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www.senine.co.uk January 2015 Page 3

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SEnine

2 It is your community, you have the right to a say in what happens

No sooner had I read the email from Anne Poulson the Chief Operating O� cer and David Maguire the Vice Chancellor, about the decision of the University of Greenwich to sell the Mansion site than the phone started to ring. Some people have been very upset by this decision and the seemingly two-faced approach the university has had to a� airs.

The letters have also come thick and fast with most not wishing to be named. They in part wrote to SEnine saying;

“I am concerned to hear that the University of Greenwich has abandoned its bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund in respect of the Winter Garden in Avery Hill Park in favour of selling the entire site to a developer.

The University has allowed this important building to fall into a state of considerable disrepair and I believe it is on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register. When the Council handed the building to the University I understand it imposed a legal obligation on the University to keep the building in "full repair and open to the public. The University has not honoured this obligation and has seemingly abandoned its plans to do so. Is it perhaps time for the

Council to intervene and utilise their right to require the University to put the Winter Garden back into the state of repair they acquired it in?” It does seem that your magazine being of in�uence locally might wish to follow this matter up with both the University and the Council, and inform other local residents who have supported the University in its HLF bid that they have been so badly let down.”

Another asked.

“If the Avery Hill site is too expensive for the university, and does not � t in with their current plans, do they intend to exit from the Maritime Campus in Greenwich?”

And

“I believe that the university paid £1.00 for the Winter Garden. The building and Winter Garden have not been maintained the site has been allowed to fall into disrepair to a point where they have been described by Anne Poulson and David Maguire as ‘generally in poor condition and in the long term not � t for our purpose’, when I am sure they were not like that when the university moved in. In fact during the tenure of the university the tropical (winter) garden was sacri� ced because the university would not spend funds on repairing the heating, as they had promised.

No doubt by the time our February issue makes it through your front door this story will have evolved. We will keep you up to date.

Well by the time most are reading this Christmas will be behind us and we will be preparing for the New Year. Everyone here at SEnine wishes you a good new year and truly hopes that 2015 brings you all the happiness, joy and prosperity you and your f a m i l y deserve.

Cover: Chandelier, Lady James Room, Severndroog Castle during a concert (You can see the audience refl ected).Cover photo by: Jonh WebbCameo: See the story above , in editorial

Main Office: Mark Wall mark@senine.co.uk

Editor: John Webb editor@senine.co.uk

Phone: 020 8333 7493 (For all matters)

Publisher:SEnine Ltd:PO Box 24290, Eltham, Royal Greenwich, London, SE9 6ZP

Totally Independent

Friends Membership. Support for the magazine is always appreciated. You can help the magazine with an annual Friends Membership The standard membership is £24.00 per year (in the delivery area)

Royal Mail membership is £36.00 per year (Outside the current delivery area a magazine is delivered by post)

Send your name, address and contact details along with payment to 'SEnine Friends' PO Box 24290 Eltham SE9 6ZPWe look forward to hearing from you.

Closing Dates. Please visit our web site to get exact dates. Submissions: Contributions, Stories & Photos are always welcome relating to or with a connection to Eltham. They are subject to our overall editorial and publishing policy. These policies are on line. Advertisers: SEnine Magazine does not recommend or endorse any advertiser. You should make you own enquiries as to the suitability and value of the service or product.

We only use the very best industry standard vegetable oil based inks. We use environmentally friendly papers, from a sustainable source, with a chain of custody from well managed forests through the supply chain to our printer.

Enjoy life: Enjoy Eltham.

Elthamse9.co.uk is a limited company and is part of the SEnine Limited group.

John Webb

See the links on www.senine.co.uk

Images from the Masion site

SEnine OPINION, FROM MY DESK

3

ISSUE NUMBER 98

This publication is subject to copyright - if you want to use something, ask we will usually grant permission

JANUARY 2015

University of Greenwich Quits Mansion SiteAfter years of speculation, the purported guardians of the unique Winter gardens and the

listed Mansion site have finally thrown in the 'trowel' citing that the buildings are generally in poor condition and in the long term not fit for our purpose; in addition, the site’s running

costs are high, at around £1 million annually.

In a stunning development, the University of Greenwich’s Avery Hill

mansion site is to be sold and plans for a massive restoration of the historic Winter Garden abandoned.The bid for £2.3m to the lottery was within

days of its planned submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

But instead, University chiefs have written to staff telling them the restoration plans, developed at more than £100,000 costs over two years, were being scrapped.

They said the Mansion site, built as home to minerals magnate Col John North in the 1880s, would be sold.

It’s the biggest development fiasco to hit the town in recent years which dwarfs the years of bungling over the Grove Market Place.

It also raises the spectre of the ‘Son of King Kong Kibrooke Village’ mega-development where just as Sutcliffe Park has been treated as ‘part of the site’ by Berkeley Homes, Avery Hill Park might suffer the same fate.

At the time of going to press SEnine was unable to establish whether a major housing development was a realistic planning option, although there is little doubt, given the beautiful location, that the weight of money would be on that possibility.

The announcement of the sale has been long expected by University insiders, as the School of Architecture had evacuated the site in favour of a new £80m building in Greenwich.

This had left the site under-utilised, much of it badly out of date in terms of modern educational provision.

The interface between the likely sale plans and the elaborate proposals for restoring the Winter Garden for heritage and educational use had never been fully explained and had puzzled on-lookers.

It is believed that new senior personnel in the University took a fresh look at the lottery bid and decided it compromised the organisation’s core priorities. The involvement of areas of the Winter Garden for education and access, as envisaged in the lottery bid, would have knocked millions off the sale price.

The University says that the funds raised from the sale could be deployed to good effect by developing their educational provision. The ‘jewel’ of the mansion site would be too valuable an asset for them to fully exploit.

On-lookers, including the park’s Friends group, are likely demand a complete explanation from the University as to how they had been led up the ‘winter garden’ path for three years involving them in hours of wasted time and effort.

The news came in a letter from Anne Poulson, the University’s Chief Operating Officer and Vice-Chancellor David Maguire.

This stated: “This part of our estate is now larger than we require and much of it is empty. The buildings are generally in poor condition So, the university has decided to withdraw completely from the Mansion Site and will be looking to dispose of the site as whole, if possible including the listed Mansion House complex and the Winter Garden.“This will offer us the opportunity to release substantial funds to invest in facilities elsewhere on our campuses …......you might also like to know that we have withdrawn our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the restoration of the Winter Garden. After much deliberation, we have come to understand that this isn’t the right proposal for the university, or for the Mansion House site in its entirety.” The letter said that the covenants are in place to maintain the fabric at the condition they were in when acquired by the university and to keep the Winter Garden open to the public. These responsibilities will remain with whoever owns the site in the future.”

“Our thinking about the various options has been guided by our core mission and priority areas for spending: teaching and learning; research and enterprise; and the student experience.” A sale is expected in the New Year.

Mansion site 1950's

The Winter Garden

SEnine

4 Don't be a litter lout, � nd a bin

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Major expansions to controlled parking zones in Eltham with more

pay and display are being proposed by Greenwich Council.

The council says its main aim is to reduce commuter parking and respond to the concerns of traders and residents.

Several new roads would be included in the existing zones including:

◊ Parts of Westmount Road, Glenure, Glensheil and Glenlyon Roads;◊ North Park and Passey Place;◊ The Page Estate between Prince John’s Road and Eltham Hill.

Pay and display, with the � rst 30 minutes free of charge, will be brought in for Well Hall Road south of Eltham Station and the north of Glenlea Road, currently the free day-time home for hundreds of cars of zone-hopping commuters.

Time restrictions reduced from 90 to 30 minutes will be imposed on Well Hall Road north of the station.

The proposals, which are open to comment until 9 January, follow a survey done in late 2013 in which residents from some roads ‘voted’ for inclusion, despite the

£57 a year cost of permits, £82 in central areas. Some may decide to sacri� ce their front gardens to host their cars free of charge.

The council said: “In the � rst instance the new CPZ limits have been drawn to accord as far as possible with the response to the previous survey. The extensions include those roads in which most respondents support inclusion.

It says that further roads may now wish to join to avoid ‘over-spilling’ w h e r e z o n e s have been extended.

Commuters will be charged £4 a day if they want to continue to use Glenlea Road as part of their journey to central London.

One of the most controversial moves is that reduction in permitted parking times in Well Hall Road. This will preclude week-day vehicle journeys to Well Hall Pleasaunce by elderly and disabled visitors. Retail outlets, including the Tudor Barn, cafes and shops requiring longer visits, including hairdressers, would be badly a� ected.

Terry Powley, chair, of the Eltham Park Residents Association criticised the proposals as 'short-term' leading to displacement of cars into roads outside the zone. Roads which the consultation says had given majority support for inclusion hadn't done so. A long-term solution was needed.

Cllr Wynn Davies said, "Replies to the consultation have to be back to the

Council by early January. It is now up to us, the people of Eltham; and so it is essential as many residents as possible respond to the Council survey if we are to have parking arrangements that are supported by the local residents. I encourage everyone to respond to the Council's survey."

CPZ's are they needed, do they work?Do Controlled Parking Zones actually warrant the price we have to pay for them?

SEnine

6

NEWS

Buy Local, Support the Town Centre

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SEnine

7Find and Support Local Tradespeople

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The festive season in Eltham has always meant more to me than just Christmas

dinner, presents and family gatherings.

I always think back to our snowy � rst Christmas here, in our new house, and expecting a baby nearly any day.

As regular readers may recall, Jottings Junior turned up around the time most people were happily digesting their turkeys and slumping in front of the Generation Game Xmas Special.

