the larkhall news - St Mark`s School

THE LARKHALL NEWS
Produced by St Mark’s School
Issue 17, February 2012
A Church of England Business and Enterprise College
St Mark’s
The Valley Schools Report
&
Olympic Sculptor
Ben Dearnley
Exhibits at Larkhall Open Studios 2012
The Great Titanic
By Bryan Chalker
Golden-Oldies ‘Goldies’ Garden’
Charity Launches New Community Garden Project
Picture: St Mark’s student,
Ben Partridge, with sculptor, Ben Dearnley
Page 2
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Page 3
From the Editor
Happy New Year!
entrepreneurial spirit of small business. Despite this, Larkhall is a unique
The start of this village that continues to thrive so
year has already please, do continue to support your
been a busy one local businesses where possible.
for everyone at St
Mark’s and we are Next month’s Business Connect will
thrilled to be able meet at New Oriel Hall on Tuesday
to let you in on 13th March and we hope that many
some of this in the latest edition of local business owners and commuThe Larkhall News.
nity organisations will come along
and join us for a networking business
Our community magazine continues breakfast. Details can be found below
to provide local information, news or on our website!
and features, all supported by the
many local businesses who advertise With best wishes
with us. If you enjoy The Larkhall
News, please let our advertisers and
supporters know! Their contribution
is vital and we are very grateful for Paula Hawkins
their continued support.
Telephone:
01225 312661 or 478416
The current economic climate seems Email:
to continue to conspire against the [email protected]
Paula
In This Edition
St Mark’s & The Valley Schools
The Valley Schools of St Mark’s, St Saviour’s,
St Stephen’s and Swainswick report on events
Golden-Oldies Garden
Local charity find a new site in Larkhall to launch
an innovative project to support elderly residents
Larkhall Festival 2012
Forthcoming events at this year’s Larkhall Festival
and ideas on how you can get involved!
The Great Titanic
Bryan Chalker investigates the links between this
iconic shipwreck and Bath’s industrial heritage
A Happy New Year at Plain Ham
Larkhall Athletic celebrate a string of successes
both on and off the field
Spring at Transition Larkhall
As the weather warms, the community garden at
Alice Park continues to thrive
Friendly, helpful service
Published by St Mark’s School
Editor: Paula Hawkins, St Mark’s School, Baytree Road, Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6ND
Tel: 01225 312661 Email: [email protected]
Website: The Larkhall News is available online at:
www.st-marks.bathnes.sch.uk/BusinessEnterprise/LarkhallNews
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. The publisher does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or errors in content. Whilst
every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted, the publisher cannot accept
responsibility for any loss or damage.
For advertising enquiries contact us on 01225 478416
Page 4
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StMark’s School
By Executive Headteacher, Raymond Friel
“Change is never easy for people and change in schools
always brings some element of risk but as far as I am
concerned, there are two main reasons why it has worked
out so well for St Mark’s School: the staff and the students.”
In September there was a lot of change at St
Mark’s. A number of highly regarded members
of staff left the school after many years of distinguished service. I arrived as the new Executive Headteacher in an arrangement which
most people in schools find unfamiliar: a headteacher who is also running another school
and is only there half the time. It could have
easily worked out less well than it is has and
as far as I’m concerned there are two main
reasons why it has worked out so well: the
staff and the students.
I have found the staff at St Mark’s to be a
highly dedicated group of people.The teaching
staff are very conscientious and work very
hard to make sure the students are getting the
most out of their lessons and making good
progress. The support staff are very committed to the welfare of the students and will go
the extra mile to look after them. And very
importantly there is a highly skilled and committed senior leadership team to run the
school day in and day out.The students themselves are a delightful group of young people.
They are teenagers of course and sometimes
have their moments but by and large they are
friendly, positive and very proud of their
school.
Our biggest problem, as I said at the Open
Evening last September, is that not enough
families in the local community are ready to
commit their children to St Mark’s, mostly because of a reputation that is simply not deserved any more.
We have now had the number of applications
for next year from B&NES. I’m pleased to say
that the total number of applications and the
number of first preference applications has increased. We won’t know the final numbers
until March but the signs are encouraging.The
environment in Bath is of course more competitive than ever with the creation of even
more school places but I believe that St Mark’s
has something very special to offer with its
strong Christian ethos, excellent teaching and
support, family atmosphere, innovative curriculum and rapidly improving results.
In 2012, our priority as always will be the welfare and academic achievement of our students. Another top priority will be to
continue to engage with our primary partners and the local community to promote
the school and convince those who might
be wavering that St Mark’s is a great school
for their children. I would ask for your support in that work. The more people who
talk about St Mark’s in a positive way the
more the local community will come to the
view that it is the school of choice for their
children.
Some of the most powerful messages
prospective parents heard at open mornings and talks I gave at the local primary
schools came from current parents of St
Mark’s who were able to tell them about
the excellent experience their children have
at the school. The schools’ review meetings
held last year highlighted the support that
is present within the local community and
came from local people who wanted to see
their local school survive and thrive.
But a local school needs local children and I
would ask all members of the Larkhall community to ‘talk up’ St Mark’s and help in any
way you can to get the message out there that
it is a great school!
St Mark’s School Pauses In
Silence For Remembrance Day
Students and staff at St Mark’s School paused
for a two minute silence on Friday 11th November during a Remembrance Assembly to
celebrate the lives of those servicemen and
women who have lost their lives to War and
conflict.
