Author: blackfenpastandpresent

by

Save Blackfen Library: Council decision

The petition to Save Blackfen Library was presented at a Bexley Council Cabinet meeting on 17 December 2014. Karen Mensa-Bonsu argued the case for keeping Blackfen as a Council-run library and answered questions by councillors about why we do not want it to be ‘downgraded’ and removed from the Council’s core service. Figures show that Blackfen is the fourth busiest in the borough, contradicting the consultation document. Blackfen Library is a vital resource to the community and its position in the high street increases incidental trade in the shops. It is used by many groups for both adults and children, and local school groups are able to walk there to learn about the use of professional library services.

As a large and busy library, it might not be suitable for community management, and Council services (blue badges, parking permits, Council tax payments, etc) would be lost. If the library is closed – a real risk if no community organisation is found to run it – a vital community resource would be lost.

Despite the opposition, the Cabinet Members voted to pass the proposal to remove four libraries, including Blackfen, from the core service. This means that the Council will now seek partnerships with community organisations to run the library. This leaves plenty of questions about how these organisations will be found and whether the community will have any involvement in the process at all. And if none is found, it means closure.

Cllr Alex Sawyer, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Leisure (with responsibilities for libraries) gave the quote of the night: “When I want to look something up I don’t look in a book, I look at Wikipedia”.

I find it disturbing that someone with such little regard for truth and accurate knowledge is taking important decisions about the lives of Bexley Borough residents.

[More assessment of the evening to come later, as I didn’t get home from the meeting till after 10pm and during the day I have to work for a living!]

The full report of the meeting is here.

by

Birth of ‘The Blackfen Association’

In my book I refer to the fact that Blackfen’s history is a story of a opportunity, determination and survival, of enterprising and strong-willed individuals. During the course of my research it became clear that loyalty and community spirit is still alive and kicking. Well, here is our chance to prove it.

On 20 November at 7pm a meeting was held at the Jolly Fenman pub in Blackfen Road. The intention was for an informal gathering to discuss ways to benefit the community, to see if a group of like-minded people can work together to bring back some sense of community spirit. The aim is to resurrect the concept of the Blackfen Forum with a view to forming a committee to organise events such as the Christmas lights and to discuss issues that affect residents living in Blackfen.

The meeting was attended by 23 residents and traders (including Premier Autocentres, Golf Zone, Tesco, Morgans hairdressers, GPS Lettings, Blackfen Trader). Councillors were invited but did not attend.

As well as discussion over the Christmas lights and the hard work which goes into collecting money for them each year, it was felt that Blackfen was the ‘poor end of the borough’ and did not benefit from attention or grants as other districts in the borough do. More could be done to improve the attractiveness of the high street and encourage people to shop there. There was also discussion about Bexley Council’s proposals for Blackfen Library.

The outcome was the emergence of the ‘Blackfen Association’ which aims to provide a single voice for issues relating to Blackfen, such as Christmas lights, the library, car parking and regeneration of the high street. A committee was formed: Debbie Jones – Temporary Chair, Karen Mensa-Bonsu – Vice Chair, Penny Duggan – Secretary, Joy Barnes – Treasurer.

The next meeting will be held in January.

With many thanks to Liz of the Jolly Fenman for providing the venue and tea/coffee (and beer, of course).

In the meantime, the Christmas lights have been switched on!

Christmas lights Dec. 2014

by

RIP Homepride 1932-2014

Homepride, the builders’ merchant in Blackfen Road closed its doors for the final time on 6 December 2014. It will be much missed.

“It was such a marvellous place to get those little things you could often get nowhere else.
The amount of times I have been doing a household job and find I need a handful of screws or some wood preserver or whatever and he has been able to supply for a very reasonable price are innumerable.” [Paul Duffett of Flame Photos]
“I used to work in Homepride as a Saturday boy between 1986 and 1989. Working round the front with Dave in the mornings and round the back with Steve in the afternoons. £10 a day and had such fun.” [Stuart Tanner]
Homepride in 1948

Homepride in 1948

Homepride first opened in 1932 and so it was one of the few original shops remaining, along with Copelands the newsagent and J. Ayre bakers. It certainly is the end of an era.