That was at the old Greenwich District Hospital. On the occasions I travel down Trafalgar Road, I feel a pang of regret that the building, scru� y as it was, has gone and so erasing a part of my history.

From the window of the ward, I could see the tops of boats plying up and down the Thames. We speculated whether it might be within distant sound of Bow Bells, so qualifying our progeny to be a Cockney.

Talking to other local parents, I was made aware of the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies in Woolwich, which had closed the previous year.

Listening to the tales of the more senior mums, it seems the place was something of a nirvana and I always felt a little

jealous at having missed out on its homely comforts compared with the homogenised clinical district hospital.

Reading a little about its history, it seems to have been a unique institution, having been founded by three indomitable ladies, Miss Gregory, Miss Cashmore and Mrs Purnell, just

after the start of the last century. These ladies burned with a mission to combat infant mortality and were early champions of breast-feeding, They succeeded in raising the money for their hospital, � rst in Wood Street, then Samuel Street

Two of them continued until their retirements in 1946. I’ve no doubt many older residents of Eltham have reason to thank them for their e� orts.

Half the hospital was destroyed by a bomb in 1940. But they arranged to re-locate to a country house called Moatlands near Tonbridge in Kent. Pregnant mothers from this area would be ferried there by ambulance, returning a week later with child. Perhaps some readers were born there. If so, it would be great to hear their experiences. Especially if it was Christmas Day.

Christmas Birth Memories

The original Hospital building in Wood Street is now Woodhill Court, Nos. 173 and 175 Woodhill.

The tondo from the Hospital has been preserved and is now mounted on the west wall of St Nicholas chapel in the

Memorial Hospital, Shooters Hill.

SEnine

8 Vote at elections, it is your right

JANE’S JOTTINGS

After nearly nine years of running a shop, a soft furnishing business and

a design consultancy, Angela McNeill is now to concentrate on the latter two.

The move comes after an increase in her projects working with clients in the area.

She said: “Since I opened, my customer base has built up to the extent that there aren’t enough hours in the day to be in the shop as well.”

Angela has become Eltham’s ‘go-to’ designer for advice on interiors; from soft furnishing, upholstery and decorating to design and project management.

She deals with all the leading suppliers of wallpapers, fabrics and carpets including Harlequin, Zo� any, Cole & Son, Designers Guild, Boras Tapeter to name a few!

From February 2015, Angela will be based in a studio close to the current shop in Well Hall Parade. Clients can use the new website to book appointments: www.angelamcneillinteriors.co.uk or get in touch by phone or email.

She said: “I am going to create a more � exible working environment for interior design and soft furnishing projects.

“We will still be upholstering furniture, making and hanging beautiful curtains and decorating as usual.

“Home consultations and quotes will still take place every morning and clients can pop into the studio by appointment in the afternoons.”

Angela opened the shop in 2006; her � rst independent venture since training at Manchester Metropolitan University and

working in a studio for 4 years.

Since opening, Angela has designed for clients across a broad range of tastes and styles. Working closely with her customers to create a really personal scheme. Angela uses her depth of interiors knowledge to open clients’ minds to ideas they may not have thought of.

“Clients no longer have a fear of mixing patterns and colours to complement each other on walls, windows and upholstery, which makes my work really interesting”

Angela has been contracted by The Clarendon Hotel in Blackheath which has seen the reception and chart bar lobby re-designed; next she’ll be working on their bedroom suites. Other current projects include a kitchen design and project management, a bathroom design and project management, lots of decorating and of course, handmade curtain designing, making and � tting and upholstery work.

Her old shop will become an independent co� ee shop, also due to open in February.Studio 1, 19 Well Hall Parade, Eltham, London SE9 6SP (Black gates next to Acorn Construction)

www.angelamcneillinteriors.co.uk angela@angelamcneillinteriors.co.uk020 8850 0071

On the MoveEltham’s leading interior design studio is on the move.

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SEnine BIZNEWS

9 Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how.

News in Brief

Charity fund raising at the White Hart has topped more than £20,000 over

the last two years.

The second fortnightly quiz night in November, held on behalf of Alzheimer’s, pushed the total over the line.

David Hinchley, joint director of the refurbished pub and dining venue, said: “We delighted to have raised so much in our � rst two years here.

“It’s great to team up with so many local groups and charities to help raise funds for their activities”, he said.

This year’s Christmas tree will feature the names of the charities which have bene� tted and amounts raised.

The last quiz night of the year, was on Wednesday December 3, for Cancer Research.

A free entry charity concert on behalf of Demelza Children’s Hospice was staged at the White Hart on Friday December 5 featuring local band ‘3’s Company’

Charity Champs Post Card Design

Eltham MP Clive E� ord has said he will � ght proposals for a 25 storey tower

being planned as part of the Kidbrooke development.

A planning application is expected early in 2015 for the later phases of the development.

Initial plans indicated that the highest block on the new estate would be just 12 storeys, only one � oor taller than the old Ferrier.

But this has been progressively increased from 12, � rstly to 15, then 31, by Berkeley Homes in response to a buoyant housing market and government targets for extra homes.

The latest proposals have reduced this to 25, but Mr E� ord urged the council to negotiate this down with Berkeley.

He told a meeting at St Mary’s Community Centre: “A tower this tall would

be completely out of keeping with the

area.”

King Kong Kidbrooke

Image for demonstration purposes and does not relate to the location

of the building nor is it to scale.

The next creative challenge from Eltham Arts is a competition to design

a postcard that shows Eltham as an attractive place to live, work or visit.

You don’t have to be an expert artist to enter. Be a part of creative Eltham – it’s your community!

Prizes and awards for all age groups and special prizes. This competition is organised by Eltham Arts.

Visit the Eltham Arts web site for competition rules and entry details. elthamarts@aol.co.uk or call 020 8859 4678..

Better use for GT Funding?The so called Tax on Disability is to be abolished in Labour run Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council

Cuts to PR and the council publications has created enough surplus to allow for abolishing charges for home care. Hammersmith & Fulham Council will abolish home care charges for elderly and disabled people, it was announced last night (December 3).

Speaking at a packed public meeting organised to celebrate the United Nation’s International Day of Disabled People in Hammersmith Town Hall, H&F Council leader, Cllr Stephen Cowan, said: “I am pleased we have found the money from back o� ce cuts, such as from the council’s PR and admin budgets, and today announce that this administration will abolish what has rightly become known as a tax on disability.”

The � nal decision will be voted on at the council’s annual budget-setting process in February. If approved, the changes will take e� ect from next April.

The council says that abolishing care charges will cost £324,000 a year in lost income but that the scheme is being funded by £400,000 cuts in PR and publications.

As we went to press (Thursday 18th) we heard the news that the Lidl

appeal was turned down by the planning inspectorate with regard to the Porcupine pub. However celebrations may be short lived as Lidl's are expected to make a new application to address the points made by the inspectorate.SEnine will make a full report on the future of the site in the February edition

Have a Pleasaunce Day

Porcupine Result

SEnine

10 Join in a Community Activity

NEWS IN BRIEF

A 2015 calendar with the most iconic views of Eltham is now available.

Priced £4, it features pictures of the area’s most famous historic sites including Severndroog Castle, Avery Hill Winter Garden, Eltham Palace and Well Hall Pleasaunce through the seasons. The proceeds are for the Friends of Well Hall Pleasaunce and spent on enhancing the park.

The calendars are available from the Friends, either ring/text 07894 711765 or email wellhall@hotmail.co.uk. They are also available from the Tudor Barn, Woodheads in Well Hall Road or Londis in Westmount Road.

There is Still Time to get your 2015 Calender

Brian Leach proved himself to be Eltham’s pinball wizard when the local

Meccano club held its annual exhibition.

H i s h o m e -m a d e pin ball table drew the crowds as they attempted to top-score on his creation, m a d e almost entirely out of Meccano.

A lengthy construction period saw him spending a considerable sum of money on it.

Brian’s hobby takes in some of his skills from his full time job as an IT consultant and sees him re-living a ‘misspent’ youth.

A member of SELMEC, the local meccano club in his younger years, he had put his set on one side for decades until a chance meeting with a former fellow enthusiast who was still active.

“I started looking at my collection again and creating things. One thing led to another”, he said.

The annual exhibition, at the Sherard Hall, saw three halls packed with working Meccano models of trains, planes, cranes and fairground rides.

More details of the club are at www.selmec.org.uk

Pinball KingHigh Street Bids

High Streets in both Eltham and New Eltham could get a boost in the new

year thanks to bids for grant funding.

In Eltham, a scheme started, and promoted by SEnine Magazine to re-develop the site of the former tram shelter in Well Hall Road is being submitted to the Mayor of London’s High Street fund. The bid costing £450,000 could provide new community and business space focussed on developing tourism, art and promoting new local start-ups. The new build would re� ect the site’s historic character.

A new community festival and business association are on the shopping list in a bid by two local community groups in New Eltham, the Community Association of New Eltham (CANE) and New Eltham Residents' Association (NERA). Their bid is for £20,000.

Cllr Nuala Geary said that it was hoped to create a stronger sense of community spirit and identity by enhancing the local economy, paying for village signs and other street improvements.

SEnine understands that plans for a six screen cinema are aimed at opening in 2017 on the site currently occupied by Poundland.

And the 150-� at development at the Grove Market Place is due to start construction in January.

Horizon Friends

The chance to support Eltham’s iconic nine acre wildlife site is being o� ered

by Wide Horizons Environment Centre in Bexley Road.

The charity, which hosts more than 34,000 visits from local schoolchildren each year, runs the educational site, which has a variety of di� erent natural habitats.

It also runs the charity’s network of eight Adventure Centres where young people learn about outdoors and the environment.The centre is well known and loved locally for their annual Family Fun Days, Adventure Abseils and environmental day visits by school groups.

