Issue 21 of The Lewisham Ledger by Lewisham Ledger

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A FREE NEWSPAPER FOR LEWISHAM

The Lewisham Ledger I S S U E 2 1 | M AY/J U N E 2 0 2 2

The reel deal

Meet local film director Arnold Chukwu PAGE 8

Sixty years of Henry’s Hairstylists PA G E S 1 6 , 17

Spirited pair

In good voice

A Catford couple’s brilliant beverage

Christina Carty’s community choir

PAG E 21

PA G E 14

THE LE WI S H AM L E D G E R

NEWS

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Welcome to The Lewisham Ledger, a free newspaper for the borough. fter a long two years of restrictions imposed by the pandemic, it's set to be an action-packed summer in Lewisham, with lots of community gatherings taking place across the borough. There will be a chance to celebrate the Queen's platinum jubilee next month, with events including a beacon-lighting in Blackheath and Telegraph Hill on 2 June at 8.30pm. This will be followed by a "picnic and Proms in the park" event in Mountsfield, Mayow and Beckenham Place parks on June 3 from 12.30-1.30pm. As Lewisham's year as London borough of culture continues, there's a range of cultural and community events to immerse yourself in too, including two particular highlights. The first is Sonic Pho, which will bring food and stories from Lewisham’s Vietnamese community – the largest in London – together in one unique audio experience hosted at five local Vietnamese restaurants. From 1 June till 1 December, diners will be able to dive into a bowl of steaming pho while hearing stories from Vietnamese people of all ages, on topics such as migration, belonging, family and food. The second will see the hugely popular People's Day festival return on 16 July after a four-year hiatus. It's a long overdue opportunity for the whole community to get together to enjoy live music, art and crafting in Mountsfield Park – and what's more, entry is completely free. We hope you enjoy the issue!

Above: The Dishevelled Peaches are one of the bands performing

Mark McGinlay and Kate White

The Lewisham Ledger

Brockley Max is back Community arts festival Brockley Max is celebrating its 21st anniversary this summer, with a jam-packed programme of more than 75 events over nine days. The festival mainly took place online last year, but is returning in physical form from 27 May to 4 June, with venues including pubs, libraries, community centres, galleries, gardens and more all getting involved. The celebrations will begin with the Brockley Max opening night, which will feature live music from rock to rockabilly, folk to funk and everything in between at an open-air event on Coulgate Street on 27 May from 4.30-10.30pm. Performers will range from Heart of Steel – a Lewisham-based community steel band who play everything from Bob Marley to Abba to Michael Bublé – to The Dishevelled Peaches, a five-piece local ska outfit. Another festival highlight will be Art in the Park on Hilly Fields, which will offer family-friendly activities including Jubilee-themed children’s art workshops and a storytelling tent with tales from around the world, along with live music, the Art Mart at the Max craft market, food and drink on 4 June from 12-6pm. The Brockley Music Trail will bring an array of live music to front gardens and public spaces on 28 May, while the art trail will engage whole streets during the event, connecting neighbours and communities.

Cover photograph Arnold Chukwu by Lima Charlie Editors Mark McGinlay, Kate White Creative directors Andy Keys, Marta Pérez Sainero Type designers a2-type.co.uk londontype.co.uk Photographer Lima Charlie Sub-editor Jack Aston

Meanwhile the festival will celebrate its milestone birthday with a free party at the Fox and Firkin on 29 May from 7pm till midnight, with a host of live acts and DJs who have appeared at the event over the years. They will include Felix’s Rock Choir, who will perform singalong-friendly rock, pop and soul; violin and accordion duo Mazaika, who will play Gypsy fiddle music, folk, classical and tango; blues and country singer Ceri James and local singer-songwriter Prvna. Also taking part is rock and roots reggae band The Four Fathers; accordionist Flaky Jake with Matthew Goodsmith on drums; rapper Coldway and “cosmic” country band The True Believers, fronted by musical comedian Steve Gribbin and folk singer Alice Renouf. A huge range of other activities will be on offer, including Pompoms of Hope at Crofton Park Community Library – a chance to make pompoms from scrap fabric and create a message of hope to hang on a tree outside the library on 28 May from 10am till midday. Brockleywood Nights will showcase short films from local directors, both professional and amateur, on 3 June from 7.30-10pm at St Peter’s Church. A junk sculpture workshop at Breakspears Mews Community Garden invites you to bring along your recycled materials and with volunteers’ help, turn them into art or practical objects like a bird feeder, on 28 May from 2-4pm.

Contributors Rosario Blue, Lawrence Diamond, Jessica Kendrew, Miranda Knox, Luke G Williams Marketing and social media Mark McGinlay

Poems in Brockley will see local people reading their own poetry and works by other people on the theme of peace. Bring a poem yourself or just listen with a drink at the Royal George on Tanner’s Hill, on 31 May from 7.30-10pm. Elsewhere, enjoy paintings and drawings in the yard at Lewisham Arthouse on Lewisham Way, to celebrate 30 years of the local studio and gallery, on 27-29 May and 1-4 June from 12-6pm. And discover a potted history of the shops and businesses of Brockley Road, which offered an extraordinary range of goods and services – from ostrich feather-cleaning to tennis racquet-stringing – from 1880-1939. Find out more at St Hilda’s Church on 4 June from 2-4pm. Brockley Max aims to attract and include residents and visitors of all ages, by providing a diverse range of activities and opportunities to get involved. Most of the events are free to access and several thousand people attend each year. Festival founder Moira Tait said: “We are delighted to be able to return to the heart of the community in 2022. With Lewisham a borough of sanctuary, we will be celebrating the diversity and inclusivity of Brockley, Ladywell, Crofton Park and Honor Oak and with our 21st birthday this year, we hope to make the Brockley Max festival 2022 bigger, better and more fun than ever.” View the full programme at brockleymax.co.uk

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N EWS

On the right track Crofton Park Railway Garden is holding a special event on 11 June to celebrate its third birthday since opening to the public. “Since the garden opened three years ago it has become an important community space,” said Kay Pallaris, treasurer of the Friends of Crofton Park Railway Garden. “Lots of people used it to escape the constant time indoors and as a respite during lockdowns, and we want to celebrate how valued it has become within the community.” The celebration event will run from 11am till 4pm and Marnock Road, where the garden’s entrance is located, will also be closed for the day. “There’s going to be a bigger community market on Marnock Road with lots of artisan stalls and a play street,” Kay said. “In the garden itself we’re going to have various activities for children and adults – there will be arts and crafts, storytelling, seed planting and facepainting. “There will also be food stalls, a plant sale and different musical acts as well as an African drumming workshop and much more. “We will also be having a raffle to help us fundraise to continue to maintain and improve the garden. A lot more children are using it now so one thing we want to enhance is its capacity for kids’ natural play and opportunities to explore nature.”

Located alongside platform one of Crofton Park Station, the garden was – for many years – an abandoned site that was overgrown with brambles and weeds and plagued by fly-tipping. “Back in November 2015 it was just a big mud heap basically with a few raised beds up the top,” Kay recalled. “It was a bit of a dumping ground really, but I

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could see the site had so much potential. It was a long journey to get to where we are now. It wasn’t until late 2017, early 2018 that all the funding came into place. “By 2019 we were able to start work and landscaping. The topography was very challenging and it took a long time but it’s been worth it.”

