Writes of Passage #12

EE
FR
Passage
Writes of
Lord of the
Rings Special
Discover the history of Middle-earth and
visit “The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture
Trilogy - The Exhibition”
Olympics
Take a look at the last 100
years of the Olympics
The BIG Interview
Find out more about Streetwise
Opera when Rowan drops in for a
chat
Euro 2004
All the fixtures from the European
Championships in Portugal
A Day at the
Printer’s
Find out how this magazine is put together
plus lots more ...
artwork, poetry, quizzes, Dear Sam, reviews ...
The Passage Day Centre
www.passage.org.uk
Issue 12 Summer 2004
2
Welcome
Contents Overview
A Night Under the Stars
Find out how the Passage did it
their way with the annual fundraiser - page 3
A Day at the Printer’s
Want to know how this magazine
is put together? Read more on
pages 6 and 7
G
Portugal 2004
reetings to you all and welcome to this edition of Writes
of Passage!
Your guide to this summer’s
European Championships - pages
8 and 9
I don’t know if you have noticed
what a fantastic publication this
now is. Quality articles, poems,
inteviews; expert photography,
superb art work and graphics
all make this into a professional
piece of work to be proud of. Congratulations to all those involved
and many thanks to The Manson
Group Ltd who help us to produce
it. If you are interested in making a
contribution or joining the magazine group, please contact Mike or
Matt in the Education, Training &
Employment Department.
Into the Wilds
A review by Peter Miller of the
adventure trip to Cumbria - pages
10 and 11
Lord of the Rings
We review our visit to the Science
Museum’s Lord of the Rings exhibition and explore the history of
Middle-earth - pages 12 -15
Good Friday Procession
The Passage led this year’s procession down Victoria Street. Read Fr
Padraig’s review on page 16
Summer is upon us again. There is
more sunlight, less darkness and
a feeling of renewed energy. It’s
time to stop and think again: how
is this new energy expressed in our
lives? I know for myself that it is
all too easy to let the hard things of
life take all my energy and to stop
trying to reach the goals I have set
myself. Summer gives us renewed
hope. I wish that hope and energy
for you too, in all that you have
to face in your life. Have courage.
Keep on going. It’s worth it in the
end.
An interview with...
Rowan from Streetwise Opera
- page 28 and 29
Stacey the Volunteer
Stacey, our volunteer from America, writes about her experiences
and gives us a cooking lesson
- page 30
Olympics
Sr Ellen
ere’s
h
t
andore ...
m
Writ of
Page
The Magazine Group
Arsene
Peter G
Amir
Anthony
Tony
Havroy
Jamie
William
Joshua
Anna
Uve
Brian
Peter M
Arthur
Mark
Michael
Roxanne
Stuart
& anonymous
contributors
Thank you
The annual fundraising event for The Passage at
Central Hall, Westminster
O
nce again November 2003 saw The Passage mounting
an evening of laughter, music and entertainment at our
annual concert, a night under the stars.
These photographs give an indication of the fun packed evening
we had. All the entertainers gave freely of their time and talents
and we are grateful to them. The reception in the Banqueting
House which preceded and followed the concert both had
a celebratory feel and the post concert reception turned
spontaneously into a party with dancing!
We would like to thank the following;
We had a great audience of over 1500 people who thoroughly
enjoyed themselves.
The Manson Group Ltd for the
free printing of Writes of Passage
and for all their help and support
Many people help us each year to put on this very successful
event and we owe them a huge thank you.
This year we raised £100,000 for The Passage. Fantastic!
Voluntary Action Westminster
via the Community Learning Chest
for making it possible to purchase
a Apple Power Mac G5 and Adobe
Creative Suite
Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) finally interviews Sir Roger Moore
“For Alan Partridge
to finally get to
interview Roger
Moore was in itself
a triumph but the
fact that it was for
such a worthwhile
charity just made
the occasion more
memorable.”
Best wishes
Steve Coogan
Sr Ellen speaks about The Passage
Pizza Hut for donating 2 large
Pizzas every week
Louis Hoover’s band
Exeter Street Bakery for their
delicious bread
BT, Reuters, Slaughter & May
and Barclays for their generous
donations
Contact
The Passage Day Centre
85 Carlisle Place
Victoria
London SW1P 1NL
With the Olympics set to return
to Greece this year we take a look
back at its history - page 32
Tel: 020 75921850
Fax: 020 75921870
www.passage.org.uk
artwork, poetry, quizzes, Dear
Sam, Computer Corner, Course
Info, Music ...
The views expressed in this
magazine are those of service
users and in no way represent
those of The Passage Day
Centre
Cover artwork by Uve Prinz
Steve Coogan’s most famous character - Alan Partridge
Louis Hoover’s tribute to Sinatra
The Choristers of Westminster Cathedral
Aled Jones sings ‘How Great Thou Art’
Rory Bremner impersonates various celebrities
Sir Roger Moore recites a poem about homelessness
3
4
Rebel With A
Cause
By Anthony R. C. Crawford
In the 19th century philanthropists rather than governments often initiated social reform. They did this by
spending portions of their own wealth in ways that improved the life of those less fortunate then themselves.
Others initiated public awareness that ultimately lead to
better conditions.
On the banks of the river Air, on the outskirts of Bradford, away
from the big city’s smog, cupped by the Brontë moors, lies Saltaire. The creator of this Victorian utopia, Sir Titus Salt, cared for
the well-being of his mill workers. Anxious to improve their lot,
the wealthy wool baron built an entire village for them. Saltaire
features a church, public baths and wash houses, a Sunday school,
a hospital, almshouses and a sports field. Established between
1851 and 1872, the village has 22 streets, 775 houses built from
characteristic honey-coloured stone, and it accommodates 4,300
residents. However, there is no pub. Sir Titus firmly believed that
a drinker has a bad influence on the work place. Saltaire became a
Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001.
While Sir Titus Salt spent part of his considerable fortune on
providing for his workers and their families decent living conditions, another philanthropist, Henry Mayhew, roamed the streets
of Victorian London seeking out the poorest members of society
in his quest for a better life for them.
Mayhew ranks among the unsung heroes of his age. As the
author of the first social history in the English language, he made
polite society aware of the frequently cruel and always terrible
conditions in which the capital’s under-privileged existed.
Mayhew understood the power of the printed word. Content
with reporting what he saw he left the task of implementing
reform to those in positions to bring about changes. Without his
untiring efforts, the life of the poor would have probably improved very little in Mayhew’s time.
Yet, all that he is mainly remembered for today is his association with the magazine Punch, which he co-founded and jointly
edited for some time. The magazine is just one of numerous
projects Mayhew was involved with; it is of minor importance
compared to his opus magnum, the publication of London Labour and the London Poor.
Despite Henry’s important contributions to social reform
and history, surprisingly little is known about him. Even a usually comprehensive source, such as the Dictionary of National
Biography, while listing all his journalistic and literary achievements, offers little biographical information. Perhaps, that is
the way Henry would have preferred it. Obscurity is not the only
characteristic he shared with the people about whom he wrote so
compassionately.
Henry Mayhew was the son of the attorney Joshua Dorset
Joseph Mayhew. Born in 1812, he received his education at
Westminster School. He ran away, alleging ill-use, went to sea and
made a voyage to Calcutta. Back in England, Henry was articulated to his father for three years but abandoned law for literature.
His brothers Horace Mayhew (1816-1870) and Augustus Septi-
mus Mayhew (1826-1875)
also became writers.
Henry’s first literary venture, the weekly
periodical Figaro in
London (1831-9) relied
on the cooperation of
Gilbert à Beckett. In 1832
Henry started The Thief,
as the earliest of the great
number of paste-and-scissor journals. His career as
a dramatist began in 1834
with the staging of The
Wandering Minstrel at the
Henry Mayhew
Royal Fitzroy Theatre. This
one-act farce introduced
the well-known cockney song Villikins and his Dinah. Henry
never collaborated with his brother Horace. With Augustus he
wrote The Greatest Plague of Life in 1847, as the first of a number
of works they authored together. Henry collaborated with Athol
Mayhew on a three-act comedy Mount Blanc, which they adapted
from Labiche and Martin’s Voyage de M. Perrichon.
With London Labour and the London Poor Mayhew wrote
one of the most remarkable books of the 19th century. It is the
first, and possibly the greatest, sociological study in the English
language. When he researched his masterpiece, Henry walked
hundreds of miles of London streets, seeking out the lowest
members of society, painstakingly compiling thousands of pages
of testimonials, many of which he included verbatim in his great
work. With his book, Henry composed an indictment of mid 19th
century economic barbarism with the same compassion as Karl
Engel applied when he wrote The Condition of the Working Class
in England.
Henry’s four volume work London Labour and the London
Poor is the product of the investigation on the slums of Jacob’s
Island which began with his exposé for the Morning Chronicle (24th September 1849). The editors agreed to his proposal
for a follow-up in the shape of a full-scale survey of poverty in
England. Henry officiated as The Metropolitan Correspondent.
His contributions, anecdotal and statistical, focused on the petty
trades of the capital. Within a year, about seventy-five letters
appeared in print, but editorial tampering with his copy irritated
him and he resigned from the paper at the end of 1850. The following year the series in the Chronicle came to an end. In 1851,
Henry returned to the subject by publishing his investigations
in a two-penny weekly that he named London Labour and the
London Poor. Bound volumes were published in 1851-2. Legal
difficulties with his printers, resulting in litigation in chancery,
interrupted circulation in 1852. Henry’s attempt to revive the
weekly paper in 1856 failed. In the same year he announced his
intention to resume publication with articles in serial monthly
parts as The Great World of London. After its completion, Henry
published the series in book form as The Criminal Prisons of
London in 1862. John Binney wrote the last part. In 1861 Messrs
Griffin, Bohn & Co. gathered into four volumes the various fragments of Henry’s great design, naming it London Labour and the
London Poor. In Volumes I and II the publishers merely reprinted
the earlier edition of 1851-2. Volume III contains some of the letters Henry wrote as Metropolitan Correspondent for the Morning Chronicle, with additional testimonies from street folk which
he had compiled in 1856. Volume IV is largely the work of Henry’s associates, Bracebridge Hemyng, John Binney and Andrew
Halliday, with a prefactory article by the Rev. William Tuckinns.
Henry provided an Introduction to the volume. It is possible that
his brother Augustus contributed some material. The final version of London Labour and the London Poor went into print in
1864. The second edition came out in 1865. Henry published in
the same year Shops and Companies of London. He contributed
to a work of a similar kind, London Characters, in 1874.
There is surely none better qualified then the untiring creator
of London Labour and the London Poor to describe the immense
efforts expended on the project and to set out it scope. In an
Advertisement contained in Volume IV he says about the work
that “it stands alone as a photograph of life as actually spent by
the lower classes of the Metropolis”. He believed “the truthful
revelations and descriptions of the London street folk, workers
and non-workers, and the means by which they exist, will go a
great way to enlighten the educated classes respecting matters
which have hitherto been involved in mystery and uncertainty.”
Of the efforts he spent over the years, Henry pointed out that
“every endeavour has been made to obtain correct information,
not only through the assistance of the police authorities, but by
an expenditure of much time and research among the unfortunates themselves. Their favourite haunts, and the localities in
London wherein they chiefly congregate, as well as their modes
of existence, are accurately described; in addition to which have
been inserted very many deeply interesting autobiographies,
faithfully transcribed from their own lips, which go far to unveil
the intricate schemes of villainy and crime that abound in the
Metropolis, and prove how much more rational and effective are
preventive measures than such as are merely correctional.”
For his researches Henry received help from some of the religious and philanthropic agencies set up to assist the poor. Henry
Wood and Richard Knight of the City Mission proved particularly
useful contacts. The contributions made by Wood were substantial enough for him to be credited by Henry as being “almost
considered as one of the authors.”
For his opus magnum Mayhew invented journalistic techniques that suited his style of reporting. He introduced oral history a hundred years before the term was first applied, by allowing his subjects to tell their own stories. With incredible energy
the “indolent” journalist collected and codified such an enormous
mass of data on the 19th century proletariat, that even today
entire municipal and federal agencies have not been able to exceed his efforts. He inspired other authors to create works on the
lowest classes of society, thus adding voices to his campaign to
create awareness of its lamentable conditions. Whereas Dickens
invented characters that existed in the milieu, Mayhew wrote
about actual people living in these circumstances. When he edited
and dramatised he did so to strengthen the impact upon the
reader. But the features which make Henry’s work unique have
hampered its proper recognition. London Labour and the London
Poor fits into none of the established literary categories. Thackery
wrote that it provides “a picture of human life so wonderful, so
awful, so piteous and pathetic, so exciting and terrible, that readers of romances own they never read anything like to it.”
In the Preface to the first Volume, Mayhew explains the motivation for his monumental task: “..it is but right that the truthfulness of the poor generally should be made known. …My earnest
hope is that the book may serve to give the rich a more intimate
knowledge of the sufferings, and the frequent heroism under
those sufferings, of the poor – that it may teach those who are beyond temptation to look with charity on the frailties of their less
fortunate brethren – and cause those who are in ‘high places’, and
those of whom much is expected, to bestir themselves to improve
the condition of a class of people whose misery, ignorance, and
vice, amidst all the immense wealth and great knowledge of ‘the
first city in the world’ is, to say the very least, a national disgrace
to us.”
Henry possessed extra-ordinary gifts of observation and
articulation. His critics argued that he dissipated most of his literary energies in schemes far below his abilities, but popular with
the Victorian readers.
Most of Henry’s professional life is characterised by failed
schemes and frequent changes of abode – a sort of high-class
vagabondage and Bohemian irresponsibility, not dissimilar to
that of the street folk whose dire existence he minutely recorded.
His associates did not doubt his literary genius. But they complained of his “indolence” and inconstancy of purpose. In 1843,
Henry narrowly escaped imprisonment for bankruptcy.
Henry wrote the words to Jonathan Blewitt’s song My Wife is
a Woman of Mind in 1849. Between 1842 and 1855 he published
a number of minor works. What to Teach and How to Teach it
(1842) and The Prince of Wales’s Library- the Primer (1844)
which he had planned each as part of an educational series were
discontinued forthwith. In the 1850-60s Henry spent some time
abroad. Between 1856-8 he published works about the river
Rhine. In 1862 he lived in Germany, primarily in Eisenach and
Jena. He desired to research the early life of Martin Luther. It resulted in two books, German Life and Manners in Saxony (1864)
and The Boyhood of Martin Luther (1865).
