Community craft
Keeping the faith
Susan’s story
Inside South London Makerspace
Hakan Hayrettin’s push for the playoffs
Meet local writer Susan Allott
ue Iss 41
r Ma b/ 24 Fe 20
Bouncing back The fall and rise of Quince Garcia
2 | PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
The Roots of Rosemead ROSEMEAD PREPARATORY SCHOOL, SET IN THE HEART OF DULWICH, LOOKS AHEAD TO AN EXCITING 2024 Rosemead Preparatory School and Nursery, Dulwich, south London, is an independent, co-educational day prep school for children aged 2 and half to 11. The school’s motto ‘Inspiring Brilliant Futures’ is at the forefront of all the school does. Their focus is providing a unique education to each and every child, nurturing their individual strengths, interests and needs. Speaking about the school, Head, Graeme McCafferty says: ‘At Rosemead, we strive to provide a balanced curriculum that nurtures the holistic development of each child. While academic achievement is important, we firmly believe that education should encompass much more than just exams and grades. ‘Our approach is centered around ensuring that your child receives a wellrounded education that includes a strong emphasis on Music, Art, Drama, and Sport, without compromising on academic excellence.’ ‘Every year, we witness the artistic talents of our children as they win National Art Awards and perform in breathtaking
productions. Moreover, our sporting achievements are equally commendable, with several students qualifying and competing at the National Athletics competition in Birmingham this year.’ Last year, Rosemead merged with the award-winning St Dunstan’s College to create a community of schools consisting of St Dunstan’s Junior School, St Dunstan’s Senior School and Rosemead Preparatory School. Speaking about the merger, Rosemead Head, Graeme McCafferty explained: ‘This is such an incredible opportunity for sharing best practice, working collaboratively and sharing experience to make all schools in the community unique, excellent educational establishments. We have a shared vision to provide an ambitious, forward-thinking education to the young people under our care and to ensure that, in so doing, we both inspire and support each child to thrive as an individual.’ He added: ‘There are numerous advantages presented by the merger. For children, we can share facilities, resources and learning opportunities. For staff,
we can share best practice and work collaboratively through staff training and development. It is probably the most exciting and significant development for Rosemead in its 80-year history.’ Rosemead is also taking the lead in its approach to artificial intelligence (AI), incorporating it into its forward-thinking curriculum. ‘At Rosemead we like to take risks in our learning, we instil this into the children but also encourage our staff to do the same,’ Graeme McCafferty explains. ‘At the early stages of our journey into using AI in the classroom the fundamental question to ask was whether it genuinely enhanced the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. ‘Upon exploring Century Tech and AI in the classroom, we determined that the answer was a resounding yes. A year ago, we introduced a comprehensive digital strategy at our school, which outlined the transition to a modern and dynamic curriculum. Moving towards 1:1 Chromebooks in Years 4, 5 and 6 with iPads being used in Nursery to Year 3.
‘At Rosemead, we value balance and moderation in all aspects of our curriculum, including the use of AI. We recognise the immense potential of personalised learning programs for our students, and the progress they have made throughout the year stands as a testament to our model of embracing technology.’
Find out more about Rosemead Preparatory School and Nursery at one of their upcoming open events. To book, please visit www.rosemeadprep.org.uk THE DULWICH DIVERTER
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
NEWS | 3
Welcome to issue 41 of The Dulwich Diverter Thank you for picking up the February/ March edition of the Dulwich Diverter, your free local paper for Dulwich. Many of the team who work on this paper are also involved in the production of our sister title, the Peckham Peculiar, which launched 10 years ago. After winning the ICNN Independent Community Newspaper of the Year title at the Newspaper Awards last year, the Peculiar has been shortlisted in the Hyperlocal Newspaper of the Year and Newspaper Employee/ Team of the Year categories at this year’s awards, which take place annually to “celebrate excellence and innovation in the printed newspaper”.
Gary Cullum, director of the Newspaper Awards, said: “Printed newspapers will evolve for many years to come and will continue to be published alongside their digital counterparts. “The 2024 Newspaper Awards will focus on production and innovation in national, international, regional, weekly and hyperlocal newspapers. It will recognise the skill and expertise of all the employees involved in producing the printed publication.” The winners will be announced on 26 March. As ever, working on this issue of the Diverter has taken us to all corners of Dulwich, meeting inspirational residents and much-loved local businesses along
the way. A case in point is our cover star, Quince Garcia, who is interviewed on page 8. Growing up locally, Quince was 12 when he began committing lowlevel, petty crime, which later escalated into more serious acts and led to time in prison. However, the father-of-three completely turned his life around and now uses his personal experience of growing up to run youth crime prevention workshops with Southwark Council’s youth offending team, providing creative skills courses and mentoring to young people. We also meet the people behind South London Makerspace (page 11) and
share snaps of Dulwich Park taken by photographer Julia Hawkins (page 12). The next edition of the Dulwich Diverter will be published in April. As ever, it will be distributed to our many stockists across East, West, North Dulwich and the Village. If you’re a local business or organisation who is interested in advertising, please drop us a line via dulwichdiverter@gmail.com. We would love to help promote what you do both in print and online, across Dulwich, south-east London and beyond. We hope you enjoy the issue!
Mark McGinlay and Kate White
Artistic dynasty comes to Dulwich Dulwich Picture Gallery will shine a spotlight on Japanese printmaking in a must-see new exhibition. The showcase will feature three generations of woodblock print artists and will trace the evolution of printmaking in Japan over the course of two centuries. It will bring together artworks by the Yoshida family, a Japanese artistic dynasty including Yoshida Hiroshi, Fujio, Toōshi, Hodaka, Chizuko and Ayomi. The exhibition will open with work by Yoshida Hiroshi, one of Japan’s greatest artists. A pioneer of the shinhanga movement, he travelled across the world and gained an international reputation for his woodblock prints of American and European landscapes. New research will provide an insight into Hiroshi’s time in London, including his visit to Dulwich Picture Gallery in 1900. His signature in the gallery’s visitor book, along with his diaries, will serve as an intimate starting point for the show. The exhibition will include more than 20 works by Hiroshi, many of which will be on display in the UK for the first time, with highlights including El Capitan (1925), A Canal in Venice (1925) and Kumoi Cherry Trees (1926). Works by Yoshida Fujio, a renowned watercolourist, painter and printmaker, will also be exhibited. Fujio was married to Hiroshi and travelled with him across America and Europe, showcasing her delicate watercolours of Japan to great acclaim. In addition, the exhibition will feature prints by Hiroshi and Fujio’s sons, Toōshi and Hodaka, both of whom brought postwar
by the cherry trees in Dulwich Village, which originate from the iconic site of Yoshino in Japan, home to 30,000 cherry trees that are famous for their blossom. The majority of works by Yoshida Hiroshi will be on loan from the Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan and are travelling to the UK for the first time. The exhibition is curated by Dr Monika Hinkel with support from Helen Hillyard, a curator at Dulwich Picture Gallery. It will be accompanied by a full-colour publication. Yoshida Ayomi said: “When I found my grandfather’s signature in the Dulwich Picture Gallery guest book, my heart skipped a beat. What an exciting and intriguing journey it must have been for Hiroshi, then an unknown painter and only 23, travelling from a country so far away. How proud he would be of this family exhibit of six, welcomed 120 years later at this wonderful museum.”
