Gay Camberwell

by Layla

We at Gay Camberwell have always had a soft spot for Elephant and Castle. Indeed, for me it was my first portal to South London, in a Camberwell-bound odyssey from a hotel on the Strand. Later it was home to the now closed Southopia, aka Chocolate Lounge, the brilliant lesbian private members' club where Roz ran lesbian film club and I met her for the first time. Also where I went lesbian speed-dating and embarrassingly subsequently had my photo plastered over a page in Diva, having speed dated the Diva editor. And I attended a gay bowling night in the E&C shopping centre's rather good bowling alley. And worked at the Department of Health's E&C building, which has a great view over the area. I'm also adept at a complicated route by bicycle that avoids the infamous roundabouts.

We have never been under any illusions about the glory of the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, but we have recently been conscious of interesting things happening within that beautiful building... First, a rather acclaimed little theatre has opened in an empty retail space. Theatre Local has been home to a Royal Court season which finishes in late August. And last week the space was used by community theatre company Mayhem who put on a rather impressive show called Elephant 21. After a glowing review from  Time Out we ventured down on Friday night. What a lovely experience. Great performances, and a show about a family history through the years in Elephant and Castle. They derived the show from oral histories from people in the area, and it was fascinating to have an insight into wartime Elephant, and changes through the years, culminating in a couple of yuppie types buying in the new Strata Tower. Funny and apt. We had a brilliant night. Topped off by prosecco and a game or ten of Connect Four in The Bear, which was very busy with a great wine bar type atmosphere.

As we left the theatre that night we walked past Mamuska and regretted we'd already had dinner - it's an authentic and stylishly homely Polish restaurant in another retail unit that has also had a good recent review from Time Out. Unusual to pull off stylish without pretentiousness but they do it well. It was busy and there was live music. A cheery Polish waitress handed us a tempting-looking menu. We decided to return the following night. Saturday night in the Elephant and Castle shopping Centre seemed an odd choice, but we had a great time. The food was absolutely delicious (and cheap). The atmosphere was quirky and comfortable. The Polish beer came in 500mL bottles for £3. I had dumplings and Roz had potato pancakes, at £5 each. Both were delicious. Just as we finished, people poured in - the after-party for the Elephant 21 cast and crew! We had a lovely evening with more Polish beer, actor spotting and vicariously enjoying their celebrations. Bravo, Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre. I was only sorry we were too distracted to go bowling!

by Layla

It was with great frustration that we accessed the Camberwell Online Blog from a remote Transylvanian village and read about one of the most anticipated events of Camberwell, the opening of the South London Gallery extension... and most excitingly, of the cafe, Number Sixty Seven. And so we zoomed down as soon as we could to suss it out.

My goodness, that cafe may be the best thing that's happened in Camberwell (since the creation of Gay Camberwell, of course). Frankly, it is excellent. And turns a visit to the SLG into a real event. Accessible either directly from the street, or by a path leading through a garden from the main gallery, it is stylish, modern, sleek, and inviting. It has four different seating areas. First there's an outside seating area in the patio facing Peckham Road, a sunny spot and more pleasant than it sounds, filled with arty gay boys lounging artily over cappucinos. Going inside, there's a sophisticated dark wood section with cushioned benches and chairs - it feels arty and looks good. Then you hit the counter for ordering food and drink. Blackboards announce a range of food and drink (we didn't spot any alcohol, alas) and they have an interesting, tempting range of both. Meringues and cake loomed temptingly on the counter, and a large bowl of salad looked so delicious that I immediately ordered it. 

Going further into the building hits the third cafe space, a bright, partially glass room with a very high ceiling and one long, elegant 14-seater wooden table around which groups of people were enjoying their lunches. 

Proceeding through that room's folding glass doors, we reached the back patio where we settled, with views of the garden in one direction, and adjacent blocks of flats in the other. It gave a real sense of place. A great mix of utilitarianist starkness and pleasing design details. 

