South London Weekly - June 30th 2023

SouthLondonWeekly.

Community matters

Issue 5 ∙ 50p ∙ June 30 2023 ∙ www.southlondon.co.uk

iSted iS an addick

tfL go rainbow-taStic

Charlton News

Page 30 See page 16

See page 16

19th century Greenwich boozer reopened as community space

'London'S MoSt incLuSive pub'

See page 19

two charged after the kiLLing of 76-year-oLd neLLy akoMah

Our new Charter, Your next chapter

We are delighted to announce that Compass School Southwark is joining the Charter Schools Educational Trust.

charterbermondsey.org.uk

2 NEWS

NEWS NEWS Pages Pages 2-19 2-17 ARTS OPINION Pages 20-21 Pages 18-19 CLASSIFIED ARTS Page 22 Page 21 RECRUITMENT CLASSIFIED & Page 23 FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS PROPERTY Page 25 22 Page PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICES PUBLIC Pages Pages 26-27 23-26 SPORT SPORT Pages Pages 28-32 27-32

Contact us if you have a story on 07973175511 or email hello@cm-media.co.uk

purLey pooL Site to be redeveLoped deSpite Mayor’S eLection pLedge to reopen it

by Tara O'Connor Local Democracy Reporter more thAn a year after Croydon’s mayor promised to reopen Purley Pool, he has admitted it would cost too much to do so.

© Google Maps.

Contents

Jason Perry has instead said the site will be redeveloped to build a new leisure centre as well as new homes, shops and a public square.

During his mayoral campaign leading up to the May 2022 elections, the reopening of the existing pool was a key pledge made by Mayor Perry.

The pool has been closed since March 2020 and thousands signed a petition to save it from permanent closure.

Before the election, the previous Labour administration agreed it would not reopen the pool, claiming it would cost £3million and instead said it would redevelop the site to include a new pool.

Before its closure the pool was running at a £150,000 a year loss, according to the council.

On Wednesday, June 14, Mayor Perry said long-term leaseholder of the site, Polaska, is preparing to submit plans for the regeneration of 50 Purley High Street.

Early plans include flats for older people and space for new shops. The leisure centre would include a six-lane main pool, training pool, fitness studio and gym, as well as a soft play area and a café.

Mayor Jason Perry

by Alicia Curry neArLY tWo children go missing on average per day in Westminster, a report from the council has found.

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Polaska is also expected to include plans for a revamp of a neighbouring former Sainsbury’s building, a new public square and walkway to Purley Station.

Croydon Council said the construction of the new leisure centre would be funded by the rest of the development and the authority would run and operate the new facility.

Earlier this year, the council’s cabinet heard reopening the existing pool would cost £3.4m.

Leader of the Labour opposition, Councillor Stuart King said: “This is exactly the plan that Val Shawcross [Labour’s 2022 mayoral

candidate] put forward.

"Mayor Perry’s pledge was very clear. He was going to open up the existing pool but he didn’t because he hadn’t properly thought through what was needed.

“We have said all along that the solution was a new facility as part of a wider redevelopment of the area which might take longer but would develop a much better facility.”

Mayor Perry said he has been “working hard” to bring back Purley Pool after its closure more than three years ago.

However, he admitted: “It is now clear that reopening the former pool would not be sustainable due to the extensive disrepair allowed by the previous administration. So we have been looking at different options.

"These are exciting proposals for modern leisure facilities, housing and a new public square in the heart of Purley town centre, which will help to revive the high street for everyone locally to enjoy.”

Public exhibitions on the emerging plans have been held at Christ Church in Purley. and at the Purley Fete last weekend.

A report presented to members of the Children, Adult Public Health and Voluntary Sector Policy and Scrutiny Committee on Monday, June 12, suggested several reasons motivating children to disappear.

It reads: “All children are contacted following going missing to understand why, to assess risk and to address difficulties they are experiencing.

“When we have spoken to children going missing the most common reasons given are family conflict, peer relationships and issues relating to criminal and sexual exploitation.”

The document also noted that the vast

majority of children go missing for between 24 and 72 hours.

During the meeting, councillors raised their concerns about the number of children in this situation and what could be done to prevent it from happening.

Cllr Iman Less asked: “I know our teams are brilliant but is there anything else we can do to support our teams and train them to manage some of those risks?

"Secondly to that, is there anything we’re doing to partner with schools on this?”

Cllr Tim Roca, who led the report, responded that while there isn’t a definite response to her questions, there is a strong

working association between the council and schools in the borough.

The report assured that when children do go missing, there are tailored interventions in place to ensure the families can fully address the risk and difficulties that triggered them initially.

The report explained that a dedicated ‘Missing Children Lead’ oversees all incidents of children going missing from home in care.

It adds: “There is strong partnership working with agencies and high-risk cases are escalated quickly with the police and within social care.”

Nearly two kids go missing every day in Westminster Local Democracy Reporter

We are a London Living Wage employer

Purley Leisure Centre

Statistics from the Young People, Learning and Leisure portfolio show in the past few months, there has been a rise in the number of incidents of children going missing from home or care.

In February this year, there were 51 recorded cases, 42 in March and 51 in April.

By comparison, there were 22 incidents in January.

SouthLondonWeekly.

Community matters

Editor: Kevin Quinn Reporters: Herbie Russell; Isabel Ramirez Sports Editor: John Kelly Arts Correspondent: Michael Holland Digital Transformation Editor: Katherine Johnston Media Partnerships: Anthony Phillips Advertising: Clarry Frewin, Sophie Ali Design: Dan Martin, Ann Gravesen Finance: Em Zeki - Tel: 0779 883 3758 Subscriptions/Announcements: Katie Boyd Managing & Commercial Director: Chris Mullany Managing & Editorial Director: Kevin Quinn Published weekly at: Community Matters Media Ltd, Unit A202, The Biscuit Factory, Drummond Road, Bermondsey, London SE16 4DG. News and Sport: 020 7231 5258 Advertising: 0020 7232 1639 News/Advertising: hello@cm-media.co.uk Finance: em@cm-media.co.uk Printed by Iliffe Print. Tel: 01223 656500 www.iliffeprint.co.uk

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Community matters

Issue 4 ∙ 50p ∙ June 23 2023 www.southlondon.co.uk

See page 28

SCHOOL WHERE KIDS GROW VEGGIES FOR LUNCH AND TEACHERS LOVE THEM SPENDING AGES ON THEIR IPADSSee pages 14-15

CHARLTON CEO REVEALS LATEST TRANSFER STANCE

'WE NEED YOUR HELP'

See page 6

Families of Brixton Academy crush See page 16 victims make appeal PLANS TO EXTEND to the public DLR TO THAMESMEAD

Our new Charter, Your next chapter

We are delighted to announce that Compass School Southwark is joining the Charter Schools Educational Trust.

The South London Weekly is an independent newspaper covering all of south London and beyond Community Matters Media has been running independent newspapers since 1987, and now boasts the weeklies: South London Weekly, Southwark News and Greenwich & Lewisham Weekender, as well as the lifestyle magazines The South Londoner and Bermondsey Biscuit & Rotherhithe Docker.

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NEWS 3

By Isabel Ramirez A nine-yeAr-olD Walworth school girl wrote and published her first book last year and is now doing live storytelling for other children to inspire them to follow their dreams.

India Jones Ayreh, who lives in Walworth, has a passion for creative writing and started writing a book when she was just seven.

'India Won't Go To Sleep' is all about a young girl who is desperate to stay awake, but when she finally falls asleep she dreams of a magical world.

India told us she never thought at her age she would be able to get it published: "I thought that at eight-years-old it would just be my mini book that I have," she explained, "like a secret book and only my family would read it. I feel amazed and so excited to publish it."

"She always has a pen next to her and loves writing," a close family friend explained, "but when she started writing this we all read it and thought wow - this is really good.

"It's a tale of a girl with a wild imagination and has lovely bright illustrations - a perfect bedtime read."

She officially released it last year, when she was eight, after she and her family decided to self-publish the book on Amazon.

The family friend continued: "Coming from a lower socio-economic background, it's difficult to know where to start when it comes to the world of publishing. So her family and friends have helped her to get it published herself online.

"We want to show her that anything you put your mind to, you can achieve."

India says she hopes children get to read the book and enjoy it.

And so far, her wishes have come true, as the book has received rave reviews since coming out. One buyer said: "This story

nine-year-oLd iS inSpiring kidS after becoMing a pubLiShed author is brilliant. What better way to get into a young child's mind, than using another young child's mind."

India has started doing live storytelling for other local children, where she reads the book and answers questions about it.

"We're so proud of her," the friend said,

"her confidence is growing and she is getting so good at public speaking which is an amazing skill to have at such a young age.

"Children's books haven't always been very representative of other races and cultures. You can't believe it unless you

see it. With her book, young black girls can now see an author and a character who looks like them which will hopefully inspire them." She added that Southwark Council had been 'amazing' in supporting India's achievement.

Last Saturday she held a storytelling

India Jones Ayreh

event at Dulwich Library, part of the Southwark Festival of Words. The interactive session was followed by the opportunity children to write your very own story.

Her book 'India Won't Go To Sleep' is available to buy on Amazon.

Rotherhithe's Darren Tassell is the Best Geezer as he lands the lead in a new Amazon Prime film

By Isabel Ramirez

A rotherhithe man, who quit his software job to be an actor seven years ago, is in a new film on one of the world's biggest streaming sites and says he's 'more successful than ever.'

Darren Tassell, 49, who grew up on the Redriff Estate in Rotherhithe, is the lead in a new Amazon Prime comedy - 'Best Geezer'.

Set to premiere on July 28, it follows a group of "hapless filmmakers" as they go on a mission to create a gangster film.

Darren told us filming it was the best five weeks of his life. "We laughed every day for five weeks," he said.

The dad-of-five quit his job seven years ago to pursue his dream and says since then he has never looked back. He may have started late for some, but with 35 credits to his name, Darren explained he is more successful than ever.

"I'm shooting back-to-back movies, enjoying the busiest part of my career," he said. "I want to show anyone that it's never too late to follow your passion. I'm finally doing what I sat dreaming about for thirty years."

Before now, he was making waves in Punjabi films in various roles, acted in War of the Worlds - The Attack on Sky, and more recently, he is appearing in a gritty drama that will be released later

Actor Darren Tassell

this year.

As well as thriving as an actor, three years ago he created something that he hopes will change the future for actors looking for work.

"I noticed how complicated it was having to send separate links from

different places to show my work to get roles," he explained. "I thought - if I'm finding it annoying, then maybe I can find a way to simplify it for other actors."

He created VShowcards, an online casting tool for actors to have all their work in one place. "Not only has it got me

opportunities, but it was responsible for casting the two most recent films I'm in," he said.

Set on helping other aspiring actors go for their goals, Darren is giving our readers one-year free memberships to his casting website with a code.

Film production staff looking for work can also be featured on the website.

Darren added that his family are "incredibly proud" of him, adding that his fourteen-year-old son is even following in his footsteps. "'He said to me - I want to be an actor like you, Dad,'" he continued, "so we started with YouTube and now he's been in his first film. He's definitely got talent.

"I'm such a positive person - so I just say go for it."

Any performers can get one year FREE on www.vshowcards.com using code: SNews1Year Look out for Darren in his upcoming films, 'Best Geezer' (July 28) and 'IC9', coming out later this year.

4 NEWS

St Mungo's staff on an indefinite strike over pay

By Isabel Ramirez

Southwark homeless charity workers have begun an 'indefinite' strike, following an ongoing dispute over pay.

Frontline staff from St Mungo's Homeless Charity have been on strike for the last four weeks, amid a pay dispute with their employer.

"We have excellent staff who love their jobs," Outreach Manager, Eammon Egerton, said. "But they can't survive on the pay they are currently receiving."

In 2021, they say they received a 1.75 per cent pay increase - below the rate of inflation. This year it was raised to 2.25 per cent, which was rejected by staff and Unite members.

In fact, Unite reported that since 2010, Mungo's staff pay has been cut 'in real terms' by 30 per cent.

The majority (93 per cent) of staff voted to strike - one of whom was Sofia Martino.

She says she doesn't want to be striking but is left with no choice.

"Rent is increasing - and it increases every year and yet our pay has decreased. We're adults, we've been sharing a living space for a long time.

It should be normal to have a property and live alone - but we can't afford to.

"I don't want to be striking, I want to be helping people."

St Mungo's is a leading homeless

charity, that provides ongoing support to rough sleepers, giving them somewhere to stay and referring them to services to help them in any way possible.

Although the strike is 'necessary,' long-time employee Eammon says this stands to greatly affect the vital services they provide in the area.

"Firstly, there's almost no outreach happening right now," said Eammon, who has been working there for nearly 20 years.

"This means no one is going out onto the streets of Southwark to engage and support rough sleepers. This is a problem."

"The temporary staff are working

hard but they don't know the clients or the projects. So they can't deliver the same standard of work that Mungo's is known for."

He said it is crucial for the homeless people they work with to have consistency - "we know many of them and they trust us - they don't want to keep telling their traumatic ."

"We have already started to lose staff. If this dispute is not resolved - then more will leave. And that will only affect our clients."

Emma Haddad, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “It was unexpected to hear that Unite has extended its period of strike action indefinitely.

