Thank you for picking up the May/June edition of the Dulwich Diverter, your free local paper for Dulwich.
As ever, working on this issue of the Diverter has taken us to all corners of Dulwich, meeting inspirational residents and much-loved local businesses along the way.
The cover stars of this edition are Emma Barnett and Jeremy Weil, who spoke to us about their new creative project.
Emma, a BBC radio presenter, and her husband, Jeremy, began photographing their favourite south London spots last year, printing out the pictures for their young son to scribble on and colour in.
Dulwich Festival will deliver another packed programme later this month, filling spaces and places with arts and culture from 10-19 May.
Led by its new director, the Pexmas founder Sarah Taylor, attendees can expect all the festival favourites, from fairs to the ever popular Artists’ Open House, as well as 60 events spanning music, dance, literature, walks, talks and performance.
Well-known names will lead the literary line-up, with the Channel 4 presenter Cathy Newman offering inspiration from some of the world’s most influential women in a talk about her latest book, The Ladder.
The food blogger Ella Mills (also known as Deliciously Ella) will teach audiences about healthy eating hacks, while the bestselling children’s author of the Lottie Brooks series, Katie Kirby, will lead a talk and draw-along session for families.
Kenny Imafidon will share his experience of being accused of a murder he did not commit, which he has detailed in his inspirational new book That Peckham Boy: Growing Up, Getting Out and Giving Back. To read our interview with Kenny ahead of his talk, turn to page 8.
Two talented women are leading the jazz series at the East Dulwich Tavern. Poppy Daniels, an up-and-coming trumpeter, will perform with her new quintet, while Laura B and her band will delight audiences with rhythm and blues, swing and rock’n’roll.
An all-female line-up is also scheduled at Under the Tree, where an intimate evening of music and spoken word is promising to leave hairs standing on end.
Choirs will have the same effect, albeit in a bigger arena, at the Dulwich Choir
Not only did he love colouring in his favourite places, but this simple activity gradually sparked an idea – which grew into a colouring book series called Colour Your Streets.
The set of books now has more than 30 titles, all inspired by hyperlocal neighbourhoods, including two books on Dulwich. Turn to page 11 to read our interview with Emma.
For this edition we also met another local husband-and-wife team, Dan Rigby and Katharine Maclaverty, also known as Rigby & Mac. This year their local family business, which was founded by Dan’s mum Penny, marks an impressive 35 years since the first shop opened, and
they are also proudly celebrating Ed on North Cross Road reaching 25 years of trading. Find out more on page 18.
Also in this issue, we talk to Kenny Imafidon, one of the stars of this year’s Dulwich Festival, about his new book, That Peckham Boy: Growing Up, Getting Out and Giving Back, which is published by Penguin Random House. Read the piece on page 8.
The next issue of the Dulwich Diverter will be the summer edition, which will be published in July and available until early September. As ever, it will be distributed to our many stockists across East, West, North Dulwich and the Village.
If you’re a local business or organisation who is interested in advertising with us, please drop us a line via dulwichdiverter@gmail.com. We would love to help promote what you do both in print and online, across Dulwich, south-east London and beyond.
We’re always on the lookout for story ideas, too – so if there’s a local person or place that you think we should feature in the issue, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch via the same address.
Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy the issue!
MarkMcGinlayandKateWhiteFestival, with the award-winning a cappella Meantime Chorus headlining.
Classical fans will be pleased to see the chamber orchestra Southwark Sinfonietta back for 2024, as well as the Lighthouse Trio of clarinet, cello and piano.
For those wishing to turn up the tempo a notch, the sell-out Sassenachs are back with a night of raucous fun at the Festival Ceilidh, while covers supergroup Fake Tan will serve up a night of “high-octane dance floor bangers” at the Live Band Dance Party. For families, there are an abundance of activities on offer. Kingswood Arts is hosting a fabulous day of free music, food and craft activities for all the family, while the London Wildlife Trust will be encouraging children to engage with creepy crawlies at the Wild Teddy Bear’s Picnic.
Explore the organ at Christ’s Chapel and pop in to Dulwich Picture Gallery for free entry into the main galleries. Fairs in Dulwich Park, Goose Green and West Dulwich will feature food, performances, rides and games, while Big Fish Little Fish will offer DJs, dance, arts and fun for all.
Artists’ Open House will take place across the two weekends of the festival, with over 140 venues including Havelock Walk, Carnegie Library, Parade Mews Pottery and the Arches Studios.
Jess Blandford is this year’s cover artist for the sought-after festival catalogue, where her work Good Enough? (Green), celebrating the mundane, repetitive, messy, intimate, complex and often invisible work of family life will be on display for all to see.
Tickets for events are now on sale – visit dulwichfestival.co.uk
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The comedian Helen Lederer’s new book, titled Not That I’m Bitter, has just been published.
Lederer, a local resident, was a regular on the standup circuit and new-wave sketch shows in the 1980s and 90s – an era that launched the careers of many comedy household names.
She shared stages with comedy pioneers such as Ben Elton and Rik Mayall, and TV screens with Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Harry Enfield and many others. Shows she appeared in ranged from Absolutely Fabulous to Bottom, Happy Families, Naked Video, French and Saunders and Girls on Top.
Not That I’m Bitter is a moving and funny memoir, revealing exactly how choppy the waters could be.
Even in those groundbreaking, antiThatcher days, there was only room at the top for so many women. For the rest, it was as much of a struggle to be seen and heard in the world of comedy as in any boardroom or workplace – and just as difficult to avoid the predators.
But Lederer’s book is more than the story of one decade. The child of a Czech wartime refugee, she was never part of the mainstream.
