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Mamma Mia! Meet the Italians of Brixton p 9
Which popular cafe has relocated? News p 7
Edition 18 FREE
February 2014
Council cuts police fund BY KAYE WIGGINS
Lambeth council has unveiled plans to cut half a million pounds in funding for police community support officers (PCSOs) as part of a tough plan to slash its budget by £25m in the next year. Under the proposals, which are set out in the council’s draft budget, council tax will remain frozen for a sixth year but services including debt advice, arts funding and rubbish collection will be cut back. The council will end a £530,000 contract which pays the salaries of 23 PCSOs, mainly based in Brixton.
Cllr Jack Hopkins, cabinet member for safer and stronger communities, told the Bugle: “There could be a reduction in PCSO presence in Brixton. Every cut is a worry and we know that seeing uniformed officers on the street is really important, but why should we be subsidising police cuts?” However, Lambeth borough commander Matt Bell said although the council is cutting funding the officers would not leave the Lambeth area: “The PCSOs in question will remain in the borough targeting anti-social behaviour, preventing crime and making our streets safer.”
WORRY: Cllr Jack Hopkins said the council should be subsidising the police
‘PCSOs will stay in Lambeth’ Matt Bell
Lee Jasper, from the Community Police Consultative Group, told The Bugle it would be ‘crazy’ to cut PCSOs in Brixton. He added: “In these tough economic circumstances there’s an increase in acquisitive crime so it’s a false economy to be cutting police presence. “It’ll cost the council more to tackle the crime than it would to pay for the PCSOs.” Other cuts proposed in the council’s draft budget include reviewing the posts of all staff working with vulnerable children, in a bid to save £1.2m. The council will also reduce its advice and debt support services. Its draft budget says there will be “greater focus on preventing problems and intervening early before debt and arrears become unmanageable.” It will cut £110,000 from arts groups and aim to save just under £4m by reducing its own layers of management and its workforce costs. The council’s proposals will be voted on at a meeting at Lambeth Town Hall on February 26.
How the flood boosted Herne Hill community
Six months after a burst water main left parts of Herne Hill under a metre of water, we meet the traders forced to rebuild their business from scratch. Focus: p11-14
INSIDE...
in conjunction with the Herne Hill Forum
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
News The Brixton Bugle & BrixtonBlog.com are edited in Brixton by Zoe Jewell and Tim Dickens. Both the website and newspaper are published by a not-for-profit community organisation. It’s run by a committed team of people from Brixton. Brixton Blog and Bugle The Piano Club 9 Brighton Terrace SW9 8DJ » Tel 020 3730 1312 » @brixtonblog » @brixton_bugle » www.brixtonblog.com Circulation: 10,000 copies Readership: circa 15,000 For advertising enquiries contact Tous Davy: ads @brixtonblog.com Tel: 07507 150 701 NEWS newsdesk@brixtonblog.com DEPUTY EDITORS Luke Massey Kaye Wiggins politics@brixtonblog.com
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Ritzy staff fight for fair pay BY ZOE JEWELL
Staff at Brixton’s Ritzy cinema are campaigning for a London Living Wage, claiming that the wage policies of the Picturehouses company do not chime with its ethical public image. Ritzy staff are paid £7.24 an hour, while the London Living Wage now stands at £8.80 an hour and is calculated on the cost of living in the city. The Living Wage was raised to £8.80 in November and in fact staff members of BECTU, the broadcasting union, have been negotiating with owners Picturehouse Ltd to only be paid the rate set before November, £8.55 an hour. Talks mediated through the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) will start up again on February 14. Reps from the Ritzy staff said that they could not comment until those talks had taken place. A leaflet distributed in support of the campaign states: “Recently bought out by Cineworld, the Ritzy is one of the highest grossing Picturehouse cinemas. Pitching themselves as an ethical enterprise, they host the Human
CULTURE Barney Evison Ruth Waters arts@brixtonblog.com FOOD Miss South Lindsay Faller food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Laura Dickinson newsdesk@brixtonblog.com
ISSUE EIGHTEEN
Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Reporters: Laurice Laird, Rahima Fitzwilliam-Hall, Will Bedingfield Tom O’Neill Photography: Alistair Hall, Antonio Sansica Cartoons / Illustrations: Kaylene Alder, Tim Bird Pam Williams, Sam le Mort Crossword: Josie Gardiner Ad design: Kitty Walker Proofreading: Kieron Faller Columnists: Ms Bennet, Alison Alexander A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success.
CONTENDER: Amna Ahmad
Production company Acme is looking for Brixtonites to take part in an exciting listening history project on 1970s’ Brixton. They would like to speak with anyone to share their memories or pictures from the time. Listening booths will be stationed at The Brix, St Matthews Church, from February 4-7, 10am-5pm. For more information call 020 3056 7605.
SHORTLIFE BONUS Rights Film Festival, sell fair-trade chocolate and support charities, whilst not currently paying a living wage to their staff ”. Rhys Moore, director of the London Living Wage Foundation, gave his support to the campaign. “This is the staff locally picking this up and running with it. In other areas where we’ve had success, especially with organisations like the Ritzy, which has a local customer base, it’s very helpful to draw on local people’s support. From the point of view of the London Living Wage Foundation, if there are readers of the Brixton Blog and Bugle who think this is
the right thing to do then I would encourage them to write to the Picturehouse company.” The number of employers signing up to paying the Living Wage has increased dramatically over the past 18 months, going from just 40 companies to 520. “It’s about putting wages back in the picture”, said Rhys Moore. “Companies that do have an ethical reputation and are in many other ways leading businesses often have this Achilles heel that has been forgotten.” When contacted, the Picturehouse’s press office was not able to comment and we await their response to this matter.
Lib Dems name Chuka challenger
FEATURES Keith John Lewis features@brixtonblog.com
HERE IN THE ‘70s?
The Liberal Democrat party has chosen Amna Ahmad as its candidate to stand for Chuka Umunna’s Parliamentary seat in next year’s general election. Ahmad, who grew up in south London and lives on Brixton Hill, will fight to be elected as MP for Streatham. Umunna, who currently holds the seat, has risen up the Labour Party ranks since being elected in 2010 and is now the party’s Shadow Business Secretary. Ahmad, who stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate for a council seat in the Tulse Hill by-election last summer but then lost out to Labour’s Mary Atkins, was chosen as a prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) in a ballot of party members. She said: “I have a first-hand
understanding of the issues affecting our area – including housing, transport and the economy – because they are the same issues which have affected me and my family over the years.” “Local people deserve a local MP who will really work to build a stronger economy and a fairer society. As your candidate I will do just that.” Umunna won the seat in 2010’s general election with 3,259 more votes than Liberal Democrat Chris Nicholson, winning 42.8% of the vote compared with Nicholson’s 35.8%. The general election is due to be held on May 7 2015. The Streatham constituency runs from the town hall in Brixton down to Streatham Vale and across as far as Clapham Common.
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Lambeth council budget papers reveal that it expects to raise nearly £27m this year from the sale of ‘shortlife’ housing. This includes £16.7m from the sale of homes on Rushcroft Road, following evictions that saw police clash with squatters.
£4M COLLEGE PLAN Lambeth College has secured almost £4m in funding to begin the Phase 2 redevelopment of its Clapham Centre. This will allow for the completion of the multi-million-pound Learning Street facility which will help support the curriculum. The Government aims to increase employability by 2015, focusing mainly on younster’s skills.
NIGHT MARKET The second Windrush Square night market is set to take place at the end of this month. Stalls will be set up on February 28 and March 1 from 5pm until 11pm. Follow @Brixtonnightmkt on Twitter.
MISSING RING The owner of a missing wedding ring has appealed to Brixton Bugle readers to help her find it. Rita lost her silver ring before Christmas, and thinks it may be in Brockwell Park. If you think you’ve seen it, call Brixton Bugle on 020 3730 1312.
MOGGY’S TRIP A missing Brixton cat has been found, four miles away in Victoria. Zain, who featured in our Missing Moggies last month, was found north of the river before vets checked his microchip. Owner Helen told the Bugle: “I don’t know. Maybe he got on the Tube!”
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
News MOST BURGLED Herne Hill and Tulse Hill postcode SE24 is the most burgled in London, according to research by MoneySuperMarket.com The website claimed the area, with a reported 41.8 burglary claims per thousand, was second in the UK only to Manchester’s M21. The site warned that homes in areas with higher burglary rates may be liable to higher premiums.
WOMAN SAVED A woman was rescued by firefighters from a blaze in Tindal Street, Brixton, on January 24. Two crews from Brixton Fire Station donned breathing apparatus to save the woman from the burning flat at about 8.15pm. She was treated for smoke inhalation.
BROCKWELL VIDS Brockwell Park has been given the chance to shine in a series of short videos on Brixton Blog about groups that use it. The films, made by Blog editor Zoe Jewell, feature the Lido’s winter swimmers, early morning dog walkers and runners. www.brixtonblog.com/Brockwell
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Twitter helps family find missing Grandad BY LAURICE LAIRD
A Brixton family has praised the value of social media after being reunited with their missing grandfather. James Fuller, 78, from Brixton - who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s - disappeared on January 16, sparking a widespread hunt. Following a huge campaign on Facebook and Twitter launched by one of his grandchildren, James was found four days later and admitted to hospital. Granddaughter Shanteh Fuller, 22, told the The Brixton Bugle: “I was quite shocked and overwhelmed by the response I received on Twitter. It was such a surreal thing to know that complete strangers actually had a genuine concern about the whereabouts of our Grandad.” The appeal reached worldwide proportions, with the public helping to raise awareness. Ms Fuller was surprised to receive such a great response: “I don’t think I ever imagined the reaction to be like that at all. I just thought that posting the appeal on social media
REUNITED: James Fuller back with his grandchildren may have helped a little bit in an otherwise dire situation.” There was support received from the local Brixton community in response to the appeal. “The Brixton community was amazing. They put
up appeals in the local papers, updated their local authority websites, they allowed us to post flyers everywhere... I believe Brixton is more united than we believe and what it is portrayed to be like in the media.
Bless Grandad, he’s completely unaware of the scale of the situation! He didn’t even realise how long he had been away for. But he’s doing well and is being well looked after in a local care home.”
