The Beestonian 80: Anniversary Issue

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Top 10 beestonian spin-offs

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Beestonian The

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disclaimer. Anniversaries make for lazy journalism. It’s easy to find something in the past that is a nice round number away from the present date and trot out an article about it, with the resulting journalism being not the fabled ‘first draft of history’, but an easy retrospective write-up. This magazine was set up to look forward, to see how Beeston changes as it moves deeper into this century, and to channel that progressive energy that keeps things ticking. Of course, we love a bit of history: but history is always vastly more fascinating when we can tie it to the now, when we can see stark differences or bizarre similarities. As evidenced by 90% of Facebook, nostalgia is often grossly dishonest, a mawkish wallow. Bah to that, we say.

Lord Beestonia Editorial

Right, now that paragraph is out of the way, here’s why the magazine you’re currently holding is an anniversary issue, and how it came about.

We - that is myself, Lord Beestonia (not a real Lord, actual name Matt Turpin) and Prof J (now a real Professor, actual name Matt Jones) - came up with the idea while having lunch in The Vic back in 2011. I’d been writing about Beeston on a blog and in various other places for some years, and Prof J thought getting some of the stuff I wrote about into a printed magazine format would reach a wider audience. My initial reaction was "ARE YOU MAD, MAN?? THE LEGACY PRINT MEDIA IS IN A DEATH SPIRAL AND STEPPING INTO THE MARKET NOW WOULD BE LIKE TAKING UP A HOBBY THE MORNING OF YOUR OWN EXECUTION!” but I bit my tongue and gave it some thought.

How about a community-generated, community-led, community-sourced magazine with no strong underlying editorial policy other than a connection to Beeston, that is interesting? One that wasn’t desperate for growth, profit, or lowest-common-denominator pandering? Other people came on board, persuaded by proffered pints in The Crown, and a magazine was born.

It’s been a much greater success than we ever expected. The fact I’m sitting here now, typing this introduction is testament to that. It’s never been easy, structurally: ensuring the magazine is of the highest quality; is free to pick up; is always independent and honest in its intentions has been - and remains - a struggle. We work on a shoestring, and our move to glossy colour paper a few years ago meant everything had to be scaled up from the days we could have produced it on a few sheets of A3, some carved potatoes and a vat of Quink.

Yet there has never been a struggle to find stories, or those wishing to tell stories. That has been the most incredible thing. I initially suspected we’d have ten issues worth of material when we started out: now, each issue turns down much more than it can fit between its covers. This place buzzes with ideas. The team we have today are all people I’ve met along the way, who took that step and said “I think I could write something’ and did so.

Packing ten years into a few pages is an impossible job, and what lays within is nowhere approaching definitive. To gauge what to include, however, I turned to Beeston Updated and it’s hive-mind and asked what things over the past ten years most made a mark on the town: inevitably, the Tram was mentioned, alongside Bartons, Beeston Street Art, Owen ‘Hero’ Jenkins, the new cinema, the Canalside Heritage Centre, the Blue Plaques, Oxjam, the evolution of the high street, and - meta alert - the emergence of Beeston Updated. All are mentioned within.

There are many memories left out - I still have never felt so proud of my town when we came together, under the wonderful stewardship of erstwhile White Lion landlord Sergio Rocha, to donate what we could to those caught up in the 2015 refugee crisis. An astonishing time.

And that, I hope, is what this magazine has stood for these past ten years. We are a plural, diverse town, with many of us coming to the town from elsewhere to make our home; to those who can trace their family trees back to times when the weir was a mere trickle over rocks, when there were more factories than coffee shops. We grow, we change, we thrive.

We are all different in our ways, but we are all Beestonians, and we hope we’ve done an ok job reflecting that over the years.

Time brings changes. After a decade of being a sort-of-monthly-sort-of-actually-everysix-weeks type of mag, and a decade of us all on the team becoming busier and more stretched in our lives, we’ve decided to radically restructure The Beestonian into a thicker, fuller, more desirable quarterly magazine, the first of which will be out soon. As always, this is YOUR magazine, and if you’d like to be part of it, come and say hello / ayup.

Now, let’s get this second decade underway: I’ll see you at the 20th Anniversary issue.

LB

Scan the QR below for a Beestonian poem by Cathy Grindrod

beeston speaks i am

Owen Hero Jenkins

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here are moments in time which lodge in your mind, and stay there. Over the last decade, two such incidents seem to have had this widespread effect on much of Beeston. You may remember the first. If you do, you’ll likely never forget it. Nicola Jenkins definitely won’t.

It was a warm July afternoon in 2017, and Beeston had enjoyed a decent spell of summer. In the Rylands, the Canalside Heritage Centre had opened just the previous month, bringing with it an optimism of rebirth, along with many curious visitors exploring this beautiful corner of Beeston, where the town - and to some, the North of England ends as it tumbles down into the Trent.

"Then, something happened...

Something that showed more distinctly, more emotively, what community means...”

“We knew something was wrong when we heard the sirens - there were two” she explains “My son, Owen was a real outdoorsy type, and always getting into accidents - I used to joke we needed a permanent parking space outside A+E. I thought “I bet he fell out of a tree and broke his arm”. She ran down to the weir - ‘’and if you know me, you know I don’t do running’ where emergency vehicles were gathering “I knew it was Owen”. A friend’s daughter approached drenched with her mother : “It’s Owen” the parent said, sobbing “He’s gone”.

The police dive team was led by James Patterson. With only 10 minutes left on his oxygen tank he had to choose carefully where to search - a hunch led him back to an already-searched area, and that's when Owen appeared. “James has always said Owen didn't want us to go home” Nicola explains “Without him being found. Another unexplained 'OWEN' moment”.

“Four hours I spent down there, yet looking back it felt like ten minutes. I remember the air ambulance hovering over low, then the police helicopter taking over. I remember a cup of coffee in a Hard Rock Cafe mug, which I somehow put down somewhere and lost, and fretting that I needed to replace it”. The news - that her son Owen had rescued a girl from the weir where she was trapped, then went back to rescue another, but lost his life in doing so - was confirmed while she sat on the Weir Field changing room steps, and her life changed forever.

“Nobody thinks it will happen to them. It feels surreal. I couldn’t eat for a week, and just kept expecting him to appear again.

There was so much to organise, so many things to think of. When a child dies - well, you’re obviously not prepared”.

Her police liaison officers, Paula and Simon “Were brilliant. They still are. Simon has since retired, but still keeps in touch.

They did wonderful things to help”.

Then, something happened. Something spontaneous, something unprecedented in most people’s memory of Beeston, something that showed more distinctly, more emotively, what community means. As the news broke across the town, the town collectively threw its arms around Nicola and her family.

“I felt cocooned by it, kept safe” she says, as, through Facebook community groups, chats in pubs and over garden fences, Beeston tried to do what it could to soften the blow. A Just Giving page was set up in the first instance, raising £10k for the funeral. People shared memories of Owen- how tall he was for his age (6ft 1), how much he loved his rugby, how he would go and help neighbours dig their gardens when he saw they were struggling, with no expectation of reward and with a smile on his face. How this boy, so tragically taken away, had touched so many lives in his short stay in this world. At The Beestonian, our man-with-the-camera, Christopher Frost, discovered he’d snapped Owen walking in the parade for Beeston Carnival, mere days before the accident. A confident, handsome lad striding confidently into a bright future, blind - as we all are - to what would come to pass.

There were numerous small acts of kindness, with people volunteering food, offering help, sending condolences. Purple Owen’s favourite colour - began to spring up over town in the form of ribbon bows. At one point, it seemed every door, every lamppost was adorned, as if to say “You don’t know me. But I am thinking of you, and my heart is with you”.

The fence on the newly opened Canalside Heritage Centre - which itself held a sculpture in memory of a young girl, Annie Grundy who had drowned in this river 90 years previously - was filled with flowers, purple, scrawled and heartfelt messages.

