South London Weekly - May 16th 2025 by CommunityMattersMedia

A LOOK INSIDE THE NEW FOOD HALL AND INDOOR FARM AT SURREY QUAYS SHOPPING CENTRE

By Evie Flynn

CORNER CORNER, located directly opposite Canada Water tube station, is home to a brandnew food hall, venue and even an indoor vertical farm.

The multi-use space is based in the former branch of The Range at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre and is the centrepiece at the heart of the Canada Water Masterplan.

The free-to-enter venue spans over 55,000ft and the Food Hall brings together four different food vendors: Cafe by Sireli, Masa Tacos, Chick N Sours and Jou Jou Bites.

The food offering is curated by KERB, who are the team behind Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden, and the live events are brought together by Broadwick, the same people behind famous London venues, such as Printworks and The Drumsheds.

However, the pièce de résistance is the vertical farm taking centre stage as you enter the food hall. Lit up by red and blue LED lights, the farm is London’s biggest indoor vertical farm and provides fresh produce directly to the vendors inside the Food Hall.

Harvest London are the team behind the vertical farm and we spoke to Chris Davies, Founder and CEO, about what vertical farming is and how it fits into the Corner Corner development.

Chris explains that they “grow using hydroponics and LED lights so we can put our farms in our cities.” Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil and the red and blue LED lights are the best wavelengths absorbed by the plants.

Vertical farms are not only sustainable, but they are also time efficient. Chris explained that “the UK imports between 75 and 95 percent of all its fruit and vegetables.” Alternatively, Harvest London “localise that food production so we can go from harvest to delivery in four hours.”

Chris told us: “If you compare vertical farms with traditional agriculture, we can produce up to 350 times the amount of produce in the same amount of space and we can do that with 95 percent less water, 95 percent

less fertiliser and 100 percent pesticide free.”

The salads and sandwiches you eat at one of the vendors inside Corner Corner use produce from the vertical farm and the garnishes in the cocktails are also grown in this unusual way.

He summed up Harvest London’s role in the partnership as “part of a wider project at Corner Corner, bringing together food, sustainability and operators such as KERB and Broadwick.”

In the wider event space, there will be a rich programme of live music and activities, with a particular emphasis on live jazz and a rotating series of DJs. Their opening season (until 6th July 2025) is free for all to attend.

Simon Aldred, Group Strategy Director at Broadwick Group, said that they always “engage with local councils, businesses, and creatives… whether through job creation, supporting independent talent, or bringing footfall to the surrounding neighbourhood.

“Community input also helps shape our programming, making sure it resonates with the people who live and work in the area,” he added.

Broadwick are also spearheading an initiative to support emerging talent by giving newer artists the chance to perform before and after headline sets on Friday and Saturday nights.

Chris shared that Harvest London is in the process of organising group tours for local people to see the vertical farm in action, learn more about hydroponics, and maybe even taste some of the herbs and leafy greens!

Meanwhile, for video-game lovers, Corner Corner is currently home to ‘Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue’ immersive adventure and gift shop selling exclusive merchandise.

Corner Corner’s opening follows the recent announcement of the first two retail lettings within newly built spaces at Canada Water, Sushi Revolution and The Village Tree, which will open their doors later this year.

To learn more about the

FATHER-TO-BE WINNER OF £4.5M TOWNHOUSE

The house in Borough was once dubbed Britain’s ‘priciest council home’

By Issy Clarke

A FATHER-TO-BE has been declared the winner of a £4.5 million fourbedroom Georgian townhouse in Borough with uninterrupted views of the Shard after spending £35 on prize entries.

Hospitality worker Roger Cana, 37, is the lucky new owner of the five-storey property, once dubbed Britain’s ‘priciest council house’, after hitting jackpot in the Omaze Million Pound House Draw.

As well as the house, Roger also pocketed a whopping £250,000 in cash, to help him and his pregnant wife Shalini, 33, settle in.

Reacting to his win, Roger said: “I’ve always considered myself quite unlucky, as I’ve never won anything before this, but I guess I can’t say that anymore.”

The home is located on Park Street near Borough Market, offering uninterrupted views of The Shard from its award-winning garden. The house has a rich history, including a painted Take Courage “ghost sign” on one side of the brick exterior, invoking its past as part of the former Anchor Brewery.

A little over a decade ago, the multimillion pound Borough pad was attracting attention for somewhat different reasons.

Nicknamed Britain’s ‘priciest council house’, the property was projected to bring in £2.3 million for Southwark Council when it decided to place it on the market.

Roger and his wife will now choose whether to relocate to Borough from their current rented studio flat in Hayes, west London, rent the townhouse out or sell it –making Roger an instant multimillionaire.

Omaze estimates that if he decides to keep the property, the £250,000 would enable him to run the house for almost ten years.

If they decide to rent it out, local estate agents estimate the property could achieve a long-term rental value of between £8,000 – £10,000 per month.

Whatever they choose to do, the prize is life-changing for the couple, who had been saving for a deposit to buy a house but will

Should they wish to, they have the

their

I’d won something.

“The next thing I knew they turned up and told us we’d won a £4.5 million home in London. We couldn’t believe it. My legs were shaking and my knees went wobbly. We were in total shock.

“We had a bottle of champagne in the house, so we popped that open and got cooking. We always celebrate good times with good food.

“Then we called our families. At first, they all thought we were joking. Then they went from disbelief to being so, so happy for us.”

On his new house, he said: “The house is amazing, I got butterflies as soon as I saw it. The furnishings are beautiful, which is great for us as we don’t have much of our own because we live in a studio flat. We could probably move here with all our belongings just packed into an Uber.”

Roger, who moved to the UK eight years ago from Goa, India, added: “I’ve lived and worked in London since I arrived here and the goal was to one day own a property here, but we never dreamed our first house would be worth £4.5 million.

“I work in hospitality, but now someone else can bring me the champagne for a change.

“We’ve been trying to save enough for a deposit so we can get a mortgage, but now we’ll never even need a mortgage. Turns out all we needed was £35 and a big slice of luck.

“My wife is an accountant, but you don’t have to be good with numbers to work out £35 into £4.5 million is a pretty good return.

“This has changed our lives forever - our baby’s future is now more secure than we could have ever imagined. It’s the best feeling in the world. Even our baby’s babies will be sorted!”

Funds from the draw will support The King’s Trust, a charity helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop skills and access job opportunities. Omaze has pledged a minimum donation of £1 million to the charity, following a previous partnership in 2021 that raised £500,000.

Harris Academy Trust to lay off staff due to ‘falling pupil rolls’

By Issy Clarke

THE HARRIS Academy Trust, with three schools in Southwark, has announced it will be laying off 45 members of staff due to ‘falling pupil rolls’.

The Trust said the redundancies would affect staff in 14 of its 55 schools, including Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich, Harris Academy Bermondsey and Harris Academy Peckham.

A spokesperson for the Trust told the News that the decision had been made due to “financial pressures”, adding:

“In Southwark, where more and more families are being priced out of the area, falling rolls that have already affected primaries are now affecting secondaries.”

Six primary schools in Southwark have closed since 2022 due to falling pupil rolls, blamed on a combination of a declining birth rate and rising house prices. Births across London dropped by

20 per cent between 2012 and 2022 –a reduction of 27,490 live births across the capital.

Matt Wrack, the Acting General Secretary of the National Teacher’s Union (NASUWT), called for an “immediate halt” to the redundancies.

He said: “This Academy Trust has tens of millions in the bank, pays its boss more than the Prime Minister and yet is seeking to get rid of 45 teachers in its schools.

“There needs to be an immediate halt to the proposed redundancies and

a proper collective consultation with NASUWT.”

He said the Harris Federation ended the most recent financial year with reserves of £21.5 million and added that its Chief Executive, Sir Dan Moynihan, is the highest paid academy boss in the country, earning over £500k a year.

But the spokesperson for the Harris Federation insisted that “redundancies are always a last resort”, adding: “Our priority is to ensure affected staff are supported and treated fairly and well within the law.

“The NASUWT’s suggestion that our consultation is not legally adequate reflects the Union’s stance that schools should never make redundancies, but it is simply not correct.”

The spokesperson continued:

“Over the past two years, the Harris Federation has supported its academies with around £10m, topping up their budgets to help them maintain excellent standards for pupils despite

a tricky financial context. However, as the teaching unions have warned, the declining birthrate combined with other financial pressures facing all schools have led more redundancies across English education.”

THE SCHOOLS BELIEVED TO BE AFFECTED BY THE REDUNDANCIES ARE:

• Rainham / Rainham 6th form

• Greenwich

• Falconwood

• Riverside

• Chafford Hundred

• South Norwood

• Aspire

• Orpington

• Beckenham

• Battersea

• Peckham

• Harris Girls’ East Dulwich

• Crystal Palace

• Bermondsey

now never need to take out a mortgage.

option of raising

son in a multi-million

pound abode, a stone’s throw from some of London’s most iconic landmarks. Recalling the moment his life changed

forever, Roger said: “It was just another Friday, really - I’d been working hard all day, then I got an email from Omaze saying

GETTING 8-YEAR OLDS TO WRITE ABOUT ASSET MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT BANKING

By Issy Clarke

EIGHT-YEAR OLDS in Southwark are writing books about asset management, savings, investment and pensions.

This remarkable accomplishment is the work of a scheme that has been running in the borough for 25 years, and is celebrating its anniversary next week.

The Guy Fox History Project is a Southwark charity which teaches primary school-aged children about subjects that give most adults a headache – before getting them to write a book on the topic for other children.

The Guy Fox Project was founded in 2000 by Kourtney Harper, an American illustrator who moved to Bermondsey in the 1990s.

“When we were working on a book about investment banking, we explained what a merger was and what an acquisition was and we asked the children how to depict that in the book” she explained.

“They responded that with a merger you can have two buildings that are the same size and they’re holding hands. But with an acquisition it could be a bigger building putting its arm around a smaller building, which looks like a baby and has one tooth.”

The project’s name occurred to her when she was explaining the story of Guy Fawkes, the Elizabethan renegade who unsuccessfully plotted to blow up Parliament, to her four-year old nephew.

“He misunderstood and thought I was saying Guy Fox” she laughed.

“I thought – why not do a magazine for local kids starring Guy Fox? The idea was initially really to teach children about the local area and different stories from history of the local community.”

To begin with, the magazine featured local stories and histories. An early issue told the story of Rotherhithe Prince Lee Boo, a ship captain who moved to London from the Pacific

Duchess

of Edinburgh pays visit to Surrey Docks Farm as its nears 50th year

Pupils celebrating the launch of ‘How the World REALLY Works: Our Constitution’

As part of their ‘History

island of Palau in the 1780s and is now buried outside St Mary’s Church.

The magazine proved to be a hit, prompting Harper to think of ways she could reach more children in the community. She started visiting schools and teaching children how to draw, and gradually refined the charity’s signature approach.

“We pick a school and choose one class, and the children go through a process of writing about a topic and figuring it out” she said.

“Right now we’re doing a project about personal finance and savings for retirement and it tells you the story of how the economy works.”

The Guy Fox Project has worked on a book with children at John Donne Primary School in Peckham about asset management – another project involved getting kids at Tower Bridge Primary School to explain international commercial law.

