Brixton Bugle March 2018

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BRIXTON BUGLE YOUR FREE

No 61 | MARCH 2018

Published monthly in and for Brixton

COMMUNITY PAPER

ISSN 2397-852X

PAUL CALVER AND ANNA HINDOCHA AT WARMGLOW PHOTO

LOCAL PEOPLE OFFER ROOMS FOR REFUGEES More than 85 refugees and asylum seekers have been welcomed into the homes of Lambeth people by an organisation that a Brixton resident helps to run. Refugees At Home is a UK-wide charity that connects generous people with a spare room to destitute refugees and asylum seekers. Rachel Mantell, who helps run the charity from Brixton, says it was set up two years ago as a response to the refugee crisis. A Jewish family decided to offer their spare room to destitute refugees after being horrified by what they saw on TV that echoed their own family history. That initial offer– to a Mexican human rights journalist – has turned into a national charity hosting an average of 150 people a night. Refugees At Home has since provided more than 62,000 nights of safe accommodation to refugees from 54 nationalities across the country. Of the people Refugees At Home

56 on offer in Lambeth – and more are needed is currently supporting, 52% are refugees and 48% are asylum seekers; 72% of them are male. Rachel Mantell says refugees face the “28-day trap”. When someone gets refugee status, they have just 28 days to arrange everything to support themself in the UK – get a National Insurance number, find a job, open a bank account. Most people can’t do it and end up homeless if charities like Refugees at Home do not step in. Asylum seekers, meanwhile, are entitled to limited support – but many find themselves destitute while trying to navigate the complicated appeal process. Knowing where they are going to sleep makes the experience much easier.

Hosts in Lambeth have offered rooms to more than 85 guests, including an Iraqi journalist who fell foul of the government by reporting on corruption; a tri-lingual South Sudanese aeronautical engineer; an Afghan translator whose work for NATO put him at risk; a disabled Ethiopian waiting for accessible government accommodation; an Eritrean mother waiting to be reunited with her family; and a young Syrian photographer who was arrested and tortured by the Assad regime. Hosts say they get a huge amount from offering their rooms. Hillary Foote, who has hosted in Brixton over the last 18 months, says: “Hosting provides a fabulous

introduction to British society and its many idiosyncrasies and is an invaluable stepping stone to independence for the guest. “As a host it has introduced welcome elements of fun, education, chaos, and a fascinating insight into other cultures”. There are 56 people offering rooms in Lambeth, but many more are needed. Hosts are completely ordinary people – the charity vets them and offers support, but anyone can offer a spare room. You don’t need qualifications, experience or to fit a certain profile. It is up to the host who stays in their house and for how long. “We’re not aid workers,” says Rachel Mantell. “We just think that desperate people who come to one of the richest countries in the world asking for help should not end up on the streets.” AA To find out more go to www.refugeesathome.org or email info@refugeesathome.org. AA SEE OPINION – PAGE 9

NEW ALBUM FROM TY

He’s in Brixton for the long haul 7

HEAVY HORSES

Ploughing up the park

4

THANKS TO MY MOTHER A new film and a new firm

GOLD IN SOMALILAND

5

Brixton runner travels to triumph 24


2  NEWS brixtonblog.com 2018 MARCH

BRIXTON BUGLE brixtonblog.com Proudly edited in Brixton Both website and newspaper are published by a not-for-profit community organisation run by a committed team of people from Brixton @brixtonblog brixtonblog.com

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Jenny Shramenko 07811 878394 jenny@brixtonblog.com Circulation 12,000 copies Readership: circa 15,000 EDITOR Linda Quinn linda@brixtonblog.com MANAGING EDITOR Simon Still simon@brixtonblog.com NEWS EDITOR Anna McKie newsdesk@brixtonblog.com ARTS & FEATURES arts@brixtonblog.com MUSIC Dave Randall music@brixtonblog.com FOOD Nick Buglione food@brixtonblog.com SPORT Sandra Brobbey sport@brixtonblog.com ISSUE 61 Contributors: Charlotte Croft Pam Douglas Sacha Harrison Leslie Manasseh Carina Murphy Jamila Omar Dave Randall Rudy Schulkind Sue Sheehan Simon Still Gemma Pasha Sub-editor: Jamila Omar Production: Alan Slingsby Distribution: Philip King A massive thank you to everybody involved in making this issue, and the Blog & Bugle project, a success If you would like to be a Bugle stockist please email distribution@brixtonblog.com

Community builders launch campaign for council support Brixton Green, the com­m un­ ity body seeking to build affordable rented homes on a redeveloped Somerleyton Road, is organising a public meeting to launch a campaign for Lambeth council to support its plans. It was shocked last month when the council, which had appeared supportive, said the scheme Brixton Green had been working on – backed by substantial sums of Lottery money – had “significant flaws”. Councillor Paul McGlone, deputy leader of the council (investment and partnerships), told the Bugle that it remained fully committed to working with the community on the creation of new affordable housing at Somerleyton Road. “We have worked with Brixton Green for a number of years and an enormous amount of time and effort has been made to deliver a scheme that works for the local community,” he said. But, he went on: “Brixton Green have put forward a scheme to partner with a developer to build a large part of the scheme and unfortunately our detailed assessment of it revealed significant flaws. In particular, the scheme breached state aid rules and left a significant financial gap. “It’s for these reasons that we could not take this specific proposal forward. But we absolutely want to retain the creativity and passion of the community and Brixton Green in the scheme and are continuing to hold discussions with them on a way forward.” McGlone said the council was looking at the potential to deliver new homes on Somerleyton Road through its 100 per cent council-owned Homes for Lambeth. “We believe it may allow us to create a scheme that can deliver for the community and meet our commitment to maximising the number

of genuinely affordable homes on the site, with our priority being council rent homes for local people on the waiting list.” He said “Just last week progress was announced on a community scheme for 20 affordable homes in Streatham working with South London Citizens, part of our continued commitment to working with the community to tackle the housing crisis,” he said.

“But delivering a project with 300 homes, community facilities and specialist housing for older people represents a much bigger practical and financial challenge, and we have to meet our legal responsibilities as a local authority. “Despite these challenges, we remain committed to the exciting prospect of a new community at the heart of Brixton, with affordable housing and fantastic community and cultural facilities for local people.” Brixton Green said that many points made by the council were false. It had not proposed, as the council suggested, partnering with a developer to build the site. “Our proposal was for a not-forprofit housing association to support us with carrying out the development phase only. We would pay

them a development manager fee. It pointed out that Paul McGlone had agreed a fee of £15 million for a development manager for its plans for the Central Hill estate in Crystal Palace. It said the council had “wilfully misunderstood” its proposal in terms of the need for grant funding. “We were open about a funding gap, and gave them five or six ways in which this could be dealt with, all of which were accepted as reasonable by institutional investors (pension funds) and the not-for-profit housing association that has been helping us. “The work we did from September to December, checking the construction costs, showed a saving of nearly £7m against the construction costs we were originally using, which were Lambeth’s construction costs.” Brixton Green said the council would have known this “if they had bothered to attend the monthly progress meetings we had, and invited them to. “The grant we would need is no more than £4 million.” A Brixton Green spokesperson said it believed the council had an allocation of approximately £5 million from the Greater London Authority for the site. “There is no need for funding from Lambeth, therefore there is no ‘aid’, and there is no ‘state aid’ if the state is not providing aid,” the spokesperson stressed. “Our lawyers have told us that there is a good case that our proposal is delivering ‘public benefit’, in which case, even if ‘aid’ were being given by the state, it is acceptable, and is not considered to be a ‘distortion of the market’, which is what ‘state aid’ requirements are about.” AA The public meeting is at the Department Store, 248 Ferndale Road SW9, on Wednesday 7 March. AA w w w . b r i x t o n g r e e n . o r g / our-campaign-2018.

Work continues on excavating the basement of the Carnegie building

Carnegie library opens some of its doors again The Carnegie library building in Herne Hill was partially re-opened in February as work to excavate its basement continued. Protesters from the Defend the Ten campaign rallied outside and later inspected the ground-floor main hall that opened today but will be revamped again. The council says that the building will be open 40 hours a week with a self-service machine that will allow users to borrow, renew and return items, and pay for loan or overdue charges. Lambeth libraries staff, the council said, will be present for at least two hours a day and “customer care” staff will be present during all library opening hours “to ensure the safety of users and provide assistance”. The Defend the Ten library campaign said that the “customer care staff” from GLL – the council’s leisure supplier that will run a gym in the basement – will replace professional librarians. It accused the council of “diverting money” that could have been used to restore the library to “the councillors’ friends”, the Carnegie Community Trust (CCT). CCT won a contest with another group – that was backed by Defend the Ten – to take over some of the assets of the building. It is continuing negotiations with the council, despite the resignation of two key trust members over the council’s intransigence in the negotiations. The basement gym is due to open in “late summer” this year.


MARCH 2018 brixtonblog.com

NEWS  3

Ritzy strikers pass another milestone Workers campaigning to be paid the London Living Wage were picketing Brixton’s Ritzy cinema as the Bugle went to press as they joined other Picturehouse chain employees in a week of action. It was the first week-long strike in the long-running campaign which began at the Ritzy. “This escalation of the action demonstrates the enduring commitment of members to the campaign, despite continued hostility from the company and its refusal to sit

down with the union to discuss ways to resolve the dispute,” said the cinema union BECTU, which represents the workers. The action ran continuously from 5am on Saturday 17 February and was due to end on Saturday 24 February. It coincided with the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards. As well as the Ritzy, there were strikes at the East Dulwich Picturehouse, Crouch End Picturehouse, Hackney Picturehouse

and Picturehouse Central in the West End. BECTU and its members are appealing for donations to their crowd-funded strike fund which already stands at more than £25,000 but will be depleted by the new action. Many prominent UK cinema figures are backing the strikers’ call for a boycott of the cinemas. Helen Ryan, BECTU assistant national secretary, said: “This week of intense strike action shows

yet again that our members remain committed to securing the real Living Wage. “Our invitation to Picturehouse to meet with BECTU with a view to resolving the dispute remains open.” The current phase of the campaign, which, at the Ritzy dates back several years, started in September 2016. Since then, the campaign has expanded. Across all the venues, the days of action since 2016 make it the longest-ever industrial campaign in UK cinemas.

Arches traders who refused to leave have reached agreement, says Network Rail Network rail has announced that it has reached agreement with all the tenants of its Brixton arches that had been refusing to surrender their leases. It said they would be leaving their premises in April and had chosen not to return once the work on them is completed. Network Rail said it is continuing to work with its tenants who were returning. Earlier, campaigners had called on Lambeth council to halt work on the arches, while some of the original traders who are planning to return to the arches, appealed for it to proceed as quickly as possible. A protest on Brixton Station

Road marked three years of blight on the town as a place to shop caused by plans for the arches. Our Brixton, a “multi-arts campaign” linked to Reclaim Brixton, organised a show of posters highlighting concerns about the refurbishment that was due to begin that have been raised by local planning expert Nick Lewis. Activist rapper Potent Whisper told the protest that the “construction environmental management plan”, approved by Lambeth council’s planning committee in June last year but only finalised in December, would protect only the workers on the site. He said that it left fire risks

Potent Whisper and, top, Nick Lewis at the protest

WAVE NAMES NEW DATES

Brixton Wave, a three-day community festival, will go ahead in August this year according to organiser Ros Griffiths. Organisers cancelled the event last year, days before it was due to happen, citing health and safety concerns. Brixton Wave held a stakeholder meeting on 20 February in Lambeth town hall to discuss plans and is calling for volunteers to get involved. The event is planned over three days from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 August, with Friday focussing on food and drink, Saturday a “retail focussed shopping day” and Sunday having more of a festival feel with street food and live music. Events will take place throughout the market and Electric Avenue. The main music stage will be in St Matthews Peace Garden with food stalls down Coldharbour Lane and an African/ Caribbean zone in Windrush Square. The event still needs formal approval from the council and police. A formal application is likely next month. Griffiths says she has been encouraged by the fresh ideas coming forward and wants everyone in the community to be involved. AA To register an interest at as a volunteer, performer or trader, go to www.brixtonwave.co.uk

because there would be “almost no access” to the site and that noxious substances from the work made it hard to imagine how street traders would be able to continue trading. There was also a threat to children in a crèche in the Rec. “This is a disaster waiting to happen,” he said. Nick Lewis said that fire safety precautions were “woefully inadequate” and that measures to control levels of dust, noise and vibration were “almost comical”. He said “toxic dust” that might contain asbestos could “place most of the local community in jeopardy”. Matthew Ball, senior external affairs manager for Network Rail, said: “Our priority is completing the work required on time in order that the majority of our former tenants can return to a completed arch as soon as possible. “We worked closely with Lambeth council to meet their planning conditions and we will work safely and mindful of the local community to deliver this scheme as quickly as possible, to allow our former tenants to return. “At Network Rail, safety is

Lovebox quits Brockwell Park, Field Day stays Lovebox, one of two three-day events that had been announced for Brockwell Park this summer – causing protests – locally has now moved to Gunnersbury Park in West London. Both Lovebox and Field Day – which apparently still intends to use Brockwell Park – could involve crowds of up to 40,000 a day in the park, raising concerns about noise, damage to the park, wildlife and anti-social behaviour. Erykah Badu is due to play at Field Day on Friday 1 June.

paramount. We have significant experience of delivering schemes across the country and will be complying with the terms of the planning permission, particularly in respect of ensuring the safety of our contractors, traders and the community. Asbestos removal has already been undertaken in the vacated arches without incident. “Our returning tenants will pay stepped rents over seven years, meaning that they will only be paying 2015 market rents in 2025.” Mohamed Kheddache, owner of Café Rio, one of the traders who is planning to return, said: “It’s great news that the work is finally starting – the wait has been extremely stressful for all the traders who are coming back. “We are so grateful to the community for supporting us this far, but we are worried that some people will continue to raise objections to the construction and cause further delays. “I really don’t know what they want to achieve by this now. “The job is going to be done and we, the traders, need it to happen sooner, not later – we have waited long enough.”