In the 1870s Henry started a short-lived periodical he called
Only Once a Year. In 1871 he prepared a report on working men’s
clubs.
Henry Mayhew died in July 1887. His grave is in Kensal Green
Cemetery.
The Victorians lived in a world structured according to class and
social standing. In this hierarchy, members of the lowest classes
existed on the droppings and drippings of those above. The upper
classes were rarely seen by, and did not normally communicate
with, those of inferior social rank. With his critical studies of the
under-privileged classes, but especially with London Labour and
the London Poor, Mayhew brought into the elegant salons of the
affluent the horrors of a harsh world that existed only yards away.
His revelations stimulated debate, privately and in government.
Selected Committees were set up to investigate the state of the
poor and to make recommendations. As a result legislation was
passed that brought about real change.
Intended as a serious study of the condition of the lowest classes
of Victorian society, London Labour and the London Poor offers
the modern reader a unique glimpse of a world that has long gone
– a victim of progress and the force of municipal and governmental decision-making. A change for the better, no doubt. It
is hard to imagine Dr. Bokanky the herbalist, whom Mayhew
interviewed, peddling his remedies for all of humanity’s ills on
the pavement of Oxford Street in 2004. Long gone is the blind
booth-lace seller with his little dog, a tin cup strapped to his
neck to collect his master’s payments. The one-legged sweeper at
Chancery Lane could never compete with the council’s efficient
motorized road sweeping vehicle. And what about the colourful street performers – the dancers on stilts, conjurers, acrobats
and the Ethiopian Serenaders – whom Mayhew encountered on
his long walks? No doubt, a duty-conscious police officer of the
twenty-first century would have asked them to move on, or arrested them for causing an obstruction.
© 2004. Copyright by Anthony R. C. Crawford, London. All rights
reserved.
5
6
How your magazine is made
Have you ever wondered how “Writes of Passage” is produced?
We did, so we went along to our printer’s, THE MANSON GROUP
LIMITED, where Toma & Frazer kindly gave us a guided tour
1
The magazine group meets every
Tuesday where we share ideas,
develop themes and bring articles
for consideration. We then decide
what will go in the next edition.
6
2
The magazine is put together in
the ETE room using Indesign, a
professional page layout program,
and Apple’s new Power Mac G5. The
finished version is sent as a PDF
file on a CD to the printer’s.
5
10
11
12
... and about what happens during
the printing process.
After the print run, the finished
pages are loaded into a machine
where they are automatically
folded.
The folded pages are then gathered
together, trimmed and bound.
15
14
13
The finished 36 page, full colour
magazine!
Toma and Frazer answer questions
and provide afternoon tea after a
thoroughly enjoyable day.
If necessary inserts can be added
to the finished magazine. There is
a facility for shrink wrapping and
mailing.
3
Once the CD arrives at the printer’s
proofs are created from the PDF
file and printed using a digital
proofer.
4
To run the print, plates are
needed. Each plate is used to print
a seperate colour. When the paper
has passed through all the plates,
full colour is produced.
Plates are produced using a
platesetter. A plate will be made
for the following colours: Cyan,
Magenta, Yellow and Black,
collectively known as CMYK.
Toma shows Arsene the proofs
which show the general layout of
the finished magazine. They are
used to check for any potential
problems.
7
The pages are printed using a 5
Colour Heidelberg Press which is
monitored by a print technician.
8
Pallets containing large blocks
of paper are put in place which
allow the printer to feed itself
automatically.
9
Frazer explains about the ink in
the Heidelberg press...
Review by Peter Graham
O
n 28th November 2003 a party of 6, including 3 officials, travelled from
the Passage Day Centre in order to meet members of the company
which prints the Writes of Passage magazine, free of charge.
We arrived at St. Albans (City) station at about 10.15 (and in accordance
with the precise “guesstimation” of Arsene).
After a short time, and a photographic session, we were met by Frazer
and Toma in separate motor vehicles and we were transported to the
business premises. They are close to St. Albans City football ground. Such a
city, curiously, has a “Townhall”.
Both Frazer and Toma provided the party with an interesting presentation
of the activities of The Manson Group and they described the phenomenal
growth of the company over three decades. Initially the originator,
a corporation sole, some 35 years ago, promoted the limited liability
company which commenced to trade using a redundancy payment from a
former employment to finance the business. The company (a corporation
aggregate), we were informed, now has a profitable turnover of £8 million
and employs 100 staff. Such business advancement has been achieved in
market conditions which are described as “cut throat”. Constant vigilance is
required to ensure that margins are properly maintained in order that the
organisation remains a profitable ‘going concern’.
We were also informed that the Group is now responsible for printing
120 monthly publications. Titles range from business matters including
taxation to the “glossier” end of the market and they also include a four
page newsletter and a 400 page case bound book.
We met in the Monza Room, where we had an informative introduction,
over refreshments, to the organisation. Other rooms are called “Monaco”
and “Imola”, and represent the idea and actuality of Fast Track Production. In
the meeting room, amongst other things, there is a pictorial representation
of the print rooms of Odhams Press early last century.
The progress to the present colour technology and enhanced speed of
production is little short of “miraculous”. Computerisation has, of course,
caused a “new industrial revolution” in the printing industry. We were
provided with a conducted tour of the factory and we received an in-depth
explanation about the interaction between the departments, particularly
concerning “The Computer to Plate” technology. The company maintains
leadership in this “field”. It is, therefore, able to ensure that output is
profitably maximised. Our hosts Frazer and Toma stressed that the plate
making activity is “the key to the whole pre-press operation”, which has
revolutionised the way the company has increased its ability to meet the
needs of the customers and the demands of the market place, by ensuring
that the “presses” are used to their optimum capacity and that wastage is
kept at a minimum.
Members of our group have provided a pictorial record of our visit, which
is also part of this review of our time spent there.
In all, we were treated to an extremely interesting 5 hour visit and we
were exceptionally well received by all of the representatives of The Manson
Group Limited. It may be self evident to the regular readers of the Writes
of Passage magazine, how we have been able to benefit “freely” from this
continuously advancing technology provided by our generous hosts.
A big THANK YOU to Toma, Frazer and all at
the Manson Group for their hospitality and a
fantastic tour. We are very grateful to them for
all the help and advice they give us and for the
free printing of this magazine.
7
8
Lisbon
Porto
Guimara
Faro-Loule
Braga
Coimbra
Leira
Aveiro
Euro 2004 Fixtures
P
Braga
Guimaraes
Porto
Aveiro
Coimbra
Leira
Lisbon
Faro-Loule
AL
TUG
R
O
Group A
Group B
Date
Time
Game
12 June 5.00 pm Portugal v Greece (Porto)
Result
Date
Time
Game
13 June 5.00 pm Switzerland v Croatia (Leira)
12 June 7.45 pm Spain v Russia (Faro-Loule)
13 June 7.45 pm France v England (Lisbon)
16 June 5.00 pm Greece v Spain (Porto)
17 June 5.00 pm England v Switzerland (Coimbra)
16 June 7.45 pm Russia v Portugal (Lisbon)
17 June 7.45 pm Croatia v France (Leira)
20 June 7.45 pm Spain v Portugal (Lisbon)
21 June 7.45 pm Croatia v England (Lisbon)
This year’s European Championships are being held in Portugal.
Arsene takes a look into the country’s history and on the following
page is a guide to help you keep track of all the fixtures
20 June 7.45 pm Russia v Greece (Faro-Loule)
21 June 7.45 pm Switzerland v France (Coimbra)
Portugal is situated in Southwest Europe, west of Spain and bordering the North
Atlantic Ocean. The 92,391 km2 of the country are inhabited by just over 10 million
people.
The temperate maritime climate ranges from cool and rainy in the north to
warmer and drier in the south.
Early inhabitants of Portugal were Celts, Suevians, Romans, Visigoths and
Moors. After the battles of the Reconquista, the Kingdom of Portugal was founded
in 1143.
Portuguese captains and explorers, like Vasco da Gama, were the first Europeans
to discover the sea routes to India, Brazil, China and Japan. They also settled on the
coasts of Africa.
Bringing back works of art and wonders from around the world these explorers
helped to create a unique artistic heritage which combines elements from all around
the globe. The 15th and 16th centuries were Portugal’s heyday as a world power.
The 1755 destruction of Lisbon during an earthquake, the occupation during the
Napoleonic Wars, plus the independence of Brazil in 1822 finally ruined Portugal’s
ambitions as a major power.
The 1910 revolution disposed of the Monarchy and repressive governments ran
the country for most of the following 60 years. In 1974 a left-wing military coup
brought in democratic reforms and a year later Portugal granted independence to
its African colonies.
Portugal became a member of the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
Date
Time
Game
14 June 5.00 pm Denmark v Italy (Guimaraes)
Portugal’s football is dominated by three teams; Benfica Lisbon, Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto. These clubs are the most
influential teams in the country and provide the backbone of the national side. Stars like Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Pauleta and
Cristiano Ronaldo play in other countries mainly due to the higher wages they get paid by teams such as Real Madrid, AC Milan
and Manchester United. Always playing a fast and exciting game Portugal seems never to get it completely right at the crucial
moment. In front of their home fans and being watched by past greats like Eusebio, the Portuguese National team must be
included among the favourites of the tournament.
Group C
Result
Group D
Result
Date
Time
Game
15 June 5.00 pm Czech Rep v Latvia (Aveiro)
14 June 7.45 pm Sweden v Bulgaria (Lisbon)
15 June 7.45 pm Germany v Holland (Porto)
18 June 5.00 pm Bulgaria v Denmark (Braga)
19 June 5.00 pm Latvia v Germany (Porto)
18 June 7.45 pm Italy v Sweden (Porto)
19 June 7.45 pm Holland v Czech Rep (Aveiro)
22 June 7.45 pm Italy v Bulgaria (Guimaraes)
23 June 7.45 pm Holland v Latvia (Braga)
22 June 7.45 pm Denmark v Sweden (Porto)
23 June 7.45 pm Germany v Czech Rep (Lisbon)
Result
Quarter Finals
Match A
Match C
24 June
26 June
7.45 pm
1st Group A
2nd Group B
7.45 pm
1st Group C
(Lisbon)
(Faro-Loule)
Match B
Match D
25 June
27 June
7.45 pm
1st Group B
2nd Group D
2nd Group A
7.45 pm
1st Group D
(Lisbon)
2nd Group C
(Porto)
Semi Finals
Semi Final 1
Semi Final 2
30 June
1 July
7.45 pm
Winner Match A
Winner Match C
7.45 pm
Winner Match B
(Lisbon)
Winner Match D
(Porto)
Final
Winner Semi Final 1
Winner Semi Final 2
4 July 7.45 pm (Lisbon)
9
10
Outward Bound - A Trivial Pursuit?
P.T.Townley-Miller writes about his experiences on the recent “Into the Wilds” trip to Cumbria, organised
jointly by the Passage and the Beacon Project
W
hat colour is Yak’s milk? Yes, that’s right, Yak’s milk. I
know. I didn’t know three months ago, before I went to
Cumbria, but I know now.
Not that Cumbria is actually overrun with Yaks, of course.
More sheep, really, and the odd cow and more sheep and the
occasional car with people in it and more……..well, you get the
picture.
I’d better explain. Way back in November the conversation
went something like this:
Bill: “Err, Pete, would you be interested in this trip to
Cumbria?”
Me: “Um, Yeah, why not? Yeah, put me down, Bill”
Maybe it would have been easier if he had had me put down! All
right, it wasn’t that bad. In fact it was quite good. Okay, it was
great.
The week in Cumbria runs in fact from Monday to Friday and
the timetable is something like this. Monday – Meet at the Day
Centre and travel up, by minibus, to the Lake District. Monday
night through to Thursday night, do stuff. Friday, come back to
London - Easy, huh?
Well, it wasn’t totally easy, but it wasn’t half as bad as I thought
it was going to be.
Getting a bit lost on the way out of London apart, the journey
“up North” was pretty effortless – fairly cramped but an ideal
opportunity to catch up on a few hours sleep. After all, I had been
up for all of four hours. So we can jump straight to the arrival - it
was pitch black, around 6.30, impossible to see our surroundings,
just the lights shining out from the small cottage that was going
to be our base for the next couple of days. And it was small – there
were a dozen of us so we were each going to have to make a huge
effort just to get along – let alone not get in each others way.
After settling in, working out the sleeping arrangements, the
first of many cups of coffee, and, over dinner (already waiting
for us – cooked by one of the guys working on the project),
introductions, it was time to meet the boss.
We already knew Eamon, the leader of the Beacon Project,
and Chris and Dave from The Passage, who were accompanying
us to make sure we were all good boys. Lindsay, the group leader,
was not quite what was expected. Not a six foot six action man
built like a small building made of bricks, but a small, wiry guy
with a quick bird like manner, piercing blue eyes and very little
grey hair on the top of his head.
Lindsay explained the general rules of the place, gave an
outline of the planned activities and suggested we all go out for
a walk. Oh goody, we all thought – it’s started already!
We were only out for about ninety minutes, but it did bring
one thing home. With no streetlights, no traffic and an overcast
sky, it was pitch black. And not just quiet but silent. I began to
realise we really were somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
The next three days were a constant stream of activity;
cycling, canoeing, getting in and out of the minibus, abseiling,
hill-walking, pony trekking, mine-exploring, more walking and
a lot more mini bussing. And lots of coffee drinking and eating.
The evenings were usually fairly quiet. There’s no television
at the cottage but there is a radio, daily papers, books, cards,
conversation and Trivial Pursuit. And plenty of coffee and snack
food. We were free to go out for a walk if we wanted but most
of us just hung around the cottage chatting, getting to know
each other until someone got that dreaded board game out. It
seemed, not content with making me realise I was not nearly as
fit as I thought I was, (the bike ride was a killer), my collegues
were intent on proving I’m not as clever as I thought.
In the next edition of Writes of Passage, if the editors let
me, I’ll go into the activities and the aims of the course in more
detail (and a bit more seriously), but for now here’s a few points
for those of you thinking about going.
You won’t starve. There’s plenty of food available – all you
have to do is organise amongst yourselves who’s going to do the
cooking. All the equipment is supplied – waterproofs, boots,
wetsuits, helmets, torches, bedding etc., and there’s a washing
and dryer. The showers
“The only person machine
are very hot. All you really need
who is going to are your basic clothing and
toiletries. If there’s anything
make you do
you need and can’t find, just
anything is you” ask. None of the activities
are compulsory. If you don’t like heights and the thought of
dangling seventy feet up in the air from a rope doesn’t fill you
with relish, don’t worry, no one is going to make you do it. The
only person who is going to make you do anything is you, so
do yourself a favour, go along to all the activities with all the
equipment you need, ‘cos when you get there, you might just
change your mind, you might have a go and you just might like
it.