Each project is funded by a major law firm or city company, such as Lloyd’s of London, Schroders and UBS.

After each book is finished, the charity puts on a launch party, and the children give speeches and sign the books. Then, around 5000 copies are distributed to schools across London. Through their involvement with the scheme, local primary school children have rubbed shoulders with some of the country’s most powerful elites.

“We have gone to the Supreme Court and had an audience with [thenpresident] Lady Hale – we’ve sat in the Oak Room at the Bank of England which is where they determine interest rates and met with senior economists” said Kourtney.

Kourtney is the only full time staff member at Guy Fox – everyone else is a volunteer. As far as she’s concerned, the biggest testament to the charity’s impact is the number of children who return to volunteer as adults, such as Dr Fahimul Amin (pictured left). Find out more about the Guy Fox Project and support their work at: www.guyfox.org.uk

member of the charity, which aims to bring nature into people’s lives every day, and supports 3,000 member community farms, city gardens, school farms across the UK.

Surrey Docks Farm, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, is a working city farm and charity that enables the

community to learn about farming, food production and the natural environment.

Her Royal Highness joined the staff and volunteers of Surrey Docks Farm as they tended to tomatoes, handled chickens and met the newborn goats and lambs.

Supported by hundreds of dedicated volunteers who attend on a weekly basis, Surrey Docks farm runs a range of educational projects for the community in Rotherhithe, and beyond.

The Duchess of Edinburgh took on the role of patron after previous patron,

Prince Charles, became King. Gemma Hooper, the manager of Surrey Docks Farm, said: “How wonderful to have been asked to host this Royal visit for Social Farms and Gardens.

“It has been our pleasure to showcase the fantastic community and educational work that goes on at our farm, particularly as we celebrate our 50th year. We would welcome the Duchess back anytime!”

The city farm is home to a variety of animals, including ponies and cows, an apiary with several beehives and an impressive farm shop.

It’s an exciting time of year for Surrey Docks Farm, who hosted their Spring Fair on the 10th May. The highlights of this lively annual event are the sheep shearing demonstrations, rabbit petting and wood-fired pizzas.

Surrey Docks Farm is accessed from the Thames Path in Rotherhithe, it is free to visit and is open from 10am until 4pm every day of the week, including bank holidays.

By Lousia Woolf

THE DUCHESS of Edinburgh visited Surrey Docks Farm last week, to mark her appointment as the Royal Patron of the UK-wide charity, Social Farms & Gardens.

Surrey Docks Farm is a long-standing

The city farm is supported by hundreds of volunteers

book, May 2024

Rocks: Women in Law’ project, children from Snowsﬁelds Primary School meet Baroness Hale, ﬁrst female president of the UK Supreme Court. 2019

Kourtney Harper and Dr Fahimul Amin in 2022

WEST DULWICH RESIDENTS WHO TOOK LAMBETH COUNCIL TO COURT OVER LTN CLAIM VICTORY

By Issy Clarke

A GROUP of West Dulwich residents who took Lambeth Council to court over the installation of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) have claimed victory, following a hearing at the High Court on February 12.

The judgement, handed down on May 9, ruled in favour of the West Dulwich Action Group (WDAG) on the grounds that the council had failed to consider concerns raised by residents before implementing the LTN between Rosendale and Norwood Road.

LTNs prevent vehicular traffic from entering, passing through or waiting within an area by using boards or traffic signs, and can see motorists slapped with fines of up to £130.

Central to the hearing was a 53-page

dossier compiled by the group which contained several concerns about the LTN, including that it would worsen air pollution, displace traffic onto boundary roads and make surrounding residential streets dangerous for children.

WDAG also claimed the council disregarded the results of a questionnaire in which 67 per cent of respondents said they were unhappy with the scheme.

Judge Tim Smith said the material in the dossier was ‘highly relevant to the decision confronting officers’, and that the council’s ‘failure to have regard to it was a serious failing, rendering the decision to make the Orders unlawful’.

Consultations over the introduction of the LTN began in January 2022, with the first proposals published in April 2023.

In February 2024, an eighteen-month

trial scheme was launched.

The Judge will now need to decide what should happen with the unlawful Experimental Traffic Orders for the LTN.

A WDAG spokesperson said: “We are delighted with today’s ruling, which clearly demonstrates that Lambeth Council failed to fully consider the impacts and effects of the LTN on local residents and businesses.

“This ruling sends a clear signal to all councils nationwide: communities will no longer tolerate top-down, poorly conceived schemes that ignore local input, which prioritise revenue over real solutions to issues like pollution.”

However, they also emphasised that the case should never have reached court, adding: “This should never have ended up in court. Lambeth Council chose to spend public funds fighting the very community it exists to serve,

rather than sitting down with us to find a workable, locally supported solution.

“Meanwhile, over 700 residents and businesses had no choice but to raise more than £50,000 just to have their voices heard. It’s a shameful misuse of resources that could have been avoided through genuine engagement.”

Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said: “We implemented the West Dulwich Street Improvements to reduce road danger and create a neighbourhood where residents can live safer, happier and healthier lives.

This was part of our overall ambition to reduce road danger, encourage more active and sustainable travel, and improve air quality for communities across our borough.

“The court has allowed the claim

against the West Dulwich Street Improvements on one of the three grounds of challenge, and dismissed the other two. We acknowledge the court’s decision and are carefully considering the implications of this judgement; we will provide further updates in due course. The current trial scheme in West Dulwich will remain in place in the meantime, while we await further directions from the court.

“The council has done a huge amount of work, in partnership with residents throughout Lambeth, to make neighbourhoods more pleasant, and make roads safer, more vibrant, green and accessible. We remain fully committed to working with local communities to transform streets across the borough and getting on with our programme to deliver benefits for everyone.”

Bermondsey Street Festival organisers are seeking volunteers

By Evie Flynn

THE BELOVED Bermondsey Street festival is set to return on 20th September 2025, but the organisers need the help of local people.

Local businesses and people have rallied around this cherished community event in the past. This year, the organisers are actively seeking the support of volunteers to help on the day and local businesses who are interested in sponsorship opportunities.

Bermondsey Street Festival began as a small local festival and has grown in size and scale over the years. It has become a cornerstone of local culture, bringing a mix of food vendors, artisan crafts, live music and community displays to the iconic Bermondsey Street.

Nestled amongst the small businesses and cafes on the street, the village fete closes the summer season and opens autumn with engaging activities, including a Maypole and even a Dog Show.

The festival was rescued last year by London Glassblowing and Daniel Cobb Estate Agents, who stepped in to organise the event after the original organiser, Bill Owen, took a step back.

Under the new organisers, the festival maintains the much-loved structure with the addition of new activities and a wider variety of stalls. They have promised an expanded event this year, with new attractions and even a dedicated family area.

However, to ensure the iconic event can continue to thrive, local volunteers are needed to ensure the smooth running in the lead-up and on the day.

Gena Johns, festival organiser, has overseen the event’s revival alongside Leanna Durham. She said: “After the incredible community response that saved our festival last year, we’re thrilled to bring it back with even more to offer

“The public showed us just how much this celebration means to the neighbourhood, and we’ve worked

tirelessly and taken on public feedback to ensure this year’s festival exceeds expectations.”

There will be an emphasis this year on ensuring the festival has a familyfriendly feel, with additional activities and entertainment areas for visitors of all ages.

Gena said: “I have witnessed first-hand how the festival fosters connection, community and economic vitality.

“Bermondsey Street Festival is an invaluable event for businesses, makers and entrepreneurs on the street and in the area to showcase their talents – not to mention the beautiful memories it creates simply strolling the stalls.”

Those interested in contributing their time or financial support are encouraged to contact the festival: hello@bermondseystreetfestival.com

Date: 20th September 2025

Time: Stalls 11 am - 5.30 pm. Music

11 am - 7 pm

Tickets: Free to attend, no ticket required

Members of West Dulwich Action Group

Our top 3 things to do this May

Cooking, beer and art

By Eliza Frost

COOK WITH THE SEASONS AT THE GARDEN MUSEUM FOR £50

The Garden Museum’s Food Educator, Ceri, is back for a monthly series of cookery classes for adults, exploring what it means to cook with the seasons; planning your meals around what fresh produce is in abundance from your veg box, market or even grown yourself in your garden, balcony or allotment.

Each hands-on class includes a vegetarian main dish, a side and a dessert, putting seasonal produce front and centre. Through cooking these dishes, you will gain valuable vegetable-specific knife skills, learn how to season to taste, what “goes” together, and how to beautifully present your food.

The class will end by sitting down to lunch together, to enjoy everything that has been prepared, plus everyone will receive a recipe pack to take home.

For May, the provisional menu will see you cooking asparagus mimosa (asparagus and egg salad with vinaigrette), watercress and potato soup with spring onion and cheese soda bread, and a rhubarb fool with pistachio chocolate biscotti.

Dates: Thursday 22 May 2025, 11am.

Tickets: £50 Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB gardenmuseum.org.uk/events/cookwith-the-seasons-may-2

VISIT LEONARDO DREW’S TAKEOVER SOUTH LONDON GALLERY FOR FREE

rigours of touching it, living it… become the weather.”

At the SLG, a new site-specific work will cover the walls and floor of the main gallery space. Fragments of wood are distressed, as though they have been through extreme weather events, natural disasters or, in Drew’s words, “acts of God”.

Drew refrains from attaching specific meaning to each work, preferring to title pieces numerically so the viewer can engage directly with the installation and discover a multitude of experiences within it.

Dates: Friday 30 May to Sunday 7 September 2025

Tickets: Free

South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Road, SE5 8UH www.southlondongallery.org/ exhibitions/leonardo-drew

This summer, American artist Leonardo Drew takes over the SLG’s main gallery with a new immersive sculptural installation.

Known for his explosive sculptural works, this is Leonardo Drew’s first solo exhibition in a London institution. He creates reflective abstract pieces that play on the tension between order and chaos.

Transforming and eroding materials by hand in the studio, he explores the cyclical nature of life and decay. Drew’s process is meditative and involves repetitive labour to create sculptures and large-scale installations.

He says: “My work and my life are not separate. They are the same thing. I don’t work with found objects because there is already a history embedded in that material. For me, I need to go through the

LONDONERS INVITED TO SHARE STORIES OF THE MILLENNIUM BRIDGE

By Lousia Woolf

VISIT CRYSTAL PALACE BEER FESTIVAL FOR £25

It’s back, bigger and better than ever: this year’s Crystal Palace Beer Festival is coming to Selhurst Park this May.

The 13th annual beer festival will be held in SE25 on the day before Crystal Palace F.C.’s final fixture of the season.

Enjoy a festive summer day filled with hundreds of beers and ciders from breweries both local and beyond.

A wide selection of food and refreshments will also be available, complemented by a diverse range of entertainment throughout the afternoon.

Date: Saturday 24 May 2025, 12:30pm

Tickets: Prices vary - standard ticket £25 Selhurst Park, SE25 6PU

AN APPEAL for Londoners to share their stories and memories of one of London’s most iconic landmarks is underway, ahead of its 25th anniversary in June.

