Community council gives £5k to anti-supersewer fighting fund

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At its meeting on Monday night Bermondsey & Rotherhithe Community Council agreed to contribute £5,000 to the Save Your Riverside campaign.

“We are currently raising money from the community for legal expenses and other expertise to help us put the best case possible  to the Planning Inspectorate against the use of Chambers Wharf as a drilling and reception site for the super sewer,” said Save Your Riverside in a statement this week.

“We have also secured the help of people in Wapping who will be greatly impacted by the noise of the work across the river.

“Some local residents have received notices from Thames Water about the probable necessity of altering their homes to mitigate the impact of noise and possibly moving them away from the community during the worst of times.

“People opposed to the use of Chambers Wharf have an opportunity for a preliminary talk with the Planning Inspectorate on 8 May in Southwark on the procedure of consultation.”

An all-day drop-in session at 160 Tooley Street will be followed by an evening presentation at Glaziers Hall.

Save Your Riverside will hold a public meeting at City Hall on Thursday 6 June at 7 pm, chaired by Val Shawcross AM and addressed by Labour and Lib Dem politicians.

Saturday drama group for ages 6-8 at London Bubble

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London Bubble runs weekly theatre groups which are friendly, fun and creative, and include games and exercises which will help to develop confidence and a range of performance skills.  No previous experience necessary, just come with enthusiasm. Find out more at www.londonbubble.org.uk

The Saturday morning session for 6 to 8 year-olds is held at 120 Lower Road. The fee is £60 (£30 concessions) per term plus £15 (£10) annual registration fee.

To find out more or register for a class call 020 7237 4434 or email [email protected]

Tommy Steele becomes local history society patron

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The Rotherhithe & Bermondsey Local History Society has announced that Tommy Steele OBE has become the organisation’s first-ever patron.

At a packed AGM held last week at Time & Talents in Rotherhithe, members of the society which Tommy referred to as both”thoughtful and exciting” voted unanimously in favour of the appointment.

Outgoing chairman Michael Daniels said: “Tommy was born and bred in these parts and has often spoken of his affection for the neighbourhood in which he started out.

“He is an amazingly multi-talented individual who has been a household name for as long as I can remember, and I am delighted that he has agreed to become our first ever patron.”

The appointment also marks the end of Michael Daniels’ six-year stint as chairman, a period which has seen the conversion of the organisation into an independent society and a near doubling of membership.

Daniels goes on to become vice president and is replaced at the helm by Claire Sexton.

Southwark College’s Bermondsey campus to close this summer

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LeSoCo, the new institution formed by the merger of Lewisham College and Southwark College, has confirmed that its Bermondsey campus in Keetons Road will close at the end of the academic year.

“We can confirm that we have exchanged contracts for the sale of our Bermondsey site within the London Borough of Southwark,” said a LeSoCo spokeswoman.

“This supports our plans to develop two 21st century college hubs: one in each of the London boroughs of Southwark and Lewisham.

“The sale of Bermondsey will enable us to invest significantly in our sites for the benefit of our learners.

“We are pleased that learning will continue to be delivered at Bermondsey with the development of a free school.”

The Compass School still plans to open on part of the college site but most of the land will be redeveloped for housing, scuppering hopes that a university technical college (UTC) to teach vocational skills could be established on the campus.

Odyssey Community Adult Dance Company launches 7 May

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Odyssey is a Community Adult Dance Company which launches on 7 May and will meet on Tuesday evenings at the Salmon Youth Centre in Bermondsey.

Weekly sessions offer participants opportunity to learn contemporary dance technique and develop creative and choreographic dance skills in a fun and supportive environment. The company will perform and collaborate with professional artists across different dance styles and art forms.

Odyssey is open to anyone over the age of 18 regardless of their gender, experience or ability in dance.

Saturday cocktails and gourmet Sundays at Brunel Museum

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Wild food and wild cocktails await you at the new season of Midnight Apothecary at the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe.  Wild gourmet chefs The Foragers (of Dead Dolls Club fame, Dalston) have teamed up with pop-up roof garden cocktail bar Midnight Apothecary. Every Saturday night (5.30pm-10.30pm) join them round the firepit for cocktails, infusions and food.