 

by

Blackfen Library ranks 4th busiest

The Bexley Council ‘Consultation on proposals to remodel the Bexley Library Service’ released in September 2014 details plans to retain 6 libraries in its ‘core service’ with remaining libraries being either taken over by community organisations or being closed. The 6 ‘core’ libraries are Central (Bexleyheath), Welling, Crayford, Thamesmead, Sidcup and Erith. One of the libraries to be cut from the core service is Blackfen. The document states:

“4 of the 6 libraries are currently the borough’s busiest, and it is anticipated that when the regeneration schemes in Thamesmead and Crayford are completed, these libraries will regain their previous usage levels, which would result in the 6 Council-retained libraries being the 6 busiest in the borough”.

The statement ‘4 of the 6 libraries are currently the borough’s busiest’ omits the fact that Blackfen is one of the missing two of the six (the other is North Heath). Indeed, Blackfen’s visitor numbers have been increasing: during the period 2010-13 Blackfen was ranked number five of eleven libraries in terms of visitor numbers and in the period 2013-14 it went up to number four of eleven. In that whole time it was well ahead of Thamesmead (which has gone from 6th, to 7th, to 8th) and Crayford (8th, and rising to 7th in 2013-14).

[Crayford’s new library opened in November 2012, and Thamesmead moved to a temporary building in November 2013].

So even if Thamesmead and Crayford ‘regain their previous usage levels’ they would still be well and truly behind Blackfen. The figures on library usage do not seem to back up the Council’s statement.

“Bexley Library Service – Engaging communities, enriching and improving lives” so they say. But at the expense of the extremely successful library at Blackfen?

Sign the petition to Save Blackfen Library.

by

Book out now!

So yes, it’s been a long time coming and a lot of hard work, but finally it is out. ‘Woodmen and Fenmen: Blackfen’s Story’ is a history of Blackfen from its beginnings as a hamlet in the woods, later surrounded by farmland, to its development as a residential and commercial district. Historical documents and reminiscences from past and present residents have been used to tell a story of enterprising and strong-willed individuals who have helped to build this community.

Front cover

The book is available from 11 November 2014 at Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre, Central Library, Bexleyheath and should be available from other Bexley libraries shortly. (It will be in Blackfen Library from Friday). For information on ordering copies by post, please see http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=11633

I hope you enjoy it!

by

Travelling from A to B in the real world

In its proposal to ‘remodel’ the borough’s libraries (ie remove four libraries, including Blackfen, from its ‘core services’), Bexley Council states “A significant majority of the borough’s population – 98.5%- will live within 1.5 miles of a library, meaning most residents will live within a short journey of one of the six proposed Council libraries.”

How did the Council arrive at this figure?

I presume they have chosen the shortest distance ‘as the crow flies’ but Blackfen has several obstacles surrounding it: the A2 dual carriageway, the Sidcup railway line and Danson Park. These mean that actual distances between A to B are much further. A few Blackfen addresses tested in the AA Route Planner reveals:

Address in Blackfen Distance to Sidcup Library (miles) Distance to Welling Library (miles)
Parish Gate Drive 3 1.9
Orchard Rise West 3.3 2
Fen Grove 2.4 1.7
Ramillies Road 2.1 2.1
Days Lane Primary School 2.4 1.4
Sherwood Park Primary School 2.9 2
Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School 2.5 1.7
Blackfen School for Girls 2.9 2

 

These figures do not seem to fit with “98.5% will live within 1.5 miles of a library”.

Travelling from Parish Gate Drive to Welling Railway in the real world, according to AA Route Planner

Travelling from Parish Gate Drive to Welling Library in the real world, according to AA Route Planner

Even taking into account pedestrian bridges and subways, for most people, walking from Blackfen to either Welling or Sidcup would be considered too far, especially for the types of people most likely to use the library. And there is the hill of Hook Lane to consider, which is not for the faint-hearted! Bexley Council states that 76.3% of Bexley residents have a car – but have any of the councillors tried parking in Sidcup during the daytime lately? Oh, and they’re about to increase the car parking charges too…

Luckily Blackfen is well-served by a 51 bus route. However, this is no use to children on class visits who can currently walk to the nearest library. The time factor means children won’t be able to pop into a library after school. Job seekers using the library computers might not be able to afford the bus fares required to access another library. And by forcing people to visit other town centres, they are less likely to use the shops in Blackfen which could have a detrimental effect on its high street and, in turn, make it a less desirable place to live, which is surely not in the Council’s best interests economically. Local facilities are a key factor in a community’s survival.