“We are in the middle of discussions aimed at finding a solution and had a constructive meeting with Unite representatives on 12 June.

“Bringing an end to this unprecedented period of industrial action remains our key priority, so we can all focus on working together to support people at risk of, or recovering from, homelessness.”

The local council is supporting the action, commenting that they are concerned about what this will mean for rough sleepers in Southwark.

Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes & Sustainable Development, said: “St Mungo’s frontline workers do absolutely vital work in Southwark to help us in our efforts to end rough sleeping and we believe they should be paid a decent wage to reflect this and the rising cost of living. We are very concerned about the impact of indefinite strike action on the support available for those who are homeless in Southwark. We are urging St Mungo’s management to get back round the table and agree a fair deal as soon as possible.”

South London and Maudsley junior doctor is jailed for helping to run child sex abuse site

By Herbie Russellz

Kabir Garg

A junior doctor from Lewisham, who helped run a dark website where people shared images of child sexual abuse, has been jailed for six years.

Police cordon erected following Walworth shooting

Police believe man was shot then ‘drove himself’ away in Walworth

By Herbie Russellz A man was shot in broad daylight before being rushed to hospital in Walworth on Saturday (June, 24).

Armed officers were called at 4.55pm to reports of a firearm being discharged near Bradenham Close.

They, along with ambulance workers, discovered a 24-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds in nearby Merrow Street.

He was taken to hospital where his condition was assessed as serious but not life-threatening.

At this early stage in the investigation, officers believe the victim drove himself to Merrow Street – a five-minute drive away – following the shooting.

There have been no arrests and police enquiries continue.

Cordons and crime scenes were established at numerous locations but have since been lifted.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at approximately 16:55hrs on Saturday, 24 June to reports of a firearm discharge in the vicinity of Bradenham Close, SE17.

“Officers, including armed officers, and London Ambulance Service attended. At Merrow Street, a 24-yearold man was found suffering gunshot wounds; he was taken to hospital where his condition, although serious, was not life threatening.

“At this early stage officers believe that the victim had driven himself to Merrow Road immediately following the shooting.

“There have been no arrests; enquiries into the circumstances continue.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD5938/24June. Alternatively, people can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Dr Kabir Garg, 33, of Station Road, worked as a psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Trust - which has hospitals across south east London - between May 2021 and November last year.

Garg pleaded guilty to eight charges, including facilitating the sexual exploitation of children, three counts each of making and distributing indecent images of children, and possession of prohibited images.

A National Crime Agency (NCA) spokesperson said his crimes were “appalling” and that, as a psychiatrist, “he knew full well the devastating impact and trauma that abuse causes children”.

As a moderator for a site called ‘The Annex’, Garg helped run the 90,000-member-strong online community “like a company”.

In an online statement, the NCA said: “Investigations showed that Garg was initially a member, but dedicated time and effort to becoming sufficiently trusted to be invited to be a moderator.

“He was responsible for enforcing the rules of the site and removing members who did not comply.

“He also provided advice on how to evade law enforcement, shared and encouraged other users to share links to child abuse material.”

The Annex, which is no longer active, was run like a company with roughly 30 administrators working around-the-clock

shifts.

People accessed the site through Tor browser, a platform used to browse the dark web - a part of the internet hidden from commonly-used search engines.

Officers swooped on Garg's flat in November 2022 and discovered the site open on his laptop, with Garg logged into his moderator account.

Police recovered over 7,000 child abuse images and videos, plus messages showing him applying for, and being promoted to a site moderator rank.

According to the NCA, his online communications “clearly demonstrated his sexual interest in children and his role as a moderator”.

Medical journals found on his laptop also showed knew about the devastating impact these crimes have on children.

They had titles such as ‘Puberty and Adolescent Sexuality’, ‘A Study on Child

Abuse India’, and ‘Effects and Aftermath of Rape’.

Adam Priestley, from the National Crime Agency, said: “Garg was involved in facilitating child sexual abuse on a significant scale.

“He used the dark web to access a global community of paedophiles sharing and discussing horrific crimes against children.”

“As a doctor of psychiatry, he knew full well the devastating impact and trauma that abuse causes children, but this clearly did not deter him,” he added.

The FBI has also arrested and convicted five men in the US for their involvement in running the site, with one sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Garg was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court last Friday, June 23.

He will be subject to a Serious Harm Prevention Order and is on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

NEWS 5

By Isabel Ramirez A £10,000 reward has been issued to close the case of a girl from the North Peckham Estate 'who disappeared off the face of the earth' 25 years ago.

Carmel Fenech, also known as Carmel Pendry, was last seen at Camberwell Magistrates’ Court on May 21, 1998, with an unidentified man.

The sixteen-year-old moved with her family to Crawley in West Sussex, but was back in the area when last seen in the company of the man.

Her family moved to the town from the North Peckham Estate, the previous year.

Police fear she was murdered, although not one piece of evidence was ever found in relation to what happened to her.

Crimestoppers re-offering the £10,000 reward as her family continue to plead for answers.

"I'm not even looking for incrimination or punishment - all I want is answers," said Carmel's mum, Deidre Fenech.

She admitted that with so much time passed and the lack of witnesses the case was complicated. "Most of the girls who Carmel associated with back then are dead - lots of them overdosed. So they can't be asked," Deidre said.

But she said that one person who may know what happened is the man she was last seen at the court with. "I'm angry that the police never questioned him properly," Deidre told the paper. "He said he hardly knew my Carmel and just 'felt sorry' for her, but she was often found at his house so I think there's more to it.

"I think he may have left the country," she said when asked where this man was now.

Before her disappearance, she spent most of her time in the Brixton and Stockwell areas, which led detectives to

'My daughter disappeared off the face of the earth 25 years ago - please help me' focus their investigation on south London.

The fact she lived and was known to go to different areas hindered the case, Deidre said. "When someone goes missing in one place but lives elsewhere, the case gets passed around and it slows it down."

She added that flaws in the system could lead to certain kids slipping through the net. "Parents are trying to do the best for their kids but they come to a certain age and help is nowhere to be found. Between 16 and 18 when the kids are most vulnerable, there's a gap and no one wants to deal with them."

With four other children and now grandchildren, Deirdre said it was her family that had kept her going. "I would have given up a long time ago if it wasn't

for them. It's been tough for my other kids too. Not only did they lose their sister - but I didn't let them out of my sight when they were growing up. It changed the way I parented."

For 25 years, the family haven't been able to close the chapter, and as a result, Deirdre said there's been no closure. "She just disappeared off the face of the earth.

That doesn't just happen. Somebody out there knows. All I'm asking now is please look inside yourselves, you may have your own kids - if you know what happened, if you think you saw her, please. I need peace for Carmel."

If anyone has information they are encouraged to get in touch or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Still desperately looking for answers - mum Deidre Fenech

Photos of Carmel released after she went missing

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6 NEWS

By Robert Firth

Local Democracy Reporter A huge new skyscraper district in Deptford will get even bigger, despite residents’ fears developers are trying to recreate Canary Wharf without the Underground station.

Lewisham councillors waved through plans for 405 extra homes and 382 student rooms on a redevelopment site in Deptford at a planning meeting on June 12.

The decision means the total number of new homes and student rooms on the 4.54 hectares Deptford Landings site – larger than eight football pitches – will increase from 1,132 to 1,919.

The student flats will be accommodated in a new purpose built 22-storey tower and over half the extra homes will be built in a 29-storey tower. Both will be located in a part of the site known as ‘plot 5’.

The tallest building on the Deptford Landings site will now reach 35-storeys after councillors gave the green light to separate but linked plans to add 11 storeys to a previously approved tower block on a section of the site known as plot 1.

Two residents living in recently completed flats in Deptford Landings spoke against the proposals to increase the number of homes and size of buildings on the site at the meeting.

One woman, who didn’t give her name, branded the plans for more homes “unrealistic.” She said: “We’re trying to make Canary Wharf from Deptford when we don’t have any Tube station. […] Lewisham [council] may come into real problems when people wouldn’t be able to travel or get medical help.

“In terms of buses… I can tell you 47, 188, 189 they [are] already filled.

"Let’s talk about GPs. It’s very hard to book [an] appointment with [a] GP.” Speaking on the plans to increase the height of the skyscraper on plot 1, her neighbour Cath Squelch added: “You are building a site which is bigger than the village I grew up in and there seems to be no facilities or allocation for more doctors, dentists, nurseries, especially when it is being advertised as being family friendly and there’s a large number of small children

© Lewisham Council planning documents

Deptford Skyscraper district is to get bigger and taller despite no tube station CGI of planned Deptford Landings development with approve student tower block

living in the existing site.”

Council planning officer Geoff Whitington said officials were in the process of negotiating a Community Infrastructure Levy [CIL] payment of around £4 million to support facilities in the area, in addition to a separate payment for transport.

David Robinson, the council’s major and strategic projects manager, added that £10 million in CIL had been secured for the wider Deptford Landings site, which would be used to build new infrastructure to support the additional residents.

Plans to build 1,132 homes on the

CGI of planned 35-storey skyscraper at Deptford Landings

Deptford Landings site in towers up to 24 storeys tall were approved in principle in 2016. The site is split into six plots, across which the 1,132 homes were originally meant to be located.

One of the planning applications approved by Lewisham councillors on June 12 removed plot 5 from the 1,132 homes masterplan.

Homes previously meant to be built on plot 5 to meet the 1,132 target will now be constructed across plot 1 and plot 3 by increasing the height of some of the buildings.

The application to add 122 homes across plot 1 and plot 3 by approving taller buildings, including the 35 storey skyscraper, was passed by a Lewisham Council planning committee with one abstention from Councillor Liam Curran.

Cllr Curran, Labour member for Sydenham, said he was concerned the issue of sunlight loss to properties neighbouring the development hadn’t been adequately settled.

The second application to build 405 flats and 382 student rooms on plot 5 and to remove it from the 1,132 homes masterplan

for the site was passed unanimously by the planning committee.

Simon Slatford from Lichfields, developer Lendlease’s agent, said he was “proud” of the plans brought forward to the committee.

Addressing councillors, he said: “The Deptford Landings site is allocated in your emerging local plan with an indicative capacity of 1,940 homes compared to the 1,132 that’s currently permitted.

"Lendlease is proud of what has been achieved to date and are keen to build out high quality homes and employment space.”

By Robert Firth

and ready for ACM London’s permanent relocation.

Alumni of the school, which also has campuses in Birmingham and Guildford, include Grammy award-winning singersongwriter Ed Sheeran and Matty Healy, frontman for the Brit Award-winning pop rock band, The 1975.

Sheeran studied for a Guitar Higher Diploma at the ACM between 2009 and 2010, while Healy completed a Vocal Diploma at the school between 2007 and 2008.

Lambeth Council is investing £119,000 in the fit-out of Brixton House’s third floor for the school with ACM providing the other £780,000.

The recently completed Brixton House won the sought-after Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) London Award 2023 for its design.

It was built as a new home for Brixton

House Theatre (formerly Ovalhouse) and opened in early 2022.

The third floor of the building is currently reserved for office use so Lambeth Council has made a planning application to allow the floor to be used for educational purposes.

A report, prepared by council planning officers that recommend the change of use for approval, says the project “presents a unique opportunity to co-locate a higher education provider with a focus on music and the creative arts in the same buildings as the Brixton Theatre.

“The creative industry can be incredibly difficult to enter into and find success, and therefore the co-location of the two uses will help to break down this barrier,” the report adds.

A council planning committee was due to make a decision on the application on Tuesday June 6.

© Google Maps

Music School where Ed Sheeran studied to move into Brixton House Local Democracy Reporter A music school where Ed Sheeran and The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy studied is set to move into Brixton House.

© Creative Commons

Brixton House with Carlton Mansions to the right in Brixton, Ed Sheeran (Inset)

The London Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) is intending to occupy the third floor of the award-winning building on Coldharbour Lane.

The music school, which offers courses in production, songwriting and performance, is relocating from its previous London base in Clapham.

ACM London has been running out of the recently refurbished Carlton Mansions next door to Brixton House since January.

The music school intends to remain there until the £899,000 refurbishment of Brixton House’s third floor is completed

8 NEWS

Local police officer convicted of assault after pepper-spraying suspect clinging to drainpipe at Elephant and Castle tower

By Kevin Quinn A local police officer has been convicted of assault after pepperspraying a suspect as he clung to the drainpipe of a 15-storey building in Elephant and Castle last year.

PC Luke Wenham, 31, who is attached to the Central South Basic Command Unit, which covers Southwark and Lambeth boroughs, was trying to apprehend the suspect last August at Albert Barnes House, in Meadow Road.

The man was seeking to avoid being arrested by police, who were looking for him in connection with a series of robberies.

Westminster Magistrates Court heard how PC Wenham twice discharged his pepper spray while the suspect was clinging onto a drainpipe several storeys up.

After a stand-off that lasted several hours, the man is said to have climbed down of his own accord. The police said he was arrested and later convicted of 11 counts of robbery and two counts of racially aggravated public order.

At the time police said that to evade officers the male climbed out of a window, onto a sixth floor balcony, and refused to get down for over six hours.

PC Wenham was found guilty following a one-day trial last Wednesday of two counts of common assault and is due to be sentenced on Wednesday, July 26. He also faces a misconduct hearing.

