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THEBEDFORDCLANGER

ISSUE 3: AUGUST 2011

For: music-lovers, culture-vultures, crafters, artists, makers,

gardeners, traders, foodies, fashionistas

email: [email protected] blog:thebedfordclanger.wordpress.comtwitter:@bedfordclanger facebook: The Bedford Clanger Group Page

FREE

Your finger-on-the-pulse, indispensable guide to whats going down in this town.

Illustrations: David Litcheld. Design: Marisa Straccia

B

EDFORD

BOOKFESTIVAL

PULL-OUTIN

SIDE


2/12

Letter from the Editor

Phew! What a month July was. Withover 50 Bedfringe events, 50 busking

slots and Evan Dando at Esquires its

quite a relief to see August on the ho-

rizon! Thats not to say that there isnt

loads going on this month in Bedford.

For starters, check out David Litch-

elds Drawing a Day retrospective at

a pop-up gallery in Castle Quay on the

weekend of 13th & 14th August. Also,

Twinwoods, Rhythm and Festinho!

festivals are bringing bank holiday joyto the Shire while its a jam-packed

schedule at all the towns live music

venues. Check out the centre pages of

this issue to nd out everything thats

happening as part of the inaugural

Bedford Book Festival. Until the end

of the month, town centre businesses

are getting all literary on us and will be

running book-themed events so check

them out. And if you want to clear out

your book shelves, check out the town

centre Book Swap locations too.

Happy Augustt

Erica x

AUGUST 2011THEBEDFORDCLANGER

2Whos your favourite Bedford sporting hero?

Photos by: Harry Cribbes

UNIQUE BEDFORD

One of Bedfords

most established

independent

retailers is

No Limitz on HarpurStreet. To discover

what it takes to build

a successful busi-

ness in our town, we

spoke to owner PhilElphick:What inspired you to open a specialist

sports shop?

We are a family that loves sport. Unfortu-

nately due to the decline in quality sports

shops in and around Bedford we found we

were having to travel further aeld to nd

shops stocking the equipment and offering

the expert sales knowledge we needed. In

2001 with no experience in retail but a real

passion for sport we decided to give it a

go and opened No Limitz. Since then we

have learnt a lot and after just celebrat-

ing our 10th anniversary, we have never

looked back.

What made you choose Bedford town

centre?

Being born and bred in the town, it is in

Bedford that our family played all our

sport, from school-boy level up to Bedford

Blues. With the strength and range of

sport being played in and around Bedford

we identied that there was a denite gap

in the market and opened No Limitz. A

town with such a signicant sporting

pedigree needed a specialist sports equip-

ment shop.

What have been the biggest changes to

the town in the last 5 years?

The biggest change has probably been the

introduction of the Bedford BID. This hashelped to make the town centre a safer and

friendlier place.

What is the key to competing with the

big brand names in nearby Milton

Keynes and in the town centre?

The key to competing is not to compete.

At No Limitz we pride ourselves on our

friendly customer service and expert

product knowledge. We sell a wide

range of products, most of which are not

available in the big multiples, catering for

the beginner to the professional athlete.

Whether you need a new cricket bat,

badminton racket, rugby boots, we can

advise you what will be most suitable. We

will even video you running on a treadmill

so that we can advise you on the correct

running shoes. People may travel to

Milton Keynes, but we actually get a lot

of people visiting No Limitz from Milton

Keynes and even further a eld as nding

a specialist sports shops like No Limitz is

becoming increasingly difcult.

If you could make one improvement to

Bedford, what would it be?

Provide incentives for small independent

businesses like No Limitz as businesses

like ours will always provide the lifeblood

of a town. Without them Bedford would

just become another run of the mill towncentre lacking the character and charm

that independents bring to a town.

And nally, sum up Bedford in 3

words...

Great Sporting Town

You may not knowwhat a ghostsignis, but you willalmost certainly

have seen themaround our town.

They are the faded remains ofhand-painted advertising signs that

still adorn the facades of many of the

buildings in Bedford. Harking back

to the Victorian era, they evoke a nostal-

gia for times past and offer us an insight

into Victorian brands and shopping.

Local historian Lloyd Lugsden has

a special interest in ghostsigns, and has

complied a gallery of the ones that can be

found in and around Bedford on his ickr

site (www.ickr.com/photos/louieloid/).

As a former graphic designer I have

an interest in fonts and design, so these

advertisements intrigue me, said Lloyd.

Archives show that the Victorians had

a great understanding of advertising and

took every opportunity to promote their

wares. From delivery bikes to walls,

nothing escaped the sign-writers brush!

Painted advertising survived until the

early 1930s before being s uper-ceded by

the printed form. However, a national

archive of over 600 remaining ghostsigns

can be found at the National Advertising

Trusts website. (www.hatads.org.uk).

HOMETOWN TOURISTTales Of The Unexpected...GHOSTSIGNS

NO LIMITZ, HARPUR STREET, BEDFORD

Photoby:ShaunArmstrong

Phil Elphick: Fit For Business

UOLDBAGLISA TILLEYPrestigious award forBedford-based bagsupremo!

Lisa Tilley, Bedford resident andfounder of cult bag brand uoldbag!

has been awarded second prize in the

prestigious Made in Britian awards

sponsored by Honda. Lisa received theaward for the continued development of

her vintage bag range. The competition

aimed to unearth the countrys most

highly-skilled crafters, innovators and

techies. On winning the 300 grant,

Lisa said: The standard was impec-

cably high and to be awarded second

place is fantastic. The Made in Britian

campaign goes to prove creative talent in

the UK is abundantl.

Uoldbag! has long been recognised

by the fashion cognoscenti as one to

watch and has featured in Vogue maga-

zine (and now The Clanger onwards

and upwards Lisa!). Were looking

forward to featuring more of Lisas bags

in a future issue, but for the time being,

massive congratulations to uoldbag! and

keep up the good work!

The weekend of 23rd

and 24th July saw

Bedford town centre

become home to a

bevvy of buskers as

part of the We AreBedford Busking

Festival.

Shoppers and visitors to the town centrewere treated to everything from African

drummers to acoustic sets from Betaboy,

Blue Harp and Beth Farraday. 11 year

old Kai Jenkins wowed the crowds with

his melodian playing and the Castle Road

Community Centres lion dancing was a

sight to behold! Thanks to everyone who

took part, everyone who made it possible

through wedidthis.com and everyone

who cheered, clapped and dug deep to

show their appreciation for these talented

Bedfordians!

BUSKINGFESTIVAL

BEDFORD

THEATREBringing the bestin touring theatreto the heart of Bed-fordBedford School Theatre has got a new

name and we think youre going to

like it! Now called Bedford Theatre,

the new identity has been unveiled to

coincide with the launch of the Autumn

programme. In the heart of the town

centre, Bedford Theatre puts on a host

of professional shows as well as student

performances.

Check out the website at www.

bedfordtheatre.co.uk for full details of

forthcoming performances.


3/12

WE ARE BEDFORD &DAVID LITCHFIELDA POP-UP GALLERY

13th- 14th AugustLast year, Bedford College lecturer David Litcheld decided he needed a challenge.So, in June 2010 he embarked on a m ission to create a drawing a day for an entire year.

Each day, David posted a new drawing on his blog (http://tinkerd.tumblr.com) and

twitter (@Le_David_Tinker) and as word spread so did his following. This June David

nally completed his challenge and to celebrate thi s achievement, We Are Bedford is

returning to Castle Quay to host a pop-up retrospective at one of the empty shops . On

Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th August, you will have the chance to see all 365 draw -

ings displayed together in a unique exhibition. Frames for the event have been kindlydonated by the good people of Bedford and the lovely Art Centre on Lurke Street.

Good work to all involved in the CastleRoad Community Society. For those not

in the know, the historic St Cuthberts

church hall on the corner of Newnham

Street, Castle Road and St Cuthberts

Street has been saved for community use

by a group of locals. By asking Castle

Road residents to contribute, the Castle

Road Community Society has secured

the lease of the hall for the forthcoming

year. This is such an important building

in our area and we are passionate about

making it available to the local com -

munity to use, said John Lucas, one of

the founders. There is space for a com-

munity caf, an area to hold classes and

also meeting rooms. We want the local

community to really feel like they own

this building.

If you would like to get involved, you

can become a member of the Castle RoadCommunity Society by pledging just

40. This will make you an angel of St

Cuthberts and you will have voting rights

to help steer the future of the hall.

If you would like to rent the hall for your

dance, sport, art or tness group, then

please also get in touch. John Lucas

07823 440231 Facebook group: Castle

Road Community Society

THEBEDFORDCLANGER

3Anyone remeber Clothkits?

AUGUST 2011

WHAT TO WEAR: MANGO JAMwww.mango-jam.co.uk email: [email protected] Tel: 07779100171

THEYRE FIERCE!The Clanger has fondmemories of hoursspent at the local Roll-erama in the mid 80s,but its many yearssince a rollerbootgraced our feet.

