THE LARKHALL NEWS Produced by St Mark’s School
Issue 17, February 2012
A Church of England Business and Enterprise College
St Mark’s The Valley Schools Report
&
Olympic Sculptor Ben Dearnley Exhibits at Larkhall Open Studios 2012
The Great Titanic By Bryan Chalker
Golden-Oldies ‘Goldies’ Garden’ Charity Launches New Community Garden Project Picture: St Mark’s student, Ben Partridge, with sculptor, Ben Dearnley
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From the Editor Happy New Year!
entrepreneurial spirit of small business. Despite this, Larkhall is a unique The start of this village that continues to thrive so year has already please, do continue to support your been a busy one local businesses where possible. for everyone at St Mark’s and we are Next month’s Business Connect will thrilled to be able meet at New Oriel Hall on Tuesday to let you in on 13th March and we hope that many some of this in the latest edition of local business owners and commuThe Larkhall News. nity organisations will come along and join us for a networking business Our community magazine continues breakfast. Details can be found below to provide local information, news or on our website! and features, all supported by the many local businesses who advertise With best wishes with us. If you enjoy The Larkhall News, please let our advertisers and supporters know! Their contribution is vital and we are very grateful for Paula Hawkins their continued support. Telephone: 01225 312661 or 478416 The current economic climate seems Email: to continue to conspire against the hawkinsp@st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk
Paula
In This Edition St Mark’s & The Valley Schools The Valley Schools of St Mark’s, St Saviour’s, St Stephen’s and Swainswick report on events
Golden-Oldies Garden Local charity find a new site in Larkhall to launch an innovative project to support elderly residents
Larkhall Festival 2012 Forthcoming events at this year’s Larkhall Festival and ideas on how you can get involved!
The Great Titanic Bryan Chalker investigates the links between this iconic shipwreck and Bath’s industrial heritage
A Happy New Year at Plain Ham Larkhall Athletic celebrate a string of successes both on and off the field
Spring at Transition Larkhall As the weather warms, the community garden at Alice Park continues to thrive
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Published by St Mark’s School Editor: Paula Hawkins, St Mark’s School, Baytree Road, Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6ND Tel: 01225 312661 Email: hawkinsp@st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk Website: The Larkhall News is available online at: www.st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk/BusinessEnterprise/LarkhallNews
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. The publisher does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors in content. Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage. For advertising enquiries contact us on 01225 478416
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StMark’s School By Executive Headteacher, Raymond Friel “Change is never easy for people and change in schools always brings some element of risk but as far as I am concerned, there are two main reasons why it has worked out so well for St Mark’s School: the staff and the students.” In September there was a lot of change at St Mark’s. A number of highly regarded members of staff left the school after many years of distinguished service. I arrived as the new Executive Headteacher in an arrangement which most people in schools find unfamiliar: a headteacher who is also running another school and is only there half the time. It could have easily worked out less well than it is has and as far as I’m concerned there are two main reasons why it has worked out so well: the staff and the students. I have found the staff at St Mark’s to be a highly dedicated group of people.The teaching staff are very conscientious and work very hard to make sure the students are getting the most out of their lessons and making good progress. The support staff are very committed to the welfare of the students and will go the extra mile to look after them. And very importantly there is a highly skilled and committed senior leadership team to run the school day in and day out.The students themselves are a delightful group of young people. They are teenagers of course and sometimes
have their moments but by and large they are friendly, positive and very proud of their school. Our biggest problem, as I said at the Open Evening last September, is that not enough families in the local community are ready to commit their children to St Mark’s, mostly because of a reputation that is simply not deserved any more. We have now had the number of applications for next year from B&NES. I’m pleased to say that the total number of applications and the number of first preference applications has increased. We won’t know the final numbers until March but the signs are encouraging.The environment in Bath is of course more competitive than ever with the creation of even more school places but I believe that St Mark’s has something very special to offer with its strong Christian ethos, excellent teaching and support, family atmosphere, innovative curriculum and rapidly improving results. In 2012, our priority as always will be the welfare and academic achievement of our students. Another top priority will be to continue to engage with our primary partners and the local community to promote the school and convince those who might be wavering that St Mark’s is a great school for their children. I would ask for your support in that work. The more people who talk about St Mark’s in a positive way the more the local community will come to the view that it is the school of choice for their children. Some of the most powerful messages prospective parents heard at open mornings and talks I gave at the local primary schools came from current parents of St Mark’s who were able to tell them about the excellent experience their children have at the school. The schools’ review meetings held last year highlighted the support that is present within the local community and came from local people who wanted to see their local school survive and thrive.
But a local school needs local children and I would ask all members of the Larkhall community to ‘talk up’ St Mark’s and help in any way you can to get the message out there that it is a great school!
