CLEANER GREENER SAFER AWARDS Earlier this year the Society applied to Southwark Council’s Cleaner, Greener, Safer Scheme, for the money to buy and erect a free- standing Community notice board in Half Moon Lane near the Half Moon Public House. The successful bids were announced at the Dulwich Community Council meeting on 15th October and I am pleased to report that the bid was successful. An award of £3,500 was given HERNE HILL SOCIETY for this project. EVENTS Other projects that will be receiving support At Herne Hill United Church Hall, at 7:30 from the Awards this year and that will benefit for 7:45pm, unless otherwise stated. Herne Hill include: Wednesday 12 December: • landscaping the front entrance and Silver Anniversary Readings pavement to the Half Moon Public By members of the Society (see article) House (£10,000); • planting trees at the junction of Red Wednesday 9 January 2008: Post Hill and Beckwith Road, near “Letter Boxes” by Neil Lloyd, Sunray Gardens (£3,000); retired Deputy Headmaster. • resurfacing the shop forecourts at 63-77 The Post Office letter box came to the Herne Hill (£5,000); Channel Islands in 1852 and to the • tree planting in Casino Avenue mainland during the following year. There (£7,000); have been a surprising number of designs and most are still represented on the streets. • trees to enhance the appearance of the Norwood Road shopping parade This illustrated talk deals with the (£10,500); development of the boxes including some amazing lapses of memories on the part of • hanging baskets on six lamp posts in the designers. Norwood Road (£2,500). Wednesday 13 February: The Community Council commented that there had been a lot of good schemes and it had been “Mary Seacole” by Daphne Marchant, very difficult to decide which to support. In Lambeth Councillor and former Mayor. general priority was given to those projects The life and career of the heroic black that benefited the ‘public good’. This is the nurse of the Crimea fifth year of Southwark’s Cleaner, Greener, Safer Scheme and the second time that the Wednesday 12 March: Society’s funding bid for a local project has Annual General Meeting. been successful (last year we bid for and Followed by an illustrated talk received £754 for our new PA system). Rosalind Glover 1 BLU ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Mary Hill was presented with a giant Jammy Dodger (and a large bouquet of flowers) when she stepped down as Chair of Brockwell Lido Users at the 2007 BLU AGM held on 13th October. Thanks to the hard work of Mary and her BLU colleagues during her seven years as Chair, the Lido has been improved, expanded and its future is assured. POST OFFICE CLOSURE RUMOURS SILVER READERS There has been a rumour circulating that the Post Office in ‘Costcutters’ is to close. Since 2002, our December meetings have featured readings by members of the Society on a seasonal We've checked out the situation and can confirm that theme. As this year marks the 25th anniversary of the there is no basis for this rumour. Society, it seems fitting that we take “Silver The Post Office will not be announcing proposals for Anniversary” as the theme for the evening. We are its London outlets until April next year, but the date now seeking material: prose, poetry, speeches, drama, might change. songs, sketches, nursery stories or extracts from longer works. As usual, broad interpretations or loose connections with the theme will be considered. Have BRAIN OF LAMBETH you a favourite passage about silver or something silver-coloured? Think coins or ingots, hair or tongue, Once again the Herne Hill Society has won the annual birches or sands, spoon or moon. Perhaps you recall a Brain of Lambeth competition. lively description of an anniversary, e.g. a wedding, birth, employment or even giving up smoking? Other commemorations in 2007 included the 200th anniversary of the slave trade abolition, centenaries of Auden and MacNeice, Whittier’s 200th and Blake’s 250th birthday. Any other ideas? More to the point, why not join in as a reader this year? It’s fun getting together to sift through suggestions, select pieces, arrange and rehearse the programme. Don’t put it off, thinking “maybe next time”; after six years of winter reading evenings we’ll give it a rest in 2008, as I’ve booked an entertaining talk on, well, you’ll see. Meanwhile, if you can’t bring yourself to take the stage, make sure you come along on 12th December for a convivial evening of socialising, seasonal Here Colin Wight receives the winner’s certificate refreshments and laughter. from Lambeth’s Mayor, Councillor Andrew Gibson. JD The other members of the Society’s team were Anne Young, Ros Glover and John Brunton. 