Brixton Bugle July/August 2017

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BRIXTON BUGLE YOUR FREE Published monthly in and for Brixton

ISSN 2397-852X

IT’S THE LAMBETH COUNTRY SHOW

RITZY LIVING WAGE CAMPAIGN

FORGOTTEN HAVE THEIR MEMORIAL IN BRIXTON

Brockwell Park hosts the 43rd on 15 & 16 July

New strike after union reps sacked

Black heroes remembered at last

page 5

page 5

COMMUNITY PAPER

ELLIE KURTTZ

No 55 | JULY/AUGUST 2017

page 3

MAGIC OF THE THEATRE How Brixton pupils benefit

CRIME: MAYOR’S PRAISE FOR ‘VITAL WORK’ IN BRIXTON

TUBBIES IN TOWN …

– for a visit to Barnardo’s

Khan says youth service cuts must end

☛☛ continued page 2

CARNIVAL’S COMING And Sunshine Arts is ready

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15

FIONA FREUND

London mayor Sadiq Khan and Metropolitan police chief Cressida Dick chose Brixton’s Dwaynamics fitness and boxing club to launch a new knife crime strategy for London.

Mayor Khan called on the government to reverse cuts to the youth service, which has lost nearly £400 in cuts nationally since 2010.

Knife crime in London rose by 5 per cent between 2014 and 2015 and by 11 per cent in 2016.

Founded by Pastor Lorraine Jones with the help of borough police commander Richard Wood, Dwaynamics carries on the work of Pastor Jones’ son Dwayne, who died after being stabbed in central Brixton in February 2014 while trying to protect a friend.

Before he was elected mayor, Sadiq Khan came to her home, Pastor Jones told the

23

Pastor Lorraine Jones listens as mayor Khan talks to Jedidah Onchere of the Brixton-based London Community Foundation at the launch

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

Richard Atkins school celebrates 6

2 NEWS

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Jenny Shramenko 07811 878394 jenny@brixtonblog.com Circulation 12,000 copies Readership: circa 15,000 EDITOR Linda Quinn linda@brixtonblog.com MANAGING EDITOR Simon Still simon@brixtonblog.com NEWS EDITOR Anna McKie newsdesk@brixtonblog.com ARTS & FEATURES arts@brixtonblog.com FOOD Nick Buglione food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Sandra Brobbey sport@brixtonblog.com ISSUE 55 Contributors: Charlotte Croft Pam Douglas Frankie Holah Jack Howson Nicola Jones Emma Lange David Moftakhar Carina Murphy Jamila Omar Gemma Pasha Sue Sheehan Emma-Louise Stewart Joe Wallen Delores William Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Production: Alan Slingsby Distribution: Philip King Crossword: Josie Gardiner 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

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2017 JULY/AUGUST

Brixton tower cladding fails test, evacuation ‘not needed’ A building on the former Stockwell Park Estate in Brixton – Park Heights (right) run by Network Homes – has the same form of ACM (aluminium composite material) panel cladding as that used on Grenfell Tower that burnt down with great loss of life.

Network Homes said a panel of the cladding had been sent for government testing and, like all others sent so far, it failed a flammability test. The panels will be replaced, but other safety precautions mean that residents will not be evacuated.

The company said that London Fire Brigade had carried out a full fire safety inspection of the building and confirmed that, because of its multiple up-to-date fire safety features, the building does not need to be vacated.

Park Heights contains 159 homes and was completed in 2015 when they were offered for sale.

Network Homes said that, as a new purpose-built development, it has “all of the additional safety features expected in a modern high rise block”. These include “a sprinkler system in every flat, heat and smoke alarms in every flat and strict cavity barriers between each floor and each individual flat. It also has automatic mechanical smoke removal vents.”

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “While this block is not a Lambeth

Council property, we are, of course, working closely with its landlord Network Homes to ensure everything is in place to ensure resident safety.

The council said that its own medium/ high rise residential blocks do not have any cladding of the same form and construction as that reported to have been used at Grenfell Tower.

It said all of its work over the past five years to bring homes up to its Lambeth Housing Standard had used Rockwool cladding that is fundamentally different.

“However,” it went on, “we are carrying out further testing and investigations on all our fully and partially clad blocks to review the exact composition and installation, in line with Department for Communities and Local Government guidance, to ensure its safety.”

A contractor, Rydon, involved in fitting cladding to Grenfell Tower is involved in the running of another “regenerated”

Lambeth estate – Myatts Fields North – where safety concerns were raised by tenants during rebuilding.

Rydon refurbished the former Lambeth council estate as part of a 25-year private finance initiative contract that began in May 2012. It also maintains the estate and is responsible for fire risk assessments there.

■■ Firefighters of Brixton fire station’s red watch Three Peaks team are raising money for people most affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. They were at the fire for more than 12 hours on the first night.

The crew worked from 2am until 3:30pm. “We fought fires, made rescues and did what we could to get people to safety,” they say.

Over 25/26 June they climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in under 24 hours. So far they have raised £20,885.

You can still show your support by going to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ h24brixton3peaks.

■■ Brixton JAMM is hosting a fundraiser for the victims of Grenfell Tower. The gig “Of the People for the People” is organised by leading members of the UK hip hop community including Rodney P in partnership with PyroRadio. It is on 13 July from 7pm to 1am. Tickets £15 advance. £20 on the door. For full line-up visit www. brixtonjamm.org.

Brixton on Trial date set Tunde Okewale, MBE, (above) a distinguished criminal barrister and founder of Urban Lawyers, paid tribute to the work of Brixton’s Lawyers in the Soup Kitchen (LISK) at a launch party in The Blues Kitchen to announce the date for Brixton on Trial – a mock criminal trial at the Royal Courts of Justice on 7 August.

The trial, which will be filmed, is designed by LISK to raise community awareness of how the legal system works and to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds to think of a career in law.

Lawyers in the Soup Kitchen is a free legal advice service operating from the Brixton Soup Kitchen on Coldharbour Lane.

Crime: mayor praises ‘vital work’ of Brixton’s Dwaynamics ☛☛ from page 1 launch event. “He said to me: ‘Lorraine, if I’m elected, I’m going to do everything in my power to reduce knife crime across London, and I’m going to support community leaders like yourself to get the job done with our organisation’.

“I thank you for being a man of integrity, you’ve kept your word,” she told him.

She also said that Cressida Dick had taken the time to listen to her story and encouraged her by support for Dwaynamics and other organisations like it that are working to reduce knife crime.

The new strategy will see new investment from the mayor and “a hard-hitting

package of measures in a tough and comprehensive new approach to tackling the problem of knife crime”.

This will include a new specialist team of police and support for Met officers – now equipped with body-worn video – who will undertake intelligence-led stop-andsearch operations.

“No young Londoner should have to accept crime and violence as a way of life,” said mayor Khan.

“That is what initiatives like Dwaynamics are all about – they are absolutely vital in the fight against knife crime, helping to protect vulnerable children and young adults, and lead them away from a life of crime.

“To support more of this good work, I am announcing funding for grass-roots activities to help protect and nurture children and bear down on crime. We must not and we will not give up on our young people.

“We are working to provide them with the skills, the resources and the confidence they need to turn away from knives and lead the life they deserve in our city. ”Commissioner Cressida Dick said: “Knife crime remains a top priority for me and the Met. “But we absolutely cannot deal with this problem though enforcement alone. We need to change attitudes and behaviours and, for that to happen,

we need partners and communities to join the fray. In short; we need everyone to step up and do their bit.”

Pastor Jones, who made an inspirational contribution to the event, said: “I know first-hand the devastating impact knife crime has on a community and a family.“I’m proud that we have been able to continue my son’s legacy at Dwaynamics – this club has helped hundreds of young people to build their skills, confidence and life opportunities and without this kind of service, many of them may have ended up leading a life of crime or even worse, they could have lost their lives.

“I welcome the Mayor’s hard-hitting measures to

tackle knife crime today – it is incredibly important that everyone works together to stamp knife crime out of our city once and for all.”

Green Party London Assembly Member Sian Berry said later that her research showed that total youth service cuts across London between 2011 and 2016 were now more than £28 million – an average reduction of 34 per cent.

She said London councils were planning to remove at least another £7.5 million from youth services in current budgets and that at least 457 youth worker jobs have been lost since 2011.

Some 36 youth centres had closed across the city.

JULY/AUGUST 2017

NEWS 3

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Design trail to improve Brixton’s neglected areas

Permanent improvements for neglected parts of our town and more road art are expected to feature as Brixton Design Trail returns for its second year as a designated London Design Festival District with the theme “Love is Power”.

The festival, which runs from 16 to 24 September, promises an exciting line-up of creative events by local designers.

BDT’s Binki Taylor said: “Brixton will establish design as part of the everyday by using streets and public spaces as a canvas for art and expression.

“In a strong partnership with the Brixton BID and supported by Lambeth council, a number of installations will bring permanent improvement to neglected or difficult public spaces, putting creativity at the heart of the areas regeneration.

“In addition to a host of installations, experiences, design showcases, our talks and tours will focus on our design heritage from street art and murals to loved landmarks and unusual spaces.”

The headline projects that make up Brixton’s contribution to the London Design Festival and will feature in its brochure have been selected.

Expect to see more from Eley Kishimoto and Dolman Bowles who created the Flash Crossing outside the Dogstar (below).

Edible Bus Stop will turn their attention to “taking the weight of your feet” in public spaces. The Revival trail will lead people through the cultural heritage of Brixton and includes the craft of Carnival with Sunshine International.

Artist Joe Gibbs, who graced the trail with tiny mirrors, is back with a largescale installation that asks viewers to

reflect on who we are or who we think we are.

Artist Sam Furness and designer Toni Hollis are joining forces to create a work for the aisles of Brixton Village and Market Row. Architects Squire and Partners will open the doors of their new refurbished premises The Department Store to host a design series UNDER/EXPOSED which will include experimental installations, fashion, textiles, printmaking and papercraft.

Crafty Fox Market and BRIXI form part of “Design Circus” and Rocketship Digital will be giving the High Street windows a make-over.

More events and participants will be confirmed over the summer.

AAKeep up to date at www.brixtonblog.com and www.brixtondesigntrail.com.

Major Larry Davis, who unveiled the memorial, salutes as The Last Post is played in Windrush Square

The forgotten are remembered Thousands gathered in Brixton’s Windrush Square on Windrush Day (June 22) for the unveiling of a memorial to commemorate the two million African and Caribbean servicemen and women who served in the two world wars.

War veterans were joined by serving members of the armed forces, the Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, High Commissioners and representatives of the Commonwealth nations, Caribbean and African, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Lambeth Mayor Marcia Cameron, MPs and members of the House of Lords.

Proceedings were opened by Jak Beula who, with others, has devoted years of life and effort to seeing the memorial realised.

Baroness Howells, patron of the War Memorial Trust, read a message from The Queen who paid tribute to the “resolute courage of the two million African and Caribbean soldiers who served”.

The baroness added “Remembering the many forgotten is long overdue, and this memorial addresses the uncountable missing histories that up until now have remained hidden”.

Speaker after speaker testified to the heroism of soldiers who fought for Britain while far from home and freedom for themselves,.

A military parade included regiments from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force together with the British Caribbean Veteran’s Association and MoD cadets.

Allan Wilmott and Norma Best lit the remembrance flame.

Allan volunteered for the Royal Navy in 1941 and served on a patrol ship that escorted mine sweepers. In 1944 he volunteered for the RAF and joined the air sea rescue.

Norma volunteered for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service and sailed from the Caribbean via New Orleans and New York to Britain where she served throughout the war.

Norma went on to become a headteacher.

Michael King, son of Sam King, paid tribute to his father who volunteered for the RAF as an engineer during WW2. He returned on the Empire Windrush and became a community campaigner, co-founder of the Notting Hill

Carnival, and the first black mayor of Southwark.

Professor Gus John paid tribute to those who, denied their own freedom, lost their lives on the killing fields of Europe. “Let their spirit not rest in peace, but rather let them join us in righteous struggle reparating justice,” he said.

“Let this monument represent the sacrifices they made and the struggle to humanise this society and eliminate racism from every aspect of this life.

“Let us remember our ancestors and ask them to join the struggle to humanise this society.”

Lambeth Mayor Marcia Cameron said: “Today we unveil a permanent memorial to those who gave their life to the war effort for this country I welcome our friends in the armed forces who continue to uphold the values of justice freedom and peace. It is a proud moment for Lambeth.”

Lord Hermann Ouseley, a former chief executive of Lambeth council and former chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, paid

tribute: “This ranks among the happiest days of my life,” he said. He reminded the audience that it has taken over 70 years for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and laid down their lies for freedom to be remembered.

The the prevailing attitude after the war in Britain had been “We didn’t win the war from ‘them’ to come over and take our homes and our jobs.”

He recalled the feeling of helplessness this attitude gave him and that he did not know himself how many and how heroically Black people had fought in that war.

“They didn’t have a clue. I was ignorant and so were they. Today helps rid us of the ignorance.

Sir Michael Fallon said he hoped the memorial would do three things: pay tribute to those who fought; remember the contribution of Africans to the great war; and remind us of the ongoing contribution of the Afro Caribbean community to the defence of Britain.

■■ Allan Wilmott interview – page 14

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4 NEWS

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2017 JULY/AUGUST

Oldies get the gold

By Linda Quinn Voters gave their verdict on which community projects should get funding from the Brixton Fund at a packed meeting in Pop Brixton on 29 June.

Six projects that had made it to the shortlist set out their stalls and competed for a share of the money. The divvy-up was decided by voters dividing their 10 beans between project “ballot boxes”.

The top award of £1,500 went to Spacecraft, a new social enterprise that aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness.

Its first project is to bring together local older people to knit baby booties which will be sold locally and online with a personal note about the maker.

Vintage Voices scooped £1,100

to run workshops with Lambeth elders to capture memories and help develop new writing and story-making skills.

Chaigaram, a specialist Indian tea company that offers employment for refugees and helps them to integrate and gain language skills by selling and talking to tea drinkers, was awarded £1,000. The money will allow them to set up stall in Brixton Market.

BDT Pressgang, a Raw Talent project, was awarded £700 to provide work experience to school students. They will learn media skills and use these to write reports for the Bugle and the Brixton Design Trail.

Lambeth More in Common (MIC) was awarded £510 for a Brixton to Boston (Lincolnshire) coach trip.

These two communities were on

IN BRIEF …

WAVE FESTIVAL SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

Brixton Wave, the new three-day festival, will take place over the weekend of 11 – 13 August. Organisers say they want the whole community – young and old – to come out and have a good time. There will be a one-day food festival on Friday 11, a retail and shopping day on Saturday 12 with culture, music, arts and street food on Sunday 13. Traders, exhibitors, performers and volunteers can register an interest at www.brixtonwave.com Caroline Funnell who runs the Vintage Voices workshops at the vote opposite ends of the scale in the Brexit referendum. MIC wants the groups to discover what they share in common and challenge media stereotypes of division.

And finally the Brixton Rec Users Group was awarded £190 for campaign and information publicity.

The Brixton Fund is the Brixton Pound’s micro-grants fund and supports local individuals and groups to strengthen and benefit communities. It is sponsored

by Marsh & Parsons, Brixton BID, The Queen’s Head, Brixton Neighbourhood Forum and Seven at Brixton.

OVALHOUSE GRANT

Ovalhouse theatre is to receive a grant of £50,000 from the Cockayne – Grants for the Arts fund of the London Community Foundation. The Kennington-based theatre said it was a major boost for its campaign to move into a new purpose-built, state-of the-art theatre in Brixton in 2019.

