The Orpington 1st Magazine Winter 2019

The

Orpington

Magazine

Winter edition 2019 IN THIS ISSUE • • • •

Light Up preview and Food Fest review Sign up to the Santa Dash Spotlight on new businesses Calendar competition winner announced

www.orpington1st.co.uk info@orpington1st.co.uk • 01689 829 527

Published by

Tindle Newspapers

EN FRE TR E Y

Thursday 14th November, 4-8pm Orpington High Street

Stage with live entertainment Fairground Rides Market Stalls Santa Firework Finale Visit: www.orpington1st.co.uk for more information

#LightUpOrpington

Award winning!

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HAT’S our town, as this year Orpington was awarded a silver gilt in the prestigious London in Bloom Competition, so a big thank you to all those who helped with this year’s entry.

It is great that we have such an engaged community and this was demonstrated again with our half term Scarecrow trail, with families given the chance of winning tickets to the ODEON cinema and a meal at Bella Italia.

Food is always a winner in Orpington with our recent Flavours Festival attracting even bigger crowds and the addition of A Mano’s spaghetti eating contest attracting entries from across London.

The town’s reputation as a food destination continues to grow and we will see the opening of some exciting new restaurants ahead of Christmas; so don’t forget, from coffee to cocktails and from a romantic meal to the office party, make sure you book your festive celebration in one of Orpington’s great restaurants.

And from celebration to commemoration, half term week saw the installation of our popular Poppy trees as the town gets ready for Remembrance Sunday which this year falls on November 10th. Once again, we’re expecting to host the largest of the Borough’s parades.

Orpington 1st Business Improvement District www.orpington1st.co.uk

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Published by: Tindle Newspapers To advertise, call Mark Kadshaw on 07800 609444 or email markkadshaw@bigginhillnews.co.uk

by Orpington 1st BID Executive Director, Sharon Baldwin

Contents 5 Light Up Preview 7 Health & Wellbeing 8 V22 gets creative 11 Calendar Competition winner 13 London In Bloom awards 15 Jo Johnson column 16 Spotlight on... Barber King 20 Food Festival review 23 Sign up for the Santa Dash 25 Orpington Remembers...

26 New Business 31 Better for Business 33 Tackling loneliness in the borough 35 Dementia Action in Orpington 37 Police update

We then look forward to welcoming you all back to town to join us at this year’s Light Up Orpington on Thursday 14th November, the Village Halls Pantomime at the beginning of December and the annual Santa Dash on Sunday 8th December.

It really is a busy town and the next few weeks are very important for our high street businesses, so this year give them the gift of your business and buy local!

We will be back with our Spring edition in February so until then have a great Christmas and a very happy new year!

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orpington1st.co.uk/events

Get ready to Light Up Orpington for Christmas 2019

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HE Christmas countdown for Orpingtonians begins on Thursday 14th November, as we illuminate the town centre with festive cheer for Christmas 2019. Organised and funded by the town centre business community and Orpington 1st, with additional sponsorship from Walnuts Shopping Centre.

Visit a partially pedestrianised High Street for the borough’s big switch on and enjoy a great line up of live entertainment, all your favourite fairground rides, a range of food, drink and gift stalls and of course the fantastic firework finale!

The lights will be on for the duration of the event, which begins at 4pm, with a countdown to the fireworks at the main stage, at the foot of Knoll Rise on the high street, at approximately 7.30pm.

The south section of the high street, from Memorial roundabout to Homefield Rise, will be closed to traffic from 9am, with buses diverted down Gravel Pit Way.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

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New health centre in Orpington now open

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HE new Orpington Health and Wellbeing Centre opened its doors to patients on 16 September 2019.

The new centre houses the Knoll Medical Practice and a range of other community clinics in modern and fit-for-purpose premises in the heart of Orpington town centre, enabling more patients to avoid having to go to hospital for routine treatment.

Dr Andrew Parson, Clinical Chair of NHS Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group, said, “We are delighted to announce the opening of the Orpington Health and Wellbeing Centre. We have worked long and hard with our partners, patients and staff to make sure that we can offer Orpington residents high quality services from a modern and fit-for-purpose building. Patients have told us they want more care delivered from local community facilities and avoid having to go into hospital unless they really need to.