Nobody organised this. No one gave it permission. It was a genuine spontaneous reaction, a collective act. Then, the funeral.

This will be the second memory that will be burnished deep into the memories of many Beestonians. Myself, I was with my wife and young son at the Beeston crossing by the corner of Natwest, where Wollaton Road segues into Station Road.

The crowd was thick with people, well past Hallams. Looking left towards the Rylands, people lining the streets. It was a sea of purple. Looking right up Wollaton Road, similar. It was, as Nicola says “Like a state

funeral”. 500 motorbikes, rode by riders from as far away as Cornwall and Scotland, accompanied the 4 horse carriage that took Owen - in a full size coffin, too tall for a child - away from the Rylands forever. A town mourned.

Yet the story doesn’t end there. It is up to the living to keep the dead alive, even when the body has perished. Nicola has spent the last four years doing just this with an urgent, brilliant energy and determination to ensure Owen is with us forever more, and to ensure that no parent has to go through what she went through.

You would have seen the evidence of this.

Long after the purple bows faded into pale blue, Owen has become an ever-growing symbol of the town. He gigantically runs, rugby ball tucked under-arm, across the tall wall high above Robert Ellis, immortalised in the Street Art that brightens the town.

The area around the weir is named "Owen ‘Hero’ Jenkins' Place", and the shingle beach that emerges each spring on the Clifton side is "Owen’s beach". The new-build estate on the Rylands side of the station has a street called "Owen Jenkins Close”. He is remembered in multiple ways, his act of selfsacrifice firmly part of the Beeston story.

On a practical level, OWEN - the Open Water Education Network, was set up by Nicola to educate about the dangers of wild water - has ran countless sessions in schools, fundraised many tens of thousands (and donates excess to the Air Ambulance) and, it is hoped, spared at least one family having to go through what Nicola and her family went through.

“I’m an optimist” Nicola tells me, “I’m a doer. I have this drive to make a better future, to use the tragedy and heroism of Owen to make the world a good place”. She sighs, then says “I still cry, I still have days I can’t do anything but sit and cry. I keep thinking he’s just on a long holiday, and I’ll kick his arse for worrying me when he gets home . Sometimes I notice pictures on the wall have been set crooked, or objects have been moved, and I feel that mischievous boy is with me”.

He will, through the memorials around town, be with us all. And for those who remember that strange, tragic yet beautiful Summer of 2017, he -and what he inspired -will never be forgotten.

MT

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top 10

the s f f o n i p S n a i Beeston

The Beestonian decade has clearly been a packed one. But it’s not all been about slinging together a magazine here and now: we’ve often branched off and done other things, like the multi-media empire we aspire to be. Here’s a top-ten:

The Beestonian F ilm Club at Cafe Roya

In 2013 The Beestonian ran a special issue on the wealth of screen talent that the town has produced, with an accompanying article about the history of Beeston Cinema from our own buff on all matters erstwhile, Jimmy Notts. We asked “Why doesn’t Beeston have a cinema?” In the finest tradition of DIY, Roya from the eponymous restaurant got in touch: “I’ve got a space upstairs, and don’t open on a Monday. Want to use it?”

Tim Pollard, our ‘Bow Selector’ offered a projector, we printed up some programmes, Roya mixed up a special commemorative Bloody Mary, and the Beestonian Film Club at Cafe Roya was born.

We showed anything we found interesting, bringing in local filmmakers to show and talk about their work. A real coup was secured when Shane Meadows - my favourite director - offered

to put on a retrospective. “Of course, come along!” we urged, and so he did, accompanied by Vicky McClure. The resulting evening, with a Q+A led by Guardian / Empire film critic Ali Catterall, bussed up from London, was a night I’ll never forget.

The Club carried on for a while, until other commitments made it unviable. Still, for a short time, it was the most fun to be had in Beeston on a Monday; much good food was eaten; much fine wine (and Bloody Marys) swilled; and many great films watched.

Now we have a *proper* cinema, one where the projector doesn’t get so warm we’d have to break films off for a few minutes to let it cool, and one when the curatorial policy is a little more professional than our method of finding a short on YouTube and luring the director over with promises of a free veggie meal.

I Am Beeston - We Are Beeston 1-4

2016, and I was on holiday in Greece: halfway through the UK voted to leave the EU. I’d tried to avoid looking at my phone, but an email came through that I couldn't ignore. It was a message from a young Beestonian telling me how a friend of his had visited a pub to watch an England match, and been racially abused. “Get back to India, you’re not welcome anymore” was amongst the insults hurled at him. This made me both angry and profoundly depressed: one of Beeston’s joys is its ease with multiculturalism.

Industry and the university have long fed into a diverse, ever changing community, bringing multiple benefits. Of course, there has always been the racists and the haters, but they’d tended to keep their bigotry silent. Now those once quiet, muttering racists felt emboldened to enact their venom into other’s faces.

This was not the Beeston I knew, this was not the Beeston I loved. I spent the rest of the holiday hatching a plan. Back in England, I took a camera and went out into the streets with a bit of card reading ‘I AM BEESTON’. The intention was to photograph Beestonians who’d made their home from elsewhere, and tell a little about their life, in their words. I wanted to introduce them to the town, and show that they had just as much a right to say ‘I Am Beeston’ as someone like

5 I The Beestonian Pub Survey

myself, whose family has been here for generations.

It was met by a very positive response when it went online. A friend (Roopam, from Beeston Nursery, herself born in India) suggested it would be more effective to continue this project celebrating all Beestonians - we are all Beeston.

This idea was taken up, and the project handed over to a professional photographer (our very own Community Editor, Christopher Frost) who bought in his own style and much better framed photos.

With funding from CP Walker, we created six display boards of our subjects. These were displayed at Carnivals and other events, and stood proud in the window of the recent Beeston Showcase.

Inevitably, now the project is five years old it has become a piece of local history. Also inevitably, and less welcome, some of the participants have since died. Where we can, we’ve asked the families of those who have passed if they want their loved ones image / words removed. No one - to date - has, preferring to see it as a fitting memorial.

Beeston has GREAT pubs. That's a given, and has been for decades. Yet there has been much change, and in 2012 we decided to map it by instituting the Grand Beeston Pub Survey... or as more cynical readers saw it, the Grand Beeston Pub Crawl.

Armed with notepads and leaving out alka-seltzer sitting pretty by our bedsides, a surprising proportion of the magazine staff embarked on the tough journalism that is going to pubs, drinking, and then assessing how good they were.

The subsequent article was a fine, if borderline incoherent piece, laying down a benchmark for future surveys. And so

it was, in 2016 (like the Olympics, they take place every four years,this being the average length a hangover takes to pass after you turn 40) we ventured out again. Our designer Dan tried to illustrate the journey: fine sketches swiftly descended in unrecognisable scrawls, before he fell asleep on a table. We collated notes afterwards, and the general gist was: the state of pubs in Beeston was inversely proportionate to the state of us: the more pubs, the worse we became.

Covid put paid to our 2020 Survey, but perhaps in Spring 2022 we should venture out again, once we’ve sourced some spare livers and a gallon of milk-thistle.

The Beestonian S tudent Special 6

We’ve always recognised the contribution our neighbours at the University make to Beeston: while some University suburbs suffer from a polarised, never-the-twain town vs gown situation, Beeston’s relationship with the Uni works well. There are concerns, of course: the spread of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) one, and some are worried about us becoming more like Dunkirk and Lenton, which often feel like vast halls of residence. Yet the value of the students using local businesses, bringing along diversity and vibrancy, and the fact that the people supporting them - academics and support staff - make this their home means Beeston has

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been greatly spared the harsher realities of manufacturing moving away and chain stores moving out to focus on the internet.

