-

Kicking off 2015 with a bang made from a mix of

blue-screen, live-action and Ray Harryhausen

style Claymation, is the inaugural, and hopefully

first of many, Beeston Film Festival. Good friends

of the Beestonian, OXJAM organiser and web

designer James Hall and local film producer John

Currie have been working ruddy hard to bring

this to Beeston over the last year. They’ve

trawled through over 40 hours of film from 150

filmmakers all over the world.

John said “It is going to be wonderful to have a

film festival on our doorstep; people in Beeston

and the wider Nottingham area will be able to

come along and enjoy the wonders of local and

international film. As a film lover, I’m thrilled that

we’re able to do this.”

We think it’s fair to say that it was our good

influence that has helped bring this brilliant event

to Beeston. It was during Lord Beestonia’s own

Café Roya Film Club that he introduced James

and John, setting in motion that year of hard

work. That being said, we can’t take too much

credit, as our own film “Beestonia: The

Movie” is opening the festival and we don’t

want to be accused of nepotism.

The festival will be held at White Lion Bar &

Kitchen, kicking off at 13:00 on Saturday 24th

January and will conclude on Sunday 25th at

22:30 treating Beeston to some of the best

independent short films. If you want to come

along, and we highly recommend you do, you

can see the full festival schedule and buy tickets,

priced at £4 for adult and £3 for students per

day, on their website;

www.beestonfilmfestival.com.

Christian Fox

Reelin’ them in since 2011

BeestonianThe

Issue no.

34

FestivalThe

BeestonFilm

had the pleasure of meeting this issue’s Bestonian, Martyn Poliakoff,

two months ago at a celebration for the 100th Birthday of noted scientist

Professor Dan Eley. The first thing you discover upon meeting Martyn,

I’m slightly hesitant to say, is that he is absolutely brilliant in every way.

From the fact that he resembles a mad professor with his shock of white hair

like a cumulous cloud around his head and thick bottle rim glasses, to his

quite ingenious mind – Martyn’s scientific career has spanned decades and

focussed on gaining insights into fundamental chemistry and on developing

environmentally acceptable processes and materials – to finally his

completely viral mass appeal – Martyn is the narrator of the wildly

successful Youtube series The Periodic Table of Videos which are widely

regarded as entertaining, educational and delightfully funny.

Professor Poliakoff has a long

history with Beeston as well.

He’s been an active member

of Beeston Continuum since

its inception and he’s always

popping up in science related

articles in the Beestonian as

well.

To think that such a great

mind came from Cambridge,

where he was born and

studied, and decided to come

to Beeston (admittedly he

came to Nottingham

University, but hey) says as

much about the greatness of

this town as it does him.

Martyn is a real asset to this

community and someone of

whom we all should be proud.

So it really doesn’t come as any surprise then that after being knighted

knighthood for his contributions to chemical science in January who

should receive the even higher honour of being named Issue 34’s

Bestonian? Of course it is Martyn Poliakoff. I genuinely can’t think of

anyone more deserving of such recognition.

Poliakoff issued a video statement about his knighthood, so surely it

follows that we’ll not be waiting long for a video acknowledging his new

honour as well. Well done Sir, or should I say… Sir.

CF

Lord B adds: congratulations Sir Martyn. Glad to see your work with

Beeston hasd been recognised, although Christian seems to believe it’s

something to do with your day-job. Whatever. Arise!

ou may not immediately

consider Nottingham a

‘sporting’ university. In a recent

Which? University survey for ‘top sporty

unis’, Nottingham didn’t even make the

top 12. But think again. Our pedigree is

much stronger than you realise.

The university has had top 10 finishes in the national British Universities

and Colleges Sport leagues for twenty consecutive years plus the highest

number of teams of any UK university. Remember the London 2012

Olympics? Well, Olympians among our graduates include Timothy Baillie

and Etienne Stott who won Gold in men’s canoeing, and other medallists

in hockey and rowing. If you were paying attention you’d have seen the

university was ranked 7th for sport in The Times Good University Guide

2014.

And all of this is for good reason. Nottingham offers over 70 student

sports clubs alongside an all-inclusive membership programme with

unlimited facility and fitness centre access, firmly following the ethos of

‘sport for all’. Whilst the university might not currently have the wide

reputation for sporting achievement it deserves, a new £40m state of the

art David Ross Sports Village, opening late 2016, should change all of

that.