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
News
www.brixtonblog.com
Mixed reaction to bin schemes Residents have given a mixed reception to new restrictions to their rubbish collections. Lambeth council have hailed the move as a great success, saying the arrangements have led to rubbish being reduced by 20 per cent. More than 80,000 homes in the borough had 240-litre bins replaced by 140-litre versions. They were also given food waste bins for the first time. Cllr Imogen Walker, cabinet member for the environment, thanked residents for showing commitment to recycling: “They have really embraced this new scheme. I use the service myself and I was amazed at how much food I wasted and how much more I have ended up recycling. “The roll-out means we have been able to keep weekly waste collections, and can still save money at a time when budgets and council services are under huge pressure.” The council estimates the restrictions will save £2 million per year. When The Bugle asked for readers’ comments on the changes we were inundated with responses on social media and by email. Marion Cronin criticised the new arrangements: “Whilst I appreciate the aim to reduce general waste and encourage recycling, to be left with one small
Cllr Imogen Walker, above, warning signs, right and food wastebins wheelie bin for three households is quite unreasonable.” But resident Bill Holden welcomes the change: “It’s great for the kids to learn about being responsible and it is making a huge difference to us.” Alice Hamilton said: “We had two large bins replaced with one small bin that is supposed to cater for all three flats. It’s really not sufficient. When we have to stack the rubbish bags in a pile on the open bin they tell us that we are not leaving it correctly and they will not collect our rubbish if we do it again.”
Rec meeting Brixton Recreation Centre users will get the chance to share what they think should be improved at the leisure centre at a workshop on February 8. The Rec is part of the ‘masterplan’ for the future of Brixton Central (see p.6). A survey is being carried out to identify what work needs to be done. The results of this will be delivered in April and suggestions for changes to the building will start from there. The Brixton Rec Users Group has organised an event on Saturday February 8 from 2-4pm to collate opinions on what should be done to make the centre serve the community better. It was previously suggested that the Recreation Centre could be demolished to make way for flats and a smaller leisure centre. However, after an angry public meeting in 2012, it will now be “retained and refurbished”. For more information visit www. brixtonrec-usergroup.co.uk
£1,000 fine for stray bin bags
People in central Brixton could bag a £1,000 fine if they fail to put bin bags out at the right time. The rules affect part of Brixton Road, Coldharbour Lane and Stockwell Road and come into force on February 26. Under the scheme household rubbish bags may only be placed out on the street from 7-8am and 5.30pm-8.30pm on any day.
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News
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Row erupts over free school BY TIM DICKENS
Anger is mounting over plans for a ‘Catholic ethos’ free school, set to open in Brixton Hill in September. The Trinity Academy, a school free from council control, will open its doors on part of Lambeth College’s Brixton Hill campus. Under plans announced last month, it will accept pupils of all faiths from two catchment areas, one based on Clapham Clock Tower, and the other based on Brixton Hill. The plans have attracted criticism from local councillors and some residents who say secondary school places are not needed, and that the Academy will have a negative effect on other schools in Brixton and Lambeth.
HEAD: Trinity’s Ben Thompson
Labour Lambeth councillor Edward Davie said: “Trinity is not needed or wanted by the council, the Catholic diocese or existing local schools which are doing an outstanding job in educating our children of all faiths and none. “Trinity claims to be providing a service but actually this academy would bleed resources and pupils from Lambeth’s existing schools which Ofsted rates as being the eighth best in the entire country.” Dennis Sewell, writer and chairman of the school’s trustees, said: “The fact is that in 2013 no fewer than 42 per cent of the first preferences for secondary school of Lambeth-resident children were for schools in other boroughs. “When nearly half of your families would prefer to go somewhere else, there’s clearly something they want that Lambeth’s not offering. Trinity Academy plans to make the kind of academically rigorous education that parents are willing to have their kids cross London for available much closer to home.” Local MP Chuka Umunna has refused to come out in support for or against the school. He told the Blog last month: “I will be meeting with those involved, including to discuss the concerns that have
been raised – the education of our local people is of paramount importance and we want the very best for local pupils.” Commenting on Brixton Blog, resident Ian Townson said: “The establishment of a ‘free school’ on the Brixton campus of Lambeth College must be resisted. The local community, parents, students, teachers, members of staff and Lambeth Council should have been consulted about the establishment of this ‘free school’.” One comment in support of the school, by C Brown, said: “Trinity Academy gives priority to children on free school meals and pupil premium, so they’re clearly not into cherry-picking socially.” Trinity Academy is currently holding a consultation of local residents and parents. They held a drop-in event at the Brix at St Matthews, Brixton, on January 27. A second event will be held on February 12 at Clapham College, Clapham from 5pm until 7pm. The statutory consultation ends on February 17. www.trinityacademylondon.org For and Against a new free school on Brixton Hill. See comment, page 9
newsdesk@brixtonblog.com
CONCRETE: Pic from usvsth3m.com
Concrete chaos: Victoria Line shut down by ‘flood’ bungle Commuters trying to get home on the Victoria Line were stuck fast when bungling engineers poured quick-drying concrete into a control room in a Victoria control box. Transport for London closed the line from Warren Street to Brixton on January 23, initially blaming ‘flooding’. But photographs soon emerged of wet concrete swamping relay equipment. The Victoria Line’s director of operations, Peter McNaught, responded: “Our engineers have worked tirelessly through the night
and have successfully repaired the damaged signalling equipment. A good service is now operating across the Victoria Line. “We again apologise to our customers who were affected by the disruption.” The concrete was being used by contractors who are building a major upgrade to Victoria station. On a somewhat brighter note, Ray Armfield tweeted: “They reckon the line will still be closed in the morning - but nothing’s set in stone yet...”
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
News
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New masterplan for Brixton town centre
Lambeth council and Network Rail have appointed architects to help draw up a new masterplan for central Brixton. The council and rail company are major landowners in central Brixton, and say they want local people to help with proposals for its regeneration. The area was described as a ‘major area for growth and investment in the town centre’ in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).
Brixton Central includes Station Road, The Recreation Centre, Pope’s Road ice rink site and the numerous arches in Valentia Place. A spokesman for Lambeth council explained: “The masterplan development brief will detail the type of development and public space we want in the area, as well as how it should be delivered. Wider engagement with local people will take place in the summer, with the study finishing in the autumn.”
Working closely with the Brixton Rec User Group (BRUG), the council is also commissioning additional survey and capacity work for Brixton Rec, to understand the nature and scale of improvements needed. This will include looking at how the building could be further modernised to meet future leisure demand in the area, as well as the potential to improve its overall energy efficiency. Two firms, Fluid Architects and AECOM, have been enlisted to help come up with the plan. They have now begun setting up a “local reference group” to help with the brief ahead of wider community engagement. The SPD builds on The Future Brixton Masterplan, completed in 2009. It provides detailed guidance on key potential developments across the centre. More information about the proposals will be published on the Future Brixton website and via the Future Brixton mailing list. futurebrixton.org
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Suspected burglar caught on fox-cam Cameras which were set up to record urban foxes by a member of the BBC Springwatch team have instead caught a suspected burglar in the act. Police have released a still image from the footage, showing a man jumping over a fence and making off across the garden at 3.45am on January 12. There had earlier been a burglary at a neighbouring house in Hollingbourne Road, Herne Hill.
The camera had been set up by presenter Simon King to provide a live stream to his website. Officers have asked for help identifying the man in connection with the break-in. Anyone with information should contact PC Marie Hamilton on 020 7232 7060, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. You can see the footage online at www.brixtonblog.com
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News
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Lease of life for urban park BY RAHIMA FITZWILLIAM-HALL
A small park in Loughborough Junction has been given a new lease of life, as home to an environmental education project. The scheme at Elam Street Open Space will be getting the community involved in the development of the site through fun and practical activities like wildflower meadow creation, plant ID workshops, hedgerow-laying and general site improvements. The Brixton-based not-for-profit One Planet Ventures have been awarded funds to deliver the project, which they say will ensure the park’s development as a wellused play and learning space. John Cannel, the project manager, explained: “If we focus on wild food, we’re increasing the variety of plantlife on the site, improving the biodiversity, while providing something educational, interesting and edible.” The site will also be used to hold
‘Forest School’ sessions with free, fun outdoor sessions for children like fire building, outdoor cooking and bug hotel construction. The scheme will be partnering up with Lambeth council and other local projects (including Loughborough Junction Farm, Brixton Remakery and Invisible
Brixton illustrated Alfie Howard, Town Crier
Food) to deliver the activities, which will be free and open to the public with a special emphasis on families with young children. Elam Street Open Space events will take place every weekend from early February until June. elamstopenspace.wordpress.com
Phoenix Cafe rises again A popular Brixton cafe reopened last week in a new location. The Phoenix Cafe, which has been on Coldharbour Lane since 1928, has moved 50 yards down the road to 395 Coldharbour Lane, a few doors from the Dogstar Pub. Owner Soner Hassan said he
made the move to allow for substantial refurb of the former site. He told the Bugle: “We want to keep serving our customers the best possible food, and now in nice modern surroundings too.” The new cafe has an outdoor seating area and customer toilets.
This month’s illustration was suggested by Cate Mason and is Brixtonite Alfie Howard, Lambeth Town Crier from 1945 to 2006. He is renowned for being a colourful and charming local character. Cate will receive a free print of the illo. Tweet your suggestions to @kpictures for next month’s notable Brixtonite. See more of Kaylene Alder’s beautiful Brixton illustrations at www.kaylenealder.com
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Letters
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YOUR TWEETS
My Secret Brixton
Some of your #Brixton tweets: @jrbatesonartist First class fish mongers in Atlantic road, LS Mash and Son, Long serving members of Brixton community @smileysperson @BrockwellLido Brrr. Went in at 3 degrees on Monday. Superb. Next time I’m wearing a hat..
