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Rec boxing club gets go-ahead
Inside:
A new boxing club has been launched at the Brixton Recreation Centre following a highly successful community campaign. The club was given the go-ahead by Lambeth council and the Rec’s operators, Greenwich Leisure, after a petition to support it gathered nearly 1,000 signatures. The campaign was spearheaded by Brixton-based football training club Afewee and it has been a long struggle to get the agreement of both the council and the Rec. Steadman Scott, founder of Afewee, said: “Brixton has always celebrated boxing stars when they visit and now we can find and support the next generation of local grown talent.” Afewee is already an established name through its football coaching, which has earned a reputation for pro-
BAKING NEW GROUND: Gordon Ramsay’s Bad Boys’ Bakery at Brixton Prison goes from strength to strength. News, p7
BY OWEN PINNELL
ducing talented young players, many of whom can now be found in the academies of London’s top-flight teams. AJ Carter, Afewee’s unbeaten professional heavyweight boxer, demonstrated his technique and sparred with youngsters at the club’s launch event on April 27. He said: “Afewee helped me to put my life back on track and I’m now well on the way to achieving my boxing dream. “This is a great opportunity for local youngsters to find out what boxing’s about and how that focus and discipline can change your life.” A screening of Uncle Steadman, which depicts Steadman Scott’s inspirational life story, spurred the campaign for the club. Scott called the launch a “real milestone.” He also thanked Greenwich Leisure and Lambeth council for their support.
For more images from the launch and details of open training visit www. brixtonblog.com. Above: AJ Carter. spars with a new reruit. Right: Steadman Scott (Kneeling) with club members and coaches
DAILY BREAD: The Village’s Foccaccia offers quality ingredients and fresh flavours prepared in simple fashion. Review, p19
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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 NEWS newsdesk@brixtonblog.com DEPUTY EDITOR Kaye Wiggins politics@brixtonblog.com FEATURES Keith John Lewis features@brixtonblog.com CULTURE Barney Evison Ruth Waters arts@brixtonblog.com
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We’re ready to move forward, claims BID
The chairwoman of Brixton Improvement District (BID) has urged traders to have their say on how their money is spent. Elly Foster hopes a meeting for levy-payers on May 7 will signal the beginning of the next phase for the new organisation. The BID, which became incorporated in January this year, will have a budget of about £435,000 to spend on boosting Brixton trade. It is being funded by a compulsory levy of 1.5% on all businesses with a rateable value above £5,000. The board, made up of 14 businesspeople from across Brixton, has now appointed self-styled “placemaker” consultants The Means to it help run the organisation for a “very short period.” Foster told the Brixton Bugle: “There is inevitably a period of time where you need to get all your ducks in a line. But we’re now ready to move forward and we want to hear everybody’s ideas and work as cooperatively as possible with all
READY: Chairwoman Elly Foster the 721 businesses. “It’s really important for levy-payers to come to the meeting on May 7 and have their say.” Former Brixton Town Centre manager Angelina Purcell, who has also worked for Croydon and Streatham BIDs, will help the board to oversee its initial steps until a permanent Brixton team is put in place by the end of the year. “I’m delighted I can work with businesses here,” Purcell told the Bugle. “There are great businesses in Brixton so its about meeting
A pioneering office for local entrepreneurs and freelancers has launched in the heart of Lambeth Town Hall. The impact hub will offer flexible access to “hot-desking” facilities on a membership basis, for up to 60 people at a time. Over 50 entrepreneurs have already expressed interest in joining or partnering with the Impact Hub after s eries of workshops. Life coach Deborah Asante said: “I grew up in Lambeth and I’m excited by the idea of a space like this in Brixton, where I can work and co work with lots of different people with different inspiring ideas and businesses.”
SPORT Laura Dickinson newsdesk@brixtonblog.com
ISSUE 21
Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Design: Claire CranstonSelby
Photography: Alistair Hall, Antonio Sansica, Lucy FitterCartoons / Illustrations: Kaylene Alder, Tim Bird Pam Williams, Bobby Groves Crossword: Josie Gardiner Columnists: Ms Bennet, Alison Alexander A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success.
Brixton BID levy-payers meeting is on May 7, at 30a Acre Lane (Above Veranda) from 6-8pm.
Town Hall workspace hub is go
FOOD Miss South Lindsay Faller food@brixtonblog.com
Writers: Owen Pinnell, Phoebe Robertson, Katie Lathan, Nisha Damji, Rahima Fitzwilliam Hall, Michael Ogunleye, Nick Christian, Max Macbride
them and getting them on board. It’s about ensuring that they’re feeling that the BID is working for them regardless of their size.” Purcell was keen to stress the four key objectives of Brixton BID: To market Brixton, to reduce business costs, to help with business training needs and to see what can be done with the “age old problem” of parking in the town centre. Foster cites one example of how they can help rate payers in Brixton, by cutting 40 per cent from waste costs through a proposed new contract with First Mile Recycling. “This is a real opportunity for Brixton businesses to shape their future,” said Purnell. “You’re empowered now – there are 721 businesses together. We’re spending your money so come and have a say in how we spend it.”
Crime Figures There was a rise in rape and violent crime in Lambeth last year, according to new figures released by the Metropolitan Police. There were 56 more reported incidents of rape in the year to March 2014, a rise of 33 per cent. Violence against the person rose by seven per cent. However robbery against the person fell by 12 per cent, and there were 15 fewer gun crimes. For a full run down and reaction to the figures visit www.brixtonblog.com.
Head injuries A woman was taken to hospital with head injuries after a collision outside Lambeth Town Hall. The pedestrian, in her 20s, was injured at about 10.30am on April 28 at the crossing on Brixton Hill. She was taken to King’s College hospital “as a priority” and Brixton Hill was closed in both directions for about an hour.
More flats Plans have been submitted for a five-storey block of flats with retail units on a central Brixton stretch of Coldharbour Lane. Developers want to flatten Bickles Caribbean restaurant and two other shops to build nine market-value flats, next to the recently revamped Clifton Mansions. Plans also include new office space to the back of the building. Lambeth is expected to make a decision on the plans by May 20. See www.brixtonblog.com for more details fo the plans.
For more: impacthubbrixton.net or follow @hubbrixton on Twitter.
Blast blows roof off terraced house
An explosion at a house in Brixton blew the roof off and left window frames and debris spread across the road. Firefighters were called to the blast in Abbots Park, near Tulse Hill, just after 11am on April 29. Four fire engines and 21 firefighters arrived at the scene. Station manager Bruce Grain said: “It appears that there was also an explosion at the property. The whole of the roof was destroyed and all of the first floor windows were smashed including one which was blown across the street.
“Firefighters got the fire under control very quickly and as soon as the small pockets of fire are out we’ll be investigating what caused the blaze.” The whole of the building was damaged by the fire and explosion. There are no reports of any injures and fire crews evacuated neighbouring houses as a precaution. Firefighters from Brixton, West Norwood and Clapham fire stations attended the incident. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Container market
BLAST: Explosion destroyed the house. Pic by London Fire Brigade
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Developers have resubmitted plans for a temporary market behind the former Brady’s pub in Atlantic Road. The land was previously owned by TfL and features an air vent from the Tube station below. The plans are for 30 new stalls made from shipping containers on the site to be called ‘Brixton Yard.” Lambeth planners are due to make a decision by May 15.
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News ARCHIVE VIDS Incredible archive footage of Brixton in the 1950s and 60s has been uploaded to Youtube by British Pathe. Among the genuine treasures from Brixton’s varied history are powerful historical pieces as well as bizarre short films. Granville Arcade is shown in full technicolour splendour in a 1961 film about the joys of the food and fashion which Brixton has to offer. ‘Let’s go shopping Caribbean-style’ the announcer entreats us, before making toecurling generalisations about ‘housewives’ and orientalist statements about Brixton’s Jamaican community. But the footage is fascinating viewing for anyone familiar with Brixton – from the thriving market stalls to the bustling streets.
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Popes Road puts down roots A team of architects, guerrilla gardeners, cooks and food producers are set to transform an empty space into a “self-sustaining community” in the heart of Brixton. The grow:Brixton team won a competition to turn the Pope’s Road site into a “green oasis” featuring a performance area, makerspace and kitchen and will offer apprenticeships and mentoring for young people to learn new skills and develop their talents. Mak Gilchrist, of Edible Bus Stop and grow:Brixton, told the Bugle “We hope to give opportunities for anyone who could really do with being given a break. “Anyone who’s involved – artists, creators, and makers – will be asked to give something back to the community if they take a space”. Teams, including apprentices, will fit out former shipping containers to create a variety of
rentable space for small businesses, studios, and workshops. Special plastic tunnels will be used for community gardens around a central kitchen and eating area, which will serve locally-sourced food including “plant to plate” produce. Mak Gilchrist said: “We see our gardens as ‘Propaganda Beds’ to inspire people to take the idea of
gardening home with them – they are design-led and feature quirky, playful ways of growing.” grow:Brixton, made up of Lambeth-based Carl Turner Architects, The Edible Bus Stop, Canteen and Engineers Structure Workshop, saw off tough competition from five other entrants, including Brixton Toolbox.
ELECTION 2014: Quiz the hopefuls The Blog and Bugle is to hold a candidates question time in the run-up to the Lambeth-wide elections on May 22. The ‘hustings’ event will give any Brixton residents the chance to quiz council hopefuls from all the parties, and takes place upstairs at the POW (Prince of Wales), Coldharbour Lane, on
Tuesday May 13 at 7pm. The leaders of the three main parties have confirmed their attendance, and questions are expected on the future of Brixton town centre, education and free schools, social housing and employment. See our election special on pages 12 and 13.
WANTED:
Business and ad sales whizz Good at selling ad space? Want to work on an exciting community paper? The Brixton Bugle (circulation 10,000) and its sister website Brixton Blog are looking for an experienced person to sell advertising in print and online. We need a motivated sales whizz. You’ll be crucial to our pioneering sustainable business model by building relationships with local business and national ad agencies. You will raise advertising revenue for the Blog and Bugle, come up with new business ideas and upload ads to the site, as well as work to the monthly newspaper schedule. Understanding Brixton and how it works is pretty key to the role, so living locally would be an advantage. Ideally, you’ll come to this job with a creative attitude to how we can raise revenue at Brixton Blog beyond advertising sales and a passion for a grassroots community news project that punches well above its weight. Please email newsdesk@ brixtonblog.com with your CV and a covering letter, or telephone Tim Dickens, co-editor, on 0203 730 1312.
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Cyclists Question Time
Magic piano A new documentary showing the community spirit generated by a very colourful piano will open the Herne Hill Free Film Festival on Friday May 2. The Herne Hill Piano Film is a short documentary about a public piano placed in the walkway at Herne Hill Station. It is directed by Maureen Ni Fiann and made in collaboration with local filmmaker Tom Rochester and the Film Festival itself. The documentary showcases the sense of community generated by the piano, with strangers playing, dancing or simply stopping to listen to the music, subverting the ‘unfriendly’ London stereotype. Ms Ni Fiann said: “I noticed that the piano encouraged a lot of genuine personal interaction, and
BY NICK CHRISTIAN
to see that happening in an urban environment was fascinating. “It is a natural community maker in the gentlest, most unassuming way.” Giles Gibson, of the Herne Hill Forum, said: “The local community really care for the piano, and that is why that it has survived in the walkway for two years. It may even be the longest time that any street piano has been in any one place in London. “We look forward to celebrating its second birthday this summer.” The Herne Hill Free Film Festival, which is run entirely by volunteers, runs until Saturday May 31.
