Ten years ago this week plans forBridgewater Place were unveiled. A decadeon and Leeds' economic situation could not
be further from the wide-eyed optimism of thenew millennium.
Bridgewater has radically altered Leeds' skyline,though looking down from its 110-metre-tall roofwould reveal that the landscape below is definedby empty lots and stalled developments.Construction in the city is, it seems, at a standstill.
Leeds City Council’s executive board will meeton Wednesday to discuss the next step in the citycentre’s development. It is likely to bring about au-turn in planning policy, moving the focus togreen spaces and business developments.
This is a marked contrast to the boom in high-rise residential developments inspired byBridgewater. The building has come to symbolisethe optimism that grasped Leeds developersduring what seemed like a period of unrestrictedgrowth. Seen at the time as a “vote of confidencein the move toward inner city living in Leeds,” itwas to inspire a number of ambitiousdevelopment projects that, we now know, wouldnever see the light of day.
Bridgewater Place is the most prominentsuccess story to come out of Leeds’ “propertybubble”. Office spaces within the building –described as “the heart of the Leeds businessdistrict” - are occupied by a number of big-hittinginternational companies, nearly all of its 200apartments are lived in and it has quickly becomeone of the city's most recognisable landmarks.
At the height of Leeds’ economic confidence, twomore high-profile, skyscraping developmentswere greenlit. The £115m Criterion Place, with its“Kissing Towers” on Sovereign Street and the IanSimpson-designed Lumiere Towers on WellingtonStreet would, together, have provided Leeds withover 1,000 apartments, hundreds of hotel roomsand a record-breaking skyline.
Then the bubble burst. The demand for buy-to-let properties dwindled considerably and thisspelt disaster for a number of developments. TheCriterion Place project has been cancelled, and thefate of its proposed site is on the agenda forWednesday’s council meeting. The vacant lot fromwhich Lumiere was supposed to rise sits onWellington Street, untouched now for almost twoyears. The project has been put on indefinite hold
and its original developer, KW Linfoot, has goneinto administration.
Robert Giles, accounts manager at SimonsGroup, the developer responsible for the CriterionPlace project, attributes the failure of the schemeto the wider economic crisis. He said: “The marketmade the decision rather than the council orourselves. Both parties would have liked it to havegone forward. Whether or not that scheme isviable going on into the future is doubtful, givenits size and cost.”
As well as leaving gaps in Leeds’ urbanlandscape, the abandoned developments have leftholes in the pockets of those who invested inthem. After KW Linfoot went into administrationin 2008, those who had paid for off-planapartments were left wondering what wouldhappen to their deposits. Since then, investors inthe project have banded together in an attempt torecoup their money.
As the Lumiere towers have only – officially, atleast - been put on hold and not cancelled outrightthere is uncertainty about how long it will take forinvestment to be refunded, if it can be recoveredat all.
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JULY 16 2010 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 9 www.northleedsnews.co.uk
MOREPage 2 - Facebook privacy
Page 3 - NHS records
Pages 4/5 - Summer fashion
Page 6 - Eating disorders
Page 7 - Latest reviews
Page 8 - Sir Robert Worcester
Continued on page 2
Inner city strifePhoto: Gareth Aveyard
by Tom Richardson
STANDING TALL: Bridgewater Place looms over Leeds.
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Law firm Lupton Fawcett is to hold a meetinglater this month to advise those who put moneyinto the project about the possibility of starting aclass-action lawsuit.
James Naylor, senior associate in propertylitigation at the firm, said: “A lot of investors areworried because they have put large sums ofmoney down as a deposit, with no definite datefor completion. The concern is that, even if thedevelopers do manage to complete the towers, theproperties will be worth far less than wasoriginally paid for them.”
Naylor cited the original contracts as a potentialobstacle investors may face in their quest toregain lost capital.
He said: “The developer will resist the action,claiming that no date for completion wasspecified. We would argue that, as it is nowunlikely or uncertain that the towers will becompleted, under the circumstances it is not
unreasonable to expect that one should beimplied.”
Lumiere and Criterion Place are not the onlyprojects to have fallen by the wayside. A reportpublished in March by Leeds University academicRachael Unsworth, entitled City Living Beyond theBoom identifies more than 30 schemes whichhave stalled, been cancelled or deemed unlikely toproceed in their original form.
