Lecture theatre set in Motion

October 28, 2010

Bolton Central Library’s newly refurbished lecture theatre will be formally opened by former poet laureate Sir Andrew Motion.

A free event will take place at the lecture theatre on Wednesday, November 3 from 5pm until 6.30pm, at which Sir Andrew will read from his new collection of poems, Laurels and Donkeys.

Laurels and Donkeys is a collection of war poems which presents scenes from various conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries – from the First World War to the war in Afghanistan.

Films showing Bolton’s illustrious history will also be shown at the event, and the Mayor of Bolton, Councillor John Byrne, will officially open the newly refurbished theatre.

The films, dating back to 1914, include: the Great Military Review of Bolton, produced by the Electric Cinema of Bolton; Lord Derby Inspecting Ex-Serviceman; and Lord Derby Visiting Farnworth that was produced by JE Hallam in 1940, an appeal by the Mayor of Bolton for help for soldiers in Russia that was produced in 1943 and a film called ‘Calling Blighty’ where soldiers from the North West of England who are stationed in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) send messages back to their families. The films are part of the collection of the Northwest Film Archive.

The work to refurbish the Lecture Theatre began in November 2009 and finished in February, with the Fine Arts society the first organisation to make use of the facilities.

The work included: upgrades to lighting, with the restoration of the original fittings; improvements to the sound systems; decoration; and new flooring. Local architects Bradshaw, Gass and Hope were appointed to design and implement the work

Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Adult and Community Services, Councillor Elaine Sherrington, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andrew Motion to Bolton Central Library. This opening will be the start of a fantastic programme of public events that will take place in the newly refurbished Lecture Theatre over the coming months, from lunchtime talks to film screenings, provide a valuable service to the people of Bolton.”

Tickets to this event are free and are available at Bolton Central Library, telephone: 01204 332853.

ENDS

ISSUED BY GEORGE WRIGHT, MEDIA RELATIONS TEAM, BOLTON COUNCIL TEL 01204 331023.

Notes to Editors

On Wednesday, November 3 from 5pm until 6.30pm, Sir Andrew Motion will read from his new collection of poems, Laurels and Donkeys, to celebrate the newly refurbished lecture theatre in Bolton Central Library, on Le Mans Crescent. Photographers are welcome to attend the event, and an opportunity for interviews will be available the following day at 10.30am.

Information on Andrew Motion

Andrew Motion was Poet Laureate from 1999-2009. His poetry has received the Arvon/Observer Prize, the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway and recently co-founded The Poetry Archive, and was knighted for his services to literature in 2009.

Andrew Motion is a council member of the Advertising Standards Authority and Chairman of the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council. His next book is a sequel to Treasure Island; for more information visit www.andrewmotion.co.uk.

Reviews of the poetry of Andrew Motion include:

• “'Compelling, simple & mysterious” Sean O'Brien, the Sunday Times
• “Motion is a beautiful lyricist unpretentiously and precisely describing those things worth having even as he casts unsettling shadows across them” Robert Potts, the Guardian
  

The poems from Laurels and Donkeys include elegies, satires and some are memories of the poet's father, who fought in the Second World War. Several rely on the words and witness of soldiers while others are derived from newspaper articles and interviews.

The effect is to narrow the gap between observer and participant, and to create a mood of intimacy in which readers will feel both shock at what Wilfred Owen called 'the pity of war' and dismay at its recurrence.

George Wright
Media Officer
Bolton Council

01204 331023
george.wright@bolton.gov.uk
Communications and Marketing Agency,
Second floor, The Wellsprings,
Bolton, BL1 1US.