Nicholas Keyworth

The 2012 Revolution begins - in St Ives!

2012-02-10T18:20:00.002Z

The first weekend of rehearsals have taken place in an amazing clifftop location at St Ives, Cornwall. If this weekend is anything to go by, lovers of musical theatre are in for a treat this year when we launch Revolution! The Musical's 2012 production. A professional cast and epic music like nothing ever seen before in musical theatre!

Cast announced for Revolution! The Musical

2012-01-22T11:04:00.003Z

After a week of auditions and trials with many hopeful revolutionaries from as far afield as London, Manchester and Cardiff, the full cast of Revolution! The Musical has now been announced. More on our website: www.revolutionthemusical.co.uk

2012’S BIG NEW MUSICAL – AUDITION CALL

2011-12-22T15:43:00.006Z

Revolution! The Musical

Auditions

14 January

Corsham

Auditions will take place on Saturday, 14 January at The Barn at Corsham Court, in Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 0BZ for Revolution! The Musical

Revolution! The Musical is a dynamic new work produced by Revolution Arts, with music by Nicholas Keyworth and lyrics by Michael Wilkinson.

The epic adventure of love, hope and freedom prevailing in a crumbling communist regime will be premiered in 2012 as a 1hr 15min show with a tour of the South West and a full-length run at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Revolution! is expanding its cast ahead of its 2012 tour –with a cast of 15 and several new roles available.

This will be an amazing opportunity for any emerging professional who wants to go on tour with a big new musical in 2012. This is your chance to perform to up to 30,000 people.

See the website for full

details:

www.revolutionthemusical.co.uk/2012-tour/auditions/

Review of Revolution! The Musical

2011-07-03T18:02:00.003+01:00

Our great review of Revolution! The Musical is now online at:

http://tinyurl.com/635kmbe

Visit our webpage form some great pices of the show and sign up to follow our plans for its ongoing development www.revolutionthemusical.co.uk

Up the Revolution!

2011-04-28T21:54:00.008+01:00

Announcing the launch of www.revolutionthemusical.co.uk

Sunday 19 June will see the pilot launch of extracts from our new musical Revolution! as part of Corsham Fringe Festival 2011 and created by myself in collaboration with librettist Michael Wilkinson.

Revolution! The Musical is an epic journey of love, hope and freedom as a people's struggle prevails against the backdrop of a bloody revolution.

Please consider supporting our emerging show in one of the following ways:

· Have a look at our website www.revolutionthemusical.co.uk and sign up to register for updates

· If you are a singer – audition on 8 May and take part – more information on the website and on the attached flyer

· Attend the launch event of Revolution! The Musical! on 19 June and tell us what you think

· Forward this email to any of your friends who may be interested in any of the above

The performance on 19 June will be the second part of an evening of emerging new musical theatre which will also include extracts from the rock opera Chico by American composer Cameron Ford

The project is being developed with kind support from Bath Spa University and The Pound Arts Trust

Many thanks for all your help in spreading the word about Revolution! The Musical

Corsham's Town Ten is up and running

2010-11-04T23:13:00.003Z

Well what a way to spend an afternoon - sitting on a bus! I thought I really should 'Road Test' the so called new and improved Town Ten local bus service in Corsham - and I was pleasantly surprised. The two routes 10A and 10E provide two loops each starting and ending at Newlands Road. One takes in Broadmead, Neston and Basil Hill. The other takes in Katherine Park, Basil Hill and Rudloe. And it runs every half an hour from 7am to 6.30pm on weekdays and on Saturday mornings.

The reason each service takes in Basil Hill is because these services are part of the section 106 agreement connected to the planning permission for Basil Hill which requires a certain level of investment in the local community and will also include cycle way provision which is really positive for the town.

Use it and try it out if it works for you!

A New Bus Service for Corsham

2010-09-08T14:18:00.003+01:00

From 1 October an updated No.10 bus service will operate for Corsham. With two new low level buses and a route which will include the new MOD development at Basil Hill this will be an improvement to the existing No 10 services.

Wiltshire Council and the MOD will be partly subsidising these services and are keen to give them an identity so are calling for suggestions for names. Suggestions so far have included “The Flyer” and "The Trooper".

Other towns have personalised their local bus services and this is an opportunity to create something unique for Corsham.

Any suggestions should be sent to nigel.brucerobertson@wiltshire.gov.uk

Edinburgh Festivals - Day 7

2010-08-22T10:53:00.005+01:00

Our final day brings a relentless week of shows, exhibitions, walking, eating, drinking and socialising to a close. I am so relieved I posted everything I experienced on twitter as I would never have remembered it all otherwise!

The week was brought to a memorable climax for me on Friday night at the Preview of Caledonia at The Kings Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. This co-production between the Edinburgh International Festival and National Theatre of Scotland told the extraordinary tale of how Scotland had ambitions at empire at the end of the 17^th century – and nearly made it happen. If they had been successful it could well have changed the course of history – our history – and the UK may never have been created.

I knew a bit about the founding of a Scottish colony in Darien on the narrow isthmus of Panama which would have been a valuable transhipment route between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

But it was an unmitigated disaster resulting in the loss of over 2,000 people and a virtually bankrupt Scotland which paved the way for the end of the nation's independent status and the signing of the 1707 Treaty of Union with England. What an extraordinary story and one with resonances for today. Here is a clip from the rehearsals: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009cs7g

Well that concludes my Edinburgh diary for one year. The next stage is to sift through our notes to see what we might realistically bring to Corsham, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire in the year ahead. I just wish Caledonia was a smaller production as it would be great at The Pound!

Edinburgh Festivals - Day 6

2010-08-20T10:19:00.005+01:00

The best part of today was discovering I had 100 followers on Twitter. And... I had Champagne to celebrate my centenary too! But the worst part was in discovering they had reduced to 99 by the end of the day!

