Seasons’ Greetings from the Shop Local, Shop Corbett team!
Our campaign to breathe new life into Corbett shopping parades is making real progress thanks to your support. Read on to learn more:
Good Food Catford – We did it!
Congratulations to Corbett resident Vicky Skingley and to all those who contributed to the Good Food Catford crowdfunding campaign. Vicky’s vision for a community-centred delicatessen is set to become a reality thanks to her hard work, the generosity of local people, the Mayor’s High Street Fund, Lewisham Council and others. Good Food Catford received an unprecedented 350 backers and has been held up by funding portal Spacehive as a model of how to run a successful crowd-funding campaign.
The grocery and deli is due to open its doors in early 2016 on Sandhurst Market. ‘Now the real work begins,’ Vicky says. She plans to start renovations in mid-December and will be calling on volunteers to help strip out the old shop interior one weekend soon. Good food and snacks will be provided! Look out for further communications from Vicky on Facebook and Twitter.
Arlo & Moe wins Time Out Love London Award
Exciting news, too, from Arlo & Moe, who have won a well-deserved Time Out Love London Award. Since opening Arlo & Moe II on Springbank Road, Jamie, Jules and their team have been rushed off their feet serving delicious coffee, cake, sandwiches, sexy toast and more. The café is now open from 7.30 am, so Hither Green commuters can pick up breakfast on the way to work. Look out for Arlo & Moe’s Burger Nights on Wednesday 9 and 16 December and Olly’s Pop-up Turkish Restaurant in January.
Arlo & Moe have settled right in to our community. They have donated tasty food and raffle prizes to local schools and community organisations. On Monday 14 December the café will host a neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) workshop with a local practitioner. Thank you, Arlo & Moe!
Sandhurst Christmas Market
The Corbett Residents’ Assocation will bring a festive feel to Sandhurst Parade on 12 December with its annual Christmas Market. Stallholders include Fancy Cancel, UpTown, Style Essence, Mamook, Gorgeous Gifts, Stand Alone, Good Food Catford and more, selling lovely food, drink and gifts. The market will also feature carol singing, a children’s lucky dip and, of course, a Santa’s Grotto.
The CRA and Culverley Green Residents’ Association will be on hand with gifts and membership information. The CRA/Shop Local, Shop Corbett campaign and Good Food Catford will be also selling environmentally-friendly shopping bags. The bags are more than a must-have fashion item; they are a great way to show your support for local traders and the CRA!
Lewisham Local Card
Two loyalty cards hit our streets this year with similar names, and one important difference. The Lewisham Local Card entitles people who volunteer in their community to special offers at local shops and restaurants. Subtitled the ‘Community Contributor Card’, the free card is the brilliant idea of the Rushey Green Time Bank and encourages volunteering and local shopping at the same time. It has been launched in several locations across Lewisham, including the Corbett Estate. Local organisations will be writing to their volunteers to distribute the cards very soon. For more information you can also contact: lewishamlocal@rgtb.org.uk.
The other new initiative is the Lewisham Card, which is open to all shoppers for a fee of £10 per year. The card also has the worthwhile aim of encouraging people to shop locally by offering discounts at Lewisham stores and restaurants. For more information click here.
Council support for our Shop Corbett campaign
A big thank-you to Paul Hadfield, Enterprise Development Manager at Lewisham Council, who took the time to visit Corbett shopping parades recently. Paul will write to landlords of vacant shops on our behalf to encourage them to let their premises to new businesses. He is aware that shops and businesses in Blackheath, Ladywell, Lee, Hither Green and Penge are interested in moving into the Corbett Estate, but have been unable to locate retail premises. We hope the Council’s intervention may help us bring more shuttered shops back to life with vibrant businesses, start-ups and community spaces.
Case study on permitted development
You may be interested to read this case study on the Corbett Estate’s shopping parades prepared for the Department for Communities and Local Government. The case study sets out the undesirable impact of permitted development rights on our shopping parades, and what we have been doing to regenerate our neighbourhood centres.
Pop-up Shop Resources
Are you interested in starting your own shop business? Looking for inspiration? Check out the great resources and advice on the Council’s website. The Shop Local, Shop Corbett campaign would be happy to help with advice and promotion.
And finally…
Did you know we have about 100 shops, cafés, restaurants and businesses on the Corbett Estate? We have only mentioned a few so far in these bulletins and hope to feature more in future. The graphic at the top of this blog gives a glimpse of the diversity of businesses on our doorstep.