ISSUE 4 • SUMMER 2009 • FREE COPY
THE REAL JESSICA-JANE Time out with Sheffield’s very own hustler
BUNNY GUY
We meet the man behind Rotherham’s musical hothouse
£1000s worth of prizes page 30
GIRLS WITH PANACHE Global brand, South Yorkshire roots
SUNNY DONNY • WINTHROP PARK • READER SURVEY
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Welcome summer 2009
Welcome You heard it here first – it’s going to be a fantastic summer in South Yorkshire. Here at Go! we’re gearing up for a welcome slice of sunshine and donning our best hats. There’s lots to do and plenty to go and see over the next few months – see our What’s on guide (page 8) for our pick of the summer’s events. It’s been 40 years since Woodstock, now Doncaster is hosting its own live music festival, right in the heart of the town centre. What’s more, it’s free! Check out our Grand day out (page 20) for details – see you there! 2009 also marks 20 years of Rotherham favourite, Jive Bunny. We catch up with founder John Pickles and his team in Jive talking on page 15. Then over on page 23, we meet five women at the helm of another South Yorkshire institution, global lingerie brand Panache, in Serious smalls. Meanwhile, cover girl and full-time hustler Jessica-Jane Clement chats to us about how she longs for Sheffield (Profile, page 10) and we tune in to the The next generation of public transport passengers on page 26. Our Last stop is Winthrop Park in Wickersley, where we meet David Bowser, whose enthusiasm for gardening helped turn a disused sewage works into a community beauty spot. Don’t miss Ace of spades on page 33. We always love to hear from you at Go! – and this time we want your feedback. Fill in our Reader survey on page 32 for your chance to win a free annual TravelMaster, worth £850! For more fab prizes, stop by our Competition page (30) and try your hand at our puzzles. Or why not just say hello and drop us a line at go@travelsouthyorkshire.com – there’s one month’s free public transport up for grabs for every letter we print!
Contact us: If you’d like to find out more about Go! Magazine or register your interest in receiving future issues, please email go@travelsouthyorkshire.com or write to us at the following address: Go! Magazine FREEPOST NEA3487 Sheffield S2 5ZQ
Partners: South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive Councils: Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Sheffield City Council Operators: First South Yorkshire Stagecoach Yorkshire Supertram Northern Rail Arriva Yorkshire B Line Dennys Isle Coaches Powells Sheffield Community Transport South Yorkshire Motors T M Travel Tates Veolia Wilfreda
Happy reading! The Go! Team
SUMMER 2009
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Love park & ride • Buses every seven to ten minutes or better • Extra limited stop buses at peak times calling at Doncaster Racecourse, Doncaster Dome and town centre bus stops • Bus priority measures speeding up journey times into Doncaster • Brand new buses
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contents Summer 2009
This issue...
FEATURES
REGULARS
14 Jive talking
6 News
Go! visits Rotherham’s Music Factory, home of Jive Bunny, and meets the family behind its success.
20 Grand day out
Doncaster’s got plenty to offer this summer – whether festival or family day out. What are you waiting for?
23 Serious smalls We meet the women behind Sheffield’s award-winning lingerie at Panache.
6 The next generation
Go! gets to grips with the issue of car-reliant kids.
26 Last stop
£1000s worth of prizes
From sewage farm to community garden – we talk to Winthrop Park’s talisman David Bowser.
page 30
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29
What’s going on in the world of public transport?
8 What’s on
Our pick of the region’s best events this summer.
10 Profile
Take a break with South Yorkshire hustler, Jessica-Jane Clement.
29 A day in the life of...
A peek into the working life of public transport bobby, Sgt. Jane Fidler.
30 Competition
Win £1000s worth of prizes!
31 Letters
Have your say – go on, write to us... we don’t bite!
32 Reader survey
Give us your feedback and be in for a chance to win a year’s free travel on South Yorkshire’s public transport (worth £850!)
Look out for our expert travel tips for the best way to get around by Bus , Train or Tram. . For further travel tips call Traveline on 01709 51 51 51 or visit travelsouthyorkshire.com SUMMER 2009
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News New buses for A638
A new fleet of ‘environmentally-friendly’ buses have just been introduced onto the recently-completed A638 bus corridor in Doncaster – bringing even better benefits for passengers. The new buses, supplied by First, went into service on the Doncaster Park and Ride route in May and feature Euro V engines that conform to high environmental standards, with reduced particulate emissions. They are the first in South Yorkshire to feature these high-spec engines and are some of the cleanest buses in Europe as they meet the most stringent EU regulations on vehicle emissions standards. The buses also offer a range of other attractive features including low floor access, comfortable seats and improved on-board lighting. The A638 project is a partnership between South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE), Doncaster Council and the local bus operators in Doncaster.
Hidden gem 09 #
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SUMMER 2009
Sound as a pound First, South Yorkshire’s leading bus operator, is relaunching the £1 maximum evening fare across Sheffield as part of an initiative to encourage people to travel into the city by bus. First is supporting a number of initiatives to increase the number of people travelling into the city and to help local trade in the evenings, including CreativeSheffield’s Wednesday Night Live. Customers travelling on a First bus that starts and finishes its journey in Sheffield after 7pm will benefit from a £1 maximum fare for an adult single ticket. The £1 ticket is available Sunday to Thursday and aims to encourage more people to travel
into Sheffield by bus on nights when they might otherwise have travelled by car or just stayed at home. Brandon Jones, Business Development Director/Deputy Managing Director for First in South Yorkshire, said: “As summer approaches people are looking to get out and about and we are keen to get them to travel by bus to enjoy the exciting nightlife and activities Sheffield has to offer such as those offered by the Wednesday Night Live initiative. In the current economic climate it is important to offer incentives for people to travel into Sheffield in the evenings and we are very happy to support the partnership efforts currently being implemented.”
NEWS Summer 2009
...in brief Ecclesall Road Smart Route Residents, businesses and commuters are being invited to have their say about the problems they experience when using Ecclesall Road in Sheffield. The Ecclesall Road Smart Route is asking people to give their views about where the problems are and what should be done about them. Sheffield City Council (SCC) and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) will review the feedback to see how they might improve the situation for everyone who uses the route. Up to 26,000 vehicles travel along Ecclesall Road every day, which often leads to congestion. As investment in the city grows and traffic levels increase, more people will be travelling to, from and through the area, which could cause further delays to all road users, impacting upon road safety and reducing air quality. The Ecclesall Road Smart Route aims to tackle congestion at key hotspots and to make sure that public transport is as punctual and reliable as it can be along the corridor. It also hopes to improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. A key aim is to maintain existing walking, cycling and public transport levels while encouraging some car users
The Face of Dearne Valley Warehouse worker Pete Johnson from Sheffield has spent ten hours a day for the last 12 months travelling on the back of a bus up and down the Dearne Valley! Pete, 56, from Woodhouse in Sheffield, was one of a handful of locals to win the chance to appear on the back of one of a brand new fleet of Stagecoach buses. In addition to becoming the face of Dearne Valley, Pete also received free travel for a year. Pete said: “I was absolutely thrilled when I won the competition and couldn’t believe that my face was going to be on the back of a bus. I even get recognised – especially by Stagecoach drivers! It’s amazing to think that my face has travelled so many miles.”
to consider other options. Councillor Ian Auckland, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development and Transport, said: “We want to get the views of as many different users of the road as possible. We have already been looking at journey times and accident statistics to help us identify where some of the problem areas are, but have we got in right? What changes would you like to see? This is your opportunity to let us know the problems that you have when using Ecclesall Road.” SYPTE Director General David Brown added: “This is one of the busiest streets in the city, used by commuters, shoppers, and students, with many bus routes. We want to ensure that Ecclesall Road remains vibrant and popular, but also that public transport is as accessible as possible and that traffic can be managed efficiently. We encourage everyone to have their say to help us draw up the best scheme for Ecclesall Road that we can.” The public consultation runs until 19 June. For more information call 0845 303 0343 or visit smartroutes.co.uk/ecclesallroad
Secure for sure SYPTE’s transport interchanges at Barnsley and Meadowhall have been recognised as amongst the safest in Britain in a prestigious national scheme. Assessed on design, management, crime prevention and passenger feedback, the interchanges scored highly in the Secure Stations Scheme. The Government-backed initiative covers all rail and underground networks policed by the British Transport Police (BTP), and acknowledges stations that have worked to implement various security measures for passenger and staff reassurance.