His conviction follows an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Borough Commander of Southwark and Lambeth, Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, said after the hearing: “Officers know that their actions will be held to account and where any use of force is deployed, must always consider whether it was necessary and proportionate to the circumstances.

“It is clear in this case that not only was PC Wenham’s response completely disproportionate to the situation he faced but also, by doing what he did, he put a member of public at risk of harm.

“PC Wenham has let down not only himself but many hardworking police colleagues who strive to improve trust and confidence with our communities.

“I am pleased that this matter was put before a jury to make a decision following a careful consideration of all the facts."

On Wednesday, August 17 last year, PC Wenham was one of a team of officers who attended an address in Albert Barnes House.

Police said they forced entry into the man’s flat, but he climbed out of a window and began to scale down a drainpipe which ran the length of the block of flats. As he did so, PC Wenham leant out of an open window and discharged PAVA spray at the man – who continued to climb down the pipe.

Together with other officers, PC Wenham attempted to locate the man, finding him on the balcony of another flat. When officers found him, the man continued his attempts to

escape, climbing down the outside of the building as before. Again, the court heard, PC Wenham deployed PAVA on him.

Met policy dictates that any time an officer uses PAVA spray the circumstances will be subject to review. In this case, following a review of PC Wenham’s actions the matter was referred to the IOPC who carried out an independent investigation.

On February 9 this year PC Wenham was charged with two counts of common assault. The Met said he has been on restricted duties since the investigation started and now that criminal matters have concluded misconduct proceedings will commence.

Albert Barnes House.

The area in Elephant taped off in August last year.

Elephant and Castle model becomes the fastest Brit to run across the USA

By Isabel Ramirez A model from Elephant and Castle is now the fastestever Briton to run across the United States, after beating the previous record by nine days.

William Goodge, 29, completed his coast-to-coast run across America in just 55 days and raised thousands for cancer support in the UK and USA along the way.

The 29-year-old model, who lives in Elephant and Castle, started extreme running to help him process the grief of losing his mum to cancer in 2018.

Crossing the finish line in New York on Saturday, May 27, he became the fastest Britain to run the breadth of the United States, averaging 55 miles a day, as he ran from LA to NYC, covering over 3,100 miles in total and visiting 13 US

states en route.

So far, William has raised over £100,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support and the American Cancer Society.

William said of his achievement: “It was very emotional, my dad and brother were there, and we embraced after I crossed the finish line.

Explaining how he managed to take on such an extraordinary challenge: "Pain can really serve as your superpower. That’s why I’ve done any of the things I’ve done – it’s come from a source of loss and a source of pain, but I’ve owned that and used it for something good.

"When it gets tough out there, to me, there’s a sense of ignorance to my own suffering, because I know, seeing someone fight cancer, just how much worse that is," he added.

His run began on Sunday, April 2 in Huntington Beach, California, completing his continent-crossing challenge in 55 days, 23 hours, and 51 minutes.

The previous holder of the record was Bruce Tulloh, who completed his run in 1969, taking 64 days.

Andrew Gould, Macmillan Relationship Fundraising Manager, said: "Becoming the fastest-ever Briton to run from LA to New York is simply phenomenal. Since the moment we met Will he has continued to amaze and inspire us all with his sheer determination, motivation, and mission to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer and we are all so proud.

“With the money raised, Macmillan can continue to be there for those who need us, when they need it the most."

William Goodge is now the fastest Briton to run across America

By Isabel Ramirez the ArtiStiC director and Ceo of theatre Peckham has been awarded an mBe by the king, for her services to marginalised young people in the arts.

Suzann McLean, was awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday 2023 Honours List.

Speaking to Suzann following the news, she told us it felt "lovely to be recognised for the work she was born to do. I just do the work because I love it," she said. "So to be noticed in this way is so uplifting."

Long before joining Theatre Peckham in 2018, she was an actress and then founded her own company, in east London 'Young and Talented,' a successful programme that nurtures and develops young people for stage, screen and life.

Having faced obstacles herself when trying to break into the industry, she is keen to be an example for young people - especially those from difficult backgrounds.

"I wanted to be an actor and go to drama school, but not everyone was supportive. Especially at my school they didn't think it was realistic."

Despite some people's doubts, Suzann pushed through and made it to the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

But when she got there, she says she felt inclined to prove herself even more because of her background.

"I didn't come from an affluent background. And there was an obvious difference between who could afford to go to shows to network and learn, and who couldn't.The cost is a huge barrier.

But I was also the only black girl in my

F.A.A.

Theatre Peckham's Artistic Director awarded an MBE

king haiLS SuZann'S work in peckhaM class.

"When I would go up for certain roles, Juliet [Romeo and Juliet] for example, people would say to me - do you really think you can play that role? I was always having to prove people wrong."

She says it is this understanding of the barriers many people face that is the

Theatre Peckham CEO, Suzann McLean has been awarded an MBE

driving force behind the work she does.

"This award is dedicated to all the young people I work with - there are about 400 across the programmes at Theatre Peckham alone. I will continue to create opportunities for them to shine.”

Suzann explained that although many

F A ALBIN & SONS

Photo by John Yabrifa

NEWS 9

actors got these awards, she was proud that hers was for this reason instead: "It feels super special."

Theatre Peckham is an innovative, creative arts hub, and like all communitybased organisations, it has a civic role as an agent of cohesion and change.

Along with her work in Peckham,

she has a new project at Canada Water Theatre, which recently came under their leadership.

Suzann said she hoped both sites could continue to be accessible spaces for people to come and develop their ideas.

"Watching people grow is the best part of the job," she added.

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10 NEWS

The sleepy neighbourhood where residents live next to 1,000 prison inmates

© Tara O'Connor

Fairway in Belmont Sutton, with a view of the prison fences at the end of the road.

Amy Nordemann says relatives often order flowers from her business

by Tara O'Connor Local Democracy Reporter In a quiet corner of Sutton on the border of Surrey, residents live next door to more than 1,000 inmates in two separate prisons.

While you may expect locals to be disturbed by alarms and shouting ringing out from the prison, the reality is quite the opposite in this sleepy part of the city.

Belmont in Sutton is home to HMP Downview, a women’s prison with a capacity of more than 300 while the men’s prison next door, High Down has a capacity of more than 1,000.

Locals living in the streets backing onto the two prisons say they are rarely disturbed by the two prisons on their doorsteps. In the summer they hear occasional chatter when the prisoners have their windows open or sounds of a football game happening.

The prisons opened in 1992 and if you

didn’t know they were there it would be easy to miss them. Less than a mile away is the quaint Belmont High Street where one shopkeeper told us having the prison on their doorstep is good for business with officers and visitors coming in to buy snacks.

Some residents we spoke to on a visit to the area remember being invited to look around when the prisons were first built.

While others have enjoyed a meal at a restaurant in High Down, The Clink, which is staffed by prisoners.

Margaret Brown, 81, has lived in close to the prisons for 53 years and remembers when it was a dairy farm. She said: “We were used to seeing the cows council over the top of the road. Before it was built we were told it would either be 400 houses or a prison.

“I think the prison might put some people off living here but we don’t have any trouble at all, in the summer we hear them having a football match.”

Before it was a prison, part of the building

Sarfraz Ahamad from Crescent Grocers says many of his customers work at the prisons was a mental health hospital. Known as Banstead Asylum it first opened in 1877 and it closed down in the late 1980s when it was called Banstead Hospital.

Tina Haynes, 73, has lived in the area since 1984 and remembers going into the prison when it was first built, before prisoners moved there. All local residents were invited to see what it was like.

“They showed us the individual rooms and the state of the art gym, it was interesting going inside," she said.

"It was originally a mental health hospital and they had to keep the fascia of the building.

“In those days we would see the odd patients walking up and down the road, there was one man, who they called Jesus, who wore a white suit and would walk into Sutton regularly.”

A livery yard in Fairlawn Road backs on to the high walls and barbed wire of HMP Downview. Horse rider Jo, who didn’t want to give her surname, said you sometimes hear “chatter” from inside the

prison when the windows are open in the summer.

Louise Holloway, says she only hears noise from the prison once a year when they have, what she imagines is an open day.

But Terry O’Shea, who has lived close to the prison for the past 30 years says things were not always as calm and quiet as they are now. “In the early days," he said, "when we first moved here you would get a few escaped prisoners.

"You’d see the helicopters and sometimes the police would turn up with firearms.

“The prison was fairly new and I suppose it was getting used to the security, they had some issues. There were a few riots there and I could here them from here.

“Now it is all all silent. I’ve even been in there to The Clink restaurant where everything is done by the prisoners.

The prisons are surrounded by woodland and just a few roads of homes but less than a mile away is Belmont

Station and a nice high street.

Sarfraz Ahamad from Crescent Grocers in Station Road said many of his customers are prison officers. He has even served people who have just been released. “All the prison officers who work in their come in, they are my customers, it is good for my business," he said.

“People who are visiting people in the prison also come in and buy snacks and drinks to take in.

"Last year I had one guy who had just come out of prison, he was carrying a large bag and he came in bought red bull and cigarettes.”

Down the road is London and Belcher Florists which gets called from relative of people in prison wanting to send flowers. However, the prison only accepts deliveries from one approved company.

Owner Amy Nordemann said: “We do get asked whether we can deliver flowers to the prisoners but the prison says only Interflora can deliver. It is a shame really as it would be good for us.”

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NEWS 13

duLwich SchooL unveiLS purpLe pLaQue for inSpiring feMaLe inventor

By Isabel Ramirez A DUlWicH school has revealed a plaque to honour a female inventor after it was revealed that only fourteen per cent of blue plaques in the uk celebrate women.

After seeing her father suffer from Parkinson's disease, Lise Pape, 41, (pictured) created two devices to make life easier for people with mobility issues.

Path Finder is a laser device, which attaches to the shoe, and provides visual cues for people with Parkinson’s disease to keep moving.

Her other invention, Path Feel, is a connected insole system with an app and dashboard, with the aim of improving gait and balance and reducing the risk of ulcers on the feet, which can cause amputations.

To recognise the difference she has made in people's lives, Alleyn's School in Dulwich has partnered with Innovate UK to unveil a purple plaque in her honour on the school site.

This comes as it was found that just 14% of blue plaques in the UK celebrate women.

Following this discovery, Innovate UK created the purple plaque scheme to address the under-representation of female role models for children and young people.

Purple plaques are being displayed at schools across the country to recognise the achievements of some of the women innovators who have won its Women in Innovation Award. The award also sees recipients receive a cash injection of £50,000 and bespoke mentoring to scale up and market their business ideas.

Lise is one of over 150 Women in

Innovation Award winners who are developing pioneering innovations to tackle pressing societal, environmental, and economic challenges.

Lise Pape said she was "thrilled" to be recognised in this way.

'Smog-eating' paint used on Tower Bridge hoardings

By Herbie Russell ‘smog-eAting’ PAint has been slapped all over the hoardings of a tower Bridge building to “reduce pollution” and “improve air quality” for local residents.

FORE Partnership is behind TBC. London, a 1990s office block being transformed into a net-zero workspace a £50 million project.

The developer will paint the building’s interior with the special paint but, in the meantime, has applied it to the building’s hoardings and construction site.

According to FORE, Airlite paint “acts as a natural air purifier, using semiconductor technology to generate electrical charges on the surface of any wall”.

These charges then combine with the water vapour and oxygen in the air to generate negative ions that neutralise airborne pollutants coming into contact with the wall.

FORE Partnership's Managing Partner,

The hoardings of TBC.London have been decorated using paint that removes pollutants from the air

Basil Demeroutis said, "We are thrilled to be using Airlite paint at TBC.London, as this not only supports our commitment to driving innovation in our supply chain and wider industry, but also demonstrates our dedication to creating a healthy and thriving community.

“We are excited to see the positive impact that this product will have on the building and the people who work and visit here.”

The refurbishment, which is four months into an eighteen-month construction schedule will make the building 100 per cent electric powered.

Pollution-busting paint is the latest in a series of stunts the developer has pulled off in a bid to highlight its community credentials.

In February, it unveiled a mural that depicted local children as superheroes.

And in March, construction workers on the site started hanging up their old coats and scarves so local homeless people cold stay warm.

“I am a big believer in sharing stories and am very happy that I have the opportunity to share my story today with students at the school," she said.

"The purple plaque enables the story to carry on to future pupils too, which I

hope can become a value for the school and society.”

Frank Keenan, Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Alleyn's School said: “Lise's work is making a real difference in people's

lives.

"At Alleyn's, we are passionate about innovation and enterprise and her inspirational work to date is an example of how these values can make a real difference in the world."

South London Hospice raises over £500k in just 36 hours

By Isabel Ramirez A South London hospice, that went on a fundraising mission to raise £500,000 in just 36 hours, has beaten its target.

St Christopher's Hospice in Sydenham took on the mammoth challenge to continue supporting people amid soaring costs - and they raised a total of £585,287.

On smashing their target, a spokesperson from the hospice said: "We did so well.

"It's been incredible to see how the community came out for us.

Fundraising is a massive part of how we keep going."

The hospice is currently responding to an increase in demand for its services, which comes at a time when income has fallen due to the cost of living crisis.

To support the fundraising drive, the hospice launched a moving new film which illustrates their work and features the stories of patients and staff, from the in-patient unit to bereavement.

Jez Robinson’s sister, Charlotte Smith, was supported by the hospice. She died the day after her 37th birthday in 2017.