Yoshida Fujio, Yellow Iris, 1954, private collection. Photograph by Mareo Suemasa
Yoshida Hiroshi, El Capitan, 1925. Courtesy Fukuoka Art Museum
abstraction to the Japanese printmaking process. Yoshida Chizuko, who married Hodaka, was a renowned artist and co-founder of the first group of female printmakers in Japan, the Women’s Print Association. Chizuko often depicted landscapes, nature and traditional Japanese scenes, but she also explored aspects of abstraction and repetition. The exhibition will culminate with a new site-specific installation of cherry
blossom by Yoshida Ayomi, Hodaka and Chizuko’s daughter. The youngest member of the Yoshida printmaking family, Ayomi’s practice combines traditional Japanese printmaking techniques with modern elements, often utilising organic materials, and she has exhibited at major international institutions. Ayomi’s immersive installation, a new work created especially for Dulwich Picture Gallery, will explore the recurring theme of seasonality in Japanese art and is inspired
Yoshida: Three Generations of Japanese Printmakers will be on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery from 19 June to 20 October
Yoshida Chizuko, Tenryuji Garden, 1953. Private collection, photograph by Mareo Suemasa
The Dulwich Diverter Editors Mark McGinlay, Kate White | Designer Mingo Mingo Studio | Cover designer Jake Tilson Photographer Lima Charlie | Features editor Luke G Williams | Subeditor Jack Aston | Illustrator Peter Rhodes Contributors Julia Hawkins, Miranda Knox, Caitlin Otway Marketing and social media Mark McGinlay For editorial and advertising enquiries, please email dulwichdiverter@gmail.com dulwichdiverter.tumblr.com | @dulwichdiverter | @dulwichdiverter | @dulwichdiverter
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
4 | NEWS
Read all about it
A new literary festival is coming to southeast London later this year. The SE London BookFest is aiming to host 100 authors over four weeks this coming autumn, and hopes to become an annual occurrence in the book festival calendar. It has been launched by Peculiar Publications, which publishes this newspaper among others.
The vast majority of events at the festival will have free tickets available as long as national and local sponsors come on board. Once all costs have been covered, any profit made by the festival will be donated to local food banks. Events will take place in a variety of venues across south-east London, in locations including Peckham,
Nunhead, East Dulwich, Camberwell and Bermondsey. Co-founder Mark McGinlay, who in addition to co-editing the Peckham Peculiar has worked in the book trade for more than 30 years, said: “We’re really excited to bring a new book festival to south-east London and to highlight literature in the local area. “This month marks 10 years since we launched our very first publication and the festival shares the same aims of all our newspapers – to promote the brilliant diversity and sense of community that the area has to offer. Many of the events will showcase the impressive local literary talent and give wider attention to some exciting new writers. “To ensure the festival takes place, we will need to obtain funding from national book publishers aiming to promote the importance of diversity in the book world. We will also need sponsorship from businesses with connections to south-east London. “We’re very confident that we can achieve this over the coming weeks and would encourage people who are interested to email us as soon as possible.” The festival is currently open to author submissions, so if you are a local writer – or a publisher or agent who would like to recommend an author for the event – please get in touch via the email address
below. Mark added: “We’ve been inundated with author requests but are still taking submissions as we’re keen to have as diverse and varied a line-up of literary talent as possible.” The festival is also keen to hear from local venues who would like to host events, so please do get in touch if you’re a bookshop, library or other south-east London location. The deadline for author submissions is 15 March and the cut-off date for venue enquiries is 15 April. For further information, please email SELBookFest@gmail.com and follow the festival on Instagram and X @SELBookFest
NEWS | 5
New director for Dulwich Festival Sarah Taylor, who is known for her work masterminding Peckham’s annual Pexmas market and the Camberwell Fair among many other local events, has been appointed director of the Dulwich Festival. Asked how she came to take on the role, Sarah said: “I met Annie [Mitchell], the previous director who is now a trustee of the festival, while I was working on the Peckham Festival. “As part of my role with Pexmas I did a little market at the Dulwich Festival last year, as well as helping them with their sustainability strategy, which is one of my passions in the events field. “Then Annie stepped down and I was asked if I would be interested in taking up the reins. It was a bit of a surprise, but the role really fits beautifully with my experience and what I’ve done before. “My background was originally in arts education, engagement and participation. So it felt like an amazing opportunity to work more in the arts again after a few years of focusing on retail and other things. It feels like I’m going back to where I began.” Last year the Dulwich Festival celebrated its 30th anniversary, and Sarah stressed that she will seek to honour the festival’s past ethos, while also helping it to thrive and evolve. “I’m really conscious to be picking up the baton after 30 years of history in our local community,” she said.
“I don’t take the responsibility of this lightly – there will be no babies thrown out with the bath water! “It’s really important to respect everything that has happened before in the festival and the contributions of people who have been involved with the festival since the beginning and are still involved now. “We don’t want to lose any of that history and tradition, but we are also looking towards the future. “One of the challenges the board has set me is to think about who will be coming in 10 or 20 years’ time to the festival and how do we get from where we are now to make sure we reach those future audiences.” This year’s Dulwich Festival will run from 10-19 May and the packed programme of events will be revealed soon. As usual, there will be a wide variety of live events that celebrate the arts, culture, history and community in Dulwich. The hugely popular artists’ open house event, which takes place over two weekends and sees hundreds of local creatives showcase their work to visitors, will also return. “Within the next few weeks most of the programme will be complete,” Sarah said. “If people keep an eye on our social media they will see details of events starting to drop in late March and will be able to secure earlybird bookings for some of our headline events.”