And so to the food. I had a barley, blue cheese and artichoke salad, with delicious fresh baby tomatoes. It was excellent, if rather blue cheesey... And a fair portion for £7. Roz opted for a mezze platter of hoummous, tzaziki and such, which she declared similarly pleasing, and fair for £5.50. For dessert, I had the best Eton Mess I have ever had. I have been dreaming about it ever since. Roz had a slice of quirky but tasty courgette cake (think carrot cake, but greener). The coffee was also very good. We were very impressed. Loved the ambience too - what a fantastic addition to Camberwell. It's open Tue-Sun 10-6:30, and late on a Wednesday til 9pm. (The art was interesting too... mostly text-based, which was interesting, and the new spaces which are essentially rooms of a typical Peckham Road flat make the SLG far more versatile).

As if sampling one Camberwell establishment was not enough for one day, we decided to dine at The Tiger. We've been hearing mixed reviews about their food, but were pleasantly surprised. I had a tomato tart with rocket salad. The tart was tasty and moist, though there was slightly too much pastry involved - not the best option for dieters. Roz had the red pepper stuffed with cous cous which was delicious. £6.95 for each meal, which is very fair. And a lovely atmosphere as usual in The Tiger, which seems to have become gayer in our absence - we watched a sweet scene where a gay boy was sitting alone and a man came up and gave him his number. Then the sitting boy's boyfriend came in, the first boy showed him the number, and they giggled together. On leaving, we encountered a second gay male couple sitting outside, who could only be described as canoodling on Camberwell Green. All very sweet - hooray for the Tiger. If only they served their wine in wine glasses though...

After that day of eating, it was off to Brixton Ritzy to see the brilliant French rom com Heartbreaker. Highly recommended, even if not at all gay! 

by Layla

Our silence over the last few weeks is attributable to Roz and me having left the sunny climes of Camberwell for a rather more rainy and Dracula-studded experience on holiday in Transylvania. We returned home this weekend, just in time to catch the last of the sun and sample the delights of Frank's Campari Bar, the excellent pop-up bar on the roof of the Peckham multistory car park. Probably one of the coolest hidden venues in London, in my opinion, and surely the one with the best view of the London skyline (this year with the addition of the rather funky Elephant and Castle new skyscraper). Roz had decided to celebrate her birthday there on Sunday afternoon and we had an amusing time sitting in the sun waiting for the north Londoners to brave their way to Peckham (and find it a mere 10 minute journey from central London) and then to brave their way into a dodgy-looking multistory carpark with little optimism of finding such a great venue at the top. I was a huge fan of Frank's last year and it's pretty much the same this year. Maybe my favourite thing about Peckham! Though I also like Bar Story... the Italian restaurant... the Chinese Garden in Peckham Rye Park... Review bookshop... the cinema where we went to see Whatever Works later that evening (a total of four people in the cinema, including us - it was the night of the World Cup final)...

Of course Peckham is all very well, but this evening we were out in Camberwell. We're loving the ping pong table that's been installed on Camberwell Green (the same group who installed the piano last year) though we have sadly been unable to play on it - despite the website's claims that lost bats and balls are replaced daily, we've never been able to find any when we pass. Our ping pong bat order has now been placed with Amazon... 

We passed the ping pong table en route to the private view of a new art exhibition at the Sun and Doves. Nice to see it so busy, with arty types enjoying the pictures over complementary wine. Afterwards we popped into the Tiger to enjoy their lovely ambience over a glass of wine (Roz) and a big dessert (me). And reveled in the serenity of pubs now that the World Cup is over (hurrah!)

Of course in our absence the South London Gallery has expanded and there is allegedly a great cafe there - we know our responsibilities and will be investigating this weekend...

by Roz

Gay Camberwell owes so much to the Castle.  It hosted our fabulous opening night launch party in November 2008, monthly book group meetings even longer than that and, every Sunday since January 2009, Pink Screen Sundays – free screenings of gay films (bought by them, and with popcorn and, if we were particularly lucky, Maltesers, for viewers). 

The manager, Winston, was an enthusiast for Gay Camberwell from the very beginning.  He embraced its philosophy and ambition, and didn’t falter even when numbers for the films weren’t so good (I’m sure that those films were the ones programmed by Layla!).  He even tolerated my unnecessarily tetchy emails when things went slightly wrong.  I am therefore more pained than I can possibly say to tell you that the Castle has closed: it is the end of an era. 

So, before in a panicky fashion I contemplate where we should have book group, quite apart from desperately trying to identify a venue for regular free gay films plus popcorn and chocolate (though suggestions for both would be welcome), l would like to thank the exceptionally nice man who used to manage the Castle, and who now owns one of the most extensive collection of gay films in England: Winston Levine. 