The report also claims that the main problemfacing the market in Leeds was one of supply andnot demand.
Perhaps surprisingly, demand for properties inLeeds is healthy. A survey of six major lettingagents shows that, of the 3153 apartments ontheir books, 92.4 per cent are currently occupied.Rentals in particular have remained strong inspite of the recession, with agents upbeat aboutprospects in this area.
Whether there will be enough apartments tomeet this demand remains to be seen. With somany projects suspended or “mothballed”
entirely, the supply of new residential propertieshas stalled. Currently, no more than two schemesare under construction and only five, comprisingjust 600-700 flats, stand a slim chance of reachingcompletion within the next five years.
As the city strives to expand, a “cap” on citycentre living may deter professionals andbusinesses from setting up in the city.Additionally, an unwillingness from banks to fundconstruction in Leeds means that the supplypipeline of new developments may take sometime to start flowing once again.
Leeds is looking forward to a life after therecession. For the council to achieve its goal oftaking Leeds to the "next level" and putting it onan equal footing with cities such as Manchester, itwill have to attract investment in the city. Until itcan do this, its ambitions may remain, like somany developments in the city, a pipe dream.
Lupton Fawcett’s Lumiere meeting will be held onJuly 29 at 6pm at its East Parade offices.
Continued from page 1
This week Facebook announced the launch of the
new panic button designed to safeguard children
and teenagers from online abuse. Hitting the
panic button on the homepage reports any abuse to the
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
(CEOP) that tracks online sex offenders. The button not
only protects children from paedophiles but can
prevent illicit contact between adopted children and
their birth parents. Jim Lint, from the CEOP, said:
“With the panic button just being launched it is meant
to protect children from exploitation. A child who is
being contacted by some one they don’t know and feels
vulnerable could report it to us, even if the person is
their birth parent. It is not entirely for that reason but
it can still be reported.”
Adoption services have strict guidelines in place when
managing contact between children and their birth
parents. Facebook has made general contact more
accessible between people, blurring the guidelines for
parents desperately wanting to re-connect with their
child. This could be done secretly without services
knowing raising concern.
Louise Garcia, from Leeds,
used to work with the British
Association for Adoption and
Fostering service. She said:
“Monitoring of social
networking sites have increased
recently in our sector because
we are seeing more problems with contact breaches in
families regarding adoption. Facebook is one of the
main culprits but there are other sites out there
contributing. I’m sure this kind of thing will get worse
over time.” In the majority of cases it is the child, no
matter how old, that goes searching for the parents.
Young people can be impulsive and not think about
the consequences of their actions. Facebook provides
an instant messaging application that can feel very
private, which would allow teenagers to speak to people
or write things that they would normally not say out
loud. Miss Garcia added: “When talking to children
about sensetive matters it’s obvious they find it hard to
talk about it outloud. We encourage them to write
down their thoughts.”
Facebook started as a picture sharing site but has
become a powerful social networking tool used by
millions all over the world. Facebook has 400 million
users: Over 23 million people aged 13 and over in the
UK have signed up and this number is expected to
increase. The politics of adoption is complicated,
whether it is the biological parents or adopted child that
wants to track down the other party.
For some people, knowing that they are adopted is
hard enough, having to deal with feelings of rejection
and questioning why they were given up. Yet biological
parents can regret the action and seek out their child
years afterwards. On Facebook you can search by
names, countries, home town, school, university, the
names of any organisations and products that a user
might support, as well as geographic data. Combining
these details makes it easy to find the person you are
looking for providing they have an account on the site.
According to Miss Garcia the majority of cases have
involved teenagers searching for their birth parents,
which seems more acceptable by society because it is
that child’s choice. However, there are cases that “call
for concern”. Elisa Candara, a children’s youth worker
in Leeds, said: “There has been a case recently that
involves a parent getting in touch with their adopted
child through sending a private message on Facebook
without any warning or previous contact with them.
This has caused the child and their parents great
distress, which we are trying to tackle sensitively.”
