Two fundraisers

Two local fundraising projects to tell you about...

Leaf & Groove

Leaf & Groove will take a long-disused shop space in Forest Hill and turn it into something wonderful. A second hand bookshop of distinction, also selling vinyl, donating profits to the community library scheme. Not only that, but also an underground lounge space for secret meetings & speakeasies; robotic engineering & art lessons; a writing group & a gin club; board games & tai chi – unbounded possibilities.

This shop has been empty for 6 years, everyone is keen to see it turned into something useful, rather than yet another estate agent or bookies. Libraries are inundated with book donations, not all capable of fitting on their shelves. But from their sale great things can be done: more shelves bought & books to fill them, more events for children, senior citizens and those on the fringes of our society that visit daily. Then there is the lounge, large enough for 30, a new home for cultural activities, creativity and learning new skills.

Click here to donate at their Spacehive page.

Ladywell & Dubai

Nicola writes:

A group of eleven girls from Ladywell Gymnastics Club have been invited to compete in the Dubai International Gymnastics Competition in April 2017. The girls are in the Elite Gymnasts section at their club and train for around 20 hours a week to be able to compete at this level. They compete regularly nationally, but this is the furthest they have travelled to compete. To help with the huge cost of taking the team and their coaches to Dubai, we have set up a Crowdfunder site to support them get to Dubai.

The club itself has a long history of being part of the Lewisham community and the girls are local to the area, with many of them living in Brockley and Ladywell. The club itself was located in the Ladywell Baths for many years until they were forced to move due to the state of the building.

We are raising money through Crowdfunder to help the team get to Dubai, which involves travel, accommodation and competition costs. Any local support would be hugely appreciated.

Forest Hillhole creates (more) Southern chaos

Rham Jas: You'd be surprised what you'll be willing to do, when the Lamia comes for you.
- Drag Me To Hell

A gaping chasm has opened on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground in Forest Hill, spawning travel chaos on Southern and ELL routes. The Evening Standard writes:

The hole, reported to be 50ft deep, is affecting two railway tracks between East Croydon and London Bridge and trains are currently suspended.

It is set to cause chaos for commuters travelling home this evening and passengers are being advised to take alternative routes.

Thanks to Monkeyboy and Fabhat for the warning.

Wild House Prices

As hipsters get a little older, they tend to move a little bit further down the line in search of a little more space and develop a fondness for vintage what nots and baking, to fill those spaces. Wild Horses describes itself as a "vintage lifestyle store" on Dartmouth Road in Forest Hill and clearly understands its market.

That's all for now, but keep an eye on their website for more details. Thanks to Magnus for giving us an excuse to talk about Forest Hill.

The Walter's Way Open Weekend

The Walter's Way Estate in Forest Hill is successful experiment in self-build anarchic social housing. This film tells the story of this project beautifully. With thanks to Joe for the link to this account in The Guardian, which notes:

"The street has welcomed visitors as part of London Open House weekend since 1989, but this year’s event, from 19–20 September, will be extra special, with a day of talks followed by three Segal/self-build streets being opened to the public on the Sunday: Walters Way, Segal Close and Greenstreet Hill."

Festival in the Forest

Corin writes:

Hello all, This Sunday Devonshire Road Nature Reserve is hosting a family friendly music festival. If you know The Reserve you'll know how deceptively large, peaceful and safe it is. If you don't, come on down, and find out!

The live music covers most flavours of country: traditional, bluegrass, acoustic and rock. Food and drink will be available. Tickets are available here or you can pay on the door. Hope to see you there!

Forest Mews wins property gong

The winners of the "Oscars of the London property market" have been announced. No, not the Stirling Prize. Not The Sunday Times, AJ or Evening Standard awards either. The RICS Awards 2015!

Anyway, it's a reputable prize and a Forest Hill development collected residential building of the year 2015 at the ceremony last night.

Forest Mews (off Rockbourne Mews) is a beauty, comprising three homes and studios set around a central courtyard and designed by Jessica and Robert Barker. The other winners included Heathrow Terminal 2 and the British Museum's new exhibition centre.

The judges said: "A brownfield site set behind Victorian houses and a parade of shops has been redeveloped into a small communal mews. A private drive leads to a triangular area that previously contained a converted lock-up, derelict store and textile print studio.

"The site was landlocked and overlooked by a patchwork of properties. Each of the three new houses is provided with a workspace, creating a live-work community within the mews, and the buildings are set around a shared central courtyard. The carefully considered design enables light into the houses and maintains privacy, while a sensitive approach was required to manage no less than 32 Party Wall Awards and to achieve a contextual solution."

Montage Lates, Forest Hill

The big push

The Lewisham Octopush club's first session was so successful they are doing it again. Of the 15 people who took part last week, 6 women and 5 men were fully paid up members of the BC army. This video is them in action. 

The Club is running more sessions tonight and next Friday. Visit their site for details of how to take part.

