The turning of the year
There are a few more seasonal events to come, and already we are looking ahead to events early in the New Year. Meanwhile, we wish Forum members and friends all the best for Christmas and the New Year.
Next meeting – 13 January
The next General Meeting of the Forum will be on Monday 13 January from 6-30 pm at the Advocacy Academy, 2 Beehive Place SW9 7QR (off Brixton Station Road, entrance shared with Photofusion).
The main topic will be to follow up our decision last month to pursue a Neighbourhood Plan. We will also hear about Lambeth Council’s latest thinking about what will replace the Pop Brixton site.
In the meantime, we need your help to update our list of individual members, whether living or working in the area we want the Plan to cover. If you have not renewed membership in the past year, or already handed in a membership form, please fill in a simple form to confirm your home or workplace address, and return it to the Forum Secretary at apiperbrix@aol.com or through the letterbox at 82 Mayall Road, SE24 0PJ. Forms available digitally as a Word file – or as paper copies – from the above.
More Events coming up
Brixton House Theatre Events Alice in Wonderland – performances of their award-winning show continue until 4th January. The original story gets a modern Brixton interpretation but the fantasy remains! For booking details and other events, see https://brixtonhouse.co.uk/whats-on/
Brixton Chamber Orchestra Tour This 25-piece orchestra is embarking on a Christmas tour of Lambeth estates, including:
Friday 13 December, 7 pm at Stockwell Park Estate, Aytoun Place SW9;
Saturday 14 December, 3-30 pm on Moorlands Estate*;
Then at 7 pm on Fenwick Estate*, Landor Road SW9;
Sunday 15 December, 7 pm at St. Matthew’s Estate*;
Friday 20 December, 3-30 pm at Marcus Lipton Centre, Minet Road SW9 (for the young people’s Christmas party);
Saturday 21 December, 7 pm at Longfield Hall (for Myatt’s Fields Estates);
Sunday 22 December, 3-30 pm on Tulse Hill Estate, SW2.
(* These gigs are residents only due to limited space – see www.brixchamber.com ).
Solidarity Winter Market Sunday 15 December 10 am to 5 pm at the Liberation Centre, Advocacy Academy, 2 Beehive Place SW9. Shop for eco, justice and healing-related goodies: including products from Medifola, Lambeth Mutual Aid, Southwark Copwatch and Black Feminist Bookshop. Join creative and political workshops to craft your own goodies. Follow on Instagram @advocacyacademy
Brockwell Park Greenhouses Family Festive Event on both Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 December, 11 am to 2 pm only. Including food and drink in the kitchen, crafts in the greenhouses, Santa’s grotto in the orchard, a festive garden trail and a mini-panto in the barn (please book in advance). There are also more craft sessions in the pipeline for January and February. For more details and all bookings, see https://www.brockwellgreenhouses.com/events
Kwanzaa Rising Saturday 21 December in Myatt’s Fields Park – around the bandstand, 4 pm to 6 pm, featuring Southside Harmonics and Longfield Hall Choir – details via enquiries@myattsfieldspark.info
Shows at Longfield Hall Saturday 21 December, shows at 12 pm and 2 pm (running time 1 hour), The Goose and Mrs Frost, a show for children about the changes of the seasons. £10 tickets for £6 if you book before 15 December and quote the code GIANT at the checkout. For bookings and enquiries, see the website, https://longfieldhall.org.uk
Health and Social Care
Winter Cheer for Older People Once again, Age UK Lambeth are organising their MyHoHoHo project to ensure that any older resident on their own on Christmas Day can receive a Christmas dinner via a neighbour or volunteer cooking and delivering an extra portion. To sign up, or to offer help, e-mail to volunteer@ageuklambeth.org
Advice services including with energy bills, simple home repairs, and access to social activities, can now be found at their new office at 10 Acre Lane, SW2 5SG, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10 am and 3 pm, or phone 0333 360 3700.
They also have a MyCommunity drop-in on Thursday mornings, 9-30 to 11-30 am at the Vida Walsh Centre, 2b Saltoun Road SW2 1EP for basic advice-giving and sign-posting to other services.
Mental Health First Aid Courses Ecosystem Coldharbour is hosting a Youth Mental Health First Aid Course on 27 & 28 January, 9-30 am to 4-30 pm each day at the Marcus Lipton Centre, Minet Road, SW9 7UH.
Learn how to support young people’s mental health effectively. Please book via connect@ecosystemcoldharbour.org
Brixton BID is holding an Adult Mental Health First Aid Course (Level 2) on 20 February, 10 am to 4 pm, venue tbc. Free to BID members and their staff – book by e-mail to admin@brixtonbid.co.uk
Art4Space are holding another Adult course in Mental Health First Aid on 13 & 14 March, at their studios in Jeffreys Road, SW4. However, in this case there is a fee of £325 per place. Courses are run by It’s a Playground, but for booking details see www.art4space.co.uk
Other News
Brixton life in photographs The Endz Game – You’ve been framed is the latest exhibition in the Olive Morris Room at Lambeth Archives on Brixton Hill. It shows photographs taken since 2013 by iCha of JetBlakInk, publisher of the Waiting2XHair zine and a Brixton resident for almost 50 years.
