SPOTLIGHT ON SWINDON MUSEUM & ART GALLERY

ONE OF BRITAIN’S FINEST MODERN ART COLLECTIONS CAN BE FOUND IN SWINDON

If you were asked to name three things that define Swindon, what would they be? Of course, the answer depends entirely on your interests and pastimes, but some popular features of Swindon tend to include its fascinating railway heritage, shopping at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet and, of course, the formidable Magic Roundabout.

Less frequently cited is the town’s exceptional collection of modern British art. Often praised for being the best outside of London, Swindon’s collection spans late 1800s right through to today. Paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics and sculptures represent some of the country’s most important art movements; from Walter Sickert and the Camden Town Group to recent works from contemporary British painting.

It includes important work by some of the biggest and most celebrated names in British art including Lucian Freud, Henry Moore, L.S. Lowry and Howard Hodgkin, as well as significant artists with a local connection such as Desmond Morris, whose vibrant painting Girl Selling Flowers, was inspired by a young Diana Dors.

The seeds of the art collection were sewn in the 1940s, with generous donations from local businessmen HJP “Jimmy” Bomford and Frederick Charles Phelps. Since then it has grown thanks to more donations, as well as grants from organisations including the Art Fund, the Contemporary Arts Society and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. For several years, the development of the collection was also supported by the advice of the Tate Gallery’s Richard Morphet.

Recent years have bought exciting acquisitions such as an early Grayson Perry ceramic, talks from prominent artists including The Great Pottery Throw Down’s Kate Malone, and profileraising exhibitions. Perhaps most notable was a retrospective of drawings by Eileen Cooper, the first female Keeper of the Royal Academy in London since it opened in 1768.

The art collection and collections of archaeology, social history, geology and Egyptology are housed at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, in Swindon’s Old Town. The charming and quirky venue is a converted late Georgian house, complete with original stained glass features and warmly tiled entrance hall. A brutalist 1960s extension forms a spacious art gallery, where regularly changing exhibitions are held. Through its current Art on Tour project, Swindon Museum and Art Gallery also aims to share the art collection with other (sometimes unexpected) venues throughout the town. This began with exhibitions at STEAM Museum and Swindon’s Civic Offices in Autumn 2019.

Desmond Morris, Girl Selling Flowers, 1946 (©Desmond Morris)

The programme will continue with work confirmed to go on display at The Central Library, The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon Arts Centre and Pinetrees Community Centre. Pebley Beach will also showcase work in their showroom, and have put forward £1,000 sponsorship toward the project, to help take art to community-run venues throughout the town.

An extensive education programme will also run as part of Art on Tour, and will help schools across Swindon respond creatively to the art collection. Among other activities, this includes a Pop-Up Gallery named “Mr Bomford’s Magical Imaginarium”, cross-curricular workshops and a Young Artist in Residence programme with New College, Swindon.

Lockdown restrictions have meant delaying much of this activity for the time being, but they haven’t stopped the Art on Tour team from making Swindon’s art collection accessible in exciting and innovative ways. Through a temporarily rebranded online initiative Art on Tour at Home, they have developed a number of digital resources inspired by Swindon’s collection.

Roger Fry, The Black Sea Coast, 1911

These include a weekly art history podcast about the collection called Art Snaps, a blog with articles about featured artists and artworks, exciting Art Burst family activities, learning resources covering 114 artworks from the collection and 10 different curriculum areas, and fun creative challenges for everyone.

All this is inspired by Swindon’s collection of Modern British art, and is available to all, for free at www.swindonmuseumandartgallery.org. uk/artontour. So, though Swindon Museum and Art Gallery is closed for now due to government advice following the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s no reason life can’t be infused with fabulous and fascinating art from Swindon’s ever-inspiring collection.

Katie Ackrill

Art on Tour Project Engagement Officer

Fancy supporting Swindon Museum and Art Gallery? Why not think about joining the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery for just £15 a year? Benefits include reduced ticket prices to their exciting talks programme, and invitations to trips and special events at Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. During lockdown, you’ll get exclusive, free access to the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery online talks programme.

