Brixton Bugle July 2022

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BRIXTON BUGLE YOUR FREE

No 85 | JULY 2022

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Published monthly in and for Brixton

ISSN 2397-852X

BRIXTON HARLEM FESTIVAL Five days of music, new drinks and an outdoor dance party

Claudia Jones – revolutionary journalist, whose statue stands in front of the Black Cultural Archives on Windrush Square – was born in Trinidad, lived in and was exiled from the United States where she lived in Harlem and produced the West Indian Gazette from Brixton

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Two of the world’s most noted centres of the African diaspora – Brixton in London and Harlem in New York – will this summer get together to celebrate their history and culture.

From Wednesday 3 to Sunday 7 August Brixton will host events for the Brixton X Harlem Festival.

Both communities also have substantial links with the Caribbean, so there will be more to celebrate on Saturday 6 August, the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence from British rule.

Music is central to the culture of both, and a series of live music and DJ performances will celebrate jazz, blues, funk, hip hop and soul across Brixton venues.

An all-day hip hop festival – The Harlem Bridge – will include open-to-all dance classes, live mural painting and a dance competition.

It will be a non-stop family outdoor street event that culminating in a social dance party.

Local businesses are being urged to get involved by the Brixton

Business Improvement District (BID), which is already twinned with its Harlem equivalent.

“We want every business in Brixton and Harlem to be involved in the festival,” say the organisers.

“We want to hear all your ideas so that we can work together to make this an unforgettable moment in Brixton and Harlem history.”

The Black Culture Market has already organised a two-day Brixton X Harlem edition (for details, see p22).

Brixton Brewery and the Harlem Brewing Co will create Common Threads – a wheat beer that will be brewed in both neighbourhoods.

Harlem Brewing’s head brewer Celeste Beatty will be at the Brixton Brewery’s, taproom to launch it here.

Market Row Rum will create a cocktail – the Harlem in Brixton – using its award-winning rum and based on a classic recipe from Harlem’s famous 20th century Cotton Club.

A For more detail, see the special supplement in this issue of the Bugle and visit brixtonxharlem.com

COMMUNITY PAPER

ROYAL VISIT William & Kate in Brixton 5

BUZZING Why CHOZE loves Brixton

20

WINDRUSH DAY Mayor greets Jamaica rep

3

A HIDDEN GEM Elders’ battle for homes

22

brixtonblog.com 2022 JULY

2 NEWS

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Both website and newspaper are published by a not-for-profit community organisation run by a committed team of people from Brixton @brixtonblog brixtonblog.com

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07973 214648 advertising@ brixtonblog.com Circulation 10,000 copies EDITOR Alan Slingsby alan@brixtonblog.com ARTS Leslie Manasseh arts@brixtonblog.com

ISSUE 85 CONTRIBUTORS Ramses Alexandre Sandra Brown-Springer Ollie Goodwin Simone Richardson Poppy Woods

Print Iliffe Print iliffeprint.co.uk Distribution: Self Select Distribution selfselectdistribution. co.uk NEXT ISSUE Our next issue, August 2022, is due on the street on Wednesday 27 July Deadlines Advertising: 13 July Editorial: 20 July 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

More towers for central Brixton?

Not one, but three, large towers could, before long, be dominating Brixton, according to a document published recently on the Mayor of London’s website.

The mayor, Sadiq Khan, took over consideration of plans to build a 20-storey tower on Pope’s Road after they were approved by Lambeth council.

T he plans, proposed by the Amsterdam-based company AG Hondo Popes Road BV, were discussed in April this year by the “London Review Panel” am advisory group of 42 “built environment professionals” backed by seven architecture organisations.

One of the professionals is architect Sir David Adjaye, whose firm Adjaye Associates designed the proposed Pope’s Road tower.

Notes of the discussion published on the mayor’s website include the observation: “The panel understands that tall building proposals are emerging on the nearby International House and Pop Brixton sites, supported by local planning policy.

“In this context the 20-storey building at Popes Road would form part of a cluster of tall buildings noting that the allocation for the adjacent site suggests heights of 65 metres” … and the site/ area is not identified in current planning policy/guidance as being for a tall building cluster.”

Lambeth council said in February that the existing 13-storey International House will be retained when the area is redeveloped.

Present at the discussion were representatives of Lambeth council, the Greater London Authority, Adjaye Associates, and Hondo Enterprises, which manages the London end of AG Hondo Popes Road BV. Also there were two representatives of DP9, the specialist planning consultancy employed by AG Hondo Popes Road BV for the project.

The panel received a presentation delivered jointly by Lambeth council, Hondo Enter prises and Adjaye Associates.

While notes of the meeting reveal clear differences on the 20-storey tower on Pope’s Roads, all panel members

agreed on certain things.

One is that the that the ground floor layout of the large building planned to front much of the southern end of Pope’s Road and a large stretch of Brixton Station Road “requires further work” to ensure it is well integrated with and enhances the surrounding area, and so that it can function efficiently and effectively as a market/ retail/office building.

“Challenges of site ownership mean that the scheme currently has a highly constrained frontage including two fire exits and access to toilets facing Popes Road,” the notes say.

The panel was worried that service access for the building, located near Valentia Place, ”will feel unsafe, particularly at night” because of two strips of service access required by Network Rail Panel members “expressed differing views” about the tower’s proposed height of up to 20 storeys.

However, there was agreement that the nine-storey block which would front Brixton Station Road “appears bulky”, and “refinement of its massing and/ or architectural expression should be explored”.

The panel also felt that the use of red brick and white concrete to reference nearby historic mansion blocks “could risk an appearance of pastiche”.

Panel members pointed out that a “more ambitious” approach to low carbon design and sustainability would strengthen the scheme.

Detailing the discussion, the notes say that some members of the panel felt that, although the site is not allocated for tall buildings in Lambeth’s local plan, “the height of up to 20 storeys could be an appropriate marker for Brixton’s economic regeneration”.

Others “questioned whether a tall building is necessary as a marker of an already vibrant economy”, suggesting that the key issue is “creating a critical mass of employment space”, which could be achieved across several sites.

Discussing architectural detail, the panel asked for assurances that the current design’s concrete truss structures are fulfilling a structural function, “rather than being decorative”.

Angelo Gordon, the giant US finance company behind Brixton Village and plans for a 20-storey tower in central Brixton, is funding another local development.

In a joint venture with “ultra urban” warehouse developer Bloom, it will build five units on Brixton Hill totalling

35,360 square feet (illustration above).

Lambeth council recently granted planning permission for the scheme.

The units will be next to the former George IV music pub – now a Tesco Express – at 146-156 Brixton Hill and at units 5 and 6 Waterworks Road.

Construction is due to start in September with completion expected in August 2023.

Bloom said the developments will target high level environmental ratings and include green walls, green roofs, increased landscaping, and will use renewable energy from solar panels.

Brixton buildings star in architecture event Brixton’s new buildings – those already with us and some that are yet to be built – were the stars of an event organised by New London Architecture, which describes itself as the world’s leading centre for excellence for the built environment.

Taking place in the Department Store headquarters of the architecture practice Squire & Partners, and in tours of Brixton, it featured speeches from local business and community leaders.

Michael Squire explained the company came to Brixton from King’s Cross for economic reasons and had chosen it, among other reasons, because of the Victoria Line, because the practice could create restaurants, co-working and other buildings, and because “Brixton is a real place and a real community”.

Eleanor Purser, co-strategic director sustainable growth and opportunity for Lambeth council, gave a long list of developments and flagship projects.

They included 198 Contemporary Arts & Learning on Railton Road, Pop Brixton, the new Brixton House theatre, plans for major changes in the “Rec quarter”, and plans to refurbish the Lloyd Leon Community Centre on Coldharbour Lane – home to the Brixton Immortals domino team and Brixton Soup Kitchen.

She also spoke of how companies like Beauhurst had gone from space in Piano House to taking a whole floor in the

building housing Brixton House theatre.

She said developments in Lambeth needed to be “with and for the community” or they would get “short shrift” from the council.

However, neither she, nor any other speaker, mentioned the plans for the Amsterdam-based company AG Hondo Popes Road BV to build a large development, including a 20-storey tower on Pope’s Road in central Brixton, which attracted enormous public opposition.

Lambeth council’s planning committee approved these plans, but they were “called in” by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who recently cancelled a hearing on the plans to allow the developer to have a third try at designing something acceptable to the scheme’s many opponents.

Asked about how this scheme fitted in with the plans being discussed, Purser replied that the scheme was “still within planning” and that the mayor had stressed the need for community involvement in any new plans.

She acknowledged that the plans had raised “really strong feelings”.

London Square is set to be the developer for the Brixton Rec project, which would include 240 new homes.

Partnership director Daren Nathan said a community review panel would ‘co-design’ the project. London Square was also using a “community communicator”.

brixtonblog.com NEWS 3

JULY 2022

Linton Kwesi Johnson and music journalist Chris Salewicz discuss a 50th anniversary showing of The Harder They Come in Brixton Rec organised by the Brixton Project. The film, starring Jimmy Cliff, introduced reggae to much of the world

Cadets on the Westindian Association of Service Personnel (WASP) march to a ceremony in Windrush Square

Brixton celebrates Windrush week Brixton celebrated Windrush Day, 22 June, over several days with, music, dance, film and a ceremony in Windrush Square attended by members of the armed forces and fire and rescue service

Dancing at Pop Brixton

Immortals thank Sonia Winifred Sonia Winifred replies to Clifton Oddman (right) and Dorian Leatham

The Brixton Immortals domino club, who were mounting a Windrush celebration domino tournament and demonstration in Windrush Square, organised a ceremony for Councillor Sonia Winifred.

As cabinet member for equalities and culture – a post that disappeared in a reorganisation after the local election in May – she had been a great supporter and help to the club, said committee member Clifton Oddman.

Former senior Lambeth council officer Dorian Leatham paid tribute to Cllr Winifred and her work in a speech to the assembled domino players and club supporters.

‘Travesty of justice’ Seth George Ramocan, the Jamaican High Commissioner to London, said many people from Jamaica had come to Britain before the Windrush – to fight in the British armed forces.

He said many of the Windrush Generation had gone through a “travesty of justice”.

But there had been a clear acknowledgement that they had been wronged, although there was still “delay and lag” in the Windrush compensation scheme.

He congratulated WASP for its work on this.

Jamaican High Commissioner Seth George Ramocan and Lambeth mayor Pauline George at the Westindian Association of Service Personnel (WASP) parade in Windrush Square

Swimming for life savers

Did you know Ken Forge?

Brockwell Swimmers club will be swimming a relay from Dover to France at the end of July to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution which protects swimmers and others with its lifeboats and lifeguards on more than 200 beaches in England.

A Donate via gofund.me/8b79a49a

Researcher David Horsley is seeking information about the life of Ken Forge, a pioneer in anti-racist teaching and the first person in Britain to introduce a Black studies course – at Tulse Hill School in the early 1970s. He would appreciate it if anyone who knew Ken Forge or was in one of his classes could contact him at ukdavid.d@gmail.com

Urban Art is back in Brixton after a two year absence due to Covid restrictions and celebrating its 20th year on Josephine Avenue.

Saturday and Sunday 16 and 17 July. Free entry 10am to 6pm.

In the heart of Brixton Happy hour until 7pm 2 for 1 cocktails San Marino, 413 Brixton Road, SW9 7DG info@barmarino.com 020 7978 8417 barmarino.com

20% discount after 7pm with this voucher

brixtonblog.com 2022 JULY

4 NEWS

Olive Morris Memorial Awards recognise a new generation of grass roots activists The Remembering Olive Collective (ROC) has announced the recipients of the 2022 Olive Morris Memorial Awards, in remembrance of Brixton community leader and activist Olive Elaine Morris.

The awards were created as an opportunity to celebrate Olive’s radical and grass roots activism as it lives on in the work of a new generation of young women and non-binary activists of African and Asian descent, aged between 16 and 27 years.

The awards were open to those who are engaged in grass roots political work.

The recipients of this years’ awards are: BARBARA EDEM NTUMY (28) in recognition for her work with Decolonising Contraception and London Black Women’s Project alongside her student activism.

LOLA OLUFEMI (25) is recognised as an organiser and for involvement with groups such as Sisters Uncut, demonstrations against Yarlswood Detention Centre and involvement in efforts to decolonise the Cambridge University curriculum, and ongoing work with the Feminist Library.

YASMIN BEGUM (27) is recognised for her work with the groups No Borders Cardiff No Borders South Wales ; People’s Autonomous Destination ; The Anti-raidsNetwork; Cardiff People of Colour Collective, and campaigns against deaths in police custody in Wales.

