Lewisham Council says:
On Wednesday 29 August at approximately 3.15pm, the Paralympic Flame will arrive in Lewisham on Evelyn Street in Deptford. From Evelyn Street it will move to Deptford High Street, go past the new Deptford Lounge on Giffin Street, turn left into Deptford Church Street before handing over to Greenwich on Creek Road at approximately 3.50pm.
Teams of five inspirational Torchbearers will carry the Flame – each one taking it in turn before they pass the Flame to the next team of five.
Local residents are being invited to help light the way to the Paralympic Games and celebrate the achievements of the Torchbearers as they move through Deptford. There will be entertainment throughout the afternoon at Deptford Lounge and as it is market day, there will be lots to see and do.
The streets along which the Paralympic Flame will be carried during the entire Torch Relay can be viewed at www.london2012.com/paralympictorchrelay. The map gives street-by-street details and estimated start times for when the Paralympic Flame will travel through Lewisham.
- With thanks to Jane.
Yesterday, we recorded a podcast with Sara Parker from the CBI, in which we opined about stuff about which we know little, hectored our audience about Brockley and reclaimed the Olympic torch for SE4. So a radical departure from our usual agenda.
Here it is: The Olympic legacy – what does it mean for business?
BC must have watched the London 2012 Opening Ceremony five times now. Partly because we had to re-watch it after first seeing it on the big screen in Greenwich, which had speakers so small it would have embarrassed a teenager's bedroom. Partly because it was the most joyous thing we've ever seen. As Ai Weiwei wrote, it was the personal details that made it work so well:
In London [compared with Beijing] there were more close-ups – it didn't show the big formations. It had the human touch. In Zhang Yimou's opening ceremony there was almost none of that. You could not push into a person's face and see the human experience. What I liked most with this was that it always came back to very personal details. And that's what makes it a nation you can trust; you see the values there. Anyone who watched it would have a clear understanding of what England is.
Jostling with the Queen and Mr Bean for "the most face time in an Olympic ceremony" gold medal was Jasmine Breinberg, the lead performer in the musical journey sequence, who, as well as being a Brit School student, is a Crossfields resident. The Crossfields Estate blog says:
Like all the other performers, Jazz was sworn to secrecy and wouldn't talk about her role before the show. On Wednesday, her mum said, "She is SO underplaying it, says it's no big deal! Two billion watching on telly, 60,000 in the stadium and a feature in an hour long section! She's excited though and having fun."
Together with Humphrey Keeper, the choir boy soloist from Forest Hill, and Doreen Lawrence, who carried the Olympic flag, South East London faces represented Britain to the world.
UPDATE: Here's a video diary by a Brockley nurse who danced in the Opening Ceremony:
Remember China? Before the Olympics the stadiums weren’t finished, there was apparently a three mile toxic cloud that had to be moved, there was criticism of China’s appalling human rights and working conditions. But then the Games began! And the opening ceremony started - with the crazy drummers and the globe walking and the calligraphy thing and the dancers in boxes! And everybody was like: “You know what? You know what? If forced labour got that done, God bless. Because you know why, those dancing boxes didn’t miss a fucking beat.
- Jon Stewart, The Daily Show
For a long time after London took the Olympic baton from Beijing with a toe-curling display of theatre school kids, dancing lollipop ladies and a Leona Lewis / Jimmy Page team-up we were dreading this day: The Olympic Opening Ceremony.
We do not have a promising track record with this sort of stuff: The wobbly dragon at EURO 96 was a national embarrassment, the Millennial River of Fire managed to be less impressive than a set of indoor fireworks.
Then in January we heard Danny Boyle explain that our opening cermony would feature sheep and artificial meadow and we were reassured by his warm Lancastrian tones, and by his colleague who said that the thing to remember about opening ceremonies was that no-one ever wished them longer. Since then, we've heard from a few people involved with the show or who've been to the rehearsals and they promise it's going to be awesome to the max.
So now the question is where to watch it? There are two big outdoor screenings nearby.
Blackheath will host the Lewisham Big Screen, with a funfair, Spiegel tent and ready access to the Hare and Billet:
Meanwhile, the Brockley Market team have been poached to provide food for the Greenwich Summer Festival at the Royal Naval College, complete with Big Screen and "a dazzling Aerial Circus Show performed by Greenwich’s very own Hangar Arts Trust plus live music on the Bandstand." Brockley Market will be on as usual tomorrow.
What are you planning?
