Latest news with #Niven
Scotsman
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh book festival: No Baillie Gifford funds puts community work 'at risk'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... 'Powerful' loss-making community work by the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is at risk if a new sponsor cannot be found to replace Baillie Gifford, the director of the event has warned. Jenny Niven told The Scotsman work was ongoing to secure funding for the festival. She said work such as recorded events being beamed to libraries around Scotland - as well as the children's books programme at the festival itself - could not be funded indefinitely without more financial support. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Niven also warned of a 'literacy crisis' among Scottish school children and said without more funding, some initiatives to help get children into reading could have to be halted. Last year, the festival was forced to end its partnership with Baillie Gifford, warning it was no longer able to deliver a 'safe and successful' event amid 'threats of disruption'. Climate activist Greta Thunberg had cancelled an event a year earlier over the Edinburgh-based financial firm's fossil fuel investments. Notable celebrities at the book festival Ms Niven's comments come as the EIBF launched its programme for this year's festival at its new home at the Futures Institute. Scottish authors Irvine Welsh and Maggie O'Farrell are to join Heartstopper writer Alice Oseman, as well as former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, at this year's festival. Outlander star Sam Heughan will also give a cocktail class to promote his new book of cocktail recipes, while actors Brian Cox, Viggo Mortensen and Vanessa Redgrave will take part in events. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The festival today unveils its full programme, which is based around the theme of Repair, seeking to explore things which feel broken, and looking at how they could be fixed – from the physical to the political, the emotional to the environmental, and beyond. Why community work is important Ms Niven said: 'Our community work is so powerful - the stuff we do for children and young people, but particularly those elements, they don't generate income. The community [work] runs at a high cost, and if you look at the amount of cuts going into other third-sector organisations, the operational costs are high. 'Because if organisations like the Streetreads Library [organisation to support book access for homeless people] are on their knees, then for us to just to be able to run the same same type of programme is difficult. Even to maintain a standstill - it is not a standstill when there's all so many other cuts going on, particularly in the third sector.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When asked if that work was at risk if more funding was not found to replace the money lost from Baillie Gifford's sponsorship, Ms Niven said simply: 'Yes.' She added: 'It's a question of ambition. You can see in the programme all of the different directions that we would like to go and what we could do, and the many more people that we could reach.' Author Ian Rankin's John Rebus Ltd company is understood to be funding a small part of the Communities Programme this year in a deal which is expected to last five years. The Book Festival supports year-round access to reading through its communities programme, which connects authors and artists with places across Scotland who might not otherwise have access to cultural experiences. Meanwhile, organisers said they would this year livestream over 100 festival events to libraries across 12 Scottish local authorities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Niven pointed to the 'heavily subsidised' programme for children and young people. A typical paid-for ticket for a children's show costs just £6, while many tickets and books are given away free to school groups, after Scottish schools return in mid-August. Jenny Niven, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. | EIBF 'That work is really important to us, but it gets more and more expensive every day - that's not covered in our costs,' she said. 'So it depends on what type of festival people want to have. If it's only designed for people who can afford to pay top dollar, high-price tickets, then you're presenting a very different offer than if it is inclusive and reaching all these different communities. I know what sort of organisation I want to run.' A literacy crisis Ms Niven warned a crisis among young people was resulting in not only falling literacy rates, but a change in how children see the world. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'Significantly, it is not just about literacy, but it's about empathy. It's about looking out the way. It's about engaging with people's lives who are not like your own. It's about reading books from other countries and expanding your horizons and all of that, I think, is a really important set of benefits you get from reading.' Earlier this year, US president Donald Trump criticised his State Department's 'radical' sponsorship of the book festival, attacking the event for its promotion of discussion on 'gender identity and racial equality'. Funding of $39,652 (£31,000) granted under the Joe Biden administration supported the Transatlantic Conversations programme at the 2023 festival, which featured nine American authors. No funding has been forthcoming from the US State Department this year. Ms Niven said she had been 'a bit taken aback' over the surprise the festival had received support from the US government. This year's festival features authors from Norway, Korea, France, Germany and Spain, all sponsored by their respective embassies and consulates. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'Now, we are now no longer in receipt of US support, which makes a difference and that's to the detriment. There are amazing US artists and writers who it's vital that we hear from, and not being able to work with them directly would be a travesty. So we will, of course, look for other funding to replace that US government money, but it won't stop us.' Funding sources for the festival The People's Postcode Lottery has a long-term partnership to support elements of the festival's communities programme, which Ms Niven said 'we could not work without'. The festival was given a multi-year funding package from Creative Scotland earlier this year. However, Ms Niven said it was 'not 100 per cent of what we asked for', forcing the festival to continue to fundraise 'from a range of sources'. 'We're really pleased to have their partnership, but we need to keep looking at corporate sponsorship,' she said. 'That's obviously undergone a huge amount of change in the last ten years, specifically with us, so we've got continued work to do there. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For funding at the moment, it's the same ones we've always looked at: philanthropic, corporate, public funding, ticketing. It's a heady mix of all those different things, and each one of them, for different reasons, are under pressure one way or another.'
