Where Bishop James went wrong is he didn’t use Kenyon Fraser’s power of persuasion to break the news of the impending demolition of St Johns Church in a light hearted, creative and witty way, maintaining the brand recognition of “ington” in the process. Let us Pray…..
Anyhow Lawrence Westgaph had something to say on the matter in the echo too
www.fairfieldspire.co.uk
Why I think Bishop should quit ‘Rot’ campaign
Jun 30 2008 by Laurence Westgaph, Liverpool Echo
The ECHO’s Stop the Rot campaign has been one of our most popular.
Its widespread support reflects anger at the endless attrition of many
of Liverpool’s well-loved local landmarks.
So noble is the cause that public figures have fallen over themselves
to become associated with the campaign and profess their backing.
No one has been keener to bask in the glow of Stop The Rot’s reflected
glory than Bishop James Jones, David Shepherd’s less sure-footed
successor as head of Liverpool’s Anglicans.
Ironic then that Jones’s sometimes troubled tenure as Bishop has now
run into heated accusations of hypocrisy on heritage.
The council’s historic environment champion, Cllr Berni Turner, last
week suggested the Bishop may need to step down as chair of Stop The
Rot, while Cllr Steve Radford has accused the Diocese of a “negligent
approach to the heritage of our city”.
The sad fact is that a string of historic sites owned by the Diocese
have been lost or threatened with the bulldozer under the Bishop.Š
Three years ago, Garston residents had to be evicted after trying to
save Bankfield House, a 19th Century villa used as a community centre.
It was sold off by the church for demolition.Š
In Edge Lane, the listed St. Cyprian’s has been left derelict, despite
English Heritage offering the Diocese money towards repairs.Š
How does an abandoned church on the prime route into Liverpool square
with stopping the rot, Bishop James?
Incidentally, the Bishop chaired Kensington New Deal while the
demolition scheme for Edge Lane was devised, leading to the
devastation of the heritage and community of the area. He was also the
figurehead for the ‘environmental’ Academy built on part of Newsham
Park, which led to hundreds of trees being ripped down on a listed
Victorian green space.
The latest outcry concerns the imminent demolition of St. John’s
Church, Fairfield. Its tall and elegant stone spire is easily visible
from Edge Lane when coming into town from the M62.ŠThis handsome
landmark has stood proudly over the area since 1851.
But health and safety concerns mean Diocesan insurers will sanction
its destruction on July 23 – unless Bishop James steps in.
Local people are not taking this lying down, and the Bishop has been
bombarded with letters from the Victorian Society, SAVE Britain’s
Heritage, Merseyside Civic Society and local residents.
The wonderful Anglican Cathedral has been funded lavishly, providing a
glittering new shop, café and interactive visitor experience to
generate revenue from tourists – a genuine achievement.Š
But what about churches and community centres elsewhere?
My position is clear: I feel the Bishop cannot continue as chair of
the Stop The Rot campaign if he doesn’t stop the demolition of St.
John’s spire.
You can email him at Bishopslodge @liverpool.anglican.org.Š A website
has been launched with campaign information at
www.fairfieldspire.co.uk
After almost two years, today is my final column for the ECHO. Thanks
to all who have taken the trouble to comment on my articles via the
letters page and the website. Your opinions have been much
appreciated.
Gis a Job, I can do that go on gis a jobington
June 21, 2008
Gun Siegeington in Ken(sington)
At the end of the my street the Police raided the Alex pub, apparently someone was seen going in with a gun and a knife, but after substantial disruption the gun/knife man/woman wasnt aprehended. So I decided to start my own publicity campaign because apparently if you put positive words in front of the word “ington” then everything is OK, fine, brilliant.
If only life was that simple(ington), you see there are words and there are deeds, words are supposed to be cheap (actually the word “ington” is actually very very expensive, £220,000, the cost of KNDC’s Marketing last year, and “ington” has to be used in the marketing campaign, it’s official) deeds are more expensive, deeds have to become an action, but the problem with actions is sometimes you can and do make mistakes. Anyone who says otherwise is either a lia or deluded or both. Let’s face it ask yourself the question, “Do you learn mor from your successes or your mistakes?”.
If you are constantly told that everything is good, everything is nice, and all in the garden is good, but your daily reality is slightly differnet, for example, when you go to the end of the street, after you’ve dodged the dog shit, grafitti and useless CCTV and end up at the “gunsiegeington”, things get a little confusing, well they do for me.
This creativity is so so simple and if only I had got the hang of it earlier I may have become a rich man and not just a happy one.
As I was saying to Cherie Blair only last night……
June 4, 2008
I suppose I should run a caption competition for this photo, notice CB is wearring her KVFM badge I presented her
Last night marked the Community Foundation for Merseyside’s Awards event at the new riverside arena. It was a grand affair and KensngtonVision were up for an “Enterprising Communities Award” for the KVFM project last November. Can I just say that over the past twelve months CF for Merseyside have been a great and constant help in our endeavours. Anyhow not knowing whether we had a chance and wearing my linen suit me and Sheila set off in the knackered looking toyota corolla.
As soon as we arrived we bumped into Wendy Miller (the other KV director) and Nikki from CFM whisked us into the VIP lounge for a photo opportunity with Cherie, (I’m not joking here by the way) so myself and two others had to idly chat with MsBooth about what we’d be doing…..we were chatting about how radio is having a resurgence and I was about to plant my Marshall McLuhan quote on her (“You use radio to start a revolution and you used TV to stop one”) when she was in turn whisked off.
Anyhow we were lead into the vast cavernous convention centre, (about half the size of KensingtonVisions secret underground lair) and lead to our table. The KV Likely Alliance gang were all there, Carl and his better half Jane, Wendy and her friend and me and my squeeze Sheila).
