May 27th, 2010
the Devon Week issue 1: wk 21: 2010
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Why we need to
protect the arts at
all costs
At the Liberal Democrat Arts
Launch in March, which countless
actors, directors, writers, producers,
drama teachers, musicians and artists
attended, Nick Clegg pledged not to cut
arts funding. This naturally pleased his
audience including the likes of Sally
Philips and Richard Dawkins.
However, it is not only those in
the arts industry who benefit from
state support of the arts, it is
local people, children and businesses,
who are able to watch subsidised
theatre and visit free art galleries and
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museums, providing appealing tourist
attractions.
Since the 1980s, a number of local
authorities have adopted some form
of ‘percent for art’ scheme, whereby
all new buildings incorporate a quota
of artwork. Major new public artworks
have attracted visitors and have
become part of the tourist and heritage
industry.
This has been demonstrated in Torbay
with Anthony Gormley’s Field for the
British Isles installation that last year
attracted thousands to the Bay. The
exhibition helped generate hundreds of
thousands of pounds of visitor spend
and valuable press coverage for the
area.
An exhibition by the very well known
Damien Hirst will be displayed in Torre
Abbey later this year, having already
been displayed in Venice, London,
Tokyo and Oslo.
The new Damien Hirst exhibition will
not only raise the Bay’s cultural profile
further, but will provide a source
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May 27th, 2010
of interesting discussion because of
the controversial nature of the piece
entitled Mother and Child, Divided,
which won the Turner Prize in 1995.
These exhibitions put Torbay on the
cultural map and provide Torbay
with an exciting space for innovative
contemporary art.
It is clear that cuts to arts funding
would be a bad idea. If anything, the
money allocated to arts should be used
even more to engage the community in
new and innovative ways as a source of
education, creativity, tourism and new
business.
But if the Lib-Con coalition is planning
to cut arts funding, they have certainly
hidden it well in their newly published
Programme for Government. This
promises to increase arts funding by
reforming the National Lottery so more
money goes into sport, the arts and
heritage. The agreement also promises
to maintain free entry to national
museums and galleries, and give
national museums greater freedoms,
which sounds promising.
It also seems to promote local media,
which has sadly diminished in recent
years because of the popularity of
online media. The coalition says
it will enable partnerships between
local newspapers, radio and television
stations to promote a strong and
diverse local media industry.
There is good news for pubs
and charities affected by Labour’s
ridiculous live music restrictions, as
the Coalition Agreement promises
to cut red tape to encourage the
performance of more live music.
If the coalition government live up
to their promises we can continue to
enhance our cultural life and improve
everyone’s quality of life as well as
assist our way out of recession.
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overall Teignbridge Sports Personality
Teignbridge sports of the Year accolade.
personality award David is part of the Great Britain Bob
nominations open Skeleton team, a winter Olympic sport
which is the fastest growing of the
four Bob events. The sport involves
the athlete racing down the same ice
tracks that are used for Bobsleigh;
however for Bob Skeleton the athlete
adopts a face down, headfirst riding
position on the sled. Speeds reached
are in excess of 80 mph and the athlete
experiences G forces of +5, similar to
those experienced by jet pilots.
Nomination forms for the 2010
Nominations are now being accepted
awards are now available from any
for the Teignbridge Sports Personality
Teignbridge Leisure Centre, Tourist
Awards 2010, the district’s annual
Information Centres, schools, sports
celebration of local sporting
clubs, and online.
achievement.
More information on the nomination
The gala awards event pays homage
process and the awards are
to local athletes, teams, officials and
available from the Teignbridge
teachers. Nominations will need to
sports development team on
be in by Friday, August 20, with the
01626 215611 or by emailing
awards taking place at the Langstone
Nikki.Taylor@teignbridge.gov.uk
Cliff Hotel, Dawlish Warren, on Friday,
November 26. (image: overall Teignbridge Sports
Personality of the Year Award –
The awards celebrate sporting
Collected on behalf of David Swift)
and health-related achievements of
individuals, groups and teams across
Teignbridge, with awards given across
13 categories taking in a range of
ages, abilities and levels of experience.
Anybody who has made a difference
in sport or health within the district
over the last 12 months can be
nominated for an award, provided they
reside or are in full-time education
within Teignbridge. The judging panel
shortlists up to three nominees as
finalists for each category, and these
nominees are invited to November’s
gala awards evening.
Last year David Swift took home the
overall Teignbridge Sports Personality
of the Year Award for his achievements
in Bob Skeleton. The 2009 awards
saw David scoop both the Senior
Sportsman of the Year award and the
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May 27th, 2010
Preston Primary
School parents
urged to consider
health risk if
Hollicombe
development
begins
Parents and guardians of pupils at
Preston Primary school are being
urged to consider the health risk
to their children if development at
contaminated land at Hollicombe
begins – and even keep the children
away from school.
The proposed development at a former
gas works adjacent to the school
could release potentially severely
health damaging chemicals such as
cyanide, arsenic, naphthalene, zinc and
mercury. And the extent of the health
risk is unknown.
Despite 450 written objects and
a public protest in 2008,
Torbay’s Special Development Control
Committee of Torbay Council granted
conditional approval to Midas Homes
for a plan to build 185 flats
at the former gas works site in
Hollicombe. The conditions included
the developers to provide information
on the extent of the contamination of
the land and on processes to safely
decontaminate the site.
What came out was a remediation
strategy which said that ‘extensive
areas of the site have not been
investigated’. And ‘it is possible during
site clearance works that additional
contamination may be identified or
mobilised’.
Dr Andrew Robinson, a former
Environmental Health Officer,
speaking on behalf of the Preston
Residents and Parents Against Toxic
Dust Group, told the PRSD that
the amount of contaminated soil
is unknown and that the clean-up
strategy has no details on how they
will control dust emissions during the
works.
“Survey work carried out so far shows
that contaminated soil containing
cyanide will need to be excavated right
next to the school’s boundaries,” he
said.
Now, in the run up to a public
meeting at Preston Primary School on
Thursday, June 10 at 7pm, parents
and guardians are being asked to of
children attending the school to sign
up to or ‘commit’ to the following
statement: “If redevelopment work
commences on the contaminated land
at Hollicombe then, unless I am certain
that the health, safety and well being
of my child will not be threatened by
dust and emissions from the site, I
will be forced to withdraw my child
from Preston Primary School in order
to fulfill my duties and responsibilities
as a parent.”
Find out more about the Hollicombe
Action Group and join their Facebook
Group.
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Region prepares
for impact of
government cuts
With 730,00 jobs in the South
West relying on public money, cuts
in government spending could have
a dramatic effect to the economic
landscape of the region.
Commenting on Government plans to
announce £6 billion worth of early
spending cuts today, Nigel Costley,
regional secretary of the South West
TUC, said: “The South West’s economy
is still extremely fragile and global
uncertainty makes early recovery even
harder. Taking any money out of the
economy at the moment is dangerous
as there is a real risk of a double dip
recession, which will only damage the
state of the public finances further.
“Politicians always claim spending cuts
will fall on backroom administration,
but the frontline cannot function
without proper support. Making
doctors, nurses and teachers do the
necessary paperwork once done by
support staff is bound to hit services.
“It’s all very well saying there will
be a freeze on recruitment, but the
remaining staff will have to cover for
their former colleagues and as well
as their workload and stress levels
increasing, the service they can provide
to the public is bound to suffer.
“Then there’s the human cost of the
cuts: 730,000 jobs in the South West
rely on public money, so any cuts
will have a huge impact on these
individuals and their families.
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May 27th, 2010
“Finally, there’s talk today of funding
being withdrawn from the South West
Regional Development Agency. This is
a body created to sustain economic
growth, with every £1 spent achieving a
return of at least £4.50 for the region’s
economy.
“If you multiply every pound cut by the
government by four a half you get to
see the real damage this will have in the
region.”
(image: the South West Regional
Development Agency – to be hit by
government cuts)
Planning on
working and
watching the
World Cup?
Companies warned
over employee
behaviour
The Exeter internet service provider
Eclipse Internet warned businesses
about the impact of workers watching
the World Cup on their work
computers.
Clodagh Murphy, director of Eclipse,
said: “We advise all businesses to be
mindful about the impact this could
have on their day-to-day business
operations. Streamed content uses
a lot of bandwidth and this could
seriously impact the performance of
their business internet connection.
“It could take much longer to download
important files or use business-critical
applications such as e-commerce sites,
email or online backup. It might
even lead to office computer systems
crashing.”
The company carried out a survey
with found that more than one-
third of those polled thought watching
World Cup matches would not affect
their work productivity and a quarter
thought there would be no impact
on the speed of applications if all
employees watched games online at
work via online streaming sites.
Ashburton and
Buckfastleigh
outdoor pools open
their doors this
weekend
Ashburton and Buckfastleigh outdoor
pools open on Saturday, May 29 for
general swimming from 10am to 6pm
each day until Sunday, June 6.
Opening times will then revert to the
school term-time schedule.
This year regular visitors will be able
to take out a season pass which can be
used at all Teignbridge’s outdoor pools
throughout the May to September
season, giving them the opportunity
to save money on regular pool use.
Adult passes cost £42 and junior passes
(5-15yrs) cost £25, with under-5s going
free. They’re available to buy at all
outdoor pool kiosks during the season.
All Teignbridge’s outdoor pools are
heated and supervised by qualified
lifeguards. Pool sessions range from
general swimming and club use to
the ultra-popular junior Inflatable Fun
sessions, when giant inflatable play
areas are used in the pools. New
for 2010 at Teignmouth Lido is the
addition of hot refreshments available
to buy on site.
Published by: News and Media Republic
Promoted Exeter
Chiefs get victory
parade in Exeter
Exeter City Council has today revealed
plans for a victory parade on Saturday,
May 29 to mark the city’s all
conquering rugby team’s promotion to
the Country’s elite rugby league, the
Guinness Premiership.
Plans have been made for an open
topped bus carrying the playing squad
from The Exeter Chiefs to parade
through the city centre on Saturday,
May 29, on way to a civic reception
at The Guildhall, hosted by the city’s
Lord Mayor, Cllr Marcel Choules. The
Stagecoach bus will leave Exeter City
Football Club’s St James’s Park at
11.30am on Saturday before travelling
along Sidwell Street and the High
Street arriving at The Guildhall at
noon. The playing staff, coaches
and directors from the cub will be
welcomed by the Lord Mayor who will
present each of them with a specially
engraved glass to commemorate their
promotion following the win against
West Country rivals Bristol in last
night’s game.
The Lord Mayor said: “This is a truly
remarkable achievement for the Exeter
Chiefs and can only be of good to
the city and the surrounding areas. I
was on the edge of my seat last night
listening to the game and urging the
team on to what was a famous victory.
