A Sportier Hill

As well as being home to bowls and tennis clubs, Shooters Hill is just about to get a bit sportier with the arrival of two ballgames franchises in the area, which leads one to wonder if this is could be interpreted as evidence of a growing interest in games as part of the run up to the Olympics.

One the hand we’ve got Little Kickers:

Shooters Hill Christ Church – Saturdays
Christ Church Hall, Shooters Hill Road, London, SE18 3RS

Time Course Availability
9.15 – 10.00am Little Kicks Available
10.15 – 11.00am Junior Kickers Available
11.15 – 12.00pm Mighty Kickers Available

New members will be charged a one off registration fee of £16.00 . Your registration fee gives you a FREE Little Kickers football strip and priority re-registration.

Course Age No. Sessions Cost
Junior Kickers 2 – 3.5; yrs 12 £78.00
Junior Kickers 2 – 3.5; yrs 6 £39.00
Little Kicks 1½ – 2yrs 3mth 12 £78.00
Little Kicks 1½ – 2yrs 3mth 6 £39.00
Mighty Kickers 3.5; – 5th b’day 12 £78.00
Mighty Kickers 3.5; – 5th b’day 6 £39.00

… and on the other we’ve got:

Ruggerbeez. Apparently following an initial period of marketing, classes are to be launched in the near future at Shooters Hill RFC.

Shooters Hill Supergroup

Last night the audience at the Bull were serenaded by a supergroup of Shooters Hill Musicians. The bassist and both singers from OCD joined Stardust and Sequins for much of their set, and the singer from the Longdicks guested on an Iggy and the Stooges track (see pic).

The main band have played at the Bull a number of times, and attracted a big crowd, at one point it got so tight that someone took the opportunity to make a “We’re all in it together” quip – it was certainly encouraging to see the pub so busy. Last night they played more material from the art rock side of their repertoire, drawing from Ziggy Stardust, The Velvet Undeground, and Roxy Music. They also played a bit of surf rock to give the drummer a chance to perform some trickery, and some Jimi Hendrix, allowing the guitarist to do likewise.

stardust and sequins

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/22089664″]

The next instalment of live music at the Bull is Rockabilly band
Si’s Smokin’ Aces on Saturday 10th September.

pMap 1.1

Welcome to pMap v1.1. It’s a minor update on 1.0 which makes use of slightly neater scraping which is faster to relay; allows toggling of wards; allows re-centering of the map. It’s currently working on the previous 7 days’ planning applications registered. You can see the source code below, or fork it.

pMap

Continue reading “pMap 1.1”

WoolwichWall

On Monday, a week after the Woolwich riots, I decided that it was time I saw the aftermath for myself. I also wanted to see the Woolwich Wall (the boards outside the Wetherspoons Pub).

Wellington Street remained closed at the point it meets General Gordon Square, I’m not sure why exactly but I’m assuming it’s to do with controlling access to the Pub whilst the surveyors examine the damage.

The wall has already been the subject of much blogging on 853, and woolwichriots has also aggregated some riot coverage. More recently the wall has attracted some media interest and attention. It will also be the meeting point for a community gathering this Thursday the 18th of August from 7pm.

My overall impression of the wall is that most of the messages on there fall into three main categories: those declaring love for Woolwich and Wetherspoons; those directing dismay and anger towards the rioters; and those reflecting on what it all means. The display of affection for Woolwich is particularly striking, mainly because the place has felt relatively unloved since its grand art deco cinemas and shops went into decline in the mid nineties. For this reason, the Woolwich Wall could be a significant step in getting the place back on track as it prepares to host the Olympics next year.

Apart from the Wetherspoons, other places that were affected by fire include the pile of rubble which now stands where Blue Inc. (and the flat above) used to be. This was the most disturbing sight I encountered, and I’m pleased to say no one was seriously injured in this fire, although the strain of having one’s home or workplace burnt down is still a terrible thing to have to deal with. The adjacent section of Powis Street remains completely closed off, and includes the JD Sports and Nandos opposite, which are boarded up.

Fires also affected several units around the new Wilkinsons supermarket, including Barclays, and The Point, a young peoples’ service, which illustrates the self-destructive nature of the rioting.