The new complex will incorporate existing sports centre while adding an

array of modern facilities, including a 200-station fitness suite, two huge

sports halls, an indoor sprint track, a climbing wall and an all-glass squash

court. Dan Tilley, Director of Sport said: “The investment is part of our

ambition to create an outstanding, inspirational and accessible sports

infrastructure for all. We want to encourage people of all abilities to get

involved in sport and activity, with the chance to train alongside some of

the country’s leading athletes”.

Many of the new facilities have never previously been available at the

University, and at three times the size of the current centre, the lively and

inclusive environment of the Sports Village should increase participation

in sports at all levels and provide the support people need to develop and

excel, from casual players to elite athletes.

Construction of the new facility is due to commence March 2015 and

expected to be ready for the 2016-17 academic year, and is generously

supported by Nottingham Law alumnus David Ross.

For more information or to get involved with fundraising, visit

www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport

Guest Contributor, Lee Chrimes

BESTonian:

Martyn Poliakoff

I YConstruction of

the new facility is due

to commence March

2015 and expected to

be ready for the

2016-17

The University of

Beestonia

should hate Chris Packham, I really should. The guy is

handsome and incredibly well-preserved for his age, has

a dream job, and is love and admired by legions of

women, men, and most pertinently, my wife. She

suddenly decides that she must accompany me to meet him

when he comes to Beeston, after my scheduled reporting

partner drops out. I at first find this strange; she never seems that

keen to accompany me when I go off on jobs such as spending a day at

Rylands sewage treatment works. I then remember that the coiffed telly

naturalist has an effect on some that makes them want to spy on him with

binoculars, fervently taking notes of his behaviour.

The event is ran by Beeston Wildlife group, whose very own Mike Spencer

writes a column in these pages. It’s the second time they’ve lured Chris up

to give a talk, something of a coup for a relatively small group like BWG.

Yet he arrives full of smiles, and we grab him for a few questions before he

gives the talk. We asked our Facebook group to supply us with questions:

Broxtowe Borough Council’s crest has on it bears, bees and badgers.

Could you put them in order of preference? (Caroline, Beeston):

Well, it would have to be badgers first. They are much maligned

and I am in vehemently opposed to the badger cull: it is a

stupid, short –sighted thing. They are our largest wild

carnivores in the UK, and wonderful creatures with a

complex social life. Bees – bumblebees especially - are

also under attack from colony collapse and

neonicotinoids (a group of agricultural pesticides which

have been strongly linked to bee deaths, banned in many

countries but not in the UK) and need all the support we

can give them. Bears? Well, I don’t think many people in

Beeston would be too happy with one of those strolling

through the town at night. They’re best left on the crest.

Will you marry me (many, many people. Possibly including my wife)?

(Blushes slightly) I’m keen to remain unmarried, it would too much of an ….a,

well an incumberance such of that wouldn’t be good right now. But thank

them anyway!

Honking Geese flying overhead never fail to stop me in my tracks, look

up and smile like a loon. Apart from Always Being Right, what

occurrence in nature makes you stop and smile (Tamar, Beeston) ?

It’s anything. I always enjoy the everyday things you typically overlook. If you

travel somewhere and go away for the weekend to the coast to watch birds,

it’s like going to an art-gallery: you know you’re going to see birds. But if you

stumble out in the

morning, absent

mindedly heading

somewhere, and you

see something that

may be there every day

bit doing something

remarkable, then that’s something I

enjoy a lot more. I have tawny owls

near me, and at the moment they

are displaying, so every night I hear

them going crazy at each other in

the garden each night. It’s a call I’ve

been hearing all of my life but I turn

the tv off, and sit by the window

listening to this frenetic tawny owl

calling…I just really love hearing that sound. The geese flying overhead is

another, I agree: it is so unexpected when it happens.

Do you believe in bringing back mammoths by cloning (Edward Jenkins)?

No. I’m fascinated by the science but no is the answer. It would be

trying to get an animal back that has long been extinct, and we

should be spending that effort in trying to stop the animals

we have from going extinct.. Otherwise we’ll have to spend

a lot more money and effort bringing what we have now

back from extinction in the future.

Chris then gives a fascinating, highly amusing, utterly

compelling talk to the full Pearson Centre. His passion

for nature is unbound, and his calls to get kids out in the

countryside; to spend more time considering the beauty we

have; and the way we should ‘re-wild’ the UK by introducing

lost carnivores such as wolves makes you want to strap on a pair

of all-weather boots and get hitting the muddy paths. It finishes, bizarrely,

with slides detailing his pet poodles poo habits, which have the audience

in scatological stitches. A great evening, and credit to BWG for organising

it.

