Finally a message came from the local library in Plumstead: we are interested in the film club! I am so happy we can start some practical work towards it. The idea behind it is to let the local people express themselves creatively and enable us all to learn from each other - people from different countries, ethnic groups, and religions. Our aim is to have enough money to buy equipment and computers, so they would put their hands on some real stuff and produce movies! But now we have to start from theoretical talks about films, we want to do film screenings every week and a short talk and a discussion. We want to have night with different themes depending what people want. Perhaps different groups can have their own nights with films of their choice. Yet for now we have a big problem: copyrights. How can I screen big movies without paying? Does anyone know? There must be some solution for charities, if not we are stuck and we will be able to screen only films by friends and participants. Not the worst solution in the world, but there is so much indi stuff on the internet, who would like to come and discuss them in the library? I am applying for a small grant for communities' development in December, I hope we will have some cash to but a couple of cameras and one editing suite. Am I a dreamer?

Today we were all woke up with by the police: there was an armed robbery downstairs to the bookmaker's, at 8am! who breaks into the bookmaker before they even start making money? I did not hear anything and they did not catch anyone, but it left an uneasy feeling about the area. There is no safe place in London, it can happen everywhere. Yet some people believe that South East London is the worst, maybe after East London, and the Media know how to make it a big hype. I cannot see it everyday and I feel safe in Plumstead and Bexley and Erith and local neighbourhoods, but they do not make a good impression on newcomers. Plumstead is the most intense mixture of tastes, smells, and people, Woolwich too. I am fascinated by this intensity, but I am put off at the same time. I don't like litter and dirty bus stops with the smell of pee, I don't like shattered windows and ruined flats and screams in the streets. But it would not be the city without it, it would not be a city margin. It would never happen in the centre where the cleaners rush around with plastic sticks picking up all that's ugly and all that's classified as rubbish. This definition gets relaxed in the margins of the city, especially where people do not feel affiliated in anyway with the area, where the place belongs to everyone and to no one. Furniture in the streets, rubbish from the previous decade, broken windows: all 'dark' sides of life which the centre of London removes so smoothly from their view. The London Mayor makes so much effort to make it even smoother but cutting all funds on transport projects for East and South London and pumping more money into the City. Plumstead reveals many layers of not belonging............people come and go, they migrate around cities and countries, no one has time to think about this place as home. And it is not even pleasant and is not likable on the surface. Maybe knowing it deeper would help, and first of all knowing people? But at this stage there is not even one place in Plumstead where people could meet beyond the borders of their families, churches, pubs, and clubs, not even one public arena where everyone could feel accepted, however idealistic it sounds. I hope the community cafe will change it, but there is a long way to go.

I started looking for some suitable venue for music events in Plumstead. As for now the best one is offered by the O'Dowds pub by the station. They have a great back room with a bar, I am not sure though if children will be allowed. Jane is organising a jazz gig on 5th December on the Rugby Club on Plumstead Common. It is a place where hopefully we will have a community cafe. I got very good response from the local people who want to join a volunteer organisation Creativity for Plumstead. Whoever is interested please give me a shout.

There was a great audience at the screening in Bannockburn School, it was a very good event and people responded very well. The headmaster and all teachers were fantastic, they prepared teas and coffees and enable Patricia to advertise her bakery too! It was such a cool bang on that night. We had a couple of councellors too who want to be in touch. I really hope it will take us somewhere closer to the Creative Centre soon. Some characters from the documentary about Plumstead came and it was very moving for me too. I am moving away slowly from the stage of that film and trying to focus on new films. That one I am now really involved in is about Polish immigrants in Plumstead. We will finish in December with the final Christmas dinner and it will encompass a whole year and its seasons. I am applying for a training for female documentarists who want to work for human rights and use the camera for social causes. I sent the application today. Hopefully it will help me to develop and share my skills with the local youths and other people interested in film. Matthew is to teach them camera work and I am to do more theoretical workshops by now.

The evening in Plumstead Common with four musicians was MAGIC! It felt like a different planet. Jane prepared a fantastic background to it: candles and tables as if it was a real music hall and a restaurant in ONE. People brough so much food and rink that we could not finish it, and it was to share between the audience, so the atmosphere was really friendly and cozy. But the best was MUSIC! I felt like flying to a different country each time they played a song. It was the most professional band we could wish to have in Plumstead and they play all over the world. I met lost of people who want to continue the creative Plumstead project and contribute to it with their skills and free time. Jane has plans for December already so we will have another concert then.

