet revolution?

Festivities included ice carving and sand sculptures

Measley vaccination rates endanger children

17

Joe Nerssessian

Sport

Fewer children living in Bournemouth and Poole have been vaccinated against measles than almost anywhere else in the country, according to official NHS data.

According to the NHS Immunisation statistics for 20112012, 93% of children living in Bournemouth and Poole had their first MMR jab but only 70% have received their second jab, which is the lowest figure in the country outside of London. Cases of measles have risen dramatically recently with over 800 cases reported nationally in the past six months.

Many parents chose not to have their children vaccinated in the 1990s because of health concerns which have since been dismissed. Last year 1,110 children in Bournemouth and Poole had not received their full vaccination before their fifth birthday.

In recent months 16 cases of

Elphick praises resolve after season success

29

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H.HAMMER

The Festival of Learning management team ran a stall in town last Saturday in order to spark interest for the event.

Nicole Wharfe, Event Manager at Bournemouth University, was in charge of the event together with Project Manager Helen O’Sullivan.

Nicole said: “We want to let people know that the festival is open for everyone, and for people of all ages.

It’s not just for university students but for people from around the area, and all events taking place are completely free of charge.”

She said: “Today we hope to increase understanding and awareness, and engage the public to come to the festival.”

Student ambassadors were present at the event, as well as the Marketing and Communications’ Outreach team at BU. They held a number of interactive activities for children to take part in.

Jamie Wardley, former alumni at the Applied Science school, was present creating an ice sculpture. He took part in an event earlier this year where he created a sand sculpture in the form of a camel, to be seen at the university’s Talbot campus. A lot of people gathered around to see Jamie work, and the finished sculptures attracted much positive attention.

Nicole said reactions from the public had been “really positive” and hope they will all come and take a look.

They will continue to campaign for the next five weeks, this being the first in a chain of events to come. They will be campaigning in Poole town centre on the 18-19 May.

Cases of measles have risen dramatically in recent years the disease have been reported in the South West with the most at risk age group being 10-14 years old, according to Public Health England.

The newly established Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is supporting a £20million vaccination campaign by Public Health England, set up to “ensure both parents and GPs are aware of the need to encourage MMR vaccinations in young people”.

Head of Immunisation at Public Health England, Dr Mary Ramsay,

NHSE

feels the whole situation was completely avoidable.

“Measles is a potentially fatal but entirely preventable disease so we are very disappointed that measles cases have recently increased in England,” said Ramsay.

“Those who have not been vaccinated should urgently seek at least one dose of MMR vaccination which will give them 95% protection against measles. A second dose is then needed to provide almost complete protection.”

‘Broadchurch’ gives boost to Dorset tourism ITV crime drama Broadchurch, filmed mostly along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, has driven interest in the area.

Website, visit-Dorset, had received three-times the amount of its normal hits following the programme, which peaked at nearly nine million viewers and has had a second series confirmed.

Students warned against risks of gambling Continued from page 1 of pounds of debt, but also winning nearly £1,000 on a single UEFA Champions League accumulator. “I felt a mixture of relief because I had had a bad month, but I was absolutely buzzing after winning it,” he said.

The rise in young people gambling is likely to be down to the increasing accessibility of gambling, through remote gambling – any form that is not done in person – which has risen year-on-year, reaching its highest ever level this year.

A search in the iTunes app store for ‘gambling’ apps returns nearly 1,000 results, including apps from High Street bookmakers, online casinos and help with problem gambling.

In the past, people had to visit a bookmaker to place a bet. But now, the internet generation can avoid the sometimes daunting prospect of visiting the High Street bookie, which often had a stigma attatched, instead being able to place bets and play casino games anonymously from the comfort of their own home, or by using their smart phones.

Queen’s Park councillor Cheryl Johnson fears how easy it is for people to become addicted to gambling, and recently wrote on a then-proposed council gambling policy: “In my view gambling is as addictive as any drug.”

She said: “Policies need to be in place to ensure people have secure financial situations so they don’t feel the need to gamble to secure their financial futures.

“It has a detrimental effect on [gambler’s] relationships with their family,” said Councillor Johnson, who supports Bournemouth County Council’s current gambling licensing policy, which is available to view on their website. “I think it’s a fool’s game,” she added.

The remote sector generated £717.16million in the year ending March 2012 making it the third biggest sector of the industry with 12% of the market.

news 3

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Knife crime charity aims to raise awareness in schools Continued from page 1

school is the most vulnerable. For a lot of years, [the children] have spent that whole time with the same set of people, and suddenly they’re mixed with four or five different schools, with the oldest person 18.

“That’s the stage that they can probably feel very intimidated and vulnerable –they can get involved with gangs and peer pressure affects them.”

Knife-related crime in Dorset has decreased over the last financial year. Compared to 151 incidences in 2011-12, in 2012-13 there were 144 reported cases.

“You don’t know who you’re going to meet out there, so you may carry a knife. It’s sad. When I go out, I pick up my mobile phone, my glasses and my keys. When did a knife become fashionable?”

Police were unable to tell Ms Ormerod and her family of her son’s death the afternoon he was attacked as he was not carrying any identification.

“When the police asked me to sit down, it was pretty clear that something was not right,” said Ms Ormerod.

“My life changed more than I ever thought it could, but Nicholas always changed the direction of my life, and that’s what he has done once again.

“I didn’t know before that grief is a physical pain. You have a feeling that someone has put their hand in your body and ripped your guts out.”

Ms Ormerod and her family visited Nicholas in the morgue the evening after he was killed. She said the experience was dramatic.

“My daughter was screaming, my husband was just in total shock and I was just crying, begging him to wake up.”

Before his death, Nicholas had lived at home. “To begin with, I was still cooking for three, going

out buying the food he likes. Even going to the supermarket and going past the cereal aisle, seeing the cereal he would eat for breakfast. You wouldn’t believe how something like that can seriously affect you.

“There were times that all I wanted to do was be with him, and I was thinking of the best ways to do it without causing too much damage, but then I had to find the strength to carry on.”

A Turn Your Back video is already part of many teaching programmes, including over 100 schools in London, and part of workshop material used at Fetham’s Young Offenders Institute.

Ms Ormerod has hopes for the charity to expand, and of extending its services to work with young offenders in local prisons.

Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Martyn Underhill is a trustee for Turn Your Back and is

very supportive of the charity.

“I saw Turn Your Back on Twitter around a year ago, and I really wanted to get involved,” he said.

“Being a police officer for 30 years, I have seen the damage that knives can do, and I’ve dealt with murders involving knives.”

As well as working with the charity, Mr Underhill is hoping to make some huge steps with the police in order to combat knife crime.

“The Chief Constable and I are working together at the moment to look at a knife amnesty. They haven’t had one in Dorset for a while, but they do work,” Mr Underhill said.

“If girls turn their backs on knife crime, and said to the boys, ‘Stop being so stupid, look at the damage you could do,’ that could be really impactive. We all know they carry these knives to give them street cred – they think it’s cool and, you know, it isn’t.”

Ms Ormerod set up the charity in her son’s memory

TAZZ GAULT

Study reveals school children still consider homophobic language ‘banter’ Tazz Gault

NEWS EDITOR

Homophobia and homophobic language is still an issue among school-age children, Bournemouth University student research has shown.

A study by six students from BA Sports Management students showed more than half of pupils

had heard homophobic language at school on a daily basis.

A similar number admitted to using such language towards fellow students.

The group also found that one in five respondents admitted to hearing homophobic language at their school sport club.

Dr Ian Jones, Associate Dean for Sport at BU, said: “Important subjects such as racism and homophobia are often overlooked as they are seen as taboo subjects.

“As we saw with this project, [there were] difficulties with collecting accurate data... many participants were either unwilling to participate, or overly cautious about presenting their actual behaviours.”

The study also revealed the children considered much of the homophobic language used as simply just “banter”.

The project was commissioned

by Alan Mercel-Sanca, creator of the Time for Change – NOW! Anti-homophobia Olympics Legacy

Exhibition Project.

The study was conducted by students John Bryson, Jenifer Kesik, Sam Brooks, Will Jay, Mark Wardman and Char Catley.

Will Jay, 22 said: “We did [the research] as our consultancy project, and it was good to work on something that is obviously still a big issue in sport and in schools, and to learn how little there is being done to combat homophobia.

“We worked with school children from 15 to 18 as this age is seen

to be where children know about sexuality and are responsive to questions.

“Then we have questionnaires filled out by coaches and teachers from the ages of 25-60 so we could get some answers about their personal experiences.”

The work has received support from the TUC Disability and Minorities Lead Officer, Peter Purton. Mr Purton said the TUC will officially support the report and its work.

4 news

Thursday 2 May 2013| The Rock

Dog helps additional learning students Julia Denni

Editorial Team

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Editor in Chief Julia Denni Editor’s Assistants Chris Fay & Alesia Robertson News Editor Tazz Gault Deputy NE Jonny Byrne Assistant NE Hailey Hammer Assistant NE Michael Seymour Opinion Editor Oliver Hill Assistant OE Sinead Lambe Features Ed Tom Beasley Assistant FE Gabriela Vlahova Sports Editor Ben Fisher Deputy SE Jack Cozens Chief Sub Maisie Buchan Assistant Chief Subs Emma Buchanan & Will Richards Head of Design N Vicki Wang Head of Design O Shanae Staple Head of Design F Fran Tatman Head of Design S Rachel Currie Photo Editor Robert O’Mahony Online Editor Robyn Montague Assistant OE Joe Nerssessian Managing Director Minee Bhise Head of PR Kelly Phelps Social Media Editor James Bayani Letters to the editor must be signed (including the course of Bournemouth University students, the working title and school for staff members, company name, or home address for individuals outside BU). Prior to the publication, letters will be verified for authencity by the editor.

Anonymous letters will not be published. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters in regard to libel law, length, taste, grammar and punctuation.

Letters to the editor: jdennirocks@gmail.com

Jack helps provide support for struggling students R. O’MAHONY

A five-year-old Shih Tzu, Jack, has become a permanent member of the learning support team at Bournemouth University.

Jack’s owner, Caroline Atherton, an Additional Learning Support (ALS) tutor, decided to bring him in the office. After seeing the positive effect the dog had on a student who was going through a difficult time, Caroline started to bring him in more often.

“It seemed like he was doing a lot of good by being here,” Caroline said.

Jack now comes into the university every day to comfort students and cheer them up.

Caroline said: “When people see him they smile, rather than coming in and being low. He is very much an uplifting character.”

Jack has not been trained in the way some assistance dogs are, but has been selected to work with Caring Canine, an organisation dedicated to promoting canine awareness through a variety of programmes within schools.

Sue Dennett, Founder of Caring Canine, said: “When people get a bit agitated, worried about what’s going on in their lives, they go and talk to Caroline. Jack’s just there and a lot of people probably smile because he is such a dear little

dog. People feel better in a dog’s company. It helps to lower blood pressure and stress levels.”

Paul Ademji, 24, a hospitality management student, has benefited from Jack being in the department and described him as a “special dog”.

Christine Scalls, manager of the ALS, said: “There are undoubted benefits to having Jack around for some students. He provides some non-human contact that actually really works.”

Paul hopes the programme can be extended to other departments and open the university doors to other dogs: “I think Jack should not only be part of the ALS but also part of the counselling and the chaplaincy,” he said.

“I think it’s what students really need, especially when they’re away from their families and haven’t made friends or are lonely.”

Paul said he likes that dogs are not judgemental and will be a friend when you are upset.

He said: “People need someone who’s impartial. Jack doesn’t have an opinion on anyone, he is not biased. He just sees you as a person.”

Caring Canine runs different programmes including Be Bookwise, which helps children who struggle with literacy, Be Dogwise, which promotes safety around dogs, and Signwise, using sign language to prevent deaf children feeling excluded.

Young sun-seekers at raised cancer risk Emily Connah If you get sunburnt before the age of 20, the risk of getting skin cancer doubles, the British Skin Foundation has warned.

Hermione Lawson, the foundation’s communications manager, said: “Evidence has pointed out that exposure to sun before the age of 20 can be most damaging. People just don’t realise the damage that the sun can do.”

She said as many celebrities, for example the stars of The Only Way Is Essex, promote a darker skin tone so it is no wonder that people think a tan is the best look.

“People see the golden look as desirable and they become desperate to be tanned. Even though there are alternatives such as spray tans and bottled tan, many people stick to the ultraviolet light from the sun and sun-beds.”

According to Cancer Research UK, science tells us that a tan is a reaction to DNA damage in the

Evidence suggests getting sunburnt when you’re under 20 could double the risk of cancer skin. It is a sign that your body is trying to repair damage that has already occurred. The individuals who like getting a tan may need it for a boost of confidence, which, in reality, is more important to them than a skin damage risk in later life.

Many also fail to consider that

aside from causing cancer, that UV rays are the quickest way to accelerate aging.

Lawson said that the effects of skin damage are not instantly apparent, which makes it harder for people to accept that getting a tan now can cause early signs

JULIA DENNI

of aging later in life. “Skin cancer is a very aggressive form of cancer, but there are ways to reduce the risk,” she said.

“Simple precautions such as wearing a hat, staying out the sun at midday and wearing factor 30 easily reduce the risks,” she said.

news 5

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

h

w ut e i v mo l a ti rne n te ou o P B m o r f

Gale force opposition to wind farm proposal Challenge Navitus’ visualisation of how the wind farm will look, advised to be viewed at 390x260mm. Developers say the impact will be reduced CHALLENGE NAVITUS

Michael Seymour ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Plans to build a wind farm off the Dorset coast have gained a large and growing opposition despite the need for more renewable energy in Britain.

Plans for the Navitus Bay Wind Park would see a 175 square kilometre area of seabed developed to house between 136 to 218 turbines. Developers estimate enough electricity would be produced in a typical year to run 790,000 average households.

But the proposal, a 50/50 joint venture between Eneco and EDF Energy, which will involve placing turbines nearly 20km from Bournemouth has attracted fierce opposition, particularly from the Challenge Navitus group which fears the wind farm would damage the outstanding natural beauty of the Dorset coastline.

“It is an ill-conceived plan in the wrong area,” said David Lloyd, a Challenge Navitus spokesman.

“It would be hard to image a worse place to build what would

be the world’s biggest wind farm.

It’s in a very busy shipping area, it’s directly on an internationally recognised bird migration route, it’s in an area which has two designated

This proposed “Nativus Bay wind farm will produce less than 3% of the electricity the government wants generated from off-shore farms

”

areas of outstanding natural beauty, and it’s along the Jurassic coast, which is a world heritage site,” he said.

