nine

Totally independent, serving the Community

SEPTEMBER 2012 LATE SUMMER

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Saturday 22nd:St Saviour's Church, Middle Park Avenue One

of London's first modern-style churches.

10am to 4pm

Coronet Cinema, Well Hall. Grade II with

iconic 1930s entrance and foyer. 1pm to

5pm

Tudor Barn and Well Hall Pleasaunce open

10am to 6pm. Tours 11.30 and 2.30

Sunday 23rd:Eltham Lodge the Grade I mansion built

in 1664. Tours on the hour from 10am to

12.30pm on a first come first served basis

Severndroog Castle Grade II* Georgian

tower. Talks on the hour from 10am to 3pm.

Tudor Barn and Well Hall Pleasaunce open

10am to 6pm. Tours 11.30 and 2.30

Full listings can be found at: www.openhouselondon.org.uk

SEnine

2 It is your community, you have the right to a say in what happens

It is not always easy to shop locally. The

temptation to shop out of town seems

irresistible. The lure of 'Blue Water' or the

seemingly unbeatable 'on line' deals

add gravitas to the temptation.

I am no saint, and have faltered. However

I try and, over the past few years, I have

managed to mostly shop local.

My carpets came from Hardy's Floors.

My new dining table and chairs came

from a high street trader, once near to

San Fairy Anne, but now unfortunately

closed.

Because my wife, Joanne, and I both

work we have a cleaner for our house

and use an excellent local business

Cleaning and Gardening Agency. I

purchase hardware at Avery Truman's in

the arcade as well as a kitchen blender.

I use a local 'all rounder' plumber and

decorator, Chris Evans and had some

tiling done by local Perry Peirson-Hagga.

I recently purchased some decorating

items form Angela McNeill Interiors. I

have my hair cut locally. Joanne visits a

local hairdresser and beautician. I visit

the White Hart to enjoy a nice beer or

better still a great roast carvery. Joanne

and I pop in to the Tudor Barn for a lunch

or just to relax at the weekend. Peters

Carpet cleaning has worked his magic.

Beds came from Alan's Beds. I have

been to shows at Bob Hope Theatre.

I follow the Greenwich Concert Band

and the Youth Band. I like shopping at

M&S and we buy our weekly general

groceries at Sainsbury's

Our meat comes from New Eltham

Butchers. And fruit and veg from Steve

at Golden Apple (under the rail bridge).

We do not eat out a lot, but have

managed to visit Nico's Greek Taverna

for a great meal, had a night at the Yak

& Yeti, and a romantic meal at Gusella's.

I am not musically gifted but purchased

a guitar for my equally musically

challenged son-in-law from Normans

Music.

Spent a little on my grand daughter yet

to be born (at time of publication) at

Mothercare.

Even though my Well Hall Road

Surgery doctors object, by the way I

get my medication needs from Mangal

Pharmacy, always, on a Wednesday, you

can fi nd me, with mates, nursing an ale

at the Bankers. Draft.

But with the disappearing shops on the

high street it seems not enough. I do

not know the answer to saving our high

street ............. do you?

It is not enough to wish or want a

particular business in our area, we also

have to actively support that business.

I have not managed to use all businesses

in our community.

I started this blurb stating,

in this regard, I am no

saint. I have shopped

on line, visited Blue

Water and wandered

into Blackheath and

even Woolwich

on occasions.

Eltham cannot

c u r r e n t l y

provide for all

our needs, but those businesses that

are here need our support.

Hopefully if they remain viable and

vibrant, other small and larger traders

will realise the opportunity that Eltham

has to off er. And in the longer term we

will all be better for it.

The fate of our locals and the challenges

that face our local businesses and

traders are strangely in our hands, not

theirs.

If you would like a business to continue

to have a presence on our high street

then it is totally up to you, support

them.

We do have a unique community. Let us

show just how unique it is by working

together in

p r e s e r v i n g

our high

street.

Enjoy life:

Enjoy Eltham.

Cover: 'How's That'

Cricket at Avery Hill ParkPhotos by: John Webb

Cameo: Sam and Claire Reynolds. Story page 14.

Mark Wall

mark@senine.co.uk

Editor: John Webb

editor@senine.co.uk

Phone: 020 8333 7493

Web: www.senine.co.uk

Publisher: SEnine Ltd:

PO Box 24290, Eltham, SE9 6ZP

Totally Independent

Friends Membership. Support for the magazine is always appreciated. You can

help the magazine with an annual Friends Membership

The standard membership is £24.00 per year (in the delivery area)

Royal Mail membership £36.00 per year (delivered by post)

Payment to 'SEnine' PO Box 24290 Eltham SE96ZP

Opinion, From My Desk

Closing Dates. All copy must be received by about the 15th* of each

month to appear in the next edition. Contributions and Stories are

always welcome from the residents of Eltham. Submissions are

subject to our overall editorial policy. *Some months do vary,

check our web page www.senine.co.uk for exact dates.Web Site Price List

SEnine

3

SEPTEMBER 2012ISSUE NUMBER 70

This publication is subject to copyright - if you want to use something, ask we will usually grant permission

The sports pitches became tent

pitches for the two week duration

of the Games with more than 400

campers closing in on Eltham from all

parts of the globe.

It was one of three offi cial Games

campsites across the capital, within

striking range of the Olympic venues by

bus and tube from North Greenwich.

Despite mixed weather, the facilities

proved to be popular with the

international village which assembled

itself in Kidbrooke Lane.

Among the campers were

representatives from Australia, Hungary,

the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy,

Ireland, United States, Belgium and

France, including one family who had

cycled from Paris.

The attraction for many was cheap

accommodation which enabled them

to devote more of their holiday budgets

to tickets.

At just £10 per night per person, it was

the lowest budget hotel in the capital.

Mark Fiander, campsite manager said:

“It’s gone really well, we’ve been able

to use the clubhouse

for washing facilities

and refreshments for

the campers. There

haven’t been too

many problems and

people have been

happy staying here.”

Claire and Niki Hurrel

Head from Plymouth

camped for 10 days

before moving into

the luxury of a hotel

for the fi nal days of

the Games.

As well as taking in a wide range of

sports, they also served as chauff eur

Games Makers, ferrying competitors to

their venues.

“It’s been a brilliant way to spend our

summer holidays, using this as a base

for watching the Games; we’ve been to

events most days we’ve been here”, said

Claire.

Konrad Wunschig and family from

Leipzig had been touring in England

and decided to take in some Olympic

spirit before heading for home.

“The tickets are

expensive for a family

but we’re happy sight-

seeing in London

and might see some

of the action on the

streets”, he said.

Marion Carey and

family from Cork were

spending fi ve days on

the site and had seen

some water polo and

the ladies marathon.

Keen sports fans, the

Carey family had also

been sight-seeking and enjoying doing

the Wenlock trail across London, fi nding

full-sized facsimiles of the Olympic

mascot at tourist attractions across the

capital.

“The water polo was fun and it was good

seeing the Olympic park and being part

of the occasion”, said Marion.

“It has been a good campsite and had

all the facilities we needed”, she said.

It was synchronised swimming which

brought Karen Fenna, Gail Hampson

and their children Heidi, Nicola and

Greta to London.

There were occasions during their stay

when it seemed possible they could

perform a routine on the fi elds as

downpour followed downpour.

Down from Lancashire, they hope to

be cheering on their off spring at future

Olympics. It would be fairy-tale journey

from the campsite at Well Hall to an

Olympic podium. Every dream has to

start somewhere.

Olympic CampThe Olympic rings were cooking rings for the 2012

camping fraternity who made the Blackheath

Rugby Club their homes during the Games. by John Webb

SEnine

4 Don't be a litter lout, fi nd a bin

NEWS

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Wedding Reception

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receptions at all its 5 locations. For

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main offi ce on 020 8850 2040.

New Groups EncouragedSt Mary's Community Complex is keen

to encourage and support any new

community groups.

Do you have an idea, something you feel

would benefi t Eltham and its people?

Contact the Main Offi ce for details, more

information and support.

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Everyone at would like to invite all existing clients as well

as welcome new clients to the new look salon, with a special welcome to David Morton's clients.

101 Westmount Road Eltham SE9 1XX

020 8850 0011

SEnine

5Strong People Strong Families Strong Community

No One is Standing HigherA mother of four marked the first anniversary of discovering

she had breast cancer – by climbing Britain’s tallest

mountain. Adam Gillham spoke to her.

Samantha Sees, 44, scaled the 4,409ft

peak with husband Kevin and two

friends almost a year to the day she had

received the devastating news.

Now after surgery and chemotherapy,

Samantha is in remission and to mark

her own personal mountain she has

had to climb in the last year, she took

on the huge Scottish summit.

It took the group just under fi ve hours

to get to the top on Saturday, July 14

raising more than £700 for her favourite

charity, the Freddie Farmer Foundation.

Samantha, from Well Hall Road, Eltham

said: “We found out a year ago I had

breast cancer.

“It was devastating news. It was the

same weekend as my

husband Kevin’s 40th

Birthday Party.

“But I have always

remained very positive.

“I decided I wanted to do

something to mark the

anniversary and someone

suggested we climb Ben

Nevis.

“It seemed a great idea

at the time. I wanted

to do it for charity as

the Freddie Farmer

Foundation is a charity

close to me.

“We had done some

training to get fi t for the

mountain but I don’t

think there’s anything

that can prepare you

for it.

“It was so steep. I haven’t

done anything like this

before and it was really hard work. But

we were focussed to get to the top.

“I’m a little bit afraid of heights – which

didn’t help – but I was determined to

complete it.

“The views on the way up and at the top

were amazing. We were very lucky with

the weather and the clouds cleared

when we were at the top.

“It was a wonderful feeling to do it.

Other walkers were great along the

way, urging us on.”

But Samantha, an administrator at a

doctor’s surgery, said the hardest part

was getting down off the mountain.

She said: “it was tough going all the

way to the bottom. I think I’d put all my

energy into getting up the mountain

but it was equally hard coming down. It

was slow going as it was steep and the

path was so rocky.

“But we did it. It was an amazing

experience. To feel that there was no

one standing on land higher than us

anywhere in the United Kingdom was

very special.

"I want to do something every year now.

It really has inspired me.

The Freddie Farmer Foundation was

formed in 2011 to raise £250,000 to set

up a specialised physiotherapy centre

in South-East London for children and

young people with cerebral palsy and

serious mobility problems

If you would like to make a donation

for Samantha, please click on her

fund raising page:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/

SamanthaSees1

SEnine

6

FEATURE

Buy Local, Support the Town Centre

23 SEPTEMBER 2012 10-4

Come and ignite your imagination!

WEDDING FAYRE

With over 30 experienced professional suppliers.

Let us take away the stress of planning your big day.

Free entry, sparkling cocktail and canapés on arrival.

Tudor Barn ElthamWell Hall Pleasaunce, Well Hall Road, Eltham, Royal Greenwich, London SE9 6SZ

0845 459 2351 www.tudorbarneltham.co.uk

£60.00pp

TicketsFriday 28th September 2012

7:00pm to 11.00pm

LIve music with Aiden Kent as Frank SinatraAfter dinner dance floor till 11.00pm

from the Rhône region of France

Hosted by Master of Wines Jonathan Pedley

Four course meal including six tasting wines

SEnine

7Find and Support Local Tradesmen

Jane Webb has lived in Eltham since '85 with her husband and daughter. She has taught at several local primary schools'

FOOT PAIN IS NORMAL ISN’T IT?FOOT PAIN IS NORMAL ISN’T IT?Our Podiatrist/Chiropodist, with over 20 years experience is able to treat

and advise on a huge variety of foot problems, no matter how large or small, whether they are causing you pain or are just unsightly.

