Can anyone tell me if One Tree Hill in the cemetery? Or even have any recollection or know of reference to this incidence?

Allen Dale? I remember him– he made a mint out of property in Selborne Village then lost it all investing in property in Selborne Village.

We are hosting several events concerning the redesign of the Maudsley Hospital site.

We are inviting anyone with an interest in the site to attend and I wondered if I could send you some more info for you to post on you blog?

I think it would be of interest to your readers.

Many thanks
Brigid Martin
Creative Process

I spoke to my mother last night. She told me of a musical set in Camberwell about child prostitution which has been getting mixed reviews recently. Apparently some critics have been suggesting it’s distasteful to even have such a theme set to a musical and that it is any way clearly an over dramatised version of events. Its supporters — including sixteen year old girls who have been involved in child prostitution locally since age 11 or 12 — confirm that the narrative accurately reflects their experience of living in Camberwell and that they find the piece uplifting and inspiring.

GOOD GRIEF… What is going on? I must be one of the best informed people about a lot of things locally — just because — and I haven’t heard a whisper about this. EVER. Although I know very well that prostitution is rife in SE5 — I’ve seen it on many street corners — I had no idea, call me naive, this extended to child prostitution.

Is this news as much of a surprise to anyone else?

I think the whole community should know about this. Street drinking and drug dependent visitors have been just about the biggest issue perennially for this neighbourhood.

How can a community deal with its problems if it doesn’t even know they are there, right on its doorstep???

Our local authorities have GOT TO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER. Camberwell has been neglected and ignored for far too long. Even though SE5 gets a grant it is less than a quarter of what is needed to make anything effective happen. I’v evert nearly had enough of bloody Camberwell. Pathetic, sad, but true. And commercially I’m utterly trapped — as are many others who have invested heavily in SE5.

as chair of the Brunswick Park T & R A, I just want to confirm that we did NOT set up our association for the reasons that Brunswick might have intimated.

And personally, I am confused by Brunswick’s comments as the matter they raise (ie. let’s set up as others haven’t done much for us) hasn’t ever been discussed at our meetings as far as I am aware.

The reasons for us establishing our association were nothing to do with any activity (or lack of) by any of the other groups within Camberwell or Southwark. On the contrary, we respect their efforts — we know it isn’t easy to make progress through all the bureaucracy and so on that community groups have to deal with — and we seek to work with these groups, welcoming their support as we support them. This includes the SE5 Forum. We try to attend their meetings when we can.

The reason we established our group was to create an association that could focus on our immediate area — the area surrounding brunswick park.

Currently we are dealing with specific issues related to our area — some planning, some anti social, some parking and some noise related — and though they are important to us, they would probably get lost in the agendas of other groups who have a wider focus.

We haven’t discussed joining forces with any group but if the idea is tabled, I suggest that our committee would probably prefer that we simply shared ideas and became affiliated with them instead. That way we can all pursue our own sets of issues, and if they overlap, well and good — we would try and work together on them.

cheers sg

You might have an inkling from your own experience of setting up a voluntary organisation with Bruswick that nothing comes easily. The Forum annual budget, in order to be fit for purpose, i.e. for it to be able to function practically and get things done, is four times more than factual income.

It would be good if you could combine what you’re doing with SE5 work.