Help the Brixton Pound to save yet more food and win local volunteers Brixton Pound has launched a crowdfunding campaign to turn its café into a community and event space. The target is £13,000 by 10 September.

“We started with just a cafetière and a toaster, and really not much of a clue,” said the Pound’s

Tom Shakhli. “All we had was an intention to create a space which could be a representation of the Brixton we want to see.”

“Fast forward almost a year and we’ve hosted over 100 free events, saved over two tonnes of

food from going to waste, served coffee for as little as 1p and as much as £20, put on eight art shows, and put community on the high street.”

The Pound needs support to invest in equipment and facilities. The ambition

is to lay on breakfast clubs, food training workshops, better space for performers and artists, and more time to network with customers to encourage them to become active locally.

The crowdfund is an initiative of the Mayor

of London in partnership with Spacehive.

Early pledges demonstrate community support and open the door to a top-up from the Mayor’s fund.

AA Join the campaign at: www.spacehive.com/ brixtonpound

Brixton holds record for Lambeth parking fines

By Joe Wallen

Two of the three streets in Lambeth with the most parking fines issued in the year to this April are in central Brixton near Windrush Square.

Rushcroft and Saltoun Roads were the top two in that order. Third was Vauxhall Grove between the Oval and Vauxhall Bridge.

Between 2014 and 2015, the last period for which figures are available, Lambeth council received more than £25 million from parking

services, permits, suspensions and fines.

A surplus of more than £8 million is left after expenditure including employees’ wages.

Most of this goes to concessionary fares and roadbuilding and repair.

Lambeth council has plans to turn the entire borough into a controlled parking zone.

This might ease current confusion about where it is possible to park in places like Brixton.

One resident told the Bugle she had got a ticket while sitting in her car after midnight on

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a white line in Atlantic Road, waiting for her son. “As it was a white line I didn’t think it was a no parking zone,” she said.

A council spokesman said: “Our parking service plays an important role in keeping the streets accessible, and we encourage all road users to park safely and legally. There is guidance on all our streets, and on the council website.

“As a council we are encouraging as many people as possible to walk, cycle or take public transport because it can improve their health, reduce air pollution, cut congestion and saves them money.”

The Parking Cowboys, a group of private parking campaigners, says the worst thing someone with a parking fine can do is to ignore official court papers. “If you do, chances are you will have a default judgement made against you,” they say.

Brixton resident Caragh Arthur won publicity earlier this year when she said she would have to rely on foodbanks for several weeks after paying for 12 parking tickets.

The disabled mother, who has a blue badge, received many of the tickets for parking outside her own home.

She accepted that some had been issued correctly, but believed she was unfairly punished for not being able to get back to her car in time.

Lambeth council said six of the tickets were for parking in a restricted street and that, while the car had been displaying a blue badge, the parking clock on it had not been set to the time of arrival. It rescinded two the 12 parking fines.

WINDMILL STAMP

Royal Mail has issued a Windmills and Watermills special stamp. The “first day cover” features Brixton Windmill and six special edition stamps. They can be bought in an envelope printed with an image of Brixton Windmill taken by Bugle photographer David Wilcock. You can pick them up at windmill open days. on Saturday and Sunday 8 and 9 July and Saturday and Sunday 12 and 13 August. http://brixtonwindmill.org/Stamps.

TELETUBBIES VISIT

When the Teletubbies teamed up with Barnardo’s to celebrate the TV show’s 20th anniversary, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po came to Brixton to serve customers in the charity’s Brixton Road shop. Shoppers there can buy limited edition Teletubbies merchandise including wristbands, key rings, headbands, and characters to raise money to support the most vulnerable children, young people and families in the UK. See barnardos.org.uk.

JULY/AUGUST 2017

NEWS 5

brixtonblog.com

BRIXTON LEGAL Pam Douglas is a solicitor with local firm Wainwright & Cummins.

Each month, she takes a common enquiry and asks colleagues to answer it for readers With the advent of the so-called gig economy and so many of us now working flexibly, it’s important to know where we stand in relation to our employment rights. Has the law caught up with modern ways of working? Employment Law solicitor, Ayesha Casely-Hayford has considered current workplace practices and provided some insights: There are as many different ways of working as there are of making money. You should understand the definitions of employment status and the rights flowing from them.

Within a legal context the major question is between employment and self-employment.

The rights and protections which flow from the categorisation of whether an individual is an employee or not, are fundamental employment rights, protected in statute relating not only to individuals’ livelihoods in respect of the ability to bring unfair dismissal claims, but also health and safety obligations and responsibilities of the employer to the employee, therefore potentially affecting third parties. The determining of employment status is therefore important because, only employees are afforded employment protection rights including: the right not to be unfairly dismissed, the right to redundancy payment, statutory maternity pay and sick pay, security after maternity leave and protection of the right to belong or not belong to a trade union and; time-off rights. There are also tax implications as employers must deduct tax at source for employees (PAYE), and there are terms incorporated into an employment contract by implication, due to the nature of the employment relationship.

The difficulty comes because factors relevant to employment status vary, particularly in the modern world of work, where traditional working patterns are disappearing. Many cases are likely to be borderline cases. In October 2016 the Employment Tribunal ruled that cab-hire firm Uber had wrongly classed its drivers. The Tribunal found that despite the flexible, independent way of working the drivers were not self-employed.

Some of the relevant facts the Tribunal considered included that the drivers were under extreme pressure to work long hours. They were also under pressure to accept jobs and would suffer repercussions if they refused. The consequences of this ruling were huge, £314m a year lost tax. Uber is appealing.

This is a fact-sensitive area. If working in a less traditional way there are three simple things you can do: One – make sure there is a written contract.

Verbal contracts are legally enforceable but uncertain. It puts you in the realm of “he said, she said”. Have a written copy within two months of employment starting.

Two – maintain clear intentions about how you want to work and then follow through with integrity.

Three – if you have queries about your employment status or those you are employing, seek legal advice.

AA Please contact the team at Wainwright & Cummins with any enquiries: info@wainwrightcummins.co.uk.

Mark Aitken with Helen Carr and his portrait of her

CRESSINGHAM EXHIBITION EXTENDED Cressingham Gardens, the model housing estate overlooking Brockwell Park that Lambeth council intends to demolish, is still an open-air gallery.

Cressingham resident and photographer Mark Aitken’s Arts Council funded exhibition of nine giant portraits of people who live on the estate has been extended

until the end of July.

Visitors on their way to Lambeth Country Show should look out for the portrait visible from the bus as they pass the Tesco petrol station.

Mark’s photographs also feature at the Photofusion exhibition Made in Brixton (see page 17).

AA 306: Living Under the Shadow of REGENERATION, a book by writer-inresidence Anne Cooper and estate residents was launched at the estate in June. It captures in words and images the experience of living in the precarious housing situation facing so many people in the UK

New Ritzy strikes after union reps are sacked Workers at five cinemas in the Picturehouse chain that includes Brixton’s Ritzy are planning to strike on Saturday 1 July and to join a protest in Windrush Square against the sacking of trade union reps.

Broadcaster Owen Jones was due to speak to the protesters.

Further strikes are planned for Friday 7 July.

Three representatives of the cinema union BECTU at the Ritzy were sacked by Picturehouse in June. BECTU says they were dismissed for trade union activity. A fourth representative received a final written warning.

BECTU, a section of the 140,000-strong Prospect trade union, has warned that management’s action could escalate an already entrenched dispute.

The reps were dismissed as a result of an email sent to union members reporting discussions at a union meeting.

Picturehouse workers have been campaigning to be paid a living wage for 10 years since a 2007 pay dispute when reps at the Ritzy took successful action to lift pay rates above the then minimum wage.

In 2014, the Living Staff, Living Wage campaign was launched and focused achieving

the Living Wage as the baseline for pay at the Ritzy.

Thirteen strikes between April and September 2016 led to a pay increase of 26%. But Ritzy pay rates are still below the Living Wage.

More than 50 strikes have been held since September 2016 and workers at Picturehouse

Ritzy employees rallied in Windrush Square when the sackings were announced Central, Hackney Picturehouse, Crouch End Picturehouse, East Dulwich Picturehouse, Brighton’s Duke of York’s as well as the Ritzy have taken part.

BECTU says the Picturehouse group, owned by cinema giant Cineworld, can afford to pay the Living Wage.

The Living Wage Foundation

sets rates each November; the current ones are £9.75 an hour in London and £8.45 outside London.

Picturehouse staff in London, where living costs continue to soar, are paid £9.10 an hour at the Ritzy and £9.05 an hour at other venues. Picturehouse’s regional hourly rate is £8.18.

In 2015 Cineworld posted profits of £83.8million. Cineworld CEO, Mooky Greidinger paid himself £1.2million in 2015, or £575 an hour. In 2016, the CEO’s annual pay rose to £2.5million.

Management has consistently refused to negotiate on union claims.

Gerry Morrissey, head of BECTU, said: “Our reps across Picturehouse have been fighting for fair pay and for dignity at work. Our first step in supporting our reps will be to launch Employment Tribunal claims.

“We’ve met with stonewalling from a management which claims to be community-minded but which has refused to negotiate at every turn, even rejecting an approach from ACAS, the government’s conciliation service.”

Picturehouse now falls behind competitors, Curzon Cinemas, which adopted the Living Wage in 2014 after a BECTU campaign.

Increased security for country show Security for the 43rd Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 July will be stepped up with random bag and body searches.

Lambeth council, which funds the show, said this precaution does not relate to any specific threat, but is part of general enhanced security.

The show will have its usual attractions, including carved vegetables representing current events, horticultural shows, sheep dog and owl displays, vegetable and flower competitions, craft and food stalls and an on-site farm.

The council said a free smartphone guide will be available. A printed one will cost £2.

■■ See lambethcountryshow. co.uk for more details.

■■ Music – see What’s On, p20

6 COMMUNITY

brixtonblog.com SEBASTIAN WOOD

Borrowing business booming and creating new friends

By Anna McKie The Library of Things, a social enterprise based in West Norwood which allows people to borrow useful items cheaply, says the service is more popular than ever as it celebrates its one year anniversary.

A year after it opened its doors, co-founders Sophia Wyatt, Emma Shaw and Rebecca Trevalyan say people have been queueing up to borrow festival gear, gardening equipment and ukuleles.

The item lending service was launched in 2016 from a custom-made turquoise shipping container space on a car park in West Norwood.

Since then, the library has gained more than 500 members, who come to borrow a range of items and learn new skills. The community business passed 1,000 “lends” in April this year.

The most borrowed items so far are carpet cleaners, tents, drills, sewing machines, large music speakers and a pair of colourful ukuleles.

The library also includes a jerk chicken BBQ, a body board and a full golf set among its 346 items to borrow at “deliberately affordable prices”.

Business is so booming that the team have

2017 JUNE

Brixton ‘£1 for the foodbank’ scheme is set to expand A scheme to raise money for the local food bank is looking to expand to local businesses.

Diners and drinkers at Three Little Birds restaurant in Brixton have already donated £256 to the Norwood & Brixton Foodbank via a discretionary £1 added to their bills.

The money goes to purchase food for the bank.

April Jackson (below), former Apprentice star and founder of Three Little Birds, said: “I am so proud to be making a tangible contribution to people’s lives and look forward to getting the support of other local businesses.

“Until we recognise that the person who visits the food bank could easily be you or me, the support for food banks from individuals will never be enough.

“Hunger is rising at an astonishing rate and this national crisis has to be tackled locally.”

recruited a team of 14 local volunteers (above) and freelancers to run the service in exchange for being able to borrow for free.

Volunteer Oliver Kirkman said one of his highlights had been helping a member and his daughter pick the things they wanted for her first camping trip.

“Another moment was seeing the kid-like grin on two grown men’s faces as they walked out with the Nintendo 64,” he added.

Items are sourced directly from manufacturers and retailers. Cleaning product manufacturer Karcher has made donations, as have outdoor equipment companies Berghaus and Patagonia, and B&Q West Norwood.

Library of Things also wanted customers to learn new skills and meet one another.

Local woodworker Ben Willis led workshops building long dinner tables using surplus wood donated by Lambeth cemeteries.

Another local, Suze Jones, invited her neighbours to the library for a sociable evening of mending.

“Repairing buttonless school shirts and holey socks is so much more fun with others there to help – and with a glass of wine in hand,” Jones said.

The social enterprise is also planning to run a series of DIY training events this summer, in partnership with B&Q West Norwood.

Yvonne Ellis in Windrush Square

Support for victims of sexual abuse Yvonne Ellis, director of the charity Daughter Arise, was out in the community last month to raise awareness of how sexual abuse affects lives.

She said: “Because many people find it hard to tell anyone about being sexually abused because of fear, guilt and shame, I decided to try and encourage people to seek help by sharing my story.

“As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I want other people to see that there is hope and that you can live the life you want in the aftermath of such difficult circumstances.

“I set up Daughter Arise, an organisation that helps survivors of all abuse in 2011 to offer support and to empower people to find their voice.

“I run this organisation voluntarily because I am passionate about helping people.”

Five volunteers gave out more than 600 leaflets. “The general public were very supportive of what we were doing and we had good feedback,” said Ellis.

AA Daughter Arise runs a support group every other month. More details on the website www.daughterarise.org.uk.

£90k for Lambeth summer activities

By Joe Wallen Young Lambeth Cooperative (YLC) – which has taken over responsibility from Lambeth council for commissioning play and youth services – has announced organisations that have been awarded a total of £90,000 to organise summer activities.

Successful groups were chosen by the YLC’s commissioning panel which includes people aged 11 to 19.

YLC managing director Richard Parkes said: “We are delighted to be able to offer a rich mix of cultural, sporting and creative activities, which I am sure will bring a lot of fun and enjoyment to young people in Lambeth this summer.”

The summer activity programme has three strands: summer link

up; creative skills; and making summer memorable.

The link up scheme funds an organisation in five areas of Lambeth to provide activities for young people.

The successful Brixton organisation was the CEF Lyncx charity that will provide study support to young people on the Blenheim, Angell and Cowley estates.

Creative skills funds three organisations to provide creative activities. The successful Brixton organisation was Raw Materials which provides training, mentoring and professional arts projects, music and media skills.

Making summer memorable funded 20 organisations that will deliver smaller projects.

Successful Brixton projects include: Sports City breakfast club

at Richard Atkins School; the St Matthew’s Project; Cowley resident management organisation; Brixton Community Base; the German Club based in Shakespeare Road, which organises holiday clubs and events; Loughborough Community Centre; and the Advocacy Academy, which trains young people to campaign for a better world.

Amelia Viney, founder of the Advocacy Academy said: “We couldn’t do what we do without support from the YLC. As a local charity, we rely on Lambeth investing in its young people as leaders.

“We’ll use the funding to take as many young people as possible on our 17-18 fellowship, transforming the borough in the long run.”

AA To find out more visit younglambethcoop.co.uk

Richard Atkins Primary School’s summer fair hit the jackpot and raised more than £1,200. The carnival and fair was organised by the Parents Forum to raise money for the school. And a very good time was had by all!

Picture: Fiona Freund

JULY/AUGUST 2017

COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE 7

brixtonblog.com

Cut waste by the kilo and bag a bargain

By Charlotte Croft A Brixton vintage outlet is playing its part in reducing the waste represented by the estimated 253 million pieces of unwanted clothing that went into landfills in Britain this spring as people cleared out their wardrobes.

Sarah Bennett, founder of Make Do and Mend in Pop Brixton, says recycling vintage clothes is “a much more sustainable and ethical way of shopping, as well as being aesthetically unique”.

Pop Brixton is also home to the Brixton Kilo Sale, an event run

by Sarah and Leeds-based vintage company, Blue Rinse for over a year, which allows customers to embark on an affordable shopping spree at just £15 per kilo.

