Ward Assemblies

This month ward assemblies will be voting on how to spend money in the local community. Competition this year has been greater than normal, so your vote counts for the projects that you would like to see in the local area.

Forest Hill Ward AssemblySaturday, 15th October, 2pm
Venue: Forest Hill Pools

Crofton Park Ward AssemblyTuesday, 18th October, 7pm
Beecroft Garden School, Beecroft Road, SE4 2BS

Perry Vale Ward AssemblyWednesday, 19th October, 7pm
Venue: TBC

Library Crowd Funding

Forest Hill Library will be closing for two weeks, from 10th - 24th October for the transition to a Community Library. We already have over 100 volunteers interested in helping to keep the library open and thriving, but as we get closer to the opening we need something else - CASH!

As we transfer to community management we will need money for a range of expenses to ensure the library runs smoothly and can face the challenges ahead. So at this time we are asking for the community to help us raise money for the library with this crowd funding appeal. Please take a look at some of the great rewards available for pledging money, and helping to ensure the success of this community library.

The crowd funding site can be found at:
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/forest-hill-library-launch-fund

Janusz Korczak Talk and Walk

The Forest Hill Society is delighted to welcome Wojciech Lasota, Bartosz Pieliński and Julia Dmeńska from the Polish Korczak Foundation to talk to us about Janusz Korczak and his connection to Forest Hill. The event will take place at 5pm-7:30pm on Friday 21st October at Louise House (which Korczak visited 105 years ago).

Prior to this we will have a guided walk by Steve Grindlay from Horniman Museum, starting at 4:30pm and walking from the Horniman to Louise House, tracing the path of Korczak, and arriving in time for the formal talk.

We realise this is a slightly odd time for an event, this is due to the availability of the speaker. But we couldn't pass up this great opportunity to hear more about this amazing man, and his links to Forest Hill.
To find out more about Janusz Korczak see our previous article.

Autumn Walk in the Woods

Forest Hill Society Summer Walk in the Woods: Saturday 22nd October, 2:30pm from The Woodhouse on Sydenham Hill / Crescent Wood Road.

Possibly have a nice lunch at the Woodhouse, before a walk in the woods starting at 2:30pm

Planting at the Station - 15th October

We are delighted that for the fourth year, the Forest Hill Society have been judged 'Outstanding' by Royal Horticultural Society 'London In Bloom' competition.

But we really need some additional volunteers to help keep up the good work and make Forest Hill look lovely. So PLEASE put in your diary Saturday October 15th at 2.30pm to join us at Forest Hill Station to cut back, chop down, turn over and replant so that we are establishing a good base for next year.  Even if you can only spare half an hour it would make all the difference when combined with everyone else's half hour.

Forest Hill Society AGM

The Forest Hill Society’s Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday 20th October, 7:30pm at Louise House (Dartmouth Road, beside the Library) in the rear building.

This meeting will provide further information about the plans for the Library, Louise House and hopefully news of some progress on Dartmouth Road Improvement Works.

It is also your opportunity to stand for the Executive Committee or get more involved in the activities of the Forest Hill Society. We look forward to seeing you there!

Outstanding Again!

The RHS In Bloom It's Your Neighbourhood award for 2016 to The Forest Hill Society is.... "Outstanding".


Well done all those who have put in the hours and done the hard work (planting, pruning, building flower towers, etc) to make this award possible.


But we really need some additional volunteers to help keep up the good work and make Forest Hill look lovely. So PLEASE put in your diary Saturday October 15th at 2.30pm to join us at Forest Hill Station to cut back, chop down, turn over and replant so that we are establishing a good base for next year.  Even if you can only spare half an hour it would make all the difference when combined with everyone else's half hour.


Many thanks again to all the hard grafters.

An Oral History of Forest Hill

Article and photos of paintings, by John Wysocki

As part of their celebrations to mark 30 years of treating NHS patients, ‘Dentistry for You’, 3 Dartmouth Road, have recently installed a couple of paintings of very familiar-looking scenes in their waiting room.

