Southwark Life - Spring 2016

Southwark

Life Spring 2016

Exclusive:

Dolly talks to Southwark Life Find out about her favourite things

Southwark’s secret history revealed Our rich history in caring for older people

Age is no barrier Shaking off the stereotypes

Your magazine from Southwark Council

Intro

Spring 2016

Contents Focus 4

Need to know Lots of exciting Southwark stories, hot off the press

7

Homes for the future:

8

Stories of inspiration

How we support our residents as changes happen from our senior generation

10 Grandparent power: the childcare solution for some families

13 Interview Our fabulous cover

star Dolly Parton talks free books for babies

Life 16

What’s happening in Southwark? Events from across the borough for spring

18

Night Owls: As night falls, care for older people still happens round the clock

20 Meet Jan, who’s here to tell us all how to ride the digital waves

22 Fascinating history: Did you know your pension originated in Southwark?

Info 24 How to help someone with dementia, signs to look out for

and who to contact

26

welcome...

The huge advantages of growing older in central London are often overlooked. We might not have sea air, but our public transport, award winning parks, free swim and gym sessions, and access to some of the best theatres and museums, make Southwark among the best places in the world to spend your later years.

This spring edition of Southwark Life is therefore dedicated to our age-friendly borough. We explore how Southwark has been looking out for its older people throughout history, and bring things right up to date by exploring the trend for grandparents to help out with childcare. We meet some of the many local people who are defying stereotypes and living healthy, active, and frankly fascinating lives, while our interview is with one of the most inspirational 70 year olds in the world – the inimitable Dolly Parton, who has just launched her Imagination Library here in Southwark. Parents of newborns should sign up straight away for this fantastic free book offer.

Of course, not everyone enjoys good health in later life and it’s important that we have the right services in place to ensure people can live well in their own homes for as long as possible. We meet the Night Owls who help make this possible, and also give advice on where to turn if you think someone you know is living with dementia.

I hope you enjoy this edition which celebrates later life, but also offers the usual array of events and great places to explore, which make Southwark a fantastic place to live, whatever your age.

Something for everyone: Where to go out with your family

Peter John Leader of Southwark Council

Contact us

The Southwark Life team

Do you have something to say about Southwark Life? Write to: Your letters, Southwark Life, Second Floor, Hub 5, Southwark Council, 160 Tooley Street, SE1 2QH or email southwark.life@southwark.gov.uk

Editor Louise Neilan

Our cover star is Dolly Parton, picture courtesy of The Dollywood Foundation All information correct at time of going to press.

Assistant editor Catherine Simonds Contributors Asha Budhu, Will Dixon, Florence Igbokwe, Kim Hooper, Subira Massell, Meredith Tucker-Evans, Kate Walwyn-Jones, Miriam McGrath, Dolly Parton, Laura Fitzsimmons, Roushanara Islam, Daniel Thomas, Patricia Dark Photography Thinkstock, Hannah Maule-Ffinch Design Whatever Design Ltd

Keep in touch Southwark Life is a quarterly magazine and the next issue is due out in summer 2016. You can contact the magazine at southwark.life@southwark.gov.uk but for more regular updates on council news and events, follow us on social media at facebook.com/southwarkcouncil @lb_southwark

Print Headley Brothers Printed on 100% recycled paper Distribution London Letterbox

2

www.southwark.gov.uk

www.southwark.gov.uk

3

Focus

Spring 2016

Get your council tax paid for a year One lucky resident will have their council tax paid for a year, and it could be you.

All new and existing direct debit council tax payers, registered with a MySouthwark account liked to their council tax account by 31 May 2016, will be entered into the prize draw. Register at www.southwark.gov.uk/mysouthwark.

Need to know...

It’s the time of year to spring clean, get fit and be organised: Read about where to register to vote, get more recycling space and find out when the brand new Castle leisure centre Boris Johnson to give opens its doors.

For news and events follow us on Facebook and Twitter or find out more at www.southwark.gov.uk/enews

www.facebook.com/southwarkcouncil

Follow us on

Twitter

@lb_southwark

If you are disturbed by loud or persistent noise close to your home, don’t grin and bear it, contact the council’s noise team for help. The team responds to reports quickly and will take enforcement action if necessary. Open from 7am to 2.30am weekdays with a 24hr service at weekends. 020 7525 5777 www.southwark.gov.uk/noise

Do you have a burning question to ask of the politicians responsible for many local services in Southwark? Now’s your chance to ask them directly. On Wednesday 16 March, Southwark’s cabinet members, the people who make decisions about the services you receive, will be holding a public question time at City Hall, near London Bridge. Email your questions and book your space at the event by emailing cmpqt@southwark.gov.uk or find out more at www.southwark.gov.uk/cmpqt

Southwark Council’s 2016 John Harvard Lecture will be delivered by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, at the Old Vic. The lecture at 6pm on Thursday 17 March will be his final public lecture after eight years at City Hall. Tickets for this event are free but must be booked in advance – please book your ticket at www.oldvictheatre.com or contact the Box Office on 0844 871 7628.

