Doncopolitan Issue 30

Issue 30

July 2018

art in action

How Art & Culture is changing Doncaster for the better.

FREE TO A GOOD HOME

Contributors

Contents

Writers:

Design Team:

Rachel Horne

Warren Draper

Warren Draper

Rachel Horne

Alfred Thananchayan

Sam Cooper

Jo McQuade

Editorial Rachel Horne

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04

Doncograms

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05

Art In Action Rachel Horne

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The Wisdom of Owls Warren Draper

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10

Right Up Our Street

Editors:

Jon Kelly

Rachel Horne

Abby Jackson

Warren Draper

Adrift Alfred Thananchayan

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Charlotte Felters

Editorial Team:

Flippin' Heck It's Flip Out

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Michéle Beck

Craig Hallam

Emma Gullon

Steve Bates

Your Guide To Culture Week 2018 Jo McQuade

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Danny McMillan

Sam Cooper

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Abby Jackson

Space Age Donny Right Up Our Street

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Sam F'kin Cooper

Pull-Out ‘Foxes’ Poster Imogen Carline

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A Sense Of Pride

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Tales From The Arts & Crafts Table Rachel Horne

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Image Is Everything Jon Kelly

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#DoncoTags

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Donny Punk's Not Dead... A Tribute Sam F'kin Cooper

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Greenjacker

Danny McMillan Photography:

Linda Jones

Aiden Mathews

Cameron Bell

Gavin Morrow

Max Thompson

Warren Draper Mystyslav Chernov Rajvi Vaya Steve Edwin John Fuller Rachel Horne Sophie O'Horan Connor Chapman Artwork: Imogen Carline

Proud to be Independent

Disclaimer

The Doncopolitan aims to provide a truly

The opinions expressed in each feature and article in the Doncopolitan are the opinions of

independent voice for Doncaster. To ensure maximum

their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Doncopolitan.

freedom the magazine is produced and distributed by

The editors and production team of the Doncopolitan accept no responsibility for the

a small team of dedicated individuals and production

opinions expressed.

costs are met through advertising sales. If you

horne &draper Everyday Audacity.

want to fight for Donny independence then why not write for us or donate much needed time, money or equipment? Interested? Then call us on +44 (0) 7846

Conceived and created by

horne&draper art - design - publishing www.horneanddraper.com

439982 or email: doncopolitan@gmail.com

Cover Art: Imogen Carline ©2018 Inside Cover: “Mella Dee” by Aiden Mathews ©2018

Articles and images marked with a are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

EDITORIAL Rachel Horne This issue we celebrate those grassroots artists, creatives and innovators who are transforming Donny for the better, right here, right now. These people shape the world through their art, craft, music, design, words, thoughts and dreams. They are the embodiment of #ArtInAction, nurturing authentic cultural change from the ground up. #ArtInAction isn’t new. It’s been happening throughout time and history. For me, a decade of recession and austerity has left the UK (South Yorkshire in particular) feeling like a pretty unhappy place to live. We need more joy in our lives. We need more art, creativity and culture.

How do we do this?

To truly embrace the spirit of #ArtInAction we need to bring it’s philosophy into our everyday lives. It means doing as much creative shizzle as you can, even when it doesn’t make sense, purely for the love of it.

This is culture in its rawest form. We might not even see it as culture at the time. You might be collecting rare vinyl, taking photographs of your kids, bodypopping in your bedroom to Dubstep.

It’s all culture. It brings joy into our lives. And, when done collectively, it can change the way we see the world.

Culture and change go hand in hand.

It’s not going to happen overnight in a town like Doncaster, but the pages of this magazine prove that changes have already happened and will continue to do so. We stand firm in our belief that it’s artists, activists and creatives who are the true instigators of social change.

They need our support, our love and our encouragement.

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There are few things which bring me more joy than our cover artist, Imogen Carline, a 17 year old artist with severe autism. We’ve been working with Imogen since March. We’ve hosted an exhibition at Donco HQ,made prints, t-shirts and cups adorned with her artwork. Imogen, who rarely speaks, has now started to call herself “Imogen Artist”.

Her brother, James, who is studying poetry at Manchester, has also written a poem about Imogen which you can read in the Doncograms.

To truly grasp what the Donny art scene is all about you need to get Culture Week in your diary (21st - 28th of July).

There’s plenty happening: children's activities, Shakespeare, pop-up cinema, DNfestival and our very own Culture Crawl event.

Another major event in the coming weeks is Doncaster Pride. Jenny Dewsnap explains how Doncaster Pride has grown from being a niche festival into Doncaster’s biggest town centre event. She explains why local businesses should get behind the festival and other Cultural events. (See page 24) #ArtInAction can also raise awareness of important social and economic issues.

On page 10 Warren Draper discovers the Misson Owls created by local artist Kate as part of the South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire Anti-Fracking movement. In conjunction with Refugee Week, our friend and filmmaker Alfred Thananchayan interviews Sudanese refugee, Adam. On page 14 you can read about the four year ordeal of imprisonment, separation and dispossession that Adam faced before rediscovering happiness in Doncaster.

We couldn’t do #ArtInAction without featuring one of the most political musicians of our time, John Lydon, otherwise known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. Our friend Jon Kelly interviews him about his post pistols band, PiL, and our very own Sam F'kin Cooper — design wizard and local punk queen (samcooperdesign.com) — writes a fitting memorial tribute to beloved members of the Donny Punk scene, celebrating punk’s roots and spirit in our hometown.

In the spirit of punk we invite you to get your DIY vibe on and produce your own #ArtInAction. If you do, get in touch and you may find youreslf featured in a future issue of Doncopolitan.

ABOUT This magazine aims to provide an independent voice for Doncaster.

We will big up anything which has the potential to add to Doncaster’s metropolitan appeal and strengthen the local economy. We’ll celebrate Doncaster’s culture, arts, style, music, people, fashion, lifestyle, architecture and even its coal-black underbelly.

To remain as independent as possible this magazine is completely self-funded, relying on advertising and generous donations to stay afloat. If you would like to advertise with us, or if you’d like to support our endeavours through subscriptions or donations then please get in touch.

Likewise, if you’re a local artist, musician, writer, photographer, fashionista, socialite or social commentator, and have something to contribute to this magazine, please get in touch.

Online: w w w.d o nco p o l i ta n.co m d o nco p o l i ta n@g m a i l .co m Write to us: Doncopolitan Studio Copley Road Project 83 Copley Road Doncaster DN1 2QP info@doncopolitan.com Social Media: Twitter: @D o nco p o l i ta nM a g #DoncopolitanMag Instagram: @D o n co p o l it a n #Doncogram Facebook: facebook.com/doncopolitan YouTube: youtube.com/user/ Doncopolitan Don’t forget to join our free weekly listings guide by visiting: doncopolitan.com

1.

Talking is overrated.

Speaking is meant to mean volumes -and volume you have in plenty but talking is overrated.

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Who needs talking when you can run down the hill at Cusworth hall? before slowing at the lake, to throw bread to the swans Who needs talking when you can spend a life savings worth of 2P coins in an arcade? to get rubber hedgehogs green and blue-white hanging on the edge of the stacked tray coin after coin for hours on end

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(all on mum and dad of course) Who needs talking?

When you’re lying on a beanbag in a dark room lit by the lights in the back of a plush turtle, with a speaker in its tummy that washes you with the sound of high tide

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Who needs talking when you can open thirty five umbrellas in a single room or make balls of bluetack as big as a head?

#Doncograms

Who needs talking when you can paint or print or draw? redandbrownfoxes, sister and brother

1. “Talking Is Overatted" by James Carline ©2018 2. “Performance @ New Weird Planet" by Gavin Morrow ©2018

Who needs talking? you don’t. You do it anyway for the sake of us, but talking is overrated

3. “Eye” by Lucina White ©2018 4. “Fox” Imogen Carline ©2018 5. “Culture” by Al Heighton ©2018

5.

Sponsored by

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art in action

Rachel Horne 10 years ago, I met with a group of artists in the Yorkshire Grey pub on Hallgate. This was not a regular occurrence, but more of a call to action led by the Council to bring local creatives together. It was instigated by the news that a new street sign had been erected for the Cultural Quarter — that pointed to a kebab shop. It was a humble start to “making Doncaster cultured again”.

As a young person growing up, I wanted to be part of something — something that wasn’t in Doncaster. Like many

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creative souls before me, I became a cliché from the north, following her dream to study art in the Big Smoke.

Ironically, it was down south that people became fascinated by the fact that I grew up in an ex-mining town.

