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OffTheWall
Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014
No.29
Winter
2014

Informative

supportive

creative

Journey
into Baths

wilder
history

IN THIS ISSUE...

The Benefits Jigsaw / Profile on Filmmaker Ken Loach

Out of the Shadows: Baths Wild History / Jamies Recipes

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

Who are DHI?

Developing Health and
Independence is a charity
that challenges social exclusion
by supporting people to achieve
their potential and contribute
to the richness and wellbeing
of their community.
We provide a comprehensive
range of services in Bath and
North East Somerset, South
Gloucestershire, Bristol,
Wiltshire, and Somerset for
people who are socially
excluded for reasons such as
homelessness, alcohol or drug
problems, learning disabilities
or emotional difficulties.
We help people to turn their
lives around by tackling both
the causes and consequences
of social exclusion through
practical and emotional support
services such as information
and advice, supported housing,
counselling, activities, and
employment and training
opportunities.

Get involved with

Off The Wall
OTW is a magazine for service
users of DHI by service users
of DHI. We would like for service
users across DHI to contribute
to the magazine. The OTW team
meet every Wednesday at 12pm
at the Beehive in Bath. You are
very welcome to attend these
meetings and become part of
the team that puts the magazine
together.
However if this isnt for you,
you can still get involved by
sending any contributions or
suggestions for the magazine to:
samblacker@dhibath.org.uk or
by speaking to your key worker.

Hi there!
Welcome to the 29th edition of Off The Wall,
DHIs service user magazine.
Having recently been informed by the now
notorious ex minister for Civil Society that charities
should stick to knitting, DHI decided to move into
street theatre instead, allowing a group of service
users to put a mirror up to the contradictory and
often unhelpful attitudes and approaches toward
the poor throughout history, best summed up as
Patronage or Punishment.
DHI along with other charities offer a different
approach which seeks to empower service users
to achieve their potential. Off the Wall, an entirely
peer led magazine contributes to this, allowing
service users to express their opinions, be creative
and provide entertainment and useful information
for others. We all have a right in a democracy to
air our views, and that is exactly what OTW does.
Long may it continue.

Rosie Phillips
Chief Executive

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

Top pic: My benefits jigsaw, page 4

Middle: Life in the shadows, page 6
Bottom: Out of the shadows, page 11

Contents
My Benefits Jigsaw 4
Poetry Corner

Life in the Shadows

Andrews Interview

10

Out of the Shadows

11

Profile on Ken Loach

15

Focus on: Acupuncture

18

Jamies Recipes

19

Andys Jokes

20

Quiz Time

21

Get in touch with DHI

22

Patron Midge Ure Off The Wall Editorial Team Feature writers: Lee Coombes, Kirsten Elliott, Andrew Campbell, Jim Timoney
Contributors Rosie Phillips, Jessica Lovelace, Matt Sherley Price, Jamie Check us out online: www.dhi-online.org.uk/clients/category/Off-The-Wall
Get in touch! Off The Wall Magazine The Beehive, Beehive Yard, Bath, BA1 5BD. Tel 01225 329411
Email info@dhibath.org.uk. Copyright 2014 DHI. All rights reserved. The Group of Seven assist with production.

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

My benef its jigsaw

Jim Timoney talks to us about the unenviable task
of piecing together the puzzle of the benefits system

he benefit changes
promised by the coalition
government have been
under way for some
time. Now, I dont pretend to
understand all benefits and their
changes, any more than I believe
those trying to implement them
do. I can, however, cover the
ones that have affected me in
the jigsaw puzzle Ive faced in
recent times.
The first that occurred was
about two years ago, when
I was informed that, having
passed the magic, free bus pass
age of sixty, I was no longer
entitled to Income Support; Id
have to claim Pension Credit
instead. Id never even heard
of Pension Credit but I went
ahead and claimed, finding to
my delight that I now receive
a substantially larger amount
than when I was on Income
Support.

Now, I dont pretend

to understand all
benefits and their
changes, any more
than I believe those
trying to implement
them do.

