Silt at Tilbury

 









                                            Gravesend from Tilbury

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Final residency day - The Chantry, a river walk, the Gurdwara and a ferry ride

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It’s my last day in Gravesend and I’m meeting Lyndsey Thompson in the New Tavern Fort park. Lydney is the   Arts and Heritage Officer for Gravesend Borough Council. It’s a job she’s had for 13 years and she loves it. In more normal years she supports arts events in the town and is responsible for the care of the historic assets, in particular The Chantry. I used to be a local government arts officer for a county, that also had district level local government. This is often a complex arrangement, with lots of overlap and challenges – but also lots of potential. I worked in local government before the economic crash of 2008, and subsequent austerity. It was a very different world in terms of funding, and support for local authorities.   I’m interested in what is happening now, and how Lyndsey works.   We talk about partnerships with other local authorities, in particular some brilliant projects that happened in the past. Lyndsey recalls a really well received one with artis...
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