Beestonian 57

The

Beestonian Tek yer coat off and stop being so nesh!

Issue no.

57

SPRING

IS B

) y ll a n i f (

eeston survived the Beast From The East; The MiniBeast From the East; and then the Least of the Beasts Hitting Beeston at Easter (try saying that after a few Crown ales), and it is now officially SPRING.

Yes, Beestonians can now be fined if they are seen wearing more than two layers while out shopping, and the pied wagtails fly off to be replaced by martens and swifts. Things are definitely brighter at Beestonian HQ, with news that we have received a chunk of investment to expand this humble free-sheet into something utterly unique, a proper community resource which will be reaching more parts of Beeston, more frequently. Follow our Facebook page and check our website for up to the minute news on how this will manifest.

Beeston stands at a crossroads right now, with the gamechanging Phase 2 Square Development, and changes in retail patterns moving the town more towards service: restaurants,

HERE pubs and suchlike. The impact of the University of Nottingham, our next door neighbours, continues to be felt in Beeston in ever-changing ways.

We recognise that Beeston is an ever changing thing, a constantly developing town. If that is to be a success it needs a town with a strong community, and a strong community needs a means to get to know itself: providing that is our ongoing mission. If you want to be part of this beyond reading this issue, get in touch.

And yes. We still are going to be absolutely free to pick up.

So what glories await you should you skip this bit and dive into this mag? We have a 20 page special for you, with stories on Beeston’s most successful sports club; the Green Man of Beeston; How to Spring Clean and get fit, some etymological entomology on the meaning of Beeston; and much much more.

We even have a fantastic Beeston Spotters Guide on the centre spread: see what you can find!

LB

University of Beestonia Somewhere in Beestonia…

Somewhere in the University of Beestonia Dr. Chewtaar sighed. It was a long and audible sigh directed towards his office ceiling, and it had at its center a less audible, but critical, growl. It had been a funny few months and, between him and his ceiling, Ainsley was feeling a little broke.

The spring term hadn’t felt particularly springy. It was particularly daft calling it the spring term this year anyway, having already finished by the time British Summer Time had started (more potential confusion there…), but mulling over it there didn’t seem to be a particularly good alternative.

The ‘grey, cold few months when lots of people are a bit miserable’ term didn’t seem particularly catchy, and certainly didn’t fit into the University of Beestonia branding

particularly well. He’d had a Great Aunt called Hilary, he seemed to remember, that was a nice name, and apparently one she’d shared with a French saint ...

Reality was returned with a sharp knock on the door. “Sorry to bother you…” for a second Ainsley drifted back to his Great Aunt, he had this vague recollection of her at some odd meal held in honour of an important wedding anniversary of his paternal grandparents, “… could I come and see you some time this week about my coursework?”

Ah the vacation, those long sprawling oceans of free time, which family members and people you meet randomly in shops think you have off because you work in an educational establishment. If only. In fact having them off isn’t the goal, having them free would be good enough. Free to think

(?!), create and push back those intellectual boundaries one increment at a time.

“No worries, let me just check my diary,” Ainsley smiled back. In his more cynical moments he remembered that the Office for Students was drilling down into its spreadsheets, making sure the curvature of his smile was above the minimum standard required, but most of the time he enjoyed teaching the students that came each year to the University of Beestonia. They were generally nice kids and kept him on his toes.

If all he’d had to do was help them learn and push an occasional boundary a little bit closer to its next increment the term would have been a lot more springier.

I didn’t get much sleep…

Prof J

Charlie Foggs Shoe repairs, key cutting, engraving and trophies 0115 9224466 charliefoggs.com 135 High Road, Beeston NG9 2LL charliefoggs@btconnect.com

The Beestonian is...

Top-notch contributors this issue: Lead Writer/Founder • Lord Beestonia Matt Turpin, Jade Moore, John Cooper, Jimmy Notts, Scott Bennett, Christopher Frost, Co-Founder/Resident Don • Prof J Debra Urbacz, Matt Jones, Colin Tucker, Editor • Christian Donna Bentley, Daisy Leverington, Isaac Design & The Beest • Dan Seelochan, Aditi Bilakhia, and Deman Business Manager • Mel History Editor • Joe Earp Printed by Pixels & Graphics, Beeston Stockists: Berliner, Milk Lounge, The Hive, Rye, The Hop

Pole, The Crown, The White Lion, The Star, The Greyhound, Flying Goose, Mish Mash Gallery, The Malt Shovel, The Guitar Spot, Broadgate Laundrette, Bubba Tea, The Bean, Beeston Library, Cafe ROYA, Newsagent on Chilwell Road, Metro, Beeston Marina Bar and Cafe, Attenborough Nature Reserve, Pottle of Blues, Greenhood, Beeston Nursery, Oxfam Books, L’Oliva, Two Little Magpies, Local not Global, John Flynn Opticians.

I Am Beeston *** Graham Caveney – Author ***

I

was born in the Accrington area of Lancashire and moved to Beeston some eighteen years ago now, when I got the post of lecturer on American Literature at the local university."

“Beeston has a great deal of culture, with poets like Jenny Swann and John Lucas and bands like the Madeline Rust. I used to like going to the Greyhound. I attend a local yoga class. I also like going to Highfields and seeing the lake. I can get the tram into the city centre in about twenty minutes, or I might walk there using the towpath.”

“Beeston is home to me now. Manchester wasn’t really part of me, due to its distance from Accrington. But Nottingham is certainly my home city. And I’m proud to be part of it.

Beeston has a separate identity, even though Nottingham is close by.”

“I don’t drink now, so I tend to just go into coffee shops. The Bean is my favourite. I also like the Flying Goose and the Bendigo Lounge. One thing that I’d like to see in Beeston is a Labour MP. I’m all for having a cinema here, but I do think that we now have enough coffee and charity shops.”

CDF

“Beeston has a real mix of people. I like the diversity and the tolerance towards others.

People arrive here for whatever reason and tend to stay. Locals in some places can resent these incomers, but it doesn’t seem to happen here.”

Student Housing

T

he Nottingham Student Housing Co-operative are aiming to change how we see student housing, and how students experience it.

There is a much-mocked photo, somewhere, of a pair of local councillors gurning miserably at the thought that more students might move into their patch. The message was clear, students are not welcome here.

They’re lazy, they’re feckless and they’re noisy. As a student I took this slightly personally, I am not lazy, I am not feckless and I am only occasionally noisy. Usually during karaoke at the White Lion.

However, the reality is that student housing is not very good. The houses are “investments” for people who don’t live in Beeston and don’t care to put any money into their investment. They become rundown, decrepit and the students lose any pride in them. It is a vicious, self-defeating cycle and it’s one that myself and some others decided to change.

The Nottingham Student Housing Cooperative has three simple goals: student housing that is accountable to the tenants

generates a surplus that allows us to invest back into the house and community.

Students also have democratic control. They get to vote on the direction the co-operative takes and how that money is spent. They get to take ownership of their house in a way that makes them proactive, responsible members of the community. and the community, that is cheaper, and that does not leave its residents with horror stories. This is our pitch to our members but also to the people of Beeston. We want to change how you see students and how you see student housing.

