Greendale Scout Hut closure by JAGS - what to do now?

[albert]

What about the Dulwich Constitutional Club?

[rch]

Flanter and Bawdy-Nan, I'll continue to campaign for basic services to our area in my Community Activist role, but it's difficult to achieve much down here as the administration that makes decisions is now based 5 miles away in Tooley Street and has no real grasp of our situation. Even when I was a councillor it was extremely difficult to get public funding allocated to the area, the north and centre of the borough always takes priority.

Another one of my campaigns is to also create a small green space at the hospital site so that local residents have somewhere to go as there are no local parks in this immediate area (this was supported by the council's assessment of Open Spaces), but my recent bid for funding to create a viable proposal was rejected.

FYI, JAGS also provided their astroturf pitch for free for a Millwall-run Friday Night Football Club that I set up, which was held in tandem with the Friday Night Youth Club run by Redthread... for approximately four years these two programs gave up to 150 local young people somewhere to go on a Friday night, but the football club has now ceased.

We have a really specific problem in our particular area... I've spoken to all the local churches and even the Constitutional Club, but financial pressures on private facilities, reduced footage, and location away from public transportation services make regular public usage too difficult.

Both Alleyn's and JAGS were invaluable in helping me to up some of the projects on a restricted budget for younger and older residents, but no one is driving this mindset now that I'm not a councillor anymore.

In any case, we really need other facilities in addition to meeting rooms, such as a housing office, One Stop Shop, and Police Contact.

FYI, because of my close interaction with JAGS on the community projects, I abstained from voting on the Music Centre planning application... instead, I performed the function of a liaison between JAGS and the community and managed to get many conditions agreed on which are intended to decrease the impact on the local area... such as a capped number of major events per year with traffic wardens deployed at each event to control traffic issues.

Most of the activities which will take place at the new music facility are already taking place at the school, but spread out across the site, some in temporary facilities... so this project is actually more of a logical re-configuration and consolidation of the site than a completely new project.

We can discuss any of this in more detail if you like.

[flocker spotter]

Have you asked about using 3rd Camberwell's scout hut on Bellenden road? 3rd C use it Mondays and Tuesdays.

[flanter]

Hi RCH, yes, it might be good to have a chat some time. We're just artists discovering the complexities of gaining access to the resources of the community/establishment.

Not sure why independent artists always seem to get the fuzzy end of the lollipop, we got unceremoniously kicked out of the Calton Centre four years ago, with almost no notice at all. They said they were refurbishing the building but they opened a similar style local authority art class in the same room two weeks later. So I guess we're used to it. I can't quite see why decisions that are made that disrupt our activities have to be kept from us until the last moment, when they can do us real damage. We're nice people after all.

Haven't tried Bellenden Scout Hut, anyone got contact details? Yes, I have tried google.

[bawdy-nan]

For the life drawing classes, what about the Francis Peek centre in the park? Or the upstairs room at the library? (both council run). Bellenden Scout hut is fine and dandy but cold in the winter ... which might make for some unhappy life models ...

[flanter]

Thanks Bawdy-nan, we're looking at the Francis Peek centre next week, didn't know about the upstairs room at the library but will enquire.

Yes, good heating is essential, some models are pretty robust, others are thin skinned and sensitive to draughts.

[bawdy-nan]

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200062/libraries/2888/hall_and_room_hire

[Vik]

Sea Cadet Unit. Not scout hut.

Sorry, tiny irrational things and all that!

[flanter]

Anyone see the front page of the South London Press? Journalist Jack Griffith spotted this thread and wrote a story about us. Sorry Vik, they call it a sea scout hut too...

[Vik]

I know. Sloppy journalism.

[dontpanic]

Flanter - try the Peckham Liberal Club.

?25 per hour except peak times at weekends. Hall is very warm....

There's an orchestra, yoga and a few other things on evenings but by no means booked up..

[flanter]

Thanks for the suggestion dontpanic, certainly will have a look at the Peckham Liberal Club.

[flanter]

Just to update all those of you who helped us find a new venue with your kind thoughts and ideas. We've settled at the Copleston Centre in Copleston Road SE15. We have managed to keep all of the groups going on the same days and times to minimise disruption to artist's routines.

We had our first session yesterday and the cool of the church was a definite bonus. It's not technically Dulwich any more but we know lots of artists who live around the Bellenden Road area so we're hopeful we'll pick up some new members to make up for the inevitable loss of those who will no longer be able to walk to us. If you like drawing or painting and haven't for a while, why not join us? our website is www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk