Preserve and Prosper.

                                           

This is Wakefield Metropolitan District Council’s motto, "Preserve and Prosper" it can be seen plain as day on the Cities coat of arms which is displayed at the main offices Wakefield One.

It seems, however, that Wakefield Council do not understand the meaning of the motto, so let’s begin by breaking it down.

Preserve:

In the Oxford dictionary the word preserve means to “maintain something in its original or existing state”

Prosper:

This is defined in the Oxford dictionary as “to succeed in material or financial terms or to flourish and grow”.

Over the last ten or twenty years we have seen a decline in Wakefield, a decline of historic buildings being sold off and destroyed to make way for newer ugly constructions, a decline in local business being forced out by high rents, a decline of a once famous market to mention just a few of the things that Wakefield council have taken it upon themselves to destroy.

As many who know me will know, I am very passionate about history especially in my local area which is steeped in rich history and archaeology and every time I hear of a beautiful old building being sold off such as Clayton Hospital to be knocked down and a sports facility built? Just what Wakefield needs are more sports facilities, it isn’t like we don’t already have this kind of thing local, there is a large sports facility in Wakefield park, another behind the old police training, one in Horbury 3 miles from the City center not to mention the several Gyms in the locality.

In my humble opinion Wakefield Council couldn’t preserve jam, Sandal castle one of the Cities greatest historical monuments which played an important role in British history has been left to get overgrown, the motte and bailey no longer accessible because the council in their infinite wisdom decided that the original path onto the castle wasn’t feasible and so built a wooden bridge across the moat and stairs up the Motte with a viewing platform at the summit.

This in retrospect was a good idea however the bridge and steps after only a few years are now unsafe and nothing seems to be getting done to improve the problem, instead the council are focusing on Pontefract and the castle there as well as the counting house, which are both important historic buildings and need to be preserved, however so do place like Sandal castle.

When are the council going to realize they are driving this City into the ground with their grand modernisation schemes, cutting down ancient trees in Ossett, selling off all our historic buildings and leaving others to rack and ruin, covering over possible historic and archaeological locations with new housing estates, the latter taking place at Newton hill where there is marked a ruin on the old maps of the 1850s, the report I read for the location which was undertaken before the estate was built gives no mention to this “Ruin” which could have been of importance to the history of the City, we will never know.

I now hear that Kirklees council are also getting in on the act and have put forward a proposal to build houses on greenbelt land at Chidswell near Ossett, this area is riddled with sites of archaeological interest, most of which are just outside the proposed boundary, however there are some features such as ancient bell pits and part of an ancient highway which ran from Chester to Leeds and passes through the proposed site.

To round up this rant it is obvious that the council in Wakefield do not listen to the people who live here and do not act in favour of them either, is it just Wakefield who treats their history like it should be swept under the carpet? You don’t see York pulling down Clifford tower or the city walls to build housing estates or concrete monstrosities, Chester doesn’t destroy its wonderful Tudor style buildings or walls, Chesterfield’s crooked spire and 13^th century pub is left alone along with the other beautiful buildings in the city, do you see a pattern emerging here?

Preserve and Prosper. The above Cities have done just that and their tourism is booming maybe there is a lesson to be learned here for Wakefield Council.

A few facts about photographs and copyright.

Firstly let me begin by saying I am within no means an expert in copyright laws however I am very knowledgeable on the subject from my time working for the Performing Rights Society, although that knowledge was predominantly music related it did also include image copyright for singles, album and ep covers.

Since then I had my experience running Stageside Photography and learned much more in regards to image theft and copyright laws.

I have been the victim of copyright theft on several occasions, people take the image from either here on my blog or Facebook or perhaps one of the photograph hosting sites I have used in the past under the impression "it’s online I can use it".

Myth 1: If a photo is posted online then anyone can download it or share and use it for their website.

Fact 1: NO! A photograph is not free to use even if it is posted on social media the copyright remains with the person who took the photograph and permission should be sought.

Myth 2: it’s my camera if someone else takes a pic on it I own the copyright

Fact 2: NO! Whoever presses the button on the camera owns the copyright of the image taken at that particular point

Myth 3: if someone takes a picture of me they cannot use it without my permission

Fact 2:  this actually depends on certain factors, if for e.g. the photo was taken with your permission on private property and a model release form is signed the photographer has the right to sell, modify or use the image as they see fit, often a verbal agreement is enough to ensure this. If an image of you is taken in a public place then the photographer has every right to use that image as they see fit also, the only time you can contest this is if the photograph was taken on private property without your permission and an agreement in place, NB: pubs, clubs and venues similar all class as public places.