Right at home with Stagecoach Stagecoach is aiming to take the stress out of moving house by providing free bus travel for home movers in South Yorkshire. The ‘Stagecoach Home Movers’ campaign is offering people moving into new homes a special pack containing a voucher for seven days’ free transport on the company’s local bus network. New property owners will also be provided with information on the benefits of bus travel, as well as a local bus network map and timetable details. The campaign – which uses telemarketing to identify recent home movers – will initially target more than 4,000 homes in Sheffield and Barnsley. If successful, it will then be rolled out to other parts of the UK. Stagecoach has 400 vehicles and 1,200 staff in Yorkshire and Derbyshire, operating services from Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield and Chesterfield. Paul Lynch, managing director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: “Moving house can be a very stressful – and expensive – time. We hope the free bus travel offer will help reduce that stress and make it easy for home movers to explore their new surroundings.”
summer 2009
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WHAT’s ON
June-August ‘09 Coppelia: Vienna Festival Ballet at Rotherham Civic Theatre
The Vienna Festival Ballet performs Coppelia, a lively ballet infused with old world charm which appeals to everyone who appreciates brilliant dance. With its lively characters, delightful story, colourful costumes and beautiful music from Delibes, Coppelia is a wonderful ballet for a family audience. 12 June. Adult tickets from £14.50; children under 14, £10; concessions from £12.50. Call the box office on 01709 823 621 for details. Bus Train
all services to Rotherham Interchange - 5mins walk to Civic Theatre. Rotherham Central (up to 3 per hour) - 10mins walk.
Classic Cars at Brodsworth Hall
Dads get their day on 21 June, and Brodsworth Hall and Gardens is laying on a Classic Cars show in their honour, with motoring memories and classic marques from days gone by. 21 June,12noon-4.30pm. Admission starts at £2.50. Call 01302 722 598 for more details.
Bus
service 203 runs every 2-3 hours, Mon-Sat only.
Rotherham Heritage Festival
Head to Rotherham to discover South Yorkshire’s ancient and varied heritage. The Rotherham Heritage Festival gives you the opportunity to explore some of the hidden gems of architecture and social history around the town. 27-28 June. Various venues, free admission. Call 0845 6529 634 or visit heritageinspired.org.uk for details.
Bus Train
all services to Rotherham Interchange - 5mins walk to Civic Theatre. Rotherham Central (up to 3 per hour) - 10mins walk.
SUMMER OF SPORT This summer sees a whole host of sporting events being staged around South Yorkshire to raise money for charity.
Women can Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research on the 14 June at Don Valley Stadium. To enter, look at www.raceforlife.org, or call 0871 641 2282. On the 4 July, the Steel City Midnight Walk will raise money for local children. Walk the 5k Half Monty or the 10K Full Monty from Bramall Lane or Hillsborough. Register at www.hallamfm.co.uk. Cricket lovers can raise cash for NeuroCare and the PCA Benevolent Fund at the Sheffield Cricket Lovers’ Charity Cricket Day on 9 July at Abbeydale Sports Club from 2pm. On 12 July, help the Weston Park Hospice Cancer Charity raise vital funds for its Men’s Cancer Campaign at the Run in the Park fun run in Graves Park in Sheffield. Check www.cancerappeal.org.uk for details. Get your running shoes on!
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SUMMER 2009
A family pass to magna page 30
For further travel tips call Traveline on 01709 51 51 51 or visit travelsouthyorkshire.com
Weekend@Last
The Saturdays headline weekend@last, the two-day outdoor concert in aid of Rotherham charity safe@last, which works with young people at risk of running away. Scouting For Girls and stars from the West End hit musical We Will Rock You will join them at Sandbeck Park in Maltby, Rotherham. 10-11 July. Tickets £28 per day. Call 01709 835 904 or visit weekendatlast.co.uk for full line-up.
Bus
service 122 every 2 hours, daily.
Magna Science Adventure Museum
Magna has a whole host of events for all the family this summer, including late night barbecues, science activities and outdoor play. 20 July - 31 August. Call 01709 720 002 or visit www.visitmagna.co.uk for details. Bus
services 69 & A1 every 20mins, Mon-Sat until 6pm; every hour evenings and Sundays.
Walking With Dinosaurs at Sheffield Arena
Dinosaurs roam Sheffield Arena for five days this July, in Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular. Based on the award-winning BBC TV series, real size dinosaurs will come to life in what promises to be one of the most exciting and groundbreaking shows to arrive in the UK. 22-26 July. Tickets from £20. Call 0114 256 5656 or check visit sheffieldarena.co.uk for more information. Bus Tram
service 69 runs every 20mins Mon-Sat until 6pm; every hour evenings and Sundays. Yellow route runs every 10mins until 6pm, then every 20mins.
Henry VIII at Conisborough Castle Conisborough Castle in Doncaster celebrates the five hundredth anniversary of Henry VIII’s coronation. If you weren’t around to see it for yourself, let your children act it out for you in this audience participation special about the most famous of king’s life and exploits. 1-2 August. Admission is from £3 to £13, English Heritage Members get in free. Call 01709 863 329 or visit englishheritage.co.uk/conisborough for more details. Bus Train
services 220, 221, 222 & X78 up to every 10mins, daily. Conisborough Rail Station (2 trains per hour) - 10mins walk to castle.
Sheffield Fayre at Norfolk Park
Regularly attracting more than 25,000 vistors each year, South Yorkshire’s biggest outdoor family show returns to Norfolk Park, with its horticultural show, history camp and much more. 30-31 August. Call 0114 273 6433 for details. Bus Tram
service 7 every 30mins, Mon-Sat; hourly on Sundays. Blue & Purple routes every 10mins until 6pm, then every 20mins.
SUMMER 2009
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JESSICA-JANE CLEMENT She made her name stealing wallets in The Real Hustle and stealing hearts as Cindy Marshall in football drama Dream Team. Sheffield’s Jessica-Jane Clement takes a break from filming to chat to the Go! Team about bullies, back waxes and Strictly Come Dancing!
If I could do one show, it would be Strictly Come Dancing – I absolutely love to dance. I appeared in a couple of pop videos when I first started out and I still try to make time for a little boogie every now and then!
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What was it like growing up in Sheffield? I grew up in Ecclesall and had a great childhood. I have great parents, a great family – I don’t know any different, really. I wouldn’t say I was spoilt rotten, but I realise I was quite privileged, and I’m very grateful. When I look back and compare it with other people I’ve met since I left home, I realise how lucky my older brother and I were back then. How hard is it to live away from your family? It was terrible when I first moved to London, I hated it. When I first started modelling, I spent a fortune on hotels and train fares because I didn’t want to live there. But as time went on I began meeting people along the way and I got used to it – my mum helped me buy my first little flat and I’ve been down here ever since. I still come home at least every six weeks, although I would prefer to see my family more often. So how did you find it being a teenager living and working in London? When I first moved down the only place I knew was Oxford Street! So when I wasn’t working I’d just go there every day, spending hours in Topshop just trying things on! Modelling is quite a cottage industry, I started to meet the same girls in castings, and we’d be doing the same jobs, so I got to know some lovely people who are still my friends now. But they’ll never replace my friends from Sheffield – there’s a small group of us who have known each other since we were kids and we’re dead close. We try to see each other as often as possible. And I’ll always remember coming
back home on the train with my mum – we’d have a few drinks on the train and chat for hours. How does South Yorkshire compare to the Big Smoke? Until I moved down south, I didn’t realise how friendly people are up here. I notice it much more when I’ve been away for a while, but whether you’re queuing at the checkout or walking down the street, people will stop and have a chat with you – it’s such a breath of fresh air. Where’s the first place you go when you come home? Nonna’s on Ecclesall Road is always a winner. I absolutely love Italian food, and they always look after me. I had my last two birthday parties there, and the staff made me a cake without even being asked! You went to High Storrs school - how do you think your teachers would describe you? I was always conscientious – that word popped up all the time in my reports. I was also quite quiet, believe it or not! It depended on the teacher. It’s amazing how a teacher can influence you – the lessons I did well in were the ones with the nicest teachers. School wasn’t too bad, but college wasn’t such a good time for me. What happened at college? I was badly bullied – a small number of people made my life really difficult, to the point where I didn’t think I could finish my course. They’d steal my money and spread rumours; at one point nobody would talk to me because there were so many lies about me going around. My mum was
profile JESSICA-JANE
SUMMER 2009
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I don’t have to chase a career just in front of the cameras. I woke up one day and thought, ‘I’m chasing dreams I’m not bothered about achieving’. I’ve realised that I don’t have to stick to the plan I made when I was younger. Things change. So what happens behind the scenes when people realise they’ve been scammed? The producer goes in, tells them what’s happened, and tries to get them to sign a release form. There have only been a couple of occasions that people have refused.
What has been your favourite hustle? The very first one I did. I walked into a shop, bought a necklace and paid in cash. The boys walked in pretending to be undercover cops, saying I’d been buying stuff with fake cash, and took the money and the necklace as evidence. We spent weeks rehearsing it, and had a different plan for every eventuality. You almost missed out on your role in The Real Hustle – why was that?