Now, Wide Horizons is o� ering ‘Friends’ membership; for £10 a year, a Friend would help to provide much-needed � nancial support.

In return, Friends receive regular newsletter updates and be invited to an annual reception, where they will hear from local children and future plans. There is also a membership ‘pin badge’ and a 15 percent discount from Cotswold Outdoors.

Local resident Fi Redpath, Friend of Wide Horizons said: “We always have a great day at the Family Fun Day; my daughter had a fantastic school trip at their Adventure Centre, Margaret McMillan House, and my son had an awesome week in Wales with hiking, night walking, abseiling and climbing.”

Alex Brooks Johnson, chief executive, said: “We have been providing invaluable outdoor education to children for decades. Since our funding has been cut we rely heavily on the public to help us continue o� ering these life changing experiences.”

More information is at www.widehorizons.org.uk/friends-individual, or 020 8294 8160.

SEnine

11Don't be a Litter tosser, put it in a bin

MORE NEWS IN BRIEF

December 28 to January 24Beauty and the BeastAnnual pantomime Bob Hope Theatre, Wythfield RoadTickets £8 – 10 (plus group rates)8850 3702 or www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk2.30, 5.30 and 7.45

Wednesday December 31st See in the New YearTudor Barn, Well Hall Road£25 and £100 (with meal)Tickets 0845 459 2351 or www.tudorbarneltham.com/Until 2am

Thursday to Saturday Jan 8 - 10Extensions to Eltham Station parking zoneConsultation exhibition by Greenwich CouncilEltham Centre 11am – 3pm

Thursday January 15Simon Spillett, tenor saxEltham Jazz ClubMeets at Eltham Warren Golf Club, Bexley RoadTickets £9 on the door 8 – 11pm

Sunday January 18Eltham Farmers MarketA range of local producePassey Place, Eltham High Street10am – 2pm

Thursday January 29Mike Piggott, ViolinEltham Jazz ClubMeets at Eltham Warren Golf Club, Bexley RoadTickets £9 on the door 8 – 11pm

Saturday February 7‘Swing Commanders’Swing band concert. Music from the 30s to 50sBob Hope Theatre, Wythfield RoadTickets £13, children £128850 3702 or www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk2.30 and 7.30pm

Weds to Saturday 4 – 7 March‘The Herbal Bed’Period drama by Peter Whelan directed by Maggi LawBob Hope Theatre, Wythfield RoadTickets £9 (£8conc) 7.45pm8850 3702 or www.bobhopetheatre.co.ukWeds to Sat 25 – 28 March‘Sister Act’Musical staged by Elderado Musical ProductionsBob Hope TheatreTickets £13 and 148850 3702 or www.bobhopetheatre.co.uk7.45pm

Every SundayEltham Cycle Club: ridesStart Eltham Park 9.30am. All ages and abilities, varied routes. www.limitededitioncycling.co.uk

Every MondayGreenwich Community ChoirEltham Park Methodist Church on Westmount Road 7.45pm. All Welcome.An opportunity for people aged 18+ to enjoy singing in a fun choir. It meets every Monday during term time.

Every MondayOpera Appreciation 7.00pm All Welcome. Royal Blackheath Golf Club. Phone Pam Norris on 020 8850 6710

Every WednesdayEltham Folk MobBlackheath Rugby Club. Kidbrooke Lane.Singers welcome. 8.30pm

Every ThursdayEltham Chess & Games ClubAll ages and abilities welcome. St Mary’s Community Centre, 7.30 – 9.30pm August is our quiet period and a great time for new members of any age to join. Contact Alan 020 8355 4316

Every ThursdayEltham Choral SocietyWestmount Road Methodist Church at 7.30pm. New members welcome. 7.30pm. www.elthamchoral.org.uk

Second Monday of MonthEltham Park TownswomenMethodist Church, Westmount Road - 2pm

Fourth Thursday of MonthCivil Service Retirement FellowshipSocial meetings, talks and free raffle. Also open to non-civil servants. Meets United Reformed Church, Court Road Contact: Phyllis 020 8265 0810. -10am – 12noon

Third Saturday of Month Fairtrade Co� ee MorningThe Methodist Church Westmount Road Eltham SE9 Proceeds from sale of coffee & cakes to various charities. 10.30 until 12noon

Last Sunday of Each Month(Except August and December) Eltham Park PSA Orchestral Concerts3pm start - Free entry. All welcome.Eltham Park Methodists Church, Westmount Road, Eltham. Details 020 8850 8945

Every TuesdayGreenwich Soul Choir rehearsalsEltham Green Community Church, Westhorne Avenue7.30pm, contact: 07958 612 582

Second Monday of the MonthBritish Cactus and Succulent SocietyEltham branch meet at the Lionel Road Community centre Westhorne Avenue SE96DH. 7pm for a 7.45pm start. Contact the Secretary - Jim Earles 020 8851 1076. http://www.eltham.bcss.org.uk

Yvonne Conway on 020 8315 1850yconway@ageukbandg.org.ukCommunity Volunteers Time Bank 020 8315 1883communityvolunteerstb@ageukbandg.org.ukWendy Smith on 020 8294 3013wsmith@ageukbandg.org.ukRose Waghorn 0781 118 7490info@forgetmenot-services.co.ukLouise Donovan on 020 8315 1850ldonovan@ageukbandg.org.ukSteve Paxman on 020 8294 3011spaxman@ageukbandg.org.uk

Every TuesdayGardening 10.30am – 12.30pmAll ages are welcome to attend these sessions in which a 1 hour educational/discussion topic will be followed by a 1 hour practical session in the Goodwill Garden outside. No need to book, just turn up.Contact Wendy SmithFrench Group 2pm – 4pm Join other Francophiles and brush up your French. Beginners and improvers welcome. Contact: Community Volunteers Time Bank Zumba Gold 2pm-3pmFriendly community based Zumba Gold Class, that lets you move to the beat of the music at your own speed! Contact: Yvonne Conway

Every Thursday 13th Nutritional Advice 10am – 12.00 pm1 to 1 tailored advice from our nutritionist. Booking essential.Contact: Wendy SmithCraft Group 10am – 12pm,first & third Thursdays, 6th and 20th Bring along your own craft project or try something new with fellow enthusiasts! Over the summer we will be concentrating on quilting, but if you want to knit or crochet, please still come along. Contact: Community Volunteers Time Bank Forget-me-not Singing 2pm – 3.30pmFor older people, people with disabilities, those with Alzheimer's, dementia and their carers. Contact: Rose Waghorn

Every FridayTechnology Club 10am – 11.30amWe offer help and support on a range of subjects to help you Keep in Touch with Technology from mobile phones, tablets, cameras to laptops.Contact: Louise Donovan

SaturdayMen in Sheds Creative Workshop 1am – 3pm. Making Wooden Christmas Decorations.

2-6 Sherard Road, Eltham SE9 6EX

SEnineThis page is sponsored by ElthamSE9 Limited

12 Need a service or product in Eltham? Visit ElthamSE9.co.uk

WHAT'S ON

What used to be ‘Crown Woods College’ has become the

‘Stationers’ Crown Woods Academy’.

The word ‘Stationers’ calls up visions of notepaper and pencils. But a closer look reveals that the ‘Stationers’ in question have a long educational pedigree and are operating in one of the fastest growing business sectors, digital communications.

Their full title is the ‘Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers’, one of the City of London’s 108 Livery Companies.

They have a history going back to the 1400s. As skilled tradesmen and the earliest producers of books, the Stationers’ Company was formed to promote, protect and regulate their profession. Education and apprenticeships were a key element.

Hence, the new tie-up with Crown Woods is in keeping with their traditions. As well as inputting £500,000 for new equipment and resources, the Stationers’ will be hands-on, with senior industry figures taking part in classes at Crown Woods and setting up mentoring schemes. The link promises secondments and placements in the industry, helping students to access jobs in the burgeoning new media and

communications sector, which is reckoned to see 70,000 new jobs created in London over the next ten years.

As well as supporting the mainstream pupils, the Stationers are also investing £150,000 in equipment for the ‘inclusion’ unit at Crown Woods, dedicated to those with communications needs.

As befits their antiquity, the Stationers have magnificent stately headquarters, close to St Paul’s Cathedral. The portraits hanging among the wainscot panelling and stained glass windows of their imposing halls are of illustrious former members, including former Prime Minister and publisher Harold Macmillan.

This won’t be the first time a school has carried the name ‘Stationers’. A group of senior men wearing funny hats and singing a team song, were among the VIPs who attended this autumn’s launch of the new academy,

These are old boys of the former Stationers’ school, which closed after a series of amalgamations with local state schools, in 1983.

A look at their alumni reveals an impressive list of professors, MPs, diplomats and businessmen, among which is late comedian Barry Took and the founder of Lotus Cars Colin Chapman.

The active old boys association speaks volumes of the affections which those attending had for their school, with regular reunions and support network.

Its origins are in the Victorian era. By then, some livery companies had already sponsored schools; Merchant Taylor’s dates back to the 16th century and Haberdasher Aske’s the 17th; Goldsmiths were to follow in the 1890s. The Stationers’ school was founded in 1861, in Bolt Court, a narrow square in the rabbit warren of alleys off Fleet Street.

It moved to Hornsey 30 years later, then a rural location near Alexandra Palace. Maintaining a grammar tradition, the school survived through the Great Depression and two wars. But it was unable to withstand the panzers of educational trends in the 1980s; Camden Council at the time had little sympathy for either commerce or the school’s grammar traditions. Since then, the Company’s support for education has continued with sponsorships and bursaries

Its renewed attachment to an individual school has had to await a new era in educational thinking, in which links with commerce are actively encouraged. It promises to provide a vital exchange of skills and personnel between Crown Woods and one of the largest and fastest expanding business sectors in the country.