I have lived, as a student, in Beeston for 5 years now. I write for the Beestonian and I feel like part of the community and this is part of my effort to return the favour. We are currently looking for a first property in the area and that means being transparent with you, the good citizens of Beestonia.

Our model is simple, we obtained investment from other co-operatives, including the retail shops, and used it to buy a house. Students rent it, renovate it and pay for it. Our rent both pays our mortgage and, more importantly,

Our current plan, should the building be big enough, is to make ourselves not just a home for students but a community hub. Other cooperatives have engaged in local activism, offering food kitchens, community meals and vegan cooking classes and we want to be part of that tradition.

This model has worked across the USA and Australia and we want to replicate this success. There are currently 150 beds in housing co-operatives, within 5 years we want to make that 10,000.

We know that when a lot of people think students they think of Lenton and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen to Beeston. We are going to be a proactive part of this town and we will do it because we love Beeston.

TR

The Yorkshireman Speaks This month our Yorkshireman tells us about having kids...

You’re stressed? Course you The family meal out Is there anyone who enjoys a meal out are, you’ve got kids!

There is a simple fact that children have a much bigger impact on your quality of life than say smoking or drinking.

But when you buy those products there are warnings on the packaging for the consequences to your health. They should do that on the stuff you buy when you are trying to get pregnant, imagine walking into Boots, picking up a packet of Folic acid and on the back is a picture of a couple having a lie in, that would make you abandon the idea in an instant.

There are probably other images you could use, but how do you capture in a photograph someone strangling your dreams?

Having children is stressful, there is no doubt about that. But you have to work very hard to not let that stress affect those members of society who haven’t got children and that’s easier said than done, because you despise these people. Watching them dance through their lives without a care in the world, it’s like looking at who you once were; free, happy and blissfully selfish.

“What shall we do today, we have no responsibilities, no ties, don’t you feel energised after that twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep?”

All you want to do is just take your pushchair and ram it into the back of their smug heels, just to release that tension, to bleed the valve on the pressure cooker that is parenting.

But there are many occasions where you can’t contain it, where it explodes, like some sort of social terrorism, here are some of my favourite examples.

with the family? You do it because you feel like you should. The only meal out I enjoy with my kids is when I am in the supermarket, they are hungry and I open a loaf of bread and give them a slice, basically when I treat our kids like ducks, that’s a stress free meal out.

You have visions of that perfect Utopia, the children sitting there happily, with angelic faces, “We’ll eat anything daddy, you know us we are not fussy, order what you like, we are just thrilled to be all together.”

But that illusion is washed away in a tsunami of blackcurrant Fruit Shoot as soon as you walk in the place.

You see the other parents in their own private hell, holding phone screens up to kids’ faces, every time it’s pulled it away the kid starts to scream, it’s like a medic treating a wounded soldier on a battlefield.

There isn’t a table, it doesn’t matter. You find the people who are on their desserts and stand next to them and make them feel so uncomfortable that they speed up, “he’s just looking at that cheesecake, just move!” you help them put their coats on, you basically evict them from that table.

Once the kids are sat down the pressure is on. The first thing is to get the crayons and activity sheets, god forbid that the kids have to occupy themselves for five minutes. Why the obsession with stationary?!?

You may as well just have a picnic in Rymans.

When the waiter arrives you’re just angry.

“Are you ready to order guys?”

Course you’re ready to order, you were ready last Wednesday, you just wish they’d stop wasting time. You begin to lose your temper: “When you bring the food, just bring the bill too, this hell needs to end. In fact, forget the cutlery or plates mate just get the chef to pop out of the kitchen with a catapult and fire the food directly into our miserable mouths!”

The waiter just stands there stunned, it’s all so awkward.

This tension isn’t helped by the fact that you are so ashamed that you have left that table in such a disgusting state, that they only have two choices, claim on the insurance or set fire to it.

Find The Scott Bennett Podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes SB

B

Something to

Sprout About

ack in issue 55, you may remember our interview with Sojo Publishing Mouse, the children’s publishing house. Well now we’ve reunited with the ‘mouse’ half of the team, Helen Goodbarton, to talk all about her drama group Sprouts. Why? Because this month Sprouts turns 10, and that’s a pretty big deal.

Sprouts provide after school drama classes for children aged 4 to 13. These run during term time, and are split up into three age groups: Sprouts (4-8), Sprouting Up (8-11), and Sprouted! (11-13).

I met up for a chat with Helen over a cup of tea to find out what’s been happening over the past decade. Helen, who is the ‘Head Gardener’ at Sprouts, trained as an actor at the Guildford School of Acting, and began working within the area of children’s theatre after her graduation. It was her job with a young children’s drama company in London that originally planted the seed for Sprouts.

“I started doing classes with this company and suddenly had confidence in what I was doing.

It felt really easy and enjoyable,” says Helen. “But I didn’t like living in London. Whenever I came back here and talked to my friends they’d say I would light up talking about work.” They then encouraged her to move back to Nottingham and do something like that here.

“So I thought, right, I’m gonna do it then!” beams Helen. “I’m gonna start a company in Beeston and create these classes the way I like them.”

From there, she cherry-picked aspects of the London company which she thought worked, but developed her own ethos for Sprouts which is all about firing up children’s imagination through drama.

“We try and teach them that they don’t have to have a right answer.

They’re allowed an opinion or an idea. It’s about the process not the product. It’s not a ‘can you do X, Y, Z by the end of term’ it’s ‘are you enjoying it?’” Sprouts classes involve playing games, going on storytelling adventures, developing stories, dancing, and sharing end of term shows in front of parents. The children develop social skills, teamwork, confidence, co-ordination, but most importantly not being afraid to be themselves.

Helen moved back here in January 2008 and her first class was on April 4 of that year.

Her original name for the company was ‘Treesprouts’ which a friend reacted to by exclaiming ‘Sprouts!’ which then stuck. “I didn’t want anything that had ‘drama’ or ‘theatre’ in the title because I think that gives people a pre-conceived idea of what you’re doing,” says Helen. “You just have to want to have fun with your imagination and be a bit silly!”

She also attended a few business courses where they asked the inevitable ‘where do you see yourself in 1/5/10 years?’ question. “I remember thinking 10 years? I just want to make a term of classes and for people to come. The idea to still be going in 10 years at that point in time was crazy,” says Helen.

Since starting the company, some children have continued right the way through all of the classes, and are still with her now. One

boy, Charlie, who Helen calls her ‘Original Sprout’ was the first child to sign up for her classes when it began, and he’s now volunteering for her. “I started that little man out on his journey,” says Helen. “It’s lovely to see that he’s doing what he’s doing because of our classes.

It’s nice to know there are kids out there that you’re helping in a non-traditional kind of way to become their own little person.”

Helen has also been able to employ a number of people over the years to give various classes around Nottingham, some of whom have been with her right from day one.

“It’s rewarding to be able to give other people the opportunity and be able to pay them to do a job that they love,” she says.

I ask Helen what the most rewarding aspect of Sprouts has been: “It’s the little things, emails from parents telling you that it’s the highlight of their week or telling you that you’re the threat if their kid doesn’t behave then they can’t come to Sprouts.” And of course, Sprouts became the catalyst for Helen writing her book The Glowing Snowman.

