Gay Camberwell

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.

by Layla

Househunting in Camberwell at the moment is a tad disappointing - not many properties on the market, and at massive cost. I suppose the latter is encouraging - it means that Camberwell is on the up - and we were very happy to see our lovely gay neighbours featured in a recent newspaper housing supplement singing the joys of SE5 (though we were jealous of the interior of their flat)... and so scouring the pages of Rightmove has become a new hobby and we plan to spend today visiting various properties. Last week, curious about one of them, I cycled past and stood by my bike, peering nosily at it. Soon a man, who in other settings would deservedly have been described as 'a dodgy character' sidled up to me. 


"Wot you lookin' at, love?"
"That house that's for sale"
"You should buy it - it'll be worth more than a few bob in a couple of years. This part of Camberwell's up and coming. On account of that new school development, see."
"Yes... but I think it looks a bit like a prison..."
"Naw, it's not a prison. Look at that, wot you call it, terrace. Proper nice, that'll be in the summer. Here, did you hear about that chap that died? The house programme chap. You know, the gay one?"
"Er, no, what happened?"
"They dunno. He was only about 30. They're investigatin' the death. Maybe it was on account of him bein' gay."
"In what way?"
"Eh I dunno. Don't think there's a gay disease or nuthin'... maybe he was gay bashed, eh? I hope not - it's shocking what goes on. These people should be put away."
"What the gay people?"
"Naw, don't be stupid. The gay bashers."
At that moment the owner of the house we'd both been gazing at turned up and opened the gate, which was made of iron bars and closed with a clang.
"Eh, you're right love. It does look a bit like a prison."
And with that he strolled off.

We're going to see that property today. Maybe it'll be fate...


Speaking of up and coming, Roz and I climbed up the hill last Sunday to Hoopers Bar. We'd heard much of this bar, which claims an SE5 postcode yet perches atop a hill in the posh triangle where Camberwell meets East Dulwich in an enclave of large and beautiful houses. They have several music events, and comedy on the last Sunday of the month. A curious bar. We'll put up a review soon. It feels like a proper local bar, like the one in the village in Scotland where I grew up, but incongruously full of rather posh people. The comedy was quite good, though they did make the error of putting the best comedian on first. However it was free and they had a nice range of beers, so frankly we were grateful anyway. We strolled home afterwards past the big houses and wondered why we can only afford to buy a prison-like property...

We at Gay Camberwell have been watching Camberwell’s recent bingo/church/cinema campaigning with much interest. In summary, Gala Bingo on Camberwell Road, previously a cinema (and with a glorious art deco interior), and more recently enjoyed by many bingo enthusiasts, has just closed, and is due to be purchased on Monday 1st March by the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Merindband.  The Camberwell Online Blog community found out about this last week and have launched a campaign.  They hope to halt the sale (an optimistic ambition given the timescale) and to prevent the purchasers from getting planning permission for change of use  (which we hope has a good prospect of success).  They would like the hall to be turned into a focal point for the community, perhaps a cinema/arts centre.

This is an interesting campaign – as long as we’ve lived in Camberwell people have been talking about campaigning about various issues, but this one has really caught people’s imaginations. Their Facebook page already has nearly 500 fans, and featured on the front page of the South London Press this week. Why? Because people want to see SE5 improve. It’s nice to see people being so enthusiastic about things, and as one of Camberwell’s groups / entities, we thought we’d better have our say.

I suppose the campaign boils down to two issues: one is the conversion of the building from public entertainment to private use, and the other is the specific purchasers.

On the first, Camberwell is sorely in need of more non-pub based facilities and entertainment for its community. Indeed Gay Camberwell’s raison d’etre is to encourage people to enjoy living and playing in Camberwell. We have a fantastically diverse community and bringing people together in leisure is a great way of promoting community cohesion and development. Camberwell is on the up, and a few focal points are key to that. Thus we send our sympathies to the bingo players who have been left without a local bingo venue, and we would absolutely love for the old bingo hall to be turned into something that the community can enjoy. So we oppose the building being sold and given over to the exclusive use of a small portion of the community, or being used by people who drive in and out of Camberwell to attend without using any other facilities or contributing to the local economy, and excluding local people. The fact that this building is a beautiful listed building only strengthens the argument that Camberwellians should ideally be able to have access and enjoy it.

On the second issue, the specific purchasers, please do not think for a moment that we have anything against religion. It’s one of Camberwell’s great features that people can worship in any way they choose, and yet our diverse community currently feels relatively inclusive. This is one of the reasons why Camberwell’s gay community feel so comfortable socialising in SE5: people for the most part do their own thing and don’t interfere too much in other people’s activities. However we can only oppose the massive expansion of a church that, by its size (it has a capacity of 2000), will overpower the other religious establishments in Camberwell, and specifically encourages some of the very behaviours that are least welcome in SE5. As Gay Camberwell, we are sorry to see that they promote homophobia, which means that a) Camberwell’s gay community are not welcome, and b) attendees are encouraged to develop active homophobia, impacting very negatively on Camberwell.

