Lambeth Life 9th issue (Dec18/Jan19)

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DEC 18 /JAN 19 /NO 9

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Welcome to Lambeth, Michelle Obama!

On Monday 3 December, former First Lady of the United States of America Michelle Obama visited the Southbank Centre, Lambeth, to reflect on her memoir, BECOMING. In conversation with acclaimed novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Mrs. Obama invited the audience at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her – from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive, balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address.

Mrs Obama is one of the most admired women in the world. As First Lady—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the United States and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments.

With warmth and wit, Mrs. Obama describes in BECOMING her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms.

Several Londoners of different generations share their views about Michelle’s visit and what it means to them for Lambeth Life’s readers: Past winner of The Voice, Jermain Jackman says he reached out to Michelle Obama shortly before her visit to London. “I said ‘it’s great you’re coming to London, but I’d love to host a meeting with you with just young people. Because young people who really want to hear you won’t have the opportunity to buy a ticket for the Southbank. They look up to you.’

“It’s inspiring for young black men and women when Michelle Obama comes to the UK to speak about her journey and her story, and they can take certain gems on board for whatever they’re going through”.

Florence Eshalomi, London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark attended the event and for Lambeth Life >> PAGE 2

Distributed in the London Borough of Lambeth wards of Bishop’s, Clapham Town, Ferndale, Larkhall, Oval, Prince’s Stockwell, Brixton and Vassall

Lambeth’s Budget: Protecting our priorities

Michelle Obama discusses her memoir BECOMING with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in an exclusive UK event in Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in collaboration with Penguin Live on Mon. 3 Dec. 2018. Photo by Mark Allan/Southbank Centre.

Councillor Lib Peck* Lambeth is putting together its plans for funding our most vital services in the coming years.

But, with the money we get from central government still dwindling, we’ll also have to work out where to make more spending cuts. Over the last few years our core funding from the government has been cut by more than half; that adds up to over £230m slashed from our budget between 2010 and 2020.

But, even after having to make all those cuts over the last decade, we now need to find another £43m of savings over the next four years.

That means the vital services that you depend on are under even more pressure. Most of our money is spent on helping the most vulnerable residents of Lambeth through Adult Social Care and Children Services.

We need to find and embrace new ways to pay for and deliver these services in future.

Lambeth is a wonderful borough, perfectly situated in the heart of London, with a great history of welcoming people from all cultures and backgrounds into our community.

We are a borough full of opportunity and we must harness this to attract investment and growth. And we must ensure that growth and opportunity are experienced by everyone in Lambeth. That is a main priority for this council. >> PAGE 2

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LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

LETTERS Having attended the excellet Damilola Taylor Memorial Lecture on Friday and listened to the speakers discuss the causes and solutions to youth violence, the following occurs to me: From the speeches, discussions and observation, three things seem very to jump out as causes of youth violence and if these three can be addressed simultaneously, we are assured to see a reduction and the will be positive impact from the various efforts adopted to address the epidemic.

1. Police violence is one of the causes of youth violence. How? Control! Police use force (violence) as a means of taking control even while they are taking control of an unarmed suspect. The young person thus inadvertently learns to see violence as a means of taking control of their environment. Violence becomes a tool for control for them. They don’t have the baton but they do have access to knives and sometimes firearms.

2. Exclusion from school hardens the young person rather than reform them. How? If a pupil knows

that they will not escape the school system due to their poor behaviour but will be made to serve forms of punishment and reprimand within the school system, they will be forced to make amends. Exclusion, conversely, has the promise of unsupervised freedom. So, the school performance measurement system should make pupils the serve their reprimand within the school, perhaps by making them do community service within the school.

3. Why are the police more friendly in Scotland than in London?

Therein lies the interaction challenge the police have with the community.

If that can be addressed, more prevention information will flow to the police.

Michael Lewis In the article “Young innovators to get Lambeth hooked on science” in Issue 8 of Lambeth Life, we mistakenly referred to Science Gallery Young Leader and staff member Richard Dixon as Richard Wilson. We apologise for the error.

Lambeth’s Budget: Protecting our priorities Councillor Lib Peck* space, especially for cultural and Thousands of new homes are digital start-up companies, creabeing built, bringing more people ting thousands of new jobs. to the borough and increasing our We are working hard to procouncil tax base. vide opportunity in Lambeth desDevelopers pay us contributi- pite the harsh financial deal hanons that help build social housing, ded to us by government.But we better infrastructure and facilities still need your help in managing like tube stations, health centres, our budget. We want to hear what schools and nurseries. your priorities are and how we can And we are fast becoming continue to invest and grow, to set London’s lead borough in provi- a balanced budget that is fair for ding affordable and flexible work- everyone. *Lib Peck is the Leader of Lambeth Council

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Southwark, attended the event and shared her thoughts “Michelle was honest and open about some of the many frustrations that came with being the First Lady, including the constant scrutiny on what she was wearing by the British Press instead of a focus on the initiatives she was trying to promote. She described how the racism and hostility directed at her for the mere fact that she is a black woman and the how the tag of ‘Angry Black Woman’ would be applied, just because she had the temerity to have her own opinion and ideas about how she wanted her tenure and role of the First Lady to be. She described the connection she felt with the group of students at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in Islington because like them, she knew that as a young black woman, a good education was crucial in helping to open opportunities in a world that is still very much biased against people from a certain background. I sat in my seat nodding and agreeing with most of her comments because as a black woman I could relate to so many of the issues she described that evening.”

Jacqueline Mckenzie, an Immigration and Asylum Lawyer based in Streatham, who has been the leading solicitor in the Windrush campaign, said “My real ‘sheros’ are the women of the Windrush generation denied their rights by the British government and the victims of FGM, torture, domestic abuse and trafficking who I work with and who have all taught me what true courage and strength is. Michelle Obama however provides a symbol of hope to young people who face

Publisher Ibrahim Dogus Editor Ayla Acar

racism and classism in that her visibility allows us to hear the story of how she overcame racism, misogyny and disadvantage to rise to the top of her profession and give back through community activism, messages that some of our young people, especially, need to hear in these very troubled times.”

Marcie Brown, a South Londonbased freelance writer, said of the visit “Speaking as a dark-skinned Black woman finding my path in 1980s Britain, the idea of a symbol of hope such as Michelle Obama would have been a hard sell. The search for positive Black, female role models who were accessible, user friendly and relevant to our ‘fight’ for equality was a depressing and fruitless experience. As I watch her seamlessly reach out to marginalised young women, empathising with their struggles and cheering on their achievements, I feel a mixture of awe and envy. How I wish she had paid a visit to my school. You only have to look at the faces of those young men and women to understand how impactful a visit from a Former First Lady such as Michelle Obama can be.

She has a warmth, a determination, a knowing fighting spirit that is priceless. She can inspire those who can inspire others. She can make you put down the donut and pick up a carrot! Give that homework one final check before you submit.

Give up the twerking and get working on that CV. Who knows, with a few words the whiff of cocoa butter and that smile she may even have given me the confidence to apply to Bristol Uni, instead of ‘settling’ for a Poly. Millennials, breathe in the greatness, hold, hold, hold...

Sales Liridona Ahmeti

twitter@_LambethLife

Features Harry Lloyd Riley Thorold With thanks to Joshua Neicho Merve Akansel

release, and take your place in Michelle’s world. Make her proud.”

The Advocacy Academy is a youth movement working to unleash the power of young people to create a more fair, just, and equal society. Thanks to the support of Penguin Random House, The Advocacy Academy was able to send 20 black women to see Michelle Obama in conversation with Chimamanda Adichie. Akhera Williams, Class of 2019, The Advocacy Academy Social Justice Leadership Fellowship, said “This event has honestly marked a new epoch, tonight has given me the liberty to redefine what it means to be a black woman in this world instead of what we’re always conditioned to think of ourselves as.”.

Shirley Thompson is an eminent black British composer, commissioned by the Southbank Centre in 2009 to write a piece to mark the first 100 days of Barack Obama’s presidency. She is Head of Composition and is Head of Composition and Performance at Westminster University, and said “I’ll never forget that in their first Christmas in the White House the Obama Family spent Christmas day, with the children, in the local soup kitchen, helping to serve food provisions to those who were less well off.

Michelle Obama has helped to transform societies across the world with her love of humanity.

She has been an exemplar of advocating the power of love and kindness over the power of money. In high office she has demonstrated the dire need for equal opportunities in societies, beginning with family and the local community”.

Shirley Thompson, composer

Designers

Olay Newspaper Photography

Ali Haydar Yesilyurt

ple’s vote and respect for Lambeth’s EU re LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

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cuts with a high net inflow of migrants, ublisher 30 fo has benefited hugely: foreign worAs the year drawscoming to a close, to wasthe the visit of formeradd First Lady innovative work taking place at the s kers capital here’s a brief update on what Michelle Obama’s visit to Souththe Remakery in Brixton, where value toIn her happened ineconomic 2018 and what’s bank amounting Centre in Lambeth. social enterprises are suppor- we w next for Lambeth Life. own words Michelle explained ting upcycling and reclaiming betw 4.5% of the UK’s tax take.

We have began our journey as her journey in an amazing way waste materials.

Looking beyond aro before we a free local community newspa“I’m an economic ordinary person who foWhile many local free papers acro per to celebrate the contribution herself on anshows extraordinary continue to cease trading, Lam- ols d guments, life inundLambeth EU, Britain’s made by individuals, community journey. In sharing my story, I beth Life, with your continuous that The space bo- for y. Theresa organisations and immigration businesses hopeworks. to help create support, has grown from 20,000 We w and to ensure that the Lambeth other stories and other voices, print copies into 60,000 copies als fo rough is a thriving multicultural was roundly continues to be a place where to widen the pathway for who and now reaches over 60% of hoplace. from and all why”. over and senior we all prosper and livePeople in peace belongs Youthe will read mes in Lambeth and its reach is and e and harmony. more about Michelle Obama’s viincreasing with every issue. their world bring their skills and entup to make This year has been domina- sit to Lambeth in our exclusive As a not-for-profit but forEv ted by discussions about the drive, story inand this issue. public-good journalism project, repreneurial there’s a e. Warnings Brexit. Freedom of movement, or In this issue’s features, Josour content is free for all to acchan strong sense of cohesion. t have come the customs union, or the single hua Neicho gets the latest views cess and we are delighted to market, the national conversaPimlico Plumbers founder work with many volunteers and tial That’s not tofrom say there aren’t ost of major tion has been largely conducted and prominent Remainer Charlie freelancers who contribute so got lies around at the level ofinequalities. macro-economics, We’ve Mullins, and talksatolong local EU cimuch to our community news- can and geo-politics. tizens about how they feel in the paper. tion m the £350 way to go on issues such as knife Big sweeping themes about lead up to the Brexit vote. We On behalf of all at Lambeth communities NHS down - of crime. the future our nation, But and ourwhen also take a look at how Lambeth Life we want to thank you for worl nation’s place in the global ecoCouncil is responding to the biyour wonderful support over the Lam people get a come together we can overcome nomy. Our readers do not need ting cuts imposed by central go- IBRAHIM DOGUS Publisher Lambeth-based arts, science and past year. During the festive semany problems.

Socialweproblems That ismewhy to remind them that almost vernment; discuss the propo- info@lambethlife.com politics magazine which focuses ason we hope you might even 80% of us in Lambeth voted to re- sed changes to children’s centre on how climate change affects switch off a little from the over* are complex and we’ve all got a ues in main Lamand we would not be sorry funding from both the council’s people’s lives. Each issue, Lam- information age but keep an eye to perspective solve them. he People’s to see Brexit role thrownto intoplay the bin. and the response rent plans. We launch a new re- beth Life will publish tailored ar- on our website and social media Perhaps the most significant from Coin Street, one of the cent- gular feature piece in collabora- ticles about how local matters. accounts for fantastic announceIn Being open to immigration attendance event of 2018 for us in Lambeth res set to lose funding under cur- tion with It’s Freezing in LA! the In line with this, we look at the ments for the New Year.

Kenn h October is and skills is a good thing, and we here. It’s a simple thing, and a Walk Primary in south Lambeth right the 100,000 mustn’t be afraid to say it.

On the other side of the equa- fundamental duty of government, with £315 less to spend per pupil polit e. over five years in real terms; child- the 2 tion, we need to offer reassurance to make everyone feel welcome. ren at nearby Archbishop Sumner whic to EU nationals that they can conPrimary face a cut of £609 each glute * * * * * * tinue to live and work in the UK. In early December, Lambeth pated cut to the Revenue Support “The most deprived areas of the of £1.3bn to next year’s nowPrimary calling on their and at Revenue Vauxhall a government reduc- to Sear While Theresa May has said EU Council Leader Cllr Lib Peck was Grant, by 2020, councils will have country have been hit much harder Support Grant. To blindly press on stop further cuts, but the Tories in tion see areas the - hard work rights among almost citizens’ 80 Labour council lostare 60p ofsafe every £1even given byin centralWhen than theI richest nine of the withthat further cuts at a of time£459. when Westminster are completely failing awa leaders to write to communities government since 2010.

10 most deprived councils in the local government is on the brink to listen.

