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A WivSoc Wednesday with a difference this week - it’s only the AGM of our lovely local town civic society.

Cripes.

To the Nottage, fashionably late, and not so fashionably dressed. I did make an effort on the nautical front, sporting one of my latest charity shop finds from a recent trip to the Oldest Recorded.

Turns out that I wasn’t alone. For all yer Essex Man jibes, Wivenhoe Man is something of a salty sea dog. I wasn’t the only WivSoc Sir wearing a captain’s sea hat (although I take pride in the knowledge that mine was the biggest.)

Blimey.

But anyway - what of the business end of the WivSoc year? It was all routine stuff, with Mr Chair admirably sticking to the agenda, and sticking it (in a very, very polite way) to anything that might upset the balance of the old meets the new, that makes Wivenhoe such a charming place to live.

I say routine stuff, but when the annual log book for events organised by WivSoc takes in (deep breath…) Open Gardens, wine tasting, the Fun Day, two heritage walks (8th May imminent) two riverbank clean ups (10th April even more imminent) the Craft Fair, the Quayside crabbing, the Colne talk, the post-Christmas party, Hanging Basket competitions, helping out at the Regatta, then you can see how a routine year in Wivenhoe needs some sense of formal organising.

Which is precisely where the incredibly hard working WivSoc committee members come in. The meeting opened with the approval of the previous minutes, plus some fool wearing a silly sea hat walking in halfway through.

Whoops.

Mr Chair’s Report was deliberately brief - new members were made to fee most welcome.

The Secretary’s Report was the opportunity to outline in more detail some of the fine work of WivSoc over the past twelve months. Monitoring and responding to planning applications remains the main priority.

New procedures mean that objections now have to be channelled through Borough councillors, thus further complicating matters. WivSoc wishes to place on the record the support so far offered by Cllr Steve Ford of Wivenhoe Quay ward.

The WivSoc Newsletter was praised, providing members with quarterly updates not only on Society matters, but also locals items of a more general interest. I hear that the next issue has a half-decent front-page pic snapped by some hit and miss photographer.

For a Society that is all too conscience (often too Conscience in my opinion) of the ‘mature’ nature of the membership, it is rather ace to see the modern interweb being explored.

Members’ email updates are sent out when ever a matter of urgency arises. The Secretary highlighted recent issues such as the proposal to build on the land near to Millfields School, the sea wall clearance, Transition Town Wivenhoe updates and the impact of the Knowledge Gateway on the town as recent examples of online dialogue.

Outside of the internal mechanisms of WivSoc and it was also mentioned that the Society has a formal voice at the NAP meetings, the Wivenhoe Townscape Forum (local list) and still my fave ever group, the Wivenhoe Wood Working Party.

A big thank you went out to Cllr Bob Needham for giving up his Wednesday evenings once a month to offer feedback on WTC meetings. Nice hat m’Cllr friend - never mind the length, feel the thickness etc.

The Secretary wrapped up by saying that the WivSoc membership continues to grow, as well as observing developments within the town that reflect well for the future of Wivenhoe.

Helping Hands, Moving Image, TTW and *cough* the Wivenhoe Forum - all of these are positioned well to help out in Wivenhoe as we face what is likely to be unstable economic times ahead.

Speaking of all things fiscal - it’s only the WivSoc Treasurer’s Report…

The Society’s finances are “healthy.” Let’s leave it at that. Well, not quite… A *shhh* three figure surplus was made in the last financial year. No deficit deniers upstairs at the Nottage on Wednesday night.

£200 was donated towards Wivenhoe in Bloom. All social events made a profit. The increase in membership numbers covers the running cost of WivSoc.

Thanks were rightfully given to our friends from Rollo Estates, Eyecare, the Co-op and EWS skip hire, for very kind sponsorship and support over the year.

Chair’s Q & A simply put out the request for any tree expert within Wivenhoe to step forward. Help is needed in identifying any trees in the town that might need a little TLC. Having accidentally managed to floor one in my own back garden after only three months of living here, I thought it best not to volunteer.

The election of officers followed, with the motion to keep subscription rates as the same level also passed.

Any Other Business?

Um, booze?

Almost. Time first for a splendid talk by Anthony Roberts, the esteemed Artistic Director @ColchesterArts. With a #hyperlocal artistic history boasting Francis Bacon (sort of,) the Lakeside (not quite Wivenhoe) and the grand plans for the old Engine Shed (um…) Anthony was preaching to the converted.

