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BRIXTON BUGLE YOUR FREE
No 75 | AUGUST 2019
Published monthly in and for Brixton
ISSN 2397-852X
VOLUNTEER TO HELP OUR KIDS
COMMUNITY PAPER
TOWN AND COUNTRY Bugle brought them together
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Plan to patrol Brixton High Street after school
Supporters of the scheme distributed flyers outside Brixton Tube station. Lambeth council leader Jack Hopkins, who met them as he entered the station, posed for pictures and talked to Asher Senator (right)
A new voluntary youth service for Brixton is seeking 50 volunteers to train to take part in a project. It will focus not on the issue of violence but on positive engagement and communication. After training, volunteers will work on the streets of Brixton between 3 and 5pm on school days “providing a positive befriending opportunity” for young people. Backed by the Brixton Business Improvement District (BID) and the Green Man Skills Zone in Loughborough Junction, the Lambeth Schools Patrol is planned to start when schools go back in September. The plan is that they will “positively interact, guide support and befriend young people outside of the context of a problematic intervention”. In winter, volunteers will work with schools to promote the project, recruit parent volunteers, and ensure that young people are fully aware of the support they can get from the volunteers. The project originated with Code 7, a Lambeth-based charity set up in 1996, that provides troubled young people with development through music and performance. Headed by former local reggae star Asher Senator, Code 7 has supported thousands of young people in their careers, educational achievement and personal development. Asher Senator said: “This is a community-inspired project developed as a result of broad public consultation in partnership with the
Brixton Improvement District and the Lambeth Green Man Skills Zone.” The project and its call for volunteers will be highlighted in shops and venues in central Brixton. Volunteers will go through an in-depth training programme and be checked and cleared before starting work. They will be able “to signpost young people to a range of opportunities to support their continued education and development”. Code 7 says consultations throughout 2017 and 2018 around a number of community health, safety and development themes led to the idea for a Lambeth Schools Patrol. “This is a project with a difference,” said Code 7. “The community was quite clear that, whilst most youth intervention projects were focused on violence, the community demanded that a more positive engagement be considered that would provide an opportunity to develop good relations and communications with young people outside of the problematic context of ‘youth violence’.” According to Transport for London, more than 20,000 young people of secondary school age, travel through Lambeth each school day. “This is an opportunity for us to positively interact with young people in a constructive context,” said Asher Senator. “We will offer advice on everything, and ☛☛ continued page 2
IN MY OWN FASHION
And there’s plenty in Brixton
OLD FAVOURITES
20 years and counting at the Effra 19
TO SIBERIA BY MICRA But it’s for a good cause
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2 NEWS brixtonblog.com 2019 JULY
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Jenny Shramenko 07811 878394 jenny@brixtonblog.com Circulation 12,500 copies Readership: circa 15,000 EDITOR Linda Quinn linda@brixtonblog.com NEWS EDITOR Anna McKie newsdesk@brixtonblog.com ARTS Leslie Manasseh arts@brixtonblog.com MUSIC Dave Randall music@brixtonblog.com FOOD Nick Buglione food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Sandra Brobbey sport@brixtonblog.com ISSUE 75 Contributors Sofia Akrofi Olayinka Amara Shanae Coleman George Deacon Jessica Dyer Aby Jones Leslie Manasseh Jamila Omar Dave Randall Simone Richardson Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Production: Alan Slingsby Distribution: Philip King A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success If you would like to be a Bugle stockist please email distribution@brixtonblog.com
Dwaynamics’ Pastor Jones back Khan on violence London mayor Sadiq Khan has told a South London audience of families of victims of knife crime, charities, the police and people from the education, faith, health and community sectors that the time of day when there is most likely to be serious youth violence is between 3 and 6 pm. “It beggars belief that, with government cuts, we’ve closed down youth clubs and cut youth services,” he said. Pastor Lorraine Jones, director of Brixton-based Dwaynamics, said: “We are dealing with young children who are frightened. They are stressed, and they are going through trauma because this is violence that has now got so out of control.” “But I am confident because of the Mayor’s response that we will not give
Volunteer appeal ☛☛ from front page all our volunteers will be trained to either provide the information or the ability to identify and access the information and pass on to the young person concerned. “More importantly, we offer an opportunity for intergenerational contact, the development of relationships with positive people, the ability to broaden and deepen a wide range of relationships and opportunities.” Michael Groce of Green Man Skills Zone said: “This is community spirit in action and working together we can provide more opportunities to young people than when working alone. “It’s an exercise in community love that we hope will be an inspiration to many. The community is volunteering
up but be relentless in working together with one mind to end youth violence using the public health approach.” Research by London’s Violence Reduction Unit led by former Lambeth council leader Lib Peck has found that the boroughs worst affected by violent youth crime have more children living in poverty than the London average. The research shows that for victims aged 10 to 16, attacks are linked to school finishing times. For the victims aged 18 to 24, violence happened later and reflected the night-time economy. Khan announced measures including increased after-school provision in high-crime areas, action to lessen school exclusions, and support for vulnerable parents who have suffered abuse or domestic violence.
its time and, with a little support from businesses, we can make a real difference to some young people who need the support of others to successfully negotiate the challenges in life.” Michael Smith, director of the Brixton Business Improvement District said: “It’s been a real pleasure to help sponsor and fund this project. “Local businesses are keen to support projects which are of great importance to local communities and there can be nothing as important as providing a safe place for our youth, and at the same time ensuring that we provide the best support we can, in signposting young people to their future ambitions and dreams.” AA To enquire about volunteering, contact Code 7 on 020 7998 1531 or visit www.code7.live
Fred Taggart is presented with a gift to mark his 30 years as honorary secretary of the Brixton Advice Centre. He has now retired from that post but will continue as a trustee.
Closure of law centre highlights advice crisis Advice providers in Brixton are working with Lambeth council to pick up the pieces after Lambeth Law Centre closed. Brixton Advice Centre (BAC) on Railton Road is expected to try to help maintain continuity, but workload pressures are bound to increase. The London legal advice charity Advising Communities went into liquidation with the loss of more than 20 jobs earlier this year. “It’s really tough for everyone, and the impact
on BAC as well as the few other advice providers left in Lambeth, will be significant,” said BAC director Patrick Torsney. “This is a real wake -up call to local and national government about the pressures the advice sector is under.” Half of all law and legal advice centres in England and Wales have closed in the past six years, according figures released by the ministry of justice to Labour party justice spokesman Richard Burgon. Government funding
for law centres has fallen from £12.1 million to £7.1 million over the past seven years. Lambeth Law Centre employed 18 people and provided free advice, casework and representation in areas including housing, immigration, money, welfare rights, employment and discrimination. Trustees of Lambeth Law Centre said it had faced financial pressures caused by legal aid cuts and increased operating costs and was in an impossible position.
Government orders council to cooperate with Cressingham transfer Central government has told Lambeth council that it must cooperate with a proposal to transfer the demolition-threatened Cressingham Gardens to an organisation of residents. It announced that it has overruled council objections – made in September 2016 – that the transfer plan would have a “detrimental effect” on regeneration of the area. The announcement was welcomed by campaigners
as the start of a long and staged process to transfer the estate to community ownership. A Lambeth council spokesperson said: “This announcement was based on information submitted in 2016 and we will need time to consider the implications. “We are, however, pleased that the government has recognised the council’s plans to rebuild the estate will have a
‘positive impact on the area covered by the estate’ and we remain committed to rebuilding Cressingham Gardens to provide better homes for existing residents and more homes for people on the council house waiting list.” In April 2016 the Cressingham Gardens Community (CGC) organisation asked the council to consider transferring the estate to an organisation run by its residents.
This was part of the “People’s Plan” for the estate – a thoroughly researched and detailed alternative to the council’s scheme to demolish and rebuild the entire estate near the top of Tulse Hill that overlooks Brockwell Park. The council was quick to reject this plan. It also asked the central government housing ministry for a “determination” saying that the residents’ transfer plan
would “have a significant detrimental effect on the regeneration of the area”. But housing minister Kit Malthouse told the council that he agreed with a report written for the government that rejects the council’s view of the transfer application. “The outcome of my determination … is that the stock transfer process in relation to the CGC should continue,” he told the council.
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com
NEWS 3
BUGLE & BLOG SUMMER ART SHOW
The show opens in Brixton Library on Wednesday 24 July and runs until 4 August. Although the judges have selected their favourites, the winners in each category (amateur and professional) will be decided by a people’s vote. This will take place during the show. So make sure you visit the library and vote for your favourites.
‘Jungle’ theme for new Brixton Village venue Work to create a new 440-seat eating and drinking area above Brixton Village is well under way and “Lost in Brixton” is due to open on 1 August. The five-day-a-week venue is being promoted as having a “jungle” theme. A press release says: “Against a sweep of Brixton’s classic brick railway arches, natural materials and jungle greenery will fill the lightflooded space, with a retractable roof ready for long summer evenings. The design, inspired by travel and discovery will create a place for people to gather, relax and get away.” Hondo Enterprises, which runs Brixton’s covered markets in a joint venture with the New York based hedge fund Angelo Gordon, said that the site has been tested by independent sound engineers. “Their results show that no additional noise will be created by Lost in Brixton at any time,” Hondo said, adding that it took its role as “a good neighbour” very seriously and “will work with all the relevant authorities to ensure this is a positive addition to the community”. Lambeth council planning permission for the development says that music at the venue should be played at “ambient and background levels” only. Permission for the venue only lasts for four years and Hondo has released plans for a massive redevelopment of the area following its purchase of the Sports Direct site on Pope’s Road. The market owners said that the space is the first communal seating area in the market and will be available to community groups for events and activities when not in use as a venue.
Wimbledon as well as one in Birmingham. Incipio says: “With our target demographic in mind, our approach is to focus both on transforming temporary sites and permanent projects to provide fashionable and out-of-the ordinary dining experiences. “Whether we build the site on a temporary or permanent basis, we grant short leases within the venue to restaurants that are on-trend and popular with our clientele.” It adds: “Our business approach means that The design is by Zak architects who previwe frequently change the dining, drinking and ously designed a proposed roof for Pop Brixton. social experiences of our customers. The new space will have a retractable roof. “No project stays the same for more than It is intended that users of Lost in Brixton a few months with themes, restaurants and will order food from market tradsites revamped and relaunched regers using an established Germanularly to keep the venues varied designed app, Tablesnappr, and and current.” that it will be delivered by “runIncipio’s website quotes a review ners” – “allowing guests to sample from the upmarket Tatler magathe tasty and exotic range of cuizine: “It would seem Incipio can sines available without having do no wrong. With a wave of its to leave the comfort of Lost magic wand (and an unparalleled in Brixton”. Beer from Brixton understanding of where millenniBrewery is promised. als actually want to party), all their Hondo says that access will be venues are instant hits.” by a “secret staircase”, but its planTo celebrate the launch, Lost ning application also mentions a in Brixton is offering the first new lift to ensure the area is acces1,000 bookings a free frozen Pina How the Bugle revealed Colada. Follow @lostbrixton. sible to all. Lost will be run by the Incipio plans for the venue in An online reservation site is G r o u p w h i c h b e g a n l i f e i n February this year already taking bookings but warns Shepherd’s Bush market and has that an entire party must arrive previously specialised in West London venues. within a 30-minute window for the booking to It says that, in addition to Brixton, it is working hold. It also says that the venue will accommoon new London projects in Mayfair, Putney and date groups of 30 or more.
Could Non-dairy cheesemonger La Fauxmagerie has left Brixton Village, saying that rent levels mean it cannot afford to keep two stores open. Its new shop near Brick Lane in East London is almost four times the size of the Brixton store. “We’re incredibly sad to be leaving Brixton, but after months of landlord negotiations and endless property
viewings we realised that the only choice we had was to move somewhere where we could acquire a larger space (and afford the rent),” said the owners, sisters Rachel and Charlotte Stevens. “We did consider keeping our Brixton Market store open, finding a second store elsewhere, and running them both together, but then we remembered London rental prices.”
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Vegan cheesemonger quits Brixton Market
you
foster?
BID to research security after police deal ends The Brixton Business Improvement District (BID) has commissioned Brixtonbased community business WeRise to research security in Brixton. The BID has been using money from its levy to fund two additional “Section 92” police officers dedicated to working with local businesses This led to a 33% fall in town centre shoplifting. But the Met has increased the cost of Section 92 services to all BIDs. The service used by the Brixton BID rose by £42,000 from the current cost of £70,000 for two officers to £56,000 for each officer. The BID board has decided that it is not feasible to continue at this cost.
Suli Breaks Academy gig Suli Breaks, the spoken word poet who went viral in 2012 with Why I Hate School But Love Education, will headline the Brixton 02 Academy on 25 September, showcasing everyday heroes, fellow spoken word poets and his own expressive and opinionated words. He hopes to inspire young people to aspire to greater heights, whatever their personal circumstances.
Pop in for a chat and join us for a coffee at San Marino Cafe. The fostering team will be holding walk in information sessions every Wednesday from 10.00am to 12.00pm.
Call us: 020 7926 8710 or online: lambeth.gov.uk/fosteringandadoption Location: San Marino Café, 413 Brixton Road, Brixton, SW9 7DG
4 NEWS brixtonblog.com 2019 AUGUST
Domino Club criticises knee-jerk Moorlands blame for local police incidents asbestos By Linda Quinn Brixton Domino Club has criticised social media and online commentators who leapt to the conclusion that it was connected with the recent death of a 54-yearold-man near its Coldharbour Lane premises. Police were called to the incident in Coldharbour Lane at about 6pm on Saturday 29 June. The club was closed at this time. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in custody as the Bugle went to press. The club stresses that it is a resource rooted in the community and served by trustees like founder and chairman Lloyd Leon MBE, Lambeth’s first Black mayor. It was founded with support from Lambeth council after the Scarman Inquiry into the 1981 riots. Club manager Samuel Ellis told the Bugle: “The Domino Club is the most iconic place in Brixton, with the possible exception of the police station and the town hall. We are a famous landmark but want to be known for the right reasons – a
community resource and asset.” Brixton Domino and Social Club’s constitution has as its primary objective “to welcome all members of the community to join for the purposes of social activities, recreation and dominos”. It is a community hub that, for five years, has also housed the Brixton Soup Kitchen as well as Lawyers in the Soup Kitchen. Ellis says: “Lots of people are blaming the club wrongly. We are only allowed to play music on Friday and Saturday nights. People won’t want to come out if they think it is a violent place. “I’m still angry that residents around here, and even the police, blame us for incidents that have happened nearby that are nothing to do with the club. “When there is an incident outside, we take them in and clean them up. It’s time for the police to acknowledge that. “When the incident happened we were closed and it was nothing to do with the club. “The fact the police were coming to the club and spent three days with us was because we had CCTV
footage from our security cameras. “Every incident along Coldharbour Lane is recorded. We work with the police and our cameras cover the inside and outside of the building. We are compelled to give the images to the police if they request.” The club has regular contact with PC Lance Edmondson, the local police liaison officer, who confirmed in a text that the incident “was nothing to do with the club”. Ellis said: “There’s frustration that somehow it’s the club’s fault if people are loitering or trespassing when the club is closed and the gates locked,” “The trustees acknowledge that cuts in police numbers means there are no police to arrest them or stop anti-social behaviour.” Lloyd Leon said that from the club’s inception, made possible thanks to an intervention by Lord Scarman, the club had worked closely with the police and there was never a problem. “I believe in law and order one hundred and ten percent. I support the police one hundred and ten percent.”
