The application didn’t even get to the stage where it’d be considered by a council planning committee – council officers refused it under their delegated powers.

Every Caring Christmas Tree bought helps a homeless person receive shelter and support through the work of The Jericho Road Project which is run as part of King’s Church Catford (charity no.1082666). The Project began in 2001 and currently provides housing for 26 people whilst also working to reduce rough sleeping and helping ex-offenders to reintegrate into society, the mentally ill to maintain stability and former addicts to stay clean.

 Full details can be viewed on the Open Studios website or by picking up a brochure from You Don’t Bring Me Flowers or the Stark Gallery.

Open Studios is now in its tenth year and is well worth a visit, either to pick up Christmas gifts or just to see the huge variety of talent we have living alongside us!

Confirmed acts are Roddy Lumsden, Niall O’sullivan, Christopher Horton, Jocelyn Page, Paul Blake, plus others tbc – with John Citizen (mc) plus OPEN-MIC – £3.

Chris and the Blackheath Village Residents Group have been campaigning against these changes.    You can sign the petition against the cuts here, join the Facebook group here.  The campaigners are also planning to organise a mass lobby at Southeastern ‘meet the managers’ events.  There’s one at Cannon Street on Thursday 12th November – details here- and also one at Blackeath itself on Tuesday 10th November – details here.

This year is the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II, but this year I’ve been particualrly struck by The Poppy Appeal’s focus on the Afghan generation of  the Armed Forces and their families.   They accept online donations here.

Police are appealing for witnesses or information to a collision in which a 42 year old man died.

It happened on Monday 2 November, around 05.30 hrs, on Lee High Road at the junction with Brightfield Road, Lee.

A motorcycle rider was in collision with bollards at the side of the road. At this stage it is not known if there were any other vehicles involved.

The 42 year old rider was taken to University Hospital Lewisham but sadly died at 6.40 hrs. We believe we know the identity of the dead man but formal identification is awaited.

An inquest will take place at Ladywell Mortuary on Thursday 5 November. Inquest details are awaited.

The incident is being investigated by the Collision Investigation Unit based at Catford Traffic Garage.

DI Mark Cam said: “Even though it was early in the morning, the collision occurred on a busy main road and not far from the junction with Burnt Ash Road, another main route through south east London.

“I would like to hear from anyone who saw anything of the incident or may have seen the motorbike beforehand. The motorbike is described as a BMW GS 1200 model and it is grey and black.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call 020 8285 1574, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to remain anonymous.

The transfer had been some time in the making, with residents working with the Council for over three years to get the right deal for their estates.  As local councillors, we were strongly supportive of the transfer.  We knew residents were fed up with years of poor maintenance of their estates, and wanted a real change.  Residents worked extremely hard, first to find the right landlord for them, and then to make sure Broomleigh’s offer contained everything they wanted.

I’m proud to have played a small part campaigning for the transfer, and spoke at the Full Council meeting where we approved the transfer.  In particular, I wanted to thank a number of people – residents and staff at the Council and Broomleigh – who’ve worked really hard to make this happen.  They know who they are.

Though I wasn’t able to make it, my colleagues Paul and Pete were there, and are pictured with one of the new signs Broomleigh have already erected at Leybridge.

Of course, the transfer doesn’t stop residents approaching their councillors if they do have any problems with their housing, and I’ll continue to hold my monthly advice surgery at Leybridge Court.  Next one on the 21st November at 10am.

It’s taken a while, but thanks in no small part to Peter’s persistence, the board’s now been installed and hopefully more people will become aware of the Friends’ work.

The photo shows Claire from the library with Peter, Pat and Mary from the user group, and my colleague Cllr Paul Bentley.

The photo shows me with one of the Moeraki Boulders, which are some very unusual spherical boulders which are (very distantly!) related  to the ‘cannonball’ rock formations found in my native Sunderland.  I’d always been told back home that they were only ever found in Sunderland and New Zealand, but I think that might be a bit of a Mackem urban myth as the Moeraki ones are quite different!