CHARITY APPEAL FOR LAMBETH MENTORS Shalyce Lawrence (above) grew up in care and knows from her own experience how scary and lonely it can be for a young person when it is time to leave the care system and go out into the world on their own. “Having someone to offer support and guidance, and just be there for you to talk to can make a huge difference,” she says. Friendship Works, an initiative by the charity Family Action, is launching a new mentoring service in Lambeth especially for care leavers, which matches young people with a volunteer mentor – someone who, using their own life experience and knowledge, will be there to offer support and guidance through a mentoring friendship. Mentors offer emotional support and practical help, by sharing the skills necessary for adulthood and independent living such as budget management, cooking, DIY, form filling or travelling. They also support care leavers by giving them someone to talk to about their worries, and helping them increase their confidence and develop the tools and skills necessary for work. Friendship Works is looking for volunteers in London to become mentors. “By being a mentor you could help a care leaver feel less lonely and isolated, and make a significant difference to their life,” says Shalyce. “Could you spare a few hours, three times a month to help a young person like me have a brighter future?” AA friendshipworks@family-action.org.uk to find out more

COUNCIL TO LAUNCH CROWDFUND SCHEME Lambeth council is to introduce a new crowdfunding platform – Crowdfund Lambeth – to distribute some of the tax that developers pay when they build new homes, offices and shops in the borough. It is organising a workshop – already sold out – so local people and groups can find out how the scheme will work and if a project could be eligible for up to 25% or £1,250 of its funding target.

DO YOU HAVE A BRIGHT IDEA FOR A PROJECT THAT COULD BENEFIT OUR COMMUNITY?

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EMAIL GETINVOLVED@SW9.ORG.UK OR CALL US ON 020 7326 3700

AND ASK FOR AN APPLICATION PACK.

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SW9 Community Housing


4  NEWS brixtonblog.com 2018 MARCH Pupils from Brixton schools visited Ruskin Park in February to see shire horses Nobby (on the right) and Heath plough a heritage wheat growing area. They braved bitter cold and rain to watch the two enormous horses help champion ploughman Tom Nixon (below) turn over the ground and to learn about how wheat grows. Nobby and Heath are from Operation Centaur in Richmond Park that is working on the project with the Friends of Ruskin Park, Brixton Windmill, the Brockwell Bake Association and others. Wheat grown in the park will be milled by Brixton Windmill.

Brixton Soup Kitchen lawyers premiere film they were told could not be made Brixton last month saw the premiere of a unique new film, an education drama that explains how a criminal trial works. It has been produced by Lawyers in the Soup Kitchen (LISK) – the free legal advice service operating from the Brixton Soup Kitchen on Coldharbour Lane – with help from legal and creative professionals. Brixton on Trial was filmed in the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand in London. Introducing the video, Daria Ermini said: “We were told that filming in the Royal Courts of Justice is prohibited. Nobody had ever done it. We did it. We were told that our fundraising target was excessive. But we reached it. We were told that we were aiming too high. But here we are today.” Sinead McCaffrey explained how 25 young people from the Brixton area had gone to the Royal Courts of Justice to act as the jury in the mock trial of a man accused of a gang-related murder in Brixton’s Moorlands Estate, next to the Soup Kitchen. Before, during and after the trial, they met a judge and other legal experts who explained law and legal procedures. Twanieka Alcindor, the local woman who worked tirelessly to become a barrister and to help local people through LISK, said TV professionals had made promises and then tried to discredit the work the LISK team was doing. “We were told there was ‘no way’ we

would get cameras in Royal Courts of Justice,” said Alcindor. She went on: “Today is a testament that, no matter what people say you cannot do, with a little bit of hard work and some faith and good old elbow grease and being up sending emails at 3 o’clock in the morning, you can do anything.” She introduced her mother, Michelle, saying “there is a woman stronger than me”.“My daughter has worked very hard,” she said. “Law degree, masters in law, and the bar. She has pushed and pushed and pushed. “She has fallen flat on her face and gone forward and forward and forward. She just keeps going forward. She makes me so proud that she’s mine.” The video itself, which will be available online from 6 March, is a long and detailed look at the criminal law process, with professional actors Nathan Harris and Aaron Deacon playing key roles and professional lawyers playing the prosecution and defence teams.

Library to host ‘Black at work’ discussion Twanieka Alcindor with her mother Michelle at the premiere. Below: How the Bugle featured plans to make the film. LISK members at the launch event paid tribute to videographer Christopher Alozie: “a man who turned up with four cameras and four microphones and filmed Brixton on Trial in one take”. It is not a thrill-a-minute drama, and there were some problems with the sound at the first showing, but the tension of the true-to-life legal drama with its emphasis on “innocent until proven guilty” builds to a tense conclusion. Twanieka Alcindor managed a surprise close to the launch, saying: “For 14 years I have worked for numerous law firms. I have dealt with some serious issues, including racism, being told I’m not good enough, having doors slammed in my face. And it has been hard. “I have still managed to build a wonderful team that goes out into our community and does the work that we do for free. And that is a beautiful thing. “However,” she emphasised, “I have decided that the time has come for me to take a leap of faith.” She said that from this month there would be a new law firm in Brixton as she had signed a deal with Tuckers Solicitors, the biggest independent firm for criminal defence in the country. Alcindor Law’s front door will be between McDonald’s and HSBC on Brixton Road.

Brixton library is to host an event, Being Black in the Work Space, organised by the charity BLAM (Black Learning Achievement and Mental Health) founded by local resident, 23-year-old Ife Thompson. BLAM has two active projects. The Rooted Project offers free history lessons for children from the AfricanCaribbean diaspora. The Hub, concentrates on young adults and adults using discussions to create change. Project sessions are free and events like the one in Brixton library help to fund them. It begins at 6.30pm on

Wednesday 28 February. “We want it be an avenue where Blacks discuss how they came to the positions they are now at and how they deal with micro-aggressions that are apparent when working in white-dominated spaces,” says Thompson. Panellists will include Damien Kent, a solicitor in the media industry; Glyn Aikins, an A&R director who signed So Solid Crew, Artful Dodger and Craig David; and Sheryl Nwosu, a barrister in one of the largest specialist criminal sets in the country. AA Tickets, £3.83 to £5.98, from Eventbrite.

Charity seeks volunteers to help Brixton pupils with reading By Rudy Schulkind Volunteers in Brixton have been helping primary school children become more confident readers in a support programme by Beanstalk. The literacy charity recruits volunteers to work in primary schools with children who have fallen behind with their reading. Rachel Ellis, team leader for Beanstalk in south London, says: “We work with schools across London to help deliver this crucial one-to-one support for children that struggle with reading and who need that

extra help. Brixton is growing in demand for reading helpers and we need more volunteers to help more school children to reach their true potential.” Kate has been a Beanstalk reading helper at a primary school in Brixton for over four years and has made a big impact on the children she works with. She spends 30 minutes one-to-one with three children twice a week, reading books and playing word games. AA For more information or to volunteer, visit www.beanstalkcharity.org.uk or call 0845 450 0307.


MARCH 2018 brixtonblog.com

BRIXTON LEGAL

Brixton’s first cycle hire docking stations opened in February. The seven stations are an expansion of the scheme to southern Lambeth, the result of a funding agreement between Lambeth council and Transport for London. The stations will hold 200 of the new Santander cycles built by the English company Pashley Cycles. They are at AA Saltoun Road/Windrush Square, Brixton (top right) AA Ferndale Road, near the junction with Nursery Road, Brixton (left) AA St. John’s Crescent/Brixton Road/Max Roach Park, Brixton (bottom right) AA Cranmer Road, Stockwell AA Normandy Road, Stockwell AA Wynne Road, Stockwell AA Sidney Road, Stockwell.

Pam Douglas is a solicitor with local firm Wainwright & Cummins. Each month, she takes a common enquiry and asks colleagues to answer it for readers

‘Intentional’ homelessness My colleagues have been hearing increasing numbers of disturbing accounts recently of families with children facing homelessness being told by their local authority that they can house their children, but not them. Essentially, these families are living under this cruel threat of their children being separated from them and taken into care. Siobhan Livingstone, from our housing team, provides some advice and insights to assist anyone facing this terrible dilemma The reality is that some families who have been evicted are deemed to be “intentionally homeless” – which means that the council is not under any duty of care to rehouse them. What does “intentionally homeless” mean? Basically, that you’ve lost your home through your own fault, due to something that you deliberately did, or failed to do. Typically, we see people who have fallen into rent or mortgage arrears, often following a spouse or partner leaving the home. In such cases, it’s important to highlight the circumstances as, in some cases, you will not be found to be “intentionally homeless”. These might include situations where you were reliant on your spouse’s income to pay the rent or when you were forced to use rent or mortgage money to pay for food, water and heating. Other examples include where the rent or mortgage only became unaffordable to you after you had moved in – for instance, due to an unforeseen rate increase, or if arrears were due to delays in the benefit system which you tried to chase up and can provide evidence that you did, or if you have become unable to cope due to illness or disability. Whatever the reason for your arrears, you should make your homeless application to the council as soon as you are threatened with eviction and not leave your home until you are served with a possession order or you are evicted by bailiffs. If you leave without applying for housing and before you legally have to, the council can decide that you are “intentionally homeless” and refuse to help you. If children are involved, their rights to secure accommodation are protected under Children Act 1989 and, for this reason, there must be a referral to social services in certain circumstances. But local authorities also have a duty under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act (right to family life) which has been at the centre of many successful legal challenges. The case law that has arisen emphasises that councils have a duty to help families to stay together. The Homelessness Reduction Act, due to come into force in April 2018, will also go some way to alleviate the situation by placing a duty on councils to intervene at an earlier stage to prevent homelessness, and to assist families for an extended period of time. This is not an issue to take any chances with and we advise anyone facing these circumstances to immediately seek advice from a suitably qualified and experienced housing lawyer. AA As usual, if we can help with this, or any other legal matter, please get in touch at info@wainwrightcummins.co.uk.

NEWS  5

We Rise students produce professional ad for charity Thirteen young work experience students created a professional advert and marketing strategy for Age UK Lambeth in one week. The brief was to develop a campaign and ad for Handyfix, a new handyperson service. The17-year-olds were recruited for the project by We Rise, a social enterprise that coaches disadvantaged youngsters to work on real projects that develop their skills and confidence. Ita Fitzgerald and Rod Main, a husband and wife team of Brixtonbased advertising directors helped We Rise put the programme together and other local experts were roped in to help with marketing, editing, sound and graphic skills. Artist Ben Jay Crossman recently completed a mural for Brixton Library on the theme of reading. It features a portrait of Juniorbee Kamara (right) who uses The Book Stop street library on Somerleyton Road which is managed by the Watch This Space project that engages more people in Brixton to read more and to share books with the community via the Street Library. Ben was invited by Brixton Library to paint the temporary hoardings that are in place while the main doors are being repaired. Organisers say: “We hope the message of “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader” will appeal to everyone in the community”. You can see Ben’s work on Instagram @benjaycrossman. More information on the Watch This Space project at: www.claptwn. blogspot.co.uk.

Volcano Coffee’s James Wise agreed to appear in the ad and offered Volcano’s premises in Ferndale Road for the shoot. The team had to come up with ideas for how to animate the idea of something needing to be fixed. Graham Gardner, chief executive of Age UK Lambeth who commissioned the project said: “We are totally delighted by what we’ve got. The advert looks great and you can see from everyone involved the energy and the passion.” Louie, one of the students, said: “Its completely opened my eyes to a different world. I’ve discovered that I’m more creative than I thought I was.”

Bureau of Silly Ideas to create event space Brixton-based Bureau of Silly Ideas has received a funding boost thanks to players of a charity lottery. The innovative arts organisation in Valentia Place has received £1,999 from the Postcode Community Trust that is funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery. The money will be used to help refurbish BOSi’s railway arch to create a space for workshops and events open to all members of the community. BOSi director Roger Hartley hopes that the refurbishments will be completed over the spring so that more members of the local community will be able to participate in BOSi events. On Wednesday 7 March from 7 to 9pm BOSi will be hosting an “Introduction to Arduino” workshop for adults. It will look at the basics of the open source computer hardware and software Arduino to help enthusiasts start using it in their own creative projects. AA For more information on the Bureau of Silly Ideas or the Introduction to Arduino workshop contact Abigail Kemp at bosiabigail@gmail.com.

School library appeal St John’s Angell Town primary school is raising funds to create a school library and are appealing for help. The school needs to raise £7,500 and is crowdfunding at http://bit.ly/SJAT-library. “Our vision is a library which reflects our school community, so it’s not likely to be drab and silent! Think comfy cushions, soft rugs and brightly coloured shelves stacked with books,” says the school. “A haven from the busy school corridors, designed to inspire children to develop a love of reading, to take home, and into their community” School governor Anna Manning says the whole school will be doing events and donating books themselves during World Book Day on 1 March.

Vegan market Brixton Vegan Market takes place on Sunday 25 February Brixton Station Road alongside the weekly farmers’ market.


6  CREATIVE BRIXTON brixtonblog.com

2018 MARCH

VISUAL ARTS From the Front Line

Passchendale

Voices From The Front Line, a multimedia arts and heritage project engaging local young people is on show at 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning on Railton Road until 23 March. It gave the young people opportunities to learn new skills, be creative and to investigate the heritage of their local area through archive visits, workshops, and creative activities. Voices from the Front Line explores the political and social history of Railton Road, known for being home to the Caribbean community in the post-Windrush period and site of social uprisings in the 1980s. Against a backdrop of social change, the project is designed to document the sites, personalities and events that have shaped the area. It asks: ‘What characterises the spirit of Railton Road, and, what does the space now mean for people who visited and lived on the street?’ AAOpen 11am-5pm Monday – Friday.

