Tim reached the top of his game in 2009, at the age of 21, when he placed first in the Barclay Card World Free Run Championships. Last year he added to this achievement by winning the Red Bull Art in Motion event. Now at the age of twenty three he is widely recognised as one of Free Running’s leading practitioners. By using his extreme upper body strength, gymastic ability and break dancing experience, he has helped push the boundaries of Parkour and propel the sport to levels of mainstream appeal that might previously have been thought unlikely. His success has also lead to an appearance as a Death Eater in Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2. We take our hat off to you Tim.

Here are some of Tim’s videos, below, which show the extraordinary things he’s capable of. Keep your eyes out around Streatham in future and you might see him doing similar things along the rooftops of our iconic buildings.

Arts & Culture

Streatham had its fair share of arts and culture to be proud of in 2011. The Streatham Ninja Knitters emerged, from a dark underpass on Potters Lane, early in the year, to bring urban arts and crafts to our streets. You can read about their antics here. Later in the year, while the rest of the country was celebrating the Royal Wedding, the Ninja Knitters made their own tribute, which you can see here.

There was also the brief appearance of The Chalkers, with their chalk shadow sketches up and down the length of Streatham High Road. As soon as the rains came their sketches disappeared and they’ve not been heard of since but they made enough of an impression for The Londonist website to pick up the story and feature it as their ‘best arts post of the month’. The same accolade had gone to another Streatham Pulse article the previous week. Local artist Karen D Tregaskin began publishing her pictures of Streatham’s architecture online and after appearing on this site they became hugely popular amongst locals, leading to an exhibition as part of the Streatham Festival. Karen also used the Streatham Network to help form a Streatham sketch club, which used local cafe, Earl Grey & Rose to hold it’s meetings. A great example of why the Streatham Network was set up in the first place.

When the Mercury Music Prize came around again this year there didn’t appear to be any local contenders to take the prize that Speech Debelle had won two years earlier. The 2011 winner was PJ Harvey but one of the nominees was Ghost Poet with his excellent debut album, ‘Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam’. Although born in Coventry, when he appeared on Later With Jools Holland he was introduced by Jools as being “from Streatham”. He’s since been spotted in the Streatham Hill Co-op.

2011 saw plenty of protests around Britain and the rest of the world and Streatham had its own protest singer in the form of Adynkrah who wrote a version of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, titled Condemtion Song. Listen to it here. Another musical artist we featured on Streatham Pulse was Pak-Man with his music video tribute to the Streatham, ‘Life I Know’, which you can watch here. Local Dubstep DJ – Oneman has also continued to make a big impression on the music scene this year and ended the year by DJing at Fabric on Boxing Day as part of Rinse FM’s big Christmas celebration.

Streatham’s best live music pub, The White Lion has gone from strength to strength over the past year. With the renovation of their stable block complete, they launched a series of workshops, including street dance, DJing and puppetry. They’ve also held craft markets and given the outside of the pub a new look. But their biggest event this year was two secret gigs by American singer Willy Mason. He was apparently recording his latest album locally and chose the White Lion as the perfect venue to try out some new material. Quite a coup for Oz and everyone else at The White Lion.

Food & Drink

2011 was also the year that Streatham got its first proper gastro pub. Under new ownership, The Manor Arms underwent a re-furb and re-opened in February to a warm welcome from locals. It’s gone on to become a great success, helping that little corner of Streatham – around ‘The Dip’ & Streatham Green’ – shake off it’s reputation as a shabby, run down place to be avoided. This change began with Hideaway’s arrival the previous year and has been helped by the formation of the ‘Friends of Streatham Green’ community group. With Hideaway about to open their new venture The Hideaway Jazz Cafe, the area looks set to continue its revival throughout 2012.

There was also the news this year that ‘The Goose’ had been bought by the Antic pub chain and re-named ‘Pratt’s & Payne’ after two Streatham icons. Antic are the team behind many of South London’s most popular pubs, such as, Tooting’s ‘The Antelope’ and ‘The Tooting Tram & Social’, Brixton’s ‘Dogstar’, ‘The Balham Bowls Club’ and ‘The Westow House’ in Crystal Palace. Antic have yet to re-furbish the pub but hopefully January will see the re-invention complete.

Streatham also gave birth to two underground restaurants in 2011. The Wavertree Supper Club was the first, swiftly followed by The Earl Grey & Rose Supper Club.

News & Politics

2011 will be remembered for years to come – in London particularly – as the year of the riots. What started in Tottenham had spread to Brixton by the following evening. As the third night of rioting took hold across London, Streathizens were fearful that it was only a matter of time before Streatham’s town centre became the latest victim. However despite some incidents of looting and vandalism Streatham escaped largely unscathed compared to many neighbouring areas.

The summer saw the promotion of Streatham’s MP, Chuka Umunna, to the Shadow Cabinet. He was also one of the most vocal MPs during the riots, urging politicians and the public not to demonise young people or to turn the riots in to a race issue.

Redevelopment

The Megabowl re-development project is still going nowhere. Rumour has it that the developers won’t begin until they can secure a big retailer to work as an anchor store for the project. However some preliminary work did begin, with the demolition of Wentworth House.

2011 is most likely to be remembered locally as the year that work finally began on the Streatham Hub project. In February planning permission was passed for the temporary rink in Brixton. This was the last hurdle for the project and work began on the Brixton rink soon after. Demolition of the buildings which make up the Streatham Huib site began in August. The Carpet Warehouse and the Car Wash were the first to go, soon followed by parts of the Go-Kart track and recently the leisure centre. The Ice Rink is the last of the buildings still standing but with the closing gala earlier this month and the Brixton rink having now opened its doors, it can only be a matter of days before the wrecking ball hits the historic ice rink and Streatham is irreversibly changed.

You can see pictures of the new Brixton Rink and read the reactions of the Streatham Redskins Ice Hockey team to their new temporary home here. and below are some of the latest pictures of the Hub site.

2011 has also seen new ventures, such as sushi restaurant, ‘Mangetsu’, coffee shop, ‘I Love Coffee’, ‘Rio Juice Bar’, ‘Morrison’s Cafe’, as well as the formation of The Streatham Community Garden on Streatham Common. It’s not been a bad year for Streatham on the whole. Streatham Pulse will continue to follow all the latest developments in Streatham throughout 2012. Happy New Year and thanks for reading.

SP

Photos c/o @StReathamSoul

Oxjam is Oxfam’s month-long music festival. It runs all through October with hundreds of events around the UK, all organised by volunteers who know and love their local music scene, all raising money to save lives around the world.

This OXJAM event is in conjunction with The White Lion’s own charity Music4children.

Mirrorkicks formed in 2008 in Streatham, South London. The local lads met at school and played in a number of different bands and supported Razorlight as The Medicine. Their self titled debut album released in April 2010, through their own independent record label, Fruit Pie Records, received great reviews.  Still without a studio due to recent flooding, they have been busy writing new songs and are looking forward to road testing some of their new music.

The Din, having met in the doorway of a dilapidated Edwardian boudoir in Newcastle 2008, found they were nothing but a bunch of vagabond misfits, the 6 musicians rented an old disused bleach factory, crafting roots tunes while roasting fresh coffee and entertaining the seagulls that nested on the glass roof. After the release of their debut album in November 2010, the band moved to Camden Town, London. Their sound has evolved incorporating gypsy-jazz, eastern-European and middle-eastern traditional music, whilst retaining the melodic alternative psychedelic pop from which it was formed.

“Events are a big passion of mine” said event organiser Meeta Hitchings, “Having been involved with both the Streatham & Stockwell Festivals and more recently the Vintage Festival at the Southbank, my passion for live music and for putting on events have come together to create this amazing night for Oxfam and Music4children”.

Tickets for this event are on sale now through www.wegottickets.com/event/139214 priced £8 per person + booking fee. Doors open at 7.30 pm and the first band are on stage at 8.00pm. For more information please see our Facebook page: OXJAM 2011 – Streatham Takeover.

More details on Oxjam can be found at www.oxfam.org.uk/Oxjam/whatis/oxjam, and Music4children at www.music4children.org.

All photos c/o @StReathamSoul

STREATHAM SOCIETY NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL CRICKET MATCH TO INAUGURATE
NEW CRICKET PITCH ON STREATHAM COMMON
ON 11TH SEPTEMBER 2011

A special cricket match is to be played on Streatham Common at 12 noon on Sunday 11th September to inaugurate a new astro-turf cricket pitch laid out on the Common by Lambeth Council.

The 40 overs match will also celebrate 280 years of cricket being played on the Common and mark the publication of a new book detailing the local history of the sport, called “Streatham and the Summer Game – A History of Cricket in Streatham 1731-2010″ by Colin Hutton of Leithcote Gardens.

To officially launch the occasion the Mayor of Lambeth, Cllr. Christiana Valcarcel, will toss the coin at the Captain’s call at the start of the match.

The teams will include ex-Streatham Cricket Club and current Streatham and Marlborough Cricket Club players.

The event has been organised by the Streatham Society and the Friends of Streatham Common to publicise the new pitch and to encourage local people to participate in sport on the common.

Brian Bloice, Chairman of the Streatham Society, said he was delighted  that the centuries-old tradition of playing Cricket on the Common was being encouraged by Lambeth Council with the construction of the new astro-turf wicket.

“For almost 300 years the sound of leather on willow has been heard in Streatham as local people have enjoyed playing England’s national game on the common.

“Lambeth Council are to be congratulated for constructing this special pitch which hopefully will encourage new generations of residents to continue this long-standing tradition,” Brian said. Author, Colin Hutton, has spent several years researching the history of Cricket in Streatham and has traced the game back to at least 1731 when a local Streatham side challenged Clapham to a game on Streatham Common with a prize purse for the winner of 11 guineas (£11.55p).

“For almost eighty years the club played their home fixtures on Streatham  Common,” Colin said.

“The club subsequently moved to their own ground which occupied a site now covered by Gracefield Gardens, named to commemorate the great cricketer W. G. Grace who played there on a number of occasion at the turn of the 20th century.

“Streatham CC can count a Prime Minister among its past players as John Major played a couple of games for the Streatham Colts in 1960.

“Many members of the Club have played for Surrey, including Kingsmill James Key who captained the Surrey County eleven from 1894-99.

“Another member of the Streatham Club, the great sportsman C B Fry, was so admired internationally that he was invited to become the King of Albania –  an offer he politely declined.”

Over the years Streatham Cricket Club has merged with a number of local sides amalgamating with Marlborough (1870) CC in 2003, since when it has been known as The Streatham and Marlborough Cricket Club with its home ground at Cox’s Walk, Dulwich Common.

Copies of Colin’s book are available at £16.50p, including postage, from The Streatham Society, 220 Woodmansterne Road, Streatham, London SW16 5UA.

Chuka’s latest choon for the Sounds of Streatham feature is an old skool classic.

“Gypsy Woman” (She’s Homeless) by Crystal Waters

Chuka: “A totally superb track in every way – instantly recognisable and timeless”.

So far it’s just fences going up around the buildings which are due for demolition, including the leisure centre, Discount Carpets and The Car Wash. In the mean time, building work has started on the temporary ice rink in Brixton, which should be finished by the end of the year, at which point Streatham’s iconic rink will be knocked down.

JD Sports & T Mobile were attacked on Sunday night. Photo c/o Cllr Mark Bennett

With the rioting across London over the last few nights everyone, naturally, wants to know what’s happening in our area. Here’s an attempt at explaining the basics so far. Please, if you know more, use this page to give us more details so we can build up an accurate picture of what’s happening locally.

There were some minor attacks on shops on Sunday night with JD Sports and the T Mobile shop in the centre of Streatham getting attacked and looted. You can read the full story about that in the Streatham Guardian here. Chuka Umunna also issued a statement in response to these first wave of attacks. Last night as the riots spread across London Streatham appeared to escape relatively unscathed, although there were reports of some more attacks including on Carphone Warehouse and Blockbuster Video. Initial reports suggested Blockbusters was on fire, although this was later explained as a “smoke cloak” designed to go off during an intrusion. Police were reported on the scene making arrests. There were also reports of a fire on Streatham Common, although this appears to have been due to the smell of burning from Croydon. Others reported seeing groups of masked men and a car jacking near Streatham Common.

Blockbuster Video - attacked on Monday night. Photo c/o @StupidGirl45

Many shops boarded up their windows as a precautionary measure only. There were reports this morning of signs on bus stops and railings saying “Peace & Love”. For further information on any ongoing disturbances follow the Streatham search on Twitter or follow @StreathamPulse which will be re-tweeting any significant reports. If you have any pictures please send them to streathampulse@gmail.com so we can try to sort through the misinformation and build an accurate picture.

Stay safe.

LIVE UPDATE

Further reports from last night are that the Texaco Petrol Station on Streatham Common was attacked, as was the Streatham Vale Co-op. Reports from the Streatham Guardian here.

Blockbuster Video - attacked on Monday night. Photo c/o @StupidGirl45

Westbury Chemist boarded up. Photo c/o @StupidGirl45

LIVE UPDATE: TUESDAY

13.48

People on Twitter are reporting that there is looting going on in Streatham & Thornton Heath right now. Can anyone confirm this?

13:58

South London Motorcycles have apparently shut up shop due to trouble starting.

14.00

Reports that shops are being boarded up in Streatham. Police sirens down the High Road.

14.02

Lee Alley, of the Streatham Business Board has just tweeted ” No one’s rioting in Streatham. Just back from the High Rd 5 mins ago and it’s calm and most shops are open”

14:09

Some excellent photos of the damage have just been posted on The Streatham Network by Mark Oxley http://streathampulse.ning.com/profiles/blogs/streatham-lootings?xg_source=shorten_twitter

14.38

Rumours continue that there is trouble headed for Streatham & Thornton Heath but no confirmed reports yet. The police have apparently been warning businesses to close early.

15.25

Reports of quiet and calm in Streatham continue. Meanwhile BBC news is showing footage of Boris Johnson holding a broom in his hand and speaking to the crowds in Clapham Junction. He’s greeted mainly with cheers from the volunteers who’ve come out to clean up.

15:30

Streatham Town Centre Manager, Angelina Purcell has issued this statement to local businesses.

Dear All

I write to share with you my disappointment at what is happening in our town centres up and down the country. Of course my greatest disappointment is with the damage caused to Streatham businesses and the awful atmosphere we are left with because of the actions of a few. Sadly there are rumours that more criminal activity might take place in Streatham, so I am therefore asking you to be vigilant and protective of your property and your good self.

Our Police teams are really stretched to their limits and are trying their very best to maintain law and order in Streatham. I am hopeful that this totally unacceptable behaviour will be halted in the near future, so we can return to normality and get on with building Streatham. In the meantime I will email you updates on this situation as and when I hear anything.

If you have any concerns about your safety, ring 999 in the first instance or 101 to report non urgent issues. Should any criminal damage occur to your property, contact your insurance company without delay.

As ever, I wish you and your business well.

Angelina

16:55

The police have issued a statement to local businesses which says, amongst other things…

“At this time criminal activity is taking place across a number of areas. There is no intelligence of specific targeting of identified business premises.

The Operation Withern team is continuing their investigation to identify those people responsible for the violence, disorder and crime we have seen to ensure that they are brought to justice. You may notice an increase in the number of police officers in your area and this should not be cause for alarm”. This is followed by a list of precautionary measures to take.

17.05

Lambeth Council have published a page on their website with advice for staying safe.  http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/CommunityLiving/CrimePrevention/StaySafe.htm

17:18

Ben Chan sent this photo in that he took on Monday after the Multi Service Centre in Streatham Hill was attacked and looted.

Multi Service Centre - looted on Sunday. Photo c/o Ben Chan Piano

17:25

Alex Beaton or @ali_beaton just published this photo on Twitter of police armoured vehicles heading down through Streatham. Apparently they carried on straight through towards Norbury & Croydon.

Photo c/o Alex Beaton

18.30

Continued reports of quiet and calm in Streatham. It’s been described as a ghost town. Shops and businesses shut.

@davidward81 has tweeted “Some bloke getting a parking ticket by the Odeon. Police must be bored. #Streatham”.

18.48

There are reports that about fifteen of the armoured cars are driving slowly back up Streatham High road in a show of force, while helicopters fly overhead. No trouble so maybe it’s working.

Meanwhile The Streatham Guardian have published photos of looters caught on camera in West Norwood last night. police are appealing for information about them.

http://www.streathamguardian.co.uk/news/9185663.Do_you_know_these_people__caught_on_camera_in_West_Norwood_/?ref=rss

19.03

Several businesses have remained open and are apparently doing a roaring trade, including Kennedy’s Fish & Chips, The Mediterranean Supermarket and Taylor’s pub.

20.53

Chuka Umunna is talking live on BBC News. He’s saying this is an issue for families as well as police and politicians.

He’s suggested Blackberry Messenger be disabled from 6pm – 6am and that curfews be considered on a borough by borough basis.

21.49

Chuka is now talking to locals outside Taylors.

Chuka Umunna MP outside Taylor's - Photo by @jimboblio via Twitter

22.15

Local blogger, StupidGirl45, AKA Becky, has published her own blog post about the events of the last few days, which you can read here.

22.42

London is relatively quiet and calm tonight. The mood in Streatham seems to be a mixture of relief and pride in our community. Goodnight Streatham. Sleep tight.

*PRESS RELEASE*********************
Street Theatre in Streatham
Saturday 6 August 2011, 1pm-4.30pm

An afternoon of colour and music heads along Streatham High Road – expect to see a glorious Carmen Miranda accompanied by her exceptional Toucan (created by legendary South London carnival company Mandinga) bringing a flavour of carnival to the High Road.

With them will be the outstanding Bloco Fogo, whose drummers combine their amazing energy and visual impact to create a riot of colour, movement and infectious rhythms. Their roots are as a samba band playing traditional instruments and rhythms from the different regions of Brazil, and including other influences from Africa, Cuba & modern dance grooves.

Also joining the parade is Simon Taylor, stilt walking magician extraordinaire.  He will be performing close up magic tricks (from a height) for the curious and unsuspecting….