So, after a decade, what comes next for Sprouts? “It would be nice to be able to take more of a back seat for my sanity,” she says. “Maybe I’ve got as much out of it as I can. But I don’t want [Sprouts] to lose its verve and its zizz. I would like Sprouts to still exist in another five years’ time, in whatever form. People say ‘aren’t you so proud of it?’ and I say, ‘it’s just what I do.’ I grow with it, and it’s probably quite a big tree now!”

All profits from their 10 year birthday party will be donated to The Flying Seagull Project.

To find out more about holiday courses and classes visit www. sproutsdrama.co.uk.

JM

A

Green Man

Green Man is a sculpture or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the mouth, nostrils, or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found in carvings on both secular and ecclesiastical buildings.

Usually referred to in works of architecture as foliate heads or foliate masks, carvings of the Green Man may take many forms, naturalistic or decorative. The simplest depict a man's face peering out of dense foliage. Some may have leaves for hair, perhaps with a leafy beard. Often leaves or leafy shoots are shown growing from his open mouth and sometimes even from the nose and eyes as well. In the most abstract examples, the carving at first glance appears to be merely stylised foliage, with the facial element only becoming apparent on closer examination. The face is almost always male; green women are rare.

plaque attached to the stone base tells the whole story: 'This sculpture was carved by Stan Bullard (1920 - 2012), a Beeston sculptor, from a piece of yew tree in autumn 2008.

It was undertaken as a commission from Broxtowe Borough Council to replace the 'One World Sculpture' on this site which commemorated Earth Summit 1992. The new sculpture has as its theme “man's interaction with the natural green world.� The sculpture also marks the 100th anniversary of Dovecote Lane park which was opened in 1908'.

Beeston does indeed have its very own Green Man. Blink and you might miss this one. For those wishing to take some time out from the Town's busy shopping streets it is recommended that you take a little stroll, - as Beestonians have been doing for over 100 years, through Dovecote Lane Park. This wonderful wooden sculpture entitled 'The Green Man' is located in the enclosed garden area of the park at the Trevor Road end. Rather than saying anything about it, we will let him speak for himself. The Brass

The 'One Word' sculpture replaced by the Green Man, was another of Stan's works. It consisted of a 'totem pole' type carving of a man's head, with falcon like shoulders and abstract tree like body. It was painted yellow and black and gloss varnish. Once again we will let the original plaque tell the story: 'This sculpture was carved by Stan Bullard, a Beeston sculptor, from a beech tree, felled at Strelley after storm damage. Work commenced in Beeston Square on One World Day, 30th May 1992 and was completed as a commission from Broxtowe Borough Council to commemorate Earth Summit 92'. Note that Stan gave a live demonstration of his work before completing and installing it in the park.

JE

CREATIVE BEESTON the green scene

S

pring arrived this week with a sprinkle of vibrant yellow, and the blossoming forsythias appeared gilded in the welcome sunshine. Ah…a hint of warmth in the air, the promise of lighter evenings and Sunday walks without the need for several layers of outer garments. Spring is traditionally a time for renewed energy and colour and we are greeting it with open arms after the cruel icy blasts from previous weeks.

It was this idea of new beginnings and the recycling that occurs in nature that reminded me of a fantastic creative event that is happening this summer. A rich mix of recycled art and craft and recycling initiatives which highlights the issues surrounding waste, The Remarkable Recycling Gala is uprooting itself from where it was originally planted as part of Sherwood Art Week and hopes to spread the word to a wider audience in its fifth year.

Originally held at Sherwood Community Centre, you won’t be surprised to hear that they have chosen Beeston, which already has an amazing art scene, as the perfect place to plant this annual event for 2018. Beeston also has a keen eye on environmental issues with Greening Beeston, The Canalside Heritage Centre and We Dig NG9 being just some of the active groups that come to mind. Building on the current momentum around zero waste emphasised by BBCs Blue Planet, the event was conceptualised by Greg Hewitt and came about through his passion for environmental activism and concerns about waste and consumerism.

The gala has got people talking about and acting on the issues of waste and recycling in a fun and enjoyable way and those involved are delighted that Middle Street Resource Centre accepted Greg’s proposal to hold it at their creative community space. Not only does MSRC have space inside and outside to accommodate the array of craft stalls, art exhibits, creative workshops, performances and information stands, it is an inclusive centre which offers a wide range of courses and activities for the whole community which fits in well with the gala’s ethos.

As in previous years, stallholders from Nottingham and the surrounding areas were invited to apply to sell their work at the gala, and this year there will be over twenty stalls dedicated to skilfully recycled products which range from sea glass jewellery to portraits of famous icons made entirely from recycled drinks cans. Since the beginning The Remarkable Recycling Gala has received support from more commercial local recyclers such as Paguro and Sarah TurnerEco Art and Design – you might have seen some of Sarah’s work at Nottingham’s Light Night event earlier in the year.

A change of location has attracted newcomers to gala, which Greg

is also pleased about as this not only brings fresh ideas to the event but also suggests that both aesthetic and practical recycling is on the rise. As well as inspiration from the stallholders, visitor to the gala will also be treated to exhibits from recycled sculptor Michele Reader and workshops where they can create their own recycled art or craft item, many of which are free of charge. There is always entertainment, in the form of spoken word or song and this year Greg is hoping to create a mini cinema experience! If we are lucky, they might give the Beestonia The Movie an overdue airing.

In a bid to promote ‘make do and mend’ culture that also contributes greatly to the preservation of our planet, Nottingham Fixers will be bringing along their popular Repair Café which they launched at last year’s gala and provides the opportunity for people to have items repaired rather than thrown away, thus minimising waste. Another non-profit organisation, Playworks who provide resources like the Scrapstore and whose focus is to improve play experiences for children and young people in Nottingham will also be there on the day to promote and involve people in their valuable services.

You will be astonished by the sheer imagination and talent that goes into each carefully crafted piece on show at the gala. Simple household objects such as tin cans and jam jars are made into pretty tea lights, tax discs and old postage stamps recycled into beautiful pieces of artwork, broken skateboard wood is reclaimed to make bottle openers and old books into clocks. The finish on these individual items is often so good that it is difficult to tell what they used to be but the message is clear, recycling is a great way to make art that doesn’t impact on our environment and that art only serves to enhance our environment.

The Remarkable Recycling Gala is a family event, with making activities aimed at children and adults, which visitors in the past have described as ‘inspiring’ and ‘enjoyable’ and that offer ‘new recycling ideas.’ The workshops use recycled or waste materials to demonstrate how versatile recycled resources can be and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It is an all-day event with all profits going to Middle Street in support of the valuable work they do for the community.

There will be entertainment throughout the day and Middle Street will be providing the food and refreshments.

In a constantly evolving town like ours it’s really exciting that this event is bringing a fresh approach to the craft revolution and I am sure Beeston, with it’s abundance of green spaces and conservation areas will play the perfect host.

