Next Forum Meeting – Monday 22 July
We have been able to fit in an extra meeting before the summer break. It’s at 6-45 for 7 pm at the Vida Walsh Centre, 2b Saltoun Road, SW2 1EP (facing onto Windrush Square).
First of all, this is a chance to hear from the Integrate Agency, who have been appointed by Lambeth Council to continue the programme of support and training for community groups that was until February provided by Community Southwark.
We would also like to hear your comments on:
– Traffic around Brixton. Of course we urge you to use the on-line consultation (see below) but is there anything you want to share or query with other Forum members?
– Lambeth Country Show – how was it for you? Whether as a visitor or a stallholder, how could arrangements be improved?
If there is anything else you want to raise or present, please contact us as soon as possible so we can firm up the agenda – to the Forum Secretary, Alan Piper, on apiperbrix@aol.com
We have another Forum meeting booked for Thursday 24 October at the same venue.
Lambeth Country Show, weekend 20/21 July
Open from 12 noon to 7-30 pm each day (last admission 6-30 pm). There are some layout changes, including the main music stage returning to the field above the Lido. Once again the Show will be in a fenced enclosure within Brockwell Park, but this year there will be more gates:
– Entrance A – approach from Brixton Water Lane or the Lido (23 queuing lanes);
– Entrance B – approach from Herne Hill gate (40 lanes);
– Entrance C – approach from Rosendale Road or Norwood Road gates (10 lanes);
– Entrance D – approach from Tulse Hill or Arlingford Road gates (10 lanes).
Lambeth Forum Network
As we said in last month’s e-bulletin, the 14 different forums in and around the borough form the Lambeth Forum Network (LFN). LFN will have a spot at the Show, on Van Gogh Way – look for us about 200 yards downhill from Brockwell Hall, to the right of the path to the Herne Hill gate, beyond the portaloos. Staffing the stall is a shared effort, so if you don’t find a Brixton member when you turn up, there may well be somebody from a nearby forum like Tulse Hill, Vassall or Loughborough Junction.
Local groups taking part
We hear that Friends of Windmill Gardens, the Brixton Society, Friends of Brockwell Park and Age UK Lambeth will have stalls at this year’s show. If there are any more of you taking part, please take the opportunity to introduce yourselves.
More news, events and activities around Brixton
Consultation on Traffic Around Brixton – Act Now!
We contributed to planning improvements to Atlantic Road a couple of years back, but Transport for London have now asked for ideas for improvements over a wider area, to create “low traffic neighbourhoods”. The emphasis is on encouraging walking and cycling, and discouraging cars from “rat-running” through residential streets to get to somewhere else.
The current on-line consultation aims to pick up problems and suggestions within a fairly wide area around Brixton. It is bounded by Brixton Water Lane, via Brixton Hill and through Blenheim Gardens to Lyham Road, thence northwards via Bedford Road to Clapham North Tube Station, then via Landor Road, crossing Stockwell Road to Robsart Street, across Brixton Road and along Loughborough Junction, then via Milkwood Road to Herne Hill Station. Curiously, Dulwich Road is omitted.
Publicity has been patchy – it’s not on the Consultations page of the Lambeth website, and the closing date is unclear. So we urge you to get your comments in soon – see the website https://brixtonlnmap.commonplace.is
And remember to share local issues with us too, so we can add our weight to local concerns.
Dexter Playground Decision
In January we flagged up that Lambeth was inviting proposals for running the Dexter Adventure Playground on Railton Road. Despite tight deadlines, 19 organisations expressed interest, including the Moorland Community Development Group. Lambeth announced on 4th July that it would sign a 10-year lease with BIGKID, who already run a programme based in Stockwell. From Autumn 2018, the playground was operated 3 evenings a week by Play at Heart, on a temporary basis, but it’s recently been dormant again.
Services should resume on site once formalities are completed between the Council and the new operators.
200 Years of Brixton Prison
Friends of Windmill Gardens tell us that they will have a presence at an event in Jebb Avenue, outside the prison, to mark its 200th anniversary. It will be on Friday 26 July, from 2 to 5 pm.