When a child is adopted, their new surname is meant
to be regarded as private but sometimes this
information is leaked. Social networking sites make it a
lot easier for someone to piece together information
they need to find a person. Mrs Candara explained:
“Sometimes information about
the child gets through the
system that shouldn’t, which
offers maybe desperate people
a starting point.” For those who
regret the adoption it is proving
too tempting to get back in the
child’s life with tools like
Facebook readily available to anyone.
Facebook has previously been demonised for some
situations that have spiralled out of control but there
are many people that actually praise Facebook in
adoption cases. Its huge amount of members and
groups make it easier for a child if they want to get in
touch with their real parents. There is a specific group
on Facebook called adoption.com for people involved
in adoptions. It has many posts from people looking for
someone who they wish to re-connect with. Sam Edkert
who was looking for his birth family through the group
said: “I finally met my whole family after finding my
mother on the site. I have four sisters and one brother
and was so glad that I found her. She said there wasn’t
one day that she didn’t think about where I was, or
what I was doing.”
Six weeks ago the company changed what that meant
with a fundamental shift in its privacy policy, which has
caused wide-spread controversary. The social
networking site amended its terms of service and
deleted a provision which said users could remove all
their content at any time, meaning that even if you did
decide to delete your account then information about
you would still be accessible after deletion.
It has not been made clear yet just how much data,
or what types of data is retained on Facebook if a user
decides to shut down their account. Mark Zuckerberg,
the founder of Facebook, said the changes were made
to ensure that if a user deletes his or her account any
comments or messages he or she had left on a friend's
Facebook page would not also disappear. On
Facebook’s official site he said: “We think this is the
right way for Facebook to work, and it is consistent with
how other services work like email.”
For birth parents who find it too painful to re-connect
with their child or for the child who is adamant they
do not want to have any contact with their parents they
both should have control over their own privacy
settings, as neither party knows if they might be
approached one day.
Facebook has taken an important leap in to providing
a safeguarding precaution for children to use if they feel
exploited or in danger. With further developments it
could help to put an end to the heartache caused by
contact breaches that slip through the net.
Chloé Doyle investigates panic stations forFacebook and the vulnerablegroups that can now be helped online.
“Monitoring of social networkingsites have increased recently inour sector because we are seeingmore problems with contact
breaches.”
FACEBOOK: Safe from harm?
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For the recordby Jonathan Forrester
Thousands of people in Leeds and Bradfordhave had their medical records transferredto a government-controlled database,
making them accessible to NHS staff nationwide.A Freedom of Information disclosure has
revealed that 20 GPs in Bradford and nine inLeeds have uploaded patient information to thecentral database, with a further 10 Bradfordpractices agreeing to upload.
Summary Care Records (SCRs) are part of awider plan to digitalise all medical records. Thescheme, which is currently being rolled out acrossthe country, will see basic information such asallergies and prescriptions recorded. Other healthproblems and summaries of care may then beadded every time an NHS service is used.
It is thought that the records will benefitpatients in emergencies or if they are beingtreated in a different partof the country to their GP.They also provideauthorised healthcare staffwith quick and easy accessto patient information.
So far, the governmenthas spent over £96 millionon the scheme, a figure thatis set to rise with reviewsinto its content and opt-outarrangements underway. Of this amount, NHSBradford and Airedale has spent over £123,000while NHS Leeds has spent nearly £30,000.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Ourview is that we see a need for both patients andclinicians to be able to access patient records inan electronic form. This is part of our thinkingabout making information transparent andavailable, involving patients in decisions abouttheir healthcare.”
Despite their benefits, SCRs have attractedwidespread criticism since their announcement.The government has adopted a system of impliedconsent, meaning that a patient’s record will bemade automatically unless they actively object.Patients can, however, change their mind at anytime.
Local NHS services have been charged withsending information to patients in their area toensure they are aware of the changes. Patients inBradford were among the first in the country toreceive letters in 2007, while Leeds patients
received details fromNovember last year.
A report evaluating thescheme, however, haswarned that manypeople have not readthem or have thrownthem away. Letters havealso only been sent topatients approaching the age of 16 and over,leaving parents and guardians to decide children’srecords without them always realising.
