Local Information

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Your Local Councillors

Page Index

Beckenham's Public Convenience
Children’s book club at Beckenham Library
JustBe Film Club
Oxfam shop needs volunteers
New website for Beckenham
NSPCC Bromley 2010 events
Letter about closure of public toilets
Local team regains bell ringing trophy
The Royal Bank of Scotland Bowls Club
Amateur dramatics in Beckenham and Bromley
New Artist’s Way group in Beckenham
Beckenham Remembered DVD
Bromley Creatives
Beckenham and Bromley Chess Club
Special screenings at Odeon Cinema
Activities for the over-60s in Beckenham

Beckenham's Public Convenience

The issue of whether to keep Beckenham’s public convenience operating, behind its little garden of flowers at the junction of the High Street and Kelsey Park road, is coming up for further discussion by Bromley Council in late July or August, we understand.

The Council has already closed some conveniences elsewhere in the borough to save money and continues trying, luckily without much success, to get some quite unsuitable commercial premises to allow the public to use their toilets free instead, the “Community Toilets” scheme.

The reluctance to fund proper public conveniences in Beckenham has quite a history. Many years ago we appeared to be on the verge of getting one at the cinema end of the High Street, but finished up with one cubicle at the Sainsbury’s store, and that appears to be closed too often. Last autumn the Council’s Town Centres Review Group recommended consideration of a new public toilet near Beckenham Junction, a centre of the “night economy”.

There’s been silence on that, but not on the “Community Toilets” scheme. The overwhelming view of Copers Cope residents, at our Annual General Meeting in March, was that the policy of closure is totally unacceptable for Beckenham, especially for elderly and disabled residents. Our neighbours in the Beckenham Civic Society and West Beckenham Residents’ Association feel the same, and others from all over the borough voiced objections at the AGM of Bromley Residents’ Federation.

The last we heard was that in Beckenham only the Odeon cinema, Costa Coffee, and Waitrose had shown interest in the “Community Toilets” scheme, and a final decision on retaining our Public Convenience is still on hold. So there is still time for you to send your opinion to the Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment and Leisure, Colin Smith, at Bromley Civic Centre, BR1 3 UH. If you value your right to be heard, take the trouble to use it.

Children’s book club at Beckenham Library

Chatterbooks is a book club for 8 to 12 year olds where they can meet new friends, chat about books, joins in games and competitions and take books home in an exclusive Chatterbooks pack. They will also have the opportunity to meet visiting authors and storytellers. The club meets once a month on a Saturday morning. For more details ring 020 8650 7292.

JustBe Film Club

The club meets on Friday evenings in Catford and costs £10 inclusive of refreshments (popcorn, drinks, chocolate, ice cream etc). It is for people who enjoy a good movie and conversation. The idea is to get together, relax, have a snack and watch a film. The DVDs watched are selected from a wide range of films that are considered entertaining, thought-provoking and relevant. Only 12 spaces are available, so to reserve your place email Janet at janet@just-be.co.uk or call Yvette on 07818 531898.

Oxfam shop needs volunteers

The Oxfam shop at 148 High Street, Beckenham is looking for volunteers to join its shop team. The shop needs till operators, merchandisers, sorters and pricers. Full training is given. If interested, call into the shop or ring the Manager on 020 8658 9680.

New website for Beckenham (www.beckenhamtown.ning.com)

A website has been started to provide an online community for Beckenham residents to share ideas, have a voice and interact online. It contains local news, information on events, local groups and services, job vacancies, videos by local musicians and a discussion forum. Once you have signed up to the website you can create your own profile, send messages to other members and add material to the website. The website was started by Jon Clarke, who works in web marketing and advertising.

NSPCC Bromley 2010 events

Click here to view NSPCC Bromley leaflet outlining their events for 2010

Letter about closure of Public Toilets

Mayor of Bromley
Civic Centre
Stockwell Close
Bromley
Kent. BR1 3UH

Dear Sir

Re. Closure of Public Toilets in Bromley

Since my last letter of the 24th of February 2010, I have discovered that Bromley Council is to close all Public Toilets & introduce a Community Toilet Scheme, where restaurants, cafes & pubs owners will allow public access to their Loos. I disagree with this scheme.

