Some 20th anniversary observations
What a day it was. Last Saturday, we had almost 100 people gather at Stanstead Lodge to talk about what has changed, and what we can maybe hope for, in 20 years.
To start, I'd like to share the story of the image we've used for this post. It was created by one of the several children who also came along on Saturday. While we were 'adulting' in the main session, they were busy actually being creative. This particular drawing emerged at the very end, and, as someone put it to me, it starts to encapsulate exactly what we were talking about. It shows so many interconnections and how the paths are not always obvious and straight. It shows us doing all sorts of fun activities, individually but also together. It is not stuck in a single perspective, but can adjust to each of the participants. And I really love that the only two signs say: "Tiny World" and "Work in Progress".
We are ever so grateful to our speakers Ellie Reeves MP, Mayor Liam Shrivastava and Jonathan Whitson Cloud from the Horniman for their great speeches, and also for taking part in the Q&A.
We kicked off with a bit of a glance in the rearview mirror at the things that have changed since we were born with the goal of protecting our local pools, but then also our libraries and other community spaces. We've had the arrival of the Overground, run many types of events and festivals, and added to the area with several murals. We've also experienced the ups and downs of retail spaces on Dartmouth Road. Today we face a difficult time, having lost TG Jones, but particularly the Post Office, and the closure and sale of the Dartmouth Arms, resulting in an uncertain future for this heritage asset. I am particularly proud of the work done to keep the local community spirit alive by my predecessors in this role, Michael Abrahams, Claus Murmann, Richard Hibbert and Peter Irby, and all those who've joined us in our committees.
However, what I took away from the speeches was the dedication that those who are making decisions about Forest Hill and Lewisham have to making it a better, safer, cleaner and fairer place to live and work. But I also understood how important it is going to be that the community can articulate a clearer view of what we want and need, so that their efforts (and budgets, and legislative decisions) can be directed to helping us achieve it.
That is why I was also excited to be able to unveil more details of the Society's own plans to regenerate the heart of Forest Hill in a way that will create a much stronger community space, an inclusive and accessible station, a proper link between the two sides of the railway, and also more housing, retail space and nature corridors. This is not (yet) a plan with designs and drawings, but a strong vision that demonstrates the potential of our area to be much more vibrant and economically strong, while retaining its character and creative heritage. We intend to start a process of community engagement and consultation to further refine this vision, while we also begin to speak to the landowners and other bodies who own this land.
We will publish more details of the speeches made on the day, and the ideas generated in the workshop in the afternoon in due course, but I wanted to say that all of us in the Forest Hill Society committees are extremely grateful to all those who have supported us, and continue to do so, and showed this through their amazing support on Saturday.
While none of us can know exactly what this area will be like in 20 years, it is fair to say that both a lot, and very little at the same time, has changed here in the last 20 ... so maybe it is up to us?
If you are keen to continue this conversation, and help to define the future of SE23, then please join us. We are always happy to welcome new members, and particularly keen to get a wider participation in our projects and events. If this is at all of interest, please do come along to our AGM on the 9th of November at Forest Hill Library to hear more.
Thank you again
Robert McIntosh Chair, Forest Hill Society
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