Category: Community (Warminster)

Topics about organisations and activities in Warminster.

Anthems For Disenchanted Youth Raised Cash For Cancer Research

“It was loud, brash and sometimes anarchic, but it was great punk and heavy rock,” writes Danny Howell, reviewing a gig at Warminster Assembly Rooms, during July 2004:

Four heavy rock bands – three from Warminster and one from Frome – played at Warminster Assembly Hall last Saturday evening, raising funds for Cancer Research UK.

Kicking off were No Manual Labour, a four-piece who have been together for just under a year, having all met at school. They are Kane Thomas on lead vocals and guitar, Tim Arnold on bass, Pete Holman on lead guitar, and Fabian Shingleton on drums. Their set of six self-composed songs combined heavy rock and blues, into a crash of Iron Maiden, Bad Religion and Eric Clapton.

Their opening number Kane Wilson lured the audience into the hall from outside, in time for the second song You Don’t Know with its question “Why do you always talk behind my back?” Then came the blues number, as yet untitled, with Arnold swapping bass guitar for the double bass, for an instrumental that started the first of the night’s head-banging. Then Tiny Penis, a song not about sexual inadequacy but dedicated to a person not particularly liked by the band (lead vocalist Kane Thomas went so far as to name the person in question when introducing the song). This led on to two more untitled pieces, and the set was all too quickly over.

Thomas afterwards admitted the gig hadn’t been one of the band’s best performances but said “We enjoyed it and we’ve got more gigs ahead of us, including one on Wednesday at Kingdown when we shall do a longer, 45 minute set, in front of a bigger audience.”

Next up were SRG, a hardcore punk cross metal rock band, heavily influenced by Strike Anywhere, Rise Against, Thought Riot punk and Iron Maiden, Three Inches Of Blood and Kill Switch Engage metal. SRG are Damian Milburn on lead vocals and bass, Jonny Randall on guitar and back-up vocals, Jake Hindley also on guitar, and Jon Rudin on drums. After their intro they ripped into five self-penned songs, beginning with Wake Up. During the second, A Song Of Defiance, Damian’s guitar strap broke but he persevered with the help of the audience front line, and on into These Dark Days with its haunting lyrics – “Asphyxiate on these black clouds we’ve created, Indoctrinate your hateful lies to each of us.” And on they rocked with Neglect Of A Nation, concluding with Unite As One Refuse Resist, threatening “We will fight back, We will not fall,” which was echoed by the worked-up crowd, chanting as one, until Rudin’s planned solo at the finish was brought to an abrupt halt when the drum kit collapsed!

After the gig Damian said “SRG were spot on. Jonny, Jon and Jake were amazing.”

The gig then turned to broken relationships with the third of the night’s bands – No More Heroes – namely Alex Makwana on lead guitar and vocals, Nathan Cable on bass guitar and vocals, and Kieran Thomas on drums and additional vocals. Nothing But The Truth was their opening and the first number on their just released 4 track cd single. Then came The Empty Feeling and Untitled, taking the crowd with them into Confusion, the heaviest song of their set.

“It started off cool I’m feeling so good, happy that I found someone but time has changed, good and bad, I feel as if I’m losing my mind,” laments Alex as he recalls a girlfriend he says prevented NMH from progressing. But progress they have, this being their first gig since January, and Let’s Forget and Lost Love, two more of the band’s compositions took them to their cover of the Clash’s White Riot, but only when they had cajoled Mia Roman-Burgess to do the vocals. A friend of the band and the former singer with Viscious Mullet, Mia had to be dragged to the microphone, before bringing NMH’s set to its 70s revisited punk finale.

With the Warminster bands over, the headliners, Baysix, from Frome, were on. Unfortunately for Tom Dimery, guitar and vocals, Rich Dimery, bass, Joel Peat, guitar, and TK, drums, the crowd had diminished, which prompted Tom to quip “There’s less people here because the mums and dads of the other bands have gone home!”

