One shared aim of all these institutions is to actively engage with Cardiff’s residents, whether they be local artists, arts enthusiasts or simply members of the public. Gone are the days of theatre performances or gallery exhibitions being inflicted onto a captive, passive audience. The city’s leading arts venues and organisations are now striving to position themselves in a far more interactive role within Cardiff’s communities.

National Theatre Wales – the first English-speaking theatre to serve the whole country - is taking an integrated approach. Alongside focus groups, workshops and viewing local productions, they have also utilised the internet to facilitate communication with people in Cardiff.

Catherine Paskell says its vital for NTW to engage with communities in Cardiff.

Creative Associate Catherine Paskell said, “We not only want to support the work…but really what National Theatre Wales is about, is the people of Wales, and about helping to develop careers, and about helping to provide opportunities, so that our work is about the wider community”.

The company has established a strong presence online. I collaborated with Catherine, using the National Theatre Wales’ online community, to canvas opinion from staff, local artists and audience members on the different ways they were involved with the city’s arts scene.

Arts fans can get involved with National Theatre Wales' work through their online social community

Michael Salmon first became involved with National Theatre Wales through early feedback sessions, and recently joined the staff as a Company Assistant.

Michael praised the online community as a powerful tool in promoting informal discussion of National Theatre Wales’ aims and projects: “[It] shows people that they can actually engage with us very informally, be able to see that we’re all interacting with each other and with everybody on the community, and that we respect what people have to say, whether it’s good or bad”.

Laura Goodenough is a Drama student at Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries. She uses National Theatre Wales’ online community to network and meet new people.

It’s not just the city’s newer arts institutions. Established arts venues in Cardiff are equally keen to engage with their local communities. Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, celebrated its formal re-launch last month, after completing a refurbishment which involved an overhaul of their cinema and theatre spaces, as well as installing a larger cafe and foyer area.

Part of the new bar and cafe area at Chapter Arts Centre

Chapter renewed its commitment to showcasing local talent at the evening, by featuring performances from established Welsh artists such as Bedwyr Williams, Eddie Ladd and Marc Rees. Staff who are already members of bands also performed for guests.

“There’s a huge amount of talent in and around Chapter”, said Head of Visual Arts, Hannah Firth. “We wanted to make sure other people were aware of that talent…we’re really delighted to be able to show it tonight”.

Developing creative partnerships with emerging young talent, including recent graduates in Cardiff, is also important to Chapter. Hannah said, “We’re keeping our ear to the ground and working with them to try and nurture their talent and to encourage them to stay in Wales after they graduate”.

Rowan Liggett runs a weekly open mic night at The Gate Arts Centre in Roath. It’s one of Cardiff’s longest established showcases for grass-roots talent in the community. He said that often, “open mic nights are the best places to go for something new and original”.

The Gate runs a weekly open mic night.

However, Rowan concedes that it can still be a struggle for local talent to make serious inroads into the mainstream: ‘you’ve only got to look in the local magazines to see how little attention is actually given to the smaller nights’.

In order to make sure small-scale music nights and emerging talents on Cardiff’s live-music scene get the recognition they deserve, Rowan has set up The Miniature Music Press. The free, monthly magazine provides listings for a wide range of live music nights, including those not covered by mainstream publications.

It certainly seems that by increasing the number of ways that they communicate with their audience, Cardiff’s arts flagships are exposing themselves to a more open, interactive future. The results appear beneficial, both for the organisations themselves and the people who support their work.

Yum. A heap of Cornish pasties. Pic courtesy of http://grahambettridge.blogspot.com

Let me hazard a few guesses. Beaches will be in there somewhere. Likely a boozy memory or two from that summer weekend in Newquay. The mighty Cornish Pasty (see above). Farms, farming, farmers and tractors – standard. The Eden Project is an increasingly popular choice. Possibly any combination of Cornish independence/nationalism/separatism. Oh, and surfing of course.

A quick straw poll of my housemates confirms as much, with the amusing additions of ‘sideburns’ and ‘jumpers’…’you know, that Padstow fisherman look’. Yes I do know, and for those of you don’t here’s some visual viagra to get you in the loop.