Come and find us, stop the parade for a magic trick or two and just have a dance in the street!  We will be leaving from Sunnyhill Road at 1pm and heading to Telford Avenue and back, then on to The Green for around 3.30pm where there will also be children’s songs and games hosted by The White Lion.

Angelina Purcell, Town Centre Manager said, ‘It is our aim to help make Streatham a vibrant and lively place and this event with its carnival flavour will create a great buzz! Do come out on Saturday and support your town centre and local businesses’.

This event is a partnership between Lambeth Council Town Centre Management and Streatham Festival Association.

Carmen Miranda - Mandinga Arts

Local community group, Streatham Action, is holding a couple of events for the locals. The first is tonight. Details of both are below.

Thurs 14th July  7.00pm English Martyrs Church Hall, 2 Mitcham Lane, Streatham, SW16 6NN
Streatham Action Public Engagement Meeting
Streatham Action invite you to join them for their Summer Public Engagement meeting next Thursday 14th July, 7.00pm at English Martyrs Church Hall.  Joined by representatives from Lambeth Council, local business’s and organisations in Streatham, there will be updates on important Streatham issues, including the latest hub developments, regeneration and transport plans, the newly created Friends of Streatham Green, STC’s proposal to set up a Business Improvement District (BID) plus a chance to hear what the young people of Streatham really think about the area they live in.  Don’t miss your opportunity to put your questions to the floor.

Saturday 23rd July  Noon – 3.00pm
Streatham Celebrates the Games
As part of London 2012 Open Weekend, Streatham Action, The Friends of Streatham Green, Streatham Town Centre are teaming up with Lambeth to celebrate ONE YEAR TO GO until the Olympics.  Join them on a Summer Parade leaving Sunnyhill House on Sunnyhill Road at 12 noon for a walk along Streatham’s pavements to Streatham Green.  South Connections Carnival Performers will be accompanied by a live Samba Band and a very tall stilt walker.  There’s also a great opportunity to nominate some of your children to wear one 20 butterfly costumes and have their face painted.  Do you know someone who deserves to be chosen for this special event?  The parade leads to Streatham Green where an afternoon of fun activities takes place until 3.00pm including Boxing & Fencing workshops, Face painting, balloon modeling, giant chess, accompanied by the wonderful sounds of Southside Harmonics steel pans.  For more information or to take part please contact Anna on 07973 711173 or email agodsiff@hotmail.com

As Chuka continues his rapid rise through the ranks of the Labour Party, Streatham Pulse continues to amass a comprehensive collection of the favorite music of one of British Politics’ busiest men.

This week the new Shadow Minister for Small Business & Enterprise has once again found a moment to let us know how he winds down, with his latest choice for ‘Sounds of Streatham’.

“Believe” (original mix) by Soldiers of Twilight

Chuka: “A beautiful deep soulful house track – perfect to kick back to after a long, busy week”.

Chuka will be back soon with more Sounds of Streatham.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

by Kyra Kellawan

I once had to do a Criminal Records Bureau check at work to be able to do volunteer work with some little’uns, and had to list my addresses for the past five years. I couldn’t remember every postcode, of course. There were at least six or seven addresses – I’m sure every other London-dweller has a similar tale to tell.

I think it’s gone something like this: Orpington (shudder), Southampton (university, a.k.a. many, many long days of pyjamas, films and the munchies), Balham (the first sweet taste of SW London and will always remain close to my heart), East Dulwich (lovely, green, but enormous 4×4 buggy central), Tooting (a near escape), Clapham (rah, happy singledom and bars, yah?), and finally Streatham (which brought domestic bliss, in an unloved area of SW2 that feels a bit now to me like a ratty old pair of shoes that are also my favourite and I can’t throw away). And so it goes.

In less than 3 weeks, I’ll be upping sticks again to an area colloquially known as ‘Little Lisbon’, which is enough to make me all dreamy-eyed thinking about that fantastic city I love, with the beautiful horizon and the seascape and the trams and the elevadores and the fado and the inevitable pasteis de Belem.

All right, with that I fear I may be building it up a smidge, but our new flat will be a 15 minute walk from the river and the Tate Britain, a stone’s throw from the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, that queer institution of raucous comedy and drag acts (a local tells me that Lily Savage lived on our street once), and already, putting out the feelers for local community projects and hangouts is really coming up trumps. A search for ‘Pilates classes Vauxhall’ brought me to theBonnington Centre, a Community association in a sweet little house in Vauxhall Grove which lets rooms out by the hour for classes, meetings and therapy sessions, hence they have a regular schedule of yoga, tango, acupuncture, psychotherapy and bi-monthly film screenings, plus a cafe.

A stroll around the new neighbourhood a couple of weekends ago saw us find a unique venue which has been winning accolades for its café’s food from everything from the Evening Standard and Time Out to May’s Eurostar magazine, so it’s generated quite a buzz. This is the Brunswick House Café, located at the Lassco architectural salvage shop at Vauxhall Cross. Walking through its many rooms stuffed with antiquities, reproductions and oddities, it feels like a museum you can touch everything in – an appealing cross between John Soane’s house, the Antiques Roadshow, and a very upmarket car boot sale. Iswear I will never buy another mirror or door handle at Ikea again.

So, an exciting new set of delights to discover awaits us. But as with all new beginnings, something else must end, and so we have to say goodbye to Streatham Hill. I’ve come to feel a fondness for this area too, although unloved by many and considered to be on the periphery of what is an appropriate commute from our friends in North London to come and see us, it has a charm all of its own and the most diverse community cross-section I’ve ever come across, in any part of London I’ve ever lived. Good work is being done here, too – from the valiant efforts of StreathamPulse to both unite and inform to the laudable local work of our MP Chuka Umunna. There are so many new businesses here which are thriving too, from the gorgeous Earl Grey and Rose cafe to The Hamlet bar and Thompson’s deli adjacent to Streatham Hill station. The latest addition which has drawn rave reviews is The Manor Arms gastropub on Mitcham Lane, serving up Sunday roasts at £15 a pop and pulling in the punters. Me? I’m just as happy at Bar 61, drinking cheap red wine and nibbling on tapas for under £4 a plate. The point is, there’s variety, and it’s a good thing. I’m sure there’s more on the way for Streatham, and it will be a shame to leave just as it finds its feet. But good things await SW2 and SW16 – of that I have no doubt.

KNIT THE TOWN RED WHITE AND BLUE

The question was asked

The answer was given

The date was set.

The invitations were sent.

The Ninjas were at a loose end.

The wool was ordered.

The needles were polished.

(after all this was to be a very special occasion)

New recruits were added to the wooly warriors.

16 hours before the big event the ninjas gathered.

Operating under the theory that the safest place to hide is in a crowd, and in the interests of seamlessly blending in several rounds of drink were ordered.

After a bit of last minute casting off all was set.

With all the subtlety of an elephant in tap shoes the Ninjas applied their stealth training and set to the large pile of knitted goodness.

Soon the interest of the other drinkers was peaked.

Crys of “Oh its the Ninjas” went up.

A crowd gathered, but the Ninjas true to their training blended seamlessly in to their backgrounds.

In the morning Ninja One returned to the scene of the crime to take some daylight shots.

And a little last minute Ninjafication of the pub.

Unfortunately someone had misread the timetable of events and it turned out that the wedding procession was not in fact passing through this sleepy backwater of South London.

Happy Royal Wedding Day.

Love Nora xx

Gentrification?

I went to the launch of the Manor Arms. Me and everyone else in Streatham (or, I  secretly suspect, certain people in hunting jackets who may or may not have been imported from Hampstead for the evening.) The lovely assistant manager gave us a friendly greeting at the door. She was enthusiastic about the possibilities for the area. “They say it’s the next Balham or Clapham”. Oh do ‘they’. Well, ‘they’ have been saying that for the last 10 years.  ‘They’ also say we’re next for a tube expansion. ‘They’ are invariably estate agents or new arrivals to the ‘hood. I didn’t want to piss on her bonfire, but one has to correct people sometimes. She wasn’t from round here, you see.

Anyway, this isn’t a review of the Manor Arms. There are many of them and there will be many more to come, I’m sure. Nothing gets Time Out to SW16 like a £21 steak. For the record, the place looks great. Lets see how they get on. My job is simply to rant about gentrification.

Gentrification. It’s a loaded word. There was a time not so long ago when I was well up for it, but now I’m not so sure. I even thought the arrival of Foxtons was a good thing for the area. Before I panicked about house prices. I don’t own a house you see. But I do have frightfully middle class ambitions for life. What does gentrification mean? If it means that places like the White Lion can’t exist, or that independent restaurants and bars can’t start up because Strada and All Bar One are willing to pay higher rents, then we need to resist it with gusto.

What would really be a good thing for Streatham would not be so much gentrification, but bohemisation. Which is a fairly crap word, I admit.  What I mean is that small independent business serving local needs need to be able to thrive. We’ve avoided Starbucks, but for how long? I find it incredibly depressing that Café Nero is often so busy that people can’t get a seat. Coffee shops were one thing we already had. Loads of them. Good ones too, independent ones. Where every pound spent was spent supporting local businesses. And we have some truly lovely independent business. Earl Grey and Rose. Fish Tale. The Hamlet, and many more.

There are several reasons why Streatham will never be the next Clapham or Balham. 1. Streatham already had its hey day. Lightening doesn’t hit the same place twice (maybe). 2. The tube (or lack of it). 3. The shape. Long and thin and choked with traffic. If anyone’s got some bright ideas for sorting that out then speak up and speak loud. And finally, the biggest reason: 4. I don’t think people want it to be. This is quite simply the least pretentious place in London, and it’s all the better for it.

Anyway, I’m in the Manor Arms now, I admit. I’m a complete and utter phoney. I think driving is bad. I drive. I think gentrification is bad. I go to gastropubs. But I don’t think I need to worry about gentrification just yet. I just looked out of the window. Streatham has some way to go yet.

[insert generic St. Reatham joke]

The rumours are true. For the past week news has drifted through Streatham that American singer/songwriter, Willy Mason, had been spotted in Streatham and that he was planning a secret gig at The White Lion. Today the rumours have been confirmed. It turns out he’s been recording his latest album nearby and staying in the hostel at the pub. He’s planning to debut his new material tomorrow night (Wednesday 6th) at a free gig at the The White Lion so get down there early and make sure you get a front row spot.

Here’s the official press release from The White Lion…

In the mean time why not get in the mood by checking out these Willy videos below.

Chuka’s back with more Sounds of Streatham, showing us once again how he’s putting the HOUSE in the House of Commons.

Timmy Vegas ft Jennifer Wallace – ‘Can’t Make It Through Another Day’ – Grant Nelson Mix

Chuka: “Cracking mix of this soulful house track by the remixer/producer extraordinaire, Grant Nelson.”

Chuka will be back again soon with more ‘Sounds of Streatham‘.

Streatham’s Town Centre Manager, Angelina Purcell has got some more news.

Angelina previously managed Croydon’s town centre and held the post of Chief Executive of Croydon Chamber of Commerce. It was during this time that she was awarded an MBE for services to business development and international trade in South london.

“Spring is finally here and as usual there’s a lot happening in our Town Centre. Below is a quick snapshot of activity to keep you up to date. On a sad note, the current financial climate has impacted on two town centre initiatives, but nevertheless Streatham marches onwards and upwards!”

EVENTS

- The 13^th annual Kite Day event takes place on 10^th April on Streatham Common. Over 2000 visitors are expected to attend this free event, enjoying the beautiful kites, food and other attractions. For more info visit www.streathamkiteday.org.uk

REGENERATION

- The Tesco Hub scheme has now commenced in earnest with permission to build the temporary Ice Rink in Brixton granted. This facility is due to be completed in the autumn, at which time demolition will commence at the Streatham site and our new leisure centre, Ice rink, residential properties and Tesco supermarket delivered in late 2013.

- Part of the Streatham Hill Megabowl site will be demolished this week to make way for a temporary town centre car park. The developers are also continuing discussions with major retailers to identify an anchor store for the scheme.

- Due to public sector cuts, the Council funded shop fronts improvement scheme will no longer be taking place. In addition, plans to the remove the A23 central barriers between Woodbourne Ave and Wavertree road have been postponed. These recent developments are clearly disappointing for the town centre, but the search goes on to identify alternate sources of funding for these schemes.

- A new Friends of Streatham Green group has been launched with the aim of making the Green safer, more attractive and welcoming to all. Watch out for ‘Giant Chess on the Green’ on Wednesday 30^th March and Wednesday 13^th April from1pm – 3pm.

- Just a reminder that Southern is carrying out gas mains replacement works in 3 phases along Streatham High Road until 27 May 2011. Inevitably there will be some disruption to traffic, but hopefully this will be minimal. For further info contact 0845 305 1234 or www.tfl.gov.uk/contact

IMPROVED TRADING ENVIRONMENT

- The Gleneagle Road area of Streatham town centre is the focus of multi-agency task force to improve the area. In partnership with local businesses, the Council and the Safer Neighbourhood Police, efforts will be made to improve refuse collection, cleansing, access to parking, and the general trading environment.

- The Met Police Operation Hannah has gone live and Streatham benefits from 14 additional Police Officers. We now have a greater Police presence in the Town Centre as well as Officers working later hours.

NEW BUSINESSES

- If you haven’t already been there, you really need to try out the revamped Manor Arms Pub. Following a £350,000 refurbishment, the new gastro pub is child friendly and serves delicious food and drinks in beautiful surroundings.

Bye for now!

Angelina Purcell

For more information about how sections of the stained glass windows will be included in the Streatham Hub development you can read this interesting discussion on The Streatham Network in which, Tim Barnsley, a member of the Streatham Hub Design Working Group, explains how the plans have developed.

Click on the images for a larger view.

Photo by Kevin Arnold

Photo by Kevin Arnold

Corridors under pool. Photo by Kevin Arnold.

Saunas etc. Photo by Kevin Arnold.

Sauna. Photo by Kevin Arnold

Gym. Photo by Kevin Arnold.

Reception. Photo by Kevin Arnold.

Streatham Leisure Centre - CLOSED. Photo by Kevin Arnold.

Tomorrow morning Streatham’s local environmental group, Sustainable Streatham will be holding a public meeting to discuss that question. For those of you not involved in the group or not aware of the Transition Town movement – but who are interested in local green issues – this could be for you. Sustainable Streatham has been together for several years and has laid the ground work for a strong local environmental movement but the question of how to scale up their achievements in such a way as to make a real noticeable difference throughout the community is something they hope to answer at the meeting. SuS member Philip Valentino will be chairing the discussion which will take place tomorrow, Saturday 19th March 10am – 11:45am at The White Lion Pub – Community Room. The meeting is open to anyone, making this a great opportunity for new members to come along and get involved with the group at just the time when they might be about to take things to the next level.

Some of the things the group hope to acheive include the protection and rebuilding of our natural capital with projects such as creating a food growing space next to the rookery, working with the Council and TFL to make a more bike friendly Streatham and to influence planning issues – “Why not a green space on top of the proposed Tesco?” It is hoped that if the decision is made to become a Transition Town it will help achieve these things and much more by tapping in to the wealth of information, contacts and successful working practices that the Transition Network brings.

For more information on the Transition Town movement you can check out the Transition Network, or read this interview with Alexis Rowell, the author of ‘Communities, Councils and a Low Carbon Future’ or you can simply watch this brief but interesting video.

The old ABC cinema in Streatham closed in 2000 and four years later it was knocked down and turned in to flats. However, the front of the building was retained due to a grade two listed building status, which protected the facade and the foyer. It has been available to rent as a restaurant space ever since but no one so far has taken it on. As these pictures show, it was restored beautifully and is nothing short of spectacular inside.

Originally called The Regal, it opened on 14th November 1938 with Ginger Rogers in “Vivacious Lady” and Shirley Ross in “Prison Farm”. Designed in the Art Deco style by Associated British Cinemas in house architect, William Riddle Glen. The grand double staircase, typical of a Glen design, remains as the prominent feature of the building. In 1960 the Regal was re-named ABC and later briefly became a Cannon Cinema before being bought back by ABC. It re-gained that name until its closure in December 2000. Some time after that squatters moved in, holding illegal raves in the empty building and apparently causing several fires before it was bought by developers and converted in to the flats, which now take up the majority of the site.

It is thought that the staircase, despite being its greatest feature, has become the biggest barrier in finding someone willing to take over the lease. So much of the floor space is taken up by the staircase that the usable seating area for a restaurant is limited. It may only make financial sense to use it as a very expensive, high end restaurant. But can Streatham sustain such a business? So far no one’s been willing to take that chance, although rumour has it that Jamie Oliver was once interested (perhaps he was drawn to the area  by the near by Indian restaurant, Pukka?).

Although it was not actively advertised for some time, recently the Estate agents sign has reappeared and the doors have been boarded up to protect it from vandals. Do the landlords think that the time may now be right for such a business to invest in Streatham? The way it’s now being advertised suggests that maybe the case. Perhaps they heard that we’ve now got a jazz club and a gastro pub in town! Let’s hope something happens with the site soon because it is a crime that it’s sitting empty.

It’s been less than two weeks since The Streatham Ninja Knitters got everyone talking about their particular style of urban arts & crafts. Now Streatham has got another form of street art popping up everywhere. These chalk shadow sketches, signed Chalkers 2011, have appeared throughout the length of Streatham’s long High Road. They depict the shadows cast by various bits of street furniture, from bike rails to traffic lights and bus stops to lamp posts.

It’s a style of street art that’s been around for some time – you can see some excellent examples of shadow art here - but it’s new to Streatham and there’s a lot of it. Though not for long. As soon as we get some rain it’ll be gone so why not head out for a walk this week while the sun’s shining and see it for yourself, while you still can?

Ice Arena Colour - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregask

When I moved to Streatham, an old friend (who lives in Detroit, where they take their ice skating pretty seriously) had actually heard of it, exclaiming “they have a world-class ice rink there!”

To put this into perspective of how famous this is, this is a woman whose knowledge of London pretty much consists of “the Tower of London – and that big clock on the river!”