The monthly Kilo Sale is becoming a firm with crowds of

young, retro-loving consumers flocking to Brixton.

With other vintage boutiques like Leftovers and Hunky Dory in Brixton Village upholding their second-hand status, the demand for vintage shopping continues to rise.

With more customers interested in vintage clothing, outlets are introducing reworked ranges to try to reduce waste, giving clothes a “new and improved” purpose.

It’s giving them another lease of life, Sarah explains. “We’ve got our own reworked label MDAM because you might have things that look great but are just too big, or they’re slightly damaged or stained”. Through reworking, t-shirts can become crop tops or dresses two-pieces.

Make Do and Mend also offer an in-store alteration service to reinforce its message that people can

re-use what they’ve already got – rips and holes can be fixed.

With its Christmas jumper decorating workshops proving a hit last year and more evening sewing classes on the cards, Make Do and Mend is building a platform that promotes a more ethical and personal shopping experience.

It’s not about what looks are

“in season” anymore – it’s about learning how to make clothes last longer and not giving into the temptations of fast fashion stores.

The alteration service goes hand in hand with the shop to put the emphasis mending rather than spending.

“There’s always been a vintage presence here,” says Sarah, “and

this will continue to grow as long as we let the “clothes do the talking” about the positive impact they have on the environment.

AA Bag yourself a vintage bargain (or three) in the next Brixton Vintage Kilo Sale in Pop Brixton on Saturday 15 July and Sunday 16 July. Open 10am to 5pm.

Appeal for recycling volunteers Andrea Brown explains her new project – Get Rid of It and Donate

Graduate of Hatch and member of the South London Card – Claudia Rodrigues de Oliviera outside her restaurant, Senzala Creperie in Brixton Village

Let Hatch mark your card

By Emma Lange The eviction of businesses and blight caused by the long-delayed redevelopment of Brixton’s railway arches have put a spotlight on the plight of independent businesses struggling to meet inflated rent and business rates.

South London Club (SLC) and Hatch Enterprise are two local organisations who support independent businesses in the area.

With a background in economics, SLC founder Tom Page understands how vital small businesses are for the economy. “Based in Lewisham, I noticed that the rapid development of the area was making it difficult for independent shops to remain in business,” he says.

He created the Lewisham Card in 2016 to encourage people to visit and support local businesses. It met with such success that he expanded it to all South London within seven months.

For £15 per year, members are eligible for discounts from a variety of independent businesses in south London. Tom says most

members say that they get back the cost of the card very quickly. They are not the only ones to benefit.

“Some businesses have told us that since becoming part of the SLC, they have gained around £600 per month in profit from new and returning customers,” he says.

The scheme now has more than 5,000 members and 500 independent businesses, with both numbers rising rapidly.

Another independent business supporter, Hatch Enterprise works with entrepreneurs in South London to build their businesses.

The Brixton-based charity was created when CEO Dirk Bischoff realised that there were not enough “incubator” programmes to match the demand and talent of local entrepreneurs.

Hatch offers programmes and support to entrepreneurs at various stages of development.

Businesses that have gone through Hatch programmes and are now part of the South London Club Card scheme include Brixton’s Senzala Creperie and Make Do and Mend.

AA Visit www.hatchenterprise.org to register for the next intake for its programmes.

People dispose of items as waste that are of good value and condition when they could be recycled to people who are less fortunate, vulnerable or disadvantaged.

Get Rid of it and Donate wants to give back to our communities and, by recycling, reduce the environmental impact of waste.

We can protect our streets and estates from the deluge of waste and protect the environment by reducing the amount of material that we send to landfill sites.

We started the project with Nextdoor – a private social network. With our new neighbourhood site and app, we share recommendations for traders, plan neighbourhood events, discuss safety, post things for sale and much

more. We feel we are contributing and effectively reducing our carbon footprint and have been overwhelmed by voluntary contributions and donations – mostly from the Herne Hill area to start with.

But our aim is to take the project nationwide. In the meantime, we want to establish “disposable hubs”, in Lambeth postcode areas and have recycling banks or containers at schools, churches and community centres.

Look out for us in the Farmer’s Market Zone at the Lambeth Country Show. where we will have a community trade stall with recycled and upcycled items for sale.

AA We need volunteers to expand the logistics and coordination of the project.

If you can help, please contact us at getridofitanddonate@gmail.com.

I M M I G R AT I O N L AW A P P L I C AT I O N S & A P P E A L S Our fees are transparent and competitive Our other work is performed to the same high standards and we pride ourselves on our clear pricing and plain language.

You can contact us for help with Wills, Probate, Business Leases, Family, Landlord & Tenant Litigation, Divorce and General Litigation

Peter Thomson Solicitors 203 COLDHARBOUR LANE, LONDON SW9 8RZ TEL 0207 733-6196 MOB 07718 863 387 FAX 0207 738 6928 EMAIL: p.thomson@live.co.uk

Help us keep community

at the heart of Brixton.

We started with just a cafetière and a toaster.

In a short space of time the Brixton Pound Cafe has become home to local groups, experimental nights, workshops, art, and much more. We’ve hosted over 100 free events, saved two tonnes of food, and fed over 5,000 pay-as-you-feel people.

All on a shoestring budget, and without the resources to fulfil every request we receive from people and groups who want to use our space for community good.

Now we want to take the cafe to the next level.

With improved facilities and more people we’ll be able to put on breakfast clubs and food training workshops; host regular community meals and provide an improved space for performers and artists. And that’s just the start.

We want to get as many people as possible involved in making Brixton an even better place.

Please support our crowdfund. Be part of the positive change.

www.spacehive.com/brixtonpound

JULY/AUGUST 2017

OPINION 9

brixtonblog.com

BRIXTON BUGLE

COMMENT

Choices and solutions

If, 10 or 20 years ago, the senior political and police leaders of London had chosen Brixton to launch a knife crime initiative, the assumption would have been that the choice was made because the problem was particularly bad here.

But when Sadiq Khan and Cressida Dick visited the railway arch gym of Dwaynamics last month, it was because of solutions.

But that solution, based partly on the tragic death of a son and his mother’s determination that something positive should come from it, is in a railway arch and run on the dedication and generosity of volunteers – many of them serving police officers.

And now there are fears that the Marcus Lipton Youth Club could be replaced by “luxury flats”.

Mayor Khan emphasised the cuts in central government funding for youth services. People like Pastor Lorraine Jones of Dwaynamics and volunteers all over Brixton and London are striving to fill the gap they have created.

Despite their valiant efforts, the problem of knife crime and the alienation of young people is getting worse everywhere.

We all know there is no “magic money tree”. But there are choices.

When politicians need money, they almost always find it – even billions for a part of the United Kingdom with a total population less than one quarter of that of London.

Youth services, enforcement of building regulations, police numbers, the NHS and social housing have all been sacrificed because the people who need them most are poor and ignored.

Poverty, social exclusion and the housing crisis are the result of choices made by powerful people.

The recent election was a wake-up call both for the people with money and for those who need it most.

We need a lot more surprises like that.

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Painting and decorating training in Brixton Prison provided by the BounceBack charity based in Pop Brixton. The report of an inspection of the prison in January this year said: “Some aspects of vocational training were excellent and highly valued by prisoners. The Clink restaurant and Bad Boys Bakery provided accredited training in realistic commercial settings.

BounceBack provided construction training and valuable post-release employment opportunities.”

Prisons like Brixton can and must be part of our communities Rory Geoghegan, recently appointed head of criminal justice at the Centre for Social Justice think tank, spent five years as a Metropolitan police officer – three of them in Brixton and Clapham – working across response, neighbourhoods and gangs. He wants to see community prisons added to community policing Her Majesty’s Prison Brixton sits just off Brixton Hill, on Jebb Avenue. It’s probably the most well-connected prison in the country, if not Europe, in one of the most vibrant communities in London.

So, in 2012 when it was decided that HMP Brixton would become a resettlement prison, holding low security prisoners prior to their release into the London area it sounded like an excellent idea. With the aforementioned transport links and with plentiful employment opportunities across London, it was an idea with real merit.

Furthermore, the presence of such important charities as The Clink prison restaurant and BounceBack in Brixton provided a solid foundation for prisoners with an interest and appetite to change to develop their employability, to train and gain qualifications in catering, hospitality and construction. Jobs that have been in high demand for some time – and which the prospect of Brexit, whatever your views, could bolster.

In the following years the number of prisoners being released out of HMP Brixton on what is called temporary licence – often comprising either day or overnight release – averaged around 50 per day according to the

latest Prison Reform Trust report, smoothing the resettlement of prisoners back into the community, helping them secure accommodation on release, continuing their education or securing employment.

Alas, as staffing levels reduced and the problem of “Spice” and other psychoactive substances grew, the ability of the prison to provide a safe regime and to facilitate the resettlement of prisoners back into the community was diminished. A fact documented not only by recent inspections of the prison by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, but also by the Independent Monitoring Board.

The latest report by Peter Clarke, from January 2017, described the prison to be “awash with drugs, undermining everything” – demonstrating the need for the key recommendations made by the Centre for

As staffing levels reduced and the problem of ‘Spice’ and other psychoactive substances grew, the ability of the prison to provide a safe regime and to facilitate the resettlement of prisoners back into the community was diminished Social Justice in relation to tackling drugs in prisons in 2015.

By late 2016 those prisoners most able to engage in day release were moved from Brixton to other prisons, with their spaces taken by offenders posing a greater risk.

It’s a story of things getting worse in spite of the best efforts of a shrinking and hard-pressed workforce and the best efforts of those in the community who care about the safety of our prisons and communities.

As the workforce shrank – both in Brixton and further afield – dedicated prison officers went from having the time to build rapport, to understand the challenges facing those seeking

to rehabilitate themselves and doing their best to support such efforts, to being closer to a prison fire-brigade, running from one disturbance or incident to the next.

As a society we underestimate the value of high quality community conversations.

In the field of policing, the work of Lambeth officers like PC Lance Edmondson in Brixton is of enormous value. It’s exactly that sort of meaningful conversation and relationship that needs to develop in our prisons.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Sophie Linden, his deputy mayor for policing and crime – have set out proposals to deliver real community policing in London. They should also champion the cause of similar activity within our prisons and crucially in relation to the release and resettlement of those intent on turning their lives around.

So, what does this all have to do with the Brixton Bugle and your average Brixtonian?

Well, those who care about making and keeping Brixton a great place to live should care about the conditions in the local prison.

It might not be the local resettlement prison that it was, but for the years that it was, it provided a vision for where we should want to get to: prisons, connected with the community, smoothing the transition from time inside the walls, to a reformed and improved life outside.

One practical thing, as a Brixtonian or Londoner that you can do to support and connect with the prison is to take the chance to visit The Clink prison restaurant. They have a strong track record of helping train and develop prisoners inside the prison wall and helping them “through the gate” and back into society finding sustainable employment in catering and the hospitality industry.

So, the next time you fancy a lunch, why not support the second chance they provide – and catch a glimpse of the sort of rehabilitation that so many of our prisons like HMP Brixton, working with others, can and should aspire to provide.

10 INCREDIBLE EDIBLE

brixtonblog.com

2017 JULY/AUGUST

Lambeth has a bronze Sustainable Food Cities award. Now Incredible Edible is working with local food partnerships to go for gold. Sue Sheehan reports on the challenges and asks for feedback

Food citizens, not just food consumers If we want a better food system we need to be food citizens – not just food consumers. We also think about where our food comes from, who is profiting from our purchases and how it can contribute to the health of our families and our communities.

This is the conclusion of London Food Board member Dee Wood, who visited the Loughborough Farm Community Cafe last month when it hosted a communal meal with the Vassal and Coldharbour Forum at the Platform space.

Dee and a colleagues from Granville Community Kitchen invited local residents to talk about what food means to them, the challenges we face and what we can do about them.

Granville Community Kitchen is a community-led initiative to develop a food hub to enable the community in South Kilburn, West London, to access healthy, affordable and sustainable food. The project has a grant from the Urban Food Routes initiative funded by the mayor of London and Seeds of Change.

Farm volunteers took the group on a tour of the farm while a Saturday growing session was under way. Visitors and locals harvested

salad leaves before joining Terrie Ann, her cousin, Kathie and her mother – who run a Jamaican food business, Home N Away, from their home in Myatt’s Fields – in the café.

They prepared a feast of vegetable curry, bulgur wheat and quinoa, white rice, callaloo with farm veg, a farm salad, homemade dumplings and puff pastry tarts with tomato and rocket.

A group of about 30 people heard from Dee, who won the BBC Food and Farming award in 2016 for her volunteer chef efforts. She is one of the drivers behind a new “People’s Food Policy” for the UK that was due to be launched as the Bugle to press.

In the absence of a national food policy, many food activist organisations are getting behind this report, including Lambeth Food Partnership.

In the Loughborough Farm café

How can we tackle healthy eating, food poverty and reduce food waste?

The high level of food activism in Lambeth has won the borough a bronze from the Sustainable Food Cities awards.

The awards recognise and celebrate places “taking a joined up, holistic approach to food and that are achieving significant positive change on a range of key food health and sustainability issues”.

These include growing food, supporting local food businesses and measures to reduce food poverty.

There is still a lot of work to do before we can achieve a silver or gold award. We are debating the issues involved and the inspiration we have found in other parts of the world.

Please get in touch if you are interested in evaluating which recommendations to put forward, or using our research and evidence to develop your own projects.

to this issue. She is very concerned about the effects of “fast food flooding” and we are working with Lambeth council to promote the Healthy Catering Commitment, a voluntary scheme for food businesses developed by the Association of London Environmental Health Managers and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and backed by Greater London Authority and mayor of London.

It works with food traders to reduce fat and salt and increase the amount of veg in takeaway meals.

We have much more to do in this areas and we have a wealth of evidence to support people who ant to set up cooking and eating projects designed to make it easier for people to eat well.

Issue 1. Promoting healthy and sustainable food to the public

Tori Sherwin from Vassall and Coldharbour Forum has been leading this work and argues that there is already a huge amount of food skill in Brixton. We do need people to tell us how to cook, but we just need to make it easier to share and trade our skills, and inspire one another.

Incredible Edible Lambeth is working with the Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) project in four of the most deprived wards of Lambeth, including Vassall and Coldharbour, to put this into practice to meet some particular health goals for families with young children.

LEAP is ten-year National Lottery funded programme that works with partners locally and nationally to support the social, emotional, communication and language development of babies and children as well as their diet and nutrition. It aims to work with the community, giving people control of the services they need and ways to improve life for their families.

One of the issues we have been debating is whether promoting “five a day” is enough. We like the approach taken in Australia, where the recommendation is five portions of veg a day plus two fruit.

But if people here cannot even manage to eat a total five fruit and veg a day how can we promote more?

There is also the issue of mixed messaging if in Lambeth we adopt a different approach to that being taken nationally. We have been following a new campaign designed to encourage people to eat more vegetables called Peas Please – watch this space.

At our own events we usually require vegetarian if not vegan food.

Issue 2. Tackling food poverty, diet-related ill-health and access to affordable food We are proud to have Kemi Akinola, from Brixton People’s Kitchen, who is fully devoted

Issue 3. Building community food knowledge, skills, resources and projects

Issue 4. Promoting a vibrant and diverse sustainable food economy Our new food entrepreneurs are also social entrepreneurs. They focus on making more healthy and sustainable food available to all.

By acting as good food citizens, we can support businesses that are interested in increasing social capital, not just personal wealth.

We are looking at ways to make it easier to identify good citizen businesses, perhaps through a Food Charter or an awards scheme.

