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‘TWO WEEKS ISN’T ENOUGH’
Greenwich parents come out against the UK’s paternity leave
By Evie Flynn
PARENTS FROM the Greenwich Parents and Carers Group took part in a stunt last Sunday in a bid for the UK government to fix Europe’s worst paternity leave.
Richard Peralta and Sarah Wynn were joined by over 100 families in Greenwich and over 120 nationwide, to campaign against the current statutory paternity leave length and remuneration.
Fathers in the UK can currently take up to 2 weeks paternity leave and the statutory Paternity Pay is £187.18 per week, which is less than half the minimum wage. The group hung baby grows on washing lines next to the Greenwich Park bandstand to raise awareness and campaign against the statutory paternity leave.
The stunt was part of the “two weeks isn’t enough” campaign as new research from The Dad Shift and Movember has shown that 45% of UK fathers experience multiple symptoms of depression or anxiety after having a baby.
Richard, who spearheaded the stunt alongside Sarah, is a Project Manager from Greenwich and father to a three-year-old son. He explained that “extra paternity leave would have made a huge different to me. It was suggested I took annual leave after my partner gave birth at the start of the year and I was completely burnt out by September time.”
Similarly, The Dad Shift found that 82% of fathers said that improving paternity leave is the single biggest action the government could take to support the mental health of new fathers. Richard said “it was validating
to know it wasn’t just me who was feeling like this.
The Dad Shift campaigners state that that the UK’s current paternity policy is creating a “mental health pressure cooker, forcing dads to return to work too early, whilst juggling financial stress and emotional strain.
The “two weeks isn’t enough” campaign has been supported by 15 MPs across the country and babies grows were hung out in Premier League stadiums to rural parks and big cities.
“Not everyone can afford to take even the statutory paternity leave”, Richard explains, adding that: “£187 a week doesn’t pay your bills and it doesn’t pay your rent, meaning some people don’t take any paternity leave at all. It’s also unfair on the mother, who has given birth and are expected to do
everything.”
Richard told us that his partner had a c-section, so when he returned to work she was expected to do everything on her own, even heavy lifting, as he wasn’t around. He said: “She even had to do all of the overnight stuff like feeds and waking up so I could get enough sleep to function at work the next day.”
Greenwich Parents and Carers group is a community initiative designed to support and connect parents and carers in the Greenwich and wider south east London area. They publish what’s on guides, have meet-ups and provide a space to share advice.
Find out more about The Dad Shift go to dadshift.org.uk Find out more about Greenwich Parents & Carers (GPC) on their Instagram: @gpc.community
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ANIMANIACS IN CONCERT IS COMING TO GREENWICH
By Kevin Quinn
IF YOU were a child in the 1990s then you will remember Animaniacs – the zany cousin of Looney Tunes – its theme song was such a hit that it even won an Emmy Award, and now for one night only its composer Randy Rogel is coming to Greenwich Theatre, this Sunday May 25.
The theme song introduced the kooky main characters of Animaniacs, with lyrics and a melody that were as zany as the show itself.
Prepare to feel nostalgic as Randy Rogel is joined on stage by voice legend Rob Paulsen, best known for his role as Yakko Warner in Animaniacs. But Paulsen is no one-trick pony - he is an integral part of countless childhoods from the 1980s right up to the present day. He has lent his voice to cartoons classics such as Pinky from Pinky and the Brain, Raphael in the original 1980s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and Donatello in the 2012 reboot.
Billed to thrill adults and children
alike this concert will see the duo perform fan-favourite songs live alongside original projected animation.
But that is not all, the audience will hear behind-the-scenes stories and be treated to songs that were cut from the original show by the censors.
“Hearing the audience’s riotous laughter as we perform these songs and tell them the stories behind them is pure joy,” Randy Rogel has said before flying over from the States for Greenwich.
“This is what the show is all about.
The audience gets to hear how all these fun songs were created by the guy who created them and then hear them sung live by the original voice actor who performed them. It’s mind-blowing fun for both us and the audience,” he added.
Animaniacs in Concert
Sunday May 25 – 7.30pm Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London SE10 8ES.
Tickets £26.50 (inc. £1.50 cmsn) with concessions £21.50 (inc. £1.50 cmsn) Go to greenwichtheatre.org.uk
OKINAWA DAY BACK IN THE BLUE
By Louisa Woolf
OKINAWA DAY will return for its fourth year at The Blue Market Square in Bermondsey with a full schedule of activities, celebrating the unique culture of the Japanese region.
The annual, family friendly event will introduce the audience to music, dances, and food from the culturally distinct archipelago of islands in Southern Japan, that formed part of the historic Ryukyu Kingdom.
The festivities on Saturday June 28 will kick off at 11am, and run throughout the day until 5pm.
The Okinawa precinct is famous for its beautiful beaches, rich cultural heritage, delicious cuisine, and being the birthplace of karate. There will be a range of performances on stage throughout the day, including elegant Ryukyu classical music and Okinawan folk songs, with guest
performers from Tokyo, and the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Amami.
Visitors can get involved with a traditional Eisa dance workshop, as well as Ryukyu Karate demonstrations – the martial art that originated in Okinawa and is now practised all over the world.
Honouring the Blue’s historic use as a street market, there will also be a selection of Okinawan dishes to try, as well as food and craft stalls.
The event is hosted by the London Okinawa Sanshinkai, which was formed
Bermondsey Square Jazz Days return this Summer
By Evie Flynn
THE POPULAR free-of-charge
in 1999 at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) by academics specialising in Ryukyu music and Yaeyama Folk studies.
The group have been hosting Okinawa Day celebrations in London since 2009.
A London Okinawa Sanshinkai spokesperson said: “This will be our fourth year at The Blue Market, Bermondsey and we love the community spirit and celebration of diversity that the venue and area itself embodies.
“The Blue Market’s central philosophy of embracing the diversity of people and culture matches our own and we hope to attract even more people, from all backgrounds, to enjoy this year’s Okinawa Day and celebrate music from across the world.”
Saturday 28th June, 11:00-17:00
The Blue Market, Bermondsey, London SE16 3UQ. Admission Free Full schedule at: https://sanshinkai.uk/ okinawa-day/
Bermondsey Square Jazz Days will be returning for its 8th year, running on the first Sunday of every month between 1st June and the 7th September.
Between 2pm until 5pm on four Sundays, local music talent from London’s most revered music schools will be coming to the Square to share their love for jazz and live music with the community.
The free outdoor event is organised and hosted by Stephen Pierre, founder of Unity Arts Music (UMAT), a community music project. He established Bermondsey Square Jazz Days as a grassroots music venture back in 2017 and the idea was welcomed and supported by elected councillors.
Stephen said: “Even in this modern age of digital communication, good old fashioned local events, such as the Bermondsey Square Jazz Days, are a positive way to bring the community together. I believe that music is a form of medicine and therapy, it is also a harmonious universal language.”
The organisers are also marking key
occasions in the calendar. On Sunday 1st June 2025, there will be a triumphant trombone ensemble tribute to the 80th anniversary of VE Day. On Sunday 6th July, the event will be extended to proudly support Pride in Southwark. There will be a live jazz band, salsa dancing and an LGBTQ+ community choir from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.
In previous years, the music programme has included tributes to The Windrush legacy, HM Queen Elizabeth ll Platinum Jubilee and The King’s Coronation. This will be the 8th consecutive year of the event after starting in May 2018. In 2020, UMAT won Southwark’s ‘Contribution to the Community’ Business Excellence Award. Since its beginnings, the event has supported over 200 different musicians, many being students and graduates invited from London’s leading music colleges. Although the event is free, they welcome any donations.
The events will take place between 2pm and 5pm on the following dates: Sunday 1st June, Sunday 6th July, Sunday 3rd August, Sunday 7th September Bermondsey Square, London, SE1 3UN.
Rob Paulsen and Randy Rogel Animaniacs Concert 2025
Randy Rogel live
BROCKWELL PARK CAMPAIGNERS WIN LEGAL CHALLENGE - BUT FESTIVALS WILL GO AHEAD
By Issy Clark
A GROUP of campaigners who took Lambeth Council to court for walling off sections of Brockwell Park for several weeks each summer have declared victory following a High Court hearing on Thursday, May 16.
On Friday, High Court judge Mr Justice Mould said Lambeth Council had acted unlawfully by permitting parts of the park to be used as events space for 37 days of the summer without obtaining planning permission.
However in a statement released on Monday, May 19, Brockwell Live, the
organiser behind Mighty Hoopla and City Splash, confirmed the festivals would still be going ahead as planned, claiming that the High Court ruling only concerned “a particular point of law and whether an administrative process had been carried out correctly.
“We wish to make it clear that no event will be cancelled as a result of the High Court’s decision.”
The first in the series of events – Wide Awake Festival – is set to begin this Friday.
Central to the legal challenge was
Lambeth Council’s decision to allow large-scale commercial festivals in the park under ‘permitted development’ rules, which enable temporary changes in land use for 28 days without requiring planning permission.
Protect Brockwell Park claimed that once the time spent assembling and dismantling the festival was factored in, stretches of Brockwell Park would be rendered out of action for 38 days each summer.
Lucy Akrill, Co-Founder of Protect Brockwell Park, said “This is a victory
not just for Brockwell Park, but for communities everywhere fighting to preserve their green spaces.”
Rebekah Shaman, the claimant on behalf of Protect Brockwell Park, said: “We are not opposed to well-managed, appropriately scaled community events. But what is happening in Brockwell Park is neither appropriate nor sustainable. We reject the assumption that this beloved public green space is a suitable venue for massive and damaging festivals.”
It marked the second legal defeat for
Lambeth Council in just over a week, following West Dulwich Action Group’s win over the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).
The judgement, handed down on May 9, ruled in favour of the campaigners on the grounds that the council had failed to consider concerns raised by residents before implementing
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “We are currently assessing the impact of this judgement and determining next steps.”
Rosie Jones
Wed 1 Oct
the LTN between Rosendale and Norwood Road.
Drone shot image of the Main Stage field 2015.
Protect Brockwell Park campaigners standing outside the High Court
During festival season parts of the park are walled off behind high fences
© Protect
Brockwell Park
HOW MUCH ARE COUNCILS MAKING
FROM FESTIVALS
IN PARKS? AND CAN WE REALLY DO WITHOUT
By Issy Clark
LAST THURSDAY, campaigners from Protect Brockwell Park had their day in court against Lambeth Council as the debate over what events and how many should be put on in south London’s parks rages on.
So how much are cash-strapped councils making from allowing huge festivals in our parks, and what are they spending it on?
The debate over the number of events in Brockwell Park, and the size of them, has been a flashpoint for locals since last summer, when Protect Brockwell Park launched a petition demanding for an end to the “fencing off and damaging” of the public space.
This week, a legal challenge came to a head at the Royal Courts of Justice, with High Court judge Mr Justice Mould ruling that Lambeth Council acted unlawfully by allowing sections of the park to be walled off each summer without obtaining planning permission.
Most festivals in the park are part of a series organised by Brockwell Live, which will host nine days of events this summer across two weekends between May 23 and June 8. The festivals see thousands of visitors descend on Brockwell each yearwhich campaign group Protect Brockwell Park says “damages the ecological fabric of the park”.
BAFTA-award winning actor and local Mark Rylance has waded in, claiming: “The imposition of high steel walls for Brockwell Live every summer destroys the park for weeks and harms the grass, trees and plant life for months — if not forever. It turns it into a prison camp.”
In general, parks in England are owned and managed by the relevant local authority. The majority of parks in Lambeth - Brockwell, Kennington,
Clapham Common - are the responsibility of Lambeth Council. Likewise, in Southwark, most parks are owned and managed by the local authority.
This is not always the case, and there are exceptions. For example Elephant Park, which is part of a mixed-use office and housing development on the site of the former Heygate Estate, is managed by LendLease, the landowner. Ownership of Blackheath is split between the Lord of the Manor of Lewisham and the Crown Estate, while it is managed by a combination of local residents’ bodies and Lewisham and Greenwich council representatives.
Parks are funded out of the council’s general fund budget; the main revenue account which covers day-to-day income and expenditure and is financed by council tax and government grants.
But in recent years parks have suffered disproportionately from successive waves of cuts to local authority budgets.
Last year, an investigation by the Local Government Information Unit based on a survey of 128 local councils in England found that a third planned to cut spending on parks and leisure in order to avoid bankruptcy.
Southwark Council told us that it raises around £350k a year from letting out its parks to events companies. Lambeth Council declined to disclose the amount it makes from letting out Brockwell Park each summer, but did tell us that partnering with Brockwell Live saved it £700,000 from the cost of putting on the extremely popular Lambeth Country Show.
This summer, the events scheduled to take place in Southwark’s parks are GALA Festival in Peckham Rye Park on 23-25 May, and On The Rye Festival which is on May 26.
The council is also considering whether to grant an events licence for two events in Southwark Park on the first weekend of July, CLOUD X Festival and Reggaeton - both of which have faced significant community opposition.
Events organisers are charged a hire fee, a flat rate set by the council that is benchmarked against other local authorities to remain competitive.
Fees for larger events - those with a capacity of more than 2,000 peoplearen’t disclosed publicly by the council. But smaller and medium-sized events can be charged anywhere between
THEM?
£2,000 and £13,000, depending on length and size.
In Southwark, income generated by the event hire fee is ring-fenced for its culture fund, providing grants for charities and community groups, and free-to-attend community events.
On top of the hire fee, since 2021 events companies have also had to pay an environmental levy and a ground deposit.
The money from the environmental fee is set aside to fund improvement projects in the specific park where the event took place, while the grounds deposit covers any repairs the park might need after an event.
For example, money raised by the environmental levy from events in Burgess Park in 2024 is now being spent on enhancing the lake, including a treatment to reduce algae, repairs to the fountain and the installation of floating islands for wildfowl.
The money raised from events in Southwark Park was used to help pay for an upgrade to a bubble aerator, which helps oxygenate the lake and keep wildlife healthy.
The revenue Lewisham Council generates from events on Blackheath
and open spaces.
While tensions are running high, opposition to Brockwell Live is by no means universal.
Another group, SayYesLambeth, set up earlier this month by five friends who met playing for a local gay rugby team, wrote an open letter to the people of Lambeth in which they accused Protect Brockwell Park of being an elite and “well-funded” minority.