Anyway. They’re now knocking it (and the swimming baths next door) down – to build a Tesco’s.

Because, you know, when I describe my hometown to friends in the States, that’s what’s gonna impress them – we have a world class Tesco’s here.

Not.

(Note: There is also a black and white version of this picture here.)

Sharman's Streatham - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregaskin

This is my bus stop. Streatham High Street once won an award for “ugliest high street in Britain” which is crazytalk because actually there is some incredibly beautiful architecture, if you can ignore the shop fronts and look UP. There’s some stunning Art Deco, Victorian and Arts and Crafts buildings surviving from the first floor up. I have no idea what Sharman’s was, but it’s a lovely building. Also, the Sainsburys to the right has just undergone a refurbishment, and 100 years worth of grime and dirt was cleaned off the brick, revealing lovely mellow red and cream brickwork.

Pen and ink, with colour washes in photoshop.

Tate Library Streatham - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregaskin

This is my library. I walk past it every morning, glancing up at the clock to see if I’m late for work. Unfortunately, the clock has, actually, recently stopped – at exactly the time I need to be leaving the house if I’m going to be on time for work. Which fools me into thinking I’m on time when I’m really late.

Lambeth Libraries are, in point of fact, excellent. During periods between contract work and under/unemployment this library has been an absolute lifeline for me. I think I read from one end of the “maths and science” section to the other, just trying to keep my brain active between jobs, and keeping up to date with skills. (And also, just keeping from going mad with boredom by looking at the pretty art books.) I’m terrified of what’s going to happen to it, with the cuts. I may have a job now – but what happens to the next person who needs it to learn new skills? This is a resource of incalculable value.

(Note: The clock has since been fixed but the library may still be at risk. There is also an alternate version of this picture for kids to print out and colour in available here.)

Streatham Swimming Baths - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregaskin

A beautiful building, dating from the 1920s, which is now, as you can see, boarded up.

For a full reason why, see Streatham Pulse but short version:

-Streatham has world-famous ice rink and nice swimming baths
-Tesco buy both, promising regeneration when a transport hub is built bringing the Tube to Strreatham
-Tube cometh not.
-Tesco let the buildings rot until the beautiful glass covering the pool is ready to fall in, making the place too dangerous to swim in
-Tesco and Lambeth “consult the public” and ignore everything the public says, and decide to move the rink to Brixton (supposedly for 3 years, but we’ve no guarantee it’s coming back) and just knock down the swimming baths, glass and all

Streatham now has: No rink, no pool, no Tube and YET ANOTHER giant supermassive Tesco that no one wanted in the first place because there is a supermassive Sainsburys and a supermassive Morrisons literally 50 yards in either direction.

Twin Cottages - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregaskin

There’s a whole street of these cute brick semi-detached houses behind the cinema in Streatham, but I particularly loved the complimentary colour schemes on these two. Also the adorable pepperpot dormer windows that make the houses look so alert.

Farm Road Brick - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregaskin

The neighbourhood I live in is known locally as “Streatham Village” because it is the oldest part of the town. Farm Road was, indeed, once a farm, and the building to the right of this one was once a dairy. This, however, is one of a pair of early Victorian semi-detached cottages with beautiful detailing.

I love the line of the roof, how the angle is so perfect that the sweep of the roof just forms one long line.

UPDATE: Since this post was published it has been picked up by the Londonist website as their ‘Best Arts Post Of The Week’. Karen has also produced two more Streatham pictures – Caesars & The Megabowl. Here they are along with her comments.

Caesars - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregaskin

It’s a hard building to love. When I first moved to Streatham, I was told to avoid walking outside Caesar’s, especially after dark, as it had an insalubrious reputation for gang-related, alcohol fuelled violence. It was, however, undoubtedly iconic, with its flashy mirrored front and statue of Caesar in a chariot with four horses, which made quite an imposing sight from passing busses.

It wasn’t until much later that I found out that under the mirrors and grime was the historic Locarno Ballroom, once the glamourous centrepiece to Streatham nightlife in its incarnation as the “West End” of South London. (In its 60s discoteque incarnation, it hosted bands from the Rolling Stones to the Who.) The theatres, nightclubs and movie palaces still line the high street, but now they have been converted to bingo halls, flats – and Caesars, along with its neighbour the Megabowl, awaits demolition. For what to built in its place? That hasn’t been decided yet, so the buildings, with their history and imposing architecture, are simply left to rot.

Streatham Pulse’s interesting article on the history of Caesars/Locarno Ballroom is well worth a read.

This is what it looked like when it was first built.

Streatham Megabowl - All rights reserved by Karen D Tregaskin

Another of the great movie palaces of Streatham which is facing the wrecking ball in the same redevelopment as Caesar’s. It appears that the facade, with its beautiful brickwork, will be retained in the new building, which is heartening, given that the facade miraculously survived a V1 rocket during WWII which severely damaged the rear of the building.

Urban Exploration have some photos of the inside, after it was boarded up. Apparently the bowling lanes took up only a fraction of the building, leaving the rest cinema paraphernalia untouched since the 1960s.

On Galliano and Streatham

When I hear the name Galliano, I don’t really associate it with Streatham.

My first thought is of the tall thin bottle of Galliano, a sickly yellow Italian liqueur, that used to stand behind the bar in the pub my parents ran. It’s the main ingredient of a Harvey Wallbanger, which in the Iron Duke wasn’t the usual tipple of choice – a pint of best was more the thing. But my parents had to keep a small supply of such things in an unassuming Berkshire pub, and keep dusting them, just in case the cocktail set pranced in.

My second thought would be of the excellent journalist Joseph Galliano, who I used to have dealings with when I was a Labour press officer.

Only thirdly would come fashion designer John Galliano. I knew vaguely of his connection with Streatham before his whole shameful ‘I love Hitler’ drunken tirade blew made the news. Galliano’s Streathamite credentials have been much quoted in the past few days, though only in the off-hand way that Naomi Campbell is always mentioned by journalists as being ‘Streatham-born’ when she does something wrong. Galliano, when he transgresses, is written about as ‘Streatham-raised’.

It’s all a shorthand for ‘Isn’t he or she actually a bit of a bad ‘un, a bit common, dodgy, dangerous?’, which of course ends up characterising Streatham in the minds of people who don’t live here.

Simon Callow, the distinguished actor, is ‘Streatham-born’ but you don’t read about that very often, if at all, in coverage of his career. Perhaps it’s because he talks with a plummy accent. Perhaps because he hasn’t committed any offence – if he did, I imagine he’d be written up as ‘Streatham-born’ in every paper.

Streatham has, and has always had, many good and strong things to recommend it, not least of which today is its diverse and vibrant community. Streatham’s history, its past, is fascinating. Its present is promising, despite the recession. And its future is in the hands, not so much of local councillors like me, but of its young people. So it’s not fair to them that journalists persist, deliberately and lazily, in using and abusing Streatham as a badge of disrepute.

That said, what is John Galliano’s connection with Streatham anyway? We know, through the official blurb, that he arrived here from Gibraltar at the age of 6 in 1966. His father worked as a plumber, apparently in the area. The family seems to have moved quite soon after arriving in the UK, decamping to Brockley (Lewisham). So ‘Streatham-raised’ is therefore pretty tenuous. We know he attended St Anthony’s, a Roman Catholic primary in Peckham Rye (Southwark), some distance away. After that, Wilson’s Grammar School for Boys in Camberwell (Southwark). Thereafter, St Martins College of Art, also not in Streatham. So is he really all that connected with Streatham?

Galliano’s anti-semitic comments, made in a bar in Paris, were disgusting. We have two synagogues in Streatham, numerous churches and mosques. Streatham, a diverse place which is its strength, does not represent the mindset of people like John Galliano. As an openly gay man, he should also know and feel sorrow and anger for the 100,000 homosexuals imprisoned or locked away in mental institutions by the Nazis, and of the 15,000 who died in death camps wearing pink triangles. Being brought up a Catholic, he should feel sorrow and anger for the deaths of 3,000 Polish clergy at the hands of the Nazis. Above all, he should feel sorrow and anger at the fate of 6 million Jews.

It is obvious to me that living in the glittering, pampered bubble of high fashion in Paris, and being indulged for years in his behaviour, has been Galliano’s downfall, not any vague connection with SW2 or SW16.

After last months three track US house & garage special, Chuka is back with three more tunes to take you in to the weekend.

Chuka: “In honour of Soul II Soul who are performing at the RoundHouse this eve, here is my Sounds of Streatham Soul II Soul Special.”

3 track Soul II Soul special selection:

Fairplay feat. Rose Windross (1988)
Keep on Movin feat. Caron Wheeler (1989)
Back to Life feat. Caron Wheeler (1989)

Chuka: “The first ever gig I went to was Soul II Soul at Brixton Academy in the very early 90s and I will never forget it. Too many people in the soul music firmament in the UK simply mimic our brothers and sisters across the pond in the U.S. Soul II Soul were completely different. Their music was groundbreaking – urban, multicultural (David Cameron, take note!), soulful and quintessentially British in sound. My big regret was that I was too young to go to their legendary Funki Dred raves at the Africa Centre in London. They never got the recognition they deserved from the British music industry – ultimately this led to the setting up of the MOBO Awards and other initiatives. Soul II Soul – we salute you!

“All their videos were cool too!”

You can buy music by Soul II Soul here on

Image art by Becky Dreistadt of Funky Quail Studios - Not connected to the Streatham Ninja Knitters

A couple of days ago news came to light that overnight some “guerilla street knitting” had appeared, covering the metal cycle barriers on Potters Lane near Streatham Common station. Yesterday all became clear when Streatham Pulse received an email from a mysterious group known as the Streatham Ninja Knitters. Here’s what they had to say…

“The Ninja knitters are a group of people who live in the Ferrers triangle area behind the ice rink. They are a fluid group of like minded souls who, after many hours close study of such uplifting and enlightening texts as “Woman’s Weekly” December 1972 edition and “Women’s own” 1952- 57, realised that the only way to live a good, clean and just life was to take up the needles, not in anger but in love. They plan to make Streatham a warmer, more cuddly place by knitting it up in a fluffy cozy.
“Having launched their TOP SECRET project on the unsuspecting and heart warningly grateful public of SW16, they are in the advanced planning stages of the ULTRA TOP SECRET project. They will be recruiting more members soon and shall be issuing a communiqué to this effect.”

Their message was accompanied by this strange little video proving that they are indeed responsible for this attack of urban arts and crafts. Expect to see more street knitting. As the message at the end of the video reads… “This is only the beginning”.

The Hix & Buck pop up wine bar and shop will be open again from Thursday until Saturday from 12pm until 12am at 227 Streatham High Road. Their launch night was a great success but you’ve only got until the end of next week before the pop-up disappears so get down there while you can. Click here for more details.

The Earl Ferrers Pub on Ferrers Road will be holding a charity fundraiser to raise money for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal on Saturday. The event will feature typical Kiwi food, a card magic workshop in the afternoon and live Djs throughout the day and the evening. Chuka Umunna MP will be there at 2pm to add his support to the event. It looks like it should be a great day so why not head over, have fun and do your bit for a great cause!

Flaming Nora’s childrens sewing workshops will be taking place at Immanuel Youth Club this Saturday. Classes are at 10.30 and 12.30 for kids aged 6+.

The Streatham Redskins ice hockey team will be playing at home to The Romford Raiders on Saturday. This will be the last season that they they will be playing at the current Streatham Ice Rink before its demolition so why not get down there now and support the team while you still can? Details here.

The White Lion will be playing host to Vivid Nation, the Canterbury based band, on Friday and Brighton Music Award winners, Raising Maise and Poor Little Pirrette, supported by Spanish rockers, Apex on Saturday.

The Hideaway will also be hosting live music as usual from Wednesday through ’til Sunday, with comedy nights on Friday and Sunday too. Click here for details of all the acts performing at Streatham’s excellent jazz and comedy club.

A new group called Joined Up Streatham will be hosting craft workshops on Sunday. This will be the first in a series of pop-up craft events springing to life in and around Streatham. These first workshops will include upcycling and recycling of old unwanted items to turn them in to new clothes, bags, accessories and even puppets. The event will be taking place at the charity shop ‘Give a Little’ at 71 Streatham Hill, SW2 4TX. For details of how to sign up click here but be quick because there aren’t many places left. However if you’re too late to sign up there will be some more informal sessions too plus free tea and cake.

If you haven’t seen the Oscar winning Kings Speech yet you can catch it this weekend at The Streatham Odeon. Also showing are The Black Swan and True Grit as well several other films that weren’t quite deemed Oscar worthy. Full listings are here.

And finally, if you haven’t yet visited the newly re-opened Manor Arms then this weekend is as good a time as any. Expect it to be busy as it’s getting rave reviews for the quality of its food and drink. A proper gastro pub has crash landed in Streatham.

Last week saw opposition against government cuts gather pace further, as several council meetings around London – including one in Lambeth Town Hall – were overtaken by protesters trying to stop the councils from voting through their budgets. Protesters accuse the Labour Council in Lambeth of doing the governments dirty work. Councillors claim they have no choice but to pass a legal budget based on the funding they’ve been given from central government. No one can win in this argument and the protests ultimately proved to be futile, as the budget was quietly voted through in a private room upstairs, while the protesters were attracting all the publicity downstairs.

One Streatham resident has taken a very different approach to her opposition of the governments policies. Amma Mensah contacted Streatham Pulse to voice her concern at the current state of the country/economy, saying that “rather than smash windows at Millbank and attack the royal convoy, (unfortunately leading to the branding of all disgruntled students as violent anarchists), I decided to write a song”. The song she’s written is a reworking of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, which she has re-titled ConDemtion Song. She describes it as “a refreshingly satirical take on British politics”.  She’s also made a very good video to go with it.

The song is released under the pseudonym, Adynkrah. Her boig claims that “Adynkrah was born on the 30/01/2011. Although she has only just arrived she has come equipped with a number of firm beliefs and values; none more prevalent than honesty, unity and respect. She lives somewhere between truth and ignorance, sanity and freedom. Just like the rest of us”!

Amma was in fact born in St Georges and has lived in Streatham her whole life. She’s a prolific songwriter and is currently working on an EP, which she hopes to release later this year. Her music is varied and eclectic but protest songs play a significant part. She describes protest music as “immensely important and effective! Music is something that can talk to everyone on all levels of society and in all languages of the world. Even if you are unable to understand the words, music communicates on levels deeper than conscious understanding. Music has always been used in campaigns to successfully promote ideology, sometimes to the listeners’ detriment. So why not the other way around”? She’s inspired by James Brown, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman and Redemption Song’s original writer, Bob Marley, all of whom she describes as “great political and social activists”.

You can visit her website here and listen to more of her music below…

Kyra writes the blog, Bitter Sweet City. Its tagline is “London & Other Places. Food & Other Things, For Your Delectation”. She can also be found on Twitter @bittersweetcity.

Earl Grey & Rose Supper Club, Streatham SW16.

Sated. That would be the word I would use to describe my first Streatham supper club experience a little over two weeks ago. I could also use satisfied, stuffed, satiated and replete. I’m not just talking about the food though. I’m talking about an evening spent in good company, with the warmest of welcomes from our hosts AND the bonus of some truly excellent, hearty cooking.

The day beforehand, I had been on the bus on the way to work, scrolling through twitter, and I had seen the supper club advertised by @streathampulse. Nothing escapes the all-seeing, all-knowing streathampulse feed, you see, and given that I always like to sniff out a good local meal, I made a mental note to investigate further. When I saw that it was just the next evening, I didn’t think I would be able to go along, although I thought I probably should try to get to the next one. Lo and behold, later that day I received a text from my friend Malcolm asking if I would like to take up a spare ticket he had booked for the inaugaural evening (his girlfriend was poorly). Naturally I jumped at the chance and soon found myself calling the Earl Grey and Rose shop on Leigham Court Road to see if I could snatch one last spot for the Mister to accompany Malcolm and I.

So the next day  – a rainy, chilly Friday evening – we three found ourselves knocking on a grand-looking door on Gleneldon Road, and a blonde lady with a beaming face was welcoming us in to a spectacularly stylish house which was already full of people chattering and clinking glasses. Around 14 other dinner guests were already getting acquainted in the living room; an assortment of couples in their late twenties and early thirties, and several attractive, well-groomed women in their thirties and forties who were neighbours or friends of neighbours. I recognised another contributor to Streatham Pulse, @diddlysquat29, aka Alex, who was there with his other half, and was immediately glad I already knew others, although there was no need to be worried about striking up conversations – everyone was very friendly.

Our host, Lydia, gave us some ribbons to identify our bottles of wine, (BYO alcohol was specified) pointed out some canapés (smoked salmon blinis, mozzarella, basil and tomato bites, and some chorizo and gherkin sticks, amongst others) and went off to get us some glasses for prosecco. Her husband Mark, a jolly soul who also beamed at us, was soon filling up (and re-filling!) our vintage-looking glasses, encouraging us to nibble and enjoy the roaring open fire in the living room. It was a warm and inviting start, and we looked around, impressed by the tasteful décor and luxuriant furnishings. We chatted to a couple who had recently bought a home in Streatham and were seeking out a bit of the local scene.  It was pleasing to be able to explain the beauty of Streatham in a nutshell to them, and the guests at the supper club embodied this: that Streatham is a fantastically diverse neighbourhood, that people are friendly and unprejudiced, and that although it may not have the aspirational pull of Clapham or the trendy edginess of Brixton, it has a burgeoning scene all of its own, and a much more organically-grown one at that.

Anyway, back to the evening – soon the last of the dinner guests had arrived and we were called into the kitchen/diner, a long room with two tables laid out with beautiful initialled serviettes and more vintage accoutrements, like silver salt and pepper shakers and butter dishes – slightly mismatched, charming, and beautiful.

Our first course was a hearty and warming Vincisgrassi – a lasagne of porcini mushrooms, parma ham and truffle oil, which could have easily been a main course.  It was delicious – salty and cheesy, and crafted with egg pasta. It warmed us up nicely, and we could see that it was not going to be a night to watch our calorie intake – these hosts meant business with their portions!