Manhattan

Solitary and cerebral genius Leslie Manasseh visits Dulwich Gallery’s latest exhibition David Milne: Modern Painting is the latest addition to the Dulwich Picture Gallery’s tribute to Canadian artists. Milne lived in the first half of the last century and his work reflects both the artistic influences of the time and the turbulent history of a world torn apart by war. His early works are joyful, bold displays of colour capturing the energy of New York streets and fit readily into the explosion of

modernism that characterised art in the early part of the twentieth century. Although echoes of Cezanne and Monet can be seen here, so can the early signs of an approach which would come to dominate his later works. As he left the city for the Canadian wilderness, he went on to develop his own distinctive style and visual language based on a much more muted and limited palette. It is an austere, rather ghostly style, making extensive use of white space, which perfectly renders both the tranquillity and rawness of the landscape and the devastation of post war Europe

which he visited as a war artist in 1919. His war paintings are almost documentary in their spare use of line and colour, but have a haunting beauty. Truly a case of less is more. This approach continued upon his return home to renew his love of the Canadian landscape. Milne was a very cerebral painter obsessed with ways of seeing and drawing the eye to the key elements of his work. His use of colour and white space are less concerned with precise representation but aim to draw you into the painting to explore its elements as part of a

deeper visual experience. Some of his most intriguing works set a puzzle for the viewer as images appear and disappear. Milne was a man totally committed to his art and spent many years living alone in the landscapes he painted. A solitary genius experiencing and reproducing life in the raw. I had never heard of David Milne before this exhibition. For me he was a hidden gem. I hope the same will be true for you. AAThe exhibition runs until 7 May in the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, SE21 7AD. Opening times 10am – 5pm Tuesday to Sunday.

Iconic images Two artists whose work is rooted locally will be on show in Brixton Village in March. Martin Grover’s romantically re-written bus stops and moody images of Brixton, and Caroline Harper’s maps are truly iconic images. Their joint show at Studio 73 opens on 27 February and runs until 8 March. Tuesday – Saturday 11am-5.30pm; Sunday 12-4pm.

A welcome and revolutionary move The Art Newspaper reported that the Bloomberg New Contemporaries show had opened in an “edgy new Brixton venue” – whose location South of the river “might be inconvenient for some”. The “edgy” new location is Block 336 – an artist-run, community oriented project committed to widening participation from individuals and groups who may not typically access contemporary art. The relocation of the show from the Institute of Contemporary Arts near Trafalgar Square to a community space in Brixton is a revolutionary move, and a welcome one. The show is free, accessible, and a relief from the stale, sanitised white walls of the art world’s major institutions. Interesting curatorial decisions blend sculpture with the

TOM CARTER

Rudy Schulkind reviews Bloomberg New Contemporaries at Brixton’s Block 336

architecture that surrounds it. And, refreshingly, the more political pieces do not find their radical edge immediately blunted by a commercialised setting. The show displays the work of 47 of the hottest emerging artists, each given the opportunity to display a single work. The result is an exhibition that lacks a narrative thread and the initial impression is slightly chaotic – a bombardment of sculpture, installation, video-art

and painting. But there are plenty of gems to be found. Tereza Cervenova’s Deluge is a simple photograph of a tree intersected by telephone lines. Initially it looks oddly washed-out and nostalgic, before your eyes adjust to the fact that it has been shot in a torrential downpour. The result is a beautiful, melancholic portrait of a tree. Martin Sekera’s My Favourite Thing is touching in its comedy

and its intimacy. It’s a Black and White photograph of trousers pulled down to ankles to reveal two skinny hairy legs with a bump on one knee, accentuated by the angle of the shot. Tom Hatton chooses instead to focus his photography on the absence of a subject – his shots focus on the objects of a life in a Calais refugee camp, “objects that trace personal, social and psychological contexts”. The subject’s presence is imprinted on these objects. It’s a no less effective way of telling a deeply personal story through photography. The standout rising star among the group, Michaela Yearwood-Dan, also explores questions of migration and identity. She draws on her own experience as a young second-generation Black British woman from South London, incorporating “vibrant and sumptuous textures that work as a catalyst between the ‘Oh so tropical’ West Indies and an urbanised London”. Her painting Springs depicts plants that flaunt their health and fertility in luscious greens and yellows, beneath a snaking Thames river.

Her work consistently uses rich, saturated colours that draw on Western preconceptions of the exotic. Both the form and message bring to mind the work of Peter Doig, a Trinidad-based Scottish painter whose work is currently on display at a free exhibition at the Michael Werner gallery in Mayfair. Among the video-art, standouts include Sarah Cockings and Harriet Fleuriot’s psychedelic journey exploring sexually suggestive themes through inflatables, tubes, and hair. Brixton-based Declan Conquitt’s Totem, a visual poem for Telegraph Hill, is atmospheric and moving. Maia Regis’ postman also deserves a mention – a painting on a canvas stitched together from postbags and miscellaneous upholstery. Although indebted to Robert Rauschenberg, it is original in its humour. The exhibition is sometimes distinctly urban and political, and elsewhere absurd and playful. If you go, you will fall in love with one of these emerging artists. But it ends on 3 March, so don’t hang around.


MARCH 2018 brixtonblog.com   CREATIVE BRIXTON  7

MUSIC

Running laps in the Babylon marathon HI-FIVE

OLLIE TRENCHARD

Introducing the Brixton Hi-Five. Each month we ask a Brixton community member to choose five records and tell us why… We begin with Clover Eziashi who runs the Lounge Brixton – a longstanding restaurant and hang out on Atlantic Road in the heart of Brixton 1. GOD IS A DJ BY FAITHLESS I became good friends with Maxi Jazz of Faithless who lived down the road from the Lounge. God is a DJ is a favourite of mine. We also had a good relationship with Jazzy B and the guys from Basement Jaxx – all groups with that unique London sound.

2. LET THE SUNSHINE BY LABRINTH Labrinth also delved into that melting pot. When I first heard his tune Let the Sunshine it brightened my soul.

3. NO MORE DRAMA BY MARY J BLIGE With my stepmother being from Barbados, and also a classically trained chef, I had a great culinary teacher who’s had a massive impact on the menu at Lounge. Hence the ever popular Salt Fish Fritters! She also introduced us to the world of Atlantic and Motown Records via the family record player. This soul influence led to a love for Mary J Blige, in particular No More Drama.

4. PLANETS BY GUSTAV HOLST From a young age I was a dancer specialising in ballet, and I would listen to Planets at my Grandfather’s house and in particular Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity. I still listen to Classic FM during those rare occasions when I have the car to myself.

5. THREE LITTLE BIRDS BY BOB MARLEY Here at Lounge we like to keep it chilled and reggae is a constant on the playlist. Three Little Birds by Bob Marley always lifts my spirits.

Where better to meet one of Brixton’s true hip-hop pioneers than Pure Vinyl Records on Ferndale Road. Or so I thought, until I discovered that on this particularly cold morning the shop was shut. Just as I was considering alternative refuges from the wintery streets, I spotted Ty cycling down the pavement towards me. He suggested San Marino cafe for some food, warmth and a chat about his fifth studio album A Work Of Heart which is released on Jazz Re:Freshed this month. With a panini in his hand and a thoughtful expression on his face, Ty tells me he’s happy to be on Jazz Re:freshed. “They remind me that there’s a relationship between jazz and hip hop: what the music is; where it comes from; what kind of freedom there is within it; the politicisation of both musics… There’s a real connection.” That connection can certainly be heard on A Work Of Heart. The album features some of London’s finest jazz musicians and references classic US jazz, funk and hip hop. On the track Somewhere, Somehow, Someway there’s also a nod to afrobeat – unsurprising perhaps, given that Ty grew up in a Nigerian household listening to Fela Kuti and recently collaborated with Fela’s

BUNNY BREAD

BRIXTON

Music editor Dave Randall talks to hip hop pioneer Ty about jazz, grime and Brixton gentrification

Ty: You have to take Brixton as it is drummer Tony Allen. But it is the unmistakable connection between UK hip hop and London’s now hugely acclaimed grime music scene that I want to know more about. I ask Ty how he feels about the scene and about his collaboration with grime MC Dirrty Goodz. “Having Dirrty Goodz on the record was an appreciation of talent, an appreciation of what grime MCs are doing, but also it’s a generational nod. I’m trying to symbolically reach out, reach forward, reach back, and let that generation know

that you’re absolutely my peers. I’m an older peer, but we’re peers and so let’s get to the music – because if we can get to the music we can make incredible music.” What’s most striking about A Work Of Heart is that it’s simultaneously political and intensely personal. On the disarmingly honest track Marathon, Ty describes the anxiety and depression he and so many of us have experienced. He raps: “Sometimes when I wake up, I don’t wish to carry on, running laps in your marathon, dodgy traps

set by Babylon …” But there are also moments of celebration. Brixton Baby – a nod to US jazz funk legend Roy Ayers’ We Live In Brooklyn Baby – paints a detailed and ultimately deeply affectionate portrait of Brixton with all its pleasures, challenges and changes. The song features the Brixton born and raised vocalist Mpho McKenzie, who Ty met at the hip hop workshop Ghetto Grammar. She delivers a brilliant rap describing the neighbourhood’s changing face and her own complex relationship with gentrification. I ask Ty how he feels about the changes. “I like the fact that there’s money in Brixton. I like the fact that there’s Brixton Village and people have shops like United 80, Pure Vinyl and Diverse. “The sad thing is watching things like opposite Brixton Recreation Centre … The way that the traders are being treated by the council is disgusting and I think we’re going to really suffer – the energy and the bustle of Brixton is going to be muted. “It’s already feeling like a ghost town in certain areas and I’m not used to that. So there’s definitely an evacuation of Brixton that people don’t seem to care about. “It’s concerning for me that some people moving in are not understanding that you have to take Brixton as it is. If you like the area then you have to appreciate the culture – not isolate the culture. But I’m here for the long haul. So we’ve got to make it work.” AAA Work Of Heart comes out on Jazz Re:Freshed on 2 March.

‘Independents are making a strong comeback. It’s a niche market, but we’re still here!’ Charlotte Croft looks forward to Record Store Day on 21 April From joining the queue, to leaving with shiny new plastic, Record Store Day is an experience drenched in anticipation and excitement. Music lovers unite, clasping their wish lists and preparing themselves for a cramped but exciting jaunt around their favourite store, soaking up the infectious buzz as they pick out one-off releases. With record sales hitting a 25-year high

last year with an increase of 53%, it’s no surprise that independent stores are continuing to make some noise. In the hustle and bustle of Pop Brixton sits Container Records, a shop brimming with records from a range of genres making it the perfect pit-stop during a weekend stroll. Shopping for vinyl has always been changing. Container Records’ Jack Christie says that independent stores used to have stronger positions in town centres as they were always more varied and the releases were arranged democratically, whereas high street chain stores used to

put a lot more emphasis on the Top 40 singles charts. “Streaming and downloading took hold of a lot of the independent shops and the surviving high street chains began leaning heavily on other products such as DVDs and apparel,” he says. “Now the big chains have nearly vanished and the independent shops are making a strong comeback. It’s a niche market, but we’re still here!” What can customers expect from Record Store Day at Container Records this year? “We’re hosting an all-day label market with some really exciting labels turning

the main square of Pop Brixton into a really great record fair. The shop will be bursting with our very best stock both old and new.” Make sure you put 21 April in your diaries. If you can’t wait that long – don’t fret. Container Records has a relaunch party at the end of February with special in-store DJ sets, a 50% off record sale, raffle prizes and tons of great stock. What better way to spend a day than whiling away a few hours flipping through stacks of vinyl? Give your local record store a spin this year. You won’t be disappointed.


8  CREATIVE BRIXTON brixtonblog.com

2018 MARCH

FILM & PHOTOGRAPHY

Blacker Dread in new documentary Blacker Dread, whose music store where Market Row meets Coldharbour Lane was an essential part of an earlier Brixton, is the subject of a 90-minute documentary by the BAFTA-winning filmmaker Molly Dineen. Blacker Dread, born in Jamaica, is a reggae producer, businessman, one of the founders of Brixton Splash, and at the centre of the local community. Molly Dineen is today renowned as one of the country’s finest factual film makers, but she was a student when she shot Sound Business in 1981, a film that took her into the world of British sound systems, where she first met a young Blacker Dread. She says: “When I reconnected with

Blacker I stepped into another world. He’s a wonderful character who has lived the most incredible life and Being Blacker looks at the social and cultural issues which have forged his path. “Blacker Dread as seen in this film could only exist in this extraordinary world where family and music are at the forefront, but racism and violence are also everyday occurrences. “And if you think any of these are things of the past in London then Being Blacker will prove eye-opening to say the very least.” AAThe RTO film distributed by Dartmouth Films is due to be broadcast by BBC2 on Monday 12 March at 9pm.

