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Does Central Brixton need a Community Centre?

lang rabbie said:
Is there more than one Gladstonian poster?

Most disappointed that noone recognised me at the April Offline just on the strength of my "Remember that the sanctity of life in the hill villages of Afghanistan, among the winter snows, is as inviolable in the eye of Almighty God as can be your own" T-shirt complete with portrait of my hero! :)

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Can I have one of those please? :) With a disclaimer about not approving of Gladstonian views of alcohol... :D And personally I've found drinking lager is a better way to empaphise with people than tea...
 
Anna Key said:
That's easy to address: you set your Charitable Objects to exclude those dangers and involve residents from those clusters:

(a) as Members of the Charity;

(b) as Trustees of the Charity;

(c) as Directors and Members of subsidiary incorporated bodies established by the Charity to deliver particular projects; and

(d) as recipients of benefits from the charity, especially in the field of - horrible fashionable phrase - “community capacity building.” It’s now legal to include community capacity building as a charitable object.
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And (once the place is up and running) making the inclusivness fun.

I dunno maybe a historian could be persuaded to give a talk on The Irish Slaves taken to Montserrat during Cromwells time.

I was always told these slaves mixed with the black slaves from Africa and their decendents live there to this day. If you close your eyes and listened to people talk you could be in Ireland.

But how true is this? I'd love to know the details.

Imagine a talk and debate on this subject over a pint of Bitter in a revitalised Bradys? There! 3 races mixing already!
 
It's great to see how inspired people get when they get a whiff of an idea for something physical and hands-on. I know everyone has no problem excercising their brains and discussing ideas here but it's good to know there is as much enthusiasm to get busy with a real space. . .

There seems some synchronicity at work here Anna, because I wrote up a proposal for a Creative Centre just yesterday. I don't know how to make a 'here' link to show you, but basically it does not try and be a soup kitchen and a health centre and all that at once - just a creative venue and space for people to access who have creative projects to complete or experiment with - a facility offering space to work but also providing opportunities to cooperate on funded projects, encouraging social enterprise and voluntary projects. . .

N.B: There is already a community resource centre in the pipeline (co-ordinated by Lambeth Voluntary Action Council) which I consulted on last week on behalf of the Apt Self Help Trust. We advised it should have shared office space and dedicated meeting rooms and an I.T. space / training facility, as well as a large workspace or event space and cafe.
It would also have a reading room / info centre.

The reason I drew up a separate proposal for a creative centre is to make space for studios (sound recording, editing / video,film editing) and workshops, storage facility ample enough to operate as a depot possibly for recycled goods and materials for artists / builders / designers. The place would be a free, bookable facility for creatives as well as a creative people/skills/ideas resource for the community and local government.

I think between the community centre already happening and a creative centre, a lot of local groups would have what they needed.

That leaves health / old age and the vulnerable / drug takers as a separate project for those groups who know how to deal with this - I don't know what facilities are really needed - although Brixton could do with alternative health and well-being resources, better health education, etc. no doubt.

Also there should be more venues and a theatre is a great idea - but, again,I don't think one place should be foreseen as being able to be all things to all people! It would be great to see more venues opened up by and for people living here. . .

Thanks for case study, Pooka.
 
Mr Retro said:
And (once the place is up and running) making the inclusivness fun.

I dunno maybe a historian could be persuaded to give a talk on The Irish Slaves taken to Montserrat during Cromwells time.

I was always told these slaves mixed with the black slaves from Africa and their decendents live there to this day. If you close your eyes and listened to people talk you could be in Ireland.

But how true is this? I'd love to know the details.

Imagine a talk and debate on this subject over a pint of Bitter in a revitalised Bradys? There! 3 races mixing already!
Click to expand...

