Free children's activities in Myatt's Fields Park every weekend and through half term

On Saturday there will be an exciting afternoon of activities for children in Myatt's Fields Park.

Children will be able take part in a workshop to make a stethoscope to measure heart rate. they will then have an opportunity to measure their own heart rates before and after exercise.





All children aged six to 13 years are welcome at the workshop which will run from 2pm – 4pm in the meeting room in the old depot (situated at the opposite end of the park to the playground)

This is just one of an exciting programme of children's events being held in the park every weekend (and every day during half-term) until March. The full programme is given in the flyer, left or see below

Children's activities in Myatt's Fiels Park
Free fun activities for six to thirteen year olds including crafts, sports, arts and play equipment suitable for all. Additional activities offered by Groundwork London.

30th January 2010 Make a stethoscope and measure your heart beat (Okido) 2-4pm
6th February Make Valentine bags 2- 4pm
13th February Groundwork: Make woven willow teepees 2- 4pm

Half term
15th February Craft activities 2 - 4pm
16th February Craft activities 2 - 4pm
17th February Craft activities 2 - 4pm
18th February Groundwork: Make bird nesting boxes for the park
19th February Help plant hedges in the park: 1 - 4pm

20th February Help plant hedges and learn more about bats 1- 4pm
27th February Groundwork: build a stag beetle hotel and learn about stag beetles
6th March Make bunny and hen egg cozies
13th March Groundwork: build frog and toad abodes
20th March Craft activities
27th March Iroko African drumming, dancing and tie dye

For more information contact Amanda Adams at Lambeth Play Association on 020 7733 5718

The events are being run by Lambeth Play Association working with the Myatt's Fields Park Project Group.

Funded by Lambeth Youth Opportunities Fund, Lambeth Play Pathfinder, Groundwork's Placemaker Fund

Lambeth information on Myatt's Fields Park

Minet Library Archives shut for annual stock taking this week

Lambeth Archives, situated in the Minet Library on Knatchbull Road, SE5, will be closed for their annual stock taking from Monday 25 January to Saturday 6 February inclusive. The archives will reopen as normal on Monday 8 Febraury 2010.

Other parts of the Minet Library will be open as normal during this period


Opening hours of Minet Library
•Monday - 1pm to 8pm
•Tuesday - 10am to 6pm
•Wednesday - closed
•Thursday - 10am to 6pm
•Friday - 10am to 1pm
•Saturday - 9am to 5pm
•Sunday - closed






The Minet Library has a full range of books (including a small collection in French and Spanish), DVDs, videos and CDs for loan, newspapers and magazines and a reference and information service. Tweleve computers are available free for internet, email and word-processing purposes.


Minet Library, 52 Knatchbull Road SE5 9QY (click on postcode for location map)

Tel 020 7926 6073 Fax 020 7926 608052

Further information on the Minet Library
Search all of Lambeth libraries' catalogues

Climate Change: You can make a difference (and save money)

Lambeth have launched a campaign to encourage local residents to cut down on their energy use to contribute to the borough's sustainability target. The aim of the Labour council is to cut carbon emissions by 20% by 2012.

The Make a Difference section of the Lambeth website offers advice for everyone to cut their energy use pointing out the benefits to your wallet as well as the environmental benefits.

The website offers information, advice and encouragement for all Lambeth residents on how to cut energy use and save money.

The main advice is

Switch it off – By switching off appliances instead of leaving them on standby, you can save energy and money. In an average UK household, this could save you £30 a year.

Use it up – By planning your food shopping carefully and throwing away less, you can reduce waste and save money. In an average UK household, this could save you over £400 a year.

Put it on – By putting on another layer instead of turning up the heating, you can save energy and money. Turning your thermostat just one degree lower could save you up to 10% on your heating bills.

Walk it – By walking short distances instead of driving, you can reduce the amount of fuel you use and save money. If you walk just 5 miles a week instead of getting in a car, you could save over £160 a year.

Further information on the campaign including further information on each of the areas of action is available at www.lambeth.gov.uk/BIGDifference

Next stage of Myatt's Fields park redevelopment starts 25 January

In the week starting 25 January 2010 the next stage of the regeneration of Myatt's Fields Park begins when works starts on a new children's building and adult toilets in the park.