St Mark’s School Pauses In Silence For Remembrance Day Students and staff at St Mark’s School paused for a two minute silence on Friday 11th November during a Remembrance Assembly to celebrate the lives of those servicemen and women who have lost their lives to War and conflict. The special commemorative assembly commenced in the main hall at St Mark’s School with students watching a poignant short film entitled ‘Why Remember?’ followed by a reading by Head Student, Matthew Sterling. At 11.00am student musicians, James Camm and Sam Norman stood outside the main school hall to play ‘The Last Post’ to the wider community of Larkhall, followed by two minutes of silence. At 11:03am they then played Reveille. The assembly finished with a presentation of poppies and a reading by Executive Headteacher, Raymond Friel. Head of School, Chris Ryan, said, “The event was the perfect tribute to such brave men and women and it is our honour to be able to celebrate their lives in such a way. The whole school felt the gravity of the occasion.” Both students attended the Remembrance Service at Bath Abbey on Sunday, with James once again playing First Post to a full Abbey.
Pictured above: St Mark’s students, James Camm and Sam Norman on Remembrance Day 2011 in full military uniform.
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St Sav i our’s
Nurser y and Infant School By Headteacher, Ed Harker
Fledgling Birdwatchers Anna, Iris and Lewis putting out mealworms for ground feeding birds such as robins and blackbirds. They might even attract some of the insect-eating pied wagtails we get on the school site!
The children of St Saviour’s Nursery class are taking part in the RSPB Little Schools Birdwatch and have used it as the starting point for a topic investigating birds. We always start our topics by establishing what the children already know, and finding out the children’s questions. This helps us to plan ‘next steps’ in the area of learning, and ensures that the children are as involved in the topic as possible. For example, the children already know that the birds use their beaks to sing, crack seeds, and stick in the ground to find worms. The children also know that some birds eat worms, seeds, bread and apples. They now want to know if they eat bacon, carrots and ice-cream… Here are some of the children’s other questions about birds: • Can all birds fly? • Do birds have teeth? • Why do birds have tails? • Why do birds sing? (Because they can?!) • Where is a bird’s nose? • How do birds get out of their eggs? • Are birds the only animals that fly? • How can we stop the squirrel pinching the bird seed? The nursery staff and children have been carrying out a range of activities to help the children answer some of their questions: • Making bird feeders with lard and seed. • Carrying out bird tallies around the school site. • Making exotic bird collages with multi-coloured feathers. • Hosting a visit from a reak parakeet. • Learning real birdsongs using the RSPB website. They haven’t learned to fly, yet, but they have been jumping from high boxes… For more information on the Little Schools Birdwatch please see www.rspb.org.uk For more information about our Nursery class please see our website, or contact the school office to arrange a visit. We are now accepting applications for places in September 2012. To request an application form please contact the school office on 01225 313 928. The closing date for applications is Friday 9th March 2012.
St Sav i o u r ’s
Junior School By Headteacher, Kevin O’Shea
Pupil Voice The Summer of 2009 witnessed the inaugural meeting of the B&NES Children’s Parliament. The ambition for this exciting development was to provide a democratic voice for primary school children within the Authority. Each year since then, representatives from the Primary phase schools in B&NES have proposed, debated and agreed proposals to improve the quality of life for children, at their Parliament meeting held at Bath Spa University in the summer. In 2011, the Parliament voted to carry forward the proposal from St Saviour’s Junior School: “That, in 2012, all schools in B&NES take part in a synchronised week of activities, with a health-related focus.” The School representatives were then invited to present the proposal to the Council Members at their next meeting in the Council Chamber in the Guildhall. There it was met with great enthusiasm and has now been taken forward for further action by a team headed by Briony Waite, the Strategic Planning Officer for the Children’s Health & Commissioning Service. The project has since been entitled ‘Healthy Living Week’. Healthy Living Week is scheduled for 21st – 25th May 2012. Each day will have a different focus; • Monday 21 May: Healthy Eating • Tuesday 22 May: Exercise Day - to mark the arrival of the Olympic Torch! • Wednesday 23 May: No Car Day • Thursday 24 May: Growing • Friday 25 May: Litter & Recycling Day and the aim is for all schools to engage in related activities to celebrate healthy living on every day of the week. Very shortly schools will receive their invitation to get involved together with more information on just how they can do that. For the moment, the children are delighted to see their proposal beginning to take shape and hope that, with the support of their fellow students, they will see the event as real evidence that their voice is not simply heard but listened to, valued and acted upon.
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S
wainswick School
School Council News By Freddie, Evan, Harry, Sophie, Izzy, Olive, Eleath, Louis, Becca, Ethan, Cameron, Katie
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Valley Schools Cluster Council By student reporter and council member, Ben Partridge
The harvest festival in September was a success, raising over £100 for the African famine appeal; we also had a lot of food for the Food Bank in Bath. We raised over £136 from our cake sale in October, donating all of the money to the ‘Bake A Difference’ campaign for famine relief that Milly and Felix brought up in School Council. We successfully collected over 1400 Morrison’s vouchers! We ordered lots of gardening goodies including two cherry trees, some seeds, ginger bread men cutters and some gloves. We also had a lot of fun choosing lovely things to fill up Christmas boxes with and collected 33 shoeboxes full of presents for the Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. The Christmas play and the Christmas service raised £129.77 for Dorothy House, a charity chosen by School Council as one member’s family had been helped a lot by them recently. Next we are going to be supporting one of our dads by helping to raise money for a new scanner at the RUH - watch out for further information!