While I think it is premature to rename our local gem ‘Packham Nature

Reserve’, Packham does follow in David Attenborough’s footsteps as a

great communicator of nature and conservation; and a passionate

advocate of that simple, free pleasure: getting out in nature. Get out there:

a Really Wild time awaits.

LB

ILord Beestonia

submits your

questions to Chris

Packham...

Packham 'em in

Bears? Well, I don’t

think many people in

Beeston would be too

happy with one of those

strolling through the

town at night.

o one can have failed to have noticed

the sudden rise in popularity of cycling

in all its forms, as both a sport and

leisure activity. It cannot be a coincidence that

this rise began shortly after Bradley Wiggins

stunning win of the 2012 Tour De France. But,

as they say, for cycling in Britain, ‘the best was

yet to come!’

The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics,

saw the greatest ever success for

Team G.B. Who can forget Sir

Christopher (Chris) Hoy’s

dominance in the Velodrome?

The names of the medal

winners, both male and female

have rightly passed into history

and their golden legacy is to be

treasured.

In all sports the success of current athletes can

only be built upon the generations who have

gone before! For cycling, there is one man’s

name that should be written large across the

page: Raymond (Ray) Charles Booty, a.k.a. ‘The

Boot’.

Ray was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, the son of a

Ministry of Transport vehicle examiner. The

family moved to Peterborough and then, when

Ray was 15, to Stapleford. On leaving school the

following year, Ray joined Ericsson's, the

electronics firm, whose headquarters were in

Beeston. He studied for his higher national

diploma. A neighbour got him interested in

riding a bike seriously, and it was in the colours

of Beeston's Ericsson Wheelers Cycling Club that

he rode to his great time-trial victories.

It is said that Ray achieved for road cycling what

Sir Roger Bannister did for track-running, - as

Bannister broke the 4 minute mile record, - Ray

broke the 100 miles in 4 hours record.

Ray was a ‘road cyclist,’ who began competing

in events for the Army Cycling Union during his

time in the army and later for Ericsson’s

Wheelers Club. Ray proved himself a ‘born’ road

cyclist and endurance rider. He held ‘The Season

Long, - Best All-Rounder,’ title three times

between 1953 and 1957, given for average

speeds of 50 m.p.h. over 100 miles.

In 1954 Ray won the Manx International Road

Race and in 1958, a Gold Medal in The British

and Commonwealth Games, Road Race in

Cardiff. However, Ray’s best achievements

came in ‘time trials’ and endurance.

Between 1954 and 1958, Ray competed in the

12 Hours Championships, - distance covered in

12 hrs. Ray won the Championship every

year and twice set the record, - 1956,

= 265.66 miles and 1958, = 266

miles.

Ray competed in the 100 miles

National Championship

between 1954 -1959 and again

was Champion for the

whole period. He first set

the record in 1955 with a

time of 4hrs. 4mins. 30secs.,

braking this in 1956 with a time of

4hrs. 1min. 52secs.

On a blazing hot August Bank

Holiday Monday, - 6th Aug. 1956, - Ray

entered The Bath Road event. This was a time

trial ‘out and back’ over a distance of 100 miles.

The course was from Reading, - through Theale,

Pangbourne, Wallingford, Shillingford and

Abingdon, returning to Reading via the A4. He

had already cycled from Nottingham the day-

before to take part in the event.

The ‘Boot’ completed the course in an amazing

time of 3hrs. 58mins. 28secs., beating the future

professional rider Stan Brittain by 12 mins.

With the Bath Road event, Ray had broken the

elusive 4 hour barrier. Modern cycling athletes

ride purpose built light-weight cycles, - Ray

achieved his records ridding a Raleigh bicycle

with an 84 inch fixed gear.

On the 3rd Sept. the same year ‘The Flying Boot’

had his chance to beat his 4 hour record. This

time he was competing under Road Record

Association Rules. This is a ‘straight-out’ 100 mile

trial, which allows competitors to take advantage

of tail winds and gradient drop. Ray had also

changed his cycle for a machine with

Sturmly Archer hub gears. Ray

completed the course in a time of 3

hrs. 28 mins. 40 secs., - a record

which was to stand for 34 years

until it was beaten by Ian

Cammish.