However, once we heard about the

Bedfordshire Rollergirls Roller Derby

team, we hooked up with Helen Betty

Trubble Parker to nd out what these

cool chicks are up to:

Q1: To the uninitiated, can you ex-

plain the basics of Roller Derby?

Basically, Roller Derby is played on an

oval track about the size of a basketball

court. Two teams of ve girls on quad

rollerskates get onto the track with eight

girls standing at the start or pivot line

- this is known as the pack. Twenty

feet behind them the remaining two

girls have their own start line and they

are designated to be the Jammers or

point scorers. On the refs rst whistle,

the pack moves off and once they have

all travelled past their start line, the ref

blows another whistle to release the

Jammers. They sprint to catch up withthe pack and score one point for each

of the opposing team that they can get

past. The pack will do whatever they can

to block the opposing Jammer and help

their own through - we can shoulder

barge players off the track, hit them

with our hips, whip our own Jammer

through or simply just skate in their way

- there are strict rules about how and

where we can make contact though!

After two minutes of the Jammers skat-

ing round, lapping the pack and scoring

points, the Jam as it is called, ends, and

we have 30 seconds to send out another

ve players to start all over again. After

two half hour periods, the highest scor-

ing team wins.

Q2: Not only do all the girls look

super cool, youve all got the best

nicknames. What is the ethos behind

that?

The sport has its origins in 1950s

America and its said that the girls

invented their alter-egos as a way of

excusing the behaviour on the track!

Mild-mannered secretary by day/aggro

rollergirl walloping her teammates by

night. Its one of the few aspects of the

original game that has carried over to the

current resurgence of the sport and its

a really fun apect of it that sets RollerDerby apart. All the names are registered

so no two are the same worldwide - my

favourites include Correctional Felicity,

Chariot Sophia (say it aloud!) and our

own Vi Aggro.

Q3: What inspired you to join the

Bedfordshire Rollergirls?

I skated as a child and if Im honest &

when I heard about the BRG I didnt

think Id do it for long. It took a good 18

months to have enough people ready to

play other teams and were still learning

but its thoroughly addictive and the

only exercise Ive ever done that doesnt

bore me! Also I was never part of any

school teams so that aspect is really

lovely - because of the full-contact

nature of the game we look out for each

other on the track and Ive made some

really good friends.

Q4: Can anyone join?

Yes, as long as you are over 16 (or 18 to

play full-contact), anyone can join! We

have spare kit and the rst four sessions

are free. Another great aspect to the

sport is that, so long as you are relatively

t, all shapes and sizes can play. There

are as many different positions and

tactics that benet from a fuller-gured

lady as there are those that suit the

skinny girls.

Q5: Finally, sum up Bedford in 3

words...

Home, Community, Diverse

www.bedfordshirerollergirls.com

BEDFORDSHIREROLLERGIRLS

Photosby:ShaunA

rmstrong

Photo by: Shaun Armstrong

United Skates of Bedford

MangoJam started out as a con-versation between Alice Smith

and Sarah Buggy on the sofa one

day both bemoaning the lack

of unusual but affordable chil-

drens clothing in Bedford. The

solution was obvious set up a

business selling cool childrens-

wear and gifts! Er, but how to go

about that? Neither of us being

business minded or having any

vaguely relevent qualications

or experience? Then, two things

happened. Erica and Kayte

dreamed up the fabulous Weare Bedford weekender idea,

and the University of Bedford

managed to schedule a free course entitled

Building a Business. We signed up to

both. Armed with a bit of business knowl-

edge and a deadline of the Castle Quay

Weekender to work towards we threw our-

selves into collecting lovely second hand

clothing to create recycled outts, and

calling on all of our crafty-minded friends

to provide us with some stuff to have on

our stall at Castle Quay. We also had to

nd a name, which was tricky. mangoJam

is a combination of mango (orange, Al-

ices colour crush and the exotic bit) and

Jam (Sarahs Mums initials, and a very

english thing.) We wanted to represent a

bit of S. Africa (Sarahs homeland) and thebest bits of England.

Taya jumping, Erin in

background1 MangoJam owl Tshirt - 10 (sizes2-3, 4-6)

2Russian doll skirt - 10 (sizes 2-3, 3-4,4-5)

3Recycled hightops - 8 (pictured, size9)

4 Esme dress in Strawberry - 12 (sizes1-2, 2-3, 3-4)

Will eating cake5 Pogo Boy - su perhero T-shirt withdetachable cape - 12 (4-6, 7-9)

Erin on the run6 Esme dress in Holiday Blue - 12(sizes 1-2, 2-3, 3-4)

Clothes in tree(from left) An example of our recycled

outts - all great quality and makes,

freshly washed, ironed and beautifully

presented.

Prices:

1 item (4-6)

2 items (6-8)

3 items (8-10)

mangoJam owl Tshirt (as before)

Esme dresses (as before)

Hungry Caterpillar Taggies - 6

Russian doll skirt (as before)

Star sundress - 9 (sizes 1-2, 2-3, 3-4)

Esme dress in Strawberry (as above)

5

1

2

3

4

6

COMMUNITY COMES TO THE RESCUE OFST. CUTHBERTS HALL


4/12

THEBEDFORDCLANGER

4 BEDFRINGE MUSIC WALKS QUIZES & COMEDY CRAFT TALKS GARDENS

LISTINGS THIS AUGUST 2011 SAT 6th AUG Loaded

The Pads classic indie night

The Pad

thepadbedford.com

Kitty Lips + Silicone Bullet + Lionsex

+ Dead Cells

4 bands to entertain you

Esquires - Main Stage

bedfordesquires.com

Light Alloy

80s to noughties covers band

The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

Yum Yum Club Night

Esquires - Holy Molys

bedfordesquires.com

SUN 7th AUG

I Never Knew ThatDiscover Bedfords hidden history on this

wonderful guided walk

11am Tourist Information Centre

01234 221712 visitbedford.co.uk

Quiz Night

Flex those brain muscles

The White Horse

www.whitehorsebedford.co.uk

tel: 409306

THR3E

Esquires - Dannys Bar

bedfordesquires.com

Music Quiz

John Cutlers music quiz.

Now in its 21st year!The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

MON 8th AUG Open mic night

It does what it says on the tin!

The White Horse


tel: 409306

Quiz Night

The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

TUES 9th AUG

Kathy Browns GardenThese beatiful gardens are open to the

public from 1-5pm. Bring a picnic, enjoy

a tour with Kathy or feel free to wander on

your own. Tea & cake from 3.15 - 4.15pm

2.50. Entrance: 4.50The Manor House, Church Road, Steving-

ton, MK43 7QB 01234 822064 kathy-

brownsgarden.com

Quiz Night

Brain training - pub style

The White Horse


tel: 409306

Beer Appreciation Society

Hop-based chat


bedfordesquires.com

WED 10th AUG

The Jewel in Bedfords CrownA circular walk along Bedfords beautiful

Victorian Embankment 7pm Tourist Infor-

mation Centre 01234 221712

visitbedford.co.uk

Open mic night

The Kings Armstel: 354494

MON 1st AUG Open mic night

It does what it says on the tin!

The White Horse


tel: 409306

Quiz Night

Get quizzical

The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

TUES 2nd AUG

Kathy Browns GardenThese beatiful gardens are open to thepublic from 1-5pm. Bring a picnic, enjoy



2.50. Entrance: 4.50

The Manor House, Church Road, Steving-

ton, MK43 7QB 01234 822064

kathybrownsgarden.com

Quiz Night


The White Horse

www.whitehorsebedford.co.uktel: 409306

That Time of The Month

Rib tickling fun at

Esquirescomedy club


bedfordesquires.com

WED 3rd AUGWho LivedIn A House Like This?

Ever walked past an interesting house and

wondered about its past?

Hear more about our oldest houses and the

fascinating characters who designed and

lived in them.

7pm Tourist Information Centre


Open mic night

The Kings Arms tel: 354494

Wind Down Wednesday ft Benjamin

Bloom + Sarah Doe

Chilled out tunes to get you through the

middle of the week


bedfordesquires.com

THURS 4th AUG Jam Night with Mat Roberts

Jammin

The Flower Pot tel: 296732

Esquires Introducing

Showcase of new talent


bedfordesquires.com

FRI 5th AUG Dave Spencer Duo

Rock & pop covers from 9pm


Diamond Fire karaoke

The White Horse


tel: 409306

100 Greatest Hip Hop tunes

From ground-breaking classics to modern

masters. Bring the noise!

The Pad

thepadbedford.com

Full Circle


bedfordesquires.com

Mutiny Club NightEsquires - Holy Molys

bedfordesquires.com


Come along and get invovled!