Mayor of Lambeth Christopher Wellbelove will formally 'break the ground' with workmen at a ceremony on 1 February 2010 with the wooden buildings expected to be ready for use later on this year.

The children's building will be built next to the playground, and will include children’s toilets for the playground. It will house a main room for children's use and a parent's training room as well as a small kitchen and office for staff use, storage and toilets.

The new building is designed to be light and airy, and will be clad in wood with a covered area running across the front. Windows across the front of the building will push back to leave the main room open to the park during summer.

The building will house the park's One O'Clock Club as well as a range of other activities and services running from the morning to early evening, and has been funded by Lambeth Council and the Henry Smith Charity. In addition adults toilets will be built in the depot area of the park to provide an amenity for park visitors.

The redevelopment of the park is being overseen by the Myatt's Fields Park Project Group, chaired by Lindsay Avebury, which has worked closely with the council to transform the park over the past few years. Around £2.6 million has been invested, funded by Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Lambeth Council and a range of other organisations. A brand new children's play area and water park, a new nature conservation area, new cafe and renovated historic features including the bandstand and roundhouse are just some of the improvements that have resulted from the investment.

Cllr Rachel Heywood, Cabinet member for Culture on Lambeth Council, said: "I have nothing but praise for Lindsay and everyone at Myatt's Fields Park Project Group. The commitment they have shown to Myatt's Field Park is an inspiration and proves how much can be achieved when the council and local people work together. The transformation of Myatt's Fields Park over the past few years has been spectacular and it is now a truly special green space that is much loved by many people."



Vassall Ward Councillor Kingsley Abrams added "As a resident of one of the roads near to the park I have seen the regeneration of the park progress day by day. When these buildings are completed they will serve as a great facility for local people, children and park users and a fantastic addition to Vassall Ward. I second Rachel's praise for the Myatt's Field Park Project Group all of whom have worked hard to ensure that the new facilities are of the best possible standard and meet local need."

Report that pothole!

The recent cold weather has not been kind to the roads and in some cases it has led to potholes and an uneven surface on the roads.

Potholes and uneven surfaces can be dangerous causing a hazard for pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers possibly leading to injury and damage.

Lambeth carry out regular inspections of the borough's roads on a rolling 13 week programme but if you spot a dangerous pothole, or a damaged or uneven road surface in the meantime please contact the council to report the problem.

Either email TandHCallCentre@lambeth.gov.uk or phone 020 7926 9000 to talk to the Roads team. The Council will repond to urgent problems within 24 hours and priority issues within three days. Further information on Lambeth's pothole repair service is available on the Roads section of the Lambeth website

If you spot a problem on the red routes in the local area - that is roads such as Brixton Road, Camberwell New Road and Clapham Road - please report the matter to Transport for London. You can do this using an online form or phone 0845 305 1234.

Cyclists' organisation CTC run a website called Fillthathole.org.uk which allows users to report potholes and check on the progress of repairs.

Vassall Action Team member Adrian Garden says "On my walks around Vassall Ward I always keep a look out for problems. I have reported the problems I have found on the roads and pavements to Lambeth so that it can be dealt with. I then keep an eye out to make sure its repaired and I'm pleased to say that in most cases the problem has been fixed within a few days."

Edited to add: According to a report in Friday's South London Press Lambeth has allocated £300,000 to tackle this problem. A spokesperson for the Council encouraged local residents to report the potholes saying "Our crews will be working hard to repair damaged surfaces as quickly as possible, but we would ask that people help us by reporting potholes to us so that we can ensure they are placed onto our schedule for repair as soon as possible."

Freshview clean up in Vassall Ward this Friday 22 January 2010

Lambeth Freshview is coming to Vassall Ward this Friday

Freshview is an initiative by Lambeth Council and other organisations which takes a holistic approach to improving the environment of an area.

The Lambeth website Freshview page gives further information on Freshview: "The scheme is run by the council in partnership with lots of other agencies including Community Payback, the Metropolitan Police, Safer Lambeth and Transport for London. Every month the council and all the agencies work together for an entire day to tackle specific problems and freshen up the area of a local ward.

