Festival Time in Sydenham
 
Join us to celebrate the wealth of artistic excellence in the Sydenham area through a host of events and performances in July 2009. An opportunity for you to discover the Arts on your doorstep. Local arts groups, organisations and individual practitioners have planned a fantastic programme, while the skills and experience of professional artists and performers have been brought together to create what promises to be one of the most significant new arts festivals in South East London. Through your local councillors and the Sydenham Assembly we have provided £15,000 to help keep ticket prices affordable. The first Sydenham Arts Festival will take place from Friday 3rd to Sunday 12th July 2009 - please visit the web site www.sydenhamartsfestival.com.  The box office is now open and already tickets are sold out for Amaretti Angels so hurry along to the Kirkdale Bookshop or phone 020 8123 1631 between 11am and 4pm or just go online where there is the complete programme.
 
I look forward to seeing many residents on the Artists' Trail taking place on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July from 11 - 5pm - I am hosting birdhouses and willow sculptures produced by the students at Forest Hill School.  On Saturday 4 July there is the Forest Hill Fest - a Community Arts Festival and Summer Fair taking place at the school between 12 and 7pm.  On Sunday 5 July Sydenham Garden is holding an Art & Craft exhibition from 2 - 5 pm entrance in Wynell Road, SE23.  

 
Come along, have fun and get involved in Sydenham!  

The sixth Sydenham Assembly took place on Thursday 11 June and we voted on the remaining £17,000 of the Mayor's Fund. There were bids of £21,700 awarded in the priority of  voting - Switch It came first with £3,000 for the three months funding for the football project and three tied on 20% - Sydenham Community Radio, Young People's Forum development and Sydenham Mosaic.  The project that came last - Sydenham Youth Forum Youth Fund will not receive any funding.  Of those that are tied we will consider topping up the funding gap of £2,700 for the Sydenham Locality Fund and discuss at the next Co-ordinators meeting on the 14 July.  

Many thanks to everyone who came along to the fifth meeting - and my thanks to admin for posting the clips of the Assembly on Sydenham Town web site. Please visit Sydenham Assembly web page for the agenda, minutes of the last meeting, "Responding to your views" and suggestions for the £10k Locality Fund. There is support for a Sydenham Arts Festival in 2009 and the meeting agreed £5k from the Locality Fund to support match funding that may be available. The rest of the Locality Fund was agreed as £3k for Youth activities including £2k for Sydenham Radio project with young people, £1k for additional litter bins and £1k for "wallpaper" for the vacant shops. 

Please visit the Assembly page for information on the previous meetings.