I made art about it. People bought it and photographed it. They told me it was important. Journalists wanted to interview me. It gave me a sort of cultural identity that I never knew I had.

I felt it was greatly unjust that more young people like me didn’t know the history of the town. I wanted to tell

Doncaster’s story and maybe I could do this via my art.

I didn’t quite realise then, but this drive to make the world a better place was nestled in my culture: a proud working class history, rooted in social change.

Through my research I discovered how mining communities had to stick together and fight for change, how people had to protest and stand up for better working conditions, how people watched each other’s backs. They knew that when a piece of coal fell from the

shaft, people may lose a limb or their life. They were creative people, their survival depended on it.

I recently discovered my mining roots go further back. Three hundred years ago, in 1705, my great nanny Jayne was a female coal miner in the Shropshire. I can’t imagine what life would have been like for her. It’s well documented that women working in the coalfields were tough and strong, even having babies in the mine. As good old Bob Marley said: “in this Great Future you can’t forget your past”. Nanny Jayne must have been creative to survive her world.

Even though the pits aren’t here anymore, we still come from that black underbelly, something we shouldn’t try and sweep under the carpet. I have learnt to accept Doncaster and my coal roots as my culture. Despite the politics dividing our country, it’s where I draw my strength, my compassion and desire to help others.

Illustrations: Rachel Horne ©2009

For me, in Doncaster, this is our culture and community. It’s chatting to strangers on the bus and not giving a shit. It’s making something out of nothing, living on a frugal budget, being down to earth and caring about one another, having a laugh even in the darkness.

My years of escape in our capital city gave me everything my heart wanted: culture (albeit a different one), music, style, galleries and innovators. I could walk in the footsteps of my heroes.

It gave me some of the most important people in my life who never questioned anything. Every day was creative, anything was possible, and you felt at the leading edge of thought. It was fast, dog-eat-dog. You needed money and it would spend quickly. People would push in front of an old person to get on the bus first. I hated that.

In 2010 I moved back to Doncaster, never with the intention of staying. But things had changed here and having friends who were artists and a small

creative community to cling to - to talk to about my ideas - gave me a reason to stay.

Artists thrive together. They manifest ideas, share, advocate and grow culture.

So, if you want to know where culture is in Doncaster, find an artist, musician, writer, poet, dancer, or activist. Support their projects, attend their exhibitions, buy their books, dance at one of their gigs, learn the words to one of their songs. Then sing it back to them when they perform on stage. Doing any of those things will literally change the lives of the artist or creator and, in that moment where you are celebrating their art, you are in fact making culture happen.

The more we do of this in Doncaster the better the town will become.

This is #ArtInAction. artistrachelhorne wordpress.com Twitter: @rachelhorne Insta: @rachhorne

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www.creativedoncaster.com/cultureweek

the wisdom of

owls

Warren Draper “Pooh had wandered into the Hundred Acre Wood, and was standing in front of what had once been Owl's house. It didn't look at all like a house now, it looked like a tree that had been blown down; and as soon as a house looks like that, it is time you tried to find another one.”

The House on Pooh Corner

by A.A. Milne

Unfortunately, in our modern world, new owl houses are not so easy to find. Loss of habitat – to urban development, roads, industry and new farming methods – has left many of our fellow creatures struggling to find a suitable place to call home.

Additional pressures, such as climate change, pesticides and pollution, have seen dramatic losses in virtually all UK wildlife populations over recent decades, so havens such as Misson Carr nature reserve are absolutely vital if we are to save and repair this green and pleasant land. Just a few miles from Bawtry, this former Ministry Of Defence (MOD) training area shows

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that it isn’t too late for British wildlife.

Run by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust since 2001, the wild has come to replace warfare and the site is now a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest).

Misson Carr is home to an extraordinary array of wildlife including animals such as great crested newts, harvest mice and water voles, and many unusual plants such as twayblade and marsh stitchwort. The site holds more records for nationally notable moth species than any other in the UK including cream-bordered green pea, angle-striped sallow, red-tipped clearwing and nationally significant species such as dentated pug and the marsh carpet. However, it was our feathered friends who caught the imagination of one local artist and activist.

Red list bird species such as song thrush, skylark linnet and spotted flycatcher have been recorded, along with bittern and golden oriole. Misson Carr is perhaps most notable for its owls, with all five native UK species

choosing to call it home. It was the owl, the wisest of birds, which inspired art activist Kate when the future of Misson Carr came under threat.

For the last four years, locals have been fighting plans to extract gas in the area using a highly controversial process known as hydraulic fracturing – aka ‘fracking’. The process involves the high-pressure injection of very large quantities of ‘fracking fluid’ (usually water and sand) into a well to create cracks and fissures in deeprock formations to make it easier to extract the fossil fuels contained within the rock. The process is controversial because of known hazards to public health, wildlife and the environment; including risks of ground and surface water contamination, air and noise pollution and even the triggering of earthquakes. These risks are compounded in Misson for several reasons.

Firstly, there is the aforementioned nature reserve. The direct threat to the many endangered species at the SSSI

led Kate to build the textile owls who can be found on many an anti-fracking demo (and even at the finish of the first stage of this year’s Tour de Yorkshire in Doncaster back in May). Artist Kate built these beautiful owls to help raise awareness about fracking, but they are works of art in their own right.

She first created a barn owl with an impressive 15’ wingspan, then she built a slightly smaller long-eared owl. They look amazing side-by-side at events, protests and processions – truly ‘art in action’. She plans to build each of the other three species, albeit on a smaller scale.

Then there is the fact that, according to a major study by the British Geological Survey and the Environment Agency, the Bowland Shale in northern England (which includes all of the proposed Doncaster fracking sites) runs below no fewer than six major aquifers – supplying water for millions of people.

So not exactly a NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) kind of problem. Fracking can contaminate drinking water with deadly pollutants such as methane.

Photography: Warren Draper

2018

Our locally proposed fracking sites also sit above the Selby Coalfield. The existence of mines throughout the area adds greatly to the problem of earthquakes and major subsidence due to fracking. Again, this makes what is happening at Misson an issue for everyone in Doncaster who lives over former mining works, which is most of us. One of the main excuses for fracking is that we desperately need the energy it will provide. But fossil fuels add to climate chaos and the mines themselves can provide a cleaner, cheaper and more immediate energy source in the form of geothermal springs. Ask any old miner; the deeper you go, the hotter it gets.

Abandoned mine works are a readymade geothermal power station. But it will be impossible to take advantage of this eco-friendly energy source in our area once fracking starts.

Finally, there is the small problem of unexploded ordnance. As I mentioned earlier, the exploration drill is being built on a former MOD site used for bomber practice. It is now owned by

a military hardware dealer who was imprisoned in 2009 for illegally selling former military personnel carriers to war-torn Sudan. I don’t know how much risk the presence of bombs add to the possibility of earthquake and mine collapse but I, for one, won’t be standing anywhere near ‘The Rocket Site’ (yes, that is genuinely what it is called) if drilling starts.

So, there you have it. A bizarre story of endangered wildlife, drinking water, mines, earthquakes and bombs. And all for energy which could (and should) be provided cheaper and cleaner through geothermal heat pumps. If you, too, think that this is an insane situation, you can put art into action on International Owl Awareness Day, Sunday August 4th 2018, with Kate's cut-out owl mask (turn the page for the mask and further details).

End facebook.com/groups/ FrackFreeMisson @FrackFreeMisson

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4.

3.

2.

1.

Take a photo of yourself wearing the mask or the mask

Wear it or place it somewhere interesting.

Wait for International Owl Awareness Day (August 4th).

Colour it in and decorate it any way you like.

Cut out Kate's beautiful Long-eared Owl mask.

We'll share your posts and include the best masks in the

@DoncopolitanMag to your tweet.

add @FrackFreeMisson, @FrackFreeDonny and

Share it on Twitter with a #FrackFree hash-tag and

in an interesting place.

5.

6.

7. next issue of Doncopolitan.