“I’m always so grateful for the support they gave Charlotte," he said.

"Everyone was so kind, so understanding and I think those days after Charlotte passed we just got

St Christopher's hospice took on a £500,000 fundraising challenge to help those struggling from the cost-of-living crisis great comfort from being here [at St Christopher’s].

“It felt like a place where Charlotte was happy.”

Every donation made during the 36-hour fundraising campaign will be doubled by match funders, giving supporters a greater opportunity to make an impact on those people they support and their families and loved ones.

The fundraising campaign is named What Matters Most – a reference to a question St Christopher’s staff strive to ask each other their patients, carers, loved ones and supporters: 'What matters most to you?'

Jez Robinson says in the film: “In my head, I had what I thought a hospice

was, and I guess I was pretty scared because I knew Charlotte wasn’t well and I was kind of still hoping she was going to get better.”

He adds: “What Matters Most to me, ultimately, is to continue fulfilling what my sister wanted me to do. She told me to keep raising awareness and funds for St Christopher’s, and what matters most to me is that I can continue doing that, in any way that I can. So please join me in supporting St Christopher’s while they fight rising costs.”

Philippa Kelham, Director of Campaigns at St Christopher’s, said: “Our services are more in demand than ever before and we desperately need support from our community to continue our valuable work."

14 NEWS

Charming historic postcards that reveal how our 'most cherished parks' looked in Edwardian times Brockwell Park, Lambeth, London, circa 1900 – 1930

Myatt’s Fields Park, London General view of path in park Nigel Temple (Image date range 1900-1907)

Ruskin Park, Denmark Hill, Lambeth, circa 1900 – 1906

Peckham Rye Park, Southwark, London, circa 1900 – 1906.

By Herbie Russell Historic England has shared a collection of historic postcards depicting some of south London’s most cherished parks.

Among the collection are pictures of Peckham Rye, Brockwell, Myatt's Fields and Ruskin Park, plus many more.

They were collected by the late postcard hobbyist Nigel Temple and all date from the early to mid 1900s.

Historic England is inviting people to share their own photos of the parks as part of ‘The Missing Pieces Project’ to better understand how London’s bestloved landscapes have changed over the last century.

Here are the four postcards displaying parks in and around Southwark and you can find many more on the ‘The Missing Pieces Project’ webpage.

Peckham Rye Park Peckham Rye Common, the northern portion of the park, is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1087 and surviving 14th-century documents.

The park would cement itself in

the English consciousness when the trailblazing 18th-century poet William Blake claimed to have visions of angels in one of its trees.

From the mid 1800s to the the 1940s, a 15ft tall whalebone arch stood at the Homestall Road entrance.

It was said to bring good luck to all who walked beneath it - probably due to its resemblance to the ‘lucky’ wishbone of a chicken - and was popular with courting couples.

In 1864, there was a stir when the Wombells Wild Beast show came to the park - a Victorian animal circus featuring camels, bears and elephants.

Sick of the disruption, local people bought the park through the Camberwell Vestry for £1,000.

Ownership later transferred to the Metropolitan Board of Works.

150 years later, the park remains a contested space, with festivals like GALA popular with some, but considered a nuisance by others.

Ruskin Park In the eighteenth century, the area around Denmark Hill was little more than a rural backwater populated by

just eight large houses.

In the early 1900s, a developer began making plans to buy the land but local resident Frank Trier launched a campaign to turn the area into a public park.

With a groundswell of support, and the help of private donors, the Ruskin Park Committee bought the first 24 acres for £48,000 and it was opened in 1907.

It was named after John Ruskin, a writer and champion of green spaces who lived nearby and died in 1900.

Designed by the notable parks designer Lt-Col JJ Sexby, original features like the bandstand and oval duck pond still survive today.

During World War One, the 21st Battalion, London Regiment (First Surrey Rifles), trained in Ruskin Park while based at nearby Flodden Road, Camberwell.

In 1967, the rock band Pink Floyd used it for their first official photoshoot.

Myatt’s Fields Park Myatt’s Fields Park, sitting in Camberwell, near the border of Lambeth and Southwark, opened to

the public in 1899.

Prior to that, it had belonged to a succession of wealthy families, including the powerful Knatchbull clan, and later the Minets who were descended from French Huguenot refugees.

The park was named after Joseph Myatt, a tenant market gardener who grew strawberries and rhubarb on the grounds. It was designed by Britain's first professional woman landscape gardener Fanny Wilkinson.

This compact but picturesque space, with its carefully designed path network, roundhouse and gardens, is regarded a sparkling example of Victorian design.

In 2015, it was voted the 9th best park in the UK in a public vote organised by the Green Flag Award.

Brockwell Park In the 12th century, the land now occupied by Brockwell Park was part of the Manor of Lambeth, which belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

It later became the possession of St Thomas’s Hospital, then a monastic establishment, before Henry VIII

seized their estates in 1537.

Grade-II listed Brockwell Hall was built on the grounds between 1811 and 1813 - the country seat of the glass merchant John Blades.

In 1892, former Prime Minister Lord Rosebery purchased the park and opened it to the public.

At the grand opening, he declared to the people of Lambeth and Southwark: “Whatever happens, this is preserved to you and your descendants forever as an open space.”

During World War II, parts of the park were set aside for wartime food production in the form of 'Pig Clubs’ Built from timber and bricks salvaged from bombed houses, these were small pig styes maintained by local families.

In 2007, Brockwell Park received a huge £6 million funding package, mostly from Heritage Lottery Fund’s and Big Lottery Parks for People's programme.

Get involved in The Missing Pieces Project by visiting www.historicengland. org.uk/whats-new/features/parksand-gardens-anniversary/#MissingPie cesProjectPostcards

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16 NEWS

By Herbie Russell

A man and woman have been charged following the killing of 76-year-old Nelly Akomah - a wellknown figure in Tooting’s Christian community.

Hugo Da Silva Pires, 28, and Catia Feliciano, 31, both of Thornton Heath, were arrested at Stanstead Airport on Friday, June 23.

Pires has been charged with murder, burglary and fraud while Feliciano has been charged with fraud and perverting the course of justice.

The pair will appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, June 28.

Detectives launched their investigation after Nelly (pictured) was found dead in

By Noah Vickers

© Met Police

Two charged after the killing of 'beloved mother' Nelly Akomah her Ladbrook Road property, Thornton Heath, at 10.40pm, on Wednesday, June 21.

She had been the leader of the Nigerian Methodist Mission UK and Ireland and a member of the Tooting Methodist Church In an online statement, church member Ayodeji Okegbile mourned the loss of a “long-standing leader” and “beloved mother”.

“She will always be dearly missed and our thoughts and prayers are with her long children, grandchildren, family, Tooting Methodist Church, Nigerian Fellowship and close friends,” he added.

Nelly's family has been informed of the latest development and will continue to be supported by family liaison officers.

Queen Mojo by Pride train Photo by Noah Vickers

Local Democracy Reporter A bus, Overground train, and Elizabeth line train, each wrapped in a dazzling design to celebrate Pride, have been unveiled by Transport for London (TfL).

The wraps show a diverse group of Londoners from across the LGBTQ+ community and the bus will also accompany people representing TfL in the Pride in London parade on 1 July.

Seb Dance, deputy mayor for transport, said in a speech unveiling the new designs: “My own coming out story was miserable when I was younger.

“I had Section 28 hanging over me.

My teachers couldn’t – wouldn’t – talk about the issue, and I had to fight it pretty much on my own.

“What a massive difference it would have made to a 16-year-old me, to see these buses and trains out on the network.

“So for every single person who’s going on their own journey – every journey matters, every story matters, and these wraps are a testament to the wonderful fabric of diversity in this city.”

Thanks to the design’s inclusion on an Elizabeth line train, the wrap will be seen by people across London and even out as far as Essex and Reading.

Customers using the route 63 bus between Honor Oak and King’s Cross can already see the design, which has been on display since mid-June.

The design will also be featured on a fourth vehicle: an Underground engineering train, used for maintenance on the network.

Amy Lamé, London’s Night Czar, praised the wrap for showing “the diversity within our diversity, which is really important, so that LGBTQ+ isn’t just one block of people – we are diverse, we are many”.

She added: “They’re so eye-catching, so inclusive, so lovely, that we hope that for those that maybe don’t understand what it is, they might want to understand a bit more…

Buses and trains get rainbow-tastic makeover for Pride “I came to London over 30 years ago because I wanted to live my life openly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, so there’s no doubt in my mind that London has always been a beacon for diversity.

"The message has always been one of: ‘This is a place where you can be who you want to be’.”

The Elizabeth line wrap is expected to remain in place for about 18 months,

with the Overground design retained for about a year before being reviewed, and the bus wrap to stay for several months.

TV personality and dancer Queen Mojo said: “I am so excited, because having these stories and the pictures of different people, of different sizes, ages and abilities, shows people that the LGBTQ+ community is more inclusive than people think.

“They think it’s exclusive and it’s meant to be for us and us only – but look at the different types of people that we teach to love, to care about, to support.

“These stories out there are going to speak to people that maybe haven’t come out yet, haven’t embarked on their journey of self acceptance just yet, but this is promoting that.”

Glynn Barton, TfL’s chief operating officer, said the organisation would be

doing other things to celebrate Pride too: “We have a poster campaign with key creatives, influencers in this world, really showing why London transport is important to them, and why its important to Pride.

“We have announcements at our stations, our whiteboards are going to carry excerpts from key literature – so Nick Grimshaw’s ‘Soft Lad’ for instance, quotes from that at our platforms.”.”

By Robert Firth Local Democracy Reporter Business owners in a crumbling South East London shopping centre earmarked for hundreds of homes fear the area will lose its sense of community if redevelopment plans go ahead.

Developers have been wanting to bulldoze Leegate Centre in Lee Green for over a decade but plans have never been realised.

Last year developer Galliard Homes revealed new proposals to build 563 homes and a 15 storey tower on the site, renewing hopes for the area’s future.

Lewisham Council will make a decision on the plans at a later date. But for those businesses still occupying the rundown centre, the latest turn of events has been greeted with unease. They fear they don’t have a place in the developer’s vision for the centre’s future and face saying goodbye to the area for good.

Juliette Burke, manager of a Sue Ryder charity shop that has operated out of the centre for 25 years, said she imagined the store would have to leave.

She said: “The new units will be too small and too expensive. It will be the same as every new development: Starbucks, a gym, a supermarket. It’s a shame because it’s a good community here.

“We would like to stay here if it was affordable because the location is great.

We are on the cusp of affluent areas where they donate and people from other areas come and buy. It’s a good community and there’s a good customer base.”

Ms Burke, who has run the Leegate store for five years, added: “Footfall in the shopping centre has got less because we lost Wetherspoons and we lost Iceland but for us personally as a business it has gone up. We are a destination. People spend two hours here because we’ve got free parking.”

Louisa Gillespie, owner of Rhubarb & Custard café, said the rents on offer in the planned new retail spaces were too high and the leases too long for most of the small businesses in the shopping centre.

Ms Gillespie, who moved her café into the centre five years ago, said: “I think the rents they are offering after five years are very high, both for new and existing [businesses]. It’s not going to be affordable.

"What they’re offering here, they are asking for businesses to sign up to a ten year lease. I think that’s the sticking point for the commercial offering. Even if we don’t stay, we would like there to be more of a commercial offering.”

She added: “It’s all being done at the same time so there’s no phasing at all and so it’s not going to be possibility to stay while it’s being redeveloped.

"There’s a community here. People do work together and that’s a good thing. It would be great if they did look at it in phases because then I think the

© TRobert Firth

NEWS 17

Fears Lee Green will lose sense of community as shopping centre rebuild beckons

Leegate Shopping Centre in Lee Green community wouldn’t be so diluted.”

Under Galliard Homes’s plans for the site, a community centre, supermarket, restaurant and medical centre would also be built where the shopping centre currently stands, as well as a gym and a replacement pub for the now closed Wetherspoons branch.

Galliard Homes has redesigned original proposals submitted to the council in summer last year to include a second staircase in the planned tower block. The changes follow new City Hall rules which since February have required buildings over 30 metres in height to provide two staircases.

Jess Currie, owner of a zero-waste store Shop WithOut Packaging, said she was sad the developer hadn’t included more cheap retail space in the plans.

Ms Currie, who gets customers travelling from as far as Dartford, Kent to visit the shop, said: “There’s going to be a huge reduction in retail and at the same time a massive influx of people. It’s a shame to lose it but the developer is not interested in retail.”

She added: “The footfall has definitely

By Kevin Quinn Detectives investigating an assault in Eltham have issued an image of a man they want to trace.

Police said the victim, a woman in her 30s, was assaulted in an unprovoked attack in a supermarket in Philipot Path, SE9, at around 12:30pm on Wednesday, 15 March this year.

They have said she was not seriously injured.

At this stage, no arrest has been made, but as part of ongoing enquiries, officers are releasing the image of a man they want to public’s help in identifying.

Anyone who recognises the man in this picture or who has information which could assist police is asked to contact 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD3180/15Mar. You can also provide information to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Jess Currie said it would be a shame to lose the shops in the centre fallen and Covid was pretty tricky and now the cost of living crisis it has made business tricky for everybody.”