Freshview aims to:
Improve environmental quality
Reduce anti-social behaviour
Increase community engagement and partnership working"

The website goes on to give details the kind of actions that the Freshview team undertake including

• Free bulky waste collections for residents in selected streets
• Issuing fines for littering and waste
• Removing flyposting and graffiti
• Community service by Youth Offending and Community Payback teams
• Confiscating illegal goods and firearms
• Removal of nuisance vehicles
• Inspections of commercial premises
• Improving street lighting
• Cutting back trees and hedges
• Deep cleansing of problem hotspots
• Information stall providing feedback for residents, and much more.

If you know of any areas of the ward/ problems that need attention please get in touch with Freshview before Friday: call the Streetcare Service Centre on 020 7926 9000 or email Freshview@lambeth.gov.uk. Alternatively contact your local Vassall Ward Action Team member (see previous post for details) and they will ensure it gets dealt with.

Lambeth staff have already been out in the ward handing out information on the scheme and labels to attach to bulky items that residents want to get rid off - just put the label on your item and leave it outside the front of the house on Friday morning before 8am.

Vassall Ward Councillor, and local resident, Kingsley Abrams commented "I welcome the Freshview team to Vassall Ward - from what I have seen in other Lambeth wards the concentrated day of action tackling local environmental problems can really make a difference to the local environment."

Vassall Action Team member Tracy Ritson added "I went for a walk around the ward recently with Adrian and Kingsley so have an idea of where most of the problems are but if you spot any problems get in contact with me or one of the other Action Team members and we will ensure that they are dealt with by the Freshview team or afterwards by Lambeth street care."

Whats on in Lambeth?

If you ever want to find out about events happening in your local area Lambeth Council have a comprehensive listing of events on the website.

See What's on in Lambeth for a full listing of local arts, faith, environmental, sporting, community and many other events including:

• Active walks programme
• Arts events
• Equalities and diversity calendar
• Faith news and events
• Festivals and public events
• London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
• Library events and activities
• Parents Forum events
• Park events
• Sports clubs, events and training
• Supply Lambeth events
• Transport events

Highlights are also published in each edition of Lambeth Life the council's regular newspaper distributed to residents and available from libraries and council offices.

Lambeth launch What's on Offer: a guide for 11 -25 year olds

Lambeth has launched a new guide for young people giving details of local acvtivities and more.

Called What's on Offer it gives a listing of sports, leisure and arts activities locally as well as courses on offer to improve work related skills and health. It also lists help and resources available to young people in the borough





If you are 11–25 this publication is designed to let you know the hundreds of activities in Lambeth for people your age.

You will find a wide range of activities and services listed especially for young people – from dance to football; from health to work-related skills. Take a look, you are guaranteed to find out things that you didn’t know about before.

Download the January to March 2010 issue of What's on Offer

Vassall Action Team member Tracy Ritson commented "this is a really great resource for young people in Vassall Ward and across the borough with something for everyone as well as useful information on local services. This shows how Lambeth is investing in our young people to allow them to develop to their full potential."

Get healthy with NHS Lambeth!

NHS Lambeth has launched a new website giving ideas and encouragement for living healthier lives.

The NHS Choices website gives online help and advice on becoming and staying healthier through easy to do changes such as quitting smoking and easy regular exercising by, for example, going for walks in the local area. The site also has blogs from real people describing their experiences and offering encouragement as well as a full listing of NHS services available in Lambeth.

See the NHS Lambeth website for further information

South Island Workshop to run young people's poetry and visual art project

We have received details of an exciting series of workshops for young people taking place in Patmos Road:

South Island Workshop is running a five week project entitled The Spoken Word and Visual Art Project, it will feature two poets, El Crisis and the Lyrical Radical (aka Rohan), who will perform their own work and lead workshops examining the relationship between language and visual art. The project is funded by Lambeth Young and Safe.

This project, which is funded for five weeks, will run from Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 January 2010 (not including half-term) and will conclude with a small exhibition.

This series of workshops is open to

younger children (5 – 10 year olds) on Tuesday evenings 5 – 7 pm

and older children (11 years and upwards) on Wednesday evenings 5 – 7pm.

