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Greenwich news and information

Local teachers plan to open a “Free School”

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A “Free School” could be opened in the borough of Greenwich if a group of teachers and parents get their way.

The idea is being put forward by Nouvelles Racines (meaning “New Roots”) which is is a not-for-profit company based in the borough headed up by two French secondary school teachers, Gladys Delphin and Semikian Konate.

They have been teaching French at a Saturday school in West Greenwich for the past two years and now wish to branch out and run a full time, non-selective school teaching the International Baccalaureate (IB) which has a strong emphasis on modern languages.

They propose taking pupils between the age of 5 – 18, which would enable them to offer all three IB programmes – Primary, Middle Years and sixth-form Diploma.

Gladys Delphin says that the new school would give “every child the chance to have a shot at studying the three rigorous but highly regarded IB programmes.”

“Up until now they have only been taught at four schools in England, all of them fee-paying. It’s an ambitious plan, but children from Greenwich and neighbouring boroughs deserve the best.”, she added.

Free Schools are a new policy initiative from the coalition government which enables parents, teachers, charities and businesses to set up a state funded school outside of the control of local authorities.

No site has yet been chosen for the proposed school but Greenwich.co.uk understands that Nouvelles Racines has made preliminary enquiries about the old Charlotte Turner School building in Deptford.

Daily Photo: 13/07/2010 – Where in Greenwich is this?

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A virtual slap on the back and round of applause for first person to identify whereabouts in Greenwich this photo was taken.

Update: Well done David Williams and Pedro, for correctly identifying these glass blocks as bveing on the building in Maze Hill at the corner of Woodland Crescent, which can also be seen from Trafalgar Road as Pedro says. Here’s the proof:

Corner of Maze Hill & Woodland Crescent

Blackheath Bluecoat’s Peninsula move gets the red light

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The proposal to move Blackheath Bluecoat school to a new building at Greenwich Peninsula has been stopped by the Government.

The move to a new school building off Millennium Way was put forward after an earlier proposal to move the John Roan School was dropped.

At the time of the announcement in February this year, executive headteacher Jeffrey Risbridger welcomed the the “opportunity to move to what promises to be a remarkable building”.

Blackheath Bluecoat is just one of hundreds of schools around the country that have been affected by the new coalition government’s review of the the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, told the House of Commons this week that “faced with the desperate mess left by the last Administration, this Government have had to prioritise, and our first priority is raising the attainment of the poorest by investing in great teaching”.

See also: Blackheath Bluecoat stays put – 853blog

New flower shop blooms on Trafalgar Road

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Mike Catterall Floral Designs

A brand new florist has opened for business in Trafalgar Road, Greenwich.

Mike Catterall Floral Designs had its grand opening over the weekend and welcomed customers with a glass of champagne.

Mike, who has twenty years experience as a florist, told Greenwich.co.uk a little about how the new shop came about:

I moved to London eight years ago, and would always come to Greenwich at the weekends and decided I really wanted to live here. It was when I was looking for somewhere to live here that I found the shop at the same time and it all fell together very quickly.

The shop will be open seven days a week and Mike even intends to open on Christmas Day for those customers who need a very last minute bouquet.

The new business caters for all floral requirements but Mike tells me most of his intricate work is for funerals and has included a pint of beer, a cup and saucer, Nemo the fish from ‘Finding Nemo’ and even a pair of Dorothy’s shoes from ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Mike Catterall Floral Designs is at 93 Trafalgar Road.

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Mike Catterall

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Greenwich Market to cut number of food stalls

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Greenwich Market

Shocked food traders at Greenwich Market were told on Tuesday night that the management would be cutting the number of stalls allowed to sell food.

Market traders were “stunned” as landlords, Greenwich Hospital, dropped the “bombshell” at a routine meeting that they wished to “reduce the offering” at the market. Currently  between 20-25 traders sell food at the market over the weekends.

One market trader who was present at the meeting told Greenwich.co.uk he was now expecting to be given one month’s notice .

“It’s like being told you’ve got cancer and you’ve got a month to live”, he said.

The trader, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that “Greenwich Hospital has built us up” but are now treating traders like “their playthings”.

Edward Dolby, Resources Director at Greenwich Hospital, told Greenwich.co.uk that no trader had been given notice to quit but that they do plan to “rationalise the hot food offer in the market which has been allowed to expand progressively in recent years”.

The management is proposing renovating the old George II unit within the market –  expected to take a couple of months to complete – and making it available for six food traders for up to six days a week “if there is sufficient demand”.

Dolby adds, “Nothing will be done precipitately or without prior consultation and whatever is decided, high quality hot food will continue to be a significant feature of Greenwich Market”.

“Schools united for change in Greenwich”

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South London Citizens have contributed this article about the work they are doing with local schools in Greenwich.

Over the past year or so, children and parents from three Greenwich primary schools in membership of South London Citizens have been working together to address issues of street safety.