A Galliard Homes spokesperson said: “Since early 2021, Galliard Homes has been discussing the future of the Leegate Centre with local residents and community groups.

“Over the last two years we have also engaged with the site’s existing traders on a range of issues, including viable options for them to return to a regenerated Leegate Centre – should our current planning application be approved by the council later this summer.

"If our plans are given the ‘green light’

by Lewisham Council, we look forward to continuing these discussions.”

Do you know this man?

Juliette Burke said the new units would be too expensive for the charity shop

Police officer pleads guilty

By Kevin Quinn An officer has pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm following an on duty incident last summer.

PC Thomas Karlsen, attached to South West BCU, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 27 June, where he pleaded guilty to the offence.

He was released on bail and will be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday, 8 August.

In November 2022, PC Karlsen attended an address in New Malden

following a report of a domestic dispute.

On arrival, he arrested a man on suspicion of breach of the peace. During the arrest, he punched the man, kicked him twice and used PAVA spray - commonly known as pepper spray - at close proximity.

He was interviewed and later suspended from duty. Misconduct proceedings will now take place.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, in charge of SW BCU, said: “The powers given to us as officers must be used fairly and professionally and it is clear that this was not the case on this occasion."

18 NEWS

© Facundo Arrizabalaga

Could we see the revival of Croydon’s historic Old Town?

David Leadbeater would like to see the Old Town improved.

Joyce Dean said there is so much history in Croydon people are not aware of.

Tomb Of Gilbert Sheldon Archbishop Of Canterbury.

© Facundo

Trevor Reeves is sceptical of the upgrades being made.

by Tara O'Connor Local Democracy Reporter Croydon locals want to see the town’s most historic area reach its full potential. With buildings dating back to the 14th Century, Croydon’s Old Town is steeped in history.

At the heart of the Old Town sits the Croydon Minster, which is believed to have been founded in Saxon times and a church building on the site is referenced in the Doomsday Book.

Six Archbishops of Canterbury are buried in the Minster and kings and queens were regular visitors to the archbishops at Croydon.

Croydon Palace in Old Town was the summer residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury for more than 500 years.

Some of these original buildings are now used by Old Palace School.

Earlier this year, Croydon Council said it would invest £7.5million into the area around the Minster acknowledging it needs “vast improvements”.

The plans include relocation of parking, removal of the pedestrian subway and a new play area.

Despite the pledge, locals that spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service say the area has been neglected for many years and are sceptical of

change. They want to see the historic area brought back to life.

Residents were concerned about rubbish dumped in the area. The council hopes the planned improvements will tackle any vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Joyce Dean was visiting the Minster with family over from Florida. She has lived in Croydon since the 70s but said she rarely ventures into the town centre these days.

She said: “There are beautiful buildings [in the Old Town] and a lot of history of Croydon that people don’t know about, so many Archbishops of Canterbury are buried here.

"I have watched [Croydon] go down the tubes. It has everything going for it, it’s got the wonderful train services to London.

“I think the council has spent all the money on the wrong things. They have sold the family silver and wasted so much on Fairfield Halls and buying the Croydon Park Hotel for way over the odds was a scandal.”

The hotel was bought bought by Amro Partners for £24.9m, well under the £29.8m the council paid for it in 2018. There are now plans to redevelop it into flats.

Work to renovate Fairfield Halls was completed in 2019, but went nearly £40million over the original £30m

Croydon Minster budget. A fraud probe into the project has was completed earlier this year but the full report is yet to be published.

Furniture shop House of Reeves has been a presence in the Old Town for more than 150 years. It has been in the Reeves family for five generations since 1867 and has been run by Graham and Trevor for the past 30 years.

The business has survived two world wars and the 2011 riots, which saw one of its buildings burnt to the ground.

Trevor said: “Having been involved in the master plans after the riots I don’t have any faith in anyone doing anything. As an old established business we are a draw to the area.

“Most of the older people would remember us being here when this was the centre of Croydon before the Whitgift Centre was built. It really destroyed this area. No one has really looked after it since then, whether it is Labour or Conservative.”

The Whitgift Centre opened in 1968 and attracted shoppers from far and wide. In the 2000s plans to redevelop the shopping centre emerged and there were promises of a £1.6billion Westfield mall.

Plans for the super mall fell through in 2019 but owners Unibail-RodamcoWestfield have since promised a “masterplan” for the future of the town centre later this year.

The Reeves brothers said footfall to the Old Town area is lower than it was in the past and has taken a further hit since car parks were redeveloped for flats.

Graham said: “Westfield was never going to happen, 23 years later there is still nothing shows there is something seriously wrong. Reeves of Croydon are still here, going strong, we are the jewel in the crown.”

David Leadbeater, who has lived nearby since 1996, regularly walks through the Old Town. He said: “I think it is important to highlight the history here. It used to be much busier, it is such a shame. It would help if they made it easier for people to park their cars.”

Gill Ball thinks Croydon has gone “downhill” in recent years and said she now prefers Bromley over Croydon.

She said: “I don’t think it is nice and I live here, it has gone down hill. I think everywhere in Croydon has potential but we are paying mega council tax and seeing no change.”

In May Croydon locals were hit with a 15 per cent hike in their council tax, the largest increase in England.

The government gave the council special permission for the huge rise after it issued its third bankruptcy notice in two years.

A 73-year-old man, who didn’t

want to give his name, was enjoying the sunshine on a bench outside the Minster. He said: “I think it needs to be cleaned up, they don’t need to build anything more just clean the place up.”

A spokesperson for Croydon Council said: “The council is undertaking a major £7.5m project investing in improving the public realm and parks in Minster Green, in Croydon’s Old Town.

"Detailed designs are being finalised and will be shared with our residents and partners later this year, ahead of construction starting.

“Designed in consultation with the Diocese and local community, the plans include the relocation of parking, removal of the pedestrian subway, a new play area offering green open space and lighting around the Grade I listed Minster.

"The new layout and lighting will create a space for residents to enjoy along with tackling issues such as vandalism and antisocial behaviour.”

The council’s £7.5m plan for the Croydon Minster area is included in the £12.2m Growth Zone budget for 2023/24.

The Growth Zone was developed in collaboration with the GLA and TfL to secure government funding through business rate retention in central Croydon and runs until 2034.

NEWS 19

'MoSt incLuSive pub in London' 19th century Greenwich pub reopened as community space

By Joe Coughlan Local Democracy Reporter A South London pub dating back to the 19th century has been reopened as a community space, with the managers hoping the spot eventually becomes the “most inclusive pub in London”.

A new community pub, The Star of Greenwich, has opened on Old Woolwich Road in East Greenwich.

The historic boozer, originally called Star and Garter, dates back to the 19th century and had been closed since August 2021, before reopening as the new pub at the end of April this year.

James Gadsby Peet, 38, started the new pub alongside Kirsty Donohoe and Lisa Dunlop. He said that the trio sought to reopen the historic pub when Ms Donohoe described the space as an “asset of community value”, and they realised the opportunities the space had as a meeting spot.

Mr Gadsby Peet said: “Our theory, I suppose, is that the more people that can meet one another, who wouldn’t normally meet one another, the more conversations, the more understanding there is, the better that helps the community be more resilient and just a nicer place to be.”

The pub managers have set themselves the challenge of becoming the “most inclusive pub in London”.

Mr Gadsby Peet said that since opening, the charity English for Action London has been allowed to use the space free of charge, with parents being able to leave their kids in the children’s play area while they learn English.

Mr Gadsby Peet said: “A lot of the people that are trying to learn English are young parents, and so they can bring their kids whilst they have those conversation classes.

"It’s a safe space for them. The kids are entertained and they’re not trying to do it in a coffee shop, which doesn’t really feel welcoming.”

The pub also hopes to work with a number of food-related charities down the line to help train individuals to get into the catering industry.

Mr Gadsby Peet said the pub plans on offering food at non-fixed prices so that any resident can afford lunch.

Kirsty Donohoe, 44, said that giving locals a safe place to eat is a priority for her and the other managers.

“We’ve got a lot of food banks, obviously, because of the current climate that we have. But then also people living in London could be in a room where they can’t cook for themselves and they’re either having to eat out or they’re having to buy sandwiches and things like that. [The Star of Greenwich] is making an area that people can feed themselves,” she said.

By offering food at a reasonable price and a safe space for those relying on food banks, Ms Donohoe said the pub can become a hub for locals of all backgrounds to integrate.

Mr Gadsby Peet recalls a time when a younger patron became friends with an 89-year-old man, who had been a regular customer of the pub since the 1950s, after meeting at Star of Greenwich.

He said: “It’s exactly those conversations across generations, across different perspectives, that would never happen without spaces like this. I’d say that’s what we’ve always been aiming for.”

Ms Donohoe added: “It’s seeing in the bigger picture of what our society is like, and what we can do to help people in society and low paid jobs with low incomes and things like that.

"To make people feel a bit more valued that

there are things out there. A church hall is a bit different from a pub and sometimes it’s about the environment that you’re in. Some people don’t want to do anything religious, so maybe this is a bit more accessible.”

The managers said the landlord, Greenwich Hospital Trust, has been very supportive of the initiative.

Ms Donohoe said Greenwich Council has also been an invaluable source of information since they approached the authority in April last year.

“We’ve been very lucky in the fact that the people that we spoke to understand our vision, and what we’re wanting to achieve and how we’re going to achieve it," she said.

"I think they’ve been very welcoming and understanding towards us.”

Mr Gadsby Peet said he and the other managers feel like the “luckiest ones” out of the whole scenario.

He said that by being in the centre of the project, they have gotten to see the organic connections forming between locals firsthand.

“I think a lot of pubs aren’t really set up for that these days, there’s a few aspects for that," he said.

"Firstly, a lot of it is around catering, more of a transactional food and dining thing, which is fantastic. We all go to pubs and we all eat in pubs and it’s lovely, or you’re going and you’re having a lot of drinks and you’re meeting friends.”

He added: “I think the idea of just coming and being in a space is less prevalent than it once was, but actually I think some of that is starting to come back.”

A Greenwich Hospital Trust spokesperson said: “The lease to the Star of Greenwich is on commercial terms. Greenwich Hospital (together with their managing agents, Knight Frank) is proud of our track record of working in partnership with local occupiers to get exciting new ventures off the ground, and we are delighted to see retail businesses open and thrive in the Greenwich community.”

An East Greenwich Residents Association spokesperson said that the group were glad to have the historic pub back in business and wished it every success in its future.

Greenwich Council was contacted for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.

James Gadsby Peet, 38, and Kirsty Donohoe, 44, shown outside The Star of Greenwich community pub.

20 ARTS

what’s on

Where Are We Now The title of Rod Kitson’s exhibition of almost 400 portraits of people from London and beyond refers to where his progression as an artist is four years on from when the project began in 2019, writes Michael Holland...

There are currently 384 artworks and another 16 will be completed on-site during the run of the exhibition.

Hung in chronological order as you enter his Surrey Quays Shopping Centre studio you can see a change in his style and palette as you walk along the paintings (Many eyes following you all around the room). From quite flat works the most recent portraits have lashings of colour and paint; almost 3D, ‘almost structural’, says Kitson.

Initially, the subjects were friends and family and other artists but Rod opened his studio door up to walk-ins from the local community, some of who returned for second and third and even fourth portraits, each one showing another side of the person and another aspect of the artist. Several of those strangers coming in off the street to sit for the artist have become friends.

Rod Kitson, with his other people-led work here in the shopping centre, has

Jesus is in Brockley

It is 1930, a church in a small village in Spain where a local artist has just completed his commission for the resident nuns - a painting of the Lord Jesus Christ. The commissioning nun (Louise Beresford), however, is horrified! She felt the fresco did not have the reverence needed for the man she has given her life to. Basically, the image was a halo short of holiness. The Mother Superior agreed and offered the artist, half of the promised payment.

Elías Martínez (Roger Parkins), a painter who lectured at the local college, was so angry he refused to take such a belittling sum for the hours of dedication he put into creating what he considered to be a reverential masterpiece.

Photo by Steve Gregson

A ‘Restoration’ comedy in the truest sense of the word. The real story of this event was a worldwide sensation so I came in hope that Behold! The Monkey Jesus, a play

by Joe Wiltshire Smith was just as sensational, writes Michael Holland...

The painting stayed on the wall and over time it began to fade and flake off. In 2012 the church cleaner, Cecilia Giménez (Mary Tillett), who had grown up with the image throughout her 81 years, and unschooled in art, thought

she would revive it with a touch of paint.

In fact, the voice of the Holy One actually told her to ‘give it a lick of paint’!

Someone, though, took a photo of the ‘restoration’ to post online and it soon went viral. Some art experts called it the

Monkey Jesus, which is the name that stuck.

Before long the world’s press were swarming the church and village to mock poor Cecilia. And then others came to see this amateurish renovation,

created a community in the community.

Rod talks meaningfully about what he has gained from this project, not just as an artist but intellectually. The memories of some of the conversations had in the couple of hours spent sometimes with complete strangers - have ‘brought deeper meaning to my life’.

On the opening night, sitters came along to find themselves on the wall, bringing friends and family to enjoy the exhibition, to take selfies with their image or to pose next to themselves their two-dimensional twin. The artist greeted them warmly, remembering all their names and the discussions they had. It was more like a family gathering than the opening of an art exhibition.

