 Happy February Bermondsey and Rotherhithe!
I hope that it has been a great month so far, with lots happening. This month saw the launch of Fizz Free February, which is a campaign to give up fizzy drinks for 28 days. Please see further details below. It is also LGBT History Month and there is a link below to a list of events around this. Tuesday 6 February, marked the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 receiving royal assent, which allowed some women to vote for the first time. It was also International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation and Southwark Council reaffirmed its commitment to tackling FGM in the borough. February 14 was Valentine's Day. This is just a small portion of the numerous events and activities that were taking place in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe and borough-wide. I hope that you have all been a part of some event this month and will continue to play your part.
Don't forget to Vote for your Priorities in the current Community Infrastructure Levy Consultation. Please see the link below. Don't miss this opportunity to have your say on what matters to you and your community!
www.southwark.gov.uk/BRCCCIL
Enjoy the rest of the month!
Kind regards,
Bridget Galloway
Community Council Officer | Bermondsey and Rotherhithe
Community Council
Communities Division| Housing & Modernisation
Department
Southwark Council
160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH
Post to: PO. Box 64529, London SE1P 5LX
Tel: 0207 525 1780 |
Mobile: Mobile: 07701 377 16
Like us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BermondseyandRotherhitheCommunityCouncil/
 Make your home a fizz free zone and #gofizzfree this February
The Fizz Free February campaign aims to encourage all our residents, and especially children, to give up fizzy drinks for 28 days.
Cllr Maisie Anderson, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Social Regeneration said:
“This month we are proud to be launching Fizz Free February and I hope that all residents will take up the challenge to swap their fizzy drink for something less sugary and calorific. I especially want to appeal to parents and carers to encourage their children to go fizz free as sugar can have very serious, but very preventable effects, on the health of young people. A healthy lifestyle is about more than just kicking your taste for fizzy, high sugar drinks, but it’s a good place to start.”
Did you know?
- You can save £438 a year if you stopped drinking one bottle of soft drink, per day for a year - GULP (based on £1.20 per bottle at 365 days)
- Drinking just one 330ml can of fizzy drink a day could add up to over a stone weight gain per year - GULP
- 79% of fizzy drinks contain 6 or more teaspoons of sugar per can (330ml) - Action on Sugar
- Tooth decay is the leading cause for hospitalisation among five to nine year olds in the UK, with 26,000 children being hospitalised each year due to tooth decay – in other words, 500 each week - Acion on Sugar
To join in with Fizz Free February, just pledge to give up fizzy drinks for 28-days and tweet us using #gofizzfree. You can also take part by filling out a short survey telling us about your fizzy drink habits.
 6 February 2018
Tuesday 6 February 2018 was the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918 receiving royal assent, which allowed some women to vote for the first time.
To mark this momentous occasion, celebrate how far politics has evolved towards gender equality, and to recognise how far the country still has to go, Southwark Council is flying the white, purple and green flag of the Suffragettes.
Southwark Council has four female cabinet members out of ten and 27 women councillors out of 63.
Cllr Stephanie Cryan, Cllr Adele Morris and Cllr Jane Lyons, as senior women councillors in each political group, came together to highlight the importance of women in power, each with their personal view of why 2018 is the best time for women to be involved in politics and what they have done, and are doing, for women in Southwark. See link below for further details.
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/news/2018/feb/women-politicians-come-together-to-mark-the-right-to-vote
Tuesday 6 February was International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation and Southwark Council reaffirmed its commitment to tackling FGM in the borough.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM).
No one organisation alone can tackle FGM, so Southwark Council’s approach is to work closely together with health services, police, schools and community groups to protect and support those at risk
Southwark’s approach has been highly praised by Ofsted with inspectors noting that there is effective risk reduction work taking place and services for survivors of FGM demonstrated strong practice.
Alongside community engagement by social workers, GPs receive on-going FGM training to ensure recognition and reporting is consistent. Liaison with schools and ensuring that FGM is discussed at part of PSHE lessons as well as forming part of teacher training. Southwark Council, in partnership with the police, successfully applied to the High Court for an FGM protection order to prevent a child from being removed from the country, as it was feared she would be subject to FGM.
Cllr Victoria Mills, Cabinet Member for Children and Schools, said: “Southwark has much to be proud of when it comes to tackling FGM in the borough, but of course, there is much still to be done. There are not only devastating physical effects of FGM but also psychological ones which means that providing the right support for survivors is vital. Southwark Council is committed to playing its part in both preventing FGM and helping its victims move on positively with their lives.”
More advice
-
The Africa Advocacy Foundation runs a range of interventions to support women survivors of FGM. They also have a number of community champions who conduct outreach work.