So we thought it right to put together an issue welcoming students, alluring printed in colour. Great if you’re printing on decent paper, but back then we used the cheapest bond of paper available, the end result being the Student Issue was slightly damp. We handed some out at a wet Fresher’s Fair, and watched as they seemed to dissolve in the students hands. We haven’t repeated this special.

Buzzword: A poem for Beeston?

Well, why not? There are a fair few poets here already, and our town was once a must-visit destination for touring poets.

Henry Normal, who had a stellar career with Steve Coogan as TV producers (The Royle Family; Gavin and Stacey etc) before returning to his first love as a travelling poet told us

8 Beeston Continuum:

in 2018 “Beeston was spoken of in hushed tones: this place that could guarantee an audience of fans of verse”. We ran a competition, and the winner was a beauty about the Beeman.

Perhaps it's time to get it on a wall somewhere near the eponymous statue?

The Beestonian has always been a strong advocate for community consultation when it comes to Beeston’s development, so when news broke in 2014 of the posttram future of the town we held public meetings that in turn inspired a group called Beeston Continuum to form.

Consisting of representatives from the council, former Broxtowe MP Nick Palmer, the Civic Society’s Judy Sleath and others, we persuaded the University of Nottingham Built

9 The Beestonian Campaigns

Environment department to run a real-world project. Much of the subsequent work went into inspiring many innovations in Beeston: not least the cinema. While flawed, Continuum did set in motion discussions around determining Beeston’s future (see Beeston Updated elsewhere in the issue), as well as teaching me another word with two consecutive U’s, significantly upping my Scrabble game.

There’s been a fair few of these: when we’ve noticed something grossly unfair happening we’ve tried to do what we can to stop it. These have been both doomed - trying to save the Town Hall from being sold off; declaring Beeston an independent country (well, it was worth a punt) to the successful: stopping Network Rail from closing down the Meadow Lane foot crossing; lobbying for businesses and individuals to be treated fairly when the tramworks hit town.

A favourite was when we heard a certain well-known high street bookies had turfed a local charity out of their premises so they could keep it empty while they waited for changes of legislation to allow them to stick more Fixed Odd Betting

10 Beestonian: The Movie

Terminals (aka FOBTs, aka the crack cocaine of gambling) in the place: effectively leaving a High Street premises empty, indefinitely. We weren’t happy with that, so put together an article revealing the cynical plans, but when we contacted the bookies, warning them we were going to do the story.... to which they reacted by withdrawing their lease, apologising and giving the charity a large sum as a way of saying sorry.

This isn’t the way campaigns usually work, in case you’re under any illusion it is. Great news, until we realised the story we’d already sent to print, featuring several different versions of the phrase ‘greedy bastards’, would have to be hastily amended…

We’d been running the film club a few months (see above) and therefore exposed to dozens of locally-shot short films. It gave me an idea, which I pulled in then-editor Christian Fox to help develop: could we make a short about the weirdness of Beeston? Probably not, he replied, but nevertheless we watched far too many Jonathan Meades documentaries; looked up ‘psychogeography’ in the dictionary and wrote a script.

Melvyn Rawlinson, a fantastic puppeteer/filmmaker from Toton took the lead as director and Only Crew Member Who Had Any Technical Skillz Whatsoever (official title), and with the legendary Jamie Clayden,impeccably shod in a dark suit (and at one point, a loincloth) produced a mid-tramworks love-letter to the town.

Weirdest moment came when we were shooting on Chilwell Road and bumped into Shane Meadows, who agrees to feature in a scene. I hastily change the script there and then, before finding myself in the unlikely and terrifying position of directing my favourite filmmaker. I even said ‘Cut! And that’s a wrap!’ after the end of the second take, hoping the ground would open up and swallow me whole. It did: a few moments later I toppled over a crash barrier and into one of the trenches cut into the tarmac for the tram works.

I have still not had a call to direct the next Star Wars.

the last

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10 years t r a et e r eeston st

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he name ‘Barton’ is synonymous with Beeston - see elsewhere in this issue about how the latest generation are transforming the town but Jeanie O’Shea, formerly Barton, is making her mark in a rather more visual style than most.

After living in London for 17 years, jazz musician Jeanie decided to move back to her hometown with her husband, Will. While she found the town full of creatives - musicians, poets, writers, directors - “I couldn’t help but notice that such a ‘vibrant community’ wasn’t reflected on the streets: the town looked…well, a bit dull, in contrast to its talents”. She joined Facebook groups and found similar ongoing conversations, and together they decided that some street art might brighten the place up (and maybe make the place known for more than just having 5 funeral parlours).

Years later, street art is something that Beeston is known for. A variety of styles, from ther more ‘traditional’ urban New York aesthetic, to the solemn, ghostly ‘Canary Girls’ loading shells on the wall of the Victory Club; from the beautiful shock of butterflies on Chilwell Road to the dashing figure of Owen Jones, gone in life, immortalised in paint above the town.

Then, of course, is the piece that grabs the attention, situated alongside the main through road. Beeston’s own Mount Rushmore, a once dull blank wall now proudly showing off three of the town’s best known figures: Sir Paul Smith, Richard Beckinsale, and soul legend Edwin Starr (Starr can also be credited with playing a part in bringing this magazine into being: after working on a story trying to explain why, after rising from Nashville into international fame, he moved to Beeston. After reaching the conclusion ‘He didn’t like the look of Wollaton’ I decided Beeston had a weirdness that could be worth documenting).

This mural, put together by internationally-renowned French artist Zabou attracts huge attention from visitors to the town.

Alongside the wonderful blue plaques scheme, it shows a town confident in itself, proud of those who have risen from here. It’s a statement of intent: the town’s creative vibrancy caught on walls, surprising, beguiling, sometimes beautiful.

Jeanie’s energy - ”This was a hobby that took over” - and ability to galvanise business owners, the local authority, artists and most importantly, Beestonians has been nothing short of

The Beestonian is...

Editor in Chief / Lord Beestonian:

Matt Turpin Co-founder /Resident Don: Prof J Editor / Ad Sales : John Cooper Deputy Editor /Community Editor: Christopher Frost Design & The Beest: Dan Cullen Creative Editor: Debra Urbacz All Things Rylands: Janet Barnes / Naomi Robinson

wondrous, and testament to the power of vision.

Of course, with anything that involves art - which by its very nature is a subjective thing - there are those who aren’t keen.

“We call them the 11%” says Jeanie “After polling the town we found that’s about the number who object to the project. And that’s fine, people will always differ in opinion on art. People can sometimes assume that street art is straightforward graffiti, and in turn that is vandalism, rather than taking ownership of their hometown with art”.

We are already subject to vast amounts of imagery in public places, via advertising billboards, and seldom does that complement, reflect or lend ownership to a town. Yet you see few people moaning about the ubiquitous profusion of aesthetic clutter.

It’s also worth remembering that, 30-odd years ago, when the Beeman (actually The Beeston Seat) first appeared in the town, the town was split. As the sculptor was putting it into place, residents, assuming she was just a helper, told her how vile it was. The letters page of the Nottingham Evening Post were full of angry tirades of this ‘waste of money’. It was even attacked by some militant Beestonians, and had to undergo repairs.

Now, it is not just embedded into our community, but emblematic. It’s a focus point, as well as a plaything for kids to explore and those weary of leg to perch down for a breather.

The Beeman to many is Beeston, and if the council were to announce it’s removal, there would be uproar.

Similarly, it’s worth thinking of what would happen if the (admittedly vocal) minority got their way and jet-washers were deployed to rid us of the art. Again, uproar. The street art is seeping into our identity: or at least 89% of us!

The Beestonian is a huge supporter of the project, and in awe at Jeanie’s work to improve her patch. Perhaps one day her face will adorn a wall, as part of the next generation of great Beestonians. Watch this as yet unpainted space.

