I almost daren't post this...

Acrylic-bob said:
Incidentally, Gayle, are the minutes of the meetings of the Steering Group open to public inspection? And if they are, where might one obtain copies? But If they are not, why not?
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Yes, the Freedom of Information Act ensures that all documents are available to the public. All you have to do is contact Hyndburn Borough Council's Freedom of Information Officer and they will furnish you with them. You have to go through HBC as they are the lead partner in this.
 
dillon said:
The new website is a vast improvement Gayle. It also gives Hyndburn Council's site a run for its money. That site has been 'in development' for years now!
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They are too busy doing "other things" other than the site.
 
Thanks Gaylee for the link. I have seen a lot of references to a panopticon on these pages but never really understood what anyone was talking about. Perhaps you would all like a bit of a laugh with this picture of a sculpture. It has been placed on the footpath of the main st. in my local town of Childers after an extensive street beautifying scheme. Not exactly a Panopticon but an item that cost the local council AUS$58.000. If anyone can tell me what it is supposed to represent I will give you half of my ackers.
 

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:D :D Actually no Tealeaf. I first heard what it was supposed to be before I saw it in an article in the local paper. I never thought of anything Abo or animal, but I like the guess. When I first saw it my reaction was" you've gotta be joking":rolleyes: I personally would have never guessed.
 
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Hi Willow. Most of the locals have described it as 'the local mayor doing a big dump'However I'll let you know what it is because I have diverged from the main thrust of this post and I must apologise to Gayle for that. It's supposed to represent a volcano?????:confused: :D
 
They must have some funny volcanoes round your way Terry. :D

You know I'd almost prefer that on the top of the Coppice than "High Form" or whatever it was called.
 
designed to create distinctive environmental improvements to help develop an identity for the East Lancashire Regional Park and to involve local communities in the regeneration process.
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How exactly are these icons going to do that? I don't get it, how are they imroving and how are they regenerating
 
Did anyone notice that on the BBC local news last night a small story about Burnley's Panopticon Sculpture, Singing Ringing Tree or whatever it is called? You know the one, the thing made out of a pile of scaffolding poles. Apparently, the perpetrators are now asking for a further seven grand before they can complete it. Inflation is a terrible thing. I fully expect that by the time the steering group get around to deciding which part of Accrington they are going to let Peter Beard desecrate there won't be enough left in the pot to afford so much as a shovel!
 
Acrylic-bob said:
Did anyone notice that on the BBC local news last night a small story about Burnley's Panopticon Sculpture, Singing Ringing Tree or whatever it is called? You know the one, the thing made out of a pile of scaffolding poles.
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I didn't know it was made from scaffolding poles.I'll give it a life span of no more than 3 weeks before the pikeys - oops, "travellers" - nick it for scrap.
 
The 1960's, Eastern European, children's classic television programme 'The Singing Ringing Tree', featured an evil little dwarf.

Will he be made out of scaffolding too?

If not, where can I send off an application for someone who would be perfect for the part?
 
It wull probably have a little dwarf or garden gnome hanging from the scaffolding...or maybe a dozen hanging dwarfs.
 
Acrylic-bob said:
Did anyone notice that on the BBC local news last night a small story about Burnley's Panopticon Sculpture, Singing Ringing Tree or whatever it is called? You know the one, the thing made out of a pile of scaffolding poles. Apparently, the perpetrators are now asking for a further seven grand before they can complete it. Inflation is a terrible thing. I fully expect that by the time the steering group get around to deciding which part of Accrington they are going to let Peter Beard desecrate there won't be enough left in the pot to afford so much as a shovel!
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Actually, it's SEVENTY thousand that we're applying for (not a bean coming out of council taxes, by the way). Don't ask me which bodies we're applying to because at this exact minute I can't remember). We could make it on the funding that Burnley was initially given but because the Burnley steering group and the good people of Burnley seem to like the sculpture so much they want us to make it bigger!

And yes, at this rate Hyndburn could very well miss out on any of the funding. Plus any of the subsequent funding that it could attract.
 
What Funding Gayle? 70 grand for what? Accrington looks like a kid walking round the neighbourhood with its arse hanging out of its trousers and you what to spend all that money on something that will bring nothing to the town.

I would also argue no matter how you twist it, this is still public money that’s being spent and it doesn’t end there what about maintenance cost’s over the years as well as the cost making the thing accessible to everyone who might want to see it. Not to mention the cost of consultation fees over time.

I understand this money is already allocated to the arts, etc. But surly we should be thinking of other things in Hyndburn than this.
 
We're not talking about Accrington here we're talking about an extra £70k for Burnley.

It's almost irrelevant anyway because from what I understand Hyndburn's whole arts programme is going down the drain anyway. The Council, along with serving redundancy notices to the Community Wardens, are also letting the whole Arts Development team go at the end of March. HBC has also cancelled its subscription to Mid Pennine Arts so MPA are really cutting back on all the arts educational stuff in Hyndburn. So that means - no festivals, no education arts, no creative arts projects, no youth projects and by the looks of it no public art.

You might not like the Panopticon and despite all that I've tried to tell you about the benefits it might bring, it is fast becoming immaterial as the whole of Hyndburn is becoming a big black hole where creativity is stifled and discouraged. I firmly believe that an area is judged from the outside (and from within) on its culture and arts, or in Hyndburn's case quite clearly its lack of it. I know that I will not convince some of you that the sculpture was a good thing for the town but surely you can see that the total lack of arts in the town is a bad thing.
 
I have to agree with you on that point Gayle. I didn't like the idea of a pointless creation on top of the Coppice which would either spoil the Coppice or be totally invisible to the majority of people. I would have liked to have seen something better than High Form or the previously suggested Tellytubbie humps, possibly by another artist and in a better location which could have been enjoyed and appreciated by everyone.

BUT I also think it's a crying shame that Hyndburn is spinning into an ever deepening cultural abyss. No festivals? No youth projects? Perhaps if there was no French market or pot fair we could have a statue on Broadway for a Panopticon. Something in shiny steel to match the seats and the tree cages would be nice.
 
I don’t disagree with either of you in respect of the alleged withdrawal of funding for Arts and Culture in Hyndburn. But correct me if I’m wrong Gayle in that not all funding comes from Mid Pennine and many interest parties will be able to continue to apply for funding from other sources.

On the subject of a Panopticon. I don’t believe that having an object stuck on the coppice is essential to attract funding into Hyndburn.

HBC have also shown a distinct disinterest in the history and heritage of the town and what it represents to us all. If one of these Panopticon’s had been built in Hyndburn there’s little doubt that it would have suffered from the same disinterest from council and that at some point removed.

Accrington doesn’t need props Gayle, it needs leadership and direction. This is not a personal attack, it’s an opinion. We need to be investing in people and in providing services that promote creativity and individualism and above all else Pride.
 
Oh, Seventy Thousand. I stand corrected. That is even worse! Where is this extra funding being spent Gayle? Who gets it? Whose pocket will it end up in?

I do agree however with your comments about an Arts Crisis in Hyndburn.
 
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