Page 20 - link magazine

Pertinacious Swindon treasure reminds us
On the eve of the twentieth Swindon Festival of Literature, Juliet Platt
talks with festival founder and director Matt Holland, right, on litera-
Mobile Hair & Beauty ture, Lower Shaw Farm, and the value of people talking and listening
to one another.
Formerly a boy gaucho in Paraguay, less, literature remained important
farm labourer, export executive and to me, and, by coming to the festival
Fully insured mobile hairdresser freelance book reviewer for the in such great numbers over the past
covering all aspects of hairdressing
at AFFORDABLE prices! broadsheets, these days Matt is in his twenty years, the people of Swindon
Now also offering waxing treatments element with mud on his shoes, dirt have shown that they too value litera-
APRIL OFFER: Free wet cut under his finger nails and negotiating ture and ideas.
with any full head foils with literary agents. “But we have to be realistic. Six to
Call for an appointment Describing how it feels to see eight thousand people visit the festi- living, for which the farm won the
07584 628 123 the Festival of Literature attain its val each May which is fewer than an Observer’s Ethical Gardens Award
kellysmobilehairandbeauty twentieth anniversary, Matt said: “A average gate for a football match at in 2009.
lot has happened but I feel as fresh, the County Ground. Literature is still Commenting on the link between
if not fresher, about the festival as I a minority interest activity. But when Lower Shaw Farm and the Swindon
DEL Stribute did in 1994. someone stops me in the street and Festival of Literature, Matt said: “The
“In the early years, there were nay- says they’re still thinking about what founding spirit of Lower Shaw Farm
THE DISTRIBUTION COMPANY sayers who reckoned that literature an author said at a previous festival, is inextricably linked with that of the
was too long a word for Swindon; it then I know it’s worthwhile.” festival. Both operate from the prin-
Satellite Tracked
Satellite Tracked Door to Door Distribution made me a little uncertain. Neverthe- Matt has lived and worked in Swin- ciple that small is beautiful and both
DEL Stribute
Door to Door Distribution
Solus • Shared • Targeted • Business to Business don for the past 32 years, making his rely upon a sense of community, and
THE DISTRIBUTION COMPANY home at Lower Shaw of people working
Solus • Shared • Targeted
Adult Distributors • Fully Insured Farm, with his wife well together.
Andrea Hirsch and
Design & Print Available three now grown-up Some of the many
Free Local Collection children. During their exciting writers at
Swindon Festival of
tenancy, Lower Shaw Literature 20. Far left,
112 Basepoint Business Centre, Farm has become a Ken Livingstone, left,
Rivermead Drive, Swindon SN5 7EX haven for courses, Clare Balding, top
01793 629299 community events, right, Ben Okri, right
David Sainsbury and
www.delstribute.co.uk idea sharing, and ex- far right, Dame Stella
ploring sustainable Rimmington
Monday Bank Holiday 6th May STEPHEN HADDELSEY 7pm West Swindon
DAWN CHORUS 5.30am Lawn Woods, High Library, Link Centre Tel 01793 465555
Street, Old Town Tel 01793 771080 BLUEGATE OPEN MIC 7.30pm Great Western
STORYWALK 2pm Lydiard House, Lydiard Park, Hotel, Station Road Tel 01793 466454
West Swindon Tel 01793 770401 GEORGE MONBIOT 8pm Arts Centre,
JASON LEWIS 3pm Lydiard House, Lydiard Park, Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
West Swindon Tel 01793 770401 MUM’S THE WORD 8pm Studio, Arts Centre,
CLARE BALDING 7pm Wyvern Theatre, Theatre Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
Square Tel 01793 524481 Friday 10th May
Tuesday 7th May MARK DAMAZER 12.30pm Arts Centre,
KEN LIVINGSTONE 12.30pm Arts Centre, Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
FESTIVAL Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 PAUL MURDIN 6.30pm Arts Centre,
Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
ESTHER RANTZEN 6.30pm Arts Centre,
INFORMATION: Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 HILDA SHEEHAN 7.30pm The Platform,
Tel 01793 466454 JON CANNON 7.30pm Christ Church, Faringdon Road Tel 01793 466454
A MAN WITH A STICK 7.30pm Central Library,
Cricklade Street Tel 01793 466454
email [email protected] STELLA RIMINGTON 8pm Arts Centre, Regent Circus Tel 01793 466454
www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 TONY JUNIPER 8pm Arts Centre,
book online for most events at Wednesday 8th May Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
swindontickets.co.uk P D JAMES 12.30pm Arts Centre, Saturday 11th May
Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 YOUTH SLAM 11am Arts Centre,
KATE HUMBLE 6.30pm Arts Centre, Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 LIFE DRAWING & POETRY with SUKI 2pm
MARTIN PALMER 7.30pm Central Library, Artsite Post Modern Gallery, Theatre Square
Regent Circus Tel 01793 466454 Tel 01793 466454
JIMMY PEARSON 8pm Arts Centre, SWINDON SLAM! 7.30pm Arts Centre,
Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
Thursday 9th May Sunday 12th May
JUDY FINNIGAN 12.30pm Arts Centre, CHILDREN & FAMILIES DAY
Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 10.30am – 4.30pm Lower Shaw Farm, West Swindon
Tel 01793 771080
SWINDON HERITAGE 12.30pm Studio,
Arts Centre, Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 TAMAR YOSELOFF 11am – 5pm Swindon Museum
& Art Gallery, Bath Road Tel 01793 466454
Diary 2013 CLARE HICKMAN 6.30pm Lydiard House, CHRIS COATES 7pm Lower Shaw Farm,
Lydiard Park Tel 01793 770401
A C GRAYLING 6.30pm Arts Centre, West Swindon Tel 01793 771080
Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837 George Orwell’s 1984 7.30pm Arts Centre,
Devizes Road Tel 01793 614837
20 swindonlink.com • April 2013

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