Such is life... It’s been a mixed a day with beautiful moments such as the Impressionist Gardens Exhibition at The National Gallery to a few disappointments as well. Both the disappointments were very different in their lack-lustre performances. In one case it was the play itself, in the other the lack of audience:

The Gay Geese: The problem here was not so much the acting but a rather ridiculous and outdated plot – the one where the 17 year old best friend comes out as gay much to the horror and repulsion of his best mate who can’t handle it (for a while). And then there’s the revelation that his father was caught in bed by his mother with another man so he had to leave. On meeting his father for the first time after many years he confesses that he ‘doesn’t do that anymore’ (therefore it is alright because he’s not really gay anyway!).

Something Relevant: Obviously judged as being irrelevant to most Edinburgh festival goers as there were only about 5 people in the audience. Apparently that is the average size of audience for an Edinburgh show so at least it hits one target but it must be really hard to be a lively up-beat band when there are more on stage than in the audience – especially when you have travelled all the way from Mumbai! The seven guys in the band were loud and confident – a bit to loud for me – fine for one number but the thought of having my eardrums pummelled for a whole hour was too much so I had to leave.

I was pondering as to why this group had not caught people’s attention. Could it be the rather bland name ‘Something Relevant’? Could it be the uninspired title of the show ‘Feels Good to be Live’ or could it be that despite coming from India they seem to have severed all their musical roots to become yet another western jam rock band? I would have loved to see and hear a little more subtlety – especially at the start of the show and some exploration of the sounds of India and the west.

Edinburgh Festivals - Day 5

2010-08-19T03:15:00.002+01:00

Getting to that mid week waning of energy, enthusiasm and interest but still managing to keep going. The plethora of reviews often are anything but a vague guide as to what might be worth tracking down but more often its down to word of mouth, instinct and sheer good fortune.

Songs by Michael Topping about gay geriatric sex was enough to blow the cobwebs away this morning. Then an extraordinary part sung / part spoken monologue about a young woman’s gradual decent into madness and ultimate suicide brought me back down to earth.

An afternoon with Hardeep Singh Kohli’s Chat Masala sort of put things back on the rails before a mesmerising red electric south African cellist and a very bleak and ghostly musical/opera about a disintegrating family!

Fortunately, our colleagues Michael and Martin joined us at the end of the evening and after a few beers in the Broadway Baby bar and Underbelly bar we staggered back to our flat.

Edinburgh Festivals - Day 4

2010-08-18T01:48:00.010+01:00

Where was the rain?

All prepared for the worst with macs, umbrellas and stout shoes but another (quite) nice day in Edinburgh. Even sat out in the full sun in Grassmarket for lunch!

Two highlights from today:

Tony Hadoke’s passion for the BBC and its legacy of memorabilia ranging from Grange Hill to Howards’ Way (Yes the apostrophe is in the correct place) which ended as a tongue-lashing rant against those who dare to commercialise it. Looking forward to his visit to Corsham in our next season

A highly believable Grant Smeaton as Bette Davis in the superb Bette/Cavett show at The Zoo - a fascinating verbatim recreation of the famous 1970s US chat show in which Bette Davis was asked how she lost her virginity.

Meanwhile out in the streets the whirlwind of Edinburgh continues to fascinate, delight, puzzle and confuse us all in it uncontrollable frenzy...

Edinburgh Festivals - Day 3

2010-08-17T18:22:00.003+01:00

It’s day 4 and I’m already trying to catch up with day 3! Fortunately, it’s amazing how much quieter Edinburgh is after the weekend. The queues have dispersed, the litter is slowly being cleared and most of the shows we wanted to see are having a day off!

Ah yes, but that doesn’t mean a lazy start to the day as we had the first of two frantic networking sessions to deal with yesterday:

The first was staged by Visiting Arts and after a presentation by EIF director Jonathan Mills on the subject of the arts and climate change and the arts consisted of a panel of artists from five continents giving their individual responses to the challenge

Later in the day was the Made in Scotland reception at the lovely Balmoral Hotel. Made in Scotland is a fantastic showcase of new work produced in Scotland and is a brave attempt to put Scottish Arts firmly on the International stage. Backing the initiative is the newly formed Creative Scotland – a merger of the Scottish Arts and Film Councils – a possible model of what might have been possible in England maybe?

Edinburgh Festivals - Day 2

2010-08-15T21:26:00.004+01:00

Edinburgh has a habit of throwing the most unexpected weather at you and today was no exception with temperatures of 22 degrees, cloudless skies and views from the top of Carlton Hill to die for. It almost seemed criminal to go indoors for the shows.

Nevertheless the day started with the frenetic bun fight which is the Promoter's (or is it the Producer's) networking breakfast. It's a great chance to meet some interesting people who have shows they are desperate to get people like us along to see - and to meet a few old favourites too such as Ines Wurth who has brought some great new shows to Edinburgh this year.

Saw some good shows too - see the tweets opposite for instant reviews. Two very different highlights today (so far) include Kev Orvian's hugely entertaining 'The Illegal Tour' about an Armenian Immigrant musician and Martin Creed's inspirational and unified exhibition 'Down Over Up' at The Fruitmarket Gallery - one of my favourite spaces. The Edinburgh Art Festival has some great looking exhibitions on this week and I hope to see as many as I can this week.

Edinburgh Festivals – Day 1

2010-08-14T19:22:00.006+01:00

Amazingly this is my 12^th year of Edinburgh Festivals and despite all the predictions of it having outgrown its own boots it is back with an even bigger line up with a staggering 2500 shows. It has proved to be a great source of innovative, quality and cutting edge arts which we frequently programme as part of our work at Pound Arts and I am hopeful that this year will be no exception.

It was a desperately early 5am start this morning from Bath but we were in our first show by 11am. See my twitters (opposite) or those of my partner ianjmartin for up to date brief reviews of what we see.

I hope to see some great new work this year, some inspirational visual arts, and some challenging and thought provoking physical dance and theatre. But above all it is the city itself which never fails to impress me. The wonderful buildings, bold architecture and a pulse which never ceases - that is what Edinburgh Festival are all about.

