The Guildford Institute is looking to recruit a full-time Programme Manager as maternity cover to manage and administer our eclectic course programme, alongside our room hire offering.
What is The Guildford Institute and What Do We Offer?
The Guildford Institute is an educational, community charity based in Guildford town centre. On offer is a wide-ranging programme of events, room hire facilities, a vegetarian restaurant and a library complete with a historic archive. The Institute has operated from its Grade II listed premises for over 130 years.
Some of the key benefits of working at the Institute include:
The post-holder will work within a small, friendly team environment
Varied job role that provides opportunities for development and plenty of scope for original ideas and input
Ability to interact with a vast number of local community members
Generous annual leave allowance
Central Guildford location
Training & professional development opportunities provided
Key Responsibilities of the Post-holder
The Programme Manager will be passionate about the Institute’s aims of providing cultural and social opportunities for the local community.
The points below identify some of the post-holder’s core areas of responsibility:
Management and facilitation of the Institute’s courses. The post-holder will take responsibility for all aspects of planning and delivery of the main focus of the Institute’s adult education programme – the courses. This entails seeing courses through from concept, liaising with tutors, gathering and editing copy for publicity purposes, down to practical elements on the day of delivery. The post-holder will work to ensure the continuation of current courses, whilst also having the opportunity to add new courses to the programme in line with the organisation’s aims.
Management of the Institute’s room hire function and events diary. Holding responsibility for the Institute’s room hire bookings, the Programme Manager helps to bring in vital additional income for the organisation. In managing the Institute’s events diary, the post-holder has a hand in organising every activity that takes place within the building, as well as maintaining the important balance between the courses on offer and room hire options available to local businesses and community organisations.
The post-holder also carries line management responsibility for our small team of stewarding and caretaking staff.
What We Seek in You
A passion for and commitment to the aims and the work of the Institute and an enthusiasm to build on recent developments to the Institute’s programme
An ability to plan, prioritise and organise in order to meet competing deadlines
A keen attention to detail
Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills in order to build up positive relationships with tutors, room hirers and regular clients
A flexible, adaptable approach is essential
Full Person Specification details can be found within the Job Description.
The Guildford Institute welcomes applications from individuals from all sectors and backgrounds.
Key Information & Application Method
This is a maternity cover position, which is expected to last approximately 12 months. It is hoped that the successful candidate would be available to start in April. This position is a full-time, office-based role.
Please view the Job Description for full details of the position.
Salary: £30,000 – £31,000 per year.
To apply, please send us a copy of your CV together with a short (1-page) covering letter highlighting why you’d like to work for our charity plus how your skills and experience relate to this role.
On Thursday 14 November 2024, The Guildford Institute celebrated the grand opening of its new Community and Wellbeing Centre, with the Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Sallie Barker MBE, officially opening the facility.
The Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Sallie Barker MBE, and Institute Chairperson, Brian Creese officially opening the Community & Wellbeing Centre!
The Institute has transformed its vacant ground-floor space on North Street into an important community space that provides accessible mental health support services in the town centre. It offers a welcoming and safe environment, with professional therapists and counsellors operating from six bespoke rooms.
Brian Creese, Institute Chairperson, says: “We thought it was a much better idea to turn this vacant space into something that was going to be of much more benefit to the community [following the departure of RBS Bank] and in line with what we as a charity want to be”.
Brian with Baz from Brooklands Radio
For over 130 years, the Institute has been serving the local community from its Ward Street home by encouraging lifelong learning through its programme of activities, as well as providing social and wellbeing opportunities. People are at the heart of what the Institute do – it is always considering how it can best support the community – and that is what has inspired the Community & Wellbeing Centre to be built.
The Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Sallie Barker MBE says: “I’m really delighted to be here to open this new facility at the Institute…having helped and supported our town for over 100 years, it is wonderful to see that it is adapting and evolving to meet the changing needs of our community”.
Other notable individuals in attendance included Zoe Franklin, MP for Guildford, Councillor Vanessa King and former Councillor John Redpath.
Longstanding supporters of the Institute also joined the celebration, along with therapists and counsellors based at the centre.
