Photo courtesy of Hemel Hempstead Gazette
So who are we, this mouthy bunch of people who are joined by a common urge to write about things from the Tring viewpoint? Are we all the same — all hot-eyed Ancient Mariner types with a desparate urge to bend the world to our views? Not really.
One thing’s for sure, we’re certainly a mixed bunch. Different ages, different attitudes, different hobbies and different opinions. The thing that is similar about us is our commitment to keeping a flow of interesting observation and comment going about anything and everything as seen from the Tring viewpoint. Tring is an unusual community (unlike London, Paris or Rome there is only one place called Tring in all the world.) The community is particularly fortunate to enjoy a situation in which all the youngsters of the town and surrounding villages end up within the same single school. That means that the school itself has great variety and breadth of character and is truly representative of the whole region.
What does bind the team together is an interest in expressing opinions and viewpoints on the web in such a way that they stimulate response and in some cases controversy. Heather Simms, the Community Relations Manager of Tring Learning Centre, is the fulcrum of all its activities and the partnership between her and Freddie Witherden on the technical side has proved very fruitful.
Increasingly we’re seeing a greater breadth of age groups from within the school community as some of the younger members realise that their opinions are just as welcome as those from Year 13. Our most prolific writer so far is Emily Wood, who finds an endless range of interesting issues in her column “Revelations”.
We’re also encouraging the staff team and the support staff to get involved, as well as different members of the Tring community who have an involvement with the school, the sports centre, the Learning Centre, or any of the other activities that go on at the Mortimer Hill site. That’s why we call it “Tring Campus Talks” — it’s not just about the school and its doings but rather about the whole wide world as viewed from our eyrie on Mortimer Hill.
Photo courtesy of Hemel Hempstead Gazette
My job as Managing Editor is to make sure that we have a balanced and representative set of viewpoints expressed, and that people feel confident to put their point of view across without fear or favour. Naturally, everything has to be expressed within the context of decency and legality, but we do look for a broad range of opinions and no single one of them is necessarily representative of the views of the ‘management’. The internet is like that — it’s open to all, available to all and limitless in its scope. That is why it’s such an exciting platform on which to express thoughts and opinions.
The other big thing about us is that we are constantly changing. It is not just one gang of people banging on about the same old stuff. Writers and reporters come and go, some get bogged down in exams or work, some leave the school, others join in with new enthusiasm and that really helps the dynamic.
Why don’t you do us all a favour and let us know what you think?
All contributions should be addressed to Heather Simms, Editor, Tring Campus Talks (hsimms@tring.herts.sch.uk).
— Grahame Senior, Managing Editor