Sadly, Ray died on the 25th Aug. 2012.

Yet his legacy lives on. The next time you

peddle down the road, think of the

achievements of Raymond Charles Booty, the

Flying Boot!

JE

‘It is said that

Ray achieved for

road cycling what Sir

Roger Bannister did

for track-running’

Ray Booty.

Photograph Credit: Cycling Weekly Cycling Weekly/Cycling Weekly

N

The ‘Flying’ Boot

‘...a record

which was to

stand for 34

years’

Robert Howard, responsible for the excellent bit of cartography below,

has recently returned from several decade exile in Lenton, and

presented us with this map as he did. He also has started a rather

fascinating, and highly knowledgeable weekly blog about Beeston life

which you can find at http://beestonweek.blogspot.co.uk/. The map

below is a work in progress: Beeston is always in a state of flux: the

map will reflect that. If you have any suggestions, let us know at the

contact details on the back page.

Special Offer: 2 kebabs + 2 glasses of house wine or soft drink

all for just £24.90!(Available from Mon – Thursday until End Feb)

Takeaway service available.Yianni Restaurant, 132 Wollaton Road, Beeston, Notts, NG9 2PE

Tel: 01159229475www.yiannisgreekrestaurant.co.uk/yiannis-beeston

SportingBeeston

years ago, if someone tried to tell me what’s so special about

“running ” I’d have probably scoffed and said in a surly voice;

“yeah right – Can’t think of anything worse”! These days however

I’m one of those smug people who might actually come out with an

irritating sentence like that, because there IS something special about

running.

This is evident every Saturday at 8:50am, where a huge crowd of people

eagerly making their way along the canal and over the bridges to the weir

fields at the edge of our wonderful Beeston Rylands.

They’re a mixture of ages, abilities and sizes: the fluorescently clad,

seasoned runners displaying marathon achievements on t-shirts or local

club, mothers and fathers pushing children in buggies about to witness

Beeston’s countryside at considerable speed; and rather more surprisingly,

those attached by a contraption at their waist to a very lively looking dog.

They are not alone. This scene is replicated around the country as athletes

(though many will not refer to themselves as such), are making their way

to 299 different locations across the UK, (and 4 in Denmark) at the same

time every week to run 5km in timed conditions. From Inverness to

Plymouth, and Cork to Braband (Wikipedia it!) the Parkrun location map

is full of yellow links to a local, weekly event.

Like at any other, Beeston Parkrun includes all kinds of people, runners

accommodating a vast appetite (my category - another Mars bar, Tim?)

people who simply find running a less unpleasant exercise at 30 than they

did aged 13 under duress (and possibly in skin tight Morley’s gym knickers

at Bramcote Hills Comp– I fit in this one too); people who run to keep their

blood pressure down / keep their body conditioned / help lift their mood;

people who run seriously and competitively; and a friend of mine who

having joined Park Run and other sporting events in his fifties has now gone

on to compete in World Championships for his age group… all for fun and

all completely unexpected. Everyone is welcome and everyone fits in.

The fourth location in Nottingham, Beeston Parkrun has been running

since since April last year amd clearly has a market: its first ever event

attracted 302 people.

In those 8 months in 2014 1890 different runners attended Beeston

Parkrun events and not just from Nottingham. People from all over the

country - and indeed the world - have visited Beeston because of Parkrun.

“Tourists” from London, Scotland, Paris, Italy, Brisbane and many more

who are friends staying with local Parkrunners, Couchsurfers passing

through, and even some crazies who have set themselves a personal

challenge to attend EVERY Parkrun venue and have simply reached

Beeston on their list.

4Parkrun

Beeston also held a New Year’s day Parkrun event to kick off 2015,

amazingly attended by a crowd of 170 runners braving what was left of the

ice and snow.

A Not-For-Profit Organisation, where funding comes from sponsorship and

donations, sponsors PruHealth and Sweatshop must see benefits from their

association with such a popular community.

Now while I can’t say that every Saturday morning I jump out of bed at

8am full of joy, what with Saturday morning always comes after a Friday

night, but if I don’t go, I do miss it. Because part of what makes running

special is the feeling you get from being part of a community, knowing

that every week on a Saturday there is a place for me to go to at 9am. I’ll

probably talk to someone new, catch up with friends over a coffee and pay

my regards to Tony at the Riverside Café, and if I’m really lucky I might

achieve something I didn’t believe my body could or would ever do

(though breaking the 27 minutes eludes me).

