BornAgainSELondoner

Hello. OP here. Hadn't been on to address any of this before now. Ever so sorry about that. Hadn't realised my silence for a whole 26 hours would be seen as so controversial. I'm only going to say this one thing as I have neither the energy nor the inclination to be drawn into an argument about this here so forgive me if I don't reply again... I posted the above flyer as I thought that some local people (especialy those without children at a local school) might not know about the picket lines but might be interested in visiting - not joining - the picket lines to show their support to those teachers on strike. (I'll not go into the reasons for the strike - it's in the smaller print on the flyer if you want to read more.) But just to be clear: in those schools that are still open (or partially open) teachers will not be intimidating the children going into school. Teachers are not - as a rule - in the business of intimidating children. These teachers are holding picket lines as a show of their strength of feeling and in an attempt to *peacefully persuade* - not intimidate - other colleagues to withdraw their labour (the law is very clear that attempts at peaceful persuasion are allowed*). It has absolutely nothing to do with attempting to stop the children going into school whatsoever. The picket lines will be good natured and friendly (and as most are in residential areas, I imagine reasonably quiet affairs). Should you pop down you will likely receive a smile and a cheerful "good morning". If you wanted to speak to the teachers about their reasons for striking, I'm sure they'd gladly chat with you. And unless you find being politely handed a leaflet intimidating, I think you'll feel perfectly safe. But don't take my word for it: pop down to one. If you want to know your closest one, they're listed on the flyer above. Solidarity with the strikers --- * If you're interested, you can find this in Section 22 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 and in the government's Code of Practice on Picketing 2017.

Attached is a list of schools in Southwark with NEU picket lines this Thursday (2 March). Loads in ED and its environs. Most start at 7 but some at 7.30 - so 7.30-9 is the best time to visit. Please pop down to one of your local schools and show them some love - even if just a flying visit. Thank you

Just adding our recommendation to this thread. We were told by another company that we needed a new motor. They were quoting us ?130 for this on top of the ?125 call out charge we'd already paid. We sought a second opinion from Steve and quickly established that we did not need a new motor and he fixed it (using parts the other company had told us you could not get) in less than 15 minutes for a third of the price they had quoted us. Make Steve your first call.

Thanks. That's useful to know.

Thank you. That's helpful. I'll give them a try.

Does anybody know of any swimming teachers who offers private swimming lessons? We're looking for someone to teach our son but have had no luck yet. If anyone has any ideas, it would be most appreciated. Thanks

Cycle Hoop recommend using two locks. I use two locks on mine and recently upgraded to a sturdier one after our hangar was broken into - a Abus Granit X-Plus 540 which had excellent reviews when I did some research - alongside a Kryptonite Kryptoflex.

Thanks. Yep - we tried selling it and giving it away on here but no joy.

We've a cot mattress we no longer need but have struggled to find a home for. Anyone have any ideas of what one can do with unwanted mattresses? It's a decent Little Green Sheep one and in good condition, so I'm reluctant to just chuck it away.

Our bike hangar on the junction of Upland Road and Crystal Palace Road was broken into this week. Whoever did it clearly took tools to complete the job as someone's bike lock was cut clean through. If you've got a bike in a bike hangar, I urge you to make sure you're using heavy duty bike locks just in case.

Thanks for all your ideas. The kids LOVED Marmora Road's efforts. Merry Christmas everyone. x

As we're unable to take the kids into the West End to see the Christmas lights this year, I thought we might take a stroll one evening to see the best that the local areas has to offer. So if anyone knows of any particularly glitzy displays that people have set up around East Dulwich, Peckham and Nunhead, let us know on here. The more over the top, the better. Merry Christmas to you all. x

Thanks to everyone who has signed and shared the petition. Since I started it, Southwark Council has announced an ?anti-racism audit? of public statues and street names, so I?ve let the relevant councillor know about the petition. If you know anyone else who might be inclined to sign, please spread the word. (Do remind people to check their junk mail form verification emails, though.) I posted on the forum simply to spread the word of something I thought uncontroversial, not to start a squabble. But I guess that?s akin to saying ?I came to the pool for a swim, not to get wet?. Anyway, thanks for your feedback. In response, I guess I?d like to say this: - I?m not suggesting that putting up a statue of a Black person will even begin to address the huge problem this country has with racism (I?ve educated myself enough about the nature of systemic racism to know better than this); I merely think he is a worthy recipient of memorialisation. Of course, there are bigger fish to fry (and yes, as the Careers Lead at my school, I am all too aware of the need to find ways to get more Black kids into top universities), but when I heard that Guy?s statue had come down, I saw an opportunity to try to do something positive and start a conversation about other people we could be celebrating. - I agree that the whole concept of putting up statues and literally putting people on pedestals is problematic, but statues do - and will continue to - exist, so if we can replace some of the statues of bad white people (and to be clear, here I specifically mean white people who have track records of being bad, not that all white people are bad - let?s not get into that right now) with some Black people, that?d be a tiny step in the right direction. After all, we have to work with the tools that we have. - Yes, it is infuriating that the overwhelming majority of statues are of men. Ideally, I?d be pushing for a woman of colour, but for this *particular* purpose I thought it needed to be somebody connected to King?s, and, as a King?s alumnus, Moody seemed the stand-out choice. Were we talking about a statue or memorial in another part of the borough, I?m sure there are some brilliant women of colour we could - and should - celebrate. If anyone has any in mind, please share them here as I would love to learn about them - and then we should suggest them to the council?s anti-racism audit. - I?m not even going to get into the debate about ethical consumer choices. It is one I?m interested in and very conscious of myself but right now I?m just trying to get support for a statue of a local hero. Anyway, if people want to sign the petition, I?m grateful; if they don?t, that?s fine. I hope nobody would feel any pressure or judgement from anyone else here. Peace. x

Absolutely agree. We could all do with paying closer attention to the ethics of the companies we choose to patronise - be that clothes, food, electrical goods, banks or whatever. Question everything.

Thanks for that info. I'll be sure to look into it in more detail myself. To be clear, though: I'm not calling for the statue to be taken down - King's have taken it down already. I'm merely suggesting a replacement (or, I guess, an addition if the Guy statue ends up being put back up).