Education in Lambeth has been ciou the event of No“AsDeal, there are goes on in our local schools, I secretary James Brokenshire, to deleaders of councils repre- country have seen cuts of almost of collapse would be hugely irres“Eight years of cuts, on top of inctransformed inreased recent years, from mand the cancellation of a forthcomillions citizens, we aream three times the national average. ponsible.” demand and cuts to other Blac very proud. concerns manysenting could fall ofthrough ming £1.3bn funding cut to councils. writing to make clear that you must After eight years of austerity, many Cllr Lib Peck, Lambeth Council public services like schools and the But teachers and students are 14 schools being in special mea- beth the net of the government’s eligiThe letter comes amid warnings use the settlement to truly end aus- councils have reached breaking po- leader, said: “Labour councils ac- NHS are pushing councils to breafrom several councils they are terity in local government and im-working int and council budgets are hand perilo- behind ross the country are united in sa- to king96% point. judged We’re working hard to lenc sures in 1996 at lewith one bilitythat test.

What resources will be al outcome, facing bankruptcy, with Tory-run mediately provide the funding we usly close to collapse.” ying that enough is enough – coun- protect services for vulnerable pegood or outstanding The government cla-affordast towards public information ess the key putcounty Northamptonshire council a need to avoid catastrophic collapsetheir “Atback. an absolute minimum, you cils can’t to take any more ople despite theby cutsOfsted – but we need and t already effectively being bailed out in key council services,” council lemust use the funding settlement cuts after a decade of austerity. the government to listen councils brin harBrexit vote. campaign for 3.8 million people? ims education spending is at its last year. Budget cuts make it to by the government. With the antici- aders write. to cancel the planned further cut Even Conservative councils are and to end austerity now.” argely beca- What will the Home Office do to highest ever level. The reality is der for schools to continue imp- mun migration – ensure vulnerable people, the el- per pupil spending has been fro- roving, with fewer teachers and spor W as with few derly and children aren’t overlo- zen in cash terms since 2015. Fac- bigger class sizes. Thousands of who recog- oked? Given a 10% failure rate in tor in inflation, rising pupil num- teachers are quitting. The NAHT sue a Brexit to ca- immigration checks for bank ac- bers, and the national funding union believes that even if there abou uld address counts, how much confidence can formula – in theory fair, but le- were enough new trainees, scho- supp aving schools in deprived inner- ols wouldn’t have the money to feel cerns by ma- we have in the system? us on them.

The current arrangements are city areas facing the biggest los- hire e for immigSteaks&Burgers Labour is taking a completely hope udies show insufficient. People who have li- ses - and it transpires funding for more than ved and worked in the UK, cont- all Lambeth’s 71 schools in 2020 different approach with a cradle- com g workforce ributing to our society and with could be lower in real terms than to-grave National Education Ser- dive es migrants family and friends here must be five years earlier. So the Schools vice, guaranteeing universal high you ay. London, treated equally to those born Cuts website shows Walnut Tree standards. We will reverse the far a

Labour Council Leaders Reject Cuts

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LAMBETH LIFE

Joshua Neicho With the Brexit process stalled in Parliament, there’s a resounding call from across Lambeth to think again, on both hard-nosed business and humanitarian grounds.

Marketing-savvy Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins, whose HQ is in Sail Street, Kennington, embraces fighting Brexit with gusto. His giant rooftop “Bollocks to Brexit” sign that greets Waterloo commuters plus electronic billboards around the capital have delighted many and infuriated others, with Mullins gamely retweeting critics. He was planning his own Bollocks to Brexit bus until a crowdfunded campaign got theirs out first (rather than yellow, Mullins’ would have parodied Vote Leave’s red and white graphics).

Mullins, a 66 year old multimillionaire who grew up in poverty in Camden and Southwark, tells Lambeth Life that “common sense” about the costs of leaving the EU led him to passionately support a People’s Vote, and that Leavers’ desire to end freedom of movement to protect public services and boost employment prospects for British workers is “short-sighted”.

“As a country I don’t believe we can survive without immigrants” he says. “London construction sites are going to come to a standstill. It already is massively [affecting] the NHS”.

The former Conservative donor bluntly tells Leavers who argue EU migrants are squeezing out established workers – “No - the benefits system and the Jeremy Kyle Show are stopping you guys going to work”.

His position isn’t self-interested, he explains, as he employs few non-UK nationals: he needs plumbers with top qualifications and excellent English language skills to serve his highvalue customers.

While Theresa May isn’t a bad per-

Whenever there’s a problem ‘What can I do?’ - there’s a tendency to look towards government for a solution. That’s what politicians are for, after all. But is this working?

In May I met with other newly elected Members of Youth Parliament for London to discuss what issue we wanted to tackle over the next year. Without great deliberation, ‘knife crime’ came out as the most important.

It was striking how critical each Youth Parliament Member was with the status quo. “What can we do about it?” became “What do we do?”, then “When are we doing this?”.

It was only after picking our topic that we found out 14,680 of the 40,100 crimes involving knives in England and Wales in 2017-18 were in London (an increase of 21% on the previous year).

First, we put our motion forward

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

Unstopping the Brexit blockage the Lambeth way

Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins son, he says, her anti-enterprise views chill him so much he won’t make his mooted run for Mayor as an Independent if she’s still PM – he couldn’t do business with her. Lambeth Council rapped him over his Bollocks to Brexit sign for not having planning permission. But he’s convinced he has the tacit support of the authority, which has endorsed a People’s Vote. “They sent an email to me to remove it, and now they’ve backed off. I think in the real world they’re not that fussed about it. And let’s not kid anyone, they wouldn’t want to

take on that fight”.

Lambeth is home to many of those most directly affected by Brexit: the local authority with the sixth highest proportion of people born in Western Europe and the biggest Portuguese community, plus a significant Polish population. The impact of the vote to leave has already been felt in last year’s 38% drop in in-year primary school admissions, including not one Eastern European child. Ewa Kwasniewska, who directs a South Norwood choir, says Poles are returning home now not so much because of resentment but to enjoy a much better quality of life, thanks to the fall in the pound. She’s worried who will treat her father in hospital, where his care is administered by Spanish nurses, a Greek cardiologist and a Polish

anaesthetist. Stockwell-based immigration lawyer Marco Pires is contacted “daily” by families who intend to return to Portugal. Other members of the community have moved to countries including France, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. In West Norwood, Cristiane Lebelem found SMEs losing heart over advertising in the Portuguese community newspaper she used to edit. Pires has begun to fear speaking openly on his mobile in Portuguese after being threatened on a call to his mother. Both he and Lebelem lament the effects of uncertainty: “Who invests in a country at the centre of a political and economic typhoon?”, Pires asks.

John McCay of community support organisation Stockwell Partnership worries about poor communication of EU citizens’ residency provisions to marginalised groups – and cut-back bureaucracy unable to cope with ever-changing regulations. One staff member was told they had no access to continuing British residency based on an incomplete form 14 years ago. Low-income EU citizens face more difficulties in rollout of universal credit, with ambiguous form questions a nightmare for non-native English speakers. Unison official Katia Widlak warns that in the event of No deal, the sign-up period for residency may be reduced, and future governments may change eligibility criteria for accessing public services.

The effects reach everyone – food importers, cafés and bars struggling to find staff, tech and digital businesses who have seen a hike in the cost of remote coding teams, business reliant on the finance industry ecosystem, where many firms have moved departments to continental EU countries to prepare for possible regulations changes. In healthcare, King’s College Hospital saw EU applications for consultant roles fall from a third

We can only solve knife crime as one big community to the British Youth Council, and ensured it was debated at the BYC’s Annual Sitting in Parliament. This was undoubtedly a win: for the first time, the BYC’s Make Your Mark Campaign received over one million votes, with “Combatting Knife Crime” chosen as Britain’s top priority.

Second, we worked with the Youth Violence Commission, chaired

by Lewisham Deptford MP Vicky Foxcroft, in discussing the YVC report advocating for a public health approach to combat violence, and how to ensure the government would listen.

The public health approach is a

Jamal Simon, Member of Youth Parliament for Lambeth concept of dealing with an issue holistically and engaging with the diffe-

rent policy areas which affects it: a great example is with car accidents, where deaths dropped 16% between 2005-2012 following policy changes.

Vicky Foxcroft secured a government debate on the public health approach, having asked nearly a dozen times. Frustratingly, despite Sadiq Khan and Sajid Javid both committing to the public health approach to tackle knife crime, they have failed to be transparent about what it would look like – thereby misunderstanding what the approach is about.

On Friday 7th December at the Damilola Taylor Trust Memorial lecture, what I understood of the

of the total before the referendum to zero by October 2017; the hospital is keen to point out it has the lowest nursing vacancy rate in London, and both it and Guy’s and St Thomas’s have agreed to cover securing settled status costs for employees, such is the concern about retention. The cultural scene stands to suffer, as the borough with the UK’s biggest arts centre faces the prospect of a burdensome visa regime for visiting performers.

Britain’s international reputation is at stake. On the Southbank, Chilean Alvaro Badilla, a Londoner for the past six months, fears postreferendum Britain “is not giving proper back up in the rest of the world”; in Chile, he reports, some politicians are using Brexit as an example to push divisive policies.

But there are some tantalising shifts closer to home, as recent polls showing support for a People’s Vote and a tilt towards wanting continued EU membership suggest. Since 2016 Lambeth for Europe campaigners have been taking the pulse of the borough, where opinion has just become even strongly Remain. It’s when they go to Leave areas that they detect how “the mood has completely changed,” according to Fiona Mackenzie from the group. Orpington after Jo Johnson resigned was “wonderful”, she says; one determined Leave voter saying he backed a People’s Vote, because “even when they voted Leave it was a disaster, such a mess”. Back in Kennington, Charlie Mullins’s gut instinct is that “the will of the people has changed” now that “the facts are out there. I think people are entitled to change their mind”.

“And will Lambeth’s coalition of a plumber and public servants, Portuguese and Poles and other proud patriots show the way?”

public health approach was reaffirmed. What its pioneers have done in Scotland wasn’t about policing or about government legislation: it was about community. It’s about bridging the gap between those who feel so isolated that they don’t care for society’s rules. It treats violence – not just street violence, but all violence including that against the self - as a physical disease, and it rebuilds the trust in institutions that had become so eroded.

“What can I do?” - the answer is engaging with those around you.

Representative democracy never can be automatically representative.

We can’t just expect our politicians to know what to do - it takes a community. So be active somehow; anyhow. Talk to your local councillor, volunteer, challenge hateful language.

That’s the most valuable lesson I’ve learned and my mantra for life.

LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

Lambeth Council has launched its consultation into the future of children’s centres in the borough. The consultation sets out how Lambeth has worked to protect children’s centres, despite a significant cut in their funding from central government.

As funding cuts begin to bite, Lambeth Life explores at how the council is looking to manage its budget – and the response of one children’s centre that is set to suffer from the cuts under proposed plans.

Continuing cuts and funding changes from central government are forcing the council to make some changes to the way children’s centres are run in the borough. The consultation will set out the proposed changes and ask residents to have their say on them.

The council has had its budget cut by more than half since 2010 and the government’s changes to the Dedicated Schools Grant mean that the council has £1.4 million less a year to spend on children’s centres.

Councillor Jennifer Brathwaite, Deputy Leader of the Council (Children and Young People), said: “In Lambeth, we really value early years services and know that they make a vital difference in supporting young children to grow and develop. This is especially true for children who come from the poorest backgrounds.

“That’s why to date we’ve done all we can to protect our twentythree children’s centres, one of the highest numbers of any London borough, despite eight years of government cuts.

“But the government’s cuts and changes to the grant have put us in an impossible situation and we are being forced to make some changes.

“However, despite the scale of the challenge, our proposals is to keep 18 centres open across the borough.

Our proposals ensure that every part of our borough has a network of excellent local centres that can provide support to families and they retain our commitment to giving every child in Lambeth the best start in life.”

The council’s proposals will see children’s centres reorganised into six groups by area in the borough, with one centre being the lead for each area.

The proposed centres are: • 11 core children’s centres offering a full programme of activities every morning and afternoon throughout the week. Services available will include health visiting services, stay and play, crèches, parenting support

Lambeth launches consultation on children’s centre changes and adult learning activities such as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes.

• 7 link centres that will be open every morning or afternoon and offer a range of children’s centre activities, including stay and play sessions and support for parents and families.

• The 18 centres will be grouped into six cluster areas, and in each cluster area there will be one lead provider responsible for delivering the services across the children’s centres. The lead provider will employ a team of staff including Better Start workers who will provide one to one support for families living in the area who need additional help.

For the five remaining centres, the council is working with schools and communities try and ensure that no building actually closes and that as many services as possible continue there, such as free childcare for eligible two-year-olds and free nursery

Local Lambeth mum Stephanie

places for three-year-olds.

You can find out more about these proposals and have your say by: • Collecting a booklet from your centre – they are available in all 23 children’s centres in Lambeth • Or going online – visit Lambeth.gov.uk/childrens-centres-consultation The consultation closes on 10th February 2019.