Dean “Jimmy Corkhill” Sullivan was our host for the evening, and after a short speech by Cheza, during which she only plugged her new booke once, we all tucked into the fist two courses, yum yum. The awards section then proceeded, each section was preceeded with a short video about the projects, it was then I realised that the video for KVFm was made during my “excessive hair growth period” or (“what the fuck are you growing that for”). So I anxiously awaited the video to check out how fucking mad I looked back in March/April.
Anyhow it came to our section and up until this time I wasnt arsed whether we were going to win or not but when I saw the other projects I thought we may have stood a better chance, although I still thought LCAD (Liverpool Centre for Arts Development) were odds on favourite. I was a bit taken aback that the project which won goes into schools and lets kids dress up as firemen doctors and nurses, I thought kids did that without an adult telling them to, but mayeb I’m wrong.
Other highlights included Jimmy McGovern name checking KensingtonVision three times and Kensington (the place) several more times in his video clip (we nominated him by the way so the £5′as in the post Jimmy), Phil Redmond only paying £200 in the auction for a prize worth about £300, him with all that money as well, stinking rich or what.
Jimmy McGovern (didnt win his award but did mention KensingtonVision a lot and also gave Ricky Tomlinson the chance to say “My Arse”, and he hasnt had a dog breed named after him).
Sir Phil Of Hollyoaks, Lord of Grange Hill, Duke D’Brookside.
New breed of dog at Crufts this year “The Redmond Retriever”-Known for its’ ability to rescue people, arts & cultural events, even whole cities. Give the boy a medal.
Low points- St.Sebastian’s community garden loosing out to Batman, (Lancashire bat conservation man who has trained 30 people to handle bats, and no his name wasn’t Bruce or Robin), and on the way out we noticed the chief exec of a local re generational organisation (the one without the underground lair) looking a bit unsteady on her feet, or as Private Eye put it “Tired and Emotional”, I kept out the way as people either get “Glad or Bad” in that state, and I neither wanted to be berated or hugged by this person. I’ve always found alcohol releases one’s innermost feelings about people, and I think I already know what they are.
By the way I havent touched a single drop since March 1995, moral highground or what, but thats a whole other blog.
Happy Sad Happy Sad Happy
June 2, 2008
Strange old weekend really, me last day as a member of the AltValleyVision Team was on Friday, and a very unusual way to spend my last day auditioning acts for the “ALT VALLEYS GOT TALENT” competition. The Talent ranged from a couple of singing Cats, to some very talented dance groups. I had to use my years of experience to weed out the wheat from the chaff. Sometimes this was more difficult than others, watch the auditions on line and you will see what I mean. So after a rousing three cheers, a really nice card and “High School Musical Cake” (I’m diabetic so I’m not sure what they were trying to do or say with that one) off I went off into the sunset…..heading towards Kensington, in my new career as director of KensingtonVision CIC
Happy/Sad
On Saturday both Franny Fazakerley (the poshest woman in Kensington) and I went down to St Georges Hall to “audition” for “Britain’s Favourite Dish”. I took my platter of Mucver (courgette fritters from Turkey and Sheila aka Franny F was goaded and arm twisted into taking a dish of Manchester Tart. Something we both enjoy. Manchester Tart is one of thise dishes people either love or hate, it’s either a grat comfort food or has too many negative school meal associations. Its a marmite situation.
Manchester Tart-”Looks like winner a to me”
The earrings swung it, and excited winner
Spurned! Dejected….
“Sublime!!!! simply sublime”
We were told we had to pitch our dish to the judges unfortunately I didn’t make it to the judging panel but Sheila managed to woo the main judge (soem bloke off the telly who has just left his wife and kids), who had “been waiting all his life to taste Manchester Tart”, oh yeah….he’s a chef why didnt he just the recipe and make it, too busy shagging.
So the beloved one is now going to appear on national telly making the afore mentioned pudding. I had to make do with eating me fritters feeling dejected and unwanted, even the man in the Turkish restaurant we called in at on the way back described my Mucver as “Turkish Bahjis”, I think Mehtin was just trying to be kind.
Mucver (Moojvah)
So on Sunday Desi and Lucy (our new name given by Lol from ICDC) managed to get it together to do another “South Bank Show” podcast under the auspicies of KVFM from the secret underground bunker.
All went swimmingly with the exception of me having a series of technical mishaps, loose teeth, inappropriate button pressing, mis cued songs and jingles, the usual. Despite the total lack of guests, we still managed to make it one hour and fifty minutes long, only finishing because we thought Dr Who was on at 7 (which it wasnt). That Mike Storey is a great actor, the best Doctor yet.
Entrance to the secret underground lair/radio station. secret knock is three short three long one medium
Very Sad
When I first started this blog I was deliberating over whether I should get a new dog from feshfields animal rescue centre, hence the title “Walkin’ the Dog”.
The dog in question was called Gus who was a very large Blue Neopolitan Bull Mastif I was considering taking him home. Unfortunately Gus shortly after I started the blog was diagnosed witha bad heart with only two months to live.
Well he got a little bit better and I sort of saw sense too, he was jsut oo bloody big. Well the really sad news was Gus’s heart packed in and they had to put him down on friday. If you havent experienced a “Neo”, they are a highly loyal and protective breed with their blood lines stretching back to Roman Times, and they slobber all over you, big drools of thick “Neo Nectar”.
I will think of him fondly when I take other dogs out at Freshfields animal rescue. Sleep well Gus and you drool all you want wherever you ended up, well all dogs do got to heaven dont they?
youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezi7Y5i4iT8
