The Beestonian Issue 83

The Beestonian

Whilst we always try to focus on the local in this magazine, it isn't easy to ignore the national and global events which affect our little area of the world.

The disruption from the Covid pandemic is still being felt in many ways, and it has been compounded by Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. This coming on top of the changes brought about by Brexit. What all this flux has resulted in is rises in the price of pretty much everything, including the essentials of food, utilities and fuel. Many people have already been significantly impacted by this, with more likely to suffer before the cost of living crisis passes.

Locally, an increasing number of people will be finding it harder to make ends meet, which will have a knock-on in terms of what they can spend with businesses in the area. Fingers crossed the economic picture will brighten before too long, and all those companies that have chosen to invest locally over the last couple of years will continue to grow.

If you are one of those who is counting the pennies, the best place to start is Broxtowe Community Projects on the High Road near the Bartons garage. We've bigged them up on here plenty of times in the past, as they really deserve the recognition and awareness. As well as operating as a food bank the shop also sells perfectly good surplus perishable food close to the use by date that would otherwise end up in a skip. All they ask for is a small donation.

Whilst the volumes of food donated to them fluctuates, one thing they continually need more of is volunteer time. This for helping out in the shop, and also driving - to collect donations and deliver food parcels to those who can't make it down to the shop. If you've got even just a couple of spare hours a week, get in touch to see how you can help fellow Beestonians in need: Facebook.com/BroxtoweCommunityProjects

This issue is packed with loads of interesting and funny stuff, but if there's anything you think we should feature, please let us know by sending us an email: thebeestonian@gmail.com

Enjoy the rest of the summer, stay safe, and keep looking after each other.

beeston beeston Upclose+personal

Beeston continues to buck the national trend with loads more new businesses opening over the last few months.

Cheers!

Sri Lankan food? In a micropub? Only in Beeston. Well worth checking out if you fancy something a bit different. Wollaton Road, opposite Lidl and up the hill a bit.

Dog & Bean

Another empty unit on Chilwell Road filled quickly, with this superb dog-friendly cafe. Between the Hop Pole and the Frustrated Chef.

Compà

Authentic Sicilian food, which has attracted lots of rave reviews and already has plenty of loyal customers. Wollaton Road, opposite the way in to Sainsburys.

Beeston Social

It's hard not to have noticed how popular this new place is, helping to make Beeston a proper night time destination. Underneath the cinema.

To view Lucy's online gallery or to make a request, visit @capturedbythefuzz on Instagram. Greetings cards are available at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/capturedbythefuzz

By Lucy Morrow

Poses A Decade of

Atrip to the photographers can either be an exciting event, or a terrifying experience, depending on how you view having your photo taken. One photographer in Beeston has been serving happy clients for ten years now, and that’s Brankica Kajtez Ilic of Focus & Shoot Photography.

I had first met Brankica a few years ago. At the time her husband (Dean who runs Arden IT) used the downstairs of the building on Windsor Street for repairing computers, before they moved to Queens Road. Brankica uses the upstairs as her studio. Incidentally, this building is owned by Beestonian Judy Naake, the former owner of St Tropez self-tanning products who used to live on Broughton Street, but now shares her time between Bramcote and Italy.

Brankica first talked about her background and how she started in photography, “I was born in Vitojevic, Serbia. We were a very poor family. At that time, I had never touched a camera. It changed when I moved to the UK twenty years later. About fifteen years ago I took a photo for a magazine competition about children, and I was surprised to win. I joined Beeston Camera Club and member Alan Thompson took me under his wing and taught me about lighting and composition. I’ve also done photography workshops with Michael Lau. I’ve learnt a lot from YouTube videos, and of course a bit of trial and error. I found out that I was quite good, and so ten years ago I decided to go professional”.

So good that Brankica was recently voted one of the three best photographers in Nottingham for the sixth year running through the website ThreeBestRated.com. She’s also won many bronze, silver and one gold award with the Independent Professional Photographers’ Network, and some with the Guild of Photographers. She’s also had work published in many magazines and has a portfolio of work on the Vogue Italia website. “All of these don’t mean that much to me. I measure my success by the number of happy clients that I’ve served. I’ve received over 100 five star reviews through Google, and get lots of lovely messages, flowers etc from my happy clients. That’s what makes me happy and how I measure my success”.

Turning to find out the reason why Brankica shoots portraits, rather than say weddings or landscapes, she replies, “I prefer to work alone in my studio. Weddings would be a nightmare for me, and I don’t like travelling or working

outside. You can’t control the weather or the light. One minute it’s sunny, the next it’s raining. I like being in my space, controlling the light, and not having to worry about things I can’t control”.

I then asked about her clients and where they come from. “Strangely enough, I don’t get that many locals coming in. Possibly because they don’t know where I am. But due to being close to the railway station I get people from all over the country, sometimes the world.

I’ve had a family from America who were here to see some relations, and they wanted some photos of the occasion. I do a lot of graduations from the university. The most I’ve had in the studio was twenty two, which was daunting, and they had to be shot in smaller groups, as my space isn’t big enough for them all to fit. I had someone from Scotland who wanted me to photograph her children. She told me at the end of the shoot that she was a photographer herself, but wanted me to do it, as her children won’t take direction from her. Being close to the railway station I get a lot of business from London. They can be here in a couple of hours, and obviously I’m not so expensive”.

I wondered how the pandemic had affected the business. “The first lockdown was actually good for me, as we were in the process of moving house. We moved from Chilwell to Long Eaton. We had a very quick sale too and got more than we were expecting. The second lockdown around October to December wasn’t as good, as I get about 30% of my business during this period.

People like to have Christmas themed photos done, that they can send as presents. Big family shoots, maternity and baby photos also suffered, so I seem to be doing more headshots now. One area that I’m not very good at and don’t enjoy is marketing and publicity. I have Instagram and Facebook accounts, but I find it tedious to keep uploading photos. I know that it is an essential part of the business, so I might just do it every two weeks or so. Maybe I should get my son to do it”.

Photographers always like to know about gear, and I guess I’m not different.

“I mainly use a Nikon D800 and a Sigma 24-105mm lens. Elinchrom lights and Photoshop for post-production. When I first started, I used to spend hours on photos, now it’s just a few minutes, just to enhance them, or hide footmarks on the backdrop paper I use. Getting the lighting right and being creative is more important than the camera you use. I also use textured backgrounds for my fine art photography”.

Finally, I ask about the future and what she does to relax. “I never look that far ahead. I don’t really have any plans. I just keep trying my best and enjoying what I do. As for relaxing, I have my garden and my plants. I love plants. I could spend all day in the garden. I’m not really that bothered about going on holiday. If I wanted to see a place, then I’d look at it on the Internet. I never take my camera with me when we do go away”. I wondered if Brankica had been concerned about the proposed HS2 development in Long Eaton. “No, our house wasn’t affected. But, there’s still quite a few empty houses in the area, despite the project not going ahead now”.

I take Brankica’s photo. A bit daunting, considering how good she is. We then go back downstairs, and she mentions one of the companies, The Perfume Studio that now share the building. “They do party perfumes. They’ll come to your house or party and create a unique perfume just for you. They make a note of the ingredients, so that you can reorder”.

We say goodbye, and I leave with an invite for my wife and I to see her much loved garden.

If you have any special occasions coming up, or just fancy having a quality portrait doing, then do go and see Brankica in her studio at 72a Windsor Street, Beeston, as I’m sure like her many other clients, you won’t be disappointed.

Instagram.com/ focusandshootphotography

beeston speaks i am

Dr George F. Paechter

Retired Academic

Iwas born in Berlin and came to England with a Kindertransport in June 1939. When I arrived, my brother Hans and I went to live with a Dr and Mrs H.W. Hills on Rodborough Common, near Stroud in Gloucestershire, while my sister Lisel went to another family, also in Stroud. I attended Marling School. We were only supposed to be there for a couple of months until our parents got out of Germany, for us all to go to America to join my mother’s sister. However, the war intervened, and my parents perished in the gas chambers. My father had been a director of the Deutsche Bank.

So, I was stuck with the Hills until the end of the war. My brother went to London when he reached fifteen, after which my Scoutmaster’s family virtually adopted me as the oldest of five other children, until I went to Oxford on a scholarship in 1948. I got my BA/MA in mathematics at Magdalen College and my D.Phil. at Christ Church on a Senior scholarship. I then had a lectureship at Wadham until I moved to Nottingham in 1960. I got a job as a lecturer in mathematics at Nottingham University, so my then wife Alison could be near her sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and John Newson, who were both in the Psychology department of the University. By then we had a daughter, Caroline, or Carrie, as she is now known.

We bought a house on the left-hand side of Derby Road up from Hill Side towards the ring road. The house was up a long path and at the top of the garden was a cliff overlooking allotments. Alison was a trained nursery teacher and wanted to open her own nursery school. However, due no doubt to the imminent construction of the Queen’s Medical Centre, she could not get planning permission. So in 1964 we moved to Beeston to a house with a large stable block which could be converted. Unfortunately, there was a long covenant with the deeds, which forbade any commercial use in what was known as St John’s Grove. However, as the (circa 1870) covenanters had not covenanted with each other and their descendants, but with a clerk since deceased, and the covenant had been broken early by building 2 or 3 houses on each plot meant for one, this was also null and void, so the stable block became a nursery school.

