Give Us back Our Walrus!

In May this year the Horniman Walrus went to Margate to take part in an exhibition at the Turner Contemporary Museum. His departure has left a large gap in the museum, and in our hearts.

He is sending regular postcards to the museum and children visiting the Horniman are encouraged to send him postcards (they were cutting edge technology when he was born in the 19th century). However, he's no Luddite, so you can also follow @HornimanWalrus on Twitter.

Despite assurances that he will return in September, the Forest Hill Society is considering what action to take to help this poor peripatetic pinniped. Even after watching 70s comedy One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, the executive has not ruled out rescue attempts of the one ton animal.

But we all need a trip to the seaside occasionally and he has been stuffed in the museum for more than 100 years, so he is probably due a holiday.

A Colourful High Street

Last year the Forest Hill Society was awarded funding from the Forest Hill Ward Assembly to improve the look of some of the empty shops on the high street. It took us a while to find the right way to do this as empty shops inconveniently started opening as successful businesses up and down the high street.

But the first makeover has now been completed and what was a boarded up and burnt out bakery now has a picture of a friendly Walrus and some Papilio hornimani or 'Horniman Butterflies'.

 

We want the high street to be a fun place to be with surprises on every corner.We also want to bring a taste of the Horniman to the high street. We are currently looking for further empty shop fronts for more Horniman imagery to brighten up the high street. But more than anything else, we would love somebody to take on this unit, which needs a lot of work to bring it back into use as a retail unit.