Author: Neil Clasper

A trip to Charlton’s other team: Bridon Ropes FC

Neil Clasper

With the planned Rockwell development on Charlton’s riverside still causing controversy, The Charlton Champion took a Saturday afternoon trip to see one of the last remnants of the ropeworks that used to occupy the site – its old football team.

Bridon Ropes FC started life in 1935 as the works team of the British Ropes factory on Anchor & Hope Lane, changing its name to Bridon Ropes in the 1990s.

The side, which survived the closure of the last part of the factory in 1996, has bounced around minor leagues for years, recently settling into Division 1 of the Southern Counties East Football League – the 10th tier of English football (six promotions away from the Football League). They finished a decent fifth last season and are currently in third place.

The Ropes’ modest home is at Meridian Sports & Social Club on Charlton Park Lane – there’s a clubhouse and bar, and a little stand by the pitch. The ground is shared with Meridian VP, who play in the same division.

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We got to see the Ropes in cup action on Saturday – a London Senior Trophy first round match against South Kilburn FC of the 11th-tier Middlesex County League.

And we got some value for our £5 admission – after Bridon Ropes edged their opponents 1-0 in the first half, they ran rampant after the break and ran out 8-0 winners over the North Londoners, featuring a hat-trick from winger Henry Dasofunjo scored in just eight minutes.

The Ropes won this trophy in 2014 and from what we saw today, have every chance of doing it again this season. If you’re lacking a football fix or are waiting for the Addicks’ hated owner Roland Duchâtelet to exit The Valley, it’s well worth a trip up to Meridian Sports Ground to see them in action – they are next at home on Saturday 3 November, with a league match against Phoenix Sports Reserves.

Words: Darryl Chamberlain
Photos: Neil Clasper

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Can you help St. Thomas’ night shelter to help the homeless?

Neil Clasper1 Comment
St Thomas Church Charlton-1
St Thomas’ Church on Woodlands Terrace, SE7.

We’ve written before about St. Thomas’ Church night shelter for homeless people, but with winter approaching and homelessness rising, we thought we’d catch up with what’s happening this year, and how local residents can help:

Every winter, thousands of people in the UK end up with no home. It’s a national problem and sometimes it feels like there is nothing we can do. But there is. Greenwich Winter Night Shelter is a team of people from local churches and communities who provide beds, food and company for people without a home. From 14 November 2018 to 12 March 2019, volunteers will give a few hours each week, helping dozens of people get back on their feet.

Would you like to join a team that makes a big difference to people’s lives?

Volunteers are needed for evening, overnight and breakfast shifts – particularly overnight and breakfast shifts. The Shelter operates at a different venue each night of the week, and full training is provided.

For more information, please contact project manager Helen Othen – email: gwnsprojectmgr[at]gmail.com.

The Greenwich Winter Night Shelter network:

Sunday: St James’ Church Hall, Kidbrooke Park Road, SE3 0DU – Nearby buses: 178, 286, 132, 89
Monday: Christ Church, Trafalgar Road, SE10 9EQ – Nearby buses: 177, 180, 286, 422,
129, 188, 386
Tuesday: St George’s Church, Glenluce Road, SE3 7SQ – Nearby buses: 286, 108, 422
Wednesday: OneSpace Youth & Community Centre, Kidbrooke Park Road, SE3 9YY – Nearby buses: B16, 178
Thursday: St Mark’s Church Centre, 22 Greenwich South Street, SE10 8TY – Nearby buses: 386, 180, 199
Friday: St Thomas’ Church, Woodland Terrace, SE7 8EW – Nearby bus: 380
Saturday: Blackheath & Charlton Baptist Church, Marlborough Lane, SE7 7DF – Nearby buses: 89, 178, 386

Make a donation

If you’d like to donate food, clothing or money to the night shelter you can contact the project coordinator above or additionally for St. Thomas’ Church, contact Revd Bennett Spong or Churchwarden Jim Kinsella.

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Meet Champions 4 Change: the Charlton group changing lives through boxing

Neil Clasper

Champions4Change boxing academy at St Thomas Church Charlton

The Charlton Champion spent a very enjoyable morning last Saturday finding out about the work that Champions 4 Change (C4C) is doing with young people at St. Thomas’ Church in Woodland Terrace.