And the more you put in to it, the more you’ll get out. I got
what I needed. A chance to get away from the routine and
problems of living on the streets for a few days, to clear my
head and make a couple of decisions I’d been putting off. Maybe
that’s not what most people want from a few days “outward
bound” but it’s what I needed and what I got. I also did some
things I haven’t done since I was a kid, some things I’ve never
done and some things I’ll probably never do again. I went out
in a kayak for the first time in over twenty years, I rode a pony
for the first time ever, I saw what must be some of the most
beautiful scenery in the country and, thanks to a few games of
T.P., I found out I’m only half as smart as I thought I was.
Which brings me to my top tip. I can’t help you ride a pony,
or guide you through an abandoned lead mine, or make you
see the beauty of a hidden waterfall. But I can make you clever.
When you’re sitting round in the evenings playing that dreaded
board game remember, it’s a very early edition and the same
answers seem to keep cropping up. So just remember these
four things and you’ll be able to answer seventy per cent of the
questions. One; Liverpool (either the city or the football club).
Two; Princess Anne. Three; Rex Harrison’s son, Noel. Four;
Pink. Yes, you’ve guessed it, Yak’s milk is pink.
Piotr Townley-Miller has asserted his
right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
to be identified as the author of this work.
(or he would have done if he had the money and he thought it
was worth it, just to have the pleasure of telling all you lot with
photocopiers and scanners and all that stuff to get lost)
11
12
Tolkien’s Timeline
When most people think of J.R.R.Tolkien they think of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”. However,
what they don’t realise is that Tolkien created a whole history of which these two books only make up a
small part. Below is a brief summary of this amazingly complex history. By Mike Coyle
I
n the beginning Illúvatar (God) created the Ainur (Holy
Ones). They were all given an understanding of part of his
mind and free will. Together they made the Music of Ainur,
the great song that created the real World or Arda.
Fourteen of the greatest Ainur became the Valar. They
took physical form and entered Arda to give it order. Melkor
(who was originally the 15th Valar) became the first Dark
Lord. He wanted power for himself and everything that the
Valar made he tried to destroy including the Lamps of the
Valar which gave illumination to the World.
Years of the Trees
The Years of the Trees began with the founding of Valinor by
the Valar after Melkor’s destruction of the Lamps. Valinor
was lit by the Two Trees. At this time Middle-earth lay in
darkness.
Aulë the Smith, a great builder and inventor and one
of the Aratar (the eight of the greatest Valar), made the
dwarves so that he could teach them his skills. However,
he did not have the power to grant them independent life.
Only Illúvatar could do this and he agreed to but only after
his own creation, the Elves, had been born. Therefore, Aulë
set the Dwarves to sleep, deep underground, until the time
was right.
Illúvatar awakened the Elves (who became immortal).
However, Melkor tried to destroy them. He captured many
of them and imprisoned them in Utumno, his stronghold.
The Valar made war on Melkor and in the Battle of the Powers
Utumno was ruined and Melkor was imprisoned. Sauron, a
Maia (one of the Ainur but lesser than the Valar) and who
later became the Second Dark Lord, was Melkor’s most
trusted follower and he escaped to Middle-earth.
The Valar decided that the Elves should not stay in
Middle-earth but be brought to Valinor where they could be
protected. One of the Aratar, Oromë, went to Middle-earth
to summon them. However, the Elves feared the Valar and
were reluctant to go back with him. To help them decide
three of them (Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë) were chosen to make
the journey to Valinor. They were impressed with what they
saw and they persuaded most of the other Elves to follow in
what was known as The Great Journey. These Elves became
known as the peoples of the Three Kindred - the Vanyar, the
Noldor and the Teleri.
The Elves that had made the journey enjoyed a great
period. They learnt from the Valar and became the greatest
and wisest of all the Elves. Middle-earth still remained in
darkness. The Dark Elves who had not made the journey
still dwelt there.
About 3000 years passed before Melkor was released. For
a period he pretended friendship with the Elves. However,
with Ungoliant, a giant evil spider, he destroyed the Two
Trees and stole the Silmarils, three great jewels which had
been made by Fëanor that held the light of the Two Trees.
Melkor and Ungoliant fled to Middle-earth to the fortress
of Angband where Sauron was in command. They terrorised
Middle-earth with the help of Orcs.
Book covers courtesy of
Harper Collins
The First Age: I. 1 – 583
The First Age began when Fëanor arrived in Middle-earth
(with the Noldor elves) in pursuit of Melkor. The great Battle
Under the Stars was fought and Melkor (whom the Elves
called Morgoth meaning ‘the Dark Enemy’) was defeated.
The Valar created the Moon and the Sun. Men were
awakened in the far east of Middle-earth.
Morgoth sent his Orcs to attack the country of Balar in
the northwest of Middle-earth in the Battle of Beleriand. The
Orcs were defeated and the Noldor Elves built Gondolin
(“hidden stone”) to keep themselves safe from Morgorth.
Men did not arrive in Beleriand until about the year 300.
The Noldor called them the Atani or “Secondborn”.
Morgoth had been besieged in Angband by the Noldor
but in 455 he broke the siege with the help of Balrogs, Orcs,
and a Dragon in the Battle of Sudden Flame. He managed to
gain entry into Beleriand. Fingolfin, the High King of the
Noldor, challenged Morgoth to a duel in front of Angband.
They fought a great duel but finally Fingolfin was killed by
Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, Morgorth’s great
weapon.
A few years after the battle, The Quest of the Silmarils (the
jewels made by Fëanor) began. Beren Erchamion, a Man, fell
in love with Princess Lúthien Tinúviel, an Elf and daughter
of King Thingol and Melian the Maia. However, King Thingol
forbade them to marry unless Beren completed what the
King thought to be a hopeless task – to bring him one of the
Silmarils (which were in the possession of Morgoth). Beren
set off in search of the Silmaril. He was captured by Sauron
but saved by Lúthien and Huan, a hound. Beren and Lúthien
entered Angband where Lúthien cast a spell on Morgoth
and his court and they were all put to sleep. Beren cut one
of the Silmarils from Morgoth’s Iron Crown. The great wolf,
Carcharoth, that guarded the gates of Angband, blocked
their escape. In order to protect himself and Lúthien, Beren
held up his hand. Carcharoth bit it off and swallowed the
Silmaril. Because this was a jewel blessed by Varda ,Queen
of the Stars, the wolf went mad. After Lúthien had healed
Beren, he set off with King Thingol and they slayed the wolf
and recovered the Silmaril. Beren died while fulfilling this
task. Lúthien died of grief soon after but she was able to
persuade Mandos, the Lord of the Dead, to give them both a
second mortal life in Middle-earth.
In 472 the Battle of Unnumbered Tears took place. The
Elves and Men (also known as the Edain by the Elves) were
completely defeated by Morgoth.
The city of Gondolin, which had kept the Noldor safe,
was destroyed in 510 by the forces of Morgoth. Many Elves
were killed including King Turgon. However many escaped
by secret ways.
Eärendil, who was Half-elven, travelled across the Great
Sea to the Undying Lands where the Valar dwelt. He begged
the Valar for help in the fight against Morgoth. They sent
a mighty force of Noldor Elves that had remained in the
Undying Lands and were led by Eönwë, one of the greatest
of the Maiar. Men also came to help. In the War of Wrath,
which lasted for many years, Morgoth and his armies were
almost completely destroyed. Only a few of his Dragons,
Orcs, and Balrogs survived. Morgoth was taken prisoner
and bound by a great chain. All his power was destroyed and
he was driven from the World to dwell forever in the Void.
However, in the final battle Beleriand was destroyed and
sunk beneath the sea.
The Second Age: II. 1 – 3441
The Second Age began after the War of Wrath. The Elvenkingdoms of Mithlond and Lindon were founded in the west
of Middle-earth.
Númenor, a great island in the middle of the sea which
lay between the Undying Lands and Middle-earth and was
shaped like a star, was given as a gift to the Men by the Valar
for their courage in the war against Morgoth. In 32 Elros
Half-elven led the Men (Edain) to Númenor and became
their first king. He chose to become mortal and ruled for
over 400 years. The Men who dwelt there became known
as the Dúnedain, Men of the West. Elves often visited the
Númenóreans (because they lay just across the sea) and
taught them many things. The Númenóreans became the
most powerful Men in history and in 600 they sailed to
Middle-earth and founded cities. They were forbidden by
the Valar to sail west to the Undying Lands.
In about 1000 Sauron came to Mordor in Middle-earth
and began to build the great fortress of Barad-dûr. He went
to the Elves of the Noldor in Eregion in 1200 under a false
name. These Elves were skilled smiths and their leader was
Celebrimbor, the grandson of Fëanor (who had made the
Silmarils). Sauron offered to teach them greater skills (in
the past he had been a helper of Aulë the Smith, the Valar
who was master of all crafts). They accepted his offer despite
being warned. The Elves and Sauron studied together for
many years. From 1500 sixteen Rings of Power were forged.
Also secretly the Elves made Three Rings, which were more
powerful than the others. But Sauron, in Mount Doom,
forged another ring, the One Ring, to control all the other
Rings. It made him invisible and gave mastery over the
wearers of the other Rings. Inscribed on the Ring were the
following words;
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”
However, Sauron did not know of the Three Rings made
by the Elves and as soon as they were aware of his One Ring
they took theirs off and he had no power over them.
War began between Sauron and the Elves in 1693.
Sauron sent out a great army and Eregion was completely
destroyed. He used the remaining sixteen Rings to help him
- he gave nine to Men and seven to the Dwarves. The Men
used the Rings to fulfil their desires but they were weak and
were corrupted by Sauron and his One Ring. However the
Dwarves were more resistant against Sauron’s power.
The Númenóreans sailed to help the Elves and in 1701
Sauron and his forces were driven out of the West. There
followed a time of peace and the Númenóreans began to
build more cities in Middle-earth. They became very proud
and in 3262 they took a mighty army to Mordor. Sauron
surrendered and was taken back to Númenor as prisoner.
However, Sauron began to corrupt the Númenóreans with
his gifts of power.
Sauron was able to pursuade the Númenóreans to make
war on the Valar and Elves who dwelt in the Undying Lands.
A fleet sailed towards these forbidden lands but on arrival
it was completely destroyed. As punishment Númenor was
sunk beneath the sea and the Undying Lands were removed
beyond the reach of Men (but not Elves).
Some of the Númenóreans, who had not been corrupted
by Sauron, had sailed to Middle-earth. They were known as
the Elendili (the faithful). Elendil and his sons, Isildur and
Anárion, founded the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor.
Sauron, who had secretly returned to Mordor, made war
on all the Elves and Men in 3429. To stop Sauron becoming
the master of all in Middle-earth, Gil-Galad (High King
of the Noldor Elves) and Elendil formed a great alliance.
They gathered together a great army over several years and
in 3434 they marched to Mordor. The Battle of Dagorlad
continued for several months. The dead were buried in what
was later known as the Dead Marshes. Eventually Sauron
was forced to retreat to his fortress of Barad-dûr. The siege
continued until 3441 when Sauron came out to face the
Alliance. Outside Mount Doom Elendil, Isildur, Gil-Galad,
Elrond and Cirdan fought against Sauron (wearing the One
Ring) who was accompanied by his nine Ringwraiths (also
known Nazgûl - Men corrupted by Sauron’s Rings). Sauron
killed Gil-Galad and Elendil but Isildur was able to cut off
the Ring from his finger. Without the Ring Sauron lost all
his power and his spirit and Ringwraiths fled.
The Third Age III. 1 - 3021
The Third Age is the best known of all the ages. It began after
Sauron was defeated by the Last Alliance. Isildur returned
to Gondor and proclaimed himself King of the Dúnedain.
He was returning north when he and his men were attacked
by Orcs. They found themselves greatly outnumbered and
there followed a terrible fight in which the men were slain. In
order to save the One Ring Isildur put it on and disappeared
from sight. He ran towards the River Anduin and he jumped
in, was swept away in the current and became entangled in
the weeds. The Ring came off during the struggle and was
lost. As he came out of the water the Orcs shot him with
arrows and he was killed.
During the first thousand years Gondor was invaded
many times by Men who had been followers of Sauron.
Five Wizards, known as the Istari, arrived in Middle-earth
in about 1000. They were Maiar and had been sent because
of the growing evil in Middle-earth. The Istari included
Gandalf the Grey and Saruman the White.
Not long after the arrival of the Istari Sauron reappeared
secretly in Middle-earth in the form of a spirit.
Gondor suffered a civil war and a plague. In the 1900’s
it was attacked by the Wainriders (Men). The war lasted
many years and Gondor was defeated. Gondor and her
allies attacked the Wainriders again and forced them away.
However, once again the Wainriders attacked Gondor and
this time they were helped by Sauron’s Ringwraiths (Nazgûl)
and Orcs. In 2050 the last King of Gondor was killed and
with his death, Gondor became ruled by Stewards (King’s
Servants).
Dwarves, who were great miners, had been living in
Moria under the Misty Mountains. In 1980 they unleashed
a demon - a Balrog of Morgoth. Their King, Durin, was slain.
They were forced out of Moria and went to live in Erebor,
the Lonely Mountain.
In 2463 Sméagol, a Stoor Hobbit, acquired the One Ring.
His cousin, Déagol, had found the Ring whilst fishing but
Sméagol murdered him for it. He became known as Gollum
(due to the strange gurgling noise he made) and left his
home to live in the caves of the Misty Mountains.
Gondor was invaded again by barbarian people (from
the East) and Orcs, who both served Sauron. When defeat
was near the Éothéod, a group of horsemen, came to help
the Men and together they were victorious. Calenardhon,
a province of Gondor, was given to the horsemen as a gift.
The land became known as Rohan and the horsemen as the
Rohirrim, meaning horse-lords.
In 2941 Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeyed to Erebor
(the Lonely Mountain) with Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves.
A Dragon, Smaug the Golden, had driven out the Dwarves
from this mountain in 2770. Bilbo and the Company
helped slay the Dragon. Bilbo returned to Hobbiton in the
Shire and became very famous for his great quest. He was
also very wealthy from the treasure recovered from the
mountain. The Dwarves returned to inhabit Erebor. During
this adventure Bilbo acquired a ring. Unknown to him this
was the One Ring which Gollum had lost.