Ellis added: “We have had problems with dealers outside, but we do not allow them in.” Leon said he has sympathy with London police, who have seen their numbers cut by 24,000: “The police are too thinly spread to be visible and prevent crime. They don’t have the staff.” The club recently met council officers and Ubele management consultants who are working on plans for the club with both it and the council to discuss how to support the management structure. The club has been working with the council since December 2017 when council officers and police applied to the council’s licensing sub-committee to impose restrictions on its licence. This application included several allegations of violent and criminal activity at the club which were refuted by Dr Mahamed Hashi, chair of the club committee at the time and now a Stockwell ward Lambeth councillor. He told the committee that the club was more than happy to comply with the decisions of the committee.
Long-term plan for Brixton playground The Dogstar and its yard from Atlantic Road and, below, plans for the proposed changes
Council vetoes Dogstar plan for 3 -storey building in yard Lambeth council has turned down an application to build flats and a restaurant in the yard at the back of the Dogstar at the junction of Coldharbour Lane and Atlantic Road. The plan, by Dogstar owners Antic, would have involved a three-storey building in what is currently the pub’s back yard that is used as a smoking area. The building would have had a frontage on Atlantic Road giving access
to both the restaurant and flats. The proposed opening hours for the restaurant were the same as for the Dogstar – until 2.30am from Sunday to Wednesday and until 4.30am from Thursday to Saturday. Antic has appealed against another council rejection – of its proposal to add three flats to its Effra Social building – the former Conservative Club on Effra Road.
matching coping stone soffit
existing timber "corbel"bracket
render
coping stone
matching soffit
lead flashings
dark grey painted timber fascia
windows & window heads to match ajoining terrace
render
lead flashings
existing timber "corbel"bracket
white painted timber fascia
fanlight
fanlight
fascia profile to match neighbouring
matching timber "corbel"bracket
security grilles behind
glazed tiles stallriser and plinth
dark dark glazed tiles dark grey dark grey glazed painted pilaster painted painted tiles glazed and plinth timber timber stallriser timber windows stallriser and plinth door
56-58 Atlantic Road
dark dark painted painted panelled timber stallriser plinth
white dark painted painted solid timber timber door panel
54 Atlantic Road
dark dark dark painted painted painted glazed panelled timber timber stallriser plinth door
glazed tiles pilaster and plinth
dark painted timber windows
Rear of 389 Coldharbour Lane
PROPOSED ATLANTIC ROAD ELEVATION SCALE 1:100
dark painted solid timber door
dark painted pilaster and plinth
dark painted solid timber door
dark painted glazed timber door
stone stallriser
389 Coldharbour Lane
Revision C Revision B Revision A
23rd Feb 2011 7th Dec 2010 26th Sept 2010
Elevation amended, notes introduced Mansard omitted Site title amended
BIGKID Foundation is to take over the running of Dexter Adventure Playground on Railton Road with a ten-year lease from the council after a tender process involving 19 groups. Cllr Jane Pickard, deputy cabinet member for schools and young people, said: “This is great news as I know how important it is for people in Brixton to have this site meeting their needs. “BIGKID presented an exciting and sustainable business plan which will bring fresh life to this site and ensure that it becomes a place the local
children, young people and families can be proud of.” BIGKID, which runs a programme based in Stockwell, has been operating in Lambeth for ten years. Shaninga Marasha, founder and CEO, said BIGKID was delighted to be taking over the adventure playground. “We are grateful to everyone who supported our bid and are looking forward to working with local young people and their families to deliver needsled activities including sports, youth club and adventure play sessions. Make sure you come and visit us.”
Council honours school governors
Fears for future Urban Art shows
Lambeth council has made awards to long-serving school governor for the first time. Governors, are all volunteers. Nearly 100 received a certificate and a plaque from the Mayor Ibrahim Dogus. Cllr Jane Pickard, deputy cabinet member for schools and young people, said: “School governors play a hugely important role in the education of our young people and their voluntary efforts are hugely appreciated.” Governors come from all walks of life and the c o u n c i l w e l c o m e s a p p l ications – find out more at http://bit.ly/LBL-schoolgov
Another successful Urban Art show in Brixton, the 18th, was ending as two Lambeth council officers arrived to warn of the possible imposition of massive charges on the event. They told organiser Tim Sutton that each of 110-plus exhibitors at the show was liable to pay a street trading fee in the region of £100. Despite extended negotiations with the council’s events department, Sutton has, once again, warned that the future of Urban Art is at stake. London’s largest annual open-air contemporary arts fair, it has raised money for charity since it began.
‘not a risk’
Residents of the Moorlands estate along Somerleyton Road behind the Barrier Block are concerned about possible asbestos in their homes following the appearance of an asbestos removal container (below) as refurbishment work took place. The post-war estate was transferred from Lambeth council to the Metropolitan Housing Trust in 1998. One resident who contacted the Bugle, and who wishes to remain anonymous, said
they had been told that their kitchen ceiling needed to be removed and replaced as it contained asbestos that could be affected by work to install new equipment. The tenant said that Metropolitan had told them that they must stay in their small one-bedroom flat with kitchen equipment stored in the living room while three weeks of work, including asbestos removal, was carried out. Metropolitan, which merged with Thames Valley Housing in 2018, told the Bugle: “The use of asbestos in construction in the UK was fully banned in November 1999 – so any building constructed or refurbished before that time may contain it. The material does not pose a risk unless it is disturbed. “The safety of our residents is our top priority and we strictly follow all guidelines and regulations on asbestos management set out by the Health and Safety Executive. “We are currently undertaking a programme of bathroom and kitchen replacement work on the Moorlands estate. “At some of the homes in which we are working, it has first been necessary for a specialist contractor to remove small amounts of asbestos – in line with regulations. “This work was required because there was a risk that the material would have been disturbed by necessary electrical work related to the refurbishment. “Our on-site resident liaison officers have spoken directly with affected residents to explain the work being carried out in their homes, and are available to provide any further information or support required.” Lambeth council recently advertised for a £300-a-day asbestos consultant to work for between three and six months acting as lead officer on all matters relating to the finding, recording and handling of asbestos. A council spokesperson told the Bugle that the adviser would act as part of its normal compliance team and that the post would cover the whole of Lambeth, rather than any specific project. “The whole of our technical services team is being reviewed, so we are filling urgent posts with agency staff to fulfil our requirements until we have agreed our ongoing resources,” the spokesperson said.
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com
Welcome for Brockwell Park deed Brockwell Park Community Partners (BPCP), the group is responsible for representing all local groups with an interest in the park, has welcomed the proposed “deed of dedication” for Brockwell Park. Lambeth council is to make an agreement with a specialist charity that it says will protect Brockwell Park, with some exceptions, from development and as an open space for the foreseeable future. BPCP said the deed with Fields in Trust which means the charity must give permission if more than a fifth of the park is to be sold or buildings erected on it that are not part of its role as a park will protect it “in perpetuity” by adding a layer of protection above that given by Metropolitan Open Land and Planning legislation. “This goes further than the current protections surrounding the park and similar models have been used to great effect in other boroughs,” PBCP said. “Under current planning restrictions we could not develop any of the park. The deed protects against future changes in legislation and planning regulations which may force development of the park. “It also guarantees the right of the community to influence the decision of the trust should there be any dispute about development of the park in the future. “This is an achievement for the Brockwell Park Community Partners who fought hard to make this happen.” The Brockwell Park deed is due to be completed in October this year.
Shared ICT class at Hill Mead. Right, Julie Marston. below Hester Kidson (right) and deputy head Becky Lawrence
Brixton pupils enjoy slime, Stilton and a visit from their new friends When Julie Marston, who teaches in a primary school in the Nottinghamshire village of East Bridgford, read the Hill Mead Herald page in a copy of the Brixton Bugle, she had an idea. Her idea came to life when pupils from Hill Mead primary on Brixton’s Moorlands estate and from St Peter’s primary in East Bridgford exchanged visits. Julie’s daughter Jessica volunteers at the Loughborough Junction Platform community café and Julie saw a copy of the Bugle there. She was impressed by the
Hill Mead Herald page written by Brixton pupils. She contacted Hill Mead and the two schools arranged exchange visits that took place recently. In Nottinghamshire, 54 year 5 children from Hill Mead experienced local activity, including a demonstration by Elizabeth Kneafsey, the Wild Wool Shepherdess, and met farmer James Fisher and his tractor “Ding Dong”. They also tried the local speciality, Stilton cheese. In Brixton, St Peter’s pupils toured local highlights and at both get-togethers the
LOCAL HEROES INITIATIVE Following last year’s successful event, the Brixton Local Heroes Initiative will present new nominations, including Jimmy Rogers, Buster Matthews and Gloria Bailey at a Lambeth Heritage Festival event Brixton Library on Wednesday 18 September from 6pm to 9pm. A portrait of Norma Williamson, who was director of human resources at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, will be unveiled and a digital ‘Roll of Honour’ display opened. The group continues to monitor the impact of existing and new heroes’ nominated by the community. Find out more at http://bit.ly/BrxS-LH
Always an Olympian in our hearts Brixton lost a beloved community member in June when George of The Olympic Kebab in Tulse Hill sadly passed away at the age of 62 after a short battle with cancer. Born Houssein Ahmet in Cyprus, but known
affectionately to his customers as George, he spent more than 40 years cooking up some of the best kebabs in Brixton. Regulars knew that when the shop was closed George was sunning himself in Colombia, enjoying
precious time with his wife, his friends and often a nice bottle of red wine. He will be remembered as a great listener, a positive ray of light; truly one of a kind. When the local community heard that George was ill, they made video tributes to him letting him know how much he was loved. Overwhelmed by the sentiments of gratitude and respect for his years of service to the community, George in turn left a heartfelt video of thanks for everyone he met and served, whom he came to think of as family. He will always be an Olympian in our hearts. Rest in peace, dear George. Andy Petrou
pupils worked together on a variety of projects, including the creation of slime at Hill Mead. It was only as the visits took place that a remarkable coincidence came to light. Jane Swain, who helps with reading at St Peter’s, told the visiting Hill Mead party that her daughter Hester Kidson is a teacher at the Brixton School. Hester actually attended St Peter’s for a few years. Hester, who had, until then, not been involved in the visits, was on hand to welcome St Peter’s pupils to Brixton.
NEWS 5
Windmill Gardens’ top award Windmill Gardens in Brixton has been recognised by the Green Flag award scheme as one of the best green spaces in the UK. A total of 17 green spaces in Lambeth received recognition. Jean Kerrigan, Friends of Windmill Gardens chair said: “We are absolutely delighted. We know how much quality green spaces matter to residents and visitors, and this award celebrates the dedication that goes into maintaining Windmill Gardens to such a high standard.” Friends of Windmill Gardens are also working with Lambeth council to build an education facility for schools and the local community, that will put the windmill and its history in context. Windmill Gardens is open to the public this summer and invites people to try one of the free windmill tours. Other events include: Sunday 11 August: Art in the Park, 14:00-17:00 Thursday 19 September: Bat Walk, 19:00 Wednesday 25 September: Windmill Annual Lecture Rising up: exploring real bread and its social benefits, 19:00.
6 COMMUNITY NEWS brixtonblog.com
Pile on pressure for the Pesticide Pledge Judging for the Blooming Lambeth awards has started – a lovely task, but also a difficult one as there are so many amazing entries. Promoting urban food growing is a key objective of Incredible Edible Lambeth (IEL), but we have a problem. Our streets are still sprayed with chemicals that affect our health as well as the natural environment. The catastrophic decline in insects appears to be related to the use of chemicals, and if we do not have the pollinators, we will not be able to grow food. IEL is working with Pesticide Action Network UK (www.pan-uk.org/) to support the shift to ways of removing weeds without pesticides. If you would like to get involved there are two things you can do: 1. Go to incredibleediblelambeth.org and take the Pesticide-Free Pledge to say that you will not use pesticides on your growing plots, balconies, windowsills; try washing up liquid instead, or just remove bugs or weeds by hand. 2. Write to your councillor and ask them to lobby for change and encourage the whole borough to adopt a pesticide-free ethos. If you visit the PAN UK website (pan-uk.org/pesticide-free-london), you will see that many of our councillors have pledged to go pesticide-free, but we all need to encourage that pledge to be transferred into action. We think the council is listening and we know that it is trialling non-harmful sprays in parts of the borough. Parks are already pesticide-free. Now we need our streets and estates to be free of these nasties too! Pesticide – You Decide! People power! Pester power! We can collectively make a difference. If you’d like to become a member of Incredible Edible Lambeth, go to incredibleediblelambeth.org and join today! It’s free.
We are on the move!
2019 AUGUST
Help available to host a local Play Street on Car Free Day
Sun shines for Tulse Hill unity walk By Simone Richardson Walkers and cyclists enjoyed the sunshine as a Unity Walk organised by the Tulse Hill Forum left the Tulse Hill Estate on Saturday 13 July on its way to a street party at the St Matthews Estate where they were welcomed with food, music, DJs, steel pans, dance and games. Tulse Hill ward councillors Ben Kind, Mary Atkins and Marcia Cameron said the council was happy to support communities and residents’ organisations close roads. “It brings communities together at the same time as diverting traffic from residential areas,” said Kind. Lambeth council transport and public realm strategy manager Simon Phillips and parks development officer Tom Smith were there to show support and canvas opinion on how to reinvigorate places like Rush Common that runs alongside Brixton Hill’s A23 for people to
Come say farewell to the current B£ cafe, lend a hand, pick up a souvenir and tell us where you’d like to find us next! Our last week is w/c 22nd July. It’s been a fond few years on Atlantic Road, but it’s time to move on and reinvent elsewhere. But where? Watch this space!
use more. Simon Phillips said: “We are here today to talk about our project to transform Brixton to make it safer for cycling and walking in a cleaner area.” He added that there was some money available to improve the area and the council was there to listen to residents. Jean Ramsey, chair of St Matthews Estate Tenants and Residents Association and a governor of Jubilee primary school on Tulse Hill, said: “The street party is important as this project works together and happened together. Everybody comes down and enjoys themselves. Families out together. It is a unity day.” Resident Charli Hogan-Hooker said organisers were grateful to the council for helping with the parking too. “It costs a lot of money to do these things and has got all of us together and to get to know our new neighbours,” she said.
We’ll also be holding an open meeting in Brixton in August, giving you the opportunity to share your thoughts and views about our next venture. It’s your community too, so be a part of it.