Conversations flowed easily and the dining room was soon a low continual hubbub of appreciative noises.  Before long, more ENORMOUS portions were being dished up. The main course was announced as ‘slow-roasted rare breed pork with dauphinois potatoes, cavolo nero and French beans’. Between us all we may have eaten two whole pigs sliced into thick chops with succulent white meat and proper crackling, with creamy, garlicky potatoes and some lovely greens, which I’ve learned are the same as that perennial Scottish favourite, curly kale. Green beans were served in little side dishes to share and were cooked perfectly. For a moment as we all began, the table fell practically silent, bar a few murmurings of pleasure.

At this point, our hosts relaxed visibly. More wine was poured, and they managed to share a portion of the meal between them as they grabbed a rare chance to sit down. By the time most of us had made a fair stab at finishing our meals, we were groaning from being so full. I liked that Lydia and Mark hadn’t skimped on the food. Their cooking was full of heart.

We were given a brief respite from the calorific onslaught before being presented with perfectly set, largeish portions of panna cotta, speckled with vanilla and served with raspberries. All were in shock when Mark announced that they had been lovingly crafted with no fewer than fourteen pots of cream. A glamorous doctor we were sitting across from had eyes as big as saucers and joked about heart disease. This was seriously rich stuff, and not many could finish theirs, despite it being delicious.

However, there’s always room for some cheese, isn’t there? The penultimate course had been sitting on the counter behind us, wafting a scent every now and then to remind us of it presence. A surprising number of us gave a cheese plate a go. Somehow a few grapes made the load feel lighter.  And by then, bottles of wine were being drained and many of us were past caring about our waistlines. I was having a thoroughly good time. Lydia and Mark seemed to be too. And as the hosts relaxed, it all started to feel like we were at the home of old friends. They told us a little about their former businesses, and their holidays, and foodie inspiration, and it became clear (as if it hadn’t already) that they were lovely people who really cared about what they did. They also introduced their two adorable West Highland terriers to the table and won everyone over even more. I made a mental note to visit their shop on Leigham Court Road as I was sure it would be every bit as charming as their home was.

By the time Mark was offering coffees and petits fours it was getting on for midnight, so Malcolm, the Mister and I drained our glasses and decided we weren’t going to be those people who left last and kept the hosts up after an exhausting evening of cooking and entertaining. We paid the balance remaining for the £35 per head suggested donation. Lydia remarked that taking payment felt odd, and I saw that as a triumph – we all felt we had eaten with friends. We had eaten our fill, and more.

Before staggering onto a bus home, we still tried some homemade meringues in pretty pastel colours (the Mister declared these the best he’d eaten) and a couple of chocolates. Well, it would have been rude not to, wouldn’t it?

Richard Littler, a 37 year old sound engineer and DJ, will be running DJing workshops, which he says will involve “enjoying, appreciating and identifying music by playing and listening to records. They will be learning some DJ skills using record decks and mixers. We will also be using programs and controllers to record, create loops, tracks and mixes. I think it would be fantastic for the kids to learn something different each session. I’d also like to collaborate with some of the other workshops: song writing, dance, graphics, animation, etc… Musical appreciation and exploration is a great vehicle for communication and personal growth”. These sessions will be for an hour on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. The age groups will be determined by the ages of whoever signs up.

Anthony Ambrose, is a 25 year old businessman, who is running business start up workshops. He got involved because, he says, “I wasn’t always this fortunate and didn’t always have the opportunities I have today. My business is the fruit of hard labour and many many years of learning. I’ve always wanted to transfer what I have learnt to the next generation in Streatham, which is where I am originally from… Oz told me about the project and I instantly felt this was the perfect opportunity for me to help out and transfer my knowledge to young people”. Anthony’s workshops will take place every Tuesday from 7pm onwards starting the first week of March for 11-21 year olds.

Victoria Just, will be running dance lessons for children… “mainly focusing on Street dance but there will also be regular master classes with different teachers coming in to teach a different style, including hip-hop, break dancing, popping and locking, Irish, contemporary & jazz”. These will take place on Saturdays from 1pm to 2pm for 4 – 11 year olds and from 2pm – 3pm for 12 year olds and upwards.

There will also be workshops in acting and improvisation, puppetry, and more. Starting in May, the stable building and garden will also be used for a food and craft market, with the money raised put back in to supporting the workshops. Anyone interested in running their own workshops or finding out more about how they can help support the project should get in contact with Oz at oz@music4children.org.

Volunteers renovating the stable building for the workshops.

Hix & Buck, the Streatham based wine importers and distributors, are planning another pop-up wine bar and shop in Streatham. The last time they did this was during The Streatham festival last summer. It was based in Streatham Hill for one night only and proved to be a big hit, with crowds spilling out on to the streets. Now they’re expanding the idea further. It’ll run for fifteen nights over four weeks and this time they’re bringing the experience further south. The new premises are at 227 Streatham High Road, opposite Streatham Station and Morrisons and two doors down from the discreet ‘key hole’ entrance to Hideaway, Streatham’s jazz club, which also serves Hix & Buck’s wines. In fact it’s Hideaway’s owner, Frances Strachan, who also owns this site and has made it available for the duration. The Hideaway are also intending to help out by providing hot food for sale in the pop-up bar alongside a selection of breads, cheeses and charcuterie meats provided by Hix & Buck. They will also be serving a bubbly brunch from 12-3pm, which will include croissants, pain au chocolat and smoked salmon bagels freshly prepared on the premises. Hix & Buck’s commercial Director, Chix Chandaria says “It’s very kind of Frances to offer us the premises and I hope the example of utilising shops which are temporarily empty between leases will encourage other would be entrepreneurs and landlords to test market business ideas in a similar fashion.”

There will also be special offers. Those purchasing a case (6 bottles) of wine at the pop-up for home consumption will receive a 2 for 1 entry voucher to the Hideaway and a 20 per cent discount on selected wines bought at the pop-up shop. Local delivery is free.

There’s also a special offer for Streatham Pulse readers - Buy one glass and get second one free. Simply email offer@hixandbuck.com requesting your voucher, which you’ll need to bring along to receive the offer. One offer per person permitted.

Here are the photos they uploaded to The Streatham Network after last years event. See below for more details.

Find more photos like this on The Streatham Network

Local MP Chuka Umunna will be officially opening the bar on Thursday 24 February at 7.30pm. Tickets are  £3.50/advance from hixandbuck.com £5/door
Your ticket will include entrance, a choice of a glass of bubbly or wine and canapés.

Opening days and times:
From midday – midnight (opens at 6pm on the 24th)
Thursday 24 February – Saturday 26 February
Wednesday 2 March – Saturday 5 March
Wednesday 9 March – Saturday 12 March
Wednesday 16 March – Saturday 19 March

Events on these nights will include: a Bubbly and Oyster bar, Italian wine tasting, wine and cheese evening. As well as taking part in the events, you can just head on down, hang out and taste our exclusive range of wines.

Local artists whose paintings will adorn the pop-up walls are – Jiro Osuga, Emma Condliffe, Carlos Dominguez and Tom Norman.

Advanced booking for ticketed events is highly recommended. Visit hixandbuck.com for updates on events and to buy tickets. For further details you can email ChixandDan@hixandbuck.com or call 0800 612 4742.

It’s a Public Sector Party Round Tesco’s House

Its been well documented. In a planning meeting earlier this month, Lambeth Council did what it does best, held a consultation and then brought through exactly the measures it wanted to in the first place. After everyone objected. Tiny bit of background: Streatham has ice rink and swimming pool, Tesco buys ice rink and swimming pool promising brand new replacements, Tesco lets swimming pool collapse, Tesco decides Streatham doesn’t need ice rink for 3 years, Lambeth and Tesco pat themselves on back for a job jolly well done.

Have a listen to this excellent podcast of the meeting by Mark Oxley on Streathampulse. Yes, it’s 53 minutes. But at least it aint seven hours.
Sounds like a lot of anger and emotion in that room. It really brings home what a complete sham this whole sorry situation is. Lambeth and Tesco should be ashamed of themselves. But Lambeth should be ashamed more, because they exist to serve the residents of the borough, and Tesco – well they are a supermarket who exist to provide good returns to their shareholders.

Although I have only lived in Streatham for a relatively short while, I felt the anger of the people at the meeting while listening to this podcast. Because whichever way you look at it, it is a complete joke that people can be made such a mockery of, those same people who fought so hard to get the Section 106 in the first place. That same Section 106 that has been amended, seemingly against the will of pretty much everybody.

If you can amend a Section 106 so easily, then may I ask, what is the bloody point. Personally, I’m in the ‘get on and build it’ camp. I would have taken a temporary ice rink on the common. Because you don’t need to be the wildest conspiracy theorist in the west to realise that there is a teeny weeny little chance that Tesco might just not build the hub after the rink in Brixton has been built. But not before they’ve raised our rink to the ground. After all, whatever reassurances and guarantees are in place, we’ve seen how easy it is to amend these ‘guarantees’. Which are, to be completely honest, total bollocks.
I’m holding some hope that this will happen. But Lambeth have no spine, and you may have noticed, no cash. Tesco have no spine, but they have got loads of cash. Guess who will win this battle. For a clue, go check out Streatham swimming pool some time.

Councillor Sally Prentice

To finish off, I would like to voice a little bit of resent at the ‘it’s not good for Brixton’ crowd, who can be heard heckling Sally Prentice after her somewhat controversial ‘bring on more Starbucks’ speech. There are lots of reasons why these amendments should be opposed. There are lots of reasons why Sally Prentice is a twat. But please don’t play the ‘It’s not good for Brixton’ card. Brixton, you have done rather well out of Lambeth over the past few years. Streatham hasn’t. I feel bad for your car park. But quite honestly, we need more than a car park. We need some love.

Chuka’s back this week after a bit of a break from Streatham Pulse with “a three track “US House & Garage special”

First up is…

Chris Herbert presents Asaph Womack, “Shelter Me”
Chuka: “A typically gospel inspired track”.

You can listen to the track in full here on You Tube, or you can buy the track here on

Next up is….

Monique Bingham, “You Me World” (Jon Cutler’s Distant Music Mix)
Chuka: “A mix from the man responsible for the classic track “It’s Yours””.

You can listen to this track in full here on You Tube.

And finally…

Masters At Work feat. India, “I Can’t Get No Sleep” (Copyright re-edit)
Chuka: “An awesome track from my favourite DJ producer house duo”.

You can listen to the track in full here on You Tube or you can buy the track here on

That’s all for now but Chuka will be back again with  more Sounds of Streatham.

Arno has been opening his home to strangers twice a week for nearly two years now. At one of his evenings he played host to a couple from Streatham who were hatching their own plans for an underground restaurant. Taryn & Nicola Ducceschi were that couple and toward the end of last year they opened the doors of their home in Streatham Hill to strangers for the first time. The Wavertree Supper Club was born and Streatham finally had its own underground restaurant. They’ve been opening it up once a month ever since and they’re already fully booked up until October. Thankfully Streatham Pulse & friends got a reservation in early.

Nicola, an Italian man who moved to Streatham thirteen years ago, runs the kitchen. It’s not just his hobby either. During the week he works as a chef at The Metropolitan Hotel and on the day we visited, he’d spent the morning there, helping prepare for a big evening function, only to hurry home and start preparing for his own event. Front of house is taken care of by Taryn, his Scottish wife with the help of their son and two neighbours. Service is attentive and personal which is not surprising considering there were five staff for fifteen customers – although it seems ridiculous to refer to any of them as staff – the neighbours volunteer in return for favours. One of them gets her hair cut by Taryn in return so the arrangement suits her nicely. As for the son, well these are his chores. Some kids take the rubbish out or mow the lawn, he serves dinner to fifteen strangers on a Saturday night.

It’s a pleasure to report that the food, as well as the overall experience is excellent. Within seconds of entering the house, a glass of champagne was put in our hands. An excellent start to any evening. Like all supper clubs it’s a set menu, which is emailed the day before. It began with baskets of warm bread & butter which continued to be replenished throughout the evening. Foccacia, poppy seed loaves, carraway seed loaves. All of them delicious. The starter was steamed sole and sauteed porcini mushroom salad with mustard sabayon and rocket pesto. The fish was delicate and the mushrooms golden with a slight crisp to them. Elegantly presented and mouth watering. The main course was roasted monkfish with tomato and lemon fondue, a monkfish liver pate and braised fennels and creamed Jerusalem artichokes. The star was the liver pate, which was almost like a sorbet it was so smooth and creamy and packed full of flavour, which complimented the more gentle monkfish tail. The tomato and lemon “fondue” was not, as the name might sugest, a seventies style cheese dipping bowl, but rather a smooth puree which was generously ladled across the plate. This presented the perfect excuse to reach for the bread again in order to mop up the leftovers. Dessert was a warm chocolate fondant with passion fruit custard and blood orange sorbet. Chocolate fondant is as good as desserts get in my book so I was well and truly won over by this stage. The sorbet added a nice cold contrast to the fondant which oozed hot chocolate sauce. This was followed with coffee and “mignardises”, which were a selection of chocolate truffles, nougat and other treats. My one complaint was that the coffee had sat in the cafetiere too long as was undrinkably cold by the time it arrived. This was forgotten in an instant though when we were all offered glasses of Limoncello, an offer we all happily accepted. A perfect end to the meal.

When the first underground restaurants started opening in London they were not run by professional chefs. That was kind of the point. They became known, in some cases, for offering up to ten courses for as little as ten pounds. After all, the overheads were low and they weren’t in it for a profit. Since then modern economics have been applied and prices have gone up. Last year you only had to part with twenty five pounds for four courses, coffee and petit fours at The Saltoun Supper Club. Since then Arno’s raised his prices and now charges thirty five. This is also the price you’ll pay for dinner at The Wavertree. It is a little on the pricey side for a three course meal, especially when you add the cost of wine, although in the case of The Wavertree it still represents pretty good value, considering the quality of the ingredients and the cooking, the warmth of the service and all the little extras. If you want to experience The Wavertree for yourself though, you’d better be quick. By the end of the year they intend to close the reservations book to anyone who hasn’t previously attended so that it becomes more akin to a private members club. This is also a tactic that Arno’s considering down at The Saltoun. However if you miss your chance don’t worry too much as tonight sees the opening of Streatham’s second supper club, run by Lydia from Earl Grey & Rose. Having successfully opened the cafe in Streatham Hill and got to know many of her customers, she’s decided to start inviting them in to her home. She says “I’ve been planning to do this for about a year but finally got the nerve up”. Hopefully this one too will be a success and don’t be surprised to see others popping up in future too. This is a trend which is showing no signs disappearing any time soon.

Popes Road multi storey car park in Brixton.

Yesterday evening at Lambeth Town Hall there was a planning meeting to decide on the proposal for putting Streatham’s temporary ice rink in Brixon. Also on the agenda was the section 106 agreement that would make it possible and the new Porden Road car park, which is designed to replace some of the parking that has been lost in Brixton since the closure of the multi storey. Streatham Pulse was not present at the meeting, as previous experience has shown that these meetings are unbearably long, dull, drawn out affairs. Last night, it seems, was no different. In fact it may well have taken the record for long, drawn out meetings. It finally came to a close some time after 1am, over six hours after it began. However, through the wonders of modern technology, it was possible to follow the entire meeting on Twitter. The twitterers in attendance were Lib Dem Councillor Ashley Lumsden (@AshleyGLumsden), Journalism student, Mark Oxley (@YorkshireMao), Lee Alley of The Streatham Business Board (@StreathamBiz) and Thais Portillo-Shrimpton of The Streatham Guardian (@StreathamNews). With their tweets being re-tweeted by Streatham Pulse throughout much of the evening, and others responding to the tweets, it was a good example of a group, live blogging experience. This has become the way news is delivered these days so it was unfortunate that the only representative of the traditional media, The Streatham Guardian, had to leave early after a tweet which read… “Big debate about parking in Brixton tonight and, ironically, I’ll have to leave meeting in 10min or risk a fine for exceeding parking time”. Oh well. The work of reporting the news was continued by the others right ’til the bitter end. These meetings used to be covered by Jason Cobb of The Onion Bag Blog before he left London for a life in the country. His reports are missed but, fortunately, his shoes are being filled by others.

Correction: Traditional media was also represented by The South London Press who were also at the meeting until the bitter end. Their account of the evening will be in the Feb 4th edition of the paper. Also the journalism student was Mark Oxley, not Mary.

Artists impression of The Streatham Hub plans

It was a busy turn-out apparently and the vast majority were in opposition to the plans. One of the more chilling voices of opposition was from the former Mayor of Lambeth, Lloyd Leon, who said that gang issues were not being taken in to account. His feeling was that tensions could increase if young people from Streatham and other areas were to come to Brixton to use the rink. “If you accept this ice rink here, the blood of these people will be on your hands. The police will try their best, but they will not be able to prevent gang warfare” he said. Some parents of ice skaters also voiced concern over the site which many consider to be a no-go area for kids. Lee Alley, the final speaker, was one of the only voices urging progress on the Hub scheme. In fact it was down to Lee to deliver, what many have come to know as “The Pratts Moment”, which occurs at almost all Streatham planning meetings, in which the decline of Streatham over the past twenty odd years is blamed on the closure of the John Lewis department store, Pratts, in the early nineties. It’s a common belief amongst Streathizens and one which many are desperate to see reversed by the major re-development plans of The Hub and The Megabowl. However, it’s a sad indication of the way this scheme has divided the community, that Lee’s desire to see the scheme go forward was greeted very unfavourably by most people in the room, who’ve come to bitterly resent Tesco for the way it’s gone about its business and who expect Tesco’s presence in Streatham to harm existing businesses.