The year after Bilbo’s quest Sauron returned to Mordor.
He had secretly been dwelling in the forest of Mirkwood.
On 22ⁿd September 2968 the Hobbit Frodo Baggins was
born. He later became the main character in the book The
Lord of the Rings, which tells the story of the quest to destroy
the One Ring before it can fall into the hands of its maker,
Sauron. Hopefully this article will tempt you to read it if you
haven’t already done so, or, if you have, give you a deeper
insight into the complex history behind it.
Read the following books if you would like to find out more:
The Silmarillion, The History of Middle-earth (12 books),
Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings
Key
Events
First Age
1 The Noldor Elves
return to Middle-earth
in persuit of Melkor
1 Awakening of Men
75 The Battle of
Beleriand
455 The Battle of the
Sudden Flame. Fingolfin,
High King of the Noldor,
killed by Morgoth
465 Quest of the
Silmaril
472 The Battle of
Unnumbered Tears
583 Morgoth defeated in
the War of Wrath
Second Age
32 Men led to the island
of Númenor by Elros
Half-elven. The Men
become known as the
Dúnedain
1000 Sauron begins
to build Barad-dûr in
Mordor
1200 Sauron and the
Elves study together
c 1600 The One Ring is
forged by Sauron
1693 War between
Sauron and the Elves
3262 Sauron taken to
Númenor as prisoner.
He Begins to corrupt
the Men
3319 Númenóreans sail
to the Undying Lands.
Númenor sunk beneath
the sea
3429 Sauron attacks
Gondor
3434 Sauron defeated in
Battle of Dagorlad. Siege
of Barad-dûr begins
3441 Sauron defeated
when Isildur cuts the
One Ring from his hand
Third Age
2 Isildur killed by Orcs.
The One Ring lost in
River Anduin
c1000 Gandalf and
Saruman arrive in
Middle-earth
c1050 Sauron returns to
Middle-earth
1980 A Balrog forces the
Dwarves to flee Moria
2463 Sméagol (Gollum)
finds the One Ring
2941 Bilbo Baggins’
journey to Erebor
2942 Sauron returns to
Mordor
3001 Bilbo Baggins’ 111th
birthday party
3018 The War of the
Ring Begins
3019 The Ring is
destroyed in Mount
Doom
13
Lord of the
Rings
The Exhibition
Weapons and Armour
In “The Lord of the Rings” we encounter many races
with their multitude of different weapons and armour.
In this article Arsene will try to explain where the
costume makers and artists at Weta Studios got their
ideas from and on which ancient tribes and people
the fantastic costumes are based
Review by Matt Walters
As the hype for the final instalment was rising and
people flocked in their thousands to the cinema,
the Science Museum was offering an opportunity to
experience “Middle-earth” first hand at “The Lord of the
Rings Motion Picture Trilogy – the Exhibition”.
A complimentary ticket was made available to us along
with a press pack to visit the exhibition. We were thus
enabled to journey to the regions in “Middle-earth”. From
Hobbiton where Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out
on their journey to the Black gate of Mordor and Sauron,
maker of the ring.
Our approach to the entrance of the exhibition was
framed by enormous banners portraying the main
characters of the films - Arwen, Frodo and Legolas.
There were also two 10’ statues of the Argonaths. For
more info read the books. Already impressed by the
opening and the merchandise available we made our way
around the exhibition. The thing most striking was the
incredible attention to detail that had been afforded to
every garment, prop, weapon and prosthetic. It would be
easy to believe that these costumes and weapons actually
belonged to races and cultures that had existed for many
millennia. King Théoden (played by Bernard Hill) wears
a garment in the movie which you would expect a king
going into battle to wear, but here is where the costume
designers really went to town, by embossing the inside
of the material and the leather with the emblem of the
Rohirrim (the name for his race) which no-one save
Bernard Hill would get to see. The actors were not only
made to look the part but feel the part. It is this element
shown in the exhibition that makes the movies, all be
it subtly, feel completely real and transport you to a
different time and place.
Fact File on the Films
Although the exhibition was best seen as a follow
up to the films, it was made enjoyable for all by the
interactive areas where digital photography and
camera tricks were explained, weapon, costume and
design techniques described and the technology
used to make the books into cinematic history
demonstrated.
First designed at “The Museum of New Zealand, Te
Papa Tongarewa”, the exhibition took four years and
£750,000 to create. The Science museum took more
advance ticket sales for this exhibition than any
exhibition previously, probably aided by it being the
only venue in Europe to host the exhibition. The large
numbers of people queuing to see the movies and the
exhibition made it clear that the effort put into making
them has paid off. This is due to the commitment from
all the cast and crew, from actors, make up artists and
designers, to Peter Jackson himself.
Although the exhibition is no longer in Europe I can
highly recommend you watch the movies and visit the
Tepapa web site at www.tepapa.govt.nz/Rings/ to
see the exhibition online.
A special thanks to Ben Ayers from the press department
at the museum who made the visit possible.
* Director Peter Jackson took 18 months to film all three adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings” * The filming of all three parts in New Zealand took 15 months and required the services of 15,000 extras playing the
parts of Orcs, Goblins and other creatures * 1,600 pairs of rubber feet were used * 5,000 cubic metres of
vegetables and flowers were grown a year before the filming started to make Hobbiton - the village where
some of the Hobbits live * 250 horses were used. 70 of
these were specially trained, including five miniature
horses used for the Hobbits * Many of the sets were
carved from polystyrene to make them look like wood
that had aged over thousands of years * Over £50,000
of coffee was drunk by the crew and cast during the
18 months of filming * 48,000 pieces of armour were
designed and made for the film trilogy * 2,000 weapons were also produced, including swords, spears,
pikes, maces, longbows, crossbows, daggers, knives
and axes, as well as 10,000 arrows
Facts Courtesy of Science Museum Press information leaflet.
Images courtesy of New Line Cinema © 2003 NLC
Rohirrim
The Riders of Rohan
are warriors with
a horse culture
background. As they
are civilians rather
than a permanent
force, their armour
changes from one warrior to another.
The Rohirrim’s armour is based on 8th to 11th
century Norse armour. Over chain mail or plate mail shirts
they wear either long shirts or, like Eomer, leather breast and
back plates with shoulder pads of the same material. All leather
parts have metal incorporated, partly to harden them, partly
as decoration. The decoration always represents something
to do with horses. The helmets are basic Norman ones with
decorations. The Rohirrim use the bow as their main weapon.
From the back of their horses they use
heavy ash spears, which can be used
as lances or be thrown. Otherwise
the riders have axes or swords for
close combat. For protection the
riders rely on a small round shield
decorated with designs around
their horse culture.
Orc and Uruk-Hai
These creatures use bows, crude
hacking weapons and spears. As
each of their soldiers chooses his
own weapons and armour, there
is a diversity of looks among the troops. A lot of the
armour is dependant on what function the wearer has
during a battle. Uruk-Hai and Orcs rely on different
types of helmets, chain mail and metal plates, as well
as half moon shaped shields (with an eye painted on
it) for protection. All of these designs are purely fantasy and
represent the creativity, imagination and craftsmanship of the
artists at Weta studios.
Elves
Hadhafang: Arwen’s sword
In battle
the Elves use either their powerful bows to swamp
the enemy with arrows or their 5 foot long S-shaped
swords in close combat. Half the length of the
sword is the handle which means that the warrior
uses both hands to swing the weapon. The curved
blades and handles are loosely based on Far Eastern
swords (Mongolian, Chinese, Japanese).
A fantastic work of art is Hadhafang, the
sword of the Elven princess Arwen with
its decoration and inscriptions of Elven
runes. These weapons are used in
fluent slicing motions rather than for
hacking or stabbing. For protection
they use full body armour similar to
medieval knights and helmets based
on ancient Greek styles.
Men, Hobbits and Dwarves
The Hobbits only weapon is a short stabbing sword.
The best example is Frodo’s sword Sting which
was forged by the Elves. If there are any Orcs
present it starts to glow blue. The shape of Sting
is based on ancient Greek
or Roman swords. Hobbits
wear no specific body
Sting: Frodo’s Sword
armour.
Gimli the Dwarf is armed with axes, of which one is
double sided. These finely crafted weapons are created
in the image of early Saxon or Scandinavian axes. To
protect him he wears a long heavy leather shirt with
metal decorations over chain mail. Both weapons
and shirt are some of the finest made by Dwarven
craftsmen.
The army of Men use many different variations of weapons
and armour, all based on 9th to 13th century European suits of
armour. The soldiers of Gondor wear full body armour over
chain mail like Italian knights of the 13th century. They are
armed with bows, swords and lances. Aragorn on the other hand
wears a chain mail shirt over which he puts finely decorated
leather breast and back plates and shoulder protection. All this
armour is a mixture of 9th & 10th century chain mail with a
Roman influence for the breast and back armour.
His sword is Narsil, the famous
sword of King Elendil, which
was shattered in the battle
against Sauron but later
reforged. Narsil is decorated
with Elven runes. This is a
typical European sword of
medieval times.
Narsil: Aragorn’s sword
One Exhibition to rule them all
14
Gimli’s Axe
King Elendil’s Helmet
Artwork by Arsene
15
16
CRUCIFIXION ON VICTORIA STREET
“Were you there when they crucified my Lord …”?
Fr. Padraig, the Chaplain, writes about The Passage’s
involvement in Westminster’s Good Friday procession
A
group from The Passage led the procession of about 1,000 people
following the Cross - remembering the Passion of Jesus - along
Victoria Street on Good Friday.
Q
I received a letter here at the Day Centre the other
day. It’s from the Magistrates Court, about a fine I owe
from last year. I don’t have the money to pay – I’m on JSA.
What should I do?
A
In London today homelessness is a scourge. The people who suffer this
indignity, suffer a contemporary crucifixion of human beings. The symbol
of Sister Ellen taking the Cross from Jason and Derek, was intended to
express the mission at The Passage; to carry some of the pain, some of
the suffering of Jesus Christ in the people of London today.
Michel Quoist
Plan of the procession by Peter Graham
Photographs
courtesy of
Keith Day from
Sheppard Day
I’m glad you’ve come forward and asked the question,
because it’s always better to deal with debts rather than ignore
them!
You can write to the court explaining that you cannot pay a
lump sum because of your situation, and offering to pay off the
fine in instalments, perhaps £6 a fortnight.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor speaks at Westminster Cathedral
The Passion is read before the second stage of the procession
Q
A
Will my offer be accepted?
I would expect so (or, if not £6, perhaps a little more).
Most organisations which are owed money – whether courts,
councils, mail order catalogues, or other creditors – will be
prepared to take your circumstances into account. There’s not
really much point in their insisting on a rate of instalment you
simply can’t afford, as it wouldn’t be sustainable.
Q
A
What if I can’t keep up with the payments?
That would be a more serious matter (unless there is
a very good reason - for example, suspension of benefit or
admission to hospital). If you do miss a payment, it’s better
– once again! – to deal with the situation: write to apologise
for having fallen behind and to confirm that you are resuming
payments immediately.
The Via Dolorosa from Westminster Cathedral to Westminster Abbey
You mentioned Council Tax. I still owe Council Tax for
the flat I lived in before I became homeless. I was getting
letters from bailiffs saying they were going to take away
all my things, and the amount I owed kept going up.
A
Following a reading from The Passion and words spoken by the Cardinal,
Jason and Derek handed the cross to Sister Ellen. Sister Ellen, surrounded
by our group, made the second part of the Sorrowful Way back along
Victoria Street to Westminster Abbey.
A tree needs
to be planted
in order to take root,
to grow and bear fruit.
And all of us need
a home
in order to live
and grow.
Q
Sam, the Benefits Advisor at The
Passage Day Centre, answers
some more of your frequently
Where there are arrears of Council Tax, the Magistrates
asked questions
Court can issue a “distress warrant”, and the council then uses
We began at Methodist Central Hall where Jason and Derek lifted and
carried the large wooden cross at the head of the procession. Police closed
the street where we walked in silence (except for the slow rythmic beat of
a drum). We made the first part of the Sorrowful Way (Via Dolorosa) to
Westminster Cathedral. It was a clear, sunny Spring morning.
The great Procession of the Cross ended inside the Abbey with a heartfelt,
doleful rendering of the negro spiritual “Were you there when they
crucified my Lord…?” We were there. We remembered the day when
Jesus Christ was crucified. All of us will remember Good Friday 2004.
Dear
Sam ...
Remember, though, that it is almost always possible to prevent
these things from happening, by making contact with the
creditors and arranging to pay by instalment.
Sr Ellen in Westminster Abbey
Magistrates Court fines are a priority debt, like rent arrears,
and also arrears of gas or electricity, and Council Tax. These are
all priority because of the seriousness of the penalties for not
paying them. Rent arrears can lead to a person’s home being
repossessed; where there are arrears of gas or electricity, the
fuel companies may be able to obtain a warrant to force entry
and disconnect the supply (or install a prepayment meter); and
non-payment of court fines or Council Tax can ultimately lead
to a warrant being issued for your arrest.
private bailiffs to enforce this. A distress warrant does not give
bailiffs the right to force entry (despite what their letters may
imply!). It’s important, however, not to open the door to bailiffs
because, if you do let them in, they can force entry the next
time. Of course, you are under no obligation to open the door
to them in the first place.
Bailiffs’ charges – like their letters – are a big problem (even
though there are codes of practice which are meant to regulate
these). Also, bailiffs – unlike creditors – are not interested in
taking your situation into account: I feel there is no point in
trying to negotiate with them. In these cases, I try instead to
deal directly with the council, but I have to admit it’s a long
process. However, it’s important to start making payments
right away, and I believe that sending postal orders or cheques
to the council in the meantime is the best safeguard against
further action.
Q
I’ve also got other debts: two catalogues, one loan
from a finance company, and a discontinued credit card.
I’m worried that, if I get rehoused, these companies will
soon catch up with me.
A
These credit debts are important and need to be dealt
with but they are non-priority debts, because they cannot lead
to repossession of a person’s home, or forced entry, or arrest.
The companies involved will almost always accept a financial
statement, showing your income and expenditure (your
expenditure includes priority debts): you only offer the nonpriority creditors what is left after the priority debts have been
taken into account.
Let’s say you owe company A £500; company B £300; company
C £200; and company D £100. If you have £10 a fortnight left
after all other expenditure, you need to offer £5 to company A,
£3 to B, £2 to C, and £1 to D.
This principle – “equitable distribution” – should always be accepted,
but it of course means treating all creditors this way, and not entering
into separate deals with others. It also means not entering into any
more credit debts once these arrangements have been set up.