Scotsman
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh book festival: No Baillie Gifford funds puts community work 'at risk'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... 'Powerful' loss-making community work by the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is at risk if a new sponsor cannot be found to replace Baillie Gifford, the director of the event has warned. Jenny Niven told The Scotsman work was ongoing to secure funding for the festival. She said work such as recorded events being beamed to libraries around Scotland - as well as the children's books programme at the festival itself - could not be funded indefinitely without more financial support. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Niven also warned of a 'literacy crisis' among Scottish school children and said without more funding, some initiatives to help get children into reading could have to be halted. Last year, the festival was forced to end its partnership with Baillie Gifford, warning it was no longer able to deliver a 'safe and successful' event amid 'threats of disruption'. Climate activist Greta Thunberg had cancelled an event a year earlier over the Edinburgh-based financial firm's fossil fuel investments. Notable celebrities at the book festival Ms Niven's comments come as the EIBF launched its programme for this year's festival at its new home at the Futures Institute. Scottish authors Irvine Welsh and Maggie O'Farrell are to join Heartstopper writer Alice Oseman, as well as former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, at this year's festival. Outlander star Sam Heughan will also give a cocktail class to promote his new book of cocktail recipes, while actors Brian Cox, Viggo Mortensen and Vanessa Redgrave will take part in events. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The festival today unveils its full programme, which is based around the theme of Repair, seeking to explore things which feel broken, and looking at how they could be fixed – from the physical to the political, the emotional to the environmental, and beyond. Why community work is important Ms Niven said: 'Our community work is so powerful - the stuff we do for children and young people, but particularly those elements, they don't generate income. The community [work] runs at a high cost, and if you look at the amount of cuts going into other third-sector organisations, the operational costs are high. 'Because if organisations like the Streetreads Library [organisation to support book access for homeless people] are on their knees, then for us to just to be able to run the same same type of programme is difficult. Even to maintain a standstill - it is not a standstill when there's all so many other cuts going on, particularly in the third sector.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When asked if that work was at risk if more funding was not found to replace the money lost from Baillie Gifford's sponsorship, Ms Niven said simply: 'Yes.' She added: 'It's a question of ambition. You can see in the programme all of the different directions that we would like to go and what we could do, and the many more people that we could reach.' The Book Festival supports year-round access to reading through its communities programme, which connects authors and artists with places across Scotland who might not otherwise have access to cultural experiences. Meanwhile, organisers said they would this year livestream over 100 festival events to libraries across 12 Scottish local authorities. Ms Niven pointed to the 'heavily subsidised' programme for children and young people. A typical paid-for ticket for a children's show costs just £6, while many tickets and books are given away free to school groups, after Scottish schools return in mid-August. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jenny Niven, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. | EIBF 'That work is really important to us, but it gets more and more expensive every day - that's not covered in our costs,' she said. 'So it depends on what type of festival people want to have. If it's only designed for people who can afford to pay top dollar, high-price tickets, then you're presenting a very different offer than if it is inclusive and reaching all these different communities. I know what sort of organisation I want to run.' A literacy crisis Ms Niven warned a crisis among young people was resulting in not only falling literacy rates, but a change in how children see the world. She said: 'Significantly, it is not just about literacy, but it's about empathy. It's about looking out the way. It's about engaging with people's lives who are not like your own. It's about reading books from other countries and expanding your horizons and all of that, I think, is a really important set of benefits you get from reading.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Earlier this year, US president Donald Trump criticised his State Department's 'radical' sponsorship of the book festival, attacking the event for its promotion of discussion on 'gender identity and racial equality'. Funding of $39,652 (£31,000) granted under the Joe Biden administration supported the Transatlantic Conversations programme at the 2023 festival, which featured nine American authors. No funding has been forthcoming from the US State Department this year. Ms Niven said she had been 'a bit taken aback' over the surprise the festival had received support from the US government. This year's festival features authors from Norway, Korea, France, Germany and Spain, all sponsored by their respective embassies and consulates. She said: 'Now, we are now no longer in receipt of US support, which makes a difference and that's to the detriment. There are amazing US artists and writers who it's vital that we hear from, and not being able to work with them directly would be a travesty. So we will, of course, look for other funding to replace that US government money, but it won't stop us.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Funding sources for the festival The People's Postcode Lottery has a long-term partnership to support elements of the festival's communities programme, which Ms Niven said 'we could not work without'. The festival was given a multi-year funding package from Creative Scotland earlier this year. However, Ms Niven said it was 'not 100 per cent of what we asked for', forcing the festival to continue to fundraise 'from a range of sources'. 'We're really pleased to have their partnership, but we need to keep looking at corporate sponsorship,' she said. 'That's obviously undergone a huge amount of change in the last ten years, specifically with us, so we've got continued work to do there. 'For funding at the moment, it's the same ones we've always looked at: philanthropic, corporate, public funding, ticketing. It's a heady mix of all those different things, and each one of them, for different reasons, are under pressure one way or another.'