Celebrating Southwark’s Housing Heroes

Bikes for refugees The Bike Project, based in South Camberwell, receives abandoned or unwanted bikes from police, residents and other sources and refurbishes them before giving them to refugees and asylum seekers. The ground-breaking project is being funded by the council. For more info visit www.thebikeproject.co.uk/about

Southwark Council has offered its congratulations to its development partner at Elephant and Castle after the Trafalgar Place development won both Best New Place to Live and the overall Mayor’s Award for Planning Excellence at the 2016 London Planning Awards.

The feeling is Mutual for Walworth Road residents

Is your large bin going to waste?

Residents living near Walworth Road can now access a range of ethical banking services, including savings accounts and lower interest loans, at a new branch of the London Mutual Credit Union. Councillors, residents, the Walworth Society and St Peter’s Church have worked tirelessly with the LMCU to bring a new branch to Walworth. There are already branches in Bermondsey, Peckham and Camberwell. Find out more at www.creditunion.co.uk or email info@creditunion.co.uk

If you struggle to move larger bins, or if you need more space for recycling, we offer a variety of containers for waste and recycling to meet your needs.

www.southwark.gov.uk

Question the decision makers

Southwark’s 2016 John Harvard Lecture

Trafalgar Place: Best New Place to Live 2016

4

Make some noise (about noise)

Email environment@southwark.gov.uk for more information, or order bins online at: www.my.southwark.gov.uk

The third annual Housing Heroes event on 28 January brought together Southwark residents who constantly go the extra mile to support their neighbours and the area they live in. It showcased what a hugely important and active role people can play in their community at any stage in their life. Val Fenn took home both the Neighbour of the Year Award and the overall winner for Outstanding Achievement. Her nomination stated, “Val is a credit to us pensioners and the whole of the community. Not only does she work hard she cares so much for others, making sure we are ok and helping us in every possible way.” It goes on to say, “Val never lets her disability get in the way, we know how she struggles but she will still go the extra mile.” The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Christine Parsons whose nomination said, “Few people can truly be said to have improved their neighbourhood, but after 30 years of tenant activism Christine can make this claim.”

Make sure you are registered to vote To ensure the Electoral Register is correct, every Southwark household is receiving a letter confirming the names of those registered to vote at that property. If the information is wrong, please follow the instructions on the letter to inform us of these changes.

You can’t vote in the London Mayoral and Assembly elections on Thursday 5 May, unless you’ve registered to vote by 18 April 2016. To register, please visit: www.gov.uk/register-to-vote www.southwark.gov.uk

5

Focus

Castle Centre will open its doors in April

Elephant and Castle’s brand new leisure centre will be opening its doors for the first time in April 2016 and we can’t wait for all our residents to see it, so keep an eye on @lb_southwark

or www.southwark.gov.uk/castle for more details. The new £20m centre has been fully funded by the council’s local regeneration programme. Facilities at the new centre are spread over three fully accessible floors and include a 25 metre, six-lane swimming pool, learner pool, sauna and steam rooms, a sports hall, fully equipped gym and dedicated spinning studio, two exercise studios plus a crèche and café. The state-ofthe-art centre will also offer free wi-fi and full disabled access.

Congratulations to the MySouthwark iPad winners Big congratulations to the latest two winners of the MySouthwark iPad prize draw. Priya Shah and Keith Barrett have both won an iPad mini simply by using their housing services online.

If you are a council homeowner or tenant and want to be in with a chance to win, all you need to do is register for a MySouthwark account and use the My Housing services section. It takes the time and effort out of reporting repairs, tracking appointments or managing your rent or service charge account. So what are you waiting for? Sign up or access your account at www.southwark.gov.uk/mysouthwark

6

www.southwark.gov.uk

Free swim and gym for all residents From July 2016, all Southwark residents will be able to access any Southwark leisure centre for free all day Fridays, and on weekends from 2pm. If you are under 18 or over 60+ you can sign up now for your free swim and gym sessions. Find out more at www.southwark.gov.uk/freeswimandgym Details on how to register coming soon so watch this space! @lb_southwark

Be a Southwark Smart Saver We want to help raise a generation of financially savvy smart savers, and to give our young people a head start with their savings, the council is offering every year six pupil in Southwark a free £10 voucher to deposit in a new or existing London Mutual Credit Union Young Saver Account. Find out more about this scheme and events you can attend at your local library at www.southwark.gov.uk/smartsavers

Spring 2016

Connecting people to the future Southwark Council is making sure no one is left behind as the borough’s landscape changes

A

s well as building 11,000 new council homes, including Extra Care homes to help people live more independently for longer, there are major regeneration projects across Southwark bringing more investment, jobs and homes.

However, finding a new home can be challenging and the council wants to ensure that older people are not unfairly affected. The authority works closely with organisations like Creation Trust on Aylesbury estate to make sure older people are well supported through the changes in the area.

Creation’s Resident Support Programme

Computer classes These help older people gain the skills they need to bid for a new home and make their own choices. Aylesbury resident Carmen Brooks, aged 69, said: “I bid for my own place and I was delighted when I got it, I never would have been able to do that before the course. I can’t wait to move now.”