We heard a wonderful social history of the old building, covering a barely plausible Humpty Dumpty reference, and leading up to the opening of the ace arts space in 1980.

Anthony then spelt out his vision for @ColchesterArts to champion new and emerging talent. The importance of online culture was emphasised, with a brilliant explanation of how the modern interweb has helped the centre to build new communities and change the artistic experience.

And then it was time for booze. Except @AnnaJCowen and I took something of a liking to the food first, and didn’t really move away from the buffet table. Some charming conversations followed, and then soon it was chucking out time at The Nottage.

No worries - we stopped off at the Rose and Crown and necked eight pints of Carlsberg each, and were back at base in time for the Ten O’clock News.

Only joking. It was the Eleven O’clock News. Fashionably late, and timing has never been my strong point. Nice nautical hat though.

It all started with a rather innocent post over on the Wivenhoe Forum (whaddya mean, blah blah blah… Oh - JUST JOIN!)

The appropriately named forum member fatcat started a thread, stating:

“We have a station cat.

I first noticed her about three years ago as she crossed the line, soon after she worked her way into the booking office and since then has become a permanent fixture with chair / blanket / scratching post / food / water. My enquires tell me that her owners have moved on and left her to her own devices.”

The conversation developed, as online dialogue often does; we have now come to the stage where Wendy Aid is in action; a fund has been set up by the very, very lovely Pet Shop Girls (TM) down at Wivenhoe Pets in the Business Centre, to make sure that our local station cat receives the correct medical attention.

The whole social history of everyone’s favourite station cat has now been re-told online. I was always aware of Wendy, if not in name, then certainly in presence. She personally greeted @AnnaJCowen and I during our many reckie’s into Wivenhoe, ahead of the Great Escape.

Wendy’s legendary welcomes have even stretched out across the Atlantic, with the wonderful “Wivenhoe vacation” couple from Rochester also pointing out the pleasure in being personally welcomed into the town with a purrr…

I always assumed (never assume!) that Wendy was owned by Network Rail, although probably not as some preposterous PPI initiative. It turns out that Wendy is no feline fiscal experiment in poxy Third Way politics.

Food, water, bedding and a scratch pole have all been provided by the decent #NXEA folk at Wivenhoe Station. But as I’m starting to find out back on the home front, a bowl of Whiskas a day doesn’t quite tell the story when it comes to the complexities of kitty cat love.

The Pet Shop Girls very kindly contributed the following to the Wivenhoe Forum:

“We were so sorry to hear about Wendy, we have had many a cuddle with her and she’s a truly gorgeous cat!

We would be more than happy to help Wendy, by having a collection pot for her at Wivenhoe Pets, I’m sure our customers would be more than happy to help her!”

Awww…

@tinysketchbook added a photo; Marika suggested some online adoption. fatcat had the cheek to suggest that Wendy could do with losing some weight.

Meowww!

The Colne Valley Veterinary Practice was consulted [cheers, fatcat] and a plan of action was put into place. A collection tin is now in place with the Pet Shop Girls.

Wivenhoe Pets also runs a rather wonderful loyalty scheme, where continued purchases receive a discount. I’ve got a £5 voucher, having bough a pussy palace for little Murphie. My £5 voucher is about to be cashed in to help our station cat.

Purrrfect (yeah, yeah, yeah…)

But cat collecting it seems is not enough for Wivenhoe’s very own cat celebre. Forum member charmaine added that Wendy is about to be immortalised in art:

“Her image is to be worked into a community rag rug picture to embellish our station. Would anybody like to learn to rag rug or contribute to this rag rug project?”

Blimey.

charmaine adds:

“By the way, Wendy was like a social worker down at the station during the snowy weather. I saw her climbing into the laps of freezing and hopeless travellers waiting for ghost trains, when so many were cancelled or late. She brought a purrr and smile to some very frozen worried faces.”

And so ends our tale of how a rather innocent post on the Wivenhoe Forum has resulted in #bigsociety (steady) plan to take care of a community cat. Being Wivenhoe and it is of course entirely appropriate that an artistic element has been added.

Meanwhile, @murphie_kitten is fast becoming not a charity case, but a bit of a head case.

Meowww…

Published as part of the Hidden Kiosks Project.

The good news story of the students from Colchester Institute at the Hidden Kiosks continues to spread. We are very grateful to our friends from BBC Essex who came along to support the opening of the art exhibition on Monday, as well as writing this rather wonderful report about the project:

“Art students in Colchester have taken up a residency in a disused retail kiosk at the town’s bus station. Artwork by 27 young adults who attend Colchester Institute will be on display in the former newsagents for a week.