Lambeth communities are being urged to organise regular “play streets” by closing their road for a few hours a week or month. Car Free Day, 22 September, would be a good time to start, say campaigners. Applications to host a Play Street in Lambeth on this day close on 1 August – see http:// bit.ly/LBL-PS. Some support is available from Lambeth council and the London Play charity, but residents are expected to run the closure and supervise children themselves. Residents act as marshals to allow neighbours to drive to and from their homes at walking pace. If you want to run an ongoing Play Street and are able to hold an event on Car Free Day, Play Street offers to help make the first one special by providing an activity for every street closed on Car Free Day including Smoothie Bike, Dr Bike mechanic or static bike racing. To help minimise costs Play Streets has free starter packs with fun things for children to play with and two road closure signs. AA www.londonplay.org.uk
Keep an eye on social media, and at brixtonpound.org We’ll see you soon! ×
brixtonblog.com COMMUNITY NEWS 7
AUGUST 2019
New Windrush memorial must be in Brixton, says councillor
Pensioners celebrate 40 years of campaigns Lambeth Pensioners Action Group (LAMPAG) celebrated its 40th year as a non-party political’ campaign group at Lambeth town hall in Brixton. Speakers highlighted the group’s many achievements and paid tribute to members past and present. The group’s campaigns over the years have been directed at involving older people in addressing policies and practices that affect their health, wellbeing and sense of worth as members of the community. LAMPAG’s most recent demonstration was against the loss of the over 75s TV licence. New members are welcome to the group which holds monthly meetings with invited speakers and publishes a monthly newsletter. It also organises regular social events. LAMPAG is funded entirely by subscriptions, raffles and donations from members and supporters.. To join or find out more about LAMPAG contact chair Ellen Lebethe at elebethe@talktalk.net.
Get help with your business start-up Start-ups in London Libraries (SILL) is a project to support people interested in starting business and or who have registered a business within the last 12months. It provides information on trademarks, business planning and finances and offers one-to-one session or workshops. Businesses are said to be as much as four times more likely to succeed with support and guidance. The next local workshops are 13 and 22 August in Streatham library. A separate workshop focused on how to access funding is on 24 July from 10am – 1pm in Clapham library. The project is run by the British Library and funded by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund. AA Contact startupsinlondonlibraries@lambeth. gov.uk or Lambeth SILL project coordinator Rachel Samuels on rsamuels1@lambeth.gov.uk,
Help for Heroes appeal Help for Heroes, the UK armed forces and military veterans charity, is appealing for Brixton volunteers to help raise funds at local stores during its Tesco national collection weekend on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August. Anyone with a spare couple of hours can help with its bucket collections by registering at h4hweb.com/tesco or contacting its campaigns team on 0300 303 9888 or campaigns@helpforheroes.org.uk.
Young Brixton entrepreneurs’ app catches the eye of industry leaders By Jessica Dyer Charles Clayton a 16-year-old student who has just finished his GCSEs at Brixton’s Evelyn Grace Academy is starting his own business called “The AlphaApps”. Charles and his friends Bruno and Leynner set up The AlphaApps after developing what they say is the world’s first augmented reality video game and comic book – named “Big T Adventures”. Readers download the app developed by Charles and his team which allows them to scan the comic. Once a page is scanned, the characters from it come to life in full augmented reality action similar to Pokemon Go! as part of a mini-game that is linked to the story taking place on the page. The idea caught the eye of Disney Animation chief technology officer Nick Cannon in the USA who was so impressed by the initial concept he helped mentor the students.
The AlphaApps team attended the US Computing Technology Industry Association conference last year where they presented their product, sharing the stage with influential executives including Cindy Rose OBE from Microsoft UK, who was very impressed by the students and their revolutionary product. The business began as a school project for The TeenTech Awards competition. After winning, Charles wanted to take the project further: “App development is for anybody,” he says. “A few years ago, this never used to be something I saw myself doing. “My plan was always to become an engineer, but after seeing the potential of where we can take our business, apps and games development is a future I see myself in. “The AlphaApps is not just a business that develops apps, our intention is to show to other kids in our community that anyone can become
successful, they just need to put in the work. “I want other students across London and the UK to feel encouraged to get involved in programs like TeenTech at their own schools.” One year later the team has won multiple national awards and visited Buckingham Palace to pick up the Best Innovative Product award in the TeenTech 2019 Awards. It was a double win for the school, as computer science teacher Sumair Mohammed also won TeenTech’s Teacher of the Year award. Charles will be in Birmingham next March for the national finals of The Big Bang, the UK young scientists and engineers fair, which are just ahead of the release date he has planned for “Big T Adventures”. The AlphaApps team are also working on other games and apps for smartphones and Charles assures us that he intends to release a string of games next year.
A senior Lambeth council member has launched a petition opposing plans to site the official Windrush generation memorial at Waterloo. Councillor Sonia Winifred, cabinet member for equalities and culture, told The Bugle: “Windrush Square in Lambeth is the rightful site for a monument to the Windrush Generation. Not Waterloo station”. Prime minister Theresa May announced the proposed site for the memorial on 22 June – the first government backed and funded Windrush Day The decision, by a committee headed by local resident Baroness Floella Benjamin, was greeted with dismay by Windrush campaigners – both because of the site and because of the continuing plight of the hundreds of children of the Windrush Generation whose lives have been destroyed by Theresa May’s “hostile environment” policy. Arthur Torrington, chair of the Windrush Foundation, told The Guardian newspaper that the government was treating the Caribbean community like children by not consulting key groups. At a Windrush Day ceremony in Brixton, Vincent McBean, chair of West Indian Association of Service Personnel (WASP), told the audience: “I have been in this country 58 years. I am 63 years of age. I have been in the Army seven years. I have been in action. I have come under fire; returned fire. “And only last year, October to be precise, was I given a little letter from the Home Office to say I am a British citizen. That tells you what’s happening.” Cllr Winifred’s petition on change.org says that, while it was right to choose Lambeth to celebrate the arrival of the Windrush Generation, Brixton’s Windrush Square, and not Waterloo, was the right place for a memorial. Up to £1 million of government money is available for the project. “Windrush Square is home to the Black Cultural Archives, the only historical institution of its kind in this country dedicated to collecting and preserving the history of African Caribbean people in Britain,” said Cllr Winifred. “What better recognition of the contributions of the Windrush Generation than to have this monument in Windrush Square alongside the Black Cultural Archives. providing both historical and educational experience of the Windrush Generation for generations to come.”
The lives of Loughborough Road over 150 years Lambeth Heritage Festival, a month-long event led by Lambeth Archives and Lambeth Local History Forum is taking place in September. LEAF (which stands for Loughborough, Evandale, Akerman, Fiveways, four local roads) a local tenants and residents association will be involved in a number of events. You will be able to learn about the history of the Loughborough Road through talks, exhibitions and public installations. Shops and pubs on Loughborough Road will have posters outside showing brief histories of the premises and people’s memories of the street.
There will also be a free talk on 19 September at 7pm in the San Mei Gallery, 39 Loughborough Road, about local shops and the people who ran them, exploring the stories of some of the people who have lived and worked on
Fiveways Corner in bygone days
Loughborough Road over the past 150 years. There will be an accompanying exhibition about the changing faces of Loughborough Road shops at Lambeth Archive. Nellie Roberts lived all her life – from 1872 to 29 March 1959
– 60 years ago next month – at 72 Loughborough Road. For 56 years she was the official orchid artist of the Royal Horticultural Society, painting up to 5,000 award-winning orchids and private commissions. There will be an exhibition of her work from 5 to 22 September at the San Mei Gallery. It is supported by the Royal Horticultural Society and Northern Orchid Society. Deborah Lambkin, the current RHS orchid artist give a talk on 12 September at the gallery. More information about other events happening can be found in the Lambeth Heritage Festival brochure and online at www.lambeth.gov.uk/events/ lambeth-local-history-fair.
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8 CREATIVE BRIXTON brixtonblog.com
2019 AUGUST
ARTS
A lost generation of radical British artists who created iconic images in the inter-war years will find recognition at Dulwich Picture Gallery this summer. The Grosvenor School was a revolutionary but, until recently, largely forgotten movement that took the simple technique of linocutting from the classroom to art gallery. The result was vibrant, dynamic and energetic images of public transport, sporting events, and people at work and play. Influenced by cubism and futurism and reflecting the lines and shapes of art deco, these works offer a glamorous and vivid picture of the 1920s and 30s. While providing some contrast to grim images of the depression, the works are neither romantic nor sentimental. Rather, they depict daily life through the lens of the machine age. Ordinary, everyday scenes have been transformed into striking modernist compositions. They are bold, confident, colourful, and, above all, joyful statements about the world people lived in. The exhibition brings together 120 works which exemplify the range of artists and subjects of this truly radical movement. It begins by putting the Grosvenor School into context and highlighting the various influences on it and, in particular, its founder, Claude Flight. Central to his approach was the attempt to capture speed and movement. Hence the focus in so much of the work on sport and transport. This is nowhere better illustrated than in Cyril Power’s The Merry-Go-Round of 1930. Cyril
PHOTO OSBORNE SAMUEL, LONDON/ © THE ESTATE OF SYBIL ANDREWS
Leslie Manasseh on artists who took the humble linocut from classroom to gallery
©THE ESTATE OF CYRIL POWER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, [2019] / BRIDGEMAN IMAGES/ PHOTO THE WOLFSONIAN–FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
DULWICH PICTURE GALLERY CUTTING EDGE – MODERNIST BRITISH PRINTMAKING
Cyril Power, The Merry-GoRound, c.1930
Sybil Andrews, Speedway, 1934
Colour and movement Power, along with Sybil Andrews, became the key figures in this movement and produced many of its enduring images. The exhibition is arranged thematically with a room for each of the key subjects: “urban living”, “at work and play”, “pastoral life”, “town and country” and “on the move”. As you journey through the show you will see some great pieces – arguably the highest form of this modest technique. Among the early influences was the work of Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson, whose stark images of the first world war are at once understated but powerful. In the next room – “at work and play” – you will see William Edward Greengrass’s Jazz Musicians, a
work whose structures reflect the dynamic rhythms of the genre. The Giant Cable by Sybil Andrews is a perfect example of how a simple image of men at work is transformed into an elaborate art deco construction. The following room – dedicated to “pastoral life” – includes the work of a number of Australian artists, shown here in the UK for the first
time, whose images capture the drama of the outback in a similarly stylistic manner. Perhaps the most iconic works are to be found in the “town and country” room which highlights sport. The Eight by Cyril Power and Speedway by Sybil Andrews are minor classics in their own right and not to be missed.
“On the move” is the final theme and this room contains the most striking images of London Underground and tube travel. The Tube train by Cyril Power depicting commuters on the District Line – complete with newly introduced patterned upholstery – is an image that still resonates today. This is a fantastic show – full of colour and movement from a group of artists who deserve to be better known. If you go you will also be treated to the eight-metre long crocodile (left) cut from a single piece of paper by Japanese artist, Nahoko Kojima. Suspended in the entrance of the gallery, it is a wonderfully delicate black and gold rendition of an anything but delicate reptile. AACutting Edge runs from 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. until 8 September. Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, SE21 7AD. £15. AAwww.dpg.art/cutting-edge
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DOGS TAKE THE LEAD
Southwark Park Galleries at 1 Park Approach, SE16 2UA have invited cultured pooches who live with a variety of artists and curators to select their top dog-related artworks for Dog Show. With a little help from their human companions, these canine curators have selected artworks in what is believed to be the first exhibition of its kind. Dog Show runs from 18 July until 8 September 2019. Admission is free.
SHAKESPEARE IN THE GARDEN
Shakespeare returns to a garden in Herne Hill when the Half Moon hosts a modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo & Juliet on Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31July. The Open Bar theatre company says: “The pub garden is perfect for allowing everyone to be a part of the story and laugh along with us.” Tickets from www.halfmoonhernehill.co.uk/ shakespeare-in-the-garden
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com CREATIVE BRIXTON 9
MUSIC Not only Stormzy, but also gender parity – Dave Randall looks back at Glastonbury and at the Lambeth Country Show
STUART WALKER / ALAMY
Most reviews of the Glastonbury festival rightly focused on the stunning South London takeover of the Pyramid Stage on Friday night courtesy of Stormzy. It was a bold and brilliantly executed performance. It demanded recognition not only of the talent, creativity and ambition of young people in our area, and of the UK hip hop/grime scene as a whole, but also the ongoing struggles against racism, austerity and a lack of opportunities. Stormzy, at the age of 25, is the first Black British solo artist to take the Glastonbury headline slot. Some reviewers have somewhat complacently presented this as evidence of how far the country has progressed. Stormzy himself underlined how much further we have yet to go. A consistent champion of the Justice4Grenfell campaign and critic of prime minister May, he used the Glastonbury performance to take aim at Boris Johnson, encouraging the vast crowd to chant ‘F**K BORIS’. In a tweet, Jeremy Corbyn commented: “The performance was political, iconic and the ballet was beautifully powerful. It won’t just go down in Glastonbury history – it’ll go down in our country’s cultural history.” A less well reported aspect of Glasto 2019 is that the festival’s line up nearly achieved gender parity. Sure enough, many of my highlights were performances by female artists from around the world. Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara played a masterful set on the West Holts stage which paid tribute to Fela Kuti and Nina Simone. Later on the same stage Janelle Monáe and her excellent all women of colour band tore up the highlight slot. Over on the Other Stage Little Simz underlined why
she is one of the UK’s most exciting new artists and rising Jamaican reggae star Koffee got the whole of The Park bouncing and feeling blessed. Our own Lambeth Country Show, which takes place in Brockwell Park on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July, is a little further from gender parity, but we will be treated to a performance by one of the pioneering female legends of reggae, Dawn Penn (inset). She told me about her fondness for Brixton and said that, rain or shine, the Lambeth Country Show is her cup of tea. As a child growing up in Kingston Jamaica, Penn studied classical music and would also drop into Studio One to lay down vocals on rocksteady singles produced by the likes of Prince Buster and Coxsone Dodd, the latter of whom was responsible for an early version of a tune called You Don’t Love Me recorded in 1967. A re-recording of that same song some 25 years later delivered Penn chart success in the USA and Europe and a #1 hit in Jamaica. You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) has since been sampled or covered by Kano, Hexstatic, Jae Millz, 311, Ghostface Killah, Mims, Eve featuring Stephen Marley and Damian Marley. Penn appears at the Lambeth Country Show as a guest of London based reggae group Royal Sounds who open the main stage at 1.45pm on Sunday. She assures me that her signature song will be on the setlist, and adds that, as a long-term vegetarian and lover of plant based food, she’ll probably wander up the hill after the show to inspect the produce of the Lambeth Horticultural Society. Why not follow Dawn Penn’s lead and take time to explore the Lambeth Country Show. As well as the fantastic main stage acts there are numerous community music organisations, orchestras, choirs and bands to enjoy as well as campaigns including Love Music Hate Racism to support. See what interests you, have a chat and find out how you can get involved. Dave Randall is a musician and author of Sound System: The Political Power of Music.
@DAVIDCOURTPHOTOGRAPHY
Making history …
…where we hi-five local musical movers and shakers ask five questions to get to know the people who play regularly or contribute in other ways to Brixton’s live music scene. This month it’s the turn of Cyndi Handson (aka Cyndi Anafo) What do you do and where do you do it? I am a DJ/promoter mainly in South London – Brixton Village being a key spot. I’m also a director of Peckham Palms – London’s first Afro hair and beauty hub majority run by Black women.
Favourite memories of playing in Brixton?
BRIXTON
HI-FIVE
Has to be Tongue and Groove that used to be on Atlantic Road. It was a great time in Brixton – it had yet to become on trend in the mainstream and so the music community of that time were genuinely appreciative and open minded to off-the-beaten-track quality music nights.
