What's on in Whitefoot and Downham

The temporary prefab museum needs your help!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:55:00 +0000

The Prefab Museum has won a reprieve from closure. The Prefab Museum, Britain’s only museum to document post-war prefabricated housing, is curated by Elisabeth Blanchet, a French photographer. However the museum is not funded and is under threat of temporary closure due to lack of money while the outcome of funding applications is awaited.

To support the museum, its work and volunteers, please donate via our Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1413215915/the-prefab-museum

For more information, please see www.prefabmuseum.uk

The wonder of these ‘prefabs’ is that they were meant to last just 10 years to alleviate a post-war housing shortage but people really fell in love with them and have been fighting tooth and nail to make sure that they remain living in them. With the help of the Arts Council, Elisabeth has been photographing both residents and their homes and collecting their stories for more than a decade.

The biggest remaining prefab estate is Excalibur in Catford, South London, where Elisabeth has been lent an empty prefab to create a Prefab Museum about the history of the estate and prefabricated living. The museum features her photography and documentary film, as well as the work of other artists who are interested in prefabs.

The museum has attracted more than 2,000 visitors to the area so far – and much like the prefabs themselves, popular opinion has ensured that the museum, which started as a temporary initiative, has now been approved by Lewisham Council and will remain in place until at least 2017.

The same cannot be said for the prefab homes on Excalibur. Of 186, more than 30 have already been knocked down to make space for redevelopment. Despite campaigns by their residents, the prefabs are slowly losing their battle for survival so Elisabeth is determined to record this part of our social and architectural history for posterity.

The Prefab Museum is the focal point around which we organise historical tours around the estate and it is always staffed by knowledgable volunteers and residents who have popped in for a cup of tea and a chat. The Prefab Museum is a unique experience where visitors stay longer than they have planned to, share ideas and stories, come out inspired and often come back!

The Prefab Museum is part of Open House weekend (20/21 September) and we anticipate an influx of visitors!

Some comments from visitors:

‘Thank you for taking the time to put on this exhibition. It has been a very emotional experience and brings many happy memories.’

‘A real piece of British post-war history. We are privileged to see this remainder (and reminder!).’

The Prefab Museum is open every Saturday from 11am to 5pm.

17 Meliot Road, Catford, SE6 1RY, London

Here are our Autumn events:

Opening Times:

Saturdays 11:00 -17:00 till 01/11/2014
Every other Saturday 11:00-16:00 from 01/11/2014 till 28/02/2015

Groups welcome by appointment

Autumn Events:

Open House Weekend 20/09 and 21/09 10:00-17:00

Excalibur Estate Tour 18/10 from 14:30

Launch of Elisabeth Blanchet’s book Prefab Homes 25/10 from 14:30

Mystery Tour 31/10 from 18:00
Excalibur Estate Tour 15/11 from 14:30
Knick-Knack Tea Party 29/11 from 13:00
Christmas Party 13/12 from 13:00

New Whitefoot Community Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:50:00 +0000

In a lovely location on a hillside in Oldstead Road with views towards Crystal Palace and Forest Hill, a new community garden emerges.

Whitefoot & Downham Community Food + Project was awarded funding from Phoenix Community Chest in June 2014 to set up a community garden. The project will see local residents and users/volunteers of the Community Food Plus Project in Whitefoot building and cultivating a community garden on an existing allotment site at Oldstead Road. It will include volunteer days, healthy cooking sessions, social events, and skills training for young Phoenix residents.

Whitefoot & Downham Community Food + Project is a voluntary community based project to support people or families who are experiencing hardship and issues relating to poverty. More details about the project here.

Councillor Janet Daby, Chair of the Whitefoot & Downham Community Food + Project

On Friday 1st August Ruth Webber from Downham Nutrition Partnership and I attended the inaugural day of the community garden. The sun was shining and everyone, young and old, was busy filling and planting up the raised beds, putting together the greenhouse and generally having a lovely time.

Large raised beds being filled and planted by enthusiastic volunteers!

Alex raking the soil prior to planting

Janet, Margaret and Stuart having fun with the hose

Imogen offering a big pot of blackberries to Ruth

Imogen helping to plant

Are you a local person, group or organisation that would like to be involved in a new community garden in Whitefoot Ward, helping local people to learn about food growing and gardening?

Andrew and Jackie fill up the raised beds

Lucy shows the children a frog!

Sally Ann sorting out the hanging baskets in front of the 'homestead'

Group photo complete with wheelbarrows

If you would like to get involved please get in touch with the Project Co-ordinator Tony Rich on 07905 164 705 or email e.tony@lcb.eu.com

Summer fun in Whitefoot, Downham and Lewisham

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 06:44:00 +0000

Down in the dumps?

Are you concerned about fly tipping, dog fouling and abandoned vehicles in Downham? It's one of the Whitefoot Local Assembly priorities and regularly comes up as a topic at assembly meetings. Heidi Alexander, MP for Lewisham East, is hosting a Don't Dump in Downham - Cleaner Streets Summit from 11am on Saturday 26 July at the Green Man, 355 Bromley Road SE6. All are welcome.

Are you a local person or organisation that could be involved in helping set up new community gardens in Whitefoot?

Supported by funding from Phoenix Community Housing, the Whitefoot and Downham Community Food + Project will be developing a site at Oldstead Road for local people to grow their own fruit and veg. Please get in touch with them, their launch is on 1 August 2014 from 10am - 1pm.

Activities for children and young people over the summer holidays

There are many low cost or free activities in the local area this summer. Please contact the organisations directly for more information.