Two case workers accompany older people to view a potential property, help cancel and reconnect all their services in their new home and provide three months of support after they have moved. Creation Trustee Board Member Jean Bartlett MBE said: “We are committed to getting the best deal for residents of the Aylesbury estate, because we are residents. Whenever we see new plans or proposals in front of us, we are able to think ‘how would this affect me?’, ‘how is it likely to affect my neighbours?’.”

www.southwark.gov.uk

7

Focus

GEORGE

JACQUE

SANDRA

Age ain’t nothing but a number

JOCK

SHEILA

T

Here we meet a group of people defying the stereotypes to discover a different side to getting older.

Jacque, 55, has taken semiretirement and credits age with increasing her confidence and sees this as the next stage in her life.

8

www.southwark.gov.uk

She has begun a diploma, with a view to starting a small business making cakes: “It’s been about 35 years since I studied. It’s about keeping your interest going, reinventing yourself. I don’t think about ageing with trepidation.”

Also shaking off the stereotype is Sheila, a member of a film group; “Look at film, at older men, people like Harrison Ford… they can still play the romantic lead; but older women are still cast as the grandmother. We did a project to show that what was important about us (older women) was not what we look like but what we were actually doing.”

Did you know?

Older people made a positive economic contribution of £61bn in 2014, expected to grow to £77bn by 2035.

Sandra cares for her husband, who has dementia. The two continue to go to the cinema, galleries and concerts together; “We have extremely good transport connections, and a freedom pass, so we just zip around London.” Also a member of a Gamelan music group (a type of Brazilian music) and of the Third Floor acting collective, she says: “I have a good life. I’m very lucky.”

STELLA

“ Look at film, at older men, people like Harrison Ford… they can still play the romantic lead; but older women are still cast as the grandmother.”

Meet the people showing life just what they’re made of here’s something of a stereotype around ageing which involves slippers, comfy clothes and endless cups of tea. But for the most part, this stereotype is totally inaccurate.

Many people find that as they age, their lives become more enjoyable and their contributions more significant.

Spring 2016

An age friendly borough George, 81, agrees that learning and interest are key. “I do a lot of different things. I’m a writer, I write poetry and other pieces. I’m a photographer and a gardener.

The core theme (to my work) is the human imagination.”

Stella worked as a nursery nurse and started fostering at the age of 49. ‘’At my age I’ve still got a lot to offer. I’m full of energy, always ready to help children and I like to laugh a lot! I’m not one to sit still; I believe in keeping fit and socialising with friends at the weekend. I enjoy keeping up with technology and mixing with young people.” She encourages others to consider fostering “ I’ve fostered over

60 children and they are all a part of my family. It can be hard but it’s very rewarding.”

For Jock, a member of sports group Silverfit, age has helped fulfil life long dreams; “My wife and I always promised ourselves we’d do the sort of travel we weren’t able to do when we were younger. Choosing to keep fit has given us the energy to do what we want. As you get older, you’ve taken in lots of information, so you can filter it and use it to your benefit.”

George has the final word on getting older: “I think my quality of life gets better and better. Maybe practice makes perfect.”

Southwark has committed to being a place where everyone can enjoy later life as much as George, Sheila and the others.

Becoming an age friendly borough means ensuring that every aspect of a full life is available to everyone. The council wants to know how we can improve for older generations, whether that’s to do with housing, transport, job opportunities or social involvement.

Whether you’re 18 or 88, your views are really important.

Share them here www. southwark.gov.uk/agefriendly

www.southwark.gov.uk

9

Focus

Keeping it in the family

Spring 2016

“ The joy of being with Leila, and now her little sister too, has been enormous, we have a close bond”

Meet the grandparents taking on the next generation

C

hildcare is often the biggest expense in working family homes after housing and in some cases it exceeds all other costs. With childcare coming in at around £56 a day per child in Southwark, just three days a week for two children can cost well over £1,000 a month, leaving some parents with little choice but to either give up work or turn to family members to help.

Grandparents are often the first port of call to step in.

According to Grandparents Plus, the national charity which champions the vital role of grandparents and the wider family in children’s lives, around 50% of grandparents with grandchildren of any age provide childcare across ten countries in the study at any single point in time.

In Britain the figure is 63% for grandparents with grandchildren aged under 16. The Family and Childcare Trust’s 2014 London Childcare Report found that in London only 18% of parents relied on grandparent care, largely due to Londoners living away from family.

Sandra, Nana of Leila, aged six: “I started looking after Leila once a week, at the family home in East Dulwich, when she was one and my daughter had to return to work.

“It’s a growing trend for grandparents to be involved in

10

www.southwark.gov.uk

childcare; times have changed since my children were little; I didn’t return to work until my youngest was at school.

“The joy of being with Leila, and now her little sister too, has been enormous, we have a close bond.

Being retired I have the luxury of not making any plans for the following day because, make no mistake, they are huge fun but it can be exhausting!”