SHANELLE WEBB (24) first learned of her legacy whilst doing a work placement at Olive Morris House with Lambeth council as a teenager. She

Brianna Douglas as Olive Morris

The Ballad Of Olive Morris, a short film based on a 1969 incident in the life of the Brixton civil rights activist, had its premiere in London on 1 July.

Director Alex Kayode-Kay said the project was crowdfunded thanks to support from Brixton residents.

It dramatises an incident in which Olive Morris was caught up in police racism and brutality as she helped a Nigerian diplomat being wrongly arrested for stealing his own car.

The film is presented by Fatoedo Productions In association with Lambeth council and Greenlit. is recognised for her work with The Soul Shack LDN CIC that has delivered community-based workshops for those at risk of violence and exploitation in Lambeth, as well as food security initiatives such as free breakfasts and food drives for community members.

SCARLETT WESTBROOK (16) is recognised for her work as a climate justice activist, involved

in organising the Birmingham School Climate Strikes; contributing to the English Climate Emergency Education Act; and working towards Birmingham adopting a clean air zone.

In addition, The Remembering Olive Collective has this year made a special award of £500 to the AFRUIKA BANTU SATURDAY SCHOOL, which was established in Tulse Hill in 1997 and named in honour of Afruika Bantu, a woman of African descent who was a contemporary of Olive and who is remembered as an activist, scholar, black history researcher and teacher.

The school, which is dependent on volunteers, has been providing supplementary education, including history, science and maths, to Black children for more than 25 years.

ROC is currently involved in ensuring that Olive’s legacy is remembered following the demolition of Olive Morris House.

Having sold its Brixton Hill site to developers Muse, Lambeth council moved its staff and services to the civic centre in the new town hall development in Brixton.

“They moved everything except Olive’s name,” said ROC. “While we are disappointed that, after 34 years, Lambeth no longer sees fit to name its customer service centre after Olive, we are heartened to see Haringey council naming a supported housing scheme, Olive Morris Court, in memory of Olive.”

ROC has been liaising with Muse to ensure that a foundation stone commemorating Olive Morris House will form part of the development at 18 Brixton Hill.

From the outset, ROC sought to preserve the original lettering from Olive Morris House, but this was stolen from the site during the redevelopment.

Tyre Extinguishers hit Herne Hill SUVs The climate campaign group Tyre Extinguishers said it let down the tyres of 30 large “gas guzzler” SUVs in the Winterbrook Road area of Herne Hill on the night of Monday 20 June.

Messages left on the vehicles said: “We did this because driving around urban areas in your massive vehicle has huge consequences for others.”

They said SUVs (Sports utility vehicles – designed for off-road driving) are the second largest cause of the global rise in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade – more than the entire aviation industry.

SUVs also cause more air pollution than smaller cars,” the messages said, adding: “SUVs are unnecessary, and pure vanity”.

New solar-powered bins on Acre Lane automatically compact waste and send an alert when they need to be emptied

NHS urges parents to ensure children are not in danger The NHS is urging London parents are to ensure their children are fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella.

It has launched a drive to increase uptake of the MMR vaccine which provides protection against these highly infectious diseases.

A single injection is given when a child is one year old, with a second dose administered when they reach three ye a r s a n d f o u r m o n t h s , before they start nursery or school. Two doses of the vaccine are needed to ensure full protection.

The NHS said these vaccinations are vital as the conditions can lead to other serious

problems, including meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.

Uptake of the vaccination across London remains below the 95% target recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Recent UK Health Security Agency data shows that about 80% of London children have had a first dose, but only 74.8% have had a second by the age of five.

The NHS has continued to provide routine childhood immunisations during Covid and said that if a child has missed an MMR vaccine it is not too late to catch up.

Dr Chris Streather, medical director for the NHS in London,

said: “The MMR vaccine is safe, quick and free as part of the NHS routine immunisation schedule – and it’s never too late to get both doses to give your child protection. We are urging parents to check their child’s ‘Red Book’ or speak to their GP to ensure all immunisations are up-to-date.”

The MMR vaccine has been protecting children for many years worldwide. In the UK, millions of doses have been given since it was introduced in 1988.

A Parent and guardians can find out more about the MMR vaccine at nhs.uk/ conditions/vaccinations/ mmr-vaccine

Northern line night tube resumes Northern line night tube services have resumed after lockdown.

Night tube services returned on the Central and Victoria lines in November 2021 and to the Jubilee line in May. The Northern line Night Tube will serve the Edgware, High Barnet, Charing Cross and Morden branches as it did before the pandemic.

Trains will not run on the Mill Hill East, Battersea Power Station and Bank branches Night overground services between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate began again in December 2021.

Night tube services on the Piccadilly line are due to return this summer.

Ridership on the Tube network is now at 72%

of pre-pandemic levels, while ridership on buses is regularly at 80%.

The frequency of trains during the day on the Northern line Extension between Kennington and Battersea Power Station will double to 12 an hour in peak times.

RMT strike action across Night Tube services over new rosters will continue until 4 December.

JULY 2022

brixtonblog.com NEWS 5 WILLIAM AND KATE VISIT BRIXTON

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – William and Kate – visited Brixton House theatre to learn about and talk to young people involved in Lambeth council’s Elevate project.

Its mission is to support diverse talent and make sure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive on the borough’s leading creative and digital industries.

William and Kate met the Elevators, a group of 18–30year-olds based in Lambeth who co-design and consult on the ELEVATE programme.

BELOW: Kate learns about video with Davinia Clarke from the Iconic Steps project.

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brixtonblog.com

6 COMMUNITY

Windmill to expand work in community The Friends of Windmill Gardens have been awarded a grant of nearly £100,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop and diversify volunteering opportunities at Brixton Windmill.

The three-year project will enable the friends to employ a part-time heritage engagement officer, expand their work, and engage more local residents and organisations in their activities.

The focus will be on building relationships with under-represented groups and audiences.

New and existing volunteer roles at the Windmill that will be developed using the £96,788 grant include tour guiding, flour milling and gardening.

The Friends plan to develop close links with local organisations which will encourage longer term involvement from young people and people with disabilities.

Chair of trustees Toussainte Reba said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will support our local community to become active in taking pride in Brixton’s heritage.

“We have made great strides over the last few years in developing a dedicated team of volunteers.

“The grant will allow us to take our work forward, diversifying our team and welcoming more of our local residents to be part of their local heritage.”

A Find out about volunteering at the Windmill: brixtonwindmill.org/ get-involved/volunteer/

Looking for sound advice Local arts activist Tony Cealy is looking for people to share their views about how to preserve the heritage and legacy of Brixton’s sound systems – particularly from a female perspective.

He is organising a project funded by the mayor of London to create a sound system mural in Brixton which is due to be completed next year.

“We are looking for people who want to come together in a series of community consultations throughout the summer and autumn to explore and develop ideas around who should be featured,” he says.

“We require people who are passionate about Brixton’s sound system cultural landscape and are from a

A

Toussainte Reba

FINANCE AND BUSINESS STUDIES FOR LOCAL STUDENTS

Sponsored by the London South Bank University, home to one of the largest schools of business in London, Brixton Hill’s own South Bank UTC campus is to begin offering a new business and finance pathway.

Students in its first cohort, starting in September, can expect access to a range of courses and software including models of city trading floors, mentors from high up in a range of business and financial careers, and work experience in some of top City corporations .

Clapham Oddfellows

Atlantic slave trade art project

Clapham Oddfellows has been organising social events and activities since it was established more than 100 years ago. Now the group is turning its attention to newcomers to the area and reaching out to people who may need help settling in.

Jane Parkin, secretary of the Pride of Clapham branch, said: “Moving to a new town or city is daunting at any age, but when you relocate your entire life in later years, it can be even more difficult to find your feet.

“The good news is that you’re not alone. We’re a ready-made friendship group and caring bunch of locals that can help you to feel more at home, explore the area and get to know your new neighbourhood,” she said.

Events organised by the Oddfellows include a games night every Thursday between 8 and 10pm at the branch at 27 Belmont Close SW4 6AY, and a crafts group each Tuesday between 2.30 and 4.30pm.

Contact Sylvia Burnley for more information, or if you want to be met at the door, on 07570 542356.

A oddfellows.co.uk

Street artist Dreph, who has created murals in Brixton, will be taking part in The World Reimagined – a project to transform understanding of the trans-­atlantic trade in enslaved Africans and its impact on us all.

It will see large globes created by artists appearing in Lambeth.

From 13 August to 31 October The World Reimagined will see trails of more than 100 large globe in seven UK cities. One of the sites will be the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark.

The sculptures will be created by artists like Dreph – Neequaye Dsane – to bring to life the reality and impact of the trade and to invite the public to engage with the dialogue and actions of making racial justice a reality.

They will “enable the public to experience, discover and be inspired by art as well as present the opportunity to be part of the discourse around racial justice and what it means to be British.”

A theworldreimagined.org

Boost for theatre campaign Streatham Hill Theatre – one of South London’s finest yet most neglected architectural treasures – has been added to Save Britain’s Heritage (SAVE) buildings at risk register.

SAVE’s 2022 register highlights historic buildings with an uncertain future which it wishes to see returned to use.

The Friends of Streatham Hill Theatre campaign to find a sustainable future for the building and to promote its use as an arts and culture venue.

David Harvey, chair of The Friends, said: “These developments demonstrate yet more recognition for

range of backgrounds. Musicians, artists, DJs, producers, recording studios and music shops can generate imaginative ideas on how, and where a public mural needs to be, to honour these pioneers.”

A There is a consultation workshop at Brixton library on Thursday 18 August at 5pm. Register and find out more at

A huge increase in demand across London for a rare blood type needed to treat sickle cell disease, which disproportionately affects Black people, has led to an urgent call for more people of Black heritage to donate blood in Lambeth. Brixton is one of the top 10 areas in London for donors of R0 type blood, with 93 donating at a recent local session. You can register today as a donor and book an appointment by visiting blood.co.uk, downloading the GiveBloodNHS app, or by calling 0300 123 23 23.

A Windmill open days: p22

As Brixton becomes home to an ever-increasing number of successful businesses and home-grown entrepreneurs, higher education options to help young people tap into this success are also growing.

Privilege and intergenerational wealth, which have for generations been seen as the basis on which business success is founded, are now being overturned in favour of determination and drive. Two things you would be hard pushed to find in greater quantities than in Brixton.

2022 JULY

the majestic Streatham Hill Theatre, its historic importance, and the breadth and depth of support in the community for the building to be rejuvenated for a future in arts and culture.”

Cllr Donatus Anyanwu, Lambeth council cabinet member for stronger communities, leisure and sport, said the addition of the theatre to the register was a “significant step” in the ongoing efforts to protect “this hidden gem”.

“Lambeth council is committed to doing all we can to celebrate its rich history and safeguard its future,” he said. “The

campaign has captured everyone’s imagination in Streatham and beyond.”

He said the theatre has “enormous potential” to be restored and used once again as a centre for the arts and creativity.

Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE, said: “With dazzlingly opulent interiors, this exceptional 1920s theatre is an important part of London’s rich cultural history. Remarkably little altered since it opened, it is well-suited to being brought back into use as a performance venue.”

A The theatre is at 110 Streatham Hill, SW2 4RD.

Inside Streatham Hill Theatre

Private studio offices, meeting rooms & event space just off Electric Avenue.

Membership starts at just £35/month.

AFFO R DAB LE CO -WO R KI N G Work | Learn | Connect

brixtonblog.com

8 WELLBEING

2022 JULY

Yoga for everybody Sandra Brown-Springer on the benefits of yoga and why it’s not just for young, slim white people

Clapham Eagles celebrate

Domino public health pilot ‘goes very well’ Clapham Eagles won the three-leg health in the future building on these domino tournament organised by relationships that we’ve started.

Brixton Immortals, leading to scenes “It’s about building relationof joyous celebration – by the Eagles ships, building trust and sharing – in Lambeth town hall in Brixton. skills and resources for the good of The event was a success for the community.” another reason. It was also a groundBayo Dosunmu, who was due to breaking initiative in public health. take over as Lambeth council chief Ruth Marie Vidal-Tunkara, comexecutive in two and a half weeks, munity link worker with the Hill, told the town hall audience he had Brook and Dale (HBD) primary care decided “that this was one of the network which includes GP practices events and this community was one in Brixton Hill, Herne Hill, Knights the clinical team from the HBD of the communities that I had to see, Hill and other areas of Lambeth, network and local medical experts, and listen to first, before I start. thanked the dominoes teams and, she said, “last but not “I want to it very clear that you and guests for welcoming least, the committee of the feature very highly in my objectives, a medical team checking Brixton Immortals. in the council’s objectives,” he said. people’s blood pressure “Across the three He pledged to do everything he into the events. sessions we’ve could as chief executive to As we reported in our done approxensure that promises last issue, the team was imately 70 about the future of the trying to reach people blood presdomino club building Ruth Marie Vidalwho might not otherwise sure checks. on Coldharbour Lane, Tunkara have had their blood pres“I know which it shares with the sure checked and found that some of you Brixton Soup Kitchen, many of those tested needed to take were advised to report would be fulfilled.