Pre School Learning Alliance Lewisham, Delicious most Nutritious, Millwall Community, Goldsmiths Community Centre and Impact Matters are running Fun Young Goldsmiths, a holiday programme for 8-13 year olds.

Visit the PSLA Lewisham website for a downloadable summer timetable at their children's centres at Limelight, Torridon and Bellingham.

Phoenix Community Housing are running a number of activities across Downham, Whitefoot and Bellingham. For more details and information go to their website.

Downham Health and Leisure Centre/1Life is hosting summer fitness and fun at activity camps in Downham. The camps need to be pre-booked. More details here.

Greenwich and Lewisham Young People's Theatre (GLYPT) are running Summer Arts College, three weeks of free art courses for 8-19 years old, at Bonus Pastor School, Downderry Road BR1 5PZ

Bromley and Downham Youth Club at Valeswood Road, Bromley BR1 4RD are running a summer programme in conjunction with Millwall Community.

Downderry Children's Centre also has a range of activities for children, please contact them for more details.

For activities across Lewisham visit the council's web page Summer's Alive.

Enjoy the summer!

Festival Season - events and summer fairs, open days

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 07:40:00 +0000

Events, activities and opportunities Summer 2014 - updated 8 July

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 10 May 2014 08:14:00 +0000

Updates to this blog post

I will be updating this blog post to reflect new events in Whitefoot, Downham and the neighbourhood over the summer as I am notified of them. Please keep checking back! For general information on local groups and information, check out the Downham and Whitefoot Interagency website which hosts web pages on Whitefoot and Downham Community Food Plus Project, Downham Celebrates, local assemblies and the Prefab Museum as well as information about local facilities, events, services and news.

If you want to get the word out about your events and activities let me know - I update this blog on Friday mornings!
Like Downham and Whitefoot Interagency on Facebook
Follow @goldsmithshub on Twitter

Prefab Museum - opening hours to end September 2014

This unique and popular local museum, located in a prefab at 17 Meliot Road, SE6 1RY and celebrating prefab life has been granted a further extension until the end of summer 2014. From 7 June the museum will be open on Saturdays only from 11am - 5pm, at other times by appointment, and for London Open House on the weekend of 20-21 September. We look forward to welcoming groups of local primary school children this summer. If you would like to book a group visit or a place on the next estate tour on 21 June, please email Elisabeth Blanchet. For up to date information on events throughout the summer, please visit Prefabs - Palaces for the People on Facebook or follow Prefab Photo Project on Twitter

Update 7 July 2014 - demolition begins

Free workshops

Lewisham Training Kitchen is now open!

at The Green Man, 355 Bromley Road SE6 2RP

Come and cook nutritious and tasty new recipes in this well-equipped new Lewisham Training kitchen. Join one of the free Taster cook and eat sessions at Lewisham Training Kitchen

14th July- Cooking with Brentknoll Primary School

15th July- Cooking with Watergate Primary School

17th July- Cooking for over 50 +

18th July- Food Bank Community Cooking

24th July- Disability group

To book contact Cecilia

Email : cecilia.belier@compass-group.co.uk

Or call on 0791 7651 585
follow on Twitter @LTKlovesfood

Whitefoot and Downham Community Food+ Project

Volunteering

Advice and information

Wonderland cafe at Goldsmiths Community Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 13:30:00 +0000

will you, won't you?

In true Alice in Wonderland style this blog post is topsy turvy.
As part of our ongoing involvement with the Creative Citizens project, Community led design strand, we opened up the time bank as a Wonderland Cafe on Monday 3 March.

The project began in earnest in March 2013 with an asset mapping workshop at the centre, followed by a co-creation event, a community walk from Grove Park to Downham, and a short trip to the other side of the world (meridian zero, which passes through Boundfield Road near the junction of Scarlet Road).

Using an iPad equipped with a microscope lens, Abigail examines the area at the grass roots level

Some clues

Some characters

Some amazing food

And drinks

View the time lapse video here

With grateful thanks to Dr Alan Outten, Helen Hamlyn Centre, Royal College of Art, for the photos and time lapse video. To Delphine and Indianna from Delicious most Nutritious for their inspired creations. To Liz, Chloe and Tracey for playing their parts so well, and to all who came along and made this event so unique and special.

Whatever next?

Would you like to join us on our next adventure?

We will be creating a banner at Downham Celebrates, on Saturday 14 June at Downham Health and Leisure Centre, Moorside Road BR1. Please join us to celebrate Creative Citizens in Downham!

Prefab Museum - opening times to end September 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 15 Mar 2014 15:14:00 +0000

The Prefab Museum is set in the heart of the UK's largest surviving prefab estate - in a prefab - in Lewisham. Described as Catford's only Museum by the Evening Standard it is organised and curated by photographer Elisabeth Blanchet, whose obsession with prefabs knows no bounds, and this fascinating slice of 20th century social history, domestic life, hopes and dreams is a show case for artists', photographers' and videographers' work, memorabilia and artefacts.

The museum has been so successful it has been extended to the end of the summer, so there is still plenty of time to visit, to go on tours of the estate, attend talks and to come to our archive tea parties. Bleeding London, an initiative by the Royal Photographic Society to record every street in London, met at the Prefab Museum for their launch.

From 7 June the museum will open on Saturdays from 11am - 5pm, at other times by appointment - please contact Elisabeth if you would like to book a group visit or a place on the next estate tour on 21 June. The museum is also included in this year's London Open House on 20-21 September. Please follow @Prefabs_UK on Twitter and Prefabs - Palaces for the People on Facebook, for the latest news and events, and take a look at the Prefab Museum website.