In addition to my show and event tweets I will try to keep up a daily blog. Today comes from the cafe at the Underbelly – one of the most extraordinary (and smelly) venues. Despite the early start I am hoping for a second wind as I have several shows left tonight!

Corsham Almshouses saved - for now!

2010-08-12T09:52:00.009+01:00

Wiltshire Council's planning meeting last night was livelier than usual with controversial plans for building nine single person's flats in the grounds of this grade 1 listed building on the agenda.

I spoke representing Corsham Town Council's unanimous recommendation for refusal of this this proposal and reminding the committee that this was backed up by overwhelming local opposition which demonstrated very strongly that this proposal is inappropriate.

As expected the meeting was packed with the good folk of Corsham (including a good few hecklers!). The debate lasted over an hour and a resolution was eventually proposed to reject the application which was carried by 6 votes to 3 (with one abstention).

So that is the end of round one! But I suspect this is not the end. The trustees may appeal - or submit an amended plan. But this must be costing them an enormous amount of money and questions may be asked as to whether this is an appropriate use of the charity's funds.

It was good to see how local opinion can make a difference - particularly when it is so strong, so vociferous and overwhelming that to override those views would be ill judged and a smack in the face of local democracy.

Horse Chestnut Disease hits Wiltshire

2010-08-07T20:16:00.007+01:00

I wonder how many of you were aware that one of our grandest trees, the Horse Chestnut is under attack from an alien moth which is sweeping across Wiltshire?

The disease is caused by The Leaf Miner Moth (Cameraria ohridella) and was first identified in Macedonia in 1985, subsequently causing devastation to horse chestnuts across mainland Europe.

Since 2002 the disease has been sweeping across the UK from the South East and a recent survey has revealed how its effects are now being seen across Wiltshire: http://www.ourweboflife.org.uk/surveyresults.html

The moth lays its eggs in the leaves so that when the larvae hatch they eat and tunnel their way through the tissues of the leaves. The effects are all too obvious with the tell trail marks on the leaves of these majestic trees causing them to turning brown and wither. Over time this will seriously weaken the tree by preventing it to photosynthesise effectively so the tree starves to death.

Experts believe the effects of the disease could equal the devastation of the Elms 20 years ago.Forestry Research Scientists have estimated that some 35,000 to 50,000 trees are already infected and it is likely that many Horse Chestnuts are likely to be lost over the next decade.

Ongoing research by Dr Darren Evans of the University of Hull and Dr Michael Pocock of Bristolhave recently launched a study to try to discover just how big a problem is posed by the horse chestnut leaf miner. People across the UK are now being asked to help record the impact of the disease at http://www.ourweboflife.org.uk/

In my role as one of Tree Council's Tree Wardens I am keen to raise awareness of this disease so I am particularly pleased with Mike Wilkinson's coverage in this weeks Gazette and Herald: http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/8314574.Trees_in_Wiltshire_face_a_wipeout and also in the Wiltshire Times: http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/8317822.Fears_for_Wiltshire_s_trees/

One surprising ray of hope comes from the increased presence of a parasitic wasp, which is the leaf miner's natural predator as its feeds on the Leaf Miner Larvae. There is apparently a time lag between the moth infesting a tree and the wasps attacking the caterpillars. So let's hope they catch up!

However, to make matters worse the Horse Chestnut is being subjected to a three pronged assault as it not only the leaf miners causing problems for these trees. The second threat comes from the Leaf Blotch Fungus (Guignardia aesculi) which attacks the leaves so that reddish or brown blotches with yellow borders develop. However, the most damaging condition seems to be Bleeding Canker the cause of which is a fungus-like organism - Phytophthora. Varieties of this disease are known to be responsible for attacking more than Horse Chestnuts, such as sudden Oak Death. I think I have also seen this on some of our trees around Corsham.

Meanwhile - Back on the Buses

2010-08-02T15:56:00.001+01:00

The announcement of the new ‘Zig Zag’ bus service by Wiltshire Council linking Chippenham, Corsham, Melksham, Bradford-on-Avon and Trowbridge sounds like a great success story for rural public transport.

However as the announcement came just days before the new service started on 1st August - and therefore days before a number of existing services were dropped it is no wonder that local people are wondering what on earth is going on.

Although I am in principle in favour of what this service claims to achieve I am appalled that there was no consultation with any local people or their elected representatives, the timetabling of the service is woefully thin and the complete lack of any information at nearly all the bus stops – while the now defunct ones continue to be listed - is exasperating.

As an example, the bus link from Corsham to Chippenham Community Hospital sounds wonderful but the reality is just two a day on weekdays only leaving Corsham at either 10.25 or 11.50 and leaving Chippenham Community Hospital for the return trip at 11.12 or 12.39. A tight turnaround for most appointments – and it doesn’t even go from Newlands road!

Will we be surprised to see the whole zig zag service cut in a few months due to a lack of customers?

Post Festival Ramblings

2010-07-11T13:14:00.003+01:00

Corsham Festival 2010 came to an end two weeks ago, and that has given me the opportunity to reflect on this extraordinary annual event, the eleventh since Ian Martin and myself took over the festival and gave it the essential character it has today: 8 days of live performance, participatory events and visual arts with a strong contemporary focus over eight days at the end of June.

What we always aimed to do was bring something unique to Corsham which would not normally happen in a small town like this; to help put Corsham firmly on the cultural map and inspire people with something fantastic and amazing. At the same time the festival must also be Corsham’s Festival and have real relevance to the town, its history and identity.

So I think this year’s festival in particular was stronger with ever on so many levels. To give a few examples:

Top quality international work including Flamenco Jazz from Spain, world cinema with Seraphine and Departures, Japanese puppetry form A Thousand Cranes, The exotic sounds of the middle East from Daphna & The Voyagers and Mamoru Iriguchi’s bizarre Pregnant

Incredible fusions between different cultures and artforms such as one when digital filmmaking meets Ancient traditions from West Africa in Ancient Futures or when the specially commissioned score brings together musicians from India and the west in Shiraz

Offering artists the opportunity to present new work for the first time whether it is the world premiere of a new string quartet as we had wit the ‘Hillman Quartet’ or some of the latest fascinating creations from our artist in residence, ceramicist Claire Baker with a Bit on the Side…

Involving the wider community through our second Corsham Fringe Festival which was bigger, better, wider and involves more and more local groups, individuals, businesses – even the MoD in the High Street and in venues across the town. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the future development of the Fringe.