Optional guided descents of Brunel’s underground Grand Entrance Hall on Saturday nights too (£5).  Every Sunday afternoon 12.30pm-5pm they will both be serving their wild cocktails and wild food too for Gourmand Sundays at the museum.  Free entry, cash bar.

Help the Salter Statues appeal raise another £34,000

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Alfred and Ada Salter

The fundraising campaign to replace the stolen sculpture of Dr Alfred Salter has raised over £16,000. Southwark Council will match all donations with the aim of reaching the £100,000 needed.

The Salter Statues Campaign is appealing to residents and local business to help raise the additional money to replace the statue of Dr Alfred Salter, which was stolen in 2011, and to create a new statue of his wife, Ada, who served as a councillor and Mayor of Bermondsey.

The campaign – spearheaded by Bermondsey and Rotherhithe residents – needs to raise £50,000 to fund new statues of the pair who lived in Bermondsey from the 1890s up until their deaths, which will be matched by the council.

The money will be used to buy two statues to be placed on Bermondsey Wall called Dr Salter’s Daydream 2013. The new statues have been designed by artist Diane Gorvin to create a family group which will include the original sculptures of their daughter Joyce, and her cat.

“Alfred and Ada Salter made a significant contribution to the welfare of Bermondsey and it will be a fitting tribute to raise enough money to buy the statues,” said Cllr Veronica Ward, cabinet member for Culture, Leisure and Sport.

“Southwark Council is generously matching the donations so I would encourage anyone to make a donation so we will be able to have a permanent reminder of their life and work in Bermondsey for years to come.”

Donations can be made through the website: www.salterstatues.co.uk

Diane welcomes additional photographs of Alfred and Ada Salter to ensure their likenesses are as accurate as possible. Any photos or contributions should be sent to [email protected] or call 020 7525 0860.

 

Rotherhithe man jailed for rape of 17-year-old

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Frank WalkerA man from Rotherhithe was jailed on Monday for the rape of a 17-year-old girl.

24-year-old Frank Walker of Shipwright Road was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to 36 months imprisonment.

On Saturday 28 July last year the victim attended a party at friend’s house in Acorn Walk which Walker also attended. A number of people attended the party and the pair were not known to each other.

The victim had gone to sleep in a bedroom and woke up to find Walker raping her. Following her ordeal she managed to escape the room, alerted her friends and reported the incident to police.

The victim was forensically examined at the Haven and DNA samples were taken.

Following enquiries Walker was arrested by police on 29 July and subsequently charged.

Initially Walker tried to maintain his innocence; however on 19 March this year he changed his plea to guilty.

Detective Inspector Faye Churchyard said: “Walker took advantage of the victim and tried to spin a web of lies to mask his guilt, but those lies did not stand up to the evidence available and he has rightly pleaded guilty to rape.

“He will spend a lengthy time in prison for what he did to the victim.

“I also hope this will encourage others who have been victims of a sexual crime to report what has happened to them.”

Rotherhithe New Road walking and cycling bridge now open

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The long-awaited Connect2 bridge across Rotherhithe New Road next to South Bermondsey Station was opened on Friday afternoon by Cllr Peter John, Labour leader of Southwark Council.

The ceremony was delayed after Cllr John and council colleagues were stuck on a train at London Bridge Station for nearly an hour.

Originally proposed in the mid-1990s, the project received National Lottery funding in a public vote in 2007 as part of the Sustrans Connect2 initiative.

The project suffered a series of bureaucratic hold-ups which led the late Barry Mason to campaign and cajole to ensure the scheme went ahead.

“It’s been a long wait, but I’m really pleased to see this bridge finally up and running,” said South Bermondsey Lib Dem councillor Graham Neale.

“Locals have told me they are pleased that the walk to the station will now be just a few minutes and may even increase the value of their homes.

“However there are some security fears that come with easy access to Stubbs Drive which must be addressed by the council.”

The new structure replaces a disused railway bridge which had been built to link the old goods depot at Bricklayers Arms with the main line.

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