The new centre will certainly help us achieve this.”

Bromley Council, residents and other partners have been instrumental in developing the Orpington centre.

Cllr Diane Smith, Bromley Council’s Executive Member for Adult Care and Health said, “We are pleased that the council and residents have been able

to give their views throughout the development stages of this centre. It should serve Orpington residents well with a range of health and wellbeing services brought together in one place in their own neighbourhood.”

As well as providing a new home for the Knoll Medical Practice, the Orpington Health and Wellbeing Centre, in Brunswick Square Orpington, will provide patients with a range of community services including outpatient clinics, minor surgery, community clinics and diagnostics. A brand new MRI scanner will be installed in the centre in February 2020.

Dr Ruchira Paranjape, one of the GP partners at Knoll Medical

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

orpington1st.co.uk/community Practice said, “We are so excited to move into the new Orpington Health and Wellbeing Centre. Our staff and patients are set to benefit from having modern and fit-for-purpose premises that will enable us to develop our services further.”

The Orpington Health and Wellbeing Centre is part of a wide programme of improvements being made by NHS Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group to enable more care to be delivered in the community and out of hospital, in facilities that are fit-for-purpose for modern health service delivery. Plans are currently underway to provide a similar centre in Bromley Town Centre.

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V22

are pleased to announce that they have 19 studios built and ready to rent in the former library building set within Orpington’s stunning Priory Gardens.

A shared ownership art organisation which specialises in the collection of contemporary art, the production of exhibitions and events, and the provision of artists’ studios, V22 became the official custodians of the Priory and adjoining building in 2016.

Museum to Muse: Priory proves

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VARIETY of size studios are available, ranging from 136 to 726 sq.ft., with many spaces benefiting from lovely natural light through windows or skylights.

Shared desk space

Great Hall 8

A 15 minute walk, or short bus ride from Orpington station, studios and workspaces at V22 are available to rent by artists as well as selected creative businesses, start‑ups, charities and social enterprises.

In the next-door Priory, the oldest building in the borough, formerly home to the museum, there is shared desk space and a self-contained studio space available to rent, which is suitable for non-messy practice. The Great Hall in the Priory is a community and events space and is available for events, workshops, talks and community activities.

One of the exciting creatives V22 is now home to is TS Design Studio Ltd, an upholstery and furniture workshop.

Tomasz Seweryn, whose parents were both upholsterers, brings 27 years’ experience, passion and commitment to his company.

Producing work of an extremely high standard, his customers include some of

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

ideal home for creatives

orpington1st.co.uk/news

the top designers worldwide.

Current availability for V22 can be checked on their website. Viewings are held weekly. If you wish to arrange a viewing, or for more information, please contact them at the addresses below.

Website: www.v22collection.com Twitter/Facebook: @V22Workspace Contact: studioenquiries@ v22collection.com

Left: Tomasz Seweryn of TS Design with a re-upholstered 1959 Vernon Panton chair

Clay Room

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Picture perfect: Calendar competition winner announced

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HE winner of the fifth Orpington Photography Competition, in which entrants submit photographs taken in and around the town for the chance to win £100 cash and have their work included in the Orpington 1st Calendar, has been announced.

Whether a magic moment at a town centre event, the perfect sunset over a local park, a shot of friends having fun, or a favourite wildlife snap from the garden, photographs were judged by a panel looking for photos that capture the best of Orpington, its people and its places, with the winning photo taking pride of place in the town’s 2020 Calendar.

Congratulations to Stephen Sangster whose photograph of Orpington Library on an autumnal evening (above) was judged by the panel to be the winner. The panel was impressed by the light and tone of an image of a recognisable location in the heart of the town centre.

Orpington 1st BID Manager Chris Travers said, “We’ve had a brilliant response to this year’s competition with hundreds of entries, and it’s great that Orpingtonians are looking at their surroundings with such positivity. The town calendar never fails to reflect the breadth and vibrancy of Orpington and this will no doubt be the case for the 2020 edition.”

Some other shots which caught the panel’s eye and are in the running for a place in the calendar: above, “The Opportunist” by Adrian Rowley; below, “Colourful Conker Season” by Lizzie Davis.