The City Bridge Foundation, a 900-year-old charity which looks after Millennium Bridge, is seeking out individuals who were involved in its development and construction, as well as members of the public with special memories associated with the bridge.

As the quarter-century milestone approaches, the foundation is eager to gather personal accounts of unique or poignant memories connected to the bridge, whether it’s crossing the bridge on its opening day, a proposal, a special celebration, or simply a moment of reflection on the famous walkway.

The collected anecdotes will be compiled for a collection celebrating

the bridge’s 25th anniversary and shared on social media.

The Millennium Bridge is one of several iconic London landmarks also celebrating their silver anniversaries, the London Eye, the Tate Modern and the Millennium Dome (now the O2 Arena) also turn 25 this year.

Work on the 325-metre bridge began in 1998, and it was the first new bridge to be built over the Thames in London for more than 100 years, connecting St Paul’s with the Tate Modern.

Around 150,000 people came to cross the Thames when the bridge was opened on June 10th 2000, and enjoy the magnificent views of the river it provides.

It was immediately forced to temporarily close due to a slight swaying motion that was particularly noticeable on its opening day with such a large footfall, earning it the nickname the ‘wobbly bridge’.

Paul Martinelli, City Bridge Foundation chair, said: “The Millennium Bridge quickly became a beloved London landmark, and its opening was a significant moment for the capital.

“As we prepare to celebrate its 25th anniversary, we want to honour not just the structure itself, but the people whose efforts made it possible and the countless personal moments it has since hosted.

“We invite anyone involved in its creation or opening, or anyone who holds a special memory connected to the bridge, to get in touch and share their stories.”

Anyone with memories to share is encouraged to contact City Bridge Foundation by emailing stephanie. keating@citybridgefoundation.org.uk, including details of their involvement or memory, and why the bridge holds significance for them.

South London Gallery

10 NEWS

By Evie Flynn

LONDON’S BIGGEST free festival is celebrating its 10th birthday and it’s sure to be a fun-filled day of music, food and activities.

For food and drink, there will be five bars and more than 30 of London’s best food and drink vendors, like Smashing Plates, En Root and Jerk + Grind.

If you fancy having a shopping spree, there are 32 independent design-makers and even a pop-up pre-loved Charity Super. Mkt.

If you register your attendance here: https://www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk/ whats-on/urban-village-fete you will be in with a chance of winning one of 130+ experiences across the Greenwich Peninsula, from indoor skydiving sessions at the O2 to crazy golf and restaurant vouchers.

Location: Greenwich Peninsula

Date: Sunday 18th May 11am-7pm

Tickets: No ticket required for drop-in sessions and music

Price: Free

See below for a list of diverse activities, workshop and music sets on the day.

FREE DROP-IN FAMILY ACTIVITIES:

SPEAKER BOX STREET PARTY:

Speaker Box Street Party are hosting a high-energy Social Dance Workshop designed to get people moving regardless of dance experience. You can expect feelgood music and a chance to meet people whilst grooving - all are welcome!

Location: Family Stage in Central Park

BUILD THE PENINSULA WITH CLAYGROUND COLLECTIVE:

It’s time to get your hands dirty with these drop-in workshops from Clayground Collective. They are all about bringing people together through clay and they are inviting you to help make a large, evolving model of the Greenwich Peninsula!

CHARITY SHOP DJ’S PEOPLE’S PARTY:

The People’s Party are returning to the Village Fete by popular demand. Charity Shop DJ has been bringing good vibes to the event for a decade. They are returning to the main stage and turning it into an allwelcome dance floor again this year. There’s a chance to learn the ropes and spin a track if you have ever wanted to DJ. Or, you can pick a track and add it to the People’s Playlist!

They will be performing on the main stage for an hour at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm.

CANINE CIRCUS DOG TRAINING:

Dogs and owners are invited to partake in a training session from the (Canine) Circus. Ringleader Deborah will transform your dog into a circus performer in under an hour with no prior training needed!

There’s a resident priority session from 12-1pm, and two further sessions for all at 2pm - 3pm and 4pm - 5pm.

Location: Central Park

‘ALLYMPICS’:

The Urban Village Fete’s take on the Olympics with the ultimate sports day.

Jon Hicks will be returning with a mix of classic and creative games for all ages.

At 11am there’s a warm up before events start at 12pm. You can expect egg and spoon races, tug of war, show jumping and relays. At 2.30pm there’s even a baby crawling race!

Trophies and final medals will be awarded at 4:40pm before the tug of war final at 4:50pm.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL FOR ALL

WITH BRIXTON BALLERS: New this year, Brixton Ballers are

LONDON’S BIGGEST FREE FESTIVAL

welcoming all ages, genders and abilities to try one of the most inclusive sports in the world, wheelchair basketball. Whether you are a wheelchair user or not, you can jump in and have a go, experiencing the fame first-hand.

There will be continuous sessions from 11am-5pm at the Design District rooftop Basketball Court and Peninsula Square.

MUSIC:

The fete presents lots of opportunities to don your dancing shoes and enjoy music from live DJs and bands.

GILLES PETERSON:

After first performing at the Urban Village Fete in 2015, Gilles Peterson is back to celebrate 10 years of music, culture and community and brings his signature sound back to the main stage from 4:30pm-7pm

TOUCHING BASS:

DJs Errol and Alex Rita will be on the main stage from 12:30pm-4:30pm.

LONDON SOUL CHOIRS: London Soul Choirs is a fun and friendly

network of adult choirs across London, welcome to all. They will be performing tunes filled with soul, harmony and community spirit at the fete from 3:45pm - 4:15pm.

LOOSE.FM TAKEOVER:

LOOSE.FM will be taking over the fete’s Design District, giving you a chance to dive into London’s vibrant DJ scene. Their set will be filled with disco, Balearic beats, hip-hop, smooth jazz and even some unexpected gems from their record collections.

JACK HEMINGWAY:

Jack will kick-start the day at 11am-12pm with soulful sunshine tunes and disco grooves all spun strictly on vinyl. This will be a feel-good set ready to ease you into the day and get you moving.

BOOKABLE WORKSHOPS:

There will be 42 hands-on workshops throughout the day and we have shared a few below:

MAKE MINI BAGS AND CHARMS FROM WASTE MATERIALS:

Join London-based handbag designer Clara Chu for a hands-on upcycling session and turn waste into functional handbags and charms. No sewing experience is necessary and it’s suitable for ages 14 and older.

Time: Sessions at 11am, 1:30pm and 4pm (sessions last 1 hour 30 minutes)

Location: Design District, D1 Building, 19 Soames Walk, London SE10 0AX Tickets: Book for £10 per person

BAMBOO BASKET WEAVING:

YICRAFTS, an East Asian handcrafts studio, are offering a chance to learn about the cultural significant of bamboo weaving and create your very own handcrafted basket. This is suitable for all ages but children must be accompanied by an adult.

Time: Sessions at 11am, 12:45pm, 2:30pm and 4:15pm (sessions last 1 hour 30 minutes)

Location: Central Park, SE10 0BN Tickets: Book for £24 per person

INTRODUCTION TO HOME

MUSHROOM CULTIVATION:

A chance to discover how fungi can be used to break down waste and regenerate ecosystems. Join urban mushroom farm Fat Fox Mushrooms to learn how to cultivate mushrooms at home.

Time: Sessions at 12pm and 3pm (sessions last for an hour)

Location: Central Park, SE10 0BN Tickets: Book for £15 per person

CREATE YOUR OWN AROMATHERAPY SPRAY:

Design your own scent and discover the power of aromatherapy for wellbeing with Hackney Herbal, a garden-based social enterprise. Learn how to grow, blend and use herbs in everyday life for mental health support and you can take home your own aromatherapy spray to enjoy.

Time: Sessions at 11:30am and 4pm (sessions last for an hour)

Location: Central Park, SE10 0BN Tickets: Book for £15 per person

CROYDON’S ‘PERSISTENT SMELL OF DECAY’

By Harrison Galliven

Local Democracy Reporter

A WAVE of missed bin collections over the past month left some Croydon streets overflowing with rubbish and the “persistent smell of decay”.

The disruption followed the launch of a new eight-year waste contract between Croydon Council and Veolia Waste Management.

Veolia, which began the contract on April 1 2025, was the sole bidder and had previously held the council’s waste contract. Despite promises of improved service, Veolia’s recent performance has drawn criticism, with some questioning the council’s decision to retain the same provider.

Labour’s Croydon Mayoral candidate Rowenna Davis told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It is just so shockingly disappointing because there are millions and millions of pounds of public money going to this company.”

Councillor Davis and Croydon East MP Natasha Irons said they had been inundated with complaints from residents. One Shirley resident, who lives above a shop, told the LDRS her block went without bin collections for seven weeks.

“The bins of our neighbours who live above the shops were overflowing,” she said. “Foxes got to them and there was just food waste, sanitary towels and nappies all over the road which we ended up having to clear up.”

Despite submitting multiple missed bin reports, she said nothing was done. “They kept saying we were aware of this problem, we will get it sorted,” she said. “We were just told the same thing, it will get done by the end of the week, but nothing happened.”

When the waste was finally cleared, she claims Veolia left 14 wheelie bins, some commercial, blocking her driveway. “My housemate and I had to go round and try

to find out who they belonged to, because there are not enough flats for 14 bins.”

The new contract aimed to improve collections for flats above shops, introduce night-time clean-ups, reduce pesticide use, and enhance street cleaning. But councillors and residents say the rollout has been plagued by failures, particularly for those paying for garden waste collection or dealing with large volumes of household rubbish.

In another case, Cllr Davis highlighted an elderly resident paying for garden waste services who hasn’t had her bin collected in five weeks.

She said: “The streets haven’t changed, the company hasn’t changed, and yet the service has declined, so this must just be incredibly poorly managed.”

She added: “This is really important, when your council tax has gone up by 27% and somehow your bin services have got worse, a lot of people find it a kick in the teeth.”

In a letter to Mayor Jason Perry, Ms Irons outlined health and environmental concerns, including an increase in rats, maggots, and a “persistent smell of decay”.

She also warned of a mental health toll, with residents feeling ignored after submitting multiple unresolved reports.

A Croydon Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that some residents have experienced missed collections… and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

They added: “As part of launching the

new service, we have experienced some teething issues, which we are working through. It remains a top priority for us and our waste contractor, Veolia, to make sure our residents’ bins are emptied on time and services are improved as part of the new contract.”

The council stated that 99.5% of April’s collections were completed on time, and they expect services to normalise in May. However, Ms Irons disputed the idea that the issues were minor during a spirited online discussion in the comments section accompanying her letter.

“I’m sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with you here,” she told a resident during a discussion on the Nextdoor social media site. “My office has seen a significant increase in complaints from residents in my constituency, and this is a real issue they very much care about.”

She added that while some areas might be unaffected, others have had waste sitting outside homes for over a month. “If

someone goes to the trouble to report it, then it should be actioned.”

Fly-tipping is another flashpoint.

Croydon has previously been labelled the “fly-tipping capital of England”, and community group Litter Free Norbury (LFN) has frequently criticised Veolia’s response to residents’ fly-tip reports.