The Flower Pot

tel: 296732

Esquires Introducing

Spot new talent


bedfordesquires.com

FRI 12th AUG Radio 1s Jaymo & Andy George

DJ set from Radio 1s rising stars.

Cool & eclecticThe Pad thepadbedford.com

Barely Alive

Live music


bedfordesquires.com

Dynamite Chicken

Rock covers band


Hellfyre club night


bedfordesquires.com

SAT 13th AUGBen Poole

Blues from 9pm

The Flower Pot

tel: 296732

Handmade & Vintage Market

Gorgeous hand-crafted pieces and vintage

fabulousness

Midland Road Loaded

Exactly what youd expect from your

favourite indie night out.

The Pad

thepadbedford.com

Hey! Alaska + Whos Driving? Bears

Driving


bedfordesquires.com

2 Non-Blondes

Covers band


Esquires Club Night

Great night guaranteed!


bedfordesquires.com

SUN 14th AUG

The Silent Faces of BedfordA look at the statues and monuments in

our town 11am Tourist Information

Centre 01234 221712 visitbedford.co.uk

Quiz Night


The White Horse


tel: 409306

Sidewinder

Live music


bedfordesquires.com

Music Quiz


Now in its 21st year!

The Kings Armst el: 354494

MON 15h AUG Open mic night

Come along and get invovled!

The White Horse


Quiz Night

Test your knowledge


TUES 16th AUG







ton, MK43 7QB 01234 822064


Quiz Night


The White Horse

Music lessons from 6 per lesson

All types of Guitar Drums/Percussion Piano/Keyboard Singing

For adults & children. Individual & group lessons.

Book now for September: 07949474661 or email [email protected]

Check out our other services at www.thesoundgarage.co.uk

Licensed cafe/deliLarge range of spanish tapas, ingredients,cookware & gifts.

Private catering/events hosted

120a Castle Road, Bedford www.andaluzshop.co.uk

Tel: 0791 3342654

Day time Caf

Quality fresh cooked food

at honest prices.

Evening time Bistro

Fully licensed, friendly

intimate surroundings.

20 Castle Lane, Bedford

Tel: (01234) 269961

www.cafeangelo.com

AUGUST 2011

Business Premises & Site Search

Facility

Economic Intelligence

Regular News Updates

Business-to-Business Directory

Investor Development Programme

Here at Bdazzled we offer everything from, manicures, pedicures, gel

nails, facials, tanning, teeth whitening, cuts & colours, hair extentions,

and much more.

18 castle lane bedford MK40 3US Tel:01234 217533

Ofcial Bedford Clanger Photography

Creating unique photo libraries to showcase your people,

places, processes and projects.

Take a peekat www.mubsta.com


5/12

LITTLE

MONKEY

MURALSTo help the very young get involvedin reading, Little Monkey Murals in St

Cuthberts Street is staging a seriesof events throughout the summer.

From storytime for those as youngas six months, to talks by published

childrens authors, there is something

for every little one, and mum.

Owner Karen Fryc and children Char-lotte, nine and Oliver, ve will be there

to welcome guests to the many super

activities - most of which are free.

We have a Poetry Competition, Art

Illustration Classes and Paint-A-StoryTime all of which will help to keep

children occupied during the summer,

said Karen.

Visit http://www.littlemonkeymurals.

com/Whatson.htm

BOOK CLUB

BEGINNERS

by Rachel BurgessBook clubs are a great idea in

theory. But throw in a ull-time

job, a kid or two, an ill relative,

a pile o washing and a gym

class, and suddenly its hard to

fnd time.But here I am. Back at a newbook club, two years after slowly

sloping off my last attempt due to

work commitments. Book clubs are

abundant in Bedford somethingyou dont realise until you start ask-

ing around. I know of at least six, but

Im certain there are times three this

number in the local area.

I arrived with two minutes to

spare, not wanting to seem to keen

yet not wanting to be late. I was therst there. I introduced myself to the

organiser, just a pub punter, with an

interest in books. As people slowly

appear, I tick off the English teacher,

the journalist, the newly redundant,

the eccentric old man and everything

in between.After agreeing that we will do a

lucky dip to decide the book for thefollowing decision, we discuss the

different genres of books we read

and what our one piece of desert

island literature would be.Many of us love reading but often

get lost in reality, switching on the

box rather than turning the leaves of

a good book, forgetting quite what an

escapist tool it can be. But, as this

collection of strangers started to talk

about their love of novels, non-ctionand the rest, that passion within

starts to reignite as I desperately

try to make a mental note of all the

books being mentioned.

Two hours later, and with a spring

in my step, I bound home and go

straight to my bookcase to choosea new book to get stuck into. The

journey begins here. Books rule!

5

ish!

PADDY TYSON

THE TWO-WHEELED

ADVENTURER

By Laurie Caddell

If youve ever dreamedof travelling the globe,

or simply enjoy hearing

about the adventures of

others, youll be pleased

to hear theres a whole

world of adventure travel

coming to Bedford on

14th August.

In the increasingly sterile world of

organised world travel, there are still

pioneers out there pushing back the

boundaries and heading towards the

horizon to do their own grass-roots

exploration. Where once these trail

blazers would have been on horse or

mule, they now use motor cycles, a

unique form of transport that allows

decent progress over most terrain,

ground that would have off-roading

four wheelers as mobile as a super-glued boulder.

Bikes also replicate their four-legged

predecessors in that they are eco-

nomical to run and maintain and allow

the rider to be at one with the peopleon the way as well as the terrain. Andsometimes the bruises are testament

to when that last point is taken too

literally

Paddy Tyson is one such two-

wheeled adventurer who has travelled

the globe in search of new horizons,

cultures to explore and peoples tomeet along the way. And if you think

that such travel is the preserve of the

wealthy, think again. The Northern Ire-

lander has been a motorcycle courier

and instructor, a university lecturer,

writer, builder and even collected litter

at a landll site to fund his travelsHis stories are many and as

entertaining as you would expect of

a man who has two-wheeled many

continents and who admits to perhaps

being the only person to have never

successfully got a job in a fast-food

restaurant.

While Paddy

had his rst

road trip as a

six-year old(admittedly

as a passen-

ger), Simon

Gandol is

a successfulauthor whodiscovered

the joys of

two wheeling

in his 70s.

Since then he

too has been

drawn to theopen roads

and rock-

strewn tracks

across the

globe which

has resulted

in stories toonumerous to mention but he will try!

We cant all be out there on motor

cycles seeing all there is to see, but

thankfully Paddy and Simon, and fel-

low two-wheel traveller Sam Mani-

com, who spent an amazing 8 years

on the road, will be happy to bring the

lesser-explored corners of the earth to

Bedfords Civic Theatre on the 14th!

THE BEDFORD BOOK

FESTIVALS ONLINECOLLABORATIVE

STORY PROJECTCalling all budding writers! Wethought we could have some fun So

how about WE all produce a story...

Over at the Bedford Book Festival

website (www.bedfordbookfestival.co.uk) we have started the collabora-

tive story. The idea is that anyone canclick on and add to the story in your

own words

Do we have the makings of a

political thriller? Or is it going to be a

comedy? Dont be scared, have a goat adding something to the story!

THE STORY SO FAR...The Prime Minister suddenly looked

a little nervous, and certainly not as

condent as hed looked when Susanhad been introduced to him half an

hour ago ..I see, he said slowly, rolling the

word round his mouth, and trying

desperately to think of a way out of the

sticky situation he now found himself

in.Susan spread her arms, as if the

whole thing was nothing to do with her.

The problem is, you see, now that the

media have got hold of the story, our

options really are rather limited, she

sighed, scratched her head, and thenadded, Unless, of course, you feel

this is grave enough to justify action-ing the Geneva Protocol?

Ah, yes, the Geneva Protocol

the PM mused. He concentrated very

hard at doodling a smily face on the

blotter before him. Theres so muchstuff to remember in this job, remind

me?....

What does your bookcase say about you?

Paddy Tyson authour of The Hunt for Puerto Del Faglioli

This supplement was produced byvolunteers in next to no time at all.

Its not perfect, but we hope it gives

a avour of whats on in Bedford

this summer and lays the founda-

tion for something bigger and better

in 2012. Get involved by joiningthe Facebook group Bedford Book

Festival and follow www.bedford-

bookfestival.co.uk for details of

more events

and all things

bookish.

Supported by

LoveBedford.

Huge thanks toour contribu-

tors, and to you

for reading! The story continues ...


6/12

AUTHOR AND DOCTOR

JAMIE BRINDLE GAVE

OUT COPIES OF

THE FREE BOOK

AT THE BEAR LAST

MONTH AS PART OFTHE BEDFORD BOOK

FESTIVAL

He talks to us about the project

Have you ever found an old booktucked away in the back room of

a motel, and wondered how it got

there? Or picked up a copy of some-

thing youve never heard of before, af-ter seeing it tattered and torn, ripped

and forlorn, laying lonely in the empty

seat opposite you on a midnight train?