Why are so many grandparents helping with childcare? Key factors are cost – childcare is expensive especially if you don’t qualify for funding or tax credits, and timings – when nurseries close at 6pm, the mad dash from work across the city to pick up your children is stressful for parents, and ‘wraparound’ care is still needed even at school age. Shift workers and the self-employed have limited options; weekend childcare is difficult to find and single parents can find it especially hard.

Childcare in Southwark: Southwark and Lambeth councils commissioned an independent piece of work to look at childcare in the borough. The resulting report underlines Southwark’s commitment to providing a fairer future for children by continuing to supply high quality early childcare for every child. The council is looking into the next steps following the report.

What can you do to reduce childcare costs?

• Some organisations offer crèche facilities • Tax credits – find out if you’re entitled at www.gov.uk/ taxcredits • Two and three year funding – The Government has pledged to increase the free funding from 15 hours a week to 30 in 2017 • Speak to your employer about childcare salary sacrifice voucher scheme • Consider splitting the care between parents • Talk to your employer about flexible working or term-time hours

Childcare near you Southwark offers a wide range of placements in private nurseries, with child-minders or pre-school education as well as breakfast and afterschool clubs. cypdirectory.southwark.gov.uk

www.southwark.gov.uk

11

Learn and grow at any age

Life

Spring 2016

Now is the perfect time to pick up a hobby, learn a new skill, discover a new talent, or even change your life – no matter how old you are

S

“ By the end of the class I have a great sense of wellbeing and feel really uplifted; then I start looking forward to the next week”

outhwark Council’s adult learning service offers so many courses, you will be spoilt for choice. Whether you’re interested in improving your maths skills or dress making there is something for everyone, regardless of your age, experience or ability.

Courses are delivered from venues across the borough including libraries and The Thomas Calton Centre, the main learning centre in the borough. The centre is accessible for wheelchair users and parking spaces are available if you have difficulties with mobility.

Susan, Nunhead, 68 Pilates since September 2015 “I am in very poor physical health and wanted to do something to help maintain and increase my flexibility and body strength, so I chose pilates. I had become socially isolated and often only went out for hospital appointments.

“Now I go to a class once a week. I can get there easily, there is a lift to the practice area and the cost was very reasonable. All the equipment is provided and you don’t need any fancy outfits to do it. But the best thing about our class is that Kathryn, our teacher, is extremely good. She gives everyone the attention they need.

“By the end of the class I have a great sense of wellbeing and feel really uplifted; then I start looking forward to the next week.

12

www.southwark.gov.uk

It is great to go somewhere where I am not just defined as a patient or a sick person and I can feel like a normal member of society. I would encourage anyone thinking about trying to improve their health to come along. It might put some sparkle back into your life!”

You can check out the listings for our full range of courses in the 2015-16 course guide.

Download it online, pick one up in your local library or the Thomas Calton Centre on Alpha Street, Peckham SE15.

Katia studied her ESOL qualifications at the Thomas Calton Centre: “On arriving in England, I spoke insufficient English. Despite speaking Italian, French, Spanish, basic German and having two degrees from a prestigious Italian university, I was assessed at a level for unskilled jobs. I read a flyer about Southwark Adult Learning Service and enrolled at the amazing, welcoming and friendly Thomas Calton Centre.

“I achieved my writing, listening, speaking and reading levels 1 and 2 ESOL certificates. The Thomas Calton Centre supported me in all my learning steps, raising my passion for my studies and pushing me to do things better.

“A few months later, I started to integrate more into British life, feeling more confident and ambitious. I am proud to say that just two years after arriving in the UK I secured a job at the Ministry of Justice. I then progressed to a more senior role at the National Offender Management Service. I am now a Prison Officer. Southwark Adult Learning Service made this possible.”

Want to try something a little different? ric The award in paediat are ep pr lp he n ca first aid me co be es on le you if litt unwell Interested in mental py? health issues or thera Try art therapy the Get fit with grace, in ss cla ss ne fit ballet-based Fancy a stroll? London series Past and Present is a e of walks looking at th y stories behind the cit tter’s Come to the Mad Ha y nk fu ke Tea Party to ma th wi er head gear togeth your children

www.southwark.gov.uk

13

Life

“ Hello Southwark!”

Dolly Parton, international singing superstar, needs no introduction.

Dolly kindly agreed to be interviewed by Southwark Life this spring, following the launch of her Imagination Library in Southwark this year. We asked her a few questions about her love of reading, the story behind the Imagination Library, and how it feels to be such an inspiration to people of every generation.

How did the Imagination Library come about and what’s your dream vision for the project?

My dream for the Imagination Library keeps growing and growing. At first it was to have the town next door adopt the programme and then we thought wouldn’t it be great if every kid in Tennessee had the opportunity to participate. Now, we are in five countries and soon we will have one million children a month receiving the books. I know the books are just one part of the puzzle but it’s the part I can help with the most.

There’s plenty of room for others to do what they can do to make sure every child in the world has at least the opportunity to succeed.