At its best Parkrun will leave you feeling exhilarated, among friends and, if

you’re like me wanting to “high five” everyone you see on route, and at

its worst… well it’s pretty much the same!

MH

love walking. I find it better than other

exercise because it’s the only one, apart

from cycling, that I think can actually be a

means to an end. I walk from one place to

another; to the city centre, to visit friends and

family. Walking has a point. Well the other day

I was chatting to Julie Burniston, who told me

about Nordic Walking, which doesn’t

have just one point. It has two! Nordic

Walking, she told me is “the action of

normal walking with poles which push you

and help you to walk further and faster.” Not

just that, it also gets rid of 40% more calories

than normal walking. “It’s kind of the midway

between walking and running,” Julie told me.

The history of the sport is a strange one. Begun in

Finland in the 1930’s, Julie explained, it was

developed by skiers who wished to carry on their

training during the summer months. She tells me

that it’s simply a great all-round work-out, good

for everything from your heart to your posture.

Well, I’m sold. And I think you should be too. If

you start Nordic walking today, you can get in

training for the next British Nordic Walking

challenge at Wollaton Park on the 17th of May.

The only downside to competitive Nordic

Walking is you can’t slow other people down

by hitting them with your poles.

Julie hosts classes every Thursday at 10:30AM

and 7:00PM. Classes meet in the carpark,

before proceeding to Nordic walk around

Bramcote Park. Inductions and classes are £5

per person and poles are provided!

Facebook.com/nottsnordicwalking

enquiries@julietodd.co.uk

CF

INordic Walking

here are a lot of people writing about sport in this

issue. I’m guessing that’s because it is a New Year and

(if the media and advertising are to be believed) everyone’s

thoughts have turned to “a new me”, diets and exercise. Plus Beeston has

a new fitness club too – so yay, there’s a “sports and exercise issue.”

I’m aware of the health benefits of exercise but seriously, if you have to jog,

pump iron or do a gazillion sit-ups in 90 minutes to work off the calories

provided by a Mars Bar then surely a better idea is just not to eat the

damned thing in the first place and spend that hour and a half doing

something that’s actually fun? Y’know, like reading, watching a good

movie, painting some miniature war-games figures or shooting some

computer-generated bad guys?

Sport too, for me, is mind-numbingly dull. I never got into team games due in

large part to my dreadful eyesight and not being allowed to wear glasses during

PE at school. I wandered around myopically, unable to see a thing until the ball

hit me, or I was knocked over by some lumbering hulk I didn’t see coming. Well,

that and I much preferred reading, chess and war-gaming and could never

understand why “games” lessons couldn’t encompass thoughtful indoor games

rather than just pointlessly running around in shorts on frozen grass in the rain.

To this day I have no interest in football, athletics, cricket, the Commonwealth,

or Olympic Games. You name a “popular” mass hog of TV schedules and I really,

really can’t be bothered to feign interest in it. I still feel slightly out-of-kilter with

most of society for not supporting “a team”, but it just seems that most people

get far too excited by other people running, jumping and kicking a ball around,

driving/riding round in circles or trying to swim a bit faster than the next person.

That said, Sal runs. She does a weekly park run and loves it,

even if it’s icy, wet, cold and miserable. It’s incomprehensible

to me (although I’m genuinely chuffed when she beats her

personal best or gets close to it) but then again she feels much the same

about me playing with little model spaceships, samurai or Zulus.

And in the interests of full disclosure I should admit I do have one, single,

lonely annual concession to “being a bloke” and watching a sporting event

on TV - the American Super bowl. Just the Super bowl mind you, never

regular season games and always with beer, plenty of snack food/ I believe

that American Football isn’t really a sport with “ebb and flow” anyway,

but actually a turn-based tactical war-game. The attackers and defenders

line up their troops, and then take a “turn” to see if they can get further up

the field. If they do, they get another go, if not the other side does. I can

relate to that (and the long ad-breaks, great for more snacks, nipping to the

loo or posting something on Facebook).