I was involved with the show when the idea was first being developed, but got offered a part on Dream Team for Sky One. Because it had always been my ambition to act I felt I had to take the part. I still really wanted to do The Real Hustle though so the producers kindly said they’d fit it around my schedule, meaning I could do both. Dream Team and The Real Hustle are two very different shows, with two very different characters. Which would you say most resembles the real you? The Real Hustle, definitely. There are no similarities whatsoever between me and Cindy Marshall in Dream Team! When I first started the show she was a bitch, a real gold digger, and I remember saying to the producer I wanted to show a softer side to her – I didn’t want her to be a stereotypical Wag. I was familiar with that whole scene, even though I’d never been a part
HAIR BY RUSSELL MCFARLANE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, THE AVENUE. ATTHEAVENUE.COM
really supportive – she convinced me to go back in there with my head held high. And I did – I carried on and just got on with my work. It was tough not to rise to the bait sometimes, but before long, people began to realise the lies were unfounded. That must have taken an incredible amount of strength? It was all thanks to my mum. She told me to just bide my time and that it would all come good, and she was right. It’s made me a stronger person and I’ve become pretty good at reading people. I bet that comes in handy when you’re filming The Real Hustle? Definitely! I’m a pretty good communicator – I’m fascinated by how people interact with each other, their eye contact, their body language. I rarely rehearse any of the scams on Hustle, I tend to just go in there and react to the situation. That must be quite scary! I don’t really get scared – not any more. I used to when I first started doing the show four years ago – there were a few sleepless nights. But when you get into it the nerves just disappear. You’ve got to be confident to pull it off.
profile JESSICA-JANE of it, but I knew those girls had problems and put on a harsh exterior. So what are your thoughts on the whole Wag culture? Oh, I could write a whole book about it! I think it’s scary that girls are growing up with aspirations to be a Wag instead of a teacher, or a vet. It’s like a religion. I’m a great believer that fame should be a by-product of a great talent or hard work. You were in Celebrity Scissorhands at the end of last year – how was that? They contacted me in 2007 and asked me to do it, but I couldn’t because I was working in Las Vegas. So when they asked me again last year, I jumped at the chance. It was an honour to be involved in such a huge and well-known charitable cause. And I absolutely loved it – even the back waxes! I made really good friends on the show and learnt new skills. I don’t like getting massaged or pampered myself – I just can’t relax enough to enjoy it, but I find it really relaxing to be the person doing the pampering. Would you consider appearing in another reality show? Not just for the sake of it, no. Although I’m a confident person, I’m also very private and wouldn’t be comfortable being watched having conversations and confrontations. If I could do one show though, it would be Strictly Come Dancing. I absolutely love to dance, and although I stopped having lessons when I was 16, it’s still something I really enjoy. I appeared in a couple of pop videos when I first started out and I still try to make time for a little boogie every now and then!
A signed bar bets dvd page 30 So what’s in the pipeline? It’s a very exciting time for me right now. Over the last six months I’ve come to realise that I don’t have to chase a career just in front of the cameras. I woke up one day and thought, ‘I’m chasing dreams I’m not bothered about achieving’. I realised that I don’t have to stick to the plan I made when I was younger. Things change, and now I’ve accepted that, I’m a lot happier with myself and my life. I haven’t found my niche yet, but I can feel myself getting closer to it. I’ve been given some amazing opportunities and I’ve been incredibly lucky. I’m starting to focus on how I can move on and develop those opportunities now. What sort of areas do you want to move into? I’ve had a lot of interesting and exciting experiences while I’ve been working on The Real Hustle, but not all the experiences were so good. In one particular show I was in a wheelchair and as soon as I sat in it, it was like I became
invisible. It was a very upsetting experience and it really opened my eyes to the way people discriminate without even thinking. I write about everything I do, I have notebooks all over the place, so I’m developing some ideas with people at the moment on how we can take that further. I’m setting up meetings, networking, and generally just annoying the hell out of people! I’m also shortly going to be shooting a film in Liverpool, although I can’t really say much about that yet. How about the modelling work? I’m doing quite a bit at the moment – I’m going to Ibiza for a photo shoot soon. For a while I wasn’t sure if it was the right direction for me. But I enjoy it, and it helps me to get out there and meet people. I know it won’t last forever but right now it makes me happy and while it does, I’ll carry on. What would you consider to be your greatest achievement so far? Probably doing the show for four years and sticking at it. At one point I was doing Dream Team every day of the week and Hustle at the weekends, and ended up with a stomach ulcer. I’m very young to get a stomach ulcer, but it was caused by stress. I got to the point where I had to miss days acting, and I’d never done that before, so I just had to accept that I couldn’t carry on working as hard as I had been. If you could sit next to anyone at all on a long bus journey, who would it be? Bette Middler – I love that woman! Everything about her is wonderful, her singing, her acting, the characters she plays. Or a fireman, so if anything went wrong he could rescue me! And where would you go? Back home to Sheffield, for a cup of coffee with my mum. Visit Jessica’s new website, jessicajaneofficial.com
Hidden gem #10
Jessica-Jane stars in the seventh series of The Real Hustle, currently showing on BBC Three.
The Avenue, Sheffi eld Jessica-Jane’s favourite She ffield salon provides qua lity hairdressing and beauty treatments for men and women in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. If you want to look and feel great, The Avenue is the place to be. Glossop Road, Sheffield; 0114 272 0582; attheavenue.com Bus
services 30,40,42,52, 80,94,95,120 &123 every 3mins, daily. Tram Blue & Yellow rou tes up to every 5mins.
FEATURE MUsic factory
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Jive Talking As the world-famous Jive Bunny quietly celebrates his 20th birthday this summer, the Rotherham-based family business behind the household name continues to flourish. Go! stopped by the Music Factory and caught up with founder John Pickles and his team to discover the secret of their success.
ith record sales at an all-time low and online piracy costing billions in lost revenue, the music industry is in turmoil. And it’s not just the big labels that are suffering. Ten years ago, there were more than 1000 independent records stores in the UK; today there are less than 300. Yet there is one major player in the music industry that’s thriving. With sales of 15 million records worldwide, and clients including Sony BMG and Disney, things have never been better. But it’s not in London, or New York, or LA. Tucked away in the heart of Rotherham is the Music Factory, which for more than 25 years has been quietly producing music which is sold internationally and used by everyone from Will Smith to Radio 1. Music Factory is probably best known for being behind the Jive Bunny hits of the eighties and nineties. Yet, although the first Jive Bunny single Swing The Mood was number one in the UK for five weeks and went on to become the best selling record in the world in 1989, it forms just a fraction of the business. Music licensing and recording have remained at the core of Music Factory’s output, but it has expanded into areas as wide ranging as education, fitness, digital download stores and professional DJ services. Hard house ravers may be surprised to discover that Music Factory, home of Jive Bunny, is also the company behind hard house label Tidy Trax. “We recognised a long time ago that we would need to diversify in order to remain successful,” says Richard Lee, Music Factory’s group label manager. “No-one has a crystal ball, but the music industry has depleted so much over the last few years it was obvious to us that if we were going to survive we had to widen our scope, so that’s exactly what we did.” Established in 1983 by John Pickles, a former electrician from Doncaster, Music Factory began as a small recording studio in Parkgate, Rotherham. A singer and songwriter in his spare time, John came across the studio when recording a demo tape. “Being a businessman first and foremost, I spotted the potential of SUMMER 2009
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the studio despite the fact it was in financial difficulties,” says John. “So, being the impulsive person that I am, I bought it. I very quickly realised that I was trying to sell studio time to people who couldn’t afford it, and the people who could afford it would never come to me anyway because they’d go to the big studios. So I decided to look at how I could bring things in-house.” In a move which was to shape Music Factory’s future and growth, and typical of John’s business acumen, he hit on the idea of licensing popular music, creating mixes in his studio and putting them onto vinyl. “It seemed like such an obvious opportunity to me, yet it had never been done,” remembers John. “People were mixing records together in clubs and it worked, so why not put it on a record and take the club home? Putting a party on a record was just basic logic to me.” John came up against a lot of opposition from fellow producers, yet his biggest obstacle was obtaining a licence from international music licensing regulators PPL. At the time, only one producer in Europe held a licence to reproduce licensed music but John was determinedto state his case. “Being a resolute Yorkshireman, I just told them what I wanted to do, and they agreed – I was granted a licence,” says John. Teaming up with his son Andy, and with the electrical business funding the new venture, John pressed 2000 copies of his first mix. “I decided to build Music
I’ve had offices in London, New York and Barcelona, but I decided to pull everything back to Rotherham. Factory as a brand and put the mixes out under a different name to see how they did, which is why we created Jive Bunny,” he says. Leaving 1000 copies of his first mix, Swing the Mood, with an agent with the instruction to see how it fared, John jetted off on honeymoon. “I came back, and suddenly everyone wanted to be a part of it,” he says. “So we released the record in July, and it became the best selling record in the world that year.” Even while Jive Bunny was enjoying huge chart success, John and his team recognised that trends were changing. Richard explains: “At the time the whole Madchester scene was exploding, and there was a huge following for indie and dance music. We looked at where we could specialise and find a niche market, and at the time hard house dance music was very underground. So we got into that 16
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scene right at the very beginning and created a whole culture around it.” The Tidy Trax label was launched and quickly established a cult following around Europe. “From the beginning, Tidy hasn’t just been about the music, it’s the whole scene,” says Richard. “When we first started we were putting on parties and making sure the people felt involved. As the internet developed, Tidy turned into an online community and we recognised that the people who were buying the music wanted to interact on forums, receive news and information and do much more than just listen to the music. All the major dance labels followed that model but Tidy was the first to develop it.” Despite the huge record sales of Jive Bunny, Tidy Trax and the many album compilations issued by Music Factory, John recognised that releasing mixes alone wasn’t enough to ensure the company’s survival and looked into ways of expanding. Richard explains: “A large part of our business is Digital DJ, the professional DJ’s digital download service – people pay to download the records we hold the license for and then they’re able to play them in public. But there’s no more sixties music being produced, so when you’ve sold it once, what else
do you do with it? We had to look at other ways of packaging and selling the same song.” John continues: “It occurred to me that there was a whole industry out there that had to use music, but no-one was catering specifically for it – and that was the aerobics industry. It was completely unlicensed and people were just using music on an ad-hoc basis.” So once again, John negotiated with PPL to create a licence and Pure Energy was created, the first music production company aimed solely at the fitness industry. By the end of its first year, Pure Energy had 10,000 members of its subscription service. “The thing is, if you’re creating music for an aerobics class, you can’t just stick on a mixtape,” says Richard. “The music has to be phrased and timed, and Music Factory was the only company that was doing that.” Being at the forefront of innovation in the music industry has become synonymous with Music Factory, an ethic which is very much driven by John and adopted by the family who joined him in the business. John’s eldest daughter Alison Moore is the group managing director and has been with the company for 19 years. John’s youngest daughter, Helen Lee is married to Richard, and has worked with BBC, CNN and the London News Network. She
FEATURE MUsic factory KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY: John Pickles (left), Music Factory founder; group label manager, Richard Lee (far left); and (previous page) John with Richard, daughters Helen and Alison, and son Matthew.