A5 Flyer Portrait

Maggie Aoussou Parliamentary Digital Services

Mothers on the map An exhibition by photographer Fiona Freund will put Brixton’s working mothers on the map as part of this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations. MotherWorks is the vision of local creative team (and working mums) Mothers of Invention and is an insight into the brilliant and often bizarre duality of working mums. The organisers say: “It’s more than just an exhibition. It’s a movement designed to champion working mums, spark a reaction and hopefully change attitudes.” Freund photographed mothers from all over the UK, from farmers to CEOs, actors to yoga instructors, and included 12 working mums from Brixton. “I was lucky enough to take my son to

shoots but, sadly, for most women this is not possible and so begins the weird duality of the mother who works: from the smartly dressed women heading to work with cereal stains on her shirt, to the masterful, multi-tasking mums who work from home and take conference calls while wiping something unspeakable off the floor.” To expand the exhibition and take it on tour, MotherWorks is crowdfunding through Kickstarter for the £800 it needs to host a minimum number of 10 images for the exhibition. Go to www.kickstarter.com/projects/motherworks. AAThe exhibition runs from Friday 9 to Saturday 17 March 9am – 6pm at the Brixton Pound Café, 77 Atlantic Road. Admission free.

210mm x 14 8m m Remember to delete or hid this laye r.

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Miranda Sawyer writer


MARCH 2018 brixtonblog.com OPINION  9

BRIXTON BUGLE

COMMENT Sometimes a risk is worth taking Watching the size and strength of two Shire horses ploughing up Ruskin Park – and the skill of the people handling them – it was hard not to think of a time when there would have been hundreds of horses and people to take care of them, even in a small town like Brixton. That was not so long ago. But today the arrival of two horses is a fascinating historical event. When horses ran London, the major pollution threat to their capital was the dung they left behind on the streets. Today it is emissions from diesel engines. No doubt, in time, that too will change. Change is inevitable, and with it, almost always, come problems that no-one had foreseen. The temptation may be to look back to the past, but while one working windmill in Brixton is a wonderful record of our heritage, to rely on wind to power industry directly is not practical. It can, of course, drive turbines. So it’s just a question of how you harness that power. You could say the same about people, power and politics. The pressure for change to a system in which a council may house a homeless child but not its homeless parents – see our legal column on page 5 – is massive. So it’s time for change and nowhere more so than in housing. Nobody wants to see Lambeth council squander money on housing schemes that may be risky. But when you look at the sums from local authorities all over the UK that are going into the coffers of the organisations that are part of the housing problem and nor part of the solution, one has to wonder why an attempt to do things differently – by Brixton Green, for instance – is seen as a risk that cannot be entertained. If knocking down estates full of people who have lived there for decades and have formed strong communities is a risk worth taking, then trying to find a workable alternative might be worth the extra effort. No doubt there were people who believed horses would always plough the fields and that any attempt to change that carried too much risk. We know what happened to them. Regulated by IMPRESS: The independent monitor for the press 16–18 New Bridge Street EC4V 6AG 020 3325 4288 complaints@impress.press www.impress.press

A room for a refugee Refugees At Home is a UK-wide charity that connects generous people with a spare room to destitute refugees and asylum seekers. Rachel Mantell, who helps run the charity from Brixton, says that sharing your home brings rewards for both guest and host There is a saying much repeated on the internet: charity begins at home. People across Lambeth have taken that to heart, and have welcomed more than 85 refugees and asylum seekers into their homes through Refugees At Home. It was set up two years ago as a response to the refugee crisis. Horrified by what they saw unfolding on their TV screens and the echoes with their own family history, a Jewish family decided to offer their spare room to destitute refugees who had made it to Britain. That initial offer– to a Mexican human rights journalist – has turned into a national charity hosting an average of 150 people a night. Refugees At Home has since provided more than 62,000 nights of safe accommodation to refugees from 54 nationalities across the country. Nights not spent on park benches, night buses or worse. Refugees At Home currently supports 52% refugees and 48% asylum seekers, and 72% of guests are male. Guests’ stories are as unique as the guests themselves – but the most common for refugees is the “28-day trap”. When someone gets refugee status, they have 28 days to arrange everything to support themself in the UK – get a National Insurance number, find a job, open a bank account. Most people can’t do it and end up homeless if hosts don’t step in. Asylum seekers, meanwhile, are entitled to limited support – but many find themselves destitute while trying to navigate the complicated appeal process. Knowing where they are going to sleep makes that whole experience much easier – and fairer. Most guests are referred to Refugees At Home by big charities like the Red Cross, Refugee Council and Crisis. These say that

ordinary people have transformed how they work with destitute refugees. Hosts in Lambeth have offered rooms to more than 85 guests, including an Iraqi journalist who fell foul of the government by reporting on corruption; a tri-lingual South Sudanese aeronautical engineer; an Afghan translator whose work for NATO put him at risk; a disabled Ethiopian waiting for accessible government accommodation; an

Hosts are completely ordinary people. You don’t need qualifications, experience or to fit a certain profile. It is up to the host who stays in their house and for how long Eritrean mother waiting to be reunited with her family; and a young Syrian photographer who was arrested and tortured by the Assad regime. Hosts say they get a huge amount from offering their rooms. Hillary Foote, who has hosted in Brixton over the last 18 months, says: “Hosting provides a fabulous introduction to British society and its many idiosyncrasies and is an invaluable stepping stone to independence for the guest. As a host it has introduced welcome elements of fun, education, chaos, a fascinating insight into other cultures”. Georgia Ladbury, who offers emergency

hosting in Streatham, had “billions of conditions” and concerns initially, but now reckons “it’s a really practical way to help out people who have faced and continue to face the hardest of times. I love being some small part of their story in setting up a new life in a new land where they can build a new, happier, easier chapter. “And I get to meet lots of nice, inspiring people as a bonus!” There are 56 people like these offering rooms in Lambeth, but many more are needed. Hosts are completely ordinary people – the charity vets them and offers support, but anyone can offer a spare room. You don’t need qualifications, experience or to fit a certain profile. It is up to the host who stays in their house and for how long. Refugees At Home is run by ordinary people too, two employees and a small army of volunteers. We are completely virtual, there is no office and minimal overheads. Everything is donated – from the rooms themselves to the people who visit and support hosts, IT to pro-bono legal support, printing. Even the photographs with this article were taken by a local Lambeth photographers. We’re not aid workers. We just think that desperate people who come to one of the richest countries in the world asking for help should not end up on the streets. British people are warm and generous and want to help welcome people into our communities – an hour reading through our inbox is the best mood-boost I’ve ever experienced. People are incredibly generous. We started hosting because we just wanted to be the people we hoped our four-year-old son would meet if – God forbid – he found himself alone thousands of miles from home. But it’s turned into much more than that. It has opened our eyes to the world. We have friends we never thought we’d meet, we’ve had experiences we could never have imagined, and we have all thrived as part of this unexpected extended family” Chris Swales, my partner, says it reminds him to “be a little thankful for what he has, and get a bit of enjoyment out of every day”. Hilary’s neighbours comment on how often they walk past her front door and hear laughter from inside the flat. She says “it’s a lasting friendship I wouldn’t be without now”. AA To find out more and to get involved, go to www.refugeesathome.org or email info@refugeesathome.org. AA Photography: Paul Calver and Anna Hindocha at Warmglow photo.


10  OPINION brixtonblog.com 2018 MARCH

Bold words and quietways

A Lambeth quietway in practice – blocked by traffic with more waiting to drive onto it

Simon Still says that, despite brave words and the arrival of Santander cycles, Lambeth council’s commitment to do something about air pollution in Brixton involves more words than action A year ago the Bugle wrote about “criminal air” as Brixton Road exceeded its 2017 pollution limit in the first five days of the year. Soon after Transport for London (TfL) said Lambeth was the second worst London borough for air pollution. This year, despite favourable weather and a new low-emission bus corridor between Brixton and Streatham, Brixton Road was over the limit by the end of January. I met Jennifer Brathwaite, the council’s cabinet member for housing and environment, whose brief includes traffic, cycling and air pollution, to discuss the many environmental issues facing Brixton and the whole borough. First up, the borough-wide 20mph speed limit. Its objectives were to “make the roads safer and more attractive to use”. Brathwaite says the project has been a success. It’s hard to reconcile this with council surveys showing increased speeds on a third of roads or no change and an average fall of just 1mph on others. Tackling rat-running seems key to making streets more comfortable for walking and cycling. But since widespread and vocal opposition to experimental restrictions around Loughborough Junction, the council has been very reluctant to restrict any streets to through traffic. Brathwaite says that safer

roads require both boldness and compromise and that the council is implementing schemes that limit speeds on roads so that they are cycling friendly and encourage active travel. To a suggestion that Lambeth could learn from Hackney council – that has managed to filter rat running from many back roads – she says: “It’s a different borough with different people and different issues – you can’t compare a road in Hackney to a road in Lambeth.” With responsibilities that include “making Lambeth the most cycling friendly borough in London” Brathwaite is keen to highlight the

council’s training programmes and record on cycle parking as well as forthcoming “quietways”. But Former TfL cycling czar Andrew Gilligan recently said that most of the meaningful improvements associated with these have been dropped – “things like the segregated lane on South Lambeth Road … and filtering in Lambeth”. Brathwaite says that it was always going to be difficult “because cyclists wanted a more dramatic scheme and residents were resistant” – more compromise than boldness there apparently.

Councillor Brathwaite and Will Norman, London walking and cycling commissioner, trying out the new Santander bikes in Brixton

Gilligan said: “We could only do as much as the councillors in Lambeth … were willing to let us do. That turned out to be almost nothing.” Brathwaite’s is reluctant to agree that the success or otherwise of quietways should be judged by how many people use them, saying that they will be a success “because it’s safer for cyclists, it’s not the numbers necessarily”. How does that sit with the Lambeth cycling strategy target of 20% of trips by bike by 2020? There have been successes. Bringing Santander hire bikes to Brixton is a major coup given how many times TFL had said it would not happen. The one-off £700k cost to Lambeth seems cheap. Brathwaite says the council is “working towards” a scheme to trial “dockless” hire bikes in the south of the borough. The successful lobbying of the Mayor to make the A23, which includes Brixton Road, a low emission bus corridor is good news, taking the dirtiest diesel buses off many routes through Brixton. But the council’s own choice of action based on its air quality plan appears to focus largely on awareness raising and behavioural change. “I don’t want to give the

impression that Lambeth is on the back foot, especially when it comes to air pollution,” says Brathwaite. “We’re a very successful borough, we take it very seriously.” But she can only offer as an example the council’s “innovative” week of clean air awareness-raising as opposed to a single day. Pushed on what Lambeth council is doing to tackle the school run – boroughs including Hackney and Croydon have closed roads around schools to discourage parents from driving their kids to school – Brathwaite says roads around two Lambeth schools have been closed as part of car-free days. The council is now “looking to consider” whether it could close certain roads around certain schools at set times. She would not be pinned down on which schools or when this might happen. Lambeth council’s air quality action plan says the major threat comes from traffic emissions and that top priority is to continue to encourage a shift to more sustainable transport. Nobody seems to have told the car club ZipCar, which the council is promoting. ZipCar’s website suggests that Lambeth “is always worth a drive around … whether getting groceries or soaking up culture, cheap car sharing is the best way to do it”. Despite talk of being bold, innovative and making difficult decisions, a lack of solid action – either to make cycling and walking easier or driving more difficult – offers little hope that Lambeth streets will be less polluted and less hostile to pedestrians and cyclists any time soon.

Food growing – an essential life skill Why are you so passionate about working with schools?

Sue Sheehan asks Janie Bickersteth, director of IEL why it is important to work with schools

I believe that all children should be exposed to the “dirt”.

Why does dirt matter? Soil –or “dirt” – matters! Soil is what keeps us alive – without it, we would not exist. We depend on it, but take it for granted. In a handful of soil there are more micro-organisms than there are people on this planet. One centimetre of soil takes 500 years to form and our government recognises that we are 30-40 years away from eradicating our topsoil through poor farming choices.

And when we know about soil – what next? We need our children to recognise its importance. Here’s why: PLANETARY HEALTH – our planet is groaning … we expect too much of it – overtilling of soils, heavy pesticide use and absurd movement of food around the world increasing our CO2 emissions. PHYSICAL HEALTH – there’s an epidemic of obesity – 28% of children aged two to 15 are overweight or obese according to Public Health England. Locally produced food is far more nutritious as it is picked when it’s ripe. Tomatoes

Janie introducing ‘Dirt’ to a twilight session at the South London Botanical Institute for teachers interested in food growing picked green for transporting have 31% less Vitamin C. Children need to re-connect to real food, stepping away from convenience, processed food – their health depends upon it. MENTAL HEALTH – getting people onto the land improves our mental health – we breathe in the fresh air, we connect with the soil, we understand our planet better. Growing food makes you feel good!

What is your mission? First – To encourage and support teachers to embed food growing into schools. Half of schools do have

some kind of growing space, but support for food growing varies enormously. Many teachers I meet feel overworked and woefully under-supported in this work. Like any organisation, senior management needs to embrace the importance and significance of this to make it meaningful throughout the school. I want to signpost schools to the many resources that are now available – from the Edible Playground project at Trees for Cities to the Royal Horticultural Society school garden programme, to London Food Growing to more local opportunities in Lambeth, like the brilliant Urban Canopy guys. Second – To lobby our education minister to recognise that all children need to be equipped to grow food. I believe it’s an essential life skill; it’s called “food security”. I’m gathering interested people!

What’s next? Obviously, I’d like schools (and anyone living in Lambeth who is interested in local food) to join IEL! Go to www.incredibleediblelambeth.org/join. I’d like teachers and parents to join a movement to embed meaningful food-growing in the national curriculum. AAemail incrediblelambeth@gmail.com.