Breathing life into Plumstead
Cafe/Community Centre update
The “ONEDAY” Cafe


Summer has flown by almost unoticed! But your incredible feedback has not….What an amazing community we have here. Greenwich council has heard you and aware that Plumstead has potential for something extraordinarily special as we campaign for a cafe community centre to bring the area gloriously alive.
Were you at the 1st great live music evening in June at the Rugby Club ….or did you read about it in the Greenwich Time?…there was such a fantastic response about the cafe/community centre possibility that it just had to happen again.
SO - the “ONEDAY” Cafe is returning… this time the church has opened its doors to the community and offers St MARKS CHURCH HALL, OLD MILL ROAD, SE181QE on Saturday 27th SEPTEMBER. The DAY starts at 2pm with a space for locals to exhibit and sell their Arts and Crafts alongside Tea/Coffee as an opportunity to get together. At 5pm Dominic will lead an exciting drumming intro/workshop, all ages welcome at only £3.
The EVENING will kick off at 7.30pm with the ROWLAND SUTHERLAND TRIO, a superb flute led ensemble featuring Phil Dawson on Guitar and Davide Mantovani on Bass. Performing a fascinating collection of Jazz originals and arangements by Rowland with influences from Brazil, Caribbean, Africa and the UK. Not to be missed. Artists can all be found on google under their names with links to Myspace.
This will be a unique evening…..£7 on the door…half price for consessions/children welcome.
The hall is licensed but has no bar….so BRING YOUR OWN!
We are going to have a very large table for a spread of FOOD to share, all contributions welcome…anything from a loaf of bread to a curry….
And we”ve been invited back to the Rugby club for an event before Christmas, what a perfect setting for Jazz on a winters night. …
Please come and join us and get to know your community.
Please email me (rosiejane47@yahoo.com) with your ideas, enquires and any amount of enthusiasm. The only way is forward for Plumstaed and Plumstead Common.
Jane Fenton

Plumstead Goes Creative!
We would like to invite all inhabitants and fans of Plumstead to a series of creative events which will take in our area this Autumn.
The First one will take place this Saturday 27th September form 2pm-10.30pm in St Marks Church Hall,Old Mill Rd, Plumstead Common, SE18 1QE, where different kinds of arts and crafts will be presented, professional music concerts (8pm £7 concession for students and children ), and creative workshops (all day 3£). This event is the initiative of Jane Fenton who has already shown her great determination to change Plumstead into a creative land (some of you must have attended her other events in Plumstead Common) and put it on the map of social events in London. Jane is a musician and a yoga teacher.  She has To this event Jane has invited professional musicians who will be playing for the people of Plumstead from 5pm and other artists who will be teaching the young and the elderly how to play drums and other instruments. If you have some craft which you make or sell, please bring it with you and promote yourself for free!                 If you are a make up artist or you know how to knit or bake, bring your stuff with you and show it to others!  You are invited to bring your own drinks and food and share it, the idea behind is to make people know each other and encourage them to think about Plumstead as a place to spend leisure time and develop artistically!  Jane and myself are working on the project of setting a Creative Centre for Plumtead where everyone, knowing English or not, being talented or not, can come and try creative sessions of different kinds. If you want to give us your support, come to the next creative evening in Bannockburn Primary School on 10th October (as below)



The 2nd event will take place in Bannockburn Primary School on 10th October at 6.30pm - 9pm. In co-operation with the School and the University of East London we will screen a documentary about Plumstead High Street by Marta Rabikowska, which was the First Jury Prize at the Film Festival in Milan (June 2007). teas and coffees will be provided. After the film we will discuss with the audience the project of the Creative Centre to be set in Plumstead for the local people, where they could develop all kinds of creative skills, from music, to photography, dance to film making.
Other events will be announced soon, watch this space!

I have noticed that one part of the Dadoos grocery is closed. It is a great pity since they had all fresh vegetables and fruit there and the biggest chillies for miles. Only one part is open now. If other small shops keep on disappearing the area will lose its character. A local carpentry shop is gone too and there is a church there at the moment. But they do lots of work for the community, they offer computers and classes which is quite surprising as for a a church. I had a conversation with someone there and it looks they won't stay for long anyway since the whole building has been bought out and there will be flats there..........Plumstead needs new housing, that's for sure, but it needs a place to meet up and have classes for free too. It also needs a better lighting at bus stops where the whole night life is centred!