Mr Lloyd said the proposed development would produce less than 3% of the electricity the government wants generated from off-shore farms. “Surely it would be more sensible to add more turbines to existing sites,” he said.

Earlier this month Bournemouth’s much-hated IMAX building was pulled down to the joy of many, but

it is feared the restored view will now be marred again by the turbines.

Dorset’s Jurassic attracts thousands of tourists to the area every year, and is vital to the local economy. It is feared that by building the wind farm in its proposed located would deter people from visiting the county.

Liberal Democrat councillor Roger West disagreed that the wind farm would be that damaging to the view.

“I think from all the presentations I have seen that the visual impact will now be minimal. The developer has bowed to public opinion and moved the farm further off shore.

“If we are serious about not going down the nuclear route then developments like this are inevitable. We have to strive for selfsufficiency in energy,” Councillor West said.

MEP for South West England and Gibraltar, Sir Graham Watson, thinks that you have to strike a balance between the need for renewable energy, whilst minimising the damage.

“We have got to generate electricity. We all need it, we all rely on it. Either we generate it in a way that is destroying the planet, or we generate it in a sustainable way,” he

said. “Of course if we generate it in a sustainable way, it’s not always going to be beautiful.”

Sir Watson is chair of the Climate Parliament, an organisation

The proposed “scheme would produce enough power for Bournemouth nine times over

”

where legislators from around the world meet to discuss the topic of renewable energy. “My view is it should go ahead ... the scheme that is proposed would produce enough power for Bournemouth nine times over,” he said.

One of the issues also being taken into account in deciding the fate of the Navitus Bay wind farm is any impact on the marine life.

Mr Watson claims the wind farms would actually help boost struggling fish stocks.

“The area underneath the wind turbines would become a conservation area. Because you

can’t fish there, the fish stocks have the opportunity to regenerate.”

A recent report by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) warned Britain risked a shortage in energy supplies by 2015/2016, highlighting the need to build more sources of secure and clean energy to keep up with demand, such as wind farms.

But the Navitas Bay Wind Park proposals have highlighted the issues that Britain faces in implementing more sources for producing green energy. Many people do not like having renewable energy developments near their homes because of the damage to their views.

Also, bird migrations routes, one of Challenge Navitus’ issues, cause problems for off-shore wind power, as shown when the Docking Shoal farm, near Lincolnshire was scrapped because of the risk to birds.

There are already more than 950 offshore wind turbines in use, producing enough energy for about 2 million homes annually, with industry projections showing enough energy will be supplied by offshore wind farms in 2020 for between 1820% of the UK’s electricity, according to trade assosication, Renewable UK.

6 news Big kids wanted for local sports King’s Park Alternative Sports club is looking for new members aged 18 and over to help with their summer races.

They are hoping to enter the Ferndown Pram race on June 29 and the RNLI Annual Raft Race on July 28.

The club, in Boscombe, holds weekly activities such as dodgeball and hockey, plus games invented by the club itself, such as Space Hopper polo and Combi-ball.

Club founders Dave Hann and Pete Reed said: “We invented King’s Park Alternative Sports Club as an excuse for adults of all ages to run around like kids, playing silly games and sports like we used to do at school.”

Volunteers wishing to sign up to The King’s Park Alternative Sports Club can attend a Sunday session at 1pm in King’s Park, or email Dave Hann at gamesatthepark@gmail.com.

More information at alternativesports.co.uk

Thursday 2 May 2013|The Rock

Anonymous targets town centre shops Adele Couchman

Members of activist group Anonymous UK marched through Bournemouth town centre on Saturday to protest against corporate tax evasion.

The international group, known for its Guy Fawkes masks, protested outside numerous chain stores in the town which have been accused of not paying their fair share in taxes.

The newly opened Starbucks café in the Bournemouth triangle was the main focus for the protestors, as it has been revealed that the coffee chain made £400million in sales in 2011 but paid no tax.

Other companies targeted by the group included Topshop, Vodafone, Boots and Primark.

The group also demonstrated outside Café Nero, announcing the company’s alleged wrongdoings through a microphone. A Café Nero spokesman addressed the group and denied the company did not pay enough tax.

In another protest the activists wrote “tax dodgers” outside one

The group protests against stores accused of not paying their fair share of taxes store, although it was removed immediately after.

Anonymous is an internet-based protest group which regularly demonstrates against issues including government corruption, human rights abuses and internet censorship.

The group said it wanted to raise awareness of the scandal

to the public and remind them of the companies involved.

One member of the group who asked to not be named said: “The extra amount of tax corporate companies owe the nation is close to £100 billion.”

Anonymous said the amount owed to the British taxman was “having an alarming impact

ADELE COUCHMAN

on welfare cuts”. The protestors said big companies should be “forced to pay tax like everybody else”.

Although members of staff were aggravated by the masked activists discouraging customers from entering their stores, no arrests were made. Dorset Police said the group members were entitled to “exercise their civil right to protest”.

Gardeners left out in the cold by low temperatures

Gardener David Bassil said this is one of the worst springs he has experienced, with many plants damaged by the cold

Sally Fish

The second coldest March on record has forced gardeners across Dorset to delay vital spring preparations.

According to Met Office statistics the average temperature of March was 0.1 degrees Celsius, three degrees less than last year.

With the temperatures only now

starting to rise to what would be expected for this time of year, the temperature rise has come a month later than usual.

This delay has caused uncertainty in the calendar with mass dumpings of plants by many garden centres whose plants – and businesses - have been damaged by the cold.

Many gardeners have had to rely on glasshouses and conservatories to salvage seedlings and potted plants while other tender plants have died because of frost.

David Bassil, a member of

Parkstone Gardeners’ Society, said that this is one of the worst springs he has experienced. “I have had to put everything on hold. It’s been very difficult for gardeners,” he said.

“It’s not only been the cold temperatures, it’s been the low light levels and the soil temperatures have been so low not even the weeds have germinated.”

Mr Bassil grows his flowers and plants for garden shows and often sells them to raise money for Cancer Research UK but the recent

SALLY FISH

conditions have meant that he is not able to grow the quality or quantity of plants he would usually get at this time of year.

“I have definitely bought less than I usually would from the local garden centres. I don’t buy anything that I won’t use immediately. Things like compost, I only use when it’s fresh. The garden centres bought it in early, when they would expect to sell it and they’ve not sold it this year. Their stock is not fresh,” he said.

The lack of demand from

gardeners in what most would expect to be the busiest period for garden centres has meant a huge reduction in sales. Garden centres have been forced to throw away thousands of pounds worth of stock after sales and temperatures plummeted.

Stuart Parker is manager at Wolvercroft World of Plants Garden Centre in Alderholt. He said that sales were about 50% down on last year and visitor numbers were not much better.

“Unfortunately we can’t open on Easter Sunday still because we are a small independent garden centre.

So the best day of the weekend was Sunday and unfortunately we were shut which didn’t help our numbers at all,” he said.

Some garden centres blame poor sales on Monty Don, presenter of Gardeners’ World, who told viewers not to bother planting anything until April.

Joanna Lewis from The Oaks Garden Centre in Wimborne said that the quote was taken out of context.

She said: “I think he was just generalising. Gardeners should go on what feels right for them. If the ground is too cold and wet then there are certain plants that can’t be planted but others can.”

Ms Lewis says that the poor sales were due to an early Easter and bad weather, not Monty Don’s advice.

With reports of warmer weather on the way, gardeners and garden centres could see improvements in conditions by mid May.

news 7

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Baby bump art business booming Hollie Borland

Mothers to be in Bournemouth are celebrating their pregnancies by having their baby bumps painted.

Leila Searle, 27, from Upton in Poole, has adapted her already established face painting service, Butterfly Dreams, to cater for the growing demand from expectant mothers.

When asked by a pregnant mother if she would paint her baby bump at her baby shower, Leila said she agreed to give it a go.

“Last August, a lady phoned me up and asked would I paint her belly,” said Leila. “I thought it was a bit unusual but I started researching it and that’s how it all came about really.”

The idea of gestational art became popular after Mariah Carey posted photos of her festively painted bump on Twitter, when she was pregnant with her twins. The Easter artwork titled ‘dem babies’ inspired expectant mothers to follow suit.

Like the custom of baby showers, this form of artwork is practiced mainly in America and Australia and is now slowly

making its way to the United Kingdom.

Despite the fact that the artwork is not permanent, it has not put customers off the idea of having have their bellies decorated.

“I don’t know anyone else who has had this done,” said Karen Baker, a first-time mother who had her artwork done only a few weeks from her due date.

“It’s my birthday today and I wanted to do something different to mark the occasion. I’ll probably just show my family, and upload photos to Facebook.”

Business is booming for Leila, with more and more expectant mothers asking for mini murals on their stomachs. She has now painted over 20 pregnant bellies since she started doing it in August.

“Different stages of pregnancy lend themselves better to certain designs,” said Leila. “I usually recommend having them done after seven months, but obviously it’s not always the same for everyone. It also depends on whether they’ve had children before.”

However, painting on women who are so heavily pregnant can have its drawbacks. “I recently painted a woman who was having contractions at the time! I just kept thinking that if she doesn’t go into labour it will all be fine.”

Many mothers say that it is a

relaxing experience. Leila said: “I’ve never painted a belly where the baby hasn’t moved!”

Some of the women have an idea of what they want, but for those who are not so sure, Leila comes up with her own designs. Many mothers are keen to have butterflies and flowers featured on the bellies, whilst others like to use the shape of the stomachs to depict a globe.

When photographs of her work came under fire on the internet, Leila produced a motif of a jar of Marmite, owing to the idea that people either love the idea or hate it.

The paintings are created by layering the colours and can take a couple of hours before they are complete. The paints Leila uses are the same that she uses for face painting: nontoxic, European Union regulated theatrical paints.

Leila has also lent her artwork skills to a number of charities. She recently took part in a ‘bumpathon’ for Comic Relief, where artists from all over the UK tried to paint as many bumps as possible over two weeks, raising around £150 for the charity.

Naked photo shoots and even body casting are also popular ways to celebrate the later stages of pregnancy. When Demi Moore posed naked while pregnant on the front of Vanity Fair magazine in 1991, she inspired pregnant women everywhere to do the same.

First-time mother Karen has her bump painted

HOLLIE BORLAND

Council campaign for same-sex couples to be foster parents Briana Millett

Foster parents are desperately needed to give a home to children in Bournemouth RICHARD WELTER

Bournemouth council is looking to same-sex couples to apply to become foster parents.

A scheme has been launched to encourage same sex couples, people who already have children and single people to help create 50 new foster homes across the borough.

Blair Crawford, cabinet member for adult social care at Bournemouth Council said: “There are many myths about foster caring out there which can deter some in our community from considering themselves. Families, same sex couples and singles are equally capable of providing a much needed environment for children.”

With 200 children already in care in the borough there is a desperate need for more carers to come forward. The scheme boasts just a six-month period between beginning and application and becoming a carer and hopes to find 25 new homes in the first year.

Jane and Ruth, a couple from Dorchester, decided to foster after being together for over eight years but found the process took over 18 months. “From initial contact with the agency it was then about three

months until the process to become approved foster carers started.

“The application process was quite intrusive, it required background into both of our childhood, our previous relationships and all the history of our immediate family members. We didn’t expect it to take 18 months so it was a little frustrating.”

The couple have fostered three children, an 11 and a 12-yearold on short-term placements and a 16-year-old who they still foster long-term. Ruth said: “We understood that the process needed to be thorough to maximise the protection of any children placed in our care and our fostering agency have been so supportive throughout the process.”

Blair Crawford said: “The fact is, if people can offer care security and understanding to a child in need then we’d like to hear from them so we can demonstrate how they can make a positive difference to a child’s life, as well as their own.”

Jane said: “I have three grown up children and looking after foster children, with traumatic backgrounds, is far more challenging than bringing up your own children, we’ve had to be in contact with the police, social workers and therapists but knowing that we can make a difference makes it worth it.”

8 news

Thursday 2 May 2013 |The Rock

Website links Dorset interest groups Julia Denni

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A new website has been launched to link key academic and environmental groups in Poole and Purbeck.

The Poole and Purbeck Portal, launched by Bournemouth University’s School of Applied Sciences aims to engage everyone

from academics to students and the public to promote a better understanding of the region.

Professor Rudy Gozlan, former Head of Academic group for Conservation Ecology and Environmental Sciences at BU, who started the project wanted to fuse academic research with local conservation.

Professor Gozlan has returned to France and the project is now being led by Dr Genoveva Esteban, Associate Professor Aquatic

Environmental Science, and Benjamin Thornes, Networking and Bid Development Officer.

Thornes said: “The Portal gives the community the opportunity to engage with the university and the research, which it undertakes in the region, giving a more transparent view of what we do in the School of Applied Sciences.”

The portal was made possible by a grant from Bournemouth University’s Fusion Investment Fund, which allowed the school to

The portal aims to link academic and environmental groups from Poole and Purbeck

JOE DUNCKLEY

employ 8-bit Lemon, a company run by second-year interactive media production students, to design and create the site.

8-bit Lemon co-founder Lee Giles said: “Working with the School of Applied Sciences was a great experience and it was the first time we had worked on a Bournemouth University project. The school asked us to produce a social network that allowed users to view, upload and interact with content relating the local area.”

He added: “We wanted to produce an environment that would submerse users in content and imagery. The approach we took to the portal was to produce a simple and clean experience that allowed the user to explore and discover work on the site, it is this exploration and discovery that would encourage users of the site to interact and collaborate.”

They also recruited Red Balloon, a creative media agency housed in the Media School, and the VFX hub, a joint animation initiative between the Media School and the Faculty of Media and Performance at The Arts University Bournemouth, to create a short promotional video, which is on the home page.

Members from the Dorset Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the National Trust, Wessex Water and the Poole Harbour Study Group have signed up so far.

The portal is aimed towards creating an online scientific community, based on the research themes within the School of Applied Sciences, such as: ecology and conservation, forensic and biological sciences, archaeology and anthropology.

Find out more on pooleandpurbeckportal.co.uk

Thatcher’s death ‘cheered’ at NUS

A number of delegates at the NUS national conference were reported to have applauded when the news broke of Baroness Thatcher’s death.

Murray Simpson, SUBU’s Vice-President in Education was part of the team representing Bournemouth University at the conference. He said: “The cheering was from a very small number of delegates and definitely did not include any from Bournemouth University.

“The other individuals at [the] conference were appalled with the cheering from the small minority,” he said.