It’s fortunate that, if the bad news of the closure of the Castle ever had to come, it came the week that Spark storytelling took over our very own Blue Elephant Theatre.  I’m just back from their first night of residence brimming with enthusiasm, albeit still mourning the loss of the Castle: a strange mix. 
 
Layla and I first discovered storytelling on our honeymoon in NYC where we went to a Moth storytelling event: true stories told live without notes.  Despite being exceptionally stingy, the night was so marvellous that I felt compelled to use my phone whilst in NYC to find if there were such nights in London and, in a basement in the East Village, I first heard about Spark.  Run by the very jolly Joanna (a pleasingly alliterative description), my first event on returning to London convinced me it was worth booking months ahead (the nights are almost immediately sold out) and travelling to the depths of north London (Little Venice) – despite the fact that these are two things I dislike doing.  My joy was immense when I realised that – quite independently of my enthusiasm – Spark was to take up residence in the Blue Elephant Theatre (6 minutes from our flat) for an entire week.  I planned to go to three nights of storytelling and scheduled my diary accordingly.  However, just back from the first night, I now realise that this is insufficient to sate my appetite for storytelling and am now trying to rearrange my diary accordingly. Storytelling so often suggests ancient myths (which can be fun) but Spark storytelling is very different.  Tonight we had tales of cocaine and penguins and love and betrayal and electricians. And more.  The thing that makes these nights remarkable is the fact that the stories are true: it’s like your best friend decided to get up on stage and bare his or her soul…  Absolutely unmissable.    

And so, whilst mourning the loss of the wonderful Castle, I feel compelled to celebrate the imagination and enthusiasm that led to Spark coming south of the river. I very much hope that it becomes a regular event at the Blue Elephant. 

Soon, we’ll be blogging about possible venues for book club meetings and films.  But, tonight at least, let’s thank goodness that Camberwell once had the Castle.  And that we have the Blue Elephant theatre.    

by Roz

As regular readers will know, Layla and I are seeking to buy a new home.  I have been intrigued, over the months, to see that many north London friends have (with varying degrees of tact) sought to steer us towards Oval, Kennington, Brixton and Stockwell.  All fine places (though obviously no Camberwell!) but of course their recommendation, from the perspective of foreigners from over the river, is their tubes.  The curious thing about that being that, when visiting the north, I’ve found myself walking 20 minutes or more to an area “on the tube” – whilst, of course, whichever part of Camberwell you are in a 20 minute walk will take you to a tube (should you be rash enough to want one when you could cycle or bus it!). 

Of course we aren’t going to be so rash as to be tempted by the lure of Oval, Kennington, Brixton or Stockwell.  But I must confess Oval does have one great attraction for me – its theatre.  Without much fanfare from the gay press or the gay world, so far as I’ve noticed, the Oval House Theatre’s programming has become distinctly gay.  There last Saturday for the last night of the very wonderful (and sold out) one-man show Mother / Son, I studied the summer season’s programme and realised that everything that they are showing at the moment has a gay theme.  Where, in my view, Oval House Theatre really is a boon for south London is the imagination and thoughtfulness of the work produced there.  In contrast to the Drill Hall (at which, I should say, I have had some very pleasant evenings), the Oval House seems to seek out cutting-edge and innovative theatre – which is why so much of their work either comes from, or goes, to places like Queer Up North and the Here arts center in NYC.  

A virtue of the Oval House Theatre is that they innovate without descending into pretentiousness.  Which is more than can be said, alas, for the much vaunted Electric Hotel which is currently running at a Victorian gas works in King’s Cross.  It’s a superb venue and a superb concept for a piece.  But it also turned out to be very dull and immensely smug.  This will teach us not to be so rash as to venture over the river on a Saturday night… 


Finally, it's worth mentioning a new pizza restaurant on the road to Oval (attached to the Union Tavern)opened in May - Pizza Lenuccia.  And, of course, this week the Blue Elephant theatre is taken over by storytelling and it's definitely worth going along one night (on Friday Layla will be telling the tale of her first lesbian date!).  

by Layla

In our quest for quirky and delightful entertainment, Roz and I have recently been breaching the boundaries of SE5 and sampling the offerings of other locales like tourists in a strange land. And we have come to the conclusion that Camberwell is only missing two things. 

