St Thomas’ Church is hosting its Christmas fair this Saturday
St Thomas’ Church on Woodland Terrace is hosting its Christmas fair this Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
There’ll be live music from The Woolwich Singers, the Crystal Palace Brass Band and classical guitarist Ellis Fox.
To raise funds for the church, there’ll also be a wreath-making workshop during the day led by Ali Edney, a professional homes stylist.
The workshop, which costs £45 a head, will help you make a “chic and elegant wreath from scratch”, with participants plied with Christmassy snacks and drinks by Angelique Glata, a professional chef.
“Rising utility costs are a challenge for all of us, including St Thomas’, and we are raising funds to keep the doors always open.” Angelique said. “Ali and I met at one of St Thomas’ community concerts and our friendship has seen us volunteering together at Greenwich’s Winter Night Shelter, at concerts and community events, believing in the warmth, hospitality and kindness that churches like St Thomas’ foster.”
No tickets are needed for the Christmas fair, but tickets for the wreath-making workshop can be booked through Eventbrite. For more information, contact Angelique on admin[at]moveablefeasts.co.uk.
The damage left by Vladimir Putin in the village of Novoselivka, near Chernihiv. Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / UNDP Ukraine via Creative Commons
There’s a benefit concert for Ukraine at St Richard’s Hall in Swallowfield Road on Saturday 12th November. All are welcome to the event, which is being held by the Charlton Central Residents’ Association. SARAH HORNSEY explains more…
To show support and solidarity with Ukraine, Charlton Central Residents’ Association are pleased to be hosting an evening benefit concert for those whose lives are being disrupted by the war in Ukraine.
We have a great line-up of local talent which includes our very own CCRA Singers; our instrumental group SE7; Hope Augustus, a wonderful jazz singer who plays with SE7 at Cattaleya on Charlton Church Lane; and the Flaming Sambucas, a blues/rock band.
If that was not enough we also have local resident harpist Gabriella Dall’Olio who will be joined by Clare Hoffman, a violinist. We also have two Ukrainian sisters who play the harp, Catherine and Elizabeth Rahjans as well as Owen Morgan, a singer, and Claude Deppa, a trumpeter. There may be other special guests and readings on the night.
Space is limited so arrive early to avoid disappointment, doors will open at 7.00pm. The concert will start promptly at 7.30pm. Entry is free – but we hope everyone attending will contribute to a collection.
For more info contact Jacqui at membership[at]charltonresidents.net or alternatively call 07717 742 886.
The concert is at St Richard’s Hall, Swallowfield Road, SE7 7NR on Saturday 12 November. For more information visit the CCRA website.
The concert will be raising money for Ukraine and the Charlton House roof
GWEN ZAMMIT, the chair of the Save Charlton Assembly Rooms Project, put on a successful concert last year to help raise funds to repair the damaged roof at Charlton House. This Sunday, she’s doing it again. She says…
I’ll be putting on a wonderful concert of all types of music both instrumental and vocal performed by professionals and good amateurs, including “St Luke’s Players”, to raise money for Ukraine as well as the roof at Charlton House, which needs replacing.
Music for an Autumnal Evening is at 7.30pm on Sunday October 2 in the Old Library, Charlton House. Tickets now available at £15 to include wine/beer or something softer.To book tickets in advance call David on 07738 561544.
We hope you can come because we know you will have a great time!
About 170 people run and walk around Charlton Park every Saturday morning
It’s nearly a year since parkrun first came to Charlton – and since then well over 700 people have signed up for a regular Saturday morning five-kilometre run or walk around Charlton Park.
More than 2,700 people have come from near and far to take part, and just as importantly, more than 230 people have volunteered – helping to marshal, setting the course up, welcoming newcomers, timekeeping or making sure all the finishers are counted.
It’s not just locals that take part – Charlton parkrun has become a draw for people from across London and far beyond. On a typical day, 171 people will finish the three-lap course.
The parkun team will mark their first anniversary on Saturday 1 October – but if you haven’t done it before, there’s no need to wait for your first time as they’ll be in the park ready for 9am tomorrow morning.
Through the gate at the Meridian Road end of the park…
LINDA BOSCIC, one of Charlton parkrun’s event directors, explains what it’s about and why you should give it a go…
On 2 October 2021, 330 runners and walkers and 34 volunteers turned up just before 9am to take part in the first ever parkrun to be held in Charlton Park.
Since that amazing day, every Saturday morning come rain or shine a team of about 20 volunteers will arrive from 8.15am – depending on their role – to set up the course and wait for the walkers, joggers and runners to arrive for the 9am start.
Once the tail walker – a volunteer who is always the last person to cross the finish line – completes the course, the volunteers complete the close down and put away the kit ready for the next Saturday.
It’s then over to the Old Cottage café for coffee, maybe some breakfast and a chat with participants new and old. It’s always supporting and welcoming, regardless of whether it’s your first time or 51st time.
Parkrun is a free 5k walk or run around your local park every Saturday morning (come at 8.45am if you’re doing it for the first time). Sign up at www.parkrun.org.uk/register, where you’ll be allocated a unique barcode which you can either print or download to your smartphone.
You then turn up on Saturday morning with your barcode in time for the run director’s briefing, ready to start at 9am. On completing the three laps of the course you are given a parkrun barcode with a position number on it. You then walk over one of our scanner volunteers who will scan the token and keep it, then they scan your barcode, which you keep.