But others on Twitter have argued that a lot of people cheered and applauded the news. One college delegate said: “There was very loud applause, laughs and a couple of cheers. It was definitely the vast majority rather than the minority.”

NUS President, Liam Burns, at the time responded to the incident by reminding delegates to “think very carefully” about how they responded to the news.

During the three-day event, the NUS voted Toni Pearce as their new President-Elect. Ms Pearce, currently Vice-President for further education was elected with 58% of the vote.

Ms Pearce will become the first president of the union who has not been to university, but insisted in her manifesto that she aimed to link college and university student unions together.

Facebook protest aims to save historic silver screens Shanae Staple

A campaign has been launched to stop some of Bournemouth’s oldest cinemas moving to a new leisure complex.

The Save Bournemouth Odeon campaign hopes to prevent the move of Westover Road’s ABC and Odeon cinemas to a nine-screen multiplex, called the Nautilus, which will be situated next to Bournemouth Pavilion.

The campaign has turned to Facebook to gather support.

Campaign frontman, Marcus Hughes said the traditional cinemas are appreciated: “A number of people in Bournemouth and the surrounding district love the fact that the Odeon and ABC are ‘proper cinemas’ with curtains,

and are buildings with architecture and history.”

Hughes expressed concerns that the proposed multiplex is very similar in design to the IMAX and close to where it was situated.

“It does not make sense to replace one building with another of the same type,” he said.

Now part of the Odeon chain, the two cinemas are viewed by residents as holding a lot of history for Bournemouth. The Associated British Cinemas (ABC) opened in Bournemouth in 1937, and the Odeon in 1929.

Hughes added: “[Bournemouth’s] style and elegance has sadly been in decline over recent years, and if buildings like the Odeon are lost then the centre of Bournemouth will be nothing but a club and crime complex.”

The planned move is part of a £50million scheme led by the Trevor Osborne Property Group. It was granted planning permission by

Bournemouth Council in Autumn 2011, and signed Odeon Cinemas as an anchor tenant in Spring 2012.

The company had previously hoped to begin the building process last year, but were backtracked by two other development proposals in the Bournemouth area, the West Central and Winter Gardens schemes.

Trevor Osborne Group Consultant, Rory Davis, said: “The competition between the three schemes has slowed things down. Most traders have favoured the Nautilus.”

Davis has assured that the cinema will include a large screen and that the architecture of the ABC and Odeon cinemas will be preserved.

The building will also have rooftop gardens and a spiral feature has been implemented into its design.

Davis said: “Big cinema boxes add nothing to the townscape and so we have been very careful to design the building so that the cinema is below ground level.”

Councillor Robert Chapman, chair

A visualisation of the Nautilus complex of the Bournemouth Economy and Tourism Overview and Scrutiny Panel expressed sympathy for the Save Bournemouth Odeon campaign.

He said: “What was a beautiful

TREVOR OSBORNE GROUP

building has been wrecked and I can’t say I support the move to keep it because it is beyond salvation.”

It is thought that the group will start building by the end of this year.

news 9

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Specialists critical of online dating site for STD sufferers Natalie Maria Taylor

An online dating platform has been launched for people with sexually transmitted diseases.

It allows users to filter through potential dates by their STD in order to find someone with their specific infection.

The UK Positive Singles website has more than 30,000 members in the UK alone, with 100,000 more members worldwide.

‘Gemma’ from Bournemouth was diagnosed with a rare STD last month. She said: “People judge you differently once they know. They think you’re dirty and you’ve slept around but it just isn’t the case. I find it hard to trust people now. I’ve even lost friends since my diagnosis.”

A report from the National AIDS Trust shows that 75% of those infected with HIV feel their confidence is so damaged by their condition that they struggle to develop relationships.

From 2011-2012, diagnoses of HIV rose by 2% while more than

100,000 people are diagnosed with genital herpes every year.

HIV attacks the immune system, increasing susceptibility to illness and other infections. There are normally no signs of infection, which is why it is so easily spread.

Herpes is caught through skinto-skin contact, which passes the disease to the nervous system. It can remain dormant for years, or outbreaks of characteristically raw ulcers may appear. Like HIV, Herpes can be controlled but there is no cure.

Given the seriousness of these infections, there are clear benefits of the site to both those who test positive and negative for STDs. Due to the considerable health risks associated with STDs, those who are already positive with an infection are looking for love among other carriers of the same disease, hence reducing the risk of spreading a disease to a negative party.

HIV specialist Dr Khan was critical of the dating site, and said it was not necessarily safe for two people with the same disease to have sex.

“Just because someone has the same STD as you, does not mean you’re biologically sound. You and your partner’s condition can deteriorate if precautions aren’t taken seriously.”

The site allows people to find sufferers of the same sexually transferable disease POSITIVESINGLES.COM

Welfare reforms hits Bournemouth workers

A fund has been set up to help those most affected by Ian Duncan-Smith’s recent welfare reforms

Joe Nerssessian

Working-age adults in Bournemouth will be over £500 worse off every year due to the Government’s welfare reforms.

This is according to a study made by Sheffield Hallam

University. The report researches the welfare changes introduced on April 1 by Ian Duncan-Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and the effect it will have on areas across the UK. The reforms, which include changes to Disability Living Allowance and Housing benefit, mean an average annual loss of £512 on working-age adults across the town.

The changes to the Local Housing

Allowance (LHA) are most prominent in Bournemouth with each working-age adult losing an average of £84 a year, more than double the national average of £37 and in total the 16th worse affected town in the country. LHA is a benefit for tenants who rent from private landlords and is dependent on the size of a property and the maximum rent allowed in the area.

Bournemouth Borough Council

NORTHERN IRELAND EXECUTIVE responded to the welfare reform by issuing a £1million Local Welfare Assistance fund which is in place to help Bournemouth people over the age of 16 on low income and experiencing hardship.

Housing cabinet member for Bournemouth Council, Robert Lawton, said he sees this is a big loss for some people.

But he argued that the fund set up by the council is in place to

help the worst of those affected by welfare reforms.

“If you are in the private rented centre you can apply for the welfare assistance fund and we will assess each case individually,” said Lawton, who believes the reason Bournemouth is so widely affected is due to the high amount of private tenants.

The report argues that Bournemouth is so affected in the LHA reforms due to the high number of “former guest houses that have been sub-divided into small flats, drawing low-income and out-ofwork households into the area.”

Other benefits affected by the welfare reforms include the disability living allowance, which will see an average annual loss of £35 for each working age adult in Bournemouth.

The Financial Times funded report also argued that “a key effect of the welfare reforms will widen the gaps in prosperity between the best and worst local economies across Britain,” a claim supported by Kinson Councillor Dennis Gritt.

“People will be worse off, more needing social services, more needing the citizens advice bureau, more needing food banks. I never thought I’d see them [food banks] again in this country, but here they are and people are relying on them.”

In total, Bournemouth will see £100.9million in benefit changes, this amounts to almost 2% of the region’s disposable income, or approximately 10 months of regional growth.

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news 11

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Increase in student finance applications slows Sammy Jenkins CHIEF REPORTER

A continued annual increase in applications for student loans has stalled since the imposition of annual course fees up to £9,000.

In 2009/10 a total of 1,037,800 applications were received from students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The following year it rose by 32,700. Last year – 2011/12 - the total rose by 42,400 to a total of 1,112,900. This year the rise was just 800.

The academic year of 2012/13 has been the first year to run the scheme allowing universities across England and Wales to charge up to £9000 for their courses. In this same year, SLC had only 800 more applicants than the previous year.

The figures, released by Student Loans Company under a Freedom of Information request are representative of full time applicants only and only cover applications that have been approved for payment.

Students who do not live in the same location for all three terms

of university are defined in the category of ‘partly parental home/ partly not parental home.’

Applicants for student finance can apply for a range of financial aids including tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and maintenance grants. Some applicants may also be able to apply straight to their University for a bursary.

Speaking on behalf of Bournemouth University’s Vice Chancellor John Vinney, Mandi Barron said: “There are many factors that impact on the number of applicants in any one year, including the number of school leavers that year and what alternative options there are to Higher Education, such as apprenticeships.”

The figures also show that there is a small drop in the number of applicants who are choosing to live away from home for the first time in four years. This has led to a slight rise of 3,300 applicants applying for finance to fund their studies whilst living at home.

According to the UCAS report 2012 the “Average tuition fee of acceptances at English institutions in 2012 was £8,389, half of acceptances were to £9,000 courses.”

This years increase in applications is only 800 compared to last years 42,400

ROBERT O’MAHONY

Facing up to a confusing condition

BU’s Centre for Face Processing Disorders is the only centre of its kind in the country

Rachel Currie A Bournemouth University academic has run a campaign to get face blindness formally recognised as a condition.

Dr Sarah Bate, director of prosopagnosia research at BU,

launched the campaign to raise awareness about face blindness, or prosopagnosia and to get in on the political agenda.

An e-petition has been created with the aim of getting 100,000 signatures to get a debate in the House of Commons.

“Face blindness is a cognitive condition where people are unable to

DR SARAH BATE

recognise faces,” said Dr Bate.

“Sufferers typically cannot recognise spouses, children or other family members and some cannot even recognise their own reflections in the mirror.

“It can lead to social isolation, with sufferers being unable to keep jobs or develop relationships, yet many healthcare professionals are unaware

of the condition so it often cannot be diagnosed or treated,” she said.

Prosopagnosia can be a result of head injury or stroke, but more people suffer from a developmental form. This lifelong difficulty in face recognition is thought to affect 2% of the population.

The Centre for Face Processing Disorders at Bournemouth University is at the heart of prosopagnosia treatment trials and one of the UK’s leading sources of research on the condition. Despite the possibility of there being as many as 1.5 million people in the UK who suffer from prosopagnosia, it is not recognised by the NHS. “Many adults with face blindness are worried about their employers finding out about their condition, as it is not a recognised disorder under current equality legislation,” said Dr Bate.

“A lack of professional awareness of the condition in educational settings has led to some face blind children being misdiagnosed with other socio-emotional difficulties because they appear to be socially withdrawn.”

Blogger, Heidi suffered from prosopagnosia since she was a child, but was not diagnosed until she was in her early 20s.

“I was often described as quiet and shy in school, but my difficulty with recognising faces was never noticed by a teacher or anyone else.

“I had an especially difficult time telling apart the boys because many of them had similar haircuts. As a kid, haircuts were something

I paid a lot of attention to.”

People suffering from face blindness often use other cues to help them identify someone, for example haircuts, clothes and location. For prosopagnosic children in school, surrounded by a sea of school uniform and similar hair styles, finding their friends can be a daunting prospect.

Heidi relates this to the everyday leisure activity of watching TV or films. “It’s hard to follow the plot of movies if all of the people are dressed very similarly - ie in uniforms or stereotypical period dress, and have similar haircuts too.”

Since research into prosopagnosia has increased in the past few years, celebrities such as Stephen Fry and Duncan Bannatyne, who starred in a BBC documentary about prosopagnosia, have come out as sufferers of the condition.

Heidi said it made a great difference for her to know what she was suffering from. “I can’t remember exactly how I discovered prosopagnosia or face blindness, but about five years ago, I was on the internet, and I came across a website about it. It was an immediate recognition. I cried,” said Heidi.

“What a world of difference it made to have a name for the problem, and to know that other people also have it.”

The campaign has now come to an end, but the results were not yet available when this paper to print.

More information available on Twitter @BUfacecentre and prosopragnosioaresearch.com

12 news

Thursday 2 May 2013|The Rock

Jump start for online television station

Jump TV’s Jasper Taylor presenting for the maiden broadcast with BA Communications student Polly Withington

Oscar Tollast The new student-led online television station, JUMP TV, has scooped two national student television awards.

The station, founded by secondyear BA Multimedia Journalism student Jasper Taylor, was entered into this year’s National Student Television Association awards.

NewsLab’s coverage of the US

presidential election won the best live show category, whilst Sports Locker received the award for best sports show.

The US presidential election coverage was also shortlisted for the best factual show category, and Jasper was up for best on-screen male presenter.

Jasper said he was proud of everyone who had contributed to JUMP TV and NewsLab over the past year, especially as it is the channel’s first year.

“It’s a huge achievement to have

won two awards and be shortlisted for two others in our first year.

“We were the youngest station present at the ceremony and some have been going for over 40 years.”

This year’s awards ceremony and corresponding conference marked NaSTA’s 40th anniversary.

Vikki Hutton, deputy editor of Newslab’s US 2012 presidential election coverage, said the award was worthy of the commitment and talent shown by all involved.

“It’s lovely to now be able to describe our coverage as ‘award-

OSCAR TOLLAST

winning’, and it is well deserved.

It was wonderful at the time to see Media School students, staff and technicians on a variety of courses working together to produce professional, accurate, and impartial coverage, and at a quick pace, too!”

JUMP TV is now planning a number of projects for the year ahead, and is already looking to build on its success for next year’s awards ceremony.

If you want to get involved in JUMP TV, tweet @JUMP_TV or visit its Facebook page

Nerve magazine wins national award Oscar Tollast

Nerve Magazine has won a national student publication award for best design.

The magazine was shortlisted by the Student Publication Association, which is made up of student newspapers, magazines and publications in the UK. Toby Gray, editor, said the award was the icing on the cake to the great feedback the magazine had received this year.

“The work we’ve put in throughout the past year developing a distinct and modern visual style has been amongst the highlights of my experience as editor.”

The magazine underwent a redesign at the beginning of the year, with a focus on colour.

“I never expected it would materialise into this award, but now it has, I couldn’t be happier

with what we’ve achieved. It’s my hope now that this is just the beginning of a long and successful legacy for Nerve Magazine.”

Meanwhile, the magazine is looking for a new editorial team to take over for the next academic year.

Applications are now being taken for the role of editor, and section editors who are responsible for: entertainment, sport, fashion, design, and features. Sub-editors are also needed for all sections.

Toby, a third-year BA Communication and Media student, said to those debating whether to apply that they wouldn’t regret the decision to sign-up.

“I started out as sport editor in my second year and worked my way up to editor this year, and the experience has been amazing.

“There’s a real sense of pride in wandering around BU to see students engaging with your work and providing that monthly dose of essential reading is a driving motivational force behind any role,” he said.

Alumnus goes for fun down under A BA Multimedia Journalism graduate is one of 25 people shortlisted to become Chief Funster in Tourism Australia’s Best Jobs in the World competition.

Hannah Sweetnam, who graduated last year, competed against 45,000 other entrants from 196 countries to get through to the second round.

If selected as Chief Funster, Hannah will have a hands-on social media role, review festivals and shows, and be considered a “Sydney VIP”.

