Seeing the bigger picture

Ilearned a lot chatting to Clive Morton the other day.

Like most people who live locally, I well remember the ugly 1970s office block situated to the west of St John’s Church in the city centre. Its demolition a few years ago led to the creation of St John’s Square, the grassed area which has opened up views of the west front of the medieval church.

What I didn’t know was that these improvements were driven by St John’s Church itself in tandem with various local agencies. As Clive Morton told me, “It’s the bigger picture we were interested in. Urban regeneration certainly, but we were also thinking of St John’s as a cultural centre in the heart of Peterborough.”

Clive has been involved with the church for many years, since 2009 often acting as chairman of the St John’s Community Interest Company.

“Our aim was to create a space that’s people friendly, improving the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Now our main priority is to build on what’s been achieved so far,” he continued.

Improvements have taken place internally as well as externally. “New glass doors, a kitchen, a meeting room, and loos have added to the church’s amenities,” Clive told me. “And they’ve increased its reputation as a venue for concerts including Tuesdays Till Two, lectures, poetry readings, art exhibitions, and craft fairs. As well as a place to meet over a cup of tea.” But it doesn’t stop there. Clive Morton’s special brainchild has been the series of young children’s concerts known as Piccolo, soon to embark on its fourth annual season at St John’s. Clive told me that he’d taken his granddaughter Mai to some children’s concerts in London called Bach to Baby. She enjoyed the experience so much that Clive thought he’d try something similar in Peterborough.

I’ve played at two of these concerts myself and can confirm just how popular and successful they are. Each month around 40 children plus mums and dads turn up for them. “Everyone enjoys them,” said Clive. “We have personable soloists who are keen to communicate the joys of classical music to kids in a very safe environment. In addition,” he told me, “it brings people into church who wouldn’t normally come.”

But, Clive Morton’s role in this heartening success story wasn’t the only thing I learned during our conversation. True, I already knew that he and his wife Florence own a villa in Italy and use it as a base for holidays for guests from the UK. “Most people who visit us live their lives at 100mph,” Clive told me, “so our holidays are really retreats. They’re all about being peaceful, reflective, and getting off the treadmill.” Clive explained that although there’s a spiritual dimension to the retreats it’s completely optional.

What I didn’t realise was that there were also extramural activities including trips to neighbouring cities to view art treasures. Nor did I know that retreats featuring music and meditation to be led by virtuoso pianist Christina McMaster are planned for the future.

Clive Morton and I are both Italophiles and inevitably we got onto the irresistible subject of Italian food. Yet another surprise was that it’s Clive who does the cooking on the retreats. “I dip into Italian recipes,” he said modestly. “The different pastas of course, but plenty of other things too. Like melanzone parmigiana, made with aubergines, mozzarella, and parmesano.” Mmmm.

It was hard to tear ourselves off the subject of Italy, especially when Clive told me that his villa and apartments are situated in Umbria not far from Assisi, one of my favourite cities. There’s more information at www.umbrianretreats.com.

But now, it was time to return to Britain and for Clive to talk about his involvement with Peterborough Opera.

Although he’d sung in various church choirs he told me that he’d no idea that he could sing in opera. He prefers to remain in the chorus but also acts as chairman to the group. “One of the great things about Peterborough Opera is that its rehearsals are on Friday evenings,” he said.

“It’s the end of the week and you can relax and let the music wash over you.”

Its next production in October will be Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Previous ones have included some spectacularly challenging operas that you might have thought outside the scope of an amateur company. Clive mentioned Peter Grimes, Hugh the Drover, Candide, and Sweeney Todd.

It had been a delightful and illuminating chat. As a result of it I can only hope that Clive Morton will continue to play a vital and beneficial role in the local arts scene for many years to come.