Today the garden is a well-used and beautifully landscaped area that is filled with plants, wildlife and spaces for reflection. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9am till 5pm and hosts regular community events, including a monthly community market and gardening fun days for children.

TH E LE WI S H A M L E DG E R

NEWS

MAY/J U N E 2 02 2

Magnificent Mulvey A collection of short stories by Lewisham author Niamh Mulvey is already attracting rave reviews ahead of its official publication by Picador on 23 June. Hearts and Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth is Niamh’s first book, although she has worked in and around the publishing industry for more than a decade as a commissioning editor and writing coach. Despite the admiring reviews her book has already garnered, Niamh is very much keeping her feet on the ground. “My priority is to stay focused on the work as much as possible, no matter what happens,” she said. “I am, of course, extremely grateful to my publisher – they are the best in the business in terms of literary publishing. They make it so that I don’t have to think about much else except making the best work I can and staying true to the things I want to explore. “Making good work as an artist of any kind is about tuning out the noise and paying close attention to the thing you want to figure out in your work. That’s my only aim, to continue to do that.” Hearts and Bones contains 10 short stories, all set in Ireland or London during the first two decades of the current millennium. “I started each story with the sense of a character looking at someone they

loved and wishing they could reach out to them or understand them a little better,” Niamh said. “The book is about relationships, essentially, and I deliberately wanted each story to have the intensity of a great pop song. The pronouns ‘I’ and ‘you’ are the ones most used in songs – and it’s that feeling between ‘I’ and ‘you’ that I wanted to capture.” The Anglo-Irish settings and influence of the stories are a reflection of Niamh’s own background – born in Kilkenny in south-east Ireland she moved permanently to London in January 2011, after previously having studied in the capital. For most of the time she has lived in London, Niamh has been based in Lewisham. “I love Lewisham,” she said. “It’s influenced me deeply, maybe even spiritually. The thing I love most about it is how multi-layered it is. It has the rich and interesting history that you can see most visibly in its lovely Victorian and Edwardian architecture – but then on top of and intertwined with that, you have the unfolding histories of the many, many different communities that live in the borough. “I grew up in a small Irish town and almost everyone came from the same type of cultural, religious and economic background. Lewisham is the very opposite of that, which is exciting to me.”

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TH E LE WI S H A M L E DG E R

NEWS

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Have an ice day A historic local ice house welcomed its 30,000th visitor last month. The unusual building, which is situated in the grounds of Manor House Gardens in Lee, has been open for the past 22 years following a project to repair and restore it by the Lee Manor Society. While society members were passionate about bringing the building back into use, they said they had no idea how popular it would prove over the long term. While lengthy queues built up on the opening day in June 2000, they feared that interest would ebb away and they would be left with a fine but once-again forgotten building. However, thanks to “stalwart support” for the project, the ice house has opened every summer since, welcoming visitors from April to September on the first and third Sundays of the month between 3-5pm. Come rain or shine, society members volunteer at a welcome table at the entrance to the building and explain to visitors the workings of the ice house and its history. Built in 1773 to serve the wealthy owners of Manor House, the ice house provided ice to the big house to preserve foodstuffs and for table decorations. Ice would have been cut from the lake in the gardens and packed into the egg-shaped ice well underground. Straw packing round the ice and several wooden doors to reduce air movement would have kept the ice solid for at least a year. Until the invention of mechanical refrigeration, powered by gas or electricity, the options for preserving food were limited. Ice was one method, alongside salting, pickling and smoking, before canning emerged later. Ice houses were a common feature of many large estates, with one of the first examples in England built in Greenwich in 1619. However, after World War One,

Following her art Deptford-based arts centre the Albany has appointed a new creative director. Vicki Amedume will work alongside CEO Gavin Barlow to shape the artistic and creative direction of the Albany’s programme and develop its relationships with artists and audiences. Vicki is a leading practitioner of circus, theatre and outdoor arts. As artistic director of Upswing, a leading contemporary circus company, she has a long history of working closely with the Albany and in the local area. In her new role as creative director, she will bring her rich expertise into the core Albany programme, ensuring the successes and momentum of this pivotal year have a meaningful legacy for the organisation. She will continue working with Upswing alongside. Vicki said: “I am thrilled to be taking on this new position after working collaboratively with the Albany for many years. It is a venue that is very close to my heart, and I can’t wait to play a part in its future as we continue with, and emerge from, Lewisham’s borough of culture year.”

advances in technology meant that most ice houses fell into disuse. The Manor House Gardens ice house was part of a set of farm buildings from which the surrounding farmland and orchards were managed. In the early 20th century the side chambers were used for the stabling of a local builder’s ponies. It also made a convenient air raid shelter for the occupants of nearby houses during the Blitz.

Ice, ice, baby: inside the ice house in Manor House Gardens

Reopening the ice house was a longheld ambition of the society but with access only possible through the back gardens of houses on Manor Lane, creating a new way to reach it was a challenge. The society finally opted for a staircase leading down to a newly created opening in the ice house wall, before mounds of rubbish were cleared from the chambers and the rough soil floor was smoothed and covered in brick.

Maths whizz wins top prize An eight-year-old schoolgirl has been crowned “top mathlete” in a worldwide challenge. Michelle, who attends Grinling Gibbons Primary School in Deptford, won the UK year three category of the World Maths Day global challenge – a worldwide contest involving 10 million young mathletes from 160 countries. Michelle, along with her classmates, pitted her wits and tested her mathematical prowess against her UK and

Maths champion: Michelle from Grinling Gibbons school

global peers, while taking part in a variety of activities designed to highlight the wonder of numbers and make maths fun. “I don’t know what to say,” said Michelle of her achievement. “I love maths and winning points and I’m so shocked to be the champion. I worked really hard, but it was worth it!” Event organiser Graham Frickers from 3P Learning said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating our 15th year of the World Maths Day global challenge. “During the 48-hour period when the challenge was open, we have calculated that the 10 million competitors attempted 1 billion questions. The global challenge is a record breaker – it’s the largest online maths competition in the world. “The competition is tough and I’m delighted to congratulate our 10 UK champion mathletes for their incredible achievements.” Dean Gordon, headteacher at Grinling Gibbons school, said: “Michelle’s amazing award is an inspiration to the whole school. “She showed great determination to do her best and we’re all so proud of her – she works hard every day and fully deserves this award.”

The Shirker's Rest team outside their new premises

Cheers to that

A new micropub is set to open in New Cross. The Shirker’s Rest will be located in a converted shop at 9 Lewisham Way,

Vicki Amedume, creative director at the Albany offering top quality cask and keg beers from local independent breweries, plus a range of other drinks, supplemented by snacks including pork pies, Monster Munch and dried beef. Downstairs will focus on conversation and having a good sit-down, while upstairs will host art exhibitions and other events showcasing local talent, as well as offering “a place to hide from the strictures of modernity”. Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison, founders of Deserter – their hugely popular online guide to messing about – have teamed up with pop-up pub specialists The Camberwell Shark to launch the micropub, which will open in June. Andrew said: “Having been what you might term an ‘end user’ for many years, I decided it’s time to give something back to society and open a pub. “We want to create a space where people can come to relax, chat, lean, look, listen and order delicious pints of foaming ale while they’re doing so. I’ve absolutely no idea what I’m doing, which if you don’t think about it too much, is very liberating.” Ben McNamee, director of The Camberwell Shark, added: “We’ve been trying to open our own place since 2017 and after a few false starts, it’s brilliant to team up with Deserter to help finally make this a reality.”