(This article was put together with the help of the budding journos on the Notts College Level 3 journalism course: HA,AA,JB,SC,GC,EC,MD,GE,JG,SG,LH, MH,BL,JL,AM,CM, CP, KS,CS, YS,PT,NT. Ta, journos!)

Thanks to all... who help us get the issue sustainable and available to all who want to read. If you’d like to help out - by advertising, promoting or writing with us, then drop us a line at thebeestonian@gmail.com. We are an absolutely independent, grassroots nonprofit community magazine with the sole intention of making Beeston a wonderful place to live, work and visit.

MT

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Matt Turpin

the coming of the

For a significant part of the last decade, the coming of the tram has been the most important subject going.

It‘s a story of division, controversy and change. Lord Beestonia looks back at those tumultuous times, and finds how the after-effects could inspire a model for the future of the UK

A

sk anyone in Beeston who has lived here more than a few years what the largest change has been in the last decade and the answer is always the same: the tram.

They’ll also then tell you their experience of it, good or bad.

But how did it even happen?

We have to go back 20 years to understand.

In those hazy far off days of November 2001, the then-MP, Nick Palmer, held a meeting to discuss if a tram system running to - and through - Beeston would be a good idea. “It was a robustly argued meeting” according to Steve Barber, former Rylands councillor and arguably the most ardent supporter of the tram. “With opinions expressed on both sides of the argument. Those for the idea decided it would be useful to form a group - Beeston and Chilwell For Integrated Transport (BACIT) - to work up the idea, and so the process began. In 2002 they met in

The Star, and chaired the meeting “Initially, there was much disjointed thinking, No one could settle on how to go about the process, but that meeting set things on track. We could draw on Nick Palmer’s wealth of experience in parliament and greater understanding of what would be required. He could see the big picture”.

It would be another eight years before things really began to move however. After much lobbying, research into routes and feasibility studies, Steve was invited to an awards ceremony on behalf of BACIT, where he’d been nominated for his campaign. Not rating his chances of winning, he instead visited the bar for a beer. One turned to two, two to three, three to four…and suddenly the host Nick Owen (Anne Diamond’s co-host in the early days of ITV breakfast telly) was calling his name. He’d won an award, and was being called to the stage.

Flushed with pride, (and beer), he took the award, said his thanks, then spotted the then Transport Minister, MP Norman Baker, in the audience. “Hey Norman, can we have our trams?” he shouted over from the stage.

The minister, caught on the spot, gave what Steve remembers as a ‘slight nod’. It must have worked, as two weeks later the project was green-lit. Trams were coming to Beeston.

But first, the build, with its attendant controversy and polarisation. A meeting to wrangle over contracts didn’t conclude until 2am, and ‘stakes were put into the ground immediately. We needed to formally start the works before we could begin the

compensation scheme for those affected’.

It would be a few years later until the real work began, however.

They were strange days, as the tramworks seemed to creep out of town and towards us.

In September 2013 The QMC and University were linked by a handsome new bridge spanning Dunkirk. University Boulevard was transformed after much work: then the line came out of the city and into Beeston.

Even the most ardent fan of bringing the tram to our town still feels upset at what happened next. The diggers moved in, the fences went up. Beeston was subject to it’s largest transformation in living memory, its most crucial infrastructure project since the train line was set down, or navvies dug the canal to bring barges down the Trent. Bigger, perhaps. Laying a tram line is no easy task at the best of times: laying down a line that runs directly through a major conurbation is an even trickier task.

For Beestonians, those years were not ones to celebrate. As a cyclist and pedestrian, getting around Beeston was often hazardous or just not feasible: roads seemed to close randomly and with little warning. For motorists, it must have been worse. Roads were ripped open, pipework guts exposed, and various utilities would suddenly take over an area and disappear beneath the gaping tarmac.

tram ‘It was a fiasco” Steve admits. “The utility suppliers were in a state of chaos and often dug up the road for no purpose. The tram builders would have to wait until they finished, leading to confusion and delays” .

The Lower Road / Fletcher Road areas were particularly badly hit. On one occasion I went to conduct an interview at someone’s house in that area, for this magazine. “Do your best duck, but I’m hard to get to“ she told me when arranging the visit “Nah, I’ll be fine" I replied. An hour later I arrived door, late, exhausted, and convinced I’d sold a problem more complex than solving Fermat’s last theorem while completing a Rubik’s Cube in each hand.

Chilwell Road was as contentious, with the entire street ripped up for months. While the (largely independent) businesses that flank that road were compensated throughout, the damage done to the ‘goodwill’ of those shops - the repeated trade that builds loyalty - was often not taken into account, and some failed. Would they have failed even if the tram works hadn’t arrived? We will never know, but morale was not good when I visited businesses over that time.

This sense of being subject to forces beyond your control fomented into online forums, most notoriously the Tram Ranting Rooms on Facebook. As so happened on online forum, rational, cool-headed debate was usurped by the loudest, most outraged and outrageous voices. The conversation became toxic, and genuine concerns were shouted out by a minority whose language became increasingly nasty. Our MP at the time, Anna Soubry, amplified this for political gain by celebrating the group in the House of Commons, and pledging allegiance with some of its worst, most offensive members.

While the group was no doubt set up in good faith, and with a serious intent, the swift descent into polarised hate was depressing and something our erstwhile MP should be ashamed to have whipped up.

What did The Beestonian do in those grim days?

Like Covid, it's one of those subjects that affected us all: nobody was spared the protracted works to get it running through our town. It might seem perverse, therefore, that The Beestonian decided to take a strong editorial line on the subject by...not much

talking about it. It seemed to take a strident stance on it would alienate half our readers either way. Instead, we tried to do what we could on a practical level to mitigate: we held a street party on Chilwell Road shortly before the pneumatic drills were deployed; we worked to get compensation paid faster to businesses and individuals. We promoted initiatives to help those lost behind fences and surrounded by utility trenches. And on the whole, Beeston did too. Few people like roadworks. Less like to be inconvenienced.

Yet the reaction to this was largely a rational one: there was no turning back, so we’d have to make the best of it.

Then, the barriers started to lift. Roads began to open, fresh dark tarmac embedded with shining tracks. Steve Barber was asked to install the final pandrol (the clips that hold fast the rail) at a ceremony to mark the formal completion of the track. I went along, on a cold, wet day late in 2014. This special, final pandrol was gold, and as it was levered into place a sense of relief flooded through.

While much of the work to get the tram running was left to do, the track was down.

The end was in sight.

It was again cold and wet when the tram first ran as a test, crawling at walking pace along the lines as engineers (and, unsurprisingly, Steve Barber) monitored its progress. It then ran empty for months, picking up speed as we got used to it cutting through the town. The surrounding areas began to return to some semblance of normality. Tempers calmed. A sense of excited expectation began to flicker to life.

We’d got through it. Now, let’s get on it.

On the 25th August , 2015, the tram carried passengers through Beeston for the first time. It was here. NET, the tram operators, hadn’t arranged a formal opening so Steve Barber, holding aloft a bottle of champagne, informally opened it at 6.01 am that morning. A process that had taken the best part of two decades was completed.

Is Beeston better with the tram? Of course, without having a parallel, tramless universe to compare us to it’s impossible to say. Personally, it’s been useful for me, and I enjoy the convenience it brings. It opens up areas I’d previously struggle to get to as a non-driver. It's a good looking thing: the ‘Ranters’ laughed themselves silly when

they coined the nickname ‘the slug’, but that never took hold. Now, it seems such a part of Beeston it’s hard to imagine a town without it.

Beeston has thrived over the years when contrasted to similar areas, with low retail vacancy rates and new businesses finding the place an attractive location to set up premises or outlets. “Beeston would have atrophied without the tram” Steve claims.

"You’d see much more in the way of empty units". He looks over to our suburban neighbours across the Trent to back up this argument "Look at West Bridgford, it just gets more and more boring. Beeston getting the tram felt like we were broadcasting our ambition. I can’t imagine we’d have got something like the cinema without the tram”.

