A RE-ENACTMENT of William Cobbett's rural ride is set to take place on September 1. Church bells will ring out, as an actor representing Farnham's most famous son rides through town in a horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by a whole entourage of costumed players. Sadly for Farnham, however, it will not be the town of Cobbett's birth that will be enjoying that quaint and auspicious occasion. As things stand at the moment, the event, being held to launch the New Farnham Repertory Actors' Company's production, Battling Billy, will take place in Alton. The reason for this disappointing state of affairs is that while Hampshire has proved generous in its grant funding, Surrey (with the exception of Farnham Town Council) has not. "Cobbett", who is subject of the play, will deliver a speech from the steps of Alton's Assembly Rooms, although it is in St Andrew's Parish Church, Farnham, from Wednesday, September 19, to Saturday, September 22, that the play will be performed. With Hampshire seemingly happy to claim Cobbett as their own, Farnham could also miss out on a range of school and community workshops and exhibitions in connection with the production. The anomaly has arised because although Farnham Town Council has provided £1,250, no grant funding has yet been forthcoming from other councils in Surrey. By contrast, East Hampshire District Council has come up with £2,000; Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council with £1,800; Hampshire County Council with £1,000 and Alton Town Council with £500 - a total from Hampshire of £5,300. An application to the main grants scheme of the Community Partnerships Fund of Waverley Council for £4,650 - 25 per cent of the costs - was turned down by the last administration on a recommendation from officers that "the Battling Billy play does not appear to differ from the NFRAC's usual activities and therefore the project does not meet the criteria of the Community Partnerships Fund". This was despite the fact that the play had emerged as the winner of a writing competition thrown open nationwide, offered a great deal of community involvement and was based on a local hero. It was suggested that the company may wish to submit an application to the small grants scheme for the Cobbett in the Community element of the project. NFRAC has duly applied for the maximum £1,350 allowable under the rules and is awaiting a decision. Hannah Williams, who organised the play competition and has taken responsibility for finding funding, commented: "All the Hampshire authorities and Farnham Town Council have greeted this project with tremendous enthusiasm and this is a great confidence boost for the company. "Waverley have yet to recognise what a 'jewel in the crown' they have in the NFRAC. In fairness, the officers of the council have tried very hard to help us, so maybe soon the light will dawn! "The problem seems to be that all their grant- aiding schemes are tied up in knots with 'certain criteria'. I do not want to hear the word 'criteria' ever again. "We remain optimistic that our second application will be successful." In a statement Waverley Council said that the project subject of the unsuccessful application encompassed two elements, Battling Billy which is a play and Cobbett in the Community. "Their application went through a full committee process, being ELOS (envionment and leisure overview and scrutiny), executive and council, alongside all the other grant applications. "NFRAC were then given the opportunity to apply under the small grants scheme (if the application met the criteria) for the Cobbett in the Community element of the project. "We received some final details from them at the beginning of the week and have started assessing the application. "The application will be following the normal small grants process and will be assessed by the small grants panel alongside other applications. The meeting will be held in the next few weeks, so it would not be appropriate to comment on whether they will be successful yet - that is for the panel and the director of finance to decide upon. "We have offered NFRAC some very constructive support in helping them make the best of their small grant application. "They were advised to provide more evidence of their consultation with the community, demonstrate the need for the project, how the community will benefit and the commitment of the community to the project - which they have now done." Brenda Longman, chairman of the New Farnham Rep, told The Herald: "This year the NFRAC hopes to emphasise the value of education through entertainment by telling the story of Farnham's greatest hero William Cobbett to its local theatregoers in Battling Billy. "It is almost shameful how many local people are ignorant about this towering personality and his achievements and it is our fervent wish to redress this balance. Farnham should be bursting with pride to claim him as their own. "How heartening, therefore, to receive financial backing from East Hampshire District Council, Alton Town Council, Hampshire County Council, Basingstoke and Deane Council and Farnham Town Council to assist in production costs, schools workshops and a touring exhibition across Surrey and Hanmpshire. "This money represents a strong vote of confidence in what the NFRAC is achieving and boosts confidence throughout the whole structure of the company. "It seems ironic that Waverley Borough Council (bearing in mind that Cobbett was born and is buried in the WBC area) is dragging its feet over any contribution towards this project."