Yesterday I had a meeting with the representatives of the Greenwich Council who have read my proposal of setting a Creative Centre in Plumstead. They have found the proposal interesting and hopefully we will be able to move to the next stage. In the meantime the cultural life in Plumstead is fading. The only centre of some social mix and fun is the Chinese Restaurant. It is almost always full and people seem to like it a lot. I have received many emails asking about any change in the cultural landscape in this area. The problem may be in the common perception of the area which is know as rough and uncultured, but this perception produces more prejudice too and creates the glass ceiling for any new investments. If one asked an investor coming to Plumstead whether they wanted to sponsor culture, it would be difficult to prove where that culture resides. WHERE IS CULTURE IN PLUMSTEAD? I think it is everywhere, in every home, every school, and every office, but there is no uniting power which could reveal those cultural elements and make them visible to others. Culture is not only about big theatres, concerts, operas, and city like corporate events. Culture is produced by us, regardless of our origin and language we speak. But for now no one wants to believe that it exists in Plumstead and thus the area is in a vicious circle which can only be broken by the local people themselves. How to change the opinion about Plumstead as a cultural desert? I had a conversation with one member of the Council in the past who told me that is is not possible to invest in culture in the area which has such a high ratio of unemployment and where people are still homeless and troubled by gangs and racial threats. But I believe in something opposite: it is the most needing area where some cultural investments should come before material regeneration, street refurbishing and new infrastructure. The process of regeneration at the moment touches the surface but the depth is still untouched. Where would the local kids go in the evenings to keep themselves busy? Where would unemployed people would go to meet socially with some other people and update their skills? Where would the incoming immigrants would go to meet with the locals? (not everybody drinks). Perhaps we need a volunteer group which would try to tackle all such questions?

There is serious rumour that there will be a community cafe in Plumstead Common. This is fantastic news, but as for now I haven't received any details about it. It would be great to have a place to meet and have a coffee, my fantasy is a juice bar with a small gallery of creative artefacts from the local people. Not many people in Plumstead know that there is a kind of a gallery in the Volunteer Pub where the owner displays paintings and graphics from the local artists and they are for sale! But people who do not go to pubs would never know about it. It is quite interesting, at least for me, that the local culture is very much orientated around pubs. Pubs are great and I really like them, but there are people who do not find them suitable or friendly, especially if everyone knows each other and a newcomer comes in first time in having all eyes on him/her. I have been through it and I know the feeling, but now I know many people and they are really nice and always say hello when I am in the street. Pub is not a suitable place for mothers with babies either, so they are limited to the playground which is not always safe either clean. Where could young mums meet and talk? And what about a business deal between peopel from different ethnic groups? Where would they come to talk about the deal they want to make? There are so many immigrants in Plumstead now that international businesses are a question of time. There are two new hairdresser salons with the Eastern European owners.