B E AUT IFUL , BESP OKE SOF T FURNISHINGS ALL STYLES AN D DES I G N S AVAIL AB LE R OMAN BLI N DS | R OLLER B LIND S B AY WIND OWS , S EATS AN D CU S H I ON S | D E S IGNE R FAB RICS FUL LY FIT TED S ER VI CE , CU RTAI N S , TRACKS AND PO LE S CA L L 0 7 9 3 1 1 5 1 6 8 5
VI S I T E L LYA L L E N . C O M
Search for Elly Allen Curtains & Blinds on HOUZZ.COM
dalodu design studio architecture | design | delivery
Interior design for everyday life studio@dalodudesign.co.uk
hello@ashtonarchitecture.com 020 3983 1222 @ashton_architecture
www.dalodudesign.co.uk
YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BARBERS
£1.6m Big family home for sale within walking distance of Dulwich schools Free-hold Victorian semi-detached house in Underhill Road • Off-street parking • Welcoming party hall • 2/3 reception rooms • Large kitchen-diner • 5/6 bedrooms • Spacious attic storage • Established 120 ft garden
• Washroom/loo downstairs • Shower room, bathroom and loo upstairs • Three room cellar • Central heating – EPC D • One family ownership 33 years • Opportunities for modernisation
andrew@angharris.co.uk
TRADITIONAL & CONTEMPORARY STYLES 12 Barry Parade, Barry Road, East Dulwich SE22 0JA Opposite the Clockhouse pub, parking available T: 07946 351 914
TUESDAY – FRIDAY 9 AM− 5:00 PM
SATURDAY
8 AM−4:00 PM
UNDER 12’s TUESDAY TO FRIDAY ONLY PLEASE SPECIAL RATES FOR OVER 65’s TUESDAY TO THURSDAY
NEWS | 7
Local landmarks listed A host of historic buildings and structures across Dulwich have been given special status by Southwark Council as part of the borough’s first ever “local list”. Among the Dulwich-based sites on the list is the much-loved wooden bus shelter on South Croxted Road, which received more than 70 nominations during a public consultation leading up to the announcement of the list. During this process, one of the shelter’s advocates wrote: “The lovely wooden bus shelter only exists as a local resident gave up their garden to support the wider schools and housing expansion in this area. “There used to be two matching wooden shelters here, and this one survives. There are now only a handful of original wooden bus shelters in south London, and this may be the only one in Southwark.” Of the 2,449 sites on the Southwark list, many are in Dulwich, including a pair of
19th-century houses on College Road; St Barnabas Church on Calton Avenue; the East Dulwich Hospital “chateau” on East Dulwich Grove; and several school premises, including Dulwich Hamlet and Heber primary schools. Welcoming the introduction of the list, councillor Helen Dennis, cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development, said: “The local list makes sure we take extra special care in any decisions over the future of our heritage assets. It gives the council teeth in resisting demolition of these buildings. “The aim of the local list is that entries continue to enrich our lives and townscapes for generations to come. Now it’s approved, I’m excited to see the local list’s positive impact on decisions about sustainable development across the borough.” The establishment of the list follows an in-depth consultation period. More
than 1,000 sites were initially put forward for potential inclusion by the council during 2022, at which time the public were also invited to nominate buildings and structures that they believed should be added to the list. Owners of sites proposed by the council or nominated by the public were also contacted for their views. In total, more than 2,500 responses were received across the consultation periods,
including over 350 public nominations. Sites placed on the local list do not have the same protected status as nationally recognised Grade I or Grade II-listed buildings. However, the council will have to consider local list status in any planning decisions it makes about sites included on the list. The local list and proposed additions to it will be reviewed on a yearly basis.
The charity’s 24th shop across south London, it swung open its doors just before Christmas. It has brought in more than £20,000 in its first six weeks of trading. Simmons said: “As a resident of Dulwich, I know how strong the support for St Christopher’s is here and the shop has been so well received by our community in its first few weeks of trading. “Over the past year we’ve seen strong growth in our shops, and generated more money from them than ever before in 202223, which all goes towards our care for those at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. “Community is so crucial to St Christopher’s and we’re so grateful to
everyone who came out and celebrated with us on Saturday.” St Christopher’s offers high quality palliative and end-of-life care to everyone who needs it, as well as community programmes that offer practical, emotional and spiritual support.
Other outcomes so far from the development phase have included a fungi report, which identified 131 species of fungi within the woods, as well as surveys into deadwood invertebrates and bats living among the trees. The plan to reunite the two popular and ancient woodlands was announced in June last year. It is being supported by initial funding of £108,365 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and delivered
through a partnership between the London Wildlife Trust, the Dulwich Estate and Southwark Council. Sydenham Hill Wood has been managed by the London Wildlife Trust, alongside Southwark Council, since 1981 and Dulwich Wood was made accessible to visitors by the Dulwich Estate in the 1990s. It is estimated that the woods, the largest surviving swathe of the ancient Great North Wood, attract about 300,000 visitors every year.
Hayes helps hospice Local MP Helen Hayes officially opened a new St Christopher’s Hospice charity shop last month. She was joined by staff and volunteers from the charity as well as local shoppers and councillors as she cut the ribbon at the West Dulwich store. The St Christopher’s shop in East Dulwich officially reopened its refurbished space on Lordship Lane on the same day. The mayor of Southwark, Michael Situ, cut the ribbon alongside an 89-year-old volunteer who has supported the charity for more than three decades. Last but not least, the kids’ store, also on Lordship Lane, was officially reopened by 18-year-old Ben Parish. As a youngster Ben received support through St Christopher’s
child bereavement service, Candle, after his mum and grandad both died. St Christopher’s chief executive, Helen Simmons, and the deputy chair of the board, Eleanor Brown, attended all three events. As well as Helen Hayes, local councillors Andy Simmons and Margy Newens were also in attendance at the West Dulwich store. East Dulwich shop volunteer Carolina, who has volunteered for the hospice for more than 30 years, described it as a “big honour” to officially reopen the store alongside Mayor Situ. St Christopher’s newest shop is located at the corner of Croxted Road and Park Hall Road, opposite Tesco Express in West Dulwich.
Dulwich delight The London Wildlife Trust has said it was “delighted” by the response to last year’s public consultation events concerning the plan to reunite Sydenham Hill and Dulwich woods. “The core message that came through was that people value Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Wood for their wildness and as a place for nature connection and wellbeing,” the project manager, Daniel Greenwood, said. “The consultation reinforced and deepened the understanding that there are barriers to accessing the woods and the outdoors for disabled people, those with limited mobility, people of colour and young people. “The project aims to address these barriers via new partnerships, targeted events, activities and sustainable upgrades to site infrastructure such as paths and entrances.”
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
The trust said that 400 local people engaged with the consultation through “in person” events and activities between June and November 2023, while another 400 replied to an in-depth online survey in the summer of 2023. The consultation involved meetings, drop-in sessions, guided tours and engagement activities with a range of partners including local residents, schools, outdoor accessibility specialists and community organisations. The project is nearing the planned end of its one-year development phase and is preparing to move into delivery stage. “The trust will submit a ‘stage two’ application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund in late February, with an answer regarding the project’s approval expected in the summer,” Greenwood said. If it is approved, the project will run from summer or autumn 2024 until 2027.