C ULT U RE

rnold Chukwu is a busy man. Currently planning a new directing project to follow his acclaimed short Disconnect, which was part of Channel 4’s Random Acts, he’s also honing the standup skills that saw him nominated for a BBC New Comedy award in 2021 – and turns his hand to poetry and spoken word in whatever free time he has left. Disconnect tells the story of the end of a relationship with a humour and insight that’s relatable for anyone on the modern dating scene. Filmed on location in Kidbrooke, it explores how social media is getting in the way of real human relationships. Funny but affecting, it has marked Arnold out as a filmmaker with a truly unique voice. Its reception – with funding from Random Acts followed by screenings at the ICA and BFI – was a validation of sorts for Arnold; proving that the ideas in his head were sparks of creativity that needed to be captured. “I started having ideas for short films because of the BFI,” he says. “They do workshops and schemes for young people, so I was going there and talking about short film ideas and having conversations with filmmakers. “Slowly you start to realise your ideas aren’t crazy, because you’re talking to someone and they go, ‘That’s not crazy, that’s a great idea.’ So you think, ‘Maybe I should actually write it?’ And then you write it, and then Random Acts decide they really like it and want to fund it. And then you know you’re definitely not crazy,” he laughs. It’s no surprise that his film focuses on disconnection within human

It's almost like we were all in a cocoon and now we're figuring out how to fly again

Arnold’sadventures relationships, because for Arnold it’s interacting with other people that has led to many of the opportunities and inspirations that are helping him build his filmmaking and comedy career. “So much of my development has been through meeting people firsthand, having conversations and being in the room,” he says. “For example the TV script I’ve got in development, that came about because someone saw me doing standup and came up to me.” For an artist so focused on the importance of connecting with others, lockdown was a blow. “I loved how things were going just before Covid for myself,” he says. “In terms of the pathway and the trajectory and the things that were happening, I was really happy. The standup was going really well, scripts were being developed and written. It felt like there were more opportunities.” And while Arnold is honest about the impact that lockdown has had on his momentum, and at times his belief in his work, he hopes there can be a silver lining to this strange two-year

WORDS BY LAWRENCE DIAMOND

Talented director and humourist Arnold Chukwu, who was born and raised in Lewisham, tells us how he has carved out a career in film and comedy – and why he loves the local area period we’re all slowly emerging from. “It’s almost like we were all in a cocoon and now we’re all figuring out how to fly again, and then you start seeing things, like trees and life and nature and stuff and you’re like, ‘OK, now I can express myself.’ I think we’re going to see a big evolution, not just in art, but in how we speak to each other and how we live.” Arnold has used the time to study for a master’s in film at LCC, while reconnecting with spoken word and creating music. Despite the lightness he brings to every facet of his work, he’s clearly comfortable dealing with

Going places: Lewisham's Arnold Chukwu is definitely one to watch

bigger questions around identity, mental health and race. He’s been on record as aspiring “to make films and show stories where black and brown people are simply allowed to exist and be and not be beholden to the weight of solely representing their race”. “I think it’s that there is no definition of blackness,” he says. “For instance I like Top Boy, but sometimes it feels like something like that says, ‘This is what black Britain is.’ And yes it’s a beautiful black person in the role, but it’s not like that should define black beauty or the black experience, because there is no monolith to the black experience, just as there is no monolith to any cultural experience.” This desire to show the range of the human experience seeps through all his work. “Even with my poetry there is humour in it,” he says. “Levity is important, because it makes things more human. The range of humanity is what I’m interested in.” Performing also holds a deeper motivation for Arnold and he’s keen to shout out the team from Lewisham

Hospital’s speech and language therapy department as some of his true local heroes. “While at sixth form college in Lewisham I lost my voice for two months,” he explains. “Since then my voice and I have been on a tough journey of recovery. One of the reasons I started standup was that it felt therapeutic to express myself, let the words go and receive laughter afterwards – it helped me to not be so tense in my throat while talking.” Chatting to Arnold, his honesty and compassion come across in every subject he addresses. I get the impression of a man thinking deeply about what he’s saying and what he wants to create. He even talks about putting his comedy on “simmer” for now because he’s not sure how to make light of the world when there’s so much suffering. “It’s difficult to do comedy now because there is less to laugh about at the moment,” he says. So as he takes a pause from performing, while busily getting TV scripts and film ideas into shape, it’s interesting that the “disconnect” he highlighted in his first film is something that is part of his own experience as a south Londoner who’s spent his whole life between Peckham and Lewisham. “When I was living in Peckham last year I felt very disconnected at times,” he says. “What I loved about south-east London when I grew up is that although there were people of different classes and races, they still all had to go to the same spots to get the same stuff because there were only so many places. But now there are select places for people to go and get sourdough bread. There is less community space, and that became even more true during the pandemic.” But he still holds a deep love for the area he was born and raised in. “There’s magic here, I know that there is. And that’s not just because I grew up here you know. There is something in south-east London, especially in Peckham, Lewisham and Camberwell. It feels like you’re not just living in London, but that you can belong to a community and build a life that feels like home. Not just like a London life that’s a flat and you walk out and it’s a Tube journey somewhere. “I remember as a kid reading newspapers and magazines by New Cross residents for New Cross residents and getting lost in them for hours,” he adds. “There is something special about the ‘local legends’, being inspired by those nearby in your neighbourhood. “It’s more natural, it’s closer to home. Those stories always resonated the most. So to be asked to be in The Lewisham Ledger is a great feeling. It’s one of those small building blocks in my career, and it proves dreams do come true.”

Steeped in history, discover the Old Royal Naval College in the heart of Maritime Greenwich. Explore Sir Christopher Wren’s iconic riverside masterpiece, visit the magnificent Painted Hall and take a fascinating guided tour. Celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with live music, street-food and special events on over the Bank Holiday weekend. ORNC.ORG

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TH E LE WI S H A M L E DG E R