CAFÉ MAX GETS READY TO RETURN

WHAT’S NEW FOR VISITORS TO BRIXTON IN 2018 ST

KITCHEN

THE ARCHES SW9

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LIVE MUSIC

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MARKET B£ B£

Brixton BID is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening Brixton’s diverse business culture. We represent over 650 levy‑paying businesses in the local area and work to develop new and exciting opportunities for Brixton


ENJOY THE CLEANER, SAFER RIDE W BID Managing Director Michael Smith

e have 35 million passengers in and out of Brixton annually and now 200 Santander cycles at seven docking stations in and around the town centre. This new connectivity is giving people wanting to travel in and out of Brixton more new, clean-air travel options. What will be new for visitors to Brixton in 2018? Our destination attractions are getting better and better. With over 177 firms, our night time economy is still outperforming many of the borough’s other economic sectors. From Pop Brixton to the Electric, Hootananny to Market House, O2 Brixton to Phonox and a choice of destinations on Coldharbour Lane – Prince of Wales, Market House, Club 414, Dogstar, The Rum Kitchen – it’s all happening. Santander bikes are now bringing some of these outlying venues closer to visitors, the Effra Hall Tavern, Blues Kitchen, The White Horse and Brixton Jamm are now just a docking station away. Brixton offers a choice of more than 126 food establishments that cannot be outdone, from Portuguese to Indonesian and Vietnamese, West Indian to South Asian, vegetarian to Italian, pizzas to burgers. Our offerings compete with that of Waterloo/South Bank. We are fast becoming a renowned barista destination, with exotic independent coffee houses as well as all the traditional favourites. If retail is your thing, Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley could offer a retail surprise should he choose to bring his high-end retail outlet Flannels to Popes Road along with his stock shop Sports Direct. The new Store Manager, Maurizio Notte, at Morley’s Department Store is already making Brixton’s signature department store as competitive on the High Street as any of Brixton’s other renowned retail options, Marks & Spencer, TK Maxx or H&M.

CAFÉ MAX

BRINGING

With the sale of Brixton Village soon to be completed and a positive outcome for current traders in Brixton Village and Market Row anticipated, visitors to these historic indoor market areas could be in for a pleasant surprise. I would expect any new market owner to be offering customers free access to toilets and a marketing campaign rivalling that of Pop Brixton. If Pop Brixton can entice customers during winter, so can Brixton Village and Market Row.

BRIGHTER, CLEANER, SAFER With the Brixton BID offering over 90 days of additional town centre cleaning and with more cleaning days promised for 2018, Brixton should be a cleaner destination for all. Our GO Before You Go anti-street urination campaign should make all more sensitive to the ills of street urination. Our Section 92 police officers are constantly impacting on the reduction of business crime and anti-social behaviour in our town centre. Brixton has a higher take-up of Business Crime Reduction Partnership radios than any other Lambeth town centre, making Brixton one of the safest places to shop. With Network Rail happily announcing recently that they have now agreed on settlements with all remaining traders currently under the Brixton Station Road arches, this can only mean full steam ahead for refurbishment work there. This is good news for Brixton Station Road and Electric Avenue outdoor markets. Footfall and cycling in these areas must now pick up. Whatever your reasons for picking up a Santander Bike to come to Brixton, or while in Brixton, your journeys should be Brighter, Cleaner, Safer. Enjoy the ride … Michael Smith Managing Director www.brixtonbid.co.uk

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BID WELCOME

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rixton BID has welcomed the arrival of Santander cycles. Managing Director Michael Smith said that the move “can only be positive for this vibrant area, giving visitors and locals more ways to get in and around Brixton. The bikes would also deliver healthier travel options, reduce the number of cars and improve air quality. David Eddington, Transport for London’s (TfL) head of cycle hire, said: “It has been fantastic to partner with Lambeth council to bring our newly designed Santander Cycles to Brixton. “We want to encourage more Londoners to cycle to improve health, productivity and air quality. We hope that the extension encourages more people to take to two wheels and to explore all that Lambeth has to offer.” The 200 new Santander cycles, available at seven docking stations in and around Brixton, have improved handling, visibility


G BRIXTON BACK TO LIFE Café Max is one of several long-established businesses that will be returning to the Network Rail arches in Brixton when current building work is finished. The BID spoke to owners Zelia and Joao Figueira

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elia and Joao have run Café Max for more than 24 years. Their family-run Portuguese café is a friendly place where everyone is welcome. It is special, they say, because of the variety of communities represented by its customers. “Café Max is a piece of Brixton and, without it, Brixton would not be the same as it was when all the communities could join together there. “We’ve been there for Brixton through the bad times and the good.” When Café Max closed Zelia and Joao had to find other jobs to pay the bills. “We are spending more time with our children and families,” they say, “but we miss our café and seeing everyone every day.” Says Joao: “I am looking forward

to doing the job we love again, bringing back the community and bringing Brixton back to life.” He and Zelia will be using the opportunity to introduce new ideas and have a wider variety of products, but the work ethic and products they have been offering for a quarter of a century will not change. “We would like to thank everyone for staying by our side while leaving Brixton temporarily and we hope to see everyone soon and to bring the Brixton we loved back,” they say. “We love Brixton! We hope to see all our customers again soon. The sense of a broad community and a welcome by all different types of people is a very big factor in Brixton. “We have always supported the Brixton community and we always will. Brixton holds a special place in our hearts.”

ES NEW HIRE BIKES and comfort as well as a new gel saddle, a lower frame, tyres with puncture prevention, a new gear hub and improved front and rear lighting. The TfL scheme is already one of the largest and most popular cycle hire schemes in Europe. It had 10.4 million hires last year – 1.4% more than in 2016.

The post box that stood on Brixton Road at the end of Electric Avenue has moved – complete with rust, graffiti and the dirt of ages – across the road to outside NatWest bank on the corner of Brighton Terrace. Still much needed after the failure to provide a post box at the new Post Office on Ferndale Road, we expect it to be smartened up and opened up soon.

CRIME REDUCTION

STAY SAFE

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rixton has the highest take-up of the radios used in a local business crime reduction partnership (BCRP) – more than any other Lambeth town centre – making Brixton one of the safest places to socialise and shop locally. Members of the Safer Lambeth Business Crime Reduction Partnership in Brixton recently demonstrated how the system works and how, by acting together and with the council and police, they make Brixton a safer place for businesses and their customers. When a man pulled a knife at a busy town centre venue, the venue used its BCRP radio to send

details of the incident as well as his description and direction of travel to Lambeth council’s CCTV control. Lambeth CCTV was able to locate the man on its cameras and alert other BCRP member venues to the potential threat. Brixton-based police officers were listening in to the radio transmissions and the man was soon arrested and charged with possession of an offensive weapon. It costs £10 a week to be a member of the partnership. Services provided include a digital radio handset, with access to a network connected to other businesses, security teams, policing teams and local authority CCTV and access to a secure intranet – also available as a mobile phone app – that has details and photographs of prolific offenders, organised criminal networks and people subject to Criminal Behaviour Orders. The BCRP also operates in the West End, Southwark and Lewisham. ■■To join, visit www.saferbusiness. org.uk/join, or contact the team on admin@saferbusiness.org.uk.

BRIXTON FOOTFALL JANUARY 2018 750,000 Brixton Station Road Brixton Road at Iceland Jan


MEET THE BID MEMBERS … AGILE RABBIT

Go before you go. Join Brixton BID's anti-street urination campaign. You can help by going before you go. Thank you!

FOR YOUR DIARY MEETING DATES Environment, 10:30 – 12:00, Monday 12 March @TBC Marketing & Partnership, 11:30 – 13:00, Tuesday 20 March 2018 @Market House Night-Time Economy, 13:00 15:00, Wednesday 25 April 2018 @Pop Brixton

TRAINING DATES Hair – Advanced Cutting – 15 April Conflict Management (Hospitality Industry) – 15 April Food Safety – 14 May Emergency First Aid – 21 May Personal Licence – 4 June Customer Care – 18 June Hair – Advanced Colouring – 18 June L3 Food Hygiene day 1 – 25 June L3 Food Hygiene day 2 – 2 July L3 First Aid day 1 – 16 July L3 First Aid day 2 – 23 July

A MONTMARTRE VIBE IN BRIXTON Agile Rabbit owner Victor Greetham believes the Grade II listing of Brixton Village Market on behalf of its community in the face of plans for an ugly modern development is the reason that it is still standing and why the Village was at the heart of “the explosion of street food culture that is so familiar today across London and up and down the country”. He says Brixton Village offered an opportunity to those with the imagination and energy to make a go of it: “It was cheap; it was available – something was going on”. Victor feels that The Agile Rabbit and the handful of new tenants at that time – Cornercopia, Federation Coffee, Kao Sarn and Circus, for instance – that opened that year and remain to this day – have paved the way for later arrivals and Pop Brixton. “It has turned Brixton into a different animal today with a thriving night life, and weekend all-night Tube service,” he says. “But, he goes on, “It brings with it rampant gentrification and the soon-to-come Mike Ashley in some form or another.” So where did the Agile Rabbit get its name? Au lapin agile is a 1905 painting by Picasso of characters at his favourite Montmartre watering hole. Victor wanted to recreate a similar vibe in a cafe in Brixton serving great pizza and cool jazz.

The pizza is sourdough and available as a slice (any slice is the same price £2.50) or as a 12-inch pizza. You can eat in the restaurant, drink wine from Portugal, Spain and Italy and enjoy beers from the Brixton Brewery around the corner on Station Road. Agile Rabbit also hosts the live jazz in the “Avenue” in the evening, including international instrumentalists and prize-winning singers as well as DJs. All free and part of a special ambience unique to the Village. Coming soon to a location not very far away too The Agile Rabbit is expanding its ideas and hoping to bring you more of the best of Brixton … more music, more of the best pizza in Brixton and maybe even some ice cream. OPENING HOURS: Tue, Wed 12:30-22:20 | Thur, Fri, Sat 12:30-23:30 | Sun 12:30-22:00. 24 Brixton Village SW9 8PR 020 7501 9768 | info.theagilerabbit@gmail.com www.theagilerabbit.londonk

CAFE AMADO

NOW ON ACRE LANE

Cafe Amado is the place where the owners’ love for coffee and for authentic Mexican home cooking come together. Chef Cesar Raya grew up in his family’s kitchen, where he learned to cook the recipes of his grandmother and aunt. Suzanne den Daas has been following her passion for specialty coffee for three years, working in acclaimed cafes in London and learning all there is to know about excellent espresso and the intricacies of pourover. Both were frustrated because, so often, a place has either good coffee and OK food, or great food and bad coffee. “We wanted to create a place where the two amado (beloved) things could meet under one roof.” Suzanne had worked in Brixton before and had fallen in love with the community spirit. “It is a wonderful thing to be a part of,” she says, “and we are keen to create a space where all feel welcome.

“We are particularly happy to be part of the wave of new businesses opening up on Acre Lane and bringing a new blossoming of enterprise to the street. It’s been left out of the buzz for too long!” For those of you missing your chocolate and churros from Pope’s Road now that Las Americas is gone, Cesar and Suzanne invite you to come and enjoy theirs. OPENING HOURS: Tues–Fri: 11:00 - 15:00, and 18:00-22:00m | Sat-Sun:00-22:00 | Mon closed 126 Acre Lane, SW2 5RJ 020 7738 5554 | cafeamadoldn@gmail.com www.cafeamadoldn.com


15  brixtonblog.com 2018 MARCH

FOOD & DRINK DIY COCKTAIL

Canova Hall’s Pouring Ribbons They say: Pouring Ribbons is inspired by a trip to New York and named after a great cocktail bar where our bar manager got inspired by absinthe and chartreuse. We say: It’s worth tracking down the ingredients for a really refreshing “long” cocktail

NN Soda Water (to taste) NN Mint and cucumber for garnish

INGREDIENTS

NN 12.5ml Beefeater Gin NN 12.5ml Cocchi di Torino NN 12.5ml Courvoisier NN 12.5ml Green Chartreuse liqueur NN 50ml frizzante NN 15ml lime juice NN 1 egg white NN 25ml Absolute Raspberry NN 25ml Crème de Mure

METHOD 22 Combine all the ingredients and shake with ice 22 Pour into 15oz goblet 22 Garnish with lime, mint, cucumber and sprinkled sugar 22 Crème de mure added last to give the ribbons effect

REVIEW: CANOVA HALL

Industrial revolution Nick Buglione ‘bon marchés’ his way to Canova Hall

Yes, the Bugle has popped into Canova Hall before, checking out its daytime incarnation of laptop-tappers, coffee, wifi and bottomless brunches (no brunch has a bottom these days). Today we are nightcrawling. In the shell of Britain’s oldest purpose-built department store, far away from Grace Brothers. Canova Hall could be in the Meatpacking district of NYC. It’s a big, sprawling, slickly not slick, postindustrial, hipster grown-up cavernous tavern with stylish trimmings. Distressed concrete (like the Hayward gallery’s scruffier cousin) and industrial everything fuse with quirky, chintzy “Edwardian” booths and marble tables

wrapped round a grand art deco central bar (with a wine on tap wall). Canova Hall oozes destination and it’s interesting how an area develops to be a home to this kind of place. No doubt home to photo shoots, fashion shows and Google’s Christmas bash. Ostensibly Mrs B and I are here for cocktails. Like its Hackney sibling Martello Hall, they are about to launch their own “local” Brixton micro-gin, so we assume they

have a cocktail A-game alongside the artisanleaning Italian flavoured menu. Pizzas and pastas from a muscular flaming kitchen. They do the classics, have a bunch of martinis to play with and some more offbeat creations, without disappearing into indulgent over-inventiveness. Canova Bramble is a very cherry martiniesque Canova gin, Chambord, cherry bitters, lemon juice and maraschino cherry extract. Not so much bitter but slightly disgruntled with a sweet cherry payoff. My favourite was Pouring Ribbons, Green Chartreuse, gin, Courvoisier, Cocchi di Torino vermouth, lime juice, egg white and soda. Fairly lethal long glass with twirls of cucumber bringing the freshness to the fusions of spirits. Kept company in our little booth by Padron peppers and sea salt, zucchini fries and aioli. Mrs B has clearly been secretly watching too much Bake Off. Cue the arrival of her Cherry Bakewell, King of Soho gin, Fever Tree tonic, cherry & vanilla bitters, and maraschino. I went pimped up G&T, The Canova, their own gin, Fever Tree, lemon & lime rind ice ball, lime, orange and mint. A refreshing zingster compared with Mrs Kipling. What is clear already is that Canova Hall have their head screwed on – yes it’s a bit of everything, but everything is sorted and hot to trot. It’s not endearingly offbeat, it’s not homespun, it’s not ‘old’ Brixton, its big, brash and professional. From lunchers to prosecco work break-outs to cosy neo-romantic booth buddies and boozy bashes, you have it all here. Of course we succumbed to pizza. London Field, chef’s meatballs, coppa, taleggio and gremolata. Proper pizza, crispy rim, forgivingly subsiding interior sourdough, generous livery of topping. Like the cocktails, think classics and on-trend offbeat and original. We once had a surprisingly luxe department store here, now we have a correspondingly luxe all day bar, restaurant in its place.