How do you make humour from a lifelong battle against problems with weight and low self-esteem? Where are the jokes in addictions to diet pills and steroid
injections? How can laughter defeat the darker moments, such as a child’s anorexia or PTSD? How do you cope with constant self-sabotage and when, despite enormous success, you still feel like a failure?
Speaking of Not That I’m Bitter, Lederer said: “I invite you to imagine a time when women didn’t do comedy unless they were fat, or an impressionist, or enabled by a man. Be happy you weren’t around in the 80s. But I was. I need to write this.”
Joanna Lumley said of the book: “This wildly entertaining ride through Helen’s fabulous life is funny, adorable and thought-provoking in equal measure, rather like the dazzling author herself.”
Dawn French added: “Helen Lederer is the third funniest woman in the world.”
“I invite you to imagine a time when women didn’t do comedy unless they were fat, or an impressionist, or enabled by a man. Be happy you weren’t around in the 80s. But I was. I need to write this”
The Peckham Peculiar, a sister title of the Dulwich Diverter that shares the same team, has won the Hyperlocal Newspaper of the Year category at the Newspaper Awards for the second year running.
The judges at the awards, which celebrate “excellence and innovation in the printed newspaper” among local and national titles, said: “A very clear winner, the Peckham Peculiar takes the top slot for the second year running. It looks fresh and modern and reflects its local community. Lovely typography enhanced by fantastic printing.
“Packed with local information it’s a must-read for local residents. Its passion for Peckham and its residents shines through on every page.”
They added: “The quality and quantity of entry in this category shows just how much audiences want real local knowledge from local news outlets in an easy-to-read printed format.
“With many areas now being underserved by more traditional newspapers, hyperlocals play an increasingly important role in their local communities.
“To succeed, hyperlocal community newspapers have to be tenacious and innovative and are looking to constantly evolve. The category received entries from all corners of the country and judges were impressed with the high quality of some titles that rivalled more traditional, long established weeklies.”
The team behind the Dulwich Diverter, including its co-founder Mark McGinlay (pictured at the awards) were also shortlisted in the Newspaper Employee/ Team of the Year category.
Gary Cullum, the director of the Newspaper Awards, said: “For the second successive year the Newspaper Awards
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“The judges commented: ‘A very clear winner, the Peckham Peculiar takes the top slot for the second year running. It looks fresh and modern and reflects its local community. Lovely typography enhanced by fantastic printing. Packed with local information it’s a must-read for local residents. Its passion for Peckham and its residents shines through on every page’”
focused entirely on print, recognising the hugely important role that print continues to play.
“There’s no denying we live in the digital age, with tech giants commanding the advertisers’ pound. But, for many, newspapers and genuine, trusted news brands remain an essential part of daily life.
“The quality and quantity of entry to the 2024 Newspaper Awards is testament to the continuing resilience of the industry.” The winners of the awards were announced at a black-tie gala dinner at the end of March at the Hilton London Bankside, hosted by the TV sports presenter Mark Durden-Smith.
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London’s biggest celebration of the city’s architecture, Open House Festival, has launched an open call to join its 2024 programme.
The festival, which has seen local buildings from Dawson’s Heights to Dulwich College open their doors to visitors in previous years, returns to the capital between 14-22 September. It will feature hundreds of free open days and tours across all 32 London boroughs plus the City of London.
Londoners of all backgrounds and organisations of all sizes can join the festival programme by completing an application via the website, open-city.org. uk/open-house-festival-2024.
The festival is a chance to explore London’s buildings and landscapes, and for individuals, communities and organisations to tell their stories. Participants can run an open day at a building or outdoor space, put on a walking or cycling tour, or organise an event such as a film night, community workshop, exhibition or performance.
The festival’s director, Celia Mead, said: “Open House Festival doesn’t just help people learn about inspiring architecture and built heritage, but brings people together, building a sense of belonging and community cohesion, as well as the sheer joy and wellbeing from getting behind the scenes, looking from the inside out, instead of the outside in.
The first cohort of primary-aged children recently graduated from THD Phoenix, a free hockey programme run by Tulse Hill and Dulwich Hockey Club.
It aims to tackle the diversity and inclusivity problems within hockey and provide a free two-year programme to primary-aged children from local state schools.
THD Phoenix launched in the autumn of 2022 and aligns with England Hockey’s equality, diversity and inclusion framework. The programme is based in south London and over the past two years has been introducing free field hockey to more than 55 primary-aged children from seven local state schools, who have not had the opportunity to play hockey and experience the benefits that participating in a sport can provide.
Rémy Oliver, the founder and head coach at THD Phoenix, said: “Our community is diverse, ranging from extreme privilege to extreme poverty – as indicated by the range of schools available. Our community is divided, and opportunities for positive engagement are limited so it is unsurprising there is a lack of understanding and empathy between people.
“THD Phoenix hockey aims to close the chasm between the opportunities available to different members of our community and provide common ground for meaningful and lasting friendships and
“This year, we’re delighted to be partnering with Caro Communications, Open House Festival’s official 2024 cultural communications strategist, which will help us to amplify our reach to more communities across London.”
Hafsa Adan, the festival’s curator, added: “We welcome involvement from every part of London, from council homes to the very heart of government. If you have a story to tell about the built environment which will connect people and bring them new perspectives, we’d love to feature your building, tour or event.”
Those taking part will be supported with promotional materials and online advice surgeries. The programme will be revealed on 18 July and bookings will open on 21 August.
understanding. We do this by providing free hockey sessions and a route into THD Hockey Club for children and families that would otherwise face serious barriers to accessing these types of opportunities.
“It is a joy to see the children develop both socially and as hockey players as they make new friendships and learn new skills that they can use later in life.