One is trapeze club nights. Roz and I recently went to a French Victorian cabaret club night in East London - as you do - which involved scantily-clad ladies and muscular gentlemen swinging and twirling from the rafters in a most entertaining fashion. It has made me think that no evening entertainment is really complete without a trapeze artist. And indeed, at Camberwell Gay Book Group, one of the members recently announced that she was a trapeze artist, limited only in providing Camberwell-based trapeze entertainment by lack of a sufficiently high ceiling with a good strong hook. Forget cinemas - clearly this is the real gap in the market!

The other is storytelling. For a while we've been venturing to the far north of Little Venice to attend the extremely popular, sell-out storytelling events run by Spark. Our interest was born on our New York honeymoon where storytelling is the current cool phenomenon and queues for storytelling nights snake round the block, crammed with cool young things and cool older things alike. Trying to recreate the experience in London, we found that there is a storytelling scene here, but how horrible to have to venture north and west! A few weeks ago, Spark held a brilliant storytelling-and-dinner event in the lovely Soho venue Bar Chocolate. People told 7-minute true stories about their lives between courses of an excellent meal. Funny, sad, interesting, illuminating... and one by a woman from Blackheath who fled her Polish village to escape the concentration camps in WW2 at the age of 7 that left me sobbing. Storytelling is still a bit of an underground entertainment in London. Roz and I were lamenting the lack of storytelling in Camberwell when, randomly, Spark announced they are doing a 5-day storytelling festival at our very own Blue Elephant Theatre! From Monday 7th til Friday 11th June, go along at 8pm to hear true stories on a different theme every night. Take proof you live in Southwark and get in for £5. See one show, get the rest half price. And if you're lucky, you might get to hear the story of my first ever lesbian first date...

So that just leaves the challenge of finding a venue for a trapeze club night...

by Layla

With just hours til the polling booths open, we at Gay Camberwell are truly flummoxed. We had rather considered Camberwell a microcosm of the UK, with Labour getting in, Tories being the baddies, and Lib Dem being the goodies. We are well aware of the parties' voting history for gay issues. But, like the rest of the UK, this election looks to be rather more interesting than some of the previous ones, and our preconceptions are thrown in the air. 

Camberwell and Peckham is apparently one of Labour's safest seats, but the tides are turning against them. Certainly they have made Britain a better place for gay people , and Harriet's Gay Camberwell response was well thought out (if somewhat smug, and with a spelling mistake in the first answer) but I found it hard to forget the ill-conceived enthusiasm for the War on Terror and certainly it feels that change is - or needs to be - in the air. So what's a non-Labour-voting gay to do?

Well, the obvious answer would be Lib Dem. I have voted for them in the past, and a Nick Clegg government would, overall, be a good thing. But... until proportional representation comes in, helping England to a Lib Dem majority means voting in Columba Blango to Camberwell. And I'm not sure I've ever seen a more uninspiring candidate. His main qualifications seem to be that he was an Olympic athlete. And he started up some sports things in Southwark. If I was voting for a sporting leader, I'd be happy to vote for him. But as an MP he seems a thoroughly unimpressive option. I haven't met him, but those I know who have are unimpressed. His Gay Camberwell response was riddled with errors, making me rather concerned about how he would represent us (and embarrass us) in Parliament. 'I live in the camberwell' is a bad start for us English pedants, but even the less pedantic amongst you readers surely cringed when he replied to the question about the top 3 priorities for Camberwell by citing a generic five, entitled A, B, C, E, H... And his answer about his favourite place in Camberwell was a cop out - 'all of it'? It makes him sound like he's never really been here. I'm not sure I could justify voting for Lib Dem as it means voting for this man to represent us.

And so to the Tories. Reassuringly the baddies, especially when it comes to gay rights. In this election alone, the Tories have been addled with homophobic scandals, from Chris Grayling wanting businesses to be able to refuse to serve gay people, to Philippa Stroud running a church to 'cure' gay people. And yet, our own Tory candidate is a bit unusual. Living on a council estate, living with cerebral palsy, and practicing what he preaches, he is a fascinating candidate, and hardly a typical Tory. And his Gay Camberwell answers were pretty sensible and well thought out. He clearly knows the area. But at the end of the day, voting for him is voting to elect a Tory government, and can anyone really do that in all good conscience?