What parkrun is not is a race – it’s an opportunity to walk or run in your local park with others from your local community, staying active and healthy, making new friends or helping to make the event happen by volunteering, because without the volunteers the event would not happen. We have people completing the event in anywhere from 16 minutes to 1 hour with an average time of 28 minutes across all ages from under-11s (who must be with an adult) to over-80s.
If you’ve never done a parkrun before, then either come and talk to us one Saturday morning and see what it’s all about, or just come and take part – simply let one of the team know it’s your first time and you will be welcomed into the parkrun family.
Charlton parkrun takes place every Saturday morning in Charlton Park at 9am. Visit www.parkrun.org.uk/charlton for more information.
The 1971 film of the hit TV show is one of the festival’s highlights
The Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival is back again in September – but what’s in? PAUL CHAPMAN, one of the organisers, is here to put you in the picture.
Hard to believe that the Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival is already in its seventh year, but this September we are ready to once more go forth with our trusty (borrowed) projectors and screen free films to the citizens of SE7 and SE18.
The dates of this year’s festival are Friday September 9th to 17th, and we’ll be showing our customary mix of films and documentaries – some old, some new – in our customary mix of venues – some old, some new.
On the 11th, we’re showing the Billy Wilder directed classic THE APARTMENT, which reunited Wilder and Lemmon after the success of Some Like It Hot. The Apartment will be screened at the Assembly Rooms in Charlton Village. Two days later on the 13th we’re back in SE7 at the Old Library in Charlton House, where we’ve got the 1971 war comedy DAD’S ARMY, a film adapted from the classic TV series. The event will feature popular Festival recurring character historian Clive Harris, who will give an informal talk beforehand.
The powerful drama Timbuktu will be shown at St Luke’s Church
And on Friday 16th we’ve got a Bond classic at an SE18 classic, Shrewsbury House. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN sees Roger Moore accompanied, as you’d expect, by a fully licensed bar.
That’s three films we’ve already announced, but we can also reveal, exclusive in The Charlton Champion, three more films! On Monday 12th, we are back – after a long interval – at The Star pub in Plumstead. We’ll be screening 2014 comedy-drama PRIDE; the “you’ll laugh, you’ll cry” true story of LGBT activists and their efforts to raise money to support the 1984 miners strike.
A lesser-known 2014 offering comes to St Luke’s Church on Wednesday 14th, with TIMBUKTU, a powerful drama about a family and a city grappling with fundamentalism in Mali. In 2017, The New York Times ranked it the twelfth best film of the 21st century so far!
And for our third Champion exclusive, I can reveal that our Festival closer this year is the epic space opera, DUNE, at Garrison Church on Saturday 17th. Not the 1980s version where Sting dances around in his pants, but the 2021 version starring – like all new films in the last 18 months – Timothee Chalamet. Dune will also feature our old friends from the Flamsteed Astronomy Society, weather permitting, showing us the wonders of the night sky via their mighty telescopes.
There are more films to be announced, once we’ve dotted i’s, crossed the t’s and secured the licenses.
A lot of organisation goes into putting on the festival each year, and we can only show the free films thanks to the generosity of our venues and the generosity of our visitors, who add to our collection buckets at the end of the evenings. In previous years we’ve also been helped through sponsorship, most recently by Greenwich Council.
Sadly this year we’ve been unable to secure council backing (the fund had already closed when we came a-knocking). This will make this years festival more of a challenge, and if there are any potential sponsors out there who are interested in supporting the festival, with all the accompanying promotion and warmth-in-the-tummy-feeling that entails, then feel free to contact our chair for a no-strings chat via gavin[at]freefilmfestivals.org.
And so, all’s that is left is to say we really hope to see lots of you at a film or three this year. Please tell your friends about us, and point them towards our various accounts underneath this article. And keep an eye out for the final published events, we’ve got some real surprises lined up.
It’s 40 years since Charlton Toy Library was founded by a group of mums who met on a regular basis with their children. Since then, it’s moved into Charlton House, added an outreach service to support vulnerable families and overall has helped thousands of children and families across the borough of Greenwich. It provides a place to stay and play for children, but also offers toys, books and baby and safety equipment for loan.
Now Charlton Toy Library is inviting the community to celebrate its 40th birthday this Sunday, 17 July in Charlton Assembly Hall. There will be entertainment, children’s crafts, music and much more. To mark the occasion Charlton Toy Library is raising £4,000 to offer free membership, services and food vouchers to 120 families.
Guests include Leo Fletcher, the mayor of Greenwich, and Chris Mason, local resident and BBC political editor – no doubt taking a break after a busy few days.
The party is open to all, and will run from 10.30am to 1pm – with the all-important cake-cutting at 11am. And to support the fundraiser, visit: cafdonate.cafonline.org/20933.
Got green finders? Charlton Community Gardens would like you to join them for their gardening party this Sunday morning.
They say…
This coming Sunday, July 3rd, we have our Gardening Party from 10 am until 12 noon at Charlton Station. Gardening experience isn’t necessary, but please bring some gloves, if you have them. We have tools for you to use.
Please join us as close to 10 am as you can because if the weather changes, or the tasks listed below are completed, we go home.
The tasks for Sunday: – general weed and litter pick – water – tie up any climbers – remove acanthus from the pollinator-friendly area – continue the audit of flowering plants in the pollinator-friendly area – prune the Cornus in the station bed – tie in/cut back climbers on the back wall, including the vine – move bark chippings away from base of raised beds – other tasks as identified on the day
The Charlton Champion 