All this happened simply because an amazing mix of people came together to make it ‘work’: staff from The Pound Arts Trust, technicians, volunteers, funders, press, artists and audiences, whose collective enthusiasm bring everything together to enable those extraordinary shared cultural experiences which make us human and our lives worthwhile. That to me is what a festival is all about and what takes it beyond the level of simple ‘entertainment’ and to a higher plane of inspiration and vision.

Double Standards

2010-05-01T14:44:00.005+01:00

Many people have been following my ‘Double Standards’ theme on Twitter which has highlighted some great examples of how a certain political party seems to be speaking with a forked tongue (see the lower right hand column on this page)

The latest one is related to Corsham’s Hustings event we organised last week through the Community Partnership CCAN. As I have mentioned in my previous blogs a joint statement issued by the Tory and Labour party made it clear that neither of them were prepared to appear on the same platform as the BNP candidate. Lib Dem, Green and UKIP were prepared to debate with any legal candidate but we were nevertheless forced to come up with a compromise which split the event into two halves to appease these demands made by two of the major parties. In the event it all went fairly smoothly but it did give the BNP another opportunity to gain yet more unnecessary publicity.

So how is it that at yesterdays Independent newspaper public debate at the Morley and Outwood seat in West Yorkshire (Ed Ball’s seat) we see a line up consisting of UKIP, Lib Dem, Labour, Conservative and BNP all debating together?

At the Corsham Hustings our conservative candidate Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones said that he refused to share the platform with the BNP because it would ‘legitimise’ their views. The Labour party candidate, Greg Lovell for Labour said he was showing solidarity with Wilfred’s views. So what is going on in Morley and Outwood?

I firmly believe that the best way to expose crackpot political views such as those of the BNPs is simply to debate with them in public - it really doesn’t take much to show them up for what they are as their flimsy arguments, despite what they say, are clearly based on racial and social inequality.

A Challenging Democracy!

2010-04-24T00:17:00.002+01:00

Thank goodness that’s all over! You have to be a bit mad to try and arrange a hustings event – particularly when you have to deal with various shapes and sizes of political egos bouncing around and making various demands on the order, content, arrangements and structure of the evening.

As it happens it went fairly well with Allan Bosley doing a valiant job in chairing the evening. Not everyone in the packed community centre was entirely happy - but many were very impressed by the way CCAN had attempted to create an event which enabled all six of the candidates present to answer questions from the platform for at least part of the evening.

The BNP candidate did play ball in the end which was a positive for all of us and earned him a place on the platform in the second half alongside the Green, UKIP and Liberal Democrat candidate.

Splitting the evening into two halves with all candidates who wished to be on the platform except the BNP in the first half and having previously submitted questions helped dilute the potential for the BNP issue to dominate. However, as soon as a question was posed which asked why the Tory and Labour candidates had refused to share the stage with the BNP candidate it was clear how much unease there was beneath the surface.

The lesson, if there is one, is that yes it is perfectly possible to defeat the BNP arguments if they are presented as part of a fair and open debate - surely the ONLY way forward in an open democracy rather than a blanket refusal to engage at all.

The hustings have undoubtedly helped raise the profile of CCAN in this area and has no doubt gone some way in informing the local electorate of the strengths and weaknesses of their candidates - but I hope we don’t have to do a re-run in the near future!

Chippenham Constituency Candidate Hustings: This Friday - 23 April at 7pm - Corsham Community Centre

2010-04-21T23:56:00.003+01:00

This Friday’s Hustings will be the only opportunity for the local electorate to meet and question the candidates from the new Chippenham Constituency.

I didn’t expect being involved in organising the CCAN candidate hustings to be easy but nothing had quite prepared me for the tightrope we have had to negotiate this week to organise this Friday’s event.

Our key aim in the spirit of an open and fair democratic system was to provide a platform to present the candidates for the benefit of the local electorate. We had decided we needed to invite all legitimate candidates to our hustings and give them the opportunity to respond to questions from the audience – some prepared and some spontaneous.

As I know myself from last year’s Unitary Council elections, when you throw yourself into the political arena you expect to have to justify your views and challenge those of others – often in a forum of public debate – and almost inevitably with people who hold the opposite viewpoint.

I believe that in a democracy all candidates must be treated fairly as they are legally equal. In addition, all have a legitimate right for their individual views to be presented – whatever our individual viewpoint. It is for the electorate to decide whose views are most valid – and whose are not.

It has been a real challenge to get agreement from all the candidates to enter into these hustings whilst still holding onto these basic principles. What we have arrived at is something of a compromise which reflects the respective expectations and demands of the individual candidates and it will require a level of give and take from all candidates to ensure the event is of real value to the electorate.

However, I an confident that the evening will enable all candidates to answer questions directly from the audience and be able to debate with each other. Above all I hope the outcome will make it clearer for the electorate to decide who is worth voting for on May 6.

Off the buses!

2010-04-09T00:55:00.004+01:00

An article in Corsham People (7 April www.corshampeople.co.uk ) makes a strange assertion that 'better buses would mean more housing'

As a result of the current deregulation of bus services we have a system where virtually anyone can set up a bus service to run wherever or whenever they like. This will clearly be driven by commercial considerations as they would hope to make a profit. Yes this is more difficult in a rural environment compared to a more urban one – although there will be more competition in the urban context.

However the local authority (Wiltshire Council in this case) may chose to provide a subsidised service if there is evidence of demand or hardship – or if there are gaps in a privately run service.

