Southwark News - May 18th 2023

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

NEWS 1

loNdoN bridge Hero fiNally getS bravery medal

page 13

Issue 1634

Established: 1987

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May 18 2023

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time iS ruNNiNg out to vote for tHiS year'S blue plaque

figHtiNg SpiritS

tribute to Steve page 24 See page 14

tribute to coral page 8

Bermondsey mourns the loss of legendary boxing coach Steve hiser and indomitable community campaigner coral Newell, who both passed away last week

...

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Issue 1634

Established: 1987

50p

May 18 2023

southwarknews.co.uk

loNdoN time iS ruNNiNg bridge out to vote for Hero tHiS year'S blue fiNally getS plaque WiNNer bravery medal See page 14

See page 13

figHtiNg SpiritS tribute to Steve page 24

Bermondsey mourns the loss of legendary boxing coach Steve hiser and indomitable community campaigner coral Newell, who both passed away last week

tribute to coral page 8

4 NEWS www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

OPINION OPINION Pages 18-19 Pages 16-17 Arts Arts Page 21 Page 19 Classified & Family Classified announcements Page 21 Page 22 Public notices Public notices Pages 22-23 Pages 23-26 SPORT SPORT Pages 24-28 27-32

Contact us if you have a story on 07973175511 or email

editor@southwarknews .co.uk

NHS to build Waterloo surgery a temporary pop-up home

Google Street View

NEWS NEWS Pages Pages 2-17 2-15

Lambeth Council planning documents

Contents

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Waterloo Health Centre’s current home on Lower Marsh.

Artist's impression of how pop-up surgery could look.

By Robert Firth Local Democracy Reporter The NHS is set to build a temporary home for a Waterloo GP to avoid leaving thousands of patients without a doctor.

Waterloo Health Centre could be rehoused for up to a year and half in a pop-up building on the site of the former Waterloo Library on Lower Marsh, according to plans submitted to Lambeth Council.

The surgery, which has over 14,000 patients across Lambeth and Southwark, has been looking for a new base since March 2022 when its landlord told the practice it would have to leave its current home at 5 Lower Marsh.

The medical centre had been planning to move into another building on the street, currently used by Christian Aid. But it is understood the

owners of the property pulled out of the deal at the last minute, leaving the surgery’s future up in the air.

The new planned temporary home at 114118 Lower Marsh would give the surgery 18 months of breathing space while it continues its search for a permanent home in the area.

Set over two floors, the building would include two treatment rooms, eight consultation rooms and three remote consultation rooms, as well as a reception, admin area and waiting room.

The outside of the modular building would be decorated with health-themed objects in red and blue such as hearts, teeth and apples.

Planning documents say the proposed design would “make the building welcoming, interesting and hopefully an attractive addition to the street scene for the length of its limited occupation of the vacant site.”

The surgery can’t stay at 114-118 Lower Marsh permanently because the plot already has planning permission in place for five-storey office development, issued in June 2018.

Waterloo and Southbank councillors, Sarina Da Silva and Ibrahim Dogus, said they “welcomed” the plans and remained “committed” to helping the surgery find a permanent home.

In a joint statement, they said: “We fully support Waterloo Health Centre and its 14,000 patients, the majority of whom are our residents and include ourselves. We know how vital the practice is to our community and the excellent care it provides, so a temporary premises in close proximity, that will offer high-grade facilities, is welcomed.

“We are committed to continuing our support for the practice to find a permanent new home and for our residents to continue to benefit from

the services Waterloo Health Centre provides.”

Waterloo Health Centre said it had been in talks with its landlord’s agent about staying in its current home at 5 Lower Marsh for another 10 years, before it was suddenly given notice to leave in 2022.

In a statement published on April 25, the surgery said: “We are currently being supported by the South East London Integrated Care Board in support in our estate’s issues. Together we are working on a long-term solution so we can continue providing a general practice service for the Waterloo area into the future. It is likely that our permanent solution will not be ready for a few years and so as a fallback option, we are also developing a temporary solution local to our current site. This modular accommodation, when ready, will be fully equipped to help us provide our clinical services to our patients.”

The centre referred Peter to Guy’s Hospital where he had a full prostatectomy and, a year on, he has recovered.

“The doctors were really supportive so they’ve been a really good practice,” he said. “It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had - especially based on talking to

others who seem to have a real problem getting in front of a doctor.”

Retired journalist Raymond Whitaker, 74, is asthmatic and has used the centre for two years.

He said the treatment is “very good” and was “very worried” when he found out the centre could be forced to close.

However, he added: “The premises are nothing to write home and about and they could certainly do with some new premises.

He said he’d be “very happy” with the temporary premises proposed given they are just a five-minute walk away from the current site.

Patients relieved that much loved surgery will not be forced to close

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Peter Jones, 56, has used the Waterloo Health Centre for twelve years and says a nurse there was the first to spot his prostate cancer.

“It was my first check-up for eighteen months due to Covid and, by sheer luck, the nurse said let’s do a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test,” he said.

Issue 1633

Editor: Kevin Quinn Reporters: Herbie Russell; Isabel Ramirez Sports Editor: John Kelly Sports reporter: Alex Jones Arts Correspondent: Michael Holland Digital Transformation Editor: Katherine Johnston Media Partnerships: Anthony Phillips Advertising: Clarry Frewin, Sophie Ali Design: Dan Martin, Hakob Muradyan Finance: Em Zeki - Tel: 0779 883 3758 Subscriptions/Announcements: Katie Boyd Managing & Commercial Director: Chris Mullany Managing & Editorial Director: Kevin Quinn Published weekly on a Thursday at: Unit A202, The Biscuit Factory, Drummond Road, Bermondsey, London SE16 4DG. News and Sport: 020 7231 5258 Advertising: 0792 203 4598 News: news@southwarknews.co.uk Advertising: ads@southwarknews.co.uk Finance: em@southwarknews.co.uk Printed by Iliffe Print. Tel: 01223 656500 www.iliffeprint.co.uk

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MILLWALL'S ROLLERCOASTER CAMPAIGN ENDS IN DERAILMENT Woman who held antigentification exhibition in her own flat takes battle to save her home to the top

TAKING COUNCIL TO HIGH COURT See page 4

See page 30

See page 14

PECKHAM DOCTOR JAILED IN ORGAN HARVEST PLOT

The Southwark News is proud to be the only independent, paid for newspaper in London Southwark News started life as the Bermondsey News in 1987, as an A-4 photocopied sheet of paper and rapidly grew to cover the entire borough and the surrounding area. As the borough grew, so did the newspaper.

It is owned and run by Chris Mullany and Kevin Quinn.

Former reporters for Southwark News, they bought the title in 2002, after the founder Dave Clark died suddenly from cancer four years earlier.

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Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Millwall fan kicking cancer into touch

By Isabel Ramirez

isabel@southwarknews.co.uk A Millwall fan, who is living with incurable blood cancer, has started a walking football team for other cancer sufferers to keep playing the game they love.

In 2016, Tony Linforth-Hall, based in Elephant and Castle, was diagnosed with blood cancer - and although it is terminal, he wants to share with others what he believes has helped to 'keep him alive.'

Before his diagnosis, he was playing walking football at Millwall - similar to the traditional sort except players aren't allowed to run. It is typically meant for older people with reduced mobility, but Tony believes it could benefit people with cancer too.

Throughout his treatment, the 77-year-old said he continued to play and told the News he believes this kept him fit and allowed him to cope with treatment more successfully.

"Walking football has had a profoundly positive therapeutic effect, in keeping me fit but also through the support and comfort from my team," he said.

"It's helped to keep me alive."

Six years on he is still playing and even started a team of his own, so other people living with cancer can benefit like he did, as well as be around fellow patients.

He founded the team 'Pride of Lions', as a nod to his favourite club, in 2020.

Now the Walking Football Association (WFA) have taken up the idea and is promoting it nationally - under the name 'Kicking Cancer', which Tony came up with.

'Pride of Lions' plays every Tuesday at the Marlborough Sports Garden in Union Street and will hold a demonstration game of Kicking Cancer at their open day on Saturday, June 10.

Sessions are free for players thanks to the support of the Bankside Open Spaces Trust.

They are currently looking for the cooperation of organisations which are active in the areas of treatment and/or support of men and women living with cancer.

"If they can encourage their patients to get in touch with Pride of Lions or contact the club on their behalf, arrangements can be made to welcome them to the weekly sessions," Tony added.

Anyone who wants to get involved can get in touch via email alinforthhall@gmail.com

www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

NEWS 5

6 NEWS www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

Council ordered to pay £7,500 to young family that endured 17-month housing nightmare

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk Southwark Council must pay over £7,500 compensation to a family whose young children were left “freezing” in “cold and wet rooms” during a seventeen-month housing nightmare.

The Housing Ombudsman Service found Southwark “unfairly dismissed” the family’s pleas to move out of the leaky flat - despite an NHS trust warning about its “extensive mould and damp”.

It also said the council’s failure to complete a single damp and mould repair between January 2021 and June 2022 represented “severe maladministration”.

It’s one of two cases of maladministration upheld against Southwark Council. The second (see below) involves a young, pregnant woman who suffered heating loss during winter months and will see the council pay £2,000 in compensation.

Southwark Council apologised “unreservedly” adding that it had made “immediate changes” to its processes.

The Housing Ombudsman investigates serious complaints against housing providers and its report details a “highly distressing” period for the family consisting of a couple and their young children.

The 6,000-word document explains how, over a gruelling seventeen-month period, Southwark Council was constantly alerted to leak and damp problems - but consistently failed to address them.

The report does not specify the children’s age but says their medical conditions, including eczema and allergies, exacerbated their parents’ fears.

The Ombudsman’s report begins by explaining how the family relocated to a new council flat in January 2021 due to their old apartment’s poor condition.

The family was warned about water penetration to one wall in the living room but they agreed to move in pending further works.

Southwark Council would later use this to argue the resident had waived his right to relocation - which the Ombudsman has concluded was “unfair”.

Within just a week of moving in, the family reported a leak pouring into both bedrooms and the living room.

Southwark Council initially thought it was coming from the flat above but failed to repair the leak because of difficulty gaining access to the upstairs apartment.

In April the council established the leak was coming from the block’s guttering.

It would be another eight months

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

before the council finally repaired it. This was due to delays caused by the need for scaffolding, a repair worker reporting “no signs of leaks”, and various bureaucracy.

Throughout this period, the family warned that the damp and mould were getting progressively worse.

In March 2021, a Southwark Council officer visited the property and was “shocked by its condition”.

The resident emailed the council, claiming the property’s condition “was impacting their mental and physical health”. He claimed “walls in each room were cold and wet and the children were freezing” and begged the council to send a health and safety officer.

In April, an NHS trust urged the council to relocate the family, attaching ten different images of the damp and mould.

Despite these various pleas, Southwark Council told the resident he had known his property would require additional works and the property’s condition was “liveable”.

The council therefore refused to consider his request for rehousing based on the resident signing a ‘waiver’.

The Ombudsman said the waiver, in itself a “vaguely worded document”, only referenced a “localised problem”.

The decision to reject his request for rehousing and compensation based on that waiver was “unfair” and “highly unusual”, the Ombudsman concluded.

A repair order to address black mould was cancelled in January 2022 with no explanation - and further repair orders were never completed. The Ombudsman said it believed repairs were finally completed around June 2022. But repair notes recorded as late as October 30, 2022, suggested the property remained “in disrepair” and that damp and mould problems were “ongoing”.

The report concluded that “conditions in the property over the… seventeen month period were highly distressing for the resident and his young family. This is particularly the case given the children’s medical conditions”.

It added: “During this time, the landlord unfairly dismissed the resident’s requests for alternative accommodation and compensation.”

Southwark Council has now been ordered to reconsider the family’s housing request and pay £7,500 in compensation.

The reports also said there were “multiple delays and failures” in the council’s handling of the resident’s complaint. It also said “record keeping failures” had caused delays to repairs.

So the Ombudsman ordered the council to review its complaint handling and record keeping, and review the circumstances that led to the waiver being issued.

Last year, Southwark was found to be the 8th most complained about council in England in a review from the Local Government Ombudsman.

Seventy per cent of the complaints received by Southwark Council during the time of the review were connected to housing issues.

Responding to both this report, and the second one relating to a second family, a Southwark Council spokesperson said: “Both of these cases make for very difficult reading and we would like to apologise unreservedly for the distress

caused to these families by our actions and processes. As soon as the Ombudsman raised these with us, we made immediate changes to our processes to try to prevent such failures happening again.”

These changes included establishing a dedicated damp and mould team, ensuring repairs are resolved before moving families into new flats, and reviewing complaints handling processes.

The spokesperson added: “As the biggest social landlord in London, nothing is more important to us than ensuring our residents live in safe and comfortable homes.

"The challenges are enormous with growing demands and shrinking resources but we are determined to learn from every problem or challenge, and ensure we constantly improve and adapt our processes.

"We thank the Ombudsman for helping and supporting us in that endeavour, and rightly calling out when things go wrong.”

To get in touch with the Housing Ombudsman Service go to www.housingombudsman.org.uk

By Herbie Russell

Southwark Council has apologised “unreservedly for the distress caused" and vowed to change its ways.

The Ombudsman wrote: “The landlord’s delays in handling the complaint meant the resident was left without heating for six months in the coldest period of the year.

“The landlord’s complaint responses were delayed, did not address the concerns of the resident, did not follow its own complaint policy and were issued without any apology or empathy.”

During this time, the council tenant was forced to spend money on portable heaters. Meanwhile, she says she watched her son become “very ill” and suffer “severe colds”.

The Ombudsman’s report shows how, between October 2020 and March 2021,

the resident’s heating and hot water barely functioned.

Her block’s communal heating system constantly failed during this period but Southwark Council did not take “a co-ordinated approach” to solving her apartment’s individual problems.

When the council did offer the resident compensation, it offered just £320 which the Ombudsman said was “too low and delayed”.

Southwark Council has been ordered to pay compensation of £2,001 - and to review its processes.

A Southwark Council spokesperson said: “As soon as the Ombudsman raised these with us, we made immediate changes to our processes to try to prevent such failures happening again.”

These changes included establishing

a dedicated damp and mould team, ensuring repairs are resolved before moving families into new flats, and reviewing complaints handling processes.

Southwark Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Victor Chamberlain said: “Southwark Labour has presided over a disgraceful collapse of the council’s repairs service.

These failings are putting lives at risk and we should not have to rely on the Housing Ombudsman to step in, yet again, to put things right. The repairs service needs a complete overhaul and new investment. Everyone in Southwark deserves safe, good quality housing but Labour is failing to provide it.”

To get in touch with the Housing Ombudsman Service go to www.housingombudsman.org.uk

Pregnant mum left without heating for entire winter as Southwark Council is ordered to pay £2,000 compensation

© Nenad Stojkovic

Stock image of a scared woman feeling depressed.

herbie@southwarknews.co.uk A pregnant mother who was left without heating for an entire winter will receive £2,000 compensation from Southwark Council.

The Housing Ombudsman Service, which ordered the payment in its scathing report, said the council has lacked "empathy".

It also found the council guilty of “severe maladministration” in handling her complaints and that it did not properly address her heating issues.

The Ombudsman’s ruling comes alongside a second case (see above) where a family was left in damp and mouldy conditions - and will see the council pay over £7,500 compensation.

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Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Campaign grows to save Brixton Academy from permanent closure

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk Two publicans have reopened The Bear pub in Camberwell - six years after the historic boozer unexpectedly closed its doors.