LFN member Tony Hooker, who monitors Veolia’s performance, said contractors often fail to respond after initial alerts.

In February, he told the LDRS how he sometimes had to report fly-tip hotspots “four or five times” before action was taken. Frustrated by delays, LFN members have at times cleaned up waste themselves.

“We are struggling to see what improvements have been made in the new waste contract,” Mr Hooker said.

He added: “The levels of service in respect of fly-tipping response, street cleaning and emptying street litter bins, through to waste collections appear, from

what we have seen and what residents have informed us, to be the same or significantly worse performance than prior to 1st April.”

In a statement, Veolia said: “Veolia is proud to work in partnership with Croydon Council to deliver essential recycling and waste collection and street cleansing services.”

The company said it completed more than 1.25 million collections in April, with 99.5% on time, and is clearing an average of 190 fly-tips daily. A night-time service launched under the new contract removed 180 tonnes of fly-tipped waste last month, they added.

“As part of the new contract, we rerouted all kerbside collections in order to improve efficiency,” the spokesperson added. “We are grateful for residents’ support through their continued reporting of collection and fly-tip issues via Croydon Council’s website and for their patience during this period of adjustment.”

Members of Litter Free Norbury say they often have to report issues several times before they are collected by Veolia

Credit: Harrison Galliven

Rowenna Davis has previously campaigned to clear up ﬂ y-tipping in her Waddon ward, especially in the Purley Way area

Credit: Harrison Galliven

Natasha Irons MP

SUNDAY

MAY AT GREENWICH PENINSULA

Did you know?

If you don’t pay for your prescriptions, you can get SOME medicines free from your local pharmacy without needing to visit your GP

Southwark Pharmacy First Plus covers advice and treatment for the conditions below: What treatments are available on the scheme?

• Allergies

• Athlete’s foot

• Blocked/ runny nose

• Cold and flu

• Cold sores

• Conjunctivitis

• Constipation

• Coughs and colds

• Diarrhoea

• Dry/sore eyes

• Earwax

• Fever

• Hay fever

• Headache

• Head lice

• Indigestion

• Insect bites and stings

• Itching due to chickenpox

• Minor burns and scalds

• Mouth ulcers

• Nappy rash

• Piles

• Sore throat

• Sprains and strains

• Teething

• Threadworm

• Vaginal thrush

Most pharmacies in Southwark offer the Pharmacy First Plus scheme. Look out for posters in the pharmacy, ask your GP’s reception staff or look on:

www.selondonics.org/in-your-area/southwark/ southwark-pharmacy-first-plus-scheme/

THE STORY BEHIND WALK THE WALK

By Evie Flynn

WALK THE Walk’s 5K Zoom is a zero-pressure, feel-good charity walk around Clapham Common this Saturday 17th May 2025 to raise money for breast cancer research

We sat down with Nina Barough CBE, the founder and chief executive of Walk the Walk, to understand the story behind the charity, the walk itself and how local people can get involved to raise money for an important cause.

Walk the Walk is a breast cancer charity and the creator of the daunting marathon MoonWalk, the more rigorous overnight 15.1 mile or 26.2 mile route through central London. Through these power walking events, the charity has raised over £144 million and the defining characteristic is the attire, as participants can choose to wear decorated bras!

The concept behind Walk the Walk began in 1996, when Nina and 13 others decided to power walk the New York City Marathon in their bras to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. She said: “It started from a dream. I loved the thought of going to New York to power walk the marathon in a bra. It was meant to be a one off event and at that time 30 years ago, people didn’t talk about cancer. It was colourful, it was fun, it was a bit outrageous and it got people talking.”

Thirty years on, Nina says that she is proud of being able to “bring fun into something very serious” and the MoonWalk event has been going for 28 years this year.

Nina described the MoonWalk as “an iconic part of the calendar” but wanted to introduce something for all ages and abilities, with an opportunity for children and those who might find a marathon distance daunting.

The 5k Zoom was born and this newer event made its debut last year as the more accessible counterpart to the MoonWalk, occurring earlier in the day, rather than in the middle of the night.

It’s not a race and participants are encouraged to take their time walking, make friends, and take it at their own

Theatre for a tenner

Graduates will be showcasing four plays filled with history, crime and religion

The 5k ZOOM around Clapham Common is this Saturday

pace. Everyone gets a cap, t-shirt and medal and there is even a hot drink waiting for you at the finish line, alongside muffins.

Nina explained how there is strong evidence that shows the preventative effect exercise and lifestyle choices can have on cancers. She shared that according to research, 27% of breast cancers can be avoided with changes to lifestyle and 7% just by being more active.

By Evie Flynn

AFTER THREE years of industryrecognised undergraduate training, the BA Acting for Stage and Screen graduating class will be sharing their hard work in a showcase.

The BA Acting students at London South Bank University have had a busy three years of conservative style acting training in the heart of London’s theatre quarter.

Their Acting Degree Showcase is the finale of this training and gives graduating

Walk the Walk did a survey this year which revealed that 90% of people realise that walking helps them mentally and physically, but less than 40% of participants did anything about it and implemented walking into their routine.

Nina explained: “It’s clear people have the message and are finding reasons why they can’t, or maybe they don’t know how.

“The 5k Zoom is very achievable, requiring no training and very little

students the opportunity to share their work with a live audience.

Over a month period, from Friday 16th May to Friday 6th June, students will be delivering four plays by established playwrights to showcase their hard work and training. You can buy tickets on eventbrite.co.uk

PLEASURES OF THE DAMNED, FRIDAY 16TH MAY:

An adaptation of George Gissing’s novel, The Nether World, this play is set in the heart of the Victorian East End. Written and directed by Alex McSweeney, it brings the underclass to life, with motifs of loneliness, alienation and spiritual despair.

Experience the smoky Gin Palaces and raucous Music Halls straight from the pages of the novel that shocked the nation. It follows Michael Snowden, who returns to the East End with newfound wealth to rescue his family. But, in a city buried in misery, his fortune might not be enough to save them.

Date: Friday 16th May

Time: Performances at 2pm and 7pm

time. That’s the beauty of it, two hours later you have done something really good and can carry on the rest of your Saturday.”

This year is extra special, as the 5-star Langham Hotel will be supporting the event in celebration of its 160th anniversary. Every £30 raised will give participants one entry into the prize draw and will be in with a chance of winning a night in one of their Superior rooms.

Tickets: £10 general admission, £5 concessions.

OUR COUNTRY’S GOOD, FRIDAY 23RD MAY:

This play, written by Timberlake Wertenbaker and directed by Gill Foster, is set in the heart of 1789 Australia, the period where British convicts were sent to penal colonies on the other side of the world.

The convicts in the camp put on a production and explore the idea that theatre and the arts can be a force for good amidst deprivation and injustice.

Date: Friday 23rd May

Time: Performances at 2pm and 7pm

Tickets: £10 general admission, £5 concessions.

THE WELKIN, FRIDAY 30TH MAY:

Written by Lucy Kirkwood in 2020, this play was first performed at the National Theatre. It is directed at LSBU by Jon Lee and is set in a village in Suffolk in 1756.

The play follows a young woman accused of murder and subsequently sentenced to hang. She claims to be pregnant and twelve local women are pulled away from their work to decide

Date: Saturday 17th May

Gates open at 10:15am on the day.

Tickets: Entries for the 5K ZOOM Walk are open at www.walkthewalk.org until 3pm on Friday 16th May.

Walkers will also be able to sign up in person at Clapham Common on the morning of Saturday 17th May, between 9.30am and 10.30am.

To enter, it’s £19.99 for adults, £12 for under 16s and a fundraising minimum of £30.

whether she is lying or telling the truth.

Date: Friday 30th May

Time: Performances at 2pm and 7pm

Tickets: £10 general admission, £5 concessions.

THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT, 6TH JUNE:

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Aiden Condron. It’s a funny, powerful play set in a strange world between Heaven and Hell. It puts Judas, the man who betrayed Jesus, on trial to ask one big question: should he be forgiven?

The play looks at right and wrong, free will, and whether anyone is beyond saving. Characters like Satan, Mother Teresa, and Sigmund Freud are called to the witness stand in a courtroom to testify in a trial of God.

The play mixes serious ideas with sharp humour, using the energy of 1980s New York to tell a story that’s both thoughtprovoking and entertaining.

Date: Friday 6th June

Time: Performances at 2pm and 7pm

Tickets: £10 general admission, £5 concessions.

Nina Barough, CBE

© Stuart Nicol Photography, 2019

WHY IS THE MAYOR OF LONDON U-TURNING ON HIS PREVIOUSLY-HELD POLICY OF NOT BUILDING ON LONDON’S GREEN BELT?

By Noah Vickers Local Democracy Reporter

SIR SADIQ Khan has revealed further details of his plan to build homes on parts of London’s green belt – and has explained what drove him to take the decision.

The mayor’s announcement on Friday sparked a furious reaction from his opponents on the London Assembly, with Tory group leader Susan Hall calling him “a disgrace”, given his repeated promises to protect the green belt. “Even I believed you, because you said it so often,” she posted on social media.

He has stressed: “We are not talking about going anywhere near our gorgeous parks and green spaces”

In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service however, Sir Sadiq made no bones about the fact he is effectively u-turning on his previously-held policy.

“Let me be frank. This is a change of policy and a change of approach from myself and City Hall,” he said.

“It’s for a very simple reason. We’ve made really positive progress over the last nine years in terms of homes completed, council house-building, numbers of homes that are affordable, meeting Government targets and so forth – but we’re still falling way short of the needs of our city.

“I meet too many young Londoners in particular who can’t afford to rent in London, let alone buy. I meet too many young couples who want to start a family and so are choosing to either leave London, or defer having a child.

“I meet professionals with good jobs living in their parents’ home, in their childhood bedrooms. I’m speaking to

families who are living in damp and mouldy accommodation. Teachers, who are teaching children, living in temporary accommodation.

“So what I’m announcing today is a change. We’ll be consulting Londoners on a policy to proactively look for land on the green belt that we can build homes on, with conditions attached.”

Despite the mayor’s claim of “really positive progress” in housebuilding under his mayoralty, it was revealed last month that the number of homes starting construction in the capital has sunk to its lowest level since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Data from analysts Molior found that there were no starts at all in 23 out of London’s 33 local authority areas in the first three months of 2025.

Sir Sadiq suggests that by opening up parts of the green belt – particularly in those areas which already have good public transport links – development can be ramped up. But he will face an uphill battle assuaging some Londoners’ fears over the new policy, even as he insists that treasured recreational spaces will not be built on.

“People will assume that all green belt is green and pleasant, is rich in wildlife,” he said. “That is not the case. A lot of it is poor quality, badly maintained, and inaccessible to Londoners.”

He added: “We are not talking about going anywhere near our gorgeous parks and green spaces. I’m the mayor that has either improved or increased the amount of green space in our city by more than 900 hectares – that’s between 6,000 and 7,000 football pitches.

“I think nature and homes go hand in hand. It’s a false choice [to say there is a conflict] between house-building and

“I meet professionals with good jobs living in their parents’ home, in their childhood bedrooms. I’m speaking to families who are living in damp and mouldy accommodation. Teachers, who are teaching children, living in temporary accommodation.