The session price is £1 per child per session

The project will take place in:
The Community Hall, 81 Lothian Road, SW9 6TS (click on postcode for map)

For further information and to book a place please contact
Jane on 020 7733 5279 / m.janecampbell@googlemail.com
or Marc on 020 7735 9539 / thearmyofmonkeys@hotmail.com

South Island Place information on Young Lambeth website

Christmas trees to be collected this week

Lambeth Borough Council will be collecting Christmas trees for recycling this week (11 - 15 January 2010) - just put your Christmas tree out along with your normal rubbish or take it to your estate recycling bin area where it will be collected.

Alternatively take your Christmas tree to one of the recycling sites across the borough:
* Clapham Common, Windmill Drive, SW4
* Kennington Park, Kennington Park Road, SE11
* Streatham Common, Streatham High Road, SW16
* Lambeth Reuse and Recycling Centre, Vale Street, West Norwood, SE27

Snow update for Monday 11 January 2010

The Lambeth website has reported that all schools in the borough apart from Stockwell High will be open on Monday 11 January 2010. The mobile library situation will reviewed on Monday. Other council services will be open as normal.

Shawcross condemns Mayor of London's January 2010 fare increases

Valerie Shawcross, Lambeth and Southwark's Labour member of the Greater London Assembly, has condemned the Mayor of London's fare increases which came into effect this week. (previously detailed on Vassall View).

In a letter to the South London Press published on Friday 8 January 2010 Ms Shawcross highlights the impact of bus fare increases on South Londoners and asks why the Mayor has chosen to cancel the Western extension to the congestion charge zone and remove the increased fees for the worst polluting vehicles both at the expense of the majority of London's population who rely on public transpoirt to travel around the city.

The full text of the letter

Dear sir
The fare-paying Londoner will be only too aware this week of the huge fare increases which Mayor Boris Johnson has now inflicted on the travelling public, especially those who prefer to use the bus network to get around.

Our buses have become, in recent years, a reliable and affordable way to get around, but people who want or need to travel in this way are now feeling the pinch of a huge 20 per cent fare increase. A pay as you go Oyster journey now costs £1.20 while the cost of a weekly bus pass has also gone up 20 per cent, to £16.60.

The Mayor claims this is necesssary to raise funds for London, yet he dropped plans for a western extension to the congestion charge zone, and plans to charge the most polluting vehicles to enter central London. Both measures would have generated inclome, with environmental benefits, but the Mayor has chosen to penalise Londoners who rely on public transport to get around. Mayor Johnson needs to explain why he is doing this.
Valerie Shawcross
London Assembly member for Lambeth & Southwark


GLA Labour Group highlight fare increases
Valerie Shawcross recently joined with her Labour GLA colleagues to highlight the fare increases at a demonstration at Victoria station

What Boris's fare rises mean for you

• A single bus journey by Oyster UP 20% to £1.20 (up from 90p before Boris became Mayor)
• A weekly Oyster bus pass UP 20% to £16.60
• Six-zone peak single Tube fare by Oyster UP 10.5% to £4.20
• Five-zone off-peak single Tube fare (outside zone 1) UP 18.2% to £1.30
• Most Oyster pay-as-you-go journeys UP by 20p per trip
• Overall Tube fares will rise almost 4% and bus fares by almost 13%

These are fare rises made out of choice. Boris Johnson's transport decisions are costing Londoners dear and he is asking public transport users to pay the price.

Boris's costly mistakes

• Halving the size of the congestion zone
  COST: £70 million a year in lost income

• Cancelling the higher congestion charge for gas guzzlers
  COST: £50 million a year in lost income

• Replacing bendy buses with lower capacity single and double deckers
  COST: £28 million extra a year

See London Assembly Labour Group website

Updates on snow and ice in Vassall Ward

For the latest on the snow and ice in Vassall Ward and its impact on local services see the Lambeth Council website - this includes details of which schools are shut and any other council services affected by the adverse weather.

Latest updates 8 January 2010

Young Friends of Myatts Fields event postponed
We have been informed that the Young Friends of Myatts Fields Stag Beetle Hotel building event due to take place this weekend has been postponed and will now take place on 27 February 2010.

Lambeth services

Most services are operting as normal - see the Lambeth website for a list of closed schools.

The Minet Library in Knatchbull Road is open as normal. Owing to poor conditions on the roads Lambeth's mobile library service is not operating.