Myth 4: if someone takes a photograph of me I own the copyright

Fact 4: as with fact 2 whoever took the image owns copyright

Myth 5: if a picture has a watermark on it I can just crop it off and use it

Fact 5: NO the watermark is there for a reason to prevent people stealing images.

Myth 6: anyone can take a photograph so why pay for it

fact: in this day and age yes anyone can take a photograph however it takes skill, dedication and knowledge of your camera learned and processed over many years to produce a great image this is what you are paying for as well as equipment, insurance etc. even photographers have to eat so it also pays their wages and bills.

In short before you right click and save or share a picture you like ask yourself, do you have permission to do so? Would the photographer allow you to use the picture? Can you afford to use that picture? Most photographers will pursue a copyright case to the courts and they almost always win so for the sake of a few £'s or $'s and an email to ask permission you could save thousands in court costs and damages

Saal Digital Photo Books

I recently saw an advertisement from a company called Saal Digital, offering a free photo book in return for a review of the product.

I was a little sceptical at first having received free photo books in the past from a different company I found their quality to be very inferior. However putting my scepticism to one side I contacted the company and was accepted to review one of their products.

I received a voucher for £40 to spend on their website and create my own photo book.My choice was an A4, leather bound book with my images spreading across two pages.

I received my photo book within a week of ordering and was very pleasantly surprised with the overall quality.

The leather binding I chose gives the book a very professional look and the quality of printing is outstanding, making my images burst out from the pages within.

I found this image (above) to be a little darker than I thought but this was due to my editing.

I found the software fairly easy to use but feel it could be a little daunting for those not familiar with this kind of software, the choices of style for my book were minimal and I would have liked to have been given perhaps a few more interior design choices.

It didn't take long to download and install the software required to create the book and I found the hardest part was actually choosing which photographs I wanted to include in the pages.

The overall print quality is outstanding and although I found one of my images to be a little dark this was down to my own editing and not the printing itself so I would recommend checking your images are edited correctly before submitting them.

I was pleasantly surprised with Saal Digital and their photograph books, as soon as I opened the package and held the book in my hands, fantastic product and very easy to create.

You too can create your own book from your personal images at a very reasonable price, the book I chose should have cost £34 plus £4.50 p&p which itself is a very reasonable cost for a 26-page leather bound photo book.

There were plenty of other price options too.

Check out their site for yourself http://www.saal-digital.co.uk/

Preserve and Prosper - Wakefield Museum

As many people know I am a big fan of history this began at an early age visiting many of West Yorkshire's fantastic museums and historic houses with my parents.

It continued throughout my teens as I spent a lot of time at our local castle ruin, Sandal Castle famous for its role in the 1460 battle of wakefield and death of Richard the grand ol' duke of York (as in the nursery rhyme).

I also spent a lot of time in the local museum which was situated at the old Mechanics Institute on Wood Street, a beautiful Georgian building in a fitting location close to the center of the City.

This building housed a plethora of local artifacts and informative displays.

When you entered the building the atmosphere hit you, a grand staircase greets you and two rooms lead from the entrance hall to the left and right.

Into the left  room and you were greeted by a figure wearing the armour of a Roman Centurion, beside this exhibit a glass case held models of Sandal Castle and opposite a wall depicted the depths at which certain periods of archaeology could be found.

There were a lot more finds from this early period of Wakefield's history in this room including swords and armour from the battle of wakefield 1460 and the English civil war of 1640.

The room on the right contained artefacts of modern history from the late 19th through to mid 20th Century including a rare Cameron motorcycle built in Walton a small village on the outskirts of Wakefield.

As you ascend the grand staircase and reach the landing you could walk either to the left, right or forward, I don't recall what was to the left but on the right were doors from Wakefield Prison.

The large room straight ahead contained the large collection from Charles Waterton a 19th Century explorer and naturist who owned Walton Hall, much of this collection were strange looking animals that Mr Waterton is said to have created through the art of taxidermy but also holds a gigantic Boa constrictor and an Aligator which Mr Waterton is reputed to have wrestled and killed.

For any child, the exhibits in this building were bound to set his/her imagination running wild and I will always remember fondly the times I spent there.

This brings us to the reason for this blog post.

The museum has since been moved into the newer Wakefield One building which also houses the Library and several other of the council's departments.

I have only visited the museum here twice, both time to meet with the finds officer from the Antiquities department to identify items I have found whilst metal detecting.

I am appalled at the meagre handful of exhibits they are now offering for us to view.