Jo Tobias @joannatobias ‘A good service is running on all London Underground lines....oh how I laugh!’ @baytreeyouth Is English your second language? Get free extra support at Baytree! Girls 10-19 yrs 02077335283
Laurice Laird
Join the conversation in #Brixton by Tweeting us @BrixtonBlog or @Brixton_Bugle
More to school story than meets the eye We, the National Autistic Society, got funding at the same time as Trinity to open a secondary school for children on the autism spectrum in September 2014. Our key educational partner is Lambeth College and our number one choice of site was Lambeth College. We weren’t told of the purchase or plans until we asked the question. In a meeting with the EfA, Lambeth made it clear that they didn’t have a need for a mainstream secondary on the site, but the decision had clearly been made. We are told that its not ‘value for money’ although they might give us a small space for post 16s. In the meantime, they are considering a derelict site by a railway line for our children. We have the full support of Lambeth to open our school. Fleur Bothwick, via email
YOUR PICTURES: Windrush Square in the morning fog Big thanks this month to Martha Love, who sent us this atmospheric shot of Brixtonites making their way to work on a chilly winter’s morning
newsdesk@brixtonblog.com Ritzy wrangling ‘Catholic ethos’ is not for all
This is barely believable. £7.24 an hour where rents are creeping up to £2,000 a month? How is the company getting away with it? Why do staff put up with it? Why do patrons put up with it, come to that? There can’t be many more supportive audiences for the workforce than the Ritzy’s. If the company won’t negotiate a fair wage they should go on strike. I’m certain the patrons would support them and it would be quickly over. Tim Gopsill, online
The
Any school not directly selecting on faith or ability should be praised BUT – Even without specific religious selection, a “catholic ethos” will not welcome the whole community – any families of strong other “ethos” will not apply – this is entirely unnecessary in a borough already divided by the quantity of christian faith schools – my family would be fine because we’re atheists but clearly some whole faith groups will be deterred from applying.
I want my children to go to a school of all faiths and none – a specific religious ethos does not accomplish this – I worry that this tallies with the poor choice of an all white (mostly blond and blue eyed) prospectus. It seems to me that a group of families don’t want to invest in Lambeth academy or Evelyn Grace so engineering a suitable alternative to compete (definitely compete) and having an “ethos” helps the engineering. Michelle, online
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by numbers
»23 police community officers in Brixton to be cut by the council »ONE suspected burglar spotted by BBC Springwatch cameras »SIX months after a burst water main left Herne Hill shops under a metre of water »£8.55 per hour is what Ritzy staff want to be paid, the ‘living wage’ »£1000 fine if you put your bin bags out at the wrong time in part of Brixton »20 years of San Marino, opened by Mario Schifano »23 cm is the diameter of our macaroni pie on page 19 »100 squats 100 squats at Brixton Tube before a race to Leicester Sq on Feb 8
Not content with being crowned Fastest Woman in Brixton in 2013, Laurice is also a contributor to Brixton Blog & Bugle. Here she shares her five Brixton hideouts...
Upstairs at the Ritzy
As you ascend the stairs it’s almost like a VIP experience - you’re not sure what awaits you, but you know its something special. Standing on the wood floored balcony looking down over the people of Brixton offers a period of calm reflection. A view you wouldn’t usually have, tea in hand.
Hootananny
With such an eclectic mix of events you may not be quite sure of what’s going on, but when a friendly face soon greets you and a beverage soon relaxes you, it’s then that you gain a sense of the Hootananny experience.
Windrush Square
The pit stop between the high street and the library complete with outdoor seating and water fountain. A communal resting place as you decide your next move. Hmm, should I go to McDonald’s? Return my library book? Or hop on a bus and see where it takes me.
The Prince of Wales
A classy pub presenting a well lit, high ceiling affair which offers a light and free feel to it, making for a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. The choice of food, a full bar and funky music, seems ideal for informal dining.
Blue Turtle Oasis
The quirky new addition to Loughborough Junction family is this latest café/ coffee shop. Big enough to meet a friend for lunch, but small enough to become acquainted with who’s behind the till. If blue is your favourite colour, go here.
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Comment & Analysis
www.brixtonblog.com
The Brixton Blog and Bugle Est. 2012
In our work at the Brixton Bugle, we spend a lot of time poring over planning applications, discussing consultations, and putting pressure on the council to make sure that local people have as much influence on decisions as possible. So it was extraordinary to find out that, cutting through all local decision-making processes and without asking even Lambeth council first, the coalition government approved a whole new school for Brixton Hill. The discussion we are having now, as detailed on page 5, should have been had before, not after, we found out that a new free school with a ‘Catholic ethos’ is coming to the area. Cllr Heywood tells us that Lambeth is pushed for primary spaces not secondary, while others complain that the school will be able to set its own admissions rules. Some of the arguments for and against the free school are on the right of this page. And please send your thoughts in to @BrixtonBlog on Twitter or info@brixtonblog.com. Alfie Howard’s voice singing “Oyez, Oyez” used to call out on my street regularly during my childhood. Once, because he was such a wellknown face in the area, I asked for (and got) his autograph on my way home from school. I still have it now. There are many people in Brixton now who won’t remember Alfie, Lambeth’s town crier from 1945 until 2006. He seemed to belong to a bygone age, but his daily presence brought a lot of pleasure to people to the people he shared news and gossip with; and that’s still something we want today. We were really pleased to see Alfie remembered in this month’s illustration from Kaylene Alder. Examples of local communal action today are not hard to find here in Brixton. We hear how Twitter users helped a family find their missing granddad (page 3), report on the Ritzy staff fighting for a living wage (page 2), and Luke Massey investigates the impact of last year’s flood on Herne Hill businesses. And we welcome Alison Alexander, the brilliant and driven Head Gardener at the Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses, as our new gardening columnist.
The site for the new Trinity Academy
Is a ‘Catholic’ free school a good thing for Brixton Hill?
YES NO
DENNIS SEWELL CHAIR OF TRUSTEES TRINITY ACADEMY
It is easy to ensure that your children get a good education if you are rich. If you are seriously rich, and can afford school fees, a whole world of choice opens up to you. Others, who are not quite so well off, use their economic power to move into the catchment of a very good state school. Estate agents know which schools perform well and house prices in the streets around those schools attract a premium. This excludes families from disadvantaged backgrounds and a large number of moderately affluent families too. Plenty of people in good jobs would struggle to afford properties in the catchments of the best schools around south London. They may be permitted to express six preferences, but many will know they haven’t got a prayer of their children accessing the best and most popular schools, so what kind of choice is that? Trinity Academy aims to make the kind of high-quality education that currently only the well-off can be sure of obtaining open to all, irrespective of income or background. The school will serve a wide area of SW London including Clapham, Brixton, Balham and nearby districts. We will give preference for up to one third of our places to families qualifying for the Pupil Premium. Our admissions rules are designed to ensure Trinity never becomes one of those socially segregated schools whose catchments are measured in hundreds of yards. Trinity will focus on academic excellence, with pupils studying a wide range of traditional academic subjects throughout their time in the school. We will go well beyond the national curriculum, broadening and deepening students’ knowledge and cultural literacy and closing the achievement gap between the affluent and the less affluent. Our aim is simple: to give all our pupils, whatever their background, an education every bit as good as that the sharp-elbowed better off always seem to secure for their kids. This may discomfort vested interests: the unions, some councillors and education bureaucrats, but it is what parents consistently tell us is what they want and need.
SARA TOMLINSON LAMBETH REP NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS
Free schools are an important part of Gove’s vision for education. There are only 174 free schools open in the country and yet one is mired in a fraud scandal involving the national Tory vice chair who was ex chair of governors, one has closed after only 4 years, leaving parents, children and staff in chaos, one has just failed an Ofsted for the second time and another is set to see strike action this week, Thursday 30th Jan, over a zero hours contract. In Brixton there have been many campaigns to build new secondary schools. In the past these have involved massive consultations with parents over years, gathering opinions, working with the local authority and with local schools to work out where schools are needed. And yet this project has come from nowhere, with consultation happening after the announcement that the school would open. It is a school that is not supported by the local council, nor by other schools, and not by the Catholic diocese despite calling itself a Catholic school. The school held its first ‘consultation’ this week. The first one which was open to all was attended by around ten people, of whom 9 expressed serious concerns and objections. These included a local chair of governors, concerned local residents and a local councillor. There was concern that the school was allowed to set up with two locations for admissions including Clapham clock tower. Why can a school pick the wealthiest part of the borough as the centre of its admission? And how will such a school affect the traffic on Brixton Hill, already an accident black spot. Free schools are part of Gove’s project to break up state education and allow the private sector access to profit making opportunities. The huge concern for many is that the proposed school will compete with local schools. There must be a system where schools are planned and overseen by a democratic body and that ensures that schools are put where the need is the greatest. Brixton needs to expand its further education. Not reduce it, so the college site is not suitable for a school. The site does not have space for one free school with sports or recreational activities let alone a college and four free schools. It is time to re-think this project.
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Feature
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The Italians of Brixton BY ANTONELLA PILATO PICS: ANTONIO SANSICA
When Mario Schifano opened his coffee shop San Marino on Brixton Station Road 20 years ago, he did so because “it was impossible to drink a good espresso in the area.” Now, of course, there’s a coffee shop on every corner, but there’s been another change too. On Station Road, where Portugese cafes sit next to jerk chicken stands and Arabian delis, San Marino is the centre of a growing community of Italians in Brixton. “I’ve got a lot of Italian customers who come to the bar even though they live somewhere else. We’re a big family here”, he says. Mario, whose café is always full to bursting with post-Rec sweaty sports fans, friends meeting for a coffee and freelancers on their laptops, gets three or four Italians leaving their CV at the café every day. The Italians in Brixton we spoke to have been attracted to the area by its warmth of character, its sense of community and, of course, its market. Paola Sibilia, from Turin, owns Casa Sibilia in Granville Arcade and has lived here for five years. “I found that here there were real street markets with fruit, veg, meat and fish stalls like in Italy. Then I noticed the mix of different cultures – not just Italians, Spaniards and French like in East London – and I loved that”, she said. “In Brixton people help each other. When I opened the restaurant it was empty and a neighbor, who was refurbishing his flat, gave me his old kitchen stuff. At that time there were few stall holders in the ‘Village’ but a lot of team spirit among us. If any of us needed a pot or ran out of ingredients there was always someone ready to help. It’s still like that and that’s why I don’t think I’ll leave Brixton,” she exclaimed with a big smile.
Lisa Palla, 30, is a bartender from the island of Elba and squatted in Brixton for several years. She loves the area because “it’s like living in a little town, where all the people know each other and you really feel part of a community. “If someone asked me to live anywhere else, even in Italy, I would answer no because Brixton is my home,” she said. But there’s one thing that might put a stopper on the growth of this blossoming migration from “the boot” to Brixton – rising rents.