10 things you probably didn’t know about
Music Factory The people that brought you Jive Bunny are also the creators of the Hard House Euphoria and Extreme Euphoria series, mixed by clubland favourite Lisa Lashes. It provided music for the Will Smith blockbuster Enemy of the State. It’s the leading producer of ‘mashups’ – two records mixed and played simultaneously to make a new record – which can often be heard on Radio 1.
joined the group six years ago as head of creative development and has moved to the position of production manager. Youngest son Matthew, a 19 year-old former fitness instructor, has recently taken over the development of the social networking aspect of Music Factory, primarily with Tidy Trax.
People think the music industry is all about the charts, but that’s just a tiny part of it – the trick is to know how to take creative concepts and develop them into valid business ideas. Eldest son Andy, who has been with Music Factory for 24 years, has recently taken over the running of U-explore, an education resource that acts as an interface between the music business and students and shows career paths within the industry. “The education sector is such a niche market, so we’ve split off that side of the company so Andy can concentrate on developing the education resource and we can get back to being an entertainment company,” explains John. Although Music Factory no longer has a dedicated education arm, it still places great importance on nurturing talent. “It’s incredibly important to encourage young people to enter
the music industry,” says Richard. “We’ve seen an incredible amount of talent come through here, and people are getting younger. Three of our producers are just 18, yet they’re extremely talented. Advances in technology have made music production more accessible, and as a company we’ve recognised we need to bring young talent in and spend the time to educate them, and make sure the structure’s right in the company for them to be hands on from the very beginning and to be able to develop.” Although the Music Factory remains an incredibly successful company in an industry that is struggling more than ever before, it hasn’t escaped the scourge of piracy. “Piracy is one of the worst things to happen to the music industry,” says John. “People don’t put a value on music, they justify it by pointing at Sony or Robbie Williams and saying ‘well, they can afford it’. It’s simply not true. Ninety percent of songwriters earn less than £5000 a year, and if we didn’t have people writing and singing there wouldn’t be a business. “We found a guy in Majorca last year who’d been supplying the whole of the island with our megamixes – he was just a DJ but he had houses in Magaluf and Miami – and it was all proceeds of theft, pure and simple.” Richard Lee agrees. “If I produce an album today, it’ll be online and up for piracy within an hour of returning from pressing. One DJ will buy it and put it online for everyone else to download, and it’s grinding the industry down.” Despite the threats and pitfalls, Music Factory continues to grow and enter new markets. Recent developments include Truetonezone, which offers tracks for downloading to mobile phones as ringtones, and most recently the development of kidsstuffandthings.com, a personalised
The Jive Bunny Christmas Spectacular compilation it created for a high-street distributor sells around 50,000 copies every year. It’s the company behind Tidy Trax, the leading hard house label with an annual weekender, and Tidy Digital, the hard house digital download store. Mastermix is Europe’s leading provider of DJ-only music. It provided music and video content for the massive selling My First album range. Some of the famous names to have visited, and recorded, at The Music Factory include Chubby Checker, Noddy Holder, Roy Wood, Buster Bloodvessel and Rolf Harris. It was recently visited, and highly praised, by HRH Prince Edward. It’s the only company in the world to have produced a series of discs that feature every UK number one single.
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FEATURE MUsic factory children’s CD and video service. “People think the music industry is all about the charts, but that’s just a tiny part of it,” says John. “There’s so much more to it than that, but you always have to stay one step ahead. Music Factory is a creative unit with a lot of talented people within it. The trick is to know how to take creative concepts and develop them into valid business ideas, whether that’s making products for children’s parties or soundtracks for Hollywood movies and reality shows like X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.” And it’s this commitment to progression which has ensured that, while greater companies have crumbled, this Rotherham-based company has thrived, not least because the company has a
policy of keeping all its services in-house, from the legal department to video production. “John makes sure that everything the company does is focussed on the people, and by having everything in-house it lets us concentrate on developing our staff,” says Richard. “If he can offer assistance to any member of our 60 staff in any way at all, then he will. There is no hierarchy at Music Factory.” John is modest about his generosity. “The Music Factory is an umbrella,” he says. “Come under it and we’ll protect you. Just because I’m in a position to offer help occasionally, it doesn’t mean I’m special. If I have the means, then why wouldn’t I? My philosophy is you can be happy or you can be sad – it’s the same gig.” YOUNG TALENT: Some Music Factory’s budding stars of the future.
It’s incredibly important to encourage young people to enter the music industry. And the talent is getting younger – three of our producers are just 18. John’s self-effacing assertions belie the social impact he has had on the local community. Music Factory raises a huge amount of money for children’s charities, with recipients including NSPCC, Sheffield Children’s Hospice and the Bluebell Woods Children’s Hospice. True to nature though, John shrugs off his contributions. “Kids are important – of course I’m going to help as much as I can,” he says. Richard is less modest about John’s achievements. “He’s an incredibly generous and thoughtful man who has always used his success to the benefit of the community,” he says. And community is something very close to John’s heart. “I’ve had offices in London, New York and Barcelona, but I decided to pull everything back to Rotherham,” he says. “People told me I was a fool and that I’d be finished – who’s laughing now?”
X Factory The Music Factory HQ in Parkgate isn’t just the preserve of those within the inner hallows of the music industry. Anyone who fancies themselves as the next Lily Allen or Dizzee Rascal can record a professional, fully produced CD in Music Factory’s multi-track vocal recording studio. Using one of Music Factory’s 12,000 licensed backing tracks which cover everything from fifties and sixties classics to current chart hits (or singers can bring their own compositions if they prefer), budding pop idols can hire the vocal recording studio for the extremely reasonable rate of £35 an hour. Most people find that long enough to record at least one song, which is then mixed by Music Factory’s professional producers and,
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in most cases, ready to collect and take home the same day. Go! is offering a day’s professional recording session at Music Factory’s studio, where one lucky winner will get the opportunity to produce their very own CD, and take home a Jive Bunny prize bundle including CDs, T-shirts and memorabilia! Turn to page 30 for your chance to win. For more information about Music Factory call 01709 710 022 or visit jivebunny.com Bus
services 108, 109, 220, 221, 229 & 396 up to every 5mins Mon-Sat until 6pm; every 15mins evenings and Sundays. Stops at Broad Street.
