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Swindon Wide                                                   23


                Swindon is not so rubbish
            ‘It’s ugly, dirty, boring, there’s no community
            spirit,  nothing  ever  happens,  there’s  no                   Blunsdon’s
            culture, all it has is a famous roundabout,                 Masquerade Ball
            and that’s rubbish too: do you agree?’
              This provocative statement and ques-                    SATURDAY 14th FEBRUARY 2009
            tion  was  put  by  Mike  Pringle,  Director              An evening of opulence and elegance
                                                                       Not to be missed - dress to impress
            of the Swindon Cultural Partnership, the                   Enjoy the evening with friends and
            independent  body  that  brings  together                   family (not suitable for children)
            business,  arts  organisations  and  local
            government, in the January 2008 Link.
              But  where  there’s  muck,  there’s  brass,
            as  the  saying  goes,  and  Mike,  for  Janu-
            ary 2009, has brought out a sixteen page
            booklet which looks at ‘culture’ in Swindon,                                            •  No contract – no fuss
            in its widest sense. He uncovers a wealth of              Spectacular 5 course candlelit dinner   •  State of the art equipment
            talented people, opportunities to participate               and a complimentary glass of   •  Where members come fi rst
            and a remarkable depth to the town’s cultural                      pink bubbly          •  9 hole par 3 golf course
            foundations.                                              Dance the night away to Locomotion
              A survey in 2006 found that 93 per cent                  band followed by Skywalkers Disco
            of people engaged in at least one cultural                   A mask will be provided but
            activity during the previous twelve months.                bring your own to win the prize for
            Culture is offi cially at the heart of Swindon                     the best one!
            because  work  to  improve  it  -  in  terms  of                 £45 per person         Call 01793 720640
            building  community  cohesion  and  social
            inclusion, and the impact made on the town’s
            sense of identity and image - is measured
            by government inspectors who check up on
            Swindon Council’s performance.
              A year ago Mike wrote, ‘Swindon is, above
            all, the people who live and work here. We’re
            not rubbish; we’re great, and it’s about time
            the world gets the message.’
              For  a  paper  copy  mail:  mike.pringle@
            creativeswindon.org.uk  or  fi nd  it  at:  www.  What’s culture to you?
            swindonculture.org                 Some or all of the above?




















































         21-52 January 09 extreme.indd   23                                                                        16/12/08   11:48:24
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