They want to see events such as the Mighty Hoopla, a two-day festival celebrating the LGBT community which attracts around 60,000 revellers each year, go ahead as normal.
The open letter invoked the wider tensions underpinning some of the furore over London’s parks, highlighting the challenges faced by young people living in a city with a shrinking nighttime economy and unaffordable housing market.
“For too long, a small but powerful group has dominated the debate about Lambeth’s future — shouting down new homes, opposing events in our parks, and trying to silence our vibrant night-time economy,” they wrote.
Common is similarly ringfenced for parks
© Protect Brockwell Park
During festival season parts of the park are walled off behind high fences
The south side of Southwark Park where the festival might take place
Aerial shot showing Brockwell Park post-festival season
By Issy Clarke
SOUTHWARK COUNCIL has finally installed emergency safety measures in the heart of Borough Market – two years after Trustees warned about the danger to visitors of London’s top food market.
A report commissioned in November last year by the Market Trust, the organisation in charge of Borough Market, estimated there are almost 800 ‘near-misses’ involving drivers and pedestrians on Bedale Street each week.
Bedale Street is a heaving thoroughfare that runs through the heart of Borough Market between Borough High Street and Cathedral Street. The market is one of London’s busiest tourist hotspots, attracting 30 million visitors each year.
Narrow pavements on Bedale Street mean pedestrians often spill into the middle of the road – particularly during weekends when the market is rammed with visitors.
We were told that representatives of the Market first approached the council with their concerns about the danger to the public two years ago – but their warnings fell on deaf ears.
Now, the council has at last taken action, bringing forward plans to install a temporary timed barrier at the junction of Bedale Street and Borough High Street. It will operate between 10am and 5pm on weekdays and 9am and 5pm at weekends, with only designated vehicles such as residents’ private cars, delivery vans and emergency services allowed to pass through.
It comes after MP Neil Coyle forced a meeting on April 30 between members of the Market Trust, Southwark Council officers and the Cabinet Member for Clean Air, Streets and Waste, James McAsh, in which the MP castigated the local authority for not addressing the issue sooner.
Coyle told us it was a “miracle” there hadn’t been an accident and accused the council of a “dereliction of duty”.
The measures come eight years after the Market was at the site of a deadly terror attack, when knife-wielding Jihadi terrorists charged down Stoney Street, attacking innocent diners. In the aftermath of the attack, concrete safety bollards were installed on Stoney Street.
COUNCIL FINALLY INSTALLS SAFETY MEASURES IN BOROUGH MARKET, AFTER MP SLAMS TWO YEAR WAIT
The report, carried out by the crowd safety company which worked on the King’s Coronation and Notting Hill Carnival, recommended that the council implement a series of measures including installing bollards and widening the pavements.
When we visited Bedale Street last month, we were told by one trader that the “only reason there hasn’t been an accident is because there are so many people that cars can’t gain enough speed to cause one.”
Responding to the announcement, Coyle said it was “good news that people will be able to visit the Market safely, but it has taken far too long.”
Cllr James McAsh said: “Borough
Market is one of Southwark’s most visited destinations and we’re working hard with partners to ensure it remains a safe place for residents, visitors, and traders.
“Bedale Street sees huge numbers of pedestrians, and too often they’re competing for space with vehicles. This temporary barrier will protect people walking, reduce traffic, and help us test a better long-term solution for access and safety in the area.”
The council said it would continue to explore a more permanent, unmanned access solution to ensure long-term safety and accessibility for all users of the area while the temporary barrier was in place.
By Issy Clarke
THE PLIGHT of a seven-year old girl undergoing a bone marrow transplant thanks to her nine year-old brother has touched the heart of her Walworth neighbours.
Zainab Bah often suffers bouts of “unbearable pain”, she can’t do PE lessons and she has never been on holiday. But thanks to a bone-marrow transplant by none other than her brave brother Abdurraheem the family hope that is all about to change.
He is just nine-years-old and the gift he is giving his little sister has seen neighbours so moved that they decided to fundraise for the family, as they battle to give Zainab a proper childhood free from pain.
A fun-day last weekend at Barlow
and Congreve TRA Hall raised nearly £3,000 for the family.
Delighted that the day went so well, with activities including a bouncy castle, face-painting and slime-making, the neighbours told us they had successfully raised £2,800 in donations - more than double their initial target of £1,000.
Zainab Bah, who attends English Martyr’s Primary School in Walworth and will turn eight this November, was born with sickle cell disease – an inherited blood disorder which prevents oxygen from getting to tissues and organs around the body.
Her mother Raihanatu hopes that, once the transplant is complete, Zainab will finally be free of the illness and able to live like her peers.
“[The transplant] is going to help her get better and have a better life”
she said.
“She’s been so sick since she was born, she has had so many surgeries. And now with this transplant if everything goes well she will be free from sickle cell disease.”
Zainab often suffers bouts of “unbearable pain”, her mum continued. “She has to be on a lot of painkillers, she needs to be on oxygen therapy a lot.
“She’s always tired – she can’t swim, she can’t do PE lessons and she has never been on holiday.”
Last year, Zainab had a particularly serious health scare. She had to spend three months in hospital, and ultimately lost her spleen.
It was then that the family were first told about the bone marrow transplant, which involves infusing healthy blood cells to replace bone marrow that is not working.
Pedestrians and vehicles jostle for space on Bedale Street – even when the market is virtually empty in the early hours of the morning, as was the case when the News visited
MP Neil Coyle convened a meeting of Market Trust representatives, Southwark Council officers and the Cabinet Member for Streets, James McAsh
Seven-year old Zainab Bah and Zainab’s brother, Abdurraheem, 9 (right)
Brockwell Hall is now open again thanks to a transformative £7.7 million investment from Lambeth Council, including £3.9 million funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and support of the Brockwell Park Community Partners. Be among the first to experience the timeless charm of this historic venue, which is beautifully restored to blend heritage with modern elegance. Whether you're planning a private celebration, a corporate or community event or simply want to explore, Brockwell Hall offers the perfect setting for any occasion. Book your event today and become part of the next chapter in Brockwell Hall’s rich history.
Established in 1813, Brockwell Hall is a stunning Grade II* listed Georgian Mansion House set centrally within the grounds of the historic Brockwell Park, surrounded by over 125 acres of abundant nature, with panoramic views of the City. Offering a variety of multipurpose spaces, Brockwell Hall is the ideal location for celebrations, conferences, and community events, with the capacity to accommodate up to 200 guests.
Contact us: venues@lambeth.gov.uk
@venuelambeth
TWO TEENAGERS CONVICTED OF MURDERING ROBERT ROBINSON IN DEPTFORD LAST YEAR
By Issy Clarke
TWO TEENAGERS have been convicted of savagely stabbing a young man to death as he ran for his life - following a dispute between feuding families.
Ryan Wedderburn, 18, and Kirk Harris, 19, both from Lewisham, were convicted on Tuesday, 13 May of the murder of 21-year-old Robert Robinson following a trial at the Old Bailey.
They will both be sentenced at the same court on Thursday, 15 May.
Detective Inspector Neil Tovey from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, who led the investigation, said: “I am pleased that we have today secured justice for the family and friends of Robert.
“He was stabbed to death in a brutal attack in a residential road when numerous families would have been home. Robert was a young man who had his whole life ahead of him, it was instead taken away by Wedderburn and Harris in a senseless attack. Robert tried to run for his life, but was chased down and viciously attacked.
“This was a cowardly attack on Robert, who was outnumbered and unarmed. His family listened to the details of the attack and watched the CCTV of Robert’s last moments.
“They also heard the evidence from Wedderburn and Harris where they attempted to justify their actions. I am pleased that the jury agreed with the evidence we presented to the court to prove their guilt.
“I would like to pay tribute to the dignity that Robert’s family and friends have shown throughout the trial.”
Police were called at about 10:35 pm on Thursday, 6 June last year to reports of a stabbing in Carteret Way, off Plough Way in Deptford. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended but despite their best efforts the victim, later identified as Robert, sadly died at the scene.
By Issy Clarke
A £15 million project to refurbish Blackfriars Bridge could be nearing completion, after being put on hold for two years due to work on the nearby Thames Tideway Tunnel super sewer.
The plan will involve painstakingly repairing more than 2,000 cast iron balusters – used to support the guardrails – alongside a complete paint job restoring its Victorian splendour.
The first stage of the renovation was
He had suffered 12 serious stab wounds, including injuries indicating he tried to defend himself from the attackers.
The court heard that on 6 June 2024, Robert had been with some friends who lived near Wedderburn. Those friends and the Wedderburn family had been close friends until October 2022 when they had a falling out. Tensions had been brewing since that time, with it coming to a head on 6 June 2024.
Earlier that day, one of Robert’s friends allegedly had his bike stolen by a man who was known to be friends with Wedderburn.
The court heard that the victim wanted to get his bike back, so the friends, Robert and a group went to Wedderburn’s house hoping they would find the bike
and the person who stole it. There was no answer, so the group eventually left the address. Some of the group then allegedly damaged two cars belonging to the Wedderburn family.
Shortly afterwards, Wedderburn and Harris left the property in Windlass Place armed with knives and walked to nearby Carteret Way.
The jury was told that when the defendants arrived at the property in Carteret Way, one of the friends, their mother and Robert spotted them approaching with the knives and ran away. The friend’s mother was on the phone to 999 at the time, reporting the earlier theft of the bike and her son being threatened. Robert was chased and overpowered by Wedderburn and Harris - who carried out a savage attack on him.
Police said Wedderburn and Harris then fled on foot and got into a waiting pre-arranged taxi, which was booked by a friend who was acquitted by the jury of perverting the course of justice.
Officers quickly arrived and Wedderburn was named by witnesses as being one of those involved. A 44-yearold man was arrested near the scene shortly afterwards on suspicion of murder. He was acquitted by the jury.
Knowing they were wanted, Harris and Wedderburn handed themselves into the police on 17 June and 19 June 2024 respectively.
Detectives tirelessly scoured CCTV from the area, which clearly showed not only the attack but the defendants being at the scene. The defendants were tracked from the scene and CCTV footage showed they
completed in 2023, but the second stage was delayed due to river navigation issues linked to the super sewer project.
Now, City Bridge Foundation, the ancient charity which looks after the
bridge at no cost to the taxpayer, is seeking a contractor to complete the project, due to be appointed this autumn.
Paul Martinelli, City Bridge Foundation chair, said: “The work we completed
two years ago has begun to restore the structure to its former glory.
“Unfortunately, our contractor was not able to obtain permission for the navigational closures required to
had discarded clothing and weapons. This led to searches of the Thames which recovered clothing worn during the attack and some of the murder weapons.
The defendants admitted their presence and all gave evidence in their defence attempting to justify their actions on the day. Both Wedderburn and Harris admitted to stabbing Robert, with Wedderburn claiming self-defence and Harris claiming he did not intend to cause serious harm.
However, CCTV captured Wedderburn and Harris arming themselves with knives and running along the corridor of the building before turning back and arranging for a cab to be booked, in which they later fled the scene. This evidence led to the defendants being charged and convicted as above.
complete the project, so we had no choice but to leave the project unfinished.
“With the neighbouring Tideway work due to finish in the autumn, we’re now in a position where we can go out to tender for a contractor to complete the project.
“The bridge refurbishment, which is being carried out at no cost to the taxpayer, will not only improve its appearance, but also protect the structure of the bridge and extend its lifespan.”
The original Blackfriars Bridge was the third Thames crossing to open in London after London and Westminster bridges.
The existing bridge was opened by Queen Victoria on November 6, 1869, the same day the monarch opened the nearby Holborn Viaduct, which shares its red, white and gold colour scheme.
The bridge piers feature stone carvings of birds designed by sculptor John Birnie Philip, with freshwater birds depicted on the upstream and seawater birds on the downstream side of the bridge.
City Bridge Foundation is a worldclass bridge owner responsible for five Thames crossings – including the iconic Tower Bridge – and London’s biggest independent charity funder.
Carteret Way off Plough Way in Deptford
Victim Robert Robinson
Kirk Harris. Credit: Met Police
Ryan Wedderburn.
Credit: Met Police
WATCHDOG ORDERS SOUTHWARK COUNCIL TO PAY COUPLE £17,000 COMPENSATION - FOR FAILING TO DEAL WITH A LEAK FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS
Ombudsman found weaknesses in two other councils and housing association Notting Hill Genesis on dealing with repairs
By Charlotte Lillywhite Local Democracy Reporter
A WATCHDOG ordered Southwark Council to pay £17,000 in compensation to a couple for failing to deal with their leak and also revealed weaknesses in the handling of repairs by two other London councils.
The Housing Ombudsman Service said investigations into Southwark, Newham and Wandsworth councils, along with housing association Notting Hill Genesis, had offered vital lessons as they transformed their housing services.
The findings came after the ombudsman slapped each landlord with a wider order requiring them to independently review housing procedures, after complaints from tenants raised concerns.
Results from the reviews included the introduction of a repairs policy, clearer timescales for repairs by third parties and system changes.
SOUTHWARK FAMILY’S 5 YEAR WAIT
THE OMBUDSMAN issued Southwark Council with a wider order after it paid £17,000 in compensation for failing to deal with a leak for more than five years.
The couple’s home was left covered with mould, while they struggled to cook for their kids as their electric oven had water damage. The couple said the situation affected their family to the point their children would often not want to come home.
The following review of cases involving leaks in Southwark, ordered by the ombudsman, found the council needed to publish a leaks policy, introduce ways to assess whether residents were happy with repairs and speed up processes for residents to report issues in their home.
A Southwark Council spokesperson apologised to the family and said it was already seeing positive results from the review – including the introduction of a housing complaints team, improved escalation between repairs and tenancy colleagues and better links between the disrepair team and staff dealing with leaks.
They said some actions related to processes and IT systems, which were being fed into a wider improvement project.
LEASEHOLDER HAD A 4 YEAR WAIT
WANDSWORTH COUNCIL received a wider order after failing to take “decisive enough action” to repair
a leak from a leaseholder’s roof for four years.
The investigation revealed the authority needed to be clearer about timelines and communication protocols for repairs.
Co-operatives managing blocks now have a complaints policy that mentions the Housing Ombudsman and have trained staff, while the council has a new repairs system for residents to report complaints that wider maintenance staff can access.
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson confirmed it had made “significant changes” to prevent the same issues happening again, including changes among housing staff, new software to deliver annual roof inspections and an agenda item at the regular co-operative forum to review complaint outcomes and lessons learned.