Baysix, influenced by Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front and Madball, stormed fast and furious through about a dozen numbers including Five On One, Nine Till Five, This Time, Take It Back, Time To Do This Right, and Wipe Away The Scars, as well as other tracks from their debut cd album Death By Misadventure, which was recorded at Product 23 Studio near Frome and was released on 22nd March.

Rich Dimery tripped over during the set but unabashed he continued playing, while led on his back on the floor, his head against TK’s drum kit. He soon got back up on his feet though and continued as manic as ever. Baysix bowed out with Broke Me Not and Insecurities, again from their album which Metal Hammer has described as “dashing between Screamo and Hardcore.”

Ten o’clock came, the gig was over, and it was time for Darren Smith, from Salisbury, the proprietor of Bumblebee Promotions, to count up the money and consider the night’s show. He said “The crowd was small, and a small crowd in a large hall doesn’t make an atmosphere, but it’s turned out well. This is the first time I’ve done this in Warminster and it’s made a profit. At least £150, probably more, has been made for Cancer Research UK, which is excellent. There are some gigs we put on and they lose money. We were fortunate tonight because Warminster Town Council assisted us financially with the use of the hall. They’ve been very good about this. I can’t thank them enough for their help.”

Kentwood Choir Made Giovanni Speechless

Danny Howell wrote the following review of the Kentwood Choir’s recital at Warminster in July 2004:

An audience of over one hundred people enjoyed Songs From The Shows, a recital by the Kentwood Choir from Swindon, at Kingdown Community School last Friday evening.

Organised by Warminster Rotary Club and compered by Edward Barrett, it was a fundraiser for the Lakeside Centre, and the choir sang over a dozen pieces, under the leadership of their Musical Director Sheila Harrod BEM.

Sheila was very bubbly and imparted much information about the Choir and the songs. Her personality added a great deal to the evening, especially when she took time out to talk to individuals in the audience. When she discovered Bill Gowen was celebrating his 87th birthday, she asked the Choir to sing Happy Birthday to him in his chosen style of music – rock and roll!

Another cause for celebration was the Golden Wedding Anniversary the next day of Michael and Janet Swann from Sutton Veny. Sheila invited them “to have a twirl,” and they duly obliged by dancing in front of the stage while the Anniversary Waltz was played.

Dressed all in blue for the first part of the show, the Choir was made up of 21 ladies and 4 men (a quarter of the full choir), and the musical accompaniment was provided by Geoff Walters (piano), Steve Wiltshire (bass), and Paul Ashman (drums).

There were two solo pieces during the opening set. Graham Davison-Smith sang, with great feeling, If I Can’t Love Her, from Beauty And The Beast, while Clarry Bean gave his interpretation of Elton John’s Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.

Unfortunately, not all of Clarry’s vocal was audible, thanks to a piano (not the pianist) being rather over-powering and temperamental. Even Sheila Harrod had to admit that “the piano needs a hospital,” and the situation was rectified during the interval when the piano was turned around, to face away from the audience, and was softened by having a blanket draped over it.

For the second part of the show, the choir dressed in black and white, and there were two more solo pieces. Karin Balfe sang Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, which was very well received, and Kathy Hobson kept the audience spellbound with Amazing Grace. All the solo pieces were projected without the use of a microphone.

Other highlights of the evening included a hymn by John Rutter, and a song written by Bob Chilcott, the former King Singers’ tenor. Bob’s composition Can You Hear Me had been written to include sign language for the hard of hearing. The Choir had all been taught sign language and it was a joy to watch them “singing the words with their hands.”

For a finale the Choir chose Alexander’s Ragtime Band, a guaranteed show-stopper, and the audience showed their appreciation with long and loud applause.

Giovanni Brandini, the President of Warminster Rotary Club, gave a vote of thanks, remarking that the Choir had left him speechless but he went on to say that the Choir had indeed been truly marvellous.”

Kingdown School Students Taking Their Bicycles To China

Saturday 24th July 2004

Over 20 students from Kingdown Community College, Warminster, are going to China in August 2004 as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Not only is it the first time China has been chosen as a destination in the scheme, it will be the first time anyone has involved bicycles.