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Presents

DN FESTIVAL DOES SPACE DONCASTER’S FREE SUMMER FESTIVAL OF CREATIVITY

28TH JULY 2018 10AM- 5PM SIR NIGEL GRESLEY SQUARE/ WATERDALE/ CAST STREET THEATRE/ POP UP PLANETARIUM/ OTHERWORLDLY PERFORMANCES/ INTERACTIVE FAMILY WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES/ MUSIC/ FAMILY RAVE*/ FOOD *small charge for ticketed events

Visit www.rightupourstreet.org.uk/dnfestival for more details Right Up Our Street @rightuprstreet #DNFestival

We're improving our access for everyone in 2018- details at rightupourstreet.org.uk/access

DONCASTER VOLUNTARY ARTS NETWORK

adrift DREAMS dreams in Sudan prison dreams burned alive in Syrian deserts, Electrified in Sri Lankan Barretts dreams capsized drowned in Mediterranean Dreams arrested in Egypt deported from Greece hatred in Hungary stranded in Calais dreams suffocated in lorry Some buried in cemetery Some blooming in Doncaster like a flower

by Alfred Thananchayan

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Alfred Thananchayan As part of our All the World on a One Way Street documentary project, local artist and filmmaker Alfred Thananchayan interviews Sudanese refugee, Adam.

Egyptian police. The people I met there were very bad, they only cared about money. They put 450 people inside a small boat to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

Adam is not a common name in the Muslim world, am I right?

What did you eat on the boat?

Yes, Adam is a common name in Sudan, but Mohammed is the most common name in Sudan.

For what reason did you leave the country?

I was having a problem with the government. For personal reasons, I don’t like to reveal too much.

Are you an Arab or African?

In Sudan I think there are over 500 tribes with 250 different cultures. Before 1989 there was no African-Arab division, we were all the same although we have a different culture. After 1989 Al Basheer came to power, he started to separate the people according to their tribes.

For example, he supported the Arabic Gngawed tribes against the African tribes.

In west Sudan the African people were farmers and grew crops, while the Arab tribes had animals such as cows and goats for meat and milk. Also, they had camels for transportation. The trouble started when the animals belonging to the Arab tribes started eating the crops belonging to the Africans.

How did you manage to leave Sudan?

From Sudan I went to Egypt. When I got to Egypt I had to hide inside farm buildings to avoid being arrested by the Photography: Mstyslav Chernov

2016

For 5 days we were lost in the sea. We ran out of food and water, we did have some bread, but it went mouldy. At that time our boat was in international waters.

We were at sea near Italy for 13 days until we were spotted by the Italian navy and the Red Cross. They sent a helicopter to our boat which landed and supplied us with food and water.

After they rescued us we went to Italy and then on to France where I stayed in Calais. The living conditions in Calais were very bad, we were living in makeshift tents with no money for food or water.

I finally got to England after hiding under a lorry and travelling from Calais to Dover. When we arrived in England I felt comfortable. I was treated very well and given money and a room to stay in.

Now that you are reunited with your wife, how do you feel about being separated for 4 years?

I was very happy to see my wife again after 3 years. I hugged her, our culture doesn’t allow that in public, but I couldn’t control myself. There were so many people in the airport and my wife felt shy, but after living in the UK for 3 years my attitude has changed, and I am starting to behave like a British person.

What is your future dream?

I am working in a warehouse. I don’t like it, but it’s okay for now because I can pay my rent and support my wife.

I worked as an electrician in my country and I have got a diploma in Electrical Engineering. Now I am studying English functional skill level 1, ITQ level 1 and GCSE Maths at Doncaster College. I am having to pay to go on this course myself. Hopefully next year I can attend university to study a degree. I hope in the future I can work in electrical engineering.

End In conjunction with Refugee Week 2018 (now in its 20th year), Doncopolitan is hosting a series of workshops and events at our studio at 83 Copley Road. r e f ug e e w e e k .o r g .uk

When I left my country, I didn’t say goodbye to her. The last time I saw my wife I was in prison in Sudan.

The first time I saw my wife, after 4 years, was in April 2018 at Heathrow Airport. I was there 30 minutes before the plane arrived at 10 am. There were no direct flights from Sudan to the UK. She flew from Sudan to Turkey and then on to the UK.

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flippin' heck it's

Donny is on the up... and down... and up... Yep, you've guessed it. Flip Out, the UK's leading trampoline park operator, is coming to Doncaster's Frenchgate centre. Health and fitness has never been such fun. As Flip Out themselves say: "The Flip Out aim is simple. To deliver massive amounts of healthy, awesome fun. We have the biggest trampolines, stunt box zones, ball games, resident DJs and loads of special events. Not to mention parties, fitness sessions and classes for all ages and abilities. It’s no wonder we regularly attract professional trampolinists, free runners, circus artists and gymnasts, all who are part of the friendly Flip Out community."

The £1.5million facility opens later this year and promises to be a major attraction for children and adults alike. Offering much more than a bogstandard bounce, Flip Out's main arena will contain bouldering and traverse climbing walls, two 20ft cyber towers for vertical races between friends, plus a bed of 50 inter-connected trampolines.

The centre also boasts battle beams, foam pits and trampoline stunt boxes which are perfect for learning and practicing free-running skills, along with a large soft play area for younger visitors.

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Photography: courtesy of the Frenchgate Centre

Keith Wortley, owner of Flip Out Doncaster, spoke to us about his plans: “It’s exciting to be able to announce that work has begun and Flip Out Doncaster will be opening within months.

We’ve found the perfect location for our venue which will blend the excitement of an activity and soft play centre with the fun of a traditional trampoline park.

Flip Out Doncaster will appeal to all the family, offering four party rooms, a children's soft-play area and a 160-seat café selling hot and cold refreshments.

But there's much more planned for Flip Out Doncaster, and we'll announce further news as soon as we can.”

The Doncopolitan team can't wait to get their Flip Out freak on. It'll certainly save on the wear and tear on the office furniture down at Donco HQ (they're a lively lot with too much energy — we blame the sugary Uludağ pop you can buy down on Copley Road). We hope to see you there too when it opens.

End @FlipOutDonny flipout.co.uk frenchgateshoppingcentre.co.uk

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your guide to culture week 2018 Jo McQuade Our town’s first Culture Week will take place on 21st-28th July 2018. We’re not trying to compete with the big city players (this year) but we did want to create a memorable week of events and activities for local residents to enjoy.

Whether you’re home from University for the summer or looking for fun family activities, there’s lots to discover.

Here’s our guide.

Saturday 21st July Culture Playground (Explore the new Cultural Quarter) Times: 10am-4pm.

Charge: Free event.

Recommended: Families and young people.

Lots of free family activities to launch the start of the festival. If you are unfamiliar with the Cultural Quarter, it’s the new name for the the area around Chequer and Waterdale Road.

There’s been lots of re-developments in this area over the past few years, but within a short walking distance you can discover many of Doncaster’s much loved arts venues.

The Big Donny Stomp Sir Nigel Gresley Square, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU (11am) Create music with quick and easy-tolearn repeated patterns using your bodies as instruments.

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Ilustrations: Imogen Carline ©2018

Microbes Family Fun Day at The Point The Point, South Parade, DN1 2DR Be the first to see the Microbes exhibition, and take part in creative workshops.

Family Fun Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery Chequer Road, Doncaster DN1 2AE Take part in archaeology themed activities, crafts, conservation and painting. Trace the history of the museum in a new exhibition and take a sneak peek at the plans for the new Cultural and Learning Centre due to open in 2020.

EXPECT Arts Celebration at Cast Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU Here you’ll find parachute games, music and dancing, creative workshops, and a scavenger hunt. Safe Space at Cast - An informal, sensory break-out space, specially designed for those with additional needs. Enjoy a range of sensory equipment and music supported by a facilitator throughout the day.

Sunday 22 July Romeo & Juliet Outdoor Performance Sir Nigel Gresley Square, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU Times: Arrive at 4pm - performance starts at 5pm.

Tickets: £14.50 (Under 16 £10) Recommended for: Adults and families Touring Company “Oddsocks” are reviving their mods and rockers themed Romeo & Juliet which featured in The Guardian Readers Favourite Theatre of 2017. This is an outdoor performance so you’ll need to bring something to sit on.

Camping chairs are ideal, or bring along a picnic and blanket.

Tuesday 24th July

Friday 27th July

Culture Crawl - Doncaster’s new alternative night out!

Times: 5pm onwards.

Charge: This is a Pay-As-You-Feel (PAYF) event with automatic inclusion in the ‘Mega Culture Crawl Tombola’.

A brand new event for Doncaster where you’ll get chance to meet some of the towns best artists and creatives hosted by your favourite venues in DN1.

Culture Crawl is a PAYF event, whereby all donations received will be used to support and develop local creative talent.

DN Festival Does Space Pop-Up Outdoor Cinema Sir Nigel Gresley Square, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU As part of the ‘DN Festival Does Space’, Right Up Our Street are hosting a special pop up cinema event in a pop up inflatable venue ‘The Big M’. This will be like no other Doncaster Cinema event.

