p3 From the DBA committee
p4 De Beauvoir Gardeners Club
Hidden Gems
De Beauvoir residents
p6 Elif, fit for everything (Türkçe tercümesi mevcutdur)
p8 A Decade of Sisterhood
De Beauvoir Women’s Institute
The Halley - a creative hub on the canal by Kingsland Basin
p10 Get involved in something creative?
Scan the QR code here or go to www.debeauvoir.org.uk and click the link on the homepage.
Welcome to our FREE, annual printed newsletter! It has been delivered to you and all 4,200 households in the whole of De Beauvoir by some amazing volunteers who love the neighbourhood as much as you do.
If you want to find out even more about what’s going on the neighbourhood our brilliant weekly email newsletter goes out every Monday and is packed with information about events, profiles of local people, business and public service information, history features, local theatre listings and a whole lot more. It’s FREE! Scan the QR code on this page to sign up, go to our website www.debeauvoir.org.uk or just email info@debeauvoir.org.uk and we’ll do it for you. Contributions and suggestions are always welcome.
The much-loved Party in the Park is back again on Saturday 6th July, 2-5pm in De Beauvoir Square Gardens, N1 4LG. This will be its 18th year.
As many of you will know, the De Beauvoir Association is an entirely voluntary community organisation. Established in 1968, we gather and share information, impartially, through our newsletters, support our community and other community organisations in whatever way we can and organise events such as the Party in the Park and the Christmas Fair.
If you would like to get involved, please email us at: info@debeauvoir.org.uk. We’d love to hear from you.
www.debeauvoir.org.uk
As usual, all the entertainment and activities are FREE for children so bring your family and friends.
Get into the party vibe with some fabulous live music, free toy and book giveaway, bouncy castle, magician, bracelet and flower crown making, colouring table for face-masks, and the ever-popular face painting which is always over-subscribed. This year we will have five face-painters on the go for the full three hours, but to avoid disappointment get your free face painting tickets from the reception desk early in the afternoon. Our mighty Tombola and legendary Raffle will be as awesome as ever and the same price as before.
Fill your faces with reasonably priced delicious savoury food from Gwada Kitchen, and yummy cakes and bakes from De Beauvoir WI. Wash them down with a soft drink, tea, beer or Pimms.
If we are really lucky, the police horses will turn up, and with a bit of magic, a fire engine too!
Last year our gardening club celebrated its 45th birthday with over 100 members. With so many green fingered residents it’s no wonder that we live in such a pretty corner of Hackney. There isn’t a month goes by without some handsome specimen displaying its magic. From magnolias in early spring, through cherry blossom, wisteria and roses – it’s always a pleasure to walk through these streets.
These days we understand how important urban gardens are in the fight to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Our programme of monthly speakers includes planting for pollinators and birds, organic gardening without pesticides and how to improve our soil. We also help to manage Rainbow Park, the garden on the corner of Downham and Ufton Roads, with its wildflower patch and raised beds.
This year we have a summer coach trip to Great Dixter which will be advertised when dates are finalised. And on Sunday 29th September, Blooms, Bakes and Barks, our annual show, returns to the De Beauvoir Block. Save the date and enter our competition, whether it’s for baking, growing, making jams and preserves or showing your prize pooch – it’s open to everyone and is a wonderful way for families to get involved with the community. Look out for the competition leaflet which will be dropped through your letterbox in August. If you are wondering what to grow think apples, squash and pumpkins which should be perfect to harvest in the autumn.
For those of you interested in local history we have written up a timeline of our activities since the club was set up in 1978: www.debeauvoirgardeners/ wordpress.com/archive
If you want to find out more, why not join us at one of our friendly monthly meetings, which are just £4 for non-members. You can see the full pro-gramme on our website: www.debeauvoirgardeners.org.uk
For the curious, the adventurous, whether you have been living here for decades or you are a newcomer, we have put together this guide to shake you off from old habits and offer a new perspective on De Beauvoir taking you to new places (without taking you far). We hope to inspire you to explore the neighbourhood beyond your preconceptions, to venture to new places, or to just learn about those unusual, hidden and exquisite things that exist within De Beauvoir and nearby areas.
We asked a number of residents to share with us what they thought were the hidden gems of our neighbourhood: unusual places that inspire them or provide them with respite and things that they thought people would be interested in learning about. We thank everyone for sharing their particular knowledge of the neighbourhood and we welcome new additions to this map/guide. If there’s a place you believe should be featured, please send us an email and we’ll add it into the digital version to be circulated in our weekly newsletter: info@debeauvoir.org.uk
The listings featured here were kindly suggested by people who share the belief that there’s more to enjoy in De Beauvoir than we might think. Although some businesses are included, they did not engage with us in any way and are here only on the recommendation of local residents.
