Children’s Activities

BabyBallet

The award winning movement to music, dance & singing programme for boys and girls from 6 months upwards run with a fun, safe and caring environment. Classes in Dulwich. Call Stephanie 07809 148348 | www.babyballet.co.uk.

Boppin Bunnies

Interactive Music class for under 5’s led by professional musicians. Monday mornings 9:30am, 10:15am & 11am. Punk Me Up Ceramics Cafe. 34 East Dulwich Road, SE22 9AX www.boppinbunnies.co.uk.

diddi dance

Funky pre-school dance classes for girls and boys. Learn coordination, rhythm and great moves to funky songs and boost confidence. Classes in East Dulwich, Anne-Marie for a free trial 07973 982790 | www.diddidance.com.

District & Dulwich Twins Club

Baby and Toddler Group every Friday 10am-12pm (turn up at any time!), at Peckham Rye Playrooms (SE corner of the Rye). It is for multiples only, but you do not have to be a member of the club to attend. BYO coffee cup! www.ddtwinsclub.org.

Gymboree

Classes are designed for newborns - 5 year olds, and are led by experienced and nurturing teachers. We run throughout the year at Gymboree East Dulwich. 184 Peckham Rye SE22 9QA. 07538 795023 | eastdulwich@gymboree-uk.com.

HartBeeps

Mondays at Christ Church, 263 Barry Road, East Dulwich, SE22 0JT. 10am Happy House, 11am Baby Beeps & 12.15pm Baby Bells. Fridays at Ewart Community Hub, 44 Wastdale Road, SE23 1HN .10am Happy House, 11am Baby Beeps & 12.15pm Baby Bells. http://hartbeeps.com

Little Superhero Training

Practice your Superhero moves! Discover Superhero fun facts! Any Little Heroes, Boys and Girls aged 2 - 5, Come along for a FREE taster session. Mondays & Fridays (term time only) St Barnabas Parish Hall, 23 Dulwich Village, SE21 7BT. Contact Lucy 07813 791757 | lucy@littleherocompany.com www.littleherocompany.com

Lucy Sparkles

Outstanding music, drama and dance classes and parties for young children. Fun classes where children engage with singing, movement and live music whilst enhancing learning through developing physical, emotional and intellectual skills. Tues, Weds & Fri classes for different age groups/ themes. sarah@lucysparkles.com | 07929 784 719

Nibble Arts

Are you looking for flexible 8:00 - 6:30pm school holiday childcare? We still have lots of places available at Goodrich Primary SE22 from 4th birthday to 11 - our unique creative childcare lets children explore a brand-new adventure through up to 4 creative workshops a day with industry professionals for February Half-term 14th - 18th Feb!

Children are looked after in key groups of 10 for a really personalised experience and you can request that they are grouped with friends who are also attending. We are Ofsted approved and you can book in advance up to the end of Summer Holidays 2022 1-5 days a week using childcare vouchers, tax-free childcare, card or instalment plans from £54/day. Where else can you be on video chat to an Arctic explorer live from Svalbard University one day, and meeting Sophie the giant animatronic T-Rex the next? For the full timetable and to book visit www.nimblearts.co.uk/how-our-clubs-work

Mini Athletics (SE London)

Winning the gold medal for children’s sports classes! Start your child’s fantastic journey in athletic development, designed for toddlers up to children of 7 years old. All through a fun play-based format. To try us out, contact Sam: 07811787153 | smcdermott@miniathletics.com www.miniathletics.com

Sing and Sign

Monday - Saturday. 020 7193 3696 | www.singandsign.com

Sparkle Music

Carefully structured and fun music classes for babies, toddlers and pre-school children in SE22. Check the website for current classes. Contact : anna@sparkle-music.co.uk. | 0771 1238352

Our children’s activities pages have been popular for years and now they are back! If you run a class in any of these areas, then advertising in these pages are just for you. Each magazine has 5,000 copies which are hand-delivered every month. You can choose to go for 5, 10 or 15,000 copies, it is totally up to you. Contact Angela at: angela@semagazines.co.uk for a rate card.

All Your Pet Wants For Christmas...