It’s a new chapter which both the Academy and the Stationers aim to be more of a blockbuster than a Tweet.

Stationers’ Crown Woods AcademyA new name has been chalked on the blackboard

of SE9 education this term.

SEnine

13Be a good neighbour

EDUCATION

The 86-bed development will replace the existing Burger King restaurant on the site, at the junction with Green Lane.

It will close a gap in the network of the country’s biggest hotel chain, attracting visitors to and from the continent. Premier Inn’s current locations in the area are at the Dartford Bridge and in Greenwich.

The demise of Burger King will bring new urgency to McDonald’s application to re-develop the Dutch House further along the A20 nearer London.

Previous plans for a hotel on the site had been approved in 2011 and 2013 but Premier Inn have developed a ‘bespoke’ design with a curved ‘prow’ jutting towards the junction.

It’s believed Premier considered the previous ‘speculative’ proposals were commercially unviable but their proposals fit within the same four storey ‘envelope’ as previously proposed, tapering down to the existing housing adjacent in Green Lane.

Approval is expected by Greenwich planners this month with building work

s t a r t i n g n e x t year.

Previously, the council spent five years in a doomed and unrealistic attempt to lure a hotel chain onto the Grove Market Place site, which blighted its re-

development for that period.

From a King to a Premier A New Premier Inn is to be built at the Fiveways junction

on Sidcup Road, SEnine understands.

Green Lane

738 Sidcup Road New Elth

am SE923NS

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07923 236367Email: d_pool@sky.com

www.elthamse9.co.ukWorking with business to keep the whole community safe and viable.

SEnine

14

NEWS

Take a walk in the Tarn

J O H NGINTY

&ASSOCIATESDENTAL SURGEONS19 Glenshiel Road ElthamSE9 1AQ

T: 0844 375 6990

www.johngintyandassociates.co.ukinfo@johngintyandassociates.co.uk

Christmas OpeningMonday 22/12/14 8.00 am – 8.00pm Tuesday 23/12/14 8.00 am – 8.00pm CHRISTMAS EVE 24/12/14 8.00 am – 2.00 pmCHRISTMAS DAY 25/12/14 CLOSEDBOXING DAY 26/12/14 CLOSED

New Year OpeningSaturday 27/12/14 9.30 am – 3.00 pmMonday 29/12/14 9.00 am – 5.00 pmTuesday 30/12/14 9.00am – 5.00pm NEW YEARS EVE 31/12/14 8.00 am – 2.00 pmNEW YEARS DAY 01/01/14 CLOSED

For out of hours dental emergencies please call the following telephone numbers; Private and Denplan patients 07990 910122NHS Patients111

Normal surgery hours commence on January 2nd 2015

Miss the White Christmas?It is not too late, call us today.

Tooth Whitening SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £299Limited period only for December.Book your appointments now by contacting our reception team on: 0208 294 3082 (Full instructions given)Bring this advert with you to your appointment and get an extra £50 OFF THE TOOTH WHITENING SPECIAL OFFER PRICE

020 8850 2040 Main O� ce 180 Eltham High St

Anstridge Hall Anstridge Road SE9 2LLFlintmill Hall Flintmill Crescent SE3 8LU

Lionel Road Hall Westhorne Avenue SE9 6DHProgress Hall Admiral Seymour Rd SE9 1SL

St Mary's Community Complex 180 High Street Eltham

For more information on Halls and Rooms for Hire at a� ordable prices contact the main o� ce on 020 8850 2040

Supported by The Royal Borough of Greenwich

Celebrate in one of our HallsAvailable for hire for your special day

Special o� er Children's Parties held at 'Lionel, Anstridge or Flintmill Hall', 3 hours for the price of 2 Please contact our o� ce for further details, Conditions Apply

We host 80 community groups in our 5 community buildings. A full list of activities and A� liated Groups who o� er a wide selection of activities and available from our web site www.stmarys-eltham.co.uk or from our high street o� ce. Do you have any ideas for new groups or activities?

Table cloths, decorations and chairs hired separately

ST MARY’S COMMUNITY COMPLEXST MARY’S COMMUNITY COMPLEXST MARY’S COMMUNITY COMPLEXSEnine

15Join a local community group

1 An Eltham childhood for the King in need of marriage guidance.2 Which famous Eltham born comic’s middle name was Townes3 Eltham’s top drummer boy, made famous in a desert watering hole.4 Middle Park and Shooters Hill youngster who topped the charts and did time.5 England’s most famous cricketer, died 100 years ago6 Labour party legend from Archery Road7 Charlton and West Ham veteran raised in Middle Park

8 R o c k band whose � rst gig was at the old Welcome Inn, Well Hall Road.9 The Pleasaunce’s writer-in-residence in the early 1900s10 Mega rich couple whose legacy is Eltham’s heritage home.

11 Drummer brother of answer 3, who played with Paul Weller12 Folk singer came via the ‘Streets

of’ Eltham to sing at Well Hall Pleasaunce13 Film star son of Maggie, started his career as a performer at Bob Hope Theatre.

14 The new wife of answer 11 and star of ITV’s ‘Loose Women’

15 Court Road pop singer, just � nished � rst tour in 35

years.16 The ‘Cream’ of British rock drummers,

lived in Southwood Road17 Comedian � rst trod the

boards in the parish hall, now the Bob Hope Theatre

18 Labour party legend, born in the

cricketer’s old house.

19 Left paw British heavyweight champ who trained at Eltham Baths and decked Ali20 Two times Eurovision entrant who lived in Crookston Road

Christmas January QuizThe premise is pretty simple. Answer the questions to see how high you can get on our Eltham Celebrity Knowledge Christmas Tree, score 5 points for every answer correct (100 points). If you want, you can turn to page 27 and try the picture quiz. The number on the picture relates to the question number.

Good luck.Answers on www.senine.co.uk after ChristmasVisit to check your answers

This Quiz was prepaired by John Webb.

If there are any incorrect or

inaccurate answers, please take it up with

him directly.

100 POINTS

YOU ARE A STAR.

WELL DONE.

5 POINTS

A BIT PATHETIC WERE YOU

REALLY TRYING

10 POINTS

REALLY JUST TWO

15 POINTS STILL A PRETTY

POOR EFFORT

20 POINTS YOU STILL NEED TO HANG

YOUR HEAD IN SHAME

25 POINTS YOU ARE STILL IN

THE BOTTOM QUARTILE

30 POINTS

6 OUT OF 20 ARE YOU SURE YOU

WANT US TO KNOW?

35 POINTS

ARE YOU THE WEAKEST LINK?

40 POINTS

GLAD YOU ARE NOT ON MY TEAM

50 POINTS

HALF WAY

75 POINTSWOW GIVE YOURSELF A

PAT ON THE BACK

70 POINTSPRETTY GOOD

65 POINTS'AWARE'

60 POINTS

YOU ARE BETTER THAN

AVERAGE

45 POINTS

OK YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY

55 POINTS

SPRINTING AHEAD

80 POINTSGREAT EFFORT

85 POINTSTOP 20 % VERY WELL

DONE.

90 POINTSYOU ARE

MASTERMIND MATERIAL

95 POINTSWHAT A SHAME YOU MISSED ONE.

BUT A STELLER EFFORT

SEnine

16 Be active in your community

QUIZ

020 8859 5228 or 020 8850 2931

Free consultation with our technical team for highlighting, cutting & colouring

Ring for your appointment today Appointments not always necessary

Hair & Beauty

190-194 Eltham High Street

Highlighting including cut and

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from £49.95

We would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas

Mon - Thur 9 - 6 Friday 9 - 7

Saturday 9 - 6tudor barn eltham, well hall pleasaunce, well hall Road, Eltham, SE9 6sz - call 0845 459 2351

www.tudorbarneltham.co.uk @tudorbarneltham

bar restaurant venue

Situated within the picturesquesurroundings of the award winning

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Eleven names have been short-listed for the Eltham Community Hospital. Local people are being invited to vote

on their favourites, which will be chosen for the two wards at the new £14m community hospital which is due to open early in the New Year.

The names are: Progress, Well Hall, Eltham, Avery Hill, Edith Nesbitt, Rex Whistler,Fergusson, Milton, Margaret Roper, Eric Liddell, Henry VIII.

As well as the two wards, for interemediate care patients, the two Court Yard GP practices will move in with a range of community and diagnostic testing services

Voting can be done on line at

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Elthamhospital

or forms are available for download from the SEnine web site www.senine.co.uk

SEnine understand that polling boxes will be at the Court Road GP, and Well Hall Road GP as well as the Eltham Centre.

Have fun.

Ward Name Competition

SEnine

17Help keep Eltham safe - report suspicious activity!

On the national scene the long running miners strike ended on 25

February and later in the year riots broke out in Brixton and Toxteth. But let us look at some Eltham events where January saw the � rst fall of snow for two years.

A � re at the Eltham Grill in January brought appliances to the high street with their hoses stretched to reach the blaze in the same month as the nearby Presto supermarket (now Argos) was being updated. The front rooms of the closed Eltham Cottage Hospital were leased for a pensioner’s Pop in Parlour and opened by Mayor Jim Gillman and veteran union leader Jack Jones who was supporting the pensioner’s cause. The Redi� usion shop in Passey Place closed as fewer televisions were being rented.

The o� ce (now la scapa) of the long established local newspaper, the Eltham Times, closed on 28 June with editor David McCulloch and his sta� transferred to the Kentish Times main o� ce at Sidcup. The other paid-for local newspaper, the Kentish Independent, closed in June which had been covering news and events for well over 100 years from its Woolwich base.