NZ Herald
27-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Honours shared by Gisborne rivals in Eastern Premiership football top-of-the-table derby
Nevertheless, United took the lead in the 36th minute through Dane Thompson, the man assigned to mark Electrinet Thistle danger man Jimmy Somerton, and United dared to dream. Then in the last minute of the first half, referee Chris Niven showed the yellow card a second time to Thistle centre back Junior Jimmy. The red card immediately followed and the Jags were down to 10 men for the second half. Thistle had gone from favourites to underdogs in the space of 10 minutes. Yet they came out in the second half and went toe to toe with a United side emboldened by the events of the first half. Somerton equalised in the 63rd minute, and for about 90 seconds it looked as if he had won a last-gasp penalty. But after Niven consulted assistant referee Ben Chisholm, he reversed his decision and restarted with a drop ball. After the game, the officials said Somerton and United keeper Andy McIntosh contested the loose ball and the keeper had palmed it away an instant before Somerton tripped over him. With the players running away from him, the referee had seen only the trip, but they were going towards the assistant, who had seen the keeper's hand strike the ball first. It showed the benefit of three-point control, a resource not available to the game's other assistant referee, Gordon Williamson, when he refereed the earlier Eastern Premiership match, between High School Old Boys Gisborne Boys' High School and Taradale Reserves. It was played across the road at the Boys' High back field near the school pool, and Williamson had no linesmen to help him. Offside decisions were a judgment call from wherever he happened to be when the ball was launched forward, and he had only his own view of any infringement. Taradale won the match 5-1, having led 4-0 at halftime, and the teams played in a spirit that minimised the problems that could have arisen from the lack of assistant referees. Spirit was not lacking in the Thistle-United game, either, but it was of the combustible kind. Junior Jimmy was the first of six players – three from each side – shown the yellow card. His first came in the 11th minute. A lunging, studs-first challenge that connected with the ball (thankfully) was one of a series of challenges from both teams that crossed or threatened to cross the line between robust and foul play. These games have always had an edge, and Niven kept it within bounds by policing it firmly. The extent of United's injury woes had spread among the crowd before the match. Strikers Hall (out with an ankle injury) and Corey Adams have been in devastating form this season, and the pace and game sense of defender Kieran Higham (Achilles tendon) are invaluable in defence. Player-coach Josh Adams went old school, with a back four and sweeper. Thompson picked up Somerton, Ryan Anderson was there for any scraps or support runners, Jonathan Purcell swept behind them, and fullbacks Kieran Venema on the right and Dan Torrie on the left closed down the flanks or covered when Thistle attacked down the other wing. They reorganised when Corey Adams went off. Jake Robertson came on at left back, Torrie went to central midfield and Malcolm Marfell went to the left flank. Aaron Graham roamed the central midfield with Torrie, Sam Royston was on the right flank and Josh Adams was lone striker. Thistle were close to full strength, with a back four (right to left) of Kuba Jerabek, Martin Kees, Junior Jimmy and Oliver Aldridge. Te Kani Wirepa-Hei was on the right flank, Samson Hotas on the left, skipper Cory Thomson and Nick Land were in the middle, with Travis White acting as link to Somerton up front. Both sides were well served by their goalkeepers, Andy McIntosh for United and Mark Baple for Thistle. United scored in the 36th minute. A free-kick on the right flank, just inside Thistle's half, was hoisted deep into the penalty area. It dropped in no-man's-land between the defensive line and the keeper, Thompson had made a run from the side, controlled the ball and flicked it past Baple into the net. Three minutes later the Jags could have equalised. White hit a first-time through ball for Somerton, who attacked the right side of the penalty area. He opened his body for a left-foot shot into the far corner but it went wide. In the 40th minute, Thompson was shown the yellow card for cleaning out Somerton as he reached a ball down the left flank. Thistle's Land was shown the same card for a rough tackle in the 42nd, and three minutes later Junior Jimmy saw the yellow card a second time. The pattern till then was Thistle applying pressure and United