So what I’m announcing today is a change.

protecting the environment.

“There are pockets of land within London – roughly speaking, more than a fifth of our city is green belt. Outside of London, the green belt is three times the size of our city. We think only 13 per cent is parks or spaces that are accessible to Londoners…

“The conditions [for house-building applications] are going to be welldesigned homes, good quality homes, maximising affordability, making sure there’s good transport connections, improving and increasing biodiversity, making sure there’s good green spaces Londoners can have access to.

“With the right conditions, we’ll build the homes we need.”

The mayor would not be drawn on the question of how many homes this will involve building on green belt land

each year, saying that will be decided in the next edition of the London Plan, which sets out how the capital should develop over the coming decades. He was similarly unwilling to say which parts of London’s green belt may be particularly ripe for housing, though the current edition of the London Plan has already identified several ‘opportunity areas’ which come close to it. These include parts of the Lea Valley through Enfield, the eastern banks of the Thames near Rainham and a large area around Heathrow Airport.

David Simmonds, a Conservative MP and shadow housing minister whose Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner constituency includes a large patch of green belt, said his party “will keep up the pressure to build the 300,000

homes already granted planning permission in London, and against concreting over our green belt”.

His party colleague Alessandro Georgiou, a London Assembly member who also leads the Conservative opposition on Enfield Council, said: “In December, I directly challenged the mayor about reports that TfL was pushing to build on verdant green belt land in Enfield.

“Khan looked me in the eye and assured me that London’s green belt was not up for grabs. This announcement is nothing short of a betrayal – to residents in Enfield, to Londoners, to me.

“It proves what we’ve long suspected – that this mayor says one thing in public while quietly planning the opposite behind closed doors.”

Greenwich school eyes growth to support students with special educational needs

By Cameron Blackshaw Local Democracy Reporter

A GREENWICH school has applied for planning permission to build a two-storey block to serve as an area to help “vulnerable students with complex needs”.

St Mary Magdalene C of E All Through School claims it spends £150,000 a year putting its students into alternative provision and the school wants to build a new on-site facility at its peninsula campus because options in the borough of Greenwich are both “scarce and expensive”.

The new building, which aims to accommodate 50 to 55 students in total with special educational needs, would contain five classrooms, toilet facilities, a tea point and two staff offices.

It would be situated to the north west of the 1 Hendon Street site on a plot of land

currently used as an informal car park.

St Mary Magdalene hopes that the new classroom block would ease pressure on its finances and help provide certain pupils in its secondary division and sixth form with the support they need.

That support would include counselling, therapy and teaching in small groups or on a one to one basis.

Planning documents state: “There is a clear need to provide additional accommodation at the school for the purpose of supporting students with special educational needs.

“Representatives from the school have confirmed that the current demand for such facilities far outstrips supply and finding alternative provision off site comes with a significant price tag.

Extending the current school to provide this service on site will add capacity to the system and be more cost effective.”

St Mary Magdalene hopes that if planning permission is granted, it can begin construction on the classrooms this summer so they could be ready for the start of the new academic year in September.

Despite their modular nature, the school intends the new facility to be a permanent one and has stated: “The nature of modular construction allows for ease of removal should the requirement or demand for such a facility change over time.”

The school is also hopeful that the new facility would ease pressure on alternative provision for other schools in Greenwich. Planning documents state: “There are more pupils who need this type of provision for short periods of time than there is capacity and it is evident that the current setup is not effective or sustainable as a long-term solution.

“By providing on site provision, the school will be able to redirect the money to other areas of need as well

free up spaces in the local authority area for other students from other schools.”

Heading south - our pick of upcoming spring events

‘Pay what you what’ Mushroom Show at Deptford Lounge

This fun-filled event for 5-10 year olds is brought to Deptford Lounge by Scratchworks Theatre Company. The Mushroom Show follows the character Augustine Fogwoode, a mushroom enthusiast on a quest to make sure everyone knows about fungi and their amazing superpowers. It’s packed full of interactive games, music and laughs for all the family in Scratchworks Theatre’s signature style of physical comedy. There will even be an option to join a workshop after the show in the Albany Garden, filled with games and challenges and you can learn even more about the wonderful world of fungi!

Date: Friday 30th May. Time: 11:30am - 12:15pm

Location: Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin St, London SE8 4RJ

Tickets: Book tickets www.thealbany.org.uk on a ‘pay what you want’ basis

FUME BBQ Festival at Woolwich Works:

FUME Festival is a BBQ festival and celebration of all things grilled, smoked and savored. Top pitmasters will be displaying their skills with smoky ribs, juicy brisket and more. There will be music and you can meet fellow BBQ enthusiasts. It’s described by Woolwich Works as the ‘hottest event of the season!’

Note event this is only suitable for adults aged 18+

Date: 30th May - 1st June

Time: Sessions 12pm - 5pm and 5:30pm - 10:30pm on all days

Location: Woolwich Works, The Fireworks Factory, 11 No 1 St, Royal Arsenal, London SE18 6HD. Tickets: Book tickets Woolwich Works website from £27.50

7 Days of New Music at Blackheath Halls:

There will be 7 days of brand new music as Trinity Laban’s BA (Hons) Music and Performance students take to the stage at Blackheath Halls at the end of the month. Taking place over 7 days, there will be a mixture of bands and solo performances in a showcase of the best emerging talent coming to South London.

Date: 31st May - 6th June

Time: Doors open at 5pm every evening

Location: Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Rd, Blackheath, London SE3 9RQ

Tickets: Book tickets Blackheath Halls website for £5 per ticket

The Romans immersive experience at Charlton House:

Charlton House will be welcoming Head2Head Sensory Theatre for a day of family fun at the Old Library. Step back in time with a walking tour of Roman London, set in the year 410 AD. There will be an opportunity to explore a bustling marketplace, visit a sacred temple and cheer on gladiators in the arena. The day will end at a Roman house and bath by the Thames. There will be multiple sessions on the day and there are only 18 spaces per session, so book your tickets quick! Note this event is suitable for everyone including those with visual, hearing or sensory impairments, autism and neurotypical children.

Date: 28th May. Time: Workshop at 10:30am, 11:15am, 1:30pm and 2:15pm (each workshop lasts 30 minutes). Location: Old Library, Charlton House and Gardens, Charlton Road, London, SE7 8RE. Tickets: Book tickets by search eventbrite for £5 per child

Comedy and Reggae night at the Broadway:

A night filled with stand-up comedy and reggae music at Broadway in Catford. There will be classic hits from Bob Marley, Freddie McGregor, Tarrus Riley, Jah Cure and more! It will be hosted by the star of the Real McCoy TV show, Rudy Lickwood. The live comedy will have appearances from Slim, Kevin J, Quincy, and Kayleigh Loudmouth.

Date: Saturday 31st May. Time: 7:30pm - 12am onwards

Location: The Broadway Theatre, Catford Broadway, Catford, SE6 4RU

Tickets: Book tickets boradwaytheatre.org.uk from £19

© Becky Rui Photography

History

DID YOU KNOW THAT LONDON BRIDGE HAS A SECRET ENTRANCE?

It is hidden behind centuries of history and comes with a 2000-year-old Roman surprise

By Evie Flynn

LONDON BRIDGE has a secret entrance nestled on the northside of the river in St. Magnus the Martyr Church and a fascinating history, subject to plagues, wars and fires.

London Bridge in some form has existed almost as long as London itself, although not as the bridge we know today.

Many don’t know that you can still see the bridge’s former pedestrian entrance nestled in the City of London, just a short walk from the bridge’s current site.

THE BRIDGE’S OLD PEDESTRIAN ENTRANCEST. MAGNUS THE MARTYR CHURCH

The old entrance to the bridge is aligned with Fish Street Hill and is built into the tower of St. Magnus the Martyr Church on Lower Thames Street.

Turn the corner at the infamous Monument, and you are met with a charming 17th century Anglo-Catholic Church.

The church itself was founded in the 11th century but was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666. It was rebuilt by Christopher Wren in 1687, the same architect responsible for the iconic Monument on Pudding Lane and of course St Paul’s Cathedral.

From the 18th century, this unassuming church courtyard was where pedestrians

would enter the old London Bridge.

In the courtyard, there is a large piece of timber from an old Roman wharf, which dates back to around 75 AD. This old beam was found on Fish Street Hill in 1931 and was brought to the churchyard.

If you venture inside the church, there is another nod to the bridge’s rich past. You can view a large model of the old London Bridge, created by liveryman David Aggett in 1987.

Aggett’s model shows the old bridge in great detail, with over 900 tiny people crammed onto the bridge, alongside houses, shops and chapels.

You can see a model chapel, dedicated to St. Thomas Becket, which used to stand at the centre of the bridge and marked the boundary of Southwark and the City of London.

HISTORY OF LONDON BRIDGE:

A river crossing around the bridge’s current site has existed since around 47 CE and it has since been destroyed, sold, and rebuilt numerous times.

It began with a timber bridge, existing for centuries before being replaced with a stone design in the 13th century.

PETER DE COLECHURCH’S BRIDGE (13TH19TH CENTURIES):

The first stone version of the bridge was built in 1209 by Peter De Colechurch to replace the original Roman crossing.

The building of bridges is rooted in

religion and was often seen as an ‘act of piety and a commitment to God’, hence the entrance’s location right next to a church.

Colechurch himself was a priest and began the bridge’s construction work in 1176, during the reign of Henry II. The construction took thirty-three years and the delay was mainly due to costs from Richard the Lionheart’s (Richard I) war.

Henry II’s successor, King John, decreed that dwellings and shops should be erected on the bridge for rent. The bridge was officially opened to the public shortly before he signed the Magna Carta.

Bridge House was set up on the south side of the bridge during the 13th century to administer the taxes and rents the bridge raised. It became a vital centre of cross-river trade and tolls existed for crossing the bridge, passing under in a ship and fines for illegal fishing.

This enterprise became known as Bridge House Estates and at one point, in 1358, Bridge Wardens recorded 138 rent-paying shops on the bridge. The last tenancy on the bridge was in 1762 and all houses were fully cleared.

Colechurch’s stone bridge lasted for around 600 years and has a rather turbulent history. Not only did it collapse on numerous occasions, it was also ravaged by plagues and fires.

In 1305, the first of many ‘enemy’ heads was displayed on the bridge, that of William Wallace, a knight who fought for Scottish Independence.

JOHN RENNIE’S BRIDGE (18TH-20TH CENTURIES):

Colechurch’s bridge was considered ‘out of fashion’ by the 18th century, compared to the the new Westminster Bridge, and was a hindrance to boats due to its narrow arches.

A Bill for a replacement bridge was passed in 1823. This would be paid for by the City of London Corporation and the Treasury, on the condition that it was wider than the previous bridge.

The man chosen for the job was John Rennie, who was also the architect behind Waterloo and Southwark Bridge, with work beginning in 1824.

This bridge was famously sold to American millionaire Robert McCullogh and reconstructed at Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in 1971.

TODAY’S LONDON BRIDGE:

The bridge as we know it today was designed by Lord Holford, paid for entirely by the City Bridge Foundation. The modern-day bridge was officially opened in 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II, but you can still see the traces of its history if you visit the chapel on the north side.