In the Corsham People article Mr Taylor the councillor for Gastard has quite rightly referred to the deplorable No72/73 subsidised service from Corsham to Melksham which goes through Gastard. There are virtually no timetables or bus stops along the entire route, local residents have reported the service to be unreliable and sometimes failing to turn up, and if you go to the traveline website: www.travelinesw.com the service does not even exist! Combine that with a published timetable (if you can find one in Gastard) which offers a very fragmented service. There is little wonder the passenger numbers are low with the perception of a service which is next to useless.

So it is all boils down to priorities and what people feel is most important. As I see it there are several routes we could go down if we genuinely do want a better bus service:

Getting those who use buses to pay more for it - hardly an incentive to increase bus usage and really hits those less able to pay
Increase the allocation from local authorities to provide better subsidised services – increasingly difficult in a time we are told there must be greater efficiencies and higher savings.
A more creative approach to bus provision in rural areas such as the wigglybus service now called Connect2Wiltshire which is essentially a dial-a-ride service - although we do not have one of these in the Corsham Area except to get to the RUH
Increase the power given to local authorities to allow them to have stricter agreements with bus providers – that would require a considerable change in political will as it would be meddling in a currently ‘free’ market.

Strangely, I bumped into Theresa Villiers, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport in Corsham High Street today and asked her what she would do to change our failing deregulated policy on bus service provision – I reminded her it was a measure brought in by the Tories under Margaret Thatcher. I was told that the Conservatives would support partnerships between local authorities and bus providers so they could talk to each other to solve problems. Rather a simplistic solution methinks!

As for the 'better buses would mean more housing' statement we began with you only have to look at Katherine Park to see that more housing has nothing to do with better buses - there is not a single bus stop in sight!

Perhaps the Area Board IS listening!

2010-02-03T22:04:00.004Z

What an interesting Corsham Area Board meeting last night:

A U-turn on the traffic lights on the A4 and other associated road improvements
Funding support for Transcoco to develop its organisation and work towards a more sustainable future
A unanimous vote of endorsement for the our CCAN / Transcoco recommendations to improve public transport information and awareness across the community area
A presentation on waste and recycling and an opportunity to engage in the debate about its future management by Wiltshire Council
A commitment to engage in a new debate about the possible reopening of Corsham Station

What is fascinating is that when the Area Board came into being last year there was a sense that they had all the answers and would be telling us what was going to happen – now they are starting to make decisions in response to community driven evidence that people want to see thing differently.

I was really pleased to be able to present the Corsham Community Area Bus Stop Audit last night. It may not sound like a ‘must read’ piece of literature but I knew it was real evidence of how a well researched and structured piece of community driven work cannot fail to be taken seriously when it addresses common sense issues and reveals clear weaknesses in public services.

There are 115 bus stops across the community area and there are some alarming statistics in the report including:

Only 71% of bus stops identified with a sign
Only 33% of bus stops have a timetable
Only 36% of bus stops have shelter
Websites and timetables often contain inaccurate and out of date information

I am really delighted that the phase 1 recommendations from this report were endorsed by The Area Board with the chairman praising the work which had gone it developing it. A Cabinet member has now been tasked with taking this forward and to work in partnership with CCAN, Transcoco, bus providers and the town and parish councils across the community area to ensure there is accurate and up to date information about bus services on bus stops and on websites and to raise the awareness of public transport in the area.

This can easily lead to some quick wins for the community area. By improving public transport information and awareness more people will be inclined to make use of bus services, bus services can improve and that can all help to contribute to a reduction in cars on the road – an aspiration of the vast majority of individuals, pressure groups, governments, shadow governments and environmentalists everywhere.

This may be a small step but I believe it is significant as it opens doors for dialogue and getting like minded people around the same table. Let's hope it continues!

Another blow for local Public Transport

2009-11-02T10:13:00.005Z

First Bus Services really are' transforming travel' as they cut yet another service on 29 November. The popular 233 'Express' service from Bath to Chippenham via Corsham will cease apparently following a 'careful analysis of actual travel plans'.

The great thing about the 233 service is that it really did provide a viable option to using the car in that it went straight down the A4 without going all around the houses which the 231 and 232 do. The 233 service was only launched earlier this year and I have to say with minimal publicity and quite high fares. I do wonder what sort of business strategy that was all about!

I understand that this new service was drawing existing passengers away from the 231 and 232 (understandably). Unfortunately First saw this as a threat to their viability so have decided to cut the sensible service and just leave us with the 231 and 232.

I would have though that with so many good local services in our towns (like Corsham’s No 10 service) there was a clear case for ensuring we have direct links between towns. But with our deregulated bus system bus companies are their own masters so there is little influence we can have on what services are run when and where.

Poll: Have you been to the new Corsham markets?

2009-10-04T18:39:00.000+01:00

Poll: Have you been to the new Corsham markets?

Corsham Markets take to the streets

2009-09-24T23:22:00.004+01:00

Local people seem to be really enjoying the new markets in Corsham High Street. It has been nearly a year in the planning and now we have not just one but a whole series of markets springing up in the town.

The regular Tuesday 'General Market' is already very popular with a range of stalls selling everything from fresh vegetables to Venetian masks! Meanwhile the monthly 3rd Saturday 'Farmer's Market' offers really high quality local foods and other delights and looks really attractive with their green a white striped roofs. I also look forward to our first 'one off' specialist markets starting on 30 October with an Italian Market.

And that is what we all wanted with the aim of creating a Visible, Vibrant and Visible market in the centre of Corsham to reinvigorate the local retail centre, encourage more people to shop locally and to draw more people form outside into the centre of our town.

I think the evidence is there that this is working already as these markets days are the busiest in our town and I have seem queues at many of our local retailer's shops which can only be good for the local economy and make the town a more attractive place to live, work and visit.

It's really great to see the pedestrianised High Street come alive in this way but let us also not forget our excellent Friday Country Market in St Aldhelm's Church Hall - and sometimes in Martingate, and of course the ever popular 'Fishman' every Tuesday morning in the Methuen Arms Car Park now joined by an excellent local fresh vegetable stall. Perhaps these should not move into the High Street as well where all the people are?

