It’s hard to pick highlights from this particular issue when there is so much going on in our local community. On page 40 we meet with John Lydon—aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols—who will be speaking at The Guildhall in Axminster in May. My conversation with John highlighted for me how easy it is to forget the human being that resides inside celebrity personas. We often come away with a skewed opinion of someone when they have been heavily manipulated to help sell newspapers. We also feature an interview with Rebecca Lenkiewicz on page 44. An Oscar and BAFTA winning screenwriter who has curated the hugely popular From Page to Screen film festival, Rebecca’s choice of films is both fascinating and far reaching. And staying with film on page 10, how we look after our soil for future generations of farmers is the subject of Six Inches of Soil, currently showing in small venues around the country. It follows the first year of three different farming initiatives that look after soil in a way that helps to make it sustainable for future harvests. Maintaining soil is no different to maintaining anything that we need to pass on to future generations. If we didn’t look after our homes, where would our grandchildren live? However, the film points out the challenges of not using excessive chemicals to produce food. Adrienne Gordon, a Cambridgeshire small-scale vegetable farmer works for no salary for her first year, hoping that after that initial investment, she will be able to live off her vegetable business. I don’t think I’m publishing a spoiler by pointing out how hard that is. Market gardening on a small scale is very difficult to make profitable and therefore something that needs support whenever possible. In the same way, running a community resource like this magazine faces similar problems. So thank you to those that have contributed to our Crowdfunder. If you’d like to help or learn more, please click on THIS LINK.