The votes were eventually cast in favour of all three proposals and many were left grumbling that the decision had been a foregone conclusion. It is undoubtedly a sad decision for users of the ice rink and in particular the hockey players, for whom, Popes Road will be a poor replacement. The Brixton market traders will hopefully be partially appeased by the new parking facilities at Porden Road. What this means for Streatham in the long run is still uncertain. There are many who believe that the temporary ice rink will become permanent and that this spells the end of ice skating in Streatham forever. Tesco and Lambeth would insist that this isn’t true and we must hope that they are right, despite Tesco’s bad track record on keeping their word. There was, however, a time when most people in Streatham were in favour of the Hub and this decision, does now mean that work on the project can finally begin. This will be a relief to many, although it’ll be a few more years, at least, before it’s complete, and only then will we know whether it’s been worth it.

Streatham Pulse’s regular food & drink reviewer, Kyra Kellawan is back. This month she reviews one of Streatham Hill’s newest deli’s.

Kyra writes the blog, Bitter Sweet City. Its tagline is “London & Other Places. Food & Other Things, For Your Delectation”. She can also be found on Twitter @bittersweetcity.

Thompson’s Deli, 2 Streatham High Road, London SW16 1DB

Thompson’s has already been mentioned on StreathamPulse, here and here, but I had such a nice pre-Christmas coffee and croissant-stop, and have enjoyed my post-Christmas purchases so much, that I thought I’d sing its praises in a little more detail.

Thompson’s was a bit of a mystery to me for a few weeks before it opened last September as its plain blue awning gave no hints as to what lay within. Was it to become ANOTHER estate agents? Surely not.  Slowly, shelves in the huge bay windows were revealed. I must have missed opening day but the next time I happened to pass by, those bright white shelves were holding a tempting array of pastries and savouries (all baked on the premises, I am told), while deli counters stocked with meats and cheeses beyond beckoned me in.

My first visit was more of a reconnaissance mission than anything else. I didn’t have any intention of buying, but then when the windows look like this, it’s difficult not to crack. Oh, go on then. I’ll have a croissant and try your coffee, you twisted my arm. The shop was already very busy on what might have been its second weekend opening.

The mister and I ordered a cappuccino and a pastry each from the chatty ladies serving at the counter and nosed around at the back of the shop, which had a table stacked high with panettone boxes. Surrounding this there were shelves stocking everything from Polish chocolates to Italian biscuits. Rye and pumpernickel breads could be found on the side, next to the refrigerated cabinet boasting all kinds of antipasti from olives to stuffed peppers and artichokes. The selection was brilliant, and prices not prohibitive, either. We drowned our strong, frothy illy cappuccinos and finally decided on a nicely boxed panettone to take to my mum’s for Christmas. We thanked the friendly staff and made our way to pay up and leave.

Then the deli counter at the front caught us on the way out. Some sliced chorizo, Danish salami, a small piece of manchego and some insanely good Cornish nettle yarg cheese somehow found its way into a bag on its way home with us.

Thompson’s location on a bright corner plot next door to the train station means that it has real potential to attract customers emerging tired and hungry from their commutes. So if you’re ever in the vicinity, you could do worse than pop your head in and see what you make of it. Be warned though, as you may come out with more than you intended… I certainly did!

To be fair to Chuka, it could’ve been worse. Who can forget the amusing session of Prime Ministers Questions toward the end of last year, when David Cameron, who had recently chosen the Smiths song This Charming Man as one of his Desert Island Discs’ was mocked by Labour MP, Kerry McCarthy, after Johnny Marr was quoted saying “David Cameron, stop saying that you like The Smiths, no you don’t. I forbid you to like it”. Marr’s quote also led Morrissey to make a statement critisizing Cameron for his support for fox hunting in which he said “It was not for such people that either ‘Meat is Murder’ or ‘The Queen is Dead’ were recorded”. Another of Cameron’s favorite bands is apparently Keane, who had previously expressed sadness when the Tories had used one of their songs in their election campaign. A bit of an embarrassing situation all round really.

However, it didn’t stop Nick Clegg offering up is choices to the Radio 4 show recently, despite the fact that Johnny Marr had continued the debate about Cameron’s choices by saying “Nick Clegg. hand over your iPod”. Nick Clegg looked to be walking the safe but incredibly dull path walked so many times before by politicians with no real depth of knowledge or interest in music written in the past hundred years. He chose a selection of classical music interspersed with classic guitar/rock tracks including Life on Mars by David Bowie, Street Spirit by Radiohead and Sunday Morning Coming Down by Johnny Cash. But just when you were snoozing off he launched himself whole heartedly in to the trap with his final choice, Waka Waka by Shakira. I shit you not.

And of course there was the interview that Gordon Brown gave to New Woman magazine in May 2006 in which he expressed his love for Arctic Monkeys, saying “they really wake you up in the morning”. When later challenged by GQ magazine to name some songs by the band, he failed to name a single one, saying only “they are very loud”. He then went on to praise Coldplay instead.

And of course we can’t let Ed Miliband off the hook. He gave his choices to Labour Un-cut website. They included Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Angels by Robbie Williams. Is it possible to have any respect for a man who would choose to spend the rest of his days on a desert island with Angels by Robbie Williams? No. No it’s not.

Below is the full article from The Spectator. You can read the original here, and you can download the Spectator’s mixtape of Chuka’s Choons here.

Chuka’s Choons by Chuka Umunna MP

Music has always been a big part of my life.  My late father was obsessed with it, particularly funk and jazz, and I have inherited his obsession.  I have gone through various phases when the obsession focussed on a particular genre: ‘R n’B’ in my early secondary school years; moving on to ‘ragga’ (a form of reggae with a harder edge); through to ‘jungle’ (which morphed into ‘drum and bass’ in later years); and then on to ‘US house’ and ‘UK garage’ at university.  I acquired some decks, a mixer and an amp at uni and started to play out at parties there. I still do very, very occasionally.  I also wrote on occasion for the now defunct music magazine Touch whilst a student. Today, music is still as important to me as ever.

Funky President – James Brown
A James Brown classic – funky but politically aware, too.

Funkin’ for Jamaica – Tom Browne
If you play this track at a party, the dance floor will be jumping regardless of the generation of people shaking a leg: it’s so upbeat and feel-good.

I Feel For You – Chaka Khan
For a period when we were little, my sister and I used to watch the video of a Chaka Khan live concert my Dad had bought whilst we waited for our parents to wake up on a Saturday morning – and we’ve been fans of her ever since.  Incidentally, when people (usually Southerners) mispronounce my first name, they call me Chaka. (It’s Chuka!)

Find a Way – Tribe Called Quest
Like so many who grew up in my area, I listened to gangsta rap, though I would never condone the lyrics.  Groups like TCQ have always offered something different: intelligent rap that does not rely on misogyny, swearing and bling to make a point.

Me Myself and I – De La Soul
These guys were revolutionary, and were criticised because they refused to follow the gangsta rap play book (much like TCQ).  They fused poetry, quirky lines, jazz and natty samples throughout their music.  They now have a cult following as a result – and it’s richly deserved!

Good Life – Inner City
Even if this group have US roots, their sound encapsulates what London is all about for me: a fusion of cultures.  I loved the video for this 1988 track: it was so budget, but so classy too: the main vocalist was followed round the streets of our great capital city, singing as she went.  Awesome.

Too Young To Die – Jamiroquai (Grant Nelson Remix)
When I play out, if the dance floor is not really up to much, I drop this remix and everyone starts to party. I got to know Grant Nelson back in the late 1990s and very briefly met Jamiroquai around the same period. The pairing led to a smashing dance floor tune.

To Be in Love – Masters at Work feat. India
This is my favourite US house track of all time.  Little Louie Vega and Kenny Dope Gonzalez who make up the DJ / producer duo ‘Masters At Work’ have knocked out tune after tune over the years and I’ve heard them play in Miami, Ibiza and London – and they never disappoint.

Too Late – MJ Cole feat. Carroll Thompson
The UK garage scene killed itself in the early Noughties because it allowed MCs to take over, which produced a more aggressive, less melodic sound and violence on the dance floor. Most of us who were there at the start of the UK garage scene in the mid-1990s (when it was frequented by a mature, happy, party crowd) have moved onto funky house nowadays. This MJ Cole track encapsulates the best of the scene from that happier time.

Beautiful Day – U2
A slightly oddball track given the rest of my playlist but I have always had a soft spot for it: it’s inspiring and uplifting. Best played on a Monday morning when you are maybe not so keen to head off to work: listen to this and you’ll have a spring in your step.  It’s also kinda handy when you’ve just won your seat – it reflects the way you feel perfectly!

photo from Twitter c/o @Hurf27

When the Streatham Pulse Review of the year was posted just over a week ago, the thing which sparked particularly interest among readers, was the presence of Vanilla Ice in Streatham. Since then, the latest series of Dancing on Ice, which he’s been training for in Streatham, has started and Streatham has gone Vanilla Ice crazy. It seems that, despite the claims of The Daily Star, that the celebrities had wanted to avoid Streatham due to a perceived reputation for gang violence, they have in fact been exploring the delights of the High Road on a regular basis. In particular, Streatham Hill’s Bar 61 has become a favorite hang out. The Vanilla Ice Dancer was captured on camera by a local, known on Twitter as @Hurf27, and when the picture was posted online it went in to re-tweet overdrive. The Streatham Guardian quickly got in on the story and published this article, which has got locals chuckling at the thought of Streatham having a celebrity hang out. That term might be a bit of a stretch but you can be sure the owners will be milking this latest celebrity connection for some time. After all, their window display still includes a newspaper interview with Richard Hawley, an actor from Family Affairs – the Channel 5 soap, which was axed over five years ago – in which he sings the praises of Bar 61. However look a little closer and you’ll notice that the walls inside are covered with framed pictures of the venues former pianist, posing alongside much bigger names, including Rod Stewart and Bill Clinton. They were obviously not taken on the premises, but the owner, Metin Ahmat, is still very proud of them. If you eat there he is very likely to point them out to you in between courses, whilst also regaling you with amusing tales of his former business deals and his various ex-wives. It’s well worth a visit just for his enthusiastic stories, even if you don’t spot the V.I.P (Vanilla Ice Posse).

As well as Ice Fever, the last week has also seen Streatham, and in particular this blog, get recognition beyond the streets of SW16 & SW2. The Guardian website’s ‘Dave Hill’s London Blog’, not only includes the writings of the journalist who gives it its title, but also generates a feed of of articles from several of his favorite London blogs. His ‘Top London Bloggers’ page has for some time included several very good hyper local sites, such as Brixton Blog and Jason Cobb’s Onion Bag Blog (which has now sadly left London). Streatham Pulse can now proudly claim to be amongst the ‘Top London Blogs’ and can look forward to all future articles appearing, however briefly, on the pages of The Guardian.co.uk, Britain’s second most popular news website. Thanks very much Dave and thanks also to everyone who’s congratulated Streatham Pulse on Twitter and Facebook.

This week also saw Streatham Pulse wandering the halls of Parliament for the second time this year. The occasion was a reception for Streatham’s voluntary workers and community and faith groups, held by Chuka Umunna as a thank you for all the work being done in our area. Around a hundred people turned out to nibble crisps, guzzle wine, mingle with others and listen to the speeches of Chuka and his two guest speakers. Chuka’s speech was largely given over to descriptions of the work he’s been doing for Streatham and thanks to everyone in the room. He looked particularly pleased to describe the grilling he’d given to Barclay’s boss, Bob Diamond, the day before and to notify the room that his late arrival at the reception had been due to the fact that he’d been voting, on our behalf, against the governments plans to privatise The Royal Mail. Next up to the mic was the London Assembly Member, Val Shawcross, who echoed Chuka’s words and talked of the work needed in Streatham, with particular reference to Streatham High Road’s ongoing problems.

The third speaker was introduced with a clue. “Our final speaker is a national figure who used to be a Councillor in Streatham”. This left many puzzled until it was revealed that the speaker was none other than “The Speaker” John Bercow. Prior to becoming The Speaker of the House of Commons, Bercow had been a Conservative MP and it turns out that he’d been a Councillor for the St. Leonards Ward in Streatham from 1986 to 1990. Despite, at the start of his career, being known as particularly right wing, he has drifted more to the left through the years and although he never defected to Labour as some had predicted, Chuka claimed to be a big fan of his. Although this may be more to do with the fact that he’s one of the only people in parliament who pronounces Chuka’s name correctly.

Bercow began his speech by pointing out that, while his position as the Speaker requires him to be impartial with regards to party politics, “that obligation of impartiality does not in any sense require me to be impartial about the merits of good representation and obvious talent”. Describing Chuka’s first eight months in the job, he said that “from the moment he arrived he impressed his personality and his integrity upon parliament”. He went on to say that “there’s always a danger when singing the praises of a new member so loudly that a great web of envy is built up among his colleagues and his peers and I don’t want to say anything that will exacerbate that inevitable phenomenon. Indeed history is littered with examples of people for whom great things have been predicted and they haven’t always transpired in practice. But Chuka has shown himself to be a seriously committed and capable member, as a result of who’s presence, The House has been enriched”. Praise indeed for the man who’s long been tipped for big things amongst his party and amongst pundits.

Viewers of Prime Ministers Questions, will know that John Bercow is no shrinking violet and that he too has impressed his personality upon parliament since taking up his current job. Therefore it was no surprise that, having now settled in to his position behind the microphone, he relished the opportunity to discuss with the room, what he described as, “the sensitive matter of height”. He pointed out that, while it has been suggested that he is the shortest man ever to hold the position of speaker, this isn’t in fact true. “I’ve done my research as you would expect ladies and gentlemen. Sir John Bussy, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1394 to 1398, Sir John Wenlock, Speaker from 1455 to 1456 and Sir Thomas Treshom, Speaker of the House in 1459, are all believed to have been shorter than I am. Although I do have to admit that was true only after all three of them had been beheaded”.

This got the crowd warmed up, so to win them over further he went on to describe his Streatham links. “I enjoyed living in Streatham from 1985 to 1993. I lived variously at different times in Woodley Gardens, Tooting Bec Gardens and in Hopton Road. I’ve got very fond memories of my experience serving on The Council and, in particular, of the people in the community”. He continued by praising the people in the room, who through their sense of commitment and through their talent are all doing something to improve their community, “on the principle that just because you can’t do everything, it doesn’t mean that you should do nothing”. This was applauded and Bercow wound up his speech shortly afterwards and began working the room full of people alongside Chuka and Val.

So there goes another week in Streatham. It’s been known for some time here at Streatham Pulse that we live in the centre of the universe but it’s always nice to discover new reasons why that’s the case. So thanks to both Vanilla Ice and John Bercow for coming forward this week and making public, their links to London’s greatest patch.

Photo from Flickr by John Quintero

2010…

began the same way it ended, covered in snow. Kids completely lost the plot with excitement when schools closed but most adults began to quickly tire of the transport problems and freezing temperatures. The country had just pulled out of the recession when the year started but it was still in deep financial crisis and facing political uncertainty. Streatham suffered badly with businesses shutting up shop throughout the length of the high street. The housing market was almost completely stagnant and the major redevelopment schemes were going nowhere. The continuing delays to the Streatham Hub scheme had led to the closing of the leisure centre and the Megabowl site remained derelict, standing only as a symbol of Streatham’s long steady decline since it’s days as the “West End of South London”.

So how has Streatham faired since then?

Regeneration

2011 marks the tenth anniversary of Tesco’s original planning application for The Streatham Hub.The scheme has come to define Streatham over the last several years and this year that was more true than ever. As Tesco continued to drag their heels over the plans, local politicians and community groups battled to get the project moving. In March Lambeth Council declared a victory having agreed terms with Tesco for the project to begin and with a completion date of December 2012. This news was generally greeted well amongst the community… until the details of the agreement came out. Tesco’s original agreement to build the new ice rink before demolishing the old one had been thrown out and the “continuity of ice provision” was now to be achieved by building a temporary rink. The Council’s favoured site for this rink was to be Streatham Common. A new campaign group was formed by Sustainable Streatham, Streatham Action, The Streatham Society, Friends of Streatham Common and many more community groups who were united in opposition to this new plan.

Their campaign succeeded in July when the Council announced it would not use any part of the Common but instead planned to build the temporary ice rink on the site of the Popes Road car park in Brixton. This sparked new opposition led mainly by the ice skaters, as well as the market traders in Brixton, who were claiming lost trade since the closure of the car park. The scheme continues to divide the community with many wanting to see progress but almost no one happy with the the way it is now likely to go ahead. Tesco meanwhile succeeded in getting permisssion to increase the size of the store with a mezzanine level selling a wider range of goods. This has also angered many locals, who expect Tesco’s expansion to harm independent businsses in the area.

All in all 2010 was the year when it became clear that Streatham had long ago sold its soul to Tesco for the promise of improved leisure facilities and urban regeneration and was now paying the price with the loss of those very same leisure facilities and the continued decline of the urban environment. Tesco officially revised its completion date to December 2013 although other sources suggest 2014 is more realistic. We will have to wait until well in to this new decade to find out whether Tesco can ever deliver a scheme that Streathamites will welcome.

Megabowl

Streatham’s other big planned redevelopment is for the Megabowl/Caesars site. This is Streatham Hill’s equivalent of The Streatham  Hub. Whilst it’s not quite as complicated as the Hub it shares many of its problems. The Megabowl has now sat derelict for over four years while several planning applications for the site – to include flats and retail units – have been rejected. The community is also somewhat divided. Whilst the vast majority of businesses and residents in the area welcome some sort of development, details – such as the size and scale of the proposals and the provision of car parking – have led to opposition from residents in the Telford Park conservation area, which the site backs on to. In April, after a painfully long meeting, the latest plans, which included a community theatre, gallery and cafe space, were finally approved. Supporters of the plans looked forward to quick progress after the developers made a statement that demolition of the site could begin within a few months, with completion expected by the end of 2012 (there’s that familiar date again). But this is Streatham of course and nothing happens that quickly. The latest twist in the tale came in September when it was revealed  that the developers were delaying the start of the project by at least a year while it waited for economic conditions to improve.