Amy Rice, Institute Manager (centre), with GI supporters Viv and Tom
Brian Creese and Zoe Franklin
Counsellor Nathalie Skelton with Baz from Brooklands Radio
The Institute has used its charity reserves to fund building the Community and Wellbeing Centre, meaning that donations and fundraising continue to be essential. It hopes to carry out Phase II of the project in the future, which will connect the centre to the main part of the Institute and provide an accessible toilet.
The beautiful artwork that fills the walls has kindly been donated by local artist Becca Clegg.
We have launched our latest programme packed full of courses, talks and events on offer from January to March. Get your 2025 off to a flying start with opportunities to learn, get creative, be entertained and more! Plus, every booking supports our small charity.
Floating Universe by Lena Bruce
Experience the magic of cinema with our new afternoon film screenings. First up is the classic musical treasure Singing in the Rain, complete with refreshments. For anyone who loves live music, enjoy an evening seeing Tristan Seume, one of the UK’s leading acoustic guitarists. Expect a mix of handcrafted originals with beautiful interpretations of traditional and contemporary tunes.
The New Year is the perfect opportunity to take time for your wellbeing. Start the week with Tai Chi, an energising moving meditation – choose from Beginners Tai Chi or Qigong Energy Flow. Unwind with a relaxing Beginners Yoga course or, for those with some experience, Gentle Yoga.
Get creative with a variety of art and crafts workshops, catering for complete beginners to those with more experience. Take part in a welcoming Watercolour Taster Workshop, learn how to paint an impressive abstract landscape, or create colourful crochet flowers.
Amy Rice, Institute Manager, says: “If you haven’t visited our unique building, the New Year is the perfect time! Whether you’re looking to revisit a much-loved hobby, try something new, or meet likeminded people, we’ve created our programme for everyone. Booking on to an activity is also a great way to support our charity, which we need more than ever”.
Local photographer Lena Bruce is our brochure cover artist, with her striking work Floating Universe. She is a landscape and seascape photographer inspired by the finer details of the natural world.
Our programme will run from 6 January to 28 March 2025. Advance booking for all paid activities is essential. View our digital brochure or pick up a copy from the building.
We are transforming our ground floor space into the GI Community & Wellbeing Centre, to provide essential mental health support services in the heart of Guildford. Our new centre will include purpose-built consulting/community rooms available to rent from September 2024.
This is an exciting opportunity to establish your wellbeing business in a prime, town-centre location. Spaces range from 7 to 14 square metres, with prices starting at £338 per month up to £676 per month depending on size. Ideal for individuals, groups or small businesses.
For further information, and to apply for a room, please contact Amy Rice (amy@guildford-institute.org.uk) or call us on 01483 562142.
Location:
• Prime, town-centre location • Convenient access to amenities, transport links, and local businesses
Office Space Features:
• Total area of 69 square metres • Rooms range in size from 7 to 14 square metres • Unfurnished, providing a blank canvas • Grade II listed building with charming architectural features, including arched windows • Ample natural light, creating a pleasant and productive work environment • Wi-Fi facilities provided • Key-safe entry system, enabling therapists to work at times that are convenient for them and their clients
Shared Facilities and Amenities:
• Access to shared toilets • Shared waiting area • Shared kitchen facilities
Facilities and Services available at additional cost:
• Storage space available in basement • Large meeting space available for presentations, client meetings, or group sessions • Cleaning services
Availability – Consulting Rooms will be available for occupation from September 2024.
In the midst of challenging times for our charity, we have had to think tactically and creatively about how we make the most of the space in our building. With limited funding and the demand for our services continuing to rise, we recognise that we need to find new ways to generate income and support our community.
For many years, the ground floor of our building was let to the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), providing an essential income stream for our charity. Following the departure of RBS in March 2022, we worked hard to secure a new tenant by overseeing works to make the space lettable and ready to market. By March 2023, heads of terms were agreed with a dental practice, with the contract due to be signed in July 2023. However, by November 2023, the dental practice had still not signed as agreed and after ten months of negotiations, they pulled out of the agreement. While this has been an undeniable and costly setback, it has encouraged us to take a new approach that we believe will not only secure crucial revenue but also enable us to grow as an organisation.