Which brings us to the Green party. And in my opinion, Jenny Jones is the most credible local candidate of all. Considered and intelligent answers to our questions, clearly local and sensible, and she doesn't embarrass herself with any demonstrations of poor literacy. But the Greens are unlikely to be part of governing our country. Well, not this time around. And I probably wouldn't have considered them, were it not for this fascinating website. Still don't know who to vote for? Vote for Policies separates the parties from the policies so you can choose the policies you think are most sensible without prejudice. At the end they tell you which party you should vote for if considering their policies alone. And as I sat back, expecting a Lib Dem result, I was surprised by a firmly Green choice. 

And so, I'll be off to the Lomond Grove polling station tomorrow and checking the 'Green' box. Well, maybe...

Responses to our questions are now in from Harriet Harman (Labour, and our current MP) and Andy Stranack (Tory). 

Harriet Harman

1. Tell us about your connection with Camberwell.

I have had the priviledge of representing Camberwell in Parliament since I was first elected in 1982.

2. What do you think is so good about Camberwell? 

It's diversity - a great mix of people from all walks of life.

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell?

Improving public transport links, better housing, more community facilties for local people. 

4. How are you going to achieve these?  

By continuing to work alongside local councillors and orgainsations such as yourselves, the Camberwell Community Council, Southwark Council, and the tenants and residents associations. By pressing the Government, like I did to:
* Ensure that there will be a "super inquest" into the tragic deaths in the fire at Lakanal House.
* Keep the Camberwell Jobcentreplus open.
* Help campaigners secure £1.4 million of government money to keep the Camberwell Baths open.
* Ensure the Secretary of State for Transport agree to an early start date for the East London Line.
And I will continue to demand that Tory Mayor Boris Johnson, the chair of TfL, invests in better transport links for Camberwell and Peckham, and reverse his decision to cut the South London Line.

5. How will your party promote gay rights?  

The Labour Party has done more for Gay and Lesbian rights than any other party, and I am proud of our record. We have:
· Introduced civil partnerships in 2004 which has to date benefited nearly 35,000 same sex couples;
· Brought in a consistent age of consent (16) for both Lesbian, Gay and bisexual people and for heterosexual people.
· Repealed Clause 28 of the Local Government Act 1988.
· Lifted the ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the armed forces;
· Outlawed discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the workplace in 2003 and banned discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in goods, facilities, services and public functions in 2007;
· Created a new offence making it unlawful to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation through the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
· Strengthened the law to protect transsexual people from discrimination The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 which made it easier for lesbian couples to access IVF and ensure that same sex couples can be both recognised as the legal parents of their children in the same way as heterosexual people.
· Introduced the Equality Act which will make life fairer for lesbian, gay and bisexual people by putting a new duty on public bodies which will mean public bodies need to think about the needs of everyone who uses their services or works for them.
· In the Equality Act Lord Waheed Alli amendment removes the prohibition on Civil Partnerships taking place in religious premises. 

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?

Being treated equally and fairly and being safe and not subject to prejudice

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 

When a constituent contacts me for my help I always reply to them within 10 working days. I always do what I can to help. I am committed to fighting for equality and fairness and if I am re-elected, as I hope, I promise my ongoing commitment to equality which I will carry through in the next Parliament, ensuring that the Equality Act is enforced. 

8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   

I am working to ensure that the church and the local community work together so that the building, which is now owned by the church, can be used by all the community.

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?

I love Lucas Gardens, and was pleased that we forced Southwark Council to do a u-turn on their plans to sell of part of the gardens to developers.

And from Andrew Stranack:

1. Tell us a bit about your connection with Camberwell.  

My Mum's first teaching job after she left University in 1960 was at Charles Edward Brook School, she remembers walking the children down to Camberwell Baths once a week. So you could say that my connection with the area goes back to before I was born !!!!

2. What do you think is good about Camberwell? 

You have the whole world on your doorstep, with people from many different nations and background coming together to form a vibrant community.  

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell? 