I have been very happy in Beeston most of the time and make full use of local shops, such as Hallams, Charlie Foggs, and Sainsburys (but never Tesco), Out of this World, Lidl, the Frustrated Chef and many more. I also get on well with our neighbours in Elm Avenue, though not much more than on nodding terms. My usual means of transport is a bicycle. I don’t walk if I can help it and no longer drive a car.”

issue: Deadlines

Can I be candid with you? I’m *rubbish* at deadlines. Truly appalling. Just ask the everpatient editor of this esteemed publication how many times he has to remind me to submit my piece and he’ll smile through gritted teeth and possibly mutter something unpublishable, despite him being a truly lovely human being…

But, a few weeks ago I was given a deadline I couldn’t ignore or procrastinate over, when entirely out of the blue I was told I had severe diabetes. Not a pre-diabetes warning with accompanying “it might be an idea to think about changing your lifestyle” comments, it was “this is really worrying, you have a massive blood sugar count and we need to start you on medication *today*” diabetes.

“Ah…” I replied to my GP (although if I’m honest with you my initial thought started with the letter ‘F’, followed by a plethora of ‘U’s and… well, I’m sure you can work out the rest yourself)!

I’d been getting tired for a long time – I know I’ve mentioned here a few times before that I’d figured my increasing fatigue was due to being a 58-year old single parent of a lively 8-year old daughter. Plus maybe it was long covid, depression, comfort eating, drinking too much, ongoing grief, lockdown, laziness and gluttony – or a heady combination of all of them - plus very little or no exercise that had me permanently knackered, feeling far too fat, bulky and lethargic.

But eventually I’d reached the point where I was getting up in the morning, getting Scarlett fed and ready for school and then getting home to collapse on my bed for pretty much the rest of the day before picking her up again, and that just wasn’t right.

So I booked myself a check-up ‘well man’ type visit just to make sure it wasn’t anything serious – and I’m really glad I did. Before I’d even got back to the car I had a phone call telling me my glucose levels were startlingly high, leading to that early morning confirmation call from my GP.

Apparently my blood sugar levels needed to be brought down straight away as they were over twice the normal and there could be any number of unfortunate side-effects, even discounting the best-known ‘horror stories’. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t know much about diabetes but ordered a few books and cookery

books online (which I really should get round to reading at some point) and decided there and then I had to get myself sorted.

The advice was to cut down on alcohol, sugar, processed foods and ‘white’ carbs (white bread, pasta, potatoes and rice – all the good stuff), limit my daily intake of calories and do more (or in my case ‘some’) exercise. I decided walking would be good as I could listen to my audiobooks and I signed up for one of those ‘walking challenges’ that give you a medal after you complete the course, so instead of doing a slog around Chilwell, Bramcote and Beeston I’m now walking through Middle-Earth, heading to Mount Doom to destroy the one ring, but with the added bonus of being able to pop into Lidl on the way home!

Luckily, I have a few good friends who’ve been through the same experience and are managing it well, or in some cases have controlled it so well it’s effectively gone. With their help, support and advice I was pretty sure I could do it – and I decided if it was worth doing I might as well do it properly. So (with my GPs approval) I decided to walk every day and limit myself to just 800 calories a day with no carbs or booze at all. And I figured it would be hard – but no-one was more surprised than me to find it wasn’t. I like salad and chicken, oily fish and beef and after only a couple of days I could see and feel a difference.

The worst part was telling Scarlett – she was terrified that my having a medical issue might be the same as Sal’s cancer diagnosis, with the possibility of the same terrible outcome. Thankfully she understood very quickly that although it was serious, it wasn’t life-threatening. In fact, once assured I’d be OK but just had to avoid certain types of food, she became very enthusiastic, offering to eat all of the chocolate in the house herself because I couldn’t – “and that’ll be healthy for you and fun for me, Daddy, it’s a win-win”! You couldn’t ask for a more selfless offer, right?!

So now, five weeks after my diagnosis I’ve lost over a stone and a half, I’m fitter, eating well, feel so much better and actually have more energy – and my blood sugar levels are back to ‘normal human’ too, thankfully.

And it wasn’t hard and I’m enjoying it - which is truly astounding.

All I needed was a deadline.

Brand new, state-of-the-art equipment at John Flynn Opticians in Beeston is now facilitating the very best diagnostic capabilities to ensure the best eyecare in the country. Optometrist Dr. Janjua’s new equipment provides hospital-standard insight into your health and is one of just a handful of such machines anywhere in the UK...

Foresight. Hindsight. Insight. It’s quite clear how much importance we place on sight. We’ve all come to recognise that a first-class optometrist will not only make your vision sharper, as a result of the prescription they determine you need, but will also help to assess your overall health, using your eyes to as an indicator of your general health. As eye-care technology has finessed, some optometrists have invested in decent technology, but some diagnostic equipment remains the preserve of dedicated eye-care departments in specialist hospitals such as Moorfields, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and Nottingham’s Queens Medical Centre. Those specialist facilities and teaching hospitals have previously been able to boast the best diagnostic technology, which High Street opticians could only look upon with envy... that is, until now. Beeston’s John Flynn Opticians established in 1938, recently took delivery of its new Heidelberg Spectralis machine which is –without exaggeration – the best OCT scanner available for any eye-care practitioners and one which most dedicated hospital eyecare departments would covet. It’s one of just a handful of machines here in the UK and as Dr. Janjua says, it’s the gold standard for dedicated eye hospitals, let alone a High Street optician, providing him with unprecedented accuracy and clarity when making a diagnosis.

An OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) machine is used to take a 3D scan of the eye to allow a specialist to assess the health of the optic nerve, macular and to detect and monitor the progression of conditions like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma. John Flynn Opticians’ new machine, though, builds on this technology to create 4D imagery accurate to just a single micron – one hundredth of the width of a human hair.

The system also uses artificial intelligence to track the exact position of successive scans, overlaying them precisely to check changes over successive months or years. Fast, contact-free and painless, the system can also send images to hospital departments for other clinicians to review in the event of a referral.

“We can use the technology to examine tiny details that help us to detect eye disease at the earliest stages, reducing the risk of sight loss and improving our patients’ lives,” says Dr Janjua.

Naturally technology is nothing without expertise, and so Dr. Janjua is committed to interpreting the results of a scan and explaining findings in an accessible way. With the highest quality diagnostic information comes the most accurate prescription, and alongside the very best ophthalmic lenses from across the industry – Zeiss, Nikon and Hoya –the practice’s state-of-the-art equipment is crucial, but only when used alongside the very best diagnostic skill and the provision of quality ophthalmic lenses and luxury frames.

The result is great service, clear vision and true peace of mind; a holistic service that’s clearly better at providing quality eyecare.

John Flynn Opticians provides eye examinations, prescription eyewear and contact lenses from its practice on Devonshire Avenue, Beeston, NG9 1BS, call 0115 925 5051 / 0115 939 2421 or see www.johnflynnopticians.co.uk.

JUSTDON’TTAKE OUR WORD FOR IT... READ WHAT CUSTOMERSOUR TOHAVESAY...

“Just picked up my third pair of specs from Flynns. I’ve used them for years and cannot fault them, from the excellent care with my sight test to Annette and Wendy who are on hand to advise, make sure your specs fit and sit properly and just generally make you feel welcome. Nothing is too much trouble. Thank you all.

Until my next visit.”

E. Taylor

“I cannot speak highly enough of Dr Janjua and all his team at Flynn Opticians in Beeston. Due to wrong prescriptions in the past going to him changed my life. Not only do you get the best product on the market and expert advice, everybody is so helpful and kind. I would not go anywhere else.”

J. West

“I’d heard that the glasses were great quality and the service was great at John Flynn Optician. The staff have been very helpful and gave me all the facts I needed. I love the personal touch and that you don’t have to ask for helpit’s just given. I love my new glasses - the style, the colour, the quality - everything.

Dan and Annette have been brilliant from the minute I walked in the door. They are very friendly and provided perfect service in every way. I will be coming back and will share my experience with others.”

L. James

Purveyors of Luxury eyewear since 1938 l Clinical Eyecare l Quality Eyewear

Above: John Flynn Opticians new Heidelberg Spectralis OCT machine is one of the few in the UK, and is best in class, offering hospital-standard diagnosis of eye health for the optician’s patients.

By Dr. S A Janjua BSc(Hons) MCOptom DOptom Prof Cert Glau Prof Cert LV Prof Cert Med Ret DipSV Director & Doctor of Optometry

This month: Matt Lyons

Creative Beeston

If you're a member of any of the local Facebook groups such as Beeston Updated, you may have come across some of the superb paintings of local people by Matt Lyons. We got in touch with Matt for some background about him and the paintings, so here it is in his own words:

"The process started because I really got into painting during Covid. I have always painted, but found that working from home gave me more time to really commit to it.

I had been buying photographs from a lifedrawing school in Glasgow to paint from, but I wanted to pose and paint from my own photographs so I had more control.