Andrea Falletta, 28, photographer and swimming instructor from Rome, has changed flats ten times during his two years in London, but when he moved to Brixton a year ago he was sure he would settle there. “I found a cheap and beautiful house on Brixton Hill and I immediately fell in love with it. I found that the neighborhood was amazing as well, so lively and full of colours and with a great, vibrant atmosphere,” he said. But then the landlord wanted his
flat back and Andrea was forced to rent a room in a remote part of the city, because he could not find anything affordable in Brixton. “I’ve just moved to the new flat but I’m still looking for a room in Brixton and if I found it I would go back tomorrow. Anyway I will keep going there to swim at Brixton Recreation Centre and listen to jazz at The Effra Hall Tavern,” he added. Chiara Albanese, 28, from Rome, reporter at The Wall Street Journal, after three years in Brixton is now
looking to buy a flat in the area. She said: “I’d like to set up home here but it’s not easy with these prices. I feel at home more in Brixton then in London. Living here makes you feel part of a family. Everyone is welcome and nobody is discriminated. People enjoy staying on the street, talking each other, socialising and this remind me Italy. I think Italians will invade Brixton when they ‘discover’ it.”
LITTLE ITALY: Clockwise from top: The Schifano family at San Marino, Paula Sibilia, Andrea Falletta and Chiara Albanese.
www.antoniosansica.com
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
In Focus
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After the flood
How the waters brought Herne Hill together IN FOCUS By Luke Massey Additional reporting: Will Bedingfield
The summer of 2013 will be seared onto the memories of many for the scorching heatwave which made park-lounging in a 30°C heat seem commonplace and produced the sharpest rise in workplace shirking since the Olympics. But for residents and shop owners in Herne Hill, it wasn’t the soaring temperatures which were historic. It was the surreal and destructive scenes which saw Half Moon Lane and the centre of Herne Hill transfigured into a south London Venice, when an 88-year-old water main burst. The dawn flooding surged into the streets to create a metre-deep river, on which rescue crews sailed as local businesses and residents reeled from the shock of damage to stock and building interiors. Thames Water accepted responsibility for the damage, with reports putting the cost at around £4 million. While the catastrophe brought national headlines, the media’s attention was predictably fleeting once the bizarre spectacle of an urban river lost its lustre. But almost 6 months on, some of the affected businesses have yet to reopen: livelihoods remain fragile in this previously thriving suburb of London. The impact of a hollowed-out high street is that even for those who have managed to reopen - stomaching the emotional, physical and financial cost - footfall in the area is said to have decreased due to the reduction in shops seeing customers drift elsewhere. Southwark Council wrote to Thames Water in October 2013, asking them to match the £100,000 it had set aside to assist affected businesses. Councillor Peter John wrote: ‘If Thames Water matched the £100k contribution, it would make a big impact and help return Herne Hill to its former glory. This gesture would demon-
strate how committed Thames Water is to repairing the damage caused by its burst water main, not just to the buildings, but to the life and soul of the area.’ Thames Water agreed, as a ‘gesture of goodwill’. We spoke to business-owners in the area to find out exactly how they’re coping and to investigate the legacy of the flood. Tapas restaurant Number 22 (you can guess where it is on Half Moon Lane) had been established in the area for close to a decade prior to the flood. It remains closed. Owner Chris Adnitt tells me that ‘everything had to go.’ And he means it. From wine and stock through to all of the business’s equipment: ‘We’ve had to write Continued on p 12
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Herne Hill
After the £4M flood: ‘The first Continued from p 11
Pic: Lizzie Walsh/Facebook
off almost all of our equipment (fridges, ice machine, catering equipment, furniture, the bar itself...) as well as all the stock we were carrying.’ The whole ground floor, rear storage room and basement have had to be ‘stripped out, dried out and rebuilt’, says Chris. ‘It’s unlikely we’ll be open before April’. ‘The first three days after the flood were very dark times,’ says Ben Kindred, of Kindred Bakery (23 Half Moon Lane). ‘It was like: how do we get over this?’ As a baker used to early rises, he was already in the shop at 5am - the time of the flood. He describes how what they first thought was just a leak which would ‘trickle down into the gutter’ transformed into a tsunami. It started to come in so we barricaded the door’ he says laughing, ‘flour floats you know?!’ ‘Literally, within 10 to 15 minutes the water was knee deep.’ After
that, it was ‘save what you can.’ The shop refit will cost around £50,000. Jan and Patricia Peacock have been running Mimosa Delicatessen (16 Half Moon Lane) since 1999. Following the flooding it was closed for almost four months, reopening at the end of November. They described the impact of the flood as ‘full and total damage to our goods and equipment’: with almost £20,000 in food, wine, paper products and linens ruined. Thankfully there was no structural damage, but ‘everything was rendered unusable except for the structure’ - it was an ‘empty shell’. The result was that they ‘had to rebuild from scratch, including electrical, flooring, plumbing and gas.’ The Peacocks reflected the views of many when they described how their ‘initial shock’ swiftly turned to a ‘realisation’ of how much work they had to put in alongside the insurance company. Some say that Thames Water have been
very helpful, while others, such as Londis owner Ken Gangadeen have had a nightmarish experience. ‘The fixtures and fittings alone have cost £40,000, Thames Water have provided £30,000 so I have to find £10,000 for myself.’ Gangadeen says that he is being asked by the insurance assessor to provide photographic evidence or invoices when making claims: ‘it’s impossible... because our store room downstairs was washed away.’ He also claims that the insurers are undervaluing stock. It seems an understatement when he says ‘we are having a lot of problems.’ John Amir of the bike shop Bon Velo (27 Half Moon Lane) reopened on 4th December: ‘122 days’ of closure, he says, all spent sorting out the shop. On the morning when John heard about the flood, he said he thought it would only be a ‘bit of water - no big deal’. When he arrived it was a different story. But, he says: ‘I wasn’t totally overwhelmed, it was just a
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t three days were the darkest’
s s e 0
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matter of fact that it happened so you just get on with it.’ For Bon Velo, keeping in touch with customers and being reliable in servicing bikes is imperative. ‘Really we won’t know until a year on to see if business has been harmed or whether we’ve lost any customers’ says John. And many share these concerns over the long-term economic damage to the area. Chris Adnitt (Number 22) presents this starkly: ‘Herne Hill has always been an area that has struggled with its own identity. The Half Moon Lane side of things is a hangover from Dulwich Village whereas when you cross under the railway bridge, the Brixton influence can be felt. The terrible road layout and traffic issues further conspire to carve the area up. I feel like many Herne Hill regulars will have been pulled to either the centre of Brixton or Lordship Lane in East Dulwich – it may be difficult to get those people back.’ This brings into sharp relief the letter from Southwark Council to Thames Water asking it to help repair the damage ‘not just to the buildings, but to the life and soul of the area.’ Many shop owners said that community support has been fundamental in getting back on track. Vicky Brown of toy shop Just Williams (18 Half Moon Lane) which lost around £40,000 in stock from its basement, says that the flood ‘brought the community closer together.’ ‘Support from our customers has been amazing,’ she says, ‘they’ve really shown their loyalty.’ Vicky also believes that the impact of the flood has ‘brought a lot of the shops together’ and built a stronger network between them. Speaking to the businesses, it’s clear
WRITE-OFF:Damage at Number 22
that the fact that so many were thrown in at the deep end together provided a basis for communication and mutual support. Some shop owners have sought to make the best of the situation. Mimosa’s Jan and Patricia set about reorganising the shop space: ‘We took the opportunity of replanning the layout and flow to make it more compatible with customer patterns. We are really pleased with how it has turned out.’ Just Williams invested in new internal facilities for their kitchen area, and Ken Gangadeen says that he ‘redesigned the front of the shop a little bit to make it more visible.’ Similarly, for Kindred Bakery, Ben says that the flood damage ‘pushed us into looking for a bigger bakery to move forward with the wholesale because we are at capacity. So it’s helped us in that way, but retail-wise we’re about a third down from what we should be.’ Some small relief has also arrived in unexpected ways. When Anthony Kindred (Ben’s father and owner of Kindred Bakery) complained on Twitter that traffic wardens were driving away the scant business which was coming to Herne Hill as well as making life difficult for the builders repairing the shops: the council responded. Anthony, whose family have been bakers since the 1600s and who is President of the Craft Bakers Association, tweeted: “Why does Southwark council send traffic wardens to Half Moon Lane all day. We’re trying to recover from flooding.” Having picked up on his tweets, Southwark Council announced that there would be an amnesty on parking tickets in the street’s bays until further notice. Such little gestures not only make a material difference – they are an important symbol of support and solidarity with local people and locally-owned businesses. The future of this vibrant community-focused area is still unclear. But the overwhelming feeling from speaking to so many shop owners is the stoicism and determination to make it work. As Chris Adnitt (Number 22) says: ‘on the one hand I feel like 9 years of hard work has been wiped out – on the other hand this is a chance for a new beginning.’ With footfall down and some businesses still closed, the lifeblood of this hub of independent shops must come from all of us. It is in times like this that communities which cherish local businesses must galvanise: putting our money where our mouth is, and rebuilding the life and soul of this community as they have rebuilt their businesses.
Number 22 (tapas restaurant) Owner: Chris Adnitt Damage: Everything - stock, equipment, fridges, furniture, even the bar. How long were you closed? Still closed: we’re unlikely to be open until April. How have you been affected? I have real ups and downs – on the one hand I feel like 9 years of hard work has been wiped out – on the other hand this is a chance for a new beginning. Mimosa Owner: Jan & Patricia Peacock Damage: £20,000 worth of stock and building damage How long were you closed? Almost 4 months How have you been affected? We had to rebuild from scratch. It has reduced the footfall substantially. We are hopeful that it will come back up to its previous numbers in the next 18-24 months.
