Bin there, done that

Brockley's new bins are officially "launched"

Following a rather heated debate about the artistic merits of Brockley's new bins, we thought it would be pertinent to post this press release from Lewisham Council about the initiative. Perhaps this will lead to a reappraisal of the project, perhaps not! But in any case, congratulations to Millie:

New recycling bins, made to look like parcels, were launched yesterday at Brockley Cross, by the young designer who came up with the idea.

Millie Goslyn-Jones, aged 11, invented the design within 30 minutes after being set a design challenge at her school to find new ways of making recycling bins more interesting.

The new parcel bins follow on from the hugely successful “Moo Cross” cow bins (in New Cross) and calf bins placed in schools, which saw recycling in the area increase by 60% after being turned into ‘cows’.

Millie, from John Stainer Primary School in St Asaph Road in Brockley, said: “It’s really exciting to see my design on the bins, I walk pass them every day to go school and all my friends think it’s really cool and make the bins look much smarter than before.”

Councillor Susan Wise, Cabinet Member for Customer Service, said: “Well done to Millie for coming up with such a fun and exciting way to make recycling more interesting and noticeable.

“I want to encourage everyone to do their part by posting all paper, cardboard, glass, tin and plastic bottles into these new bins.”

Local artistic design company, Artmongers, turned Millie’s idea into a reality from her original design drawing. The company, formed by artists Patricio Forrester and Julian Sharples, produces artistic interventions from customised wheelie bins, cars and clothes to large-scale murals and art-on-trees, specialising in colourful, approachable, comical artworks.

Artmongers collaborates with artists, designers and members of the public, to produce artworks that genuinely improve the urban environment and create a sense of pride and ownership.

There are 8 ‘parcel’ recycling bins at Harefield Road in Brockley.

The unveiling of the bins coincides with the introduction of timed collections, which has eliminated the need for a recreation of a Red Square victory parade on our high street pavements. A source at the Council explains:

"The timed collections began on 16th June and have made a real impact on the street scene in Brockley. As you will know there's usually fly tipping and dumped bags around the old bins and a lot of litter along the stretch of shops. Whenever I've passed it's looked much better (I'm a Brockley resident so pass frequently). Businesses and residents and all seem to be adhering to the new system."

The Eltham Centre

Yesterday, forced to look further afield for swimming options, Brockley Central visited the Eltham Centre, Greenwich's latest community pool.

The Eltham Centre replaces Eltham's old, urine-coloured baths that have now closed down. The pool is dedicated to proper swimming, with none of the slides and rapids to be found at Woolwich Waterfront.

Squeezed just behind the high street, on to a site that, parking included, is probably equivalent to the Brockley Cross timber yard, it includes an 8 lane pool, a children's pool, a 100 station fitness centre, a creche and a spa, as well as the area's Citizen's Advice Bureau, a library and a coffee shop. By combining these facilities, the Council has created a genuine community centre that reduces the cost of providing these separate but vital functions:

• The CAB and Library means that there are additional reasons for people who might not otherwise step inside a sports centre to give it a go.
• The creche means that carers have the opportunity to take some exercise
• The cafe makes it more likely that parents will be willing to hang around while their children take a swim.

In other words, it's designed to maximise usage and opportunity, while minimising the public cost.

For a variety of obvious reasons, we couldn't get a photo of the pool area, but it's light and includes a viewing gallery. The children's pool is a few feet from the main pool, so parents can move between the two easily. The changing rooms are large, with good facilities for families and baby-changing.

This hastily-grabbed shot is the central atrium, from which all of the facilities lead. It gives a good impression of the design aesthetic that runs throughout.



We visited the pool at 6pm on Wednesday, at which time it was well-used but not packed. There were swimming classes taking place in half the lanes, with a further four lanes for general use.
There's been a lot of discussion on this thread about sports facilities in Lewisham and what the Council should be aspiring to. In our view, The Eltham Centre is a good model for Lewisham to study while planning the new pool in Lewisham town centre. It even has an "active frontage" for - a decked sun terrace.

The Eltham Centre

2 Archery Road
Eltham
SE9 1HA
020 8921 4344

http://www.gll.org/

BrocSoc barbecue

Fans of outdoor cooking will be thrilled to hear of an upcoming opportunity to scoff some sausages in the classy surroundings of Hilly Fields.
The Brockley Society are holding a barbecue by the stone circle in the park tomorrow (Friday) from 7.30pm and all locals are invited - so dig out your super-sized tub of ketchup and bring something to throw on the grill. Who knows, maybe you'll bump into some BCers there too!