I was inspired by Vincent Van Goch, who painted everyday people from the place he lived. There was one painting, Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin, which became a bit of an obsession for me and a massive inspiration for the project.

We have a local postman, Will Gavin, who lives over the road from me, and I decided he would be a really great subject because he, like Joseph Roulin, possessed

a magnificent beard and I thought it would be good to paint him in the same pose as Joseph Roulin. Will is actually a fine art graduate, so understands the process of painting and was really happy to pose for me. I was delighted with the result, and it got me thinking, maybe I could ask other local people to pose for me? I didn’t know where to start with that, so asked the Beeston Updated community on Facebook to make recommendations. I was inundated!!

I’ve been painting portraits now for 6 months and have fourteen completed that I am happy with. I’ve got the next couple lined up too so should be busy for a while.

To thank all the people who let me paint them, and to celebrate the people of Beeston I am planning an exhibition of the final twenty portraits in Beeston Parish Church (the church by the tram stop in Beeston) from the 10th to the 13th of September. I am arranging a private view for the sitters and their families on the 9th. I really hope that the people of Beeston will come along to see some familiar faces that they (hopefully) recognise!"

Debra Urbacz

Jazz Singer Jeanie O'Shea

Postman Will Gavin

Boathouse Cafe Owner Tony Gayle

all things will pass in time

You may recall photos of a tree stump in Attenborough Nature Reserve in a previous issue of The Beestonian, taken one year apart by Helen Inglis.

The first one was taken at the height of the first Covid wave in 2020, when she spotted that someone had written "all things will pass in time" on the freshly cut stump.

Helen took a photo of the same stump a year later, the ink having faded and the wood starting to darken.

She took another one a couple of months ago, in which the writing is still just about legible.

Whoever is responsible for the writing wasn't wrong, as a lot of things have changed since the spring of 2020. Fingers crossed the worst of everything is behind us now and we can focus on the future, whatever it may hold.

ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE ONLINE

OF THE

Food-lovers, Rejoice!

Beesssssstonian

There were several nervous people in Chilwell for a few days during July, when Lavender, an 8ft pet python, went missing in the Blandford Road area

Our music editor Lulu though she had spotted her when at the Leyton Crescent gala day in the Rylands, but it wasn't to be.

Lavender eventually turned up in a garden close to home, and was reunited with her owner safe and well.

www.thegaragechilwell.co.uk

head down to the Street Food Smoke Up to enjoy some of your favourite songs live in concert!

LAST SATURDAY

MONTH The Street FoodSmoke Up is the East Midlands' biggest monthly celebration of food, drink, and live music. Joined by some of the UK's top street food chefs, up to 7 world street food kitchens pitch up at The Garage once a month and showcase their award winning menus.

Join our mailing list to be amongst the first to find out about new events, ticket deals and special discounts.

This issue:

Walking the Trees of Beeston - a Foster Avenue Teaser.

TREES OF BEESTON

Ibegin this Trees of Beeston with a quote from the Turkish playwright and thinker Mehmet Murat Ildan. Reflecting on the sentiment of the words, and applying them into the daily life and landscape of a suburban town in the midlands might seem a stretch, but if we take time to imagine our local landscape without trees, it is to imagine a much reduced and depleted landscape. Of course, deserts are their own enriched biome of animal and plant life, but one notably with few, if any, trees.

We are fortunate to have a treasure trove of tree lives in and around Beeston. If we take time to notice them, to appreciate that we have our own precious suburban forest of sorts, scattered not across vast tracts of uninterrupted land, but rather patch-worked and spotted along our streets and roadways, along the sidings of train tracks, in the front and back gardens of private homes and public institutions, in our parks and nature reserves, we have indeed a rich plant treasury from which all Beestonians benefit.

Following on from the last Trees of Beeston column discussing the health benefits of forest bathing, this column is both a taster of and introduction to a walk I am excited to be leading on behalf of the Beeston and District Civic Society later in the year. In early autumn I hope to introduce Beestonians to the trees that shape the landscape of our fair town, and consider their histories, properties and cultural significance. Walking around and taking time to appreciate the trees that mark

our streets and finding out more about them, and how they change and grow throughout the seasons, is - in my opinion - time well spent. Enriching our knowledge of them and, in turn, a deeper appreciation of our plant heritage helps to make us in turn, rooted and connected to Beeston as a place to call home.

The walk will take place on Sunday 2nd October 2022 at 2:30 pm (meet outside Beeston Library: for booking details see the events and talks page of the Beeston and District Civic Society website beestoncivicsociety.org.uk/walks

I wanted to flag it now so that you can get the date in your diaries / planners and also to request that if there are particular trees you would like me to visit in the two-hour walking tour to please get in contact via the Beestonian website and I will do my best to include them. If we get lots of replies, I will look to plan another walk in 2023.

Beeston and District Civic Society also have a dedicated online space where you can log requests for trees to be planted as well as advice on protecting and saving local trees. For more details go to beestoncivicsociety. org.uk/beestontrees

As the walking tour will begin outside the Beeston Library, I thought this column should give a little taster of some of the trees along Foster Avenue, beginning with one of the trees outside our fabulous public library and also give attention to the two majestic copper beech trees that flank the front of the building formerly known as Beeston Town Hall.

We are fortunate that there a number of impressive trees around Beeston Library, but for this column I want to focus on one that stands out in its brief flowering weeks between May and June - The Laburnum.

Beeston Library Trees: spotlight on The Laburnum Tree (Laburnum Watereri)

In late May / early June as I write the Laburnum Tree at far front right of the main Library entrance is in its glorious yellow bloom. The Laburnum Tree (Laburnum Watereri), or to give it its other titles the ‘Golden Chain Tree’ or ‘Golden Rain Tree’ has, between mid-May and early June – a stunning display of long chains or racemes of yellow flowers that echo those of the purple or white Wisteria. The chains of flowers ripple and cascade on top of each other, resembling small piles of golden chains. The tree is part of the pea-family, its individual flowers resembling those found on gorse bushes.

Culturally, Laburnum trees are native to the uplands of Southern Europe, and before imports of hardwoods from the Caribbean, Africa and South Americas by British traders from the 17th century, the Laburnum was a tree whose wood was cultivated and used to make cabinets and wood instruments. However, the colonial importing of hardwoods such as ebony saw Laburnum trees become a favourite instead for ornamental gardens, and this remains true of how it is mainly used in public and private gardens today.

A word of caution: the entire Laburnum trees is poisonous! If the bark or black pealike seed is ingested by animals or humans, they will be made very ill and nauseous indeed, and as such any contact with the tree should be avoided unless with gloves. If you are a dog owner of have small children, it is advised to avoid planting such specimens in easy access to avoid accidential ingestion.

However, when they flower, the laburnum provides significant pollen for pollinating insects and the trees leaf cover provides ample shade during hot sunny months. As a child, my mum would play a game with me to see how many Laburnum trees we could spot during the months of May and June. It might sound a quaint exercise, but as front gardens of residential households gave way to cement for increased car parking, fewer of these tree specimens can now be seen. The Laburnum Tree outside Beeston Library is, then, an increasingly rare example and as such its striking visual presence when it

flowers between May and June is a Beeston Tree to treasure.

Trees of Beeston Old Town Hall: The Copper Beech / Purple Beech (Fagus Sylvatica f. Purpurea)

There is a long history of Copper Beech Trees in Beeston. In previous columns I have highlighted the striking and architecturally glorious Copper Beech Tree at the junction of Alexander Crescent and Queens Road, and other examples exist around Beeston. Certainly, evidence from local architecture along Station Road (plaques on residential buildings called The Beeches and the stump of one that was felled over five years ago but remains near to the bus stop near Beeston Cobblers) illustrates that at one time these largely ornamental specimens were planted along roadways to cultivate an air of gentility for Beeston’s past Edwardian streets.

For those who regularly travel to the Library or undertake the Foster Avenue school run to and from Roundhill Primary School, your will recognise the two Copper Beech trees that stand in front of the grounds of the building that was built as Beeston Town Hall (which has in the last few years been sold off from public to private ownership).

While the works continue to the building, I hope the two Copper Beech trees will remain. They are 20th century living architectural structures, their bows used in past years to hang festive winter lights, they provide nesting space for birds and perching space for bird song. They also gift respite and shade when sat on the bench underneath the tree closest to Roundhill School.

The leaves of the tree are almost iridescent in their purple-green hues, changing colour seemingly with the seasons, and their flowers, if pollinated produce a round, slightly spikey brown case within which two beech nuts or beech masts are grown. Beech trees were thought to have medicinal properties, and the tree can be cultivated to create natural hedging (an example of beech hedging can be seen at the junction of Broadgate Road and Woodside Road near the roundabout at the West Entrance to the University of Nottingham). Beech nuts are edible and while many are used as foraging feed for livestock, the nuts can be roasted and turned into a coffee-like substitute.

“If you go to a desert, you will hear this mysterious voice: Be wise, protect your forests!”

Mehmet Murat Ildan

Reference:

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations website / benefit of urban trees.

a wartime childhood

Jill Westby spent her childhood in Beeston during the Second World War, and shares her memories in this fascinating piece.