Londis Owner: Ken Gangadeen Damage: The fixtures and fittings alone have cost £40,000, Thames Water have provided £30,000 so I have to find £10,000 for myself. How long were you closed? 4 ½ months. How have you been affected? It has affected business greatly. Sales are half of what they used to be. Fifty per cent! Bon Velo Owner: John Amir Damage: Rebuilding and stock lost will be in the region of £50,000 How long were you closed? Around 4 months How have you been affected? We’ve been open since the first week of December so we had the run up for Christmas. Servicing (the bikes) has been steady but we kept our servicing workshop open the whole time because we needed to keep in touch with customers and servicing is a big part of our business. So really we won’t know until a year on to see if business has been harmed. Kindred Bakery Owner: Anthony Kindred Damage: The repair bill is about £10,000 so far. The shop refit will probably be about £50,000. New floors, new walls, new counters, new fridges. How long were you closed? Around 2 weeks How have you been affected? Retail wise we’re about a third down from what we should be.
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Herne Hill
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After the flood ‘Community helped traders get back on their feet’ SPOTLIGHT ON: Herne Hill Forum
By Giles Gibson Chair, Herne Hill Forum
Herne Hill is a unique community, sitting between Dulwich and Brixton it has traditionally been somewhere that people drive through rather than visit. Over the last few years the community has been working on turning this around. A long campaign to change the way the road junction was laid out produced an area that could become what we hope will be our town square. A centre of events, activities and a place to meet and socialise, a real heart to Herne Hill. We now have our own piano, planters round the area, an open air film festival, Halloween events, the Sunday market, music and community events in the market and the recent Christmas Fair. Our parks and green spaces have been improved, traffic is starting to be calmed down and not quite so dominant, planting is being given preference over tarmac, a place is being created. Much has been done over the years by volunteers to create our own identity, to set ourselves out as a place worth visiting, staying a while, raising the family, somewhere worth putting down roots for the next generation. We are blessed with an amazing range of independent traders, many have been here for years, sometimes decades. It isn’t just their place of work, more somewhere they treat as their parish. They have struggled through tough times but somehow
TRADE: The forum helped set up the popular Herne Hill Farmers Market. Picture: www.dulwichonview.org.uk they have survived against the onslaughts of the big supermarkets and clone high streets. Combined they offer a unique character that simply cannot be replaced overnight. The flood devastated many traders. It wiped out years of hard work building up a customer base, people they were on first names terms with, knew their children, their shopping needs and habits and all the gossip. To see the traders simply get back up, dust themselves down and get back in there is a tribute to local enterprise and dedication. The Herne Hill Forum has been working with the traders to work on relaunching the area, to remind everyone that Herne Hill is back, offering an amazing eclectic range of goods and services that simply isn’t available
from your anonymous supermarket or just a click away. There will be much to look forwards to this year in Herne Hill as the volunteers in the Herne Hill Forum and beyond help to promote our very own unique community with music, open air film, children’s workshops, the market and much more. The changes achieved so far have been as a result of local residents and traders, giving a bit of time, chipping in with ideas and making things happen. Your ideas as to what could happen or how you could help out to create our own special place are really welcome. It is down to us all as to how good it could be, do get in touch and help make it happen. Info@hernehillforum.org.uk.
sponsored by the Herne Hill Forum www.hernehillforum.org.uk @hernehillforum
All the fun of the fair!
The Herne Hill Christmas Fair, held on December 14, has been hailed as a great success and helped promote the best of SE24 following the flooding of last August. The fair was organised by volunteers from the Herne Hill Forum and funded by part of Southwark Council’s £100,000 flooding fund. The family event was designed to boost business and help get traders back on their feet in the run up to Christmas. Pictures by Pierre Alozie.
Brixton Bugle February 2014
Faces of Cressingham Gardens
the faces of
Cressingham
Gardens Part II: Meet Rosa The second part of a series in which our Features Editor, Keith Lewis, meets some of the residents of Cressingham Gardens. “Good job you didn’t come on a Thursday,” says Rosa. She looks quite small in her winged, floral high-backed chair. “That’s when I have my groceries delivered. Don’t get down into town that much these days.” A small fan whirrs on a side table on her right. There are also two bottles of pop, one finished and the other with a straw in it. “Used to love going down for a cheap cut of meat,” she continues. “Especially at Christmas…”, Margaret adds, sat back comfortably on the couch. Margaret lives at number 9, just up the way, and she’s been on the estate since she retired 20 odd years ago. As a good friend of Rosa’s, she helps out a little. Rosa is immobile, you see. “Oh yeah, especially at Christmas,” says Rosa. “I remember one year my dad coming home. He’d been down to get some lamb for Christmas but he’d stopped for a few drinks.” I soon realise that Margaret has heard the story before. She’s taking great pleasure from it. “Anyhow, he comes back and knocks on the door,” continues Rosa. “He was stood there trying to hide something from my mum, under his jacket. Quite a bulge it was.” Margaret laughs timidly with anticipation. “Turns out it was a small pig,” says Rosa. “You could hear it snorting and everything. Not sure what my dad was thinking but Mum didn’t speak to him all over Christmas –he was sent to Coventry.” “What happened to the pig?” I ask. “Well, we couldn’t kill it. It lived to a ripe old age out in the back garden. The best of it was, it was quiet as a doormouse until a Sunday morning. That was when the church congregated out back, started singing their hymns.” Rosa nods her head with that humorous, nostalgic disapproval.
“It would snort through the whole thing. Went on for years that did.” “So what did you have on Christmas Day?” I ask. I look across at Margaret who is now leaning forward. “Well... at the time, there was a lady down the road who sold chickens. We managed to get a couple off her.” Rosa screws up her face. “But they were full of lice. Chicken was a luxury back then.” She laughs again. “Not those ones though.” Rosa explains that she and her husband, John, had moved into her place on the first day the estate opened. The day, in fact, they were handing out the keys to Cressingham Estate. John passed on nine years ago. “Forgot his English he did, after the stroke. So we had to speak Greek from then on,” she says. Rosa is half Greek herself. Her other half is Irish, so it goes. “He had a hell of a time during the war. Jumped ship in France and got taken by the Germans. So they sent him off to one of the camps… he was one of the lucky ones though.” “You could write a book you know,” says Margaret. Then she looks at me. “Rosa’s got a lot of interesting stories to tell.” “He was a cook, you see,” Rosa continues, spurred on by Margaret’s words. “He had skills, he was useful to them. After the war he got a job at the Marriott. We had some good times in here… funny though, John didn’t like the place when he first saw it.” He’d soon changed his mind, apparently, once he saw Brockwell Park. “Course, I wouldn’t know what to do if I have to leave here now,” says Rosa. “I’m hoping it won’t happen for a few years yet,” adds Margaret. Then Rosa looks serious. “There’s no place like Cressingham Gardens for knowing people, you know. I had a bad night a while back, turned my kitchen light on at three in the morning. A man must have seen it and he came across and shouted “You alright in there missus?” I’m all right I said back.
“Night-night then,” he said. You know, I had no idea who he was… even to this day.” She starts to tell Margaret and I about her days around Norwood during the war. “A lot got destroyed. I remember a nursing home with everyone in it. It’s full of history around here.” But Rosa says she didn’t realise how serious it all was at the time. “You didn’t know when you were young did you? I remember collecting things up, after the bombings. I got hold of a pair of tap dancing shoes once – red with a beautiful little ribbon around them – and I tapped my way around Norwood. They were too small mind. I remember Mum not being too happy about it because, of course, they belonged to some poor little girl.” “I remember when all out the back here was gipsy caravans,” said Rosa. “My mum always told me ‘don’t you go getting yourself mixed up.’” “Of course, you wouldn’t listen to that would you Rosa,” says Margaret. “Oh no… back then I had jet-black hair. I looked a bit Spanish myself. And I used to love the food, all the rice and whatnot. Funny, we’re not even allowed to use those words no more. But how do you think we’ve got all the names: Gipsy Hill, Gipsy Road…” Rosa waves her hand dismissively. As I prepare to leave, I ask Rosa if I can take her picture but she’s not keen. “I prefer people to remember me how I was,” she says. “Who does your garden Rosa?” I ask. I notice it’s in pretty good shape as I stand up. “Oh, Pam. She’s the one made it look all nice. She’s finished now though, until the spring. She’s meticulous. Does most of her work with her hands. She even got all that old ivy off for me.” I say bye to Rosa. “Come again, love,” she says. I explain I’m off to Italy on holiday and that I’d pop in when I was back. “Muchas gracias,” she smiles, grabbing my hand between her two palms and holding it tight. To be continued in the next Bugle...
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Culture
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Portrait of a south London era
Artwork by Brixton artist, Catherine Stenger
A group of ten Brixton art lovers are curating a free public exhibition of forgotten pieces at Brixton East. Arts Co-Editor Ruth Waters met local portrait artist and one of the organisers, Vanessa Brier, to find out how Catherine Stenger’s portfolio came to be gathering dust in an attic on Arlingford Road. Part of the Brixton Artists’ Collective during the 1980s, Catherine Stenger’s work was exhibited 30 years ago as part of Brixton 50 in three interlinked railway arches on Atlantic Road. Although Catherine didn’t achieve vast fame or fortune during her lifetime, her paintings and the era of Brixton 50 are currently being given another opportunity to inspire the community. “We came across the pieces when we
were living in a pretty rundown house on Arlingford Road in Brixton. The house itself was about to be converted into flats, and the owner let it out very cheaply to a big group of us. As the house was being cleared for construction work to begin, we came across Catherine Stenger’s pieces on their way to the skip,” Vanessa tells me. Over 50 works were discovered, including posters of her previous exhibitions, pastel drawings, prints and collages. The group has been inspired: “So much time and effort has gone into the work, Catherine was very passionate about what she did, and to see it go into a skip seemed like such a waste, it should be celebrated.” “We really wanted other people to see and enjoy the paintings”, so having rescued
The Spirit of Brixton: RUSKIN PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN
We are the Ruskin Park Community Garden, a group of local people who meet weekly (fortnightly during the winter) to work together on our vegetable patch inside Ruskin Park. We aim to encourage and learn about inner-city gardening within the community. Everyone is welcome to join us and a real mix of people come along to our sessions; some have lived in the local area for years whilst others have just arrived. Sometimes patients from King’s College Hospital, Camberwell, come with their relatives to join in or for a break and some fresh air. We grow a variety of vegetables from seed, rotating the crops every year. We also have soft fruit bushes which gave us an excellent crop of different berries last summer. When the fruit and vegetables are ready to harvest, the crop is shared out among the gardeners who attended the session. It’s wonderful watching the plants grow as the seasons progress and then take food home a few months later, knowing that the carbon output is so much lower than for shop-bought food. Personally, I have been helping out at the Community Garden for almost a whole year. I enjoy the feeling of connecting with nature that being outside and growing my own food gives me. It is great to do this as part of a community group in the city and meet other people from the area.