When a 10-year old child from St Joseph’s Primary School tells you that he doesn’t feel safe walking from his home to his local leisure centre (which is only five minutes away), when a child from Halstow Primary School tells you that she can’t go and visit her friend in the evening even though she only lives a few streets away from her, when a child from St Alfege with St Peter’s Primary School tells you he is worried about going to secondary school next year as waiting for the bus with lots of other children can often be intimidating, members of South London Citizens in Greenwich get together and act.

Since a first meeting in May 2009 where twenty-five parents and children got together to think about safety in their local area, a lot has happened. Discussions between schools have taken place, research has been carried out to identify problems which have then been refined into specific issues, and actions have developed to make things better. The CitySafe campaign – a community-led campaign that addresses issues of street safety and which builds positive relationships between schools, the police, and local neighbours – has been involving scores of like-minded citizens who believe in a world where people work together.

If you look at what you can find between St Alfege with St Peter’s, St Joseph’s, and Halstow primary schools, what do you find? Lots of shops is the answer!

Groups of children and parents decided, therefore, to approach the hundred or so shopkeepers that work on Trafalgar Road and the portion of Woolwich Road that goes to the East Greenwich Library and asked them to work with South London Citizens to make the area safer. But what do you ask shopkeepers in order to make the area safer? Two main things:

  1. You get them to pledge to report 100% of crime and anti-social behaviour
  2. You get them to offer their premises as a place of haven for anyone in danger

Out of the hundred or so shops approached, about sixty agreed to join the CitySafe campaign. The local schools are building teams of children and parents who will visit the shops on a regular basis to review if and how the campaign is making things better.

In the past few days, sixty parents and children, joined by police officers, went to visit shops and got some great feedback. Some shopkeepers on Trafalgar Road, for instance, are pleased to report that police officers have been visiting the shops more regularly. Some young people have also been using the shops when they have not been feeling too safe. As the shops were visited, flowers were given to the shopkeepers by children as a sign of gratitude.

It is clear that things are not going to change overnight, but all the members of South London Citizens involved in this work in Greenwich agree that if you know you know and are ready to support your neighbours, your street becomes safer. This is the simple message the CitySafe campaign is spreading in the streets of Greenwich!

See a couple of videos about the CitySafe campaign across London and in Greenwich: www.southlondoncitizens.org.uk/citysafe and www.southlondoncitizens.org.uk/greenwich.

For more details on London Citizens and community organising, see a video on the Citizens UK blog: www.citizensukblog.org.

Thames Cable Car Proposed

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A new cable car across the Thames, linking Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks, has been proposed by Transport for London (TFL).

The new river crossing would see journey times between the O2 and ExCeL – both venues for London 2010 – fall to around five minutes.

TFL say that the cable car, expected to be privately funded, would operate at a height of 50m, and be able to carry up to 2500 passengers over the Thames every hour.

Cable cars are used successfully in other cities such as Barcelona, Cologne, Hong Kong, Lisbon, New York and Singapore, but this would be the first such system in London.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

“A cable car spanning the majestic Thames would not only provide a unique and pioneering addition to London’s skyline, but also offer a serene and joyful journey across the river. Passengers would be able to drink in the truly spectacular views of the Olympic Park and iconic London landmarks whilst shaving valuable minutes from their travelling time. It would also provide a much needed enhancement of cross river options to the east of the city.”

Peter Hendy, London’s Transport Commissioner said:

“A privately funded cable car system offers a relatively quick and cost effective way of improving connections across the river for pedestrians and cyclists while road links are progressed in parallel. It would be frequent, with cable cars every 30 seconds carrying up to 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction, equivalent to the capacity of 50 buses per hour.”

Len Duvall, London Assembly member for Greenwich and Lewisham, commented via Twitter:

cable car: great for tourists but not a solution for E/London commuters. We only have 3 crossings east of Tower Brg Vs 16 to the west

As Darryl at 853 notes, a previous idea for a cable car to the dome in the late 90s came to nothing. You can have your say on the new proposal as TFL have launched a consultation which will last until August 2nd.

Updated – 06/07/10

Nick Raynsford MP has told Greenwich.co.uk that the cable car proposal is a piece of “tourist frippery” that is “not a solution to the cross river transport needs of South East London”.

The MP for Greenwich and Woolwich said that although the scheme was a “nice little project” which would be good for tourism, it wouldn’t address the “much wider problem” of  the “absolutely hopeless cross river links” in the area.

He re-iterated his support for a new crossing at Silvertown and said that the Thames Gateway Bridge should never have been cancelled.

‘Rock and Royal’ Art Exhibition

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Rock and Royal - Lorraine Elizabeth Hall

A Greenwich artist is hosting a free exhibition of her work this weekend.

