Want to get your bike checked out, brush up on your cycling skills, or go on a ‘social ride’ around the local area? The council’s running a series of events at Hornfair Park on the 3rd Sunday of the month, with the next sessions taking place tomorrow (15th May). More info and booking for the cycling skills session and social ride can be found here: http://royalgreenwich.gov.uk/bikedays.
As ever, we’d love to hear your feedback if you go along – tell us about it in the comments box below!
As you’ve probably gathered from elsewhere, a sinkhole appeared in Woodland Terrace overnight, almost swallowing a car whole.
The hole appeared following a second night of heavy rain. Authorities are investigating, while the 380 bus is diverted away from the area.
https://twitter.com/ed_neon/status/730649771678048256
It’s not known how the hole appeared, but it follows an incident last week where a sinkhole appeared near housing in Plumstead. If you’ve got a long memory, you’ll also remember the huge hole in Blackheath Hill, west Greenwich, that opened up at Easter 2002, caused by old chalk mining.
Charlton has its own share of underground mysteries – a few years back, it was claimed a cave posed a threat to the rail tunnels underneath Maryon Park, close to where this morning’s incident took place.
For now, though, it’s simply a relief that nobody was injured. If you’re near the scene and can tell us more about what’s happening, please let us know.
PS. Somebody passing by in a minicab reported the hole to the council via fault-reporting service FixMyStreet at 3.09am: “Road has collapsed. Car is on edge and ready to drop inside. It is not safe. My uber taxi could not see the collapsed road in dark. Avoided falling inside but he has two flat tyres now.” A moment when 999 might have been a better choice…
9.55am update: Thanks to Emma for this Facebook update: “I’ve just been past, the water and gas guys are there (plus TV cameras, police etc). They were talking about moving the car today but the vehicle needed to do it is 7.5 tons and they’re (understandably) concerned. It looks hollow underneath. Road closed to traffic between Heathwood Gardens and Maryon Road but pedestrian access is now open.”
6.55pm update: The car is now out of the hole, but the road will be closed for some time to come.
An update from The Alexandra Players on their latest production:
Following the success of our performance last Summer of The Essence of Love written by Philip Ayckbourn, The Alexandra Players in Charlton have been given a wonderful opportunity to stage a brand new production by the playwright.
Philip very kindly approached us and asked us to be the first group ever to perform a brand new play he has written called Timeshare – a comedy with farcical elements that plays with time and relationships.
The London and World Premiere will open at The Alexandra Hall, Bramshot Avenue in Charlton on Wednesday 1st June for 4 nights only. The Box Office is open and tickets are on sale now!
It’s not always straightforward to find out what’s going on at Charlton Lido. The website’s updated sporadically and not particularly easy to navigate, and they’re still not in the habit of emailing updates to members. We’ve been digging, though, and found 5 Interesting Things Happening At Charlton Lido In The Coming Weeks:
Charlton Lido has a 50m heated outdoor pool, and can be found at Hornfair Park, Shooters Hill Road, London SE18 4LX.
A message from Cllr Gary Parker:
Your Charlton Ward councillors are pleased to announce the launch of the Charlton Ward Budget programme for 2016-18.
Your ward councillors will be accepting applications from 3rd May 2016 onwards. In line with the council decision, the decision of the ward councillors regarding any grants awarded is final.
We are trying to fund as many organisations as possible from a budget of £30,000 and we particularly want to encourage small organisations to apply using this application form.
Some background on ward budgets
Greenwich council’s ward budget scheme was announced in October 2015; at the last count 15 applications have been approved so far across the borough, including some funds to improve Hornfair Park’s pet cemetery.
Have you got an idea for a scheme that would benefit Charlton ward? Let us know in the comments below!
Volunteers who have helped restore a pet cemetery next to Hornfair Park have been given a small grant from Greenwich Council to help them erect a noticeboard and seating area in the rediscovered space.
The Friends of Charlton Pet Cemetery are being given £469 for “a notice board to display information about activities and the history of the cemetery and to create a seating area with a stone seat within an arch surrounded by trellis”.
Few people knew about the existence of the cemetery until the group was set up in 2012 with a mission to restore the space as a place to visit.
The cemetery predates the opening of Hornfair Park, having formed formed part of kennels on Shooters Hill Road bought by the Blue Cross charity after World War I.
But after World War II the cemetery was flattened, with the headstones set into the ground. It was largely forgotten about for many years until the Friends group got to work. With donations from Greenwich Council, local businesses and grants, it has cleaned up the space and put in new flower beds and seating. A memorial wall, where people can commemorate cherished pets, has also been installed.
If you want to find out more about the cemetery, you can access it from Shooters Hill Road, close to the footbridge at the Fox under the Hill pub. There’s also more information on the e-shootershill website.
The grant comes from Greenwich Council’s Ward Budgets scheme, after being endorsed by Kidbrooke with Hornfair councillors Norman Adams, Christine Grice and David Stanley. Each ward has access to £30,000 for community projects and other initiatives.
15 different grants have been given out since December 2015, from money to establish a junior Parkrun in Eltham to electric bikes for fire officers in Plumstead and Abbey Wood.
Details of how the scheme will work in Charlton ward have yet to be announced by councillors Allan MacCarthy, Gary Parker and Miranda Williams, who are responsible for selecting bids and putting them forward to council leader Denise Hyland for approval.
Sunday 8.45am update: Marathon organisers disregarded their own information by closing the Marlborough Lane access gate half-an-hour early.
https://twitter.com/charltoncse7/status/724135803128041472
It’s one of the best days of the year to live in this part of the capital – Sunday brings the annual spectacle of the London Marathon to the streets of Charlton.
But don’t get caught out – if you’re unfamiliar with the annual arrangements, road closures can go on for longer than you expected.
The three routes through the area – Shooters Hill Road/Charlton Park Lane (wheelchairs and elite runners), Charlton Road/The Village/Little Heath (mass race) and Woolwich Road (all racers) will be closed to traffic from 07:00, reopening after 12:00 (14:00 Woolwich Road).
There is some limited vehicle access to/from the area shortly before the first participants come through. Here’s what’s happening in Charlton, Woolwich and east Greenwich.
For details further afield, see this document. Trains will be running a normal service (the first Sunday this year they’ve done this) on marathon day, with some extra early morning services, if you need a fast exit from the area during the lock-in or want to follow the race through London. Don’t expect buses to return to normal until at least 2pm.
Staying in the area? Good idea. Here are the marathon basics.
When to watch it? There are four start times on Blackheath this year. The mass race runs along Charlton Road to Woolwich, the others go along Shooters Hill Road and Charlton Park Road to Woolwich Common. Both then return along Woolwich Road towards Greenwich and Tower Bridge.
The great joy of London Marathon day in Charlton is you can see the runners twice – once in The Village or Charlton Road, then you can leg it down the hill and catch them again on Woolwich Road.
Where to watch it? Well, it is the traditional morning for a breakfast-time pint… the White Swan in Charlton Village is open from 9am with live music, home-cooked breakfasts and live music. At the bottom of the hill, the Rose of Denmark on Woolwich Road is a reliable marathon day bet with more live music and the chance to toast the winner as stragglers struggle past closer to lunchtime.
And it’s as simple as that. If you’re looking for someone to sponsor, one of the area’s local councillors, Peninsula ward’s Chris Lloyd, is running for Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice. If you or a loved one are running for charity, feel free to leave details in the comments below.
The Charlton Champion 