Date and time: Saturday 9th June 10:00am - 5:00pm. www.facebook.com/RemarkableRecyclingGala www.remarkablerecyclinggala.weebly.com DU

r F

a h o C s . . . m o

TO ORDER

“Hang spring cleaning.” One of the opening lines of Wind in the Willows. Spoken by Mole, as he gets fed up with tidying up his home, and so leaves it to get involved in adventures with his friends Ratty and Toad. Some people, for whatever reason find it hard to keep their homes tidy, and it can soon become overrun with stuff, piled high and falling out of cupboards. Some have been featured on TV. The most well known is Edmund Trebus, who was a compulsive hoarder and was always in trouble with the local council’s environmental department for the way he lived. Whilst we may not all suffer to this extent, people do struggle sometimes with their possessions. I know, as I’m one.

So that’s where professional organisers like Laura Williams can work their magic, and return a house into a home. Laura runs a business called ‘OrganisedWell’, which she started from scratch in January of this year from her home in Beeston, which she shares with her husband and young family.

I met Laura at the Bean, and we started to chat about what she does. I have some interest in the subject, as my home has begun to bulge at the seams with an overload of LPs, DVDs, books, camera equipment and the general ephemera of life. I firstly asked Laura about herself and why she started the business. “I was born in Bromsgrove and used to work in HR in London. I moved to Beeston about ten years ago, due to my husband’s job. I have always been a tidy and well organised person, so I thought I would use my skills to help other people. We all have that spare room, garage or under the stairs area that is a bit overrun with stuff. So I come along and help clients to bring some structure and calmness to their

home. A lot of people can’t afford to move house these days, so I help them make the best of their home and the space available. Sometimes they just need a little encouragement and some practical support. I also find enjoyment and am interested in working with people.” Sipping her coffee, Laura continued. “People tend to keep things, as they might use them sometime, or they were a present, or family heirloom and feel that they can’t let go of them.

Sometimes it might be life changing events or problems at work that puts

emotional attachment to the items being discussed. People do notice a big difference when we have finished a project. My clients say it feels like a weight has been lifted, they feel much calmer, and their house feels like a home again.”

I asked Laura about minimalism, as that seems to me to be the next stage on from decluttering. The bareness of a room, with hardly any furniture, ornaments or pictures on the wall. “I’m not really a fan of minimalism as such, what you have in your home should be important to you. It’s personal choice.”

Of course I had to ask what Laura’s own house was like. “I strive to be organised at home. My husband isn’t as organised as me. But I keep trying to encourage him!”

Finally I asked Laura what she does in her spare time. “I like running and took part in the 2017 Nottingham half marathon. I’m hoping to do it again this year. I was also involved as part of a team of fifteen in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. You are given twelve hours to complete it. I did it, with ten minutes to spare. We raised £20,000 for a quiet room to be created in the Haematology Unit at Nottingham City Hospital.”

Laura

people off sorting things out. I help them focus on what they want to achieve and help them consider their items. I tend to firstly ask a couple of simple questions like, what’s important about this item?

And would you use an external storage company to store such items? It makes people analyse the reason why they are keeping it.”

“My sessions are tailored to the individual, but tend to be four hours in length. Any longer and it can be very tiring for the client. People may just need to speak to someone about their clutter. Talking to a stranger can be more useful than chatting to a family member or friend, as there’s no

“Can I also mention that ‘Spring Clearing Week’ begins on 24th March. This is being championed by APDO (of which I am a member) across the country and aims to help people think about tackling and sorting out their clutter.”

“See my Spring Clearing tips and enter my competition to win free decluttering support via my website!”

Should this article ignite your enthusiasm to sort out your own home, but you don’t know where to start, then Laura has an OrganisedWell Facebook Page and a website: organisedwell. co.uk where you can find out more details about what she can offer and ideas to help you organise your home, so you can spend more time enjoying yourself, rather than looking for some item or other.

CDF

the rise of

H

beeston hockey club

ockey may not necessarily be as popular in this country as football, cricket or indeed tennis, but in Beeston it’s a sport which has put the town on the map unlike anything else.

Beeston Hockey Club, known as ‘the Bees’ are one of Nottingham’s great sporting stories, with their men’s team having risen from the bottom of the local hockey leagues to the top of the Premier League, even Brian Clough would be proud of this sporting fairy-tale.

I spoke with David Griffiths, one of the club’s directors and a former player to learn more about the story of Beeston Hockey Club. “I’ve been working at the club for the last 15 years, my dad - Graham Griffiths - is the first team manager, who’s been here for 30 years now. Since he’s been at the club, he’s taken the first team from the bottom of local hockey, right to the top of the Premier League and one of the leading clubs in Europe, so it’s been a fairy-tale and I’ve grown up around it.”

“The club was founded in 1907 by a group of Nottingham high school pupils who lived in Beeston and then we’ve developed over time.”

“In the early 2000’s we had a little dip and got relegated from the Premier League, but in 2006 we had an Olympian from Pakistan called Mohammed Nadeem, who’s one of our highest capped players. I was playing at the time and we just had a fantastic season, got back into the Premier League and we’ve been there ever since.”

“Recently we’ve won the England Hockey Cup five times in the last nine years and we won the England Hockey Championship for the first time in 2011, having won it 3 times since.”

Then we completely renovated the club house and built a new car park, so from that point onwards we really became the centre of excellence for hockey in the midlands and we’ve been developing the site recently as well.”

“In 2016 we resurfaced the main pitch and the smaller pitch in between the two and we’ve got plans to build another two hockey pitches as well. If we manage to pull that off it will be one of the biggest hockey centres in Europe.”

To showcase how successful Beeston Hockey Club has become, four players have been selected for England at the Commonwealth Games in Australia this month.“The players who are going to the Commonwealth Games are Adam Dixon, Ollie Willars, Sam Ward and Mark Gleghorne.

James Albery just missed out because he broke his foot in Malaysia 3 weeks ago, so we could have had five.”

It’s not just the men’s first team that are enjoying success, the ladies first team have also had a near flawless campaign.“The ladies first team play in the North Conference, which is the league below the Premier League.

This season they have won 17 games in a row and are champions of that particular division, so they will now go into a playoff to try and reach the Premier League. Fingers crossed we’ll have the men and women in the top flight next season.”

Few would have known that Beeston would be home to such a success story, no doubt their success will inspire many in the years ahead.

IS

“The facilities have been the key to our growth over the last few years. in 2001 we received a large lottery grant from Sports England which allowed us to build two full sized pitches and a half-sized training area.

The ladies first team celebrate after being crowned champions of the 2017/18 North Conference. (Credit: David Kissman)

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Nur chil turing d the care in hea Bee r t of ston

Call us now on

0115 7750185 The men’s first team celebrate after winning the England Hockey Cup in 2016. (Credit: Beeston Hockey Club)

to book a visit and find out why our families love us! www.beestonnursery.co.uk

spotted in beeston can YOU find all the everyday items and events in this picture?

Quiz: John Cooper illustration: Daniel cullen

Beeston is a wonderfully diverse place, populated by a wide range of people of all ages from different backgrounds. On any given day the High Road throngs with people out shopping in the wonderful independent retailers, relaxing in one of the great coffee shops, chomping their way through a meal in one of the many superb eateries, or enjoying a drink in a nice pub or bar.

It is a scene which has played out for decades since the dawn of pedestrianisation. Similar to dozens of other towns in this country, this extra space has created many benefits, such as allowing parents to push a pram down the middle of the street without fear of being crushed beneath the wheels of a bus.

