Matt Harvey, Totnes-based poet and raconteur, said at a gig last year in Totnes that “if Totnes is twinned with Narnia, then Newton Abbot is twinned with Despair,” and he’s going to the South Devon market town for the show Newton Abbot – Town of Despair, on Saturday, February 6, 7.30pm.
Transition Newton Abbot has challenged Matt to brave the slough of despair and explain what he means. The event takes place upstairs at the Jolly Farmer pub, opposite the Alexander Cinema.
Food is available and donations are welcome for more details call Helen on 01626 872721.
• Which would you prefer Narnia (still presided over by the White Witch character of Anthony Steen) or Despair? Comments below, please

For office supplies and stationary, visit Euroffice who are the UK’s no1 online office supplies company.




































It’s not much of a choice you give us here – suggesting that at least there’s hope in Narnia.
Anthony Steen isn’t the White Witch – far too ungainly. The White Witch is that vile new age faerie (whichever one you currently dislike most: see Tim Minchin’s Storm) surrounded by the gnomes of Hood Manor, it’s everlasting irrational winter in her company. Some people go to Newton Abbot to escape her (and the gnomes) and who can blame them? But Matt Harvey knows this.
btw ‘Storm’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB_htqDCP-s
If Totnes is a fragrant wet-wipe – Newton Abbot is a used Brillo Pad.
Not all bad though – there’s humour to be found here in a rock-salt-and-nails way.
ASDA in Abbers just kills me – think Hajj with shopping trolleys – totally teeming with hordes of hunter gatherers that would frankly look more elegant in the water. But get talking to someone when you’re slo-mowing at the checkout and, despite the often Easter Island stoney visage, you’ll find people to be affable and open.
Frankly, I’d rather have that than the hand-me-down-Californian Totnes’ ten-mile stare.
Befor my retierment I spent years trying to put a little culture in to Newton Abbot. It has not yet changed notisably but I am not despairing as I see lots of the yong people I worked with putting on small events. I expect thease events to get bigger as they get older, though I will probably not live to see it. I wonder what the image of the two towns will be in 50 years. Perhaps we should twin Totness and Newton Abbot.
No, no, no, I think we can be more generous than that! Surely Newton Abbot is twinned with Trumpton. Folks may be a bit wooden, but at least they gets things done.!!?!