Common complaints include:

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020 8294 0066 020 8294 1113

James Grabham

MChS SRCh DPodM

Eltham Podiatry

93 Eltham Hill

Eltham SE9 5SU

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Home visiting service available

Free Parking

It was when I returned to my old

stamping ground of Northumberland

this summer that a macabre thought hit

me.

High in the remote hills, not far from

where my father was vicar, there's a

grisly sight.

A head swings in the wind suspended

by a rope from a gibbet, sending out

a warning to travellers since it was fi rst

put there more than 200 years ago.

It was the head of a local, William Winter,

who committed a brutal murder and

was sentenced to death at Newcastle

Crown Court. 'Winter's Gibbet' was

erected not far from his home village

and his body left to rot.

The head, now a commemorative

wooden one, has been replaced many

times over the years and become

something of a tourist destination. The

thought was that I seem to follow these

things about.

Moving to Yorkshire gave little relief from

gruesome memorabilia. In Halifax is a

reconstruction of one of the country's

few working guillotines, a place of gory

execution where many a poor soul met

with their end.

The burghers of the wool town favoured

beheading as the way of disposing

of miscreants. Since the 13th century,

records show that a total of 80 heads

were separated from their bodies, the

last in 1650, mainly for off ences relating

to the theft of animals for wool. Steal a

lamb in Halifax and you were in for the

chop!

A replica has been erected on the site

and the original blade is in the town's

famous Piece Hall.

Now I am in Eltham where Samuel Pepys

described passing under “the man that

hangs upon Shooters Hill”, probably a

highwayman hanged at “Gibbet Field”,

now part of the golf course.

I remember in our pretty Yorkshire Dales

village of Leathley , by the green, stood

the remains of a pair of C17th stocks

which we enjoyed having fun with as

children. Yes, menial trouble-makers

would once have been placed there to

have objects such as rotten eggs and

old turnips thrown at them.

There aren't too many

modern parallels.

However, the other day I

noticed a high-vis team

of Community Payback

off enders painting the

park railings. They

don't know they're

born!

Steal a lamb in Halifax and you

were in for the chop

Commemorative Wooden Head SEnine

8 Vote at elections, it is your right

JANE’S JOTTINGS

Back in 1959, Harvard

maths lecturer and

songwriter, Tom Lehrer,

thought it would be a

laugh to set the periodic

table of elements to

the tune of Gilbert and

Sullivan’s ‘Modern Major

General’.

Back in 2011, local actor

Eric Whiting decided it

would be a laugh to learn

it! Once he’d mastered the

tortuous tongue twister,

the next logical step was

to devise a complete show

featuring the best of Tom

Lehrer’s satirical songs.

‘I fi rst saw a Tom Lehrer show

about 20 years ago’, said

Eric, ‘and I’ll never forget the

sheer brilliance of the lyrics,

the dark twisted humour

and the way my faced

ached through continuously

laughing. I’ve been a big fan

ever since.’

The fi rst step was to get

permission to perform

Tom’s material, so he sent

the man an email. To Eric's

surprise and relief, Tom

Lehrer himself replied, giving

his blessing and stating,

‘I’ve no objections to you

performing my songs, just

as long as I don’t have to be

there!’

Eric then contacted some

of the best local performers

he knew, searched around

for some venues, wrote a

script, printed some tickets,

rehearsed like mad and

hey presto, the result is a

company of self-confessed

“Lehrophiles” happy to

perform Tom Lehrer’s

material and donate profi ts

to charity or local amateur

theatre groups.

The other members are:

Clive Bebee, Sarah Coleman,

Jeremy Pinel and Penny

Walshe.

In addition to ‘The Elements’

song, the repertoire includes

such delights as ‘Poisoning

Pigeons in the Park’; ‘I got it

from Agnes’ and ‘Vatican Rag’.

MANGAL PHARMACY

MANGAL PHARMACY 59 WELL HALL ROAD ELTHAM SE9 6SZ

020 8850 6860

146 WELL HALL ROAD ELTHAM SE9 6SN

020 8859 0036

8 GREEN PLACE GREENWICH PENINSULA SE10 0PE

020 8305 0748

WWW.MANGAL.NET

Free prescription collection

and delivery service.

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Professional Hair StylistGents Hair Cut £7.00

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Beard Trim £3.00

020 3638 9625136 Well Hal l Road Eltham SE9 6SN

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Sat 9am to 6pm

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It’s Element'ry!It took Eric Whiting a year to learn

‘The Elements’ song - now it’s your

turn to suffer!

Thursday 20 September

Grand Theatre, Woolwich

Friday 21 September

Ripley Arts Centre, Bromley,

Saturday 22 September.

Charlton House, Charlton

For more information, tickets

or booking enquiries, contact

Penny Walshe on

020 8850 0703 or via email to

pennywalshe@hotmail.com

SEnine

9 Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how.

SEnine

10 Join in a Community Activity

Having grown up in Eltham, I have

always been aware of Bob Hope.

But I’d never seen him in action.

With the recent opening of the

exhibition about him at the Greenwich

Heritage Centre, I thought it was time

to put that right. Would it be vintage

comedy? After all, stand-up is in vogue

again. Or past its sell-by date?

So I looked at some clips on the

internet. I couldn’t help but notice Bob’s

enthusiasm for appearing on Vaudeville

variety bills and performing in general.

His comedy acts, some of which were

fi lmed over 50 years ago, contain plenty

of witty puns, innuendo and fl oor-

rolling laughter.

It is not just the comedy acts that have

stood the test of time. His fi lm and

television career also came out shining.

Having watched the 1947 western

spoof ‘The Paleface’, I found his humour

doesn’t appear dated in any sense of

the word.

Bob, who

plays the

part of an

incompetent

d e n t i s t ,

gets paired

up with

g a n g s t e r

m o l l

C a l a m i t y

Jane (Jane

R u s s e l l ) ,

who uses a

marriage to him as part of her cover.

My curiosity aroused, it was time to view

the exhibition at Greenwich and his

extraordinary life story. With over 170

artefacts and more than 200 vintage

photographs on display, the exhibition

focuses on his early years in Eltham

before documenting the eventual rise

to stardom.

He was born in Eltham in 1903, the

fi fth of seven sons who lived in a

small terraced house in Craigton Road

where his father, William, worked as a

stonemason and his mother, Avis, as a

cleaner.

Four years later, his family emigrated to

the United States, eventually settling

in Cleveland, Ohio. Initially, the Hope

family struggled fi nancially to provide

for themselves, so Bob worked in a

number of jobs that ranged from a shoe

salesman to busking, performing dance

and comedy acts.

It took off as a career took off when

Fatty Arbuckle, a silent fi lm comedian,

saw one of Bob’s performances with

his partner, George Byrne. By the early

1930s, he’d fashioned a respectable solo

career, meeting singer Dolores Reade

who he married in 1934, adopting four

children.

In the late 1930s, he had truly found his

calling in Hollywood. His fi rst major role

came in ‘The Big Broadcast’ in 1938, in

which he sang “Thanks for the Memory”

with Shirley Ross, which would later

become his trademark tune.

Two years later, Bob teamed up with

Bing Crosby, for a series of ‘Road’ pictures,

beginning with ‘Road to Singapore’ and

ending with ‘Road to Hong Kong’ 22

years later

Aside from singing and acting, he was

renowned for supporting US troops

and would regularly take time out of his

hectic schedule to entertain them. On

many occasions, he and his family would

spend Christmas alongside servicemen

in across the globe, ranging from the

Pacifi c front in 1944 to Lebanon in 1983.

With a career spanning over 60 years

and more than 70 fi lms, Bob, who died

just past his 100th birthday in 2003, was

one of the most honoured and highly

respected performers in entertainment

history.

Opening the exhibition, Linda Hope,

Bob’s daughter said: "He was born in

Eltham and always looked forward to

returning.”

Eltham welcomed him back, too, three

times, and his legacy is the smart and

thriving theatre which bears his name,

consolidating his position as one of

town’s greatest.

Bob Hope

was diff erent

from other

performers; he

was a master of

many diff erent

d i s c i p l i n e s ,

whether it be

comedy, acting

or indeed

singing. My

advice to my peers? Check out the

exhibition, watch the fi lms and echo

the laughter from down the years.

The Bob Hope World of Laughter

exhibition runs from until 28 October

2012 at the Greenwich Heritage Centre,

admission is free.

His name is on the plaque of a house not

more than 200 yards from mine.

Story by Charles BallardBob Hope

Greenwich Heritage Centre

Artillery Square

Royal Arsenal

Woolwich SE18 4DX0

020 8854 2452

SEnine

11

FEATURE

Don't be a Litter tosser, put it in a bin

Sunday September 2Mottingham Concert BandTudor Barn, Well Hall Pleasaunce - 2 – 4pm

Saturday September 8Annual show of fruit, vegetables and flowersSale of produce, honey and plants

Eltham and Avery Hill Garden Society

St Mary’s Catholic primary school

Glenure Road - 3 – 4.30pm

Until September 9Olympic amateur radio eventRun by Cray Valley Radio Society

Avery Hill Scout Activity Centre, Avery Hill

Road SE9 2HE - Open to all - 10am – 4pm

Sunday September 9Suzie Bailey and EspreeTop pop cover band

Tudor Barn, Well Hall Pleasaunce - 2- 4 pm

Saturday September 15‘The History of the Bob Hope Theatre’Talk by board member Jim Shepherd

Greenwich Heritage Centre, Artillery Square,

Woolwich. Entrance £3 (inc refreshments) 2pm

Sunday September 16Finsbury Division cover bandTudor Barn, Well Hall Pleasaunce - 2-4pm

Tuesday September 18 Snakes and lizards‘Animal Days Out’ mini-zoo talk with live

animals. Eltham Nature Club

St Mary’s Community Centre,

Details www.elthamnatureclub.org.uk or

07894 711765 -Non-members £3, members

£1.50 -7.30pm

Saturday and Sunday September

22 and 23Open House Sunday at Well Hall Pleasaunce

Guided walks and exhibitions at the Tudor

Barn - 11.30am and 2.30pm

Sunday 23 SeptemberSuzie Bailey and EspreeTudor Barn, Well Hall Pleasaunce - 2-4pm

Sunday 23 SeptemberWedding FayreTudor Barn, Well Hall Pleasaunce - 10-4pm

Wednesday September 26Tudor Barn Wine ClubThree course meal and six wines

£35. Booking essential from 0845 459 2351

Wednesday - Saturday September 26 – 29Outside Edge’A comedy by Richard Harris

Play involving cricket, marital problems and

rain. Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield Road

020 8850 3702 or www.bobhopetheatre.

co.uk £9 (conc £8) 7.45pm (plus 2.30pm Sat)

Friday 28 SeptemberWine Club Annual Dinner & DanceTudor Barn, Well Hall Pleasaunce - 7-11pm

See page 7 for details

Sunday September 30Soul Grenades cover bandTudor Barn, Well Hall Pleasaunce - 2-4pm

Thursday – Saturday October 4 – 6‘Further Beyond Broadway’Songs from the musicals, films and adverts!

Eldorado Musical Productions

Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield Road

Tickets £13.50 (conc £11.50)

020 8850 3702

or www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk

7.45pm (2.30pm Sat)

Friday October 5Last Night of the Mini Proms7:30pm, Blackheath Halls

Opera and Classical favourites with a

patriotic twist starring Eltham couple, Eloise

and Grant Doyle. Tickets: £15/£12 conc.

Box Office: 020 8463 0100

www.miniproms.com

Saturday October 6thChoral concert To mark the Christ Church Centenary

Celebrations. Eltham Choral Society.

Programme of popular classics including

the Vivaldi Gloria, conducted by Peter

Asprey, accompanied by Charles Andrews,

organist. Christ Church, Eltham High St.

Tickets, £10 (£8 conc) from Norman's Music

Shop, Christchurch Parish Office, 0208 850

3532 or on the door. 8pm

Saturday October 13Meccano OlympicsThree halls of working models including an

Olympic theme

Eltham United Reformed Church, Court Rd

Details www.selmec.org.uk,

chris.warrell@selmec.org.uk

or 020 8856 0148.