A DAY’S RECORDING SESSION page 30
Travel made so easy it’s child’s play Whether you want to plan a new journey or find out how you could save money and time off your daily travel, contact us today.
Traveline 01709 51 51 51 travelsouthyorkshire.com/go3
SUMMER 2009
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GRAND DAY OUT...
# 1 1 m e g n e d Hid
Doncaster Wardrobe essentials
High notes Leeds, Reading, Glastonbury, and… Doncaster! This summer sees the return of the fantastic Doncaster Live music festival in Doncaster Market and around the town centre. And the best bit? It’s completely free! On 25 July there will be live music, entertainment, street theatre, dance and comedy in and around the town centre; and it doesn’t stop there! The festival rolls over to 26 July, where the region’s home grown talent will be given the opportunity to showcase their musical talents. Glaston-where? If the swinging seventies are more your cup of tea you will be rockin’ all over the world on 23 July when legendary rock icons Status Quo perform live at Doncaster Racecourse . With the first race starting at 6.35pm, and the concert due to begin at 9.30pm, this is sure to be an amazing evening. Don’t miss out! If you like to live life at a more relaxed pace and are looking for a wonderful way to spend a summer’s day then visit Brodsworth Hall and Gardens on Barnsley Road for the perfect opportunity for a family picnic. You will be in great company on 12 July as Barnsley Concert Band, one of the best of South Yorkshire’s musical brass bands, performs live. 20
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Summer is here, and with it a whole new season of clothes to invest in! From high street favourites to market bargains, Doncaster has something to suit every budget. The flagship Frenchgate shopping centre at St Sepulchre Gate is home to an array of high street stores, including Debenhams, Next and Topshop. For unique boutiques, head to pedestrianised retail areas Waterdale and Colonnades, both in the centre of Doncaster. If you prefer a livelier, more diverse shopping experience, then visit one of the north of England’s biggest traditional markets on High Street. With more than 600 shops, stalls and stands in four large indoor market halls and a bustling outdoor area, Doncaster Market has been the heart of the town for hundreds of years. Just outside the town centre, on White Rose Way, is the Lakeside Village outlet shopping centre with plenty of stores selling designer goods at discount prices. See you at the tills!
r rist, Doncaste Tom Wood flo has been trading since 1933 and has ess sin bu This family run borough. Part of the able reputation in the ers great service, built an impression group, Tom Wood off respectable Interflora wer displays, and inspirational ideas, flo d an on llo ba l beautifu nt! ces. Blooming brillia all at competitive pri Doncaster; 08000 192 491; t, ee Printing Office Str tomwood.co.uk
Cultural delights If you have a craving for culture, take a trip to the award-winning Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery on Chequer Road . Depicting aspects of natural history, archaeology, local history, and fine and decorative art, it’s a treasure trove of inspiration. With a programme of exhibitions throughout the year, as well as fun and informative hands-on events and activities for all ages and abilities, this is a must-see attraction. Try out the free Railways Remembered film show at 6.30pm on 25 July to celebrate the Gallery’s purchase of Terence Cuneo’s iconic painting ‘Giants Refreshed’. The cherry on the culture cake is the charming Cusworth Hall, Museum on Cusworth Road. and Park Stroll around the recently transformed surrounding parkland and view the stunning ceiling paintings in the Italianate chapel (pictured, below). The great kitchen, bake house, still room and laundry give visitors a glimpse of what life was like ‘below stairs’ in days gone by, and is interesting for all the family. Discover more about the town as it looked back in 1740 when Cusworth Hall was built at the Images of 18th Century Doncaster exhibition from 29 July.
© Crown Copyright. All rights reserved (100030252). 2009
If you fancy roving around Doncaster this summer, there’s plenty to keep you occupied – whatever the weather. Take a trip through the ages to learn about Doncaster past and present, or absorb the blooming delights of the season in one of the many landscaped parks and gardens. Rain or shine, indoors or out, Doncaster has lots to offer...
DIRECTORY Doncaster Museum doncaster.gov.uk, 01302 734293 Cusworth Hall cusworth-hall.co.uk, 01302 782342 Doncaster Dome the-dome.co.uk, 01302 370777 Conisbrough Castle conisbroughcastle.org.uk, 01709 863329
opposite Green Lane, on York Road
Brodsworth Hall Bus services 203 & 206 up to 6 journeys each way, Mon-Sat only.
Doncaster Live doncasterlive.co.uk, 01302 862480 Doncaster Racecourse doncaster-racecourse.co.uk, 01302 304200 Brodsworth Hall english-heritage.org.uk, 01302 722598 Frenchgate frenchgateshopping.co.uk, 01302 368335
Cusworth Hall Bus services 42 & 219 every 15mins Mon-Sat; hourly on Sunday.
Lakeside lakeside-village.co.uk, 01302 366 444
Frenchgate interchange Bus service X78 (from Sheffield, Rotherham & Meadowhall) up to every 10mins, Mon-Sat. Bus services 219,222 & X19 (from Barnsley) up to 5 buses per hour, Mon-Sat; 2 buses per hour on Sunday. Train (up to 5 trains per hour from Sheffield & Meadowhall) Train (up to 2 trains per hour from Rotherham)
at Parrot’s Corner, on Bawtry Road
For knights and the brave Want somewhere to take the kids to have fun and get active? The Dome at Doncaster Lakeside on Bawtry Road is one of Britain’s largest sports and leisure complexes, offering over 52 different activities. From swimming to gravitydefying wall climbing, disco dancing to ice-skating, there’s something to suit all ages and abilities. Then head over to Conisbrough Castle on Castle Hill in Conisbrough, where budding knights are needed! Fearless, daring, brave… sound like you? Then join the brave, bold and noble knights on 22 and 23 August to learn about the art of medieval warfare. No matter how young, old, small or tall, you can see amazing demonstrations, test out medieval armour and even take part in sword fighting lessons!
Conisborough Castle Bus services 220, 221, 222 & X78 up to every 10mins. Train Conisborough Rail Station (2 trains per hour) 10mins walk to castle.
Doncaster is served by two park & ride sites, each with 400 parking spaces. Buses leave each site every 7 minutes at peak times, serving Frenchgate Interchange, the town centre, Doncaster Racecourse and The Dome. travelsouthyorkshire.com/go2
SUMMER 2009
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South Yorkshire Day Tripper Take a trip of a lifetime for only ÂŁ5.50
Enjoy a day of unlimited travel on local buses, trams and on local trains after 0930.* * Monday - Friday and any time Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.
Traveline 01709 51 51 51 travelsouthyorkshire.com/go4
FEATURE PANACHE
serious smalls
With sales worth £28 million last year, offices in New York and Hong Kong and a presence in more than 30 countries, Panache is one of the world’s most successful lingerie companies. But this global fashion success story isn’t based in Paris or Milan – Panache is South Yorkshire, through and through.
anache may not be instantly recognisable as a leading fashion brand, but chances are your lingerie drawer will contain at least one of their products. Supplying high street names such as Debenhams, Bravissimo, John Lewis and House of Fraser (to name but a few), and with celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Holly Willoughby and Katie Price endorsing its wares, Panache is certainly prolific.
Throughout its 27-year history, the Sheffieldbased company has been driving the technology behind lingerie to the benefit of millions of women around the world, with a dedicated research and development department committed to ensuring the perfect fit. With a policy of designing products for real women, it followed that the team behind the garments knew exactly what women wanted. The Panache brands are created by a team
headed by women who understand that lingerie not only needs to look good, but also needs to feel good. The Go! Team caught up with them to find out about the science behind our smalls…
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FEATURE PANACHE REAL WOMAN: Tracy Roe heads up a team of dedicated designers at Panache’s Sheffield headquarters.
Tracy Roe Tracy worked in the lingerie business for 32 years before joining Panache as head of design last year. “I’ve been intrigued by lingerie since I started my first job in a manufacturers straight after leaving school. I was really interested in the techniques behind how it was all created, so I learned about everything from cutting fabrics to making up samples and I made sure I learned absolutely every aspect of lingerie, from the design to production. “Here at Panache, everyone is eager to have the best product. What I love about it is that everyone shares their knowledge to make all the company’s products the best they can possibly be. If someone learns how to do something that will create a better fit, they’ll share it with everyone else. “In some companies, the designer has to pass their product through an approval process of up to 15 people. Here, each designer owns their own product, problems and all. There is no blame culture, if things go wrong we will work out why together. The ultimate aim is to produce the best product we possibly can. “We haven’t got a huge team, but every single person at Panache is passionate about what they do. We have a design team and a technical team that understand what women want, and we don’t design for models, we design for real women. With every product we make, there’s got to be a 24
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reason why women would want to buy it - it has to fit and support but also be feminine. “Because we design a lot for larger ladies, we have to make sure that the price is fair as well – we don’t discriminate against larger sizes. If a D-cup bra is £26, the K-cup bra will cost exactly the same. “We see people coming in here who are so uncomfortable because they’re wearing an ill-fitting bra. Get them in the right size, and they actually go down a t-shirt size. You can’t underestimate the difference that it makes to women, and we get so many thank-you letters from women saying we’ve changed their lives. How many designers actually get personally thanked by people who buy their clothes?”