The students, who are aged 17 to 19, won’t be cycling there and back though! They will go by plane, via Paris, and of the two weeks in China, five days will be dedicated to cycling and camping under canvas.

They will be accompanied by three members of staff, namely Sarah Jackson, Annette Storm and Nick Trimby. The cost of the jaunt has been met largely by home-grown fundraising such as cake stalls and bingo nights at the school.

To gain experience, each student has had to spend two out of three organised weekends cycling and camping but not quite so far away. Tilshead and the New Forest have been the closer-to-home places they have been to.

All the students are looking forward to the real thing though. It will turn out to be the longest distance any of them will have travelled and the trip is sure to instill memories that will last a lifetime.

Our photo shows some of the students who are going to China for a cycling sojourn. They are pictured outside the main entrance to Kingdown Community College, prior to cycling to Tilshead for a camping weekend to gain experience in preparation for the real thing in the summer. Among the two-wheelers are Sarah Jackson and Annette Storm (adult leaders), Emma Palmer, Poppy Shingleton, Alex Boxley, Robert Stacey, Thierry Davies, Jack Woods, Jamie Robbins, Simone Giles and Danielle Giles.

Report and Photograph by Danny Howell.

Cider And Real Ales Continue At The Fox And Hounds

Tuesday 20 July 2004

New Landlords At The Fox And Hounds

The Fox And Hounds public house at Deverill Road, Warminster, changed hands on 29th June 2004. The new landlords are Chris and Marion Pitcher, who are no strangers to the licensed trade.

Chris is originally from Bristol, and Marion hails from Bishop Sutton, but both have lived in Warminster for the last three years. They were “mine hosts’ at the Pelican, at Stapleford, in the Wylye Valley for 11 years, up until 2001.

In the intervening period since then Chris has ran a greeting cards franchise, called Card Connection, but has now sold this. He says the card business was based in Bournemouth, which meant a lot of travelling, hence the move back into the pub world closer to home.

He said “When we came to live in Warminster, we made the Fox and Hounds our “local’ and it’s through this we met the landlord Gary Searle and were able recently to take over the reins from him.”

Gary, who was originally from Frome, and a former pupil of Frome Grammar School, has stood down for health reasons. He had been at the Fox and Hounds for 18 and a half years, making him at the time, the longest serving landlord in Warminster. He, being rather sociable, guaranteed a friendly welcome at the pub, hence its long-established homely atmosphere.

Chris and Marion have no plans to change the ambience of the Fox Hounds, which has been a drinker’s pub on Boot Hill, serving both Warminster Common and the town, for over a century. It began life as a beer-house and is known to have been in existence in 1899.

There is, however, a need now to refurbish the premises, which include a snug lounge, a public bar, and a pool room (with two pool tables), but only so far as a lick of paint and a general sprucing up. They will not be altering the interior in any major way, preferring not to make it into a theme pub which many of the big companies have done recently with their properties. “That would be a big mistake,” says Chris.

Everything will remain exactly as before, including the traditional darts and pool teams which play in the local leagues. Also staying are the two bar staff: Sue Tymms and Heather McMillan, who will continue to serve the old familiar faces as well as new customers. Among the current regulars is the Mayor of Warminster, Martin Baker.

The Fox And Hounds is a free house, and is known for its cider-drinking clientele, whose favourite tipple is Rich’s cider from Somerset. This will continue, but Chris, who is a real ale drinker, is going to add a range of real ales, which the customers have also said they want. Bass was already available, and during their first week at the helm Chris and Marion introduced London Pride and Ringwood Best, and more real ales will be stocked in the near future.

When they were at the Pelican, the couple became famed for the delicious meals they provided but they have no plans to introduce food just yet at the Fox And Hounds. “It’s essentially a drinkers’ pub and we are going to keep it that way,” said Marion. “But the kitchen is due for refurbishment, so who knows, we might do some food for special occasions later on, but we’ll have to see.”