Phil Booth is national coordinator for NO2ID, anon-partisan campaign opposing the databasestate. He said: “Despite a supposed ‘informationcampaign’, the vast majority of people in Englandsimply don’t know they have to make animportant choice about their family’s medical
privacy.“A three-year independ-
ent study shows that theSummary Care Recordsystem rarely works inthe way people are beingtold it does, that it actuallyintroduces risks and de-lays into frontline healthdelivery.”
The study, carried outby researchers at University College London,concluded that SCRs had only achieved “moderatebenefits”. It found that the records sometimescontain inaccuracies and that, even when they areavailable, clinicians do not always access them.
Criticism also followed the decision to increasethe speed of the scheme’s rollout in time for thegeneral election – in order to prevent the projectbeing scrapped under the Tories.
Booth added: “The current accelerated roll-outwas imposed by a department desperate topreserve its pet project, not for good, evidence-based health reasons. It is a disgrace.”
Confidentiality concerns have already sparkedchanges to the scheme – healthcare staff now haveto ask permission before they access a patient’srecord – but this fresh wave of attack hasencouraged the Department of Health to reviewSCRs once again.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “Webelieve the current processes that are in placeneed reviewing to ensure that both the
information that patients receive, and the processby which they opt out, are as clear and simple aspossible.
“Also, we see a need to review the content of therecord and to agree with key stakeholders whatshould be added to the record and over whattimescale.
“Using Summary Care Records effectivelydepends on patients and doctors feeling anownership of these records, so that care isfocussed on patients’ wishes delivered byclinicians exercising their professionaljudgement.”
For more information or for an opt-out form, visitwww.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk
“The current accelerated
roll-out was imposed by a
department desperate to
preserve its pet project, not
for good, evidence-based
health reasons.” SCRs: Who has uploaded?
Leeds
Manston Surgery, The Medical Centre, MoorGrange View Surgery, Colton Hill MedicalCentre, Foundry Lane Surgery, The AvenueSurgery, West Lodge Surgery, WhitehallSurgery, The Gables Surgery.
Bradford
Ling House Medical Centre, Oakworth HealthCentre, Farfield Group Practice, PhoenixMedical Practice, Holycroft Surgery, BiltonMedical Practice, The Ridge Medical Practice,Horton Bank Practice, The Willows MedicalCentre, Grange Park Surgery, Picton MedicalCentre, Cowgill Surgery, Frizinghall MedicalCentre, Grange Medical Centre, SunnyBankMedical Centre, Ashwell Medical Centre,Little Horton Lane Medical Centre, WestcliffeMedical Centre, The Bradford Moor Practice,Windhill Green Medical Centre.
ONE CLICK: A nurse accesses electronic records.
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Tailored maxi dresses, gathered to create some added detail, and classic length cocktail
dresses are ideal for parties, BBQs and nights on the town. Flirt with your feminine
charm with intense pastels, cascading ruffles and plunging necklines and if you’re
feeling daring, opt for a thigh split or provocative cutaways to get male hearts racing on a warm
summer’s afternoon.
Alternatively, try a splash of colour with a scarlet cocktail dress to create a bold statement.
Add a black belt and matching shoes and clutch to break up the colour.
Summer Vogue ...for her
Flippy summer dresses, breezy skirts and shifts, and silk print
blouses with waistcoats create a classic picnic look. Fan pleats
and puff sleeves give a touch of class, or for something
different, try a tailored white dress combined with a striking silver
belt. Add a pair of light coloured gladiators or espadrilles and
complete the look with a straw hat and basket, plus lots of delicate
gold bracelets (to compliment sun-kissed skin).
For something different try the “global traveller” look with a leopard
print, tie-dye, batik or bold African print dress.
Hot nights
Petites rose shiftdressMiss Selfridge
£39
Cool days
Black croc clutchMatalan
£6
Red dress with aknotted bustwww.bonprix.co.uk
£24.90
Black wedge sandalswww.bonprix.co.uk
£9.90
Striped waist skirtRiver Island
£21.99
Lace cape blouseMiss Selfridge
£35
Babylon bowclutchAccessorize
£25Oat broderiewaistcoatMiss Selfridge
£20
by Adam Edwards and Chloé Doyle
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White tailored shortsRiver Island
£24.99
and for him...