Bayo further action. your results, your doc“ T h at i s a p l a c e I Dosunmu “We really appreciate that. Thank tors. I really hope you’ve expect to see and visit you you so much,” said Vidal-Tunkara. done that. guys operating from,” he said.

The scheme was a collaboration “We think things have gone very The building is currently closed between the health inequalities well. We hope you agree, and we are because of safety concerns before team at NHS England, Black Thrive really excited about what we can work to transform it into a modern Lambeth, the Ubele organisation, achieve in terms of community community hub begins.

Meditations on Wellbeing with Sandra

When thinking about yoga, a particular image often comes to mind.

It’s not an image with me in it – I don’t see my cluttered, cosy bedroom, or my big, Black, middle aged body, dressed in baggy leggings and a ripped T-shirt.

Usually the image is that of a young, slim white person, wearing immaculate form-fitting co-ordinated clothing, in an airy, spacious room.

This was my perception of yoga when I was given a book on the subject 20 years ago.

To confirm my doubts, although the yoga book was written by a senior South Asian yogi, there was a young white woman on the cover, and among the 1,900 pictures of folk practising yoga in the book, not one was over a size 14.

So I believed that yoga was not necessarily for me – but I could not have been more wrong.

Yoga is for everyone, regardless of how it is marketed in the West.

No matter how inflexible you are, regardless of your size and age, you can practise some form of yoga.

If you find getting onto the floor difficult or impossible (as I once did), that’s fine. Chair yoga is an option designed for less flexible folk.

No matter what your current level of fitness, yoga can meet you where you are and, with regular practice, your flexibility can improve considerably.

While in a pose you are encouraged to take deep breaths, to “breathe into” an area of the body, and to concentrate on the correct execution of the pose which can help calm stress and anxiety.

Because I was unable to swim during the first lockdown, my back issues flared up and in desperation I remembered that old book (Yoga – The Path to Holistic Health by B K S Iyengar), found it at the bottom of my bookshelf, dusted it off and tried

a few poses.

After that first time my back felt a little better so I looked for YouTube yoga videos and found a channel called Yoga for Larger Bodies, which was very encouraging, with many modified poses for the larger frame.

I’ve continued to practise, and to enjoy discovering what my body can do, when asked nicely.

My favourite poses are Downward Dog, which really stretches the glutes and spine, Warrior poses that make me feel powerful and purposeful and the Inverted Lake pose, in which you lie on the floor with your legs up in the air resting against a wall.

I find it great for swollen feet and very calming and relaxing.

I have attended yoga classes in real life and it’s great to have an expert in the room to correct your posture and ensure you don’t strain anything.

If you’re interested in trying yoga I would recommend you attend a few classes.

Lambeth council is supporting an initiative called Wellbeing Wednesdays, run by Natural Connection, involving gentle yoga, mindfulness and connection to nature which will be held at Brockwell Park Greenhouses from 6 July.

They “provide a caring environment for supporting self-care and wellbeing and developing good habits around looking after our health and happiness.”

Sessions can be booked by emailing Charlotte Hosier at: info@naturalconnection.org.uk or calling her on 07769 392377.

These sessions, led by Sally Ramsden, are FREE, mats and drinks are provided so I would book while you can!

It sounds like a great introduction to yoga and other forms of wellbeing, and, as it’s free, you have nothing to lose.

If you choose to try yoga at home and find a pose painful, please stop at once. Yoga is not supposed to hurt.

10 YEARS AGO

5 YEARS AGO

July 2012

July 2017

Brixton’s favourite celebrity chef, Levi Roots, addressed crowds at Windrush Square celebrating the Olympic torch coming to Brixton. Caroline Hopkins, Lambeth programme manager at the charity Chance UK, carried the flag from 251 Coldharbour Lane to the junction with Barrington Road.

Brixton Windmill featured in a Royal Mail issue of “windmills and watermills” postage stamps.

The “first day cover” of six special edition stamps could be bought in an envelope printed with an image of Brixton’s windmill taken by Bugle photographer David Wilcock.

brixtonblog.com

JULY 2022

BRIXTON BUGLE

COMMENT Why not give it a go?

The Lambeth Schools Patrol needs volunteers.

It is an organisation that has grown from the grass roots to attract attention much further afield than the borough in which it was founded.

But why is it needed? As we hear on this page, the pressures young people face today are crazy.

Social media and peer pressure, lack of jobs paying wages that would enable someone growing up in Brixton to continue to live here – all tied up with the stresses and strains of growing up that everyone experiences.

You might ask: Where are the police? Isn’t it their job to see that everybody can go about peacefully wherever they want?

Sadly, the answer is that the police are failing.

The Metropolitan Police were last month placed under “special measures” because of “systemic” failings in many areas – one of them failure to record the reasons for a quarter of “stop and searches” carried out.

The incident in Stockwell in which a 16-year-old girl was handcuffed and dozens of police rushed to the scene is but one example of why local people are looking to police themselves.

But it is all too easy to blame the police. Like every public service, their funding has been cut and cut over a long period.

And they also follow a lead from the top. We have a prime minister who, even before his recent failings hit the headlines, was found to have aided a friend who wanted to locate a journalist he wanted beaten up.

He also has a record of offensive language and of publishing racist articles while an editor.

Is it any surprise that some individual police officers think that such behaviour is acceptable?

Many of us know or have met police officers who dedicate their lives to serving the public and despair of colleagues who drag the service through the mud and worse.

But until government and the police put their own house in order, grass roots initiatives like the Lambeth Schools Patrol will be needed and deserve support.

So, as Beck Carnegie says on this page: “Why not give it a go?”

If you have a complaint about the Brixton Bugle, see bit.ly/BBB_complain for how to pursue it Regulated by IMPRESS: The independent monitor for the press 16–18 New Bridge Street EC4V 6AG 020 3325 4288 complaints@impress.press www.impress.press

OPINION 9

Becks Carnegie and Lambeth Schools Patrol are seeking volunteers to help local young people. Alan Slingsby found out more

L

ambeth Schools Patrol, a genuinely grass roots initiative to befriend and help local young people who risk difficult encounters with the authorities and police, needs volunteers.

It began life three years ago, launching its first appeal in July 2019 but, like many ­organisations and initiatives, was halted in its tracks by lockdown.

Now it is working to relaunch, when schools go back in September, its voluntary youth service on the streets of central Brixton between 3 and 5pm on school days.

It enables young people to connect with trained volunteers who can guide, support and befriend them before they risk serious trouble.

The need for such a service was highlighted in April this year when a 16-year-old girl was handcuffed by a school police officer, precipitating an incident which saw dozens of police officers rush to the scene. The girl was released without charge.

Becks Carnegie is one of the original Lambeth Schools Patrol volunteers.

“I was volunteering at Brixton Soup Kitchen and somebody dropped off some leaflets. I literally emailed straight away. I come from a youth work background and wanted to get back to work locally,” she says.

Signing up is just the start. Volunteers go through 12 weeks of intense training before they are out on the street.

“I’m not going to lie, it was very challenging,” says Becks. “You learn about yourself as well and how you would deal with certain situations based on going out and being helpful.

“I’ve done youth work training in the past, and I’d say it was difficult – but difficult with a lot of support, and it was fun too.”

As well as leadership and mentoring, volunteers learn about first aid, how to stem bleeding, for instance.

“There’s loads of different things you can use in your everyday life,” Becks says.

Not everybody gets through the training.

Being able always to deal calmly with potentially explosive situations is a gift not granted to all. “It’s really about who can help the young people.”

Those who do complete the training head out in twos with radios and wearing high visibility vests identifying them as Lambeth Schools Patrol members.

They cover a large area – the length of Brixton Road between Creams ice cream café between the Brixton Road junctions of Stockwell Road and Stockwell Park Walk and McDonalds at the junction with Acre Lane. It also takes in the markets and arcades on either side of the road.

A full team of volunteers would be 10 – five pairs of two.

And they don’t just engage with young

Becks Carnegie on Brixton Road and, below, outside the Tube during a 2019 recruiting event

Spare time and want to help young people? Join Lambeth Schools Patrol

people, but also the businesses in the area.

“We had a really good rapport with McDonalds,” Becks says. She would go into the restaurant and ask a customer care manager how the week had been.

She was able to explain to young people sitting on tables that they were in a restaurant and should sit at the tables.

The schools patrol had a request for a crib sheet of local school uniforms so that businesses would know which school young people attended. The lockdown arrived before that could happen.

As it began to be lifted, the schools patrol took advantage of an offer from Brixton Village to use an empty market space as a base for recruitment.

The need for volunteers is constant, Becks says: “Obviously, everyone’s got different things going on in their lives” and they may need to be replaced.

But the need for the schools patrol is pressing. Today’s young people face “crazy challenges”, says Becks.

There’s not just exams and the pressure to succeed. Social media can put huge pressure on them, either from the own peer group or from influencers, rappers and models. “They want to be grown up before their time,” she says.

Covid and the lockdown just made things worse.

Becks’ own reasons for volunteering are based on her desire to help make a difference in the place she lives and to give something back for interventions that helped her in her youth.

Her training and connections from the schools patrol have had another consequence.

“I’ve literally got work coming out of my ears,” she says.

She works as a paid supervisor at the Moorlands Community Development Project; is involved in a project working with young people on the Church Manor estate on Vassall Road, with an after-school club there; and with a Southwark project delivering mental health workshops for young people.

“All of this has come off the back of working for Lambeth Schools Patrol.”

Now there is a new drive to recruit volunteers, especially men. They are thin on the ground among the current cohort of volunteers “Give it a go if you have any free time for a challenge and you’re interested in, helping young people,” says Backs. “Why not?”

To find out more: 07907 273710 lambethschoolspatrol@gmail.com Instagram: @lambethschoolspatrol

brixtonblog.com

10 BUSINESS

2022 JULY

Together, we can support each other

Gaby Lafor – Creative community

Coco Cripps – Invaluable advice

A hub, a base, mentors and connections …

Last year, Poppy Woods spoke to the first two successful applicants for residencies at what was then a new shared working space – the Department Store’s Studios – which include extensive business advice, aid and mentoring. With applications now open for the next residencies, she found out how it had been for them Coco Cripps, who was awarded a place at the Department Store Studios in Squire and Partners’ new building fronting Bellefields Road to develop her textile business, has spent the year (among many other jobs) developing her range of knitted cycle-wear.

She has finally been able to get hold of her own second-hand industrial knitting machine, which is currently housed in a shed down the road from her parents’ house and the Department Store Studios.

Now Coco is getting ready for a show of her first clothing line which will be held Downstairs at Squires’ Department Store headquarters on Ferndale Road in September.

Over the last year, Gaby Lafor, whose production company Limelight saw her awarded the residency, has hired three employees. She brokered her first licensing deal at the start of the year for a factual entertainment show called Top Producer to find Britain’s best beat maker and give a platform to both untapped and up and coming producers.

She has also secured a new position working with Big Smoke Corp, a hub headed by grime star Skepta for exporting music, fashion, art and now, with Gaby’s help as head of production, also documentaries, dramas, films and digital content.

I asked Gaby and Coco what had been the best part of the residency programme.

Gaby: “Being here at the studios this year is what really gave us a hub and a base to build my team …

we use the screening room to share and showcase productions.”

Coco: “Having the mentors and the connections has been really useful, particularly if you are someone who feels like you are quite isolated and you want to be in a space with more people.”

For Coco it was the invaluable advice of the mentors that really benefitted her development as a creator and business owner.

“The mentors have been particularly useful, and they even gave me the opportunity to speak to a fashion lawyer so I could get some knowledge on those things, as well as mentors from business, finance and design.

“The different perspectives of people with a lot more experience, which is good, particularly when you’re younger, and you don’t have experience of how to put certain things into practice.”

the future.

Coco says she hopes to find workshop space in Brixton and continue expanding her business from there.

She is also planning to spend time working more generally on her creative practice and is excited to start exploring more of the performative elements to her creations with links between dance and texture.

Gaby says she is “largely aiming to be recognised as number one distributor of Black British stories and stories from across the diaspora and exporting those stories internationally, not just through domestic markets.”

With new offices in Soho and access to an increasingly fancy side of life, she admits that she definitely has developed a taste for the finer things, but she is certain she will bring it all back to where it started.

As she chats to me I am already picturing her sat, in the heart of Brixton, behind a huge desk, perfect nails stretched out in front of her and her own swanky empire behind.

She explains, more eloquently than I ever could, why Brixton has a creative potential deeper and more beautiful than could ever be found in the City: “Even through the gentrification of these ends, there’s always a heartbeat that you could never fake.