Ive often seen these books, literary

Littlest Hobos, haunting lofts and

dusty attics, forgotten and unnoticed

in unlikely places, waiting to be foundand taken on for a time and then

launched off again, spinning away to

picked up by the next pair of hands to

notice them.

I have always wondered about the

journeys these books make. I ip the

pages and wonder about the sweatthat has soaked into the paper, about

the other hands that have touched

them, about the other hands that will

touch them after I am done.

I nd this a pleasing thought. I likethe sense of connection. I like the

sense of a journey, and the part I play

in it.

I have published a book, but this book

no longer belongs to me, not even a

single one of the 100 copies currentlyin existence.

You might hold it at some point, but it

doesnt belong to you, either.

Thats where it got its name: The Free

Book.

It contains three short stories of fan-

tasy, of varying shades of darkness.

The hundred copies of The Free

Book are all individually numbered,

and every copy has a web page of itsvery own, dedicated to the travels it

makes.

The books have been given out to

friends, left on bookshops and librar-

ies, and posted to distant places with

no other insurance than hope.

Hope that the people who pick them

up will read the introduction, andshare the same sense of wonder and

curiosity that I feel when a random

book falls freely into my hands.

Now the books have been released

into the wild and many of them in

my home town of Bedford so keepan open eye and maybe you will spot

one.

If you see one, why not pick it up?

Im sure it will be itching to be read,

and eager to tell you where it has

been so far...

If you fancy seeing how the copies

are progressing, log on to:

http://thefreebook.moonfruit.com

TRAVEL COMPANIONS

There are ew things to

recommend commuting rom

Bedord to London.

For a start, you almost certainly goto and from work in the dark for mostof the year, late-running trains are a

daily hazard and a friendly smiling

face is rarer than hens teeth. Add to

that the fact that our route is called

the Bed-Pan line and any glamourquickly evaporates.

However there is one advantage to

spending 160 minutes a day on the

train. The commuting Bed-Pan bib-

liophile can take advantage of almost

3 hours of uninterrupted reading time(and thats without any added tube

action). Its enough to make me

nostalgic

Back when I was commuting I was

averaging 22 books a year (com-

pared to 12/13 when I was an idle

student). Not only did I read a huge

variety of books, if I was

particularly engrossed in

one I would actually look

forward to getting out of

my warm bed and onto

the draughty 7.24am to StPancras, just so I could

immerse myself in another

world.

Characters who have joined

me through Harlington,

Flitwick and Leagrave arediverse. From Nicholas

Nickleby to Sherman Mc-

Coy, Captain Correlli to

Holly Golightly, I was never

without a book in my bag

and no delayed train everbothered me too much if I knew I

could escape within the pages of my

latest read. Martin Amis, JD Salinger,

Arundita Roy, F Scott Fitzgerald,

John Irving, Mark Twain, Brett Easton

Ellis, Isable Allende, Gabriel Garcia

Marquez, Sebastian Faulkes, thelist goes on. So many love affairs

with books and their authors were

cemented for me on those long,

dark commutes. I may have been

travelling on my own, but I was never

lonely.

My days of commuting are just a

distant memory. I still love read-

ing and always have a book on

my bedside table. But a snatched

couple of pages before bed is nothing

compared to the luxury of devouringchapter after chapter on the 18.55,

knowing that whatever weirdo was

sitting next to me, Id be oblivious

to them for the ensuing 40 minutes,

sharing my journey with an innitely

more interesting character.6

19th July to 29th August (ish) 2011

WHAT ARE YOUR

FAVOURITE BOOKS

EVER?

We asked the

question. Here are

some answers:

Animal Farm - George

OrwellIts entertaining and thought pro-

voking without lecturing

To Kill A Mockingbird -

Harpur LeeA truly amazing book with the best

characters Ive ever read. And avery humble author too.

Anything illustrated by Arthur

Rackham

Lords and Ladies by

Sir Terry PratchettThe truth about morris dancing as

a martial art!

One Hundred Years of

Solitude by Gabriel

Garcia MarquezIts like a magical intellectual soapopera from South America

House of the Spirits by

Isabel AllendeSouth American magic realism atits best. Brilliant book!

Never Let Me Go by

Kazuo IshiguroIt unfolds a chilling yet warm tale of

being human

The multi-functional Oxford

English DictionaryReference book, doorstop and

lethal weapon

Sandman by Neil

GaimanA vast story about stories, intricate,

terrifying, funny, beautiful, magical

Delia Smiths CompleteCookery CourseSatised my appetite on many oc-

casions and kept me alive

Absolute Friends -

John Le CarreGripping - a window into the world

of double-crossing international

spies and a friendship that tran-

scends borders

So there you have some recom-

mendations for holiday reading,

brought to you by Bedford Book

Festival. Enjoy!


7/12

2nd August 2011

10:00 -11:00 Bright Little Monkeys Playgroup

Little Monkey Murals, Bedford

11:00 -12:00 Circus Stars

Bedford Central Library, Bedford

3rd August 201110:00 -12:30 Arty Monkeys with Illustrator Katy Dynes


13:30 -16:00 Little Monkeys Authors Corner with Author Lucy Daniel

Raby


4th August 2011

11:00 -11:30 Little Monkeys Paint-a-Story Time with artist Catherine

Tobin


9th August 2011



10th August 2011

10:00 -12:30 Arty Monkeys with Illustrator Katy Dynes


13:30 -17:00 Little Monkeys Authors Corner with author Giles Paley-Phillips


11th August 2011

11:00 -11:30 Little Monkeys Paint-a-Story TIme with artist CatherineTobin


14th August 2011

3pm-5pm Adventure Travels with Paddy Tyson, Simon Gandol, Sam Manicom,

Talks,Slideshow & book signings at The Civic Theatre, Bedford

16th August 2011



17th August 2011

10:00 -12:30 Arty Monkeys with Illustrator Katy DynesLittle Monkey Murals, Bedford

13:30 -16:00 Little Monkeys Authors Corner with author Julian Defries


18th August 2011


Tobin


23rd August 2011



24th August 2011



25th August 2011


TobinLittle Monkey Murals, Bedford

30th August 2011



31st August 2011



There will be lunch time talks at the Salvation Army book

shop, High Street, Bedford. Times and talks tbc.

Book Swap - Finished a book (or have a book you are unlikely

to ever read) - Drop it off at one of the venues in town taking

part in the book swap and pick up something different.

They are:

Baia Cascais - Cafe Newnham Street

The Bear pub - High Street

Little-Monkey Murals - St Cuthberts Street (for kids books)

Check the website for details on all the events:

www.bedfordbookfestival.co.uk

EVENT LISTINGS FOR

THE BEDFORD BOOK FESTIVAL

7


BOOKS THAT MADE AN

IMPRESSION

BY CHRISTIAN WEBB

Below is a list of books that havemade an impact to me one way oranother

The book I havent read because

the lm was so good

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

by Ken Kesey. Sadly Ken wasnt toohappy with the lm.

The book so complex, I didnt

know there were pages missing.

On Photography by Susan Sontagthis one isnt ction and its actually

a very good collection of essays onphotography (surprisingly enough)

The book Im afraid to read

Ulysses. A friend of mine destroyed it

after a few hundred pages.

The book that I dont getCatch-22. A few funny moments but it

felt completely disjointed to me.

The book that makes up for Harry

Potter being on my shelf

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski.

Two reasons: 1. Its a good book 2.The authors called Bukowski and

that looks great on the shelf.

The book I wish Id written

The Magus because its ambitious,

and very clever.

The book that was unexpectedly

ruined

All Quiet on the Western Front. A

moving ending ruined by a crude

drawing of a penis on the last page.

The book that I read in the hope

that Id appear intelligent and

sensitive

Bonjour Tristesse

The book I most often recom-

mend

A Confederacy of Dunces by John

Kennedy Toole (his rst book was

called The Neon Bible-which might

interest Arcade Fire fans?)

Christian Webb teaches Art, Design

and Photography. There will be an

exhibition of his photography work at

Pensieri caf in September. He has

self-published a book of his photogra-

phy work. It is available online at

www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1517620

Photoby:ChristianWebb


8/12

LONG LIVE THE BOOK

by Rachel BurgessBooks in some orm or another

have existed since ancient

civilization. What was once

written on papyrus by the

ancient Egyptians is nowprinted on leas o paper bound

together.

But is this long held tradition dimin-ishing with the advent of technology?

How many of you, readers, have

forgone the old-fashioned way and

acquired a Kindle?

As the daughter of a printer, and a

print journalist, its unsurprising thatI ercely protect the beauty that is

the book. Can anything beat the

satisfaction of a riveting book, with

the leaves rustling as clumsy ngers

quickly turns the page to see what

happens next?