Whatever the reality, one thing that strikes me more than anything when I think of the tram is how it felt like our own version of Brexit, years before that referendum. The town felt cleaved in two - and the deep and wide incisions in the town’s physical fabric reinforced that feeling. We were polarised by the works, and, like the EU referendum, it tore apart friends and families. It Like Brexit, it became a proxy issue for other stuff: those who see progress as a positive, and are open to change; and those who would hark back to some halcyon Beeston that most likely never existed. During the height of the works, I talked to an elderly reader of the mag when I dropped a copy of the mag around. Expecting her to be vehemently opposed to the works, she instead was sanguine, and disarming in her philosophical take: "Beeston is a live thing, otherwise it would be dead. And change is what live things do to keep alive”.

Now, more than half a decade on, Beeston is a calmer place. We weathered those times, we got through that polarisation and now few people have anything other than an indifferent opinion on the issue. It’s here, it is what it is. It’s part of Beeston. As the UK still reels from the division brought about via Brexit, perhaps Beeston can be an inspiration for the wider nation in how a community heals. We got back on track: it can be done.

MT

The

Barton Barton

John Cooper

The evolution of the Barton Site

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imon Barton describes the evolution of the Barton's site, which has become reknowned as an amazing event space, and a place for much needed housing.

"What is now christened as the emerging "Barton Quarter" traces its own independent redevelopment DNA from a number negative town planning experiences during the period 2005 to 2012. Back then a comprehensive mixed-use redevelopment of the entire site was first proposed by Bartons PLC, but outline permission was abruptly refused by the local planning authority. That earlier proposal, which originally appeared to be welcomed, had been a mixed use residential and office scheme, with a touch of retail and leisure.

Bartons PLC (the land-owning former transport company) is certain the series of town planning frustrations ensued largely due to the then forthcoming spectre of tram construction beside (or even at one time over) the Barton Quarter site.

By 2008 however, we'd regrouped and had a total rethink. By sheer good luck of timing, a large, on-site public celebration of Bartons'

Artists Impression

By Daniel Cullen

centenary in business was met with wholly unanticipated public acclaim, and the idea of a theme around heritage and events was internally adopted as initial catalyst for wholesale, largely residential led, mixed-use redevelopment. That process has now become widely known in planning terms as "placemaking."

The north east corner of the site, with its prominent but worn-out buildings was therefore protected internally, and intended to leave a lasting positive mark on the area in one form or another, but only IF this remained possible.

More and more historic vehicles and company related artefacts found their way back home, and a multitude of public events were experimented with. The remainder of the site was made available for clearance and renewal.

So, it came to be that a full 10 years after the first Barton Quarter application was refused planning permission, a second comprehensive proposal came forward on the same site, but this time working with The Prince's Foundation and Stockbridge.

Quarter Quarter p m a V e R

Their introduction of a co-design preplanning workshop process including planners, community representatives and stakeholders greatly unlocked further potential of the site and underpinned the successful eventual planning process, hybrid planning permission and the first phase now nearing completion.

The first beautiful phase of 30 houses built by developer Stockbridge working with among many others, The Prince's Foundation, speaks for itself. The first houses are now occupied. The second phase is with the planners at Broxtowe but is still at the time of writing awaiting reserved matters determination or it may not proceed. The north east area next to the High Road, Chilwell at present continues its placemaking role with wonderful events every week, where the independent event company Barton Bros. works with hundreds of local businesses

and entertains thousands of visitors.

Should everything fit into place, there will need to be further changes where current buildings are nearly worn out. This is where the intended but now apparently controversial re-location of Bartons' 1939 Art Deco Garage building, at present in Nottingham, comes in.

Over two years ago now, we announced moving our Nottingham building brick by brick for intended re-erection at Chilwell, and selling the freehold site of its present location in Nottingham for much needed city centre redevelopment there - only for an absolute storm to break out, which still

remains unresolved, and for which we ask for support and understanding from the readers of The Beestonian."

For more information about this fascinating company and the current projects, visit the following websites: www.bartonsplc.co.uk www.thegaragechilwell.co.uk www.princes-foundation.org

There are also a couple of great Facebook groups - search for 'Barton Transport Of Chilwell' and also 'Nottingham Area Bus Society' JC

Creative Debra Urbacz This month: What We Create

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t’s a double celebration issue! And what better way to commemorate 10 YEARS of this wonderful magazine, than to round up 10 of our Beeston creatives to mark the occasion. Creativity comes in many forms, as do celebrations, which I hope to have illustrated in my choice of images. There were of course so many to choose from!

Art and creativity really does enrich our lives, so it has always felt right to honour all of the fabulous artists and makers in our town, as well as those that facilitate some of the public art for us to enjoy. The Beeston Street Art initiative definitely deserves a mention. Without Jeanie’s enthusiasm and tenacity it would not have grown into the blaze of colour that burns bright and has sparked attractive additions, some of which are being planned for the new year.

Our marvellous homegrown ABC Art Trail seems set to only embed itself further within our vibrant community, and in addition to this we are also lucky to have some of the best small creative business and family run independents. We have featured many of them in past issues, celebrating some of their milestones with them and looking forward to writing about many more. It was always going to be a challenge deciding who should be the featured artist for this issue, so instead I have compiled a selection of 10

pieces of local creatives work that represent a celebration of some kind.

The Creative Beeston column was first published in early 2018, and hopefully has highlighted just how many artistically talented people live right here in our town.

It’s been a real privilege to spend time chatting to so many inspirational people over the years. I love all things creative and any opportunity to chat to someone about their craft has been welcome, particularly more recently when the world has looked a little bleak at times.

Never has it been a better time to enjoy art for the sheer pleasure it can bring and have the ability to explore our emotions through creativity. As someone who truly believes that everyone has the potential to be creative, if you think you are not then you just haven’t found your ‘thing’ yet, it genuinely is good for the soul. If I am not creating myself, I am encouraging or appreciating the work of others – it’s all life affirming stuff!

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with The Beestonian team so far, a diverse bunch with a range of talents that extend well beyond their writing abilities. It’s exciting to see how far the magazine has come and what can be achieved in the future. One thing’s for sure, we can all look back with pride over that past decade and say, “we created that!”

DU

Beeston

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Beeston

n 2011, the year that first flimsy black and white copy of The Beestonian was printed, the Arts Council followed up on its 2008 ‘segmentation’ research to investigate ways that they could ‘get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.’

Around the same time our libraries were undergoing the transformation to Inspire Culture Learning Libraries, offering a range of events, educational opportunities, creative workshops and exhibitions to engage people creatively in the community – Beeston becoming one of these.

Having recently taken up residence in the Rylands, Marysia Zipser immediately identified Beeston’s potential as an international tourism destination. She set up Art Culture Tourism (ACT) in 2012 as ‘a strategic vision to embrace the prominent creativity’ that she observed in her new town. Marysia initiated and set up creative networking events, the first of which was held at the magnificent Anglo Scotian Mills in December 2013 and featured a ‘Lace’ themed exhibition. ACT is now a fully established Community Interest Company and continues to grow.

The White Lion pub at Station Road junction underwent a huge facelift in 2013, perhaps in preparation for the arrival of the tram, and was taken over by community driven landlord Sergio, who kicked off his cultural contributions to the town with Beestival celebrating the best of Beeston with the lively Latin American band Mas Y Mas Latin providing the party atmosphere. House Music Saturdays and Samba Sundays and a whole host of other exciting events including Oxjam and Beeston Film Festival were held there over the years.

Also in 2013, the Beestonian Film Club started meeting at Café Roya, just before it opened its doors to serve us the most delectable vegetarian dishes created by talented Beestonian Roya Bishop. If you were lucky enough to have sampled her gourmet delights on evenings at the Flying Goose then you will know what a treat this was for Beeston.