12 months’ supply of lingerie Page 30
Helen Pidduck Designer Helen has been with Panache for two years, having designed for companies supplying Marks & Spencers, Littlewoods and Ted Baker in previous roles. “Panache is one of the nicest place I’ve ever worked – the company and the people are fantastic, and the brand is incredibly strong. “My job involves everything from picking out new colours and trends, designing the products, making the patterns and getting the design made up in the machine room to make sure it works. “Last year, we launched the first ever KKcup bra – it’s been incredibly popular. When you’re designing for a larger size you’re limited in the shapes you can use, but just because you have to be practical it doesn’t mean ladies don’t want fashion. We play with the fabrics; satins, meshes, colours, bows – it is possible to have sexy, attractive lingerie at larger sizes. “We use members of the public to fit all our bras to make sure they fit real people – there’s no point in designing a bra for a larger lady and then fitting it on a size 8 model. It has to work on real women.”
from
Clare Fallon
Clare has been with Panache for almost 16 years, and has worked her way up from design assistant to head of technical design. “I tend to concentrate more on the technical aspect of new developments such as larger sizes and the new sports bra. “Here at Panache we’ve always placed great importance on the technical aspect of having a correct fit, but we’re getting more scientific in our approach. “We’re currently working with Loughborough University’s Progressive Sports department on the design of our new sports bra, which will be available in December this year. It’s all done in a lab environment using sensors and cameras to pick up movement, so we can see where we need to make improvements. “There are so many different ways of doing things and looking at making things fit. You simply can’t underestimate the importance of having a well-fitting bra, and that includes smaller sizes. When a woman comes in for a fitting and wears the correct bra for the first time, her whole body shape changes – her waist
A to KK a brief history of Panache
1982 1985 1989
The Panache brand is launched.
Their Hong Kong offices open.
The company forms its own in-house design team. is more defined, she looks slimmer and posture can be improved just because the woman feels more comfortable. “The reaction I get from people when they find out what I do for a living is usually one of surprise. Most people think designing a bra is just cutting out two triangles and sewing them together – they don’t realise just how much technical work goes into it.”
Claire Rogers
Jo Bingley Jo is one of Panache’s garment technologists, and is responsible for ensuring her range of products meet the company’s strict quality controls. “I work closely with the designers and advise them on how a garment will get made. We need to produce a breakdown of the design for the machinist to follow to make sure that it’s viable for production. This means checking everything from the patterns to the type of wire that’s needed. “Once we have the samples, we always fit as many sizes as possible on real people to make sure that the whole range fits correctly. A good fitting bra is one that will sit straight on your body, and not give you what we call a double bust. It has to be comfortable, so it’s essential for us that everything is perfect.”
Panache’s newest recruit, Claire has been human resources manager for just over three months. “The main thing I’ve noticed about Panache since I’ve been here is how much investment the company makes into staff. It’s incredibly important to make money available for training and development, especially in difficult times, as you don’t want your best employees going elsewhere. If you keep people engaged and invest into them it can only be good for the business, and that’s evident at Panache. “There’s a great ethos here, everyone is well looked after and because of that there’s a great atmosphere and it’s a fantastic place to work.”
1998
The Superbra is born – it’s sold 11 million units in the last four years alone.
2002
Panache wins a handful of awards, including the UK Fashion Export Award and the Queens Award for International Trade, for which Princess Anne visits Sheffield to congratulate the team.
2007
More awards! Best UK Lingerie Brand, Best Fashion Fix-it for the Inferno Bra and Best Swimwear Brand in the Fig Leaves Awards.
2007
Katie Price the first celebrity to take up a Panache licence and launch her own range.
2008 2009
Panache creates the first ever KK-cup bra.
The first sports bra for D+ cups will be launched by Panache later this year.
Hidden gem # 12
Oo La La Bout ique, Barnsle y to Panache stockist Oo La La is a treasure tro wn centre ve for pretty underwea r and lacy lingerie tha for people looking t the high street. The friendly, approachab you won’t find on le sta help and offer advic e in any way they can ff are happy to . An they also have a gre at range of menswea d gentlemen... r! Peel Street Arcade , Barnsley; 01226 246 611; oo-la-la.com Bus all services to Barnsley Interc hange Train Barnsle y Interchange (up to 4 trains per hour). Spring 2009
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THE NEXT GENERATION With an increased reliance on travel by car and, as we reported in our last issue, nearly a third of households having two or more cars, a whole generation of children is growing up without the basic skills required to get them from A to B independently.
We need to reach the parents that are dropping their children off at school by car every day and show them that it’s just not healthy.
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arents may think they are protecting their children from the dangers of roads and travelling alone by providing a personal taxi service for everything from journeys to and from school, friends’ houses and trips into town. Yet by ensuring they are cocooned from the reality of road travel, they are preventing them for learning by example. A study carried out by Leeds Metropolitan University for The Department for Transport1 in 2008 looked into the methods of road safety carried out by parents, and the reactions of their children. Although children felt the most effective way for parents to teach road safety education was to set a good example from an early age and explain the reasons behind their instructions, this rarely happened. Parents’ priorities were to keep their children safe by controlling their behaviour physically or verbally, yet with little explanation on adapting road behaviour to suit specific situations. There was little communication with children about the decisions they made during road crossings, and opportunities to teach road safety were ignored. Some parents even increased the risk to their children by the places they chose to park their cars. As a result, older children had a sense of
invulnerability on the roads and risk taking was seen as a mark of maturity – some deliberately taking risks as a form of sensation seeking. Steve Lee is the education team manager with SYPTE, and his team of four travel advisors and an administrator work with all Schools in South Yorkshire and other organisations such as bus and tram operators, local councils and the police to ensure that all children have the necessary skills and the confidence to make journeys independently and, more importantly, safely. “For a long time the car was king, and roads were for cars, not pedestrians,” says Steve. “People have developed a fear of walking anywhere, and as a result children are growing up in an environment where they only know how to travel by car. When they start work or college the first thing they’ll want to do is buy a car, so you get the situation where mum has a car, dad has a car, and two grown-up children have a car. That just isn’t sustainable or cost-effective, either financially or environmentally. “We need to look at this problem from a longterm perspective and ensure that we instil an awareness of alternatives from an early age.” Rash Hassan is the travel advisor for Rotherham, and works with schools to give children the confidence and skills to use public transport by covering everything from timetable
FEATURE reading, hailing a bus and acceptable behaviour. “Some of the children we work with have no idea how to indicate to a bus that they want it to stop,” he says. “But they’ve never done it, so how could they possibly know? We work with them from a very basic level and take a single decker bus to primary schools and go through everything from how to hail it, how to queue at a bus stop, how to enter and exit a bus safely and even how to ask for a ticket.” Children taking part in the programme are incredibly enthusiastic, but parents are often
When children start secondary school they should have the skills and confidence to be able to travel by public transport – we want to make sure there’s an option for everyone.
speaking to children, we will go into parents’ evenings at school and make sure we have plenty of information on hand to answer any questions they may have. When we explain the work that we’re doing, and have the evidence to back us up, most parents see it as a positive way of encouraging their children to be independent.” A major issue for members of the public with children using public transport is behaviour. Steve is keen to reassure passengers that behaviour issues are tackled swiftly and effectively, and that the education programme actively works to instil the importance of good behaviour on public transport. “Most children start to use public transport regularly when they get to secondary school, and that’s when we start to get issues,” he says. “We actively promote good and sensible behaviour, and work with local authorities, operators and police to make sure that a good level of behaviour is sustained. “We do get parents saying the kids aren’t catching the bus because of
smoking or bullying or messing about. It does happen, but the majority of journeys are incident free. There’s a perception that public transport isn’t nice to use, but we have a stringent incident reporting process and we’re witnessing significant reductions in anti-social behaviour on an annual basis, with reported incidents down 23% last year. Statistically 98.5% of our
less so. Says Rash: “We see lots of children whose parents have never allowed them to travel on a bus, tram or train, and they’ve been chauffeured absolutely everywhere in the mistaken belief that it’s safer than taking a bus.” Steve Lee agrees. “Parents might not let their children use public transport because they think it’s dangerous, but statistically it’s safer than travelling by car,” he says. “In 2006 in the UK, 596 children were killed when travelling by car, in contrast with 39 travelling by bus. Obviously one death is too many, but what we need to do is highlight the evidence and show people that travel by public transport is a safe, reliable and sustainable option. We need to reach the parents that are dropping their children off at school by car every day and show them that it’s just not healthy. By doing that, we can also give the children the confidence to use public transport outside of school to visit the cinema or go and see their gran, and not have to beg their parents for a lift every time they want to go out.” In order to address this, the education programme works closely with parents to address their fears. Rash explains: “As well as
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FEATURE journeys are incident free, but the fact that 1.5% of journeys aren’t means there is still plenty of work to be done.” The Education and Inspections Act of 2006 gave head teachers the power to be responsible for children when they were travelling to and from school and not just during school hours. This has helped them to work with SYPTE, operators and the police to control unsuitable behaviour, but Steve is keen to stress the onus should be on children and their parents to behave responsibly. “Schools may now be in a position to take action against children misbehaving on public transport, but ultimately children have to be responsible for their own actions and their parents should be instilling that in them from an early age,” he says. “Part of our education and safety programme contains role play, so children can see how their actions will affect the driver and other passengers.” Rash agrees. “Because we’re working with children from primary school age and visit them on a regular basis right through school, they get to know us almost on a one to one basis. “We go back and see them every year with different themes and new initiatives, and the kids know they can come to us with any problems. The more they get to know us the
People have developed a fear of walking anywhere, and as a result children are growing up in an environment where they only know how to travel by car.
