Members of a visual theatre company founded in Cambridge has been entertaining audiences with quirky tales for 10 years. Original stories presented through artwork, unusual props and comedy have formed the work over the last 10 years of a group of former Cambridge students who started a theatre company after leaving Hills Road Sixth Form College in 2001.
A new installation by the group has gathered together the puppets and props from Gomito Productions’ 10 years of performing along with photographs of their shows in a shop window. The display, which is part of the city council’s Changing Spaces scheme, has been shown in London and Edinburgh. The group recently relocated to London, but was keen to do something to celebrate its decade of success in its home city. Amelia Bird, artistic director of the theatre company, said: “Having spent the past two years working towards Christmas shows in Cambridge it feels very exciting, if a little strange, to be producing something in a different city this year. “We were delighted that Changing Spaces were able to offer us a place in our home town to display some of our work and we hope that Cambridge residents will enjoy seeing our puppets close-up.” Gomito’s performances have been captured over the years by Liquid Photo, a Cambridge photography team made up of Tom Allen and Lina Orsino.
Liquid Photo’s images of the drama group in action also make up part of the window exhibition. Amelia said: “We had the idea for the new display along with Liquid Photo, who are our great friends, because we have been celebrating our 10-year anniversary throughout this year, and we wanted to round it off with a display in the city where it all began – Cambridge.” Amelia said Cambridge had an important role to play in the success of their venture. She said: “Cambridge really shaped what the company has become, and the work we have made. We all went to school here and have done so much work here as well. “We have very recently half-moved up to London, but I think the freedom that Cambridge gave us in our earlier years helped when we were deciding what we wanted to become. “I think if we had been starting up in London in the heart of the industry there we could have become a lot more straight-laced and less fun.”
Putting together the exhibition has given Gomito Productions a chance to reflect on the journey they have been on over the last 10 years. Amelia said: “There’s a lot of stuff in that window, it looks like a crazy toy shop. There’s Vikings, fish, skeletons, Beethoven, crocodiles, monsters, dinosaurs and a lobster. It’s all of our history gathered together. Jo Somner in The Night Keeper – one brave lad in the audience came to her rescue“We formed 10 years ago as a small group of drama students who had just finished at Hills Road. We headed off to the Edinburgh Fringe to do a few performances, all funded by ourselves saving up and putting our money together. “We developed a signature style – quirky, fun and with lots of visual things going on. We got quite a bit of interest at the festival, and from there we started picking up bookings. People seemed to like what we were doing.” The group toured all over the country with their productions for several years, with some running for as long as 18 months. In 2009 the group took a residency at The Junction where they worked on devising new shows until earlier this year when they moved to Greenwich Theatre. Amelia said they aimed to create experiences which were unlike anything else available. One show, Fish, was held in Lammas Land pool last year, with water puppets performing on the surface of the water.
The most recent Gomito project is called Woodland, a production at Greenwich Theatre opening on December 16 which also incorporates an interactive installation in the theatre foyer, and aims to appeal to anyone aged 2 or older – the group’s youngest target audience yet. Amelia said: “We’re hoping that if people are considering a visit to London this Christmas, the Woodland in Greenwich Theatre could be on their list of sights to see. The theatre have asked us to go all out in transforming the space and we are working hard to create a magical world for audiences to explore. “Performing for children is one of the best parts of the job. They are the most honest critics you can have and you know when you’ve done a good job. “If a child’s not interested, you can tell. But when they get into it and are clearly enjoying it, that’s the best feeling. “Putting together the exhibition brought back some funny memories. The big dinosaur puppet in the display was used in our show The Night Keeper in 2009, and as it was terrifying one of our actors on stage and threatening to eat her it all got a bit too realistic for one little boy. “He bravely leapt on to stage and threw himself between the dinosaur and the actor shouting: ‘I won’t let you attack her!’ “It’s also brought back to me all of the different places we have travelled to.” Amelia said there was no such thing as a typical day for the team at Gomito. Last week they were busy rehearsing for Woodland, which involved story-writing and a lot of playing with puppets. She said: “There’s quite a bit of admin to get through, such as funding applications and bookings.” The group has fluctuated over time, with people in the beginning leaving for university and more added in as the group got older. Gomito now has a regular pool of actors, and about 20 people who help run the company, led by Amelia and creative producer Sam Worboys.