Will 2011 be the year when this project finally begins or could it too drag on well in to this decade? Who knows? Although it didn’t stop Fred Batt, the owner of Caesars nightclub, from finally closing his doors for the last time and stripping out the interior of the legendary club to make way for the demolition.The club had closed as a nightclub some time ago but there were still occasional boxing & cage fighting events held there. Not anymore. Fred even removed Caesars iconic chariot and horses, which had become such a recognisable part of Streatham’s identity, and symbolically rode them to the ground before having them transported to the gardens of his country house. Whatever you think of Caesar’s – like it or loathe it – it was a historic venue dating back to 1929 when it opened as The Locarno Ballroom. Since then it has gone through various transformations and played host to the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, Miss World, Come Dancing and the first professional female boxing match as well as various members of the London underworld. It’s now only a relic and may soon be reduced to rubble.

Good news

There has been plenty of good news for Streatham’s regeneration however. The high street which was littered with empty shops began to see a strong revival throughout this year. Businesses opening up new premises included Hideaway Jazz Club, which has proved very popular – hosting London Jazz Festival events, Cuban Salsa classes, Soul nights and Comedy this year – and The Hamlet, a new bar in Streatham Hill which has also now become a firm favorite amongst many Hill dwellers. Morrison’s & The Co-op plugged the gap left by Tesco, while the arrival of Foxton’s & Jackson’s Estate Agents new premises suggested that there was industry confidence in the local housing market. Caffe Nero, Kreden’s Polish Deli, Thompson’s Deli, Earl Grey & Rose, and Cherry & Berry also arrived, offering Streathizens a wide variety of new food & drink establishments to explore.

New owners moved in at Taylor’s pub bringing a great new chef with them, The Manor Arms announced plans for a £300,000 refurbishment and The White Lion continued to develop by converting a building out the back in to a community workshop space and holding a food/drink/craft market. There was also a major refurbishment of Streatham Hill station which saw leather sofas in the waiting room, a coffee shop opposite the ticket desk, new shelters, walkways, disabled access and ticket barriers. There has also been an attempt to remove street clutter from the High Road, including those yellow signs which had been giving the area a bad name for years. Not too bad for an area going through such difficult economic times. It seems there’s still plenty of hope for Streatham yet.

Politics

Worker's Revolutionary Party Candidate - Paul Lepper

2010 of course was the year of the general election. Streatham’s long standing MP Keith Hill stepped down and it was the turn of Chuka Umunna to fight for the seat against Lib Dem, Chris Nicholson, with the Tory, Rahoul Bhansali and the Green Party’s Rebecca Findlay bringing up the rear (and of course who could forget Paul Lepper of The Workers Revolutionary Party?). In truth Chuka had the jump on the others as he’d been unofficially campaigning for the job for a couple of years already and was a well known and recognised face around town. You might’ve thought that the seat was his for the taking but that was before Cleggmania changed the shape of things. With there already being strong support for the Lib Dems in Streatham the rise of Cleggmania turned Streatham in to a key battleground. First David Miliband, Harriet Harman and Diana Abbott arrived for a walkabout on Streatham High Road…

… then Gordon Brown visited the constituency to throw his weight behind the fight. But it was Nick Clegg’s visit that really made waves. National treasure, Floella Benjamin was one of the Lib Dems key local supporters and introduced Clegg to the large crowd that gathered to see the man who many were treating like the messiah. You can read all about that visit in detail here from both the perspective of Streatham Pulse and also from Revolutionary leader Wolfgang Moneypenny who threatened to steal the show. 

It all turned out to be hype of course and Chuka went on to win with a relatively comfortable majority and Paul Lepper came last would you beleive? Full results are here. It was the start of an impressive rise through the ranks for the 32 year old boy from Streatham who is now right at the heart of opposition politics. He’s spoken to Streatham Pulse in depth on a couple of occasions which you can read in full here and also here. He’s also given Streatham Pulse a unique insight in to his musical taste. Whilst most Politicians, when asked for their Desert Island Discs, fall in to the trap of looking desperately uncool, whilst trying to appear like the everyman, Chuka has enthusiastically and unapologetically listed over a dozen tracks which represent his love for soul, funk, garage, house and hip hop and which you can listen to here.

Down at Lambeth town hall there was little change, with Labour retaining control and launching their Co-operetive Council, although they’re still struggling to explain to residents what that will actually mean in practice and have suffered from comparisons to David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’. 2011 will hopefully reveal whether there is any substance to Council Leader, Steve Reed’s plans but with cuts announced it seems we can expect some services to be scaled back and must cross our fingers and hope that our library and health centres don’t go the same way as our leisure centre.

The London Mayor Boris Johnson’s big flagship schemes for 2010 were the cycle superhighways and the “Boris Bikes”, neither of which were extended to include Streatham High Road unfortunately. However, with the Mayoral election in 2012 approaching, the Labour Party elected their candidate. Ken Livingstone won their vote and the former Mayor, who was born in Streatham, announced that GLA member, Valerie Shawcross, would be his running mate. Val is a resident of Streatham and is well versed in the problems of Streatham High Road. Will they become the Streatham dream team next year?

2010 was also the year that ended with the student protests in central London. Large numbers turned out to peacefully protest including some students from Dunraven School in Streatham. Although scenes of disorder and violence were reported at each of the three big days of protest the Dunraven girls tried to encourage restraint as can be seen here in this excellent photo by photographer Phil Coomes. You can read more about how their headmaster backed their actions, despite him giving them detention for truancy, here in an article from The Streatham Guardian.

More photos of the Dunraven girls at the protest can be found here at Phil’s Flickr page.

Photo by Phil Coomes - All Rights Reserved

Arts, Culture & Sport

The short Film Taylor’s Trophy which was filmed largely in Taylors pub in Streatham by filmmaker, and former Taylors regular, Jason McDonald toured the festival circuits on both sides of the Atlantic in 2010 and went on to win awards and garner praise wherever it was shown.

The Streatham Artists Studios in Streatham Hill, despite having trouble with their landlords, held open studio days, as well as exhibiting work at their very own pop up gallery in Streatham Hill.

The local music scene may’ve mourned the loss of The Bedford Park pub but it has found two new homes with The White Lion’s commitment to live music as well as Hideaway’s contribution to the area. Local band The Leisure Society were nominated for an Ivor Novello award and Mirrorkicks released their debut album and performed at the Save 6 Music campaign events.

Some rights reserved by 762_AK

The Streatham Festival organisation celebrated another successful year with it’s main summer festival as well as The Streatham Food Festival and it’s programme of Christmas events. 2010 also saw the return of The Streatham Kite Day and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, which passed through Streatham in November, as it has done nearly every year since 1927. Another motoring event was added to the calendar for the first time in the shape of the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge which followed the same route in reverse and included the most up to date electric and hybrid vehicles available, including electric super cars like the Tesla and the fully electric Lotus Elise.

While the plans for the new ice rink caused controversy throughout the year, the old rink remained open. But it’s not just the ice hockey teams who were using the venue. As this years series of Dancing on Ice approached, the celebrity contestants began to train in 2010, with Streatham as their training ground. This article in the Daily Star suggests that the celebrities have been worried about travelling to the mean streets of SW16 but surely the man who always claimed to be “from the streets”, Vanilla Ice will have nothing to fear. You may also have spotted Kerry Katona, Angela Rippon and Craig McLachlan (Henry from Neighbours way back in the 80’s).

2010 saw the World Cup take place. England went in to it feeling more confident of winning than it had in decades. It seems hard to beleive in hind sight but at the time there was a genuine excitement and Streatham had it’s own World Cup anthem with this video filmed on Streatham Common.

GET A MOVING MOVE ON from www.Self Motivation Society.com on Vimeo.

Overall…

Streatham continues to have it’s problems, including a rise in violent crime this year, however 2010 has given us plenty of reason’s to remain optimistic for Streatham’s future.

This has been the first full year that Streatham Pulse has been online, regularly blogging, tweeting, facebooking and chatting on the network & forums. This site has grown considerably over the past year and it’s been a particular pleasure to welcome guest writers such as Lauren Tones, Diddlysquat, Kyra Kellawan, and the inimitable Wolfgang Moneypenny. Thanks also to Angelina Purcell & Chuka Umunna for their contributions and a particularly massive thank you to everyone who’s read the blogs, commented on them, forwarded on the links, re-tweeted, shared, joined The Streatham Network and generally been enthusiastic about Streatham.

Ta very much. Here’s to 2011.

Your parliamentary representative for funk, soul, house & hip hop returns this week with some dance music to get you warmed up this Christmas.

‘aNYway’ by (Armand Van Heldon & A TRAK present) Duck Sauce
Chuka: “Uplifting disco house. Definitely one for your Christmas dance floor”.

You can listen to the song in full and watch the video here on You Tube.

You can buy ‘aNYway by (Armand Van Heldon & A-TRAK presents) Duck Sauce here from

Chuka will back soon with more Sounds of Streatham.

More hip hop this week from Chuka.

‘The Light’ by Common
Chuka: “A nice, melodic, soulful track from an incredibly talented artist/actor extraordinaire”.

You can listen to the song in full and watch the video here on You Tube.

You can buy ‘The Light’ by Common here from

Chuka will be back with more ‘Sounds of Streatham’ in a couple of weeks.

Streatham Pulse’s regular food & drink reviewer, Kyra Kellawan is back with another of her monthly reviews. This time she turns her attentions to that old takeaway favourite

Kyra writes the blog, Bitter Sweet City. Its tagline is “London & Other Places. Food & Other Things, For Your Delectation”. She can also be found on Twitter @bittersweetcity.

Bloody Nora. It’s freezing, isn’t it? Suddenly the weather’s changed and we’re all rushing home in the dark and battening down the hatches before Christmas. The Mister and I have been making a concerted effort to go out less in the hope of retaining some pennies for Christmas, and have been making vats of soup and (guiltily) delighting ourselves with the wonders of November television.

I have also found myself craving stodgy things – potatoes, bread, pasta, cakes – things that would make a Vogue reader weep. Luckily I’m not a subscriber, so when I got home late this Thursday, saw we had some old cheese and a few flaccid carrots in the fridge and the temperature outside was near freezing, I knew there was only one thing for it: fish and chips.

Inexpensive, warming, comforting, fulfilling, wonderful. Everything in moderation, eh? And as an added winter bonus, fish and chips are reminiscent of summer seaside holidays. And what a fish and chip shop we have in Streatham Hill.

Apparently there are two branches of Kennedy’s, according to their website. One is between Old Street and Farringdon, which I imagine was the first business, a proper fish restaurant with an enticing menu.

Our Streatham Kennedy’s has a fantastic location, practically on the doorstep of Streatham Hill train station. Its golden signage can be seen glinting at you persuasively from much further down the High Road. Walking past it repeatedly has been difficult, when there is always a smell of freshly-fried chips lingering nearby, but I hadn’t been there yet, so I was excited to finally see if the food lived up to expectations.

As chippies go, this one is really nice to wait for your food in. Bright and clean with light tiles on the walls, there’s a huge menu to gawp at, showing that they can- and do- go beyond the signature dish to offer pies, sausages, and other daily specials. The staff are excellently turned out in professional-looking aprons and are efficient and friendly. On the evening we visited, they were very busy but looked well-prepared for it, with stacks of fish waiting in the warming cabinets at the front. We waited no longer than 5 minutes, for the chips to be cooked, which gave us time to order mushy peas and a gherkin too. (Well, you might as well give a nod to something resembling a vegetable.)

We hurried home to try to keep the food warm and were well rewarded.

The cod was succulent and fleshy, with big white flakes, the batter somehow managing to not a) stick to its wrapping and b) retain a crispness that belied the fact that there was no extra grease on my plate. The chips were perfect – fat, slightly soggy, with some crisp ones thrown into the mix. Everything was golden. The total for two medium cod with shared large chips and the accoutrements came in at under £15. Not bad if you compare that with an evening out in a restaurant, and we still had The Apprentice – You’re Fired waiting for us on iplayer at home.

Ah, guilty pleasures are the best kind, aren’t they?

Kennedy’s – 5 Leigham Court Road – SW16 2ND

In association with the Streatham Town Centre Manager, The Streatham Festival Association have arranged a varied programme of events, with something for all ages throughout December. The Associations Coordinator, Patricia Sauer is here to tell you all about it.

.

.

.The 12 days of Christmas

Pick up a quiz sheet from one of these top spots along the High Road,  then follow the ‘12 days of Christmas trail’ from December 4th. Drop your completed sheet off in the library by December 21 for a chance to win a fabulous food hamper.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree – Earl Ferrars pub
Two Turtle Doves           – Kredens Cafe
Three French Hens          - Sainsburys Streatham Common
Four Calling Birds         – Taylors pub
Five Golden Rings          - Argos
Six Geese a Laying         – The Goose Pub
Seven Swans a Swimming     – Fish Tale Deli
Eight Maids a Milking      - Life Cafe
Nine Ladies Dancing        - Thompsons Deli
Ten Lords a Leaping        - Hooper & Jackson
Eleven Pipers Piping       – Chris Baron Interiors
12 Drummers Drumming       – White Lion Pub

Then get cracking at:

Father Christmas grotto
Saturday  December  4 ,  11.00 am – 2.00pm
Streatham Library, 63 Streatham High Road, SW16 1PL FREE

Visit our sparkling Christmas grotto created by local artists, children and residents. With Father Christmas, fairies and reindeer… maybe even some snow.  He’s not bringing his presents on this particular day, so take a picture or post him a letter instead. It’s a chance to win one of 5 lovely treats.

Make a merry mosiac
Saturday December 4 , 2.00 pm – 4.00pm
Streatham Library. FREE

A fun Christmas craft workshop for children to make tree decorations, window hangings orstary shapes throughout the afternoon. A very merry time for all.

Light up
Saturday December 4 , 4.30pm – 6.00pm
Outside the Odeon Cinema, 47 Streatham High Road, FREE

Street performers, local schools, choirs and bands perform under
the Christmas lights, before welcoming the official arrival of
Father Christmas. Carols for the audience to join in too and lots
more festive fun with winter wonderland fairies and a fire eating
juggler.

Celebrating Business
Tuesday December 7,   6.00pm
Hideaway, 2 Empire Mews, Stanthorpe Road, SW16 2BF

Streatham’s Town Centre Manager, in association with Hideaway live
music venue, hosts a cracking Christmas reception for local
businesses. For your invitation contact Apurcell@lambeth.gov.uk.

Flaming Nora’s festive decorations
Tuesday December 7, 8.00pm
Earl Ferrers, 22 Ellora Rd, SW16 6JF £10pp

Join Nora for a fabulous evening workshop of fun, sewing and
mince pies. Let her show you how to make gorgeous garlands and
decorations to give Christmas a hand-made twist. No need to book.

Go to the grotto
Saturday December 11, 11.00 am– 2.00pm
Streatham Library FREE

Last opportunity to visit Streatham’s wonderland grotto and see
the snowy delight where Father Christmas lives. Plus a chance for
children to put on their sparkling faces with our facepainter.

Christmas concert
Saturday December 11, 7.30pm
St Leonard’s Church, Tooting Bec Gardens, SW16 1RB  £8-50/£6-00.

Enjoy a glittering performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio from
the Streatham Choral Society.  Vibrant voices and seasonal fare
make for a memorable evening of wonderful music.

STUFFED!
Sunday December 12, 7.00pm
The Railway, 2 Greyhound Lane, SW16 5SD   £6.00.

Future Perfect presents for your festive pleasure a special one-
off performance. Dark, hilarious and magical stories, poems and
songs. You’d be crackers to miss it!

Seasonal Storytelling
Wednesday December 15, 10.00am – 12.00 pm
Streatham Library   FREE – first come, first served

Head2Head present a special Christmas stoytelling session for
under 5’s  and their families, with a special guest appearance!
10.30:Billy Goats Gruff; 11.00:3 Little Pigs; 11.30:Little Mermaid.

We hope you have a great time.

Patricia Sauer,
SFA Co-ordinator

Photo by Nick Wilson

The last time Streatham Pulse met with our local MP he was newly elected and just getting used to his new job. We met over a coffee in Perfect Blend, which was as much due to convenience as it was due to the fact that he didn’t yet have an office of his own. Westminster’s civil servants were still scrambling around trying to reorganise things to make way for the largest intake of new MP’s in sixty years. Plenty has happened since then. He was selected by his colleagues to serve on the Treasury Select Committee and has used his position to fiercely oppose, Chancellor George Osborne’s spending plans. Soon after taking up this new job, the man he backed for leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, won his party’s vote and appointed Chuka as his Parliamentary Private Secretary. This has put Chuka right at the heart of politics in this country. Not bad for a 32 year old Streatham boy. We thought it was time we caught up with him so we recently took up his invitation of a visit to his new office in Westminster.

SP: Last time we spoke  you said that, whilst you were ambitious, your ambitions lay in your politics rather than your career. Since then your career has been going very well. You’ve been elected to the treasury select committee and you’ve been appointed as Ed Miliband’s personal aide. How do you see these roles helping you to achieve your political goals?

I didn’t initially think about putting myself forward for election to the Treasury Select Committee because I just assumed that people who’d been in Parliament a lot longer than me might not appreciate it. I felt that I should know my place. But it was precisely the sort of people who I thought would be like “you just got here… Who do you think you are”? that said “We need you to do this. You must absolutely put yourself forward”. There were two reasons why I wanted to do it. It seems to me that economic policy is the policy area of this parliament – and probably the next – and I’m absolutely determined that never again should my constituents, or those beyond, have to pay for something that wasn’t of their creation.

What the Treasury Select Committee does is scrutinise government policy and it has a massive input in to economic policy generally so as the program of reform goes through I have a chance to influence economic policy in this country in a way that I wouldn’t have done otherwise. I think that’s very much in the interests of my constituents. Also, the great thing about the Treasury Select Committee is that when the Chancellor or any Treasury Minister appears in the chamber of the House of Commons to answer departmental questions MP’s get one question and can easily get fobbed off, whereas in the Treasury Select Committee, I get at least ten minutes with whoever the big cheese is that we’ve got in front of us. I’ve just spent part of the last hour grilling, one to one, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the effects of the comprehensive spending review and the subject I chose today was child benefit. That is going to have a big impact on the people that I represent. So that’s been fantastically positive.