Octopushy

James writes:

We have just launched an new underwater hockey club at Forest Hill Pools and I would like to offer BC readers the chance to have a free have-a-go session at 7.15pm, Friday 10th January 2014. Meet in the lobby of Forest Hill Pools. You can just come along but if possible please email me james@bayley.me.uk with your shoe size so I can confirm your place and sort out kit for you.

Underwater hockey is played with a lead puck and a short stick; swimmers wear a mask, snorkel and fins. We are set up to train absolute beginners and supply all the kit for the session. It has all the virtues of swimming to keep fit but is actually fun! Here is a promo video.

The men and women is this video are really good but don't worry, we are not! The youngest member of our club is 12 and the oldest 67 and we all play in the same game!

Free parking this Christmas for Small Business Saturday

Lewisham Council writes:

Lewisham Council is to offer free car parking on three Saturdays in the run up to Christmas.

Shoppers will be able to park for free all day in all council-run car parks in Blackheath, Catford, Deptford, Forest Hill, Lewisham and Sydenham on Saturday 7, 14 and 21 December.

The start of the free parking offer falls on 7 December – the traditional start of the Christmas shopping rush – and also the UK’s first ‘Small Business Saturday’ which is a national campaign to encourage shoppers to ‘shop local’ and use local, independent shops.

Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, said: “Town centres are at the heart of our local communities and independent businesses play a huge role in making our town centres the vibrant and prosperous areas they are to work in and to shop.

“We are pleased to take part in Small Business Saturday by waiving parking charges in Council car parks during this period and I hope everyone will take this opportunity to do their Christmas shopping locally and help support local businesses.”

The free car parking offer only applies to car parks that are managed by Lewisham Council and does not include on-street parking, Lewisham Shopping Centre (which is privately owned) or Blackheath Station car park which is now owned by Network Rail.

For a list of all participating car parks visit www.lewisham.gov.uk/freeparking.

Day of the Dead Late, at the Horniman

Thursday 7 November, 6-9pm 
The Horniman’s next after-hours party for adults, Day of the Dead Late, is inspired by the annual Mexican festival. Follow a procession of fluorescent skeletons and Mexican musicians through the galleries, dance with a giant skeleton, experience a magical puppet performance with Theatre of Dolls, join in a Day of the Dead party with DJ Stylus in the Conservatory, discover fascinating skeleton facts, and enjoy short films. Food and bar open including Mexican street food and Day of the Dead cocktails.

Find out more about Day of the Dead Late at http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/day-of-the-dead-late. Tickets are £3. Over-18s only due to the nature of the events.

The Standard on Forest Hill

The Evening Standard's Homes & Property features Forest Hill today and lists being near the buzz of Brockley among its selling-points:

The arrival of the east London Overground train service has turned Forest Hill into a favourite with families who love its roomy, good-value homes and easy 25-minute commute to Canary Wharf.

A leafy south London suburb with breathtaking views over the capital, Forest Hill sits near lively East Dulwich, Brockley and Sydenham...

The paper appropriates a BC line, claiming that "London’s centre of gravity seems to have shifted east, making Forest Hill perfectly placed for commuters."

Full article here.

Festival in the Forest

Last weekend we went along to Devonshire Road Nature Reserve's first 'Festival in the Forest', in search of some greenery, live music, and a few posh beers (see below). As an unexpected bonus, the sun was shining on us.

The site is accessed via a narrow strip from the road, where a small hut and decked area sits. This acted as the 'main stage'. Venture down the hill into the reserve, and you'll find a meadow, where another gazebo provided the acoustic stage - very fitting for the tranquil location. There was still enough space that you could lose yourself in the reserve if you needed to get away from the crowds.

A BBQ fed the masses, and the event was sponsored by Rolls Beer of Portugal, which, as one BC commenter pointed out, was odd given the growing local ales scene. However, it turns out that one of the organisers was the sole UK importer of the beer, so things began to make sense. For the record, it's a fine brew - dark, porter-style, but still refreshingly sweet.

Felix, of School of Rock fame, compared and oversaw the bands, making it all look far too easy. We didn't see every band, but the music was a mixture of unplugged indie, blues and knees-up folk. The latter was admirably showcased by festival closers Hungry Grass, who made sure everyone was dancing, and probably had the longest encore in local festival history.

The atmosphere was something like a Brockley Max closing night. A good cross-section of the wider community coming together, with many familiar faces from the local music scene, all in the mood for a good party. Hats off to Jake who made it happen, and all who were involved. We hope to see you again next year.

Festival in the Forest, June 30th

Jacob writes: Festival in the Forest is a family friendly mix of music, food and drink with an eclectic blend of Folk, Country, Rock and Irish acts with space to dance or roam or picnic as the mood takes you. Advance tickets available through wegottickets.com.