2014 is the year that Alison Barlow began to successfully pull together local artists and makers with a Facebook page and networking group Made in Beeston.

Her intention was to enable potential customers to find all of Beeston’s makers of unique handmade goods and services all on one place but also to provide support for local sellers.

The annual Beeston Film Festival was launched in 2014 by John Currie and James Hall, each year showcasing short films from talented filmmakers across the globe. Winners receive the celebrated B’Oscar award, handmade by local glass artist Becjoy Glass. This is also the year that Sara Gaynor set up the White Wall Gallery at the White Lion and the artist held their first festive art fair, which was a huge success.

Public Art exhibitions becoming a huge part of Beeston’s creative culture now, and in 2015 two significant arts trails takeover the streets! Firstly the ABC Art Trail, an off-shoot of the Open Studios tours, puts on a public art show in May that featured work from a number of local artists and makers. This annual event increases in size and popularity each year. A separate one-off event was organised by Helen Stevenson as part of the Let’s Go to Beeston initiative.

As well as organising artist work on the walls and in windows up and down the High Road and adjoining streets, Creative Beeston was involved in folding hundreds of origami butterflies to adorn ship windows and attract attention to the accompanying trail. The ‘Beeston Butterfly’ became the focus for an interactive exhibition at Beeston library, where visitors were encourage to fold butterflies and add them to the display.

In 2016 it seemed as though there was a surge of new independent businesses dedicated to creativity. In April Two Little Magpies Gift Shop and Studio opened its narrow door to reveal hand painted units and shelves stacked with beautiful handmade goods made by the Magpies themselves - Lucy and Jackie and many other clever crafters. The Candela Shop Opened in August and Creative Beeston began the community workshops in the spacious and sweetly scented upstairs room, later moving to Liam Richmond's Rudyards Tea House which quickly became an art café where local artists and photographers could display their work.

The long awaited Canalside Heritage Centre welcomed the community into its fresh tea tooms and weir side gardens, providing a space for heritage crafts, art classes and an opportunity to learn more about this important historical site.

Creative Beeston’s ‘Bee Creative’ workshops moved to Middle Street and started a few community initiatives to spread a little joy with their origami bombing, which started with heart garlands festooning prominent trees on Valentines Day. By 2018 Rudyards had become something of a creative hub and visitors were encouraged to indulge in a bit of origami with their tea and cake, courtesy of Creative Beeston. A number of origami displays were installed in Rudyards by the Bee Creatives which complemented the art gallery well. 2018 also saw the

arrival of the street art with a two day festival in June which certainly caused a stir. The project (launched and driven tirelessly by Jeanie O’Shea) gained financial backing via crowdfunding and corporate sponsors, then encouraged the council to commission a mural featuring famous Beestonians Sir Paul Smith, Edwin Starr and Richards Beckinsale with an art fund they had inherited from Henry Boot Plc. Previously part of the renowned art festival Sherwood Art Week, the Remarkable Recycling Gala brought its unique selection of upcycled crafts, recycled art, interactive performances and children’s workshops to Middle Street Resource Centre in July 2019.

Beeston welcomed the opportunity to meet artists and makers transform unwanted and waste materials into useful and beautiful things, and to learn more about reuse and recycling. By the end of the summer Beeston formed it’s own Eco Action Team, although it’s not known if the two events were linked.

2020, the year that most of use want to forget…was all about lockdown projects and keeping connected through creativity. Many creative groups tried to keep running online, learning to adapt to delivering sessions on Zoom. Confined to our homes for much of the year, our desire to create and connect through art was evident by the art in our windows and chalked onto pavements at the end of our driveways.

Messages of hope and encouragement were everywhere, we created our own safe spaces through art. ‘Lockdown projects’ were conceived and produced, a way of expressing our struggles and what we were finding solace in at this time.

Like many supportive communities, the Beeston Creatives stayed connected via social media and Zoom for the whole of the year, wondering when they would be able to create together again. Their lockdown project, a community quilt, was pieced together bit by bit over the summer and exhibited at Canalside Heritage Centre in September. A symbol of the importance of creative therapy during stressful times.

And now we are here, at the end of 2021.

Things seem to have been progressing at a much slower pace this year, but nevertheless we have still seen our creative community grow. Highlights this year have been the return of the ABC Art Trail and or course another community initiative facilitated by Jeanie, The Beeston Showcase. This is another lockdown project that has been on display in temporary gallery space inside the empty Argos store. The opportunity for local artists to promote their work at a time when galleries have been closed to the public and craft fairs haven’t been able to take place due to Covid 19, has been extremely valuable. Not to mention the joyful colour it has brought to so many people passing through at a time when it was perhaps most needed. Art and creativity really does bring people together.

DU

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10 years s t n a r u a bs & Rest

Pu

ince the financial crash and subsequent fallout of the late noughties, Britain's high streets have taken a battering. As well as thousands of independent retailers, chain stores behemoths such as Marks and Spencers, John Lewis, House of Fraser and Debenhams have shut hundreds of stores between them.

Shopping now is very different to what it was 10 years ago. The relentless rise of online retail, egged on during the lockdowns, shows no sign of slowing down. The big supermarkets seem to be taking an increasingly bigger share of spend every passing year. It was invevitable that the landscape of town and city centres would change.

Beeston was not immune to this, but what it has done is evolve, riding the wave of change. Whilst there are still plenty of retailers holding firm, many of them have gone. Unlike many towns and cities, units don't stay empty for very long here. What is filling the gaps are businesses with offerings that can't be bought online especially beauty treatments, and food and drink.

In particular, Beeston has become a destination for a night out, rather than somewhere just for locals. In the last ten years we've seen a huge increase in the number of amazing restaurants offering cuisine from all over the world. Fancy a Chinese? There's plenty of them to choose from. Indian? Lots of them too. Korean, Japanese, Turkish, Italian, Greek, Thai and others are all brilliantly represented too.

The cinema has become a catalyst for further growth, directly and indirectly. The currently vacant new units underneath it should soon be filled with exciting new eateries and bars. Other recent newcomers to the town such as Pudding Pantry and Doughnotts cited the cinema as being part of the reason why they chose to open up here.

One of the new additions to Beeston, Ohannes, is a superb place to get a quality burger by all accounts. The thing is, no one seems to be able to agree how to pronounce it.

Does it rhyme with 'oh fans'? Or 'oh Janice'? I asked my 10 year old, who looked at it for a bit, then smiled triumphantly before confirming that it will know be known as 'oh anus'.

And what about the pubs? Like everywhere in the country, many pubs in the area are now no longer with us. The Three Horseshoes, The Beech Tree, The Royal Oak, The Queens, The Durham Ox, and The Double Top to name a few. Whilst they are mourned, several new ones have sprung up, bucking the national trend. The Pottle, Totally Tapped, Ginious and The Bird Hide have all thrived, making very welcome additions to the already excellent watering holes in the town.

The Crown has gone from strength to strength. The Victoria has maintained a consistently high quality. It's difficult to remember what The Star and Chequers were like before they were reinvigorated. The Commercial and The Malt Shovel are heading in the same direction. Along with all the many other pubs and bars, there is something for everyone.

Whilst the business case for shoe shops remains out of the question, the types of businesses that are succeeding in Beeston are providing employment, paying business rates and other taxes, and occupying what would otherwise be ugly empty units.

Who knows what Beeston will look like in ten years time? I think there's definitely demand for more pubs, bars and restaurants. It would be great to see the White Lion finally fulfill its potential for one. Definitely something to raise a glass to!

JC

65 Only £ A3 for an or print A4 r £55 fo

Prints now available

Rendered in pen and watercolour, our expanding collection of Beeston's spectacular pubs and restaurants are now available as limited edition, signed Giclee prints.

• • • •

High quality Giclee prints, on thick A3, textured paper.

Each print is individually signed and numbered by the artist £65 for A3, £55 for A4 (plus £5 postage if outside Beeston) Postcard sets coming soon...