Hannah explained she never expected to get this far in the competition.

“I was completely shocked when I found out. I was eating porridge and I nearly dropped it everywhere. I almost deleted the email by accident.”

Other roles available include Outback Adventurer, Park Ranger, Wildlife Caretaker, Lifestyle Photographer, and Taste Master.

Over 600,000 people applied for the six positions available, with more than 130,000 applications being made within the first 72 hours.

She said skills she had learned on her course influenced which role she applied for, and have been particularly useful in highlighting her entry.

“I owe getting through this round entirely to BA Multimedia Journalism. I couldn’t even Photoshop an image before and now I can edit videos and audio.”

For the second round of the competition, Hannah has to find the “ultimate referee” to support her application.

This includes submitting a piece of content, on any platform, showcasing support for her application.

“For the time being I am tweeting, Instagramming, Facebooking and YouTubing away to try and generate as much support as I can. We will have to wait and see!”

Human rights campaign by AUB student

Nerve Magazine’s designs were the subject of the award

NERVE

A new fundraising campaign portraying political imprisonment in China, Iran and Burma has been launched.

Al Hodgson, a Digital Media Production student at the Arts University Bournemouth, planned an installation piece in a space the size of a prison cell. The project will be installed during the summer, and the first exhibition will be held on the university campus.

Al said the campaign and the exhibition would raise awareness on human rights.

13

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Rock still makes a splash after one year Sam Thomson

The inside track on phone hacking and secret meetings with London looters were some of the front-line stories Rock staff and guests heard at their one-year anniversary.

The occasion was marked by students and staff, with guest speeches from top journalists and an awards ceremony to celebrate the best of the paper’s first 12 months.

Guest speaker, Bournemouth alumnus and Sky News Correspondent, Tom Parmenter, kicked off the evening’s proceedings by showing off his old student ID card and praising the university’s Mutimedia Journalism course for helping him establish a successful career in broadcast journalism.

After providing some fascinating perspectives on the future of journalism and the day-to-day life of a Sky News journalist, Parmenter had to dash the airport to fly to Cyprus for his next assignment.

Following the theme of international travel, former Sun

News Editor and editorial director of 72 Point, Doug Shields explained how he used to keep his passport in his top pocket whilst working as a tabloid journalist. Talking candidly about topics ranging from phone hacking scandal to PR, Sheilds also provided some sage advice for getting ahead in journalism.

Councillor David Smith took part in the event by presenting awards to the winners.

The event was also a chance to take stock some of the achievements of The Rock’s journalists since the paper was set up in late 2011.

Michael Seymour, who won best reporter for his piece on the student union budget, said: “It was nice to get some recognition for all the hard work that goes into the paper. I quit my weekend job to get involved with The Rock and it’s definitely paid off.”

Tom Beasley, winner of Best Features Writer, said: “I feel really privileged to be a part of the Rock and it is good to have my work acknowledged. If it carries on like this, I’m sure the paper is going to go far.”

The rest of the winners were Oliver Hill for Best Opinions Writer, Ash Hover for Best Sports Writer, Jasmine Allday for Best Sub and Rachel Currie for Best Designer.

The award for Most Dedicated members went to Vikki Hutton, George Underwood, Jonny Byrne and Maisie Buchan, whilst a special Outstanding Achievement award was given to Editor-in-Chief, Julia Denni and News Editor, Tazz Gault.

The Features team were awarded the Best Section prize, which was decided by the audience on the night.

The evening was rounded off by a sneak preview of the Rock’s website which is due to launch in the Summer. Online editor Robyn Montague, showed off the sleek new website, which promises space for news, features and opinion, as well as special online content such as blogs and multimedia.

Staff, students and journalists from The Bournemouth Rock met top journalists and members of Bournemouth council to celebrate a year of the paper

R O’MAHONY

14 opinion

OPINION

Thursday 2 May 2013 | The Rock

Editorial

Julia Denni

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Evidence of the use of chemical agents in the Syrian civil war is growing. But a military intervention from the West seems unlikely to ever take place.

While the White House – backed up by five countries in the United Nations Council – confirmed varying degrees of evidence for the use of chemical weapons

by Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the world seems to be suffering from delusions. We have been witnessing the lack of motivation – or interest – of our governments to act for almost two years now in a conflict, which has already claimed thousands of victims.

The American government confirmed that the use of chemical weapons would be a “red line” not to cross and Obama declared that the international community “could not stand by and permit the systematic use of weapons [such

Syria caught up in the chaos of a confused world

as] chemical weapons on civilian populations”. But this is yet another speech made while no action is taken to prevent the conflict to reach a much higher level.

Across the Atlantic, Cameron confirmed that British troops are unlikely to be deployed showing the two sides of a discourse, condemning what Assad is doing on one hand without lifting a finger to stop him on the other. I recently watched a short video, ‘Climate change doubters’ on David Mitchell’s Soapbox, where he insisted on the idea that we don’t necessarily need proof that something is happening or will happen to take preventive action.

For instance, do we take the risk when a child’s toy has 0.01% of risk of choking them?

No, we take it off the market. And I believe the principle applies in chemical warfare too.

Conspiration theorists believe we are being manipulated in order for the West to find an excuse for an intervention in Syria. I couldn’t agree less, the West is simply looking for excuses not to intervene. Syria,

just like North Korea, is dangerous mainly because of the insanity of its leaders and if we can’t predict what actions they will take, we should at least try to prevent them and be prepared for any scenario that might arise. Even used on a handful of people, poison gas is chemical warfare and its effects are too hard to predict.

The dangers for the international community as well as neighbouring countries should alarm those in power to take action.

After all, there isn’t much oil in Syria, and with no geostrategic interest apart from guaranteeing stability in the Middle East, the Syrian people are left to fend for themselves while we are watching, insensitive.

Syria has become the elephant in the room that every government is trying to ignore, trying not to repeat the – costly – mistakes of the past.

But turning a blind eye to the issue may simply have much worse consequences, but at the pace the conflict is going, it shouldn’t take long for us to realise, only it may be too late.

Young iPad addict seeks help Work

Machines in the workplace steal our jobs

15

Religion

Don’t preach religion as fact, it’s bullying

16

Email

ohillrocks@gmail.com

Abigail Brown

There’s a worrying trend developing amongst parents.

Increasingly, they are allowing their children to play on iPads, iPhones and other devices.

This exposure has left some children addicted, with a number of affected children being forced to seek therapy.

A four-year-old girl from the South East is the UK’s youngest known iPad addict and is now having psychiatric treatment for her addiction.

She started therapy for compulsive behaviour after she became ‘distressed’ and ‘inconsolable’ when being separated from the iPad. Dr Richard Graham, who launched the UK’s first technology addiction programme in 2010, was contacted by the child’s mother.

“She told me she had developed an obsession with the device and would ask for it constantly. She was using it three to four hours every day and showed increased agitation if it was removed,” he said, speaking to the Sunday Mirror. Dr Graham also told the

newspaper that some of the young technology addicts experienced the same withdrawal symptoms as alcoholics or those reliant on heroin when the devices were taken away from them.

This shocking story demonstrates that parents have no control whatsoever over their own children.

It is beyond appalling to give a fouryear-old an iPad. Even worse, this is far from being the first story to come to light about children experiencing addiction to a digital device.

Despite experts warning that regular iPad use by a child can lead to psychological problems, the message is going unheard by a number of parents. These addictions seem to be increasing in number and becoming incredibly problematic.

There needs to be more awareness amongst parents in order for them to understand the full extent of the obsessions that can easily develop in their children.

The retail market seems to have cottoned on to ‘the latest trend’ and is taking full advantage of the situation.

Products such as baby-proof iPad cover and iPotties with built-in iPad stands are certainly

not helping the issue. Despite the ill effects, more devices are becoming available in the form of merchandise for babies and young children. Do they not realise how wrong it is and that their target audience should be playing with toy dolls and racing cars, not digital devices?

The digital detox program created by Dr Graham at the Capio Nightingale clinic in London can cost up to £16,000. Parents are willing to permit their children to use all of the latest technology and gadgets, yet they are shocked at the price of the obsession caused by such a cavalier attitude to their child’s well-being.

Is £16,000 a price they are willing to pay simply to keep their child entertained for a few minutes?

Do they honestly believe that giving them the devices to pacify or quiet them will not set something into motion?

Children should be playing outside with their friends or playing with toys. They should be enjoying their childhood and having careless fun before they grow up.

However, this isn’t the case.

Now, children are in therapy classes simply because their parents didn’t say no to them having that last go on Angry Birds.

Arrogant papers show no remorse Oliver Hill

OPINIONS EDITOR

“The newspaper industry has rejected a plan for press regulation agreed by the three main political parties in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry” read the top line of a recent BBC news story. This puzzled me. Reading on it turned out that nine of the eleven national papers had collaborated and come up with their own suggestion of how they might be regulated in the future.

The ‘goodie-two-shoes’ Guardian and The ‘impartial’ Independent were the ones who elected not to get involved. In case you were in any doubt about why the British press was in the proverbial doghouse, you need look no further than this for your conclusive answer.

Does a convicted criminal recommend his punishment to the judge who is sentencing him? Does a nanny take advice on supervision from the children she cares for? No, they don’t.

Does the Prime Minister accept suggestions from the media on how they should be overseen?

Apparently yes.

David Cameron has said that he would be “very happy to look at other proposals”.

I’m not going to dither about with who wants which law to do what, I’m talking about the fact that these newspapers think that they have the right not only oppose a settled government plan but slip an alternative in there too.

The British newspaper industry has learnt nothing from the phone–hacking scandal and Leveson. Don’t get me wrong; I am whole-heartedly for a free press in this country because a media shackled by law makes for a weak democracy.

What I categorically condemn is the guilty party having the audacity to pipe up with its own punishment. Those nine newspapers argue that the government approved plans “have no support within the press” – so what?

It’s almost hilarious that a group so devoid of any remorse for their malpractice could attempt such an underhand trick to corrupt governement efforts to maintain an ethical press.

They’ve done the crime and it’s now time for justice to serve those who were wronged and a democracy that needs a free and open press.

opinion 15

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Post-industrial unemployment should be like heaven on earth Chris Fay

ASSISTANT EDITOR

When I got paid this month, I bought a number of computer games, some hardware, gift cards for a friend, and some groceries.

Only for the last purchase did I need to leave my house, and even then, no cash was used and I only spoke to someone when the particular brand of cheese I was looking for had been moved to a new aisle.

My point here is that people were just not needed in my purchases. This will not be news to most of us, nor does it strike us as weird or odd. We are natives to a post-industrial age and have come to expect a certain level of automation in our daily lives.

The people who are not children of the truly post industrial age are those discussing unemployment.

I don’t mean the skilled and educated economists who have discussed post scarcity, but the politicians and commentators who demand an end to high unemployment. The ones who want to get us back on track and back working.

But doing what exactly?

Production is not an industry most of the first world is used to.

Mines are closed and factories outsourced. It’s not just these means of employment that are gone however. Retail jobs are becoming less needed. The Asda chain in which this paper is currently distributed has had about 20 new self service checkouts added to a space that would normally have about four

manned checkouts. These 20 can be staffed by one person.

It’s no surprise that this is an attractive prospect to a company like Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and even WH Smith. Those of us with some knowledge of computers and networking can see how that often even one person is not even needed.

With remote desktops, it’s not unforeseeable that a 50:1 checkout to worker ratio is possible; even higher maybe.

Our society is a based on the service industry. Any service can be automated. If your job can be done by a robot, it eventually will be.

Certain shops are unnecessary now - and without a negative impact on the industry that once used them.

Games, music and film industries are still making billions, but record shops, games shops and film shops are closing in massive numbers.

Why? Because they failed to adapt to a changing industry. There is nothing sad about that. Who cries for the loss of the flint tool making industry? It’s progress.

Japan is even using robots for construction. They can work 24 hours with no sleep or food. Just maintain them. Morally sound slave labour.

What about the creative industry, like authors? Well, we all know books are becoming more and more of a niche item.

Nostalgia fuels the use of printed type. Tablets and phones are superior in almost every way. Let’s think about the author though. How much do we pay them? What is the idea worth?

Cut out publishers, printers, advertisers, the industry that went behind the production of a physical book, and how much is it actually worth? So what jobs are there left for

Many jobs are at risk of becoming a thing of the past as technology becomes more advanced PINADD either the non-college educated or even the academically educated?

Now the idea that very few people are needed to work without a drop in production sounds incredible to people who embrace the idea of a Star Trek style post-scarcity world.

This is not the case however. The utopia of science fiction is an evil ideology of that dreaded poison known as socialism. We must work for a living.

It’s noble and respectable and effective as a means of maintaining

socioeconomic normalities. This is a dangerous way of thinking. The Conservative mindset towards industry is counterproductive and just not going to cut it in a postindustrial world.

Needing to spend five days of the week working to spend two of them at leisure is not needed anymore.

Housing is in abundance, so why is it expensive?

Food is near the point of infinitely available. Why is it not free if the farm is automated? It’s not the idea

of a free ride. Pulling your weight in society is not just working a job where you throw away your life for something that means nothing to you.

How many artists and athletes spend their days working deadend jobs to feed themselves simply because their passion is not economically viable?

Why throw away the advances and achievements of science and technology for the ideologies of plain idiocy and selfishness?

Second Sichuan quake shakes up media storm Jack Dudley

The Boston bombing has hit America hard over the past fortnight.

April 15 was a day which shook the states from the inside, and the story is one of disaster, triumph and tests to the human spirit. In another part of the world, however, a shaking event was more revealing than the Boston Marathon.

The Chinese state of Sichuan was struck by a devastating magnitude 6 earthquake on April

20 leaving 200 dead, 10,000 injured and more than 100,000 homeless.

The early morning shake of tectonic activity arrived in China just as the second bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was taken into custody following the Watertown shootout, which left the world on the edge of its seat.

As I was watching the BBC, the running order hit me. An update on our strongest allies’ recent tragedy overtook the coverage of an event of a much larger and devastating scale in China.

It didn’t matter as much for geographical, rather more for cultural reasons.

China still feels like the enemy, and the tragedy that struck

thousands of people mattered less than what happened to America.

The reason why we appear ambivalent of the Chinese people’s fortune, in my opinion, does not make sense.

If we look at any of what we call essential items in our everyday life; everything, from clothing to MP3 players, they are manufactured in China, even though the majority of brands are American owned. Our economy is increasingly dependent on the choices the Chinese government takes and we should acknowledge this.

