| Holymoorside group fight for
funding |
When the government withdrew the subsidy for adult education
courses last year, it looked like the end of the creative
writing class for the group in the Derbyshire village of Holymoorside.
Not only would fees double, pricing many people out, tutors
would have to take a pay cut if the local college was to balance
its books.
‘Writing matters,’ said tutor, Paul Bamford, ‘and
groups like this provide a chance for people to share their
work and get feedback. That’s important.’
News of the proposed cuts was greeted with dismay. Group member
Clare Butler summed up the feeling: ‘I love this class
and I don’t want to lose it.’ Nor, it seemed,
did anyone else.
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Consequently the group decided to forget about
government and college and go it alone, paying the tutor a mutually
agreed sum. Inevitably this would be more than the original,
subsidised, fee so they also decided that, if anyone couldn’t
afford the increase, the difference would be paid by those who
could. ‘It would be negligible compared to the cost of
losing the class,’ explained member Graham Godfrey. It
was a view that met with unanimous support.
The next problem was finding another venue, a cheaper alternative
to the village community centre. Having drawn several blanks,
the group was considering using Graham’s garden shed when
they were offered the local church meeting room, and for a truly
Christian fee. After that they were on their way.
The creative writing class has evolved into the Holymoorside
Writers’ Group, now thirteen strong. It meets weekly so
that its members can share their work and exchange news and
views about writing. Several members have since become published
writers and the group now has its own website. ‘When you
think of where we were six months ago, words like phoenix and
ashes come to mind,’ says member Sue Pacey. However, there
is no room in her mind for complacency. ‘This is just
the beginning. Now we must build on what we’ve achieved.’
Website: www.read-us.com |