defending in depth, crowding Somerton and threatening on the break and at set pieces. The second half opened with a foot race between Josh Adams and Kees for a ball over the top. Adams appeared to have the edge, but as he prepared to shoot Kees made clean contact with the ball for a match-saving intervention. In the 55th, Adams got free on the right and Baple saved with his foot. In the 61st, United had another free-kick from near halfway. Baple resolved to deal with it but couldn't make contact and the defence scrambled to clear the danger. A minute later, Somerton got his nose in front of Thompson in the race for a ball in behind the defence, then held him off and scored with a left-foot shot into the far corner. Land was filling a more defensive role in the absence of Junior Jimmy, but the chances kept coming. In the 70th, Somerton broke clear on the right but his shot was straight at the keeper. Somerton appeared to go clear again in the 74th but Thompson recovered well and McIntosh was able to block the shot. Marfell was free 20 metres out in the 76th but Baple saved with his legs, then in the 85th Anderson rose at the far post for a header that Baple blocked by instinct and the defence cleared in relief. Advertise with NZME. Two minutes later, Hotas hit one from 20 metres that McIntosh dived to save just inside his right-hand post. In a hectic final 20 minutes United's Graham and Robertson and Thistle's White were shown the yellow card and the match ended moments after the reversal of the penalty award. Thistle coach Tam Cramer said his side, with 10 men, outplayed United in the second half but couldn't put them away. 'But we will take the point. It's good that we're still top of the league.' United coach Josh Adams said that before the game he would have been 'very happy' with a 1-1 draw. 'We know how dangerous Jimmy Somerton is, and we had to respect that and have a marker on him all day. Dane Thompson did well there.' He was also pleased with how well Purcell and Anderson combined in the middle of the defence. 'We think Kieran [Higham] will be out for a minimum of four weeks, so Jonathan [Purcell] has come back at the right time.' United next play Thistle at Harry Barker Reserve on July 26. The game between HSOB Gisborne Boys' High and Taradale Reserves was over as a contest by halftime, but Boys' High – still searching for their first points of the season – did better in the second half. A hat-trick by Taradale striker Josh Jenkins was the individual highlight. He scored in the 14th, 39th and 80th minutes, his last a spectacular right-footed horizontal bicycle kick that connected with a cross from the right. Goals by Oskar Sherratt in the 37th minute and Ethan Bryan in the 45th completed the Taradale scoring. A minute after Taradale's fifth goal, midfielder Matt Hills scored for Boys' High, latching on to a ball from the right and firing into the keeper's right corner. Boys' High coach Garrett Blair said that debutants Jonah King up front and Nathaniel Fearnley in midfield had adjusted well to the pace of the Eastern Premiership, while right back Mako Fukushima-Hall, centre back and captain Shai Avni and right-winger Jacob Adams had continued their good form. Matt Hills tried to get the Boys' High midfield going, but in the Taradale engine room Logan Hutchinson, Nico Correa and Bryan were industrious and creative, while strikers Jenkins and player-coach Matt Single were prepared to come back and fetch. Taradale fullbacks Josh Ratcliffe and Theo Munialo, and centre back Sherratt were an uncompromising defensive line that Boys' High struggled to break. Taradale player-coach Matt Single, 42, said it was two years since he'd played at this level. He was pleased for his young team that they'd got their first win of the season.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New comedy about Blur vs Oasis chart battle coming to York in 2026
A new comedy play about the Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis is coming to York. The Battle will be performed at the Grand Opera House from June 9 to June 13, 2026. It is the first stage play by screenwriter and Sunday Times best-selling novelist John Niven. The play is based on the summer of 1995, when the two bands went head-to-head in a chart battle. Mr Niven said: "1995: a time long before music splintered into a billion different TikTok feeds. "When music was so central to the culture that two pop groups could dominate the entire summer, the evening news, and the front page of every newspaper in the country. "We're going to take you back there." The play will be directed by Matthew Dunster, who said: "I remember the Battle of the Bands. "I remember the charts that week. "Music mattered. "I remember being in my twenties in 1995. "What a wild time. "Full of energy, naughtiness, and hilarity. "Just like John Niven's play. "I'm so delighted to be working with John on such a punchy, hilarious, and revealing comedy about two of the best bands of all time, Blur and Oasis." The creative team also includes Fly Davis as set and costume designer, Jessica Hung Han Yun as lighting designer, Ian Dickinson as sound designer, Tal Rosner as video designer, and casting director Claire Bleasdale. Tickets will go on sale for ATG+ members on April 30, 2025, and general sale will be from May 2, 2025 via