The 2020 Calendar will be available from November at Orpington Library: visit www.orpington1st.co.uk for details.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

Businesses Blooming

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Silver Gilt Award for Orpington 1st

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RPINGTON 1st BID was awarded Silver Gilt at this year’s London in Bloom awards, in recognition of its horticultural efforts, business involvement and community engagement across a range of environmental projects.

The accolade was awarded in the Town Centre and BID category at a ceremony held at Mile End Park on 20th September.

Bloom has been celebrating and recognising the passion Londoners have for greening our Capital city for 52 years,

aiming to make Greater London a greener and more pleasant place to live and visit.

Along with the business community’s floral displays, which judges felt made a major contribution to the look of the town, Orpington 1st’s second entry into London in Bloom drew together a number of projects, including the Living Scarecrow Trail, waste management scheme, a World Ocean Day event, clean ups and graffiti removal.

A new addition to the town this year was the Pop Up Pallet Park, described as an innovative way of brightening up what was a drab, underutilised space.

Orpington 1st Executive Director Sharon Baldwin, said, “We are delighted to receive the Silver Gilt award. I would like to thank all the businesses and individuals who assisted with our entry this year and we look forward to continuing our work to enhance our town centre’s Look & Feel for the benefit of all who use it. We have some great ideas for next year and we’ll certainly be aiming to go one better, growing for gold!”

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

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A Queen’s Speech for the future

A column by Jo Johnson, MP

A photograph of me and the then-Mayor of London on Orpington High Street, soon after I became an MP in 2010.

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HESE have been turbulent times indeed in Westminster. As many of you will know, in September I announced my intention to stand down as Member of Parliament for Orpington at the next General Election. It has been an honour to work for the people of Orpington for just shy of the last decade and I will continue to do so until my successor is elected. Please do contact me with any problems or concerns or come to see me at my fortnightly surgeries if I can be of any assistance.

I am sure it is a great relief to everyone that Sky News has launched Sky News Brexit-Free – a new channel featuring only nonBrexit related news. Brexit has completely dominated our media, our conversations, our lives – but there is so much more we need to which we need to turn our attention.

After a brief prorogation and with a welcome dose of pomp and ceremony, Parliament was opened

by Her Majesty the Queen for a new session on Monday 14 October.

The Queen’s Speech focused on a number of important policy areas for the new administration, including the National Health Service, the environment and education.

We must make sure the NHS has the resources – both in terms of finance and people – so that it can deliver the highest quality care. New laws will be introduced to implement the National Health Service’s Long Term Plan in England and proposals will also be introduced to reform adult social care in England to ensure dignity in old age.

Tackling climate change must be a priority and I welcome the government’s commitment to taking on this challenge both at home and abroad. We must protect and improve the environment for future generations and in this Parliament, environmental principles will be enshrined in law. Measures will be introduced to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive.

The government will also ensure that all young people have access to an excellent education, unlocking their full potential and preparing them for the world of work. This will be achieved through a significant uplift in funding, investing a total of £14 billion more over three years.

I am proud that the Queen’s Speech included so many measures that will make a tangible difference to so many people’s lives. While Brexit may dominate the headlines, there is a great deal of good work going on under the radar to make our lives better.

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From the Aegean

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ROM humble beginnings, Senol Erdoğan has become a successful entrepreneur and highly regarded barber, travelling across the world cutting hair for high-end clients. He has also opened three shops in Orpington town centre, creating eighteen jobs, and still has plans to expand. We caught up with him in the first of his Orpington shops, Barber King at 184 High Street, to hear his story.

O1st: Hello Senol. So, where did it all begin for you?

Senol: I was born in Turkey, in a small city called Mazgirt,

but I grew up in Izmir, on Turkey’s Aegean coast. My father was a barber and I began helping him in his shop when I was just 8 years old. I had my first shop in Izmir at age 14.

O1st: What first brought you to the UK? Senol: I was studying Economics back in Turkey and

I wanted to learn English. So, I moved to the UK when I was 19 years old - 13 years ago now! I opened my first UK barber shop in New Cross within a year.

O1st: So, how did you end up here, in Orpington?

Senol: From New Cross, I moved to

Tonbridge and my cousin had a business in Orpington so I would often visit the town.

