Author: Neil Clasper

No more ‘Charlton Lido’? Tell us what you think

Neil Clasper37 Comments
Charlton Lido - August 2012
Charlton Lido – August 2012

UPDATE 24th SEPTEMBER 2013: Mark Sesnan, MD of GLL, has left this comment in the thread below:

Dear Charlton Champion,

I am pleased to be able to inform your readers that GLL has discussed the naming of the Lido further with the Council and we have agreed that there needs to be more consultation as to what is the best name for the new facility.

GLL’s preference is now ‘Charlton Leisure Centre and Lido’, thus retaining Charlton in the name, but being clear that it is ‘more than’ just a Lido, but we are happy to hear other suggestions, however, as the owners and the people making the millions of pounds of investment and the organisation that actually has responsibility to make it work, GLL will of course make the final call on the name.

We very much appreciate the level of local interest in the Lido and hope that this will be reflected in patronage when we are fully up and running.

As soon as we have the relevant information we will let you know the plans for opening the new facilities in the new year and what date the pools will be back up and running in the Spring. Meantime, the pool will stay open until the end of October half term and a timetable leaflet is available at the Lido or on the web. Kids for £1 will run throughout this period.

Lets all look forward to a Charlton success story (in the Royal Borough of Greenwich – of course!).

Mark

Mark Sesnan
Managing Director
GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited)

Many thanks to all who have supported our campaign asking GLL and Royal Borough of Greenwich to rethink their lido renaming plans – those who’ve signed the petition, RT’d our Twitter feed, spoken to their councillors, and so on – it’s clearly an issue that’s provoked strong feelings in SE7 and beyond. The decision’s not been finalised yet, though, so please: sign the petition, pass it on; and let us know what you think of GLL’s new proposal in the comments below.

 

UPDATE 21st SEPTEMBER: We’ve launched a petition asking GLL and Royal Borough of Greenwich to rethink the renaming: wecallitcharltonlido.co.uk. Please take a moment to sign it!

This week’s Greenwich Time reports that the council is changing the name of Charlton Lido (or Hornfair Lido) to “Royal Greenwich Lido”.

What do you think?

UPDATE: Twitter user @Juptin reports that ‘Royal Greenwich Lido’ signs have started to appear:

So far this site has had no confirmation from the council as to whether any public consultation has taken place regarding the renaming.

Charlton Horn Fayre – Sunday July 28th

Neil Clasper4 Comments
Charlton Horn Fayre banner
Charlton Horn Fayre photo by Nikki Coates

The Horn Fayre takes  place at Charlton House this Sunday, 11am – 4pm, and promises “traditional children’s rides and races, dog show, beer tent, music, food and much more”.

It is a shame that this year’s event has seen so little publicity, but we’re told that it was nearly cancelled (due to a clash with the Armed Forces Day event), so perhaps should be grateful that it’s taking place at all. It is to be hoped that the plans to include Charlton House in a new borough-wide Heritage Trust will give future Horn Fayre events a boost

Speaking of Charlton House, it appears that their website has been refreshed. It looks like a work in progress at the moment,  but given that there was practically no information about the Horn Fayre online until the last couple of days – and the old website hadn’t been updated this year – this looks like a positive development.

Enjoy the Horn Fayre if you’re going, and tell us what you thought of it in the comments below!

Charlton Community Gardens – dates for your diaries

Neil Clasper

ccg

A note from Charlton Community Gardens on upcoming activities at their Charlton station plot:

This week on Thursday 25 July from 5 til 6 pm we will be spreading some wood chips on the paths. If you can make it, please bring along any tools you would like to use, especially spades, rakes and even wheelbarrows!

Future dates for your diary:

Sunday 1 September at 2 pm – a working party to clear the end area before the raised beds arrive. Please wear stout shoes, bring gardening gloves and tools if you have them.

Sunday 8 September at 10 am – another working party to finish off stump clearing and litter picking. Again please make sure you’re protected from any sharps in the soil with boots and gloves. We do have gloves and tools for you to borrow.