Congratulations to all of the team and
everyone involved with the club.”
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May 27th, 2010
Teignmouth RNLI
crews prepare for
the start of season
Ahead of the start of the season
on Saturday, May 29, Teignmouth’s
RNLI lifeguard team and the
town’s volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew
completed a series of training scenarios
designed to help them work together
over the summer.
Since taking over the lifeguard service
on Teignmouth and Dawlish Warren
beaches in 2009, and in response
to an increase in beach users, the
RNLI has extended its patrol dates at
Teignmouth to start even earlier this
year.
The charity’s lifeguards will patrol
the northern side of Teignmouth
Pier and Dawlish Warren beaches
from 10am until 6pm from Saturday,
May 29 until Sunday, September 5.
There will be additional patrols on
southern side of Teignmouth Pier
throughout the busy peak summer
holiday period (Saturday, July 3 until
Sunday, September 5.)
Julian Smart, RNLI lifeguard
supervisor for East Devon, says that
regular training together throughout
the season means the charity’s
volunteer lifeboat crew and lifeguards
are familiar with each other’s
procedures and capabilities on the
water.
He said: “During the training exercise
we went through some of the likely
scenarios in which the volunteer crew
and lifeguards might need to work
together, as well as essential radio
communications and patient transfer.
This training is extremely valuable to
ensure we can work effectively in a real
life situation and provide a joined-up
service. It’s also a great opportunity to
do some team building at the start of
the season.”
Charlie Woolnough, who is the
volunteer senior helm of the inshore
lifeboat, was equally as pleased with
how the training went. He said: “The
RNLI lifeboat volunteers get together
to do regular training throughout the
year, and it’s great to be able to
welcome back the charity’s lifeguards
as part of the team.
“As the summer season begins, the
town’s beaches start to get busier so
it’s really important to have a lifeguard
service on the beach, which is aimed
at preventing incidents before they
occur, but who can also react to
incidents when needed. A couple of the
volunteer crew members are also RNLI
lifeguards and the connection really
helps to establish the RNLI team in the
area.”
Members of the public in Teignmouth
will have a chance to see the RNLI
lifeguards and volunteer lifeboat crew
take part in another rescue exercise
during the Back Beach Festival at 6pm
on Sunday, May 30.
(Image: RNLI lifeguards and volunteer
RNLI lifeboat crew taking part in a
training exercise on Thursday, May 20
courtesy of RNLI/Tony Watson.)
Bay MP welcomes
badger cull re-
think
Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has
welcomed the decision by the new
Environment Secretary to reconsider
the pledge to instigate a cull of badgers
in the South West.
DEFRA Minister Caroline Spelman
announced a review of the policy and
Adrian has written to her expressing
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the concerns of local people and urging
her to take account of the Independent
Scientific Group review, which clearly
found that badger culling was actually
counter productive in tackling Bovine
Tuberculosis.
Adrian told the PRSD: “So many
Torbay constituents are appalled by
the idea of a badger cull. There is
not enough scientific evidence that it
would make any difference and any cull
would simply be a massive waste of
public money.”
“Culling badgers simply is not the right
way forward and it is good that the
Government is now looking at this
again.”
(from a press release)
Devon news in
brief
South West Water, which is constantly
under fire for the high charges to its
customers, has seen pre-tax profits
rise by 8.7 per cent to £132.5
million. Pennon, which owns South
West Water and waste management
company Viridor, had a 14.2 per cent
rise to profits, to £189.1 million.
A new Teignmouth seaside hut for
children was vandalised a day after it
was put up. The hut is for the Estuary
and Coastal Childminders group,
which is made up of independent
childminder based in Teignmouth,
Dawlish, Exminster, Starcross and
Shaldon, who aim to offer parents
and children access to affordable and
flexible childcare. The felt roof was torn
off and burnt.
A community restoration project of
the Italian garden at Lupton House
has received a £200,000 grant from
English Heritage.
HMS Triumph, a Royal Navy
Trafalgar-class submarine, has been
rededicated after a £300 million
overhaul at Devonport, Plymouth.
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May 27th, 2010
The smallest commercially operated
paddle steamer in the world is visiting
Plymouth until Tuesday, June 1.
Skipper of the vessel, called Monarch,
Matt O’Crolwey, said: “We are visiting
to take part in a documentary and
would appreciate it if any members of
the public that want to see the boat
could keep back a little while filming
takes place.”
A helicopter crashed outside Newton
Abbot at Poundsgate on Monday, May
24. The pilot, who is thought to
be from Exeter and was the only
person in the helicopter, survived
with minor injuries and was taken to
Derriford Hospital by air ambulance.
The helicopter collided with power
lines and hit the ground in a field.
Ilfracombe inshore lifeboat rescued a
father and two children who were cut
off by the tide near Combe Martin on
Monday, May 24. Leigh Hanks of the
Ilfracombe inshore lifeboat, said; “The
man and his children were very grateful
for our help. Anyone visiting the coast
should get tidal information. You can
always ask in the beach shops or cafes,
someone locally should be able to give
you information about the tides.
Published by: News and Media Republic
The National Trust and the English
Riviera are gearing up to push the Penguin chick
pull of Agatha Christie to the area. hatches on English
The first year of the re-opening of the
£5.4 million restoration project at the Riviera
crime writer’s former home Greenway
attracted around 100,000 visitors, and
numbers to the house had to be limited
to 740 a day.
• The use green transport push to
Greenway looks like a success with
60,000 arriving to the house by green
transport, principally the ferry
Farmer co-operative Milk Link will
pay members around £2,000 each,
which relates to an 8.1 per cent The first macaroni penguin chick of the
return on members’ qualifying loan season has hatched at Living Coasts.
balances. Milk Link chief executive
The chick hatched on Tuesday, May 18.
Neil Kennedy, said: “This is the fourth
This photo of it with mother Corinne
year in a row that we have been able to
was taken by Living Coasts volunteer
make a processing interest payment to
photographer Jennie Rattlidge.
our members, and to date we have in
total paid out in excess of £13m.” The parents are Corinne and Blue,
Living Coasts’ most regular and most
successful pair of macaroni penguins.
They have reared five chicks in their
time at the coastal zoo.
There are nearly one hundred
free-ranging African and macaroni
penguins at Living Coasts. Visitors
6
May 27th, 2010
can walk among them and see them
being fed at close quarters. Macaroni
penguins build their nests out of
pebbles.
West Country cider
developments to
be discussed
Remember the hoopla about the cider
producers? Well South West MEP Giles
Chichester does, and he’ll meet up with
West Country cider producers at the
Royal Bath and West Show at Shepton
Mallet in Somerset on Wednesday,
June.
Giles will hear their views on
Government taxation plans for cider.
the importance of the science we were
doing.
“It was the first time the acidic levels
had been checked there and this sets a
bench mark and also gives us warnings,
for it is really an extreme environment
and will give us the first indications
of change. That’s vital not just for the
Arctic but for the effects and impact it
will have on the rest of the world.”
And it’s good to be back home: “I
particularly like going to bed without
wearing hat, gloves, clothes and with
all my cameras and other gear that I
have to keep warm,” she said.
To find out more about Ann Daniels
visit her website.
Devon news
roundup: think
Positively about
Plymouth, and
other stories
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In a bid to curb ‘wired, wide-
awake drunks‘, Scottish politicians are
looking to limit the caffeine content
of alcoholic drinks – a move which
would ban Buckfast tonic wine. A new
bill from Scottish Labour wants a limit
to 150 milligrammes of caffeine per
litre of alcohol. According to the BBC,
Buckfast tonic wine has two-and-a-half
times that.
A cat was rescued from a roof in
Ilfracombe. Free health checks for dogs
are available for Torridge residents
over the weekend June 4-6. For more
information or to speak to a PDSA
advisor, call 0800 731 2502 or see their
website www.pdsa.org.uk
The Met Office in Exeter has warned of
a summer of 1976-style droughts.
Trade union membership in the South
West had grown by more than 17,000
in the past year, rising to 544,000 from
527,000 in 2008 – that’s 26 per cent
of the workforce, with 46.6 per cent of
the workforce covered by trade union
agreements.

He’ll also hold talks with Julian
Temperley of the Somerset Cider
Brandy Company, who is leading a
campaign to have Somerset cider
brandy designated a regional protected
product under the EU Protected
Designation of Origin legislation. To
date, the campaign has stalled due to
France and Spain’s objections,
Ann Daniels back
in Devon after
another Arctic
adventure
Ann Daniels has returned to her Devon
home after taking part in the Artic
Catlin Survey where she collected
water and marine life samples from
beneath the floating sea ice, along
with colleagues Martin Harley and
Charlie Paton. The research was part
of the expedition’s science programme,
which assesses the impact of CO2
absorption on the ocean and its marine
life — a process known as ‘ocean
acidification’.
She said: “It can be horrendous out
there and I know there are times when
I wonder why I am there and that I will
never go back, but I just love the place
and I know I will go back.”
“This time science was the key. I would
not have gone if I had not believed in
The £46.5 million Life Centre will
get £200,000 from England Netball
to develop netball facilities for
international netball matches in the
city.
Positively Plymouth is the new identity
for the city from London-based brand
consultant Lloyd Northover.
The pitch at Exeter City FC’s ground at
St James’s Park is being ripped up and
replaced before the start of next season.
As part of the fundraising for the new
pitch fans were able to include items
in a time capsule buried under the new
surface.
Engineering firm Alcoa Howmet is to
cut 195 staff from its Sowton Indsutrial
Estate Exeter factory. This adds to the
350 posts which have already been lost.
A new private company is set to
take over services in Torbay. The
TOR2 company will be in charge
of Torbay’s bins, gardens and roads.
Torbay Council holds 20 per cent of the
company, with the rest in the hands of
engineering firm May Gurney.
Figures released from the Department
for Education shows that pupils in
Torbay have some of the highest
absence and truancy rates in the West
Country. The Bay had the highest
truancy in primary schools and were
second to Plymouth in the highest for
truancy in secondary schools.
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May 27th, 2010
Mount Everest
swim highlights
climate change
Plymouth-born environmental
campaigner Lewis Gordon Pugh
became the first person to complete a
long-distance swim on Mount Everest
when he complete a 1km swim on the
glacial lake next to the Khumbu Glacier
on Mount Everest.
It took him 22 minutes and 51 seconds
in water that was 2 degrees centrigade
at an altitude of 5,300 metres above sea
level.
And the reason, Lewis says on his
site: ‘These glaciers are not just ice.
They are a lifeline. They provide water
to some 2 billion people – nearly
a third of the world’s population.