-
The Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) helps Middle Eastern and Afghan women and girls who are living in the UK and advise on issues on violence against women and girls including FGM. They provide emotional support to all clients and offer a free counselling service in Farsi, Kurdish, Arabic and English.
LGBT History Month
In February it’s LGBT History Month. Take a look at the National Festival of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans History website to find festival hubs, venues and dates near you for the 4th annual festival - OUTing the Past 2018. See the link:
http://www.outingthepast.org.uk/?mc_cid=ce28200a36&mc_eid=04b5727ca5
This is a project with Sported and Tem London funded by Sport England to recruit
local volunteers for the Big Half Marathon which is passing through the borough
on the 4th March. London Marathon Events (the Organisers) are keen
to get more local volunteers who are representative of the communities that the
Big Half will pass through. There are a number of volunteer roles – in
Southwark there will be opportunities to help run the water stations for
runners and be a part of the team supporting the event. After Volunteering at
the event on the 4th there will be opportunities for volunteers to
continue their volunteering journey by finding roles in local sports groups,
community organisations or events.
Volunteers need to be:
·
Resident in Southwark
·
Over 16 years old
·
Available to volunteer on the 4th march
from 8am – 1pm.
The next information session is this Wednesday (21st Feb) but as long
as interested volunteers contact us before the 26th Feb we
can help make sure thy get signed up.
19 February 2018
Residents in Rotherhithe have been among the first to get access to faster broadband connections as new wireless aerials go live in the borough.
London is seen as a digital city, but has a number of ‘not spots’ where broadband speeds are very slow.
Rotherhithe, in particular, is one of the worst affected parts of London when it comes to the issue of poor digital connectivity, meaning people living in the area are unable to access anything but the most basic broadband speeds.
Poor broadband also affects businesses in Rotherhithe, with many reporting that slow speeds and unreliable network connections negatively affect productivity and limit their opportunities for growth.
Southwark Council is committed to being a digitally inclusive borough and the council has been working hard to tackle poor broadband speeds, setting out plans in its digital strategy to improve connectivity and broadband performance for residents and businesses alike.
As part of these plans, the council has signed a number of lease agreements with broadband provider Relish, enabling them to install wireless aerials on residential council buildings, which will deliver up to 40Mb broadband speeds across 70 per cent of the borough.
Cllr Fiona Colley, Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance, said: “We are delighted that more people can now access superfast broadband, particularly in Rotherhithe where the issue has been so acute.
“The rollout of wireless aerials is just one step in the council’s commitment to improve connectivity for residents and make Southwark a truly digital borough.
“Our ultimate long-term goal is a full rollout of fibre optic broadband across the borough and we have already made a start by submitting a joint bid with TfL, the GLA and several other local authorities for funding from central government, as part of a national £200m challenge fund for broadband projects.
“If successful, the funding will be used in Southwark to improve digital connectivity in areas of the borough with poor broadband speeds, particularly in the Rotherhithe peninsula.”
In total, 23 new aerials and masts have been approved for installation across the borough, including four in Rotherhithe, with half already delivering Relish’s wireless broadband service.
Anyone can check if their home can be connected to Relish by using their online postcode checker at http://www.relish.net
London Borough of
Culture
The announcement of the London Borough
of Culture will be on Tuesday 27 February 2018. Follow the count down at https://twitter.com/SouthwarkEvents or just
follow the hashtag #31SwkGems
Southwark Presents
Card
On 1 March the Southwark Presents Card will be launched at a
very special event at Canada Water Library.
This card has all the wonderful benefits of a library card that you would expect,
but will also give members access to a range of special offers and discounts
with cultural organisations across the borough such as Dulwich Picture Gallery,
London Bubble, Peckhamplex and many more. It is hoped this new service will
encourage more people not only to join Southwark libraries but also to take
advantage of the huge range of cultural events and activities available in the
borough. Be sure to upload your arts and culture events in the borough to
the Southwark Presents website here. Arts and cultural venues can send
their special offers for Southwark Presents card holders by emailing Arts.admin@southwark.gov.uk
Creative Network
Southwark Meeting 1 March
The Creative Network Southwark is a network of creative
practitioners and organisations based in Southwark that meet on a quarterly
basis to discuss issues and concerns. The Creative Sector Network is
managed by Community Southwark, an umbrella body for the voluntary and
community sector.