Brixton illustrated Poly Styrene, Musician and Singer
Members of Lambeth’s cycling community gathered at the Grand Union on Acre Lane for a Question Time-style public meeting. Chaired by Streatham MP Chuka Umunna, the event was billed as “an opportunity for local residents to raise concerns directly with those responsible for issues such as cycling safety, infrastructure and support”. On the panel were Lambeth councillor Pete Robbins, Sergeant Simon Castle of the Metropolitan Police’s Cycling Task Force, Coordinator of Lambeth Cyclists Charlie Holland, and London Cycling Commissioner – the Mayor’s cycling “czar” – Andrew Gilligan. The panelists fielded questions from the approximately 50-strong audience covering a wide range of cycling-related subjects, from closing residential rat runs and repairing pot holes to the wider benefits of cycling on public health and the environment.
Charlie Holland commended Lambeth council on the ambitions of its cycling strategy with its aims for Lambeth to become “the most cycle-friendly borough in London”. He also called for more aggressive moves to reduce the number of cars on Brixton’s main roads through measures such as road pricing. With the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme having been recently ex-
tended South and West, Daniel Linkstone asked if Brixton could expect a station of its own in the near future. Andrew Gilligan responded that “the chance is not nil but it’s not likely” due to budget constraints. Lambeth Cyclists hosted a Transport Hustings for local election candidates on April 30 at Stockwell Community Centre.
This month’s illustration was suggested via Twitter by @SLHC who suggested Poly Styrene (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said), musician and singer from X-Ray Spex, who was raised in Brixton. A free print of the illo will soon be winging its way to @SLHC. Tweet your suggestions for next month’s notable Brixtonite to @kpictures and win a print of your own. See more of Kaylene Alder’s beautiful illustrations at www.kaylenealder.com
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Cinema wage fight goes on
BY NISHA DAMJI Union members were set to hold a fourth day of strike action at the Ritzy cinema on Thursday this week (May 1). The protest is part of an ongoing dispute between BECTU union members and bosses over the London Living Wage, BECTU general secretary, Gerry Morrissey said: “We sincerely regret the inconvenience to patrons planning a night out. “However we also know that Ritzy customers understand the importance of this campaign and that they want us to succeed.” The last protest on April 19 was well-attended, with cinema staff and supporters providing entertainment including live music and face painting. Speaking about the previous action Ritzy worker Rob Lugg told the Brixton Bugle: “Our first three days of strike action were extremely successful and we continue to be amazed and genuinely touched by the incredible support from the local community.” The campaign has been backed by fans from local football team Dulwich Hamlet. Fans marched with a banner from East Dulwich to Brixton, handing it over to staff on arrival. The Bugle spoke to Dulwich fans Jack Bagnal and Duncan Hart about why they chose to support the
strikers. Duncan said: “The Ritzy, like Dulwich Hamlet, is an integral part of our community. We want to show solidarity with the workers at the cinema who deserve to have a wage they can live on in London. “We want to stand shoulder to shoulder on the terraces of Dulwich Hamlet and on the cinema seats of the Ritzy. We don’t want to see this effort go to waste”. Jack added: “It’s a cinema that a lot of our supporters visit, we have a responsibility to make a stand.” The football club offered staff free tickets to the last game of the season, held on April 26. MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna also visited the picket line. He said he “would like to think that the people looking after me while I’m here are being paid a decent wage.” He added that employers who could afford to pay the London Living Wage should do so. Commenting on the ongoing dispute, managing director of Picturehouse Cinemas, Lynn Goleby said: “We are deeply saddened by the decision of some of our staff at the Ritzy cinema in Brixton, who have voted to strike over pay. The Ritzy is due to close at 6.30pm on Thursday May 1 and will reopen as normal on Friday May 2. For the full report visit www. brixtonblog.com
BY KATIE LATHAM
with their carers, over a six-week period, offering trips and activities which would otherwise be difficult to attend. The launch featured inspirational guest speakers, music, exhibition stalls and refreshments. The Cherry Tree Trust was estab-
FAIR PAY: Dulwich Hamlet fans (above) show their support picture by Jason Cobb. Right, Ritzy staff outside the cinema - picture by Tim Dickens
Cherry Tree Trust blossoms Funds appeal for victimised women The Cherry Tree Trust launched an event for its first project, The Cherry Tree Experience, on Friday April 25. The project aims to work with black and minority ethnic (BME) people who have become disabled either through illness or accident, along
WELCOME SUPPORT: Members of the trust at the launch. Picture by By Tania Ashford TSA Studios
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lished in memory of Cherry Groce, who was shot in her bed by the Metropolitan Police in 1985 in a bungled raid, which left her paralysed from the waist down. Ms Groce’s family were recently granted legal aid for legal representation at the inquest into her death, scheduled to take place in June. Lee Lawrence, Ms Groce’s son and founder of the Cherry Tree Trust, said: “Through our own personal experience we have identified a problem where numerous members from disabled BME backgrounds have faced racial discrimination or prejudice when dealing with more mainstream organisations, as cultural and religious differences are not often taken into account. “Many activities that are available are either not well publicised or can often leave some feeling abandoned with limited choices, and leave their carers feeling guilty.” The event took place at the disability hub at We Are 336, 336 Brixton Road. For more information visit www. cherrytreetrust.org
BY NISHA DAMJI
A Brixton-based charity has recently launched a campaign to raise vital funds needed to support women who have been trafficked into the UK. Eaves for Women works directly with female victims of violence and is the UK’s leading charity supporting trafficked women. The charity is looking to raise £5,800 over the next two months to carry out urgent work to help up to ten women currently detained by UK authorities. Detentions and prisons worker, Irina Do Carmo, said: “Trafficked women in prison and immigration centres suffer additional trauma when they come into contact with the UK authorities. “They are met with a culture of disbelief where they are viewed as opportunistic migrants rather than vulnerable victims.” According to the charity, women are required to disclose their
020 3730 1312
history, which often includes traumatic experiences, including any sexual violence, to officials who are often male. Eaves have also highlighted a concern that victims are being sentenced to prison for crimes their traffickers made them commit. Eaves will use the money raised to provide women with advocacy, interpreting services and specialist physical and mental health support. Donate to the campaign directly by visiting eavesforwomen.org
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Black Archive launch date BY MICHAEL OGUNLEYE
The national Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in Windrush Square, Brixton, will finally reopen in July after being closed since 2011 for a multi-million pound redevelopment and relocation project. Designed to be the first permanent home for archives based on centuries of AfroCarribean history in Britain, the project was put on hold in 2012 after its contractors Killby & Gayford fell into administration. The BCA charity, previously based in Kennington, will run the building and is expected to be given a 99-year lease. The new development will include a specialist research centre, secure archive storage, spaces for conferences, as well as an exhibition centre. Paul Reid, BCA’s director, told The Bugle: “We are excited by the opportunity to reveal black heritage throughout recorded history on these shores, and bring our collections to life for all to learn and enjoy.” Other features will include a revamped archive with documents dating back to the second
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SHINING BRIGHT: An artists impression of how the new Archive will look in Windrush Square as construction nears its end century, alongside oral histories of Britain’s first black cultural from members of the Windrush heritage centre in Raleigh generation, who moved to the UK Hall will be a very special day on the HMS Windrush in 1948, for Brixton, for Lambeth and which will be showcased to the the Afro-Caribbean community, public in a series of events during not only in London but across the world. the summer. “The new heritage centre The BCA was co-founded by Lenford Garrison, an represents the culmination of 33 educationalist in 1981, to celebrate years’ work by the founders and the contribution of people of Afro- members of BCA. I hope people Caribbean descent to UK history. from across Britain will come to Councillor Sally Prentice, Brixton to see the Archive and will Cabinet Member for Culture consider how they can support the and Leisure said: “The opening new centre.”
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Brenda Smith takes a break from skiing in Austria and wins a Brixton Blog bag
Improve your child’s study skills CAFE SOCIETY: Tom Edwards relaxes in The Kaff Bar on Coldharbour Lane
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TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN: Jason Cobb lives it up ithe glamorous surroundings of Norwich Station
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BAKING BAD: How pastry power changes prison lives BY MAX MACBRIDE
I’ve lived a stone’s throw from Brixton Prison for much of my life and yet it has remained a peripheral curiosity – out of sight and mind. So I jumped at the chance to venture behind its austere walls to find out a little more about the Bad Boys’ Bakery, an innovative social enterprise based at the prison. The Bakery was the brainchild of a certain Gordon Ramsay, who first set it up back in 2012. The aim was to give people with convictions the chance to gain work experience and generally do something positive with their time in prison. The launch of the scheme, which formed the basis of the TV series Gordon Behind Bars, coincided with Brixton’s re-categorisation in the same year as a category ‘C’ prison. This was a major reinvention designed to transform Brixton into London’s first prison specialising in preparing inmates for reintegration into society. Brixton Prison has endured a turbulent post-war history, during which time sustained neglect established it as one of the UK’s most notorious prisons, rife with suicide, overcrowding and attempted escapes. Brixton was condemned at the turn of the millennium by the Chief Inspector of Prisons as having the most “disgraceful example of conditions in a prison” he had seen, whereupon things slowly began to turn around. The Bad Boys’ Bakery - which has since been taken over by the welfare-to-work provider Working Links - is one of the standardbearers of this upturn in fortunes. It boasts an impressive record at reducing both reoffending and unemployment rates on release. Compared to the national average of 47% of people who re-offend within a year of leaving prison, the figure for Bakery alumni stands at just 6%. For people entering into a difficult period in their lives,
it represents a vital opportunity to gain back both self-respect and confidence. On arrival at the prison, I’m shown into the central yard and kitchen by Aoibheann Calelly, the young Irish woman who runs the bakery on behalf of Working Links. Apart from the large quantities of barbed wire on show, from the inside it doesn’t look or feel obviously like a prison. The bakery itself is a hive of activity as we enter, the aroma of freshly baked bread overwhelming any apprehension I might have felt about being ‘inside’. I am introduced to Kyle and Frank, who are cooking up some Marble Brownies bound for Brixton Market. Frank is midway through his first morning on the job, so probably the last thing he wants is to be asked lots of questions. Nevertheless, they are both forthcoming and Kyle - a supervisor - gives a particularly impassioned account of what working at the Bad Boys’ Bakery has done for him. He says it has given him a focus and made the days go quicker, and is also proud of the responsibility and creativity that he’s been afforded there. Kyle is particularly proud of an Orange Brownie recipe he recently came up with which has apparently taken the place by storm. Touchingly, he says that as well as setting up his own bakery market stall on the outside when he’s released, he is most looking forward to teaching his children to make brownies. He’s due for release in five weeks, but isn’t taking anything for granted. The initial association with Gordon Ramsay has been a godsend, Aoibheann says, opening doors and setting the Bakery on the path to a sustainable future. The Bakery supplies a number of local delis, stalls and cafes (over 200 in total), including Brixton Village’s Cornercopia and The Joint, selected Caffe Neros in South London and The Clink, a recently opened fine dining restaurant also housed in the prison. The pottymouthed maestro is no longer involved in the day-to-day, but he and his team make sure all the recipes are up to scratch. All the inmates I talk to are clearly delighted to have something productive to do with their time, but the Boys also demonstrate a genuine passion for their craft and for baking. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t something superficially incongruous about having the finer points of a pecan tart detailed by a burly man doing time for an unspecified crime, but it’s remarkable and touching how transformative a little responsibility and passion can be for people in a difficult situation.