Adults £3.00; OAPs £2.50; Unaccompanied

Children £1.50; free with adults. -

10.30am – 4.30pm

Saturday October 13‘All About The Voice’A fun packed show of music and comedy

with impressionist, comedian and

ventriloquist

Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield Road

£12.50 (conc £10.50) - 2.30 and 7.30pm

Wednesday - Saturday October 17 – 20Peter Pan the MusicalBromley Players

£11.50 (Weds and Thurs) £13.50 (Fri and Sat)

020 8850 3702 or www.bobhopetheatre.

co.uk - 7.45pm (and 2.30pm Sat)

Saturday October 27thSEnine concertDate for your diary. This is a great night.

Details next month.

December 2012 - January 2013Annual pantomimeDick Whittington and His Cat

Bob Hope Theatre

Booking inquiries 020 8850 3072

Every MondayGreenwich Community ChoirEltham Park Methodist Church on

Westmount Road 7.45pm. All Welcome.

An opportunity for people aged 18+ to

enjoy singing in a fun choir. It meets every

Monday during term time.

Every TuesdayGreenwich Soul Choir rehearsalsEltham Green Community Church,

Westhorne Avenue

7.30pm, contact: 07958 612 582

Alternate WednesdaysEltham KnittersSocial craft group

St Mary’s Community Centre

2-4.30pm

Every ThursdayEltham Chess & Games ClubAll ages and abilities welcome

St Mary’s Community Centre,

7.30 – 9.30pm (Recess all Aug & Sep 1st)

Every ThursdayEltham Choral SocietySt Luke’s Church, Westmount Road

New members welcome

7.30pm www.elthamchoral.org.uk

SEnine

12 Eltham has something for everyone

WHAT'S ON

Having written mainly for the

detective genre, in the seventies

playwright and television writer

Richard Harris turned his early comedic

aspirations to the stage, and Outside

Edge is one result. It premiered in 1979

and is about a cricket team trying to

win whilst dealing with relationship

complications. This is such a hilarious

play it has been adapted into a sitcom.

Roger the team captain is more

interested in being captain than in

playing cricket. He needs to put a team

together for the fi xture against the

British Railways Maintenance Division

Yeading East but his team members

have other problems. He likes to think

he is a great leader of men but his wife

Miriam is the real organiser of the team.

The other team members are having

their own domestic problems.

Bob is doing odd jobs for his ex-wife out

of guilt behind his current wife Ginnie's

back. He is unable to say no to anyone.

Dennis’s wife appears intent on moving

house despite the fact they only moved

recently. When he puts his foot down

she sets fi re to his new car.

Kevin’s wife Maggie is too mothering

for him and his injured spinning

fi nger needs nursing. Alex's latest pole

dancing girlfriend shuts herself in the

toilets whilst having hysterics.

Even Roger's apparently perfect

marriage to Miriam hits a rough patch

when she discovers he was playing

away from home, in more ways than

one, on a trip to Dorking the previous

year.

Just when it seems things can't get any

worse for them, it starts to rain.

This is a comedy gem that should not

be missed.

Howzat!Outside Edge opens the 2012-2013

season at Bob Hope Theatre.

To launch the new season at the

theatre, on Thursday 13th September

at 7pm Bob Hope Theatre is holding

a wine and cheese evening. The

purpose of the evening is to encourage

members old and new to get involved

in the productions both on and off

stage. Anyone who would like to

join the theatre or fi nd out more is

welcome to join them at the theatre.

SEnine

13Be a good neighbour

PREVIEW by Beattie Slavin

An Eltham couple are to travel

thousands of miles to help children

who are trapped in prostitution in poor

communities in Brazil.

Sam Reynolds, who has lived in Eltham

all his life, and his wife Claire, are setting

off to the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil

to work for Meninadança, a charity

which aims to bring hope, healing and

justice to exploited young girls.

Sam, who worships at the Eltham Green

Community Church on Westhorne

Avenue, said it was his Christian faith

that got him involved in the South

American country.

“I couldn’t shake this idea that God had

planned something for me to do in

Brazil, even though I had no concept

of what the country was like. I prayed

to God and had a strong feeling in my

heart that this was where I was meant

to go”.

Sam learned Portuguese, the language

of Brazil, at university, and from 2005

made trips to the country, working for

six months at a time with disadvantaged

children and poor communities.

The 27 year old said “I’ve always been

passionate about community work,

and have volunteered for as long as I

can remember with youth projects in

Eltham. Brazil gave me the opportunity

to continue this work.

“For many in Brazil, poverty is an

overwhelming force, and one of the

key factors that forces children into

prostitution. Although sometimes

working with these people is very

tough, there are beautiful moments; it

is so rewarding to help children on the

process of healing and restoration.”

In 2009 Sam came back to Eltham, and

during a weekend course on enabling

community work, he met Claire, and

they married after just fi ve months.

Sam said “it was all very quick, but we

were so certain about our commitment,

and also had such similar vision and

passion about what we wanted to do

in life. Our relationship began with both

of us deciding that we would move to

Brazil together”.

The couple currently live on Westhorne

Avenue, and Claire who also works

with young people

in Eltham, says she

will “hugely miss

the community and

relationships that we’ve made here”.

“I can’t wait to move out to Brazil in

August, and to have the privilege of

walking alongside children who society

has left behind. I feel like England will

always be home though, and we’ll be

putting lots eff ort into keeping our

relationships here”.

The charity Meninadança, which was

re-launched in 2011 by Daily Mirror

Journalist, Matt Roper, hopes to establish

safe houses in key towns along one of

the motorways in the country. The fi rst

centre will be in the town of Medina.

Sam said: “The greatest threat facing

young, disadvantaged girls in Brazil

today is prostitution. Not just in coastal

cities but in the small towns and

communities along busy motorways. It

is a tragedy and a global disgrace that

children are forced to sell their bodies

to bring money home to their poor

families. I hope that while we are out

there we can help the charity make a

real diff erence.

“The idea is to create a space exclusively

for girls where they can feel safe and

special, and to use dance as a way to

raise their sense of self-worth. Claire

and I won’t be the ones teaching dance,

but we love the idea of using the

restorative eff ect of dance and music

to help the children heal, emotionally

and physically. We will be helping with

the psychological care side, as well as

building relationships with the families

and challenging the mind-sets which

allow this exploitation to continue.”

For more information about the charity,

go to www.meninadanca.org

Hope, Healing and JusticeEltham Couple head for Brazil to

work with vulnerable children.Story by Liz Drury

SEnine

14 Help keep Eltham tidy! Put your litter in bins.

NEWS

One of London’s oldest music stores. Over 90 years in Eltham.OO

We stock a large range and variety of musical instruments and printed music, including Associated Board Publications

32 Well Hall Road Eltham SE9 6SF tel: 020 8850 1263

Why risk buying from the internet or a catalogue shop when you can buy from the specialists?

Free advice and guidance on all our products before and

after your purchase.

www.normansmusic.co.uk

tel: 020 8850

uk

We don't just sell guitars! Wide range of music and instruments

always available.

Want to take up playing a musical instrument

come in and have a chat.

Take advantage of our hire-to-buy

scheme on brass and woodwind

instruments

LARGE ENOUGH TO EXCEL SMALL ENOUGH TO CARELARGE ENOUGH TO EXCEL SMALL ENOUGH TO CARE

At Eltham College, everyone is someone else.

violinist helps out at the local care home. The tennis captain designs websites. In a challenging yet caring environment, we nurture each pupil’s skills and talents. All of them.

We develop well-rounded individuals.

Eltham College, Grove Park Road,Mottingham, London, SE9 4QFTelephone 020 8857 1455www.eltham-college.org.uk

A kettle drum solo, performed by the U12a right wing.

C O L L E G EE L T H A M

Whole School Open MorningSat 15th Sept10.00am – 12.30pm(Arrive at 9.45am)

Boys 7+, 11+ and 13+ entry

SEnine

15Make a diff erence in your community

MeccanOlympics 2012 Story by Chris Warrell

Olympic Games fever is gripping the nation, and

all this excitement has found its way to the South

East London Meccano Club

The South East

London Meccano

Club (SELMEC) has

embraced the spirit

of 2012 and is holding

a MeccanOlympics

2012 at the annual

Meccano Show on

13th October in

Eltham.

It will consist of

four Olympic type events, but with

Meccano models rather than athletes in

competition.

The events planned will be a Push-of-

War (wrestling), a Walking Race (there

are 20km and 50km walks in this year's

games), Ping Pong Put (the health and

safety version of the shot put but with

ping pong balls!) and a Magic Motor

Race (the nearest we can get to the

100m sprint, the Magic motor being a

small Meccano clockwork motor last

manufactured in the 1970s). Most of

the races will be over a 20 feet (6m)

course.

The races will be held throughout the

day, so anyone visiting for just an hour

or so should be able to see at least one

of them.

Meccanomen (and Meccanowomen!)

from this and other Meccano clubs will

be competing. The competition is open

to anyone, not just members of SELMEC,

so long as you have a Meccano set!

There are a number of rules, the main

one being that the models have to be

made out of Meccano.

There is no limit to the number of

entries; heats will be run if necessary to

whittle down the competitors in each

race. In true Olympic spirit, medals will

be given to the top three places in each

discipline.

For anyone not sure, and there are some

people who have never heard of it,

Meccano is a metal construction system

invented by Frank Hornby in 1901.

Initially designed as a reusable toy for

his two sons, it soon became a global

phenomenon with sales around the

world. It appeals to a wide age range

and now has a large adult following.

Various parts, such as strips, plates

wheels and gears, are available and

these can be bolted together to make

a model of almost anything. The most

popular models are usually cranes and

vehicles of various types. The range of

sets used to be more extensive than it

is now, but small sets are still made by

the company.

Anyone interested

in taking part in this

historic event can fi nd

the rules on our website

www.selmec.org.uk or

from Chris Warrell at

chris.warrell@selmec.

org.uk or

020 8856 0148. Please

let me know if you are

intending to compete.

As well as the MeccanOlympics the

Show, in three halls, will have a vast

display of working Meccano models

from cars to cranes, boats to trains!

You can buy Meccano sets and spares

from the trader and buy tickets for the

Meccano raffl e. Refreshments will be

served all day.

The Meccano Show 2012 is at the United

Reformed Church, 1 Court Road, Eltham

SE9 5AD (just along from the main

Post Offi ce) on Saturday 13th October

from 10:30am to 4:30pm. Admission

prices are Adults £3.00; OAPs £2.50;

Unaccompanied Children £1.50; Kids go

FREE when accompanied by an adult.

Clockwise

Olympic Torch - Chris Warrell,

4 man rowing team - John Gay,

Galleon - Santiago Plicio,

1910 Royal Meccano set,

Push of War vehicle - Brian Leach

SEnine

16

NEWS

Take a walk in the Tarn

51 Welling High Street Welling, Kent DA16 1TU

F I R E P L A C E S

020 8303 1131

Well ing-- Modern & Traditional

Fireplaces

Large showrooms

Wide Selection on

Display

Site Survey & Fitting

Service

Friendly Service

Easy parking

Over 20 years in

business

We service gas fi res

Issue landlords

certifi cates.

The White Hart is a traditional Carvery & Steak house on Eltham High Street now Operated by HRM Pubs Ltd, (opposite the now demolished 'baths')

We pride ourselves on a fantastic service and hope you will certainly agree.

We are a passionate and dedicated company with a team that prides itself in exceeding our customer expectations. Our carvery including; beef, turkey and gammon operate 7 days a week, Mon 12 midday - 10.30 pm, Tue to Sat Evening 4pm-8pm, (early bird discount 4pm-6.30pm Tue - Fri). Sunday. Lunch from noon until 6pm. The Carvery also operates Lunchtimes Wed - Fri Noon - 2pm. We are Closed Mondays (Available for Large groups or Private Hire) Please call to book.