The Guildford Institute Building
Khaled Abdullahand Lisa Taylor
The first decision we have made is to find a new tenant for the second floor of our building to provide us with a much-needed source of revenue. This space has housed our counsellor and therapist team for many years, however, it is in desperate need of refurbishment and we are keen to provide them with improved facilities elsewhere in the building. After careful consideration and negotiation, we are delighted to have found a suitable tenant who shares our values and mission as an organisation, and who loves our building! M:tech Education Services was launched in 2008 and provides an extracurricular music technology and creative composition course for children. Khaled Abdullah, Company Director, said ‘I was born and educated in Guildford, and I am passionate about M:tech being established in the town as part of something bigger. M:tech’s values feel aligned with those of The Guildford Institute’.
Lisa Taylor, Institute Manager said ‘We are very excited about the prospect of working with M:tech and are exploring ways we can collaborate together in the future’.
Visual for the Ground Floor Conversion
With the second floor occupancy now agreed (remedial works are currently in progress) we have turned our attention back to the ground floor of our building. We saw an opportunity to transform this space into a community and wellbeing centre; an extension of our current offer in the rest of the building where people come together to socialise, learn, and support one another. By working with local businesses and community groups, we aim to create a space that is welcoming and inclusive, offering a wide range of services and activities for people of all ages. This will include purpose-built, sound-proofed rooms for many of our counsellors and therapists, and a new meeting space for local groups and charities.
Another exciting change is to make better use of our treasured but underused historic Library, for part of the week it will now be used as a characterful and functional meeting room helping us to generate much-needed revenue. However it will remain a welcoming library on Thursday and Saturday, open for everyone to browse, borrow and research. Our community café, V Café is now also open every weekday, continuing the 40-year tradition of serving vegetarian and vegan meals in our Assembly Room.
The Guildford Institute’s historic Library
V Café in the Institute’s Assembly Room
By taking a strategic approach to how we use the space in our building, we are able to not only generate additional income, but also strengthen our connection to the community and expand our impact. We have seen an increase in the number of people coming through our doors, and have received positive feedback from both our students and visitors.
In difficult times, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to move forward. But by thinking creatively about how we use our resources, and by developing and expanding our programme, we are weathering the storm and will emerge stronger than ever. We are proud of our progress and excited about the future possibilities that lie ahead for the Guildford Institute and the community we serve.
We are actively looking for financial support towards the costs of the ground floor conversion. The GI Community & Wellbeing Centre will provide essential mental health support services to the community of Guildford and surrounding areas.
Please consider donating to, and supporting, our Spacehive project, which is specifically fundraising to provide accessible toilets in the GI Community & Wellbeing Centre.
Individuals and businesses are encouraged to provide donations via our website, in person or by calling us on 01483 562142.
Meet Alice Fowler, an award-winning writer based in Guildford. She is also a former creative writing student here at the Institute. Alice published her debut short story collection, The Truth Has Arms and Legs, last year, which has received wide acclaim. She will be giving a talk at our Members’ Coffee Morning on 8 March about her journey from student to published author. Ahead of this, we caught up with Alice to find out about her short story collection, writing inspiration, future work, and more!
Can you tell us about yourself and your background?
I’m an award-winning writer of short stories and longer fiction. My debut short story collection, The Truth Has Arms and Legs, was published by Fly On The Wall Press (an indie press based in Manchester) in July 2023. I’m delighted that the collection has gone to a third print run and was my publisher’s best-selling title last year. Before that, I worked for many years as a print journalist, first in local, then national newspapers, mainly as a feature writer and interviewer. While creative writing and journalism overlap in some ways, in others they’re quite opposing skills. Moving to Guildford, which I did with my family ten years ago, and enjoying the beautiful landscapes on our doorstep, has helped me write more freely.
Was there anything or anyone who inspired your love of writing?
I think all writers are readers first, and that was certainly the case for me. The house where I grew up happened to be opposite a small branch library (now closed, sadly). I spent a lot of time there, reading through its shelves. I also remember the headmaster at my primary school teaching ‘composition’ – which really meant writing stories. I think that convinced me creative writing was a higher calling. Another influence was my mother, who loved books and read voraciously. Very sadly she passed away just before my book came out. However she did receive a copy, and I hope she read the acknowledgement at the end where I thanked her for inspiring me to write.