We have financial statements here at The Passage for clients to use.
Thankyou for your questions. I hope other readers of “Writes”
will be encouraged to come forward if they are experiencing
similar problems.
17
18
Education Training & Employment
The Education, Training, & Employment
Service has the following courses and
groups that you can join. All are free
and can help you improve your existing
skills and learn new ones.
Computer Training
Monday—Friday
9.00 - 10.45 Session 1
(Rough Sleepers only)
10.45 - 12.30 Session 2
• Internet access for job search and
course information using our specially
designed ETE web site
• Introduction to computer basics in-
er
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T h
Anna
CLAIT & Literacy Tutor
cluding typing, word processing, speadsheets & databases
• Graphics & page layout packages
• Web page design using Flash &
Dreamweaver
Magazine Group
12.30 - 1.00 Tuesdays
Weekly meeting aimed at producing “The
Writes of Passage” magazine. Help put
this magazine together.
Vocational Guidance and Job Search
11.30 - 12.30 Mondays with Nana Learning Coach.
10.30 - 12.30 Tuesdays with Glenn from
City of Westminster College.
Please book in advance.
Business In The Community (BITC) /
Freshfield
Work placements available.
Mentoring
Someone to talk to if you are moving into
your own accommodation or at a period
of change in your life. Times to suit you.
Speak to Anne-Marie, Mentoring Coordinator.
Literacy Sessions
Improve your reading and writing skills
every Monday 10 - 12 noon & Tuesday
9.30 - 11.30 with Anna from City of Westminster College. Three individual slots
each session. Please book in advance.
Plater College
Links to an adult residential college in
Oxford which specialises in courses for
mature students.
Financial Exclusion Worker
A big cheer for the commencement in post
of Mr John Hirst. John will be working on
the creation of bank accounts for clients
and the management of their benefits
whilst they attend work placements
Welcome back to
Bev from A&R
Farewell to Bill.
We’ll miss you
Want to learn to use a computer?
This course is part time and free, and
does not affect benefits. It takes place
in the ETE room. It enables students to
achieve CLAIT Level 1 (or New CLAIT),
which is a qualification awarded by the
OCR.
What can I learn?
Using a Computer - how to start up a
computer and find files
Word Processing - writing text and
changing it
Spread Sheets - setting out numerical
information and doing calculations
Graphs and Charts - making graphs and
charts from numerical information
Databases - setting out and organising
information
Desktop Publishing - setting out text
and pictures on a page, as if for a magazine
or poster
Electronic Communication - using
email and the internet
Presentation Graphics - using Powerpoint to produce slides
BBC Web Wise - learn how the internet
works
Computer Art - creating a layout with
pictures
Web Pages - designing your own web pages
You can get a certificate for each unit.When
you pass five units (including Using a Computer) you get the full New CLAIT Level 1
qualification.
Requirements
You need to be able to use a keyboard
and a mouse and be familiar with icons
and menus but nothing more. If you need
to get these skills then see a member
of the ETE team, it will only need a few
days practice.
How does the course work?
You work at your own pace.
You will work with me and on your own
to learn each unit.
There is as much practice material as
you need, you can take your time to
work through this.
When you are ready you will work
through an Assessment Assignment,
which I then mark, ask a colleague to
mark and then send away to the OCR
who will also mark it and then send back
the certificates.
If you do not pass an assessment, you
can try again as there is another that you
can complete.
Thinking about Volunteering?
Our Jobsearch Advisor,
Glenn, takes a look at the
things you might consider
if you are thinking about
voluntary work
Positive Reasons for Volunteering
• Testing out job ideas - if you have little experience of the world
of work, are considering a career change, or are deciding which
course to do at college, voluntary work can give you an insight
into what you might like
• Work experience - you can gain valuable experience that could
help you secure a job in the future, or generally improve
your CV. Some professions, such as social work and youth
work, require voluntary experience before accepting training
entrants
• Gaining skills and knowledge - whatever you do, it is likely that
you will learn something new. For some types of voluntary
work, proper training is provided because you couldn't do the
work without it. For example, the Samaritans have a thorough
training programme and some conservation organisations
train people in things like dry stone walling
• Permanent work - volunteering could lead to a permanent paid
position in an organisation. You not only learn the job but
when paid jobs come up you might just find yourself in the
right place at the right time
• Self-esteem and friendship - at the very least, being a volunteer
is a chance to feel good about yourself. It can also be a good
way of finding new friends who may share common interests
or outlooks on life
• Travel - some volunteering activities can be a great way of
seeing different places and learning about different cultures
Possible Drawbacks of Volunteering
• Pay - you are only likely to be paid travel expenses and possible
incidental expenses. If you are thinking about volunteering
abroad, you may have to pay for it. If, however, you are
claiming Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support or Incapacity
Benefit, you will continue to receive these (see later for some
other points on welfare benefits)
• Monotony - some volunteer work can be boring and repetitive,
with little contact with the people that the organisation is
helping
• Commitment - some organisations will ask you to commit
yourself to work at certain times or for a certain period
Different Ways of Volunteering
One of the advantages of volunteering is the amount of choice
you have, not only in terms of what you do, but when, where
and how you do it:
• During the day - almost anything from shop work to
environmental research
• At night - for example, telephone support lines
• Part-time - from an hour a week upwards
• Casual basis - fairly common with fundraising activities
• Regular basis - in terms of acquiring skills and making friends,
this is likely to be more rewarding
• Locally - there should be something you can do within walking
distance
• Further afield - this can include overseas work
• Indoors - offices, shops, workshops, classrooms, or hospitals
• Outdoors - anything from taking people shopping to surveying
the local hedgehog population
• Manual work - you could learn a skill such as gardening, cooking
or decorating. If you already have a skill you could teach it
• Administrative work - perhaps running a shop or working in
an office
Volunteering and Welfare Benefits
In general, you can do as much voluntary work as you like,
and your claim for Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support or
Incapacity Benefit will not be affected. This is subject to the
following rules:
• You must not receive any payment, other than for reasonable
expenses, such as travel or special clothing
• It must be reasonable for the organisation you are doing the
work for not to pay you (otherwise a notional amount of
income may be attributed to you)
• Jobseekers Allowance only - you must still be actively seeking
work
• Jobseekers Allowance only - you must be willing and able to
start paid work within one week
Glenn is available in the ETE Room on Tuesdays from
10.30am - 12.30pm. If you would like to make an
appointment to see him please speak to a member of ETE
staff.
Amir, who last issue wrote about Java applets,
explains how to create professional looking
documents in Microsoft Word
Documents with Styles
For more professionally created documents you can define
new styles or change existing styles in Word. For example,
you can change the Normal style so that you would not need
to press Enter twice each time you start a new paragraph.
Pressing Enter once would be enough and the style itself leaves
sufficient space between paragraphs. Proceed as follows.
• Choose Format > Styles
• Choose Normal and press Modify….
• Now press Format and select Paragraph.
Type in or scroll to 12 in the Spacing After text box.
• Now click OK, then another OK, and then click Apply
• Now whenever you finish a paragraph press Enter once. The
new paragraph starts with a space equivalent to a blank line of
font size 12 from the previous paragraph (or you could enter
a larger or smaller number if you wanted more or less spacing)
19
20
Pre-tenancy Training Programme
Courses for people with a history of homelessness who are moving or have recently moved into their own flat
Viewing an Offer and Expectations
• What you are likely to get offered
• What to expect when offered a flat
• What to take with you on a viewing
• Prepare in advance of viewing a flat
• What to look for when viewing a flat
• Refusing an offer/case studies: clarifying procedures
Furnishing your flat
• Look at priorities (essential and non-essential furniture)
• Move of the Century Game CD ROM
• What to take into account when buying furniture
• Community Care Grants
Dealing with Bills
• What the main bills are
• Bedsit Bonanza Bills Game CD ROM
• Information on different payment methods
• Deal with gas and utility companies
• Understand meters and bills: tips and quiz
• Important elements of bills that need to be understood
Dealing with welfare benefits
• Test your knowledge of benefits and deal with them
• What needs to be done and when
• Discuss the main procedures and the importance of a
quick claim
• Look at some of the problems and difficulties which
could arise when dealing with the benefit system and
strategies for dealing with them
• Deal with the housing benefit office
Managing Change and the Move-On Process
• Compare your situation, responsibilities and how you
feel about moving on
• Identify what changes happen between ‘homelessness’
and managing a tenancy
• Identify factors that may help or hinder your move
• Be ready for move-on
• The benefits and disadvantages of independent living
Dealing with Debts and Creditors
• Identify ways of staying out of debt and of dealing
with debt if you get in that situation
• Learn the difference between priority and non-priority
debts and identify strategies for dealing with creditors
Dealing with Rent Arrears
• Look at the ways in which rent arrears can develop and
how to deal with rent arrears once in debt
• Understand the range of consequences of rent arrears
and look at some strategies for managing the problem
Money planning and saving
• Pick up some skills and tips on different ways to plan
and budget money and why this is important
Managing on a low income
• Look at ways to manage on a low income e.g. cooking
on a budget, energy saving tips, maximising income
Improving communication skills
• Look at different types of communication skills and
practice communicating clearly and assertively through
role plays and case studies
Confidence building and assertiveness
• Look at levels of confidence and identify ways of
increasing it in order to manage a tenancy
• Find out about assertiveness techniques and practice
being assertive in dealing with problems
Dealing with neighbours
• Identify ways of dealing with neighbour problems and
disputes
• Identify the rights and responsibilities as a neighbour
Living on your own
• Discuss ways to occupy time once living in a flat
• Identify the barriers to getting involved in activities and
how to overcome them
Attention
Conservationists
Lucy, the Life Skills Tutor, explains about her group’s
involvement in conservation work
T
hese photographs were taken at Stave Hill Ecological Park in
Rotherhithe. It is managed by the Trust for Urban Ecology
as a nature reserve, educational facility, research area and place
of recreation. The Park has been designed and managed to form
a mosaic of grassland, woodland, shrub and wetland habitats
which support a wide variety of wildlife. The Passage Life Skills
Group has been volunteering there for over two years and has
made a great contribution to the park. We have been involved
in a variety of projects such as bench making, fencing, building
planters and clearing ponds. We still visit every Thursday,
(weather permitting) 10am - 2/3pm, travel expenses are paid
and a packed lunch is provided. Please speak to staff if you are
interested in joining us for a day of conservation.
Referrals through Housing. For further information
speak to any member of ETE or Life Skills
Gainful Enjoyment
London’s museums and galleries are arguably the best in
the world. What’s inside them comes from every corner of
the earth, but the vast majority of the earth’s population
will never look inside any museum, let alone London’s.
Does it matter? We only know if we go.
It takes time to visit a museum or gallery, mainly because you
need to change gears – like you might when you enter a church.
God may not inhabit museums, but humanity does – the cares,
the labours, the frustrations, the triumphs and the loves of
humanity went into these objects in concentration – and comes
out too. Looking in a museum or gallery is looking at ourselves:
a wider and more far-reaching version of ourselves than we
usually notice.
Education departments in museums offer tours and practical
workshops that help us understand more about their collections
and how they relate to us. Joining one of these is a good way
to share the experience of a museum – communicating not just
with human makers of another time and space but with the one
standing next to you!
Capital A is a programme of workshops that aims to make
museums and galleries more accessible to everyone in London.
The workshops are led by artists and tutors who are relaxed and
friendly and also experts in their fields; they last anywhere from
an hour to a week - usually a morning, an afternoon or a day.
They usually involve looking at some form of art (paintings,
photographs, videos, sculpture, fashion, crafts) and making
some of your own. They are open to everyone, no experience is
necessary and beginners are especially welcome.
Interested? Get in touch and come along – we look forward to
meeting you!
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 07985 411 458
Capital A
Please note - the Women’s Group has resumed. Please join us
every Friday morning 9 until noon in the Life Skills room
21
Day Centre Manager
H
ello! My name is Helen Standen and I am writing to introduce
myself as the new Day Centre Manager at the Passage. I have been
in post since January 2004, taking over from Fiona Nelson, who is now
Assistant Director, Client Services. I first came to the Passage in 1993
as a volunteer for a year. Around that time I worked as a locum project
worker in the night shelter, now known as Passage House. After this I
worked in different residential projects, completed social work training
and gained experience in other areas of social care including mental
health, children and families and substance misuse. I was delighted to
return to the Passage in December 1999 in the role of Deputy Day Centre
Manager. For the first three years I was also responsible for managing
the Assessment and Referral team who are the front line workers in the
Day Centre. Last year the team was restructured and now have a Team
Leader whose sole responsibility is to manage and support the team.
There have been many changes in the
Day Centre in the last four years. The staff
team are constantly looking at how best to
deliver services effectively. The teams in
the Day Centre are;
Outreach, Assessment and Referral, Pastoral
Services, Primary Services and Volunteer,
Health, Education, Training and Employment/
Mentoring, Housing and Advice, and the
Weekend team
The biggest challenge that the team
encounter is responding to the demand
for services in the Day Centre which has
always been high. However, even if we
doubled the size of the Day Centre and
the staff team we would still not be able to
meet all the requests for services that come
in through our doors. That is why we need
to prioritise our services. Two years ago we
prioritised access to rough sleepers for the
early morning session and last September
we introduced the duty service to try and
ensure that new service users have a chance
to meet with a member of the Assessment
and Referral team to work out a plan to
meet individuals’ needs. Referrals are
then made to appropriate specialist teams
within the Centre or to outside agencies.
However, we also recognise that the Day
Centre provides a safety net for individuals
who are insecurely housed and still very
vulnerable. For this reason the Day Centre
is open to everyone over the age of 25 after
10.30 am.
In my new role, I supervise Team Leaders,
ensuring that they and their teams are
supported in their work and to look at their
service, how it is being delivered and how it
can be developed. Recently, I have written
reports to some of the authorities and
organisations that provide us with funding
to carry out the work in the Centre. As an
organisation we need to be accountable
for the work that we do and the service
that is provided to clients. In the last year
more information is being recorded on
our database. This will show us how many
people visit the Centre. The Day Centre
D
team work closely with the Outreach team
to support the work that is carried out with
clients outside the Centre.
We are always looking to improve
and develop services that are provided
by outside agencies in the Centre. These
include Health services, Benefits Outreach,
Homeless Persons Unit Outreach service,
City of Westminster College, Employment
services to name but a few!
I am looking forward to working with the
new Deputy Day Centre Manager, the Team
Leaders and the staff team to develop and
consolidate services offered in the Centre
and to take steps to improve our facilities
and the Day Centre environment.