2 WINTER CELEBRATION GOOD NEIGHBOUR AWARD IN HERNE HILL Maude Estwick, a well known resident of Herne Hill, This year's celebration will start at 4.30 p.m. on 30 has won two Good Neighbour awards. She was voted November at Herne Hill station, with music by chil- the best Good Neighbour by the London & Quadrant dren from a local school and members of the Housing Association, and was chosen for the National Ferndene Minstrels, a local brass group. Good Neighbour Award by the Housing Corporation. After the sing-song the lights will be switched on at Maude has been about 5.15pm, and refreshments will be served out- the driving side the Pizza take-away on the corner of Railton force behind the Road. development of the Milkwood The event has been organised by Jim Davidson and is Community supported by the traders and Lambeth Council. Park and, as Please come along and join in the fun. Chair of the Milkwood MEMBERSHIP Residents’ Association, she I am delighted to report a long list of new members is working hard since summer 2007, including one new Life Member. to develop St. A warm welcome to: John's Church Sue Gallagher, Dieter Gatzke, Hilary Risden Haydn, Hall on Lowden Borjan Koprivica, Kim Lewis, Thomas Leyland & Road as a Bernadette Butler, David Lock, Claire McDonald, community Anthony Monaghan, N. O'Sullivan, Richard Pratt & centre. Christine Frank, Sam Rodgers, Ellen Sheavyn, Life Maude also Member Oliver Stutter, Simon Taylor & M.C.Walsh, gives her time David Thompson, Anna Turvey. to supporting and helping her neighbours as well as Letters have gone out to our members who have long being involved in various other local organisations. been subscribing by Standing Order to our old bank, Congratulations to Maude, and best wishes for the Lloyds TSB. Our account is now with CAF - many success of the St. John's project. thanks to those who have already changed their order. I do hope to have received all replies by January, when payments are due. Members who pay their subscriptions by cash or cheque will find both a renewal form and s.a.e. en- closed in this issue. Prompt renewals will be most helpful. If you haven’t already done so, please don't forget to sign the Gift Aid declaration. If you give me your email address, I can update you on Herne Hill news and remind you of future events. Please note I send blind copies so that your names and addresses are not revealed to others. Caroline Knapp Membership Secretary COMMUNITY PROJECT It has been suggested that the Society could use some of its funds to sponsor a suitable project, which would be locally based and of benefit to the community. Ideas for a project could come from an individual or a group. Any proposal should encompass the aims and objectives of the Society. It should help promote improvements to local amenities; or improve knowledge and information about our local history. If you have any ideas, suggestions or would like more information, please contact Brenda Jones, P.O. Box 27845, London SE24 9XA. 3 TRANSFORMATIONS combination of flats (“enabling development”) and a performance venue. The full report, 99 pages plus GOOD AND BAD appendices, is on Lambeth’s website. I have News from the Friends of the Carnegie Library attempted to summarise it in three pages, which I will Our Breathing Places project to create a reading and gladly email to anyone who emails wildlife garden behind the library proceeds apace. [email protected] requesting a copy. Failing trees have been taken out, a level path from Stephen Carlill, Ferndene Road has been laid to provide easy access Chair of the Friends for wheelchairs and pushchairs; clearing galore and much other work has been done. In this we have had a DENMARK HILL STATION great deal of help from Lambeth’s Parks Department and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. On the edge of our area, Denmark Hill Station is one of the first to benefit from the Department of On national Make a Difference Day, 27th October, Transport’s £370 million programme to improve we worked on the garden, clearing and planting, and station access for all. Network Rail will be providing recruited ten adults and ten children to our ongoing an accessible step-free route into the station and to gardening group which will be carrying the work and fro between each platform. Site work is planned forward. It will usually be working in the library to begin in early 2008. gardens on the first Saturday of each month from 11am until 3pm, when we have our monthly Friends’ Meanwhile, Network Rail has been consulting about tea. More help is always welcome. plans involving diverting the London Bridge to Victoria line via Clapham Junction instead of going Lambeth’s ‘Transformational Review of Libraries, through Denmark Hill station.