The response to the latest earthquake in Sichuan has once again been overpassed and failed to move the average British person

watching the news. A magnitude 8 earthquake which struck the region five years ago had a similar back seat position for global media coverage.

Seventy thousand people, many of whom were children were killed in 2008 just as the Olympic Games began in Beijing.

The positive state reporting of this event meant that the distance voices of those who were left homeless and orphaned went unheard in the hype of the games.

In the wake of the 2008 earthquake, the government announced that it would spend 857 Yuan, which equates to around 137 billion dollars on a three-year rebuild of public buildings and houses.

Despite this claim, it still leaves me

wondering why the schools were not rebuilt to standards strong enough to withstand another earthquake. The 7,000 which collapsed, twinned with China’s one child policy meant that many couples lost their only child during the disaster.

The question we need to ask now should be clear.

How are we and the media going to define the pecking order for stories of such different scales of human tragedy?

What are we going to do to ensure that aid and empathy are spread evenly, and should there even be such criteria?

Either way it’s the media’s responsibility to let us make that important decision.

16 opinion Forcing a religion on youngsters is bullying Sinead Lambe

ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

Last week Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, repeated his claims that indoctrinating children with religion is as bad as child abuse.

A dangerous and controversial statement to make by any means, this has angered politicians and charities alike. As an atheist myself I do appreciate his logic that reciting religion as fact into the brains of the young is dangerous. Not only dangerous but also contradictory.

I grew up in a Roman Catholic Primary school where religion was right and the evolution theory was unheard of. This is wrong. If anything, the constant repetition of religion may have made me atheist. I agree with Dawkins as far as to say it should be taught that religion exists but it should never ever be taught as fact. But then where does the limit lie?

Should science be taught as theory not fact? There are so many religions I believe it only fair to be taught about the nature of these beliefs. You should be taught to question and evaluate them, as I was when I was at a secondary school that had no religious affiliations. It is not fair to expect children to understand that one religion is right and another is wrong. That makes no sense.

Dawkins says that “what a child should be taught is that religion exists; that some people believe this and some people believe that.” I completely agree.

Religion should only be taught like this. I do not think it is fair to pressure children into believing their parents’ religious views, it is bullying. It means children are not persuaded to think for themselves but are instead forced to inherit the beliefs of their elders which is unnatural and unfair. The teaching of religion should be done very carefully as to not inflict one’s belief on a young mind. Richard Dawkins who has been blasted as attention seeking and unhelpful is talking sense in my mind.

He has not been offensive or belittled any religion but has purely outlined where the teaching and preaching of religion could be damaging our youth. It is by no means healthy to ignore the fact religion exists in education or to teach it as fact.

Thursday 2 May 2013 | The Rock

Give Paris Brown a break Robyn Montague ONLINE EDITOR

After a few weeks of being the media’s punch bag, Paris Brown will not be prosecuted for her “foul mouthed” twitter rants.

The fact that the police even considered punishing the 17-yearold just shows their willingness to roll over for press approval.

The tweets used against the now former Youth Police and Crime Commissioner included comments like “everyone on Made in Chelsea looks like a f***ing fag” and “I

really wanna make a batch of hash brownies.” Sadly I’ve read worse.

Kent’s Police Commissioner Ann Barnes defended their decision by saying they wanted a “normal teen” for the role. It’s worrying to think that’s how the collective youth came across during the interview stage and brings to question the police’s ability to use a computer.

It wasn’t exactly hard hitting journalism that broke the story when The Daily Mail only had to look on her social networking pages to find something that made her unsuitable for the position. So really the whole thing shouldn’t be focused on Miss Brown’s character, but more the police’s inability to do basic research

when appointing a position.

Their poor judgment has lead to a teenager being penalised and publically punished for behaviour that’s sadly not unusual on the internet.

Yes she was a terrible choice for the position of Kent’s ‘voice of the youth’ and her tweets were extremely offensive, but some were posted when she was 14.

She apologised countless times to the press, who relentlessly pecked at the past and reduced her to tears.

The Sun interpreted the tweet in which she called a group ‘faggots’, as her political view on ‘gay rights’.

This probably wouldn’t have been an issue if she’d have worded it

differently and added ‘It is my belief’ at the start. Kent police came to the conclusion that the comments, in context, were not grossly offensive on an objective assessment after her lawyers argued the whole thing was ‘disproportionate’.

The media demonising a teenage girl for tweets posted almost four years ago and insinuating a “foul mouthed”, “self obsessed” 17-yearold is nothing new. You can see their point.

If this was an attempt to make an example out of other teenagers who get verbally vicious on the internet, why not make the public humiliation more social by grabbing a cabbage and bringing back the stocks.

Cuts to school holiday make Gove the political scrooge Tom Beasley

FEATURES EDITOR

In 2001, a spin-off film was released to children’s TV series Recess.

The basic plot was that an unhinged ex-teacher decided to move the moon with a tractor beam in order to ruin the idea of a summer holiday and keep kids in school for longer. It sounds ridiculous, but make the exteacher an ex-journalist, remove the celestial tinkering and you essentially have the latest policy idea from Michael Gove, the Education Secretary.

Although cutting Labour’s school building programme and repeatedly belittling arts subjects marked Gove out as having a traditionalist mean streak, this is the icing on his rather evil cake.

Next time he appears in Cabinet, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find him stroking a white cat.

Gove plans to extend the school day until 4:30pm in line with some of his pet academies and also wants to introduce a four week summer holiday in the next school year. He claims that this will not only be beneficial in terms of pupils simply being educated for longer, but that it is also a policy with working families in mind.

Presumably these are the same working families who will now never get a chance to see their kids because they’re always in school.

For those families who struggle to fit school hours around work schedule, support systems such as breakfast clubs and afterschool activities already exist.

These systems allow familial

convenience, without forcing children to run themselves into the ground with constant hardcore learning.

Parents already say that their children return home unbelievably tired, so this would not be helped by an extra couple of hours staring at a whiteboard.

No child is able to properly learn when they are completely exhausted.

In fact, it often proves to be the Achilles’ heel of many university students as well. There is no point keeping children in school for longer when their learning is already intense.

This crackpot idea is the latest phase in Gove’s attempts to bring England up to the academic achievement levels of countries like China. His logic is that, as Chinese pupils spend the longest time at school, English pupils should follow that lead if they wish to improve.

However, figures have shown that the European countries which have the longest school hours, such as Italy, Spain and France actually scored far lower than England in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) tests. The OECD also found that English pupils actually already spend more time in school than a number of other major world powers, such as Japan and Germany.

Pupils in the English system get 950 hours of compulsory education a year, which is more than the 920 hour OECD average and considerably more than the 907 hour average of the EU21 states. Whatever Gove may think, it’s going to take more than basic mathematics to get the UK to the top of the educational ladder.

It’s no surprise that these proposed changes have been amongst the most controversial suggestions put forward by Michael

Gove. However, what did come as a shock is the level of support that appeared alongside the backlash.

It seems that many do think that kids should be locked up in the classroom all night and all summer, seemingly forgetting their formative years in which spare time helped to mould them into who they are today.

Without holidays, pupils may

ultimately learn as many facts as Chinese pupils do. But this isn’t China. To quote Shane Meadows’ best film, this is England.

There is absolutely no way that our children should have to spend every bright day of the year holed up in a grey room learning the complete works of Shakespeare off by heart.

It’s sunny. Get outside.

Gove plans to make school holidays shorter

CONSERVATIVEPARTY

features 17

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

FEATURES

Life in the old print yet Don’t count print magazines out just yet. There’s a long way to go in the tablet revolution, and publishers are going to need to be savvy in both mediums if they want to survive. As the landscape continues to shift and the industry changes, print publications are proving true the maxim ‘innovate or die’ George Underwood

Politics

The grassroots rise of the political Left

21

Photos

Drag racing photographer’s stunning snaps

22

Email

tbeasleyrocks@gmail.com

“Part of me has come to see physical magazines and newspapers as, at this point, absurd,” wrote Newsweek blogger Andrew Sullivan, reacting to the death of the 70-year-old magazine’s print edition. “They are like Wile E Coyote suspended three feet over a cliff for a few seconds. They’re still there, but there’s nothing underneath.”

Such a bleak view of print media’s future is common around the world today, especially in the United States, where Newsweek’s demise has dealt a very harsh blow to the industry.

According to Forrester Research, nearly 20% of adults own a tablet. For UK magazines at least, though, there might be more hope than people imagine.

Although print circulations here are indeed declining and sales of digital editions are increasing, looking closer at current trends shows that the ‘death of print’ is far from inevitable and absolute.

The recent release of the Periodical Publishers Associations’ (PPA) first Combined Circulation Chart showed that print sales still dominate in every one of the covered magazines. Perhaps most unexpectedly, though, they have also found that tablet readers are actually more likely to buy and read print publications than the national average.

People must still be finding a reason to buy print.

Luke Trimmings is Director of Operations at Appeal Software, a new digital publishing company helping out magazines in a time of uncertainty about how to handle tablets.He thinks that print magazines are still standing firm against the rise of tablets.

“You have to offer something different for tablet editions if you really want people to engage with them,” he says. That ‘something different’ includes the many innovative features tablets can add to magazines that print can’t.

“We’ve got a literary magazine where people can redact content, and we’re in the process of building music and video players into a magazine.”

As Luke explains, this gives readers a genuine reason to choose digital publishing over

print: “It’s not working for the people who are just uploading PDFs of their magazines. Readers don’t really get the point when they can own the same thing physically.”

And for every factor that might mean digital is simply not attractive to a reader, there are plenty that mean print still is.

“I’ve tried both and I personally prefer print,” says Event Coordinator Sam Honnoraty. “I find that iPad magazines are often buggy, and it makes me feel lazy not going to the high street to buy.

“You also get free stuff with print magazines like posters or mouse mats. I actually like that.”

It seems that owning something physical is still a strong draw for consumers, and Luke stresses that while tablet editions will almost certainly dominate the landscape eventually, print magazines will never disappear completely.

“When the major obstacles facing tablet publications are crossed, print magazines are going to become what vinyl is to music.

“They’ll mainly just be a nice thing to own, and you’ll have more coffee table publications. Publishers might say, ‘Let’s not do an issue every month, let’s put a quarterly out and make it a big, nice thing that people want to get’.”

One of the first magazines to launch an iPad edition, the British Journal of Photography (BJP), is a particularly striking example of this.

“We looked at the future of publishing and saw that, to survive in print, you’ve got to play to the strengths of print,” editor Simon Bainbridge said in an interview shortly after the app’s launch.

“You’ve got to have beautiful reproduction, beautiful paper, and offer an in-depth read.” Changing the magazine from a weekly to a monthly publication helped bring these ideas to fruition.

Meanwhile, the tablet version was also tailor-made for the medium.

Videos are included, navigation is designed with touchscreens in mind, and the infinite space is used for more photographs and extended articles. It is released as a quarterly to compensate for this extra content.

In short, the two editions were designed as two different experiences for the same magazine, giving consumers a reason to buy both. It paid off.

At launch, the digital edition topped the app charts and was named a Top 10 European app of 2011 by iMonitor, while Audit Bureau of Circulations results show that the print edition’s circulation

hasn’t dropped at all since the launch of the digital product.

Magazines now no longer really occupy a physical space. They are an idea, one expressed in different ways

You have to offer “something different for tablet editions if you really want people to engage with them

”

though several different mediums.

Each medium can offer something unique to consumers.

Junior Online Marketing Executive and horse-riding enthusiast Paige Hobart exemplifies this. Despite needing to be digital-savvy for her job, she does not consume magazines in a single way, instead using the medium that makes the most sense to her for the publication: “The only magazine I read digitally is Marketing Week, because I follow them on Twitter and pick out articles

I like. I probably wouldn’t do this with the horse magazines I buy. I usually get them because they’re there at the counter, and I just chuck them in my basket.”

Perhaps, then, it’s the language of the discussion that needs to change. It’s not necessarily a case of competition, of strictly one medium or the other.

Techniques such as those of Apps Magazine or BJP are beginning to tap into this idea by thinking of tablets and print as two different but interlinked ways of delivering a single brand.

Readers are willing to buy print or digital editions, or even both. They just need a reason to.

It’s near-impossible to say when tablet sales will actually overtake print sales – after all, who accurately predicted the iPod or the e-reader? – but the pessimism surrounding the idea needs to be shelved.

So long as publishers are willing to adapt in the same way readers are, they have no need to fear for their print editions.

The Telegraph newspaper appears on tablet and in print IAN FOGG

18 features

Thursday 2 May 2013 | The Rock

Jack of all trades Danny Wallace is flying high after BAFTA victories and his first fiction book Charlotte Street has been optioned for a film adaptation

RICH HARDCASTLE

features 19

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

More than just a ‘Yes Man’ His first novel is being made into a film, he has just won a video game BAFTA and he is one of the most lauded journalistic writers in the country. Overall, life is pretty good for Danny Wallace. Carrie Mok talks to the man somehow keeping his feet firmly on the ground He is the owner of two BAFTAs for documentary-comedy How To Start Your Own Country, produced The Mighty Boosh when it was in its humble beginnings, won a video game BAFTA this year for his narration on Thomas Was Alone and wrote the book on which the Jim Carrey film Yes Man is based.

Now, the 36-year-old’s first fiction book Charlotte Street is being optioned by Working Title Films and it seems that there is just no end to the wide-ranging and impressive talents of Danny Wallace.

His debut novel seems like a typical story of boy-meets-girl as the protagonist Jason Priestley bumps into a girl balancing an array of boxes and bags getting into a taxi on the eponymous street. He helps her into the taxi and then it simply drives away. But left in his hand is the girl’s disposable camera and Jason finds himself intrigued by this girl and the contents of her camera.

While these elements may make the book seem like it will be full romantic clichés, Charlotte Street is by no means a fairytale. It is a book which celebrates London and its diversity all in the background of a modern love story with a quirky and interesting twist.

It’s a different creative environment for Danny, whose previous journalism experience and writing endeavours are about how he accidentally started his own cult (Join Me), his awkward situations and experiences (Awkward Situations For Men) and spending six months saying yes to every offer he was given regardless of what it was (Yes Man).

It was a difficult transition for him trying to write a work of fiction as opposed to writing about his personal experiences. Initially it was very difficult for Danny to adapt to this new way of writing, but the finished product shows that he certainly got there in the end “I’m very used to writing in the other style, whether it’s the columns I write or just non-fiction. I’ve always got something to base my writing on, an event or a person or a journey or something someone said.”

Danny calls Charlotte Street “wide open” as he had to adopt an entirely different mindset in which to write.