One person who credits the Bakery for changing his entire mentality is Christian (pictured left), an ex-Boy who now works full-time at The Joint in Brixton Village. He moved to the UK from Colombia when he was 13 and was sentenced to five years inside for dealing drugs. When I meet him at The Joint later in the week, Christian tells me that life inside was tough. ‘Prison life isn’t supposed to be easy,’’ he says. He adds that although it’s not necessarily threatening or violent, it’s just depressing.
Christian also explains that the atmosphere in Brixton Prison was often tense, despite the new emphasis on rehabilitation, a hangover from the previous high security regime. So the Bakery was a beacon of hope amidst a tough grind. Christian now works 55 hours a week, a world away from his previous life as a dealer, but says he wouldn’t change a thing. “I’m not interested in that old side of my life. This is a small business that is growing quickly and I want to be part of that. I’ve
got a little daughter and am getting married soon - things are great. And without the Bakery I probably wouldn’t be in this position. It changed my whole outlook.’’ You can find out more about the Bad Boys’ Bakery at www. badboysbakery.org. Find out more about other projects supported by Working Links at www.workinglinks.co.uk You can follow the writer of this feature, Max Macbride @MaximilianMM on Twitter Photos are copywright of Working Links
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Some of your #Brixton tweets:
@simon_hardy1: Rally in #Lambeth on 1 May at Karibu centre at 6pm - strikes from Brixton college, #Ritzy cinema and RMT workers @NishaDamji: Oh the sweet soothing sound of my washing machine going round. Thanks @brixspindoctor #brixton
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Ritzy pay row “It is important that everyone has their say, but industrial action will not speed up the process towards better pay for everyone – in fact it could well hinder our aims for this.” Why? Only if they’re bloody minded and want to slow the process down because the Ritzy’s employees are empowering themselves and taking action. This veiled threat says much more about the employer than the situation at hand. Dave - online Underneath this article is a link to the Ritzy cinema human rights exhibition. Ironic much? Chris - online Doesnt surprise me at all that Picturehouse Cinemas treat their staff in this way. The best thing to do, as a customer, is to avoid going there until the matter is sorted. Lets hope staff at their other cinemas have the guts to fight for decent pay, James Harrison - online
The director of Chloe’s Crew (a crew company that provides event staff) and co-founder of Avant Garden, a small out-of-town festival with a big heart, blazes a Brixton trail...
YOUR PICTURES: Reflecting Lambeth College, Brixton
Big thanks to Matt Smitheman, @Matt_Smi, who sent this picture, saying: “I thought to share this interesting shot I got of Lambeth College on Brixton Hill with a looming red sky in the window reflection.”
newsdesk@brixtonblog.com Thanks for your support in Cherry Groce campaign I had argued from the start that the family of Cherry Groce should be given every assistance to examine the circumstances that led to their mother’s death at the inquest. There was a clear public interest in legal aid being granted in this case. It would have been totally unacceptable for the inquest to proceed with the different police parties all being represented at the taxpayer’s expense but not the victims in this case, Cherry Groce and her family. So I very much welcome the decision to grant legal aid which the Lord Chancellor has made – I am
The
grateful to him for making the right call in this case. All we were asking for was for there to be an equality of legal representation between the police and the family before the inquest. That wish has now been granted. I’d like to thank all those who have backed the family’s campaign but the battle for justice is not over. I would ask all those who’ve supported the campaign to keep a close eye on the inquest and the Coroner’s findings when they come. Chuka Umunna MP for Streatham Hill
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by numbers
»ONE business and ad sales whizz required to sell ads for the Blog and Bugle »50 people attended the Cyclists Question Time event »£5,800 needed by the Eaves for Women charity campaign »33 years’ work has gone into creating the soon-to-open Black Cultural Archive »ONLY 6% of Brixton Prison’s Bad Boys’ Bakery alumni reoffend »SIX Somerleyton Road is the new home of Blockworkout and Brixton Come Together »1000 Londoners will eventually feature in Chocolate Films’ ambitious project »30 minutes is all it takes to enjoy a tasty lunch at Foccacia restaurant
Stockwell Skate Park This is a sick hangout, there are always familiar faces riding, skating or just jammin’ on the top of the bowl. Don’t forget Brixton Cycles too, who are always willing to lend a helping hand. Brixton Academy My dad used to let me skateboard down the ramp in the auditorium when I was little and he was doing gigs. I have been to dozens of shows there and have worked at just as many. Big up to Uncle Josh, who is G.O.D (General Operations Manager). Creams Cafe This first caught my eye because of the black and purple decor, and if you know me you know it’s all about black and purple, from my clothes/accessories to my BMX! And once you walk through the door the smell of sweet chocolatey goodness is absolutely amazing. The Effra Hall Tavern A little slice of real Brixton. You got to love the live jazz on a Sunday night and the hearty food they serve up, plus you can always catch the football game if you want. Don’t forget the dub reggae... Brockwell Park Bike Track As I used to ride for Brixton BMX Club I spent a lot of time there. In the last few years it’s had a face lift which has made it even more enjoyable to ride. Its not just BMX-ers, there’s always someone on a trail bike or mash-up mountain bike to give you jokes... See theavantgarden.co.uk, facebook.com/avantgardenfestival and chloes-crew.co.uk
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
Comment & Analysis
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The Brixton Blog and Bugle Est. 2012
In Brockwell Park the long meadow grass has begun to grow again, as have seedlings in the community greenhouse (p23) as Brixton enjoys the full throng of spring. This year the season of change and growth brings with it the somewhat less romantic notion of a local election. Six Brixton wards will each decide three elected representatives to act as their spokespeople in the Town Hall. Our local councillors deal with more than dog poo and potholes. The Labour council has control over hundreds of millions of pounds of our money. Its decisions have massive implications. Check out our election guide on pages 12 and 13. Many readers - and indeed candidates - may see another predictable Labour victory ahead. But the standing of three well known community stalwarts in Coldharbour Ward, not least the enigmatic soup kitchen founder Solomon Smith, for the Green Party will have senior Labour members seriously worried. So come and have your say at our hustings on May 13 - it promises to be a lively one. One topic up for heated discussion is the rumoured death of the once-celebrated “co-op” idealogy in the borough. Labour have taken the Tipp-ex to any reference to “co-op council” in their election literature, and it has vanished from the 2014 budget. As ever it’s encouraging to read some of the truly positive news stories from Brixton on these pages - stories like Air Football (p24), the new Afewee Boxing Club (p1) and the Bad Boys’ Bakery (p10). We are proud to support these excellent projects just as we support staff at the Ritzy who continue to strike in their battle to be paid a fair and decent wage. It’s with a hint of sadness that we say au revoir - but not goodbye - to Patrick Kelly from Bookmongers. Patrick - who is off for an extended stay in Nova Scotia with his beautiful dog Rosa has been a friend to the Bugle since its inception. The American immigrant in south London is one of those inimitable characters who make Brixton the place it is - and something will be amiss with him gone. By his own admission Brixton has sucked him in - and 25 years here has passed ‘in the blink of an eye’. We wish him, and Rosa, safe travels, adventure and an equally safe return in 2015.
King’s are desperate for helipad - please help Tessa Jowell MP Before the Easter break I held one of my regular meetings with the leadership of King’s [College Hospital]. The hospital is facing a number of significant challenges at the moment, not least the rise in the number of people arriving in its Emergency Department and increasing admissions of elderly people. Despite these pressures, the staff at King’s continue to provide outstanding care to its patients. The commitment of its leadership to serve the local community is truly inspiring. Take the Volunteer Programme for example; King’s now has 1,500 people, young and old and from a huge variety of backgrounds, volunteering in some capacity to build skills and help serve local people. Such a programme is about much more than meeting the care needs within a hospital. It provides life-giving experience; it builds trust, confidence, enduring relationships and, perhaps most importantly, influences the whole culture of the hospital environment. One particular cause I want to mention is Kings’ fundraising bid to build a helipad on its premises. Major trauma, responsible for 17,000 lives a year, remains the biggest
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killer of people aged under 45. King’s is one of four Major Trauma Centres in London with patients brought in by air ambulance currently landing in Ruskin Park. The journey from there can take up to 25 minutes. Every minute is crucial in terms of keeping the patient warm, preventing clots and ensuring they’re diagnosed and treated as soon as possible, especially in the case of critically ill patients. The Park closes at dusk, meaning King’s is unable to accept patients via helicopter after that time and the current arrangements require police support to clear the park. There is no paved landing pad in the park which can cause further
020 3730 1312
crucial delays in wet weather conditions. You can watch the powerful campaign video online: http://tinyurl.com/oh4d5dg King’s are desperate to develop an onsite helipad so that they can act more quickly, more efficiently and cater for a greater number of patients. They need to raise a further £3.5 million to finance the project and there are plenty of ways the local community can get involved and fundraise at http://tinyurl.com/pu33m63. Please do whatever you can to support them. Tessa Jowell is MP for Dulwich and West Norwood. This column first appeared in the Southwark News
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Features
Brixton Bugle May 2014
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Six is the magic number Saturday April 26 saw the grand opening of Number Six, Somerleyton Road. Brixton Green has leased the old kitchens on Somerleyton Road from Lambeth council to use for community activity and to ensure Brixton people stay at the forefront of the redevelopment of Somerleyton Road. Part of the building houses the Brixton Street Gym set up by the amazing Blockworkout, who share the space with Brixton Come Together. There are loads of other activities planned for Number Six, including youth clubs, enterprise workshops, dance, theatre, food-growing, film showings and much more... These colourful pictures give just a taste of the fun had by all. It began with community workshops and family activities, followed by the opening event for the Brixton Street Gym / Brixton Come Together Spring Sessions. where performers included Omar, Lescines, Poeticat and Beans on Toast. Definitely watch this particular space...
