Benches on the hills of West Norwood

New Benches

West Norwood shopping centre is at the bottom of a series of steep hills – York Hill, Lansdowne Hill, Knights Hill & Auckland Hill. So it’s great going downhill to go shopping but harder bringing your shopping back home up hill!

New benches have been strategically placed to create a rest stop for residents walking up, or down our hills.

Some residents do have concerns that the new benches will encourage anti-social behaviour.

Do the advantages of a bench, particularly for less mobile residents, outweigh the potential disadvantages? Do let Cllr Pickard know what you think [jpickard@lambeth.gov.uk ]

First Sunday each month is a Feast day – 10am to 4pm!

Party cakes stall at April’s Feast

The West Norwood Feast is a people-powered market celebrating the diversity, talent and entrepreneurial skills in our neighbourhood. There’s plenty to see and do including the Gardeners’ Corner by York Hill where you can pick up seeds, plants and tools, the Artisans’ Market on Chatsworth Way with locally-made arts and crafts, a Food Fair at St Luke’s with stalls serving freshly-cooked street food and even a Retro Village by Roseberys on Knights Hill with a market for reused, recycled and remade furniture and clothes. More details are on the Feast website and on www.facebook.com/wnfeast.

Lambeth council will have a staffed stall at the West Norwood Feast with an exhibition of plans for the Norwood Hall swimming pool, gym and health centre – an opportunity to find out more about the scheme.

West Norwood Weekend Festivities

The 31^st March and 1^st April weekend welcomes Spring to West Norwood.

Saturday is West Norwood’s first Slow Food Festival 10am to 6pm around  St Luke’s church SE27 0HS

Flour milling, apple pressing, urban foraging, pizza making,  cider drinking, jazz,  meet Mrs Beeton, catch Mr Freaky Peens, enjoy the Honey Theatre Live, check out Brixton City Farm, hear about  rare pig breeds,  watch Brindisa’s master jamon carver at work,  taste perfect pizza made in a  mobile wood fired oven, have a cup of Volcano coffee, treat yourself to a tongue sandwich, have  a Fortnum & Mason style tea, watch the magical Ms McK interview a surprise celebrity guest ,try authentic pierogi, listen to Levi Roots’ friend on the wonders of caribbean cuisine, bake a cake for the family bake off, make a dish for the slow food cook off , win dinner for two at Bubba’s .. …………. there’s something for everyone but you may need to book online for some events:

http://www.westnorwoodslowfoodfestival.co.uk

Saturday 2pm to 5pm is the Spring Flower Show in St Luke’s church hall. Flowers on display including tulips, daffodils, & polyanthus, photographs, floral art and a ginger biscuit competition. All welcome.

For details  see: http://lambethhorticulturalsociety.org.uk/shows.html

Sunday 1^st April is  first  Feast day of 2012 open 10am to 4pm. The West Norwood Feast is a people-powered market celebrating the diversity, talent and entrepreneurial skills in our neighbourhood. There’s plenty to see and do including the Gardeners’ Corner by York Hill where you can pick up seeds, plants and tools, the Artisans’ Market on Chatsworth Road with locally-made arts and crafts, a Food Fair at St Luke’s with stalls serving freshly-cooked street food and even a Retro Village by Roseberys on Knights Hill with a market for reused, recycled and remade furniture and clothes.   And there’s music, performance, a beer and cider tent, a community garden on Norwood Road by the Fire Station and  The Edible Bus Stop.

More details are on the Feast website http://westnorwoodfeast.com/blog and facebook page www.facebook.com/wnfeast.

Lighting up West Norwood for Christmas

As Christmas draws closer, so too do the events and festivities leading up to it.  For shoppers  in West Norwood, the advent of the festive season is heralded by the arrival of the Christmas lights – just in time for the 3^rd /4^th December weekend of Feast markets.