It can be seen during normal opening hours over the next month. NB: In addition to the seasonal bank holidays, the Archives will be closed on Saturdays 21 & 28 December.
Children and Youth Activities The range of activities is continuing to grow at the St. Vincent’s Centre in Talma Road, SW2 1AS.
Rhyme and Story Time is a new session for under-5s on Fridays, 10 am to 10-45 am, from 10th January onwards.
Other sessions resuming after the Christmas break will be:
Drama: Wednesdays 4-30 to 6 pm from 8th January, for ages 11-16.
Hip-Hop Dance: Saturdays 10 am to 11 am, from 11th January, for ages 8-16.
Arts and Cooking: Saturdays 12 to 2 pm from 11th January, for ages 8-13.
To register for any of these sessions, please e-mail to LeanneT@svp.org.uk
Classes in Printing Techniques Hausprint have several courses lined up for the New Year in techniques such as etching, monoprint, drypoint and aquatint. Hausprint Studio is at Vincent’s Yard, 23 Alphabet Mews (off Hillyard Street) SW9 0FN. Enquiries to michelle@hausprint.studio
Community Arts at Art4Space A wide choice of crafts sessions and courses for the New Year are being offered at their studios at 31 Jeffreys Road, SW4 6QU. Some of them are free to eligible age groups.
For more details, see their new-style website at www.art4space.co.uk
Funding, Training & Support
Grant Deadlines The usual reminder about approaching deadlines for various grant schemes. These were first circulated by Integrate, so contact eoin.heffernan@integrateagency.co.uk
if you missed them.
Future Workspace Fund from Lambeth Council, mainly loan funding to support provision of workspace for small or specialist enterprises. Deadline Monday 16 December.
Your Station, Your Community Improvement Fund 2025/26: open grants up to £10,000, or more for selected types of projects. Deadline 18 December.
UnLtd funding for social enterprise: There are two streams: up to £18,000 to help social enterprises grow, or up to £8,000 to help new enterprises get going. Deadline 31 December.
Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (from South Western Railways) offers up to £65,000 for community projects that can be completed within a year from 1st April 2025. Deadline 31 December.
Lambeth Wellbeing Fund offers grants between £1000 and £5000 to support projects that tackle social isolation and help people manage their health conditions. Deadline Friday 31 January.
Baobab Community Fund offers grants of up to £150,000 over 5 years to help Black-led or Global Majority groups tackle racial injustice. (This was also circulated via Ubele). Deadline Monday 3rd February.
The Rayner Foundation offers grants up to £90,000 over 3 years towards work on mental health and well-being for young people and refugees, or potentially older people and their carers. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.
We also heard about this from Locality but you will have to follow up via a Google search:
Thomas Wall Trust, grants up to £5,000 for established charities helping disadvantaged adults into employment. Closes 6 January.
Support for Arts and History Once again the Paul Mellon Centre is offering a variety of grants towards publications, research, exhibitions and events on the history of art or architecture. Closing date is 31 January – to apply, see http://grants.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk
Volunteers Needed! Local community groups are always in need of volunteers, particularly if you have special skills to offer. Many would like to add more people to their trustees or management committee. If you have specific needs, you are welcome to publish them here.
We hear that Friends of Windmill Gardens are keen to recruit a Treasurer. More details can be found on their website at https://www.brixtonwindmill.org/get-involved/opportunities/
Step-up Courses at 198 Free entry-level courses are being offered by 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning for Lambeth residents aged 19+ and unemployed or low-waged.
Film & Video every Tuesday from 28 January to 1st April, 11-30 to 5 pm at 198 Railton Road, SE24 0JT.
Art & Design every Wednesday from 29 January to 2nd April, 11-30 to 5 pm at 198 Railton Road, SE24 0JT.
To register your interest, please complete the on-line form at https://forms.office.com/zejAKpjdnJ
They are also promoting a 6-week Photography course in conjunction with Photofusion, on Mondays and Tuesdays 10 am to 2-40 pm from 27 January at Unit 2, 2 Beehive Place. Enquiries to Steff@photofusion.org
Support for Enterprise For Women Business-owners: If you can spare some time during the 12 days of Christmas to think about your business goals for the year ahead, the WinTrade Global Women in Business Network has a series of free talks lined up for you at https://talks.wintradeglobal.com/12-Days-2024
Free Workshops and Mentoring: The Impact Brixton Hub (at 17a Electric Lane SW9 8LA) is offering free workshops and mentoring for sole traders and social enterprises in the creative industries – but spaces are limited and you must sign up by 20 December!
All the workshops for IB Create will be held on Thursday 30 January at Impact Brixton. Selected participants will be offered one year of free “virtual office” and co-working facilities at Impact Brixton. Enquiries to team@impactbrixton.com
Future Makers Innovate Programme: The Remakery is running a free 8-week incubator programme to help you turn a business idea into reality. It comes with a year of free workshop space, ongoing one-to-one support, access to their network of green initiative supporters and the chance to pitch for £500 to £1000 of seed funding. The programme starts on 7th January and workshops run until 25 February, held at The Remakery at the corner of Lilford and Paulet Roads, SE5. Enquiries to alice@remakery.org or see www.remakery.org/future-makers