You were a student on Stella Stocker’s Creative Writing course here at the Institute. Tell us about your experience. Did the course help you to overcome any challenges in your writing process?
I thank Stella in my book’s acknowledgements as she too played a big part in my path to publication. I attended her course at the Institute for around two years. Stella’s classes are deceptively gentle, in that there is little formal teaching. Participants sit around a table, read out their work, and give and receive feedback. That is gold dust for any writer. When I arrived at Stella’s class, I’d say the editing muscle in my brain (honed in my journalism days) was still too strong. Stella’s perceptive and enabling comments, and those of fellow class members, helped me get over that. I remember to this day lines of poetry and prose that I heard read out by talented writers in the class.
What encouraged you to take the journey from student to published author?
I’d say the thing that helped me most was entering short story competitions. I started doing that in a very amateur way around six years ago and was lucky enough to have some immediate successes. I kept going and winning the Historical Writers Association short story competition in 2020 and the Wells short story competition in 2021 gave me a lot of encouragement. Most writers are prone to self-doubt, and I’m no exception, so encouragement of any kind means the world. I still thought it unlikely, given that the market for short stories is relatively small, that I would have a collection published. That The Truth Has Arms and Legs was accepted the first time I submitted it, and is selling well, has been a wonderful surprise.
The Truth Has Arms and Legs is your debut short story collection. Is there a theme that connects these stories together?
While the stories are all quite different – some contemporary, some historical – they all show characters at points of change. I’d say the theme that underlies them is resilience. Resilience is a quality that resonates with me personally and is something we all need in these challenging times. If I had to sum them up, I’d say they’re stories of change, resilience and hope.
What made you choose to write short stories?
I also spend a lot of time writing longer fiction – novels – so in many ways the short stories are a holiday from that! They’re great fun to write because everything is distilled – I try to delve deeply into character, just as in a novel, while also getting the satisfaction of completing something in a relatively short time. I recently heard the writer Wendy Erskine, whom I very much admire, saying short stories are like shots (the kind you drink). I agree – they’re powerful, but short-lived!
How did you come up with the title for The Truth Has Arms and Legs?
This is also the title of the last story in the book, in which an elderly woman, now an acclaimed cellist, remembers her childhood imprisonment at Auschwitz. The title came to me after I had completed the story. A motif of arms and legs – of paper dolls, toy farm animals, arms reaching up etc – runs through it. I also intend the title to suggest that the big events of history, that we may regard as ‘truth’, are made up of individual human lives and, often, suffering. The title came to me while walking with my dog on Merrow Down. I often find ideas bubble up from my subconscious while I’m walking. This is the story I will read from and discuss at the Institute’s Members’ Coffee Morning.
Is there a character from your collection that you relate to the most?
It’s probably Maggie Hoadley in the first story: the 1920s gypsy girl running barefoot against the village girls in shoes. I relate to Maggie’s experience in various ways. One of them is the transformative power of education. The lines: ‘Me? I’m the useless one. That’s what I used to think – until our school on wheels rolled in. Until I learnt to read’ come from a deep place. The story ‘Don’t Forget To Brush Your Feet’, about a mother home-schooling during the pandemic, while worrying that she’s forgetting words, is also quite personal, in that it’s rooted in my own experience of that time.
Would you recommend The Truth Has Arms and Legs as a book club choice?
Yes! One of the privileges of having my collection published has been going to book groups and listening as they discuss the stories. Because they touch on such a variety of themes – war, prejudice, motherhood, inequality, dementia, nature, aging and so on – they’re great for engendering discussion. A reader posted a review recently saying: ‘This exceptional collection of short stories ignited numerous debates at our recent book club meeting’. I was very glad to hear that.
Finally, can you tell us what you’re working on next?
