Diary of Local Events
Council Elections Approaching
We have mentioned before the Lambethref campaign, which is collecting signatures for a petition to make the Council more inclusive. Although we will elect 63 Councillors on Thursday 5 May, barely a dozen of them will have any power as Cabinet members, largely unchallenged by the rest. the petition is intended to trigger a referendum on returning to a committee structure which gives all the Councillors a voice – they might even start to speak up for the interests of residents! See their website, https://lambethref.co.uk
In the run-up to the elections, the campaign has organised an on-line hustings with questions for candidates from community members, on the evening of Saturday 23 April. To join in, please book via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lambeth-community-hustings-tickets-307494082077
Events at Brixton’s Windmill
The Windmill will be open for tours on the Saturday and Sunday of the long Easter weekend. Full tours cost £5 and should be booked in advance via www.brixtonwindmill.org
There is also an Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday afternoon (17th), cost £2 per child. Booking as above. This will be followed by the Brixton Beer and Bread Festival on Bank Holiday Monday, 2nd May, between 1 pm and 5 pm, showcasing local beers and artisan breads (no windmill tours that day).
Events in Windrush Square
At last the bollards installation is complete, and the Covid testing station has been cleared away, leaving the space clear for a few community events:
Saturday 23 April, Community Day of Action, 2 pm to 6 pm, with stalls from various local campaigns.
Sunday 24 April, 12 noon to 4 pm, to mark the first anniversary of the unveiling of the Cherry Groce Memorial.
Sunday 26 June, 10-30 am to 12 noon, a parade and march-past by the West Indian Association of Service Personnel, followed by music and entertainment until 6 pm.
Nature and Art on Railton Road
Art4Space and Father Nature are combining their efforts to run a series of family-friendly community activities centred on the parklet outside the Hamilton Stores at 128 Railton Road. Funded by a grant from the forthcoming Mighty Hoopla Festival in Brockwell Park, sessions are free and open access – no booking required. The next sessions are both from 12 noon to 2 pm on these dates:
Saturday 30 April: Toy swap, miniature art gardens and seed harvesting.
Saturday 7 May: Seed swap, mosaic flowers & bugs, plant cultivation and care.
Longfield Hall highlights
This community hall (across the street from the Minet Library) has a busy programme of weekly sessions in various forms of dance, drama, exercise and martial arts, in addition to its Longfield Voices choir. It also hosts occasional performances, and two evenings of classical song and opera arias are coming up:
Friday 22 April at 7 pm: Valerija Iljin, Sholto Bisco-Taylor and Francesca Lauri.
Friday 6 May at 7 pm: Emma Jungling and friends.
More details of all events on their website at www.longfieldhall.org.uk
Remakery Indoor Market
Sell your pre-loved items at their Table Top Sale – or buy some replacements. You can book a table at https://www.remakery.org/indoor-market/ Continues on first and third Sundays of each month, so the next dates are 17 April and 1st May, 12 noon to 3 pm. The Remakery is in Lilford Road, on the corner of Paulet Road.
Health and Social Care
Covid is still with us.……The Government may think it’s all over, but infection levels remain high, although widespread vaccination seems to have reduced the numbers requiring intensive hospital care. There is also an overhang of “Long Covid” cases. With reduced access to testing now, the prudent course is to isolate if you appear to have any of the recognised symptoms:
– a fever or high temperature
– a new and persistent cough
– a loss or change in your sense of taste or smell
– shortness of breath
– feeling tired or exhausted
– an aching body
– a sore throat
– a blocked or runny nose
– loss of appetite
– diarrhoea
– vomiting or feeling sick.
If you have missed out on a first, second or booster vaccination, find vaccination clinic facilities near you via www.selondonccg.nhs.uk/popupclinics
Further booster vaccinations (ideally every 6 months) are recommended for:
– People aged over 75;
– Residents in care homes for older adults;
– anyone over 12 whose immune system is compromised or suppressed.