The special commemorative assembly commenced in the main hall at St Mark’s School
with students watching a poignant short film
entitled ‘Why Remember?’ followed by a reading by Head Student, Matthew Sterling.
At 11.00am student musicians, James Camm
and Sam Norman stood outside the main
school hall to play ‘The Last Post’ to the wider
community of Larkhall, followed by two minutes of silence. At 11:03am they then played
Reveille. The assembly finished with a presentation of poppies and a reading by Executive
Headteacher, Raymond Friel.
Head of School, Chris Ryan, said, “The event
was the perfect tribute to such brave men and
women and it is our honour to be able to celebrate their lives in such a way. The whole
school felt the gravity of the occasion.”
Both students attended the Remembrance
Service at Bath Abbey on Sunday, with James
once again playing First Post to a full Abbey.
Pictured above: St Mark’s students, James
Camm and Sam Norman on Remembrance
Day 2011 in full military uniform.
Page 5
St Sav i our’s
Nurser y and Infant School
By Headteacher, Ed Harker
Fledgling Birdwatchers
Anna, Iris and Lewis
putting out mealworms for ground
feeding birds such
as robins and blackbirds. They might
even attract some
of the insect-eating
pied wagtails we get
on the school site!
The children of St Saviour’s Nursery class are taking part in the RSPB
Little Schools Birdwatch and have used it as the starting point for a
topic investigating birds.
We always start our topics by establishing what the children already
know, and finding out the children’s questions. This helps us to plan
‘next steps’ in the area of learning, and ensures that the children are
as involved in the topic as possible.
For example, the children already know that the birds use their beaks
to sing, crack seeds, and stick in the ground to find worms. The children also know that some birds eat worms, seeds, bread and apples.
They now want to know if they eat bacon, carrots and ice-cream…
Here are some of the children’s other questions about birds:
• Can all birds fly?
• Do birds have teeth?
• Why do birds have tails?
• Why do birds sing? (Because they can?!)
• Where is a bird’s nose?
• How do birds get out of their eggs?
• Are birds the only animals that fly?
• How can we stop the squirrel pinching the bird seed?
The nursery staff and children have been carrying out a range of activities to help the children answer some of their questions:
• Making bird feeders with lard and seed.
• Carrying out bird tallies around the school site.
• Making exotic bird collages with multi-coloured feathers.
• Hosting a visit from a reak parakeet.
• Learning real birdsongs using the RSPB website.
They haven’t learned to fly, yet, but they have been jumping from
high boxes…
For more information on the Little Schools Birdwatch please see
www.rspb.org.uk
For more information about our Nursery class please see our website, or contact the school office to arrange a visit. We are now accepting applications for places in September 2012. To request an
application form please contact the school office on 01225 313 928.
The closing date for applications is Friday 9th March 2012.
St Sav i o u r ’s
Junior School
By Headteacher, Kevin O’Shea
Pupil Voice
The Summer of 2009 witnessed the inaugural meeting of the B&NES
Children’s Parliament. The ambition for this exciting development
was to provide a democratic voice for primary school children within
the Authority. Each year since then, representatives from the Primary
phase schools in B&NES have proposed, debated and agreed proposals to improve the quality of life for children, at their Parliament
meeting held at Bath Spa University in the summer.
In 2011, the Parliament voted to carry forward the proposal from St
Saviour’s Junior School: “That, in 2012, all schools in B&NES take part
in a synchronised week of activities, with a health-related focus.”
The School representatives were then invited to present the proposal to the Council Members at their next meeting in the Council
Chamber in the Guildhall. There it was met with great enthusiasm
and has now been taken forward for further action by a team headed
by Briony Waite, the Strategic Planning Officer for the Children’s
Health & Commissioning Service.
The project has since been entitled ‘Healthy Living Week’.
Healthy Living Week is scheduled for 21st – 25th May 2012. Each
day will have a different focus;
• Monday 21 May: Healthy Eating
• Tuesday 22 May: Exercise Day - to mark the arrival of the Olympic
Torch!
• Wednesday 23 May: No Car Day
• Thursday 24 May: Growing
• Friday 25 May: Litter & Recycling Day
and the aim is for all schools to engage in related activities to celebrate healthy living on every day of the week.
Very shortly schools will receive their invitation to get involved together with more information on just how they can do that. For the
moment, the children are delighted to see their proposal beginning
to take shape and hope that, with the support of their fellow students, they will see the event as real evidence that their voice is not
simply heard but listened to, valued and acted upon.
Page 6
S
wainswick
School
School Council News
By Freddie, Evan, Harry, Sophie, Izzy, Olive,
Eleath, Louis, Becca, Ethan, Cameron, Katie
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Valley Schools
Cluster Council
By student reporter and council member,
Ben Partridge
The harvest festival in September was a success, raising over £100 for the
African famine appeal; we also had a lot of food for the Food Bank in Bath.
We raised over £136 from our cake sale in October, donating all of the
money to the ‘Bake A Difference’ campaign for famine relief that Milly and
Felix brought up in School Council.
We successfully collected over 1400 Morrison’s vouchers! We ordered lots
of gardening goodies including two cherry trees, some seeds, ginger bread
men cutters and some gloves.
We also had a lot of fun choosing lovely things to fill up Christmas boxes
with and collected 33 shoeboxes full of presents for the Christmas Child
Shoebox Appeal.
The Christmas play and the Christmas service raised £129.77 for Dorothy
House, a charity chosen by School Council as one member’s family had been
helped a lot by them recently.