The Crofton Park Local Assembly

Patrick1971 not only attended, but went to a lot of effort to write an account of the evening, dedication like that deserves its own thread:

The Crofton Park Assembly was on last night; were there any other BCers there?

There was a pretty good turnout, over 100 people I would have thought.

The format was that everyone was on a table of about eight people. You had to say two things you liked about the area and two things you didn't, then, from the resulting lists, select the main issue that you didn't like and discuss how it could be improved. Then each table presented its issue and solutions.

The two main issues in Crofton Park appear to be lack of stuff for kids to do (which I personally am fairly sceptical about, but there you go), and dog mess! One of the councillors there, Jackie Addison, is apparently spearheading an anti-dog poo initiative, and promised to let us know "how far in it" she was...

There was a paid facilitator for the evening, which I think worked really well; he kept things moving along and got attention back when the crowd started chattering. There was a good mix of people although not enough younger ones; at the age of 36 I was one of the youngest there. Not sure if the Crofton Park ward is demographically older or not.

It'll be interesting to see how these assemblies progress and how much actually gets done. What was quite striking was how much people didn't know; one chap on my table said he'd never seen any plans for Honor Oak Park station, when they're freely available online. Another woman claimed there was no disabled access to Crofton Park station, when there is. Someone else wanted free bags handed out to dog owners to clear up mess, and apparently Lewisham Council already offers this service. And so on.

The next one's on 13th October. We got a free shopping bag this time, so there's a free gift incentive to attend! Would be interesting to hear if anyone else was there and what they thought.

The Hillaballoo Two Interview

The Brockley Central Interview: Bridget McKenzie

Bridget McKenzie is a Telegraph Hill resident and the driving force behind Hillaballoo, the area's main summer event.
Last year, we went along and confessed to being a bit perplexed about what kind of a thing Hillaballoo was meant to be.
It turns out, that was the desired effect.
"Although it is loosely themed around Telegraph Hill's communications heritage [she cites the views from Telegraph Hill as the best thing about the area], it's not meant to be that structured. Originally, I just wanted to feel like a spontaneous picnic - the community coming together for a relaxed day out. I have some friends who organised a small-scale arts event for customers at Jam Circus - it was that kind of spirit I wanted to capture.
"But the process of applying for funding turned it in to something bigger. Last year, we didn't succeed in getting any money from the Localities Fund, so I decided to fund it myself. If I have to sum it up in one sentence, I'd say it's a community fete with a difference - an event that draws lots of different groups together to showcase local talent."
Although badly affected by rain last year, Bridget says it was successful enough that the people involved wanted to do it again. And this year, it raised £700 from the Localities Fund.
"This year, there are some really exciting things happening. The Camera Obscura, which was one of the successes of last year, will return. I hope there will be a big turn out for the Brief Encounter night, with everyone coming in 40s period costume. And I can't say too much, but during the day, there will be an unveiling of a giant mystery sculpture - it will be made and hoisted in to place on the day!"
When Bridget left her job two years ago to set up her own consultancy, Flow Associates, she began by meeting local freelancers and forming what she describes as a 'loose network' called Hill Business. She also played a key role in the Save the Livesey Museum campaign network and she explains that Hillaballoo too is network-driven:
"There are a lot of different groups involved this year. Each of those groups will bring something different to the day and will help to promote it and spread the word to their members.
"I'm pleased to say that Tea Leaf Arts will be involved this year, the artistic communities of Brockley and Telegraph Hill shouldn't regard themselves as separate - the area's not big enough to start drawing boundaries. I hope that a lot of people from Brockley and Ladywell will come this year."
Hillaballoo takes place on Saturday, July 19th. For full details of the programme, visit the Hillaballoo website.

Jerk Garden, 394 Brockley Road

BC review to follow, please post your reviews and comments here.

Chicken and Pizza?

"There are many options available for dangerously underweight individuals like yourself. Remember, if you're not sure about something, rub it against a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, it's your window to weight gain."

Dr Nick Riviera

The owners of the shop at 95 Endwell Road are applying to convert the basement and ground floors for restaurant and takeaway use, according to this application.