Hello. Welcome to the Spring edition of Insight, number one hundred and twenty-four in the series of quarterly recorded magazines, produced by Chichester Area Talking News.
I’m Roger Tilbury and I’m here again to guide you through our Spring 2014 edition of Insight. In this edition we’re out and about. We sail around Britain before returning to Chichester Harbour. We build a house, we drive a classic car, and visit Exmoor and the Yorkshire Dales. And then we learn how to tell people what we’ve done, and how to encourage the acting skills of young people. After that we cross the Atlantic.
So we’d better get on. But just before we begin, let me remind you that you can stop, restart and replay the tracks at any time because each track is separately numbered.
2
Paula's Progress
Among the team of volunteers for Talking News, we have a number who have been helping for many years but, with the passing of time, some leave and are, thankfully, replaced with other newcomers. Last year, our long-serving secretary Judy Pedgrift retired and when her replacement, Paula McVittie, arrived we found we had someone who has packed a lot into her life, from running a B and B to sampling well water. Here she gives us a snapshot of her life so far.
3
Theo's Future
Former Army officer Colonel Mike Brooke has had a busy retirement. He is a trustee of UK Blind Veterans, the new name for St Dunstan’s, the Services charity. But closer to home, his godson, Theo, was diagnosed shortly after birth with a congenital sight problem. Mike wanted to do something to help with funding of research into eye conditions, and set about organizing a sailing trip around Britain from his home in Bosham. He came into our studio and spoke to Alicia Denny, who asked him about his lifelong love of sailing and where in the world it had taken him.
Mike’s book about his marathon trip can be bought at Bosham Farm Shop or through the website: www.theosfuture.org
4
A house built in four days
Staying in Bosham, our next piece, read by Marion Porter, is about a house in the village. Not one of the many historic homes near the waterfront but a new house in a residential area. Nothing unusual about that in these days but what was unusual was how it was built and water-tight in just four days.
5
Fifty years of Chichester Harbour
Living as we do surrounded by attractive scenery from the downs to the English Channel, it is easy to forget the effort which goes into conserving the scenery and natural features which we love for our own and future generations. Last year we heard about the establishment of the South Downs National Park but in 1964 legislation was introduced to protect another important piece of our environmental heritage – Chichester Harbour. Alison Beckett, who is public relations officer of the Harbour Conservancy, tells us about those first 50 years.
6
My love for the Alvis
The wildlife of Chichester Harbour is one of the great loves of our old friend naturalist Richard Williamson, but he has a number of other passions, including music and Alvis cars. These glamorous reminders of the heyday of British motoring in the 1930s are restored and driven by enthusiasts throughout Britain and abroad. One such fan is Richard who tells us about these special cars.
7
Sailing Blind
When people are asked about their greatest fears, public speaking comes in the top three. But for anyone in the Chichester area who wants or needs to speak more fluently, help is at hand through the Arun Speakers’ Club. This friendly group, which meets twice monthly, encourages self-confidence through practising short speeches to fellow members who then make constructive criticisms. Beverley Lewis joined the group a few years ago and here she repeats the second talk she gave to the club which returns us to the sailing theme.
8
CFT, an island of satellites
Encouraging self-confidence in young people and giving them an outlet for their talents is one of the benefits of amateur acting groups. In the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, we have one of the best organised and most talented groups for children to develop their abilities and enthusiasm. For a number of years a regular part of our Christmas has been taking our children and grandchildren to the annual Christmas performance, masterminded by Dale Rooks. For Christmas 2014 it will be 101 Dalmatians, so book early. But it is not just children from the city who can benefit: the theatre has a very definite policy of going out into the community of West Sussex and East Hampshire. The theatre’s education and community officer Rupert Rowbotham tells us about the satellite groups.
9
Louis Armstrong's House, New York
Louis Armstrong’s House, New York For our final item we are going much further afield: to the United States. New York Beyond Sight is a charity which describes locations within the city for blind and partially sighted listeners. This recording by Jim Myskins, President of Queens College in New York City, describes the home of Louis Armstrong who was probably the world’s most famous jazz musician. He was also an international celebrity who could have lived anywhere and yet in 1943, he and his wife, Lucille, settled in a modest house in Corona, in new York’s biggest borough, Queens, where they lived for the remainder of their lives. Today, the Louis Armstrong House Museum is open to the public, offering guided tours of Louis’ longtime home and the Armstrongs’ beautiful Japanese-inspired garden.