The peoples of India, China, Pakistan,
Myanmar, Bangladesh, Afghanistan,
Nepal, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and
Bhutan depend on the melt water
from the Himalayan and Hindu Kush
glaciers.But they are melting due to
climate change. And without a regular
supply of water, there is a real risk of
instability in the region.
“This is a Swim for Peace. It is a plea
to every nation, to do everything it can,
to put a stop to climate change. We
are now living in a global environment.
What happens in one part of the world
will directly impact every other part.
And when it comes to cutting carbon
emissions, we must stop arguing about
whether China, the USA or the EU
should act first. Given the urgency of
the situation every country needs to put
in place every solution at its disposal.”
Read more on Lewis’ site.
(image: Lewis Pugh starting his swim
across the North Pole in 2007, by Jason
Roberts)
A 123-year-old
Devon business
sold
Victoria Sawmills, a timber merchant,
which has traded in the South West for
123 years, has been sold to The Fence
Stores Group and will now trade as The
Sidmouth Fencing Centre.
Victoria Sawmills, owned by Clinton
Devon Estates, was a family business
established in 1887 with outlets in
Merton near Okehampton as well as
Colaton Raleigh. The original sawmills
function of the business in East Devon,
from which Victoria Sawmills took its
name, closed in the mid 1980s but
the store continued to provide timber
products to customers and trade.
In 2008 the retail outlet in North
Devon was closed due to changes in the
local market place and the downturn in
the wider economy.
Investments have since been made
in equipment and technology at the
Merton site where the focus has
been on producing high-quality, locally
crafted and sustainably produced gates
under the Clinton Gates brand.
The new branch of Fence Stores is now
operating from the Colaton Raleigh site
in Hawkerland Road. All four Victoria
Sawmills staff have transferred to the
new employer.
Community group
serenades council
and bags £500
cash!
Powderham Crescent Residents
Association ’sang for their supper’
when they attended an Exeter City
Council-run event giving community
groups a chance to win cash to spend in
their neighbourhoods.
The four representatives struck up a
harmonious ballad that proved sweet
music to the ears of the public audience
voting at the Exeter Decides event.
Bowled over by the ballad, the audience
decided to give the group £500 towards
a community notice board.
Published by: News and Media Republic
Sarah Boothby, of Powderham
Residents Association, said: “We’re
absolutely delighted that we won the
money. It will be put to a good cause
by informing people about what is
going on in the area via the community
noticeboard.
“Luckily we had some musical talent
within the association and thought this
might be a quirky way of getting our
message over.”
The group sung their own version
of Summertime Blues, entitled
Powderham Crescent News, at Exeter
Guildhall.
Cllr Lauara Newton, lead councillor for
Housing and Community Involvement,
said: “This is exactly why we decided
to run this event, to allow members
of public to decide who should receive
community grants.
“It has been a struggle to hang onto
our community grants pot in these
tougher financial times and I only
wish we could support them all. These
funds are about helping people get
projects off the ground and will make
a real difference in the lives of others.
It was a really great night with a
feeling of celebration and so inspiring
to meet some of the many dedicated
community activists we have in the
city.
“Exeter Decides is part of the
My Neighbourhood project enabling
people to make a difference in the
communities. We will be repeating this
event in July and October.”
People in Exeter were asked to come
up with ideas for the spending of
small community grants. A panel of
judges sifted through 21 applications
and a final 15 were presented on
the night. All applicants had three
minutes to present their projects,
followed by questions and comments
by a panel made up of councillors
and representatives of the voluntary
sector. Members of the public voted for
their favourites and ten projects were
awarded grants ranging up to £500.
The other successful groups were:
Clyst Heath Coffee Group - to set up
community coffee mornings
Countess Wear Village Hall – to
arrange activities for young people over
the summer
Devon United Women - to set up a
friendship group
Exeter Parks Watch - to support
community groups across the city
8
May 27th, 2010
Pinhoe Fun Day – to support a family
fun day
St Thomas Allotment Association – to
organise a family food and allotment
day
Sylvania Play and Community
Association - for a garden and plants
Wonford Community Centre – for a
newsletter and what’s on? board
(from a press release)
Free healthy
cooking lessons in
Exwick
Exeter City Council is working with
NHS Devon and Exwick Community
Association to offer the residents
of Exwick a free Cook4Life cooking
lesson, which will take place at the
My Neighbourhood PACT meeting
on Thursday, May 27 at 6pm until
7.30pm at Exwick Community Centre
on Kinnerton Way.
A Community Dietician from NHS
Devon will be demonstrating how to
make some simple, healthy dishes on a
budget and people will get the chance
to make some of the dishes and of
course, taste them.
Information will also be available
regarding the free two-day Cook4Life
courses taking place in the city in
June. These courses are for anybody
interested in becoming a community
cooking tutor themselves. Cook4life is
part of the Department of Health’s
campaign, Change4life which is a
society-wide movement that aims to
encourage people to eat better and
have a healthier lifestyle.
Councillor Laura Newton, who will be
attending the event, told the PRSD:
“This is an exciting opportunity to
learn about cooking healthy meals on
a budget and how we can help pass
this message across our community.
As with all My Neighbourhood PACT
meetings residents of all ages are
welcome and time will be allocated on
the evening to let residents have their
say about Exwick and any issues they
may want to raise.”
You can get further information about
the meeting, My Neighbourhood PACT
or ‘Cook4life’ by contacting Exwick
Area Liaison Officer, Joanne Hare on
telephone number 01392 265745 or
exwick@exeter.gov.uk
My Neighbourhood PACT is a
joint project between Exeter City
Council and Devon and Cornwall
Police The scheme brings together
city councillors, residents and the
Neighbourhood Policing teams (as part
of the Partners and Communities
Together (PACT) work) to make a
difference in local neighbourhoods. To
find out more about the scheme in
general, visit the website
(from a press release)
Devon news round
up: Air Southwest
to be sold, plus
more
Plymouth’s Air Southwest airline to
be sold as owner Sutton Harbour
Holdings are to focus on core property
and marine activities. The airline,
which employes 150 started up in 2003
to fill the gap when British Airways
withdrew its services to the South
West. The first route was Plymouth–
Newquay–Gatwick, with routes to
Plymouth-Bristol-Manchester, Dublin,
Leeds, Cardiff, Norwich, Gronoble,
Cork, Glasgow, Newcastle Guernsey
and London City Airport, following.
A book of speeches by Winston
Churchill, signed by him to Devon-
born spy Guy Burgess is expected
to fetch £18,000 at an auction in
Christies, London, on Wednesday,
June 2. Guy Burgess was born
in Devonport and educated in
Dartmouth. The book, Arms and The
Covenant, speeches by Churchill, is
signed ‘To Guy Burgess, from Winston
S Churchill, To confirm his admirable
sentiments, October 1938.’
Exmouth is hoping to be included in
a guide to the Marine Conservation
Society’s Good Beach Guide, which
is published on Friday, May 28. The
town’s beaches were left out last year
despite Sidmouth and Shaldon getting
in.
Published by: News and Media Republic
Dartington hosts
innovative and
interactive arts for
young children and
families
Innovative and interactive arts for
young children and their families are
on offer at Dartington Hall on two
consecutive Saturdays, May 29 and
June 5
The entertainment kicks off in Studio
31 with Funny Bones, a two-act
dance show for the whole family,
as Dartington invites children over
five to enter a magical world
of fun, contemporary dance and
choreography.
Billed as ‘an interactive dance
experience to tantalise the senses’,
the in-the-round show features music,
spoons, sports and more than a squirt
of water!
A week later on Saturday, June 5, the
Totnes-based PuppetCraft will be at
the Barn Theatre with their fresh take
of Oscar Wilde’s classic fairy tale, The
Selfish Giant.
The local company enjoy an
international reputation for their
family theatre and work with
organisations including the Royal
Shakespeare Company. They are also
well known for supplying puppets
for the popular television adverts
Comparethemeerkat.com and Drench
water, for which they recreated
Thunderbirds’ character Brains.
Funny Bones takes place on Saturday,
May 29 at Studio 31, Dartington at
11.30am and 2pm. The Selfish Giant is
at the Barn Theatre on Saturday 5th
June at 11.30am and 2pm.
Tickets start at £5 and can be
purchased from the Dartington Box
Office on 01803 847070 or the
Dartington Arts site.
(Image: DanSense by Edward Moss)
9
May 27th, 2010
Brit-flick bonanza!
Tom Leins looks at
the lastest DVDs
from these shores
Sex, Leins & Videotape #42. Paignton
film critic Tom Leins returns with a
Brit-flick bonanza!
After a 15-year absence, cult
British filmmaker Philip Ridley (The
Reflecting Skin, The Passion of
Darkly Noon) returns to the fray
with Heartless (Lionsgate) , a
menacing urban horror movie about
a mild-mannered young man haunted
(literally and figuratively) by his
demons.
Jamie (Jim Sturgess) lives his life in the
shadows – edgy and fearful because of
the huge birthmark on his face. From
his shadowy vantage point he sees his
East London estate being run ragged
by violent delinquents. But are these
terrifying youngsters simply wearing
demon masks, or are they actually
demons themselves? Despite some
convincing scenes of urban terror, the
first half of the movie feels sloppy and
badly written – which is a surprise
considering director Ridley’s previous
experience as both a screenwriter and
a novelist. However, Heartless is worth
persevering with, and the second half is
far more rewarding.
In a bid to remove his disfigurement,
Jamie strikes a deal with a vengeful
spirit known as Papa B, which sees
him prowl the city, doing Papa
B’s murderous bidding. Much to
Jamie’s horror the deal isn’t a one-
off, and the situation quickly spirals
out of control. Boosted by arresting
performances from Joseph Rawle
(who plays demonic Papa B) and
Eddie Marsan (who plays Papa B’s
brutal henchman The Weapons Man)
Heartless raises its game during the
later stages, and protagonist Jamie
is plunged into a nightmarish game
of one-upmanship with the devil-like
Papa B. Ultimately, Heartless is a
lot more menacing when it sidelines
the slapdash ‘hoody horror’ angle
and concentrates on the malevolent
soul-trading plot-line. Uneven, but
undeniably intriguing.
A decade after surging to prominence
with the memorable clubbing drama
Human Traffic, director Justin
Kerrigan returns to our screens with I
Know You Know (Network), a quirky
drama about a young boy’s unusual
relationship with his volatile father.
Robert Carlyle stars as Charlie, a
charismatic secret agent who is fiercely
protective of his lonely son Jamie.
Although Jamie has a tough time
settling into his new school, he seeks
solace in his Dad’s bizarre world of tall-
tales, fast cars and cool clothes – even
if it is never entirely clear what the
enigmatic Charlie does for a living.
Tormented by bullies at school, Jamie
relies on his Dad for support, but
Charlie’s behaviour grows increasingly
erratic, and Jamie becomes worried.