Swainswick Eco Club Report By Deputy Head, Tara Kelsall Last year our school was involved in an energy project. We had a device called an OWL that we used to monitor energy use at our school. This led to a lot of work around energy reduction and as a school we made a significant reduction and some families using OWLS at home made reductions of between 10 and 30 percent! This year we have a new set of members in the eco club and we have decided to review and focus on the areas of recycling, composting, energy reduction and organic gardening. All of these things are well established at Swainswick but we are always looking for ways to improve. The eco ninjas, as they like to be called, are also planning to raise money to replace recycling bins and other items as needed.
In the last Cluster Council meeting held in November, pupils from St Saviour’s Infants and Nursery, St Saviour’s Juniors, Swainswick Primary, St Stephen’s Primary and St Mark’s Schools discussed ways in which they could work together to improve the community for local elderly residents. The aim is to bring the local community together and develop a project that crosses the generations by creating stronger links between older residents and schools and school children. There was much discussion and lots of ideas on how the schools can work together and all council members will now report back to their own student councils to guage wider opinions and support. Students and staff at St Mark’s School already organise a community Christmas party for local residents and it is hoped that this can be continued and developed further with other schools also getting involved. The next Cluster Council meeting will collate all of the ideas from all schools and work on a plan to bring the ideas to fruition.
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‘Goldies’ Garden’ at St Mark’s School On Friday 24th February, Golden-Oldies founder, Grenville Jones, Cllr Dave Laming and The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Bath, Cllr Bryan Chalker will visit St Mark’s School to launch a new collaborative project between St Mark’s School and the Golden-Oldies charity.The project aims to bridge the gap between generations within the Larkhall community by developing a new ‘Goldies’ Garden’ within the school grounds that local elderly residents can enjoy throughout the year. The scheme follows the success of the Golden-Oldies singing sessions that are now run across the west of England and provide a range of opportunities and activities for elderly people to get involved in and enjoy. The ‘Goldies’ Garden’ aims to continue this work through the development of outdoor spaces and gardens that elderly residents can visit and interact with through the seasons. St Mark’s School has been chosen as the inaugural site for the project with work starting in the spring. “We are delighted that our school can be involved in a project like this and see enormous benefits for the community and for our students,” said Head of School, Chris Ryan. “Our students will help to plan the garden and get involved in the development, planting and regular maintenance. We have allocated an area of the school site, close to the school’s Gardening Club allotment and nature pond that can have its own entrance. It is away from the hustle and bustle of school life but will allow students and elderly residents an opportunity to interact whilst enjoying the fantastic views that our school has to offer." “The development of this area will compliment the fantastic work already done by the Gardening Club and Cllr Laming to create a thriving and productive vegetable garden within the school grounds.” The garden has been designed by local landscape architect, Simon Kale, from NPA Consultants. “The aim is to provide a small garden area with flat, level access to a paved seating area. A variety of shrubs and climbers providing scent, flowering and seasonal interest will be planted. I sing in two of Grenville's choirs and
he was aware of the design work I, as a Landscape Architect, had undertaken at Hayesfield School, so he asked if I would be willing to help design a garden for the Goldies.” “The proposed location provides a great view across to Solsbury Hill, and being adjacent to the existing allotment, I hope the garden provides opportunities for older and younger people to meet and enjoy the space.” The project has recently been awarded a grant of £1500 by the Charter Trustee Standing Committee to kick-start the fundraising campaign. The campaign needs to raise a further £5500 for it to be completed in time for residents to enjoy later this spring. “The sum required is fairly modest by today's standards but we, as a team, aren't able to simply pluck money from a bottomless pit,” said Cllr Bryan Chalker. “We will be relying on a lot of good will and Grenville's efforts to secure additional funds to see this exciting and ground-breaking (pun intended!) project through to completion.” “The whole scheme will, when completed, cut across all age groups and complement the already existing 'Food For Thought' allotment garden in St Mark's School grounds.
The 'Goldies’ Garden' will be another First for Larkhall and a template for others to use.” Speaking on behalf of Golden-Oldies, Grenville added, “Over a thousand people now attend our Goldies fun singing sessions across the West and also in South Wales with the launch of Goldies Cymru in December.” “We try to give folk, many who live in isolation, the chance to get out of their homes and interact with others.The garden will do that and I am most grateful for the wonderful support received so far,” he said. “If you would like to help us create our first Goldies’ Garden, perhaps by helping us to buy one of the seats, then please contact me.” Grenville can be contacted on 01761 470006 or email glj@golden-oldies.org.uk.