The new owners of the Messeter Place petrol station were now selling the branded Burmah fuel instead of National. The Eltham War Memorial was cleaned with the aid of sca� olding. New roof works were completed at Eltham C of E

School, which included the rebuilding of a Victorian chimney stack, but the nearby-vacated St Mary’s School was vandalised as it awaited demolition for the Sainsburys store. Avery Hill College Students Rag Week raised £1,200 for muscular dystrophy, as the college became part of Thames Polytechnic.

On the sporting scene Javelin star Fatima Whitbread opened the updated Elm Terrace Fitness Centre, a ramp was � tted to the frontage at Eltham Pools to facilitate wheelchair access and Charlton played their last match at The Valley in September as the club transferred to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park where they shared the ground with the home side.

In Mottingham Village the rebuilt service station opened in January and across the road the Express Dairy milk d i s t r i b u t i o n depot (now Warr’s for H a r l e y - D a v i d s o n ) closed in September as rounds were transferred to other depots. R e n a u l t dealers Scotts of Dorset Road

celebrated their 25th anniversary with promotional o� ers. A storm in July saw the River Quaggy rise at Mottingham Lane causing the road to � ood. Temporary police tra� c lights were installed at the junction of Elmstead Lane and William Barefoot Drive as the roundabout was withdrawn. A new Presto supermarket (now Co-op) opened on the Mottingham Estate in October alongside a new health centre; a nearby smaller Liptons was transferred to the new store.

Work on the Rochester Way Relief Road, under the care of the Greater London Council engineers, saw the removal of

the greenhouses at Well Hall Pleasaunce and the insertion of the Green Link bridge over the railway and the new road between the two Eltham Parks. After the last evening trains stopped at Well Hall and Eltham Park on Saturday 16 March both stations closed. The newly built replacement, but not complete, Eltham station opened on Sunday 17 March in a � urry of snow with temporary cabins for ticket sales and shops. Buses moved across from Sherard Road on 17 June as the bus and Well Hall stations were demolished to enable the railway track to be diverted as a railway bridge was to be constructed over the new road. At Kidbrooke station ‘customers’ were availing themselves of a new footbridge across the tracks while at Mottingham station trees were felled to extend the car park.

Due to � nancial problems the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society (RACS) merged with the larger Co-operative Wholesale Society and saw closure of the Eltham High Street supermarket, which reopened as a Co-op Homemaker (now Poundland) in November. Also closed was the RACS Court Road supermarket at Mottingham Village; to the rear of the store the glasshouses of Mottingham Nurseries were removed in preparation for the Sycamore Close development for the elderly. At Well Hall the RACS was rebranded as a Price� ghter outlet.

The 161 bus route lost its ticket conductors in February, which only left

Eltham in 1985John Kennett revisits some of the events 30 years ago

Eltham Times editor David McCulloch (left) and reporters, 1985

Messeter Place petrol station, 1985

Eltham Park Station, 1985.

SEnine

18

HISTORIC ELTHAM

Only historians can alter the past. So do it right the first time.

them locally on route 21. The 126 route with double-decker buses was extended from Eltham to Woolwich. On Sundays during the summer months three seaside double-decker bus routes ran respectively to Margate, Eastbourne and Folkestone picking up passengers in the Eltham area. The 160 ceased running along Welling Way after 2 November.

On the pub front The Carpenters Arms in the high street closed on 18 September (site of Next) and the Kings Arms (opposite St John’s Church; recently demolished) was revamped as Blakes. The trend to o� er restaurant facilities saw the Falcon pub become a Falsta� eating facility while the Royal Hotel came under the Chef & Brewer umbrella.

After being � ned for operating illegally overloaded vehicles at the Stone tip dumping ground at Dartford, Greenwich Council bought fourteen new dustcarts to take heavier loads. A Greenwich Council Library on Wheels, or mobile library, was launched by TV presenter Johnny Ball with a planned visit to Lionel Road on a Thursday – as it still does while the

front of Eltham Library was emblazoned with the Council’s political Rate Capping banner.The only housing start was at Blunts Road where bungalows and � ats by Alfred McAlpine Retirement Homes Ltd were under construction and marketed as ‘Christchurch Mews’. A � re occurred at Southend House, Footscray Road, as restoration of the historic building was about to start. Wensley House in Court Road was demolished for construction of the � rst phase of bungalows at Wensley Close, which was opened in November by Lady Trumpington Under Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Security.

A ‘Firework Spectacular’ was arranged by the Eltham Round Table at Sutcli� e Park in November and on an open space

alongside Sidcup Road the � rst trees of Harmony Woods were planted near The Dutch House. The vandalised bridge at The Tarn park was repaired and new facilities opened at the reduced size Briset Road Recreation Ground. A new building replaced the former HQ of the 2nd Royal Eltham Scout Group at King John’s Walk lost in a � re.

At New Eltham the Bridgeman Hall in Larchwood Road was demolished for a replacement building for the New Eltham Conservative Club and at Sidcup Road By Pass Bookings celebrated their 25th anniversary of trading.

A new album of songs and lyrics, Hounds of Love, written and sung by Eltham’s Kate Bush was released, as was a new biography of the Eltham-born artist Rex Whistler, The Laughter & The Urn, by his brother (Sir) Laurence Whistler. Also seeing the light of day was a book 'The Eltham Hutments' by the writer of this article.

A youthful Alan Titchmarsh descended on the Robinson’s large garden in Kings Orchard as a presenter for Radio London and gave advice on its maintenance in two ½ hour programmes; what Albert Robinson described as ‘a bit of a chore’ became more manageable three years later when part of it was taken for a new house to be named, The Kings Retreat.

All pictures are from the John Kennett collectionMesseter Place petrol station, 1985

Express Dairy at Mottingham, 1969

Eltham Park Station, 1985.

The Carpenters Arms, 1985

SEnine

19

HISTORIC ELTHAM

Only historians can alter the past. So do it right the first time.

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2015! While Erith Town continue to � ounder close to the bottom of the Southern Counties East Football League table, Cray Valley PM � nished the year on a bit of a high. Having recorded back to back League victories, over high � ying Ashford United and Beckenham Town, for the � rst time this season, the Millers also progressed to the Quarter Finals of the London Senior Cup by knocking out Ryman Premier League side Metropolitan Police in a dramatic penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw. We will now face another Ryman Premier side, Wingate & Finchley, at Badgers sometime this month but at the time of writing, the date for this � xture had yet to be con� rmed. You can keep an eye out for details by following our Twitter account, @CrayValleyPM. But it wasn’t all good news for the Millers in December as in another

penalty shoot-out, Paul Gross’ team fell to 4-3 defeat at Kent Invicta League side Meridian VP in the Kent Senior Trophy. Things seem to be on the up though for the Millers and we go into the New Year in a con� dent mood. The Dockers though continue to � nd life di� cult this season and haven’t added a League point to their tally since beating Ling� eld at Badgers back in September. Their FA Vase adventure ended with a 3-0 reverse at home to Phoenix Sports before a narrow 4-3 home defeat at the hands of Deal Town in the Kent Senior Trophy. 2015 can only get better! Of course, the two sides were due to meet at Badgers on the Saturday after Christmas Day in the second of this season’s “Badgers Derbies” but the early printing deadline of SEnine this month means that you’ll have to wait until Februarys edition to � nd out how the

clubs fared in that eagerly anticipated � xture! Just a quick reminder that if you may have over indulged over Christmas and are looking for an easy and helpful way of losing weight, Slimming World could be the answer. Group meetings are held at Badgers every Monday evening at 5.30pm and 7.30pm, and with Slimming World, you can reach your weight loss dream - enjoying the food you love! Call Denise on 07943140750 for more details.Until next month, enjoy your sport and we hope to see you at Badgers soon!

Frank May, ChairmanCray Valley (PM) FC

Badgers Sports ClubHome of Cray Valley (pm) FC & Erith Town FC

For Cray Valley: Contact Dave Wilson (Secretary) 07715 961886wilson433@ntlworld.com or Frank May (Chairman) 07778 987579frankmay.cvpmfc@hotmail.com

Middle Park Avenue Eltham SE95HT

020 8355 4378Info@badgerssportclub.co.ukwww.badgersportsclub.co.uk

For Erith Town: Contact Paul Carter (Secretary) 07863 347587secretary@erithtown.co.ukor Ian Birrell (Chairman) 07956 291274ibirrell@hotmail.co.uk

Set in the grounds of Cray Valley & Erith Town Football Clubs, Badgers Sports Club is the ideal venue for a variety of functions & events. Our professional catering & hospitality team

can tailor a package that best suits your requirements. Our newly rebuilt & refurbished Clubhouse has lifted the whole venue, now with air conditioning, while the large glass

domed roof � lls the hall with sunlight. As part of our package we can also recommend a range of services, from Wedding cars & � owers, to DJs & even live bands if you require.

December at BADGERSSaturday � xtures kick o� at 3pmMidweek � xtures kick o� at 7.45pm Saturday 3Erith Town v Rochester UnitedSaturday 10Erith Town v Beckenham TownSaturday 17Cray Valley PM v Deal TownSaturday 24Erith Town v Greenwich BoroughWednesday 28Cray Valley PM v CorinthianSaturday 31Erith Town v Woodstock Sports

Left: Alex Chambers � ies through the air to head home the � rst of his three goals v Beckenham Town

Right: Ryan Sawyer and Alwayne Jones  jump for the ball v Beckenham Town

SEnine

20

SPORT

Join you local neighbourhood watch scheme

Normal Hours9 am to 6 pm Mon to Thurs 9 am to 5 pm Friday. Closed for lunch between 1 pm and 2 pm.