“You could never lose that authenticity; because it’s there.

“It’s like when people say – nature always wins. Like, even if there is something that has been blown to nothing, it will be a couple of months and you’ll see your first little shoot of a leaf popping out through the cracked pavement.

“And it’s very much like that; that’s what it’s like for me.”

A See our original interviews: bit.ly/BB-Cripps-21 bit.ly/BB-Lafor-21

What can Brixton do for Brixton?

That’s the question that began Gerald Vanderpuye’s journey home, writes Poppy Woods.

After huge entrepreneurial success abroad, he found himself drawn back to the place he had grown up in.

As he tells me: “Everything is about just giving back … it is this whole idea of building back better, based on just how we can help. A community just standing up and saying: ‘Yeah, together we can support each other’.”

It was with this in mind, and funding from Lambeth council, that he came to create Thrive, a free six-month programme to help local business owners and, in turn, the community, “thrive” post-pandemic.

Run by Kate Allen, the programme consists of masterclasses, mentorships and use of Impact Brixton’s beautiful co-working space in the heart of Brixton.

If you haven’t been there already, it’s above Brixton Village – entrance on Electric Lane – and definitely worth a visit.

Mabina Zinga, owner and founder of Congolese restaurant Brazza in POP, is a member of the current Thrive programme.

She told me she found Thrive just at the right time, as her business became more established and she had “a little bit more time to

actually take a step back and think about how am I going to push this forward rather than just existing?”

With so many programmes now focusing on tech and online business. she says Thrive was much more suited to real, Brixtonbased, businesses.

For her, the biggest benefits of joining have been the use of the co-working spaces, meeting new people and being supported by a community.

This was Gerald’s aim for the programme – to design it in a way that could be applied to help real businesses develop in a real community.

All the mentors, who include Diana Nabagereka, general manager of Brixton Village and Rafe Offer, founder of Sofar Sounds, have years of local-specific business expertise and, unlike other programmes, are matched on a case-by-case basis, regardless of numbers.

I spoke to another of the mentors, Pat Venning, CEO of Brixton Distillery, producers of Market Row rum, about why he thinks this programme is unique.

He told me that, because of the nature of Thrive and its basis in the community, “you can relate to things here, whether that’s the people, the demographic, the location, the challenges that they’re facing – and that’s what makes it special”.

Pat Venning

Gerald Vanderpuye

For more information on the Department Store Studios’ residency programme, including details on how to apply, visit thedepartmentstorestudios.com For Gaby, in addition to the office space, which allowed her to expand her production company, and the video screening theatre downstairs, the location was a big factor.

“This is where everything started for me. I was born here. I lived here, my family still live up the road … so it makes sense for me to return to Brixton, with everything I’ve got here. And also the people, the creative community around here, this is such a source of inspiration.”

I asked both of these Brixton natives about their hopes for

Mabina Zinga

Impact Brixton hosts a series of free events and socials for established and aspiring business owners, creatives and entrepreneurs. On Friday 21 July at 6.30pm, a free workshop with Andry McFarlane of The Learning Moment – How To Be A Really Resilient Business Owner – will explore tools and techniques to deal with personal and professional stress and to conquer adversity and uncertainty. Free tickets available at bit.ly/IB-Thrive-resilient – or scan the code. Check impactbrixton.com for more events and socials.

Sign up and apply at: www.southbank-utc.co.uk

Innovative specialist 6th form for the business and finance professionals of the future.

The innovative new business and finance curriculum at South Bank UTC has been specially designed to give our students the knowledge, skills, experiences and networks to secure high value careers across business and finance. Students will join the UTC if they want to become accountants, auditors, investment managers or entrepreneurs. The finance sector is a crucial part of the UK economy, with tens of thousands of jobs available in central London.

In addition, South Bank UTC has very strong employer partnerships, with our partners providing unique opportunities for students from work experience to interview support, from career coaching to apprenticeships. Employers co-design and co-deliver projects to give authentic tastes of the business and finance sector.

There are a range of courses on offer including A levels and Business BTEC courses with South Bank UTC is proud to be sponsored the unique UTC enriched curriculum. This is

by London South Bank University, which has an incredible opportunity for any student a world-renowned School of Business. Our interested in a career in business or finance, students will benefit from academic enrichment, and places are limited, so apply now! mentoring and facilities and software access, including the cutting-edge Bloomberg Suite. Find out more about South Bank UTC’s unique Our students will receive guidance, support and health 6th form offer at: advice to be able to progress to undergraduate www.southbank-utc.co.uk degrees and apprenticeships at LSBU and elsewhere.

South Bank UTC | 56 Brixton Hill, London, SW2 1QS T: +44 (0)20 7738 6115

brixtonblog.com

12 PEOPLE

2022 JULY

I never studied how to do business – I ruthlessly persevered and aimed high Denmay Fabrics has drawn in customers from Brixton and beyond since 1948. Malek Menad took over the shop in 1998. Simone Richardson discovers how it all began and why it is still there

Malek Menad outside and inside his shop and, below, Tina and Moumen

Malek Menad came to Brixton from Algeria. He incorporates numerous aspects of design and was born in a small house on a mountain near constantly demands creativity and innovation. I the village of Ammi Moussa in the north of the don’t think I’d still be running it today if it wasn’t country to parents Ammi Tayeb and Mimi. for the company’s creative aspects.

“Throughout school I remember enjoying “One of our best made-to-measure curtain styles mathematics a lot and the English language,” is wave curtains, which is a modern and seamless he recalls. new heading design for curtains.

“My school was in Ammi Moussa and I walked “We have made curtains for very important two hours to school every morning and home people, for beautiful mansions, hotels, every afternoon. and restaurants.”

“My father owned and still owns a small corner Malek sees even more of a future for Denmay: shop in the village that I am from. My uncle “Our plans are to expand our workroom and open Mohammed owns a textile shop and this taught me an e-commerce store selling the items we sell in the fundamentals of business from a young age. our bricks-and-mortar store.

“I never studied how to do the business – We have a website (denmayfabrics.co.uk) where however, I ruthlessly persevered we offer our bespoke made-to‘Brixton has always measure services as we don’t and aimed high for the goal I knew I wanted to achieve for my family, currently have any products for been my home. and the rest fell into place.” sale on the website.

It’s where I met Malek bought Denmay Fabrics “We offer free home/site visits. my wife Ann and from Denis and May who began We can design and help our clients it’s the place that to achieve the best look for their and gave it its name in 1948.

He now has three regular homes. We manufacture the puts food on my workers – Chris who has been curtains and install them.” children’s table’ working there for 19 years, Malek’s time in Brixton has Moumen who has been there for 16 years and Tina benefited him not just through work and he for 16 years too. explains why: “Brixton has always been my home.

Malek explains what is on offer through It’s where I met my wife Ann and it’s the place that his associated company, Denmay Interiors, puts food on my children’s table and it’s the place saying: “We are a made-to-measure curtain and that grew me from where I was 40 years ago to blind-making company. We use a wide range of where I am today. customer-chosen designer fabrics and we also “Brixton is a beautiful multicultural hub for source and sell fabrics to our customers. many different things – the amazing market “I self-studied a little interior design after I that existed long before I came here and the new bought the business and learned what I know businesses that pop up on a yearly basis. through community support and years of hard “There’s amazing culture, amazing food, work within the business. amazing people and, most importantly, amazing “Brixton has been my local area for the better coffee from San Marino!” part of my life.

Lucky Brixtonites and visitors can check both “My wife Ann and I made a decision to trade in San Mario and Denmay Fabrics on Brixton manufacturing high-end curtains and blinds and Station Road. Denmay is at No 34. ultimately never looked back.

A Denmay: 020 7733 4525 “Denmay is an amazing business to run. It

I can always remember the first time I heard dub poetry Richard Golah-Ebue, aka Ricky G, is a poet who would rather show his name, history and poetry than his face, but Simone Richardson got him to agree to a photo … read on to find out more

Writing poetry has kept Richard Golah-Ebue alive.

Of Nigerian heritage, he was born in Greenwich Hospital to parents Richard and Yellow and grew up in Deptford with one brother and three sisters, attending Grinling Gibbons primary … until his father decided to sell up and move back to Nigeria when Richard was nine.

He returned to London 10 years later and has been a Brixton resident since 1994.

He became interested in poetry around the time of

the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977. “When I attended Grinling Gibbons I can still remember meeting the Queen when she came to Deptford. I will never forget that.

“At primary school I enjoyed singing hymns in the morning before class. I also liked animals a lot and they used to say I would grow up to be a vet!

“We had a pet gerbil and they needed someone to take it home during the school holidays. I was happy to volunteer to do it.

“Another enjoyable experience was joining the

Sea Cadets.

“I have also been into music of all kinds whether it is reggae, rap, pop, Afrobeats, grunge or whatever.

“I had always liked nursery rhymes, but I can also remember the first time I heard dub poetry.”

Richard, now a member of the Poetry Society, also has a more abstract inspiration for his writing: “I am also inspired by being on a plant-based diet and not eating animal products at all,” he says.

“Vegetarian and veganism have had a

big impact on my life and my way of thinking – being compassionate and showing empathy.” ’The title of his book To My Unborn Child was influenced by the fact his girlfriend had a miscarriage.

“I am actually a suicide survivor, so much of my work is inspired by having anxiety and depression issues. It can serve as a creative outlet. It is like being in a bad place and going through a dark tunnel but still seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

“My favourite poem of all time must be The World Is Too Much With Us by Wordsworth. I like it because it addresses the way the world is and the need to change the way we live our lives and not get caught up in any of the madness out there.

“My love for reggae and

hip hop rhymes impacted on my poetic genius quite heavily.

“I have been performing my poetry on the open mic scene in Brixton and have performed Upstairs at the Ritzy, Pop Brixton, Brixton Sports and Social Club, as well as Hootananny.

“Writing my first poetry collection The Leaves that Die as Ricky G and having it reviewed in the press inspired me to write more.

“I am working on a collection of poems called Memories of my Mother.

“I have been doing poetry workshops at Mosaic Clubhouse on Effra Road – a charity supporting and challenging people with

mental health issues.

“I am also looking at working on a rap or reggae project.”

Richard’s love of Brixton gives help to his poetry: “Brixton is good for me because of the many different cultures. You get to see people from all over in London.

“The night scene is also very good and people come from all over to club and party here. I like Upstairs at the Ritzy because of the music played there. I have enjoyed working in Brixton too and the element of community political activism,” A Check out Richard Golah-Ebue’s book on Amazon at amzn.to/3yzHCp7

BRIXTON, MEET HARLEM.

3rd - 7th August 2022

BRIXTONXHARLEM.COM

@BrixtonHarlem

WHAT’S GOING ON? BLACK CULTURE MARKET Black Culture Market supports emerging entrepreneurs and new black businesses of African and Caribbean descent with opportunities to sell their products.

The special Brixton X Harlem edition will take place over two days in the heart of Brixton, offering a diverse, quality shopping and cultural experience.

In celebration of the twinning between Brixton and Harlem, areas famous for their radical communities, with a long and rich history of being the epicentres for convergence of diversity, informed by a high percentage of its population being of African descent, representing various parts of the diaspora, we are excited to announce these special markets at The Department Store.

THE HARLEM IN BRIXTON Market Row Rum will be celebrating the festival by producing a great drink with a great story. The Harlem in Brixton, is an amalgamation of the classic cocktail “the Harlem” and Market Row’s signature drink - the Brixton Daiquiri.

“The Harlem is a classic from the early 20th century, supposedly created at the World Famous Cotton Club located at 142nd Street & Lenox Avenue in the Harlem neighbourhood. We loved the idea of modernising a New York classic by adding the flavours of Brixton’s incredible Market.”

The Brixton in Harlem uses Brixton’s own Market Row Botanical Rum, (for those of you who have yet to experience the award-winning Market Row it is a re-distillation of high end Caribbean rums re-distilled with our unique collection of botanicals) and combine it with pineapple and maraschino liqueur (both used in the Harlem), with an added twist of freshly made hibiscus syrup. Our hibiscus syrup is made using Brixton Foodland’s Nigerian Hibiscus.

Hosted on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7, this will also be celebration of Jamaican Independence!

Mikey is also working on a bespoke rum punch for Barrio’s Hip Hop Brunch on the Saturday of the festival.

So far this summer the Market Row Rum Punch has gone down extremely well wherever we have served it.

More news on this to follow!

BREWING IN ARMS

LIVE MUSIC & DJ SERIES

Brixton Brewery has twinned with Harlem Brewing Co. to brew Common Threads, a limited edition beer to celebrate the inaugural Brixton X Harlem Festival.

A series of live music and DJ performances celebrating the sounds of Jazz, Blues, Funk, Hip Hop and Soul across Brixton’s venues. Leading musicians will pop-up across the festival in unexpected places, with special guest stars and local talent, keep your eyes peeled for announcements.