Issue 5. catering and food procurement Recent campaigns on school food have had a huge impact, but what about hospital food?

A survey of London hospitals by the Campaign for Better Hospital Food earlier this year found that half were failing to meet basic food standards and that nearly two thirds were not cooking fresh food for patients.

We have two big hospitals in Lambeth and many other health and social care food providers and would like to work with them to find ways to increase the standard of food.

Issue 6. Reducing food waste and ecological footprint of the food system Awareness of food waste and opportunities for redistributing surplus food have increased significantly over the last year thanks to the People’s Fridge and the Brixton Pound’s pay-as-you-feel cafe. But this issue needs constant attention and there is still much more to do.

One of our big concerns is that there is no monitoring of commercial food waste and so we cannot even tell if we are reducing it in Lambeth or not.

So, if you have ideas to address any of these issues let us know if we can help. Our main aim is to work in a joined up way and share knowledge as much as possible.

AA Lambeth’s Sustainable Food Cities award details: http://bit.ly/SFC-Lambeth.

OFSTED INSPECTION GRADES EGA AS A ‘GOOD’ PROVIDER Following an inspection by Ofsted on 16 May we are pleased to announce that Ofsted has confirmed that the academy continues to provide good standards of practice and leadership in all areas.

Read the report at: www.evelyngraceacademy.org.

Retiring Principal Devon Hanson reflects on six years of leadership After leading Ark Evelyn Grace Academy for six years, our Principal Devon Hanson will leave EGA at the end of this academic year. He discusses the past six years in his final Principal’s message Devon Hanson took on the role of Principal of the academy in 2012 while he was still principal at Walworth Academy in Southwark. At one point he ran the two academies successfully at the same time.

Under his leadership, EGA has been transformed from a school that was graded

by Ofsted as “requires improvement” to a highly respected establishment, now graded twice over by Ofsted as “good”.

“I have been fortunate to be a part of pioneering change and raising standards,” he says.

“When I volunteered to work at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, I knew that there were some challenges, but I felt that I had the capacity to tackle them.

“I had a working knowledge of the community and, because of this, I felt that I could create a special impact on this academy.

“Whatever went wrong in the early days I felt confident could be ironed out. I knew it wasn’t a one-man job. I knew several outstanding practitioners who were all willing to help me to take this academy forward. I am proud to say that we have achieved this.

“I think at the time I had the right ingredients to effect change.”

“I see our children taking astronomy exams; going to some of the best universities in the land; and joining the army.

“That young man has gone on to do an engineering apprenticeship or that young lady who has decided she wants to do an apprenticeship in nursing.

“To me, these are signs that we have achieved more positive experiences of school for our children and their parents.

“The mind-set which we instil in all our students here at the academy is that ‘If you will that, you can’. And I think we have been successful in this.”

If you could do anything different what would it be?

“I would extend my time at EGA for another five or six years! (laughs). But I do feel like now is the time for somebody else to take up the baton.

“I do feel that I have done what I came here to achieve. I have contributed my all to the school and to the community.

The community had to respect our school

What was the school like when you started?

“I was amazed. I saw young people take advantage of the fact that there were no boundaries. If you allow things to slip out of control with no boundaries, young people will take advantage of that.

“But I knew that, in the midst of this, there were a lot of talented and gifted young people at the academy. All they needed was the experience and opportunity to discover this to excel.

“In every school I have worked in my challenge has been to give children opportunities to fulfil whatever dreams they have.

“I see it as my duty to create these opportunities, not just in classes but also outside the classroom.

“If you can create the opportunities outside the classroom, nine out of 10 times you will see opportunities in the classroom being taken on board.

“It was important for me to put in place a strong enrichment program. Of course good teaching and learning must take place. Of course I had to ensure good teachers were well situated in the academy and could plan and teach properly. But I knew that the children would not take this on board unless they felt it was worthwhile.

“At that time, many of our children’s parents did not have a positive experience of schools, so they did not have a positive experience to pass on to their children.

This was something I was also passionate to change. I think, by and large, we have got there.

going to be an Olympic champion, who we sponsored throughout recent terms to train through the winter months.

“It could be our students who have gone on to do some fantastic things at university.

“It could be the young man who is now working as a vet.

“Our students make me very proud.

“I hope I will be remembered as somebody who believed in the children, who believed in their capacity to succeed, who believed in them unreservedly, resulting in them believing in themselves.

Do you have a key message you hold on to?

“A key quote to which I have always held on is by Mohammed Ali: Champions aren’t made in gyms.

Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

“As long as you have the will, that self-belief, you will get there in the end.

“To have the ‘I can’ attitude is what motivates me till this day.

Any message for the local community?

again and see our school as a hub, as a very important place in the community, which they didn’t in 2012.

“I feel that we play a prominent role in our community. That these children here must be given the opportunity to succeed as far as possible no matter what, even when things we wished should not happen, do happen. They are still worth us not giving up on them.

What has been your greatest achievement or proudest moment “I can’t really say what would be my greatest achievement, but I would say my proudest moment at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy would be creating opportunities for children.

“I can’t pick out one; there are so many.

For example, the young man we were able to sponsor from Year 7 to play football and now he has joined a p­ remiership team.

“It could be the young lady who I know is

“First and foremost I would like to say a special “Thank you” to Lambeth Education.

“Thank you to the local community for all your support these past six years.

“I encourage you to not give up on our young people, regardless of how we see them.

“They may be walking along the street in a manner we might not wish them to walk in. But we mustn’t give up on them. It’s not all of them.

“Most of them have aspirations to be successful. We just have to find ways of getting it out and for them to demonstrate it.

“Most of them want to be successful and they want the best things in life. Have some patience with them, work with them, and believe in them.

“If every business, every shop owner, the community believes in our young people and shows care and appreciation, we will see our young people yield that back in abundance.

“Currently, our young people do not see themselves as part of the evolution of Lambeth and it is important as a community that we show them that they are – through believing in them and creating local opportunity.

“They are a part of the foundation of this community and we must see them as key players for the future of this community. We must not forget them.”

Dance Crew at Step LIVE 2017 In their tenth anniversary year, Evelyn Grace’s Dance Crew are performing in several high profile public shows. They will take part in Step LIVE! 2017, a day-long festival of dance at the Southbank Centre on Monday 17 July.

It showcases the work of Step into Dance – a partnership between the Jack Petchey Foundation and the Royal Academy of Dance which provides classes for schools and encourages new audiences for dance.

Evelyn Grace PE teacher Melissa Angileh said: “Our dancers are a true example of how motivation and determination pay off.

“Their commitment to the sport and drive throughout the year, has resulted in them being selected to perform in a range of competitions and shows including Step LIVE!, the London Youth Games and the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park in July. We are immensely proud of them”.

Chess squad in South of England gigafinal The EGA chess squad did extremely well at the South East London regional Megafinal.

The in-school rounds of the Delancey National Chess Challenge took place during the Spring Term – with 24 students from Year 7 to Year 13 taking part.

Seven students qualified for the South-East London megafinal, and took part in a day of timed chess matches against the best from other schools across the area.

Jorge Reye Coca (13ACR) won all his matches against students from other schools, and qualified for the South of England gigafinal in July.

Tai-Moniere Mowatt-Allen (11OBJ) also played extremely well, and qualified for the gigafinal.

Justin Lamont Campbell (8BMC) and Tyerell Haye (8KSO) both competed with great skill and were one point away from qualifying.

Eniola Raji (8SAH), Francisco Vieire Tomas (8JBW) and Malakki Skervin (8RBR) all played six matches, won some and lost some, and showed adroitness and dignity throughout the competition.

Thank you to Mr Ullah and Mr Grogono for coaching all teams and for their support.

Girls football teams impress with back to back wins Having finished second in last year’s Lambeth Girls Football League, the new Year 7s and 8s are on a mission to win the title this year. And they are off to a flying start!

In their first week they beat Bishop Thomas Grant by a respectable 4-0, and Oasis South Bank Academy 4-2.

Then the girls impressed with a massive 6-0 win over Streatham and Clapham High School. Scoring an incredible four goals was captain Tiana Jackson (Year 8), helped by Sade Murray (Year 8) and Fela Akinola (Year 7) who also managed to score. Well done girls and best of luck for the rest of the league.

EGA OPEN DAY EVENTS NOT TO BE MISSED – SAVE THE DATE! OPEN MORNINGS: Monday 25 September, 9 – 10.30am Tuesday 26 September, 9 – 10.30am Wednesday 27 September, 9 – 10.30am OPEN EVENING Thursday 28 September, 4 – 7.30pm

Evelyn Grace Academy, 255 Shakespeare Road, SE24 0QN | Tel: 020 7737 9520 | Email: info@evelyngraceacademy.org | Website: evelyngraceacademy.org | Twitter: @ARKEvelynGrace

Creative and dig is Now the Time BID Director Michael Smith

Brixton BID is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening Brixton’s diverse business culture. We represent over 650 levy‑paying businesses in the local area and work to develop new and exciting opportunities for Brixton.

SOUTH BANK ENGINEERING UTC is a new co-educational school that opened in September 2016 on Brixton Hill. It specialises in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects with a focus on engineering for the medical and construction sectors. It sponsors projects with its students that are in line with the core curriculum.

The school’s aim is to develop students who can thrive in an uncertain world, with skills and experiences that supplement their academic qualifications to ensure they are highly employable.

The school’s new buildings boast high-end computing, science and engineering facilities including robotics, 3D printing and virtual reality.

As the leading sponsor, London South Bank University offers students unrivalled access to opportunities not on offer at traditional schools. This means that students while at school are already working with many of the academic professionals at the university.

This helps to inform their degree course choices and pathways into high-value careers.

Apprenticeships with employer sponsors such as Skanska UK, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Trust and King’s College NHS Trusts, Essentia and Purico are a long-term goal for many of the students and relationships with sponsor colleagues are high quality and meaningful.

■■ Find out more at the South Bank UTC open morning on Thursday 13 July, 9.30–10.30 am.

Booking essential: www.southbank-utc.co.uk.

THE CHAMPION AGENCY is the UK’s only creative agency and social enter-

prise that champions young creative talent and organisations we believe in. We specialise in building brands – working with a range of clients, from startups to market leaders and NGOs. We’re proud of where we come from – creating the not-for-profit brand Great Brixton in 2012. This enterprise has generated a living bursary for a young Brixtonian to attend the School of Creative Arts, and the self-published book has generated over £10k worth of revenue from local businesses. Recently we conceived, designed and co-curated Black Sound – Black British Music’s Journey of Creative Independence multimedia exhibition at the Black Cultural Archives. Last year we created the People’s Posters; an interactive poster platform for the public to tell us what they think about the area – celebrating Brixton as the new London Design Festival district. By combining commercial and social models, we’ve created a new way of working that empowers everyone in the process – both young and older creatives, and brave clients, and is built on integrity.

By the time the Queen’s Speech had outlined a digital charter for users of the industry, Lambeth council had already established its intention to make Lambeth, and specifically Brixton, the home for digital and creative businesses throughout the south and across all of England.

As you will see on these pages, Brixton already has a number of thriving companies in this category.

Although full of challenges, the council’s strategy – Now’s the Time – is not totally far-fetched.

Brixton faces a significant lack of adequate office space on one hand and an army of start-ups and small and medium enterprises on the other hand. The creative industries have often been caricatured as primarily supporting start-ups and small and medium size enterprises.

But the potential of the creative and digital industries far exceeds the confines of local “gig economies”.

Together, the creative and digital industries could be worth an additional £5billion a year to the UK economy.

Our creative industries by themselves are known to be responsible for at least 1.4 million UK jobs.

It is hoped that growth in the creative industries could help to push the UK

into sustained economic recovery.

The growth of this industry in Brixton could similarly drive the growth of our local economy. Unquestionably world class, our creative industries have readily recognisable global brands, often attracting businesses and individuals to the UK as the place to “live, work, visit and invest”.

Sound familiar? It should do, as this is the very vision Brixton BID has for Brixton, the place to work, live, play and do business.

The vision of the creative and digital industries is one of cross-industry collaboration between arts and science, ranging from advertising through craft and performing arts to the latest video game platforms.

Creative industries are renowned for their strong commercial networks and links. Growth in this sector is, however, “being significantly driven by digital technology”, according to consultants Booz & Co – now known as Strategy&.

The emergence of metadata solutions is enabling new ways of driving content discovery and enabling easier access to creative products.

The UK, Lambeth and Brixton are, however, lacking an ingredient essential for the growth of our creative and digital industries.

The UK is still far behind European countries such as Germany, France, Denmark in broadband connectivity speeds. It is not surprising that Sweden and Norway are ahead of us in this area. But it is remarkable that we are making no progress in improving our broadband provision even to levels that are being achieved in a country like Latvia.

Brexit or no Brexit, good quality

ROCKETSHIP DIGITAL is a boutique design agency founded by Sarah Henderson and Tim Noble. With over 25 years’ experience, we firmly believe that high quality design should be available to everybody, no matter how large or small their business or project! Our approach means that businesses are perfectly prepared to grow and change as their circumstances require.

We have been residents in the Brixton area for over 21 years so we have an experienced understanding of the diverse and ever changing local community.

This gives us a unique perspective as to how your business can grow and succeed.

We love Brixton and South London, and we love to focus this passion on assisting businesses who need to evolve their brand to ensure they stay in the area in these ever-changing times.

We are involved in community initiatives, as well as working with Brixton BID and Lambeth council. Sarah is on the committee of the Brixton Design Trail, whose aim is to bring design to the Brixton streetscape and showcase the wealth of local talent we have here. This year, we will be creating a window takeover on a prominent high street location.

gital business – e for Brixton ? broadband connectivity is a key factor for businesses and will impact on where they are prepared to locate.

This is so important that local business ratepayers should be able to expect good quality broadband connectivity as an essential service received in return for paying their business rates, like garbage collection and policing.

Brixton is due shortly to benefit from free town centre wi-fi. Lambeth is finally closer to providing “free” borough-wide town centre wi-fi packages in Clapham, Streatham, etc., bringing Lambeth into line with other London boroughs – and about time too.

These are not small steps in supporting our ambitions to grow a creative and digital industry that is second to none.

The advertising industry in the UK is said to be worth around £16billion annually. Over two-thirds of the world’s advertising agencies have their headquarters in London. The UK has the largest publishing industry in Europe. The UK is said to export annually more than £100 million worth of design and commercial services.

These are all facts and figures we simply cannot ignore in Brixton and Lambeth, with our commercial ambitions close to this industry.

The pathways to working in these industries should also be clear for our young residents and those wishing to retrain into this sector.

With the South Bank Engineering UTC and Lambeth College on our doorstep in Brixton, the route might seem pretty straightforward., with training via an apprenticeship for this

growth area almost ideal.

But asking small and medium-sized businesses, who are already suffering from significant business rates increases to now make a 10% contribution to the training of apprentices could clog up what could be a clear pathway for local young people into a growth industry.

The potential of this industry to provide jobs for people from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds is huge. More than one in 10 of jobs in the creative industries are filled by young people and people from BME backgrounds.

Lambeth will need to support the growth of an under-capitalised sector plagued by costly and limited workspace.

Our ambitions for the growth of this industry locally must be supported by clear pathways for training into employment in an industry that at this moment is growing faster than retail.

We already have many of the basic ingredients in Brixton to grow this sector; a young, diverse population, the vibe, a creative entertainment industry.

The growth of this sector will however take time.

Now Is The Time, Brixton.

For further information see: ■■Lambeth council’s creative and digital business strategy (bit.ly/lambeth-creative) ■■Lambeth’s Creative & Digital Industry Growth Strategy (lambethnow.co.uk) ■■UK Digital Strategy 2017 (bit.ly/UK-dig-strat)

DALTON MAAG is a world-

leading studio for typeface design and has worked with many well known brands establishing their typographic voice, across the many languages that are spoken in this world.