Secondly I think that the Labour party is one of the vehicles that will deliver a fairer, more equal, more sustainable Streatham and Britain. The route to ‘the good society’ is going to be implemented by the Labour Party so I was massively flattered to be asked by our new leader to be by his side and to work with him to transform the party so that we’re in a good position to get elected again. It’s been quite a nice surprise too.

SP: How much influence do you have in helping shape Labour Party policy?

I suppose my role as PPS is threefold. Firstly I act as a bridge between backbenchers and the leader. Ed has the most ridiculous diary and a big public role, which means he doesn’t get as much time to spend with the parliamentary party at large as he otherwise would do. So part of my role is to make sure he’s in touch with what they think. If colleagues have got concerns and don’t think we’re doing the right things they’ll come and talk to me and vice versa. The second part of the role is I help him prepare for PMQ’s. Incidentally this role that I do for Ed was done by Keith Hill for Tony Blair so the first person I went to for advice was Keith. PMQ’s is an agenda setting weekly event. That is one of the times when the opposition leader is setting the agenda for national debate in this country so I help prepare and advise on tactical stuff. And I suppose the third thing is I act as a general sounding board. I was quite close to Ed before he became climate change secretary, he’s a friend of mine, I backed him very early in the leadership campaign and I’ve been pretty close to him on a personal level so I act as a sounding board.

SP: A personal project of yours recently has been to campaign for a Robin Hood tax. Does this idea have any realistic chance of being adopted or is it just a way of grabbing headlines?

Well never mind that it might appeal to the press, it’s extremely popular with the public. One of the things that was brought up with me on the doorstep over the two years of my candidacy before being elected was what are we doing to make sure the people who caused the deficit and the crisis pay their fair contribution to the mess that they created. I came across quite a lot of anger. People saying “why are you bailing out the bankers and yet you’re not putting the money in another direction”. And of course we didn’t bail out the bankers as such. We saved the financial services sector from itself so people who live in our area can continue to take money out of the cash machines and continue to go to bed at night safe in the knowledge that the deposits and savings in our banks will continue to be secure. The question is how much of a contribution should the banks make? One of the things that we have said since the general election is that, to deal with the deficit and the national debt, a greater contribution should come from tax rises rather than public spending reductions. Seventy seven percent of the fiscal consolidation is going to be coming from public expenditure cuts and we will very soon see what that looks like in our constituency. Only twenty three percent is gong to be coming from tax rises and we think it should be weighted more in that direction. It’s more progressive; Its fairer. The Robin Hood Tax campaign has changed somewhat. They are now saying that the Robin Hood tax is any kind of banking tax so the Robin Hood Campaign would say the Banking Levy is a form of Robin Hood Tax. Now if you look at what the banking levy will raise… They say it would raise 2.5 billion a year. The IMF have said that it could raise at least 6 billion a year and the likes of Change, Save The Children & Oxfam say that it could raise twenty billion. I’m not sure I’d go that far but I think we should be looking to raise at least six to eight billion. And frankly the banking levy that’s been put forward by the coalition government is very deficient. We haven’t specified if we’d go for a financial transaction tax or a bank levy or a financial activities tax but what we’ve said is that by using a combination of any of those mechanisms you should be able to raise at least seven billion pounds.

The coalition government are fond of saying of the that we don’t have a plan, which is utter nonsense. They’re goading us into spelling out a detailed plan but that would be absurd because we’re not in government. We’re in opposition and it would be very stupid for us to come up with a shadow budget or a shadow comprehensive spending review with the same level of detail as the government when we’re potentially five years away from a general election. Things could be very different then. What we’ve done is we’ve set out very broad parameters within which we would do things and  to give some examples, we’ve said we’d raise some more from banks, we’ve said we’d accept some of the technical changes to tax credits and we’ve said that we wouldn’t cut as deep and as quickly as they have because we’re worried what that will mean for peoples jobs and peoples way of life. But we’re not going to spell out things exactly. The coalition parties didn’t do that when they were in opposition so I think it’s unfair to expect us to now.

SP. You said you’re potentially five years away from an election but we’re already seeing cracks in the coalition over things like tuition fees and control orders.

Well the Liberal Democrats are obviously in a very difficult situation. There are a lot of people who voted Liberal Democrat -sixteen thousand in our constituency – and we know from our experience and our data that many of those are left leaning voters. A lot of those are former Labour voters who became disillusioned with us over Iraq – and I can understand that – and became disillusioned with us because they didn’t think we were on their side. They thought that the Liberal Democrats offered a refuge from that but Nick Clegg was very clear after the election that if you joined his party in the hope that they’d be a little bit more radical and social democratic than Labour then you’re in the wrong place because they’re not a repository for disillusioned left wing Labour supporters. So in an area like ours there are a lot of people I come across who feel very let down and who say to me “Chuka I’m bloody glad that you got in despite the way I voted because this is not what I voted for”.  The Lib Dems are averaging twelve to thirteen percent in the polls so I don’t think you’ll see the Liberal Democrats precipitate a general election in the near future because if the polls were borne out they would be decimated as a party. I think it’s actually more likely to come from the Conservatives when they feel confident enough to go to the country and confident enough of getting a majority if they did so. If they had consistently for several months been doing very well and polling above Labour I think they would potentially precipitate a break down of the coalition. And of course we don’t quite know what the nature of the relationship is going to be like after an AV referendum because it’s by no means clear that that would be won… and that was one of the main reasons the Lib Dems went in and reneged on their many promises so that they would be able to deliver a fairer voting system.

SP: It’s interesting that you should talk about that because before you were elected you said that you supported, proportional representation. Now that a referendum on electoral reform is going ahead in May, will you be campaigning for PR?

I’m not in favour of pure proportional representation. The system that I’ve always favoured is AV plus, which maintains the constituency link, which I think is very important. So you’d have constituency MPs and also top up MPs who get elected to even out the number of seats so that they better reflect the number of votes and I haven’t resigned from that position at all. I still think we need to overhaul our constitution. I think it’s crazy that we’re still appointing people to the House of Lords when it should be elected. So that’s what I’ll be campaiging for. I think AV will help take us towards a more proportional system. What I disagree with is the re-drawing of constituency boundries, which frankly is pure gerrymandering in my view.

SP: Will there be an official Labour Party Line on it or will it be free vote?

I’m not sure whether there will be an official line as such because there are different views. Our line is that there should be a referendum. That’s official party policy but we’re not going to conscript people to vote a particular way on such a fundamental issue that goes to the heart of what we’re about as a democracy.

SP: What would you say to people who worry that by taking on so much work within the Labour party, you will be distracted from your responsibilities to your constituents?

Not at all. As I’ve said, all the issues I’ve raised on the Treasury Select Committee are issues that come up in the constituency, for example there are almost a thousand people who if the proposals for reduce housing benefit from those who’ve been on JSA for over a year who would be affected by that. So I’ve used my role on the Treasury Select committee as a platform to raise that issue. There will be lots of single earner households where the only earner just creeps over the threshold for being a higher rate tax earner such that if they’ve got two kids they’ll lose three thousand pounds worth of child benefit. That’s what I was talking today to Danny Alexander about. This is all stuff that is very relevant to the constituency. With all these things that I do the common thread throughout is the constituency. It informs everything I do and frankly if I lose touch with what is going on on the ground in my constituency then don’t think I’m very effective to Ed, I’m not effective on the Treasury Select Committee and I’m not effective in the chamber. The thing is, to be frank, people don’t need to worry about that because I come home to Streatham every night. I live there and actually loads of my constituents actually work here in the Palace of Westminster. Many of the support staff that keep the place ticking over are my constituents. Streatham is alive and well in Westminster.

SP: Good to Hear. The other significant political development recently is your fellow Streathamite by birth, Ken Livingstone, being elected as the Mayoral candidate. Have you had any conversations with him about what he could do to help Streatham if he’s elected as Mayor in 2012?

I saw him briefly at conference in September and we spoke on an anti racism event at Lambeth Town Hall in the week the conference finished but I haven’t had a chance to have a detailed chat with him. We’ve talked about various things for example the housing benefit changes which the government is seeking to push through which concern us very much; but I’ll be having some lengthy conversations with the big man at some point.

The number one thing that the Mayor has control over is transport and that is a big issue in our constituency. I’d like to work with Ken to try in the long term to get the tube to Streatham. I don’t like to raise expectations about it but I can assure people that it’s still very much an aim of mine. If I can leave my post hopefully some time in the long distant future having got the tube to Streatham that would be fantastic. I’d feel like I’d done something very worthwhile for the area.

We also have the changes to Thameslink which the government are telling me they haven’t made final decisions on yet so that is obviously in the pipeline too. Those are all very current issues which I’d like to work with Ken on. Also of course there’s the improvement of some of our main thoroughfares like getting the rest of the central reservation removed from Streatham High Road. Then there’s housing. The government is talking about passing the powers of the home and communities agency to the Mayor of London, so if Ken gets in he will have even more powers over housing policy and we need to sort that out. We don’t have enough social and affordable housing in this city.

SP. Last time we spoke you talked about a number of local issues, which you were determined to support in parliament. One of these was the condition of social housing with regards to the decent homes programme and Lambeth Living. Has there been any progress in helping to improve conditions?

The government have confirmed in their comprehensive spending review that they will be keeping the decent homes program but what we don’t know is whether it will be funded in the same amount. In total we’re looking to get just under 260 million from the government to fund Lambeth Living and United Residents who run social housing stock in our constituency. I’m very much on the case there. I’ve written to ministers and tabled many parliamentary questions on that and we’ll keep fighting to make sure we get that money. I’m feeling very nervous because of the government’s general approach. If it breathes they’re quite keen to cut it. So on the housing front that’s the latest there.

SP: Another thing you talked about was high business rents. Since we last spoke Chilli Chutney has closed down, claiming to be the victim of high rates, whilst big businesses like Foxtons & Caffe Nero have moved in. Independent businesses look like they’re in danger of being priced out? You talked before about organizing a Streatham Business Association, which could negotiate with landlords on this issue. Have you moved forward with this plan?

The landlord issue is one that I’m very much on top of and I’m trying to resolve but it is difficult because they’re not very easy to get hold and they are causing our area quite some problems. I’m pleased the Streatham Hub seems to be progressing but obviously we do have issues and concerns which have been raised in relation to the temporary ice rink and I completely understand the concerns that people have but my point is that it doesn’t matter where you put this it’s going to upset people. Wherever the Council chooses to put it there will be objections. I don’t think there’s going to be an ideal solution to that. But in the end, I think, if the Streatham Hub is delivered on time which, hopefully will be by the end of 2013 it will be fantastic for the area and granted I think we do need to address the concerns of the independent local traders in the area but I’m hopeful that it will act as a bit of an anchor. Then of course we’ve got the Megabowl which, although that has been delayed, I stay in touch with the developers and I’ve said that I will work with them to try and bring in some good brand names back to our area. I’m not going to say who they might be but I’ve said I’ll work with them to do that. I’m also in the process, with the Town Centre Manager, of organizing a business summit, to bring together the different businesses.

SP. One thing we didn’t talk about before was violent crime. There were reports of gunfire last night in Streatham and in the last couple of weeks there has also been a shooting on Stanthorpe Road. Are you working with the Police and the Council to help find solutions to the problem of violent crime?

It’s a continuing issue that we have and it shows why its absolutely vital that we maintain our police numbers and that we continue to invest in diversionary and preventative measures.

I led a debate on youth crime in the wake of the tragic murder of Zack Olumegbum in July and the ongoing problem we have with youth violence in London, which really does have a big impact on our constituency. What I wanted to do with that debate was put it back on the radar and point out the various pots of money that we get from central government either directly or indirectly through the council which help prevention and help in ensuring that our young people have got things to do when they’re not in school and again I’m waiting for them to come back to me on a range of those things. So I’m fighting the good fight in that respect.

At this point our interview is brought to an end as Chuka’s assistant enters the room to take him off to his next appointment. He looks exhausted and although it’s about 6.30pm it appears that his working day has a little further to go before he can make his way back to Streatham.

We plan to keep a close eye on Chuka’s work in parliament and hope to speak to him on a regular basis so if you’ve got any questions you’d like to put to Chuka let us know in the comments section below and we’ll attempt to get some answers next time we speak.

After a busy month in Westminster, which has seen our MP and in-house DJ, Chuka Umunna, appointed as Ed Miliband’s Parliamentary Private Secretary, he’s finally found time to get back to the important business of choosing some tunes for his “Sounds of Streatham” feature. He’s a very busy man these days but when he occasionally gets a chance to wind down, this is what he listens to. How many other MP’s can convince us that they’re hip hop fans?

“Find A Way” by A Tribe Called Quest
Chuka: “Classic, intelligent, thoughtful hip hop. It doesn’t get better than this”.

You can listen to the song in full and watch the video here on You Tube.

You can buy “Find A Way” by A Tribe Called Quest here from

Coming soon to Streatham Pulse will be a feature interview with Chuka where he talks frankly about his experiences over the last five months as an MP, as a member of the Treasury select committee and as one of the new Labour Leader’s closest confidants. He’ll also explain how these roles are helping him to fight hard for the interests of Streatham and its residents.

Chuka will be back in a couple of weeks with more “Sounds of Streatham”.

Creating a map from scratch is easy. If you’ve never done it before then just follow these simple instructions. Sign up for a Google account. If you’ve already got a Gmail address then you’ve already got an account. When you’ve signed in, go to Google Maps. At the top of the left sidebar click on the ‘My Maps’ link and then click ‘create a new map’. Give it a name and then use the tools in the top left corner of the map to add placemarks & draw lines or shapes. You can add descriptions, pictures, videos, links. You can also change the colour of your placemark icons or upload your own pictures to use instead. When you’re happy with your map click ‘Link’ in the top right corner and paste the link then submit it using the comments section below. The best maps will be added to the mash-up. Good luck and get mapping.

Click here to view The Great Streatham Map Mash-Up.

Streatham Pulse’s regular food & drink reviewer, Kyra Kellawan is back with another of her monthly reviews. This time she turns her attentions to Talay Thai

Kyra writes the blog, Bitter Sweet City. Its tagline is “London & Other Places. Food & Other Things, For Your Delectation”. She can also be found on Twitter @bittersweetcity.

Talay Thai

By Kyra Kellawan

One chilly, rainy Friday at the end of what seemed like one of the longest working weeks of our entire lives (what was it with September?), the Mister and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner at a local restaurant, and we chose carefully – the food had to be warming, the ambience laid-back (this was not the night to experience ‘El Chicos’ next door) and the welcome had to be genuine.

The welcome we were given at Talay Thai did not disappoint. Our hungry nostrils were greeted by tantalising scents when we opened the door, and a friendly waitress beckoned us in with a big smile. Our table was a bit crammed in next to the others, but we were soon settled in and ordering a couple of beers. We were about to order some prawn crackers, too, but were told they were on the way anyway, for free. Happiness is free prawn crackers. Munching contentedly on these, we chose starters of Kanom Jeeb (Thai dumplings, £3.95) and Goong Hom Pa (deep fried prawns and minced chicken wrapped in pancakes served with plum sauce, £4.45).

The dumplings came with a lovely garlicky, yet sweet sauce and were appealingly light, bettering my previous favourites at Amazing Thai on Lavender Hill (this is high, high praise). The deep fried prawn wrappers could have been frozen party nibbles, but they were hot, freshly fried, and also came with such a nice dipping sauce that we didn’t mind that at all. Sometimes frozen party foods have their place – not that we’re sure if they were frozen, you understand. I couldn’t taste any chicken in them, either, but that’s a minor quibble. Anyway, both starters were beautifully presented, with flowers carved out of carrots and fresh salad garnishes. These too were hoovered up as we waited for the next courses.

As I looked around the restaurant I noted the effort they had made with the décor and the general feel of the restaurant. Soft, unobtrusive music played, and there was plenty to look at – brightly coloured parasols dominated the ceilings, with an ornately carved wooden bar and lots of interesting Thai artefacts to look at. The awkward ‘L’ shaped space must have been a difficult one to create a cosy restaurant feel in, but they have done a great job with it. It seems very popular with the locals – from families to couples and singles picking up takeaways, there was a steady stream of business all evening.

For mains, I chose Pad Kee Mao (beef noodles with vegetables, chilli and thai basil leaves, £6.50) and the Mister had ordered Kai Pad Prik Khing (chicken stir fried with curry paste, green beans and lime leaves, £6.50) plus a coconut rice portion (£2.50) to help with the spiciness. We washed it all down with a couple of Singha beers at £2.75 each and ate quite a lot of each other’s food, which is usually a good sign. I was expecting a different type of noodle with my dish – maybe some flat rice noodles , but was brought soba noodles instead. They were very tasty nonetheless and the dishes looked very appealing, served on pretty blue and white plates. The sweet waitresses who served us had brought each dish out with a chirrup of ‘enjoy your meal’, which I really liked.

When the bill came we tipped healthily, as we had arrived hungry, cold, and demoralised after a really hard week, but we left feeling happy, warm, relaxed and pleasantly round. Best of all, it was only a short roll home and the weekend was yet to come. Bliss.

This week Chuka brings us another one of his favorite tracks from “the hardest working man in showbusiness”, James Brown.

“Talkin’ Loud & Sayin’ Nothing” by James Brown

Chuka: “Defiance from the big man with this socially and politically conscious track”.

You can listen to the song in full here on You Tube

You can buy “Talkin’ Loud & Sayin’ Nothing” by James Brown here from

Chuka will be back with more ‘Sounds of Streatham’ in a couple of weeks time.

Streatham Hub Leisure Centre artists impression

  

View of Streatham Hub from Streatham High Road

Streatham Hub South & North Elevations

Streatham Hub Ice Arena

Streatham Hub Leisure Centre 1st Floor Ice Pad

Streatham Hub Leisure Centre Basement Poo

Temporary Ice Rink - Popes Road, Brixton.

Kevin Rye from the ‘Save Skating in Streatham’ campaign explains here why he’s fighting against the latest plans.