I’m working on a historical novel, set in mid-Victorian Guildford, and partly inspired by two real-life characters who lived here. It explores identity and the boundaries between friendship and love. Recently I’ve been lucky enough to spend an extremely hard-working week at a residential library, which has helped me make a lot of progress, so I’m feeling optimistic. To come full circle back to The Guildford Institute, I should add that the very first, embryo chapter of this novel was read out at Stella’s class!
If you’d like to meet Alice and find out more about her short story collection, join us for our Members’ Coffee Morning on Friday 8 March at 10.30am. Free to attend for Institute members only, book your free place.
Tell us about yourself and your background. How did you get into a career in academia and teaching?
Once I finished my BA and MA in English Literature at Sussex University, I felt like I had only just scratched the surface and there was so much more to explore! This led me to apply for a PhD post at Surrey University, which I was lucky enough to get. It was a life-changing experience which confirmed my passion for academic research and teaching. After some short-term lectureships at Surrey, and the publication of my PhD in book form, I was appointed Lecturer in Victorian Literature at Surrey. Sharing and generating ideas with others is my dream job!
Dr Lucy Ella Rose
You specialise in Victorian Literature; can you tell us what you particularly love about this subject?
The Victorian period saw so much change, especially in the role of women, who entered the literary and artistic professions en masse for the first time. Women’s newfound professional identities and publications (essays, articles, novels, stories, poems) gave them voices at a time when women didn’t even have the vote. I find it very exciting to trace today’s feminism back to its roots in Victorian women’s writing and visual culture, which were used as mouthpieces to call for greater female freedoms and join debates that led to real socio-political change.
De Morgan exhibition at Watts Gallery, Compton
Your work often focuses on feminism and women in Victorian Literature. Is there a particular woman from this time that you admire and why?
There are too many to list! I hugely admire Mary Watts, who set up her pottery business and held women’s suffrage meetings at her Surrey studio-house, which she transformed into a work of art. I admire the way she combined art and activism, especially in older age – instead of slowing down, she seems to have sped up! I feel a bit like I knew her, having read and transcribed her diaries. I love Evelyn De Morgan’s allegorical artwork too – decoding its symbolism and contemplating meanings. Like Mary Watts, her creative energy was phenomenal.
Your first course at The Guildford Institute will be on Victorian Artistic Partnerships: Creating Wonderlands. What inspired this subject choice? Can you tell us a bit more about what we can expect from your course?
The subject choice is led by my research focus on Victorian creative partnerships of various kinds. I published a book on the marital artistic partnerships of the Wattses and the De Morgans in 2018 (Suffragist Artists in Partnership: Gender, Word and Image), and I am currently writing a book on creative partnerships between sisters, focusing on Netta and Nellie Syrett. Using the theme of ‘wonderland’ to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s death, I want to think about the ‘wonderlands’ created by these partnerships – that is, their creative worlds, spaces, ideas and outputs associated with spiritualism, symbolism and suffragism. ‘Wonderland’ offers a new lens for conceptualising the lives, works and relationships of these artists, and I look forward to exploring this subject from a fresh perspective with attendees of the course.
When you’re not busy teaching or writing, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I try to immerse myself in as much visual culture as possible, so I go to art galleries and exhibitions, go to the theatre and cinema. I like to be transported into other worlds, and experience other people’s creations in non-verbal ways.
What are you most looking forward to about teaching at the Institute?
It’s exciting to strengthen connections between Surrey University and other local cultural partners, and to work with a wider range of people on materials that haven’t received much critical attention.
We hope you have enjoyed getting to know GI tutor Lucy Ella Rose!Are you keen to learn more about Victorian artists and their own creative wonderlands? Join Lucy Ella at the GI for her course Victorian Artistic Partnerships: Creating Wonderlands which begins on 7 June 2023.
It is The Guildford Institute’s understanding that its long-term ground floor tenant, The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), will be closing the North Street branch on Wednesday 9 March 2022.
RBS’s tenancy delivers a significant part of the Institute’s income, which enables it to provide a wide variety of activities for the local community. The Institute has been preparing for this eventuality for some time and will now be using this opportunity to review all of its options going forward. These could include finding a new tenant or using the space for the Institute and expanding its offer.
Brian Creese, Chairperson of the Institute, said: “The news of RBS’s departure did not come as a huge surprise and although we are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, we are excited by this new chapter in our history”.