Pic: Come Together Festival
All pictures by Alistair Hall www.alistairhall.co.uk except bottom left
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
Features
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the faces of
Cressingham
Gardens Part V: Meet Sara Part five of a series in which our Features Editor, Keith Lewis, along with photographer Jeannine Mansell, meets some of the residents of Cressingham Gardens. The sun is shining through the high awning windows and onto the table in the living area of Sara’s one bed flat. You can’t see the table’s surface for piles of books and magazines. I comment on the amount of light the flat gets. “It’s one of the things I love about this place,” Sara says. “It’s built for people. Too often architects go for looks.” Today is the first bit of free time Sara’s had for a while. She has just rushed back from singing in the Ghanaian choir down at Corpus Christi to speak to me. “I must admit, I’d never heard of Passion Sunday until today,” she says. “I mean my Mum’s Catholic, although my dad’s Muslim, but neither of them pushed religion onto me. They were very neutral.” Sara admits that she had initially joined a choir just to please her mum though. “Then I found myself going every Sunday. As you get a bit older lots of things just start making better sense and I feel more at peace with them. For me, ‘religion’ was just the name given to something that made a lot of sense at that time in history – a set of rules to live by,” she says, shrugging. Her Mum still lives in Eritrea. But Sara seems to have been crafting her own life in London, bit by bit. “Before I moved in here I was living in hostels. I’d started out as a refugee, you see. Eritrea was going through a tough time so I came to the UK on my own. I got my indefinite leave to remain but, you know, that runs out after a while so you learn to live with uncertainty.” “What did you make of the city at first?” I ask. “You soon realise that London is full of people like you. In fact, I loved Brixton in particular. It was the one place I could come and people, other Eritreans, got to know me. Otherwise, it was quite tough. I mean, you feel lost, when everyone around you is doing
drugs, drinking. It’s just not my thing.” It was around then that Sara entered a competition. It was with Storm, Kate Moss’s modelling agency. “I couldn’t believe it, but I ended up a finalist.” Sara’s face lights up as she tells me. “At 5ft 5” though, I was too short,” she laughs. “Plus I had no papers, I was still going through the courts. But I realised the opportunity I had and I asked them if I could just hang out, bring coffees, do the photocopying, that sort of stuff.” She ended up chaperoning some of the models, going to festivals and events around the UK and eventually getting to do some maternity cover in accountancy. “I never called in sick… I didn’t even know what that was until I came here,” she jokes. “So I think the agency grew to trust me.” But by then, Sara had her indefinite leave to remain and she moved into Cressingham Gardens the same month that she started studying psychology. “I loved that agency,” she adds, “but I had to leave. I really wanted to do my degree.” Sara graduated a few years back but she’s recently been studying to become a primary school teacher. We are now stood by her dream board, which is pinned up in the kitchen. There are some pictures of food – a Black Forest gateau, or some type of cake. She laughs, and tells me they were the only pictures she could find to cut out. There are also a couple of pictures of rural Italy. “Why Italy?” I ask. “Oh, I love Italy,” she tells me. “I’ve been millions of times. When I eventually got my indefinite leave, it was one of the first things I did. Left the country!” We both laugh at the irony. “This stuff kind of keeps me going, you know,” she adds. “I was used to travelling around when I was younger. Then, waiting for my papers, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere… I loved Palermo. It reminded me so much of Asmara.” “You seem really happy here on Cressingham, though?” I say. “What I love about it, is you know your people, if that makes sense? When I moved
in, one of the neighbours, Linda, brought me loads of things to clean up the flat with. Stuff to make it smell nice – it was in a real mess… and she gave me a box of cutlery.” Then Sara smiles again. “You know,” she says, “I was sleeping on the floor for the first three months of being here. I was lucky getting in though. I was interviewed over in one of the hostels at Camberwell. I think because I was doing a degree, trying to make something work, well… I think that’s what got me in to be honest. Now I pay a pretty normal rent.” Recently, Sara was broken into. But optimism seems to be a natural state of being for her, and she brushes it off.
“Charles, another neighbour, was amazing. He even gave me a laptop to work with. I guarded that with my life though – it’s one thing having your own stuff stolen, but somebody else’s…” “What about those?” I ask, pointing to the side of the couch. “Oh, the toys... they’re here for my nieces. My sister lives in London too.” She pulls out her phone and shows me two girls. “They’re beautiful,” I say. She nods, still looking at the picture. You can see Sara loves kids. There’s little doubt she’ll make a good teacher.
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
In FOCUS
VOTE BRIXTON: ALL YOU NEED T
BY KAYE WIGGINS This week, you might have found a few political leaflets in your letterbox. That number is likely to increase significantly over the next month, as campaigning for the local elections hots up. The elections, on May 22, are for local councillors and the European Parliament. Council elections tend to struggle for a good turnout (except when, as with the last lot in 2010, they’re held alongside a general election). But the people elected in May will play an important role in deciding, amongst other things: how much council tax you pay and whether you get a discount; how much is spent on keeping the streets clean and getting potholes fixed; how much affordable housing is built and where it should be, and how the borough will cope with rising demand for school places. Brixton has a wide range of groups competing for your vote, from the big national parties to a “pirate party”, socialist groups and some independent candidates who are not affiliated to any political party. You’ll be able meet some of these candidates, and grill the party leaders on the issues that matter to you, at a Brixton Bugle hustings event upstairs at the POW (Prince of Wales) on Coldharbour Lane, on Tuesday May 13 at 7pm. Before then, you can learn more about the ward you live in (right), find out who your candidates are and how to vote, and meet the leaders of the parties currently represented on the council. For more details, see brixtonblog.com/elections2014-your-local-guide/21584. See you at the polls!
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats’ main sell to voters will be the track record of its current councillors, the party’s new leader Alex Davies tells the Bugle. “Our strongest suit in the wards we hold is our reputation as hard workers who get things done for people, whether it’s the small things like potholes, or the campaign to save Streatham Library,” he says. “Sometimes it’s unashamedly what you might call ‘pavement politics’, but that’s how you can improve things.” But in an area like Brixton, where Labour has a stronghold and has managed to hold its seats in recent by-elections, can the Liberal Democrats expect gains? “I don’t think it’s healthy for Labour to have such a huge majority,” Cllr Davies says. “The product of having all Labour councillors is that you don’t get a good deal out of it. “We haven’t won by-elections in Brixton - but although lots of people vote Labour I don’t think they’re enthusiastic about what their councillors do for them. We’re here to give those people an alternative.” Cllr Davies, who became leader of the Lambeth Liberal Democrat group just last month, says he supports the council’s decision to freeze council tax but disagrees with it on a range of other issues,
such as its decision to build a new town hall campus, which is estimated to cost around £30m, and its treatment of “shortlife” housing residents who are at risk of eviction from their homes. “With the shortlife issue, we want a moratorium on evictions and to get people to come to an agreement,” he says. “At the moment the council and the campaigners have reached a point where they’re not talking and it’s all going through the courts. There has to be a way to get a compromise.” Cllr Davies says he also wants the council to do more to make a business case for Crossrail 2, which will run from north to south London, to stop in Streatham. “I’m disappointed that they haven’t done more on that.”
Labour
Labour will enter the election campaign in the strongest position, both in Brixton where it holds almost every council seat and in Lambeth as a whole, where it has 44 of 63 seats. But council leader Lib Peck says she is not taking anything for granted when it comes to the election. “I’m never complacent about election results,” she says. “I won my seat by five votes in 2002. That gives you an important perspective: you have to work hard to win every vote.” She says she hopes the election campaign will be a chance to get people more interested in politics. “There’s nothing more depressing than when you knock on doors and people say they’re not interested. People should feel they have an influence and we want to use this election as a way of helping people understand the political process.” Labour will be fighting the election on its track record in power, Cllr Peck says. “I’m proud of freezing council
tax. We’re investing £450m in homes; we’ve opened three leisure centres and we’ve started to make sure the jobs we’re bringing in are going to local people. “In Brixton there’s the Somerleyton Road development, which is developing affordable homes and workspace in partnership with the local community.” But could these be overshadowed by the council’s controversial decision to redevelop its town hall site, a project estimated to cost around £30m? Cllr Peck says there has been “a lot of misunderstanding” about the development. “There were a lot of questions and misapprehension about it,” she says. “But I think people understand now that it’s saving £4.5m per year and providing affordable homes and start-up business premises in the centre of Brixton.” She adds that she is not worried about opposition parties criticising the plans as part of the election campaign.“They campaigned on it in the last three by-elections in Tulse Hill, Brixton Hill and
Conservative
Who’s standing in your ward?
John Whelan, leader of the
Conservative group on Lambeth council, doesn’t pull his punches when it comes to Labour’s approach to running the council. “They’ve got it wrong,” he says. “They’re completely lacking in ambition when it comes to lobbying the government for change. It’s like they’re just waiting for Ed Miliband to become Prime Minister in 2015 and wave a magic wand – it’s not going to happen. “And they won’t even acknowledge that the only reason they’ve been able to freeze council tax is because the government has given them a grant to do it.” Cllr Whelan also says criticism of the new town hall development will form part of his election campaign. “Labour shouldn’t be wasting money on an expensive vanity project,” he says. “I don’t think the public will react well to it.” Cllr Whelan is also sceptical about Lambeth’s “cooperative council” approach. “I can’t think of one thing that’s been run by local people as a result of the cooperative council,” he says. “They say they want to be cooperative, but really they want to retain all powers at the centre.” However, Cllr Whelan is also keen that his party offers a positive “vision” for Brixton. “Our priority is to create employment and push for regeneration,” he says. “We’d also like to see tree planting and environmental improvements.” He says he is pleased with his party’s achievements in opposition, such as advocating park maintenance and cleaner streets, and championing the cause of people who have bought former
Vassall and it didn’t translate into anything,” she says. Asked what Labour has struggled with or would do differently in future, Cllr Peck says “poorish communication” and the “bureaucracy of the council” have sometimes held things up. “You start off with a political vision which is about working with the community, and sometimes that translates into something that’s not as dynamic as you hoped,” she says.
All wards have candidates from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Conservatives and the Green Party. As well as that, the following parties are standing: Brixton Hill Trade Unionists and Socialists Coalition UK Independence Party
council properties and are faced with “excessive” service charges. Asked what he would consider a successful outcome for his party in the local election, Cllr Whelan says: “In 2006 we had seven seats; at the moment we’ve got four. We’d like to have a position on the council where we’ve got a significant voice. “We’re the watchdogs. Most administrations would like to have a vigorous opposition that challenges them, and that’s what we’ve been doing.” He adds that changing demographics, particularly in Clapham, gives him hope that the Conservatives could win more seats. Whatever happens, Cllr Whelan and his wife, fellow Lambeth Conservative councillor Clare Whelan, are standing down after this election. A new party leader will be chosen from the councillors that are elected. “We’ve done 24 years on the council,” he says. “That’s more than a murderer gets in prison, especially if they’ve behaved well like we have!”
Coldharbour Two independent candidates: Boniface Chakpiu Awogta and David Warner UK Independence Party Ferndale Trade Unionists and Socialists Coalition UK Independence Party Socialist Party GB Herne Hill Trade Unionists and Socialists Coalition UK Independence Party Tulse Hill Trade Unionists and Socialists Coalition Vassall The Pirate Party Trade Unionists and Socialists Coalition We’re inviting all candidates to write articles for the Brixton Blog about what they would do if elected. Keep an eye on the site for updates.
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
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TO KNOW ABOUT ELECTION 2014 All about your ward
Vassall
Brixton is broken down into wards, each of which has a different set of council candidates to choose between. Find out which is yours and what it’s like. National average figures are: Population density: 4.1 (London average 5.2) Homeowners: 63.4% Mean age: 39.3 Unemployment: 4.4%. Figures from 2011 census data.
Tulse Hill
A young population, with better educational qualifications than other parts of Brixton. High Labour vote and the party won a by-election here last year.
Brixton Hill
Long stretch of Brixton from town hall to top of Streatham. Lower Labour vote than other Brixton wards and a noticeable Green Party presence, although Labour won a by-election last year.
Area close to Stockwell station including Myatts Fields. Only Brixton ward in which the Liberal Democrats won a seat in 2010.
Coldharbour
Brixton’s biggest ward in population terms, with the lowest proportion of homeowners, the highest unemployment rate and a solid Labour vote at the last local election. Population: 14,143 Population density: 125.2 Homeowners: 23.2% Proportion of over-16s with 5 or more GCSEs at grade A-C or equivalent: 10.9% Mean age: 33.6 Employment: 42.1% employed full time 10.1% employed part time 9.2% self employed Unemployment: 7.4% Main ethnic groups: 32.1% white British 15.2% white other 16.9% black African 12.4% black Caribbean 6.1% black other
Population: 15,771 Density: 153.2 Homeowners: 29.2% Proportion of over-16s with 5 or more GCSEs at grade A-C or equivalent: 11.5% Mean age: 32. Employment: 43.3% employed full time 11.6% employed part time 10.3% self employed Unemployment: 6.9% Main ethnic groups: 32.4% white British 16.1% black African 13.3% black Caribbean 14.9% white other 6.8% black other 2010 election result: 59% turnout Share of the vote: 59% Labour 28% Liberal Democrats 20% Other
Population: 15,842 Population density (number of persons per hectare): 140.3. Homeowners: 32.8%. Proportion of over-16s with 5 or more GCSEs at grade A-C or equivalent: 9.1%. Mean age: 33.4. Employment: 50.3% employed full time 8.6% employed part time 10.7% self employed Unemployment: 5.7%. Main ethnic groups: 41.4% white British 17.3% white other 10.5% black African 10.7% black Caribbean 2010 election result: 59% turnout Share of the vote: 43% Labour 29% Liberal Democrats 17% Other 11% Green
Herne Hill
Population: 16,784 Density: 138.9 Homeowners: 16.1% Proportion of over-16s with 5 or more GCSEs at grade A-C or equivalent: 11.5% Mean age: 32 Employment: 38.1% employed full time 11.5% employed part time 9.4% self employed Unemployment: 8.7% Main ethnic groups: 23.9% white British 21% black African 16.8% black Caribbean 14% white other 7.7% black other
2010 election result: 56% turnout Share of the vote: 44% Labour 35% Liberal Democrats 11% Conservatives 9% Green
Voting: how does it work?