MUS IC

MAY/J U N E 2 02 2

s a parent of two children under the age of three I am very aware of the limitations life has put on my ability to go out and party like I used to. The desire to leave work and rave until the sun rose was seemingly woven into my DNA. Now the only time I’m up at 3am is to soothe a fractious child, while nights out that stretch past midnight seem like huge achievements to be celebrated – usually with a nap on the sofa the next day. Having the option to party at a more parent-friendly time is suddenly one that appeals deeply. International DJ and new mother Nikki Beatnik thought exactly the same thing in the run-up to the birth of her first child in 2014. “I was surprised people were confused I was still out DJing and doing what I do,” she says. “It’s as if people expected me to give up my 20-year career once I had my son.” But unlike most new parents, who are content in the knowledge that they’ve kept a small human alive while living on a diet of toast and ready meals, Nikki, who has DJed in more than 65 countries and was on the road with long-time collaborator and all-round legend Kelis until five days before the birth of her son, decided to do something about it. It took five years of working out what that thing would be, but in 2019, Mums That Rave was born. The female-only events are centred around daytime parties but also take in talks, workshops, IG Live chats and networking. It’s a mix that has helped make MTR more of a movement than simply a club night (or should that be club day?) For something that’s having such a profound impact on hundreds, if not thousands of women, it all came from a simple conversation with a friend on a dancefloor. “I’d been asked to do a friend’s panel talk, then afterwards I’d gone out partying – and I just thought, ‘Imagine if I did a party for mums and it was a panel but then afterwards it was just like one of my raves?’” From that small acorn a giant oak swiftly grew. “I didn’t realise how it was going to take off, or how much it was needed, until after the first event. At first we sold maybe 40 or 50 tickets, and it’s now like 150, 200. The first year in 2019, there were nine MTRs, including two sponsored by brands who came to us and said, ‘We love this, can we do this with you,’ and then we did one in Dublin too.” Attending a daytime party organised by one of London’s most respected spinners would be enough of a USP to get most mums out of the house, but Nikki has gone the extra mile to ensure MTR is a special and unique day out. “I encourage everyone to get dressed up and come as their best selves,” she says. “If you want to come in a full sequin catsuit that’s cool, or if you just want to come in trainers, that’s cool too. But I really want women to be spoiled for those few hours they’re out.” And it’s true. MTR events are like nothing else. Where else can you hear speakers such as Lisa Maffia give you the lowdown on being a mum in the entertainment industry, before getting your hair and makeup done by the in-house beauty team at the glam bar, then get down to DJ sets that range from garage to hip-hop to drum’n’bass and from Drake to Lauryn Hill, while

You can come to Mums That Rave in a full sequin catsuit – or just wear trainers

Bohemian Like You WORDS BY LAWRENCE DIAMOND

After the birth of her first child, DJ Nikki Beatnik was determined to offer music-loving mums something different – and Mums That Rave was the result getting snapped looking your absolute finest by a team of top photographers who are there to record the event? Nikki puts in the work to make sure the events go above and beyond the typical club night as she knows the attendees have had to move heaven and high water to make sure they have those few hours to let their hair down. “Mums are the hardest group to promote to because they have so many

Mum's the word: DJ Nikki Beatnik's Mums That Rave events have been a big hit

responsibilities. Even three or four days before an event you get people emailing being like, ‘I can’t come because my kid’s sick,’ or ‘The boiler’s gone!’ There’s all these responsibilities on parents, and quite often on mums. So I totally get that to come to this is a big deal and I appreciate every single supporter we’ve ever had.” And perhaps because of these hurdles to be overcome, there’s always an extra special vibe at the party. “I’ve never seen people go so hard. Because they know they’ve only got between 2pm and 6pm on this Sunday afternoon, they just absolutely let loose. And it’s really life-affirming.” Nikki worried people would find the idea of an all-female rave a bit strange, but it has helped make it something special. “It sounds like it could be a bit weird, but in reality it turns into something phenomenal. The energy is like something I’ve never experienced before. Then when you check back the videos on Instagram there’s mums jumping up on tables raving to jungle music at 4pm in the afternoon.” And though pivoting to online events and Instagram chats didn’t inspire Nikki in the same way as those in-person events – “The vibe is so special with mums that don’t get out very much actually coming out and being with each other, so I really wanted to get back to live as soon as possible” – the conversations that happened during lockdown around

the safety of women in public places did feed back into the fuel that helped burn the MTR fire. “MTR is such a safe space for women, and the mums keep telling me they feel that. So after Covid, I was like, ‘Listen, even if you’re not a mum, even if you’re just a woman who wants to come and be inspired, the doors are open for you.’ And 95% are mums, but there will be other women who come, and I realised how important that aspect of it is, to offer a safe space.” The networking element of the events has proven vital too. Nikki’s no-nonsense approach, and the added bonus of having a massive party while mingling, has meant it’s offered an alternative to the more traditional mum events that Nikki wasn’t sure catered to her and other mums she knew from her clubbing days. “I felt very excluded when I had my first kid and started to look online for examples of other mums,” she says. “I was looking on Instagram to try and find a tribe and I felt so confused and alienated by the classic kind of cliques that you get in the mum influencer world.” As such Nikki has worked hard to create a space where anyone can feel welcome. “I’m not trying to be a yummy mummy, or pretentious or whatever stereotypes you can think of. It’s just everyone can come, everyone is welcome, we don’t have a certain type of mum we’re trying to appeal to. If you love music and dancing and raving, you can sit with us. I’ve worked hard to make sure MTR is as far [as possible] from the average beige box that they try and fit us in as mums.” For that reason the panels have featured body positivity talks from mums and curve models, real parenting insight from podcast gurus the Scummy Mummies and an overview from DJ Cassie on the demands of parenting and touring. It’s in the knock-on effects of these talks and networking events that Nikki really sees the wider power of MTR. “We’ve had people say they’ve started companies off the back of it. Women come and make new friends and then get inspired by their new friends’ businesses and go and start their own.” Outside of MTR Nikki has a highly successful career as a party organiser and DJ that has taken her all over the world. But while she originally hails from Glenshee in Scotland, endless trips to the original Ministry of Sound in Elephant and Castle, where she also got one of her first jobs straight out of uni, meant south London always felt like her natural home. So when the time came to put down roots, the move south-east – she was in Peckham for 17 years and now lives in Catford – made perfect sense. “I just love it here,” she says. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

12 LEWI S H AM I N PI CT U R E S

WORDS BY JACK ASTON

PHOTOS BY JEMIMA YONG

Striking images of 10 women from Deptford went on display as part of a recent creative work

he brainchild of writer, theatre-maker and artist Luca Rutherford, You Heard Us is a powerful public photography project all about celebrating women, listening to women, and women defiantly taking up public spaces. As part of the exhibition, 10 women from Deptford were captured on camera by local photographer Jemima Yong. The large-scale images were then displayed on buildings around the area earlier this spring – and for anyone who didn’t manage to see them in person, we’ve featured a selection here. “With portraits in public spaces you can make a lot of noise in a very quiet way,” Luca said of the inspiration behind the project. “I often find that we listen to the people who shout the loudest, but I want this project to make space for anyone who feels quiet as well as loud.”

YOU

HEARDUS

The second strand of the work is You Heard Me, a true story celebrating a single moment of noise that allowed Luca to escape an attack. The moment made her realise what it means to take up space, heal and be part of something much bigger than yourself. A one-woman play about the power to remake, remould and disrupt, which was shown at local venue the Albany in March, it is for “anyone who has been underestimated, told to shut up or been afraid to walk home”. “You Heard Me is rooted in a story of sexual violence, specifically of escaping rape,” Luca said. “I want to draw attention to the relationship between harnessing the power of your voice, being heard and in return listening to others.” She added: “Humour and a sense of play are used, without undermining the severity of this topic, to explore my relearning how to take up space, apologise less and speak up.”