Their residency is part of the Hidden Kiosk Project, run by the Creative Coop, that has invited people to submit inventive uses for the empty spaces.”

As well as media interest from the BBC, we also welcomed our friends from The Gazette down to the Kiosks, to help celebrate the launch. This media initiative was all the work of the students at the Institute.

As part of the project, we mentored the students as to how best to manage the whole agenda. This included coming up with a successful strategy for self-promotion - something that they are clearly very good at judging by the flurry of local media interest!

Speaking to the BBC, course tutor Janet Hughes added:

“It’s made the students understand that if you want to achieve something you have to go out, you have to write to the Mayor, invite the press, do the artwork and that has been really beneficial.”

Don’t forget that you can enjoy the artwork of the students from Colchester Institute at the Hidden Kiosks until Friday 1st April. They would very much welcome any local support, and the chance to talk about and share their artwork.

Many thanks to BBC Essex for supporting our local project.

Published as part of the Hidden Kiosk Project.

A gloriously sunny Colchester lunchtime was the ideal setting for the latest launch of the Hidden Kiosk Project. Twenty-seven students from the Springboard course at the nearby Colchester Institute impressed the judges with their application to showcase their fine artwork in the local community.

The students study a pre-foundation course for adults with learning difficulties. As well as more traditional academic subjects being studied, art also plays a key element on this course.

As course tutor Janet explains in the podcast below, the students wanted to combine the community element in their course along with their artistic talents. The Hidden Kiosk was the perfect setting for this task.

This was a very special Colchester afternoon, with an impressive crowd coming along to the Hidden Kiosk to show their support. The students were thrilled when Cllr Sonia Lewis, Madam Mayor or of Colchester, very kindly accepted the invitation to formally open the art exhibition.

Planning for the occasion has also been a big part of the Hidden Kiosk Project for the students at the Institute. It was through their own initiative that they wrote and requested the company of Madam Mayor, as well as attracting support and publicity from our friends at BBC Radio Essex and The Gazette.

On a more practical level, the students have also been responsible for the physical preparation of the site to host the exhibition. Display boards have been made during woodwork lessons, and the interior design of the Kiosk is the work of the students as well.

Proudly on display down at the Kiosk until the end of the week is a mixture of traditional and contemporary art, as well as some examples of woodwork that the students have produced.

The launch day itself extended the artistic talents further. The gathering of well wishers were treated to a beautiful solo singing performance by one of the students, as well as a group collaboration effort, with an appearance of the Chinese Dragon that the students have produced.

The art exhibition may only be running for one week, but it is the memories and experience that will remain. This is a project that is all about being proud of the work created, and celebrating what it means to have more involvement within the local Colchester community. A selection of students explain what it means to have taken part in the videos below.

Many thanks to all the Springboard students @ColchesterInst for stepping forward and showcasing their fantastic artwork. A special thanks as well to Lee Pugh for acting as a wonderful mentor on this very special project. The support of Madam Mayor and the many family and friends of the students is also greatly appreciated.

Students from the Colchester Institute will be on site at the Hidden Kiosks until Friday 1st April. They are very keen for any locals to come down to the Kiosk and to learn more about their fine work.

Full flickr stream over here.

I’m doing some work with the lovely folk of the Creative Coop as an Associate Blogger. Much of this is Colchester and Wivenhoe based, and probably of relevance to some of the kind readers of m’blog. Therefore I’m going to start experimenting with some cross posts over here.

Published as part of the Keep Colchester Cycling project.

The Licensing Act 1872 makes it an offence to be drunk in charge of a bicycle (or any other vehicle or carriage) on a highway or in a public place.

So say the good folk of Colchester CAMRA, the local campaign group for real ale. It’s sound advice of course, and here at Keep Colchester Cycling we certainly wouldn’t want to condone booze and bikes.

There is a country mile, so to speak, in a couple of halves of mild in a Maldon country boozer followed by a bike ride down a deserted country lane, and the more dangerous approach of five pints of lager and tearing up the Southway in a Ferrari.

Colchester CAMRA has been organising local cycle trips for a number of years now. The group’s blog rather helpfully adds:

“Despite a few ‘accidents’, it’s a good way to see the countryside whilst visiting rural pubs.”

Judging by the @ColCAMRA twitter feed throughout Sunday, the North Essex countryside was certainly seen, with a little light ale refreshment to help keep those pedals turning. We’ve always doubted the health benefits anyway of those sickly energy gel bars that are now the norm in most bike shops.