Firstly, licensed premises do not open until 11am, only have a unisex toilet, with no room to swing a cat & sometimes access is obtained by climbing two flights of stairs.

Residents require public toilets that are easily accessible, especially for the elderly & direction is clearly posted.

The Council state the public toilets are vandalised & expensive to maintain.
Only a few years ago public toilets had an attendant, who cleaned & kept the premises secure.

Councils & Government should have a complete rethink of public toilets nationally.
The idea of closing public conveniences is outrageous.

I read in the national press that a bus driver, in North West London, at the end of his route would disappear behind an advertising hording because a public toilet was not available. If he had been seen by a police officer, he would have been arrested, locked up for two hours & issued with an 80 pounds summons.

Councils & Governments must be made to realise that a public convenience is an essential necessity, easily accessible & properly maintained.

Your Sincerely

M.C. Llewellyn
Beckenham, Kent 1st March 2010

C.C. Harriet Harman, Deputy Prime Minister
Daily Telegraph
Cllr. Stephen Wells, LBB

Read the reply: Page 1 - Page 2

Local team regains bell ringing trophy

A team of bell ringers from St. George's Church, Beckenham has won the local district six bell striking competition. The competition, held on Saturday 6th March at Dartford saw five teams competing for the competition trophy which has been won by Chelsfield for the past four years but has now returned to the St. George's Tower.

The aim of the competition is for each team to ring rhythmically. Each bell must "strike" clearly and accurately. If the ringing is struck well, then it will be always pleasing to the ear. An independent and very experienced ringer judges the ringing and scores each of the teams accordingly.

A full report and results can be found here

The Royal Bank of Scotland Bowls Club

The Royal Bank of Scotland Bowls Club is one of the oldest bowls clubs in the London Borough of Bromley, and has provided a focal point for various sporting activities for over 100 years.
It is an Open Club and welcomes applications for membership from all, new and experienced, Men and Ladies.
Their green, is one of the best in the County, and is adjacent to the Club House. The bar in the main pavilion has recently been refurbished.
They are situated between 153/155 Copers Cope Road Beckenham, Kent BR3 1NZ.
Contact the Club Secretary on: 020 8302 5712 or via their website: www.rbsbc.com

Amateur dramatics in Beckenham and Bromley
by David Hawthorn

Beckenham Amateur Dramatic Society

The Society performs plays at the Public Halls in Bromley Road, Beckenham. It normally stages three plays a year, in February, May and November, with productions running for three performances.

New members are always welcome, whether they are experienced or novices. Auditions are usually held three months before a production, with rehearsals held three times a week for around eight weeks. During the production, rehearsals are held from Monday to Wednesday with the performances on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Members are also welcome to help backstage with designing and building stage sets, lighting and sound. Volunteers are always in demand to help with stewarding, selling programmes or serving coffee.

The Society holds a number of social activities such as dinners, summer parties, theatre visits and play readings.

For more information about the Society, please contact Sarah Hinchliffe on 020 8658 4001.

Beckenham Theatre Centre

46 Bromley Road, Beckenham. Tel 07905 744991 www.beckenhamtheatre.co.uk

The theatre holds nine or more productions a year, with a varied programme from Shakespeare and Shaw to Pinter and pantomime.

It is a members’ club so you need to become a member in order to book tickets for performances. Membership costs £20 per year but when you join you receive two free tickets to your first performance. Tickets are £8 for adults and £6 for children and concessions. As well as allowing you to book tickets, membership entitles you to attend social events.

Members are always welcome to get involved whether as actor, director, stage manager or lighting or sound technician.

To join, just go to the membership section on the website or ring 07847 127133.

The Centre also runs a children’s theatre (for children aged 8–14) that meets every Saturday during term time, and a youth group (for 14–18 year olds) meeting every Thursday evening in term time. For more details on either group, email Louise Solts at lougarraway@yahoo.co.uk.