There are proposals from The London Bridge Museum & Educational trust for a dedicated Museum, which would tell the story of the bridge from Roman times to the present day.

You can �ind a full chronological history of the Bridge on their website.

Location of the old pedestrian entrance: St. Magnus the Martyr Church, Lower East Street, London, EC3R 6DN

Rennie’s Bridge c1890, looking north east. You can see Monument and the chapel of St. Magnus the Martyr church in the distance.

The plaque on the timber reads: ‘From Roman Wharf AD 75: Found Fish Street Hill 1931’

St. Magnus the Martyr Church is located opposite the Monument, surrounded by modern-day buildings

26 PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

STATUTORY NOTICE

TO EXPAND THE KINGS PARK LOCAL AUTHORITY RESOURCED PROVISION (LARP) AT NEWHAVEN SCHOOL

Eltham Palace Road, London, SE9 5LX DFE NO. 203/1104

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH Notice Under The Town and Country Planning Acts

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council is considering applications as set out below under the following categories; FUL – Full Applications

LB – Listed Building

Notice is given, in accordance with Section 19(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 and having regard to the Department for Education’s (DfE) latest statutory guidance for Making significant changes (prescribed alterations) to maintained schools (March 2025), the Royal Borough of Greenwich in partnership with the Governing Body of Newhaven School intends to make a change to:

RG3 - Approval under Reg 3 Councils own dev

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• Expand the existing Local Authority’s Resource Provision (LARP) at Kings Park Campus, Newhaven School from 55 places to 80 places for students aged 11 – 19 years with a co-diagnosis of autism and significant and persistent mental health needs, effect from September 2025.

Written representations should be made within three weeks of the date of this advertisement to the Director of Planning, PO Box 734, Winchester SO23 5DG. Any comments made are open to inspection by the public and in the event of an appeal may be referred to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Confidential comments cannot be taken into account in determining an application.

Within four weeks from the date of this publication notice, any persons may object to or make comments on the proposal by either:

Application plans can be viewed online at www.lambeth.gov.uk/searchplanningapps – search using the reference number at the end of each application listing.

a) Writing to: Admissions, Place Planning & Capital Projects Service

Royal Greenwich Children’s Services, First Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London SE18 6HQ. OR

22 The Pavement London SW4 0HY Alterations to the shopfront with timber framed sash windows. 25/01071/FUL

b) Emailing: school-place-planning@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.

Concert Hall Approach Belvedere Road Sutton Walk London SE1 8XX Repaving works, upgrades to street furniture and installation of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) bollards 25/01075/FUL

14 Walcot Square London SE11 4TZ Installation of double-glazed windows to the front, side and rear elevations. 25/01209/LB

Responses must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 18 June 2025 when this representation period expires. In line with the requirements of Schedule 2, Paragraph 18 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (as amended by the Education Act 2011), a decision will be taken by the Council no later than two months following the expiry of the representation period. Therefore, the Council will decide on this proposal by 18 August 2025

(Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/00492/LB, but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/00491/RG3)

Further details of the proposal are set out below. A copy can be accessed on the Council’s consultation website: https://newhaven-kings-park. commonplace.is/

St Leonards Church Of England Church Streatham High Road London SW16 1HS Installation of 8no. antennas, 2no.

STATUTORY PROPOSAL

and ancillary development thereto at roof level. 25/01326/FUL 32 Aquinas Street London SE1 8AD Installation of 4 rooflights to the rear and outrigger roofs with the replacement of

London Borough of Lambeth

NOTICE OF DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR SELECTIVE LICENSING

Section 80, Housing Act 2004

1. The London Borough of Lambeth (“The Council”) in exercise of its powers under section 80 of the Housing Act 2004 ("the Act") hereby designates for selective licensing the areas described in paragraph 5 CITATION, COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION

CITATION, COMMENCEMENT AND DURATION

2. This Designation shall be known as the “London Borough of Lambeth Designations 1 of an Area for Selective Licensing 2024”. All privately rented residential accommodation situated within the designated areas must be licensed with the Council unless subject to statutory exemption as set out in paragraph 6.

3. The Designation is made on 22nd May 2024. The Designation fall within a description of designations for which confirmation is not required by Secretary of State, and come into force on 2nd September 2024

2. This Designation shall be known as the London Borough of Lambeth Phase 2 Designations for Areas for Selective Licensing 2025. All privately rented residential accommodation situated within the designated areas must be licensed with the Council unless subject to statutory exemption as set out in paragraph 6.

4. The Designation shall cease to have effect on 1st September 2029 (not more than 5 years) or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme under section 84 of the Act.

3. The Designation is made on 1st May 2025. The Designation fall within a description of designations for which confirmation is not required by Secretary of State, and come into force on 1st August 2025

AREA TO WHICH THE DESIGNATION APPLIES

4. The Designations shall cease to have effect on 31st July 2030 (not more than 5 years) or earlier if the Council revokes the scheme under section 84 of the Act.

AREA TO WHICH THE DESIGNATION APPLIES

5. This designation shall apply to the following areas of the London Borough of Lambeth. The Designation covers the area coloured green on the map in annex A below. The following wards are included: • Knights Hill • Streatham Common & Vale • Streatham Hill East • Streatham St Leonards

APPLICATION OF THE DESIGNATION

5. These designations apply to the following areas of the London Borough of Lambeth. The Designation is delineated in blue with the area itself coloured purple on the map in annex A below. The following wards are included:

6. This designation applies to any house1 which is let or occupied under a tenancy or licence within the area described in paragraph 5 unless:

Wards included in Designation Brixton Acre Lane Brixton North Ward Brixton Rush Common Brixton Windrush Clapham Common & Abbeville Clapham East Clapham Park Clapham Town Gipsy Hill Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction Kennington Myatts Field Oval St Martins Stockwell East Stockwell West & Larkhall Streatham Hill West & Thornton Streatham Wells West Dulwich

the house is a house in multiple occupation [HMO] that falls within the nationally prescribed category of HMO that is required to be licensed as a ‘mandatory HMO’ under section 55(2)(a) Part 2 of the Act2;

b. the house is a house in multiple occupation that falls within the prescribed category of HMO that is required to be licensed under the London Borough of Lambeth Designation of an Area for Additional Licensing of Houses of Multiple Occupation made on 9th December 2023 under Section 56

roof tiles - Flat 32C. 25/01361/FUL

The Quadrangle Herne Hill London SE24 9QR Replacement of 1no window to the north east elevation of the north west wing. 25/01353/LB

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL: The Royal Borough of Greenwich in partnership with the Governing Body of Newhaven School seeks to expand the Local Authority Resourced Provision (LARP) at Newhaven School, Kings Park Campus by an additional 25 places (from 55 to 80 places) for students aged 11 – 19 years with autism and mental health and behavioural challenges.

building so exempt as defined in Paragraph 5(f): Exempted tenancies or licences, Selective Licensing of

APPLICATION OF THE DESIGNATION

(Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006 SI 370/2006.

EFFECT OF THE DESIGNATION

6. This designation applies to any house(1) which is let or occupied under a tenancy or licence within the area described in paragraph 5 unless:

356 Kennington Road London Lambeth SE11 4LD Application for Listed Building Consent in relation to internal alterations in connection with the change of use of the first and second floors from commercial (Use Class E) to residential (Use Class C3) to provide 2 self-contained flats. 25/01223/LB

274 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1UJ Replacement of the existing doorsets with new fire rated doorsets.

The proposed LARP expansion will continue to be for students with a co-diagnosis of autism and significant and persistent mental health difficulties. In particular, the provision will meet the rising needs of young people whose anxiety and/or low mood, together with sensory sensitivities, high need for predictability and routine, social interaction difficulties and difficulties forming relationships, mean they are unable to successfully access mainstream provision

(Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/00499/LB, but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/00498/RG3)

CONTACT DETAILS:

The Proposer

Beaufoy Institute 39 Black Prince Road London SE11 6JJ Installation of lighting, audio, and Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) heating systems in the Main Assembly Hall, together with associated ground floor slab structural support and basement wall openings for MVHR ductwork.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich (the Council) Admissions, Place Planning & Capital Projects Service

(Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/00991/LB, but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/00990/FUL)

The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, Woolwich, London SE18 6HQ Email: school-place-planning@royalgreenwich.gov.uk Website: www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk

33 The Chase London SW4 0NP Replacement of all existing front and rear windows with double glazed timber windows - Flat 5. 25/01280/FUL

The School (this is a LA maintained school)

7. Subject to sub paragraphs 6(a) to (f) every house in the area specified in paragraph 5 that is occupied under a tenancy or icence shall be required to be licensed under section 85 of the Act.6

a. the house is a house in multiple occupation [HMO] that falls within the nationally prescribed category of HMO that is required to be licensed as a ‘mandatory HMO’ under section 55(2)(a) Part 2 of the Act2(2)

8. The London Borough of Lambeth will comply with the notification requirements contained in section 83 of the Act and shall maintain a register of all houses registered under this designation, as required under section 232 of the Act.5

c. the tenancy or licence of the house has been granted by a registered social landlord(4)

d. the house is subject to an Interim or Final Management Order under Part 4 of the Act;

e. the house is subject to a temporary exemption under section 86 of the Act; or

The Designation may be inspected at the above address during office hours. All landlords, managing agents or tenants within the designated area should obtain advice to ascertain whether their property is affected by the Designation by contacting

Private Rented Property Licensing Team.

f. the house is occupied under a tenancy or licence which is exempt under the Act or the occupation is of a building or part of a building so exempt as defined in Paragraph 5(f): Exempted tenancies or licences, Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006 SI 370/2006.

Upon the Designation coming into force any person having control of or who manages a licensable

EFFECT OF THE DESIGNATION

licensed property to be occupied by more households or persons other than as

Kings Park Campus at Newhaven School Eltham Palace Road, London, SE9 5LX Telephone: 020 8465 6290

6. Subject to sub paragraphs 6(a) to (f) every house in the area specified in paragraph 5 that is occupied under a tenancy or licence shall be required to be licensed under section 85 of the Act(5)

may pursue one or more of a range of other enforcement actions including the imposition of a

72 Atherfold Road London SW9 9LW Replacement of all existing front and rear windows/rear door with double glazed timber windows/rear door. 25/01277/FUL

The Manor Arms 128 Clapham Manor Street London SW4 6ED Erection of 1st floor rear extension. 25/01234/FUL

Email: kingspark@newhaven.greenwich.sch.uk Website: https://www.newhavenschool.co.uk/kings-park/

St Marks Church Of England Primary School Harleyford Road London SE11 5SL Replacement of existing timber framed windows with double glazed heritage style timber framed windows to match existing style. 25/01316/LB

IMPLEMENTATION: If the proposal is agreed, the implementation will be from 1 September 2025.