Coin Street Coin Street is one of the five centres which are due to see a 100% funding cut under the current proposals. “We have been proudly supporting young Lambeth families in our purpose-built and accessible neighbourhood centre since 2007” says David Hopkins, Coin Street’s director of community. “We believe in giving families and children the best start in life, to support them to be happy, healthy and resilient

to life’s challenges. The proposed cuts will hit our Lambeth families and children hard and are likely to have significant impact in the longer term, particularly to vulnerable families and those most at risk.”

If the proposals go through, families and children currently accessing the Ofsted Outstanding Coin Street family and children’s centre, will have a 25-minute walk to the nearest children’s centre in Kennington or Oval. “Experience tells us that families, especially vulnerable families, access services where they feel safe and where they have built relationships and trust with an organisation and members of the team there. Our families regularly tell us how at home they feel at the neighbourhood centre. If they have to travel somewhere new, we are concerned they will just fall through the net.

“Residents at this end of the bo-

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rough often lose out on funding because there is a perception that it is all bankers and brokers up here.

We work with families on local estates struggling to make ends meet every day and they need help on the doorstep as much as families do in Brixton and Stockwell” says David.

“We are unusual amongst children’s centres in Lambeth in that we are not a school-led provision and we offer services for families with babies (from 3 months) and continue to work with them as children become pre-teens, teens and young adults” says David. “Activities at Coin Street family and children’s centre do not stop at 5 years and/ or 5pm on a Friday. We run activities across the weekend and during school holidays.”

We may be surrounded by the cultural attractions of the South Bank and pockets of wealth, but there is a high level of deprivation at this end of the borough. “Unlike other children’s centres in Lambeth, Coin Street family and children’s centre is run by social enterprise Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB). This means that CSCB invests income generated from its range of commercial businesses into over 80 hours of free and affordable programmes and activities every week for families, children, young people, adults and older people.

“We believe that the Coin Street family and children’s centre provides strong value for money as a partner to Lambeth Council. We have consistently increased the amount we invest as an organisation in children’s centre provision year on year as local authority funding has diminished.”

Since 2010/11 Lambeth funding to CSCB has reduced by over 60% but CSCB believes in the importance of early intervention and has maintained the services at Coin Street family and children’s centre by investing more of its own funds. But there is a limit to how much Coin Street can subsidise the services.

According to Coin Street, Lambeth’s proposals have not yet taken into account: • quality of service provision • the ability of partners to bring their own funding to the table • availability of families and children activities and support beyond 5 years • the importance of the weekend family provision including specialist groups such as our LGBT Parents Group and Dads and Male Carers provision “We hope we and our families will be able to convince Lambeth to review their proposals to ensure we are able to continue to provide families and children – including those most at risk – with the best start in life” says David.

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LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

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LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

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ming waste. In partnership with the Restart Project, there are evenings where you can bring small household appliances and be taught by experts how to fix them, there are beginners DIY courses for mums, bike fixing workshops, as well as social evenings. Details can be found at http://remakery.org/whats-on/.

To highlight the work taking place at the Remakery, Lambeth Life will feature introductions to their ‘makers’, beginning with Terry’s CityWoodwork enterprise.

CityWoodwork

Community building and environmental responsibility meet at Lambeth’s Remakery In October, world leading climate scientists warned the impending climate change catastrophe is much closer than previously thought. We now have only twelve years to keep global warming to 1.5C above preindustrial levels. While this is certainly foreboding news, it also presents an opportunity to reassess our modes of consumption and destruction, as well as redefine the relationship we have with the environment and materials we rely on every day.

The Remakery is one organisation helping Lambeth residents reformulate their relationship with waste by teaching new skills and bringing members of the local community together. Operating in Brixton since 2012, the Remakery operates from a large converted underground carpark – on lease from Lambeth Council – to link up local people and enterprises with waste materials they can put to good use.

Within the Remakery are a number of social enterprises, all of which focus on reclaiming reusable material and explore the environmental impact of sourcing raw material from source – be it

harvested, mined, or manufactured, as well as the enormity of the carbon footprint resulting from disposing of materials in landfill. Each enterprise has a different focus: Incredible Edible is a nationwide project which grows food on disused land, Urban Growth aims to maintain and create biodiverse spaces, and CityWoodwork uses woodwork with reclaimed wood as a form of therapy and a way of bringing people together.

Beyond facilitating their enterprises by providing space, tools and materials, the Remakery acts as an incubator for innovation. Ideas and solutions from people with different skills and expertise can crosspollinate, enabling the groups to devise innovative solutions to upcycling and reclaiming materials.

These experts – or ‘makers’ – are on hand to advise and teach the Remakery’s members. Monthly membership – beginning at £18 per month – is open to anybody interested in learning a new skill, working on a hobby, or just wants to test out ideas for their own enterprising way to reclaim waste. With full use of the voluminous space, tools, and

wide variety of materials and expertise, the Remakery offers a unique opportunity to learn about how to reclaim waste.

By teaching people about the environment, about making things, and about the sociological impact of the waste problem on the city, the Remakery emphasises the im-

portance of bringing communities together. It is a space not only to learn about materials, but about the impact of waste on the local and wider community. To stimulate these conversations and skills development, the Remakery hosts weekly events and courses to break down the barriers to people reclai-

CityWoodwork is a fledgling enterprise that seeks to bring people together to make friends while they make sawdust. Terry was inspired to take up woodwork as a way to relax and combat stress and anxiety. Some two years ago, he decided to combine his hobby with his desire to have a “socially mindful” job, and set up CityWoodwork. Very much in the spirit of the Remakery, CityWoodwork’s focus is on bringing people together around the concept of making things from – in this case – recycled wood.

CityWoodwork runs a number of courses catering to different groups, such as all-women courses, courses to help city workers destress, and workshops with local council estates. Terry is particularly keen to use woodwork to engage the socially isolated – to give people a great reason to get out of their homes and engage with others in a friendly atmosphere that promotes environmental awareness. Under Terry’s guidance, groups have made an array of items from decorative boxes and coat hangers to wine racks and chopping boards – all making perfect, personal and environmentally-friendly gifts for special occasions! To find out more, you can reach Terry at terry@citywoodwork. co.uk or pop into the Remakery on 51 Lilford Road, SE5 9HY.

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LAMBETH LIFE

Riley Thorold Earlier this year, a group of young people from Lambeth set up a quarterly arts, science and politics magazine which focuses on how climate change impacts people’s lives. The independent magazine, It’s Freezing in LA! - or IFLA! - has enjoyed a rapturous reception. The first issue has been shortlisted for a 2018 Stack Award in the international category ‘Launch of the Year’ and Stack Magazines will send the upcoming second edition to thousands of its subscribers. Martha Dillon, the founder and editor who has lived in Kennington her whole life, is delighted with its success:

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

It’s Freezing in LA! “we never anticipated such an enthusiastic response. It just goes to show how distressed people are about climate change and environmental degradation - they want to learn more about these issues and how they can be tackled”.

The magazine’s name is not ironic. Nor is it cautionary. It comes from a Donald Trump tweet, posted long before his presidential run: “Ice storm rolls from Texas to Tennessee - I’m in Los Angeles and it’s freezing. Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax!”

Evidently, we cannot rely on climate action being directed from the top, an observation which energises the It’s Freezing in LA team’s grassroots efforts. They take a bottom-up approach, engaging readers and spreading awareness with eclectic features and striking visuals. The magazine’s distinctive graphics are taken from global surface temperature maps.

Since 1884, when such records began, the average global temperature has risen by an unprecedented 0.8 degrees and two-thirds of

Written by Harry Lloyd, illustrated by Jiye Kim Harry Lloyd explains why air pollution accentuates systematic inequality in Lambeth, and what we can do about it.

When Black Lives Matter activists chained themselves together on the runway of London City Airport in 2016, they were protesting the fact that climate change accentuates and feeds off economic disparity. It is disproportionately a product of the rich, they said, and disproportionately affects the poor. The average annual salary on a passenger jet through City Airport is £119,000. Nearly half of those living and breathing the air polluted by those jets in the surrounding borough of Newham survive on £20,000 a year or less.

This inequality is as prevalent across the rest of London, where air quality distributions discriminate along both economic and racial lines, and Lambeth is no exception. Brixton road, for example, suffers notoriously from nitrogen oxides (NOx), responsible for half of air pollution related health problems. This year, annual limits were broken in just eighteen days. Neighbouring Electric Avenue and its surrounds, for all their vibrancy and character, are in the top 10% most deprived areas in England.

Even if residents wanted to move elsewhere, historic inequalities make it hard to afford homes in less polluted places like leafy Oval, where house prices have risen 1000% in 20 years.

This is how air pollution, and its impacts on health and wellbeing, build on economic disparities to entrench inequality.

The problem extends to one of the groups most vulnerable to pollution: children. In 2010, nearly a half of Lambeth schools were in areas that exceeded the EU’s mean annual average NOx limit of 40 μg/m.3 In an economically deprived school, children were nearly three times more likely to be inhaling air that exceeded li-

Pollutants in the playground: why some children are worse affected by our polluted air mits than peers being educated in better-off areas.

London’s two main pollutants are NO x and tiny particles less than

a tenth the width of a human hair, collectively called particulate matter, or PM. NOx inflames the lungs, shortening the lives of those with lung and

this occurred in the last 43 years.

IFLA! covers aspects of climate change that people may not have thought about - how it will affect future wars, for instance, or how previous societies managed waste.

The aim is to give a more palpable account of the complex, abstract issue. As Martha explains, environmental discussion commonly falls into one of two categories, technical scientific debate or activist outrage. These are both important in the climate movement but they can alienate the uninitiated. Focu-

sing on accessibility, the magazine emphasises the human dimensions of climate change and takes an interdisciplinary approach.

The team at It’s Freezing in LA are keen to maximise the influence and scope of the project by increasing the magazine’s circulation but they also seek to develop its local links, engaging with campaigners, community environmental projects and climate issues in Lambeth. To support this, over the next series of issues, Lambeth Life will print articles by IFLA! writers about local matters. The first, printed below, assesses how access to clean air is influenced by socioeconomic status.

heart conditions. PM has the same effect, and the smallest particles enter the brain, with links drawn to conditions like dementia. By working out the likelihood of dying at all ages due to the effects of air pollution, King’s College London estimated that in 2010, the two pollutants caused 9,400 deaths in London. A 2018 study showed that air pollution is stunting the growth of London children’s lungs.

These effects last for life.

To tackle the problem, schoolspecific policy has been pushed.

Last year Sadiq Khan funded air quality audits for the fifty most polluted primary schools. Two Lambeth schools featured: Stockwell Primary School and St Anne’s Catholic Primary School. Released recently, both schools’ reports focused on decreasing traffic pollution in neighbouring streets, reducing the impact of HGVs and buses and making walking to school easier. They also identified the potential of ‘green walls’ of climbing plants around playgrounds to reduce the flow of pollutants. Each school now gets a one-off payment of £10,000 to make ‘non-transport interventions’, as schools themselves don’t have the power to make changes to roads. They will need to work with councils to do this and, depending on the road, that may prove difficult. The level of funding is also only enough for short term fixes like green walls and air purifiers.

St Anne’s believes that to deal with ‘high levels of internal pollutants and sickness amongst staff and pupils alike’, a concerted effort will be needed to make longer term, more structural, changes.

Dr. Alex Archibald at the Centre for Atmospheric Science in Cambridge says empowering people with more accessible air quality data is another useful strategy. ‘The information is there, [but] there is a visualisation problem.’ Archibald suggests focusing on making changes in postcode level data easy to follow.

‘People want to see that emissions near them are going down, or if they’re going up they want to know why.’ Reliable monitoring of air quality is difficult without specialist equipment, so an easy way to see trends would be a vital step in giving people agency. London has a good example in the London Air website (londonair. org.uk), but more tools for learning about change in your local area and how to achieve it would be invaluable. And these tools can alter habits.

You can reduce your own emissions by not driving to school and using cleaner fuels to heat your home. If communities do these things and consequently see a drop in pollution, they might be buoyed to go further.

The government’s most recent clean air strategy aims, in a similar vein, to ‘[catalyse] public engagement through citizen science’. This is key to getting ordinary people involved in the science and driving change. At St Anne’s, students worked with charity Sustrans to understand air pollution in the school, and are getting involved in a study to understand the impacts of the new Ultra Low Emissions Zone. More of these initiatives are needed.

Getting involved in the issue is empowering for pupils, and they, and their parents, should be included at every turn. Air pollution needs to be reduced as part of a wider climate change strategy, and we must focus efforts on Lambeth’s most deprived communities, where the negative effects are the strongest. Education can be an incredible springboard, providing people with opportunities to escape cycles of inequality.

Children should be able to take advantage of this without fears of chronic respiratory problems (or worse) taking them back to square one. By acting urgently to tackle pollution in Lambeth’s worst affected areas, we will make sure that the potential power of education isn’t lost in the haze of a problem we can fix.

LAMBETH LIFE More than 400 Londoners, businesses and campaign groups have signed a letter to local councils urging them apply for the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund in a bid to protect children from illegal levels of air pollution.