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News from
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New Oriel Hall
Spring is finally around the corner, our favourite time of year here at New Oriel Hall. After gales, grey rain and endless gloomy news of recession, it is good to focus on renewal and the positive things in life. Classes here are many and varied. If you are over 50 and in need of a regular work-out, Jill Hollings runs weekly classes every Monday 23pm specially for older people, with exercises designed to increase and maintain total flexibility. To find out more details call Jill on 01225 723264 or turn up and give it a go. On the last Sunday in every month, from 7 9pm, there is the Bath Home Birth group where expectant mothers can find out about giving birth in a water pool. Monthly sessions in Qi Gong are being held here on Fridays
February 24th, March 23rd and April 20th, from 10.00 a.m. until 4.30 p.m. Throughout springtime, the hall is fortunate to be hosting some new and exciting one-off events. On February 4th Larkhall Festival Committee are holding a fund raising Quiz Night and Fish & Chip Supper. An evening not to be missed! We have a real treat in store for dance lovers on Sunday 12th February as Richard from Ceroclive.co will be running a fantastic day of Ceroc dancing. This Jango workshop & Tea Dance would most suit Intermediate level dancers in the area. For more info call Richard on 07540 751400 or see ceroclive.co You may have heard about the wonderful new art space here at the New Oriel Hall – the ‘Cedar Studio’ and we are delighted to announce that local artist Clare Day will be running a 6-week series of clay workshops (Wednesdays 6-8pm Feb 22 – March 28) in our new studio.To book or for more information please call Clare on 07749 838814. The Cedar store is available for hire, so if you are a local artist needing temporary
Well wasn’t 2011 an incredible year at The Rondo? It had everything imaginable and we’re set to surpass ourselves in 2012. Every taste is catered for in our gorgeous wood floored theatre; but the quality is always so high that taking a risk on something new or outside your comfort zone is well advised. Here are some highlights of the forthcoming Spring season: The season gets off to a rollicking good start with Bath Drama’s annual pantomime: this year it’s Jack & The Beanstalk - fun by the bucket load. Brett Goldstein Grew Up In A Strip Club. With a title that good we can’t wait for this intriguing and very funny show that has wowed critics and audiences alike. Hot on the heels of Brett is Simon Munnery, one of the most respected stand-ups of his generation, and a firm favourite of all of us here. Rogue Theatre return with their new show The Dancer and The Devil, which was originally developed with the legendary Battersea
Arts Centre.Two other returning companies that left us thrilled on their last visits are Beyond Eternity Promotions, who have a knack of picking up some absolutely cracking shows and An Audience with Sherlock Holmes is as close to a theatrical slam dunk as possible, and Reform who are fast becoming one of the country’s most reliable producers of exciting new theatre. Henry VIII and the Royal Wedding Planner is a show that The Rondo had a helping hand in creating and we love it very dearly: we are clearly not alone as it got rave reviews on its first outing. There are so many shows and each and every one of them has something special to offer. If music is your thing we have the ultra talented Jennifer Crook and her sultry sound, or if you’re willing to take one of those risks we were talking about earlier how about opera? Yes, opera. Merry Opera visited us briefly last Comedy festival and it was great - now they are back and they will be even greater. This is proper opera performed brilliantly by a very
space or a teacher looking for a workshop to run short courses, please get in touch and arrange a viewing. We have a fascinating event for writers, organised by Jude and Alex of Writing Events Bath. Patricia Wastvedt will run the session on Dialogue and Story Editing, taking place from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Sunday March 4th. To book a place contact writingeventsbath@gmail.com On the morning of 17th March (9.30am – 12.30pm) Sarah is organising a Vintage Fair. Anyone with any china, jewellery, clothes, linens, pictures etc... hiding in their attic and who wants to take a stall at the fair can contact her on 01225 461258. As well as wonderful stalls full of vintage/retro items you will also be able to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a delicious home-made cake served on vintage china in the café. Later in the month Sarah is holding another of her famous Clothes Sales and this takes place at 7.30 p.m. on Friday 23rd March. To book a space you can contact her on 01225 461258.These sales are always very popular and you are bound to find something to bring a smile to your face at a bargain price. You can find out more details about everything going on here by looking at our web site which is updated weekly. www.neworielhall.org.uk or check out the large timetable on the notice board outside the hall.
exciting company in an intimate venue, a real rarity and an absolute treat. There really are too many shows to highlight them all; pick up the brochure open it to any page and you’ll be guaranteed a delight. We haven’t even mentioned the deliriously wondrous Gonzo Moose - if you’ve never seen one of their shows what on earth stopped you? Rectify! EAC’s Pinter double bill: two excellent pieces of writing wonderfully performed. Robin Ince, Boothby Graffoe, Mitch Benn... That’s it! Delve into that brochure and book yourself some good times! The Rondo Team
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Larkhall Athletic Awarded £50,000 by Sport England Larkhall Athletic FC's defence of their Western League title is going according to plan. The team were unbeaten through the whole of November and December. Of the three league matches played in January, the Larks won two and narrowly lost a third, the first loss for the side since mid-October. At the time of writing they stand third in the league, only 6 points behind the current league leaders Willand Rovers, and with three games in hand over their rivals. The biggest news for the first team is that they are through to the fifth round (last 16 clubs) of the FA Vase for the first time in their history. The Larks won 3-2 away at Reading Town on 21st January in front of a very large group of away supporters. The Larks have never managed to get past the fourth round of this national competition and confidence is high for an excellent cup run. The Larks are the only Western League side left in the competition. The fifth round tie is scheduled for 11th February against Herne Bay, leaders of Kent Football League, a draw that is sure to be tough. Another high-profile football match in Larkhall over the coming weeks is undoubtedly the Larkhall Ladies' Women's FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur Ladies (yes,Tottenham Hotspur as in the Premier League contenders!).The Ladies are through to the last 16 fixtures and they'll be playing in the same round as heavy-weights such as Manchester City, Leeds and Aston Villa.This must-see game is scheduled for Sunday 5th February, 2pm
GB Pentathlete Freyja Prentice, Inspires St Mark’s Pupils by student reporter, Bryher
kick-off, and is guaranteed to be played out in front of a packed crowd at Plain Ham. Not content with their FA Cup tie against Tottenham, the Ladies are also in the final of the Somerset Senior Women's Cup against Yeovil Town Ladies (date tbc). The club has also had some excellent news on the fundraising front, having been awarded £50,000 from Sport England to go towards planned improvements at the ground to bring Plain Ham to Southern League standards. The club is also planning to repeat a very successful and enjoyable race night which generated £1000 for the club last season. The race night will take place in the clubhouse at Plain Ham on Saturday 25th February, starting at 7.30pm and whether you flutter a little or a lot, a great night is guaranteed. All proceeds go towards improving the club and everyone is welcome. For more details contact Tracey (traceh_99@yahoo.com).