What are you listening to at the moment? Emanative & Phil Ranelin’s Vibes From The Tribe, of which all proceeds go to music charity The Steve Reid Foundation.
Favourite album of all time and why? Will select a joint favourite with my husband and business partner, Chris: Sunlight by Herbie Hancock, the killer tune being No Means Yes … not the most politically right-on of titles, lol.
Where can we hear you next? Our free family friendly all-dayer “No Long Ting” at Pop Brixton Sun 24 August. Follow us at @brixtonvillagelates where we host a number of free DJs & live events weekly at Brixton Village, Thursday–Saturday and Satay Bar every Sunday when we roster a family friendly old skool music session for brunch. www.sataybar.co.uk
10 OPINON 2019 AUGUST
Local artist Artful Dodger has created a mural on the side of Marks and Spencer to express fears that the Lambeth Citizens’ Assembly is ‘under-funded, rushed and not truly empowered’
Extinction Rebellion says council citizens’ assembly plans ‘not enough’ By George Deacon A new plan by Lambeth council to use a citizens’ assembly to guide action to address the accelerating climate crisis will need a bigger budget, more preparation, and more commitment from the council to have any chance of success, say members of Extinction Rebellion Lambeth. The environmental group, who are protesting on Waterloo Millennium Green, were “heartened” when the council agreed to demands for a citizens’ assembly in June. Councillors outlined the plan as they unveiled a report concluding that, without urgent action to combat the climate emergency, the borough faced a bleak future. They warned of “a higher risk of extreme weather events, with long dry periods followed by heavy
COUNCIL
rain leading to flooding; damage to buildings and infrastructure; worsening air quality; higher energy and food costs; increasing temperatures and increasing frequency of heat waves that are dangerous to vulnerable people; and increases in social injustice”. With traditional politics seemingly paralysed by the scale of the challenge, the council decided to call a special citizens’ assembly to suggest new ways for the borough to cut its planet-warming carbon emissions to net zero by 2030. The assembly is a gathering of local people randomly selected to represent all genders, ages, ethnic groups and social classes in Lambeth who would meet over several weekends to hear evidence and viewpoints from experts and stakeholders on the climate crisis and possible action. At a series of workshops and
Lambeth council has set out its initial plans to respond to the climate emergency. The first London borough to declare a climate emergency, it has set a target for council operations to be carbon neutral by 2030. The council also says it wants a wide consensus-building conversation in the borough to agree collective action through a citizens’ assembly. A budget of £85,000 has been set to fund the report and setting up the assembly. Council leader Jack Hawkins said: “The climate crisis threatens the wellbeing of our most disadvantaged communities. It is essential that the conversation about, and process of how, we tackle this crisis is genuinely inclusive and empowering and looks at reducing the inequalities exacerbated by the effects of climate change. The citizens’ assembly will bring together residents, be fully representative of the population, to develop a collective response.”
discussions, they would consider the position and options, then propose and vote on a set of recommendations for the future of areas of life in the borough, including transport, waste management, energy and housing. “Genuine and radical change in Lambeth will require everyone – council, residents, hospitals, businesses, local organisations – to get involved, have their say and take action.” said Councillor Claire Holland, deputy leader of the council. Citizens’ assemblies have successfully tackled other complicated and hard-to-solve problems, including changing the abortion law in the Republic of Ireland. But a recently-announced citizens’ assembly on the climate crisis in Camden attracted strong criticism for allowing only 12 hours for its members to understand climate
GREEN PARTY
science and decide on the best of all possible routes out of the crisis over the coming decades. Now Extinction Rebellion Lambeth fear that serious flaws in the council’s plans could similarly undermine Lambeth’s own assembly. They say a budget of just £85,000 would fund only four to six days of meetings – nowhere near enough time to reach meaningful conclusions about the wide range of changes needed in the borough. Similarly, the protest group are worried that to hold the assembly as soon as October will not allow enough time for the critical preparation of establishing the current carbon footprint of the borough and telling everyone in the borough about the citizens’ assembly. Fabienne Formosa, XR Lambeth explained: “Life will change to be more sustainable and healthier,
Lambeth Green Party councillors have “called in” what they say is the council decision to go ahead with its carbon reduction plan without any way for it to be scrutinised. The council’s overview and scrutiny committee will now review the decision. Green leader Cllr Jonathan Bartley said the scrutiny would be an opportunity to “make better decisions and involve more people in decision-making.” He said it was clear from the concerns of groups like Extinction Rebellion that council plans for a citizens’ assembly and carbon reduction needed to involve many more people. The Green Party said that the only way of holding the council to account on its climate action was an annual report by officers to the council’s cabinet and that the proposed citizens’ assembly was under-resourced and the council commitment to follow its recommendations was weak.
but few people like change. It’s so important that news of the citizens’ assembly and details of how people can get involved is shared with all parts of the community – this takes time and good planning”. The group are also concerned that the council has so far only said it will “reflect on” the outcomes of the assembly. “A citizens’ assembly is there to guide action, not just conversation among councillors. The council must commit to act on the recommendations otherwise this is an expensive talking shop,” said Steve Tooze of Extinction Rebellion Lambeth. He continued: “We’ve taken expert advice and Lambeth’s current plan is under-funded, rushed and not truly empowered. “We will work with the council to correct the flaws to give Lambeth a people-powered transition out of the crisis.”
TRADE UNIONS
Lambeth Trades Council is calling for action against climate change on 20 September. Young climate activists who have led the way with student walk-outs have called for 20 September to be a day of action by students and workers against the inaction of governments. Lambeth Trades Council heard speakers from Extinction Rebellion and the Campaign Against Climate Change and agreed to call on workers in Lambeth to gather for a rally at 12.30pm in Windrush Square on 20 September. A public meeting at the Karibu centre in Brixton on 12 September aims to build support for the action. Simon Hannah of Lambeth Unison said: “Lambeth council has rightly declared a climate emergency. Now it is time for workers to stand alongside students to save the planet.” AA For more information email simon.hannah81@gmail.com
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com OPINION 11
BRIXTON BUGLE
COMMENT
Remembering Windrush
With so much happening in and to Brixton, it might seem that the question of where to site a Windrush Generation memorial (page 7) is not the most pressing issue. But it is one that goes to the heart of what Brixton has been, is, and is becoming. We are already witnessing a not-so-subtle rewriting of the Windrush story, despite continuing revelations of what the first generation and their descendants went through and are still going through. Revelations about how politicians of all parties tried to divert the Empire Windrush from London, and how Theresa May’s “hostile environment” has viciously ruined so many lives, are being quietly moved aside for government spokespeople to create a narrative of brave immigrants overcoming minor obstacles to become part of a happy multi-racial society. No-one in Brixton believes a word of this. And the long struggle to erect the African Caribbean War Memorial in Windrush Square is evidence of the real picture. Putting the new memorial near the bright lights of the Southbank around Waterloo station might, possibly, mean that more people will see it but, removed from the context of the area where so many of the first Windrush Generation settled, would mean that it would soon have no more significance than the many other London memorials to the apparently Great and Good. And that is to say nothing of the £1 million budget for the project that many local people, companies and organisations could spend very well. Indeed, might it not be better to use that money to endow a memorial law centre following the tragic loss of Lambeth’s own? One of the key factors in the Windrush scandal was the unavailability of legal aid and advice. But we can always look on the bright side, can’t we? Did not Boris Johnson, now a South London himself, and the man most expect to be our next prime minister, officially open Windrush Square? Perhaps he learned something from that. What do you think? If you have a complaint about the Brixton Bugle, see bit.ly/BBB_complaints for how to pursue it Regulated by IMPRESS: The independent monitor for the press 16–18 New Bridge Street EC4V 6AG 020 3325 4288 complaints@impress.press www.impress.press
My inspiration I was fearful, but Rashid asked me: “What would your dad say if he were in your shoes?”. Eventually, I started speaking to the media. I was filmed in my kitchen by London Live, demonstrating the lack of water from the taps while discussing the lack of care for elderly residents living on the top floor of my block. They were forced to take the stairs to collect water from a free-standing pipe because of a concurrently broken lift. My neighbour explained that she and many other tenants On 23 June 2014, my life shattered into were being moved to hotels across London and a million pieces. My beloved father was still having to take their children to school murdered at his home in Ghana. in Brixton. There is no way to prepare for the death of a Throughout this time, I drew inspiration parent or the murder of your hero. A revered from my father, who would have been even architect and a political activist in Ghana, my more vocal. He always stood up for us as dad Hayford Patterson Akrofi was a household residents on the estate and living in his home name. He was a staunch republican who drew in Brixton has given me the opportunity to lifelong inspiration from Kwame Nkrumah, give back to the community in which I saw the man who led Ghana to freedom from him thrive. colonial rule in March 1957. Like Kintsugi, the Japanese art form Dad strove to fight against imperialism which pieces together broken crockery using for the duration of his adult life; he stood lacquered gold to repair the cracks, I am up for his fellow students as the president learning to see the beauty in brokenness. It of the National Union of Ghana Students in has not been an easy road. Dadʼs home has the 1970s, in the midst of political uprisings been the sanctuary I needed to seek shelter in Ghana, and led a political protest which from the most terrible of storms. On my saw US Secretary of darkest days, I struggled State Henry Kissinger’s immensely with the I drew inspiration from my father who always stood up for us as tainted visit to Ghana details of his murder, residents on the estate. Living in his home in Brixton has given me the and at times felt so sick cancelled in 1976. He had so much pride in with grief I couldnʼt opportunity to give back to the community in which I saw him thrive. Ghana, but it pains leave the flat for days at me that the love of his a time. I am still coming country cost him his life. the estate faced a situation in which we were to terms with the fact that I will only see him The dreadful day that he passed marks the forced to live without running water for in my dreams. This has been my solace. point at which chaos, trauma and anxiety three weeks. In the wake of the tragedy of In those dark moments, I remind myself of came flooding into my life. I had just finished the Grenfell Tower fire, this major incident the gentle, powerful man who fathered me. university and I intended to spend months highlighted the fact that the majority of The man who used to surprise my sisters recovering from working hard for my degree communities living in social housing face and me with sweeties in his briefcase when (*cough* partying in Leeds for three years), by extremely dire conditions, in which their he finished work. The man who always woke relaxing on my mother’s sofa, sleeping in until human rights are compromised. This the household up dancing to jazz. I only knew midday and eventually, perhaps, finding a job. particularly affects people of colour who often him as our dear dad, not the activist. The love Instead, I found myself crashing into this face the dismantling of well-loved communities we shared forms the golden cracks within my new found world of responsibility head first, within social housing. newly awakened self. I believe that grief is and wandering through the subsequent years Being Hayfordʼs daughter, I used my voice the ultimate manifestation of the love shared with the immense weight of grief and shock. on Twitter to complain about the lack of between connected souls. Immediately after his passing, I moved into water, providing a daily Big Brother style I am eternally grateful for my mother dad’s rented housing association apartment, update, “Day 13: had a shower at the gym and sisters for being my source of hope and otherwise I would lose it forever. I spent so today while using a free trial. And no, I did strength through it all – as well as Shelter much of that dark summer frantically crying not work out”. It was at that point that I met – without them, I would not have my own on the phone to Shelter, asking the housing Rashid Nix, a local activist. He told me that tenancy at dad’s home. My home. charity for assistance in the succession of dad had spearheaded the residents’ association Finally, to my father – the late, great his tenancy. I was phoning the charity on an on the estate, and he urged me to follow in my Hayford Patterson Akrofi. Thank you for hourly basis, while fighting off demands from fatherʼs footsteps and be vocal about the issues giving me the gift of life, and the will to the landlords, asking when I intended to clear we faced with the absence of water. honour it to its fullest. Fearlessly.
Five years after his murder in Ghana, Brixton resident Sophia Akrofi explains how the death of her father inspired her to become an activist
out my fatherʼs belongings. In September 2014, when I moved in, I already had a backlog of rent to pay. I spent the first few months after his death nursing rampant anxiety and sleeping with the lights and television on. I was living in fear, surrounded by eerie memories of my childhood; memories of growing up as the baby of a loving, lively family, juxtaposed with the present loneliness and loss. At the age of 23, I was living with empty nest syndrome. Being open to grief is important for the process of healing. When I visited the on site doctor at my workplace and casually dropped into conversation that I was suffering from trouble sleeping and severe anxiety – he asked me if I could think of potential causes. “I think itʼs because my father was murdered a few months ago”. The shock on his face was expected, but the genuine care and urgency with which he found me a highly recommended grief counsellor was not. She taught me to compartmentalise the horror that was keeping me up at night, and focus on the principles my father had taught me: to believe in my power as a resilient black woman. In October 2017, my neighbours and I on
Brixton Business Improvement District (BID) is a not-forprofit organisation dedicated to strengthening Brixton’s diverse business culture. We represent more than 500 levy‑paying businesses and work to develop new and exciting opportunities for Brixton.
Lost in Brixton …
Coming back to Brixton – S&S Textiles’ Shahida and Mohammed Shafiq
AFRICAN QUEEN’s Sabina Owusu says the shop, which also sells gifts and clothes, is a leading specialist seller of fine textiles for the West African market. 29-33 Granville Arcade, Brixton Village, SW9 8PR 020 7737 1999
Michael Smith, Director of the Brixton Business Improvement District If we are to be Lost in Brixton, let it not be amongst uncollected rubbish (way past the 5pm daily pick-up time) and outdoor markets closing at 6pm when at least 440 new visitors should be arriving daily into our town centres. All visitors to Brixton are welcome. We always want new visitors to add to our Tube station entry and exit figures (more than 33 million a year), to increase our bus transfer usage, and to hop onto our frequent trains to and from Victoria. Let them use our Santander cycles, too. They are located at three sites (on Saltoun Road, Ferndale Road, and St. John’s Crescent) servicing our town centre. If you are coming to Brixton to get lost, remember, Brixton is more than just a place for drinks. With the cost of a pint across London going from £1.08 in 1989 to a current level of £4.44, our visitors are becoming more discerning, even choosing to drink alcohol-free beverages. Many hospitality businesses are reporting an increase in the sale of non-alcoholic beers and cocktails. With the demise of the iconic Club 414 in
THE
A.M. FABRICS says its business is in Brixton because many of the customers for its African heritage textiles live in the area. The family-run business has more than 10 years of experience dealing in all kinds of fabrics ,trimmings and haberdashery, and specialises in satin, biostretch, linen, poly cotton, organza and suiting. May, more and more live music venues in the Brixton area are coming under the threat of closure with no new live music sites emerging. Exorbitant rent reviews, the ability to easily convert from A3 usage (restaurants and cafés) to residential, and West End level rents are continuing to impact on Brixton. Pubs, the home of many live acts, are still closing around us in London at the rate of 18 a week. The closure of the Canterbury Arms on Pope’s Road was not that long ago; so too The Angel, The Telegraph, The Rest is Noise and the Green Man, for those with longer memories. Is the proposed impact of business rate relief having the desired effect of helping to save our pubs? Would the council consider the use of other tools, for example community land trusts, to bring land and property into the ownership of local communities? Could this approach help local businesses and neighbourhood groups to save important local resources that could soon be lost to Brixton? Whatever the answer, it is clear that our local council as a planning authority and landlord has a comprehensive role to play in determining the future of business in Brixton. The same organisation that grants planning permission to multi-million-pound construction projects also determines local licensing regulations and will, in turn, act against market traders for mere inches of “overpitching”. What is it that governs our local authority’s policies as they affect business? Is the local authority capable of being
even-handed and supportive to big and small businesses alike and at the same time? Whether local businesses pay a pitch fee or business rates, they are all customers of services provided by the council and should, as customers, benefit similarly. What is the principle of encouraging support to one set of customers and enforcement against other customers? Big or small, rich landowner/landlord, or market trader, Lambeth council must now make itself equally accessible and supportive to all its customers. Let’s get back to the hundreds of people who will be coming into Brixton daily to get lost. Encouragement should be given to any local entrepreneur with a clever enough plan to attract more visitors to Brixton. It is then incumbent on all other businesses to attempt to maximise any benefits that could accrue from additional visitors to our town centre. It is important as well that plans are in place to manage the needs of any extra visitors we plan to attract to the area – sufficient conveniences and good crowd control measures. Whether you are coming to Brixton to get lost or simply to have good fun there are some things we all want: AA Lively clean streets with relaxing spaces AA A destination that is safe and welcoming AA A well connected destination AA Good value businesses large or small With these in place we could all afford to get lost in Brixton.