“We’re collaborating together on design and recipe in a way that perfectly expresses the coming together of two historic neighbourhoods in world cities to create something new and exciting for the festival goers to enjoy.”

The recipe is a wheat beer and will be brewed in Brixton and New York using locally inspired ingredients. Brixton’s brew will be launched at The Taproom along with special guest Celeste Beatty Head Brewer from Harlem. They will also release a fun feature where drinkers in Brixton and Harlem will be able to buy each other a pint across the pond.

THE HARLEM BRIDGE An all-day festival celebrating Hip Hop culture incorporating open to all dance classes, a live graffiti muralist and a Hip Hop dance competition.

The Bridge is a non-stop family outdoor street event that culminates in London’s friendliest social dance party. A one-day festival, it embodies “Peace, Love, Unity and having Fun”.

brixtonblog.com

JULY 2022

PEOPLE | STYLE 17

STRIPES AND SUMMER SEPARATES A men’s street fashion special In celebration of the start of summer, style editor Ramses Alexandre scoured the streets of South London for Men’s Fashion Week in an attempt to find how garments make it from atelier to runway, on the form, from high street shop floor. This edition brought a mix of stripes and solids, soulful comfort and a peek into the history of men’s style through time. Head to @brixtonblog on Instagram to let us know which looks you’re feeling the most and why! Follow our style editor @ramsquiat and send in your best Brixton Street Style Outfits of The Day for inclusion in next month’s Bugle, due out at the top of August! Sunny days ahead …

WILOW

ADRIAN

GIO

JALEN

CALEB

IGWE DAIJ

brixtonblog.com

18 FOOD & DRINK

2022 JULY

REVIEW: HACHA BRIXTON

FESTIVAL: JERK & BEYOND

Anna McKie discovers the best place in Brixton to explore the magic of agave alcohol

A weekend of jerk, reggae and more

Sitting upstairs at Hacha in Brixton’s Market Row, my dining partner and I are musing about Brixton’s Mexican restaurants past and present.

Jalisco, a Brixton stalwart and one I’ve always enjoyed, is still going, but another favourite, Casa Morita, is gone. When it comes to Mexican comfort food, Wahaca was mercifully replaced by the much better D F Tacos.

The rumination on the changes in Brixton market could go on, so, back in the present, is there something that Hacha, which opened in autumn 2021, has to offer that Brixton hasn’t seen before?

In one word: yes. Hacha specialises in really great tequila and mezcal cocktails. Award-winning even: its mirror margarita was voted Time Out’s seventh best cocktail in the world and cocktail of the year 2020 at the CLASS Bar Awards.

Luckily, this drink lives up to the hype.

Disconcertingly at first, the mirror margarita looks like you’ve ordered a very nice glass of water that has been placed on a pretty Mexican tile.

Yet tasting it, I’ve never had such a smooth margarita. It’s made from either tequila or mezcal, along with hacha’s speciality sour mix, cane syrup, kaffir lime, salt and eucalyptus.

While the tequila version is lovely, my partner and I firmly agree the mezcal version is superior.

The smokiness of the mezcal stands out beautifully next to the sweeter flavours, making you savour every sip.

The original Hacha was founded in Dalston in 2019 by Deano Moncrieffe and Emma Murphy, who have long championed agave-based spirits.

Moncrieffe is also the founder of Equal Measures, a not-for-profit organisation created to support marginalised groups and tackle racism in the hospitality industry. One day a week Hacha closes so Equal Measures can offer training, mentorship and workshops.

Hacha Brixton is on two levels: downstairs is a bottle shop (where you can pick up a mirror margarita to enjoy at home) and bar for tasting their range of tequila, mezcal and some of the other lesser-known spirits made from the agave plant from a list of 25 that changes regularly.

We sat upstairs in the Agaveria, a bright and relaxed “cocktail lounge area” that also serves food.

The Jerk & Beyond festival, “a three-day Caribbean taste sensation” kicks off on Friday 8 July at Oval Space in East London.

There will be markets with food from Cuba to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica to Guyana, with music across the weekend from international DJs and Caribbean artists.

Friday: Latin Vibes; Saturday: Soca; Sunday: family and reggae day.

Billed as the biggest Caribbean festival of food, drink and music, Jerk & Beyond begins on Friday at 5.00pm with Latin and French Caribbean style food and music with DJs Just Vibez – well known locally through their residency at Pop Brixton.

Soca Saturday from noon celebrates music from Trinidad & Tobago all day and into the evening with carnival dancers, DJs and live performances. Evening sessions are split into two with a £5 entrance from 6-11pm and a later party session from midnight to 4am.

Sunday is a family and reggae day and is free for all with fun activities including a hot wings challenge, limbo, fire throwers, bouncy castles, bubble machines, candy floss, floral art workshop, face painting, a 360º photo booth and fun family workshops Entrance to the food market is free and will see well known food traders in association with Black Eats London.

A makers’ market will offer arts and crafts on Saturday and Sunday.

Free tickets (from bit.ly/JAB-22) must be shown on arrival. #Caribbeantastesensation @jerkandbeyond

Mirror margaritas best with mezcal And if you are going to be drinking tequila and mezcal, it would be wise to line your stomach. We ordered the guacamole – because I am a millennial and this is 2022 – which was deliciously fragrant and came with some delightfully salty fried tortilla chips. We also ordered the cheese chicharron, which is basically a large, thin piece of fried cheese that you break pieces off and dip into an excellent pico de gallo and red salsa.

I’ve not had anything like it before.

Although it did remind me of late nights in my first year of university when my housemate and I would forgo the toast element of cheese on toast (Had we run out of bread? Did we think we were being healthier by removing the carbs? Who knows, we weren’t exactly sober) and grilled cheese on tin foil in our student oven – except this is much better.

The mains are a choice of tacos – the list made up of their classics and monthly specials – which came in lovely and light corn tortillas. The crispy beef taco – a special – was brilliant, as were the mushroom quesadillas – a classic.

I can’t claim to be a true expert in Mexican food, aside from my general love for it, but having recently visited for a second time, these two tacos were the ones that most whisked me back to the food we ate there.

The fish tacos – both classic and prawns – were good but not the best I’ve had, perhaps because they were slightly overwhelmed by the additional black beans. Portion sizes aren’t huge, but enough to keep you full. Prices for each dish (tacos come in twos) ran from £7 to £9, but on Tuesdays you can get three tacos and a mirror margarita for £20.

For me, Hacha is a great addition to Brixton’s Mexican offerings. The perfect place to sip a delicious, but unusual margarita or to dip your toes into the wonderful world of mezcal. It’s certainly wise to accompany these spirits with food, even if just a few snacks, and, again, Hacha has got just what you need.

Oval Space, 29–32 The Oval, Cambridge Heath, E2 9DT. Bethnal Green Tube and Cambridge Street overground. Over 18s only.

Agaveria: Tues to Fri 5-11pm | Sat 12-11pm Bar & bottle shop: Weds & Thurs 6-10pm | Fri & Sat 5-11pm

Hacha Brixton | 12-14 Market Row, SW9 8LD | 020 3754 3884 | hachabar.com/pages/brixton

Jerk & Beyond 2019

OPENING: BOTTLE & RYE

Goodbye Blacker Dread, Hallo boudin noir Bottle & Rye – a “Parisian-style wine bar” – is to open in a prime Brixton site in mid-July.

Chef Robin Gill announced that he and his wife Sarah will open the bar next to the Coldharbour Lane entrance to Market Row beneath Hondo Enterprises’ BRX Studio.

The premises once housed the Blacker Dread Muzik Store.

“We love how these little gems are embraced by the city,” Gill said. “I’m

very excited to be opening my first restaurant in Brixton, an area where I’ve lived for most of my London life.”

Gill also owns Darby’s, a New York inspired oyster bar next to the new US embassy in Nine Elms; the Bermondsey Larder, and Rye by the Water, a bakery and coffee shop in Brentford, West London.

Former Lino chef Ben Hughes-Gage will oversee dishes including Ogleshield gougères with

pickled walnut; vichyssoise oyster tartare; and smoked eel brandade with pink fir crisps and Provençal herbs. Weekend dishes will include poached eggs with boudin noir and croque madame.

The wine list will focus on European “minimal intervention” bottles with a glass starting from £5.

The full opening is due in mid-July, after a soft launch.

A bottleandrye.com

| BOOKINGS@BELLEFIELDS.COM | @BELLEFIELDS_BRIXTON

brixtonblog.com

20 MUSIC PEOPLE

2022 JULY

Choosing his own destiny Rapper CHOZE explains to Simone Richardson the reasons for his name, and where and why he got it

Rapper CHOZE began life here – in what he calls SW9 – taking in Clapham North and Stockwell as well as Brixton.

“My mum Emelia Annan is from Ghana and my father Tony Marinoni is half-Italian and half-Ghanaian, I am proud of my heritage and culture which has made me the artist and individual I am today,” he says.

He has even written a rap tribute to his mum called YOU available on Spotify.

It’s well worth hearing and ends with a moving moment as she speaks.

CHOZE’s name was chosen for a very important reason: “A close friend of mine, who passed away, gave me the nickname because he always used to say: ‘We are all CHOZEn to choose our own destiny’ and it kind of stuck from there.”

He went to Haselrigge primary in Clapham, now closed, and secondary, Chestnut Grove in Balham – also, CHOZE is pleased to note, attended by Adele and Neutrino of So Solid Crew.

“I went to Westminster Kingsway College to study A level business,” says Choze, who went on to study for a BA honours degree in business before finding his passion for music. “This helped me understand the music industry a lot better and the relationships needed in order to maintain a viable career.”

CHOZE has certainly done that. His rap creations are available live and online through the independent Kartel music services agency.

“My rapping was influenced by watching numerous rap programs on MTV,” CHOZE says. “And I wanted to

communicate about the hard struggles we were all facing growing up.

“I was inspired by people like So Solid Crew, Eminem, Tupac, Soul II Soul and Lauryn Hill. These remain some of my top talents to this day.

“I used to do pirate radio stations with friends who motivated me to start writing – they believed I had a gift.”

Now, he says, “I work with a plethora of talented artists that I really respect and work with the unique sounds I look to create such as the Grime Violinist.

“We have worked together over the years and built a strong bond where we always think outside the box in order to deliver a show to remember.

“I worked with the late [drum and bass MC] Skibadee on my recently released

‘The support artists receive in the Brixton area is second to none’ album, DIY, which shows a diversity of different sounds telling a story in one thread.

“This is just a small example of my eclectic working relationships to create the unique sounds, which is evident on my new album.”

Brixton Chamber Orchestra and CHOZE have also worked together and met though social media in 2021.

“People in both our circles kept on at us to collaborate,” CHOZE explains. “That is when the connection was made. We have gone on to work together on many performances such as The BCO Summer and Christmas estate tours that were showcased in Lambeth last year.

“I like to experiment with my music and find with the BCO I am able to connect with different age groups

and backgrounds that may not have experienced my music before.

“The orchestral sound gives songs a different edge and can soften a somewhat harsh approach, which is often found in grime.”

He raps his love of Brixton too, saying: “The trials and tribulations I faced growing up helped me to express my thought process and why I felt it important to speak on topics close to my, and that of my community’s, heart.

“I believe freedom of speech, when articulated correctly, has the maximum impact; this is an important part of life as we know it and for future generations.”

CHOZE has already performed at Union Chapel in Islington and Wilton’s Music Hall in Tower Hamlets. In the future he aims to play in Japan and Paris.

He has already been live at renowned venues in Brixton. “Brixton is the most diverse and buzzing part of London,” CHOZE says. “It has a special place in my heart as I grew up in the mix of it.

“Venues such as the O2 Academy and Hootananny are some of the best that London has to offer.

“I have had the pleasure to perform in some of these locations more than once, and would love to time and time again.

“The support artists receive within the Brixton area is second to none, with people travelling far and wide just to attend good music in Brixton.

“I am a big foodie with a love of world foods and can often be found wandering Brixton market and Village to try out or enjoy the cuisine. Brixton and the surrounding area will always signify home to me.”

CHOZE confides that some exciting things are coming in or near Brixton – “however I can’t give too much away at this time. Watch this space …” @chozeoffi www.chozeofficial.com

Short-lived band led to a lifetime of reggae in Brixton Mark M Smith, aka Markie of Universal Roots Records in Brixton’s Reliance Arcade, tells Simone Richardson how his love of music spans life as a rocker and a reggae fan …

Mark M. Smith’s band – Universal Roots – started in 2010/11 and “just went on for seven months”. His stage name was Jah Lingwa / Markie Lingwa.

“The band didn’t take off because the drummer fell in love and he disappeared off the face of the earth – so that was the end of the band!