2
3
1
A warm
welcome to
Peter Baxendale
who is our new
Deputy Day
Centre Manager
own at the Passage medical room the nurses
Charlotte, Victoria, David and Nicky, are
available every weekday from 09.30 ‘till 13.00.
We’re a good first point of contact for anyone
with ongoing health problems, new/undiagnosed
problems or anyone who is homeless or sleeping
rough.
A Doctor is present between 9 am and 10 am
Monday, Wednesday and Friday but if you miss the
Doctor we’ll try our best to solve the problem or
refer you on to somewhere else. However we’ll try
to help on the spot and can provide services like
blood pressure checks, dressings etc.
Health is about anything to do with being human.
We see people with all sorts of problems and
complaints from headaches and rashes, Diabetes,
Nicky in the Nurses’ Treatment Room
drug/alcohol addiction.
After initial contact you don’t have to come back regularly (although you can if you want to) and you can always
return when you’re ready and we’ll be happy to see you.
An important part of a nurses job is to promote health through the different seasons, so now at the beginning of
summer, we are giving homeless people advice on staying safe in the sun. Come and see us if you want to know more.
Medical
22
6
4
5
Artwork by;
1 Uve Prinz
3, 4 & 6 Anna Ward
2 & 5 Havroy Williams
23
COMPETITION
24
PAGE
Poetry Page
WIN a trip to the cinema. Enter
one or all three of the quizzes below.
Send your answers along with your name and contact details to Mike or
Matt in ETE by 3rd September, 2004. Answers will be published next issue
*
The hills of life
* One prize only per person. A draw will be made from all the correct entries received. Management decision is final.
A Walk in the Park
OLYMPICS
Lord of the Rings.
Q. How many Summer Games have there been?
Q. To the nearest hundred how many athletes will be taking part at
Athens?
Q. When and where were the first Olympic Games held?
Q. Where will the next Games be held?
Q. When were the Games held in London?
Q. Which of the following have never been olympic sports?
*Bungee Jumping
*Rugby
*Croquet
*Tug of War
*Golf
*Water skiing
*Extreme Ironing
*Polo
*Darts
Q. For how many days do the Games last?
W
O
R
D
S
E
A
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C
H
By Tony Persad
Q. How many Hobbits went up Mount Doom?
Q. What was the name of Bilbo’s home?
Q. Who cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand?
Q. Why did Sam particularly want to go to Rivendell?
Q. How old was Bilbo at his farewell birthday party?
Q. How many Black Riders assailed Frodo on Weathertop?
Q. What colour was the door at Bag End?
Q. Which member of the Fellowship demanded the Ring from Frodo?
Q. How did Bilbo know that Sting was an Elvish Blade?
Q. What part of Frodo became best aquainted with the Crack of Doom?
Q. What was Legolas’ preferred weapon?
Q. How did Frodo usually carry the One Ring?
Q. What sort of trees flanked the west door of Moria?
BENEFITS
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
ETE
HOMELESS
HOUSING
KEYWORK
MEETING
NEWSLETTER
OUTREACH
PASSAGE HOUSE
PILGRIMAGE
PROGRAMME
RESIDENTS
SUPPORT
TRAINING
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Walking through our local park
Just as eve was falling, it was
getting dark
We saw a woman without her shoe
Saying hello, goodbye, how are
you
We just kept on walking doing
more talking
For this was just an everyday
scene
Not the first time this woman we
had seen
We kept walking through the park
As eve was falling getting darker
than dark
We turned, and saw a man
Drinking out of a paper covered
can
But we kept on walking still doing
more talking
We knew this man,sober,once had
been
But today again this was just
another typical scene
The adventures in “Middle-earth” of Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn and the rest of the
fellowship have captivated the minds of the young and old alike. See how you fare.
Image courtesy of New
Line Cinema © 2003 NLC
Poetry written by clients of the Passage
W A
L
M
We kept on walking through the
park
Eve had fell it had no light
it was darker than dark
We saw a child all dressed in white
Crying please don’t leave me,
alone again, not tonight
But we kept on walking kept on
talking
For we didn’t believe at what we’d
seen
Or this was really how things had
been
First three poems written by
Jamie McCoy
Jesus is our Saviour
Written by Adrian D’Cunha
I walked and walked
Climbed to the top
Looked back, surveyed from whenst
I came
Looking straight ahead
I spied another hill
Taller than the one before
But still I walked and walked
Climbed to the top to the crest
Reached the top to rest
Looking back, I spied the path from which
I’d strayed
The reason why my journey
Had been dramatically delayed
But looking forward, straight ahead
Another hill to climb
So much taller than the one before
So I walked and walked
I had to reach the summit of this hill
Tired, played out,
I’d reached the summit
Surveying what I saw
Just another hill to climb
Higher than the one before
But now with friends
I laughed I joked
I didn’t notice how high the hills
Just kept on walking walking walking
Straight into my destiny
Jesus is our Saviour
He was born in a manger
Yet died on a cross
But He was no stranger
To suffer and loss
So why did He suffer
And feel so much pain
It must be another
Day He will reign
And can we remember
The price that He paid
It was late in December
His spirit was made
Is love the real answer
To all who feel grief
We love one another
Though life is a thief
And all those who pray to Him
Will surely survive
An age to remember
I spoke with Shakespeare
One night I went to sleep
Dreamed a dream so deep
Then while waiting for a bus
There was a commotion such a
fuss
William Shakespeare had
wandered in to view
So I shouted hiya Will I’m a writer
too
He stopped, turned and stared
and said
You are Jamie your poems I have
read
I like the one about the rascal
child
And the one about the river wild
I shouted have you read the one
about death
Then he said why’d you think I
wrote Macbeth
He shook my hand
Says together we must band
We talked and talked as we walked
Exchanged ideas
Spoke of all our fears
Then we made a wager a parting
bet
He told me I could write a story
Better than Romeo and Juliet
I just wondered if I could
Then remembered Will had said I
should
But as I sit here my pen in hand
This dream remembered but still
don’t understand
The words no longer flow
But there’s an awful lot of me I’ve
got to show
So now I’m writing an
autobiography
Guess what?
It’s about William Shakespeare
Wordsworth Keats
And me
For He is alive
25
26
Crossing the
Divide
was a contemporary ditty like Three Coins In A Fountain or the
overture to Wagner’s epic opera The Flying Dutch Man.
The world of classical organ music is renowned for being stuffy
and sternly traditionalist. Yet, Virgil Fox (1912-1980) not only
was one of the finest American organists of the 20th century; he
is considered one of the most flamboyant classical organists of
the USA. At the height of his career his playing technique was
astounding. Desirous to introduce the public to good music,
A rather uninspired performance, of a chart hit, by a famous he was eclectic in his choice of works and unorthodox in preoperatic tenor, reminded me of advice I received as a young stu- senting them. While he was organist of the Riverside Church,
dent at the conservatoire. My piano professor, a fine pedagogue New York, thousands of tourists came to hear him play. He
with decades of experience as a teacher, had noticed a subtle undertook many energetic tours of the USA, travelling with a
deterioration of my technique, undoubtedly as the result of my large electronic organ at a time when such instruments were
heavy gigging and playing of “pop” music as I thought it ought uncommon and rejected by most classical organists. He did
to be played.
what few recitalists do – Virgil Fox talked to his audience. Even
more shocking, certainly to purists, was the dazzling light show
“When you play popular music”, my professor said, “use the normally found at pop concerts, that he would bring with him
same technique that you’d use for any classical work”.
as an aid for setting the mood for the works he performed. In
1954, Fiedler, the Boston Pops Orchestra and Virgil Fox teamed
I was not convinced that a professor of classical piup for a concert that shook the foundations of
ano, who was in her fifties already when Bill Haley
Symphony Hall in Boston. Another of Fox’s sins
and his Comets rocked around the clock in 1954,
in the traditionalists’ mind was a highly successwould know how to play contemporary “pop”. Realful recital he gave on the archenemy of snobbish
ising my doubts, she instructed me to bring to her
classical players: the Mighty Wurlitzer cinema orsome sheet music of pop tunes and jazz standards
gan. For this heinous deed Fox had a particularly
that she may demonstrate the correctness of her
fine specimen of a theatre organ at his disposal:
advice. As we worked on them, my playing of ‘nonthe famous Wurlitzer pipe organ formerly at the
classical’ music improved in every way. I also realParamount Theatre, New York. He certainly knew
ised that a close link exists between classical, popuhow to play it, as his fine renditions of Londonderlar music, and jazz.
ry Air, Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer and Richard
Handel
Roger’s Slaughter On Tenth Avenue proved.
I could never see myself on just one side of that great divide
that, apparently, no status-conscious musician dares to cross. What Virgil Fox was in the world of classical organ music (and
Performers and lovers of classical music tend to view those on in the eyes of those resisting all progress), Liberace (1919the other side of that imaginary border with contempt. The ex- 1987) was in the realm of piano music. His outrageous stage
ponents of ‘pop’ and jazz with their fans often feel that classical costumes amazed audiences years before Elton John surprised
music is irrelevant and elitist.
fans with his kind of dress sense. Liberace would play anything
in any order – be it Chopsticks or a finger-breaking virtuoso piNowadays, the excursions into alien territory by famous per- ano piece by Franz Liszt.
formers are rarely a heart-felt desire to explore new music.
Usually, the artist’s manager tries to increase the popularity Looking back at my own career, both as a classical organist and
of the performer – and thereby the revenues from record sales a theatre organist, I confess that I was happiest at the old Gauand live appearances by capturing “new markets”. Executives mont State Theatre in Kilburn, North West London. I was its
of record companies are known to resort to what is known as resident organist for nearly twelve years. It was a magnificent
“branching out” when sales figures of leading artists slump. A movie palace, the largest of its kind in Europe, with a famous
manager’s forceful persuasion, or the executive’s reference to a Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ that was featured by many welllegally binding contract with his recording company, is unlikely known British and American recitalists. During my tenure I
to produce heart-felt renditions of music the artist is unhappy was required to play a wide range of music. Rousing marches
to perform.
and popular songs of the 1940s for the premiere of Yanks, a
film set at the end of World War II. I was called upon to play
Fortunately, a number of gifted musicians have been equally at dramatic classical music for the screening of Romeo & Juliet and
home on both sides of the great divide.
a selection of Elvis Presley hits when the “King of Rock’n’Roll”
died in August 1977. Twenty-seven excerpts from pop songs
George Gershwin (1898-1937) wrote innumerable successful about pretty girls gave every entrant of a beauty contest her
popular songs. He was also a fine composer of ‘serious music’. own walk-on tune. When I gave theatre organ recitals, the audiHis Rhapsody in Blue, Cuban Overture, the opera Porgy and Bess ence expected me to talk to them. When the venue was a theaand several preludes for piano reveal what his ‘other side’ was tre (many preserved theatre organs reside elsewhere now) the
capable of creating.
projectionist and his team would provide the light show.
By Anthony R. C. Crawford
The American conductor and violinist Arthur Fiedler (18941979) achieved word-wide fame with the Boston Pops Orchestra. His association with that versatile assembly lasted for over
forty years. Fiedler enjoyed the music he conducted, whether it
I am in favour of a dividing line that must never be crossed. It
is the one between good and bad music. Unfortunately, there
is, in all categories, more bad music then good music written
these days. It seems that audiences have become less critical,
for certain works, that should have never seen the light of day,
enjoy undeserved acclaim and there are performers who are apparently prepared to lower their standards and play them.
The imaginary division between classical, popular, and jazz, I
have never been able to understand or to accept. Those who
sanctify it - status conscious performers and their snobbish
fans – ignore historical facts. They show ignorance and narrowmindedness.
Classical composers, such as Mozart and Haydn, earned a very
good living from writing popular music. Their aristocratic
employers expected them to provide dance music in the fashionable styles for their splendid social and formal events. The
famous Strauss dynasty of composers, recognised as classical
masters, wrote waltzes, polkas, quadrilles and other dances
that once were popular in Vienna but have long been forgotten. Indeed, the composing and performing members of the
Strauss family raised popular music to a new expressive level in
the 19th century. Chopin, whose works every concert pianist has studied and performed, wrote popular music for
himself and played it in the salons of the affluent.
Handel, who undoubtedly is a heavy-weight among
classical composers, wrote diverse music. Church
anthems with titles such as Have Mercy Upon Me,
O God, and oratorios like his famous Messiah. He
composed instrumental concertos, dances like
Minuets, Sarabandes and Bourreés. He provided
Music for the Royal Fireworks and his Water Music
was written for a royal entertainment on the River
Thames.
well-known composition of his’ is Move On Up A Little Higher.
Gospel groups influenced rhythm & blues, doo-wop, and the
explosion of black soul music in the 1960s. Aretha Franklin
(1942- ) made her first records in her father’s church. He was a
Baptist minister known throughout Black America for his fierce
sermons.
The great Sam Cooke (1931-1964) came out of the Soul Stirrers, a group who performed religious songs. The artist credited
with being the first soul singer, Ray Charles (1930- ) brought
the passion and the vocal technique called melisma to rhythm
& blues; he sang secular songs in a ‘sanctified’ manner.
A few centuries ago, when the Courante was a dance that was
all the rage, ordinary people had few opportunities of hearing
music. Sound recording became possible in 1877 with the invention, by Edison, of the Phonograph. But the phonographic
industry did not exist until the early 1900s. Radio was not generally available until the 1920s.
Nowadays, the diversity that radio, television, the
World Wide Web, and recordings offer, makes listening to new kinds of music easy.
What valid reason could there possible be for
not eavesdropping on the other side of that
great imaginary divide between classical, popular music and jazz – regardless of what kind of
music is presently the favourite?
Schubert
Something exciting may be waiting to be discovered
and enjoyed.
Admittedly, 18 century popular music bears little resemblance to the kind of music featured on Top Of The Pops. But
that is to be expected. All forms of art constantly evolve; new
styles are born out of older forms, which may eventually become obsolete.
© 2004. Copyright by Anthony R. C. Crawford, London.
The history of popular music is long and intricate. An article
about it, in Grove’s Dictionary of Music takes up many pages. It
highlights the influences classical and popular music have always had on each other and the many significant links that still
exist.
Anthony R. C. Crawford studied classical piano, pipe organ
and composition in Germany. He was active in classical music,
popular music and jazz as a composer, arranger and performing artist. His favourite instruments are the electric Hammond
organ and the Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ.
th
Within popular music apparently unrelated genres often have
common roots.