Is the Area Board listening?

2009-08-30T13:07:00.002+01:00

The Extraordinary meeting of the Corsham Area Board on Wednesday was certainly extraordinary:

A school hall full of people unconvinced about the proposed traffic lights etc planned as part of the Section 106 agreement with the MOD developments at Basil Hill.

And an area board telling us that the legal team says it is not their business to change anything!

Who is running Wiltshire - the Elected Members or the Highways Department? Yet again it seems the 'silos' of local government are not communicating with each other - Highways - Planning - Conservation.

The problems seem to be:

A massively overblown scheme to cope with a fictitious traffic projection for 2020
Conflicting projected figures for traffic growth
A concern that due process has not been followed
Lack of consideration as to the conservation area setting at Pickwick
Works which are unconnected with the impact of Basil Hill
Lack of public consultation over this aspect of the project
A huge amount of (public) money (about £2.5 million?) to be spend on these works
Still no public transport plan in place
A plan which is contrary to current thinking about traffic management
A general disbelief that traffic lights are better than roundabouts

I was amazed when the chair of the meeting announced that this issue would no longer be on the agenda at the next Area Board meeting in October. I think he may be wrong!

I would not be surprised if this issue went to a judicial revue.

Edinburgh Festival 2009

2009-08-20T11:45:00.003+01:00

Taking a week off from Corsham matters to spend a week in Edinburgh. This will be my 12th year in Edinburgh looking for new shows for Corsham Festival, The Pound arts centre or Rural Arts Wiltshire. Follow my regular twitter updates on the column on the right to find out what I been seeing and what I think of it all so far.

Basil Hill Traffic Management - is this really a solution?

2009-07-14T23:33:00.005+01:00

Funny things are going on in Corsham at the moment. An exhibition has sprung up at short notice in the Town Hall today and is going to be on Neston Memorial Hall tomorrow 3pm - 7pm to show the planned alterations to traffic movement along the A4 in Pickwick, and Leafy Lane. What makes it odd is that is not the public consultation exercise as it may first appear - planning permissions were granted last year as this is tied in with the MOD Basil Hill developments. The works are costing millions and people are starting to ask why is all this necessary?

The reality is that this is not just about Basil Hill but about an apparent attempt to 'future proof' the A4 against future traffic growth and in particular future development of the land currently occupied by the MOD at Copernacre, Rudloe etc for other uses.

The exhibition is being staged now to pre-empt a possible angry scene at next week's first Area Board meeting on Tuesday 21 July 7pm in the Town Hall because local people are understandably really concerned about the blinkered approach to the way these proposals have been put together.

'Consultants' have been paid a small fortune to come up with a plan to addresses the future growth of traffic on the A4. In my view this was the wrong question! They should looking at the bigger picture here. First of all a few facts:

There are currently no other proposals for development on the existing Copernacre / Rudloe sites

There are currently limited traffic flow problems along the A4.

The Basil Hill developments, once completed, will apparently generate no additional traffic in this area.

Any existing or potential traffic speed issues are ignored in these proposals

Pickwick is a conservation area and the addition of traffic lights is yet another addition of further unnecessary street clutter - exemplifying English Heritage's recent report on the decay and neglect of our conservation areas across the country from 'Cluttered streets' and 'intrusive traffic-calming measures'.

The proposed works would not help to prevent a repeat of the recent tragic accident at the Bradford Road Junction

The proposed shared cycle / footpath runs the length of Park Lane but the cyclists entrance to the Basil Hill site is still shown on Westwells Road along with the cars entrance - hardly an incentive to cycle from Corsham to work at Basil Hill.

Although discussed there is no evidence as to how the cycle routes are planned to connect to the cycle routesto link with the Town Centre or Box

Despite the apparent money available there is not even a single bus stop shown on the plans so public transport will be simply a last minute add on to the plans.

A possible link to the rail service, despite enthusiasm from the MOD itself does not figure in any of the proposals

I asked if cabling etc for real time bus information was being installed - I was told no but it could be added later - so the roads would be dug up as soon as they are laid. How daft is that?

My main concern is that the starting point for the consultation was all about traffic flow. There is apparently £450K (money from Basil Hill and Spring Park developments) for public transport improvements. This sounds a lot but there is currently not a single proposal as to how any public transport improvements could be made - not even a bus stop is shown on the map so once again we consider public transport as a last resort rather the natural default way of travelling in this country. Why could there not have been a more holistic approach to the whole consultation which considered cars, buses, trains, cycling, walking all together in the same proposal and on the same map? Everything starts from the assumption that everyone will simpy get in their cars and drive!

I do hope lots of people will turn up for the first Area Board meeting next Tuesday. We need to show the new Board that local people really do care and want their voice to be heard. Just because planning permission has been granted does not mean that the plans have to be implemented as they are currently presented or that they are necessarily the best solution to a perceived future problem.

It could be a lively meeting!

National Greenwash Day

2009-07-11T11:16:00.003+01:00

EDF seems to be digging itself into a nice hole over yesterday's PR stunt over the so called 'Green Britain Day'. Not only have they pinched Ecotricity's marketing images from earlier in the year they have also exposed themselves as promoting the biggest Greenwash farce I have yet come across.

EDF is one of least green energy supplier on the planet. EDF is the biggest global corporate producer of nuclear waste and one of the worst carbon polluters in the world. Furthermore they are also demanding a reduction in UK wind power targets.

I am also concerned that other power companied seem to now be trying to jump onto the bandwagon: British Gas is promoting a 'Green Britain Day. For us, it's everyday', Npower has launched its Climate Cops educational programme ‘Every day's a green day for Climate Cops'.

Electricite de France (EDF) is not Green and not British, it is Nuclear, French and Brown. This is the biggest Greenwash scandal I have yet come across

There is now a lively facebook campaign to stop the 'greatest British greenwash of all time.' You can also read more on the Ruscombe Green blog: http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2009/07/national-greenwash-day.html

More Double Yellow Lines?