With thousands of YouTube hits and Alexandra Burke among his celebrity fans, singer-songwriter Ben Cork is knocking on the door of musical super stardom. In a generation of X Factor wannabes claiming to have “it”, former Hills Road Sixth Form pupil Ben Cork is determined to forge a name for himself without the likes of Simon Cowell pulling the strings. Performing under the moniker Benedict and currently causing a YouTube stir with his hauntingly beautiful vocals on covers including Michael Jackson’s Bille Jean, Adele’s Turning Tables and Willow Smith’s Whip My Hair, this 18-year-old is on the cusp of something big…
Born in Bishop’s Stortford and blessed with musical prowess from a young age (he learnt to play the trumpet at 8), Ben knew early on, that for him, music was more than just a hobby. “I’m the youngest of four and saw all my brothers and sisters playing music and knew that I wanted to do that too,” Ben recalls with a smile. “I went to an all boys secondary school, so singing wasn’t necessarily a cool thing to do. There weren’t many opportunities, so when opportunities did pop up, I grabbed them straight away.” After spending two years at Hills Road Sixth Form College, Ben decided that rather than follow his friends down the university route, it was the right time to start trying to turn his dreams into a reality.
Since leaving college he has started work on his first demo with a team of industry experts and under the eye of top London management firm Twenty First Artists. “We have been working on my EP for a while and have written about 40 songs. By April I want to have picked the best five or six to go on the demo,” Ben explains excitedly. “But the main thing is to get my stuff out there, and I have been doing that through the YouTube videos. “Most of the videos are covers as that is what people will stumble across but what I am trying to do now is occasionally slip an original song in there too, so people can see what I’m all about.”
Writing his own music is a huge passion of Ben’s but he admits that he also loves putting his own unique stamp on existing songs, taking something that isn’t necessarily to his own taste in music, but mixing it up and giving it a new twist. “I never want to regurgitate what someone else has done, and it’s always great to hear people say ‘oh I really hate that song but I like listening to your version!’” And it was Ben’s cover of Emile Sande’s Heaven, which got him noticed by X Factor winner Alexandra Burke. After seeing his video on YouTube Alexandra’s people got in touch and asked him to be her support act for a charity gig at Convent Garden. Ben jumped at the chance: “It was so amazing that they had seen my video and wanted me to be involved and Alexandra was lovely, really down to earth and normal, which is refreshing!” But unlike Alexandra, Ben is keen to make it on his own terms through hard work and dedication, rather than the talent show format that so many singers turn to when times get tough. “I think it is a bit sad that when you say you’re a singer, people’s initial reaction is to say you should audition for X Factor, they think that is the only way you can make it,” Ben muses. “I know for some people programmes like that are their last opportunity, they may have been rejected a million times and have no where else to go. But I would love to be able to say I have done it the hard way, or at least tried it.” Individuality is paramount to Ben and you get the feeling that a show such as X Factor would turn him into somebody he wasn’t. His soaring vocals with a touch of the theatrical really make him stand out from the crowd and with a list of instrumental talents that could fill an orchestra, plus a passion for writing his own material, this boy is certainly doing things his own way. “At the moment I have no one telling me what to wear, who to look like, what to sing or anything like that, which is so refreshing as it means I can just do me,” Ben explains passionately.
It’s on his own material where Ben’s unique talent can really shine and like his covers, it is certainly not short of attention. His first track Moonlight saw him make the longlist for MTV’s brand new for 2012 competition, and although he didn’t manage to make the shortlist, going up against artists that he aspires to and getting his own songs heard, was an amazing opportunity. “It’s great to hear a reaction to my own music, whether it is good or bad. I just really want to write true songs. I don’t think people would believe me if I was singing about somebody else’s relationship or things that never happened to me. It just wouldn’t be true. “I think the thing I love about singing is making someone else feel what you feel, if someone makes a connection and says ‘oh what he is saying I really agree with or I feel that too’. That is such an amazing feeling.” And I have a feeling 2012 is going to be a big year for Mr Cork.
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Focus may be fixed on the London Olympics, but it is important to remember that others have longer-term goals. It is difficult to get around the hype that will accompany the showpiece event next year, yet there are a large number of competitors who will just be using it as a stepping stone to Rio in 2016. One such person is 17-year-old fencer Kristjan Archer.