Please donate when you visit, to support the museum. The museum currently receives no funding and is supported entirely by volunteers and donations. Our thanks go to the visitors who have donated so generously (and told us their fascinating stories!). We are looking for sponsorship, funding and financial support. If you can help, please contact us.

Donation 'teapot' and prefab map of the UK

I confess to being one of the artists, having taken photographs of all 187 individual prefabs for the Community Voices project, funded by the Media Trust, in 2011. These photographs were displayed in their entirety in the sports hall at the nearby Goldsmiths Community Centre, and I discovered them still boxed up just before last Christmas. Not all of them remain, but the ones that do are for the residents, current and ex, to take away with them if they wish. Please, if you take one, leave a memory of your prefab on the wall behind! If you would like to know more about the Community Voices project and the history of the Excalibur prefabs please visit the Hubbub website.

Memories of 33 Persant Road

All 187 prefabs displayed in the Sports Hall, April 2011, at Goldsmiths Community Centre

Mr Eddie O'Mahoney, in front of the prefab display, who moved into his prefab in 1946 after being de-mobbed

Only room for 95 on the prefab wall - there are more in the cupboard
- just ask!

Eddie (dapper as ever) with Elisabeth, at the Prefab Museum

Joan from Persant Road is the first to take her framed prefab photo home

17 Meliot Road, London SE6 1RY!

How to get to the museum - map by Alexia Lozano

The Prefab Museum is a short walk from the 124 bus stop in:
Baudwin Road (follow the road around past the prefab church and the Meliot Road family centre)
Boundfield Road (through the alleyway opposite Hexal Road)
or the 336 on Whitefoot Lane (via Longhill and Battersby Roads).

Entry is free, but a donation is very much appreciated. Funding for the Museum ended in March and we are now relying on donations to support it including the Excalibur Tenants Management Organisation who have kindly opened the prefab for the museum, and supplied marshalls. When you visit, why not pick up a souvenir of your visit - there are postcards, DVDs, books and magazines to buy.

Books, DVDs, zines and postcards

Please scroll through this blog post to see examples of participating artists' work and links to their websites and blogs, a short film of the launch and reviews by local and national newspapers.

The exhibition features the work of photographers, film-makers, writers and artists – Jo Cooper, Nick Davis, Nadège Druskowski, Cath Dupuy, Anne-Marie Glasheen, Sarah Gregory, Jane Hearn (me), Harriet McDougall, Rob Pickard, Alex Pink, Pat Posner, Lizzy Rose, Keara Stewart, Lucia Tambini, Melanie Titmuss, David Young.

Elisabeth Blanchet's website:Prefab Museum / Opening 08-03-2014
On Zealous: http://blog.zealous.co/blog/insights/zealous-story-elizabeth-blanchet-prefab-museum/

Artists' websites and blogs:
Rob Pickard
Jo Cooper
Harriet McDougall
Keara Stewart
Nick Davis
Cath Dupuy
Melanie Titmuss
Anne-Marie Glasheen
Lucia Tambini

Follow developments on:
Facebook Prefabs - Palaces for the People
Twitter: @Prefabs_UK
Watch it on ITV local news
Read all about it in
East London Lines
News Shopper
The Independent

Participating artists

Photographs by Rob Pickard

Photographs by Elizabeth Blanchet, drawings by Keara Stewart

'What is a dwelling?' installation by Jo Cooper

Photograph by Cath Dupuy

Line drawings by Keara Stewart who has made an
Excalibur Estate comic/zine to accompany the exhibition
(£1.00 or free to Excalibur residents)

Drawing by Melanie Titmuss

Photographs by Anne-Marie Glasheen, Rob Pickard and Nick Davis

Photographs by Cath Dupuy, drawings by Melanie Titmuss
and installation by Jo Cooper

A special mention for Harriet McDougall, who was unable to be with us for this event. Harriet and I met in 2011 when she was an undergraduate at Goldsmiths College. Her project on, and beautiful line drawings of, the prefabs on the Excalibur Estate, were coloured by children from Forster Park school nearby. Harriet was kind enough to permit me to display copies of her line drawings at the prefab museum.

Fifty prefabs, by Harriet McDougall

Harriet's line drawing of 28 Persant Road,
coloured by a child at Forster Park School

Life in the Broome Park prefab village, stories by Pat Posner, illustrations by David Young for People's Friend.

Lucia, Keara, Rob, Elisabeth, Jo, Jane and Nick at the launch on 8 March 2014

Photo courtesy of the News Shopper

Christmas Bazaar at Goldsmiths Community Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:07:00 +0000

Come and enjoy some festive celebrations at Goldsmiths Community Centre. If you are able to offer help in the form of donations for raffle and tombola prizes or volunteer help with stalls and serving tea or helping setup on the day please contact the centre on 020 8698 3741

Merry Christmas!!

Whitefoot Assembly 21 November 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 08:31:00 +0000

Local assemblies are open meetings where you and others who live, work and study in your ward decide how to improve your area. Could you make a difference, by getting involved?

The next meeting is on Thursday 21 November from 7-9pm at St John's Church Hall, see details below.

Whitefoot and Downham Community Food + Project

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 07:25:00 +0000

Whitefoot and Downham Community Food + Project is a voluntary community based project to support people or families who are experiencing hardship and issues relating to poverty. There is a growing need for the provision due to the welfare reform act, increase in food and fuel prices. The project is available to local residents and can provide a level of food provision, housing support, health advice, employment advice, debt advice, family support, early years support and access to a Local Councillor.