The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis revisited in ‘punchy' new comedy
It was the great Britpop showdown in the summer of 1995, billed as a contest between cheeky chaps and lairy lads. Thirty years on, a new play is to revisit the fierce rivalry between Blur and Oasis when both British bands put out a new single in the same week and competed to grab the No 1 spot in the charts. Some purchased both releases, many couldn't care less, but for a few days it was a decision that defined you: whether to spend £2.99 on Oasis's Roll With It or Blur's Country House? The Battle is the debut stage play of novelist and screenwriter John Niven who said of the era: 'Music was so central to the culture that two pop groups could dominate the entire summer, the evening news and the front page of every newspaper in the country. We're going to take you back there.' These days, said Niven, music has 'splintered into a billion different TikTok feeds'. The Official UK Singles Chart, now based on streams and downloads as well as CDs and vinyl, does not bring the nation together as its Sunday afternoon radio broadcasts once did. The play's director, Matthew Dunster, said of the time: 'Music mattered. I remember being in my 20s in 1995. What a wild time. Full of energy, naughtiness and hilarity. Just like John Niven's play.' The Battle, said Dunster, is 'a punchy, hilarious and revealing comedy about two of the best bands of all time'. The play – billed as 'based (mostly) on real events' – will follow the feud between the two bands preceding the chart battle, including the 1995 Brit awards where Blur beat Oasis to the trophies for best British single, album and group of the year. A year after the chart battle, coverage of a music industry charity football match centred on Liam Gallagher and Damon Albarn tussling on the pitch as the group's rivalry continued to be hyped by the media. The new play will explore how music fans clashed as they picked which band to support. An allegiance to Blur or Oasis could go beyond the tunes and also open up questions about class, fashion, masculinity and the north-south divide. Producer Simon Friend said: 'Throughout my sister's teenage years, she had an enormous poster of Damon Albarn on her wall, and I remember her falling out with friends over which band they loved more. Ever since, this story has been in the back of my mind, and I was delighted that John Niven agreed to write it because there is no more qualified or hilarious chronicler of this world. Combined with Matthew Dunster directing, we have a fearless team recreating the sweaty mid-90s carnage of the Battle of Britpop'. Niven worked in the music industry for more than a decade and drew upon some of his experiences in the Britpop novel Kill Your Friends, which was published in 2008 and then adapted as a film in 2015. Dunster is the director of the hit 2:22: A Ghost Story, is currently reviving Dealer's Choice at the Donmar Warehouse and will this summer stage an adaptation of The Hunger Games in London. Casting for The Battle has not yet been announced. The play opens at Birmingham Rep in February. Joe Murphy, the theatre's artistic director, said: 'Our audiences are going to have the time of their lives being taken back to the rivalries, the chaos and the big personalities that made it all so unforgettable.' After it finishes in Birmingham the play will go on tour and have a West End run. As spoilers go, it's not quite up there with The Mousetrap but, for the record, Blur emerged triumphant that Sunday in mid-August. Country House sold 274,000 copies while Roll With It shifted 216,000. On top of their Britpop rivalries, Oasis's Gallagher brothers also feuded with each other for years but this summer they are reuniting for the much-anticipated Oasis 25 international tour. In a joint statement after its announcement, the band said: 'The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned.' The Blur v Oasis battle has also long since abated. 'I like them,' said Blur's Alex James in 2024. 'He's an incredible singer, Liam, and he can't help being a rock star.'