The pictures can be bought for £250 for those created in 2019-2022, with later works selling at £300. Rod also accepts commissions for portraits of the same size (one square foot) and style.

The Art of Isolation, Upper Floor, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, SE16 7LL until July 20th.

Free entry. Tues - Wed 11am - 6pm; Thurs - Fri 12pm - 7pm.; Sat 11am 5pm; Sun - Mon Closed.

and they kept coming, and soon they were coming in their tens of thousands and before long the church began charging €3 to get in to look upon the fresco and that funded a gift shop where mugs and fridge magnets would be sold, and Cecilia thought she should have a share so called in lawyers to win her a portion of the merchandise profits.

But then the granddaughter of Señor Martínez came to take umbrage with Cecilia for ruining her grandfather’s work AND taking money for bringing such shame to the family name! Cecilia could only respond by saying the money she received went on funding her disabled son’s special needs, but her apologies went unaccepted.

The writer has, like Cecilia Giménez, taken artistic liberties with the actuality to create this comedy - Funnier if you know the story - but the ending was a bit botched and awkward, and could, perhaps, have ended when charges were brought for embezzlement.

But that was the only hitch in this very funny play.

Brockley Jack Studio Theatre, 410 Brockley Road, London, SE4 2DH until 8th July.

Box office: www.brockleyjack.co.uk or 0333 666 3366 (£1.80 fee for phone bookings only) Time: 7.30pm.

Tickets: £17, £15 conc., 14+

ARTS 21

Arts

Photo by Johan Persson

Lily Allen in The Pillowman

Dear England at the National Theatre is a Beautiful Game firSt of all, let me say that joseph fiennes is absolutely brilliant as gareth Southgate in James graham’s Dear england. to be honest, he gave a better performance than Southgate often puts in, writes Michael Holland...

I had come with high expectations of this new play about Southgate’s tenure in the England manager role. Would it be a bore-draw or will the team smash it out of the stadium? Would it go to a penalty shootout that left me either high or crying?

Es Devlin's stage was a giant circle with a flip-top lid which opened to reveal a young Southgate missing the crucial penalty against Germany that put us out of the ’96 Euros. Looking on was the Gareth Southgate of today. It is the penalty spot that the play is centred upon.

The set-up to the story begins with video projections of past players and managers before Big Sam Allardyce is sacked for skulduggery and Gareth Southgate is called in to become caretaker until they find someone better… His appointment is received nationally with much lack of excitement.

Having taught the under-21s, and been an England player, he knew that

the problem was not the football but the dressing room division of players mixing only with their club’s players.

Older, established players were moved on, and younger players introduced for Southgate to build a new team, a team that could win things. Plus, with a nation always thinking a trophy will be ‘Coming Home’ at the start of every tournament - with no real evidence to back that idea up - he called in psychologist Dr Pippa Grange (Gina McKee), whose book, Fear Less: How to Win at Life without Losing Yourself, had attracted Southgate enough to have her work with the squad. As you can imagine, this new philosophy did not go down well with either the players or the coaching team.

He sets them all a doable goal of six years - Qatar 2022.

Dear England is based around the penalty shootouts that have blighted our football for decades, so Grange analyses them from her professional perspective and gets the players to deal with them differently.

The first act ends with winning a penalty shootout!

The second half pretty much follows the same game plan with the audience feeling the highs and lows of the football on the pitch. It often felt like

James Graham must have been in those dressing rooms recording the team talks and diatribes that bounced around those sweaty walls between players and staff. This was real. The emotions were real. The penalty shootouts still hurt.

There is the right amount of comedy added to balance out the upsets, with Jordan Pickford playing a blinder on and off the pitch, and a homage to The Full Monty when the players whip off their tournament suits to reveal the England strip beneath.

Football is a team game and the whole squad pulled together to make this an absolute blinder under the guidance of Rupert Goold. I can see this squad winning things.

At the end, we left with hope for the future. Reading the Evening Standard on the train home there was a headline that captured exactly how everyone felt when leaving the National Theatre: ‘Striking proof Southgate boasts the most complete international attack’: England 7 - North Macedonia 0.

I believe it will be Coming Home.

Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 9PX until August 11th. Times: Mon - Sat 7.30pm; Wed & Sat matinees 2pm. Admission: £56 - £89.

Booking: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

onCe uPon a time in a far away totalitarian dictatorship, katurian (Lily Allen) was blindfolded in a police station being tormented and threatened by tupolski (Steve Pemberton) and Ariel (Paul kaye). With these three performing the Pillowman, a play by martin mcDonagh, i thought i was in for a good time. how wrong was i, writes Michael Holland...

Katurian is a writer of short stories and doesn’t understand why she is being interrogated. Nor do we, until Tupolski begins reading her stories back to her. Gruesome, horrific tales of child abuse and murder make us think there is some hidden antigovernment metaphor in there.

Is she mocking the system or the despot running the country? But, no, there is a spate of child killings that copy the murders in her stories.

Could Katurian be the serial killer?

As dark as it is, the even darker comedy within periodically stabs you in the front and jabs you into guilty laughter.

After a beating, Katurian gets banged up with her intellectuallychallenged brother Michal (Matthew Tennyson)who has grown up on her stories. For comfort, he asks her to tell him the one about the green pig and remind him of the one about the boy tortured by his parents, and the one about The Pillowman who helps children die happily. Michal, we find, has his own tale to tell.

This is a story about stories and each one we hear takes us deeper and deeper into Katurian’s private

hell.

Ariel finds himself enjoying some of Katurian’s, secretly admiring her while despising her enough to plug her into the mains for shock treatment. He himself, we discover, was abused as a child and his whole raison d’être has been to lock up, torture and execute child abusers.

The Pillowman shows that those abused and damaged as children very often go on to abuse others.

Research shows that just about every psychopath had a tormented upbringing.

The Pillowman is not an easy watch and the middle section, where Michal and Katurian are in a cell discussing their predicament, outstays its welcome. Almost grotesquely, it was nice to get back to the good cop/bad cop police violence scenes where at least there was the respite of black humour to relieve the horror.

It is a very clever piece of work. It has us guessing and then guessing again, but with each revelation, we realise we were wrong and find ourselves falling into another black hole.

But despite superb performances from the main protagonists, great dialogue and truly fantastic short stories from the writer, when put together, I’d rather not spend almost three hours being told life is not good.

Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4BG until September 2nd. Times: Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat matinees at 2.30pm. Admission: £20 - £140 Booking: 0333 009 6690 - www.

Pillowmanplay.com

22 CLASSIFIED

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Offering advice, support, activities, rooms for hire and a voice for older people.

Contact us on 020 7708 4556 or info@southwarkpensioners.org.uk Or pop into 305 -307 Camberwell rd, Camberwell Green, SE5 0HQ

Elim House Day Centre

YOU MATTER TO US programme started Tuesday 9th May. 100 Day programme combating loneliness within our elders

ScotsCare is here to help and support Scots and their families in Greater London Our services include: Financial Support | Advocacy | Counselling | Sheltered Housing | Homelessness | Job Coaching | Social Events | Volunteering To find out more, visit

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The Walworth Living Room is an open space for local people to meet their neighbours and enjoy good food and fun activities.

Walworth Living Room Surrey Square London, SE17 2JU Contact 020 7703 3803 walworthlivingroom.org info@pembrokehouse.org.uk SCAN ME

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Foot Messenger/CourierSuitable for Retired Person Location: London Description: We are a visa-based company based near London bridge and are currently looking for a reliable and responsible foot messenger to carry out submission of visa applications to various Embassies.

This does entail a lot of walking and travelling via public transport both over ground and underground, therefore fitness and knowledge of public transport is essential. Suitable for retired person and previous experience as a foot messenger would be ideal but not essential as full training will be given. A record of good conduct and the ability to work with multiple people at a time in a fast-paced environment is a requirement. Candidates should be neatly dressed and groomed as they will interact with many professional personnel’s’ throughout each business day.

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RECRUITMENT 23 All photos are of our classes

Adult Learning Lewisham

DAY, EVENING AND WEEKEND COURSES

Come to our Open Day Thursday 20 July 2023 1-7pm

Granville Park Adult Education Centre, London, SE13 7DU, just a few minutes from Lewisham station.

Visit the facilities, talk to subject specialists, take part in free drop-in activities and demonstrations, and enrol for courses starting in September.

More information is available at: www.lewisham.gov.uk/adultlearning Adult Learning Lewisham ALL TOGETHER WE FLOURISH

Receptionist & Administration Assistant Responsible to: Start date: Salary: Status: Days and Hours: Deadline:

Administration Manager ASAP Grade 3 - £24,954 - £26,625 (FTE) pro rata Permanent 25 hours per week: Monday to Thursday (12:30 – 17:30) Friday (12:00 – 17:00 Term time (plus two weeks) 13th July 2022

Role summary:

We are seeking to appoint a part time Receptionist to support a busy administrative team and to act as the first point of contact for students, parents and visitors. The receptionist will be an enthusiastic ambassador for Compass School Southwark, participating fully in the life of the school community.

Part-time Lunchtime Supervisors/Exam Invigilator Responsible to: Start date: Salary: Days and Hours: Deadline:

Senior Leadership Team ASAP Salary range £24.771 - £24,954 (FTE) £12.70 per hour 1 hour per day, five days per week, 13:00 - 14:00 Term time only 21st July 2023.

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic, motivated and committed individual with excellent communication skills to join our team working in a friendly, lively environment to ensure the security, safety and good conduct of our students at lunchtimes and where appropriate, during examinations*.

The successful candidates will be responsible for supervising students in an area of the school during the lunch break and will need to have a confident and positive approach when working with our young people. *There may be exam invigilation opportunities available for the right candidate during examination periods.

The Trust reserves the right to interview and appoint a suitable candidate before the closing date.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview and to experience lunchtimes first hand.

For further information about the school and the Trust, please go to www.compass-schools.com.

The Trust reserves the right to interview and appoint a suitable candidate before the closing date.

Please visit https://compass-schools.com/recruitment/vacancies/ to download the information pack and application form to apply.

If you have any questions, contact us at recruitment@compass-schools.com or 0203 542 6506.

Compass Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding children and all appointments will require an enhanced DBS check.

For further information about the school and the Trust, please go to www.compass-schools.com.

Please visit https://compass-schools.com/recruitment/vacancies/ to download the information pack and application form to apply.

If you have any questions, contact us at recruitment@compass-schools.com or 0203 542 6506.

Compass Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding children and all appointments will require an enhanced DBS check.

5 July - 29 October 2023 Free Exhibition South London Gallery Abdulrazaq Awofeso, Seyi Adelekun, Chiizii, Ndidi Dike, Victor Ehikhamenor, Onyeka Igwe, Lagos Studio Archives, Adeyemi Michael, Christopher Obuh, Emeka Ogboh, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Temitayo Shonibare, Yinka Shonibare.

Exhibition co-curated by Folakunle Oshun and the SLG

26 PUBLIC NOTICES LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1)(TOWNLEY ROAD, EAST STREET, MEYMOTT STREET, BLACKFRIARS ROAD, MILLSTREAM ROAD, OMEARA STREET, STONEY STREET, VARCOE ROAD

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (STONEY STREET) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC)

TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC AND CYCLE LANE CLOSURE 1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable various works to be carried out, it made, an order, the effect of which will be to prohibit vehicular traffic from entering part of the above named roads.

2.

Whilst the works are in progress, or whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload at any time in: (a) Townley Road, between Beauval Road and Lordship Lane, ‘at any time’ waiting and loading restrictions will be imposed on both sides of the carriageway (b) East Street, between Walworth Place and King & Queen Street (c) Meymott Street, at it’s junction with Blackfriars Road (d) Blackfriars Road, closure of north bound cycle lane between Meymott Street and Colombo Stree (e) Millstream Road, between Druid Street and Maltby Street (f) Omeara Street, between Southwark Street and Union Street (g) Stoney Street, at it’s junction with Winchester Walk for 15m south (h)Varcoe Road, From outside No’s 74 to it’s junction with Bramcote Grove

1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable various works to be carried out, it intends, to make, an order, the effect of which will be to prohibit vehicular traffic from entering part of the above named roads.

2.

Whilst the works are in progress, or whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload at any time in: (a) Stoney Street, opposite the junction with Winchester Walk to opposite No’s 15 Stoney Street

3.

The alternative route for affected traffic will be (2a) as indicated by the signs displayed

4.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, so far as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

5.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform.

The alternative route for affected traffic will be (2a) not applicable (2b) as indicated by the signs displayed (2c) Blackfriars Road, Blackfriars Road, The Cut, Hatfields, Stamford Street.

Blackfriars Road, Stamford Street, Paris Gardens (2e) (2f) (2g) (2h) as indicated by the signs displayed

6.

The works will be in operation for (2a) 16th July – 17th July

7.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

4.

Meymott Street, will be made ‘two way’ for access and egress purposes for (2c)

Dated this 29th June 2023

5.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, so far as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

6.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform.

7.

The works will be in operation for (2a) 3rd July – 30th August (2b) 10th July (2c) 8th – 9th July, with back up dates of the 15th – 16th July (2f) 6th – 7th July (2g) 9th July (2h) 13th July – 1st August

Ian Law Traffic Manager London Borough of Southwark Network Management Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX Ref: (2a) LO00000500327362404

8.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

3.