The widow of the anti-racism campaigner George Powe, she now lives in Mapperley. If you have memories of Beeston you’d like to share, please get in touch.

My father, Robert Edwin Westby, was born in 1905 in Park Road, Chilwell, the fifth of eight children. World War 1 had some devastating effects on the family. His brother, Harold, died in 1918 in Pas de Calais, and is commemorated at Chilwell Memorial Hall. Eric, a private, survived a period as a prisoner of war. Years later he used a strange phrase “Pazzamaloof!” when joking with children of my generation. Eventually, with my O level German, I realised this was “Pause einmal auf!” – “Stop at once!” However, Reginald who worked at Chilwell Depot, was very lucky as for some unknown reason he stayed at home on the day of Chilwell Depot Explosion in 1918.

At the age of 12 or 13 my father started work at Hurts Shawl Factory in Chilwell. After three weeks he left, convinced there was no future for the company and went to Ericsson’s Telephones (now Siemens) in Beeston. Ironically Hurts is still in existence, and makes high quality items for sale nationally and internationally.

In the early 1930s Uncle Eric and my father had two semi-detached houses built on Park Road. Two detached houses would have cost more. They both benefitted as one became the home of Uncle Eric and Aunty Nellie, and my father sold the other, using the profit to have a bungalow, which he designed, built by Charles Blythe in Brookland Drive, Chilwell.

My parents met on a Holiday Fellowship walking holiday in Swanage, Dorset, married in 1935, and then lived in the bungalow.

I was born in October 1937, and my sister, Joyce (Jo), in January 1940. I became quite famous locally when, in 1938, I was declared

to be the most beautiful baby in Beeston! A proudly displayed silver-plated cup was the prize.

My early wartime memories became family legends. During the time of blackout, each evening I would urge my father to do his patriotic duty, shouting “Blackboard Daddy!”.

My maternal grandmother travelled to and from London, depending when London was being bombed.

When we went down to the Andersen shelter in the back garden, and Jo was very young, she was carried in cardboard box with a transparent cover – a gas mask for a baby. I was the proud but uncomfortable owner of a Mickey Mouse gas mask. It was fine to look at but smelled and tasted quite foul when worn.

There was a communal air raid shelter on Brook Field, just off Cator Lane. We used to go there for air raid practice from Chilwell’s Central Avenue School. It was a long underground room in which we played singing and dancing games like “A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go. We’ll catch a fox and put him in a box, a hunting we will go.”

I don’t remember any bombs falling, though it was said that enemy planes returning from bombing Coventry would offload any spare bombs randomly.

A couple of shelters, back-to-back brick buildings, were built on the street, with a space between them. At each extreme end there was a door. After air raid warnings were things of the past, we and other neighbours’ children pushed out several loose bricks at the other ends of the shelters, designed as emergency exits. Street cricket was transformed. The two opposing holes became wickets. if a ball went through them, you were bowled out. Perfect!

My father had an unofficial allotment on a field beyond the brook at the back of our garden owned by Mr. Dan. He let people who could access the field by making a bridge across the brook grow vegetables there at no cost. Somehow the tax authorities were alerted, and would not believe they were rent-free. Mr. Dan was then forced to ask the gardeners for a few pennies a year. When my father was “Digging for victory” I was convinced that that one day he would find and show us this thing called “victory”.

We were constantly being told that things would change for the better after the war was over. I asked “Daddy, will it still rain when the war is over?” (Rain was anathema to children wanting to play outside). “Mummy, will there be any news when the war is over?” was a good question because, having no radio, we were taken next door for the grown-ups to listen to the news. I didn’t know there were any other programmes available.

Our parents were keen whist players, regularly attending whist drives at the Chilwell Memorial Hall. We children were taken down there, and amused ourselves by playing board games or reading books. At Christmas there was the Fur and Feather Whist Drive. The first and second prizes would be rabbit or chicken. In those days chicken was a once in a year treat! My parents continued to go to the whist drives together until they died, often coming back with a first prize of a few pennies.

VE Day (Victory in Europe) was celebrated in Chilwell by a large celebration on Mr. Sutton’s field, on Cator Lane. My mother made me a Nippy waitress costume, like those in Joe Lyons cafes, for a fancy-dress competition, and my father painted a toy metal tea set, glued to a tray made from a biscuit tin lid. I was devastated when another Nippy waitress was the winner, not me. She had a dress made of paper! I felt that my fabric outfit was far superior.

I have only two remaining sad memories of wartime. My father showed me two photos of his brother Harold, one in his new uniform before going to France in World War I, and the other a few months later, back home for a few days, looking quite haggard. In World War II my Uncle Tom served in the Private Green Howards. I remember seeing him at home with Aunty Connie. Some weeks later I asked a cousin of mine “When will Uncle Tom come back with that thing he was on?” She asked me “What thing?” and I said “Leave –they said he was on leave.” She then bluntly told me that he was dead. He had died at Anzio, Italy, from war wounds.

I feel lucky that I had little or no idea of what war was.

Community Matters

Let’s face it readers, everything is rubbish. It’s just awful isn’t it? We’ve just clawed our way through a global pandemic, now we’ve got a cost of living crisis, ministers who made us look like morons, monkeypox heading our way and Putin has lost the plot.

This issue:

I should be glad about that though shouldn’t I? Because if everything was fine there would be no need for comedians. It’s a little known fact that there are no comedy nights in the Bahamas. You want to know why? Because they’re happy. There’s no one walking down a sandy beach, sipping a cocktail, saying, “oooh, isn’t everything dreadful, you know what I need, a laugh!” that’s not happening.

But we’re desperate aren’t we? I’m the keyworker now. Step aside nurses, the comedians are here! Don’t forget to clap for us, but just time it with the punchlines, otherwise it gets annoying.

But there is no denying it, things are becoming eye wateringly expensive at the moment. The cost of energy is soaring.

The Government decided to vote against the windfall tax on energy companies, whose profits have hit record levels in recent times. Some of them have made more than a billion pounds, and that was before the price hike. We haven’t got the latest figures on their current profits, but one can only assume we’re now at what can be termed “Lex Luther levels of money”.

They claim it’s to be used to reinvest in green energy. What are they planning? Wind turbines made from ivory, powered by unicorns on treadmills?

It does seem like the government are going out of their way not to be liked at the moment. If the energy companies were the school bully, putting your head down the toilet, instead of telling the teacher and getting you a towel, the cabinet are in the cubicle with them, flushing the chain, and repeatedly kicking you up the backside.

We’ve just got a smart meter at home now, or as I call it, the anxiety portal. Having one of those is like being mugged by your own house and you’re being forced to watch it in real time. We don’t bother with the telly now, we just put on three fleeces and stare at that instead. Every now and then I will send my children around the house to switch things off and on, just to see what effect it has. You know It’s a sad state of affairs when your slowcooker is on

a better hourly rate than you are.

I regret using that time in lockdown to bake Banana bread and watch boxsets, I should have spent that time digging an allotment and stockpiling diesel in my wheelie bins.

Inflation is now creeping over 9%. Some have said that we could be heading towards a winter of discontent not seen since the 70’s. It’s not going to be pretty, but at least it gives me some common ground to talk about with my Mum, other than the bake-off.

The UK has the highest rate of inflation of any European country. We’re on a roll at the moment, first Eurovision and now this!

Inflation has hit 9.1%. That’s more than a can of Special Brew. When the cost of living surpasses the Special Brew index, you know we’ve got problems. Rishi Sunak has said that the next few months will be tough. For us obviously, not him. He’s a man who is worth over £730 million pounds and married to someone worth billions. Yet, despite this, he is tightening his belt. I’ve heard this week he’s going to have to get rid of one of his pool men, which can’t be easy for him.

What’s made everything worse is that the politicians seem to have behaved like teenagers left home alone for the weekend, as revealed by the Sue Grey report into the Partygate fiasco. I always thought that Sue Grey sounds like a new Dulux paint colour, probably something in between “Misty Buff” and “Total Whitewash”.

The lockdown rule breaking now seems to have been rampant. Boris and has crew were having more parties than students in freshers week. Although he didn’t realise, as he wasn’t even sure he was there. Enough of the silly excuses Boris, this was a party mate, not one of your kids.

Johnson has not only lied to us, but to the people of Northern Ireland too. He’s now going back on the Northern Ireland protocol on trade, as he thought the EU wouldn’t implement the changes. This isn’t like the Covid rules, you can’t fob this off with some wine and soft cheese, people are checking on this stuff.

He's kicked the hornets’ nest and the Good Friday agreement is under strain, the government have made such a mess of it, the best we can hope for now is a “reasonable Wednesday every two weeks”.

We’re in an era where politicians, from every party, are out of touch with the people. They’ve offered solutions to get us out of this whole mess, all of them totally missing the point.

One MP says we should work more, citing the fact that there are more jobs than people at the moment. The reality is that this just means there is a massive skills shortage in the country, this is obviously positive news as we’ll all need three jobs soon just to be able to switch the kettle on.