Interested? Drop us a line at: thebeestonian@gmail.com and we'll arrange payment and delivery.

All p ro go to fits supp help o Bees rt the tonia n

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could feel my shirt cling to my back, a film of sweat adhering it to the cotton. It was a warm, close day, and I’d only made the decision to come to this event at the last moment, necessitating a fast cycle across Beeston to College House School. Here, in the airy halfway, there was some relief, but beyond all I needed a cold drink. And there, on a table,were bottles of Schloer, that non-booze faux-wine, looking like the most quenching thing imaginable. I poured myself a glass of white, then, thirst still not slaked, banged down a glass of red.

I was pondering whether the thing about mixing your drinks applied to zero-alcohol beverages, when a guy in an all-white suit approached. My instant reaction was that he was a waiter surprising for an event like this. It was fancy, but not that fancy.

Schloer-fancy, not say, Chateau Latife-fancy. No, just a man in a white suit, wanting a drink.

“I’m be mother” I told him, “Red or white?”

“Red, please” he said, in a lustrous thick Welsh accent, so defined one could almost smell the engine of that train that gets you up Snowden. I turned to pour his chosen drink, when my mind caught up and flashed the message across my brain, “THAT’S ONLY MICHAEL BLOODY SHEEN YOU’RE TALKING TO”.

Michael Sheen: extraordinary actor with extraordinary versatility. A man who could inhabit the roles of David Frost, Tony Blair, Brian Clough and Chris Tarrant and look like he was born to play each one. Also, a thoroughly wonderful, kind and thoughtful man who went out his way to help those less fortunate than himself. A man whose father had once been Wales’ Most Successful Jack Nicholson impersonator (honest, Google it, and come back and read the rest of this once you’ve reassembled your blown mind).

Beeston has attracted a fair few stars here over time - the Rolling Stones, in their swaggering 60’s pomp, held a house party here once, and Gandhi popped down the Rylands for lunch once - but it was still incongruous in the extreme to find a Hollywood A-lister in the assembly hall of a local primary school. And the reason he was there can be largely lain at the feet of one visionary Beestonian. Say hello to Dr Peter Robinson, It was Peter who, well over a decade ago, was inspired enough by the rich history and heritage that Beeston - and the 6 other townships that make up South Broxtowe - to find a way to celebrate and commemorate its most famous former residents.

Bringing together four local groups - Beeston & District Civic Society, Beeston & District Local History Society, Stapleford & District Local History Society and Bramcote Conservation Society - he chaired the South Broxtowe Blue Plaque Group, who set themselves the daunting task of identifying what should be immortalised in a circle of blue, then finding ways to fund the construction and erection of the plaques. No mean feat, but Peter Robinson’s organisation skills proved equal to the task, and by August 2010 the first plaque was looking resplendent on the wall of Bartons, marking the legendary bus company's founder, TH Barton.

Peter’s energy and enthusiasm saw a further 33 plaques put on walls across the area, from subjects as diverse as the boxerturned-temperance-preacher Bendigo, to Sid Standard, whose dedication to cycling inspired thousands of Beestonians. Not least Sir Paul Smith, who would go on to unveil his mentor’s plaque.

Historic buildings also get a look in - as do monuments and events. Perhaps the most tragic memorial is the one to the Chilwell Explosion of 1918: after a century throughout which its details were hushed up, an appropriate commemoration.

A few years after all the plaques were in place, a final one marking Gandhi’s visit to Beeston was put on the house he visited in the 1930s*.

So what was I doing talking to the not-very-Beeston Michael Sheen, an actor who, while chameleon-like in character, is rooted with his Welshness?

Well, he was once the partner of Kate Beckinsale (they have a daughter together). Kate’s dad is, of course, Richard Beckinsale, the handsome comedy sitcom star who was at the top of his game in 1979 when a sudden, massive heart attack killed him. He was just 31. The event was the unveiling of the plaque dedicated to Beckinsale Senior, and as I looked around the room there was Beckinsale Junior, sporting a red dress and those huge sunglasses that mark out a celebrity. Taking in this weirdness, I found myself standing next to David Walliams, who I chatted to for a few minutes in a manner that suggested I meet a trio of internationally renowned stars every day of the week as I go about my business in Beeston. I’ve had less weird cheesedreams.

This was by far the strangest of the unveilings, but they were all memorable. Usually, a busy Dr Peter Robinson would be buzzing around with the energy of a man half his age, making sure everything was perfect beforehand, and guests - a wide and eclectic bunch from local dignitaries to the former Head of English Heritage (Neil Cossons: originally from Beeston, appropriately enough). Much Schloer was slurped.

When I met him to discuss this article, Peter was insistent that he was merely part of a much bigger team, his drive and ability to galvanise ideas into reality ensured we have a town where the streets speak with pride of those who make it great. There is no plaque to Peter Robinson (yet), but few have given Beeston such a wonderful gift that will continue to inspire Beestonians long after we’ve all gone, and Michael Sheen’s white suit is nothing more than a half-remembered anecdote told by my (possible) grandchildren. *A fascinatingly weird footnote. The Gandhi plaque came about when the new owners (the Humes) of the house he visited agreed to fund and host it. The ‘Father of India’ had visited his nephew, JV Joshi, who was lodging there while studying at the University. Before moving in and discovering the historic nature of their house , the Humes had a baby boy who they named...

Joshi!

MT

The Heart The Heart of of Debra Urbacz

The evolution of Beeston's Canalside Heritage Centre

B

eeston’s Canalside Heritage Centre opened its doors and gardens to the public in July 2017. After almost a decade of planning, local man Stewart Craven finally realised his dream to faithfully restore historically important buildings in the Rylands – the former lock keeper’s cottages at Beeston Weir. Fellow Rylander and community columnist for The Beestonian, Janet Barnes was there from the start and gave us her close perspective on how the Canalside Heritage Centre came to be the award winning rich community hub it is today.

Janet met Stuart when he passed by her canal side house and they got chatting, as folk in the Rylands often do. Also an artist, he spoke about the Rylands as being ‘the bohemian left-bank of Beeston’, and created a Canal Side Art sign for Janet in the Roses and Castles style he is well known for. An impassioned local of many years, living on a narrowboat at the time, Stuart also shared his vision for renovating the canal workers cottages that had stood since 1796 as some of the first buildings in the area.

He called a public meeting in 2013, and his sheer drive and determination drew together a dedicated team of volunteers. Some people find change hard to adapt to, and there were some local concerns. Nevertheless, he knew it was important to generate new ideas for the derelict buildings in order to preserve their future. Stoically he stuck to his plans and spent many hours chipping bricks and rebuilding the crumbling two hundred year old shell. Every part of the site was renovated, volunteers bringing a wealth of skills and enthusiasm for the project and a committee of trustees was formed to drive things forward.

One of the trustees, Juliet Sunderland, was instrumental in early fundraising initiatives and the turning point was when the centre gained Heritage Lottery Funding. This allowed the employment of key people needed to run it as well as money to finish the decoration.

It was always intended that the centre would retain much of its original features to keep the restoration authentic and in keeping with its natural surroundings.

Rylands resident and landscape architect Chrissy Tansley volunteered her expert services in designing the gardens and it shows.

Beautifully managed by a team of volunteers, the varying heights and colours chosen for the planting create a restful space within the walled garden. Janet talks about how those gardens proved invaluable to people before and during lockdown, the presence of the walls ensuring an enclosed place of safety and contemplation.

Janet found her beekeeping duties extremely therapeutic during those early days.