It takes on average ten minutes to walk around and view every artefact, the Cameron Motorcycle is still on display (which was always one of my favourite pieces) around ten Bronze age axe heads found at Stanley Ferry, Two roman coins and some pottery all in the main entrance, there is one sword on display from Sandal Castle and the rest is Victorian information and items in regards to the Fire Brigade, Police, coal mines and some everyday items.

The largest exhibit is the Waterton Exhibit which has its own room and is much the same as it used to be.

I know that the models of Sandal are at the visitors centre which is on the grounds of the castle but where is the rest of our history?

Wakefield has such a rich history that it should be a crime what the council is doing, the motto on Wakefield's coat of arms is "Preserve and Prosper" yet all I have seen in the last ten years or so is the demolition and neglect of some of our most beautiful buildings.

There is no mention of the boat building that the City was once famed for, nor the textile industries, the waterwheel which still exists in the old mills by the new monstrosity they call The Hepworth Gallery.

Nothing of the race course at Outwood, Lofthouse park, the prison of war camps which were located at Methley, Lofthouse and Crigglestone, nothing of Wakefield's claim to Robin Hood or connection to highwaymen Dick Turpin and Swift Nick Nevison.

There is no mention of the tunnels which run beneath the streets that everyone has heard about, no mention of the cell which lays beneath the pavement of the bull ring, the city wall, the cattle market on Westgate and the market in the centre of town which again the City was famed for, nothing about Low Hill castle in the park, Newland's abandoned village and Knight's Templar/Knight's of St John Preceptory near Normanton.

If you were to visit any museum around the Country, even if housed in a new build, they have an extensive collection of artefacts and displays giving you information about the history of that place, York thrives on tourism because of its history, as does Chester, Leeds, only eight miles North holds the Royal Armouries, the Thackray Medical museum and a town museum.

We have one of the tallest Cathedrals in the Country, one of only six bridge chapels left in the Country, an infamous prison, two nursery rhymes were taken from places in Wakefield, round and round the mulberry bush- Wakefield Prison and the grand Ol' Duke of York- Sandal Castle.

The Viking's are said to have been the first to land here but there is nothing in the museum to represent this, if you visit County Hall there is a large mural depicting Wacca the Viking sailing up the River Calder.

Why are Wakefield Council so adamant on hiding our history? shouldn't we celebrate such a rich and fruitful history? why is the museum housed in such a small space when there are much more magnificent buildings such as the old courthouse or Clayton hospital or even Clark Hall near Pinderfields Hospital which I believe has now been sold for office use.

The fact is the Council should be doing more to promote our history, it should be shared.

Artistic Damnation

As a creative, one of the percentage of the world's population who were gifted with an artistic talent (of some level) I often wonder are we doomed to live lives struggling to survive, to live.

I have many friends who are creative and much more talented than I am but there comes a time in every artists life when they just want to be able to live from their creations, when I say live.

For some this may mean a mansion in the Buckinghamshire countrysideor perhaps a villa in Miami but to many true artists who create purely because they have to, making a simple and comfortable
living from that work is often the living goal and is very difficult to achieve.

It can become very disheartening when you have spent days, weeks, months or in some cases years creating something you know others would enjoy, only to find on completion very few people seem to care about your creation, unless you already have a big fan base.

For every artist there will be struggles, against society and it's view of the arts, technologies hell bent on destroying the arts by making it possible for people with no talent to create exceptional work to rival that of the artist who has spent 20-30yrs perfecting his/her skill and learning to create.

Then there is the never ending battle to get your work noticed, in a world where every Tom, Dick or Harriet can reach out and promote something.

The customer is overwhelmed with choice and this is a contributory factor as to why your work is overlooked.


It has been a while since I sold any copies of my books and this along with noticing a couple of friends in the same situation
is what has prompted me to write this entry.

I am at war, a dark bloody battlefield between my heart and my head, thoughts of:

"Is my work not good enough",
"Where am I going wrong"
"Why won't anyone review my work"
"Why won't anyone pay for my work"
"How do I prove my work is good enough if no one is reading it"
"When will I get that big break"

I am sure there are millions of others who have these thoughts daily too and unfortunately I have no answers to give to any of the above questions.

All I can say is there is a force within me that drives me to be creative but on some days that force is so weak and all it would take to make it stronger, is another sale or a good review of the hard work I have put in.

This aside I have also started a gofundme page in an attempt to raise £1500 to help get my children's books into school libraries in the West Yorkshire area to begin with, This is a total non profit making enterprise and all money raised will go to purchasing 20 copies for 38 schools in the district, it will also cover postage and redistribution costs.