Teddy Roberts, 28, and Joe Sherratt, 43, who welcomed their first customers on Friday, May 5, said they couldn’t pass up the “perfect” pub.

By securing a late licence until 2am, Teddy hopes to create “a New York atmosphere".

“I want this to be a spot where people can sit down, relax and drink until 1 o’clock in the evening… more like a New York atmosphere in a British pub," he said.

He added: “We found this site, looked around, and it was just perfect... the site was so beautiful with the windows, the tiles and the bar.”

The Victorian-era pub shut in late 2017 after its previous landlords closed the building to convert the upper floors into flats.

To the dismay of regulars, a planned relaunch in 2018 never materialised.

Teddy has managed clubs and bars for years but met Joe while working as a chef at his Brixton restaurant Naughty Piglets.

The pair wanted to embark on a new venture and bought The Bear in February.

In November 2020, the pub was listed as an Asset of Community Value meaning local residents get priority bidding rights if the property is sold.

Luckily, Joe and Teddy live in Denmark Hill and Brixton respectively. “I think that’s why we got to the top of the pile when we were proposing for the lease,” said Teddy.

“We want local pubs run by local people and having the two owners behind the bar every night for at least the first year… is a

The return of the Bear really special thing.”

The pub has a late licence until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays but, for now, the pub will close at 1am on those days.

There are nine lines running lager, Guinness and an ale - plus a huge wine selection supplied by renowned wholesaler Les Caves de Pyrene.

The walls are lined with artworks and there is a light airy backroom that groups can book out - and could later host mini art exhibitions.

Eventually, Teddy and Joe plan to convert the space into a kitchen and countertop dining experience - where you watch the chefs cooking your food.

They will serve food similar to that sold at Naughty Piglets - modern seasonal dishes described by the Michelin guide as “fresh, tasty and well-priced”.

More than 150 pubs closed England and Wales during the first three months of this year but Teddy says there is too much “doom and gloom”.

“I can see twelve pubs shutting each week in rural areas but not in central London - touch wood,” said Teddy.

It's been a time of huge change for pubs in Southwark recently. The Ship in Borough reopens in roughly two weeks and the Old Justice in Bermondsey is back open for business.

But in less positive news, according to the Campaign for Real Ale, a charity that campaigns to save pubs from closure – five pubs have closed in Southwark in just over a year.

This did include The Ship, which is now reopening, but there was also The Junction and The Pigeon – both in Camberwell, The Beer Shop London in Nunhead, and the Canopy Beer Company Tap Room in Herne Hill.

By Isabel Ramirez isabel@southwarknews.co.uk Music fans are being asked to join calls to save Brixton Academy from permanent closure.

Lambeth Council is currently considering revoking the venue's licence after a fatal crush there on December 15.

Two people died after the crowd surge at the concert by singer Asake and the legendary music venue has been closed ever since.

As well as petitions to save it reaching over 100,000 signatures the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), which lobbies for the live music sector, was asking people last week to write a submission to the council by Monday, May 15. Last Thursday, May 11 the NITA announced it had joined forces with Save Our Scene and the business improvement district for the area Brixton BID to prevent permanent closure saying it would have "huge ramifications" for businesses in the area who are heavily dependent on it for trade, leave a "huge void" culturally as well as a loss of jobs.

NTIA said: "Recent research has shown that we are already seeing an estimated 1/2 million pounds worth of lost revenue being suffered by local businesses every week since its temporary closure, with

some unable to weather the suspension period."

The Met Police investigation into what happened is continuing, but recently it urged Lambeth Council to strip the venue of its licence due to safety concerns.

The crush happened after more than 1,000 people turned up to the concert, many without tickets, and forced their way into the lobby of the building.

Mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from east London, and Gaby Hutchinson, 23, from Gravesend in Kent - a security contractor working at the venue, were fatally injured.

The Met said officers were called to a "large-scale disorder" and arrived to find security staff "completely out of control of the situation". In their recent letter to Lambeth Council, they said concerns have also been raised about the strength of the doors, staffing levels and the provision of medical cover.

The venue's licence was temporarily suspended following the crush until January this year, when a meeting was planned to discuss its future. Prior to that meeting, the owners of the venue the Academy Music Group (AMG) confirmed it would voluntarily stay closed until April as investigations into the crush continued.

Lambeth Council then announced the licence would be suspended for three

months.

AMG previously said it had made "detailed proposals that we believe will enable the venue to reopen safely".

The letter that NTIA has asked people to sign highlighted "a hugely diverse internationally acclaimed pool of talent" that has performed there since the former cinema and discotheque was converted into a concert hall in the 1980s.

It listed top global artists and mentioned the work done to nurture new talent, as well as its fear that the closure could have "the potential to displace audiences into uncontrolled and unsafe environments for events."

In the letter to Lambeth Council NTIA said it has "not lost sight of the tragic incident that occurred in December, but would respectfully ask you to consider working with AMG and the venue to learn from what has happened and enhance the licence to ensure that this could never happen again.

Adding: "At this moment I would urge all involved to step forward and engage in productive and meaningful discussions, with an aim to resolve the current challenges and present a unified position on delivering the safe and effective management of this space in the future."

The council is due to make a decision on the licence later in the year.

pub was closing, after 200 years of serving the community. But now, the beloved boozer is returning as a new pub company has taken it on.

Gerard Flynn, director of True Pub Co. said they're excited to be able to bring the pub back into use.

"The pub has a massive history," he continued, "so we've kept all the original features."

He explained that the garden had fallen into disrepair over the years - "so our focus has been on bringing that back to life, ready for the summer."

"We've also created an old traditional snug and more people can fit in now because of what we've done with the space."

True Pub Co. is an independent pub company, that says it specialises in "good pubs for all."

Gerard added that even after their upgrade, which is due to finish soon, the basis of what people love and remember is still there.

"I think people will really like what we've done here," he said.

"We are set to open at the very end of May."

The Ship in Borough is reopening in less than a month

By Isabel Ramirez isabel@southwarknews.co.uk

Photo by Fuller's

A well-loved historic pub in Borough, that closed its doors in January after 200 years, is now reopening as a new company takes it on.

The Ship, on Borough High Street, began as The Old Ship in 1805 – and became part of the pub group, Fuller’s in 1991.

In January Fuller's decided not to renew their lease and locals were up in arms when news broke that the

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

residents slam council over consultation on Nunhead CPZs Exclusive

By Isabel Ramirez isabel@southwarknews.co.uk hundreds of residents in Nunhead have slammed the 'shambolic' consultation following the proposal of a parking permit scheme, which would cost up to £300 a year for cars to park in the area.

The consultation for a parking permit scheme in Nunhead is currently underway - but many residents are not happy.

A Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) is being proposed for the area which would require everyone to buy a permit in order to park.

The cost of a year-long permit would be £225 for petrol cars, £75 for electric, and £300 for diesel cars.

There are some discounts available, for example for disabled badge holders. The purchase of this permit does not guarantee a parking space.

The reasons the council give for implementing the scheme include 'prioritising space for local residents, businesses and their visitors', preventing commuter traffic and encouraging active travel - e.g. walking or cycling. But some residents dispute these reasons, claiming they 'aren't relevant' to the area and will be inconvenient for those currently living in Nunhead.

Last week, there was an in-person consultation attended by hundreds of people, as well as local councillors and council representatives.

Ellie Mackenzie, from Nunhead, attended the meeting and said she 'speaks for many' in opposing the plans. "The council claim to be prioritising residents - but they're not," she said.

"In a cost of living crisis, this is just an added cost for people. There are so many reasons why people drive. Active travel doesn't work for everyone and they are not considering that."

Another resident, Richard Kernick, who has lived in Nunhead for 25 years, said: "There's no problem with parking at all - why make one?"

He cited his neighbour, a carer and an example of someone who needs a car to do her job.

"And what about people who need to carry equipment to work, like musicians and

photographers for instance," he added.

"This will cause real harm - especially as this particular area is not very well-served by transport, especially at night. We have to fight this."

Most parts of Nunhead have a PTAL rating of between 1a and 2, a measurement by TfL which rates locations by distance from frequent public transport services. These low ratings go some way to proving that the area is not particularly wellserved by transport as a whole.

The biggest problem people appear to have is with the consultation itself. "The online consultation form doesn't even give you the option to oppose it.

And at the meeting, (the council) weren't recording the people opposing it. It is shambolic."

Introducing a borough-wide CPZ is in the council's Local Implementation Plan, which would explain why the consultation does not give residents the right to oppose the measure entirely - since the plan is something they intend to deliver as policy.

Following the meeting some have set up a change. org petition ‘Oppose the Nunhead CPZ’ which is gaining traction (currently at over 2,100 signatures.)

But despite the clear opposition, not everyone is against it. One resident, who would prefer to remain anonymous, said they support the scheme, in the hope it will improve air quality and make the streets safer.

"Although the council could have made their plans for a borough-wide CPZ clearer, I support the scheme. It will reduce traffic on the roads which will benefit cyclists, make the air cleaner and the streets nicer places to be.

"I can understand people not wanting to pay this but they are not acknowledging that poor air quality and more cars on the road are a problem," she added.

The council were approached by the News for comment but they did not respond at the time of going to press.

Residents are holding another meeting next Monday, May 22 at 7 pm to decide what to do, at The Ivy House, Community Pub, Stuart Rd, SE15 3BE.

West Dulwich gears up for significant road changes

Road users could see West Dulwich’s streets change dramatically as Lambeth Council asked for feedback on a series of proposals.

If approved, the changes would be installed under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) and last for eighteen months before being reviewed.

Street ‘Improvements’ Lambeth Council has proposed a series of changes including traffic filters, banned turns and one-way sections.

It has said this would mean “prohibiting external motor traffic cutting through the neighbourhood whilst ensuring all addresses remain accessible by car”.

A Controlled Parking Zone Lambeth Council is proposing a controlled parking zone (CPZ) in West Dulwich arguing it is “the best way to manage the number of polluting vehicles”.

The measures would see restrictions on parking giving priority to local residents, disabled people and businesses. Parking permits which can cost between £39.90 and £340.73 annually depending on the vehicle’s carbon emissions.

The Rosendale Road ‘Healthy Route’ Lambeth Council began work on a two-mile 'Healthy Route’ between Brockwell Park and Gipsy Hill Station in 2021.

The council is now consulting on the third phase of the route which stretches along Rosendale Road.

www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

NEWS 9

Residents' parking permits en route to Queen's Road Southwark Council is consulting on a controlled parking zone (CPZ) in the Queen’s Road area of Peckham.

The council claims the zone would allow local residents to park more easily while encouraging sustainable modes of transport.

Local residents have until May 26 to give their feedback on the proposal - which stretches northwards to Clifton Crescent and southwards to Evelina Road. This latest consultation comes five years after a similar consultation held in January 2017. On that occasion, 71 per cent of respondents were against the introduction of a CPZ, 22 per cent were in favour, and seven per cent were undecided.

The only streets that showed overall support for a CPZ were Clifton Crescent, Colmore Mews, Frobisher

Place and Hooks Close.

The council decided not to press ahead with the scheme but instead painted yellow lines along some roads to aid access and improve road safety.

But Southwark Council says new developments putting pressure on parking, and its own environmental policy, mean it’s time to reopen the debate.

On the neighbourhood forum NextDoor, reactions were mixed. One user wrote: “What’s wrong with prioritising parking for local residents? People in my street cannot park their cars because of all the commuters while anpther said: "Went from paying nothing for 15 years to not be able to get a space to £130 a year to not be able to get a space!”

Vsit: consultations.southwark.gov.uk

10 NEWS www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Bermondsey battler Coral Newell A political activist who rose from passes away the ashes of war-torn Rotherhithe Coral with her late husband Don at their engagement party in the mid 1950s

Coral at work in the Beormund Centre

Coral with her great grandchildren Evie and Teddy

By Kevin Quinn kevin@southwarknews.co.uk Battle-hardened campaigner Coral Newell, who served the communities of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe for over half a century, sadly passed away last week.

The 87-year-old’s sudden death will be felt by many of area’s veteran political figures and the countless families she has helped, in what was a life-long mission for the Rotherhithe-born campaigner.

A Labour stalwart, the former councillor who headed up the Beormund Community Centre until its closure just after the pandemic, died unexpectedly in her flat on the Southwark Park Road Estate last Friday.

Her early life was marked by adversity as she lost her mother aged just six-yearsold and as the bombs rained down on the docklands surrounding her childhood home she was forced like so many of her age into evacuation.

But it was only a brief spell away from the area she loved so much and it appeared to have ignited a passion in a woman who was determined to rebuild war-torn Southwark and help communities young and old come together.

In an interview with the News just two years ago Coral, who was born in St Olave’s Hospital on Lower Road, Rotherhithe in 1936, explained how she found a love for political activism as a teenager and went on to fight for better facilities for the working-class community she was so proud to be a part of.

Coral grew up on the Amos Estate, off Rotherhithe Street, and said her parents and immediate family were also from the Downtown area of Rotherhithe, but added, “My great-grandfather came from Russia.”

She went to St Paul’s School, then Aylwin and on to Credon Road when it was a girls' school. “I liked school,” she said, “but I was a bit bolshy, I was always

Coral with MP Neil Coyle at one of her Christmas Day parties for the underdog.

“My dad was a stevedore and mum unfortunately died when I was six,” she said, reminiscing: “We found space to play cricket and football and skipping on the estate, and the parents used to bring chairs to watch us play."

War intervened: “I was evacuated to Newport Pagnell, to a policeman’s house, which I didn’t like,” Coral had told the News.

“My brother was elsewhere and he was ‘loved as the son they never had’, while I was being bolshy and complaining about everything I didn’t like!”

Back in her beloved Rotherhithe Coral recalled: “I got involved with community work when I was about fifteen, when we set up our own youth club on the estate.

There was no help from the council but Bob Mellish was really good.”

Bob Mellish was one of Bermondsey’s longest serving MPs and become an inspiration to the young Coral: “He was one of my icons. He looked after my generation because he saw us as the ones that would be taking over from him,” she said.

“He used to take us to the House of

Commons and the first time I went I didn’t realise exactly what it was, but looking back now I know it was Bob Mellish and what he did for young people that took me in to politics.”

Coral joined the Labour Party. “I was a local activist to begin with, but campaigned wider for the NHS because the Tories were running it down badly.”

At this time with the docks and related industry dying, Coral was given a real purpose: “As an elected councillor I had a wonderful time; the London Docklands Development Corporation was set up to bring work back to the borough and we wanted their money,” Coral said excitedly.

“An awful lot of money was needed from them to make improvements - I got us about £20 million.”

With Councillor Newell doing incredible work it was no surprise that her skills were desired: “I came to the Beormund Centre 41 years ago as a trustee and later became the Chair,” she told the News. In the late 1990s she said “when only about 400 people were coming through every year the building came close to closing and we began looking for someone to come in and manage it properly. Everyone

said I should do it although I’d retired by then: ‘You can get us going again,’ they said, and talked me into it. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

Coral continued to run the centre on the corner of Druid Street and Abbey Street right into her eighties - as well as leisure activities and a nursery, she ran training programmes from basic skills right up to accountancy. She would hire rooms out for meetings and conferences and for local residents’ groups with almost 30,000 people a year using the Beormund in its heyday.

But there was never a rest day for Coral.

She is equally well-known for setting up an annual Christmas Day dinner for the area’s lonely pensioners. “I started it with my husband 41 years ago, and my daughter, who was only a little girl then, has also done 41 years, bless her heart,” she had told the News.