Next we are going to be supporting one of our dads by helping to raise
money for a new scanner at the RUH - watch out for further information!
Swainswick Eco Club Report
By Deputy Head, Tara Kelsall
Last year our school was involved in an energy project. We had a device
called an OWL that we used to monitor energy use at our school. This led
to a lot of work around energy reduction and as a school we made a significant reduction and some families using OWLS at home made reductions of
between 10 and 30 percent!
This year we have a new set of members in the eco club and we have decided to review and focus on the areas of recycling, composting, energy reduction and organic gardening. All of these things are well established at
Swainswick but we are always looking for ways to improve. The eco ninjas,
as they like to be called, are also planning to raise money to replace recycling
bins and other items as needed.
In the last Cluster Council meeting held in November, pupils
from St Saviour’s Infants and Nursery, St Saviour’s Juniors,
Swainswick Primary, St Stephen’s Primary and St Mark’s Schools
discussed ways in which they could work together to improve
the community for local elderly residents.
The aim is to bring the local community together and develop
a project that crosses the generations by creating stronger links
between older residents and schools and school children.
There was much discussion and lots of ideas on how the
schools can work together and all council members will now
report back to their own student councils to guage wider opinions and support.
Students and staff at St Mark’s School already organise a community Christmas party for local residents and it is hoped that
this can be continued and developed further with other schools
also getting involved.
The next Cluster Council meeting will collate all of the ideas
from all schools and work on a plan to bring the ideas to
fruition.
Page 7
‘Goldies’ Garden’
at St Mark’s School
On Friday 24th February, Golden-Oldies
founder, Grenville Jones, Cllr Dave Laming and
The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Bath, Cllr
Bryan Chalker will visit St Mark’s School to
launch a new collaborative project between
St Mark’s School and the Golden-Oldies charity.The project aims to bridge the gap between
generations within the Larkhall community by
developing a new ‘Goldies’ Garden’ within the
school grounds that local elderly residents can
enjoy throughout the year.
The scheme follows the success of the
Golden-Oldies singing sessions that are now
run across the west of England and provide a
range of opportunities and activities for elderly
people to get involved in and enjoy. The
‘Goldies’ Garden’ aims to continue this work
through the development of outdoor spaces
and gardens that elderly residents can visit and
interact with through the seasons.
St Mark’s School has been chosen as the inaugural site for the project with work starting
in the spring.
“We are delighted that our school can be involved in a project like this and see enormous
benefits for the community and for our students,” said Head of School, Chris Ryan.
“Our students will help to plan the garden and
get involved in the development, planting and
regular maintenance. We have allocated an
area of the school site, close to the school’s
Gardening Club allotment and nature pond
that can have its own entrance. It is away from
the hustle and bustle of school life but will
allow students and elderly residents an opportunity to interact whilst enjoying the fantastic
views that our school has to offer."
“The development of this area will compliment the fantastic work already done by the
Gardening Club and Cllr Laming to create a
thriving and productive vegetable garden
within the school grounds.”
The garden has been designed by local landscape architect, Simon Kale, from NPA Consultants.
“The aim is to provide a small garden area
with flat, level access to a paved seating area.
A variety of shrubs and climbers providing
scent, flowering and seasonal interest will be
planted. I sing in two of Grenville's choirs and
he was aware of the design work I, as a Landscape Architect, had undertaken at Hayesfield
School, so he asked if I would be willing to help
design a garden for the Goldies.”
“The proposed location provides a great view
across to Solsbury Hill, and being adjacent to
the existing allotment, I hope the garden provides opportunities for older and younger
people to meet and enjoy the space.”
The project has recently been awarded a
grant of £1500 by the Charter Trustee Standing Committee to kick-start the fundraising
campaign. The campaign needs to raise a further £5500 for it to be completed in time for
residents to enjoy later this spring.
“The sum required is fairly modest by today's
standards but we, as a team, aren't able to simply pluck money from a bottomless pit,” said
Cllr Bryan Chalker.
“We will be relying on a lot of good will and
Grenville's efforts to
secure additional funds
to see this exciting and
ground-breaking (pun
intended!)
project
through to completion.”
“The whole scheme
will, when completed,
cut across all age
groups and complement the already existing 'Food For Thought'
allotment garden in St
Mark's School grounds.
The 'Goldies’ Garden' will be another First for
Larkhall and a template for others to use.”
Speaking on behalf of Golden-Oldies, Grenville
added,
“Over a thousand people now attend our
Goldies fun singing sessions across the West
and also in South Wales with the launch of
Goldies Cymru in December.”
“We try to give folk, many who live in isolation,
the chance to get out of their homes and interact with others.The garden will do that and
I am most grateful for the wonderful support
received so far,” he said.
“If you would like to help us create our first
Goldies’ Garden, perhaps by helping us to buy
one of the seats, then please contact me.”
Grenville can be contacted on 01761 470006
or email [email protected].
Page 8
News from
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New Oriel Hall
Spring is finally around the corner, our
favourite time of year here at New Oriel Hall.
After gales, grey rain and endless gloomy news
of recession, it is good to focus on renewal
and the positive things in life.
Classes here are many and varied. If you are
over 50 and in need of a regular work-out, Jill
Hollings runs weekly classes every Monday 23pm specially for older people, with exercises
designed to increase and maintain total flexibility. To find out more details call Jill on 01225
723264 or turn up and give it a go.