But the Kindle, Amazons version of

the e-book (and its biggest selling

product according to its website) has

many redeeming features too. As an

avid traveller and reader, how much

space and weight have I taken upin my suitcase over the years with

books? With a Kindle, this problem

disappears. And youll never run out

of books. Nor are there dilemmas of

overowing books around the house

piled high in every corner.

When Annie Simpson, a recent

Bedfordian convert to Kindle, was

rst given hers as a gift, she insisted

it would be used alongside books,

rather than in place of them. I still

read books traditional books but

the ease of the Kindle makes it soconvenient in a lot of situations.

But I think books are wonderful and

wouldnt want them to disappear.

Many people voice concerns that

holding a Kindle isnt akin to holdinga paper-bound book. But Simpson

says it is surprisingly natural and not

as different as you might think.

Never say never. I see the benet

of e-books and in many ways, they

are the perfect solution. Any formof reading is better than none. But,

for me, nothing beats arriving home

from a long day and lazily looking

through my bookshelves, taking in

all the weird, uplifting, dark, inspiring

brilliance of literature. You wouldnt

get that with a Kindle.

BOOK SHOPS & LIBRARIES IN AND

AROUND BEDFORD:Almedina Store

42 Iddesleigh Road

Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 4LH

01234 215155County Town Books

7 High StreetBedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1RN

01234 341789

The Eagle Bookshop

103 Castle Road

Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 3QP

01234 269295http://www.eaglebookshop.co.uk

Oxfam Book Shop

16 Saint Pauls Square

Bedford MK40 1SL

01234 213 768

Ouse Valley Books

16 Home Close

SharnbrookBedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 1PQ

01234 782411

Salvation Army Charity Shop

113 High Street

Bedford

Bedfordshire

MK40 1NJWaterstones Booksellers Ltd

11-13 Silver Street

Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1SY

01234 272432

Waterstones Bookshop

College Road

Wharley EndCraneld

Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK43 0ST

01234 754280

Wesley Owen

30 St. Loyes Street

Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1EP 01234 262517

The Works

6-10 Allhallows

Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1LJ01234 326500

http://www.theworks.gb.com

W H Smith Ltd

29-31 Harpur Centre

Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 1TG

01234 363545

http://www.whsmith.co.uk

There are ve libraries in the borough, plus the mobile library and

Library Link who deliver services directly to you.

* Bedford Central

* Bromham

* Kempston* Putnoe

* Wootton

* Mobile Library

Visit Lovebedford.co.uk for a list of all the shops in Bedford Town

centre.

8


ON THE BORDERS

by Chris RileyA writer that you might not

associate with Bedordshire is

H. E. Bates.

The very good reason for that is

because he was born in Northamp-tonshire and many of his novels,

such as Love for Lydia, are based

in the rural world of east Northants.

But surely whats a matter of miles

between friends?

Hes a writer on our borders andthe world he paints, now gone, is

one not so far removed from the

villages of Bedfordshire. Some of

his characters leave their homes to

venture into the next market town

which could indeed be Bedford. Its

a matter of conjecture whether hisctional Evensford is indeed Bedford

or Wellingborough.

His range of work holds something

for everyone as Bates was a writer

who transferred his life experience toction and so although began telling

pastoral tales of love and longing,

his work broadens out to a war time

setting using his own military experi-

ence in short stories like How Sleep

the Brave.

After the war he moved to Kent and

there wrote the comic novels many

people still remember from the TV

series, creating the popular Larkin

family in The Darling Buds of May.

These are a celebration of a different

county and of an attitude to life whichwe can all enjoy, if not copy.

My own favourite of his work is one

of his later novellas, The Triple Echo,which is a war time love story set in

an unspecied countryside. It was

made into a lm starring Glenda

Jackson which, although powerful,did not convey the poignancy of the

original text and, in particular, its

ending.

If you want to enjoy a good read

from a writer who can conjure updrama in a rural setting, try H. E.

Bates.

HomeThe elds glistened from above

Like something out of an Austen novel

Two horses trot along the road,

Narrow as a ribbon. In the distance

A speeding Porsche appears and I

hearThe screech of his breaks, realising

The ownership of the lane that these

Proud animals hold.

The air vibrates slightly, old Mr Pell

Has started the tractors engine

Gearing up for some pre dusk labour.Then, some happy screams, the

children

In nave happiness playing hop-

scotch,

Where I once did. The mothers

Gossiping at the gate, but thankfully ICant hear them.

Their big cars invade my drive.

I feel annoyed for no reason

But pure awkwardness. Joan,

Walks past, head still hung low

Mourning the suicide of her husband,Fourteen years ago. Even up high I

cant

escape the image of that day, ThomasHanging there.

My eye is distracted, two ducks

Flap in the stream at the bottom ofThe garden. Ah, my house.

Holding such an air of serene

Domesticity. As I peer in, I spy my

mum,

Ribs expanding, big sigh, because

she still

Hasnt cleared out the attic. I tap

On the window. She smiles.

Not Love

I never went to his house.

The blossom in the garden did notland in my hair, whilst I sat and

watched him cook a barbeque.

There were not any stars

Or a moon when I didnt look

Out of his window

Dreaming of great things.

I never stood in his

Kitchen, shaking like

A baby, because at that moment

He didnt say he loved me.

He absolutely didnt.

SchizophrenicI am your escape

From conscience.Stop writing your coursework

Go get drunk

Feed your hangover with

Yummy bacon sarnies.

Who was that hottie

last night?Have some fun girl,he fancied you, I

could tell.

Wheres that spontaneous

side? Your should listen

to your friend, Poppy.

She has it right.You are correct, drugs

are illegal.

Experiment! Youre a student

for

Gods sake. Onepick-up off a dodgy

drugdealer. I

promise-

it wont ruin your

angelic life.

Youre only young

Once.

Listen to me!

Indierence

Sometimes I feel like I never want to

get out of bed but

sometimes I feel that I want to jump

up and go for a jog.Sometimes it rains just as I step foot

out of the front door and

sometimes its so cold that my car

wont start.

Sometimes I think life is just great and

sometimes, I just dont care.

Sometimes I have no inspiration forwriting like now but sometimes my

brain is churning with exciting pos-

sibilities and potential.

Sometimes I wish I were somewhere

else: Togo, Brazil, India.

Sometimes I will be in those placesexploring new things.Sometimes I like it; the change, the

variety but

sometimes I like it all just the way it is.

Poems by Roxy Simmonds.

POETRY CORNER

Sweet dreams or nightmares of Liefeld

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Bedfords great comic shop

on two oors.

A good comics shop is tricky

to nd outside of the city, butthis place has a large selec-

tion of comics and graphicnovels. You can also nd ac-

tion gures, computer games

and game cards too.

Also, check out the life sized

Batman at the entrance to the

shop. Keeping an eye on the

shenanigans about Midland

Road no doubt.

They hold signings with comicartists and writers about once

a year.

59 Midland Road Bedford

MK40 1PW T:01234 270777


9/12

9


tel: 409306

WED 17th AUG

The Rise & Fall of Bedford CastleBedford Castle was removed stone by

stone. Find out more on this guided walk

11am Tourist Information Centre


Open mic night

The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

Wind Down Wednesday

ft. Luke JacksonBreak up your week with some live tunes


bedfordesquires.com


Weekly jam session


The Last Chance Ragtime Band


bedfordesquires.com

FRI 19th AUG Cherry Lee Mewis

Brilliant blues from Bedfords nest


Diamond Fire karaoke

The White Horse

www.whitehorsebedford.co.uk tel: 409306

Albany Down - album launch

They say theyre the hottest independent

rock band in the UK. Come along and

make your own mind up.


bedfordesquires.com

SAT 20th AUGOur Kind of Music

OMG, its OKOM! The funkiest, friendli-

est night in town. Get your dancing shoes

on and prepare to get funked.

The Bedford Arms, Bromham Rd

Flashback Roadshow - 80s disco

Take a trip down memory lane at the

Flower Pots 80s disco. Fancy dress

optional, so dig out those shoulder pads,

pull on that stonewashed denim and show

these youngsters what real fashion was all

about. Prize for the best outt & FREE

buffet too!

Loaded

Indie tunes aplenty

The Pad thepadbedford.com

Soulweaver

Classic rock covers & original material

The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

Pearl Handled Revolver + support

Bedfords nest `dirty` rhythm and blues

outt

Esquires - Main Stage bedfordesquires.

com

SUN 21st AUG

Guided Walk: Are You Being Served?A historical look at the High Street and

how shopping has changed over the last

200 years. 11am Tourist Information

Centre 01234 221712 visitbedford.co.uk

Quiz Night


The White Horsewww.whitehorsebedford.co.uk

tel: 409306

Ginger (acoustic) + support


bedfordesquires.com

Music Quiz


Now in its 21st year!