If you’re interested in joining us, do come along to one of our ‘dig days’ which take place on Sunday afternoons from 2pm until 4pm. The next dig will be happening on Sunday February 2. You can also visit our website www.ruskinparkcommunitygarden.org to find out more about us. Written by community gardener Sophie Eleanor
them from landfill, Vanessa and her fellow residents set about sorting out a community exhibition. “It was quite hard to find a space to exhibit in Brixton, but we felt pretty strongly that they shouldn’t be kept to ourselves or taken out of the area.” The exhibition is not looking to generate money and the cost has only been possible for the group to cover because there are so many of them. A real team effort, between ten of them they have been able to create an exhibition which is free to attend. Very little is known about Catherine Stenger, and Vanessa hopes that the exhibition will help to uncover more about this enigmatic artist, her work and her life in Brixton. “We think she was a bit of a feminist” Vanessa says, “but it’s all quite a lot of guesswork at the moment.” The exhibition is from Jan 31 to Feb 2 at Brixton East,100 Barrington Road, SW9.
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Culture
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INTERVIEW: Muralist Brian Barnes As Brian and I flick through some the like who said it was scaring old newspaper clippings in his their children!” studio in Battersea he comes Created in 1981, with the help of across an article featuring a Dale McRea and 15 volunteers, it’s picture of him scuffling with some a mural which is truly representawell-dressed looking gents. tive of a time when the threat of the “Well it was a long while ago bomb felt very present and real. I now, but it was the Dorchester Hotel ask Brian if he feels that the message and we just wanted the yuppies out.” is still relevant today. It’s just a small snippet from “I think it is. What you have to our hour-long chat but it tells you remember is that at the time we a lot about who Brian is. He’s a really thought that nuclear war was natural dissenter, a bit of a cynic going to happen so it’s a reminder and a great laugh. His voice itself also gives a few clues. It’s a gentle, “It was the quiet Cockney that’s occasionally Dorchester Hotel and punctuated by a chesty two-stroke cough. It sounds like the downside we just wanted the to a 40-a-day habit but in fact it yuppies out.” comes from the paint and solvents Brian has exposed himself to over his 70 years as an artist. Brian Barnes is the man behind of the Zeitgeist. I remember Heselthe towering figure of Nuclear tine assuring everyone that M.A.D. Dawn – the skeletal anti-heroine [Mutually Assured Destruction] which sits on the side of Carlton would prevent that but no one Mansions on Coldharbour Lane and believed him. You have to rememcurrently watches over the beating ber that the nuclear threat hasn’t heart of Brixton’s gentrification. necessarily gone away either. It’s a visceral, slightly intimidat- Countries like North Korea and ing artwork – full of menace and Israel are worrying and I think that foreboding – something Brian Iran probably has the bomb.” obviously relishes. The piece celebrated its 30th “It is quite scary I suppose. In birthday in 2011 but its future curfact, when I first did the paint- rently seems uncertain with the ing you could see the mural from redevelopment of the Somerleyton a lot further away as the trees and Road area. The plans put forward by the car park didn’t obscure it. We Future Brixton have the mural outChiro-BugleAd v2_Layout 1 16/01/2014 Pageto1 the proposed had complaints from mothers and side the 13:26 entrance
new location for the Ovalhouse Theatre but Brian seems unsure whether or not the idea will come to fruition. “Well I have heard that the plan is to keep it and I’ve seen the plans with the theatre and all that but you can never be sure with Lambeth council. I can just see them saying ‘oh we need a little more space’ or something and then... well, you know.” The London Mural Preservation Society share Brian’s pessimism about the future of the piece. “Without any written confirmation that the mural is to stay, it is hard not to be concerned that in the long run it will end up being destroyed. If we lose that mural, then an important piece of history is gone.” When contacted, Lambeth council said that “Nuclear Dawn is very much being considered and the draft plans hope to make a feature of it by including it as part of the open space leading to the entrance [of the theatre].” When we meet again a few days later to take a photograph of Brian with Nuclear Dawn he discusses his plans for any renovation the piece might get. “I’d like to do the skeleton’s head and legs in fluorescent paint. That would frighten a few more people!” Interview and inset picture by Tom O’Neill. Mural pic by Alistair Hall
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Lifestyle
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Food
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Recipe: Scottish-Caribbean macaroni pie BY MISS SOUTH As a child I found it delightful that people in Scotland and the Caribbean both eat macaroni pies. I always wondered if this was an early example of multiculturalism and love of carbohydrate. It was only once I moved to Brixton that I realised that the two types of pie are different. In the Caribbean, especially Trinidad, macaroni pie is the name for macaroni cheese that is baked rather than served as a looser mac and cheese. In Scotland, a macaroni pie is in fact pasta in a pastry case. As I've never met a carb I didn't want to get to know better, I've decided to combine that today and make the ultimate macaroni pie no matter where you come from. I blame my Scottish roots... INGREDIENTS (Makes one 23cm pie) 200g macaroni (uncooked weight) 50g butter 50g plain flour 500ml milk 200g grated cheese (I use 150g cheddar and 50g parmesan) 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder salt and pepper For the pastry: 225g plain flour 100g cold butter, cubed 3 tablespoons ice cold water
Start by making the pastry. Scottish macaroni pies use a hot water crust but because this is made with lard, it isn't suitable for vegetarians so I use shortcrust instead. Pastry is best when it is cold so make sure your hands aren't too warm and then add the cold cubed butter to the flour and rub it in with your fingertips. Some of it should look like fine breadcrumbs, but don't be afraid to leave some chunks of butter as they are. If you rub too much, your pastry will shrink. Add 2 tablespoons of the cold water and bring the pastry together so it is just wet enough to work with. You may need the extra tablespoon but you don't want sticky pastry so go slowly. Knead the pastry slightly until it is smooth. Wrap it tightly in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes. Now turn your attention to the macaroni cheese. Tip the macaroni into boiling water and cook for about 6-7 minutes. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the flour. Stir it together as it turns into a paste or roux. Cook it for about 1-2 minutes and then start adding the milk a little bit at a time. Keep stirring it all as you add it and the roux will transform from a paste to a sauce as you go. When all the milk is added and the sauce starts to thicken, add the grated cheddar cheese and season with the mustard powder and salt
and pepper. Stir well. Drain the macaroni and add it into the cheese sauce making sure it is well coated. Set aside. Roll the chilled pastry out to about 1cm thick on a lightly floured surface. Use the rolling pin to lift it up and into a 23cm loosebottomed tart tin, pushing the pastry down into the grooves of the tin lightly with your knuckles. Trim the pastry. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with dried beans. Bake at 180ºC for 15 minutes. This is known as baking blind and gets the pastry to be light and crispy without a soggy bottom. Remove the paper and pour the macaroni cheese into the pastry. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top and bake the whole pie* in the oven for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and the macaroni cheese is bubbling and burnished. Allow the pie to cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into slices and serving. It's surprisingly good served with a crisp green salad but I also rather like a dollop of ketchup with it... *I made four small pies and used a star on the top to make it fancier. It looks photogenic but made the pie dry out so I'd avoid this if taste is more important than looks.
Review: Fat Duck needs to raise its game BY LINDSAY FALLER
The Fat Duck, as you may know, is Heston Blumenthal’s renowned three-Michelin-starred molecular gastronomic Mecca in the Berkshire countryside. Known for its threehour tasting menu based around applied scientific principles, The Fat Duck is for those on a quest for one of life’s greatest culinary experiences, with a price tag to match. It was, therefore, a great curiosity to me that Fat Duck at The Hand in Hand, New Park Road, had opened recently. It takes confidence in your ingenuity and skill in the kitchen to latch onto such a strong association, so could it be Heston Blumenthal’s new pub venture? In a word: no. Thursday is the new Friday the kids tell me, so a friend and I made our way through Brixton Hill’s dark, rainy streets to The Hand in Hand, in search of a few drinks and some food. As we walked into the bar, the regulars’ eyes turned toward us, and instantly we were in the wrong place, a tumbleweed moment. The dining room was empty, but the pub seemed relatively busy with live music; Open Mic Night turned out to be one of the highlights of the evening. The friendly bartender gave us a table out of the way where we could chat but still hear the music. The menu
was limited, which I normally take to be a good sign: considered choice, seasonality and quality produce. For none of these reasons does Fat Duck limit its menu. It sticks to safe choices, pub food classics we know by heart: calamari, pâté, burgers, steaks, fish and chips, etc. We settled on splitting the calamari, and onglet (skirt steak) with Béarnaise sauce for me, and a Fat Duck burger for my companion. The calamari arrived not long after, hot from the fryer and accompanied with a little pot of sweet chilli dipping sauce. The curls of squid were flakily battered, unevenly salted, and tasteless apart from the lingering flavours of frying oil and sweet chilli; the latter making anything palatable. A long break between courses followed and our mains arrived. The steak was bland and over-cooked, despite the menu’s promise of medium rare. The Béarnaise sauce lacked any of the joyous aniseedy tang of tarragon and tasted more of minty mayonnaise. The steak was served with far too many weary-looking ‘hand-cut’ chips, an unappetising salad and onion rings, battered in similar fashion to the squid and equally uninspiring. The burger was also a disappointment. The stodgy bun required a trowel to remove it from the roofs of our mouths and the only real flavour
was courtesy of the cheddar cheese. Coming with equal measure of flaccid chips and salad as the steak, I felt myself thinking that perhaps McDonald’s seemed more appetising at this point. At least it would have tasted like something, anything. Seeming to ride ever so obviously on the coat-tails of culinary genius seemed a brave punt, especially for a pub restaurant. I did not expect iPods served with deconstructed fish pies or hazelnut foam with haysmoked salmon, but I did expect a decent meal. A standard menu made up of sub-standard pub fare resulted in a waste of a dining experience and, whilst The Hand in Hand is a rather nice place to while away hours watching sport and listening to live music, eating there is one pastime that should be actively avoided. Dinner for two, with drinks, no service £43.50
It’s coming... brixtonblog.com/tasty
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Whats On How did it get to be February already? 2014 in Brixton is flying by and there’s lots on offer this month to get us through the wintry gloom and the driving rain. Take up yoga, help dig in Brockwell Park or fully embrace the cold and dive into the waters of Brockwell Lido...