On the last Sunday in every month, from 7 9pm, there is the Bath Home Birth group
where expectant mothers can find out about
giving birth in a water pool. Monthly sessions
in Qi Gong are being held here on Fridays
February 24th, March 23rd and April 20th,
from 10.00 a.m. until 4.30 p.m.
Throughout springtime, the hall is fortunate to
be hosting some new and exciting one-off
events. On February 4th Larkhall Festival
Committee are holding a fund raising Quiz
Night and Fish & Chip Supper. An evening not
to be missed!
We have a real treat in store for dance lovers
on Sunday 12th February as Richard from Ceroclive.co will be running a fantastic day of
Ceroc dancing. This Jango workshop & Tea
Dance would most suit Intermediate level
dancers in the area. For more info call Richard
on 07540 751400 or see ceroclive.co
You may have heard about the wonderful new
art space here at the New
Oriel Hall – the ‘Cedar Studio’ and we are delighted
to announce that local
artist Clare Day will be
running a 6-week series of
clay workshops (Wednesdays 6-8pm Feb 22 –
March 28) in our new studio.To book or for more information please call Clare
on 07749 838814.
The Cedar store is available
for hire, so if you are a local
artist needing temporary
Well wasn’t 2011 an incredible year at The
Rondo? It had everything imaginable and we’re
set to surpass ourselves in 2012. Every taste
is catered for in our gorgeous wood floored
theatre; but the quality is always so high that
taking a risk on something new or outside
your comfort zone is well advised. Here are
some highlights of the forthcoming Spring season:
The season gets off to a rollicking good start
with Bath Drama’s annual pantomime: this
year it’s Jack & The Beanstalk - fun by the
bucket load. Brett Goldstein Grew Up In A
Strip Club. With a title that good we can’t wait
for this intriguing and very funny show that has
wowed critics and audiences alike. Hot on the
heels of Brett is Simon Munnery, one of the
most respected stand-ups of his generation,
and a firm favourite of all of us here.
Rogue Theatre return with their new show
The Dancer and The Devil, which was originally developed with the legendary Battersea
Arts Centre.Two other returning companies
that left us thrilled on their last visits are Beyond Eternity Promotions, who have a knack
of picking up some absolutely cracking shows
and An Audience with Sherlock Holmes is as
close to a theatrical slam dunk as possible,
and Reform who are fast becoming one of the
country’s most reliable producers of exciting
new theatre. Henry VIII and the Royal Wedding Planner is a show that The Rondo had a
helping hand in creating and we love it very
dearly: we are clearly not alone as it got rave
reviews on its first outing.
There are so many shows and each and every
one of them has something special to offer. If
music is your thing we have the ultra talented
Jennifer Crook and her sultry sound, or if
you’re willing to take one of those risks we
were talking about earlier how about opera?
Yes, opera. Merry Opera visited us briefly last
Comedy festival and it was great - now they
are back and they will be even greater. This is
proper opera performed brilliantly by a very
space or a teacher looking for a workshop to
run short courses, please get in touch and
arrange a viewing.
We have a fascinating event for writers, organised by Jude and Alex of Writing Events Bath.
Patricia Wastvedt will run the session on Dialogue and Story Editing, taking place from
10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Sunday March 4th.
To
book
a
place
contact
[email protected]
On the morning of 17th March (9.30am –
12.30pm) Sarah is organising a Vintage Fair.
Anyone with any china, jewellery, clothes,
linens, pictures etc... hiding in their attic and
who wants to take a stall at the fair can contact her on 01225 461258. As well as wonderful stalls full of vintage/retro items you will also
be able to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a
delicious home-made cake served on vintage
china in the café. Later in the month Sarah is
holding another of her famous Clothes Sales
and this takes place at 7.30 p.m. on Friday 23rd
March. To book a space you can contact her
on 01225 461258.These sales are always very
popular and you are bound to find something
to bring a smile to your face at a bargain price.
You can find out more details about everything going on here by looking at our web site
which
is
updated
weekly.
www.neworielhall.org.uk or check out the
large timetable on the notice board outside
the hall.
exciting company in an intimate venue, a real
rarity and an absolute treat.
There really are too many shows to highlight
them all; pick up the brochure open it to any
page and you’ll be guaranteed a delight. We
haven’t even mentioned the deliriously wondrous Gonzo Moose - if you’ve never seen
one of their shows what on earth stopped
you? Rectify! EAC’s Pinter double bill: two excellent pieces of writing wonderfully performed. Robin Ince, Boothby Graffoe, Mitch
Benn...
That’s it! Delve into that brochure and book
yourself some good times!
The Rondo Team
Page 9
Larkhall Athletic
Awarded £50,000
by Sport England
Larkhall Athletic FC's defence of their Western
League title is going according to plan. The
team were unbeaten through the whole of
November and December. Of the three league
matches played in January, the Larks won two
and narrowly lost a third, the first loss for the
side since mid-October. At the time of writing
they stand third in the league, only 6 points behind the current league leaders Willand Rovers,
and with three games in hand over their rivals.
The biggest news for the first team is that they
are through to the fifth round (last 16 clubs) of
the FA Vase for the first time in their history.
The Larks won 3-2 away at Reading Town on
21st January in front of a very large group of
away supporters. The Larks have never managed to get past the fourth round of this national competition and confidence is high for
an excellent cup run. The Larks are the only
Western League side left in the competition.
The fifth round tie is scheduled for 11th February against Herne Bay, leaders of Kent Football League, a draw that is sure to be tough.