The founders are six local churches from three different denominations, a social enterprise, public health and Local Councillor. They are the Catford (Southend) and Downham Parish. Brook Lane Community Church. Whitefoot Lane Christian Church, Pastor David Brown from LWCC, Eco Communities and Janet Daby the Local Councillor for Whitefoot Ward. The main partners are Public Health, Phoenix Community Housing, Parent Support Group (PSG), Downderry Nursery Services, Local Health Centre and Eco Communities. The partnership continues to grow and develop.

The project takes place every Thursday from 7pm - 8.30pm at Whitefoot Lane Christian Centre. There are approximately 50 volunteers who enjoy serving and offering their support to the community.

How you can help

We need ongoing support with donations of food. If you feel you can help in some way feel free to contact the chair of the project Local Councillor Janet Daby at janet.daby@lewisham.gov.uk

Keep the Lights burning at Goldsmiths Community Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 09:29:00 +0000

Our lovely old community centre (75 years young next year!) in Downham needs your help and support. The community centre was the largest in London when it was constructed, with funds from the Goldsmiths Company, in 1939. It has seen many parties, events and activities, and generations of families have used it in its long history. To learn more about its history visit the community centre website.

The community centre needs some serious tender loving care, and we have embarked on a programme of upgrading the electrical infrastructure and improvements. This work has already started thanks to a generous donation of over £18,000 from the Goldsmiths Company Charity, but we still have a long way to go and are fundraising towards the target of over £100,000.

We are holding a Christmas Bazaar on Saturday 30 November at 12 noon and would love you to come and join us to help us raise money and have a good time. If you can help on the day or donate goods to aid our fundraising efforts even better!

Please come and support us!

Goldsmiths Summer Festival update - more photos!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 12:18:00 +0000

Thanks very much to Donald Daby for these great photos from 2o July. Please come along to the Goldsmiths Community Association Annual General Meeting on 21 September from 3-6pm where more local talent awaits to entertain you. Will it be a BBQ, or pizzas from the Earth Oven? Watch this space...

MC Janet Daby

Manuela sings Suzie Quattro, with Goldsmiths Dance Academy

Queue for the face painting

Gospel Choir

Heidi Alexander MP announces the raffle prizes

Tim busy at the bbq with Chris taking the orders - and the money!

BB Queue - they were very good

Brunel Bannister on guitar

Chris plays rock guitar

Cllr Mark Ingleby plays jazz piano

Joshua and friend (and another little friend)

Last but not least DJ Granty G, the rapping plasterer, with DJ Cobra and Stevie G

Lloyds TSB volunteer day at Goldsmiths Community Centre 26 July 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 03 Aug 2013 09:23:00 +0000

For the second year running a team from Lloyds TSB volunteered at Goldsmiths Community Centre for the Our Day to Make a Difference programme. Arranged through Employee Volunteering, 35 volunteers from the Loan Credit Risk team were tasked with painting and decorating, weeding, digging and pruning! Many thanks to Kristen Keith, Project Manager at Employee Volunteering, for visiting the centre, communicating so clearly and sending us these photographs from the day, and to Jo Thomas the supervisor and all the volunteers for working so hard and cheerfully on the tasks. We hope they will come back next year - there is always plenty to do!

What did we ask them to help us with?

Painting and decorating - before and after

One of the main tasks we asked the team to do was to redecorate the two corridors with magnolia paint. I think you'll agree it was very effective!

Remedial work in the corridors - painting over the eggy yellow!

Afterwards - what a difference

Light, bright and airy - and all the same colour

A splendid job, well done

The Gardens - before and after

At just under an acre, the community centre grounds need a lot of tender loving care to keep them looking nice. We have a static community payback team that comes every Sunday to help keep the grounds under control, but even in the space of a week the brambles and bindweed take hold again! We asked the team to dig out the brambles once and for all and prune the pyracantha behind the sports cage, a very prickly job. Some of the brambles have been there for 40 years, and their roots go deep.

Getting ready to tackle the brambles

A clear path created behind the sports cage

In the George Green Hall gardens, the team were asked to prune and weed, and sand and paint the benches. The gardens here are divided into separate plots; there is a Forest School, an allotment garden, and the main garden which is used for outdoor events such as the Goldsmiths Summer Festival, outdoor play and private functions like weddings and parties.

Pruning and shaping the rose arch

Before and after photos of the allotment garden

Painting the outdoor benches, with a smile!

Roundtable discussion with team members

Four Lloyds TSB team members kindly agreed to join a roundtable discussion about the community centre. Like many voluntary organisations in the current economic climate, the Goldsmiths Community Association is struggling to meet rising costs and falling revenues for this venerable and very large (over 16000 sq ft) building. The utility bills for the centre alone can reach £20,000 per year, particularly in a cold and prolonged winter. It is harder to 'square the circle' as the Association aims to keep the cost of activities affordable so that local people are able to participate regardless of income.

The team were full of ideas for investment into the centre, marketing and activities that we hadn't thought to offer and gave us much food for thought. We had a very productive session, then let them get back to work! These ideas and plans will be shared with our new members, and the general public, at the Association's Annual General Meeting on Saturday 21 September.

Lloyds TSB, you are welcome at the centre any time and our grateful thanks go to you for all your hard work - it was indeed a day to make a difference.

Lloyds TSB volunteers in a roundtable discussion about the community centre

Goldsmiths Summer Festival 20 July 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 07:31:00 +0000

From dancing and singing to live musical performance, smoothies to home made cakes to allotment produce to BBQ, the Goldsmiths Summer Festival on 20 July at Goldsmiths Community Centre was a great success. Funded by the Whitefoot Assembly and supported by Phoenix Community Housing and the Pre-School Learning Alliance Lewisham, the event was well attended and enjoyed by the local community, and the weather couldn't have been better. A stage was built in the George Green Hall garden for live performances by local people, to complement the stage in the hall.