NEWHAM RESIDENT LEFT WITHOUT WORKING TOILET FOR MONTHS
THE OMBUDSMAN also gave Newham Council a wider order after it delayed fixing leaks at a resident’s home, and failed to temporarily move them.
This left her with damp, mould, dripping water and no working toilet for months.
The council apologised for failing to meet its “high standards” in the case, and confirmed it had completed all repairs to the property.
The wider investigation led to the council introducing a repairs policy to improve efficiency and transparency, with key timescales, how it will hold itself to account on performance and what it can fix.
The council added it had set up a
strategy to make sure repairs were completed adequately, including more reviews to assess the quality of repairs, a new case management system to better track damp and mould cases and staff refresher training.
NOTTING HILL GENESIS COMMITTED TO A WHOPPING £770 MILLION AS DAMP AND MOULD REPAIRS FOUND LACKING
THE OMBUDSMAN ordered Notting Hill Genesis to review its repairs services after it “unnecessarily prolonged” fixing damp and mould in a resident’s property, which left them with disrepair for “an unreasonable length of time”.
A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson acknowledged it had broken its own damp and mould policy in this case, and
that its handling of the repairs fell below the level of service it aimed to provide.
The review led to residents having greater say in the procurement of new repairs contractors for Notting Hill Genesis, along with more strategic oversight of its response to complaints. It is now logging more interactions on its systems to improve record keeping.
A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson added the review had led to “meaningful improvements”, with action to quickly remedy any presence of damp and mould. It had also committed £770million to improve the quality of its homes and introduced a new dedicated complaints department to offer greater independence from staff directly involved in any complaint.
GREATER POWERS - NEWHAM GOT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE, WHILE SOUTHWARK, WANDSWORTH AND NOTTING HILL GENESIS GOT THE SECOND
LOWEST SCORE
THE SOCIAL Housing Regulation Act, which came into force in 2024, gave the Housing Ombudsman Service and Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) greater powers to drive social landlords to improve services and the quality of their homes.
While the ombudsman’s reviews were published on Thursday (May 15), they were carried out before the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) inspected each landlord’s housing stock.
The RSH published the results of the inspections in late 2024 and 2025, which saw Newham Council receive a ‘C4’ rating for its performance in meeting consumer standards – the lowest possible score. It slapped Southwark and Wandsworth councils and Notting Hill Genesis with a ‘C3’ rating, which is the second lowest score.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “Complaints are a valuable tool for landlords as the sector actively seeks to improve services.
“These cases pre-date inspections by the Regulator of Social Housing.
“While issues identified in inspections will not always be evident in individual complaints, these complaints indicated concerns which were then identified in the inspection.
“The lessons from these independent reviews offer important insights for those landlords as they transform services.
“It also underscores how complaints can be an early indicator of emerging trends or unresolved issues that the landlord needs to grip.
“We know landlords are doing more to learn from complaints. However, this can still be inconsistent and only in response to our decisions rather than landlords themselves asking if issues could be wider than an individual case.
“Proactive learning from complaints can prevent residents experiencing distress, provide intelligence to the landlord on its services and support landlords to deliver outcomes against regulatory expectations.”
Wandsworth Council’s town hall
Southwark Town Hall
94-YEAR-OLD ALAN
RECEIVES QUEEN’S CORONATION MEDAL AFTER A 50-YEAR WAIT
By Louisa Woolf
A RETIRED City
of London
Police
Superintendent has finally received his Queen’s Coronation Medal, which has been owed to him for 50 years,
Alan Francis earned the medal in 1952, after spending 15 months drawing up a plan of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation procession route.
The 94-year-old was presented his medal by the City of London Police Chief Superintendent during a surprise ceremony, having believed he was simply visiting Bishopsgate Police to give another talk to new recruits about his life in policing.
After mentioning he had not received his medal in the 1950s due to an administrative error, a number of officers decided to secure Alan his forgotten medal, and have it presented to him in person.
Alan, who retired in 1978, said: “I’m surprised and very grateful to all of the officers for applying for this medal and presenting it to me.
“I didn’t think about it much at the time, but over the years I’ve come to realise there are not many of these
medals about and sadly not many of us who worked on the coronation still alive.”
Alan was offered the position of working on the coronation route, thanks to his exceptional handwriting skills, and was involved in measuring the whole route.
He added: “When I went to school, I wanted to please the teachers and they were very fussy about handwriting.
“I could copperplate write by the time I left school and still can today.
One day I went to book into the police station and there was a note requesting I went along to see an officer.
“They had done some research of pocket book entries and because of my handwriting I was asked to help him with the coronation plans.
“My daughter runs a nursery and I write the name plates. The children copy them so by the time they leave nursery they can write their name.”
In 1950, after completing his national service with the Royal Air Force Police in the UK and Germany, Alan began his career with the Metropolitan Police.
Five stabbed, hospitalised and arrested after a music event in Thamesmead
By Kevin Quinn
OFFICERS INVESTIGATING a violent incident at a music event in Thamesmead this weekend have made five arrests.
Five people were taken to hospital with stab wounds. Three of the victims sustained injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
Two other victims are still undergoing medical assessment.
Police were called at 04:19am to Nathan Way, on Saturday May 17 following reports of multiple people injured at a music event.
Those in hospital, aged 22, 24, 24, 31 and 32 have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.
Detective Inspector Steven Andrews, who is leading the investigation, said: “Officers responded quickly to provide medical assistance to the five injured people alongside the London Ambulance Service and ensure the safety of around 300 people, who were at this music event.
He was stationed at the Cannon Row Police Station in Westminster. Later in his career he joined the City of London Police, serving at Cloak Lane, Snow Hill, Bishopsgate and finally Wood Street Police Station.
Primary with only eight kids in reception will close
By Charlotte Lillywhite Local Democracy Reporter
A SOUTH London primary school with only eight students in Reception will close at the end of summer term due to falling pupil numbers.
Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet approved the closure of St Anne’s Church of England School, in Wandsworth, on Monday, May 12, after agreeing it was no longer financially viable.
The school’s governors proposed its closure in November after a dramatic decline in pupil numbers over the past five years resulted in funding cuts, straining its budget.
The school currently has 132 empty places out of 210 places overall, with only eight children joining its Reception class in September 2024. It has a surplus capacity of 63 per cent, above the council’s average vacancy level of 15 per cent.
A report by council officers said the school could no longer provide high-quality education for its pupils and remain financially viable, as it
had spent all of its reserves trying to plug the growing funding gap and faced a deficit of £215,068 by the end of 2026/27. It had already merged classes in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, it added, and could not make further cuts to match its fall in income.
Ana Popovici, Executive Director of Children’s Services, said governors came to the ‘very sad’ decision to close the school as a last resort, after working tirelessly with council officers to improve its finances.
She thanked them for ‘their bravery and unwavering commitment to do what’s right, even when that decision is difficult, emotional and potentially met with disappointment and challenge’.
Ms Popovici told the meeting it was ‘crucial that the decision on the future of the school is made in the best interest of the pupils at St Anne’s to ensure that they can receive the best possible education, the most enriching experiences and have all their needs met’.
Labour councillor Judi Gasser, Cabinet Member for Children, agreed governors had ‘tried everything’ to
Chief Superintendent Helen Isaac QPM said: “It was a pleasure to present Alan with his Queen’s Coronation Medal after all these years and especially because of his work on
ensuring the procession went to plan.
“I’d also like to thank all of the officers involved in researching and securing his medal.
“It is so important that we learn from the past and I know Alan’s talk really enlightened our officers to what policing was like and how we can always improve in the future.”
“The five men who have been injured have been arrested for violent disorder and we continue to work to establish any wider involvement.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or message @MetCC on X giving the reference 1106/17MAY25. To remain 100 per cent anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
keep the school open and were sure pupils would ‘prosper in alternative schools’. She said: “It’s a horrible decision to make. Nobody wants to decide to close the school.
“But, as Ana said, it’s about the best interests of the pupils, actually, because they know that the school is now no longer financially sustainable, and that’s no reflection on the quality of the education or the quality of the service there. It’s a lovely school, but the pupil numbers have been going
down and down.”
Three out of five responses to the council’s consultation on proposals to close the school, held from March 10 to April 6, supported the plans. The report said alternatives to the school’s closure were suggested, but the governors had already explored these and ruled them out as possible solutions.
Now that the closure of the school on August 31 has been approved, governors will begin working with pupils and staff to find them
alternative places locally. Councillor Gasser said there were enough places available for pupils in local schools rated ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and the transition would be made ‘as smooth as possible’.
The closure follows a recent trend in London linked to falling birth rates and families moving out of the city as the cost of living rises. A string of school closures have been announced across the city including in Southwark, Hackney and Islington.
St Anne’s Church of England School, Wandsworth. Google Maps
TRAIN TIMETABLE CHANGES AFFECTING SOUTH EAST LONDON
The
By Cameron Blackshaw Local Democracy Reporter
NATIONAL RAIL launched its new timetable across the country last Sunday (May 18), with Southeastern making some changes to its services that will affect rail users in South East London.
Meanwhile the line between Charlton and Blackheath will be closed for 10 weeks from Sunday as Network Rail will be carrying out essential repairs on the 175-year-old, milelong Blackheath Tunnel which will cost £10 million.
During this period from May 18 to July 27, trains will be diverted via Greenwich, stopping additionally at Westcombe Park, Maze Hill, Greenwich and Deptford.
Connections from Lewisham to the Woolwich line can be made by using the DLR
between Lewisham and Greenwich, with tickets being accepted on the DLR at no extra cost.
With the general timetable changes coming into effect, on the Bexleyheath line from Charing Cross to Dartford and Gravesend via Bexleyheath, there will be an additional service on weekdays at 10.25am from Charing Cross to Dartford, and an additional weekday service at 3.23pm from Dartford to Charing Cross.
The 7.23am train from Dartford to Charing Cross will now have 12 carriages instead of 10, and the 6.07pm service from Cannon Street to Strood via Bexleyheath will be extended to Rochester.
On the Sidcup line, a new 10-carriage train will replace an older one for the 7.33am service from Gravesend to Charing Cross.
The 6.20pm train from Charing Cross to Gravesend will also be extended from eight
carriages to 10.
On the Hayes line with trains running between Charing Cross and Catford Bridge, Elmers End and Hayes, some trains will be retimed on weekdays to “improve the interval between services and to reduce overcrowding”.
Also, from 4.18pm and each half hour until 7.18pm, trains will depart later from Charing Cross and the interval from London Bridge will be changed from the current 9/21 minute interval to a 13/17 minute interval.
On the Grove Park line running between London and Bromley North, Orpington and Sevenoaks via Grove Park, the 7.22am train from Orpington to Cannon Street will have 10 carriages rather than eight.
The 7.50am train from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross and the 4.31pm and 7.01pm trains from Charing Cross will be lengthened to 12 carriages from 10.
21-YEAR OLD FROM SYDENHAM CHARGED WITH ARSON ATTACK ON KEIR STARMER’S PRIVATE HOUSE
By Issy Clarke
A 21-YEAR-OLD man from Sydenham has been charged over a series of fires at two properties and a car connected with the Prime Minister.
Roman Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national, has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life.
The charges, which were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, relate to three incidents - a car fire in Kentish Town on 8 May, a fire at the entrance of a property in Islington on 11
May and a fire at a residential address in Kentish Town in the early hours of 12 May.
Due to the connection of the properties with the Prime Minister, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have led the investigation into the fires. Lavrynovych appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court last Friday, May 16. A second man Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, of Romford, a Romanian national, faces conspiracy charges and a third man aged 34-year-old was arrested on Monday, 19 May, in the Chelsea area, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
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deptfoRd 164 deptford high Street, LONdON, SE8 3dP T: 020 8694 1384
eAst london 378 barking Road, Plaistow LONdON, E13 8hL T: 020 7476 1861 wAlwoRth 88 brandon Street, LONdON, SE17 1Nd T: 020 7313 6990
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Walworth Road Post Office
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ALLEYN’S NORTHWARD EXPANSION IS ABOUT ‘EDUCATION NOT FINANCES’ SAYS HEAD, AS SCHOOL CONSIDERS OVERSEAS OPPORTUNITIES
EXCLUSIVE
By Issy Clarke
THE HEAD of Dulwich private school Alleyn’s says ‘education not finances’ has driven its new partnership with a global education group.
In a wide-ranging interview with this paper following the deal’s announcement, she maintained that preventing ‘unsustainable fee increases’ and protecting bursaries were priorities as she eyed overseas expansion.
Earlier this year the school made headlines after announcing plans to open two new Alleyn’s-branded schools north of the river in partnership with Cognita, which runs some 100 private schools worldwide and is estimated to hold a valuation in the ‘billions’.
In September 2025, North Bridge House prep school in Regent’s Park will reopen as Alleyn’s Regent’s Park. North Bridge House Hampstead will follow suit a year later, becoming Alleyn’s Hampstead for children aged 2-18.
Cognita’s owners are currently exploring a sale, which has attracted interest from several private equity firms including Permira, CVC and Blackstone.
In an exclusive interview, Head Jane Lunnon said she could not disclose how much the school stood to make from the expansion, but added she was “delighted” with the deal - especially given this year’s VAT hike on fees.
“I can’t tell you that because it is commercially sensitive,” she replied when pressed on the finer details of the agreement.
“But clearly, our service is valuable and we are delighted that it is a part of this deal.
“Obviously we have governors who care about the financial benefits long-term –we’ve been around for 400 years, they want the charity to be around for another 400 years.”
She added: “But they’re not the first and driving reason for the work we’re doing.”
When asked whether Alleyns’ directors were eyeing new opportunities abroad, Lunnon said this is ‘definitely something that we’re looking at’.
“We are in advanced discussions but
we are being very careful with the partners we align with, as there has to be a values connection there,” she confirmed.
When asked why the school had made the move and whether a cash injection would fund more bursaries and scholarships, she emphasised that it was a partnership and not a merger.
“Alleyn’s will be providing the education and the name, while the schools will continue to be owned and run by current owners Cognita,” she said. She insisted the financial benefits were “absolutely not the drive” behind the partnership.
“I’m an educationalist - my thing always is how can we reach more kids with an education that is truly transformative,” she added.
“We spent ages in finding the partner that we wanted to work with. And the reason we chose Cognita is because we believe there is a really clear alignment of values.”