Mums for Lungs, the voluntary parent group behind the initiative, gathered over 400 signatures in less than a week to support its letter, which asks Lambeth, Southwark, Richmond, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Islington, Camden, Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Bromley, Barnet, Lewisham, Ealing, Hounslow, Haringey, Croydon and Merton councils to work collaboratively to address

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

Londoners call on local government to address “idling” “idling” – stationary cars with their engines running around London’s streets.

Jemima Hartshorn, founder of Mums for Lungs, says: “Air pollution is killing around 10,000 Londoners prematurely every year and contributing to the ill health of many more. Children are the worst affected. All levels of government need to come together and tackle this public health crisis.”

She adds: “Addressing idling,

the most unnecessary contributor to air pollution, is a good step and the measures we are suggesting, should really increase awareness of the impact of idling, driving and air pollution amongst all Londoners and result in change of behaviour.”

Idling regularly takes place next to pavements, exposing pedestrians, cyclists, scooting children and children in prams to concentrated amounts of toxic NO2 and particulate matter. A disproportionate

amount of pollutants is inhaled during the school run, according to a recent report by UNICEF. A study by The Lancet on 2,000 children living in London found that exposure to diesel fumes reduced their lung capacity, while more than 300 schools and nurseries are located in areas of the city with illegal levels of air pollution.

Mums for Lungs’ letter asks the local councils to apply jointly to the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund in

Building Young Brixton secures £850,000 from the Mayor’s Young Londoners Fund Learning success with Workwise Local teacher Sian has started a new partnership with Workwise to help Lambeth residents learn better reading and writing in English as part of searching for work.

So far, the experiment looks like a success.

Workwise – the partnership between St Mungo’s homelessness charity and Lambeth – are trying out a new support scheme to help Lambeth residents with little or no experience of reading and writing English. This is to support those looking for work so that they can reduce the risk of homelessness as a result of benefit changes. A Clapham primary school teacher has volunteered to lead the lessons.

Finding a teacher Lionel Ighodaro from Workwise says: “If people looking for work tell us they need help, we can help school leavers find training, but we just couldn’t find any provision for people over 30 to learn English.”

Learning the lesson Clapham primary teacher Sian explains: “I’d got back from a year’s

travelling, and put an advert out about helping children with phonics before I started my new job.

I’d never taught adults before and I was worried that the teaching materials might seem patronising. But actually the pictures really help.”

Star pupil Sian’s first student speaks English well, but hadn’t learned to read or write it before coming to live and work in Lambeth. The eldest of her four children is just secondary school age – too young for helping with all the letters and forms in a job search. Mum wants to change that so she’s the one helping her children, as well being able to write things down, for example menus if she gets a job as a dinner lady.

Learning success doesn’t stop with school Sian says: “She’s already moved on from reading cards to reading books. This is why I became a teacher, to see the success of someone doing well, learning something new. I’d love it if Workwise can develop the scheme, perhaps get sponsorship. I could help train retired teachers to teach adults using the ReadWrite system, so it’s truly cross-generational. Working with Workwise has opened my eyes – I realise that learning success doesn’t stop with school!”

Building Young Brixton, a consortium of six Lambeth based charities and social enterprises, has successfully secured over £850,000 from the Mayor’s Young Londoners Fund.

This money, paid over three years, will see 10,500 hours of support and programmes delivered to over 1,000 young people.

Competing across London with Councils, national charities and housing associations, this innovative partnership has secured the funding for young people in the Central Brixton wards of Tulse Hill, Herne Hill, Brixton Hill, Ferndale & Coldharbour.

The consortium is made up of: High Trees, The Baytree Centre, ML Community Enterprise, Indoamerican Refugee Migrant Organisation (IRMO), Ebony Horse Club and Spiral Skills, working together as Building Young Brixton.

Together the charities have over 100 years’ experience serving the

communities of Brixton. Coming together to work in partnership in this way, will ensure that the support offered to young people is tailored to their specific interests and needs. It will give a strong cohesion and provide even more effective support.

Building Young Brixton is proud that this innovative way of working has been recognised, and the funding will make sure that resources are targeted at some of Brixton’s most atrisk young people, preventing young people being affected by or engaged in youth violence. Services delivered over the next three years, include: targeted coaching programmes in schools and community, support services for young women and girls; estate-based after-school provision; social action programmes; sports and wellbeing activities; and careers education programmes & employability support.

Margaret Pierre, director of High Trees, said:

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order to: • Set up and run a joint, centralised website and text message number where anyone can report idlers, who will then be sent a letter informing them of the impact and illegality of idling and the more general impact of driving on people’s health • Change the current idling policies to ensure greater enforceability in a consistent way across London with fines appropriate to the harm it is doing to residents’ health • Deliver a dedicated communications campaign, for example, by sending each household a leaflet on idling, driving and air pollution with the council tax bill in 2019.

“Building Young Brixton are absolutely delighted to have received this funding from the Young Londoners Fund, which will have a transformative impact on the lives of the young people we support and the way in which we can work together to deliver youth services across central Brixton wards. Working together in this way allows us to achieve so much more than we could alone, offering opportunities that suit the interests, aspirations and needs of the young people we engage.”

Caroline Guarnaccia, chief executive of The Baytree Centre, added: “Our team of six organisations have worked tirelessly to get to where we are now as a strong force for good in Brixton. The funding will allow us as a unit to roll out even more innovative and effective programmes to bring about change in young people’s lives. Our young people need us more than ever and we are delighted that we can do this now as a consortium.”

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “By working with communities and giving young Londoners meaningful things to do, I am doing everything I possibly can to help ensure they make the right choices and do not follow the wrong path at such an important time in their lives.”

Cllr Lib Peck, Lambeth Council leader, said: “This is brilliant news for the young people in our borough who are most in need of support. It backs the council’s key priority of working with the community to tackle inequality and ensure that all of our young people can access the huge opportunities in Lambeth, and so achieve their full potential. The size of the award is a testament to the strength, diversity and commitment of the local voluntary sector, and I now look forward to working with Building Young Brixton on realising their important aims.”

10 LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

Lambeth Mission Church Redevelopment opportunity for multi-purpose community space Lambeth Mission and St Mary’s Church, situated on the corner of Lambeth Road near Lambeth North underground station, is in the process of applying for planning permission for a bold new redevelopment. The current building was constructed in the 1950s, the original building having been bombed during the Blitz. With rationing still in force, materials for rebuilding were scant and the building has not weathered the test of time well. The dilapidated church is difficult to maintain and repair, is highly energy inefficient and unsuitable for disabled visitors.

Reverend Andy Lyons has been the minister of Lambeth Mission since last September, when he took over the planning application started by his predecessor. The plans for the new building are innovative.

The new church building will have four stories, a church hall taking the first two, a multi-purpose community space on the third floor, and flats on the fourth. Currently, the church’s two halls are beside one another; in the new plans, the land of the second hall will be converted to a hotel. This new hotel will provide revenue to the church for the redevelopment – estimated

Reverend Andy

One of the church halls

at some £3-4m and for its upkeep.

Beyond the benefits of an accessible, well-heated and more aesthetically attractive church to Lambeth Mission’s 80-strong congregation, to Reverend Andy the most important aspect of the redevelop-

ment is its potential to provide a new multi-purpose community space for the local area. Part of the hotel’s revenue will be channelled into funding one or more community workers, who will be responsible for identifying needs

in the local community and arranging clubs, lunches and events in the new space to help respond to them. While decisions on how best to use the space will be deferred until planning is approved and community research undertaken, Reverend Andy foresees a role for Lambeth Mission in catering the socially isolated and in particular older members of the community.

Reverend Andy also envisages the church becoming a cultural centre – hosting art and photography shows within the new hall, and with musical and dramatic shows on the new stage. A multi-sensory roof-garden atop the church foyer would be accessible to local primary school children and the community space and new AV facilities could be made available to local charities for training, events, and AGMs. A vital part of the redevelopment would be improved facilities. Currently, Lambeth Mission is one of thirty churches which take part in a Lambeth Boroughwide scheme to house around 20 homeless people on a rota during the winter months. The current bathroom and kitchen facilities are no longer fit for purpose either for

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these existing community projects or the congregation.

Lambeth Mission’s proposals have enjoyed good support from the congregation, local people, and local councillors. Some concerns voiced by nearby residents have been taken into account by the developers, by lowering the height of the hotel to match the adjacent building. If you’re a local resident and want to show your support, or voice any concerns about the project, you are encouraged to write to the planners and/or the local authority.

As Reverend Andy waits for 14 December, when Lambeth Mission is expected to be given a date to take their proposals to the planning committee, he explains that “the great hope is here that we can build a truly good modern building, one that is environmentally friendly and properly built to modern standards that won’t just be a church for 80, but a multi-purpose community space.” While previous plans for redevelopment the have been proposed over the past decade, none have proven viable.

With these new and innovative plans, Reverend Andy hopes that this time the story will continue.

LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19 11

SECOND TO NAAN! BRITAIN’S BEST CHEFS ARE CROWNED CURRY KINGS On 26 November 2018 Britain’s korma kings were crowned second to naan as they received the highest accolade in the curry industry — the BCA Curry Chef of the Year award.

The 12 winners of the coveted Chef of the Year category can now lay claim to being the best in their region after impressing judges during a heated cook-off last month.

The Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA) visited hundreds of curry houses and takeaways across the length and breadth of Britain in the hunt for the nation’s top chefs and restaurants.

The 13th annual Curry Chef and Curry Restaurant of the Year Awards are the curry industry’s premier awards, backed by restaurants and chefs themselves and considered the ‘Oscars’ of the curry world.

The BCA, which represents more than 12,000 restaurants in the UK, whittled down a list of hundreds of contenders to just 27 chef finalists BCA Chef of the Year 2018 Winners • Mr Abdul Muhith Shabul – Maharani Restaurant, 24 West Street, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 1AP https://www.facebook.com/ maharanitandoori/ • Shahed Uddin Chowdhury — Indian Diner, 101 High St, West Wickham BR4 0LT, South East London http://theindiandiner.co.uk/ • Foysal Ahmed — Curry Garden, Potters Bar, EN6 5BB, Hertfordshire https://www.facebook.com/ currygardenen6/ • Manik Miah — Tamasha Spice of Life, 22 High Street, Haywards Heath, Lindfield, RH16 2HH, West Sussex http://www.tamashalindfield.co.uk/ • Shelim Ahmed—Hatti Indian Cuisine, 77-78 Lower Dock Street, Newport, NP20 1EH, South East Wales

Publisher of Lambeth Life Ibrahim Dogus presented a British Curry Award in his capacity of chair of the British Kebab Campaign and founder of the British Kebab Awards. and 38 shortlisted curry houses.

The finalists went head to head with one another at a cook-off event to produce a dish worthy of the judges’ top marks.

The curry masters rubbed shoulders with celebrity guests, dignitaries and politicians during a https://www.facebook.com/pages/ category/Indian-Restaurant/HattiIndian-Restaurant-649431748529271/ • Amdadur Rahman — Spice Lounge, 81 High St, Burford, OX18 4QA, Oxfordshire https://www.spiceloungeburford. co.uk/ • Abdul Hye — Pipasha Restaurant, 529 C Newmarket Road, Cambridge, CB5 8PA, Cambridgeshire http://www.pipasha-restaurant.co.uk/ • Abdul Malik — Bengal Tiger Restaurant, 62-66 Carter Lane, London http://bengal-tiger.co.uk/ • Mohammad Masum Afruz — Himalaya Indian Restaurant & Bar, 178 The Grove, Stratford, East London https://www.himalayaindian.co.uk/ • Mohammad Amin — Voujon Indian Restaurant, Rayne Braintree, Essex,

glittering ceremony in Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel.

An evening of entertainment and culinary delights was hosted by news anchor Tasmin Lucia-Khan, as well as actor and Celebrity Masterchef winner Alexis Conran.

The list of sponsors for the CM77 6RW http://voujonrayne.co.uk/ • Kodor Ali — Tiger Garden, 41 West Street, Marlow, SL7 2LS, Buckinghamshire http://www.tigergarden.co.uk/ • Salim Javed, Mint Caterers, Leyton, London, East London http://www.mintcaterers.co.uk/ BCA Curry Restaurant of the Year 2018 Winners • Abdul Muhaimen, City Spice, 138 Bricklane, London, E1 6RU http://city-spice.london/ • Suhana Hassan, Mombai Lounge, York, YO1 9TF, North Yorkshire http://www.mumbailoungeyork.co.uk/ • Megdad Ahmed, Indian Diner,101 High Street, West Wickham, Kent, BR4 0LT theindiandiner.co.uk/

awards featured a marinade of wellknown brands, including: Cobra Beer, Kingfisher Beer, Chef Online, Kansara’s, Square Mile Insurance, Sunmark, Radhuni, Lisamo (Blue Box Deal), Shapla City Ltd, Gandhi Oriental Food, Paytap, Aroma Icecream, Madhus and BCA Charity Partner British Asian Trust.

Kamal Yakub, BCA President, told guests: “Tonight’s finalists have all gone above and beyond to demonstrate their passion for great cuisine.

“Without them, these awards would not exist. Without gifted chefs and restaurants like these, Britain’s favourite national dish might not be curry!

“The next time you find yourself in a curry house, picking up the phone to order a takeaway, or simply tapping an app for a curry on demand, I implore you to stop and think of the powerhouse driving the industry — the people who form its backbone — and who today need your help and support more

than ever.”