I have often joked that what I want people to say about me 100 years from now is “dang, she looks good for her age!” And while I still hope they say that, I also hope that maybe the world will be a little better because we have done what we can do to give our kids the wings to make their dreams come true.

Southwark has committed to investing in our libraries because we think books should be available to everyone. Did you have a library in your hometown growing up, and why do you think access to books is so important?

I always lived pretty far out in the country so just getting into town was always a bit of a chore. So even though we had a library in town, I really didn’t use it all that much. My only exposure to books were those we had in school. We didn’t have any books at home other than the Bible or the Sears catalogue. With so many kids and so little money, books were a luxury Momma and Daddy could not afford.

I guess you could say I was a late bloomer when it came to reading.

14

www.southwark.gov.uk

Spring 2016

It was only after I moved to Nashville and could afford to get my own books that I became obsessed with reading. Obviously my love of reading was always inside me so if I would have had something like the Imagination Library I am sure I would have jumped on the reading bandwagon much sooner.

they have it in them to be whoever they want to be.

What is your favourite book and why?

My favourite children’s book is The Little Engine that Could. It’s a book that was written decades ago and at least here in the USA, every generation knows and loves the book. In fact, I love it so much I made sure that it was the very first book a child receives when he or she joins the Imagination Library in the USA and Canada.

You recently celebrated a milestone birthday, and continue to challenge stereotypes about what later life should look like.

What message do you have for Southwark’s older people?

If you are blessed with good health then all I know to do is just to keep working and to keep dreaming.

I love it because of its simple and powerful message. The little engine keeps saying “I Think I Can”, “I Think I Can” and sure enough, she reaches her destination. Everybody faces those moments when you have to rely on your faith, your grit and your determination to make your dream come true and I can’t think of a better message to share with our kids as early in their life as possible. I want every child to know they are special, they should believe in themselves and that

How important is it for parents to read with their children at home?

If there is but one thing a family can do to help their child be ready for school, it’s to simply read to them as often as possible.

What is your favourite thing about London?

I love London and the UK. The fans there have always been so kind to me and the reception is always so warm.

I love the buildings and the history and our musical roots that stretch from the UK to the mountains of east Tennessee…and I also really love the clotted cream!

Not sure when I will be back but it is hard to imagine a tour without coming to the UK…so stay tuned.

Imagination Library In a fantastic new scheme for Southwark supported by the Dollywood Foundation and DialAFlight, children living in the borough who are born between December 2015 and December 2016, will be eligible for a free book every month from birth until their fifth birthday. To register your child for the Imagination Library scheme, please visit www.southwark.gov.uk/imaginationlibrary

www.southwark.gov.uk

15

Events calendar Performing for the Camera 500 images spanning 150 years, this exhibition examines the relationship between photography and performance

The Fifth Column by Ernest Hemingway

10am to 6pm, until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays £16 / concessions available Tate Modern, The Eyal Offer Galleries, Bankside, SE1 9TG www.tate.org.uk/modern 020 7887 8888

Luce by JC Lee

Saturday 23 April to Sunday 24 April, 10am to 10pm

Madrid, 1937 – the height of the Spanish Civil War. In a hotel during the bombardment by Franco’s artillery, two American war correspondents fall passionately in love.

Thursday 24 March to Saturday 16 April 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, 3pm Saturday £20 / £16 concessions Southwark Playhouse www.southwarkplayhouse. co.uk

Gripping, funny, fast-paced and profoundly disturbing, Luce marks the arrival of a startling new voice.

Wednesday 9 March to Saturday 2 April 8pm Monday to Saturday, 3.30pm Saturday £20 / £16 concessions Southwark Playhouse www.southwarkplayhouse. co.uk

Mix: London Sinfonietta & Ilan Volkov Pioneering festival curator Ilan Volkov is renowned for his experimental collaborations and unique approach to programming.

Sunday 3 April, 5pm £15 Coronet Theatre www.coronetlondon.co.uk

Access the Archives Find out about the range of unique material held by the University of the Arts London Archives and Special Collections Centre by joining a tour.

Friday 11 March 2pm and 3pm Free London College of Communications www.arts.ac.uk/lcc

16

www.southwark.gov.uk

Shakespeare 400: The Complete Walk Join Shakespeare’s Globe for a free, interactive journey through Shakespeare’s work. 37 speciallymade short films will be screened along a 2.5 mile stretch between Westminster and Tower Bridge 2016 marks 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare

Thursday 18 February to Sunday 12 June

Life

Spring 2016

Free From Westminster to Tower Bridge www.shakespearesglobe. com/400 020 7902 1400

Children Celebrate National Shakespeare Week at Chatterbooks Learn about William Shakespeare’s sayings and phrases found in his writing and still used today.

Monday 14 March, 5pm to 6.15pm Free, no booking required Dulwich Library, 368 Lordship Lane, SE22 8NB www.southwark.gov.uk/ libraries

The Multiple Myrtle Mysteries Join intrepid time travelling scientist Myrtle West as she delves into Dulwich’s past in order to find her way back to the present.