There will be two screenings during the evening: a family screening of Wall-E from 5pm and Blade Runner for ages 15+ from 7.30pm.

Explore parts of Doncaster you’ve never seen, such as what’s behind the doors of C-View, Doncaster’s former Church View Arts School. Meet Doncopolitan’s cover artists, such as SPzero76 at the bottom of Netherhall Road, and pop into DoncoHQ for some Wonky Planet experimental workshops. With over 17 venues taking part, make sure you pick up a Culture Crawl map hitting the streets of Doncaster very soon.

If you’ve not seen WALL-E or Blade Runner yet here’s what you need to know...

WALL-E is the last robot left on Earth. He spends his days tidying up the planet, one piece of garbage at a time. But during 700 years, WALL-E has developed a personality, and he's more than a little lonely. Then he spots EVE, a sleek and shapely probe sent back to Earth on a scanning mission. Smitten WALL-E embarks on his greatest adventure yet when he follows EVE across the galaxy.

(This film is rated U).

Blade Runner is the stunning neo-noir science fiction film set in the dystopian future starring Harrison Ford as a burnt out cop tasked to hunt down a group of rebel Replicants. (There is a strict 15+ age restriction) There will be bean bags provided for seating within the pop-up venue.

Refreshments will be available Tickets are £3 per person and can be booked online via Cast website.

Saturday 28th July DN Festival Does Space Sir Nigel Gresley Square, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU Free Summer festival of creativity and the arts hosted by Right Up Our Street. Expect lots of free hands-on activities for families, amazing street performances, workshops, and food.

(See pages 20 for full details).

End All of these events and so much more are shared on Creative Doncaster, the new online network for local creatives to connect and share: creativedoncaster.com

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space age

donny Right Up Our Street We all want a bit of escapism now and then, but then we all love Doncaster too. How about instead of jumping in a ship and flying off to a distant galaxy, we bring that galaxy to us?

Well, DNFestival is doing just that as it returns this year with DNFestival Does Space. There will be urban astronauts flying high in the sky, rebel princesses fighting for the greater good, and a big bang family rave.

On the evening of Friday 27th July and all day on Saturday 28th July, Sir Nigel Gresley Square and the Village at Waterdale Shopping Centre will be transformed into a galaxy not so far away. A giant inflatable venue, The Big M, will take over the square, while empty spaces within the Village at Waterdale will be reimagined and shop units will become hands-on, free activity spaces for families alongside festival food and pop-up performances.

The stars will be on the streets of Doncaster.

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Photography: Rajvi Vaya ©2018

The event, part of Doncaster’s Culture Week, will see classic children’s spacethemed movie, Wall-E, shown for family audiences in The Big M on Friday evening, and later that night, cult movie Bladerunner.

Mirror Mirror, a brand-new walkabout piece by one of England's largest learning disability theatre companies, Mind the Gap, will also feature at DNFestival this year. We'll meet two strange mirrored beings that have crash landed on Earth and want to learn about our society. Will they learn about humour, kindness and compassion, or a darker, more selfish side of humanity?

Using some cool space age gadgets, Mind the Gap will take us on this walkabout production that looks at what it's like to be considered different in today's society.

And this year, Right Up Our Street, organisers of the festival, are committed to widening access to the weekend.

They are working with Doncaster Deaf Trust and autism school, Hesley Group, to make the festival open and accessible to people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have communication difficulties including being on the autistic spectrum.

A variety of street food will also be on offer throughout the two days with vendors being invited to ‘space up’ their menus!

As far as performances go, there'll also be the Urban Astronaut which features an aerial artist from Highly Sprung Performance suspended 20ft high and flying through the air. The astronaut is searching for answers in a future where air pollution has hit crisis point (doesn't seem so far away, eh?). Hope comes from a simple encounter with a young girl who hasn't given up.

In The Big M, the big bang family rave will see tutors from Doncaster's Cre8ive

Dance lead a fun and lively dance session for Donny's younger members and their families on Saturday morning.

Later on, Space Rebel Princess will tell the immersive story of breaking free from that which holds her back and boldly going where no princess has ever gone before! Zany aliens, physical comedy and rocketships sounds like a pretty good mix to us.

And have you ever wondered what space sounds like? Is there any sound in space? Well, yes, according to Nicolas Lewis' Music from Outer Space. He will turn the walls of a shop in Waterdale into a giant, interactive, space age instrument. Local school children will create the sound wall using recordings from NASA space flights, probes and Sputniks' famous beeps. It will be whatever our local young'uns make it into, using conductive paint, copper wire and other materials to bring the sound out of the walls.

Photography: Steve Edwin Photography ©2017

Then, young circus company, Acrojou, will roll their amazingly designed German wheel down our streets and use it as a rolling venue for their gravity defying post-apocalyptic show, The Wheel House, blending acrobatics with dark comedy.

Robot Space Troop by Forest Sounds Theatre will create a shop of interactive robot radios which, let's face it, we all want to see. Reaching for Space will see a workshop led by local artists, Jenkinson-Parks, where new songs and words will be created and then performed at the festival on the very same day.

There'll be lots more besides all that.

Cast theatre and DARTs will throw their space helmets into the ring, as will organisations from across our borough.

There'll be spaces popping up left, right, and centre so take a stroll and keep your eyes peeled. The festival will be happening in every direction you look.

Right Up Our Street is led by a consortium of Doncaster arts organisations and supported by public funding given to them by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

It’s all about people across Doncaster borough choosing, making, seeing and sharing great art, and that includes everything from the visual arts, music and theatre right through to dance, radio, poetry and more. It’s also about maximising community involvement and making sure this art happens in surprising locations and exciting ways.

So, get space-suited up and head to a Doncaster you might not recognise this July.

End

21

Š Imogen Carline

a sense of pride August 18th sees the arrival of the 12th Doncaster Pride event.

As Doncaster’s biggest town centre event, it’s predicted that Doncaster Pride will draw over 10,000 people into the town centre. Coordinating a free cultural event is no easy endeavour. We asked the Chair of Doncaster Pride how it’s possible to host such a big event, and what role local businesses play in the event’s success.

August 2007, the budget for the first ever Pride was in the region of £1.5k, given

by South Yorkshire Police to improve integration and visibility. This year, the 12th Pride, we’ll turn over close to £25k.

We’re still a free event too. So yes, the last 12 years have seen lots of changes.

In the early days, we had little or no business involvement, sponsorship or visibility in the town other than the event site for just one day a year. We were dependent on a mix of grant funding and fundraising but even in the early days we were committed to growing the event, even if at times we were unsure how.

We’ve seen gay venues come and go.

Many fundraised year-round, but in the last 6 years this has been virtually nothing, so where does the money and growth come from?

It’s really been a case of more visibility and more acceptance that has led to more awareness and more realisation that the event, although rooted in LGBT+ rights, is these days more a mix of remembrance and celebration, and this then gives the business community, the brand managers and the marketers, the opportunity to get a message to our audience of around 15,000 people.

In Doncaster, we have a great relationship with our sponsors, and a growing number of businesses every

24

Photography: John Fuller ©2015

year who want to advertise themselves with us. This can be hotels, restaurants, taxi firms, or even distribution and manufacturing businesses. What’s more is we give them a great deal, an opportunity to support a local charity, a ‘feel good’ event that brings money and people into Doncaster and one that uses funds to not only deliver the event but, 12 years on, they can now invest in helping us deliver 365 days a year support to the LGBT+ community.

Whichever way you look at it, business funding supports the community and provides commercial exposure of a product or service at the same time, and we’re happy with that. We never hide behind what the money does and how it helps us to scale up, so our new commercial model isn’t a tick box exercise for businesses to demonstrate equality and diversity, but also valued exposure to the extremely diverse crowd, many thousands of website visitors and also investment in our yearround efforts at the same time.

We value sponsors’ and advertisers’ financial support, but also the exposure their involvement gives us as a positive affirmation that our work which remains to be visible to promote education, celebrate our sexuality and our rights to love whom we choose, and this is something they want to support and be affiliated with.

As Pride continues to evolve, it may be that the debate about commercialisation proves, to a large extent, to be a generational one. If you take our older audience, who lived in times of activism and grew up in a different society to those who grew up with the reality of same-sex marriage and belief that the AIDs epidemic was over, their opinions will be vastly different. Millennials have grown up in a commercialised culture and

absolutely accept that every aspect of life, both on- and offline, is colonised by marketers.