Open for breakfast Tue - Sat 9.30am

The Full Grill & Restaurant Menu operates from noon until 9pm Tue - Sat,. Try our Wonderful Steaks from the Grill, T-Bone, Sirloins, Rump, Try our Famous HRM Mixed Grill

We invite you, your family and friends to visit the restaurant or just pop in for a drink in the bar. Off the bar we have a lovely lounge area, with big leather chairs as well as a secluded beer garden at the rear. Come and relax and enjoy the great surroundings and atmosphere have a drink or enjoy a meal. You will not be disappointed in the new look White Hart. Follow us on Facebook & Twitter@TheWhiteHart3

2 Eltham High StreetEltham London SE9 1DA

020 8850 1562www.whiteharteltham.co.ukinfo@whiteharteltham.co.uk

Under N

ew

Managem

ent

The award winning Nepalese Yak-Yeti restaurant The award winning Nepalese Yak-Yeti restaurant has successfully opened a third branch on Eltham has successfully opened a third branch on Eltham High Street occupying the historical building of the High Street occupying the historical building of the Old Greyhound Public House. The Yak-Yeti invites Old Greyhound Public House. The Yak-Yeti invites you to visit and promises to tantalise your taste you to visit and promises to tantalise your taste buds whether you favour mild, moderate or spicy.

15

NEW

Yak & Yeti

now serve an

English Lunch

Special

We would love to cater for your next indoor or outdoor event. We have a great reputation for adding a touch of magic to any event that requires the Yak and Yeti's special touch

SEnine

17Join a local community group

ALAN’SOF Eltham

60 Well Hall Road, Eltham, SE9 6SH

www.alans-of-eltham.co.ukinfo@alans-of-eltham.co.uk

0208 850 1357

Quality Furniture, Beds and Mattresses

10% OFFWITH THISADVERT!

SAMEDAY

DELIVERY!

Eltham Foundation School Harris Academy Greenwich from 1st September

99% of our students were awarded 5 GCSEs at A*- C grade

72% were awarded 5 GCSEs at A*- C including Maths and English.

In less than two years, the results here have almost tripled.

Executive Principal, Dr Chris Tomlinson,

and the Principal, Mr George McMillan

said:

"The results are a refl ection of the stunning

turnaround the school has seen in the last

18 months. The staff and students have

been working incredibly hard to improve

the reputation and performance of our

school in every area, recognised in our

extremely positive Ofsted report of March

this year.

We extend sincere pride and

congratulations to all the year 11 students

and staff for their hard work, diligence and

relentless focus.

It's the perfect way to begin our new

journey as part of the Harris Federation, the

most successful federation of Academies

in England.

We shall be called Harris Academy

Greenwich, a name synonymous with

success and pride from now on. Our new

state of the art building, which will be

completed within the next two years, will

be a refl ection of our modern and exciting

approach to education.

The new 6th form which starts this year

already off ers a huge range of courses

and opportunities post 16. Success is an

expectation and a right for every single

student. Our staff and students have

proved that regardless of background,

ethnicity or personal challenges faced,

pupils can achieve remarkable results".

72%

I

.

**Best Ever Results**

SEnine

18 Be active in your community

A founder member of the Avery Hill

Gardens Society in 1952, Charles is

still its president.

The society, now Eltham and Avery Hill

Gardens Society, was formed when the

Avery Hill estate was under construction

and Charles joined up as a new tenant

with little or no gardening experience.

He said: “I learned so much from the

experienced gardeners in the

group. I hadn’t done much

gardening when I joined but here

I am 60 years later.”

Charles fi rst interest was fl owers,

dahlias in particular, but expanded

into fruit and vegetable growing

over the years.

Now living in Albany Park, Sidcup,

Charles hit the peak of his career

at last year’s EAHGS annual show,

aged 86, when he lifted the

society’s Banksian Medal for the

best overall performance.

This year’s 60th anniversary show

is on Saturday September 8 at St

Mary’s primary school in Glenure

Road. Visitors and potential

members are invited to come

along from 3pm onwards with

prize giving and raffl e at 4.15pm.

Plants, local honey and gardening

materials will also be on sale. More

details from www.eahgs.org.uk.

Over the years the committee has

organised outings, talks, fi lm shows and

as the shows, which have evolved over

the years; this year a highly successful

garden Open Day was organised by

last year 'Greenwich In Bloom' winner,

Michael Hill.

Charles originated in Brockley but the

family moved after being bombed

out in the war. He moved to lived with

relations in Welling after being de-

mobbed from serving with RAF ground

crew, joining up in 1942.

His working career saw him become

a ‘punch card engineer’ with the

British Tabulating Machine Company.

The company, which developed a

forerunner of today’s computers

is now a part of ICL. Since taking

early retirement, Charles has

devoted his time to gardening

and helping with Age Concern’s

odd job scheme.

He said: “I’ve enjoyed every

minute, or at least most minutes,

of my time with the Society.

Obviously, things have changed

over the years and now people

have so many other things to

do.

“But the Society is still active

with a good group of younger

people involved”, he said.

“I’ve had to slow down a bit in

the last year or two but I still

love my gardening”.

Veteran gardener Charles Strangwige is joining

this year’s SE9 Jubilee Hall of Fame.

by John Webb

60 Years in the GardenSEnine

19Help keep Eltham safe - report suspicious activity!

FEATURE

Anyone taking a ride

on the cliff railway

at Lynton and Lynmouth,

Aberystwyth or Saltburn

by the Sea would never

realise that there is an

Eltham connection with

these unusual means of

transport. They are there

due to the engineering

skills of George Croydon

Marks. He was born in

Eltham on 9 June 1858

at Churchyard Cottages

which stood near the

churchyard wall of St

John’s before Well Hall

Road was built; the site

today would be in front

of Eltham Police station.

His parents married at Bristol in 1857

and moved to Eltham as his father

William worked in the Royal Arsenal

at Woolwich. There were additions to

the family but sadly three daughters

died at an early age and were buried

in the nearby churchyard. The family

attended the Eltham Congregational

church then located on the site of the

Arcade in Eltham High Street. When a

British School opened in the adjacent

church hall in the mid 1860s George

became one of the fi rst pupils together

with his long time friend Alfred Smith

who later penned the booklet Eltham’s

Village Days; the hall is now home to

the hardware business of Avery Truman.

In the early 1870s the family moved

to Dairy Cottage

located between

Elizabeth Terrace

and Court Yard

which was accessed

from Back Lane,

now Philipot Path.

Large Victorian semi

detached houses,

to the Court Yard

frontage, were

built on the garden

in front of their

cottage which was

renamed Myrtle

Cottage.

At the age of 14 George was successful

in gaining an apprenticeship at the

Royal Arsenal and became a gifted

student which included a walk every

day along the country lane to Woolwich.

He later gained a place at King’s College,

London. After his apprenticeship he held

a number of responsible positions with

e n g i n e e r i n g

fi rms in London,

Dublin and

B i r m i n g h a m .

For a time he

was lecturer on

e n g i n e e r i n g

and applied

m a t h e m a t i c s

to the Midland

Institute and

the Birmingham

T e c h n i c a l

School.

A new

Congregational

church was

built on the site

of the present

high street McDonalds in 1868 and the

family were regular worshippers and

William helped for many years with the

Sunday school as did George and Alfred

Smith who both met their respective

wives through this work. George

married Margaret Maynard in July 1881

George Marks of ElthamJohn Kennett looks at the life and

achievements of this son of Eltham

The Lord Marks car on the Aberystwyth cliff railway

George Marks was born in one of the four Churchyard Cottages demolished in 1905 for

the new Well Hall Road

The cliff railway at Saltburn by the Sea

SEnine

20

HISTORIC ELTHAM

at Watford Congregational Church.

In 1887 George began in practice as a

consulting engineer and designed and

carried out important civil engineering

works and mechanical, hydraulic and

electrical installations. With former

business associate Dugald Clerk,

inventor of the two-stroke internal

combustion engine, they set up the

consulting engineer and patent agency

company of Marks and Clerk which still

operates today.

Developers at Saltburn by the Sea were

looking for a way to improve access

from the cliff top hotels to the beach

and erected an inadequate ramshackle

gantry. George Croydon Marks (Croydon

was his mother’s maiden name) was

called in to fi nd a solution which he

did by using displacement of water in a

hydraulic way with cable cars hugging

the cliff on a railway line. The solution

was perfect and has operated since

1884. He was associated with other

incline railways at Lynton & Lynmouth

in 1890, Bridgnorth (England’s only

inland cliff railway) in 1892, Matlock

Steep incline Tramway in 1893 and

also that year at Clifton Rocks at Bristol,

Aberystwyth Cliff Railway in 1896 and in

the same year at Budapest, and in 1926

at Babbacombe.

His thoughts turned to politics and as a

Liberal candidate entered Parliament in

1906 for the Cornish seat of Launceston

where he took a keen interest in the area

he was to serve. He was a recipient of a

knighthood in the Coronation Honours

of June 1911 which was well received

in Eltham where an old neighbour said

that he had the heartiest good wishes

of all friends in the village for ‘we are

proud of a son who has brought much

credit and distinction’.

His First World War work, particularly

with the Ministry of Munitions, was

recognised with the award of a CBE.

He was saddened by the death of his

mother Amelia in 1916 and his father

William in 1918 and they are buried

with their young children in the Eltham

churchyard. William was remembered

for his unstinting work for the local

congregational church where a plaque

was installed in his memory. When the

church was demolished in the mid

1930s the plaque was re-instated in

the new church at Court Road which

is now the Eltham United Reformed

Church. Before the First World War

the Marks’ lived at Caterham in Surrey;

they also had homes at Sevenoaks and

from 1920 to 1926 lived at Rothbury, 99

Blackheath Park; they fi nally moved to

Bournemouth in 1933.

George lost his parliamentary seat in

the 1924 General Election and did not

seek re-selection. In that year he made

a tour of Central Europe to investigate

the possibilities for British trade. On

his return he suggested that there

was much industrial development,

especially in Czechoslovakia, and unless

British fi rms set out to meet it they were

against the superior organisation in

Germany. He was appointed a member

of the Royal Commission on Decimal

Currency and served on the London

Chamber of Commerce.

In the maverick days of politics in the

1920s, he like other politicians have

done over the years, swapped sides and

became a member of the Labour Party.

He became a great supporter of Labour

leader Ramsey Macdonald and in July

1929 was created one of the fi rst two

Labour peers, becoming Lord Marks of

Woolwich in recognition of where he

had received his education and early

support in his career.

His business interests were wide and

various. Through his friendship with

Thomas Edison he became a leading

fi gure in the fast growing gramophone

industry and was appointed chairman of

the Columbia Graphophone Company

and a founder director of EMI Ltd. His

younger brother Edward (1866-1928)

received a similar education to George,

assisted him in his work and settled at

Edgbaston. On his death the Partners

at Marks and Clark were particularly

distressed and George was to remark ‘I

have lost my brakes’.

Wherever they lived George took a

keen interest in the work of his local

Congregational church and was often

in demand to open charitable events

including a bazaar at the Eltham Park

Baptist church not long before he died

on 24 September 1938 at Bournemouth.

He was buried there, as was his wife

who died in January 1945.

Next year, 2013, marks the 75th

anniversary of the death of Lord Marks

of Woolwich. A group has been set up,

under the guidance of former Woolwich

MP John Austin, to establish some local

recognition for this forgotten engineer,

politician and churchman, to which the

Eltham Society is supporting.