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
8 | CULTURE
Quince’s quest QUINCE GARCIA USES THE ARTS TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE TURN AWAY FROM CRIME AND CHOOSE A POSITIVE PATH. HE TELLS US MORE BY MIRANDA KNOX
Growing up in Camberwell, Quince Garcia was 12 when he began committing low-level, petty crime, which later escalated into more serious acts including class A drug dealing. By the time he was in his mid-20s, he had served three spells in prison. Incredibly however, Quince was able to completely turn his life around after becoming a father and discovering a passion for the arts, going on to become a sought-after illustrator, filmmaker, photographer and writer. He also set up his own company, Roadworks Media, and now uses his personal experience of growing up in south-east London to run youth crime prevention workshops with Southwark Council’s youth offending team, providing creative skills courses and mentoring designed to help teens avoid the life that he once had himself. Speaking about the work he does now, Quince estimates he has been able to help about 200 young people so far. “Our programme really works in terms of being able to reduce youth crime and violence, and deterring young people from gangs and knife crime,” he says. “It’s about providing opportunities to access the creative industry. Sometimes they don’t know what they want to do, but it’s important to keep up the engagement. “I’ll get them to do art, and look at their own identity – what are the questions they’re asking about themselves? “It’s all about identity – examining their narrative that they have with themselves, and what’s going on in the home, and getting them to reflect that through poetry and art.” Quince by his own admission had a difficult childhood growing up in the 1980s on the Elmington estate in Camberwell. He says: “A lot of the kids I grew up with on the estate had parents living on the breadline, and some had parents involved in criminal activity. For me, there was a lot of crime and I witnessed a lot. “It seemed at the time to just be ‘normal’, and as I got older, I had low self-esteem, low self-confidence and low self-belief, which then led me to believe that crime would be an option for me, too. “That was it. That was how I came into it, and from about the age of 12 onwards I started doing petty crimes. “By my late teens it changed, and it evolved as I got older and left school. I started hanging around on another estate and I started getting a bit of a reputation. It went from petty theft into dealing class A drugs.
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
“It was the only way I felt I could make large sums of money, and if you were doing this and you were from the streets, it gave you a bit of recognition, too.” Between 1999 and 2005, Quince ended up serving time in prison three times, for driving offences and drug dealing. He admits he’d gone so far down that road that it was hard to get back on track, but it was in part the fear of history repeating itself with his own three children – who are now aged between nine and 23 – that helped him turn things around. He witnessed his own father – who himself had a difficult childhood – get into trouble with the law, and says: “By the time I had my second child [when he was 28] I knew I didn’t want to repeat the same sort of behaviour my dad was doing, being in and out of prison. That’s not what I wanted to show my kids – I knew what damage it did to me and I didn’t want to replicate that. “My dad, who died a couple of years ago, struggled a lot with PTSD, after growing up in the 70s and being racially abused. At the time he was very angry with UK society and the establishment. He was very wellknown in the area too, in the Millwall community as well.” Quince went to University of East London to study film and animation, and studied multiple courses to gain skills in acting, camera operating, painting and playwriting. He says: “The transition was hard. I went from making large quantities of money, and I started to dress and look differently, and my friends started looking at me differently. “I had to go through a period where I was transitioning from a ‘hard-nosed gangster’ on the street, to this artyfarty type.
“It was a mixture of things: how I was looking at myself and how people perceived me was all changing. I was sort of controlling my own selfnarrative really, a bit better. It all changed.” Rediscovering his love of the arts had a huge impact on Quince, and it gave him a positive focus and outlet, away from his former life. “I just loved art and I’ve always loved movies, from when I was a child,” he says. “Growing up, my mum got me a membership to the local video shop when I was about seven or eight, and I just loved films, watching documentaries, going to the cinema. “I just put myself in that space again, where I focused on doing it, and let my passion take over. That led me away from thinking about just money and reputation. “I no longer cared about that and wasn’t interested, and instead I nurtured a skill that I wanted to gain and develop and that led me away from the criminal activity.” In 2008, with funding from the Prince’s Trust, Quince set up Roadworks Media, which offers a range of creative skills training and mentoring programmes to young people who have either been in the youth justice system or are at risk of entering it. He says: “The idea behind it was to connect with young individuals who have similar backgrounds to me, [whether that was] from ethnic minorities, at risk of offending and growing up on estates, or being gang-affiliated. “That was the reason for setting it up – to be accessible to young people with that background. The main thing was to prevent youth offending or reoffending, and to provide access to the creative industry and help
I WENT FROM ‘HARD-NOSED GANGSTER’ TO THIS ARTY-FARTY TYPE
them gain skills and confidence, and improve self-worth.” Does he feel that if there had been a project like this when he was at an impressionable age, things could have turned out differently for him as a teen? “100%, that answers it really,” he says. “I just thought, ‘What was it that I wanted and needed when I was young? What intervention could have helped me?’” Now, Quince leads a team to run a creative skills workshop and mentoring programme to prevent reoffending for Southwark’s youth justice team, based on East Dulwich Road, supporting at-risk young people to turn their backs on crime and access the arts using courses that provide experiences to develop film and podcast productions. He says: “Recently I got a contract with Southwark Council’s youth offending service. At first it was freelancing, and I was being funded to deliver projects, whereas now I’m in the space. “We’ve created a gallery and a music recording studio and a space to film in, too. It’s a fully-fledged studio to make films with young people who are in the criminal justice system. “I’m seeing some great outcomes, preventing reoffending, so I’m working primarily there and have an office there, working with young people to produce films. They’ll be in charge of the sound, the camera, the visuals and the stories. “There are more options there now. I think society now is making a lot more of a credible effort to really engage with young people who have a background like mine, and there’s a lot more effort to help young people from tough backgrounds to be more integrated.”
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
We are a team of experienced osteopaths offering affordable healthcare to patients of all ages. As highly qualified experts in the field of paediatric osteopathy, we also offer specialist treatment for babies and children. - Treatments available for patients of all ages - Specialist paediatric osteopaths - Cranial osteopathy available - Safe and effective pain relief - Full disabled access Appointments available with Nancy Nunn, Aidan Spencer, Chiara Ribera, Emily Starsmeare and Konstantinos Pitoglou
55 Hichisson Road, Nunhead, London SE15 3AN T: 020 7733 5633 E: info@nunheadosteopaths.co.uk www.nunheadosteopaths.co.uk Nunhead Osteopathy Practice
Dr Ajay Khandelwal
TH
IST
WOM
AP
EN
’
T H E A LT H
ER
S
GU
@NunheadOsteo
IMPROVE YOUR GUT HEALTH IMPROVE YOUR LIFE
I help busy women have MORE energy to feel healthier and happier all day, every day.
LOW ENERGY? WEIGHT GAIN? DIGESTIVE ISSUES? JOINT PAIN? MUSCLE PAIN? LOW MOOD?
SKIN ISSUES? HAIR LOSS? FATIGUE? ANXIETY & OVERWHELM? SLEEP ISSUES? CHRONIC STRESS?