The Hills Road Sixth Form College student has been taking part in the sport since he was nine, and it was a family connection that led him into fencing. "My dad was captain of the Scottish fencing team when he was younger," he said. "Originally, he didn’t want me to start competing or training as he didn’t think I would be up for it, but here we are. It gave me the sense to train, and I work really hard for it. "I had been training for a few years and went to the eastern regionals and came third at under-12s. It just made me want it more."
Little Abington-based Archer’s first club was Cambridge Cadet Escrime, where he was coached by Ken Kingham. He is now a member of Cambridge Sword, and his coach is Pierre Harper. It has been something of a breakthrough year for Archer, who is one of Lloyds TSB’s Local Heroes. After winning his first international in Manchester, he attended the World Championships Junior-Cadet, in the under-17 category, in Jordan in March, and finished eighth. "It was very different. It was very well organised, which was good for me, but there were differences with the heat as well," he said. "It was just boiling, with not much air conditioning, and you had to be mentally tough not to fall apart. I’m happy I went and did so well." At the Sainsbury’s UK School Games in September, Archer won the foil gold and helped England to take the team award.
"The World Championships was much bigger for me personally, but it’s always nice to do something in the UK, and the School Games are a unique environment," he said. Archer has been selected for the Commonwealth Fencing Junior Championships in Jersey next month, and is hoping to earn a call-up for the European Junior Championships in Croatia in March and then go on to the under-20 world championships in Moscow in April. "I’m still to be selected, so I’m working hard for that," said Archer. "It (qualifying) is made up of domestic and international results, so you have to do well in domestic competitions and then you also need to do well in internationals to earn selection for the Europeans. "I’m fourth in the domestic rankings but got the second highest international ranking. I tend to fence a lot better in internationals rather than the domestic. "This year has been a step up in my training amount as I’m also training in London a few times a week with Pierre Harper and the senior squad. "It means I can improve on my results. Competing in the under-20s is a lot more challenging, so I have to be more prepared and have more experience fighting people." Archer competes in the foil category, rather than epee or sabre. "It’s mainly because of the coaches I have had, and I started to enjoy it and didn’t enjoy the other two as much – I found them boring," he said. "I liked it because of the middle ground – it has the intensity of one of the others and is much more technical than the other."
And while qualification is ongoing for London, Archer admits that will come too soon – but Brazil is certainly on the agenda. "Rio is my goal," he said. "It’s really since the last two years where I really thought I could do this at a professional level. "I’m focussing more for the juniors and moving up to the seniors, so it’s a real progression. I’ve never really fully discussed it completely (with his coach), but it’s on both our minds."
A brand new musical comedy by a talented young composer comes to Cambridge this week. Journey back in time to the New Year’s Eve of 1899 when the first ever diesel engine made its maiden voyage from Manchester to London. Cold-hearted businessman Montgomery is funding the project, and has made many enemies along the way - many of whom are on this train journey. With stowaways, love triangles and a host of other complications, is this a trip destined for disaster?
With a cast of 20 and an orchestra of 14, Take The Fast Train combines larger-then-life characters with catchy chorus numbers. The score was written entirely by 17-year-old Hills Road Sixth Form College student Ed Zanders, who was recognised as Outstanding Young Musician of the Year in South Cambridgeshire in 2010. Ed wrote his first show, Mancer the Musical, aged just 15, which sold out over three nights in 2009 and raised £3,000 for children’s charities.
Speaking about his latest project, Ed enthused: "I am incredibly excited about performing this new work at the ADC theatre, following in the footsteps of such famous acting and musical talents. The first night is always nerve-wracking, as you never know how the audience will react to something new - but with such a talented cast, I'm sure that this will go down well at the ADC. "I suppose the hardest thing about writing songs, for me, are the lyrics; the music comes very easily and quickly, but finding the perfect witty rhyme for a certain moment can prove very difficult - for me, at least! The director, Peter Sayer, and I have sought inspiration from the great broadway musicals of the past - really making the music and direction big in certain places, to reflect some of the larger than life characters, and to pastiche the style - which is great fun! There are some big chorus numbers, but I've tried to make the music varied, with some unusual rhythms and harmonies in places to add some musical integrity to the piece."