A salty seadog.

Stereotype Number 1: Surfing. Because everyone in Cornwall can surf can’t they?

It’s true, Cornwall does have a massive surfing community. Its rugged coastline, particularly the beaches of the North and far Western coasts catch impressive swell from the Atlantic and many smaller seaside towns and villages arrange their entire social culture, not to mention considerable industry around surfing and other watersports.

Hazy days on the North Cornwall shore.

An article in last weekend’s Western Morning News (surf the web to find it here, see what I did there?) caught my eye. More specifically, its title did: ‘Surf academy bridges learning divide’.

Yes, that’s right.  They actually teach surfing in Cornwall these days. Treviglas Comprehensive in Newquay first set up its experimental surf schooling seven years ago. People study modules in Surf Science, accredited by the University of Plymouth.

But the promotion of Cornwall’s surf culture in glossy uni prospectuses actually conceals some serious issues. Cornwall is frequently cited as one of the poorest counties in England: stats for certain districts show startlingly low numbers of 16-18 year olds progressing to a university education. Furthermore, the majority of those Cornwallians who do earn a degree are highly unlikely to return and use these skills for the benefit of their local economy and society.

I’m as guilty as the next Cornish emigree. Having logged my quota of weekends at surf camp during my teenage years, I proceeded to finish sixth form, grab a stash of UCAS points and hotfoot it onto a 47 hour train way Ooop North to Durham University. Four years on, and I am now a postgraduate student at Cardiff.

Do I plan on returning  permanently to Cornwall in the future? Currently, almost certainly not. The comparative lack of opportunity for career progression - particularly within the media sector, where I hope to work – is a major factor in this decision.

Helen Mathieson, headteacher at Treviglas, and pioneer of their ‘surf sixth form’, the first in the country says Cornwall won’t be able to heal a growing education divide through the traditional school curriculum. Her comments come in the wake of last week’s Location, Location, Location report from the UCU, which flagged up startling regional discrepancies in educational achievements across England and Wales. 

As such, she calls courses like Surf Science ‘a ruse’. Put simply: waves = grades. This might seem cynical, but the results speak for themselves. The course claims a 100% record for getting students into universities or a career. I should note here that many students do head straight into the surf industry: one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, surfing equals big business. The idea is to get Cornish youngsters on the road to employment or further qualifications by first luring them in with an eclectic, exciting range of non-traditional courses. 

I hope this week’s Stereotypist has got you thinking, and not just about how soon you can book yourself a place at Surf School. Instead, consider the underlying issues in education and employment which force such courses into existence in the first place. 

The real question is this: how can Cornwall successfully partner rising attainment levels and university enrolments with retaining skilled Cornish graduates who migrate away from the county post-degree? 

No easy answers here I’m afraid.

Health campaigners are now said to be gearing up to launch a legal challenge to the decision to switch the treatment services to Plymouth. Power to the people! They are miffed that the matter wasn’t given a full public consultation. Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust was reportedly given legal advice stating not to provide such a public forum was unlawful. Now, pressure is building for a full public inquiry into the matter.

In a retaliatory zinger of a twist, local health execs have published legal evidence that they obtained last week, backing their course of action. The advice came from David Mason, a partner with the firm Capsticks. He said the PCT (Primary Care Trust, who steered the move) were well within their legal remit to act as they had, stating: ‘There was no legal requirement to carry out a formal public consultation exercise on this occasion as has been suggested elsewhere’.

Cornwall Trust Exec Peter Colough, understandably jumped all over the claims, but other Cornish MPs remained unconvinced. Why, they ask, were the revelations over the previous legal advice never made in a public forum?

The real issue here seems to be with the sneaky way the affair was conducted. As Falmouth & Camborne MP Julia Goldsworthy argued, how are the people of Cornwall expected to react to important proposed changes to healthcare when the key decision were being made ‘behind closed doors’?

To be (further) continued…

What piffle. I remember my own childhood – I actually grew up on a sheep farm – where the measure of a successful day was the number of mud pies consumed, not whether me and my siblings had enjoyed a pleasantly bacteria-free playdate. 