Entitled 'Station and Crossroads, Forest Hill, 1955' and 'Dartmouth Road, Forest Hill, 1955', the scenes (see right) were painted by Kenyan artist Zuber Bakrani, cousin of the practice's owner Esmail Harunani, and based on historical photos.

Readers of this newsletter may be familiar with the Station and Crossroads view since it is somewhat similar to an iconic photograph that was featured in our Spring 2015 newsletter — and that is also featured in local historian Steve Grindlay's book ‘Sydenham & Forest Hill Through Time’ — albeit with the roof missing from the station's clock tower.

Albion Millennium Green: An Ambitious Programme

By Ann Field, Friends of Albion Millennium Green
We started the year with an ambitious programme and already we have increased the number of volunteers coming forward for our regular, second-Saturday-in-the-month workdays. Our “Shared Vision” programme involves enriching nature and people’s experience and use of the Green, cultivating and nurturing the orchard, keeping the Green tidy, providing signage and better information about the Green and raising funds.

One of the key elements of the programme was the construction of a new pond, to replace the previous, smaller pond damaged by large dogs and foxes. The pond was dug in August and a frog has already taken up residence. There will be an official opening event on 1st and 2nd October. Look out for details on our website.

Forest Hill School Geography Ambassadors’ Group

This group conducted a survey among 120 KS3 students earlier this year. They discovered that most of the students had not heard of the Green; and then they asked for the views of those who had and how the space could be used more effectively. The second stage of the school’s research involved a survey of the parents of all students living in the area, and included questions about publicity, better use of the space and how to attract more volunteer support. In addition, a focus group of students was asked to come up with a more detailed list of activities and publicity methods that the Green’s organizers could use. Among the conclusions was the comment that “more needs to be done to publicise the existence of the Green and promote the work that the many volunteers do by means of social media and general publicity”. The Friends group will be seeking to work with the school and other local partners to organize events and to promote the Green.

We have had some bad luck with our existing notice boards so we are looking at replacing them with weather-proof notice boards which are also less vulnerable to vandalism.

Our efforts have been unsuccessful so far to raise sufficient funds and obtain permission to erect good quality signage for the Green on lamp posts in the area, but we will be having another go. If you would like to help us with these two initiatives or with any other aspect of our efforts for the Green, just get in touch. There is a special appeal for funds to enable us to buy the equipment and materials needed to carry out this programme of work.

Full details of our “Shared Vision”, the calendar of events for the year, how to join the Friends or make a donation can be found on our website www.amgfriends.org.uk or Twitter: @albionmilgreen.

A Little Bit About Litter

By Belinda Evans
Have you ever thought about how clean the streets of Perry Rise are? Did you know we have our own ‘litter warrior’? I have noticed this lovely person diligently picking up waste and litter, and was intrigued. So here the mystery is solved — in local resident Neville Bailey’s own words:

“Having lived in Perry Rise, Forest Hill, for 16 years I have walked to collect my newspaper each and every morning, along one side of Perry Rise to the paper shop in Perry Vale and back along the other side, collecting the litter dropped or blown into the street. I pick up cans, bottles (often including broken glass) cigarette packets plus various packages and dispose this refuse in the council bins.

The amount of discarded rubbish has increased so much that I now use a carrier bag to collect it all up, when once I only had to use one hand! It seems that the recent opening of the fast food take away at Bell Green has resulted in cars parking along the side roads and throwing out the left over waste packages, bottles and cans onto the kerbs and pavements.

I love Britain and where I live. Can’t more be done to ask parents, schools, neighbours and others to instil a bit of pride into where they live? Perhaps you, the readers, have ideas to help cure ‘litter –itus!”

So there you are, what a good idea — on a regular walk or trip to the local shop — carry a plastic bag and even if you only pick up a couple of bits of litter you are doing your bit to tidy up and improve where we live.