African Queen
‘Wax cloth’ – a The “wax printed” cloth stocked by local shops and stalls has an origin that is as diverse as Brixton itself. It is based on Javanese batik print that was introduced to West Africa during the second half of the 19th century by African soldiers returning home after serving in Indonesia. They took the brightly coloured cloth with them, creating a fashion sensation
E FABRIC OF BRIXTON Fabrics and design run like a thread through the old and the new Brixton. The existing cluster of shops, designers and makers will soon be reinforced not only by the return of S&S Textiles to a refurbished arch premises, but also by the creation of a fashion and textiles studio space filling an entire floor at 3Space International House. Managed by the artist collective Assemble, the studio is intended to be a local resource and it will favour local applications. Shanae Coleman talked to textile retailers and designers 34 Market Row, SW9 8LD 020 7738 4344 or 07877 971623
the ones who didn’t really know of it before, but are now finding it interesting. Now there isn’t any real profit for the original traders who have African heritage since it has gone more into the mainstream areas.” 11 Reliance Arcade, SW9 8JZ 020 7274 6314 NASSERI FABRICS 38 Atlantic Rd, SW9 8JW 020 7733 8060
KOKOBE: “It’s all about the beauty of the print. People find it pretty and those are
SIMPLY FABRICS’ Leo explains why he and his business partner decided to start the business 22 years ago: “For us Brixton is a meeting point for cultures, where better to sell fabrics
than somewhere with multi cultures”. Leo says that from a young age his playground was the factory and he decided early on that was what he wanted to do. 48 Atlantic Road SW9 8JN020 7733 2877 #simplyfabricsbrixton S&S TEXTILES, who moved to East Street market Walworth when their Atlantic Road railway arch was closed for rebuilding by Network rail are due to return to Brixton soon. Mohammed and Shahida Shafiq specialise in African laces including voile, pure cotton and net. But shoppers can find everything from fur fabric to bridal satin as well.
Meet the makers ISABEL FLETCHER is a designer going places. Her first show, part of a Brixton Design Trail, was Downstairs at the Department Store in Brixton. She has also worked in Simply Fabrics on Atlantic Road and says: “Getting to know Brixton and the people, and learning more about the fabrics was so interesting. But I also loved working with the customers and them giving me problems to solve.” Isabel says that her part-time job in Simply Fabrics helped her find time to work on her own creations. She loves working in Brixton: “I think the people and the way they all work alongside each other despite being from different cultures makes the place. “I love walking in the market early in the morning when they set
up shop. Compared to walking through it in the evening it’s a totally different vibe”. “It is a creative place. Walking up Atlantic Road you see all the different fabric shops. “You have African print and then you have somewhere like Simply Fabrics that has a huge range. “There’s something for everyone”.
Isabel can choose how, where and what she uses for her designs and that freedom encourages her to choose the most sustainable options that meet her needs. “I am doing something creatively that is very much me, but I’m proud of it also in the sense that its hopefully doing something good and reflecting on something important”.
PHILIP NORMAL Not only is Philip Normal an in-demand designer, he is also deputy mayor of Lambeth and has represented Oval ward as a councillor since May last year. 45 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8PR philipnormal.co.uk #philipnormal
A. M. Fabrics
a history as diverse as Brixton itself in their own countries. Small local production started but demand exceeded supply because the traditional production process was slow. European manu facturers, including the leading company ABC, experimented with faster processes to produce the cloth more cheaply. The first ABC wax prints were produced in 1908
near Manchester. ABC cloth is now manufactured in Ghana by ABC’s sister company ATL (Akosombo Textiles Ltd) and is distributed throughout Africa, Europe and the Middle East. They are part of the Hong Kong based Cha Group. The company has 35,000 designs and adds to them at a rate of 200 a year. When a wholesale customer chooses a design,
that design is engraved on a pair of copper rollers. Today, printing a resin paste – hence the term “wax” – on to both sides of the cotton cloth creates the wax print. The cloth is dyed and the design appears on areas where the resin has not been applied. A mechanical treatment produces the cracking effect characteristic of a true wax print.
UNITED 80 designer and artist SamanthaJane (right) says: “Brixton is vibrant – so when I started to make clothes, it was just about taking that a step forward.” Her late grandmother, who had a creative flair, got Samantha into making clothes. Today, she sees “African” prints being diluted into mainstream high street fashion “I think it’s a good thing on a whole,” she says. “I believe everyone’s culture should be celebrated. But what isn’t good about it is that a lot of African prints aren’t actually made in Africa – so it’s not really African culture that is being praised.” 80 Brixton Village, SW9 8PS 07749 834386 www.united80brixton.com
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14 BRIXTON FASHION AND BEAUTY
2019 AUGUST
A fresh aroma, an art wall, and lots of men – this is a nail salon with a difference Sarina Mantle (left) and Samantha-Jane in her Brixton Village shop
A collection based on art, music and fashion Simone Richardson meets two local women who have created a striking art-based range of products
known as Phoenix Black. Their relationship grew through their love of art, music and fashion. The collection is a body of art depicting women of colour as beautiful beings in different meditative states that is displayed on different media to create fashion, homeware and accessories. Samantha-Jane has run her shop for nine years since she moved to Brixton from Liverpool. “Being a Scouser I shouldn’t be so passionate about anywhere else apart from Liverpool. But becoming a designer in Brixton has been a massive inspiration to me. It has a great community. Brixton is my spiritual home.” Serina says working with United80 was an empowering experience. It gave her an insight into taking pure design concepts into something that can be sold. AA United80 is open every day except Tuesdays at 80 Brixton Village. Details at www.united80brixton.com
Hip-hop artist Sarina Mantle and Samantha-Jane, owner and creative director of United80, have teamed up to produce a range of products depicting women of colour as beautiful beings. Mantle’s Wild Suga label and United80 will release original artwork, a series of prints and cards, homeware and limited edition items. The Summer Solstice 2019 collection will be sold at United80’s Brixton shop and its online store. Sarina Mantle and Samantha-Jane met in the early noughties through rap music and reading self-written poetry at St Matthew’s Church and the Lounge on Atlantic Road. Sarina was a solo vocalist, one half of the musical duo Native Sun and Samantha-Jane was a hip-hop artist
Isabel Fletcher Downstairs at the Department Store in 2017
Brixton based designer launches own brand Shanae Coleman talks to local designer Isabel Fletcher
Isabel Fletcher’s work is rooted in Brixton. She was working in Simply Fabrics on Atlantic Road when she mounted her own exhibition of textiles and clothing Downstairs at the Department Store as part of the 2017 Brixton Design Trail.
She pays tribute to another Brixtonbased designer, Fabrizio Palmas, who gave her the space in the Animali Domestici studio on Saltoun Road to show “Beneath the Surface” a solo exhibition in 2017. Before she started her own business Isabel signed up to the Prince’s Trust for support and mentoring and has now established her own brand – isabelfletcher.com.
Her work is inspired by unusual materials that are “designed not to be seen”. For example she has used bedsprings in brooches and carpet underfelt in clothes. She also wants to explore the most sustainable options that meet her creative needs. “I am doing something creatively that is very much me, but I’m proud of it also in the sense that its hopefully doing something good and reflecting on something important”.
Jessica Dyer meets friends and business partners Ama Quashie and Latoyah Lovatt who moved into a shell of exposed brick a year ago. Now it is a nail salon with a difference in the heart of Brixton People notice the smell inside Ama at 340 Coldharbour Lane – it’s fresh instead of the usual pungent chemical aroma. They also notice the unusual number of men in a nail salon. The fresh smell is because of the products that friends and business partners Ama and Latoyah insist on using. And the men? Our clientele is “such a mix of people – I love it,” says Ama whose name is also that of the salon. “We have young girls who have found us through Instagram, who are looking for cleaner, more organic products and search us out; we have local people; a lot of men, different types of men, the ‘typical’ nail salon is seen as a very feminine space, but maybe because we looks like a front room, they don’t feel intimidated.” The two grew up in Brixton and met at St Martin-in-the-Field High School for Girls on Tulse Hill. Says Ama: “I wanted to create a space very community orientated, Brixton is extremely gentrified, but we wanted to create a space that is as welcoming to new Brixton as it is to old Brixton. It is not a salon for one type of person, it is for everyone. “You can come with old friends or you can make new ones. There are moments when I am here, and people don’t even
know each other, and everyone is getting on and laughing. It can be an auntie from the estate across the road, having a chat with a fashion editor – and that is what I love.” Another feature you won’t find in many nail salons is the art wall, a gallery of prints and photographs, “it is about female empowerment and Brixton”. A gold frame houses a large image of Nelson Mandela visiting Brixton in 1996 “I was one of the welcoming children in the Rec who held up squares that made the South African flag, so we wanted that picture up there; we wanted to keep it as local as possible so there is a Windrush couple from the sixties and the Ritzy with a quote on the day Prince died.” The salon is a response to the demand for cleaner, healthier salons. “My personal beauty regime is full of cleaner products, without parabens, and in my fashion work I am known for amplifying the natural nail, so it made sense to continue that. I wouldn’t want to offer the public treatments or products that I wouldn’t want on me or my family,” says Ama. A “free-from” treatment by the team uses Kure Bazaar nail polish which is 10-free (the highest free-from polish produced), “They also offer a gel brand that is seven-free, vegan and cruelty-free. Basic polishes are 3-free, and all the scrubs, balms and oils come from UK-based organic brand Pinks Boutique. “Most people comment on how fresh it smells compared to a normal salon because they are used to pungent smells related to monomer products.” Ama is closed to the public on Mondays. This time is set aside for community focused activities. Once a month there is a podiatry clinic with sessions at a reasonable price, with discounts for over-60s. “For International Women’s Day we did a partnership with women’s prison services Stockwell and provided a nail bar for them.”
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com FOOD & DRINK 15
FOOD & DRINK REVIEW: MAREMMA
Soul food Nick Buglione takes a trip to little Italy You can have lived most of your life in Brixton and never worked out Montego Bay, the curiously random Caribbean place by the “George Canning” [now Hootananny] that opened when it felt like it, and only occasionally felt like it. Now, reborn as Maremma, celebrating the flavours of Tuscany and, along with Naughty Piglets, turning this somewhat unheralded dining junction into a gastro micro boulevard. Nothing overdramatic about the light airy upstairs bar and kitchen area and downstairs dining room, lightly distressed brickwork, moderately cool copper pendant lighting, banquettes and “boarish” iconography. The boar is an emblem of the Maremma, coastal area of western central Italy, bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Guardian calls it “Tuscany for the cognoscenti”. The home of hunters, with game and seafood embedded in its culinary DNA. Maremma, Brixton branch, when we go, has just emerged from its soft launch and is into full stride. As mentioned on these pages before, two interesting things appear to be happening. One, the understanding and enjoyment of devolved regional cuisines, in this case a part of a part of Italy I had barely heard of, and, two, Brixton’s “little Italy” spike of new regional Italian restaurants. The menu is classically structured. Antipasti, primi, secondi and contorni. Starter, main and dessert, with an extra pasta “small plate” course thrown in. Maremma isn’t “cooking for Instagram”; there are no extravagantly cheffy flourishes, the dishes are pretty because they are. Acquacotta Maremmana sums this up. Classic “peasant” dining, this is the lightest
of vegetable broths, pimped with a poached hen’s egg. Similar to Portuguese caldo verde in spirit, a “Cinderella” soup of “cooked water”. Polpo alla Griglia, chargrilled octopus tentacle on a fava bean puree and drizzled with parsley oil, was another example of confident simplicity, big on flavour from the grill. All gastro menus seem to have octopus these days. Coastal Tuscans have been cooking it for centuries. I know some of the ways of the boar (family holidays in southern France where the local hunters occasionally gave us a huge chunk of boar they had shot). Pappardelle with wild boar ragù “primi” fused home-made pasta with a rich, slow cooked, “heritage” ragù. Big flavour, think pork with a gamey injection. Hosts Alice Staples and Dickie Bielenberg have also curated a genuinely interesting wine list, more or less exclusively from the Maremma. And will happily talk you through it. We had a lovely invigorating vermentino bianco (from Elba) and a couple of deep robust reds (by glass, carafe or bottle). I am not a connoisseur of the ways of wine, more interested consumer, so letting Dickie and Alice suggest and supply is just how I like it. Fortified, our main courses maintained the simple, precise cooking. Chargrilled tagliata of onglet (hanger steak) with rocket could barely be more minimalist. Perfectly rendered steak overlayered with smokiness. Wood baked hake, clams, samphire and aioli, ditto. Simple, and elegant. Great British Menu judges bang on about how tricky it is to get hake just right. This is moist, flaking and not bullied by the aioli. These are all the kinds of dishes, I’d cook at home but not remotely as well. Homely heritage dishes, elevated, but retaining their regional soul. In a local, neighbourhood place, elevated but retaining its regional soul. They also do a spuntini menu of focaccia, olives and arancini to go with cocktails for aperitivo hour. We are a long way from Montego Bay.