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SAT FEB 1 A perfect way to start the month if you’ve got kids. Take them along to the Nature Explorers Club in Brockwell Park. It’s for young people aged 7-12 and new members are always welcome. Meet at 10am at the Brockwell Park Community Gardens.
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SUN FEB 2 It’s Cake Club Cabaret at Kaff Bar on Atlantic Road. Hosted by Tina Tea Lady, there will be burlesque, comedy, song, dance and cake. You can even bring your own cakes. Yum!
www.brixtonblog.com many different sports clubs and say what you want from the council and GLL to make the leisure centre great.
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SUN FEB 9 Seven at Brixton are running Sunday evening wine-tasting courses until the end of Feb. You can also go to individual workshops: tonight’s class is all about ‘sun-loving’ grape varieties. Go to agrapenightin.co.uk for more details.
• MON FEB 10 The Ritzy regularly shows
live screenings of opera, ballet and theatre from around the world. For noon today, you can book tickets to see the Met Opera perform the fairy-tale opera Rusalka.
MON FEB 3 Don’t give up on those 2014 resolutions just yet. Join us for our weekly running club at 7pm from Windrush Square. It’s a lovely crowd of people and all abilities, from super-fast to super-slow, are welcome! TUES FEB 4 London all-female
WEDS FEB 12 Kaff Bar is going old
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punk garage quintet Mean Bikini will be playing tonight at The Windmill. If that sounds like your thing, get down to the boozer in Blenheim Gardens for 8pm. Just £3 on the door.
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WEDS FEB 5 The Melange Collective
will be playing North African, Middle Eastern and Balkan Gypsy grooves for y’all at Upstairs at the Ritzy. There will also be a live jam session open to jazz and world musicians. Free and from 8pm.
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THURS FEB 6 A great option for a post-school activity for the kids: the Chocolate Museum in Ferndale Road is running a weekly workshop on how to make chocolate. Ingredients are supplied and children will learn about the process and history of chocolate-making.
• FRI FEB 7 A new night for 2014 at the
Effra Social, the Effra Circus is a showcase of indie bands and DJs. It’s free from 8pm-1am.
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SAT FEB 8 If you love the Brixton
Recreation Centre and want to have a say in what happens to it in the future then pop down to the User Group Workshop from 24pm today in the meeting room on Level 5. It’s a chance to meet the people who run the
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TUES FEB 18 Get fit AND do good with the ‘good gym’ runners who do physical tasks that benefit the community every Tuesday in Brixton (see right). The first task they did in January, after a warm-up run, was to help residents in Loughborough Junction dig and prepare two acres of land for an extensive community growing project. Meet at Market Row by Yum-D at 6.45 pm.
Editor’s Pick: Do your bit and get fit at the Good Gym. Every Tuesday It seems like a no brainer. A free way of getting fit while helping people in your community. From planting to fixing lightbulbs, you might even end up delivering copies of The Bugle to the housebound. www.goodgym.org
FEB 19 The Jamboree Collective • TUES FEB 11 We’ve had a few requests •willWEDS be performing at Upstairs at the Ritzy to-
lately for recommendations for a good pub quiz in Brixton, so here’s one – the weekly Tuesday quiz at the Prince Regent from 7pm. There are cash prizes, free drinks questions and a rollover jackpot question that grows each week. Arrive early to ensure you get a table and, of course, bring some clever friends.
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MON FEB 17 The start of half term! Brockwell Park Community Gardens will be running holiday workshops in the park from today at 10.30am. Phone 07427 685714 to book.
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school with a Bingo evening every second Wednesday of the month. The games are free to enter and there will be free drinks for the winners of each game.
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THURS FEB 13 Brixton’s brilliant photography gallery Photofusion will be showing work by documentary photographer Tessa Bunney. Entitled “Open Water Swimming”, the collection features striking images from Järvenjää, the capital of Central Finland, in an area with more than 188,000 lakes.
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FRI FEB 14 Awww shucks, it’s Valentine’s Day. Buy some flowers from the stall outside the tube station and see our tips on page 21 for what to do whether you’re in a couple or single.
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SAT FEB 15 BBC 6 Music DJ Craig Charles continues his Funk and Soul Club residency at Jamm Club, Brixton Road, alongside special live guests. From 10pm4am, entry from £10.
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SUN FEB 16 If it’s a crisp sunny day today, then a favourite Sunday activity is breakfast at The Lido Café, followed by a walk in the park and a trip to the Herne Hill farmers’ market.
night. Folk, blues and swing from 7.30pm and all for free.
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THURS FEB 20 The Brixton Book Group meets today from 7.30pm in the front room of the Effra Social (sadly it had to move from Mango Landin’ after the pub closed in December). The group will be discussing Kafka on the Shore by Huraki Murakami. Go to brixtonbookgroup.com for more information.
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FRI FEB 21 Freelancer? Stay-at-home mum or dad? We think a nice Friday lunch is in order! Our fave places to eat come midday are Kaff Bar (for New Orleans fare), Jeff the Chef on Brixton Station Road (for excellent jerk chicken) or Casa Morita for their Mexican lunch deals.
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SAT FEB 22 Go down to Brockwell Park for a free Saturday fitness workshop from the guys at Block Workout. Women from 10.30-11.30am, men from 12-2pm and kids from 12.30-1.30pm. If you can, do pay the £1 optional donation.
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SUN FEB 23 DIG THE PARK! Every last Sunday of the month during the winter, you can help clear brambles and overgrown shrubs to prepare Brockwell Park for looking gorgeous in the summer. Hot soup and biscuits are provided so get down to the ponds at 11am and get digging!
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MON FEB 24 Feeling brave? We recommend a quick and, erm, invigorating dip in the Lido. You can join the Icicles every day around 8am and then get a warming breakfast and coffee at The Lido Cafe.
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TUES FEB 25 The Brixton Foodbank at St Paul’s Church on Ferndale Road is open every Tuesday from 10.30am-1.30pm for donations. This is a vital service for those who can’t afford to buy food, so please give all you can in the form of non-perishable, in-date food items. Also open Saturdays from 11am2pm and Sundays from 12.30-1.15pm.
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WEDS FEB 26 7am yoga should be a hideous experience, but at Yoga Point on Dalberg Rd they make it rather nice, with friendly teachers and some good early morning stretches. It’s only an hour, so you can still have time to grab breakfast before work and it’s an excuse to feel ridiculously smug for the rest of the day.
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THURS FEB 27 Inject a bit of summer into the month by going to salsa classes, each and every Thursday at El Peñol, 382 Brixton Road. The classes, for all levels, go from 7.30pm and cost £9 a class. There will be social dancing and drinking afterwards until 2am.
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FRI FEB 28 The month ends with the tasty delights offered by a foodie night market on Windrush Square, from 5-11pm. There’ll be lots of the stalls you’d otherwise see down at Station Rd plus a few more trendy pizza/ burger type offerings. More at brixtonblog.com/events
COMPETITION: Get your PONG on at the POW The Prince of Wales on Coldharbour Lane will be hosting a ping-pong 'Pongathon' on February 11. To win an hour-long pingpong session for four people with free pizza and a beer each thrown in, send your answer the question on the right to us at competitions@brixtonblog.com
What did London Mayor Boris Johnson claim (in 2008) that ping-pong was called? a. bish-bash b. whiff-whaff c. gossima Closing date: February 7
Editor’s Pick: Block Work Out race to Leicester Square, February 8 100 squats at Brixton tube station and 100 press-ups at Big Ben. These will all be part of the Block Work Out race from Brockwell Park to Leicester Square. The local sports group Block Work Out has organized the race to raise funds for its community work. Get together a team of five and meet at Brockwell at 10am. It’s just £2 each to take part. Stops along the way also include 100 burpees at Trafalgar Square and a set of grueling tasks at Leicester Square. The rule? No public transport allowed. Go to blockworkout.co.uk for more info.
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
What’s On
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Love Brixton: what to do on Valentine’s Day A date with Ms Bennet If you’re coupled up… If you have the day off or you both work locally, then watch the sun set over the city from the Tulse Hill side of Brockwell Park. It’s our favourite view in Brixton. Then go grab a cocktail at the cosy Sean’s Bar (14e Market Row), where a sexy soundtrack, low lighting and some of the best drinks in Brixton are guaranteed. For something a bit special – and for the organised among you - make sure to book in at The Lido Café (Dulwich Rd) or Salon Brixton (18 Market Row). They will both be doing special Valentine’s Day menus - you can bet on foods like oysters and rhubarb appearing at some point. If your wallet doesn’t allow you to be quite so generous, then head to some of our cheaper Brixton food faves such as Fish, Wings n Tings (Granville Arcade); Asmara (Coldharbour Lane) or Boquieria (Acre Lane). For those who can’t bear the thought of sharing the night with lots of other couples in a restaurant or doing anything overly romantic, then see below for options that can be enjoyed by everyone… If you’re single… Stay at home. That’s not entirely a joke… One of our top tips for a singles Valentine’s Day in Brixton is to get a bunch of mates together, order in a curry from Khan’s (Brixton Water Lane) or a load of jerk chicken from Negril (Brixton Hill) and have a great time away from all those simpering couples and flowers. But it is a Friday night, so you could also pop out to the Prince of Wales to party with roots reggae king David Rodigan at the Rootikal night, from 9pm-4am. Tickets are £8-10 if you get them in advance. At Kaff Bar (Atlantic Rd) they’ll be serving cocktails and a range of pints for £3 all night, as they do every Friday. And on Sunday 16, the guys at Salon Brixton have told us they will be doing an ‘anti-Valentine’s’ lunch – “bring your lover, your best mate, your Nan, your neighbour”, they say. Lovely.