Everything seems to be ordinary and everyday, but look a bit closer and you will spot some interesting features (which don’t involve illegal activities in rooms above reputable premises). Why not pass the time whilst you wait for a haircut/pint/coffee/fried breakfast/ someone to come and end it all for you, and see if you can spot the weird and wonderful below:

just use the bus!

1. Missing cat posters (3 of them in total) 2. A shopper being harangued by broadband sales rats 3. A vacant shop promising new footwear4. A shopper being harangued by charity emotional blackmailer pests 5. Someone suffering from the lack of public conveniences 6. A shopper being calmed from haranguing by the laying on of hands by the healers 7. A pissed pensioner on a mobility scooter 8. An exotic bird flying across to attenborough reserve 9. the town hall redevelopment 10. A brazen scrote chopping his way through a security lock to steal a bike (but wait,.. is he being watched?)

11. Doggy doing a doo-doo; will it get picked up?

12. Someone who is still not a fan of the tram system 13. The local MP mixing with her constituents on one of her regular visits Turn the page for the answers...

Who put the

,Bees,

in Beeston?

P

eople travelling into Beeston by tram are greeted at the intersection of Lower Road and Queens Road by a large sign depicting a beehive and the words ‘Welcome to Beeston’. The bee is a familiar sight around Beeston; there is the statue of a beehive in the high street, bees appeared on the coat of arms for Beeston and Stapleford, and beehive reliefs even adorn the frontispiece of our beleaguered town hall. It would be reasonable to guess that the ‘Bee’ in ‘Beeston’ is derived from some historical connection of bees with the town, much in the way that the city of Bath is named for its famous Roman baths.

The antiquarian A.E. Lawson Lowe claimed just that when he examined the etymology of the name Beeston in 1888.

Lawson Lowe argued that the name Beeston derived from the combination of the Old English words bēo, meaning bee, and tun, meaning town or settlement, and suggested the source of the name might be due to some great abundance of beehives in the area. If this were the case it is curious that, despite the bee iconography that decorates the town, there remains little evidence of great beekeeping activity in the area. Why is it that one can buy honey made in Wollaton, but no unique brand of Beeston-made heritage honey?

There have been various attempts over the years to explain this apparent discrepancy. During the industrial revolution it was suggested that the bees in the name referred to Beeston becoming a ‘hive of activity’. The Survey of English Place Names, produced by The English Place-Name Society in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, has suggested an alternative origin for our town’s name. They

argue that the ‘bees’ in Beeston stems from the Old English bēos, meaning bent rye grass or reeds, rather than from bēo, meaning bee, and that ‘Beeston’ means a settlement notable for its grassland, not its bees. There is certainly a case for this. The Old English plural of bees is bēon, and if the town were named for bees it would have incorporated the ‘n’ in bēon, resulting in the name ‘Beenton’ (bēon + tun). Historical references to Beeston support this claim. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the settlement is referred to as Bestune, and in a 1610 map of The Countie of Nottingham held in Beeston library the town is referred to as Beston.

The modern visitor to Beeston, travelling into Beeston by tram and seeing the ‘Welcome to Beeston’ sign, might be surprised to learn that our seemingly developed town was once notable for its sweeping grasslands. Yet this connection between Beeston and grasslands has survived further into modernity than one might first assume. Margaret Cooper recorded in her 1996 book The Beeston Story how older folk could still remember wild rye growing on the Trent Road. In his 1955 description of The River Trent J.H. Ingram describes Beeston as being surrounded by a ‘wide … plain’. The fact that the part of town south of the railway is called Rylands further testifies to this enduring connection with rye grass. This supposed Old English origin of Beeston’s name is perhaps more relevant to Beeston’s recent history than the modern visitor might first assume.

For further reading on the history of Beeston’s name see the following texts available at Beeston Library: Cooper, M. (1996) The Beeston Story (Nottingham) Earp, F. E. & Earp, J. (2017) Secret Beeston (Gloucester).

GFF

spotted in beeston answers:

8 9

2

1

10

5

6

12

4

7 11

3

1

1

1. Missing cat posters (3) 2. A shopper being harangued by broadband sales rats 3. Vacant shop promising new footwear 4. A shopper being harangued by charity emotional blackmailer pests 5. Someone suffering from the lack of public conveniences 6. A shopper being calmed by the healers 7. A pensioner on a mobility scooter 8. An exotic bird flying across to attenborough reserve 9. The town hall redevelopment 10. A brazen scrote stealing a bike 11. Doggy doing a doo-do 12. Not a fan of the tram 13. Local MP visiting Beeston? April Fool!

#6

S

Motherhood: Testing Times

pring is trying to arrive and our 6 year old is in full swing with her SATS exams at school. A thoroughly pointless hoop-jumping time of year which does little more than assess how well the school teaches kids remember what >, %, £ and < mean and how phonemes can affect common exception words.

(Your guess is as good as mine.) My kid thought the symbols were old fashioned emojis but whatever. As much as my husband and I have little motivation to exhaust our anxious little hard-worker, we have been really surprised with just how competitive she’s become. Seriously, she’s like a Year 2 Terminator. Her teacher commented on how she relishes a difficult test sheet and is super happy when it’s exam time. We’re currently looking into hospital records from 2011 to see if we brought the wrong one home.

Given that she cares so much about her assessment results, we have started to jump on the competitive band wagon and have become her cheerleading squad. She delights in telling us that she got 5 out of 5 on her weekly spelling test or all her homework questions correct, and we make a fuss of her

hard work each time. We’ve always held the opinion that rewards are for behaviour and effort, rather than results, so we are still careful not to spoil her when she nails a new maths theory. But I want to, I want to launch glittercanons in the streets and shout about how clever she is, but it’s wound in and packaged as a ‘that’s great babe, you worked really hard on it’ instead.

As parents we have a couple of degrees and a PhD between us, so we were expecting her to do okay at school. She’s one of the youngest in her class, so we were also aware that she would be almost a year behind her classmates, both socially and academically, but she’s overtaken everything we hoped for and is now an Uber Geek of the highest order, and we are (quietly) really proud.

So, little lady, go and smash those exams.

Those silly tests which could be better spent outside digging up worms or making dens. If she’s happy, we’re happy. And if you come top of the class, we might just buy you an ice cream on the way home. If it ever warms up.

DL

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a Bendigo statue?

B

endigo eh? Beeston’s legendary bareknuckled boxer may have thrown in the towel when he died 138 years ago, but his legacy looks like it will never be counted out. He has books about him, a graphic novel, a blue plaque on Wollaton Road a couple of articles in past issues of this magazine. He also is now immortalised on the High Road with a bar named after him – despite being a teetotaller, he’d probably still be chuffed.

Bendigo was not just a decent boxer, but a celebrity and showman. He created a whole mythology about him, from being a triplet (he wasn’t) and the youngest of 21 kids (he wasn’t) . However, he could lob a brick from one bank of the Trent to the other, and he was an utter mountain of a man, so we won’t quibble. It’s impossible to overstate his fame: shortly after

strap my 16 month old son on my back and bring the number up to 21) At the graveside there will be reading from the book about Bendigo written

by Beeston writer, publisher and historian Alan Dance.