Another high-profile football match in Larkhall
over the coming weeks is undoubtedly the
Larkhall Ladies' Women's FA Cup match
against Tottenham Hotspur Ladies (yes,Tottenham Hotspur as in the Premier League contenders!).The Ladies are through to the last 16
fixtures and they'll be playing in the same
round as heavy-weights such as Manchester
City, Leeds and Aston Villa.This must-see game
is scheduled for Sunday 5th February, 2pm
GB Pentathlete
Freyja Prentice,
Inspires St Mark’s Pupils
by student reporter, Bryher
kick-off, and is guaranteed to be played out in
front of a packed crowd at Plain Ham. Not
content with their FA Cup tie against Tottenham, the Ladies are also in the final of the Somerset Senior Women's Cup against Yeovil Town
Ladies (date tbc).
The club has also had some excellent news on
the fundraising front, having been awarded
£50,000 from Sport England to go towards
planned improvements at the ground to bring
Plain Ham to Southern League standards. The
club is also planning to repeat a very successful
and enjoyable race night which generated
£1000 for the club last season. The race night
will take place in the clubhouse at Plain Ham
on Saturday 25th February, starting at 7.30pm
and whether you flutter a little or a lot, a great
night is guaranteed. All proceeds go towards
improving the club and everyone is welcome.
For more details contact Tracey
([email protected]).
Hill
With success in so many areas, the Larks are
working hard to increase their profile locally
and nationally. There's a new website http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/larkhallathleticfc
and a Twitter account. Keep up with the news
and gossip by following @LarkhallAFC.
Just before the Christmas holidays St
Mark’s School were lucky enough to
have Olympic hopeful and Modern Pentathlete, Freyja Prentice, visit our wholeschool assembly and run two P.E. lessons.
Fortunately for me, I was in one of them,
so could experience one of her lessons
first hand. She taught us the basics of
fencing and showed us how she practices
for the shooting part of her Modern Pentathlete, using a modern laser gun. This
summer, Freyja will compete alongside
other Olympic Pentathletes in five sporting disciplines: horse riding, running, fencing, shooting and swimming.
After the lesson, we asked what she felt
inspired her:
“I was always set on being an Olympic
athlete from a very young age and I loved
running, fencing, horses and I was fascinated by the shooting in the Olympics,
so I knew I wanted to do one of them
but I didn’t know which one.Then I found
the Modern Pentathlon which had all
those in and I knew that was what I
wanted to do.”
“As the Olympics are in London, I had
my heart set on appearing at them so I
went to the trials to see if I could make
the squad. Fortunately I did, so you could
be seeing me at the Olympics!”
Page 10
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like join in, let us know. We need
your help to make it happen!
St Saviour’s Church
As well as this, the details of the
X-factor style singing competition
will be out soon, so if you have a
singing talent you want to share,
look out for posters around the village,
or stay in touch via our Facebook page,
twitter or our email mailing list.
St Saviour’s Church is currently a hive of acitivity as
everyone is on a mission to raise funds for the building of new Youth and Community rooms.
Keeping in touch with local families and youngsters
is something that St Saviour’s Church is keen to continue with a range of events and activities for all ages.
Due to the growing number of young people in the
congregation and local area, the church is now looking to the future to ensure that it can accommodate
these thriving groups. The extra rooms will provide
much needed space to enable us to do just that.
In the coming months we will be throwing open our
doors welcoming everyone to help us raise these essential funds, and having some fun in the process!
DIARY OF EVENTS
CEILIDH – Saturday 11th February
Local musican Chris Dance is organising a Ceilidh on
Saturday 11th February in Church.
Great music and food, plus a bar. Ticket price £7 for
adults, £4 for children – please call Chris on (07771
855114).
MYSTERY MEAL DEAL – Starting Feb
If you like the TV programme ‘Come Dine with Me’
you ‘ll love our MYSTERY MEAL DEAL event, aimed
at bringing together dinner hosts and guests, all elements shrowded in mystery until the last minute! For
more information or to be included in this very
unique and hilarious event, please contact Pam on
01225 331637.
TABLE TOP SALE – Saturday 3rd March
Spring is a great time to de-clutter! If you’ve got
books, CDs, DVDs, toys, clothes, bric-a-brac, nursery
items etc.. just give Sarah a call on 01225 461258 to
reserve a table. £10 for the morning.
Look out for other great events to include an evening
of summer Jazz along with a wine tasting event. For
more information call Sarah on 01225 461258.
The Larkhall Festival returns for its fourth
year over the first May bank holiday
weekend (5-7 May) and we are aiming
to make it the best yet!
This year, the organisers are delighted to
have been joined by some new members who have come with plenty of energy and ideas to develop the festival
and take it in exciting new directions.This
means that, as well as many festival
favourites including open studios and the
garden trail, there are plans for even
more music, a series of inspiring talks, an
X-factor style talent competition and a
market for local makers, writers and
other creative individuals to ply their
wares.
We are also hoping to fill the small
rooms of New Oriel Hall with a variety
of workshops for children and adults to
develop new skills.
A few plans are still up in the air, including
an idea to have a grand choral opening
to the festival on Friday 4th May. We
have been contacting local choirs of all
ages and abilities who we hope will be
interested in taking part in this. If you sing
in a choir or choral group who would
The more people get involved, the better the festival will be and it is not too
late to join in. If you are interested in selling items you have made at a market, or
running a workshop or playing or performing at the festival, or have some
other ideas, please get in touch. We look
forward to hearing from you.
The Festival programme will be published in the next issue of Larkhall News.