I liked the area, so I decided to open a shop here, Barberking. That was six years ago, and I moved to Orpington shortly after. I love it here, the town is getting better and better.

Left: Senol with Former Man Utd and France left back, Patrice Evra and Manchester United and England legend, Rio Ferdinand in Barber King.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

to Orpington O1st: And Barber King was followed by two more...

Senol: Yes, two years later I opened My Barber on the High

Street, just south of Knoll Rise, and then last year, Family Barber & Hairdresser in the parade leading to ODEON Orpington.

O1st: What would you say your USP is?

Senol: My passion: I absolutely love it. It’s in my blood

and I treat each haircut as if it were my own. I never let a customer leave unhappy.

O1st: Do you have other interests?

Senol: I’m a big football fan and played for Hildenborough and Tonbridge for a while.

O1st: And we understand some of your well-known clients are from the footballing world?

Senol: Yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel across

Italy, Spain, Israel as well as back to Turkey, and cut hair for some great players. But also here in Orpington, Rio Ferdinand has been a customer and friend for a while now.

He recommended me to Cristiano Ronaldo while he was in London so I had the pleasure of meeting him.

O1st: Some would say the greatest of all time – doesn’t get much more famous than that! Could you have imagined that as a young boy in Izmir?

Senol: I have come a long way, for sure. Growing up we

were poor and I’m glad to be in a position now where I can make a difference for others. I sponsor the education of two students from low income families back in Turkey. Hopefully they can make a better life, too.

O1st: And what’s next for you?

Next I’m hoping to open a place in central London, Marylebone, perhaps Mayfair, and keep doing what I love.

Check out Senol’s Instagram: barberking62

Senol cut the hair of five-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo.

orpington1st.co.uk/news

SPOTLIGHT ON...

Senol Erdoğan Barber King

184 High Street, Orpington, BR6 0JW Tel 01689 638 082 barberking62

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

• Repairing • Unblocking • Cracked screen repair • Leather cases • Tempered glass • Headphones • Chargers • Powerbanks

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42 Walnuts Road opposite Premier Inn Hotel, Orpington BR6 0TW

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Orpington food

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VIBRANT Market Square hosted a weekend of free-to-attend events, bringing to a close the week-long celebration of Orpington’s food scene, Flavours of Orpington, organised by Orpington 1st Business Improvement District (BID).

The third year of the town’s food festival comes with continued growth in its restaurant sector, adding to Orpington’s appeal as a destination for eating out. A brochure containing festival offers from participating restaurants enticed residents from across the borough to take a fresh look at what’s available in Orpington town centre.

Foodie Friday saw the square transformed into a live music venue. An exciting line-up including rising star JJ Rosa and much-loved local Reggae band, Dread Centre, was accompanied by a selection of food stalls, ranging from vegan to Greek to Thai, as well as two licenced bars.

For Saturday Showcase, a professional demokitchen welcomed chefs from some of the town’s most popular restaurants, BR6 Restaurant & Bakehouse, the Orpington, Masala Dabbas, Chandni, Hisar Meza Bar and Fiesta Mexicana prepared dishes live, talking through their methods with compère extraordinaire, Paul Evers, and providing samples for their audience.

New for this year was British-Italian restaurant A Mano’s Spaghetti Eating Contest, with entrants challenged to eat a bow full of spaghetti and hot sauce hands-free.

A collaboration with Churches Together Orpington, Sunday Social, rounded off the week with an afternoon of live music and family activities alongside a free BBQ, courtesy of the local church group. 800 burgers were cooked up and all gratefully received, and the crowds were treated to a performance from a gospel choir.

Orpington 1st BID Manager, Chris Travers, said, “we’re delighted with the success of our third food festival.

Market Square has been abuzz all weekend and our 20

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

fest serves up a treat

orpington1st.co.uk/events

eateries have reported an excellent take up of their festival offers throughout the week. We have a thriving hospitality scene here and ‘Flavours of Orpington’ is a great opportunity to celebrate it.”

Pictures: top left, JJ Rosa on stage at Foodie Friday. Left inset: Executive Chef Khan of Chandni Indian Cuisine adding spice to proceedings. Top right: Masala Dabbas Executive Chef Trilochan Kharal at Saturday Showcase.