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| Westminster Bridge is virtually car-free, north-bound |
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| From Susan - Daniel Gee runs through Lewisham |
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| From John, who stood on the right side of the street to get pictures |
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| Also from John, who is just showing off now |
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| John captures the battle bus |
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| Chitro sent us this photo of Doreen Lawrence on Deptford Broadway |
Work to remodel Brockley Cross has ground to a temporary halt as a result of the hiatus on road projects in place during the Olympic period, Lewisham Council has confirmed.
The road in the centre of Brockley Cross remains to be raised, level with the pavement, to slow traffic and part of Geoffrey Road is due to become one-way, to stop drivers turning right straight on to a pedestrian crossing.
Work started way back in March and has been moving at a glacial pace and was supposed to have been completed before the start of the Games.
In related news, the Council reports that "apart from a few coping stones that need to be replaced, the [remedial]works at Brockley station are now complete."
Southeastern has released full timetables for its services to stations including Deptford, St Johns and Ladywell, during the Olympics and Paralympics.
All the details here. We might have to do a bit of 'crowd sourced data journalism' to work out the key issues here (in other words, you work it out dear readers, because we don't use Southeastern services and our eyes glaze over looking at timetables). But it looks like - as promised - the Deptford service is going to be pretty rubbish.
If anyone spots any big changes, please post below and we will incorporate them in this article.
British athlete and London Olympic hopeful Joice Maduaka was underwhelmed by Lewisham's Olympic preparations when she turned up for a practice today at the Ladywell Arena and couldn't find a working set of starting blocks. She tweeted:
Not so smart idea.Went local for practice Ladywell Arena. No starting blocks all broken.Are we really hosting an Olympic Games?
Eventually, she found some, but added:
Amazing what you get when you kick up. Smh. But they only have 1 set. Come on @LewishamCouncil sort it out http://pic.twitter.com/qNBubYMn Not moaning just disappointed in Olympic year they dont have equipment. I paid my £2.60 for use of the track.
As a "Gateway" borough (next door to where the action's actually happening), Lewisham initially imagined it would play host to a number of teams as part of its Olympic legacy. In 2008, Mayor Bullock said:
In Lewisham we’re working towards developing some excellent sport and leisure facilities for everyone to enjoy and I hope people will take full advantage of them. In particular, my goal is to help Lewisham’s young people achieve their own goals and levels of sporting excellence.
Follow Joice on Twitter here. Thanks to Martin for the heads-up.
Joshua: Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?
David Lightman: Later. Let's play Global Thermonuclear War.
- War Games
Brockley designer Jay Osgerby has won UK design's most prestigious prize - Design of the Year - for his work to create the London 2012 Olympic Torch.
Lewisham Council writes:
Programme details for The Lewisham Big Screen have now been announced. The 17-day festival on Blackheath will start with the Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday 27 July and finish with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday 12 August. Alongside live BBC coverage of the Games on a giant outdoor screen will be a daily programme of entertainment, music and activities for the whole family.
A magnificent, decorated Spiegeltent will be the centrepiece for live music and entertainment alongside the big screen. Highlights in the tent will include:
- Live music, song and dance from, amongst others, members of the BBC Singers, Lewisham Live musicians, Orchestra from the Age of Enlightenment and the Icarus Club.
- Speakeasy – a day of spoken word from performance poets, storytellers, rap artists and local creative talent
- Chances to find out about lots of different sports from judo to cricket, athletics to rugby. Discover your own inner athlete and find out how easy it is to get active!
August 4 is Super Saturday when lots of medals will be won and lost, and Blackheath will host a huge number of community groups and voluntary organisations as they set out their stalls. In the Spiegeltent, local people will perform throughout the day, showcasing the best of Lewisham talent.
Different days will mean different opportunities. It might be visual arts from Deptford X, street theatre that amazes and astounds, farmers’ markets and so much more.
Throughout the Games, Blackheath will have food and drink outlets, a big wheel, carousel, have-a-go sporting activities and daily entertainment; not forgetting the great shopping, eating and refreshment areas in Blackheath Village itself – so close to the heath and part of the last mile to Greenwich Park, the Olympic venue for the modern pentathlon and the equestrian events.
Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, said: "Super Saturday will be a particularly special day as we see community groups and voluntary organisations making such good use of the whole of The Lewisham Big Screen on Blackheath.”
www.lewisham.gov.uk/bigscreen
TfL is celebrating 100 days to go to the Olympics by offering DLR users a taste of what's to come. It says:
From Friday 20 April until Tuesday 24 April, DLR services will be modified in order to test some of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic timetables.