Tailored striped shorts, off-white jeans or chinos, a tunic neck, linen shirt
(scrunch up the arms to create a bohemian look) or a grandad striped shirt
create the perfect look for all occasions. To look the part this summer, ditch
the brassy logos, ripped jeans and cartoon T-shirts and dress up a little.
For a smarter occasion try the “English dandy” look with a cream cotton suit and
a bright shirt and tie combo. You may feel out of your comfort zone in something
so “showy” but it beats a stuffy penguin suit and is a lot more comfortable on a
hot summer’s day.
Hot nights
Long sleeve grandad topBurton
£15
Crinkle blazerRiver Island
£59.99
Mohan shortsFrench Connection
£30
Cool days
Anything “nautical” is in style right now from deck shoes
to trilbies so think “yachting” when you’re next in the
high street. A pair of checked shorts, white vest and a
nice casual shirt (rolled up at the sleeves with only the bottom
few buttons done up) create a classic, grown-up look that is
perfect for any occasion.
A straw trilby, shades and white espadrilles finish the sailor
look. If espadrilles really aren’t for you and you’d rather stick
with the more versatile white plimsolls, buy some pumps with
just a small amount of detail to break up the squeaky clean look.
Rocha John Rocha grey jeansDebenhams
£45
Sol Cal trilby straw hatRepublic
£12.99
White and blue stripe espadrillesBurton
£22.00
Dark mauveMexico shirt Jack & Jones
£40
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Imagine feeling scared, alone and desperate for
support. You finally pluck up the courage to ask for
help and you’re met by a system that is starved of
knowledge, funding and services and hindered by
waiting lists. For sufferers of eating disorders in Leeds,
the system has, only too often, failed them.
Samantha* from Leeds, mother of 16-year-old
Hannah*, who has been battling with an eating disorder
for about five years, spoke of her disappointing
experience with the health service. When Hannah was
11 she started showing symptoms of an eating disorder.
Samantha took Hannah, who was deteriorating rapidly,
to see the GP. They experienced a real sense of
inconsistency with GPs help.
Samantha says: “The first GP we went to see weighed
my daughter and said her weight was fine, but I knew
something wasn’t right. He said to come back in a
month and he’d assess her again.” Upon the second
visit, the family saw a different GP who weighed her on
a different pair of scales to the first weighing.
“He weighed her and said she’d lost half a stone in
just one month but he put that down to it being a
different pair of scales and never checked again.
Looking back I should have made him check but he
referred Hannah to Cringle Bar House anyway, which
deals with children’s mental health issues.”
This experience mirrors the statistics released by
BEAT, the UK’s leading charity for eating disorders,
which showed that only 15 per cent of sufferers felt that
their GP understood their illness and knew how to help.
A spokesperson from BEAT says: “Although there are
many well informed GPs today and first class treatment
available, the picture is not consistent across the
country. Too often we hear of individuals who have
experienced difficulties accessing the treatment they
need through lack of awareness and understanding.”
Speaking out about an eating disorder is the first step
to recovery but the majority of people felt that when
they did their GP did not know about available
treatments and how to access them.
Following the survey, The National Institute for
Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published
guidelines stating that, providing GPs listen and act
quickly, recovery is possible. BEAT then carried out the
Health Check Report to see if the quality of treatment
for eating disorders in UK was getting better. The
findings were disappointing, with 42 per cent of GPs
failing to make an early diagnosis and 55 per cent not
being treated for their illness by a specialist.
Samantha recalls a long waiting time before Hannah
got a step further in the system but she was still no
closer to specialist treatment. She says: “Between the
referral and going to Cringle Bar we were left on our
own but Hannah’s deterioration was so rapid that I rang
Cringle Bar House who told me there was a 12-week
waiting list.” Hannah’s condition worsened and Cringle
Bar House sent her to A&E to get blood samples as she
was about to go into a diabetic coma. Hannah was then
transferred to Littlewood House Hall, which is an in-
patient service for children with mental health
problems. Samantha was concerned about this but
didn’t know where else to turn. She says: “Littlewood
House Hall doesn’t specifically specialise in eating
disorders which I wasn’t keen on but I had no choice.
Hannah was in there for nine weeks.”