An offshoot of St. Peter’s ABC, an amateur boxing club that’s been in the area since the early 1900s, Champions 4 Change “uses boxing, fitness and mentoring as a vehicle for positive change in young people”.

Led by director Scott O’Connor, the team run a number of programmes designed to develop fitness and mental wellbeing through boxing, for children and older people – including programmes focussed on young carers.

Older children work their way through the ASDAN GB Boxing Awards programmes, gaining recognised qualifications as they go, and can then go on to help train other children and adults as they progress, gaining further experience and confidence as part of the process.

C4C works closely with St Peter’s, signposting young people into the club once they have reached a certain level, or if they wish, to take their boxing to the next level and do it competitively. As well as running programmes in schools, Champions 4 Change also runs one-to-one personal training sessions.

Also visiting on Saturday was Matthew Pennycook, MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, who took a boxing lesson from C4C director Scott O’Connor.

He said: “I really enjoyed my training session with Scott and the chance to see first hand the difference that Champions 4 Change is making for young people and also older residents. It’s a real asset for our area and deserves more support.”

‘No gym bunnies’

One of the club’s regulars, Helen Jakeways, who kindly introduced us to C4C, says, “I’ve been going to the over-40s sessions for four months now and thoroughly enjoy the friendly atmosphere and exercise provided by Scott and volunteer coaches Jack and George.

“I only go once a week but there has definitely been an improvement in my overall levels of fitness and strength.  I’ve also had a couple of enjoyable one-to-one sessions with Scott which really helped with my boxing technique. Scott and his team carefully manage activity to suit different needs and there is no pressure to work beyond what you feel comfortable doing.

“It’s good fun (and great exercise) to work with the team on the pads and they all have a sense of humour, which is a must when you’re facing shots from beginners.

“Highly recommend this invaluable local resource if you want to up your fitness game in a relaxed and friendly environment and try something a bit different.  No intimidating Lycra-clad gym-bunnies – just nice people who genuinely care about helping others to get fit.”

This writer enjoyed his visit to the Saturday morning session so much that he went back on Tuesday to try a taster of the over-40s programme (6.15-7pm, Tuesdays) – and has promised to return! I’d recommend it for anyone looking to get fit in a friendly, supportive environment.

Champions 4 Change
Matthew Pennycook, MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, takes a boxing lesson from Champions 4 Change director Scott O’Connor

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What’s on at C4C this October half-term

Champions 4 Change boxing Bootcamp October 2018
Champions 4 Change will be running a bootcamp for children during October half-term

Get in touch with Champions 4 Change:

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Celebrating Charlton’s history: Should these SE7 landmarks be locally listed?

Neil Clasper
Rose of Denmark pub Woolwich Road Charlton
Could the Rose of Denmark pub be added to Greenwich Council’s Local Heritage List?

We’re grateful to Charlton Champion reader BECKY HOLMES for submitting this post on Greenwich Council’s consultation on the area’s historically interesting buildings.

Greenwich Council recently invited nominations for Local Heritage Listing – and has just opened a public consultation on the “architectural, historic and environmental” merits of the proposals. 

It says: “The purpose of the local list is to identify buildings, structures and monuments of local architectural or historic importance and to preserve their features of interest as far as possible.”

Interestingly, it’s the first time the council has received nominations from community groups and individuals, while be be considered alongside its own proposals. The Lee Forum and Positive Plumstead Project groups have both contributed.

Nominations include an eclectic compilation of buildings, details and structures – from bridges to pubs, to railway stations and lighthouses. “Local heritage listing is a way for local communities to identify and celebrate historic buildings which enrich and enliven their area.”

I found out about the heritage listing by chance, after getting in touch with the conservation team on the Charlton Riverside Heritage Consultation. It felt like the conservation effort should cross Woolwich Road and by a bit of luck this opportunity came up.

‘An underdog at risk of losing its identity’

I haven’t lived in the area for long but I already feel really protective over it – slightly unloved and riddled with traffic pollution, but with an amazing industrial heritage and lots of interesting details. It’s an underdog at risk of losing its identity due to over-development.

A few favourite local nominations include the Angerstein freight railway crossing and alley by Fairthorn Road – built in the 1850s by local landowner John Julius Angerstein so workers could better access Combe Farm, which sat at the bottom of Westcombe Hill (Angerstein’s collection of paintings funded the National Gallery). Locals still cross here everyday.