GET A TASTE OF BRIXTON IN OUR NEW TAP ROOM! Super fresh beer right where it’s made. 10 taps, other drinks, merch & more! DRINK IN / TAKE OUT 36 Brixton Water Lane, SW2 1PE | 020 3186 4011 | maremmarestaurant.com
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Brixton’s Jones the Butcher has been shortlisted for Best Specialist Retailer in the 2019 Food and Travel magazine reader awards – you can vote for them and, if you have a jet set lifestyle, many others in several categories at https://foodandtravel.com/awards
16 FOOD & DRINK brixtonblog.com
2019 AUGUST
REVIEW: BREWDOG
Tap dance Aby Jones is let off the lead for a booze cruise at Brewdog Most of us know Brewdog; we know that when you see that little black dog on the side of a can, you’re going to get a damn good beer. But not everyone knows that you can drink a full range of their creations on Coldharbour Lane. I swung by on a Monday evening to see what’s pouring. Brewdog was at the forefront of the craft beer scene, but now the dust has settled, it seems to have eased into its role as the provider of Willy Wonka beer creations, served simply. They whittle down the crazy craft beer scene to give customers a varied, quality selection. It’s not just their own stuff, they also have guest taps from other breweries, so you’re not just drinking Brewdog. The space and decor is made for beer drinking. It’s a little dark, a little American, a little modern, a little classic, a little man-cave. The whole vibe is set up for the after-work drink, a chilled Saturday afternoon, a pint on the way in or out of Brixton, but also feels like a place you could secure yourself a nice space for a solid session at the weekend, in an otherwise very busy Brixton. Incredibly exciting to the seasoned crafties, but somewhat intimidating to the novice beer drinker, is the 22-strong tap selection and chalk board descriptions that greet you when you hit the bar. How to decide between a “Hazy Jane” and
a “Nine to Five Wizard”? Ask, they know what they are talking about. With such an incredible spread of beers, you can opt for a “flight” of tasters, which gives you four third-pint tasters. Once you’ve met your beer match, slink into a booth for some tucked away sipping and have a scan of the menu. Drinking beer necessitates lining your tum, and what better combo than beers and burgers? The menu is exactly what’s required; straight up salty goodness to soak up your liquor. Mondays means 2:4:1 on all vegan food at Brewdog. As a beer lover and vegetarian, it was nice to be catered for without having to choose a miserable mushroom in a bun. I went for the “beyond meat burger”, a plant-based burger that tastes like real meat. It definitely has that naughty burgerness that we veggies miss so much. The vegan mayo is as good as the normal stuff, perfect for dunking your sweet potato fries. I had just enough room for some classic mac ’n’ cheese and spicy buffalo cauliflower pieces. My meaty man friend tucked in to a chicken burger (Cluck Norris!) with a kick, which got some positive grunts and a very messy beard. (Napkins will be required). Once you’ve grubbed out, you should know that the Brewdogs have been busy making their very own gin and tonic, which is a nice clean end to a beery, burgery evening. I don’t want to bark on about the beers (yes, pun intended) but, for those interested, highlights for me were: Elvis Juice (grapefruit IPA), Lost Lager (hoppy lager) and Beatnick
sticky toffee pudding (a stout). If you’re having food and you don’t know what to pick, they do a beer matching on the menu which can give some pointers. They make drinking different beers, easy. The whole thing feels a little “constructed” but has good beer and straight up food at its core. The space is purposefully a bit of a beer cave, heavy green furniture, dark wood and illuminated signs, but ultimately finds a nice balance between spectacular beers and a straight up Brixton bar environment. It’s not too cosy, it’s not crazy trendy, the exterior is a trifle soulless, it’s just very Brewdog. If you are a hop fanatic then this place screams heaven in terms of the range, but for those who don’t know their hops from their elbows, it’s an excellent spot to begin tasting, or just to have an easy pint and a burger.
419 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LH | 020 3026 2500 | brewdog.com/bars/uk/brewdog-brixton | @brewdogbrixton
NEW HOME DELIVERY
Directly from block to plate. £10 off your first order. Use code BrixBlog£10 at the check-out of our online shop jonesthebutcher.me.uk to redeem the offer. Offer valid for first-time home delivery shoppers only, and only one discount code per address is accepted. Offer valid until 31 August 2019.
Meat, the way it’s meant to be.
Greek pitas and plates made from scratch. Now open at 441 Coldharbour Lane SW9 8LN. Follow us
@mikosgyros
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com FOOD & DRINK 17 REVIEW: MIKOS
Pitta patter Nick Buglione is back on souvlaki street at Mikos Summertime, late teenage years Hawaiian Tropic (sun factor: less protective than sunflower oil, probably now illegal), trying to talk to girls, micro-budgeting around sunny bits of Europe and eating on even smaller budgets. Italy, street pizza and endless Mortadella, France, baguette and camembert (again) and, from Greek island to Greek island, souvlaki. Like the New York hotdoggers on every Manhattan corner, souvlaki is real street food, cooked on street, bought on street, eaten on street. Back then washed down with Ouzo, and more Ouzo. Tonight, we are happy on Greek Fix beers. We is all grown up. I can forgive Mikos’ Hugo Yoshida for taking souvlaki indoors and giving it a bit of upgrade, Brixton isn’t quite downtown Naxos, even on a sunny day. Back then, on the way back from the beach or club, it was ubiquitously chargrilled pork skewers. Mikos is spreading its wings with gyros rub chicken, Greek rub pork (belly), Welsh lamb with rosemary rub and for the less carnivorous, halloumi or portobello mushroom. Hold, on, what about the Mikos on
Acre Lane? Still there as a predominantly delivery kitchen for the ever-increasing hordes of people for whom leaving the house to eat is an unwelcome distraction from Insta. And presumably think a waiter is a man in a helmet on a scooter. I’m old school and hate phones so I’m here in person. The new Coldharbour Lane outpost is as simple as the menu. Less kitsch than Acre Lane, more robust, chunky wooden tables, industrial metal, open grill sizzling. Not too many decisions to make – pick your meat/s, your sauce and go. Puffy charred pitta bread, marinated meats on the grill, rosemary chips and tangy garlic infused sauces. Simples. As Hugo, anyone from the Cyclades, and souvlaki fans know, the chips are essential. Whatever you have chosen comes in pittas or plates (open-plan pitta, oregano chips, dip, salad) with a variety of “fillings”. Pick and mix. You can throw in halloumi and feta top-ups and choose from tzatziki, souvlaki or hummus saucery. Sprinked with paprika for additional piquancy. We had the chicken, the lamb, the pork and pimped them both with halloumi. And yes, it takes me back. This is my comfort food, circa mid-90s. The lamb could possibly have been a bit pinker (pour moi),
and my favourite is still the (traditional?) pork, but all the meats have been rigorously acquainted with a classic oregano-olive oil-lemon marinade and blasted with heat, flame and smoke. Pittas weigh in around £6 or £7, plates £7 to £8 and one with a side of rosemary chips is a meal in anyone’s book. We are obviously
dedicated professionals who had to eat most of the menu. I don’t know why souvlaki has never really arrived in the first, second and third waves of “streetfood” but it should have done, and not just so I can rehash edited memories of my Interrail years. Mikos isn’t doing anything to get Michelin judges scribbling in
441 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LN | 020 8127 3880 | mikosgyros.co.uk | @XXXX
notebooks or the “everything must look like Kendall Jenner” generation mainlining glamour shots of their supper, but how about you just enjoy the meaty (and cheesy) simplicity of souvlaki and a beer. Take a break from the sofa, take a break from the phone. It’s one of those cash-free places so take some plastic (… or your phone).
Summer Emergency Food in Lambeth Welcome to our latest emergency food page in the Brixton Bugle. We hope you find it useful. Lambeth Larder creates free resources so local people can find support.
Virginia Nimarkoh, Lambeth Larder Community Food Resource
If you are struggling to pay for food and need support in a crisis, there are places across Lambeth that will help.
Norwood Food Bank
Waterloo Food Bank
Tuesday, 10am-1pm Friday, 10am-2pm
Monday, 9.30am-11.30am Thursday, 2.30pm-4pm
MORE HELP + SUPPORT
St Luke’s Church
St George the Martyr Church Borough High Street London SE1 1JA
There are more places that offer food and support in Lambeth, if you need help. Visit our website lambethlarder.org for more info.
FOOD BANKS
Knights Hill London SE27 0HS
For most food banks, you need a voucher before you can get emergency food. This is how they work:
T 07722 121108 E norwoodfoodbank@btinternet.com W norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org.uk
• To use a food bank, a doctor, health visitor, social worker, advice worker, police, etc. must refer you. • The person referring you will give you a food bank voucher.
Streatham Food Bank Wednesday, 7pm-8.30pm Saturday, 9am-11am (donations only) St. Margaret’s Church
• You take the completed voucher to the food bank to receive food.
Barcombe Avenue London SW2 3BH
• Contact your nearest food bank for where to get a voucher.
T 07722 121108
You need a food bank voucher to get emergency food at these centres:
Brixton Food Bank Tuesday and Saturday, 10am-1pm St. Paul’s Church Ferndale Road London SW9 8AH
E norwoodfoodbank@btinternet.com W norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org.uk
Vauxhall Food Bank Wednesday and Saturday, 11.30am-1.30pm 105 Tyers Street London SE11 5HS T 07398 860 992 E foodbank@christchurchlondon.org
T 020 7921 4205 E foodbank@oasiswaterloo.org W waterloo.foodbank.org.uk
Waterloo Food Bank Wednesday, 3pm-5pm St John’s Waterloo 73 Waterloo Road London SE1 8TY T 020 7921 4205 E foodbank@oasiswaterloo.org W waterloo.foodbank.org.uk
Other Emergency Food Free food and support. Monday to Friday, 10am-2pm Brixton Dominoes Community Centre 297-299 Coldharbour Lane SW9 8RP
Waterloo Food Bank
NTCG Brixton Food Bank Free food and support.
Tuesday and Friday, 11am-2pm
Tuesday, 1pm-2.30pm Friday and Saturday 10am-12pm
The Bonneville Centre 12 Poynders Road London SW4 8NY
Oasis Centre 1 Kennington Road London SE1 7QP
Check website for dates.
T 020 8675 7661 E info@claphampark.foodbank.org.uk W claphampark.foodbank.org.uk
T 020 7921 4205 E foodbank@oasiswaterloo.org W waterloo.foodbank.org.uk
E info@lambethlarder.org
S @LambethLarder
Brixton Soup Kitchen & Support Centre
E brixtonsoupkitchen@gmail.com W brixtonsoupkitchen.org
Clapham Park Food Bank
CONTACT US W lambethlarder.org
W vauxhall.foodbank.org.uk
T 07722 121 108 E norwoodfoodbank@btinternet.com W norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org.uk
We also publish a free booklet, The Directory, available from libraries, food banks, GP surgeries, advice centres, etc.
Every other Thursday, 7pm-8.30pm
NTCG Brixton Community Church, Lambert Road, Brixton Hill SW2 5BB T 0207 737 0963 E events@ntcgbrixton.com W ntcgbrixtonevents.com
Are you an EU citizen living in the UK? If you’re an EU citizen, you and your family can now apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living, working and studying in the UK after any Brexit transition period.
For more information and how to apply visit: gov.uk/eusettledstatus
THANK YOU! A massive thanks all the local people, organizations, community groups and businesses that contribute to Lambeth Larder resources.
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com WHAT’S ON 19
WHAT’S ON Brixton hosts Black Panther exhibitions Lance Rose, bass; Gary Williams, drums; Bulky Leo, sax; Tan Tan, trumpet; Patrick Anthony, trumpet; Alan Weekes, guitar; George Kelly, vocals
Love to hear that evening jazz go down Simone Richardson meets the musicians who play every Thursday at the Effra’s legendary jazz night Thursday is Effra jazz night. The line-up may have varied over the past 20 years or so, but the pub is always packed – a tribute to the musicians. The line-up is singer George Kelly, guitarist Alan Weekes, trumpet Tan Tan (original member), trumpet Patrick Anthony, sax Bulky, double bass
Lance Rose, drums Gary Williams. George Kelly has been singing at the Effra for ten years after Alan Weekes introduced him to jazz. “I was more of a reggae and soul singer back in the day,” he says. Brixton resident Weekes carried on the 20-year Effra jazz tradition after founder Dudley Brown passed away. “It is great to be playing music and to do something that you have a passion to do and that people love in the Effra,” he says. Patrick Anthony, a guest trumpet player who is there regularly, learned to play the trombone in his school’s youth orchestra, became
a car mechanic but sold his car “bought a trumpet and got a job playing in the band. That is how I started to play the trumpet.” He enjoys playing trumpet with the original Effra trumpeter Tan Tan. Kelly looks forward to twice-weekly performances on Thursday and Saturday. He is creating his own album which he hopes will be out soon on vinyl and CD. “Especially on a Thursday night I enjoy it as it is so atmospheric. It’s my favourite night now. All ages enjoying the live jazz is a pleasure to do,” he says.
Two Brixton locations, Photofusion in International House and 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning on Railton Road are hosting an exhibition of photographs by Neil Kenlock. Lost Legacies of the British Black Panthers showcases images that evidence the struggles of the Windrush Generation and their descendants. It tells the story of community activism in Brixton during the 70s and 80s. Photofusion displays portraits of civil rights leaders, lawyers, activists and community icons of the time, while 198 hosts images of defining
moments in the history of the civil rights struggle. Both sites display the hopes and hardships of a generation. Visitors walking between the two parts of the collection will travel down Railton Road – for many years the centre of then struggle for civil rights – known as the Frontline and where the Uprising of 1981 was at its height. The collections open on 19 July with an event at 198 and two more events, a critical contemplations long table, Art and Activism, is on 25 July at Photofusion, and a symposium, Continuing the Legacy, is at 198 on 3 August. Open until 30 August.
20 WHAT’S ON brixtonblog.com 2019 AUGUST
Our selection of gigs and more in Brixton and nearby FRI 19 @ BLUES KITCHEN
FRI 26 @ BARRIO
SAT 20 @ BROCKWELL PARK
SAT 27 @ RUSKIN PARK
Manchester-based nine-piece Riot Jazz bring their mix of funk, soul, hiphop and AGGRESSIVE JAZZ to the Blues Kitchen each Friday in July. Free before 9pm. £5 after. Open until 2.30am.
Barrio all-star DJs mix tropical soul, LATIN licks, funky disco, old-skool and party favourites to kick start the weekend. DJs From 8pm-2.30am. Free entry. Guestlist available for queue jump before 10.30pm.
There’s plenty of great music at the LAMBETH COUNTRY SHOW. The main stage has artists from 1pm, including DJ Richie Vegas (Africa Oyé), 1pm; Bukky Leo & Black Egypt, 2pm; Vanessa Haynes celebrates Aretha Franklin, 3.30pm; MF Robots, 5pm; and Imagination, 6.30pm.
Cross your fingers for dry weather and head for Pop Up Screens’ inflatable screen in Ruskin Park to watch DIRTY DANCING (12A) one more time. Tickets from £13.75 to £22 to include a chair and drink. Plus concessions. “Doors” 7.30pm. Film 9.15pm.
SUN 21 @ BROCKWELL PARK
Brixton Booty CAR BOOT sale relaunches at the Domino Club at 299 Coldharbour Lane. 10am to 3pm. Details: http://bit.ly/BrixtonBooty_280719
And the show does go on – with main stage performers Royal Sounds featuring Dawn Penn, 1.45 pm; Sista Women in REGGAE, 3.10 pm; Dennis Alcapone, 4.20pm; The Twinkle Brothers, 5.20 pm; and General Levy, 6.40 pm.
MON 22@ WINDMILL
Bull from York play “magic candy music” described as 90s slacker rock meets British song writing, backed by The Klittens’ twochord fuzz pop from AMSTERDAM and Jean Penne, the Earl of Catford, with disturbing comedy. 8pm. £5.
