St Michael’s RC College has published details of its plans to expand its buildings and pupil numbers to meet rising demand:
St Michael’s … was built for 600 students, when it already had 690 students on roll at the time of design. Whilst the school building itself is beautiful and provides an inspiring learning environment, lack of teaching space is proving problematic, and in 2015 there will not be enough classrooms to teach the students. The school currently has 797 pupils on roll.
A murder investigation has been launched after a man shot in the head in Rotherhithe on Sunday afternoon died in hospital.
The 18-year-old man was injured following an incident in Mossington Gardens on the Abbeyfield Estate at approximately 1.55pm on Sunday.
He was taken to an east London hospital where he died on Monday afternoon.
Officers investigating the murder have made two arrests. A man aged 36 was arrested at an address in south London in the early hours of Monday. Another man, aged 21 was arrested after he handed himself in at a south London police station late on Monday. Both men have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody at a south London police station.
A 19-year-old man who was also injured in the incident has been released from hospital following treatment. He was not shot.
Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Gwyn is leading the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8721 4805; alternatively contact Crimestoppers via 0800 555 111 or Crimestoppers-uk.org.
Officers retain an open mind as to the motive behind this incident but there is nothing to suggest at this stage that it was gang related.
three4all theatre will present a reading of Alison Mead’s new play ‘Politic Man’ in Chatham on Monday 24 November.
Set in run down Bermondsey during two world wars, ‘Politic Man’ is the true story of Alfred Salter and his wife Ada, who between them, stood for local, mayoral and parliamentary elections throughout their lives while living and working in one of the most impoverished areas of London: Bermondsey.
From the Thames Television archive:
The new Sainsbury’s Local in Spa Road opened its doors this week.
The store is open seven days a week 7am-11pm.
In front of the new shop the gates of the old Bermondsey Town Hall (destroyed in World War II) have been retained.
The entrance to the convenience store is in the new alleyway – named Arts Lane – at the side of the new building.
Yesterday Southwark’s cabinet considered a report on the Canada Water regeneration
You can hear the audio of the discussion below. Key points:
The project to lengthen trains on London Overground from four carriages to five has finally become a reality with the first lengthened train now in public service.
Work to extend platforms at Canada Water and Surrey Quays has now been completed.
At Rotherhithe the longer trains will not fit into the platforms so the two rear sets of doors in the back carriage will not open at this station.
At Canada Water even the extended platforms are too short so the rear set of doors will remain shut.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “With punctual services and an ever growing number of passengers I think it’s fair to say that London Overground has been a fantastic railway success story. Adding an extra carriage to the trains that criss-cross this network will allow more people to take advantage of what is now one of the most reliable and trusted rail services in the UK. As London’s population continues to rise, it is investment in our transport network like this which will help to keep London and its economy on the up.”
TfL’s Managing Director of London Rail, Mike Brown, said: “The ever-increasing popularity of the London Overground network has seen a huge rise in demand. As a result, we are now on course to carry 135m passengers – nearly four times the number we carried when we took over this railway in 2007.
“To enable us to continue and maintain the high levels of safe, reliable and frequent travel that our customers have come to expect, it is vital that we deliver more capacity by lengthening our trains from four to five carriages.
“We have set a standard for highly successful rail services and this is the model we will follow when we take over three-quarters of the rail services out of Liverpool Street station next year.”
A Bermondsey community choir has received £15,000 in funding from the City of London Corporation to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 8 November.
Bermondsey Voices, who rehearse at St James’s Church on Thurland Road, will enter a ‘History of Bermondsey’ float in the show – focussing on the sights and songs of “Biscuit Town” down the years. On the day, members of the choir will dress up in period costume and sing their hearts out.
The choir will make parts of Bermondsey history come alive with songs composed by local musician Mike Mansbridge for The Lord Mayor’s Show.
Bermondsey Voices member Abenaa Baffoe said: “This choir is a team and there has been a marked increase in the self-esteem and confidence of our members since we started. Singing makes us feel uplifted and positive, and as a group we want to take the next step and improve on these benefits. We have come a long way and though it will be a challenge performing at such a large event – it will be a huge step forward for us and it will help us attract more members.”
Simon Hughes, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, said: “I am delighted that one of our local community choirs, Bermondsey Voices, has been chosen to perform in the prestigious Lord Mayor’s Show this November. They will have the chance to tell the story of Bermondsey to a televised audience of millions across London and the UK. I will look forward to hearing some of the specially composed Bermondsey songs that the choir tell me are ready for the occasion!”
Lord Mayor’s Show Pageantmaster Dominic Reid, who has run Lord Mayor’s Show for 23 years, said: “I’m really pleased to have Bermondsey Voices in this year’s Show. They have some exciting ideas and I’m looking forward to seeing their float on the big day.”
Bermondsey Voices started in May 2012 to promote singing in the community. The choir meet on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm to 9pm.
The majority of the choir members are British but it also has members from Sweden, Belgium, Australia and Ghana. Since 2012 the choir has yearly Summer and Christmas concerts at St James Church, has just performed at the Bermondsey Street Festival for the third year in a row, has taken part in Festival of Neighbourhood at Southbank Centre, performed in the play The Events at Young Vic and are in the planning stages of hosting Bermondsey Choir Festival which will take place in 2015.
Southwark Council is poised to allocate £100,000 of Olympic legacy funding towards the completion of Fisher FC’s new ground on the St Paul’s Playing Field site.
From the council report:
St. Paul’s Sports Ground in Salter Road, Rotherhithe is home to a derelict artificial sports pitch.
Fairview Homes are proposing to invest in St. Paul’s to offset the loss of sports facilities at the old Fisher Stadium which will be converted to a 3 acre public park. The St. Paul’s site will become the new home of Fisher FC who will deliver a community focused sports development plan.
Fisher FC, supported by the council and Fairview are making applications for Football Foundation monies totaling £200,000 towards the cost of adding a club house and other facilities to the site. This would bring it up to the standard expected for league games to be played there, enabling Fisher to stage their home fixtures at this location. A further £300,000 will be required to complete these works.
A contribution of £100,000 of legacy fund monies from the Council will increase the chances of securing the Football Foundation funding as well as other potential S106 match funding and external monies to complete these additional works.
The experimental one-way system in Pottery Street and Wilson Grove is to be made permanent.