Charlton Events

GDIF’s Mystery Bird comes to the streets of Charlton this Thursday evening

Darryl Chamberlain
Mystery Bird
The Mystery Bird is coming to Charlton

If you’re one of those people for whom the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival always comes as a surprise each year, then you might be in for a bigger jolt this week – it’s coming to the back streets of Charlton this Thursday evening.

“Inspired by our increased awareness of nature, wildlife and birdsong during the long months of lockdown, this travelling installation in the form of a giant bird cage will roam the streets at dusk with a soundscape and video projections of birds, which will then be symbolically released to fly across the buildings, trees and landscapes of Charlton.”

“This eight-minute roaming show is primarily for local residents to view from their houses and streets.”

The Mystery Bird will be in Nigeria Road at 8.45pm, and Tallis Grove at 10pm.

It’s also in Plumstead tomorrow evening – more details on the GDIF website.

We wouldn’t normally cover an event at such short notice, and nobody at GDIF thought to tell us about it. (Otherwise we’d have told you about Family Tree, which took place at Charlton House over the weekend.)

While it’s remarkable and welcome to see the venerable festival – whose Borealis installation is attracting crowds in Greenwich – reaching out into the community, it’d be all the more effective if somebody thought to tell the same community about it in the first place.

(Got a community event coming up in Charlton? Drop us an email at charltonchampion.se7[at]gmail.com. Thank you.)

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Music for an Autumnal Evening: Charlton House roof fundraiser planned for October

The Charlton Champion1 Comment
Charlton House
Up on the roof: Charlton House needs £1.2m for roof repairs

A month ago, we reported that Charlton House urgently needs £1.2 million of repairs to its roof – and local fundraising is well under way. GWEN ZAMMIT is putting on a concert in October – over to her to explain more…

I am putting on a concert in aid of Charlton House, in the Old Library at 7pm on Sunday 10 October (profits for repairs to the roof of the House). The tickets are £15, to include a glass of wine or fruit juice.

The programme consists of instrumental and vocal music performed by professional and amateur musicians. It contains music to suit all tastes from classical, jazz and musical comedy, etc.

It will be a “relaxed, enjoy yourself” evening.

Tickets can be obtained by telephoning 020 8856 7373 and payments can be made by bank transfer or cheque – details given when booking.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. And we’ll do the others better than anyone else. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

Charlton Park festival: Benjamin Zephaniah and Dua Lipa tribute to play Greenwich Together ’21

Darryl Chamberlain
Benjamin Zephaniah is coming to Charlton (photo: David Morris via Creative Commons)

Dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah is one of the headliners at Greenwich Council’s new free festival in Charlton Park, to be held later this month.

The Birmingham-born artist will take the to main stage of the Greenwich Together ’21 event alongside his band The Revolutionary Minds on Saturday 21 August.

Tribute act The Ultimate Dua Lipa will also play, alongside the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Fat Brass Singalong, a “turbo-charged hip-hop jazztronica band”.

There will also be a dance stage and a community stage, featuring sets from The Kimberleys and Daisy Veacock. A “lawn of tranquility”, sports and healthy living zone and global festivals field are also planned, along with free School of Skate lessons for anyone inspired by the Olympics.

The event is a continuation of the council’s annual Great Get Together event, which was held at Barrack Field on Woolwich Common before moving to Woolwich town centre in 2019.

Adel Khaireh, the council’s cabinet member for culture and communities, said: “Greenwich has an amazing mix of cultures, communities and people, and we’ve all got so much to learn from and share with each other.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing so many of our residents together again, and our talented community organisations, artists and traders back in action. We’ve got a brilliant day of entertainment, for everyone to enjoy.”

The £165,000 festival will be held six months after The Charlton Champion revealed that the council had declined to install new lighting in the park to make it safe to use in the winter months.

More details and a full line-up are on the Greenwich Council website.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. And we’ll do the others better than anyone else. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
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Mamma Mia! Can you help Charlton’s newest drama group put on the Abba musical?

Darryl Chamberlain1 Comment
Charlton Assembly Rooms
Charlton Assembly Rooms (photo: Neil Clasper)

The Charlton Assembly Rooms is the new home of SE7’s newest drama group – The Charlton Village Players.

Founded by Gwen Zammit – who campaigned to save the Assembly Rooms in the 1970s – the group has been set up to raise money for community projects.

Its debut production will be Mamma Mia! – with all profits going to the fund to restore Charlton House’s roof.

But they need lots of volunteers when the show takes place in November. They need people to help as stage workers (they have a stage manager), putting up the lighting, make-up, costumes, arranging chairs, providing refreshments, making bookings, collecting tickets at the door, showing customers to their seats, and more besides.

Once the volunteers are in place, auditions will take place so rehearsals can begin.

Can you help? Email Gwen on gwenzammit[at]yahoo.co.uk.