And, in a carefully worded response, Lunnon avoided directly answering whether money made from the partnership will be used to fund more bursaries, but hinted that absorbing some of the VAT costs that would otherwise be felt by parents is a priority, adding: “We will protect our bursary funding. It’s a very sizeable financial commitment to bursary provision, and we do not want to in any way jeopardise that.
“And indeed we will absolutely continue our fundraising work, and if we can
continue to grow that. So much the better. But at the same time, we also want to protect our parents from unsustainable fee increases going forward. That is obviously a really important part of this.”
Private schools have long chased the financial benefits of expanding; although this has traditionally involved establishing outposts significantly further afield than Hampstead. Dulwich College has schools in China, Singapore, Seoul and Myanmar. Harrow School, which has ten overseas branches, recently announced plans to open a boarding school in Abu Dhabi next year.
Lunnon, who entered the role in January 2021, admitted she was “shocked” when the government slapped 20 per cent VAT on private schools in January. Since then, the school confirms it has passed on 15.5 per cent of the tax onto parents.
“We all expected it to come into force in September” she explained.
Governors quickly swooped in, underwriting the fees of several families to ensure no one had to leave halfway through the school year. Alleyn’s fees, including VAT, are currently around £10,000 a term.
Lunnon highlighted how the school wanted to support the ‘squeezed middle’, for whom sending their children to the prestigious school was a real sacrifice, especially in light of the Labour government’s VAT reform.
Rathbones, a wealth management firm,
has estimated the VAT hike could raise the cost of sending a child to private school in London for their entire education by up to £95,000.
Meanwhile, the Treasury says the tax will raise around £1.725 billion extra a year for the public purse, including 6,500 new state school teachers. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended the policy saying most middle class parents are already unable to afford a private education due to already skyrocketing fees. According to the Schools Guide, The average yearly fee for a day school student, in London, is around £17,562.
Alleyn’s was founded in 1619 as a charity dedicated to educating poor scholars by Edward Alleyn, an Elizabethan actor and entrepreneur.
In the 19th century the school split in two, with the ‘Upper School’ opening as Dulwich College for the sons of wealthy elites while the ‘Lower School’ became Alleyn’s, primarily catering to the aspirational middle class.
Today, 10 per cent of pupils at Alleyn’s receive bursary funding paid out of protected endowed funds. Last year, the school gave out means-tested bursaries to 116 pupils, covering on average 94 per cent of the full fee.
Compared to the sector as a whole, Alleyn’s performs slightly better than many other leading private schools when it comes to scholarship provision.
A report by The Private Education Policy
bursaries.
A spokesperson for the Good Schools Guide told us the trend for expansion was being copied across the sector.
“London is a competitive market for private education but with VAT on school fees and the more recent loss of business rates relief, even the capital’s most glittering private schools fear losing a little of their lustre.
“Like all UK private schools, they must find ways to secure future streams of prospective pupils and shore up their finances in order to maintain high standards. “The number of charitable private schools has been in steady decline over recent years.
“The Good Schools Guide has worked with schools and parents for 40 years and we know that the appeal of private education though, despite everincreasing fees, remains undiminished.
“Private equity has also noticed this and gradually moved in to take a slice of the market.
“The resulting commercial school groups have demonstrated the benefits of centralized administration and economies of scale.
“It’s no surprise, then, that even those traditional charitable schools see this as a way to save money in the face of current economic challenges.”
Forum (PEPF) last year found that the 200 wealthiest private schools in England spent on average just six per cent of their overall fee income on means-tested
Jane Lunnon has been in the role since 2021
Supermarket toilet closure is condemned by man with Crohn’s
By Cameron Blackshaw
Local Democracy Reporter
A SOUTH Londoner with Crohn’s disease has called on Sainsbury’s to reopen toilets in its Bromley superstore, saying people like him are being limited without easy access to the facilities.
While one disabled toilet remains open at the supermarket in Walters Yard, the closure of the main toilets following vandalism and “misuse” means asking a member of staff for the key. In Olly Russell’s case, that means he feels “limited” because he fears being caught short.
The 41-year-old, who lives in Shortlands, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Having access to a toilet is incredibly important because sometimes you get caught short and you just have to go. “If you only have one toilet for everybody – so people with physical disabilities, people with unseen disabilities, mothers with their children, all of that – it’s not workable.”
Crohn’s is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes parts of the gut to become inflamed, swollen, and ulcerated. Symptoms include gut pain, diarrhoea, weight loss and fatigue.
Mr Russell believes that the toilet closure will negatively affect customers with medical conditions like Crohn’s, as well as the elderly and parents with young children. In response to Sainsbury’s decision to close the toilets over their misuse and vandalism, Mr Russell said that staff and security guards at the store should take more notice of the toilets on a day-to-day basis in order to prevent any misuse from
occurring.
He said: “With Sainsbury’s doing this, it will eventually affect their bottom line. Maybe not in a very clear way, but for a certain subset of people who do have disabilities, it can change where you go to shop.
“I’m not asking for any real special treatment. All I want is the option for a toilet I can just access instantly without a passcode or without a key or without some sort of rigmarole because often, you’ve not got much time.”
Sam Webber, a Liberal Democrat Bromley councillor, has also criticised the closure. He feared that if the Sainsbury’s toilets in Bromley continue to remain closed, it could have a domino effect on the supermarket chain’s other stores in the borough, such as the ones in Beckenham, Penge, Orpington, Chislehurst and Locksbottom.
Cllr Webber said: “I raised this issue in the Bromley Council chamber because I am very concerned about the impact on our most vulnerable residents. Those with conditions like Crohn’s, as well as elderly residents and those with children, should not be forced to queue up and request a key for the disabled toilet in the Bromley Sainsbury’s store.
“I am even more concerned that the other five Sainsbury’s superstores will gradually see their toilets closed too. I hope Sainsbury’s will now think again on this. If not, I suspect many of their customers will be voting with their feet and shopping elsewhere.”
Marianne Radcliffe, CEO of charity
Crohn’s & Colitis UK, said: “Public toilets are vital for people living with Crohn’s and colitis, because symptoms include needing to use the loo frequently and urgently. While it is good that an accessible toilet will still be available at this supermarket, customers will still have to spend time finding a staff member to get a key to open it. And that will be challenging due to needing toilet access quickly.
“Crohn’s and colitis are among a number of invisible conditions, so it is important to remember that someone may look fine, but need toilet access urgently; not every disability is visible. Crohn’s & Colitis UK works in partnership with other charities as part of the London Loo Alliance to remind people that toilet access plays a crucial part in making sure London is the welcoming city we all need it to be.”
In response to the concerns raised by Mr Russell, a Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Due to ongoing challenges with misuse, we made the difficult decision to close some of the toilets at our Bromley store last year and are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Our accessible toilet remains available for customers who may need it, with our colleagues on hand to provide access.”
Boxing club finally finds a home - but needs help to fit it out
By Harrison Galliven Local Democracy Reporter
A CROYDON boxing club evicted from its home of five years has found a new space for its members but it needs to raise £25,000 to fit out the space.
New Addington Amateur Boxing Club (NAABC) says it is nearly ready to reopen, having been forced to suspend its sessions for disadvantaged kids due to the eviction, and is calling on the public for one last push of support.
After being forced to shut in February when Croydon Council sold off its previous home, the club has now secured a permanent base at Meridian High School. Now it just needs the cash to make the space suitable for its needs.
“We are at that stage where we are doing our best to raise that and get in there,” said NAABC Head Coach Bill Graham.
“Everything is on the right path, it’s not going as fast as we’d like it to, but we’re so grateful that we still have a club and a home.”
In September last year, Graham received the news he had long feared, that Croydon Council planned to sell the land on which the club was located. The site, located at 90 Central Parade just across from the
main shopping street, had been home to the club since March 2020.
It was one of many council-owned assets put up for sale as part of efforts to tackle what the authority describeds as a “toxic debt” of £1.4 billion.
The council has said it is working with all tenants and groups affected by these disposals, which have included car parks and shopping complexes. But for NAABC, the sale meant an immediate and unexpected closure, leaving 400-plus members without a place to train.
The new space at Meridian High School on Fairchildes Avenue is a disused home
economics room full of sinks and other kitchen equipment. Graham said: “We have to clear all of that out, which involves cost, hence why we are raising money at the moment.”
The club needs to raise £25,000 to make the space usable. This will mean gutting the room, making new toilets, and making space for the club’s ring and equipment, which have been stored at the school since earlier this year.
On its fundraising page, the club said it wants to continue “coaching discipline and life skills to the next generations”, and described itself as “an asset to the
upcoming youth of today”.
Speaking earlier this year, former NAABC member Aaron Coates described the importance of the club to local young people. “I hear a lot of people dying up here; they are often friends of my friends,” said Aaron.
He added: “If it weren’t for boxing, I don’t know what I would do. It would be bedlam if they moved this place.”
Young members are desperate to return to training. “There’s a bit of impatience going on, but they are over the moon that they have still got their club,” said Graham. “I keep reassuring them that we will have
some normality eventually, but at the moment it is just not practical to open.”
The club is still finalising a licence agreement with the school, but Graham admits they can’t move in until the funding is in place. He also praised the support the club has received from Labour’s Croydon Mayor candidate Rowenna Davis and Natasha Irons MP. He added: “The school itself has been fantastic, and we are just reaching out to the public for a bit of help now.”
The fundraising page can be found at justgiving.com under New Addington Boxing Club
Olly Russell poses for photos outside Sainsbury’s in Bromley
£20,000 REWARD AFTER MAN WAS SHOT ON CLAPHAM COUNCIL ESTATE
By Kevin Quinn
POLICE HAVE put up a £20,000 reward after a man was shot on a South London estate, potentially witnessed by up to 40 people
The large cash reward comes as police have spent a year trying to piece together evidence over the shooting of 26-year-old Jazmel Patterson-Low in the early hours of Saturday May 11 last year on the Westbury Estate in St Rule Street, Clapham.
Detective Inspector Martin Thorpe said:
“It has been a year since the death of Jazmel and we are still actively searching for those involved.
“We want to know what happened that morning on St Rule Street SW8. We know there was a group of around 40 people gathered there on Friday evening and into the early hours of Saturday morning. If you were there, then you may have crucial information for us.
“I am grateful to those who have come forward already, however we still need more from the public. This is why we are now offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information that leads to the successful charge and conviction of the person responsible.
“Think back to last May, did you witness what happened to Jazmel?
“Do you know who fired the gun?
It is believed that up to 40 people may have witnessed the shooting of Jazmel Patterson-Low
“Did you see anyone running from the St Rule Street area?
“If you know what happened, then you need to speak to us.
“We will support you throughout, you can also contact Crimestoppers to remain anonymous and your identity will be protected. Alliances change over time, so please do the right thing by coming forward.”
Police were called to St Thomas’ Hospital on May 11, 2024, at around 2.30am after Jazmel was dropped off there in a private car, suffering from a gunshot injury.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Jazmel, who lived in Lambeth, sadly died half an hour later shortly after 3:00am.
Police believe Jazmel was shot at around 2:25hrs that morning on the Westbury Estate in St Rule Street. A post-mortem
Plans unveiled to turn former Ministry of Defence estate into private school
By Charlotte Lillywhite Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to turn a former Ministry of Defence (MoD) building into a private school have been recommended for approval.
Richmond Council officers ruled proposals to expand Radnor House School by moving it to Kneller Hall, in Whitton, would “increase educational choice for parents” – including the addition of 44 places for children with special educational needs.
Pupils in years 7 to 13 at Radnor House School would move to Kneller Hall School under the plans from Dukes Education, which bought the 30-acre site from the MoD in 2021. Extra forms would be added to the school each year, with it expanding from an initial capacity of 520 pupils to eventually admit up to 1,000 students.
Kneller Hall is a Grade II listed mansion, built in the 1700s, which was home to the Royal Military School of Music for almost 170 years.
Modern buildings on the site would be demolished under the plans, while Kneller Hall and a former guard room and band practice hall would be converted into the new school. The plans include a new sports centre with a swimming pool,
outdoor sports pitches, sports pavilion, music centre and forest school.
Local schools and groups would be allowed to use the outdoor sports facilities and forest school, mainly in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays.
Radnor House School would become a junior school for up to 300 students.
The council’s Planning Committee will make a final decision on the proposals on May 21. A new report by officers said the plans would improve a “vacant underused site”, resulting in a “positive legacy for both Whitton and the wider borough”.
The report added: “The council welcomes the continued use of the site for education and the reuse of the existing Grade II listed Kneller Hall and curtilage listed former guard room and band practice hall. The proposed works to Kneller Hall, the guard house and the former band practice hall protect and enhance these important buildings and are supported, subject to further details by condition.
“Most modern buildings on the site will be demolished for redevelopment… the new buildings are being built to a height and scale which is appropriate for its context, and will not harm the wider setting of Kneller Hall or the area in general.”
examination gave cause of death as a single gunshot wound.
Jazmel’s family continue to receive support from specially trained officers and say the £20,000 reward should encourage anyone with information to come forward as they seek justice for his bereaved family.
A 25-year-old man was arrested in south London three days after the shooting, in the early hours of Tuesday, 14 May 2024, on suspicion of murder. He was taken into custody but subsequently released without charge.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to call 101 quoting Op Bulbhorn or CAD 884/11MAY24. You can also submit information via this MIPP link. To remain 100 per cent anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
Victim Jazmel Patterson-Low
The Historic Hall Could Become A Private Secondary School Richmond Council
of Kneller Hall School.
Education, provided in Richmond Council planning documents
what’s on
Artist Stella still working at 96
STELLA CARDEW, possibly the oldest working artist in Southwark, gave us an exclusive interview to discuss her next exhibition, writes Michael Holland. I spoke to her after the Life Writing class she attends at Copleston Centre, close to where she lives in Peckham. Other members of the group tell me how Stella sometimes writes about the famous people that have crossed her life over the years as if she was nonchalantly talking about the local vicar. Names like Yoko Ono, William Burroughs and Alan Ginsberg crop up, as well as a multitude of big-name artists that she studied with or befriended.
There is the touch of the avant-garde about Stella, which probably comes from her years at The Royal College of Art and being married to Cornelius Cardew, the experimental composer.
She could be seen as other-worldly, which is reflected in some of her art where angels sometimes dwell. She definitely has a sparkle in her eye and is always keen to talk about art. - though, coyly, not her own. But I pressed.
