Page 28 - link magazine

Swindon Wide

The forgotten Swindon Foodbank to get rocking boost
legacy of WG Little

By Graham Carter of Swindon
Heritage magazine
Swindon’s heritage has been taking
a bashing in recent weeks, but for
those who care about the legacy
the past has left us, the picture is
even bleaker than we might have
realised.
Thanks to GLL’s scheme to turn
the Health Hydro into flats and
councillors’ refusal to rule out such L-R: Chris Derry, Amy Caswell and John Derry check out Level 3 before their
cultural vandalism in the future, relaunch charity show
plus the Borough’s hamfisted The remnants of the old advert at
handling of the aftermath of the 1-3 Faringdon Road Swindon music promoters and again to keep going.
fire at the former Agricultural up money to promote his other SouthWestHardcore will be “If we are relaunching SWHC,
Museum at Coate, another issue passion: music. giving back to their community in we wanted to make sure it gave
has slipped under the radar. WG Little’s only error, it seems, February by hosting a ReLaunch something back to those guys, after
Just before Christmas it was was to assume that also leaving his party at The Rolleston Arms on they helped me when I needed it.”
announced that 1-3 Faringdon properties in trust to councillors February 24 in aid of Swindon John added: “We were inspired
Road are to be sold off. meant they would always be kept Foodbank. by a music video by a band called
Many people will remember these for the good of the community, Having taken a break from the Stretch Armstrong, where they
buildings as the one-time home of as he intended, rather than being music scene for a few years, John had a gig with food for charity as
the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, but flogged off. Derry and his brother Chris are the entry fee, so that’s what we
since 2012 they have been boarded The fund, we hope, is safe, but returning to promoting shows are doing here. People should be
up and neglected, while awaiting in the usual absence of any public in 2017, and have decided their allowed to help others in whatever
their fate at the hands of Forward consultation, the best hope for relaunch should give a helping way they see fit, not how they are
Swindon. preventing the buildings from being hand to a critical local charity. told to. We want to bring the punk
This unaccountable arm of lost to the community forever is a Chris said: “We loved putting spirit back to Swindon.”
Swindon Borough Council seems to petition, and that seems to have on these shows, and got pretty An item of nonperishable food
have been charged with making key been overlooked, amid desperate successful doing it. But when the should be presented on the door
decisions about historic buildings battles to protect other, higher- credit crunch hit, people weren’t as entry fee and the show will be
in the town, and in the case of profile attacks on our heritage. coming out as much. I found myself headlined by Chippenham based
1-3 Faringdon Road their plan to You’ll find it here - www.change. having to use the foodbank now metal band Roads to Nowhere.
sell them to the highest bidders as org/p/swindon-borough-council- Swindon songwriter releases anti-bullying
shops and flats carries the same save-swindon-s-heritage-1-3-
hallmarks as the Health Hydro faringdon-road pop anthem
controversy. Even worse than the loss of the
The remnants of an old buildings is the way in which
advertisement can still be seen on everything WG Little stood for is
the face of the corner building, and being forgotten.
if you look closely you will also see He came from a time when
the initials ‘WGL’ and the date 1892 Swindon was home to people of
- ironically the same year that the true vision, who felt a genuine duty
Health Hydro opened. to the community.
The initials stand for WG Little, a He was the embodiment of a
true visionary with an extraordinary spirit of philanthropy that defined
story, which we will be telling the town, and a caring instinct Singer/songwriter Jodie H Dunn has controlling you at your lowest point.
in detail in the spring edition that is still evident in the fantastic released an emotional anti-bullying Jodie said: “I couldn’t do this
of Swindon Heritage when it is work of warm-hearted and caring song ‘I Belong In Hell’ with support without my family. They persuaded
published at the end of February. volunteers and organisations in from family and friends. me to not give up on music. After
A highly successful draper and Swindon today. Jodie, who lives and works in getting signed to a label who gave
milliner, Little was also a leading Turning his buildings into yet Swindon, has been involved in me major issues, I found myself
councillor, and saw his duty to more flats tells us much about the music from a young age, teaching disheartened from songwriting,
the community as something that prevailing attitude to Swindon’s herself keyboard at the age of but my mum especially was key in
should continue even beyond the rich historic legacies, but we should nine. During her early teens she getting me back writing again.
grave. think carefully about what is left was subjected to a lot of bullying, “I Belong In Hell is my confidence
So he ensured the great wealth before allowing councillors or forcing her to change schools in the builder, and because writing it was
he amassed during his lifetime their proxies to make irreversible middle of her exams. so cathartic and the recording was
could be used to benefit the people decisions about them. However the bullying then so laid back and different from my
of Swindon for generations after At a time when local heritage developed onto social media, previous experience. I’m just so
his death, and in particular he was groups would love to be giving Jodie no real escape. After excited by music again, and I want
anxious his legacy should help concentrating on various positive studying at the Academy of Music to give everyone that confidence
young people. projects to celebrate our heritage and Sound, music became Jodie’s after being knocked down”.
So a trust fund was established, and boost the tattered image of the diary whereby she expressed her ‘I Belong In Hell’ has been
which still exists, and since his town, 2017 already seems certain to emotions via her lyrics. Her songs produced by Andy Whitmore, who
death in 1927 it has paid out well be another year consigned to trying have progressively become more has worked with major names such
over £1million, targeting needy to defend it. meaningful, leading to ‘I Belong In as Elton John and is available via
Swindon children and putting
www.swindonheritage.com Hell’ based on the idea of someone soundcloud.com/jodiehelendunn
28 swindonlink.com n February 2017

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