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

Last October, I had to submit

a claim for Employment and
Support Allowance (ESA), which
would replace my Incapacity
Benefit, if I was still entitled.
The amount would remain the
same. To date, I have not heard
anything since I returned their
huge form nine months ago; as
the amount I receive has, indeed,
remained the same, I have left
well alone and shall continue to
do that.
My entitlement to Incapacity
Benefit (now ESA) was based on
me having nervous depression
and ongoing alcoholism. In
November, however, I fell and
broke the femur in my right
thigh, resulting in three weeks in
hospital following an operation
and a month housebound in
my flat. During this time, I
developed spinal problems and
was diagnosed with the brittle
bone disease, osteoporosis. I
have also lost about 10cms (4) in
height, due to spinal curvature.
I was advised by those in the
know to claim Disability Living
Allowance. The first thing I
learned was that this, too, had
undergone a name change to
Personal Independence Payment
(PIP). Having made my claim,
I waited about five months,
during which time I had to go
to Bristol for an assessment of
my incapacity. Finally, however,
my claim was granted and back
dated to when I made it. The
amount was, of course, exactly
the same as when it was called
DLA!
As for Housing and Council
Tax Benefits, I am still being
granted full exemption from
both, due to being on the
appropriate other benefits and
have not been told otherwise.
I am also still entitled to free
dental treatment, eye tests, specs
and prescriptions. All told, I am
financially a lot better off than
before, unlike many, I am told.
Id still rather have my health

back but thats not to be.

In the case of my benefits
changes, the main difference
is nothing more than a change
of name; the amounts have
remained exactly the same,
except in the case of the
change from Income Support
to Pension Credit, which was
a complete change of benefit,
due to a different entitlement
when I passed the age of sixty.
Presumably, the government
wants to give the impression that
vast changes are being made,
as, in some other cases, they
undoubtedly are. In the case of
my own benefit changes above,
however, it is nothing more than
window dressing, the giving of
more innocuous names.
Finally, with my background
in admin, especially in the
Civil Service, albeit many
years ago now, I can find my
way through the benefits maze
with comparative ease. I cant
imagine what it must be like
for the many for whom its all
totally incomprehensible and
a succession of massive forms,
most of the contents of which
dont even apply to them. I wish
everyone doing a benefits jigsaw
the very best of luck!

Poetry
corner

Falling
Falling autumnal leaves
Red orange yellow
Seen it all before.
Falling out of favour
Red orange yellow
Seen it all before.
Falling into a lone trap
Red orange yellow
Been here before.
Seeing you every night
red orange brown
Been here before.
J.R.L.

FEATURE

Life in the
Shadows

Local historian Kirsten Elliott takes a darker look

at poverty in Bath during the 18th and 19th centuries

f you visit the Fashion

Museum, join in the Jane
Austen Festival or read the
books like Edith Sitwells
book on Bath, it is all too easy
to forget that there was another,
more shadowy side to the city.
Bath Corporation itself always
tried to appeal to the wealthy
visitors. But the very presence
of rich tourists and the wealth
and industry their presence
generated meant that the city
also attracted a very different
kind of visitor the poor. Many

were already beggars, but others

were those simply trying to find
work but without social services
or state welfare, there was a very
fine line between just earning
enough to keep alive and having
to turn to begging.
It was easy, too, for apparently
comfortably off and successful
members of society suddenly to
find themselves in difficulty. The
Georgian newspapers constantly
had notices of bankruptcy,
of complete households and
workplaces being sold off to

pay creditors. The unhappy

bankrupt might find himself
incarcerated in a debtors prison
with little chance of coming out
if money could not be raised to
pay debts.

...the very presence

of rich tourists and
the wealth and
industry their presence
generated meant that
the city also attracted
a very different kind
of visitor the poor.
Life was particularly hard for
women, if the breadwinner died.
Oddly, working-class women
were often better off here, taking
over and running the family
business. Georgian Bath was
full of successful businesswomen doing jobs that even
today might be thought of as
mans work. But middle-class
women like Jane Austen, her
mother and sister, finally had
to throw themselves upon the

charity of relations. After Janes

father died, they ended up living in
Trim Street, desperately trying to
be invited out rather than having
to entertain callers, to preserve
their precious stocks of groceries,
especially tea and sugar. The
poorest often had no choice but
to turn to prostitution.
Thus streets like Avon Street
and Corn Street gained a
reputation as being sinful places.
We find the term nymphs of Avon
Street in Tobias Smolletts book
Humphrey Clinker, published
in 1771, less than forty years
after the street was first built.
But Avon Street also had many
perfectly respectable working
people living there, struggling,
not always successfully, to keep
themselves out of penury. In 1788,
Richard Marshfield, a lodger in
Mrs Scudamores house, gave up
the unequal battle and hanged
himself. She found him when
she went outside to feed her pigs
which she kept in a yard behind
her house. That brief story gives a
glimpse in life in the poorer parts
of Bath at that time.
It is no wonder that Bath was
a city of dead babies. Women in