Pets Corner with Leonie St Clair | www.londondogstraining.co.uk

As Christmas looms and money is tight, just remember our pets really do not care about expensive toys or designer gear. Save your money and check the list below. Developed out of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the 5 freedoms are the essential quality of life guide every pet owner should know and follow. 1) Freedom from hunger and thirst 2) Freedom from discomfort 3) Freedom from pain, injury or disease 4) Freedom to express normal behaviour 5) Freedom from fear and distress At first glance the points may appear simple, even self-evident. However, freedom from hunger and thirst may not be the given it seems. Any animal given a plentiful but poor quality/unsuitable diet may still experience frustration and hunger. I have met pet owners who because they were vegetarian, insisted on feeding their cat a plantbased diet. Cats are obligate carnivores; they are designed to eat meat. Think about the pet rodent or bird that lives with a cat or a dog, where it is eyeballed daily and hungrily by the other animal. The caged pet is probably safe, but because it cannot hide it does not feel safe. How free from discomfort or anxiety is the family dog that gets pulled around by the children it lives with? Freedom from discomfort may be a simple matter of access to a safe, comfortable space, but to know what that really means you must be able to read subtle signs of discomfort in your pet and have an understanding of their idea of a safe space. Rabbits need the equivalent of a burrow, many dogs like a den, cats generally like high spaces. Too often, we humans miss ways in which a pet attempts to signal discomfort. How many of us chastise our dog for growling instead of trying to understand and remedy why the animal is upset? Many animals are stoical in the face of pain, illness or injury. The instinct to survive prompts them to mask discomfort- the weak get killed and eaten, after all. Knowing and recognising subtle deviations from your pet’s normal behaviour, ensuring you can handle and inspect them for signs of illness or disease, is so important. All pet owners should research and understand the species-specific needs of the animals they keep and respect that needs differ. For instance, it is not really fair to keep single rabbits- they always live in groups. It is hard to understand why someone might want to keep a type of dog developed over hundreds of years to guard, or to hunt and kill, in a city environment, and expect it to behave like the average dog in the park. Don’t buy an Akita and expect it to behave like a Golden Retriever. We humans always like to frame pet behaviour in a way that works best for us. One regular assumption is that all cats can be left alone for days, so long as food is available. Not so. Some suffer terrible separation anxiety- they just don’t exhibit their distress in a way that is always easy to read. Many dogs are so sensitive to our every micro-expression that we easily forget how our moods, frustrations and routines impact on them, then wonder why they ‘misbehave’. In a nutshell, you don’t need to spend lots of money on your pet this Christmas- just ensure you are meeting the 5 freedoms well and for your pet every day will feel like Christmas!

SE22 Councillors

Dulwich Hill Councillor Maggie Browning | maggie.browning@southwark.gov.uk

Visit to Lew Evans House

It was brilliant to visit Lew Evans House, a care home in Dulwich Hill ward where residents are able to live semi-independently. It was great to meet with the manager Anne and the wonderful team and residents. I was also able to take part in an armchair yoga class, which is run by Link Age Southwark and which Cllr Hartley and I have been able to fund from the ward Neighbourhood Fund over the last few years.

‘Good’ result from Ofsted

Southwark Council’s recent Ofsted inspection results, to 30 September, are now publicly available. The authority is rated ‘Good’ in all categories of its social care and safeguarding of children in the borough. The report highlighted that. A specific mention in the report was for the support to care-leavers: “Care leavers who spoke to inspectors expressed their gratitude to Southwark Council, their social workers and their personal advisers. They all talked about how well they had been supported across every aspect of their lives. They told inspectors that Southwark is a ‘special council’ and like family to them.”

Save the Buses!

Earlier this year, Transport for London (TfL) said that many of Southwark’s most important bus routes could be cut because TfL did not have enough money from the Government. Sadly, despite Southwark Council lobbying the Government to fund TFL properly, TfL remains in a deeply challenging financial situation. The proposed removal of the 12, 78, 45, 521 and N133 would have a devastating impact on Southwark’s communities, including in East Dulwich which is so reliant on the number 12. After months of campaigning against these bus cuts, Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, and Cllr Catherine Rose, Southwark Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Parks, Streets and Clean Air went to City Hall last month to ask the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to step in and save Southwark’s bus services, because they are so important for Southwark residents. There is an unprecedented level of concern about these proposals. The council fears that reducing such a popular form of public transport, will force more people into polluting cars, and have a significant detrimental effect on air quality targets and the health of our residents. The campaign continues!

Southwark is first in London to fit new, eco-friendly heating

In a first for London, Southwark Council has fitted new, ground water source heat pumps that use water from deep underground, to keep 2,000 Southwark homes warm. The new, eco-friendly heat pumps replace traditional gas boilers in existing plant rooms, on the estates. Water is drawn through new boreholes reaching 120 metres, far below the city. This supplies heat pumps, which generate heated water that is pushed through existing pipes into each home, providing heating and hot water for the people living there. The new heat pumps serve 2,175 homes across three Southwark estates: Consort, Newington, and Wyndham. Southwark Council funded most of the project with a low-interest loan of £7million from the Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund. It is repaying this with income from the Government’s Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The new estate-wide heat pumps will deliver great results for residents. They will keep homes warm, improve air quality, generate renewable energy and save thousands of tonnes of CO2.

Camberwell Lodge Care & Nursing Home

Our care is the kind we’d all want our loved ones to receive. Our state-of-the-art home is luxurious and beautifully furnished, whilst retaining a warm family atmosphere that makes Camberwell Lodge feel extra special.

• 98 Spacious en-suite bedrooms • Sociable lounge and dining areas • Daily fine dining and hospitality suite • Vista Bar & Roofterrace garden • Wellness Suite • Tailored meaningful activities

To find out more contact Senior Customer Relations Manager Nina Rogers on 07549 035 654 or email nina.rogers@countrycourtcare.com

020 4579 2199

Picton Street, Camberwell, London, SE5 7QH

www.countrycourtcare.com

East Dulwich Hidden Gem Give The Gift Of Relaxation

HB THERAPY’S GIFT VOUCHERS MAKE THE PERFECT GIFT. CHOOSE FROM A WIDE RANGE OF TREATMENTS OR MONETARY AMOUNT.