Gwen John, Portrait of a Lady, c.1910

TOP TEN TIPS TO GET YOUR MORTGAGE READY

ADVICE FROM BARRATT HOMES WILL HELP SWINDON BUYERS COMPILE A PRACTICAL ‘TO-DO’ LIST.

Being concerned about the impact of Covid-19 crisis on your chances of securing a mortgage is understandable, especially if your financial situation changes. With interest rates at record lows, Barratt Homes have compiled a ‘to do’ list to make sure you and your finances are in the best condition before applying.

1. Talk to Barratt’s fee-free New Home Mortgage Advisers

In these uncertain times, knowing which is the best deal can seem overwhelming. Barratt’s New Home Mortgage Advisers are experts in new homes and will research the market for you. They have access to special rates you may not find through high street banks and can advise on the right mortgage with affordable repayments for you. Plus, it’s a fee-free service.

2. Consider the Help to Buy scheme

Whether you’re a first time buyer or existing homeowner, you may only need a 5% deposit to buy a new home. Many different lenders have competitive rates available through Help to Buy, including challenger banks and specialist lenders. Our handy calculator can show how the scheme could work for you.

3. Check your credit score

A strong credit score tends to make you more attractive to mortgage lenders. Don’t worry if you’ve recently taken a payment holiday – this won’t affect your credit score. It’s important to know your score so you can take steps to improve it, if needed. You can check it easily online with the two main credit reference agencies, Experian and Equifax. Make sure all the information they have for you is correct and, if it isn’t, ask them to change it.

4. Review your joint finances

Details of your family’s credit score are not kept on your file, as long as you don’t have any joint finances. If you do, you’re likely to be co-scored and this could affect your chances of securing a mortgage. If a family member, partner or housemate has a poor credit score, keep your finances rigidly separate. This includes joint accounts and bills under both names.

5. Stay positive and boost your credit score

You may still be able to qualify for a mortgage, even with a poor credit score. Being self-employed is also not the barrier it once was, and you may only need to show one year’s set of accounts. There are many ways you can build your score, (especially as 1 in 10* people have no credit history when they start house-hunting). Take out a credit card and use it regularly, just make sure you pay off the bill each month. You can also take out a mobile phone contract.

6. Manage your payments and spending

If you have an existing credit card or loan, it’s important you keep up with the minimum repayments and try not to get too close to your credit limit. Missing or defaulting on payments, County Court Judgements (CCJs), payday loans, and clear betting patterns on your bank statements can all lower your chances of securing a mortgage. If the current climate means you’re struggling with repayments, speak to your lender about a payment holiday. This won’t affect your credit score.

7.Register on the electoral roll

You should try to show lenders that you have a ‘stable’ lifestyle, for example that you’re in fulltime employment and live at a fixed address. Make sure you’re registered on the electoral roll as you’re unlikely to get credit without it and, if you can, provide a landline rather than mobile phone number.

8. Be consistent and double check

Take your time when filling out and cross-checking your application form. Simple slip ups like mistyping your postcode or inconsistent information (even on application forms for other lenders) can flag up as possible fraud, which could then slow down or stop your application altogether. Be mindful of submitting numerous applications in a short space of time, as lenders may worry about why you’ve been rejected before.

9. Get your paperwork organised

From bank statements to payslips, you’ll often need to provide a large amount of information when applying for a mortgage. Why not use the extra time at home to get your paperwork in order? Our New Home Mortgage Advisers can talk through what you’ll need.

10. Keep saving

If you can show that you save regular amounts and you’re actively trying to build up a deposit for a home, lenders will take notice of this. While it can seem hard at the start and with the current financial uncertainty, over time it will get easier. Take a look at government saving schemes like the Lifetime ISA, which gives you a 25% bonus on up to £4,000 each tax year.

barratthomes.co.uk

PROPEL YOUR BUSINESS WITH ALL-INCLUSIVE DESIGN SERVICES FROM JAZZBONES

A new service that gives businesses access to all-inclusive, graphic design on a ‘pay as you go’ or monthly ‘pre-paid’ basis has been launched in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Branding consultants Jazzbones Creative launched Propel because of the financial challenges facing businesses as a result of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Propel service offers clients the chance to cut the hassle of working with an agency, and instead pay a flat rate monthly fee for unlimited creative content, from logos and branding projects to social media graphics and motion graphics.