Over 20 years ago when we first established our business here, Brixton was not the most obvious choice to set-up a creative company. Affordable studio space was a driving factor to settle in Brixton, but even more so it was the diversity and vibrancy of

TIBOR JONES are literary agents

based in Brixton. We represent a number of leaders in their field and authors around the world. Last week we were in Cape Town completing a deal for an author based there, tonight we are going to the Serpentine Gallery to see another author and we are always scouring our slush pile looking for new authors. An author from Mumbai was just here and delighted to visit the famous market.

Co-Founders Landa Acevedo-Scott and Kevin Conroy Scott met in the Bug Bar, got married in the register office in Lambeth Town Hall, live on Brixton Hill, have children in primary school locally – so they wanted to work in Brixton too.

Since we launched our hub – our space was just too big for us and there were no other office spaces in Brixton suitable – we now have tentacles in many places due to our hub workers.

SHOCKLOGIC provides special-

ised event management technology and services for event organisers, helping them to deliver the best events possible. This includes registrations, mobile apps, badges, real-time barcode and QR code scanners, voting keypads, and a ticket booking platform. Founded in 1997, we now have over 350 clients in over 68 countries. We support over 2,000 events per year, with attendances ranging from 50 to 50,000. This includes Sunfall and FOUND festivals,

BEAUHURST, based in Piano House on Brighton Terrace,

monitors start-ups and growing companies, and provides this information to its clients through online software.

“We chose Brixton because we were able to find such a great space at competitive rates, and we love all the options for lunch. Our first office was also here about five years ago, so we already knew the area well and wanted to come back! And we love it!”

its community that are so important to maintaining creative inspiration. In the course of our business life we have looked to move closer into central London but we realised that our roots are firmly in Brixton.

Our work reaches audiences around the world and can be seen in most people’s day-to-day life, be that on an advertising billboard or on a mobile device.

Amazon’s recent campaign that saw Brixton tube full of its posters featured the letters that were created in this Brixton studio. It’s from Brixton where the good things come.

We’ve seen projects in this office moving into the US, China and Europe. A guy who works next to me just returned from Shanghai, another from New York and a third from Grenoble. And pretty much everyone here lives in Brixton.

which take place in Brockwell Park.

Our CEO has lived in Brixton since 1998, and when he was looking for a location for his business, he wanted to remain local. Our main office has been located here since 2012. We first started off as a team of four, now this office has grown to 19. The Shocklogic team love the vibrant streets of Brixton, where we find creative inspiration every day. We really enjoy the sense of community that we have in the Eurolink Business Centre where we’re located and where we will continue to grow.

14 ENTERTAINMENT

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2017 JULY/AUGUST

Time to enjoy Myatt’s Fields music hall past

Finding strength and having fun with stand-up comedy in Brixton When Leanne Ashley opens her first regular “It’s all about finding their strengths and influential network”. Within a few months Sunday night gig from 6pm onwards at having fun at the same time,” says Nichola.” of winning the scholarship, a meeting with Brixton’s Market House on 9 July, it will be In the process she has won funding from Prince Charles highlighted the networking the result of work by several community and the Heritage Lottery Find and created the opportunities offered by Miranda Brawn’s charity organisations. storyboard for a Brixton-centred TV drama mentoring programme.

The Brixton-based Mr and Miss Black – Nightlife – based on the lives of people who “Thanks to Miranda’s generous support, I and Beautiful community organisation that run music clubs around London am several steps closer to achieving my career Nichola Dame Hartwell founded helped to find The Lottery funding of more than £20,000 goals and I highly recommend the scholarship the venue through its Musiqal Bridge project. enabled a group of young people to create a to anyone ready to make profound changes to Musiqal Bridge aims to be a reality TV show project “80s Babies” that would help them to their future and community,” says Leanne. that helps young adults from disadvantaged find careers in the music industry at the same In 2016, she won a Prince’s Trust scholarurban areas take positive steps by engaging time as researching the history of Black entership. She wrote a stand-up comedy act based with the music industry. tainment and 1980s Black history. on being LGBT and ethnic minority and It’s not the first such enterprise Nichola has The project led to a celebratory evening enrolled on the trust’s Enterprise programme been involved with. The first was Blackliners, where a young Lianne La Havas performed which helps unemployed young people start an HIV and sexual advice charity which, and the production of a song for one of the up in business. Leanne needed help to achieve for 13 years, provided HIV/ her ambition of launching a AIDS services for African, comedy club.

Caribbean and Asian people in The trust was impressed No-one wants to feel like they’re on their own or worthless South London. by her carefully formulated – through Miswits I hope to help others and give them She got involved when her business plan and gave her a a platform to feel accepted and build their confidence grandma told her to find a £250 “Will it Work” grant to charity to work for rather market test the idea. than shopping for shoes. After Later, Leanne secured a learning much from Blackliners, Nichola 80s Babies, Floetic Lara, who featured in start-up loan from the trust and launched developed Mr and Miss Black and Beautiful BBC’s The Voice in 2015. All performances Miswits Comedy Club – an open-mic night (MMBB) “to give back to young adults who can be viewed and downloaded on the social enterprise designed to showcase the were disadvantaged without the right family MMBB website. talents of the LGBT community and donate background or the right networks to get ahead profits to fund workshops and mentoring in their careers”.

Black Cultural Archives sessions for vulnerable young people.

It has been a part of the Lambeth Leanne Ashley has also been supported There was a Miswits club night at the Ritzy community for 16 years and was nominated by others, including the Miranda Brawn in March this year. for this year’s National Diversity Awards.

Diversity Leadership Foundation and the “The only way I could think of getting Nichola says that over the 16 years she Prince’s Trust. through my past was through laughter; and has propelled more than 200 young adults As part of a scholarship from the Miranda thanks to The Prince’s Trust I can now help into a new and positive existence that they Brawn Foundation, says Leanne, “I was others do the same,” says Leanne. themselves might not have had the courage fortunate enough to secure work experience at “No-one wants to feel like they’re on their to face. the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton”. own or worthless – through Miswits I hope to MMBB workshops are designed to create Leanne says the work experience gave her help others and give them a platform to feel positive energy in young adults so they can an insight into how events and exhibitions accepted and build their confidence.” take their first steps toward successful careers. are run “as well as introducing me to an AA bit.ly/MandMBB.

Longfield Hall in Myatt’s Fields is celebrating its history with a free music hall event on 29 July.

The show will tell stories of musicians and performers who lived and worked in the area since the hall opened in 1889.

The music hall performance is the culmination of a community history project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Local young people helped with research during workshops run by local writer and broadcaster Steve Martin and the information they uncovered at Lambeth Archives forms the basis of the show.

Music hall performers they researched include “male impersonator” Vesta Tilley, who laid the foundation stone for Camberwell Palace of Varieties in 1899; Charlie Chaplin, who was a member of Fred Karno’s Company in Loughborough Junction; comedian Dan Leno (who lived on Akerman Road); and jazz singer Adelaide Hall who performed at the Empress Brixton.

The show will also explore the history of Longfield Hall itself, from “Cinderella dances” in the early 1900s to its role as home to the UK’s first Black theatre company, Dark and Light Theatre, in the 1970s.

Local children and families can help prepare for the show during two free art workshops run by South Island Arts that will make props and objects to bring along to the show. They are in Myatt’s Fields park on Sunday 23 July from 2.30pm to 4.30pm and at Longfield Hall on Thursday 27 July from 4pm to 5pm.

AA The show on Saturday 29 July starts at 6pm and is free for the whole community.

Community festival in Windrush Square The organisers of last year’s Enjoying Diversity in Lambeth festival are putting on another – Bringing our Communities Together – in Windrush Square on Saturday 22 July from 12 – 9pm.

It will feature live music, spoken word, rap, DJs, a bar, traders and workshops.

The theme is the celebration of the diversity of talents and eclectic skills, music and entertainment, multicultural trades and ethical food … all “bringing our communities together”.

Organisers are dedicating the event to Grenfell Tower victims and survivors.

“We are living in a time where there is a lot of hostility and people’s lives are looked on as valueless. We are trying to help people to overcome this and look at ways we and bring togetherness.”

I DIDN’T REALISE TILL CAME HERE … I WAS MORE WELL OFF THAN A LOT OF WHITE PEOPLE WW2 veteran Allan Wilmott talked to Delores William about his wartime experiences and life in Britain afterwards.

She found there’s more to Allan than his war service Allan’s other claim to fame is as a member of the 50s pop group The Southlanders, who had a top 20 hit, one of the few Black bands of the time to do so.

He also features on the

single I Have A Song – the fundraiser for the African & Caribbean Memorial – which, if it makes the charts, would make Allan Wilmott the only living artist to have two pop hits seven decades apart.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica in August 1925, he won a legal scholarship, but, he says, “I had chance to do something. So, I joined the navy and was with minesweepers”.

Then he volunteered for RAF rescue service … “I came to England. Everything was so

strange. People knew nothing about you. What part of Africa is that? We knew everything about British Isles, they knew nothing about us.”

Alan’s experience of white people in Jamaica meant he got a shock when he arrived in Britain. There were people with no heating or running water – poor people; poor white people. Something he had never seen in Jamaica. “Quite a shock,” he recalls “I didn’t realise it till came here. I was more well off than a lot of white people.”

His job with the RAF was to rescue flyers after they had been shot down. The RAF speed boat service rescued 17,000.

After the War Allan got together with his brother and started a quartet, eventually known as The Southlanders. He soon realised that, in those days, every British town had a theatre and there was room for his act “We started to get a few breaks in the nightclubs.”

The Southlanders acted as a back-up group to Frankie Vaughan

and Marty Wilde and counted Spike Milligan and Cliff Richards as friends.

Southlanders’ first hit was (Why Must I Be) Alone. They went on to record one of the all-time great novelty songs – I Am A Mole And I Live In A Hole. Audiences to this day insist the Southlanders, from whom Allan has retired, sing it at every gig.

AA You can listen to Delores’ full interview with Allan Wilmott at bit.ly/BB_DW-AW.

JUNE 2017

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CREATIVE BRIXTON 15

Carnival for the community Linda Quinn meets a man who wants and deserves to be better known in Brixton Sunshine Arts has a lot to celebrate. It is 10 years since their first appearance at Notting Hill Carnival and five years since it opened the café at Loughborough Junction.

Founder Ray Mahabir is keen to involve more of the local community. Sunshine International Arts (SiA) is probably better known across the country than it is in Brixton, he says.

Born in Trinidad, Ray says

carnival and costume is part of his DNA. He learned his skills while working and living in Trinidad.

“I came here in 1998. I was a fashion designer in Trinidad and carnival was a part-time hobby.

“I learned the trade while working and came here on vacation. I came as a volunteer and got roped into another carnival group. And that was it.

“I’d live here six months and have six months in Trinidad. Two summers in one year.”

SiA opened its doors in 2001 and keeps on growing. It has expanded into the café, two more arches for rehearsal, theatre and yoga and the carnival studio “I like the idea of working with

families. The centre welcomes everyone, little kids, teenagers, parents. Aged two till 90. It’s a space local people can come and make costumes.

“Maybe it springs from my work with and love for carnivals. But I’m interested in art work which is interactive and organic – where members of the community can get involved, watch the artist at work and learn new skills. I hope this space is accessible to everyone, it’s here for the community to use and be creative in.”

Ray is keen to engage the wider local community and wants everyone to join in the SiA’s Mas Camp, held at the CAFE (Carnival Arts for Everyone).

It is a melting pot of creative flair. Learn feather flowing; wire bending; headdress building; and costume decoration. The term Mas Camp originates from Trinidad and Tobago and describes centres of production for carnival costumes and places to meet other friendly carnival people.

Dates for Mas Camp this Summer are: Wednesday 12 – Sunday 16 July Wednesday 19 – Saturday 22 July Tuesday 25 – Thursday 27 July Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 August Wednesday 9 – Sunday 13 August Wednesday 16 – Friday 25 August ■■ Contact admin@sunshineiarts. co.uk to register an interest in getting involved with this year’s Notting Hill Carnival. See: sunshineiarts.co.uk/events.

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16 CREATIVE BRIXTON

brixtonblog.com

2017 JULY/AUGUST

Local art space to host high-profile exhibition in 2018

Rembrandt masterpiece inspires painting of Brixton friends A group of young Brixton men feature in a prize-winning painting by a local artist which is based on one of the great classic masterpieces, Rembrandt’s Night Watch.

Artist Paul Gildea says a schoolboy aged 10 or 11 would stand outside his house, staring at the paintings in the front room.

“My wife befriended him, and 10 years

on, I asked to paint him and his friends,” says Paul.

“Each week I would ask him if someone could pose, and sometimes he would turn up with a friend to stand for me.

“The painting took many months. But, in the end, I was delighted. And so were the boys. They would ring the bell late

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into the night to ask to show it to other friends. And it has been a backdrop in my home ever since.”

Paul Gildea’s Night Watch won the Doreen McIntosh Prize of £5,000.

It is on view at the New English Art Club’s annual exhibition in the Mall Galleries [mallgalleries.org.uk] until 25 June.

e

South London Women Artists have responded to the theme of My Place with an exhibition at Brixton East.

Thirty artists’ wide ranging interpretations are as diverse as geographical location, a return to childhood playfulness or the simplicity of a colour.

SLWA was set up in 2008 to create a community of women artists living and working in the area. It aims to raise awareness of women artists generally.

AA Friday 7 to Wednesday 12 July. Preview Friday 7 July, including a performance by The Rye Poets. Brixton East, 100 Barrington Road SW9 7JF. Karen Livesey will show her film The Ladies Bridge at 2pm on Sunday 9 July.

AA southlondonwomenartists .co.uk.

New Contemporaries, the UK’s leading promoter and supporter of the most talented artists emerging from art colleges, has teamed up for the first time with Brixton’s Block 336 gallery.

New Contemporaries has selected 47 artists for a touring exhibition sponsored

by Bloomberg. It will be accompanied by events and activity in Brixton.

The exhibition launches at the Baltic gallery in Gateshead this autumn before touring to Block 336 at 336 Brixton Road from 27 January to 3 March next year.

The artist-run project space and studio provider offers artists the freedom to experiment and test new ideas.

Two Brixton-based artists, Declan Colquitt and Amanda Moström, are among those selected.

Colquitt studied at the Royal College of Art, London, Manchester Metropolitan University and Camberwell College of Arts.

He says his work has developed from videos that were a composite of text, sound and the moving or still image. It now uses written and spoken words “and engages with a language of socio-political efficacy through psycho-geographic (mis) representation, recollection and hallucination”.

His content is usually informed by mental health, medication, addiction and an adulation of music.

The text is dreamlike and exists in “an urgent absurd realism”. The written practice is supported by sound works that rely on analogue processes and homemade instruments”.

Moström studied at City and Guilds of London Art School.

“I aim to create living and playful works that engage the public, using a visual language of domestic objects,

play and the profane,” she says.

“I want to overcome the reluctance of people to physically interact with an object just because of preconceived notions of reverence towards artworks in the gallery space/setting.

“I want to encourage a sense of experimentation and play in the space, so that relationships with individual works are built on interactions and physical touch.

“I hope that this active participation with the work allows a more profound experience; involving play, touch and communal participation.”

New Contemporaries has provided a platform for new and recent fine art graduates since 1949, mainly through its annual open submission and nationally touring exhibition.

This high-profile platform is recognised as a gauge of work emerging from UK colleges.