So, Pride has become a commercial success, but have we lost sight of our political roots?

Pride-goers last year will recall the now ‘famous’ intro section was given over to a series of images of protesters in countries still oppressed. This spurred on our solidarity with those less fortunate than ourselves and showed that we remain grounded in the history of protest and still believe this is relevant today as much as it ever was.

Today, some within the LGBT+ community still struggle with identity, acceptance and coming to terms with who they are. We’ve been told that who we are is wrong and unnatural and homosexuality was and still is, in part, frowned upon. So, the commercial world, whatever your opinion of it, helps normalise homosexuality and helps promote the positive message that being gay is normal and okay.

So, for us that’s where Pride succeeds with its new business-related model for funding, it’s how it gets more inclusive and welcoming every year and, as the community becomes more integrated, more straight people come, and more minds are opened to the possibility that we gays might just be regular people after all. (Albeit with better decorating sense and the sass to pull off plenty of outrageous outfits.)

End doncasterpride.co.uk

25

stories from the arts & crafts table Rachel Horne In 2012 I started my first shift as an Arts and Craft Therapist at St John’s Hospice. I’d never been to a hospice before, but I’d worked for over a year in a Dementia Care Home developing and programming creative activities.

I loved this job; I learnt first-hand the importance of creativity in a caring setting.

If you’re not really sure what a hospice is, here’s a short intro. The concept has been in Europe since the 11th century, in particular, Roman Catholic hospices were places of hospitality for the sick, wounded, or dying. A modern hospice focuses on caring for patients that are chronically, terminally, or seriously ill.

Medical, holistic and volunteer staff work together to attend to the patients’ pain and physical symptoms, along with their emotional and spiritual needs.

Unlike many hospital settings, there’s access to a hair salon, counselling and spiritual support, but also a range of complementary, pet and art therapies.

Art therapy is a very broad term which started as a branch of psychotherapy focusing on a way for patients to express themselves in a therapeutic way. Art therapists can be found in many different settings, including hospital wards, care homes, and rehabilitation centres. Art therapists can even be found working with children in war zones and last year many were drafted from around the country to work with children who were affected by Grenfell.

Every week I work with up to 12 patients who attend Day Hospice. Patients are picked up from their home by a volunteer driver and once everyone has arrived, there’s tea, coffee and

26

Photography: Rachel Horne ©2018

biscuits. Getting to know the patients quickly is very important. It’s about building relationships so that patients can feel comfortable enough to let go and create. The more I find out about a patient, their lives, their memories and interests, the easier it is to connect and engage them in a meaningful way. Most people haven’t heard of art therapy.

Many think it won't be for them. Often people were told at school that they’re not creative and sometimes it can be hard to convince people otherwise.

Despite all this, it’s my job to draw out that creative side, no matter how much it’s been hidden away.

This month I’m celebrating my 6th year working at the hospice. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

Every session is filled with creative conversations, laughing and sharing. I have made some of the most amazing relationships in this job and wish the alchemy that surrounds this building could spill out into the rest of the world.

It is the most compassionate, loving space and a true honour to work there.

I believe everyone is creative. You might not be the next Leonardo Da Vinci but being creative comes in many forms. It might be the music you listen to, the way you talk and crack jokes, your personal style, choosing beautiful colours for your home, or the way you sit and get lost in knitting and crochet at night.

At the hospice I try and find projects for patients to take part in that they will enjoy and find meaningful. This could be a memory box for a family member, painting a silk scarf as a gift, or knitting premature baby hats for the maternity unit at DRI.

To do this work I have had to develop an armoury of creative techniques and ideas which I can use at any moment.

It’s impossible to predict what someone might take an interest in. That an ex-miner in his 80s may want to start weaving, moulding clay or arranging flowers makes my job more difficult.

When someone has got the bug, I constantly need to be developing new ideas and techniques to respond to what people want to create.

Overall, it never fails to amaze me how creative and unique each person I work with is. If I gave people the same sheet of paper and coloured paints, each person would produce something completely different. Every ten-minute sketch will reveal something unique, a trace of ourselves, a frozen moment in time. Just like our ancient ancestors’ cave paintings, it’s people making their mark. It’s the essence of our humanity spilling out on the paper. Even quick marks or squiggles are a mirror to that person in that specific moment in time. It’s impossible to recreate those marks again. I find that humbling and fascinating.

The most important aspect of my job is helping those that come into the hospice to leave feeling better and lifted. It might not be medicine, but it does seem like magic in the way it can help people to feel better.

End stjohnshospicedoncaster.co.uk

27

image is everything Jon Kelly interviews John Lydon on the eve of Public Image Limited's 40th anniversary celebrations.

First formed in 1978 after the breakup of The Sex Pistols, John Lydon has fearlessly steered Public Image Limited (PiL) through a number of forwardthinking releases. Beginning with the experimental post-punk blast of ‘First Edition’ and the dystopian dub of ‘Metal Box’ through to the industrial world rhythms of ‘Flowers of Romance’ and the anarchic avant-rock of ‘Album’, Lydon has never been comfortable with the ‘punk’ tag and continues to push musical boundaries with the current PiL line-up.

John, how are you, sir?

Allo! I’m very much alive thank you!

That kind of leads us nicely into my first question, actually. You’re celebrating 40 years of Public Image Ltd, quite an achievement considering all you’ve been through.

Er…yeah. But for me, now I’ve got here, it’s not good enough and I want another 40! I’ve got to be honest, the level of work I’ve been maintaining is high!

Do you think PiL has received enough respect over the years considering the fantastic legacy of work you’ve produced?

Probably not. It’s been far easier for the media to be cynical. But things are changing, you know? It’s just because I’ve got the persistence of an elephant.

I suppose you get there in the end and people start listening and paying

28

attention and realising I’m not just a filthy, foul-mouthed yob. I’m a lot of other things besides.

It seems to me you’ve had that life-long struggle trying to defy categories and labels. You’ve always seemed willing to transcend expectations and break barriers, even those thrown up by the so-called ‘punk’ movement.

Yeah, well you’ve got to be ahead of the curve, ain’t ya? And you mustn’t be imitating anyone, and that’s definitely me and my lifestyle. I’m not into copying, imitating or fitting comfortably into a category. The way I write and the things I write about are the things that matter, not only to me but to the people around me – to my family, my friends, my culture, my nations, my planet Earth… and you can’t do that wrapped up in pop garb, whether it be a studded leather jacket or a sequined tuxedo. Either way, they’re just images. You’ve got to keep away from getting entrapped in that and ensnared. Unfortunately, a lot of punk kids got trapped into thinking that was all there was.

Do you still find yourself defined by the work you did in the Pistols?

Not willingly. There’ll always be the haters in the national press and no matter how much you try to be accurate, honest and decent, they still play the dirty game and give it a nasty headline and misdirect people. But that’s the world we live in. I’m sure the people that appreciate what I do are smarter than

that and don’t buy into it. As for the masses, well, hello! I’ve always known the masses to be sheeeeeep. Ha, ha, ha…

I’m not one to bleat amongst the flock. I could have done that. I could have hung on my laurels and pumped out endless imitations of myself and made millions.

But that ain’t my way. Respect is the thing that I seek.

It must have been enormously liberating to draw on those wider musical influences.

I had to work against the easy money.

But the trouble with that was that meant NO MONEY! Ha, ha, ha! And with noooooo money, it’s very hard to keep band members and a permanent outfit.

And that’s the way it’s been up until the last ten years. I’ve finally managed to break free of the stranglehold of corporate thinking record labels, formed our own label and now we have such a thing as continuity and a sense of permanence and dignity about it. We run it ourselves. That’s how it has to be.

And this way, we can guarantee wages.

And we love playing live. All the fears and phobias are still there before I go on stage, but there’s a sense of gratitude that I know I’m walking on to a stage with three blokes who I completely respect and respect me.

The current line-up is tremendous and draws on past PiL line-ups with Lou Edmunds back in the fold alongside Bruce Smith who also served time in The Pop Group and The Slits.

The only new addition is Scott [Firth] who is just such a friendly, easy-going, outward looking bloke. No snobbery in him. Perfect. Because for me it’s always the personalities first and the musicianship can come second. But my God, didn’t I land well because I think they’re three of the toughest boys on any stage you’ve ever heard!

Are you still listening to music and enjoying stuff being created these days?

Not when I’m preparing for a tour, no.

I don’t want a Taylor Swift melody to creep into my head. Although that’s not possible actually because I don’t know if she has any!