The next meeting is on Thursday 1 March, 2pm at London College
of Communications, you can sign up here to attend. To find out more about
the Creative Network please click here
Southwark Careers Fair
21 & 22 March
On 21 and 22 March, the Southwark Careers Fair will take place at London South Bank
University. Would you like to join as an exhibitor this year? It is a great opportunity to meet young people from Southwark secondary schools,
Year Groups 9-12 (14 – 17 year olds) and make a real impact on their career
choices. The fair is interactive and aims to inspire students through workshops
delivered by industry experts. It is an excellent opportunity to
showcase your organisation and talk about the variety of careers available in
your sector. For further information please contact Tereza
Knazurova via tereza.knazurova@southwark.gov.uk
or to book your free exhibition space please fill in the booking form
“Bermondsey Voices is an all female fun and fabulous
community choir run by singer and singing teacher Kristina Mansbridge. Why not
come along for a Free Taster Rehearsal any Tuesday evening 7:30-9:00pm to try
us out? No auditions but a sense of humour, love of cake and a willingness to
want to sing to your absolute best ability is welcome. Bermondsey Voices
meet Tuesday evenings in St. James Church, Thurland Road, London SE16 4AA. Please
let Kristina know you’re coming by texting her on 07932664832.
Go to www.bermondseyvoices.co.uk
to find out more about the choir. Welcome!”
www.bermondseyvoices.co.uk
www.facebook.com/bermondseyvoices
Twitter: @BermondseyVoice
Seesaw at the Unicorn Theatre - Throughout February
This Unicorn Theatre
production explores the push and pull of friendship, and the ups and downs of
being very young. You can save 20% on all half term performances
(excluding 14 Feb 1.30pm) using your London Bridge DealCard.
22nd February - Refuge Britain: Designers at Work -
Fashion & Textile Museum
25th February - Bread Ahead's Real Bread Week
Celebration - Borough Market
26th February – Cheese at London Bridge –
Vivat Bacchus
28th February - DTI Export Hub - South Bank
Mid
February - Cath Kidston Opening in London
Bridge Station - Western Arcade
Until
24th February - UAL Olympus Photography Award 2018 -
Bermondsey Project Space
Until
25th February - Dimensions - Eames Fine
Art
Every
Wednesday – Weekly Quiz with Dimbleby Cancer Care – Draft House
Tower Bridge
Every Wednesday and
Saturday – Yoga in The Walkways –
Tower Bridge
Every Friday - Live Music Evenings - Oblix
East
Every Saturday and
Sunday – Market Day – Maltby
Street Market
Throughout
February - He Xiangu Exhibition - White Cube
Bermondsey
Throughout
February - Othello - Unicorn Theatre
Throughout February – The UK’s Highest Virtual Reality Experience –
The View From The Shard
Throughout February - Climb
Aboard the HMS Belfast - HMS Belfast
Throughout February - A Tale
of Two Southwark's Exhibition - Roast
Throughout February - Bridge House Estates Exhibition -
Tower Bridge Exhibition
International Women’s Day, 8 March
International
Women’s Day takes place worldwide and it celebrates the social, economic,
cultural and political journey of women. This year’s theme is Press for
Progress. See the link below for further details if you are interested.
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
Arts Council Funding
Streams
For the next four years until 2022 The Arts Council
England will invest across three key funding streams:
- £409 million per year in
830 arts organisations, museums and libraries in their
National Portfolio. This will include £341 million of grant-in-aid
and £68 million of National Lottery funding.
- £97.3 million of National
Lottery funding per year in Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants,
through their open-access funding programme.
- £72.2 million per year in
our Arts Council Development Funds which will focus on
diversity, resilience, innovation in business models, leadership
development and creating more pathways for a wider range of people to
become part of the arts and culture sector.
You can see more about the Arts Council England programme here
Garfield Weston
Foundation
The Garfield Weston Foundation has opened a £5m fund to help small charities and
community organisations develop their facilities. The grant-maker will
award grants of up to £150,000 to charities and groups that want to improve
their existing facilities or find new ones.
Community Share Booster Programme
Local groups that need ‘an extra boost’ to set up or grow a community business in England can seek support from this £3 million programme which runs until 2020. It is provided by Power to Change and run by the Community Shares Unit.
The programme aims to help disadvantaged and underrepresented communities to develop successful community businesses, and financed through community share offers. It offers successful applicants a business development support grant of up to £10,000 in advance of launching their community share offer. After that, their organisation could have access to up to £100,000 match funding when the share 4 offer goes live. Match funding will be in the form of equity held on equal terms with other community shareholders.
Deadline: December 2020
Wakefield and Tetley Trust - Fast Track Grants
Grants of between £100 and £2,500 are available for charitable organisations working to improve the lives of people in the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Southwark and the City of London who face significant disadvantage and have limited opportunities.