Ferndale
Population: 15,032 Density: 176.2 Homeowners: 26.5% Proportion of over-16s with 5 or more GCSEs at grade A-C or equivalent: 7.7% Mean age: 33.1 Employment: 54.3% employed full time 8.5% employed part time 8.9% self employed
Population: 15,107 Density: 74.4 Homeowners: 37.2% Proportion of over-16s with 5 or more GCSEs at grade A-C or equivalent: 9.5% Mean age: 33.9 Employment: 45.7% employed full time 10.1%, employed part time 13.4% self employed Unemployment: 5.4% Main ethnic groups: 44.6% white British 15.8% white other 9.4% black Caribbean 8.6% black African 2010 election results: 64% turnout Share of the vote: 45% Labour 24% Green 12% Liberal Democrats 10% Conservative 9% Other
2010 election result: 53% turnout Share of the vote: 65% Labour 12% Liberal Democrats 23% Other
The most densely populated part of Brixton, with the lowest proportion of residents with good GCSE results.
Has a slightly older population, the highest proportion of homeowners and lowest population density in Brixton. Also the highest voter turnout and the most politically diverse.
Unemployment: 5.5% Main ethnic groups: 38.7% white British 20.9% white other 10.8% black African 9.9% black Caribbean 5% black other 2010 election result: 52% turnout Share of the vote: 46% Labour 24% Liberal Democrats 19% Conservative 11% Other Ward profile data from 2011 census.
First, you need to make sure you’re registered - the deadline for this is 6 May so be quick. Then work out where your designated polling station is - you should have received a polling card in the post to tell you. If you can’t find it, check out lambeth.gov.uk/elections-and-council/ elections/elections-guide#polling-stations. On Thursday 22 May, polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm. You don’t need to take your polling card or any ID with you – just give your name and address to staff. You’ll be able to vote for three candidates. You don’t have to use all three votes, and you can choose candidates from the same party, or a mixture of different parties. The three candidates with the highest numbers of votes will be elected. If you’re not sure whether you’re registered to vote, call Lambeth’s electoral services on 020 7926 2254.
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Introducing some of the partners helping us deliver Future Brixton On Somerleyton Road... The preferred development manager for the Somerleyton Road project has been named as Igloo and a contract could be signed by 12 May. Together with Brixton Green and Ovalhouse, we’ve been looking for a team to help deliver this flagship project in a different way – building a community with a range of homes for all needs, as well as creative and cultural spaces.
Deal signed for Your New Town Hall On 16 April our plans to save millions of pounds a year by slashing the number of council office buildings moved a step closer. The council signed an agreement with Muse Developments to deliver the Your New Town Hall project, which will reduce its core office buildings from 14 to 2, saving at least £4.5m a year. The scheme will create new jobs and apprenticeships and up to 275 new homes. It includes a more efficient council office building so that the historic town hall can be opened up for community and business use. Michael Auger, development director at Muse Developments said: “We are very excited to be on board with such a major regeneration project; we want to create something that everyone in the borough can benefit from and which adds even greater vibrancy to Brixton’s thriving community” All Lambeth residents will be invited to get involved in the exciting and creative process of
defining and improving the proposals for the Town Hall development up to the detailed designs. In partnership with Muse, we’ll be holding a number of open consultation events and workshops so everyone can have a say. There will also be a permanent exhibition in the Town Hall and a dedicated project website which will launch shortly.
Meanwhile... Brixton Street Gym arrives Block Workout launched the Brixton Street Gym on Saturday 26 April as part of the Somerleyton Road community day. Using funding and space provided by the council, their first base will be at Number Six Somerleyton Road and, with FREE access for the first two weeks, everyone will be welcome to try out their inspirational style of keep fit. Visit www.BlockWorkOut.co.uk
Helping your business make an impact From 5 May, the new enterprise space inside the town hall will be fully open for membership and local entrepreneurs will be able to meet and inspire each other. You can become a Pioneer Member of the Impact Hub if you join before 15 May and get a 50% discount for 3 months. Visit brixtonimpacthub.net for more information.
Green light for grow:brixton A team of award winning architects, guerrilla gardeners, cooks and food producers has won the chance to transform the empty space at Pope’s Road in Brixton for the next two years. The competition captured the public imagination and the final stage was hotly contested between two local teams. Congratulations to grow:brixton’s Will Sandy, Makaela Gilchrist and Carl Turner (pictured, l- r). Makaela Gilchrist says: “We’re delighted to be given the opportunity by the council to create a place for people, ideas, inspiration, fun and food to grow right in the heart of Brixton. We’ve had some great input from locals and look forward to the project flourishing together with the community. There’ll be lots of opportunity to get involved, to enjoy the space and help grow.” Grow:brixton will create a green public space as well as giving people the chance to acquire new skills and rent affordable work space. Find out more about Meanwhile at Pope’s Road at futurebrixton.org
visit futurebrixton.org • follow @futurebrixton 10673 (4.14)
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
HILL MEAD Herald
Churchill War Rooms BY AALIYAH, Year 6
Year 6 had the opportunity, just before Easter, to visit the Churchill War Rooms in Westminster. The bunker, part of the Imperial War Museum, was where the Prime Minister and the British Government hid during the Blitz in World War 2 (WW2). From these very rooms Winston Churchill and his allies planned to defeat the enemy. But it did not always work. Children died in the bombing and the whole nation was in pain. When we got there I couldn’t believe that the fate of millions was decided in this one small room! It was the engine room of the Government, where the war
cabinet commanded a nation’s army. All around I could see battle plans and telephones. I was also surprised to find out that Winston Churchill hated the noise of staplers! People who weren’t lucky enough to go home had to sleep in a dark and damp basement full of rats and bugs. They risked catching all kinds of disease. The visit made me feel really heartbroken about all the people that died. But at the same time the people died for equality. Churchill War Rooms Clive Steps, King Charles St, London www.iwm.org.uk
Animal magic at London Zoo BY RUTH, Year 3
One sunny Spring morning my year went on a trip to London Zoo. We had been reading the book Zoo by Anthony Browne and wanted to see exactly what it was like. We took the Tube from Brixton Station to Camden Town, because it is the fastest way to travel in London! It then took us 15 minutes to walk to the zoo from the station. Before going inside we ate our lunch in Regent’s Park. First, we went to the giraffe house. Inside the ceiling was really high, because the animals were so tall. Luckily the doors were open, because it was a bit smelly! Next, we wandered over to the elephant house. I thought we would
get to see the elephants and the rhinos just like in the past, but they now live in Whipsnade Safari Park where there is room. It was a shame because I really wanted to see them, but they are probably happier there because they have space to live. Then, we saw the tigers, there were even three cobs that had just been born. They were really quiet. At the end of the Anthony Brown book, the family went to see the gorillas. For me this was the most exciting part of the day! We saw the huge, powerful silverback – I bet he could crush a person with his bare hands! He looked sad and lonely, I felt sorry for him. We all did an impersonation of King Kong and then left to go home. It had been a long and tiring day, but so much fun.
Super Science Week invention BY GAVIN Year 4 Just before the Easter holidays our school had a science competition. In Year 4 we built a water filtration system for our entry, that would help if parts of the country flooded. Some people believe that in 100 years, London will probably be flooded and our new filtration system would help people clean the water. We made our system using cardboard boxes, tape, glue, plastic TERRIFIC: Wearing togas
Hill Mead football team spirit BY MAFAKUI Year 5 Being on the Hill Mead football team is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me! I can still remember my first match at the beginning of the school year. It was like a dream come true. We won 2-0 and Mr Wright, our coach, said that he was proud of all of us for winning our first match of the season. Being on the team is about training hard, working together and supporting your teammates when they are down. We always cheer for each other, even if we lose. I love representing our school and feel really proud when I pull on the jersey with my school badge on. My team are my friends and we enjoy playing together. A couple of weeks ago, we played one of our greatest matches. We won 6-2! When we play I feel so alive and that was one of the most exciting days of my life. Manuela, our only female player, scored two beautiful goals and Jephte got a hat trick. Adama also put one in the back of the net.
containers and filter paper. First of all, we stuck one plastic container underneath the cardboard box, then we attached the other on top at an angle (some people made some strange shapes here!). We used the filter paper inside to catch the dirt and make sure we were left with clean water. We had to present our invention to the school in assembly, and our class won! I really enjoyed making the filtration system because there are lots of designs you can make.
SCIENCE WEEK: Year 4 put the finishing touches to their water filtration system, which won first prize in the science competition
WINNING WAYS: Year 5 have been going from strength to strength this season and enjoyed some fabulous victories
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Londoners on film
Brixton-based film studio, Chocolate Films, captures the capital in an enlightening new documentary series which launched at BAFTA recently What does it mean to be a true ‘Londoner’? To have a cynical view on life, a wry wit, a slight quirkiness or eccentricity? Whatever the answer, a groundbreaking new documentary series hopes to enlighten us. On April 24 The Brixton Bugle attended the launch of 1000 Londoners, an ambitious film project from Brixton-based studio Chocolate Films. The public launch took place at BAFTA’s Piccadilly address with the screening of 10 three-minute films. These initial short films showed a diverse range of Londoners, including a teenage card magician with ADHD, a Polish cage fighter and a professional hula hooper. 1000 Londoners is a documentary project offering a glimpse into the lives of one thousand Londoners through a series of individual short films. It’s an epic undertaking, due to take five years to complete, with new films released each week on the website 1000Londoners.com. “The idea was to paint a portrait of the city,” says creative director Mark Currie, when asked why they decided to embark on this enormous cinematic journey through the streets of London. “The best way we thought of doing that was through the people. The people are what make the city.” The team hopes to capture as many different viewpoints on the city as possible, from the richest to the poorest. They’ve shot 50 films already and their subjects include an award-winning male escort, a sewer worker, a helicopter pilot, a Big Issue seller, an ex-soldier who runs a replica gun shop, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Royal Opera House director Nick Serota. “In one day we were filming the Countess of Wessex in the drawing
rooms of Buckingham Palace, then a group of homeless young people at the New Horizon homeless centre in Euston,” says Mark. His team approaches people with no agenda, and wants to get as many different stories heard as possible. They’re also hoping their films will be preserved for posterity, a record of London today for generations to come. 1000 Londoners is also borne out of a common nosiness to discover what everyone around us is really like. “You walk past thousands of
people every day in the city or stand next to them on the Tube,” says Mark, “we thought it would be nice to dip into their lives for 3 minutes.” I ask him whether he thinks it’s possible to capture the true essence of a Londoner. “When we started the project everybody could visualise what 1000 New Yorkers might be – it’s such a well-filmed, well-documented city,” he explains, “but I don’t think London has that obvious identity.” Each participant is asked the same 20 questions, and there have been a few similarities cropping up among the people they’ve filmed so far, Mark tells me. “There’s a quirkiness and a sense of humour that seems to drift across lots of the films,” he says. Each participant has been asked who they think the ultimate Londoner is, and there’s been some common answers there: “Funnily enough, Boris Johnson is one that lots of people talk about, and everyone also seems to love Sherlock Holmes.” So how have the team found their unique and varied subjects? “Some of them are iconic London people that we knew we had to go out and find,” says Mark, “Chelsea pensioners and cabbies for example.” They’re discovering other people through word-ofmouth and pop-up events. This is how they came across Frank, one of the first 10, a teenager with ADHD who practices sleight-of-hand card tricks to channel his hyperactivity. Two of the first 50 subjects, Rose and Shola, are Brixtonites with their own unique stories to tell. Shola is a 30-year-old JamaicanChinese Muslim, who worked as an airline hostess for six years. Eight
years ago she was inspired by her cousin Jamal to convert to Islam, and has now taken the Islamic name Kaminah. She’s currently in the process of setting up a natural hair and skincare range business called Fealty from her Brixton flat. Rose was brought up by her Spanish mother in the Stockwell end of Brixton and now lives in the house where she grew up with her husband and child. She is a loving mother who underwent three years of arduous IVF treatment in the UK and Egypt to conceive her son, Zacary. Three years on she is determined to infuse her son’s life with both her Spanish heritage and her husband’s Egyptian heritage. The project has been a lesson in the unexpected, Mark tells me, and often the film crew end up with something completely unplanned. This happened with hula hooper Marawa. “We knew she was driven and focused - you have to be to hula-hoop 100 hoops in one go. When we got there she was doing deals with a prison up north to get prisoners wrapping hula hoops for her. So driven, so entrepreneurial, but also so completely off-the-wall.” Chocolate Films would like your help in discovering new subjects for 1000 Londoners. What further stories does Brixton have to offer? At the Bugle, we can already think of a few. If you have someone you’d like to suggest they feature, get in touch with them through the website 1000Londoners.com or tweet your suggestion using #SuggestALondoner. Pictures, above: BMX-er Joel; left, from top: Brixtonites Rose and Shola. All photos courtesy of Chocolate Films.