Wednesday 11 September from 10am – filling the raised beds with soil/compost

Thursday 12 September from 6pm until sundown – planting up the raised beds.

To get in touch with the gardeners, email charltoncommunitygardens [at] gmail.com.

Charlton Champion Summer Social – update

Neil Clasper1 Comment

We have a date and venue for the inaugural Charlton Champion Summer Social – your chance to meet the people behind the Champion, tell us what you like and don’t like, what we’re missing (and any juicy stories you want to pass on), while meeting new people (and maybe your neighbours). We’ll be meeting in the Rose of Denmark on Woolwich Road from 8pm on Wednesday 24th July.

Rose Of Denmark
296 Woolwich Rd
London
SE7 7AL

If you’re planning on coming along, I’d be most grateful if you could send a quick email to neilclasper [at] gmail.com, so we can get an idea of how many to expect.

Charlton Lido – late opening for the hot weather

Neil Clasper2 Comments
Charlton Lido - August 2012
Charlton Lido – August 2012

Good news for Charlton lido swimmers as GLL announce extended weekday opening hours from this week. The pool will be open 6.45am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on the weekend. This will be especially welcome for those swimmers whose working hours make it otherwise impossible to use the lido during the week. As London temperatures soar, there’s never been a better time to try Charlton’s outdoor pool.

Last week GLL suggested on Twitter that opening hours would be extended once the refurbishment is completed, but was unable to confirm how late they’d be staying open. If you want to swim in the evenings beyond the summer, let them know. If feedback on this site and Twitter is anything to go by, there’s definitely demand for post-work swimming in SE7.

As ever, we’re keen to hear your thoughts on the lido. Four months since its reopened it’d be interesting to get your feedback- let us know in the comments below!

NB: GLL do vary the opening times, so it’s always best to check the official website before going: http://www.better.org.uk/leisure/charlton-lido

Charlton Champion Summer Social

Neil Clasper18 Comments
River Thames from Anchor and Hope pub, 30 June 2013
Where else in London do you get views like this?

Would you like to meet the people behind the Charlton Champion? A chance to tell us what we’re doing right, what we’re getting wrong, and what we’re missing? Got an SE7 story you want to tell or a rumour to pass on? Would you like to get involved and contribute to the site?

Plans are afoot to organise an informal drinks evening locally. It should be an excellent opportunity to get together with the Champion’s contributors, and meet new people (or maybe your neighbours!), and have a chat about what’s going on in Charlton.

It’s most likely to take place on a weeknight in a local pub, in the last full week of July; but we need at least a general idea of how many people are likely to turn up, so that we can either reserve an area of a pub, or at least let the pub know we’re expecting a few people.

So, if all of this appeals – and we promise that a) we are a friendly bunch, and b) we won’t twist you arm too hard to write for us – let us know in the comments below or email neilclasper [@] gmail.com.

UPDATE 15th July: We have now confirmed a date and a venue – the evening of Wednesday 24th July, probably starting around 8pm, at the Rose of Denmark on Woolwich Road. If you plan to come along, it’d be appreciated if you could drop me a quick email at neilclasper [at] gmail.com so I can manage expectations of numbers.

Photography exhibition at Charlton House

Neil Clasper
Aperture's Charlton House Exhibition
Aperture’s Charlton House Exhibition

Local photographic club Aperture have an exhibition at Charlton House opening tomorrow, running through to July 31st. The show presents some of the group’s best work, and is open Monday to Friday 9am-4pm. Additionally, it’ll be open on Sunday 28th of July for the Charlton Horn Fayre, where Aperture club members will also be out and about taking photos. If you’re interested in what else they’re up to, you can follow Aperture on Twitter: @aperturewps.

Update: We’re told the exhibition will be open on Saturdays, 10am-5pm.

In related news, Charlton House still have pitches available for the Horn Fayre. Hopefully they’ll have some more publicity for the Horn Fayre shortly (and not just on Facebook).