Lots of the workforce are leaving, taking early retirement. I don’t blame them. If you could tap out of this absolute bin fire you would, wouldn’t you? Employers are being asked to remove age bias to encourage the 50-64 age bracket back to work. They can be a real asset to the work force. This is a wonderful idea. It’s essential that young working people are exposed to the views of colleagues who are mortgage free, have pensions and don’t have to be there.

My dad had to retire from the fire service at 55. He wasn’t ready, every night we’d be trying to wind down, he’d be setting fire to the curtains and trying to cut my mum out of the recliner.

Another MP, George Eustice, has suggested people buy cheaper value foods to help manage their spiralling budgets. Yeah, great idea, it’s been a while since I’ve played a game of “is it horsemeat" roulette? That’s not dinner, that’s more like a bushtucker trial. The ironic thing it might be a Kangaroos testicle, but at least you know what you’re eating.

One of our local MP’s in the midlands, Lee Anderson, stated that food banks wouldn’t be needed if people could only learn to cook and budget for themselves. He made the claim that at his local foodbank they have been showing people how they can make meals for just 30p a day. Great, I wonder what’s on the menu? A single raw potato eaten by candlelight?

Maybe he’s thinking that people won’t need to switch the heating on, if they are preparing food? Is his plan for the poor to spend those dark winter months keeping warm by frantically chopping fennel in their puffer jackets? This is the same man who said in 2019 that nuisance council tenants should be forced to work in a field, picking potatoes then have cold showers and lights out at six o’clock. I’m guessing he’s revised his stance on that now, it would be 8 o’clock, just give them enough time to turn those potatoes into a lovely dauphinoise.

What Mr Anderson failed to point out was that the 30p price is because they are making 150 meals at a time. Which isn’t practical for a working family, unless you have more

freezers than a branch of Iceland. This isn’t dinner time, this is challenge on Masterchef, where they find themselves cooking for an entire regiment.

Food prices have made the government abandon their strategies on tackling obesity. This makes sense. How can they expect the paupers to eat cake if they can’t afford to buy it? Many ministers think that addressing the obesity epidemic is peddling a nanny state which they object to. Why do these people have such an issue with a nanny state, is this because most of them were brought up by one? Let it go guys, she couldn’t breastfeed you forever.

Speaking of food, McDonald’s pulled out of Russia this week. I’m not surprised. It’s a brave company who can sell a Happy Meal in that country right now.

They’ve begun dismantling the restaurants. A process called “de-arching” which means removing the famous golden “M” not, as I first thought, assassinating the cast of the Radio 4 programme “The Archers”.

I sort of wish they would stay in Russia though. This is the best way we can help the Ukraine win this war. Widen the drive thru’s so they can take their tanks through, supersize every meal, increase the salt on those fries. Let’s give them opponents who are overweight, sluggish and can’t go into battle without taking a hipflask of Gaviscon with them.

So many brands and outlets have also done the same. Russia will have to do their own versions. Ones that sail close to breaking copyright law but do not quite getting them into court. Expect to see chains such as, McPutins, Tsarbucks, Kaliningrad Fried Chicken, or a charming noodle bar, Vladamamas!

At these times we return to nostalgia to help save us. That warm comforting cuddle of familiarity. As I write this we find ourselves in the week of the new Top Gun sequel. Just a mere 34 years after the original was released. It’s a sequel no one asked for but everybody needs. I was surprised to find that Maverick is back and flying again. The retirement age for a pilot is 55, so I’m interested to see how this would work. Will he be the only fighter pilot with a beaded seat cover? Will he eject himself by accident because he’s forgot his readers? I think at that age, the “highway to the danger zone” probably just refers to your rising cholesterol.

Still, I think its wonderful, we need pure

escapism right now, we need to re-activate our inner child. After the last few years we’ve earnt the right to switch our heads off for a bit, it’s therapeutic. Recently I went into my daughters primary school, for a “what does your parent do day”. I sat on a table, amongst police officers, scientists, nurses and architects, and was interrogated by six year old children. For the kids it was like a speed date with their own future.

They asked me questions such as, “what happens when you’re not funny?” “Why aren’t you famous?” “Are you rich?” “Are you better than Sing 2?” It was brutal, and this is coming from someone who has been reviewed by The Guardian.

I told them some jokes, they told me some. “Why did the chicken cross the road?” “I don’t know” “Because Spiderman had stolen him”. Very surreal, the humour these days. I blame the Mighty Boosh. The other parents did well of course, but the kids were fascinated with the idea of comedy as a job. I’m sure the headteacher soon regretted asking me along. All these people with jobs that need training, degrees and qualifications and I roll in and tell them they can forget all that and be a clown for money.

The thing is though, they got it. They understood what comedy could do. I could hear them telling their friends jokes afterwards or talking about their favorite moments from funny films and programmes. It was inspiring. I felt like some sort of Bob Gelfof, but with jokes. Obviously comedy can’t solve the world’s problems, but it can certainly help to medicate you against them. We needed it after the pandemic and we need it now. We need it to puncture the powerful, to motivate the masses and to find ways to cope with the chaos we are in.

There are comedy clubs in every city. I urge you to go along. Think of it as a prescription from Dr Bennett. You can’t get laughs on the NHS, but this is the next best thing. For those few hours you’ll forget all the misery, let’s have a laugh together, a proper giggle, and let us party like a Tory minister in May 2020!

Scott Bennett Comedian www. scottbennettcomedy.co.uk Twitter - @scottbcomedyuk Instagram - @ scottbcomedyuk

Stand up from the shed – Live stream Every Week Live – www.facebook.com/scottybcomedy Podcast – Search “Stand up from the shed” on Apple and Soundcloud Twitter - @standupinashed

Havin’ a laugh?

– It’s all we’ve got!

NG9 NG9 News Roundup

This issue: March - May 2022

Welcome back to another 'The Year So Far' NG9 News column, where we bring you the biggest headlines from over the last 3 months - and believe us when we say it, a lot has happened...

From a writer's perspective, I would be brief and say that this month particularly presented lots to write about - from the usual subject, student flats, shops and even a pub reopening - The Jolly Anglers. Just six days into the month, the news of a local pub reopening spread around the town - although the pub had a refurb, new landlady and brewery owners hope to restore the beauty of the pub, while remaining with the pub's ‘traditional’ mode of operation.

With it’s opening on the 8th of April, and relaunch weekend ensuing a matter of weeks after, the pub seems to have returned to normal order with live music, beer and televised sport all featuring regularly.The refurb saw many changes, with a maintained garden (by yours truly), an improved sitting area with pub games, and various other cosmetic improvements as part of a large investment by new owners, Craft Union Pub Company.

Mid-way through the month though, some (In my view) rather interesting news arose, student flats in Beeston were rejected - and before you ask, yes, I didn’t spell ‘approved’ wrong!

Following the application to build student flats on the Kings Carpets site on Beeston High Road, many expected such an application to be approved, but it was swiftly rejected. The plans showed a potential space for 43 students to live. Although such a development was rejected, others are always popping up, as we will discuss later on.

MARCH

In more positive news, we heard from Broxtowe Women’s Project, a charity set up to support and advise women, children and young people affected by domestic abuse, that they were running a crowdfund set-up to help provide money towards specifically helping children affected by domestic abuse. With many children in the UK suffering from domestic abuse, the crowdfund is crucial to help those affected by it in the past recover, and move forward with their lives. You can access this crowdfund via the Broxtowe Women’s Project website: www.broxtowewomensproject.org.uk.

Early into the month, we had the joy of announcing that two new businesses will be opening in the town, and bringing even more custom to the increasingly booming area. We got an inkling that both Ottimo, an Italian restaurant, and The Beeston Social, aimed at bringing a bar to Beeston with a youth focus would soon be open. This is great for the area that over the years has seen the proportion of students continue to grow.

With Ottimo and The Beeston Social open, there is a lot to look forward to, it’s going to be great!

In more of a controversial news setting, we shared the news that Queens Road/Station Road intersection had to be closed for 6 weeks due to 'crucial roadworks', and all together took around 7 weeks before they had finished. The works, although ‘essential’ had caused delays and disruption for many residents - particularly those leaving the Rylands - and made a formerly quiet road (Barton Street) into a ratrun, and a potentially unsafe passage for both cyclists and pedestrians.

Later on in the month, we reported on a new plan to build a looming tower of student flats in the heart of Beeston, with writer, Ben Johnson, telling us that the new building will contain:

“419 student flats. They will all be studio apartments of between 16 and 26 meters squared and it will include 21 classed as accessible.”

The land, remembered by many, had formerly held a fire station and also a Blockbuster store, something which you never see anymore. To make up for losing Blockbuster, the amazing Arc Cinema sits just opposite this land - upgrade much? With more and more plans for new housing and businesses popping up each day in Beeston - the question I would ask is, where will they all park?

Earlier in the year, news of the Oban House plans (which see the building being demolished to be replaced by a modern building), were announced. In the process came uproar in the community, and in specific, Beeston District & Civic Society. Following the plans, later in the month, the aforementioned group got together and protested outside of the century old ‘house’, as they voiced their objection to the plans, and ongoing frustration about many old and history encasing buildings being torn down in order to make way for new premises. The petition, started by locals, has now reached more than 500 signatures..

