Wishing you a happy 2013

2012 has been a fantastic year for Forest Hill and we hope that 2013 will continue to see the positive development we saw in 2012.

This year saw the reopening of the swimming pool, the completion of the Horniman Gardens redevelopment including their new education centre, a monthly food fair at Forest Hill station, and many new shops up and down the high streets.

The Forest Hill Society were able to play our part in the changes that took place in Forest Hill this year in a number of ways:

• With local assembly funding we were able to arrange the installation of swings and table tennis in the Horniman Triangle
• We have set up a monthly food fair, bringing people into the town centre
• Our market stall holders have begun to set up a permanent presence in Forest Hill, with Aga opening a deli, and we hope Ruth and Nathan will continue the success of the pop-up butchery into 2013
• We were instrumental in the successful bid for Portas Funding which will continue to build on the progress made in 2012, with more pop-up shops, more markets, and a town centre hub
• We helped Dacres Wood gain a Friends group, with some great plans to improve this unique habitat in Forest Hill 
• We were also able to help local businesses re-launch the Traders Association, and it has been great to see them working together to improve the attraction of the town centre
• Finally, with the support of the local assembly funding, we have been able to brighten up the town centre and stations in Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park 

What's going to happen in 2013?
It is always difficult to predict the future but we can be sure of a few things;
On transport - Honor Oak Park station will have step free access (at least to the platforms - the gap between the platform and the train is another matter), and the subway in Forest Hill will be refurbished making the crossing of the railway a more pleasant affair.
We will continue to run monthly food fair (though not in January), with the SEE3 team running complimentary markets to make Forest Hill even more of a destination.
The success of new businesses, and the continued availability of empty units, should attract more new businesses to Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park. We know of a number of businesses currently looking for the right location in Forest Hill for their business, and the Forest Hill Society and SEE3 team are giving them every encouragement.

So we wish everybody in Forest Hill a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.