Oli Khan, BCA Secretary-General, said: “With restaurants and takeaways closing at a rate of four a week and the constant negative press surrounding Britain’s curry crisis, those working behind the scenes should be commended for their optimism and steadfast perseverance.

“This evening is an opportunity to shine a light on the issues affecting takeaways and restaurants, to drive home messages and to drum up support for the work we do. But, more importantly, it is about honouring the individuals who make this industry one that is worth fighting for.”

Saidur Rahman, Chief Treasurer of the BCA, added: “As we carry on the fight for great British curry, I would encourage all members to help us in our mission by continuing to seek out new members, raising awareness and tapping into the passion that makes our industry the best of Britain”.

• Syedur Rahman Choudhury, Spice Lounge,68 Mytchett Rd, Camberley, Surrey, GU16 6EG https://spicelounge-mytchett.co.uk/

• Raj Adhikary, Monsoona, 20 Bridge Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6JJ, Scotland http://www.monsoona.co.uk/

• Mohammed Babul Ahmed, Spices, 21 station Street, Saltburn by the Sea, TS12 1AE, North Yorkshire, North East https://www.facebook.com/500yahoo/

• Azizur Rahman, Jalsha, Unit 1A, Stokesley Road, Marton, Middlesbrough, TS7 8DU, North Yorkshire / North East http://jolsha.co.uk/

• Samuj Ali, Paradise Balti House, 23 Lavant Street, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3EL http://www.paradise-restaurant.com/ • Areeb Quadir, Royal Tandoori, 209 Godstone Road, Whyteleafe, CR3 0EL, Surrey https://whyteleaferoyaltandoori.co.uk/ • Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Hatti Indian Cuisine, 77-78 Lower Dock Street, Newport, NP20 1EH, Wales https://www.facebook.com/ pages/category/IndianRestaurant/Hatti-IndianRestaurant-649431748529271/

• Yameem Ruhul Hossain Deedar, The Shahin Restaurant, 29 Woodbridge Hill, Guildford Surrey, GU2 9AA http://www.theshahin.com/ The Bangladesh Caterers Association Awards (BCA) was established in 1960 and represents 12,000 British-Bangladeshi businesses across the UK. The industry employees more than 100,000 people and the curry industry contributes approximately £4.2 billion to Britain’s economy every year.

12 LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

Christmas Messages from No one should have no one this Christmas in Lambeth With Christmas speeding towards us, Age UK Lambeth are launching their Christmas Campaign to provide 65 meals for older people who would otherwise be alone and are asking the local community to support them with donations.

On Christmas Day we open up the doors of Vida’s and provide 40 meals to our clients who would be on their own, we also deliver another 25 meals to those

who prefer to stay at home. We know this makes a huge difference to older people and we are proud to say we support them on Christmas Day. Graham Gardiner, Age UK Lambeth’s CEO, says "Christmas is a really dif-

ficult time for those who are alone. When you are lonely and isolated Christmas Day is just like every other day of the year, and we want to change that for as many people as we can. More than 56% of people aged over

65 live alone in Lambeth, your donations could help make a difference this year."

People can make donations by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/LambethChristmas or by texting AUKL25

£5 to 70070 to donate £5 via Justgiving by Vodafone.

We are aiming to raise £3,000 from the campaign and anything that we don’t need for Christmas Day will go towards our MYsocial service that helps reduces loneliness by encouraging people to discover friendships, connect with their community and do things that make them happy.

Age UK Lambeth is a local independent charity who have been supporting older people for over 70 years, we are affiliated with Age UK but raise all our own funds to pay for local services for older people in Lambeth.

You can make a donation online at https://www.justgiving. com/campaign/LambethChristmas or by phone by texting AUKL25 £5 to 70070 to donate £5 via Justgiving by Vodafone.

Or by sending a cheque made payable to Age UK Lambeth to: Christmas Campaign, Age UK Lambeth, Third floor, 336 Brixton Road, London, SW9 7AA.

Christmas Messages from Lambeth’s Charities

Through 2018 the Norwood & Brixton Foodbank has seen a continued rise in the number of three day emergency food supplies being provided to local people in crisis. Much of this rise is due to low income, those who don’t have access to public funds and the increasing pressures linked to the roll out of Universal Credit. In some ins-

tances the Foodbank has witnessed initial Universal Credit payments taking over fifteen weeks to arrive and so many people, while determined to get back to work, rely on the Foodbank to get through this crisis period. Thanks to a very generous public, including the readers of Lambeth Life, the recent December food collections, in con-

junction with Tesco, have resulted in over 3.2 tonnes of food being donated, This food will be crucial in supporting people through the Christmas period which is so difficult for so many families on tight budgets. The Foodbank is so grateful for all the donations of food that have taken place through the year, and also additional funding support

from grant makers and individuals that has gone to provide the running costs of the Foodbank, including advice workers, salaries, printers, shelving, rental costs and storage.

We warmly welcome all donations to help us at this busy time of year. Please visit https://norwoodbrixton.foodbank.org. uk/ for further information.

LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19 13

Lambeth’s Charities

Credit: Christian Aid

Hassan Hamoudeh and his grandfather Noor-Al Deen outside a children's centre in Lebanon, which is run by Christian Aid’s partner Association Najdeh to support child refugees affected by conflict.

Christian Aid’s ‘Christmas Aid’ appeal This year, Waterloo-based charity Christian Aid is inviting the general public in Lambeth and beyond to support Christmas Aid – its festive fundraising appeal.

The theme of the Christmas Aid appeal is ‘Be a peacemaker,’ which is helping to raise money for families recovering from war and conflict across the world.

The charity says: “In 2016, more countries experienced violent conflict than at any time in nearly 30 years; and today, 1 in 6 children are growing up in conflict zones.

“Violence destroys lives, wiping out years of development and tearing communities apart wherever it strikes. But while peace may be broken every day, it is also built every day – by strong women and

men determined to heal and transform their communities.

“This year, we hope people in Lambeth will support our ‘Be A Peacemaker’ Christmas Appeal and stand with these brave and dedicated peacemakers, who are helping people affected by conflict in countries such as South Sudan and Colombia.”

The charity has also launched a virtual store, Charity Gifts, to give festive shoppers a chance to buy a Christmas present that could make a real difference to people in poverty.

For more information visit www. caid.org.uk/christmas-appeal and https://charity-gifts.christianaid. org.uk/ #WeAreThePeacemakers.

Helping Homeless People This Christmas (and the rest of the year too!)

Ace of Clubs is expecting over 150 guests for dinner on Christmas day this year. Last Christmas the Clapham Day Centre served over 140 meals, and they are getting busier all the time.

The centre is open from Monday to Friday throughout the year.

It offers a lovely meal and a warm welcome to over 80 people every day. Ace of Clubs works in partnership with other organisations and with Lambeth Council to help homeless and vulnerable people, and to try and get them the support they need.

However the numbers of people coming to Ace of Clubs continues to increase. The Director of Ace of Clubs – Andrew Tyers – said “Every day people come through our doors who have spent the

night before sleeping in the parks or on the streets in Lambeth. Other guests may be in some sort of accommodation but feel isolated and vulnerable. All our guests come here for practical support.

They also come to be somewhere where they can feel part of society rather than excluded from it”.

Ace of Clubs relies on the support of the community to keep providing its essential services.

Local people help by volunteering, by giving financial support, and by donating to – and shopping at - the Ace of Clubs shops.

If you want to help homeless and vulnerable people this Christmas, visit www.aceofclubs.org.uk to make a donation and also to find out about other ways you can get involved.

14 LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

Thames Reach and Lambeth Council open new homeless hostel in Vauxhall Martha Jones House is Thames Reach’s newest hostel for rough sleepers based in Vauxhall. The building was officially launched on Friday, December 14 by Cllr Paul Gadsby, Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Housing and Bill Tidnam, Chief Executive at Thames Reach.

Over 30 people attended the official opening event including Thames Reach’s funders, Lambeth Council and building owners, Places for People.

Martha Jones House marks a significant change in approach to hostel accommodation by Thames Reach, by moving to a smaller project and offering more targeted one to one support.

The project offers updated facilities and services - implemented to move away from an institutional approach, to one that encourages change. The building is better equipped with amenities to support residents to become more engaged, self-reliant and independent.

The project is designed to work with people who have developed deeply entrenched complex needs as a

result of sleeping rough, and during their stay, residents are supported to engage in activities that will help them overcome barriers and prepare them for the next level of accommodation.

The new hostel replaces Graham House – Thames Reach’s former largest hostel which accommodated 69 residents but closed in November 2018 due to ongoing developments at Vauxhall Square. Being smaller, the new hostel accommodates only 50 residents. Some residents successfully moved into independent living and supported accommodation as part of the move, and the remaining residents made the short move around the corner to the new building.

Monica Geraghty, Lead Manager at Martha Jones House, said: “The transition from Graham House to Martha Jones House went really well, and residents have now moved in.

“The ultimate aim for our residents is for them to move away from homelessness and move on to lead a fulfilling life, and the new hostel encoura-

Outstanding team honoured for supporting young people with cancer An inspiring team has been awarded the Guy’s and St Thomas’ People’s Award for 2018 for being “a lifeline for young people with cancer”. The special award is given in recognition of providing exceptional care, and nominees are chosen by patients or their families.

Special guest James Brokenshire, MP for Old Bexley & Sidcup and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government presented the award to the teenage and young adults cancer team at the Trust Awards ceremony on Friday 16 November. They were one of 15

ges self-sufficiency and development in a nice comfortable setting.”

New facilities and services include; an IT suite, a comfortable communal space for group activities and access to all of Thames Reach’s employment training programmes, where residents can receive basic skills training and qualifications, information advice and guidance and search for volunteer opportunities.

The building offers three different types of accommodation; selfcontained flats, larger bed spaces and smaller rooms, ensuring that it can cater for a much wider range of needs and abilities.

individuals or teams presented with awards for their commitment to excellence, including a lifetime achievement award to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS. The team was nominated by patient Kathryn Gjorjiev for supporting her through her treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. As well as providing clinical care to young people, they also provide emotional support and practical advice to help them through a very challenging time.

Kathryn, who surprised the team by joining them on stage to collect their award, said: “I think the services provided by the teenage and young adults cancer team are vital to supporting any young person dealing with cancer.

“When I was told I was going to be supported by all these people, I was overwhelmed, I could not believe how much support I would receive and I can truly say that everyone on the team helped me through tough times that I would not have been able to overcome alone.

“I was very happy to be there to see them win this award, it was a very emotional night.”

The Trust Awards, which are sponsored by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, also provided an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of many other staff who were nominated by their colleagues.

James Brokenshire MP, who is also a recent patient of Guy’s and St Thomas’ said: “I was delighted to be able to attend the Awards and celebrate the work and commitment of so many amazing people making such a difference in our NHS. “It was particularly special to give

There is space to accommodate cooking classes, activities and education around food and budgeting, enabling residents to learn new skills, lead a healthy lifestyle, build relationships and prepare for independent living.

Health and medical services are available at Martha Jones House, and residents are also encouraged to access local health services in the community to improve social engagement.

The hostel’s new look is a stark contrast to Graham House, with clear white walls, plenty of space and ceiling to floor windows throughout, reflecting a calm environment and atmosphere.

Through making such changes, Thames Reach aims to support residents to build self-confidence and feel empowered to make their own decisions.

Cllr Paul Gadsby, Lambeth Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Martha Jones House is a marvellous development that will make a tremendous contribution to the support we can offer rough sleepers.

“But they’ll offer much more than a roof above their heads: the people staying there will get all the support needed to help them to move into independent living and stay off the street in the long term.”

Speaking at the event, Bill Tidnam, Chief Executive at Thames Reach said: “We are delighted with the new building which has been designed and built to such a high standard.

“It’s important that residents can live in a safe and dignified place that is less institutionalised, and we’re proud of the changes we are making to support our residents to achieve positive outcomes.

“We’re grateful to our funders, Lambeth Council, and owners of the building, Places for People, for playing a key role in developing our new facilities, but also to Monica Geraghty and the excellent staff team at the hostel for making the move to the new hostel such a success” Visit www.thamesreach.org.uk to learn more about Thames Reach’s services.

the People’s Award to the Teenage and young adult’s cancer team for their incredible work.

“I also appreciated the chance to say a public thank you for all of the care I received from Guy’s and St Thomas’ earlier in the year without which I wouldn’t have been there at all.”

Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust Awards are our opportunity to say thank you to all of our staff for their hard work and dedication to our patients.

“This year we received more than 700 nominations, which is just incredible and shows how much outstanding work goes on within our hospital

and community settings.

“It was inspiring to hear about just some of the things that our people do day-in, day-out to care for our patients and each other and to demonstrate our Trust’s values. Congratulations to all our worthy winners.”

The award categories were based on the Trust’s five values and demonstrated how staff across the organisation live those values. The lifetime achievement award was presented to Dr Terry Gibson, who retired having spent his whole NHS career with Guy’s and St Thomas’, only to then volunteer in Sierra Leone where he ended up supporting the response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic. Dr Gibson is now back working at the Trust.