As Charlie’s stories become even more
improbable, his bizarre double-life
starts to unravel before Jamie’s very
eyes, and their fragile relationship
approaches breaking point. Buoyed by
an excellent central performance from
Robert Carlyle – arguably his best
role in years – I Know You Know is
a pitch-perfect coming-of-age movie
given a quirky, paranoid twist. Both a
heartfelt tribute to his own father, and
a compelling drama in its own right,
I Know You Know belatedly reaffirms
Kerrigan’s promising reputation, and
is well worth checking out.
Published by: News and Media Republic
Produced by Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien,
1234 (Soda) is a wry, entertaining
drama about the musical fortunes of
geeky Stevie, a reluctant call-centre
employee and would-be rock star.
Together with dopey colleague Neil (a
stereotypically dumb drummer) Stevie
attempts to follow his musical dreams
in a London music scene already
swamped with identikit indie bands.
Their first move is to recruit Billy
Nixon a former indie label contender
with a ruthlessly ambitious streak.
Initially unenthusiastic to team up
with the uninspiring double-act (they
seem to be fuelled exclusively by weak
lager and predictable influences!) Billy
eventually gives in, and boosts their
recruitment drive by luring female bass
player Emily into the fold.
With a demo cut and packaged off to
the usual record labels, the band set out
on the well-trodden toilet circuit, but
their enthusiastic efforts struggle to
match up to Billy’s exacting standards
and tensions begin to mount. Factor
Stevie’s growing attraction to the
quirky Emily into the mix, and you
are left with a volatile musical cocktail
that could explode at any moment.
1234 is enjoyable without ever feeling
truly essential, but the well-observed
music scene details elevate it above
mere whimsy. In musical terms, 1234
is like an old, scratched CD from your
youth. It may not be the first album you
reach for, but it will always put a smile
on your face.
After attracting widespread
condemnation for urging a
heartbroken man to ‘cut’ his ex-
girlfriend – so that no one else would
want her – Danny Dyer abandons life
as an Agony Uncle and returns to
his day job with British underworld
caper Pimp (Revolver) . At a
time when his enlightened credentials
are under scrutiny, Dyer will win
himself few female fans for his role
as Stanley, a foul-mouthed pimp who
rules his sleazy Soho kingdom with
10
May 27th, 2010
a withering contempt for all of the
women who drift through his shifty
milieu! However, despite his dapper
presence dominating the DVD cover,
Dyer actually plays second fiddle to
Robert Cavanah, who stars as Woody
– a sex-industry fixer who becomes
embroiled in a queasy plot concerning
an alleged snuff movie.
Determined to protect his girls and
appease his paymaster Stanley (Dyer),
Woody sets out to investigate – under
the media glare of a documentary
camera crew… (After beginning life
as a regular movie entitled ‘Scratched
Inside’ Pimp’s producers changed
tack and added a flimsy mock-
umentary angle into the mix.) In
truth, this strange lapse in judgement
provides the least convincing element
of the movie, and seems distracting
more than anything. Undecided as
to whether it wants to be a violent
gangster thriller, a dark comedy or a
quirky mock-umentary drama, Pimp
lurches between scenes with strange
disregard for the final product. Dyer
fans will lap it up, but despite a
charismatic lead performance from
Cavanah, and some darkly amusing
dialogue Pimp never quite convinces.
Thelma Hulbert
Gallery reopens
with Earthscapes
exhibition
The Thelma Hulbert Gallery opens
its doors again after five months
on Saturday, May 29, with an
exhibition that explores different
artists’ approaches to the landscape.
The whole of Elmfield House has
now been turned over to the gallery,
which is the former home of the
artist Thelma Hulbert. There is the
Exhibitions Gallery (formerly Thelma’s
studio), a new shop and refreshment
area, a Project Space and dedicated
Learning Room, with extended visiting
hours to enable visitors to enjoy the
new facilities throughout most of the
week.
The Thelma Hulbert Gallery’s opening
exhibition, Earthscapes, marks on the
resurgence of interest in landscape-
based work arising out of current
concerns for the environment, global
warming and the erosion of the
coastline around the UK. In an
exhibition that includes painting,
photography, land art, environmental
and site specific work, six artists of
international standing have revised
traditional ideas of landscape and
re-presented it for a 21st century
audience. Their diverse interpretations
make for a lively and sometimes
startling show which fascinates,
provokes and feeds the imagination.
Exhibiting artists include sculptors
Mariele Neudeker, Tania Kovats and
Richard Harris, photographer Stephen
Vaughan, painter Jeremy Gardiner and
Land Artist Kate Raggett.
Mariele Neudeker’s work challenges
the Romantic idea of landscape. She
is probably best known in the UK for
her atmospherically condensed forest
landscapes in glass display cases which
were exhibited at Tate, St Ives and
which will be seen here in photographic
form.
Tania Kovats is interested in landscape
where the geology is clearly evident
allowing you to read the story of
the formation or erosion of the
land. She will be showing work
which relates to Tree which was part
of her winning commission for the
Natural History Museum, celebrating
the 200th anniversary of the birth of
Darwin.
Richard Harris, who makes large-
scale environmental sculpture, will
provide visitors with an opportunity
to view his models for the Weymouth
Relief Road commission. His subtle
interventions in the landscape, using
a combination of natural local
and industrial materials, reveal his
sensitivity to location.
Stephen Vaughan’s stunning large-
scale photographs of remote places,
topically, include a series taken in
volcanic regions of Iceland. They
explore connections between geology,
archaeology and history.
In contrast Kate Raggett’s photographs
of site-specific earthwork drawings,
made from found materials ranging
from apples to stones, respond directly
to the land of which they are a part.
Finally Jeremy Gardiner’s complex,
multi layered paintings explore the
Published by: News and Media Republic
effects of geological time on the
landscape of the Jurassic Coast.
On Monday, June 7 there will be a
special evening opening of the Gallery
with talks by exhibiting artists, which is
free to all visitors.
Other exhibitions in the Project Space
at the gallery:
May 29 – June 19
Selling exhibition of postcard-
sized work by local artists and
school children to raise funds for
Masterpieces (the THG youth group)
and Tiverton Youth Centre (in
partnership with Blundell’s School).
June 23 – July 17
Honiton Community College: Inner
Landscapes, Year 10 GCSE
photography exhibition.
Exeter University
steps into operate
Exeter Northcott
The Exeter University has agreed to
set up a new company to run the
Exeter Northcott. The theatre will go
ahead with both the Exeter Summer
Festival events and is planning a winter
programme, including a Christmas
show.
The Exeter Northcott is currently in
administration and the intention is to
transfer control to the university on
Saturday, May 29. The administrator
will retain various assets, including
Emmanuel Hall, which will be sold to
contribute to creditors. The university
will buy the theatre’s fixtures and
fittings from the administrator and
already owns the building. The
theatre’s current staff of 15 will
become employees of a new university
company under statutory TUPE staff
transfer rules.
The new university company will
operate until March 31 next year.
By then the Northcott’s stakeholders
– Arts Council England, Exeter City
Council and the university – will
know what funds they have at their
future disposal following expected
cutbacks in public funding by the new
government. The three organisations
have agreed to keep their funding at
current levels until March 31, 2011
provided they don’t suffer budget
cuts this year and that an acceptable
programme of activity can be set out
for the remainder of the financial year.
The eventual aim will be, subject to
11
May 27th, 2010
funding, to set up an independent
company to run the Northcott.
Jeremy Lindley, the university’s
director of corporate services, said the
university had stepped in with the
agreement of the other stakeholders
to keep the theatre operational. He
added: ‘The move to a university-
owned company gives the Northcott
the best chance of achieving a
sustainable future. However, we have
to be realistic about the funding
environment we are now entering. All
three of the Northcott’’s stakeholders
are publicly funded organisations and
there is a very strong likelihood we will
have less public funds at our disposal
in the future. Nevertheless, we are all
committed to keeping the theatre going
if we possibly can.’
Arts Council England, South West
director Phil Gibby said: ‘The
arrangements we have agreed
regarding the short term future
of the Northcott represent a
positive step forward and, although
all the stakeholders face financial
uncertainties in the future, we are
hopeful that we have now achieved a
platform from which the Northcott can
move forward with confidence.’
Richard Ball, head of Economy
and Tourism, Exeter City Council
confirmed that the city council is
pleased to be working with the Arts
Council and the university to try and
find a long- term solution to keeping
the theatre open.
(from a press release)
Robin Ince
presents comedy
showcase at Hall
For Cornwall
Robin Ince is set to lead a night of
unforgettable stand up at Truro’s Hall
For Cornwall this autumn.
He’ll be joined by comedians Holly
Walsh, Patrick Monahan, and Tony
Vino.
Chortle Award winner 2009, Ince has
worked with Ricky Gervais and Alistair
McGowan to name a few.
As a close friend of Gervais, Robin
also oftens appears in Ricky’s video
podcasts. He usually is being tortured
by Ricky for the purpose of Ricky’s own
amusement.
He’s written extensively for television
and radio, clocking up credits
including the BAFTA winning Have I
Got News for You, Alastair McGowan’s
Big Impression and the The Graham
Norton Show.
Holly Walsh is a regular panelist on
Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats,
and Never Mind the Buzzcocks; Patrick
Monahan is an original writer and
clever improviser; and Preston’s Tony
Vino is a quick-witted compere who
has been touring since 2005.
Robin Ince and chums hit the Hall For
Cornwall on September 4. Tickets go
on sale from June 2 and cost £16.50/
£15.50 on 01872 262466.
Published by: News and Media Republic
Toys of yesterday
on display at
Mount Edgcumbe
Families looking for something to do
over the half term should head to
Mount Edgcumbe to look at the toys of
yesteryear.
Mount Edgecumbe, which is owned by
Plymouth City Council and Cornwall
Council is hosting the Childhood Toy
Collection from Bank Holiday Monday,
which has a vast array of Victorian
and Edwardian toys, from the weird
and wonderful as well as some of old
favourites. The collection includes a
bull-nose MG pedal car from the 1920s
as well as child pedal motorbike from
the 30s and a model French sand yacht.
A large collection of dolls and dolls
prams will also be on display.
(from a press release)
The quirky collection is not the only
thing people can have a look at and
enjoy in the house as there is a chance
to revisit the Tudor era by donning
ruffled costumes. The house has a great
selection of clothes which people can
try on for fun and walk down the stairs
of the Great Hall.
There are also lots of games to play with
the ‘Mount Edgcumbe Files’ quiz sheet
and a ‘Spot the Detail?’ trail.
People can also stroll up to the Cedar
Lawn, a beautiful lawn overlooking
the sound, shaded by enormous cedars
with a fascinating Victorian shell seat.
There is also a shop and café and
a chance to buy plants at the Plant
Centre.
