People's Question Time, 7th March in Catford

People’s Question Time is a twice yearly event where members of the public can see the Mayor and London Assembly in person and ask questions on topics currently being discussed here on Talk London and more.

March's People's Question Time will take place at the Broadway Theatre, Catford and topics to be discussed will include growing London's economy, transport and environment, housing and policing and community safety.

You can apply for free tickets at the following link.

More details from http://talklondon.london.gov.uk/events/peoples-question-time-lewisham-7-march
Apply for tickets at http://talklondon.london.gov.uk/forms/thank-you?event=265

Planning Application: 14 Waldram Park Road

The Forest Hill Society has written in support of the latest application for 14 Waldram Park Road.


This site has seen a number of applications which were unsuitable for the location, and which were rightly rejected by the council planning committees. We believe that this application, unlike the ones previously, is appropriate to the character of the area and to the neighbouring houses. The inclusion of family units and a reasonable amount of garden space are to be welcomed, and the general design and layout would appear acceptable.

We would like to thank the architects for engaging with the Forest Hill Society to understand our concerns and find ways to address them in an appropriate manner.

The plans can be viewed on the council website.

Forest Hill Fashion Week 15-19 February

Explore pop-up boutiques, learn how to upcycle your faded favourites, watch catwalk shows and enjoy fabulously fashionable parties in some of Forest Hill’s best bars and restaurants.

There’s plenty to see, make, buy and get involved with – including dress-up fashion shows for children, and a chance to master the art of creating unique hand-made accessories on a budget.

Events start on Friday, 15th February at the pop-up SEE BOUTIQUE at 10a Dartmouth Road

View all the events at www.see3.co.uk/fhfwevents

Forest Hill Assembly - Wednesday 6th February 2013

There is a Forest Hill Assembly next Wednesday from 7.30pm at Honor Oak Christian Fellowship, 39 Honor Oak Road, SE23 3SH.

At this Assembly we will have in attendance Chief Inspector Stuart Bell who is in charge of Neighbourhood Policing in Lewisham, he will be able to tell you about the future of Sydenham Police Station, update you on important changes to neighbourhood policing and of course talk about any policing issues that you may have.

We will also have the latest news concerning Lewisham Hospital, an update from SEE3 regarding the Portas Pilot, information about the Council's budget cuts and parking.

 

The Forest Hill Assembly is organised by Lewisham council for the Forest Hill ward (west of the railway, between Kirkdale and Honor Oak Park)

Forest Hill Food Fair - Sunday 3rd February

At the station car park from 11am

Wanted! Creative Writers

South London & Maudsley, Ladywell Unit are looking for volunteers to join their flourishing creative writing project.

Their groups seek to improve the well-being of patients during their admission. Working on acute mental health and alzheimer wards, they seek to provide an environment where creativity is used as a form of self-expression. If you have some experience in music, arts and craft, dance or working with Alzheimer sufferers they would also like to hear from you.

You will be involved in enabling small groups on an adult acute mental health ward

• To access poetry/literature as part of promoting well-being and recovery.
• To maintain accurate records of sessions.
• To prepare and deliver small group poetry/literature sessions
• To work within a team of volunteers to give support.
• To occassionally assist in accompanying small groups to off-site activities

If you are interested in getting involved, please email fay@volunteercentrelewisham.org.uk for further details. The deadline for applications is Friday, 1 March 2013.

March with us to Save Lewisham Hospital

Act Now!

Defend yourselves from having one A&E between 750,000 residents.

As you hopefully know, various services at Lewisham Hospital are under threat due to the recommendations of Matthew Kershaw, the TSA appointed to review the South London Health Trust. The South London Health Trust was created in 2009 to try and solve the problems of the Princess Royal in Orpington, Queen Mary's in Sidcup and the Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich which were losing money. The trust has since accrued debts of more than £150M. The TSA has made a series of recommendations to the Secretary of State for Health on how he would deliver access to safe, high quality, affordable health services and a long-term sustainable health economy for the people of south east London. These incluse closing parts of Lewisham Hospital, selling off land and expecting us to go to King's College Hospital in Camberwell or Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich.  We, and many physicians, disagree with his conclusions.