Coping with the wait for NHS Treatment
To help ease the strain and reduce the worry, a series of on-line workshop sessions are being offered to anyone in the South-East London CG, which includes Lambeth:
Cardiology, Wednesday 20 April, 1 pm to 3 pm
Cancer, Thursday 21 April, 1 pm to 3 pm
Ophthalmology, Wednesday 27 April, 1 pm to 3 pm
Orthopaedics, Thursday 28 April, 1 pm to 3 pm
Children and young people generally, Wednesday 4 May, 1 pm to 3 pm
All enquiries to healthlab@lsbu.ac.uk
Mental Health First Aid Course
Art4Space will be hosting further 2-day courses at their base at 31 Jeffreys Road, SW4 6QU. The next course for those working with adults will be on 28 & 29 April. The next course for those working with young people will be on 30 June & 1 July. The courses are delivered by It’s a Playground, supported by Studio Moross. To register, e-mail to info@itsaplayground.org
Funding, Training and Support
Grant deadlines approaching
A reminder, in case you missed previous notices issued by Integrate – contact eoin.heffernan@integrateagency.co.uk
Black Founders Fund, part of the Google for Start-ups Fund, deadline Sunday 17 April.
Amplify London, to support music education and career pathways for young people, deadline 5 pm Friday 22 April.
LEAP Co-Create Fund, to support work with Early Years children, deadline 12 noon on Monday 30 May.
Safeguarding Workshop
If you are providing any activities or services for children or young people, are your procedures and practice up to date and effective in safeguarding your users? Integrate are running a free on-line course on Wednesday 20 April from 10 am. Enquiries to eoin.heffernan@integrateagency.co.uk
Other Training and Courses
Iconic Steps, based in International House, have alerted us to several upcoming courses. For more details of each, please contact Kate at 07 923 206 770 or via kate@iconicsteps.co.uk
Music Video Production – April 25-29 or May 16-20
Documentary Film-making – May 9-13
Event Management & Digital Marketing – June 6 – 24
Commercial Production – June 20-24.
Coming Soon: Millennium Community Solutions will shortly be re-opening the Southwyck House Community Hall as a Coding and Arts Centre. More details expected shortly, but in the meantime, enquiries to gail@millenniumcommunitysolutions.com
Support for Social Enterprises
Cambridge Social Ventures are offering a half-day on-line workshop to help you get your social enterprise underway, on Tuesday 14 June from 9-30 am to 1 pm. Details recently circulated by Integrate – contact as above. Session cost £50 per person, no VAT.
Impact Brixton Thrive Programme: As reported last time, upcoming master-classes/ workshops continue on selected Thursdays at 6-30 pm. Upcoming subjects include Future-proofing Finances on 28 April, Boost your Branding on 12 May and Building Diverse and Inclusive Businesses on 26 May. Enquiries to team@impactbrixton.com
Women in Business: The WinTrade Network has an active programme of on-line events and live meet-ups for women in business. To see what’s coming up soon, see https://bit.ly/wintrade-zoom-events-landing-page
Digital Growth Funding: Marketing could be vital, so maybe you should check out the Digital Growth Programme offered by Manchester-based CProgress. Applications for grant assistance are open until 31 May – enquiries to vicky@digitalmarketinggrant.co.uk or see www.cprogress.co.uk
Green spaces, Green issues
Reclaiming Windrush Square
Since January, Ros Griffiths has convened a series of on-line meetings to bring together the various stakeholders around the Square. The past year has been depressing, with disruption during the installation of giant bollards, and two competing Remembrance Sunday events. A consensus is beginning to emerge around enabling more community events, improving the care of the Square, and even re-opening the disused underground toilets. We are moving towards re-launching the Friends of Windrush Square as an independent body able to champion the improvement of the Square. Enquiries meanwhile to rozgriffiths@googlemail.com
News from Brockwell Park
Brockwell Park Community Partners brings together all the local groups with an interest in Brockwell Park. It held its Annual General Meeting on-line on Sunday 10 April, and current topics of concern include lighting within the park for evening uses, the pressure for more commercial events, and finding ways to encourage biodiversity.
The renovation of Brockwell Hall is moving forward slowly, the first challenge being to relocate the parks depot from the Hall yard to alongside Norwood Road, so that the main works can start in the Autumn of this year.
Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses are hosting a Fermentation Workshop on Saturday 23 April between 2 pm and 4-30 pm.If you are interested in making your own kimchi and komboucha, book via: https://www.brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk/event/fermentation-workshop-5/
Refreshing Rush Common
On Saturday 2nd April, Lambeth’s Mayor, Cllr. Annie Gallup, officially re-opened the refurbished children’s playground within the northern section of the Common, between Brixton Water Lane and the Brixton Orchard. Several local organisations took the opportunity to run stalls during the afternoon, co-ordinated by St. Matthew’s Estate TRA. Meanwhile, in response to heightened awareness of women’s safety issues, the Council is preparing to upgrade lighting within various sections of the Common, a combination of better lamps on existing columns, and some extra lighting columns.