Are you looking forward to visiting the UK despite your problems in the past?

Listen, I’m there twice a year! That’s where my family are. Just because I’ve moved my business abroad; and had to

because we couldn’t get gigs anywhere.

The only way we could really operate was by setting up in New York and from there I expanded. That’s how it is. You go where the work is. There’s no point sitting on your socialist, moralistic a-hole and getting nowhere, ‘cos if the powers that be won’t move, they won’t move. So, you move. And when you come back you wave a big flag in their face and embarrass the hell out of them! Ha, ha, ha!

What can we expect to hear in the set list at these forthcoming gigs, John?

Oh, a huge variety. We’ll shape shift it about a bit. Basically, it’s all driven by audience vibration. I love these small venues because I can look into the eyes of everybody out there and I can feel their energies. I know when they’re sympathetic to where we’re going, and I know what they’re pleading and asking for. Hello, audience. Don’t shout out requests ‘cos we don’t do bar mitzvahs or weddings. Ha, ha, ha.

Just be polite and transmit it psychically.

boat. It’s not like that. Just let me feel your energy and that will change the tempo. Some songs of course are bound to be sad ‘cos the subject matter is sad, while others are just complete escapism.

And we need both things in life. In order to survive as a human being, you need to understand all of your emotions, be in control of them and know when to not be in control of them. That’s what Public Image is absolutely experimenting in.

(And with that, Mr. Lydon launches into this touching farewell homily and is gone…)

End This interview was first aired on Sine FM’s Orange Flavoured Pipe Machine on 29th April 2018.

The Public Image is Rotten (Songs from the Heart) Career Box Set (1978-2015) is available from July 20th via UNIVERSAL. For more details about the forthcoming PiL documentary visit thepublicimageisrotten.com

Yeah, we’re not a showband on the love

29

#DONNYSWAGGER DONTE CARLO A Line By SOPHIE O'HORAN

by Abby Jackson

# Sophie O’Horan’s graduate collection and debut line for her own brand, Donte Carlo, is a stunning representation of not only her enthusiastic, bubbly personality, but also the amazing women that populate our town.

Following the idea that parts of Doncaster are trapped in time, Sophie deemed this the perfect place to reflect that, whilst simultaneously showing the stark contrast between hyper-glam and the grit of real life.

Donte Carlo, if you haven’t already guessed, is a play on words for Doncaster.

“Get a girl who can do both”.

“I love plays on words - like Doncopolitan! You’ll see references on the clothes too. It’s always been bounced around by my dad and his mates. They call it Doncatraz, as well.”

Made up of bubble gum colours in an eclectic range of faux fur, tulle, lycra and ribbed cotton polyester, Sophie’s pieces are accentuated with machine embroidered patches, as well as false nails and eyelashes; a collection that is soft, fluffy and glamorous.

You can’t escape the light-hearted, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously approach these wearable statements emanate.

Sophie designed her collection with the intention of bridging the North/South divide.

“The stimulus two years ago was being faced with having to move back home after my degree and look for jobs. There was nothing for creatives. I also wanted my friends to visit, but they’d googled Doncaster and thought “no”. They’re all from London, why would they leave? They saw The North as this alien place they were unsure about. It seemed otherworldly to them.”

Inspirational photos of The Dome, reminiscent of a spaceship with saturated colours, further fuelled Sophie’s idea of following the mystical, magical, fantasy route. By interviewing women around Doncaster, Sophie added to her intrigue, discovering a range of rich and diverse personalities.

“I became infatuated by them. They look so powerful and goddesslike because they are so bold and loud and eye-catching.”

The shoot for the collection was in Sophie’s Nana’s house.

“I went to visit her over Easter and saw that it had my colour palette, the rococo references, and it’s quite kitsch as well.”

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#DonnySwagger is dedicated to stylish creatures found around Doncaster.

The idea is that a woman can be glamorous on a night out, but she can also be glamorous in her pyjamas hungover the following day.

Even with her dog licking remnants of fake tan off her legs.

The girl in the pictures clearly doesn’t own the house, you can tell by the decor. This adds to the disjointed, alien, out-of-context feel that prompted the collection’s origin.

“There’s a real honesty to Northern women and I hope that comes through. It’s the line between responsibility and irresponsibility. The fact that it doesn’t feel right just emphasises the fantasy aspect.”

With beginnings in a traditional art background, Sophie was told by an ex-tutor that she couldn’t study textiles and that she couldn’t sew. Being stuck with oil paintings and technical drawings was the last straw.

“It was dry to me. Lots of people love that, I have friends who are amazing, and they do very well, but my heart was not in it.”

So, she turned to puppetry and began a degree in set and costume design in London. This lasted a year before a series of fateful events changed things. Talking to a girl at a Halloween party about Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts, she realised where her heart lay. Reapplying, Sophie got accepted onto the course where she met a girl she describes as the epitome of glamour.

“My best friend from Long Island, New York; Cat Ingram.”

Cat brought Sophie out of her shell with an ongoing design collaboration; Flamingals. Here began the love of more-is-more and suburban glamour, with screen-printed t-shirts featuring hand drawn illustrations of cocktails, BBQ’s and women reminiscent of Paris Hilton.

After literally sliding into the DM’s of her idol, womenswear

designer Clio Peppiatt, Sophie bagged herself an amazing internship that started this June. Prior to the start of her own business, Sophie modestly explains how she still has a lot to learn.

“I’ve just skimmed the surface of lots of techniques. There is much more digital embroidery I want to do, and hopefully through internships I’ll be inspired by things I’m shown.”

Future-wise, Sophie wants to explore a myriad of styles and inspirations - from Americana to mythology.

“It could go from Dolly Parton-esque, fringing and rhinestones to some sort of magical tarot card reading with Medusa. I will always love glamour and more-is-more, but it would be interesting to collaborate with someone more minimal too.”

Sophie aims to split her time between the North and South, she wants to one day open studios in both areas, allowing young creatives more opportunities than she had.

“I think to be able to fuse both, I need to be in both”.

Proud of her Doncaster roots, Sophie wants people to know about the North’s sense of constant optimism through challenging times.

“We come from pit communities where we’ve had to be really strong. That’s where the sense of humour comes through. At the end of the day, I don’t want to trivialise political issues. My clothes are a celebration; a way of dreaming and being something you didn’t think you could. The main thing I want to put across is: Try not to give too much of a f**k.”

Watch this space! @dontecarlowomenswear @flaminga1s Read more Abby Jackson at: thestyleitch.blog

Photography: Sophie O'Horan ©2015

31

#greenjackER ARTICHOKES IN ACTION

by Greenjacker

In the very first issue of Doncopolitan, I argued that Guerrilla

Who am I to tell you what to do? I am the Greenjacker. Who is

Gardening is one of the purest and most important forms of

the Greenjacker? Well, if you want, it can be you…

street art. It is a very simple idea which has the potential to (quite literally) change the world. Just find a patch of ground

The Greenjacker is everywhere. She is the woman who

which needs some TLC (you don’t have to look too far in

sat next to you on the bus this morning and the man who

any town to find a forgotten plot covered in rubbish and/or

smiled knowingly at you as he walked on by; she's the

weeds), tidy it up a bit, get some seeds (we have plenty down

green-fingered guerrilla gardener who works to the sound

at Bentley Urban Farm, if you’d like some), plant them, water

of the dawn chorus and the roofer who makes bee-friendly

them and wait for your garden to grow.

hideaways high above the town centre streets; he's the dog walker with a pooper scooper in one hand and a spade

Some people, like Incredible Edible at Todmorden, plant food

in the other; the schoolgirl with the muddiest shoes and

for humans, some like to introduce plants which benefit our

the brightest smile. They have seeds in their pockets and

wild, non-human friends — such as flowers for endangered

mud on their minds. The Greenjacker isn’t going to wait for

bees. Whatever you plant, it will be a vast improvement on

politicians, big business and 'professionals' to get off their

waste and urban decay. Personally, I like to mix it up a bit

bums and finally make a difference; they’re going to grow a

and am more than happy to share my guerrilla crops with any

greener, better, healthier, friendlier world — right here, right

creature in need.

now, one plot at a time!

Guerrilla Gardening is a truly revolutionary act. Not only

The Greenjacker doesn’t believe in wasteland, just wasted

does it transform the look of your neighbourhood, it also

opportunity. The meaning of life is to live, so to give your life

changes hearts and minds as it instils knowledge, confidence

meaning, give life. Go forth and cultivate. With the first seed

and pride. I quoted the amazing Ron Finley in issue one of

you plant, you become the Greenjacker.

Doncopolitan, and his wisdom bears repeating: Cut out the notice on the page opposite. Glue it to a piece of "To change the community, you have to change the

cardboard and attach it to a stake. Get together with some

composition of the soil. We are the soil. You'd be surprised

friends and create a Guerrilla Garden or two on wasteland in

how kids are affected by this. Gardening is the most

your town. Plant the notice and if anyone objects, tell them

therapeutic and defiant act you can do...plus you get

“The Greenjacker did it.”

strawberries.”

So what are you waiting for? Raise up your spades. Fill your pockets with seeds. Transform the next patch of neglected soil that you come across into a beautiful, edible, abundant garden. Let’s change Donny one plot at a time.

32

THIS AREA HAS BEEN IMPROVED BY

GREENJACKING Guerrilla gardening can change the world one neglected plot at a time.

Spread the word...

Spread some seeds!

33

#lovelocal

MAMA WHEATLEY'S CRAFT CLUB 83 Copley Road, Doncaster DN1 2QP

by Charlotte Felters

# 'I CAN’T DO IT!' was my first thought

a group of lovely humans (and one

was immediately welcomed into the

when Doncopolitan asked me if I would

dog) ranging from age nine, through

group. You don’t need me to tell you the

like to write a piece about Craft Club.

millenials to quite a bit older, who all

people of Doncaster are a good bunch

I had the same reaction when I read

meet to craft, laugh and chat.

and that shows in our craft club.

back in December 2017, but here I am

Run by June, aka Mama Wheatley, we

If we’re not crafting then we’re laughing,

6 months later, attending and writing

meet every Monday, 6.30pm - 8.30pm at

dancing, having cuddles from Rufus (the

about it.

the Doncopolitan HQ on Copley Road.

dog) or being shown how it’s done from

It’s perfect for those who work all day.

a very talented nine-year-old.

about Mamma Wheatley’s Craft Club

Note to self, say yes to more things.

I originally became aware of

We only pay £5 per week and the money is put back into the group to pay for

What’s also lovely is that, as the weeks

materials and snacks.

have progressed, so has the nature

Doncopolitan in 2015 at DNweekeND.

of the group. We’ve had a couple of

I remember thinking then that it

The number of crafters varies weekly,

theatre trips and there’s even a faint

was more than just a magazine, it

so there’s no pressure to come every

mention of a #craftclubontour trip to

was a movement, a different way of

week if you don’t feel like it. We

Bali in 2019.

thinking, and I wanted to be a part

make anything, from paper flowers to

of it. Sometime after DNweekeND, I

flowerpot men. I've even learned to

Of course, everyone has their own

went to a photography class run by

knit, taught by a very patient Rose in

reasons for attending the group

Shane Peagram where I briefly met

an almost perfect (fully clothed) re-

and equally everyone is welcome.

the magazine’s founders, Rachel and

enactment of the pottery scene from

Personally, mine is to try and make a

Warren. After just one visit to Donco

Ghost. You can bring something of

small dent in the often disheartening

HQ, I was made to feel really welcome

your own to work on or if, like me, you

and depressing cycle of eat, sleep, work,

and even gifted a book and a gorgeous

realise you’re not half as creative as

repeat. I can honestly say it’s one of the

print by a local artist. Also, Warren very

you hoped, you can come mainly for the

best decisions I’ve made. I just needed

kindly used a photograph I took that

banter and biscuits.

that little push.

Doncopolitan HQ itself is a really

So, if you’re reading this or you’ve heard

night in an exhibition at the Notorious Aardvark record shop in Doncaster.

lovely space and it’s always nice to see

about Mamma Wheatley’s Craft Club

Life, work, low confidence and

which exhibition or artwork decorates

before and you think you might like to

exceptionally low vitamin D meant

the walls week-to-week. Most recent

give it a go, then consider this your little

that I had a long break from anything

was the colourful work of local artist,

push. We’d love to meet you.

Doncopolitan related - until Craft Club,

Imogen, from her exhibition Her World.

that is.

Monday evenings, 6:30pm - 8:30pm.

For me, it just took a little bit of

Doncopolitan HQ, 83 Copley Road,

So, what is Craft Club? Apart from

encouragement from cofounder, Rachel,

Doncaster, DN1 2QP.

exactly what it says on the tin, it’s

to finally turn up. But, when I did, I

#PINT CLUB DONCASTER BREWERY & TAP 7 Young St, Doncaster DN1 3ELN1 1LY Doncaster Brewery's Stirling Single Coffee Stout 4.5% - £3.00

#

For this issue of Pint Club, I headed over to the Doncaster

this was. The strong coffee taste I had worried about was

Brewery & Tap, a local micro-brewery located in Doncaster

actually the highlight of this drink as the dark undertones

Town Centre, to see what locally brewed beers they had on

of rich coffee made the pint go down beautifully. I definitely

offer. I first went here a long time ago when it was first opening

enjoyed the Stirling Silver Coffee Stout a lot more than I first

up and it still offers the same warm welcome and friendly

expected and will definitely be trying it again.

customers it always has. There have been subtle but largely effective changes to the furniture and menus, along with the

Looking around this quaint little bar you can clearly see there

addition of board games and a number of events happening

is a community here. The walls are decorated with pictures of

throughout the week. Located in a close yet quiet part of town

the past alongside posters and adverts for future events such

just off Waterdale, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a peaceful

as the Tuesday Quiz Night and a local Ukulele group every

pint with friends and like-minded people.

third Sunday of the month. This place offers something for everybody. If you’re in town and wanting a tasty pint, I highly

After relighting my joy of stout in the past few weeks, I decided

recommend this bar. Check out their website and Facebook

to give the Stirling Single Coffee Stout a try and see how it

page to keep up-to-date with future events.

compared with the others I’ve been having recently. At the bar, I was told this had an especially strong coffee taste to it,

I would rate this pub a solid 8/10.

and that had me a little worried. I love coffee but didn’t think I would want the taste so prevalent in my pint. I took my drink

Danny McMillan

and sat down after handing over the very reasonable £3 price tag.

This beverage, born just a short walk away from where I now sat, blew my mind as I took the first sip. What a lovely tipple

Pint Club Pint Club is a Facebook group dedicated to lads (‘pintmen’) sharing pictures of and reviewing pints whether they are good or bad.

The idea is to create one gigantic online pub in which men can interact with others through a mutual interest: pints. This review of Doncaster Brewery & Tap is one of a series of articles for Pint Club. If this appeals to you and you see yourself as a bit of a pint connoisseur, then feel free to get on board by joining our Facebook group: @pintclub

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Photography: Connor Chapman ©2018

#poetry PEER FOCUS GROUP POETRY

by Michéle Beck

# The PFG (Peer Focus Group) is a drop-in peer support group in a safe and relaxed space where you can talk about your experience of mental health difficulty openly, with others who really do understand. You can share your experiences and hear others talk about theirs which gives you the opportunity to learn how others look after their mental health.

Every Friday 10:30 until 13:30 they run a creative writing group and this is a collection of work by some of the writers and poets who are involved with the group. Every person has a voice and should be heard.

Recovery Is A Journey by G

Ashes by Jane Sharp

Now I know about gentleness although some will never believe that about me With an unwavering stare My anger continues to wane But I still slip up Now I treasure my gentle nature Where once those dearest to my heart these days just warm words of friendship and the sun shines on the day that I am free.

Time has soured That I held precious Distance shows the truth There are only shadows now Where once they stood beside me The chill is hard to hide from Valued once but forgotten now Wounds are open No longer fresh and shiny new I fade into the background And fall to ashes in memories

Three Extra Minutes of Light by Glyn Butcher Three extra minutes of light tonight But it’s not always been this way Gives me hope and I feel bright Accepted or rejected unsure of what they’ll write I woke in the morning and cursed the day Three extra minutes of light tonight The fear of the unknown drained my colour & I was white My thoughts and feeling I couldn’t keep at bay.

Gives me hope and I feel bright Is it right I have to prove I’m ill, is it right?

I knelt down on my knees to pray Three extra minutes of light tonight Repetition after repetition after repetition, my chest feels tight The words wouldn’t leave me what I needed to say Gives me hope and I feel bright I knew I was embroiled in a soul destroying fight My debt was torture that I needed to pay Three extra minutes of light tonight Gives me hope and I feel bright

#doncolistings THEATRE LISTINGS

by Emma Gullon

# AniMalcom @ CAST, Waterdale on Saturday 23rd June 2.30pm &7pm. £16.50/£12.50 Comedian David Baddiel has cemented himself as the new face of children’s literature. Now Pocket Theatre will bring his award-winning comedy novel AniMalcolm vividly to life on stage this summer in Doncaster.