As well as burning, the riots also saw quite a bit of looting. I was saddened to see the boarded windows at Birts Jewellers, which must be one of the longest running businesses in Woolwich, having been around for nigh on two centuries. Pasted up outside were signs reading “Closed due to Riots, for peace of mind, items pledged are secure.” What this hopefully means is that Birts will be back. I have a soft spot for the place, partly because it’s so old, but also because when buying some important jewellery a few years ago, and having been put off by the aggressive salespeople at Hatton Garden, I found the staff at Birts to be amongst the warmest shopkeepers I’d ever met. I’ve been back to the place several times since, and hope to do so again very soon.

I didn’t look everywhere, but I believe that Charles Dance Jewellers on Hare Street was also broken into (another very long running local firm), as was another jeweller on Powis St, but not H. Samuel, which was open as normal. Other shops targeted by looters included the banks, bookies, and electrical gadget chains.

Despite all the wanton destruction, the vast majority of shops on Powis Street were open as usual, and the prevailing atmosphere was no less bustling than it has been over the last few years since it began to overcome the decline of the nineties. In terms of atmosphere, Woolwich town centre seems to be coping stoically, even heroically with the aftermath of the unrest, and the Woolwich Wall, and the grass roots organisation behind the meeting this week confirm that there is a healthy determination to continue regenerating the town.

Woolwich Riots

Last night there was rioting in Woolwich which culminated in arson attacks on a number of buildings. Surprisingly, there are still a lot of people in the surrounding area who aren’t aware of this, mainly due to the lack of coverage in the mainstream media; Twitter however gave rise to an increasingly heartbreaking series of images during the night, starting from around 8pm, and ending up with those showing the buildings around General Gordon Square in flames. The fire brigade were still fighting major blazes in Woolwich at 3am.

This video shows young people chasing riot police away from General Gordon Square down Thomas Street just after 10pm last night.

rioting, looting and burning in woolwich

Some of the photos posted on Twitter showing the burning police car on New Road, the looting on Powis Street, and the arson attack on the Great Harry Pub.

The twitter reports that are used here came from a number of sources, including mister mercer, jelvesie (who captured the footage above), and dontcallmedick, among others. Although the police have suggested that people shouldn’t observe the riots, there was no press coverage, so citizen reporters were the only source of local info on this terrible night.

The leader of the council has made a statement, in it he restates his commitment to regenerating Woolwich, which has been going well, and this was discussed recently. The leader also insists that he will help the shopkeepers in affected areas, and hold the perpetrators to account.

update 10/8 – here’s a film of the cleanup from yesterday

Green Chained Walk

It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and then a web search leading to the site, or a grumble on twitter indicates that all is not entirely well on the Green Chain Walk through the local area at present, specifically on the section that runs through Woodlands Farm. This may be a temporary difficulty, and it’s not entirely clear at what times the route is being affected.

green chain gates

If by any chance you are planning on walking the Green Chain, please note that a 15 minute diversion is available if necessary. During farm hours, it may be possible to confirm in advance if the path is clear: 0208 319 8900.

Woodlands Farm Summer Holiday Activities

This latest addition to the farm’s activities for young people began last week, and runs throughout the school holidays.

woodlandsfarmsummeractivities

The Woodlands Farm Trust Summer Holiday Activities 2011

Running Tuesday-Friday every week from 26 July-2 September
Drop-in, no booking required.

Tuesdays 1pm-4pm
Woodlands Adventures – an afternoon of fun in our beautiful woods.
Suitable for ages 6-14 (all children must be accompanied). FREE.

Wednesdays 10am-4pm
Wildlife explorers – a search for what else lives here besides the farm animals
Suitable for ages 6-14 (all children must be accompanied). FREE.

Thursdays 10am-12pm
Toddler Club (n.b. this will continue beyond the summer)
Come and meet the animals, try out arts and crafts, play, and meet up with other families. Tea/coffee
and biscuits provided. £2 per adult, children FREE! Suitable for ages 6 and under (all children must
be accompanied).

Fridays 10am-4pm
Farm fun – crafts, gardening and farm tours.
Suitable for all ages (all children must be accompanied). FREE.

Farm Details:

The Woodlands Farm Trust
(registered charity 1051680)
The Woodlands Farm Trust
331 Shooters Hill
Welling, Kent
DA16 3RP
Nearest tube: North Greenwich
Nearest BR: Welling
Buses: 486 & 89
Telephone & Fax: 020 8319 8900
Email: woodlandsft@aol.com
www.thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org