“THD junior members, who are predominantly from local private schools, also benefit from engaging with their wider community in a positive and meaningful way, building relationships and understanding that will help our community support and engage with each other in the future.”
THD Phoenix provides its hockey sessions in a safe and welcoming environment. The sessions are built around fun and enjoyment while teaching hockey skills and nurturing sporting ability. In year four, children are invited to attend an introductory session that is followed by selection into the player pathway – a two-year programme that starts at the beginning of the school term in year five and continues into year six.
Following the second year, the children are supported and transitioned into THD Hockey Club’s U12 junior teams.
For more information, please visit thehockeyclub.co.uk or follow @thd_hc on Instagram
A collection of poetry by the late Dulwich Hamlet FC “super fan” Mishi Morath has been published by Tonic Sta Press and is available to buy now from several local retailers, including Chener Books, Rye Books, Dulwich Books and the Dulwich Hamlet club shop.
As well as being a well-known and much-loved member of the “Rabble” at Champion Hill stadium, Mishi – who died aged 53 in December 2019 – was a frequent and accomplished performer on the open mic poetry circuit.
The poetry collection, titled Rabble Rouser: Mishi Morath Collected Poems, is the result of a collaboration between members of Mishi’s family and several of his friends and colleagues from the poetry scene. The poems cover a wide range of themes including football, family, class, politics, sexuality, addiction and friendship.
“The book has taken about a year to put together,” Mishi’s brother Ferenc told the Dulwich Diverter. “My sister and I had to get all the poems he had written together as a lot had just been handwritten and were all over the place. Then my wife, sister and I shortlisted about 50 for possible publication. We left the final selection to his poet friends.
“Mishi’s poetry is very, very unique. Partly it’s because Mishi was very unique in himself. He was just a lad off a council estate, working class and socialist who
liked football and beer but being a closet gay for a long time wasn’t easy for him and he became an alcoholic.
“Poetry you could say helped him stay alive as it gave him a voice to express his thoughts, fears and desires. With the combination of AA, poetry and his friends he stayed dry and alive.
“He loved performing poetry and he was very different to most poets, as it can be a very middle-class and pretentious [scene]. Mishi wrote his poetry from the heart –it was spontaneous and lively. He didn’t really care what others thought. He just wrote what he felt. And if you got offended by it, tough!”
Mishi grew up on the East Dulwich Estate, the son of a Hungarian father and Austrian mother who came to England as refugees in 1956, having escaped from the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian revolution.
A Dulwich Hamlet fan since being taken to his first match aged seven, he was also instrumental in helping establish Dulwich’s reputation as an inclusive club supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. Mishi himself came out to his fellow Dulwich supporters in the late 1990s.
“Mishi would have said he hated his poetry being published but he secretly would have absolutely loved it,” Ferenc added. “He loved to write, going back to our younger days when we created one of the first football fanzines in the country.”
As an author, entrepreneur and co-founder of a leading research firm, Kenny Imafidon is a man whose energy and passion for expanding his own horizons is matched only by a heartfelt desire to inspire others to do the same.
Currently riding a wave of positive publicity for his compelling, at times shocking and ultimately redemptive and moving memoir, That Peckham Boy: Growing Up, Getting Out and Giving Back, Kenny proves himself a witty, laid-back, serious and intense interviewee.
Such a description might sound contradictory, but in truth it merely speaks to the depth of character of a man who has already led a truly extraordinary life – well, two lives really, more of which later – and is still only 30.
That Peckham Boy is not only the story of Kenny’s life, but also a clarion call for how other lives like Kenny’s – urban, inner-city lives – could and should be transformed for the better. “I want as many local people as possible to read my book and be inspired by it,” Kenny says. “I want the book to have an impact.”
Born in Peckham in 1993 to parents of Nigerian heritage, from the age of 13 Kenny led something of a double life, as an accomplished student at Kingsdale school by day and an accomplished cannabis dealer on the streets of Peckham by night.
Pulled in two directions by the contrasting pillars of the streets and academic respectability, he was leaning towards the latter when his world was turned upside down in 2011. He was arrested and later charged with murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm, as well as possession of a firearm and an offensive weapon, and found himself incarcerated in Feltham and awaiting trial.
There was no substance whatsoever to the charges, which were served up under the dubious auspices of the joint enterprise law. Nevertheless, they robbed Kenny of his freedom for six months before a judge acquitted him without a stain on his character, ruling there was no evidence and “no case to answer”.
It would have been easy for Kenny to become embittered by the injustice of what he had been through. But he chose another path. “My prayer constantly [during this period was] what doesn’t break you makes you stronger,” he explains, without a trace of self pity but clearly still emotional about what he experienced.
“When I came out [of custody] I was very intentional about moving forward with life. It was a gradual process to not be bitter and angry about everything.
“I was at war with my emotions –in one sense I’d never felt happier, but it was also about being practical, moving forward and proving to myself that I could still make something of my life. I was determined to be remembered for much more than being arrested.
“I came to realise that I had a second chance at life. I feel very blessed and fortunate because my story could have been very different. I could have been in a situation where you wouldn’t know me, and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
“I hope it comes across in the book that the court case was a part of my story but it isn’t my whole story. Everyone has those rock-bottom moments in their life but [through the book] I want to give a sense of hope that you can bounce back from them.”
Kenny bounced back by expunging any semblance of street life from his new, reborn existence. He secured prestigious internships and work experience, all the while networking and building up influential contacts
in the worlds of politics, policy and business.
He was also awarded the Amos bursary to study law at BPP, graduating in 2015. “I never wanted to be a lawyer but I always wanted to get a degree – that was a big personal achievement for me,” he explains, before adding with a chuckle: “I did spend a lot of time [during my degree] thinking, this is taking a long time – I just want to get on with what I want to do!”