With many thanks to the organising committee, the sponsors, the performers, all the people who volunteered their time on the day and to Donald Daby for the photos of this memorable event. Most of all, to the local people who came along!

Janette and Smita greet the guests, and sell some raffle tickets at the same time

Brunel Bannister on guitar and Councillor Mark Ingleby on keyboard

The fabulous Police Cadets, endlessly helpful, endlessly cheerful!

Chris and Brian the dynamic caretaker duo

Stave - remember you saw them here first!

Performances on the George Green Hall stage by Tamil Dancers

Councillor Janet Daby with the Tamil Dancers

Mr WillHe WontHe entertaining the children

Stevie G, DJ Cobra and friend

Face Painting - you can't see the huge queue

George from the Community Safety Team with Elwood, acting Chair of Goldsmiths Community Association

Hard selling to potential members of the Goldsmiths Community Association
- would you like to join?

Janet on the sharing table (including raspberries, redcurrants and gooseberries picked that very morning from Kendale Allotments)

Sue, Treasurer of the Goldsmiths Community Association, wearing 'two hats'

Representatives from L and Q and Denne explain the imminent regeneration of the nearby Excalibur prefab Estate

Angela, health trainer on the NHS stall

Some frantic pedalling produced these lovely drinks from the ever popular Smoothie Bike

Fruit chopping for the Smoothie Bike!

Steve Hurren and colleague on the Phoenix Community Housing stall

Heidi Alexander MP, Sally Cross, Goldsmiths Centre Manager, and Councillor Janet Daby

Jonathan Slater, Heid Alexander, Sally Cross, and Janet Daby. Sally has been centre manager at Goldsmiths Community Centre for 22 years, and retired on Friday 26 July.We hope she takes with her many happy memories of the centre and wish her well for the future, in her retirement!

Summer activities for children, young people and families

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 08:06:00 +0000

For a comprehensive list of activities for children and young people across Lewisham visit the Summer's Alive page on the Lewisham council website.

For places to go and things to do in Downham, Whitefoot and the neighbourhood visit the Downham and Whitefoot Interagency website.

Free Fun Fridays at Goldsmiths Community Centre. Happiness Hour (and a half) and Roller Discos!

Visit the Limelight Family Learning Centre websit e to download their timetable of summer activities and a great new leaflet promoting low cost and free things to do in and around Lewisham.

Phoenix Community Housing present Phoenix Summer Fun across Downham, Whitefoot and Bellingham (see below).

Whitefoot Assembly fund applications now open

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 07:41:00 +0000

This year’s Whitefoot Assembly Fund stands at £15,000, £2,500 of which will be on Councillors' recommendations, with the remaining £12,500 allocated to groups wishing to apply for funding.

The funding will be allocated as outlined below:

2 projects to be capped at £3,500
4 amounts of up to £500 seed funding for first time projects
Remaining projects will be capped at £2,000

The Assembly will choose one of the successful £500 projects to follow from start to finish. This project will provide regular updates at assembly meetings, where the assembly can offer advice as well as help the project in its development. Last year's project Spoken Aspirations is featured here

The guidelines and application form are available to download on the Downham & Whitefoot Interagency website.

To see what has been funded in the past, follow this link.

Proposals must address one or more of the five ward priorities as well as one or more actions within the action plan, which can be downloaded here.

What are the five ward priorities?

crime and antisocial behaviour
lack of community facilities
activities for young people
roads and traffic
lack of community spirit

Help with funding applications can be found on the Resources and Advice tab on this blog.

All applications are to be submitted no later than Friday 20 September 2013. There will then be a vote held at the Whitefoot Assembly Meeting on Thursday 21 November 2013.

For more information, please contact the Whitefoot Assembly co-ordinator Matt Henaughan.

Tel: 020 8314 3381

Email: matt.henaughan@lewisham.gov.uk

For more information about local assemblies in your area, please visit the Local Assemblies page on the Lewisham council website.

Connecting people, places and green spaces - Creative Citizens in Grove Park and Downham

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 15:18:00 +0000

Who are the Creative Citizens?

A group of local people met last November at Goldsmiths Community Centre to talk about how we could participate in the Community Led Design strand of the AHRC funded project Creative Citizens, with the Open University and the Helen Hamlyn Centre, Royal College of Art. This came out of the work we had done with The Glass-House Community Led Design at Goldsmiths to create a vision for the community centre, in 2009-10.

Over the next few months I attended further meetings and workshops (sometimes alone, sometimes with others from the focus group!) at the Festival Hall, at the OU centre in Camden and Cafe Rouge in Hays Galleria. I met many interesting groups working across London, and together we contributed to Community Design Exchange, a social network and research tool linking groups together to share information.

An asset mapping workshop was arranged for 20 March at the community centre. The overarching theme is wellbeing and health.

Asset mapping workshop at Goldsmiths Community Centre

How could we link the two assets of the community centre and gardens, with an app?

A further co-creation workshop focussed our attention on the assets we had identified and encouraged us to be creative about how we could use media to link them up.

Through my work with the Downham & Whitefoot Interagency project local people had identified the need for what is available for them in their area, linking people with facilities and open spaces, and ultimately their neighbours; local organisations to link together to offer their activities and events and work together not in isolation.

Creative Citizens on a hot hike

Date: Wednesday 17 July 2013
Time: 3.30 pm
Venue: Ringway Community Centre, 268 Baring Road SE12
Temperature: HOT!