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With portraits in public spaces, you can make a lot of noise in a very quiet way

The powerful project, which combines theatre and public art, is all about celebrating women and putting their experiences at the forefront

14 MU S I C

or Christina Carty, running a trio of community choirs in south-east London is something of a dream

come true. “I’m grateful every day for it,” she says of her popular groups: Vocallective in Forest Hill, Vocalise Catford and Vocalise Sidcup. “I know that sounds a bit cheesy, but I’m obsessed with music, I have been since I was really small. So the fact that I get to do this as my job…” A child of the performing arts, Christina is a Mountview alumnus. For many years she worked as an actor and singer, with roles in shows like Casualty and performing at venues such as the Salisbury Playhouse and Nottingham Playhouse among others. She later became a talent agent at Creative Artists Management (CAM), a job she enjoyed dearly but which came with unsociable and long hours. When she had her daughter she knew she needed something with more stability. “I ended up going into teaching [music] because of my background, teaching at primary schools,” she says. “During that time I also began a teachers’ choir. I was enjoying that so much that I started an adult choir, Vocallective in Forest Hill, which has been going for 11 years now.” Christina found she loved working with people and teaching singing and wanted to do more. So after moving to Sidcup, she decided to launch another choir for her local area in 2017. “It’s an afternoon choir that is attended by a lot of older people and retired people,” she says. The following year she began directing Hummy Mummies, a group of daytime choirs in south-east London for mothers and carers of young children, to help them feel part of a community and to combat feelings of loneliness and isolation through getting together and singing. “There was a wonderful director called Richard Swan, who started Hummy Mummies back in 2011,” Christina says. “[Richard] wanted to move on from it. He knew that it was great for people and beneficial, so he wanted it to carry on. He asked me [to take it over] and I said I would love to.” Christina’s approach with her students, young and older, is to treat them as professionals. “I didn’t want to talk down to them. I would always be ambitious about the things that we did, and we achieved some amazing things. St Joseph’s [primary school] choir, for instance, in Deptford. We sang on [ITV’s] This Morning in 2015.” Christina taught singing in schools until 2019, when she made the decision to become a full-time choir director. By that point she was running three Hummy Mummies choirs in Crofton Park, East Dulwich and Peckham, as well as Vocalise Sidcup. After the Peckham Hummy Mummies group ended, she began another in Catford. In addition to this, she was delivering singing therapy in care homes to bring the psychological and physical benefits of singing to the elderly and residents living with dementia. And she also led two choir groups in Shoreditch and Islington for Some Voices, a non-audition choir with more than 1,000 members and rehearsal venues all over London and other parts of England. “[All of that] was enough for me to do as a full-time job,” she says. “And then we got locked down.”

I'm obsessed with music, I have been since I was really small

PEOPLE OF NOTE

Christina Carty runs three community choirs in south-east London, including baby-friendly group Vocalise Catford. She tells us more about them – and explains how everyone is welcome WORDS BY ROSARIO BLUE

The pandemic meant Christina was forced to take the Hummy Mummies choirs online and when the fog of lockdown finally began to lift, something felt different for her. “Hummy Mummies as a brand, as it were – it wasn’t working for the times we were living in,” she says. “‘Hummy mummy’: it wasn’t very inclusive. It felt like it was a kind of slice of the past, that kind of ‘yummy mummy’ thing.”

She started considering ways to breathe new life into the choirs postlockdown. “My friend Yasmin Poyntz and her team had started The Village, a community hub in Catford for parents’ wellbeing,” she says. “Yasmin [a former member of Vocallective] approached me and said, ‘We’re doing this new social enterprise; would you consider starting a daytime choir there?’ And I said, ‘That sounds like a brilliant idea.’”

Tuning in: Christina Carty is passionate about teaching people to sing

After lockdown ended last spring, a trial session of the new choir was held in the garden of the Ninth Life pub in Catford’s Rushey Green. The turnout was very good and sessions continued there until restrictions eased. “Then, thank goodness, we were allowed to sing inside,” says Christina. “We made a permanent home at the Corbett Community Library.” Vocalise Catford now meets once a week and is “working really well”, she says. “It built up slowly over time and we had a brilliant last term. We had 35 members.” Christina is proud of the success of her choirs and grateful to the many people who attend. However, like many organisations and event leaders, she has found that attracting people from diverse backgrounds has proven difficult. It’s something she hopes to change. “It’s a baby-friendly choir,” she says of Vocalise Catford. “So really it means that everyone is welcome. If you’ve got a baby, your baby is also welcome. I’d love to see more people who don’t have babies come along because I know they’re out there. I know there are people on a Wednesday morning who might be kicking their heels, or they’re retired or just have a free morning and could really benefit from it.” Each of Christina’s three choirs has its own distinct style and approach. “The older people at Vocalise Sidcup for instance, I can choose songs that are older favourites, and some new favourites that are well-suited to older people. “At Vocalise Catford, because the demographic is mainly people in their 30s, I like choosing things that they might have loved 10 or 15 years ago, things from the 90s, the noughties. And then at Vocallective, we do a whole mixture of everything – old stuff, 80s, new stuff.” Vocalise and Vocallective perform at different local venues and festivals throughout the year. “Vocallective sang at the London Landmarks half marathon and we do events and our own end of term show in the summer,” she says. The show is open to the public and is a great opportunity to see what the choirs have been working on, says Christina. “Now it’s summer, hopefully there’ll be some local festivals and things we can perform at too,” she adds. Taster sessions are available for anyone who wants to see if the choirs would be a good fit for them. “Everyone has different needs,” says Christina. “They come to choir for different reasons and you’ve got to be able to take all that in. You can’t be a blanket kind of director. You have to recognise what people need as well. They get so much out of it, but I get just as much out of it. And I don’t think people realise that.”

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16 LEWI S H AM L EG E N D ver the last 60 years, Henry’s Hairstylists in New Cross has provided locals – and loyal devotees from further afield – with hairstyling services, as well as a friendly chat while “in the chair”. As its 60th anniversary approaches in early July, owner Deniz Mehmed spoke to The Lewisham Ledger about the history of the much-loved business, which was originally known as Henry’s, then Henry & Son, and was first opened by Deniz’s eponymous father Henry Mehmed in 1962. “Dad is 88 now,” Deniz says with clear pride. “And he remains the best barber I have ever seen. He’s amazing.” Deniz – whose flair for an entertaining anecdote is evident throughout our conversation – explains the history of the business. “Dad is Turkish Cypriot,” he says. “He was born in November 1933 and came to the UK in 1953 aged 19, with five quid in his pocket and a suitcase full of clothes. “He couldn’t speak English, but he had one cousin here living on the Walworth Road. Dad stayed with him for a month then went for an interview at a barber’s in Woolwich. He got the job and worked all hours there for nine years.” It was in Woolwich that Deniz’s mother and father met, beginning a long and happy marriage. “Dad was a lodger a few doors down from where my mum lived with her parents,” Deniz explains. “They met one day at the bus stop. “Before their first date, Mum thought she would have her hair cut specially. Unfortunately, whoever

HOORAY HENRY’S for

After arriving in the UK with a fiver to his name, Henry Mehmed opened his New Cross barbershop in 1962 and 60 years later, it’s still going strong. His son Deniz tells us more WORDS BY LUKE G WILLIAMS n PHOTOS BY LIMA CHARLIE

cut it did such a bad job that my dad refused to go out with her until it grew back. He was worried that if people saw them together they might think he’d cut it! It was a good few weeks before he first took her out. But it was a great break for my dad meeting her – they make a great couple and they’re both still with us.” Henry left Woolwich to set up his own business in 1962. The site he plumped for on Amersham Vale, directly opposite New Cross Station, had been a barber’s since Victorian times. It did not take long for Henry’s to become a well-loved and patronised establishment. Indeed, Deniz points out that many of his dad’s original clients from Woolwich followed him to New Cross. “I’ll always remember another hairdresser telling me, ‘Your dad was a legend in Woolwich. Everyone in the barbering community knew Henry.’ What’s funny is, because Dad learned English from being around Italians in Woolwich, he spoke English with an Italian accent – so a lot of people assumed he was Italian.” Henry’s work ethic was second to none. “When I was growing up Dad worked all hours,” Deniz says. “He’d often be at work before we got up and get home after we’d gone to bed, so we only really saw him on a Sunday. And for seven years he worked in the shop by himself.” From the age of five Deniz helped out in the shop by sweeping up. “I think my dad got me doing that to get me out from under my mum’s feet – my brother is four years younger than me and was just a baby then. “When I was about 14 I started working there properly on Fridays