I have noticed lately that house prices in Plumstead have gone up. Considering recession in the country, this is quite phenomenal, I think the DLR station in Woolwich may have something to do with it. There are no new investments in the area, no new business, except groceries and barbers, which seem to be always in need, but I did not notice any other kind of business opportunity emerging in the area. I attend the business meetings with the local business owners and a representative from the Council. We have Rachel Morris now who is very helpful and really cares about the regeneration process in the High Street. She initiated the website for Plumstead which will show all business and future plans, like the park refurbishment and the playground. It looks the Council have lots of plans, but I am not sure is there is a sufficient response from the people. I still blame mainly the lack of integration among different ethnic groups, especially with those ones who don't speak English. One can say, oh, it's their fault, if they don't speak English, they are not bothered. But my own contacts show that it is never an easy process, people find it very difficult to break through the wall of the local community, even if there is no community at all, but the immigrants always feel "worse", just by default. And if they don't speak the language, they take it almost for granted that they won't be accepted. There is also a question of time, most of them (from my experience in Plumstead), work all day and they come back home so exhausted that learning English is the last thing they want to think about. Ok, what about the weekends? Quite often they have a shift schedule, and if not, it is the only time to have some social life and fun, and then they end up with other immigrants who speak the same language and go out together. No, they don't go out, they rather stay in, that's another interesting aspect of their life as immigrants. Plusmtead does not provide any entertainment, except pubs, where would they go out? So they prefer staying in and drinking together. I am speaking about Polish immigrants, Indian immigrants, or Nigerian, or Ghanian ones don't drink (as far as I am aware)if they are Christians. Polish immigrants are Catholics (mainly) but drinking and eating is their major form of entertainment. It is an important part of Polish culture! Although there are exceptions from this rule too. My research is concentrated on a group of immigrants living in Plumstead, but I am sure there are different habits and lifestyles among others. What I noticed is that drinking among Polish immigrants has special value which evokes home: they sit together around the table, serve lots of food, talk, play cards, sing, play instruments, argue about politics and the Church, and cry. This is a very nostalgic picture, I know, but it happens every time they can spend some time together, so there is something in it. It reminds me of Polish weddings, and name's day parties, or christenings. They all look similar. Perhaps 'partying' at home is what creates that home when far away from their homeland? Is it possible to mix with other immigrants on such occasions? would they feel 'at home', I suppose they might, even the local English people, but they would need to be invited, but it is a completely different story.

Plumstead High Street

I went to shoot to the Polish house. We film every now and then, trying to be as regular as possible, a life of one Polish group of friends living in a Victorian house in Plumtead. We came on Saturday to film the eggs painting. Viola, our main character, had a friend from Poland to help her. They used felt tips to do it and the eggs turned out very colourful. I didn't have time to do mine and I had to take them naturally 'brown' to the church. There was a mass at 6.pm to which crowds of Poles came from all over South East London. Last year there were only a few people, not to mention four years ago when I was the only one parading with the basket along the High Street like an idiot. This year I was busy with filming. I love filming frsh food and people eating and preparing it, that is my turf. I had a quick fight with Matt over the fig-rig who was to shoot the Easter table, finally we both did it. I have a different eye, I can tell, I like the detail and stillness of the picture, he likes the narrative within it. I use a camera like a brush, he uses it like a pen. Altogether it was good. We came back on A sunday morning to film the breakfast. I have to make some stills from the film as I did not have a chance to use a still camera this year at all. Does anyone know how to make the stills from a video footage made by Sony Z 1?
The table was heavy with food, all Polish ingredients and dishes which traditionally should eb there and which i did not have on my table..........Dozens of painted egggs, white sausages with bigos, potatoe salad, herring, many kinds of cakes and sweets, and much more. Even during the breakfast Viola was still cooking! amazing. I felt really small as a hostess, my Easter is nothing like that.........it was quick and modest, Alicja was rushing for her rehersal in the theatre, Suzy was nervous about her English essays which needed some corrections, and we were rushing to film.........yet we had a basket and all blessed food which I took to the Church when we were filming there. I met Angelo in the Chuch and his beautiful daughters. Angelo was interviewed by me for the first film, he has his massagae studio at the Hair Dresser's in the High Street, but he is not there any more. He promised to come to the next Business Forum. I got an email today from the Woolwich Council asking about the progress with teh Creative Club. I wish I could say more..............but not much has happened in that department yet.

Today there was a first forum of the Plumstead business owners, counselors, and guests organised by the Council. It was held in the local pub, Volunteer's in the High Street and it attracted about 12 people in total. I expected more owners to be honest, but it was only the first attempt at calling them together, so next time perhaps we will see more. Emma, who is a very energetic representative of the Council tries her best to change something in Plumstead in a very practical way. Her department deals with the regeneration project for Plusmtead High Street and it is their responsibility to improve business effectiveness, infrastructure, and 'hard' reality of the area. I am in fact on the opposite end: creative inspiration as the ground for improvement, too abstract and too unrealistic for many. However, I know that there are people who believe that creativity and general psychological well being can contribute to the regeneration of the difficult areas. Why is Plumstead difficult and in what sense? I don't use the governmental stats and I can only quote the local people and use my own observations, this is very subjective and not everyone would agree with me. I feel there is not enough reason to stay in the area for the local people, the local council blames the lack of employment, but it can be the atmosphere in the area as well. There is no tea room, no centre, no place for people to meet. I asked the participants of the forum where they would go for a date in Plumstead, it sounds like a surreal idea, every would go to the city, yes? But not everyone can afford it and not everyone wants too. The only family restaurant which is Chinese Buffet is alway packed, there is a need for a place where people could meet up and spend time together, whereas now the only places to eat are take aways.......I remember when two years ago I wanted to invite a friend for dinner after a long day spent on typing and working in my house in Plumstead, we walked to and fro the High Street five times and there was no one place where we could sit in and eat. The pubs are good if one likes the pub food, but we wanted to have something different, it didn't work, we had to buy Indian take away. When i talked to the Local Council about it their answer was that first people have to have shelter and a job, and later they can thinking about going out, and Plumstead is not on the former stage yet. Is it really what it is? If socialising is too expensive for Plumsteadians, why they cannot have a community centre with a nice tea room, or a library which could serve as a socialising point?
Anyway, the next business forum will be on Wednesday 2nd at 6 above Co-op in the drama centre. I am looking forward to it and hope more people will come this time.