1 Happy Café 63 Downham Road
By far the best café name and one of the few traditional eatery left in De Beauvoir. Super tasty English fry-up and Turkish food.
2 Duke of York 33 Downham Road
Super friendly service, good lunch deals, and my favourite beer.
3 Gwada 85 Balls Pond Road
Delicious Ethiopian food and Italian desserts! If you cannot decide which dishes to choose, ask Silvia to decide for you. You won’t regret it!
4 Toconoco Unit A, 28 Hertford Road
I love the peaceful location of this café, right at the end of the Kingsland Basin. Tasty Japanese snacks, light meals, and a great setup for kids.
5 Basketball court graffiti behind 81 Downham Road De Beauvoir Estate
Looking at this graffiti I think of the many talented people living in the DB Estate. I would love to learn more about them and see these artists making a profit from their work.
6 Free Library (x2) in front of 25 Ockendon Road and 12 Penn Street
I really enjoy stopping at these Libraries, more often than not I find something interesting. It’s also a great place to drop off my unwanted books.
7 Hitchcock’s head Gainsborough studio, 1 Poole St
In fact, a giant Alfred Hitchcock’s head! Very random, but a good reminder that this place was once a film studio. It makes me think of all the history that surrounds me and that I have yet to discover.
8 Sunny steps Kingsland Basin
Hidden within the Kingsland Basin, but the gates are open during daytime. I love sitting here with a book on a sunny weekend day, by the water but away from the crowds.
9 Canal viewing spot 7 Branch Place
For years I have walked past this spot without ever noticing it. And then I did! It’s so peaceful there, to just sit and watch the canal in quietness.
10 Parklet in front of 3 Ardleigh Road
I love this tiny spot. There are benches to sit on and herbs to smell. It’s great to have this parking-spotturned-parklet right outside our doorstep, makes De Beauvoir Town feel even more like a friendly village.
Bu makale Esen Keleş tarafından
Türkçeye çevrilmiştir. Okumak isterseniz
lütfen buradaki QR kodunu kullanın; bu sizi çevrimiçi çeviriye yönlendirecektir.
On May 3rd 2016, Elif Keles got up as usual to take her daughters to school. But when she went to put on her shoes she realised with horror she had put on so much weight that she had trouble bending over to do them up. That was her light bulb moment.
Elif lives in one of the tower blocks on the De Beauvoir Estate, as does her mother, Emine, and one of her three younger sisters, Esen. There is a significant number of Turkish and Kurdish people living there, but until recently nearly all the women stayed at home and the men went out to work, mostly in restaurants or factories. Emine came here from Istanbul in 1983, aged 16, to an arranged marriage. Her father-in-law had the first kebab shop in Stoke Newington, and Emine worked there from the day she arrived. She now understands a fair amount of English but does not speak it.
That day, after delivering the girls to school, Elif took herself down to the canal towpath and, taking a deep breath, ran between the two nearest bridges. She hadn’t run for years and suffers from an array of medical conditions including polycythemia, which needs regular hospital treatment, and asthma. That day marked the beginning of a new life. She returned to her flat breathless but exhilarated and determined to improve her physical and mental health.
Soon she was running three times a week while Esen minded the children. She improved her diet, turned her flat into a gym and transformed from a couch potato into a human dynamo. In just 4 months she lost 30 kilos, and her confidence grew as her body shrunk. She decided that if she could do it, so could others, and the idea of reaching out to her community began to take shape. However, in 2017 she found she was pregnant again and the weight crept back on after her son was born, exacerbated by lockdown when “there was nothing to do, nowhere to go, all we did was eat.”
Early in September 2022, The Crib Youth Centre held their annual barbecue on the green space in Balmes Road. Elif and Esen took their young families and everyone had a great time. Elif noted that although the premises were really small and in need of an upgrade, the place had a tremendous heart. They were the only Turkish people at the event.
Janette Collins and her daughter Kelly had created a safe, welcoming space for anyone around the estate. Elif plucked up courage to ask Kelly if she could start fitness classes for women there one morning a week, immediately Kelly gave her enthusiastic support and a set of keys. Elif knew the Turkish community is often hard to prise out of their shells, especially women, so she began classes with immediate family members and friends. Despite the occasional “my husband wouldn’t let me,” it was a runaway success, and she was quickly leading three overflowing step aerobics classes a week for up to 20 women at a time, mostly Turkish. As news spread, she found herself leading 5 classes a week.
Two years on and to Elif’s delight her sessions have changed many women’s lives. She is reluctant to charge any more than £1 for her classes and so far has funded the step platforms and other equipment out of her own pocket. The core group of Turkish and Kurdish women, has recently been joined by two Albanians, with no family in the UK, finding “a place we can call home.” The majority do not speak much English but the group goes from strength to strength as a forum for mutual support, social interaction, shared lunches and occasional talks. Janette has led two sessions on secondary school transfer, with Esen as translator and facilitator for any questions that arise.