She tells me that she paints or draws just about every day. Now, though, with the restrictions that being 96 brings, her sketching is confined mainly to her garden or around her home. That means there will be several floral paintings, birds in trees and a few of vases, perhaps, but this year Ms Cardew has pulled out some of her old life study drawings and painted clothes on them!
I asked why, and with her finger firmly plugged into the 2020s’ Zeitgeist, replied, ‘Nobody wants nude sketches on their walls these days.’
Her old sketches, already alive with movement and verve, have been
A very original and touching experience
SETTING ROMEO and Juliet in the in the Wild West might seem bizarre but if the director Sean Holmes was not going to use 15th century Verona, he needed an era when it was not unusual to have fighting in the street, writes Elizabeth Carlin.
The plain wooden boarding, increasingly blood stained, suggesting a saloon with swing doors, and an upper story that swung open, disguised the classical pillars and provided valuable opportunity for sudden entrances, exits and surprise appearances.
Grant Olding’s music added a flourish, pathos or menace to these activities and also provided a spirited accompaniment to the often funny set-piece dances that occurred throughout. For the first third of this performance there were a lot of laughs, often provided by Peter, (Darmesh Patel) who also provided the voice of authority as the Prince.
Benvolio, (Roman Asde) set the scene and the opening skirmishes between the Montagues and Capulets and the preparations for the ball were rushed through at speed. Michael Elcock (as Mercutio) and Benvolio discuss the
lovesick Romeo with much bawdy wit and the Queen Mab speech was a showstopper involving audience interaction.
Romeo (Rawead Asde) is persuaded to go to the ball, masked to meet his love Rosalinde. The audience has been introduced to Juliet (Lola Shalam) and her nurse (Jamie-Rose Monk) and Capulet’s (Colm Gormley’s) intention to marry his daughter off to Paris (Joe Reynolds). The ball scene is cleverly handled; Capulet starts the dance, which is both formal and silly, a line dance accompanied by the ban, which has appeared through the upper opening. (There’s a very funny bit of business when Capulet, at one time irritated by the plucking, shouts “stop that banjo”).
The dance is briefly interrupted by the arrival of Romeo and his mates and as they join in, the music, a version of ‘Don’t you rock me daddy-o!’, underlines Romeo’s first sight of Juliet. The movement around the stage makes it clear they have both been struck by love at first sight and is sufficient to alarm Paris, who whisks her away. Tybalt (Callum Callaghan) also recognises him
transformed into new oil paintings, the form of the figure very evident beneath the material.
I asked about her current palette and she tripped off the primary colours. She had, though, revealed in the writing class that she never wears red herself but will use it quite a lot in her work, so I predict there could be several red dresses on show soon.
I wanted to know how she would describe this upcoming show: ‘These are bold paintings, no holds barred, yet still harmonious and evocative, transporting you to a different world.’
Jeannie Avent Gallery, 14 North Cross Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 9EU (jeannieavent.com).
Dates: 22/5/2025 to 3/6/2025.
Times: Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays: 11am-5pm. Admission: Free.
as a Capulet.
So far so amusing. The production emphasises the impulsivity of Romeo, a trait which is given an essay in the programme, both the advantages and disadvantages of such behaviour being discussed. The space of the Globe begins to be used very effectively when Romeo hides from his friends in the pit and when the balcony, complete with Juliet is wheeled through the groundlings towards the stage.
It is then the mood begins to change. Romeo speaks eloquently of his love and Juliet’s response hits the right tone. Friar Lawrence (John Lightbody) is allowed a much more dominating role in this production than in any others I’ve seen and speaking his lines clearly, talks of the dangers and dual value of the herbs he is using, foretelling the tragic ending. The impulsive theme again recurs as he readily agrees to marry the pair.
The fights are frenzied and frequent with flashing knives and gunshots. Romeo, flushed with joy from his marriage and looking forward to his wedding night, is unable to stop Tybalt killing Mercutio and in a rage killing Tybalt himself. The deaths are anguished and lengthy as if to emphasise that all humour is gone. As the deaths increase the corpses arise and sit on one of the four chairs against the back wall. A curious device, but potent. By the end, all four chairs are occupied: Mercutio, Tybalt, Juliet and Paris. Only Juliet arises, in her wedding gown, from the dead, but soon joins her Romeo.
Friar Lawrence’s plan has of course completely misfired. The plot so familiar has been enlivened by this production and after a rather static start, drew the audience in to a very original and at times touching experience.
Shakespeare’sGlobe, Bankside, SE1 until August 2nd. Booking and full details: https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/ whats-on/romeo-and-juliet/#details
If there’s a message it’s buried too deep
IT’S NOT often you get a new show with a credit list like this: inspired by two Buñuel films (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel), with a book by David Ives and the final music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim... Here We Are arrives carrying the weight of all that talent but for all the promise, the show never quite finds its feet, writes Katie Kelly.
The first act follows a group of ultra-rich New Yorkers trying, and repeatedly failing, to get brunch in a series of increasingly surreal restaurants. The satire is obvious, though at times enjoyably silly. There are laughs—especially thanks to a brilliantly versatile performance by Denis O’Hare as a carousel of exasperated waiters. Chumisa Dornford-May also stands out with pitch-perfect vocals as Fritz, a walking stereotype of a trustafarian kid.
The music in this half is recognisably Sondheim but lacking a single memorable song and any emotional resonance. The decision to abandon music entirely in the second half is jarring. The shift leaves the whole thing feeling lopsided.
Act Two takes a surreal turn. Having finally managed a meal at an embassy, the group decide to stay the night—and then discover, inexplicably, that they can’t leave. As cabin fever sets in, food and water run low, a revolutionary butler turns on them and various oddities ensue: It snows indoors. A bear appears, then vanishes. If there’s a message in all this, it’s buried too deep for me to unearth.
The one constant pleasure is the staging. The production opens in a gleaming white box that morphs and unfolds in increasingly dazzling ways. When the embassy interior was revealed, one sensed an almost audible gasp across the stalls—I was right there with them.
Here We Are is strange, stylish, and at times darkly funny—but it’s also confused. It doesn’t seem sure what it wants to say or how it wants to say it. There are glimpses of brilliance, but as a whole, it strikes a flat note.
National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 until 28th June.
Booking and full details: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/
Photo by Tristram Kenton
Photo by Marc Brenner
Heading south - our pick of upcoming spring events
Taylor Swift Tribute Show (Strings Version), Woolwich Works
Taylor Swift took the world by storm at her international ‘Eras Tour’ between 2023 and 2024. City Strings Ensemble are continuing the hype with a night of her biggest hits, performed by a live string quartet. This one-night-only affair marks the launch of City String Ensemble’s new Taylor Swift string quartet album, spanning all of Taylor’s ‘eras’. The concert is even interactive, with audiences having the rare opportunity to shape the string quartet’s setlist by voting for additional hits to be performed live. You can expect a fresh, innovation and modern twist to the concert experience and celebrate the work of Taylor Swift through a classical lens.
Date: Friday 6th June 2025. Time: Doors open at 6:30pm
Location: Woolwich Works, The fireworks Factory, Woolwich, London, SE18 6HD
Tickets: Book here: https://www.woolwich.works/events/taylor-swift-musicreimaginedunofficial-tribute-show for £22 per person
LGBT+ Art Market, Deptford Lounge
Kick-off pride month with an art and makers fair at Deptford Lounge, organised by the team at LDN QUEER MART. This is a day filled with upcoming queer makers, crafter and artists. You can expect tarot readings, tooth gems, ceramics, clothing, jewellery and more. LDN QUEER MART champion diversity and are a community of queer artists and small businesses. The event will showcase over 120 up and coming stalls, from a wide range of artistic backgrounds. Date: Sunday 1st June 2025
Time: 11am – 7pm
Location: Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin Street, SE8 4RJ
Tickets: You can book here: https://deptfordlounge.org.uk/whats-on/event/ldn-queermart-lgbtqia-artmarket/ on a ‘pay what you can basis’ (suggested donation of £2)
Close Up Magic, Churchill Theatre
Experience up close magic in this popular evening at Churchill Theatre in Bromley. The evening will showcase some of the best magicians directly from the Magic Circle. The audience will get to experience these magic tricks in an intimate setting with opportunities to get involved in the show themselves. Prepare to be amazed! Please note this event is suitable for those aged 11 and older.
Date: Friday 6th June 2025 Time: 8pm
Location: Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley, BR1 1HA
Tickets: Book here: https://trafalgartickets.com/ churchilltheatre-bromley/en-GB/event/other/ close-up-magic-06jun-tickets for £23 per ticket
‘Bach
to Baby’ Concert in Greenwich
Bach to Baby’s critically acclaimed concerts provide an opportunity for carers to take their babies and toddlers to a classical concert, but they can make as much noise as they like! Take some time out of your busy day to dance with the children whilst hearing performances from outstanding musicians. Join Bach to Baby at Christ Church in Greewnich to hear Christina Lawrie on Piano for ‘Keys to Romance’, all 88 of them! Do the Wedding Dance with Grieg and listen to ballads of far off lands. All topped off with your favourite nursery rhymes! This event is suitable for everyone: all ages, disabilities and backgrounds.
Date: Sunday 1st June
Time: 3pm – 3:45pm
Location: Christ Church, Trafalgar Road, SE10 9EQ
Tickets: Book here: https://www.bachtobaby.com/greenwichmusicconcerts-for-baby-and-family for an adult tickets for £16, which allows up to 2 children for free
Louisiana State University Chamber Choir Concert, St. Alfege Church
Join the Louisiana State University Chamber Choir at St. Alfege Church in Greenwich for a free concert. It will explore a variety of scared, spiritual and classical music in a mixed voice choir. It’s titled Moving Through Time and is free, but donations are welcome.
Date: Monday 2nd June
Time: 7pm
Location: St. Alfege Church, SE10 8NA
Tickets: Free, no ticket required
History
FROM MEDIEVAL VILLAGE TO THE HOME OF SOME OF LONDON’S TALLEST BUILDINGS
By Debra Gosling
NEWINGTON BUTTS is a pretty chaotic place to pass through, especially at the moment with all the new developments going upand up and up. Phew, I get giddy just straining my head to see the tops of the flats.
It’s all a bit too ‘space age’ for me but this is the future I suppose. It’s certainly pretty hard to believe that this area used to be a village, Niwetun. Yet it wasn’t the flower power 1960’s fad to demolish all the old buildings but Hitler who obliterated so much of its fabric.
The Medieval village was a waterlogged and marshy place. In the 13th century it had a church, archery butts, a village maypole and meadow land. There were orchards, a farm, stables and market gardens.
But where does the name ‘Newington Butts’ come from? A butt is an archery shooting field, with mounds of earth used for the targets. The name originally referred to the targets themselves, but over time came to mean the platforms that held them.
Materials such as layered straw, animal hides, and reinforced wood were used to enhance the performance and longevity of archery butts. Henry Vlll decreed that all boys and men had
to practice archery every Sunday - a precursor to Sunday morning football leagues?
From rural beginnings the area developed into a busy urban thoroughfare, which today retains its parochial heart.
The church of St Mary Newington is now in Kennington Park Road but the original building stood in what is now St Mary Newington Gardens. It was rebuilt a number of times with the first church laid out in the fourteenth century.
The last structure was demolished in 1876 and a clock tower was erected on its site. Sadly this was taken down in 1972 due to safety issues but it can be seen on many old postcards.
Now the churchyard has been relandscaped and the majority of the old gravestones cleared. However, it remains consecrated ground and the polished stone plaques marking the clock tower’s site are still in place, sunken into the ground.
There was a 13th century wooden parsonage house which was originally surrounded by a moat. Here was a small water-course, the river Tigris, believed to be part of King Canute’s trench (built to gain access to the fortified City of London).
In 1823, the ground was excavated for
sewer work and posts were uncovered with rings for mooring barges. It was recorded that an elderly parishioner remembered when “the boats came up as far as the church at Newington”.
The parsonage was demolished in 1872 and St Gabriel’s Chapel of Ease was built in its place. This, in turn, became redundant in 1936 and demolished a year later. St Gabriel Walk marks the chapel’s site.
In 2011, archaeologists excavated the site of the graveyard where a concentration of child and female burials was uncovered. These people lived in a time of uncontrolled diseases; Tuberculosis, diphtheria and cholera were rife and childbirth very dangerous for both mother and baby. There was clear evidence of the illegal practice of grave robbing. Stolen corpses were delivered, for a fee, to local hospitals for medical students to dissect. The remains would be returned and buried in unauthorised disposal sites in the graveyard. Despite the Burial Act of 1832, it was actually the increase of funerary embalming that stopped this most unpleasant crime.
But it wasn’t all gloom and doom. Long before the Southwark Playhouse moved in there was the Newington Butts Theatre. It was outside the
jurisdiction of the City of London, so it had the advantage of playing through the summer months. Elsewhere, this was banned for fear of plague.
Newington Butts Theatre opened in 1576 and was one of the earliest Elizabethan theatres. Lord Strange’s Men, a troupe of acrobats and jesters, played here. By 1588 the company was given over to famous actors of the day. Its location is believed to be near the junction of Newington Butts and New Kent Road. It stood for just twenty years.
The widened Victorian roads attracted shops to the passing traffic and, by the mid-Victorian era, a high street was rapidly developing. By the 1920s the Butts had numerous pubs, china merchants, carpet sellers, wardrobe dealers, clock makers and piano dealers; everything required to furnish a house.
Waine’s was a drapers and furniture depository whose premises can be seen on the right in the foreground of a 1906 postcard. Dean’s Rag Book Co Ltd was situated between numbers 2 and 14 Newington Butts.
In 1903, Henry Dean filed a patent for ‘books with cloth leaves’. The rag book company advertised the world’s first ‘practically indestructible’ book for infants, along with rag dolls. It became a leader in toy design and
manufacturing. Dean’s Rag Book Co Ltd was also the first British company to produce teddy bears.
During World War Two, the Elephant & Castle was devastated by incendiary bombs which rained down upon the area, virtually reducing it to ash. On 20th September a five-hour air raid saw many explosions with whole streets on fire. Wardens and civilians dug through blazing rubble to search for survivors. An enemy plane flew over, dropping bombs, before being pursued by the RAF. It was shot down over Victoria. It was the extensive damage to the area which sparked the 1960s redevelopment of the Elephant & Castle.