SURVIVAL GUIDES
Survival Guides, a collection of events, workshops and performances, begins on May 1 at Atlantic Road’s Art Nouveau and continues for two weeks. The Brixton Bugle arts team met up with producer Alice Moon and curator Jacob Joyce to talk about the eclectic mix of events coming to Art Nouveau, Brixton East and Lambeth Town Hall. Survival Guides comprises 14 days of activities ranging from site-specific performance, to spoken word, to children’s workshops. The aims are huge: “to delve into black history, look gentrification squarely in the eye, think fluidly about queer sexuality and shake up fixed notions of gender identity”. The first thing we wanted to find out from Alice and Jacob is how does this massive collection of issues form a cohesive programme? “A dearth of information”, Alice tells me, “is what unites all the different issues and voices which form Survival Guides”. All of these stories, whether it be about the Brixton Fairies or African Gods and Goddesses, are part of the fabric which makes Brixton what it is today, yet information about them and celebration of them is hard to find. “Monotheistic and colonial attitudes are so omnipresent in British society today that we forget the other stories which are part of the fabric” Jacob adds; “there are all these marginalised voices and we wanted to bring them together and give them a voice.” “We hope the mood will be one of protest and fun at the same time” Alice tells me - “art and activism” in tandem. Survival Guides doesn’t shy away from the issues which are affecting Brixton today, from life and death to gentrification and gender equality and, with almost all of the events free and open to all, 1-14 May should be a period for different individuals and groups within the community to come together through art and talk about what really matters to them. Survival Guides opens on May 1 with a spoken word event at Art Nouveau, followed May 2 by a film screening (also at Art Nouveau). On May 3 there is a Gentrification vs Regeneration forum at Lambeth Town Hall. More events will be taking place until Thursday 14 May. Visit facebook.com/survivalguidesbrixton for full details.
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Herne Hill Free Film Festival returns
Above: 2013 Herne Hill Free Film Festival. Photograph by Colin Tonks
This May the Herne Hill Free Film Festival (HHFFF) returns, bringing the community together for film screenings in unorthodox locations. Last year an amazing 2,340 people attended eight free screenings – including four open air events. Arts Co Editor Ruth Waters spoken to Charlotte Ashworth, one of the organisers behind the festival, about how it has grown. “This year we’ll be screening the films in the Prince Regent, Brockwell Park, Brockwell Lido, Herne Hill Velodrome, Steve’s Cafe and outside Herne Hill Station. Unfortunately, due to the flood damage, we won’t be able to have any of our events in the Half Moon pub as we did last year, but we’re absolutely delighted to be introducing Steve’s Cafe and the Velodrome to our venues,” Charlotte tells me. This year the organisers are proud to be curating another 48-hour film competition, and hope to have even more entries in each of the categories this year. “We’ve Oscar-winning producer David Parfitt on the judging panel this year, which is just fantastic.” This year they hope that even more people will be able to experience the films and events. “We want to make sure that the screenings are accessible and to that end we are delighted to be hosting an autism-friendly screening at the Carnegie Library this year, where the film won’t be as loud, or the contrast in light so extreme, and where people needn’t
worry about getting up and moving about during the screening. Relaxed screenings like this are definitely something we’d be looking to increase and improve upon year by year.” Why does Charlotte think that a free film festival works so well in Herne Hill? “I think the iconic landmarks help - we’re so lucky with the outdoor spaces we have: Brockwell Park, the Lido and also the area in front of the station. Of course indoor spaces work well, but there’s something brilliant about people bringing along deck chairs and setting up in the park.” “I think all of the volunteers [who organise and steward the festival] get a real buzz out of the way it brings the community together. It’s quite a simple thing, to sit down and watch a film together, but when you take it out of the cinema or your front room, and onto the street or into the park it becomes a real event.” Although HHFFF received a grant from Film London to begin the festival last year they are now largely reliant on donations from the public and support from local businesses and the Herne Hill Forum. South East London is certainly coming up trumps in the league of free film festivals at the moment, with Peckham and Nunhead festivals now in their fifth year, and Camberwell’s in its second, but Charlotte is sure that these great events are sure to spread.
Food for the soul: Green Rock River Band
Looking for folk music in London? Meet the Green Rock River Band, a food-obsessed Brixton folk band who are releasing their first album Rhinoceros this month. Arts Co Editor Barney welcomed bassist Adam and singer-songwriter Jeremy into the Bugle office for a Carlsberg and a chat.
When did the Green Rock River Band form? Jeremy: 15 years ago, we started as a duo and accumulated members over the years. We stopped growing when we couldn’t fit more than eight people on stages. Adam: I’m one of the accumulations. How did you all meet? Jeremy: From drinking in the same pubs, being on the same music scene. Adam: I was in a duo playing the banjo before, and we used to stage-invade Green Rock River Band gigs (with permission), and then one day my four strings on the banjo turned into four strings on the bass. I was a big fan of the band, so I was pleased and privileged to be asked to join. So how would you describe your music in 5 words? Adam: Wonky-tonk doom-folk… music! It’s difficult because we have so many influences and there’s so many of us in the band. There’s elements of country, bluegrass, folk, delta blues, cajun, jazz… Jeremy: I’m quite a big fan of old British music hall, theatrical storytelling and the live element of it. Tell me about your album Rhinoceros coming out in May. Jeremy: We recorded it in 10 days and we’re really happy with it. It feels like the most honest piece of work we’ve done; it’s all the risks we wanted to take, it’s the
best songwriting that we’ve done, and the arrangements are solid. We’ve got some nice collaborations on it too - there’s beatboxing, trumpet, piano and French horns.
people are dancing in the sound check!
How have your live shows been received? Adam: Since I joined the band, I don’t think I’ve done a gig where people haven’t danced. I’ve been a musician for a long time and it’s the first band I’ve been in where that’s been the case. We’ve had some riotous nights. Jeremy: We come at them with a lot of love in our hearts. It’s not just a band and an audience; we work together to have a good night.
People might think of the countryside as the natural home for folk music. Does folk work in the city? Jeremy: Folk music is all about storytelling. People have lived in Brixton for years and they’ve always got stories to tell - hip-hop, dub or folk, it’s all story-based. You don’t get that all over London. There’s an attitude around here of sharing and community, and there’s a tradition of music from all the different cultures... and food of course! Everybody likes to eat in Brixton, and that’s just fine with us.
Do you like playing gigs locally? Jeremy: Certain places feel like home Brixton’s one of them. Every show we’ve played in Brixton has felt really good, because of the audiences. You play in other parts of London and have no idea whether people are enjoying it or not - in Brixton,
I noticed you’ve got a cooking blog on your website... Adam: Damn right - you can’t have good music without good food and drink to go with it. Jeremy: It’s the whole package. We put on gigs and we call them parties. We cook
up something and everyone gets stuck in. Whether it’s a big old jambalaya or some cake, we get cooking, and get playing. After the album launch, what are the band’s plans for the future? Jeremy: We’re toying with the idea of playing in Germany next year. It would just be nice to build up a bigger following. Other than that, we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing: eating and playing music! Rhinoceros will be available from May 26. You can order a copy and find about the band’s live shows at www. greenrockriverband.com. They’re always on the hunt for new dishes for their blog and would love to hear your favourite recipes send them to greenrockriverband@gmail. com. Picture by Chris Hudson
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Brixton Bugle Month 2014
Food
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Recipe: Stuffed baked plantain INGREDIENTS (Serves 4 as a starter) 4 ripe plantain 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon icing sugar 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder flakes salt and pepper 125g ball mozzarella
BY MISS SOUTH Oh how I love a plantain. They are so delicious and verstaile that
they’ve even lured this Irishwoman away from having potatoes with every meal. I especially love the sweet stickiness of a ripe plantain as a certain magic happens when you cook them. Frying them is the traditional way to serve plantain but as I’m usually only serving small amounts I don’t like getting the pan out for one at a time. So I’ve been playing around with other ways to get my plantain just right. Coating them with sugar and spices and baking them in the oven before stuffing them with mozzarella gives close to plantain perfection. Ripe plantain have deep yellow skins, usually speckled with black. Try and buy those that are soft but without black tips and ends. These
are a bit too ripe for this recipe. Cut the ends off each plantain and run the knife down the skin so it cracks the skin but doesn’t pierce the flesh. This will allow you to take the skin off in one piece without breaking the plaintain. Put the plantain in a large freezer bag or dish and drizzle the oil over them. Rub it in and then scatter the icing sugar, paprika, chilli0 and salt and pepper over them. Make sure they are evenly coated. Set them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven at 200 degrees
for 20 minutes. Carefully turn the plantain over and bake for another 20 minutes at the same temperature. Take the plantain out of the oven and turn them so that they lie as flat as possible on your tray. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in them down the centre, making sure it doesn’t go as far as the ends. Slice your mozzarella ball into rounds about the thickness of a pound coin and stuff them into this slit. You’ll be amazed how much cheese each plantain can hold. Pop the plantain back in the
Cookbook lifts the lid on Village food scene
The long wait is over! Recipes from Brixton Village is finally available from May 22. The only book about Brixton for years, it introduces you to the food and traders of Brixton Village and gives you a sneak peek at some of the famed dishes from the restaurants there. The book is perfect if you’ve ever eaten in the Village and wondered just how Okan makes those fabulous okanomiyaki or Restaurante Santa Fereño gets its beans so creamy. It’s also fantastic if you haven’t been able to get a table at your favourite place for a while or if you used to live in Brixton and need a fix of the area from afar. With illustrations from the Brixton Bugle’s very own Kaylene Alder and written by the Brixton Blog and Bugle’s Miss South, Recipes from Brixton Village costs £15.99 at all good bookshops, the traders of Brixton Village and Brixton’s own bookseller, 20 Storey in Market Row from May 22. It is also available from the Brixton Blog online shop www.brixtonblog.com/shop from May 22.
oven and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is gooey and melted. Serve the plantain whole with some rice and maybe some black beans on the side. Finish off with a little drizzle of hot sauce and a scattering of fresh coriander is excellent here too. These plantain are so good with their slightly caramelised surface and melting middles that I think this is a recipe you’ll want to make again and again. You could also experiment with any other type of cheese that melts well.