Rock and Royal is a collection of pieces created by Lorraine Elizabeth Hall – pictured above with her Bichon Frisé, Pippa.

The sixteen pieces will be on display in the magnificent surroundings of her fascinating home – often used for location shots by film crews and photographers – on Crooms Hill from Saturday through to Tuesday.

Rock and Royal is Lorraine’s first exhibition since personal setbacks, including a serious arm injury, had threatened her ability to express herself through painting but she was determined to recover. Lorraine explains, “Painting is my life. It’s something I have to do and cannot live without”.

Lorraine, a self confessed “rock chick” who has previously worked as a breakfast radio presenter and animator, has captured her vivd thoughts and creativity in a variety of materials for the collection including oils, watercolours and pen and ink.

You can meet Lorraine and view the exhibition at 14 Crooms Hill, next to the Fan Musuem, from Saturday 3rd July to Tuesday 6th July between 10am and 4pm.

Rock and Royal
Tree of Life – part of the Rock and Royal exhibition

Stockwell Street exhibition begins

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A public exhibition showing the University of Greenwich’s plans for the run down site in Stockwell Street begins today.

The exhibitions opens to the public today at 5pm at Queen Mary Court and will be open every day up until the 9th July.

The University proposes replacing the existing 60s office building, John Humpreys House, with a brand new library and School of Architecture, which would be moved from its current site in Avery Hill.

The redevelopment would open up a new public walkway between Stockwell Street and King William Walk and include a gallery and cafe for the community at ground level.

The University is keen to receive feedback on the proposals so visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to submit their own thoughts and ideas using either paper-based forms or computer terminals which have been set up in the exhibition room. For details on the exhibition’s opening hours, visit the dedicated website.

Updated – 06/07/2010

Nick Raynsford MP has told Greenwich.co.uk that he believes the proposed new development is “a good scheme” that is  “high quality” in terms of architecture.

He does, however, think that the designers “need to have a further look at making a decent public space” at the main entrance as he thinks the proposed approach and entrance looks “rather mean and disappointing”.

I asked Mr Raysnford if a larger public space should incorporate a resurrected Village Market as some critics have asked for, but he said that as Greenwich was already served by the covered market and Clocktower Market, he was “not convinced that there needs to be an additional market” at the Stockwell Street site.

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The following official artwork from the proposals has been supplied by the University of Greenwich.

Stockwell Street

Stockwell Street

Stockwell Street

East Greenwich & Peninsula History Map launched

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East Greenwich History Map

A new map charting the history of East Greenwich and the Greenwich Peninsula was launched on Wednesday night at the Cutty Sark Tavern in Ballast Quay

The project, which tries to “connect the past with the present”, has been a six year labour of love for editor of the map and professional storyteller, Rich Sylvester.

After getting the “fever” for local history, Sylvester came up with the idea, originally titled Peninsula Stories, in 2004. Since then, he has worked with local residents, schools, researchers, designer Luke Eastop, and historians such as Dr Mary Mills, to complete the first edition of the map.

It’s an ambitious attempt to bring together an overview of over 1000 years of local history in a pocket sized document.

The map plots historical sites of note across the familiar shape of East Greenwich and the Peninsula, and features a time line of important events. The reverse of the map has background information, pictures and stories in nine categories: People, Transport, Leisure, Ships & Barges, Industry, War, Buildings, Art & Memorial and Wildlife.

In an entertaining speech to invited guests, Rich said that whilst the area  adapted to new titles like “North Greenwich” and “City Peninsula”, it was important to look back at names from the past such as the Greenwich Marsh and the  South Metropolitan Gas Company.

Rich told Greenwich.co.uk how the project was first inspired by the discovery of a coconut:

I liked coming down to the beaches expecting driftwood. I was very obsessively into driftwood and I realised after a while I had a bit of a problem with driftwood. I was waiting until my partner was watching Corrie at night and then sneaking in with this huge box of timber.

I got that under control by starting to focus on smaller stuff on the beaches and some of the smaller stuff were things like coconuts which kind of led me to enquire “why is this here and how did it get here?”

That led me into Lewisham and Greenwich local history libraries, and in the libraries, as opposed to the foreshore, suddenly I’m in a much deeper kind of trouble because I’ve really got the fever in terms of local history and this map – six years later – is one of the outcomes.

2000 copies of the map, which received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, have been produced initially and they are available free of charge from Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, Greenwich Communication Centre (164 Trafalgar Road) and Warwick Leadlay Gallery at Greenwich Market.

There will be opportunities to “walk the map” towards the end of July, and Rich Sylvester can be booked for guided story walks. Keep an eye on the website for more information.

East Greenwich History Map

Map editor, Rich Sylvester.

You can listen to some of Rich’s comments at the launch of the map. He begins in this clip by describing how school children interviewed local residents and workers.
Listen!

East Greenwich History Map
A coconut – a symbol of where Rich’s inspiration came from.