TUES 23 @ CRAFT BEER COMPANY
Collywobblers COMEDY present Ivo Graham “on the brink of comedy’s premier league” with an Edinburgh fringe preview and globetrotting Canadian J J Whitehead upstairs at the Craft Beer Co. Plus Mandy J Moore, Katie Lane and Fiona Ridgewell with MC Sion James. Doors 7.30pm. £5 advance (at the bar; 020 7274 8383; brixton@thecraftbeerco.com. £10 cash on door.
WEDS 24 @ TOWN HALL
Billed as Brixton’s first offline SKILL SHARING sessions, Art Clubbers present The Playground – Music Mixer Mayhem in the Tripod workspace. Bedroom music makers, car boot DJs and aspiring radio jockeys are invited to share and showcase their creations and create collaborations and learn to be entrepreneurs. With Essex tech house event SourHouse and alternative band Blank Fiction. 6-8pm. £3.79 from Eventbrite.
THUR 25 @ HOOTANANNY
Catch no fewer than 13 artists competing in the semi-finals of the third series of BRITAIN’S GOT REGGAE. 9pm. £3.
SUN 28 @ DOMINO CLUB
MON 29 @ ST PETER’S
Real Voices Brixton, formed in February 2017, invites you to Paint Your Spirit Gold at a charity event in the beautiful setting of Saint Peter’s Church in Vauxhall. Expect CHORAL RENDITIONS of contemporary pop and indiefolk. St Peter’s Church, 310 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY. 7.30 – 9.30pm. £11/£13.
TUE 30 @ GHOST WHALE
Holy Roar Records “the thinking man’s HARDCORE label” celebrates its 13th birthday and more than 150 releases with a beer bash at Ghost Whale. Justine, Sam, Wil and Alex will chat over a few beers and a great soundtrack. Entry charge includes four beers (1/3 pint servings) from Ghost Whale each “paired” with Holy Roar songs. Rare releases, merch and test pressings for sale. 7pm. £10.
WED 31 @ POP BRIXTON
Big Indie Records summer sessions showcase local and up-and-coming TALENT including Cardiff-based Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard. 7pm. Free.
THURS 1 @ PRINCE OF WALES
Orlando’s on the roof terrace is every Wednesday with cheap entry, cheap drinks, good vibes and DANCING to hip hop, garage, disco and soul. 10pm – 3am. £6/£8. Group of 5 £22.
FRI 2 @ SECRET LOCATION
Sofar puts on gigs in people’s homes. The Brixton location for this one is revealed the day before by email and on a webpage. Details http://bit.ly/Sofar-Brx-0020819
ATTENTION ALL ASPIRING SINGERS
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SAT 3 @ POP BRIXTON
One Click to Love at Impact Brixton is billed as “an online DATING masterclass with a difference”. BBC journalist and radio presenter Anthea “Love” Lee runs a workshop on what it takes for a first date to blossom into a meaningful relationship. 5pm – 7pm. £26.64.
SUN 4 @ PHONOX
Electronic duo Mount Kimbie brings their adventurous DJ set to the Sundays at Phonox series. After the post-punk of their critically acclaimed album Love What Survives in 2017, Dominic Maker and Kai Campos return to DANCE MUSIC. Doors at the earlier time of 4pm. DJs play until 10pm. £22.40. Advance cheaper.
MON 5 @ KATAKATA
Brixton Hill veggie/vegan café Katakata presents BIRD BOX BONANZA! a fun workshop run by Earth For All for children to learn about environmental issues while making their own bird box from reused Tetra Paks. Suitable for ages six to 11. Bring a clean, empty one-litre Tetra Pak. Children cannot be left unaccompanied. 10 – 11.30am. 132A Brixton Hill, SW2 1RS. £3.
TUES 6 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON
Join Jelly Cleaver and her gal pals for a JAZZY PARTY with some of the new bands from the South London jazz scene. Including Katie Moberly, Loucin Moskofian and Queen Colobus. Cleaver’s last gig at the Windmill saw police called to the after party … 8pm. £5.
WED 7 @ HOOTANANNY
Hootananny’s popular LIVE BAND KARAOKE invites pros or first-timers to sing with Ben Swan’s full live band. Check the 200-somg-plus Spotify playlist at http://bit.ly/Hoot-Spot-playlist. 9pm – midnight. Free.
SAT 10 @ BRIXTON
Join the Brixton Society for a 75-minute HERITAGE WALK around our street markets, covered arcades and high street. Email marketwalks@brixtonsociety.org.uk to book. Starts by Craft Beer Co. 2.30pm – 3.45pm. £3
SUN 11 @ RUSKIN PARK
There are daily FLYING TRAPEZE CLASSES in Ruskin Park from 15 July until the end of August. Join the TLCC trapeze school team to get fit, have some fun and release your inner circus. Various levels available. £30. See www.tlcctrapeze.com.
MON 12 @ COMMUNITY BASE
First day of a week-long KIDS’ FILM CAMP. Students will have classes in singing, acting and dancing for screen skills and use them to make a film that will be shown in Brixton. They will also contribute to storyline and script, design and make props and costumes as well as helping behind the camera and directing. For ages five to 16 in separate agegroup classes of 10 to 15. 9am to 4pm. £189. Payable in two instalments, sibling discount. See www.o-yocollective.com
TUES 13 @ ARCHBISHOP’S PARK
Show Boris Johnson how to do it at Zip Now London, the biggest, fastest city centre ZIP WIRE in the world, which returns to Archbishops Park in Lambeth North this summer. Launch from 35 metres up in the air and travel for 225 metres at speeds of up to 50 kilometres an hour. Until 15 September. From £27. See london.zip-now.co
WED 14 @ BLUES KITCHEN
An evening with £5 cocktails and DELTA BLUES from Too Much Talking. Music starts downstairs at 9.45pm. Open until midnight. Free entry.
THURS 8 @ CHIP SHOP BRIXTON
THURS 15 @ BRIXTON VILLAGE
Future Roots present Babylon Beats at the chip shop on the second Thursday of the month. The free event, has DJs and live acts performing reggae, DANCEHALL, Afrobeats, hip hop and jungle. 7pm. Free.
It’s Crafty Fox MARKET night in Brixton Village with food and music as well. Plus free drop-in collage nostalgia workshop with Naomi Vona – bring your own photographs and memories. 6pm – 10pm. Free entry.
FRI 9 @ BRIXTON JAMM
FRI 16 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON
The Brockie & Det Experience rolls into Jamm with one of the HEAVIEST jungle/ oldskool classic DnB line-ups ever. Plus an exclusive performance from Brockie & Det’s full live band. With guests Nicky Blackmarket, Profile, Potential Bad Boy, Kenny Ken and more. Room 2 with Kapow! and Sky Designs. 10pm – 5am. £10-15. More on the door.
Humanity for Palestine presents Freedom Sounds BENEFIT CONCERT featuring US artists Dead Prez, Havoc – half of the Mobb Deep hip hop duo with Prodigy – and Big Noyd as well as the UK’s own Lowkey, DJ Snuff and Palestinian Sensation band 47 Soul. The event will benefit organisations that work directly with Palestinian children, providing medical aid and support.
LICENSING ACT 2003
APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF PREMISES LICENCE Think Positive Fashion Cafe has applied to the London Borough of Lambeth for the grant of a Premises Licence, in respect of the following premises: Think Positive Fashion Cafe, 62 Elm Park, London SW2 2UB. Which would authorise the following licensable activities: supply of alcohol, 7am - 11pm, 7 days. The record of this application may be inspected during normal office hours by an appointment at the Licensing Section, London Borough of Lambeth, 3rd Floor, Civic Centre, 6 Brixton Hill, London, SW2 1EG, or via the licensing authority’s website, at www.lambeth.gov.uk/licensing A responsible authority or any other person may make representation to the licensing authority in respect of this application. Representations must be made in writing, either by post to the above address, or by email to licensing@lambeth.gov.uk and must be received no later than Friday 16 August 2019. It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with a licensing application, and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for that offence shall not exceed level 5 on the standard scale (£5000).
AUGUST 2019 brixtonblog.com WHAT’S ON 21
Our selection of gigs SAT 17 @ PHONOX
Resident DJ Esa will be joined by live fivepiece Afriquoi who merge Congolese guitar and Gambian kora VIRTUOSITY with UK electronic sensibilities. 9.30pm. £7 advance.
SUN 18 @ POP BRIXTON
Ever wanted to learn how to make a MACRAME wall hanging? This class is ideal for beginners. You will learn the four main knots, giving you the knowledge to read and create patterns and make a variety of designs. All materials provided and you will get to go home with macrame ready to hang on your wall. Midday – 2.30pm. £43.23.
MON 19 @ STUDIO B
WED 21 @ WINDMILL
Black Mekon, GARAGE ROCK, and Cherry Pickles, old school rockabilly, and more TBC, 8pm. £4 advnce. £5 door.
Brixton Library has a range of summer activities All events are free for children of all ages.
THURS 22 @ BRIXTON ORCHARD
REGULARS
John a volunteer session to keep the orchard in trim. A range of tasks offers the chance to learn new skills. 1 to 2.30pm. Start earlier in Pop Brixton at 10am with an URBAN GARDENING/farming session. For more information, contact woods@urbangrowth.london or call Seb on 07715 656665.
WRIGGLE & RHYME STORYTIME Every Tuesday and Thursday 10.30am (Under 5s) STAY & PLAY Every Saturday – 10.30am (Under 5s)
FRI 23 @ MARKET HOUSE
The Reading Agency and Lambeth libraries present: The SPACE CHASE summer reading challenge 2019 in which the Rocket family combat aliens set on stealing library books. AA More at http://bit.ly/ Space-Chase Brixton library events: ROARING ROCKETS & SUPER SPACESHIPS Wednesday 24 July – 2.30pm Space exploration begins with transport – Are you an alien or astronaut? EXPLORE LEARNING Tuesday 30 July – 2.30-3.30pm and 3.30-4.30pm Creative writing for
Warm up for CARNIVAL at one of several Brixton parties. Sauce Upstairs at Market House will offer homegrown UK Afrobashment, grime and RnB lovers. With live performances from Riyad, 211 Girls, and Riddla and Ace. 9pm to 4am. From £5 advance. £10 door.
First day of Ladies of Lambeth HIP HOP WORKSHOP programme with b.supreme, a dance charity and performance project dedicated to championing women in hip hop. For 30 young women (12 to 18) living in Lambeth who would ordinarily get a free lunch at school. Led by celebrated dancer and director Sunanda “Bgirl SunSun” featuring dance workshops and choreography followed by a free lunch. Dates: 19 to 23rd August 11am to 1pm; social lunch 1 to 2pm. For an application form, email: holly@bsupreme.co.uk
Carry on the Carnival spirit at the Prince with Banoffee Pies, Willers Brothers, Rowlando & Hold On, Cameron Jack, Tram22 and more. That’s 12 hours of DANCING across three floors. 3pm – 3am. Prices TBC.
TUES 20 @ BROCKWELL PARK
SUN 25 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON
45 or over? Want to be fitter? Try a Silver Tuesday in the park. Meet at the café at Brockwell Hall from 2pm with all EXERCISES starting at 2.30 with socialising and refreshment at about 3:30pm. Choose from: Nordic walking with Ailien or Pilates with Brigit. £2 members/£3 non-members. First session free.
At the library …
SAT 24 @ PRINCE OF WALES
South London Punk Collective’s summer BARBECUE will feature all-day punk rock (what else?) and an early evening barbie. With Anthrax UK; anarchistwood; Circle None; P.I.G; Rabies Babies; Slow Faction; Surgery Without Research; Bogus Gasman; Mad. Inc; and Nouveau Bleach. 3pm – midnight. £5.
THE SPACE CHASE
space explorers CREATE YOUR OWN UNIVERSE Wednesday 31 July – 2.30pm Make your own spectacular Sun, Moon and Stars decorations ASTRONAUT TRAINING ACADEMY Wednesday 7 August – 2.30pm Discover how you become an astronaut, the training you must undertake, how you travel into space and what you do when you’re up there GALAXY SLIME! Wednesday 14 August – 2.30pm Make the most AMAZING Galactic Slime! DECIPHER THE RUBIK’S CUBE – AN INTRODUCTION Tuesday 20 August – 2.30pm COSMIC COMICS Wednesday 21 August – 2.30pm Create your own Astronomic Comic! SUMMER PARTY Wednesday 28 August – 2.30pm Fun, games and an awards ceremony for those who complete the Space Chase Summer Reading Challenge.
Friends of Brixton Library has been awarded a London Community Foundation grant to run free Tai Chi in Windrush Square/Brixton Library Hall, from 9.30-10.30am. Wake Up to Tai Chi is a year-long series of
DAD’S BIG MISTAKE
JellyFish Theatre will stage a free performance of Beauty and the Beast at Brixton library on Thursday 25 July at 3pm – age guide, four to seven. On his way through the forest Beauty’s father picks her a rose in the enchanted palace gardens. That turns out to be a VERY BIG mistake …
CREATIVE FUN
Kids Kreate will be at Brixton Library for the summer holidays with creative fun for kids from five to 12 on Saturdays from 11 to 1pm. (July 20, 27 ; August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31). Children under eight must be accompanied by an adult.
free one-hour sessions hosted by the library. Professional tutor Annamarie Franklin will guide you through Tai Chi’s beneficial exercise to help you back on the road to fitness and to meet like-minded neighbours.
22 WHAT’S ON brixtonblog.com 2019 AUGUST TEA AND TANGO
Three more Lambeth tea dances will take place at the town hall in Brixton on Tuesday 13 August, Tuesday 10 September, and Tuesday 8 October. Enjoy tea, coffee and cake with three hours of ballroom, Latin and sequence dancing led by Mr. Wonderful. Doors open at 1pm. Tickets are £5 and must be pre-booked by phone: 0871 220 0260. A few tickets are available to buy at Brixton library.
professional actors and directors, culminating in a performance at the end of the week. 29 July – 2 August 10am– 4pm. £12/day. No experience necessary, but limited places available. Registration forms from brixtoncommunitybase@ gmail.com
FILM AND DRAMA
Brixton Community Base, the arts-orientated community centre, is running two weeks of activity for young people interested in film making and drama. FILM IN A WEEK (for 13–19-year-olds) led by experienced industry facilitators, the project will give young people the opportunity to create a short film by the end of the week. 22-26 July 10am to 4pm £10 a day. PLAY IN A WEEK (for seven– 12-year-olds) is a series of drama workshops led by
The Brixton Village exhibition is a showcase for his series Chulas y Flamencas, colourful portraits in oils.
20 YEARS OF ART
Art4Space at 31 Jeffreys Road SW4 6QU in Stockwell is celebrating its 20 years on Friday 26 July with a treasure hunt, open mic, games, workshops, speeches, music, stalls where you can buy stuff created by Art4Space and workshops. Food and drink will be on sale at the event which is free to attend. 4 – 10pm. All welcome.
SLIME ON
INSPIRED BY SPAIN Week 30 of Studio 73’s artist takeovers from 22 to 28 July will feature Jose Gomez, a London-based mixed media artist from Spain. His work is inspired by his Andalucian heritage, childhood memories of growing up in Seville and experiences as a Londoner.