Bromley Little Theatre

North Street, Bromley Tel 020 8464 8924 www.bromleylittletheatre.org

BLT was founded in 1938 in a building converted from an old Victorian bakery. It is a membership theatre club so you have to become a member in order to buy tickets or purchase drinks. Forthcoming productions are Glengarry Glen Ross (Feb 2010), Abigail’s Party (March), Macbeth (April), Sitting Pretty (May) and Frost/Nixon (June).

Annual membership costs £15 for adults, £23 for couples at one address, £30 for a family (two adults and all children under 18 at one address) and £6 for full-time students or under-18s. Members receive a copy of Spotlight magazine, can participate in performances (either onstage or backstage), bring guests to performances and use the bar and facilities. You must be a member for two days before you can purchase tickets.

If you’d like to become a member, email membership@bromleylittletheatre.org or ring 01689 825107.

The theatre also runs a Youth Theatre, with groups for 5–8 year-olds meeting every Saturday in term time from 9am to 1pm and for 9–13 year-olds from 11am to 2pm. The cost is £30 per term. For more details contact Jane Lobb at janel@bromleylittletheatre.org, Tel 07876 021352.

Hayes Players

Tel 020 8306 9645 info@hayesplayers.org.uk www.hayesplayers.org.uk

The Players put on four or five productions a year at Hayes Village Hall, ranging from comedies and drama to musicals and pantomimes. Rehearsals are held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings in the Merrill Studio off George Lane, Hayes.

New members are always welcome, either to act or help backstage. Annual membership costs £15 (Full Acting), £2 (Full-Time Student) or £7.50 (Associate). Forthcoming performances are Caught in the Net (a farce by Ray Cooney) (18–20 February) and Rough Crossing (a comedy by Tom Stoppard) (22–24 April). Tickets cost £7 and can be purchased on 07905 210718. Performances start at 7.45pm.

St Marks and Keston Players

Tel 020 8462 4086 info@smkp.org.uk www.smkp.org.uk

SMKP perform two plays a year (in May and November) at Keston Village Hall. The next show is a thriller called Ladies in Retirement (29 April to 1 May). Doors open at 7pm with the performance starting at 7.45pm. Tickets cost £5.50 and can be purchased on 020 8462 4086.

Bromley Players

bromley_players@hotmail.com www.bromleyplayers.co.uk

The Bromley Players produce one big musical a year in the spring plus several smaller concerts and plays in the autumn. New members are always welcome, either to act or help backstage. If you’d like to join, send an email or just turn up at a rehearsal. The group rehearses on Tuesday evenings from 8–10pm at St Joseph’s Church Hall, Plaistow Lane, Bromley. Annual membership costs £30 (Full Member), £12 (Associate Member) or £18 (Associate Member Couple). The next production will be The Pirates of Penzance at the Bob Hope Theatre in Eltham (7–10 April) and tickets can be booked on 020 8850 2223. You can sign up to receive a newsletter by emailing bromley_players.@hotmail.com.

New Artist’s Way group in Beckenham

Do you want to be more creative? A new group aimed at stimulating creativity will be starting in Beckenham. Based on the acclaimed book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, it will be a support group for anyone who wishes to become more creative, whether through writing, art, music or any other form of expression.

The group will meet on the third Monday evening in the month at Warren Court, 28 Copers Cope Road. All meetings are free and will include time for sharing plus some journaling exercises taken from The Artist’s Way and other books by Julia Cameron.

The group will also encourage the use of tools such as Morning Pages and Artist’s Dates to release more creativity in our everyday lives. For more details contact David on 020 8249 7188, email davidw.hawthorn1@virginmedia.com.

Beckenham Remembered DVD
www.mikeshaw.co.uk/footprints.htm

A two-DVD set entitled Beckenham Remembered has been released showing aspects of Beckenham since the 1930s. The first DVD is a re-edited version of a film from the 1930s called ‘Greater Beckenham’, with added material and a new commentary. The film covers a range of themes including recycling, the installation of electricity, the fire brigade at work, road building, maternity homes, hospitals, schools, parks, sporting events and transport, plus classic views of Beckenham cinema and the High Street. The DVD lasts 48 minutes.