“It was a lovely thing because those people that we brought in had rarely been outside their houses, but we gave them a thoroughly enjoyable day from morning ’til night. The guests were entertained, royally fed and local dignitaries would pop in to say hello. At the end they would

all be taken home and given a goody bag and some money.”

Current Bermondsey MP Neil Coyle said: “For decades Coral has helped so many people in Southwark. I got to know her through the Christmas dinner she organised for older people in Guys Hospital every year for over four decades!

“She was a community-spirited, ever-giving person with a passion for Bermondsey in her blood. Her loss is huge for her family but for Bermondsey and Southwark more widely.”

Her daughter Sian, devastated at the sudden parting of her mum, said: “My mum was so determined she wouldn’t let anything get in her way and from an early age I always remember her helping people. People would come to our flat with their problems, asking for help and she did, she helped them. She was so looking forward to her third great grandchildren George being born, he is due in August.

She will be missed so much.”

As well as daughter Sian, Coral leaves behind two grandchildren Jonna and Richard, great grandchildren Evie and Teddy and a legacy of helping those most in need.

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12 NEWS www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Plans for flats in Canada Water where you share your kitchen with neighbours

Local Democracy Reporter Over a hundred flats where people share their kitchen with neighbours could be built in Canada Water.

Plans have been submitted to construct 135 so-called shared living rooms in a 14-storey building by developer Scape.

Residents of the studio flats would have their own bed, kitchenette, living area and bathroom but share a kitchen, dining area and laundry room with other people in the block.

Single rooms in the development would be 21.3 square metres (sqm), with the larger double rooms reaching 23.4 sqm.

A total of 14 larger wheelchair-friendly rooms would also be included in the block.

Draft guidance published by City Hall last year said rooms in co-living developments should be at least 18 sqm.

Communal work areas, lounges and space for socialising would also be provided in the block, according to plans submitted to Southwark Council.

The site on the corner of Printworks Street and Mulberry Walk is the last part of the former Mulberry Business Park to be redeveloped.

By Robert Firth

Local Democracy Reporter

Southwark Council is intending to put the three-storey townhouse on Park Street on the market, according to an email sent by a town hall employee seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Grade-II listed property is just minutes from the River Thames and within walking distance of landmarks including the Globe Theatre and Tate Modern.

Houses down the same street have sold for as much as £3 million as recently as March 2016.

An email sent on April 23 by a council officer reads: “I have been advised by our

than in a traditional house or flat share, or HMO accommodation.

“There is relatively limited purpose-built large scale private rented accommodation in the area and so the proposals will enhance the residential composition of the area contributing to a mixed and inclusive community.”

voids team that 26 Park Street will be disposed of and therefore no longer part of our housing stock.”

Opposition Lib Dem council leader Victor Chamberlain, who is also a councillor for Borough and Bankside, branded the decision to sell the council property “absolutely scandalous”.

Cllr Chamberlain said he had written to the council’s director of housing demanding an “urgent rethink”.

He wrote on Twitter: “We have a chronic shortage of affordable housing in our area. We need the council to build lots more affordable homes, not reduce them.”

The property on Park Street has been empty for over a year, according to local residents while there are over 17,500 people waiting for a council home in Southwark.

Bankside Village, a residents’ group for people living in and around Park Street, said they were “shocked” by the planned

sale given the need for cheap council homes in the borough.

Ida Forster, chair of Bankside Village, said: “Council tenants should not be limited to living in certain parts of the borough – our residents want to live in a diverse community.”

On Twitter, the group added: “We object to this course of action and request that a family on the waiting list be placed at this property.”

Local residents are intending to hold a rally opposing the house’s sale outside the property soon. Southwark Council said no decision had been taken about the sale of any council house on Park Street.

The council added that if a sale were to go ahead a cabinet member would have to first sign it off, as happens for any high value council property.

Victor Chamberlain said Liberal Democrat councillors would call-in any cabinet decision to sell the Park Street property for scrutiny.

What the planned shared living flats would look like from Mulberry Walk No affordable housing would be included in the planned building but the developer said it was willing to make a payment to the council instead.

Planning documents argue that the site’s design means providing affordable housing in the same building would be “impractical and unfeasible.” According

to the developer, there isn’t enough space to include ground floor play space for kids and no additional floor space can be created as the block has already been built out to basement and ground floor slab level.

Southwark Council will make a decision on the plans at a later date.

Bankside council house could be sold for millions

© Google Street View

A Bankside council house around the corner from Borough Market could be sold for millions despite thousands of people in the borough waiting for a home.

CGI of planned co-living flats as seen from Printworks Street

Southwark Council granted King’s College London permission to build offices on the plot in 2013 as part of the ex-business park’s wider redevelopment, including flats, student housing and shops. But the university subsequently scrapped plans to move into offices at Canada Water and the site was sold to student accommodation developer Scape in 2020.

While the building’s surrounding the site have now been finished and are partially occupied, construction of the office block has never got further than the ground floor and basement.

Under the new plans to build co-living flats on the plot, Scape would hand over some land to allow Printworks Street to be widened and turned into a two-way road. According to planning documents, these proposals would “relieve congestion and traffic from the Alfred Salter Primary School to the north, as well as improving permeability and connectivity within the wider area.”

They continue: “The combination of private and shared space (in addition to the range of services and facilities) means that occupiers will have a quantitatively and qualitatively better accommodation

© Southwark Council planning documents)

By Robert Firth

26 Park Street (left-most house)

A cafe offering a free repair shop is coming to Brixton

By Isabel Ramirez

isabel@southwarknews.co.uk A cafe where visitors can bring their broken furniture and appliances to be fixed for free is coming to Brixton.

On Saturday, June 3, a repair cafe is opening on Brixton Road - which will provide a space for people to revive their damaged items, instead of throwing them away.

Repair Café Lambeth will serve the local community and help to reduce waste sent to landfill.

Following the launch, the Repair Café will then be open every first Saturday of the month from 10 am - 1 pm.

Locals can take along anything that is broken, from clothing and textiles to electrical appliances, musical

instruments, bicycles, furniture, wooden objects, and more to be fixed by the in-house experts. Part of a worldwide initiative made up of over 2,500 Repair Cafés, the Lambeth program is committed to promoting a circular economy and helping people save money and resources.

The cafe is also looking for passionate volunteers with a range of skills to be a part of this new initiative. Those skilled in clothing and textile repair, electrical appliance repair, bicycle repair, furniture and wooden object repair, or any other repair-related talent are invited to donate their time to help get the Lambeth cafe off the ground.

Those who don’t have repair skills can also volunteer as hosts, welcoming visitors or providing welcoming coffee, tea, biscuits, and cake.

Olga Osuch, a spokesperson for the event, said: "Repair Café Lambeth marks the start of an exciting journey towards sustainability and community-building" “We believe in the power of community and Repair Café Lambeth is a fantastic opportunity for people to come together, learn new skills, and make a difference.

It’s something we have needed in the area for a while, but we need everyone’s help to make it a success. We invite volunteers to join our community and help us build a more sustainable Lambeth."

Want to sign up as a volunteer? Please email olga.osuch@integrateagency.co.uk outlining in the first instance what kind of repairs you could offer. This communityled initiative is launching on Saturday, June 3 at We Are 336, 336 Brixton Road, London SW9 7AA. The event will run from 10 am - 3 pm.

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

NEWS 13

Two police officers are now being investigated over Taser Rachel wants to be Lib Dem MP balcony death in Peckham for Bermondsey

By Herbie Russell

Evidence at this stage indicates Two Met Police officers are being investigated in a manslaughter that an officer discharged their probe after a man was Tasered, fell five floors from a balcony - and Taser, shortly before the man later died. fell from the balcony railing at around 3.20am herbie@southwarknews.co.uk

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has been reviewing the incident, which took place in Peckham Rye on April 12, and has now launched a criminal investigation.

Both officers are being investigated for gross negligence manslaughter and one of them is also being investigated for unlawful act manslaughter.

The IOPC is a police watchdog whose role is to investigate all the circumstances surrounding a person's death when they die following police contact. It said that it has established that, shortly before midnight on April 11, officers visited a flat in a residential building on Rye Hill Park.

Police had received reports of a man shouting from a balcony but, when they arrived, received no response from the flat and left.

The IOPC said the police had received a similar report in the early hours that same day but no officers attended on that occasion.

- IOPC investigators

But around 1.25am on April 12, police were told that a man was threatening to jump from a balcony and so returned to the property at around 2am.

They forced entry and tried to persuade the man to come inside from the balcony, the IOPC said.

Officers also requested that a police negotiator attend the scene.

The IOPC said that, over the course of the next hour, some officers left the flat but two officers remained.

IOPC investigators now say: “Evidence at this stage indicates that an officer discharged their Taser, shortly before the man fell from the balcony railing at around 3.20am.

“The man fell five floors to the ground

and was transported to hospital with critical injuries. He sadly died later that day.”

The police negotiator arrived at the location just before the man fell and had not entered the flat, according to the IOPC. The IOPC has emphasised that a criminal investigation does not necessarily mean criminal charges or disciplinary proceedings will follow.

As part of their enquiries, IOPC investigators have gathered police officers’ accounts, reviewed body-worn footage, and Taser data will be analysed.

They have also spoken with neighbours, witnesses and are reviewing CCTV footage.

The man is yet to be formally identified as the coroner and Metropolitan Police are searching for his next of kin. And a date for the inquest opening has not yet been set.

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Our thoughts are with the man who died and we sincerely hope that he is formally identified and that his family are able to be notified.

“This was a tragic incident and we recognise that the circumstances surrounding the man’s death have understandably caused concern within the community.

“Our enquiries are still in their early stages and it’s important that we carry out a thorough, independent investigation that will be looking at the full circumstances, including the actions and decision-making of the officers who were present.

"Police officers are able to use force in the course of their duties and we will examine whether any force that was used was reasonable, appropriate and proportionate in these circumstances.

“Following the conclusion of our investigation, we will decide whether to refer the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision and we will determine whether any officers should face disciplinary proceedings.”

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk Lib Dem Councillor Rachel Bentley has been named as the party’s parliamentary candidate for Bermondsey and Old Southwark.

Bentley will battle incumbent Neil Coyle for the seat at the next general election scheduled for January 2025 at the latest.

The North Bermondsey councillor, whose supporters describe her as a “fierce and determined campaigner”, said she was “delighted”. She has been vocal on local issues such as housing, period poverty and fly-tipping - and has backed residents opposing plans to dock a luxury ‘party yacht’ at Butler’s Wharf.

Bentley has compared her style to Sir Simon Hughes, the local Lib Dem MP from 1983 to 2010, describing him as “a mentor”. Hughes was deposed by thenLabour MP Neil Coyle in 2015, whose vote share has increased in each election since.

Coyle has been an independent MP since his suspension from the Labour Party in February last year over racist comments he made to a journalist.

Lib Dem Party Chair Richard Wingfield described Coyle’s behaviour as “atrocious” adding that Bentley’s “dedication to the community” was “beyond reproach.”

Permanent terrorism prevention barriers Racist attack on train to West Dulwich sees police for Thames bridges delayed yet again launch CCTV image appeal

By Herbie Russell

herbie@southwarknews.co.uk Officers investigating a vicious, racist attack, that saw a victim punched repeatedly on a train to West Dulwich station, have released images of a man they want to speak to.

London Bridge security barriers (Wikimedia Commons)

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk New terrorism prevention barriers won’t be installed on Thames bridges anytime soon because Transport for London (TfL) can’t afford them, it has emerged.

Almost six years after the 2017 London Bridge attack, which saw radical Islamists kill five people, Westminster Bridge is the only Thames bridge to have permanent bollards.

This is despite a coroner warning, in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks, that “funding disputes between public bodies would not be a satisfactory reason for delay” in barrier installation.

In recently published TfL papers, the organisation wrote: “Due to the reduced funding available in 2023/24… no activity will be progressed across the Hostile Vehicle Mitigation Programme on the Thames river bridges.”

Currently, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, Lambeth Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge all have temporary barriers.

TfL has complete ownership of Westminster and Vauxhall Bridges and is responsible for the road on Blackfriars, London and Tower Bridges.

On the other hand, Southwark Bridge is owned by Bridge House Estates, a trust linked to the City of London corporation,

while Waterloo Bridge is owned by the City of Westminster.

TfL has previously estimated the total cost of installing permanent barriers across its bridges to be £30m.

The continued delay to the installation of permanent barriers is yet another indication of TfL’s dire financial situation stemming largely from the pandemic.

In August, following prolonged negotiations, TfL accepted a £3.6bn government bailout which contained a £1.2bn upfront settlement.

But Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned of a remaining £400 million shortfall and he almost made the decision to strip back London’s bus services to plug the funding gap.

Shortly before 4.30pm on April 19, the victim was on board a train approaching West Dulwich station when a man he didn't know began racially abusing him.

Police said the assailant then repeatedly punched the victim before getting off at Sydenham Hill station.

British Transport Police (BTP) believes the man in the images may have useful information which could assist their investigation.

Those who recognise him, or have any information, are asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 422 of 19 April. Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

14 NEWS www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Another South London school will now close because there aren’t enough kids © Google Street View

By Robert Firth

Local Democracy Reporter Another South London school will close because there aren’t enough kids for it to remain open.

St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls in Tulse Hill announced on last Friday, May 12, that it will shut for most students at the end of the summer term.

Head teacher Josephine Okokon said falling pupil numbers meant it no longer made financial sense to keep the 324-yearold secondary school with sixth form open.

The amount of money schools receive from the government is determined by how many students they have.

Pupil numbers in the borough of Lambeth, where the school is based, are not expected to increase again until after 2030, Ms Okokon said.

In a letter announcing the school’s closure published on its website, she wrote: “There has been a significant decline in the number of young people living and going to school in Lambeth, meaning that we, along with other local schools, have seen our student numbers diminish in recent years.

“The number of pupils in Lambeth is not expected to increase for approximately eight years. Since funding for schools is awarded based on its pupil numbers, it is no longer viable for St Martin’s to continue operating as a school and deliver the level of education that our young people deserve; the substantive decision has therefore been made to begin the process of closure.

“It is proposed that St Martin-in-theFields High School for Girls will close to all current Year 7, 8 and 9 students, effective from 31st August 2023. The school will remain open until August 2024 for current Year 10 and 12 students to complete their qualifications.”

Current Year 11 pupils will have finished their GCSEs but won’t be able to progress to sixth form.

Schools across inner South London are suffering from falling numbers of pupils, which has been blamed on reasons as varied as Brexit, the pandemic, falling birthrates and a lack of affordable housing

for families.

St-Martin-in-the-Fields is the second secondary school to announce its closure in Lambeth in a month. In mid-April, Archbishop Tenison’s School in Oval revealed it would shut its doors in August due to a fall in the number of pupils applying to attend the 340-year old school.

To avoid closures, Lambeth Council is reducing places at a number of primary schools in the borough from next year and intending to merge eight schools. But the council has limited control over what secondary schools in the borough do as most, like St-Martin-in-the-Fields, are academies and outside of local authority control.

St-Martin-in-the Fields previously announced it wouldn’t be taking on any new pupils moving from primary to secondary school in September due to a lack of kids in Lambeth and neighbouring boroughs like Southwark.

Ms Okokon said the all girls schools had looked into multiple alternatives to avoid closure, including accepting boys and merging with other schools in the area.

But she said none of the options “could overcome the fundamental issue of falling pupil numbers” in Lambeth.