Director Peter Sayer, who worked with Ed previously as the suave French villain in Mancer the Musical, added: "I’m very happy to be putting another show together with Ed and hope that it reflects the amount of fun the cast has had in creating it." Lead roles will all be played by fellow Hills Road students, while young freelance copywriter and producer (past experience includes The Secret Garden Party and Glastonbury Festival) Patrick Hallett-Morley has added his own special comedic touch to the show. He added: "I feel proud to have had the opportunity to work with such a great team of young people." Looking ahead, Ed hopes to pursue his musical interests and establish a career in film. "I have accepted a place studying classical composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where I should start in September this year. I compose music for various other idioms, including Symphony Orchestra, Choir and even a big band! I plan on becoming a film composer after I finish my formal education." Take The Fast Train, ADC Theatre, tomorrow and Saturday at 7.45pm (2.30pm Saturday matinee). Tickets cost from £10 (£8 matinee). Contact 01223 300085 www.adctheatre.com
The African partner school of Hills Road Sixth Form College, Ndamase Senior Secondary School, has sent some new year good news about their internet link up project.
Working alongside the charitable organisation, Link Community Development, the College raised funds to support the installation of solar panels as part of the African school’s sustainable energy programme allowing the rural school an energy source to support their first internet linked computer for the school. Hills Road staff, students and friends carried out a diverse range of fund-raising activities including the memorable Hills Road’s Got Talent and Auction of Promises and are thrilled to have the confirmation of the successful installation.
Fund-raising activities at Hills Road also created the opportunity for the Ndamase choir to visit Cambridge. As reported in Cambridge News at the end of 2010, the choir hit the news with a very late flight departure from Heathrow airport, at a time when flights were grounded due to heavy snow fall.
Link Community Development staff have worked in partnership with their Ndamase friends to install two 75 watt solar panels and to purchase supporting equipment to provide the school with a sustainable source of power. The school has been provided with a low voltage netbook computer, an internet dongle, airtime and a printer with paper and ink.
As the report says, ‘Ndamase teachers and pupils are delighted with the equipment and have received one day’s training on an introduction to sustainable energy, climate change and solar energy. They will receive more training in the New Year introducing the teachers to IT, the internet and email.’
Miss Thelma Magunya, who visited Hills Road along with the Ndamase choir, is a teacher at Ndamase School. She thinks that ‘the solar connect project will contribute to the general improvement of teaching and learning.’ Miss Magunya also believes that ‘access to the internet enriches a teacher’s subject knowledge, teaching strategies and research skills [and will provide] Grade 12 learners with access to previous question papers and memoranda to beef up their preparation for final examinations.’
For their part, staff and students at Hills Road are delighted with the overall success of the solar connect project. Deputy Principal, Ms Jo Trump, said “the project was challenging and yet very rewarding. Our students benefitted from a much greater understanding of the issues faced by other young people in Africa and gained a sense of what citizenship means in the real world. We will continue our partnership with Ndamase Senior Secondary School and hope in the future to visit them to see what has happened and to share our plans for the future.”
The Adult Education team at Hills Road Sixth Form College are constantly creating new courses to meet the changing needs of their students across the region. They analyse the feedback given by their current adult students and work together to design new, interesting and challenging courses. Enrolments for Spring 2012 are already well underway and potential students are encouraged to enrol now to avoid disappointment.
The College is well known for the delivery of a wide range of language courses, from Arabic and Chinese to Portuguese, Russian and Turkish. Many of these courses are available from absolute beginners to improvers or advanced levels and they are taught in good quality accommodation, supported by a variety of resources. Guidance is given to potential adult students to ensure that the right level is chosen. This approach is now followed for English as a Foreign Language courses, using a new online, diagnostic assessment programme. Such courses also include business and professional English and an IELTS preparation course. Recreational courses continue to be popular at Hills Road. The new Salsa dancing course joins strictly ballroom and strictly Latin, encouraging local adult students to take the first leap into the world of dance! Dancing is good for health and wellbeing and is just one form of activity available. Others range from Indian head and shoulder massage and Pilates to Yoga and singing for fun.
The College’s suite of writing and media courses has enabled previous students to develop the skills needed to express themselves in a creative and supportive environment. Such courses now include the new writing poetry course for beginners. Other recreational courses range from electronic music production, wine appreciation and a very interesting set of Saturday workshops with topics from clothes and accessories and flower arranging to bicycle maintenance and a fascinator workshop. Latest additions to these workshops include planting – right plant for the right place and perfume blending. The Adult Education team did not realise that such diversity would be required but they are happy to meet local interests. Art and design courses are very popular at the College, with courses extending from animation design and illustration for picture books to Photoshop© and portraiture. The new course planned in this area is photography with creative darkroom techniques. However, an unexpected new course has just been created, following requests from last term’s interior design students. A ‘next step’ course in interior design is now available and open for public enrolments.