Reading between the tweets, and Burnham on Crouch was the final bicycling and booze destination, having already taken in Little Totham, Goldhanger, Heybridge and Hazeleigh. It sounds the most civilised way to spend a Sunday, and one that Keep Colchester Cycling is hopeful of experiencing over the summer months.

Thirty-six miles was the total distance, after an early morning roll out at the Leather Bottle in Shrub End. We are assured that no booze was drunk in the Leather Bottle, before the bicycles were first boarded.

@ColCAMRA add:

“Age is no barrier and we have riders from five different decades joining us on a regular basis. Most of our tours are about 40 miles but a liberal sprinkling of pubs and a food stop on route mean that the distance between breaks is relatively short.

All our tours make use of National Cycle Routes or quiet country lanes, so the amount of riding on main roads is kept to an absolute minimum.”

It all puts a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘pub bike.’ You can find out more about the @ColCAMRA bicycle tours over here.

Chapeau!

With spring arriving in the Wivenhoe air, now is the time for Jardine to announce a new schedule of events to light up our evenings.

Essex author James Gurbutt will be holding court on the corner of Belle Vue Road on the evening of 6th April, from 7:30 onwards. James will be talking about his bestseller First Frost. Here’s hoping that his Wivenhoe visit doesn’t bring a return to what would be the second, third, fourth etc frost of what has been a horrid winter.

The title itself is a reference to R.D. Wingfield’s Jack Frost, made popular on TV by David Jason. £12.95 and a two-course supper is the rather affordable cost for the evening of food and fiction. Bookings are currently being taken on 01296 820390.

What has been rather wonderful about the (eventual) opening of Jardine has been the ethos of it’s not all about the food, splendid though it is. Local artist Lee Thomas is still exhibiting (and selling!)

But cometh a new month, cometh a new exhibition. Brightlingsea based Julie Cuthbert will displaying her mix of paintings, sculpture and photography throughout April. The private viewing takes place on 4th April, with an RSVP being only polite to attend on the evening.

And finally we come to an evening with the former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Met.

Cripes.

This looks rather interesting - Brian Paddick will be at Jardine on 18th April for a talk and a meal. Brian was the Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the Met (know him from my Brixton days…) as well as the LibDem Mayoral candidate for London last time round. He’s a great speaker, with plenty of interesting views. Once again a polite email is required to reserve a place.

Anyone who has walked down Belle Vue Road of late would have noticed the completion of the outdoor area at the back of Jardine. I know that this has been a rather delicate local matter, with some rather particular planning conditions having had to be met. It now looks totally splendid, and is all set for a summer of al fresco dining.

Denis Wirth-Miller last exhibited at the Minories in Colchester in 1959 as a 44 year-old rising artist. He was about to enter the most creative decade of his life, and one that would largely draw inspiration from living in Wivenhoe, and observing the estuary wilds and surrounds.

Fifty-two years later, and a retrospective of Wirth-Miller has now returned to the gallery, partly in remembrance following his death last October, and partly in celebration of how his work captures the timeless rural scenes around these parts.

It would be fascinating to find out what the artist would have made of @firstsite, situated just around the corner from the more traditional artistic space of the Minories. The Arts in Colchester is about to change big time. It is somewhat reassuring to find that fifty year-old period pieces from around these parts can still be appreciated.

On show until the end of this month are a collection of oil paintings covering the 50′s, 60′s and early 70′s creative peak of Wirth-Miller. Rich green colours compete with the odd splash of red, depicting an Essex estuary sunset that is still recognisable from out towards Alresford Creek today.

Assembling the work itself must have been quite a task to curate. Much of the exhibition is on loan from private collections. It is testimony to the high regard that is held for Wirth-Miller that his career’s retrospective can be housed within Colchester, more than fifty years since that first exhibit.

This is far from a static art exhibition however. A student class was in progress during my visit, with keen young eyes drawing inspiration from the originals, and then offering an interpretation from a modern day perspective.

And this essentially is the legacy of the Wivenhoe artist, who along with his partner Dicky Chopping, pretty much introduced the artistic ambience into Wivenhoe. Firstsite may be about to take artistic installations to another dimension, but a traditional estuary landscape painting is as relevant now as it was half a century ago.

Denis Wirth-Miller at the Minories comes to a close on Thursday 31st March. Entrance is free. You’d be a fool to miss out.

Denis Wirth-Miller, Essex Landscape, Winter 1968, oil on canvas.