‘Streatham Hub’. Two words that strike fear into the hearts of Lambeth Council. The project that is supposed to regenerate the site of the old Streatham ice rink has been a long-time coming, and it has got people in Brixton and Streatham rather hot under the collar.

Indeed, had you been shopping in Brixton Market last Tuesday you would have noticed that the usual fruit and veg stalls were replaced with rivers of plastic sheeting and protest signs from a group opposing the development. The group includes a wide range of interests, from high-street chains, individual businesses and concerned residents, to organisations such as Friends of Brixton Market and Transition Town Brixton, to The Brixton Society and Brixton Market Traders Federation.

It all emanates from the ‘Streatham Hub’. Tesco bought the site of the current Streatham ice rink almost ten years ago and in 2001 agreed to develop a ‘Hub’ with new leisure facilities, a new supermarket and 250 new homes. But last year, Tesco indicated it might not be able to follow through on the plans, in particular building a new ice rink. In they end, they agreed to provide a temporary ice rink between the closing of the old one and the opening of a new one. The big question now is where that temporary rink will be situated. Lambeth Council has proposed the site of a car-park in Popes Road, Brixton, which is deemed vital both by the council itself (in a 2003 Cabinet document) and desperately needed by traders (whose turnover is down 50% while council rents are up a similar amount).

But this plan is in direct contravention of the Section 106 finally signed in December 2008 by Tesco, after years of wrangling. In fact the deal was pretty much tied-up in December 2004, but Tesco have something of a reputation of dragging their heels.

The S106 – ‘community kickback’ as it’s sometimes known – guaranteed ‘continuity of provision’ on the current site of the rink over the period that the new combined rink and leisure centre was to be built. Ken Livingstone as Mayor at the time had insisted on this, and so the deal contained clauses that forced them to build the rink and leisure centre first before anything else.

This would guarantee against the precedent set in Richmond, when a property developer (quelle suprise) bought one of the most famous rinks in the country, paid the Council £2.9m to remove similar guarantees (in excess of £5m in today’s money), then knocked it down, built flats and that was that.

But Tesco came crawling back to the council pleading poverty just three months after they signed the S106 and the idea of a temporary ice rink on Streatham Common was – ridiculously in my opinion – put forward. HOOC (Hands Off Our Common) pointed out that the word ‘Common’ actually meant something, and Brixton soon emerged as the favourite.

The big question that I keep coming back to is quite simply: why does a multi-billion-pound turnover business sign off a deal to develop a site it knows is going to cost ‘x’ amount of pounds during deep financial crisis and a period of collapsing property prices, and then ‘suddenly’ realise three months later that they ‘can’t afford it’? Don’t forget thatwhen they got the council to agree to this ‘relocation’ of such a vital element of the site, Tesco also slung in an application to expand the store space by another 56%.

I’ll make a suggestion. This is about Tesco building one of the biggest stores they’ve got. It’s about sewing up the grocery market – and increasingly non-food items – from London to Brighton; most of all, it’s about them ensuring that they earn the maximum return for their shareholders.

And I’ll suggest to you what it isn’t about: it isn’t about communities being provided with the facilities they need; it isn’t about the continuation of one of London’s most well known and oldest leisure and sporting venues.

No matter what Lambeth say about this development, it’s all about Tesco earning money, Lambeth not having enough, and the council trying to do this ‘deal with the devil’ to make sure it gets a project finally built that’s been on the drawing board for years.

In South London alone in recent years we’ve lost Streatham Bowling Alley, Catford Dogs (Greyhounds), Plough Lane (Football), Richmond (Ice Skating). We no longer have speedway at Wimbledon because the track owner decided it didn’t suit their business plan – the famous Wimbledon Dons now race in exile.

I’m no Nimby, really, but London is in danger of turning into a giant housing estate-cum-supermarket chain.

I’m one of many thousands of people in Brixton and Streatham who is no longer going to sit back and witness this particular story play out. And it’s in my power as a local resident to make sure Lambeth don’t make a total rickets of a very simple proposition. And it’s in yours too.

I haven’t even gone into the aggressive behaviour by Lambeth Council officers towards Streatham residents and ice-rink users; or their scandalous treatment of a local councillor – throwing her out of a meeting (a local authority legal expert said he didn’t know how to deal with the incident off the top of his head as ‘this has never happened before’); or the frankly odd behaviour by Tesco – convening meetings with Streatham businesses without telling local councillors.

Whether or not you like ice skating, whether or not you shop in Brixton, if nothing else I hope the behaviour alone of Tesco and Lambeth makes you sit up and take notice.

If you want to know more, Save Skating in Streatham can be found on Facebook and Don’t Ice Brixton Market have their own website.

In a recent blog from Eat Me Drink Me by StolenFromMother, food writer, Lauren Tones, discovers some of Streatham’s newest foodie establishments and ponders the effect they will have on her shopping and eating habits and for Streatham in general.

Pastries, Breads & Cakes, Oh My!

By Lauren Tones

Hot on the heels of Kreden’s comes another deli in Streatham. A few weeks ago whilst on the 133, I noticed a queue snaking outside of  the corner unit next to Streatham Hill Station. No clear naming sign up, but piles of pastries, cakes and bread in the window. Today I went inside and was hit by the most beautiful smell. Not just of sweet things, but lots of fresh olives and ham. There’s also a tidy seating area. There is some confusion in the name though as I thought it was Thompsons, but that was the name of the estate agents that occupied the property before them. It’s a mystery!

Round here we are literally spoilt for choice for bread. When I first moved here a few years ago, Sainsbury’s Local and Lidl’s were the only shops on the High Road that I was buying from. It was slim pickings on the deli front, as this 2006 thread from Good Housekeeping website will tell you – they’re directing people miles out to Borough Market!

Now, I buy my halloumi and watermelon from that place next door to Time 2 Move (the name escapes my memory!), gnocchi from Korona or Streatham Fruiterers (supermarket packs aren’t nearly as good – including Jamie Oliver’s range), bread/bagels from Kredens, fresh fish from Kennedy’s or Fish Tale and fruit and veg from a number of places between Brixton and Streatham Common. Sometimes buying from independent stores works out cheaper, but the main thing I’ve gained from buying local is that you feel much healthier (my skin has certainly improved). And it’s quite rewarding to know that your money is going towards making the community stronger.

I’m not staunchly against big chains though, I visit them quite regularly. I first started to stray from Sainsbury’s because of the ridiculous queues, so I’m quite impressed they’ve finally installed some self-service counters. The novelty of using them never wears off.

I’m not sure what I think about the imminent arrival of coffee giant Nero. This is a positive thing for the area – it’s a sure sign that it’s on the up. It sits well amongst the new Foxtons and improved Sainsburys. Unfortunately Nero reminds me of my days in Liverpool when I overdosed on frappucino, resulting in a very traumatic journey to Cheshire Oaks. However, bad memories aside, I think I’ll probably continue to go to the Purple cafe for my coffee, although I’m interested to see what else will pop up next.

Streatham’s MP, Chuka Umunna has called for ‘a degree of compromise’ from those involved. He added “Whilst I have great sympathy with the SSS campaign objective to enforce the original s106 Agreement, I can not see how this can be done given what has come to pass and Tesco’s position.” You can read the full article on the subject from The Streatham Guardian here. For a more comic take on the subject this blog is well worth a read.

This video has been produced by the ‘Don’t Ice Brixton’ campaign spelling out the anger and frustration coming out of Brixton.

It seems that as time passes we get further and further away from reaching a decision that anybody can agree on. With the Megabowl/Caesars developers recently announcing delays to their plans it looks like Streatham’s two big regeneration projects could drag on well in to the middle of this decade.

Following on from the double installment a few weeks ago and after a short break, Streatham’s soul aficionado and MP, Chuka Umunna, is back with another classic ‘choon’ to take you in to the weekend.

“Get on The Good Foot” by James Brown

Chuka: “My father worshipped the Godfather of Soul; no one can funk like JB”.

You can listen to the song in full here on You Tube.

You can buy “Get on The Good Foot” by James Brown here from

Chuka will be back in a couple of weeks time with more ‘Sounds of Streatham’.

You can find out more about the band on their My Space page here or you can buy the single ‘Wrong’un’ and other songs from The Razzle’s ‘Cajun Bingo’ album here from

In this video Joss Stone talks about the record attempt, her preparation (or lack of) and how Oz first approached her.

Kyra writes the blog, Bitter Sweet City. Its tagline is “London & Other Places. Food & Other Things, For Your Delectation”. She can also be found on Twitter @bittersweetcity.

Slurp

by Kyra Kellawan

I’m a real sucker for noodles. Cheap, warming, and oodles of fun to eat, they’re cooked in 3 minutes flat and basically kept me alive during my student days. Now that my budget stretches a bit further than the 9p Asda variety, I make it my business to seek out a good bowl of noodles in every London neighbourhood I’ve ever inhabited. Streatham, you may be interested to know, has not disappointed me.

There are definitely at least two decent noodle-purveyors in Streatham. Slurp is the one I’ll write about this time, because I discovered it more recently than Oishii. (It’s good there too. We’ll come back to that another time.)

We visited Slurp on a very busy Friday evening and were seated immediately by a friendly waitress, who also had a big birthday party and numerous other tables to contend with. I say tables – they’re actually mostly benches, Japanese canteen-style, with one coveted round table complete with lazy susan in the centre, which always make me think of that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Anyway, I digress. We were seated in less than 15 seconds and had menus in our hands within 30. Pretty impressive stuff on one of their busiest nights.

The menu at Slurp is HUGE. It spans three different kinds of oriental cuisines: Japanese, Chinese, and Thai. At first glance you may think this is pretty ambitious and might lead to a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ dining experience.  After ordering a couple of Asahi beers and some of the Thai prawn crackers (fishy, salty, moreish, delicious, £2),  we settled on a shared starter of Chinese five spice duck rolls (£4.50 for 4). This was partly to slow the meal down – we’d only been seated a maximum of five minutes and we were in danger of receiving our food within 10. I’m all for efficiency, but I also like to people-watch and enjoy the delayed gratification of seeing what others have ordered before my own plate arrives. Our smiling waitress took our order without fuss and the starter was in front of us within 6 minutes, no longer.

Tasty as they were, the duck rolls were stodgier than anticipated. Hoping for something lighter to follow them, I chose from the Thai menu; (Chicken Coriander Pesto & Sweet Basil with rice, £6.60), and the mister ordered Chinese Grilled Sirloin Steak Cantonese Style with rice and broccoli (£7.90). My chicken was well-seasoned and very spicy in a clear gloopy sauce. The mister’s steak was really good quality meat, but he found the orange sweet-and-sour sauce on top a bit artificial and the rest of the dish a bit dry without it.

This is where I must confess that this wasn’t our first Slurp experience. We’ve been ordering takeaway food for delivery for a good few months now at home, and we’d usually go for our tried and trusted favourites. So although we were slightly disappointed with our choices on this particular Friday, we’re still huge fans. The trick is to know how to navigate that enormous menu and choose the things you’re fairly certain you’ll like.

If you’re trying Slurp for the first time, stick to the Pad Thai, the Chilli Beef/ Chicken Ramen and the Vermicelli Singapore-style, (in fact all the noodle dishes I’ve had so far are great) or any of the Thai curries, and you can’t go far wrong. I’d go as far as to say their ramen is better than at any Wagamama. There’s certainly nothing to dislike about the friendly welcome the staff give you, and if you choose a busy evening like ours then Streatham’s buzzy and cosmopolitan vibe will provide all the atmosphere you need. If you order in instead, then you’re unlikely to be disappointed and will have a very hearty meal for not much money.

In their own words, Slurp “strive to bring you the best in quality, service and value at all times…feel free to let us know what you DO think, so we can deliver a better service to you!” says their takeaway menu. They’ve definitely got most things right. Oodles of noodles, lots of fun, and an inexpensive evening out or in: so slurp away.

While parliament is taking its summer recess, Streatham’s MP, Chuka Umunna has taken the time to give us two tracks for this weeks Sounds of Streatham feature. The first…

“Got 2 Have Your Love” by Mantronix
Chuka: “Clasic 80’s soul. The type I was brought up on.

You can listen to the song in full and watch the video here on You Tube.

You can buy “Got 2 Have Your Love” by Mantronix here from

And the second winds the clock back a couple more years.

“Got To Be Real” by Chery Lynn

You can buy “Got To Be Real” by Cheryl Lynn here from

Chuka will be back with more “Sounds of Streatham” in a couple of weeks time.

Helena recently gave us an update of what to expect. “Yesterday we confirmed The Mike Strutter Group (AKA Paul Kaye of Dennis Pennis fame) as one of the acts for the birthday party! We’ve also got the Razzle playing and also launching their new video – “Wrong ‘Un” – which was filmed in the White Lion about a month ago, and our regular band Mangoseed”.

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There are more bands being lined up as well. Other plans include a barbecue and whitewashing one of the walls so people can graffiti on it throughout the party. The top prize in the raffle is free entry and a 3 course meal at Hideaway, with other prizes including an orchid from Colleen Blackman Design on Sunnyhill Road, vouchers for Pizza Express and maybe even a 2 night stay at the Fox Club London –  if Oz can twist their arm. If anyone else can donate something awesome as a raffle prize, The White Lion team would be very grateful!

It’ll start at 6/7pm and go on til 1am. Tickets are £10/person. If they sell out their capacity of 180 people then door sales alone will mean £1800 straight to the charity. To buy tickets go to www.Justgiving.com/whitelionbirthday , click ‘donate now’ and donate £10 per ticket, then just leave a message with your name and the number of tickets and you’ll be put on the guestlist.

Helena has also been enthusiastically telling us about all the other things which are happening at the white lion lately. “AMEX recently offered up a team of volunteers to help transform the pub and they’ve been hard at work every Thursday for 3 weeks so far. The workshop space is really starting to look useable. Next door to it is also a ‘Guitar Rehab’ centre where Adriano and Steve, who are guitar technicians for some of Europe’s biggest bands including our friends Alabama 3, will repair and build guitars that’ll then be used in guitar workshops and classes for kids in the workshop space”.

“Very popular Brixton-based World Music band Yaaba Funk have just chosen us as their new ‘home’”! Look out for their upcoming gigs.

“Team-wise, we’ve got a new bar manager, Justin, who’s taken a pretty hefty paycut from his IT job to come and work here full time because, like everyone who works here, he just believes in it! Matilda, the Hostel Manager, has been going crazy with decorating, covering chairs with pink and fluffy tiger-print fabric, collaging the toilet walls with happy bits of news and getting together stencils of the music4children logo that we’ll be able to spray paint onto walls and windows. She’s also taking charge of Monday (Open Mic) and Thursday nights – they’re called Music4Children presents Ask4Details and it’ll be a mix of spoken word, poetry, acoustic music, visuals and short films. We’re also planning to set up cameras so that we can eventually have live streaming of bands on our website. Our Media guy Junior is putting together a master mailing list and everyone on it will be sent a snazzy newsletter with videos, links, news of bands that have played and all the charity projects… there’s lots going on”!

Back in June, we told you about Oz’s latest plans for “The Worlds Highest Gig” in October with Joss Stone. A few days ago ITV2 confirmed that they’ll be filming a documentary of it!

Exciting things are happening right in the heart of Streatham and they deserve your support so get on down to The White Lion on Saturday 4th September. We’ll see you there.

Fred is open to offers now and has only three weeks to clear everything. You can try contacting him via his Facebook page here.

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Here’s another chance to see the great film about Caesars before it dissappears.

Angelina previously managed Croydon’s town centre and held the post of Chief Executive of Croydon Chamber of Commerce. It was during this time that she was awarded an MBE for services to business development and international trade in South london.

Here is her first installment.

New businesses opening!

If you haven’t already heard, Caffé Nero will be opening in Streatham towards the end of September on the site of the old Clarks shoe shop at 170 Streatham High Road. They will be joining Foxton’s Estate Agents, Risky fashion clothing and Kredens coffee shop among others.

Safer Streatham

Our A23 Police team are literally ‘getting on their bikes’ to provide an even more responsive service. Watch out for the two specially trained bike patrol officers, who together with their colleagues are proactively supporting the needs of businesses and residents along the A23 from Brixton Hill to Streatham Common.

Town Centre Regeneration

You cannot fail to have noticed the amount of works taking place in Streatham at the moment, all with a view to making our town more efficient and attractive! The Ambleside Ave road improvements are in full swing and sadly bring with them increased traffic and congestion. But rest assured that I am in regular contact with TFL to try to minimise the disruption and delays. The Hub and Megabowl schemes are also progressing and once again I am in contact with the respective developers to ensure the needs of businesses are represented. Phase 2 of the TFL scheme to remove the central barriers along the High Rd is also underway with architects appointed. Phase 2 will go from Gracefield Gardens up to Streatham Hill train station. Works to upgrade a selection of shop fronts on the High Rd should commence in the autumn and Streatham Hill Station has been upgraded, with Streatham Station to follow.

Freshview

On 20th August numerous Council departments and partner agencies descended on Streatham South and the St Leonards area for a special one day blitz to make the area cleaner, safer and greener. Work included, among other things, jet washing pavements, clearing bulky rubbish, graffiti removal and tackling fly tipping. Let’s hope that following the operation we can all work together to make sure the area stays cleaner, safer and greener.

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Stop press – Busy wine bar & restaurant in prime location for sale

Bar 19 and Restaurant, 19 The High Parade, Streatham High Road is up for sale for £120K. Anyone interested parties should send an email to dpowell1@btinternet.com

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Sainsburys Local

The Sainsburys Local on Streatham High Road will be closed for two weeks from 23rd August for a refit and upgrade.

Streatham Library

Streatham Library will be closed from Monday 23rd August to Sunday 12th September to ensure that the work to the boiler, roof and fire escape can happen quickly and efficiently.

Planning applications – Streatham Hub and Streatham Sidings Scheme

Due to the temporary closure of Streatham Library, from Wednesday 25^th August 2010 members of the public can view plans for the above schemes from 9am – 7pm at: Gracefield Gardens Community Health Centre, 2-8 Gracefield Gardens, SW16 2ST.

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That’s all the news for now. Watch this space for more updates soon.