12
May 27th, 2010
BBC Concert
Orchestra and
Brian Blessed
bring Best of
British to Plymouth
Pavilions
Britain’s best-loved orchestra, the BBC
Concert Orchestra, will join Brian
Blessed to bring the very Best of British
to Plymouth Pavilions this spring.
Under the baton of John Wilson,
who led last year’s blockbuster MGM
Prom, masters of Light Music will
rub shoulders with concert hall crowd
pleasers.
Together with the legendary Brian
Blessed, pictured, and a little help
from you, the BBC guarantees to blow
the house down with Paul Patterson’s
musical retelling of Roald Dahl’s
magnificent Three Little Pigs.
The programme also includes Eric
Coates‘ The Merrymakers, Peter
Hope’s Kaleidoscope, Robert Farnon’s
Lady Barbara, Malcom Arnold’s Four
Cornish Dances and Frederick Delius‘
A Song of Summer.
The concert will be broadcast Live on
BBC Radio 3 at 6.30pm and there will
be no interval.
Plymouth Pavilions marketing officer
Robert Maltby told SouthWestShows:
“This concert once again reaffirms
the Pavilions’ commitment to bringing
quality classical concerts to the city.
“Not only does this concert offer a
fantastic programme under the baton
of John Wilson, but the booming voice
of narrator Brian Blessed will really
add something special.
“Broadcast live on Radio 3, this concert
is sure to put Plymouth on the map.”
The BBC Concert Orchestra presents
the Best of British at Plymouth
Pavilions on June 13. Tickets
cost £5 on 0845 146 1460 and
www.plymouthpavilions.com
Question Of Sport
live show coming
to Plymouth
Pavilions
Some of the region’s best-known
sporting stars are being lined up to
feature in a special live edition of TV
quiz show, A Question of Sport.
The popular BBC quiz is due to be held
in front of a live audience in Plymouth,
as part of a UK tour to commemorate
its 40th anniversary.
Presenter Sue Barker will appear as
the quiz master, along with resident
team captains Matt Dawson and Phil
Tufnell, and two sporting panellists
with a strong regional connection.
Further details about the identity of the
panellists are expected to be released in
the near future.
Fans will be able to see their favourite
rounds up-close for the first time
– from the Picture Board to What
Happened Next, and Home Or Away to
the Observation Round.
Translating the TV show into theatre
setting will also allow producers to add
some new twists and surprises to the
production.
For the first time audience members
will be able to participate in the show,
directly posing questions to the teams
and getting involved in each Captain’s
Challenge.
There’ll also more physical challenges,
including live mystery guests and
sporting contests between teams.
This is the first time that fans of the
can experience the hit show outside
of their living rooms and will also be
a unique experience for the presenter
and captains.
Phil Tuffnel told SouthWestShows:
“It’s really thrilling to be able to take
the show on tour.
“Doing it live means we can interact
more directly with the audience which
will make the show a lot more exciting.”
Published by: News and Media Republic
Matt Dawson added: “I think what
makes this live tour special is that for
the first time ever families will be able
to watch A Question of Sport in a live
setting.
“When I was a child, we used to all sit
at home and play the game as a family
and we’d have loved the opportunity to
all go and shout out the answers to the
panellists.”
Sue Barker is equally enthusiastic
about the live tour: “I can’t wait to get
on the road. We’re looking forward to
welcoming some of the biggest names
in sport to the tour.”
A Question Of Sport is at Plymouth
Pavilions on November 10. Tickets
cost £35 on 08451 461460 and
www.plymouthpavilions.com
Exeter RAMM
receives rare Maori
donation
A Maori nephrite club, called a mere
pounamu, and three stone adze blades
have joined Exeter’s collections at the
Royal Albert Memorial Museum.
The beautifully crafted items were
accepted by HM Government in lieu
of Inheritance Tax and allocated to
RAMM at the suggestion of the former
owners, who had enjoyed visiting
RAMM’s World Cultures galleries.
The nephrite mere is a ceremonial
object that would have been owned by
someone with high status. Nephrite is
the lesser known of the two forms of
Jade. This mere pounamu is in much
better condition than a similar but
fragmented one in RAMM’s collection
which can never be displayed.
When RAMM reopens next year, the
new club will be displayed next to a
similarly shaped warrior’s club made of
more common greywacke, a variety of
sandstone, in the Polynesian case in the
World Cultures gallery.
13
May 27th, 2010
Rhod Gilbert
coming to Hall
for Cornwall and
Plymouth Pavilions
Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert is
bringing his new show, Rhod Gilbert
& The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas
Lyndhurst, to the West Country this
autumn.
The show follows the sell-out success
of last year’s UK tour and sensational
performances on The Royal Variety
Performance, Live At The Apollo,
and Michael Mcintyre’s Comedy
Roadshow.
In his last show, he punched a shop-
assistant over the duvet tog-rating
system and went berserk over a mince
pie. Stung by accusations that he over-
reacts, this year Rhod sets out on an
emotional rollercoaster of a journey to
discover the truth.
Is he, as he believes, a visionary in a sea
of closed minds, or has he, as everyone
else believes, got anger-management
problems?
Rhod’s rant about lost luggage is one of
the hottest stand-up clips on YouTube
– attracting almost 4.5million viewers.
Rhod also appears at number six on
leading comedy website Chortle’s top
ten comedy clips list – the only British
comedian featured.
On TV screens Rhod recently hosted
Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Live At
The Apollo, and has also made multiple
appearances on 8 Out Of 10 Cats and
Mock The Week.
He recently finished a new series
titled Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience,
which sees him trying his hand at
‘everyday jobs’, ranging from a bin man
to a hairdresser, to mum-for a day and
a soldier in an overnight exercise in the
Brecon Beacons.
His recent sitcom for Radio Two, titled
Rhod Gilbert’s Leaving Llanbobl, was
broadcast in 2008 and Rhod is now
busy developing the show into a TV
sitcom with Babycow.
He continues to present his own weekly
live show on BBC Radio Wales every
Saturday from 11am-1pm and has
also appeared on Loose Ends, Just A
Minute, and 4 At The Fringe.
Rhod has been a total sell-out at the
Edinburgh festival consecutively over
the past five years and is one of the
hottest names in stand-up today.
Rhod Gilbert hits Hall for Cornwall
on October 10. Call 01872 262466
for booking details. Rhod is also at
Plymouth Pavilions on October 13.
Tickets on 0845 146 1460.
Biffy Clyro coming
to Plymouth
Pavilions
Scots rockers Biffy Clyro are set to visit
Plymouth Pavilions this winter.
Formed in Kilmarnock in 1995, the
band consists of Simon Neil (vocals,
guitar), James Johnston (bass, vocals)
and his twin brother Ben (drums,
vocals).
The combo spent most of their career
in obscurity (although supported by
a loyal cult following) until the
release of 2007’s critically acclaimed
album, Puzzle, and its singles Saturday
Superhouse and Living Is A Problem
Because Everything Dies.
The guys’ current album, Only
Revolutions, debuted in the Top 10 and
has since sold 250,000 copies in the
UK alone.
This year has also seen them collect
their first ever NME Award for Best
Video for the single The Captain.
The autumn/winter tour will see the
trio stepping into the role of arena
headliners for the first time.
Catch Biffy Clyro at Plymouth
Pavilions on December 1. Tickets
cost £20 on 0845 146 1460 and
www.plymouthpavilions.com
Published by: News and Media Republic
A-Team star Dirk
Benedict to play
Columbo in Truro
and Plymouth
Battlestar Galactica and A-Team star
Dirk Benedict will play Columbo at
Truro’s Hall for Cornwall and the
Theatre Royal Plymouth this summer.
The man recognised the world over as
Face from The A-Team and Lieutenant
Starbuck in the original Battlestar
Galactica TV series will be donning the
scruffy cop’s trenchcoat to take over
the role made famous by the late Peter
Falk.
Prescription Murder revolves around
psychiatrist Roy Fleming, who is
celebrating his wedding anniversary
when he is called away to deal with a
female patient.
On returning he has to soothe his angry
wife with the promise of a trip to
Acapulco.
Fleming’s wife is soon found dead, and
Columbo is brought in to investigate. It
isn’t long before the seeds of doubt are
planted in his mind…
The story was originally a stage play
before becoming the pilot episode for
the television series.
This is the first major UK tour for
Columbo and an absolute must for fans
of all ages.
Just one more thing. Prescription
Murder is at Hall for Cornwall (01872
262466) from July 6 to 10 and
the Theatre Royal Plymouth (01752
267222) from July 12 to 16.
14
May 27th, 2010
Sean Lock brings
Lockipedia show to
Plymouth Pavilions
Comedian and 8 out of 10 Cats star
Sean Lock is bringing his new tour to
Plymouth this winter.
Lockipedia is described as ’sloppy
knowledge’ from ‘a very unreliable,
misleading but highly entertaining
information resource – basically, ‘what
Sean knows about stuff’!
Lock first began a career as a builder.
Eventually he took to a new path as a
stand up comedian, beginning with a
five-minute open spot in a small pub in
Hackney in 1988.
In 2000, his show No Flatley, I Am The
Lord Of The Dance was nominated for
the prestigious Perrier Award.
That same year he was nominated for a
Perrier Award and in 1995 he won the
Time Out Award for comedy.
He made his name in radio with the
show 15 Minutes of Misery on Radio
4, written by and starring Lock as the
inhabitant of a South London tower
block.
This series grew into 15 Storeys High,
where he played the same character,
renamed as Vince and now a swimming
pool lifeguard. It ran for two series on
radio and two series on television in
2004.
As well as 15 Storeys High, Sean has
gradually moved his comedy towards
television, contributing to such shows
as 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Never Mind The
Buzzcocks, It’s Only TV But I like It,
QI, TV Heaven Telly Hell, and Is It Bill
Bailey.
On QI, Sean has proved remarkably
popular with such stories about how
he got a little too close to a koala,
how he went to a fish’n'chip shop in
Eastbourne (which wasn’t open), and
most memorably, his discovery of a
portal to the underworld while Rory
McGrath discussed Latin bird names.
Sean’s latest DVD, Sean Lock Live,
has received glowing reviews, with
Time Out calling him a ‘true master
comedian’.
See for yourself at Plymouth Pavilions
on November 9, 2010. Call 01271
324242 for booking details. Tickets
cost £17.50 on 0845 146 1460 and
www.plymouthpavilions.com
Nicola Benedetti
to join European
Union Chamber
Orchestra at
Plymouth Guildhall
Brit winner and BBC Young Musician
of the Year Nicola Benedetti is set
to join the European Union Chamber
Orchestra at the Plymouth Guildhall
this spring.