The Turkey-Syria earthquake in February 2023 brought this community closer, many of whom had families and friends
who were directly affected. Elif’s WhatsApp group sprung into action, and huge donations of food, cash and clothing were collected, sorted and dispatched. She also organised a cake sale outside Tesco to raise funds and sold more cakes at the Songs of Support concert in St. Peter’s Church where a choir of children she had trained opened the whole show dressed in red and white. It was the first time this mainly Muslim community had been in their local church.
Born and schooled here, the sisters are bilingual and have an understanding of both cultures. They started The Sunday Club for up to 20 primary aged children who came to The Crib to take part in indoor and outdoor games, arts and crafts, constructive play, and various cultural activities. The Club spread to school holidays and teachers’ strike days, leaving Elif to scrape around for food and donations to give the children lunch. Somehow she managed to blag food from stalls in Hoxton Market for sandwiches and piles of fruit which the children devoured. “Hungry children can’t concentrate on anything.” At first boys only wanted to do football and Lego, but gradually they began to join in with the other activities. Gender equality still has a long way to go in Turkish culture.”
Elif and Esen’s daughters loved helping with the younger children but in July nearly all the children went back to Turkey for the summer holidays. It was replaced in September by Maths Club which Elif felt was really important as so many children were struggling post-pandemic. The Sunday Club may be back again this September if she can get some funding and maybe larger premises. After-school clubs and Teenage Fitness Classes at The Crib are also oversubscribed. “I would love to do all of these but right now I am getting my Personal Training Qualification from Hackney College as well as everything else and I do have three children!”
The fitness sessions have made her a bit of a local celebrity; most of the Turkish and Kurdish families on the estate now recognise her and they have great respect for what she is doing for them. Her current projects are supporting Esen’s Baby Massage enterprise and Toddler Stay and Play at The Crib, while organising the first monthly Tabletop Sales there too. “It’s the first time I‘m actually going to work and earn money,” said one of the newly confident members of the Fitness Class who has already booked her table.
Elif’s younger daughter Elinai (12) is a great football player, artist and gardener, and Eyda (14) is super clever and super proud of her mum for all that she has achieved so far. Eyda reads a lot, has no time for cultural stereotypes and wants to join The Met for a few years before becoming a criminal psychologist. No prizes for guessing who their role model is. Yours and mine too.
De Beauvoir friends and neighbours, it’s lovely to be invited to contribute to another issue of this newsletter, on behalf of the De Beauvoir WI (DBWI). In the first piece, I spoke about the value of being a member of the De Beauvoir WI sisterhood and how joining was fundamental in helping me with my mental health and reducing my feelings of loneliness. Being part of the DBWI community means I have a wonderful support network and friends who will go out of their way to help me should I need it. The varied activities at the monthly meetings are fun, informative and educational, providing a welcome distraction from some of the routine of daily life.
By the time this newsletter is distributed, the DBWI will have had its 10th birthday and reaching a decade is definitely a cause for celebration. In January we had our first meeting in the De Beauvoir Block on De Beauvoir Road. Moving venue was a major transition but it has worked out very well. The larger, modern space provides scope for hosting different kinds of events, giving us something to think about in coming months.
Over the last year we have formed new relationships in the wider Hackney community and welcomed many new sisters to our family. The DBWI committee is proud and blessed to facilitate the forging of new connections and arranging regular social gatherings. Most prominently, our recently formed Culture Group has been very active organising outings to cinemas and galleries on a weekly basis. Our BST (British Summer Time) Walking Group will be rambling again this month and the Fitness Group continues to meet for swimming, jogging and gym sessions.
We are confident that our next 10 years will be just as fantastic as the first. We are open to all women over 18 and we hope to welcome you soon.
Fiona Kirkwood.
Opened in 2021, The Halley is not your average workspace. This vibrant recording studio, event space and café opens its doors to community groups around De Beauvoir to work alongside music industry professionals.
The Halley was formed as an arm of AEI Ventures. Their story began in Sheffield in 1996 when James Cotterill, then a young music fan, launched Drum&BassArena, a website centred around his love of drum and bass music. Two years later he was joined by Diluk Dias and in 2010 by the young Luke Hood, then only seventeen, who had founded UKF from his hometown in Frome. Seven years ago they moved their offices to above our much-loved Towpath Café, but when the nearby space that now houses The Halley and Café Route became available, their desire to create a real-life music community became a reality. Their ethos is: ‘to invest in founders and startups in the music and hospitality sectors, particularly people from historically excluded or marginalised backgrounds’.