Then came May, with the opening of more street art works and more news of potential flats.

Earlier in the month, it was my privilege to have attended the reveal of new artwork at the Royal British Legion, Beeston, in honor of those who have served and to show respect for those who gave their tomorrow for our today.

I attended as a journalist, and was also honored to attend as the mayor’s consort thanks to an extremely kind invitation from then Mayor of Broxtowe, Richard MacRae. We saw the incredible artwork that showcased poppies and the shadows of soldiers which had been painted by incredibly talented artist, Anna Wheelhouse. The art work was testament to both the town’s recognition and respect for those who served, and how much we embrace art and its meaning to us.

Soon after the reveal, as a group of journalists we were made aware of more flats potentially being created inside a former hotel, The Linden Leaf, after plans for a House Of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) were submitted to Broxtowe Borough Council earlier this month. Historically, in the late 70s it was used as flats, then in the late 80s it was an elderly residential home, and later plans for a hotel were submitted - they failed twice, but eventually it became a reality.

Now though, after much speculation as to the future of the building, it looks extremely likely that the century-old building will become an HMO, something which Beestonians are quickly becoming accustomed to.

Beeston has certainly been faced with some new scenarios and challenges, but Beestonians always manage to overcome them, and even embrace them! It is a pleasure to be able to serve NG9, and Beeston with daily news updates, and key notices for the community I both reside in, and love. Catch us in the next edition of The Beestonian magazine for more information on what has been happening in Beeston!

Parklands Stroke Support Group

If you or anyone you know are a stroke survivor, the Parklands Stroke Support Group meets fort nightly at Grasmere Road in Long Eaton, between 2 and 4pm. They do several activities including exercises, bingo, raffle, speaker, trips out and more. Wheelchair accessible transport can be arranged if needed. They are fully affiliated to the Stroke Association.

For more information email anneb49a@ gmail.com

In A Beestonian Country Garden

Icame across something amazing today. Something that I had not seen before. A secret garden at John Clifford School. I have visited the school many times. Not as a pupil or parent, but as a fan of car boot sales. And each time I came, usually on a Sunday morning, I was completely unaware that beyond the playground, there was a hidden green space, complete with chickens, ducklings, and a hopefully soon to be completed pond.

Sarah Sazmat, a parent of the school contacted Beestonian Towers, inviting the magazine along to see what was growing and forming behind the Victorian building. So I popped down, and as I said in the opening sentence, I was amazed.

In the reception area we were met by David ‘Cookie’ Cook, the school’s site manager. He led us across the playground towards a large wooded area, which, when we went through a gap in the greenery, was this natural kid’s playground, with a large shed in the distance and the makings of an allotment. Plus, three chickens in their roost. All hidden by the trees.

After having a conducted tour by Cookie, Sarah and I were then met by Sally Mitchell, the Outdoor Learning Lead and creator of the community garden project. Sarah beamed and introduced Sally, saying how wonderful she was, and how all the parents and staff would do anything for her, as she’s such an inspiration. Sally blushed, then led us to the ‘secret garden’, and apologised, as they hadn’t got as far with it as she would have liked. “We’ve got a nature pond that’s ready to be filled, but we can’t do it until the area is properly fenced off to health & safety standards, and we are waiting for a company to come and do it.”

The project began in September 2021, and the school captured a couple of large grants. One from East Midlands Airport and the other from Severn Trent Water.

“We applied for the EMA’s Community Fund Grant”, explained Sally, “And we covered all the criteria that they wanted, like bringing the community together and helping the environment. Severn Trent have also been very good with our project. When it’s finished, we aim to let the community use it after the school has finished and at weekends. One such group could be the Memory Café from the Middle Street Resource Centre.”

We go back to the hidden wood and three ducklings are splashing about in a makeshift pond of a large plastic bowl.

“We’ve hatched these from eggs that we bought. They are three weeks old and are called ‘Puddle’, ‘Daffodil’ and ‘Patch’” explained Sally. I try and take a photo, but they are constantly moving. I finally manage it when one fortunately stands still on a rock in the bowl.

I ask about how many parents are involved.

“We have about sixty who are interested in the project, and a core of around ten. One part of the project is a beehive, a result of a competition in the school.” Painted red and orange, it sits waiting for its inhabitants in a fenced off area near the would-be pond. “A beekeeper from Ashby de la Zouch called David is going to bring us 10,000 bees, which will rise to possibly 60,000 when they have settled in. He will teach the kids about keeping bees and how they make honey.” I observe that there might be some ‘Nether Street School’ honey on the market one day.

You can follow the project on social media, as the John Clifford Community Nature Garden has its own Facebook page. And if you have a particular skill that you think might be useful, or want to donate plants, or even help then do please get in touch with the school, as what they are doing will not only benefit young Beestonians in the near future, as they get connected with nature, but Beestonians of all ages.

SPEED CAROLINE

Some anonymous japester sent us this photo of the Highway Code, suggesting that we pass it on to Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry

The wife of Broxtowe MP Darren Henry was caught speeding no less than 5 times in a 12 week period in 2021. She was banned from driving for 6 months and given a suitably hefty fine in July of this year.

She didn't provide any reasons why she was consistently driving over the speed limit, perhaps it was something to do with helping her husband out to reduce his eye-watering parliamentary expenses claims.

On the Fringe

How we identify ourselves is key to how we feel we fit in society. Humans are social beings and community is important to us, it helps us to understand our purpose and our value. I met an incredible young man this week, who has found his voice as an advocate for anyone struggling with ‘who they are’, whilst still working through this himself..

Laurie Owen, early twenties and with diagnoses of autism and dyspraxia, has had a number of barriers to break through, but this only seems to have fuelled his fierce determination to adapt and sustain a passion for theatre that he has possessed since childhood. Born and raised in Beeston by supportive parents, Laurie got involved with amateur dramatics when he was ten years old , and although he wasn’t inspired to take up Theatre Studies at GCSE, his A Level theatre course at Bilborough College only strengthened his desire to become a performance artist.

Like many, Laurie felt pressured to pursue a career that would earn him a regular income and was made all too aware of the competition in the theatre industry. Something Laurie also felt uncomfortable with was the selling of himself a commodity, his body as a ‘brand,’ particularly at a time when he was struggling with his identity. Eighteen years old and leaving behind his youth theatre days, he opted for undertaking a Computer Science degree at Birmingham University led by his additional technology and online gaming talents, vital components in a growth industry.

He recognises that his dyspraxia didn’t support the way he needed to use maths and has suspicions that he might also have dyscalculia, as the speed at which he needed to use the various formulae was overwhelming and so after just six weeks he left the course. Laurie describes the next few months as a sort of grieving period. His plans for the future seem to have suddenly disappeared, he was lost and the signposts to support were missing. Returning home, Laurie found himself with nothing in his schedule for the first time in his life, and this was hard. And then he discovered the marvellous MissImp, Nottingham’s esteemed improvised comedy theatre group.

As we chat over Zoom, I am struck by how much I admire this young man’s resilience and ability to make the best out of opportunities, especially as in the early days it appeared that Nottingham didn’t have great theatre provision.

Whilst the weekly sessions at MissImp became the creative springboard which changed Laurie’s perspective on what theatre

could be, it also finally enabled him to see a future entertaining, and a fulfilling life.

Working alongside some of the friendliest and funniest adults on the improv scene was both refreshing and validating, but it also gave Laurie the confidence to reject the drama school route that his peers were enrolling on in favour of a BA in Theatre and Performance at Leeds University as he felt this would suit him better. Publicly funded art is visible in every corner of this enlightened city and this helped to reassure Laurie that he had made the right choice.

Laurie had realised early in his aspirations to become a performer that he had no interest in ‘fame chasing’ and that the community aspect of theatre, namely making a connection with the audience, was the main drive behind his desire to perform. With help from a dedicated team of forward thinking tutors, who adapted particularly well during periods of lockdown, providing their students with exceptional online support.

He also talks enthusiastically about how progressive their ideas of using theatre spaces are, often encouraging audience participation and at times totally immersive.

In fact Laurie talks so enthusiastically about this part of his life that it’s clear to see that he has definitely regained the momentum to move forward.

Laurie is a transgender man. Aged seventeen he tried to ‘come out’ but this felt uncomfortable and so he ‘backed off’ until the situation with Covid made it unavoidable.

The forced return home to Beeston during lockdown proved to be the necessary catalyst for change. He had often played ‘boy parts’ in the past, something quite common in youth theatre due to the shortage of male actors, but had also had strong female roles. Knowing that you are not necessarily the person that you are projecting to others is something that can readily be explored in theatre but for Laurie it was much more than that, he needed to work out how to make a complete transformation.

Some Other Mirror is a truly reflective show that depicts the many complex facets to the process. As I watch the thirty minute solo performance online I observe closely the on screen transition, from nervous apprehensive Laurie introducing the performance, to the confident young man who had succeeded in putting together and performing an excellent piece to his audience.

Originally a piece of performance written by Laurie as his third year exam piece, it was well received by his Zoom audience and I could genuinely see why. He had applied his technical know-how to the his advantage, splitting the screen to successfully create the continuous conversation that was necessary

for his show to work online.

Laurie plays the role of all of the characters inside his head, each expressing their discordant perspectives. They look virtually the same, but subtle clothing differences help to make them distinctive and symbolise the on screen transformation. The performance begins with an overwhelmed Laurie, the conflict tangible, but ends with a young man who can make the decision to change and walks out the door of the room he has been confined in throughout. Laurie describes his experience as a kind of divorce, the wrench which comes from the need to cease to invest in another in order to emerge yourself - a whole person.

It's such a well considered and sensitive performance, with all aspects of what transitioning to another gender painfully and sometimes humorously explored. The audience will be carried from dark to light, from the agony of loss and regret to lighter moments like the point where the struggling self ridicules the transitioning self with “That shirt makes you look like John Lennon’s Dad.”

There is a real sense of the opposition, both from within and without, grief, guilt, frustration and anger are all part of the journey. It was a brave move to expose all his vulnerabilities, but the impact is huge, for Laurie and for others. For Laurie, I think it represents a form of acceptance, and for anyone trapped inside their own darkness it can provide light.

Despite applying for Arts Council funding twice and being rejected, Laurie has not been put off from widening his audience for this piece. Connections in the Nottingham theatre community have proved really helpful in securing him a prime spot at the Pianodrome in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. In particular Laurie expresses gratitude for the support he has received from Joe and Nat at Chronic Insanity who have contributed hugely to the Nottingham Theatre scene, blending live and digital to produce high quality and diverse hybrid performances.

Laurie tells me he is both excited and nervous at how well Some Other Mirror will translate to being performed in the round. He still has work to do to adapt it but is confident he can rework it successfully.

You can see Laurie’s original show using the link below, and catch him at The Fringe in August from 5th-9th and 11th- 12th at venue 391, The Pianodome, 28 West Harbour Road, Edinburgh.

(293) Some Other Mirror - YouTube Laurie Owen Facebook

Where to Get a Copy

Survive & thrive

There are plenty of green spaces in the Rylands that support a thriving dog walking community. I myself have experienced the positive power of dog walking, and the way they can connect people. The routine walks can result in a fleeting smile and “good morning” to lift the spirits, or sometimes be a catalyst for a long-term friendship.

something is wrong if someone doesn’t turn up.

For someone living alone, having a dog means you are never far away from company. It can be a way of feeling connected, and definitely a way to find out what’s happening in the Rylands.

We are determined to ensure that everyone who wants to read The Beestonian is able to, in times of lockdown or otherwise.

Our current stockists include: Hallams, Out Of This World, Broadgate Post Office, Gill’s Fish and Chips, the Cycle Inn, Dessert Haven, The Circle Eatery, John Flynn Opticians, The Doughmother, J&B Autos, The Commercial, the Victoria, Attenborough Nature Reserve, Canalside Heritage Centre, The Berliner, The Hop Pole, Totally Tapped, The Pottle, The Crown, The Star, The Commercial, The Malt Shovel, Metro, Charlie Foggs, Cartwheel, The Little Plant Guys and the Boathouse Cafe, Essen, Yellow Wood Cafe, Happy Daze, Global Village Cafe (aka Tastie Bites), Boat & Horses, Dog and Bean, Broadgate Barbers, Beeston social and events at the Bartons Garage.

For locals who are unable to get to any of these places, we have set up a subscription service – for just £15 you can have the next 8 copies of The Beestonian delivered direct to your door (for those living outside NG9 it will cost a little more, as they will be sent by first class post).

Simply visit our Ko-Fi page – ko-fi.com/thebeestonian – and check out at our shop. Every subscription includes a free gift featuring local artwork.

If you’d like to support The Beestonian anyway, you can also make a donation through the Ko-Fi page. We’re a community-led, non-profit making, and reinvest all funds into getting The Beestonian to as many people as possible (we currently print 2,000 copies of each issue and are hoping to increase this when it is affordable).

When asking local dog owners what for them is the biggest benefit of having a dog, many mentioned the social benefits of dog walking. One resident explained, “it was a lifesaver for me in lock down, it saved my mental health.”

Another explained “Dog walking can be a very mindful activity so good for the dog walker and the dog”. One resident said on his return to Beeston from living in London that dog walking enabled him to make new friends.

Whether walking our furry friends on the Weir Field, Leyton Crescent Park, round the streets or our other outdoor spaces, we often know the name of the dog well before knowing the owner, sometimes never finding out the owner’s name – out on the dog walk, the dogs rule.

There are many informal dog meet up groups, and these can provide routine and company for both dogs and owners, sometimes providing an early warning that

Obviously it’s not always easy owning a dog. Beeston dog walkers walk in the rain, wind and snow, but have to be patient and share their green space with ‘tourists’ when the sun shines. We navigate the challenges of ‘nemesis’ dogs, and down by the Weir Field and Big Track we have the added challenges of avoiding pheasants and rabbits whilst respecting the sharing of the space with cyclists, runners and those picnicking on a sunny day.

Our community is like any other – we have the occasional accident, incident or fight, and the dogs don’t always behave either!

But when there’s a new puppy ‘on the block’ excitement rises, and when we hear we’ve lost one of our beloved canine companions or someone need help, we rally round, show a level of empathy and support that can take your breath away.

Dog walkers are not everyone’s cup of tea, but those that respect their environment and others that use it, bring a community spirit all or their and their furry friend’s own.

This month: Canine Companionship and Community

JS

The Beestonian is...

Editor in Chief / Lord Beestonian: Matt Turpin

Co-founder /Resident Don: Matt Jones

Editor / Ad Sales : John Cooper

Deputy Editor /Community Editor: Christopher Frost

Design & The Beest: Dan Cullen

Creative Editor: Debra Urbacz

All Things Rylands: Janet Shipton

contributors this issue:

Scott Bennett, Tim Pollard, Lulu Davenport, Lucy Morrow, Jo Norcup, Jamie Martin, Amy Victoria Gathercole, Katie Inglis, Jill Westby and Laurie Owen

Thanks to all who help us get the issue sustainable and available to all who want to read. If you’d like to help out - by advertising, promoting or writing with us, then drop us a line at thebeestonian@gmail.com

We are an absolutely independent, grassroots nonprofit community magazine with the sole intention of making Beeston a wonderful place to live, work and visit.

Walking the Dog, a poem by Howard Nemerov

Two universes mosey down the street

Connected by love and a leash and nothing else.

Mostly I look at lamplight through the leaves

While he mooches along with tail up and snout down, Getting a secret knowledge through the nose

Almost entirely hidden from my sight.

We stand while he's enraptured by a bush

Till I can't stand our standing any more And haul him off; for our relationship

Is patience balancing to this side tug And that side drag; a pair of symbionts

Contented not to think each other's thoughts.

What else we have in common's what he taught, Our interest in shit. We know its every state

From steaming fresh through stink to nature's way Of sluicing it to dust that blows away. We move along the street inspecting it.

His sense of it is keener far than mine, And only when he finds the place precise He signifies by sniffing urgently

And circles thrice about, and squats, and shits, Whereon we both with dignity walk home And just to show who's master I write the poem.

This issue: Soundscapes for young audiences.

Beeston is hiding yet another gem. Liz and her growing experimental company MishMash Productions are opening new worlds and soundscapes in Beeston and beyond. Since 2015 MishMash Productions has reached thousands of children across the UK and regularly work with the Nottingham Chamber Music Festival.

Sitting down in one of our favourite Beeston haunts - Greenhood Coffee House, Liz and I met for a cuppa with her son Max and we talked about her unique and exciting business, MishMash Productions. This focuses on introducing new styles of theatrical and classical music to young audiences. It’s pretty niche.

Children often find wonder and magic in things and places that adults overlook. For years children’s theatre has explored imaginary concepts and worlds. Liz and MishMash take this attitude and ethos and apply it to classical music. Liz has always been a passionate advocate for music and the arts, sharing,

"I've always done a lot of work around music with kids. I've run a charity and I've worked with music clubs, so it’s all about ensuring children get the opportunity to play instruments and make music. It’s always been the world that I worked in.”

Coming from a long line of teachers, Liz knew that wasn’t the career path for her, but she did want to work with children. She and her family have always been driven by a philosophy of equality and recognition of their own privilege. So throughout her career Liz has been drawn to work with organisations that are working with the least fortunate children and trying to make a difference in their lives:

“Music is so important, my safe space is in the middle of an orchestra playing music - I play the oboe and saxophone. Music keeps me going, so I’ve always wanted to share that with others."

When she first had children, she found herself attending a lot more child-centric activities. Plenty of dance and drama was on the agenda and sadly there was no sophisticated or classical music for small people to embrace and enjoy.

"When we take children to see drama or theatre we don’t give them a pair of ballet shoes and say ‘join in'. With music, participation is often expected. I’m interested in music that children can absorb and not always music where people can join in."

Professional live music that is able to be something different and interesting for younger audiences is the goal. All of MishMash's work is sound focused and it's essential that all the shows are always visually interesting! This is achieved by always working with a director and a designer to ensure that it’s professional and accessible. A key and continuing goal for Liz and her work is to break down barriers and opinions that classical music is elitist or only for wealthy people, explaining,

"Children don’t have any historical context, they don’t know which instruments are hugely expensive - they come in as a blank canvas the majority of the time and that's wonderful."