Were we mad to set off for a walk in Downham, starting in leafy Grove Park, on one of the hottest days of the year so far? Not in the least! Intrepid Citizens that we are, we hacked our way through tropical undergrowth to the railway line and beyond, starting in the gardens of the Ringway Centre, through Cox's Wood to the Grove Park Nature Reserve.

Making our way through the grounds of the Ringway Centre

Stephen Kenny, Chair of Grove Park Community Group, with Melissa and Louise from The Glass-House Community Led Design, at Grove Park Nature Reserve

The pedestrian bridge over the lines between Hither Green and Grove Park stations (what a shame they couldn't have put a Downham station in between, especially as a railway line was used to build the Downham Estate!)

Hither Green Cemetery, from the nature reserve, across the tracks

Photo courtesy of www.ideal-homes.org.uk

Welcome to Downham!

Once we'd crossed the tracks we split up into two groups each with a map and a route to mark or log community assets. There is a path through to Reigate Road and thence to Verdant Lane. There is the beginning of a flight of stairs up an embankment, which goes nowhere. It leads to an open grassy area, which is quite featureless apart from the Downham Fire Station (scheduled to be closed by cuts) and a forlorn playground.

Green Chain Walk Fingerpost signposting our route from Baring Road in Grove Park to Verdant Lane in Downham, and connections to the Capital Ring

Jane from Rushey Green Time Bank holds up an 'UNLOVED' sign for a playground full of equipment that no-one wants to play on. Is it uninteresting, unsafe or just unloved?

A map of Downham, with some points of interest and assets - we found more on our travels and plenty of green spaces. Small areas of grass; triangles, strips and more substantial ones where children can play. One triangle of grass was subdivided by a low metal fence, for no apparent reason.

Led by the intrepid Trevor (far left) from Downham Community Project one group set off to explore 'North' Downham. It was built later than the Downham Estate and was originally referred to as the Whitefoot Lane Estate, and Perry's Farm before that! Dr Theo Zamenopoulus from the Open University, on the right, and Ruth from Downham Nutrition Partnership third left. Ruth has been involved in every part of this project.

The other group, led by Sonja from Ringway and supported by Dr Katerina Alexiou from the Open University, made their way along Ballamore Road towards the Woodland Walk. An almost unbroken line of privet hedges divides the front gardens from the pavement, along most Downham streets. Many of the streets (and schools) were named from Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur. There is Launcelot Road and school, Merlin and Mordred Roads and many more!

The Tahir Mosque at the junction of Verdant and Whitefoot Lanes. It used to be the John Henry Housing Office. Who was John Henry? Mayor of Lewisham 1982-3

The Parade: Offie, Empty Shop, Florist (handy for the cemetery opposite), Klassy Kebab and Rock N Roe fish and chip shop. Not forgetting, on the end, a bookies. What more could one want? Answer - a 'Bonjour'.

It's in a petrol station! If you fancy the Costa Coffee experience why not take one away, from the garage. On this site stood a pub, The Governor General. There are now no pubs in Downham at all since the Downham Tavern was shut down.

Around the corner, in Waters Road, some unloved domestic items. That basket looks quite useful to me. Why are they lying near the gates?

I wonder where this alleyway leads?

My kinda town

The Woodland Walk at Shroffold Road, a relic of ancient woodland. Local group Friends of the Woodland Walk meet on the last Sunday of every month

Back at the Ringway Centre to discuss our findings. Many thanks to all who participated, particularly Sonja and Stephen from Ringway, Jane from Rushey Green Time Bank and Paul and Pamela from Quaggy Waterways Action Group, who gave up their time to join us and contributed their valuable observations to the walks and subsequent discussions.

The next meeting will be in September, date and venue to be confirmed. If you are a local person and want to be involved please email me at admin@downhaminteragency.org.uk

For more information about the project please follow these links.
http://creativecitizens.co.uk/community-led-design/
http://valuing-community-led-design.weebly.com/
http://www.communitydesignexchange.org/

What's on this summer?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Coming up this weekend is the Ringway Fair, from 11am-3.30pm this Saturday 6 July.

The Sydenham Arts Festival from 29 June to 14 July still has plenty of activities including Benjamin Zephaniah on 13 July at Sydenham High School.

Next Tuesday 9 July, it's the Downham Assembly and a chance for people who live, work or study in Downham Ward to find out what's happening in the ward and have their views heard. More about local assemblies on the Downham & Whitefoot Interagency website.

The following Saturday, 13 July, is Lewisham People's Day from 12-8pm in Mountsfield Park. On the same day there is a Community Fun Day in Kings Meadow, Burnt Ash Lane (thanks to DJ Diane for the heads up).

On Saturday 20 July the Whitefoot Community Summer Festival comes to Goldsmiths Community Centre. Packed with activities and entertainment

Over the summer holidays Phoenix Summer Fun is providing activities for children and young people across Downham, Whitefoot and Bellingham.

Phoenix Festival - now we are five!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:54:00 +0000

Tomorrow, 11 May sees the annual Phoenix Festival held in Forster Park from 11.30 - 4.30. Phoenix Community Housing, a tenant-led housing mutual, celebrates its fifth birthday.

Last year was hot and sunny, so fingers crossed for tomorrow! As usual there will be plenty to do and see. Here is just some of what is on offer.

Health and Wellbeing Day photo update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:46:00 +0000

With thanks to Donald Daby, for the lovely photos of the day!

Health and Wellbeing Day roundup!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 09:52:00 +0000

There was a lively buzz in the air as people chatted, and learnt ways to keep healthy. As usual, Delicious Nutritious produced lovely soup, pitta bread and fruit salad

Penny Phillips has kindly provided a review of the day and some photos!