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and Saturdays. That’s also when I was looking at my options at school and it was time to decide what I wanted to do with my life. Coming from Bexleyheath, becoming an astronaut was unlikely – although I was brought up on the Apollo missions and would have loved to do that. But it was never going to happen with just five CSEs under my belt. “I briefly considered becoming a mechanic but I was helping Dad out anyway and decided that being a barber meant I wouldn’t come home with dirty hands all the time,” he laughs. Deniz cut his first head of hair aged 15. “Dad would have two chairs on the go next to each other,” he recalls. “I’d get the next customer up in one chair while he was finishing the one in the first chair. When he gave me the nod he’d move over and start on the second customer while I took the money from the first customer, swept up, got another customer in the chair and gowned them up. “It only saved a few minutes but over the course of a long day it made a real difference. I got used to watching Dad as well as doing shampooing and so on. Then one day this kid came in for a haircut. He was probably a couple of years younger than me. I gowned him up and Dad looked over at me and nodded as if to say I should cut his hair. I thought, ‘This is a bit early, isn’t it?’

“But Dad said, ‘He wants a number four, do it!’ A number four with clippers isn’t rocket science but you have to know what you’re doing – the comb and the clippers have to go in the opposite direction to the growth otherwise it lies flat and doesn’t cut properly or evenly. You also have to make sure you tidy up around the edges and so on. Anyway, I did the haircut and the kid didn’t complain or ask for his money back so I must have done OK.” As well as learning from his father, Deniz also trained in hairstyling on a City & Guilds course at Erith College of Technology. After that he joined his dad full-time in the shop, helping it expand from a traditional barber’s to a unisex salon. “I joined in 1982 and soon after we started doing women’s hair as well,” he says. “My dad had done a bit of women’s hair before but not loads, but I trained in both. “Many people have worked for us over the years and we’ve always tried to pass on what we know. For example, Kerem, my cousin’s boy who works for us now, learned his skills through college and also from me.” The biggest change Henry’s has seen in its history was the complete rebuild of its premises in 2016-17. “The shop was tiny at the beginning,” Deniz says. “Over the years we added a couple of extensions but then we decided to completely demolish it. The old building wasn’t even completely

straight and when we knocked it down we discovered the foundations were only nine inches deep – the building was basically a pyramid of bricks with slates that was floating on top of the land rather than in it. So we dug down another six feet and now have a twobedroom flat downstairs. Max, who works here, rents it out so he has the world’s shortest commute. “Four of us work here now – me, Kerem, Max and Linda. After the rebuild the upstairs became a dedicated ladies’ salon. Max works there and does colours and all the more technical stuff. We’ve also got a couple of beauty rooms that Linda works from. Max is from Brazil, Linda’s background is Irish, my dad’s Turkish Cypriot, I’m half Cypriot, Kerem is fully Cypriot – we’re the United Nations of staff!” Browse the countless positive reviews of Henry’s online and you’ll see that the customers adore the friendliness and expertise of its staff. Particular mentions are also often made of Deniz’s incredible ability to converse on any number of subjects while his customers are getting a trim. “I call it cab driver’s knowledge – it’s wide but has a very thin veneer,” Deniz says modestly. “If anyone asks me more than three questions about a subject I’m screwed! But with subjects I’m interested in, I’m a bit of a sponge and soak up all sorts of useless information.”

Above: Deniz Mehmed, owner of Henry's Hairstylists Left: Deniz with his dad Henry

Dad is 88 now, and he remains the best barber I have ever seen. He's amazing

Over the years many of Deniz’s clients have become friends and have benefited from his wide range of interests and expertise. “I’ve advised people about running and diet and I’ve got a couple of customers who I’ve taught how to swim. I love being able to speak to people from first-hand experience and learn about their lives.” As for Henry, he has now passed the torch fully to his son. “From about the age of 65 Dad said to me, ‘What do I do about retiring? I don’t know how to do it!’ He had been working since he was 15 in Cyprus and his whole life was home and work. “So I said to him, ‘Why don’t you just have one day off a week, see how you get on, then maybe take another day off and see how that goes?’ So he took his time retiring until he was just working on Tuesdays when he would cut the hair of his regulars, who were getting on a bit by then. “After we rebuilt the shop Dad said, ‘Do you want me to come in or stay at home?’ I said, ‘It’s completely up to you.’ And he said, ‘I think I’ll stay at home now.’” In July the business is planning to celebrate its 60th anniversary and Henry will be guest of honour. “I’ve been telling his regulars and people who have been coming here a long time that he’ll be here,” says Deniz. “We’ll have a few drinks and so on. It’ll be nice for Dad to see everyone and how the area has changed.”

18 N AT U RE

hether it was making mud pies in the garden, searching for tadpoles in a pond or just playing in the local park, most of us will have fond memories of being in the great outdoors growing up. And while we’re lucky London is considered one of the greenest cities in the world for its size – home to more than 8.3 million trees and 14,000 species of wildlife – it’s a sad fact that one in five London households doesn’t have a garden. This means not everyone has the same level of regular access to an outside space, which is exactly why the Secret Adventurers’ Club was set up nine years ago by Ema Felix. The idea of the club is simple – to run sessions to support and encourage children and their families to explore and connect with nature and wildlife even in an urban environment, making the most of local locations such as Dacres Wood Nature Reserve and Beckenham Place Park. Founder and nature session leader Ema explains: “It’s about encouraging curiosity about the outdoors, finding amazing spaces and getting children engaged in nature. “I don’t approach it as, ‘I’m going to teach them all they need to know’ – I approach it as, ‘How can we be curious about this space and find things out together?’ “I’ve learned so much through being asked very curious, interesting questions. That innate curiosity kids have about the outside world, I find so inspiring. “It’s important because these are the ones who will be looking after the world once we’re gone, and it’s really important they love it as much as we do.” Ema has lived in Brockley for 20 years but grew up in Portugal, in a village just outside of Lisbon, before moving to the UK in her late teens. Her childhood was mainly spent outside. She says: “My mum is English and my dad is Portuguese, so I was lucky to have grown up in the countryside in Portugal. “I spent a lot of time outdoors and we were lucky enough to grow up in a house in a village where we were allowed to play outdoors quite a lot, so bringing my kids up in London I was plagued with the guilt that they were not going to have the same access to nature. “Just being able to open the door and let them go outdoors and play was not something that was going to come quite as easily to us.” While Ema studied marketing and communications at university, she knew a career working with children was where her heart lay, and it was after having her own children, now 15 and 13, that she pursued this dream. She says: “Shortly after having my son I started volunteering at some of his playgroups. I loved it and thought this was for me. I loved working closely with children and loved the crafting. “Shortly after that, I started volunteering at the local community garden near me, Frendsbury Gardens. That’s how I started my first outdoor children’s activities. “I started running a once a month free-to-attend club called the Bug Club, which was all about getting kids in the garden and into nature and