In 1965, Draper House was built and for a time was the tallest structure in London, with 25 floors. It replaced old almshouses that were owned by the Worshipful Company of Drapers. Its design was by architect Hubert Bennett of the London County Council. Inspired by Le Corbusier (a SwissFrench architect and designer), it is a good example of Brutalist architecture. The flats are of a high standard, being clad in storey-height slabs of expensive white, Italian marble. I suspect that they may be standing long after those mega high tall monoliths currently looking down on them...
Newington, 1906
St Mary Newington (c) Southwark Library
Dean’s Toys (c) Southwark Library
Draper House (c) Debra Gosling 2025
Shops 1910
Transport for London Public Notice
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
THE A205 GLA SIDE ROAD (MARJORIE GROVE, LONDON BOROUGH OF WANDSWORTH) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF STOPPING) ORDER 2025
1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it intends to make the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.
2. The purpose of the Order is to allow trafc signal modernisation works to take place on the A3 Clapham Common North Side.
3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from stopping on Marjorie Grove from its junction with Clapham Common North Side to a point 20 metres northwards.
The Order will be effective from 6:00 AM on 9th June 2025 until 5:00 PM on 18th July 2025 or until the works has been completed. The prohibitions will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.
4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:
(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;
(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.
Dated this 23rd day of May 2025
Claire Wright
Co-ordination Manager
Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
Transport for London Public Notice
ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
THE A2 GLA ROAD (OLD KENT ROAD, LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK) (TEMPORARY BANNED TURN) ORDER 2025
1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it has made the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.
2. The purpose of the Order is to enable telecom repair works to take place at A2 Old Kent Road.
3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle except pedal cycles from turning left into Dunton Road from Old Kent Road.
The Order will be effective at certain times between the 26th May 2025 and 1st June 2025 every night from 8.00 PM until 11.59 PM or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibition will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.
4. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of:
(1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes;
(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.
5. At such times as the prohibition is in force an alternative route will be indicated by trafc signs via Old Kent Road, Humphrey Street and Old Kent Road to normal route of travel.
Dated this 23rd day of May 2025
Andrew Ulph
Co-ordination Manager Transport for London Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
INTRODUCTION OF A PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE ZONE, A RESTRICTED ZONE AND CHANGES TO PARKING CONTROLS AND PARKING PLACES IN BELVEDERE ROAD AND CONCERT HALL APPROACH
[NOTE: This notice is about the removal of the free and paid for parking places and creation a pedestrian and cycle zone in Concert Hall Approach, and the introduction of a Restricted Zone in Belvedere Road and changes to the parking places and yellow lines in that part of Belvedere Road.]
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on 20 May 2025 the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth made the Lambeth (Charged-For Parking Places) (Amendment No. 60) Order 2025, the Lambeth (Moving Traffic) (Amendment No. 6) Order 2025 and The Lambeth (Free Parking Places, Loading Places and Waiting, Loading and Stopping Restrictions) (Amendment No. 65) Order 2025 under sections 6, 45, 46, 49 and 124 of and Part IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
2. The general effect of the Orders will be to:-
(a) reduce the length of the existing disabled persons parking places on the north-west side of Belvedere Road outside the Roya Festival Hall and South Bank Centre by 15 metres and install a Taxi Rank. Stopping, Waiting and Parking by vehicles other than licensed taxi’s would be banned at any time in the Taxi Rank;
(b) introduce a Restricted Parking Zone in Belvedere Road between a point approximately 21.8 metres north-east of Concert Hall Approach and the down ramp linking Waterloo Road and Belvedere Road (this means that the at any time waiting and loading restrictions in that length of Belvedere Road would be indicated by the placing of “Restricted Parking Zone” traffic signs only and there would be no yellow lines or kerb markings on the road);
(c) create a pedestrian and cycle zone (referred to in this notice as “the Concert Hall Approach pedestrian and cycle zone”) that would operate at any time in Concert Hall Approach between Belvedere Road and that length which for the time being is GLA red route side road;
(d) ban motor vehicles from entering the Concert Hall Approach pedestrian and cycle zone, at any time, except for permitted Goods vehicles for the purpose of loading or unloading a vehicle for a maximum period of 40 minutes with no return to the Concert Hal Approach pedestrian and cycle zone for 1 hour;
(e) revoke all designated free parking places, paid-for parking places, the bus stop/stand and the electric vehicle charging parking place in Concert Hall Approach and ban waiting at any time in the whole length of Concert Hall Approach.
3. Copies of the Orders, which will come into operation on 9 June 2025 and maps of the relevant areas can be inspected until the end of six weeks from the date on which the Orders were made online at https://consultation.appyway.com/lambeth or www.lambeth.gov.uk/traffic-management-orders and at the offices of Lambeth Council’s Parking and Enforcement Group (Parking, Network Management & Fleet), 3rd Floor, Civic Centre, 6 Brixton Hill, London SW2 1EG, between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm on Mondays to Fridays inclusive, except on bank or public holidays. To arrange an inspection please email trafficorders@lambeth.gov.uk.
4. Any person desiring to question the validity of the Orders or of any provision contained herein on the grounds that it is not within the relevant powers of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 or that any of the relevant requirements thereof or of any relevant regulations made thereunder has not been complied with in relation to the Orders may, within six weeks of the date on which the Orders were made, make application for the purpose to the High Court.
Dated 23 May 2025
David Eaglesham Head of Network Management and Active Travel
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC AND PARKING RESTRICTIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE BROCKWELL LIVE EVENTS SERIES AND THE LAMBETH COUNTRY SHOW – BROCKWELL PARK
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, subject to the agreement of Transport for London and the London Borough of Southwark, intend to make a temporary traffic order the general effect of which would be at certain times between 30 May 2025 and 16 June 2025 to:(a) ban waiting at any time by vehicles in Half Moon Lane, between Norwood Road and Holmedene Avenue; (b) ban vehicles from entering the streets and parts of streets specified in Schedule 1 to this Notice; (c) amend the hours of operation of Resident Parking Places and waiting restrictions to 9.00am to 9.00pm in certain lengths of the roads specified in Schedule 2 to this Notice.
2. The order would come into force on 30 May 2025 and would continue in force until 16 June 2025.
3. The above-mentioned one-way traffic systems, bans, suspensions and ban on parking, waiting and loading would only apply at such times as shall be indicated by the placing or covering of traffic signs and ‘no parking cones’. They are necessary because of the likelihood of danger to the public caused by an increase in traffic and parking
Notice of application for a Premises Licence.
Notice is hereby given that Wokewines Ltd has applied to Wandsworth Council for a new premises licence at Clapham Common, London SW11 1XG for regulated entertainment 16:00 to 22:59 Thursday to Sunday and sale of alcohol from 16:00 to 22:30 across 3 days between Thursday and Sunday every July.
Any person who wishes to make a representation in relation to this application must give notice in writing by 11 June 2025 stating the grounds for making said representation to: Wandsworth Licensing Authority, Regulatory Services Partnership (Serving Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils) Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5DX or by email: licensing@merton.gov.uk
The record of this application may be inspected Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays) by prior appointment at the offices of Wandsworth Licensing Authority, Regulatory Services Partnership (Serving Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils) Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden,Surrey, SM4 5DX between the hours of 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. Information on all new and variation applications received by the Licensing Authority can be viewed on the Council’s website www.wandsworth.gov.uk
It is an offence, under section 158 of the Licensing Act 2003, to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in or in connection with an application, punishable upon conviction by an unlimited fine.
Public Notice
Licensing Application – Licensing Act 2003
An application has been made by Casa 2 Amici Ltd to Elmbridge Borough Council, as the Licensing Authority, for the grant of a New Premises Licence At: Casa 2 Amici – 504 Walton Road – West Molesey KT8 2QF
This application includes proposals to: • Sale Of Alcohol – ON And OFF License –Monday to Sunday from 10.00 Am Until 20:00
The application may be viewed at Elmbridge Borough Council, Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, Surrey KT10 9SD by appointment during normal office hours or at elmbridge.gov.uk
Responsible Authorities or any other person may make representations regarding the application to the Licensing Officer by emailing licensing@elmbridge.gov.uk
Representations must be received on or before: 13/06/2025
Representations must be in written form.
It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application and the maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction is unlimited.
Licensing Act 2003
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR A PREMISES LICENCE
Name of applicant: Mr Charles Perianayagassamy
Postal address of premises: 54 Tolworth Broadway, Tolworth, KT6 7HR
Application Details:
The application seeks the grant of a new Premises Licence to authorise the provision of late night refreshments from 23:00 hours to 02:00 hours Monday to Sunday.
Full details of the application can be inspected on the licensing register, online at www.kingston.gov.uk or in person at the address given below.
Deadline for representations: 09 June 2025
Representations must be made in writing to the Licensing Authority by post: Licensing Team, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Guildhall 2, High Street, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1EU or by email: licensing@kingston.gov.uk
It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with an application. The maximum penalty on conviction of such an offence is an unlimited fine.
=
=
= VARIATION OF CONDITIONS
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.
Application plans can be viewed online at www.lambeth.gov.uk/searchplanningapps – search using the reference number at the end of each application listing.
44 Josephine Avenue London SW2 2LA Replacement of all existing windows - like for like. 25/01423/FUL
76 Upper Ground London SE1 9PZ Application for Listed Building Consent for amendments to approved application ref. 23/03500/LB, and in association with an application for a non-material amendment (25/01417/NMC) following a grant of planning permission ref: 21/01142/FUL (Refurbishment, partial demolition and extension of the existing building to provide additional office space (Use Class E(i)) and retail (Use Class E (a) or (b)) at ground floor level alongside associated cycle parking and public realm enhancements) granted on 23.12.2021.
Amendment sought:
To alter a number of approved drawings to facilitate the installation of three planters with integrated railing screens and lockable gates on the Level 4 external terrace and the installation of a security gate at the top of the eastern courtyard staircase. 25/01418/LB
251 Kennington Road London SE11 6BY Application for Listed Building Consent for including: - replacement of existing slate roof tiles, existing lead dormers surround, existing rooflights and insertion of 1x rooflight. Replacement of windows with double glazed sash windows; replacement of rear garden stairs, replacement of cement
utility room, including the replacement of the rear door with an arch door, the removal of the kitchen door and creation of an arch opening, the relocation of boiler flue, together with the removal of the internal wall in the living room and other associated works. (Flat 1). (Flat 1).
Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/01352/LB but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/01351/FUL). 25/01352/LB 176 - 178 Streatham Hill London SW2 4RU Digital of 1 internally illuminated digital display screen positioned inside the ground floor Sternhold Avenue window. 25/01350/ADV
4 Stannary Street London SE11 4AA Erection of a three storey building to provide one self-contained flat (Use Class C3) at first and second floors and to form a covered ground level entrance way to existing residents' access yard, together with the provision of associated bin and cycle storage, hard and soft landscaping, and other associated works. This application is a DEPARTURE APPLICATION: The proposed development is a departure from Policy ED3 of the Lambeth Local Plan (2021).
25/01092/FUL
6 Macaulay Road London Lambeth SW4 0QX Replacement of the existing front door and the side passage gate, plus the installation of metal railings at high level on the side passage. 25/01346/FUL
County Hall Riverside Building Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7PB The upgrading of existing doors within the Shrek's Adventure attraction to ensure their fire resistance, with minor interventions including the construction of an internal server room.
25/01380/LB
Lambeth Pier Lambeth Pier London Lambeth SE1 7SG Erection of 2no. substations with perimeter fence and iron gate, associated cabling and landscaping.
25/01375/FUL
The Old Red Lion 42 Kennington Park Road London SE11 4RS Change of use of the first and second floors from vacant ancillary accommodation (Sui Generis) to 2 self-contained dwellings (Use Class C3) together with the installation of bathroom and kitchen furniture, installation of radiators and installation of second glazing system to windows.
(Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/01359/LB but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/01358/FUL.) 25/01359/LB
18 Becondale Road London SE19 1QJ Erection of a single storey rear extension. 25/01270/FUL
38 Cleaver Street London SE11 4DP Erection of a single storey outbuilding in rear garden and application of painted render to the front elevation at upper ground floor level.
(Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/01615/LB, but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/01034/FUL) 25/01615/LB
52 - 56 Streatham High Road London SW16 1BZ Application for Prior Approval for the change of use of the first floor Office of 54-56 Streatham High Road (Use Class E) to 2 residential units (Use Class C3), and the provision of refuse and cycle stores. 25/01428/P3MA Brixton Railway Station Atlantic Road London SW9 8JB Application for Prior Approval Under Part 18 (Class A), Schedule 2 of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) 2015 for facade refurbishment. 25/01604/G11
64 Stockwell Park Crescent London SW9 0DG Replacement of garage door with window and replacement of front and rear windows. 25/01383/FUL
309 - 313 Brixton Road London SW9 7BU Application for Full Planning Permission in relation to the installation of a wet floor shower, internal stairlift, external stairlift and an external platform lift. (To Flat G). 25/00382/FUL
7 Fieldhouse Road London Lambeth SW12 0HL Erection of a rear 'L-shaped' roof extension and the installation of one front roof light. 25/01084/FUL
County Hall Riverside Building Westminster Bridge Road London Lambeth SE1 7PB The installation of a new platform lift, with the construction of an associated landing platform and the removal and alterations of existing modern partition walls. 25/01055/LB
40 Riggindale Road London SW16 1QJ Variation of condition 2(Approved Plans) of planning permission 22/00622/FUL (Conversion of ground floor flat into 2 x self-contained flats; erection of a single storey ground floor rear extension, fenestration changes to front, side and rear, erection of cycle and refuse storage to front of property, and erection of new front boundary wall) granted on 17.03.2023 Variation sought: We wish to swap out previously approved drawing P03 Rev. A with P03 Rev. C, in order to allow for the new extension depth to be increased by 1.54m and the floor of the existing basement to be lowered by 350mm as currently it is unusable as approved. Approval of proposed drawing P03-C_Ground Floor Plan, Side and Rear Elevations, to replace previously approved drawing P03A_Ground Floor Plan, Side and Rear Elevations. 25/01279/VOC James Clerk Maxwell Building 57 Waterloo Road London SE1 8WA Reconfiguration of ductwork with new Level 1 louvers; installation of air conditioning plant in basement; replacement of timber door and louvre with metal door to roof; replacement of fire escape doors to rear elevation at all levels; Realignment and relocation of external doors. 25/01285/FUL
8 Upstall Street London SE5 9JE Erection of single storey ground floor side extension together with the replacement of rear doors with metal framed windows and installation of glazed doors to access proposed courtyard. 25/01321/FUL
156 - 164 Clapham High Street London SW4 Alterations to the ground floor shopfront. 25/01313/SPF
134 Herne Hill London SE24 9QL Replacement of existing combustible external materials on balconies and terraces with noncombustible materials to match existing. 25/01303/FUL
457 - 461 Brixton Road London SW9 8HH Installation of an external security shutter to store entrance. 25/01330/FUL
41 Clapham Road London SW9 0JD Reinstating the original railings and repair the low brick wall at the front to the surgery.