Sunday 15 May, Various times Free Dulwich Park Fair www.milowladek.com, contact@milowladek.com

Dulwich Festival Fair A wonderful day out for all the family; from bouncy castles to beer tents, handmade children’s t-shirts to homemade cakes.

Sunday 8 May, 11am to 4pm Free Goose Green, Dulwich www.dulwichfestival.co.uk

Foreign Bodies Featuring video, painting, drawing and sculpture, the show evokes religions both ancient and imagined, bodies both familiar and not.

Friday 18 March, 6pm to 9pm, Saturday 19 to Friday 25 March, 10am to 6pm Free Hotel Elephant, 23 Harper Road, SE1 6AW www.hotelelephant.co.uk

Spring 2016

With plenty of celebrations throughout the year creating a burst of community led outdoor events and activities across Southwark, we want to help you plan ahead and be part of the summer’s festivities. If you are planning an outdoor event in Southwark this year and would like to attend our events management training please visit www.southwark.gov.uk/ Revealed for more details.

Emerging

Buffalo and the Lion of Manding

25 Stories Alex Watts worked in bookshops for years. This left him incurably addicted to books, stories and words. Come and see him tell his own strange and funny stories.

Thursday 17 March to Saturday 19 March, 8pm | 8.30pm on Saturday £10 / £8 concession / £7.50 Southwark Residents Blue Elephant Theatre www.blueelephanttheatre. co.uk

The Bacchae Euripides’ hedonistic and uncompromising final play comes to the stage in an all-new devised production.

Tuesday 19 April to Saturday 7 May, 8pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays only £15 / £12.50 concession | £10 Southwark Residents & previews Blue Elephant Theatre www.blueelephanttheatre. co.uk

A photographic exhibition focusing on the issues surrounding mental health.

Sunday 14 February to Friday 27 May Free The Long Gallery, Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AZ www.sarahcphotography. co.uk

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Charlie Hubble is a boy with a big dream: he wants to be a worldclass magician.

Saturday 19 March, 1pm and 3pm £7 each, £24 for a family of four Canada Water Culture Space canadawaterculturespace. org.ukThe Old Woman, the

The birth of Sundiata Keita, visionary leader of the great Malian empire, is told across West Africa as a story of kingship and battle.

Friday 18 March, 7.30pm £12 full / £10 concession Canada Water Culture Space canadawaterculturespace. org.uk

The Virgin Money London Marathon Sunday 24 April 2016, 10am Free From Blackheath to The Mall www.virginmoneylondon marathon.com

The Big Lunch This year The Big Lunch has been pushed back to coincide with one of the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations, the Patron’s lunch, a major street party taking place along the Mall. For guidance and advice on how to organise public outdoor events safely visit www.southwark.gov.uk/ planninganevent Sunday 12 June Various venues www.thebiglunch.com

www.southwark.gov.uk

17

Life

Spring 2016

Fairer future logo

“ I have built up some lovely relationships with the people we help, it makes each shift so rewarding and worthwhile”

Patrick, whose mother, 90, has dementia, started using the Night Owls service to help her four years ago “Before my mother had a stroke I had never heard of the Night Owls service but on leaving hospital the council’s re-ablement service suggested that they might be able to help. As the physical limitations of her stroke became more apparent, they were invaluable and I realised it was only with their personal care that she would be able to remain at home, something I want to maintain for as long as possible.

“The physical help is not the only thing that makes it such a vital

Southwark’s secret, night-walking heroes Keeping older people in their own homes for as long as possible has always been better for long term health and wellbeing. This doesn’t just mean health care support during the day, but also after hours.

18

www.southwark.gov.uk

T

rish has been working as a Night Owl since 2012.

“In this job you never know what to expect, every night is different.

The people we meet are always so grateful for our help, whether they have dementia, broken bones or are bed bound; it means they can carry on living in their own homes.

“We work seven days a week, starting at 10pm and finishing at 7am. We travel in teams of two to homes all over the borough to help clients with everything from medication, to welfare and toilet

visits; sometimes even just feeding the cat or making them a cup of tea – anything that will help give them peace of mind. When we do have to call ambulances for someone who isn’t well, we always stay as long as is needed to make sure they can focus on getting better.

service, but also the peace of mind they give her and me. Knowing that the Night Owls service is there during the long day-care gap, has definitely reduced the number of times my mother has been taken back into hospital; a disruption that I know affects her.

“The insightful, thoughtful and professional care the team consistently gives her really is unique. It gives us the stability we need – I don’t know what we would do without them.”

In 2012 Southwark was the first borough in London to commission a Night Owls service for vulnerable people, and it is their important work behind the scenes that keeps older people, who want to stay in their own homes, safe and well.

“I have built up some lovely relationships with the people we help, it makes each shift so rewarding and worthwhile, and with more job security through Southwark’s Ethical Care Charter we can focus on doing the best job we can.” www.southwark.gov.uk

19

Life

The world at your fingertips

Spring 2016

“ The iPad is so much faster than my desktop computer. It’s great for looking at family photos on Facebook or catching up on shows I’ve missed on BBC iPlayer, and I can use it wherever I want.”