Save Lewisham Hospital is a community campaign fighting against the proposed closure of Lewisham Hospital including its new A&E department, Intensive Care, maternity and children's services. We will be joining them in a demonstration on Saturday 26th January to show Jeremy Hunt that the people of Lewisham are determined to SAVE LEWISHAM HOSPITAL! Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, will make his decision at the start of February.

If you would like to join us, please either meet us at The Capitol (JW Wetherspoon's) on London Road at 10:45am or at Catford Bridge station, where we will be catching the 11:38am Southeastern train service towards Lewisham and London Cannon Street Rail Station. The march will start at Lewisham Roundabout (by the station) at 12 noon on Saturday 26th January and march past the hospital to Mountsfield Park for a rally, music and giant petition (about two miles). If you are planning to travel to the march independently, there are four buses from Forest Hill to Lewisham; routes 122, 185, 75 and P4. However, based on experience from the previous demonstaration, we would recommend either walking from Catford or catching a train to Lewisham as traffic in Lewisham was severly delayed.

Over 10,000 people marched through Lewisham on 24th November 2012 – young, elderly, families and people from every background, so we have allowed for delays in getting to the march. We need a huge turnout, so encourage everyone you know to come and march with us on Saturday 26th January. We will be easy to spot - we will have placards and hi-vis jackets on.

The Big Sunday Sing

The Big Sunday Sing is taking place on Sun 17th Feb 2013, 10.30am - 5.30pm at Forest Hill Pools.

The workshop is being organised by Sydenham Singers, a community choir in association with the charity Sydenham Garden, and part-funded by Sing Out (Lewisham Arts). The aim is to have a joyful day of singing in harmony in a big group with an informal performance of what we've learnt at the end.

The charge is £10 full / £6 conc / £5 under18s for the whole day, and it's £2.50 for members of the public to attend the concert which will be from 5-5.30pm and is fundraising for Sydenham Singers. I'm leading the workshop (I also lead Sydenham Singers choir sessions), everything will be taught by ear and there's no need for any experience. All welcome from 12+. (12-16s must be accompanied by an adult).

Booking is essential - Contact Lynn Barclay: 0208 659 1227

Lewisham PCT - Patient Event

Lewisham PCT contacted us to inform us that they are planning a patient event at the Civic Suite on the afternoon of Thursday 31st January 2013.  Lunch from 1 o’clock, with a 1:30pm start.

Last summer they ran a survey with patients across Lewisham and were impressed by the feedback. The information was used to feed into their plans for 2013 – 2015

The afternoon will

• Feedback what was heard from patients
• Share how Lewisham PCT used the information and fed them into plans
• Share the plans they have developed
• Hear patients views and opinions on them plans
• Give opportunity for people to make suggestions
• Discuss the role of the patient in our local health service.

They would like it to be as reflective of the population as possible. If you are interested please contact Grainne Bellenie at gbellenie@nhs.net. There is a limit of 60 places for this event.

Events update - January 2013

Society Events

This month's events include our traditional Burns Night celebration. This year it will take place on Friday, 25 January at Canvas and Cream (18 London Road, SE23 3HF). For £19.99 you will get a three course meal of Cock-a-leekie Soup, Haggis wi' bashit neeps an' champit tatties, Typsy Laird (a Scottish whisky trifle) and a wee dram to toast the haggis. (A vegetarian option is also available). Ceremonies will begin at 7:30pm, so turn up at 7pm for a pre dinner drink. Please book directly with Canvas & Cream at the restaurant or on 020 8699 9589. As well as food, there will also be a selection of music and poetry from the bard; bring along something to share if you would like to join in.
The Food Fair will return on Sunday, 3 February. We have decided to change our operating hours - we will now run from 11am to 3pm, which will hopefully catch the Sunday footfall in the town centre better.

In Other News...

