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News Project Updates

Creetown Appoints Nation’s Youngest Town Crier

A schoolgirl has become Britain’s youngest town crier – at the tender age of eight.

Evie Cloy found herself in with a shout when she turned up to a contest to find the next ‘bellman’ for the seaside town of Creetown in Dumfries. The town has been without a crier since 1962, when WW1 veteran James Blake died at the age of 74 after 33 years of service.

But not a single adult took part in the competition to find a successor, so up stepped Evie – with a very direct bid for the job. Looking the judges straight in the eye, she took a breath and yelled: “My name is Evie Cloy and I want to be the next town crier of Creetown.

One of the panel, Allan Lowden, the town crier from nearby Gatehouse, said: “Evie might have been the smallest contestant but she definitely had the biggest voice.” The youngster, who has been given a hand-made ceremonial jacket and will be appearing in the town over the next few months, said:  ”I’m really pleased. There hasn’t been a town crier in Creetown for 51 years, so I love my new job. “I was a bit nervous but once I started shouting I felt better.  I’m quite glad no grown-ups wanted the job.”

Her proud dad David, 45, said: “She’ll be making announcements at local events and fetes.

“There were two categories in the competition, over-16s and under-16s, but nobody over 16 turned up. It seems like the youngsters were more interested in it. “Evie’s chuffed. Her little sister Katie, who’s five, was very excited about the competition, but was a bit too shy to take part.”

Organiser Will Levi Marshall said: “It’s great that Creetown finally has a town crier again after all these years and we’re delighted that Evie will be doing the honours. “Recently we’ve been exploring different methods of communications throughout Creetown’s history, including flags, the ancient ferry route to Wigtown, flares, bell casting and, of course, reviving the tradition of the Town Crier.”

James Blake, Creetown’s last town crier, was something of a local legend. After his death in 1962, his obituary recorded that “as a bellman he had few equals, his fine resonant voice often being heard a mile away and visitors to Creetown often stared in amazement when they met him on his rounds.”

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News Opportunities

Your Invite to Our Foundation Gathering

The Stove needs your help!

The Stove is getting itself properly organised for the future and needs your help to do this – we’re asking folk who are interested in the arts in D+G to join us for an informal evening to let us know how we are doing so far and what we could be doing better in the future. After we have all agreed a way forward everyone will be offered membership of The Stove (free).

So what has this got to do with you?

We believe The Stove can make a genuine contribution to the future of our region – for both the creative sector and the wider population.

Still wondering what it has to do with you?

The Stove is two things:

  1. A Building:
  • … you need to come to this gathering if:
    • You’d like to see a place in the centre of Dumfries where you can meet other creative folk, get info about what is going on locally and further afield.
    • You’d like to be able to hire affordable space to hold workshops/events.
    • You’d like to show/present/gig in a space dedicated to multi-disciplinary contemporary arts.
    • You’d like to rent a small serviced space in the centre of Dumfries.
    • You’re interested in being part of the artist team to work on a series of commissions integrated into the building
    • You want to know about progress with the building (we aim to have completed the necessary building work by the end of 2013 btw)

2. An Organisation:

  • You should come along if you are interested in:
    • Collaborating with other artists as part of teams to take on large commissions.
    • Bringing forward new ideas for projects/initiatives that need an ‘organisation’ to carry them forward (NB – one of The Stove rules is ‘if you have an idea you need to be prepared to do it yourself’).
    • If you are an organisation yourself and are looking to collaborate and share resources/expertise
    • Learning new skills by taking part in Stove projects
    • Building a creative career in Dumfries and Galloway
    • Encouraging early career folk to get started locally
    • Growing the ‘arts scene’ in D+G
    • If you are not part of the ‘creative sector’ but you are interested in working with our sector in your work (we can be pretty handy like).

The aim is find a creative solution that works for all of us to set up The Stove as the best thing it can be. By attending you will be offered the chance to build yourself into the Stove network from the beginning of this exciting new phase of the venture.

You do not need any expertise of any kind to take part – just enthusiasm and an open mind and heart.

Informal workshop led by Andrew Lyon till 7.30, refreshments and chat after

Please RSVP to [email protected] so we have an idea of numbers

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News

Mr Bill Drummond on Film in Dumfries

An EXCLUSIVE from our friends over at The Commonty:

Last week we posted a wee film by John Wallace about his attempts to discover what Bill Drummond said in Dumfries when he performed his lecture ‘Why Andy Warhol is Shite’ at Greyfriars Church on November 8th as part of The Stove’s Inbetween:Dumfries event. Bill Drummond is notoriously camera shy (as John found out) – but today The Commonty received an anonymous package containing film footage of Bill Drummond apparently on the Auld Brig in Dumfries…..there is no explanation with the footage and we can only assume that either Bill was practicing for his performance, or that this was one of his legendary acts of contrariness to give a filmed interview to a stranger (or even one of the things a previous audience had voted that he should do?)

Either which way, we are truly grateful to our anonymous film-maker and present for your pleasure – exclusive footage of Mr Bill Drummond telling us why he believes Andy Warhol is Shite:

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News Project Updates

What Did Bill Drummond Say in Dumfries?

World renowned contemporary artist Bill Drummond was in Dumfries last week where he presented a performance lecture called ‘Why Andy Warhol is Shite’. Eaglesfield film maker John Wallace was there that evening, but was ejected from the venue on Mr Drummond’s insistence that his work not be recorded in any way. 

Here is Wallace’s film about his attempts to discover what truths Bill Drummond was bestowing upon Doonhamers last Thursday night:

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News Project Updates

TONIGHT – Art Music + Art Fashion!!!

WEDNESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER – 7PM 
GREYFRIARS CHURCH, DUMFRIES DG1 1DF
FREE

The much anticipated launch of Lisa Gallacher‘s bespoke garment collection ‘TRDM:Dumfries.
PLUS  
The World Premiere of Suzanne Parry John’s song-cycle ‘Tidemarks’

  Lisa Gallacher has been working for 4 months with a group of 10 voluntees from the community of Dumfries – members of the group range in age from 15 to 86 years old. The work started with conversations about each persons individual relationship to the town and this then grew into an idea for a 10 bespoke garments. Lisa has designed and printed the fabrics, then designed and made all of the work herself. At tonight‘s event she will give an illustrated talk about the project and her group will be in attendance wearing the garments they have created together.

Suzanne Parry John is a young contemporary composer based in Edinburgh. Commissioned by The Stove to produce an original piece of music for Inbetween:Dumfries, Suzy turned to the River Nith as a starting point and happened upon the poems of Hugh McMillan. She made contact with the poet and the pair have worked together on this original song-cycle inspired by the Nith and called Tidemarks.

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News Project Updates

Andy Wightman is in Town

We at The Stove are feeling a bit like all our Christmasses have come at once – so many of our favourite people are in town….today sees the arrival of Andy Wightman!


Many of you will know Andy as ‘Scotland’s foremost land rights campaigner’ – but he is so much more that than – a genuine polymath Mr Wightman is one of most inspirational speakers on the subject of how everyone can change the world by getting involved in the places that are important to them.

Most recently Andy Wightman showed up in Anthony Baxter’s documentary about Donald Trump’s controversial golf course in Aberdeen – ‘You’ve Been Trumped’


Andy will be speaking on the ‘Political Geography of Scotland’s Commons’ on Friday at The Stove.

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