Sheila

Ever feel like the whole world is moving online?

We’ve got some easy, free ways to help if you’re not confident about using the internet.

I

f you’re not already using the internet, why not? You could be Skyping your grandkids or picking up a bargain on eBay. If you’ve never been online before or would like help brushing up your skills, we have a number of ways that you can learn.

Southwark’s libraries sessions Southwark’s libraries run a free, one-hour class that can help you get online, covering everything from how to use a keyboard and mouse to basic internet searches and they will set you up with an email account. Pop in to your local library or call: 020 7525 2000 to find out when classes are running.

Digital Champions Many people find learning new skills challenging, but often learning something close to home from someone in your own community can make for an easier, more relaxed experience.

Southwark Council has signed up Digital Champions in 15 community organisations across the borough including Time and Talents, Blackfriars Settlement and the Nunhead Community Centre.

With laptops and internet access provided, these volunteers will help

20

www.southwark.gov.uk

local residents learn basic digital skills and to develop confidence in using the internet.

Volunteer Jan said “I want to help people see that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Doing things online can make life a lot easier, like ordering your groceries and having them delivered right to your door, or even buying a new fridge. I talk to my friend in Berlin on Skype and I think lots of people would love using this to talk to family who don’t live nearby. Don’t be afraid to use the internet, it can give you the world at your fingertips.”

Find the full list of organisations at www.southwark.gov.uk/ gettingonline. Fifteen more organisations will be added to the programme in 2016/17.

What council services can you access online?

Most council services are now available online. You can also have your own My Southwark account which allows you to: • View local services and facilities such as leisure centres, recycling facilities, parking and planned roadworks • Pay your council tax and rent online

flytipping, or arrange a bulky waste collection • View your council tax, benefits, rent and business rates and library accounts • View and report repairs for your council property

Southwark Council is becoming ‘digital by default’. This means we want to use technology to improve outcomes and the lives of the people we serve.

Recent research has found people save around £130 a year by being online. Local councils also save money if we can communicate with people online, and estimate that this saving would be around £360m per year across the UK. Financially speaking, being online is a win-win for everyone.

Staying safe online  Make sure you have a strong password – don’t use your pet’s name or your football team  Don’t use the same password for every online account  Never open attachments or click on links in emails from someone you don’t know

• Report dog fouling and www.southwark.gov.uk

21

Life

Taking care of Southwark’s older people through history

Spring 2016

Fairer future logo

rchive has a ory Library & A The Local Hist all of these to ial relating er at m of e ng ra g an inscribed story, includin moments in hi e Old Age s book How th copy of Stead’ ique record to Be, and a un Pension Came y Little M e: gton Lodg of life in Newin created by m fil a t, the Wes Grey Home in llege of Art idt, a Royal Co John Goldschm s life in the rly 1968. It show student, in ea inner lives. ’ ts en ores resid pl ex d an e, m ho

From homeless ex-publicans to the elderly and infirm, Southwark has looked after its older people in a number of ways over the years.

Licensed Victuallers’ Asylum Other support for the elderly came from self-help organisations. The name of Asylum Road, and the grand Georgian buildings of Caroline Gardens, in Peckham, are reminders of one of the most spectacular of these: the Licensed Victuallers’ Asylum, founded in 1827. This was not, as we would think, a psychiatric facility; it was actually a retirement home for pub landlords and landladies.

Pub licensees generally – then and now – live on site, in premises that are often owned by and tied to a brewery. When they stopped working, for whatever reason, they became homeless.

Historically, the Asylum received funds from brewers and from individual pub landlords, by joining the trade’s benevolent society; this was a form of insurance, whereby a licensee who had paid enough into the society could apply to live in the Asylum.

e Newington Lodg

Old Age Pensions

T

he British old age pension wouldn’t exist without Southwark, and Stead Street in Walworth is an important reminder of that. It’s named after Francis Herbert Stead, a Congregationalist minister who helped found the Robert Browning Settlement – a community centre that sought to tackle the societal causes of poverty by providing services to poor urban communities – in 1895. As secretary and the first warden of the settlement, he lived in Walworth, and was horrified at

22

www.southwark.gov.uk

the prospects awaiting two-thirds of over-65s, who generally worked until they died, and faced the humiliating process of applying for support from private charities.

Even this was a better option than the workhouse or starving to death.

In November 1898, after a parliamentary committee chaired

by Lord Rothschild claimed that it was impossible for the state to provide for the basic needs of more than a million destitute elderly people, Stead invited William Pember Reeves to speak to a meeting at the settlement. Pember

Reeves was a member of the High Commission in New Zealand where a state pension had just been introduced, guaranteeing an income to everyone over the age of 65.

This meeting was meant to be a one-off but the response was so enthusiastic that it led to a series of meetings nationwide. The creation of a national committee to spearhead lobbying followed, housed at the Browning Settlement. After a hard, decade-long fight, the Old Age Pensions Act received Royal Assent on 1 August 1908, and came into force on 1 January 1909.