Janette Collins, MBE and CEO of The Crib Youth Project in Balmes Road is a huge fan. “Just after lockdown in 2022 we were invited to use their facilities for
fifteen of our girls who wanted to do a podcast around the issues of gender and identity, the use of social media, how young girls see themselves and how society views them. They also spoke about lockdown, school exclusion and the cost of living. At first they were quite embarrassed and were unsure of what to do, but Elana showed them how to use a microphone properly, how to structure questions (interview skills) and she really helped to build their confidence. It was an exhilarating experience both for the girls and the staff who told us the space is always open for us to book and use for free. It’s a safe space and a great facility to have so close to us”. Similar praise comes from Sistah Space which supports women and families affected by domestic abuse, YUAF (Young Urban Art Foundation) who empower the lives of young people through creativity and culture, and Children with Voices who promote healthier childhood development and feeding communities in need.
“We’ve been building digital music communities for two decades and had long wanted to create a space where likeminded people could come together in
the physical realm. One of our key aims is to empower future generations through music” said Diluk.
The Halley is equipped with all the facilities music creatives and companies need, including shared workspace, private meeting rooms, café, an event space and five recording studios. Designed for producing, recording, creating podcasts and DJing, the studios can be booked for as little as £15 an hour. Studio coordinator Elana Lacroix has all the technical expertise to support those with little or no experience in using the equipment. Café Route is open to the public during the day and bookable for private events in the evening.
You might think that these surroundings could be noisy and chaotic, but the sense of calm when you enter the building is seductive. Around 80% of those using the desk space are directly involved in music, and the environment allows them to forge connections and collaborate to share and develop ideas facilitated by regular member lunches, workshops and events. Memberships are flexible from a few hours to full time and a free trial day is always on offer.
Happy member Paul, said: “I really like the opportunity to come here. My days in The Halley can be some of the most productive and it’s also a really great place to connect with other companies.”
Claremont Project
This is an arts and wellbeing community centre with a variety of arts courses and events at low cost for those over the age of 55. 24-27 White Lion Street, N1 9PD www.claremont-project.org
Clay - Culford Mews
Clay is a fascinating medium, fun and creative. Culford Studios offers a variety of courses for both beginners and practicing artists in a small relaxed setting. All courses are led by studio practicing artists with a wealth of experience and enthusiasm. www.culfordstudios.co.uk/
Choir One
Choir One is an exciting new singing ensemble based in north London led by De Beauvoir resident Richard Frostick. It’s a completely open, non-auditioned choir and welcomes anyone 18+ Email: admin@choirone.co.uk www.choirone.co.uk/
This QR code will take you to our GoogleDoc with links to all the above.
Friends with Shakespeare
Claire Cartwright leads fun courses on Shakespeare plays. One evening a week for 5 weeks, 7pm-9pm. Read a play, learn all about the context, language and ideas. Finish with a group trip to see the play at the theatre. Cost approx £320 per person, including food, drink and theatre tickets. All details on website: www.friendswithshakespeare.com/
Jane Keelan - Piano and flute
Jane Spiers-Keelan is a professional flute player with over 30 years experience. She offers flute lessons for all abilities and beginner piano lessons for any ages. For more details email: Janespierskeelan @hotmail.com
Mend-House - Repair beats Replace
Saskia runs Mend House, a repair business, offering clothing and jewellery mending services. Specialising in visible clothing repairs. Private sessions and occasion specific workshops. www.mendhouse.co.uk
Michael Keelan - Violin, viola, piano and accordion
Michael Keelan is a professional violinist. He can offer advanced lessons in classical and jazz for all the above instruments. He also makes and repairs stringed instruments. For more details email: michael.keelan@icloud.com
Nature Photography Workshop
Irene Slegt will be running workshops on photography with an emphasis on nature. Whether you use a SLR camera or a smart phone everyone can take good pictures. Workshops will look at composition, exposure, the use of Macro lens and editing. 4 x 1.5hrs. For more details email: ireneslegt@yahoo.co.uk
Royal Drawing School
Fabulous courses, although on the expensive side. However, some courses are free for students. Shoreditch. www.royaldrawingschool.org/
Screen Printing Workshops with Gail Bryson
Screen-printing workshops for small groups and individuals. Learn the basics of creating designs and stencils for print on paper or fabric. Beginners to intermediate levels. All materials and equipment provided. From £65 for 2.5hrs. For more details email: gail@gailbryson.co.uk www.gailbryson.co.uk/
SkandiHus
SkandiHus offers an array of courses and taster sessions, for beginners and seasoned artisans alike. Time Out dubbed SkandiHus the ‘Best Pottery Classes in London’. With sessions available every day, priced from £45. They re-open their doors at De Beauvoir Road in September 2024. www.skandihus.co.uk