at Freeman College - Ruskin Mill Trust
Transcription
at Freeman College - Ruskin Mill Trust
2 RUSKIN MILL EDUCATIONAL TRUST Welcome to the Winter 2006 issue of Run of the Mill Magazine. Run of the Mill , founded in 1995, is published each term and distributed freely to all connected with Ruskin Mill Educational Trust (RMET) colleges. Ruskin Mill Educational Trust operates three colleges: Ruskin Mill College in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, founded in 1987, Glasshouse College in Stourbridge, West Midlands opened in 2000, and recently, Freeman College, Sheffield, in 2005. The Colleges aim to help young people make the step through special education to a valuable and fulfilled life. They exist to meet the needs of those who have reached school leaving age and whose educational needs cannot be met in mainstream colleges. Each college provides a curriculum to develop practical, social and living skills through practical activity and engagement and the development of transferable skills to prepare each student for their transition beyond college life. As well as being educational centres, each college runs a cultural programme including exhibitions, artistic events and worshops open to both the public, staff and students. They are also centres for craft and local industry regeneration; textiles and land work in Nailsworth, glasswork in Stourbridge and metal work in Sheffield, and active in developing links within local communities. Run of the Mill offers students and staff an opportunity to express their creativity, work and experiences within college life and reflect the work and aims of Ruskin Mill Educational Trust. The work draws inspiration from Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris. PA to the Council of Management: Laura Cammish. Tel: 01453 837605 Admissions for all three colleges: Tel 01453 837521. Email: [email protected] Run of the Mill Editor: Tel: 01453 837509. Email: [email protected]. Web site: www.ruskin-mill.org.uk CONTENTS Front Cover: Michaelmas Produce 30. Around the World 4. Michaelmas Festival 32. Green Woodwork 6. The Great Chestnut 33. Marriot Garden Update 7. Canoe Building 34. Catering at Freeman College 8. Meteorology 36. World Peace Flag Ceremony 10. The 2nd International Festival of Glass 38. Wilderness Trip 14. Workshop Crossword 40. The Running Club & Africa 15. Redhouse Glass Repairs 41. 16. Dylan Thomas & Student Forum 42. Kasper Hauser ~ A New Book 18. Iron Age Forge & Sisters United 43. Drama Wimbledon 2006 20. The Question of Compost 44. Crete 2006 21. 45. Venice & Florence 2006 22. Return to Nepal 46. Young Person of the Year Awards 24. Work Experience at Boarding Kennels 47. Hydropower 25. Apple Pressing 48. The Ex-Files & Cartoon 26. Ballet Hoo 50. Dolphin Wordsearch Edward Payne Centenary 28. Pewter Live 51. Events and Credits 29. Freeman College Fundraising Back Cover: Art THE COLLEGES Ruskin Mill College (RMC) Ruskin Mill College is set in over 100 acres of the Horsley valley and includes a working farm and fish farm. The Ruskin Mill café serves vegetarian lunches, coffee and cakes seven days a week, 11 – 4 pm (no lunches on Sundays or Bank Holidays). The Gallery is open for exhibitions seven days a week, 10 - 5 pm, as well as hosting an arts and educational programme. Ruskin Mill College, The Fisheries, Horsley, Gloucestershire, GL6 0PL. Reception: 01453 837504. Fax: 01453 837506. Email: [email protected] Arts, Crafts and Cultural Development: 01453 837537. Glasshouse College (GHC) Glasshouse College is based at the former Royal Doulton glassworks in Stourbridge and draws upon 200 years of heritage of high quality craftsmanship. It provides an increasing range of opportunities for students, particularly in glass-related crafts and the performing arts. The Glasshouse café is open Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm serving vegetarian lunches, coffee and cakes. The Glasshouse Studio Theatre runs a full programme of artistic and educational events. The Ruskin Glass Centre continues the traditions of glass work in Stourbridge by independent businesses. Glasshouse College, Wollaston Road, Amblecote, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 4HF. Reception: 01384 399400. Fax: 01384 399401. Glasshouse Studio Theatre Box Office: 01384 399458. Email: [email protected] Freeman College (FMC) Founded in the heart of Sheffield’s silversmithing and cutlery industry, Freeman College opened in September 2005. Named after the founder of the Settlement movement in Sheffield, Arnold Freeman, the college provides a range of practical activities in the heart of Sheffield’s industrial heritage, as well as a cultural programme at the Merlin Theatre. Freeman College, 27 Leadmill Road, Sheffield, S1 3JA. Telephone 0114 2130290. Email: [email protected] The Merlin Theatre, 2 Meadow Bank Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield, S11 9AH. Telephone & Fax: 0114 255 1638. 3 4 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Michaelmas has been celebrated outwardly since the 6th Century AD and was a popular feast in the Middle Ages. Celebrated on 29 September, one week after the autumn equinox, it honours Archangel Michael who is depicted as defeating the flame-breathing, sulphurous dragon by wielding his flaming iron sword of truth. Inwardly, Michael and the Dragon invokes an image of the great struggle for self-consciousness in man, arising through developing strength of thought and will, over his unconscious, desire driven nature. This inner Harvest naturally finds its place, in the Northern Hemisphere, as we celebrate the fruits of our labour in harvest gatherings, apple picking, the fattened goose ready for the feast and a time to settle old accounts. Michaelmas and its underlying inspirational archetype is therefore regarded as a cornerstone festival. Michaelmas Festival Ruskin Mill College From the top: Chris Bailey, dressed as the Sun, signifying another yearly cycle of Earth orbiting the sun. Ben Margolis lighting the fire at the centre of the mandala. The Horsley Mill bell being rung marking by Joe Western, 1st-year, at the end of the ceremony and the beginning of refreshments. At Ruskin Mill, a craft and land based college, we are aware of the impact that the seasons have on our lives. We therefore have felt that it would be valuable to come together and celebrate the changes of the seasons in a simple and experiential way. We have chosen to celebrate the traditional Harvest festival on Michaelmas Day, 29th September, around the Autumn Equinox. As a time of thanksgiving, Michaelmas also ties in to the mythologies of St Michael and St George at a time when we descend into the darkness of winter. Dates have been chosen to suit the academic year and the festivals are accessible to staff and students. This year, Michaelmas (and the harvest) at Ruskin Mill was celebrated for the second time, when, last year, it was linked with the inauguration of the newly cast bell at Horsley Mill. Everyone was summoned by the ringing of the bell at Ruskin Mill gathering round a trailer decorated and laden with fruits, flowers and vegetables (see Front Cover). Due to the rain, the musicians were unable to play but Hamish Guerrini stepped in explaining the meaning for Michaelmas and the wheel of the yearly cycle. Everyone was invited to take some produce from the trailer and process up to Horsley Mill where a circle or mandala had been laid out on the grass. At the centre was a straw pile around which everyone laid their gifts. We then sang a traditional song led by Marc Arles, watched the sun circle the gifts played by Chris Bailey and waved her goodbye as she left for the winter. The fire was lit, by Ben Margolis, 3rd-year, a time for silent remembrance and thanksgiving which was broken by the ringing of the Horsley Bell. Refreshments of freshly pressed apple juice, local cheese, fresh bead and chutney were accompanied by music from Stuart Wright, 3rd-year, and members of staff. With thanks to all those who helped organise and attend we now look forward to the Lantern Festival, celebrated at the end of the Autumn term, to bring light and warmth to last until the Spring arrives. By Patricia Digby, tutor Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Michaelmas at Freeman College Freeman College celebrated Michaelmas on Friday 29th September 2006. It was a superb late summer day with beautiful light and a gentle warmth. Staff and students met at 9 am in the Arnold Freeman Hall at Tintagel House. They were greeted by cello music played by David Brown and a beautiful table with fruits and flowers in a splash of autumnal colours. After my introduction and welcoming of new students to the college, Drama tutor, Johanna van der Voort, told the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, an ancient myth about facing your own fears and knowing that the help you need, will follow. John Pickin told a modern story of courage about a young woman, Mary Ann Taylor, which had a particular strong resonance with some of our students. This was followed by an inspiring talk about meteorites given by Aonghus Gordon echoing the theme of the day about the value of deeds, conscientiously and courageously done at this time of year, as we go into the darkness approaching Christmas ready to emerge with the coming of the light in the spring. We ended the morning with more cello music and all dispersed to the different sites to enjoy planting bulbs for the spring. At Wentworth this was lead by Annette Petch, the Jewellery tutor, where all staff and students joined in with good humour and cups of tea. Helen Kippax, Deputy Head of College Glasshouse College Our Michaelmas was an extraordinary celebration at the Glasshouse, reminding us as we go into winter, of the power of wakeful community. We began with a short presentation of the life of Kaspar Houser, whose birthday is on Michaelmas day. Three moving images were presented of the life of Kaspar, images which a lot of us know from our own experience. The first was of Kaspar being chained up in a small cell, where for 12 years he played with two wooden horses, and survived without any feeling of resentment or hate. The second image was him learning to speak, and meeting his teacher Daumer, who helped him learn in five years what an ordinary person would learn in fifteen – to become an upright adult human being with a sense of destiny (hopefully). The third image was the assassination of Kaspar, and the representation of how he carries on living in the hearts of those who strive for community and brotherhood, that which Kaspar was destined to achieve. Left: Kasper Hauser by Greg Tricker (see page 42) and the presentation, above. The presentation was followed by the ringing of the bell, the knocker of which is meteoric iron. Meteors often fall to earth in showers at the time of Michaelmas, when the spiritual world seems to penetrate the earth with seeds. At the time of Kaspar’s birth there was a huge comet, as there often is when great people are born. Michaelmas was followed by our festival, The Child of Europe, which brought together communities and individuals, in the most profound way. Mike Chase, Director of Glasshouse Theatre 5 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 6 Ruskin Mill College The Great Chestnut Rebecca Crowther and Clare McKinnon visited the Great Chestnut in an art lesson with tutor Sue Reed, which inspired Rebecca’s storytelling and artwork and Claire’s research. The Old Grandpa by Rebecca Crowther, 4th-year Artwork by Rebecca Crowther Here stands the Old Grandpa in the twilight, reflecting the dark shapes of the shadows. The wind is rattling and the cobwebs come off and fly like birds in the breeze. The life of the Grandpa has seen King John sitting on the ground. He has experienced war and hunting. The Grandpa is safe, quiet, rough on the outside and smooth as silk on the inside. Grandpa’s heart is solid and calm. The shapes on the outside show his life and we can imagine what he’s been through. If you stand next to him, you feel secure and it warms the cockles of your heart. The world is an oyster around him. When it is dark and silent, you can hear him singing in the breeze. When we leave him we feel as though he is still in us, and when we walk out we turn around, see him waving and smiling and disappears with the fairies. The Great Chestnut at Tortworth, Gloucestershire By Clare McKinnon, 3rd-year The sweet chestnut was growing when Alwold held Tortworde in Bachestaines Hundred in the reign of King Edward the Confessor. The famous ancient sweet chestnut was a landmark in the boundary records compiled in the reign of King John and was known as “the Great Chestnut”. Legend has it that he sat under the tree, which had grown from a tiny, tiny seed. The enormous tree was measured over 50 feet in circumference in 1720 and it is still flourishing today. It is generally accepted that the sweet chestnut was probably introduced into England by the Romans, using the chestnut to make bread for the soldiers. In Frascatti (near Rome), famous for its wine, thousands of chestnut trees grow along the ancient Roman roads. People collect the nuts and will preserve them in syrup, roast them and dry them. At Christmas, it is traditional to stuff the turkey with chestnuts. I tasted my first cooked chestnut recently and it tasted like dried potatoes. When I first visited the tree (right), I thought that it is beautiful; it is tall and enormous. Lightning has struck the tree and it has grown into different shapes. For hundreds of years, the tree was visited by deer, wildlife and people, and in the seventeenth century, a large stately home was built close to it. The home was destroyed by fire. The tree now stands protected by a fence and a gate – it can be visited at any time. A sign on the gate reminds us of the antiquity of the tree. It says: This tree was supposed to be six hundred years old on 1st January, 1800. May man still guard thy venerable farm, From the rude blasts and tempestuous storm, Still mayest thou flourish through succeeding time, And last, long last, the wonder of the clime. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College CANOE BUILDING AT BRIGHTSIDE FARM Article and layout and design by John Powell, 2nd-year Peter Skinner came up with the idea to build a canoe using a Native American style. Instead of using conventional wood, we decided to use marine ply, which is watertight. It was originally a joining of two groups: Peter Skinner, Robert Palmer and myself, with Richard Turley’s group, Michael Nares and Jo Moreland. Halfway through the project we were joined by John Cooper and his two students Luke Turle and Tony Owen. The planning began at Rich Turley’s green woodwork shop and then went to Gloucester’s old docks to pick up four pieces of marine ply and a lot of watertight epoxy resin. We then began construction at Brightside where we made a temporary dry dock. The equipment included hammers, hand drills, hand saws and clamps. In order to get the length of the canoe, approximately 12 – 15 inches, two pieces of marine ply were glued together. The measurements had to be exact otherwise it wouldn’t take shape. We started cutting the two sheets to make the bottom and two sides which could literally be folded over. The cut seams then had to be hand-sewn with copper wire which holds the form together until it can be glued with the help of the clamps. The seams were glued to make sure that they stayed in shape and to help seal the boat. The epoxy was then vanished and another layer added. Then we added the gun rails, made from oak, which were shaped and held into place by clamps and using a draw knife. We sanded down the corners of the rails and screwed the forward and back ends together to give the canoe its shape. Afterwards, we varnished the boat and added more epoxy. We launched it on Open Day, 13th July 2006, and found two small holes, one along the left-hand seam and one on the back tail. We have recently finished a second canoe and both have been named. We named the first canoe “Old Spot” after the well-known cattle breed from Gloucestershire and the second “King Arthur”, but the name is still under review. The two canoes are now at Richard Turley’s workshop at Gables Farm undergoing seat fitting and paddle making. We hope to take them for trials and we will keep you posted. 