Hill
With success in so many areas, the Larks are working hard to increase their profile locally and nationally. There's a new website http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/larkhallathleticfc and a Twitter account. Keep up with the news and gossip by following @LarkhallAFC.
Just before the Christmas holidays St Mark’s School were lucky enough to have Olympic hopeful and Modern Pentathlete, Freyja Prentice, visit our wholeschool assembly and run two P.E. lessons. Fortunately for me, I was in one of them, so could experience one of her lessons first hand. She taught us the basics of fencing and showed us how she practices for the shooting part of her Modern Pentathlete, using a modern laser gun. This summer, Freyja will compete alongside other Olympic Pentathletes in five sporting disciplines: horse riding, running, fencing, shooting and swimming. After the lesson, we asked what she felt inspired her: “I was always set on being an Olympic athlete from a very young age and I loved running, fencing, horses and I was fascinated by the shooting in the Olympics, so I knew I wanted to do one of them but I didn’t know which one.Then I found the Modern Pentathlon which had all those in and I knew that was what I wanted to do.” “As the Olympics are in London, I had my heart set on appearing at them so I went to the trials to see if I could make the squad. Fortunately I did, so you could be seeing me at the Olympics!”
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like join in, let us know. We need your help to make it happen!
St Saviour’s Church
As well as this, the details of the X-factor style singing competition will be out soon, so if you have a singing talent you want to share, look out for posters around the village, or stay in touch via our Facebook page, twitter or our email mailing list.
St Saviour’s Church is currently a hive of acitivity as everyone is on a mission to raise funds for the building of new Youth and Community rooms. Keeping in touch with local families and youngsters is something that St Saviour’s Church is keen to continue with a range of events and activities for all ages. Due to the growing number of young people in the congregation and local area, the church is now looking to the future to ensure that it can accommodate these thriving groups. The extra rooms will provide much needed space to enable us to do just that. In the coming months we will be throwing open our doors welcoming everyone to help us raise these essential funds, and having some fun in the process! DIARY OF EVENTS CEILIDH – Saturday 11th February Local musican Chris Dance is organising a Ceilidh on Saturday 11th February in Church. Great music and food, plus a bar. Ticket price £7 for adults, £4 for children – please call Chris on (07771 855114). MYSTERY MEAL DEAL – Starting Feb If you like the TV programme ‘Come Dine with Me’ you ‘ll love our MYSTERY MEAL DEAL event, aimed at bringing together dinner hosts and guests, all elements shrowded in mystery until the last minute! For more information or to be included in this very unique and hilarious event, please contact Pam on 01225 331637. TABLE TOP SALE – Saturday 3rd March Spring is a great time to de-clutter! If you’ve got books, CDs, DVDs, toys, clothes, bric-a-brac, nursery items etc.. just give Sarah a call on 01225 461258 to reserve a table. £10 for the morning. Look out for other great events to include an evening of summer Jazz along with a wine tasting event. For more information call Sarah on 01225 461258.
The Larkhall Festival returns for its fourth year over the first May bank holiday weekend (5-7 May) and we are aiming to make it the best yet! This year, the organisers are delighted to have been joined by some new members who have come with plenty of energy and ideas to develop the festival and take it in exciting new directions.This means that, as well as many festival favourites including open studios and the garden trail, there are plans for even more music, a series of inspiring talks, an X-factor style talent competition and a market for local makers, writers and other creative individuals to ply their wares. We are also hoping to fill the small rooms of New Oriel Hall with a variety of workshops for children and adults to develop new skills. A few plans are still up in the air, including an idea to have a grand choral opening to the festival on Friday 4th May. We have been contacting local choirs of all ages and abilities who we hope will be interested in taking part in this. If you sing in a choir or choral group who would
The more people get involved, the better the festival will be and it is not too late to join in. If you are interested in selling items you have made at a market, or running a workshop or playing or performing at the festival, or have some other ideas, please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you. The Festival programme will be published in the next issue of Larkhall News. Contact details: email: festival@larkhall-festival.org.uk web: http://www.larkhall-festival.org.uk twitter: larkhallfest Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LarkhallFestival
Page 11 Exhibiting in this year’s Larkhall Festival is London 2012 Olympic sculptor is...