On Friday 20 April, Monday 23 April and Tuesday 24 April there will be reduced frequencies during peak periods between:
Stratford and Canary Wharf
Lewisham and Canary Wharf
Tower Gateway/Bank
Woolwich Arsenal/Beckton
This will allow for increased frequencies on the Stratford International and Beckton routes to be operated for the test period, as they will be during the Games.
Lewisham Council writes:
The Lewisham Council-backed public art project for London 2012 has taken a step closer to completion this week with the destinations of the podia revealed.
The idea for the project was to take the winner’s podium out of the stadium and into an urban setting. With this in mind, five creative organisations, commissioned by Lewisham Council, chose artists to create temporary projects using a sporting champions’ podium and the theme of ‘everyone’s a winner’.
Work started at the beginning of the year and the locations, which to now have been a secret, have finally been revealed. The five locations are Goldsmiths, Deptford High Street with an exhibit by the Deptford Project, Horniman’s Gardens, Forest Hill with Beep Studio, the 1st Bowl on Belmont Hill by Deptford X and the roof of A.P.T in Creekside, Deptford (photo).
Krusty: Put a sock in it, preppy. How much are these free burgers gonna cost me?
Accountant: Not to worry, Mr. K. We've rigged the cards: they're all in
events that Communists never lose.
Krusty: I like, I like.
Woman: This just came over the wires, Big K.
Krusty: [reads] Uh-huh. Soviet boycott. U.S. unopposed in most
events. How does this affect our giveaway?
Accountant: Let's see. [calculates] You personally stand to lose $44
million.
- Lisa's First Words, The Simpsons
Olympic orgsnisers have revealed the route the Torch will take through the borough on its way to the Olympic Stadium. In a snub the likes of which we've not seen since the USSR refused to send a team to LA in 1984, the route planners have bypassed Brockley:
Lewisham Route: beginning at 07.21am on the 23rd July 2012
Monkeyboy sent us a link to Getaheadofthegames - a website dedicated to providing Olympics-focused travel information. The interactive map of London allows you to see the likely hotspot stations on a day-by-day basis, depending on what events are taking place at the Olympic venues.
The Olympics will come and go without leaving much of a mark on the borough of Lewisham. Nonetheless, our city will not host the biggest thing in the world ever without us snaffling up a few crumbs from the table of Greenwich and all the other Olympic boroughs. It will also require us to employ all kinds of ingenious solutions if we want to get to work on time during the Games.
So from now until the end of the Paralympics, we'll be trying to report any Olympic stories with implications for Lewisham. It'll be a fun new sport.
Firstly, Lewisham Council wants you to know that:
There will be a two day drop-in event hosted by LOCOG and TfL at the Clarendon Hotel, Blackheath on Friday 3 Feb (12 noon-8pm) and Saturday 4 Feb (10am-4pm). They will be sharing info on traffic, car parking and transport measures around Greenwich and Blackheath. Council officers will be on hand too to give info about the Community Live Site.
In the first real sign that this borough is part of an Olympic host city, Lewisham Council has announced plans for a Henman's Heath during the Olympics, showing all the action on a giant screen on Blackheath. They say:
As well as the extensive sports coverage, the Live Site will offer a packed line-up of entertainment and have-a-go sporting activities for all ages plus a few surprises and guest appearances along the way.
The screen will be right on the doorstep of all of the restaurants, bars and shops that Blackheath Village has to offer making it a great day out for families and friends.
The increased numbers coming to Blackheath should provide a welcome boost in trade for businesses in the area.
As well as being great fun, events taking place at the site will be designed to encourage communities to participate in improving their health and well being, become involved in their local community and celebrate local achievements.
The Community Live Site will provide a showcase and fundraising opportunities for local voluntary and charitable organisations.
In addition to the big screen, another great attraction at the Live Site will be a beautifully decorative and rare Spiegel Tent which will play host to a range of events for all ages including tea dances, cinema, storytelling and live music. This splendid venue is so glamorous it is worth a visit in itself, even if it is to take in the surroundings, have a bite to eat or enjoy a cocktail created especially for the event.
Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, said:
'The London 2012 Games are a once-in-a-lifetime event and we want our residents to have a great place to meet and enjoy the spectacle. And lying within the last mile of the Games venue at Greenwich Park, we can welcome the world's visitors to stop, relax and join our celebrations in Blackheath.'
The Lewisham Community Live Site will run from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Daily opening times will vary but the Council is conscious that this is also a residential area and will make every effort to ensure that the needs of everyone attending and living around the area will be considered.
More of this kind of thing please!