The state did offer some provision for old people – but in the form of the dreaded workhouse. Over time, though, these buildings often became care homes.

Walworth workhouse in particular offered care for the elderly for more than a century after its 1852 foundation. Originally planned as an orphanage, it housed poor elderly people from the outset – and very quickly became predominantly a place for the sick and elderly. In 1903, the rules changed so that elderly married couples could live together, rather than being split up but life was still extremely regimented and harsh. In 1930 the workhouse system was abolished and the London County Council took over the building. By the end of that decade, the former workhouse exclusively housed infirm elderly people, and was homier than it had been. It took the name Newington Lodge in 1949, and by the 1950s it was used as a model of good practice in elder care.

It closed in 1969 and has since been demolished.

In 1960, Southwark Council bought the buildings in Peckham and Anchor Housing Trust took these over in the 1990s. The benevolent society still exists, as the Licensed Trade Charity; as well as providing support to those involved in the drinks trade, it also funds three schools, two for children with autism.

www.southwark.gov.uk

23

Info

Spring 2016

Being dementia friendly If someone you know lives with dementia, you’ll want them to be cared for in the best way possible.

A

s part of Southwark Council’s Fairer Future promise to be an age friendly borough, the council is focused on improving the quality of life for people with dementia, but more importantly, treating them as if they were valued members of our own family.

There are approximately 1,104 Southwark residents on the dementia register. Dementia is a word used to describe a group of symptoms including memory loss, confusion, poor judgement and problems managing everyday tasks.

If you’re diagnosed with dementia, the future can seem uncertain. But, as Dr Nancy Kuchemann, local GP and clinical lead for mental health at NHS Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group, says: “With the right support it’s possible for 24

www.southwark.gov.uk

people with dementia to get the best out of life.”

“Local GPs are working to make a diagnosis sooner so that people can get faster access to the help they need.”

Southwark Council has been accredited with the ‘working to become dementia friendly kitemark’ by the Alzheimer’s Society.

Our Advice 1. Worried about your memory?

Make a GP appointment.

2. If you are aged between 40 and 74 you could be entitled to an NHS Health Check. Please contact your GP or visit www. southwark.gov.uk/healthcheck 3. Sign up to the Dementia Action Alliance. www.dementiaaction. org.uk or email Caroline.

Clipson@alzheimers.org.uk

Making small changes to your lifestyle can help reduce your risk of dementia • Get moving • Stop smoking • Eat healthily • Drink less alcohol • Watch your weight

Useful websites www.alzheimers.org.uk 020 7735 5850 www.carersuk.org 020 7378 4999 www.linkagesouthwark.org 020 8299 2623 www.dementiafriends.org.uk www.ageuk.org.uk lewishamandsouthwark 020 7701 9700 www.blackfriars-settlement.org.uk 020 7928 9521 www.timeandtalents.org.uk 020 7231 7845

www.southwark.gov.uk

25

Family fun in Southwark

Info

Spring 2016

“ Children can explore their creativity and grandparents can take part too.”

Whether you’re the youth of today or young at heart, there’s plenty to do around Southwark for all ages. Find out the best places to hang out with the grandkids or relax with the family as spring finally shrugs off its winter coat

Café on the Rye

Family fun at all Southwark’s libraries

Creative writing – Camberwell library

Café on the Rye is the perfect place to recharge your batteries with something great to eat and drink. The café is a busy, family-friendly place, with fantastic views over Peckham Rye Park and is conveniently located next to the park entrance and car park.

It’s tricky to find activities that the whole family can enjoy, but the family afternoons at Newington Library tick every box.

Take a break from your evening routine with a creative writing session for kids. Hosted at Southwark’s newest library, it’s a great opportunity for children to explore their creativity and parents or grandparents are more than welcome to take part. The sessions take place every Wednesday (during term time) between 4.30pm and 5.30pm for children aged seven and above. Who knows, your little one could be the next J.K Rowling…

Homemade healthy salads, ciabattas, soup, sandwiches as well as traditional café favourites ensure there is something for everyone. There’s also a lovely children’s menu filled with delicious treats for the discerning toddler.

Baby changing facilities and fully accessible.

Free wifi. Open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm (5.30pm/6pm in summer).

26

www.southwark.gov.uk

Every Saturday, the library is taken over by rhymes and arts and crafts sessions – enjoyable for every age. Sing-along to nursery favourites like Incy Wincy Spider and Old MacDonald Had a Farm or spend your time playing with papier-mâché, the choice is yours.

Find out more about baby rhyme time at your library here: www.southwark.gov.uk/libraries.

The Family of Dolphins sculpture by David Backhouse, Gomm Road, SE16 Have you ever wondered where the Surrey Quays shopping centre’s dolphins statue has disappeared to? Wonder no more… the David Backhouse’s Family of Dolphins piece is now riding the waves of the Southwark Park Lake. With the temperature (slowly) rising, why not treat the family to a day out? The park’s open spaces are perfect for playing games, picnics, walking or just enjoying the scenery.

www.southwark.gov.uk

27