Business and professional training courses are not new to Hills Road but a recent addition to this suite of courses is a digital technologies course for those who wish to explore the power of the internet, skype© and other digital resources used for communication and leisure. Other training courses include professional counselling, extending from beginners to level 4 units, book keeping using SAGE 50©, design and building your own website and proof reading. To find out more about the Adult Education courses at Hills Road simply visit the website, www.hillsroad.ac.uk, join the enrolment evening at the College on Wednesday 4th January (5.30-8.00pm), telephone 01223 278002 or visit the Adult Education office.
Photograph shows from left to right: Mrs Maureen Murphy, Head of Political and Social Sciences, Andrew Lansley MP and Martin O’Donnell, teacher of Sociology/Politics.
Students at Hills Road Sixth Form College took the opportunity to meet Andrew Lansley MP on Friday of last week. The Secretary of State for Health was invited to visit the College by Dr Martin O’Donnell as part of the College’s programme of A-level studies and citizenship. Talking to a full audience of approaching 120 students, Mr Lansley discussed a wide range of issues facing the coalition government, including those in the field of health.
The students were clearly absorbed by what they heard and presented a number of challenging questions to Mr Lansley. Dr O’Donnell, said, ‘We appreciated that the Secretary of State took time out of a busy schedule to talk to our students. It provided the students studying a range of Political and Social Sciences an excellent opportunity to ask Mr Lansley questions on public policy as well as the Conservative Party’s ideas and vision”.
Mr Lansley very much enjoyed his visit to Hills Road and was particularly impressed by the level of questioning posed by the 16 – 19 year old students. His visit is part of a series of talks arranged for the students as part of their A-level studies in Political and Social Sciences. A wide range of students took part, reflecting their interest in local and national politics.
Mr Lansley said, “I really enjoyed meeting so many of the Hills Road students. They were as on the ball as ever, and we discussed some big heath and political issues. It was a lively ' Question Time'!"
A sixth-form college has won a battle with neighbours over a new sports pavilion.
Residents feared Hills Road Sixth Form College’s plan to replace the 80-year-old changing rooms at its ground in Sedley Taylor Road, Queen Edith’s, would lead to increased use of the site. This triggered concerns about extra traffic, provoking a string of objections and a 62-signature petition.
Andrew Gordon, of Sedley Taylor Road, was unconvinced by the argument it is the number of playing pitches, not the state of the pavilion, which limits how intensively the site is used.
He told the south area committee: “Superior facilities will tend to attract more prestigious events – the very kind which attract spectators.”
Mr Gordon’s neighbour Prof Anna Muthesius said the existing access route was inadequate, and there were parking problems.
But permission was granted after councillors heard the building would not worsen the situation.
Nigel Standbridge, the college’s estates bursar, said the existing pavilion was designed for single-sex education and was in a poor condition. He added: “The college is aware of local residents’ concerns about traffic and access but these are existing issues and the replacement pavilion will not resolve this or make it worse.” Cllr Amanda Taylor, who represents Queen Edith’s, said a new pavilion did open a door to intense use. She added: “I do find it most disappointing this situation has gone on for so long, that the college hasn’t been able to act to protect the people using its playing field, as well as give some comfort to local residents.”
Ward colleague Cllr Jean Swanson said the planning process was probably not the place for existing issues. Trumpington’s Cllr Sheila Stuart said: “The pitches themselves determine the intensification of use and the college claims it is using them at capacity already. “I don’t think it’s for us to convince ourselves this will somehow be overcome by a better pavilion, I think spectators would have come with the old pavilion.”
The application was approved on condition the college draws up a travel plan to discourage visitors from arriving by car.
A College which has been carrying out research in Ilfracombe for two decades says the town is not making enough of its Victorian heritage. But the students also said the town has some great attractions and is lucky to have a proud population that wants the best for the town. Students from Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge have been visiting Ilfracombe for week-long field trips since 1991.
Over the past two weeks more than 120 geography students from the school have been conducting research into the town’s tourism industry. Bridget Oeppen, head of geography at Hills Road College, said: “We’ve been looking at tourism in the town for the past five years as part of a new curriculum. “Students look at North Devon Council’s 2006 action plan for the town to see what projects had been outlined and whether or not they have come to fruition.”