7 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 8 Freeman College Meteorology By Tom Ridley, 2nd–year, Freeman College Meteorology is the term used to describe the study of our weather. Since starting at Freeman College, I’ve been studying meteorology at Tintagel House with the help of a little weather station. Question: Why do we measure the weather? Answer: Weather can be described using terms such as wet or fine, warm or cold, windy and calm, so why is there a need to measure the weather? For most people, a description of the weather is adequate but for many businesses more detailed and accurate measurements are required. The science of studying weather is called meteorology. Weather scientists or meteorologists measure temperature, rainfall, pressure, humidity, sunshine and cloudiness and they make predictions and forecasts about what the weather will do in the future. This is important for giving people advance notice of severe weather such as floods and hurricanes. Meteorology is one of the subjects that I have had on my timetable for the last term. We are based at Tintagel House where a small weather station has been set up. When we arrive, the first thing we do is take the readings from the weather station, also known as a Stevenson’s screen. A Stevenson’s screen is a white louvred box which enables a stable airflow over the thermometers inside. It was designed by the father of Robert Louis Stevenson. In order to prevent direct sunlight falling on and affecting the instruments when the door is opened, it is designed so that the door opens to the north in the northern hemisphere. This is because the sun never shines from the north. It is painted white to reflect incoming radiation from the sun and is set at a height of 1.25 metres above the ground, so as not to be affected by the earth’s low-level radiation. The screen should be kept clean from dust and dirt. The first reading we take is the temperature. The thermometer we use to measure the temperature is a little different to a normal thermometer because it gives two readings; the maximum and minimum temperatures. The diagram shows that there are two markers one for the maximum temperature and one for the minimum. The mercury in the tube pushes the markers as temperature go up or down. After taking the two readings, we set them back to the mercury column with a magnet. After this, we read off the barometric pressure. This is recorded in millibars, written Mbars. An average low pressure is around 950 Mbars and the average high pressure is around 1040 Mbars. When we take barometric pressure, we measure the mass of the atmosphere at ground level. In addition to the readings taken from the Stevenson’s screen, we measure the amount of daily rainfall in an area close to the screen. This is collected in a metal container with a funnel shaped lid. The rain water is channelled by the funnel into the container which can be removed to take a measurement. We measure the rainfall in centimetres. There is often no rainfall, (and therefore no reading to take) or on other occasions one thunderstorm can give a measurement of 25 mm or more. You can learn quite a lot by looking at the sky and the next thing we do is to observe the clouds. There are many names to describe them. There are three levels of sheet clouds; the first one is high level and they have many different names; they are cirrostratus, cirrus uncinus, cirrocumulus, and aircraft contrails. This section of cloud is above 6000 metres. The medium section of cloud is between 2000 and 6000 metres and their names are altostratus, altocumulus lenticularis, altocumulus castellanus, altocumulus undulatus. The low section of cloud is below 2000 metres. The cloud names are cumulus, stratocumulus, stratus, fractostratus, cumulonimbus and nimbostratus. Finally we estimate the strength of the wind which can range from dead calm to gale force, storm force and only rarely in this country, hurricane force. The wind is officially measured on the Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Freeman College Beaufort scale, but a verbal description can be just as useful. One of the other activity’s that we do is to compare the relative size of raindrops. We cut some circles out of some scrap card and we painted them blue; these circles illustrated the difference in scale of different types of rain drops. We compared three different sizes. The cloud droplets are 100 microns, a light drizzle is 200 microns and a rain drop is 2000 microns. And that is how meteorology works where you can find all sorts of information about the weather. Autumn around Tintagel House By John Dean and Philip Rose, 1st-years, taken in Meteorology with tutor, Emma Dent John Dean, left, and Philip Rose at the weather station, Tintagel House. 9 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 10 Glasshouse College The Second International Festival of Glass A review by Directors, Janine Christley and Keith Brocklehurst with articles from students and the Curator of the British Glass Biennale The second International Festival of Glass was very well attended, with lots of activities at venues all over the Stourbridge Glass Quarter. So many people wanted to visit that we had to hire extra taxis and coaches to pick everyone up from the special park and ride service. There were lots of exhibitions, including five at the Glasshouse and the British Glass Biennale. Glasshouse College students’ work was on display in their excellent end of year exhibition. Visitors were very interested and Neighbourhood Head, Ollie Cheney, was delighted when a prospective new day student decided to join after seeing it. Some wonderful artists from abroad joined us for the festival. The most popular workshops were in Bruce Airhead entertaining neon, beadmaking and crowds in the courtyard Viking furnace building. The neon group made a sculpture for us, now on display in the Ruskin Glass Centre. The masterclass artists stayed on to demonstrate their work over the festival weekend, drawing huge appreciative crowds. A glass eyemaker came over from Germany and showed everyone how he makes glass eyes. They looked incredibly real, with little red veins and clever colouring. The street entertainment was fun; Bruce Airhead blew up a giant green balloon and climbed into it; when it went pop he came out dressed as superman! The finale was Walter Hellbach showed visitors how he makes glass eyes Ex-student Justin Wooldridge gets the Zandra Rhodes treatment before the fashion finale. spectacular. Famous fashion designer, Zandra Rhodes, and glass sculptor Andrew Logan dressed and made up glassmakers and volunteers in fantastic colourful clothes and huge mosaic jewellery and they all strutted down the catwalk in the Big Top to live Banghra music. Ex-student Justin Wooldridge also took part – see photo above. The Andrew Logan and Zandra Rhodes join the models on the catwalk at the end of the glitzy fashion finale. festival was incredibly busy; the student play, Through Glass Darkly, was sold out, and students and staff worked very hard to keep everyone fed, watered, parked and happy. A huge thank you to everyone who took part or visited. We look forward to the next festival in 2008. Janine Christley Norman Courtney, one of our visiting masters from the U.S., who directed the Synergy project, told us, “The IFG was a pleasure to be a part of. I had the opportunity to meet many British glass artists that I only knew from photos of their work. The inclusion of other events, especially the play and the fashion show elevated the whole festival above a mere seminar of technique and made it a lasting memory”. Norman Courtney was one of the visiting masters Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Glasshouse College A Festival of Collaborations A review of the Master Classes by Festival Director and Head of Glass, Keith Brocklehurst The second festival brought together an extraordinary array of glass practitioners who shared and demonstrated their particular skills with both fellow professionals and public alike. The list of artists gives an indication of the content of this unique gathering. Rik and Shelley Allen (USA) - Glass blowing and hot sculpting; Elio Quarisa (Murano) - Venetian-style glassmaking; Iestyn Davies (UK) - Hot sculpting; Frances Binnington (UK) - Verre Eglomise; Deb Cocks (Aus) - Glass painting; David Ruth and Norman Courtney (USA) - Glass casting; Wayne Strattman (USA) - Neon; Josef Marek (Czech Republic)) - Cold working; Loren Stump (USA) Flame working; Diana East (UK) - Bead making; Walter Hellbach (Germany) - Lampworking; Torben Sode (Denmark) - Viking glass making. Husband and wife team Rik Allen and Shelley Muzylowski Allen enthralled crowds with their hot glass sculpting work. Bringing together this extraordinary group of makers was a very significant event for many of them as it facilitated a sharing of ideas and an exploration for future collaborations. All the lectures were well attended and gave a contemporary snapshot view of glassmaking around the world. For me, highlights were the virtuoso demonstrations of Venetian glassmaking techniques by Elio Quarisa, Rik and Shelley Allen’s meticulous teamwork in realising Shelley’s animal sculptures and Loren Stump, who usually works with state-of-the-art lampworking tools, putting Torben Sode’s ingenious charcoal-fired clay Viking furnace through its paces! Feedback from the masters has been very positive with several asking when they can come back again! Bruce Airhead Above: Wayne Strattman demonstrates neon working techniques to class participant Fiaz Elson. Right: One of Torben Sode’s class participants tries her hand with his little Viking Furnace made at the festival. Iestyn Davies, Elio Quarisa and Richard Golding working together at the Glassmaker’s Supper held at Richard’s Okra Studios in Wordsley. Right: Loren Stump shows some of his students his flameworking techniques during his master class. 11 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 12 Glasshouse College Students Help Make International Festival of Glass A Huge Success A number of students worked in various capacities during the Glass Festival; in the kitchen, serving meals and ice creams, organising car parking and helping with the technical services. Here are a couple of extracts from their reviews: Working at the Glass Festival Keeping The Cars In Order by Rob Hansford 3rd Yr GHC During the Festival I was involved in a play (see below) but I also helped other students manage the site car parking and at the overflow car park at a large factory next door. by Nick Horton 3rd YrGHC When I was doing the car park next door, I had to stand a long way from the entrance where other students and staff were stationed because there was an area at the back which can hold at least 131 cars. We had walkie-talkies so we could stay in contact with each other, the festival office and the main car park at the college. In the Glass Festival I worked on Friday and Saturday in the organic shop serving people. There were also people serving ice creams and there was also a bar which I frequented regularly which ran out of beer twice because it was so popular. There was also a tea and coffee tent, a barbecue and a baguette stand. On the Sunday morning of the festival I There were some street entertainers and went straight from the house to college one, Bruce Airhead, got in a giant balJason Hall (on roof) assisted Greg and started doing the last rehearsal for loon and came out again dressed up as Bould in setting up sound and lighting the play. Before the performance Superman and Elvis (2 separate per- systems for the festival though, I had to help out with the car formances). It was very busy and the park for the last time and it was absolutely heaving with cars. atmosphere was very exciting. If I was here for the next one It had been busy on Saturday but Sunday was even busier. I I would probably work but I probably won’t because I will had to do the play for the members of the public and the be leaving next summer. There were loads of people and I visiting glass artists from around the world. think all of them seemed to enjoy it – I certainly did! My Part in Through Glass Darkly by Rob Hansford 3rd Yr GHC During the August Festival at the Glasshouse, I took part in a drama production called Through Glass Darkly. We had been working on it for a long time and it was very difficult to do. The play was set in the Eighteenth century and was about a lad called Will whose family were involved in the Glass Industry in Stourbridge. In the production, which was a play within a play (there was a group of people in it who were putting on their own play as part of the story), I had three parts to play which were Jack in the main play and Zeus, in the play within the play, and Heckler. Jack was one of the glass blowers whose job was to gather the glass from the furnace and make it in to a shape ready for the gaffer. Zeus was a God, a character in the second play, who only appeared in one scene. Heckler was a member of the audience and sometimes sat with them from where I shouted out my lines (heckling the other actors). On the Friday, we did our last minute rehearsal in the big top tent while the festival was going on at the same time. About half an hour before the show I felt a bit nervous, but was ready to do it. During the show, some of us forgot our lines but we always made something up on the spot and managed to make the people laugh. Rob Hansford (left) pictured in costume with other members of the cast of ‘Through Glass Darkly’. After the last show during the festival the reaction of the audience was really great and it made us feel proud of what we had achieved. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Glasshouse College Two views across the huge exhibition space where the Biennale was held and in the centre, the winning piece by Max Jacquard. The British Glass Biennale Exhibition Curator Candice-Elena Evans interviewed by Rob Hansford 3rd Year GHC The second British Glass Biennale was held once again at The Glasshouses’s historic Lower Glasshouse, once the scene of traditional glass making by one of the town’s leading manufacturer’s, Webb Corbett Crystal. Today the International Festival of Glass is bringing attention back to this imposing space by exhibiting glass art by British-based artists who competed to win one of two £5000 prizes. R.H. Which was the most popular piece of Glass? C-E.E Colin Reed’s ‘Still Life (right) with Vegetables’ was the public’s most popular piece and was also one of the jury’s top ten pieces from which they chose Max Jacquard’s ‘For My Lost Loves III’ (photo: top centre) as the overall winner of the Biennale Award. R.H. How many pieces were shown and how many did you sell? C-E.E There were 175 pieces in total and at the last count thirty-eight pieces had been sold. R.H. Which was the most expensive piece of Glass? C-E.E Jessica Townsend’s ‘Perfect Home’ doll’s house was £11,000 and Margareth Troli’s ‘Illusionary Space III’ was a similar price. R.H. How many visitors did you get over the whole weekend? C-E.E Approximately 3,000 over the festival weekend and a further 4,000 or so over the following three weeks of the exhibition. R.H. Did we have any famous visitors and if so who? Hundreds of invited guests attended the opening night. Piece: Vanessa Cutler ‘Spinal Wave’ C-E.E The Mayor and local MP Lynda Waltho attended the Opening Night. Mrs Waltho presented one of the awards. Andrew Logan and Zandra Rhodes also visited when they came to the Festival Fashion Finale. R.H. What did the artists think of the Exhibition? C-E.E Most of the artists were proud to be there, enjoyed the opening night and were pleased with the way we presented their work. Less established artists were very excited to be involved in a high profile international event. R.H. How long did it take to set up the Exhibition? C-E.E The organisation of the exhibition began before Christmas 2005 and involved inviting artists to submit work for the jury selection process. I didn’t know how much or what kind of work I would have to exhibit until after the jury process at the end of April. The planning for the 175 pieces that were eventually chosen took a further two months and the actual set up and build took about six weeks. R.H. What made you do the Biennale in the first place? C-E.E I had done the first Biennale in 2004 because the space was very inspiring and challenging. Devising a new way of presenting even more pieces of glass (there were about 25% more than the first show) was a new challenge and I was delighted to accept. The response from visitors and artists has been very encouraging. I was helped throughout the process by my assistant, Michelle Keeling, and also enjoyed working on the Biennale catalogue with the designer, Chris Day, and Festival Director, Janine Christley. See more at: www.ifg.org.uk 13 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 14 Glasshouse College Workshop Crossword Devised by Wayne Rogers, 3rd Yr GHC Across 1. Create your own necklaces and earrings 5. Work with bodkins, fletchers and quivers 8. Taking a snap shot of college life 11. College is alive with the sound of ….... 13. Improve your reading and writing 14. Make a new face for yourself 15. You can make vessels from the earth 16. Have fun on two wheels 17. Too cloudy to study the weather? 1 Down 2. Getting glass from old computers 3. Telling stories with models on strings 4. Get your motor ready to drive 6. Making things out of metal and fire 7. A chip off the old block? 9. Make glass bubbles with irons? 10. Opening locks to go places 12. Run the gauntlet with birds of prey 2 3 4 5 G L A S S H O U S E 6 W O R K S H O P 8 S 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 b y w a y n e r o g e r s The answers to the crossword can be found amongst the following workshops: (beware, there are a few ’Red Herrings’): Hotglass, CarMechanics, Meteorology, Bikes, Weaving, CWN, MaskUse, Recycling, StoneCarving, Jewellery, Art, Puppetry, Music, Archery, Falconry, Narrowboat, Pottery, Photography, Blacksmithing, Basketry, GlassCutting. Definition of A Red Herring: A distraction from the real issue. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 15 Glasshouse College Redhouse Glass Repairs By Craig Ravenscroft 3rd Year GHC One of the businesses at The Ruskin Glass Centre is one of the very few specialist repairers of crystal in the country. It is run by Brett and Richard, who provide work experience for students of The Glasshouse College. I have been learning about the process with them this term. 4. Intaglio Diamond Cutting Lathe (inside bevel). This is used for smoothing the inside of the glass and edging the inside of the glass. All kinds of glass can be repaired from wine glasses to vases. There are lots of different machines for doing various jobs such as smoothing and polishing the glass. There are different sanding machines that give you a nice finish on the edge of the lip so you don’t cut your lip when you drink out of the glass! 