“Every decision you make is a fresh decision. It’s definitely more difficult, and there comes a point where you suddenly know what you’re doing and you know what the world is, you know who the people you’re writing about are.

“That’s a really exciting moment because that means you can get really stuck in and you can go back

and make them more real. It takes a while for that to happen and it can be a little frustrating.”

Jason is a journalist who writes reviews for London Now - a fictional smaller version of the Metro, so with an occupation similar to his own, it would be easy to assume that Danny is putting a lot of himself into his writer protagonist.

“I thought it would be wise to place him in a world where I knew what was going on and how it worked so that it would feel real,” says Danny.

“If I got him right and made him seem like a real person then the world around him would feel very real as well.”

But Danny maintains that he and Jason are not so alike. There are points in Jason’s life with which Danny is unfamiliar.

For example, Jason was a teacher, whereas that’s just about the only thing at which Danny has never tried his hand.

“I made sure I sat down with a friend of mine who was Jason’s age and would work in places Jason would work.”

Interestingly, he thinks that if Jason was a real person working in journalism, he certainly wouldn’t count Danny as one of his biggest writing inspirations.

“There’s probably bits of me in Jason, but I also think that he’s someone who probably, this sounds weird to say, certainly in the first half of the book, wouldn’t like me and would leave nasty comments on my Facebook page or whatever, but hopefully he changes into someone

There’s bits of me “in Jason, but I also think he’s someone who would leave nasty comments on my Facebook page

”

who I think I would be able to share a pint with.”

In the busy metropolitan setting of London, Danny found the perfect location for his book.

Charlotte Street is a site which epitomises the changing face of London as a city all on just one, seemingly ordinary road.

“One minute it’s a huge square, then a tiny alleyway then it’ll be some very small flats and then it’ll be some grand, big buildings.

“So it’s kind of all of London encapsulated in just one small area. I

could have set it on any street really but I chose Charlotte Street because it’s really lovely.

“It’s a street that a lot of people use because they work nearby, but it’s also a street that takes you on the way to somewhere so you could

You can see what era “London is in by seeing the latest wave of people. It’s something that makes London more exciting

”

spot someone who you see there everyday or you may spot someone you never see again.”

True to its nature, main character Jason Priestley and his best friend Dev Patel (not based on the actor Dev Patel) see the girl on Charlotte Street again after his initial meeting, but unfortunately she doesn’t see Jason as they are separated by the glass of a café window.

While Jason is a sarcastic and jaded journalist who becomes bitter at his ex-girlfriend getting engaged, Dev serves as a deserved and welcome slice of comic relief amidst the emotion of the narrative.

He is obsessed with Polish cuisine, constantly eating Zszynka cheese and drinking Jezynowka.

Yet it’s an aspect which wasn’t included just for comedic effect.

The way in which Dev embraces culture is included because it reflects the changing dynamic of culture in modern, cosmopolitan London.

“You can see what era London is in by seeing the latest wave of people.

It’s something that makes London more exciting and it’s something which would place [the book] in the now, and there are lots of Eastern Europeans in London right now.

“I thought it would be nice to see a character in a book welcoming this rather than everything you read about in a lot of the right-wing press getting angry all the time about the latest [immigration] wave.

“I wanted to show someone who sees the good in a changing city because it always changes every 1520 years.”

Charlotte Street is currently set for a potential film adaptation, but Danny is not 100% convinced that the film will definitely happen.

“I always take these things with a huge pinch of salt, because most of them never happen.

“I mean Yes Man happened, and that happened very quickly, and it

was really cool. This one’s got a good chance because Working Title are very good and they make this kind of film a lot.

“It’s with a screenwriter at the moment, an exciting writer. He’s putting together a script and we’ll take it from there.”

If Charlotte Street is to grace multiplex screens any time soon, then it needs a quality cast with the right person selected to play the complex and nuanced central character Jason Priestley.

“I could sort of see someone like Nicholas Hoult playing him in a couple of years maybe, but apart from that it’s really tricky. If [the film] was reset in America there would be so many more people to play him.”

Seeing as Jason’s best friend is called Dev Patel, the real life Dev Patel - of Skins and Slumdog

Millionaire fame - seems like the obvious contender to portray the character when the film adaptation comes around.

“Yeah if he didn’t get that part, he would have to look very seriously at his work. If Dev Patel doesn’t play Dev Patel, he needs a new agent.”

So what’s next for Danny - a man who has seemingly tried his hand at just about everything?

“I think probably another novel, I was doing a radio show recently and one of the reasons I quit was to do more writing so I need to crack on with that and write a follow up, a second novel.

“I suppose it’s like anything else, you forget about the bad stuff, the struggles and you just remember the end product.

“I think that’s the only reason why anyone would choose to write a second novel!”

Charlotte Street has been optioned by Working Title EBURY PRESS

20 features

Thursday 2 May 2013 | The Rock

Dorset arts scene proves that the whole world is a stage GEOFF MURREY

MARTIN COYNE

John Foster’s Five Go Killing and his new adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, with a modern twist, are amongst the theatre projects soon to appear in Bournemouth

Theatre in Bournemouth is in very good health indeed. With several exciting stage projects on the way across the town, from rebooting Oscar Wilde to gangs of murderers, there’s never been a better time to enjoy a slice of the local culture Natalie Jade Barthel

During my three years at Bournemouth University, I have discovered that the town is a hub of theatrical activity.

There are so many people, students, professionals and freelancers alike, who make it their aim to contribute to the theatre scene throughout Bournemouth and Poole.

Laura Harvey studies Scriptwriting at BU, and decided to start her own production company, Creative3g Media. She works closely with Dame Kitty of the Kitty Wish Foundation, which operates out of Rubyz cabaret bar, but Laura also develops her own personal projects on the side.

Last year, she performed a one woman show called Kia Kaha Wahine (a Maori saying that means Be Strong Woman) detailing the highs and lows of being treated for ovarian cancer.

This year, she has adapted the show into something new for a run of performances. Along with the changes, it has been renamed With the Spirit of Audrey.

It is about Olivia, a woman suffering from cancer, her relationship with her girlfriend Emma, and her belief that she is interacting with and being guided by the spirit of Audrey Hepburn.

Laura has written the show and will be directing, as well as

starring as Olivia. The show is a real auteur project for her, as she exercises complete creative control.

Her co-star, Hannah Bang Bendz, is a recent graduate of the AUB animation course and her artwork will be featured in the play. It opens

“

There is a lot of creative freedom with theatre and it’s often forgotten

”

on July 10 and all proceeds of the show will be donated to charity.

Those interested in keeping upto-date with the play as it develops, can search With the Spirit of Audrey on Facebook for videos, photos and news about the exciting upcoming production as it develops.

“I love theatre,” said Laura. “There is a lot of creative freedom with theatre and it’s often forgotten.

“It’s a great medium for writers because you can actually see your work come to life, and witness audience’s reactions. It’s very exciting.”

With the Spirit of Audrey is a coproduction between Creative3g Media and Doppelganger Productions.

Doppelganger is the resident theatre company of The Winchester Arts Pub, fringe venue in The Triangle area of Bournemouth.

It was founded by BAFTA awardwinning playwright John Foster, who acts as Artistic Director and runs the theatre company part-time with

Ted Street, the company’s Executive Producer.

They run bi-monthly writing workshops, known as Doppelganger Dialogues, which are aimed to help develop the skills and confidence of local playwrights.

There will be a special workshop on June 13 at BU as part of the Festival of Learning, and anyone is welcome to attend and sample the art of theatre.

The first of Doppelganger’s upcoming projects is a performance of John Foster’s play Five Go Killing, which will also be at the Festival of Learning in June.

Jon Nicholas is directing, with Rebecca Legrand playing the role of Joely, the violent ringleader of a murderous gang known, amusingly, as The Famous Five. It seems unlikely that Enid Blyton would be very happy about the transformation

of her jovial gang of youths into a group of killing machines. She probably wasn’t approached.

From her prison cell she relives the killings, her capture and the media

Doppelganger will be “hosting a showcase of female talent with their show Seven Shorts by Women

”

outcry to the audience, who she treats as her visitors.

There will be a Q&A with a number of the people behind the project after the performance has finished.

In September, Doppelganger will be hosting an innovative showcase

Playwright and actress Laura Harvey (left)

NATALIE JADE BARTHEL

of female talent with their show Seven Shorts by Women, which unsurprisingly does exactly what it says on the tin.

Seven short plays have been written by women, and will be directed and produced by women as a part of Bournemouth’s Art by the Sea Festival.

Each play will have its own accompanying digital trailer and will be available to download as a digital text version.

It will incorporate the actors’ voices, in an innovative and exciting move that allows the production to harness a range of new technology, enriching the theatre experience for the audience.

John Foster is also writing a modern day adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s famous work The Picture of Dorian Gray. It is due to be produced and executed by Dramatic Productions, a theatre company based in Poole.

This will update the iconic story in order to appeal to a whole new generation of viewers, as shown by the modern twist on the promotional artwork produced by artist Geoff Murrey.

The artistic director, Tracy Murrey, a BU graduate, is keen to collaborate again with John after she successfully directed another of his modern day adaptations of classic works: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll & Hyde, which was performed last October.

Sean Pogmore will star in the lead role, and the show will be performed in October at the Lighthouse Theatre in Poole.

features 21

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

UK not Left behind Tom Beasley

FEATURES EDITOR

A small group of people is gathered at the base of a set of steps. Shattering the quiet of the slightly too cold spring day is the impassioned, booming voice of Robert McArdle, leading a rally in dissent at the government’s planned ‘bedroom tax’.

“There’s a man who is separated from his partner, with a daughter.

He lives in a two bedroom flat and had to give that up. But if he moved to a one bedroom flat, he couldn’t have his daughter come and stay with him. That’s the kind of society that the Tories have created. And what we say is - fight this vicious tax.”

McArdle is a member of the Socialist Party. A visible presence in many parts of the UK, the Socialists are drumming up support with regular rallies and demonstrations, focusing on grassroots political issues. McArdle at least seems confident that there is a place for socialist politics.

“There is definitely room for something left of Labour. People think Labour are the socialists, but they’re not. What we would say is we should take the commanding heights of society and make it publicly owned so that we, the people, control it, rather than the hands of the few.”

Left-wing movements such as the Socialist Party feel that now is

the time to capitalise on disillusioned liberal voters, as Nigel Farage’s UK Independence Party proves an alternative to the mainstream on the political Right. Siobhan Friel, Branch Secretary for Coventry Socialists, said: “With the increasing popularity of Ukip, it’s very important that we make it clear that you don’t need to turn to the Right for an alternative to the main parties.”

The Socialist Party faces a difficult road to make a name for itself as a credible alternative to the mainstream parties, from the point of view of the workers rather than the Eurosceptics.

Euroscepticism, immigration and the welfare state are currently huge political issues and have propelled Ukip into the mix.

As an April YouGov poll places Ukip ahead of the Liberal Democrats, it’s clear that the race to be the

think we have the “rightWeideas, but in order to be successful, those campaigns need to be supported by far more people

”

nation’s third party is well and truly underway.

Despite being a member of the Socialist Party, former Labour MP Dave Nellist describes the party as a “catalyst” for the alternative, rather than the final product.

“We think we have the right ideas,

TOM BEASLEY

Ukip is rapidly becoming a strong power on the political Right, beating the Lib Dems in recent opinion polls. However, another party is forming a grassroots movement on the Left. Will they be able to form a challenge to the three traditional electoral forces?

Dave Nellist, former Labour MP but in order to be successful, those campaigns need to be supported by far more than the couple of thousand people who are members.”

Refreshingly for left-wing supporters, Nellist has a clear plan of action for a true socialist alternative to the main parties, said that “over the next small number of years [we aim] to build a political force whose organisations are hundreds of thousands of people – not just a couple of thousand.”

Nellist is surrounded by battered seating and a small bar at a working men’s club, rallying against the political ideology left behind by the late Baroness Thatcher.

Speaking after the lively public meeting, he said: “The legacy of Mrs Thatcher is that she shifted the debate to the Right, to the degree by

which all three main parties agree on the fundamentals.”

Their difference from the three main parties is a central arm of the policy strategy for both Ukip and the Socialist Party. They thrive on their position as a protest vote, against the indistinguishable, amorphous positions of the traditional parties.

The Socialist Party especially works as an organisation for those angered by government. Friel sees this as a main strength because “a lot of parties wouldn’t be bothered about these grassroots issues – things that are actually affecting people in their day-to-day lives.”

Distinctive red stalls are omnipresent in many town centres, manned by friendly, familiar faces hoping to spread their Socialist views to the masses.

Every swing of the Conservatives’ cutting scythe is met with petitioning and protesting by the Socialist Party as it ensures that workers and the

A lot of parties “wouldn’t be bothered about these grassroots issues – things that are actually affecting people in their day-to-day lives

”

working class always has a voice of dissent striving to be heard.

A central area of attack for socialists is the crucial and developing youth vote, focusing on

those who are voting for the first time in 2015.

Capitalising on distrust of the Liberal Democrats over tuition fees, the Socialist Party was quick to call school walk-outs and marches around the country.

The youth vote is a crucial market, as UK Youth Parliament member Daniel McKenzie explains. “It is important for young people to be involved in politics because an uninformed vote is worse than someone who doesn’t vote.”

The party’s bread and butter is to be a constant presence, in a way that doesn’t happen in many other places. The Socialist Party has held a number of council seats in the city over the years and, according to Friel, the party has “quite a big base of support [in Coventry] based on work we’ve done in the past”.

Hoping to take some of the more unionised Labour supporters away from the party to which they are devoted, the Socialist Party is using safe Labour cities as a base for its drive to the summit of politics.

The Socialists still have a long way to go in order to be a credible alternative to the three central parties and the rapidly rising force of Ukip. As Nellist points out: “in the last two years, when any questions are raised, the one politician that’s on TV all the time is Nigel Farage.”

It’ll be a long time before there’s a Socialist representative on Question Time and even longer before there’s one in the House of Commons.

However, in certain cities at least, the political Left is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Socialist activist Robert McArdle addresses protesters gathered against the coalition’s ‘Bedroom Tax’, a grassroots issue championed by the Socialist Party TOM BEASLEY

22 features

Thursday 2 May 2013 | The Rock

Photographer of the Fortnight Callum Pudge

I started taking photographs with my Dad’s little digital camera when I was about six or seven.

He used to take me to various car shows and every now and again, he would let me take a photo with his camera, and to his surprise,

my photos looked pretty good (for a six-year-old).