Food offered will include Slow Roasted Pulled Pork, BBQ and Vegetarian dishes and homemade cakes and pastries and the bar will be offering a range of beers including our sponsor’s ‘Rolls’ Portuguese imported craft beer, wine, a range of soft drinks, tea and coffee. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed.

Parking is free in nearby streets and the Nature Reserve is easily reached from either Honor Oak Park or Forest Hill Station (approx 7 minutes Walk from either). The festival area is outdoors, with marquee cover in the event of rain.

I'll eat the high road

From Saturday 18 May Forest Hill and Honor Oak will be transformed into an urban orchard for three weeks.

The event is called the Edible High Road; shops and businesses are hosting fruit trees to celebrate urban orchards: 50 Forest Hill and Honor Oak businesses are hosting 70+ trees including The Horniman Museum, Sainsbury's, Canvas and Cream, Stag and Bow, Hills and Parkes and Le Querce - plus every pub in Forest Hill!

The Big Launch: Matthew Wilson - Channel Four's 'Landscape Man' and Gardener's Question Time panelist will be cutting our ribbon at 2pm on Saturday 18 May on Forest Hill Station.

Forest Bill

Greater Brockley's artist-in-residence Mike Hall has created another of his illustrated maps - this time, Forest Hill and Honor Oak, which he's selling on Etsy.

Forest Hill - View of the top

Forest Hill gets the Guardian's 'Let's Move To' treatment today, described as a gloomy, cheap alternative to Brockley or Peckham, which benefits from the Horniman and the views from the top.

Many here have fallen: Brockley, Peckham, Crystal Palace. But Forest Hill is hanging on by its nails... The South Circular flows incessantly, and there are quite a few boy-racer routes for those seeking to escape it. The centre, consequently, feels a bit placeless. It can have a gloomy feel, as it's on the north-east side of Sydenham Hill.

It's a harsh assessment, which neglects to mention a fantastic new swimming pool, some lovely streets and a good variety of shops and pubs, but they're not wrong about the impact of the South Circular.

With thanks to Monkeyboy for the tip off.

Brockley man assists in wheelie bin killing

Brockley man Bernard Beddoe, 60, has been found guilty of assisting an offender in a grizzly Forest Hill murder.

Karen Otmani, of Stanstead Road, Forest Hill, drugged her lover before suffocating him and stashing him in a wheelie bin for 11 days, before his body was discovered by the police. She has been sentenced to serve a minimum of 17 years.

The Standard reports:

She put him into the bin with the help of her friend, Bernard Beddoe, laid it on its side, and covered it up.

Otmani had been talking about getting rid of her on-off lover and had even asked another boyfriend to experiment with some blue liquid to see if it would knock him out...

Beddoe, of Brockley, south London, was found guilty of assisting an offender and was remanded for reports to December 7.

The forest with the big hill

Jessica writes:

The Forest with the Big Hill presents a day of performance and workshops with special guest TUUP the storyteller.

Venue: Forest Hill Methodist Church, Normanton Street, SE23
Date: Saturday 6th October from 2pm

Buy tickets online at www.forestwiththebighill.org or on the door. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Forest Hill Pools reopen

Just in time for the temporary closure of Deptford's Wavelengths pool, Lewisham Council reports the fantastic news that Forest Hill Pools (Dartmouth Road) have been reopened:

Several years of hard work and dedicated campaigning by local stakeholders has finally come to fruition and Forest Hill Pools have now been reopened. After a series of public consultations, construction commenced in February 2011 and the costs for redeveloping the site amount to £8.9m.

Facilities now include:

·         25m length swimming pool
·         16.7m length learner pool
·         state-of-the-art fitness suite
·         two studios and a café area
·         community room for hire
·         spectator viewing and exhibition area

This new facility, which is fully accessible, including parking for people with disabilities, and the architects, Roberts Limbrick, have worked to make the pools as eco-friendly and energy-efficient as possible.

The Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, marked the occasion by taking a plunge in the new pool.   He said:  “This is a very exciting day for Lewisham.  I am thrilled to be here today in Forest Hill at yet another fantastic new facility for the borough.  It’s a real tribute to the hard work and energy of everybody involved.”

Cabinet Member for Community Services, Chris Best, "The significance of the occasion comes from the aspirations of the many local people who have worked so hard to see this building saved and now re-developed.”

“I am absolutely delighted to see the wonderful job that has been done redeveloping the pools to modern standards, while retaining features like the historic Victorian frontage.”

“This is a striking development but perhaps its most important dimension is that it’s the result of joint working between local stakeholders and the Council to achieve a shared goal. Willmott- Dixon has carried out a magnificent job in delivering this project on schedule and providing a sustainable future for such a well-loved local building that will benefit the community for many years to come."

Opening hours are:  Monday-Friday, 7am-10pm and Saturday, Sundays and Bank Holidays 7am-6pm.

Residents will have the opportunity to tour the facilities and try out some of the activities available at Forest Hill Pools as part of the ‘Forest Hill celebrates’ event on 22 September.