The full list of winners is: • Put patients first category (individual) Beth McHugh, paediatric intensive care •Put patients first category (team) Lambeth enhanced rapid response and supported discharge team • Take pride in what we do category (individual) Ann Stroud, training and development • Take pride in what we do category (team) The Research & Development & Biomedical Research Centre patient involvement and engagement team • Respect others category (individual) Mike Farquhar and Kathryn Dean, Evelina London • Respect others category (team) Language and accessible support

team • Strive to be the best category (individual) Azhar Majid, portering • Strive to be the best category (team) Emergency department • Act with integrity category (individual) Dennis Paquiz, Hedley Atkins ward • Act with integrity category (team) Renee Steel and Clare Hartill, radiotherapy • People’s Award Teenage and young adults cancer team •Chairman and Chief Executive’s Award Department of spiritual care • Lifetime Achievement Award Terry Gibson, acute medicine • Charity Award Gareth Parker, Guy’s Cancer

LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19 15

Mayor’s reception marks 30 years of World AIDS Day Mayor of Lambeth Cllr Christopher Wellbelove invited HIV campaigners and healthcare professionals to the Town Hall for the 30th World AIDS Day, to look back on what people in Lambeth have done, are doing now, and plan for the future of fighting and preventing infection.

In 2018 Dr Greg Usher of Metro said:

Local business leaders and supporters crowded into St John’s Waterloo on November 15th for the burial of a Time Capsule to launch ‘Reignite 2021’, the campaign to renovate the landmark building south of the river. St John’s, which stands opposite the IMAX in Waterloo, was last renovated in 1951 for the Festival of Britain and is now in urgent need of an upgrade.

Representatives from South Bank BID, We are Waterloo, SE1 News, Resonance Radio and many others came to show their support for Reignite 2021. Also present were Baroness Jenny Jones and the many arts and charity organisations based at St John’s, including Southbank Sinfonia, Waterloo Festival and The Bridge at Waterloo.

Eric Parry Architects, whose renovation plans for St John’s were on display on large panels for the first time, were on hand to talk people through the proposed remodelling of the entrance and crypt.

Sparklers were lit as the crowd moved out onto the church’s fore-

“We’re seeing HIV testing outside clinical environments normalised, working with Brixton Soup Kitchen and at the health and beauty awards. We’re working with migrant communities and faith communities to reduce the stigma of HIV. We’re seeing a downturn in services for all at-risk groups but we need more prevention work.”

The Mayor summed up: “We’ve come so far from the days of press attacks on any local authorities supporting the LGBT+ community.

From when people were forced to live a lie for fear of losing jobs, friends and family. But until we consign new HIV infections to history, I want to thank all those working in prevention and treatment – what you do is literally life-changing. I want to thank all those who’ve volunteered to help my community.

On behalf of Lambeth, thank you.”

“Lambeth has always been a beacon borough – with Do It London and the game-changing focus on combination therapies. I want to focus on the different kinds of resilience I’ve seen over 30 years.

First, community resilience, the volunteers. Second, the medical and scientific communities, always exceeding goals. And of course, the individuals. I’ve mentioned ‘living in the shadow’ of HIV, but it’s not

a shadow, it’s a spotlight on what we’re capable of.”

Future hopes Lambeth’s Cllr Philip Normal said: “Undetectable is untransmittable and the medication that can achieve that, PrEP, is available from the NHS in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. But we’re still facing prejudice, and without stamping that out, we haven’t won. Let’s

put World AIDS Day out of business by eradicating the illness even as we remember and celebrate the people we lost.”

Initiatives in action Fraser Cook & Mark Banfield of The RISE Partnership discussed initiatives in Lambeth: Mark & Fraser from the RISE partnership reported on current HIV work in Lambeth

Campaign to Reignite a London landmark kicks off at St John’s Waterloo

ELEANOR BENTALL

2018 marks 30 years of World AIDS Day. Mayor of Lambeth Cllr Christopher Wellbelove invited HIV campaigners, healthcare professionals and more to the Town Hall to look back and into the future.

Lisa Power, Stonewall cofounder, reminded people of 30 years’ HIV history: “Lambeth was one of the first boroughs looking at what needed to be done and continues to be one of the most involved. In 1988, Section 28 made it almost impossible to talk about sexual health.

Terence Higgins died in St Thomas’.

Gay Men Fighting Aids (GMFA) got started. Now there’s treatment that can stop you getting infected, treatment that can help you live as long as anyone else.”

RISE partnership reported on current HIV work in Lambeth

Testing The Mayor also saw the facilities, welcome and advice on offer while taking an AIDS test broadcast live on social media at Burrell Street sexual health clinic at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital trust. Mayor Wellbelove called on everyone who hasn’t been tested to do so, and drew attention to the theme of this year’s thirtieth anniversary - ‘know your status’.

court for the burial of the Time Capsule, and the sound of bugle rang through the night as the box was carefully buried next to the war memorial.

Giles Goddard, vicar of St John’s, explained that the unique Time Capsule box contained a mix of objects “capturing the essence of 2018, for future generations to uncover”. He pointed out that in burying such an object, St John’s was also sowing seeds of a new vision for the large church.

“St John’s has helped so many over the centuries,” explained Goddard. “It was an air-raid shelter during the war, a haven for the homeless in the 1980s, and today offers music concerts, art exhibitions and employment courses. Now the church needs a helping hand itself.

With our Reignite 2021 campaign, we aim to raise a further £1 million to ensure the St John’s can be renovated in time for the seventieth anniversary of the Festival of Britain.”

The proposed designs for St Johns include a new entrance, disabled access into the crypt, new kitchens and toilets and a remodelled crypt. To find out more, or get involved in the campaign to renovate St John’s, go to www.stjohnswaterloo.org/reignite2021 There will also be a New Year’s Caelidh dance fundraiser on January 4th.

Tickets available at stjohnswaterloo.org/ceilidh2019

16 LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

Restaurants with STRAIGHT UP LONDON

SAM BOWMAN The really big names in London restaurants, the ones everybody knows, are all steak places – Gaucho, Goodman, Hawksmoor.

Apart from a few new challengers like Flat Iron, which I maintain is a triumph of economics and supply chain management above all else, it’s not always clear where you’d go for a good steak apart from one of those famous, expensive, and occasionally disappointing spots.

Knife, situated halfway bet-

ween Clapham Common and Brixton High Street, is a surprising addition to this roster. It’s slightly out of the way on a street that is mostly residential, and I hadn’t seen it reviewed anywhere else.

If it hadn’t been for its nomination in this year’s Harden’s London Restaurant Awards I doubt I would ever have heard of it at all, even though I live 20 minutes’ walk away.

I was assured by Ben, who spotted it, that being supplied by Lake District Farmers – who are so elite among butchers that they have to

Southbank Centre announces full line-up for the eighteenth Imagine Children’s Festival, coming February Half Term 2019 Southbank Centre’s Imagine Children’s Festival turns eighteen in 2019 - but it’s nowhere near growing up! The annual festival returns 13-24 February 2019 for a half-term week of the best in children's theatre, comedy, family parties, hands-on activities, DJs, dance, immersive experiences and full-on fun for children and their grownups. With more than 180 events jam-packed into twelve days and fifty percent of the festival completely free, Imagine is the biggest festival of its kind in London.

It is dedicated to families experiencing and enjoying all kinds of art and

culture together.

The multi-arts line-up for 2019 includes former Children’s Laureates and creators of some of the bestloved characters in UK children’s literature, Jacqueline Wilson, Malorie Blackman and Chris Riddell, coming together on the Royal Festival Hall stage to celebrate 20 years of the Waterstones Children's Laureate; a London-wide storytelling game of ‘consequences’ involving more than 600 school children with poet Joseph Coelho; an interactive sensory SoundPit installation using music and motion-capture techno-

logy to explore the phenomenon of synaesthesia; Sue Perkins conducting the Orion Orchestra’s Noisy Notes; David McKee, author and illustrator of Elmer the Elephant, in an exclusive event celebrating the 30th birthday of his popular patchwork friend; and Peppa Pig’s first concert with a full-size orchestra conducted - for the first time ever by Mummy Pig. The Kids Takeover returns for another year, giving a group of children the chance to take the reins of the festival alongside the Southbank Centre team in all areas of the festival production, from contributing to the line-up to selling programmes, making tannoy announcements and ensuring shows start on time.

Tamsin Ace, Festival Programmer, Southbank Centre, said: “Imagine festival is for kids, by kids. This year we are bursting at the seams with activities and events to inspire, engage and entertain. With Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room reopening in April 2018, after two years’ refurbishment, we’re back to full capacity across our 17-acre site - which just

same. The perfect dip for chips, in my view, is bearnaise sauce, and Knife’s was freshly-made and pleasantly subtly flavoured. The one major misfire in the whole meal was the Stinking Bishop mac and cheese (£4.50), which I should have known would be disappointing (like buffalo wings, British restaurants cannot do mac and cheese for some reason) but really was a bit of a drag. We left most of it – it was just not creamy enough and too underpowered for a dish made with Stinking Bishop cheese.

But the star, of course, was the steak. The rib eye (£25.00) was cooked with astonishing skill, rare in the middle but utterly crisp and rendered on the edges. The interior meat was succulent and intensely flavoured, and barely needed any sauce to go alongside it. Still, the spinach, garlic, caper & anchovy puree served with the steaks was a marvellously sharp, umami accompaniment that brought out the flavours of the steak.

The £16.50 Holstein bavette

steak (from former dairy cows, unusually) was less stunningly delicious but far better than almost any other steak you’d get almost anywhere else; it’s not quite priced to compete with Flat Iron but for a small amount more the quality was in another league. Both managed to be tender but maintain a bit of chew, which is just what I want from a steak. One minor complaint was that our steak was served rare, not medium rare as we asked. This wasn’t a huge problem for me, because I like it both ways, but the people beside us seemed to have a similar problem. It’s not a major crime, and they did re-do our neighbours’ steak when they asked, but it’s a bad habit for a steak restaurant to get into, even if you think serving the meat rare is best.

But never mind that. By the time we settled up, the restaurant was full and buzzing with people. At £86 for two, including drinks and service, for high quality ingredients, so skilfully made, Knife is something special.

Cosmic Currents with Figs in Wigs and Friends

FIGS IN WIGS

HIGH QUALITY, ETHICALLY SOURCED STEAK AT CLAPHAM’S KNIFE

choose which London restaurants they supply from a select lottery – was a very good sign. And, after a booking process that seemed to imply a place in high demand, showing up to an empty restaurant at 7pm things felt a little strange.

But still, the early signs were good. Two bread rolls came hot from the oven with bone marrow butter, one brown with sesame seeds and one a salty, savoury rosemary and anchovy focaccia that I could have happily eaten more and more of until I was full. Very nice – and then a second plate of free welcome food came out, five golf ball-sized Yorkshire puddings with a little pot of gravy. The puds were crispy and chewy, just the way you want them.

Our heritage tomato starter (£6.50), served with basil, peach and bits of burrata cheese, did the job well. The peach was somewhat superfluous but every forkful of cheese, tomato, basil, olive oil and salt felt like the last day of summer, with tomatoes as flavoursome as you can get in England. But the real star was the oxtail with shallot puree, spring greens and stilton croquette (£7.50). Every part of this worked perfectly, with the savoury, sinewy meat of the oxtail being balanced by the sweetness of the shallots, and punched through with the stilton cheese. We more or less licked the plate clean so we didn’t miss a single drop of puree or meat.

Beef dripping chips (£4.50) were so enormous that calling them chips is a little misleading, but they were perfectly crunchy, fatty, salty and potatoey all the

means more fun for everyone! I’m particularly proud of the increase in BSL interpreted, Relaxed and accessible events. We’ll also be livestreaming the League of Laureates and Elmer’s 30th Birthday events to Seven Stories, The National Centre

for Children's Books, in Newcastle, beaming top quality content to the other end of the country. All of this means that even more families will discover something incredible together at Southbank Centre’s Imagine.”

LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19 17

The winners of the Community Achievement Awards 2018: CEFTUS Appreciation Awards Jeremy Corbyn Altan Kemal Tuna Beklevic

Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn was the key note speaker at the gala

On Monday 15th On

CEFTUS 7th Anniversary Gala and Community Achievement Awards

Young Entrepreneur Awards Kenan Kara Huseyin Torun Ilhan Arslan Lifelong Achievement Award Nesin Fehmi

Monday 15th October 2018, the Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) hosted its 7th Anniversary Gala with over 500 guests at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, Lambeth, where there is growing activism amongst the Turkish, Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot community.

Commemorating the founding of CEFTUS 7 years ago, the event celebrated the achievements of CEFTUS over the last year in building bridges between Turkey and the UK. In addition to the gala, CEFTUS also celebrated the achievements of the Turkish, Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot communities in the UK with its annual Community Achievement Awards, recognising excellence in fields such as law, business, education and politics (see below for award winners). Guests, including parliamentarians and ambassadors, enjoyed a delicious three-course Turkish meal and excellent performances from Turkish musical acts Tuğba Özcivan and band, and Bertuğ Cemil and band.

