Music competition celebrates local Nene Valley talent

The winners of a music competition celebrating talent in the Nene Valley have been announced.

Nenescape Landscape Partnership Scheme ran a competition over the summer to celebrate local talent, with people invited to write and send in music inspired by the Nene Valley.

Folk duo Gregg Cave and Nick Ellison have been named as the winners by Benjamin Till and collected their Nene Valley hamper from the chairman of Nenescape’s board, John Griff, in Beckets Park, Northampton.

The winning song, ‘River Nene - The Bunny Run’ was recorded during lockdown using online music sharing tools and evokes Northampton, its position on the Nene and the community spirit of its people.

Judge Benjamin Till said: "This feels like a legitimate and genuine modern folk song: political and from the heart.

"I found the words incredibly moving.

"They painted a million pictures.

"The instrumental hook is catchy and really gives the song a lift.

"I heartily congratulate Gregg and Nick."

Gregg Cave said: "It’s great to be involved in such a positive project."

In partnership with Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Nenescape is now launching a songbook of sheet music about the River Nene, available on their website, which includes links to all the competition entries.

Nenescape chairman John Griff said: "Nenescape has been delighted to support the songbook project over the past few years and continues to do so.

"It's been great to run the competition in the wake of Ben Till's remarkable Nene piece - I've always thought that flowing water has a musical quality to it and this was very much in evidence with the pieces that our contenders submitted.

"Many congratulations and thanks to all who put their creative minds to work."

Originally performed by more than 1,500 local youngsters at the Royal Albert Hall, Derngate in Northampton and Peterborough Cathedral, a 25-minute long piece named ‘Nene’ has been rearranged by composer Benjamin Till into nine short songs for community choirs and singing groups to perform.

The pieces follow the flow of the river downstream, starting at its source at Badby.

Harpole is the next village mentioned, before Northampton’s Midsummer Meadows evoke memories of swimming in the river near the Nunn Mills power station.

Woodford appears next, followed by Fotheringhay, where Mary Queen of Scots wrote a poem while she was imprisoned in the castle.

The Nene Valley Railway features as the next song remembers the Northampton to Peterborough railway, and Peterborough Cathedral is mentioned as the site of a ghostly haunting.

The final piece of music celebrates Wisbech Institute’s bells, using poetry by John Clare.

The songbook has been illustrated throughout using images from local photographers and Northamptonshire Archives Service.

For more details about Nenescape, click here.

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