Local actor Peter Radford will also recite Bendigo’s Sermon, a poem written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You’re welcome to tag along.

his death, a town in Australia had a poll to name their town: Bendigo was the overwhelming victor (it’s still there, and apparently a lovely place with a population that cheerfully call themselves ‘Bendigonians’. The guy was MASSIVE, and not just in stature.

However, he doesn’t have a proper statue to mark his fame.

There is a rather weathered and battered ceramic above a pub in Sneinton, but considering that he was the Victorian Muhammed Ali this is a poor show.

Step in the Bendigo Memorial Fund (BMF), a group of fans of the late pugilist, who have devoted themselves to raising cash to fund a statue to be stuck in a prominent part of Nottingham “In Nottingham there are a number of things we need to improve” BMF spokesman Alan Dawson told us “The grave itself is not well advertised and the information recorded about him is incorrect. A statue in Trinity Square will put this right” So, on the 29th April, the BMF will stage a sponsored walk following

CODEWORD#57

the route of William ‘Bendigo’ Thompson’s funeral cortege in 1880. This will be from the site of his former home on the site of Beeston’s Anglo Scotian Mills to his grave at Bath Street in Nottingham City Centre, a distance of 5.7 miles.

There will be twenty one people doing the walk, representing Bendigo's 21 fights. I’ll be one of them (and weather permitting I’ll

However, what we’d REALLY like is your money. Statues, at least good statues, don’t come cheap so anything you can do to help nudge the fund towards its target is hugely welcome. It will also mean that you will be part of Bendigo’s legacy long into the future: this is a statue that WE own, that WE make.

Worth a few quid, innit?

Donations can be made directly to the Bendigo Memorial Fund via bendigofunds.co.uk/donate/ + www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/bendigowalk Find them on Twitter @ bendigonotts or on Facebook @ bendigomemorial LB

The Beeston

Players

A

mongst many things, three special entities celebrate their 50th anniversary this year. A famous fast food chain’s signature product: the Big Mac is fifty years old and Bad Boys and Men in Black actor Will Smith celebrates his half century in September this year.

There is no longer a McDonalds in Beeston (cheer or boo depending on your opinion) and the Fresh Prince has never visited our fair town (that I know of) but one very Beeston thing celebrates its 50 years of existence – The Beeston Players.

Thankfully Round Hill School was able to extend a welcome back and the Players came home to Beeston in 1993, where we have put on 2 shows a year (May & November) ever since.

There is nothing like experiencing live theatre either being in the crowd or participating in it.

The adrenaline, the hard work all culminating in a performance with a crowd applauding (hopefully).

It certainly keeps you on your toes especially when things don’t go quite to script. Most of the times the audience never notice (unless

In 1970 they teamed up with Beeston Operatic Society, each company putting on an act either side of an interval. The Drama side performed Red Pepper by Noel Coward.

In 1973 the decision was made to change the name to BEESTON PLAYERS as we know it today. Lured away from Beeston by a ‘state of the art’ purpose built theatre at the new Chilwell Comprehensive School (not quite in Beeston, but just down the road), Beeston Players stayed there for 18 years until the cost of hire of the theatre doubled overnight and became out of reach for a small drama group.

We are always looking out for new members to join and you don’t need to have the desire to be the next Vicky McClure (though that would be nice), because, as just mentioned, there are plenty of other jobs help out with.

As well as working as a team, above all we are an amateur group and only get together two hours twice a week to rehearse. This ramps up in the week leading to the performance.

Everyone gives up their spare time to pitch in.

After paying out for things such as room hire, the royalties for the play and materials, any surplus moneys get ploughed into the next production. The royalty costs in 1975 were around £10 per performance, today they are more like £85-£100. We all pull together and do it for the love of it all.

Formed in 1968 as Beeston & Stapleford Dramatic Society with support and a little funding from the Council (years before austerity, when they had money [Am I allowed to say that <wink>?]).

The very first production was Cat on the Fiddle written by John Dole hosted at Beeston College of Further Education in February of the following year.

The acting bug was well and truly biting away and after a few years the connection with Beeston & Stapleford Urban District Council was severed and the group became financially independent and started performing at Round Hill school.

of house doing duties such as props, lights, sounds, costumes, set building or serving the interval drinks – we work together as a team.

The Beeston Players they had a copy of the script in their hands) but in the past we’ve had the male lead actor taken ill and replaced with the female prompt (with a copy of the script in their hands), doors sticking shut, and a character dropping dead 3 pages too early. In any situation an unexpected dead body in the middle of the floor is hard to deal with.

We’ve done comedy, drama, murder mysteries and thrillers and no two performances are ever the same. The actors you see on stage are only the tip of the iceberg and there is a team of hard working crew backstage and at front

For our next production we are putting on our very first show – “Cat on the Fiddle” a comedy/farce at Round Hill School on Wednesday 9th May through to Friday 11th May at 7:30pm and a matinee on the Saturday 12th at 2:30pm. Come and see it, I don’t want to give away the whole plot but I can promise: Italians, smuggling and water cress sandwiches, and as is tradition in all farce comedies: someone will be losing their trousers.

Let’s hope everything will be alright on the night. See beestonplayers.org for reserved ticket or come and pay on the door.

We will be have a party to celebrate our 50th Anniversary in the summer, so Will Smith (if you are reading) if you do want to celebrate your birthday with some fellow actors, feel free to pop in.

Barbara Barton & Gary Frost

Beeston

Poetry

The Tattoo If I could paint this town onto my skin I'd load my brush with countless mem ories.

I'd struggle to decide where to begin.

Spring has arrived, flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, there are more daylight hours to be had…and the poets are emerging. This issue, we’re paying attention to poetry in time for Nottingham Poetry Festival.

We’ve got a few Buzzword poems for you from our competition, a roundup of events and courses happening in Beeston, and the answer to the question: what do you get if you mix science with poetry? Read on to find out!

After all, it's hard to place a pin into a state of mind: a reverie.

If I could paint this town onto my skin it would take courage and some disciplin e; a bravery not seen for centuries.

I'd struggle to decide where to begin.

You see, nostalgia breeds the sacchari n, and true reflection comes through lack of ease.

If I could paint this town onto my skin – contemplating all that we have been; the fleeting glance of all that we could be?

I'd struggle to decide where to begin.

Excuses wearing tracing paper thin I guess I'm just not one for artistry.

If I could paint this town onto my skin I'd struggle to decide where to begin.

Beeston Lock , Taste that rain-washed air iron top rail, the t ins aga forearms firm lock key, and watch boatmen turn gates y eav prising open slime-h y. wa ir for barges to make the nt Walk where the roaring Tre sonry steps, froths and tumbles over ma encounters, past wild Sunday League rs and solemn banks of angle ce. pla s ro’ He e Th r guarding ove here, Look. Roots grabbed hold nch bra spread north, each hand eager as a child’s probing counter am reaching to the ice cre . for summer’s sweet nectar d layers Take it in. Dig the honeye one bed, from gravel down to limest farms, sifting fragments of Saxon tering spoor. to trail history’s hard, glit Because this is the land.

These are the threads.

Glen Bradford

Leanne Moden

Salad Bowl Beeston, a banque t of curious folk; The Last Post, th e librarians hula hooped with clou In The Star, they ds of smoke. peruse their book s; Patrons from Deni son Street and In ham Nook.

