Agenda and minutes

Cllr Peter Bernards, Chair of the Forest Hill Assembly welcomed everyone to

the meeting and gave apologies for Cllr Upex.

Following the consultation, the Mayor has agreed to move forward with the

 community library model to the Forest Hill, Manor House, and Torridon Road

library buildings.

Two proposals were put forward for the Forest Hill Library, one was not

appropriate as it required ongoing revenue funding but the second application is

going forward for a decision to be made by Mayor and Cabinet on 13th July for

the running of the 22 year lease. This application was made by V22 working with

 Forest Hill community groups:

Forest Hill Society, Forest Hill Traders Association and the newly established Friends of Forest Hill Library. The proposal offers the same service that is currently run with additional community services and are looking for opportunities to create income, for example renting out unused spaces for art and other activities.

Paddy Swift gave the presentation: ‘Lewisham'sWaste & Recycling Services’

·         Wildlife Pond – Friends of Albion Millennium Green

·         Community Cinema

·         20^th Forest Hill (Scoutlink) Scout Group

·         Shakespeare’s Birthday celebration

·         Wildlife Pond – Friends of Albion Millennium Green (FAMG)

Ann Field from FAMG updated that they will be going ahead with the building of a new

larger pond to replace the previous one that has gone into disrepair.

Currently the Green is somewhat waterlogged due to the excessive rain but they have

also experienced some attempted burglaries around the Green and anti-social behaviour

with young people in groups. She hopes this will not put off future visits by locals and the Green continues to thrive despite on-going issues.

If you would like to become a member or get involved go to www.amgfriends.org.uk

·         Community Cinema

Sarah Hussein updated on the Free Film Festival that is happening on the 9th – 17^th September across the area.

They are set up on Facebook : facebook.com forest hill film and they are on twitter.

A programme of films is being developed.

For more information contact sarah_hussain@outlook.com

·         20^th Forest Hill (Scoutlink) Scout Group

The 20^th Forest Hill Scout group is set up for children and young adults with special

needs, mainly those with Autism. Around 12 children, ages 8 – 15 years attend and

meet every Thursday. They are planning to run a camp trip in September with the

assembly funding and the children are very excited. They would also like to spend the

money on resources such as sports and drawing/ painting equipment. 

·         Forest Hill Fashion week

Forest Hill Fashion week will run from 22- 25 September 2016. Lots of events taking

place across various venues such as, marquee on Dartmouth Rd, library, new

community space at Louise House & local businesses with more to come.

Look out for brochures in local shops for latest updates or visit www.fhfw.co.uk

·         Shakespeare’s Birthday celebration

Michael Abrahams from the Forest Hill Society highlighted that the innovative and

playful theatre company Teatro Vivo took over parts of Dartmouth Road and London

road on Saturday 23^rd April to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday and mark Saint

Georges Day. Around 150 people attended and some joined in as well as observed

3 performances across the day.

·         SEE3 Activities

Brochure containing activities around the Christmas period is being developed.

Forest Hill Society is working with Sydenham Arts to deliver activities in the new area outside Louise House and the Library for performances. These will include Spoken word, Music, Drama and Theatre, taking place on the first Sunday of each month across October, November and December leading up to the Christmas tree lighting.

The 2016/17 Forest Hill Assembly fund will focus on one or more of the following:

Youth engagement and provision- looking for activities that will appeal and support new and existing schemes young people. These could include those that are Art, Music, Drama and Sports based. We are also keen to open up the criteria to include ideas around exciting intergenerational projects.

Making Forest Hill more attractive - looking for proposals that will help to keep Forest Hill streets clean and appealing. This could include the planting of trees and flowers or a proposal that would increase street art or improve an area.

Community events  – looking for proposals around events that include celebrations, e.g Christmas or events that engage residents and local groups offering education and relevant information to the Forest Hill area, as well as being fun.

Supporting local Traders – looking for proposals that could support and promote Forest Hill as a vibrant town centre and the Kirkdale area for local businesses.

How much is available? 

There is £13,880 available for the Forest Hill ward in 2016–17.

However £5,000 is to be ring fenced for supporting the Forest Hill Community Library with a focus on volunteering and books, leaving £8,880 available for local community groups and organisations applications.

You can apply for a maximum of £2,500 for each individual project.

What can it be spent on?

The priorities highlighted have been identified by residents, community groups and local businesses who have attended the Forest Hill Assembly Meetings. We want to fund projects that aim to tackle these important issues raised by the local community. The money could be used to start up a project, support a group to develop new activities, or support a larger project that has secured funding from other sources.

How to apply

Go to the Lewisham Website, Forest Hill assembly page and download the application form. Fully complete and email to maya.onyett@lewisham.gov.uk. There is further important information on page 5 of this form.

Closing date for all proposal forms is Friday 9 September 2016.

Voting on projects will take place at the Forest Hill Assembly Meeting to be held on Saturday 15^th October venue to be confirmed, 1.30 – 3.30pm.

Museum advised that the Festival of Brazil, showing street art in Forest Hill, will commence from 11^th July – 4 September.

He delivered the following presentation: Street Art FHA

Cllr Bernards highlighted the importance of completing the feedback forms and invited members to join the coordinating group which plans the assembly and discusses local issues and updates. If you would like to join contact maya.onyett@lewisham.gov.uk for further information.

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·         Date of next assembly 15 October, time and venue to be confirmed

·         Lewisham Peoples Day is on Saturday 9^th July

·         Green Chain walks 5 miles meeting 16^th July 11am

·         Friends Of Baxters Field introduced themselves, the group was

set up in January by local residents who care about Forest Hill and Sydenham. Baxters Field sits across both wards and is a small

local park with an area of open grasslands. They will be attending

future assemblies.

·         Chris Beach from the SE23.Life Forum introduced himself and encouraged people to sign up

Cllr Bernards thanked everyone for attending.

·         The Date of the next assembly is 15 October, time and venue

to be confirmed