444 - 446 Streatham High Road London SW16 3PX Demolition of existing ground floor rear additions and erection of a two-storey ground floor rear extensions to provide a 2x 1-bed and 2x 3-bed residential units together with the provision of shared amenity space, cycle and recycle storage. 25/01233/FUL

THE LINKED STRATEGIES: This proposal is linked to the following Council Strategies shaped by the child’s voice:

Land Rear Of 8 St Matthew's Road London SW2 1NH Change of use of existing residential garden to an outdoor street market (Sui Generis) with the replacement of existing boundary walls with bricks, piers, metal fencing and entrance gates towards Brixton Hill and timber trellis/gate towards Rush Common. 25/01275/FUL

1) SEND and Inclusion Partnership Strategy 2024 -2029 - Please refer to AMBITION 2: “We want schools and nurseries to support us better and have enough places so we can go to the “right” school for us.”

2) Accessibility strategy for education settings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The Horse And Groom 60 Streatham High Road London Lambeth SW16 1DA Display of 1x internally illuminated projecting sign and 1 x internally illuminated fascia sign. 25/01097/ADV

REASON FOR THE PROPOSAL: This proposal is a direct response to the lack of specialist school placements in the borough.

22 & 22A Cornwall Road London SE1 8TW Display of 2 non-illuminated A-Board signs to be placed on the pavement outside 22 Cornwall Road. 25/00656/ADV

Dated this Friday 16th May 2025

The Kings Park Campus site is currently shared with the Council’s SEND Outreach Services. To help create the additional specialist places, it is proposed that the SEND Outreach Services be relocated to a suitable alternative base identified for them to enable the school’s LARP to expand and provide an additional 25 places.

Further information and analysis on the significant and growing demand for specialist SEND provision within the borough can be found in the latest School Place Planning & Capital Programme Report 2024/25 - 2026/27 (April 2025) and the Appendix A Primary Schools Data Annex 2024-25.

PROPOSED ADMISSIONS AND PLACEMENT PROCESS: If the proposal is agreed, students will be placed at the LARP by the Council through its existing SEND Admissions Panel process for the school.

£30,000 and/or taking management control of the unlicensed property. Further, where an offence has been committed an application may

be made by the Council and/or tenant under the provisions of section 96 and 97 of the Housing Act 2004 for

7. The London Borough of Lambeth will comply with the notification requirements contained in section 83 of the Act and shall maintain a register of all houses registered under this designation, as required under section 232 of the Act(6)

Signed:

Venetia Reid-Baptiste, Corporate Director, Resident and Enabling Services on behalf of London Borough of Lambeth on 22nd May 2024

1 For the definition of "house" see sections 79 and 99 of the Act

If you are a landlord, managing agent or a tenant, or if you require information regarding this designation, or to apply for a licence, further information and assistance is available from the Council’s Private Rented Property Licensing Team by telephone on 020 7926 8591 or by email to PRSlicensing@lambeth.gov.uk, or by writing to Private Sector Enforcement and Regulation Service, PO Box 80771, London, SW2 9QQ. The Designation may be inspected at the above address during office hours. All landlords, managing agents or tenants within the designated area should obtain advice to ascertain whether their property is affected by the Designation by contacting the Council’s Private Rented Property Licensing Team.

2 Section 55 of the Act defines which Houses in Multiple Occupation are required to be licensed under the Act. See also The Lic ensing of Houses.in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions) (England) Order 2005 (SI 2006/371)

3 Additional Licensing covers HMOs that are not within the scope of Mandatory HMO Licensing where

amenities’ i.e. a WC, personal washing facilities or

unless; an individual flat was itself multiply occupied which would need an additional or mandatory HMO licence depending on the number of persons accommodated or, where the building or part of a building is of three or more storeys that have been converted into three or more self-contained flats and where both the building and self-contained flats it contains are under the same ownership or considered by the council to be effectively under the same control.

4 Section 79 (3) of the Act. For the definition of a Registered Social Landlord see Part 1 of the Housing Act 1996

5 Section 232 of the Act and paragraph 11 of SI 373/2006

Upon the Designation coming into force any person having control of or who manages a licensable property without a licence or allows a licensed property to be occupied by more households or persons other than as authorised by a licence, is liable to prosecution and upon summary conviction is liable to an unlimited fine pursuant to the provisions of section 95 of the Housing Act 2004. A person who breaches a condition of a licence is liable upon summary conviction to an unlimited fine. The Council, as an alternative to initiating a prosecution, may pursue one or more of a range of other enforcement actions including the imposition of a financial penalty of up to £30,000 and/or taking management control of unlicensed property. Further, where an offence has been committed an application may also be made by the Council and/or tenant under the provisions of section 96 and 97 of the Housing Act 2004 for a Rent Repayment Order to pay back up to 12 months’ rent, Housing Benefit or Universal Credit. No notice under section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 may be given in relation to an assured shorthold tenancy of the whole or part of an unlicensed house so long as it remains an unlicensed house.

Annex A: Map below showing selective licensing designations with the designation boundaries marked in blue and

Signed by Cabinet Member for Safer Communities: Councillor Dr Mahamed Hashi for and on behalf of the London Borough of Lambeth on 1st May 2025

1 For the definition of "house" see sections 79 and 99 of the Act

2 Section 55 of the Act defines which Houses in Multiple Occupation are required to be licensed under the Act. See also The Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions) (England) Order 2005 (SI 2006/371)

3 Additional Licensing covers HMOs that are not within the scope of Mandatory HMO Licensing where tenants share one or more ‘basic amenities’ i.e. a WC, personal washing facilities or cooking facilities.

4 Section 79 (3) of the Act. For the definition of a Registered Social Landlord see Part 1 of the Housing Act 1996

5 See the Selective Licensing of Houses (Specified Exemptions) (England) Order 2006 SI 370/2006

6 Section 232 of the Act and paragraph 11 of SI 373/2006

Rob Bristow Director - Planning, Transport & Sustainability Climate and Inclusive Growth Directorate

By Brian Halford at Edgbaston

BEN FOAKES harvested a careerbest unbeaten 174 for champions Surrey as their Rothesay County Championship match with Warwickshire drifted to a draw at Edgbaston.

Foakes amassed 174 from 361 balls, the last 107 of them in a tenthwicket stand of 158 in 58 overs with Matt Fisher (40, 145 balls) as Surrey totalled 504 in reply to Warwickshire’s 665-5.

On a bowlers’ graveyard of a pitch, the game’s third innings finally began at 3.15pm on the final day last Monday, Surrey, following on, reached fifteen without loss before a merciful downpour arrived to wash out a pointless last session.

This was the 172nd County Championship match between these teams and surely the dullest. The Oval pitch on which they completed an entire game in one day in 1953 (Warwickshire 45 and 52, Surrey 146) may have been a bit too bowlerfriendly but this was way too far the other way.

Surrey resumed on the last morning on 369-9, still 147 short of the follow on figure, but Warwickshire knew they had to polish off the first innings quickly if they were to press for victory. The excellent Foakes ensured that didn’t happen. He soon advanced down the pitch to strike Rob Yates for successive glorious sixes; the first took him to 9,000 first class runs and the

second to his seventeenth first-class century (from 197 balls).

Foakes and Fisher batted through the morning session to add 118 in 39 overs with a degree of comfort which only increased the mystery as to how

Smith leads by example

By ECB Reporters Network

BRYONY SMITH posted a superb

hundred to steer Surrey to a convincing 101-run win over Somerset on the Duckworth/ Lewis/Stern Method in the Metro Bank One Day Cup women’s competition at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton last weekend

Leading by example, Surrey’s captain

Esher pace men made scoring difficult in the early stages, and the first three wickets went down in 12.1 overs for just 31 runs.

FOAKES CAREERBEST BEFORE DOWNPOUR

’It was about trying to occupy the crease and earn a draw’

Surrey’s batters got into a tangle on the third day. On days one, two and four, batting was a breeze.

At 131, the partnership between Foakes and Fisher became a tenthwicket record for Surrey against

scored 110 from 103 balls, struck fifteen fours and dominated crucial stands of 100 and 134 with Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley for the first and third wickets respectively as the visitors made 306-7 in a contest reduced by rain to 44 overs a side. Dunkley raised an attractive 79 from 81 balls and WyattHodge contributed 44 with eight fours, while Australian spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington returned figures of 4-47.

Chasing a revised target of 317, Somerset came up short in the face of accurate bowling and sharp fielding, Heather Knight and Wellington topscoring with 36 and Alice Monaghan, Danielle Gregory and Alexa Stonehouse

fell. His first 50 had taken 65 balls, but the second needed only 28 and his 134 came off 108. He had hit seventeen fours and five sixes.

Warwickshire, beating the 130 by Bert Strudwick and Bill Hitch at Edgbaston in 1911. At lunch, it stood at 141, 32 short of the county’s tenth-wicket best against anyone - 173 by Andy Ducat and Andy Sandham against Essex at

claiming two wickets apiece as the home side were dismissed for 215 in 40.5 overs.

“We really needed that result and performance,” Smith said. “It’s not been the start to the season we would have liked, but we knew we had it in us to win like that, and the girls really put in a good shift. Starting fast is something we talk about a lot and, no matter what stage of the game, if you get a bad ball, you have to out it away. Danni [Wyatt-Hodge] and I do that together well, and it goes on right down our batting line-up. We have so much batting, we know we can go out and play with freedom.

“It became more difficult when pace

Leyton in 1921. They advanced to within 15 of the record when Fisher edged Ed Barnard to wicketkeeper Alex Davies. The partnership had lasted for three hours and 46 minutes. Despite having just spent 178.2 overs in the field, Warwickshire enforced the follow on with a minimum of 43 overs left in the day. Their bowlers no doubt led the sense of collective relief when, after just five of those overs, with Surrey fifteen without loss, a terminal thunderstorm arrived.

“We had one job to do and just had to bat as long as possible,” Foakes said. “Matt batted really well - it helped that he is not a number eleven. After we lost some wickets and were 2105 it was just about trying to occupy the crease and earn a draw and bat sensibly and I guess I do bat sensibly so it fitted my mould.

“I have felt alright so far this season. We have played on some pretty good pitches away from home and I have managed to cash in.

“It’s not easy taking wickets on these pitches so we have got to try and work out ways to get wickets. There definitely are ways to get wickets, you’ve got to be creative on pitches like that. Maybe we might look at some other ways like creating rough if we are going to play on these surfaces.

“The effort from the bowlers has been brilliant. We know at The Oval it does a bit for the seamers and we have a formula for there where you don’t really need to stray too far from the top of off, whereas, on pitches like this, that potentially doesn’t work as well. There are definitely challenges you can throw out to make it more difficult for batters.”

Surrey host Yorkshire at The Kia Oval on Friday (May 16) starting at 11am.

came off the ball, but Sophia Dunkley and I knew that, if we had a decent partnership, we could post three hundred-plus. We’ve batted together so many times and know one another’s games inside out, so complemented each other out there. The rain didn’t help, but only being two down was a big help. Things have not gone to plan with the ball recently, but we always back ourselves to defend big scores and the girls knew what they had to do. It was a good bowling and fielding performance.” Surrey were in action against The Blaze in midweek. They travel to Essex for a 10.30am start on Monday (May 19).

By John Lewis

DULWICH COMPLETED their first match since 2008 in the Premier Division of the AJ Sports Surrey Championship with a thrilling victory at Esher by six runs in the final over last weekend.