The ground floor of the property owned by The Guildford Institute has been used as a bank for many years and has held a long association with both RBS and prior to this, the historic Williams & Glyn Bank.
Today’s news opens up a number of future opportunities that the Institute is keen to explore and is confident in its ability to ensure the best possible outcome for the way ahead.
Did you know that some of our favourite TV shows are based on books? In recent years, we’ve been spoilt for choice with what to watch! While we have undoubtedly enjoyed binge-watching the latest must-see programmes, we think it’s time to shine a spotlight on the novels behind them.
Take a look at our list of books-turned-TV-shows that we recommend you read:
Normal People by Sally Rooney
This story follows the unlikely friendship and relationship of two teenagers as they navigate their way into adulthood. On the surface, Marianne and Connell appear to be complete opposites but find themselves bound by an unbreakable connection…
Us by David Nicholls
With his son due to start at university in the autumn, Douglas Peterson finds his wife also plans to leave. Determined to save his marriage and bring the family closer together, Douglas believes that going on a summer holiday of a lifetime is the key to fixing everything. What could go wrong?
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Set in India in the early 1950s, Lata’s mother sets out to find a suitable boy for her to marry. However, they both have very different ideas on who would make the best match. At the same time, it tells the story of India, newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis, from the perspective of four families.
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
In autumn 1686, Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin her new life as the wife of merchant trader Johannes Brandt. He presents her with an astonishing wedding gift – a cabinet-sized replica of their home. Nella seeks the assistance of a miniaturist to help furnish her present and unexpectedly starts to discover the secrets of the family she has joined…
Let us know if you have read any of the books on our list or if you have any recommendations! We hope this gives you some inspiration for your summer reading. All of the books on our list are available for Institute members to borrow from our Library which is open Tuesday to Friday, 10am – 2pm.
Here at the Institute, we are lucky to have so many talented tutors who offer high quality and engaging courses on a whole host of subjects. We’d like you to get to know our tutors better, so have introduced a brand new feature called ‘Meet the Tutor’. First up we have popular tutor Ronnie Ireland, an expert in the art world who regularly teaches a wide variety of art history courses at the Institute.
Tell us about yourself and your background. How did you get into a career in the arts?
I was born and educated in Glasgow. I have a degree in drawing and painting from Glasgow School of Art, a Teaching Diploma and a BA (Hons) from The Open University.
I can’t remember when I wasn’t drawing. As a child I was ill quite a lot and spent a lot of time in bed, so drawing was always something I could do – later, art school was just obvious. I taught in schools for a while but at that time didn’t enjoy it. While always continuing drawing and painting, I then moved into organising music and events as a main career, eventually running my own company. I also performed a lot, doing a lot of singing from classical, to rock and finally jazz. When I emigrated to England, I focused completely on my art. I now teach my own classes, give lectures, run demonstrations and workshops for art societies, and finally reached the Parnassus of The Guildford Institute.
Alongside teaching, you are an artist and have built a large portfolio of work, varying in subject matter and medium. Can you tell us more about your work and the influences behind it?
My own work has developed very slowly, and seemed to always be going in different directions with many competing interests. It took me a long time to realise that underneath all of these seeming differences, it was always concerned with investigating identity. Mainly of people, singly or in relationship to one another and their situation. This same interest goes through landscape, abstract and still life work too. It is often allegorical with an implied narrative, but it is never defined – that is the viewer’s role. If the image is strong enough, it will engage the viewer and they will arrive at meaning(s). It is always fascinating what other people see in the work, often not something that I had been aware of, which adds to its richness.
My main influences are particular artists – Rembrandt, Titian, Velasquez, El Greco and Caravaggio. Plus some selected aspects of many contemporary figures, especially Bacon and Giacometti. Alongside that, there is the look of photographs and film noir. Greek mythology has also been a lifelong interest.
A selection of Ronnie’s most recent work. Painting titles left to right: Now,Steps and Snap
We know this might be tricky to narrow down, but do you have a favourite art history movement or artist?
My favourite artists have been listed in my previous answer but Rembrandt above all.
