Mixed Signals

Some TV viewers may notice problems starting on Monday, 15 April.

As part of the rollout of the next generation of mobile telephone services (known as 4G), engineers will be running tests in South East London to see what impact the use of certain frequencies will have on Freeview TV reception.

If you live in the south east London area and notice problems with your Freeview service from Monday, 15 April, please contact the company responsible for running the tests, at800, by calling 0333 31 31 800. You will be asked for your postcode, the type of interference and the time it occurred. at800 has a team of professional aerial installers and testing units in the area that will respond to calls from viewers, visit addresses reporting problems and restore Freeview as soon as possible. It is possible that you may need an at800 filter - a small device, smaller than a pack of cards, which when installed correctly will block 4G frequencies at 800 MHz, enabling viewers to receive and watch Freeview as normal.

at800 has contacted approximately 170,000 household and business addresses in parts of Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark and Tower Hamlets. If you’ve not been contacted directly through the post any interference to your Freeview service is unlikely to be due to the 4G test, but contact them to be sure. Freeview is the television that viewers can receive through their aerial; TVs connected to a cable or satellite service will not be affected.

The purpose of the tests is to ensure that viewers continue to receive Freeview when 4G mobile services at 800 MHz are launched later this year. Further details can be found on the at800 website.

On the Hoof - Coffee Station - Champagne Reception

Celebrate On the Hoof’s launch of its brilliantly local cups at a champagne reception and learn from local expert.

Did you know over 5-million people travel through Forest Hill and Sydenham stations each year? Or that Rolf Harris and Bill Wyman once lived in SE26? We learned these fun snippets from On the Hoof’s new takeaway cups, which are packed with local facts and insights.

On the Hoof’s owner Ela Mundy reasons the redesign makes sense all round, “Our cups are a new and different concept as they literally talk about the local area. Each cup is full of facts about Forest Hill, Sydenham, Crystal Palace and Catford. On the Hoof’s sense of belonging means we are advertising our areas on our cups. People make a point of telling us the cups are great and have inspired them to look into local history, or that they had no idea certain events took place where they live. We also wanted our cups to be interesting — it’s slightly boring to look at a big logo on the train when you have nothing to read!”

Sydenham resident Ela has built a loyal customer base at each of her superior coffee kiosks and was the first company to bring freshly ground coffee and expert barista skills to Forest Hill in 2001. Since then, On the Hoof has grown to provide a second kiosk at Forest Hiill and further kiosks at Sydenham and Shortlands. Gourmet sandwiches are made daily on site and patisserie is delivered from local artisan bakers. Even the tea is sourced from Imporient, a specialist tea merchant based in Sydenham. All of Ela’s eight staff are local residents who are trained to provide a personal service to customers, even coming to know regulars by name and coffee preference!

Ela herself says, “I’ve always listened to my customers and found myself building relationships with them very quickly. People were encouraging from the moment I opened and have always provided helpful feedback on what they’d like to see improved or added. I feel that the new cups reflect this passion for everything that is great in Forest Hill and Sydenham — in the areas’ past and future.”

As a special treat, Ela has invited renowned local historian Steve Grindlay to give a fun talk entitled, ‘Going Shopping –The History and Secrets of Sydenham and Forest Hill Shops’ at a champagne launch to which you’re invited. Come and admire the new logo Ela’s commissioned by Lee Newham, Creative Director at Designed By Good People (yes, another local resident), which is fittingly based on Sydenham station’s vintage railway sign.

Imminent champagne reception at Jill Community Hub, 27 Sydenham Road, Sydenham SE26 5EX on Thursday 18th April 2013 at 7.00pm. First fill your glass with champers and then stuff your mind with interesting facts: local historian Steve Grindlay will be giving his talk, Going Shopping –The History and Secrets of Sydenham and Forest Hill Shops.
RSVP by Thursday 11th April to onthehoofcoffee@aol.com or via Twitter @onthehoofcoffee.