250 Ferndale Road, London SW9 8BQ | canovahall.com | 020 7733 8356 | @canovahall

KITCHEN RE-LAUNCH OFFER SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST TO ENJOY 25% OFF YOUR BILL THIS MARCH Independent pub & kitchen serving craft beer & simple, seasonal food

thekingandco.uk

The King & Co., 100 Clapham Park Road, SW4 7BZ hello@thekingandco.uk | 020 8671 9823


56 Brixton Hill (entrance on Horsford Road) Brixton SW2 1QS

O P E N E V E N I N G – T U E S DAY 2 6 F E B R UA RY 5 - 7 P M

Year 12s make waves

WHAT’S COMING UP?

Year 12s have enjoyed making a big wave machine in their Physics A level course this term. Armed with wooden skewers, fruit jellies and duct tape, their final effort measured nearly five metres! Students were able to see how energy moves without matter and also experimented with sending waves simultaneously from each end of the machine, creating quite a stir when the waves reached the middle. As a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) focused school, South Bank Engineering UTC aims to develop the medical engineers and professionals of the future by providing as many opportunities as possible for students to participate in practical lessons.

Open Mornings 9.30-10.30 am Thurs 8 March Thursy 15 March Booking on Eventbrite essential

Primary Schools STEM Fair Mon 26 March Tues 27 March Wed 28 March

What happens to our waste water when we are finished with it? As part of their BTEC First in Engineering, this was the question posed to Year 10 students before they embarked on a field trip to the Thames Water Hogsmill Centre. Whilst not altogether sure about the trip to begin with, students were pleasantly surprised when they arrived at the site in Kingston to discover that it is, in fact, a nature reserve. Students took a tour of the facility and learned all about how Thames Water supplies 8.8 million people with drinking water every day, covering 5,000 square miles across London and the

Thames Valley, as well as the 500,000 tests taking place each year to ensure that our drinking water in London reaches the very highest standards of cleanliness. The day culminated in a fun and competitive activity, with students working in teams to design their own systems for water treatment and recycling. As we strive to develop the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics professionals of the future, field trips are integral to exposing students to the breadth of careers, courses and apprenticeships on offer for life beyond the UTC.

South Bank Engineering University Technical College is a 14-19 school, sponsored by leading employers in the field of engineering, as well as London South Bank University. Alongside core GCSEs and A Levels in subjects such as English, maths and science, students can study Level 2 and Level 3 technical qualifications in engineering for the building and health sectors.

020 7738 6115 | info@southbank-utc.co.uk | www.southbank-utc.co.uk

@SouthBankUTC

Southbankutc

Southbank_utc


FOOD & DRINK  17

MARCH 2018 brixtonblog.com DIY KITCHEN

A classic and simple staple Duck Duck Goose’s steamed bream with ginger and spring onions

REVIEW: CAFÉ AMADO

Local Hero? Carina Murphy hits Acre Lane’s latest local Café Amado (meaning ‘beloved’) occupies a spot on the increasingly interesting Acre Lane, neighbour to souvlaki bar Mikos. Acre Lane is still growing as a destination, unless of course your destination is nearby Lidl and all that discounted supermarketing has brought on an appetite. In which case, do try out the new Mexican menu brought to you by halfMexican, half Colombian chef Cesar Raya at Amado. So far, so on trend. After all, the likes of Casa Morita in the village maintain a consistently high standard, as does the speedier but equally superb Maria Sabina in Pop. Café Amado is altogether more retro, with plenty of the charm you’d hope for from a colourfully decorated local café and less of the refinement than you’d get in one of the edgier openings. Determined to leave no tortilla, tostada or taco unturned, we started off sharing that Mexican breakfast classic – huevos rancheros. An (extremely) generous portion of two eggs, rolled warm tortillas, peppers, onions, rice and queso fresco cheese. It was then that we realised we would have trouble downing this and our two main courses, a prediction confirmed when two more heaving plates arrived. Toasted vegetarian quesadillas filled with refried beans and Monterey Jack cheese as well as chicken tacos. A side order of ranchero sauce was liberally applied as I began to regret bringing the only person in London still resolutely clinging to their New Year diet.

The highlight of the meal was the freshly made guacamole that came with the quesadillas and it was all warming, filling stuff at very reasonable prices. The lovely manager Suzanne could not have been more welcoming and greeted our slightly wimpish stirrings about the quantity of food with “no one goes home hungry here”. There could certainly be no complaints about stingy portions or the quality of service, which is always massively important in a neighbourhood “local”. I just wished there’d have been a bit more oomph and variation in the dishes and perhaps some fresh coriander, lime or chillis to bring a bit more zing. Currently unlicensed, with a very reasonable £2 corkage charge for wine and £1 for beer, there is a wonderfully kitsch display of Mexican pop (sure to go down well with my nine-year-old). As Café Amado bills itself as serving “coffee and food”, the coffee was always going to be decent and my Roasting Shed espresso was smooth and punchy. But the highlight of the meal for me was the Left Field Craft Kombucha or “living tea”. In a bottle resembling a trendy craft beer, I tried the Tung Ting Oolong – a floral tasting, naturally sparkling and fermented drink, which I would happily swap for actual beer. I really, really wanted to try the churros, or the orange and polenta cake on the counter, but I’d been defeated by the earlier courses. I’ll definitely be back though, not least because I plan to test Suzanne’s bold statement in a Mexican standoff of (my) children versus churros.

126 Acre Lane, SW2 5RJ | cafeamadoldn.com | 020 7738 5554 | @cafeamadoldn

Oli Brown of Duck Duck Goose says: “We specialise in Cantonese-roasted meats, production of which is a labour of love.” The food of Guandong, like many cuisines, has varying difficulty levels. This steamed fish with ginger and spring onions is a classic simple staple and perhaps defines the true purity and ingenuity of Cantonese cookery. I never get bored by it. A steamer is essential to cook this dish. It’s possible to construct a makeshift one, better to just nip to the pound shop.

INGREDIENTS

¡¡ Whole bream, 500g fish scaled, gutted and trimmed (your fishmonger can do this for you)

¡¡ 50g ginger ¡¡ 3 spring onions ¡¡ 70ml Lee Kum Kee Seasoned Soy Sauce ¡¡ 1tsp caster sugar ¡¡ 20ml Sesame oil ¡¡ 60ml vegetable oil

the skin of your fish, facing upwards. Do the same with the spring onions. 22 Place the fish in steamer. A fish of this size at a constant rolling boil will take approximately 15 minutes. The easiest way to tell is gently press you finger against the flesh and if it gives way easily, it’s cooked.

METHOD 22 Gently warm the soy with the caster sugar until it has dissolved, whisk in the sesame oil, set aside for later. 22 Peel the ginger and cut into very fine ribbons. 22 Wash your spring onions and slice in into very fine ribbons (similar to the ginger) 22 Place the ginger neatly along

22 Remove from the steamer and place on a serving dish. Dress with the soy sauce. 22 Heat the remaining veg oil until smoking hot and pour over the ginger and onions atop the fish. A loud sear and sizzle is a good thing. 22 Serve immediately with choi sum and steamed rice (Ken Hom’s rice recipe seems to be foolproof).

Pop Brixton, SW9 8PQ | duckduckgooselondon.com | @ddglondon

the tavern

Say hello to Brixton’s newest local We may be just up the hill but we promise the walk is worth the effort!

Classic pub grub Great beers & wines Friendly service Live sports Weekly quiz

elmparktavern.co.uk The Elm Park Tavern, 76 Elm Park, SW2 2UB hello@elmparktavern.co.uk | 020 8671 9823


18  FOOD & DRINK brixtonblog.com

2018 MARCH

REVIEW: GUZZL

Deli-belly Sacha Harrison meets Guzzl’s deli-entrepreneur Andrew Murray-Watson It’s been two years since everyone’s favourite deli, A&C Continental closed its doors on Atlantic Road and left a gap in our hearts (and bellies). But when one door closes, another one opens. Enter Guzzl. A deli in Brixton village and a foodies’ artisan Aladdin’s cave. Inside you’ll find every indulgent treat imaginable from salted caramel spreads and creamy nut butters to locally sourced charcuterie and boutique chocolate. And it’s not just food. Colourful designer crockery, reusable coffee cups and even the odd

bacon-curing kit. Guzzl’s founder, Andrew MurrayWatson has lived in Brixton for 14 years and for most of the week you can find him behind the shop counter right next to the hot chocolate station. Having worked as a business journalist and in corporate communications, he threw in the towel after a jaunt to the market. “I’ve always been into food. Last Spring I was walking around near Herne Hill farmers’ market in the pouring rain and thought, there’s got to be a better way of doing it than this.” Andrew and business associate,

Joe Storey-Scott (who owns 20 Storey gift shop in Market Row) became friends through their dogs, Lucas and Rockitt. After countless walks in the park discussing a potential Guzzl shop, they put forward a proposal for a unit in Brixton Village. “It was almost on a whim more than anything and then, suddenly, everything happened very fast”. After submitting the proposal, it took just over a month for Guzzl to open its doors. Fast-forward a year and Guzzl’s success can be measured by the steady flow of customers popping in to try a new batch of olive oil or to catch up on the latest food trend. This month it’s kimchi. Andrew and his team can also create hampers to suit your every foodie desires or you can sign up for a monthly subscription box. Vegans will like with the new vegan hampers that can be filled with treats such as hot chocolate paste, nut butters and seaweed snacks. Andrew’s suppliers are at the heart of the business with 20 located inside a five-mile radius.

His team of “guzzlers” sniff out the best products from independent producers, like Chocolates by Eloise, one of Andrew’s favourites. “It’s good quality dark chocolate – the flavours are perfect; like lemongrass and ginger and the sour cherry one is also very good.” For those excited about Easter coming up, expect decadent hampers

full of handmade Easter eggs, prosecco milk chocolate and salted caramel bites. Eat your heart out Willy Wonka. Pop into Guzzl to see Andrew and his dog, Lucas … Tuesday – Friday 10am-6.30pm, Saturday 10am – 7pm and Sun 11am – 6pm. And keep an eye out for the twice-monthly tasting events.

Brixton Village, SW9 8PR | guzzl.club | 020 7564 8909

Come on down to Electric Avenue’s favourite Caribbean restaurant and takeaway. Here at Healthy Eaters we serve freshly cooked, great value, great tasting authentic Caribbean food over the counter with speedy and friendly efficiency. So stop by for a take-away or sit a while and eat in. We have a downstairs eating area and we are open early lunchtime right through the afternoon.

17 Electric Avenue

Brixton SW9 8JP www.healthyeaters.co.uk 020 7274 4521

Stafford and the team, working tirelessly for Brixton


THE BRIXTON POUND CAFE: MONDAY – SATURDAY 8.45 am – 6pm

THE BRIXTON POUND WHAT’S ON AT THE B£ CAFE Saturday 3 March: Still on the Fence? Refugee Crisis Talk Series. Speaker: Diana Popescu discussing Roma rights 2:00 pm Saturday 3 March: Let’s Laugh comedy night returns with their monthly chuckle session at the cafe. Free entry, BYO 7.30pm Sunday 4 March: DIY Sunday. Are you handy with a hammer or paintbrush? Then we need YOU! Come down on the first Sunday of the month 11am-3pm to help give the cafe some TLC. Friday 9 – Thursday 15 March: To mark International Women’s Day, Mothers of Invention present ‘MotherWorks’ photography exhibition by Fiona Freund, exploring and celebrating the double lives of working mums in the UK. Wednesday 14 March: Volunteer info evening – find out what we do and how you can get involved, 7-8pm Friday 23 March: Friday Film Club – ‘Crazywise’ film about the approach of indigenous cultures to mental health and what the West can learn from them. Free entry, popcorn provided!

REGULAR EVENTS

Mondays: Free community yoga 10-11am Life drawing, 7-8.30pm Tuesdays: Brixton Buddhist Centre meditation course (booking required – next course starting from April) Wednesdays: Mindful hatha yoga 9.30am-10.30 Parent & child yoga 4pm Kundalini yoga 6.30pm

OUR FREE SPACE FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS As well as a thriving pay-what-you-can cafe, our basement transforms into a meeting place, cinema, comedy club, art gallery, music venue. We have space in abundance and we’re not afraid to hire it out! Both the cafe and our basement studio

Building bridges with Lambeth More in Common It may have been less than two years ago, but June 2016 can feel like another land. Before Britain had taken a vote on whether to leave the European Union, and there was optimism in the air. Then came the tragic murder of MP Jo Cox and subsequent referendum result, and with these came the sense that Britain had changed. We were a divided, segregated nation and there was a chasm between people who thought like us and the ‘others’. In the wake of these unsettling and upsetting times, a group of people in Lambeth decided to take positive action and formed Lambeth More in Common, taking inspiration from Jo Cox’s first speech in Parliament, when she said: ‘While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again … is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us’. Lambeth and Boston in Lincolnshire are two very different places on paper. Boston had the highest number of Leave voters, Lambeth had the lowest.