5. Upright Linisher Cork Polishing Belt – There are various types of lathes for cutting the glass and an edging wheel is used for getting rid of a rough edge and making it very smooth. This machine is also used for getting rid of a chip or unevenness on the top and making the thickness of the glass uniform. (A fun machine!). This is used for polishing the outside and edges of the glass to a fine finish. Here’s my guide to the tools of the trade. 1. Flat Diamond Wheel 6. Belt ItPolishing Arm This is used for grinding a rough edge on a glass and it is also used for getting the edge straight. The wheel is covered with used for polishing the inside of the glass for a fine finish using a fairly fine grade grit belt. a wet rag to keep the wheel moist and minimise splashing. 2. Upright Linisher (grit belt) for smoothing the outside of the glass so you get a good finish. 3. Flat Stone Smoothing Wheel This gets the glass even smoother. 7. Polishing Brushes/ Mops used for the final polishing process. It has fine bristles designed for giving you a dull finish on the small wheel. Then for the final finish there is another wheel called a cerox which gives the glass the highly polished finish. After you’ve used this machine the job is complete. 16 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College Dylan Thomas The Gower Penninsula This summer, my wife Nagako, and I took Gareth Taylor (1st-year) to visit South Wales. We based ourselves on the south side of the beautiful Gower Peninsula near Port Eynon and spent a week touring the area together. We also very much enjoyed the wonderful Gower beaches! One day, we made a trip to Tenby in Pembrokeshire and, on the way stopped off in the little town of Laugharne (pronounced Larne) where Dylan Thomas lived during the latter years of his life. His famous story/play entitled “Under Milk Wood” was written here and much of the setting and the characters in the book were based on the town and its local citizens. Gareth was extremely taken with Dylan’s Boathouse where Dylan lived with his wife Caitlin and their children. We also saw Dylan’s writing shed very similar to Ruskin Mill sheds. As a consequence, we decided that we would prepare an article upon our return so we will leave Gareth to tell this part of the story. We have also included part of Dylan Thomas’ “Poem On His Birthday” which was penned here in Laugharne. On the way back to Stroud, we stopped in Swansea to visit the Dylan Thomas Centre, which was opened in January 2002 in Swansea’s former Technical College. The exhibition is beautifully laid out and celebrates in words and images the life and death of Wales’ most famous writer. This seemed a fitting end to our wonderful week spent in Wales. By David Cooper, Houseparent Extract from ‘Poem On His Birthday’ by Dylan Thomas In the mustardseed sun, By full tilt river and switchback sea Where the cormorants scud, In this house on stilts high among beaks And palavers of birds This sandgrain in the bent bay’s grave He celebrates and spurns His driftwood thirty fifth wind turned age; Herons spire and spear. Under and around him go Flounders, gulls, on their cold, dying trails, Doing what they are told, Curlews aloud in the congered waves Work at their ways to death And the rhymer in the long tongued room, Who toils his birthday bell, Toils towards the ambush of his wounds; Herons, steeple stemmed bless. In the thistledown fall, He sings towards anguish; finches fly In the claw tracks of hawks On a seizing sky; small fishes glide Through wynds and shells of drowned Ship towns to pastures of otters….. …..my shining men no more alone As I sail out to die. Printed with permission of David Higham Associates Top Left: Dylan Thomas’s Boathouse. Above: His writing shed as it may have looked in 1953. Overleaf: Gareth standing outside the shed. Left: Gareth in Dylan’s sitting room in the Boathouse. Photos by David Cooper. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 17 Ruskin Mill College My visit to Dylan Thomas’s Boathouse by Gareth Taylor, 2nd year On Wednesday 19th July, I went to Dylan Thomas’s Boathouse in Laugharne near Tenby with Dave and Nagako Cooper. I saw the writing shed that Dylan Thomas once used to write his novels and one of them was called Under Milk Wood. I also went to his boathouse and I saw the lounge, which had an old fireplace, old phone, old furniture, clock, mantelpiece and fireplace. It had a view of the sea and it was lovely. When we went upstairs we saw pictures of Dylan Thomas and his family. We also watched a programme on TV and it was about Dylan Thomas and his life. Dylan Thomas was born in Swansea, Wales on 27th October 1914 and he spent some of his time in Chelsea, London. He completed the novel Under Milk Wood in 1953 while he was living in the boathouse in Laugharne, Wales. Sadly, Dylan Thomas died on 9th November 1954, aged 39. He had drunk 18 whiskies and was in a coma for some time. Under Milk Wood was first performed in 1953. Myself, Dave and Nagako had lunch in the tea-room downstairs and then we saw the sea from the window and it was lovely. So, all in all, I really enjoyed the boathouse and shall go again soon. ~ To make a link between the college and the local community at Ruskin Mill College The Ruskin Mill Student Forum was started in 2005 by tutors Ian Blythe and Tracey Bowen after hearing a student talk about his involvement with a student council at his old school. After a conversation with management and a small waiting period, the forum was born. The first meeting was attended by two members of staff and six students. They were asked what were the main goals of the Student Forum and came up with the main points of how it would work: ~ So that the students can have a voice and make suggestions towards how the colleges runs ~ To improve awareness about a range of different subjects, including anti-bullying and equality & diversity ~ To have a better link with the college management The Student Forum now meets weekly in the Nailsworth Boys Club, instead of the college site, so we can be closer to the local community. Over the last few years the forum has organised fundraising events, a Christmas raffle which generated £600 for the restoration of the Boys Club which is now called the N.Y.C.E. (Nailsworth Community Youth Enterprise). Some of this has gone towards giving the place a new lick of paint. The Student Forum is now looking to set up a space to have a permanent exhibition where information about different awareness weeks and forum projects can be displayed. One possibility now being discussed is to have the exhibition in the new student portacabin. In the future we hope to form a student council, which will be an elected body representing the students. By Stuart Wright, 3rd-year. 18 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College Iron Age Forge The Process of Knife Making by Justin Smith, with tutor Arian Leljak, compiled with Elly Pace, CWN tutor My first project was to make a knife which I made out of spring steel. First I heated the spring up until it formed an orange colour. Using a hammer and anvil, I straightened the spring until it was a perfect cylinder. Then with a cold chisel, I cut this piece off. After this I then flattened the piece. To make the shape of the flat, I put the straight edge on the anvil and with a hammer I hit it on a diagonal angle till the blade shape was formed. I made the neck by using a neck fuller and beating it with a hammer until the neck was formed. reason I did this was so the metal would become soft. The reason for this is so I could use a file to make the edges sharper. Next I made the basic shape of the handle which was a rectangle. Using a hand drill, I drilled a small hole on the top part of the handle so that the tang part of the knife could fit in. I placed the knife blade in a vice with the handle half way up the tang. Using a mallet, I carefully tapped the handle into place. This part was annoying because I split the handle twice and took three attempts to do it right (picture below). Next I used a filer to shave most of the wood of the handle till it was rounded. At first it was going to be quite a basic knife handle. I found it started to form a curve at the end. Arian told me this was what Norwegian knives looked like. This was the most painful part of the process: sandpapering!!!! It took me two weeks of constant sanding. Sandpaper has grades to show how coarse it is Next, using a chisel and hammer, I cut the remaining metal which was no longer needed. I then started to make the tang, which is the part of the knife which slots into the handle. I placed just the smaller piece of metal after the neck on the anvil. Then using a hammer (yet again) I hammered it so the tang expanded. I would do this until it formed a long narrow point (photo above). After the tang, I placed the knife in the forge to heat it up and left it overnight for it to slowly cool down. The Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College – the lower the grade, the rougher the paper. I rubbed the knife with the sandpaper going up and down the knife and never across. It took 30–45 minutes till I could move up a grade. The grades go from 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 220, 280, 340 and then 600… not much, huh? When this was finally over I smeared the handle with linseed oil which would give protection and darken the colour. I glued these all together so it could hold its shape when it came to stitching. After I made holes in it with a hole punch, I then threaded some lace through until it was through the holes. I feel I enjoyed my time at the forge with Arian and the rest of the group and that all the hard work did pay off. After the knife was made, I then made a knife sheath (picture above). I drew the shape of it on a piece of leather, folded it and cut it out. I made a third piece to go in the middle of the sheath so that the knife wouldn't cut the dried glue when it went in. I then glued the folds together leaving room for the knife to fit in. ISTERS UNITED (& DOG) WALK FOR CHARITY 21st June 2006 In June, the two girls groups combined to take part in a Sponsored Walk to raise money for the Williams’s Syndrome Foundation. There were 23 of us in total, 14 girls and 9 staff members, We walked around two of the lakes in Woodchester Park stopping for a picnic along the way. We raised the incredible amount of £440 which was sent off to the Foundation for them to use to help with research. William’s Syndrome is a rare disorder and Sarah Harley, a second year student who took part in the walk, suffers from this condition and was thrilled that the girls had raised all this money. She has written the following report. ‘The two girls groups decided to go on a sponsored walk so that we could raise some money for the William’s Syndrome Foundation. We arrived at the walking place at 7.30 pm on a Wednesday evening. I was very excited about the walk. There were a lot of girls on the walk. I walked with two of the girls. It was quite hard and sometimes I stopped for breaks because I was out of breath. Four people hurt themselves but not badly. I felt sorry for them. After a while we all stopped for supper and Neesa said a speech, then Sally and then I did. It was wonderful and then we walked back. When we got to the end of it, we all cheered and I said thank you. I was very touched by the all the money we raised and very proud of all the girls.’ By Sarah Harley, 2nd year 19 20 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College The Question of COMPOST through a process of digestion. The countless microorganisms, worms and insects, channel the organic material through their system as food, and leave an altered substance behind. We can only support this activity by providing the right living conditions for everybody involved, but it is certainly not us doing the work. I chose to work with compost as my project for a few reasons. First of all I had a feeling that it was work that needed to be done. Composting requires quite a bit of time and effort, and needs to be held in somebody’s consciousness. In that respect it is an ideal apprentice project. Article and photographs by Florian Sneider, Biodynamic Apprentice at Ruskin Mill During the last year of my apprenticeship at Ruskin Mill College, I have been working with compost. My aim was to create some infrastructure for a system which is easy to use, and suitable for the work c environment at Gables Farm Horticulture. Also I was drawn to the forgiving nature of composting. Whenever something goes wrong with the growing, you pile it up and cover it, and soon there will be lovely humus to support the new growth. Weeding also becomes a pleasurable exercise, of harvesting ingredients for the c compost pile. Nothing is wasted in the garden, nothing is worthless. I was also building a rat-proof Finally I developed a strong worm compost to secure the feeling of awe towards the disposal of the food wastes eternal wheel of life unfolding from the woodland kitchen. on the surface of Gaia, our My internal aim was to get a home planet. From dust we feeling and insight for the were made and dust we shall Process of Decomposition, be; in the end we all have to which revealed itself as face a composting process! Florian composting at Gables Farm, incredibly complex and What closer relationship to the and the final humous, below. multifaceted, and which still subject can we find? largely remains a mystery to me. No scientific These are just a few thoughts, feelings and pictures explanation could so far satisfy my interest in the about the work I have done with compost at during my transformation of organic matter. final part of the Biodynamic course at Ruskin Mill . Why does a compost pile heat up? There is an increase of activity of heat-loving bacteria. Yes, but why does it heat up? Is there a process of unfolding of sunlight, which has previously been stored in the plant body through photosynthesis, and is now being unlocked by the work of decomposing bacteria? What turns a bit of soil, water and sunlight into a colourful, organised, form of vegetation, and what reverses that growth again, into a pile of dark brown humus? The compost pile is a living organism hosting an intricate web of life, which transforms organic matter Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College Introduction Edward Payne: 1906 – 1991 Earlier this year, as a celebration of the centenary of the birth of Edward Payne, two exhibitions were mounted – one at Ruskin Mill and one at Box Village Hall. The first concentrated on his stained glass work, showing sketch designs, full-size cartoons and how a window is made. The second displayed his drawings and portrait studies, as well as World War II drawings. The two exhibitions attracted over 2,000 visitors and catalogues of the exhibitions are still available through Ruskin Mill. Edward maintained the glass at Gloucester Cathedral until 1983, when Graham Dowding succeeded him in that role. Graham had worked as an assistant to Edward prior to this. He has his studio at Ruskin Mill and still works at Gloucester Cathedral, as well as at many Gloucestershire churches. He also designs and makes his own commissions in glass for churches and domestic locations. You can visit his website, which is located at www.grahamdowdingstainedglass.co.uk. It is hoped that Ruskin Mill will house a permanent display relating to the “Arts & Crafts” stained glass artists who settled in this area. This would include the work of Henry Payne (Edward’s father) and link to the current work of Graham Dowding. Edward Payne was born in Birmingham in 1906. His father, an accomplished stained glass artist and art teacher, moved the family to Amberley, Glos., in 1909, where Edward grew up. Aged 17, Edward went and studied Fine Art at the Royal College of Art in London, and by 1932, he was working as a professional artist. In 1938, Edward returned to Amberley with his new wife and was called up to fight in WWII in 1940, the same year his father died. After the war, he set up his stained glass studio in the village of Box, where he lived and worked until his death in 1991. He contributed much to the village through his art, and drew on village life and individuals as the source of his work in stained glass. Thoughts on the Centenary Exhibition By George Hayes, 3rd-year, RMC Will Mercer and I went to the exhibition and I thought that Edward’s work was quite good. I’m interested in stained glass and have been working with Alec Hole and have enjoyed work on two projects. Because of my liking for glasswork, I found his methods interesting, but although I liked his sketches and paintings, the stained glass was of a traditional style and I prefer a more modern design to stained glass. Title: Box Village, 1945. Pictures from http://www.edwardpayne100.org.uk. William buried in the Trench; St. Andrews, Churchdown, Glos. 21 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 22 Glasshouse College Return To Nepal on, no one is allowed to work, enter or leave the town. It took eight hours to get there and a further two hours the following day to reach Pokhara. On the way we had to avoid the huge tree trunks which had been cut down by Maoist rebels and left in the roads to prevent people from driving