After graduating, Kenny co-founded ClearView Research, a participatory research agency that specialises in working with groups including those whose views and experiences are traditionally underrepresented in research projects.
“From our first contract making £12,000 to where we are now, there’s been a lot of growth and transition,” Kenny reflects. “[ClearView] came from very humble beginnings and since then it has grown and grown.”
Among the many, diverse research projects on ClearView’s roster have been a study into inequalities in cancer diagnosis undertaken
for Macmillan, an evaluation of healthcare standards for young people in secure settings for NHS England, and a study of Londoners’ post-Covid experiences of poverty.
One project Kenny is particularly proud of is ClearView’s landmark 2021 report investigating the views, attitudes and perceptions of the black community in relation to their human rights, which was commissioned by the parliamentary joint committee on human rights.
“It was a very important project, particularly in the wake of the murder of George Floyd,” he says. “It was the first piece of research of its kind in the UK and it made a big splash. It was a very important subject for us to document and provide an evidence base that other people could use.”
Through the project, ClearView was also able to support a good cause. “We gave people taking part in the research the option, instead of being paid, to donate to the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation,” Kenny says. “We match-funded all those donations and were able to donate around £3,170. That’s something I was very proud of.”
With typical determination and the sort of characteristic brilliance that would be irritating if he wasn’t so damn likeable, Kenny also decided about five years ago to turn his hand to writing a book. The manuscript for That Peckham Boy ultimately ended up at the centre of a fierce, sixpublisher bidding war before Kenny opted to sign with Penguin Random House.
I WANT TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU COME FROM, YOU CAN BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE
“It was crazy!” he says of his entry into the literary world. “When you write something, you don’t know how people will view it or receive it. It was a quite overwhelming experience to see how much interest there was from publishers, from Audible to Penguin to Hachette to HarperCollins. Big names! That was crazy but also gave me confidence that the book could be something special.
“Above all, I wrote the book to try and show people that regardless of where you come from or what your circumstances are, you can be who you want to be. It’s very important that people don’t allow their circumstances or the area they grew up in to dictate or determine where they are going to end up.”
It’s a lesson that Kenny learned, and something tells me that his book will help countless others learn it too. If that isn’t true inspiration, then I don’t know what is.
Kenny Imafidon will be giving a talk at Dulwich Festival on 10 May, from 7-8pm at the MCT, Alleyn’s School, Townley Road. Tickets cost £12 plus an Eventbrite booking fee, and are available from dulwichfestival.co.uk/event/ that-peckham-boy-by-kenny-imafidon
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When the BBC radio presenter Emma Barnett and her husband, Jeremy Weil, began photographing their favourite south London spots last year, it was initially just a way to document special places – and moments – for their young family. When they got home they printed out the photos for their son, now six, to scribble and scrawl on, as a fun activity to keep him busy and teach him about the local area while the couple were looking after their baby daughter.
Not only did he love colouring in his favourite places, but this simple activity gradually led to an ingenious idea, which grew into a colouringbook series called Colour Your Streets.
The set now has more than 30 titles, all inspired by a hyperlocal neighbourhood, including Dulwich, Peckham and Lewisham, and each comprising 16 local landmarks special to the area that children – and adults – can enjoy colouring in, while also feeling more connected to the specific area they love.
Dulwich is split into two, with an East Dulwich book inspired by a street-art walking tour Emma did while on maternity leave, featuring Lordship Lane shops such as Bora & Sons and its array of fruit and veg, Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe and North Cross Road’s colourful signage.
Another version features Dulwich more widely, including the park, Dulwich College and Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Meanwhile, places in the Peckham book include the library, Peckham Rye Station, Frank’s Cafe and Rye Lane. Emma, who presented BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour from 2021 until last month and is moving to the station’s Today programme in May, says: “It’s a mixture of obvious places, and then some have been chosen after people got in touch and requested certain places.
“People are very proud of where they’re from in London. They love their cafe, the street art, their lido, their local statue – or maybe they don’t. It’s that love letter idea, a bit of a tribute to your area, which people really relate to.”
Dulwich was the third book to be created, after the Herne Hill and Brixton editions were published last October. Brixton is where Emma and Jeremy, both 39, live with their son and one-year-old daughter.
Explaining how it all began, Emma says: “We were walking around Brockwell Park with our son and daughter, who must have been about 12 weeks old at the time, and I really must give Jeremy credit, it was his idea.
“Our son had asked about the clock tower in the park, so I looked it up,
and they’re redoing Brockwell Hall so I looked up the history. We took a photo and then Jeremy suggested we print it out so [our son] could doodle on it, because he loves drawing.
“Then we thought it would be nice if he could colour it in, so we started fiddling around and made [the image] a bit lighter so he could colour around it, and I think we also printed out one in black and white, too.”
From there, they realised that what started out as a simple activity idea for their own son could have bigger potential, and it became more than just something for their family alone to enjoy.
Emma says: “Our friends with children asked if they could colour them as well, and they were really enjoying it.
“The bit that I really enjoy is seeing how things affect people differently. As an adult you might look at an image and recognise the building, for example, but to one of my children’s friends, it’s the bench outside the building they really recognise, as that’s where they sat and had an ice cream in the summer. The thing that might be the landmark for you is actually irrelevant – the bench is what matters to the child!
“I also spoke to some friends who are teachers and I didn’t know this, but in key stage one and key stage two, developing a sense of place is
part of the curriculum, [so] one of our goals is to give the images to schools as a resource, so they can print them out and have them for free.”
While Emma hails from Manchester originally, Jeremy, who is head of product for the Economist Intelligence Unit, was born in New York and grew up in Dulwich.
