siouzie14

Need an experienced dressmaker to make a dress and two tops from material. Have patterns or existing tops/dress to copy. I am size 12/14 size, 5ft 4in, 38×27×36 and 8 stone 5 lbs. Pls DM with any suggestions. Thanks.

Very impressed with Aston. Got his number from this forum. He responded quickly to my text and I sent him a spec for the job and photos. (replacement toilet seat and cover in WC). We arranged time and date quickly. He arrived on time and completed the work efficiently and correctly. Work organised and completed within a day. Price very reasonable. Definitely recommend Aston. Thanks for a great job. 07490 947355

I put a very hot pan on my worktop which burnt the surface and left four small burn marks. I need a recommendation for a handyman or company that can do a professional repair. It's very noticeable as the worktop is a beige colour. Ideally looking for someone in Dulwich or South London.

Can someone recommend a reliable quality dressmaker in and around Dulwich? I require two tops and a dress, possibly more. I have the material and patterns. This is for fairly simple tops and a dress, nothing complicated. The key issue is that I am looking for someone reliable who can do this within the next 6-8 weeks. I am based in the Dulwich area. Kind regards Sue

Cllr Hamvas, Also further to my previous post just now, the Southwark web site on Commercial Events on Peckham Rye Common makes it clear that it is the large open Common on the north side that is suitable for major events and not the Park The Park is outside the boundary on the map. See page: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/events-culture-and-heritage/planning-an-event/major-commercial-events/locations-for-major-events/peckham-rye-common

Ref first mate's most recent post, Cllr Hamvas Any news on whether the festival can be held on the Common rather than the Park? It seems nonsensical to many people that the festival is being held on the most wildlife-rich area of Peckham Rye and on ground which has not fully recovered from the last festival. Also is there a date for the licensing hearing? Are there any further consultation events planned? If so, when and where? Future consultation events must be chaired by the Council and not by the GALA organisers and must be held in a venue easy to reach and locate. It would be better to hold a consultation event at a venue close to the East Dulwich side of the park. I have been told that some potential attendees to the last event on 10 December were too put off by the Peckham venue, reachable only down dark alleyways at night. We would be grateful for a swift response on these points. Thank you

Hi James Is there an official notification of the closure of the SE22 office anywhere, and likewise the saving of the SE27 office? Sue

We had excellent councillors in what is now Dulwich Village Ward - Conservatives Jane Lyons and Michael Mitchell. And before that the late Toby Eckersley. They got things done as did Lib Dem James Barber in East Dulwich. Since the May 2018 election it has been all change and now the four wards and nine councillors that make up the Dulwich Community Council are all Labour. The new Dulwich Village councillors Richard Leeming and Margy Newens have been very active, attending meetings and achieving things - a good sign. Dulwich Wood councillor Andy Simmons is Chair of the DCC and is an excellent person to approach if you have any specific issues you can't get responses on. His co-councillor in Dulwich Wood is Catherine Rose who is the new Mayor of Southwark. As far as the new Dulwich Hill and Goose Green wards are concerned Charlie Smith (Goose Green) and Jon Hartley (Dulwich Hill) continue as councillors albeit in new wards, and they know the area. I don't know the new councillors (eg Victoria Olisa, James McAsh etc) who are no doubt finding their feet. If you aren't getting a response my suggestion is to talk to or email Cllr Andy Simmons. All email addresses are on www.southwark.gov.uk PS I am not a Labour voter but strongly believe in cross-party collaborative working to achieve improvements in the area. PPS I don't know whether the councillors all post on the EDF and whether they are expected to.

Hi all In case you missed it, Southwark Council are now collecting feedback about the junction via the following link: https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/quietway-7-dulwich-village-feedback/ There are some very good points about the junction on this thread and I would hate for them to be missed by the Highway people at Southwark who might be able to deal quickly with the most urgent and dangerous problems. Cyclists for certain are unclear about priorities. The trip hazard is an urgent issue. Thanks

Not sure where SanaNE1 got his information, but I have also been told that the gates were installed at the Grove car park so it could be fitted out as a coach park for the foundation coaches later this year. Dulwich is miles from Maroush's normal stomping ground and with the current uncertainties in the restaurant industry, it would be a bold move to open a brand new venture in an untried area.