All these symptoms are related to your gut health. I can help you remove or reduce these symptoms. Your health is the key to unlocking your greatest potential.
www.ninadivallhealth.com
NinaDivallHealth
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Couples and Individuals Local, in person, confidential Monday-Friday Ajay Khandelwal PhD UKCP Registration 2011168113
Telephone: 07925709696 Email: ajaytherapy@gmail.com www.ajaykhandelwal.com
Unit D Emperor House Dragonfly Place London SE4 2FL 020 8692 9130 www.gruffarchitects.com @gruffarchitects
Kinder Design can help you with an interiors or renovation project. Based in East Dulwich, we create contemporary, colourful yet calm homes.
kinderdesign.co.uk
COMMUNITY | 11
A space for all SOUTH LONDON MAKERSPACE IS A COMMUNITY WORKSHOP WITH FACILITIES RANGING FROM WOODWORK TO WELDING. WE TAKE A LOOK AROUND BY CAITLIN OTWAY
In the heart of Herne Hill, under the railway arches, there is a hidden workshop, packed with specialist equipment and used by hundreds of friendly and creative members. “South London Makerspace is a community workspace where people can come and work on their own projects using the tools that we provide,” the director, Andy Sanderson, tells me as we wander around the space. “It’s 100% volunteer-led, so it’s pretty special.” I’m thrilled to be given a tour of the different workspaces by Andy, who is enthusiastic and passionate about the community he helps to manage. “In London, people don’t have a lot of space at home and don’t want to annoy their neighbours, so having a place to go and work on projects is so valuable,” he tells me. As we walk through the different sections, meeting members and looking at the tools and equipment on offer, trains thunder on the tracks above us. Despite its location, the atmosphere here is surprisingly peaceful, and members are fully focused on their projects. South London Makerspace first opened here seven years ago, occupying just one arch, and during the first few years, volunteers worked hard to build up the infrastructure of the workspace. Now the team occupies two arches comprising a number of different work stations. The area known as the clean space was built for any activities that don’t make a lot of noise, smells or dust. “People use this area to repair small electronic items, build circuits from scratch or work on programmable electronics like Arduinos,” Andy says. There’s a big communal table to sit around, a dedicated electronics workstation, a 3D printer and a social area, kitchen and accessible toilet. “We have members who are making prototypes for their startups and people who bring in small appliances from home to repair. There are a lot of members who use the space for their hobbies. They often have a project that they’ve envisioned, which they can make a reality here.” South London Makerspace also runs events including electronics nights, where people come and work on electronic projects together. “Every month we also host a sewing night where non-members come and work on sewing projects as a group,” Andy says. The space feels open and welcoming and Andy agrees that for many members, it acts as a social hub as well as being a practical place to make things. “It’s definitely a community,” he says. “Sometimes members don’t have a specific project that they’re working on, but they
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
still come and hang out and talk to people.” There is also a messy space for any activities that involve smells, mess or noise, including an area where members can weld, use a lasercutter or CNC machine and work on metalwork projects. “There are little tools hidden all over the place,” Andy laughs as we wander through. “We have painting supplies, screen-printing equipment, an airbrush area, and bike tools to tune up your bike.” Beyond the metalwork space is a quieter textiles area for sewing and working on textiles projects, and a large wood workshop where members can access a wide range of industrial equipment and saws. The area is built to contain the sound and dust from the heavy-duty machine tools. “The woodshop is probably the most popular area, because people
just love working with wood,” Andy says. “It’s also pretty hard to do at home. We have big saws that you couldn’t keep in your house and they can make a lot of mess. People make cabinets, instruments, speakers and all sorts of small pieces of furniture here.” The team are also building a new ceramics space, which they hope to finish soon, with two potting wheels for members to use. I ask Andy if members tend to stick to one discipline or are curious to learn new skills. “There are some people who dabble in different areas and some people who are really focused on one hobby. But most members are curious to learn new things,” he says. “Our members are so knowledgeable and always happy to help each other out.” As Andy shows me around the different workspaces, we find Francis
OUR MEMBERS HAVE LITERALLY BUILT THE WALLS AND WIRED THE SPACE THEMSELVES
Photos by Julia Hawkins
carefully watching a 3D printer work its magic. Cup of tea in hand, he looks very relaxed. “I never get tired of this!” he laughs. I ask Francis why he decided to join South London Makerspace. “It gives me a space to build guitars,” he tells me. “I did a course in the West Country learning how to make guitars and built a pretty nice six-string bass. And I’ve just finished my first guitar project here at South London Makerspace. I’m really proud and it plays really nicely.” Francis, a Makerspace member from Peckham, shows me some photos of the guitar he recently built by hand. “It’s great having this space, because some of this would be really hard to do at home,” he says. Francis has also been learning other skills as a Makerspace member. “At the moment I’m using the 3D printer to print moulds for our clamps in the woodspace, because I wanted to learn some 3D CAD design, which is something I’m able to get into here. By doing this, I’m also giving back to the space.” Francis tells me that he appreciates the variety of equipment that members have access to. “It’s also just a lot of fun and I’ve met a lot of people here,” he says. “It sounds cheesy but the community aspect is really special.” He also loves helping with building up the infrastructure. “I’ve been helping out with the construction in the new space, which is so rewarding,” he says. “Just knowing that other members constructed these walls and wired up all this equipment is really special and I wanted to be a part of that.” In fact, the space is entirely owned, run and maintained by members and there are no paid staff. “It does take time to get things done because our members have other commitments,” Andy explains. “But our members have literally built the walls and wired the space themselves. We are so lucky to have the members that we do.” Members pay £25 a month to use the workshops, and can use any of the space and equipment available. “You are expected to contribute back to the space however you can,” Andy says, just like Francis is doing. “We also offer concessionary rates for people who can’t afford the fee, because we want to keep it affordable to everyone and make sure hobbyists can use it.” Every second Wednesday, the team hosts open nights from 7-9pm, where people can see the space for themselves, get a feel for the place and become a member. Why not head to one of the open evenings, chat to the members and see if South London Makerspace could become your new favourite spot.
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
12 | DULWICH IN PICTURES
Cold snaps PHOTOS BY JULIA HAWKINS
Dulwich Park opened in 1890 and covers just over 30 hectares. It was created by the Metropolitan Board of Works from former farmland and meadows. Queen Mary was a regular visitor to the park and enjoyed the
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
American Garden, famous for its rhododendrons, which bloom in May. One of the park gates is named after her. Our photographer Julia Hawkins visited the park last month to capture some wintry scenes on camera.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
DULWICH IN PICTURES | 13
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
14 | DULWICH IN PICTURES
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
FUND YOUR IMPACT APPLY FOR £4000 OF FREE CREATIVE RESOURCE Creative Impact Club is awarding free creative resource to local Social Impact Entrepreneurs, Charities and Community Initiatives who have community prosperity at their heart. We support impact businesses better achieve their missions by supporting their marketing & design needs via 9 quarterly impact awards of £4000 worth of creative expertise.
