Corby’s iconic town centre clock rings out for first time in 25 years

The bell in Corby’s iconic town centre clock was heard for the first time in 25 years this afternoon.

Transcript

00:0010, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

00:30The reason we're here today is that it's the 1st of August and at 11 o'clock for the first time in 25 years

00:55we've managed to get the town bell on the town clock rung and it's just a pleasure to hear.

01:01But anybody under the age of 25, they've never heard this bell before

01:04and the people that have been in Corby a long time, they remember the sound of that bell

01:08and it's such a joyous, wholesome ring.

01:11It was an idea put together, we thought it would be a good thing to do

01:14to take partnership with the Willow Shopping Centre and the Rooftop Arts.

01:18We're creating art here in the square at the moment, it looks like a good thing to do.

01:22And it's just mindfulness and supporting summer, it's the 1st of August, the sun's come out.

01:28It's just a great day to do things.

01:30I was walking through here, through the woods, past the Olympic sized swimming pool and past the cube

01:36I'm trying to get all the iconic images in and I walked across the zebra and thought

01:39do you know what, I've never heard that bell in such a long time, I wonder who owns it

01:43I wonder what the problems are with it, can we in any way get it rung?

01:48So I spoke to Dan Pickard of Corby Willow's Shopping Centre

01:54and he said yeah, I've got the key here.

01:56So he went up and tested it with a quick bang and it sounded wonderful again

02:01so we thought well let's do it, let's pick a day that everyone's going to remember

02:051st of August, start of summer and the summer holidays and the schools being off

02:09and everything came together, it was great to see so many people in the middle of the town centre

02:13celebrating what is part of Corby, it's unique to Corby

02:16and I think Corby has got to praise itself, give itself a pat on the back sometimes

02:21for some of the great things that are in the town that we can look upon

02:25whether it's heritage or whether it's just history or living history around, it's like the clock is.

02:30There's lots of people to thank, obviously the Willows, the Shopping Centre team

02:34Dan Pickard for ringing the bell, the rooftop because they brought down some art materials

02:40for kids if they want to draw some art or draw the clock

02:44Duncan Bond's over in the corner taking some photos, well he's not, he's drawing, he's drawing the clock

02:49and Deep Root Tall Trees who sang their song about the town centre clock here on this occasion too

02:56which is just joyous, brings everybody together in a great community feeling

03:00and I think we need this, I think the town needs this

03:03and I think every town centre needs something to bring it more together

03:06more in line with community and a social point for society.

03:10Art Choir came along and sang a song called The Clock on Corporation Street

03:15Art Choir writes all their own songs and they have done for the last ten years

03:19and The Clock on Corporation Street came about through a discussion our songwriting group was having

03:24about memories of Corby and important places and they started to talk about the clock

03:29and how people used to meet under the clock if they were meeting a new girlfriend or boyfriend

03:34and people would use it as a real kind of location point within the town

03:38and they talked about their memories of it, of it striking

03:40so we wrote this song with another local musician called George Riley

03:44and it was just perfect to come along and sing it today underneath the clock.