Lambeth's street cleaning staff have been diverted from their normal jobs to help with clearing snow and ice from the footpaths whilst the Council's gritters are tackling the roads in the borough concentrating on the areas with the greatest dangers.

If you spot any problems caused by the weather on your estate contact your local housing office.

Vassall Ward Labour Councillor Kingsley Abrams is out and about in the ward so if you come across any problems not being dealt with already contact him on kabrams@lambeth.gov.uk /020 7274 1257 / 079732 447 763.

Residents consulted on proposed Camberwell M controlled parking zone in Vassall Ward

Before Christmas Lambeth announced that the deadline for local residents to submit responses on the proposed new Camberwell M controlled parking zone has been extended to 22 January 2010. Further information for local residents on how they can make their views known is available on the Lambeth website.

The proposed zone would cover much of Vassall Ward (see map) extending from the border with Southwark on Denmark and Flodden Roads in SE5 to Brixton Road, SW9.


What are the benefits?

Local organisations such as the Minet Conservation Association and many local people support the proposal.

Local residents we spoke to who are in favour of the zone highlight the fact that the area is surrounded by existing controlled parking zones in Lambeth and Southwark and so suffers from people coming from outside the area to park their cars causing congestion.

In particular lots of commuters come and use the area as a free car park on weekdays continuing their journeys to work by bus or tube or walking to Brixton or Camberwell. Local people point to the noticeable difference that can be seen between weekends and weekdays in terms of the number of cars parked on local roads.

Local residents also point to the low levels of car ownership in the ward and protested at the high levels of pollution and poor road safety danger caused by cars from outside the area. Vassall Ward has one of the lowest rates of car ownership in the whole country (the Brixton Society estimate that less than 20% of households own cars -that is four out of five familes do not own cars- much less than for Lambeth as a whole where 50% of households have cars)

Many also point to how it would bring the roads into line with the estates in the ward - car users on estates such as Cowley already have to pay for parking permits.

Other benefits that would be brought by the proposed zone would be the increased speed and reliability of bus services such as the P5 and a reduction of local congestion; this would bring benefits for the car owners too many of whom are unable to park near their homes especially if they return during the day. The revenue from the parking permits, once the cost of administering the scheme had been taken off, could also be used to bring in environmental and transport improvements to the area.


What are the costs?

If a controlled parking zone was introduced local residents would need to buy parking permits to park. These would range in price from £30 a year for the least polluting car to £200 for the most polluting - permits for most family cars would costs around £130, equal to th cost of two-three tanks of fuel a year or £2-3 a week; much less than the cost of road tax, insurance and car servicing each year. Residents would also be entitled to buy residents' parking permits if they were expecting visitors or people coming to do work on the house.

People who are opposed to the scheme protest at having to pay another charge for owning a car - saying that it is a tax . They also suggest that parking and congestion is not a problem in Vassall Ward and parking does not need to be controlled.

Vassall Councillor Kingsley Abrams commented "Parking is a very emotive issue on which there are a range of strongly held views - it is only right that Lambeth listens to the views of local people on this matter so that we can make the best policy."

He added "We want to do whats right for Vassall Ward residents. This is not primarily a party political matter as CPZs have been introduced in Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and other council areas across London by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative controlled councils."

Further information on parking is available on the Parking page of the Lambeth website

Lambeth seeks Youth Mayor

Lambeth Youth Council is looking for a new Youth Mayor and Member of Youth Parliament.

If you’ve got what it takes to represent young people in the borough, get involved and make a difference!

To stand in the Lambeth Youth Elections you must:
Be aged 11 – 19
Live, work or study in Lambeth
Be passionate about the issues that matter to young people

The closing date for nominations is 15 January 2010

For more information see the Young Lambeth website


See the 2009 Youth Mayor ceremony

Round up of pre Christmas news: Mayor of Lambeth visits to Vassall Ward

In the run up to Christmas there were two visits by the Mayor of Lambeth to organisations in Vassall Ward

Visit by Mayor of Lambeth to Longfield Hall
On 13 December the Mayor joined Vassall Ward Councillor Kingsley Abrams, Kate Hoey MP and others for the Friends of Longfield Hall Christmas Carol service.