Bottom left: The Orpington owner, Scott Buckle and chef in the demo kitchen at Saturday Showcase.

Above: A valiant contender in A Mano’s Spaghetti Eating Contest. Bottom right: the team for Hisar Meze Bar.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

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Sign up to Santa Dash 2019

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N Sunday 8th December, join hundreds of Santas and run, jog, or walk your way round the beautiful Priory Gardens in the third Orpington Santa Dash; it’s the perfect way for you and your family to get active this Christmas.

Organised by Orpington 1st, the Santa Dash is a fun, festive, 2km run starting in Priory Gardens and finishing in Orpington’s Market Square.

The event starts at 10:30am with a mass Christmas-themed warmup conducted by The Fitness Link, getting you in the festive spirit before starters orders.

Registration costs include your Santa suit, and - once you’ve completed the dash - your souvenir medal and reusable water bottle!

Adults: £6.50 Under 12s: £4.50 Under 3s: Free

Photos from last year’s event.

Visit www.orpington1st.co.uk for full registration details.

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The Walnuts Shopping Centre Orpington, BR6 0TW Tel: 01689 770195 www.kutchenhaus.co.uk 24

Affordable German Kitchens Read our 5 star reviews at www.trustpilot.com

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

Orpington Remembers

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rpington 1st Business Improvement District has once again installed Poppies in the High Street’s trees ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

The town service, to which all are welcome, will take place on 10th November with official proceedings starting at 10:30 when those wishing to attend should be gathered at Memorial Roundabout. The services and uniformed groups will parade at 10:45am ahead of the laying of the wreaths, with the 2-minute silence at 11am. As usual, the High Street will be closed to traffic throughout.

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

‘Remembering’ by Susan Brown

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New Business

F&F EMPIRE DRY CLEANERS

Visit F & F Empire Dry Cleaners at 334 High Street, Orpington. Open 8am–6:30pm Monday–Saturday (closes 5pm Wednesday).

Telephone 01689 821 777.

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EET Fehmi Ummak and his sister, Vicky.

Building on the success of his store in Bromley, owner Fehmi has branched out to the London Kent Gateway, bringing high standards and two decades of experience in laundry services to Orpington town centre. F&F offers a same-day service as well as delivery within a three mile radius on orders of £15 or over.

Providing a full range of laundry services including dry cleaning, ironing, steaming as well as alterations, and a bespoke wedding dress service.

Fehmi, who has lived in the Bromley borough for 12 years, said, “Customer service is very important to us and we take pride in delivering excellence at a reasonable cost.

Since opening in September we’ve already served lots of happy customers and we look forward to welcoming many more to our store in the years ahead.”

It’s a family affair orpington1st.co.uk/news

ORPINGTON IT CENTRE

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NTRODUCING Rez and Pouran Ramzi, the husband and wife team behind your local computer shop.

Rez has 18 years of IT experience, having worked at the biggest internet provider in Iran and as a high school teacher. Following their move to the UK Rez spent several years at the helm of a Shoreditch based company before starting his own in 2017 and opening on the High Street in September this year, carrying out much of the refurbishment to the store himself.

Working on computers, phones and tablets, Orpington IT Centre offers everything from data recovery and virus removal, to connectivity issues and optimisation, to repairing cracked screens. They also sell some refurb items, and home users can enjoy a 15% discount on all apple products, with a 1 year warrantee.

Orpington resident, Rez, said, “As a family-run business

we’re able to keep prices low while providing excellent service. We really love living here. Both the business and resident communities are very friendly.”

Visit Orpington IT centre at 92 High Street and Orpingtonitcentre.com or call 01689 422 523.

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Annual Memorial Service - Friday 6th December 2019, 7pm All Saints Church, Bark Hart Rd, Orpington BR6 0QD All are very welcome to join us to remember their loved ones this Christmas time.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

Better for Business

Meercat Consultant, Dan speaking with Fiesta Mexicana General Manager, Yoshi about energy savings.

security features.

It incorporates two see-through windows and a twocolour foil, making it very difficult to counterfeit, and there’s a metallic hologram which changes between the word ‘Twenty’ and ‘Pounds’ when the note is tilted.