Suitably terrified tot reclines in horror from lethal E.coli transmitter (aka goat)

• Firstly, yes, E.coli was the cause of both the pet centre closure and the sad fatality described above. But in neither case was any evidence found of a direct link between the bacterium and farm visits or transferral via goat, for example.
• Second, lets throw in a little basic pop psychology. Example: remember when you tripped over in the playground and mashed up your knees? You didnt do it again because…(drumroll)…it hurt. The same principle applies here. In the unlikely event that a child pets a sheep or goat, I can tell you on good authority, that they probably won’t be hurrying back for a rematch. A far more likely outcome than said sheep or goat giving you E.coli, would be for it to bite, lick or kick you. 
• Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, kids will be kids. At the risk of asuming the role of that not-quite-rebel uncle who all the kids love because he gives them too many sweets, I say just let them get out there and experience the world in all its bacterial glory.

Almost done now, so feel free to hurl me off my soapbox any time you like. Or just give me a column in the Daily Mail. I’m not fussed either way.  

I think Jim Fitzpatrick actually said it best himself when he told BBC’s Countryfile: ”What we can say is that we want to minimise the risk to children but one can never ever completely eliminate the risk in any aspect of life”. Long may that kind of Health and Safety damning sentiment continue to prosper. Here endeth the rant.

The Western Morning News have now revealed the decision was taken despite legal advice stating it warranted a full public consultation with the people of Cornwall, and not to do so would be ‘plainly unlawful’.

Angry protesters outside County Hall, Truro

Really though, you might ask, why all the fuss? Derriford has a fairly decent reputation vis a vis oncology, and the NHS Trust’s initial counter argument – that the more operations a centre does, the better its success rate becomes – seems sound. What does a quick hop over the border matter - even to the staunchest of Cornish nationalists – when the ‘C’ word’s being thrown around? Well, here’s the sticking point. As those of you armed with an AA Road Atlas and a working knowledge of Cornish geography will know, what constitutes a quick trip for certain Cornwallians is a significantly longer trek for others. A spot of Google mapping puts the distances into perspective. In the worst case scenario, our hypothetical cancer patient living in Lands End would face an 87 mile, 2 hour trek just to get to Derriford Hospital.

Derriford Workhouse...I mean, Hospital.

Distances (and the fuel costs that come with them) notwithstanding, a quick dig into the history of the story unearths a consistent disregard for public feeling and flawed systems of democracy. Plans to shift cancer treatment facilities from the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth first surfaced in late 2008. The reaction was largely negative and 32,000 people signed a petition in opposition. It got all the way to No. 10 – look!  Councillors of various political affiliation issued verbose criticism. Conservative councillor Jim Currie described a ’one-way street with all the services in Cornwall going across the Tamar (river, into Devon) in one direction’.

Scrutiny committees were set up to gauge opinion across both Cornwall and Devon. A final planned meeting for the isolated Isles of Scilly was delayed indefinitely due to illness and transport problems. Irony duly noted.  Finally, a chaotically scrappy council meeting – one disgusted councillor apparently walks out, hurling accusations of ‘democratic thuggery’ – gives the a-okay, allowing the relocation of services to proceed. Even then, the vote was only carried with a slim majority of 8 members in favour, versus 6 opposed (1 council member absented from the vote). A landslide it was not.

At a time when public trust in authority figures is already so low, you almost expect extra sensitivity when dealing with the recipients of services like the NHS, particularly when they are as vocal as those in Cornwall often are. Instead, as in this case where the law even stated that public consultation was non-optional, people are first left feeling disappointed, and later deceived. Is it any wonder trust is such a pertinent issue?

Reports in August surfaced suggesting NHS Plymouth has ‘put out to tender’ its highly regarded Breast Cancer Screening services. The service has a wide catchment area, including East Cornwall and West Devon, and is run out of none other than Derriford Hospital. With no resolution as yet, it’s looking like a ‘to be continued’ situation. I’ll include developments as they arise in later posts.

For now though, it would seem the prognosis is pretty grim.