service who found themselves

pregnant were faced with the
choice of throwing themselves
on the charity of the parish or
getting rid of it. In 1829, the body
of a newborn baby was found in
a privy at bottom of Cornwell
Row, common to all occupiers in
the row. It was found wrapped
in a blue and white handkerchief
and had been smothered. What
strikes one about this story
is the compassion of the local
community. Though it was covered
in filth from the privy, people
rescued the body and a woman
called Sarah Savage took it and
washed it.
Drink is often cited as one of
the causes of poverty, but we
should remember that almost
everyone drank far more then
than we do today. Water supplies
were unreliable, both in quantity
and quality. Alcohol was a much
safer bet, and indeed, beer was
regarded as good for you. But
there is no doubt that the poor
drank to relieve their misery.
As a rule of the thumb, the more
pubs there are in a street, the
poorer the area. Gin, of course,
was the real killer.

As a rule of the
thumb, the more pubs
there are in a street,
the poorer the area.
Distilled very cheaply, often
from highly dubious sources, it
was to the eighteenth century
what heroin and crack are to
the modern world. There were
opiates, of course, but it was
generally the middle and upper
classes who were addicted to
these, especially throughout the
nineteenth century. Laudanum
was a tincture of
opium and used to
cure most ills,
often mixed
with other
substances
such as
belladonna,
chloroform,
hashish or
mercury.

o what could you do if

you found yourself in
dire straits? The obvious
thing was to seek parish
relief but it was not always
that easy. As early as the mid
sixteenth century, the poor had
been divided into the deserving
and undeserving poor. If you
were undeserving, you could
more or less forget about help.
If you had committed a crime,
or, in the opinion of the parish,
failed to seek work hard enough,
had travelled around seeking
work instead of staying put,
had turned to begging, or were
simply young, single and fit, you
were in a fix. You werent really
supposed to travel outside of
your parish without permission,
and if caught begging elsewhere,
could be sent back home.

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

As early as the mid

sixteenth century, the
poor had been divided
into the deserving and
undeserving poor. If
you were undeserving,
you could more or less
forget about help.
Bath, and indeed Englands
other spas, were the exception.
Queen Elizabeth I had felt it
was unfair that Englands poor
could not visit spas, so she had
said that they could be visited
freely by all. This allowed vast
numbers of poor to come to
the city, and the expression
Go and be a beggar in Bath!

became common as a term for

Go away! But among them
were the genuinely sick poor.
To help them while combatting
begging, what is now the Royal
National Hospital for Rheumatic
Diseases, then known as the
General Hospital, was founded
in 1737, opening in 1742. It was
not intended for residents. Those
coming had to be sent by their
parish, with caution money
enough to pay for their journey
back home if cured and a funeral
here if they died. A painting by
the Bath artist William Hoare
shows us three such patients
being examined by Dr William
Oliver and his surgeon Jerry
Pierce. The small boy has a skin
disease possibly impetigo, but
described then as leprosy. The
woman has arthritis, but perhaps

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

the most interesting is the man.

He has been identified as suffering
from lead poisoning, possibly
caused by drinking the cider
which was supplied to agricultural
workers as part of their wages.
Not only was it made using
lead utensils, it was so strong it
stripped the lead out of the lead
glazed pottery in the serving jugs.
Other members of the deserving
poor might be accepted by the
parish for relief. Many parishes
had poor-houses (later replaced
by workhouses.) If the parish had
appointed thoughtful overseers, it
was not too bad, but around 1820,
Rev. John Skinner of Camerton
was outraged to find that Mr. and
Mrs. Hicks, the Overseers, let an
infirm pauper lie for ten days in
the Poor House without care, so
that maggots had bred in his flesh
and eaten great holes in his body.
His only attendant was
an old woman, who was
so failing that she was
unable to lift him.
Bit by bit, especially
in Bath, other charities
were set up to help the
poor sometimes even
the undeserving poor,
though the regime could
be harsh. For instance, in
Walcot Street, Ladymead
House was converted
to a place where for
Forty-six Females of
fallen reputation should
find shelter, advice and
encouragement to return
to the paths of virtue.

