Pat Richardson of Manor House, attended the London Civic Forum meeting on our behalf. It was held on 22nd May 2001 at the Churchhouse, Westminster and she writes:

'This was very well organised but so very disappointing in outcome. The small group discussions drowned in a sea of jargon, buzz words and fashion statements. I don't understand or speak this language.

The panel did speak this language, however one of the publicly elected members seemed unaware that she was only there due to a turn-out of one third of London's possible electorate. She thought she had the support of 5 million voters. Worse, no-one corrected her and the one heckler was not well-received by most. How dare he speak out of turn!

Groups represented aleady seemed to be semi-official, doling out advice, help, services and salaried into the bargain. Little came from the ground up, or is this just another fashion statement.

There is something truly unique about library users and friends. Maybe it is the passion!'

 

Tate South Lambeth Library to launch Stockwell Festival:

Edith Holtham reports that Tate South Lambeth will be the site for the launch of Stockwell Festival (on the evening of Friday June 22nd) with music and 1,000 balloons inside, a trumpet fanfare, 'Carmen Miranda' on stilts and art projections on the library wall outside.

We've got a well known modern Portuguese painter who lives in the UK, Lilia Pegado, showing some of her paintings and running three workshops for adults and three for school groups. This programme fits in with a current spin-off from the existing series of art shows at Tate Local - the gallery in the library - to involve local schoolchildren in workshops run by the painter or deriving from the work on show. In addition we're organising an evening of Afro Caribbean poetry ( on Monday June 25) with readings by a poet/potter (Cecile Nobrega) and a discussion on Afro Caribbean language and dialect led by Janet Mason John ( anthologist of Afro Caribbean poetry and well known for her involvement in organising Gay Pride.

The big recent news here has been the complete repaint job completed on the library's reading/study room. This was organised by Friends, via its participation in the Stockwel Partnership ( the local community forum). We obtained funding from the local town centre board to pay for equipment and materials, and students from Lambeth College carried out the work as part of their first year pianting and decorating NVQ course. That way we got round central funding constraints, with maximum local involvement. We're feeling immensely smug!
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