Contact details:
email: [email protected]
web: http://www.larkhall-festival.org.uk
twitter: larkhallfest
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/LarkhallFestival
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Exhibiting in this year’s Larkhall Festival is London 2012 Olympic
sculptor is...
Ben Dearnley
Student reporters, Ben, Bryher and Maddy visited his studios to
find out what he is working on at the moment...
Q: Can you tell us how you became a sculptor?
A: My journey into sculpture came quite late
in life. I had been a saxophone technician in
London for 25 years and was 33 years old before I first picked up a hammer and chisel. I
worked for six years with a fantastically inspirational teacher called Les Sandham and this
prepared me for my degree in sculpture. I have
always felt that there was a creative need in
me that was not going to be achieved mending instruments and sculpture allows me to fulfil this.
Q: What mediums do you like to work with
and which do you prefer?
A: I work with a range of mediums; stone,
granite, clay and bronze. If I had to pick an absolute favourite, it would have to be marble. It
has such a beautiful nature to it. When you
work it, it becomes almost like a meditation
so that you’re not working but are involved in
this exchange of energy from the sculptor into
the stone.
Q: How did you become involved in your
pieces for the London 2012 Olympics?
A: I submitted for a competition in 2008 and
as a result, won a commission to make a piece
for the London 2012 team and Essex County
Council. I worked with fencing champion
called Alex O’Connell which was a departure
from anything I had done previously and created a piece called ‘A Leap of Faith’.
That quickly followed through an introduction
to British rower, Steve Williams, and from
there I made enquiries with other athletes and
invited them to become involved in a series of pieces that is
now known as ‘The
Avenue of Champions’, which is on display at
Salisbury Cathedral
throughout the summer.
Q: How did you feel about your appointment
as London 2012 sculptor?
A: The ‘Art at the Edge’ project involving Mark
Foster was the biggest project that I have been
involved in. I feel incredibly fortunate to have
been awarded this project as a way of honouring an amazing athlete who trained in Bath.
My sensation won’t be fully realised until it’s in
situ but I feel honoured to have been chosen
for this project by the City of Bath. It has given
me a unique opportunity to work with top
Olympians and Para-Olympians and it has
been an inspiration to work with those people
because they have such a positive energy
about their lives and their work.
Q: Can you tell us more about the project
that you are currently working on?
A: I am finishing off ‘Art at the Edge’, a piece
that is a fragment of Mark Foster’s torso,
sculpted from Bath stone. It will be officially
unveiled in New Southgate when the Olympic
torch arrives in Bath on May 22nd.
Q: How did you get involved in the Larkhall
Open Studios?
A: I was asked if I was interested in exhibiting
last year and was delighted to get involved. It’s
very rare that you have the opportunity to
open up your space to the public and show a
process of what you do. Last year, we had hundreds of visitors to the studio over the weekend and hope that we can attract the same
this year to explore what’s new. My wife is also
an artist, so it gives us both an opportunity to
display our work. This year we will be open
from 10am - 5pm, Saturday, Sunday and Bank
Holiday Monday, and there’s an exciting
chance that award-winning jazz musician,
James Morton, will be there on the Saturday
afternoon to play music with a couple of
friends!
Open Studios
Between Saturday 5th May and Monday 7th May, we currently have 25
artists either holding solo or shared
Open Studio events as well as an exhibition in New Oriel Hall with, we
hope, workshops and demonstrations.
end, email Simon Hodges:
[email protected] or visit
the
Open
Studios
website:
www.larkhallopenstudios.weebly.com
where there is a link to register interest.
There will also be a chance to get
hands-on under cover in Alice Park
on Monday 7th May whilst visiting the
Community Garden.
Bath-based charity, Mercy in Action,
have organised a charity art exhibition
with a difference on 14-18 February
at the Paintworks event space in Bristol, featuring local Larkhall artists.
It is not too late for anyone wishing
to be added to the Open Studios
Trail. The planning stage is still very
much in progress. If you would like to
find out more or are interested in
The Open Studios Trail, the exhibition at New Oriel Hall, getting involved
in
workshops
or
demonstrations or may be interested
in a craft/art market over the week-
The exhibition embodies its own
theme as profits arising from the event
will be donated to the Bath-based
charity
Mercy
in
Action
(http://www.mercyinaction.org.uk)
whose work with street children and
families living in extreme poverty in
the Philippines has brought hope and
freedom from poverty to many lives.
Hope & Poverty
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The Great Titanic
...and the amazing Bath connection
By Bryan Chalker
RMS TITANIC HAS BECOME THE MOST ICONIC
SHIPWRECK IN HISTORY AND APRIL 15 WILL BE
THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SINKING, ON
ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE, OF A LINER DUBBED
‘QUEEN OF THE OCEAN’.
The names Titanic and Bath do not usually go
together but it was Stuart Burroughs, Curator
of the Museum of Bath At Work, who alerted
me to the fact that Stothert & Pitt had actually
supplied a total of eight electric deck cargo
cranes for the ship in 1911 and two other
firms, Bath Cabinet Makers and W.T. Lock, provided items of furniture for the White Star
Line’s ‘Largest And Safest Steamer In The
World’.
As early as 1972 I had recorded a song entitled ‘The Great Titanic’, which dated back to
1912, and thought it might be worthwhile reissuing to coincide with the 100th Anniversary
of the Titanic’s sinking. I mentioned it to Stuart
Burroughs as a tenuous link to Bath and the
proverbial ball was rolling. Photographer and
fellow musician Robert Coles then contacted
me to say that Bath Cabinet Makers and W &
T. Lock, of Twerton, had supplied furniture to
Harland & Wolff, of Belfast, specifically for the
Titanic, and Robert’s mother, who worked for
W & T. Lock as a secretary in the 1930s, recalled that much of this company’s business
was making and supplying furniture for ships.