But here’s the weird thing. Last year as Robin Hood I really enjoyed being

very involved in the cycling Milk Race in the Market Square (they even

got me on an exercise bike to promote it), and the “Big Wheel” Cycling

event at the Embankment. I also loved the National Archery

Championships at Wollaton Hall where I was brought out as “guest coach”

by the phenomenal and genuinely inspirational American armless archer

(yes, truly; he’s called Matt Stutzman, look him up on the ‘net). And this

week I’m going to be “Robin Hood on Ice” to help encourage children to

take up speed skating. Except I can’t skate, so that should be funny, painful

and/or embarrassing rather than the impressive and skilled Rick Wakeman-

esque prog-rock spectacular I fondly imagine it might be…

So maybe I should try harder with sport? At least I’ll have an excuse for

eating all those Mars Bars.

Tim Pollard

Nottingham's Official Robin Hood

I believethat AmericanFootball isn’treally a sport

Bow

Selecta

T

Come and join us after 5pm for an early supper, food served until

6.30 on Thurs + Fri. We have a full beer, wines and cider list

including our own range of flying goose ales.

All ingredients are fair trade and organic where possible.

33 Chilwell Rd. Beeston NG9 1EH0115 9252323

NEW opening times:Thurs 10am - 7pmFri 10am - 7pmSat 9am - 4pm

Sunday Brunch 2nd Sun of every month

Beestonians if you need

advice on tax or accounts

then you are in luck...

Beeston grown account Rob

Murphy will be in the White Lion

(on Middle Street) once a week

from 8pm, answering questions for

free on accountancy and tax.

If you've paid too much, not

enough or simply just don't get it,

call in from 8pm on any Thursday

evening and ask Rob about it. You

can even book an appointment in

advance.

Rob will be offering a free service

to our community until the end of

Feb every Thursday so get in while

you can.

Ask him anything you like, for

example:

• I have received this letter from

HM Revenue & Customs -

What does it mean?

• I am thinking about becoming

self-employed, how do I

proceed?

• I run my own business, what

expenses can I claim?

• I think I have overpaid tax,

how do I get a repayment?

About Rob Murphy:

I am a Beeston lad and have lived

in Beeston most of my life. I have

been qualified as a Chartered

Accountant for over 10 years and

specialise in helping small

companies and self-employed

individuals with tax compliance

and planning.

... now’t so strange as folk they say, but when it

comes to Twitchers… WOW!

It’s a new year, so it’s a new list and top of every

serious twitchers’ list was a Little Bustard (note

to Editor – check spelling!) that popped up in

Yorkshire over the Christmas holiday. Not only

was it there in December, so making it onto the

2014 list, but conveniently it hung about until the

first day of January – so, Bingo! - there it is right at the

top of the 2015 list. So, definitely not to coin a phrase, and

remember you heard it here first folks, that has to count as “one

bird with two dates” - subtle or what? It’s the first time a Little Bustard has

been seen in this country since 1996 but a bit like buses, you wait forever

and then they all come along at once – another lady Little Bustard decided

to check out the nether reaches of Sussex. Perhaps she was planning on

a visit to her cousin the Great Bustard (really, I’m not making this up) who

hangs out around the Salisbury Plain area.

Anyway back to twitchers....

....it has been said, usually by this correspondent,

that if you scratch a twitcher you’ll find a train-

spotter hiding underneath. You see, it’s the same

obsession with lists. I’ll grant you train-spotters

tend to be fairly sedentary and rarely seen in

wellies and camouflage jackets but there they are

the twitchers ticking away at their lists – for them

it’s a lifetime list, a year list, a day list, a patch list for

a lifetime, a patch list for the year, a patch list for a

day, they’ll even have lists for their back garden – for a

day, a year and a lifetime – lists ad infinitum (ad nauseam)!

So the next time you’re wandering around the Attenborough Nature

Reserve and you see one of these ‘scope-carrying, binocular’ed,

camouflage-clad, welly-shod twitchers coming towards you and muttering

to them self along the lines of “the tit was up but I missed it” have pity –

it’s a compulsion, they can’t help it!

Mike Spencer

www.facebook.com/beestonwildlife

Mike Spencer –

Bramcote Wildlife Group.