As part of their research, students visited Ilfracombe Museum, Chambercombe Manor, Bicclescombe Park, St Nicholas Chapel, Ilfracombe Aquarium, the Emmanuel Church art gallery, Landmark Theatre and Tunnels Beaches. Students interviewed the owners of each attraction to see how business was going. Bridget said: “Generally it was good news with many owners reporting an increase in visitors. The students were particularly impressed with Tunnels Beaches and pleased that, despite a lot of modernisation, it has managed to retain its historical feel. “They also loved the harbour but said more could be made of the area if it was pedestrianised. “Students felt that without cars on the pier the town could capitalise on increased tourism opportunities, such as attracting more cruise ships, as well as developing a larger fishing industry.” One of the biggest elements to come out of the research was a feeling that Ilfracombe was not making the most of its Victorian heritage. Bridget said: “Students noticed this particularly at Bicclescombe Park where they felt more could be made of the old mill and tea rooms. “They liked St Nicholas Chapel on Lantern Hill but said there was not enough for children to do there.” She added: “They also noted the great community spirit at the Emmanuel Church art gallery but said they were surprised it wasn’t visited more by locals.”
In their conclusion, the students found that Ilfracombe was in a stage of rejuvenation. Bridget said: “Ilfracombe has a very different kind of tourism to what we experience in Cambridge. “Generally the students were impressed with how the town had developed and thought it had great potential for the future. They specifically noted that people who live here are proud of the town and keen to see it prosper. “I’ve been bringing students to Ilfracombe for 20 years now and it’s always a great trip.”
A few months ago, in the very same pages of this fine periodical, I speculated what it might be like to visit Ilfracombe as someone with no prior knowledge of the town. I suggested that, as people who live in this delightful little retreat, we probably take a lot of the town's charms, quirks and facilities for granted because we are constantly surrounded by them.
Instead, I proffered, we tend to concentrate more on the minor foibles and comparatively piffling faults which disrupt, albeit minutely, our normal day-to-day life. While we townsfolk may not be able to emulate the feeling of being first-time visitors, a group of students from Cambridge who came to analyse the town over the past two weeks can.
I must say, I had absolutely no idea that these groups from Hills Road Sixth Form College had been conducting research in our town for the past 20 years until I read it in last week's Journal. They are obviously very well behaved and, judging from their feedback, an observant little bunch too.
As part of their study into the town's tourist industry the pupils interviewed the owners of many Ilfracombe attractions. They praised Tunnels Beaches for its modern-yet-sympathetic alterations, had kind words to say about the aquarium and theatre and even admitted to falling in love with the harbour and seafront.
But as well as admiring our more obvious success stories, the vigilant scholars also had a few words of advice. Firstly, they noted that more could be made of the tearooms and watermill at Bicclescombe Park. I quite agree. As I've said on previous occasions, Bicclescombe Park is truly one of the town's shiniest hidden gems.
One way of revealing this dazzling diamond would be to have a little more going on up there, the tearooms being a prime example. I wandered past just a few days ago and saw a sign which boasted "open for business until the end of October". This solitary sign stood outside a business which was anything but open, in fact it looked like spiders had long since claimed squatters rights to the ample space inside the creaking key holes. OK, I admit we've not had the best summer in terms of weather, but surely there are more opportunities for that beautiful old building? The right chef could turn that place into a truly unique restaurant. Imagine a still evening with large umbrellas and patio heaters outside, fairy lights twinkling magically in the trees and soft music hanging in the air – bliss!
Our vigilant visitors also drew attention to another of Ilfracombe's long running sagas – the pedestrianisation of the harbour. They suggested that, as well as making the pier a nicer area, a lack of cars would open doors to more tourist attractions, event opportunities and increased fishing. I found it interesting that people who had only been in the town for a matter of days could pick up on this. And given that teachers from this College have been coming to the same conclusion for two decades now, they must think us either lazy or stupid to have not yet seen this obvious idea through.
In reality, us locals know that the biggest logistical problem with this plan is offsetting all those valuable council parking spaces – let's face it, we've been trying to solve that little conundrum for many years. I just hope that in the years to come, future students from Hills Road will be able to note the positive changes and influx of visitors created by a fully pedestrianised pier. I just hope it doesn't take us another 20 years to do it.