New Contemporaries also provides artists with professional development opportunities – mentoring, studio bursaries, residencies, commissioning, digital content production and programming opportunities with their partners.

More than half of all Turner Prize winners and nominees have a connection to New Contemporaries.

A Block 336 spokesperson said: “We are committed to widening participation from individuals and groups who may not typically access contemporary art.

“The organisation aims to advance education in the arts with a particular emphasis on persons with disabilities.

“To complement the exhibition at Block 336, we will be celebrating Brixton’s vibrant and creative community, working with relevant local partners to establish collaborative events, activity and promotion.”

SO YOU THINK YOU’RE MONOGAMOUS? Brixton’s awardwinning comedian, broadcaster and writer Rosie Wilby will present funny and poignant readings and unexpected discoveries from her non-fiction debut Is Monogamy Dead? at

Herne Hill Books [289 Railton Rd, SE24 0LY] on at 7pm on 20 July when exclusive early signed copies will be available.

Is Monogamy Dead? grew out of a trilogy of shows beginning in 2010

investigating love and relationships.

Highlighting the huge disparities in people’s definition of what a “relationship” is, Wilby, who is represented by Brixton-based literary agency Tibor Jones,

also draws on her own experience and interviews with dozens of people to discover that, even if we think of ourselves as “monogamous”, the word can mean a myriad of different things.

JULY/AUGUST 2017

CREATIVE BRIXTON 17

brixtonblog.com

Work that must be heard today Jack Howson meets Roger Robinson, the creator of an album that was powerful before Grenfell Tower and is now heartbreaking as well

Made in Brixton at Photofusion reflects our town’s diversity and creativity. Opening in Refugee Week at the end of June, its images of Syrian refugees in Greece are at home with ones from South London chicken shops.

What the exhibition’s pictures by seven Photofusion members have in common is acute observation. Nik Strangelove’s abstractat-first-sight images of textures and surfaces in Brixton, collectively titled Transience, capture local change and decay.

Others record both the doubts and the determination that Brixton people must have.

Carole Evan’s images (above) revisit her Brixton People project of January 2010 when she set up a pop-up studio in Brixton Market.

During this exhibition, she will return to the market with another pop-up studio to remake her portrait of Brixton.

There’s an artists’ talk on Thursday 6 July at 6.30pm – £5 (free for members).

AA Made in Brixton, open until 15 July, features work by Mark Aitken, Katie Barlow, Carole Evans, Camille Mack, Chris Moyse, Nik Strangelove, and Alys Tomlinson.

Human face of social care Certitude, a social care charity, has teamed up with photographer Mike Tinney to show the human face of social care in a Brixton exhibition.

Self – Portraits in Social Care, a collaboration between Certitude community development manager Jake Meyer and Tinney, sets out to be colourful, bright and engaging – in contrast to a media narrative of budget cuts and negligence.

Every portrait is in some way associated with Certitude’s Connect and Do. To break down the barriers between carer and cared for, the pictures do not identify the subjects by their role in the social care system.

An early visitor was local MP Helen Hayes (above, centre, with, Jake Meyer, right, and Certitude chief executive Aisling Duffy). She said: “I think this is such an important project – beautiful, powerful images of people who are often otherwise invisible.”

AA Self – Portraits in Social Care runs to July 14 at the Certitude Connect & Do Space, 109 Railton Rd, London SE24 0LR and is open Monday to Saturday 10am – 4pm. For details, contact jmeyer@certitude.org.uk.

KIKI HITOMI

Doubt and determination

Listening to Roger Robinson’s masterful concept album Dog Heart City was challenging enough in January. Across the ten tracks, which are interconnected and disorientating like an unplanned maze of streets, the protagonist is London itself.

He/she is an impossibly punishing character, one that serves up suffering and inequity to powerless people and their trapped children.

Whether at street or high-rise level, the tales are dark and relentless, acutely observed and unapologetically political.

Hearing the record again now, in the light of the Grenfell Tower fire and chaotic aftermath, is an even more heartbreaking experience.

“I’ve cried so much over the stories,” Robinson says, reflecting on the tragedy and aware that pre-echoes of this seismic event were contained within his own work.

“Those people died because they were not wealthy. They weren’t bad or criminals. They were just poor. This is what the city does to those with less. No one can make any progress in life without affordable, safe housing.”

Where his full-band project King Midas Sound modernises lovers’ rock style with hip-hop, drone, and high volume, Robinson’s solo output stays true to the socially aware dub poetry tradition of Benjamin Zephaniah, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and the like.

Dog Heart City is a dirty stream of communal consciousness, amplifying the

drowned-out, ill-fated voices of morning gamblers, overnight cleaners, and single parents juggling jobs.

Its predecessor Dis Side Ah Town charted a bipolar Brixton, surveying its past and present through the prism of the 2011 riots. These are pieces of work that should be heard, and heard today. Put them on and let them reverberate.

“I think art makes its way to who needs it,” the singer, poet, playwright and cultural coordinator says. “The music will take the albums to where they need to be.

“As an artist in this time, responsibilities are placed upon us, and to completely ignore those would make you complicit. There were

questions being asked of me and this is how I answered them.”

Having made South London his home for many years, Robinson is now “a kind of economic migrant” living in Northampton, another creative soul pushed into joining the exodus from our capital by rising house prices and “regeneration”.

He skewers this development and speaks

directly to Brixton’s freshly painted face on Dog Heart City’s standout moment, the track New Maps: Snap the heels off your gym shoes / Vomit up your green juice, and burn in your hot yoga studio / Wash the feet of a nurse who worked for 25 years keeping this community alive / Ask her for advice on how to live when you feel her callused soles …

The best defence against gentrification, Robinson says, is to “understand the system, assert your lawful rights, counteract, collectivise, mobilise, and protest.”

Post-election, with the class gap more apparent than ever, he is predicting a widespread increase in aggressive collective action: “What’s happened in Brixton has happened in the same way everywhere, even in different countries I’ve toured in. There’s no consultation or accommodation of the needs of long-term residents. It’s developed for the new people settling and that’s the only priority.

“My favourite haunt used to be Twin Barbers [Coldharbour Lane and Brixton Station Road], a colourful, lively place.

There was an old woman who’d play blues by humming through a comb with foil while selling her outsider art, felt pen pictures of birds. You’ll never see that type of stuff in Brixton ever again.”

AA Roger Robinson’s Dog Heart City is available digitally via Jahtari. A vinyl edition is coming soon.

Music and movement The Black Sound exhibition at the Black Cultural Archives until 4 November tells the story of 100 years of musical creativity and DIY ingenuity and celebrates the pioneers, players, promoters, producers and punters who changed Britain’s cultural history.

The exhibition draws on BCA’s photographs, vinyl, cassettes, music tracks and ephemera to showcase the musical heritage of Black people across the UK. Curated

by Lloyd Bradley, author of Sounds Like London: 100 years of Black Music in the Capital and The Champion Agency, it takes visitors through three stages – Original Imports, DIY Culture and Re-mastering the Mainstream.

Audio-guided tours are part of the exhibition and visitors can listen to a mix of the most important 100 albums from the past 100 years.

Black Sound records a time when activists and musicians brought music, art, and politics together to foster a movement of self-reliance and self-belief.

AA Black Sound until 4 November 2017 at BCA, Windrush Square. Free.

Audio-guided tour for £3. Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am–6pm (last entry 5.30pm).

Visit bcaheritage.org.uk.

Authentic African and Caribbean cuisine from fresh juices, hot dishes to vegan snacks at Black Cultural Archives.

Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm Windrush Square, Brixton 020 3757 8500 bcaheritage.org.uk

18 FOOD & DRINK

brixtonblog.com

DIY KITCHEN: PULLED JERK CHICKEN SALAD

The heat is on Treats & Ting’s Emma-Louise Stewart shares her favourite healthy recipes Summer is here and what better than a pulled jerk chicken salad with homemade dressing?

Supermarket or shop bought jerk sauces don’t do it for me, so I max the flavour and throw in some other ingredients.

You can pick your level of heat and the salad leaves can be whatever you’ve got in the fridge.

Either way, this is great for a spicy BBQ or summer family picnic.

METHOD Place foil lined baking tray with 1 tbsp olive oil in the oven at 200°C to heat.

Add the lemon juice and 500ml of water and chicken into a bowl to clean the chicken. Remove lemon juice and water.

Add chicken seasoning, dried mixed herbs, all-purpose seasoning, jerk seasoning, BBQ sauce/marinade and thyme. Mix well. Leave to marinate, ideally a couple of hours in the fridge.

Lay chicken evenly in the baking tray, cover with foil and cook for 30 mins. Remove the foil, remove the thyme and drain majority of the juices into a spare container.

Shred with knife and fork.

Make your dressing by mixing and shaking the ingredients together into a bottle (1ltr) Assemble your salad leaves, drizzle your dressing over and add the pulled chicken. Pour the juice from the jerk chicken over to taste and enjoy!

AA treatsandting.com

REVIEW: TURTLE BAY

INGREDIENTS JERK CHICKEN ¡¡ 1.5kg chicken breast ¡¡ 100ml lemon juice ¡¡ 1tbsp chicken seasoning ¡¡ 1tbsp dried mixed herbs ¡¡ 1tbsp all-purpose seasoning ¡¡ 2 tbsp Jamaican jerk seasoning marinade ¡¡ ½ of 290g bottle (145g) of BBQ sauce/marinade ¡¡ 10g fresh thyme

SALAD ¡¡ 1 bag mixed leaves: spinach, rocket and watercress ¡¡ 200g baby plum tomatoes halved ¡¡ 60g spring onion chopped ¡¡ ½ cucumber peeled and chopped ¡¡ 200g beetroot diced ¡¡ 100g cooked sweetcorn

DRESSING ¡¡ 150ml balsamic vinegar ¡¡ 300g honey ¡¡ 300ml olive oil ¡¡ 3 tbsp dried mixed herbs

DIY COCKTAILS: SEVEN’S STRAWBERRY BASIL SMASH Brixton’s cocktail experts unlock their mixology recipes for the Bugle

Here at Healthy Eaters on the corner of Electric Avenue and Electric Lane in the heart of Brixton, we serve freshly cooked, authentic, great value, great tasting Caribbean food over the counter with speedy and friendly efficiency.

Each issue, we will be meeting a Brixton bartender to learn some new cocktail recipes. This month we hit Seven at Brixton to meet Jonny and his quintessentially summer concoction.

INGREDIENTS 50ml Stolichnaya Red vodka ½ lime squeezed 6 fresh strawberries Pinch of basil leaves

Every meal is as healthy as can be thanks to our low fat cooking techniques which lock in our uniquely succulent flavours. So drop in for take-away or sit a while and eat in.

We are open early lunchtime right through the afternoon.

Healthy eaters

17 Electric Avenue Brixton SW9 8JP

020 7274 4521

2017 JULY/AUGUST

www.healthyeaters.co.uk

METHOD Muddle (bash a bit) five strawberries in a glass or cocktail shaker, add a pinch of basil leaves (saving one leaf & one strawberry for your garnish) Add 50ml vodka and lime juice Stir or shake over ice Strain into a lowball glass or tumbler glass over fresh ice.

Garnish with fresh strawberry & basil leaf AA sevenatbrixton.com AA @sevenatbrixton

Dreadlock Holiday?

Nick Buglione takes a Caribbean break at Turtle Bay Is Turtle Bay a kind of gastro trompe l’oeil or voyeuristic appropriation of an exotic (food) culture, hence the 10CC cod-reggae reference?

Especially in Brixton, the traditional London home of Caribbean foodie culture.

Only one way to find out whether it’s authentic homage, “Caribbean-lite” or pastiche for the blissfully uninitiated. Myself and Bugle recipe gal Emma-Louise on a sultry/sweaty summer night are on Bay-watch.

Presumably an upscale riff on a Trench Town cantina cum beach hut rum bar, Turtle Bay is all funky murals, splashes of graffiti, reds, golds and greens, calypso trimmings and crab shack furniture. Enlarged to a pretty grand scale – it’s a big room and someone has definitely gone to town. I like it, not excessively identikit, creative imagination has gone into it and the staff are all bright eyed, bushy tailed and up for it … but not in that painfully TGI Friday kind of way, thank the Lord.

The menu is a wide-ranging liberal interpretation of dishes from across islands, with a few things I suspect don’t appear on your

REVIEW: LLEWELYN’S

Unfinished business Carina Murphy hits and misses at Llewelyn’s When Llewelyn’s opened in Herne Hill in an enviable location on Station Square, home of the popular Sunday Market, the anticipation was palpable. After all, its predecessor Pullens was a local institution, a neighbourhood restaurant before neighbourhood restaurants became cool. For decades diners flocked there for its laid-back, bohemian feel, spilling out of the restaurant on wonky metal tables on a summer’s evening or cosying up inside at happy hour through the winter.

When it closed last summer, talk of high rates pushing out local businesses for yet another hairdressers were rife. Well, a hairdresser was involved, but only in the sense that local Katya Davies from next door’s Myla and Davis salon snapped up the site, no doubt partly fuelled by nostalgia for her early days waitressing at Pullens.

Sporting a new, streamlined, grown-up look courtesy of local architect Henry Harker, the two relatively small rooms have been maximised with white walls, banquettes, oak, dark leather, brass and mirrors. And the décor’s not the only thing to get more serious.

Where you never really went to Pullens for the food (unless you had a penchant for decidedly average mussels and chips) Llewelyn’s dailychanging menu clearly means business.

Modishly short and broadly British, its suppliers list is a real Who’s Who. Chef Warren Fleet hails from the Anchor and Hope and Ravneet Gill of St John on pastry promise to be a dream team in the kitchen.

JULY/AUGUST 2017

classic Carib cook-out. It’s hardly scientific but as one did in the earlier incarnations of Soho’s Chinatown, if there were Chinese people eating, you could more or less assume the place was pretty good.

Not long after ordering a Marley Mojito (Appleton rum, green melon liqueur, mint, watermelon and ginger beer) and Reggae Rum punch (Uncle Wray overproof rum, bitters, strawberry liqueur, pomegranate, lime, orange & pineapple), Emma-Lou is chatting away to the next table where a couple of Brixton’s older caterers in residence are into their main courses.

These guys have probably been chugging down plantain, curry goat, jerk and roti since they were in nappies. Capsule review from

brixtonblog.com

them that knows: not sure about the plantain, pork’s good though.

Turtle Bay divides up its pretty mammoth menu into a reggae-smorgasbord of beach salads, one-pots, jerk pit BBQ as well as the ubiquitous burgers and buns and a sprinkling of not-so-authentic universals such as crispy squid and duck spring rolls (?).

Its summer and I am all about the BBQ, Emma-Lou as my in-house one-pot aficionado is also exploring. We kick off with jerk pit wings, 24-hour marinated with sour orange chutney and a coconut jerk glaze with garlic and chilli prawns in herby chilli garlic with roti. Pretty damn good all round. Good spice, energetic kick, so no one in Portland Jamaica, spiritual birthplace of jerk should be turning

in their graves. Big prawns, big wings, pretty big flavours.

So on to my Bajan beef cheeks, slow simmered with a kaleidoscope of okra, potato, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, coriander and coconut. And Emma-Lou’s curry fish, Snapper fillet in a creamy coconut, ginger and scotch bonnet sauce with toasted coconut. Served with steamed rice and a new roti.

Both were pretty much a meal in themselves. I sense approval from opposite on the curry fish while my beef cheeks had that essential melty disintegration good slow cooked meat should do. Good depth of flavour and a lively up yourself kick of heat. Plantain was a trifle lifeless – I am guessing you could do better at my local True Flavours and sweet

382-384 Brixton Road, SW9 7AW | turtlebay.co.uk/locations/Brixton | 020 7737 2264 | @Turtlebayuk

But do they deliver? Not quite … yet.

Allowing for early day teething problems, the food was still a bit hit and miss. I started with a moreish cuttlefish in ink, chickpeas and aioli but my friend fared less well with griddled mackerel, beetroots and horseradish.

The mackerel’s skin could have been crispier and the beetroots appeared to be of the vac-u-pac variety. OK for a quick home supper but Llewelyn’s suggests, and aspires, to more than this.

Mains were more consistent – roast cod, asparagus and beurre blanc featured a thick slab of beautifully cooked cod. But they forgot the beurre blanc and when it came it was on the road to tepid. Spotting the next table’s good looking chips (which they urged us to order because they were so amazing) we asked for some too. But we were told pointedly that they were only available with the rabbit. This struck us as inflexible.

Roast middle white, borlotti beans, tropea onion and salmoriglio (southern Italian

dressing) was a charming “hug” of a dish (to nick a Gregg Wallace MasterChef catchphrase), a really lovely creation.

Puddings were a high point. A beautifully pink baked rhubarb cheesecake and textbook chocolate fondant and fresh mint ice cream were faultless.

Gill’s solid pedigree means breakfasts (of baked goods like Welsh, Eccles and loaf cakes) work really well at Llewelyn’s. On a return brunch visit, the staff seem a bit more relaxed too, with the service less erratic.

Sunday roasts to share look well worth a try and the wine list is carefully sourced with all wines available by the glass.

I’ll be watching Llewelyn’s evolution with interest. At the moment it’s a perfectly pleasant bistro which can’t quite decide whether it has illusions of grandeur or just wants to loosen its waistband and slip off its shoes. Once it decides Herne Hill may very well have the top-notch neighbourhood restaurant it truly deserves.

293-295 Railton Road, SE24 0JP | llewelyns-restaurant.co.uk 020 7733 6676 | @llewelynslondon

FOOD & DRINK 19

potato fries are, well, sweet potato fries.

The rotis could do with a bit of livening up also but I like the beach shack sticky fingers shtick, this is food to dive into and get dirty.

We close things down with BBQ pineapple, charred and caramelised with a rum sauce and coconut ice cream. Chill out.

I know that despite being a lifelong residents of these parts, I am still a tourist in the world of West Indian dining, Turtle Bay for me pulls it off (infinitely better than, for example, nearby Cabana does Latino).

Yes, they have made sure its accessible to the non-purist but as the neighbouring table can testify, with an occasionally inauthentic misstep along the way, Turtle Bay has got a hell of a lot of it right.

20 WHAT’S ON

brixtonblog.com

2017 JULY/AUGUST

Jamila Omar rounds up a July selection of what’s on in Brixton and nearby FRI 30 @ POW

Brixton Boogaloo and Slide present THE DISCO HUSTLE across three floors, including up on the wonderful Prince of Wales rooftop terrace, featuring Luke Solomon, Sam Redmore, Southsea Soul Club, Joni Schaffer and Jack Stuckes. 7pm to 4am. £5.

SAT 1 @ LARKHALL PARK

John Boyega in Detroit

CINEMA ROUNDUP July and August are full of interest for cinephiles, writes Nicola Jones

Not to be outdone by DC Comics, this summer’s Marvel instalment comes in the form of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (released 7 July). Tom Holland’s younger spunkier Peter Parker might not be a match for Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, but he is surely easy to like so far.

Another franchise gets going again with WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (released 11 July) as Andy Serkis’ Imaginarium Studio apes come back to work their motion capture magic.

Not to be missed in July is Sophia Coppola’s new film THE BEGUILED (released 14 July). Coppola became the second woman (in 71 years) to win the Palme d’Or prize for best director at the Cannes film festival this year. Her film centres on a group of women (Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning) who take in a wounded soldier (Colin Farrell) during the Civil War. Christopher Nolan returns to the directing chair with his film DUNKIRK (released 21 July). Probably a tearjerker on all fronts, the film sports a major cast and passion from a director to tell untold war stories.

If you are looking for a different vibe then Luc Besson’s VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS (released 2 August) might be for you.

Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne take us into space and, if Comic Con reports mean anything, this should be good.

Other films on my must see list are firstly THE BIG SICK (released 28 July) starring Kumail Nanjiani as the Indian boyfriend of a Caucasian girl whose relationship causes laughter and trauma.

Next up Charlize Theron is back on screen as an undercover agent in ATOMIC BLONDE (released 11 August).

And of course THE DARK TOWER (released 18 August) arrives with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey at the front of the new adaption of Stephen King’s novel.

This can be a true directordriven summer if you also get the chance to catch DETROIT (released 25 August) from Kathryn Bigelow. John Boyega stars as a security guard caught in the five days of rioting in Detroit that left more than 40 dead in 1967.

Steven Soderbergh returns with LOGAN LUCKY (released 25 August) with Channing Tatum and Adam Driver attempting to pull of a heist during a Nascar (US car) race.

So many to see – so I’ll see you at the movies!.

A Nicola Jones is a freelance writer whose website asophisticatednoise.com covers film reviews, trailers, and industry news.

She can be found tweeting @MzJones

Come and hear reggae, pop, jazz, fado, samba and soul at the multicultural STOCKWELL FESTIVAL. Sup drinks from Brixton Brewery and D Vine Cellars. Make a mosaic, a sign or bunting, try Polish paper cutting, green woodworking, herbal remedies or flower arranging. Watch the science show, listen to a story, have your face painted or join the samba parade …

All day. Free.

SUN 2 @ BAR 414

Grassroots Live Music. A weekly Sunday night that looks set to encourage and inspire LOCAL GRASSROOTS talent. UB40 trumpeter Patrick Anthony leads the experienced house band with resident DJs and Caribbean food available too. 10pm – 3am. Free.

MON 3 @ POP BRIXTON

Daddy, Mummy & Me TODDLER YOGA. Focusing on the children with the encouragement of parents. Includes breathing games, yoga postures, singing, stories, yoga games and music. Suitable for parents/guardians and children. 11 – 11.45 am. Free.

TUE 4 @ EFFRA SOCIAL

Each Tuesday, take the “work” out of workout, by mixing low-intensity and high intensity moves for an interval-style, calorie-burning dance fitness party, otherwise known as ZUMBA. 6.15 – 8.25pm. £10.

WED 12 @ HOOTANANNY

Songwriters & Wordsmiths presents Moody Will & The Roll, an exciting COUNTRY BLUES band from Bristol with a growing reputation for fusing their authentic sound with stellar songwriting and breakneck live shows. 9pm to midnight. Free.

THUR 13 @ GREMIO DE BRIXTON

Situated only a hop, skip and a jump from Brixton Village and the Tube, in the majestic crypt of St Matthews Church, this Spanish tapas restaurant has live DJ Lee Harris playing SPANISH/LATIN HOUSE from 9pm. Free.

FRI 14 @ BLUES KITCHEN

There are people in Brixton who used to watch GENO WASHINGTON in the 60s and he’s still going strong.

So catch one of his extraordinary gigs for a soul explosion. From 10.30pm. £5. Free for diners.

SAT 15 @ BROCKWELL PARK

It’s that time of year again – LAMBETH COUNTRY SHOW. On the main stage today are old school street brass legends HOT 8 BRASS BAND (below). Transcending genres and trends, they have performed and collaborated

Tuesdays mean nothing other than PUB QUIZ. Tommy McArdle hosts one of the busiest quizzes in Brixton, with a cash prize for first place and booby prizes for second and second to last place. Starts at 8pm, £2 per person.

WED 5 @ MARKET HOUSE

House of Idiot is an ALTERNATIVE COMEDY show held upstairs at Market House every Wednesday.

Take a walk on the weird and wonderful side, with sketch, character, musical comedy, clown, cabaret and more. 8pm. Free.

THUR 6 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON

For one night only: a glorious romp through some of pop music’s greatest offerings by one of London’s most EXCITING CHOIRS – Popchoir. 250 voices combine in soaring melodies and lush harmonies alongside a fair pinch of salt and a party atmosphere. A fundraising event in aid of Mind, The London Air Ambulance and Canine Partners. 7-11.45pm. £15.

FRI 7 @ COURTESAN

Brixton’s newest speakeasy (with cool cocktails and innovative dim sum) on Atlantic Road launches its Friday night CABARET starring the “Body of Burlesque” Exotic Luna Rosa. 9.30pm – 2am.

SAT 8 @ JAMM

Heatwave Brixton is a HOUSE AND DISCO special.

Expect glitter and glam, BBQ and cocktails. With Futureboogie star Maxxi Soundsystem and guests.

5pm – 4am. £5 – 15 advance. MOTD.

SUN 9 @ CAFE CAIRO

Do The Right Thing … Ritzy staff and others employed by the giant Cineworld corporation are calling for a boycott of the Ritzy, East Dulwich Picturehouse and other cinemas in the Picturehouse chain that do not pay the London Living Wage and have sacked union representatives. Joining the boycott need not mean missing out on high quality cinema locally – the programme at Loughborough Junction’s Whirled Cinema is always excellent and both the BFI and Curzon chain do pay the living wage.

TUE 11 @ POP BRIXTON

Every Sunday evening you can catch a FREE MOVIE at the fantastically flamboyant Cafe Cairo. Check their Facebook page for which film they have in store.

7.30 to 11pm. Free.

MON 10 @ DEPTFORD TOWN

Heart n Soul is 30! This summer they are celebrating the talents and power of PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES and everyone is invited.

See and hear their stories as they take over Deptford with art installations, club nights, live performances and more. See thebig30.com for more details.

with a wide range of artists, from Lauryn Hill to Mos Def, and were nominated for a Grammy in 2013. Also performing are Ady Suleiman and Absolute Bowie.

SUN 16 @ BROCKWELL PARK

Lambeth Country Show continues with ROOTS DAY, featuring classic roots and reggae artists, while on the Village Green are Oxjam faves The Basie Millers – a six-piece, London-based function band who play a killer selection of dance-floor-filling soul, funk and pop.

MON 17 @ WINDMILL

Tom O. C. Wilson headlines with his sophisticated music and songwriting, plus folk/experimental from Ellie Rose Rusbridge; the minimalist Beetles; and singer-songwriter Kept Cairns. 8pm. All for just £4 (plus £1 online booking fee).

TUE 18 @ EUROLINK BUSINESS CENTRE

Join Louise and the Sincerely Louise team at a LEARN TO KNIT WORKSHOP. This snug Brixton studio is full of faux taxidermy, wool and friendly faces. Learn how to knit, get help with any projects you’re working on or just have a natter about craft over a mug of tea or glass of wine. Experienced knitters also welcome. 7 – 10pm. £10.

WED 19 @ BLUES KITCHEN

Swing Night and Double Down. Jump, JIVE and wail your night away! 8pm till midnight. Free.

JULY/AUGUST 2017

THUR 20 @ HOOTANANNY

A ROOTS ROCK REGGAE special, with Grantie Asher live from Jamaica. Support from Harmonies Deja, Charden Rhoden, Kitty Corbin, Sese Foster, Trevor Dixon and Tony Douglas. 9pm – 2am. £3.

FRI 21 @ DOGSTAR

The Magic Robot is a destination for PARTY ANIMALS, with party-centric hip hop, funk, soul, disco, new hits, old favourites and all of your terrible requests. 10pm-4am. Free before 10pm, £5 after!

SAT 22 @ POP BRIXTON

Resident Kiwi wine gurus, The New Zealand Cellar, host a WINE EXTRAVAGANZA at Pop Brixton.

Their ever popular Garage Sale has now turned into a Garage Series, meaning they’ll be hosting these events regularly throughout the year. 10am – 3pm. £15.

SUN 23 @ BRIXTON JAMM

This week Sunday Jamm hosts yet another stonking REGGAE SOUNDSYSTEM. This is the ultimate Brixton “Sunday Funday” spot for those who want to chill out with pals or shake off any remaining weekend energy. Great pizzas, jerk chicken, meal and drinks deals. 2pm to midnight. Free before 5pm, £5 – 7 after.

MON 24 @ EFFRA SOCIAL

Comedy improvisation show Duck Duck Goose host their IMPROV JAM plus guests in the Effra Social’s Churchill Lounge each and every Monday.

You can watch or join in! From 7.30pm. Free.

TUE 25 @ PRINCE REGENT

The Prince Regent PUB QUIZ is held every Tuesday. Big cash prizes, free drinks questions and a rollover jackpot question that grows each week. Come down early because it’s first come first served. 8pm.

WED 26 @ WHIRLED CINEMA

Finland’s master of deadpan comedy, Aki Kaurismäki (Lights in the Dusk, Le Havre), returns with THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE, the story of an unlikely friendship between a Syrian asylum seeker and an elderly Finnish restaurant owner. 8pm.

THUR 27 @ BRIXTON REC

Paraíso School of Samba’s regular percussion workshop – a fantastic opportunity to learn samba or develop your skills. 8.30 – 10pm. £8.

FRI 28 @ HOOTANANNY

Maisha plays SPIRITUAL AFRO JAZZ. The Londonbased ensemble is lead by drummer Jake Long, with luminaries such as Nubya Garcia and Shirley Tetteh in its all-star line up. The group’s original music is inspired by artists such as Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and Idris Mohammad, fused with heavily rhythmic West African and Afrobeat grooves. 9pm – 3am. Free before 9pm, £5 after.

SAT 29 @ 02 BRIXTON ACADEMY

Following the success of their 2016 release, Requiem, the Swedish psyche-rock band GOAT are back in the UK for a headline date. Support from The Moonlandingz and Jane Weaver. Doors 6pm.

Curfew midnight. £34.50.

SUN 30 @ EFFRA HALL TAVERN

One of the longest running LIVE JAZZ NIGHTS in Brixton can be found at this classic Kellett Road pub. The SOFF Music crew have been performing on Sunday nights for nearly 18 years now, and the jams remain as much fun as ever. Get there early for a seat. Free.

MON 31 @ POP BRIXTON

Stresses and strains of city life getting you down?

Then pop down to Pop, whose weekly MASSAGE MONDAYS offer to soothe your cares away. Noon – 6pm. £20-£40.

WHAT’S ON 21

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Neighbours are having a party …

It would be downright un-neighbourly to ignore the sixteenth annual Streatham Festival, happening from 1 to 9 July this year.

Highlights include a Festival Fun Day, the return of the Strut live music event plus a host of theatre, music, art and other events.

With a total of more than 40 events, Streatham’s shops, bars, restaurants and talent will be showcased.

There’s an afternoon of live music at Rookfest on Saturday 1 July and atmospheric tours of Streatham’s huge historic theatre (now Beacon

Grenfell Tower fundraiser London Sound Project (above) ­– who bring together singers and instrumentalists aiming to be the soundtrack of the capital – have their summer gig at the Off the Cuff bar next door to Herne Hill station at 8pm on Thursday 6 July.

It will be a fundraiser for victims of the Grenfell Tower

fire. Tickets are £10 – half of the proceeds going to the victims.

The event will feature music from Oh Wonder, Tom Odell, Imagine Dragons, James Bay, Annie Lennox and Benjamin Clementine.

AA Tickets on the door, or email ldnsoundproject@ gmail.com.

Cabana event for Mexican kids Bingo) courtesy of the Streatham Theatre Company. The Horse and Groom hosts an installation by local artist Jiro.

Chaucer, Shakespeare and Star Wars will all make an appearance on the festival stage. The final weekend will see crowds on Streatham High Road for both the Festival Fun Day on Streatham Green and the Strut in a range of venues on the Saturday evening.

Many events are free and all are welcome. The full programme is at www.streathamfestival.com.