Ben Dearnley
Student reporters, Ben, Bryher and Maddy visited his studios to find out what he is working on at the moment... Q: Can you tell us how you became a sculptor? A: My journey into sculpture came quite late in life. I had been a saxophone technician in London for 25 years and was 33 years old before I first picked up a hammer and chisel. I worked for six years with a fantastically inspirational teacher called Les Sandham and this prepared me for my degree in sculpture. I have always felt that there was a creative need in me that was not going to be achieved mending instruments and sculpture allows me to fulfil this. Q: What mediums do you like to work with and which do you prefer? A: I work with a range of mediums; stone, granite, clay and bronze. If I had to pick an absolute favourite, it would have to be marble. It has such a beautiful nature to it. When you work it, it becomes almost like a meditation so that you’re not working but are involved in this exchange of energy from the sculptor into the stone. Q: How did you become involved in your pieces for the London 2012 Olympics? A: I submitted for a competition in 2008 and as a result, won a commission to make a piece for the London 2012 team and Essex County Council. I worked with fencing champion called Alex O’Connell which was a departure from anything I had done previously and created a piece called ‘A Leap of Faith’. That quickly followed through an introduction to British rower, Steve Williams, and from there I made enquiries with other athletes and
invited them to become involved in a series of pieces that is now known as ‘The Avenue of Champions’, which is on display at Salisbury Cathedral throughout the summer. Q: How did you feel about your appointment as London 2012 sculptor? A: The ‘Art at the Edge’ project involving Mark Foster was the biggest project that I have been involved in. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been awarded this project as a way of honouring an amazing athlete who trained in Bath. My sensation won’t be fully realised until it’s in situ but I feel honoured to have been chosen for this project by the City of Bath. It has given me a unique opportunity to work with top Olympians and Para-Olympians and it has been an inspiration to work with those people because they have such a positive energy about their lives and their work. Q: Can you tell us more about the project that you are currently working on? A: I am finishing off ‘Art at the Edge’, a piece that is a fragment of Mark Foster’s torso, sculpted from Bath stone. It will be officially
unveiled in New Southgate when the Olympic torch arrives in Bath on May 22nd. Q: How did you get involved in the Larkhall Open Studios? A: I was asked if I was interested in exhibiting last year and was delighted to get involved. It’s very rare that you have the opportunity to open up your space to the public and show a process of what you do. Last year, we had hundreds of visitors to the studio over the weekend and hope that we can attract the same this year to explore what’s new. My wife is also an artist, so it gives us both an opportunity to display our work. This year we will be open from 10am - 5pm, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, and there’s an exciting chance that award-winning jazz musician, James Morton, will be there on the Saturday afternoon to play music with a couple of friends!
Open Studios Between Saturday 5th May and Monday 7th May, we currently have 25 artists either holding solo or shared Open Studio events as well as an exhibition in New Oriel Hall with, we hope, workshops and demonstrations.
end, email Simon Hodges: simon@hillviewstudio.com or visit the Open Studios website: www.larkhallopenstudios.weebly.com where there is a link to register interest.
There will also be a chance to get hands-on under cover in Alice Park on Monday 7th May whilst visiting the Community Garden.
Bath-based charity, Mercy in Action, have organised a charity art exhibition with a difference on 14-18 February at the Paintworks event space in Bristol, featuring local Larkhall artists.
It is not too late for anyone wishing to be added to the Open Studios Trail. The planning stage is still very much in progress. If you would like to find out more or are interested in The Open Studios Trail, the exhibition at New Oriel Hall, getting involved in workshops or demonstrations or may be interested in a craft/art market over the week-
The exhibition embodies its own theme as profits arising from the event will be donated to the Bath-based charity Mercy in Action (http://www.mercyinaction.org.uk) whose work with street children and families living in extreme poverty in the Philippines has brought hope and freedom from poverty to many lives.
Hope & Poverty
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The Great Titanic ...and the amazing Bath connection By Bryan Chalker RMS TITANIC HAS BECOME THE MOST ICONIC SHIPWRECK IN HISTORY AND APRIL 15 WILL BE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING, ON ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE, OF A LINER DUBBED ‘QUEEN OF THE OCEAN’. The names Titanic and Bath do not usually go together but it was Stuart Burroughs, Curator of the Museum of Bath At Work, who alerted me to the fact that Stothert & Pitt had actually supplied a total of eight electric deck cargo cranes for the ship in 1911 and two other firms, Bath Cabinet Makers and W.T. Lock, provided items of furniture for the White Star Line’s ‘Largest And Safest Steamer In The World’. As early as 1972 I had recorded a song entitled ‘The Great Titanic’, which dated back to 1912, and thought it might be worthwhile reissuing to coincide with the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. I mentioned it to Stuart Burroughs as a tenuous link to Bath and the proverbial ball was rolling. Photographer and fellow musician Robert Coles then contacted me to say that Bath Cabinet Makers and W & T. Lock, of Twerton, had supplied furniture to Harland & Wolff, of Belfast, specifically for the Titanic, and Robert’s mother, who worked for W & T. Lock as a secretary in the 1930s, recalled that much of this company’s business was making and supplying furniture for ships.