Although Hannah eventually got into the system her
treatment was short lived and, much to her families
despair, her treatment was cut short. When Hannah was
admitted to Littlewood House Hall she weighed just
21.8kg with a BMI of 11.7. Sufferers generally undertake
a 12 to 16 weeks treatment programme but Hannah was
discharged after just nine weeks. Samantha says: “After
nine weeks I got a call saying she was well enough to
come home. It wasn’t until later that I found out that
they needed her bed for another patient and they had
decided that Hannah was the fittest to come home even
though she still had a BMI of 16.3. She wasn’t ready to
come home. It was terrifying.”
This experience has left the family feeling let down
and cheated. They feel that their poor experience was
mainly down to the lack of understanding and funding
of eating disorders within the system. Samantha says:
“They do everything by the book but there’s no
compassion or understanding. I remember a GP telling
me that he thought too much time is spent on trying
to cure it rather than prevent it. In Hannah’s case this
is true. She nearly went into a coma before we got any
help. If we hadn’t have pushed for help, my daughter
would have died. We did all the leg work and it’s left
me feeling totally let down by the whole system.”
Another sufferer from Leeds, Jessica*, 22, has also had
a frustrating experience with the health services. After
three years she finally admitted she needed help and
went to her GP but he didn’t seem to understand. He
told her it was probably just a phase she was going
through and took some blood tests. Jessica says: “I felt
helpless. I had finally plucked up the courage to admit
to a problem and ask for help and my doctor just
ignored it. I don’t think he knew what to do.”
Jessica persisted and went back to the GP. This time
he seemed to listen more and referred her to the Leeds
Mental Health service. “I thought this was a step closer
to some help but I waited about 13 weeks before I got
an appointment and when I did I was met with the same
lack of understanding of what I needed as I got from
my GP.”
Jessica was told that they would consider treatment
options and call her. Two weeks went by until she got
a phone call from them. She recalls: “They said that
the only option they thought I would benefit from had
a long waiting list and asked me if I wanted to bother
waiting. When I said I wanted some sort of support they
said they needed to have another think and would get
back to me.”
Jessica is currently still waiting for them to get back
to her and the experience so far with the health service
has left her feeling inadequate. She says: “I feel like they
are trying to cast me aside. I’m still no closer to any
help – in fact I feel further away from it now. I feel like
an inconvenience.” This is the case for many people
who are struggling to get into the system.
Despite recommendations by NICE, there is still a lack
in specialist services with long waiting lists and high
costs. NHS specialist inpatient treatment can cost up to
£25,000 per person and only 33 per cent of local health
authorities in the UK have specialist services.
There are about two dozen NHS eating disorders
clinics in the UK. The Yorkshire Centre for Eating
Disorders has become the largest service in the north,
receiving referrals from all over the UK. The service is
in high demand - so much so that the clinic had to
expand to increase the number of inpatient beds.
BEAT believes that there needs to be a change in the
system. The spokesperson adds: “In view of the recent
health service changes we would wish to see GPs
generally better informed about eating disorders and
able to refer their patient to the appropriate specialist
service.”
Samantha also firmly believes that there needs to be
shorter waiting times, more accessible services and
better understanding throughout the profession. She
adds: “When you go into a GP surgery you hardly ever
see leaflets on eating disorders so people don’t have
any knowledge about them. Something has to change
– more specialist services are definitely needed.”
Since 2002 there has been a 162 per cent increase in
the number of people affected and BEAT estimates that
1.6 million people in the UK are affected by eating
disorders. The BEAT spokesperson says: “Eating
disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental
illness – 12 times higher than in the general population
and early intervention is crucial.”
It’s time for the waiting game to end and for the
health profession to start providing specialist services
that are not hindered by waiting lists and a lack of
funding and understanding. However, with the
proposed public service cutbacks these life-saving
services may continue to be starved of resources.
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
Weighing it all up
by Rebecca Elvin
“She nearly went intoa coma before we got
any help.”
MOREreviewsNLN MORE 7
Anew, hugely-anticipatedplay, This Land: The Storyof Woody Guthrie, tells the
fascinating story of the life ofAmerica’s much-loved folkmusic hero.