Rozan and Penny attended representing Weight Watchers at this Community Event.

The Community Centre is home to lots of activities, so we had the preschool parents and little people drop in and the Line Dancing group that meet there regularly plus other local people.

I would estimate 100 people dropped by including the Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock.

Lauren from Delicious Nutritious making bread whilst catching up with Ruth Webber from the Downham Nutrition Partnership.

Penny shared information on the WWRS and gained information on a range of complimentary, public health and community services:

Anne from Sage Educational Trust MEND – Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it! a 10 week programme working with children and their carers aimed at promoting healthy eating and active lifestyles.
Ros from Lewisham Community Health Improvement Programme, who specialises in services to carers.
Angela, a Health Trainer who runs the Shape Up programme ~ run over 8 weeks, offering One to One and group support on weight loss and activity.
Jo Travers a private nutritionist who works with clients who are also WW members. Gave basic overview of Propoints principles to better support her work with clients and boost member success.
Sonja, the Healthy Walks volunteer for the ‘Walking for Health” programme and on the committee at the Ringway Centre, where she promotes healthy lifestyles.

All were given information about how WW works and the referral process and criteria in Lewisham. Leaflets shared and opportunities to cross refer clients where appropriate. Rozan and Penny provided BMI checks for those who wanted it and shared information about how to be referred to Weight Watchers by the GP or practice nurse.

We shared information about local WW meetings @

· Wesley Halls

· St Laurence Community Centre

· St Augustine’s church hall

· United Reform Church.

We highlighted WWRS to approximately 10 attendees

We provided meeting information and details on how to join as paying member to around 15 attendees. (If they took an enrolment form we wrote our details on the top and they identified a meeting that would work for them.

Lewisham’s Mayor did not escape our scales with a quick BMI check.

Shared information on the WWRS with both who work in the community promoting healthy eating through a range of activities. Including Cook and Eat programmes funded by Public Health Lewisham and the Whitefoot Assembly.

Downham Local Assembly

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Downham Fire Station - SOS

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:35:00 +0000

Proposal to close Downham Fire Station

I've been asked to raise awareness of the potential closure of Downham Fire Station by Councillor Janet Daby, Whitefoot councillor and Cabinet Member for Community Safety in Lewisham. As well as Downham, the proposal is to close New Cross Fire Station too.

A consultation on the closure of Downham and other fire stations across London is being conducted which ends on at 5pm on 28th May 2013. Members of the public can have their say by visiting http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/lsp5.asp, www.saveourstations.org.uk , calling 0800 9888 569, by writing to the London Fire Brigade at 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL.

Protest in support of Downham Fire Station

Councillor Daby writes:

As one of the Local Councillors and Cabinet Member for Community Safety in Lewisham I am most concerned about the proposals from the London Mayor to close Downham Fire Station. With your assistance we need to make residents aware of the proposals and urge them to individually respond to prevent the closure of our local fire station. In the past this station has been saved from closure twice and I am confident we can again do this. The Fire Brigade Union have said the public concern and individual complaints and protests will have most impact to stop this from happening. In Lewisham the proposed closure is for two Lewisham Fire stations to close and this will have a safety impact on the whole of Lewisham. The local population today is more dense compared to when the Downham fire station was first built. I have recently been told more house owners are opening up their fires to save on bills, which is a possible serious safety issue, but most importantly the response time of fire service will be lengthened and this will affect lives. These are a few of the reasons why we need to maintain the service as well as the excellent preventive work the local fire brigade service provides. We need to save Downham Fire Station and the service it provides to Whitefoot, Downham and Bellingham residents, as well as to the rest of Lewisham.

In your newsletter/Website please tell residents what I have said and inform them the consultation ends at 5pm on Tuesday 28 May 2013. Members of the public can have their say by visiting http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/lsp5.asp, www.saveourstations.org.uk , calling 0800 9888 569, by writing to the London Fire Brigade at 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL.

The link below provides more information about the proposals

http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/LatestNewsReleases_Sayonfirebrigadeproposals.asp#.UUWQ-C5FDIU

The proposals would see 12 fire stations close, seven fire stations that currently have two fire engines moving to one fire engine, and four stations gaining a fire engine (a net reduction of 18 fire engines) and a reduction in the number of firefighter posts of 520. Under the proposals, the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade believes it would be possible to make these changes without making any operational firefighters compulsorily redundant. Details of the proposed changes are:

•             Belsize – Close
•             Bow – Close
•             Clapham – Close
•             Clerkenwell – Close
•             Downham – Close
•             Kingsland – Close
•             Knightsbridge – Close
•             New Cross – Close
•             Silvertown – Close
•             Southwark – Close
•             Woolwich – Close
•             Westminster – Close
•             Chelsea – Two fire engines to one
•             Chingford – 2 to 1
•             Hayes – 2 to 1
•             Leyton – 2 to 1
•             Leytonstone – 2 to 1
•             Peckham – 2 to 1
•             Whitechapel – 2 to 1
•             Hendon – One fire engine to two
•             Orpington – 1 to 2
•             Stanmore – 1 to 2
•             Twickenham – 1 to 2

The Draft Fifth London Safety Plan sets out a range of other proposals including how the Brigade may start recovering costs from persistent false alarm offenders, encourage the installation of sprinkler systems where appropriate, and explore setting up the world’s first 999 twitter feed.

Members of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) originally met on Monday 21 January 2013 to discuss the proposals. An amendment was made by Labour members, which was supported by Liberal Democrat and Green members. The amendment meant that LFEPA did not agree to consultation on the part of the plan which deals with the closure of fire stations, or loss of appliances or operational posts.