However, that’s not actually what drew them back to the area. Emma says: “I did an interview with Jessie Ware more than a decade ago, and she showed me around Brixton market. I said to my husband: ‘We should live in Brixton.’ That was it! I’d only lived in west London before, around Ladbroke Grove.”
Each book features 16 outline images of local buildings or scenes, and other south London titles so far include Croydon, Tooting, Crystal Palace and Beckenham. They plan to extend out beyond the capital, too.
Emma says: “It will be interesting when we go outside of London, trying to get a sense of neighbourhoods and landmarks.
“The first place we’re going to do outside of London is, unsurprisingly, my hometown, Manchester, and I went round and took the photos for it the other day.
“Inspired by our son, we’ve also done one focusing on the London bridges – they’re quite lovely to colour in.
“It’s a good education for me, too – we’ve got more than 30 books now, and have just introduced Lewisham and the City of London editions.”
While journalist Emma was already a published author, having written the 2019 book Period while on her first maternity leave, this is worlds away from the day job.
Emma says: “We both work in media, I’ve written a book before –although this of course has fewer words! It’s different, but linked in a way as we’re both creative in our work. I’m really loving working with my husband for the first time – it’s a family business.
“Our son colours in the product, which is great. He’s like our product tester, or head of product, and is actually in one of the images – he has a cheeky Where’s Wally moment, and has lots of fun colouring himself in.
“Our house is full of boxes – my daughter’s bedroom is the stock room, which I didn’t envision when I tried to make it look really nice before she was born!”
With two young kids and a successful career, which recently saw Emma announced as Martha Kearney’s replacement on BBC Radio 4’s news and current affairs show the Today programme, you’d be forgiven for questioning how she finds the time to build a business from scratch.
PEOPLE ARE VERY PROUD OF WHERE THEY’RE FROM IN LONDON
Unsurprisingly, it involves an early start, with a 5.15am alarm on weekdays. Emma says: “We’re both busy. We are doing it at night or at the weekend. There are naps and our son can be occupied or on a playdate and then you’ve got two hours. I don’t work on Fridays so I’ve done a lot of it on Fridays, and I get a window post show and before picking up the children.”
It’s clearly paying off, with the presenter Jeremy Vine among the books’ growing fanbase. After reading about the idea in a local newsletter, he bought a copy of the book for his daughter who had just gone off to university, and mentioned it on his TV show.
Each book is available to buy online, priced £12.99 each, two for £20 or three for £25. Emma adds: “It’s printed locally with vegetable ink and it’s sustainable. We leave a blank page [after each image] because we found people like drawing or writing a story [to accompany the image].
“The feedback has all been really positive – people let us know if there’s something they really liked colouring, and for some people it’s a trip down memory lane. We even shipped our first order to New Zealand the other day, to a woman who grew up in Clapham and Battersea.
“It’s really nice – I think that’s really what comes across, that sense of place.”
Visit colouryourstreets.co.uk
Our photographer spent some time on Lordship Lane recently, where she captured a snapshot of daily life by taking pictures of people on the ever popular high street. Here are the results...
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Madhero, a beautiful short film on the life of Jean Claude Madhero, a Latin-Creole singer-songwriter of Martinique heritage who now lives in Forest Hill, begins with our protagonist walking slowly towards the camera. As each step brings him closer, his unique style, aura and vibe come into sharper focus. Finally, the full effect of this special performer fills our screens.
As I talk to Jean Claude and the film’s director, William Grave, I find out it’s a tableau that echoes the moment these two men met and began their journey towards creating this fabulous film.
Running late for a meeting about another film and turning over in his mind the problem of sourcing authentic Latin music for its soundtrack, William was stopped in his tracks as he made his way through Oxford Circus tube station by the incredible sound of Jean Claude’s music echoing through the tunnels.
“Jean Claude’s voice was literally like a siren,” he says. “I actually almost walked backwards towards his voice. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I just took a picture of his details, which were written on his guitar case.”
Initially wanting to commission Jean Claude to create music for the project, William realised during conversations with his new friend that his distinct story, views on life and artistic philosophy deserved a piece of their own. And what a story it is.
Growing up in poverty in Martinique, Jean Claude found a new life and calling after obtaining his first guitar. He left the Caribbean for national service in France, before staying in Paris to continue refining his sound and performing.
However, when he was robbed of his papers and guitar, he fell into homelessness and hopelessness.
“Without my guitar and papers I became a ghost,” he says in the film. Thanks to a good Samaritan, he found
a place to stay, a new guitar and the chance to turn his life around.
The film captures this story, as well as Jean Claude’s philosophical outlook on the life of an artist. Punctuated with incredible illustration throughout by Michelle Brand, the 10-minute short stays with you –in the same way that Jean Claude’s music and melodies lodge themselves in your brain.
Speaking of the moment he met William, Jean Claude says: “So many people tell you, ‘I’m going to make you a star, just contact me, blah blah blah.’ But with William he has this quality – when he says something, it is concrete, it is solid, it is done. And it feels very special to have made this film with him. I’m very pleased to have met William, that is for sure.”
Sensing the importance of the story he had in his hand, William was painstaking in his approach to every aspect of the film, from the location to the lighting. And, influenced perhaps by the metaphors and philosophy that punctuate his Martinican friend’s speech, William describes the process with a poetry that brings a smile to Jean Claude’s face.
“If you make a film about someone’s life, naturally it’s quite intimidating to think, am I going to capture it? In the end it felt a bit like trying to make a cake. If you say, ‘What do you think of this ingredient? What do you think of this ingredient? What do you think of this ingredient?’ then they probably won’t enjoy the cake. But if you give them a complete cake and say, ‘Try this’, then they might just love it. I’m glad I followed that instinct to not share anything until I had finished the film.”