The screening went very well. We had more people than we expected and they all seemed to like it! However, due to some technical problems I was not able to show a full festival version of the film but only a short, half an hour one. We served teas and coffees to make the atmosphere more homely, it was really nice and friendly. I had some friends and students to help me with everything and they conducted some interviews with the audience during the event. Their reception was really warm and encouraging, the common motif was: 1. we need more of such events, 2. we have never met other ethnic groups and it is great to know about them. I decided to hold another event in June then. If the local people want it and the School wants to help, we should do it again. Next time there shouldn't be any technical omissions and a full version will be shown. I have to go to the High Street again to invite people and send as many text messages as possible. This event made feel more needed than I thought after my first campaigning in the High Street. I am still very concerned about the use of the library in Plumstead and how the first floor is wasted at the moment. We could do some creative workshops and the next screening there! Emma from the local council promised to find out what is the destination of that space/ Also, the local Leisure Centre is being closed and we don't know why? How is it going to be readjusted and for whom? My "fight" has not stopped then, I will be around in the following weeks.

tags: film screening in the community 1

I am preparing a screening of my film about Plumstead in the local school. The staff and headmaster are very helpful, I am lucky to have their support. I started going around with the posters, talking about the event and trying to remind people about my project. It was a very strange "campaign" - some people did not remember me at all and they were not very keen on talking about some abstract ideas of "community work" during their working day. I went into some shops where I had the interviews, but the owners did not have time for me, and some of them simply did not remember me trying to get rid of me and turn to their customers. It was a strange feeling......but what was most disturbing was that so many people have moved out from the area. They either set up new businesses elsewhere or moved out to Spain! I was walking from one place to another thinking who will recognise me and most of them didn't. It was not so long ago, but the community changes all the time, new people have moved in and old people moved out. A typical "flows based" scenario. Yet some owners and even customers were happy to see me and they asked me about the project. When I was passing the Red Lion Noodle Bar I realised that Comax had disappeared and there is some new activity going on there behind the closed curtains. On a closer inspection it turned out to be a protestant church chapel and a Christian bookstore. I had a very nice chat with managers who are also doing some work for the community, they had computers which anyone can use and they want to do some workshops for the local youths. I hope to see a lady who is running the place at the screening but she didn't come.........I popped in to the hairdresser and Karen, as always, had a nice chat with me, unfortunately she could not come to the screening, but promised to invite others. After two hours of walking from one place to another I faced the old dilemma: what is left from MY place here? I felt a bit deceived how quickly the place has forgotten about me and I sympathised with all those locals who were so nostalgic about Plumstead from 50 years in the interviews. And suddenly it hot me that I had spent only a couple of year there and it was never my REAL home! But why not? Where is my real home then? I felt so attached to Plusmtead in three years as people who lived there for decades? Is it possible at all? What made that place felt like my home? And what made the place forget about me so quickly? I came back home after my campaign being rather upset and stressed, I did not know exactly why I felt like that. Formally I have no right to call that place "home" , do I? I left my posters with the shop owners hoping they will put them in the windows and that some people would come to the screening. I became too acutely aware that if I want to belong to that community, or any other community in that respect, I have to fight for it, possibly against all odds and the community itself. Strange..........