The concert will be a chance for local
fans to catch Nicola before she makes
her BBC Proms debut on August 3 at
the world famous Albert Hall.
Recognised as one of the UK’s
most innovative and creative young
violinists, Nicola’s most recent album,
Fantasie, went straight to the top of the
Classical Charts.
She won the BBC Young Musician of
the Year title in 2004 and released her
debut album in 2005.
Since then she has been crowned
Best Young British Classical Performer
at the Classical Brits and named as
one of the most influential women in
Scotland. Not bad for a lady who is still
in her early twenties!
Accompanying Nicola and returning to
Plymouth by popular demand is the
European Union Chamber Orchestra.
Premiering in 1981, this orchestra has
since gained a worldwide reputation as
musical ambassadors for the European
Union.
Regular tours take the orchestra
worldwide and performances have
included those in the presence of
Queen Noor of Jordan, the King and
Queen of Belgium and its own Patron,
Queen Sofia of Spain.
Published by: News and Media Republic
To date the Orchestra has performed in
73 countries worldwide. Recent tours
have taken them to Holland, Germany,
Spain, Italy, Turkey and Sweden,
performing with many legendary
artists including Yehudi Menuhin,
James Galway, Lazar Berman, Mischa
Maisky, John Lill and Igor Oistrakh.
Nicola Benedetti and the European
Union Chamber Orchestra will
perform Vivaldi’s virtuoso masterpiece
the Four Seasons followed by
Tchaikovsky’s romantic Souvenir de
Florence at Plymouth Guildhall on July
2, 2010.
Tickets cost £18 (Over 60s, under 16s &
students – £16) on 0845 146 1460 and
www.plymouthpavilions.com
James Morrison
coming to Hall For
Cornwall
James Morrison is set to visit Truro’s
Hall For Cornwall this summer.
The award-winning star, who started
his musical career busking in the South
West, will be at the venue on July 19 —
a couple of days after his massive show
at Escot Park.
The Truro gig is to raise money for
the Tanya’s Courage Trust which helps
young people with cancer.
It’s all a long way from Morrison’s days
as a busker in Cornwall, where he used
to wash cars for a living as he struggled
to break into the music scene.
His efforts eventually paid off and he
was signed to Polydor and made his
first album.
Debut record, Undiscovered, went
straight to number one in the UK
album chart in July 2006, selling more
than two million copies worldwide.
You Give Me Something became the
romantic anthem of the summer and
he was that year’s biggest selling
British male solo artist.
His second album, Songs For You,
Truths For Me, includes the hit singles
15
May 27th, 2010
You Make It Real, Please Don’t Stop
The Rain, and Broken Strings.
Morrison, who went to school
at Newquay Treviglas Community
College near Indian Queens, last
visited the West Country for a show at
Exeter Uni’s Great Hall in March 2009.
James said: “I’m really excited about
the Hall For Cornwall show, as I
haven’t played a gig at home in ages. It
will be really nice to see some friendly
faces.
“Also I am proud to be able to do a
charity gig in Cornwall. I had a close
friend who died young from cancer
which makes Tanya’s Courage Trust so
important to me. So please, if you
haven’t already, put your hand in your
pocket and buy a ticket.”
James Morrison hits Hall For Cornwall
on July 19. Tickets go on sale from June
2 and cost £35 (maximum of six per
person) from 01872 262466.
The Writing on
the Wall: George
Fox exhibition at
Harbour House,
Kingsbridge
George Fox’s third solo show at
Harbour House features 60 new
pictures including oils, acrylics, mixed
media, collage and objet trouvé, and
opens at the Kingsbridge art gallery on
Tuesday, June 15.
Much of George’s current work is
based on observations made during
visits over the last three years to
several European cities, including
Florence, Venice, Brussels, Rome,
Lille, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Paris.
Keen to look beyond the veneer
of the tourist trail, he has been
particularly interested and inspired by
the symbolic, prophetic and aesthetic
nature of man’s interaction with
his own built environment. From
advertising hoardings to public signage
and graffiti, man has left his mark
both by design and by chance on walls,
pavements and interiors.
Other works in the collection feature
George’s typically limited palette, and
reflect upon the lives, beliefs, interests
and belongings of people encountered
during the same period, while others
are inspired by words, poetry, music
and reminiscences.
More generally, George’s work
relies upon poignant observation
of the human condition and its
consequences, and is concerned with a
personal view of life in all its forms and
frailties.
George told Arts+Culture: “Observing
the minutiae of the world around us is
something that all too few of us have
time to do. In my work, some pieces
contain elements of humour, others
pathos, tragedy and celebration. My
ideas are born of personal experiences
and reflect my interest in people
and places I know and enjoy. In
some respects much of my work is
autobiographical, and in every respect
it is narrative.”
George has had an active career in art
education and, having spent a number
of years as an A-Level Art Examiner,
is currently Drawing Master at the
Oratory School, Woodcote, Reading.
He has taken numerous groups of
students and adults around the art
galleries of Europe, led master classes
in Renaissance paintings on location
in Florence, and pursued his own
Art & Design Consultancy. He has
held a number of solo exhibitions in
Berkshire and Oxfordshire in recent
years.
The Writing on the Wall opens at
Harbour House in Kingsbridge on
Tuesday, June 15. Opening times are
10am-5pm, until the close of the show
on Sunday, June 20. There will be an
informal gallery talk with the artist at
noon on Thursday, June 17. Admission
is free.
Published by: News and Media Republic
Art House DVDs
are on the agenda
for Tom Leins
in this week’s
Sex, Leins and
Videotape
Sex, Leins & Videotape #41. Paignton
film critic Tom Leins investigates this
week’s most interesting Art House
DVD releases.
Although the name Pablo Trapero
may not be particularly familiar to
mainstream film fans, the Argentine
director has earned widespread
plaudits in world cinema circles for
his taboo-busting dramas. His latest
movie Lion’s Den (Axiom) focuses on
the trials and tribulations of a pregnant
woman imprisoned for a murder that
she may or may not have committed.
Despite waking up covered in
blood, Julia Zarate (Martina Gusman)
has no recollection of murdering
her boyfriend in a jealous rage.
Unfortunately for her, his sleazy gay
lover Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro – Paulo
from Lost) does everything he can
to discredit the unfortunate Julia and
protect his own back. Housed on the
mother’s wing of a tough Argentine
prison, Julia quickly realises that she
is out of her depth, and relies on the
help of haggard motherly figure Marta
to cope with her new arrival – baby
Tomas. The law dictates that young
children are allowed to stay in jail with
their mothers until they reach the age
of four, but Julia’s own mother is quick
to intervene when she decides that the
child’s best interests would be better
served outside of the prison gates.
Inevitably, young Tomas is the only
thread connecting Julia to her sanity,
and when he is snatched away from
her all hell breaks loose. But will Julia
keep her head down and serve her
time, or will she hatch a desperate
plan to reunite herself with her son?
Martina Gusman gives a startlingly
raw performance as Julia, and the fact
16
May 27th, 2010
that she is married to director Pablo
Trapero seemingly allows Gusman to
immerse herself in this tough role
far beyond the call of duty. Peculiar
and compelling, Lion’s Den is unlike
any prison movie I’ve ever seen, and
will enthral fans of grubby, intimate
dramas. Impressive stuff.
Ramin Bahrani is one of the most
intriguing directors currently plying
his trade on the fringes of Hollywood,
and after the success of his most recent
movie Goodbye Solo, its predecessor
Chop Shop (Axiom) gets a well-earned
DVD release. The movie focuses on
the exploits of Alejandro, a tough
Latino street orphan who works
in a sprawling, unruly auto-body
repair shop in Queens, New York.
Despite being dealt a tough hand in
life, Alejandro’s ambition knows no
bounds, and he is determined to make
a better life for himself and his 16-
year-old sister Isamar. The two dream
of saving up for a fast food van, but,
little does Alejandro realise, whilst he
is out hawking candy bars and bootleg
DVDs, his sister is busy turning tricks
for truckers in order to contribute her
own share.
Gritty and charming in equal measure,
Chop Shop is easily as impressive as
the better-known Goodbye Solo. Pitch-
perfect scenes melt into one another
and Bahrani’s perfectionist stance
ensures that he draws compelling
performances out of his untried lead
actors. No one else is producing
naturalistic, character-driven movies
as interesting as this at the moment,
and Bahrani deserves all of the neo-
realist platitudes being heaped on him.
After carving himself a formidable
reputation by chronicling outsider
culture in all its grubby, colourful glory
it will be fascinating to see what he
comes up with next. All in all: a small
movie with a big heart.
After directing arguably the most
mainstream movie of his career with
Where The Truth Lies in 2005,
Atom Egoyan returns with Adoration
(New Wave Films) , a typically
strange tale about identity, history and
human interaction. When his French
teacher gives her class a translation
exercise about a terrorist who plants a
bomb in the luggage of his pregnant
girlfriend, precocious student Simon
(Devon Bostick) feels compelled to
draw parallels between the story and
the mysterious lives of his own dead
parents. Sabine, the French teacher
encourages Simon to immerse himself
in this unusual project, and the story
soon takes on a life of its own, going
viral and causing a stir online.
By convincing himself that the
story is true, Simon builds up an
increasingly complex false identity,
which allows him to delve deeper
into his own past, and come to
some startling conclusions. The first
half of Egoyan’s fascinating movie
is undeniably compelling, but the
veritable house of cards collapses
during the later stages, and the
unusually simplistic resolution isn’t
half as satisfying as the intriguing
premise. Fans of Egoyan’s slow-
moving, at-times hypnotic filmmaking
style will find much to sink their teeth
into, but Adoration is likely to be too
strange for fans of the sleazy cross-over
hit Where The Truth Lies. (If nothing
else, comedy fans can get reacquainted
with Rachel Blanchard, who played
Nancy – Jez’s American wife in Peep
Show!)
Published by: News and Media Republic
Devon’s top film
critic Tom Leins
on the week’s
DVD releases in
Sex, Leins and
Videotape
Sex, Leins & Videotape #40. Paignton
film critic Tom Leins casts a critical
eye over this week’s most exciting DVD
releases.
Inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s
blistering Pulitzer Prize-winning novel,
The Road (Icon) is a haunting
post-apocalyptic fable about a father’s
love for his son in a devastated world
that has been pushed to the brink.
Cormac McCarthy’s literary reputation
precedes him, and turning a book
as astonishing as The Road into a
movie is a tough task by anyone’s
standards. The man charged with
bringing McCarthy’s harrowing vision
of a ravaged future to the screen is
John Hillcoat, a director best known
for the brutal Australian revisionist
western The Proposition. No stranger
to bleak subject matter, Hillcoat has
assembled a pitch-perfect cast to help
bring the all-too-plausible horrors to
life. A haggard Viggo Mortensen stars
as The Man, and young Kodi Smit-
McPhee stars as The Boy, and the
unusual chemistry between the pair
brings the central relationship to life.