It’s a process Jean Claude appreciated too, as he got to take in the whole film in one sitting –an experience he found incredibly profound. “The way William understood me as a person, as an artist... I was shocked,” he says. “How is it possible he can know me that way? Oh man, he surprised me. It
IN SOUTH LONDON I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THE ENERGY... I WOULD NEVER BETRAY MYSELF, MY ARTISTRY, AND LONDON GAVE ME THE FREEDOM TO BE MYSELF. THAT’S PRICELESS
doesn’t happen often in your life. I don’t usually trust someone else like this, but he’s the guy.”
ABOVE: JEAN CLAUDE
MADHERO
BELOW: JEAN CLAUDE WITH WILLIAM GRAVE
You can hear the emotion in his words, and it’s clear the power of the film comes from the strong bond these two men built, despite their differing backgrounds. William says: “You know, sometimes in life you can have two people who might dress very differently, have different accents, come from different countries and from different backgrounds, but there’s something deeper creatively, artistically or even spiritually that connects them beyond things that are quite surface level.”
The film has allowed the men to tour the world with showings at film festivals, including winning best international documentary at the Tennessee International Indie Film Festival. At the Love & Hope festival in Barcelona, accompanying Jean Claude “was like being with a celebrity”, says William. “Everyone wanted to come up and speak to him. Jean Claude’s energy... he brings people to him.”
But despite the serendipity of these two creatives meeting, Jean Claude isn’t surprised by the strange twist of fate that brought his life story to the silver screen. Although meeting William was a gift, it was one he felt the world would have in store for him if he stayed true to his calling.
“I don’t lie to myself,” he says. “I believe in my dharma. Which is your gift, your talent, your ability. Which I was given by God or whatever you want to call it. And I try to express it every day and to develop myself and then share it in that process. William helped me manifest it, but I wasn’t surprised that it all came together.”
It’s this trust in his calling and his muse that makes the redemptive arc in Madhero so affecting. Here is a man who has been through the ups and downs that life brings you, and through it all, has managed to stay true to himself. As William notes, his story is a shaft of light we can all take a moment to enjoy in these somewhat darker times.
From Martinique to Paris and then to London, Jean Claude has found the place he feels happiest to create and continue evolving his craft. And though he loves Paris for what it taught him, Forest Hill (where he’s lived now for 15 years) and London as a whole is the place he feels most comfortable.
“In south London I feel very comfortable with the energy,” he says. “It feeds me exactly what I need to take my artistry to another level. To produce better music. I would never betray myself, my artistry, and London gave me the freedom to be myself. That’s priceless.”
When the former magazine editor Penny Tomlinson opened her first shop, the Dulwich Trader, on Croxted Road in 1989, the idea of having a lifestyle store selling a carefully curated selection of gifts, homeware, accessories and fashion all in one place was a revolutionary one.
With the help of her husband and business partner, Ernie, Penny went on to open Tomlinsons in Dulwich Village in 1992, before the brand’s “baby” shop, Ed, opened its doors on North Cross Road in East Dulwich in 1999.
Now, customers can expect to find a wide range of eclectic, unusual and stylish homeware, gifts, cards, fashion, fashion accessories and jewellery across all three awardwinning south-east London stores. And this year the business marks an impressive 35 years since the first shop opened, and will also proudly celebrate Ed reaching 25 years of trading.
While Penny and Ernie no longer run the stores, it’s still a proper family business after all these years, with the small independent “chain” now under the care and ownership of Penny’s son, Dan Rigby, and his wife, Katharine Maclaverty, both 48.
Dan says: “My mum was always good at spotting opportunities, and the concept itself, which is fairly commonplace now – fashion, homeware and gifts all under one roof – was not back then.
“She saw an opportunity, and instead of people having to go to the West End to fulfil those needs, they could find something locally that had just as good an edit of products but with a friendly, local experience.”
Dan grew up working in the stores, but didn’t ever imagine he’d one day be running them himself.
He says: “I grew up in the shops, mainly working back of house unpacking, and all my friends and my brother Will also helped out too. I was very shy, so I was terrible with customers!
“I was resistant to joining permanently, so I went to university and then worked in event management, working all around the world for clients, for a long time. I wanted to make my own path.
“Then in 2009 we had a baby and that life became incompatible with a young family, so we used the opportunity to come into the business.”
Since Penny and Ernie retired from running the stores, Katharine has been at the helm since 2008, with Dan joining a few years later, in 2011.
Katharine says: “I always really loved the shops, and would pop in at weekends. Then about 17 years ago, Penny and Ernie decided they wanted
to step back. They were thinking about what to do with the business and asked if I wanted to buy it.
“It was completely left field as it wasn’t on my agenda, but at the same time it sounded amazing to do it. I thought about it for a while, and in the end decided to go for it.”
Each shop sells the same categories of products, while maintaining their own individual identities too, in order to appeal to slightly different audiences.
The pair, who live in Crystal Palace with their two children, 14 and 10, also operate online under the main umbrella site Rigby & Mac – an amalgamation of their surnames.
Ed has an eclectic feel with designled pieces, Scandinavian homeware and fashion labels including Selected Femme, Samsøe Samsøe, ICHI, Nümph, Carhartt, Farah and Portuguese Flannel. It also stocks Rains and Colorful Standard.
The North Cross Road premises boasts an interesting past, too, which Dan has been researching. In the late 1800s, hay dealer William Adams lived there, with later residents including a tobacconist. A butcher and even a Transylvanian travel agent traded from the ground floor at one point.
Dan says: “I got to thinking what was there before us, so working with the Dulwich Society – who have been incredible – I went off to the Southwark Archives and put together a sort of history of the building, with all the tenants both upstairs and downstairs going back to about 1884.
“It was also a butcher for a long time – generation after generation of family butchers.”
In the Dulwich Trader, one side of the store is devoted to a wide range of modern country furniture, homeware and gifts, while the other side is
an edit of women’s fashion, with labels including InWear, Sahara, Dea Kudibal, Grizas, Cut Loose, Part Two and Vetono.
A personal stylist is on hand and there is even an after-hours party service offered too.
Then Tomlinsons leans towards more vintage-feel homeware and unusual decorative pieces mostly sourced from France and Scandinavia.
The fashion within Tomlinsons “encompasses easy and contemporary styling”, with brands such as Fransa, Moss Copenhagen and Saint Tropez.
Katharine, a former occupational psychologist, says: “The Dulwich Trader is the biggest store, and on the fashion side it has labels that are slightly more mature and maybe a higher price point. Ed has a slightly younger customer for home and fashion.
“They all sell the same categories – fashion, gifts, homeware – but they just appeal to a slightly different demographic.
“We have four seasons of fashion, and the trend at the moment is people wanting to look stylish and nice, without looking like they’re going to an ‘official’ party. There’s a more relaxed approach.”
Given the ever changing retail climate over the past 25 years –with recessions, a pandemic, Brexit, the rise of online shopping and a cost of living crisis – it’s even more impressive that Ed has successfully reached its quarter of a century milestone.
Dan says: “Twenty-five years ago Lordship Lane and North Cross Road were very different places.
“Lordship Lane was a more typical south London high street, so there were more pubs, bookies. There were
fewer chains – they’ve come in more recent years, and with that can come higher rent.
“In the early 2000s there were lots of small, independent businesses opening up as people started moving into the area to raise a family.
“There’s a lot more competition in the area than ever before, but the benefit of that is there’s more attracting people to the area too, rather than shopping elsewhere.”
As a local family-owned and operated business, Dan and Katharine take pride in their deep roots within the community.
The business has a team of about 30 staff, with the longest serving member having worked for the brand for more than 30 years – and the pair believe it’s partly the relationship between the staff and local customers that has contributed to each store’s success, appeal and longevity.
Katharine says: “It’s not just about consumerism, it is a sense of community.
“It’s where people come in and chat, and staff hear what’s going on in our customers’ lives – regardless of whether they’re buying anything.
WE ARE IMMENSELY GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE EAST DULWICH COMMUNITY
“With all of the shops it’s an experience, and it’s about interaction – people come in to talk and I think that’s something people don’t always notice until it’s gone.”
To celebrate its significant, quarter-century anniversary, Ed is planning a series of special events and promotions throughout 2024, including in-store events, exclusive discounts and giveaways to honour the shop’s legacy and say thanks to those who have supported it over the years.
ABOVE: KATHARINE MACLAVERTY, DAN RIGBY AND THEIR DOG DIGBY IN ED
BELOW: THE SHOP’S ECLECTIC RETAIL OFFERING
Photos by Julia Hawkins
Katharine says: “We are immensely grateful for the support of the East Dulwich community over the past 25 years. We are excited to see what the future holds – we’re constantly evolving and adapting to meet the needs of our customers, and we look forward to serving the community for many years to come.”
For more information about Ed and the upcoming anniversary celebrations, please pop in to the store or visit rigbyandmac.com
Bird House London, the team behind leading neighbourhood drinking and dining venues The Hawk’s Nest and Peckham Arches, is delighted to announce the arrival of their latest venue, Bird House Brewery – a neighbourhood brewery, taproom and cocktail bar located underneath a railway arch on Bath Factory Estate, Herne Hill.
The new brewery serves up signature cocktails, wines, beers brewed on site and street food alongside the venue’s very own house lager and pale ale. With outdoor seating for 150 guests, cold brews on tap, and just a stone’s throw from Brockwell Park, Bird House Brewery is set to be southeast London’s leading hangout spot to enjoy the warmer months!
The craft brewery will be fitted out in the team’s signature style, with hanging greenery and flowers over the arch, scattered pot plants and relaxed bench seating.
The taproom – which brews the group’s own house lager and pale ale – is located inside the arch. Created by Brewmaster Will Hiscocks, the lager and pale ale will be a focus-point of the drinks menu and will be distributed and served at all Bird House London’s venues: The Hawk’s Nest, Peckham Arches and Skylarking.
Alongside the house brews, the fullystocked bar serves the group’s signature cocktails, from Spicy Margaritas to Passion Fruit Mezcalitas, as well as wines and seasonal and special craft beers brewed on site including a White IPA and Amber Lager. To accompany the drinks, the team will be serving smash patty burgers and fries.
Open from Wednesday – Sunday, for more information or to book a table, visit the website: birdhousebrewing.com or email: reservations@birdhousebrewing. com
BIRD HOUSE BREWERY Arch 1127, Bath Factory Estate 41 Norwood Road, Herne Hill SE24 9AJ @birdhousebrewery
With a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, the brewery bar will boast relaxed seating for 200 guests, with 50 covers inside the arch, as well as outdoor seating for 150. A perfect spot for birthdays, catch-ups with friends and events, expect an exciting line-up of live music on Sundays from 4pm, and DJs on the weekend.
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We pair our generous feasting menus with the attentive but informal service we are renowned for.
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Books are open for 2025, with some availability left for 2024.
OPENING HOURS:
Wednesday – Friday: 4pm-11:30pm Saturday: 12pm-11:30pm Sunday: 12pm-10:30pm
A Peckhamite born and bred, Vida Adamczewski’s first collection of writing, Amphibian & Other Bodies, contains snatches of poetry, interior monologues and short stories, but begins with her award-winning lyric play, Amphibian.