Over the next few years, my parents bought me my very own digital camera and being the excited little tenyear-old I was, I wanted to go out and take some photos straight away. Throughout

My favourite photograph This photo is my favourite photo because it shows both the thrill and the danger of the sport of drag racing captured in a single instant.

The particular shot was very hard to get as the cars are travelling at over 250mph and the explosion happened in a split second.

When I took this photo, I was stood on a slippery grass bank, surrounded by crowds of people and I managed to get this shot inbetween two of the crowd’s heads. It shows the ability of photography to perfectly capture one specific instant and render it immortalised by a picture.

Not many other photographers got a photo of this event as it all happened so quickly and this is why it is my favourite photo.

the next three years, I was going to car shows with my dad more regularly and eventually, he stopped taking his camera as I was taking the same photos as he was, but to a much higher standard.

For my 13th birthday, my

parents bought me a DSLR Nikon D3000 and this is the camera that I have used continuously to this day for a variety of photographs.

Over the past few years, I have been going to more and more car shows and motor racing events and I

have slowly started to build up my own business called ‘Pudgey’s Pictures’.

As this little company that I have started grows, more people are starting to know who I am and I have been manging to sell a lot more prints of my photos.

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

features 23 One that inspires me This photo inspires be because it shows I can get a good photo in such bad conditions.

I took this photo through a mesh fence in the pouring rain in a very crowded area. This photo has caused quite a lot of interest from many people including the driver, and I have even sold a few prints of this photo.

When I was stood there, I never thought I would be able to get such a good photo so I was very surprised after looking at it on the computer.

One that I treasure Although this may not be the best photo in the world, this is a photo I truly treasure.

This is one of the last ever photos I was able to get of my dog, Hugo, before we sadly lost him early this year. Every time I look at this photo, it brings back all the great memories that we had with him throughout the ten years of owning him.

As long as I keep this photo, he will never be forgotten. This is why I treasure this photo.

sport 25

SPORT

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Ben Fisher

SPORTS EDITOR

Wessex Volley win 26

Where else is there to start apart from looking at the remarkable rise and turnaround of AFC Bournemouth? It’s an exciting time now between here and September where fans, residents and locals alike can look forward to what will become the ‘norm’ next year, for at least one season, if not more.

By ‘the norm’, I mean the big names that will be coming to town week in week out. But it’s something that is deserved given both the work and the investment put into the club. Chairman Eddie Mitchell has allowed Howe to spend and bring in the likes of Matt Ritchie from division rivals Swindon Town in order to compete at the right end of the table.

But this success could never have been envisaged when Paul Groves left his position as manager back in October. The start to the season and the football during his tenure is a distant and painful memory for many Cherries fans who now can look forward to visiting some of the biggest names in football, as well

Cherries on the up Brett Pitman celebrates with defender Steve Cook at the final whistle against Carlisle SEEKER as welcoming back Harry Redknapp and his QPR side.

Bournemouth were cruelly denied the title despite their almost relentless run towards the second-tier, but the achievement is nonetheless monumental and somewhat incomparable.

The open top bus tour across Bournemouth was fitting, and Howe has a team that is capable of competing at the next level, given the hunger, talent and harmony in the dressing room. Captain Tommy Elphick’s former club Brighton and Hove Albion and Premier League Swansea are examples that Bournemouth will be aiming to replicate come September.

Jack Cozens

Michael Seymour

What an achievement this season has been for Bournemouth. A year of football that has been enthralling from start to finish.

Those who were sceptical of their promotion credentials particularly after a wobble in the early weeks of 2013 - have been emphatically proved wrong by Eddie Howe’s men after a superb end to the season. Missing out on the league title will matter not to the club, as they return to the second tier of English football.

Bournemouth were deservedly promoted, having been transformed since Eddie Howe made his return to the club.

A five-game losing streak in February and March looked to have jeopardised their chances, but they went on to win eight of their nine remaining fixtures.

A Brentford win or draw would have given the Cherries the title, and they had a last minute penalty, but Doncaster stole the win, and with it the title.

DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

Fletcher shares experience 28 The Eddie Howe effect 30

Varsity day fun at BU The men’s lacrosse team were one of the three Varsity sides in action last Friday as former players returned to the University GARCIA

Jack Cozens

DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

Email

benfisherrocks@gmail.com

SportBU held their annual Varsity Day last Friday where former students returned in search of sporting success. Graduates had the opportunity to test themselves against the current crop of stars in rugby, lacrosse and netball.

The event, which takes place annually, is in its eighth year with different Varsity teams taking

part on each occasion.

Sam Woodward of SportBU was an organiser of the event which was held at SportBU and Chapel Gate, and described the process of arranging the fixtures.

“We get in touch with our graduate students and promote it through Bournemouth University Alumni, get the current players to talk to the past players and then have a fixture of the old guard against the present team,” said Woodward.

The day, which was followed by a social event that included a visit to the Old Firestation to complete the

full student experience, saw a strong number of players return to compete and, in Woodward’s eyes, was a huge success.

“This year we had lacrosse – it was their first year as part of SportBU so they didn’t have any graduate players, so instead they did a freshers versus seniors match, with one returner, and that was to get them into the routine of having a Varsity day fixture every year.

“We had a very good turnout from men’s rugby, with full teams for both our present and our graduates team, and then 15 graduate students

who came down to support. Netball had another good turnout and was hosted here at SportBU.” Looking ahead, Woodward hopes that more students can be attracted back next year to build on the atmosphere that was present at this year’s proceedings.

“We only had the three teams take part this year, but looking at next year we can hopefully promote it and get some other sports on board.

“It’s good for the student’s to come back and get involved again, so they’re still part of Bournemouth University.”

26 sport

Thursday 2 May 2013 | The Rock

VARSITY

Volley men relish underdog triumph Ben Fisher SPORTS EDITOR

BIG RESULT

Wessex BU impressed on the national stage as they saw off fierce competition from Northumbria to win the National Cup, lifting the prestigious volleyball trophy after beating a side who have invested a lot of money into their team.

Team captain Dan Hunter never doubted the possibility of such success with a coach as wellregarded as theirs and said: “We always believed it was possible, but when you saw the season that Team Northumbria had not losing a game - the odds were really against us.

“That said, head coach Vangelis Koutouleas prepared the team well and we had a solid game plan that we tried to execute. No one could have expected a 3-0 Wessex win.”

Tomek Lasocki, who starred in the win, felt the landmark success could make Wessex BU even more of force in terms of their reputation.

He said: “Wessex has been a huge club and the centre of volleyball in this part of England for a number of years.

“It was often seen as a breeding ground for top British athletes in volleyball but I feel that it has also often been perceived as a bit of a feeder club for the better athletes to bounce from into international volleyball. Hopefully this result

will put Wessex back on the map as a force to be reckoned with across all levels.”

On a personal level, Lasocki was delighted to go into the match as an underdog in a game with so much resting on it, where multiple Team GB athletes were involved, including Dan Hunter and Ben Pipes.

Lasocki added: “This is definitely up there with the best win I’ve been a part of and it was amazing to have so many supporters there cheering us on. I was glad we could do it for them too and inspire some of the younger generation of players and enthusiasts.

Hunter added: “It means everything to the club. We haven’t won a men’s title for many years so I am very proud that I have been able to captain this great team and club to the league and cup double.”

And Hunter hopes that this sort of success can rub on off on the younger athletes coming through the ranks, saying: “Hopefully it will inspire the juniors to continue to train harder and harder so that was remains a dominant force in the UK with the aspiration of competing on a European level one day.”

Hunter recognises the club is looking to build over the summer, where the players will have a break and make the transition into the beach volleyball season. The hope for next season is to coup the Super 8’s title and secure the league and the cup double. Final result: 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 25-23)

Ben Monksummers fired his way to victory in the BUCS shooting championships

Wessex BU enjoy their success in the National Cup at Kettering whilst winning captain and Team GB’s Dan Hunter (above) holds his trophies aloft HUNTER

sport 27

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

A world of summer sport Michael Seymour examines what’s happening across the globe over the summer

US Open Tennis (August 26 - September 9) US Open – Andy Murray won his first and only grand slam title here last year and will look to repeat that success. Serena Williams is always likely to be among the favourites for any grand slam and after winning her fourth US Open last year, she will be looking for number five this time round.

Wimbledon

(June 24 - July 7) Can a Briton finally win this year? It’s as good a year as any for Andy Murray to get his hands on the trophy. Since reaching the final last year, losing to Roger Federer, Murray has gone on to win his first grand slam at the US Open and won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, plus he was runner up at the Australian open, losing to Novak Djokovic. However, with Rafael Nadal looking strong since his come back, it will be hard to pick a winner from the top seeds.

Tour de France FA Cup final (May 11) Wigan take on Manchester City a week on Saturday for the cup.

City are virtually guaranteed European football next season and so can head into the final with not much to worry about, where as Wigan are fighting for their Premier League lives in a battle which is likely to come down to the final day of the season.

(June 29 - July 21) After an unforgettable tour last year, Team Sky return with high hopes of retaining the coveted yellow jersey. But Sky are pinning their hopes on the man who came second to Sir Bradley Wiggins - Chris Froome - after race organisers announced a route more suited to climbers like Froome. Wiggins, nonetheless, looks set to return to help out his team mate on the punishing three-week event.

Ash Hover takes a look at the latest sporting champ and chump Back in October, AFC Bournemouth were sitting miserably in the League One relegation zone after just one win from their opening 11 league games. Fast-forward six months and 34 games later and you’ve got yourself a Championship side?

How? Eddie Howe.

Since his return to the south coast, Eddie Howe (and not forgetting Jason Tindall), have lifted the Cherries from 21st to pole position in the league, losing just six games and winning their last eight – a new club record, prior to a draw at Prenton Park.

Howe also has ex-Bristol City striker Brett Pitman firing on all cylinders again, having scored in all eight of those successive victories. The last game before he rejoined as manager – an away loss to Coventry City – the club was struggling to get 6,000 fans into Dean Court every Saturday. The final home game of the season attracted a capacity 9,014 crowd. Eddie Howe is only the second man to lift AFC Bournemouth to the second tier of English football in the club’s 114-year history.

WINNER

LOSER Lions Tour

US Open Golf (June 13-16) The second major of the year takes place at Merion, Pennsylvania, when the usual big names will fight it out for the green jacket. Australian Adam Scott will arrive as one of the favourites following his two-hole playoff victory against Argentinian, Angel Cabrera at the Masters.

The Ashes (August 10-25) England play host this time with matches being played at Trent Bridge, Lord’s, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and the Oval.

Australia hope to stop England from winning the famous urn for a third time in a row.

Women’s Euro 2013

(July 10-28) At EURO 2009 England made it all the way to the final, only to be thrashed by Germany 6-2. Since then, England only made the quarter finals at the 2011 world cup, losing in penalties to France, but Hope Powell’s side will be hoping to return from Sweden with much more.

(July 1-6) The team featuring many of the big names from this year’s RBS Six Nations will travel to Australia in this year’s hotly anticipated tour.

Athletics (August 10-18) World Championships – Following on from their disabled counterparts, many of the London 2012 athletes will travel to Moscow for their first major tournament since the Olympics.

The little Uruguayan striker may have bitten off more than he can chew of English football.

Luis Suarez, one of the Premier League’s highest scorers and brightest talents, has never seen a red card in a Liverpool jersey, yet he will have been banned from 18 matches by the time his latest suspension is over. If he’s still around, that is. After netting 23 top-flight goals this season, there have been many calls for the controversial figure to be named PFA Player of the Year, but his latest acts have seen him all but hand the accolade to either of Gareth Bale or Robin van Persie. Biting Branislav Ivanovic is inexcusable. Suarez was banned for biting an opponent in his Ajax days and received a seven-game penalty.

Now that he’s plying his trade in the Premier League, in front of a bigger audience the ban is completely just. But is biting an opponent worse than racially abusing them?

28 sport

Thursday 2 May 2013| The Rock

Cherries’ promotion:

Steve Fletcher speaks to Ben Fisher about how promotion this time around ranks, his role on and off the pitch and his love for the club Fletcher applauds his teammates from the touchline against Bury in March, and takes to the pitch to celebrate amongst the squad after promotion was confirmed

Fletcher ‘Big Fletch’ keeps it cool waiting for news of promotion SEEKER

Steve Fletcher is the last man in the changing-room. Topless, he is happy to speak about the Cherries’ amazing achievement this season.

You would think that the 40-year-old was a youth scholar or desperate to impress – but Fletcher, perhaps better known as the ‘Big ‘n’ or ‘Big Fletch’ just loves being around his club – AFC Bournemouth.

Fletcher is a giant, both in the flesh and on the pitch. He is of course too the only league player to still be under contract at a club and have a stand named after him. Fletcher, as club legend, has seen it all as such, from the Cherries languishing in League Two under administration to their recent successes, which have seen the club promoted to the Championship for only the second time in their history.

He said: “As a club achievement, it’s top of the pile. From a personal point of view, it’s still up there but I’ve had so many good times here, it is sometimes hard to judge the best, so you can probably only judge the best by how you feel. It’s difficult because I’ve played the majority of the season. I’ve played a big part this season but off the pitch as well as on it.

“I suppose if you haven’t played a massive amount of games then it does take the gloss off it a little bit.

It’s something I’ve been waiting to happen to this club, a club I love, for the twenty years since I’ve been here.

For me, it’s probably happened a few years too late because I probably would have been involved more in it. It’s a monumental achievement.

It’s definitely something that’s really, really long overdue.”

Fletcher, who has mainly made cameo appearances off the bench, acknowledges on a personal level

the difficulty of the season, saying: “It was difficult to begin the season – I’ll be honest, only playing once. But when the gaffer [Eddie Howe] came in, he put me on the bench the majority of the times and involved me, getting a few minutes here and there. He brought the love back for the game for me, I had lost it a little bit and I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.”

Fletcher, who has been in the dug-out in managerial capacity himself alongside former manager Lee Bradbury, recognises the achievement of Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall since they returned to the Goldsands Stadium.

“

Being involved on a Saturday is the cherry on the cake for me

”

He said: “It’s been a whirlwind since [their appointment], snap your fingers, six months have gone by and here we are now. They involve me. Even when I’m not on the bench, I am still on the bench. As a voice, taking the warm-up, in the changing room, he [Eddie Howe] always keeps me involved and it makes you feel like you’re worth something.

“Not everybody can be a part of it when you’ve got a big squad, there are only eleven starting places and seven on the bench, but the next best thing is to be involved, and thankfully the gaffer feels I play a big part in that.