Hi Sue, You are not alone. I've had a similar fly problem over the past week with a biblical invasion of flies in my house near Herne Hill. I have only lived in the house for 18 months and we didn't have this problem this time last year. We have had about 40 or more flies since Tuesday and I spent several days swatting, spraying and using sticky fly papers. The sprays are most effective. I believe them to be cluster flies. They seem to like congregating in the bathroom near the window and also near windows in the hallway and stairs. My brief investigations suggest they are coming in from the outside near the front door where I have also now sprayed which seemed to reduce their number. The flies are dozy at times and sometimes just stay still on windows and walls so easy to swat. I found a large number of dead flies by my bathroom window on two days. Causes? Don't know. Possibly a dead animal but more likely that last year a large number of fly eggs were left in the wall and door crevices and they have now all hatched/come to maturity, and are attracted by the warmer interiors during this spell of cold weather. Looking at internet, Rentokil describes them as as "Cluster flies are commonly found in quiet, undisturbed parts of your home, such as attics and wall voids. They require warm places to hibernate over winter. You may see a large group of cluster flies around a window, as they are attracted to the light on sunny winter days." I have got the fly numbers down to about two in the hall. I will continue my spraying and swatting but if there is no improvement after say, another 10 days, I may seek pest control advice.

I have just moved to Herne Hill from Dulwich Village where I had BT Infinity which was generally OK albeit with variable speed. It was OK eves and weekends. Although I have kept my telephone number and exchange (Brixton) I can't get BT Infinity at the new house at the moment due to capacity in the cabinet. It will take a while to sort out so I am thinking of getting Virgin Media superfast broadband via cable pro-tem (there is already a connector in the house) but see on local forums there are issues with overcapacity. Are the problems reported here about Virgin Media affecting Herne Hill (Ruskin) as well? It doesn't bode well to see promises being made and timescales for rectifying constantly delayed. Bladonad talks about a fix in the new year for slow speeds.

I am having new curtains delivered Monday 7th November. I need a curtain fitter who can install a corded track and hang the curtains in a bay window. Does anyone know a good local curtain fitter?

Dear Renata Would you provide the names of those invited/speaking at the Thameslink meeting on Thursday? Thanks

Ha Ha! Masons! an Axis! Might be overegging the pudding. Masons are a bit old hat! Sounds a bit 1970s/80s. Besides there are many women involved (who can't be Masons). The Chair of the Dulwich Estate Trustees is a woman. A lot of women at the beneficiaries which include 3 girls' schools + Alleyn's. Women are very active at the Dulwich Society too. There are many networks in the area but across many professions, social groups and interests. Also the beneficiaries include local charities, about 15 elderly residents in the almshouses as well as 4 state schools and a chapel allied to St Barnabas. Estate donations to local independent schools help support scholarships for disadvantaged kids from across London as well as local children. Although Dulwich College is a beneficiary of the Dulwich Estate, it is not part of the Estate but is a separate charity with its own Board of Governors.

Steve and Nicola are very reliable, came on the day specified and sanded & varnished one room in a few hours. Excellent job. Definitely recommend.

I am looking for a good dressmaker in the Dulwich area to make two evening style short dresses from an existing pattern using silk from the Far East. Need someone reliable, with a reasonably fast turnround. I live in Dulwich Village. Any suggestions?

There has been a spate of muggings today in Dulwich, up to 7 separate incidents including in Croxted Road, near Sydenham Hill station and Turney Road, some as early at 6.45am this morning. There was a group of 6 young men - mid 20s or so - riding 3 mopeds in pairs. Neighbours may want to be more vigilant than usual leaving home early in the morning or returning home, especially so when mopeds are heard/sighted. Police advice is to not walk along on mobiles, keep valuables out of sight and do not use headphones so as to remain alert to what is going on around you.