“Ever since we have been producing and releasing local reggae-based London artists and working in different studios – one in Brixton, one in New Cross and another in Epsom. I produce on them and even play on some of them – I play bass and keyboards.”

“We’ve got a sound system – RDK Hi-Fi – that I have been running for the past 30 years.”

Mark didn’t learn guitar until he was 42: “I never thought I was any good at doing it! I learnt it through a fella who was in Universal Roots – Drax Darby.”

Now Mark is also at Universal Roots Records in Brixton.

Born in Erith, Kent, to parents Michael and Jennifer Smith, he later went to Buildwas primary and William Brooks

comprehensive in Shropshire on the Welsh border, leaving at 16.

“Me and my mate used to come down to London a lot and I used to come to visit and lived with both my Aunt Nin (Diana Hirst) in Peckham Rye and Uncle David (Yeats) in Wandsworth.

Mark wasn’t so keen on school and he explains why: “I liked doing sports, music and carpentry – stuff like that.

“I used to enjoy fishing, trekking and country stuff, but I was also a rocker. I used to go through Brixton a lot. Me and my mate used to sneak off when I was about 13 and 14 and go down the Kings Road to see all the punk rockers.”

Reggae in Wandsworth had an impact and the flats where Mark lived at that time were where he was introduced to sound systems.

“I was living round it,” he says. “My uncle David introduced me to a lot of reggae as well. At the time they didn’t really have anything in the UK.” Mark met Claudia Wilson at the Prince Albert in Brixton in 1987 – and they’ve been together in Brixton ever since for 30 years with four daughters.

Claudia introduced Mark to the idea of beginning Universal Roots Records.

“I started the shop in 2017. Claudia had already been there for two years before with Pure Vinyl records.

“She was offered a shop on Ferndale Road, so I decided to keep this shop as it’s in a good spot in the market.

“I thought it was good for what I have been doing as a record label, also called Universal Roots Records, since 1998.”

Mark’s hair grew into locks along with his love of reggae. “Locks are about a Rasta faith,” he explains, “but a lot of people might not understand what Rasta is about.

“Rastafarianism is something to me, but something that is my business. I don’t want

to have to prove to people what I’m about as a Rasta. People think as a Rastafarian you’re like this, you’re like that, In actual fact, it’s a liberty!

“Bob Marley was a prophet – what he was talking about was what reflects on so many people’s lives – a sentiment and how he explains it – it resonates with so many people. More popular than presidents!”

Mark has one young man, Muri, who lives in Brixton, working with him – “He used to come round in his school uniform and started working here and five years later he is still here!”

Customers come from all over the world – “Canadians, Americans, South Americans, Chileans, Japanese, Australians, New Zealanders, India, Africa – Brixton is a worldwide destination Everybody knows Brixton.”

“I love Brixton – my girls are from Brixton where they have grown up. My wife Claudia and her family are from Brixton, and my four daughters all went to St. Martin’s.”

Mark’s favourite social spot in Brixton is the Effra [Hall Tavern]. “I have been going there for 25 years – cool. I like the Errol Linton night – I collect rhythm and blues.”

Make your way to Universal Roots Records for T-shirts and bags as well as records.

Universal Roots Records, 33-38 Reliance Arcade, 451 Brixton Road, SW9 8JX. 020 73261783. Open 10.30am to 7pm. Closed Sundays and Wednesdays.

brixtonblog.com

JULY 2022

CREATIVE BRIXTON 21

MUSIC A legend and a question

By Alan Slingsby The striking church of St Barnabas in Dulwich hosted a remarkable music event last month.

Remarkable because a truly legendary figure in the history of popular music performed at a largely unknown event.

And remarkable also because she was doing so to help an ordinary London school keep music on its curriculum.

The performer was Dionne Warwick. Her performance of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s Walk on By was one of the defining records of the 60s.

She is one of the most successful singers of all time. Some 56 of her singles made the US Hot 100 between 1962 and 1988, 12 reaching the Top Ten. The school is Dulwich Village Church of England Infants’ School. Ms Warwick has a connection with a school parent.

Headteacher Helen Poyton says on the school website that, unless it can raise £20,000 a year, the “challenging” nature of school funding means it will be unable to retain its specialist music teacher; be unable to continue to develop its rich music curriculum; and be unable to replace its musical instruments.

At the end of the evening, she was able to say that music was safe for another year at her school.

So doubts about the huge cost of my ticket were dismissed. I had seen and heard a legend of music and just possibly contributed to helping educate another.

As the heading at the top of the school’s music appeal web page says, quoting Confucius: “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”

Afterwards, sipping prosecco at fundraising prices on the church forecourt, surrounded what looked like a largely well-heeled crowd of parents and their friends, it was impossible not to wonder what some of the primary schools in Brixton, a couple of miles away, will have to do to save their music education – if there is any left to save.

Bob Marley lives on in Brixton Ziggy Marley performed a tribute to his famous father – Bob Marley – at the O2 in Brixton. Simone Richardson enjoyed every moment

Bob Marley will live on through his music. Renowned for reggae all over the world, he was born on 6 February 1945 at Nine Mile, Jamaica, and died so young on 11 May 1981.

His music lives on after him in many ways – records, CDs, the radio, obviously online and, now, through his first-born son – known as Ziggy Marley, who was born as David Nesta Marley on 17 October 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica.

Ziggy has achieved for himself the reputation as one of the genre’s leading artists.

He has continued the family’s involvement in music, creating albums

including Conscious Party and One Bright Day. On Sunday 26 June Ziggy Marley performed at the O2 in Brixton – previously known as the Brixton Academy – that was built in 1929 as the Astoria Variety Cinema.

It’s a fantastic venue that is the ideal format for a music audience due to the cinema structure, which ensures great views, and for dancing.

Ziggy, who seems to have inherited a voice very similar to his father’s, created a bond with the audience as they danced and sang in unison to many of Bob Marley’s classic tunes – including One Love, Could you be Loved, Redemption Song, and many more.

All colours, countries, generations and ages joined in as Ziggy Morley’s performance of One Love became a vibrant unified celebration with non-stop clapping.

Bob Marley must have been proud to watch his first born son from above.

NEW SOOTHSAYERS SINGLE AND ALBUM

Brixton music collective Soothsayers have teamed up for an exciting project with New York-born, São Paulo-based producer-engineer-bassist, Victor Rice, and some of Brazil’s top musicians.

The result is Last Days, from the album Soothsayers Meets Victor Rice and Friends, due in July.

Written and recorded in London, São Paulo and Lisbon during lockdown, it is a heavy-stepping instrumental.

The album project grew from sessions in São Paulo for Soothsayers’ 2020 vocal album We Are Many.

Last Days is on Red Earth Records,

available on digital download, streaming platforms, and limited edition 10-inch vinyl.

After Ziggy Marley, another reggae great is set to perform in Brixton. Walter Rodney, Burning Spear, is due to play the O2 Academy on Sunday 14 August.

The two-time Grammy winner is coming out of retirement to perform with his Burning Band in a first UK performance for more than 20 years.

The concert will also feature Horace “Sleepy” Andy (who you can hear free at the Lambeth Country Show) and Johnny Clarke.

LOUD WOMEN

The sixth LOUD WOMEN Fest moves south of the river for 2022 to the Amersham Arms in New Cross on 2 and 3 September. It has grown to become the largest female-led festival in the UK, attracting performers and audiences from around the world and, say the organisers, securing LOUD WOMEN’s position as the leading international showcase for female and non-binary alternative bands and artists in grass roots/DIY music.

It is run in partnership with: LEVEL UP, led by Janey Starling (who recently won a Kerrang!

Grassroots award), running bystander intervention training and campaigning on behalf of pregnant women in prisons.

SAFE GIGS FOR WOMEN, a team of volunteers creating a safer environment for women at gigs and festivals .

GIRLS AGAINST, a non-profit organisation standing up against sexual assault and misogyny in the live music scene.

ALLIANCE FOR CHOICE ,a Northern Ireland abortion support campaign group.

MYATT’S FIELDS

Brazil comes to Brockwell Park As we forecast in our listings last month, the appearance of Errol Linton and his band at the Brockwell Park Greenhouses in June (below) was something special – even if the electrics gave up just before the end.

This month’s event should be equally worth the visit to a night-time Brockwell Park.

Those who saw it say that last year’s Alvorada

gig at the greenhouses was magical.

They are the UK’s leading choro ensemble.

It’s an instrumental music from Rio de Janeiro.

Whether performing original compositions or classics of the genre, Alvorada play lively and expressive melodies combined with infectious Brazilian grooves and playful interaction.

The award-winning five-piece have performed at festivals and venues across the UK and beyond, with sell-out shows at the London Jazz Festival, Pizza Express Live and Paris International Choro Festival.

Their debut album First Light, released in 2019, was received with critical acclaim, leading to BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM appearances.

Alvorada also won Latino Life LUKAS and Focus Brasil awards for “Best Brazilian Band”.

And, of course, there is Mambista DJ Gerry Lyseight on the decks.

Gig at the Greenhouses: Mambista with Alvorada Sunday 31 July, 6.30–10.30pm. £12.

There’s music in Myatt’s Fields Park this month.

BRIXTON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA will be on the bandstand at 4pm on 22 July.

The PICO PLAYERS will give a full orchestral performance on Saturday 10 July from 1 to 6pm. Pico is an amateur symphony orchestra that is also a registered charity which has raised more £75,000 since it was founded in 2014.

And there’s free SHAHMA DRUMMING in the roundhouse from 4 to 6pm on 10, 17 and 24 July.

Jamaica celebrates 60 years of independence on 6 August.

Trojan Records will mark the date by releasing Rise Jamaica! a new album featuring the biggest Jamaican radio hits of 1962 plus unreleased ska classics from Duke Reid recorded during the same year. Previews available on the usual streaming services.

LOS VAN VAN

Los Van Van, whose longevity as a top band is probably surpassed only by the Rolling Stones, play Electric Brixton on Sunday 31 July. One Bugle staffer has a vague recollection of seeing them there when the Electric was still The Fridge.

The Cuban son and salsa kings were founded in 1969 by Juan Formell, who died in 2014, and whose son Samuel is now director of the band. Tickets are £30 from Eventbrite.

22 WHAT’S JULY 2022 ON

brixtonblog.com

2022 JULY 22

WHAT’S ON The Black Culture Market will be back at the Department Store – 248 Ferndale Road, SW9 8FR – on Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 August from 11am to 5pm with different traders on each day.

On sale will be food, fashion, music, stationery, art, books, jewellery, homeware, skincare, toys, health and beauty and more from emerging and new Black businesses. The market is part of the Brixton X Harlem festival.

Scan the code for free tickets or blackculturemarket.co.uk

Nostalgia and intimacy, courage and resilience Leslie Manasseh experiences a slice of Brixton history in the Black Cultural Archives

HOME: Remembering the Windrush Generation, is a new exhibition at the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in Brixton launched on Windrush Day, 22 June, this year.

The homes of the Windrush generation from the 1950s and 1960s have been painstakingly and lovingly recreated using carefully chosen furniture, artefacts, and styles of the time.

It is a nostalgic and intimate journey into the domestic lives of that generation of immigrants who settled in Brixton.

It is full of wonderful detail and features many iconic items such as the Blue Spot radiogram (above), glass ornaments and kitchen gadgets.

Many will remember those times, but younger visitors will be able to travel back in time to the homes of their parents and grandparents and get an authentic sense of their daily lives.

Launching the exhibition on Windrush Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of passengers from the Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury, on 22 June 1948. Invited

by the British government, men and women from different Caribbean islands came to help rebuild Britain after WW2.

The exhibition is curated by Tony Fairweather (inset), the founder of the Windrush Collection, a touring exhibition of artefacts associated with the Windrush Generation.

Tony says of sharing this key piece of British history with the wider modern-day public: “This exhibition was inspired by wanting to continue the legacy of our elders. This was an ideal opportunity to showcase the Caribbean lifestyle of the 50s & 60s, when Brixton was the hub of Caribbean life.”

Although this is an affectionate slice of domestic life, it is also a reminder of the blatant racism faced by the Windrush Generation and the all too common “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs” signs outside houses.

It is a testimony to the courage and resilience of those first immigrants who built a life for themselves and their descendants.

I loved this show. Go and see it if you can.

HOME: Remembering the Windrush Generation runs until 10 September in the Black Cultural Archives, Windrush Square.

Open Thursday to Saturday, 11:30am – 5pm.

Entry: £5 general admission, £3 concessions

From the exhibition: Mrs Nelly Amos, prospective councillor and Mrs Elizabeth Nwokoro, retired teacher, Leigham Court Residents’ Campaign. © S.Okokon Archive 2015

Cressingham architecture events Cressingham Gardens’ rotunda building continues to host a series of events and discussions as part of the London Festival of Architecture.

The exhibition at the rotunda, A Modernist Gem: The Battle for Leigham Court Sheltered Housing Scheme, documents the three-year battle in which a diverse group of elders joined forces with community activists and architectural mavericks to prevent the demolition of and to restore the Leigham Court Lambeth sheltered housing scheme, their “modernist gem”.

It also acknowledges the wave of other public housing campaigns which have followed in its wake, and have led the way in “next level” activism, and

contemporary citizenship.

The exhibition in the rotunda runs until Friday 12 August (5–8pm).

Events include: ● Acting To Safeguard The Vulnerable Wednesday 13 July, 5–8pm. ● Acting To Democratise Architecture Wednesday 20 July, 5–8pm. ● Insult-ative! The non-consultations. Acting to change future housing Wednesday 20 July, 5–8pm. ● Acting To Advance Health Wednesday 3 August, 5–8pm. ● Acting to Empower Communities, and closing night celebration Friday 12 August, 5–9pm.

A For details, visit bit.ly/ LAD-Cressingham or scan the code.

Brixton Windmill open days Brixton Windmill’s next open days are on Saturday and Sunday 9 and 10 July, and 13 and 14 August – all from 1 to 5pm.

Art in the Park on 14 August will have fun art and craft workshops for adults, children and families, offering the opportunity to be creative with inspiration from the windmill.

Outdoor tai chi classes take place every Saturday morning in Windmill Gardens (weather permitting).

On the first Saturday of each month, gardening sessions help to make the park a welcoming place for visitors.

Windmill tours come in two forms – 20+ minutes turn-up-and-go, and the full 30-minute version.

In the first, you will see the internal workings on the first floor and hear the fascinating story of the Ashby family who

once owned the windmill and see the electricpowered millstones. Booking is not required.

A full tour additionally involves a climb to the top floor to see the wind-powered machinery and find out how it was once used to make flour. Advance booking and payment is required for a full tour.

Group tours for groups of six to 20 people can be booked on weekdays. They include a private guided tour of the windmill and cake, tea or coffee. Enquire via the windmill website.

The Brixton Windmill Centre, a multi­ function space designed to accommodate school workshops, visitors, café and a shop, is also available to hire for wedding receptions, celebrations, meetings, birthday parties, awaydays and community groups.

A brixtonwindmill.org

brixtonblog.com 2022 JULY

24 LISTINGS

OUR SELECTION OF GIGS AND MORE IN BRIXTON AND NEARBY WEDNESDAY 6 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON

All the way from Glasgow – five piece Medicine Cabinet are billed as “the coolest FAST-RISING BAND you’ve only just heard of”. Blondie and No Doubt are influences. 8pm. £8.50.

THURSDAY 7 @ BLUES KITCHEN

A performance of Radiohead’s OK Computer: A Live Gospel Rendition – 25th Anniversary sold out in 30 minutes in May, according to the venue, so hurry and book to hear RADIOHEAD as never before performed by a live gospel choir. 7–11pm. Advance tickets £12.50.

FRIDAY 8 @ JAMM

Jamm gets together with Team Salut, the artist/producer pairing of Londoners Mr Wood and GPK, that has had some of the biggest hits in the UK AFROWAVE, to showcase talent in the local African music scene with Afrocandy. 10pm–4am. £8–12.

SATURDAY 9 @ POW

Special guests Pharaoh G & Kash Jones headline a night of CARNIVAL vibes on the PoW rooftop in a collaboration with the iconic Greensleeves record label, featuring an all-star line-up of London’s finest DJs and live guests with dancehall, soca, Afrobeats, rap and more. 4pm–4am. £12.50.

SUNDAY 10 @ HOOTANANNY

Theo Mizú & Banda were elected the “Best Street Music Band in São Paulo, Brazil”. They merge BRAZILIAN, Latin and Balkan, so head to Hoots for an evening of world music. 7–11pm. Free.

Connect, learn and on grow in Brixt Orchard ­— see Thursday 14

MONDAY 11 @ CORPUS CHRISTI

Brixton Krav Maga introduces the self-defence system with an introductory session for adults, promising to improve fitness levels, wellbeing, and confidence. Learn basic SELF-DEFENCE techniques and how to apply them in real life, no matter what your skill or fitness. 7.30– 9.30pm. Corpus Christi church hall, 11 Trent Road, SW2 5BJ. £20, book at bit.ly/BKM-110722

TUESDAY 12 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON

TRIPLE BILL – with Maria Uzor, a BarbadianNigerian artist living in Norfolk who merges electro, avant-pop, techno and dub. Baba Ali – Babatunde Doherty and guitarist Nik Balchin – fuse funk, blues and soul. Getdown Services’ latest pop/ spoken word single Biscuit Tin channels anger at the housing system. 7.30pm. £8.

WEDNESDAY 13 @ EFFRA SOCIAL

Paint and Sip SCULPTING comes to the Effra Social. No previous sculpting experience necessary as experienced Paintvine instructors will teach you how to create a beautiful clay pinch pot. Plus opportunities to make other dishes, ring holders, candle holders, etc. 7pm (arrive 6.45). £32.

THURSDAY 14 @ BRIXTON ORCHARD

Take a long lunch break and connect, learn, and grow when you volunteer at the orchard – a rare GREEN SPACE in the heart of Brixton.

Get your hands dirty planting for pollinators, mulching paths, and weeding while learning how to care for fruit trees. All welcome.

1–2.30pm. Free; register at bit.ly/BO-140722

FRIDAY 15 @ PHONOX

O’Flynn’s July Fridays DANCE MUSIC residency is joined by Frazer Ray (fka Soundbwoy Killah) 9.30pm–4am. £22.40.

SATURDAY 16 @ POW

Norman Jay MBE, Melvo Baptiste, The London Disco Society, Handson Family, Bobby Van Halen , Rob Alldritt, and Hotel Room – Dancing with Friends will mark 10 years of PoW’s UP ON THE ROOF. 3pm–3am. £20.

SUNDAY 17 @ POP BRIXTON Parents: Sit back and relax in a Pop eatery while The Kids’ Table entertains 3–10-year-old kids with SUPERVISED CRAFT FUN. Sarah Frow created The Kids’ Table after struggling to find family friendly restaurants and pubs. 1pm–5pm. Free.

MONDAY 18 @ TRINITY ARMS Monday Night is QUIZ NIGHT at The Trinity Arms. It’s hosted by Question One Quiz, who lay claim to being the world’s premier quiz and trivia company. First place gets you a £50 bar tab. 8pm. £2 per person.

TUESDAY 19 @ DULWICH HAMLET Dulwich Hamlet’s pre-season includes a home match with MILLWALL under23s at Champion Hill. 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 20 @ HOOTANANNY Indie and synth POP from Manchester and London three-piece Reave. Formed in 2019, they combine electrified synths, dreamy guitars and weighty drums with lush and introspective vocals. Supported by Deja Blu. 9pm–3am. £10.

THURSDAY 21 @ POW Every Thursday Brixton’s iconic roof terrace goes DOWN SOUTH. Local acts and DJs run rhythms to make you dance in a space of inclusion and freedom. 9pm. From £5.

FRIDAY 22 @ JAMM Don your disco finery and head to Jamm for the ABBA v Fleetwood Mac DISCO party. Hear all the two bands’ greatest hits, plus disco anthems from Chic to David Bowie. 10pm–4am. £15.

SATURDAY 23 @ HOOTANANNY

Join London’s #1 Latinx party in the shape of ¡Cumbia Mi Amor! Movimientos presents a Colombia special to tie in (nearly) with the country’s independence day on 20 July.

With two live acts – the brass-powered Super Panela coming direct from France, and top notch cumbia and vallenato classics from the UK Vallenato Kings. Amancai and Cal Jader will be on the decks. 9pm–3am. £9.18.

SUNDAY 24 @ POW

SOCA On De Roof features Barrie Hype, live From Miami, along with Majikal, Deejay Dee, DJ Limzy, DJ Clarkie Tee, DJ Shay, Armani, DJ Sparky, and Laura Lee. 3pm–midnight. £8–17.60.

THURSDAY 28 @ HOPE & ANCHOR The last Thursday of the month is OPEN DECKS night at the Hope & Anchor. Upcoming DJs and artists jump on the decks and show you what they’ve got. For DJs it’s an amazing opportunity to practise their craft and network. Send in mixes via email to hopeopendecks@gmail.com. 5–11pm.

FRIDAY 29 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON BLESSD, said to be Colombia’s next big REGGAETON star, is at Electric Brixton directly from Medellin. Part of Colombia’s new wave of reggaeton artists, he will perform many of his hits. Plus DJs. 6.30om–10.30pm. £33.42.

MONDAY 25 @ TOULOUSE LAUTREC

SATURDAY 30 @ PURCELL ROOM

TUESDAY 26 @ CROWN & ANCHOR

First of two nights at the Queen Elizabeth Hall’s Purcell Room on the Southbank.

Futuristic DUB TECHNO duo Space Afrika in a performance that intersects with readings chosen by writer and critic Ellah P Wakatama, exploring the Black experience through a fantastic lens and opening a dialogue between past, present and future. All against a backdrop of digital landscapes created by artist Alistair MacKinnon. 7.45pm. £15.

What could be more appropriate for the Toulouse Lautrec at the Elephant – a combination of DRAWING and cabaret. The artist would be proud of the venue that bears his name. Dr Sketchy London invites you to grab a pencil and a drink for a class hosted by multi award-winning cabaret artist Dusty Limits with models drawn from the world of burlesque and cabaret. 7–9.30pm. £12.

The Crown & Anchor’s Tuesday night QUIZ, hosted by Dave, has cash prizes for the top two teams and third place gets a bottle of wine. 7.30pm start. £2 per player.

WEDNESDAY 27 @ UPSTAIRS AT THE RITZY

Laid Bare presents South London’s best musicians, singers and poets. Hosted by local musician Rami Radi, the night is based around carefully selected featured acts and dedicated to showcasing LOCAL PERFORMERS. Doors: 7.30. Free.

SUNDAY 31 @ HOOTANANNY The return of La Vuelta, London’s only AFRO-LATIN HIP-HOP night and one of Brixton’s best kept secrets. This event, now in its fourth iteration, has been expanding rapidly since it’s conception. Expect performances from top emerging artists, eclectic open-to-all jam sessions, DJs and non-stop dancing. This event is free, and, like its performers, won’t remain a secret for much longer. 6pm – midnight. Free.

brixtonblog.com

JULY 2022

WHAT’S ON 25

A story of Khaos at the Carnegie Fred Karno is one of the most important and remarkable figures in British entertainment – a mentor to Charlie Chaplin with a remarkable life story.

David Crump, author of Fred Karno The Legend Behind The Laughter will discuss his book and its subject at the Carnegie Library at 192 Herne Hill Road on Tuesday 12 July from 7 to 8.30pm.

His book tells, for the first time, the true story of this complex man: a genius of comedy, a mentor to the 20th century’s greatest comedians, a Goliath of the music hall, and one whose rags to riches, back to rags, story is one of the most extraordinary theatrical tales.

David Crump’s musical Khaotic! based on the life of Fred Karno, was produced in 2010.

Happy place Dulwich Picture Gallery is hosting a free “festival of happiness” by artist Stuart Semple on Saturday 30 July.

It will encourage recovery, hope and joy and premier Semple’s new work Something Else, a series of playful sculptural installations spread across the gallery’s gardens.

Visitors will follow a map designed by Semple to guide them through this interactive artwork, which will sit alongside family friendly workshops and relaxed performances from the City of London Sinfonia.

The festival will also feature Semple’s famous Happy Clouds, which will be shown in the UK for the first time in over a decade.

A Book at the gallery website: dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Dynamite art

You might have through that, with the long-­established Urban Art show, our own Brixton Blog & Bugle summer art show, the new Brixton Art Prize, and various shows in the Department Store, Brixton already had plenty of art events.

Well, we’re going to have another.

The Dynamite Art Fair 2.0 takes place Downstairs at the Department Store in Brixton from 15 to 18 September.

It is organised by Brighton’s Dynamite Art, which boasts a reputation for “elegant, edgy and unusual work” from artists “we are certain will ignite your imagination”.

A Visit bit.ly/Dynamite2-Brixton

Park cinema Luna Cinema brings its open-air screenings to Dulwich Park and Clapham Common this summer.