The event was well attended by many politicians from various political parties, including Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn and his wife Laura Alvarez, who gave a speech, thanking the contributions of the Turkish, Kurdish and Cypriot Communities to the UK and commending Turkey for housing almost 4 million refugees. Sir David Amess MP also

Businessperson of the Year Awards Feyzullah Cinpolat Ali Keskin Ismet Serce

Law Award Ibrahim Uzun Female Role Models of the Year Awards Dr Dondu Derya Durmaz Ayse Veli Male Role Models of the Year Awards Oktay Sahbaz Mahmut Aydogan Politics Award Councillor Mohammed Bakhtiar Media Award Jiyar Gol

Ibrahim Dogus, publisher of Lambeth Life, spoke at the gala as the Founder and Director of CEFTUS. spoke and drew attention to the potential for closer relations between Turkey and the UK in the wake of Brexit. Stephen Kinnock MP presented an award and applauded the work of CEFTUS in the community. Mayors in attendance included Christopher Wellbelove of Lambeth, Mohammed

Bakhtiar of Kensington and Chelsea, Dilip Patel of Havering, Glyn Hibbert of Hawkinge and Samia Chaudhary of Hounslow, in addition to a number of local councillors. CEFTUS also hosted various ambassadors from around the world, trade unionists and journalists, many of whom presented awards. Prominent figures from the world of business were also in attendance, and delegations were sent from the sponsors – Cobra, JustEat, Holland Bazaar, Mexica Products, Bira London, the British Kebab Awards, and Alton & Co. Cobra chairman Lord Bilimoria and JustEat’s Ben Carter both spoke, congratulating CEFTUS on the organisation’s achievements and speaking of their own company’s successes.

Figures from across the political spectrum in Turkey also attended, as did prominent Turkish journalists such as Cengiz Candar, and human

rights activists such as Barbaros Sansal. The breadth of guests at the gala reflected CEFTUS’ ambition to provide open dialogue and to listen to all sides of the debate, encompassing all shades of opinion.

In his speech, CEFTUS founder and director Ibrahim Dogus thanked all the guests and sponsors.

He made an impassioned speech, calling for Turkey to release from prison those whose “only crime is dissent” and voicing a shared desire for “a Turkey which is economically strong, democratic and a good neighbour, not a Turkey sliding into internal repression and external aggression.”

The event went tremendously well, bringing together a diverse set of people and highlighting the many achievements of another successful year for CEFTUS in informing debate around Turkish issues in the UK.

Community Centre of the Year Awards Dem-Der Bozca-Der Londra Law Award Sefaret Yaman Education Awards Zeynep Kaya Art, Music, and Culture Award Olcay Bayir Estate, Finance, and Accounting Award Kutan Kudret

News NEWS Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

18 LAMBETH LIFE OCTOBER 2018

TAS Restaurants is proud to support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Registered charity no.1160024

LUNCHMENU

£ 12.95 Per Person

MEZE PLATTER

CHOICE OF MAIN COURSE KOF TE

Minced lamb, onion and green pepper patties, seasoned with parsley and herbs, served with coucous

[ served with homemade bread ]

HEL L IML I ISPANAK

HUMUS

Pureed chickpeas with tahini, garlic, lemon and olive oil

TABULE

Spinach sauteed with chickpeas tomatoes and hellim cheese

SOMONLU PASTA

Salad of chopped parsley, tomatoes, onions, cracked wheat, olive oil and lemon juice

Pasta with salmon, fresh tomatoes and spring onions

Filo pastry filled with feta cheese and spinach

Chicken casserole withmushrooms, onions, tomatoes, ginger and coriander, served with couscous

BOREK

DOLMA

Homemade stuffed vine leaves with rice and walnuts

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TAVUK GUVEC KALAMAR

Marinated squid, lightly battered and fried, served with rose sour sauce and salad

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LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19 19

Brixton firms vote to keep their Business Improvement District Businesses in Brixton have overwhelmingly backed proposals to continue with their Business Improvement District (BID) for another five years.

Over 80% of businesses that took part in a “renewal ballot” held early last month opted to keep the Brixton BID, which will mainly be funded through a levy from local firms. The BID will invest the money into boosting Brixton’s economy – promoting Brixton as a distinctive destination, reducing business costs and creating innovative networks.

Since it was first established – with council support – in 2014, Brixton BID has invested over £1.75 million in Brixton, through a combination of levy income and additional funding attracted by the BID. The BID works closely with the council to create an environment which supports existing businesses to grow and new businesses to start-up.

Word from the Cabinet Cllr Matthew Bennett, Cabinet

A MIRACLE ON LEAKE STREET! What do you get when you combine a FREE screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol, a drag

Member for Planning, Investment & New Homes, said: “Brixton BID have made a fantastic contribution to local business and work closely with Lambeth Council to keep Brixton a dynamic and diverse town centre.

“I’m delighted to see them win their renewal ballot with such strong support and I look forward to continuing our strong partners-

queen, cheesy Christmas karaoke, promo reindeers and heaps of snow in London’s largest legal graffiti tunnel? A Christmas Miracle that’s what… namely, a Miracle on Leake Street!

Miracle on Leake Street has been designed to put a smile on the face of even the most Scroogiest of Scrooges! Run by WeAreWaterloo and South Bank BID with proceeds going to the Waterloo Legal Advice Service, this community event will be held at Leake Street Arches on Tuesday 18th December from 6-9pm.

Home to London’s largest legal graffiti wall, Leake Street Arches is a world away from the traditional fireplace setting. Arriving to a costumed band of buskers, guests will make their way through the urban snow (not a euphemism), past graffiti artists at work, to the centre of the tunnel.

There they will find Drag Queen, Alexander Luttley, kicking off proceedings by leading a Christmas karaoke session. Vocal chords warmed up, guests can then pull up a chair and a blanket to take part in a screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol (with sing-a-long enhanced by local choirs!)

hip for Brixton.”

Brixton BID priorities Brixton BID have set our four areas of activity that align with the council’s ambitions for Brixton: • Enhanced Environment – focusing on delivering a clearer and greener environment across the BID area.

• Safer Day & Night – including continued investment in additional Policing and the Safer Lambeth Business Crime Reduction Partnership to help businesses, residents and visitors to stay safe • Better Business – supporting local businesses to bring added value and cost savings through collective purchasing, free business tra-

New co-working space for Brixton-based social enterprises Meanwhile Space CIC, a social enterprise based in Lambeth which transforms disused urban spaces into positive uses, has transformed the basement of Lambeth Town Hall into Tripod, Brixton's newest co-working space.

Tripod provides support and

space for creative, tech and social businesses to do their best work. This new workspace aims to support Lambeth residents to grow their businesses, support the growth of social enterprises in Lambeth and grow the Creative and Digital sector.

ining programmes, more networking and business support events.

• Distinctive Destination – continuing to promote Brixton as a visitor destination through events and marketing. Activities will include the annual Christmas lights and celebrations, continued support for the Brixton Design Trail, further cultural and live music events in the town centre and support for the Brixton Creative Enterprise Zone.

During BID ballots, two thresholds must be met: more than 50% of the votes cast must be in favour and the positive vote must represent more than 50% of the Rateable Value of the votes cast.

The renewal ballot closed at 5pm on Wednesday 31st October 2018.

59% of businesses voted and 80% of those voted “Yes” to continuing with the BID. Based on Rateable Values 84% of businesses voted in favour of continuing.

The overwhelming “Yes” vote was announced at the Town Hall on Thursday, by returning officer Chris John, who is electoral services manager at Lambeth Council.

In order to do this they have two opportunities for people from Brixton and beyond to take up.

Firstly they are offering free and subsidized office space for social enterprises for a whole year! That means a whole year’s free rent for the right enterprises. The deadline to apply is January 21st 2019.

Just look on their website for more details: https://www.meanwhilespace.com/.

The second opportunity is the Tripod Hot Desks offer. As a commitment to help local people grow their businesses in Brixton they are offering below market rate rents on the hot desks. Meaning it costs just £135 per calendar month to work from the Tripod coworking space.

To learn more about Tripod just follow www.tripodbrixton.co.uk. Alternatively get in touch to find out more at info@meanwhilespace. com.

20 LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19

About LEAP

On 21 November, Children’s early years organisation Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) and the Stockwell community came together to celebrate ‘World Hello Day’ at Wheatsheaf Community Centre - a holiday that is celebrated by over 180 countries all over the world.

This community event running in partnership with St. Stephen’s Children’s Centre and local community groups, had the purpose of celebrating diversity in the local community by demonstrating the importance of personal communication in order to preserve peace throughout the world, as well as in our own community.

Families took part in different activities from drumming, learning how to say hello in different languages, participating in arts and craft activities, writing personal messages about promoting global peace and sending greetings from Stockwell to the rest of the world.

During the healthy community lunch provided by LEAP Incredible Edible Lambeth (a healthy eating service provided

by LEAP) over 50 families had

Link UP London, the skilled volunteer matching service, has recently expanded their activity into Lambeth. Link UP brings people with professional skills and local charities together for shortterm, meaningful volunteer projects that make a difference in their community.

“We are excited to work with the many amazing charities based in Lambeth,” says Link UP London founder Kim Perlow. “Our local skilled volunteers with experience in design, HR, coaching, accounting, social media, web development, strategy and more, have made a huge difference to our Wandsworth charity partners.

We can’t wait to see the positive change they bring to Lambeth’s voluntary and community organisation sector.”

Link UP volunteer projects are designed to fit into busy lives making volunteering easy and accessible. Volunteers are a diverse group; working professionals, professionals currently out of the workforce and the recently retired. Projects vary from just a few hours over one day, to forty hours over six months. Throughout the projects volunteers develop experience, skills, networks and increase their confidence whilst giving back to their local community.

“I really enjoyed my experi-

Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) celebrates “World Hello Day” a chance to get known each other better, find out more about LEAP programme, local services

Lambeth welcomes Link UP London to develop skills and support local charities ence”, comments a Link UP volunteer. “Not only did it help me learn about the challenges of be-

or to talk directly to a Deputy Mayor of Lambeth and publisher of Lambeth Life Ibrahim Dogus, who

ing a small charity trying to bring about a big change, but it also assisted me back into employment after my career break. It was so important for me to feel that I could offer them something useful.”

Companies and business networks can also take part in Link UP London’s volunteering opportunities. Engaging in skills based volunteer projects has been shown to boost staff leadership skills, employee satisfaction and team cohesion.

Cllr Jim Dickson (Voluntary Sector and Partnerships) said: “I’m delighted that Link UP is bringing its valuable expertise to Lambeth supplementing the work we’re doing to build greater capacity in the voluntary and community sector. This council is focused on ensuring the benefits of growth are accessible to all our communities, and the work about to start fully supports that objective.”

People who would like to use their professional skills to make a real difference in the local community are invited to contact Link UP London to learn more. Additionally Link UP London welcomes interest from any local charities that would like to develop a shortterm, structured project for a skilled volunteer to work on. www. linkuplondon.org

came to celebrate this very special event with LEAP and a local community.

THE VOICE BLACK BUSINESS FAIR

Brixton is known as a popular shopping destination for members of the African Caribbean community but on Saturday 8 December it wasn’t the market or the high street that shoppers that many chose to do their shopping, it was Lambeth Town Hall for The Voice newspaper’s Black Business Fair.

The Voice, Britain’s top black weekly newspaper, which has served the African and Caribbean community for more than 36 years, organised the fair as a demonstration of its continued commitment to supporting blackowned businesses.

Around 1,000 people gathered in the town hall between 10am and 6pm to shop from a diverse range of around 60 businesses and entrepreneurs.

Shoppers came in their droves to support the community and pick up high quality unique products. There was everything from black dolls and books for children, natural hair care and skincare products to authentic African-inspired clothing and Caribbean

Formed in 2014, Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) is an innovative programme committed to transforming early years services in four Lambeth wards.

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, LEAP is made up of a partnership of local organisations, communities, parents and carers.

The aim is to deliver the best possible services in early childhood, encourage families to participate in designing and promoting services, and to offer the early years workforce training opportunities to develop their skills. We aim to build stronger and more supportive communities to enable individuals and organisations to collaborate so that every child has a better start in life, from pregnancy up to their fourth birthday.

LEAP is hosted by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB). NCB is a leading children’s charity working to build a better childhood for every child. NCB champion children’s right to be safe, secure and supported, by using evidence and our expert knowledge to influence government policy, and help practitioners to do the best job possible, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people.

Any further questions regarding LEAP please contact Gareth Williams.

Email: gwilliams@ncb.org.uk Phone: 02075824182

food and drink to choose from.

Candice, who came to shop at the fair, said: “I heard about the fair online and I wanted to come and support the black businesses.”

For many, the highly-anticipated fair was a highlight of the Town Hall event calendar.

Cllr Donatus Anyanwu said: “Having a business fair in Brixton, particularly the town hall, demonstrates the importance of our community having a place they can call home.

I think this is the best thing, for me, that has happened in the Town Hall for many years.”

Charlotte Francis, the woman behind Biankha and Friends, a black doll and animation company, was one of the exhibitors at the Voice Black Business Fair. She said: “It’s so important to have events like this because finding black-owned businesses can sometimes be quite difficult.”