Chris and Marion have two children: Andrew, 18, who is currently working as a commis chef at Center Parcs, Longleat, prior to continuing his education at university; and Claire, 16, who has just finished her GCSEs and is going on to Bath University to do her A Levels.

Report by Danny Howell.

New hands. New landlords Marion and Chris Pitcher behind the bar in the snug lounge at the Fox and Hounds, Warminster. Photograph by Danny Howell.

(fox535)

Four Track CD Single From Warminster Band No More Heroes

Tuesday 20th July 2004

Warminster punksters No More Heroes (NMH) have just released a four track cd single. Recorded at Glasstone Studios, Bath, and produced by Gregg Brooker and the band, the tracks are all self-penned numbers.

No More Heroes are Alex Makwana on lead vocals and guitar, Nathan Cable on bass and vocals, and Kieran Thomas on drums and additional vocals. They have been together as a band for about 8 months and Kieran was formerly the drummer with Vicious Mullet.

NMH are influenced by Pennywise, Bad Religion and The Offspring, and the tracks on the cd all deal with broken relationships. The opener, Nothing But The Truth, features the lyrics “Let’s not argue anymore, What’s the use of that? This is the last time, I mean it,” and set the scene for The Empty Feeling, which runs at a faster pace but still has similar sentiments: “Should I have the courage to tell you how I feel?”

Track three is ironically called Untitled, and the questions continue with “Why did you leave me, it was going so well,” and What have I done to deserve this?” No wonder then the final track is called Lost Love, which starts with a lilting guitar riff but no sooner started becomes a punk anthem, building up as it progresses.

The music is good, the cover artwork and details minimal, but the cd is amazingly good value at just £1.50. Copies may be obtained by phoning 01985 218325 or 01985 211664.

Down Under Poetry Combined Humour, Anguish And Observation

Thursday 15th July 2004

Danny Howell writes:

It’s a long way from Australia to England, but Mick Leigh who originally comes from Port McQuarie in New South Wales, made himself very much at home in Warminster last Thursday evening, when he was the special guest at Posh Cups And Poetry, a social event held in Harridges Coffee Lounge, off the south side of the Market Place, Warminster.

Organised by Janet Trott, on behalf of Christ Church, Warminster, the evening featured poems chosen from seven of Mick’s published collections. A buffet was provided in between two sessions which were attended by over 30 churchgoers.

Janet said “Christ Church is closed at the moment, while major refurbishment is being carried out, and we are holding our services elsewhere, and I felt the congregation needed a social occasion to bring us back together. I had heard Mick giving a poetry reading at Warminster Library, about 18 months ago, and I thought he would be ideal for this.”

Ideal he certainly was, as his relaxed style and down-to-earth philosophy reflected the tone and inspiration of his poetry. He began by reading two children’s poems, A Nip In Time and Wally’s Birthday, which being rather funny, got the evening off to a good start with lots of laughter.

He continued with a poem about Ayers Rock, and then Meetings, which was followed by Albatross.

In between reading the verses, Mick took time to explain how he always carries a notepad with him, in which he jots down ideas when he gets the muse of inspiration. He said “I write short, sharp things on the spur of the moment. When someone upsets me I usually end up writing a poem about them. Sometimes I write a complete poem in its final format straight away but other times I write something and it looks clumsy so I refine it and it changes.”

Mick has been writing poetry for the last ten to fifteen years but previously had a whole string of different jobs including truck driving and teaching.

A keen conservationist, he has spent most of his life in the Australian outback, writing verses about the animals that live there, usually in a humorous way, especially for children. These particular verses include Maurice The Mozzie, Joe Blake The Snake, and Wally The Wallaby.

The second half of the Posh Cups And Poetry evening began with a member of the audience, David Martin, reading Ginger Beer, at Mick’s request. A reference in the poem to breaking wind, caused much laughter and everyone listened intensely as Mick explained the joy of language and how playing about with words can be such fun.

A very topical poem, about contrasting lifestyles, brought home the current crisis in the Sudan, with its haunting words: “Woman in the desert, suffering silently, if I was a rich man I’d rather be with you.”