In the Two days the page has been running it has been shared 7 times on facebook, seven?, I have over 1000 "friends" on my Facebook page and only seven people have shared the post and no one has donated anything...as yet, there is still time and it is early days but this too adds to the menagerie of questions running through my mind "is everything I try to do, doomed to fail" or is it just a case of people don't care what I do, they just aren't interested.

I am no one special but the talents I believe I have are special and should be shared with the world, but there is no point sharing when no one wants it.

I won't give up...no...I can't give up something still fights inside me that "what if" I do know good things can happen to people and I see some of my friends do sell their work (maybe they're just more talented than me, I don't know) maybe one day I won't be underestimated and people will see what I truly am capable of if given the opportunity.

Until then I'll keep battling on until I'm either beaten or I win.

Fishing Licence

I have just read an article about a guy who was fined £1300 for fishing without a rod licence http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/14339842.Angler_fined___1_300_after_argument_about_fishing/

Now we all know (or those who fish do) that it is a legal requirement to purchase a rod licence for £27 (or £72 for salmon and sea trout )

(Read more at http://www.postoffice.co.uk/rod-fishing-licence#i7CcqX5V9gY1k8jH.99 )

Is that all? I hear you say, £27 may not be a lot of money to some folk but to someone on a low income it's the difference between staying warm, eating or paying household bills.

On top of this most areas in the UK also require you to buy a local "book" or day ticket to fish certain waters (sea fishing is a different matter) Some of these can cost upto £40 for the season and you are limited as to what baits and type of fish you can catch, my local Angling club have bought up nearly every stretch of water in the vicinity.

I have been fishing most of my life (from around 8yrs old) and don't class myself as an expert at all in fact over the years I've probably caught no more than 10 fish from rivers (again sea fishing is another thing) I have had a rod licence in the past but as I don't get out much now to go fishing I haven't bothered recently.

To me the joy of fishing is the relaxation, sitting by a river watching the world go by and nature do taking its course is what it is all about, if I catch a fish then that's a bonus but majority of the time I've come home without having caught anything.

The places I have fished have always been unmanaged wild locations where it is obvious that the national rivers authority haven't done any work, the tackle I use is always light weight and I don't go in for all the gadgets and special tactics a lot of anglers use, a rod, reel, sinker, hooks and sweetcorn is my usual set up, I always catch and release other than the odd trout which makes for a nice meal.

But back to the article and the (in my opinion) ridiculous fine, it seems to me that the licence (and local day tickets/books) are just a way to make money and make a relaxing sport unobtainable to those who can not afford it, I for one can't afford to pay for a licence and book now and the fear of getting a large fine means my fishing tackle is now shoved into the back of a cupboard never to see the light of day again until I can afford one.

Is it right that we must give up something we love doing just because we can not afford it? fishing is something our ancestors have done for thousands of years until someone came along and said "this is my stretch of river and you can't use it unless you pay me".

If someone were to use a  branch and tie a line to it would that come under the laws of fishing without a rod licence? at least sea fishing is free and I have caught many more fish from Bridlington's harbour pier than I ever have from a river ( I don't do lake fishing) unfortunately not many can afford to go to the coast to go fishing or in my case don't have the transport.

I don't think the rod licence should apply to unmanaged stretches of river, if you are fishing in a location that has obviously been stocked by a fishery, has pitches carved out or made from wood for you to sit/camp then obviously someone had to do that work and they should be paid but what are you actually paying for if you only fish unmanaged waters? simply the right to do something which our ancestors had the freedom to do.

Perhaps even lowering the cost of the licence would help, or extending the length the licence is granted for? after all a season of fishing to someone like myself doesn't mean I am able to go fishing every day for that season in fact I would be lucky to get out more than 3 or 4 times to do this in a year.

There are concessions for the disabled so if you claim DLA (PIP as it is now) you are eligible for a discount but this doesn't apply to those on Employment Support Allowance which again means we are excluded from being able to partake purely because we cannot afford it.

What difference is there between a disabled person who claims DLA and a disabled person who claims ESA? other than what the dss decision says? both are limited in abilities and many who claim ESA are worse than the dss will admit and should be claiming DLA, this wasn't meant to be a rant about the benefits system but for someone in my circumstances the affects of their decision to put me on ESA and not PIP (DLA) means I would have to pay full price for a rod licence.

I am not saying we should scrap the licence completely, on the contrary, the licence is needed to manage certain waterways and lakes but there must be a way to make it more accessible to EVERYONE and not just those who work, why should fishing be a hobby for just those people? 

Food for thought.