The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

MON 22nd AUG Open mic night

Your chance to shine!

The White Horse


tel: 409306

TUES 23rd AUG







ton, MK43 7QB 01234 822064


Quiz Night


The White Horse


WED 24th AUG

WWII Bedford WalkDiscover Bedfords wartime secrets



Open mic night


FRI 26th AUG Rhythm Festival 2011

August 26-28

The Mansion House, Old Warden Park,

Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 9DX

Toots & The Maytals, Imelda May, Nick

Lowe, Steve Cropper & The Animals,

Buzzcocks, Jack Bruce, Terry Reid, Mark

Steel, The Blockheads

Rhythmfestival.com Festinho!

August 26-28

Hinwick House near Podington

Family friendly festival fun. All proceeds

go to Brazilian street children

festinho.com

Jimmy & The Moondogs

Back by popular demand!

Beatles covers band

The Flower Pot

tel: 296732

Live Music from 2 Non-Blondes

The White Horse


tel: 409306

The ZZ Tops + support

Grizzly bearded rockers tribute act

Esquires - Main Stage bedfordesquires.

com

Classic Rock club night

Awesome!


bedfordesquires.com

SAT 27th AUGTwinwoods Festival

Clapham

Non stop live music throughout the days

and nights from amazing bands play-

ing the very best swing, jive, jazz and

rocknroll from the 40s, 50s, and beyond.

www.twinwoodevents.com

FREE BBQ plus gig from Cutting Out

Classic & modern rock from 5pm in the

beer garden

The Flower Pot

tel: 296732

Crazy Horse karaoke

Get in the bank holiday spirit with a good

old sing-along.

The White Horse


Loaded

Kick off the bank holiday with some shoe-

gazing classics.

The Pad thepadbedford.com

Lost for Words

Rock covers

The Kings Arms

tel: 354494

Absolution club night


bedfordesquires.com

Alzheimers Charity Event

Raising money for Alzheimers at Esquires


bedfordesquires.com

SUN 28th AUG

The Jewel in Bedfords CrownA circular walk along Bedfords beautiful

Victorian Embankment 11am Tourist

Information Centre 01234 221712

visitbedford.co.uk

FREE BBQ plus gig from Vintage

Stuff

Old favourites and modern classics. From

4.30pm in the beer garden


Quiz Night


The White Horse


tel: 409306

Punk All-dayer

Bank holiday festivities with a twist


bedfordesquires.com

Music QuizJohn Cutlers infamous musical

brainteaser


MON 29th AUG Mat Roberts Big Band open mic night

Bring your instrument, join the band and

see what evolves. Excellent night where

anything can happen!

The White Horse


tel: 409306

Quiz Night

Round off your bank holiday weekend

with this great quiz night.


TUES 30th AUG Quiz Night

Brain training - pub styleThe White Horse


tel: 409306

WED 31st AUG

The Life & Times of John BunyanFollow in the footsteps of John Bunyan



Traditional Irish Music

Come along and enjoy the relaxed craic of

traditional Irish music in the bar

Kings Arms 01234 354494

DESIGNER FABRIC SALE.

Embankment Hotel, Saturday 24th September 10am - 1pm

www.schoolofcraft.co.uk or call Jo on 07900 905186

THEBEDFORDCLANGER

Love wine and want to know more?

Stuck in a wine rut

but unsure what to try?

Looking for a gift for a loved one?

Swirl Wine School has the answers.

Now open, in Bedford.

Tel: 01234 761753

www.swirl-me.co.uk

Showroom with a wide varity of Antique Furniture,

pictures, sliver and pottery. We also carry out

Antique Furniture Restoration

Visit our website for more details of the services we offer

www.jmooreantiques.co.uk

01480 406993

J Moore Restoration

Opening next month in Bedford... Vintage clothing, accessories,

home-ware, collectables and curiosities!

visit our website for details.

AUGUST 2011

THE BEARPUBLIC HOUSE

The last proper pub on The High Street.

We have a pool table, table football, pinball,

bar games, poker night every Wednesday, live

music & probably the best jukebox in town.

Theres even a mini library for you to use too.

92 High Street, Bedford. Tel: 01234 401020

Take a fresh look at Bedford.

01234 359599

The countys largest art store specialising in picture framing, original paintings &

ne art prints, art & craft materials, cards & gifts.

Our friendly team of experts are there to advise and assist you with your creative needs.

Howard Street, Bedford MK40 3HS

01234 344784

We really want to hear about your

events so we can spread the word to

our fellow Bedfordians.

Cost is 1 per listing

Please email your details to thebed-

[email protected] withListing as the subject by 17th June.

Want to advertise? Then wed love to

hear from you too.


10/12

It is 26 years since

Paul Shilladay took

over The Bear inthe High Street and

hes now Bedford

town centres longest

serving landlord.

Local legend Paul chatted with TheClanger about Bedford, The Bear, books,

music, homing pigeons, hanging baskets

and parrots oh and a teeny bit about

beer as well!

I love Bedford. Its well looked after,

the river looks fantastic. Its a friendly

provincial town where lots of people

know each other. Although its the county

town, it has a rural feel. And of course,

there are lots of interesting characters. Its

like Bedford stopped being a village years

ago but didnt really realise it.

The Bear is not a High Street pub. In

fact, the High Street is not really a high

street that just happens to be its name.

Its not the commercial centre of Bedford

and unfortunately the term High Street issynonymous with a pub crawl mentality.

I think of The Bear as a community

pub with lots of regulars who are getting

older (in their thirties and forties) and

tend to attract more of the same and

were happy with that. Weve had two

Old Bear Regulars Reunions and one for

my 25th anniversary. Lots of people came

I call them homing pigeons as they

spent their formative years as regulars in

The Bear.

Our regulars arrange things like our pool

nights on Monday and Tuesday (The

Bear is in two local leagues) and poker on

Wednesday. They are part of the pub. We

recently won the normal raft section of

the raft race.At the age of sixty, Paul decided he

enjoyed the pub so much, he signed up for

another few years.

They say Ill probably be carried out

in a cofn. As a former civil servant and

Quality Controller for Whitbreads Luton

Brewery, Paul says Ive outlasted both

Whitbreads and the brewery! I like my

job youre lucky to nd a job you love

because if you love what you do, its not

stressful.

Is a pubs character a reection of the

landlords personality?

I used to think a pubs character was

about who lives next door, but its not. It

is the people who are behind the bar. We

get to know our neighbours I rememberOld Man Golding at 80!

On pub culture

Society is changing and so are pubs. All

day opening makes pubs more expensive

to run but we get different people in. I

think binge drinking is more to do with

cheap alcohol in the supermarkets, not

pubs. BedSafe is good troublemakers

know that if they are banned from one

pub theyre banned from them all. It only

takes one troublemaker

to affect the whole mood

of the pub and when

they are removed it takes

a little while for the

atmosphere to return.

Since the smoking

ban, we changed our

garden. Maggies anceMike did the hanging

baskets and they are the

best in Bedford ... in my

opinion. I keep expecting

to see parrots ying out

of them!

We introduced the

bookcase at the girls

suggestion. People

are free to sit and read

the books, take them

away, bring them back

or replace them. I am a

bookworm too and love

writing letters.

We have music on

Thursdays or Sundays, with bands like

Omnivibes, Fishwifes Broadside and

Ouse Valley Singles Club. Some people

turned up thinking it was a singles club

not a band but they still had a good time.

Why should people come to The Bear?

Because its the best pub in town! Its

friendly, it is a nice shape, comfortable

and its not a cattle market.

10What are your favourite memories of The Bear?

THEBEDFORDCLANGER

Your Local:THE BEAR 92 HIGH STREET, BEDFORD

AUGUST 2011

Outside, white wallsand a sun synonymouswith the Andalusian

coast.Inside, Castilian is beingspoken at the opposite

table and the contemporary

sound of Chambao is play-

ing (guitar and girl). What

to have? The menu has

variety, smacks of authentic-

ity: chargrilled artichokes,

Moorish olives, meatballs

and a dozen other plates -

cold and hot tapas. Variety,

but without overstretching the

kitchen, or overwhelming the comedor.

To drink, browse the wine bottles on the

wooden shelves or pick up a juice or an

Estrella from the cooler. Brians nearby,

a patron with Irish charm, ready to share

his passion for the wines hes chosen. He

recommends Goya an aperitif thats in

vogue.You return to your table, glass in

hand. A chance to admire the vintage

Jerez posters, the photographs hanging

on walls darker than a matadors cape: a

windmill, a Moorish courtyard, a chapel

perched on a cliff.