Executive Director Up to £65,000 Job Ref No: BB/ED/01 Brixton BID is a new business improvement district which will make improvements to benefit local businesses and the area as a whole. A business improvement district is a business-led, business-funded organisation which seeks to improve the commercial environment for local businesses. Over the course of our first five years as a BID, we will be implementing a series of important and innovative projects in collaboration with local businesses. Our core areas of focus are marketing, partnerships and the environment and public realm. We are recruiting to build the team to deliver these exciting projects. It is a very interesting time to join the organisation in terms of helping to build projects and the wider organisation from the ground up, and to have an influence on the future of Brixton at a critical time in its development. The Executive Director will lead the organisation in its strategic aim to improve trading conditions for local businesses and the area as a whole. This exciting role requires a candidate with significant leadership experience in the private or non-profit sectors, who is finely tuned to the needs of Brixton and its businesses and has the drive and energy to represent an extremely diverse business community. First and foremost the role requires someone with the ability to translate the needs of BID members into a coherent vision for the area. The Executive Director will have excellent relationship-building skills, the ability to negotiate the best deal for businesses and strong financial acumen. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a new organisation from inception to full operation and make a step-change in Brixton. Please email asfhrsolutions@gmail.com quoting the Job Title and Ref. No. to request a job application pack. Closing Date: Monday 11th February 2014 – noon
Our dating columnist on the "Please don't fall in love with me - it trials and tribulations of happens". In an attempt to get over the dating in Brixton... It's a new year and I'm feeling reflective. I find myself in a constant cycle of trying to get over someone. The gorgeous French man from dating website Tinder (see my last column) later sent me a message on Facebook, explaining the reason he hadn’t contacted me was that his phone had broken and he went without it for two whole weeks. He deserves a prize for that right? My theory? His girlfriend was in town, a gorgeous Russian, long legs, no love-handles and beautiful hair, so he turns off the dummy phone, so as not to risk any contact from me. Last year, I was going out with a dentist. It was a long-distance relationship and he lived over 2000 miles away. After a year of back and forth, he decided that he wasn't “the right guy” for me. To get over the dentist, I had set my sights on a local boy in Brixton. Over the year there has been a lot of press about how much Brixton has gentrified. But what no-one actually talked about was the number of fit men who now worked in and around Brixton. This boy was very attractive, very flirtatious and exactly what I needed. Until I realised that I wasn't what he needed and a boy was all he was. He came with a warning (his actual words):
French guy who I used to get over the Brixton boy who I used to get over the dentist, I went on a date with a Spanish ‘nice’ guy. Who FYI sent this actual text "You know what, I have NEVER been out in Brixton! Why not... I will bring my rape whistle for my journey home :)" Not. Funny. Again, we went to Sean's Bar. I cannot recommend this place enough! So bearing in mind that he invited me for drinks at 8pm on a Saturday night, we sat down and I ordered a cocktail. Sean turns to him, "A lemonade, please”. WHAT? I can hear the girls at the bar snigger. I can almost see a grin appear on Sean's face. Seriously, a lemonade? He nursed a lemonade while I drank my way through this date. It. Was. Painful. Turns out he was a nice guy, but apparently I told him this enough times for him to realise that I wasn't at all interested. I sent him home at 10pm after a quick tour of Brixton, only to go back to Sean's to debrief. A few days later, he texted me to ask if I wanted to go to Winter Wonderland, and that was all the confirmation I needed to know I wasn't interested. Two Tinder dates were enough for me to know that it isn't for me. Full update on the next dates to follow...
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
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23
Brixton Bugle February 2014
Columns
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GREEN FINGERS: What to grow in February
BY ALISON ALEXANDER Winter gardening can be chilly but there is always an opportunity to warm up inside with a cuppa. Now is the time to buy seeds and tubers for the year ahead. At the Brockwell Community Greenhouses, we have had the fun of choosing seed to create displays for just under an acre of gardens, two large greenhouses and a 100 square metre border in Brockwell Park’s Walled Garden. Our main theme for 2014 is pollination. All being well, our seeds will grow into exuberantly colourful plantings, attracting a huge variety of insects, moths, butterflies, bees and bats. In the summer, visiting experts will demonstrate how to identify different pollinators and explain their crucial role in the environment. We’re also growing common and exotic vegetables and fruits, culinary and medicinal herbs and
dye plants. Our vegetable beds will demonstrate just how much food you can grow in a small garden. As usual, regular education sessions are planned for both adults and children to learn about gardening and wildlife. On Saturday February 1 you can learn tips for planning your veg patch in a workshop about four-crop rotation. For those without a garden, plenty of the plants we grow in open ground do well in a container. Over the winter we’re constructing wooden planters so we can show what can be grown on a balcony or window ledge. Below are some ideas for a pretty container of edible plants:
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Chop suey greens are a type of chrysanthemum used in oriental stir-fries with longlasting egg-yolk yellow flowers. • The over-30s may remember cakes decorated with sugared violets. Both the multi-coloured heart’s ease pansy and the purple sweet violet are suitable and flower for months. • The electric pink, deep red or green cascading flowers of amaranths, also known as callaloo, are spectacular for a large container. Relatives of quinoa, they produce grain as well as edible leaves. African and French marigolds have a bitter flavour but flower throughout the summer and are thought
to deter greenfly from your tomatoes. Two excellent cherry tomatoes for containers are ‘Tumbler’ and ‘Sub-Arctic Plenty’. • Sunflowers are always a cheery sight – try the low-growing ‘Dwarf Yellow Spray’. Seeds are available from online suppliers if you can’t find them locally. They can be sown on your window ledge in March and April or we’ll have small plants for sale from late spring onwards in our main greenhouse and from our stall at Herne Hill Market, starting the last weekend of April.
Brixton Foodbank
Go to brockwellgreenhouses.org. uk for more information aboutthe Brockwell Park Community Gardens
The Brixton Foodbank is located at St Paul’s Church, Ferndale Road. Please feel free to pop in to say hello and have a chat, it’s not all about donations! The recent cuts in benefits have seen a spike in clients and so their shelves are looking pretty empty. And after all the expense of Christmas it’s important to maintain stocks for all those for whom the Foodbank has become an invaluable resource. Donations can be made during a Foodbank session on Tuesdays and Saturdays or can be done online with St Paul’s Church as the delivery address. You can also drop off donations to the Nour Cash & Carry in Brixton Market Row. The Foodbank is open for donations on Tuesdays from 10.30am to 1.30pm and on Saturdays from 11am to 2pm. If you are in Herne Hill you can also drop food off at the Sunday Farmers’ Market, Carnegie Library, Cafe Lulu on Rosendale Rd, MerrygoRound on Half Moon Lane or the Flower Lady in Herne Hill Square.
Below are the items that are dangerously low or have completely run out (please do not buy tea, pasta or rice): •Tinned meat •Dried/powdered milk •Long-life milk (whole/semi/skimmed) •Tinned fruit •Fruit juice • I n s t a n t/t i n n e d custard •Tinned vegetables •Rice pudding •Tinned soup •Vegetarian meals such as curry •Small instant coffee •Tinned pulses •Pasta sauce •Cereals (mini) •Cereals (standard) •Coffee •Instant mash / tinned potatoes •Sugar - 500g or 1kg
•Shower gel •Shampoo •Toothpaste
www.norwood.foodbank.org.uk @foodbankNorwood
Join the Brixton Blog Running Club, in a weekly run around the park (once or twice, your choice!) Meet at 7pm every Monday outside the library on Windrush Square. Free.
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Brixton Bugle February 2014
Sport
Keeping fit in Brixton BY LAURA DICKINSON PICTURES BY ALISTAIR HALL
We’ve all done it. Set a New Year’s resolution that we will, absolutely, 100% keep. But once the warm glow of the festive season fades and the realities of winter in the UK set in, our resolutions are soon forgotten. Thankfully, Brixton offers lots of fun activities for those wavering resolvers. Here are just a few ideas to help you keep active throughout the year, whatever the weather. POPULAR PARK RUN Park Run regularly attracts more than 200 runners for a weekly 5km run in Brockwell Park. Your run is timed every week so you can track your progress in shifting those Christmas kilos. It’s free but registration is required. Visit www.parkrun.org.uk BLOCK WORKOUT Yet another way Brixton is setting a national trend, Block Workout is a training regime designed by Brixton local Terroll Lewis that focuses on using your body as a free weight to build strength and stamina. Sessions cost just £1 and take place every Saturday morning in Brockwell Park. Terroll’s programme is already drawing national attention and a Block Workout gym is set to open in March this year. Visit blockworkout.co.uk
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BOXING AT MIGUEL’S “I never thought boxing was for me”. That’s how most regulars at Miguel’s gym respond when you ask what brought them to the sport. But boxing is more than just a bust-up, it’s one of the most effective ways to improve your strength and stamina. One-to-one training and group classes are available at this legendary gym in Herne Hill, which also runs impressive training programmes for under-privileged youth. Visit www.miguelsboxinggym.co.uk SWING PATROL If the thought of sport does nothing but bring back memories of school gym horrors, give swing dancing a go. Based on Brixton Hill, Swing Patrol offers weekly classes for those looking to feel fit and funky. Visit www.swingpatrol.co.uk
HOTPOD YOGA Why not escape the February freeze and get fit in the heat? Hotpod Yoga offers classes in their pop-up inflatable studio heated to 37˚C, which means your muscles warm up more easily, making you more flexible and working your heart harder. After their popular pop-up visit to Brixton last year, hour-long classes are now available on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings at Evelyn Grace Academy. Visit www.hotpodyoga.com
BRIXTON BMX A great way for parents and their kids to enjoy sport together, Brixton BMX welcomes riders of all ages at their weekly training on the track in Brockwell Park. One of London’s oldest BMX clubs, it also gave Charlie Reynolds, a legend in British BMX racing, his big break. The sport has also been boosted in south London by the opening of a multi-million pound track in Camberwell, while Brixton BMX riders are regular winners in local and national competitions. Visit www.brixtonbmx.co.uk BRIXTON BLOG RUNNING CLUB Last but not least, don’t forget about the Brixton Blog Running Club, which happens every Monday at 7pm. We run from Windrush Square and welcome all abilities. It’s a sociable and free way to get fit and see Brixton by night!
SPORTS REPORTERS WANTED! If you’re local to Brixton and passionate about sport, we want to hear from you. Can you summarise a match with compelling copy, and attend and report on fixtures around Brixton? Send us a few lines on why you’d be great and what you’d like to cover to our sports editor Laura Dickinson at info@BrixtonBlog.com. Or call 0203 730 1312.