The post-apocalypse has offered a
fascinating movie premise for decades,
but Hillcoat’s trump card is his
mesmerising use of location. By
ignoring ruined urban landscapes
and sand-blasted deserts, and
concentrating on ash piles and
slag-heaps from abandoned mining
towns, Hillcoat has reinvented the
iconography of the post-apocalypse
in emphatic style. These ravaged
backdrops provide a fitting tableaux for
the minimalist narrative and Hillcoat’s
movie offers a gut-wrenching, heart-
stopping mixture of terror and beauty.
In truth, the movie can’t compete
17
May 27th, 2010
with the raw power of the book,
but Hillcoat deserves plaudits for
creating such an astonishing visual
spectacle nevertheless. Best viewed as
an impressive companion piece to an
absolutely colossal work of fiction, The
Road is well worth your time and
attention.
After languishing in the cinematic
doldrums for far too long, Guy Ritchie
has hit pay-dirt once more with his
quirkily enjoyable re-imagining of the
Sherlock Holmes franchise. With the
reliably entertaining Robert Downey,
Jr. installed in the eccentric title
role, Sherlock Holmes (Warner Home
Video) is a boisterous treat
that sees Ritchie flex his muscles
and channel his robust energies into
a story far removed from his usual
Cockney gangster fare. Rather than
rehash a tried and trusted Holmes
story, Ritchie and his screenwriters
have conjured up a new villain –
the Aleister Crowley-style occultist
Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) – who
proves to be more than a match for
our intrepid hero. Against a sinister,
fog-shrouded Victorian background
Holmes finds himself plunged into
a bizarre case involving a series of
grisly murders – improbably enough
committed by a dead man…
Ritchie has clearly studied the Casino
Royale/Batman Begins playbook, and
this brutally efficient reinvention
blends bruising bare-knuckle fight
scenes with effortless pulp-style
storytelling. The combination is
instantly engaging – as is the whip-
smart interplay between Holmes and
Dr Watson (Jude Law). Sherlock
Holmes purists may well object to
Ritchie’s playful technique (indeed,
the sly, insistent suggestions of a
relationship between Holmes and
Watson have already rubbed many
fans up the wrong way), but Sherlock
Holmes offers a smart, charming
take on a dusty, fusty old character.
The combination of Guy Ritchie and
Sherlock Holmes is undeniably an odd
one, but by stepping out of his comfort
zone Ritchie has arguably produced his
best movie since Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels. Enjoyable stuff.
Over the last five years France has
proven itself to be something of a
hot-bed for horror movies, and a
vicious new strain of slasher films have
subsequently washed up on this side of
the English Channel. The latest movie
to wash up on our shores is High
Lane (Optimum) , the debut
feature film from acclaimed shorts
director Abel Ferry. The plot follows
the exploits of a group of adventurous
friends embarking on an ill-advised
climbing trip in Croatia. Unperturbed
by the fact that the climbing trail has
been closed for repairs, overconfident
leader Fred urges them on regardless,
and it soon becomes painfully obvious
why the decrepit trail has been
boarded up. Foot-holds come loose,
wires snap, and all manner of
high altitude mayhem ensues. Despite
some less-than-subtle acting from
weak-willed, vertigo-afflicted Loic, the
inventive camera-work provides some
impressively nerve-wracking scenes.
Suffice to say, after an unusual, eye-
opening start, the movie degenerates
into a standard backwoods ‘survival
horror’ movie as it reaches its mid-
way point. The enemy is no longer the
awkward terrain, but a feral Croatian
poacher with a penchant for hunting
down human trophies and hacking
them up in his log cabin! Although the
shift in tone feels slightly lazy, Ferry
displays a knack for both stomach-
churning tension and visceral terror,
and he evidently has the chops to
infiltrate the French horror scene and
make a name for himself. Vertigo
sufferers should probably give High
Lane a wide berth, but anyone with a
penchant for survival horror is advised
to take a closer look.
Published by: News and Media Republic
British director David Mackenzie has
carved himself an impressive niche
with quirky home-grown movies such
as The Last Great Wilderness and
Young Adam. Spread (Optimum)
sees him head across the
Atlantic for his first American feature.
Ashton Kutcher stars as Nikki, a
shallow womaniser who seduces rich,
older women in order to reap the
financial benefits and live in the lap of
luxury. His latest sucker is Samantha
(Anne Heche), a wealthy attorney with
a plush home in the Hollywood Hills.
When she catches Nikki pleasuring
another woman in her home she kicks
him out and he is forced to live on his
wits and try to secure another meal
ticket. However, his resources of charm
are wearing increasingly thin, and he
becomes co-dependant on sexy fellow
hustler Heather (Margarita Levieva)
for bed and board.
Kutcher is well cast as the fading
pretty-boy, and the movie makes
you hope that his real-life courtship
with Demi Moore didn’t resemble
Nikki’s brutally cynical relationship
with Samantha. Interestingly, despite
scathing reviews from critics, Spread is
nowhere near as bad as some people
have made out. It starts well, and ends
well – the only problem is the chunk
in the middle which is terminally
average. Despite some neat scenes,
Spread offers little insight into the
human condition, and ultimately feels
as vacuous as the playboy lifestyle that
it seeks to skewer. Overall: not bad,
but not as impressively transgressive as
Mackenzie’s earlier movies.
18
May 27th, 2010
Devon horror
The Hairy Hands
selected for
Cannes Film
Festival
Exeter filmmaker Ashley Thorpe has
had his work accepted at the Cannes
Film Festival for the second year
running, with his film The Hairy Hands
being selected as part of the Short Film
Corner. Ashley’s busy scribbling away
at another couple of projects, so The
Hairy Hands producer Tom Atkinson
sent this report from the world famous
festival. Take it away, Tom…
Well, here we are again! Cannes 2010
trembles in its Jimmy Choos as Carrion
Film screens its latest frightful flick at
the world’s greatest film festival. My
hotel room is small, the en suite even
smaller and the carpet is certainly not
red! However, with the 2010 Cannes
Film Festival in full swing and The
Hairy Hands screening to critics and
buyers left right and centre, I have
little time to dwell on my room or the
ridiculous rate I am paying for it.
It truly is a glorious place to be when
the sun shines, the salty sea ruffles your
hair and the smell of money makes
your head spin.
I have spent the first days of the festival
exploring the labyrinthine layout of
the festival and bumping into old
friends and colleagues, all of whom are
twitching with glee at the possibilities
this festival can hold for the boldest
and luckiest filmmakers who meet
the right person who just happens to
be looking for exactly what they are
screening.
Moments like this are the stuff of
dreams and yes I am on the lookout for
just such an opportunity. Personally,
I would like to meet a horror-mad
Hollywood producer whose pockets
are weighed down with money, whose
brain is addled with champagne and
possibly cocaine, whose only aim
at the festival is to meet a young
British Producer with a stunning, short
animated horror film that could (and
has) been described as “A tense, playful
and ultra-stylized slice of modern
gothic macabre…” by such luminaries
of the genre as Chris Alexander of
Fangoria magazine. This is, however,
unlikely but where there is hope there
is… well, me.
This hope was boosted the other
day as I sat through a screening of
the tawdry and pointless yet much
vaunted Robin Hood. This film is the
final nail in the coffin of my already
tattered faith in Sir Ridley Scott. It is
awful, and my sense of the ridiculous
actually burst off the scale when it was
reported to be a more sensible and
historically accurate version of the –
by comparison – academically precise,
Kevin Costner film from the 90s. The
narrative is choppy and unbalanced,
the cinematography is woeful, the
accents are questionable in the extreme
and the only thing remotely convincing
was the filth and the sweat on the
actors’ faces. It was an uninspiring and
unworthy of opening the festival.
By comparison, The Hairy Hands looks
glorious up on the big screen and
audiences so far have cried out in
fear, ooohed and aaahed in the right
places and the bubble of chatter during
the credits is a very positive sign.
Silence as the credits roll is akin to the
silence among the crowd after the trap
hs dropped and the hooded offender
twitches and gurgles in the noose. I am
here for the duration and will report
back upon my return to the UK or
as soon as that champagne addled
Hollywood exec puts his arms around
my shoulder and says: “Hey kid, this is
the film I have been looking for!”
• This was first published on the
Carrion Film site
Published by: News and Media Republic
South Devon
filmmaker Jerri
Hart’s Plan B goes
online
There’s something of the Ealing
Comedy to South Devon filmmaker
Jerri Hart’s Plan B, which you can now
watch online, along with the trailer
and a behind-the-scenes documentary,
which was shot and edited by Exeter
photographer Simon Rakestrow.
With a tagline of ‘Wool, cakes heels…
and attitude!’ this isn’t a run-of-the-
mill crime caper. The story follows
habitual criminal Tony’s reconnect
with his dysfunctional gang on his
release from a six-month jail stint.
Plan B from CWA Film on Vimeo.
And the Plan B DVD will be available
soon.
Jerri’s film career kicked off with a bit
part in Chariots of Fire, and continued
a few year’s later with a film about
him, The Nightless Night of Jerri Hart,
picking up the Best Film Award at
Exeter Phoenix’s Two Short Nights in
2005. His directorial debut, Revenge
of the Jazz Hoodies won the same
award in 2007. He also wrote and
performed in Ben Sherriff’s Purveyor of
Pandemonium in 2006, which got the
Two Short Nights audience award.
Jerri will be starting on his new film
this summer.
19
May 27th, 2010
The Cullompton
portal for all things
cinema
Cinema viewers in Cullompton,
Devon, can pop along to the
Cullompton Cinema to catch top
general releases for free from the
voluntary organisation which provides
films for the community, and is also on
the look out for ‘local’ talent to screen.
The Cullompton Cinema was
established to fill the void left when the
Tivoli Cinema in Tiverton closed down.
The idea for a cinema club was
soon established, and the Cullompton
Cinema became a portal for all things
cinema: view, showing and running,
says chairman Graham Hollister.
Currently, the cinema is run by two
people, chairman Graham and Ray
Weinstein who first instigated the
project, and they are on the look out for
volunteers.
What’s more, the screenings are free!
Graham told D+CFilm: “It initially was
a charge of £2.50 but to increase
attendance to get the project moving,
we decided that a contribution box and
a good request with a smile would
pull in a similar amount. In addition
we have our own commercial popcorn
machine and we sell drinks as well, so
we help fund it that way as well.”
The next screening will be Guy Ritches’
Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr (“a
boisterous treat that sees Ritchie flex
his muscles and channel his robust
energies into a story far removed
from his usual Cockney gangster fare”
according to Devon’s top reviewer
Tom Leins),a and will take place at
Cullompton Town Hall, High Street,
Cullompton on Thursday, June 10.