As a doctor at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, I’m also personally very concerned that the church actively stigmatises people with any illness: they tell people that the cause of their illness is sin rather than pathology. In Camberwell we have Kings College Hospital, one of the country’s top hospitals. We have the Maudsley Hospital, one of the world’s most famous psychiatric hospitals. And we have the Institute of Psychiatry, one of the world’s top mental health research institutes. Camberwell is proudly at the epicentre of top scientific work in health, and is also devoted to reducing the stigma experienced by people with mental illness (including the fabulous Bonkersfest and Cooltan Arts).  

A huge church will bring huge numbers of people with these beliefs to SE5. Camberwell does not deserve this.

And so, we will be very interested to see where this campaign takes us. Apparently said church tried to take over a building in Crystal Palace and were prevented by community protests. Let’s go for a bit of community cohesion and positive action in Camberwell. Churches are great but when they actively discriminate and promote prejudice against huge numbers of people, we have to question their benefits to a community. And with Camberwell drastically in need of more arts facilities and community halls, and a beautiful old cinema crying out to be used by Camberwell’s residents, this seems like a chance too important to miss…

You can join the Facebook page here and the website here.

by Layla

Sometimes, in the quest for glamour,one is lured beyond the bounds of SE5. We at Gay Camberwell have often been intrigued by Dulwich's Beauberry House, and since they are running 'South London's First Gay Wedding Fair' in March, we thought we ought to check it out. A nice Top Table offer of 3 courses and champagne sealed the deal (though frankly it's still expensive!) and so last night, we cycled up and down hills and along a very dark road until we came across the venue. 

We felt rather incongruous, tying up our bikes in a driveway clearly meant for Rolls Royce cars, and as we ascended the steps to the front door, I whipped off my cycling anorak and tried to look posh... On entering, it became less clear whether posh was the order of the day or not. It's a funny venue. It gives off an air of modern country house glamour, yet doesn't quite pull it off: inappropriate clubby style music and  tacky vases that light up in different colours, and clearly some kind of 18th birthday party esque event upstairs. 

Onto the meal. The champagne was nice, but the food unremarkable. The atmosphere was quite odd. We spent much of the meal giggling, and frankly, we didn't know what to make of it.  Fortunately the Beauberry House food powered us up Herne Hill Road and home to SE5 in a speedy 15 minutes. Phew. Is it just me, or is Dulwich creepy? Maybe it's all those white arrows with pointing fingers. Or the pseudo-posh, overpriced establishments. Or sour grapes... 

Later, we received an e-mail from Camberwell Library telling us that tomorrow (Monday) they are having a LGBT quiz. It's at 6-8pm in the library, and there are sweeties for prizes. Intriguing. I am busy but Roz is hoping to go along, so do join her!

by Layla


Sometimes I feel sheepish for posting about eating so much. You must have a vision of the Gay Camberwell team waddling from restaurant to restaurant in SE5. So I will try very hard not to mention the brilliant new Love Walk Cafe, possibly Camberwell's best breakfast venue and tea shop, having had a delicious meal in a completely full Buddha Jazz, or even having been to Angels and Gypsies twice in the one day (don't tell anyone!) first for a fantastic sandwich, and later with a group for my birthday festivities. No, I will try to distract you by demonstrating that far from being a very greedy girl, I am in fact an energetic, glamorous socialite.

First, energetic. Ah yes. I have been too ashamed til now to admit that sometimes I venture beyond the confines of SE5 but it is true. Once a week I cycle to Peckham Rye, hop on a train, and attend an ice skating lesson.Oh yes. Streatham may seem quite an incongruous place for ice skating, but in fact its rink seems to be its main attraction. Never have we managed to find a post-skate pub in the vicinity, alas. However I am proud to report that this week Roz and I passed our level 1, 2 and 3 ice skating tests. I can now go both forwards and backwards, and jump 1cm in the air on two wobbly feet. It is an accomplishment. I can heartily recommend it as an activity adventure day out from Camberwell... If any Streathamites read this blog and take great offence about their sorry lack of nice pubs in the ice rink vicinity, please do reply with suggestions of post-skate drinking establishments and I will retract at once. 

Next, glamorous. I was contacted by the Southwark Weekender last week. I was in fact in the middle of attending Roz's work leaving party and couldn't really make out what was being said. It turned out that they were doing a feature on South London's first gay wedding fair. On Monday 8th March at Beauberry House in Dulwich in fact. And before I knew what I'd done, I'd provided a silly quote and next thing I knew, we were in the paper. Clearly this implies glamour of the highest degree. Well, judge for yourself - click below to download the PDF!

And finally, socialite. Last Saturday was the famed and much-anticipated occasional Moona party, a lesbian cabaret party on a theme, in this case the French Revolution. Said party takes place in The Castle and is run by Karen McLeod, author of In Search of the Missing Eyelash (lesbian themed stalker story set in Crystal Palace). Having dined copiously, my birthday companions followed me nervously up the Castle stairs to be met with great music, mad costumes, wall-to-wall lesbians, and an occasional gay boy in a stripy t-shirt. We were serenaded on a ukelele and an impromptu life drawing class was commencing when I grew weary and headed home to bed. 

PS It's LGBT history month - Camberwell has quite a lot going on. Check out the calendar for details.

by Layla

I have been enjoying monitoring SE5 developments on my walk to work. A stroll through Camberwell Green brings me first to the ex-Silver Buckle, tentatively named Oberon, but now - if rumour is correct - about to be re-christened The Tiger. This is due to the new owners (the same ones who own the East Dulwich Tavern, apparently), having uncovered a beautiful old tiled display from the pub's bygone incarnation proclaiming its original name. Walking past it every day has been great fun. First the shiny dark green tiles emerged on its facade, then its lovely original signs - not for The Tiger a hideous and mis-spelled PVC computer-print sign ("Noodels City", I am referring to you). Suddenly there are windows: big and generous, and they are restoring original features inside and out with vigour. The owners intend this to be a proper pub, and you have to respect the efforts (and presumably expense) they are going to in order to restore it rather than quick fix dabs of paint as others have done before them. I am very much looking forward to seeing the result.

Further up the hill, I come to the other developing establishment: the Love Walk Cafe. Whose name I think you'll agree gives off a rather better tone than the Denmark Hill Cafe. On the former site of El Gallo/Willow, the Love Walk Cafe has been developing behind whitewashed windows for some time, but this week the whitewash is gone and my nose has been pressed against the glass, intrepid reporter style, to find out what's going on. It looks rather nice, actually. It seems to be a cafe, promising fresh juices and smoothies, as well as a nice-looking coffee set-up. The furnishing and decor looks purposefully eclectic and quite pleasant. It looks almost ready to open... With the lovely Cafe Bay starting to trade at the weekend, as well as during the week, perhaps this oft-neglected patch of Denmark Hill is about to become Camberwell's cafe district...

On the gay front, Camberwell is rather busy this month, thanks in part to LGBT History Month, and I'd like to think in part to Time Out proclaiming Camberwell 'London's new gay bar capital' a couple of weeks ago, in their glowing review of Angels and Gypsies. See the events calendar on the Gay Camberwell homepage and the history-themed films that we've programmed for Pink Screen Sundays . There are some interesting things going on, including a gay-friendly cabaret club night, Moona, on the 6th, a gay history walk on the 20th, a meet-and-greet Southwark Council LGBT-related workers on the 11th, and a launch of children's books at Peckham library celebrating same-sex parents and other types of families on the 17th. Enjoy!

PS We've done a few new restaurant reviews ourselves. Check out Angels and Gypsies, and Zeret Kitchen. And since Time Out positively reviewed  Silk Road last week (they can't stay away from Camberwell at the moment - their columnist proclaimed last week "inexplicably Camberwell has become a foodie destination"!), we'd better get down there and check it out. Got to keep that finger on the pulse you know! Queues out the door for Camberwell restaurants - it's happening now, folks! Better make a reservation...

By Layla


You may have noticed my bad behaviour in delegating blog writing to Roz of late. It has taken procrastination over a rather dull essay entitled 'User Charges in Healthcare' to drag me to the computer at last, but never mind the reason; here I am. 

I have been enjoying the snow. Perhaps not the slippery progress I've been making across Camberwell Green every day (though a man with a wheelbarrow full of grit managed to throw some in my face last night, so presumably they've finally realised people like to use it as a thoroughfare without skating to their death on icy paths, and thought they'd sprinkle their last bit of grit in SE5 once they'd ensured the more important parts of Southwark were rendered safe)... no, what I've been enjoying are:

1. African adults who seem to never have seen snow before, cavorting, giggling, spinning, sticking out their tongues to catch flakes, and making their first snowman attempts on Camberwell Green.

2. Smugly living AND working in Camberwell, and thus managing the 5 minute walk to and from work without the angst that befalls all my colleagues who claim three hour journeys of hell twice a day (though I cannot justify leaving mid-afternoon as they do, which is less good).

3. Hearing about the delights of the Camberwell Church Street Hotel (apparently it's wonderful) from a colleague who's been unable to get home for days (or that's his excuse). Apparently the homemade bread, eggs, and danish pastries get dull after a week, but frankly I'm unsympathetic. 


4. Socialising exclusively in Camberwell, in order to avoid cold and slippery trips home in the dark. Angels and Gypsies was completely full last night with people waiting for seats. Quality and service brilliant - best tapas restaurant in London. Caravaggio's was quieter when I was there on Wednesday, but the food and service was also great. Camberwell Church Street is turning into a gastronomic mecca.


5. Sniggering at Londoners' response to a sprinkling of snow and making smug comments about Scotland's hardier character in the face of winter. 


6. Purchasing Roz's mother's birthday presents in the pound shops of Denmark Hill.


7. Desperately planning a holiday in the sun.