. . . I digress
Jul 23, 2010
6:32am
Guest Post by Susan, The Boss.
A week ago on Saturday July 10 I was frying gently in the sun behind our Temple Works stand at the Holbeck Gala, held yearly on Holbeck Moor. Temple Works is in Holbeck so it was the neighbourly thing to do. Writer in Residence Phil Kirby, Blonde Bombsite Intern Sophie and myself, occasionally referred to as The Boss, made our way by foot (please note for travel statistics) to the Moor, laden with: 5 boards, 4 umbrellas, 3 easels, 2 clipboards, lots of random postcards, and a bag full gaffer tape and clamps, ready to achieve the improbable: putting up an untried format in 30 minutes on the expert instructions of Micheale to whom we had not listened properly. A few testy words were exchanged when it became clear that none of us slackers knew what we were doing, but by some miracle we achieved the impossible, and by 12 noon on the dot we were ready for business and a look around.
As an ex Colonial my normal expectation of such events would include bellowing, over-full cows being examined for udder definition by torch-wielding farmers. Four years in Durham led me to expect that Galas might also be manned by massed, mildly menacing ex- miners brandishing banners and brass. Having been to the gloriously multi-cultural Beeston Festival recently though I knew that the biggest feature was going to be Girl Twirlers and Talent Contests. Forget Jam Wars, it’s all Twirling these days as an instant entry, South Leeds-style, to Girl Stardom. I’m all too familiar with the misery of being a failed Girl Twirler in droopy drawers, but astonishingly in South Leeds the ability to twirl expertly has no bearing on membership in the Twirling Gangs (I don’t think I have ever seen quite so many mutual clips round the head, but with such élan, attitude and hair tossing that stardom cannot be far behind).
When we weren’t keeping well clear of the Twirlers’ weapons, we were listening to the vocal talent contest which ranged from a piercing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ to a properly chirpy “Stupid Cupid” (my favourite); or trying to win a Holiday for Two to Armley. All the better to engage in our serious business of the day which was to sign people up for tours of Temple Works and track down more Kay’s Catalogue workers who had been the last inhabitants of our Happy Holbeck Temple. It never fails to encourage us that so many people want to tell us stories about Temple Works and Kay’s, and we are building up a back catalogue that must turn soon into at least a book if not a sit-com.
Our stand neighbours included the very popular Mosaic Church, who set up twin attractions of face painting and football; South Leeds regenerators Tiger 11 / Hillcrest dressed thematically in orange; a woman kindly handing out bootleg sun block with a backdrop of “Crime and Punishment”; the barbecue manned by the incredibly hardworking Cllr Adam Ogilvie (our hero at such events); and the ever popular balloon stand featuring weapons of mass head-bonking. Backpack-wearing Hilary Benn MP came by for a chat about life, the universe and our roof; Temple Works habitués Christine Baillie, Pete Cuffe, Kilo 75 and Culture Vulture dropped by with assorted children to see if we had melted yet; Leanne Buchan played her official HUV role (gamely face-painted), and we found common cause (same football jokes) with The Exotic Rev and his Keyboard Player, even though he thought we were a Masonic Temple. (Now you come to mention it…)
Holbeck is in transition and there is a real poignancy about such events as the demographic inexorably moves on. Setting up Temple Works as a major cultural venue for the North is taking time – more than we thought, given the repairs – but it gives us essential space to get to know Holbeck properly and both bear witness to the passing of much of its populist history while ensuring this history has a firm home at Temple Works. The Holbeck Gala was a significant event in our calendar: bring on the Gala 2011!
As an ex Colonial my normal expectation of such events would include bellowing, over-full cows being examined for udder definition by torch-wielding farmers. Four years in Durham led me to expect that Galas might also be manned by massed, mildly menacing ex- miners brandishing banners and brass. Having been to the gloriously multi-cultural Beeston Festival recently though I knew that the biggest feature was going to be Girl Twirlers and Talent Contests. Forget Jam Wars, it’s all Twirling these days as an instant entry, South Leeds-style, to Girl Stardom. I’m all too familiar with the misery of being a failed Girl Twirler in droopy drawers, but astonishingly in South Leeds the ability to twirl expertly has no bearing on membership in the Twirling Gangs (I don’t think I have ever seen quite so many mutual clips round the head, but with such élan, attitude and hair tossing that stardom cannot be far behind).
When we weren’t keeping well clear of the Twirlers’ weapons, we were listening to the vocal talent contest which ranged from a piercing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ to a properly chirpy “Stupid Cupid” (my favourite); or trying to win a Holiday for Two to Armley. All the better to engage in our serious business of the day which was to sign people up for tours of Temple Works and track down more Kay’s Catalogue workers who had been the last inhabitants of our Happy Holbeck Temple. It never fails to encourage us that so many people want to tell us stories about Temple Works and Kay’s, and we are building up a back catalogue that must turn soon into at least a book if not a sit-com.
Our stand neighbours included the very popular Mosaic Church, who set up twin attractions of face painting and football; South Leeds regenerators Tiger 11 / Hillcrest dressed thematically in orange; a woman kindly handing out bootleg sun block with a backdrop of “Crime and Punishment”; the barbecue manned by the incredibly hardworking Cllr Adam Ogilvie (our hero at such events); and the ever popular balloon stand featuring weapons of mass head-bonking. Backpack-wearing Hilary Benn MP came by for a chat about life, the universe and our roof; Temple Works habitués Christine Baillie, Pete Cuffe, Kilo 75 and Culture Vulture dropped by with assorted children to see if we had melted yet; Leanne Buchan played her official HUV role (gamely face-painted), and we found common cause (same football jokes) with The Exotic Rev and his Keyboard Player, even though he thought we were a Masonic Temple. (Now you come to mention it…)
Holbeck is in transition and there is a real poignancy about such events as the demographic inexorably moves on. Setting up Temple Works as a major cultural venue for the North is taking time – more than we thought, given the repairs – but it gives us essential space to get to know Holbeck properly and both bear witness to the passing of much of its populist history while ensuring this history has a firm home at Temple Works. The Holbeck Gala was a significant event in our calendar: bring on the Gala 2011!
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