Contained within the director’s note is some advice for the reader: “If you are feeling nauseous or unable to tell the difference between what is real and what is not real, seek out the rhythm of the language. It is your anchor.” Guidance for life and the collection.
The motif of amphibious creatures, the slippery beings belonging to land and water, connects all the writing in the book – from frogs and pottery toads to pet axolotls.
In one of the short stories, a young woman who is recovering from some unspoken domestic trauma
begins work as a bookseller, with her dad making sure she has the phone number for the brothers who run the local fish and chip shop in case anyone comes for the end-of-day takings from the cash register. It’s a needed intervention.
In another story, the narrative occurs around Brockwell Lido, Herne Hill and the surrounding areas. It’s wonderful to read such a talented writer revealing the hidden lives of those we pass in the streets; we all contain stories within our stories.
Though undoubtedly dark in places, there is also a sense of playfulness that runs throughout the book. The final story of the collection features a 17-year-old narrator on a camping trip with a boyfriend who has moved to the seaside (“Sydenham-on-Sea”).
It’s written in the second person, which can often be jarring, but on this occasion is delivered with the
Every May our allotment site, the Dulwich Horticultural and Chrysanthemum Society, has a stall at the Nunhead Cemetery open day, where we sell plants and produce from our plots.
One of our biggest sellers are courgette plants, lovingly raised from seed by plotholders through spring.
But as anyone with an allotment will tell you, by August this veg can become more of a curse than a blessing: your plot can become overrun with courgettes, the hot weather turns them into gigantic marrow-sized crops and they do not freeze well. Even offering excess courgettes to neighbours and friends
confidence of a writer who sees the shade and ripples of any watery space. It could be a story of teenage love, lust and transgression, but things turn very dark, very quickly.
The writing is excellent, with the imaginative elements sitting cheek by jowl with the often mundane nature of daily life. Vida’s ability throughout the collection to show the unreal, the surreal, the poetry and the pathos of the everyday is stunning, and evidence of a major new talent.
As Vida’s fellow Peckham novelist Evie Wyld said of Amphibian & Other Bodies: “Adamczewski’s stories are quiet and feral, her imagery thrilling, the voices troubling and funny. There is calmness here but there is also wild power.”
Amphibian & Other Bodies is published by Toothgrinder Press and costs £11 in paperback
doesn’t seem to make a dent in the harvest.
There are ways you can stop the glut, however. I choose courgettes that suit being picked when they are small, such as the striped heritage varieties like Striato di Napoli, Striato d’Italia and Romanesco, all from Franchi Seeds (seedsofitaly.com). They look more attractive on the bush than the ordinary green courgettes, and they have a richer, sweeter flavour when picked at about 6 inches, or 15cm long. And rather than boiling the taste out of the courgette, I prefer to slice them lengthways and griddle them with just a little bit of olive oil – again this is better
suited to the crop when they are smaller and firmer.
It is not too late in May to sow courgettes for an August harvest. The soil will be warm enough to sow seeds directly into a bed, but given slugs adore the young shoots, I would still start them off in pots on a table or cold frame outdoors.
Once the young plant has grown its first true leaves – beyond the seed leaves that emerge from the baby shoot – transplant them to a bed 12 inches or 30cm apart. You may still need to protect the plants from slugs and snails.
Courgette plants love water, so create a little crater around each one by earthing
up the soil in a circle, and irrigate thoroughly and regularly.
In a few weeks the plants will produce yellow flowers from where the courgette emerges – these can also be picked when the vegetable is small, and deep-fried or stuffed with cream cheese.
Regular picking will avoid a marrow glut. If you’re going on holiday, ask your neighbours to help themselves until you get back.
And if all else fails, you can always add your giant courgettes to the compost heap, so it is not a complete waste.
The DHCS stall will be at the Friends of Nunhead Cemetery open day on 18 May from 11am to 5pm.
DOWN: 1 Assembling, 2 Electorate, 3 Syllable, 4 Balance, 5 Sketch, 6 Knit, 8 Carat, 13
25 Poet
ACROSS: 7 Sally Hawkins, 9 Mea culpa, 10 Titter, 11 Absorb, 12 Coherent, 15 Pirates, 16 Epicure, 19 Agreeing, 21 Repeal, 22
SOLUTION
Muhammadu Faal plays as a forward for Maidstone United, on loan from Havant & Waterlooville. He began his career in the youth team at Ryan before completing a scholarship at Boreham Wood.
He then joined the Italian club L’Aquila 1927, playing in Lega Pro and Serie D, as well as the Promozione league while on loan at San Gregorio.
After returning to England, he played one game for Waltham Forest and then joined Dulwich Hamlet, where he played 25 times and scored six goals.
Faal moved to Kingstonian and then Enfield Town, before joining Bolton Wanderers on an 18-month contract. He returned to Enfield in 2021 and in August 2022, he joined National League South club Havant & Waterlooville.
For more Hamlet history, visit thehamlethistorian.blogspot.co.uk
7 Across is a famous person
Celia Sawyer was born in Dulwich and left school aged 15 with few qualifications. An early job was as a dental nurse, then she became a model. This led her to start a business as a photographer’s agent, representing photographers and helping them find work on campaigns for advertising agencies. Sawyer then turned to property investments, but is now best known for her interior design work. She owns her own company, Celia Sawyer Interior Architecture and Design.
As a dealer both on and off the big screen, she collects art and collectables and has an extensive client base for which she sources rare and beautiful objects, buying and selling for sporting personalities, celebrities and entrepreneurs. In 2012 she became one of the four dealers in the Channel 4 programme Four Rooms. Following on from that success, Sawyer was selected to host a prime-time property makeover show for BBC One, Your Home in Their Hands.
“Right
£152,000+
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