Research also revealed that Titanic’s cargo manifest included a consignment of furniture – bound for New York – manufactured by another local Bath firm, Albion Cabinet Works, of Upper Bristol Road. The likelihood of some good people of Lambridge being employed by Stothert & Pitt during this period is a reasonable enough assumption when considering the size of the company and its enormous range of products. Stothert & Pitt’s order books in 1911 included a total of eight electric deck cargo cranes. The company also supplied similar cranes to three other ocean liners, Olympic (sister ship to the Titanic but six inches shorter), Brittanic and Lusitania. When the first underwater photographs of the wreck of the Titanic were released to the world’s press in 1985, among the first objects to be positively identified was a Stothert & Pitt deck-mounted crane! There were two 30-cwt and six 50-cwt electric deck cranes fitted on Titanic for cargo handling and these were supplied by Stothert & Pitt, Ltd., of Bath. These cranes were mounted on cylindrical bases containing the electric motors, worm gearing and operating machinery, each base being fitted with two watertight doors. Because of their close proximity to passenger accommodation, electric power and wormgearing was chosen for these cranes to reduce noise levels and vibration. Each crane was capable of lifting and slewing motions, powered by separate motors. All controls were located on an operator’s platform at the base of the crane’s jib and the operator’s platform was fitted with a protecting handrail. We have now established a strong Titanic-Bath industrial link but there is more to come in the form of a remarkable lady named Edwina ‘Winnie’ Celia Troutt, who not only sailed on
the doomed liner but survived and lived to be 100 years, 4 months and 5 days old. Edwina died in California in 1984. Much of Edwina’s early life is shrouded in mystery but we do know that she was born in Bath on June 8, 1884 and her address was given as Newark Street. This in itself is a strange coincidence because of the earlier link to Stothert & Pitt and its Newark Foundry, where the cranes were built. Edwina was one of four daughters and two sons born to Elizabeth Ellen (nee Gay) and Edwin Charles Troutt, brewer and cabinet maker, of Newark Street. Edwin Troutt was landlord of the Edinburgh Castle/Lyncombe Brewery, opened during the early 1870s. One sister is known to have settled in Massachusetts and Edwina herself, craving a better life, sailed from Liverpool to New York aboard the SS Arabic in 1907 and secured work as a servant with the family of general dealer William Wynn in New Jersey. It appears that Edwina returned to Bath in
Page 13 1912 to assist another sister with the birth of a child. This particular sister is identified simply as ‘Mrs. Collins’ and was married to a ‘Mr. Collins’, who owned a tobacconist’s shop in Stall Street. Edwina Troutt chose to return to America on board the Royal Mail Ship Titanic on April 10, 1912. She purchased ticket number 34218 from Bell & Company of Bath for £10. 10s. 0p and travelled to Southampton for the Titanic’s maiden voyage to New York. By a stroke of pure irony, another Bathonian, Edwin Charles Wheeler, who had lived in Peter Street, was also travelling as a Second Class passenger and purchased ticket number 2159 for slightly more - £12. 17s. 6d. Mr. Wheeler did not survive the disaster. GREAT SURVIVOR When Edwina sailed on April 10, she was berthed on E-Deck in Cabin E-101, which she shared with Miss Susan Webber and Miss Nora Kean. Titanic struck the iceberg off the southern coast of Newfoundland at 11.40pm on April 14 and was sailing at 22-knots (25mph). By 12.45am, it was clear to most on board that the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic was in serious trouble
and the first lifeboat, No.7, was launched. Edwina and fifty-five others made it into lifeboat No.16 and the final lifeboat, a collapsible type, was launched at 2.02am and by 2.20am the mighty Titanic slipped beneath the icy waves. The total ship’s compliment was approximately 2,332 (crew and passengers) and of those just 706 survived. Edwina Celia Troutt, aged 27, was one of them. It is said that Edwina carried with her into lifeboat No.16 (other sources claim it was either No.9 or 13) a toothbrush, Bible and small child handed to her by a distraught father. Miss Troutt and her fellow survivors were eventually rescued by the Carpathia, finally reaching New York on April 18. Edwina Troutt was known to have married three times and she outlived them all. By 1984, this incredible lady had become the Titanic’s oldest living survivor. As for the Titanic song, the earliest version was being hawked as a broadsheet within one week of the sinking but by the late 1920s, it had become standard fare with folk and hillbilly singers and versions have been recorded by William and Versey Smith, Bessie Jones, Ernest V. ‘Pop’ Stoneman, The Carter Family, Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and the Dry Branch Fire Squad.