Malcolm does not like animals, which is awkward as his animal mad parents have a house full of them! But all of that changes on a school trip to a farm. He learns a lot about animals, which makes him speak, think, eat and even smell differently. In the end, Malcolm learns that the hardest thing to become is yourself. But will he ever be the same again?

A mixture of puppetry, physical theatre, and storytelling, AniMalcolm is an exciting and hilarious adventure the whole family will enjoy.

Book your tickets: castindoncaster.com 01302 303 959 or visit the box office.

Smack That (A Conversation) @ CAST, Waterdale on Friday 6th July 7.45pm. £10.50/£9

Divorced, Beheaded, Died: An Audience with King Henry VIII @ The Doncaster Little Theatre, 1 Kings Street on Friday 29th 7.30pm & Saturday 30th June 2pm & 7.30pm. £10/£8.

Get ready for a trip back in time for a one-off Q&A like no other. King Henry VIII is in town and has asked you, his loyal subjects, to listen to him tell the story of his infamous reign!

It’s 1544 and Henry has just married his sixth wife, Catherine Parr. The once tyrannical Tudor is secretly suffering; a jousting injury has permanently damaged his leg and he has constant pain on top of his existing bad temper! As the audience you will hear many stories from his long, bloody reign; everything from his wives to his children, and you will be allowed to petition or ask any relevant questions to His Majesty himself.

Do not miss this one-off event with one of England’s most brutal and recognisable leaders or heads will roll!

Age guidance: 12+ Book your tickets: doncasterlittletheatre.co.uk 01302 340 422 or visit the box office.

Choreographer Rhiannon Faith brings her latest piece to CAST’s second space in July. Smack That (A Conversation) tackles the shocking subject of domestic abuse through physicality and performativity.

Beverly is hosting a party and you are invited as one of her guests. There will be drinking games, conversations, dancing and heartbreaking revelations.

Each female cast member (all nonperformers and dancers) take the persona of Beverly, in order to tell their stories of survival through abusive relationships and celebrate their triumphs through adversity with the audience.

Smack That has been created through Faith’s close work with the charity support group Safer Places, who raise awareness of domestic abuse by supporting women to speak openly about their experiences. Be sure to look at this remarkable and poignant piece of theatre.

(18+ only as alcohol will be served to audience members) Book your tickets: castindoncaster.com 01302 303 959 or visit the box office.

Smack That @ Cast

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donny punks not dead... A tribute Jez Saxton /2018 10/06/1968-07/05

Sam F’kin Cooper

THE DONNY PUNK FAMILY has been dealt a heartbreaking blow in recent weeks, as we lost two of our own. Pete Morgan and Jez Saxton were an integral part of our punk community. In 1977 I was only ten years old, so I’ve had help from some people that were there...

The Doncaster music scene was not overlooked by the explosive birth of the British punk movement in the late 1970s.

The Outlook (later the Mainline) club on Trafford Way in Donny held regular live events, with bands such as Generation X, The Vibrators, Buzzcocks, The Damned, Stranglers, Sham 69 and many more headlining there. The notorious appearance of the Sex Pistols (billed as ‘The Tax Exiles’ in August 1977) captured the imagination of many young people, one of whom was a young Pete Morgan. Pete insisted that Morg, his older brother, listen to his amazing new ‘punk’ records, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Born and bred in Rossington, a small group of like-minded youths gravitated towards the startling new aesthetics and discordant sounds of ‘punk rock’; the appeal of the do-it-yourself punk ethos sealing their fate. Inspired to have a go themselves, the brothers, along with a few other brave souls, started their first band in the early 80s: Absit Invidia. They couldn’t play well, but learned quickly as they wrote their own songs, incredibly booking a support slot for the Subhumans at the Leadmill in Sheffield, although they had to play their set list twice as they had only written three tracks!

Around 1982, a few miles away in Tickhill, a young Jeremy Saxton had learned how to play guitar. He formed his first band with school friends from Edlo Comp, initially called TNT, which later became The Adulescents UK. Band mate and best friend for over 35 years Terry ‘Tez’ Dunn remembers their careers officer asking Jez what he wanted to be when he left school, Jez replied: “A punk on the dole.”

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Photography & Design: courtesy of Sam F'kin Cooper

Tez recalls that they wrote some great tunes together and “Jez always had the musical knowledge to knit it all together. We made countless demo tapes sent them all over, played loads of local gigs. Some good, some not so good.” They produced and self-financed their first EP, recorded at The Headroom basement studio in Wheatley, Doncaster, which was then mastered and pressed at the famous Abbey Road Studios, London. The band went there for a day out, typically getting unashamedly drunk in the Abbey Road bar. They went on to sell them at gigs, in the Vinyl Years record shop on Copley Road and in Europe, too. They even got a letter from Jello Biafra, lead singer of the Dead Kennedys, who encouraged them to “keep playing punk and making records.”

Pete went on to play drums for the Crow People, rising from the ashes of the ‘anarcho-crust’ scene. Tez remembers the band very well: “They had vegetarian barbecues at their gigs. People took their dogs and the door money was shared equally between bands or given to charity.

They did loads of benefit gigs: for women’s refuge, animal welfare, hunt sabs you name it. They not only played a style of music, they lived it too.”

Tez recalls that they “were not just a ‘crust’ band, they had psychedelia, goth and space rock. They were bloody fascinating to listen to. As a guitarist, I loved the effects: chorus, flange, phaser and loads of delay.”

Dubbed Donny’s ‘secret band’ by the Doncaster Free Press’ rock columnist Paul Burton; Crow People

were an obscure gem in Doncaster’s alternative music scene, their Cloud Songs EP a treasured possession of a lucky few.

Punk gigs became scarce during the late 90s and by the turn of the millennium many of us had got married, had kids or moved away. Over a few beers Morg and Gary ‘Gozhawk’ Storey contemplated organising a Donny punk reunion. The Hallcross pub had a decent jukebox back then, so it was decided. The last Sunday night of the month local punks, old and new, would get together; play some punk, dance a bit, sing and bond!

#Punks Against Cancer n Pete Morga 8 -15/05/201 03/07/1965 As a solo artist, armed with his trusty guitar, portable drum machine and trademark spiky hair, ‘Bank Holiday’ Jez would more than likely be the opening act at any punk gig in Donny and further afield.

His friend, and later band-mate, Keith Winson remarked that “Jez had unbelievable amounts of talent and an incomparable stage presence (the infamous leg kick!)”

Underneath the tom-foolery and colourful façade, Jez was a really talented musician, he could play piano, guitar, bass and drums. Tez thought “Jez could have made a lot more money out of music if he’d wanted, but he was happy being in a punk band, playing original music.”

By 2011 Jez was asked to play bass for Sheffield’s ‘The Fuckwits’. Keith recalls the bands incredulity at the speed it took Jez to learn their set list. His début was a boozer in Burton on Trent, followed by a gig supporting the mighty Stiff Little Fingers in Sheffield. The band have since played all over England and Europe, including regular sets at Blackpool’s Rebellion Punk Festival.

Meanwhile, in the Summer of 2012, after some persuasion from good mates Lee ‘Spyder’ Graham and Rick (the bus driver) Rigby, Inequality Street was formed. The lads worked hard-ish, writing songs and gigging, to publish their début album All In This Together in 2016. Later Chris ‘Shipwrecked’ Heald joined them on guitar, soon followed by Paul Holden (initially as

Pete’s stand-in while he battled the big C) now the bands permanent drummer.

Inequality Street are continuing to play live and still have plans to record a second album, including songs written by Pete.

Everyone I’ve spoken to agrees that Pete and Jez will be the most awesome punk rock rhythm section in the afterlife.

Let’s hope they have plenty of cider and Newcastle Brown up there. We will miss them both more than words can say, but are honoured and privileged to have called them family. See you on the other side lads...

END Read the complete unabridged article @ doncopolitan.com Sine FM’s Shipwrecked DJ Chris Heald usually plays punk tunes from 3–8pm the last Sunday of the month at the Queen Crafthouse & Kitchen on Sunny Bar. All are welcome, as long as you like your punk loud!

Find them on facebook: @DonnyPunkFamily @shipwreckedpunk @Inequalitystreet @TheAdulescentsUk @carrotsgalore @LittleTerryAKAtheBairn

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