Allegedly it was voluntary but

women could be incarcerated for
up to three years. Some escaped,
some were dismissed some did
return to employment but often
went back to work where they
had fallen into trouble before.
They were employed doing
washing, and this may have
paid for care.
Another eloquent expression
of the attitudes of the wealthy to
poor girls in the early nineteenth
century is the sign on Gays
House in Margarets Hill, Bath.
The Asylum for the Maintenance
and Instruction of Young
Females in Household Work was
founded in 1819. It was intended
for the reception of such
destitute female children who
are of an age to leave school but
not yet old enough for household
service. Since children went
into service at the age of twelve,
this is a chilling indictment
of the times.

The Asylum for the

Maintenance and
Instruction of Young
Females in Household
Work was founded
in 1819.

Although attracting titled

patrons, and being the subject
of charity balls and concerts, by
1827 it was in trouble financially.
There had been typhus, and paid
nurses had been required. After
just over twelve years, in 1832, it
was forced to close. In that time,
61 girls were placed in service,
eight discharged for ill-health,
three expelled, five died, and
seventeen were left
in the asylum.
A more kindly, less judgmental,
charity was set up by the
Methodists in New King Street
in 1790. Called the Strangers
Friend Society, it aided the
poor, including, as its name
implies, those from outside of
Bath, without asking the reasons
for the distress a very unusual
attitude in those days. Today,
the Percy Boys Club is on
the site.
Bit by bit, the importance
of education was also realised.
Robert Nelson had begun setting
up his Bluecoat Schools as early
as 1711 where poor children
could be taught a trade. It was,
however, a hundred years before
National Schools really took
off, but there is no doubt that
education for the poor began to
raise not just their expectations
but their ability to fulfil those
expectations.

10

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

INTERVIEW

Campbell spills the beans

Lee Coombes speaks to Off the Wall writer
and resident joke-smith Andy Campbell
about his life and interests

What got you involved in DHI?

DHI helped me to get my current
flat at the bottom of Lansdown
Road, and so I became a client.
I found out about the magazine
while I was a client of Clean Slate
in Monmouth Street. There was a
poster on the wall advertising Off
the Wall, and inviting DHI clients
to contribute. So I thought, I can
do that!
What do you do for DHI?
I write articles and contribute
both a joke page and a quiz for
Off the Wall magazine.

Tell me about your hobbies

and interests.
My main interest is my Christian
faith, the evenings of Sunday,
Tuesday and Wednesday are
centred on church activities.
Sunday of course is the church
service, on Tuesday Im a
volunteer at Caf International
(an evening for international
students organised by former
student Adam Kinnison).
With regards to hobbies, I
love working on my computer,
writing my articles, jokes and
quizzes and creating covers and
discography booklets for my CDs.
My biggest hobby is my love for
the TV series Doctor Who. I have
an extensive knowledge of the
series, particularly 1963-1989.
The things I could tell you about
Doctor Who...

My biggest hobby
is my love for the TV
series Doctor Who.
What keeps you coming
and involved?
The friendly people I get
to work with on the magazine,
who stimulate my mind with
their suggestions for articles,
jokes and quizzes. They also
(just about) tolerate my amazing
jokes. I also enjoy the buzz
that being part of a creative
and award-winning! team
gives me.

What do you get from

volunteering?
The pleasure of knowing that
my abilities as a writer are being
used to hopefully stimulate
and challenge the minds of the
readers of the magazine, as
well as tickling their laughter
muscles!
Pictured clockwise from above:
Andy; A love for BBC sci-fi
series Dr Who; Andy takes part in the
Natural Bath Theatre

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

11

FEATURE

OUT OF THE

SHADOWS

Developing Health & Independence recently collaborated with the

internationally acclaimed Natural Theatre Company to produce four
live, interactive promenade theatre events (part of the Bath Fringe
Festival 2014 programme) offering a fascinating, highly imaginative
insight into the effects of poverty on society over the centuries
challenging contemporary perceptions of poverty today.

12

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

OUT OF THE SHADOWS...

he Out of the Shadows

event was a huge success,
attracting audiences of
120+ to participate in each
of the four walks that took place
over May 30 and 31, concluding
at the Beehive drop-in centre at
the close of the event to meet
Developing Health and
Independence staff and service
users and gain further insight
into the work of the charity today.
The promenade was described
by the events producers as
an entertaining journey
into Baths wilder history
and offered an exploration of
societys approach to poverty
through the ages.