This was followed by a poem about anguish – “love lost is a sharp knife.” Mick said “It’s about that wretched thing called love. I fall in and out of love all the time but I don’t know why I bother. I’m super sensitive.”

The session continued with three very different poems. The first was about a wedding bouquet he found thrown in a dustbin, the second was Will You Come To My Funeral, and the third was Night Forest, which took a long time to write, and refers to the “scurry hurry badger” and “the sigh of a falling star.”

To end the evening he read a rap-like poem about emails which was entirely made up of computer jargon, and Language Please which featured the wonders of Australian slang.

Mick Leigh now lives at Winsley, near Bradford On Avon. His latest anthology, The Big Book Of Bonza Poems, is published by the London Press, and features 47 rhyming works, with illustrations by an aboriginal artist.

If you want to know more about Mick Leigh and his poetry, check out his website: www.mickleigh.com

Mick Leigh reading his verses at the
Posh Cups And Poetry evening held at
Harridges Coffee Lounge last Thursday.

Photograph taken by Danny Howell.

Grass Set On Fire By Children At Sambourne Road, Warminster

Danny Howell writes:

Children set light to the grass on the high bank, on the eastern side of Sambourne Road, Warminster, on the afternoon of Monday 12th July 2004. An open space (with the old name Beds Feet) adjacent to the scene is often frequented by youngsters and is a well-known area for litter and graffiti. After running away from the fire the children returned to try and put it out, but panicked when they were unable to, and they ran away again. Warminster Fire Brigade successfully dealt with the situation at 4.00 p.m. They are asking children to heed the danger of playing with matches, even when long grass is damp due to the showery weather.

Car On Fire At The Dene, Warminster

Danny Howell writes:

Warminster Fire Brigade was called out at 3.00 a.m. on Saturday 10th July 2004, to a car on fire at the Dene, Warminster. The car, a diesel Ford Escort, was situated on the driveway to a house. A wooden fence was also damaged. One fire engine attended and two hose reels were deployed. Two of the fire-fighters had to wear breathing apparatus, and the Fire Brigade was in attendance for one hour. Police are investigating the cause of the blaze.

The No.1 British And Commonwealth Weightlifter Opened Codford School Fete In 2004

Danny Howell went along to meet him and discover more.

Eight times British and English weightlifting champion, Karl Grant, opened Codford School Fete, on Saturday 10th July 2004, when a demonstration he gave proved popular with the crowd, especially the children.

Karl (34) holds four British records and is currently rated No.1 British and Commonwealth heavyweight weightlifter. He has twice won bronze medals in the Commonwealth Games: in Kuala Lumpar in 1998 and Manchester in 2002. He is Team Captain for the British Weightlifting Squad and hopes to qualify for the next Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Melbourne in 2006.

Karl has a military background and has travelled about quite a lot before settling at Hanging Langford in the Wylye Valley. He is married to Sarah and has two children, Abbie (8) and Jade (2). He owns two health clubs, one in Luton (where he originally comes from) and one in Canterbury.

Karl is currently training four times a week, in two hour sessions, but as the Games approach he will build up to 12 times or more a week. He has no trainer but is quick to point out he has a Degree in Sports Science and is himself a qualified coach. He writes his own programmes and also those for the rest of the British squad. He says his career has been virtually injury free. except for breaking a vertebra, in 1986, and he was able to carry on as usual after it was treated.

When asked if retirement would be soon approaching, Karl said: “After Melbourne I think that will be it. When you get to 30 you’re pushing retirement and by 2006 I shall be 36. I then intend to go back to judo, which I did before but gave up in case minor injuries interrupted my weightlifting.”

He added: “I would also like to offer my services to other sports, like rugby, showing rugby players, not how to play rugby, but how to put their strength to good use. I’ve also got plans to open another gym club, in Salisbury this time, where I can bring weightlifting skills to local people who are doing health and fitness training.”

Weightlifting Champion Karl Grant lifts 160kg at Codford School Fete, Saturday 10th July 2004.

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