(photo courtesy of Mayor of Lambeth Christopher Wellbelove)

Longfield Hall, located on Knatchbull Road opposite the Minet Library, is a great community resource offering a venue for dancing, the Nest pre-school and many other regular events (see previous post for more details). This community facility has been managed by local people since 1992 and brings many benefits to the local area.

Mayor of Lambeth celebrates Patmos Area Community Conservation Association 10th anniversary
The Mayor of Lambeth Christopher Wellbelove joined with council officers, Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey and members of the PACCA Tenants Management Organisation to celebrate their 10th anniversary and open the newly refurnished community hall. PACCA is a great success story showing how local people can work together to make their area better.














Photo shows the Mayor of Lambeth Christopher Wellbelove with Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey (left) and Adeline Aina of the PACCA TMO (photo courtesy of the Mayor of Lambeth)

PACCA started in 1999 when the residents of Patmos Road and the surrounding streets got together to improve the area. The organisation today acts as a TMO responsible for the management of 285 formerly Lambeth owned properties and runs numerous projects for amongst other groups children and older people as well as a food project and capacity building, consultation and training initiatives. The The PACCA area includes: Bathgate House, Cadman Close, Cancell Road, Dalkeith House, Elliott Road, Frederick Crescent, Halsmere Road, Langton Road, Lothian Road, Myatt Road, Patmos Road, Regency Mews, Salisbury Place, Silverburn House, Tindal Street and Turner Close all in Vassall Ward. For further information see the PACCA website. For more information on TMOs see the NFTMO website.

South London Press report: Celebrating a decade of people power in Stockwell

Mayor of Lambeth's New Year message

The Mayor of Lambeth Councillor Christopher Wellbelove has recorded a short New Year's message for the residents of the borough

Happy New Year from Vassall View!

Happy New Year ! - we hope that 2010 brings you and all residents of Vassall Ward happiness and prosperity.

Vassall Action Team members will be out and about over the next few days delivering the Vassall calendars (left) to local residents.

The calendars, in addition to being a year planner, contain useful information and contact details for your local Vassall Labour Action Team.






























The contact details are reproduced here

Vassall Ward Labour Action Team

Councillor Kingsley Abrams
020 7274 1257
kabrams@lambeth.gov.uk

Councillor Alex McKenna
020 8677 6598
amckenna@lambeth.gov.uk

Tracy Ritson
07834 691 820
tracy4vassall@yahoo.co.uk

Adrian Garden
07980 645 033
adriangarden@tiscali.co.uk

Vassall advice surgeries
The Vassall Ward Labour Action Team run regular advice surgeries to help you deal with any problems you are having with the Council.

These are held on the third Sunday of every month between 2 and 3pm at the Myatts Field North TMO Boardroom at 40 Foxley Square, SW9 7RY (click on address for map)
And on the fourth Saturday of every month between 2 and 3pm at the Mostyn Road Methodist Church, St Lawrence Way, SW9 6PH (click on address for map). Outside of these times please email or phone a member of the Labour Action Team and they will deal with your problem as soon as possible. Alternatively write to the Councillor Kingsley Abrams or Councillor Alex McKenna c/o Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton Hill, London SW2 1RW.

Other useful local contacts
Kate Hoey, our Labour MP, see http://www.katehoey.com/, email hoeyk@parliament.uk or phone 020 7219 5989

Valerie Shawcross, the Labour Greater London Authority Member for Lambeth and Southwark, see http://www.valshawcross.com/lshawcross.com, email valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk or phone 020 7983 4371.

Emergencies
Police emergency 999
Police non-emergency 0300 123 1212
Vassall Safer Neighbourhoods Team 020 8721 3661/ 07843 065 918

Lambeth Borough Council
Main Council switchboard 020 7926 1000
Families Information Service 0845 601 5317
Lambeth Living Housing 020 7926 6000
Noise Patrol 020 7926 5999
Adult and Community Services 020 7926 5555

Advice and information
Age Concern Lambeth 020 7733 0528
Brixton Advice Centre 020 7733 7554
Cowley Estate Management Board 020 7926 0690
Myatts Field North EMB 020 7926 8345
Holland Town Tenant Management Organisation and Co-Op 020 7926 0670
Holland Rise and Whitebeam Close TMO 020 7926 8361