...described by the
events producers as
an entertaining journey
into Baths wilder
history and offered an
exploration of societys
approach to poverty
through the ages.
Natural Theatre Company
players and Developing Health
& Independence service users
presented thought-provoking
scenes from the Roman,
Medieval, Georgian, Victorian
and 1960s periods, each of
which brought an overlooked
aspect of Baths past and the
ongoing effects of poverty into
the spotlight for contemporary
consideration. Some of the
integral scenes were

devised by clients who
participate in the Developing
Health & Independence Creative
Writing Group, and their input
proved to be invaluable to the
event as a whole.
We would like to take this
opportunity to thank the
Natural Theatre Company for
working with us on Out of the
Shadows. www.facebook.com/
naturaltheatreco, will direct
you to the NTCs Facebook page
which they created especially
for the event; here you will find
comments from NTC Facebook
followers, more images of the
event and a very interesting,
varied selection of quotes on
the issue of poverty through
the ages.
We would also like to thank all
those who were involved in making
this event happen and everybody
who came along to support it
we literally couldnt have done
it without you.

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

Through the ages, citizens

living on the margins were
useful to society and provided
a service to meet demand, be
it prostitution, gambling and
drinking dens or a black market
economy for stolen goods,
says Rosie Phillips, Developing
Health & Independence CEO.
Today, when war threatens,
we need an army. When the
labour market is buoyant, we
need labourers. But in times
of hardship and recession, our
tolerance for those living on the
margins drops dramatically
in effect, we either patronise
or punish according to our own
circumstances, and history
repeats itself when in fact we
should learn lessons from
the past.

13

14

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

OUT OF THE SHADOWS...

After participating in the event, dozens of people left feedback
in a comments book at the Beehive, via Twitter and also on the
Natural Theatre Company facebook page. Heres a selection
of some of the comments we are particularly proud of:
An excellent, multi-layered
performance in Bath today.
Powerful juxtaposition of the
appalling treatment of poor and
dispossessed people in the past as
we walk through contemporary
Bath. Strong questions asked and
poignant parallels made between
Poor Law past and Universal
Benefit today. Humbling
and motivating
Richard White

Great way
of informing
Susan Parsons

Brilliant!

Kirstin Melbourne

Congratulations to all
involved a great project!
Jill Bennett

Excellent!
Katy Wallace

My children really enjoyed this

way of engaging them to think
about these issues. Well done!
Emma McCote

Had a great afternoon following this

promenade performance, well done
to all involved. A thought-provoking
and entertaining project
Emma Firman

Do it again
please!
anonymous

15

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

PROFILE

Ken Loach:
A life behind the lens
Andrew Campbell profiles the life of film and television
director, and DHI patron Ken Loach

en Loach was born in

Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
in 1936, and attended
King Edward VI Grammar
School. Following this he spent
two years in the Royal Air Force
and then studied law at St. Peters
College in Oxford, where he
performed in the Oxford Revue.
After leaving Oxford he made his
first steps into directing as an
assistant director at Northampton
Repertory Theatre, then in the

1936

early 1960s he moved into

television, where he would make
his first major impact. The BBCs
Wednesday Play anthology series,
which began in 1964, brought Ken
Loach to public attention. In 1965
he directed a Neil Dunn story Up
the Junction, a story about three
young women in North Battersea
and Clapham Junction, for which
the BBC received a number of
complaints about the drama
documentary style and the

storyline of a back street

abortion within the overall story.
In 1966 he directed the Jeremy
Sandford play Cathy Come
Home, a story of a young couple
finding themselves homeless and
struggling to keep their children.
The broadcast of the story led
to the formation of a homeless
charity, Crisis, in 1967, and
an increase in support for the
newly-formed homeless
charity Shelter.

1965
He directs Up the
Junction, which
receives a number of
complaints to the BBC.

1967
The broadcast of Cathy
Come Home gives
Homeless charity Crisis
an increase in support.

1966
Directs Cathy Come
Home. A story of a
young couple finding
themselves homeless.

16

Cathy Come Home (1966)

Shortly after completion of Cathy
Come Home, Loach began work
on his first film, Poor Cow, which
starred Cathy actress Carol
White. Although it was based on a
novel by Nell Dunn, the film was
a largely improvised story about
the physical abuse of a woman by
her husband, who is a thief and a
robber. The film, which contained
music by pop singer Donovan,
was a box office success and led a
few years later to one of the films
he is most remembered for.
Kes (1969)
Based on the novel A Kestrel for a
Knave. This film told the story of
a developing friendship between
a bullied young boy named Billy
Casper and a kestrel he calls
Kes which he trains. A major
success in the UK, it failed to
find an audience in the US due to
the Yorkshire accents, but it still
remains a popular film to this day.