during the strike. Helping out with English lessons with Deborah Byrne Pottery Tutor and Head of The Woodlands Department at Glasshouse College Three years ago whilst travelling in Nepal I discovered, through a poster in a Money Exchange office, the Children's Welfare Care Home (CWH) in a town called Pokhara. While we were there we went and worked at the home for a month and fell in love with the children and everything they were trying to do for the poorest children in the community. When I returned to the UK I kept in touch and realised they were struggling to generate the money they needed to keep going so I decided to try to raise money for them here and also go back to help them continue the work they are doing because many more children need their help. We left England in December for a four and a half month trip and stayed near Pokhara at an area called Lakeside in a very nice hotel which cost about £3 per night for the two of us! - I went with my partner Richard. The girls at CWH We spent time in India before travelling on a train for 16 hours to Nepal. We passed through several towns, saw bears in the street and eventually crossed the border into Nepal. There was a curfew preventing people being out of their houses after 6 pm. We had to stay at the border overnight before we could travel to Pokhara but there was a strike there so we had to stay in a nearby town as, when there is a strike It was very exciting to see all the children again and how much they had grown after three years and to see all the new faces. The children go to school six days a week, 10 am – 4 pm. They have Saturdays off – those children who don't go to school, we helped teach English. We also helped them all to speak English and do their homework in the evenings. When we weren’t doing educational projects, the children loved to play cricket, football and basketball and we had great fun. We travelled around on bicycles and helped some of the younger kids to learn how to ride the bikes. Every evening at 7.30 after classes, all the children sit out side for their dinner which is the traditional Nepali meal of dal baht – lentils, potatoes, spinach and rice. The children eat this every day and on Saturday they have a treat of buffalo meat. Everyone who works at the CWH are school teachers and take great pride in their work caring and educating the children who are Nepal’s future. When we arrived and gave them the £2000 we had raised for them, they were overwhelmed and said it was the first time in weeks they felt happy enough to smile. Unfortunately they had sponsors who had dropped out last year and so they didn’t have as Deborah with Beenu at Chitwan much money as they thought for this year. We hired a motorbike and travelled for five hours across beautiful countryside and stayed in an old hotel with a wonderful couple called Dilu and Beenu. This area of Nepal is called Chitwan where a day centre was being set up for the village children whose parents couldn’t afford to send them to school or stay off work to look after them. The children here are much younger than at the CWH and loved to play and were extremely energetic in between their classes. All the children live in a village where the houses are Title Picture: Deborah trying her hand on a traditional Indian stone potter’s wheel. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Glasshouse College mud huts and we visited all the children in their homes with their families. The people in Nepal are having an extremely difficult time politically at the moment as their democratic government was overthrown last year by the 'King' who uses the military to prevent any threat to his rule. The curfews are put in place by the King through the hours of darkness and the Maoist rebels put on the general strikes. As we returned to England, the people were beginning to rise up against this injustice and have since forced the King to make concessions towards a more democratic country. Deborah and Richard (at the back) with the ‘family’ at CWH The Smallest Man In The World Before we left Nepal, we went to see the smallest man in the world. He is 20 inches tall and 15 years old. The Nepalese people believe he is a very special person with great powers. The day he arrived in town it started to rain and rained for over a week – after not having any rain for over six months and a shortage of water. We were told that he was carried in his father's pocket. He was a perfectly scaled down version of a normal sized person, rather than a dwarf. We were extremely sad to leave as it is likely to be a long time before we see them again and it was an emotional farewell. They held a party for us. All the roads to Kathmandu were closed by the Maoist rebels so that meant we had to change our $6 bus ticket for a $70 flight ticket to reach Kathmandu. Deborah helping Suman with his homework It was an amazing adventure and I'd recommend anyone to go and visit Nepal. I’d also like to thank everyone for helping to raise the money we took out there to donate. Your generosity has made a huge difference to many lives! A big grin from Thimn An emotional farewell for Deborah and Richard Deborah with a few of the younger children from Chitwan 23 24 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Glasshouse College Work Experience at the Boarding Kennels By Rob Hansford, 3rd-year Last year at college I was talking to Pam Stacey about getting work experience for my third year at Glasshouse College. We went on to the computer and did a questionnaire which had lots of different questions which aimed to help me find ‘my ideal career’. After I finished the questions we got the results and we found a couple of potential directions. After some discussion in which I expressed a desire to work with animals, we decided to look at working at some dog kennels in the local area. Pam found one which was in the Wolverhampton area and arranged a day for me to go and visit the place. Later we went and spoke to the owner, Chris, and he showed me around and told me what he does and how he runs the place. After he showed me round, we were talking to him about what to bring and what time they start and finish. At the end Pam asked if I would be able to work there and he said yes. He wanted me to work on Tuesdays and Fridays which are the busiest days in September. The reason why it is a boarding kennels is that when people come to drop of their dogs it would either be that they are going on holiday or they are going away on a course and no one was around to care for their pet. I was told the time I would start and finish – 9 am till 4 pm. A view of a section of the kennels at Ashmore Boarding Kennels where I worked for a few weeks. Later on in the day we had a delivery lorry which bought twenty bags of cement and about four big bags of sand which Chris is going to use to build new kennels. On Tuesday we all had to clean the kennels from front to back because there was an inspector coming to check if everything was up to scratch, so that took us about two hours. On Tuesday, 25th September, we put the trailer on the back of Chris’s car and went to a farm to get twenty-five bales of straw and hay, then tied them all up so they wouldn’t fall off the trailer. Learning To Look After The Dogs Sometimes at the kennels there are some dogs that can be quite moody, and some dogs that are funny. When one is grumpy Chris tells me to stay out of the dog exercise area because the dog might start to bite. Sometimes when Chris is Teegan, a Border Collie, and Tazz, a liver-coloured Labrador, are two of Chris’s talking to the dogs’ owners I try to find a own dogs. job to do like checking to see if the dogs are OK and make sure they have got water. If they haven’t, On the 15th September I went to Ashmore near then I get another bowl and fill it up for them. After all, I Wolverhampton to start my first day at the kennels. The am at the kennels to learn how to look after the dogs and first job I had to do was to help Chris clean out the kennels make sure that they are fit and healthy and they are eating and let each of the dogs run around for a while. Once the their food. wheel barrow was filled full of dog poo and hay and straw, we had to take it to the muck pile so then we could burn it, On one occasion I helped Chris start to build some gates for so it wouldn’t smell. Then I was told that there were going the kennels. He wanted to make them so that the dogs to be lots of people coming to drop off their dogs for us to would feel safer in their surroundings. After about ten look after and that there would be at least eight dogs leaving. minutes it started to chuck it down with rain so we went to This is how boarding kennels work – sometimes there are get some shelter and couldn’t finish the job because it didn’t more dogs than others. stop for the rest of the day. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College OCN Horticulture Apple-Pressing With Tiffany Hurden, Edward Sharpe and Joshua Bartel, 1st-years, and tutor, Annabelle Mitchell First off we picked an apple from each variety of tree around the college. Then we labelled them with where they were from and gave them numbers. We chopped up the apples into small pieces and gave a piece for everyone to try. It was interesting how everyone liked different tastes from sourness to sweetness. There were fourteen apples tasted: No 1 was described as ripe but tart or slightly sour. No 6 was sweet and good for juicing as it was very juicy (had it rained a lot the day before we picked it?). No 11 was a cider apple which we mixed in with the sweet apples. After the tasting session, everyone went out to pick them and sorted them into their numbers to make boxes of each type. They were then cut up into quarters to put them into the crusher part of the apple press. The hopper on the top is filled half full and we then had to find the right speed to turn the handle so that all the apples went through the crusher. We carried on with this until the vat was two thirds full. The crusher had to be held by two people as the other person turned the handle to stop the press from wobbling or tipping. Then the crusher was taken off and we put the press lid on the crushed apple. When the press arm is brought down a metal plate made of brass is put on the lid to spread the pressure and this has to be aligned in the centre so that the press is right in the middle of the vat. The handle is turned to squash the cut up apples. The vat slats are not sealed so that the juice can run out into a tray below which has a plug hole allowing the juice to run into a jug below. The pressing starts smoothly but gets stiffer as the apples get compressed. The juice was then poured into 1-litre bottles and we all had a taste of the juice. Most people really liked the juice with a bit of cider apple in it. The juice was then drunk at the Michaelmas Festival on 29th September in Horsley Mill courtyard. Most people liked it, including the students, and came back for more. “It’s been an enjoyable experience making apple juice which I’ve never done before,” said Tiffany. Joshua commented, “It was interesting from the point of view of finding out how it all needed to work but equally frustrating when other people didn’t understand.” (Note from Annabelle: Traditional cider was usually made with a lump of meat and even a few dead rats in it which was supposed to add flavour. Cheers!) Pics from top: Labelled apple pieces, Joshua loading the hopper, Tiffany crushing and Edward juicing. 25 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 26 Glasshouse College Working with people with such serious problems for 18 months was a challenge, but most of them became my friends; we could understand what each other was going through at the time. They thought I was a very good cartoonist and an actor. Some of them were very good too though there were some who just couldn’t go through the disciplined routine and caused problems – for themselves mainly. There have been a few fights (not scripted) but usually they made up with each other in the end. My life in Ballet Hoo! by Paul Gribbin 3rd Yr GHC My favourite lessons are Drama and Art which is how I came to be involved in a special project called Leaps & Bounds. This is the story of how I became involved in the project to take part in a performance of Romeo and Juliet with the Birmingham Royal Ballet (and a programme about it on Channel 4 TV) even though initially I was too busy working on a theatre production of Peer Gynt at The Glasshouse which I took part in last year between June and July. The project was presented to a group of students in the spring of 2005 and because I was heavily involved in the production of Peer Gynt I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it so initially I thought the opportunity was lost. I finished the Peer Gynt show in July, had a summer holiday and came back to college in September (2005) to start my second year. Then Richard, the mask making tutor, asked me if I still wanted to do Leaps & Bounds. So I said ‘Yes’ and had a meeting with the Dudley co-ordinators of the project with a few other students. After discussing the idea with Mike Chase and assuring him that it wouldn’t get in the way of what I was doing in the college drama performances I agreed to take part in the four day intensive sessions which would lead on to Phase 1. I continued doing things like drama rehearsals at college but I loved doing Leaps & Bounds; exercising, warm-ups, sword fighting, dancing and learning to do ballet with professional ballet dancers and a group of young people with difficult backgrounds and challenging behaviour. The Director of Romeo & Juliet, Desmond Kelly, put us under a lot of pressure to get the performance absolutely right especially as it was to be performed live in front of thousands of people AND would be shown to millions of Channel 4 viewers! Since September 2005 we had regularly attended rehearsals at various places around the Midlands learning steps and movements for two key scenes. We performed what we had learned at The Drum (an arts centre in Birmingham) in front of our parents. We did the two scenes; the ballroom dance and a sword fighting scene. The cameras followed us through the whole process and recorded our ups and downs. Paul with other students listening to Director Desmond Kelly as he outlines the plans for the project to turn ordinary young people into ballet dancers. At the graduation to mark the end of Phase1, we had a big dinner with friends and families and a special treat for all of us to meet pop singer, Jamelia, who presented us with our diplomas and her autograph - and a big hug! Unlike some of the other students I didn’t know who she was before I came to the graduation so I couldn’t see what the big deal was! And in the end we had a party and I was dancing like it was 1999 again! Left to right: Paul in rehearsal for the sword fighting scene with Andy, on stage (back left) before the fighting starts and fighting on stage (viewed from the back of the stage). Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 27 Glasshouse College The Serious Work Begins Moving in to Phase 2 and the work was getting more intense and to complicate matters I was also working on a Glasshouse performance for the summer glass festival called ‘Through Glass Darkly’ which put me under more pressure which was what Mike Chase feared – doing two performance so close together. So I had to make sacrifices on both events. Of course I thought the BRB Romeo & Juliet was more important because of the big stage, big audience, bigger challenge and lots of beautiful women! And of course, I have worked on several college performances Paul dances with two girls during the opening scene of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet at before. This was all The Hippodrome in September 2006 new and exciting! I missed most of the summer holiday doing rehearsals (for both plays) and had to put a lot of effort in. A lot of the young people were nervous about which roles they were going to get. Desmond Kelly told us who was going to play whom. A local boy called Lindon was told he was to play the part of Tibalt - the lucky guy! and Andy whose mother had recently died got the part of Friar Lawrence. I would have liked that part but the director thought it would be good for him to help with the loss of his mother. As it turned out, it did! My drawing of the beggar, one of the parts that I played in the ballet. Marion, the choreographer, told me who I was going to play in the performance – it was a bit of a disappointment. The only single role I got was the beggar, with shredded clothes and a crutch, but I also played a dancer in the ballroom scene and a sword fighter in the fight scene. I may be a good actor but I’m not a dancer and Desmond Kelly knows that I’ve got learning difficulties. He explained that he couldn’t risk me making a mistake, but still it was better than nothing and also I loved the costume because it was so comfortable like a baby’s pyjamas, I also liked the monk costume because I was wearing nothing underneath! I’d never been on TV before. The focus of the programme was mostly on the young people with the biggest problems in their lives, but still I was spotted on TV by friends and family. A while back an old friend and I made a bet that if I was spotted on TV he would eat his shoe! And so he has! The programme had four episodes and the press kept coming making up stories about the group saying the show was a mixture of Brat Camp and X-Factor both of which I hate. The thing that kept most of the young people going was that they wanted to prove to the press that they are not just disadvantaged teenagers. The last two weeks before the performance meant even more rehearsals and of course I had a very good excuse to miss college “YEAH!” The Paul tries to help a fellow actor who pretends to be ill people at college after the ballroom scene. were so excited about me saying ‘I saw you on TV’, ‘I’ve spotted you on the telly’, and ‘Could you get us a ticket?’ I told them the show was sold out! That meant it would be a full house for the final performance which made me feel VERY apprehensive. The big day came. I wanted to see the room I had rehearsed in for so long – it seemed to be filled with the ghosts of our memories. We had a lot of laughs, fights, disappointments and victories in that room. We gave each other cards and presents and hugs and we had friends and family wishing us luck for the night. We put our costumes on, went on the stage and hugged each other in a very strong way. There was lots of tension on the stage. I was very nervous and emotional and as the orchestra played the music I started crying. It was the biggest opportunity of my life; the music was so beautiful. I walked on to the stage threatening the Capulets with my shiny new sword. The tension in my heart was brewing because I had to sword fight a big guy named Duane, hoping that I won’t make a mistake – I didn’t! I made it out in one piece, rushed to get into my ballroom outfit ready for the next scene. I loved the ballroom scene because of the power of the music. I felt like “I was the MAN!” As a student training to be a comedy actor I was still able to have a few laughs. My part as the Beggar was never shown on TV, but I will never forget how I managed to get buttons and spit on my hand (holding my hand out like a beggar!) And in the end when Romeo drank the poison and Juliet stabbed herself it was the finest ending I’d ever seen. Then we took our bows to the audiPaul and his fellow actors enjoy the moment when ence. It was like they get through the final rehearsals for the ballet. looking at a sea of hands. It was our last time together as a group. I stayed with them and went to the finale party and had a few drinks and said my goodbyes and then caught a taxi and went home. But as I got ready for bed I realised I was still wearing the cup underpants (which male ballet dancers wear). I thought, at least I’ve ‘won the cup’. It was the greatest performance I have ever done. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 28 Freeman College PEWTER LIVE! By Richard Abdy of Wentworth, Manufacturers of Fine Pewterware From left: Kristian, Danny Rowan and John Pickin, Residential Manager at Freeman College at Petwer Live Pewter Live is an annual design competition run by The Worshipful Company of Pewterers. Its aim is to revive interest in the use of pewter as the material of choice for domestic and interior products, jewellery and personal accessories. The event happens every June and includes competitions for both professionals and undergraduates. Kristian and Danny went from Freeman College to talk about the work that the students are doing as a PR exercise and hopefully to raise some funding. The college is currently based at our old factory in Sheffield. We decided to move because our lease was running out and other difficulties around the regeneration of the area. At the same time we had the opportunity to move into our current factory and acquire a company based here. It is a more modern factory, with more space and better access. The timing of this move was perfect for both us and Freeman College and they were also able to acquire some equipment from us. We sell our pewter products all over the world and in a variety of outlets including gift shops and stores. We produce traditional pewter ware such as tankards and commissioned trophies to modern vases, bowls, and even waste paper baskets as well as bespoke items. Right: Kristian at work at AR Wentworth Work Experience at AR Wentworth By Kristian Ceasar, 2nd-year Above: Danny Rowan, Pewter Tutor, with Jaimie Redwood, 1 s t -y e ar , Working on his piece: George and The Dragon. Jaimie close to finishing his work, right. The college arranged work experience at Wentworth’s, the company that used to own the building that the college is now in. I’ve been stamping tops and bottoms in preparation for the spinning department making tankards and quage bowls. I’ve also done some sand blasting and casting which is pouring hot metals into moulds. I am now working on a copy lathe which creates surfaces from raw castings. Last term I went to an event in London called Pewter live with my tutor, Danny Rowan. We gave demonstrations on how to solder tops and bottoms onto flasks. It went alright and we stayed in a nice hotel in London. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Freeman College Freeman College Fundraising By David Heugh, Director of Fundraising My main focus at present is a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for over £500,000 and negotiating with the Objective One European Fund for £400,000 in order that Freeman College can secure the historic Butcher Works. This grade 2 listed building adjoins The Sterling Works which will be our flagship site in Sheffield and has just completed phase 2 of its redevelopment. I am also in long-running discussions with the Arts Council with regard to Merlin Theatre and the Tintagel site. The Merlin Theatre is 30 years old and when it was built there was no thought to disability access and toilets and it’s now showing its age, i.e. lighting, heating, seating and dressing rooms. We can see this project taking a year to get funding of up to £1m for a complete redevelopment which will give it life for many years to come. In parallel, we are approaching lots of local and national trusts for grant funding. We’ve just received a £75,000 grant from the Henry Smith Charity for our work at the Stirling Works. It’s very exciting. I am also forging links with other major business firms in Sheffield, by introducing them to what we are doing as they are equally interested in sponsorship opportunities in the future when the refurbishment at Stirling Works is finished. We had a PR lunch on 13th October at Stirling Works, including chief guests the Lord Mayor and the Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn and 140 VIPS from the public and private sectors. We had a marquee in the courtyard, a buffet lunch and Duncan Edwards, was cold forging copper with students, Tom Ridley and Joe Norris. There were also demonstrations of student work in copper, pewter and silverware in the rooms off the Sterling Works courtyard. We hope that this gave an insight to our VIP guests about what Freeman College is bringing to Sheffield in terms of education, investment and job creation. The Lord Mayor and Minister for Sport gave warm speeches of support and congratulated The Freeman College for the work we are undertaking in Sheffield. At previous charities that I’ve worked at, I’ve put teams in the London 10K run, which now attracts 30,000 runners each July, through the historic heart of London. I was loathe to stop doing it and I persuaded Aonghus Gordon, Helen Kippax, John and Kate Picken, Ian Turner, Amanda Labron and Tyl van der Voort to participate this year. In nearly 90o F (30o C) heat, they did do it, with times varying between 1.25 to 1.75 hours. Aonghus is now extremely keen to enter a much larger college team next year. It’s great fun whatever your speed and fitness. The college pays for the entry and participant runners just have to raise a minimum of £100. Next year’s date will be Sunday July 1st and we will announce details in due course. Pictures from the top: Joe Norris showing his metal work skills at the recent PR event at Stirling Works. Andrew Whitley, author of ‘Bread Matters’ signing a copy for the Mayor of Sheffield. Richard Caborn, Minister of Sport with David and Aonghus Gordon. Visitors to the exhibition and lunch provided by Angie Murray, Melvin Jarman, Ashley Wood and students. Photographs by Jerry Lampson, QR8 Design. http://www.qr8.co.uk. 29 30 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Freeman College with Houseparents Fraser and Karen Hesketh At Freeman College We are from ‘Aotearoa’, South Island, New Zealand. We have a 14-acre block of land, named ‘Daisy Meadow’. We built our own ‘eco-home’, using a post and beam greenwood timber construction, earth floor and raw wool insulation, and we serviced the home with solar and wind energy, as well as experimenting with hydroelectricity. We raised three boys, Ajala (10), Maitreya (6) and Sanjaia (4). Operating an eco-farm park, with horses, donkeys, alpacas, goats, sheep, geese etc and an ox team, we and many folk enjoyed the opportunity to connect with animals and meet with nature. We ran this in conjunction with a backpackers hostel and hosted visitors from the WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms programme). Karen operated her own business as a hairdresser. I worked also in film, riding my horse in the Lord of the Rings films, after helping build the ‘Rohan Edoras’ castle set in the mountains, very near our home. Seven years on and we were so worn out, juggling finances to support this ‘natural’ lifestyle, hosting lots of travelling visitors and facilitating the beginnings of an ‘intentional community’. “We needed a break!” A sabbatical! On a website we saw a job in ‘exotic’ Crete. Unexpectedly we were offered the position. We had three weeks to rent out our home, pack up my job Ricky putting together the new bike rack teaching yoga and Tai Chi, and turn down massage clients. We then had nine months looking after four luxury villas in Crete. Already in Europe, it made sense to explore and experience England, especially for the children to see The household from the left: David Churm, Ricky Felstead, Fraser with Maitreya, Ajala, Thomas Rowe, Karen and Sanjaia. Top left: Daisy Meadow and right, the view from the house. where their heritage was. Being interested in Rudolf Steiner’s observations, having a background in biodynamic farming, my training in Waldorf education, Karen’s working with natural medicines and using the Waldorf home education curriculum, we then made contact with Ruskin Mill Educational Trust! Following an interview for the post of houseparents at Freeman College, and being accepted, we had two months to occupy before we started our new job. Rather than drive to Sheffield from Lancashire, we purchased a run-down canal boat, which, after much repair, we sailed our way along the Liverpool-Leeds canal system. Having moved into a lovely Victorian house in Dore, Sheffield, we were then able to welcome three very enthusiastic students to their new college home: Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 31 Freeman College Ricky Felstead, Thomas Rowe and David Churm. We all get on very much as a team, enjoy walking on the moors, particularly on full moon evenings and we all like cleaning the house …music turned up style!! Everyone enjoys exploring the Shire. We’ve come together as an extended family enjoying the comfort of home and garden with BBq’s and games and many adventures. It’s going to be a good year!! David with Green Woodwork tutor, Graham Aldred, on the pole lathe. David Churm, 1st-year I was born in Derby but then was adopted and moved to Chesterfield in South Yorkshire. Previously I was at Chesterfield College doing an Art & Design course for a two-year diploma. It was my parents’ idea to come to Freeman College. I came for a one-day visit with a Connexions worker and then for my three-day assessment. I wanted to continue to work with jewellery and learn some new skills like green woodwork and spoon-forging at Freeman College. I am very interested in building and interior design. I also like fashion and read a lot of magazines and enjoy visiting new cities and towns and looking at the buildings. I have seen some good architecture in Sheffield such as the Winter Gardens. One of my ideas is to get into interior design and architecture. I would have preferred to have come to college as a day student although I do like my new College home, but I am finding out about many people at the college. I’ve made loads of friends and I’ve also been doing gardening, catering, spoon-forging and film making. Yesterday we went out into Sheffield and took some pictures in the film-making session with tutor, Sandra Thomas. Love Divine By Andrew Burbidge, 1st-year Ruskin Mill College What is Love? Love is! Love is Spring. But what is Spring? Spring is Beauty. Beauty! What defines Beauty? Beauty can be Seasonal, But True Beauty Only comes Once in a Lifetime. What is the Difference, you ask? The Difference! The Difference is in the Colours that it Produces. Seasonal Beauty has Red Roses, But True Beauty, True Beauty, True Beauty is the Rainbow. It has Red Red Roses, And there’s Dark Green Four Leafed Clovers, In Meadows of Gold! And Sparkling Raindrops. As You Look at this, You Hear the Most Beautiful Sound You Ever Heard. And as You Listen to this Sound, You Get Transported to the Heavens and Beyond! Forever and Ever, It Goes On For Eternity! And that My Love Is what True Beauty, True Love! Is. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 32 Freeman College GREEN WOODWORK at Freeman College By Graham Aldred, tutor I was a chef for twenty five years and then I changed direction and went into carpentry and joinery doing City & Guilds for cabinetmaking. Then a friend got in touch with me saying that they had a team of special needs doing woodland work and could I come with my pole lathe. I got offered a job in training for Groundwork, inner city regeneration teams. I did NVQ training for six years in City & Guilds and OCN. We had two teams doing conservation work through social services and the New Deal which was more industrialbased. Then I worked in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park for five years, doing conservation training. Then I saw a job advertised at Freeman College, got interviewed and I felt very enthused with the whole ethos of the college. It’s also nice to be in on a new project at the beginning. We are currently based at the Merlin but we now have planning permission at Ecclesall Woods which is just outside of Sheffield. It’s a Council-run site and an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and it is a very sensitive site so we must work hand in hand with them. Hopefully we will move in the early spring. I love working with the students Graham at work in the grounds of Tintagel and the staff are fantastic and house with assistant, Olly Dean, far left everyone pulls together. Olly Dean, my assistant, also enjoys it and we work well as a team. 90% of the students have taken to Green Woodworking like a duck to water and I knew how well the activity would work, especially on the pole lathe. The students are learning basics such as splitting, cleaning and turning. I go home feeling fulfilled which is all you can expect out of a job. Every day has a new challenge. Adam Garlick, 2nd-year Adam Garlick on the drawhorse I am making baseball bats, using a drawhorse and drawknife. I started with a branch from a tree and chopped the wood to get the bark off. Then I used the drawknife to get it round. Then it has to go onto the pole lathe to get the final shape. Daniel Gleeson, 1st-year Daniel Gleeson shaping a stool leg on a pole lathe I’ve been on the pole lathe and the drawhorse. I am making a chair leg. I started with a branch and split it with an axe and used an axe to smooth it off. Then I used a drawhorse to make it round then put it onto the pole lathe to make the chair leg. I used a spindle gouge and a roughing out gouge. I am enjoying going on the pole lathe. I like being outside in good weather. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Freeman College From left: George Pethers, Tom Ridley, Martina, Ed Housden and Frances Gower Marriot Garden Project Update By Martina Gleadhall, tutor Tom at the new fence to remove some branches off the roof as we are in a conservation area. The greenhouse is my project which needs cleaning and making usable to sow seeds. The roof has been re-glazed, brickwork cleaned up and painted and most of the soil needs replacing with fertile soil. The outside cold frame also needs restoration. The garden will be completely redeveloped with paths and raised beds and it has been measured up and one of my next jobs is to design it. The maintenance department, with tutor George Pethers, have moved into the garages, which now houses their store room and workshop. The garden group has three garages including a tea room, tool shed and an office and display area. There was no running water, electricity or heat but George and his team have just put in Tom Ridley, 2nd-year electricity so the tea room is in I have been mostly working on operation. For the rest, we are using the new fence at the end of the the hotel at the moment and the plan is to have a compost toilet behind the garden to keep the badgers safe and greenhouse. I am now based fullhumans away from their homes. We time at the Marriot as the woodland have put in a hole in the fence so the group have moved into the old badgers can still explore the gardens workshop at Tintagel House around the and follow their tracks. It has taken corner. most of the term to put up seven fence panels and ten posts. We are going to have to We are going to grow medicinal plants, put a badger flap into the hole in the fence as it is herbs and plants for dyeing wool. We are the chosen charity for the Marriot Hotel for the next two required by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The site has been neglected years which is one aspect of funding this project. David for years and the rest of the Marriot gardens are looked Heugh, Director of Fundraising, is also involved in raising funds. We are hoping after by two gardeners. There is to grow herbs for the kitchens a badger watch in the grounds so we have to be careful and even at the Marriot as well as flowers for their tables and some to put up this fence we had a flowers for the local visit from DEFRA. This is my community in the longer term. second year at Freeman College Since we have started here, and depending how well I do, I George and his team have been might get another year. The working on the garages and the college is holding a special greenhouse. This has included occasion at Stirling works the guttering to collect water including the Lord Mayor and I for the plants. The next job is will be demonstrating how to to repair the garage roof but we make spoons with Joe Norris, a Above: Martina in the greenhouse and Frances doing a spot of painting. need the consent of the council second year student. 