Dulwich’s imposing total of 318 was built around a magnificent innings of 134 by their new overseas signing, Indian test player KS Bharat. Good bowling by the

Sam Seecharan started the fightback, making nineteen off 20 balls, before falling with the score on 64 in the seventeenth over. Bharat, who had come in at the fall of the first wicket with the score on 6, had resisted gamely, and had so far taken 41 balls to reach 21. He was now joined by fellow newcomer Dale Shaw, and the pair accelerated rapidly to add 104 in 15 overs for the fifth wicket before Shaw fell for 45 off 53 balls. This brought in Will Jenkins, who gave solid support as Bharat started to take the attack apart. The pair had added 86 in nine overs when Bharat

Ahmed Khan joined Jenkins with the score on 255-6 with 8.5 overs remaining. Jenkins went on to 36 off 34 balls, Khan eighteen off eighteen, and Kaif Ramzan smashed 33 not out off 24 balls to take the total to 318-8 after 50 overs, a remarkable recovery after being 65-4.

The Esher reply was launched by Australian overseas player Teague Wyllie, who smashed 33 off nineteen balls before falling to a third newcomer, Joe Payne, with the score on 40. Payne struck again in his next over to make it 42-2 after eight overs.

This brought in Don Butchart to join former Glamorgan cricketer Craig Meschede, but tight bowling by Payne, Jenkins and Ramzan restricted the batsmen to just 36 runs in ten overs before Meschede fell to Ramzan for 27, having faced 51 balls. This brought in left hander David Brent, who went for his shots from the outset. Butchart fell for 45 off 69 balls, but Brent raced to 87 off just 58 balls, before becoming the sixth wicket to fall with the score on 218 after 37.3 overs.

Esher still needed 101 from 12.3 overs, but a dynamic innings of 54 off just 31 balls by Freddie Harrison kept the runs flowing until he was the ninth wicket to fall with the score on 288. This left

numbers ten and eleven to get 31 runs off 23 balls, but fourteen came off the rest of the 47th over and ten off the next two, to leave just seven runs required from the final over. But the last man hit the ball straight to a fielder and tried to take a single off the first ball, to be easily run out and give Dulwich victory by six runs. Payne and Jenkins finished with three wickets each, Ramzan took two and Seecharran one.

Dulwich thus started their Premier Division campaign with a victory which will hopefully set them up nicely for the rest of the season. This weekend. they have a home fixture against Reigate Priory, who lost their first match to Sutton.

Photo byMark Sandom

Bryony Smith celebrates her match-winning

PALACE STAY ‘PRESENT’ AS FUTURE GLORY BECKONS

ByJohn Kelly

MARC GUEHI said staying

“present” has been key to Crystal Palace’s ideal build-up to Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.

Palace matched their best-ever points total in a Premier League season as they reached 49 with their 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner has praised his side for their focus on the league since they defeated Aston Villa 3-0 in the semi-final last month.

“You want to do the best that you can, not thinking too far ahead, because you've got time,” Guehi said. “It’s important that you stay present and do the job you have to do. I'm really proud of the team, their performance – and now we can start thinking ahead.

“It was a good performance from the team. Maybe the only thing that we could have had was a few more goals but, to be honest, in life we invest a lot and we might not get a massive return, but the most important thing was the goals we got today, so well done to the team.”

Eberechi Eze scored both goals against Spurs, taking his tally to the season to twelve, with five in his last four games.

“He's been doing really well. I'm grateful for him – he's a fantastic player,” Guehi said.

“I mean, you guys can see for yourselves, I don't need to speak too much about him. He's a fantastic person, first and foremost. When you’ve got people like that in the building, it spurs the team on and then your quality shines through.

“But I’d mention the whole team, because everyone was really putting a shift in, and we couldn't do it without every single person. Without the team, these players aren’t able to go and do what they do.”

On reaching 49 points, Guehi said:

Eagles have matched their Premier League points tally

“The manager mentioned it. I think he said if we beat it, we get a few more days off, so I think everyone's going to be really excited about that. I think the plan is to make sure that we get those wins and get those few extra days off!

“I think it's just proof that hard work pays off. At the start of the season we didn't really start the way that we wanted to. The togetherness of every single person, the hard work, was fantastic. We kept our heads down and now we've got an opportunity to try and beat that record.”

Eze is full of confidence heading to Wembley.

Eze said: “I think it means everything.

“We know what it means to the fans, to the club. We're going to give everything that we've got to put ourselves in the best position. I feel

like [beating Spurs] was a good step towards that.

“We’re confident. We know that we've just got to do what we do and be the best version of ourselves and we've got the chance of beating any team.”

Dons boss has warning for side ahead of semi-final second leg

By Georgia Garnett at Meadow Lane

AFC WIMBLEDON boss Johnnie Jackson warned his players they have to get it right or they could be “hurt” by a Notts County side aiming to overturn a 1-0 League

Two play-off semi-final first-leg deficit at Plough Lane on Saturday.

Riley Harbottle scored his first goal as a Don in the 59th minute at Meadow Lane last weekend.

County’s 22-goal top-scorer this season Alassana Jatta was sent off in added-time and will miss the second leg.

Jackson said: “It was a top performance, really strong, solid, professional, quality at times. We had to suffer at times, really dig in,

but the attitude of the boys was just unbelievable, you can’t fault them and what they’re giving.

“They’re giving absolutely everything and we’re going to need to do that again because you’ve seen that Notts are a good side. But let’s enjoy [the win] because it was a really, really good performance.”

Goalkeepers Owen Goodman and former Don Alex Bass made several outstanding saves. Goodman denied Conor Grant three times.

“I know both of them very well, obviously,” Jackson said. “Bass made an unbelievable save from Johnno [Ryan Johnson] in the first half. Then at the other end OG’s [Goodman] made unbelievable saves - to get down and push that [shot from

Grant] round was incredible. Two top goalkeepers on show, two good teams on show and when you get through the defensive lines, that’s when you need goalkeepers to come up trumps as well and OG’s done that for us.”

The Dons' defence shone throughout, highlighted by Josh Neufville’s goalline clearance in the 88th minute to preserve the lead.

Jackson added: “You know Josh, we talk about Josh because he’s a winger because he wants to get at people. But you know, he’s up against another top winger in [Jodi] Jones there and I thought defensively he did great against him, causing them problems when he’s going up that way but in that moment they get through, he hit it over the keeper, but Josh was there to clear

off the line.

“That sort of attitude, that takes grit and determination to not give up on it - I think that epitomised the spirit of the boys.”

It was Nottingham-born Harbottle who produced the only goal of the match, giving his team an important lead at the halfway point of the semifinal.

Jackson praised his defender, saying: “I’m pleased for Riley because he defended really well, which is obviously the most important thing where he plays. But we know he can be a threat in the opposition box - we saw it last week at Grimsby where he comes up with that header that hits the bar, then Sam [Hutchinson] gets the rebound.

“He likes to go and attack it, he’s brave, he wants to put his body on the line defensively but also in the opposition box as well, and it was a really good header.”

Jackson added: “We’re pleased with [the win] of course, we’ve got a goal advantage and it was a really good performance so lots to like. But they’re going to come next week and they’re going have a right go like they did [on Saturday]. And they’ve got quality - we get it wrong, they can hurt you, so we need to do the same thing again, we need to have the same attitude.

“I’ve got no doubt in this group of lads that they’ll give absolutely everything until the very end.”

Saturday’s match kicks off at 12.30pm.

Sport

INSIDE FOAKES CAREERBEST BEFORE DOWNPOUR

HISTORY BECKONS FOR PALACE - DO OR DIE FOR ADDICKS AND DONS

Jones wants Valley rocking

EAGLES EYE HISTORIC SWOOP

By John Kelly

NATHAN JONES has asked Charlton Athletic fans for “one more big effort” to get them over the line in the second leg of their League One play-off semi-final against Wycombe Wanderers at The Valley. The sides are level 0-0 after the first leg at Adams Park last weekend. It was a tense game between two teams that were separated by just one point at the end of the regular League One season.

"It was a real hard-fought game and an important one, because we didn’t want to come into the game with a deficit and have to chase anything,” Jones said. “We wanted to come in with a minimum of parity and we managed to achieve that. Now we have to win a game at The Valley which is something we’ve been very good at."

The Valley is set to be sold out on Thursday night (May 15).

“We asked them to get behind us and they have,” Jones said. “The momentum’s built and the numbers have grown with the songs, the atmosphere, the adrenaline and the energy that they’ve brought. It’s coincided with the team being in a better place, so it’s the chicken-and-egg scenario.

"They’ve been superb - they’ve travelled in their numbers and really got on board with everything. We’re asking them for, at the moment, one more big effort because they can be vital and a packed, singing, energetic Valley can be a wonderful place to play if you’re a home player."

By John Kelly

CRYSTAL PALACE are brimming with confidence heading to Wembley to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final - with Eagles boss Oliver Glasner saying his side can be “competitive against any team in the world.”

Palace defeated Europa League finalists Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend, when Glasner felt it “should have been at least 3-0 or 4-0”.

Eberechi Eze scored just before half-time and added a second two minutes into the second half as Palace made it four games unbeaten.

“The only thing we can be selfcritical about is that we didn't decide

the game until half-time, because I think it should have been at least 3-0 or 4-0,” Glasner said. “But this sometimes can happen and it's important to keep calm and wait for the next situation. This is what we did.

“After the 2-0, to be honest, I think the last 20 minutes we were a little bit sloppy in our positioning, in our passing. We gave them too many situations. It's understandable, but it just showed, and it was evidence that, if we perform on our top level, then we are very competitive against any team in the world.

“But if we reduce it by three, four, five per cent, then it's an even game and anything can happen – so this is a good message to learn.” Glasner has been pleased with how

his players have kept their focus on the league despite the chance to win the first major trophy in their history so close.

Glasner said: “We spoke really quite often. We didn't speak about the final and about City, but we spoke about our preparation, and the best preparation is confidence, because we can't change our way of playing. Within four or five days, it's just impossible.

“And when you get results, when you get performances, when you always see we can score goals, we can create chances, we can have a clean sheet now again, this gives us confidence and belief for the final.

“This is the best preparation we can have at the moment. Everything worked how we wanted it, and now

it's to prepare in the best way, and this is what we will do.”

Glasner added: “The atmosphere at Wembley will be better – half the stadium will be Crystal Palace supporters, so I'm really looking forward to it.

“It’s our fans, we can always count on them.

“I think they can count on the team that they always have 100 per cent effort. Great connection, great game for them, and I think everybody who is close to Crystal Palace is now looking forward to Wembley.

“We will have the same effort, the same commitment like [against Spurs] – and then let's see what goes on there.”

The Wembley showdown kicks off on Saturday at 5.30pm.

Addicks captain Greg Docherty added: “It’s so easy to picture what it’s going to be like and how brilliant it’s going to be walking out of the tunnel. The Valley where it is, the position of it, the way the stands are built - the noise just travels so well. Particularly when we score, I’ve not heard much sound like that before ever since playing in England, it’s an incredible atmosphere.

“It really does help us and I’m so proud to walk out and lead a team like Charlton.”

Eberechi Eze, centre, celebrates with Maxence Lacroix (5) and Jean-Philippe Mateta