2009-06-10T22:57:00.006+01:00

As many of you will know there are plans to change the parking arrangements in Pound Pill and in Station Road. Much of this seems to make sense as it can be chaotic at times in both these areas and also quite dangerous as a pedestrian or cyclist when cars mount or park on the pavements.

Part of the plan involves putting double yellow lines down the west side of both roads with defined parking bays on the east side. One of the effects of this will be to make traffic flow more easily which sounds good on one level but will also mean that the traffic will be moving faster - and in an area where there is a lot of pedestrian movement associated with schools, Jargeau Court and The Pound arts centre.

It is also likely that it will simply push the parking problem elsewhere and I am aware that there are concerns from residents in Grove Road and other areas that those roads would then become the unofficial free car parks for the town centre.

All this will be discussed at the next Corsham Town Council Planning meeting on 24 June at 7.30pm in the Town Hall . Make sure you are there if you want your views heard! Sadly I will NOT be there as I shall be in the middle of Corsham Festival!

It is a national outrage that currently nearly 3,000 people are killed on our roads each year - nearly as many badgers are killed on our roads - and think how often you have seen a dead badger on the roads! Surely anything that can help to reduce this appalling statistic and make our town centres a more pleasant place to live, shop and work at the same time must be good thing.

My view is that there needs to be more of a balance between traffic calming and parking regulation as part of an integrated approach to the whole issue surrounding transport management. There is a recognition that parked cars can actually help to calm the speed of traffic if planned carefully. I am aware from the Community Plan update that concern regarding traffic management and control were among resident's number one concern for the Corsham Community Area.

A very interesting blog I have been following is that of Philip Booth http://www.ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/ - a district councillor for Stroud District Council who has been lobbying for '20 is Plenty' in the Stroud area. 20mph is largely accepted as a way of saving lives, preventing injuries, encouraging more walking and cycling and making our streets more pleasant to live on. This is something that the TransCoCo Transport group could consider as one of its aims - and CCAN, the Partnership for the Corsham Community Area. What are your views on this - would this help to make the streets of Corsham more people friendly and safer?

A Three Horse Race

2009-06-07T12:01:00.014+01:00

Disappointed? Yes, of course but also energised by the whole campaign and overwhelmed by the level of support and encouragement from people within the town as well as from outside. This one was always going to be difficult to predict and there was clearly a sense of 'better the devil you know' and a tendency for people to revert back to 'safe mode' at the ballot box. The turnout was high at nearly 55% which does show people want to engage with the political system after all and make their views known.

It is a shame because I know I could have done a great job - and an important job in bringing some fresh thinking and energy to the new council. But what is really interesting is that Peter Davies has only a little more than a third of the vote - hardly a majority mandate from the people of Corsham.

Allan Bosley, the other independent candidate over in Corsham Pickwick, also deserves many congratulations for a splendid performance and a very similar result.

My biggest concern is that all four seats on our new area board are now Tory, in a Unitary Wiltshire Council with a two thirds Tory majority, and with a likely Tory government in the near future - hardly a healthy situation for us moving forward. So I feel my role is even more important - to ensure the new regime is held to their promise to allow local communities to have a greater say and influence on what happens in their locality, to ensure the area board really does take forward the vision of the Corsham community as expressed in the Community plan update, and above all to ensure it is certainly not 'business as usual in the new authority.

However, I do now feel more empowered than ever through Corsham Town Council, The Area Partnership 'CCAN' and Transition Community Corsham to work towards making Corsham a better place to live, to work and to visit and look forward to the challenges ahead

I plan to continue my blog and hope it will develop into a valuable interactive forum for local people. Thank you all for you support over the past few weeks. It has certainly been worth it.

It's Your Choice ...

2009-06-03T22:46:00.006+01:00

I write this post on the eve of the local goverment elections for the new Wiltshire Council. And I want to stress that it is a new council - and one which bring both opportunities and challenges for us all in the years ahead.

The whole point of the move to 'One Council for Wiltshire' is to allow local communities to have a greater say in their affairs - for people to have more influence on what happens in their locality - and to have a closer contact with the new council through their directly elected councillors on the local area board.

The opportunities are tremendous. We have the chance to place more emphasis on the issues and aspirations that really matter to local people. A real opportunity for local people to engage with local government directly and to help shape the future direction of the community on which they live and work.

But there are also serious challenges if this new council is to be more than a veneer. Some of those elected will undoubtedly be people from either the former district or county councils and I am sure some will be effective council members who are really committed to the people they represent. but I am also concerned that there will also be an expectation of 'business as usual' with an automatic reversion to the ways things operated before - but with an ever increasing centralisation of beaurocracy and control from Trowbridge HQ - the very opposite of what we have been promised.

That is one of the main reasons I have stood as an Independent candidate for Corsham Town. I have had a great campaign over the past few weeks supported by a fantastic team of people with a strong sense of purpose. I have also met so many local people committed to Corsham and with a strong sense of value and respect for the town.

Tomorrows vote is as unpredictable as it is fascinating. I know people choose their vote for an enormous variety of reasons but I hope tomorrows vote will be to elect the person we all feel is best suited for the task ahead. One who shares in our vision for a vibrant community, unhindered by party politics, or by a history of 'how things were done'.

I shall, of course, be at the count on Friday afternoon and will be awaiting the result with a mixture of of excitment and trepidation. I've really enjoyed the last few weeks and look forward to working with you all in the future. Thank you all for your support.

Independents Take to the Streets

2009-05-31T13:10:00.008+01:00

On Saturday I spent a useful morning talking to many local residents in the High Street. As well as developing my suntan it was a great opportunity to be able to explain how important this election is for the people of Corsham.

At the ballot box on Thursday we have a real opportunity to ensure Corsham is represented by someone who:

lives and works in the heart of the town
is committed to creating a vibrant and sustainable community
will be an Independent voice on the Area Board
represents all people in Corsham

I was joined by Allan Bosley who is also an independent candidate standing for election in Corsham Pickward Division - essentialy to the north of Pickwick Road and including most of Katherine Park. We were both very aware that all the other candidates representing the political parties were conspicuous by their absence - perhaps not surprising given the total lack of respect the main political parties have at the moment!