APPLY NOW!
creativeimpact.club Bussey Building, Peckham
‘EVERYTHING YOU NEED UNDER ONE ROOF’ EVENING STANDARD ‘A BRILLIANT DAY OUT OF FOOD, DRINK, CULTURE, MUSIC AND MORE’ SECRET LONDON ‘WHERE ELSE CAN YOU HAVE A SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE COCKTAIL IN A CAR PARK?’ LONDON X LONDON
FOOTBALL | 17
Happier times ahead for Hakan DULWICH MANAGER HAKAN HAYRETTIN DISCUSSES HIS FIRST YEAR AT THE HAMLET – AND WHY HE’S COMMITTED TO THE CLUB’S SUCCESS LUKE G WILLIAMS
Hakan Hayrettin has a message for Dulwich Hamlet fans – and it couldn’t be clearer. “I want to emulate what the last long-serving manager here, Gavin Rose, did,” the 53-year-old tells the Dulwich Diverter, his voice characteristically ebullient. “I want to be here as long as he was and build my own team, my own culture.” Hakan took over as Dulwich manager last season and was in charge when the club dropped into the National League South after five years in the sixth tier of English football. There were significant mitigating factors for Dulwich’s relegation – when Hakan took over, the team were already in a slump and it was clear that a period of transition and significant rebuilding was needed. Hakan was also forced to miss some of the club’s crucial final fixtures of the season after the death of his mother back in northern Cyprus. “It’s been an eventful time since I’ve joined,” Hakan admits, with admirable good humour. “We were relegated by one goal. I wasn’t there for three games. Myself and the chairman, Ben [Clasper] – who by the way, is probably the best chairman I’ve ever worked with – both had tears in our eyes on the last day of the season. For me it was for other reasons as well as the club being relegated, because if it wasn’t for my late mother I wouldn’t be here now. “After relegation we made a decision that we needed to go forward. Everyone at the club is very passionate and very proud of their football club. They love the club. It’s my club now and I love it too. We have had to clear the decks, start again and that’s what I’ve done. We are slowly growing – like acorns. You can’t wave a magic wand. We’ve brought in 25 players, it will take time.” Hakan has been touched by the reception he has received from the fans since joining the club. “I’ve been blown away by the amount of support I’ve had since I’ve been here – from people who work at the club to the supporters and anyone who has an allegiance with Dulwich Hamlet,” he says. “It’s been an amazing time and that’s been interesting and fruitful for me because I can see that I’m laying the foundations of something that will hopefully be here for years to come. That’s vitally important.” Hakan emphasises that the death of his beloved mother was a crucial factor in convincing him to stick it out and turn Dulwich’s fortunes around, rather than move on and take advantage of opportunities to manage at a higher level. “Anyone who knows me personally knows that I’m family-oriented,” he
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
says. “God rest her soul, my mum was not well when I got the Dulwich job. I was actually with her the day I got a phone call from Dulwich and also from another team who are in a higher level in the National League who told me I’d been shortlisted for a job. “My mum asked me what the calls were about. I said: ‘It’s about a couple of jobs but I don’t want to leave your side.’ She said to me: ‘You need to take the Dulwich job. I’ll hang on for you.’ So I left my mother in Cyprus in hospital and came back and took the Dulwich job. “It was her encouragement, wisdom and words of support that helped guide me to Dulwich. She said: ‘You’ll be working with some great people at a great club. You’ll be a success, so go and give it your best shot like you always have.’ Her words resonated with me and stayed with me. That’s another reason why I wanted to stay at Dulwich and be a part of that rebuild.” Hakan’s pedigree is beyond dispute. Enfield-born in 1970 and of TurkishCypriot stock, he played more than 100 league games for Barnet, Torquay, Wycombe and Cambridge, although a knee injury forced his retirement from full-time playing in 1997. His managerial career began when he took charge of Waltham Forest in 2003. Among his many
accomplishments as a coach and manager were winning the National League South with Maidstone in 2022, and a highly successful spell as firstteam coach at Luton Town under manager John Still, during which time Hakan helped lead the Bedfordshire club back into the Football League after several years in the wilderness. It’s a measure of the esteem in which Hakan is still held at Luton that he was invited by the club to be a special guest at the Championship playoff final at Wembley last season, which saw the Hatters return to the top tier of English football for the first time since 1992. “I got a phone call from Gary Sweet, the chief executive, and the chairman [David Wilkinson]. They said: ‘Hak, if it wasn’t for you, [former assistant manager] Terry Harris and John Still, we wouldn’t be where we are now. We want you to be guests of ours in the royal box for the playoff final.’ “I was taken aback – really blown away. As we were walking down Wembley Way, we were stopped by so many supporters saying that if it wasn’t for us they wouldn’t be at Wembley now. I was so honoured to be a part of Luton’s special day. For them now to be in the Premier League is amazing and I hope they stay up.” Another story that tells you a lot about the sort of man Hakan is, and the values that drive him, relates
WE ARE SLOWLY GROWING – LIKE ACORNS. YOU CAN’T WAVE A MAGIC WAND. WE’VE BROUGHT IN 25 PLAYERS, IT WILL TAKE TIME
ABOVE: HAKAN HAYRETTIN
to his time at Maidstone. When he left the club he also left behind his league winner’s medal from the 2022 National Conference South. “I had special affiliation with a supporter at the club called Joshua and his father Matt,” Hakan explains. “Every match they would always stand by the tunnel to greet the players. I had a special bond with them so I gave my medal to him. I wanted him to remember what we achieved collectively because a football team isn’t about just the players or their manager – it’s about the supporters as well. I wanted to show my gratitude for the support they’d given me.” Memories such as these are what make Hakan tick. And he is determined to forge more moments of this sort at Dulwich, too. “My main motivator is trying to give people joy and put a smile on their faces,” he says. “At Dulwich everyone from the groundsman to the club secretary is supportive and willing to roll their sleeves up and have a go. The logo on the main stand says it all: everyone is equal at our club. “I’m fully committed and focused. I’m determined and driven by success. I will push everyone to get what we want. The road we’re going to follow will have highs and lows and mountains to climb – it will be tough sometimes, but we will get there.”