Mike is now living under a

new identity in anticipation of

being mobbed by hundreds of

local bird fans. They have

binoculars, and

everything…

in BeestonGoing Wild

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A FRESH APPROACH

fter last issue’s disaster with the QR codes (anyone notice in certain

issues they were all the same?) I am going for a technology-free

article this time around. In fact it’s an article about nothing, like

Seinfeld, the Comedy About Nothing.. After the Tweed -Covered One’s

rebuttal that no-one uses QR codes I decided to spend some time in my

other office (The Hop Pole) wondering what to write about. Whilst having

a few swift drinks I was approached by a Scottish fellow. Nothing unusual

about that, though he was drinking white wine; I thought blokes still weren’t

supposed to drink wine in pubs, although I have a feeling I may be stuck in

1977 (which explains the hair –Ed). So this bloke came up to me (Derek and

Clive fans can fill this gap yourself, in fact, why not stop reading this article

and listen to Derek and Clive?) and said words to the effect of “I’ve worked

in Paris for the past two years. I needed to take some off work. A colleague

suggested I should go and chill well; I got it wrong and booked a hotel in

Chilwell. I fear I have made a mistake”. We then went on to discuss what

there was to do round here that was cultural and interesting. I left in a bit

of a confused state, how could you really do that? Was this bloke spinning

me a line? I then thought of all the things I could have said to him … Imagine

if I’d have replied with “Well there’s so much music round here mate, you

could have thought you had moved to Beatston”… What a fucking awful

joke, that was nearly worthy of our very own Editor (if anyone ever sees him

in a pub again, ask him about his Ray Davies joke, or the naked garlic bread,

or the time he wanted to go for a drink with me at a secret location at two

in the morning, I think it was a park bench).

Crap jokes aside, there seems to be an awful lot of musical activity in

Beeston of late. There are more open mic’s than you could shake a stick at;

two a month at The Hop Pole (one featuring me, probably a reason to stay

home), The White Lion, and a new one at the Queens Hotel. Add to that

the Malt Shovel coming back with live bands on a Friday and Emma Bladon

Jones running their Sunday sessions of featured artists (have we ever

mentioned Emma before? Or my blues love child Joe Barber?). Beeston is

so musical in fact, that only the other day local songwriter and organiser of

the White Lion Open Mic, Alan Windsor, gave me a double CD of his past

twenty years of work. Can’t imagine that happening in that new trendy chill-

out resort Chilwell. I would like to imagine, Daniel Johnston style, he re-

records it for every individual. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

So brimming with music is Beeston that we even have a CD to review and

a guest reviewer. If anyone fancies having something reviewed, they can

always send it in (contact details on back page). Likewise if someone wants

to review something, then feel free. Thinking about it, if you like, you could

write this column for me, pretending to be me, and I can concentrate more

on my drinking career and sampling the music and culture of Long Eaton,

like Brian Jones when he went and recorded all that mountain music in

Joujouka. (I assumed this was already happening? –Ed)

Jimmy Wiggins

Sells guitars and stuff at The Guitar Spot, Chilwell Road and accepts

pints from strangers in all pubs.

A

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The Phil Langran Band - Still The HeartLet's be clear from the start. I'm not into folk. It's not that I dislike folk, just

that we've never had any sort of common ground. Which means that

when a good friend at the Beestonian asked me to write a music review,

and this EP from The Phil Langran band dropped through the door, I

started to get a little worried. How can you review when you have nothing

to compare against? I could say that Forsaken reminded me of mid-sixties

Dylan, except that (a) it didn't and (b) how would I know anyway?

Still the Heart is "Dedicated to the Good People of Beeston", and warmed

by their generosity I decided to approach this with an open mind. Listening

on a Sunday lunchtime, I can say with absolute honesty that this was an

unobtrusive yet pleasant complement to my wife's excellent lasagne, and

based on a sample size of two has a remarkably calming effect on children's

behaviour. In fact, I would go so far to say that it was perhaps one of my

favourite lunchtimes ever. Thanks Phil and co for playing your part.

I gave it a more thorough listen in the car and report no accidents or road

rage incidents. So far so good. I even find myself liking this in parts. Nothing

More stands out with its catchy chorus, and the band can clearly play.

So can I recommend this? Well I wouldn't buy it (sorry), but given my

relationship with folk that perhaps isn't a surprise. If I heard they were

playing locally, would I go and see them? Probably not, but then again if

I heard that Fairport Convention were playing the Malt Shovel, that

probably wouldn't be enough to tear me away from Location, Location,

Location. However, if I was in the Vic and I saw that this bunch was playing

tonight, I might just buy another pint and settle down for a listen.

Andy Fearn

ne of my favourite ways of

attempting to keep fit is to get out

and walk. It is simple, free and easy.