Doorstep deliveries

2009-05-29T23:58:00.006+01:00

Over the past two weeks my team and I have knocked on over 2500 doors across Corsham Town Division and I have been very encouraged by people’s reaction to me as their independent candidate for Wiltshire Council. These are the things people are saying on the doorstep:

I am the only one of the five candidates for the Corsham town Division who both lives and works in the town. This is important and it means I have first hand knowledge of our town 24 hours a day

There is a real concern about Political Parties as a result of the expenses scandal. It is outrageous to assume that just because they may not have broken the ‘rules’ they are therefore excused from having any moral common sense when it comes to accessing public money.

People realise that councillors cannot work in isolation. As I have proved in my work on Corsham Town Council things can only be achieved through consensus and by collaborating with my colleagues. Only an Independent can do this without being told what to say and do by the party whip.

People recognise that there is a real opportunity with the new Wiltshire Council to ensure the voice of our local community is heard clearly and confidently. As an Independent I can do this more easily as I am not bound by party political views.

It is really important that we get everyone we know out to vote on Thursday 4th June. Please help by spreading the word about me and my campaign - and only with your help will I really will be able to make a difference to our community.

On Yer Bike!

2009-05-25T18:26:00.014+01:00

What a fantastic Bank Holiday weekend for getting out and about across Corsham. And what better way to do it than by bicycle. I know we don't have much of a cycle network - yet - but the weather was great and it was good to meet so many people across the Town and out to Easton, Westrop and Thingley.

Most people in the Corsham Town Division have now had my Wiltshire Council Election Special which sets out the key local issues for our community and which the new council can actually act on. Fortunately I have not been told to get 'On Yer Bike' yet as these issues do seem to resonate with many local people!

Click on the image on the left for a closer look at what these issues are. I have grouped them broadly according to the themes of the new Council. Share your thoughts and views by clicking on 'Comments' below.

The Party's Over?

2009-05-23T10:43:00.003+01:00

This headline comes from last week’s Independent on Sunday which hints at the extraordinary strength of public revolt against the mainstream political party’s over the past few weeks.

Polls suggest that between 40% and 63% of people will not be voting for Con, Lab or Lib Dem which has sent shock waves into the heart of every mainstream politician in the country.

This is clearly a great time for Independents, (whether celebrity or not!) as more and more people are looking for the alternative vote. It is likely that UKIP will benefit – although I question their value in local government. The greens are doing well too and look set to increase their share of the vote.

Fortunately we do not seem to be seeing a wave of BNP support. However, my greatest fear is that many people will simply not bother to vote – voter apathy is the most dangerous thing of all and that is what can let in extremist views as we have seen before in history.

That is why I am getting out there in Corsham Town – knocking on every door in the division to let people know who I am, why an independent vote is so important and how I can represent the people of Corsham effectively. The response so far has been excellent with a real look of relief on resident’s faces when I say I am independent of all party politics – and when they realise I am the local candidate – the only one who lives and works in Corsham Town.

Election Campaign Underway!

2009-05-18T10:28:00.005+01:00

My election campaign started at the weekend with much enthusiam. I have a great team of people helping and supporting me and we are thoroughly enjoying meeting Corsham people on their doorsteps.

With all the appalling news and revelations of Westminster MPs from all parties claiming outrageous expenses I am quite relieved to be an Independent at the present time. If fact so were most of the people we talked to on our way around - I was told by one resident 'It's Yours Time!' I would have had a very different reception if I had been a member of a polictial party.

I am really pleased with my election leaflet which I think sets out the value of voting Independent with a realistic look at what the new Unitary Council will actually be responsible for. There is clearly much disatisfaction with the main political parties and I fear many people will just not use their democratic right to vote - which can be a very dangerous thing - so I hope they will be encouraged to vote for an Independent voice who can represent the views of Corsham people with fairness and honesty.

Corsham Area Community Partnership relaunched

2009-04-29T10:47:00.003+01:00

Corsham Area Community Partnership (CACP) has been relaunched at a ‘Wider Gathering’ event last week at The Pound with its new updated Community Plan. I have been involved with CACP for the last year and more recently as 'Convenor' and I believe this plan will become an important document to influence the priorities, spending plans and decisions of the new Corsham Area Board following the June elections.

Interestingly after widespread consultation and research the top two priorities have emerged:

1. Transport, Access and Traffic

Desire for better access to convenient, sustainable affordable safer public transport
Concern regarding traffic management and control
Concern over links within community area and to neighbouring towns

2. Environment, Countryside and Land Based Issues

People really value the rural nature of the community area
Concern over pressures which threaten this character
Desire to see more action to sustain and improve the environment

I am delighted that the former district councillor for Pickwick, Chris Reid was elected to take over from me as chair of the new partnership and that CACP has also adopted a new name to reflect its new upbeat future role: Corsham Community Area Network: CorshamCAN

Keeping in touch

2009-04-04T00:31:00.001+01:00

Welcome to my new online blog! In addition to the usual email, telephone, letterbox or catching me for a chat on the High Street I have launched this online blog which for many people will be an interesting and interactive way of keeping in touch, letting me know your views – and sharing them with others.

The New Council for Wiltshire

2009-04-02T12:48:00.002+01:00

The big change replacing districts & county councils with a Unitary Authority for Wiltshire has started so it’s vital Corsham’s voice is heard loud and clear. The new structure based on local community areas gives us a great chance to have a big say in our own affairs locally - but only with the best people representing us!

Local people have encouraged me to stand as an Independent Candidate for the elections to the new Council on 4th June. It will be a disaster if the ‘WC’ is taken over by party politics. As an independent voice I am not bound to always say what the Cons, LibDems or any other party says I should say - so I can truly represent ALL people’s views in Corsham INDEPENDENTLY.