The ghosts of Bees ton flicker as bygo ne maquettes, while the living cr uise through on m obility scooters an Charlie's Barn, Pe d cigarettes. t Mart, The Lad's Club knocked dow But still a lovingly n; patchworked mar ket town.

The high flyers fil l their bellies; While Fast Lane ru ns amok in odd w ellies.

Chuggers, terrier s, sots and tots, A melange of Adid as and Birkenstoc k.

Gaelic tones ring out from the gree ng rocers nearby; Beckoning buyers to brussels, bean s and broccoli.

Occidental, acciden tal, academic and Eastern, The beautiful sala d bowl that is Be eston.

Cathy Garrick

Hello Beestonians!

I have had the pleasure of talking to the inspiring Ellie Turpin, creator of the curious ‘Ada’s Poetry Engine.’

A fellow poetry lover, a recovering researcher and a full time mother, she had to spread the word of this intelligent piece of scientific engineering using code.

Aditi: Ellie, you are a busy lady! Thank you for giving us your time… please enlighten us all on this curious coding ‘poet’!

Ellie: This is a fascinating piece of engineering that was for the Festival of Science. Being a scientist, I never thought science and the arts could work in cohesion together.

However, having been an audience member of the performance arts that is prominent in Nottingham, such as the Nottingham Poetry festival, I was sure the two would get on!

Aditi: How does your marvellous coding engine work Ellie?

I wanted the poets and the scientists to work together, so I created my engine so that anyone who submitted a poem, or a phrase, the engine would re-mix the poem and it would come out with something different! This would be done by using algorithms.

Aditi: How were you inspired to start your journey into creating this unique project?

Ellie: We work with ‘Ignite Future’, a company in Nottingham that pushes young people to be architects of their own learning, to enable pupils to be artists, mathematicians, and of course scientists. So we work with schools and young adults, to promote literature, poetry, and technology collectively.

I wanted to expose young people to performance poetry and science.

Aditi: I work in primary education myself and as a fellow performance poet, I heartily and happily approve of such a creative, upcoming project. If you had to meet a poet, dead, alive, or local, who would you choose and why?

Ellie: Have you heard of a woman called Debris Stevenson? I love her poems that empower women, promoting equal rights and feminism. She has performed a poem along the lines of ‘Girl with the Tattoo”. She promotes confidence for women’s bodies. I also respect and love Hollie Mcnish, a female poet who writes about such detailed topics in such a positive yet realistic manner.

Aditi: I can wholeheartedly agree Ellie; being a humble poet myself, they are phenomenal. If you had to choose a scientist’s work, that you think motivates, empowers and protects our next generation, who would you choose and why?

Ellie: That’s an easy one! Rosalynd Franklin. She is such a pioneer! She was instrumental in discovering the molecular structure of DNA, her X-Ray photographs were fundamental to unlocking these ‘building blocks’ of life. Without her, there wouldn’t have been such accurate evidence of our DNA, or our children.

Aditi: Thank you so much Ellie, its been fabulously inspiring to talk to you!

AB

Ellie: The engine is inspired by Ada Lovelace of Nottingham, daughter of Lord Byron.

POETRY ROUND-UP

ZINES EXHIBITION THE POETRY HOUR WITH HENRY Some dates for your diary…

Free, now until Sat 21 April, Beeston NORMAL Library Free, Wed 25 April, 6pm, Beeston Library Showcasing zines made by the Enjoy (and potentially perform) public and school pupils, including anthologies of poetry with Henry Normal and Pete Ramskill, as poems developed with poet Andrew Graves part of Nottingham Poetry Festival FAMILY POETRY (Short course) Free, 25 April – 23 May, 16:00-17:30, Beeston Library

CREATIVE WRITING THROUGH POETRY (Short course) £36, 5 June – 10 July, 10:00-12:00, Beeston Library

T

here is Snow Business like Show Business! Of Beats and Beans; an Impromptu Coffee With Kingdom Rapper.

Saturday the 17th March. Just as we were fooled into thinking winter was over, the “Beast From The East” returned, and once again delayed our passage into Spring, as it had a couple of weeks prior.

Wrapped up and very much windswept I trundled over to Beeston Square. The plan was to observe and report on the making of a music video about Beeston by Benjamin J Howard, otherwise known as, Kingdom Rapper. By the time I had arrived gusts of snow were flurrying around the square, and the wind was picking up. The tarpaulin of nearby market traders flapped violently, and all signs pointed towards inclement weather.

It was a far cry from the artic tundra, but it was still legitimately uncomfortable to be outside.

I noticed the crew bunched into small groups around the square. A drone had just been retrieved from flight on one side of the square, and on the other side of the square it was clear to me that considerations were starting to manifest regarding the shoot that was due to take place that day.

I introduced myself to the crew, things hit off instantly. They seemed just as interested in asking me questions as I was of them. Just after the point of no return; ridiculously high winds and out of control hair, a realisation hit me. I realised I had been very pleasantly, yet subtly coerced into a video interview for them, about Beeston. As well as filming the music video, Kindgom Rapper and his crew were also planning on making a short documentary film about Beeston and the making of his music video.

Despite the weather, a faction of the crew were busying themselves, continuing to collect video content from passer’s by.

It wasn’t long before a decision was taken for the crew to discuss the options going forwards over a warm cup of coffee. The vote was cast, and the unanimous decision was to cancel the shoot for the day. No date for the re-shoot was set in stone at the time, but it was suggested that a couple of weeks should be allowed to pass to allow the weather to improve. Benjamin (AKA Kingdom) enthusiastically volunteered to film a short message to his followers on Facebook to explain how the weather had temporarily put a stop to the days plans.

In the meantime Kingdom had kindly agreed to speak to both myself and Christopher Frost about; his life and music, and the ‘I Am Beeston’ project, respectively.

I was keen to find out a bit more about Kingdom’s drive for making music, and, how he came to be in Beeston. So, as the “Beast from the East” raged on outdoors, we started chatting, and so it goes; Kingdom Rapper moved to Beeston 3 years ago after living in various city centre locations around Nottingham. The pre-tense for leaving almost every city centre location named as a prior residence, from Basford to the Meadows was the same; getting involved up with the wrong people and ending up on a negative cascade. Kingdom originally comes from West Bridgford. He described a somewhat turbulent upbringing where his family were well meaning but had their own adversity to manage. To ride out the chaos at home Kingdom explained that he sought solace in music. One of the stories Kingdom recounted to me was a pivotal turning point in his life when he realised he had a connection with rap music. Kingdom said he was 14 at the time, his mother had brought home an Eminem album.

After having taken a listen, Kingdom felt a

Kingdom Rapper connection with the aesthetic of the music and the messages conveyed within the lyrics.

Soon after, he acquired a microphone and some software, and began to make his own music. Kingdom whilst recounting his earlier life also described how he had entered what he considered to be a negative spiral, he was on the way to developing a ‘smoking’ habit, of which he would later quit, but at the time this came about as not only as a coping mechanism but also as an aid to his creativity. Kingdom kept this within the privacy of his own space, but he did also say that on a wider scale some of his prior associations had connections to gangs and

anti-social behaviour. Kingdom wanted to break out of the negativity and grow as a person as well as an artist. To do this, he knew he needed to become a more positive person in himself and engage with more positive people. People that would allow him to follow his passion and be supportive of his endeavours.