Filmmakers who want to get their
film shown should contact Graham
Hollister on or call his mobile 075979
77766
Cameron Crowe
signs up to
Dartmoor story We
Bought a Zoo
After much rumour and consideration,
it seems Cameron Crow will be making
a comeback with We Bought A Zoo,
based on the Ben Mee experiences at
the Dartmoor Zoo.
The Coming Soon site pieced together
snippets of information: 20th Century
Fox has set the release date for
December 23, 2011 (sniffing a Marley
and Me type hit); and Variety carried
the information that production
designer Clay Griffith had been booked
on Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo
(Clay was set decorator on Cameron’s
Jerry Maguire).
What clinched it was that IMDb Pro
had Crowe and Griffith linked to the
project, too.
The story is a poignant tale of Guardian
columnist Ben’s purchase of a 12-
bedroom mansion on Dartmoor for
his wife, two children, brother and
76-year-old mother. The new home
also included the run down 30-
acre Dartmoor Wildlife Park. As the
animals in the zoo improve, Mee’s wife
is diagnosed with terminal cancer and
becomes increasingly ill.
As yet there are no stars signed
up to the project. Ben Stiller has
been rumoured to be involved, and
the Dartmoor Zoo people would like
Johnny Depp in the role – he is
familiar with this neck of the woods,
what with rumours of him having a
home in Devon, and with the filming
of Alice in Wonderland at Anthony
House, Torpoint.
The script has been written by Aline
Brosh McKenna (of The Devil Wears
Prada fame), but according to Ain’t it
Cool, Cameron is having a tinker with
it himself.
This will be Cameron Crowe’s first film
since Elizabethtown in 2005
Published by: News and Media Republic
Lincoln Kirby-
Bell studio potter,
Newlyn Cornwall
at 45 Southside
Newlyn is Lincoln Kirby-Bell’s most
recent adopted home after studying
and working around the world,
including Germany as well as Central
and South America.
His love for ceramics began on his
parents’ farm in his native Australia.
His father would bring clay from the
farm dam home, from which a four year
old Lincoln would form farm animals.
This combined with an interest in
historical ceramics and archaeology
has led Lincoln Kirby-Bell to a very
successful career as a ceramic artist.
He is internationally well established,
collected and exhibited, particularly in
Australia.
The basic elements of the decoration,
he employs, can be found in all
ancient civilizations: spots, spirals,
circles, linear patterns and stripes. He
combines these with his distinctive
choice of colour and raised decoration
technique to create colourful and
tactile pieces. His work is witty and fun,
yet designed with attention to detail
and functionality.
His exhibition at 45 Southside shows
both his tableware range consisting
of individually thrown and decorated
vessels as well as his larger unique
vases, wall plates and sculptural works.
Special pebbles painted in Lincoln’s
signature style (image attached) will
be hidden in Plymouth and the
surrounding area. Anyone who finds
a pebble can bring it along to 45
Southside for 10 per cent discount on
Lincoln’s work. Here’s a tip – look out
for them at scenic spots!
• The exhibition runs from Sunday,
May 23 to Monday, June 14
20
May 27th, 2010
Edge 2010 pass
on their skills to
new generation of
Devon dancers
Dance students from Devon schools
had a fantastic opportunity to learn
from one of the country’s top
contemporary dance companies in the
country.
Students from St Peters High School
and Ivybridge Community College
participated in the workshop which
was held by Edge, the postgraduate
performance company of London
Contemporary Dance School.
The workshop, led by company
members Pia Fodinger, Jamila
Johnson-Small and Martha Maria
Pasakopoulou, was designed to show
the students how to create their own
contemporary dance pieces and learn
about specific movement styles.
Edge is currently celebrating it’s
10th birthday with a touring dance
showcase from 10 exceptional dancers
on the cusp of their professional
careers. They performed at Exeter
Phoenix on Monday 10 & Tuesday, May
11.
South West
creative
entrepreneurs
Showcase Off the
Beaten Track
The South West’s emerging creative
entrepreneurs are putting the finishing
touches to an exclusive preview of their
postgraduate work at the Devonport
Guildhall in Plymouth this month.
Between Friday, May 28 and
Wednesday, June 2, participants of
the Masters in Entrepreneurship for
Creative Practice at Plymouth College
of Art will showcase work for the first
time in their Interim Show Off the
Beaten Track.
The MA’s programme leader, Alastair
Fuad-Luke told Arts+Culture: “This
exhibition will be a chance for the
public to see the first cohort of
this exciting new postgraduate course
and their embryonic works which are
probing new directions in their creative
practice.
“We hope everyone will enjoy coming
along to this great venue to enjoy
a relaxed and buzzy atmosphere
while being inspired by the playful,
thoughtful works that gently ‘re-tune’
our awareness.”
Students on the Masters Programme
have taken off by sharing ideas and
collaborating throughout the course.
One particular highlight for student
Dominique Mitchell was successfully
selling her Up-cycled shoes to the
regional SW market.
Students from Plymouth and the
wider South West region include
creative practitioners from diverse
backgrounds such as Fine Art, Applied
Art, Knitwear design, Ceramics,
Jewellery, Metalwork and Landscape
Architecture, amongst others.
Published by: News and Media Republic
Lynne Staley-Brookes, principal at
Plymouth College of Art, said:
“As the first cohort of Masters
students celebrate their work at this
show, we are delighted the College
continues to offer such transition and
positive encouragement for individuals
working in the Creative Industries in
the South West.”
There will also be a chance to see
work exhibited at the Devonport
Guildhall show and find out more
about the Masters Programme during
the College’s Degree Show at two
special Open Evenings. These will
take place on Tuesday, June 29
and Thursday, July 1, 6.30-8pm.
Email Alastair Fuad-Luke to register
afuadluke@plymouthart.ac.uk.
For more information about the
Masters Programme visit the Plymouth
College of Art site or telephone 01752
203434.
(from a press release)
(Images, from the top: Make, Unmake,
Remake by Claire Crompton; Message
in a Bauble by Gabby Nevis; and
Potentiality by Richard Wood)
A Sense of Soul
and Self: Jane
Macartney solo
show at Red
Propeller Gallery
Jane Macartney is the artist in
residence at the Red Propeller Gallery,
and she’s got a solo show at the venue
which manages to bring a bit of urban
savvy into the middle of the Devon
countryside.
Jane’s show, which features new work,
is called A Sense of Soul and Self,
and runs from Thursday, May 29 to
Saturday, June 24
Jane says on the Red Propeller site:
“These images start from a premis
of a straightforward juxtaposition
of visual elements, of randomness
21
May 27th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic
coming together to tell a story. After
this instinctive creative process, what I Job at Animated
hope to give the viewer is the space for Exeter
their imagination to conjure up its own
version of the story.”
The gallery itself says it has a simple
formula, they ‘hunt down skilled,
dedicated, unconventional artists who
show a strong political, social or
psychological content in their work and
nail them’.

Dave Green
constructed
images exhibition
as part of
Appledore arts fest
North Devon photographer Dave
Green is holding an exhibition as part
of the Appledore Visual Arts Festival
at the tea and coffee shop Schooners,
Market Stree, Appledore, on Thursday,
June 3 and Sunday, June 6.
The special exhibition will be of
constructed photographs from the
interior of North Devon coast’s caves.
Dave talks about the development of
his constructed images on his site.
He says: “I see the world in wide-
angle, I notice what is going on in the
periphery. You can’t put truth in a box,
or put a neat fence around it, or confine
it to a fraction of a second.
“I explore the whole and if there is too
much to submit to memory, too much
to contemplate or explain I’ll explore
the hole; just a part of it in great detail;
a beach, a clearing in the forest, a City
street corner, a cave.”
Dave will also be running a workshop
on camera-less photography during
the festival on Saturday, June 5.
Animated Exeter is seeking a freelance
administrator for a seven-month
fixed term contract, due to start in
September, to provide comprehensive
administrative and organisational
support for this annual festival and to
manage festival office procedures and
operations.
The successful candidate will
possess experience of arts
festival administration; proven IT,
social media, organisational and
communication skills; the ability to
take the initiative; some experience of
managing volunteers; high standards
of attention to detail; ability to
work under pressure; excellent
communication skills, and a flexible
and positive attitude.
Contract is fixed term £10,500.There
will be a familiarisation period before
September tbc. Send applications with
a short letter and CV in by Monday,
June 14 to Susannah Shaw, Animated
Exeter, c/o Exeter City Council, Civic
Centre, Paris St. Exeter EX1 1JJ. or
email susannah.shaw@exeter.gov.uk

22
May 27th, 2010
Big Blueprint in
Plymouth call for
submissions
The Big Blueprint, a big new
opportunity for artists to showcase
new works within Plymouth, is after
innovative and exciting images for a
creative site in central Plymouth.
Plymouth is host to the only Big Screen
south of Bristol, and to expand on
the cultural offer of the site, a series
of new works are wanted for the
south facing view. The Big Blueprint
is funded by the Arts Unit, The City
Centre Company and supported by the
BBC and The Plymouth City Museum
and Art Gallery.
In addition to the display of the
works at the site, each selected artist
will be represented at the Plymouth
City Museum and Art Gallery in
2012. In addition three images will
be selected from the museum and
archives Collection, which celebrates
the principles of the project, and
highlights the collections which are not
on public display.
The aims and ambitions of the project
should be reflected in the works
and the ongoing development of the
project.
And the aims are:
• Welcoming the world – drawing
on the unique international
history and heritage of Plymouth,
working closely with the existing
cultural offer of the museum,
archives and Record Office.
Published by: News and Media Republic
• Animate and humanise public
space – with excellence
and innovative creativity which
enhances the physical and
aesthetic qualities of the site and
its environment.
• To ignite collaborations with the
Live Site and the Big Screen,
increasing the cultural offer and
participation of the location as
a focal point for exciting and
innovative ideas, events and
engagement.
By achieving these core aims, this
three-year programme shall:
• inspire excellence and innovation
in the arts
• create an open arena for
engagement, participation and
friendship
• promote respect for diverse
cultures, opinions and for oneself
Now you know, you can get on down to
the brief, which is to produce/submit
an image which can be transferred to
a banner for installation on the south
side of the Big Screen which responds
to the aims of the project; and to
describe in no more than 250 words
how your chosen work represents and
responds to the aims of the project.
The specific of the screen is 8091mm
width x 4251mm high, and payment for
selected work is £750
The deadline for submissions is 5pm
Monday, June 7.
To submit your work, send a JPEG and
your 250 words on a CD to: The Arts
Unit, Windsor House, Tavistock Road,
Plymouth, PL6 5UF (include SAE for
the return of images).
23