(Please note: The reference number for this Listed Building Consent application is 25/01247/LB but there is also an associated application for Full Planning Permission related to these works with reference number: 25/01246/FUL). 25/01247/LB
Flats 49 To 72 Benhurst Court Leigham Court Road London SW16 2QW Replacement of the below ground floor water and heating pipework to Block C (Flats 49-72) with new external insulated pipe services via roof distribution, 2x external lightwells and 1x internal lightwell, together with the installation of 1x ventilation louvre in brick wall of boiler room and other associated works. 25/01109/FUL 9 Riggindale Road London Lambeth SW16 1QL Erection of a single storey ground floor rear timber orangery. 25/01131/FUL 75 Telford Avenue London SW2 4XL Erection of a garden room outbuilding with a external AC unit to the rear garden of
23rd May 2025
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS – HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT WORKS 2024-2026
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that to facilitate boroughwide highway improvement works (HIP) the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth intend to make an Order, the general effect of which would be:
2. To temporarily ban vehicles from entering, parking, waiting, loading, and unloading and to suspend parking in: -
(1) Cottage Grove, the entire length.
(2) Conifer Gardens, the entire length.
(3) Crown Lane, between the junction of Streatham Common North and the eastern kerb-line of Crown Lane Gardens.
(4) Gracefield Gardens, between the south-eastern kerb-line of Newcombe Gardens and the north-western kerb-line of Culverhouse Gardens.
(5) Gleneldon Road, between the eastern kerb-line of Streatham High Road and the western kerb-line of Stanhope Road.
(6) Loughborough Park between the southern kerb-line of Coldharbour Lane and a point opposite No. 85 Loughborough Park.
(7) Ryecroft Road, the entire length.
(8) Wandsworth Road, between the: (a) southern kerb-line of Lansdowne Way and the northern kerb-line of Union Grove; (b) south-western kerb-line of Belmore Street and the north-eastern kerb-line of Stewart’s Road; (c) south-western kerb-line of Stewart’s Road and the south-west boundary of No. 527 Wandsworth Road; (d) northern boundary of Cellini Street and the south-western kerb-line of Hemans Street.
3. The bans would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall, from time to time, be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.
4. The Order would come into force on 1 June 2025 and would continue for a maximum duration of 18 months, or until the works have been completed whichever is sooner.
Dated 23 May 2025
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14 TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ON NURSERY ROAD
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that to facilitate Network Rail works, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth intend to make an Order, the general effect of which would be in: -
2. Nursery Road, ban vehicles from entering, parking, waiting, loading, and unloading between the southern kerb-line of Ferndale Road and the northern kerb-line of Dorrell Place.
3. Alternative routes for affected vehicles would be available via: (a) Ferndale Road, Pulross Road, Bellfields Road, A203 Stockwell Road, A203 Stockwell Park Walk, A23 Brixton Road, A23 Brixton Hill, A23 Brixton Road, Brighton Terrace, Bernay’s Grove, Tunstall Road, Shannon Grove and Nursery Road. (b) Shannon Grove, Tunstall Road, Bernay’s Grove, Brighton Terrace, A23 Brixton Road and Ferndale Road.
4. The bans would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall, from time to time, be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.
5. The Order would come into force on 3 June 2025 and would continue for a maximum duration of 1 month, or until the works have been completed whichever is sooner.
Dated 23 May 2025 David Eaglesham Head of Network Management and Active Travel
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS – HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT WORKS 2024-2026
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that to facilitate carriageway resurfacing works (HIP) the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth after consulting Transport for London intend to make an Order, the general effect of which would be:
2. To temporarily ban vehicles from entering, parking, waiting, loading, and unloading and to suspend parking in:(1) Brixton Station Road, between the junctions of Gresham Road and Barrington Road.
(2) Barrington Road, between the northern boundary of No. 53 Barrington Road and the north-western kerb-line of Coldharbour Lane.
3. To temporarily ban vehicles from parking, waiting, loading, and unloading in Gresham Road between the common boundary of Nos. 61 and 63 Gresham Road and the north-western kerb-line of Coldharbour Lane.
4. Alternative routes would be available for affected vehicles via:
(a) Gresham Road, Western Road and St. James’s Crescent.
(b) St. James’s Crescent, Angell Road, Barrington Road, Loughborough Road and Coldharbour Lane.
(c) Barrington Road, Loughborough Road and Coldharbour Lane.
5. The bans would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall, from time to time, be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.
6. The Order would come into force on 2 June 2025 and would continue for a maximum duration of 12 months, or until the works have been completed whichever is sooner.
Dated 23 May 2025
David Eaglesham Head of Network Management and Active Travel
LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14 TEMPORARY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ON GREENOCK ROAD
1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that to facilitate UK Power Network works, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth intend to make an Order, the general effect of which would be in: -
2. Greenock Road,
(1) the north-east side, suspend the footway parking places between the common boundary of Nos. 13 and 15 Greenock Road and the western kerb-line of Stockport Road. (2) The south side, suspend the footway parking places between the common boundary of Nos. 22 and 24 Greenock Road and the western kerb-line of Stockport Road.
3. The bans would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall, from time to time, be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.
4. The Order would come into force on 2 June 2025 and would continue for a maximum duration of 1 month, or until the works have been completed whichever is sooner.
Dated 23 May 2025
David Eaglesham Head of Network Management and Active Travel
By Mark Baldwin at The Kia Oval
OCCASIONAL SEAMER Ryan
Patel bowled Jonny Bairstow for 77 to claim his first wicket of the season as Surrey quickly completed a crushing Rothesay County Championship victory by an innings and 28 runs after dismissing Yorkshire for 229 at the Kia Oval on Monday.
Patel, a 27-year-old batsman in his 68th first-class appearance but with just 22 previous wickets to his name, was in his fourth and final over before Surrey took the second new ball when he deceived Bairstow with a nipbacker that defeated an attempted drive and removed off stump.
With Bairstow, who had resumed on 64, went all remaining hope for Yorkshire after they had begun day four on 185-6 in their second innings, still 72 runs adrift. It was a great moment for the popular Patel, who leapt in celebration and was mobbed by his team-mates.
Matthew Revis had already departed by then, for thirteen, lbw to Tom Lawes, and soon Yorkshire were 222-9 when Ben Coad (two) played on to Jordan Clark’s sixth delivery with the second new ball.
The end came 45 minutes before lunch when Jordan Thompson, having smeared Lawes over cover point for six, holed out to deep-mid on for sixteen aiming another big hit against Clark, who finished with 4-45. Lawes took 3-47.
For Surrey, it extends a remarkable recent record at their Oval fortress.
The win, their second of the
PATEL HELPS SURREY TO CRUSHING WIN
campaign, propels them into second place in the Division One table behind early pace-setters Nottinghamshire and is the eighteenth victory from the 24 championship matches they have played at their headquarters since the start of the 2022 season. In that time, too, they have lost at home just once.
With four draws in their other
By Ben Kosky at Chelmsford
KALEA MOORE
and Ryana
MacDonald-Gay both hit their maiden half-centuries for Surrey to maintain the county’s recent revival in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition with victory over Essex on Monday.
The pair dug Surrey out of trouble at 117-6, with Moore posting 66 from 70 balls and MacDonald-Gay 57 from 77 in their partnership of 113 from 135.
That enabled the visitors to total 259 for nine at Chelmsford, despite Eva Gray’s return of five for 52 – the Essex
early-season matches – three of them in away fixtures played on ultraflat pitches at Chelmsford, Hove and Edgbaston – Surrey may have made an unbeaten start to their quest for four successive titles, following the triumphs of 2022, 2023 and 2024, but there have also been whispers that the champions may have lost a little
seamer’s second five-wicket haul of the tournament.
Jo Gardner’s gutsy unbeaten 73 from 46, which included a string of sixes, almost snatched an improbably victory for the home side – but she was left stranded as MacDonald-Gay (3-52) claimed the last two wickets in as many balls to seal Surrey’s success.
“Kalea batted really well – we know each other quite well and we enjoy batting together, which helps,” MacDonald-Gay said.
“We had more than half the game left, so we just said ‘if we bat time the runs will come with it’. With about three overs to go we were aiming to get 260, so we were really happy with that total.
“Jo (Gardner) was batting really nicely and it was quite hard to know where to
bit of edge.
The way Yorkshire were brushed aside, with Surrey running up 512 in their own first innings after dismissing their visitors for 255 on day one, certainly refutes that – particularly as Dan Worrall, the leader of their potent pace attack, missed this game with a heel injury
bowl to her. We just looked to try and get other people out.
“There was a bit of pressure there but the girls set it up really nicely, our fielders do such a good job on the boundary so you know you’re backed all the time.
“The group’s in a really good space –everyone knows their roles and backs each other, so now it’s time to go and get the results.”
Essex’s Gardner said: “It was a really valiant effort and it’s gutting when you come that close, to get yourself into a winning position and then not come out on the winning side.
“I felt pretty in control of what was required and I was very eager to get back on strike and try to clear the ropes a few more times. I had a great
while Dan Lawrence, who took 2-22 with his off spin on day one, was unable to bowl or field in Yorkshire’s second innings after hurting his back while batting.
Lawes made the initial breakthrough in the twelfth over of the morning session, one ball after seeing Revis edge one that curved away from him just short of third slip.
Thompson nicked the first ball he faced, from Patel, but Jason Roy at slip could only scoop it up on the halfvolley as he reached forward.
“We are all very happy indeed in our dressing room,” Roy said. “Last week’s draw on a really flat pitch against Warwickshire at Edgbaston meant putting in a lot of effort up there. After that we wanted to put in a performance here to get an important win, so it was very nice to be able to do that.
“To a man everyone in the team has performed and contributed. The four main guys with the ball ran in hard and were again relentless with the ball. The rest of us needed to back them up in the field and I think we did that too.
“But we were also relentless with the bat. Everyone in the batting order also contributed [in our 512] and Kurtis Patterson, with 85 in his first innings for the club, played so fluently in conditions where there was always a bit in it for the seamers and he set things up really well for those coming in after him.
“Look also at the runs we scored below our top six. As a batting group, that was a top performance and a great effort and to finish things off pretty quickly today gives us all a little bit more time to rest up and prepare for another big game, against Essex, here at the Oval later this week.” That game against Surrey starts on Friday (May 23) at 11am.
partnership with Kate Coppack at the end, she absolutely loves her batting.
“Whenever I’m watching her bat, I know we’re still in the game – she was clear she was going to knock it into the gaps and run well and I had no doubt she was going to be a great support to get us as close as we did.
“Fair play to Kalea and Ry Mac – two of the quality all-round cricketers Surrey are blessed with – for the partnership they had.
“It felt like we were in a strong position at 117 for six and we were disappointed not to bowl them out for less than we did in the end, but you’ve got to give credit to the way they played, with really low-risk cricket.”
Surrey’s next One-Day Cup game is against Hampshire at Guilford on July 24.
By John Lewis
AFTER THE excitement of their narrow win the previous weekend on their return to the Premier Division of the AJ Sports Surrey Championship, Dulwich came back down to earth with a
Reigate Priory. Dulwich chose to bat but got off to a disastrous start when Harrison Perry fell for ten, and overseas player KS Bharat was run out going for a quick single in the next over.
James Schofield and skipper Ollie Steele thus came together with the score on 20-2 after 5.1 overs, and advanced slowly against bowling that combined both movement and accuracy. They had taken the score to 50 in the fifteenth over when Schofield fell, having faced 37 balls for fifteen.
Steele and Sam Seecharran then put on 66 in seventeen overs for the fourth wicket, the best stand of the innings, before Steele fell for exactly 50, scored off 91 balls. The fifth wicket soon followed, but Seecharran and Will Jenkins then added 53 in eight overs for the sixth before Seecharran fell in the 43rd over with the score on 180. He had played a vital innings of 74, off just 72 balls. Jenkins went for 25 off 36 balls, whereupon Kaif Ramzan repeated his heroics of the previous week, slamming 33 not out off just 23 balls to lift the
Dulwich total to 243-8 after their 50 overs. Priory opened their reply with Richard Oliver and Luke Haughton. The Dulwich bowlers were unable to summon the same degree of accuracy as their opponents, and rarely looked like taking a wicket. Runs flowed freely from both ends, with the few false strokes typically evading the reach of the fielders. Both batsmen reached their centuries, and coincidentally they both finished on the same score of 113, though Haughton faced 101 balls, fifteen more than his partner. The target was reached with
nineteen overs to spare. Seven bowlers were used, but Jenkins, with four overs for 21, was the only one to concede less than six an over.
Dulwich can console themselves with the knowledge that they were playing last year’s runners-up, and can look forward to better days against lower ranked teams.
This weekend, they visit Spencer, who were promoted with them last year, but who now remarkably are the only side in the division to have won both of their opening matches.
bump, suffering a ten-wicket defeat at the hands of
Photo byMark Sandom
ByJohn Kelly
CHELSEA BOSS Enzo Maresca
questioned why Real Betis have 48 hours more to prepare for the Conference League final - and called on UEFA to have clearer rules to prevent such a situation from happening.
The Blues travel to the City Ground to face Champions League rivals Nottingham Forest this Sunday at 4pm. Betis, meanwhile, will already be two days into their preparations for the final in Wrocław, Poland, next Wednesday after their La Liga game at home against Valencia on Friday.
Chelsea are fifth heading into the final day of the Premier League season. They have to beat Forest to guarantee finishing in the Champions League places. If they draw and Newcastle United beat Everton at home and Aston Villa win at Manchester United, they will drop into the Europa League. A defeat against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will end their Champions League hopes, no matter what happens elsewhere.
