At the Annual General meeting of Rook Lane Arts Trust, the chairman Martin Bax announced that three new trustees had agreed to join the Board – Mervyn Clingan, Martin Wade and Sally Somers.
Mervyn Clingan is a professional photographer and videographer. He is a director of a sporting photographic company and an IT software development company. He is Chair of The Association of British Naive Artists.
Martin Wade is a stonemason and photographer with a keen interest in natural history. Martin has participated in various photographic exhibitions and led various workshops in schools. His interests extend to building conservation and all the visual arts.
Sally Somers is a cookbook editor and translator. She teaches chess in local schools and runs the Frome Junior Chess Club. She is involved in music and art and has a particular interest in film. She is one of the founders of, and programmers for, the Frome Film Club.
Martin was also delighted that both Pamela Lea and Linda Boss were able to stand for re-election. Pamela is a founding trustee of Rook Lane Arts Trust and the charity’s secretary. She was formally a director and now acts as consultant to NVB Architects and, during her architectural career, has designed many projects for schools, ranging from theatres to sports halls as well as academic facilities. She has a keen interest in fine art and the theatre.
Linda is a partner in Monahans, a local firm of chartered accountants and business advisors. Linda deals with a portfolio of clients of whom a significant number are charities. She has an interest in the arts and is a member of an orchestra which is based in Bath.
The Board heard a presentation from Jo Plimmer on the progress she has made with the educational work commissioned by the Trust which she has project managed under the ‘Break 3’ banner. With her help the Trust are hoping to extend this literacy project and proceed with a ‘music and maths’ collaboration between local schools and the Bath Philharmonia.
The Trust are also planning a series of World War 1 projects, researching the important local history to tell the stories behind the works of art, architecture and design linked to the war and to Mells, home of the Asquith and Horner families.
The local legacy of Cenotaph designer Edwin Lutyens will be explored, including his Eric Gill inscribed memorial to Raymond Asquith (son of WW1 Prime Minister Herbert Asquith) who was killed in the war, and his much admired village war memorial. Also included will be the war poets from the area, in particular Siegfried Sassoon, who is buried in the churchyard at Mells.