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
18 | BOOKS
Susan’s story SUSAN ALLOTT’S GRIPPING NEW NOVEL, THE HOUSE ON RYE LANE, CENTRES AROUND AN OLD HOUSE IN PECKHAM WITH A DARK AND DISTURBING PAST BY LUKE G WILLIAMS
As an acclaimed novelist, how do you follow a runaway success? In the case of Susan Allott, you take inspiration from your local surroundings. With her second novel, The House on Rye Lane, Susan – a local resident since 2000 – joins a small collection of novelists who have used Peckham as the backdrop for one of their works, a prestigious group that also includes, among others, Muriel Spark’s The Ballad of Peckham Rye, published in 1960, and Guy Ware’s 2022 novel The Peckham Experiment. A classy literary thriller set across three timelines, which some critics have labelled an example of the suburban noir genre, The House on Rye Lane was met with ecstatic reviews in the wake of its publication last month. Broadly speaking, it tells the story of Maxine and Seb, a couple who buy a Georgian townhouse that turns out not to be the dream home they were hoping for. To give away much more of the plot would be to spoil the book’s many delights, mysteries and surprises. And while she understandably steers the conversation away from plot specifics and spoilers, Susan is perfectly happy to outline the genesis of the book and the inspiration behind it. She admits that when she first had the idea for the novel, she wasn’t certain that south-east London would form the setting. “The central idea I had, of a house where people who lived there before return in some way, could have been set anywhere,” she says. “As a Londoner I wanted to set it somewhere here, but I wasn’t exactly sure where.” The turning point came when she attended a talk by the historian Jon Newman at Dulwich Books, and became fascinated by the story of the River Peck, a small river that was buried under Camberwell, Peckham and Bermondsey in the 1870s but can still be sighted in parts of Peckham Rye Park. “I was completely fascinated by the idea of London as a rural place, full of trees, rivers and pastures,” she says. “It gave me the shivers to think that there were once rivers running where now we have roads, but that the rivers are still there underground.” When Susan first arrived in the local area, she didn’t think she would be staying long. “I thought it would be a temporary thing here,” she explains. “But my sister moved to a flat on Bellenden Road not long after [I moved here], and when I got married we found a house just off Peckham Rye, which is where we’ve brought up our children. “My sister and her kids still live a 10-minute walk from us and about eight years ago my mum decided to
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
join us: she lives less than a mile away in Forest Hill. We’ve all made it our home. We absolutely love it.” Among Susan’s favourite local amenities are the Picturehouse Cinema and the myriad independent bookshops in Dulwich and Peckham. “I love the Picturehouse cinema and try to go a couple of times a month to see new films – I find a good movie very inspirational. “Oh, and there’s the bookshops, of course. Village Books is brilliant. Also Rye Books, who were the first to put The House on Rye Lane in the window and are selling copies so fast they keep having to order more!” A compelling conversationalist, who speaks as elegantly as she writes, Susan grew up in Highcliffe near Bournemouth, before studying at the University of Leeds. “After university I lived in the north of England for a few years, moving to London when I was 25 to study for an MA at Goldsmiths. As soon as I moved to London I felt at home. I didn’t realise until then that I’d never felt at home anywhere else before.” Susan describes herself as “the classic person who always wanted to be an author and never really wanted
to do anything else”. After working in the equalities sector for several years, she was made redundant in 2018, an experience that ended up accelerating her literary career. “I look at it as a blessing now,” she admits. “By that point I already had an agent and was able to use the time I gained to finish my first book and work really hard with my agent to make it as good as it could be. Before I was made redundant it felt like I’d been trying to write the novel since the dawn of time.” Susan’s first novel, The Silence, was published in 2020 to widespread acclaim and drew on her experiences of a time spent living and working in Australia when she was in her 20s. “I was very homesick and came rushing back to England having never quite made my peace with how I felt about Australia and why I came rushing back,” she says. “It was one of those strange life experiences I had to work through, which I did, in a way, by writing the book.” Admirably honest, Susan admits that the incredible reception afforded to The Silence somewhat daunted her when it came to producing her follow-up.
I WAS COMPLETELY FASCINATED BY THE IDEA OF LONDON AS A RURAL PLACE, FULL OF TREES, RIVERS AND PASTURES
“There were definitely moments when I felt intimidated by my debut and worried that I could never write something as good as that again,” she says. “It probably helped that I had started writing The House on Rye Lane before The Silence was published, and by the time those reviews started coming in, the new book was taking shape. “Most of the time the acclaim for The Silence was good for my confidence, and made me determined to write something as good or better this time round. Confidence is a fragile thing: too much of it can make you lose your edge and too little can make you self-conscious and hesitant. It’s a constant battle. “I try to get into a zone when I write where I convince myself that nobody is ever going to read it, nobody else exists and neither do I. The only reality is the world I’m building. That is harder to do when you have an agent and an editor waiting for your manuscript, but it’s the only way to write well in my experience.” The House on Rye Lane is published by HarperCollins and is available in local bookshops now
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
Adult Learning Lewisham
All photos are of our classes
DAY, EVENING AND WEEKEND COURSES
Develop your creativity or gain the skills you need for work or further education. Enrol now! More information is available at: www.lewisham.gov.uk/adultlearning Adult Learning Lewisham ALL TOGETHER WE FLOURISH
Take your exams at In Toto Ed London. Based in Blackheath, In Toto Exams is an AQA-approved exam centre that is open to private candidates. January and June exams for GCSEs, AS, A-levels and Functional Skills are all available. Late entry for summer 2024 exams available until mid April.
For more information and to apply now, visit: www.in-toto-ed.com/in-toto-exams
UPSTAIRS AT
C A M B E RW E L L ARMS All’s Well
est.2014
We’ve transformed one of the pub’s grand upstairs rooms into an elegant private dining room with its own bar. This light-filled and airy space can host seated meals for up to 50 people and is available for lunch, dinner, and the full day. We can accommodate up to 65 people for post-meal drinks and dancing. enquiries@thecamberwellarms.co.uk thecamberwellarms
WEDDINGS - BIRTHDAYS - STAFF PARTIES - CHRISTMAS
Are you tired of searching for top-quality meat that satisfies your taste buds? Look no further than the Proud Sow! With years of expertise and a passion for perfection, we believe in the art of butchery. What sets us apart is our commitment to locally sourced products. We work directly with trusted farmers who share our dedication to ethical farming practices and superior animal welfare. We take pride in creating a personal and welcoming experience for all our customers. When it comes to your meat, settle for nothing but the best. Trust the Proud Sow to bring you the ultimate culinary adventure. Visit us today!
Proudsow.co.uk 86 Dulwich Village London SE21 7AQ 020 8693 6729
1 Ewhurst Road, Crofton Park London SE4 1AG 020 8690 3320
DIVERSIONS | 21 TO THE BOOKSHOP
That Peckham Boy Two days after he turned 18, Kenny Imafidon was charged with a murder he did not commit. The middle child of a single mother with ambitions for her children, he grew up near an estate in Peckham where deprivation was widespread and gang culture flourished. Now he faced a minimum of 30 years behind bars – longer than the life he had lived. There was no substance whatsoever to the charges, which were served up under the dubious auspices of the joint enterprise law. Nevertheless, they robbed Kenny of his freedom for six months, during which time he was incarcerated in Feltham and awaiting trial, before a judge acquitted him without a stain on his character, ruling there was no evidence and “no case to answer”. When the case against him collapsed, Kenny quickly realised that his name was still inextricably
linked with a horrific crime he hadn’t committed. He decided to rewrite his story. It began with the Kenny Report, which he delivered to the House of Commons and which laid out the experiences of marginalised young people who drift into gangs. The report has led to extensive work with charities, communities and policymakers, helping to change the narratives of other young people growing up in similar circumstances to Kenny. He was also awarded a bursary to study law at BPP, and graduated in 2015. He went on to co-found ClearView Research, a highly soughtafter research agency that specialises in working with groups including those whose views and experiences are traditionally underrepresented. Described as a “candid and unfiltered take on some of the most
challenging topics that define our times”, That Peckham Boy is a personal manifesto exploring what it means to be young, black and poor in the city. It is shaped by Kenny’s difficult childhood, his transformative time in prison, and the people and conversations that took him from being on trial for murder into the company of some of the world’s most successful people. As Kenny recently told the Peckham Peculiar: “Above all, I wrote the book to try and show people that regardless of where you come from or what your circumstances are, you can be who you want to be. It’s very important that people don’t allow their circumstances or the area they grew up in to dictate or determine where they are going to end up.” That Peckham Boy is published by Penguin and costs £9.99
TO THE GARDEN
On the allotment
Italy (seedsofitaly.com) at £14.99 for 10 crowns. If you prefer a more traditional green spear, Kings Seeds has 12 crowns of a variety called Gijnlim, which has an RHS Garden Merit award because of its high yields, for £18.40 (kingsseeds.com). Plant the crowns in trenches, as above, and cover with plenty more well-rotted manure. Water well throughout the first two years, and pick only a handful of spears in the third season. From year four onwards – if all goes well – you should be able to pick as much asparagus as you can grow. A wellnurtured asparagus bed can last for 20 years, although the one in North Yorkshire is still going strong, 60 years since it was planted, with no need for individual staking.