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR THE SUMMER

From bug-hunting and pond-dipping to den-building, mud kitchens and more, Ema Felix's Secret Adventurers' Club gives local children an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors WORDS BY MIRANDA KNOX

getting them gardening, bug-hunting and looking after wildlife – all the stuff I grew up doing. I wanted to recreate that I guess, in some way.” It was then that Ema realised just how little access some children had to nature. She says: “We’re lucky to have a garden but I know lots of children growing up in London don’t have that. “The Frendsbury community garden is on the edge of a housing estate. “I used to be in there on a lovely sunny day and I could hear children playing in the flats. “I’d think, ‘This space is for them, so what can we do to encourage them in?’” The idea for the Secret Adventurers’ club then followed. Ema says: “It started when a friend of mine asked if

I could set something up on a regular basis, because her son didn’t enjoy the after-school clubs that were on offer. “He didn’t want to do karate and she couldn’t find anything for him, but he was so curious about nature. From that I set up a couple of sessions. “My first one was a simple trail for a group of 10 friends and their kids with clues through Beckenham Place Park. “It was all about adventuring together, where they had to follow a trail while looking for different wildlife in clues.” From there the idea developed, and now Ema runs a mix of funded and fee-paying sessions, including a weekly group for under-fives that is £10 a session and very popular. She explains: “Little Explorers is our under-fives nature club, for little

We introduce children to foraging – we made nettle tea and nettle soup recently

Let's go outside: Brockley resident Ema Felix ones and their parents to attend. It’s about providing a space and activities so there’s a little bit of learning and exploring. “There’s a theme each week, for example last time it was dandelions. “It’s about exploring at their own pace – what we call learning through play, so it’s a very gentle exploration.” Ema and her team also offer birthday parties and holiday clubs, which typically run up to the age of around 12. She says: “It’s bug-hunting, arts and crafts, stories. Our holiday clubs are amazing – it’s nine to four and people can come for a whole week or a single day. “It’s teaching traditional crafts, so we have a woodwork area, and they get to make amazing things. “We’re teaching them how to manage risk themselves, so they’re taught how to use tools under supervision – giving them that independence and trust to be really creative. We also do things like denbuilding and pond-dipping – just playing really!” The benefits of being outside are, of course, endless. Ema says: “It’s so beneficial to our mental health and this is something I’m passionate about raising awareness about, as the last couple of years in particular have had such a negative impact not only on our children’s mental wellbeing, but also on parents too. “Walking around a woodland, it’s all about stimulating lots of your senses – your sense of smell, hearing, maybe your taste buds if you’re harvesting things that are growing. “A lot of what we do is introducing children to the idea of foraging. We made nettle soup and nettle tea recently, which was an alien concept to a lot of the children! “Doing one project, [I found] a lot of the children had never tried a blackberry, let alone picked one. “That’s something I did a lot growing up – blackberry jam just takes me back to collecting blackberries with my mum. It’s such a lovely memory from my childhood.” Ema is acutely aware that not everyone has that same experience, and the funded sessions are an important part of her work, as it enables children from lower-income families to be able to access sessions too. She says: “A few years ago I helped on a school trip to the countryside and a few of the children said they’d never left London. “For me, that was really heartbreaking. It’s something I’d just always taken for granted. The funded work I do is really to reach those children.” Finally, for those looking to go on their own local adventure, Ema has plenty of recommendations. She says: “There’s Nunhead Cemetery, Sydenham and Dulwich woods. Beckenham Place Park is great too, and that’s really accessible by public transport. It has a lovely woodland wild area that is great for walking and just having a picnic. Even on busy days there you don’t feel you’re overwhelmed by crowds. “We’re lucky as London has lots of green spaces. It’s just about finding them and enjoying them.”

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“I think the facilities for sports, drama and music are fantastic, as are the clubs, the clear layout of the school and the air of politeness which was evident amongst staff and pupils alike. Best of all, I liked the open door policy for the classrooms. It really felt as if the school is being honest and open. I also like that you have such a strong musical focus, the music lesson opportunities, the form novel to be read together by the class and your diverse teaching staff.” (Tour visitor comment)

HARD WORK

KINDNESS

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

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hen you think about what Catford is known for, the traditional French West Indian drink rhum arrangé perhaps isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. In fact, you could be forgiven for not even having heard of the relatively little-known alcoholic drink until now. However, local residents Faz Zed and her partner Sam Stewart are on a mission to change all that. They have become, to the best of their knowledge, the first UK artisanal producers of the beverage, which is typically around 30% alcohol by volume and is made by macerating and marinating fruits, herbs and spices in high quality white rum. The couple – who have lived in the area for 17 years with their twin daughters – first got the idea for their business, aptly named Catford Rhum Arrangé, in lockdown, when restrictions meant they were unable to visit Montpellier in the south of France, where Faz grew up. Despite a long traditional cultural history in the French West Indies, rhum arrangé has only recently started to become more widely recognised

even in France, and in recent years has been growing in popularity there. However, it’s a drink that both Faz and Sam have enjoyed for years. Sam says: “One of the things we do when we’re [in France] is drink rhum arrangé, and family and friends make it for us when we come, so [when we were unable to visit] we just started making it ourselves here instead, and people loved it. “We made it for family and friends here, and then realised you couldn’t actually get it here. As far as we’re aware, we’re the first manufacturers of rhum arrangé in the UK.” Growing up with her family making the drink and passing down recipes through the generations, Faz was particularly surprised to learn the beverage wasn’t readily available. She says: “I just assumed everyone was aware of it! I have family from Guadeloupe [a French overseas region in the Caribbean Sea]. “We were so used to rhum arrangé, and we’d bring it home with us from France. “Now it’s becoming a massive trend in France. I thought all French people already knew about it, but apparently not.” Their venture is, in some respects, worlds away from their previous work. Until recently, Sam worked in the cultural industry, teaching film and video, and was working at the University of the Arts. In France, Faz was a social worker before moving to London in 1999, where she trained to be a teacher

Catford is a very down to earth, social, culturally diverse community

RHUM’S THE WORD WORDS BY MIRANDA KNOX

PHOTOS BY JULIA HAWKINS

Faz Zed and Sam Stewart began making a delicious but little-known drink called rhum arrangé during lockdown. Now sold at local food markets and online, it’s going down a treat with customers specialising in supporting children with autism – an area she still, broadly speaking, works in now, working for a council children’s service as a home officer. She says: “Even though it seems like a completely different field, I always thought about having our own business.” Their knowledge and passion for the drink is what makes the venture work so well.