The Butchery Limited, one of our stallholders from the Food Fair and a SEE3 PopUp, have signed a lease for 49 London Road. They are busy installing permanent refrigeration and hope to open the doors once more in early to mid February. We are delighted that another of our stallholders is moving into permanent premises and wish them well in this venture. Some people have asked why a local family was not given the chance to try the shop as a PopUp. Although Ruth and Nathan have an outlet in Bermondsey, they live in the heart of Forest Hill, so we couldn't get more local.
The TSA for the South London Health Trust, Matthew Kershaw, presented his final report to the Secretary of State for Health on January 6. The Secretary of State now has 20 working days to review it and make a decision on the future of the NHS in south east London by 4 February 2013. The final report makes the same recommendations as the draft report. ie that the A&E and Maternity units at Lewisham Hospital are closed and that we all use King's College Hospital or Queen Mary Hospital in Woolwich instead. These plans could have serious impacts on health provision in South East London and, once implemented, cannot be undone as they are planning to sell off 60% of the land. If you haven't already done so, please sign the petition against the closure of Lewisham's A&E and Maternity unit. There is going to be a march from the roundabout outside Lewisham Station to Mountfield Park on Saturday, 26 January from noon to 4pm. Watch our website for details of where to meet if you would like to join us - we will probably meet in Forest Hill first.
The Metropolitan Police have announced plans to close Sydenham police station, along with many others across London and reduce the number of police stations operating 24 hours to one per borough (in our case, Lewisham police station). The police station in East Dulwich is also earmarked for closure. There will be a Borough public consultation event on Monday, 28th January at 6pm in Lewisham town hall (opposite the Library in Catford). If you would like to attend you must register first. The full draft MOPAC Police and Crime Plan can be found on the GLA website and there is a questionnaire for your feedback.

Local Events

We try to publicise all local events on our calendar, but this is very dependant on the amount of free time we have. Apologies to any we have missed
If you are self employed and looking for a little support, then head down to the Dolphin (121 Sydenham Road, SE26 5HB) on Thursday, 24 January for 1:15pm where a new group is getting started. The Self Employed Self Help (SESH) group’s Inaugral meeting will decide how often they should meet and discuss the support needed by its members. Go along and have your say at this free event which will run from 1:15pm to 3:15pm. Simply buy your own drink and show your appreciation by donating to the collection for Sydenham Community Radio. For further information email Anna Baghari at annabaghari@ntlworld.com.
The Devonshire Road Nature Reserve (170 Devonshire Road, SE23 3SZ) will be open as usual on the last Sunday of the month (Sunday, 27 January) from 2pm. Jacob Twyford is a vital member of our Executive and the Friends of Devonshire Road Nature Reserve. If you want to show your appreciation for all that he does, catch his band (Jonah's Raft) at HopScotch (72 Honor Oak Park, SE23 1DY) on Friday, 1 February.
After last year's sell-out production of 'Cinderella', Pirate Pantomimes return to St Augustine's (One Tree Hill, Honor Oak Park, SE23 3LE) with 'Dick Whittington' starring Gabrielle Bradshaw, Lisa Thorner and friends. There will be three performances, guaranteed to be extremely popular, on Saturday 9th February at 3pm and 7pm and Sunday 10th February at 3pm. Book your tickets now and arrive early to get a good seat. (Please try and arrive 15 minutes before curtain up). Adults are £10, Concessions and children aged 5 to 18 £7.50, children of 4 yrs and under free. Seats unreserved. If you don't manage to get your tickets in advance, queue at the door and they will try and fit you in, but ticket holders will be admitted first.
The Friends of Albion Millenium Green will be holding their second AGM on Saturday 23rd February, at Forest Hill Pools Community Room from 11am-1pm. There will be elections for the positions of Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, and ordinary committee members. If you would like to join their committee, please email tim@lund.co.uk

Looking Forwards...

2013 is going to be a worrying year for many people as the budgetary cuts start to take effect. We will do our best to keep you informed about local issues, but need more people to get involved to spread the word. I'm always looking for people to help run the Society, coordinate publicity and help organise events. If you would like to help in any way, please write to volunteers@foresthillsociety.com. I know I keep saying this, but we really could do with more volunteers and helpers. Bring your family along for a fun day out at one of our events, or spend ten minutes on your way home, helping out with the planting at the stations. If you don't know how you could help, call me and we'll sort something out. Every little helps.
Thank you to all those who volunteered and helped make 2012 so successful. I look forwards to meeting many more in 2013. If you would like to receive these eNews updates in your inbox, then please signn up now.