Remember I said a while back I’d post occasional pieces about my elephant collection? Well, the dreadful fire which, last week, decimated the cinema in Lyme Regis got me thinking about this little chap.

I bought him in Bridport, a market town not far from Lyme and which has just been listed as one of the best places to live in England. You can see why. It has a twice weekly market, a vibrant arts scene and isn’t far from the stunning coast where they filmed Broadchurch. The town has a good smattering of useful shops and also what a good friend of mine calls, ‘They Saw You Coming’ shops. You know what I mean, the ones that sell stuff you don’t need, don’t have room for but really, really WANT! This little ellie was found in one of those gorgeous places. A sort of Bridport Prize, if you will.

I used to buy any elephant I saw. There was a time when it was quite tricky to find them. However, nowadays they seem everywhere so I’m a bit choosier and only buy if it’s different to any I already have. When I saw this guy I knew I had to have him. He stands about five inches high and is made of some kind of metal. For a while he stood on one of the beams but, as elephants are herd animals, I took pity on him and he’s now the leader of this little pack!

I’m ashamed to say I’ve run out of room on the dresser where most of the others are kept. I’m a disciple of the Arts and Crafts movement dictum which says have nothing in your house which is not useful or beautiful so I’m not sure what the thinking is behind this lot. Only a few are useful and some aren’t at all beautiful!

Who knows what goes on in a collector’s mind? Is it the thrill of tracking something down? Completing a set? Owning something rare and valuable? For me it’s none of those. Each elephant brings back happy memories of a place or a time – or a person.

This one always reminds me of being in my favourite part of the world – the Devon/Dorset border. When I saw the coverage on Twitter of the devastating fire of the Regent Cinema in Lyme Regis, I was heart-broken. Thankfully, no one was injured but Lyme has lost one of its iconic buildings and a huge asset.

I’ve been visiting Lyme since I was five (and that’s a lot of years!). I’ve just used it as inspiration for the work in progress and I’m currently having fun writing a series of novellas set in a town not too dissimilar!

The cinema was always a mainstay when the weather was wet. I saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang there and remember quite clearly the intermission cutting the film off just as the magical car was about to fly. The agony of having to wait twenty minutes to find out if Chitty and its occupants survived was unbearable. And don’t get me started on The Child Catcher! When I was taken to see Doctor Dolittle (the 1967 Rex Harrison version and filmed not a million miles away) there were live animals in the foyer. For a small child it was, quite literally, entering another world; one that had song and colour, exotic locations and beautiful people. For two or three hours I could get completely lost. And did.

At a time when most towns were losing their cinemas (all seven in my hometown closed by the time I was a teenager) The Regent kept going. Its owner also runs cinemas in Sidmouth and Exmouth and vows to re-build and re-open. I’m hoping and praying it does.

Love Georgia x