The school is working with Lambeth Council to find current Year 7, 8 and 9 students a place in a nearby Ofsted-rated good or outstanding school. Students intending to attend St-Martin-in-the-Fields sixth form from September are having their applications transferred to Elmgreen School in West Norwood and Dunraven School in Streatham.

A spokesperson for St Martin-in-theFields High School for Girls said: “It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the closure of our school. This was not a decision made lightly.

"We understand that this news will cause concern for members of our school

community, and are wholly committed to providing support and guidance to all impacted parties.

“St Martin’s boasts a rich heritage dating back over 300 years rooted in Christian values and the nurture of our students; in accord with these values, we are dedicated to supporting our students and staff through the closure process. We would like to thank every member of the community who has been part of our school’s journey.”

Cllr Ben Kind, Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “Parents are rightly very concerned about the pressures on the entire education system across London that are a result of an unfair national funding system, our declining birth rate, the impacts of Brexit and the ongoing housing crisis.

“Lambeth Council will continue to work with St Martin-in-the-Fields School during the school’s period of engagement with the community, and representatives from

Lambeth will be meeting with parents at the school to support them.

"When requested Lambeth Council will also support families in finding single sex faith schools.”

Councillor Matthew Bryant, deputy leader of the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition, said: “We’ve lost two schools in one month and it simply can’t continue like this.

"Our first concern is for the pupils facing disruption at such short notice. Changing teachers, friendship groups, and travel arrangements will be deeply unsettling for many young people.

“This academic year, the Conservative government recklessly slashed school funding by £222 per pupil in Lambeth.

"Backwards funding formulas and a housing crisis that pushes parents out of London mean our children and young people are left to bear the brunt of the government’s incompetence.”

By Herbie Russell

being a love rival.

As her victim cowered beneath a duvet corner in the corner of a bedroom, Owusu stabbed her and hurled boiling hot water at her from a kettle.

In the video, Owusu can be heard yelling “d*n’t piss me off” and even turns to the camera and grins during the attack.

Her distraught victim can be heard screaming in terror and begging Owusu to stop. At one point she can be heard saying “I give up”.

Owusu also damaged several sentimental items.

The victim was taken to hospital with stab injuries which were assessed as non-life threatening and Owusu was later arrested.

She pleaded guilty at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Monday, March 6 and was sentenced at the same court on Tuesday, May 9.

DC Abigail Ellyatt from Central South Command Unit said: "I hope this result brings the victim some comfort in knowing this violent offender has been brought to justice, and I admire the strength and courage she has shown throughout."

Any young people who have information about violence or knife crime, can visit www.fearless.org where they can pass on information anonymously – your I.P address will not be traced. Fearless is part of the Crimestoppers charity, and is also independent of the police.

Snapchat bully: Jail for woman who live-streamed horrific boiling water and stab attack on victim in East Dulwich

herbie@southwarknews.co.uk A woman who stabbed and threw boiling water at her victim, while live-streaming the horrific East Dulwich attack on Snapchat, has been jailed for three years.

Eighteen-year-old Princess OwusuAnsah of Royston, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and criminal damage.

In the distressing video, which flooded social media, Owusu launched a terrifying attack on her victim, on Thursday, February 2.

Owusu visited her victim at her East Dulwich home, where she accused her of

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

NEWS 15

ExcluSivE

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk THe MIllWAll fan who fought off knife-wielding terrorists during the 2017 london Bridge Attack will finally receive a bravery medal.

Roy Larner, 54, famously roared ‘f*ck you, I’m Millwall’ while throwing punches at three steroid-using jihadis who slashed at him while wearing fake suicide belts.

Despite almost dying from his injuries, Roy has never received official recognition. But now, the late Queen’s cousin Princess Alexandra, president of the Royal Humane Society, has personally approved Roy’s Silver Medal for bravery.

Roy said: “After six years, it’s crazy how things are coming together. The six-year anniversary of the attack is in three weeks and people are recognising what I did now. These things take time you’ve got to keep fighting.”

At 9.58pm on June 3, 2017, three assailants armed with twelve-inch kitchen knives plowed a van into innocent people on London Bridge, before launching a frenzied stab attack

around Borough Market.

They encountered Roy at the Black & Blue bar who, rather than run, fought the attackers - doubtlessly saving the lives of several others.

Eight people were killed and 48 injured during the attacks that night.

Many people have received gallantry awards, including George Medals, for their bravery during the attack - but Roy has always been passed over.

However, he has been involved in several racist incidents which is likely why he has never received an award.

These include convictions for raciallyaggravated common assault and religiously-aggravated harassment for an expletive rant in his local MP Neil Coyle’s office.

Roy has expressed remorse for his actions which he says were “wrong" but he still feels he’s been “airbrushed” from the history of the attacks.

Roy said: “I’m not perfect but what I’ve done probably makes up for those things.”

“Two police officers got medals, just for keeping them at bay. I was the one getting stabbed to pieces,” he previously told the News.

Roy also highlighted that even convicted murderer Steve Gallant, 43,

who used a narwhal tusk to fend off terrorist Usman Khan in 2019, received a Queen’s Gallantry Medal.

Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Society, said: “To say what Roy did was heroic would almost be an understatement. He put his life on the line to give others a chance to flee from the restaurant.

“He confronted three terrorists who had already killed and maimed countless other people and he must have known they would kill him if they could.”

The Royal Humane Society Silver Award is one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious bravery awards.

Roy still hopes to one day receive the ultimate recognition - the George Cross - and is now seeing nominations pour in.

Reflecting on the attack six years later, Roy said: “I’m in a much better place now I’m still getting stopped in the streets all the time - at least I can talk to people about it rather than avoiding the subject. I’ve done something good - I should be proud of it.”

To commemorate the attack’s six-year anniversary, Roy said he will return to the Black & Blue bar for drinks with his mates on June 3.

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16 NEWS www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

a round-up of all the nominees

3. Dr Elsie Widdowson

By Isabel Ramirez isabel@southwarknews.co.uk Here is a round-up of this year's Southwark blue plaque nominees and a reminder to vote before it closes on June 1st.

1. Borough Chapel, one of the oldest Welsh chapels in London

This chapel in Borough, which hosts a ‘thriving’ community of worshippers and is known as the ‘mother chapel’ of the Welsh Congregationalists in London, has been nominated for a blue plaque.

The Borough Welsh Chapel on Southwark Bridge Road was built in 1872 but its congregation came long before that (1774) making it one of the oldest Welsh churches in London.

The Borough Chapel was built in 1872, but its congregation dates back to 1774, making it one of the oldest Welsh chapels in London.

2. George Dyer, one of the UK's most celebrated bespoke tailors

A Walworth-based tailor, whose ‘exceptional’ suits made him popular among stars like Paul Weller and Martin Freeman, has been nominated for a blue plaque.

In the mid-’90s, he set up a tailoring shop on Walworth Road called Threadneedle Man. His daughter, Deniece, said tailoring had been a passion of his from a very young age, and “his talented hands could make the ugliest material look like gold.”

Photo by: Eva Rinaldi

Southwark Blue Plaques:

6. Michael Crawford

4. The Concrete House

1. Borough Chapel George Dyer (1955-2022) was one of the UK's most celebrated bespoke tailors and a local hero.

3. Dr Elsie Widdowson, a nutritionist who influenced the ‘healthiest’ diet in Britain

A dietician who grew up in Dulwich, whose work in nutrition influenced what has been called ‘the healthiest diet Britons have ever had’, has been nominated for a blue plaque.

Dr Elsie May Widdowson CH, CBE, was a pioneer in the field and her greatest discoveries often resulted from experimenting on herself. The British Nutrition Foundation has said: “There is no branch of nutrition science, past or present, that has not been influenced in some way by the results of her pioneering work.”

Dr Elsie Widdowson lived in East Dulwich for 17 years.

4. The Concrete House, a historic landmark saved by locals

A nineteenth-century Dulwich house, that underwent a massive restoration thanks to the determined efforts of local people, has been nominated for a blue plaque.

One of the earliest to be constructed of mass concrete, this house was built in 1873 by the concrete pioneer Charles Drake (1839-1892).

Hailed as an outstanding piece of his work, it survived damage from a bomb in World War 2. However, by the late 20th Century it had fallen into extreme

7. Francis Peek (Dulwich Society)

disrepair and it took locals to bring it back into use in 2013.

The Concrete House, Dulwich, after it was restored in 2013, with the help of Southwark residents.

5. Selfless Rotherhithe PCSO Albert Tedam

A Rotherhithe Police community support officer, who saved someone’s life and dedicated his time to the local community right up until his final days, has been nominated for a blue plaque.

Albert Tedam, a veteran Rotherhithe police community support officer (PCSO) was a well-loved local and colleague, before tragically dying of cancer two years ago, aged just 55.

He had been with the Met police for nearly seventeen years, most of them in the Rotherhithe safer neighbourhood team (SNT) - and was devoted to his community. A colleague, Abdul, even cited a time when Albert saved someone from jumping into the Thames.

Albert Tedam was a dedicated Police community support officer (PCSO) and Brandon Estate resident.

6. Comedian Michael Crawford aka Frank Spencer grew up in Herne Hill

A Herne Hill-based actor, most famous for his role as the ‘hapless’ Frank Spencer in the 70s sitcom ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’, has been nominated to receive a blue plaque.

Michael Crawford OBE CBE (Michael

2. George Dyer

5. Albert Tedam

Patrick Smith), 80, moved to Herne Hill at the age of ten, where he attended Oakfield Preparatory School in West Dulwich.

He is perhaps most famous for his role as Frank Spencer in the 70s sitcom ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’ – and later for his portrayal of the original Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ in 1986.

In 2002, he was voted 17th in a BBC television poll of ‘100 Greatest Britons.’

Michael Crawford OBE CBE is best known for his role as 'hapless' Frank Spencer in a renowned BBC sitcom from the 70s.

What are Southwark Blue Plaques?

7. Francis Peek, a campaigner who helped open Dulwich Park

Without nineteenth-century tea merchant and philanthropist Francis Peek, one of Southwark’s largest green spaces might have been closed to the public.

Mr Peek is partly responsible for the 76 acres of Dulwich Park becoming public land, thanks to a thirteen-year quest involving huge sums of money, elections, debates and finally a law being passed by Parliament.

He also gave money for four churches to be set up for the people of south London, which was growing fast at the time but had little religious provision, according to Mr Corrin. Although he is not widely discussed today, it is clear that he made a huge and lasting difference to the people of Southwark and London more broadly.

For the past nineteen years the News is proud to have been one of the founders of the Blue Plaque scheme here in Southwark and nominations are now open for next year.

The scheme came about after the News and Southwark Heritage Association tried to find a way around English Heritage’s strict criteria, that a building must be standing and the person dead for them to qualify.

The latter was not really a problem, but the idea that so much of our rich heritage could not be recognised because a building was no longer there was not acceptable to us. Much of our physical heritage was destroyed in the Blitz, but it is perhaps the 1960s and ‘70s architects who did the most damage. So, we invited Southwark Council to join us in drawing up our own Blue Plaques and getting local people to vote. There are now well over 50 blue plaques across the borough.

To vote for any of the nominees for a Southwark Blue Plaque, please email isabel@southwarknews.co.uk or admin@southwark.org.uk with the name of the person you want to nominate. Voting closes on Thursday 1st June.

Full articles on the nominees can be found online at southwarknews.co.uk

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

www.southwarknews.co.uk/news

NEWS 17

By Herbie Russell

herbie@southwarknews.co.uk

The padlock found by Malcom Russell

Tudor signet ring

Georgian wig curlers

Rotherhithe was a shipbuilding hub from the 17th to late 19th century. While the warehouses lining the Thames are testament to that history, one mudlarker has discovered a smaller item that offers a window into that past.

While sifting through the muddy banks in west London, historical writer Malcom Russell, 49, discovered what he describes as a “ball of rust”. On further inspection, it revealed itself as an iron padlock used on one of the barges that, for centuries, were the lifeblood of London’s industrial economy.

“I soaked it in white vinegar for two weeks, hit it with a hammer a few times, and spent several hours rubbing it with wire wool and two names appeared,” Malcom said.

One of those names was J. Wiles & Son - possibly the manufacturer, although this is unclear. The other name was G Carr & Son Rotherhithe. G Carr was a Rotherhithe-based company that built barges and anchors in warehouses along Rotherhithe Street from the early 1800s.

“Barges were hugely important in the working life of the river at the time,” Malcom explains. “The way of thinking about them is they were as common as lorries are today so these barges were carrying all sorts of things up and down the Thames.”

Padlocks were used to lock up the barges and prevent the products they

carried from falling out. The G Carr & Son inscription means the lock was probably manufactured specifically for the company.

Malcom says it’s difficult to know which type of barge the padlock was used on but he believes it could have been for ‘stackies’. These barges were specifically designed to carry 12ft high stacks of hay - often from the fields of Kent and Essex into smokey London.

“Before the advent of motor transport, anything transported by streets would be pulled by horses and the horses would eat hay,” said Malcom. The horses’ dung would then be loaded back onto stackies and taken back to the countryside where it would be used as fertiliser.

While these barges did an admirable job for centuries - the last load of hay is believed to have been delivered by the

Advertorial

Suffolk barge Bluebell in 1939 - there was often too much dung to transport.

This caused the 1894 ‘Great Horse Manure Crisis’ when towers of horse faeces prompted The Times newspaper to warn that “in 50 years, every street in London will be buried under nine feet of manure”.

Malcom has been mudlarking for seven years and has even written his own book ‘Mudlark'd: Hidden Histories

from the River Thames’. His other finds include a Tudor signet ring, Georgian wig curlers and Roman hairpins.

Though the exact barge the padlock was made for will probably remain a mystery forever, Malcom says it’s a “powerful reminder” of the historic Thames’ economic importance.

“We forget this was a working river that was absolutely key to London’s prosperity and growth,” he said.

Net Migration on the rise, is Downing Street moving the right way?

business is established in the UK, has the financial means and a robust HR system on place.

Once applied for a sponsor licence, a Certificate of Sponsorship is issued to the individual to then apply for the skilled worker visa.

Today Suella Braverman confirmed that net migration is at a continuous rise, leading to a possible increase to 700,000 (reported by the BBC). We will explore on how UK Immigration is impacting industries and our economy.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet Supermarkets and Business Leaders at 10 Downing Street to discuss the continued rise of food prices and how this can be brought down. I am sure the topic of immigration, labour market and its impact will be part of the conversation.

New visa routes for entrepreneurs

The impact to immigration changes & British politics I am sure everyone has realised now that Nigel Farage blaming immigration on the living crisis, is an incorrect statement and that we now have rising challenges post Brexit.

At ICS Legal, we see the change of fluxes with new immigration categories being brought in to make the UK a country to be on a level playing field like other growing nations.

UK Immigration has been a key topic in the media with Brexit and Government votes over the last decade, where it has been seen in shades by UK residents. The right balance is difficult but attracting both entrepreneurs & businesses are important to help us with the new challenges we are facing.

We feel, Trade Minister Nigel Huddleston said it well to Times Radio "every now and

again we also need more people to come into the country," but the "key thing" was to have control. I agree to this.

We can appreciate the continued challenges a Prime Minister faces to balance the books in order to listen to voters as well as businesses ensuring they can operate sufficiently. We need to consider that we live in a country that is affected by changes around the globe.

There are great businesses being set up every day globally, the UK needs to be an attractive country where business can be set up, which in turn helps local communities in terms of job creation.

ICS Legal & sponsor licence As a Law Firm based in London, our Immigration Lawyers see constant challenges that enterprises face in securing talented people. The rise in Sponsor License applications is clearly indication, where a business needs to register to employ migrants that require to come under the skilled worker visa.

Our Immigration Lawyers work with enterprises to secure the best talent across the globe and helping on the skilled worker visas. As to a sponsorship process, an organisation is required to prove that the

Immigration changes are compulsory, so the new Innovator Founder visa route is aimed to streamline the prospect for a business to establish itself here.

In short, the Innovator Founder visa is change in dynamic to what we had previously which was the start-up and innovator visa. The concept remains the same of its predecessors, but the business needs to be scalable, innovative and something different to what is available in the current market.

Our Immigration Lawyers works with both entrepreneurs and start-up businesses, supporting them in business plans to endorsing bodies application to the immigration applications under the innovator founder visa.

Through our extensive experience in both business and immigration, ICS Legal puts itself in a unique position to help start-up businesses to ensure they follow a pathway to a successful business.

Speak to an ICS Legal Visa Expert today for immigration advice on 0207 237 3388 or email us at info@icslegal.com.

© Malcom Russell

mudlarker unlocks Rotherhithe's industrial past

18 OPINION www.southwarknews.co.uk/letters

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Comment

'I hope the proper Charlie in Downing Street is dethroned at the next election' I T IS eight years since the amazing people of Bermondsey and old Southwark put their trust in me with a massive win in the 2015 election. I remain indebted and grateful to everyone who backed me then and who supported me in the two subsequent general elections increasing my majority both times.

I am proud to serve this brilliant community which has shown me such love and warmth and I remain committed to serve, having helped over 11,000 people since the December 2019 election.

We did not have council elections in May locally but it was extraordinary to see the level of Conservative losses

and Labour returned as the biggest party of local government in England.

The country sent a clear message after 13 years of Conservative failure with the Tories losing over 1,000 councillors and 49 councils.

I had hoped Ministers would listen to voters and try to understand growing concern with failing public services and the cost-of-living crisis but Sunak still spins a line about how great everything is and his Government continues to ignore problems it has created.

Problems like a local business paying £15,000 for visas for specialist engineers two months ago and getting no reply from the Home Office even though the jobs are on the Home Office ‘occupational shortage list’ and meant to be a priority. The

from

Westminster

NEIL COYLE

MP for Bermondsey & Old Southwark same business operates in Germany where they face no costs for the same visas which are processed in weeks.

Ministers need to improve their processes to boost UK competitiveness but are complacent and indolent in the face of their own mess.

Another problem Ministers have created is foodbank dependency: three million foodbank packages were distributed last year. One million went to children and 20% went to working people. This colossal failure is shocking given only 40,000 packages were needed in 2010 when Labour left office.

The UN examined the cause of the dramatic rise and the Government’s Universal Credit and ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ policies were leading causes. The UK is a strong, wealthy country and should ensure no citizen is hungry or homeless in the way this Government permits.

The UK also has strong global connectivity, especially in our diverse community. Last week I had the honour of hosting Sierra Leone's presidential candidate along with local people who have roots and families in that country.

The UK Government has attempted to make it harder for people to participate

'Biodiversity - the web of life that holds us all'

f

oXeS, WoodPeCkeRS, ants and lichen... even in the heart of the city, we are part of the web of life.

But in just the last 50 years, global wildlife populations have fallen by almost 70%.

‘Biodiversity’ refers to the sheer variety of living things, from the tiniest micro-organism to the very top of the food chain, and the way they are interlinked.

There’s human self-interest in looking after biodiversity. Our food supply depends on having a wide range of plants and the insects that pollinate them. If we grow only the varieties most suitable for supermarket shelves – Golden Delicious apples or Iceberg lettuces – we put that at risk. As well as

depriving us of the pleasure of diverse flavours and textures, monocultures are more vulnerable to disease.

Among apples, some varieties have greater resilience to heat and drought, while some are richer in vitamins and minerals. Plants as yet undiscovered might provide new medicines – just as aspirin came from willow, and a malaria treatment from artemisia.

If you have a garden, you can help by leaving the grass long during ‘No Mow May’. This extra time allows insects to find nectar, and flowers to set seed. A window box can provide insect-friendly plants.

Councils can reduce mowing to create meadows, as Southwark has done on Peckham Rye and on the steep slopes of the East Dulwich Estate.

Lambeth Council is converting

Councils can reduce mowing to create meadows, as Southwark has done on Peckham Rye some roadside verges and areas of tarmac into ‘bee roads’ planted with a patchwork of bee-friendly flowers.

It would be wonderful to see a similar network link all of Southwark’s community gardens, with wildflowers allowed to grow on our streets and housing estates without being sprayed with herbicides like glyphosate.

On a sunny afternoon this week, I took a break at the Edible Bus Stop, set up ten years ago by ‘guerrilla gardeners’. Now there are sturdy granite beds containing an olive

tree, shrubs and herbs as well as purple irises, marigolds and lilies.

Sitting on a bench set back from the road, I spotted bees and small blue butterflies. It was a heartening moment: here, community efforts have received enough support to become established. But elsewhere, councils are removing flowerpots from balconies and building on estate gardens. To have any chance of preserving our remaining biodiversity, we need politicians and council staff to take a long-term view.

in elections here by introducing new photographic ID requirements, but the emerging violence, intimidation and corruption facing voters in Sierra Leone is even more shocking.

We must protect democracy wherever it comes under threat.

Finally, it was great to visit and see pictures of all the wonderful Coronation events across Southwark, and I want to thank our over-stretched local police who worked hard to protect everyone celebrating. King Charles III is now on the throne, but I hope the proper Charlie in Downing Street is dethroned at the next election.

Southwark

Green ELEANOR MARGOLIES Eleanor Margolies writes about theatre and on environmental issues, and is an active campaigner for urban green spaces and clean air. www.eleanormargolies.co.uk @ellanOrnell

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

www.southwarknews.co.uk/letters

OPINION 19

Don't let zones divide neighbourhoods

J

ust as national politics was getting boring, Southwark has been plunged into a minipolitical storm with its roll-out of more Controlled Parking Zones across the borough.

Many people are taking issue with the consultation itself. Southwark Council says this is the chance for residents to ‘have their say’. But people have pointed out that, in an obscure 2019 document, the council said it aimed to “introduce a borough-wide CPZ”. On the one hand, the council is practically obliged to consult on CPZs according to guidance. On the other, they are within their rights to ignore consultees’ feedback. UK democracy is representative - not direct.

The problem arises when people feel the council has misrepresented itself. In Southwark Labour’s 33page 2022 manifesto, there is no mention of CPZs - let alone a borough-wide roll-out. It’s also concerning that this issue has become so contentious that many people are scared to voice their opinions on it. This will do no good for democracy if it carries on like this. And let’s be clear, resident parking permits are a form of taxation. The problem is it’s not a progressive tax. Yes, there are discounts for the disabled. But single mums on threadbare wages, stuck with a diesel car, shouldn’t expect a let-off.

Frankly, if we were asked whether driving cars is good for the environment or for our health, most of us would agree they are not. However, there are many reasons why people drive and CPZs could put the brunt on households that are just getting by. People who have the money will often just pay for a parking permit. It won’t be enough to deter them from driving and giving up their car. The poorest are more likely to have to give up driving.

As these consultations progress, and the debates go on, we implore readers not to let CPZs divide communities as low-traffic neighbourhoods already have. Don’t believe the hype - this doesn’t have to be a ’culture war’ issue. Don’t imagine this is a battle between tradesmen and petrolheads on one side and, in the Foreign Secretary’s words, ‘the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati’ on the other. People are nuanced and multi-faceted, with views and aims that at times appear conflicting - much like CPZs themselves. So let’s listen to each other and compromise. After all, two things can be true at the same time.

Two shining examples of community leadership

S

outhwark lost two veritable titans this week - indomitable campaigner Coral Newell and veteran Fisher ABC boxing coach Steve Hiser.

Coral campaigned and worked tirelessly for over half a century, creating opportunities for local people from deprived backgrounds while Steve was like 'a father to a thousand sons' over a similar period of time, creating champions but more importantly even, instilling pride and self-respect in generations of young boys and girls.

It's perhaps a cliché to say of people just gone - you won't see their likes again. But in some cases it's also a truism. Their parting is truly our community's great loss.

cryptic Puzzle Clues Across 4 They are overmodest, but impolite in afterthought (6) 8 Consent to father's return to establish the validity of the will? (7) 10 Account put to a purpose and charged (7) 11 Bit of a laugh for Number One in the Far East (5) 12 Lots of paper about a manuscript (5) 13 Went boastfully taking loot with unusual greed (9) 16 Somehow ruins the gentleman by being rebellious (9) 19 After the initial loss, I cry out for air (5) 20 Once more a profit (5) 22 Bad administration but not Petticoat Government (7) 23 Accurate summary with an excellent beginning (7) 24 Sum up in foreign money can produce low spirits (6)

Clues Down 1 Pity the path is so uphill (6) 2 Frank has nothing to write (4) 3 Film which reduces one to tears? (6,7) 5 Olympic champion, perhaps, going berserk in the music shop (6,7) 6 Sit out in the dance? How far can you go? (8) 7 Miss out the present age inside a liking for cruelty (6) 9 Agree it's keen (5) 14 Informed and made the piper sad (8) 15 See me in additional feathers (6) 17 Having an excessive slope? (5) 18 Sensitive offer (6) 21 Keen to take up the prima donna (4)

Quick Puzzle Clues Across 4 Stop (6) 8 Character in The Arabian Nights (3,4) 10 Snake (7) 11 Slow musical movement (5) 12 Weird (5) 13 Short passage (9) 16 One who appoints (9) 19 Birds of duck family (5) 20 Celtic language (5) 22 Raise (7) 23 Gatherings (7) 24 Ore who enjoys inflicting cruelty (6)

Clues Down 1 Fast ride (6) 2 Untruthful person (4) 3 Senior army officers (58) 5 Deserving censure (13) 6 Outgoing settler (8) 7 Propositions (6) 9 Place of public contest (5) 14 Clergyman (8) 15 Way out (6) 17 Creator (5) 18 Restate old ideas (6) 21 Part of the eye (4)

Solutions to last week’s crossword Cryptic Across: Lyrics 7 Marsala 8 Deviate 9 Nylon 10 Barefaced 12 Ere 13 Bred 15 Advance 17 Dies 19 Ate 21 Moderates 22 Tutti 23 Slither 24 Console 25 Census Down: 1 Ladybird 2 Revere 3 Chaffed 4 Trend 5 Tailor 6 Lawn 7 Merchandise 11 Eras 13 Beta 14 Desserts 16 Carbine 18 Eating 20 Etches 21 Minor 22 Tack Quick PUZZLE Across: 1 Garden 7 Compere 8 Apparel 9 Looms 10 Sessional 12 Ton 13 Upon 15 Igneous 17 Earl 19 Net 21 Attenders 22 Posed 23 Narrate 24 Compete 25 Lentil Down: 1 Gladsome 2 Repast 3 Earring 4 Smell 5 Recoup 6 Hers 7 Clandestine 11 Soil 13 Used 14 Newsreel 16 Unnerve 18 Resume 20 Tenant 21 Added 22 Pick

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

www.southwarknews.co.uk/arts

what’s on

ARTS 21

in Southwark

top markS for Nul poiNtS!

Nul Points! is the story of a group of drama school friends - Josh, Kat, and Daz - who come together every year for a Eurovision party that mega-fan Josh hosts. Crashed by a male stripper one year and by Josh’s mother in other years the main drama through the first act comes from the interpersonal relationships and how their individual careers seem to be progressing, or not so.

Blackburn’s writing is fast-paced and racy. Heavily laden with gags,

Pic by East photography

foR MANY across the country, there is no better time of year than the eurovision season. from listening to all the hopefuls wanting to represent their nations all the way through the semi-finals to the grand final itself, it certainly has a cult-like following all across the continent that has even permeated to the wider world. Playwright Martin Blackburn is certainly one of those fans and his new play Nul Points! has a run at the union Theatre, writes Christopher Peacock.

acerbic put-downs, and extensive Eurovision trivia that Josh regales at every opportunity. Kane Verrall as Josh plays up all the camp and fervour of a man who lives for Eurovision without slipping into caricature. Marcus J Foreman as Daz has many great lines

of dialogue but the character’s arc and own journey do get a little lost at times in this farce. The strongest performance goes to Charlotte East as Kat, with great presence she gives a grounded performance and carries the second act when the show searches

project mincemeat

oPeRATIoN MINCeMeAT, a captivating musical, wholeheartedly deserved its transfer to the West end. following successful, sold-out runs at the New diorama Theatre (2019) and Southwark Playhouse (20202022), the musical has made its way to The fortune Theatre where it has taken over from the 33-year reign of The Woman in Black.

The masterminds behind this musical gem are david Cumming, felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts who make up the talented theatre troupe Spitlip, and expertly crafted this wonderful and ridiculous, fastpaced, and hilarious play, writes Bella Christy.

I was initially wary of the comparisons to successful productions such as ‘Hamilton’, ‘SIX’ and ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, yet Operation Mincemeat did not disappoint. Not only did it live up to these comparisons, but also carved out its own authentic and unique style under Robert Hastie’s direction.

With only five actors skilfully commanding the stage, their exceptional multi-rolling created the illusion of a much fuller cast; it seemed like there were 20 or more vastly different actors appearing. Whilst they all did an impressive job of embodying

different characters it was Jak Malone who truly blew me away with his sheer talent. He was a shapeshifter, from just donning a hat or slipping on a pair of spectacles, he was almost unrecognisable. His physicality, voice and aura entirely changed as he glided from one character to another. As someone who has done a lot of multirolling in her time, I was in awe.

The production encompassed some serious physical theatre (a drama kid’s dream). The actors barely stood still throughout the entire production - a cardio workout for sure. Their movement in combination with the imaginative set and props made for a production that kept me continuously captivated and surprised about what was coming next.

The set developed as we went through the play, getting more complex, a door here, a slit in the stage there and before we knew it the whole back wall unfolded. Though a key device in this production, symbolising the theme of communication (or lack thereof), was the phones hanging on the walls. In a well-executed physical scene, London desperately attempts to reach their operative in Spain. With a display of juggling phones and hats, combined with stunning physicality, the result was dynamic storytelling that was hilariously engaging.

The audience too was brilliant, the level of applause was huge from the very first number, reaching relentless cheering after Jak Malone’s number ‘Dear Bill’. A beautiful and tender song, in contrast with the full production numbers, held the audience’s hearts in hand. Malone did an incredible job of evoking a collective sentiment for grieving for a lost loved one at war, leaving myself, and I think I can talk on behalf of the whole audience here, very moved.

Us audience members weren’t left out of the secret missions occurring on stage, we were given our own.

SpitLip encouraged us to ‘go watch something small, something weird, something funny, or different or strange, in a little venue near you’ with the aim of supporting those new plays making their way up in the theatre world. Following suit, I implore you to experience Operation Mincemeat firsthand and then become a secret agent yourself by supporting upcoming and local theatre production.

Fortune Theatre, Russell Street, London, WC2B 5HH until August 19th.

Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm Thursday to Saturdays at 8pm; Tuesday and Saturday Matinees at 3pm. Admission: £19.50 - £79.50. www.OperationMincemeat.com

for a more emotional response.

The second act has a tonal shift from the farce of the first. Set seven years on from the last party we saw.