All pictures are from the John Kennett collection

The fi rst Baron Marks of Woolwich,

a portrait by RW Wolstenholme

William and Amelia Marks outside Myrtle Cottage

Demolished in 1954 the site is now part of the postal

sorting offi ce

SEnine

21

HISTORIC ELTHAM

After months of rehearsals in which

they were sworn to secrecy, Joanne

Bradley and Miriam Baker were happy

to discuss one of the most exciting days

of the lives.

Joanne was one

of 70 ‘doves’, who

wore the stunning

white costumes

and cycled into the

stadium to start

the fi nale which

culminated in the

lighting of the

Olympic torch.

She was involved

in a total of

15 rehearsals,

including three in the stadium itself in

full dress.

But her heart was in her mouth with only

weeks to go when it became clear that

large sections

would have

to be cut out

from the fi nal

performance.

“Danny Boyle

was very

approachable

and made an

eff ort to speak to each of the groups

individually, building excitement for the

big night”, Joanne said.

“There had to be cuts, but he insisted

that the volunteers, such as me, would

stay in. It was the professional cyclists in

the BMX routine who were left out”, she

said.

She said that the best thing about her

participation was meeting a wide variety

of people from a range of backgrounds.

“There was great camaraderie between

us and I got to know people that I would

never have come across otherwise”, she

said.

“We were all sworn to secrecy but it

wasn’t diffi cult because it would have

felt like letting down the team. I think

that’s why so little leaked out in advance.”

Joanne was brought up

in Bexley and studied

geography at Reading

University before becoming

a project offi cer to develop

the river Shuttle on its course

from Avery Hill to the River

Cray.

Miriam Baker, who attended

around 25 rehearsals in all,

also paid tribute to Danny

Boyle’s direction and his

attention to detail.

Early rehearsals had taken place

at Dagenham before moving to a

warehouse at Bromley-by-Bow.

Miriam took part in the modern dance

sequence which concluded the fi rst

part of the ceremony and was given a

'Now' costume. The sequence followed

the appearance by Tim Berners-Lee

and told the story of a young couple

featured in the opening ceremony story

line, who fl irt with each other by mobile

phone and social media before fi nally

meeting up and making out.

Miriam, a former pupil of Bexley

Grammar, has just fi nished a degree in

wildlife conservation at the University

of Kent.

She said: “The excitement mounted

as our moment came closer. It was an

honour to take part in the event and, of

course, something I’ll never forget.”

Two young people from Eltham were

among the thousands of volunteers

who took part in the Olympic

opening ceremony.

Doves and Modern DanceSEnine

22

NEWS

Join you local neighbourhood watch scheme

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The practice provides a full range of NHS and private dental treatments and a private hygienist service, including;

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• Treatment of gum disease

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• CAD/CAM technology for colour matched

(non mercury) fillings

• Replacement of missing teeth with

implants

• Denplan; a monthly payment plan

Appointments available Monday to Saturday

19 Glenshiel RoadEltham

SE9 1AQ

Cut & Blow Dry's £20.00Highlights (Bleach) with Cut & Blow Dry (foil) Short Hair £49.95Med £59.85Long Hair £69.95Tinting extra per colour £8.95

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Senior Stylist Off er

Ring for your appointment today Appointments not always necessary

Mon - Thur 9 - 6 Friday 9 - 7

Saturday 9 - 6

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020 8850 2931 190-194 Eltham High Street

Hair &

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SEnine

23

SEnine

Take an interest in local events

Two 0scar One Two LondonWhile the world has been focusing on activities in the

Olympic venues across London, Eltham has

been reaching out to the world.

Not content to sit back

and see the spotlight

train on the 2012 athletes

as they compete for

high sporting honours,

Cray Valley Radio Society

has been mounting the

largest exercise in its 66 year history.

Founded before the 1948 Games, the

Society decided to make 2012 a year to

remember.

The group of amateur radio enthusiasts

set up camp in Avery Hill determined

to make contact with 60,000 people

around the world via short and long-

range radio frequencies.

This project, to complement the

London Olympics and Paralympics, uses

the unique call sign 2O12L

(or Two 0scar One Two London).

At the Avery Hill scouts activity centre

in New Eltham, six tall aerial masts have

been constructed to allow the 85 or so

members to contact enthusiasts from

around the world, from as nearby as

Germany to the Solomon islands, in the

middle of the Pacifi c ocean).

The head of the society and project is

Bob Treacher, who quickly had to re-

think his initial projection of 60,000

contacts.

Like UK athletes, his team’s performance

has exceeded all expectations. The

operation reached over 20,000 people

in the fi rst six days in an operation which

will run the full 47 days of the Olympiad.

One of the aims of the project has been

to ‘inspire a generation’ of new radio

enthusiasts and Bob believes the project

will bring more people into the society.

From 10am until 4pm, the society has

been throwing open its doors to all-

comers to tune in to the activities.

Visitors have

been able

to see an

e x h i b i t i o n

of amateur

radio, view the

s p e c t a c u l a r

radio towers

and have a go

on the radios

themselves.

U l t i m a t e l y

this project

is designed

to communicate the essence of

London 2012 around the world so

that the society can allow everyone

to participate in the games whilst also

having fun in their hobby in the process.

The concept of this is that the group

have adopted a unique call sign (2O12L)

for the games, which will never be used

by anyone else in the world; this means

that thousands of other enthusiasts are

trying to make contact with the society

and thus allow them to catalogue the

one - off call sign.

Amateur radio

societies are

present in most

countries and are commonly used as

lines of communication in emergency

situations (natural disasters), where all

other technologies are down.

This makes

enthusiasts

very useful

in pressure

s i t u a t i o n s

but Dave

S h a w

( a n o t h e r

m e m b e r )

b e l i e v e s

that the

fun aspect

of amateur radio is also very strong.

Dave said it was “the ultimate, exclusive

social networking club” because of the

way that anyone with an aerial and the

ability to send and receive radio signals

can join the “club”.

The exhibition at the event contains the

history of radio from (WW2 to modern

day) and also shows visitors how to set

up their own radio station from just

£100.

Ultimately the Cray Valley Radio Society

is aiming to grow and become even

bigger, and is eager for people to come

down and visit them at the Avery Hill

scouts activity centre or visit their two

websites

http://www.cvrs.org/

http://www.2o12l.com/

for now though over and out!

George Evans

The society’s open sessions, from

10am – 4pm, will continue until

the Paralympics closing ceremony

for the Paralympics on Sunday

September 9.

SEnine

24 Local Business - use it or lose it

FEATURE

The Woodcroft Club is nearly fi nished the building

and refurbishment of its club

rooms. The offi cial opening

is to be announced but will

be during October.

Membership is currently

open, please contact the

club for further details.

WOODCROFT

at the helm of this independent family run

fl ooring and carpet business. Established

in Eltham since 1971. Hardy's has served

local, price-conscious, discerning clientele

for more than forty years.

Call in and say HI to Tony, catch up with

some of the old team and meet the new

family members.

Axminster Brintons

Brockway Cavalier

Stairrods UK Ulster

Hardy Flooringa

020 8859 161663 Well Hall Rd Eltham SE9 6SZwww.hardyflooring.co.uk

CarpetsLaminate

VinylsWood Flooring

Obligation free quotations

Experienced quality laying

We will price match any written quotation

To ny ( DA D) i s B a c k

Open Monday to Saturday

(Closed all Thursday)

9.30am - 4.30pm

Sunday 10am to 2pm

CLUBTrading name of the Eltham Conservative and Unionist Club Ltd

254 Eltham High Street SE91AA

020 8850 8659

Weddings

Anniversaries

Birthdays

Funerals

The extension has allowed the club to develop a number of

rooms suitable for meetings, training and functions. These rooms

can be hired at very reasonable rates. The restaurant an bar is also

available and the building has free Wi-Fi access.

SEnine

25When in doubt, do the right thing

Eltham to Hollyoaks

Which character do you play?

I play Liam Gilmore, brother of

Jen Gilmore who is currently

having a relationship with one of

her female students. I turn up as

the charming, supportive brother

but prove to be more harm than

good.

How did you get the part?

I went for a casting for a new

character called Ally but they

chose an ex-Neighbours actor,

Dan O’Connor, instead of me.

The producer told my agent they

really liked me and would keep

me in mind for another part. I got

a call a few months later saying

they wanted me to play Liam.

Having a role written with me in

mind is fl attering.

Is it a tough work schedule?

Yes, at times. Line learning and

intense preparation comes as

natural but you need to be

prepared to be called onto the

set at any time. For example, I

fi lmed in Liverpool on a Tuesday,

went home by train that night, and then

returned to Liverpool the following

evening ready to be on set for Thursday

morning. But I love the work so I'm not

complaining.

Have you not moved to Liverpool?

I love Liverpool but I like to get home to

Eltham. I've lived here with my parents

all my life. I like to see my parents Bethan

and Cass as much as possible back in

Eltham and thrive on their constant

support. I am very close to my sisters

who also reside in Eltham.

When did you decide to become an

actor?

I was at Coopers School in Chislehurst

from 2000-2005 and I loved doing

drama with a teacher called Wanda

Polaszek. My fi rst play was called

‘Blue Remembered Hills’. She was an

inspirational teacher who helped

me get an A* GCSE in drama. Charlie

Clements, who played Bradley Branning

in EastEnders, was in my class. We're still

friends and keep in touch.

Where did you train after school?

I did a three-year drama degree at

Portsmouth University, took a year out

to earn some money, and then did a

one-year masters ‘Acting for screen’

course at the Central School of Speech

and Drama in London.

What was your fi rst break in acting?

I got a part in a fi lm called ‘Donkey’

which won best short fi lm at the UK

Film Festival. I played the narrator and

the lead character. The storyline centres

on a successful banker who reminisces

on how he used to bully another kid

at school only to bump into him as an

adult. It was great because we fi lmed

some of it at Gordon School, Eltham

Park South and Oxleas Woods cafe.

What other work have you done?

My friends have already given me stick

over the modelling work I’ve done but

I don't mind, if it means earning a bit of

extra money.

Do you worry about the fi nancial

insecurity of acting?

I’m a good footballer and played cricket

for Kent but so many people try to

become professional in those sports

and I never fooled myself I was good

enough to reach that level. My parents

were supportive and encouraged me to

do what I wanted to do."

Can you see yourself in Hollywood

one day?

I'm not rushing to get there but I have

a long-term plan to do screen work in

Los Angeles. They say male actors hit

their peak in their 30s so I've got time.

To follow on a similar route as Michael

Caine is my dream. On reading both

of his autobiographies I admire how

comfortable he was on fi lm sets and

subsequently on our screens. I'm not

boasting but I already feel totally at

home when on set.

Would it be hard to leave Eltham?

I'm proud of Eltham, I'm always tweeting

about it and don't forget, it’s the home

of Bob Hope and Frankie Howerd, so

there’s some famous footsteps to follow.”

You can follow James on

Twitter@jamesfarr

Eltham actor JAMES FARRAR, 25, has landed

a part in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. Matt Bell

spoke to him.

SEnine

26 Help keep Eltham tidy! Put your litter in bins.

PERSONAL ELTHAM

Diamond Jubilee year has been

celebrated twice over by Eltham

couple Harry and Eileen Wright.

The Queen herself has off ered her

congratulations to the couple who have

lived in Halons Road since their marriage

at Holy Trinity Church, Southend Crescent

in 1952.

Their paths fi rst crossed along the

footpaths of Northern Street in Lewisham

where Eileen’s family lived. Harry, born

and brought up in deepest Kent at

Nonnington village, moved in after being

demobbed from in the RAF in World War

Two in which he saw action in Malta, Sicily

and Italy, where he saw Vesuvius erupting

as the Allies moved north.

His career saw him working in central

London for more than 30 years handling

telegrams at Cable and Wireless including

top secret correspondence for the Royal

Family, who were in touch again when a

card arrived by the Queen this month.

Now in their late 80s and not in the best

of health, the couple are cared for by son

Stephen, whose claim to fame is as the

£10,000 winner of the fi rst ever Valley

Gold draw at Charlton Athletic.