Your food starts to arrive. Boquerones

(fresh anchovies marinated with

garlic and parsley), tortilla, bocadillos,

Moorish-style meatballs in their own

tomato sauce. Terracotta dishes and

wooden plates ll your table. You try the

boquerones, forking the shiny ancho-

vies onto a chunk of bread. The taste is

reminiscent of your rst beach restaurant

on the Med, the one where you sat with

your lover on the wooden veranda and

watched the shing boats returning to

the harbour. Its sharp and tangy, and

you wonder why you donteat anchovies everyday.

Now taste the olives, the

chorizo and whitebean stew.

The bocadillos are crisp and

perfectly toasted, Serano

ham and melted Manchega

cheese. Youre trying each

others dishes, and it feels

like youre on holi day.

Olivia, equally the patron

and likewise enamoured with

all things Analusian, starts

to tell you about how they

source their terrecotta pots, the deli food,

the small place they have in Arcos de la

Frontera. For a few precious nights they

open their doors to the Anglo-Spanish

community: wine tasting, a Castilian

social. Check the website ( www.andaluz-

shop.com) if you want a taste of Madrid

for a night. Or I recommend you simply

escape the staycation for half an hour

with a Fairtrade coffee, a light lunch, or a

glass of Rioja.

120a Castle Road

Open Wednesday to Saturday 9am to

5:30pm

Sunday 11am to 3pm

Fancy Spain, but cant afford the

fare... then get down to Andaluz on

Castle Road.

ANDALUZ120a CASTLE ROAD

CAF SOCIETYThis month The

Clangers coffee

and cake

correspondent

visited FrescoesCoffee House onMill Street

And asked Why can I never makecoffee for myself that tastes as good as

yours is it psychological?

Barista extraordinaire Kevin

Kavanagh (QC quality control?) ex-

plained Quality coffee is both a science

and an artform. In equal measure? No

Id say its a ratio of 50% skill, 25%

equipment and 25% grinder.

But what about the beans? Surely

they are important too? Cue a lecture on

everything from the soil to the climate,

a quick chat about arabica and robusta,

grinding, roasting, transportation and

economics (the correspondents coffee

was getting cold at this point, but was

enjoying this education too much to

worry unduly).

The frankly rather nave correspon-

dent said I dont like milk, but thanks

for explaining what Latte Art is. Now

can you explain why the machine heats

the water to 123 degrees above boiling

point, yet still comes out as water?

Looks were exchanged. Tension was

building. I mean is it a bit like a pres -

sure cooker why doesnt it explode?

A smile saved the day. Ask the manu-

facturer, said Kevin knowingly.

Do you know what the most ex -

pensive coffee bean in the world is? he

challenged the correspondent. I know

what the most expensive coffee in the

supermarket is the by-now slightly

cocky correspondent replied Blue

Mountain?. Another smile saved the

day. He walked away and returned with

a large encyclopedia the correspon-dent, expecting to be gently bopped

on the head with it, screamed in horror

Ive only got 300 words to write you

know! Sensing he (the correspondent)

had overstayed his welcome, he scurried

away like a small furry animal that

poops out the most expensive bean in

the world and went to the pub.

Footnote: This correspondent was a

tad disappointed that he would not be

able to afford to make a quality coffee

at home on his current salary, but feels

more than happy to continue to indulge

himself with one cup a day for the emi -

nently affordable 1.70 for a medium

americano.

Photosby:ShaunArmstrong

Photo by: Shaun Armstrong

Paul Shilladay: Not all grizzly on the High Street

Photoby:ShaunArmstrong

JAZZ IN BEDFORD

As a Bluenote endorsed DJ, whatRicardo Gazzini doesnt know about jazz

music probably isnt worth knowing.

And hes passionate about sharing his

love of the genre* and bringing more jazz

to Bedford.

The jazz scene is thriving in Europe

and the UK, particularly in cities such

as Birmingham and London, explains

Ricardo. DJs such as Giles Peterson and

Snowboy have done much to encourage a

younger audience and this is now spread-

ing to the provinces. Im determined

to bring more jazz events to Bedford to

build on this.

The Bedford Arms (Bromham Road)

hosts Jazz Nights on a Monday and the

Stables in Milton Keynes (the brainchild

of jazz legends Sir Johnny Dankworth

and Dame Cleo Lane) is slightly further

aeld but attracts world-class acts.

It is my dream to create a jazz club in

our town, confesses Ricardo. A relaxed

venue where Bedford music-lovers can

chill out and hear the coolest jazz. One

day it will become a reality!

Of course, for the time being, the

Twinwoods Festival in Clapham is just

on our doorstep and the perfect place

to indulge in a bit of big band, croonerand bebop jazz action! The Twinwoods

Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary

this year from 27 29 August and you

can nd out more information at www.

twinwoodevents.com. Ricardo Gazzini

will be DJing and hosting the evening

entertainment in the Tin Hat area, so

check him out.

*We say genre, but jazz has more

sub-genres that any other kind of music

57 according to that fount of all knowl -

edge, Wikipedia. From the slightly baf-

ing free-form to traditional via big band,

acid, swing, bebop, Dixieland, fusion,

ragtime and modal theres something for

everyone. Nice!

RICARDO GAZZINI

FIRST SMART-PHONESONIC MAP FOR

BEDFORDWhat does Bedfordsound like? Is it the

drone of trafc, the

bustle of the market or

the tranquillity of the

riverbank?

You can nd out by

adding your sounds to a

new sound map of Bed-

ford. Commissioned by

local organisation, Bed-

ford Creative Arts, the

sound mapping project

is called Echo Location

and has been made

by artist and musician

Kathy Hinde.

This is your opportunity to capture a

moment of the towns history and to cre-

ate a big aural artwork, a living legacy of

Bedford in 2011. The public can suggest

their own favourite or most interesting

Bedford sound spots for

the map by posting

them on the Bedford

Creative Arts Face-

book page.

You can take part

in a listening walk

with Bedford Creative

Arts and learn how

to record and upload

your sounds or just go

to the Echo-Locations

website and do it

yourself.

For artist Kathy Hinde

appreciating sound is

all about stopping and

listening.

She says, Listen-

ing is active hearing. When you stop and

listen through a microphone even noise

can become interesting and beautiful.

BCA are looking for both familiar and

unusual sounds of Bedford and are

requesting sound contributions and sug-

gestions of interesting places to record

for the project.

For more information go to www.

echo-location.org or call Bedford Cre-

ative Arts on 01234 818670.

All are welcome to join no previous ex -

perience is required and training will be

offered on recording equipment provided.


11/12

THEBEDFORDCLANGER

Whats your favourite public art in Bedford?

This is a busy month

in my garden...

...Both my Victoria plum and Jargo-nelle pear trees are ready for

harvesting toward the end of it,

prompting steamy evenings in the kitchenmaking jams, crumbles and tarts. This

year I am going to try some drying, too:

this works for my other major crop this

month tomatoes. You can go out and buy

an expensive gadget called a dehydrator

to dry your homegrown booty, but I credit

Wahid Khan of the sustainability team at

Bedford College for saving me (and you)

a lot of money by explaining the carbon-

and cash-free way of drying fruit your

car. Sounds crazy, but a car parked south-

facing on a sunny day will get to precisely

the right temperature to dry your fruit. Just

stick the sliced fruit or tomatoes (scoop

out the seeds learn how to save them for

sowing next year here http://is.gd/jVC0is)

on cooling racks, then stick a baking tray

underneath each one and place them on

the dashboard for a day or two. Think of it

as a motivation to use your legs or a bike

and leave the car at home.While the sun shines is also the time

to be considering your spring bulb order:

daffs should be planted in the next six

weeks or so and if youre after something

unusual, they often sell out fast. This is

one of those occasions where being a

forward-planner reaps its rewards: get

some specially prepared Paperwhite nar-

cissi planted now in some glass containers

lled with stones, squirrel them away

in your garage or somewhere else thats

cool anddark. Come

Christmas

youll be

glad you

went to the

trouble.

(Fascinating

fact: paper-

whites dont

flop when watered with a 4-6% solution of

alcohol vodka or gins usually recom-

mended. Depends on how much you like

your VATs whether this is a good idea.)

If youre a lavender fan, this month

is an ideal time to trim back the flowers:

when I say trim, I dont mean hack away

at woody stems lavender, like rosemary,

wont regrow, and youll be left with a

bunch of twigs. If your lavenders leggy

(not a good thing in the plant world),

either admit defeat and replace with newplants, or take some cuttings if youre

that way inclined. The harvested flowers

are great in baking check out Nigellas

lavender cupcakes recipe in her book How

to be a Domestic Goddess. This reference

to trimming flowers raises the spectre of

deadheading just the word sounds, well,

deadly boring. But after a hard day in the

ofce there is a certain zenlike calm that

descends when you start snipping fading

flowers from roses, sweet peas and mari-

golds. And it helps to know that your work

will prolong the flowering season of these

plants for weeks. Any flowers past their

best and now flopping in the border, such

as hardy geraniums and achilleas, can be

trimmed back too. If you have opium pop-

pies seeding all over the place, let them do

their thing - serendipity often brings some

unexpectedly lovely and effort-free flower

displays, or if youre a neat freak, harvest

the seeds and use them in breadmaking or

to make a really wicked lentil dhal.

Other jobs for August: Remove the

lower leaves from tomato plants to en-

courage fruit to ripen; sow lettuce such

as Merveille de Quatre Saisons for an

autumn/winter harvest; give hanging

baskets and containers a regular feed;

top up ponds and water features if they

are starting to look depleted; if you

havent trimmed your hedges, do it

now; and finally, take some time to sit

back and enjoy your garden.

Jane Perrone is the Guardians gardening

editor.

Visit her blog at perrone.blogs.com

AUGUST IN THEGARDEN

By Jane Perronegardening editor of The Guardian

AUGUST 2011

KATHY BROWN

With the Cecil HigginsArt Gallery having packedits much-loved collectionsaway for a major refit andwith BCA no longerproviding a dose ofcontemporary art on theHigh Street since itsrelocation to new studioson Midland Road, whatis the creatively inclinedBedfordian to do to gettheir town centre art fix?

Kristian Purcell, curatorial assistantat Cecil Higgins Art Gallery & Bedford

Museum seeks out art in some unlikely

places:

The most obvious public art in Bed-

ford is the Silver Faces sculpture on the

entrance to Silver Street. Since its un-

veiling it has divided local opinion (lets

say the jury is still out on that one) but

the town has long been graced by the

work of leading Victorian sculptor Sir

Alfred Gilbert. His model for the gure

of John Howard is in the Tate but the real

thing stands in our own St. Pauls Square.

If Enlightenment philanthropists arent

your cup of tea, then have you seen the

Art Nouveau cherubs holding grotesque

masks at the base of the statue? Fantastic

stuff. Gilberts mentor, by the way, was

Joseph Boehm, another major sculptor of

the era, but we know him for the Bunyan

statue, dont we? (Of course! Ed)

There are a number of opportunities

to view local artists work in and around

Bedford. Several cafes have started

exhibiting, notably Pensieri in Castle

Quay and Frescos on Mill Street. For

the more commercial end of the market,

check out the Art Centre on Lurke Street

as they also devote space to local artists,

Bromham Mill regularly shows local

art groups exhibitions, and the Eagle

Gallery is a long-established xture on

Castle Road selling its members work in

monthly exhibitions.

These all provide local artists with

ways to show their work but from theviewers point of view no one right now

is setting out to bring them work to inter-

est or provoke them (and maybe even sell

to them!). Curation can be an important

mediator between artist and viewer either

by selecting artists to exhibit together or

by giving parameters to an artist: bound-

aries can provoke a more interesting

creative response than the freedom to do

what one likes.

In the meantime, Im looking forward

to seeing all of the 365 drawings by

David Litcheld exhibited together in

August, and the artists Ive selected to

follow my own show of drawings at Pen-

sieri, starting with the photographer and

musician Christian Webb in September.

Pensieri gift shop & caf is currently

showing Kristian Purcells Cover

Drawings until September.

11

BEDFORD: A LIVING ART GALLERY

When Kathy Brownmoved toBedfordshire fromLondon, one lorrybrought the

furniture, another wasfull of her plant pots.

That was an expensive move! shesays over a cup of tea in the delightful

Manor House in Stevington, its garden

still lled with containers 23 years later.

Its impressive that Kathy has time to

plant up pots at all. Her husband Simon

handles the topiary and lawns in their

four and a half acre garden

when hes not doing his day job

as a judge, but Kathy manages

the rest of the garden by her-

self, hosting hundreds of visi-

tors a year during her regular

open days and tours as well as

running a garden design busi-

ness. With its wisteria walk,

art-themed gardens, formal

garden and arrays of clematis,

its an inspiration for even the

most lukewarm gardener.

Kathy started her working

life as a graduate at the Bank of

England, meeting Simon during

that time: one of her rst dates

with him was a visit to the

Chelsea Flower Show. She

was drawn into gardening as

a career after the birth of her

rst child. After meeting an-

other new mother, they joined

forces to set up Blooming

Boxes, a container gardening

business, hiring a van and

selling ready-planted pots to

the residents of Hampstead and

Highgate at the weekends while their hus-

bands pushed the babies around the park.

Next Kathy came up with the idea of

creating a container gardening book with

colour photos and plant combinationspresented like recipes. When Creative

Container Gardening came out in 1987

it was groundbreaking stuff to readers

used to seeing all their gardening books

illustrated in drab black and white. More

gardening books followed, covering ev-

erything from bulbs to edible owers, but

it is to containers that Kathy is returning

in her latest work, out next month.

Whether you have a big garden or a

tiny balcony, pots are a great way of

getting instant results, says Kathy. And

its not as much work as you may think.

You dont always have to be replant-

ing when I rst started writing I used to

say replant every three years but its all

jolly hard work and you get to the point

where a pot you cant go any bigger so

as long as it was looking good I just left

it. Kathy recommends ferns for pots

in shady spots, because theyre so easy

to look after and dont need replanting

very often hence the ferns in the butler

sink for a couple of decades. They last

through the winter until about Febru-

ary then you cut them down and the

new leaves unfurl in May. Nothing gets

them vine weevils, slugs nothing.

In the sunshine to the front of the house,

meanwhile, grasses and hardy succulents

make stunning displays. Kathys sense of

fun is in evidence everywhere, from the

outdoor desk thats home to a telephone

sprouting succulents (see picture) to the

table set for the Mad Hatters tea party in

the midst of the wildower meadow.

Kathys tips for container gardening

If you nd it a struggle to keep contain-

ers well watered, group them together

and keep them in easy reach of the hose

Or try Sempervivums, which are hardy

succulents that make great low-mainte-

nance plants that will grow anywhere

Keep several identical plastic pots lled

with plants that look good at different

times of year: keep whatevers looking

good on show, then swap for another

when it goes over

See the Guardian Weekend magazine on

August 6 for more pictures from Kathy

Browns garden.

Container Gardening by Kathy Brown is

published by The Crowood Press priced

9.99

For details of garden openings visit

kathybrownsgarden.com. You can also

follow her on Twitter

@poppingpoppies

Gardener extraordinaire of The Manor House InStevingtonchats to Jane Perrone

Photosby:ShaunArmstrong

Kathy Brown: Lady of The Manor

To visit Gwyn Williams furniture res-toration workshop in Chawston is to step

back in time to an era when hand-crafted

furniture was king, and Ikea a mere glint

in Swedens eye. Offering everything

from cabinet restoration to re-polishing,

gilding to lock repairs, Gwyn uses

traditional methods that have stood the

test of time.

Immaculately tidy with every conceiv-

able wood-working tool neatly in its

place, the workshop is testament to the

care and attention to detail that Gwyn

offers his customers. Step upstairs, and

you can see the fruits of his labour. The

showroom is full of beautifully renovated

antique furniture, all restored to its former

glory and waiting for a discerning cus-

tomer to give them a new home.

With over 20 years in the trade, Gwyn

began his career at 16 when he joined

the YTS scheme. Hands-on experience

and an apprenticeship with John Moore

(who the company is named for) followed

and on Johns death, Gwyn took over

the company, dedicated to continuing

the rms commitment to high-quality

craftsmanship.

We are a friendly, local business and

we welcome visitors to the workshop,

explains Gwyn. We can even source

furniture for our customers, so if theres

something particular youre after, get in

touch and well see what we can do.

So, if you have a table you want

polished, a cabinet in need of some TLC

or are looking for a piece of antique furni-

ture for your house, head up the A421 to

the Black Cat roundabout and follow the

signs to Chawston. Gwyn will be happy

to show you around and we guarantee

youll leave safe in the knowledge that

some trades are still alive and well and

thriving in Bedfordshire.

Gwyn Williams, J Moore Restoration,

College Farmhouse Workshops, Chaw-

ston Lane, Chawston, MK44 3BH

tel: 01480 406993

e: [email protected]

www.jmooreantiques.co.uk

Mon-Fri: 9am 4.30pm

J MOORERESTORATION


12/12

THEBEDFORDCLANGER

12Happy summer everyone!

A DRAWING A MONTH by David Litchfield

CHALLENGE DAVID

A BIG BEDFORD THANK YOUThe Bedford Clanger would not have

been possible without the quite excep-

tional talents of the following people:

Designer: Marisa Straccia

Photographer: Shaun Armstrongwww.mubsta.com

Contributors: Caryl Jones, Lloyd Lugs-

den,Jane Perrone, Gemma Hutton, David

Litcheld, Stephen Bywater, Dawn Giles,

Harry Cribbes, all our advertisers and list-

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