Businesses should continue to accept the paper £20 note as usual as they are gradually withdrawn as they get deposited into banks by retailers and the public.

The paper £20 note is the most commonly counterfeited note. So, it’s crucial that your cash-handling staff remain vigilant about spotting counterfeit paper £20s until they’re withdrawn from circulation. And with Christmas coming, it’s as important as ever to be alert to counterfeit banknotes. free training and educational materials are available at www.thenew20.co.uk

SAVE MONEY ON YOUR OPERATING COSTS

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RPINGTON’S town centre businesses are taking advantage of Orpington 1st’s Savings Advisory Service with Meercat Associates.

Meercat, who work with BIDs across the country, are specialists in helping businesses make savings in areas such as Energy, Telecoms and Merchant Fees.

Businesses simply provide a copy of a single bill showing spend in the respective area, which is analysed by savings and support consultants, who will then produce an easy to understand benchmark report detailing all the savings available to your business.

The scheme, which is free to BID levy payers, has already identified tens of thousands of pounds worth of savings.

Dilip Patel, Facilities Manager at Calford Seaden, said “Through the BID’s Savings Advisory Service we made an annual saving on our energy bill which exceeded our BID levy. The process was straightforward and our Meercat consultant was very helpful.”

If you would like to book an appointment, please contact the Meercat team on 01444 416 529, or speak to Orpington 1st BID Manager, Chris Travers.

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THE NEW 20 IN 2020

HE Bank of England has unveiled the design of the new polymer £20 note, which will be issued on 20 February 2020.

The new note is polymer, just like the existing £5 and £10 notes, and is the most secure Bank of England banknote yet, containing sophisticated

LoLo Regional Loyalty Leader Ivan Reffell signing up A Time 4 Flowers owner, Sue Ball

LOCAL LOYALTY: BETTER FOR BUSINESS

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NEW and exciting local loyalty platform which rewards people for supporting local businesses, has launched in Orpington.

LoLo is a simple to use mobile app with a payment, reward, redemption, marketing and feedback system all in one place. The LoLo team have come up with a creative Contact the BID solution to inspiring loyalty not team 01689 829 527 just to individual businesses but to town centres as a whole. The scheme is free to join and has no monthly fees and can provide businesses with insights into customer behaviour. For more BID Manager information, contact ivanreffell@ Chris Travers chris.travers@ mylolo.com

The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

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Tackling loneliness in Bromley

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ONELINESS is more harmful to your health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

It’s certainly a statistic that grabs the attention. It’s arguably one of the country’s biggest societal issues and clearly a massive public health issue; one study concludes that lonely people have a 64% increased chance of developing clinical dementia.

Over nine million people in the UK report to be always or often lonely. With loneliness affecting older people disproportionately it is of particular concern to Bromley being the London borough with the highest proportion of older people - but anyone, at any age, gender or background is potentially at risk.

Bromley councillors have made it their mission to try to tackle loneliness, together with the help of voluntary, public and private sector groups. To that end, LBB held a summit during national loneliness awareness week, Friday 21st June, to bring together different groups from charities, businesses, friends and faith groups to discuss what more can be done to offer help to some of our most vulnerable residents.

The summit focused particularly on intergenerational projects, working to bring different demographics of people together to foster connections and befriending.

In his opening remarks, Bromley Council Leader, Councillor Colin Smith told those assembled that loneliness can affect anyone at any stage of their life. “I am absolutely determined that we should take loneliness more seriously as a society and together with partner organisations, try to ensure that no one feels alone or isolated from our community.”

Over 120 delegates attended the summit, filling the room with enthusiastic and passionate people, dedicated to doing what they can to support those in our community suffering from loneliness.

Councillor Aisha Cuthbert, Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Council, who organised the summit, said, “I am delighted to have helped to kick start the debate about loneliness in our borough. It’s strange how even in busy urban areas people are still lonely in this day and age, and we know it affects not only older people, but care leavers and young mums too. We want to work with the

community to make things better and we have got off to a fine start.

I’m confident from the conversations, networking and overall enthusiasm I witnessed we have created invaluable links so that new community projects and initiatives can be set up and delivered.”

