New Cross library fundraiser with AL Kennedy

Author and comedian, AL Kennedy will be attending a fund-raising evening on 27th October at New Cross Learning (AKA New Cross Library), reading from and signing her new book All The Rage.

Tickets in advance from Brown Paper Tickets – £10 full price, £8 concessions. There will be refreshments available.

New Cross Learning, with the support of Bold Vision, has secured a two-year lease, but has to fund its running costs, so however terrible Kennedy's Guardian column may be, please go along.

The embattled of Algiers

Map of cut thru MT “@BrockleyCentral: campaign to keep Brockley / Ladywell short-cut open http://t.co/sTQ64qvrPG” pic.twitter.com/Kr7g9n2oL8
— Clare Seldon (CGeog) (@cdlseldon) October 3, 2014

A short-cut used by people to walk between Algiers Road and Greatfield Close in Ladywell is being shut off for no good reason (motorbikes and mopeds occasionally sneak through, so pedestrians have to pay the price), annoying residents who are going to be forced to walk the long way. Sara explains:

At issue is a gate in a high metal fence that was always open to pedestrians, and will now be welded shut. It crosses a paved foot path leading from near the top of the U made by Algeirs & Veda, through to Greatfield Close, enabling one to get to Adelaide Road or Eastern Road without having to walk down Vicars and through Ladywell Village. 

It is heavily used by school runs to Gordonbrock & Beecroft by those living on Vicars, Algiers & Veda. Personally I'd be gutted if it was shut off. With it, I can walk 2 small children to the doctors in 10 mins, or to school in 20. Without those would be 25 & 35.

The Greatfield Close estate is managed by Brockley PFI. A petition's been launched to stop the cut-through being cut-off. Click here to support it.

#Newisham: Living the desk-bed dream

Validation! Lewisham's reputational journey from scruffy, dangerous backwater to super-connected, hashtag-branded hipster haunt is complete!

Time Out's regular series of depressing stories from the London housing market has reached SE13 with this desk-bed, yours to rent in Lewisham for only £74 a week. They say:

Who needs wardrobes, a bedside table or floor space? Here’s an opportunity to de-clutter your life entirely by sleeping on a desk in Lewisham for just £74 per week, including bills. You also get a wifi box and a mattress as part of this sweet deal. 

An advert for the desk went up on property website Spareroom last week, with the landlord stating that renters will share the house with five ‘easygoing people from Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Portugal’. 

Little Nan extends her stay

Itinerant bar Little Nan's is extending its stay in New Cross and looking for a permanent home. Tristan says:

I would like to let you that Little Nan's Bar is staying at Birdie Num Nums Cafe in New Cross until January! It's been going so well at Birdie Bar, and we have viewed potential new homes in Brockley, Ladywell, Lewisham, Deptford, Crofton Park, Crystal Palace, New Cross, Greenwich and Woolwich, St Johns, but we want the next home to be very perm fixture to the area.

So until my Nan chooses that perfect place we are staying in New Cross.

This does mean that we are here for Christmas (and available for Midweek Staff parties) and will of course be selling my Nan's Candy Vodka Shots for Xmas prezzies!

Full info can be found here.

Silent Disco - Day of the Dead II

Last year's event was a sell-out so Silent Disco is back. Gill writes:

Saturday 1 November 2014 is Mexican Day of the Dead and to celebrate The Hill Station Café will again be teaming up with the Silent Disco crew to create a Fabulously Fluorescent, Luminously Lovely, Ultra Violet, Psychedelic Disco.

A top line-up of local DJ's will keep your feet firmly on the dance floor with a selection of the best banging party tunes, decadent disco hits and old-skool hedonism.

It's a fancy dress thing - the more skulls the merrier (but of course you don't have to).  The best dressed Senor and Senorita will be crowned "King and Queen of the Dead". Everybody gets a free cocktail on arrival, and there'll be lots of extra scary stuff too.

Tickets available here. Proceeds go to the Hill Station Café and  the New Cross & Deptford free film festival 2015

Deptford X 2014

It's Always About the Hair, Jessica Voorsanger

Sorry everyone, very late to the party here - we missed the start of the Deptford X arts festival, but there's still plenty to see before it draws to a close on October 5th with a March for Art.

Bob & Roberta Smith is the artist in residence, working with Jessica Voorsanger, whose series include It's Always About the Hair.

Other highlights include photographic history 'Protest and Survive', open studios at the Acme building and Lewisham Arthouse, 'Call and Response - a Running Programme of Immersive Sound' and an 'all day gathering of electronic experimentation' at Vinyl.

Thanks to the sponsors Anthology, who reminded us about the festival and earn themselves a link for their trouble.

Telegraph Hill Barn Dance

Sheridan writes:

Come on friends, take your partner by the hand and join us at the Telegraph Hill Harvest Barn Dance with Caller & local band “Plow'd Garlic Crusties”

St Catherine’s Church, Pepys Road, Saturday 4th October 7pm doors, dancing starts 7.30pm.

Tickets £5/£3 Cash Bar &

Family-friendly event, come and join the fun!

Tickets on the door or available in advance here.