Gospel music originated from church hymns. The Protestant revival in the USA, at the beginning of the 19th century produced
the spiritual, mainly for rural meetings. Black slaves adopted
Christian hymns and invented their own songs in the now
familiar form. The blues has associations with spirituals and
hymns in the use of religious imaging. “Blind” Willie Johnson
(c.1902 - c.1949) made records for Columbia in the late 1920s,
which are entirely religious yet highly prized by blues collectors.
It was Dr. William Herbert Brewster Sr. (1897-1987) who introduced the term ‘gospel song’ as he accompanied religious
singing on a piano outside the church where his father was a
Baptist minister. Dr. Brewster is the architect of the modern
gospel sound. He wrote over 200 songs for his church services,
his renowned gospel drama extravaganzas, his radio ministry,
his performing groups, and for the top names in gospel music. A
About the author:
This Magazine needs YOU!
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like to become
involved with
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then speak to
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27
28
The BIG Interview
In March the Magazine Group was fortunate to get an exclusive interview with Rowan from
Streetwise Opera. In a very informative half hour she discussed all aspects of her work with this
wonderful charity which gives clients a chance to become involved with theatre and opera
Rowan with
members of
the Magazine
Group
When was Streetwise Opera
formed?
Streetwise Opera was formed in
January 2002 but before that
they did a pilot project, called
“The Little Prince Project”, with
The Passage. It was performed at
Covent Garden Opera House in
February 2002 (there was a review
in Issue 5 of Writes of Passage).
Because it was such a success
Matthew Peacock decided to set it
up properly.
How was it started and are you
a founder?
Matthew was working at The
Passage as a volunteer and was a
critic for “Opera Now” magazine.
When he was at The Passage people
wanted to know more about opera,
and when he was at the Opera
people would say “you go to The
Passage, that’s interesting, tell us
more about it.” So he put them
both together.
My first project was the Canticles
Project which was performed in
Westminster Abbey in May 2002.
Dominic Harlan also started at
the same time. He was the piano
player. After the performance
Sr.Ellen asked if Streetwise Opera
could continue working at The
Passage, so both Dominic and
myself said we would. And we are
still here.
The founder members are some
of the people who support us,
people from the arts etc. (see the
website for a list). But Matthew
started the whole thing.
Where is Streetwise Opera
based and is it nationwide?
It is based very much in London
at the moment. There is an
office in Battersea. Most of the
work happens in Westminster.
It is involved with The Passage,
Queen Mary’s Hostel, Connection
and St.Martin’s. However, it is
starting to branch out now and
become more nationwide. We
have workshops in Oxford and
Luton, and we are hoping to set up
workshops in Nottingham within
the next twelve months.
When we do a big project in a
city we aim to leave workshops
behind. We hope it will become
more nationwide but at the same
time we don’t want it to become
too big.
What projects do Streetwise
Opera get involved with?
The main criteria are always to
work with opera and music, to use
professional singers and musicians
who are really skilled in their fields
so that when groups come to work
with us they are not just learning
quite good music, they are learning
really good music and really good
skills. We bring in professional
electricians to do the set and the
electrics and there’s a whole body
of professional people involved to
put on an opera. Secondly we want
to work with people that might
not have everyday access to this
kind of art form. We work with
homeless/ex-homeless, and all
sorts of people that don’t generally
come into contact with opera.
Have you a particular favourite
project?
Definitely the Canticles in
Westminster Abbey. It was so
special to be in Westminster
Abbey with all its history, and for
the public to come and watch an
opera in there – the first time it’s
ever been done. Normally they
have concerts or church services,
but never an opera. The lighting,
the scenery, and the staging were
so special. Yes, that’s definitely my
favourite.
Where do Streetwise Opera
perform?
We try and perform in two different
types of place. Once a year we try
and perform in a really big high
profile venue like Westminster
Abbey or, like last year, in New
College, Oxford, which some
people from The Passage came
to see. It was fantastic. If we go
to Nottingham we’ll probably
perform in their City Hall. All the
rest of the year we do much smaller
performances. For example in April
we will perform in a church called
the Union Chapel, in Islington
(see end of article). Last year we
performed in the open air, at
Embankment Gardens. These type
of events are more frequent.
When did the workshops start
at the Passage Day Centre?
March 2002, for 3 months, to do
the Canticles. At the end of May
we decided to start them properly.
They now take place once a week,
at 2pm on a Tuesday.
What is Streetwise Opera’s next
project at The Passage and how
long does it last?
The next projext won’t actually be
at The Passage but it will be using
The Passage group. In April there is
a big festival at the Union Chapel
in Islington which runs for four
days. People are invited to go and
see various groups. There will be
art, painting, singing, all sorts of
musical things. One of the days,
Streetwise Opera is organising the
events. The group from The Passage
will be there all day – singing,
performing etc.
I went to see the venue recently
and there is a modern theatre
where we will be performing.
There will probably be some people
from Crisis Skylight and London
Connection, and maybe the group
from Luton, but the main group
will be from The Passage.
Do you know what will you be
performing?
We are going to do a little show called
“Sparks from the Ashes”. The festival
is called “Ten Feet Away”. The whole
idea is to look at things you don’t
immediately notice and see if you can
find something wonderful in them. We
have chosen songs that reflect that. One
of the songs is about being in New York
where it’s really cold, miserable and grey.
The person really hates it – but they’ve
fallen in love with somebody, and it’s
wonderful. And there’s another song like
that, about London. It’s really foggy and
the person just can’t be bothered. They
meet someone and suddenly everything
becomes sparkly again. It’s all about how
little tiny things can suddenly come along
and change your day.
sing it and everyone else in the group will
do backing vocals. We play around with
songs. We don’t normally sing them in
their traditional form. A general session
will have some warm ups, some rhythm
work, some interaction games and then
we’ll play around with some songs. We
do a bit of movement, maybe do a bit of
staging, decide how a song might look
– how an audience might like to see the
song – and what people might be doing.
Then there are usually a few extraverts
who will want to get up and do a solo.
Who can be involved with Streetwise
Opera and what is the age range?
Anybody can come who is in one of
the centres when Streetwise Opera are
performing. The age range is governed
by the centre they are in. The youngest
person will be 16 (from Connection,
St Martin’s). I think there is someone
at Queen Mary’s hostel in her 90’s. The
main group is probably 20-50.
People can come once or as often as
they want. We try to make each session
worthwhile in its own right so if you’ve
never been to Streetwise Opera before
and you can’t come back again, at least in
that one day that your with us you might
walk away humming something great
or feeling that you’ve learnt something
about music. We don’t really expect
people to come along and sing opera.
We just want people to come and listen
to music, learn a bit about music, and
hopefully sing a little bit.
Are there any backstage opportunities?
Yes, definitely. That’s a really important
part of what we do. Lots of people don’t
want to get up and be in the spotlight.
We don’t have so much of that during the
year, at the weekly workshops, but when
we do a big project there is lots of scope
for backstage work. What we tend to say
is “we’re going to spend 12 weeks putting
the project together, and in week 7,8, and
9, if you want to do backstage work come
and join us then”. We give people special
dates that we do backstage work. Three
or four people might help the lighting
designer, the same helping the set
designer, different people shadowing etc.
Also during actual performances people
might be required to work backstage and
help out there. They are vital in making
sure the show runs properly on the day.
So what would a normal session be like?
We generally plan it by term. If we
have a show at the end of it we start
preparing for that show pretty much
right at the beginning of term. Dominic
and I choose the music and then we’ll
do some improvisation and play around
with some of the notes. For example I’ll
Have Streetwise Opera performed for
any famous people?
I think Cherie Blair was at the AGM. At
our show in Westminster Abbey we found
out later that loads of famous people had
attended.
Where did you study opera?
I went to the Royal College of Music
which is next to the Albert Hall. I studied
singing for four years. I didn’t specialise
in opera. I did all sorts of different singing
including some opera which was part
of my course. I now do lots of different
styles. In my work as a singer I do a lot of
session work – I sing on the radio, a bit
of television work. I sing in churches – all
sorts of different stuff. But obviously
Rowan performs with the group
opera is a big part of what I do with
Streetwise Opera. That’s my training.
I started singing when I was 12. I
remember I always wanted to be a singer.
I did play the violin and the piano.
What have you done before joining
Streetwise Opera?
Lots of singing for different groups of
people. I went to Moscow and Germany
on tour. I sang in the Covent Garden
Festival and the Handel Festival - singing
jobs that would last 6-8 weeks. I did
Christmas shows, lots of things like that.
I can still do lots of these things because
I don’t work full time for Streetwise
Opera.
What is envisaged for the future
development of Streetwise Opera?
To continue to take opera to all sorts
of different groups of people within
different communities that wouldn’t
normally see it. Last week we took a
group to go and see a modern opera called
“Family Matters” – it was brilliant. That’s
another of our aims. To make sure we can
get people out to see opera.
We want to do more projects, all over
the country hopefully and to carry on
with our weekly workshops. We want to
keep it accessible and clear cut.
We thank Rowan very much for so generously giving up her time to come and talk to the Magazine Group. If you would like
more information about Streetwise Opera and what they do then why not visit their website www.streetwiseopera.org.uk
Ten Feet Away
“Sparks from the Ashes”
Union Chapel, Islington
Friday 16th April, 2004
Look out for the next performance: ‘The Handel and Hendrix Experience’ at Trinity Buoy Wharf, Docklands 16th - 20th August
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30
Stacey McPhall is a Vincentian Volunteer from Michigan, USA. She writes about her experiences over the
last year at The Passage. She is also famous for her banana bread so check out her recipe
first of September.
I was ushered into
the dining room
of the Provincial
House, the home
to the Daughters of
Charity, to meet the
other volunteers.
arefooted, I’m standing in front of the X-ray machine trying Sweaty and tired, I’m
The volunteers relaxing on Holy Island
hard to remain patient. “Last call for McPhall to board sure I didn’t make as
flight 738 at Gate B7…last call.” “Did you hear that?” I ask the great a first impression as they made on me. As soon as I met
complacent woman as she slowly ransacks through my travel them, I had forgotten about my flight and being so far from
bag. So much for neatness; I had spent a good amount of time home. They instantly felt like my second family as they still do
organising everything in my bag.
now. Never have the Vincentian Volunteers gotten along so
“Hear what? You tend to block everything out after working well and yet we represent countries from all over the world:
here for awhile.”
Indonesia, Slovakia, the United States and all over England,
“Well, am I going to miss my flight?”
from “Geordie Land” to Ipswich. We
“I don’t know,” she said in a dismissive
were told that the twelve of us were to
tone that meant she didn’t care either.
Ingredients
be divided into four houses of three each
After removing everything embarrassing
1 cup sugar
in London, Liverpool and Manchester.
from my backpack to display as comic
½ cup butter
Each of us would be assigned a particular
relief for all the other wardens of her
3 bananas
job to help the poor and others in need
meticulous inspections, it was sent
½ tablespoon hot water
of care or help once we were settled in
through the machine one last time. At
1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
our new places. I was assigned to stay in
last the culprit was revealed: two pen
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
London with Rachel, a creative soul from
refills still in their packaging. My sister
2 cups flour
Yorkshire and Stephen, a gentle bloke
had given them to me as a last minute
2 eggs beaten
from Manchester with a great listening
present along with a journal and a pen. So
½ teaspoon salt
ear.
I had spent the last twenty-five minutes Cream butter and sugar together. Mix
Our first week together went by quickly
being delayed for my flight all because soda and water together in a separate and soon it was time for my new friends
of pen refills? Did I really look like the container; then add to butter and sug- to load into a van on its way to different
type of person to carry weapons to slit ar mixture. Add salt, eggs and vanilla. houses in Manchester and Liverpool. As
someone’s throat? With no time to think Alternatively add small amounts of Terri, the driver pulled onto the street,
about the answer, I quickly grabbed my flour and bananas; mix well. Pour into Stephen, Rachel and I waved goodbye.
shoes and bag and ran precariously to two loaf pans and cook at 350º F/180º Our home was here in London and
gate B7, my bare feet smacking loudly on C/Gas Mark 4 for 45 minutes.
tomorrow, we were to start our new jobs.
the hard tiled floor. I had just made my
It was a night of restless sleep as I
flight.
thought about my new placement at the
As I was putting on my shoes safely in
Passage. So far, the other volunteers
my seat on the plane, I began to wonder
and Sister Pauline had made me feel that
if I was doing the right thing. Am I really
coming here was the right choice, but
meant to come to London for a year? Am
would my new job? If everything else was
I supposed to be a Vincentian Volunteer? Maybe I look more going along so well, something was bound to go wrong. Maybe
like a terrorist than a warm-hearted, selfless person ready to it was going to happen at the Passage.
do anything that Sister Pauline asks of me and the other eleven
However, all proved well once again. Richard, Mike, Matt
volunteers. Have I made the right choice? Even my family tried and Bill wasted no time putting me to work, but also made me
to talk me out of coming. Anyway, it was the wrong time to feel right at home in the ETE room. Along with little weekly
make a decision now as the plane made its way from the United jobs, I also help the clients on the computers when I can in the
States. I had the next morning sessions and I am Anna’s helper during the CLAIT
6,000 miles to London to course on Thursday afternoons. I even get to see my roommate,
realise there was no way Stephen working in the kitchen every now and again.
of backing out now.
After all that worry, I have come to the conclusion that getting
After twenty hours of on that plane from America was the best decision I have ever
layovers and bad movies, made. Working at the Passage as a Vincentian Volunteer has been
I had finally arrived to the a great experience and I am sorry to see it end. However, I believe
place of my destination: that all good things must come to an end. From now on, because
Mill Hill, London. The of all the great people I have met and the fun times here at the
weather was beautiful Passage, my life can only get better. I will be sorry to leave, but
A trip to Edinburgh. From left to right: Me,
- unusually warm for the maybe Providence will have me miss my flight on the way home.
Sylvia, Ann, Erin
B
Banana Bread
D.I.Y. Project
Photos (starting at top
and working down)
1 Busy, Busy, Busy
2 Walls plastered &
painting started
3 Doing paperwork (it
doesn’t take long!)
4 Early on in the project
before plastering began
5 Building partition walls
6 Erecting partitioning
7 Job description board
8 Joshua working on
the door
9 Jon sawing
10 Michael making and
hanging new cupboard
doors
11 Office window before
removal
12 No 43 Bell Street
13 Completion
certificate
14 Attendance forms
15 Enrolement form
It is well worth a try. The 43 Bell St Project with City
of Westminster College, that is. And, who knows it
may just be the opening you need
for the skilled
job you’ve been
aiming at for quite a while.