Protecting the Environment - We want to boost recycling.Southwark currently has one of the worst rates in the country.
Freezing Council Tax - If elected local Conservatives will work with a Conservative Government to freeze Council Tax rises for the next two years.
Decentralising Power to the Community - When I look around the area it is often local groups and charities that are doing the best community work. Charities like Kids Company who are doing amazing work with young people. 

4. How are you going to achieve these?  

Boost recycling by rewarding people for the amount they recycle with vouchers they can use in local businesses.
We need to run our public services efficiently and work in partnership with the voluntary and private sectors to ensure we provide the best service and good value for money.
We need to give more power to community organisations and charities and cut out red tape, bureaucrats and quangos.

5. How will your party promote gay rights? 

The modern Conservative Party is committed to promoting equality and tackling discrimination, whether it is on the grounds of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, disability or background. We have a range of policies to promote equality including recognising civil partnerships in the tax system. For more information please see http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Women_and_Equality.aspx

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?

I think the key issues are much the same as the rest of the community:-
Strong economy
Good housing
Feeling safe in the community 
Not being discriminated against

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 

Having been a person with a disability since birth, I know all to well what it is like to be part of a minority in society that is discriminated against. Where I see unjust discrimination taking place against any individual or group I will stand up and fight it.  

8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   

I think we need more community venues and spaces in Camberwell. In many cases Churches are very good at providing spaces that are welcoming to community groups and indeed facilitating community activity. The Church must make sure that it creates a welcoming environment for all groups and individuals in the local area. 

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?

Probably the Castle Pub, I enjoy having a beer with friends, we held a great pub quiz at the venue last year. 

Analysis will follow anon – but do let us know your views!

by Layla

With 2 weeks to go until the election, it seems to be all anyone talks about, and Gay Camberwell has also given in to election fever (well I have - Roz, as a civil servant, is required to be a little more temperate).  

We emailed all the main candidates with a few questions once the election was called.  Two responses are in - from Jenny Jones, the Green candidate, and Columba Blango, the Lib Dem candidate.  Nothing from Harriet Harman (the current Labour MP) nor from Andy Stranack (the Tory candidate) yet, though Harriet's office have emailed to say she will be responding...

So here's what Jenny Jones had to say:

1. Tell us a bit about your connection with Camberwell.  
I've lived in Camberwell for 17 years. I use the shops, cafes and pubs, especially in the evenings, as I love being able to walk home from a night out. 

2. What do you think is good about Camberwell? 
Camberwell has huge energy and vibrancy. There are still lots of little shops that provide special products, and there's new ideas being generated all the time, in art, in gardening, in culture.

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell? 
First, it needs some traffic calming to make it less disrupted by noise and pollution. I want it very safe for pedestrians and cyclists - we've had too many deaths and injuries already this year. We must give some road space back to pedestrians by making pavements wider and more pleasant. Secondly, we should entice small businesses that offer specialist food or services to set up here to make the shopping even more varied. Thirdly, it's fairly scruffy in places, so some money has to be spent on decluttering the pavements and helping businesses to tidy up and repaint.

4. How are you going to achieve these?   
All of the above need money obviously, but my experience is that when the political will exists, the money can be found, either through organisations like Transport for London, or through grants from other bodies. Some businesses will be able to fund some improvements themselves, when they see how much it improves the area and is more attractive to shoppers.

5. How will your party promote gay rights? 
The Green Party promotes gay rights in the same way that we promote women's, children's, or any other section of society's rights, by embedding them in all our work. The Green Party has superb equalities policies which can be found here, under Responsibilities and Rights: http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/mfss/mfssrr.html

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?
Security is a big issue. In 1979 I visited San Francisco and saw gay men holding hands in public for the first time. Camberwell still isn't free enough or safe enough to see much of that, for men or women, and sometimes there is still a stigma around homosexuality, in clinics, or churches, or - dangerously - gangs.

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 
Challenging out of date stereotypes is a forte of most Greens, me included, so I'm open to good ideas for action on this. I commit to helping make Camberwell better for gay people.
 
8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   
I'm hoping to be reelected and sit on the planning committee that looks into this, so I can only say that I feel strongly that some sort of community use, open to people of all types, is desirable for a building in such a central place.