Opening day in July 2017 was amazingly frantic! Janet recalls pegging down green carpet over the bare earth of the newly dug over garden and painting the wrought iron furniture minutes before people were due to arrive. One special moment was the unveiling of the sculpture dedicated to local girl Annie who had sadly drowned in the canal when she was just eight years old. She and her sister Alice had lived in a narrowboat close to the cottages so it was particularly poignant that she was there. Among the first people to step over the threshold of the restored building were former residents who had left the cottages empty in 1996, they were amazed at how their old bedrooms had been transformed into exhibition and events spaces.

our Heritage our Heritage You can read more about the full restoration and history of the site on the CHC website and read an extended version of this article on The Beestonian website. canalsideheritagecentre.org.uk DU

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The official opening was superseded by a number of publicity events and showcased a range of heritage crafts. CHC continues to support the work of local musicians, artists, crafters and photographers with regular exhibitions and events and even sells honey produced by bees on site! What’s not to love.

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Jon Speed

How the popular group came to be...

T

he Facebook group Beeston Updated was born in turbulent times for our town.

Initially conceived as a place to discuss the future of Beeston and how that might look like once the construction of the tram was complete, it was a far cry from what it is now.

You need to cast your mind back to what it was like back then. Beeston was overrun with construction and many, many people were disillusioned with the tram project. Their voices were often heard online and whilst they were quite right that the disruption was intolerable at times, the constant drone of negativity on social media was beginning to paint such a terrible picture of Beeston and really damaging our brand.

I was born and bred in Beeston and it was saddening to see so many people talking it down all the time: who knows what outsiders thought reading such comments.

At the time I became close to Kirstie and Steven who also felt the same way, and between us we decided to launch Beeston Updated as a platform to showcase the positive aspects of the change thrust upon our town.

So whilst I may be the one that pushed the button to create the page, it was certainly a team effort. Matt (Turpin, aka Lord Beestonia) joined shortly after and we all set about promoting all the positive aspects of change and tried to promote Beeston at every opportunity.

In the early days the page served its intended purpose: there were town plans and photographs of what new buildings might look like, all around the tramlines.

But as time progressed more and more people joined and the group became increasingly diverse. It wasn’t long before chat around developments transformed into chat around anything to do with Beeston: it was mutating into an all-round community group.

Of course, we embraced this as there was nothing like this available elsewhere at the time. Local newspapers were dying back as everything became digital, and there was a real need for a place Beestonians could use to find out what was happening around them, and openly discuss anything of a local nature.

We let the original purpose fade away and watched on as the people of Beeston came together online. It was great to see, and over time it became a fantastic resource for us all.

It’s stunning to see that there are now 26,000 members of that group. We had no idea at the outset how popular it would become. I would say all of the founding members are immensely proud of Beeston Updated, and what it provides for all its members. I personally no longer live in Beeston but still use the page to keep in touch with local issues, and keep myself connected to my spiritual home. I’m guessing many others do too.

It does make me smile from time to time that people still go on and on about public toilets /shoe shops. After many years, some things never change .

Jon Speed Founder, Beeston Updated

the last

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aaaaay back in time, in those heady days of 2013, we devoted an entire issue to film, with a lead article stating we’d love a cinema around these parts. “A cinema around here could be a roaring success” we wrote “Much better for Beeston’s soul than another money-lending shop, or bookies”. Off the back of this, we were invited to meetings set up by the Council scoping ideas for how to improve the evening economy. “Cinema” we said “And free-to-enter state of the art water park with slaloms, wave machines and trained chimps in tuxedos delivering free drinks poolside”. We expected neither idea to lead to much, but soon a public consultation idea went out, mooting the idea of a cinema.

This received enthusiasm, and some sort of ball was sent rolling.

Beeston had last opened a cinema -The Majestic (situated where Queen’s Road Co-op now lives) in 1938. A year later, building work began on another - The Embassy, just off Beeston Square - but Hitler’s invasion of Poland saw energies diverted to more pressing causes. The Embassy was never built, and for 80 years Beeston saw no new cinemas. Of the existing ones, the last closed in 1972.

Yet Beeston never says never. Complex wranglings ensued, a tenant found, and a bold building sprang up. Covid threatened to see it meet a similar fate as the Embassy, but while work was delayed, it carried on, and earlier this year, in late May, the Arc Cinema Beeston - aka The Barcode, on account of its striking array of parallel lights, visible from some distance - started popping its corn and getting dimming the lights. We once again had a cinema.

On a professional level, this was great news. On a personal level, a dilemma. You see, it’s official launch was the 28th May. The exact same day I was due to welcome another new arrival to Beeston: my daughter, who was scheduled to go from gestated to born. It was time for a tough decision. Birth of my daughter or new cinema? After all, it’d been eight decades since the last cinema opening. I’d had another child just half a decade before.

Tough choices.

I went with the baby in the end, who arrived just as the last showing of the first day came to a conclusion.

MT

Lulu Davenport This issue: Beestonian

A

hhh Beeston. Instead of sneakily pretending I am a lifer, related to one of the original settlers to the area, I must confess I have only in recent years nestled into the Beestony bosom. Despite previous failed attempts at living in other pastures, I took to adopting the area as my own, a cuckoo of sorts, hoping the years would soon stack up and no one would suspect I wasn’t born here, cradled in the arms of the Beeman.

My Beestonian story started many moons ago when the earth was new, or August 19th 2015, issue 39. I managed to introduce myself with a double page - an article about the Sunday Soul Sessions at the now defunct Greyhound music venue, and a reflective look at technology and music. I know this not from memory but a quick glance at the back issues on digital publishing website ISSUU. It’s like looking through a time capsule of the area, some events and places some have long since departed, while others have stayed and gained in strength.

The magazine has thrived from a black and white publication to full on glorious glossy colour with the July 2018 issue 59. Over the last six years, my mission at Beeston Beats has been simple; find and seek out events and entertainment in all its forms. This mission has led me all over, from Slade UK performing a Christmas-themed party in July, complete with snow machine and belting out ITZZZZ CHRISTMAZZZ, to seeking out the new micro pubs and speaking to musicians, bands, and DJs.

www.beestonian.com thebeestonian@gmail.coM

I have not been on my own either, before me, Jimmy Wiggins manned the BB brand, Donna Bentley has pitched in with venue and artist reviews and Colin Tucker has kept us updated with the Second Time Around folk club along with...Oxjam updates. Which brings me nicely to a celebration of the number one undisputed event of the area, now also in its tenth year. In the pink corner and currently raised over £19,000 for Oxjam GB this year ALONE, I present the Oxjam Beeston Takeover. This year a whooping 12 hours of live music across 15 venues and 100 artists and quite frankly THE must go to event which has something for everyone.

I have only barely scratched the surface of music and associations to the area. I must mention the contribution to music on a national scale in the form of Edwin Starr (with hit War, immortalised in the street art alongside Paul Smith and Richard Beckinsale), Swing out Sister (80s band famous for 'Breakout'), Little Barrie guitarist Barrie Cadogan, and an infamous party attended by the Rolling Stones at Devonshire Avenue (gutted I missed that one!).

So to ultimately conclude, Beeston is awesome. I must say a huge thank you to the Beestonian for allowing my energy drink/caffeine induced ramblings to grace its pages. It really has helped me to explore the area and embrace the events scene. Here is to every writer and reader that make the Beestonian something I am very proud of being part of, a very happy tenth birthday, here’s to another fun filled decade.

LD

Here's my Beeston top ten gigs venues and acts

1 2 3

4

5 6 7

8

Oxjam

9 10 11

The Greyhound Degenerat ion Fest (one-off 3 day festival held at the Boat and Horses)

Sunday Soul

12

(Motown and Soul on a Sunday Ahhh)

The Madeline Rust Emma BladonJones and Joe Barber Kingdom Rapper

13

14

Lilac Grove

(the band not the street!)

Schuggie's Ceilidh The Berliner Beeston Cabaret Club (at the Beeston Legion Club)

The Pottle

(I am biased as there's a copy of my column picture behind the bar...)

Verbal Warning

(punk band at Chequers/Victory Club)

Didn't I say 1O? I must stop...

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