Christopher Wellbelove » Mayor of Lambeth

Community launch of Windrush Square

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:21:11 +0000

After the Tfl official launch of the square the day before it was great to be back for the community launch of the square.

Mayor of Lambeth with a young family visiting Windrush Square

Local children had been working hard producing lattern’s especially for the event and it was my job to welcome them to the new square.

Everyone I spoke to had huge pride for our new community square and I hope to see more community events there in my remaining months as Mayor.

Norwood Young and Safe Expo

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 23:12:51 +0000

The ‘Young and Safe’ Expo was held at The Elmgreen School, Elmcourt Road.

Mayor at the Young and Safe Expo in Norwood

The aim for the day was to bring young people together from the Norwood area, to celebrate their many creative talents and to promote the wealth of services and activities that are available. There was a talent showcase event, with dance, singing and drumming performances.

Expos provide informal opportunities for local people not only to find out more about what’s going on in their area in a fun and friendly way but also to get active locally, for example in volunteering. They are also a great way for those who provide services to get together and share information.

Lambeth Youth Elections

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:44:04 +0000

All 11-19 year olds that live, work or study in Lambeth can make their voices heard by taking part in the Lambeth Youth elections which includes the election of the Lambeth Youth Mayor and Lambeth’s representative on the UK Youth parliament.

Mayor of Lambeth with the new Youth Mayor and UK Youth Parliament representative

The event was held in a packed Assembly Hall and you could tell the candidates were understandably nervous.

I congratulated last years Youth Mayor for his fantastic work as he has been a great role model for young people in the borough and beyond.

Celebrating Ellen’s 103rd Birthday

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:16:48 +0000

It was great to meet Ellen Ashton who was celebrating 103 years. She was joined by her two daughters and friends from Laurels care home where she now lives. It seems Ellen has had a very active life and was still living independently up to a couple of years ago.

Mayor with Ellen and her family

Ellen was born in Lambeth, moving just across the border in Southwark for many years but since the care home she was living in Southwark closed she has moved back to to the borough of her birth.

Mayor with Ellen and her family

We also met Nelly Soulsby who recently celebrated her 101.

Tfl launch of Windrush Square

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:48:06 +0000

This was the Tfl launch of Brixton’s new Windrush Square, with the community opening planned for the Saturday.

Celebrating the Tfl launch of Windrush Square

Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Ministry of State Tessa Jowell MP joined councillors and other local representatives to celebrate the completion of Windrush Square and marking a major regeneration milestone for Brixton and the London Borough of Lambeth.

Boris, Tessa and Council leader Steve Reed spoke of their delight that the new square was here as a symbol of celebration for the diversity in our capital marking Windrush and the contribution to our society of the Afro-Caribbean community.

Children from Corpus Christi school choir entertained everyone as they enjoyed this fantastic new space in the heart of Brixton.

Lambeth Business Awards 2010

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:55:25 +0000

Now in their third year the Lambeth Business Awards have been developed to reward and celebrate Lambeth’s vibrant and dynamic business community. The Awards are a major annual event and a focal point for business networking.

Mayor at the Lambeth Business Awards

Local business people from across the borough gathered for the popular awards recognising the very best businesses and business people.

Brixton Children’s Centre Launch

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:02:22 +0000

I was particularly pleased to open the new Children’s Centre in Brixton which has been named the Liz Atkinson Children’s Centre in memory of past Mayor and councillor Liz Atkinson.

Mayor cutting the ribbon at the opening

Liz’s husband gave a moving a wonderful and moving speech speaking of his late wife and her passion for education. Cllr Sally Prentice spoke with fondness of the former councillor and their friendship.

Mayor with the team at the Liz Atkinson Children's Centre

Meeting the Childrens Centre team was fantastic as it was clear they were all extremely enthusiastic about the work they do and the children in their care.

A highlight of the opening was local children singing to gathered guests.

Lambeth Chinese New Year celebrations

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:59:39 +0000

The Lambeth Chinese Community Association was set up in the early 1980s and has benn providing services to the local Chinese residents ever since.

Mayor at the Chinese New Year celebrations

The New Year gala is a yearly event and is open to all. It featured performances by members of the community and invited artists including a fantastic dragon performance.

Farewell reception and service for the Rt Revd Dr Tom Butler

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:24:42 +0000

After 11 years as Bishop of Southwark and 45 years service to the Church of England, Bishop Tom Butler was reluctantly retiring.

Mayor of Lambeth with Bishop Tom

A wide range of the community joined him for a farewell reception followed by a service held at Southwark Cathedral. The popularity of Bishop Tom was evident by the numbers who filled the Cathedral and through the kind words at his service.

The service included ladies from a Zimbabwean choir.

London Mayors at the retirement of Bishop Tom

Mayor of Lambeth charity quiz night

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:29:14 +0000

The Mayor of Lambeth charity quiz night was previously an annual event however for the last couple of years had not taken place.

Several people had mentioned their desire for it to happen again, and I was delighted when Tony offered to be the evenings quiz master.

All gathered for the Mayor of Lambeth charity quiz night

Several councillors came along to support the event and formed a team called ‘The John Lewis Partnership’. My team was ‘The Bling and Wing It’ though I’m not sure how much help I was to the team.

The John Lewis Partnership won the day with Bling and Wing it coming second. A great evening and I really appreciated the support of all who came along.