Slime Planet in Loughborough Junction, the UK’s only slime venue, will be holding slime workshops every day of the week during school holidays. All workshops end with the cooperative creation of creating a GIANT SLIME. One-hour workshops at 11am, 1pm and 3.30pm daily from 20 July to 18 August cost £13.50 per child. Arch 494 Rathgar Rd, SW9 7EP. See slimeplanet. co.uk
DON’T MISS NICOLE AT THE LIBRARY
Jamaican writer Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Here Comes the Sun, will be at Brixton Library to talk about her new book, Patsy, on Monday 27 July at 7pm. She is only in the UK for a few days, so don’t miss her in conversation about her new book. It is a stirring portrait of a Jamaican woman who leaves her daughter behind for a new life in the USA.
What’s on at Whirled Ash Is Purest White Sunday 21 July | 6pm In Zhangke Jia’s film, Qiao lives in a depressed mining town. Her boyfriend Bin is a dashing gangster working for a corrupt property developer. Bin ascends in rank in his criminal brotherhood and finds himself vulnerable to rivals. When Bin and Qiao are arrested, she takes the blame to save Bin. After five years in prison, she emerges to find her world transformed. Former associates have moved into legitimate business, while Bin has found another woman. Qiao seeks revenge, but, more importantly, searches for a new identity in a changing China.
Ibiza – The Silent Movie Thursday 1 August | 8pm Julien Temple’s Ibiza – The Silent Movie tells, without words, the 2,000-year story of dance music’s favourite island with, imagery, re-enactments, archive clips and a score by Fatboy Slim. Contains flashing lights.
Tampopo Monday 22 – Wednesday 24 July | 8pm Sunday 28 July | 6pm An inventive comedy, Jûzô Itami’s Tampopo was an art-house smash in 1987. Itami drew on American noirs, gangster films, Westerns, and probably comic books, too, to come up with a quintessentially Japanese lark.
Capernaum Monday 5 – Wednesday 7 August | 8pm Sunday 11 August | 6pm After running away from his negligent parents, committing a violent crime and being sentenced to five years in jail, a hardened, streetwise 12-year-old Lebanese boy sues his parents in protest at the life they have given him in Nadine Labaki’s film.
South Shorts – Without Fire Thursday 25 July 7.25pm South Shorts presents six shorts produced by Change Incorporated. Each one asks: why do we still smoke cigarettes? They look at both the damaging grip cigarettes have, and the extraordinary things our lungs are capable of when they are free from cigarettes.
Happy As Lazzaro Monday 12 – Wednesday 14 August | 8pm Sunday 18 August | 6pm Alice Rohrwacher’s film is the tale of a meeting between Lazzaro, a young peasant so good that he is often thought simple-minded, and Tancredi, a young nobleman. Life in their isolated village Inviolata is dominated by the terrible Marchesa Alfonsina de Luna, the queen of cigarettes. A bond is sealed when Tancredi asks Lazzaro to help him orchestrate his own kidnapping. The precious friendship travels in time and transports Lazzaro to the big city in search of Tancredi – a fragment of the past lost in the modern world.
High Life Monday 29 – Wednesday 31 July | 8pm Sunday 4 August 6pm Claire Denis’ first English-language feature sees a group of convicts assigned to a space mission, believing they will be freed if they are successful. The film follows one of them, Monte, aboard the mission a few years after its launch as he raises his daughter in complete isolation on the empty spacecraft as it heads towards its final destination …
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AUGUST 2019
Hill Mead HERALD PARI NADERI
We perform the story of S Town at Unicorn Theatre By Lucien, Year 5 and Kermarley, Year 6
Steven was doing with us and I really hope I can do some more in the future. Steven said many times that we were Here’s an update on our amazing “awesome”. project with Polarbear (aka Steven Kermarley’s review Camden), the storyteller who has been On the 37 bus to the Unicorn I working with a group of Year 5 and 6 thought we were just going to show children. our improvisations to few a people. I Lucien’s thoughts about the project didn’t think it was going to be such a On 6 of July, I and 11 other children big thing. I have been to the Unicorn took a trip to the Unicorn Theatre to to see a performance maybe five or perform our improvisations. six times. We did this with the help of Steven, I never imagined that I would be on who specialises in working with the stage in front of Year 6, parents, children and doing drama with them. Unicorn staff and its director! I got to create my When I was in the own character and so Year 2, my mum told did everyone else. We me that I should be an got to populate the actor. My auntie used world we made and its to go the Unicorn and story. I really enjoyed then she decided to be the workshops that an actor. So acting is in Steven did with us the family! because we could show I wasn’t very nervous our creative side. because I have acted on The story we made the stage before. For me was about a small acting is like turning a town called S Town. key into another world. My character was the My character was Unicorn Theatre villain and one of the Jake the Butler, who workshop other children was the had a dark side and super hero. did not know that he had a brother – The rest of the kids had their own another character in the story, known characters with their own stories and, as Solomon Anonymous. by the end, those stories intertwined Jake was also a comical character. I to make a huge story with all these got my ideas from Geoffrey, the butler vibrant characters. in the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”. I really enjoyed the workshops that It is all about timing.
An insight into life as a teacher For two weeks in July, I had the opportunity to go back to my primary school for work experience. As soon as I stepped into Hill Mead, I felt slightly nervous as I had not been here for four years. The main reason why I wanted to go to Hill Mead was because of my amazing memories of what took place in this school. On my first day, I worked in reception
class and, although it was fun, I decided that it was not for me. I was then placed with Year 2. I felt more comfortable there as the children were more mature. They were working on their play, The
Secret of the Black Rock, which reminded me of my Year 6 play, The Lion King, which was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had. Being in the school allowed me to have an idea of what work I could pursue in the future, whether it be childcare or teaching. I enjoyed working in the school as I had an insight on what life is like as a teacher. Manaar Mohammed
Hill Mead pupils shine at Southbank launch event Hill Mead took part in an event on the Southbank on 4 July to launch the London Curriculum and ELEVATE, a new initiative to support diverse talent in Lambeth’s creative and digital industries. Thirty Year 5 children enjoyed taster workshops led by the dance company Rambert, the Southbank Centre, the British Film Institute, and the National Theatre. They were dancing, making music, researching London film footage and making puppets. Many of the children loved the dance workshops. Zara said: “The dance workshops were the best because I love dancing. It was great to be in the studio with all the mirrors and I learnt to spin like a ballet dancer.” Daniesha agreed and added: “We could make up our own dance and I learnt how to combine moves together. We were beginning to choreograph our dance. It was great”. At the launch event of ELEVATE, which is a new initiative to support diverse talent in Lambeth’s creative and digital industries, two Hill Mead children spoke with deputy head teacher Becky Lawrence (right) about
the importance of the arts in education. Lucien and Chenell were amazing and so confident speaking to an audience of more than 100, including the deputy mayor of London and the leader of Lambeth council. Lucien told Becky: “It made me feel important and I wasn’t nervous at all.” Chenell, however, said: “I was petrified, I had not met any of the people and I had never spoken in front of so many people. I told my mum and she thought it was a great thing to do.” At the end of the speeches, Chenell was asked to share any of her experiences of theatre at Hill Mead. She said: “I really liked the end of The Winter’s Tale, when no-one was fighting any more and there was peace.” ■■ The London Connected Learning Centre tweeted: Well done @Year5HillMead pupils @HillMeadPrimary presenting @lambeth_council #LambethELEVATE launch today. “Stepping into worlds and becoming creators” #mylocalculture @LDN_ Culture Supporting diverse talent and opening up the creative workplace
Flying our foot flags for humanity – we’re all different, all the same Hill Mead took part in the Fly the Project with the National Theatre that encourages people to learn about and defend their human rights. The National Theatre and other organisations, commissioned artist Ai Weiwei to design a flag to symbolise universal humans. His design was of a human footprint. Jackie Tait, from the National Theatre, asked Hill Mead if they could make footprints of the children. A week before the celebration, deputy head teacher Becky Lawrence and a team of Year 6 pupils painted the left or right foot of 300 children from across the school, and then washed the children’s feet.
The painting, printing and washing took the team the whole day! Assia, one of the Year 6 pupils said: “I could not believe it I was washing the children’s feet, it was like they were in a spa and I was working there.” Hafsa, who also helped to make the day happen, said: “I thought it was very strange that we were
painting feet making footprints and washing the children’s feet. But when I understood what it was about it was worth it.” As we created the footprints, we laid them out on the hall floor and took a photo every time, Ms Cottee, one of our amazing TAs, created a stop-frame film and then
we recorded the children reading each article of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Our footprints were sent to the National Theatre and were used for individual flags which adorned the NT building for a week in June (left). When Assia saw a photo of our flags, she said: “It looks unique”. Becky Lawrence asked Assia and Hafsa what the footprints meant for them: “The footprints meant different people coming together as one,” said Hafsa “Footprints are an identity. At first when I looked at the footprints, they looked the same, but they are actually all different”.
Local club with a long tradition
BRIXTON
Bugle SPORT
As Dulwich Hamlet prepare for the new season, Olayinka Amara looks back over their history
BRIXTON TO SIBERIA BY NISSAN MICRA
Sam Mellor and Tom Page, aka Team Togrog, set off to Prague from Brixton on 16 July in a Nissan Micra “write off” to take part in the Mongol car rally and fund raise for charities including Brixton Soup Kitchen. The rally starts officially in Prague on 22 July and ends in Ulan Ude in Russian Siberia. Sam says: “There’s no set end date, the finish line is open from mid-August to mid-September but we’re aiming to be back in London in approximately seven weeks. “The only real rule is that you need to be in a car that’s one litre or less. Apart from that, it’s all up to you – there’s no set route.” The rally’s official website says: “This is the greatest motoring adventure on the planet. This is 10,000 miles of chaos across mountain, deserts and steppe on roads ranging from bad to not-aroad in a tiny 1000cc.” The pair plan to take a southern route through Turkey from Prague. “We’ll go across northern Turkey through Georgia and Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea ferry to Turkmenistan and then up the Pamir Highway (the old silk road that goes through Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) then into Mongolia and finally over the border into Russia.” “Our team name is Team Togrog (it’s the Mongolian currency and we just liked the sound of it). Our car’s a Micra called Monique, she’s a lovely category C write off that Tom’s been nursing back to health for the last few months as he’s a mechanic. “He’s done a few upgrades for her as well – she’s been raised and had a roof rack installed for the camping gear as that’s what we’ll be
Team Togrog in Brixton Station Road
Supporters of Dulwich Hamlet Football Club still sing songs about their record scorer Edgar Kail – a local man who first played for the club in 1919 and whose name lives on in the road leading to their ground. Founded more than 126 years ago in 1893, the club are about to start their second year in the National League South – the sixth level of English football, the highest level they have ever played at. Their stadium at New Champion Hill near East Dulwich Station holds 3,000 – 2,500 on the terraces and 500 sitting down. They play in dark blue with a pink slash across the shirt, dark blue shorts and dark blue socks – the away colours are all pink. Gavin Rose, manager for more than a decade, has made several signings since the end of the last season, and believes a top-seven finish would be a good achievement. Last season the club finished 14th out of 24 clubs with 49 points. During this pre-season the club will play against several well known sides, including Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League. Paying close attention will be a backroom team that has been together since November 2017 – from the first team coaches and sports therapist to the academy management. The semi-professional club have won the FA Amateur Cup three times and Isthmian League four times. They also won the Dulwich League twice very early in the last century. Despite a small trophy cabinet, the club has been home to several England internationals, Edgar Kail, who played for the club during the 1920s and scored over 400 goals for it, was also the last man to represent England while playing for an amateur club. He holds the club record for the most goals in a season with 53 scored during the 1925/26 season and scored 427 in total for the club between 1919 and 1933. The player with the most appearances for the club is Reg Merritt who played 576 times between 1950 to 1966. The club’s record attendance at Champion Hill is 3,104 against Bath City in the National League last season. The all-time record attendance for the club, however, is at Tooting & Mitcham’s Imperial Fields with 3,321 against Hendon in the Isthmian premier league during the 2017/18 season when the club had been banished from Dulwich in a property development dispute.
doing most the time, at least until the spiders, wolves or bears get us.” The charities Team Togrog are fundraising for are Brixton Soup Kitchen, Cool Earth, which is partnered with the rally, and Tiny Toones, a Cambodian NGO where Sam spent six months volunteering that helps children living or working on the streets of the capital Phnom Penh back into education. The dynamic duo are aiming to raise £2,500. Their Gofundme page is at www.gofundme. com/f/team-togrog-mongol-rally-2019. Brixton Brewery are sponsors and helped with a fundraising day. AA You can follow Team Togrog on Instagram @teamtogrog. AA See www.theadventurists.com/adventures/ mongol-rally
Dulwich CC still in touch with league leaders Gledhill and Ben Swanson pulled things back with only four runs off seven overs. Gledhill bowled his 14 overs straight through at a cost of 40 runs for five wickets. Chipstead skipper Rob Woolley led a recovery with an unbeaten 33 off 46 balls, but Salaar Waqar ran him out, followed by two wickets in an over. Woolley declared on the fall of the ninth wicket with the score on 158-9 after 52 overs, leaving Dulwich 49 overs to get the runs. The reply got off to a disastrous start when skipper Ed Stolle and Robbie Catling were both dismissed without scoring. Keeper Jake Dunford and Chris Purshouse added 57 in 12 overs for the third wicket, taking Dulwich to 70-2 – well
ahead of the required rate. But a collapse in which four wickets fell in four overs for seven runs reduced Dulwich to 77-6 in the 18th over. Will Bancroft and Lodwick became the third and fourth batsmen to be dismissed for a duck, while George Pearson’s dismissal for two meant that five of the top seven scored just two runs between them. Waqar joined Dunford to take the score to 103. Waqar and Harwood added 43 in ten overs for the eighth wicket, taking the score to 146-7 in the 37th over. After Waqar was caught and bowled for 36, the top score, batting became becalmed and four leg byes were the only runs to come off the next 5.4 overs, which also saw the dismissals of Harwood for 23 and finally
Swanson for 2. Dulwich had lost their last three wickets for six runs to be all out for 152. In their previous match, Dulwich cruised to a six-wicket victory over Bank of England with paceman Jon Lodwick returning figures of nine overs, three maidens, 17 runs for four wickets. Keeper Jake Dunford made three catches and a stumping as well as scoring 38 off 37 balls. AA Based on match reports by John Lewis AA The next home fixture at the club in Dulwich Village is on 27 July against Oxted and Limpsfield. Entrances to the ground: On foot, alongside 29 Burbage Road, SE24 9HB. By car, alongside 47 Turney Road, SE21 7JA.
SANDRA BROBBEY
Dulwich Cricket Club go into their 13th match in the 20-game A J Fordham Surrey championship division 2 league in fifth place after a narrow loss to leaders Chipstead Coulsdon & Walcountians. But they are only nine points behind second-placed Stoke D’Abernon as they prepare to face ninth-placed Old Rutlishians in Wimbledon on 20 July. Dulwich tied in their first match with the leaders and the return on 13 July saw another close encounter with Dulwich losing by just six runs at home. Dulwich put the visitors in, but Jon Lodwick and Simon Harwood were unable to break through as Nick Woods and Sam Chamberlain put on 60 in 21 overs for the first wicket. But left arm spinners Alex