Along with about 50 other members and supporters of Action4Whipps, Jean and I attended the Planning Committee meeting at the Town Hall last night (Wednesday 25th November) arranged to rubber stamp the Planning Application for the new hospital. The session was scheduled for 7.00pm in the main chamber of the Town Hall, which meant that it was dark and quite cold on the steps of the building where we assembled at 6.30, but at least it didn't rain.
We came along with our banners, placards and leaflets, and there was a PA system so that people could address the crowd. Jean (my partner) and I brought along a video camera and a sound recorder on behalf of Forest Radio and video recorded the brief speeches before we all went into the hall for the meeting itself.
Technically, filming was not easy, with the only sources of light the shaft that was falling on the steps through the glass doors of the brightly lit foyer and the coloured lights from the amazing (and no doubt amazingly expensive) illuminated fountains where the single classical fountain once stood. This complex of "dancing fountains" was running intermittently throughout the speeches, while it was on creating a blindingly bright multi-coloured light source behind the speakers that turned them into strange blue-aured silhouettes, as well as tending to drown (no pun intended) their voices with its hissing noise. For breaks in the dance of the glaring fountains the council provided "muzak" from loudspeakers in large boxes around the fountains' perimeter. So please excuse me if the film quality is not up to the standard of Forest Radio's best. However, it was heartening to see and hear such enthusiasm for and commitment to our campaign, and of course the event provided a chance for people to put faces to names and soak up the ethos of Action4Whipps.
Inside the hall I video recorded for a few minutes, but all I could see from where I was sitting at the back of the public gallery was the big screen above the participants' heads, and the sound was echoey and difficult to make out. Also the presentation was just a re-hash of the material that has been on the council's website for months if not years, and with which anybody who is following this will be very familiar. It's also rumoured that the session was recorded by the council anyway and will be uploaded to their website. If this happens don't miss your opportunity to listen to two hours of platitudes and evasions from the Committee you have come to know and love. We will reproduce the highlights here if there are any.
When it came to the turn of the speakers from the floor (twelve of them, selected from those requesting a spot in advance) I turned on the sound recorder, and considering how difficult I found it to make out what was being said myself, the resultant recording, which I have included below, isn't too bad.
This is a crude first edit of the material we recorded last night. It is very likely that we will be returning to this page to amend and add more material. Please visit again in the next few days to see any new material that people may have sent in.
There were others besides us taking pictures and video recording, so if anybody has good footage, or even good still photographs of the rally, please send them in and they can be incorporated into this report. Email info@forestradio.co.uk and I'll discuss with you how to share your files. Do please have your say in any medium you like by getting in touch with Forest Radio on the above email address.
David & Jean
for the Forest Radio team.
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