James King gives the Roxy a plug!

To quote his blog:

Laurel & Hardy Museum, Ulverston, Cumbria

Probably the best film-watching experience of my life was at the Laurel & Hardy Museum in Ulverston, Cumbria. It's Stan's hometown and they're rightly proud. Next to the museum is a 14-seater cinema, where I spent an afternoon, watching The Music Box on a projector screen. The eccentricity of the place is a flawless match for Stan and Ollie's unique slant on life.

The museum has its own web site

Roxy review

I have now talked to an increasing number of people regarding their experiences of what happens at, and in the nearby streets to, the Roxy in the early hours when they hold an event.

I have forwarded to Gary Robinson my concerns. Yet even after this, it would appear that the behaviour last Saturday night (30th May), Sunday morning, was as bad as ever.

If anyone else would like to share their views here or privately by email, they are welcome. I would especially like to hear from you if they are ready to make a signed statement.

Drugs

The discussion on the lower pages has made me go back to basics regarding my beliefs.

I'd appreciate your help in sorting these out with your reactions to the following because my actions will be dependent on these beliefs.

We all take drugs - well possibly one in a million doesn't.

Tea and coffee are drugs; herbal teas are drugs. We take others quite readily for illnesses.

The drug that causes the most concern in Britain is alcohol.

All drugs affect the behaviour of our body.

Alcohol has the property to help us relax. Some people cannot relax without it.

It leads to people's loss of inhibitions; they behave in a way that would not normally be their natural behaviour when they are "under the influence".

Encouraging people to drink excessively is irresponsible because as soon as they start losing their inhibitions, they can't see why they shouldn't drink more and more . . The result can be damage to themselves, to property and to other people.

If the result of activities in an establishment leads to people coming onto the streets out of control and this arises from them drinking too much (something they might well deny), we have a problem. More seriously people who are "not under the influence "- bar staff may allow them to drink.

If there are very rare occurrences where the Police have to be involved outside then this is understandable. If however Police are regularly required to bring order to irresponsible people then the establishment is not working as we would wish.

When people come out on the streets at times that non drinking people are around in quantity (during daylight) then these have a great influence on the behaviour of the less responsible. However when irresponsible come onto the streets in the middle of the night when the majority are in bed and the only other people that are around may be other irresponsible people. Then we a looking at "trouble". The only solution that we have then is the sober authoratitive Police.

The latter can do an excellent job but cost the taxpayer a lot of money especially if the have to operate regularly in the middle of the night. With limitted resources of cash there can be other work that we may want the police to do - in the day time.

Thus I conclude that if certain activities in the town regularly lead to irresponsible behaviour in the night then those activities should be stopped.

The onus is on the establishments - no one else.

Gary Robinson on the new Roxy venue.

The follow recounts a phone conversation with Gary Robinson of the Canteen in Barrow and now the Roxy Music/Arts venue.

This call was made to Gary "out of the blue" yesterday (Saturday 9th afternoon)

His initial reaction was resentment that someone was apparently phoning to tell him his job and what he should do in what was "family time".

My urgency was to catch him before the Saturday night gig so that he could start that night, aware of the views of several people that I have been in touch with in the last few days. (Having stated that it was family time, it was difficult to get Gary off the phone once he had started - he is good at arguing his point of view as those that heard him at the public meeting will know.)

On Feb 5th I posted an article very much in favour of this project. Now I have severe doubts.

On some points during our conversation, I found him unconvincing.

He argues - and he is welcome to correct me here - the following:

He is following the rules and doing all he can and if there is bad behaviour then this is because of the type of people he is dealing with.

He believes it is early days and it will take a while for the irresponsible behaviour to be weeded out by excluding these people from entering the venue.

He is paying high wages to ensure that expert staff are employed to deal with any behaviour problems. He also feels he has a good working relationship with the police.

For my part I ,and many others, look at the situation very differently.

What impressed me about the description of what was to happen with Gary at the Roxy was that something of benefit was going to happen in the town and that there was a need for responsible people to have a venue open till 3.00 am where they could enjoy live music along with an occasional drink. Furthermore the Roxy could become a venue were the artistic interests in the town could be focused and developed.

What has happened so far does not encourage this optimism.

It is essential to me and many others that access to alcohol until late does not lead to drunken behaviour by people that have lost their inhibitions and control of what they do.

At present what is happening sends out messages to me and others that people with too much alcohol inside them are being turned out on our streets in the early hours. People who show little concern for others.

Gary cannot in my opinion duck this issue. It can be argued that the behaviour is linked to drink. This is happening inside the Roxy and is thus the responsibility of those behind the bar. The Roxy must quickly establish itself as a place that will attract the responsible people who go to enjoy good , live music and not the irresponsible who go to drink.

Gary Robinson has total responsibility for the way in which his venue is run and it must quickly become a place for the former.

If the latter take hold; I and many others will join together to force the venue to be closed.