It was through Stephen and his elder

brother Geoff rey, who both worked in the

tourist industry that the couple acquired

their greatest hobby, travel. Frequent trips

abroad saw them visit many countries of

the world from Australia to the famous

Raffl es Hotel in Singapore.

Geoff rey, who died in his 40s, moved to

Melbourne but made frequent trips home

to see his parents.

They were early adopters to the era

of cheap fl ights and visited countries

throughout Europe with Belgium and

Spain particular favourites.

Stephen, who has retired early from

P&O to care for them, said: “They have

been wonderful parents who have lived

a long and happy life together. They’ve

always enjoyed living in Eltham and the

friendship of people in the street and

neighbourhood.”

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SEnine

27Don't fi nd fault, fi nd a remedy

NEWS

Brickwork & DrivesPainting & decoratingTilingAny home improvement and instalment work

Mobile: 07944 575 848 Home: 020 8850 0354Email: wdtreadgold@aol.com

Building Contractor

For free estimates and advice contact

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Reasonable rates and reliable

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner

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Local area specialist. Fast and friendly service

07866 905 424020 8850 2085

www.peterscarpetcare.co.uk

Eltham Station

Our minimum fare is still only £4.50

Call 020 8859 7666

West End £35.00Heathrow £55.00Stansted £55.00Victoria £30.00Gatwick £45.00City Airport £25.00

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Return journeys add £5.00 for parking, up to 45 min waiting time is free

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Friendly staff who will make you feel comfortable as soon as you walk in.

Monday to Saturday: 8.00am to 5.00pm

For a warm welcome call Maureen on

020 8850 2380

44B Well Hall Road, Eltham

Hair by FriendsOpen

late Fridays

SEnine

28 Smile , it feels good

Eltham’s keep-fi t craze turns crèche

as SE9’s fi rst buggy runner group

starts up.

Young mums can keep trim at the group

which meets in Eltham Park South every

Monday and Sutcliff e Park on Thursdays.

The group goes through its paces for

an hour, using the parks’ outdoor gyms

to tone up the muscles and a series of

aerobic exercise under the watchful eye

of fi tness instructor Julie Rabbage.

It off ers an opportunity for mums of pre-

school children to enjoy outdoor keep-

fi t sessions in the park and a chance to

socialise afterwards over a cuppa.

The group is the inspiration of fi tness

and pilates instructor Ellie Brown who

has run a similar group in Greenwich

Park for six years.

She said: “I started the group because I

know it can be diffi cult for new mums

to get out and about and meet up with

others. This is a good way for them to

keep fi t at their own pace.”

The cost of the session, which start at

11am in Eltham Park South and Sutcliff e

Park at 11.15am, is £6 but the fi rst one is

a taster session for free.

The sessions are being backed by Run

England, which sponsors the successful

Park Runs in Avery Hill Park on Saturday

mornings.

Ellie recently was awarded an

‘outstanding person’ award from the

Mayor at Woolwich Town Hall for

her work with young mothers in the

borough.

She can be reached

atinfo@buggyrunners.co.uk

or on 07958 225598.

Eltham stage prodigy Ben Salter has

been to Leeds for his summer holidays.

On the Carousel

The seven year old’s trips north, to

Leeds, were in preparation for a

prominent role in the musical ‘Carousel’

at London’s Barbican, which has

included six performances in August,

followed by fi ve more in September.

Chatterbox Ben made big-time debut

last year when he played the role of

‘Sorrow’ in Madam Butterfl y at the Royal

Albert Hall.

The director suggested he ‘closed

his eyes’ as the Puccini opera ends in

tragedy, with his character’s mother

ending it all in the last act.

It was only when Ben read the script to

the Rogers and Hammerstein musical

that he realised that Carousel has darker

themes, also ending in tragedy. Unlike

‘Butterfl y’, Ben doesn’t walk alone in his

latest role, being one of seven children,

but sees more action as he interacts

with his siblings.

Mum, Holly, spotted his stage potential

from when Ben fi rst took to his feet,

enjoying singing and dancing around

the house, so she took him to All the

Arts theatre school in New Eltham as an

outlet for his enthusiasm.

Not intimidated by performing

before large crowds, the Opera North

production will play to audiences of

more than 1,000 theatre goers at the

Barbican.

“It’s good fun learning the role; I enjoy

the performances, the costumes and, of

course, the bow at the end”, he said.

Between his stage roles, Ben auditions

for new parts, acts in adverts, which

help to develop his skills and is taking

his LAMDA (London Academy of Music

and Dance) and IDTA (International

Dance Teachers Association) exams.

Buggy RunnersYoung mums keeping trim

SEnine

29Put your money where your house is - shop locally

YOUNG ELTHAM

The club, which meets at St Mary’s

Community Centre in Eltham High

Street, has monthly indoor and outdoor

events which cover a wide range of

natural history.

At the September meeting, the club will

host an evening with Animal Days Out,

a local mini-zoo which cares for a variety

of exotic species.

The zoo keepers, Victoria and Gary

McHolland-Pilcher, will talk about the

diff erent species and how they are

looked after, including a number of

snakes, lizards and creepy-crawlies.

It is being held on Tuesday September

18 at 7.30pm.

For the October meeting, fungus expert

Anne Andrews will be giving a talk on

the range of mushrooms and their

habitats which can be found locally.

She will be identifying the specimens

brought in by members.

In November, there will be an end

of year quiz based on the wildlife

which was common in Eltham and

surrounding areas in Victorian times.

The fun event will include prizes, raffl es

and refreshments.

The year’s programme ends with a

birdwatch with Greenwich Park Ranger

John Beckham, who will also give a

demonstration of how householders

can help birdlife over the winter.

Programme

Jason GreenJason GreenJason GreenA Strange Year By

A veteran allotment gardener of 88

years could be overheard saying

that it had been the weirdest growing

vegetable growing season he could

remember. The eff ect on crops of a

very dry and warm spring, following by

constant rain and a lack of sun has been

unusual to say the least.

For the fruits which revel in the wet,

including red and blackcurrants, it

was business as usual, with plump

and glossy berries being produced in

profusion, if perhaps a little late through

the shortage of sun.

Strangely, gooseberries, which usually

come ripe before the currants by a

couple of weeks, lagged behind, maybe

needing some extra warmth to convert

their fruits from hard bullets to fool-able

softness. Many strawberries, which had

been gearing up for a profusion of fruit,

went soggy and mouldy even before

turning red.

Being naturally rain-lovers more

at home in Scotland, raspberries,

loganberries and blackberries kept

calm and carried on through the regular

downpours which converted allotment

tracks in quagmires, more resembling

mid-winter.

Strange things happened to turnips

and beetroot. Having been seeded

in drought, the constant deluges

persuaded them to bolt before

producing anything edible down

below. Similarly spinach and Swiss

chard, which put up fl owering spikes

before providing their crop of leaves.

Thriving in the damp conditions and

the occasional steamy day, tomato

blight took hold even before the fruits

appeared, so that only crops grown

indoors or isolated back gardens have

escaped its curse. Fortunately, potato

crops survived unscathed.

Slug and snails, patiently biding their

time during the extreme drought,

which ended on April 6 when the

hosepipe ban was declared, have had

a bumper year, causing even the most

ardent organic gardeners to reach for

the pellets rather than withstand total

wipe-out. Having thrown down about

5,000 carrot seeds and succeeded in

cultivating just one, I can confi rm that

the crop, always tricky in these parts, is

not happy in wet conditions.

Big winners were the fl owers in

herbaceous gardens which burgeoned

into lush growth through the early

summer, giving magnifi cent displays

in the walled surroundings of Well Hall

Pleasaunce; Dahlias carried on regardless

but the blooms of rose bushes have

suff ered from the continuing damp

conditions.

Live snakes, lizards and deadly mushrooms

will feature in the Eltham Nature Club’s

autumn programme.

Tuesday September 18 at 7.30pm:

Snakes and lizards

Tuesday October 23 at 7.30pm:

Mushroom and fungi

Friday November 23 at 7.30pm:

Nature quiz

Sunday December 9 at 2pm: Winter

birdwatch with John Beckham.

Venue tba

Each event £1.50 members, £3 non-

members. Membership £5 a year.

More details from

www.elthamnatureclub.org.uk

or 07894 711765

SEnine

30 Take a walk in the Pleasaunce

NATURAL ELTHAM

In 2002 Bogusia Maj was contacted

by a friend seeking work locally. Her

Polish friend did not have a strong

command of English and so together

they decided that working for a cleaning

company would be most suitable.

When another friend contacted

Bogusia, she decided to establish her

own cleaning company. Ten years on

the business has grown and now has

300 local clients and employs 35 staff .

The company, which caters for

commercial and residential cleaning

on a 'one off basis' or regular cleaning,

is now seeking premises locally and

hopes to employ offi ce staff to continue

the growth into 2013.

"Staff are my greatest asset and staff

selection is one of the most important

aspects of our success" said Bogusia.

"All staff are strictly vetted, and have

personal recommendations" said

Bogusia. "In addition to a face to

face meeting with the client to fully

understand the scope of the job, I

regularly inspect the quality of the

cleaners work as well as making contact

with the client from time to time to

insure their expectations are being fully

met".

To meet demand from real estate

agents, especially for rented properties,

the company also has a small gardening

care and maintenance section that is

available to anyone.

The company is focussed in Eltham, but

has clients in surrounding areas such

as Greenwich, Docklands, Bromley and

Dartford.

Bogusia takes pride in being the most

popular agency in Eltham and being

able to supply references from your

own neighbours.

What started almost by chance, has developed into a

thriving local business. Mark Wall talks to Bogusia Maj

about her cleaning business success.

Cleaning Up in Eltham

020 8850 2772

140 Well Hall Road

SE9 6SN

Near Eltham Station

Come & meet our friendly team in our 97th Anniversary year

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SEnine

31Your Community is what you make it

BUSINESS ELTHAM

After a dismal and pessimistic spell,

the sudden outbreak of warm and

optimistic weather lured hundreds

of the Eltham Park community into

Eltham Park South for an afternoon of

entertainment on Sunday 22 July.

The event was organised by local

churches, the Friends of Eltham Parks

and the Eltham Park South Café to

celebrate local community life in

what has become an active summer

of national celebration. For cultural

afi cionados, the performance by the

Greenwich Concert Band, part of the

Council-funded Parksfest programme,

met their idea of a relaxing afternoon

in the sun. For sports lovers young

and old, the sporting activities and fun

games provided by Eltham Park Baptist

Church fulfi lled their expectations of

an entertaining afternoon. For the

community minded, the stalls set

up by the Friends of Eltham Parks,

Greenwich Cruse, the Eltham North

Safer Neighbourhood Team, the New

Eltham Joggers and others gave them

interesting information about the

range of community organisations in

the area. But

e v e r y b o d y

enjoyed the

free BBQ

p r o v i d e d

by local

churches!

It was

e s t i m a t e d

that the

e v e n t

a t t r a c t e d

over 1,000

local people,

enough to encourage the organisers to

respond to the generally shared wish

that the event should become an annual

festival! Eltham Park is a wonderful place

to live and the community celebrated

that this afternoon.

One group which successfully dodged the summer

showers was Thomas Philipot’s Almshouses.

Their annual summer sale raised a total of £1,460, their best

ever return. The sale is the charity’s main fund raiser of the

year. The funds help to pay for entertainers who perform at

the almshouses, in Passey Place, through the year, fi sh and

chip suppers, and for the plants that help to make Philipot’s

such a colourful and peaceful oasis for the residents of its 36

homes.