And the agency team, who are all based at offices in Swindon’s Old Town, can produce eye-catching graphics from a business card to fullyintegrated marketing campaigns.

The service is aimed at businesses large and small that want professional graphics content without the need to hire in-house designers or rely on freelance availability. “We want to give every business access to world-class, professional graphic design services that will enable them to thrive in the rapidly-changing world of online and offline marketing,” said Managing Director Nathan Sandhu.

“We’ve simplified the process of working with an agency and developed an efficient, affordable way for businesses to get access to professional creative content".

“Our service will help our clients to communicate their message and sell their products or services through effective graphic design".

“Finally, as a Swindon business, we understand what challenging times these are – and will continue to be – for local businesses. This new service is our way of helping the Wiltshire business community to navigate the new post-pandemic world.”

jazzbones.co.uk

Let Us Create Your Happy Place

extensionpro.co.uk | 01793 387 205

The team at ExtensionPro specialise in making the most of your home and the land around it. We delve deeply into how you live and use your property to enable us to produce an extension design that suits your needs, fits your budget and looks absolutely amazing!

Our one-stop service means we carry out the complete design, planning, building regulations, structural calculation and other legalities on your behalf, with your dedicated project manager overseeing the whole process! Meaning a clear and concise process, with no hidden costs or delays along the way.

We can then construct the extension on your behalf ensuring your build is in safe hands, working with a company you already know and trust!

Your loved ones are guaranteed a warm and safe environment at Coate Water Care —

Coate Water Care is a family-run business that provides high quality care service in all our Nursing, Residential and Dementia care homes.

We provide 24-hour nursing, residential and specialist dementia care, as well as specialist care for clients with end of life and palliative needs. Respite and day care services are also available. All these services are provided by our friendly and fully qualifi ed care sta„ .

Let us help you fi nd the right care for your loved ones. Please contact our ‘Welcome Team’ to arrange a visit to your local Coate Water Care home.

Call: 01793 821200 or Email: info@coatewatercare.co.uk to request a brochure.

IT’S OFFICIAL. DOWNS VIEW CARE HOME IN SWINDON IS “OUTSTANDING”.

These have been challenging times for everybody in the care sector, so it is with extreme pride that we can report that Coate Water Care’s Downs View Care Home in Badbury, Swindon has been awarded an “Outstanding” rating in its latest report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

“Downs View is our first home to achieve an Outstanding rating with CQC,” says Jamie Smith, Projects & Development Director at Coate Water Care. “It is an amazing achievement for the management and staff of this home. It’s the highest recognition that a care home can receive from the regulator and we as a company are rightly proud. The rating was applied just before lockdown, so it has been difficult to celebrate with the team, but we are planning to do this once we are able to.”

According to the CQC report: “People received exceptional support from caring staff. Coate Water Care set out exceptionally caring values and there was evidence that all staff worked to this aim as people were at the heart of the service delivery.”

“The manager was extremely passionate and dedicated to providing person-centred care. They led their staff by example; mentored, motivated and inspired them.” “The arrangements to provide activities were excellent. This enabled people to pursue their own interests and hobbies. There was an emphasis on encouraging social connections within the local community and people's families. Activity coordinators were extremely passionate and worked with staff to create activities to ensure people were not isolated.”

“Staff were very proactive and responsive to meeting people's changing needs. Staff knew people's needs well and therefore they were able to provide personalised support that significantly enhanced people's lives.”

“The design and décor, both internal and external, reflected evidence-based best practice standards for creating an environment that supported people living with dementia and memory impairments. Staff treated people and their relatives with utmost kindness and provided extra time for people to support them when they were in distress or feeling anxious. This quality was acknowledged in compliments received from relatives.”