The first European settlers arrived around 1632, and were probably Irish Catholics from nearby St. Kitts, fleeing persecution for their religion. Catholics from Virginia joined them, and Montserrat gradually became a refuge for Catholics of Irish decent. It has been noted that Irish people of all walks of life came to Montserrat, from wealthy landowners to poor indentured servants. These people gave Montserrat its now familiar name "The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean," and several aspects of the island’s heritage are attributed to the Irish. These include place names, surnames, the local accent (supposedly similar to an Irish brogue), and perhaps certain cultural and food items.
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They celebrate Paddy's Day in Montserrat :D
 
miss FX and Anna are right on the need for this.The other thread on the old south London Womens centre and Buzz post on GLC remind me that back in the GLC days their was a lot of centres etc.Brixton had a Community Law Centre(Brixton Rd),Citizens Advice Centre(in the market) etc.All this has gone.
 
sounds like a great idea, which makes me wonder why it hasn't been done before.

brady's would be fantastic venue, but i'd be amazed if the powers that be let such a prime piece of real estate go to such worthy use.

interested to see how this all turns out though, and can i say, it's really nice to see something really positive on the brixton forum. :)
 
Cool, a Brixton village hall. Great plan :)

Could it be made to work?

Is this a Big Scheme or shortlife? ie a long lease on a purpose renovated building or a short lease on the building pretty much as is, pending tube phase 2?

Either way, could you get approval or funding for a community centre without comprehensive disabled access? It's hard to see how the Railway (I know, I'm sorry, but I never went into it as Bradys and haven't seen the bits beyond the public bars) could satisfy that particular inclusivity requirement. It's hardly well placed for a creche or toddlers group, or any other provision for children, and access for the elderly is limited. Not an ideal building for a wide vision of inclusive 'community', but that's not the only vision. Is it?

To get funding might mean competing with other groups who represent other visions of community inclusion... the Lido, frinstance.



One great advantage the community of youngish adults has is the ability to just get on and do stuff.



Why hasn't the building been resquatted?
 
There's already one...it's where plunge2002 (I think I've got here name right) was doing her yoga classes, there's all sorts going on in there.....I think it's called the Vida Walsh Building, or something like that.....
 
Vida Walsh Centre (Brixton Sheltered Street Scheme)
2b Saltoun Road - next to Windrush Square

There is one fairly small meeting room. Evening use is limited to fairly sedate meetings (e.g. The Brixton Society, Friends of the Earth etc.) because of the sheltered housing for older people above the centre.

I don't know what future daytime usage will be for services to older people, because I think they were unsuccessful in at least one of their bids to Social Services for 3 year contracts to replace the former grant regime.
 
Ah, I thought it was bigger than that.....a bit like the Marcus Lipton at Loughborough Junction...I think I've probably mentally combined two different places.
 
Plunge's class - St Vincents Community Centre, Talma Rd (building with turret).

Vida Walsh Centre - 2b Saltoun Rd.


Bradys - don't you think you should find out current plans/ownership of it before doing anything else. Otherwise this is just words.
 
hatboy said:
Bradys - don't you think you should find out current plans/ownership of it before doing anything else. Otherwise this is just words.
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Sure. Someone's got to dig in the planning files. I guess that'll be me. :)

Thing is, if it's not Bradys it'll be somewhere else. I've used the Vida Walsh Centre before - excellent as far as it goes - but it has none of the potential of a larger space. For example, there'd be no chance of providing a small-medium size live music venue and bar (the neighbours would, quite rightly, kill that idea dead).

As mentioned earlier in the thread, Brixton is now an official "creative and cultural industries hub" knee-deep in local musicians who (a) have few places to rehearse and (b) even fewer places to perform. All we have are identikit DJ bars such Living, Dogstar and Plan B thumping out tedious "chum chum" as part of the drugs tourism industry for Claphamites.

So the chat on this thread is useful regardless of whether Bradys is a runner or not. It's shown just how keen many people are to provide some community space/resources in central Brixton.
 
I'm no expert, but for many years I've thought the Canterbury was the place to see live bands. Is that not the case any more?
 
