A MUSICIAN has created a song celebrating the iconic people and places that make up Wiltshire’s county town.

In April 2020, when Gavin Osborn was working with Wiltshire Rural Music, Trowbridge Town Hall director, David Lockwood asked if he wanted to be part of a video series for the Song for Trowbridge project.

The idea behind the project was to capture the town, its people and stories, in just one song.

Comedy-folk act, Jonny & The Baptists, had spent time meeting shopkeepers, market traders, councillors and the town’s people to pull together a song.

This was derailed by the pandemic and when Jonny & The Baptists were unable to finish their work Gavin took up the mantle.

Gavin said: “The response to the song has been overwhelmingly positive, which is great.

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“It feels good to have involved so many people and places from the town, and to help tell their stories.

“Even though I wrote the melody and pieced it all together, it really feels like a collaborative process that was only possible thanks to all the conversations we had. It’s already six minutes long but could’ve been way longer.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to create more projects like this in the coming months and years and give people the chance to get involved to help shape the future of Trowbridge.”

The hook for the song was inspired by an interview with Meg Mosley, an artist who created an entire show about why she returned to the town called Trowvegas.

In her interview, she said “We’re the only ones who are allowed to put it down”, which would later become the big hook of Osborn’s song.

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The song has now been viewed thousands of times and features the many faces of Trowbridge past and present.

With Humphrey I de Bohun, who built Trowbridge Castle during the 1100s walking down Fore Street at the start of the tune.

Gavin continued: “Once I had all the research in front of me, the actual songwriting happened surprisingly quickly.

“Once I’d recorded the guitar and vocals, we got other musicians involved to add drums, piano, vocals and brass parts, and were even able to add the voices from the Trowbridge Rock Choir to the choruses, which really fills out the sound.

“I’m really proud of the finished song and hope more and more people get to hear it and celebrate their town.

“Being able to perform it live for the first time at the Town Hall on Saturday was a treat too – hearing people singing the chorus back to me and knowing that some of the lyrics strike a chord with the audience was really special.”

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The project is part of Here and Now, a national and local celebration of culture within communities.

Here and Now is supported by the Arts Council England and Future Arts Centres marking the National Lottery’s 25th birthday.