Clapham Common films are NIGHTMARE ALLEY Wednesday, 20 July, 9.15pm MEAN GIRLS Thursday, 21 July 9.15pm PRETTY WOMAN Friday, 22 July 9.15pm BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Saturday, 23 July 9.15pm COOL RUNNINGS Sunday, 24 July 9.15pm In Dulwich Park: NO TIME TO DIE Thursday, 4 August 8.45pm MOULIN ROUGE! Friday, 5 August, 8.45pm WEST SIDE STORY Saturday, 6 August, 8.45pm LABYRINTH Sunday, 7 August 8.45pm A For details of these and other venues and to book, visit thelunacinema.com/cinema

THERE, YET, City Lit Foundation’s art and design show, Downstairs at the Department Store on Saturday and Sunday 9 and 10 July, brings together the emerging practice of 28 artists working across diverse media, taking in ceramics, textiles, print, sculpture, paint and film. Participating artists range in age from their 20s through to their 60s. Free.

10am-5pm; 10am-3pm.

The 2019 country show

The country show is back in Brockwell Park Lambeth Country Show is back in Brockwell Park on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July, running from noon to 8pm with last entry at 7.30pm.

There are old favourites liked the carved vegetable contest to be enjoyed again. There is also a full music programme starting at 2pm on Saturday on the main stage with the Brixton Chamber Orchestra and finishing on Sunday at 6.30pm with roots reggae star and Massive Attack collaborator Horace Andy with Dub Asante Band featuring Matic Horns.

There will be more reggae at 3.30pm on Sunday from the Empresses of Roots, Soul & Reggae – Teshay Makeda, Aysha Loren, Dionne Reid and Roots Souljah’s Band – an all-female line-up celebrating the best in roots, soul and reggae.

The Brixton Chamber Orchestra will be followed onto the main stage on Saturday by local favourites The Soothsayers and FlOetic Lara.

The Village Green stage will host a wealth of local talent, including performers from Raw Material, Sing Out Streatham, and Brixton’s Brasstermind on Saturday, and Bowie tribute

band Cats from Japan, with the Ceilidh Tree leading dancing on Sunday.

The main arena will see typical country show entertainment from Cavalry of Heroes with shows on both days at 2.30 and 7pm.

There will be falconry, the dog and sheep show and, on Saturday only at 5.30pm, the Lambeth best in show parade.

Farmers from across the UK will be bringing their best sheep to Brockwell Park. You can expect to see more than 100 sheep from 25 different breeds.

The flower show, in cooperation with the Lambeth Horticultural Society, has more than 80 different classes as well as the vegetable sculpture competition.

Family competitions like the scarecrow and recycled garden will also be back.

As well as scores of sheep, the farm area will be served by Vauxhall City Farm and CJ’s Birds of Prey.

The Eco Village will host Greenpeace, Bee Urban, Butterfly Conservation, the London Bat Group, the National Trust, the Woodland Trust and the World Wildlife Fund.

The Discovery area will contain a

planetarium, a 20-headset virtual reality zone, and real dinosaur bones.

Arts and culture have a host of attractions from over-60s’ and tea dancing, to learning to drum or code computers.

There will be workshops from Brixton’s Chocolate Museum, on music technology from Grooveschool, and Herne Hill’s Illusioneer Theatre of Magic and Illusion.

The Rig is a unique musical soundscape with an exciting visual impact aimed at kids from one to 100.

The Lambeth Sustainable Travel Team is hosting a wide range of attractions at their cycle village by the cycle parking at the Herne Hill entrance. Dr. Bike will offer a special bikers’ valet service to cyclists who ride to the event.

The Safer Transport Team and the police will security mark bikes and add them to the Bike Register. There will be two cycle parking areas at this year’s show, each holding up to 750 bikes, at the Herne Hill Station entrance and Tulse Hill entrance.

A Full programme and timings at lambethcountryshow.co.uk/lineup/

Brixton Chamber Orchestra keeping busy with beer Not content with playing Glastonbury and opening the main stage at the Lambeth Country Show, Brixton Chamber Orchestra is ready for this year’s summer estates tour.

Its 22-piece orchestra will be playing a mixture of music from grime to classical, disco to swing, and everything in between. Special guest vocalists and rappers are due to be revealed soon.

There will be 12 free shows of live music across 12 estates. All will be outdoors in safe and friendly community spaces in Brixton, Stockwell, Tulse Hill and elsewhere. Exact times and locations will be announced soon.

Get in touch via DM from the orchestra’s social media if you want to get involved as a singer, rapper or dancer.

Always up to something new and interesting, the BCO’s latest idea is to launch a limited edition beer.

“We sent our musicians to Brixton Brewery to infuse the beer with sweet melodies to make the beer extra crisp!

“The final result is a delicious and aptly named Conductor Session IPA,” the orchestra told supporters.

It was launched on Wednesday 6 July.

brixtonblog.com

26 SUMMER ART SHOW

Self-Portrait in Work Hat, Denzil Everett

2022 JULY

As I Walk Out, Gil Mutch

OUR ART SHOW IS OPEN IN BRIXTON LIBRARY The Brixton Blog & Bugle Summer Art Show opened on 4 July in the Brixton Tate Library, Windrush Square.

Works by 43 artists — both professional and self-taught — have been selected from a record entry to make a unique showcase and celebration of local creative talent.

Abstract and figurative, landscapes and portraits, political statements and personal stories, the art reflects the diversity and energy that is Brixton. It is art from, by, and about your community.

Here is a small selection from the show – a taste of what’s on offer.

And democracy rules. Visit the show to take part in the people’s ballot to choose the winner.

Entry is free and the Tate Library is open every day. The show runs until 28 July.

BOY, Edwina Hannam

Ukraine Collaged, Marilyn Rogers

Winter’s Day, Brockwell Park, Mark McLaughlin

Portrait of Younger Brother, Loretta Yussuff

JULY 2022

brixtonblog.com

BOOKS 27

Brixton hosts the next big thing in hot summer romance

Light in the dark, Camilla Gray An Angel sitting on a hedge in the secret garden at Brockwell Park, John Bateson

Untitled, Matuk Lon

Brixton Village was transformed for the launch of Akaeke Emezi’s new summer novel: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.

Nigerian-born creative Emezi is perhaps best known for their novel The Death of Vivek Oji, which explores death, ritual and the metaphysics of Black spirit.

However, in a departure from these usual themes, their latest novel is very much a romance. While I am yet to read the full book (review to come) giggles and even the odd gasp could be heard coming from the guests of the event as they read the extracts provided.

What makes this unique, from the plethora of romance novels likely to accompany us on holiday this summer, is the perspective of the protagonist as imagined by a narrator pioneering into a territory usually held by straight white women.

Romance novels as a genre have, in the past, seemed almost entirely confined to the imaginings of those who have the leisure and privilege to write them. This is a big deal.

The event in Brixton Village, hosted by Faber and Dark Matter, saw a brunch from Fish Wings & Tings; sets by local DJs; spoken word performances; nail art and craft workshops, and more.

The buzz around the book, compounded by the rumour that it has already been bought by Amazon in the biggest feature film deal of 2022, is enough for me to urge you to get yourselves a copy.

While we enjoy the intense sultriness of Emezi’s narrative, its inevitable success can hopefully carve out much needed space for more diverse perspectives in the romance genre.

Poppy Woods

Carnival 1976, Celia Martín-Pérez

As Night Follows Day, Steve Wilde

05/01/21, Amy Humphrey

BRIXTON

Bugle SPORT

‘We have a lot of love at this club’ Ollie Goodwin meets the Brixton Ballers wheelchair basketball club as they reach their tenth anniversary

2012 was a big year for London sport. That’s right: the Brixton Ballers were founded.

The Brixton Ballers are a wheelchair basketball club right here in the heart of South London.

The club’s foundation coincided with the Olympics and the Ballers are still going strong and proud. Their first team were recently crowned National League Division three champions – an impressive feat for a club that only started 10 years ago and has continued to grow and improve.

Like any good club, the Ballers are reliant on the individuals who really make it count. The tight-knit club has team spirit in abundance, down, in no small part, to the people who run the sessions week in, week out.

Austin Kentebe has worked as a coach for the Ballers since the beginning. “Coach K”, as he’s better known, has worked across the coaching profession. starting with a passion for basketball and at his child’s school.

As his career progressed, he came across the Brixton Ballers. “I’d been playing basketball since I was 11 years old and I’d never even heard of wheelchair basketball,” he says. “It was amazing to be honest, and I haven’t looked back.

“We have a lot of love at this club. People come once and stick around. I’ve had players since they were nine and they’re now 19, 20. We’re a big family. Everyone that joins is treated like family, your problems become our problems.”

Wheelchair basketball has different elements to the running game. “A lot of the time it’s about working on what people can do, rather than what they can’t,” says Austin.

“The idea of ‘going to the doctors’ is always negative. You go to the doctors when something’s wrong. What I do is try and look at it differently – get people thinking about what they can do.

“Most basketballers have things that they can’t do. They can’t shoot, or see things on the court, so I try to break it down like that. It really isn’t that different when you get down to it.”

Involvement is a huge part of what the Ballers do. It’s about encouraging people to get involved,

Chamberlain ready

Brixton boxer Isaac Chamberlain takes the ring against Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth on 30 July.

The cruiserweight (91 kilos) fight in Billam-Smith’s home town, dubbed the Battle on the Beach, is a crucial match for both boxers, who have evenly matched and equally impressive records, and will be shown on Sky. Billam-Smith recently unified the British, Commonwealth, and European titles, while Chamberlain knocked out Dilan Prasovic in the first round of his most recent fight at the Crystal Palace sports centre last December.

A victory for Chamberlain could open the way to a rematch with the only man to beat him to date – the current WBO world champion Lawrence Okolie, who defeated him on points in February 2018.

Chamberlain said: “This is a massive opportunity and I want to give a huge shout to my manager Mick Hennessey for sticking with me all these years, along with my trainers. Now we’re on Sky, we’re back in the big time and I’m ready to show everyone this is a different Isaac to the one they’ve seen before.”

no matter where they’re from, whatever their ability or disability.

Encouraging people to come down and give it a go is a very important part. The club prides itself on being diverse. Open to people from all walks of life. No matter the disability and background, the ethos is to be open and accepting.

“Early on, I went to a major tournament and I noticed that there was a real lack of representation,” says Austin.

“That’s why we wanted to start something in South London. We wanted to make sure our sessions were accessible for people with, or even without, disabilities, no matter the economic or ethnic background.

“I was given the opportunity to help coach on the GB pathway, but I prefer the grass roots.

“My thing was helping push through kids of colour. You don’t see Black kids, you don’t see people from the Asian community represented,” Austin told me.

Percy Hutchful has also been a Baller right from the start. He began coaching and helping at sessions way back in 2012 and told me a bit about the club’s setup and its roots here in Brixton.

“I’ve been in South London pretty much my whole life,” he told me. “It was hard enough to find a youth club when I was growing up, let alone something of this kind of nature!”

“It’s great for people to have an outlet from their everyday lives. They can let off a bit of steam.

“It can do so much, just breaking the routine

Khadijah scholarship

of going to the hospitals or the doctors – it helps them forget about all that.”

Through the years the ballers have continued to grow. They have each others’ backs and, when it comes to game time, nothing else matters apart from picking up the points.

“Let’s not get it twisted, I love to win!” says Austin. “We like to say in sport winning isn’t important. But it is important. It’s the way it makes you feel.

“You want to win when you’re working this hard. I mean, we’ve really grafted. You have home games, you have away games, injuries.

“They play hard. When you work that hard, I believe you deserve something at the end of it.

If you play well enough you get a medal. If you don’t, you don’t. That’s sport.

You don’t get anything for just working hard.

The teams win, simple as that.”

Becoming champions of any league is tough.

There will be games you have no right to win. But Percy and Austin have the side set up and have big hopes for the future.

“We have some great players.” Percy told me.

“Players we really hope can go on and play in the GB setup. But we just need to keep supporting them and progressing along the way.”

As we head into next season the vibes are good at the Ballers and they will be hoping the success continues.

But there is no doubt that the community and love shared at this club will continue to grow, no matter what.

A scholarship named for Khadijah Mellah, the first British Muslim woman to win a UK horse race, who began riding 10 years ago at Brixton’s Ebony Horse Club, is now in its second year.

The Riding A Dream Academy, set up following Khadijah’s historic success, is expanding its offering following a successful pilot year with funding from the Racing Foundation.

It supports talented young riders aged 14-18 from under-represented and diverse ethnic communities.

The academy runs a residential week to provide an introduction to horse racing, as well as the Khadijah Mellah Scholarship which runs over a year.

Both are delivered by the British Racing School in Newmarket.

Dulwich lose again Dulwich cricket club remained just one place above bottom in the A J Fordham Surrey league first division as their season continued to go badly with a heavy loss against leaders Cranleigh.

They gained just two points from the game in which Cranleigh ran up 255 for 7 in 57 overs before reducing Dulwich to 129 all out in 51.

Dulwich have won only one of their nine games in the league so far.

They were just five points above bottom-place Stoke D’Abernon with their next game, away against Chipstead Coulsdon and Walcountians, on Saturday 9 July.