Lambeth is urban and has long been home to migrants, Boston is rural with a relatively new migrant population. This made Boston an ideal place with which Lambeth More in Common could forge common ground and celebrate the similarities residents share. Initially the group made contact with Boston whilst recording Radio 4’s Two Rooms programme about

Brexit in August 2016. Boston went on to form their own Boston More in Common group in October 2016 and twinned with Lambeth More in Common. With the help of an award from the Brixton Fund, an assorted mix of Brixtonites, including young people, people from inter-faith groups, Eritrean and Polish people, climate change activists and creatives, made

a trip to Boston in October last year. They were warmly welcomed, meeting with locals and coming together to explore issues around culture and community, challenging misconceptions and building friendships. Both sides came away from the experience informed and inspired to continue developing the connections they made. The Brixton-Boston partnership has continued to flourish. Radio 4 recently reunited the group to discuss their views as Brexit progresses and, of course, the Bostonians couldn’t visit London without visiting Brixton! They enjoyed the full Brixton experience, eating at Etta’s Seafood restaurant in the Village, having a tour from the Brixton Society (left), and visiting us at the cafe! A return trip with many other Bostonians is being planned for later this year, we look forward to welcoming them. You can listen to Two Rooms and Two Rooms Revisited on BBC iPlayer: AA http://bit.ly/BB-two-rooms AA http://bit.ly/BB-TRR

The Brixton Fund awarded £510 to Lambeth More in Common which funded the coach trip to Boston to celebrate togetherness

What is the Brixton Fund? Young women from Brixton’s Baytree Centre in the café to celebrate a photographic project are available to hire, and we offer discounted rates to community groups or others with a shared ethos. We also offer our studio space to community groups entirely free of charge between 9am and 12pm on weekdays. AA Request a slot via our website at brixtonpound.org/spacehire, or email spacehire@brixtonpound.org for more info.

The Brixton Fund is Brixton’s local grants scheme. It directly funds projects that benefit the area. As well as being an engine of cultural and social change for many years, Brixton is also an area that experiences severe deprivation and deep-rooted social issues. The Brixton Fund

enables Brixtonites and Brixton-based businesses to help find solutions by donating to the fund which is then awarded to local projects that either increase opportunities, take action for social justice, or provide community activities. Projects that have

received awards include the Advocacy Academy, Healthy Living Club, Speech Inspired, Bling Ya Bike, and Brixton Community Base. Money for the Brixton Fund is raised through transaction fees paid by businesses when electronic B£s are used,

as well as sales in B£ cafe and merchandise. So you can support the Brixton Fund just by eating in the B£ cafe and using electronic B£s! A AIf you’re an individual, business or project that would like to apply to the Brixton Fund, we will be taking applications in the summer, watch this space!

7 7 At l a n t i c Ro a d | b r i x t o n p o u n d .o r g | @ b r i x t o n p o u n d | i n fo @ b r i x t o n p o u n d .o r g


20  WHAT’S ON brixtonblog.com 2018 MARCH

Jamila Omar rounds up an eclectic March selection of gigs and more in Brixton and nearby FR FRI 23 @ MARKET HOUSE Another jam-packed night upstairs at Market House as OFFLINE CLUB DJs pump out their trademark dance classics and pop tunes to put a spring in your step. Bring your dancing shoes. 10pm-3am. £5.

SAT 24 @ GREMIO DE BRIXTON

What’s on at Whirled The Final Year Thursday 1 March, 8pm

The Final Year, directed by Greg Barker, tracks the foreign policy team assembled by Barack Obama over the course of 2016, as they travel the world attempting to solidify and “lock-in” policies that they believe will define their legacy. They tackle the unfolding crisis in Syria, the Boko Haram kidnappings, the Iran nuclear deal, the resurgence of nationalism, and the results of the US election that challenge this legacy in unexpected and fundamental ways.

Call Me By Your Name Monday 5 – Wednesday 7 March 8pm Sunday 11 March 6pm

In the summer of 1983 precocious 17-year-old

Elio Perlman is with his family at their villa in Italy. He meets Oliver, a doctoral student working as an intern for Elio’s father. Yorgos Lanthimos’ film follows, in sun-drenched and splendid surroundings, their awakening desire that will alter their lives forever.

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer Monday 12 – Wednesday 14 March 8pm Sunday 18 March 6pm

Yorgos Lanthimos has crafted a sensational thriller brimming with unsettling humour and creeping dread, steeped in Greek tragedy and Hitchcockian psychodrama. The Killing of a Sacred Deer sees Dr. Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) a renowned surgeon presiding over a spotless household with his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and two exemplary children. Martin (Barry Keoghan) is a fatherless teen who Steven has covertly taken under his wing. Martin’s intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long forgotten transgression that will shatter the family’s domestic bliss.

Whirled Cinema | 259 Hardess Street, Loughborough Junction SE24 0HN | 020 7737 6153

In the crypt of St. Matthews, this authentic Spanish tapas restaurant/bar oozes style. DJs play COMMERCIAL HOUSE on rotation from 10pm at weekends, open til late. Free.

SUN 25 @ GIGALUM Legendary Australian-based DJ and producer DIRTY SOUTH jets into town for a very intimate party. 4.45-11pm. Free.

MON 26 @ QUEEN’S HEAD This notorious Stockwell Road boozer has cleaned up its act, yet still supports upcoming musicians on their OPEN MIC nights, promising a £10 meal and a free drink for acts, as well as cheap pints for punters. 8-10pm. Free.

TUE 27 @ STOCKWELL TUBE Cool Tan Arts’ Strange People walk will trace will post-war Brixton’s other HISTORIES via David Bowie and his half-brother Terry, who stayed when David left Brixton at the age of six, and ask: “What future for Bowie’s Other Brixton?” Starts Stockwell Tube, 5.30pm – 7.30pm. Tickets (Eventbrite) £6 or free for concessions

WED 28 @ HOOTANANNY NOVA presents Swedish charmer Carl Olander, playing a mix of FOLK, indie and pop, supported by Joe Corbin, with his British blues and soul. 9pm-midnight. Free.

THUR 1 @ BRIXTON EAST A night of stand-up at a COMEDY FUNDRAISER featuring Andy Zaltzman, George Rigden, Prince Abdi and more, plus Clare Mosely, founding member of Care4Calais, introducing the benefit to raise funds for their work helping displaced people stranded in Calais. 7-11pm. £10/£5.

FRI 2 @ ELECTRIC BRIXTON Seun Kuti, youngest son of Fela Kuti, in a once-in-a-lifetime show with Egypt 80, the band fronted by his legendary father, and Dele Sosimi, an original member of Fela Kuti’s band, with his AFROBEAT Orchestra. 9pm-4am. £22.50.

Bristol-based Mr Tea and the Minions will be back at the Hootananny on 2 March, supported by The Inexplicables, playing high-energy Balkan-flavoured ska, dub, swing and folk. Doors 9pm, free before 10pm, then £5.

TUE 6 @ EUROLINK BUSINESS CENTRE

Beginners YOGA taster class at Soul Stretch. It will cover breaking down the basic moves and learning how to breathe properly, all at a pace that suits you. Places are limited, email Holly at hello@soulstretch.co.uk. 8.159.15pm. Free.

WED 7 @ HARRIS ACADEMY NORWOOD

Get ready for International Women’s Day with Bruk Out, a documentary exploring the world of Jamaican DANCEHALL culture through the eyes of the women at its heart. A dancehall class will be held before the screening by partners Dancehall Origins and Ignition Dance Company. £8.50.

THUR 8 @ OFF THE CUFF

Footshooter is the moniker used by musician Barney Whittaker, who explores grooves and rhythms spanning UK DANCE MUSIC with the melodic vibrations of jazz and soul, blending these with spoken word poetry, rapping and vocals. He’ll perform his latest EP Strange Days, featuring vocalists Izzy Risk, Brother Portrait and Slam The Poet. 8-11pm. £5.

FRI 9 @ BRIXTON JAMM

The people behind the UK’s original and legendary Hip-Hop Karaoke have teamed up with mighty The Doctor’s Orders to bring you R'N'B KARAOKE. With over 200 songs to choose from this is your chance to perform your fave anthems live on stage. 7-11pm. £5 adv/ £8 on door.

SAT 10 @ PECKHAM SALVAGE YARD

South London Scum presents a night of METAL with Calligram, Sürya, Jøtnarr and Crimson Throne. Hand in Hand, 61 New Park Road, SW2 4EN. 7.30-11.30pm, £6.

In Peckham’s Copeland Park, this is South London’s place for VINTAGE GEMS, with over 50 traders, bringing 20th century furniture, salvaged French homeware, vintage clothes, curiosities & collectables, kitschenalia, reclaimed industrial fixtures/electricals and unexpected oddities. All day. Free.

SUN 4 @ POP BRIXTON

SUN 11 @ EFFRA HALL TAVERN

Jazz lovers will revel in Brixton’s HIDDEN JAZZ CLUB, with regular stints from Ronnie Scott’s trumpeter Andy Davies, vocalist Vimala Rowe and award-winning tenor saxophonist Binker Golding. 7-9pm. £15.

MON 12 @ BLUES KITCHEN

SAT 3 @ HAND IN HAND

MON 5 @ HOOTANANNY The latest instalment of ever-popular literary event Brixton BOOKJAM, at its regular haunt. Readings from Tony White, Mark Hill, Chris Chalmers, Sarah Robertson, Ivy Ngeow, Lorna Fraser, John Cullen and Stevyn Colgan, with more to be announced. Doors 7.30pm. Free.

A great weekly LIVE JAZZ session that has been going on for many a year now and still goes from strength to strength. 8-11pm. Free.

Start your week right with BLUES and cheap ribs (£10) as South Londoner Davey James plays his blend of blues-infused folk.

TUE 13 @ EFFRA SOCIAL

Tuesdays mean nothing other than PUB QUIZ. Tommy McArdle hosts one of the busiest quizzes in Brixton, with a cash prize for first place and booby prizes for second and second to last place. Starts at 8pm, £2 per person.


MARCH 2018

WED 14 @ CLUB 414

With even more to smile about after this longstanding and beloved local club recently received a much deserved reprieve from closure, weekly event Wicked Wednesday JAM invites local musicians to come on down and join in to play funk, jazz, reggae, soul and more. 10pm-3am. Free, donations welcome.

THUR 15 @ THE CAMBRIA

David hosts this popular PUB QUIZ. Teams of six or fewer battle it out for a cash prize, which is doubled if the winning team gambles and answers the Killer Question correctly. Second place wins a bottle of wine. Each player gets a raffle ticket for a meal for two voucher. 8pm, £2 per player.

FRI 16 @ HOOTANANNY

Legendary Bristol band LAID BLAK blend reggae, dancehall, soul, hip hop, funk, jazz and jungle for the London launch of their eagerly anticipated second album About Time. Support from multi-award-winning party hip hop group The Scribes and rising electronic duo Le Son. 9pm-3am. Free before 9pm, £5 after.

SAT 17 @ THE WINDMILL

Once again the Windmill will be transformed into everyone’s favourite Philadelphia bar – Paddy’s Pub – to celebrate ST PATRICK’S NIGHT. There will be a talent show featuring live covers of Irish artists performed by members of fave Windmill bands, as well as a freeform Irish dancing competition. 8pm. £5.

SUN 18 @ CLUB 414

Grassroots Live Music. A weekly Sunday night that looks set to encourage and inspire local GRASSROOTS TALENT. UB40 trumpeter Patrick Anthony leads the experienced house band with resident DJs and Caribbean food available too. 10pm-3am. Free.

MON 19 @ POP BRIXTON

Each Monday, Daddy, Mummy and Me Toddler YOGA focuses on the children with the encouragement of parents, guiding their child to learn and grow. It includes breathing games, yoga postures, singing, stories, yoga games and music. 11-11.45am. Free.

TUE 20 @ TRINITY ARMS

Test your knowledge to win a £25 bar tab at this weekly PUB QUIZ, held every Tuesday. 8-10pm. Free.

WED 21 @ HOOTANANNY

The Floor Rippers’ Element Jam showcases HIP HOP culture with music, dance and wordplay. The host of the evening brings together the multifaceted layers into one seamless ensemble. Musicians, dancers, MCs and fans get together, battle and jam in a melting pot of talent and culture. 9pmmidnight. Free.

THUR 22 @ EFFRA HALL TAVERN

A great weekly LIVE JAZZ session at this much-loved classic Brixton boozer every Thursday night. From 9pm. Free. THE NEAR MINT RECORD FAIR, launching on Saturday 3 March at Pop Brixton, promises a day of records, DJs, music, food and drinks with a great mixture of dealers, labels, and indies for all types of collector. Near Mint will aim to get as many records as possible into one space with live streaming of DJs playing all genres all day with an evening event. RECORD DEALERS: Nick The Record | Mr Thing | Soul Proprietors | Hospital Records | Chris Energy | Rap & Soul mail order | Mo Fingaz

WHAT’S ON  21

FRI 23 @ PRINCE OF WALES

Supa Dupa Fly has become a necessity in many HIP HOP and RnB lovers’ diaries, selling out every weekly event in London over the past six years. They’re now bringing a hot new monthly party to Brixton with a huge line up. 9pm-4am. £5-£9.

SAT 24 @ DOGSTAR

AudioSushi is one of Brixton’s longest running Saturday nights with DJS spinning deep house, bass bangers, classics and shouts from the floor – a non-stop full-on hands-inthe-air PARTY MIX. 9pm-4am. Free before 10pm, £5 after.