I suggest that a change of direction needs to be implemented quickly. The whole appearance of the venue both outside and in, needs urgent attention in my view. The quality is nowhere up to the standard of the former Buffers at the station and that had its problems.

Your views as always are welcome. I trust that the Councillor for this area - Jamie Samson - with his interests in the licensing committee of South Lakeland is monitoring the situation closely.

Roxy concerns

What started as a good idea for Ulverston shows signs of turning sour.



This is the view as one approaches the Roxy this Saturday morning.



And this is what is found on the door step.

Not the images that convey responsible behaviour the night before when this new music venture was in action.

Neighbours across the main road are already reporting a deterioration in the noise levels coming from this venue and these images tell their own story.

Suspicions that excessive drinking here would be condoned are being confirmed.

The management will have to take a firm approach and not serve alcohol to people who abuse their nighbourhood. It is the man behind the bar that needs to take action. Profits from beer sales must be secondary to this place being a benefit to Ulverston.

At present the signs are not good and I am seeking an interview with the promoters. Now is the time for a firm approach to be taken or they will have Ulverstonians turning against them.

Great news - yes some more!

This was the nightmare we endured



A new proposal has been put forward by Gary Robinson at a meeting last Tuesday evening.

Gary, an Ulverstonian, has made a great success of the Canteen in Barrow and is willing to do something similar here! The guy has balls.

The Tuesday meeting was attended by two friends who reported that nearly all of the fifty people there were persuaded that this would be an excellent venture.

My own research supports this view because:

1. Gary has a track record of a big success in Barrow with the Canteen Media and Arts Centre. All those familiar with this are in favour.

2. The prime purpose of what is proposed is high quality entertainment that will involve and support local people in the arts scene.

3. Unlike community organisations in the town such as Ford Park that rely on grant funding for their existence, Canteen Media is based on sound , viable business know-how. Grant funding, in my view, should only be used as a pump priming exercise - to get something off the ground. To rely on it, is very unreliable, especially in the present economic situation with Charity funding being cut back.

4. The Roxy building has been already been designed to allow different activities to run simultaneously. It has good access and excellent sound proofing, with a stage in place downstairs.

5. The existing cinema and Gary's project will complement each other, with the prospect of something like Zeffirelli's in Ambleside being done here.

6. My own experience when I failed to get a full alcohol licence for the Corner House (now Oxfam) backs up Gary's approach. Strangely people would pay £2 for one drink but would not pay £1.50 for admission to my shows. With a jazz band to pay, I ended running at a loss and the 'community business' collapsed ! I'm thankful to find that here we have someone who has a lot better idea of how to succeed.

7. There's still a struggling jazz scene in the area that could do with a suitably design location to play in.

8. With a bit of effort and support from the thriving Classical Concert Scene - Manchester Camerata - we could get some cross-over with the musical scene at Ulverston Victoria High.

9. There seem to be a lot of responsible people coming into the town from a wide area who are looking for late night entertainment. The more of these that are around on our streets and back alleys, late at night, the better. We at present get trouble in Brogden St, next to the Roxy.
A combination of customers from Rustique and Roxy will be far more effective than CCTV, which too many think is the answer to all problems.

10. Canteen Media have encouraged other groups in Barrow to get started by providing facillities - I'll be looking at the Roxy for possible involvement in the visual arts - painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography and film making. And sound - bands, singing groups, local radio - TV? With the development of the Internet there are lots of possibilities.

We in Ulverston need to grab these opportunities with both hands and not let short-sighted people or the commercial pub scene stop this venture. The more people are brought together, the healthier society will be. We have a lot of creative and imaginative people in the town who are without a place to get together and hatch schemes, ideas and plots!

Perhaps UCAN could adopt the Roxy as its base?


Well now you have some ideas to bat about!

.

Great news

Another very creative photographer has come to Ulverston. Worth spending some time enjoying his photographs and musing on what might come next . .

One of those people that wait and wait and wait . . . . . . .for exactly the right moment to make the 'ordinary' look special.

People like this get us to stop, look, enjoy and take strength from 'stuff' that is staring us in the face . . .

Often we don't notice it.

I'm reminded of Ansel Adams who's photography I got to know when in California.

Rob Sutherland has just bought a camera that he's very pleased with . . . .

People like this are the life blood of the positive and forward looking side of our town !

He joins Ulverston photographers like Chris Thorp and Allan Wilson that we are getting to know more and more.

In other creative fields - sculpture and architectural metal worker Chris Brammall who has contributed much to the town with work at the rope walk, the start of the Cumbria Way in the Gill and much more (not enough is my comment) - and we choose to spend thousands on . . . that imposter Stan Laurel !

When will we start living in the year 2009?

We have a chance to look to the future with somewhere like this with another very creative Ulverstonian - Gary Robinson who will help put life into the Roxy - if we let him.