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?
My really favourite place is in my own bed, looking into the garden, but my favourite public place is the children's play area at Camberwell Green, because it's the one that my grandchildren prefer above all others. I sit on a bench, look at the trees, birds, wildlife, ooh and aah at my grandchildren's superb athletic ability and cross my fingers they won't fall any great distance and hurt themselves. 

And here are Columba Blango's answers:

1. Tell us a bit about your connection with Camberwell.  
I live in the camberwell, my children attended (one still attends) secondary schools in the constituency, I am a member of the Camberwell of The Camberwell Society, I helped establish the Burgess Park Tennis Club, my family attend church in Camberwell and I established the Southwark Community Games from which a good number of Camberwell children benefit. I also do most a lot of shopping in the area.
 
2. What do you think is good about Camberwell? 
Camberwell is a wonderful place to live. It is a central hub where many people love to visit. I like the diversity of the area in terms of its population, shops, history, and location. The area presents a hugh potential for regeneration and economic prosperity.

3. What are your top three priorities for Camberwell? 
My top priorities, not in any order of importance, are:
A. Economic, Environmental and Social transformation through regeneration,
B. Education and Health facilities,
C. Leisure, Parks and Sports,
E. Transport,
H. Tackling crime and the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour,

4. How are you going to achieve these?  
As MP for the constituency, I shall work very closely with the residents of Camberwell to lobby government and council for the transformation of the area. I will be a hard advocate for the development of the Camberwell and Peckham. I will do my very best to ensure Camberwell and Peckham is a constituency that embraces civil liberty, social justice; a constituency where the residents will be proud of celebrating its diversity and fully appreciate cohesion and integration.   

5. How will your party promote gay rights? 
As Liberal Democrats MP, I shall ensure through our polices and by my personal attitude and effort that residents fully understand and adhere to the principles of equality and fairness. I will continue to support Southwark LGBT and ensure more support gay rights the gay festival.

6. What do you think the biggest issues for gay people in Camberwell are?
I want to believe the biggest issues facing the gay community in Camberwell are:
A. The lack of or absence of sufficient information in the public about the gay community,
B. Hate (homophobic) crime

7. Following on from the last question, what will you do personally to address these issues in Camberwell and what commitments will you make? 
I will engage with the gay community and work closely with them to discuss the issues with a view to establishing an action plan to address the issues.

8. What are your views on the purchase of the bingo hall by the Redeemed Christian Church of God?   
I have always considered churches as a part of the community in which they are located. In that respect, they should integrate, work with and serve that particular community irrespective.

9. And, finally, what's your favourite place in Camberwell?
Camberwell as a whole is unique in its diversity and presents challenges and opportunities. I like the whole of Camberwell and i try to use the facilities in the area as often as possible; such as shops, leisure and sports facilities. 

More election fever anon...

by Layla

My main purpose in blogging today is that a variety of people have recently e-mailed me about interesting Camberwell participatory happenings and I thought I'd promote them. Enjoy!

First, the Volunteer Centre Southwark is holding a series of free events to promote community engagement in Camberwell in March and April. The workshops are Art in Camberwell, Volunteering with Young People, Speak Up in Camberwell, Better the Camberwell Environment, Work Experience through Volunteering, and How to Become a Magistrate. Something for everyone. The details are on their flyer here:

Next up is a new community gardening project, known as the Secret Garden. They are having two days on 25th and 27th March when they are asking those who pine for a garden to come and help them dig and plant this one. They provide refreshments and gardening equipment. They have received a nice £25,000 grant for this project, so they want to share the opportunity with all interested Camberwell residents. All the information is on their website here.

Third is Cooltan Arts, the arty mental health wellbeing charity based on the Walworth Road. As well as their monthly 'Largactyl Shuffle' walks, they are offering free workshops to all Southwark residents on a first come first serve basis. Come fast though, as some have already started and some are about to. The courses include machine sewing, creative writing, local history, basic IT, podcasting, photoshop, portrait drawing, batik and screen printing. All for free. Hooray! Details here.

I've just heard a new Facebook page to campaign for train stations in Camberwell and Walworth has started up. Join here if you fancy. And look forward to the East London Line in 2012 (here, link pilfered from Camberwell Online Blog).

Finally, the Camberwell Village Hall campaign continues - keep up to date here, and here, including downloading their new poster to distribute. 

Oh, and don't forget to come to our Sunday gay films here.