It’s modest and unpretentious and that’s why it suits the area so well – like something out of a Famous Five novel. It’s a breath of fresh air next to the concrete traffic jams of the A2. Despite walking through the dim alley at dusk, hoping that the person behind is a friendly commuter and not an axe murderer, I’d hate to lose it.

Similarly, the strip of old factory walls and old doors on Ramac Way have a time-worn feel to them. As the last factory walls standing, they feel like a poignant reminder of the need to preserve local industrial heritage and that this area hasn’t always been a place to buy stuff but a place where we made stuff – useful stuff! Transatlantic electrical cables, shipping propellors, batteries, Bakelite telephones as well as Airfix kits, the stuff of childhood dreams.

The Rose of Denmark pub also feels like an unsung hero. Its post-war styling is very evocative of the area and style of the old Valley ground.

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Characterful heritage buildings are at risk with all the new development – nowhere feels safe from redevelopment! Hopefully by adding more heritage spots, more people will appreciate the history of the area – and it might help encourage sympathetic development in the months and years to come.

Have your say on the architectural, historic and environmental value of the nominations.The consultation documents are available online here.

Comments on the architectural, historic and environmental merits of nominations should be given by email or post, by 5pm on 30 October 2018.
By email: planning.policy[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk
By post: Royal Borough of Greenwich, Planning Policy Team, 5th Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London, SE18 6HQ

Find out more and view Greenwich Council’s current heritage list here.

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Do you live, work, play or pray in Charlton Riverside? Help us to tell your story

Neil Clasper

The Charlton Riverside area is set to undergo a dramatic transformation in the coming years, which will see it turn from a historically industrial area to a new residential district. Planning applications are starting to come in for new housing developments at Anchor & Hope Lane, Herringham Road and on the old Siemens factory site.

The Charlton Champion is committed to reporting on these developments as well as the campaigns, controversies and issues surrounding the masterplan and planning process (you can see what we’re written about the area and these issues over recent years here).

But we believe there’s something important missing from the story that’s been told to date, and that’s the people who live and work in the area now, and the changes that the new developments are bringing to their lives.

We’d like to help tell the stories of the people who live, work, run businesses, go to church, visit for leisure, or spend time in the Charlton Riverside area for whatever reason. This could be something as simple some photos of you, your community, your colleagues or business, or a longer interview with you about your life in the area.

We can’t do this alone, and are very keen to speak to anyone who would like to help with this project: individuals, residents’ associations, community groups, councillors, or other groups with an interest in the area.

If you’d like to get involved in any way, or have a story, photo or idea you’d like to contribute, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with The Charlton Champion here or simply email us at charltonchampion.se7[@]gmail.com.

SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

The Charlton Champion provides news and information about issues and events in London SE7.
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What’s happening at Charlton House’s Horn Fair 2018 this Sunday

Neil Clasper1 Comment

There’s a World War I flavour to this year’s Horn Fair, taking place this Sunday, 14th October, as Charlton House marks 100 years since it opened as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) Hospital in 1918.

As well as children’s activities themed around Charlton House’s role in the recuperation of WWI soldiers, there’ll be an opportunity to make Venetian masks, meet Charlton House’s beekeepers, plus a wide variety of food and market stall, music, and a range of talks.  The Tea Rooms will be serving “some interesting recipes from World War I”.

Outside the house, there will also be an opportunity to see inside the Summer House, and from 12.30pm to visit St. Luke’s Church over the road.

See Charlton House’s website for the full details, or download the Horn Fair 2018 programme here.

Read The Charlton Champion‘s history of Charlton’s Horn Fair here.

SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

The Charlton Champion provides news and information about issues and events in London SE7.
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‘Light up Charlton Park!’: Park users’ petition to Greenwich Council

Neil Clasper
Charlton Park’s skate park opened in October 2017

A petition asking Greenwich Council to install ‘low-level directed lighting’ around Charlton Park’s outdoor gym and skatepark has been launched by park users, including the Friends of Charlton Park, and Greenwich Skatepark Cooperative.

The groups “want the space to be used more inclusively in the evenings, by all park users, be it dog walkers, joggers, gym users, and skatepark users“. The petition points out that there is floodlighting for the nearby football pitches, but the skate park won’t be usable in the evenings once the clocks go back.

You can view and sign the petition here.

The Charlton Champion provides news and information about issues and events in London SE7.
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