Call for Volunteers

If you would like to lend a hand on Saturday afternoon at Forest Hill station (13th April at 2.00pm) we need people who can push seeds into the platform planters, the street tubs and help with some planting under the trees.  There's a free cup of tea/coffee at the Question Bar afterwards.

You could also make a note that our Edible High Road project (part of the Chelsea Fringe) also needs help with potting up fruit trees and prettifying their containers on 27th April (10am Devonshire Road Nature Reserve).
On EHR Launch Day (Saturday, 18th May). Anyone with sufficient strength would be welcome to help transfer the potted up trees onto a truck at Devonshire Road Nature Reserve (also 10am) and/or off load them at FH station and then help to deliver to the various participating shops.

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.

Museum of the Year 2013 (final 10)

We are very pleased that the Horniman Museum has been selected as a finalist for Museum of the Year 2013 by the Art Fund Prize jury. Apparently there was an unprecedented number of entries this year so we are absolutely delighted that the Horniman has made the shortlist of 10 which also includes Dulwich Picture Gallery and a few other museums from beyond South London.

The Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year celebrates museums and galleries across the UK - annually awarding one outstanding winner £100,000.

Each year the Art Fund celebrate the very best UK museums and galleries, rewarding and highlighting their innovation and creativity in bringing objects and collections to life.

April Food Fair - Sunday 7th April - 11am-3pm

With some great new traders alongside some familiar faces.

Weave some magic

Stella Harding will be running a two day basket making course at the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April. The cost is £90, which includes materials, tuition and lunch on both days. Places are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. Please contact jake.twyf@gmail.com for further details or to reserve your place.

The Edible High Road

This summer Perry Vale, London Road and Dartmouth Road will be transformed into an Urban Orchard and community garden and we’re inviting all traders to take part!

More and more people in Forest Hill are enjoying growing their own fruit, herbs and vegetables.  This area has allotments and community orchards and gardens; it’s a true food growing hub. In honour of all this fruitiness, the Forest Hill Society, in partnership with Shannon's Garden Centre and Lewisham Gardens, will be hosting The Edible High Road.

This event will be part of the Chelsea Fringe, a massive, London-wide flower and gardening festival which takes place from Saturday 18 May to Sunday 9 June 2013. One of last year's most successful events was the Chiswick Edible High Road, organised by Abundance London. This year, several more high streets have taken up the challenge and over twenty Forest Hill shops and businesses along Perry Vale, London Road and Dartmouth Road have already decided to join in and host a blossoming fruit tree or two.

Each business will receive a fruit tree in an attractive container to display outside their premises for the three-weeks of The Edible High Road. The pot will also be planted with sweet-scented herbs like parsley, coriander and basil. Each tree will be fixed with a tag with its variety and basic care instructions. After the Festival the fruit trees can be donated to local schools and the Albion Millennium Green community orchard, or shops are welcome to keep their beautiful fruit tree.

We are also planning a series of events for the three weeks, so if you're keen to get involved, then drop an email to volunteers@foresthillsociety.com.

New Shops coming to Perry Vale

Since City Walk, the Berkeley Homes development by Forest Hill station, was completed a few years ago the shops beneath have remained stubbornly empty despite their prime location.

A licensing application has now appeared on one of the units for the sale of alcohol as part of, what we understand will be, a general grocery shop (not a mini-version of one of the big four supermarkets). Discussions are also well advanced on the other unit which is likely to become a restaurant.

These shops are in a key location in the town centre and we welcome new businesses opening up in this location.

Devonshire Road Nature Reserve AGM

If you would you like to know more about the Devonshire Road Nature Reserve go along to the Friends' Annual General Meeting on the 31st March at 1:30pm at Devonshire Road Nature Reserve, 170 Devonshire Rd, SE23 3SZ.
During the meeting they’ll be electing their Executive Committee for the coming year.
If you have any questions or would like to know more please drop an e-mail to infodevonshireroad@gmail.com or visit their website at www.devonshireroadnaturereserve.org