Research also revealed that Titanic’s cargo
manifest included a consignment of furniture
– bound for New York – manufactured by another local Bath firm, Albion Cabinet Works,
of Upper Bristol Road.
The likelihood of some good people of Lambridge being employed by Stothert & Pitt during this period is a reasonable enough
assumption when considering the size of the
company and its enormous range of products.
Stothert & Pitt’s order books in 1911 included
a total of eight electric deck cargo cranes. The
company also supplied similar cranes to three
other ocean liners, Olympic (sister ship to the
Titanic but six inches shorter), Brittanic and
Lusitania.
When the first underwater photographs of
the wreck of the Titanic were released to the
world’s press in 1985, among the first objects
to be positively identified was a Stothert & Pitt
deck-mounted crane!
There were two 30-cwt and six 50-cwt electric deck cranes fitted on Titanic for cargo handling and these were supplied by Stothert &
Pitt, Ltd., of Bath. These cranes were mounted
on cylindrical bases containing the electric motors, worm gearing and operating machinery,
each base being fitted with two watertight
doors.
Because of their close proximity to passenger
accommodation, electric power and wormgearing was chosen for these cranes to reduce
noise levels and vibration. Each crane was capable of lifting and slewing motions, powered
by separate motors. All controls were located
on an operator’s platform at the base of the
crane’s jib and the operator’s platform was fitted with a protecting handrail.
We have now established a strong Titanic-Bath
industrial link but there is more to come in the
form of a remarkable lady named Edwina
‘Winnie’ Celia Troutt, who not only sailed on
the doomed liner but survived and lived to be
100 years, 4 months and 5 days old. Edwina
died in California in 1984.
Much of Edwina’s early life is shrouded in mystery but we do know that she was born in
Bath on June 8, 1884 and her address was
given as Newark Street. This in itself is a
strange coincidence because of the earlier link
to Stothert & Pitt and its Newark Foundry,
where the cranes were built.
Edwina was one of four daughters and two
sons born to Elizabeth Ellen (nee Gay) and
Edwin Charles Troutt, brewer and cabinet
maker, of Newark Street. Edwin Troutt was
landlord of the Edinburgh Castle/Lyncombe
Brewery, opened during the early 1870s.
One sister is known to have settled in Massachusetts and Edwina herself, craving a better
life, sailed from Liverpool to New York aboard
the SS Arabic in 1907 and secured work as a
servant with the family of general dealer
William Wynn in New Jersey.
It appears that Edwina returned to Bath in
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1912 to assist another sister with the birth of
a child. This particular sister is identified simply
as ‘Mrs. Collins’ and was married to a ‘Mr.
Collins’, who owned a tobacconist’s shop in
Stall Street.
Edwina Troutt chose to return to America on
board the Royal Mail Ship Titanic on April 10,
1912. She purchased ticket number 34218
from Bell & Company of Bath for £10. 10s. 0p
and travelled to Southampton for the Titanic’s
maiden voyage to New York.
By a stroke of pure irony, another Bathonian,
Edwin Charles Wheeler, who had lived in Peter
Street, was also travelling as a Second Class
passenger and purchased ticket number 2159
for slightly more - £12. 17s. 6d. Mr. Wheeler
did not survive the disaster.
GREAT SURVIVOR
When Edwina sailed on April 10, she was
berthed on E-Deck in Cabin E-101, which she
shared with Miss Susan Webber and Miss
Nora Kean.
Titanic struck the iceberg off the southern
coast of Newfoundland at 11.40pm on April
14 and was sailing at 22-knots (25mph). By
12.45am, it was clear to most on board that
the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic was in serious trouble
and the first lifeboat, No.7, was launched. Edwina and fifty-five others made it into lifeboat
No.16 and the final lifeboat, a collapsible type,
was launched at 2.02am and by 2.20am the
mighty Titanic slipped beneath the icy waves.
The total ship’s compliment was approximately 2,332 (crew and passengers) and of
those just 706 survived. Edwina Celia Troutt,
aged 27, was one of them.
It is said that Edwina carried with her into
lifeboat No.16 (other sources claim it was either No.9 or 13) a toothbrush, Bible and small
child handed to her by a distraught father.
Miss Troutt and her fellow survivors were
eventually rescued by the Carpathia, finally
reaching New York on April 18.
Edwina Troutt was known to have married
three times and she outlived them all. By
1984, this incredible lady had become the Titanic’s oldest living survivor.
As for the Titanic song, the earliest version was
being hawked as a broadsheet within one
week of the sinking but by the late 1920s, it
had become standard fare with folk and hillbilly singers and versions have been recorded
by William and Versey Smith, Bessie Jones,
Ernest V. ‘Pop’ Stoneman, The Carter Family,
Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and the Dry Branch
Fire Squad.
The city of Bath can now lay claim to being
part of Titanic history by virtue of its industrial
links – and two individuals who chose to sail
to America on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
Opposite page: top, White Star Liner R.M.S
Titanic. Bottom left: R.M.S Titanic at
Southampton, 1912. A Stothert & Pitt dock
crane sits alongside. Bottom right: a Stothert
& Pitt Deck Crane aboard Titanic.