You teach practical art classes, as well as give demonstrations, workshops and talks. Are there any topics or subjects that you especially enjoy teaching?
As for teaching, the most challenging and rewarding aspect of art is to develop creativity; to open it up while being able to focus the results more and more precisely. That is why making art is endless – it is of course impossible! But one little breakthrough, where you have managed to surprise yourself – that’s what keeps you coming back for more torture. Teaching technical aspects is relatively easy as there is a right and a wrong to the result, for example objective observation drawing. If you teach the method properly, anyone will improve.
When you’re not busy teaching or making art, do you have any hobbies or interests that you enjoy?
My other great love is music and usually there is music playing as I work. Mainly classical, from early music through to contemporary; I always explore (although I will always return to Mozart). There is a much healthier cross fertilisation between different genres now as indeed there is between different branches of art in general. It’s always interesting to speculate what kind of artist Michelangelo or Caravaggio would have been if living now. I still play guitar (basic) and write songs for my own amusement when I have the time – it makes a change from standing at an easel. Joining up with some other folk for relaxed performances would be good.
How have you found the move to online teaching – can you tell us about any positive outcomes from it?
I began online teaching for my own classes in April 2020 and soon realised that I would have to rethink how I structured the classes and indeed the whole term. I went back to a much more academic step by step approach while building in participation and interaction. The classes have greatly enjoyed and benefited from this approach and content. Currently, I am now opening up the structure and we are focusing on developing students’ creativity. I have found it a useful move in some ways and it could be retained alongside “normal” classes perhaps.
Zoom classes are often more intense for me than normal ones in the constant interaction with the screen and I have to watch out for eyestrain, especially when you have two events in a day. The downside, in for example lectures, is that you often feel as if you are talking to yourself when all participants are muted. Of course, maybe I’m only talking to myself anyway…
I love the performance aspect of lecturing, responding to and improvising with a live audience. I really miss that. But Zoom has been a financial lifesaver as well – it’s good to eat every now and then!
What do you enjoy most about teaching at The Guildford Institute?
The best thing about The Guildford Institute is obviously the amazing, wonderful, perfect staff and the unbelievable privilege of working with them…
As well as that, you have a very well informed audience with a broad range of interests who usually ask interesting and unusual questions. There is of course always the sneaky worry that one of them knows more about the subject than you do given their background, but you have to believe that you can fool most of the people most of the time!
The Guildford Institute building
Finally, thank you so much for giving me the chance to “blog” with you. It is always useful to define your thoughts for others and yourself and was fun to do. I hope you find it an enjoyable and informative read.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Institute tutor Ronnie Ireland a little better! Interested in attending one of Ronnie’s courses? There are spaces left on two of his lectures planned for the summer term – Degas: Revolutionary Conservative on 22 June and Take Six: Music on 27 July. Visit Ronnie’s website to see more of his artwork.
What better way to relax than with a good book? As Christmas approaches, our Library volunteers have put together their recommendations of the best books to read over the festive period. From gripping detective mysteries, to exploring Christmases gone-by in Surrey, or escaping to the breath-taking Dartmoor, we have something for everyone on our reading list.
A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks
London, Christmas in 2007. The story follows seven people over seven days as they travel the Circle line underground…
The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves
Driving home through a winter blizzard, DCI Vera Stanhope sees an abandoned car with a baby strapped in the backseat; fearing the child will freeze Vera drives them to Brockburn, a nearby stately home. A Christmas party is in full swing but lying dead outside is a young woman. A new case emerges for Vera: who is the woman and could she be the child’s mother?