Beeston (and the area around it) is a wonderful

place for doing so, having many varied

pedestrianised routes, parks, canal towpaths,

riverside paths, woodlands and nature reserves

as well as lots of snickets and alleyways to make

things even more interesting. Last year, I went

on two of the tram walks organised by the

Beeston & District Civic Society, walking

alongside the ‘work in progress’ route with some

interesting stories being recounted by the NET

and city council staff – probably some of the

urban myths of the future!

Last year my hubby and I also started on the

walks in the Pevsner Architectural Guide of

Nottingham. It is a great book full of information

about the city centre’s architecture and heritage.

We have only done a third of the walks (West

and South city centre, commercial Nottingham,

the Lace Market and the Park) and no longer

travel to the city centre without looking up at the

magnificent buildings and the palpable history,

seeing a greater depth to the city.

It is therefore brilliant that there is work afoot to

produce a guide to the 34 Blue Plaques installed

by various groups comprising the Southern

Broxtowe Blue Plaque scheme. An authoritative

explanatory guide is now in preparation, so we

should have our own historical trail to help us

with Beeston hiking in due course.

Information on local walks organised by the

Civic Society and the Blue Plaques scheme at

www.beestoncivicsociety.org.uk

Pevsner guide to Nottingham

ISBN 978-0-300-12666-2

KA

Historic walkingO

CODEWORD

The Beestonian is...Editor/Lead Writer/Founder

• Lord Beestonia

Co-Founder/Resident Don

• Prof J

Design

• Dan

Associate Editor

• Christian

Editorial Assistance

• Mel

History Editor

• Joe Earp

Top-notch contributors this issue:

Tim Smedley, Joe Earp, Christian Fox,

Christopher Frost, Tim Pollard, Mel

Heath, Ric Salinger, Karen Attwood,

Andy Fearn and Deman.

Illustrators: Mouni Feddag and Tim

Smedley

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Bean, Beeston Library, Cafe ROYA,

Newsagent on Chilwell Road, Metro,

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Huge thanks to all of our contributors,

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The Beestonianc/o 106 Chilwell Road

Beeston

Nottingham NG9 1ES

1. Who were the first two World

Heavyweight Boxing Champions in

the late 19th century?

2. Super Flyweight is a weight division in

professional boxing (sometimes

referred to as Junior Bantamweight).

What is the maximum weight a boxer

can be and still be classified in this

division? Plus or minus 1kg (Plus or

minus 2 lb)

3. Since the Open era in tennis, which

six men have reached the singles final

of the US Open the most times? One

point for each correct answer.

4. Which biennial sporting event was

postponed in 2001 following the

September 11th terrorist attack on

New York?

5. Where were the US Open tennis

championships held between 1924

and 1977?

6. The name of which Olympic host city

translated means 'Northern Capital'?

7. Which male tennis player lost a four

US Open singles finals in 1976, 78, 80

and 81?

8. In September 2010, former

steelworker Philippe Croizon swam

the English Channel, completing the

challenge in just less than 14 hours.

The record at that time stood at 6

hours, 57 minutes and 50 seconds, so

why was Croizon's crossing so

amazing?

9. Due to superstition, what didn't Bjorn

Borg do at Wimbledon?

10. Which two countries were part of the

first official international cricket match

held in 1844 not known for their

cricketing history or prowess. Which

ones?

11 Pro wrestler The Iron Sheik was the

assistant coach to which countries

Greco-Roman wrestling team in the

1972 Munich Olympics?

12 Which sportsman name is an anagram

of Yore One yawn?

13. In which city does ice-hockey’s

Penguins play their home games?

14: When was the first publicised

spectacle of mixed martial arts?

The

GREY MATTER

ANSWERS: JOHN L SULLIVAN AND 'GENTLEMAN' JIM CORBETT/115 LB (52.2 KG, 8.2 STONE)/3. IN ORDER:

IVAN LENDL AND PETE SAMPRAS (8), JIMMY CONNORS (7), ANDRE AGASSI (6), ROGER FEDERER (6) AND

JOHN MCENROE (5) (AS OF 2011)/ THE RYDER CUP/5. FOREST HILLS (THE WEST SIDE TENNIS CLUB)/

BEIJING (PEKING)/ BJORN BORG/HE IS A QUADRUPLE AMPUTEE/SHAVE/CANADA AND THE

USA/USA/WAYNE ROONEY/PITTSBURG/1887

NEWS FROM TRAM