In a captivating production,the story tells of highs and lows,from the heartbreaking death ofhis mother in a fire, to therousing gigs at rallies and transitcamps to his dance of death withHuntington’s Chorea.
The riveting 75 minutes ofdrama and live musicdocuments the life, loves andsongs of a figure who hasarguably had an impact on all ofmodern music.
Artistic director of InterplayProductions and author of ThisLand, Steve Byrne, says:“Audiences who see This Landwill find themselvesexperiencing a type of theatrethey are unlikely to findanywhere else. Through hismusic Guthrie told the story ofthe downtrodden, of people whodidn’t have a voice.
“I thought his story was reallypertinent to what we do atInterplay. He had a powerfulvoice that spoke acrossgenerations and this was
evident in the legion of fans whoare fans of his music.”
The music of Woody Guthriehas inspired the work of manymodern-day singer-songwritersand entertainers, from the musicof Bob Dylan and Christy Mooreto Ani DiFranco and BruceSpringsteen.
To music lovers, folk fans andcasual listeners, Guthrie is seenas the godfather of folk musicand his influence can be heardeverywhere. His colourful lifehas become as legendary as thesongs he wrote.
Interplay is marking its 40thanniversary this year and isbringing the story of WoodyGuthrie to the stage as part of itscelebrations.
With a highly professional andenergetic approach, five actorsand musicians performincredible live renditions ofGuthrie’s songs to bring theperformance alive.
The production has been hotlytipped as one of the top five“must see” theatre pieces thisyear.
This Land is at the West YorkshirePlayhouse from July 15 to 17 andtickets are on sale now.
THE PREVIEWThis Land: The Story of Woody Guthrieby Shahzeena Khalid
THE DVDChloe (15, 96 mins)by Richard Simpson
Twenty three years after Fatal Attractioncoined the phrase “bunny boiler”, 2010 seesa new contender in the category of “woman
most scorned.”The premise is simple. A successful married
couple (Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore)seemingly have the perfect life but it begins tounravel as tension slowly bubbles up to thesurface.
Continuing Hollywood’s trend of turning around
remakes of popular foreign films, Chloe rehashes2004 French film Nathalie, taking it out of Franceand on to American soil with mixed results.
After a humiliating no show at his own surprisebirthday party, suspicious Catherine (Moore)decides to test the loyalty of her husband, David(Neeson), as niggling doubts manifest themselvesin her head.
In a fit of jealous desperation she turns to Chloe(Amanda Seyfried), a young and beautiful call girland asks her to test her husband’s fidelity to itslimit. A murky love triangle ensues, as a confusedCatherine finds herself becoming more and moredrawn to the seductive but vulnerable Chloe.
The acting is strong, with dependable leads anda rising star in Seyfried. The cast represents someof the strongest acting talent in the Hollywood, itis just a shame they are not best served by a filmthat has a plot so slow it is almost reduced to acrawl.
Director, Atom Egoyan, (Where the Truth Lies,Adoration) brings independent and arthousecinematic pedigree but perhaps struggles withmaterial that could, for once, have benefitted froma more established Hollywood director at thehelm.
To his credit, utilising go-to cinematographerPaul Sarossy, the duo create a film that is visuallyalluring, full of soft focus warmth contrasted withwashed-out flashback sequences.
At the heart of the film is a young, disturbed girlwho needs help. She is old enough to beCatherine’s daughter, but at no point is theaudience made to feel sorry for a girl who, as thefilm reaches its climax, has much bigger problemsthan it first appears. The uneven script sees a oncestrong woman come apart at the seams in the
space of a few short minutes.The film marks an admirable departure for
Seyfried, playing one of the more complex roles ofa career that has so far seen her stick to a boxoffice safety net after successful turns in MammaMia! and Dear John.
Carrying the eyebrow-raising mantle of an“erotic thriller”, Chloe tries to deliver suspense butoften falls flat at the times it most needs toperform. A set-piece climax and twist are notdifficult to spot, leaving the film short of theimpact Fatal Attraction had in abundance.
It is a shame that with such stellar talent ondisplay, the film may end up being reduced tointernet notoriety due to a number of steamyscenes featuring one of the brightest young starsin Hollywood.