Get some Raw Roads inspiration Brixton music charity Raw Material is organising Raw Roads: IMAGINE – a one-off celebration event of young talent on 25 July at the Prince of Wales from 5 to 7pm.

It will feature artists from Lambeth, Nottingham and Folkestone, all performing their original material (song, rap and spoken word), alongside established artists such as FLOetic Lara, DJ/ rapper Conrad Kira and freestyling legend LeeN. The free event will celebrate the culmination of a national touring programme that offers creative skills workshops and performance opportunities to disadvantaged and marginalised young people.

The last Raw Roads two years ago was a truly inspiring event. So don’t miss this one.

FIRST GIG FOR BRIXTON CHOIR A new choir that’s started in the heart of Brixton – Real Voices, Brixton – has its first proper gig on Sunday 23 July at 2pm in the Hootananny.

Members will sing a range of modern material from Rag’n’Bone Man’s Human to Agnes Obel’s Familiar – and many more.

Brixton resident Katy Morgan is organising a fundraiser for a Mexico City programme that will see a non-profit café providing jobs, training and life skills for young people from 16 to 20 with a history of homelessness and addiction.

The evening of live Latin American music from Colombian musicians Camilo Menjura and Mauricio Velasierra is

in the downstairs bar of Cabana (201-207 Ferndale Rd) on Saturday 1 July.

There will also be an auction and DJ Cara Sebastian will play after it.

Tickets are £10 and can be bought on the project’s Facebook page (@ ProyectoNelhuayotl), via email (katymorgs2010@ gmail.com) or on the door.

All of the money raised will go towards the start-up costs of the project.

THE BIG COUNTRY

Lambeth Country Show, now one of the UK’s biggest public events with 170,000 visitors last year, is back in Brockwell Park on 15 and 16 July.

Horticultural shows, sheepdogs, owls, vegetable and flowers jostle for space with jerk vendors, cider sellers and craft stalls.

Music will include dub, Afrobeat, disco, folk, ska and soul. Roots reggae is on the main stage on Sunday and the small Village Green stage will showcase local talent playing folk, soul and pop, along with steel pans and samba.

Now in its 43rd year, the show is organised by EventLambeth and funded

by Lambeth council.

AA lambethcountryshow. co.uk

22 COLUMNS

brixtonblog.com

GEMMA PASHA

FRANKIE HOLAH

Water … how much and when

How to … do a pull-up

We have experienced some extremely hot weather over the last few weeks and no doubt you will have seen your gardens struggle with the dry conditions (as well as us!).

The temptation is to get out there and give the plants a good old drink right in the middle of the day. but this can cause damage to the plants so is best avoided.

The most effective way of keeping your plants healthy and hydrated is to water them either first thing in the morning or in the evening.

The main problem with watering plants in the heat of the day is that the water that lands on the leaves can magnify the sun and actually cause burn damage to the leaves.

Also, the sun is so strong the water evaporates before it has had a chance to reach the root of the plant and therefore you think you have watered the plants but, in fact, they have received no benefit whatsoever.

The same theory can apply to pots, window boxes and hanging baskets.

These actually need watering more often as they dry out so very quickly in sunny weather.

It’s true that some plants love the sun, but it can be a struggle for others. So, in a bid to keep them looking as healthy as possible, you should regularly dead head, weed

and dig over the soil.

I don’t really go in for plant food, but you will definitely see a bigger healthier bloom if you regularly feed your plants with something like Miracle Grow. It’s pretty full of chemicals though, so I tend to give products like it a wide berth.

If you are looking to plant anything at this time of year it will need extra water and care for the first few weeks to make sure the root system establishes properly.

And – perhaps counter-intuitively – make sure you don’t over-water.

This can also be devastating for the plant as the root system gets waterlogged and dies.

But we are in Great Britain and the summer is always fleeting. So don’t worry about it too much.

Plants will thrive in the sunshine, as will any fruit or vegetables you are trying to grow. øø And, as always, if this all seems a bit much for you Gardening Girl and her excellent team are on hand to help you out. Just call Gemma on 07826 551353 for a chat!

2017 JULY/AUGUST

I get fairly bored with all of the repetitive “how to get a summer body” articles floating around this time of year, so I decided that it would be much more satisfying (and, hopefully, useful) to give you lovely readers some key pointers for learning or improving a skill …

This month we’re going to look at the much discussed pull-up.

This is one of my favourite exercises and the one I get asked about the most. Below are my top three exercises to get you started or to add to your training for progression.

Whether you’re at the start of your journey or upping your pull-up game, my favourite advice, as ever, always applies … If you want to be able to do pull ups, you must do pull-ups.

Hanging scapula (shoulder blade) pulls – Beginner or not, these are a key part of pull-ups. They not only improve the mobility of your shoulder blades, but also the strength for that initial pull. Start by simply hanging on the bar (dead hang), palms facing forward and hands just over shoulder width apart.

Point your toes in front of you (or if you are still gaining grip strength, keep your toes just on

there, lower yourself as slowly as possibly to a hang … fight gravity the whole way. Don’t forget to engage those back muscles; Pull the shoulder blades down and keep your elbows to your side before you begin. On the way down, keep your abs nice and tight. People are often surprised at how tough these are, but keep persisting and as above, keep the reps low to start (3-5) and practise a few times a week.

the floor for some support) and tuck your tummy button to your back. This is your starting point.

Now pull your shoulder blades down and together, allowing the chest to lift. Your arms don’t bend for now. Lower back to the start position and repeat. Keep your reps low for now (3-5) and build from there.

Negatives – Essentially the lowering part of the pull up, with control. This helps to build some real strength, so always include them in your training. I still do them, four years in! Grab a step, or a friend to help you get into the chin over the bar position. From

Holds – Definitely not sexy or exciting, but an essential basic for building strength (time under tension) and learning how to command your own bodyweight.

I always focus on holding chin above the bar (the top of the negative) and an active hang at the bottom of the pull up (a scapula pull but held). You’ll need to persist with these at the beginning, as you may only be able to hold for a few seconds.

Grab that step or good friend to help into the top hold. For each position, stay there for as long as you can (keep count) and when you can’t hold any more, just jump down. Practise these a few times a week – reps low again (3-5 with plenty of rest time between) and I promise you will see the seconds and strength stack up.

Remember to enjoy your pull-up journey and always, always, go at your own pace … øø For any questions or training, you can find me @ frankieholah or email me at Frankie@frankieholah.com.

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JULY/AUGUST 2017

Hill Mead HERALD Learning through theatre is at the heart of the Hill Mead school curriculum.

Its theatre enrichment programme engages pupils from nursery to Year 6 in the theatre and dramatic arts.

The school has been involved with the National Theatre’s education programmes for four years.

Head teacher Richard West says: “Through the National Theatre partnership, pupils’ language skills and confidence has visibly grown.”

The school was awarded a grant for its work with the National Theatre from the Lambeth-based charity, the Walcot Foundation which recently marked its 350th anniversary.

A majority of Hill Mead pupils do not

have English as their first language and 68 per cent are from low-income families.

Deputy Head Becky Lawrence says: “This immersion in theatre enables all pupils to explore rich language and new vocabulary.

Projects are linked to the curriculum, providing a context and purpose for the pupils’ reading, writing and learning in other subjects, particularly history and science.”

Parent participation where pupils learn alongside their parents creates a joint experience of the performing arts.

“A trip to the theatre can become a normal part of the pupils’ and their parents’ life and learning,” says Becky Lawrence.

Pupils learn all the technical aspects of putting on a show and how to write a script.

ELLIE KURTTZ

Theatre is at the heart of how we learn

By Shadequa and Yumma Year 5

Teachers are taught how to develop acting skills.

The school also works with the Unicorn Theatre where pupils and parents learn how theatre is created, participate in story-telling and writing skills workshops and theatre visits.

The school is involved in several National Theatre projects.

Theatre First: Year 1 pupils with parent participation work on storytelling, music, drama and puppetry with theatre artists leading to a performance at the National Theatre.

Parent engagement includes trips to the theatre, workshops with theatre artists and helps them work with pupils at home.

Primary Theatre: An introduction to Shakespeare, theatre and performance for Year 4 pupils alongside a creative learning programme with a focus on English. Pupils have performed Romeo and Juliet with National Theatre actors in school workshops to explore the play and language of Shakespeare.

Playmakers – Arthur’s Quest: A programme of drama role play and writing for Year 5 or 6 that builds up to a performance of the play.

‘The best bit is seeing how much the children enjoyed the story and how involved they became’ Hill Mead year 1 pupils and their parents have been busy all term exploring the story of The Sea Serpent’s Daughter.

It’s the story of how light and dark and the stars came to the land.

Mums and dads participated with their children in workshops with members of the National Theatre to delve into the story and make the props and backdrops for the show.

On the day, their handiwork was proudly hanging on the stage of the theatre.

One mum said: “The kids were so excited, making costumes out of fabrics with their teddies playing different roles.”

Another added: “The National Theatre has had so much public funding, disproportionate to who uses it. “So, It’s good to get the community here.”

For many of the parents,

it was their first time at the theatre. And one dad was particularly proud of his contribution to the backdrop – pointing out the frog he had painted by hand. “It was the

Romeo and Juliet first time I had painted and I really liked it.”

Teacher Kelly Davis said the workshops had a big impact on the children’s language retention, particularly those with English as an additional language.

“They were talking more about the story at home, because their parents were involved. It really sparked an interest and it was possible to set the story as part of homework.

“The best bit is seeing how much the children enjoyed the story and how involved they became.”

Teacher Paul Highman worked with year 4 on Romeo and Juliet drama workshops over two terms. This length of time allowed for in-depth analysis in the classroom.

The children learned different parts of the play. “I love seeing them come out of their shell.

How all of them, the more timid, quieter ones, are still really engaged.

“You could see the excitement in their faces. Doing drama has had a knock-on effect on their writing too.”

Make Theatre Days: An introduction to how theatre is made and an introduction to the backstage world.

Workshops including puppet-making, performance and design skills. All workshops are led by artists and performers. Pupils also learn about lighting and sound.

Make Theatre Christmas Show: A backstage tour and workshop for Year 6 and a look behind the scenes to see how the Christmas show is made.

THE THREE SKILLS OF GREAT ACTORS

Banners made by the Hill Mead parents hang proudly on the National Theatre stage set

In year 5 we have begun to prepare for the performance of a play called The Quest for Arthur. We are using techniques from the National Theatre’s Playmakers project to develop our acting skills as we start to prepare for the play.

We have learnt three important skills which will guide us to be great actors in the future.

The first is observation. To practice this we had to stand opposite a partner and mirror their movements without it being clear who is the leader.

The second skill is listening. To become better at this we played a game where you have to steal keys from a blind-folded master and if he heard you, you were out!

The third key skill was to trust each other. For this we had someone falling backwards into another person’s arms. It was scary but fun.

Year 5 also learnt fun activities which help you practise how to move around the stage and make it interesting for the audience.

We practised scattering evenly in the space, arranging ourselves in clusters of small groups and everyone clumped together in different scenarios.

You have to think very quickly about what to do, but it looks really good and everyone does different things.

Along with other activities we have really enjoyed creating our own theatre company (The History Mystery Theatre Company) and logo and discovering the many roles involved.

We are very excited to continue our rehearsals and when we perform the play to our friends and family on 17 July.

BRIXTON

Bugle SPORT

Miguel’s Gym fighters make Box Cup final

By David Moftakhar

England’s Ali Richards was one of three Miguel’s Amateur Boxing Association fighters to reach the final of the Haringey Box Cup in June.

The event – Europe’s largest amateur boxing competition – saw fighters from Iceland to Mongolia take part over three days at Alexandra Palace in North London.

Ranked number three in England, up-and-coming female boxer Richards took on Miriam Zouhu of Jewellery Quarter Boxing Club in the Female Class A 48kg category.

Richards dominated the centre of the ring throughout the fight and rocked her opponent with several blows, but lost a surprising split decision on the judges’ scorecards.

“I’m staggered to be honest,” said coach Chris Lodge after the fight. “I’m very, very proud of Ali. We boxed her [Zouhu] to a standstill.”

Richards’ performance caught the eye of those ringside including BoxNation pundit Steve Bunce and Micky Driscoll, lead talent coach for England and GB boxing, who, after the bout, invited her to train with the Commonwealth Games team.

Heavyweight Jonathan Palata faced reigning Box Cup champion Chezerea Nihell of Army Boxing Team in the final of the Senior Class A 91+kg.

Despite Palata landing some clean

Ali Richards lands a blow on Miriam Zouhu

BMX gold for Lambeth at the London Youth Games

By Sandra Brobbey

blows in an enthralling contest, the experience and work rate of Nihell saw him win by unanimous decision.

Palata now aims to turn professional and his speed and power point to a promising career ahead.

Fast-talking heavyweight Kheron Kenardo was the afternoon’s other finalist. Unfortunately the Brixton man’s jab wasn’t as sharp as his tongue as he struggled to get into his stride in the Senior B matchup against Lukas Dembinskis of South Sweden Boxing Club.

Never at a loss for words, Kenardo reflected on his split decision defeat: “I feel good. It has been a great experience. A loss doesn’t mean I’m not a champion.”

Five other boxers from Miguel’s ABA competed over the three days including club captain Sammy McKay and Ryan Kettle who was unfortunate to lose his semi-final matchup.

Driven by the passion and perseverance of coaches Mike Burton, Chris Lodge and Granville Williams, Miguel’s ABA continues to go from strength to strength.

The club provides a valuable outlet for many young people in the area and sponsored a number of local kids to attend Alexandra Palace this year. Further expansion is planned next year with a youth squad as the club continues to grow and search for sponsors to support their journey.

Mike Burton prepares Kheron Kenardo for his fight

Jonathan Palata warms up with Chris Lodge ahead of his bout

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Divide (4) 3. Dallied (8) 9 & 10. The hills are alive with this (5,2,5) 11. God’s first creation (5) 12. (3x4x5) + (5x6) (6) 14. Wary of black cats etc (13) 17. iTunes (anag) (6) 19. Molten rock (5) 22. Wedding attendant, Yeah? (5) 23. Gloves (7) 24. 10 points for Z (8) 25. Soon (4)

DOWN 1. Uneasy (8) 2. Lobbed (5) 4. Mini alien fist (anag) (5) 5. Homo sapiens (5) 6. Italian dish (7) 7. Board game accessory (4) 8. Newspaper chief (6) 13. Hired killer (8) 15. Big cat (6) 16. Fruit of the vine (6) 18. Pulsate (5) 20. Eco-friendly (5) 21. Sisters (4)

Team Lambeth claimed a solo gold medal at the London Youth Games BMX Championship hosted by Brixton BMX Club in June.

Southwark won the championship after narrowly seeing off Ealing and 2015 champions Hackney who finished second and third. Lambeth finished in fifth place.

The champions claimed three wins out of 11 at the event in Brockwell Park.

Emily Orena won Lambeth’s only gold medal event with her victory in the 3F race ahead of Ealing’s Lara Wong and Grace Byceland.

“The races went very well and all our riders were in good spirits”, said Brixton BMX Founder Ken Floyde.

“They enjoyed themselves and performed really well in extremely warm weather.

Emily Orena won gold for Lambeth in her age group and we are very happy for Emily and her family.

“This was the first regional competition Brixton BMX Club has hosted since 2008 and it’s our first ever youth event.

On 3 September we are due to host the London Series BMX race which is open to adults and children.

We will also host three club races in July, August and September with the first race taking place on 23 July.

“Our track looks brand new and people are no longer walking their dogs on it which is great.

“We are also expecting to get permanent fencing for the track as Lambeth Council has given us the go-ahead for this.”