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (MELIOR STREET, WESTON STREET, MELIOR PLACE

Dated this 29th June 2023 Ian Law Traffic Manager London Borough of Southwark Network Management Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX

(TEMPORARY WAITING AND LOADING RESTRICTIONS AND TEMPORARY PROHIBITION) 1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that, because of development works, it intends, to make an order, the effect of which would be to introduce various waiting and loading restrictions in part of the above named roads.

2.

Whilst the restriction is in place, and whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to wait, including waiting for the purpose of loading and unloading at any time in:

Notice of Application for a Club Premises Certificate made under Section 71 of the Licensing Act 2003

(a) Melior Street - the existing ‘waiting restrictions’ (single yellow lines) will be converted to ‘at any time’ ‘waiting and loading’ restrictions (double yellow lines) located on the south west side from the junction with Fenning Street for a distance of 20m west

Please take notice that I / we Izaak T Bestebreur , director of PR Dutch Drinks hHave made application to Southwark Council for a new Club Premises Certificate in respect of 67-68 Enid Street, Southwark. SE16 3RA

Days

Start time

Finish time

The supply of alcohol by or Monday to Thursday on behalf of a club to, or to the order Friday of, a member of the club: Saturday Sunday

17:00 15:00 12:00 12:00

21:30 22:00 22:00 20:30

The provision of regulated entertainment:

Monday to Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

17:00 15:00 12:00 12:00

21:30 22:00 22:00 20:30

The provision of late night refreshment:

Monday to Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

21:30 22:00 22:00 20:30

22:00 22:30 22:30 21:00

Monday to Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

17:00 15:00 12:00 12:00

22:00 22:30 22:30 21:00

Opening hours:

A register of all applications made within the Southwark area is maintained by: The Licensing Service, Hub 1, 3rd Floor, 160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH A record of this application may be inspected by visiting the office during normal office hours by appointment on 020 7525 2000; details are also available on our website at http://app.southwark.gov.uk/licensing/licenseregister.asp It is open to any interested party to make representations about the likely effect of the application on the promotion of the licensing objectives. Representations must be made in writing to the Licensing Service at the office address given above (or by email via licensing@southwark.gov.uk) and be received by the Service within a period of 28 days starting the day after the date shown below.

Note: It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with an application. A person guilty of such offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

Date of application: 24th June 2023

(b) Melior Street – the existing ‘waiting restrictions’ (single yellow lines) will be converted to a 12m loading/unloading bay located on the south west side near No’s 14 loading will be 40 minutes, with no return within 2 hours (c) Weston Street – the existing ‘waiting restrictions’ (single yellow lines) will be converted to ‘at any time’ ‘waiting and loading’ restrictions (double yellow lines) located on the south west side outside No’s 50 for a distance of 8m (d) Melior Street - the existing ‘waiting restrictions’ (single yellow lines) will be converted to ‘at any time’ ‘waiting and loading’ restrictions (double yellow lines) located on the south west side outside No’s 14 to the junction with Weston Street. (e) Weston Street – ‘disabled parking space’ 6m will be allocated from the end of the existing ‘paid by phone’ parking spaces located on the south east side between No’s 52/54 (f) Melior Place, ‘disabled parking space’ 6m will be allocated from the end of the existing ‘paid by phone’ parking spaces located on the north west side between No’s 1 and No’s 2 to 4 (g) Melior Street will be closed at it’s junction with Weston Street 3.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, insofar as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

4.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform.

5.

The restriction will come into force on the 13th July – 12th August 2024

6.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network & Parking Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

Dated this 29th June 2023 Ian Law Traffic Manager London Borough of Southwark Network Management Traded Services Environment and Leisure 160 Tooley Street PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX

To p l a c e a p u b l i c n o t i c e , p l e a s e e m a i l e m @ c m - m e d i a . c o. u k Our weekly deadline is 4pm on Tuesdays

PUBLIC NOTICES 27

To all our valued customers Just a quick note to express our genuine gratitude for your continued support and positive feedback you have shared with us over the past three months Your satisfaction and appreciation mean a lot to us and we are truly grateful for your custom We look forward to serving you and delivering the best Fish & Chips at Joseph’s for many more enjoyable dining experiences

Thank You

Tuesday - Sunday 12pm - 9pm Closed Monday

350 Lordship Lane Dulwich SE22 8LZ 020 3623 7315

SPORT 29

Lynn finish season with perfect three out of three

By John Kelly

LYnn ABC came away with three wins from three in their last show of the season at Balham Boxing Club last weekend.

Shaydon Thompson was competing in his first-ever amateur bout against Anan Butt from Southall ABC. Thompson showed great boxing skills and got stronger as the fight went on, eventually stopping his opponent in the third round.

Coach Terry Pearson said: “Shaydon is only eighteen years old and he is showing great dedication to our sport and he is a fantastic talent. I can't wait to see what he can achieve next season.”

By Bruce Talbot

An UneXPecteD last-wicket stand of 130 between sean Abbott and Dan Worrall and some aggressive bowling by their seamers helped to put first division leaders Surrey in a good position against Lancashire at the kia oval this week.

Hanratty boxed Charlie Brown from Tree Estate ABC over four two-minute rounds. This was undoubtedly the best bout of the night. Both boxers showed fantastic boxing skills which had the crowd on their feet.

It was a closely-fought contest and Hanratty came away with a majority points’ win.

Pearson said: “I couldn't be happier for Frankie. He has had to wait a while to make this last defence after previous pull-outs but for me he gave us his best performance to date.

“Frankie has improved with every bout this season and I am glad to get this last defence out of the way so we can concentrate on bigger things for next season.”

Surrey in driving Seat

Left to right: Jimmy Moore, Shaydon Thompson, Frankie Hanratty, Terrell Edwards and Terry Pearson Surrey’s Sean Abbott

Defending County Champions in action against Lancashire

While Abbott is a very handy lowerorder batter – this was the 15th fifty of his first-class career - Worrall had only scored one half-century in his previous 112 first-class innings. But the 33-year-old from Melbourne was rarely troubled as he

brought up his second career fifty from just 56 balls with five fours and a six.

Abbott hit the ball cleanly and at times a long way, clearing the ropes five times in his 87 from 69 before the stand ended rather tamely with Worrall run out by Josh

Photo by Mark Sandom

Abbott and no.11 Worrall both made entertaining half-centuries as Surrey scored 360 to establish a first-innings lead of 86.

Abbott and Worrall then struck in successive overs as Lancashire lost three wickets clearing their arrears. They reached stumps on 113 for four, a lead of 26.

The day and perhaps the outcome of the match may have been shaped in the 75 minutes or so after lunch when Abbott and Worrall came together with Surrey 230 for nine and proceeded to score at a run a ball for the next 21 overs and demoralise Lancashire.

Worrall pulled Daryl Mitchell for six to put Surrey in front during an over in which they took 24 off the New Zealand all-rounder.

The fifty partnership took just 35 balls before Abbott reached his half-century with a straight six off Jack Blatherwick.

Lancashire had their chances though.

Abbott was badly dropped by Tom Bailey at backward point off a reverse sweep on 55 and added another ten before Keaton Jennings shelled a more difficult chance in the covers.

Next up was Terrell Edwards who boxed Milen Milev from Honour & Glory ABC. This was a closelyfought contest with both boxers having success in rounds one and two. Edwards’ coach Jimmy Moore instructed Terrell that he needed to start letting his hands go more and stop being gun-shy, and that is exactly what he did as he went on to get a third-round stoppage-win.

“He just needs to believe in himself more and I am sure we will see more success next season,” was Pearson’s assessment.

Last up was Frankie Hanratty in the main event of the evening, making his last defence of his Balham challenge belt.

Bohannon after a mix-up for a career-best 51.

Surrey had started the second day 70 for four and lost their fifth wicket on 108 when Jamie Smith was superbly caught diving forward by Jack Morley running in

© Fisher ABC

Talented Fisher fighter honours Steve Hiser with Capital Cup win

By John Kelly

fiSher ABC’S caleb Awudi fulfilled his dream of honouring Steve hiser by winning the Capital Cup Box Championship earlier this month.

Caleb Awudi

In doing so, the eighteen-year-old became the latest star of the boxing club, and Hiser’s final champion ahead of the funeral of the late, great coach.

With just a handful of bouts behind him and experience very much not on his side, Awudi convinced the team to enter him into the competition because he saw winning it as a way to honour Hiser’s 50year legacy of producing Fisher boxing champions.

Caleb said: “The team told me how hard it would be, but Steve has done so much

for me and I wanted to make him proud.”

Awudi defeated Nathan Thomas in the semi-final. It was a blistering start from both fighters, both having a very even style. However, Awudi quickly dominated with his jab, putting Thomas on the back foot throughout the first round and scoring well.

Round two was more tactical from Awudi and Thomas, both fighters attempting to switch variations and throwing big rights to gain the advantage.

Knowing he had it all to play for, Awudi threw himself into round three, again with a relentless forward attack, clearly having the measure of his man by now and he romped home to a clear victory.

Awudi faced Joshua Oladipo in the final.

With Oladipo having a reputation for

being a great counter-puncher, Awudi knew he would have to dig deep into his bag of tricks and use his versatility to win by showing an even higher level of technical thinking.

Round one started slowly with both fighters feeling each other out in an attempt to find their range.

The next round developed into an intense chess match of skill with both fighters scoring sharp jabs and using quick head movements.

Round three saw Awudi throw caution to the wind and stamp his trademark relentless pace on the bout with a mix of skilled footwork and long-range shots, upsetting Oladipo’s game-plan and taking a one-sided round to become the Capital Cup Box champion.

from the mid-wicket boundary.

He wasn’t the only batter guilty of a loose shot. Will Jacks and Sam Curran seemed to have seized the initiative in an entertaining stand of 103 off 97 balls for the sixth wicket when Surrey lost two in two in identical fashion as first Jacks (64) and then Jordan Clark tamely clipped deliveries from Mitchell to mid-wicket.

The morning session produced 145 runs with Curran scoring 52 off 51 until he departed in the second over after lunch to a mis-timed pull when Tom Bailey dropped short but well outside off stump. When Tom Lawes padded up to Will Williams, Lancashire had picked up four for 20 in 4.5 overs and appeared to be taking control, but not for the first time in the LV= County Championship this season Surrey wrested back the initiative.

Curran got the Kookaburra ball to swing nicely, making the breakthrough when he shaped one away to take Jennings’ edge and Tom Latham held on at second slip.

Luke Wells and Bohannon added 59 for the second wicket but, just when it appeared Lancashire were in calmer waters, they were rocked by the loss of both in six balls. Worrall returned to the attack and Bohannon mis-timed a hook, with Ben Foakes sprinting forward to take the catch after a full-length dive. Wells then cut hard at Abbott in the next over and Latham clung on instinctively in front of his face at gully and just before the close Dane Vilas was pinned in front by Clark.

Go to southwarknews.co.uk for the report.

Lionesses confirm new manager

By John Kelly

miLLWALL LioneSSeS have confirmed Keith Boanas as their new manager.

Boanas, 64, has returned to the club he was in charge of in 2008-09 before he left to take over the Estonia Women’s national side.

Boanas guided Charlton Athletic to three successive FA Women's Cup finals, winning at the third attempt, 1-0 against Everton in 2005, after previous defeats to Fulham and Arsenal. Charlton reached the final again in 2007 but again lost to Arsenal.

Boanas joins the Lionesses in the London & South East Regional Women’s League Premier Division. He led Welling United to third place in Division 1 South last season.

Hodgson deal could split fans

Photo by Action Plus

30 SPORT

iSted iS an addick

Harry Isted was released by Luton Town this summer

COMMENT

By Wilf MacDonnell roy HoDgson will stay at Crystal Palace for another season, after guiding them to safety in the 2022-23 campaign.

The decision to stick with Hodgson for next season will divide Palace fans. There are those who feel that Palace maintaining their Premier League status for another year is a success in itself. After all, this is a club that have spent long periods of their existence outside the English top division.

The fact that the club will be heading into their eleventh straight season in the Premier League is also partly thanks to Hodgson, who has played a key role in their topflight establishment.

On the other hand, there will be those who feel another year with 75-year-old Hodgson at the helm will only lead to another season of low-risk, low-reward football. The idea of a manager getting the best out of the players available, setting up to be hard to beat and building a consistent unit, suddenly doesn’t sound as enticing as it once did for some, particularly with rivals Brighton flying high and in Europe.

Hodgson proved in his short tenure after returning to the club in March that he does have his undeniable strengths. He brought belief back to a team that had not had a shot on target in three games (a Premier League record).

After Hodgson arrived, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze produced scintillating form, with the latter earning an England call-up. The reintroduction of Will Hughes to midfield allowed Palace to keep the ball better and the previously misfiring Odsonne Eduard looked like he might be finding his feet.

The clever nature of Hodgson and his staff meant that although the tactical tweaks seemed minimal, they had a huge impact on the team’s output. Perhaps the subtlety of his work leaves him open to criticism at times, with some fans arguing that chairman Steve Parish has taken the easy option in rehiring him.

The criticism is also aimed at some of Hodgson's approaches towards management in general.

For example, rarely looking to the academy and taking little interest in giving young players game-time, something that historically doesn’t go down well with British football fans.