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Food
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Review: Focaccia fits the bill
BY LINDSAY FALLER
In today’s modern culture, eating lunch properly, sat down at a table and not a computer, is considered quite impractical – a decadent luxury if anything, especially during the working week. We are now forced to eat quickly and efficiently, and the food industry has responded, giving rise to ubiquitous shops selling a seemingly never-ending supply of boxed bready triangles. The process of eating lunch has become so functional that taste and quality often lose the battle to speed and practicality. It begs the question: is it possible to eat a decent lunch cheaply and quickly, but still allowing oneself a short half an hour of a break away from the glow of an Excel spreadsheet? The answer is in a relatively new addition to Brixton Village: Focaccia. Taking up residency where the former Bellantoni’s restaurant once stood, the small shopfront serves a mix of sandwiches from slices of homemade focaccia, along with soups and salads, using quality ingredients in simple fashion, allowing freshness and flavour to be the order of the day. What sets it apart from many of the other lunchtime offerings around our little hamlet is the speed in which the food is served. Eating quickly but feeling unrushed is a subtle and nuanced achievement. Focaccia has a variety of daily specials. On one particular day, a peppery rocket salad came with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and Parma ham, and was simply dressed with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Although I’d have preferred a riper tomato and buffalo mozzarella over cow’s, the Parma ham was salty enough to cut through the cheese and the ingredients were lovely and fresh. Another day saw cauliflower, spinach and Parmesan soup, which was a revelation, almost making me wish it were winter again. The soup was richly flavoured and warming to the core; the Parmesan lifting it with a creamy sharpness. On its own, the eponymous focaccia is a yeasty, moreish accompaniment to the soups and salads; its salty top flirting nicely with an underlying taste of verdant olive oil. As a toasted sandwich, it becomes something more. The Forte, an Italian meatball sandwich made from pork and beef with a touch of Parmesan, is the stuff upon which nations should be built. The rich, meaty sauce soaked perfectly into the bread, and with the crunch of the crust, it was peasant food taken to the next level. The Milano, with its promise of scamorza (smoked cheese), caponata and salami, was
tantalising. The scamorza is also made with cow’s milk, but unfortunately became rubbery as the toasted sandwich began to cool. The smoky flavour of the scamorza worked well with the salami, but prone to pedantry, I should mention that caponata is normally prepared with slow-cooked aubergines, peppers, celery, capers, herbs and spices. Focaccia’s version was really just chopped and cooked aubergines, lacking any of the vinegary sharpness the dish should normally exhibit. That said, although it was a sandwich that paled to the Forte, it was decent nevertheless. The entire meal lasted 30 minutes, yet with the hustle and bustle of Brixton Village, the leisurely pastime of people-watching made it feel much longer. And so lunch is reclaimed once again in Brixton. That said if your spreadsheets are calling, takeaway is still an option. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day… Lunch for two, not including drinks, including service £18 Lindsay blogs at blondevsbland.com
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Pub guide
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Brixton pub low-down
Just in time for a summer pint, you can now find most of our new pub reviews online at Brixton Blog. Our contributors have now been to every Boozer in Brixton, poor lambs, and we’re printing them on these pages for your supping pleasure...
Trinity Arms
The Space The pub has a rustic, cosy charm, with a gated courtyard protruding from the front of the building. The bar is centralised with worn armchairs and warm colours spread around it. A country pub vibe. The Punters A mixture of old school locals and young couples. Anything goes really. The Booze A good selection of beer and cider (including ales). A nice wine collection – with the menu stretched inventively across a wine bottle. The Grub Reasonably priced and a cross between pub and restaurant cuisine. The Damage A pint is about £4 and up. Dinner is, about £9-£15 a main course. An Interesting Fact The building’s been there since 1850, which explains the archaic feel. The Highlights The Secret Garden. The Trinity Arms has a pleasant garden space so rare in Brixton. Complete with cushions, blankets and a fire pit it’s one of the best in the area.
Crown and Anchor The Space Stripped back brickwork and fine tuned paintwork. It’s light and airy and the bar is long, so you’re never far from your next pint.
The Punters Mainly local professionals with wallets to wave and taste buds to tingle. Its location makes it great to pass a quiet afternoon with a paper.
all over, you’d expect to pay a bit more. Worth asking before you buy though as some of the distinctly obscure bevs come in pretty steep. An Interesting Fact Voted Time Out’s best new beer bar when it opened in 2012. The Highlights The booze.
The Booze Beer, and we’re talking proper beer, not effervescent chemicals. The selection changes more often than a politician’s mind. And they claim to run over 25 beers on tap - that’s not to mention the bottled selection behind the bar. Oh, and there are a some decent wines too.
What’s a bit rubbish? It’s a little out the way. That said, for real beer lovers, it’s worth the walk. Probably best to get the bus back though.
The Grub Pub food with finesse and they’ll even recommend a beer to go with it. They also do Sunday roasts and sharing platters to keep you standing upright (it’s pretty easy to get carried away).
To sum it up… A bright oasis of quality booze a short walk from the kerfuffle of Brixton.
What else they got in the bag? Cider (that’ll make you forget who, what and where you are).
Review by Keith Lewis
The Damage As they serve Craft beers from
What’s a bit rubbish? Lack of music and things for people to do. This really takes away from the atmosphere. However, it makes it good for that quiet pint. What else they got in the bag? A very cute cat and a video of a fireplace on a TV screen. Oh, and there’s a small selection of board games. To sum it up… A comforting space, bringing a taste of the country to central Brixton, where a pint is a homely experience. Review by Keith Lewis
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White Horse The Space A recently refurbished, high ceilinged space with lots of tables and a few sofas to mooch about on.
The Highlights Great value food and a really friendly relaxed atmosphere during the week.
The Punters During the week it’s a diverse bunch of mostly Brixton Hill locals. At the weekend they give way to a rampant crowd of local tourists – expect Friday and Saturday night frottage.
What’s a bit rubbish Friday and Saturday night. Unless of course, you like gyrating your way around strangers…
The Booze One or two ales and some fancy lagers, both bottled and on tap. There’s also a long old wine list and some pretty delicious cocktails. The Grub Great pub grub. The £12 steak is a great value meal that’s difficult to beat. The Sunday roasts are also tasty and worthy checking out. Get there early though - they’re very popular.
What else they got in the bag? They seem to very occasionally have live music on a Sunday afternoon. There are DJs spinning disco, garage, house, pop and just about every single type of music you can imagine on Friday and Saturday night. To sum it up... A relaxing chair which turns into a pit of flames at the weekends. Review by Tom O’Neill
The Damage A pint is about £4 and up and dinner is on average about £9-£10 a main course. An Interesting Fact The White Horse is now painted completely black.
Pics by Lucy Fitter
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
What's On Outdoor cinema, street markets and iconic windmill tours, it’s all about free stuff to do outside this month as the British weather slowly warms up. For your full guide to what’s on in and around Brixton and Lambeth head to wwwbrixtonblog.com/whatson
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FRI MAY 2 All aboard the riverboat to 1920’s Mississippi! The Herne Hill’s Free Film Festival launches with the Buster Keaton classic Steamboat Bill Jr, complete with live piano soundtrack. This 1928 comedy is regarded as a masterpiece of the silent era. From 8pm in Station Square, Railton Road
• FRI MAY 2 Headlining at the
Sumbit residency at Hootannay tonight is Author - the collaborative project of original dubstep stalwarts Jack Sparrow and Ruckspin. Their live show features Trumpet hero Simon Beddoe of Submotion Orchestra and promises to induce an urge to dance the night away. In a deep way. 10-3pm, Hootananny Brixton. Free before 10pm, £3 after.
• SAT MAY 3 with an evening of
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Win two tickets to Bad Neighbours, showing at the Ritzy Cinema from May 9.
• MON MAY 5 , Like ale? Well
To get your hands on the prize, answer the following question by midday on Thursday 8 May:
if you needed an excuse to spend Bank Holliday Monday in the pub drinking beer, here it is. The Duke of Edinburgh have an Ale Drinking Weekend, complete with Ales.
Which High School Musical heartthrob stars alongside Seth Rogen in the film Bad Neighbours?
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TUES MAY 6 Brixton Pound social and open meeting. Come and find out the latest from the team behind the Brixton Pound. Everyone welcome for a chat and a drink at Kaff Bar which is now running a B£ offer on all food and drink. 6pm.
a. Corbin Bleu b. Zan Efron c. Lucas Grabeel Please send answers to competitions@brixtonblog.com
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THU MAY 8 You’ll be sufficiently recovered from the excitement of the Bank Holiday in time for some good old Jazz at the Effra Hall Tavern. This regular weekly night sees the pub’s extraordinary Jazz band playing classics and jamming the night away. 8pm-11pm. Effra Hall Tavern, Kellet Rd.
• SAT MAY 10
the legendary Brixton Station Road Makers Market is set to be a big one as Brixton’s creative makers emerge for the spring with stalls and stalls of handmade delights. T-shirts, lampshades, prints, jewellery can all be found here. With hot street food stalls and outdoor seating to boot.
jor UK tour. Atmospheric vocal and heartfelt lyrics are brought to life by foot stomping riffs - this is a band that truly revels in their live performances. (They would have to after their near epic tour schedules!).
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TUES MAY 13 Brixton Blog presents Lambeth candidates Question Time at POW, Brixton Road from 7pm. Come and quiz your local hopeful! Free.
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a tour of Brixton’s historic windmill Porkon –Pizza It’s well worth a visit. Tours the hour and half hour from 1pm to 4.30pm, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. Each tour lasts approx. 40 minutes. To book email booking@brixtonwindmill.org.uk.
SAT MAY 17 Join a free wild food walk, followed by cooking and feasting. Meet at the mulberry tree in Loughbrough Park at 11am. (If you don’t know what a mulberry tree looks like, fear not, you will by the end of the walk).The Thai walk will take you via Loughbrough Farm to the newly revived Elam Street open Space where chef Ceri will share wild food recipes from her book. elamstopenspace.wordpress.com
TUES MAY 13 . Acoustic three-piece Bears Den come to Electric Brixton as part of their ma-
Dance every Monday at Electric Social! Beginners start at 7.30. No
• SUN MAY 11 It’s National • SUN MAY 4 Join the Commu- Mills Weekend so book yourself on nity Scratch Opera and spend the afternoon making Sushimusic in Brockwell Park with Brixton Harmonies and composer Edward Henderson. 1-3pm at the performance space. Non-musical types need not shy away – everyone is welcome to experiment with sound and put on a short performance. Because parks aren’t just for picnics.
Competition time
SUN MAY 4 Cairo Cinema at Café Cairo is Brixton’s very own Secret Cinema. Watch a randomly chosen film with Cocktails, shisha and blankets - you can even bring your own food. It’s a rare treat to find such a laid-back affair. Treasure it. 7.30, Café Cairo, Landor Rd.