I am a Southwark resident and user of King's College Hospital (KCH). I am not a health professional. I think it's dangerous to generalise from one set of statistics. KCH is a major trauma hospital serving a wide area of South East London and Kent, and has now taken a number of other hospitals under its wing. KCH is heavily utilised. Taking two of the hospitals from the list on the petition: COMPARE THIS WEEK'S STATS from the BBC web site http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25055444 King's College Hospital: 3828 people attended A&E. 150 people had a trolley wait of 4-12 hours. 3.92% of attendees Portsmouth Hospitals: 1900 people attended A&E. 86 people had a trolley wait of 4-12 hours 4.53% of attendees So in percentage terms the 6th worst performer has a poorer performance than the 3rd worst performer, King's. Personally I have had a very good service from KCH in several specialisms over the last 20 years or so, and there have been undoubted improvements in patient management and care, with greater use of technology over that time. My family has used A&E on occasions, expected to wait and couldn't really complain. Before criticising KCH, you have to look at the wider health picture in the area it serves: the changes in the GP service particularly the out of hours service, the changing demographic & aging population, the level of chronic illness in the area, uncertainty about where to get emergency help and the demise of NHS Direct. There is now a campaign in London (http://www.notalwaysaande.co.uk/) to get people to use other sources of help incl pharmacies which are under-utilised in the UK compared to other countries. In particular there is confusion about how to get help out of hours when the GP practices are closed. Someone is taken ill at home on a Saturday evening - where do you turn to? You might call SELDOC but not get a fast service, or a home visit, and you are told to go to A&E. Plans are afoot (well in 2-3 years time) to modify the local primary care services and provide better all round GP care which will help to stem the flow of people using A&E. I won't be signing the petition but action is needed on the wider health provision in the area to ensure that KCH A&E is used for genuine emergencies.

All Further to last post, I checked the Southwark web site again and the closing dates for the flood planning applications are: Dulwich Park - 12th Feb 2014 Belair Park - 10th Feb 2014 Southwark Community Sports Trust (Dulwich Sports Ground in Turney Road) - 5th Feb 2014

Hi all I should have made it clear in my earlier post that I am a longstanding Dulwich resident, but not a councillor, contractor nor Southwark employee, nor am I a candidate in the forthcoming local elections, and my interest in the flood management is apolitical. I am active in local residents' issues and amenity societies such as the Dulwich Society. In this case, I have attended Southwark's meetings and workshops on the proposed flood measures over the past few months and contributed my thoughts on the proposals particularly in the Village area. I am not a member of the Friends of Park groups but they have also been very active in attending workshops. There is a Consultation Summary Report document on the planning application document list which details all the meetings and groups involved, and issues raised during the workshops. This is a big proposal affecting three large green spaces in the centre of Dulwich and it is important that everyone contributes so I encourage everyone to respond to the planning applications. The consultation closing date has moved out to 5th February so there is plenty of time to review the documents. If I hear of any updates or meetings about the proposals I will post them on here. Kind regards

Hi The Southwark consultation is closing on 1st Feb 2014 so plenty of time to respond. The Flood works are being funded by DEFRA and Thames Water. Southwark have a lead local authority responsibility for managing flood risk. There is a national and London-wide initiative to tackle surface water floods. There was a public consultation with workshops and an exhibition November/December 2013 before the planning application was submitted, and 1000 residents in the areas most affected and groups like the Friends of Dulwich and Belair Parks, Dulwich Society, Dulwich Estate were invited by letter to participate. Residents and the Friends & other groups attended & contributed & debated. The proposed flood alleviation works are to reduce the risk of surface water flooding across the Dulwich and Herne Hill area - in times of severe storms the surface water flows in the same direction, emanating across our urban landscape from such places as Norwood & Sydenham across Dulwich Park & Belair Park, then across the sports fields and onward to Herne Hill where there is a tendency for the water to "pond". There was a serious surface water flood in 2004 after a massive storm including hailstones which affected many roads in the Dulwich area, flooding basements; water was knee deep; cars floating along the road. The surface water collected in Herne Hill where it ponded and all the Half Moon shops were flooded. The Herne Hill photos in the consultation papers show the 2004 flood not the one in August 2013 which as said previously was caused by a burst water main, but the effect was the same. The Half Moon parade was flooded. Since December 2013, the Environment Agency has published surface water flood maps (as well as maps of river and sea flooding). Insert your postcode at http://watermaps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiyby.aspx?topic=ufmfsw#x=357683&y=355134&scale=2 to see impact of surface water floods in your area. Once the works are in place, they should help to reduce waterlogging on the pitches. Anyone interested in the works in the parks should talk to the Friends of Dulwich Park or Friends of Belair Park who I'm sure will be happy to discuss the pro's and con's of the flood works. I'm sure the Southwark Flood Team will also be happy to help. Hope this helps.

Dear workingmum You asked about the proposed new secondary school in Walworth. Details are at http://www.proposedueasouthbank.co.uk/ It's due to be called the University Engineering Academy South Bank and open in Sept 2014 in Trafalgar Street. Sacred Heart School are currently using the building but are due to move to a new building.

A Vodafone mast (3G) has just been installed close to Dulwich Village and this should improve the Vodafone network coverage in the Dulwich area. The mast is due to be fully operational by the end of May.