The city of Bath can now lay claim to being part of Titanic history by virtue of its industrial links – and two individuals who chose to sail to America on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
Opposite page: top, White Star Liner R.M.S Titanic. Bottom left: R.M.S Titanic at Southampton, 1912. A Stothert & Pitt dock crane sits alongside. Bottom right: a Stothert & Pitt Deck Crane aboard Titanic. This page: Miss Edwina ‘Winnie’ Celia Troutt
Do you have a spare room this Summer? Many people living in the Larkhall/London Road area will be familiar with Norland College and its students in their brown uniforms. People may not know, however, that during the students’ summer holidays the college opens its doors to mature Japanese students for a 2 ½ week childcare course. The course is delivered in association with the Poppins Corporation – a company providing childcare options to Japanese families and childcare training to early years practitioners. It is the 4th year the college has run the course. The course combines a mixture of theory and practice including classroom based learning on key influences and current guidance in early years provision in the UK, and visits to early years settings in Bath. The students who enrol on the course are early years professionals who live and work in Tokyo. They are character-
istically women aged in their 30s or 40s. The opportunity for the student to live with a young family while they are here is a very important aspect of the course giving the student even greater exposure to British family life (with the acknowledgment that no two families are the same whether in Britain or Japan!). In previous years students have developed close bonds with their host family and many continue to be in contact with each other. Host families are paid a nightly rate and asked to provide a private room, lunch (a packed lunch on weekdays) and an evening meal. This year the course will run from Monday 30 July to Wednesday 15 August. If you are interested, or would like more information, we would love to hear from you. Please telephone us on 01225 904028 or email olivia@norland.co.uk
Pictured: Japanese students at the college party to mark the end of the course last year.
Norland College, York Place, London Road Bath BA1 6AE www.norland.co.uk Find us on Facebook – search for Norland Nannies Follow us on Twitter – www.twitter.com/NorlandNannies
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Transition Larkhall Community Garden
Springing into life
Come and see what the Alice Park community garden is all about on Saturday 18 February. The allotment by Alice Park is a space for everyone in the community to enjoy, wander round, volunteer at and learn from. So on Saturday 18 February all local people are invited along to Have Your Say, from 10am to 4pm in the garden. Transition Larkhall, which oversees the space, would like to hear your ideas on what you would like from the garden. Perhaps more garden knowhow workshops, or pre-schooler activities, or a way to gain gardening qualifications. There will be a free children’s workshop, seeds to plant and a prize draw.You can leave your thoughts on a special ‘wishes tree’, or write them in the book that will be kept in the Alice Park Café all week. In May, the allotment will be one of the stops on the Open Studios and Garden Trails, as part of the Larkhall Festival. Possible activities discussed so far include children’s craft workshops, eco-art using natural materials, a graffiti
wall, and some ‘hedge sculpting’ to give shape and character to the hedge that forms the boundary between the garden and Alice Park itself. If any local artists are interested in running any children’s workshops or exhibiting any work at the garden, please contact Fiona Williams at fiona.williams@greenliving.co.uk. Volunteer sessions are currently running from 11am to 1pm every Sunday but vary according to the seasons. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Fiona Williams by email or on 07875 986 399. You can also see more on the Alice Park Community Garden Facebook page – and a website is coming soon.
Winter-to-spring growing tips: • It’s a good time to put home-made or bought compost, or manure, on your veg plot. You can just put it on the surface – the worms will do the rest, and it will help to keep down weeds. • It isn’t too late to plant garlic for a harvest this summer. • If you put broad beans in last autumn, tie them up with sticks and string as they grow. Cover with netting to stop birds eating them in the cold weather. • Cut the canes of autumn raspberries down to the ground. If you haven’t yet done so, take out the fruited canes only from summer raspberries, and tie in the new canes. • Prune out any diseased growth from fruit trees and bushes – but don’t put it in your home compost bin or mulch.
Educating Daisy… or is Daisy educating me? By Mark Minkler, Senior Vet, Beaufort Vet Surgery My Border Collie puppy, Daisy, is proving to be a good teacher. It’s challenging and often frustrating trying to train a puppy, but when you understand the rules and play accordingly, you quickly see improvements, and it is very rewarding. We take dogs in, and expect them to fit in to our lives and behave sociably but we may not always know how it’s achieved. I’ve done some reading, talked to people about their experience in educating puppies and learnt through a few of my own mistakes, and have finally got to grips with a few of the basics.The trick is to see things from a dog’s perspective and understand what motivates them. When it comes to good behaviour, it’s all about reward; If you are patient, consistent and reward immediately, when they do the things you want them to, it’s amazing to see just how quickly progress can be made. By ‘reward’ I don’t just mean ‘food’ in the form of
treats. Making a fuss of them is often enough, and play is a hugely positive thing, whatever the breed. The opposite is true when your puppies misbehave; dogs are pack animals and need to be included so if we need to tell them that what they are doing is not acceptable, simply turning our back to them can suffice, or if that’s not working removing them from our company, to another room for example, reinforces the message that the result of this particular behaviour is exclusion. But remember to do it immediately otherwise your dog will forget what it has done wrong! Accentuating the positives and downplaying the negatives is a great foundation for a strong relationship between dog and master. If things go wrong you can still teach an old dog new tricks, or unlearn old bad habits as the case
may be. I can recommend some sources of help and advice. Book: ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ a good behaviour guide for family dogs by David Appleby Web: www.apbc.org.uk Person: Elaine Hunt MRCVS – with a special interest in animal behaviour, Oldfied Park Vet Surgery Bath 01225 423652
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