If you have ideas or thoughts on the borough’s tackling loneliness agenda, please contact Cllr Aisha Cuthbert via email: aisha.cuthbert@bromley.gov.uk

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

Facilities Manager, Lucy Jervis, and Marketing & Fundraising Manager, Louise Lancaster at the launch of the Orpington Village Hall’s Dementia Café.

Dementia Action in Orpington

T

UESDAY 24th September saw the launch of Orpington Village Hall’s Dementia Café, a free service for people living with dementia, as well as their carers and partners, living in and around Orpington. The café will run on every fourth Tuesday each month (excluding Christmas Eve) 1.30pm to 3.30pm. No booking is required to attend the café, guests are simply invited to come along on the day and join in.

Guests enjoying the tea party.

Lucy Jervis, Orpington Village Hall’s facility manager, said, “We’ve been working on this project for some time now following our dementiafriendly improvements to the Halls.

We aim to provide a variety of activities, diverse ideas, entertainment, opportunities and social support for all our guests, and we look forward to the café becoming part of our community in Orpington.”

The launch was supported by Clarkson Wright & Jakes. Orpington Village Hall, which won the dementiafriendly award at this year’s Orpington’s Finest, is looking for sponsors to support future cafés in Orpington and any volunteers who would like to be part of their Dementia Project team.

Interested parties should contact the halls by email on admin@orpingtonvillagehall.org.uk or call 01689 891 828.

In celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the birth of the Alzheimer’s Society, which was started here in Bromley, and the fifth anniversary of the Bromley Dementia Action Alliance (BDAA), over 100 guests attended an afternoon tea party at Crofton Halls on 10th October.

They were joined by the Mayor of Bromley, Cllr. Nicholas Bennett, who congratulated all those involved in raising awareness and supporting those with this difficult illness, before cutting a cake made by the hospitality students at BR6 Restaurant & Bakehouse.

The team at Mytime Active provided buddies for the event who also joined in with the entertainment.

The Party continues with a charity dinner which is being held at BR6 Restaurant on November 6th, hosted by the BDAA and sponsored

by Orpington 1st as part of the business community’s ongoing commitment to ensuring Orpington is the most accessible and welcoming town centre for all.

Above: Bubbles proved to be a popular guest at the launch of the Dementia Café.

Below: Nicola Fishmann, Community Development Worker at Bromley Dementia Support Hub, Mayor of Bromley, Cllr. Nicholas Bennet and Ann Wilbourn from Mytime Active.

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

Crime summit delivers again

O

N Saturday 14th September the Safer Neighbourhood Board (SNB) held their annual crime summit at the civic centre. This is one of four public meetings hosted by the SNB every year. The summit is their largest single event and its purpose is to provide an opportunity for local businesses and residents to hear from, engage with and question Senior Police Officers as well as listen to presentations from partners and organisations involved with crime prevention initiatives.

The event started with a presentation from the award-winning Bromley Youth Council who gave a confident and informative update on their programme to reduce knife crime.

In response to community feedback on the issues that they want prioritised locally, acting inspector Cathy Thomas was invited to present Operation Starfish which is all about tackling and reducing burglary.

This was followed by an update from BCU Commander Dave Stringer who gave an update on the new tri-borough structure as

well as details from the Bromley perspective.

The keynote speaker was Assistant Commissioner Mark Simmons who is now head of frontline policing for the Met. His 37 year career started in Bromley and he was previously a sergeant in Orpington.

The event concluded with a Q&A session where the speakers were joined by Cllr Kate Lymer, Bromley Council Portfolio Holder for Public Protection, and Rob Vale, Head of Trading Standards at Bromley Council.

It attracted well over 100 residents and businesses including ward councillors and local Members of Parliament. Alongside refreshments there was an exhibition area with a range of information stands such as Neighbourhood Watch where residents were offered the opportunity to sign up to the Met’s Smart Water initiative.

For information on how you can get involved and find out about the crime in your area go to the Met’s website and search for your Safer Neighbourhood Team where you can get information on your local ward panel.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Simmons

stagecoach.co.uk/orpington orpington@stagecoach.co.uk 01732 750783 The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

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The Orpington 1st Magazine • Winter 2019

T H O M A S D U N T O N SOLICITORS 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY 1978-2018

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Thomas Dunton Solicitors

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