Eltham Park Dental Practice

Eltham Park Dental Practice provides a friendly and modern dental service in the heart of Eltham Park, South London.

The practice was established in 1974 with a philosophy of providing the highest standards of dentistry to our local community. We provide a full range of dental techniques in a friendly yet effi cient environment.5 Westmount Road,

Eltham Park, SE9 1JB

020 8850 8515www.elthamparkdental.co.uk

New patients are always welcome.

When planning SEnine, back in 2006, twitter was something the birds did

and Facebook something that teenaged children did in their bedrooms.

As SEnine approaches its 100th edition in March 2015, nine years on, the world looks a bit di� erent.

Now, Facebook and Twitter have entered the mainstream.

For years, there was enough to do preparing each month’s edition, getting as many facts and spellings as close to correct as possible and working towards a viable business model.

But 2015 will witness the plunge into cyberspace as we explore ways to increase our o� er to readers and advertisers with a unique service.

The aim will be to create a local ‘go-to’ Twitter and Facebook for all ages and for

all SEniners. SEnine magazine will use these tools to interact with people. There’ll be updates, reminders of events, trailers for the next edition and information

about local shops and o� ers arriving on your device from @SEninemag and the Twitter feed.

For Facebook, we’re teaming up with the ElthamSE9.co.uk site.

I know we’re far from the � rst o� the blocks. But SEnine hopes to introduce the unique perspective of a community driven organisation.

SEnine will be o� ering independent news and information, with only a little gentle comment on occasions.

You can help. Firstly, have a look. Secondly, sign up to Twitter and re-tweet (share with your friends). Thirdly, we’re looking to put together a small voluntary team to help. Perhaps a transport correspondent to keep us up to speed on the roads and rail? Maybe an events correspondent to keep our Twitter

and Facebook lively? Or a sub-editor to make our Facebook page attractive?

If you’re reliable, responsible, have relevant skills and likely to be around in Eltham for a while, we’d like to hear from you.

How to � nd us on line

TwitterEasy Step: Type ‘Twitter’ into Google. Type ‘SEninemag’ into the search box.

Second Step: Sign up to Twitter yourself.

Third Step: Check us out every day.

Make us a Follower. Re-tweet things you � nd of interest.

FacebookType ElthamSE9 into Google and Follow the links on the home page.

Bitter TweetSEnineSEnine

21Take an interest in local events

SENINE NUTS & BOLTS

How long have you been painting?Just over a year. I hadn’t taken much interest in it until then.

What got you started?I have always liked looking at attractive things; the beautiful sky, a colourful dress, deep blue sea. My mum suggested I try to put my feelings on the paper. I liked it.

When was that?About a year ago.

How old are you?I’m 10, I’ll be 11 in the new year.

Where are you from?I live in Ridgebrook Road now but originally came from Lithuania. My family came over in 2008 but we lived up north at � rst moving to Eltham four years ago.

What school do you go to?Kidbrooke Park primary in Hargood Road. I’m hoping to move to Thomas Tallis next year which has a good reputation for art.

Do you have lessons?Yes, we do some art at school and my teacher says I’m excellent! But because I was getting so keen, my mum arranged for an art tutor to come to our house on Mondays. She’s taught me various techniques.

Would you like more?Yes, perhaps she might come twice a week. I like to paint all the time, perhaps not every day though.

Do you have other hobbies?I like hockey at school and sports.

Where do you paint?On the kitchen table. I try not to splash the food.

How did you get the exhibition?Suzie, the owner, saw some of my work and was impressed. She asked to see a selection and said she thought they would look good in the restaurant and people might buy some.

How many works are on display?There are about 30, so I have been busy.

Have you sold any yet?Yes, I’ve sold � ve which I’m really pleased about. They’re £25 each for the originals.

What will you spend the money on?More materials for my art. They’re really expensive, so it’ll help. And to save for holidays. How do you get your ideas?Mainly from my imagination. If I hear a story at school, I try to imagine a painting using the characters and descriptions. Sometimes I see work done by other artists and see if I can adapt it. I look around me and get ideas from colours and shapes of things.

What materials do you use?A wide variety. Sometimes water colour, chalk, pencil, acrylics. I like to experiment.

Are you improving fast?Yes, I like to try di� erent techniques and use a variety of materials. Each time I paint I try something out.

Is your mum proud of you?She says so and also my grandmother Birute.

My Feelings on Paper.He’s only been painting for a short time but Neo Paleckiene

has already had his first exhibition, at the Tudor Barn. John Webb met the budding artist.

Self PortraitNeo’s work is exhibited at the Tudor Barn throughout Christmas and January.

SEnine

22 Help keep Eltham tidy! Put your litter in bins.

PERSONAL ELTHAM

One of London’s oldest music stores. Celebrating 100 years in Eltham.

We stock a large range and variety of musical instruments and printed music, including Associated Board Publications

One of London’s oldest music stores. Celebrating 100 years in Eltham.

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Why risk buying from the internet or a catalogue shop when you can buy from the specialists?

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Free advice and guidance on all our products before and after your purchase.

We would like to thank all our customers for their support in 2014.

Have a happy and peaceful Christmas.

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SEnine

23Don't � nd fault, � nd a remedy

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More than £1.7m is being spent on the site, promoting it higher up the

English Heritage pecking order.

The investment is a reward for the Palace’s ‘better than expected’ performance since it opened to the public 15 years ago.

Curator Annie Kemkaran Smith told SEnine: “Our sites are often popular initially and then visitors reduce in the following years”.

“That hasn’t happened with Eltham. Numbers have been maintained and are even increasing.”

A combination of the Courtaulds’ Art Deco excesses together with the magni� cent 14th century Great Hall has proved a winner with the public. In addition, the gardens remain popular around the seasons.

Millions from across the capital live within a short distance of the Palace, so the potential for expanding the heritage o� er is being grasped by English Heritage bosses.

A new café, play area and interpretative centre near the Court Road entrance will form a key part of the commercial side of the expansion. In addition, areas of the historic building itself are being restored and opened to the public for the � rst time.

These include � ve new rooms, among them the basement with wartime bunker and billiard room, Virginia Courtauld’s walk-in wardrobe and a newly restored ‘map’ room. Layers of wallpaper are to be painstakingly removed by conservators with English Heritage launching a

£25,000 appeal to help pay for the work. Fragments already exposed show the underlying wall-covering to be a map of the world. It is thought that Stephen Courtauld, a keen explorer, used it to help plan his expeditions.

Stephen’s hobby of billiards is also brought to attention by opening up the basement in which there will also be a

re-imagining of the Courtaulds’ war-time air raid precautions (ARP) o� ce. For the � rst time, visitors will be able to see the Italian Renaissance-style frieze, painted along one of the walls of the billiard room, in which the Courtaulds themselves are depicted along with their favourite pastimes, lemur and dogs.

In addition, the gardens are being altered to resemble their appearance in the 1930s.Central to the new experience is an innovative, digital handset for each visitor with a visual guide to every room as well as cine� lm and original photography of the family.

Visitor tickets will be in the form of an invitation to a Courtauld grand ball in which they will be given the persona of one of the famous guests of the period. Period clothes will be available for visitors to step into the shoes and costumes of their predecessors visiting the Palace.

A new children's guide will tell the story of the exotic animals at Eltham Palace, including the tales of Mah - Jongg the lemur who had his own centrally heated living quarters.

Bedrooms occupied by Virginia's nephews, Peter and Paul Peirano, with a shared bathroom featuring the only shower in the house and one of the � rst in the country to be installed in a residential bathroom.

A major expansion of Eltham Palace as a visitor centre and historic attraction will be unveiled when its doors re-open

to the public in the spring.

War Time Insight of Eltham Palace.SEnine

24 Smile , it feels good

FEATURE

A new facility for local schools to learn how to grow and cook their own

food is being created on the slopes of Shooters Hill.

Already, Henwick and Eltham CoE have signed up to take slices of the land for their own and others are expected to follow.

The initiative is the brainchild of Eltham-based head Tim Baker who is working with Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins and Olivier Blanc, son of the famous TV chef Raymond.

Tim has championed the importance of food at his school, Charlton Manor, which has developed its own garden with bee hives on its site. Children have the chance to cook the produce at specially designed kitchens under the guidance of two full time chefs.

The school has won awards for its initiatives, taking part in the Chelsea Flower Show and becoming only one of two in London to gain ‘gold’ from Healthy Schools London.

He has agreed with the Woodlands Farm Trust to take over a substantial patch of land which will be developed for the use of schools and community groups.

T h e f i r s t

spades have been hitting

the soil to create a patchwork of raised

beds, polytunnels and pathways on land

previously grazed by the Trust’s sheep and cattle.

It is hoped that schools will start to use the facility in the

spring.

Tim said: “Learning to grow and cook food is an important part in a child’s

upbringing, so that they know how to make healthy choices as they get older.

“We’ve tried to make it a key component in the curriculum alongside sports and physical activity. This new facility at Woodlands is an opportunity for schools which might not have the space on their premises to take part”, he said.

A life-long Eltham resident, Tim himself is a former pupil of the Gordon School and Eltham Green.

Eltham’s � rst soft play centre is set for a full launch early in January.

Crafty Wizards World, at the top end of Eltham High Street, held a busy pre-opening week before Christmas in advance of opening its doors on Monday January 5.

Matthew Byrne, director, said: “We are a soft play centre with a di� erence, o� ering a stimulating, stylish and creative environment and caring sta� .”

Crafty Wizards is available for mid-week pre-school sessions and an activity centre for 0-8 year olds at weekends and can be hired for children’s parties for tailored activities.

As well as the soft play room, there is an arts, crafts and messy play space, large outside play area and interactivity room with soft play frame.