Events in Windmill Gardens
Other events within Windmill Gardens include Art in the Park on Sunday 11 August. Funding from the Mayor’s National Park City Fund has enabled FoWG to offer 4 free Tai Chi sessions this month – Saturday 20th, Tuesday 23rd, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th. Each starts at 11 am and lasts 90 minutes maximum.
The Windmill itself is open for tours at least one weekend a month until October – for dates or to book a place on a full tour, see www.brixtonwindmill.org/visit
Security Survey for Brixton BID
We Rise has been collaborating with the Brixton Business Improvement District to survey local business views on security priorities. Responses were being collected this week, and will then be analysed to report to the BID in September.
We Rise conducted the last of its Summer series of Careers Networking events on 9th July. Each event focuses on a specific field of business, and this one covered Marketing and Enterprise. A new series will start up again in the Autumn. Enquiries to hello@werise.org.uk
Night-Time Economy update
Three workshops were held locally in May and June, including residents, businesses, key venues and other stakeholders. Night Time Economy Solutions Ltd. have been commissioned to report back in September with proposals based on techniques which have been applied in other town centres around the country. We will keep you informed as the situation develops.
Lambeth Community Solar Energy Project
Lambeth Community Solar, Lambeth’s first borough-wide energy co-op, is proposing to install community-owned solar panels on schools, community buildings and businesses across the borough. Not only will this generate clean green electricity, but the profits from the sale of electricity will not only refund the investors, but also support energy advice, education and innovation projects within the borough.
Already there are plans to install solar panels on Elm Green and Norwood Schools in the south of the borough. To fund this, a community share offer will be launched in September, seeking investments from £100 upwards and offering an average 3% interest. At this stage, the focus is on raising awareness, but we may ask LCS to come to our October meeting to tell us more. That would still fall neatly within the timeframe of the share offer.
LCS is supported by Repowering London, www.repowering.org.uk
Longfield Hall update
Bear in mind that some of the regular classes and exercise sessions take a break over the summer – please check with class leaders or see the website, www.longfieldhall.org.uk
Meanwhile there are a couple of shows coming up –
Space in the City, a free show at 6 pm on Wednesday 24 July, to showcase the work of resident dance and drama groups.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, at 7 pm on Saturday 27 July, tickets £5 (£3 concessions), Shakespeare’s play presented by Open Bar Theatre.
Longfield Hall recently received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a project recalling the Dark and Light Theatre Company, who were based at the hall in the 1970s.This will include an 8-week drama course for people over 50, running from September, and a 3-day drama course for the 8-14 age range in the October half term.
Look ahead to the Celebrating Age Festival
October will once again offer a series of events for older people. If you are considering an event or activity, contact Age UK Lambeth to get the details included in their programme and other linked publicity – e-mail to info@ageuklambeth.org
20 years of Art4Space at Stockwell
It’s 20 years since Art4Space was established, and they have been in Stockwell ever since. They are putting on a festival on Friday 26 July, 4 pm to 10 pm, at the Art4Space Art Centre, 31 Jeffreys Road, SW4 6QU. All welcome – but particularly if you have a project in mind with scope for mosaic or ceramics, whether an installation or some hands-on activity for your members. Enquiries to jewels@art4space.co.uk or see their website, www.art4space.co.uk
Sexual Health Services
King’s College Hospital launched South London’s first sexual health service for trans-gender and non-binary people in April. This is funded by the 3 boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham, and the Health Innovation Network, in partnership with CliniQ. The walk-in clinic runs every Tuesday from 4 pm to 7 pm, at the Caldecot Centre within the King’s College campus, off Coldharbour Lane, SE5. More information from www.cliniq.org.uk
Funding, training and support
Finding Volunteers
A common concern among community groups is finding more volunteers to help out. It’s more difficult when you need somebody with particular skills, such as a treasurer or book-keeper who can add up. The first step is probably to take stock of who you are looking for, and think about how you will brief and support them. Lambeth Council has adopted a scheme for Council staff to contribute up to 3 days a year to voluntary or community groups based in the borough, supported by Paxton Green TimeBank. Lambeth Forum Network will be represented at an open afternoon for potential Council volunteers on Wednesday 17 July. We will be happy to canvass on your behalf – but you need to send us information about what you do and who you need NOW – to Alan Piper at apiperbrix@aol.com
Rethink the collection box
With more people using card or contactless payments, rather than cash, maybe the traditional charity collecting box needs to move into the 21st Century?