Wyck Gardens – Platform CafeThe cafe has been operating in a former public toilet block at the corner of Loughborough Road and Rathgar Road, but will close for refurbishment after lunch on Friday 22 April. This is to install a new kitchen and sliding doors, plumb-in a coffee machine and provide a take-away kiosk. Re-opening is expected during June.
Gaps show in Lambeth’s Climate Action Plan
Lambeth Council has published a wide-ranging Climate Action Plan, but rather like the Government’s recent energy plans, there are gaps and contradictions which still need to be thrashed out. If you or your group are doing anything to make Brixton greener – in any sense of the word – we would love to highlight your efforts in our bulletins.
Other News
Growing Brixton Rec Quarter
A quick update on what’s meant to be happening around the Recreation Centre…
Work is underway in Brixton Station Road to update the electricity supply for stallholders, replacing special bollards installed in the 1990s. Further improvements are promised for the Autumn, together with a start on new shopfronts below the Rec and fitting out new workspace behind them, opening off Beehive Place. Lambeth Council will take over direct management of the Rec from Better/ Greenwich Leisure with effect from next April. BRUG, representing users, has already held a meeting to call for changes, including a wider range of activities and better upkeep. London Square has been selected as the Council’s developer for the Pop Brixton site, and they are due to start their own consultations in May.
They intend to retain and refurbish International House, which would allow some continuity and earlier employment/ training benefits.Both 3Space and Pop Brixton uses are due to continue into 2024.
We are still waiting for the Mayor’s decision on the Hondo Towers proposal for the Sports Direct site in Popes Road. The controversy centres on the 19-storey office tower which would dominate its surroundings. The Mayor is likely to visit the site soon after Easter, but we suspect the decision will be delayed until after the Council elections, in order not to draw more attention to the Council’s failings.
Wayfinding in BrixtonThe Brixton BID (Business Improvement District) has been running a competition to select a design and designer for better signposting within and around the Town Centre. The closing date for entries is 12 noon on Wednesday 20 April. The winner of the £20,000 commission will be selected during May, with the new signs intended to be installed in the Autumn. Enquiries to reece.simwogerere@brixtonbid.co.uk
Review of place-names linked to Slavery
As a diverse borough, Lambeth Council is keen to review troubling links with slavery and the colonial past through old place names and monuments. Research by Lambeth’s Archivists has revealed a small number of questionable place names, and the recent change of Council ward boundaries has provided an opportunity to replace Vassall and Tulse Hill wards. Changing road names however is rather more cumbersome and expensive, so the Council is still consulting on this issue – comments can be made on their Commonplace website until 31 May – go to https://lambethunited.commonplace.is/
Brixton Bugle Art Show is back!
It’s been good to see the re-appearance of the Brixton Bugle as a paper edition this month. They are also bringing back their popular Art Show, open to both professional and amateur artists based in Brixton. The closing date is 20 May for potential inclusion in this summer’s show, at the Brixton Tate Library from 4 to 26 July. Send up to 3 digital photos of the work to arts@brixtonblog.com together with your name, address, e-mail, contact phone number and social media, together with a title and brief description of the work. You can submit up to two pictures, but they must each be no larger than 1 metre square.
And finally, a few words from the Forum Team
Last Call for Ideas for the Year Ahead
We are about to bid for continued Council funding for the year ahead, so if you think there is something else that the Forum should be doing, or a gap in what other people are providing, you need to tell us NOW. The Forum’s officers are meeting next week, and will confirm arrangements for the Forum’s Annual General Meeting soon after.
Make the most of these bulletins!Please make use of these bulletins to announce your events, share your concerns, and report what your group or enterprise is doing. We don’t have time to chase if you send us incomplete or contradictory information, so clear and succinct e-mails are very helpful. Please send in before the 5th of each month, for publication by the middle of the month, to the Secretary at apiperbrix@aol.com
Are you all receiving us?
We want to reach as many local organisations and activists as possible, so please contact us at admin@brixtonneighbourhoodforum.org
– if you want to add a colleague or neighbour to our mailing list.
– if you want bulletins sent to a different e-mail address, so you receive them more reliably or quickly.