News

Next course is 19th-30th June 2017. Course includes: Health and Safety, Customer Service, Fire Warden Training, Manual Handling, First Aid at Work, Equality and Diversity, Environmental awareness, CSCS Revision and Test, Job Interview preparation, London Bronze pass. 
All course fees are fully funded. Contact info@thelca.org.uk or phone 0203 139 1795. 

Clyde is an outstanding nursery school. They are currently advertising free places available for 2, 3 and 4 year olds (full and part time places available). For more information and how to apply, visit www.clydenurseryschool.co.uk or ring 02086923653. 

Clyde Nursery school, Alverton Street, SE8 5NH. 

It can’t have escaped your attention that there is a General Election coming up.

• If you are a UK citizen, you have the hard fought for right to vote.   Use it.   You need to register to vote in elections.  
• If you are a young person at University or College who might be at home on Election Day, 8th June, then register to vote from that address.  
• Register to vote.
• You need to do this by 22nd May to be able to vote in the General Election. Don’t leave it too late. 
• There will also be a General Election hustings pulling together candidates standing for election locally in a public meeting at St Catherine’s Church on Wednesday 31 May, 10am to 1pm.    

Voluntary Services Lewisham (VSL) is a charity that since 1969 has been providing direct voluntary services to vulnerable and isolated people. One of their core services is a transport project “Access Lewisham” which currently supports 160 older adults weekly (over 8000 journey requests a year).
They drive Lewisham residents who are unable to use public transport to attend day centres, medical appointments, social groups and church. But this is not ENOUGH. They have a waiting list of over 100 people desperately needing to access the service.

 

 

GCDA is delighted to offer community organisations or individuals a free one day training course: An Introduction to Social Enterprise on
May 5^th 2017 – 10am-4pm
Are you considering starting a social enterprise or are you thinking about selling your products or services?

This is a one day course covering the key aspects of developing social enterprise.
– Discussing and testing your idea
– The types of legal structures
– Developing trading income
– Potential sources of funding
– How to get started
To book a place please go to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-social-enterprise-tickets-33525601978, Or for more information, contact: Sergio Olivares on 0208 269 4881 or email:  sergio@gcda.org.uk

 

 

 

On 25th April at 9.30 am – 11.00 am there will be a Westminster Hall debate on Post Office closures. If you are free and able to attend, please come along and show your support against the closure of our and many other Post Offices.  Please arrive at least 30 minutes before hand to go through security.

Other ways you can help and keep up to date:
* Keep up to date via Facebook ‘like’ Save New Cross Gate Post Office
* Ask friends and family to sign the petition. They can be found in New Cross Learning and The Hill Station and the Royal Mail Sorting Office next to the Post Office, alternatively they can sign the online petition
* Attend the Post Office Debate on 25th April in Central Hall, House of Parliament at 9:30am
* Tell your family, neighbours and friends.

Thank you & best wishes,
Cllr Brenda Dacres

Residents in Brockley are protesting about the installation of a massive phone mast on a council block, Forsythia House. You can find more information about this and sign the petition on the attached link. 

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/we-are-opposed-to-the-presence-of-the-vodafone

Brockley Max is a non-profit festival put on by local people to local people for local people. For nine days (2-10 June), some of Brockley, Ladywell, Honor Oak Park and Crofton Park’s venues will be host to music, poetry, reading, dance workshops and craft events. The festival is entirely volunteer-led. We need more hands on deck. Could you help? No experience necessary but we would like you to be enthusiastic and friendly. Expenses will be covered.

The types of roles we’re currently recruiting for include festival set-up crew, stewards, raffle ticket sellers and photographers. If you’re interested in volunteering, please complete the online form and we’ll be in touch.

Also please join us upstairs at The Talbot  on Thursday 13 April. We’re holding our first social for volunteers from 7.30-9.30pm. This is a brilliant opportunity to meet other team members and to discuss which events you’d like to be involved with.

For further queries and information, email Emma on vounteer@brockleymax.co.uk or visit www.brockleymax.co.uk

GCDA is delighted to announce the next round of free Lewisham Cookery Clubs ‘Easy Quick and Tasty’! By preparing quick, affordable, healthy and delicious meals at our 5-week community cookery clubs you can learn that small changes to the way meals are prepared can make a big difference to your health and wellbeing. Everyone is welcome, from complete beginners to experienced cooks and participants receive a FREE cookery book on completion of the course

Where: 2000 Community Action Centre, 199-201 Grove Street, Deptford, SE8 3PG. When: 5 weeks starting Tuesday, 25^th April from 10.30am–1.00pm 

Or
Where: The Lewisham Training Kitchen at The Green Man, 355 Bromley Road, SE6 2RP. When: 5 weeks starting Wednesday, 26^th April from 10.30am–1.00pm 

Or
Where: St John’s Church, Lewisham Way & St John’s Vale, SE8 4EA
When: 5 weeks starting Thursday, 27^th April from 10.30am–1.00pm

 To book, contact Fay on 0208 269 4886 or email fay@gcda.org.uk

Group Horizon provide nationally recognised, certificated training in a wide range of construction skills including: 
– 10 day Construction Skills Programme
– Solar Panel Installation
– Smart Meter Installation
As well as providing access into a range of apprenticeships and employment opportunities. 
Contact 0800 002 9805 or email south.east@grouphorizon.co.uk

At a time when far too many services are being cut back, we are pleased to announce that New Cross Gate Trust has just secured 4 years funding from the Big Lottery Fund, worth a total of £380,000, to support a new community based employment support service. 
This new service aims to help local people improve their IT skills, gain valuable job related certificates, help people with CVS and interview skills, and support to develop their career paths. There will also be 1:1 guidance and support to access relevant training, work or volunteering experience. The service will include a new employment advice worker, an IT skills trainer, and will maintain our existing ESOL tutor.
The Service will be delivered from New Cross Learning (Mondays and Fridays), and Somerville Youth and Play Provision (Tuesdays). 
We are currently recruiting the new staff, and hope to have the service up and running by June. Watch this space for further details. 
“We are thrilled to be able to deliver this new community service in New Cross Gate. It is our intention to deliver a high quality service that is useful and relevant to local people’s needs and aspirations. We are currently recruiting for the posts and we plan to launch the service in June this year” Jenny Couper, Strategy and Partnerships Manager, NXG Trust. 
To find out more about the posts, please contact jenny.couper@nxgtrust.org.uk. Closing date for applications is Monday 24th April. 

Schools in New Cross, as with the rest of the country, are facing massive cuts to their budgets. Lewisham schools are set to lose £21 Million from their budget by 2020 (spread over the next three years). 
This amounts to £600 per pupil and is the equivalent of 582 teachers jobs across the borough. The most costly item in any school budget is its staff – teachers and their support colleagues. These are the very people who our children depend on to have a positive, rewarding and inspiring education. 
the National Union of Teachers in Lewisham is very keen to fight the cuts to our children’s future. If you would like to find out more about the campaign to stop the education cuts in Lewisham, please contact nut@lewisham.gov.uk. 

We’re interested in starting a Diabetes/Pre-Diabetes walking group that meets regularly at Besson Street Community Garden. If you are interested in joining the walking group, please call Jill on 0207 639 7605 or email: Jill.mountford@nxgtrust.org.uk to find out a bit more. 

Come and join us every Wednesday and the last Saturday of every month for our gardening club. Help us make the Albany garden a beautiful and relaxing place for everyone – plant seeds, enjoy free workshops and learn more about planting, gardening and growing. No experience necessary, all equipment provided. All ages welcome but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.To register interest or find out more contact caz.burley@thealbany.org.uk or message or call 07342 282 991.