ECL Plastics have launched a range of hybrid donation boxes and contactless donation devices to suit – more information at www.direct-fundraising.co.uk or contactcontactless@eclplastics.co.uk
Business Support
Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between grass-roots business start-ups and small community groups, but there are resources out there which can be useful to both…
Linking up with Impact Brixton
You don’t have to be based in Impact Brixton (at the back of Pop Brixton) to get some of the benefits of membership.
Open Project Nights continue, free, in the Impact Hub on Monday evenings, 6-30 pm (with free food if you get there promptly). More effective though if you plug-in to the on-line discussions or set up your own meet-up or talk as part of the evening.
Connect Membership is available for non-resident individuals or enterprises, providing most of the full membership benefits. Sign up before the end of this month for £18 a month (fixed forever they say) or leave it till 1st August and it will be £29.99 a month (inc. VAT).
Apart from plugging-in to regular news of up-coming events, there’s a Tea and Cake session on Wednesdays at 4 pm – great for informal networking. There’s also a free Members Lunch Club on Fridays at 1 pm, which seems to be working its way through a list of all the local cafes and cuisines.
The Designer Showdeck on 15 August, 7 to 10 pm, is a chance for freelancers to connect with South London businesses looking for designers in VFX, film, architecture, graphic design and more – but apply now.
Black British Bloggers Co-Working Day will be on 17 August, from 11 am to 5 pm. A chance to mingle with fellow on-line content creators, fine-tune your skills and attend a series of workshops. Also another opportunity to sign up for Impact Brixton membership at a discount rate.
Get into Film, VFX and Animation on Saturday 27 July, 12 noon to 4 pm, for the 13-19 age group. Free but you need to register. Culture in the Craft is taking over Impact Brixton for a “chop and chat” with a team of industry pros.
All enquiries to team@impactbrixton.com or see their website.
Moving into the Food or Drink Business?
Is your start-up a brand of the future? How would you pitch to a big retailer? UK Future Brands is a strand of Food Matters Live, an industry exhibition devoted to food, drink and sustainable nutrition. It takes place at Excel on 19 & 20 November. Applications are now being invited from innovative enterprises – for more details seehttps;//fulreg.wufoo.com/forms/q1lqyk7m179zphb or general enquiries to(020) 3735 5960 or info@foodmatterslive.com
Trade Shows
Trade Shows are useful opportunities to see what the competition is doing and to spot emerging trends, even gaps in the market. Before you consider exhibiting, it’s worth checking out what sort of customers a particular event will attract, and how many of them could be potential customers for your own enterprise.
The Business Show at Excel on 27 & 28 November is rather generic, with the emphasis on business-to-business support, but it offers lots of short free seminars. If you are looking for a particular business sector, get in touch in case we can suggest events of interest – some really obscure events come to our notice!
Keep in Touch
Spreading the Word
We aim to issue these bulletins each month – even in August – so if you want something included then, please ensure it reaches us by 5th August , and send to apiperbrix@aol.com
We will give priority to Brixton items, and please remember it takes a few days to compile the bulletin and distribute it, even digitally, so there’s no point now in telling us about an event planned for the 7th!
Money Matters
We want to develop other funding sources for the Forum, in addition to our grant through the LFN. As a first step, we are encouraging local groups to pay a membership subscription. You may receive an invoice in the month ahead, as we work our way through the contact list.
Subscription 2019
There is an annual subscription fee of £5 for individuals £2 for concessions, and £25 for community organisations. This is to cover basic costs without full reliance on external grants.
Subscribe online at www.brixtonneighbourhoodforum.org Follow the Membership link to the Paypal facility BACS Co-operative Bank Acc. 65560051 Sort code 08-92-99
The Mailing List
We want to be sure we are reaching as many groups and activists as possible. Please tell us if:
– You want to add a colleague, or another group, to the mailing list;
– You want to change your e-mail address so you receive news more quickly or reliably, instead of through a half-forgotten mailbox;
– You have moved away or are no longer interested.
Please advise all such changes to admin@brixtonneighbourhoodforum.org