Plumstead was very quiet on the New Year's eve, some fireworks at midnight cut the sky for a few moments of surprise. We were filming the party at our Polish friends' house. It is an ongoing documentary production which takes place on a regular basis in one house rented by a group of friends, all immigrants from Poland. We try to cover all important celebrations and events they are involved in, but mostly it is just everyday life...shopping, cooking, visiting friends by one main "character, a female friend who has become a focal point in the film. The film grows according to what they do and how they live, we try to not be involved at all, a classical cinema verite is our ambition. When we came back after 1am, I wrapped myself with blankets, took another penicillin and fell asleep. My cold is a pain, literally. When my daughter came back after a night out in the city and I told her about my New Year's Eve, she looked at me with pity, but I was happier than she could think...The first day of the New Year is rainy any windy and I enjoy sitting at home at doing nothing, I would like to freeze like that. I am still receiving text messages from all my friends, it has become a new habit of communicating on this special day, without them we feel neglected. I promise to myself every year that I will produce some special cards for my friends, I am still waiting for that extra time which will enable me to do it. Somehow I cannot find it in my time box. But next year I will do it...

Dadoos, as always was open during the first day of Christmas and today of course. It is open all year round. Other shops were closed in the High Street, a strange feeling of quietness possessed the landscape, I wish there was so quiet every day, with no traffic at all. But how would we live without cars and last minute shopping on our way home from work? I looked at our Christmas tree today and I felt sad, it will have to be undressed again and all decorations put in the lost. Like an attic death performed every year, and another hope to come with a new piece of tinsel.

On the Christmas Eve yesterday we had all Polish dishes which are 'required': mushroom soup, sour kraut with potatoes, mushroom and peas, carp, and next kutia with all lovely fruit and honey, and poppy cake (my favourite). All bought in Sezam, a Polish shop in Erith. I made bigos, cabbage, and carp (as on the pictures). Preparing the carp was a spiritual experience and not an easy memory for life. The pictures of its raw meat are too disturbing in fact and I am afraid they will be haunting me for some time. Yet I love carp and I cannot imagine Christ,as without it. It is not the most favourite fish in Poland, many people avoid it due to its muddy "pondy" smell but I rather appreciate it. Today we had an English Christmas day with all Christmas trimmings, it it was absolutely gorgeous. At midday we went to Plumstead for a Polish mass, as always it was very friendly, we sang carols and stayed for the wishes. I missed a bit some conversation with other people who rushed home for their Christmas dinners, too much like in Poland where people never have time for each other after the mass. Later my daughter felt unwell and we had to go to the hospital in Woolwich, very quiet, almost spooky there. She got some antibiotics and we came back home. I drove through Shooters Hills which is an old Roman road with a very nice view on London. Below my preparation for Christmas Eve which is the most important part of Christmas, as if waiting was more meaningful than fulfillment.... We had 12 dishes all together, including sweets. Today we will have more English desserts, pudding with brandy  butter is still ahead of us. 

Most of my groceries now I buy in the Polish shop in Erith, beautifully supplied with all fresh home made cakes and carp from Poland. It is called Sezam and is my latest discovery, it is very cozy, rustic, spacious, and has great people running it (all speaking English). I buy bread there and pierogi, and kopytka, and sweets. They are opening a cafe soon, I am looking forward to it, finally I will be able to invite my friends for a Polish meal in this area. All Polish cafes, bars, and restaurants are located in the centre or South East, some in North London, but nothing in South East, and although I love all Asian suppliers and appreciate their effort to have some Polish food, it is not the same as a whole shop dedicated to Polish products. It is interesting that a Polish shop (like any other ethnic shop in the host culture) become immediately a small centre of culture too: they have newspapers and magazines, TV schedules, job ads and cultural announcement. I really like that kind of bridge between people, and I noticed that lots if English people drop in too, and other nationalities living in the area. I like stopping by for a small chat there, even if I don't have anything to buy (I always do anyway), it will be great to have a cafe like this in Plumstead and all local cultures coming in. They would love our Polish cakes, but I am not so sure that our beloved 'bigos' would be so popular (boiled sour kraut with meat). I have become nostalgic lately, I noticed, I think I've started missing home again. I happens every six-eight months, more or less half a year after my last visit to Poland. When I am there I really want to come back to London and be at home here, but after some time, something is calling me back, will it ever end? Some people say it won't