1969
Based on the novel
A Kestrel for a Knave,
Loach directs Kes, which
becomes a major success.

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

1970s and 1980s

In the 1970s and 80s Loach
continued to make films,
although they were less successful
commercially, and he started
moving into political TV
programmes. In 1982 he made the
documentary series Questions of
Leadership for the newly formed
broadcaster Channel 4, which
explored the response of the
British trade union movement to
the policies of Margaret Thatchers
Conservative government, but this
programme was not broadcast,
a decision which Loach claimed
was politically motivated.
A 1985 programme named
Which Side Are You On?, a
documentary about the songs and
poems of the miners strike which
Loach made for ITVs The South
Bank Show, was also withdrawn,
and was not shown until it won an
award at the Berlin International
Film Festival, and even then it was
shown by Channel 4, not ITV.

1990s
The 1990s saw Loach return
to the cinema, with acclaimed
films including Hidden Agenda
(a 1990 film which broached
the controversial subject of the
Troubles in Northern Ireland),
Land and Freedom (a 1995 film
about a man who decides to
fight for the Republican side
in the Spanish Civil War) and
Carlas Song (1996), which told
the story of the relationship
between a Scottish bus driver
played by Robert Carlyle and
a Nicaraguan. A woman named
Carla, who has come to Glasgow
to flee from the U.S. sponsored
war in her own country.
2000s
In the 2000s Loach continued his
mix of making films exploring both
larger subjects such as the Irish
Civil War and more intimate stories
about relationships. In 2006 he
made the award-winning film The

1995
Loach makes Land and
Freedom. A film about
the republican side in
the Spanish Civil War.

1982
Loach makes the
documentary series
Questions of Leadership
for Channel 4.

2009
Looking for Eric, a film
based on a fans admiration
for Eric Cantona is a huge
success.

17

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

Wind That Shakes the Barley, which

told the story of two brothers from
County Cork, Damien and Teddy
ODonovan, who join the Irish
Republican Army and subsequently
fight together in the Irish War of
Independence and then on opposite
sides in the Irish Civil War. The
film won the Palme DOr at the
2006 Cannes Film Festival and
became Loachs most commercially
successful film to date.
In complete contrast, two
years earlier in 2004 Loach made
the small scale film Ae Fond Kiss,
which told the story of a young
Muslim man in Glasgow who
falls in love with a teacher at
the local Catholic school, and
pursues the relationship against
his parents wishes.
Looking for Eric present
Loachs most commercially
successful film of the 2000s was
2009s Looking for Eric, which
featured Steve Evets (occasional

2014
In May 2014, Loachs
new film Jimmys Hall
was selected for the
Cannes Film Festival.

backing singer and bass player with

rock group The Fall) and former
footballer Eric Cantona, in a fairly
surreal drama about a fanatical
Manchester United supporter who,
after smoking some of his stepsons
cannabis, begins to hallucinate and
sees his football hero Eric Cantona
giving him advice which helps him
sort out his head.
In May 2014, his new film
Jimmys Hall was selected for
competition at the Cannes Film
Festival, and was another film
about Irish politics in the past,
on this occasion the 1930s.
Beyond the world of films,
Loach has been involved for
many years in politics, being a
member of the Labour Party from
the early 1960s to the mid-1990s
and in 2004 being elected to the
national council of the Respect
Coalition, and subsequently
standing for election for that
party in the European Parliament
elections. Since the late 2000s,

2014

Loach has also been in opposition

to film festivals accepting funds
from the government of Israel.
Further to that, he also supports
the Palestinian Campaign for the
Academic and Cultural Boycott of
Israel, and has expressed strong
support for Chechen independence
from Russia.
Closer to home, he is also a
patron of several charities including
Doorway (a homeless charity in
Nuneaton) and Developing Health
and Independence (DHI) in Bath.
He is a passionate supporter of
Bath City FC and is a shareholder
of the club. In 1998 he made a
documentary about Bath City,
entitled Another City: A Week
in the Life of Baths Football Club,
which was included as an Extra
on the DVD release of Looking
for Eric.

18

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

FACT FILE

Focus on: acupuncture

We get to grips with the traditional medicine, and ask whether

it can really help with drug and alcohol problems...

Q: What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a Traditional
Chinese Medicine (TCM). It
has been around for over 3000
years. It is a treatment. Period.
Contrary to many peoples
ideas of acupuncture there is
no religion or belief system
involved in the delivering
or receiving of acupuncture
treatments. Everybody,
who chooses to, can access
acupuncture without it
conflicting the teachings of their
belief system. The treatments
involve placing small needles
or similar in precise points
in the ear, usually up to five
needles in each ear.