Maresca was this week asked about the difference in preparation periods in his press conference ahead of the game against Forest.
“I’m not happy, 100 per cent,” Maresca said. “You cannot allow a team 48 hours more than the other team when you play the final of a European competition.
“I don’t know if it’s from La Liga, the Premier League or UEFA. If I ask you if it is normal to play a final where a team has 48 hours more than the other team, it is not normal. I think it’s not something correct. Now, if it’s UEFA, La Liga or the Premier League, I don’t know, to be honest.”
Asked if UEFA need to have clear rules ahead of European finals, Maresca replied: “Absolutely, yes.”
Maresca has heavily rotated his team as the Blues have comfortably reached the final, defeating Sweden’s Djurgårdens 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-final after winning all six of their games in the league format.
Forward Nicolas Jackson will be available after being suspended for the last two league games. Maresca can also call on Jadon Sancho after he couldn’t face his parent club Manchester United in the Blues’ 1-0 win against Rubin Amorim’s side in their last game, when academy graduate Tyrique George led the line.
Maresca confirmed that his secondchoice goalkeeper would start against the Spanish side.
Maresca said: “Yes, Filip Jorgensen is
ARE YOU FOR REAL?
Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca unhappy as Conference League opponents have two days’ extra preparation
going to play the final. Because he played all the competition it would be unfair now that we arrive in the final and he’s not playing in the final. So for the Betis game it will be Filip plus ten players. I don’t know which ones the other ten will be, but for sure Filip is going to play because he deserves to play in that final.”
Maresca added: “For each game we try to play a strong eleven. If during the season we played in the Conference League with different players, we were sure in that moment for that game it was the strongest one and we will see for the final.
“We also use academy players in the Premier League, not just in the Conference League. When we see a young player we give them a chance. In the last game against Man United our striker [Jackson] was suspended, our second striker [Marc Guiu] was injured, our two wingers were out for different reasons - Jadon because it was not possible, Misha [Mudryk] has been out a long time - so we played and tried to be creative with a No.9 from the academy. If they are good players it is okay to allow them to play.”
Maresca played under Betis boss
Manuel Pelligrini at Malaga and was then his assistant coach at West Ham United.
Maresca was in Madrid on Sunday to watch Betis as they lost 4-1 to Atletico and the pair spoke as recently as Monday.
“He’s a reference for me because of his career, because of his history and especially because in terms of a human being he’s a top person,” Maresca said.
“I define him like a professional dad because many times when I need to take a big decision we are in contact.
“We both want to win, no doubt. He is going to try his best to prepare to
‘Fantastic leader’ Hutch leaves Lions after nine years
By John Kelly
MILLWALL CONFIRMED this week that “fantastic leader” Shaun Hutchinson would leave the club this summer.
Club skipper Hutchinson, 34, departs SE16 after 268 appearances and fourteen goals.
The Lions announced their retained list this week, with another veteran defender, Murray Wallace, 32, leaving after the expiry of his contract next month.
Wingers Duncan Watmore, 31, and Aaron Connolly, 25, are also being released.
Hutchinson joined Millwall on a free transfer from Fulham in the summer of 2016. He scored the winning goal to beat Bristol Rovers 4-3 in the last game of
the League One season to take the Lions into the play-offs in 2017. He was in Neil Harris’ side that defeated Bradford City 1-0 in the final at Wembley.
Hutchinson scored six goals in the Covid-hit 2019-20 season, his best return in one campaign for the club.
He made his 250th Lions appearance in a 1-0 win over Norwich City at The Den in December 2023. Hutchinson scored his last goal for the club in his next game, a last-minute winner in a 1-0 victory at Bristol City on New Year’s Day.
Millwall director of football Steve Gallen paid tribute to the player affectionately known as ‘Hutch’.
"On and off the pitch, Shaun has been a fantastic leader for many years and a great servant to Millwall Football Club,”
Gallen said. “As we enter into our ninth
consecutive Sky Bet Championship season, his goal against Bristol Rovers to secure the play-offs must always be remembered as one of the biggest in our history.
"We would all like to thank him for his outstanding contribution over the past nine years. Shaun will always be welcome at our football club."
The club added: “Everyone at Millwall Football Club would like to thank Shaun for his outstanding service to the Lions and wish him the very best for the future.”
Meanwhile, the Lions are in talks with midfielders George Saville and George Honeyman over new contracts.
Saville, who will turn 32 in June, and Honeyman, 30, are both due to be out of contract at the end of next month.
Millwall are also discussing new deals
with goalkeepers Liam Roberts and George Evans, and defender Danny McNamara, who has been out since January after surgery on his injured knee.
In the under-21 squad, Millwall have activated twelve-month options in the contracts of Kamarl Grant, Frankie Baker, Jaiden Celestine-Charles, Ben Drake, Jet Dyer, Jack Howland and Rafiq Lamptey.
They have released Chin Okoli, Sha’mar Lawson, Kyle Smith, Henry Hearn, Tom Leahy, Oliver Evans, Kavalli Heywood, Ethan Wady, Niino Adom-Malaki and Dillon Addai.
And at under-18 level, Abdulahi Abdulazeez, Elidon O’Boyle and Luke Ashburn have been released, while George Beaumont, Elias Mansor, Harry Taylor, Oliver Whitby and Dean Forbes have been offered new deals.
win the game and I will do exactly the same. The good thing is that nothing will change after the game in terms of our relationship. We are very close. When we don’t work we live in the same place, very close in Spain. It’s not just about a relationship in football, it is a relationship in life.
“Manuel is the same age as my dad and when I sit next to people older than me I always try to learn because they can teach us in any moment, because they are more experienced than us. So Manuel is not just a colleague, for me he is a reference and a top person.”
Millwall
club captain
Shaun Hutchinson
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca and defender Marc Cucurella
ByJohn Kelly
DEAN HENDERSON dedicated Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory to his dad after his extraordinary performance in the 1-0 win over Manchester City at Wembley that secured the Eagles’ first-ever major trophy.
Henderson saved Omar Marmoush’s penalty after 36 minutes, 20 minutes after Eberechi Eze’s goal.
City were furious that Henderson was still on the pitch after he handled outside the area as Erling Haaland attempted to get through. The VAR judged Haaland was moving away from goal, sparing Henderson.
Henderson denied Haaland, Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Claudio Echeverri as Oliver Glasner’s side won with just 22 per cent possession.
“I lost my dad at the start of the season,” Henderson said. “But he was with me today. He was with me in every kick of the game.
“I dedicate that win to him.
“We were incredible today. We had a feeling it would be our day. The manager got a game plan and we executed it. We deserve this so much."
Henderson added: “To be fair, Haaland might have stepped up. He gave it to Marmoush and I knew which way he was going. I knew I would save it.” Henderson appeared to exchange words with angry City boss Pep Guardiola after full-time.
Henderson told the media: “The ball carried into my penalty box and I knew it was fine - who cares?”
In his post-match press conference, Glasner described how big the achievement was for the club.
“This connection stays forever, the connection with the players and with Crystal Palace,” Glasner said.
“I’m pretty sure if, I don’t know, Jean-Philippe Mateta will watch a game at Selhurst Park in 30 years’ time, and the fans will celebrate him and he deserves it, and it will be the same with all the other players.
“It’s massive what everyone did for the club, and this is the special motivation. We wanted to write history – and I think now we wrote a really big chapter in club history.
“It was the Crystal Palace day. It was the day for our fans, and it just had to happen that we’d win.
“Credit to the players how hard they worked today to get this clean sheet –a great goalkeeper, a great mentality, and a fantastic win.
“The biggest success we could have
Goal
By Paul Green at The Valley
MATTY GODDEN admitted he wouldn’t forget the Valley atmosphere in a hurry after his late winner against Wycombe Wanderers sent Charlton Athletic into the League One play-off final. Godden scored the only goal of the two-legged semi-final nine minutes from time to set up a London derby date with Leyton Orient at Wembley.
Fans celebrated on the pitch and in the stands at the final whistle as the Addicks edged closer to a Championship return for the first time in five years and the match-winner was still on a high
was to give tens of thousands of our fans, of South London, a moment for their lifetimes. We can give them great times. We give them hours and days where they just feel happy and are celebrating.
“I think this is the biggest achievement that sportsmen can do, and we did it for the fans, we did it for many, many people, and that’s why I think everybody who contributed to this success deserves to be proud
HENDO: THIS IS FOR DAD
Crystal Palace goalkeeper produces heroic performance in FA Cup final victory
of the group and of the whole club, because it’s the best thing you can do.”
Meanwhile, Palace defender Maxence Lacroix could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of Europe next season.
He said: “It's beautiful. It's beautiful. I think we made ourselves legend and we'll be going to go to the Europa League with them
“It's going to be fire at home. Europe next year - yes sir!”
hero Godden: 'This is our time'
afterwards.
Godden said: “It feels amazing. I don’t really know how to sum it up.
“It was a bit of an outer-body experience when the goal went in, it was so loud.
“The atmosphere was incredible and all I could hear for five or ten minutes afterwards was my song. It was incredible.
“To do that in front of my family and all my friends that were here, it is probably something that is going to stay with me forever.”
It was Godden who claimed the glory for the goal but credit should also go to team-mate Lloyd Jones who set up the opportunity.
Macaulay Gillesphey floated a long ball towards the edge of the box where Lloyd Jones got a touch to it and after going in to challenge a hesitant-looking Franco Ravizzoli, it came off the goalkeeper to Godden who chested down and tapped home.
Godden said: “The keeper looked like he didn’t quite want it and I could see that Lloydy was going to get his toe to it.
“As soon as he got his toe to it, and [with] the ricochet, I knew that if I could just take a touch then [I’d score].
“I managed to stay calm in the moment and it was an easy job putting the ball in the back of the net.”
But things could have been different
had Addicks defender Kayne Ramsay not produced an earlier outstanding doubleblock to deny Garath McCleary and then Xavier Simons on the follow-up. Godden admitted: “That’s what it is all about - it is a team game and big moments.
“It was incredible and that’s just as good as my goal.” Charlton head to Wembley bang in form after an impressive turnaround in fortunes since just before Christmas propelled them up the table. They dropped down to fourteenth after a disappointing scoreless draw with Mansfield Town but haven’t looked back since trouncing Northampton 5-0 on the
road the following week.
“We had the tough times before December and then from December onwards we were eyeing the play-offs,” Godden said. “We got there and we’ve got a day out at Wembley.
“We kind of knew that within 90 minutes we were going to get a big moment. We know shooting towards the Covered End that always gives an extra ten or 20 per cent.
“We said at half-time this is our time, this is our moment. We’ve been waiting to shoot towards them [the fans] all tie and it is an incredible day for the football club.”
The final kicks off on Sunday at 1.01pm.
Dean Henderson with the FA Cup
Dons boss: I dreamt of Wembley
By John Kelly
AFC WIMBLEDON sold 15,000 tickets in 24 hours this week for their League Two play-off final against Leyton Orient on Bank Holiday Monday.
The Dons are set to eclipse the 20,000 tickets sold for their last Wembley appearance, their 2-0 League Two play-off final win over Plymouth Argyle in 2016. Tickets were going on general sale on Wednesday (May 21).
EAGLES KEEP HUNGER TO DEVOUR WOLVES
No hangover despite party after historic FA Cup triumph
By John Kelly
OLIVER GLASNER hailed the outstanding character of his Crystal Palace players after they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-2 at Selhurst Park on Tuesday - 72 hours after their historic FA Cup triumph against Manchester City at Wembley.
Palace set a new club record of 52 points in the Premier League after a brace from Eddie Nketiah and goals from Ben Chilwell and Eberechi Eze, despite a party over the weekend and no training.
Eze, who scored the only goal against City to clinch the club’s first major trophy, added the Eagles’
fourth four minutes from time against Wolves to ensure victory after the hosts had come from 1-0 down in the first half.
Glasner admitted he wasn’t sure how his players would fare after such a momentous three days in the club’s history.
“Honestly, I didn't know what we would see today, what we would get, because we had a big party after the final, and no training, so it shows just again the character of the group, playing this game, having this energy from the beginning,” Glasner said.
“I could feel it again before the game in the dressing room, it was very emphasised and loud, players pushed each other from the first
minute, and even then we missed one or two chances, then we conceded a set-play goal, and the reaction was great again.”
Glasner made six changes to his side, including handing a start to Joel Ward, the 35-yearold defender’s last game for the Eagles after thirteen years and 364 appearances.
“I could tell you so many positive things about Joel,” Glasner said.
“And he showed it again, he's still competitive, he had a very good game.
“He struggled a little bit with his injuries [this season], and all our defenders did so well, that's why he didn't get the minutes, and especially in the defence when the
players do so well, you don't want to make many changes.
“But he was always working in training, he pushed all the others, he was always a guy I could talk to and ask about things, what's going on in the team, and I always got an honest response, and he's a fantastic player with a massive career, and a massive career for Crystal Palace, but he's even a much better guy, because he's great as a human being, as a man, and this is what I really appreciate.”
Former Millwall attacking midfielder Romain Esse assisted Nketiah’s first goal on his first Premier League start.
Glasner said: “We trust every single player, but it's always then, be ready when the team needs you.”
Wimbledon beat Notts County 2-0 on aggregate in the semifinal, winning both legs 1-0, the second in front of their own fans at Plough Lane. Josh Neufville’s brilliant lobbed finish sent the Dons comfortably through to the decider.
Boss Johnnie Jackson said:
“It’s unbelievable, I can’t quite put it into words. I’m so proud of everyone – this place, the supporters, the players and the staff. We got it done in a special way. We were at our very best.
“The goal was worthy of winning any game. We wanted to start well, we had to ride out some pressure early doors but we got through that well and settled.
“I dreamt of playing at Wembley as a lad and I never quite fulfilled that as a player. To get the opportunity as a manager to walk out this club at Wembley is a privilege. I can’t wait for it.”
The final kicks off at 3.01pm.
The three EFL play-off finals this weekend kick off at a minute past the hour to raise awareness of the Every Minute Matters campaign, a collaboration between Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation, which aims to inspire supporters to learn CPR.
Wimbledon defender Sam Hutchinson is recovering from heart surgery last week after what the club described as “complications” following his winner against Grimsby Town on May 3 that clinched a play-off place.
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Palace celebrate Eberechi Eze’s (third from left) goal and Joel Ward with the FA Cup (inset)