SUN 25@ CAFE CAIRO

Every Sunday evening you can catch a FREE MOVIE at the fantastic Cafe Cairo. Check their Facebook page for which films they have in store each week. 7.30-11pm. Free.

MON 26 @ MARKET HOUSE

Learn the basics of SWING DANCE with Swingland Brixton’s Romayne Etwaroo – teaching here since 2011 – and Oli Deans at a regular Monday-night Lindy Hop class. No need to bring a partner. Beginners, 7-8pm, improvers 8.18-9.15. £10 one class, £12 both. £50 for five weeks. Cash only.

TUE 27 @ PRINCE REGENT

The Prince Regent PUB QUIZ is held every Tuesday. Big cash prizes, free drinks questions and a rollover jackpot question that grows each week. Come down early because it’s first come first served. 8pm.

WED 28 @ WINDMILL BRIXTON

Alternative art and music events @ Brixton’s Bureau of Silly Ideas Friday 30 March 7pm – 10pm

Saturday 31 March 9pm – 2am

Online magazine Diffrnt presents an art party featuring live art and music in celebration of all things 90s and showcasing several artists creating work inspired by the era. To make sure the mood is right, N.E. girl from Conceited Sounds will be playing 90s hits. Diffrnt discovers the journeys and achievements of young people and creates a platform for aspiring talent in music, art and fashion. This event is for anyone who loves art, music and everything 90s. All art created and on display will be available to buy. To win a framed piece of artwork: come to the event in your best 90s gear; follow and tweet @ DiffrntMag with a pic of yourself including the hashtag #DIFFRNT. AA For tickets visit: diffrnt.eventbrite.co.uk

The People – a collective of four DJs – N.E.girl, Dood Who Eats Food, Med Fem and Kayodeine – present Dark & Lovely. The People throw nights around South London centred on 140bpm sounds that were prominent when they were growing up in that part of London. South London energy is what defines The People. Dark & Lovely will see them playing baby-oil-smooth R&B, contemporary classics and 80s jams from Whitney to Prince, as well as experimental new wave artists such as Kelela and Ray BLK, plus a few surprises. AA For information on either of these events, please contact Abigail at bosiabigail@gmail.com.

Bureau of Silly Ideas, Arch 17, Valentia Place, SW9 8PJ

FOLK PUNK from Dorset’s Black Water County plus support with an energetic show of stout quaffing, banjo breaking and tin whistle mangling original music, along with traditional songs and shanties that have been given a good kick up the arse and a slap in the face.

HOUSE OF BOTTLES The best off-licence in the heart of Brixton

THUR 29 @ PRINCE OF WALES

420 Coldharbour Lane

Come to Brixton’s premiere rooftop venue for a journey back to the EIGHTIES. DJs will be playing the best in 80s disco, hip hop, soul, house, new wave, rock and more, with the venue transformed into a 80s wonderland. 7pm-3am. £5-£10.

FRI 30 @ WHIRLED CINEMA

Dusk til Dawn presents INTIMATE, a mature over-25s only event, in this amazing arch with fantastic lighting equipment and a crazy sound system. Starting with old school garage, then deep house, ending with minimal and tech. 10pm - 3am. £10.

SAT 31 @ PHONOX

(opposite Market House between Brixton Road and Atlantic Road)

BRIXTON SW9 8LF

a ave f We h range o S+ AT GRE ium ALE prem AGERS L

Brixton’s finest selection of CRAFT BEERS including Brixton Brewery and BrewDog

Coconut Beats is a party series curated by Saturday night resident DJ HAAi, who welcomes some of her favourite artists to join her in the booth. Tonight: Brian Shimkovitz, who was on a scholarship in Ghana when he got hooked on the cassette culture of the region so started his label AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA. 9:30pm-4am. £6-£15. | Snips | King Underground | Jim Sharp | Snips | Danny Bounce. DJs: Nick The Record | Mr Thing | DJ Snips | DJ CABLE | DJ Mo Fingaz | Russ Ryan | J-Felix | Rod Spin Gilmore / Jim Sharp | Mr Brown | Suncut Records | Rook Records. FOOD: Donostia Social Club | Viet Box | Made of Dough | Mama’s Jerk | Baba G’s Bhangra Burger | Homegrown Cafe & Juice Bar | KOI Ramen Bar | Other Side Fried | Franzina Trattoria and more. AA If you are interested in selling, contact info@nearmint.org.

Tony says drop by and say hello! We are open all hours and you are very welcome.

FREE local delivery within 2 miles for orders over £60

We also sell fine wines: red, white, sparkling rose and many choices of champagne

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22  TIME OFF brixtonblog.com 2018 MARCH

Medicine for the mind and soul

GEMMA PASHA

It’s time to venture outside We have all been eagerly waiting for some signs of Spring and the mild spell at the start of February sent the buds on the trees growing and the bulbs in the ground shooting up. You may have even seen some keen daffs out already. It is such an exciting time of year with the promise of a beautiful spring and summer ahead. But, when you dust off your gardening gloves and venture outside, you may find there are quite a few jobs that need to be done and things may have got a little messy over the long dark winter. If you did not get round to cutting back and pruning your shrubs in autumn, now is definitely the time to get on with that. If you let new growth develop on old wood you will end up with oversized and woody plants. This is especially important for your roses – don’t be afraid. You can chop those roses right back to six inches off the ground. Being confident and decisive with your pruning now will ensure better blooms for years to come. It’s a good idea to get all the wet, soggy and rotting leaves off the

ground (you can bag them up, keep them somewhere safe and next year use them as compost). Give the soil a good dig over, but beware of bulbs that are popping up now. Work around them. It’s also a good time to get your equipment ship shape … sharpen your tools, service your motorised tools. Spring is really one of the busiest times in the gardening calendar and it is important to hit the ground running. AAIf you don’t feel like you have the time to get out there just yet, please call me on 07826 551353. I am The Gardening Girl and I can help you. But most importantly … start enjoying the and lighter evenings in your garden and the warmer days when they come.

Akeim Toussaint Buck, a recent arrival in Brixton, loves the community that he has found here and is offering it a unique workshop to enable local people to create performances from the stories of their own lives. “This is a workshop on mixed creative art forms for people from many creative or no creative backgrounds,” he says. “It is all about transmuting our stories into performance as a way of healing or honouring our situations.” “This is something for the community – so professionals are not turned away and beginners are not turned away. “Creative practice is medicine to the mind and soul. “We define ourselves and our reality through our languages.

One language we are absolutely skilled in is the body – but we are not conscious of this.” The workshop, he says, will connect the language of the body to the language. “The objective is to create something of a cathartic performance for ourselves and each other. “I see performance as an insight into others’ healing and into our understanding of issues/situations in the world.” The workshop is at Longfield Hall, Knatchbull Road, SE5 9QY from 10am to 3pm on Saturday 14 April. Booking essential: Fee until 11 March, £40; after until 13 April, £50. 66 Email toussainttomove@ gmail.com; call or text 07856 113498.

Mother’s Day with a difference Why not do Mothers Day differently this year. Local natural skincare company, PureGoodness, is offering Bugle readers a Mother’s Day gift event in Brixton, for mothers and a loved one or friends who want to do something fun together. In this special workshop, PureGoodness’ founder Sherilyn Dos Santos will show participants how to make their own treatment moisturiser using the power of

plant oils. She will explain how natural moisturisers are made and the therapeutic properties of different plant oils. You will make your own customised blend, using your preferred choice of plant oils to mix into a base cream. In addition there will be: 66 Fresh pastries and a glass of wine on arrival (non-alcoholic options will also be available) 66 PureGoodness product samples 66 10% off any full-size

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MARCH 2018

Hill Mead HERALD SHAKESPEARE WITH UNICORN AND THE NATIONAL THEATRE

Othello – it’s about trust and loyalty by Marius, Guillermo and Nathan, Year 5 Thou, art, thy and thee are just some of the Shakespearean words that Year 5 have been studying for our project on Othello with the Unicorn Theatre. David and Ibrahim, actors from the theatre, led our school workshop – it was brilliant. It was mostly about trust and loyalty. We kicked off with a quick trust game, for example, we were sitting on benches, with someone standing in the middle. One of us nodded to another and this signalled us to switch places. A rapid nod, but not too much, so the person in the middle didn’t catch a seat. The second game was to help us imagine being a soldier and other characters from the play. We had to walk like soldiers, inspect the guards and follow instructions from Ibrahim. In the third game we acted as the characters in the pIay – Othello, Iago and Cassio, thinking of their lifestyle. For example, Cassio is young and doesn’t take his job seriously, so we walked jollily across the room. Othello is proud and serious so we marched and saluted. Now, Iago is clever and careful, so we walked with long straight faces. We can’t wait to see Othello and we hope we have encouraged you to go as well.

Now we are fans! by Lucien and Jacopo, Year 4 Do you know Shakespeare’s play – A Winter’s Tale? Well, Year 4 are now experts, thanks to the National Theatre and John, who was our workshop teacher. Here’s the story … Leontes, the King of Sicillia, invites Polixenes, King of Bohemia, to his dance but becomes filled with jealousy when his wife dances with his childhood friend. This leads to many bad things happening. King Leontes’ son dies, Antignus gets eaten by a bear, Polixenes is nearly poisoned and Hermione pretends to sleep for 16 years! But Camilla escapes! We learnt so much because John was brilliant. He taught us key parts of the story with role-play, dancing, a floor sculpture of Leontes made from tape (right), and loads of freeze frame. I (Lucien) liked the floor sculpture because I could get really creative. I (Jacopo ) loved the dancing because it was great to get to know the old dances. We have been spending most of the time acting, creating our own old-fashioned dance moves, writing

We can’t wait to handle rocks from outer space Hill Mead’s senior teacher for year 4, Gemma-Louise Blair, who also runs the science lab, visited one of the world’s largest centre for scientific research – CERN and the Large Hadron Collider – in Geneva, Switzerland. After that visit, Miss Blair went to Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxford, where she shared with other science leads how science is taught at Hill Mead. She gave as an example how pupils in year 6 used the poem Cosmic Disco to create a topic for learning that crossed the boundaries between subjects. Year 6 pupils explored the distances between planets for their maths, wrote their own poems about space in literacy as

well as looking at the evolution of our universe. Miss Blair also discussed how science is taught in years 2, 3, 4 and 5 and shared some of the books that children used in guided reading sessions linked to particle physics. After the presentation Miss Blair was invited to hold some rocks from outer space and she handled actual rocks from Mars and the Moon. The most exciting part was holding the oldest known rock from outer space, part of a meteorite. We can’t wait for next academic year as Miss Blair has submitted an application for us to borrow the samples through the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s loan scheme.

PLOUGHING IN THE PARK Pupils from Hill Mead went to Ruskin Park in Herne Hill to see giant “shire” horses ploughing part of the park so that wheat can be grown there. This is what they said: Great: “I liked it because the farmers were talking to the shire horses and the horse listened to them and did what they were told”

in role and retelling the story. Then the National Theatre came to our school … Outstanding! Incredible! My favourite part (Lucien) was the apology and the actor used

a parachute to act as the sea – it was very heart-warming. For me (Jacopo), it was Hermione coming back to life – everyone was shocked. We are Shakespeare fans now.

Oluferami: “It was fun learning about the shire horses ploughing the park”

Mason: “I was on the news planting the wheat! My dad said: “‘Wow! that’s you.”


BRIXTON

SPORT Winner in Somaliland

David Hellard from Brixton won the inaugural Somaliland marathon (left, below) in February. Although not internationally recognised as a country, Somaliland has existed as an independent state since 1991 and is the birthplace of Mo Farah. Hellard, who presents the Bad Boy Running Podcast, was sat in third place at half way, but managed to storm through the field to finish in a time of 2:55:27. Hellard took part in the race as part of his fundraising for Street Child at virginmoneygiving.com/davidhellard. He has run marathons in places as far-flung as Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Bagan (Myanmar) and competed in the World Beer Mile championships last year, finishing third as part of the England team.

By Charlie Peat, Sportsbeat TOMMY Curran Jones described his second men’s épée title at British University and College Sport (BUCS) Nationals as a huge personal achievement as he defended his gold medal in Sheffield. The Durham University fencer defeated Will Germany and Bernardo Delarue Bizzini on his way to the final, before comprehensively downing Sebastiaan van Gilst 15-5 to retain his crown. The 22-year-old from Brixton takes great pride in winning the national competition. “BUCS Nationals is a very personal win to me,” the Brixton Fencing Club member said. “This is a great platform for preparing for World Cups later this year with the national team.

“It always means a lot to come to BUCS and compete and I’m very happy for my victory in the men’s épée.” Curran Jones, who won the Junior Commonwealth Championship title in 2015, admits he was slightly nervous heading into BUCS as defending champion. He said: “It’s always nervous turning up when you’ve won the year before and you have a little bit of expectation. “I had a really comfortable start to the day, I was feeling really good and fencing really well. “I really struggled in my last-64 fight and I thought I was going out at that point but dug deep and won that one. “I had a couple of easy fights after that. The quarter-final stages were tough. I had one good fight to settle the nerves but it was a hard battle to

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get into the final. The final fight was a little disappointing because he had cramp. “It’s huge for me. I felt a lot of weight from the university because I know they want me to win and I train every single week with the rest of the team at Durham University and they are great. “They really look up to me and urge me to do well. “I have a scholarship for sport. So it’s great coming here and proving that last year wasn’t a fluke and that you’re comfortable and you deserve the victory.” BUCS Nationals powered by Muhdo is the largest annual multi-sport event in the UK, bringing the best of Britain’s university athletes together to compete across eight different sports in Sheffield. AA More info at bucs.org.uk and via #BUCSNationals.

SPORTSBEAT

Bugle

BRIXTON STUDENT FENCER WINS NATIONAL GOLD AGAIN

LAMBETH

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