Fourth Saturday of the month 10.00amShrewsbury House, Bushmoor Crescent SE18 3EG

Clive Efford MP

Fourth Friday of the month 6.00pmSt Mary’s Community Centre, Eltham High Street SE9

First Tuesday of the month 11.00amAnstridge Community Centre, Anstridge Rd SE9 2LL

Second Friday of the month 6.00pmSlade Hall, Pendrell Street, London SE18 2PJ

Third Tuesday of the month 11.00amMiddle Park Community Centre, 150 Middle Park Avenue SE9 5SD

First Friday of the month 11.00amHorn Park Community Centre, 96 Sibthorpe Rd SE12 9DP

Second Saturday of the month 10.00amSt Mary’s Community Centre, Eltham High Street SE9

Third Friday of the month 11.00amColdharbour Library, William Barefoot Drive SE9 3AY

Clive holds eight advice surgeries a month, where constituents can meet him in private. He will see everyone who comes along, but it is best to telephone beforehand so that you can get some indication of when you will be able to see Clive.

SURGERIES

10.00ammmmmG

132 Westmount Road, Eltham London SE9 1UT

T: 020 8850 5744E: clive@cliveefford.org.uk W: www.cliveefford.org.uk

Suspended until further notice due to renovations

Philipot's Summer Sale

Party in the ParkHigh community spirit lends a hand

to help a successful day

SEnine

32 Support local traders - shop locally!

NEWS

Grove in a cul-de-sac?

Opponents of the proposed re-

development of the Grove Market Place

became excited recently when Tesco's

Mission Control let out the news that its

plans for world domination were being

put on hold and further expansion of

its stores would cease forthwith. As the

mega-grocer is a vital anchor lined up

for the Grove’s Court Road frontage, it

seemed the six storey project might

collapse into dust before it began.

However, Cathedral Group insiders

expect Tesco to sign on the dotted line

in early autumn for demolition to begin

later this year. Mind you, Travelodge, who

have been lined up to take the lower High

Street frontage of the site, are in fi nancial

diffi culties too. Believe it when you see it

on that development.

Only a bit helpful…

On the Tesco theme, regular shoppers at

the Well Hall branch will be puzzled why

a window, which was smashed soon

after the store opened last September,

still remained un-mended almost a year

later. It looked like the suggestion that the

nation’s favourite grocer might be more

effi cient than the nearby Co-op has been

misplaced. Coincidentally, within hours

of SPY contacting them, Tesco decided

it was time to call in the menders. A

welcome apology for their tardiness too

Icing on the Coronet…

But Cathedral have had a bit of luck at

Well Hall, SPY understands. Mobile toilet

company, Adeloo, have been fl ushed

down the pan, failing to profi t from any

Olympic windfall, like most other local

businesses. Cathedral and Adeloo fell out

over the freehold for their site, stopping

Cathedral from going ahead with their

plans for a new small business estate on

the site. SPY learns now that Adeloo have

been fl ushed out, Cathedral will propose

an extension of their apartments behind

Tesco instead of the proposed business

park. And, as no interest in being shown

by restaurant chains in taking the Coronet

corner site, SPY hears that the next plan is

to tap into the expanding fi tness market

instead with a gym.

Checking in..

SPY wonders if the hotel craze is

inexhaustible. As well as the

proposed Travelodge at the

Grove, over in New Eltham

plans are being put forward

for a 90 bed version to replace the Burger

King pub conversion at Fiveways. The

developers there already have planning

permission for a 60 bed development,

with residential units on Green Lane. But

the latest plans for are the hotel to occupy

the entire site, to cater for passing trade

on the A20.

Checking out?

On the other side of New Eltham, there

are plans to cater for another growth

sector, care for the elderly. Builders

Bryen and Langley are cooking up a DIY

project of their own, to develop a 90 bed

residential scheme for the elderly on

their headquarters site in Footscray Road.

Bucking the trend in the construction

sector, B&L say that they need more space

for their expansion plans, so bringing to

an end their 40 odd year occupation of

the site. They are putting feelers out for

an alternative site in the borough, it’s

said. SPY wonders if there is a game plan

involving the town centre development.

The tool-hire company Andara, which

occupies a prime slot behind Marks and

Spencer is a Bryen and Langley off -shoot

and could well end up being subsumed?

Blooming not booming…

Despite all the Olympic hubris, the

council’s hopes of luring more people

into competitive sport seem to have failed

completely. This is despite the undoubted

legacy facilities around the area,

including the much criticised equestrian

development on Shooters Hill. The real

boom, of course, is in the keep-fi t market.

A shame, therefore, that the borough took

an axe to a popular outdoor recreation

which had been positively blooming.

By increasing rents for allotments four-

fold, they have ensured the boom in this

healthy leisure activity has been stopped

in its tracks. Waiting lists are evaporating

and weeds growing high, even on the

popular sites. The justifi cation was the

raising of a measly £27,000 a year to

council coff ers. What they don’t realise is

that even this increase is temporary

as plots gradually become increasingly

untended and fall almost exclusively into

the hands of ‘concession’ payers.

Sergeant minor..

Very disappointing was the otherwise

excellent ‘Royal Greenwich’ programme

on ITV fronted by former political hack

John Sergeant. Based on the borough’s

royal ennoblement, the hour-long fi lm

inevitably focussed on Greenwich itself.

Excitement rose when he announced

that it was the whole borough which won

the accolade. Not just Greenwich, but

Woolwich too! And? Sadly the Royal visits

to and occupation of Eltham Palace over

300 years, including the boyhood years of

Henry VIII, which was an important part

of the borough’s bid for stardom, didn’t

merit the briefest of mentions.

Big picture….

An accidental bonus for Olympic watchers

was the installation of a big screen at Well

Hall for the second week of the Games.

Accidental, SPY understands, as it only

became available when a proposed

festival on Greenwich Peninsula, which

the council lobbed £50,000 at, went kaput.

Money down the drain, when compared

with the £30,000 given to Parks friends

groups this year, who organised 25 events

with the cash throughout the summer.

Parksfest

Having organised a series of fun events

for the public this summer, parks friends

groups will now spend the autumn form-

fi lling as part of the borough’s elaborate

monitoring process, to ensure their

£30,000 budget for the 25 events (not

even half the cost of one Greenwich Get-

Together) was well-spent. Volunteers have

to spend hours dividing their attendances

into 11 ethnic groups, including separate

returns for Irish, Indian, Bangladeshi,

Pakistani, Chinese and ‘Asian other’ and

further sub-divided between children,

young people, adults and older people.

As the form-fi lling takes substantially

longer to complete than the actual events

themselves, it’s not surprising that the

council offi cially designates audiences

as ‘indirect benefi ciaries’ of the whole

exercise.

SEnine

33Have your say, your opinion counts

Yalways newsy, sometimes

irreverent and often controversial.

SEnine

34 SEnine does not necessarily agree with or support any letters published.

With reference to the most recent

copy of SE9 (well done!) I noted the

comments of some of your readers as

to their diffi culty in seeing the Torch

Relay taking place, that was a great

shame but could have been avoided

by placing oneself on the other side

of the High Street, thus avoiding

obstructions by traffi c going in the

opposite direction!. This was a great

event of Eltham and I visited the High

Street long after the torch had gone

and enjoyed a real taste of community

spirit and also some great live music!

Graham Geddis

Mark Wall, in his Opinion, From My Desk

column, whilst broadly supporting the

Olympics opening ceremony was left

scratching his head at the homage to

CND and the NHS. It could be argued

that CND was contentious as it split

the nation into two opposing camps.

However, I fail to understand his

problem with the NHS.

Survey after survey has shown that

the NHS always ranks high in what the

British are most proud of about this

country.

Tom Fitzpatrick

Wi h f h

Torch Relay

As a regular traveller on the 132 the

Olympics would have been a great time to

have double decker. The route, combining

the regular travellers and the Olympic

travellers including push chairs and small

children has meant an uncomfortable

ride with buses having to leave stranded

passengers. This is not a criticism of the

drivers as there is just no more room. Have

TfL come up with any more excuses

Brian Palmer

A l ll h 132 h

132 Bus

We do not often sing our own

praises, however here are a few

excerpts from letters received.

Mark

I enclose a cheque for my annual

subscription

I wish to thank you and your colleagues

for a most enjoyable and informative

magazine - it is worth every penny

Joan Jeff ard

What subscribers say

Either go to the SEnine web site atwww.senine.co.uk

or write to the Editor at:

SEnine, PO Box 24290

Eltham SE9 6ZP

MAILBOX ....... Have your say

Mail Box is for your opinion, express it

Do you have an opinion? Write and tell us.

M kW ll i hi O i i F M D k

Opening Ceremony

Dear Royal Borough of Greenwich

I recently made arrangements

with The Royal Borough of Greenwich

for an old fridge to be collected from my

home. It was agreed that I would leave it

outside my home in Sidcup Road and that

it would be collected today, Monday 20

August. It was emphasised to me that it

should be put outside the night before, as

your staff begin their rounds at 6am.

So, a little before 10pm yesterday,

Sunday, the fridge was placed outside, on

my drive. By 8:30 am today it had gone

but not, it seems, collected by Greenwich

Council. Your card through my door

reveals that your staff arrived to collect the

fridge at 10:30 am, by which time it was no

longer there!

Sadly, I conclude that the item

was stolen, presumably because some of

the metal has some scrap value. I imagine

the thieves will then dump the item

illegally .

Of course, I do not in any way

blame the council for what has happened.

I've done my best to ensure that the old

fridge was disposed of properly, but I've

failed (and lost £21 too). But if the council

could start collection of such items a little

later in the day, the need to leave them

out overnight - where it seems they are

a huge temptation to the local villains

- could be avoided. I fully support your

eff orts to be a 'Greener Council', and

hope you will consider this suggestion as

a way of helping those of us who try to

dispose of our bulky household waste in a

responsible way.

Margaret Skinner

Please fi nd enclosed my cheque to

pay for Royal Mail delivery of your

excellent and informative magazine. It

keeps me up to date with the goings

on of Royal Eltham.

Mrs B Burch

Please fi nd enclosed a Royal Mail

subscription to SEnine.

Thank you for yet another year of

wonderful magazines. Such an asset

for Eltham

Monica Horner

Thank you to the SEnine team for the

continuing magazine. I still fi nd it a

very useful source of information on

local news and businesses, planning

issues, and history.

Jay Leaver

Please fi nd enclosed cheque. I very

much enjoy your magazine. Keep up

the sterling work.

Mrs M Loughe.

Herewith my cheque renewing my

subscription.

It was good to see you had response to

your appeal. I hope people continue to

support the magazine. I get annoyed

when people say "It gets delivered free

anyway" it is such a sad attitude.

All strength to you.

Ron Mountford.