the skills and confidence to be able to travel by public transport,” he says. “Obviously, if they are able to walk or cycle to school then that would be preferable. Ultimately, we want to make sure there’s an option for everyone and that the choices that are available are realistic, sustainable and healthy. We want people to consider the way they travel and how their actions are affecting future generations.” For more information about travel advice, education and safety, visit travelsouthyorkshire.com. ‘Child-Parent Interaction in Relation to Road Safety Education’; Leeds Metropolitan University, 2008 1
more they ask and it builds up a mutual respect. By the time they’re ready to start travelling alone they have a familiar face to identify with, and it humanises public transport and makes them more aware of the consequences of their actions.” So, with safety a priority, what do Steve and his team think is an acceptable age for encouraging children to travel alone? “I would say that when children start secondary school they should certainly have
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A day in the life of...
Sgt. Jane Fidler Public Transport Liaison Officer
A serving police officer for 14 years, Sergeant Jane Fidler works to help promote safety in public transport. She took time out to talk to us about how South Yorkshire Police works with SYPTE and transport operators to ensure travel around the region remains a safe and pleasant experience for everyone.
y day starts by checking the police systems to see what incidents have happened overnight or during the previous day that concern public transport issues. That could be anything from damage to buses and shelters, like graffiti or smashed windows, to simply groups of kids gathering around interchanges. “I make sure there are no issues with schools in the morning – occasionally operators will call in and let me know if there are any problems with behaviour on school services. It’s usually just small things, like swearing or listening to music on mobile phones, but even seemingly trivial things are enough to cause concern because other members of the public use the services and it just isn’t acceptable. “I work closely with bus operators, SYPTE and schools to make sure that we can pool our resources and deal with any issues as they arise. “We also work closely with neighbourhood groups to identify any trouble spots, such as a particular street or route that’s been affected by vandalism or unacceptable behaviour. I can then liaise with the police’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams to organise a bigger police presence in the area and make sure the trouble-causers know we are dealing with the issue. “For areas with particular problems, or at times like mischief night, we have ‘Trojan’ buses that have been donated by First and Stagecoach. They look like normal buses but are staffed by plain-clothes police officers. We’ll drive around areas we know to be giving cause for concern, and if we do see any incidents the officers can stop the bus and deal with the problems immediately. That
could be anything from taking names and addresses to giving fixed penalty notices or even making arrests for criminal damage. “SYPTE has a very effective call-out system for dealing with any vandalism. Any reports of damage to shelters will be attended to and made safe within four hours, but they can only do that if people let us know! There’s a dedicated number for damage to shelters, and people can call it anytime to report damage anywhere in South Yorkshire – 01709 515151. “Most of the problems we deal with aren’t malicious – it’s just kids misbehaving on buses at the end of school. They’re letting off steam and forgetting themselves, getting over-excitable. We work closely with the schools so these episodes don’t build up into regular behaviour and become normalised – we show the children that this sort of behaviour just isn’t acceptable. “I love the variety in my job, and I’m meeting so many different people every day that are all working together to make a difference, and it’s great that we’re making a positive impact.”
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COMPETITION This competition is not open to employees of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive or their family members. All entries must be received by 31 August 2009. By entering this competition you agree to the publication of your name in subsequent editions of this publication should you be a prize winner. The decision of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive shall be final. No cash alternative will be given.
WIN £1000s worth of prizes
Sudoku
QUIZ 6
1
6
9
7
7 6 2
8
3
4
3. Which bus service would you need to take to see The Saturdays at Sandbeck Park?
1
4. Jessica-Jane Clement loves Italian food – on what Sheffield road is her favourite restaurant?
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5. Which famous group will be rockin’ all over Doncaster Racecourse in July?
1 4
1
2 3
6
5
C
2
1. Which MP opened Winthrop Park in 2005? 2. For which Will Smith film did Jive Bunny creators Music Factory provide music for?
8
2
3 B
A
2 6
5
5
4 D
Crack the puzzle to reveal the digits in the yellow squares. Four lucky winners will receive a limitededition Go! mug and 1 month’s free travel on South Yorkshire’s buses, trains and trams.
The answers to these questions are in the magazine somewhere - get them right and you could win the following prize bundle: • • • •
3 months’ free travel on South Yorkshire’s buses, trains and trams 12 months’ supply of Panache lingerie, plus a professional fitting A day’s recording session at Music Factory, plus Jive bunny prize bundle Afternoon tea for two at Chataways tea-room in Winthrop Park
Competition entry
To enter, fill in your answers and contact details below, cut out and send to: Go! Magazine, FREEPOST NEA3487, Sheffield S2 5ZQ. Or email your answers to go@travelsouthyorkshire.com
Your answers: Sudoku A
B
C
D
Your details: Name Address
QUIZ
ticket hunt Somewhere hi dden in this iss ue of Go! Magazine is a very special ticket (pictured here)…
Find it and yo u could be the lu cky winner of:
1. 2.
Postcode
3.
Tel
4.
5.
Date of birth
TICKET HUNT Briefly describe where the ticket appears: Page no.
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SUMMER 2009
We would like to keep your contact details to send you information on public transport, travel cards/ticketing and promotions. If you would prefer not to be sent such information, please tick this box. Please note we will not use your contact information for any other purposes or pass your information on to any third parties.
• 3 months’ fre e travel on Sout h Yorkshire’s buses, trains an d trams • A family day pass for five pe ople to Magna Science Advent ure Museum • The World’s Gr eatest Bar Bets DVD, signed by Jessica-Jane Clement and th e stars of BBC Three’s Th e Real Hustle
LETTERS
Have your say Another satisfied customer I have to admit that, until recently, I’d hardly ever used public transport. However, after being forced to leave my car in the garage for a few days, it was my only means of getting about, and I have to say how pleasantly surprised I was by the whole experience. travelsouthyorkshire.com made it easy to work out the travel options available to me, the services were frequent, and it was, altogether, a much more cost and time effective option than sitting in my car in a traffic jam at rush hour. It’s goodbye to the car for me from now on! K Roberts, Monk Bretton There are so many people out there who still rely on their car to get them around when, in actual fact, the bus, train or tram can be a much better alternative. Not only can public transport be cheaper and quicker, it has also been proven to reduce stress levels caused by sitting in gridlocked traffic. And we all know how it can reduce your carbon footprint. What’s everyone waiting for?
Duffy’s big break I just wanted to say how fantastic it is to see that you are supporting young talent in the region (‘Baize of Glory’, Spring 2009). Too much is made of arrogant, talentless ‘celebrities’ these days and it is really refreshing to read about genuinely gifted people, especially when they’re on your doorstep. Adam Duffy comes across as such an interesting, down-to-earth character and I’d love to see you feature more gifted local youngsters in Go! in the future. A Sedgwick, Wickersley
Write to us: If you write us a letter and we print it, you’ll receive one month’s free travel on South Yorkshire’s buses, trains and trams. Email go@travelsouthyorkshire.com, or post your letter to Go! Magazine, FREEPOST NEA3487, Sheffield S2 5ZQ.
We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed our feature on Adam in the last issue of Go! Like you, we don’t think nearly enough is made of the extraordinary talent we have here in South Yorkshire, but we are determined to do something about it. Look out for more fantastic stories about incredible young people in our region in future issues.
READER SURVEY We want your feedback! Turn over the page and tell us what you think about Go! and what you’d like to see more of in future issues, and you will be entered into a prize draw to win free travel on South Yorkshire’s public transport for a whole year, worth £850!* Please return your completed survey by 17 July 2009 to Go! Magazine, FREEPOST NEA3487, Sheffield S2 5ZQ.
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reader survey 1. How often do you usually use the following kinds of transport? Bus
Train
Tram
5 or more days a week
5. Thinking about the content of this magazine, which of the following features did you… Car
Car
(driver) (passenger)
Read
Cycle
Find most informative?
Enjoy the most?
Enjoy the least?
News What’s on
3-4 days week
Profile Jessica-Jane Clement
1-2 days a week
Jive talking
Once a fortnight
Grand day out... Doncaster
About once a month
Serious smalls
Less than once a month
A day in the life of... Sgt. Jane Fidler
Never
Last stop Winthrop Park
2. As a result of reading Go! Magazine, do you feel that you are now more aware of the name Travel South Yorkshire?
6. Are there any particular features that you’d like to see in future editions of Go! Magazine?
Yes
The next generation
No
3. Do you feel that you are now better informed about public transport in South Yorkshire? Yes Why?
No
7. It what ways do you think the magazine could be improved?
(please give reasons for your answer)
8. Are you… Male 4. Do you think Go! Magazine has encouraged you to consider using public transport more in the future? Yes No Why?
9. How old are you? Under 16 30-39
(please give reasons for your answer)
Female 16-19 40-49 60 or over
20-29 50-59
10. What is your home postcode? 11. How many cars or vans are available to members of your household, including yourself? None One Two Three Four or more
Your details:
Tel
Name
Address
Date of birth
We would like to keep your contact details to send you information on public transport, travel cards/ticketing and promotions. If you would prefer not to be sent such information, please tick this box. Please note we will not use your contact information for any other purposes or pass your information on to any third parties. Postcode
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SUMMER 2009
*If you wish to enter the prize draw without completing this survey, please send your name, address and contact telephone number on a postcard to the address on the previous page by 17 July 2009.
LAST STOP Winthrop park
ACE OF SPADES
Go! visits Winthrop Park in Wickersley, and talks to founder David Bowser about its transformation from sewage plant to award-winning beauty spot and why gardening is the best medicine. hen 52 year-old David Bowser suffered a stroke in 1999, he was forced to re-think his hectic life as a successful managing director and business consultant. On his release from hospital, he found solace in his garden and discovered that channelling his energies into tending to his plants and shrubs, together with the pleasure he derived from enjoying the fruits of his labours, helped him to a speedy recovery. Having decided that he would not want to return to the cut-throat world of international manufacturing business, and enthused by how quickly his love of the garden had aided his recuperation, he decided to pursue the idea of creating a therapeutic nature park that the whole community could come along and enjoy.
“After my stroke I was frustrated that there didn’t seem to be any support other than prescription drugs,” says David. “I needed to do more than just sit at home popping pills, and there’s so much more to cope with other than the physical symptoms of a stroke. I’d lost use in one side of my body, but aside from the physical aspect of it, mentally having to adjust to dealing with a sudden disability after being healthy and active all my life caused a lot of stress and anxiety.” So David took to his garden, and over six months used the physical activity required to slowly teach himself to learn new skills, use his limbs, and regain mental capacity. Keen to discover if his approach could be of benefit to others, he undertook investigations and, with the help of research carried out by Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield, saw a unique
opportunity. “They were looking into the positive benefits of interacting with nature,” he explains. “Whether that was ex-offenders keeping bees, or clinically measuring the benefits of walking in the countryside for people suffering from illnesses.” Having seen the benefits for himself, David and his wife, Carol, formed a charity in 2003, Second Nature Life Support, so they could bring the activities of nature therapy to people with disabilities. “We initially looked at greenbelt sites or farmland, but quickly realised that we simply couldn’t afford it and we wanted to do something environmental as well,” says David. “But then I remembered a derelict sewage works I’d walked past for years, which the council were struggling to know what to do with. This was a waste site and SUMMER 2009
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LAST STOP Winthrop park contaminated, obviously no-one wanted to buy it because of the amount of work involved in making it good. But, thanks to my work knowledge and contacts, I had an idea about what could be done to remediate the site, so I negotiated with the council to buy it on condition that we would be responsible for cleaning it up.” Although the land itself cost very little, the charity then needed to raise a further £250,000 to transform the site into a place of tranquillity – no easy task when you’re in recovery from a stroke. David and Carol persuaded others to volunteer, created a team of trustees and an eight-strong management group, and together they set about fundraising for the necessary clean-up operation through coffee mornings, bringand-buy sales, lottery funding and donations from local businesses. In the meantime, they set about shifting 28 tonnes of scrap metal and other rubbish from the site. But David was keen to ensure that the pollution wasn’t simply moved to another area to become someone else’s problem. “We worked with a landscape designer from Leeds University to design the garden in a way that meant we could use plants that would disperse any pollution and neutralise the soil. So every square foot was mapped out, the soil was sampled, and we used the results to decide what to plant – willow trees, for instance, suck out toxins. With the space cleared and the soil tested, David and his team set about creating an open space that would benefit people with illness or disabilities, with wheelchair friendly access and different sections of the garden for stimulation of different senses. “We have a fragrant herb area, others which are very tactile, such as grasses that move about. There’s a big red wall with topiary trees in front of it which cast shadows for people with eye sight problems – there’s something for everyone.” David and his team acquired the site on Christmas Eve 2003; by July 2005, Winthrorp Park was opened to the public by local MP, John Healey. “At the time, we anticipated around 300 elderly and disabled people being able to access the sensory gardens to aid their recovery,” says David. “Last year, we helped 6,500 visitors from all walks of life. My original vision was quite narrow – I wanted to help people who were in the same position I had
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I needed to do more than just sit at home popping pills – mentally having to adjust to a sudden disability caused a lot of anxiety. been in. But now, it’s a place for the whole community to enjoy. Carers, families, schools; one of our volunteers is an exheadteacher, and she was keen to help us get involved with schools. We now have activities that raise awareness amongst schoolchildren of the health benefits of gardens and nature.” Unsurprisingly, Winthrop Park has been the recipient of a number of awards. In 2008, it was awarded the Nationwide Building Society’s UK Community Project of the Year award, and they’ve also been given the Nature Save Trust award for eco-environmental work and a Gold Medal in Rotherham in Bloom. Lord and Lady Scarbrough are patrons of the park, and locally born rock star and TV presenter Rick Wakeman is honorary patron. Six years on, Winthrop Park has become so successful that medical professionals are referring patients to it for therapy and respite. “We get lots of people here from hospitals, care homes and hospices. Because most of our 59 volunteers have originally come along as users of the facilities, and may have had cancer care, stroke, bereavement, illness, or head injuries, they can talk to people one to one, and understand what they’re going through.” David hasn’t forgotten the benefits of the physical and mental activity in his own recovery. “If people feel that being actively involved with the work at Winthrop Park would help them, then they’re welcome to volunteer,” he says. “Whether it’s gardening, welcoming visitors, or helping in the tea room - anything that helps with physical skills or thinking capacity is a positive step. We’ve even had people who’ve gone on to get jobs as a result of their experience at Winthrop Park.” The latest development is lottery funding for an Ecominds project, which is run by mental health charity MIND and aimed at encouraging people to embrace nature as part of their mental wellbeing. “They liked what we were doing, and we had the proof that it does
help people with physical and mental health issues, and mental distress,” says David. “If someone is, say, undergoing long-term treatment for cancer and understandably depressed by it, our remit is to bring in aspects of nature to improve their mental wellbeing, giving them a positive attitude and up lift. “We’re also working with Rotherham Council and Walking Groups to organise walks for blind and partially sighted people, we’ve recently opened our tea-room, Chataways, staffed by volunteers, and we’ve
Afternoon tea for two page 30
installed some art sculptures around the park produced by local people. “I’ve just been amazed by how much people have taken it on board as a community facility, and am thrilled that so many people have been able to gain pleasure from it.” For more information about Winthrop Park, call 01709 709 335 or visit winthroppark.co.uk To find other gardens in South Yorkshire participating in the National Garden Scheme, go to ngs.org.uk Bus
services 19, 19A & 19B every 15mins Mon-Sat until 6pm; every hour evenings and Sundays.
Winthrop Park is on Second Lane (off Newhall Avenue), Wickersley, and is open free of charge from 1 April to 31 October between 11am and 3pm on weekdays, or 10.30am-4.00pm on Sundays. Groups are asked to book in advance, and private evening group bookings can be arranged. On Saturday 1 August, Winthrop Park will be opening to the public as part of the National Gardens Scheme. An entry fee on this day (Yorkshire Day) of £2 will be charged to raise money for cancer care charities.
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