Come along to the area around St Luke’s church and Portico on Saturday 5pm to 8pm  for  carol singing, the fabulous Carribe Steel Band, a light installation, children’s christmas decoration and activities, neon ball juggling and street entertainment, and last but not least delectable winter warming food, mulled wine, snacks and treats. On Sunday between 10am and 4pm the Feast will have its Artisans market at Chatsworth Way,  Garden Corner by York Hill,  Food Fair  at St Lukes church and Retro Village outside Rosebery’s the auctioneers on Knights Hill.

For more details  see http://westnorwood.spacemakers.org.uk/blog/very-festive-december-feast-weekend

The Christmas lights will extend from Tulse Hill Station to West Norwood station. The original lights were funded some years ago by Norwood Action Group,  local traders and the council. To  give West Norwood’s shopping street a boost this year there is new lighting in the street trees – courtesy of the Mayor’s Outer London  Fund – and a christmas tree outside St Lukes’s churchyard.

What a feast!

New Sunday markets in West Norwood .

Congratulations to all who made the first Norwood “Feast” on Sunday 3rd April  a fantastic success, bringing more than 2,000 people pouring into 4 markets in the centre of West Norwood . Brilliant planning & marketing by local residents working with Space Makers and support from Big Yellow Storage & the council  combined with good weather resulted in a great market day.

Norwood Feast is a set of markets dotted through the town centre on the first Sunday of every month,

There is a second-hand goods/retro clothing market outside Rosebery’s auctioneers on Knight’s Hill, food stalls and children’s entertainment in St Luke’s Church garden, an arts and crafts fair at the end of Chatsworth Way and plants, fruit and vegetables on the corner of York Hill and Norwood Road. Local shops joined in: Beamish and McGlue served hog roast outside their shop on the corner of Lancaster Avenue and Kahvah welcomed a record number of customers in its Norwood Road café. O Girasol was also doing a roaring trade and  B&Q staff reported a large increase in business.

Fringe events included guerrilla gardeners who planted around trees in Norwood Road ,  trampolining for children and  cemetery tours for adults..

Shoppers came from a wide area of south London – Lewisham, Balham and Mitcham as well as Streatham, Dulwich and Crystal Palace. Jane Pickard, local councillor for Knight’s Hill, said: “The markets are  a huge success and I look forward to the next events in May & June.”

The next feast event will be Sunday 1st May 10-4pm. Get there early as some stalls sold out by lunchtime!

Prospective stall holders should look up FAQs on   http://westnorwood.spacemakers.org.uk/

New Sunday markets in West Norwood

Norwood Feast on show at 5th March community event

Local residents have got together with Space Makers to regenerate West Norwood’s shopping streets with new monthly markets starting Sunday 3rd April 10am to 4pm

Four market areas are planned:  Artisans market at Chatsworth Way,  Garden Corner by York Hill,  Food Fair  at St Lukes church & Retro Village outside Rosebery’s the auctioneers on Knights Hill.

Come along and see West Norwood’s entrepreneurs in action! And street entertainers for all!

For more details see  http://westnorwood.spacemakers.org.uk/

Local residents have said they want a better shopping experience  in West Norwood and Lambeth council has commissioned Space Makers to get things moving.

York Hill play area

Mike Smith at the re-opened York Hill play ground

The children’s play ground on York Hill has now been repaired and re-opened.

This popular play area has unfortunately suffered from vandals who selfishly spoiled a valuable community facility and forced the council to close it down until the money could be found to carry out necessary repairs.

Mike Smith of the West Norwood Labour action team says “I am very pleased to see the play ground has opened at last  – just in time for the warmer weather.  Many residents have been disappointed at the closure of the  playground and we have kept chasing Lambeth Living to get the work done.”

New local play grounds are nearly completed on Eden Road, Franklin Close and Lakeview Road. Plans  are underway for a new playground in Streatham Common (by the paddling pool) and a water playground  in Norwood Park.

To report vandalism and other anti social behaviour you can phone Sgt  Matt Cox and the local Safer Neighbourhood Police on 020 87212618 or 07920 233844. Or in office hours call Lambeth’s Anti-Social behaviour hotline 020 7926 4000 – you don’t need to give your name or address.