Undoubtedly, the real question is whether the manager will be backed in the transfer market or whether he will be treated as an interim with a view to further stabilising the club. A clearer picture will have certainly emerged by the time the Eagles travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United on August 12.

Charlton freshen up goalkeeping department

By Wilf MacDonnell DeAn HolDen has made significant changes to Charlton Athletic’s goalkeeping department ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Joe Wollacott has left the club and Harry Isted has joined the Addicks after being released by Luton Town.

Wollacott, 26, signed for Charlton last summer following the expiration of his contract at Swindon Town, where he was the first-choice keeper. The Ghanaian immediately started a succession of games at Charlton and was in fine form, producing a memorable performance in a 1-0 win against Derby County.

Unfortunately for Wollacott, he picked up a finger injury that led to

him losing his starting place, with Ashley Maynard-Brewer seeing out the season as first-choice under Dean Holden.

A highly-respected keeper at EFL level, Wollacott has now earned a move to the Scottish Premiership, joining Hibernian for an undisclosed fee.

Holden explained the reasons for Wollacott’s departure.

“Jojo was very unfortunate with the timing of his finger injury last season,” Holden said. “He wants to be playing football regularly and ultimately winning back that starting jersey for Ghana.

“Since I’ve come in Ashley Maynard-Brewer has been excellent, so Jojo wasn’t going to get the games he wanted and needed here.

“The move works well for him and

gives us an opportunity to freshen up our goalkeeping options. We wish him well.”

Harry Isted, also 26, caught the eye of several EFL clubs after his impressive loan spell at Barnsley in which he featured 22 times for the Tykes, eventually narrowly missing out on promotion from League One after losing the play-off final 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.

Isted has signed a two-year deal with the Addicks, with the option of another year. He becomes Charlton’s first summer signing of the summer as they look to reinvest after letting several players go.

“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to bring Harry in,” Holden said. “He’s an excellent allround goalkeeper. He was very impressive at Barnsley last season, culminating in that eye-catching

performance in the play-off final at Wembley.

“Successful sides are built in competition for places and players driving each other to improve.

With him and Ash we have two very talented goalkeepers and I’m looking forward to working with them both.”

Isted added: “It feels great to be a Charlton player. The manager rang me and told me he wanted to bring me in and sold the club to me well, which was a big reason why I made the decision to come here.”

Chief executive Peter Storrie said: “We’re very pleased we’ve signed Harry. We always knew it was likely Joe Wollacott would leave this summer to get back to playing regular first-team football, so Dean and I have been working hard to sign a player of Harry’s calibre.”

How Saudi football revolution has big impact for Chelsea

By Wilf MacDonnell from the outside looking in, it may seem that the Saudi Arabian football revolution has come at the perfect time for todd Boehly and Chelsea.

The Blues desperately needed a clearout, having created a strange assortment of players that came from three different football ideologies.

First, there are the likes of Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella who were brought in by Thomas Tuchel to fit his more rigid, systemic football.

Then in January, the additions were made to fit Graham Potter’s style with

players such as Enzo Fernandez and Benoit Badiashile joining.

The issue was that throughout this period, Boehly was also signing players that he and his advisors thought would be beneficial to Potter, with the manager at the time admitting that he wasn’t always involved in the transfer dealings.

The signing of young players like David Datro Fofana and Noni Madueke seemed to only add more difficulty to Potter's task of keeping such a large cohort of players happy.

This summer, Chelsea have to move players on, not only to support new manager Mauricio Pochettino’s plans but also to be in line with Financial Fair Play

(FFP) regulations.

This backdrop has led us to where we are today. A flurry of players that Chelsea are offloading are now Saudi-bound.

N’Golo Kante has joined Karim Benzema at Al-Ittihad, Eduard Mendy looks set to join Al Ahly, Kalidou Koulibaly has moved to Al-Hilal and Hakim Ziyech is nearing a move to Al-Nassr.

But these moves are not without controversy. Boehly’s Clearlake Capital, which is the majority stakeholder of Chelsea, received investment from Saudi Arabia. The Premier League then sought clarification that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was not part of the Chelsea takeover in any way.

The current situation is that the Premier League is satisfied that there are no conflict interests, despite some concerns from clubs within the league.

The other issue is that the Saudi transfer window only officially opens on July 1, while the FFP annual cut-off is June 30.

So the deals from the Saudi Arabian sales will not contribute towards balancing Chelsea’s FFP. As a result, the club is under huge pressure to get the transfers of Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City completed before June 30.

The coming weeks may prove to be essential in how the rest of Boehly’s reign at Chelsea takes shape.

© Action Plus

MiLLwaLL'S new forward expLainS fear over Move

Kevin Nisbet knew he had to rediscover goal-scoring form to entice Lions back in Kevin nisBet always knew millwall would come back in for him if he returned from injury and scored goals – and though he did have some worries he backed himself to do enough to secure the move.

Nisbet, 26, was close to joining the Lions in January but the transfer was called off due to an issue discovered in the medical.

Scotland international Nisbet didn’t play a competitive game for ten months after suffering knee ligament damage playing for Hibernian against Celtic in February 2021. He made a return against Rangers last December and scored, the first of twelve goals in 20 appearances last season.

Millwall completed a seven-figure deal for Nisbet this summer.

“I do think the injury was a blessing in disguise for me. It gave me time to work on stuff that I needed to work on and I came out the other side a better player. It’s great to be back in

the Scotland squad,” Nisbet said.

“But now it’s about getting back to club level and joining a new team, and trying to hit the ground running.

I want to get back soon and meet up with the boys in a new dressingroom. I was delighted to get it done.

“After what happened in January, I think I knew it was a team and a manager I wanted to play for. Of course, you worry a bit [that the move wouldn’t resurface], but you back yourself to go and kick on and score goals. I knew if I did that they would always be there for me.

“It was better for me that the deal got done early in the window. I could come away with Scotland feeling relaxed. Now I can get down to London and settle in.”

There are similarities between the Scotland and Millwall squads in terms of levels of experience. That, along with being often tagged as underdogs, is something Nisbet has noted.

“If you look at our [Scotland] squad it’s a mix of Premier League,

Palhinha nets Fulham award

By Wilf MacDonnell fuLhAm’S joAo Palhinha has been awarded the club’s Player of the Season award for the 2022-23 season.

The Portuguese defensive midfielder joined Fulham from Sporting CP last summer for a fee of £20million.

Palhinha has quickly become a fan favourite at Craven Cottage, known for his ability to win the ball back for his side.

The midfielder played 35 Premier League games for Fulham last season, scoring three goals and picking up fourteen bookings for his combative style of play.

The award is decided on by the votes of the fans. Palhinha recorded a landslide victory, picking up 58.6 per cent of the votes, with his closest competitor being goalkeeper Bernd Leno who received 18.3 per cent of the votes.

After receiving his award, Palhinha spoke to club media. He said: “I think it’s a little bit unfair because everyone at Fulham could have received this award this season. I know it was a tough choice to choose just one player, so if I didn’t have my team-mates behind me to help me to improve every day, it would have been impossible to achieve this.”

There has been some speculation over Palhinha’s future at Fulham, with reported interest from other Premier League clubs. However, that interest has yet to materialise into a formal bid.

Dons starlet signs professional deal

By Wilf MacDonnell

AAron SASu has become the third academy product to be handed a professional contract by AfC Wimbledon this summer.

Kevin Nisbet

By John Kelly

SPORT 31

Championship, and players playing abroad,” Nisbet said about Steve Clarke’s group. “We have a very strong team and a lot of people have underestimated us over the last couple of years. Our feet are firmly on the ground though.

“It’s been the perfect start [to the Euro 2024 qualification campaign] and we are going strong but we know there is still the second half to go.

We still have four big games to go and it’s about getting the job done now, trying to get as many points as possible.

“We spoke in the changing room and it’s just about taking it game at a time.

Churning out three points after three points. If we keep doing that we will qualify and it would be great for the nation.

“I think it would feel more special this time. You see it on the television, how good the atmosphere is and the build-up around it. Even flying out there and going into camp, it all adds to it.”

Nisbet outlined what he wants to achieve with Millwall. And his

thoughts on playing for Scotland again echo the ethos of his new club.

“My ambition is to go and start every game,” Nisbet said. “I want to go there and hit the ground running but I think I’m ready for the stepup. I think I’ve been ready since I came back from my injury. It’s about me getting as many goals as I can and then pushing for a start [with Scotland].

“I was borderline for the squad [for Euro 2020] but I think you could see we were on the rise. Since then we have just been improving and we need to keep performing and improving as a nation. “Twelve points is a fantastic return, especially in a very hard group and the team spirit is amazing. I don’t think you really see that in international football.

“Even the boys who didn’t play against Norway all felt as much a part of it as the stars like Robbo [Andy Robertson] and KT [Kieran Tierney].

I think that is what the gaffer has drilled into us. Our squad is our strength.”

Sasu joins Morgan Williams and Paris Lock in graduating to Johnnie Jackson’s first team from the Dons academy.

The young forward is yet to make a senior league appearance but impressed for the under-18 side last season scoring seventeen goals in all competitions. Sasu has also made a couple of cameo appearances for Wimbledon, notably in the EFL cup against Crystal Palace.

“I’ve been looking to achieve this since I was a kid. I want to push on to achieve more. I joined the Academy in 2015 when I had just turned ten, it’s been a big journey,” Sasu said.

“I played a big part in the FA Youth Cup which gave me a platform to get into the first team. The pathway is now there for me to look to nail down a position in the squad. I like to think I’m very fast and of course I like to score goals. They’re the two best strengths for an attacking player.”

Sasu will no doubt be in Jackson’s plans as he tries to find a way of increasing Wimbledon’s attacking potency, having struggled for goals throughout last season.

Meanwhile, the Dons have signed centre-back Ryan Johnson from Stockport County on a two-year deal.

Johnson is the sixth signing of the summer, after Ryan McLean, James Tilley, Omar Bugiel, Josh Neufville and Jake Reeves.

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SURREY IN DRIVING SEAT

roy StayS on

Veteran manager will be in charge of Crystal Palace next season

Roy Hodgson

By John Kelly roy HoDgson was this week set to sign a new contract with Crystal Palace to stay with the club for another season.

Hodgson, 75, has been taking time off since last season but has agreed to stay on.

Former England manager Hodgson made his return to Selhurst Park in March when he took over from the Patrick Vieira. Vieira was sacked after a 1-0 defeat to Brighton stretched the Eagles’ winless run to eleven league games and left them just three points above the relegation zone.

Hodgson took eighteen points from ten games as Palace finished eleventh, one place above Chelsea.

Hodgson had previously spent four years in charge of the club from 2017 to 2021, when he was asked about retirement.

“I really am stepping away from football for a while, but who knows what the future will be?” Hodgson said at the time. “It is a never-say-never moment.

“I've seen so many people retire with all the fanfare blazing, only to surface again somewhere in a fairly short period of time. I'd prefer not to do that.”

Hodgson returned to management when he took over Watford in January

2022 but he couldn’t save them from relegation to the Championship and left that summer.

His management career started 47 years ago in Sweden with Halmstad before his first job in England was with Bristol City in 1982.

Hodgson has management 21 different teams, including England from 2012 to 2016.

Palace finished the campaign with a 1-1 draw at home against Nottingham Forest when Hodgson was again asked about his future.

“I'm not prepared to make any comment like that,” he said. “Before I start talking about whether I want

to stay anywhere or take on any jobs, someone better offer me one.

“My situation is very simple. I took on a job, I was pleased to take on the job.

“The mandate was a simple one, to come in and help the team to get the number of points we need to stay in the league. That's what I've done and what I've enjoyed doing.”

Meanwhile, Palace want to extend goalkeeper Vicente Guaita’s contract.

Guaita was signed by Hodgson in 2018 and has one year left on his current deal.

Guaita made 27 appearances last season but towards the end of the campaign he lost his place to Sam Johnstone.

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page 29

Hoops forward Lyndon inks new deal

By Wilf MacDonnell QueenS PArk rangers forward lyndon Dykes has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2026.

The Australian-born 27-year-old signed for the Hoops back in 2020 from Scottish side Livingston. Dykes has since gone on to play 120 times for QPR, contributing 29 goals during that time.

Despite a disrupted season, due to injury and illness, Dykes returned at a key time for Gareth Ainsworth’s side. He scored in vital draws away at West Bromwich Albion and at Loftus Road against Norwich City.

Dykes spoke to club media after signing his new deal, saying: “When I got the call about extending my stay here it was a no-brainer. It’s somewhere I wanted to stay going forward because looking at the new training ground it’s a good direction [for the club].”

Ainsworth added: “I am really pleased to be able to secure Lyndon because he’s been a fantastic servant so far for the club and he’s only going to get better.

“I was gutted he was out when I arrived last season but when he came back, he played a big part and I’m looking forward to getting the best out of him this season because with his international streak at the moment, he’s only going to get better.

“He will run through a brick wall for the team because that’s the character he is.

“He’s at a great age, he loves this club, he gives everything for the club, and that’s part of the mantra that I want from my players.”

Dykes had been linked to a move to fellow Championship side Millwall.

Meanwhile, QPR’S first fixture of the season against Watford has been moved to Vicarage Road.

The club said the switch on August 5 was due to “extenuating circumstances” and the EFL agreed with the move to the Hornets’ home ground.

QPR’s home fixture against Watford will now be on January 13.

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