Illustration & Design by @claire_selby
talks, films and discussion Gentrification Vs. Regeneration looks at the implications of a changing Brixton on the British African and Caribbean communities while exploring the history of gentrification in London and England. 5pm at the Impact Hub at Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton. Booking essential. Hurry as the free places are booking up fast! Part of the Survival Guides festival, see www.facebook.com/Survivalguidesbrixton for more info.
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• SUN MAY 18 Learn To Swing Brunch
Kebabs
Veggie
Coffee
Burrito
Cake
Fish
Cocktails
Cheese
Burger
Jerk
Pasta
Restaurant owners, sign up for BRIXTONBlog.com‘s new midweek food event now! For more information contact tous@brixtonblog.com brixtonblog.com/tastytuesday
TASTY
partners needed, just turn up. £6 well spent!
• THU MAY 22 Make sure you
have your say in the Lambeth local elections today. Check out our guide on page 12 and head for your polling station.
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SAT MAY 24 Head to the Brix Mix market on Brixton Station Road for lunch al fresco and peruse the eclectic mix of stalls. Expect handmade pottery, garden plants, Retro spectacles and everything in between. The market begins at 10am and continues until 4pm.
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SUN MAY 25 Prepare yourself for the week ahead with an afternoon Yin Yoga workshop with Georgina. Incorporating breath attention, mindful alignment and the cultivation of strength, flexibility and balance. 2 – 5 pm at Yoga Point, Dalberg Road.
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WED MAY 28 Hot off the back of their newest EP Peace Sword in November 2013, legendary experimental rockers The Flaming Lips return to O2 Academy Brixton for a special London show. It’s going to be flaming! Doors 7pm .
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
Cartoons
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
Columns
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GREEN FINGERS: Spring into action ALISON ALEXANDER Brockwell Community FESTIVAL season heralds another flurry of activity among London’s plantlovers this month. For community gardeners beautifying their neighbourhoods on a recycled shoestring, this means the Chelsea Fringe Festival, where home-grown beetroot juice is as celebrated as the champagne being sipped at the original show (probably). Greenhouses volunteers and Lambeth’s Community Freshview team will create an exuberant pop-up garden just outside Brockwell Park’s Herne Hill Gate. We’d love it if you’d join us. For three Thursday evenings during the festival (May 22, 29, June 5, 5-7pm) we’ll meet to design, build and plant scaffold board planters that we hope will bring a smile to people’s faces throughout the summer – and provide food for local pollinators. We chose pollination as our theme for 2014 to raise awareness of how amazing, beautiful and threatened our pollinators are. We’ve heard lots of reports of ill health in the honey bee population but other invertebrates receive less media attention. Our islands are home to 23 (remaining) species of bumblebee, 260 solitary bees, 2500 moths, 59 species of butterfly, 200 hoverflies and 7000 flies. The charity Buglife estimates 60% of all UK invertebrate species are in decline. Pollution, climate change, pest and disease migration, decades of intensive agriculture, loss of woodland
and meadow habitats, have all had a negative impact on creatures whose presence we take for granted. Threatened pollinators means threatened food supply: more than 80% of European crops and wild flowers are dependent on them. At this point, I risk losing some of you. Depressing statistics motivate some to act while others, understandably, switch off in the fatalistic belief the situation is irreparable. Maybe it is. But wait! Being gardeners, we’re a positive bunch. Every day we’re marvelling at life bursting out of the tiniest seeds and the darkest grotholes. I don’t know if one of the teachers who brings pupils to us each week realised I was videoing the frogs we were watching mating when he started singing the “miracle of life” to a tune from The Lion King. We don’t claim to be cool. Scientist and writer Ken Thompson gives urban gardeners lots of reasons to be optimistic. His very readable book No Nettles Required describes the results of the ‘Biodiversity in Urban Gardens’ project. He and his Sheffield University colleagues found 40,000 invertebrates in the gardens they studied. Ordinary back gardens, even small inner city ones, were better for wildlife than most farmland. The ‘worst’ gardens had five different species of bee and the best had 20. Non-native plants were as attractive to the majority of invertebrates as natives. The news for lazy gardeners is terrific: the best thing you can do for wildlife is to leave some grass long. The other thing is to have a pond. At the Greenhouses we added grass seed to our meadow mix this year and in September we will double the size of our pond. The ornamental plants we’re growing for the Chelsea Fringe display, and for beds throughout our gardens
as well as for a border next door in the Walled Garden, have the full range of flower shapes and colours suited to different invertebrates’ eyes and mouthparts. They’ll give us a long season of flowering and, therefore, sustained pollen and nectar supply, into late autumn. Growing these plants ready for the Fringe, as well as all the vegetables, will keep us busy all month. Seed sown in the past 12 weeks is at various stages of development. We’re still pricking out salvias and snapdragons (Antirrhinum ssp.) sown in early March, slow in part due to the theft of our heated bench (sob). Other seeds like tomatoes were pricked out of their seed trays into pots weeks ago and need potting on to the next size up, the last pot before they’re planted out. Outside, the vegetable beds are filling up and will need constant thinning and harvesting through until autumn. Crop sowings are always made thicker than the plants’ eventual spacing in case some of the seeds fail or are eaten by small mammals or birds. Thinning just means pulling out some seedlings to give the ones left room to grow. You water beforehand to make sure the seedlings you
want to leave are well rooted and don’t come out accidentally. The thinnings make great salads. My favourite this year has been radishes – the root is already identifiably a radish but in miniature and they pack a real taste punch. Sol’s turnip top pesto was a highlight of last year. It’s great having a former chef among the volunteers! If you’d like to join us for the Fringe (or any time) please contact
me via garden@brockwellgreenhouses.org.uk or @GardenBrockwell Above: The bee fly has no sting. Like many flies and hoverflies, its bee-like markings deter predators. Its long probiscus is suited to the funnel shape of this green alkanet flower. (Photo from HARLEY-IMAGING). Below left: Our bug hotel. Left: Rod tastes the first of the year’s trimmings
A date with Ms Bennet There are so many things in life that I’m thankful for, but one of the main things is being blessed with such an amazing mother. She is the strongest, loyal, kind-hearted and beautiful woman I know, in my opinion, obviously. And boy have a learnt a lot from her over the years.... Firstly, and most importantly; marry a man who loves you more than you love him. I cannot tell you how many times she has said this. She will always get this in where she can. Always. And of course remind me of the time I had this and let the boy go. Secondly, never trust a married man. Just don’t go there. Ever. Even as a friend. Third, our mothers make mistakes. As did her mother and as has my mother. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with, this knowledge that they can mess up just as badly as we do. But I’ve also learnt that putting the pieces back together can make your relationship stronger than ever. This month, something strange happened. My mother and I went to a club. Twice. In a row. Turns out, she’s awesome like that, it also came to light that she’s a pretty good wing man too. Enter The Beard. A first for me. And not just any old beard; this one has it’s own comb, it even gets shampooed and conditioned, something my hair is often lacking. So we met in a bar, mum knew at exactly what point she needed to use the bathroom
(intuitive too), and we exchanged numbers. With my mothers seal of approval, we talked for a week and where do we meet for a drink? Sean’s Bar no less. Only thing was, I was on a night out with the girls. He turns up, us girls, and The Beard. This could get awkward. He stays, the vodka espressos and negronis are in full flow and Sean is the perfect host as always. With regards to the girls, I think he did well. He got the green light. It could have been a lot worse considering we had been there a while and we were getting louder by the minute. However, with me, the signals were mixed. Is this guy interested? Am I interested? Is he friend zoning me? Case in point; We are queuing at Hootananny’s and he has his arms around me. Very touchy feely. Interested. Talking about house prices in London and getting a mortgage. Friend zone. “Shall we go hang out in Clapham” - where he lives. Interested. 2am, Let’s go to meet my friends in a gay bar. Friend zone. Kiss before I get in the cab. Interested. Facebook friend request in the morning. Friend zone? Needless to say I’m confused. I’m hoping with a proper date lined up, things will get a little clearer. Maybe I should bring my mother along and ask him to bring a friend too.....
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Brixton Bugle May 2014
Sport
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How football offers a sporting chance
WORDS: LAURA DICKINSON PICS: ALISTAIR HALL How do you get ex-offenders from Lambeth back on the right track? Football, believes the team at AIR Football, which together with London Probation Trust, has just launched a new sports and mentoring programme in Brixton. Is that too simple a formula? No, says head coach Jeff Williams. The new project is more than just a kickabout; it’s a valid path forward for men recently released from prison. “We don’t muck about. Do you think people like this, who’ve been inside and who have an education in what not to do, do you think they’d come along? “These are really cynical people,” he continues. “They’ve been shafted in a lot of ways. If this wasn’t progressive, they wouldn’t turn up. If it wasn’t enjoyable and hard and they weren’t learning something from the game, they wouldn’t be here.” Players meet twice a week for a two-hour training session at Ferndale Sports Centre. All are former offenders whose crimes are typically
theft, drug or firearms-related. The majority are prolific, persistent offenders who’ve been in prison multiple times. The toughest to reform, you’d think. But AIR Football claims to have found at least part of the answer. By combining regular sports training with mentoring, volunteering and opportunities to gain new qualifications, the organisers are confident they can offer former offenders an alternative to crime. “What we do is give them a structure, a routine, a team environment where they learn that they’re not the most important people,” explains Jeff. “Sometimes they have to put other people first, and in doing that they learn a lot more about themselves. “Their outlook is healthier and better and brighter and the future looks like something they want to be a part of.” The model has proven effective in other boroughs in London. Over 65% of those participating in AIR Football do not re-offend whilst working with the programme. The same proportion reduce or stop
their substance misuse. In February AIR Football and London Probation Trust launched the scheme in Lambeth where they hope to deliver similar results. At the least, the programme does give those newly released from prison something to do with their time. Luke is 26 and was born and raised in Brixton. He was last in prison in December for a ten-day stint. It wasn’t his first time behind bars. In Luke’s eyes, AIR Football makes sense. When asked what he’d tell those doubtful about the scheme’s impact he says: “Get criminals to do something with their day, or they’ll be out doing nothing, maybe stealing those people’s cars. “We’re staying off the street and learning to be better people,” he adds. “That’s why we’re all here. If people didn’t want that they wouldn’t show up here.” Luke adds that the mentoring that he gets in addition to playing football is a big part of what keeps him coming back. The AIR Football coaches are on hand to give guidance to players and help them with a plan for their own development.
Luke is looking to become a chef and on the day I visit, there’s an education adviser on hand with forms and information about further education courses. The organisers have a tough task ahead. Re-offending rates for prolific, persistent offenders across London are 35%. And with the government’s upcoming privatisation of an estimated 70% of the probation service nationwide under the ‘Transforming Rehabilitation’ scheme, there is uncertainty about future support for programmes like this one. “Ultimately what’s happening with ‘Transforming Rehabilitation’, new probation service providers are going to be measured on performance,” says Bryony Bowen from London Probation Trust. “Is this programme worth investing in? Well the results and the figures will speak for themselves.” Tyrone Locksley Smith is another player on the scheme. Brought up on Myatts Field Estate, he last came out of prison in July 2012. He’s now on track to become an AIR Football coach himself.
“It’s a journey being out because the lifestyle I used to live before is not the lifestyle I’m going to live now. “Now I wake up with something to strive for,” he says. “Before I woke up thinking what’s going to happen that day randomly, like impulsive. Now I’ve been uplifted.” To find out more about AIR Football, visit www.airfootball.co.uk