There are approximately 200

recognised points in the ear and
these can be utilised in different
combinations for various
treatments, we call this a
points prescription.
Q: How does acupuncture
work?
Chi or Qi is the life energy
In TCM when an individual is
unwell or unhappy their Chi
energies may have become
depleted or misaligned. Chi
energy follows these pathways,
called meridians, through the
body in much the same fashion
as say, a wiring diagram. All
we are doing when we practice
acupuncture is to realign
these meridians by placing
needles along their routes.
Much like fixing the
wiring in our diagram.
Realigning meridians can
help to rebalance energies
within the mind and
tonify organs in the body.
Q: Does can acupuncture
help people with drug
of alcohol problems?
That is perhaps too big
a question to answer
simply. On its own,
probably not, I have
detoxed people who
did not want to use any
substitute drugs, which
is hard but possible
and I have certainly

witnessed acupuncture do
some quite surprising and
spectacular things.
What I would say is that
acupuncture can certainly
help as a part of your substance
use treatment, both whilst
detoxing and in recovery,
especially if you are committed
to your recovery, it can often
help support all the changes
that you are likely to be going
through. Use it as a part of
your structured treatment.
Any healthy and successful
recovery should include as
many different, stimulating and
positive things as a person
can manage.

Realigning meridians
can help to rebalance
energies within the
mind and tonify organs
in the body.
Attendees experience a whole
range of things from various
regular treatments but on the
whole, almost everybody reports
feeling calmer and having
improved sleep. If nothing else,
that cant be bad.
Q: How can I get involved?
Acupuncture runs at most DHI
offices, ask a member of staff
for further details.

19

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

Jamies recipes
Jamie has recently approached DHI South Glos for support.
He is a former chef, and is sharing a few cheap and simple
recipe ideas, heres a spicy classic. Watch out for more,
in the next edition of Off the Wall. Enjoy!

Mixed bean chilli

Serves 4
Ingredients:
Oil (a little)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 fresh chilli pepper, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chilli powder
2/3 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight,
drained and rinsed
2/3 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight,
drained and rinsed
2/3 cup pinto beans, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon sugar
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
Method:
Soak the dried beans overnight.
Heat a little oil in a large pan.
Add onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes,
until softened.
Stir in cumin and chilli powder and cook, stirring,
for about 1-2 minutes.
Add the drained beans and stock and bring to the
boil.
Boil vigorously for about 10 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to the pot.
Cover and cook on low heat for 10 hours, until the
beans are tender.
About 20 minutes before serving, add the chopped
yellow pepper and stir.
Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sugar.
Serve immediately.

20

A boy fell in
love with a girl
from Stockholm.
She was swede
sixteen.
A philosophical
monk really loved his
chips, which was why
he was known as a
deep fat friar.
When First
World War poet
Siegfried Sassoon wrote
his autobiography,
he thought of calling
it Back Again
Sassoon?

What do you
call a well
built hippie? A
hippie-potamus.

ANDY s
JOKES
Modern
instrumental groups
arent Apache on
The Shadows.

The Brazil
World Cup.
Its the Rio-l
thing.
A man was
asked if he liked
Spanish art. He
said, Well, Ive
Dalied a bit.
A man
decided to go to
South Korea to work.
He thought it would
be a good Korea
move.

21

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

MORE FUN!

Its Quiz time

How well do think you know Bath? Good luck with our quiz,
answers are at the bottom of the page...

1. Bath is how many miles

from London 77, 87
or 97?
2. What was the Roman
name for Bath?
3. What year did Bath
become a world heritage
site?
4. Which King of England
was crowned in Bath in
973 A.D.?
5. Which battle of the
English civil war took
place near Bath?
6. Who in 1712 became
Postmaster of Bath?
7. Beau Nash, the famous
Bath dandy, was born in
which city?

10. Bath has how many

theatres?
11. What is the name of Bath
City F.C.s ground?
12. Every year in Bath there
is a festival dedicated to
which composer?
13. Between 1981 and 1985,
Bath band Tears for Fears
had 5 Top Ten hits in the
UK charts. Name two of
those hits.
14. In what year did Jane
Austen move to Bath?
15. Charles Dickens book
The Pickwick Papers was
partially written at which
Bath inn?

8. The new Southgate

shopping centre was
opened in which year?
9. The Royal Crescent, Gay
Street and Queen Square
were all designed by
which architect?