United St Saviour
Charity
United St Saviour’s Charity has opened two grant programmes:
Community Investment Programme 2018/19 Round 2 (large grants
over £5,000) – open to expression of interest until noon on Thursday 29th
March 2018. This is a two stage process: successful expressions will be
shortlisted in April 2018 for a detailed application in May 2018, with final
selection taking place in July 2018 and projects commencing from August 2018.
Community Engagement Programme 2018/19 Round 1 (small grants of
up to £5,000) – open to application until noon on Thursday 29th March 2018.
This is a single stage process, for projects starting from late April 2018.
Click here to learn more about the United St
Saviour Charity and their priorities, programmes and previously funded projects.
Prospective parents are being welcomed to tour the Cherry Gardens school and
meet a senior leader in advance of the move to their brand new school building
in September 2018. They would also encourage you to visit the school to see how
they meet the needs of children between 2-11 with EHCP's in order for you to
support parents making decisions about provision for their children.
Please contact Stephen
Kilgour, Early Years Leader and Champion on 0207 237 4050
Training
Free workshop – helping parents in employment
6 Mar 2018 | 9.30am to 1pm | Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP, Adelaide House, London Bridge, London EC4R 9HA
Half day training for advisers provided by Advising Communities, Cambridge House Law Centre, Southwark Law Centre and Working Families
Working Families has joined with Advising Communities, Southwark Law Centre and Cambridge House Law Centre to provide free training for generalist advisers on employment rights and benefits for parents in work. If you have a colleague or volunteer who might benefit from the training, please forward them the attached flyer or follow the link below to register an interest.
www.workingfamilies.org.uk/events/free-workshop-helping-parents-in-employment/
Our Equality and Human Rights Framework: Learning Programme in South East – March and April 2018
Equality and Diversity Forum
Date: 5 March and 9 April 2018 Location: Green Park, 100 Longwater Avenue Green Park, Reading RG2 6GP Cost: Free with a £50 refundable deposit
Want help using equality and human rights to achieve your organisation’s core purpose?
The Equality and Diversity Forum has launched its Equality and Human Rights Framework – a free digital toolkit for voluntary and community sector organisations.
They are looking for organisations in the South East to register for their Framework learning programme. This free series of workshops will explore how to use the Framework to integrate equality and human rights into your work.
The deadline for registration is 26 February 2018.
 
For those of you that are interested.....
An aspiring
woman who runs a Wing Tusun self-defence Academy will be running another fightlike a girl workshop. She is ranked as one of the highest ranking women in the world
in her discipline! Her aim is to educate women on how to defend themselves and
to embrace the #fightlikeagirl and empower women.
It will be in Lewisham on 4 March. http://www.dulwichwingtsun.com/workshops/
Please circulate to anyone who may be interested.
Ahlam Laabori
Project Manager
StarFish Project
Bede House
Consultation on the new Southwark Plan - Have Your Say!
The council has published the ‘proposed submission version’ of the New Southwark Plan for consultation. The plan sets out the borough-wide planning and regeneration strategy up to 2033 and includes planning policies, proposed development sites and visions for each of the borough’s unique neighbourhoods.
This is the last stage of consultation, and the council is asking people to consider two key questions: is the plan ‘legal?’ and is the plan ‘sound?’
The formal consultation period has been extended and now closes on 27 February 2018. To find out more about what these questions mean, the plan and the consultation please see the link below to the consultation hub page.
https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/planning-and-regeneration/new-southwark-plan-proposed-submission-version/
There is a prepared a further
draft of the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan on which there is a consultation on until 21
March 2018. The documents are available to view on the Council website here.
The plan explains the strategy for the
regeneration of the Old Kent Road, including the extension of the Bakerloo
Line, to accommodate new homes, provide new jobs, leisure, shopping, parks and
transport improvements in a new town centre over the next 20 years.
Come along to a drop-in session to
find out more about the plan:
Drawing Room, Unit 8 Rich Estate,
46 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SF
Wednesday 7 March 2018
4.30pm – 8.30pm
Christ Church Peckham, 676-680 Old Kent
Road, London SE15 1JF
Fill out the online questionnaire on our consultation hub to give your views on the
plan.
Southwark Council
planningpolicy@southwark.gov.uk
020 7525 5471
 
Remember the next Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Community Council Meeting is on the 21 March 2018 at 6:30pm! The theme of the meeting is Community Infrastructure Levy, Come and Vote for your Priorites! It will be at the Albion Primary School, in Rotherhithe. The successful Neighbourhoods Fund 2018/19 projects will also be announced. Hope you can all make it. Looking forward to seeing you!
| 