This page: Miss Edwina ‘Winnie’ Celia Troutt
Do you have a spare room
this Summer?
Many people living in the Larkhall/London Road area will be familiar with Norland College and its students in their
brown uniforms. People may not know,
however, that during the students’ summer holidays the college opens its doors
to mature Japanese students for a 2 ½
week childcare course.
The course is delivered in association
with the Poppins Corporation – a company providing childcare options to
Japanese families and childcare training
to early years practitioners. It is the 4th
year the college has run the course. The
course combines a mixture of theory
and practice including classroom based
learning on key influences and current
guidance in early years provision in the
UK, and visits to early years settings in
Bath.
The students who enrol on the course
are early years professionals who live
and work in Tokyo. They are character-
istically women aged in their 30s or 40s.
The opportunity for the student to live
with a young family while they are here
is a very important aspect of the course
giving the student even greater exposure to British family life (with the acknowledgment that no two families are
the same whether in Britain or Japan!).
In previous years students have developed close bonds with their host family
and many continue to be in contact with
each other.
Host families are paid a nightly rate and
asked to provide a private room, lunch
(a packed lunch on weekdays) and an
evening meal. This year the course will
run from Monday 30 July to Wednesday
15 August.
If you are interested, or would like more
information, we would love to hear from
you. Please telephone us on 01225
904028 or email [email protected]
Pictured: Japanese students at the college party to mark
the end of the course last year.
Norland College, York Place, London Road
Bath BA1 6AE
www.norland.co.uk
Find us on Facebook – search for Norland Nannies
Follow us on Twitter – www.twitter.com/NorlandNannies
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Transition
Larkhall
Community Garden
Springing into life
Come and see what the Alice Park community
garden is all about on Saturday 18 February.
The allotment by Alice Park is a space for
everyone in the community to enjoy, wander
round, volunteer at and learn from. So on Saturday 18 February all local people are invited
along to Have Your Say, from 10am to 4pm in
the garden.
Transition Larkhall, which oversees the space,
would like to hear your ideas on what you
would like from the garden. Perhaps more garden knowhow workshops, or pre-schooler activities, or a way to gain gardening
qualifications. There will be a free children’s
workshop, seeds to plant and a prize draw.You
can leave your thoughts on a special ‘wishes
tree’, or write them in the book that will be
kept in the Alice Park Café all week.
In May, the allotment will be one of the stops
on the Open Studios and Garden Trails, as
part of the Larkhall Festival. Possible activities
discussed so far include children’s craft workshops, eco-art using natural materials, a graffiti
wall, and some ‘hedge sculpting’ to give shape and character to the hedge that forms
the boundary between the
garden and Alice Park itself.
If any local artists are interested in running any
children’s workshops or exhibiting any work
at the garden, please contact Fiona Williams at
[email protected].
Volunteer sessions are currently running from
11am to 1pm every Sunday but vary according to the seasons. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Fiona Williams by email or
on 07875 986 399.
You can also see more on the Alice Park
Community Garden Facebook page – and a
website is coming soon.
Winter-to-spring growing tips:
• It’s a good time to put home-made or
bought compost, or manure, on your veg plot.
You can just put it on the surface – the worms
will do the rest, and it will help to keep down
weeds.
• It isn’t too late to plant garlic for a harvest
this summer.
• If you put broad beans in last autumn, tie
them up with sticks and string as they grow.
Cover with netting to stop birds eating them
in the cold weather.
• Cut the canes of autumn raspberries down
to the ground. If you haven’t yet done so, take
out the fruited canes only from summer raspberries, and tie in the new canes.
• Prune out any diseased growth from fruit
trees and bushes – but don’t put it in your
home compost bin or mulch.
Educating Daisy…
or is Daisy educating me?
By Mark Minkler, Senior Vet, Beaufort Vet Surgery
My Border Collie puppy, Daisy, is proving to
be a good teacher. It’s challenging and often
frustrating trying to train a puppy, but when
you understand the rules and play accordingly,
you quickly see improvements, and it is very
rewarding.
We take dogs in, and expect them to fit in to
our lives and behave sociably but we may not
always know how it’s achieved. I’ve done
some reading, talked to people about their
experience in educating puppies and learnt
through a few of my own mistakes, and have
finally got to grips with a few of the basics.The
trick is to see things from a dog’s perspective
and understand what motivates them.
When it comes to good behaviour, it’s all
about reward; If you are patient, consistent
and reward immediately, when they do the
things you want them to, it’s amazing to see
just how quickly progress can be made. By ‘reward’ I don’t just mean ‘food’ in the form of
treats. Making a fuss of them is often
enough, and play is a hugely positive
thing, whatever the breed.
The opposite is true when your
puppies misbehave; dogs are pack
animals and need to be included so
if we need to tell them that what
they are doing is not acceptable, simply turning our back to them can suffice, or if that’s not working removing
them from our company, to another
room for example, reinforces the
message that the result of this particular behaviour is exclusion. But remember to do it
immediately otherwise your dog will forget
what it has done wrong!
Accentuating the positives and downplaying
the negatives is a great foundation for a strong
relationship between dog and master. If things
go wrong you can still teach an old dog new
tricks, or unlearn old bad habits as the case
may be. I can recommend some sources of
help and advice.
Book: ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ a good behaviour
guide for family dogs by David Appleby
Web: www.apbc.org.uk
Person: Elaine Hunt MRCVS – with a special
interest in animal behaviour, Oldfied Park Vet
Surgery Bath 01225 423652
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