The Conservative Members of the Authority opposed the amendment and instead unanimously supported the Commissioner’s proposals. Following this, the Mayor of London used his powers of direction to instruct LFEPA to begin a public consultation, by 13 February, on the version of the plan that was originally presented to the Authority.

At an extraordinary meeting of the Authority on Monday 11 February, a majority of members supported a resolution to stop compliance with the Mayor’s direction.

Subsequently, the Mayor wrote to LFEPA saying that he would seek legal redress to ensure that his direction was followed. At a meeting of the Appointments and Urgency Committee on Tuesday 26 February members voted to authorise that public consultation on the whole of the draft fifth London Safety Plan could begin.

Health & Wellbeing Day at Goldsmiths Community Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:34:00 +0000

Come along on Thursday 21st March from 10 am - 2 pm for the Goldsmiths Health and Wellbeing Day

There will be something for everyone at the community centre from advice to health checks to food demonstrations, line dancing and Bokwa, children's activities, making your own potions and lotions, a guided walk and information about the local area. On completion of a short survey you can claim a free lunch too!

In the Food Place there will be:

10am ~ bread demonstration

10.30 ~ soup making

11.00 to 12pm couscous

12-1pm fruit kebabs

In the Sports Hall there will be exhibitors, health trainers and a lunch area.

In the George Green Hall

10—12noon Line dancing

12.15—1pm Bokwa

In the IT Suite from 12-2pm Lewisham CAB will be showing you how to get the best energy deals and to use their amazing online advice guide. You need to pre-book for this 2 hour session please contact .

In the Goldsmiths Wellbeing Room (Room 3) you are invited to make your own potions and lotions with our resident homeopath.

And in the Small Hall

Indoor/Outdoor play - 10—11.30am - for all ages

Chair exercise - 12.30—12.45 and 1.45—2pm

Bouncy beats - 1—1.30pm - for all ages

All about... The Food Place

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 09:23:00 +0000

What is The Food Place?

Last summer the cafe at Goldsmiths Community Centre closed, after 12 years of operation. Our centre users miss it, and so do we! But... no one could make a go of it any more as a business, and we had to look at different ways we could use it, bring some income to the community centre and most importantly invite local people in!

A group of local organisations got together and have been planning the way forward for this space. The first meeting took place at the end of October 2012, and we have been meeting monthly since then and inviting guests from the local allotment society and our local councillor. We renamed the space The Food Place to reflect the variety of events and activities that would be happening. We first thought up the name, back in February 2010 - http://goldcatcafe.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/food-place-summary-of-10-feb-workshop.html

Our community payback team sorted out the store cupboard and kitchen units, thoroughly cleaned and repainted the cupboard and put everything back in apple pie order. Over Christmas the floor was sanded and treated ready for the new year and new activities. At the last hygiene inspection, it received a five star rating!

The Food Place got off to a great start in the New Year. Three regular activities are running from baby weaning, food explorers for under 5s and cooking your own evening meals and we have put on a couple of special events, a Love Food Hate Waste workshop and A Taste of Scotland. The space is also being rented regularly for private functions, bringing much needed income to the Goldsmiths Community Association. For more details about regular activities including Yummy Explorers and Food Explorers contact Jo on 020 8695 5955.

Love Food Hate Waste workshop in preparation mode

‘Come and Cook your Evening Meal!’

This new project running at Goldsmiths Community Centre is for all ages and free for anyone in Lewisham who not only wants to learn cooking skills but enjoy it. Cllr Janet Daby, who was involved in the initial discussions of the project, was there on the first evening to support and offer her encouragement to volunteers.

Rosalynn, Cllr Daby and Abi at the first session of Come and Cook your Evening Meal

She comments, “It is lovely project to be a part of from the beginning, and one I feel will be a great success. The aim was to encourage cooking at home, making people aware of being nutritious and eating the right foods. It was also to offer cooking skills to those that lack them as well as showing them that it can be fun and easy to do. There is no doubt that children, parents and residents will love it. My best wishes go out to everyone who takes part in improving their skills and learning how to cook. I remember the home economic classes I took at school which I feel should be brought back as part of every person’s learning”.

Cllr Daby is also working with churches in the Whitefoot area to set up a food bank. She feels the food bank along with this project will support local people to provide for themselves and their families in increasing hard times. She aims to think ahead of October 2013 when the coalition government’s Universal Credit is put into effect and where people could be further pushed into economic hardship as a result of it.

There are places available on these sessions please contact Delphine

Och aye the noo! A Taste... of Scotland

Following successful pilots by Downham Nutrition Partnership of a Taste of Italy and A Taste of China last year, 2013 brought A Taste of Scotland to The Food Place.

Chopping the tatties and leeks for A Taste of Scotland

We chopped leeks and tatties for leek and potato soup, cooked finnan (smoked) haddock for cullen skink and even sampled some haggis! As a Dutch waitress once said to me when I asked what was in the croquettes 'You don't want to know'. Also on the menu were Scottish cheeses, oatcakes, shortbread and cranachan. A very enjoyable evening to the accompaniment of traditional Scottish music.

Coming soon, a Taste of Jamaica.

And to whet your appetite and see the progress, some photos of what we've been doing!

Fruit kebabs prepared by Delicious Nutritious for the DNP AGM

Healthy, delicious salads from Delicious Nutritious

Contents of The Food Place storeroom, before it was cleaned and repainted

Food Place store cupboard, freshly cleaned and painted

Ingredients for a Food Place workshop from Love Food Hate Waste

What does a healthy Downham look like?

Fresh herbs from the community garden

Community garden grown 'Marmande' tomatoes