Sign the petition to Save Blackfen Library!

by

C. R. Leech ends his days in Brighton

C. R. Leech was responsible for the building of hundreds of houses in Blackfen. He bought up farmland and Queenswood House in the early 1930s and built bungalows, terraced and semi-detached houses on the Burnt Oak, Queenswood and Westwood estates. A variety of house styles and sizes catered for a variety of needs, and customers ventured out from crowded inner London to live in houses with more space, fresh air and modern facilities.

Originally from Rotherhithe, Charles Richard Leech worked hard as a tarpaulin maker and moved to Carshalton, Surrey in 1922, taking over a floor-cloth factory. He later started building houses in Surrey, and then in Kent, once the prospect of people being able to afford their own homes became a reality. All his family were involved in his house-building business and often lived in houses on the new estates themselves.

C. R. Leech was a keen yachtsman and at the time of his death in 1952, aged 82, he was living at 12 Old Steine, Brighton. On a recent visit to this popular seaside resort I decided to look for his house.

12 Old Steine, Brighton (2014)

12 Old Steine, Brighton (2014). It is now the premises of an English language college. Next door is a Sainsbury supermarket.

This property is just a short distance away from the sea he loved.

Brighton Pier from Old Steine (2014)

Brighton Pier from Old Steine (2014)

The house overlooks a lovely green area with the city’s war memorial.

War memorial and gardens, looking towards 12 Old Steine (2014)

War memorial and gardens, looking towards 12 Old Steine (2014)

After photographing 12 Old Steine, I turned around and was astonished to see the view he had from his house! No wonder he wanted to live there!

Brighton Pavilion from Old Steine (2014). Leech's view probably would not have included the ice rink cafe!

Brighton Pavilion from Old Steine (2014). Leech’s view probably would not have included the ice rink and cafe!

by

Divided into three: ward boundaries

Blackfen is divided into three wards, cutting through the centre of the main shopping area: Blackfen and Lamorbey to the south, Penhill and Blendon to the east, and Falconwood and Welling to the north. It must surely be the most (politically) divided district in the Bexley Borough. This can make it difficult to address issues which affect Blackfen collectively. The Blackfen Forum was set up in 2004 to overcome this but it ceased to exist in 2010.

Blackfen Library is situated on Blackfen Parade in Blackfen Road, which is in the Penhill and Blendon ward. There are three Conservative Councillors for this ward: Graham D’Amiral, Steven Hall and Nick O’Hare.

Next door in the Blackfen and Lamorbey ward are Conservative Councillors Brian Beckwith and Peter Craske and UKIP Councillor Lynn Smith. There are three Conservative Councillors for Falconwood and Welling: Nigel Betts, Val Clark and Louie French.

That’s quite a lot of councillors for Blackfen to have overall. But will any of them support Blackfen’s library and help to secure its future for the people of Blackfen?

Blackfen and Lamorbey ward map. In fact the map, taken from Bexley Council's website in 2014, is an old one as it still shows the old library building in Cedar Avenue which closed in 2005.

Blackfen and Lamorbey ward map. In fact the map, taken from Bexley Council’s website in 2014, is an old one as it still shows the old library building in Cedar Avenue which closed in 2005.

Blendon and Penhill ward map

Blendon and Penhill ward map

Falconwood and Welling ward map

Falconwood and Welling ward map

 

 

 

by

Save Blackfen Library

Following Bexley Council’s proposal to re-model the borough’s libraries, the importance to many people to keep Blackfen Library as a Council-run library has become evident, not just to individuals but also to schools and businesses in the area. It is vital that we all make this clear to Bexley Council now. To do this please sign the petition and if you are a Bexley resident you should complete the Council questionnaire as well.

The petition to save Blackfen’s library can be signed here: http://www.change.org/p/bexley-council-save-blackfen-library-and-keep-it-as-a-council-managed-service. [THIS PETITION IS NOW CLOSED. THE ONLINE AND PAPER PETITION REACHED 3017 SIGNATURES].