More information from www.craftywizardsworld.com/

Matthew Byrne leads a crafty group at play.

Growing CurriculumSEnine

25Put your money where your house is - shop locally

YOUNG ELTHAM

Nature study is normally best done

on foot, allowing close views of flowers, trees, small creatures and birds. The view from behind the dashboard of a car travelling at 70mph doesn’t normally reveal much beside the occasional hovering kestrel or swooping red kite.

But for the latest style of conservation initiative, sweeping vistas can tell a story not seen in close up.

One example of this is just down the M2 on the left hand side, going up the hill after the Medway Bridge.

It’s where Kent Wildlife Trust is implementing a ‘Living Landscape’, which conservation organisations now believe is the key to saving and promoting declining wildlife.

Instead of just concentrating resources on un-connected reserves aimed at helping individual species, the organisations are seeking to create sweeps of habitat across entire landscapes.

At Nashenden Down, an unproductive barley field has been bought by the Trust linking together woodland and chalkdown habitats.

So, instead of seeing a cropped monoculture on the Medway hillside, passing motorists are seeing a mosaic of grazed grassland, hedgerows, wildflower meadow, and woodland.

In the 90 acres of new downland, the seed bank of chalk grass and flower species are re-asserting themselves, with the characteristic beetle and butterfly species thriving; crops are grown without fertlisers or pesticides with stubble being left unploughed over the

winter, encouraging bird species such as skylarks to feed and nest.

More than 7,000 new trees have been planted to complement surrounding pockets of woodland, creating wildlife corridors for animals to spread across the site, assisted by more than a mile of new hedgerow.

One of the species which benefits is the Adonis Blue butterfly, the Trust’s emblem, which it has brought back from extinction in the UK and is now expanding its range. It will be able to spread itself across the site.

The Trust has a record membership of 31,000 members, who help them to finance these initiative and who receive regular newsletters on their work. For those not rushing down the motorway and wanting to look at Nashenden, leave the motorway at junction 3 and head back towards Rochester.

Living Landscape

SEnine January 2007

The Eltham Centre has reached the half way point in construction.

This achievement was celebrated on Thursday November 23rd 2006 with a ‘Topping Out Ceremony’ held on the top � oor of the construction. It was

attended by 20 invited guests who listened to short speeches from Mark Tant, Managing Director Willmott Dixon Construction Limited and Cllr Angela Cornforth Deputy Leader of the Greenwich Council.

The ‘Topping O� Ceremony was conducted by Clive E� ort – MP for Eltham and Mark Tant.

8 Years ago this month, from our archives.

SEnine

26 Take a walk in the Pleasaunce

NATURAL ELTHAM

How many 'locals' can you name from the pictures?

Or turn to page 16 to answer the questions and become a Christmas star

4

17

20

19

10

1

8

11

18

3

2

9

14

5

6 16

15

12

7

13

SEnine

27Your Community is what you make it

CHRISTMAS DAY QUIZ

SEnine

28

Eltham Park OIRO £750,000Highly desirable location with a view of Eltham Park South! Features galore and character in bundles, this splendid four bedroom double fronted Corbett house is situated in a prime location with acres of parkland and the popular Saint Marys primary school a short walk away.

Central Eltham £490,000Rare opportunity to purchase a bungalow in Eltham, spacious and well proportioned this � ve bed detached property is spread over 2 � oors, has dble gge and is ideal for Eltham C of E school, station and High Street

Eltham £350,000Charming 3 bed house in popular Progress Conservation area, with Progress centenary looming, now is your opportunity to be part of history! Tastefully decorated throughout, original features and convenient for Eltham station and local shops

Eltham £349,995NO ONWARD CHAIN! A cosy three bedroom house with spacious through lounge/diner, kitchen and family bathroom. You can’t ask for more with regards to location, just a few hundred yards from local shops, major bus routes and extensive woodland! Take a look

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Happy New Year!All at Bernard Skinner would like to wish everyone success and

happiness in the New Year!

We Don’tcare..When inconvenient, getting the information out of the Royal Borough is like getting blood from a stone. SPY has been following the story of MiHomecare, one of the largest care organisations contracted by the council. Eager to put its best PR face forward, the borough signed up to the London Living Wage Foundation. But it appears to be unable to sign up to the obligations. Until recently, the care workers of MiHomecare were on just £6.30 an hour, not including travelling time, substantially adrift of the £9.15 LLW, travelling time included. Earlier in the year, the council said that when it re-tendered its agency contracts, providers would be asked about their 'intentions to pay the LLW’. SPY understands that contracts have now been signed and sta� at MiHomecare will now receive just £8 an hour, travel not included. A welcome increase. But a breach of the LLW commitment. And the council’s PR take on this? No comment. Too busy. (See story page 10 'Better use for GT funding')

Flatlining….SPY understands waiting times at A&E Woolwich are still showing no signs of recovery, despite emergency patients now being diverted to Lewisham. Around one in � ve don’t get dealt with in under four hours. Hardly a surprise when the hospital’s IT systems are so antiquated. At a recent clinic for a leading consultant, three of the 10 patients failed to show. What a surprise. Appointments are booked 12 months in advance, with no reminders or checks on whether the attendees are still alive or living in the area. How is it that parcel deliveries, on-line grocery orders, dentists and poodle parlours can give a text / email reminder service, but £200 an hour hospital consultants can’t?

That’s progress…What do the National Theatre, Cenotaph, Festival Hall, Lloyds building, Waterloo Bridge and Eltham’s Progress Estate all have in common? The answer is they are all included the top 100 buildings of the last 100 years by the illustrious Twentieth Century Society. In the case of the Progress Estate, it takes pride of place, being the � rst case study in the glossy publication ‘100 Buildings, 100 Years’ an exhibition currently on at the Royal Academy. This book showcases photographs of 100 buildings, one for each year from 1914, when work began on the Well Hall Estate, in 2015 celebrating its centenary. The book says the Estate believed it should

look ‘as if it had grown and not merely been dropped there’, and with a deliberately picturesque sequence of unfolding street scenes, composed largely of terraces, with a mixture of wall and roof materials, arranged along the contours, the estate avoiding the rigidity of a military encampment that might easily have been the outcome. The estate has been a conservation area since 1971, with an Article 4 Direction, controlling external features like windows, since 1978.

Up Those Heights...Perhaps it was the coverage in SEnine of Kate Bush’s former house ‘Wuthering Heights’ in Court Road, but apparently it was the fourth most popular search on a property website last month. Backing on to the Royal Blackheath golf course, the six-bed, detached house is being o� ered for sale at £2.75m. There were 48,486 searches in 30 days. So, we’re all nosy aren’t we?

CPZ consultationThanks to a communication failure from the Royal Greenwich Spinners, SPY got the dates for the CPZ consultation wrong last month. Apologies on their behalf for all who made the journey to the Eltham Centre. It is in fact on Thursday 8th to Saturday 10th January.

Taking root….Well done to the Friends of Avery Hill for the major new tree planting in the park. While the council were planning elaborate drainage schemes to alleviate the � ooding caused by the installation of the cycle path, the Friends suggested a much cheaper and more attractive option; moisture retentive trees. So the council isn’t right about everything then.

Watering down….Meanwhile, down at Well Hall, another Friends’ suggestion, a borehole to supply free and fresh water to the gardens, moat and the Tudor Barn, looks like it’s coming closer. Tenders are being sought for the work which could be done in January, saving the council up to £25,000 in charges.

Money before people…In return, the council has excelled itself by suggesting that parking times be reduced from 90 minutes to just 30 minutes on Well Hall Road outside the Pleasaunce. So how would the elderly and disabled visit the park, let alone the Tudor Barn for a snack. Apparently, mega-giants Tesco requested this, the better to service their convenience store up the road.

Parking in the park…SPY understands the council has scaled down its plans to pave over part of Sutcli� e Park to make way for parking for a sports club. Previously, the council had developed plans for an indoor training shed on the athletics site. Sadly, however, they forgot the need for parking and hastily concluded that pouring tarmac over the adjacent grass was the only solution. Negotiations with the GLA are along the lines of provision for ‘deliveries and disabled’ only. Park campaigners will be watching this suggestion closely.

Tar for the parks…Another park threatened by the council’s tarmac was Eltham Park South, the better to re-build Eltham CoE primary. That was fought o� when the governors decided to develop their town centre site at the heart of our community. Having celebrated their 200th anniversary last year, the school reconvened this autumn hoping their plans could be kicked o� quickly. SPY understands their designs will combine some historic features of the site around a modern re-build. However, frustration is creeping in. The re-build is part of a package of � ve across south London snagged in negotiations between the Education Funding Agency and the developers.

Spy continues on page 38

SEnine

29Have your say, your opinion counts

Yalways newsy, sometimes inaccurate or irreverent, often controversial or gossip, but never the opinion of SEnine.

Either go to the SEnine web site atwww.senine.co.ukor write to the Editor at:

SEnine, PO Box 24290Eltham SE9 6ZP

How I agree with Mrs Webb and her resistance to someone using your Christian name when never having met you before. It is very impolite and arrogant, and at least one meeting should have taken place and a rapport of sorts built up before that liberty is taken. Unfortunately those carers or whatever have been trained to do this as a very mistaken way of supposedly instantly instilling trust and friendliness, it does nothing of the sort;correct formality and politeness does that by indicating professionalism.