Tragedy has struck this group and the focus is on how they are living with themselves and coping after loss. This

does naturally drag the pace of the show whilst still attempting to ply us with laughs. In the first half the best moments came from the younger cast as their energy and banter created great chemistry, unfortunately, with the introduction of Josh’s mother Gina, played by Adele Anderson, the odd stumble over lines drops the energy and misses the comic timing needed.

Nul Points! has its strengths in delving into our nation's relationship with the competition and our rekindling of love for it after quite some years in the doldrums. Playing out over years’ of Eurovision parties it has a nice way of anchoring the lives of the characters in an evening of communal bonding.

At odds with devout Eurovision fans hosting a party, the contest itself does fall into the background of the scenes.

I'm sure there are going to be many fans hosting similar parties across the continent on May 13th, however, I think plenty of them wouldn’t dare let their guests talk over the acts taking part.

Union Theatre until 20th May

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

www.southwarknews.co.uk

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24 PUBLIC NOTICES www.southwarknews.co.uk

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (COPPERFIELD STREET, CRIMSCOTT STREET, MILLSTREAM ROAD, STONES END STREET, TALFOURD ROAD, UPLAND ROAD, WYNEHAM ROAD, BURRELL STREET, HOPTON STREET, COPELAND ROAD) TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC

PUBLIC NOTICE – LICENSING APPLICATION LICENSING ACT 2003 On 15/05/23, University of the Arts applied to Southwark Council for a premises licence at Camberwell College of Arts, 1-4 Wilson Road, SE5 8LU. The application is to permit the sale by retail of alcohol from 12.00 until 22.00 Monday to Sunday.

1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable various works to be carried out, it intends, to make, an order, the effect of which will be to prohibit vehicular traffic from entering part of the above named roads.

THE PREMISES WILL NOT BE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC SAVE FOR PRE-BOOKED SHOWS

2.

Whilst the works are in progress, or whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload at any time in:

The application can be viewed by appointment on 020 7525 2000 at The Licensing Service, Hub 1, 3rd Floor, 160 Tooley Street, SE1 2QH. Or online at: http://app.southwark.gov.uk/licensing/licenseregister.asp

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j)

3.

Copperfield Street, at its junction with Sawyer Street Crimscott Street, between No’s 20 and Nos 20a Millstream Road, between Druid Street and Stanworth Street Stones End Street, between Borough Road and Great Suffolk Street Talfourd Road, between Peckham Road and No’s 24 Upland Road, between No’s 283 and No’s 313 Wyneham Road, Frankfurt Road, Elmwood Road, located between Danecroft Road and Elfindale Road Burrell Street, at it’s junction with Southwark Street Hopton Street, north bound lane of carriageway closed between Southwark Street No’s 7 Copeland Road, north side, convert existing single yellow line outside No’s 133 to ‘at any time’ waiting restrictions (double yellow lines) from the end of the existing permit holders/paid parking bays to the end of the existing double yellow lines, in a southerly direction.

The alternative route for affected traffic will be (2a) as indicated by the signs displayed (2b) Grange Road, Dunton Road, Willow Walk (2c) Druid Street, Tanner Street, Maltby Street (2d) Borough Road, Borough High Street, Great Suffolk Street (2e) Peckham Road, Bushey Hill Road, Lyndhurst grove, Talfourd Road (2f) Dunstans Road, Goodrich Road (2g) Wyneham Road, Beckwith Road, Elfindale Road, Herne Hill, Danecroft Road (2h) not applicable (2i) Hopton Street, Holland Street, Sumner Street (2j) not applicable

4.

The existing ‘one-way’ working in Crimscott Street, will be made ‘two-way’ for access and egress purposes for (2b)

5.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, so far as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

6.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform.

7.

The works will be in operation for (2a) 5th – 8th June (2b) 5th – 8th June (2c) 5th – 6th June (2d) 8th – 22nd June (2e) 8th June (2f) 5th June (2g) 6th June (2h & 2i) 5th – 23rd June (2j) 2nd June 2023 – 4th November 2024

8.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

Dated this 18th May 2023 Ian Law Traffic Manager London Borough of Southwark Network Management Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX Ref: (2a) 6540/NK104CIV100409617-Virginmedia (2b) 6476/SEC50/CRIMSCOTTTSTSTDCivils/meadbld (2c) 6507/XTD-02-36-050623-NR (2d) 6551/P101705N0014695/R5- NECLTD-POn (2e) 6505/LPPAT2122/0289/JS-Thames (2f) 6456 LPPAT2122/0290/JS-Thames (2g) 6549/LPPAT2122/0233/JS-Thames (2h) 6547/P100826TBC/R4-NECLTD-POn (2i) 6548/P100826TBC/R2-NECLTD-Pon (2j) 6550/DYL

PUBLIC NOTICE – LICENSING APPLICATION LICENSING ACT 2003 On 15/05/23, University of the Arts applied to Southwark Council for a premises licence at Camberwell College of Arts & Crafts, Greencoat Building, Wilson Road, SE5 8FG. The application is to permit the sale by retail of alcohol from 12.00 until 22.00 Monday to Sunday.

THE PREMISES WILL NOT BE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC SAVE FOR PRE-BOOKED SHOWS The application can be viewed by appointment on 020 7525 2000 at The Licensing Service, Hub 1, 3rd Floor, 160 Tooley Street, SE1 2QH. Or online at: http://app.southwark.gov.uk/licensing/licenseregister.asp Any person may make a representation in writing relating to this application to be received no later than June 12th 2023 addressed to the Licensing Service above.

It is an offence, liable on conviction to an unlimited fine, to make a false statement knowingly or recklessly in connection with this application.

DSW Group Consultants to the licensed trade 0203 900 2510 0844 736 1998 admin@dswgroup.co.uk

Access all published notices : w w w. s o u t h w a r k n e w s . c o. u k / public-notices

Any person may make a representation in writing relating to this application to be received no later than June 12th 2023 addressed to the Licensing Service above.

It is an offence, liable on conviction to an unlimited fine, to make a false statement knowingly or recklessly in connection with this application.

DSW Group Consultants to the licensed trade 0203 900 2510 0844 736 1998 admin@dswgroup.co.uk

Goods Vehicle Operator's Licence Urbin London Limited 58-60 Kensington Church Street London W8 4DB Is applying for operator's licence to keep 4 goods vehicle and 0 trailers at operating centre: Urbin London Limited Shakespeare Road Brixton London SE24 0LA Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings) near the operating centre(s) who believe that their use of land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Hillcrest House, 386 Harehills Lane, Leeds LS9 6NF, stating their reasons within 21 days of this notice. Representors must at the same time send a copy of their representations to the applicant at the address given at the top of this notice. A Guide to Making Representations is available at the Traffic Commissioner's office

NEWS TRAVELS FAST Over half our online readers now access our journalism on their mobiles Call us on 020 7232 1639 to find out how to promote your local business online

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

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PUBLIC NOTICES 25

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 (as amended) PLANNING (LISTED BUILDINGS AND CONSERVATION AREAS) ACT 1990 (as amended) The planning applications listed below can be viewed on the planning register at https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications/ You can use facilities at your local library or 'My Southwark Service Points' to access the website.

How to comment on this application: You should submit your comments via the above link. Comments received will be made available for public viewing on the website. All personal information will be removed except your postal address. Online comments submitted without an email address will not be acknowledged and those marked 'confidential' will not be considered. Written comments can be submitted to; Southwark Council, Chief executive's department, Planning division, Development Management, PO Box 64529, London SE1 5LX. Reason for publicity. The applications are advertised for the reasons identified by the following codes: AFFECT - development affecting character or appearance of a nearby conservation area; OR development affecting setting of a nearby listed building(s); DEP - departure from the development plan; EIA - environmental impact assessment (these applications are accompanied by an environmental statement a copy of which may be obtained from the Council - there will be a charge for the copy); MAJ - major planning application; STDCA - development within a conservation area; STDLB - works to or within the site of a listed building; EMPTY LAND AT 105 PAGES WALK LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 (Ref: 23/AP/0165) Outline planning permission (with the matters of appearance, landscaping and layout reserved) for the construction of two 2-bedroom terrace houses and one 4-bedroom terrace house (Within: Pages Walk CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Jessica Potter 020 7525 0036) 27 COLLEGE ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE21 7BG (Ref: 23/AP/1224) Removal of Condition 5 (Conversion of pedestrian refuge into raised pedestrian crossing) attached to planning permission 17/AP/4271, for: Change of use to community education facility (within Use Class D1) with gallery and refreshment space. Erection of a general store, provision of 2 disabled parking spaces and bin/recycling and bicycle stores.

(Within: Dulwich Village CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Sandy Ng ) SHACKLETON HOUSE 4 BATTLE BRIDGE LANE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 (Ref: 23/AP/1277) Infill extension to the ground floor reception with associated internal alterations and internal alterations to the third, fourth and fifth floor office space at Shackleton House, Hay's Galleria, 4 Battlebridge Lane, SE1. (Within: Tooley Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Zaib Khan 0207 525 0311) 52 TRAFALGAR AVENUE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE15 6NR(Ref: 23/AP/1287) Listed building consent: Replacement of UPVC guttering on front elevation of the house with black cast iron guttering, and addition of a new black cast iron drain pipe on the left hand side of the house going from the guttering to the basement patio - see TA52.5. The addition of a new drainpipe is requested because the length of guttering to the nearest drainpipe is too long and water escapes over the side of the guttering and drips onto the front door stairs. See TA52-3 which shows how long the current guttering runs before reaching a downpipe around the corner of the front elevation. (Within: Trafalgar Avenue CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Athena Hylton-Thompson 020 7525 2161) FLORIAN, RACINE AND GARAGE SITE SCEAUX GARDENS LONDON SOUTHWARK (Ref: 23/AP/1084) Variation of Condition 1 (Approved Plans) of planning permission ref. no. 21/AP/1866: 'Redevelopment of existing single storey bungalows at Racine and Florian and an existing garage site to create 79 new homes for social rent within 3 blocks with associated landscaping and childrens play space.' for minor material amendments to the layouts and facades. (Within: Sceaux Gardens CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Abbie McGovern 020 7525 0254) THE HOP EXCHANGE 24 SOUTHWARK STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 1TY(Ref: 23/AP/1282)

Variation of Conditions 1 'Approved Plans' and Condition 16 'Use hereby permitted' of full planning application 21/AP/2001 dated 02/03/2023 for Demolition of rear infill and atrium roof and construction of new 6-storey rear extension connecting to a 2-storey roof extension on the western section of the building; a new atrium roof on the eastern section; roof terraces, landscaping and public realm works and general works of enhancement to the listed building in connection with the continued use of the building within Class E. (LBC reference 21/AP/2002). (Within: Borough High Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Abbie McGovern 020 7525 0254)

landscaping and public realm works and general works of enhancement to the listed building in connection with the continued use of the building within Class E (LBC reference 21/AP/2002 and PP reference 21/AP/2001) namely: combining ground floor restaurant uses to a single unit; removal of 5th floor restaurant stair core; enclosure of west stair; enlargement of main central lift core and extension to roof; rear window railing protection; amendments to the structure of the new atrium roof; updates to courtyard structures and inclusion of affordable commercial workspace. (Within: Borough High Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Catherine Jeater 020 7525 5375)

1B GROSVENOR PARK LONDON SOUTHWARK SE5 0NQ(Ref: 23/AP/1261) Variation of Condition 1 'Approved Plans' of planning permission ref. no. 22/AP/4127: Garden office with external decking at the end of the rear garden. (Within: Grosvenor Park CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Samuel Hepworth 020 7525 5465)

38-42 SNOWFIELDS AND 62 -66 WESTON STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 3QJ (Ref: 23/AP/1333) Replacement of existing single glazed sliding sash window units with REHAU Heritage PVC-u sliding sash windows and replacement of existing single glazed timber casement windows with REHAU Rio flush fixed casement windows.

(Within: Bermondsey Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: James Baddeley )

29 NUNHEAD GROVE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE15 3LZ(Ref: 22/AP/0515) Construction of 3no. flats and 1no. house, either side of the retained gymnasium hall. (Within: Nunhead Green CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Emily Williams 020 7525 1249) 37 CAMBERWELL CHURCH STREET LONDON SE5 8TR (Ref: 23/AP/1311) Resubmission: Variation of Condition 6 'Hours of Use' of planning permission ref. no. 18/AP/3742: Change of use from A1 (Retail Shop) to A3 (Restaurant/Takeaway) and installation of extractor fan. Variation sought: Due to the nature of the business Proposed hours of use are: Monday to Wednesday 11:00 pm to 12:00 am Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11:00 pm to 1:00 am Sunday 11:00 pm to 12:00 am. (Within: Camberwell Green CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Michèle Sterry 020 7525 5453) 86 CHOUMERT ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE15 4AX (Ref: 23/AP/1201) Construction of part one/two storey rear extension with enlargment of existing rear dormer. (Within: Holly Grove CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Sean Gomes 020 7525 0666) 46 DATE STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE17 2HQ(Ref: 23/AP/0855) Construction of single storey rear extension (Within: Liverpool Grove CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Michelle Meskell ) THE HOP EXCHANGE 24 SOUTHWARK STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 1TY(Ref: 23/AP/1283) Revised listed building consent for the demolition of rear infill and atrium roof and construction of a new 6-storey rear extension connecting to ta 2 storey roof extension on the western section of the building; a new atrium roof on the eastern section; roof terraces,

SHACKLETON HOUSE 4 BATTLE BRIDGE LANE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 (Ref: 23/AP/1278) Listed Building consent for the infill extension to the ground floor reception with associated internal alterations and internal alterations to the third, fourth and fifth floor office space at Shackleton House, Hay's Galleria, 4 Battlebridge Lane, SE1. (Within: Tooley Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Sandy Ng ) EASTERN EDGE OF CANADA DOCK ADJACENT TO UNITS 1 AND 4 CANADA WATER RETAIL PARK LONDON SOUTHWARK SE16(Ref: 23/AP/0798) Works to improve and enhance the eastern edge of Canada Dock, including the creation of a public pedestrian promenade at ground level and lower level boardwalk with associated amenity space, soft landscaping, tree planting and associated works together with the relocation and refurbishment of the existing fishing pontoon and the creation of a new fishing pontoon. Reason(s) for publicity: MAJ (Contact: Rose Sharkey )

INCREASE THE EXTERNAL HEIGHT OF THE REAR EXTENSION The height of the extension roof would be raised in order to harmonise the development with the neighbouring one-storey extension. This makes the highest point of the roof 580mm higher compared to that which was previously granted; the slope is to remain as per the previous plans. Finally, the highest point of the roof will be 300mm below the upper window's sill, as shown on the submitted revised rear elevation. As a result of increasing the external height, as above, the internal height of the rear extension will also be increased. INCREASE THE HEIGHT OF THE DOORS AND WINDOWS The glazed Crittal doors and windows height would be higher to be commensurate with the new proposal. (Within: Holly Grove CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Sean Gomes 020 7525 0666) 2A MORE LONDON RIVERSIDE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 2DB (Ref: 23/AP/1206) The temporary erection and installation of popup bar and seating area in More London by The Scoop, a stage and screen to be erected within the Scoop itself for daily entertainment. The temporary erection and installation of pop-up bar and seating area on London Bridge City Pier outside of the Cottons Centre including pagodas. The bars will serve a range of hot and cold beverages/food. (Within: Tooley Street Tower Bridge CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Michèle Sterry 020 7525 5453) Dated: 16 May 2023 - comments to be received within 21 days of this date.

