The Streets are Filled with Art

Forest Hill and surrounding areas have seen a growth in the use of public art to better address the needs of 'dressing the street'. These works do more than brighten up a drab area, they also play a role in our sense of collective purpose. But what constitutes public art and how is the commissioning process able to support community goals?

With momentum building behind interest in these questions, the time is right to capitalise on the trend. The “Lewisham School of Muralism” is a proposal by Artmongers. A Spacehive crowdfunding-campaign has been launched to fund this initiative to teach participants the process of creating murals.

To find out more or to donate, visit www.spacehive.com/lewisham-school-of-muralism

See It, Report It!

As part of our drive to improve the area, we encourage our members to report any fly tipping, graffiti or other problem to Love Lewisham (see a poignant example illustrated below). You can report anything from a faulty street light to a dead animal and the sooner it is reported, the sooner it will be removed - don't walk past it.

Reporting is simple and can be done in several ways.

• If you have a smartphone and dataplan, download a free application for your phone. You can then take a photo of the problem and send it to LoveLewisham.org. The app automatically logs the location and a picture ensures that the correct team is dispatched to clean up the area, saving time and money.
• Use the LoveLewisham.org website. Simply create an account or sign in with your Twitter, Facebook, AOL, Google, Yahoo or Windows Live ID (among others). Your password is secure and it is never sent to LoveLewisham. Once signed in, select the location on a map (or type it in), add a picture (if you have one), give them a few details (such as a description) and click the Add button.
• By TEXT message or MMS. Just send a text or MMS message to 07725 20 20 20 with LCS in the Subject field or as the first part of the message. Include a picture if you can and give a description of the problem and the location. LoveLewisham will get back to you if they need more information.
• Click on the 'Do It Online' tab, then 'Report It' on the Lewisham.gov.uk website complete the form.
• Phone Envirocall on 020 8314 7171 and speak to a human.

Whilst it can sometimes take a couple of reports to resolve the problem, the Society has reported over 20 problems, which have all been resolved.

Railway Bridge at Forest Hill Station

It is a pleasure to see the the railway bridge has finally been fixed to remove the boards with graffiti that were falling apart. This is yet another significant improvement to the environment of the railway station.

Let's hope that we don't see graffiti returning to the bridge.