A Surrey Christmas ed. John Hudson
A compilation of Christmases past celebrated in Surrey including ‘Bettesworth’s Christmas’ by George Sturt, ‘Lighting the Dorking lamps’ by Charles Rose and ‘Wassailing the Apple Tree’ by E W Swanton.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders…
Mr Golightly’s Holiday by Salley Vickers
Mr Golightly was a best-selling author but his books have fallen out of fashion. He decides to take a holiday in a small village on Dartmoor and re-discovers his enthusiasm for writing…
Let us know which books from our Christmas reading list are your favourites, or if you have any recommendations. All of these books are available in our Library. We hope this list gives you some inspiration for your festive reading! Now all there’s left to do is put your feet up and start reading…
V Café at the Institute is run by Nick Humble and Ian Loffel, who aim to carry on the long legacy of producing freshly-cooked vegetarian and vegan food in The Guildford Institute’s historic Assembly room. They would like to share one of their recipes with you from their daily-changing menu – see below for instructions on how to make Nick and Ian’s delicious vegetable fritters…
INGREDIENTS
Carrots x2
Sweet Potato x 1
½ Onion
Peas 100g
Small Celeriac x1
Parsnip (seasonal)
200ml Vegetable oil for frying
BATTER
Eggs x 4
Gram flour 120g
Half teaspoon of each: baking powder, turmeric, ground cumin, coriander
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
Half teaspoon dried chopped chilli
Good pinch of salt and pepper
METHOD
GRATE ALL THE VEGETABLE, FINELY DICE THE ONION
TO MAKE A BATTER: – BEAT THE EGGS AND MIX WITH THE GRAM FLOUR AND REST OF THE INGREDIENTS
FOLD IN THE GRATED VEGATABLES
HEAT THE VEGETABLE OIL INTO A LARGE FRYING PAN, WHEN HOT ADD BURGER SIZE DROPS OF THE MIXTURE, PUSH DOWN AND ALLOW THE MIXTURE TO COLOUR, CAREFULLY TURN OVER AND COLOUR ON THE OTHER SIDE
PLACE ONTO A BAKING TRAY AND COOK IN THE OVEN FOR 15-20MINS 160˚C TO COOK THROUGH
REPEAT THE PROCESS FOR THE REST OF THE MIXTURE
THESE CAN BE SERVED EITHER HOT OR COLD AND ENJOYED WITH A YOGHURT AND CUCUMBER, MINT DIP
Enjoy your vegetable fritters!
To find out more about V Café or to book a table click here.
Volunteers are working on digitising the Scrapbooks – a vast local history resource in the Library’s archive. There are twenty-nine scrapbooks, full of newspaper articles ranging in date from the late 1880s to the early 1930s. Institute members selected items they thought would be of interest and carefully pasted them into the large books. For volunteers this work shines a light on Guildford and its inhabitants, reminding us of a way of life long gone. One volunteer uncovered this story about The Ancient Order of Froth Blowers.
My curiosity was piqued by an article in which appeared the Guildford Froth Blowers. I thought it was some sort of spoof – it had to be hadn’t it? Not at all; Ye Ancient Order of Froth-Blowers was indeed a very active charity dedicated ’to fostering the noble Art and gentle and healthy Pastime of froth blowing amongst Gentlemen of-leisure and ex-Soldiers’. Running from 1924 to 1931, it was founded by Bert Temple, an ex-soldier and silk-merchant, initially to raise £100 (equal to £5,602 today) for the children’s charities of the surgeon Sir Alfred Fripp. The men were known as ‘blowers’ and women, ‘fairy-belles’. Froth blowing captured the public’s imagination so that by 1928, there were over 700,000 members who raised £100,000.
Ye Ancient Society had branches all over the country, including Guildford, which seems to have been very successful. A cutting from the Surrey Weekly Press of the time, informs us that the local branch had 2000 members. In the accompanying photograph (seen on this page), you can see the ‘top table’ at the corresponding dinner. Now, was the highly successful recruiter, the Second Fairy also known as ‘Fairy Tornado’ having a particularly good time or was she just blinded by the flash?!
It would seem that local branches, also known as Vats, could raise the funds for local causes and The Guildford Vat of Froth Blowers appear again later in the same scrapbook. This time with a fund-raising effort to organise an outing to the seaside for the poorer children of the town. A second newspaper report informs the reader that enough money was raised to take 300 children to Bognor for the day. It was a splendid occasion by all accounts, and on their return to Guildford, each child was given an apple, a banana and an orange, as well as a shilling and a piece of Bognor rock. A newspaper cutting in the Archive features a breakdown of all the costs of the day. I wonder what happened to the £4 1s balance? Perhaps the adults had some fruit as well?
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