George Ruddock, managing editor of The Voice newspaper, said: “The first Voice Black Business Fair has been incredible. We’re in a unique position to provide this sort of platform to black business owners and entrepreneurs and it’s been wonderful to see so many people come out to support the community through buying from black-owned businesses. Many people have already been asking when the next one will be – so they’ll be happy to know it will be back even bigger and better next year.”

LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19 21

Award-winning story highlights need for more support for teens A woman from south London has scooped top prize in a national creative writing competition aimed at highlighting the need for better support for vulnerable older children.

Rebekah McDermott, 25,from near Brixton, was joint winner in the 16-25 category of The Children’s Society’s competition, which is part of the national charity’s Seriously Awkward campaign.

The campaign aims to secure more support for vulnerable 16 and 17-year-olds with everything from housing and access to education and employment, to the risk of child sexual exploitation.

Entrants were tasked with crafting a fictional story of up to 2,000 words based upon the ups and downs faced by teenagers of this age. Judges included award-winning novelist Emma Healey, who was inspired to get involved by her own experiences of teenage depression and another leading author, Harriet Reuter-Hapgood, whose debut novel The Square Root of Summer tells the story of a grieving girl trying to cope with love and loss.

Rebekah’s success with her story Mud means she will now receive expert advice and feedback on her writing from AM Heath Literary Agents.

It tells how a girl, Judith, and her parents, respond to the arrival of a Polish family in town. Despite coming from a seemingly supportive family Judith faces emotional difficulties caused by the kind of pressures faced by many older children.

Rebekah, who works for Bloomsbury Publishing and writes under the name Rebekah Fellows, said “I’m thrilled to have won. I enjoyed writing it and found the theme inspiring as a writing prompt, so I’m very pleased that others enjoyed reading it.

“Luckily, I grew up with a supportive network of family and friends.

But I did want to depict that sense of isolation that I think everyone at some point feels in their school life, in that period between being a teenager and becoming an adult.”

Rebekah, who graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with an MA in Creative Writing Fiction two years ago, added: “The main character in my story, Judith, comes from what looks like a supportive home, but things aren’t quite as they seem.

“If the story were to continue then the friendship between Judith and Rafal would evolve into something quite important. I wanted to suggest that sometimes it’s in the most unusual places that you can find help or friendship, and when you’re least expecting it.”

Emma Healey, who judged the over-26 category, and whose latest novel Whistle in the Dark tells the

Emma Healey, photographed at the UEA campus, Norwich.

Emma Healey’s story

Rebekah McDermott, winner story of a teenager, Lana, who went missing, said: “All the competition stories I read touched on how frightening the world can be for young people, and how difficult it can be to admit that, or find someone helpful to talk to.

“This definitely corresponds to my own experience of adolescence, and more needs to be done to provide young people with the support they need.”

The Children’s Society wants to see more help for vulnerable older children – including those designated by councils as being ‘in need’ – and would like to see support continue when young people turn 18 where it is still needed.

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, which ran the competition in partnership with Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, said: “We had a fantastic response to our competition, and the theme struck a chord with

many aspiring writers who understand how difficult life can be for 16 and 17-year-olds, some inspired by moving personal experiences.

“This age can be a tricky time for any young person as they approach milestones like leaving school, or seeking work. When these coincide with significant issues like mental health problems, domestic abuse or the risk of homelessness, things can be really overwhelming.

“Yet too often these vulnerable children are wrongly dismissed as troublesome teenagers who are old enough to deal with their own problems.

“That’s why our Seriously Awkward campaign is calling for better support for these young people to help them address these issues before they escalate and give them a better chance of a happy future.”

The winning stories can be read at www.childrenssociety.org.uk/ writing

Emma Healey said the Seriously Awkward campaign struck a chord due to her own experiences of depression, which inspired Whistle in the Dark, the follow-up to her award-winning debut novel Elizabeth is Missing. Her new book tells the story of a teenager, Lana, who went missing, through the eyes of her mother.

“I keep meeting people who have faced these issues themselves or have children who are still struggling with this nightmare – it’s more widespread than people think,” said Emma, who suffered a breakdown not long before she turned 16.

“Like Lana I’d been self-harming and thinking about suicide and on one occasion I took loads of pills which my mum made me throw up.

“There are lots of things going on for teenagers, with exam stress, changing friendship groups, becoming independent and all those hormone changes affecting you.”

The Children’s Society says vulnerable older children – including those who are designated by councils as being ‘in need’ – are too often dismissed as troublesome teenagers or old enough to cope.

But Emma said that young people needed support – including to

talk about their feelings.

“It can be a pretty terrifying time and I felt pressure from every direction, but you don’t really have the language to express any of that when you’re a teenager, even if you have supportive parents like I did,” she said.

“When I eventually saw a social worker and nurse it was suggested that I went into a mental health unit but there were no children’s beds so I was sent to an adult ward.

“Fortunately one psychiatrist got me talking by asking me about paintings, one of my passions. We were eventually able to pin-point the stresses in my life and come up with an alternative plan which involved dropping GCSEs and going into therapy.

“In the year that followed I found it hard to leave the house. I started taking anti-depressants but it wasn’t until I’d nearly finished my degree that I started feeling a lot better.”

Seriously Awkward also calls for support for vulnerable young people to continue after their 18thbirthday – a change Emma wholeheartedly supports.

“It’s completely ridiculous to think that anyone’s problems can suddenly be solved because of one birthday but young people are slipping through the net between services which support children and those which help adults,” she said.

“It’s great to have a campaign to raise awareness of the need for young people to get more support to deal with the kind of challenges they can face.”

LAMBETHLIFE LIFEOCTOBER DECEMBER 2018 2018 22 LAMBETH 22

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LAMBETH LIFE

Dec. 18 – Jan. 19 23

PRESS RELEASE 6 NOVEMBER 2018

HB Reavis and HB Reavis Morley and Morley CollegeCollege London launch newLondon exhibition 'Past, launch new exhibition Future of Waterloo’ at Elizabeth House ‘Past, Present Present andandFuture of Waterloo’ at Elizabeth House HB Reavis, the international display includes a range of pieces workspace provider, and Waterloofrom Morley students. based Morley College London, one The collaboration with Morley of the UK’s leading centres for adult College London is part of HB Reaeducation, have launched their colvis’ shorter-term plans to activate laborative ‘Past, Present and Future the building and surrounding area, of Waterloo’ art exhibition at Elizain advance of the longer term plans beth House. to redevelop the site. In addition to The project will transform the enlivening York Road with public colonnade on York Road, underneartwork, HB Reavis’ plans include ath the 1960s building, into a public the introduction of new retailers to art gallery with displays of imagery, add to the current offer. This incartwork and textiles, bringing the ludes welcoming the return of the area surrounding Elizabeth House much loved café Love and Scanto life. dal, who were previously in Lower The first phase of the exhibition Marsh, as well as the expansion of sees five colonnade pillars dressed other independent Waterloo based with imagery taken by Morley stuenterprises: the Garden Shack, who dents and Digital Media and Photogspecialise in selling indoor and outraphy Programme Manager, Steve door plants, and a local coffee shop, HB Reavis, theAndrews, internationalLearning workspaceResources provider, and Waterloo-based London, one Mepsted. The works, named ‘Pillars Four Corners. ine The projectMorley aimsCollege to highlight theof the centres for adult at education, launched area’s their collaborative ‘Past, Present and Future of the Community’, showcaseUK’s theleading Centre Manager Morleyhave College; rich heritage and create an of In addition they welcome LLS Waterloo’ art exhibition Elizabethimagery.

House. history of the area and include imaand historic at archive enlivened space for those working, Café, who offers healthy and etges of local people who have helped hically produced deli-style food; In addition, the ‘Past, Present living in and visiting the area.

The project will transform the colonnade on York Road, underneath the 1960s building, into a public art shape the landscape of Waterloo. and Future of Waterloo’ project will There is also a carefully curated handmade doughnut specialist, gallery with displays of imagery, artwork and textiles, bringing the area surrounding Elizabeth House to The series includes photographs of see a further collection of decora- window display installed at Eliza- Crosstown Doughnuts; and Pancs, life.

Giles Goddard, the Vicar of St Johns ted columns popping up with mo- beth House, showcasing the work who provide sweet and savoury Church Waterloo; volunteers from drawings and ce- pillars undertaken textiles jewel- handcrafted pancake-wraps.

The first saics, phase ofpaintings, the exhibition sees five colonnade dressed withby imagery takenand

by Morley the Waterloo Action Centre; students Ela- ramics Adding to this, Sara Robertsoncreated

by Morley students. students at the college. and Digital Media and Photography Programmelery Manager, Steve Mepsted.

The works,The named

Jonas, Head of School for Visual and Digital Arts, Morley College London, said: “Morley College London is delighted to partner with HB Reavis and have this opportunity to engage with the local neighbourhood and showcase the creativity of our students. We look forward to injecting new life into Elizabeth House through our partnership and bringing the work of our students to wider audiences.”

HB Reavis purchased Elizabeth House in May 2017. They have since appointed Stirling Prize-winning architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) as design partner, to bring forward fresh proposals for the site that focus on replacing the outdated existing building with new work space and supporting the ambition of delivering approximately 13,000 new jobs for the area, as well as transforming the public space and pedestrian experience around the site.

The Morley College London exhibition runs until Winter 2019.

‘Pillars of the Community’, showcase the history of the area and include images of local people who have helped shape the landscape of Waterloo. The series includes photographs of Giles Goddard, the Vicar of St Johns Church Waterloo; volunteers from the Waterloo Action Centre; Elaine Andrews, Learning Resources Centre Manager at Morley College; and historic archive imagery. event where yocial celebration

Young people took over Evelina London Children’s Hospital for a day as part of a national event Almost 20 young people, including the hospital’s patients and students from Sacred Heart secondary school in Southwark, South London, were given the opportunity to run parts of Evelina London during the Takeover Challenge.

The Takeover Challenge is a national event led by the Children’s Commissioner for England, which gives young people the chance to shadow jobs, get involved in decision making and offer their opinions on key issues.

Activities at Evelina London included a takeover of the

hospital’s radio station, Radio Lollipop, which involved young people taking song requests from patients and interviewing staff.

Participants also spent the day shadowing the Evelina London communications team and were able to tweet updates from the event using the hospital’s official Twitter account.Young people were also invited to pitch ideas for the Evelina London 150 birthday celebrations next year to a “Dragon’s Den” panel made up of senior staff.

The day finished with a spe-

ung people were presented with certificates for taking part in the Takeover Challenge.

Shanaya Hamilton, 15, a pupil at Sacred Heart secondary school, took part in the Radio Lollipop takeover. She said: “Being able to DJ and speak directly to patients’ on the hospital’s wards was a lot of fun. Patients were sending us their song requests and we were able to play their favourite songs.

“I also really enjoyed interviewing staff and finding out about their jobs. I learnt a lot about the many different types of jobs you could do at a hospital. I didn’t realise that there was so much more to a hospital than just doctors and nurses.

“I feel really inspired by the Takeover Challenge. The staff at Evelina London were really lovely to us and spent lots of time discussing their roles and explaining how the hospital is run.”

Janet Powell, director of nursing at Evelina London, said: “We were delighted to take part in the Takeover Challenge. All the young people who took part should feel really proud of themselves for sharing their ideas and contributing to how Evelina London is run.

“It’s really important that the services we run meet the needs of our young patients, and that we are supporting our local community. Taking part in the Takeover Challenge is a great way of ensuring that we’re doing that. We want young people to know that their views and ideas can and do make a real difference.”

The Takeover Challenge was held on Friday 23 November.

All’s well, that’s Brockwell It has been another fantastic year for Brockwell Swimmers as summed up at the Annual General Meeting held at the Crown and Greyhound pub on Tuesday 27th November.

Swimming highlights started with Brockwell Swimmers’ first ever Spring Invitation Club Relays held on Thursday 31st May. Clubs included Serpentine, Spencer, Windrush, Tooting and the Brockwell own home team. Races started prompt at 8pm with freestyle relays, followed by breaststroke, medley and finishing with a ten person squadron.

For eight weeks during the Summer the club again hosted Water Polo sessions on Monday evenings using the deep end of the Lido. According to the rules players are not allowed to touch the bottom during the game which makes Brockwell one of the few places in

South London we can play correctly.

Water Polo is a great team game, great exercise and a great way to meet other swimmers. The sport combines speed and strength, as well as learning new skills and a high level of fitness. The rest of the year the club trains on Sunday afternoons at St Joseph’s College in Beulah Hill.

The Club continued to run its weekly coached swim sessions on Tuesday evenings at JAGs Sports Club in North Dulwich. These sessions are led by super qualified coach Stephen Baker and combine both technique and drill. They are a great work out for both body and mind, and good fun too. The first session is free so why not give it a go?

Other Brockwell Swimmers events include friendly team events with other swim clubs, Summer Walk/Swims, Open Water and Wild swimming, club socials and club meets. Swimming is a wonderfully inclusive sport and the club hope to celebrate and encourage more use of this wonderful community facility. Come take the plunge, the water is lovely!

More details at www.brockwellswimmers.com or #brockwellswim.

22 LAMBETH LIFE

DEC /JAN 2018 /19

Delivering for the nation Order on the app tonight

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