It is still the case, and also the Windmill and the Effra. I think rehearsal space and a general Community place not involved in the selling of alcohol is needed though. Preferably somewhere that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to hire, like large rooms in the Town Hall for instance.......
 
If all the Rushcroft Road residents became Tories they could join the Effra Conservative Club (the victorian villa at no 89 Effra Road just before Brixton Water Lane). I understand that it now has so few members, that you could probably mount a palace coup by the second AGM

I've never been in, but usually reliable sources tell me that there is a barely used full sized hall (+stage+ meeting rooms???) at the back of the building - albeit with lousy disabled access. Can this be true?

Might Mr BC enlighten us?
 
Thanks Mrs M, I'd agree entirely about a need for spaces that don't involve alcohol. I was really responding the Anna saying that there weren't any performance spaces left, just DJ bars. Maybe he doesn't like the Canterbury- the post at the head of this thread seems to want to poach their customers for his community centre.


As to entryism, at around the same time as Villa Rd squatters joined Angel Labour party en masse, loads of people in our street made an attempt to join the Tories. Sadly they ignored all the applications.
 
lang rabbie said:
If all the Rushcroft Road residents became Tories they could join the Effra Conservative Club (the victorian villa at no 89 Effra Road just before Brixton Water Lane). I understand that it now has so few members, that you could probably mount a palace coup by the second AGM

I've never been in, but usually reliable sources tell me that there is a barely used full sized hall (+stage+ meeting rooms???) at the back of the building - albeit with lousy disabled access. Can this be true?

Might Mr BC enlighten us?
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I certainly can. The Effra Club is a tardis. It's enormous. A huge room with proper stage and lights is in front of another huge room filled with snooker tables with yet another room behind that and large grounds at the back too. It is in a pretty bad state with no money having been spent on it in years. The cheapest beer in Brixton though and the excellent snooker tables keep the place ticking over.
 
IntoStella said:
Is that an invitation? Bloody hell! Now that's what I call entryism! :D :D
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I'm afraid entryism wouldn't work. All these clubs are affiliated to the National Association of Conservative & Unionist Clubs. The constitutions are set centrally. The Steward needs to be approved by the association etc etc.

You could join though, enjoy the cheap booze and snooker tables, and have the satisfaction of knowing that a % of your fees supported the 3 Lambeth Conservative Associations. ;)
 
Gramsci said:
miss FX and Anna are right on the need for this.The other thread on the old south London Womens centre and Buzz post on GLC remind me that back in the GLC days their was a lot of centres etc.Brixton had a Community Law Centre(Brixton Rd),Citizens Advice Centre(in the market) etc.All this has gone.
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There still is a Lambeth Law Centre...it's based in the old synagogue on Effra Road...also I think CAB do an advice session there for 2 hours a week......but it's a pared-back service compared to before.....
 
Mr BC said:
I certainly can. The Effra Club is a tardis. It's enormous. A huge room with proper stage and lights is in front of another huge room filled with snooker tables with yet another room behind that and large grounds at the back too. It is in a pretty bad state with no money having been spent on it in years. The cheapest beer in Brixton though and the excellent snooker tables keep the place ticking over.
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What a waste - that would be perfect for the London Allstars steel band!
 
These plans, which are the latest info from Lambeth council, make no provision for Bradys as a venue. They will involve demolishing the gig room.

"Bradys/Phase 2 -

The project comprises a mixed retail and residential development of 90,000
sq ft into the currently poor quality back area behind Brixton underground
station. The proposal includes the development of a multi-modal transport
interchange: road, rail, and underground. The Council has acquired the land
and properteis necessary to undertake the project and a development partner
has obtained planning consent. The Council has engaged with London
Undergound on the commencement of the development now that the station
improvements have reached conclusion. It is intended to incorporate the
Brady's public house into the new development as a leisure/retail
destination, retaining the facade".

"leisure/retail" in English is a shop or a small bar. It will be of no significance IMO. Perhaps some of you should also make your views known on this and save it as a venue before the demolition team move in. It would be good to save more than the facade.
 
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