BY JANE MERRICK
The best asparagus I’ve ever tasted was home-grown, on a gentle south-facing slope on perfect loam soil in North Yorkshire. Every April, fat green spears were cut for the saucepan, steamed and eaten with just a bit of melted butter. In the 11 years I’ve had my plot in East Dulwich, I’ve tried to recreate this amazing taste by growing my own, but – despite the success of some of my allotment neighbours – it’s never quite worked, as the plants have struggled to thrive, probably because of a lack of water in their first few months and years. But this year I’m giving it another try.
When she’s not on her allotment in East Dulwich, Jane Merrick is policy editor at the i paper. Follow @jane.merrick on Instagram and read her blog at heroutdoors.uk
Growing asparagus needs patience, as you should only start picking spears in the third year after planting one-year-old crowns. The soil needs a lot of preparation – you have to dig a 30cm wide, 20cm deep trench, lined with well-composted manure, water well throughout the growing season, and mulch with more rotted manure or compost every autumn. To say that asparagus is precious is an understatement. The purple variety Violette of Albenga, which originates
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
from north-west Italy and dates back to 1570, nearly died out because each spear had to be individually staked on the Ligurian terraces where it was cultivated. All of that fuss and attention is worth it, however, not only for the taste but the economy, given the price of shop-bought fresh asparagus every spring. You can – like me – order one-yearold asparagus crowns now to plant this spring. Thanks to the efforts of five centuries of careful nurturing, Violette of Albenga is available from Seeds of
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
22 | DIVERSIONS TO THE PUZZLE
TO THE PEOPLE
ACROSS 7 PITCHERS CLASH (ANAGRAM) (7, 6) 9 MORE ATTRACTIVE (8) 10 JUDGMENT, DECISION (6) 11 WORK STOPPAGE (6) 12 ENFOLDED (8) 15 KIDNAPS (7) 16 CREATE, BRING FORTH (7) 19 BASE FOR A STATUE (8) 21 CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES (6) 22 LORRY FUEL (6) 24 WHOLE, ENTIRETY (8) 25 UNDERSTANDING (13)
ALDHELM
DOWN 1 BENEVOLENT, PHILANTHROPIC (10) 2 HAND OUT (10) 3 SHRILL, HARSH (8) 4 BRIGHT RED (7) 5 MATERIAL (6) 6 CALF MEAT (4) 8 UNBENDING (5) 13 POST-ANGLO SAXON LANGUAGE (3, 7) 14 INTENSIFICATION (10) 17 SENT (8) 18 DISORDER, MESS (7) 19 FOOT LEVER (5) 20 SPRING FLOWERS (6) 23 EXHIBIT (4)
Illustration by Peter Rhodes
7 Across is a Dulwich feature.
Angus Castle-Doughty Angus Castle-Doughty was born in Dulwich in 1995. After attending Dulwich College, he went on to study English and theatre studies at the University of Warwick. Castle-Doughty co-founded the Incognito Theatre company alongside four others. He works as the artistic director, as well as writing, directing and acting in various projects for the company. He made his acting debut in 2011 in a stage production of Teechers at the Edinburgh Festival. Three years later, he appeared on screen in
the 2014 television film The First Great Escape. He continued to act in theatre productions, including lead roles in The Government Inspector, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Net Kill and All Quiet on the Western Front. In 2022, CastleDoughty was cast as Eric Foster in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, a role he played for a year. His character led a highprofile storyline that earned Castle-Doughty several soap award nominations and saw Hollyoaks win the best storyline accolade at the 2023 British Soap Awards.
ACROSS: 7 Christ’s Chapel, 9 Prettier, 10 Ruling, 11 Strike, 12 Enclosed, 15 Abducts, 16 Produce, 19 Pedestal, 21 Manila, 22 Diesel, 24 Totality, 25 Comprehension. DOWN: 1 Charitable, 2 Distribute, 3 Strident, 4 Scarlet, 5 Fabric, 6 Veal, 8 Rigid, 13 Old English, 14 Escalation, 17 Remitted, 18 Clutter, 19 Pedal, 20 Tulips, 23 Show.
SOLUTION
TO THE HAMLET TO THE PAST
Haydn Hill Position Goalkeeper Born 1913 Haydn Hill was a goalkeeper for Corinthian, Sheffield Wednesday, Yorkshire Amateur and Dulwich Hamlet. Born in Creswell, Derbyshire, he played for Corinthian a number of times in 1934 and 35 and then played for Yorkshire Amateur in 1935 and 36. He also made four appearances for Sheffield Wednesday in 1935. Hill ended his career with Dulwich Hamlet, where he played from 1937 to 40. In his first season, he was part of the team that beat Leyton 2-0 in the FA Amateur Cup final at Upton Park in 1937. At the end of the game, he “was carried shoulder high off the field, and the tribute was well deserved”. Hill also played nationally for the England amateur football team eight times. He made his debut against Wales in 1935 and played for the last time in 1938 against Scotland.
THE DULWICH DIVERTER
He also played cricket for Dorset, making 24 appearances in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship. For more Hamlet history, visit thehamlethistorian.blogspot.co.uk
Dulwich Public Baths opened to the public on 25 June 1892. It was the first of seven baths that were designed by Spalding & Cross.
The foundation stone was put in place in September 1891 but due to various delays, the opening did not take place until well into the following year.
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024
Che Lovelace, Moonlight Searchers (detail), Acrylic and dry pigment on board panels, 152.4 x 127 cm, Private Collection
14 FEB
2 JUNE
A contemporary retelling of landscape by artists from the African Diaspora
Supported by
The David Ellis Marlow Trust
Official Paint Partner
Digital Exhibition Guide
Media Partner
USING THE POWER OF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES TO SUPPORT SOCIAL COHESION & COMMUNITY IN PECKHAM AND BEYOND We’re a not-for-profit club of over 500 amazing creative professionals from more than 30 disciplines using our creative skills to support local Social Impact Entrepreneurs, Charities and Community Initiatives for free. Founded in Peckham in 2018, our mission is to help our local communities thrive and grow by unleashing the incredible power of the UK’s Creative Industries, starting right here in South East London.
GET INVOLVED!
creativeimpact.club Bussey Building, Peckham