“There were risk reduction measures in place to protect people's health, safety and wellbeing. People's medicines were well managed. Staff were recruited safely, and sufficient numbers were employed to ensure people's care and social needs were met. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff provided them with care in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.”

“Coate Water Care’s caring nature has been nationally recognised and they were awarded the title of the "Member of the Year 2019" by the National Care Association. This award was based on achievements such as implementing innovative ideas, initiating sustainable change, providing exceptional care and positively improving ethos and culture.”

“We received exceptionally positive feedback from people, their relatives and staff who provided us with examples of how staff went the extra mile to deliver high quality care.”

“As you can imagine, these highly positive comments really mean a lot to all our wonderful carers and support staff at Downs View,” says Downs View manager, Tanya Ginese. “Huge congratulations to every last one of them!”

coatewatercare.co.uk

WHAT DOES THE SOUTH WEST’S AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE BUY YOU IN SWINDON?

WILTSHIRE’S BIGGEST TOWN OFFERS AMAZING VALUE FOR MONEY COMPARED TO NEARBY CITIES.

The average price for property in the South West currently stands at £317,304 - that’s a whopping £54,957 more than the average property value of £262,347 in Swindon.

If you compare Swindon’s prices to its neighbours, the difference is even starker. The current average property value in Oxford is £510,995, practically twice as much! In Bath it’s £438,577, and in Bristol it’s £346,204. But what exactly do prices around that South West average of £317,000 buy you in Swindon? The answer is … a substantial property! For £304,995, Strakers are marketing brand-new three-bedroom houses in Pipers Way, literally a five-minute walk from Nationwide Building Society’s UK head office or Intel’s Swindon HQ.

For that price you’d be lucky to get a cardboard box in the road in the upmarket parts of Oxford or Bath! OK, not literally, but you get the picture! At £305,000, TLC Property are offering an immaculately presented three-bedroom semidetached house in Tadpole Garden Village. For 310,000, courtesy of Richard James, you could get a 141 square metre, four-bedroom terraced house in East Wichel.

For £315,000, Connells are marketing a beautifully presented four-bedroom link detached home in Ash Brake, North Swindon. The same price would secure you a five-bedroom turnkey HMO investment property in the heart of Swindon, marketed by doorsteps.co.uk.

At £317,500 – almost exactly the South West average, Charles Harding have just sold a recently refurbished, four-bedroom detached house in Haydon End. And Dewhurst & Co are marketing a spacious four-bed detached house in Redhouse for £319,995.

“Swindon has always been an island of good value on the M4 corridor between London and Bristol,” says Ross Sutton of Richard James Estate Agent. “In some ways that continues to surprise as the town has low unemployment and really good communication links, things that generally increase demand and prices.” “With the electrification of the GWR line it can be quicker to get to London from Swindon than from Surrey.” “It’s true that Swindon has never been trendy or a cultural draw compared to some of its neighbours, but the local council is working hard to regenerate the town centre and we have a great heritage around the railway village, Steam, and the Designer Outlet. Crucially, Swindon prices represent great value for first time buyers who would struggle to get on the property market in places like Oxford or Bath.”

Add to the equation a fabulous selection of green spaces and a beautiful hinterland, and Swindon really is one of the South West’s best-kept secrets.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

VISIT SWINDON

LATEST NEWS • WHAT’S ON • THINGS TO DO ACCOMMODATION • OFFERS

Swindon is one of the South West’s best kept secrets, a thriving and diverse modern town that is full of hidden gems.

Swindon offers a superb range of entertainment, leisure and accommodation for visitors of all kinds, with something for every budget - from fi ve star breaks to budget days out. Swindon is an easy to reach destination for people visiting the South West or holidaying in the West Country - some 30 miles from Bath and Oxford, and just 16 miles from Cirencester, the capital of the Cotswolds.

You can register for all the latest news, events and offers on the Visit Swindon website.