Cheers: Catford couple Sam Stewart and Faz Zed with their dog Gramsci

Explaining the process and history, Sam says: “Faz has recipes that she’s had passed down, so we’ve used and adapted those. Fruit is put in bottles and rum is added to it and it’s left for quite a substantial period of time. No bottle of rhum arrangé that we make is marinating for less than a month. “As the fruit macerates, it flavours the rum in quite a distinct way compared to most other flavoured spirit drinks. “It has a very long history, which dates back to the old trade routes, when sailors would use alcohol and rum on their round trips from the Indian subcontinent over to the Caribbean to preserve fruits. They then started drinking the rum and realised it was really nice.” Available to buy on their website, prices start at £10 for a 100ml bottle, and flavours include caramelised pear, banana, fig and grape, vanilla, honey and cinnamon, lychee, plum hibiscus and pineapple, mango and passion fruit. They source sustainable and fresh ingredients from local and regional independent suppliers, which means each batch of rhum arrangé produced is distinct from one year to the next. While best served on its own, it’s also an incredibly versatile drink, and can be used to flavour cakes and in jam preserves. It can also be served as both an aperitif and as a digestif. Faz says: “You can drink it on its own and sip it, or with a bit of ice if you want. You can also add a mixer and make a cocktail so easily. For example, with the pineapple, mango and passion fruit, if you add a little bit of coconut milk you have a piña colada. “With the lychee, you can add soda water and elderflower cordial and make a unique mojito. It’s very easy to make rum punches too.” Now, Sam and Faz have the capacity to batch-produce up to 1,000 litres of rhum arrangé each month, from a purpose-built, licensed building on their property, although it hasn’t been a straightforward process. “If we’d known how much work it took, we might not have done it!” Sam laughs. “You have to work hard and

take it very seriously. There’s lots of licensing rules and you have to be very on top of things.” For both Faz and Sam, it was important to reflect Catford within the product – so much so, that their eye-catching branding prominently features a depiction of the Catford cat, proudly displayed on each bottle’s label. Sam says: “We’re celebrating our area. Catford is a very down to earth, social, culturally diverse community. Normally spirits tend to be quite conservative and traditional, so we took a bit of a risk really.” Faz adds: “It’s a fun area and a great place. Our children grew up here and it’s home. When we go to the south of France people say to me, ‘What are you doing there – you come from a beautiful place’, but after two or three weeks in France I want to come back to Catford!” Currently, the duo are focused on getting the word out and encouraging people to give rhum arrangé a go, predominantly by showcasing their product at food markets in and around the area. Sam says: “There’s a strong support network. We’re starting by trading at food markets like Catford, Greenwich, Horniman, a new market in Sydenham, and letting people taste it. “People think they’re about to drink a rum, they prepare themselves to drink a spirit, but they’re often very surprised. I’ll never stop enjoying watching people experience it. “It’s going down very well with rum drinkers so it’s passing the test with people who consider themselves connoisseurs.” While it’s still early days, with the feedback being so overwhelmingly positive both Faz and Sam hope to place their drink in local bars, pubs and shops imminently, before hopefully broadening out the business even further in the future. Faz says: “If we can get enough support, we’d like our own premises in Catford. We’d love to have our own bar, and work with the community to sell other people’s produce too. “Usually when people try it they buy it! It goes down very well.”

22 LEWI S H AM L E I SU R E

SOMETHING TO EAT Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad The Abbotshall Healthy Lifestyle Centre’s Delphine Preau Soares shares a summer salad recipe that is full of flavour our doors open, we are looking forward to growing. We rely on donations and funding, but most importantly it’s our friendly regulars who pop in for a coffee and a sausage roll that make all the difference to us. If you’re in the area come in and say hi, we love meeting new faces.

PHOTO BY ELLE BENTON

from the other half and slice lengthways into wedges. Cut the fennel in half straight through the root and cut the halves into quarters. 4 Toss the fennel, squash and red onion into half the dressing. 5 Place on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Ingredients 1 small red onion ¼ butternut squash 1/2 fennel 100g quinoa ¼ tsp oregano 2 bay leaves Handful of kale, olives and radishes ¼ pomegranate kernel

6 Put the quinoa, oregano and bay leaves in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover, with half an inch above the grain surface. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer for 15 minutes until the grains have fully opened. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.

Dressing 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp lemon juice ¼ tsp cumin Pinch of pepper

7 Rub a little dressing into the kale and massage with your hands to soften and reduce bitterness.

Method 1 Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.

8 Mix the cooled quinoa with the olives, radishes, kale and pomegranate. Toss with the remaining dressing and arrange the butternut, fennel and red onion on top.

2 Peel the red onion, cut in half and slice. 3 Cut the butternut squash in half. Put aside one half, remove the seeds and stringy parts

CROSSWORD NO. 21

BY ALDHELM

6 Across is a natural feature in Lewisham.

ACROSS

DOWN

6 PRIORLOVE (anagram) (5, 4) 8 Cut into small cubes (5) 10 Scandinavian (5) 11 Judging, rating (9) 12 Male spouse (7) 14 Thumb protector (7) 15 Contribution (5) 17 Tear (3) 19 West Yorkshire city (5) 20 Idea, notion (7) 22 Italian rice dish (7) 25 Adolescents (9) 26 Window substance (5) 27 Door fastener (5) 28 Justification, reason (9)

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Long ditch (6) Liberate (4) Strainer (8) Wardrobe (6) Write hastily (8) Bug, disease (5) Followers (9) Go off the subject (7) Celebrity’s signature (9) 15 Altogether (2, 5) 16 Belongings (8) 18 Hanger-on (8) 21 Hypothesis (6) 23 Jewelled headwear (5) 24 Edible bivalve (6) 26 Virtuous (4)

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A lewisham LOCAL GINGER BAKER Peter "Ginger" Baker was a drummer, songwriter and co-founder of the rock band Cream. Born in Lewisham in 1939, he was known as Ginger due to his flaming red hair. His mum Ruby worked in a tobacco shop and his dad Fred was a bricklayer who died fighting in World War Two. Ginger began drumming in his midteens and formed Cream in 1966 with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton. A fusion of blues, psychedelic rock and hard rock, the band released four albums but split in 1968.

ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA KENDREW

The Abbotshall Healthy Lifestyle Centre is a community centre based in the heart of Catford. We sit on a beautiful playing field surrounded by a gorgeous wildlife garden. We have a studio offering many activities run by local people and a variety of friendly classes such as a childled stay and play group, zumba, pilates and HIIT. We are lucky to be supported by some talented artists who run engaging music classes for toddlers, and we also offer a postnatal support group for new mums. Our amazing onsite cafe is run by our fabulous catering manager Delphine, who has a passion for healthy eating and makes wonderful salads. We serve a seasonal lunch menu that is made using fresh produce from our volunteer-led vegetable garden and we also provide delicious lunches for a local nursery. We were set up as a charity in 2018 and while we face many challenges to keep

Ginger was dubbed "rock's first superstar drummer" for his style that blended jazz and African rhythms. Also known for his fiery temper, his autobiography was fittingly titled Hellraiser. He died in 2019 aged 80.

ACROSS: 6 River Pool, 8 Diced, 10 Norse, 11 Assessing, 12 Husband, 14 Thimble, 15 Input, 17 Rip, 19 Leeds, 20 Thought, 22 Risotto, 25 Teenagers, 26 Glass, 27 Latch, 28 Rationale. DOWN: 1 Trench, 2 Free, 3 Colander, 4 Closet, 5 Scribble, 7 Virus, 8 Disciples, 9 Digress, 13 Autograph, 15 In total, 16 Property, 18 Parasite, 21 Theory, 23 Tiara, 24 Oyster, 26 Good.

n w o r g w Slo r u o v a fl for (not fast for profit) For organic veg delivered, call your local veg man Jacek on 020 3828 8084 or visit riverford.co.uk.

The Uk’s #1 rated organic veg box

The Observer

★★★★★

The Times

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The Daily Telegraph

★★★★★

T h e Wo m a n i n t h e W i n d o w

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4 MAY – 4 SEP 2022

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