It was by chance that Kingdom ended up in Beeston. An opportunity for a house share arose with a group of friends, and that sealed the deal. Since moving to Beeston Kingdom has found that he has integrated into the community and found his support group.

Kingdom describes himself as a community orientated person, and through his music aspires to be an inspiration to other young people who may also have to stand in the face of adversity. Kingdom also explained that since his move to Beeston, he gained momentum with his music and with his community outreach activities. The mantra “turn negatives into positives” was a running theme throughout our discussion. It was apparent that Kingdom really wanted his success to be a conduit for others around him to be successful. He described his ethic for supporting and promoting local businesses, and how they had helped him by lending his team media equipment or allowing a venue to be used as a platform for the promotion of his music. The majority, if not all (I didn’t get to meet them all) of Kingdoms team either lived or worked locally.

Kingdom also said that if he ‘made it big’ then he would like to stay in Beeston and not allow himself to fall into the money orientated world that is associated with musical success.

What was really refreshing to see was Kingdom’s down to earth attitude.

Having had a minor dabble and walked upon various tourist routes through the music industry myself, I have had the privilege of meeting a fair few music artists. Sadly, a big driving force for many to make it, is indeed fame and the promise of a more affluent life. Kingdom seemed different, his vision was to make music to help people, and that fame overall was of no interest. He wanted to be a “catalyst for change” and change the world bit by bit.

He believes he was given the skills as an artist, and that is what is enabling him to do what he does. He also sees his troubled past in a positive light through the ability to empathise with the struggles of other people within the community, as well as show them that with the right attitude, they can find their own way out of adversity and take a more fulfilling path through life.

Continued on next page...

Kingdom Rapper interview - continued.

As I asked about his progression into the music industry, Kingdom also explained how he did previously have a manager, but has since decided to take control of his own musical destiny and now manages himself. Kingdom described some of the more negative aspects of the music industry that had started to manifest, and he felt like he didn’t need to get caught up in contracts and allow himself the chance to become established in himself and be free to follow his own creativity. Being locked into a restrictive 2-year contract and pushed to give up the rights to his name so early on in his career was a big eye opener. His creative freedom was dampened, and he felt that his hands may as well have been tied. Almost

everything he did was contract limited. This experience gave him the strength to go in his own musical direction, and I think that this will bring a breath of fresh air to the rap scene.

on April 30th and again at the Bodega on May 31st. As a man of faith Kingdom will also be presenting the Gospel Facto on July 7th. Various ‘in the pipeline’ bits and pieces about the BBC were also mentioned.

To draw the conversation to a close I asked Kingdom about his upcoming activities and events. As well as re-setting a date for the ‘Beeston’ music video he also said (and this sounds AMAZING) that there was a plan to film another music video in the Play zone in Lincoln. Various meet and greets, aka ‘chat and rap’s’, have been arranged with local schools around Nottingham. In terms of events, you can catch him at the Berliner bar for the Sw@g Testament Mixtape Party

The best way to keep up with Kingdom Rapper and his movements is to keep an eye on his Facebook page https://www. facebook.com/kingdomrapperuk/ If you want to check out Kingdom Rapper’s music videos and supporting documentaries take a gander at his YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCk0c6CzCZ6od_AzvM-OuN4w DB

OXJAM is Go!

T

his year’s Oxjam Beeston Music Festival is going ahead as planned. Members of the organising team were unanimous that they would carry on, in the belief that the Beeston community would support our aims. These are quite simple: to mount a programme of varied musical events, provide a platform for local musicians, put on a great community event and raise money for Oxfam. Regarding the issues that the charity has had in the last couple of months, the local Oxjam Team is publishing a statement on its website.

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Plans for this year’s Festival are in the early stages. Already we are looking at the following events: • A pub quiz (date and venue to be confirmed) • An ‘unplugged’ event (date and venue to be confirmed) • Takeover Day - Saturday 13th October, midday to the early hours, in various venues around the town, many familiar, some new • C lassical Oxjam - Saturday 17th November, Beeston Parish Church • Oxjam Ceilidh - Saturday 1st December, Royal British Legion Social Club We have already had enquiries, some asking us to confirm we are going ahead - which we are happy to do. We’ve also had messages from those who would like to perform and those who would like to volunteer.

Would-be performers should look out for ‘Registration’ when it opens in late May or early June. This will be available on-line. NB Artists for Unplugged and Classical are by invitation but we would be happy to hear from anyone who would like to perform at either.

Volunteer registration will open in late August.

Our website is currently undergoing a refurb but do check it at www.oxjambeeston.org or visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ oxjambeestontakeover/) - again, bear with us if the content is a bit behind the times!

We can be contacted via a message to our Facebook page.

CT

Gossip from the

HIVEMIND

A special this issue as we write the definitive Beeston Hit Parade, as suggested by those pun-tastic contributors over on Beeston Updated.

We received over 450 entries to this which suggests a) You are fantastic fans of puns and music b) You really should get out more. Muggins here has had to plough through them all and select the Top 40.

It was painful. It was tough. And apologies to anyone who didn’t make it. You should be proud of yourself. We have spared the blushes of those who made it into the list by not printing their names.

Set your groan levels to 11. HERE WE GO POP-PICKERS:

40: Happy Daze Are Here Again 39: Fake Plastic Bees 38: I Wanna Greggs You Up 37: Hallams Lies Down On Broadgate 36: Beeman Rhapsody 35: Total Eclipse of the Art Shop 34: Shadab Balti Ya Face 33: Exile on Middle Street 32: Ava Marina 31: Beestonian Like You 30: Stuck in the Middle Street Resource Centre With You 29: Beeston Fields Forever 28: These Boots Were Made for Walking 27: Ain’t No Magic Mountain High Enough 26: Ticket To Rye 25: Last Post to Clarksville

24: QMCA 23: West End girls 22: Poppa Pizza Don't Preach 21: Wake Me Up Before You Bendigo 20: Trams Europe Express 19: Iguazu zu zu zu, (push pineapple shake the tree) 18: Like a Rylands Cowboy 17: Whilst My Guitar Spot Gently Weeps 16: Monkey Gone to HairVen 15: That’s Amores 14: Livin' L'Oliva Loca 13: The White Lion Sleeps tonight 12: (Gonna Rock Down To) Devonshire Avenue 11: Gills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music

And for your TOP 10...

10: Going ‘umberroad 09: Chimera River 08: Applebee The Day 07: Charlie Fogg on the Tyne 06: My Heart Wilko On 05: Message in a Pottle 04: Rylands in the Stream 03: Nothing Compares to Meat 4U 02: Twenty Four Hours From Toton 01: 99 Problems (and a shoe shop ain't one)

A special mention to Tim Furnish, who we rewrote the whole the Dandy Warhols ‘Bohemian Like You’ into ‘Beestonian Like You’ with full lyrics. He should be very proud/ashamed of himself.

Thanks!

Huge thanks to all of our contributors, sponsors, stockists, regular readers and anyone who has picked this up for the first time (hello!)

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