SEnine

35

ELTHAM

HARRISON INGRAM

rede

finin

g th

e a

rt o

f

sellin

g h

omes

ESTATE AGENTS RESIDENTIAL LETTINGS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

156 Well Hall Road, Eltham, London, SE9 6SNT: 020 8859 4419 F: 0208 859 8207 E: info@harrisoningrameltham.co.uk

www.harrisoningram.co.uk

SMARTLY PRESENTED CORBETT HSE

SPACIOUS RECEPTION ROOM

TWO BEDROOMS, 1ST FLR BATHRM

MODERN KITCHEN & BATHROOM

GAS CENTRAL HEATING

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2 DOUBLE BEDRMS, BIG BATHRM

FIT KITCHEN, GAS C/HEATING

BIG LOUNGE/DINER, D/GLAZED

INCREDIBLY WELL PRESENTED

END OF TERRACE 'CORBETT' HOUSE

LOVELY LOUNGE. VERY SOCIABLE DINING ROOM

EXTENSIVELY FITTED KITCHEN

THREE BEDROOMS

AMPLE OFF ROAD PARKING

Eltham: £229,995 Eltham: £395,000

Eltham: £155,000 Eltham: £650,000

Eltham: £259,950 Eltham: £249,950

TWO BEDROOM 'CORBETT' HOUSE

LARGE OPEN PLAN LOUNGE/DINER

MODERN FITTED KITCHEN

BIG FIRST FLOOR BATHROOM

SOUTH FACING GARDEN. OFF ROAD PARKING

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SOUGHT AFTER LOCATION

TWO RECEPTION ROOMS

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TWO DOUBLE BEDROOMS

LOUNGE & FITTED KITCHEN

GCH & DOUBLE GLAZED

OWN GARDEN. LONG LEASE & CHAIN FREE

You can make a diff erence in your community

SEnine

36

“Fantastic Royal Borough”I write this the day after The Olympic Closing Ceremony, feeling proud to be British and fi lled with admiration for the athletes, gamesmakers, organisers and all involved with The London 2012 Olympics. What a show we put on for the world! Greenwich’s Royal Park looked perfect for equestrian events and what an iconic setting it turned out to be. The Cross Country day was inspirational and helped by the fact we won Silver......... what turned out to be the fi rst of many medals won in Equestrian events. At the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, Peter Wilson shot his way to what was our 3rd gold at that time. Then at the North Greenwich Arena, Beth Tweddle earned a well deserved Bronze on the uneven bars. Our borough, The Royal Borough of Greenwich, did us all proud by hosting these events. However, the same was not felt by small businesses with many complaining their takings were down by as much as 75% as many locals were listening to the powers that be and keeping well away from the expectant busy roads and high streets. I am a great believer in communicating with our customers and over many years I have collated close to 14,500 loyal people on my monthly newsletter, many of them living in the Royal Borough of Greenwich (especially in and surrounding Eltham, Charlton and Greenwich). So an unprecedented direct mail was sent to all 14,500 to beg them to support their local businesses, and especially the decent smaller businesses. I have to say I was awestruck by the response, in total over 1000 people emailed me back. Some from local businesses echoing my thoughts but the vast majority from locals telling me where they went the evening before or committing to spending money over the coming days and even some changing their coff ee drinking brand to a local business and ensuring our local businesses could continue thriving! This captured some attention from the National press and when I was interviewed and asked “why” my response was simple and sincerely non-commercial (for us), “we are privileged to have these amazing small businesses locally and would be saddened to have them replaced by corporate establishments thus meaning our town became faceless like many other towns in the UK”. It is truly refreshing how many locals came out to support their businesses and I feel this would only happen in a great borough, with great people, such as those living in Eltham, Charlton and Greenwich. With Conran Estates having three offi ces in the borough we really do take pride and truly care for our towns within it! If you want to sign up to our newsletter just go onto our website and click the link.

Dairsie Road, Eltham £300,000 Three Bedroom Semi- Detached House With Garage To Side Scope To Extend To Side And Rear Spacious Through Lounge With Solid Oak Flooring Fitted Modern Kitchen & Bathroom 80ft Approximate Rear Garden Located Within The Popular Eltham Park Area Solid Oak Flooring To Hallway Entrance

Berryhill, Eltham £296,000 Three Bedroom End Of Terrace House Located on A Sought After Location Within Eltham Park Area Through Lounge With Patio Door Leading To Garden Fitted Kitchen & Upstairs Bathroom Well Maintained Rear Garden. Shared Driveway Easy Reach Of Gordon's And Deansfield Primary School Easy Access to Eltham Town Centre And Train Station

Simon Hughes, Managing Director

conranestates.co.uk

Why not follow us on Twitter / @conranestates

Why not like us on Facebook?”

Search for our properties with ease on your iphone, android or other mobile device

Pick up litter and bin it

SEnine

37

ELTHAM / MOTTINGHAM42 Well Hall RoadEltham SE96SFT: 020 8378 5450E: eltham@conranestates.co.uk

GREENWICH / BLACKHEATH221 Greenwich High RoadGreenwich SE10 8NBT: 020 8312 8312E: greenwich@contranestates.co.uk

CHARLTON / WESTCOMBE46 Charlton Church LaneCharlton SE7 7ABT: 020 8293 0454E: charlton@conranestates.co.uk

ASSOCIATED PARK LANE121 Park LaneMayfair W1K 7AGT: 020 7409 4693E: parklane@conranestates.co.uk

LETTINGS MANAGEMENT DEPT221 Greenwich High RoadGreenwich SE10 8NBT: 020 8312 8316E: lm@conranestates.co.uk

FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPT221 Greenwich High RoadGreenwich SE10 8NBT: 020 8312 8317E: greenwich@conranfinancial.co.uk

Prince John Road, Eltham £239,995 Three Bedroom Semi Detached house With Driveway to Front Through Lounge. Fitted Kitchen. Convenient Downstairs Cloakroom/WC. Upstairs Bathroom Large Rear Garden Laid To Lawn With Large Decked Patio To Rear Chain Free

Footscray Road £179,995 Two Bedroom Victorian Flat. Good Decorative Order Throughout Newly Fitted Kitchen & Modern Bathroom Partly Double Glazed & Gas Central Heating Low Service Charges of £60.00 Per Month Which Includes

Building Insurance Share Of Freehold. Share Of Rear Garden

Pippenhall, Southend Crescent £120,000 One Bed Purpose Built Flat Set On The Second Floor Spacious Lounge Leading To A Balcony Terrace Fitted Kitchen & Modern Bathroom Double Glazing & Gas Central Heating Communal Parking, Communal Lifts Walking Distance To Eltham High Street & Train Station

Laburnham Place, Elderslie Road £158,000 One Bedroom 1950's Purpose Built Flat Situated On The 2nd Floor Modern Kitchen & Bathroom Double Glazing & Gas Central Heating En-Block Garage Chain Free Share Of Freehold

Rennets Wood Road £399,995 Three Bedroom 1930's Semi-Detached House 29ft Through Lounge, Downstairs Cloakroom WC Newly Installed Upstairs Modern Bathroom With Separate WC Walking Distance To Crowns Wood School & Eltham Town Centre 85ft Mature Rear Garden With Large Patio To Front

Mayday Gardens £275,000 Three Bedroom 1930's Semi Detached House Through Lounge with Patio Doors to the Garden Gas Central Heating & Double Glazing Garage to Side & Large Rear Garden Scope for Further Updating & Extending Located on a favourable Road

Look out for you neighbour

SEnine

38

020 8859 303322 Well Hall RoadEltham SE9 6SF

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

FREE VALUATIONSThinking of selling? Phone for an appointment for one of our experienced valuers to call.

M O R T G A G E FACILITIESNeed an update on the mortgage situation? Contact us to speak to our Independent Financial Adviser.

SURVEYSAlready found a property? Call our Chartered Surveyor for survey advice and for a fee quote.

LETTINGSConsidering letting your home? Phone for advice on lettings and rents.

020 8859 3033mail@bernardskinner.co.uk22 Well Hall RoadEltham SE9 6SF

More properties available at: www.bernardskinner.co.uk

ELTHAM £384,9503 bedroom semi-detached house in sought-after area close to Falconwood station, spacious 29’3 through living room, fi tted kit, spacious bathrm with white suite, conservatory, att. garage and

own drive, gas cent. htg, double glazing.

No onward chain.

ELTHAM £249,950 A newly refurbished property in the Progress Conservation Area close to buses and station. 3 bedrooms, upstairs bathroom with new suite,

through lounge, newly fi tted kitchen/diner, conservatory, gas cent. htg, double glazing, no onward chain.

ELTHAM £165,000 Of interest to investors or fi rst time

buyers. 2nd fl oor fl at overlooking open space close to Greenwich University, 2 double bedrooms, living room, 11’6 x 8’

kitchen, showerrm/wc, gas cent. htg and double glazing, no onward chain.

ELELELTHTHTHAMAMAM £££383838444 959595000

EEELTLTLTHAHAHAMMM £2£2£2494949 999505050

ELTHAM £345,000Deceptively spacious halls-adjoining Edwardian

semi close to St Thomas More school, 3 double beds, bathrm/wc, 3 receps, kit, cloakrm,

conservatory, cent. htg, double glazing, 72’ garden, easy reach of park and High St shops.

ELTHAM PARK £460,000Impressive 5 bed. semi with a wealth of features,

sit. in Glenlyon Rd close to park and easy access to station, accom. includes 4 double size

bedrms, 2 living rooms, kit, bathroom/wc plus shower room and sep. wc, gas cent. htg,

off-street parking.

ELELELTHTHTHAMAMAM PPPARARARKKK £4£4£4606060 000000000 ELTHAM HEIGHTS £430,000Extensively modernised with stylish features and tastefully decorated, 3 bed. semi with own drive, 27’ through lounge/diner, spacious fi tted kitchen and conservatory extension, utility rm, designer

bathrm plus g/f shower rm, attrac. garden.

EEELTLTLTHAHAHAMMM £1£1£1656565 000000000

Laughter is a smile with the volume turned up

The disconnect between Herbaceous’

rural early life and his unfortunate

re-location to the city is nowhere more

clearly seen than when choosing his

‘wheels’.

Up-country, it was a deal done in the

back bar of a rustic pub where the

price of an old shooting brake or tractor

would be decided over a game of

dominos.

Now, he has to grapple with sharp-

suited fellows in a shiny showroom

on the by-pass who don’t always

understand the facilities he’s looking for

when assessing a new car.

Often dubbed ‘an allotment shed on

wheels’, Herbs’ car carries with it more

than a whiff of compost, caused by

carrying grass clippings, seedlings,

rotting vegetables and a variety of

implements.

What he expects sales executives to

know is whether the dimensions of

the boot are big enough to hold a fork

and spade, a Flymo on its side or his

seedlings.

‘How wide are the tyres?’ was the

unlikely question which caused Sharp

Suit to twitch on Herbs’ last visit.

The guy didn’t seem to realise that a

broad tyre was important when the

car was being used as a steamroller to

level out the ruts on the muddy road

alongside his plot.

‘And would sir like DiamondBrite?’ was

the executive’s next question. Having

allowed his mind to wander, Herbs

thought the question related to a new

variety of turnip. No thanks, he replied,

he’d stick with ‘Snowball’, a reply which

caused some puzzlement.

When it was explained that

DiamondBrite was a new coating to

keep a car looking shiny through the

seasons, Herbaceous explained that

it was unlikely to have much impact

on the clouds of dust which kicked up

when he careered on the track towards

his plot.

Once Sharp Suit started to understand

his customer, his selling instincts

triumphed. This compartment could

hold seed packets, Sir. Perhaps Sir could

dispense twine from bottle-holder?

And Sir might tie a watering can to the

rear door handle? Sale completed, a

delighted Herbs gladly presented Sharp

Suit with the bag of gooseberries which

had been rolling around under the old

car’s passenger seat.

W. UDEN & SONS LTDFAMILY FUNERAL DIRECTORS

ESTABLISHED 1881

The Family Business that still off ers a personal service

51 - 53 Passey Place, Eltham SE9 5DATel: 020 8850 2868

Covering all areas

Pre-paid Funerals

Monumental Masons

Private Chapels of Rest

24 Hour Service

Branches also at:Petts Wood, Dulwich,

Forest Hill, Sidcup,

New Cross & CamberwellIn the care of Nicholas & Matthew Uden

His Car is a Tractor

Dominos Painting from The Annexe Studio

www.monttomsart.com

email: monttoms@hotmail.co

SEnine

39Never stop trying

HERBACEOUS

Our exciting range of General Interest courses are ideal, whether you are looking to progress in your chosen career, learn new skills or exercise your body and mind.

Courses will begin from September 2012 at our Burrage, Eltham, Greenwich Park, Haimo and Plumstead centres in the following subjects:

To order the 2012/2013 ‘Greenwich Learns’ prospectus online please visit www.gcc.ac.uk and click on the green ‘General Interest’ tab. Alternatively, call our hotline on 020 8858 2211.

with Greenwich Community College

Enrolment Session

Monday 10th September from 6 - 8pm

at the Eltham Centre SE9 1HA

Come along to our

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