Just down the hill, another amateur dramatics group, the Alexandra Players are back in action this week, with tickets for An Evening with the Alexandra Players on sale now.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. And we’ll do the others better than anyone else. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
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An Evening with the Alexandra Players: Drama returns to Charlton after lockdown

Neil Clasper

News in from local amateur dramatics group THE ALEXANDRA PLAYERS as they return to the stage this week:

Come and support your fabulous local amateur dramatics group on their first show post-lockdown!

From Wednesday 28th – Saturday 31st July 2021, we will be bringing to you 4 fabulous evenings of entertainment. Tickets £10 and will include a drink for your refreshment and a programme. Curtain up at 7.45pm (Doors open at 7.15pm).

CAST INCLUDES ALL YOUR REGULAR FAVOURITES
Keith Hartley, Sue McGeehan, Jackie Hartley, Alex Parker, Adam Alexander, Roy Moore, Mark Higgins, Emma Hickey, Liz Moss, Deborah Pike, Janet Sweet and Louise Gaul

Although Covid restrictions have been eased, for your comfort and safety – the hall will be at half capacity (only 40 tickets will be available for each performance) and we will unfortunately be unable to accept cash or sell tickets for this production on the door. Seats in the hall will be arranged to accommodate bubbles and so tickets must be bought online and in advance so that we know exactly how many people will be in attendance.

The box office is now open – call 07889 782 819 to book your tickets.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. And we’ll do the others better than anyone else. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

Picture Me There: Share your Charlton thoughts and help a new dance performance

The Charlton Champion

Picture Me There

A special dance project is coming to Charlton, and the people behind it would like you to share your thoughts, memories, pictures and more. BEATRICE, CORNELIS and ORLEY from THE COLLECTORS are here to explain more.

The Collectors are coming to Charlton and would like to invite residents to provide images and text significant to Charlton to help create a performance, called Picture Me There, that is specific to the area.

How can you get involved? There are three ways.

  • Anyone in Charlton of any age can share photos, images, text, maps, memories or anything else involving residents and drawing from the present or past. These items will shape our show. You can drop them here onto our Google Drive.
  • We’re looking for ten to 15 Charlton residents to work with us more closely. They would meet us for a first catch-up and material sharing on Sunday 1 August. They will then take part in a workshop on the Sunday 19 September as well as helping us decide where to perform. All ages welcome. We would like to have an intergenerational group. Venue and times to be confirmed.
  • Anyone can watch and enjoy the free performances on Sunday 26 September.

For more information and to register for the meeting and workshop, email us at thecollectorsprojects[at]gmail.com.

Follow us on Instagram for updates and to see our work in progress: instagram.com/thecollectorsprojects

If you do not have do not have internet access and would like to participate or share anything, contact Greenwich Dance at Charlton House (020 8293 9741).

This is a free event funded by Greenwich Council.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. And we’ll do the others better than anyone else. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion

11-13 year-olds: Make music and get active with The Big Red Bus Club this summer

The Charlton Champion

power up flyer

Charlton’s Big Red Bus Club has been busy branching out recently – its latest venture is into summer sessions to help 11 to 13-year-olds rebuild their confidence through music and fun after a shattering 16 months. The club’s ANNIE DREWRY explains more…

March 16, 2020 was, for many children, simply the day the music died. For those kids that didn’t already have instruments at home or access to private online lessons, music simply disappeared.

In Charlton, like the rest of the country, music education not only came to an abrupt halt. Not just the lessons ending, but the community music programmes such as the after-school drumming clubs or choirs that were as much about friendship as they were the performances that resulted from them.

For your average 11-year-old, the summer is full of music. It’s when you head down to Primark to pick up your outfit for your final primary school disco, or the nervous excitement waiting to find out if you’ve got a song in your final school play. It’s endless practising for your final year assemblies, and the sharing of playlists among friends – the friends that you will leave as a memory of your childhood as you move to secondary school and make the friends that will see you become an adult.

The Big Red Bus Club has always believed in the power of the arts to build our community in Charlton, whether it be two toddlers sharing finger-painting or the mums in our Baby Blues Choir raising awareness of maternal mental health through performance. We know friendships are built when we create together.

So this summer, we are putting on two free programmes for Charlton’s 11-13 year olds.

Pump it Up, a week-long series of music workshops culminating in kids creating their own track and recording it, and Power Up, a whole week of activities ranging from pottery to engineering activities specifically for girls.

Last year was hard. At the Big Red Bus Club we want to bring the music back into kids’ lives, help them make local friends and to hang out and just be kids again.

You can help by letting local kids know that we are here.

Pump It Up: Monday 26 to Friday 30 July, 11-4pm, music workshops including singing, percussion and composition with a whole range of local artists.

Power Up (girls only): Monday 2 to Friday 6 August, 10-3pm, wellbeing workshops including pottery, yoga, engineering and a day trip.

To book for either free programme, visit thebigredbusclub.com/summerschemes.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHARLTON CHAMPION

We tell the SE7 stories you won’t read elsewhere. And we’ll do the others better than anyone else. We can’t do it without your help.
– Please tell us about your news and events
– Become a monthly supporter at presspatron.com/charltonchampion
– Donate to our running costs at paypal.me/charltonchampion