33 34 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Freeman College Catering at Freeman College By Joe Norris, 2nd-year Angie and Ashley feeding a healthy college In September 2005, I started at Freeman College in Sheffield. One of my favourite activities has been working in the kitchen with Angie and Ashley. This involves helping with the preparation of lunch in the morning (e.g. peeling and chopping vegetables), and cleaning up in the afternoon (e.g. washing up, mopping the floors). In the morning, there are usually two or three students working in the kitchen. They will be involved in chopping and peeling vegetables, washing or drying up. If they are preparing vegetables they will be standing around the central workstation and if they are washing or drying up they will be standing next to the sink. day we might cook pasta salad. At lunchtime, there is a main course with rice, pasta, or couscous. In addition, there will generally be a mixed salad, a green salad, and a dressing. Dessert is sometimes a cake or crumble with cream, on other occasions it may be fruit yoghurt or a piece of fruit. The atmosphere is generally quite relaxed, but on busier days when there are a lot of people coming for lunch, it can be quite tense as lunch has to be ready for half past twelve. Students don’t serve it but they have to help get it ready for serving. They have to put all the bowls of food on the counter along with some bread, butter and fruit. The food is usually on the counter by twenty-five past twelve. Sometimes, it can be quite a rush to get everything ready on time. At half past twelve, students leave the kitchen to have their lunch and Angie Murray and Ashley Wood serve. In the afternoon, there are usually two students working in the kitchen. They will be washing and drying up, and sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor and the canteen floor. This might seem like quite a tedious activity but is really very important. This is because the kitchen needs to be kept clean and hygienic in readiness for the next day’s cooking. Also, regulations about hygiene in kitchens are very strict. Occasionally, if we have time we may make a cake or pudding for lunch the next day. Although the food is all organic and vegetarian, there is a lot of variety in what we cook. For example, one day we might cook aubergine gratin, but the next Sometimes, after an afternoon in the kitchen, I can feel quite tired. This is because the cleaning takes a long time and there is a lot to do. However, it does feel rewarding when it is all done. Whilst I was writing this article, I interviewed Angie to find out a little more about her place in the college and her views about food. Here are some of her responses. Joe preparing an organic lunch Joe: Where did you learn to cook? Angie: I learned to cook at home and through work. I had no formal cookery training. I have cooked in a variety of different restaurants. Joe: How long have you been cooking? Angie: I have been cooking for 28 years. Joe: Why are you are working at Freeman College? Angie: I spent 2 ½ years at Ruskin Mill College. Some of this time was as Coffee Shop Manager. I came to Freeman College in the post of Catering Manager. I saw moving to Freeman College as an opportunity to see the opening of a new college. Joe: Why do you think cooking is important for the students? Angie: I think cooking is an important life skill and can make one more independent. Joe: Did you want to be a cook, and if not, what did Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 35 Freeman College you want to be? Angie: I did a degree in humanities. I have also done lots of education and therapeutic training. Joe: What developments are planned? (e.g. woods, Tintagel, Sterling Works) Angie: There will be a total renovation of the Tintagel Coffee Bar and a purpose built kitchen and coffee shop at Sterling Works. Joe: What is it like having a kitchen full of students? Angie: It can be challenging at times because the students all have unique personalities and difficulties, but it can also be rewarding. It is also useful, as they are needed to help with all the work. Joe: Why do you cook organic food? Angie: At RMET, the food policy states that food should be organic and, if possible, bio-dynamic. Joe: How have you found living in Sheffield after living in Stroud? Catering at the Merlin Kitchen Angie Murray Angie: I really like city life in Sheffield. It has a good bus service, I like meeting different people, and there is more opportunity to go out in the evenings than there was in Stroud. I like the wide open spaces in the Peak District compared to the tiny valleys in Stroud. we may also incorporate cooking for the public in connection with events held at the theatre. Daniel Gleeson, 1st-year I have worked (mostly in kitchens) and travelled, both in England and abroad. First of all, I was at the excellent Abbey Home Farm in Cirencester where I was one of three chefs cooking daily meals for the public, and on one occasion for HRH the Prince of Wales. From there I moved to Hong Kong where I was part of a team opening the city's first health food restaurant as second Chef. It was a steep learning curve in a big city restaurant. My job involved planning and implementing menus, training staff, organising events, as well as the day to day cooking. After one and a half, years I came back to England where I helped open a café in Bristol and then worked as a volunteer in a Somalian youth centre before joining Freeman College in Sheffield, where I work as catering tutor in the Merlin Kitchen. At the moment I teach two students at a time (we have a cosy sized kitchen) with whom I cook lunch for around thirty people - students and staff from the Tintagel House and Merlin Theatre site. In the future I’ve helped make shepherd’s pie and curry. For the shepherd’s pie, I used potatoes, peeled them and cooked them. I have also been peeling a squash. I’ve made apple crumble, chopped up the apples, then cooked them and then made the crumble. I have also made a vegetable pizza with tomatoes for the topping. I have made lettuce salads which meant washing and preparing the lettuce and peeling and cutting onions. I have made curry with onions, potatoes and carrots. Catering is quite good and I like it. I am a day student from Thorne in Doncaster and get a taxi in and out to college. Daniel Gleeson (left) and Joe Norris ready to serve lunch 36 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College World Peace Flag Ceremony In June, members from two Ruskin Mill households made the journey to Dumfriesshire in Scotland to participate in the 8th Annual World Peace Flag Ceremony at the Allanton Peace Sanctuary. This ceremony was the centrepiece of a Peace Festival involving several choirs, performers, Aikido demonstrations, Japanese tea ceremony, calligraphy and other cultural activities. The World Peace Prayer Society was founded in Japan and the organisation’s main sanctuary is located in upstate New York, USA. There are other sanctuaries and centres around the world, including the European Sanctuary in Dumfriesshire. Ruskin Mill students Tony Owen, Sarah Harley and Ricardo Abrahams, together with house-parents David and Nagako Cooper, made the journey to Scotland where they met up with many other international participants. The Saturday evening and Sunday morning were spent in preparation for the festival with everyone lending a hand. As the festival drew near, students Tony and Ricardo, along with David, were assigned car parking duties (in the light drizzle). Sarah and Nagako meanwhile helped with preparing the flags and rehearsed in a choir they had joined. For the flag ceremony itself, original music had been composed and all of the world’s flags were carried, by continent and region by region, beginning with the Middle East. Peace was invoked with the words: “May peace be in …” for every single country in the world. At the end, the Earth flag was paraded to represent all the rest of the countries and those world regions that are not officially recognised by the United Nations, including all the world’s oceans. The Flag Ceremony was opened by Rika and was closed by Maki Saionji. Rika and Maki are daughters of Masami Saionji who is the Chairperson of the World Peace Prayer Society. They had flown over from Japan specially for the festival. It was, all in all, a very special event and we hope to make a return journey next year for the 9th Annual Ceremony! By David Cooper, Houseparent and Photographer The Peace Festival It was really exciting when we all heard the news we had been waiting for. We were going to Scotland to take part in the Annual World Peace Festival. I was very excited by the news because I had never been to Scotland before. I was over the moon about it. I remember the day we all set off for Scotland. Tony, Ricardo, my house-parents David and Nagako, Jessica’s mum, Margaret, and I all went by mini-bus. We left on Saturday, 17th June 2006, which was HM the Queen’s birthday. When we finally arrived at Allanton Sanctuary, we were tired from the journey. The next day, on Sunday, it was the day of the festival. I joined a choir and we prepared a song to sing in the festival. The song was called “May peace prevail on Earth”. We sang this on the stage before the flag ceremony. What is a flag ceremony? Let me explain what it is. We used a set of flags for every country in the world. In the festival, every single flag was presented and carried, asking for peace to prevail in that country. This took quite a long time. It was a very cold afternoon and it was raining, but we all carried on. I missed Margie and Lizzie because Lizzie was ill and Sarah in her kimono Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College Ricardo with Yoshiko having written his name in Japanese, and with Tony on car parking duty Margie didn’t want to come. I felt very happy and peaceful, but I missed them both. I was a little bit shy when I first started talking to people, but I soon realised that everyone was so nice and caring about me. I felt so honoured to be in such a beautiful place and I loved it there. After the flag ceremony, there were lots of activities going on. First I painted the pattern of a national flag on a stone. Then I tried on a pink kimono with beautiful patterns. I also participated in the tea ceremony and tried calligraphy using a real brush and black ink. I wrote my name using Japanese characters, as well as the words ‘gratitude’ and ‘love’ on a piece of paper, which was very special to me. It was a lovely visit to Scotland and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We all hope that we can go there again. By Sarah Louise Harley, 2nd-year “May Peace Prevail On Earth” This prayer for world peace was born out of the devastation of Japan, which had experienced two atomic bombs, the first in Hiroshima on 6th August and the second in Nagasaki on 9th August in 1945. Ten years later, a man named Masahisa Goi, born in Tokyo, a philosopher, a poet and a spiritual master, started this movement to realise world peace through the prayer “May Peace Prevail On Earth”. He understood that words, thoughts and actions are alive, that they radiate vibrations and energy. He realised that the thoughts and actions of each and every individual, influence the destiny of humanity as well as plants, animals and the earth. The World Peace Prayer Society’s European Sanctuary is located in beautiful countryside near Dumfries, Scotland. It is recognised as an NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) by the United Nations and is a non-profit and non-religious organisation. The World Peace Flag Ceremony is performed on the International Day of Peace (21st Sept) at the United Nations, as part of a programme hosted by the UN Department of Public Information for New York schoolchildren. On the International Day of Peace this year, 27 Slad Road household in Stroud had a small but significant flag ceremony using a set of 193 national flag cards (recognised by the UN) and the Earth flag to represent all the other regions of the world. After a short silence begun by the sound of the Tibetan bell, Joshua Bartel, Sarah Harley, Margie Gibb and their house-parents, David and Nagako Cooper, prayed for each country together and placed the flag cards one by one in a spiral form, surrounding the peace pole in the centre. We all felt the energy spreading from this colourful flag spiral out into our home, our families and friends, our college and community and all over the world. By Nagako Cooper, Houseparent Flag Ceremony participants 37 38 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College It took 12 hours to reach Scotland in total. First we had to take the motorway, then we took the ferry across to the Knoydart peninsula where we set up our camp site. Building the Yurt Everyone is helping to set up the yurt. It was the only place we would meet together. It had a little stove to keep us warm and in the evening we would hang out together, cooked food, talked about the day, some storytelling and music. The weather was on and off with sun, rain, frost and even snow on the last day. The yurt was a shelter from the weather. The wilderness group (right) at base camp at the start of the trip. From left standing: Elly Pace, Ashley Stone, Rebecca Bright, Gemma Gordon, Tommy Brooker, Peter Smith, Daniel Lewis, Tom Best, Isaac Davison, Carol Blofield, Sarah Fisher. Kneeling: Richard Macbeth, Rebecca Crowther, (hidden), Helen Honeychurch, Rich Turley and Jay O’Connor. Bench Duty From left: Rebecca Crowther, Helen Honeychurch, Gemmy Gordon and Rebecca Bright gathering wood to make a bench for seating in the yurt since there was no furniture or shops around. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 39 Ruskin Mill College Food Daniel (left) and Richard building the clay oven. It was used to cook fish and potatoes and bread. Otherwise normal rations, left, and the tranger. Wild Donkeys This picture (right) is of some of us who took the long route back to our camping spot while the other group took a shorter route but we got to the camping spot before them. On the way, we came across a wild donkey. And all so we got loads of wool for a pillow and the walk was 8 miles around the island. Tom Best On Top of the World This trip was absolutely amazing. I’ve never done any thing like it ever. We had snow, rain, sun, sleet and every other kind of weather, how did we survive? We had to pitch our tents every night after a long, tiring, hilly hike. We cooked out of tranger cans eating rice, pasta, couscous, also custard and oat cakes. We filled our water bottles from fast running rivers. I’m never going to eat another oat cake again. In the evenings we sang songs, told stories, had camp fires and drank tea. John Marshall Farewell Fry-up This is all of us having breakfast in a nice café after walking from our campsite before going back. Tom Best Article compiled and designed in IT by Peter Smith, 4th-year, with contributions from Ashley Stone, Tom Best and John Marshall 40 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Glasshouse College The Running Club By Nick Horton 3rd-year student, GHC On Sunday the 11th of October I took part in a seven mile run at Pattingham near Wolverhampton. There were about 800 people taking part in the run. It was very hard and tough up the hills because it was cross country and I have never been in a race like this before but I still did it even though I had a cold. I only joined the Stourbridge Running Club this September and other members encouraged me to have a go at the Pattingham run. I started out from home at about 9.30am with my mum, AFRICA By Chris Enright 1st-year, GHC The bones of Africa are still weak. The race to save Africa has been long enough. The children are still shrieking in pain waiting for their saviour. Will rich countries want to kill the name poverty, make it history? All this hard labour out in the dusty plains of Africa with the effort and pain wasting away. Will the great shoulders of Africa finally stop eroding? Isn’t it about time we did something for their favour? Judy, step-dad Mark and two German students who are staying at my house (I was the only one running). We got to Pattinghamthere at about 10.15 am. We walked up to the village hall and had a look around and met my home provider, Rachael, and walked to the start and took our place for the race which started at 11am. We did the race which was up two hills and down one a bit and there were marshals showing us the way. I completed the run in about 1 hour 19 minutes and there were about two hundred behind me. I found it very enjoyable and I got a brass medal for taking part and a piece of fruit cake and a cup of tea. Mum brought me a T-shirt with everyone’s name on who entered before the race and my name is on it. When I finished my mum and home provider said I did really well. I was in the car once listening to music and I was thinking of Africa and saying to myself; ‘Why after so many years is Africa still in a state, how is it?.’ Comic Relief and Live Aid are very serious and they appeal every year and I think when the programmes are not on the television, we seem to forget to donate. Big countries like America, Japan and the UK should pay a monthly donation as you do for the taxes. Five pounds from each person will help Africa even more. I joined the Running Club in Stourbridge by going with my home provider and now go every Monday and Wednesday and start running at 7pm. I enjoy it and make loads of new friends. My running also helps me to keep fit and I have nearly lost a stone in weight already. So I wrote this poem to send a message of empathy about Africa. I made the poem articulate and strong, so you will read it and see how I feel now I’ve put it down into words. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Freeman College DRAMA at Freeman College with Johanna van der Vort, tutor, Michael Nares, 3rd-yr, Sam Winter, 1st-yr, Daniel Fisher, 2nd-yr, and Sass Aley, 1st-yr Johanna: We are currently working towards a Christmas production called ‘Winter Child’ which will include students and professional actors. I like to work from the students’ own experience as it gives them the possibility to gain ownership of their work. Instead of giving them a text, I suggested we talk about our experiences of Christmas which caught their interest as they all have a personal story as to how they experience Christmas. I then got them thinking about people who From left: Daniel, Sass, Sam, Michael and Per Iversen, tutor, don’t have anywhere to go at Christmas. in rehearsal at the Merlin Theatre. Michael Nares: We started with nothing so we wrote part of the script ourselves. We chose some themes Homelessness around homelessness at Christmas and whether we are privileged or not. We started by working on some frozen tableaus which is where you do a certain action and freeze By Michael Nares it like a statue. We chose themes such as a New Year’s party or a soup kitchen. Johanna: We then improvised, transforming the frozen images into moving I wait the long, cold, empty night scenes, putting dialogue in at the very end. Hungry, thirsty, full of fright Sass Ayely: One of the images we have been working on is ‘The dog Why me I think, to live like this greeting’ where Daniel is the dog and I am inviting my friends in to have a party. My soul feels empty, joy amiss. Johanna: All this raised interesting discussions about the positive and negative The other day, I saw a knife aspects of homelessness, of Christmas, about seeing and becoming aware of the less “Give me your money”, yet more strife fortunate. Comments came up such as Sam Winter's, (a first year student acting in the No food, no water, no joy, no bliss play): “They can steal your radio but they can’t steal your dreams”, and how he had realised I never thought it would come to this. when walking through the streets "looking into the windows of the houses I pass by, each one tells a story and I don't know why". Comments such as these then led me to read the The occasional apple, that’s all I get group the story of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen, which is about a They even kick the beloved pet little girl who has nowhere to go, just like the homeless people we had been speaking I wish I’d never taken those drugs about. In the play the Match Girl is on the streets and looks into windows as she I wish I’d never met those thugs. walks by. This set off scenes such as meeting the dog, having a party, and a festive meal where everyone is a bit merry. To join a gang to protect me Michael Nares: They are supposed to illustrate how awful it is for the girl to Silly now, I can see be on the streets when everyone else is having fun. Another one will be a scene where Too many gangs, I can’t avoid the Match Girl is being threatened. We also wanted to do something about Christmas Where life was full, there is a void. but not from the point of view of any religion. I long for money, I long for food Johanna: In between these little cameo scenes, the Match Girl is selling I long to not be in a mood, matches; it is a cold New Year’s Eve. She gets so cold that eventually she lights one of I long for fish, I long for peas, her matches to warm up. In the light of the flame she has an unexpected I long to feel really at ease. hallucination. I have adapted two stories as journeys on which the Match Girl goes in her imagination/hallucination. One is called The Dead Moon and is a traditional But this is the life I’ve made for me English tale set in the Fens. The girl becomes the moon in this tale. She comes back I’m not happy as you can see from her journey, is very cold and lights more matches, the light of those flames taking her on another journey, this time to the land of Masha and the Firebird, a Russian No friends, no money, no job, no hope Did I ask for this, never, nope. tale. In this story the Girl becomes Masha. Finally we end up back to the Match Girl who has died. It is about bringing light into the darkness and ends with the chorus To get a job, that’s what I’d like saying: No home they say, get on your bike This night the little girl was found dead Life for me is really tough A smile on her face and cheeks rosy red. As you know, I’ve said enough. But the people who found her did not know That whilst she was being buried in snow What the future holds, I don’t know What warmth she'd felt, what things she'd seen What to do, where to go As wonderful as her wildest dreams This is me, this is my life No need for them to shed a tear I’d really like a little less strife. On that frozen cold last night of the year. 41 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 42 Ruskin Mill College A New Book by Greg Tricker with text by Johannes Steuck Who was Kasper Hauser? What was the meaning of his life? Why was he murdered? Greg Tricker, stone carving tutor at Ruskin Mill College, produces another excellent, high quality book with 144 pages in full colour of Greg’s artwork and a fascinating and erudite text by Johannes Steuck exploring the key questions about Kasper’s short life. Kasper Hauser follows on from Greg’s previous books on the Catacombs and St Francis. The Mystery of Kasper Hauser The Holy Fool The Red Apples Theatre of the World Kasper Hauser is available from Wynstones Press: Tel: 01384 399455 or from Greg Tricker: Tel: 01453 834975 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 43 Ruskin Mill College On the morning of Thursday 6 July 2006, Will Mercer, my Personal Tutor, came to pick me up at 4 am to drive us to the Wimbledon championships in London. We got to London for about 6.30 am. We parked and went to find the queue to buy tickets for the day which was only about 50 yards up the road. At the time, there were about 50 people in the queue. Then we were taken to the next section and queued until about 8.30 am during which time they were handing out some free samples of juice. At 8.30 am, we moved through security to go to a holding pen outside the ticket office. At about 9 am, we paid for our tickets for Court 1, they let us through and we had to wait until 10.30 am to get into the courts. Then at about 11.30 am the rain started to come down. The weather cleared and, at 12.30 pm, we saw a warm up game on Court No. 3, then took our seats right in the corner where the stars come out. At 1 pm we saw the men’s singles match, Nedal vs. Nieminen, which Nedal won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Then we went out for a break and ate our packed lunch on Henman Hill. We then saw Woodbridge and Woodforde take on the Jensen brothers. The woody boys won the match 7-5, 6-2. Then we saw McNamara and McNamee take on Bahrami and Mayer which McNamara and McNamee won 7-6, 7-5. Finally we saw the great Ivanisevic and Henry Leconte take on Donnelly and Zivojinovic where they entertained the crowd. When they first came on, they decided to tie up the umpire and stick him in the middle of the court while Leconte took over his chair. Then they decided to play three against one and three against one in a chair. They were playing badminton style more than tennis. Then the crowd all shouted harder and harder to get Ivanisevic to do a big serve, so he hit one at 141 mph. Left: With Will in front of one of the court-side press boxes. We left at around 8 pm and ate at Reading Services. Above (from top): Nadal and Niemenan coming out onto No. 1 I really enjoyed going to Wimbledon 2006 and I hope I Court. Nadal signing autographs next to us. Standing on will be going next year. Henman Hill. Watching Nadal serve from our front row seats. By Andrew Blandford, 4th-year Photos by Will. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 44 Ruskin Mill College History of Art Trip Crete 2006 On Thursday, 18th May 2006, a group of students and staff from Glasshouse College and Ruskin Mill College flew to the Greek island of Crete. We went there to learn about Greek mythology and art in the area. I rode a donkey (left) for the first time up to the Diktaion Cave where Zeus was born. He was the son of Cronos and Rhea. The cave was wet, damp and cold. It echoed when people were talking and there was no light. When you went outside, you saw the view of the plain of Lassithi. Anna Robertson We went to the palace of Knossos. We did a play (right) about the Minatour and I was Ariadne who fell in love with Theisius. We used masks made at the Glasshouse College. Kate Hynam, 3rd-yr We saw the king’s throne and the queen’s bath. We saw frescoes of the king-priest and of lots of dolphins. Anna Robertson, 3rd-yr I woke up at 4.15 am to get ready for a very long, hard day walking the Samarian Gorge (left), which was a challenge for me, but I made it all the way through, despite the pain after hurting my ankle. The walk was 17 km long. We had lunch and I had to walk the second part of the gorge on my own, which was really difficult, but I managed to get to the end, despite the fact that I sprained my right ankle. I was proud of myself and when I told Darryl, he was delighted and supportive towards me. I am up for big challenges, so if I have the chance again, I would do it again. I will never get over being so pleased with myself after being the third person to make it to the end of the gorge in very hot conditions. The gorge was the very best thing that I have ever done since I was about 14 years of age. When there were seven people who’d finished the gorge, we all went to a restaurant bar and Mike bought us an ice-cold drink and an ice cream for passing the gorge and surviving the hot weather. Kate Hynam In Chania, we went to see Rokka Carpets, which is the name of Mahalis’ weaving workshop (right). His family have lived and worked there for at least 400 years. It was really beautiful and magical and full of colour. He uses natural plant colours for dying the wool before he weaves it into rugs and bags. I made friendship bracelets. Anna Robertson Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College History of Art Trip Venice and Florence 2006 Impressions by Andrew Binnie, 3rd-year That was my first trip to Venice and Florence. It was thrilling flying over the Alps which still supplies fresh water to the people below. When we landed, we waited for the bus to take us to the Hotel Plaza and then we took the train to Old Venice. We boarded a gondola which took us up the Grand Canal. The gondolas had very comfortable and soft red seats and some red roses on them. We also went to St. Mark’s Square and looked in all the shops and ate Italian ice-cream. We also had our meals in Italian restaurants called ristorantes. On our journey through the canals, we went under bridges, saw the sides of the old houses and the white and red striped poles with golden tops. We went into palaces that once belonged to merchants, princes and lords. The palaces contained paintings, sculptures and old china. One of the palaces was once rented by Lord Byron who lived in it for a few years before he died in Greece. We went to St.Mark’s Basilica which was very old inside with mosaics, paintings and gold statues. It was very quiet inside. We also saw the Lion of Venice overlooking the whole square and looking east to the sun when it rises in the morning and resting its paw on the Bible. The Cupola of Genesis represented the story of The Creation. Each of the five circles tells of the most important events that happened during the Creation. The next day, we went to the Galleria dell’Accademia. There were lots of very famous paintings done by famous artists. One of them is of the Virgin Mary holding Christ inside an egg. She wore a black cloak which represented the night sky and a red one with gold stars on it which represented blood and life. The sky behind her was gold representing the heavens. The Renaissance period didn’t start until 1415. We went to see the glassmakers on Murano Island and the old stone church on Torcello. I went inside it and there was an old sculpture of Jesus on the cross in front of the seats and a mosaic covering the back wall of the creation over a door with a curtain on it. I then went around to the other side of the church and walked up the stone tower which looks over the whole of Torcello. Before I went inside the church, I saw a small statue of Mary on top of a small column with her foot on a snake. Florence by Ben Waters, 3rd-year In Florence we went to the Academia museum to study Michelangelo's art. We saw the sculpture of David. The sculpture has David looking to his left for Goliath and in his right hand is a stone ready to throw. Another sculpture we saw was of Christ coming off the cross. The title of the sculpture is called ‘The Pieta of Palestrina.’ On the final day in Florence we went inside the bell tower of the Duomo Basilica (the Dome Cathedral, above) which is really big and we had to climb about four hundred and sixty steps to get to the top which was very tiring. Once we got onto the top of the tower, we saw the view of Florence which was very beautiful. I really enjoyed my stay in both Venice and Florence and learnt many new things. I found Venice very exciting but I loved the view of Florence. The Church of Santa Maria Della Salute, as seen from a gondola. 45 46 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College Gloucestershire Young Person of the Year Award I work as a young person volunteer at The Door which is a Christian Youth Project in Stroud. As I came to work one day, Jo, the Coffee Bar team leader, asked if she could nominate me for an award. I just agreed without really knowing much about it. You can imagine my shock when I got a letter inviting me to the Gloucestershire Young Person of the Year Awards. I was so excited and started telling all my family and Alex Farrow, chair of the Youth Council and last year’s winner with friends. Grant (centre) receiving his certificate from the Mayor of Gloucester Before the ceremony I had to go to the Severn Sound studio in Gloucester for the preliminary judging where I also did an interview with Joe Lemer, a presenter on Severn Sound, and a photo shoot. On the day I was so excited. My mum had brought my suit back from Essex and I went out to buy some new shoes. We all had to speak to the judges again and have a rehearsal. Finally it was time for the nominations. Joe Lemer read out the nominees and explained why they had been nominated. I was nominated for my charity work that included work at The Door serving in the coffee bar, St John Ambulance, GlosAid, SASG (Stroud Autistic Support Group) and my work dealing with issues around bullying. At the end of the ceremony, which was attended by many important people, the trophies were handed out to the winners of the different categories and the overall winner. I won the 'Making a Difference in the Community' category. It felt so great as my parents were able to be there to see me get my award. I will remember that day forever. I also received the Stroud Town Council Young Person of the Year Award and received a shield, a Stroud Town Council paper weight and a certificate from the Mayor of Stroud. Although I don’t do my work in order to gain rewards, I am very honoured to have my work acknowledged in this way. The Door, a Christian Youth Project where I work as a young person volunteer, has been short-listed to get a Faith Works award and I, along with Brendan Conboy, are going to the House of Commons to attend. I am also the webmaster for The Door so to find out more go to: www.thedoor.ik.com/ Grant Harman, 4th-year. The Principals of Re-organisation Ruskin Mill College and Glasshouse College have a new post of College Principal following a recent reorganisation. Richard Rogers was appointed as College Principal at Glasshouse College. Richard had previously been Head of College, Residential, at Ruskin Mill College, where he worked very closely with his old colleague and good friend, Michael Frosch, who has now become College Principal at Ruskin Mill College. Richard (left) and Michael also graduated at Lancaster University in July on completion of a Postgraduate Certificate in Management (Education). At Freeman College, now starting its second year, Helen Kippax has been appointed Deputy Head of College and will continue to work closely with Amanda Labron (Education & Therapy Manager), John Pickin (Residential Services Manager) and Aonghus Gordon, who will continue as Head of College. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill College RUSKIN MILL HYDROPOWER SCHEME From left: Jacqui Rogers, Sue Reed Mayor of Nailsworth, Amy Cross (Powergen), Aonghus and Victoria Lake (Powergen). The Ruskin Mill Hydropower scheme is the latest development in the RMET renewable energy programme. It follows on from the installation last year of 30 solar photovoltaic panels at Gables Farm and a self-generating Vulcan Ram pump supplying spring water to a work area. The flow of water running next to the waterwheel is a valuable resource to Ruskin Mill building and craft workshops. A feasibility study was carried out by Phil Davis who was born in Stroud and is passionate about installing hydropower turbines in the Stroud Valleys. The study recommended that an Ossberger crossflow turbine, which operates over a wideflow range, be located adjacent to the water wheel. This has a rating of 5.71 kW and will generate an estimated 22,562 kWh of electricity each year, which represents 15% of the total consumption for the building. This is equivalent to the electrical energy needs of over five average UK households. An interactive demonstration system will be created using the waterwheel to turn a flushing system initiated by pulling a chain. The wheel will set the gear driven layshaft in motion, powering the old, flat-belt driven, direct current generator. An incandescent light bulb fitted to the generator, will glow as electricity is generated from the flow of water driving the mill wheel. The waterwheel room will be refurbished to enable visitors to access the demonstration system on designated open days. Completion is due for January 2007. The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) spent five days tirelessly clearing out the silt and Bill Benton, engineer on the waterwheel for over 20 years rubble from the river bed around the millwheel and from under the track. Fuelled by good food and refreshments from the Coffee Shop, the teams filled three or four skips with rubble, reserving the Cotswold stone for wall repairs. As water bailiff, Howie Keightley controlled the flow of water to enable volunteers to work safely. Howie, Lander de Meulineure and Sarah Kelly spent a week working with students to clear the undergrowth from the banks of the river and continued de-silting the riverbed. Rayner Grant was called in to remove the larger branches, some of which were growing of out the stone wall. Bill Benton, who has been tending the waterwheel and its machinery for over 20 years, has been lending his valuable expertise to the development of the project and filming by Mango Productions for a documentary film about the educational, heritage, community and environmental aspects of the project, has begun. Ruskin Mill Educational Trust acknowledges the generous financial support totalling £65,656 from the following organisations which has enabled the project to go ahead: Clearskies (Department of Trade & Industry), Powergen’s GreenPlan Fund and The Gloucestershire Environmental Trust Company (Cory Environmental landfill tax credits distributed as grants). Ruskin Mill Educational Trust will be awarded ROCs by The Office of Gas Electricity Markets (OFGEM) for all electricity generated by the hydropower scheme. Renewable Obligation Certificates or ROCs are digital certificates that hold details of how a unit of electricity was made, by whom and finally who bought and used it. Ruskin Mill has entered into an agreement with Ecotricity and will be trading ROCs to create an estimated £1,015 a year. This is in addition to the savings on electricity charges of £2,000, making a potential annual income of £3,015. It is planned that two analogue dials will be mounted in the foyer at Ruskin Mill showing both the amount of electricity generated by this scheme and consumed within the building. It is intended that this project will be incorporated into the educational curriculum. Jacqui Rogers, Development Co-ordinator. Students Richard Moss and David Taylor clearing the channel 47 48 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill and Glasshouse Colleges Welcome to all ex-students and we have, as always, had a good response from many of you and here are some edited highlights. The Ex-Files offers a very good opportunity to show some of the activities and experiences that ex-students are involved in since leaving our colleges as well as passing on information to staff. Hope you enjoy this issue and I look forward to getting your news for the next edition. Best wishes from all the staff. Will Mercer ([email protected]). Ruskin Mill College Joe Ambridge is living in Stroud with his family, working as a Royal Mail postman and helping out at home. He attends pottery classes one evening a week. Oliver Blake left the Mill four years ago in the hopes of visiting Russia. Provided with a lot of help, he now lives in Yaroslavl (north of Moscow) with his Russian fiancée and works as a teacher of English. In the spring, they came back to the UK and visited the famous London sites before coming to visit the Mill. He would love to visit us again and says that to still be in contact with his friends in England is the greatest pleasure that life can give. Matthew Brown is living in Clevedon, Somerset, in an independent flat with five other residents. He likes to go shopping for games and DVDs and hopes to be doing an IT Course in September. He says ‘hi’ to Elly Pace and Gudrun. Matthew Gold is living in Chichester. He is currently involved in a snooker tournament and enjoys football, biking and swimming. He is doing a bike ride in France in September for the NSPCC and hopes to wed his girlfriend after Christmas. He says ‘hello’ to Abby Blackwell and Jayne and Phil and would like to meet up with Gareth Holiday. Robert Jones is living in his own flat (with a balcony) in Westcroft, Milton Keynes. He misses both the challenges and the organic food at Ruskin Mill and would like to say ‘hi’ to his ex-personal tutor Arian. He says he’ll probably be at the open day next year. Aaron Lockwood is living in supported independence in Milton Keynes. He’s still practising darts, doing Japanese, watching Transformers on TV and DVD and collecting Transformers and Disney DVDs. He plans to get into retail soon and wants to visit the next sci-fi fair. He says ‘hello’ to Katie and Tara and konnichiwa to Ayumi, and sends his love to Alice and Carla as always. Michael Pearce is living independently in Horfield, Bristol. Whilst at the Mill, he enjoyed the countryside and the people. He is currently between courses and says ‘hello’ to Helen Bermingham. Ram Ray is living in Strood, in Kent. He keeps up with his craftwork and sports activities. He really misses Ra and Iona and says ‘hi’ to Barry, Elizabeth Affleck (now Johnson, having married Carl in 2005), Kim Emmerson and Cathy Blofield, as well as to Sammy Roberts, Kit Farrell and Martin Cox. Jonathan Silverstone is living in Southend-onSea, Essex, though he is trying to move into a new flat locally. He is currently doing volunteer work and hopes that it will lead to exciting new possibilities. Hugo Taylor is living in Shoeburyness, in Essex, with his family. He goes to his adult placement two days a week, learning housekeeping and mechanics. He volunteers one day week at Hamelin Trust, doing furniture restoration, and spends time with his floating support worker for another day each week. He would like to contact Warwick Bardsley and Ben Laird. Jonathan Wilson is still living at home in West Ealing, London. He has been doing computer courses and some work experience at a Wilkinson warehouse. He has been helping his mother with the housework and the cooking and is looking into more formal housing arrangements. Robert Winterbottom is currently living in Woking, Surrey. He is currently doing two sets of voluntary work at the British Heart Foundation and at a charity shop called Connect. He’s on his local housing list, but is as yet unsure when that will come to fruition. He says ‘hello’ to Joseph Ambridge and Anna Leesley-Brown and anyone else who knew him at the Mill. Ashley Wood is living in Sheffield with Jon Leonard (a Glasshouse ex-student), both of whom now work at Freeman College. He likes going to the cinema, bowling, walking and food shopping and enjoyed our most recent Open Day. Glasshouse College Alex James (2001 – 2005) is now living in Halesowen, West Midlands, with his parents. He is doing a paper round for the Chronicle, he plays pool for the Maypole pub on a Thursday night and on Tuesday for the Nelson in the new year. He does gardening twice a week at the Hillside Herb College in Dudley and he mows the lawns at home and at his nan’s house. He enjoys watching films and visiting places. Edited by Richard J Thatcher. Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 Ruskin Mill and Glasshouse Colleges Kit’s visit to Downing Street with the Scouts On Saturday, 9th September 2006, I went to London with some of my Scout group to visit Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives. It was my very first time going into the actual street, past the gates where the police are guarding. I arranged the visit. When I first heard that Scouts, schools and youth clubs can do special visits in Downing Street, I thought I’d discuss it with my helpers and they thought that it would be a wonderful idea. I wrote to the Prime Minister’s Events Office at 10 Downing Street and got a reply. When the date was planned, we had to send by fax all the helpers’ names to go on the police list so that we would be let into Downing Street. If not, we would be refused entry. The time we were due into the street was 11.30 am. When it was 11.25, we made our way to Downing Street. As soon as we arrived, one of the police officers let us in through the side gate. I was really excited to get in, and as soon as we entered, we were security searched. We went right up to number 10 and I couldn’t believe I was in the actual street. We all stood in front of the door and had our photo taken. There were lots of people at the end of the street in Whitehall, looking in through the massive gates. The Scouts and I enjoyed the visit. John Bonorrer, Sarah Stone and Sue Kemp were the helpers that came with us. Marbles, Chris and Liz (in the wheelchair), who also came, really enjoyed the visit to Downing Street. I’ve had dreams about going into Downing Street and when we were there, everything looked the same as it was in my dream. It was all a dream come true. Entry into the house was not possible and we didn’t meet Mr. Blair. By Kit Farrell (2002 – 2005). Cartoon by Stuart Wright, 3rd-year, Ruskin Mill College 49 Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 50 Ruskin Mill College B F N M A Q T Y O A M A Z O N R I V E R K L D E A I C V B R I O A E W R T Y K T V B T Y A S L P G H K E S O O R F I P E F A T Q Y B N M M A O C S R A V N Q I L H D X V M R L O E V B V X T R J H G Y L F D U I O B P N R T V X P H I A D O L I O N M Y L L Q W E P R T Y X C M P T O S P I M S U W H I N R R C A W H E A L E A Q L X A C N M O X L P R E A Q A G T A S S T C S T H N S A L N B Q G P P T X A V B I D T Q D A Q I T G N M A S V O K O P I E P I R F G H B X Q A S I E D A S N G D A C Y T O P I S V C X Z Y G Y G G K R A T K L L Y G E N N C I N D U S R I V E R O H U R C H P H I N P A B N M X Z Q A G H Z Q C V A G H I O P O C H E E F W H I T E S I D E D J G A S D F U G H J F G B N X I Y Z I J I K L Z R X C V B N M Q W E R B T Y N H T O K Z Q G O H T O A H U M P B A C K E D A V Q Z I Q W E F G H N Q E R T Y U I X C V G H J Z Q E A S U I T Y N M A Q W E R T I S O N I O P A T S D G F H L J P O B G M D E A B I F C V H J J U R R A J G B L H O P P A H E C T O R S Q Z E B R R T B R B C O M M O N N Q Q W V V H O I R S K Y N A C L U M A S R A A S R H D U A Y Q X C L P O U G T V V X K Y H G I H M L A S E I C A P R V A X M C P O B T H P O X C M S X A T R R O O E P V B H F G X X A S D F G H J F P O I U Y T R E W Q R C V B E N L M A S D F G H J Z T A D Q D E T T O P S V R X A O A E Q L K J X A M F A E N Q T Q X A B U C V I P I U B W P I V F T N E I B G I Q Y Q X E N Y B I S S O S Y J R M I K W L X I U T D H A B S N O N A Y I P A N A Y L U S P I N N E R K B M L X A M A V Q X T H T N S Y P B G M I M X R I T K L O Q G C L E W C T F R H N U P A H D K O V K Z N K Y F T B T V Q A P A E E D R G F J P Y H X X E J P U C A M V Y D S L Y S R D C O M M E R S O N S T K H Y F I Q T H Q H B G X A E O Q A G O B Q A S A B X K A F X N Z G H R S I P J M H U S P P T X K L N X P A G N A M Q P C C H I Words Bottlenose Dusky Common Tucuxi Spinner Striped Rough-toothed Hourglass Irrawaddy Humpbacked White-sided White-beaked Spotted Hectors Commersons Heavisides Right Whale L E A N Amazon River Chilean Chinese River Indus River Rissos Blackchin Frasers La Plata Ganges River Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2006 CULTURAL EVENTS & WORKSHOPS GLASSHOUSE STUDIO THEATRE RUSKIN MILL COLLEGE The Glasshouse Studio Theatre is situated at The Glasshouse College Ruskin Mill runs a Cultural Programme of live and the Ruskin Glass Centre which includes a visitors’ centre housing some of events, lectures, exhibitions and workshops. England’s leading traditional contemporary glass designers and makers. REGULAR EVENTS AT RUSKIN MILL Tickets for theatre events are available on the door and doors are open 30 minutes prior to each event. Reservations are to be collected 15 minutes prior to the Rag Rugs & Felting with Margaret event. Exhibitions are open from 10 am to 4 pm, Monday to Saturday. Docherty (01453 833320). Felt Courses and Workshops on site include glassblowing, blacksmithing, glass-cutting and Plant Dye Workshops with Marianne van jewellery, and are between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday to Saturday. The Glasshouse der Tas (01453 762862). Soapmaking with College also includes workshops on jewellery, mask-making pottery and weaving and Jonathan Code (01453 766931). can be visited by appointment. For more information contact: Stonecarving with Greg Tricker (01453 Glasshouse College Office on 01384 399400. 755352). Children’s Storytelling (01453 Box Office: 01384 399430; Administration: 01384 399458. 872099). Yoga with Chris Hewett (01453 Email: [email protected] 834304) www.ruskin-mill.org.uk Tickets for events are available at the door and the Gallery is open for exhibitions Tuesday – THE MERLIN THEATRE Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm. For more information RMET has a mutually beneficial arrangement with the trustees of the Merlin Theatre in contact: Nether Edge, Sheffield. This allows Freeman College to be involved in continuing the rich tradition of community based theatre and adult education that has taken place Telephone: 01453 837537 at the Merlin Theatre for the past three decades. For more information on the Fax: 01453 837506 programme for The Merlin Theatre contact: Email: [email protected] Website: www.ruskin-mill.org.uk The Merlin Theatre, 2 Meadow Bank Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield, S11 9AH. Telephone & Fax: 0114 255 1638 Contributions by students Sass Aley Nicholas Armour Joshua Bartel Tom Best Andrew Binnie Andrew Blandford Andrew Burbidge Kristian Ceasar David Churm Rebecca Crowther John Dean Chris Enright Daniel Fisher Adam Garlick Daniel Gleeson Gemma Gordon Paul Gribben Rob Hansford Sarah Harley Grant Harman George Hayes Nick Horton Tiffany Hurden Kate Hynam Katherine Kelly Abigail Lightfoot Clare McKinnon John Marshall Michael Nares Joe Norris Tom Odlin Katy Ponting John Powell Craig Ravenscroft Tom Ridley Anna Robertson Wayne Rogers Phillip Rose Edward Sharpe Justin Smith Peter Smith Ashley Stone Gareth Taylor Ben Waters Sam Winter Stuart Wright Contributions by staff & others Richard Abdy Keith Brocklehurst Graham Aldred Candice-Elena Evans Deborah Byrne Fraser & Karen Hesketh Mike Chase Melvin Jarman Janine Christley Helen Kippax David Cooper Annabelle Mitchell Nagako Cooper Angie Murray Patricia Digby Jacqui Rogers Graham Dowding Florian Sneider Martina Gleadhall Greg Tricker David Heugh Johanna van der Voort Special thanks to Paul Jackson for technical support, Chris Day for co-ordinating, layout & design of all Glasshouse features, Helen Kippax, Eleri Norris, Sandra Thomas and Angela Bell at Freeman College, Richard Thatcher for word-processing, proofreading and additional support and to all those unnamed members of staff and students who have supported the magazine from behind the scenes. Run of the Mill is edited and set by Will Mercer at Ruskin Mill. Email: [email protected] Printed by Kristianstad Book Printers, Videllsgatan 6, Box 551, Kristianstad, Sweden. ‘One of the world’s most environmentally friendly companies’ on chlorine-free paper from sustainable forests supplied by Arctic Paper. www.kristianstad.co.uk 51 Art with tutor, Patcricia Digby, Ruskin Mill College Katherine Kelly, 2nd-year Tom Odlin, 3rd-year Katy Ponting, 3rd-year Abigail Lightfoot, 1st-year Joshua Bartell, 1st-year Gemma Gordon, 4th-year Nicholas Armour, 4th-year