“He comes to me everyday and I’m probably the lad in the changing room who is a go between - between the players and the management.

Not every player likes to go to the management with those little problems that you get every day. I try to keep the changing room right and galvanize the squad and that’s a big part of what I do now – being involved on a Saturday is the cherry on the cake for me.”

Fletcher apologises for the pun but his passion for the club spills out again and again. Fletcher, who will be 41 by the start of next season, acknowledges his role as a member of playing staff is still limited but he’s happy just being part of a club so close to his heart, one where he’s amassed over 700 appearances having first joined the club over 20 years ago.

Fletcher added: “I’m not the type of player who likes to get up, finish training and then shoot away. I love being at the club, going in the offices and finding out if there are any ambassadorial roles to do or any schools to visit. I’m always one of the last out, probably because I am the slowest getting ready as well.”

On the feat of climbing a division, Fletcher revealed that his favourite moment after being promoted in front of the home fans against Carlisle United was something that happened that evening.

He said: “The nicest thing for me last Saturday was on the night we all went out for a drink and numerous lads came up to me individually, saying thank you and saying how much they appreciate me being in and around the dressing room and how big a part of the squad I have been. It’s a personal touch that nobody else sees.

“You always want to be appreciated and them coming up to me, whether they had a drink or not, they still said it. It means a lot.”

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The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Player

reactions

Elphick Captain Tommy Elphick kick-starts the celebrations by opening up the bubbly on the pitch as the Cherries’ secured promotion to the second-tier in front of home fans SEEKER

Ben Fisher SPORTS EDITOR

Tommy Elphick started the season as a summer signing from Brighton and Hove Albion and finished it as a captain of a promotion-winning Bournemouth side.

The centre-half, though, could always picture such on the field success, saying: “The reason I came to the club because I thought we would be challenging at the right end of the table. It’s what we all visioned and what have all worked hard for.”

“

It’s massive, it’s an honour to captain any side, none more so than this one

”

Elphick, 25, played over 150 times for a Brighton side that won promotion as champions in 2011 under Gus Poyet. Elphick can naturally find comfort in both of the side’s stories and can draw comparisons too.

The defender said: “They’re similar, they were two ambitious clubs looking to make the step-up to the Championship. Brighton obviously was my hometown club, so it’s difficult to compare them, but coming here, leaving them, taking a little bit of a gamble myself and for the club who invested money into me and the other lads – it’s satisfying it has all come off.”

Miles Addison started the season as the captain for the Cherries, but

since Eddie Howe’s arrival the young manager has installed Elphick as club captain – a challenge that he has relished. Whilst in the side, it’s fair to say Elphick has provided a real steel in the centre of defence.

Elphick said: “It’s massive, it’s an honour to captain any side, none more so than this one and for the manager. We are blessed that we have such a tight knit changing room with a lot of characters and leaders so for me to wear the armband out in front of them is massive.

“As players we owe it all to Eddie and Jason, they’ve been second to none. Obviously you can see with the turn in results that’s not just a coincidence, their return has been massive.”

Elphick was also keen to praise goalscorer Brett Pitman, who has scored 19 times since re-joining the club in January on a permanent deal.

The Cherries captain added: “He has been worth his weight in gold since he’s been back to the amount of goals he has for the time that he has been here. Some of his goals have just been breath taking, especially recently and for a centre-half to have somebody like him in the team, it’s comforting and gives you a lot of confidence.

“It takes pressure off and you have people like H [Harry Arter] and Matt Ritchie all chipping in, it’s huge and when you’re on a run like that and you need something to turn, Brett’s form sort of spurred everybody on I think.”

Elphick is already eager for next season and is looking forward to returning to his hometown club.

He said: “I’m buzzing for next season. We are going to go to some big grounds and play some big teams next year, and it will be interesting to see how far we’ve come.”

Allsop After joining in January Ryan Allsop has established himself as Bournemouth’s number one CUNNINGHAM

Jack Cozens DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR Bournemouth goalkeeper Ryan Allsop spoke of his delight at being promoted to the Championship in his first full season as a professional and said the feeling was yet to sink in. The stopper joined the Cherries in January and has earned his number one status having faced stiff competition in the form of Shwan Jalal and David James, a challenge which he had expected when signing for the club.

“I knew I was coming here to fight for the number one spot with the other keepers, so it was nice to get my chance and I took it and I’ve played since,” said Allsop. “I wanted to come here to

play games, and learn to bide my time and wait for the opportunity and when I got it I had to take it, so it’s all good for me. It’s nice to be playing and it’s nice to be part of it.”

Allsop joined the Cherries whilst David James was still at the club, and praised the advice that the exinternational and Bournemouth’s coaching staff have passed on to him during his stay at the club.

“It was a big thing, he’s an exEngland international goalie and he’s a big presence. He helped me when he came in and trained and it’s just the little things you pick up off him that can just improve your game, so it’s been a big part for me.

“It’s all good competition, which is great for me, and the experience that they give me, because I’m still learning as well, I’m still a young goalkeeper so

it’s good for me to get the experience off Mossy [Neil Moss] the goalie coach and Flav [Darryl Flahavan], Jalal [Shwan] and Jamo [David James] as well.”

At the age of just 20, Allsop finds himself in the situation where, having made 28 league appearances in total in his career to date, he could be a number one in the Championship next season. Allsop insisted, however, that the unity of the team has helped him to settle in and will stand him in good stead when he makes the step up next season.

“It’s a bit surreal at the moment, I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet. I always had belief in the team and the lads always had belief in each other.

We are a very close knit team and all the lads want to do well for one another.”

30 sport

Thursday 2 May 2013| The Rock

The story of Bournemouth’s unexpected promotion party Tom Bennett

It was always going to happen, but not against Carlisle, would it?

Doncaster would have to lose at home. Sheffield United would have to drop points against bottom-of-the-league Bury, and Brentford lose against an alreadyrelegated Hartlepool United.

Surely the champagne was on ice until the following Saturday at Tranmere?

But the Gods were shining down on the Goldsands Stadium.

Portsmouth and Notts County both went ahead before Steve Cook blasted Bournemouth in front when he headed home from Simon Francis’ curling cross.

“Play up Pompey,” the home support sang.

Carlisle equalised minutes after the break, churning stomachs across all three stands.

Harry Arter’s typical, energetic brilliance put Bournemouth back on track as he ran on, and on, and on from Matt Ritchie’s back heel and placed it into the back of the net unchallenged.

As the clock ticked down, supporters turned into mathematicians. The stands fluttered with calculations and permutations.

I popped inside to grab my video camera when Brett Pitman secured the win. A rumble shook the stands above me. There was five minutes added time, it couldn’t have been over yet?

Whatever happened, it was gratifying noise.

Upon returning to the pitch the hoardings were near collapse with fans barging to begin

their sprint on to the turf. The dugout was engulfed with thousands of fans chanting, praising and frankly going absolutely mental as a noble Eddie Mitchell appeared from the boxes above, fittingly popping his champagne into the stand before him.

In the changing rooms, the players were eagerly waiting for the Doncaster result. Jeff Stelling delivered the news that sent a changing room into ecstasy.

Red and black shirts paraded around the tunnel area – hugging, jumping and shaking with disbelief that this was their day.

Tommy Elphick, the promotionwinning captain, was on the brink of tears as he was the first to be paraded on to the pitch. “It’s what we’ve worked for all year so you can’t ask for any more,” he said.

Brett Pitman was next up, who scored his eighth goal in as many games to secure the win. “Obviously I’m buzzing. I’m delighted to go up.

Last time we did it away but it’s nice to do it at home so I’m delighted,” he tried to get out amongst the festivities on the pitch.

The celebrations continued as the players went one by one on to the pitch. “I think I had the Sky Sports app up every two minutes. The gaffer told me not to look, so don’t tell the rest of the players,” said club legend Steve Fletcher.

Eunan O’Kane’s reply summed up the day. “How does that feel, Eunan?” I asked. “I don’t know. I’m speechless. I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry or to jump around - I don’t know, “ he answered - a fitting description for a day of unprecedented buoyancy.

Out came the champagne - a £2,000 bottle - which looked the size of young O’Kane. While everyone fizzed around it, Matt Tubbs showered in its bubbles. The

Eddie Howe remained calm in the dressing-room after his side’s victory over Carlisle United SEEKER celebrations would not end there as a capacity crowd stayed behind to see the players chant, bounce and bask around the stadium before their loyal supporters.

“We are going up,” they sang.

But as Eddie Howe stood in front of the fans and warned - it wasn’t mathematical yet.

Brentford, now Bournemouth’s biggest promotional rivals, would travel to Victoria Park in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Why go home now? The club bars were

now full to the brim. Hartlepool took the lead through the now-heroic Luke James but were quickly pegged back by Marcello Trotta’s close-range finish.

As the final whistle came closer, the chants grew louder - as did the excitement.

The final whistle brought an end to the permutations, the mathematics and the doubt. The Cherries were promoted to the Championship with one game to spare.

The moment Sky Sports revealed

the league table, with Bournemouth glistening in gold at the summit, was one to savour. A drum roll played out as the table changed from the bottom to top half brought wild jubilation upon its transition.

Howe emerged greeted by hundreds of fans. From relegation battlers in October to being promoted in mid-April, Fletcher led the chants for his heroic returning manager: “Eddie Eddie Eddie Howe… Eddie Eddie Eddie Howe…”

AFCB’s journey: from relegation candidates to Ex-England stopper David James signs for the Cherries, initially until the end of the season

Paul Groves is sacked as manager after winning one in ten, with the club fifth from the foot of the table

Eddie Howe returns for his second managerial spell at the club, winning his first game in charge against a previously unbeaten Tranmere

8 September 2012

3 October 2012

12 October 2012

Following a successful loan spell, Brett Pitman rejoins the side a day before their FA Cup tie against Wigan

The side, undefeated since Howe’s return, travel to Wigan for an FA Cup tie.

The Latics win the replay at the Goldsands, ending the unbeaten run under Howe

3 January 2013

4 January 2013

sport 31

The Rock | Thursday 2 May 2013

Cherries promoted at home to Carlisle

Players’ reaction

“” “” “” “” “”

What a feeling we are up!!! Thanks for all the support and every one who helped. Up the Cherries @TommyElph4

Can’t believe that, gutted!

Promotion and 2nd place still great acheivement though @mcquoid17

The team celebrate after hearing the news that Brentford had drew in Hartlepool ensuring their promotion into the Championship SEEKER

Tom Bennett

Jason Tindall hailed the moment AFC Bournemouth were promoted as the best time of his career.

Three points against Carlisle United and defeats for Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield United meant the Cherries were all but promoted.

Brentford’s later draw against Hartlepool United confirmed their Championship status for next season.

Tindall joined the Cherries from Burnley alongside Eddie Howe in October and has since celebrated

no less than 24 victories in just 36 games as Howe’s number two.

The former Bournemouth defender said: “It’s been an incredible journey to come back in the circumstances that we did.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think we’d achieve this.

“How we’ve done it as well automatic promotion. Play-offs you would have said maybe we gave ourselves a chance but to go up automatically with one game to go is just incredible.”

This fledging run of form came after five consecutive defeats and Tindall was delighted for everybody.

“What an achievement it is for everyone connected with the football club.”

Would have been nice to win league but I guess not meant to be Still a great feeling @grabbs22

Such a happy day for every one involved with AFCB #promotion

Howe with chairman Eddie Mitchell after the Carlisle victory SEEKER

promotion victors in six months After an open advert stating that all squad players are available, Swindon agree to sell Matt Richie to Bournemouth for a fee of £500,000

Defeat at home to Doncaster, a fifth in a row, sees the club drop out of the playoff places for the first time since December

The side returns to strong form after an impressive 4-1 victory against struggling Bury, lifting the Cherries to third

Victory against Carlisle seals promotion to the second tier of English football for just the second time in the club’s history

30 January 2013

9 March 2013

23 March 2013

20 April 2013

@ShaunMac20

Everyone would of took 2nd place at the start of season. Let’s not forget how far we’ve come.

Everyone involved with #afcb should be proud @Matt Tubbs

32 sport

Thursday 2 May 2013 | The Rock

Cherries promoted to the Championship

I don’t believe it!

Fans turn out in fancy dress - again Hartlepool fans would be forgiven for writing off this season and perhaps running off on holiday a bit earlier than usual. But, remember the same fans who packed tube stations across London dressed up as Smurfs last year? Exactly, well this time they did it again.

The fans waddled their way to Crawley Town in fancy dress once more on the last day of the season – this time as penguins.

Hartlepool fans have every right to be discontent too, as ‘the Pools’ were relegated to League Two as they finished second-bottom of League One. Celebrity fan and Sky Sports anchor Jeff Stelling tweeted his praise to the supporters, saying: “Brilliant effort by Poolie Penguins. Great pix.”

tweet -twoo Cherries celebrate after sealing promotion and supporters joined their heroes on the open-top bus tour around town (below) SEEKER

Jack Cozens DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR AFC Bournemouth have been promoted to the Championship for the 2013/14 season, for just the second time in their history.

Their 3-1 victory against Carlise on April 20 was enough to seal promotion with a week to spare, while the side ended their campaign with a 0-0 away to Tranmere Rovers.

The Cherries’ dreams of getting their hands on the League One trophy were cruelly denied however, as 222 miles to the south as Brentford conceded at the death on a spectacular final day of the season.

Third-placed Brentford were awarded a penalty in second-half stoppage time against Doncaster after Jamie McCombe handled the ball in the area. Marcello Trotta stepped up to take the spot kick, knowing that a goal would send the Bees above their opponents in the league and into the Championship for the first time in 20 years, but unfortunately his

effort struck the bar before bouncing out to safety.

Chaos then ensued, as Billy Paynter broke away for Rovers before laying in James Coppinger, who slotted home to steal the three points for the visitors, clinching the league title in the process.

Second place nonetheless means that Bournemouth return to the second tier of of English football after an absence of 23 years, where they will face the man who took them there in the first place, after Harry Redknapp’s QPR side were relegated from the Premier League.

Supporters lined the streets of the town to celebrate the team’s success, with an open-top bus tour parading from Dean Court which eventually came to a halt at the Square, where it was greeted by scores of fans.

Turn to page 34 to see how the news of promotion unfolded

Fantastic news that #afcb have been promoted.

Eddie Howe has done an unbelievable job @mattholland8

First or second. Eddie Howe and the lads are all legends in my eyes @markmcadamtv

Congratulations #AFCB for being promoted to the Championship! It was an honour to play alongside such great people @jamosfoundation