Friday 8 August 2014

Gravity Fields Festival - there's much more to Grantham than Mrs T

























Jane Lambert

8 Aug 2014

On 27 July 2014 I attended a performance by Chantry Dance Associates at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London (Jane Lambert "Chantry Dance Associates: Lots of Promise" 28 July 2014). At the end of the performance Rae Piper, the company's artistic director, gave a short speech in which she explained why Chantry Dance had chosen to locate in Grantham. "Don't hold Mrs Thatcher against us" she appealed.

We don't. Leaving aside the consideration that at least some members of her audience probably liked Mrs T as she won three general elections on the trot  its most famous connection by far is with the great physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton. Newton was born in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth which is just outside Grantham and went to school in the town. To celebrate the connection the town will host Gravity Fields, "a unique festival of science, arts and heritage events creatively exploring the physical sciences and celebrating one of the world’s greatest thinkers, Sir Isaac Newton" between 24 and 28 Sept 2014.

There is a remarkably full programme of events ranging from making and firing rockets for 6 to 10 year olds to quantum computers.  There are theatrical performances by the Wee Stories Theatre Company and the performance of a new ballet Chasing the Eclipse by Chantry Dance in the market place on Thursday 25 and Saturday the 27 Sept.

This is just the sort of venture that the intellectual property practitioners of our chambers like and although we have only learned about it late in the day I am looking at ways we can support it. One thing that I am considering is a workshop on patents, trade marks or designs or maybe a clinic on the lines of the ones we run in London and Yorkshire (see "New IP Clinics in Hendon and Bradford"  4 Apr 2014 4-5 IP) maybe in conjunction with local patent and trade mark attorneys and commercial law firms if a suitable venue can be found.  Whether or not that can be done in time for the festival it will not be a one off event.  We will support business, innovation and creativity in Grantham and throughout the East Midlands in any way we can.

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