In the end the film is a frustrating remake thatcould have been great but lacked the punch andthe know-how to get there.
Chloe is released on Monday.
More scores: 5/10
“Ibelieve in the public and democracy,” saysSir Robert Worcester during his lecture atLeeds Trinity University College about the
media’s effect on the 2010 General Election. Sir Robert has been in the opinion poll industry
for over 40 years and his passion for politics is asevident as ever. His dominance over the specially-selected audience is impressive and he rattles offfigure after figure with ease, indisputably masterof his trade. He speaks of the relationship betweenvalues, attitudes and opinions and throughout thelecture we are given insight into his own values,which have clearly driven his career.
Sir Robert founded Market Opinion ResearchInternational (MORI) in 1969, which was once theUK’s largest independent research organisation.In 2005 it joined with French organisation Ipsosto form Ipsos MORI – one of the largest surveyorganisations in the UK.
“I can be very boring,” he warns. “When I do abook, there’s numbers. When I do a lecture,there’s numbers.” Numbers there were, boring hewas not.
When I catch up with him after the lecture he issomewhat less intimidating as he wraps up a sliceof cake from the buffet lunch to eat on his trainjourney back to Canterbury. I get the impressionthat he never stops working and, at over a decadepassed the retirement age, he is still very muchgoing strong.
“I’ve got a secret, which I’ll share with you – Iwork 364 days a year,” he says. “The one day Idon’t work is Christmas day because it’s my wife’sbirthday. An American heard me say that once andhe said ‘I bet you had to wait a long time to find awoman whose birthday was Christmas day’.”
His many accolades are testament to hisdedication, the most recent of which is becomingpresident of the Institute of Business Ethics, a postthat fits his moral values. “When I was asked to dothis I thought ‘it is in keeping with my beliefs andif I can make a contribution I will do my best to doso’,” he says. “Business leaders are often very quickto complain that they’re not trusted, that theydon’t have the confidence of the British public, butthey’re not going to have it if they don’t actethically – and not only act ethically but be seento act ethically.”
However, it is a different role that is exciting himmost at the moment. “I’ve been asked to do thechairmanship of the 800th anniversary of theMagna Carta in 2015. I’m really proud to have thisnew job as my first visit to a British museum wasto see the Magna Carta.”
Born in Kansas, Missouri, in 1933, Sir Robertmoved over to Britain and set up MORI when hewas 35, but work was not the only reason he hasstayed here. “I’m an ‘Anglo-freak’,” he admits. “It isnot British politics so much as Britain. With afamily name like Worcester you must haveguessed that my heritage was English.
“My ancestor was a priest who refused, on theinstruction of the Bishop of Lincoln, to allow theparishioners to play sport on a Sunday, whichexplains a lot about me. He couldn’t get a parish
here so took the offer of a parish in Massachusettsin 1638, so I was just coming home.”
Sir Robert was knighted in 2004 and becamechancellor of the University of Kent in 2006, healso has numerous honorary doctorates andfellowships, but his most important achievementis rather more modest. “The most challengingthing I’ve done is being a non-executive directoron a failing NHS hospital where everything theydid, and much of what they do, is a matter of lifeand death,” he says. “They have to work literally24/7, 365 days a year and they’re in a constantstate of crisis – and if that’s not a managementchallenge, I don’t know what is.” It’s a touchinganswer and I wonder if the fact that his father diedof a heart attack at the age of 47 when Sir Robertwas just 13 has anything to do with it.
Despite his ancestral roots, he doesn’t follow afaith but says there is a noticeable differencebetween here and his native country when itcomes to religion. “I’m an atheist by faith, or lackthereof, but I’m always surprised how irreligiousthe British are in terms of church going in contrastto America. Only four per cent here attend churchevery Sunday.” He adds: “I believe you only get thisway but once and if you don’t do it all in this life,you won’t get another chance.”
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Issue nine edited by Richard Simpson and
Stephanie Burns
www.northleedsnews.co.uk
Next issue: July 23
MORI
founder
Sir Robert
Worcester
speaks to
Stephanie
Burns about
work ethics,
religion and
his love of
Britain.
“I’ve got a secret, which I’llshare with you – I work 364
days a year.”