STEPHEN PLATTS Director of Planning and Growth

208 PECKHAM RYE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE22 0LU(Ref: 23/AP/1272) The construction of an ancillary garden room to the rear of the garden. The proposed outbuilding will not be a separate, self-contained living accommodation and will not have a microwave antenna. (Within: The Gardens CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Hajnalka Kurti 020 7525 3701) 32 HIGHSHORE ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE15 5AF(Ref: 23/AP/1340) Variation of Condition 1 'Approved Plans' of planning permission ref. no. 21/AP/4752: Basement Extension (as the property footprint) and single storey rear extension on the ground floor with sunken terrace. Variation sought: -

To place a notice, please email em@southwarknews.co.uk Cut off is 2pm every Tuesday for that Thursday’s publication

26 SPORT www.southwarknews.co.uk/sport ExcluSivE

Steve Hiser

By John Kelly johnk@southwarknews.co.uk STeve HISeR was the “father to a thousand sons”.

Through all the reams of tributes to the Fisher ABC coaching legend, who died last week, it would be hard to top that. Or find one more appropriate to describe a man who had such a positive influence on so many lives.

Not just inside the ring but outside it, too, where more often than not the real fights need to be won.

There are few people better placed to describe the “greatness” of Hiser than one of the “disaffected” young men he took under his wing.

Bermondsey’s Trevor Thirlwall, now a coach at the club, knew Hiser for over 40 years.

“What made him so unique as an individual? Without sounding too clichéd, how do you explain greatness?” Thirlwall tells the News.

“He was the father to a thousand sons. He really did take our broken wings and enable us to fly.

“I once chaired a meeting in his presence and I was asked the same sort of question. And I said, well, not only has the man churned out world champions in the last 50 years, he has churned out a number two, a number three, a number four.

“If you think about it, you’re number four on the planet. To take these raw nuggets, broken homes, disaffected young men, and young women, and not just see something in them but allow that person to believe that that gift is inside them and it is achievable.

To churn it out continuously over 50 years, in my opinion it’s not far short of a miracle.”

Two-time British light-middleweight champion Ted Cheeseman has previously said that he believes Hiser saved lives through his work at Fisher.

Cheeseman paid his own tribute this week: “So horrible to have to write this, so many memories made with this man, what a legend he was and how much of [an] influence he was in mine and so many people’s lives.

“You will be forever missed and never forgotten.”

Hiser, who had strong Christian beliefs, instilled real values in his fighters. It didn’t matter who you were, whether a British or European champion, you still had to pay your subs, as Cheeseman has also attested to.

Hiser produced champions such as Cheeseman, Lloyd Honeyghan – who

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

‘He took our brokeN WiNgS aNd eNabled uS to fly’ Steve Hiser, left, in his fighting days

Steve hiser changed the lives of so many – inside and outside the ring

shocked boxing by defeating one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, welterweight title-holder Donald Curry, in 1986 – and Peter McDonagh. The list goes on. The latter said “my heart is broken” after hearing about the death of the man he called “my biggest inspiration in life”.

The influence of Hiser, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2012, went way beyond the ring.

“I was indeed one of those disaffected young people from a challenging home environment, not to be disrespectful to my parents,” Thirlwall said.

“I left home at an extremely young age, when I was no more than a boy myself. Steve Hiser was a father figure to all of us. I’ve known him for over

40 years, I came into his life about 45 years ago.

“He fought valiantly to allow us to believe in ourselves. The real testimony for me is he didn’t just give people the ingredients to be a successful boxer, but also to be successful in life. There are so many people that I know, they are partners in hedge funds, they’re city brokers or successful lawyers. They have successful families, successful homes.

“These are young boys and girls who came from broken homes but because of Steve they have now created a loving environment and a loving home.”

Boxing is the most individual and lonely of sports, a brutal examination of wills, nothing else to rely on in the

ring but your own wits, last man or woman standing.

But Hiser fostered bonds that have lasted for decades after they were formed at Fisher.

“Steve called it ‘Fisher love’. It was tough love, but it was Fisher love,” Thirlwall says. “He taught us all to work together. The ring is the loneliest place in the world, but you’re not going to get there without your club.

You need your club-mates, you need to learn off each other. This bond and brotherhood that he created amongst all of us still lives with all of us today.

We’re all still looking out for each other, even if it’s not financially it’s emotionally.

“His God-given talent was to spot the talent each individual had and

make them believe in themselves. We all come from disaffected homes, we see gang violence in the news today, young disaffected boys and girls getting sucked into the gang culture.

“For someone to come out of that and be given the belief that that’s not the norm and that’s not acceptable, [you need to] stand up straight, you will have your shoulders back, there will be ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ at the end of every sentence.”

Thirlwall will write the eulogy to be read at Hiser’s funeral. It will be a challenge to sum up 50 years, all those broken wings Hiser helped to take flight.

Thirlwall knows simplicity says is best: “He was a phenomenal man and he will be sorely missed.”

By John Kelly

News. “But above all Steve brought respect and pride to generations of boys and young men of Fisher Boxing Club.

“Thank you, Steve. You did us so proud.”

Fisher said in a statement: “Today, we mourn the loss of Steve Hiser BEM, a beloved coach and mentor who dedicated his life to the Fisher. He was a true legend in the world of boxing, and his contributions to the sport will never be forgotten.

“Steve was more than just a coach – he was a friend, a father figure, and a role model to countless young boxers over decades at the club. He was always there to offer guidance and support, both in and out of the ring, and his unwavering dedication to the Fisher was truly inspiring.

“We pray for his wife Sandra, his

daughters and extended family at this difficult time.”

England Boxing tweeted: “England Boxing has been saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Hiser, who served as a dedicated coach at Fisher for more than half a century.

“Sending condolences to Steve's family and friends. May he rest in peace.”

BBC boxing pundit Steve Bunce said: “Ten bells at York Hall for Steve Hiser. And rightly so.”

Hiser’s work in improving the lives of young people was also recognised.

The popular podcast Highfield Boxing said: “Rest in peace to Steve Hiser. Took so many troubled kids and turned them into good men.

“In an era where being a coach is about

the lives and the views, here was a man that saw it as a vocation, as a calling.

“We are losing all the wise heads in our sport.”

There have been countless similar messages across social media.

Sandra and Steve’s two daughters, Natalie and Karen, have received overwhelming support and well-wishes.

“It has been quite a journey over the last few weeks and days,” the family told the News. “We have heard so many stories from people who my dad trained and who he knew through his career and there has been such love for him.

“The love he gave out in the world came back to him in the end and he felt very loved when he died – we are incredibly proud of him.”

Tributes pour in for legend who changed lives

johnk@southwarknews.co.uk foRMeR MP for Bermondsey and old Southwark Simon Hughes led the tributes to Steve Hiser this week, saying the fisher boxing legend “brought respect and pride” to generations of young men.

Hiser’s passing last week has been followed by an outpouring of emotion after he influenced so many lives over 50 years working at the club.

Former professional Hiser started coaching at Fisher in 1973 after joining as a member in 1957.

“Steve’s career brought decades of respect and success to Fisher, Bermondsey and London boxing,” Hughes told the

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Ben Foakes took six catches – a record in a first-class innings for Surrey against their London rivals

www.southwarknews.co.uk/sport

SurrEy hit top Spot Kia Oval side romp to first Championship win against Middlesex since 2012

Surrey 380 & 73/1 beat Middlesex 209 & 240 by nine wickets (Surrey 22pts, Middlesex 3)

By Mark Baldwin sport@southwarknews.co.uk SuRReY’S ReleNTleSS five-pronged pace attack, superbly supported by england Test wicketkeeper Ben foakes, overwhelmed Middlesex as the county champions eased to a nine-wicket victory at the kia oval last weekend.

wicketkeeper in the morning’s eleventh over.

And it was a brilliant diving legside catch by Foakes which ended Simpson’s resistance on 23 after he flicked at a rising ball angled across him by Australian paceman Abbott from around the wicket.

Higgins did his best to counter-attack, twice driving Roach for four between the bowler and mid-off when the West Indies fast bowler slightly overpitched, but an injured Malan – having come in at No.7 with Mark Stoneman as his runner – lasted just ten balls for one before falling to an excellent tumbling catch at point by Patel off Atkinson.

That wicket came from Atkinson’s fourth ball, after he had replaced Abbott at the Vauxhall End, and it maintained the 25-year-old’s significant impact on the game following his first innings three for eighteen and the dismissal of Stoneman on the third afternoon.

Hollman was the next to go, on four, giving a diving Foakes his sixth catch of the innings when the left-hander thick-edged a superb ball from Clark – again from around the wicket angle.

Higgins, on 28, was dropped above his head by Sibley at first slip when he wafted at another sharp, lifting ball from the hostile Atkinson, but Clark then had Roland-Jones caught by Sibley for six.

Bamber unfurled some lovely offside strokes as he hung around gamely with

Higgins but it took Surrey’s bowlers just 2.4 overs after the lunch interval to wrap up Middlesex’s innings.

Higgins top-edged a pull at Clark to Roach on the deep mid-wicket ropes and Murtagh was bowled for a duck as he stepped away to swing optimistically at Abbott.

“We played some really good cricket over the four days and it’s nice to be back at the top of the championship table,” Burns said.

“The way we came back into the match after not getting it quite right on the first morning was very impressive. To knock them over for 209 in their first innings, from where they were, was a truly great effort.

“Our bowlers did a great job in this game, after that first session or so, and Jamie Smith played a superb knock to help us get a sizeable first innings lead.

“Both he and Gus Atkinson, with the ball, showed again what fine young cricketers they are and overall it was an excellent team performance to get the win.”

Smith, top-scorer with 97 in his team’s first innings, added: “We’re very pleased with that win. We had a hard-fought draw at Essex last week and so it’s good to come back and win here.

“We have one more home game now, next week against Kent, before this block of championship matches finish, so we will be looking for another good performance to end this part of the season on a high.”

That match against Kent is from May 18-

their visitors in to bat on a cold, overcast, but mercifully dry day. New overseas player Apoorv Wankhade and James Schofield saw off a hostile spell by the quicker bowlers, adding 44 for the first wicket in twelve overs, before both fell to the spin of opposing skipper Ewan Parker. Schofield was the first to go, having defended resolutely for ten off 30 balls, while Wankhade followed for an impressive 30 off 52. This sparked a collapse as the first six Dulwich wickets went down in fifteen overs for just 45 runs. Ollie Steele, who was out hit wicket off Palmer, and skipper Chris Purshouse both made nine, Ahmed Khan was lbw to Palmer for four, and newcomer Tom

Bishop battled away for 32 balls to make thirteen. Parker finished with 4-46 off his ten overs.

Another newcomer, Kaif Ramzan, thus joined Jon Lodwick with the score on 89-6 in the 28th over, and set about repairing the damage. The pair added 67 in fourteen overs for the sixth wicket before Ramzan fell for 40, off 44 balls. Lodwick’s patient supporting knock ended three overs later, having made 27 off 59 balls. A brief cameo saw debutant Harvey Booth smash nineteen off thirteen balls before the last two wickets fell in successive overs to see Dulwich dismissed for 193 with 2.5 overs of the innings unused.

Early wickets were required if they

were to defend such a total, and these were duly obtained as both openers were caught behind by Steele to give Booth and Ramzan a wicket each on their debuts and reduce their opponents to 19-2 after eight overs.

But this proved to be a false dawn as Sushant Marathe and Brandon McCabe put on 162 in only 27.4 overs for the third wicket to take the score to 181.

Purshouse tried seven bowlers in a bid to break the partnership, but only Lodwick, who conceded just 22 off his nine overs, and Ramzan, who finished with 1-37 off ten, held the batsmen in check.

Marathe led the way, as he has done so often against Dulwich, and looked well on

Big Den crowd see Lionesses bag bag derby bragging rights 21.By John Kelly

johnk@southwarknews.co.uk MIllWAll lIoNeSSeS claimed the local bragging rights after their 2-1 london & South east Regional Women’s football league Premier division win against dulwich Hamlet Women at The den last weekend.

The Lionesses’ goal saw most of the action in the first half, but two saves from stopper Wiktoria Gmiterek and then the woodwork prevented the visitors from taking the lead.

Three minutes after that close call, Millwall took the lead in front of a 600 attendance in South Bermondsey, as Chloe Burr brilliantly found the top corner.

The hosts’ advantage didn’t last long as Luna Alves Etienne levelled just three minutes into the second half.

The Lionesses responded well and pressed for another goal but Angel Reid and Julia Moulton were denied

by Hamlet goalkeeper Saskia ReevesPriestley.

Thirteen minutes from time, the Lionesses did get their second. It came in fortuitous circumstances after the ball deflected in off a visiting player following Burr’s corner.

Millwall player of the year Otesha Charles almost made it three but was denied by Reeves-Priestley.

That was the last real chance of the game, the Hamlet’s last in the league this season.

Jack Wheeler’s Lionesses finish their campaign this Sunday when they host title-chasing Worthing at St Paul’s.

Kick-off is at 3pm.

Photo by llwall FC/Brian Tonks

Foakes took six catches, a record in a first-class innings for Surrey against their London rivals, two of them highclass efforts, while Jordan Clark’s four for 25 headed an irresistible collective performance with the ball that also included day four wickets for Sean Abbott, Kemar Roach and Gus Atkinson.

Dan Worrall, who took five for 48 in Middlesex’s first innings 209, went wicketless second time around.

Only the combative Ryan Higgins, who hit 42 from 71 balls, and tailender Ethan Bamber, with a bright unbeaten 25, offered any fight with the bat as Middlesex slid from their overnight 128 for three to 240 all out.

That left Surrey needing a mere 70 for a third win in five LV= Insurance County Championship matches, the 22-point haul

maintaining their position at the top of Division One and reminding everyone – should any reminder be required – of their determination to defend last summer’s title triumph by taking the crown again.

Rory Burns, Surrey’s captain, could add only fourteen to his first innings 88 before nicking Tim Murtagh to slip but Ryan Patel and Dom Sibley, not out on 37 and 21 respectively, put on an unbroken 56 to ease Surrey to their first Championship win against Middlesex since 2012.

Clark claimed the final-day scalps of Luke Hollman, Middlesex captain Toby RolandJones and all-rounder Higgins, while Abbott sent back John Simpson and last man Murtagh to earn himself three for 31.

Atkinson added the wicket of Pieter Malan to finish with two for 37.

It took Surrey only 21 balls to make an initial breakthrough on day four, with Roach straightening one just enough from around the wicket to the left-handed Max Holden to brush the edge of his defensive bat on its way into the safe gloves of keeper Foakes.

Holden, who had battled hard to keep Surrey’s five-pronged pace attack at bay on the third evening, scored 43 after adding just a single to his overnight score.

Roach tormented Simpson, another left-hander, with his ability to curve the ball away from the line of off-stump and beat him several times, but it was Abbott who claimed the scalp of Middlesex’s

SPORT 27

The Lionesses rounded off their campaign with a win

dulwich cricket defeated but get unexpected bonus point Old Wimbledonians (41) beat Dulwich 193 (47.1) by five wickets

By John Lewis sport@southwarknews.co.uk AfTeR THe previous week’s complete washout, when every match in the division fell victim to the rain, a much-changed dulwich side featuring six newcomers got their season under way in division 1 of the AJ fordham Surrey Championship with a five-wicket defeat at old Wimbledonians last weekend.