Which then brings us to a term she actually used in her jottings, "health professionals". This is a term increasingly and irritatingly being used by any shop assistant who serves you with an Elastoplast or corn plaster, trying to haughtily put themselves on the same plane as a doctor or surgeon; which of course follows on from a few years ago when a survey found that the majority of workers would rather have had a grander job title than a rise in remuneration, and we now have refuse operatives and not dustmen. Mr. T. Jones. SE9

Dishonest parking fi nes continued

step out into the main road, which, as everyone knows, is a very busy road, with two di� erent bus routes down this road, just adding to the danger of getting out of our cars. We do not need or want bays, as we have no problems when parking at the moment. However, if the bays are going to be enforced we will then have only one car space for every two � ats, which is ridiculous when the pavement is so wide. However, if the bays are widened to 15ft, to include the full width of the tarmac area, we could then carry on parking as we have been for all these years without a problem.Janet Cromarty

Dishonest paking fi nes

put themselves on the same plane as a doctor or surgeon; which of course follows on from a few years ago when a survey found that the majority

Mr. T. Jones. SE9

I refer to the letter in December’s issue concerning a reader’s di� culty in getting through to our practice on the telephone. We are obviously concerned to hear that patients may experience problems in contacting the practice and can con�rm that we are looking at upgrading our telephone system to coincide with the move to the Eltham Community Hospital in early 2015. Hopefully a revised system may address some of the concerns. However in terms of the example quoted in Mr Park’s letter I would like to make clear that the practice has a longstanding policy of not dealing with requests for repeat prescriptions via the telephone. If patients try to utilise our telephone system for the purpose of prescription requests this may well be one of the reasons why the phone lines appear excessively busy. Your readers may be interested to note that we now o� er an on-line prescription service for repeat medication.

Regarding the fact that the surgery was closed from 1pm for training I would just like to clarify that this was for a event organised by the Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group for all practices in the Borough.

Finally I would just like to con�rm that the practice has a formal complaints policy and I would encourage our patients to voice any concerns via this procedure as opposed to being encouraged to write in to your magazine.

Caroline PartridgePractice Manager Eltham Medical Practice

I refer to the letter in December’s issue concerning

New Phones for 2015

Janet Cromarty

practice on the telephone. We are obviously

problems in contacting the practice and can

practices in the Borough.

practice has a formal complaints policy and

I've just read your 'opinion from your desk' column and I thought that you might be interested in what the council is doing to us regarding parking. I live on Rochester Way, in the St Barnabas church area. About the year 2000, one night parking bays were painted on the pavement. It was already pavement parking, however all the cars not parked in those bays were issued PCNs. Everybody appealed against the tickets on the grounds that there was no consultation regarding these bays, so the tickets were all rescinded and no tickets have ever been issued along here since, until about two months ago, when  � ve of us were issued tickets for parking on the pavement, listing contravention code 622, parked with one or more wheels on or over a footpath. The penalty charge is £110. We appealed on the same grounds as before  and we were told that we had to pay. We made the second appeal on the same grounds and were told we had to pay. Then one of us got another ticket, this time it cited contravention code 24F: not parked correctly within the markings of the bay or space (free parking bay), which carried a penalty charge of  £60. When we queried the di� erent contravention codes we were told they could issue either ticket, even if it is pavement parking.  We were told that we were blocking the pavement by not parking in the bay properly, so I pointed out that that is not true as the pavemnet is 24ft wide and we only ever park on the 15ft of tarmac and never on the 9ft of pavement. Nevertheless, we were told that we should be in the bays, so I once again told them that there was no consultation regarding the bays, but I was told that I'd have to put that point in my appeal.  I have since also noticed that there are no signs for any of the bays on either side of Rochester Way for the whole length of this part, which is pavement parking. I've been told that we should win our appeals on the lack of signs, but that is not good enough, as the council will then come round, put up signs and dictate that we should park in the very dangerous 7.5ft wide bays, resulting in us having to open our car doors and

Instant Trust?

My married daughter, husband and two teenage children love reading my copy of the SEnine Magazine.

Seeing the advert on the back page of the November issue the phrase 'If you do one thing', ironically repeated 3 times over, I thought what a wonderful idea, I would let them have their own copy for a whole year mailed to their letterbox for only £36.00.

So please � nd enclosed my cheque to be sent to .......... Blackheath SE3.

Thank you and a very good and happy Christmas.

ZG Davidson

My married daughter, husband and two teenage

A Gift that keeps giving.

SEnine

30 SEnine does not necessarily agree with or support any letters published.

MAILBOX ....... Have your say

You can make a di� erence in your community

ELTHAM

HARRISON INGRAM

rede

finin

g th

e a

rt o

f

sellin

g h

omes

ESTATE AGENTS RESIDENTIAL LETTINGS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

156 Well Hall Road, Eltham, London, SE9 6SNT: 020 8859 4419 F: 0208 859 8207 E: info@harrisoningrameltham.co.uk

www.harrisoningram.co.uk

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Shooters Hill: £1050 pcmPlumstead: £299,950

Eltham: oieo £350,000 Eltham: oieo £325,000

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MASTER WITH EN-SUITE GOOD SIZE LOUNGE/DINER

FITTED KITCHEN WITH APPLIANCES SECURE UNDERGROUND PARKING

Reduced

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SEnine

31Look after your garden, if not for you then for your neighbours

SEnine

£400,000.00Court Farm Road

32 Pick up litter and bin it

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SEnine

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33Look out for you neighbour

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Spy stories continued from page 33Top marks..Congrats to the Gordon school which has featured in the Sunday Times list of 500 top primary schools in the country, one of only three in the borough.

Pounding the High StreetBelatedly, SPY understands the race is on to � nd Poundland a new home for if and when the new cinema development goes ahead. Instead of getting on with this task a couple of years ago when the idea was � rst mooted, the council seemed to think nobody would be bothered if the cut-price retailer left town! The o� cial line until only weeks ago was that people could shop at the 99p store instead! After so many years and discussions of how to attract successful traders to the High Street, the thought that Eltham might be shunning one of the most popular, pro� table and fastest expanding outlets in the country hadn’t dawned on council bosses.

24 hours in A&E….For those with a ghoulish disposition and nothing better to do over xmas, SPY understands you can ‘eavesdrop’ on how things are working in our local hospital emergency department, QE Woolwich. Just type in your postcode to this website www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25055444 and see the un� attering comparison with the national average. That is one in � ve waiting for at least four hours and large numbers of ‘trolley waits’ of between four and 12 hours. For those taken by ambulance, fortunately it’s now to Lewisham. For those with a choice, SPY recommends Darenth Valley, where only one in 20 has a lengthy stay and trolley waits don’t happen.

Adding to our woes…SPY observes that mobile advertising wagons seem to be on the upswing in SE9 in recent months. What’s the harm, you might say. OK, but what about if they were outside your house or shop all morning, day or weekend. Unusually, the council seem to be receptive to be problem

Try emailing planning-enforcement@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or calling 020 8921 5559.

Relocation SPY walked past the Polish shop on Well Hall and they have moved. Anna's Grocery, has taken over the much larger property a few doors down the road and will have a double fronted premises. The store looks bright and clean and very spacious.

Sweets SPY observes that a new sweet spot has been created in Eltham High Street. Mrs Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe has stepped back in time to o� er liquorice, jelly beans, candy lollipops, bubblegum, nougat, fudge and to� ee. In addition, premium ranges are also available.

SPY might have to wander down there to � nd out more about it, for purely journalistic reasons of course, so I can tell you all about it.

SEnine

34

SPY

Support small business, give them a call today

About this time of year, seed catalogues fall onto Herbaceous’

doormat like leaves in autumn.

Wrapped in cellophane, they also contain bumph from a range of other companies, eager to sell related products, such as waterproof clothing, greenhouses and holidays in Tresco.

The Old Grump has a way of dealing with this menace. Ripping open the plastic wrapping, he dangles the catalogues above an open wheelie bin and allows the � yers to fall into the depths.

In marketing it’s called ‘upselling’; in other words, once you’ve got a customer, you try and � og them everything including the kitchen sink.

It’s something he’s resisted all his life. He’ll even turn down the free half of a BOGOF on the grounds he doesn’t need another one of whatever it is.

Indeed, the sight of Herbaceous is probably a salesperson’s worst nightmare, with any hope of meeting targets and juicy commissions a distant dream.

When younger, they were always pushing him life insurance. In his view the only life

needing insurance was that of the sharp-suited hawkers knocking on his door. The only holiday insurance scam he’s been involved in was to buy some useless organic slug pellets which failed to save his seedlings while away.

This resistance has paid him handsome dividends.

He’s not the possessor of unused duplicate pairs of spectacles, with photo-chromatic and sunglass versions added for just another £55. His wouldn’t have taken an endowment mortgage for his garden shed, let alone house, despite the heartfelt pleas and incredulity of the sales sta� . Household appliances have worked happily without being insured and his payments to the building society have only needed protecting against the moths in his wallet..

Which leads to a sore point. Why are his peaceful

m o m e n t s on the plot

i n t e r r u p t e d by endless

p h o n e c a l l s encouraging him to

claim compensation for things he’s never

had? Billions of pounds, he understands, are

being shelled out to the feckless too gullible to

smell a con when they’ve been o� ered it.

It’s not fair. Everyone has their snouts in the trough except himself. So next year he’s starting a new campaign called ‘Compensation for the Uncompensated’ which he feels may gather widespread sympathy on his behalf.

W. UDEN & SONS LTDFAMILY FUNERAL DIRECTORS

ESTABLISHED 1881

The Family Business that still o� ers a personal service

51 - 53 Passey Place, Eltham SE9 5DATel: 020 8850 2868

Covering all areas Pre-paid Funerals Monumental Masons

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Branches also at:Petts Wood, Dulwich,

Forest Hill, Sidcup, New Cross & CamberwellIn the care of Nicholas & Matthew Uden

Compensation for the UncompensatedSEnine

35There is always hope, never stop trying

HERBACEOUS

BOB HOPE THEATRE

SEnine - Your Community Magazine