Answers: 1.97 2. Aquae Sulis 3.1987 4.Edgar 5.Lansdowne 6.Ralph Allen 7.Swansea 8.2010 9.John Wood the Younger 10.5 11.Twerton
Park 12.Mozart 13.Any two from: Mad world, Change, Pale shelter, Shout and Everybody wants to rule the world 14.1801 15.The Saracens
Head, while he was working as a journalist.

22

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

www.dhi-online.org.uk

and other useful websites

www.dhi-online.org.uk
www.samaritans.org (08457 90 90 90)

www.shelter.org.uk

Available 24 hours a day to provide confidential

emotional support for people who are experiencing
feelings of distress, despair or suicidal thoughts.

Shelter believes everyone should have a home.

More than one million people a year come to
us for advice and support via our website.

www.talktofrank.com

www.gov.uk/jobsearch

A to Z list of substances explains appearance and use,

effects, chances of getting hooked, health risks and UK law.

Register with Universal Jobmatch for services like

saved job searches, uploading a CV, email alerts
and keeping track of your past applications.

www.nhs.uk/livewell/alcohol
Drinking alcohol can affect lives in a number of ways.
Visit our resources covering binge drinking, alcoholism,
drinking calculator, alcohol limits and more.

www.moneysavingexpert.com

www.drinkaware.co.uk

www.bigissue.org.uk

Raising awareness about alcohol, health issues,

legislation and drinking. Find useful information
on binge drinking, hangover remedies and the
health effects of excess alcohol.

Charity for people who are homeless giving

critical help & information

www.smartrecovery.org.uk
Find out more about SMART Recovery, find a meeting
near you or participate in an online meeting!

www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
Find out more about AA meetings and locate
a meeting near you.

www.ukna.org
Narcotics Anonymous UK Find out more about NA
meetings and locate a meeting near you.

Guides, tips articles and a forum about mortgages,

credit cards and loans from Martin Lewis.

www.crisis.org.uk
Homelessness is about more than rooflessness.
A home is not just a physical space, it also has
a legal and social dimension.

www.volunteering.org.uk
Volunteering England is an independent charity
and membership organisation, committed to
supporting, enabling and celebrating volunteering
in all its diversity.

www.mind.org.uk

www.cauk.org.uk

The National Association for Mental Health in the United

Kingdom campaigns on behalf of those
with mental illness.

Cocaine Anonymous UK Find out more about CA

meetings and locate a meeting near you.

www.rethink.org

www.release.org.uk

Working together to help everyone affected by

severe mental illness to recover a better quality of life.

Provides a range of services dedicated to meeting

the health, welfare and legal needs of drugs users
and those who live and work with them.

www.erowid.org
Erowid is an online library containing tens of thousands
of pages of information about psychoactive drugs,
plants, and chemicals.

23

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014

DHI offices

Get in touch
DHI Head office

DHI Midsomer Norton

Telephone: 01225 478730

15/16 Milsom Street, Bath BA1 1DE

Telephone: 01761 419086

Fax: 01761 417519
The Recovery Hub, High Street,
Midsomer Norton, BA3 2DP

DHI Bath The Beehive

Telephone: 01225 329411
Email: info@dhibath.org.uk
Fax: 01225 334734
The Beehive, Beehive Yard,
Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BD

DHI Project 28

DHI Bath REACH service

Telephone: 01225 463344

Email: office@dhiproject28.org.uk
Fax: 01225 463345
Project 28, 28 Southgate Street,
Bath, BA1 1TP

Telephone: 01225 422156

Email: info@dhireach,org,uk
15/16 Milsom Street, Bath, BA1 1DE

DHI Somerset Family Floating

Support Service

Telephone: 0117 916 6588

Email: info@dhibristol.org.uk
Brunswick Court, Brunswick Square,
Bristol, BS2 8PE

Freephone: 0800 0842335

Telephone: 01823 251740
Email: info@somersetfamilies.org.uk
Fax: 01823 335617
Hi Point, 2nd Floor, Thomas Street,
Taunton, Somerset, TA2 6HB

DHI Kingswood

DHI Yate

Telephone: 01179 675254

Email: info@dhibis.org.uk
DHI Kingswood, Office 10,
Kingswood Foundation, Bristol, BS15 8BD

Telephone: 01454 273643

Email: info@dhisouthglos.org.uk
Yate Treatment Centre, The Bungalow,
24a North Road, Yate, BS37 7PA

DHI Bristol ROADS Support Service

24

Off The Wall No.29, Winter 2014