Lockdown obviously provided some difficulties for the company being live performers, but they made the most of online sessions and events and worked with local schools. creating and providing video podcasts and live streams. Of working through the pandemic Liz said,

"Protecting my musicians and their fees was a prime concern. We managed to secure some emergency funding from the Arts Council and we did get to perform half of a planned tour. "

More recently (since restrictions were lifted), toward the end of 2021 Liz and her company traveled to Norway to perform the award-winning production 'Smile'. This was quite the honour as MishMash were the first international company to be programmed at the Young Audiences for Music Festival. A festival that is currently established worldwide in 40 countries.

The sequel show to ‘Smile’ is ‘Strange Creatures', which was created working with Nottinghamshire City Libraries Services. MishMash have developed a second piece inspired by a wellknown picture book - the Alexis Deacon book Beegu.

Recently they have been awarded new funding, so that means they can continue making, touring and promoting their wonderful work until at least March 2023. Their next local show in Nottingham is Strange Creatures in October, at Nottingham Trent University.

If you’re interested in finding out more, then head to the MishMash website - www.mishmashproductions.co.uk/strange-creatures or check in via their social media channels to see what’s happening.

Website & Blog: mishmashproductions.co.uk

Instagram - mishmashliz

Featured Artist: Janet Shipton

Janet’s paintings are mostly a response to her surroundings. Recently she has moved away from the rich jewel tones of her earlier paintings, and there’s a renewed vibrancy about her current palette. She finds her motivation to paint in many places; this spectacular sunset was inspired by a visit to Barracane Beach in Woolacombe, and is one of a series of paintings that will be produced on the twelve art road trips around the British Isles she has planned for this year.

Ylast issue about the launch of Thortify, and how Arts Council Funding is being used to put together a collection of three workbooks to help support people proactively with their wellbeing through artistic pursuits. Well it’s time for a little update.

Just as spring has rewarded us with blossom, lush green leaves and sunshine, it’s also seen the arrival of the first of our commissioned works. We took a trip to Tracey Meek’s beautiful studio, Haarlem Artspace in Wirksworth this May, to pick up the work she has created to support the Grounding Theory workbook, and she most definitely understood the assignment.

Tracey's approach to our anxiety support tool has been incredibly sensitive and we are delighted with the finished work. A journey through the five senses, each item is thoughtfully designed to hold, stroke and soothe. These ‘totems’ will now be incorporated into the pages of the workbook, and illustrate some of the grounding techniques contained within.

Whilst we are putting the workbooks together, Thortify is also using social media to encourage people to think about how they manage their wellbeing, and offer tips and advice regarding mindful practices that can support this. In the tri-weekly posts they share their own creative self care strategies and examples of how these can be adapted to suit different situations. We encourage people to share their creativity by commenting on the posts or tagging us in photographs of what they have been working on – we see some amazing work!

What has been truly humbling, is when something we have shared inspires someone to invest a lot of themselves emotionally, as well as their time, and it is especially wonderful when they share it with us. Back in April, Lauren showed us a beautiful book she had received as part of the Mail Art project, and it had a profound effect on a woman who we connect with online. Ruth had used the scrapbook

principle to piece together pages of very personal artwork that she was using to manage strong emotions. The result was an amazing mix of collage, colour and carefully chosen words.

“I was going through a tough time and feeling low, being creative helped me process my emotions and start healing.”

Seeing other people’s interpretations of an idea are always interesting, but that can also be beneficial in showing us how future projects can be adapted to reach a wider audience. Collaboration is key to what we do after all. If you hold with the idea that everybody can create, as we do, then learning how to express yourself creatively that can prove this. Whilst at Art College a tutor once said to me, "you are here to find your medium, but you might not find it by the end of the course, so play around with them all."

I always remember those words, because of the way they made me feel – free to experiment and enjoy the process.

Feeling good about making art is what we are all about at Thortify, and working with artists is just one of the ways that we can explore the different ways that art can be made. We also reconnected with Lotti V Closs this month on how she has used her sculptural practice to produce an emotive multi-layered piece that ties in with another one of our workbooks. The separate interlinked forms build a complete sculpture that represents Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs theory.

Creating and making art does not have to be attached to a theory to make it meaningful, though it can act as guidance when you are feeling a little lost, or want to address something specific. The meditative action of cutting pieces for collage, or sweeping a paintbrush across a page can be enough to allow you to reach a calm space, and help get perspective on things. Don’t forget you can share you self care methods with us using the #selfcarescrapbook tag on social media.

Beeston Beats Meets

Evenin' all, how’s it goin? This here is a banger of an edition of Beeston Beats, you are about to be treated dear friends, to a bit of a catch up with the very switched on and savvy D.J Angel, get the kettle on, pull up a pew and grab them Hobnobs from the bicceh tin (biscuit barrel to the uninitiated) cuz Beats is about to get funky!

A huge hello and welcome to the Beeston Beats column of the Beestonian, Angel could you please introduce yourself?

Hello I'm Angel Johnson also known as DJ Angel, although anyone who happens to know me from growing up in Beeston will know me as Angela. I went to Roundhill school and later on to Alderman White and consider myself a real Beestonian. I was raised in Beeston from the age of ten, and left to live in Barcelona fifteen years ago. I have been a professional DJ and music producer since 1991. I play and produce house music and also more laid back music under the guise of Venus in Motion.

As a female back in the day of the male dominated club scene, could you tell us about the barriers you faced?

I think the weirdest thing about being a female DJ is the fact that even as a female I didn’t perceive or consider it a role that a woman could fulfil until I saw a program about female DJs back in 1990. Then it dawned on me, as a house music lover, that it was also an option open to me or any other woman.

Breaking a stereotype does throw a few barriers in your way. I have had issues with a few jealous male DJs. One tried to actually sabotage my set in Ibiza by messing with the technology.

Until I made a name for myself, I sometimes found it hard to get served in record shops and just wasn’t really taken seriously. In the early days I felt I was booked as a bit of a novelty act by some promoters who’s jaw dropped when they saw that I could actually mix and do the job properly, which made me more determined to be flawless in my sets. To be honest though, although the scene is male dominated, there is integrity and respect for women on the underground dance scene. It still has a long way to go in terms of recognition, equality and representation but little by little it seems to be

improving.

With the best of the Worlds Nightclubs added to your musical C.V, which so far has been your favourite to play and why?

That’s one of the most difficult questions to answer. There have been so many amazing nightclubs around the globe that I’ve loved playing. Actually any underground club with a good sound system and a dedicated crowd of house heads is a pleasure to play. Venus is special to me, such a legendary club in Nottingham, and it's the club where I made my name. The Hacienda Manchester is very significant too because it was so prolific and such an achievement to be invited to play there.

I’ve played so many amazing clubs, hundreds. I can’t actually choose a favourite. It's impossible there have been so many amazing nights.

What advice would you give to a 16 year old DJ nowadays just starting out in the world?

Be original, be real and play the music you love. Don’t get led by trends or jump on bandwagons. If it’s your passion and it comes from the heart then it will show and you will shine. Oh, and keep pushing with so many DJs these days it’s harder to get noticed, but do your thing with your crew and that crew will grow and grow.

What is it like to run ‘Ocata’, your own label?

It’s great having total control of every aspect of the music. That’s the reason why I originally set up my own label, to release my own music and maintain all the rights. To be honest I was fed up of getting exploited and misrepresented by all the male egos I found myself dealing with in the industry. I also release other artists' music. There’s been a mixture of house and chill out, and the last release was actually a blues album by a group called The Blues Bandits. I love the process of making it all happen. It’s a very small label but I do have plans to develop it further in the future.

If you were not involved with music what do you think you would be doing?

I love cooking and I'm very creative, so something involved with food, I think.

Could you tell us a bit more about your creative process while constructing tracks?

I’m a song writer at heart so most times f or me the songs come first and then I create the music to match the mood and intention of the song. I’m a self taught producer that came about from me needing to lay down the songs I’d written.

Producing has been a labour of love especially where house music is concerned as house has a formula. As easy as it might seem, it's not easy to get it right. However, with my chill out music writing and producing as Venus in Motion, the whole process has been more natural as I just go with my heart and there seems to be fewer rules to follow. I’m very much a storyteller when I write. You definitely hear that in Venus in Motion. Finding my feet as an independent house music producer is a path I've been on since 2013. It's been a journey of learning

and development and I feel I actually know what I'm doing now. There are a few exciting things in the pipeline so strangely enough the journey feels like it actually begins here.

What is next on the cards for you?

I have my debut release on New York's iconic Nervous records out this summer which I'm very excited about. I’ve just finished a fabulous gospel house track with soul diva Hannah Khemoh, I'm excited about that one too. After a two year break I am returning to the dance floors, so will be back out there very soon spreading love through house music.

Thank you for your time Angel! check her stuff out on Soundcloud - there's some serious feelgood tunes on there, good luck getting I'm Not The One ft Naomi Leigh out of ya head because that is one catchy track!!

DJ Angel