The home side won the toss and put

course for a century when he surprisingly hit Wankhade to cover having made 92 off 102 balls. Khan, who had received unaccustomed stick early on, followed up by catching McCabe off his own bowling for 62, off 81 balls. Khan took another wicket in his next over to give Dulwich an unexpected bonus point, but Wimbledonians completed their victory by five wickets with nine overs to spare.

Dulwich take just three points from this match. This weekend, they have a home fixture against Walton on Thames, who were promoted from Division 2 last year.

Dulwich will be looking to put this defeat behind them and get back to winning ways.

28 MILLWALL www.newsatden.co.uk/

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

mitcHell ready to figHt for HiS future

Alex Mitchell was named as St. Johnstone’s Young Player of the Year for 2022-23

Young defender reflects on Scottish loan spell ahead of crucial pre-season at the Den ExcluSivE

By Alex Jones alexj@southwarknews.co.uk WHIle THe rest of Millwall’s firstteam squad have started their summer holidays, Alex Mitchell still has three games left to play.

The centre-back is coming to the end of his loan spell at St Johnstone, who will face Kilmarnock, Ross County and Livingston before the end of the month as they look to secure their place in the Scottish Premiership.

Mitchell’s time in Perth has had its challenges, but overall he sees the positive side of his time away from the Lions.

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Mitchell told the News. “It’s definitely been a challenge, like the year before [at Leyton Orient]. I think I finally understand the ups and downs of being a loan player, the advantages and disadvantages.

“The standard is really good in the Scottish Prem. I go into every game thinking it’s going to be really, really tough, whereas in League Two you probably get some games where you know you’re going to get a result.

“Ross County, who are bottom of the league, beat Dundee last weekend. They absolutely smacked them. It’s a really good league and I feel like I’ve improved a lot, both technically and mentally.”

Of course, improvement is key for Mitchell, especially if he is going to break into Millwall’s Championship squad next

season. The 21-year-old has played for the Lions in the EFL Cup, but he is yet to feature for them in a league game.

That being said, he has played in almost 70 matches across three loan spells and sees a clear improvement in his performances, especially since joining St Johnstone.

“I think I’m relaxing a bit more,” Mitchell said. “That comes as a centre-half. In the last couple of years, I’ve maybe panicked on the ball a little bit. But as you play more games at a higher standard, you realise that you’ve got to stay composed and relaxed.

“I’m not saying that I’ve cracked it at all, I’ve still got a long way to get to the level I want to get to, but I can definitely see improvements.

“I view the game differently as well.

Obviously the Scottish Prem is a lot more tactical than League Two, you’ve got such a difference in the quality of opponents and everyone plays differently.

“The day before a game, you’ve got to tactically know what you’ve got to do. You set up a shape, you set up a system, that’s what I’ve been getting used to. At Millwall, they do that, so that’s what I have to get used to.

“Off the pitch, I was living in a hotel for three or four months and I’ve been living on my own for the rest of the season.

The club has been good as gold, but I’ve obviously had to get used to that.

“I’ve come out growing into a bit more of a man.”

Mitchell’s impressive performances have seen him win the Saints’ Young Player

of the Year award, showing just how important he has been for the club since joining in July 2022. However, he does not see that as his biggest accomplishment, instead highlighting what the players have done collectively.

“To be honest, the Celtic goal was a nice moment,” Mitchell said. “It was great to get my first goal, but the best moment was beating Rangers, I think.

“That was such a good performance from the team, I thought I played well myself, but it was the perfect performance from us as a team after all our hard work.

“To get the Young Player of the Year award, that’s really good, but I prefer the team performances like the Rangers game.

That, for me, was the best moment.

“Even when we went on a bit of a winning streak – or not losing – that was really good.”

The loan spell has not been a total success for Mitchell, however, as his last league start came in a 1-1 draw away at Kilmarnock back in mid-March. He has played just 37 minutes since then – all of which have been off the bench.

The defender is taking it on the chin, knowing that his place in the starting line-up was far from secure despite his impressive performances earlier in the campaign.

“There’s such a high standard in the team, especially in my position,” Mitchell said. “There’s two places and you’ve got Liam Gordon, who’s the captain and has been brilliant this season. You’ve got Ryan McGowan, who’s a joke. You’ve also got

Andy Considine on the other side, who’s played more than 600 games and he’s just like a Rolls Royce.

“There’s such a high standard but you also understand the disadvantages of being a loan player. You understand when you’re not going to play because you’re not going to be there next season. I had that last year at Orient. That happens.

“There’s stuff you can control and stuff you can’t control. I see it as being professional and I’ve learned that, when things aren’t going the way you want them to go, you’ve got to stay professional.”

Another struggle came back in April, when Callum Davidson was sacked as first-team manager of St Johnstone.

Davidson worked as assistant manager to Gary Rowett at Stoke City and Millwall before departing for Scotland in June 2020, working with the Lions to bring in young players on loan in Danny McNamara and Hayden Muller.

His departure was difficult for Mitchell, who admitted that he and his team-mates needed to do more to help him keep his job.

“I found it tough, to be honest,” Mitchell said. “I thought the gaffer was brilliant for me and that I was really learning from him.

I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me.

“I think he’s a really good gaffer and that us as players weren’t performing well enough for him. We looked at ourselves as a team because it’s not a great feeling when a manager gets sacked.

“It was weird, but that’s football. Macca

[Steven MacLean] was assistant manager, he’s now the first-team manager. He’s been brilliant with me.

“He’s been telling me that I’ve not been playing but I understand the reasons.”

After missing out on a place in the playoffs, this is an important summer for Millwall, but especially for Mitchell.

Having played for Bromley and Leyton Orient before joining St Johnstone, he has perhaps come to the end of his experience out on loan. His task is to make an impact in pre-season in order to remain at Millwall next season, but he knows that he may have to move on if things do not go to plan.

“I’ve only got one more year on my contract, so this is the make-or-break year for me now,” Mitchell said. “I’ve done all the things that the gaffer has wanted me to and I’ve done it well. I want to crack the first team and play in the first team. I’ve seen how Danny and Billy [Mitchell] have done it, even Romain [Esse]. They got in the team and managed to stay there.

“I’m aware that, if I don’t have a good pre-season and don’t match the standards, then I’m out. I’m aware of that because it’s a ruthless environment, football, and clubs can just bring in someone better.

“I’ve got to be on my A-game in preseason, but I know that. The last two or three seasons have all built up to this preseason, so hopefully I can show what I’ve done.

“That’s football, it’s a performancedriven business. I’m completely aware of the situation and I think it’s quite an obvious one, to be fair.”

Southwark News, Thursday May 18 2023

Lions down Tigers to set up silverware showdown Under 21s to face Blades test after winning at the Den Millwall under21s lifted the Professional Development League South title on Monday afternoon

By Alex Jones

sport@southwarknews.co.uk MILLWALL UNDER-21S will face fellow champions Sheffield United in the Professional Development League play-off final this weekend after defeating Hull City at The Den on Monday afternoon.

Frankie Baker scored the winner in extratime after Romain Esse had equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage-time in a 4-3 thriller in which the Lions had been 3-1 down in the second half.

Millwall had won the southern section of the division, while the Blades strolled to the title in the northern section and beat Bristol City 4-0 in their semi-final.

Kevin Nugent’s men did struggle in the first half of their match against the Tigers, however, although they were unfortunate to not be ahead after Aidomo

MILLWALL 29opted against awarding a penalty Hallam

www.newsatden.co.uk Emakhu volleyed Sashiel Adom-Malaki’s

long throw-in past the post, giving their opponents an early warning sign.

However, it was Millwall who fell behind after just eight minutes as rightback George Walker was caught high up the pitch. It allowed Tim Simms to fire a dangerous ball into the box which the hosts failed to clear before Harry Wood slotted the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box.

Emakhu set out to get his side back into the game minutes later, firing narrowly wide of the post before the visitors doubled their lead. A quick counter saw Raj Palit left unmarked just outside the area and the winger curled a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

The momentum of the game dipped as Millwall looked to respond. A controversial offside call shut down a counter-attack from Tom Leahy before referee Farai

after Emakhu appeared to be brought down in the box.

Frustrations were growing on the pitch and in the crowd, but Millwall found a way back into the game in first-half stoppagetime when Emakhu was played clean through on goal. Goalkeeper Harry Fisk was able to save his initial effort, but Nana Boateng rushed in to force the rebound over the line with a header.

While the goal should have given them confidence in the second half, the home side found themselves 3-1 down as Will Jarvis was given time and space to run between Walker and Kyle Smith before he fired a powerful effort into the back of the net from close range. Millwall had to work hard to prevent Hull from scoring again seconds later, clearing the ball off the line at the last minute.

The Tigers were clearly on top, as Simms

forced Joe Wright into an acrobatic save before Leahy and Esse missed the chance to connect with a dangerous ball into the box down the other end. It prompted Nugent to bring top-scorer Abdul Abdulmalik off the bench and switch to a 4-3-3 formation.

It was clear that the change started to improve the momentum, but Emakhu, Esse and Leahy were unable to take advantage of good opportunities.

However, the Lions’ pressure paid off with just over fifteen minutes to play.

Emakhu was brought down inside the box by captain Jake Leake, and the January signing calmly slotted his penalty into the bottom-left corner to cut Hull’s lead to a single goal.

Pressure built up, with Abdulmalik’s long-range effort fizzing into the net before the flag was raised for offside. Although the visitors pulled everyone back, they could not prevent Esse from firing a rebounded

effort past Fisk to make it 3-3.

It set up a grandstand finale in SE16, with Abdulmalik hitting the site-netting just seconds into extra-time.

Millwall took control, and they managed to find their winner in the 101st minute. A long throw-in found Alfie Allen in the box, but his powerful effort was blocked. The ball bounced towards substitute Baker, however, and he volleyed a stunning effort into the top corner to send the Lions to the play-off final.

Millwall: 4-4-2: Wright; Walker (Stephenson 73’), Smith, Okoli, AdomMalaki; Esse, Allen, Lawson (Abdulmalik 61’), Boateng; Emakhu (Baker 76’), Leahy Hull: 4-4-1-1: Fisk; Nixon (Weston 102’), Leckie, Taylor, Leake; Palit, Green (Tinsdale 97’), Jones (Mills 102’), Jarvis; Wood; Simms (Johnson 84’)

Rom receives another Championship challenge

Millwall youngster tasked with going from under-21s to first-team lineup EXCLUSIVE

By Alex Jones

sport@southwarknews.co.uk ROMAIN ESSE has been challenged to become a regular starter in Millwall’s Championship squad by under21s boss Kevin Nugent.

The eighteen-year-old was called up by first-team boss Gary Rowett on Boxing Day, coming off the bench in the Lions’ 2-0 win away at Watford.

Since then, he has been a regular on the bench, playing twelve games and winning the Young Player of the Year award for 2022-23.

He is yet to make his first start in the Championship but supporters have been desperate to see him included, with his energy and creativity a major asset in the latter stages of games towards the end of the season.

While a loan move was not ruled out earlier in the campaign, Rowett has been keen to keep the attacker at The Den and has admitted that the next step for him will be to challenge for a spot in the starting lineup, something which Nugent agrees with.

“He’s still scholar age but he’s come in and played Championship football,” he told the News after Monday’s win against Hull City. “It’s fantastic.

“He’ll continue to keep improving, and obviously everyone is really pleased with how he’s progressed.

He’s going to have an exciting career in front of him, but the next step for him is to become a regular starter in the first team.

“The pathway isn’t always straight forward. If you look at Danny McNamara and Billy Mitchell’s pathway, it’s been very different.

Danny had about four loans before he got an opportunity where Billy didn’t go on loan. It’s quite interesting.

“Players now, their maturity is different than what it would’ve been years ago. Sometimes it takes them a

little bit longer to get the right loan or whatever it is to get them in the first team.

“Sometimes success for us is strange to describe. If we send a player on loan and it doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean it’s not successful. As long as they’ve learnt from being out on loan, they come back and be better players and better people for it, that’s successful for us as well.

“If you’re the manager of any Championship football club, your team selection is key. You’re under pressure when you’re in that technical area, so you want players that can win you games. He’s one of those.”

Romain Esse has played twelve Championship games off the bench for Millwall

INSIDE

Sport Southwark

SURREY HIT TOP SPOT

page 25 Kevin Nugent has guided his side to an unbeaten home record in the league

millwall set to make contract decisions

By Alex Jones alexj@southwarknews.co.uk MIllWAll ARe expected to release their retained list imminently, with decisions set to be made on their out-ofcontract players.

Nuge HailS youNg lioNS’ big figHt

Under-21s come from two goals down to reach play-off final ExcluSivE

By Alex Jones alexj@southwarknews.co.uk kevIN NuGeNT highlighted the mentality of Millwall under-21s after they came from 3-1 down to beat Hull City 4-3 after extra-time in their Professional development league semi-final at The den on Monday.

The Lions were behind after two early goals, and while they struck back just before half-time, a third goal for the visitors set up a seemingly impossible challenge.

However, Aidomo Emakhu’s penalty and a 95th-minute equaliser from Romain Esse sent the tie into extra-time,

when substitute Frankie Baker volleyed a powerful strike into the top corner to clinch a place in the final.

While his side put in a poor performance in the first half, Nugent was delighted that they continued to fight back after the break, showcasing a never-say-die attitude to win the game.

“One of the big successes this season is probably seeing all the players mature,” Nugent told the News. “Some of them have come in as scholars, as first-year pros, but you can see them maturing, listening, learning and making their own decisions as well.

“Even at half-time today – it’s one of the first times I’ve ever seen it in under-21s football – they didn’t have a big argument but they were debating things with each other during the break.

“It was really nice to see because they were angry that they weren’t playing as well as they wanted to be. That’s the maturity that I’ve seen.

“You’ll see a lot of coaches that say they don’t see it anymore, but [Monday] we’ve certainly seen a real fire in their bellies. They didn’t criticise each other but they made sure that everyone was up for the second half.”

Millwall will face Sheffield United in the final, after the Blades won the northern section of the division by eighteen points before thrashing Bristol City 4-0 in their play-off semi-final tie on Monday afternoon.

Nugent knows that his side will be in for a tough test as the two best teams in the Professional Development League clash, but he is keen to stress that he

is proud of his side for what they have achieved this season regardless of whether or not they win in the final.

“Sheffield United have run away with their league as well, so they’re a very good side,” Nugent said.

“In their team against Bristol City, they picked quite a few lads that they’ve brought back from loan at good clubs, so that’ll be a really tough game.

“We obviously go in to win it, but my main thing really was that we won the southern section of the league and that we did ourselves justice [Monday].

“I didn’t think we really did that in the first half, but in the second half and overall, we managed to do ourselves justice. That’ll be the same again next week. Go out there and embrace another challenge.”

The Lions have three members of their squad who are able to leave for free at the end of June, with Ryan Leonard, Mason Bennett and Scott Malone all coming to the end of their current deals.

Leonard and Bennett have both struggled with injuries this season, but their impact since moving to The Den cannot be argued, playing more than 200 games between them since joining the club in 2018 and 2020 respectively. Malone has also been a regular in recent years, but the 32-year-old has fallen out of favour since Gary Rowett switched from a back five to a 4-23-1 formation.

The manager will meet with key figures at the club to decide who will be offered a new contract and who will be released, while Jamie Shackleton and Callum Styles could return to The Den on a permanent basis this summer if Millwall decide to trigger the clauses in their loan deals.

Furthermore, Kevin Nugent revealed to the News that ‘big decisions’ will need to be made in regards to Millwall’s under-21 squad once they have played their Professional Development League play-off final against Sheffield United.

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