The poster advertising the project lists painting
and decorating, carpentry and plumbing. I made my
enquiries at 43 Bell St with those items in mind but
to my surprise I found they are offering a lot more
than that. I picked four items; painting, woodwork,
wall papering, and tiling. I was looking forward to just
knowing a little bit about this but the with the tools
and equipment available I discovered I could pick up
a professional skill here leaving the rest to practice
and practice. The project gives enough scope for the
participants to really handle, at first
under instruction
Bell Street NW1
I did there is also plastering, carpentry, plumbing
and bricklaying available for those who want them
and just like in the painting and any other sector of
the project there were more than enough tools for
everyone. I learned how to handle various tools I had
never used before and that was an
advantage. More
importantly on
finishing the thirteen week course
I corrected the notion I had had all along that DIY
is just do it anyway you like but now I realise DIY
can really get as professional a finish as the work of
a contractor. Bell St trains along the lines of good
professional finish not just slipshod work and that is
the big advantage. Give it a try.You may discover that
all you need to become a professional in whichever
area you choose is just practice and practice and
practice.
By Joshua Jeboda
and later on ones’
own, any chosen item, any chosen
skill one wants to learn about. I had plenty of practice
of wall papering both plain and coloured, patterned
paper. What is interesting about the project is to
discover by practice what a professional job really
involves. Before I got to Bell St my knowledge of
painting wasn’t anything more than dipping a brush
into paint and splashing it on but through the expert
guidance of Stuart and Jonathan I was able to see
that painting is a skilful job requiring specialised
techniques. Once I had picked up the technique
I really came to enjoy painting
be it walls or
Staff will be happy
to provide referrals and the means
to visit the project if you are interested - see below
for details.
Bell Street D.I.Y. Project
Do you want to gain a broad range of D.I.Y. skills?
Woodwork, Painting & Wall Papering, Glazing,
Dry Wall Lining & Plastering, Tiling
The course runs Monday to Friday 10am - 3pm
Travel and lunch are provided
woodwork.
Apart from the professional
tools available the homely environment created by
the two instructors made learning some fun. I had
the privilege of a visit by two experts, who make
a living out of painting and decorating. Carol and
Nicky added a few tips for one to pick up; hints
from those working and schooled in their field was
a tremendous advantage and I really came to start
enjoying painting and could make it a career now.
I had always wondered about tiling but within a
few days of practice, using real tilers tools I was able
to do some tiling myself and have now added tiling
to the list of things I can do. Apart from the things
If interested either;
• Speak to Lucy or a member of the ETE staff
• Contact Stuart or Jon on 020 7706 7847
Tartan: original artwork by Peter Graham with a Matt Finish
31
32
Olympics - The First Hundred Years
The Marathon
The burning desire of one man brought about the revival of the ancient athletic games performed in honour
of the Greek god Zeus. It created the most prestigious event in international sports: the modern Olympics. In
1996 the Games were one century old. Anthony Crawford writes about the Games’ colourful history
B
aron Pierre de Coubertine
(1863-1937) had a vision:
he wanted to revive the ancient
contests held in honour of the
12 deities of mount Olympus
in Greece. The realisation of his
plan inaugurated a new era in international
sports.
During the 19th century many initiatives
were taken to introduce sport into the
educational system, to create sports
associations and to organise large-scale events.
There were even some unsuccessful attempts
of reviving the Olympic Games. Coubertine
had his vision at the right time and he was in a
position to transform it into reality.
The baron proclaimed his desire for an
athletic contest with participants from all over
the world in November 1892, at a meeting of
the Union des Sports Athlétiques in Paris. The
French Capital and the year 1900 were chosen
for the first Olympic Games in modern times.
Then the interval of six years was felt to be too
long and that Greece, as the birthplace of the
contests, was a more appropriate location.
The King of Greece opened the first modern
games in April 1896.
In ancient Greece, the athletic contests on
Mount Olympus achieved importance among
at least four sporting events regularly held by
about the 6th century B.C. The contests took
place every four years until abolished by the
Roman emperor Theodosius I in 393 A.D.
probably because of their association with
paganism.
The games on Mount Olympus honoured
the god Zeus who ruled the sky and the group
of twelve gods whom the Greeks believed to
be residing on the mountain. Until 472 B.C.
all the contests took place on one day. Later
they lasted four days with the fifth allocated
to the closing ceremony and a banquet for the
champions. There are no records of female
competitors or spectators. A possible reason
may be that in most events the athletes
participated in the nude.
The first Olympiad of the new era centred
on the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens. The
events in 1896
lasted for ten
days. A total of
311 male athletes
from 13 countries
participated. The
International
O l y m p i c
The 1896 Olympic Stadium Committee (IOC)
had decided to ban women from competing.
The success of the 1896 Games moved Greece
to declare itself the rightful host of all future
Olympics. Baron de Coubtertine and the IOC
insisted on organising the event each time in a
different location.
The 1900 Olympics in Paris achieved merely
the status of a sideshow. The Paris Exposition
and the brand new Eiffel Tower attracted
more public interest. Women took part for the
first time. The first prize consisted of a silver
medallion with bronze for second place.
The 1904 Olympics had been scheduled
for Chicago but St. Louis hosted them in
conjunction with the centennial celebrations
of the Louisiana Purchase. Merely 13 nations
sent athletes. Of 687 competitors, 500 were
American.
The Olympics returned to Athens in
1906. The Greek authorities and Baron de
Coubertine desired to re-create the spirit of
the 1896 games. This led to an agreement that
Greece would host interim games every four
years between the Olympics. The Intercalated
Games had to be cancelled in 1910 due to
political unrest. They never re-appeared.
In 1908 the Olympics came to London. A
newly built stadium in Shepherd’s Bush seated
68,000 spectators. Officials from Britain and
many other participating countries, especially
from the United States, argued frequently.
The event earned the nickname “The Battle of
Shepherd’s Bush”.
In 1916, Berlin should have hosted the
Olympic Games but the Great War of 1914-18
made this impossible. Less than two years after
armistice, The Olympics resumed in Belgium.
The 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam marked
the return of Germany after a 19 year
probation for its “aggressiveness” in World
War I.
For the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles
a village was built that accommodated the
athletes. The idea wasn’t new. The ancient
Greeks used to house the competitors in
hostels on Mount Olympus.
Berlin was chosen as the venue for the
1936 Games before the Nazis came to power.
The government spared no costs to provide
the finest facilities. Jesse Owen, the black
sharecropper’s son, won 4 gold medals which
angered Hitler, the German Chancellor.
The Summer Olympics scheduled for 1940
and 1944 did not take place. IOC decided to
cancel the Games due to global conflicts.
In 1948 The Olympics came to London.
Germany and Japan received no invitations.
The Soviet Union, although invited, chose not
to send competitors.
The USSR participated in the 1952 Olympics
in Helsinki. They had not sent athletes for 40
years. The performance of the team surprised
everyone.
At the 1960 Olympics in Rome Cassius Clay
won the Olympic light heavy weight crown.
Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali and
held the world heavy weight title 3 times.
The 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City
was staged at 7,349 feet above sea level. The
thin air helped shatter records in every men’s
and women’s race up to 1,500 metres and
may have facilitated the US long jumper Bob
Beamon’s incredible gold medal leap of 29 feet
2½ inches, beating the existing world mark by
nearly 2 feet.
The 1972 Olympic in Munich will always
be remembered more for the death of the
Israelis contestants than for the athletic
achievements.
The Olympics had now become a vehicle for
making political statements and 64 nations
boycotted the 1980 Games in Moscow. The
first Olympics held in a Communist country
still featured 80 competing nations.
For the third consecutive Olympiad a
boycott kept many invited nations away from
the 1984 games in Los Angeles. Sebastian Coe
of Britain became the first repeat winner of
the 1,500 metres since Jim Lightbody of the
USA in 1906. Another repeater was Briton
Daley Thompson in the decathlon. The L.A.
Olympics made history as the first privately
financed games ever.
A record 10,563 athletes from 172 nations
gathered for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
No country boycotted the event. The IOC
allowed professional athletes to compete after
96 years of high-minded opposition.
For the 1996 Atlanta games 197 nations
competed, which made this the largest
Olympics ever. The feat began joyously
with Muhammad Ali igniting the Olympic
couldron. The modern Olympics were now
one hundred years old.
During the first century the Olympic Games
evolved from a contest of gentlemen-amateurs
towhomparticipationwasmoreimportantthan
winning, to a sophisticated and highly profitable
commercial operation, a superb public-relations
exercise for the host country, a world-platform
for political statements, a terrorist target – and
more. What changes and challenges will the
second century bring? Indeed, will there still be
Olympic Games in 2096?
Legend, Mythology,
and Reality
“The Highlight Of The Olympic Games’”
Silver is Gold and Gold is Silver
(and Subsequent Events)
Review by Peter Graham
A
ccording to history, in 490 B.C. an army from Persia
landed on the Plain of Marathon, which is about 25 miles
from Athens, intending to capture and enslave that city state.
It may be an apocryphal story that while the landing was in
progress, the Athenians sent a messenger called Philippides (or
Pheidippides) to Sparta to ask them for help in the forthcoming
battle. The distance he is purported to have covered, in less than
two days, is 150 miles! (not 26 miles 385 yards - 42,195 metres,
that distance did not occur until the London Olympic Games
of 1908). Apparently the battle started before the Spartans
arrived and the Athenians remained unconquered. Some
600 years later it is recorded and claimed by “writers” that a
runner was sent to Athens to let that city know of the victory.
Whereupon he said with his last (or latest) breath “Rejoice we
conquer” and fell dead.
The modern Olympic Games commenced in 1896 when,
among other events, the marathon was run over a distance
of 40,000 metres, about 25 miles. The winner is recorded as
Spiridon Louis, when on 10th April he ran the race in 2 hours 58
minutes 50 seconds from 16 other entrants. Prior to this event
on 15th February 1896 G.Grigorou is shown to be the winner
of the first marathon in a time of 3 hours 45 minutes, at the
original race of the Greek Marathon Trials. It is reported that a
French delegate to the International Congress of Amateurs, in
1894 Michel Brèal had the idea to establish such an event and
he provided a silver trophy for this race of endurance to the
Athens Olympics Organising Committee. Spiridon Louis, the
eventual winner, apparently spent the night of 9th April 1896
at the village of Marathon and on the morning of the 10th he is
purported to have completed two laps of the village square “to
stretch his legs”.
Between the inaugural event at Athens and 2000 A.D. at
Sydney the event has been run 25 times, (including 1906 when
the race was won, at the “interim games” but it was not recognised
by The International Olympics Committee, by William Sherring
of Canada in 2 hours 51 minutes 23.6 seconds).
Times have improved dramatically, particularly since 1908
when the distance was increased to 26 miles 385 yards – (42,195
metres) and the winner, John Hayes of U.S.A., completed the
race in 2 hours 55 minutes 18.4 seconds. Dorando Pietri of
Italy was first across the line but he was disqualified for being
helped on the final lap. He was, however, suitably rewarded for
his endeavour the next day when Queen Alexandra presented
him with a silver trophy. Apparently Queen Alexandra had
requested that the organisers arrange to start the event under
the windows of the Royal Nursery at Windsor, at the London
Olympics in that year and thereby increased the length of the
Marathon race by more than a mile (the longest mile is the last
lap home!).
The fastest time ever recorded at the Olympics is 2 hours 9
minutes 21 seconds, when Carlos Lopez of Portugal ran the
race at Los Angeles in 1984. Only two athletes, Abebe Bikila (of
Ethiopia) the winner at Rome in 1960, when he ran barefoot,
and at Tokyo in 1964, and Waldemar Cierpinski (German
Democratic Republic) victor at Montreal in 1976 and at Moscow
in 1980, have retained the Olympic Marathon title. Bikila, when
barefoot at Rome, ran 7 minutes 47 seconds faster than the
previous best time of 2 hours 23 minutes 2 seconds by Emile
Zatopek of Czechaslovakia at Helsinki in 1952. Subsequently
in 1976 Cierpinski reduced the time to 2 hours 9 minutes 55
seconds, which is still the second fastest time recorded at the
Olympic Games Marathons since 1896.
The Ladies Marathon was not an official event until 1984
at Los Angeles, when Joan Benoit of the U.S.A. completed the
course in 2 hours 24 minutes 52 seconds (which compares
favourably with the times of the winners of most men’s event’s
throughout) which is 15 minutes 31 seconds slower than the
fastest time ever recorded at the Olympic Marathon by Carlos
Lopez at the same Olympiad. Lopez was followed “home” by
John Treacy of Ireland and Charles Spedding, of Ferryhill,
County Durham, representing Great Britain. In the year 2000
(the Millenium) at Sydney, Naoko Takahashi of Japan ran the
quickest time for a lady of 2 hours 23 minutes 14 seconds, which
is about 11 seconds slower than the time recorded by Emile
Zatopek in 1952. Zatopek had, of course, also won the 10,000
metres track race, prior to that Marathon and after witnessing
his wife win the gold medal in the Ladies Javelin event!
Initially, for the Greatest Prize(s) In Sport, the athletes were
awarded a silver medal (gold came later) and a laurel branch.
The winner of the Marathon also received a silver trophy. The
expression “Egine Louis” “Become like Louis” or “Take off like
Louis” apparently became “coined” and was commonly used at
Greece thereafter. Only 4 British athletes have achieved second
place in the event since 1896, the most recent is Basil Heatley
of Coventry at Tokyo.
According to information the commencement of the Boston
Marathon (Mass. U.S.A.) in 1897 followed the first Marathon
at the Modern Olympic Games and the event has taken place
annually thereafter. Other marathons throughout the world
are widely competed for (including those “run” for a charitable
purpose) and the fastest time recorded is at Berlin in 2003,
when Paul Tergat of Kenya won in 2 hours 4 minutes 55 seconds
(his fellow countryman Sammy Korir, followed a second later).
Whereas Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain has recorded the two
fastest times in the ladies event at London in 2003 in 2 hours
15 minutes 22 seconds and previously at Chicago (U.S.A.) in
2002 in 2 hours 17 minutes 18 seconds (she has also recorded
the fourth fastest time also in 2002 at London).
There are large official financial incentives for those
professional athletes who are successful in these widely
sponsored events. However the laurel rests with the messenger,
by whatever name called!
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We bring you more of Michael Pratt’s amazing designs. If you would like to have a go
yourself there is blank grid on the opposite page. Send your designs to us and the best will
be published next issue
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© Uve Prinz