Karen Mensa-Bonsu has been working incredibly hard to increase awareness of the proposal, to collect signatures and to distribute paper versions of the petition, and it is available to sign at the following places in Blackfen:
Candy Box Supermarket
Blackfen Cards
The Post Office/Londis
Tesco Express
Brownes Chemist
The Blackfen Specialist Off Licence
Morgans Hairdressers
Casey and Korkies Schoolwear
J. Ayre Bakers
The Card Shop Newsagents
Premier Autocentres
Hair Therapy
Day Lewis Pharmacy
The George Staples pub
Copelands Newsagent
Stuart Gothelf Opticians
Pares Children’s Footwear
Our Lady of the Rosary RC Church

Please tell as many people as you can about this. The petition will be presented to the Council by the end of the consultation period on 21 November.

Bexley residents should also complete the Council questionnaire at http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=18087 [THIS QUESTIONNAIRE CLOSED ON 21 NOVEMBER]

Please support your local library and save it from being lost for future generations.

Blackfen Library today is a friendly, busy library in the heart of the shopping area. There are books, DVDs, audio books, PCs, WiFi, Council services, photocopier and fax, Council contact point with freephone, disabled access, public toilet (the only one in Blackfen), art display board for hire and meeting room for hire. Children’s groups include Toddlertimes, Storytimes and Chatterbooks. Regular adult events include a monthly reading group, twice-weekly coffee morning, weekly Scrabble and games club, twice-monthly Stitch and Craft, and two separate weekly Jigsaw puzzle groups. These are invaluable for both young and old, to educate and socialise, and to prevent isolation and loneliness [therefore making financial savings eventually as people are less likely to rely on social services and NHS]. Travelling further afield would be impractical or even impossible for many users due to physical mobility problems, time or cost of travel. Should Blackfen Library close, classes from local schools would be unable to make visits to the library, and children would not be able to pop into the library on their way home from school.

While children and older people are probably the main groups affected, there are also job-seekers who use the computers (not every household can afford a computer and broadband, and online job applications cannot be done via a mobile phone). With the number of financial cuts and public consultations put out by Bexley Council lately, to get rid of the library would seem to strike down democracy itself: for those who cannot travel far, how will they access online or paper versions of the consultation papers?

Children's corner, books and computers at Blackfen Library, March 2014. (Please note that I was not allowed to include people in the photograph, which is why it doesn't look busy. I actually had to wait quite a while before it cleared so I could take it!).

Children’s corner, books and computers at Blackfen Library, March 2014. (Please note that I was not allowed to include people in the photograph, which is why it doesn’t look busy. I actually had to wait quite a while before it cleared so I could take it!).

A snapshot while I was in Blackfen Library on the afternoon of Saturday 25th October: “It’s very busy. Quite a queue at the desk – people borrowing books and booking places for half-term activities for children. Someone is at a table studying, there are people using the computers, and there are excited children reading books in the kids corner. There is a Japanese calligraphy exhibition and artwork by Marlborough Park School on display. And Bexley Council want to get rid of all this? Meanwhile, I spotted only one A4 poster inviting people to comment on Bexley Library proposals – and nowhere did it say ‘and this means this particular library in Blackfen may close as a result’. Almost like they don’t want anyone to find out… Which would be convenient, wouldn’t it?”

As the petition was signed by such a large number of people it will be presented at the Bexley Council Public Cabinet Meeting on 17 December 2014 at 7.30pm. The public can attend this meeting, at the Civic Offices, Watling Street, Bexleyheath, so please come along and show your support.

by

Blackfen’s Scout Group: a plea

The 7th Sidcup Scout Group is located to the rear of 55 – 57 Wellington Avenue, Blackfen. It was established in 1948 and the current hut was built by the Rover Scouts in the 1950s via a local donate a brick campaign.

The numbers of Cubs & Scouts are well down and it is now considered to be a ‘failing’ Group. However, steps are now being taken to try to increase youth participation by re-starting the Beaver Colony (ages 6 – 8) and increasing the number of Cubs (ages 8 – 10) with the hope that this will increase parent participation and lead to greater number of Scouts (ages 10 – 14).

The revival is being spearheaded by Di Sprowles, a very experienced Leader who is part of the Bexleyheath Scout management and she will be leafleting the local Schools (Days Lane/Our Lady/Sherwood Park) to try to get their participation. She will also be leafleting, where possible, the businesses in Blackfen and the Oval.

If you do have any children who may be interested in joining the group could you perhaps contact Di Sprowles on disprowles@hotmail.com  Please tell all your family, friends and neighbours about the above.