The second DVD is 20 minutes long and is a compilation of short Beckenham-related films covering events such as the opening of Beckenham Town Hall, the 1937 Coronation celebrations, a Mayor’s World War Two battleship appeal, the fall of the Crystal Palace tower and a charity appeal by a well-known actor of the day, Claude Hulbert. The two-DVD set costs £12 including postage and can be ordered from www.mikeshaw.co.uk/footprints.htm or send your address and a cheque payable to Footprint Productions to 29a Hartfield Crescent, West Wickham BR4 9DW.

Bromley Creatives
www.bromleycreative.org.uk

A new website for the Bromley Creative Community (BCC) has been set up as a resource for anyone interested in creative arts and media services in the London Borough of Bromley. A basic listing is free while a premium listing costs £57 per year for companies, £27 per year for sole traders and is free for affiliate members, registered charities and voluntary and amateur arts groups and organisations.

Beckenham and Bromley Chess Club
www.beckenhamchess.org.uk

Beckenham and Bromley Chess Club meet on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm from September to June (inclusive) at the Pavilion of Kent County Cricket Club, Worsley Bridge Road, Beckenham. The pavilion is located at the sports ground in Copers Cope Road but the entrance is on the other side of the ground, in Worsley Bridge Road. There is on-site parking and bus 352 stops close by. All matches start at 7.30pm and new members are always welcome. You can just turn up one evening or for more details contact John Lewin (secretary@BeckenhamChess.org.uk) or Fred Wellings (the.chairman@BeckenhamChess.org.uk). You don’t have to be a chess expert to join – you just need to understand the basic principles of the game.

Special screenings at Odeon cinema

Odeon Kids

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, and every day throughout most school holidays, there are screenings of films chosen especially for children. Tickets cost only £2.50 and with every child ticket you get a free adult ticket.

Senior Screen

On Tuesday mornings films for the mature viewer are screened. Films chosen include recent films and classic films from the past. Tickets cost £4.30 and you can enjoy a free tea or coffee before the film starts.

Newbies

These screenings are exclusively for parents with new babies. They are held on weekday mornings and the volume is lower and lighting higher to create a calming environment for babies. All films are certificate 12A or lower.

For more information on any of the above, go to www.odeon.co.uk or ring 0871 224 4007 or look out for the posters at the cinema.

Activities for the over-60s in Beckenham
by Malcolm Llewellyn

Azelia Hall (http://www.azeliahall.co.uk)

Over 60s club

In the Azelia Hall at 258, Croydon Road (between Beckenham and Elmers End) a weekly over 60s club meets from 1pm to 3.20pm on Tuesday afternoons. Occasional lunch parties are arranged for social get-togethers and regular games of bingo are played for cash prizes. Refreshments are also served. The club is well-attended by members aged up to 100 years old. For more information, ring 01727 865601.

Over 60s gentlemen’s club

Pop in to the Azelia Hall on a Thursday from 1pm for snooker, bowls, chess, cards and darts. It’s a small, friendly club which is run democratically. New members are always welcome. Membership costs £8.50 per year. Call Roger on 020 8658 7647 for more details.

Primetime activities

Fitness sessions take place at Beckenham Public Halls, 4 Bromley Road (opposite St. George’s Church) and at the Spa leisure centre, 24 Beckenham Road (between Beckenham and Clock House).

The fitness instructor starts the session by switching on the music and asks everyone to gather into lines across the hall. Members are then asked to walk backwards and forwards swinging their arms and clapping. Muscular strength work entails bending the knees and moving from one leg to the other, and is followed by a brisk walk round the hall in one direction, then turning round and walking in the other direction.

Small weights are then grasped in the palm of the hand, with arms raised above the head and then lowered. The next exercise involves slowly bending over, with legs apart, and straightening up. Thirty minutes of exercise that makes you puffed out, five to seven days of the week, leaves you fit and healthy. The sessions are well attended. A small fee is payable.

Both Beckenham Public Halls and the Spa hold other activities of interest to over 60s. Details are given below. Information on activities at these and other venues in Beckenham and Bromley can be found at www.bromleymytime.org.uk/centres.html.

The Spa

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Beckenham Public Halls

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday