Don't let the wind and rain prevent you supporting events during an exciting weekend for Forest Hill:

Forest Hill Christmas Event
Station Car Park (Perry Vale?)
Saturday, Dec 08
http://www.foresthill.towntalk.co.uk/wha...s&id=21133

Havelock Walk Open Studios Weekend
Saturday/Sunday, Dec 08/09
http://www.foresthill.towntalk.co.uk/wha...s&id=21136

Horniman Christmas Concert
Sunday, Dec 09
Free concert in the gardens bandstand area
http://www.foresthill.towntalk.co.uk/wha...s&id=21139

Forest Hill Library Grand Re-opening
Tuesday, Dec 11
http://www.foresthill.towntalk.co.uk/wha...s&id=21142

All this and a normal train service too!

Great news

Maybe SE23's parents will take their little cherubs and the pubs will be child free.

no chance Ian. we will pump our little ones full of sweets and fizzy drinks at the events, then bring them with is to the pubs so they can release all that energy

OH NO,.......sweets full of 'e' numbers !

'fraid so. and don't tell Babs, but we might all stay for Sunday lunch too

It's OK, I'll be consigned to the Bird in Hand, or wherever else the parenting lobby consents that the terms of my childlessness parole allow me...

I feel a parent and child pub crawl coming on!!!!

Glasses of wine for the parents and fizzy pop for the kids. I can already feel the love

The Christmas event at the Station Car Park has disappeared from the Town Talk website. Does anybody know if this is because it has been cancelled?

Forest Hill Christmas Event
http://www.foresthill.towntalk.co.uk/wha...ls&id=6149

Unfortunately due to adverse weather conditions predicted for Saturday, the Forest Hill Christmas Event which was due to be at the Forest Hill Train Station carpark has had to be postponed.

As soon as information is available for the rebooking for Father Christmas, Punch and Judy we will advise you.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

The weather can't be helped but I do wonder how realistic it was to plan a Punch and Judy and story telling hour at an outside event in December. No excuse however for the lack of Santa whatever the weather. Its a pity the library could not have been incorporated in some way after its opening.

There are some childrens events on at the library on 17th and 18th December around 10- 10.30am - Eliot Bank kids playing music at a coffee morning and an under 5's childrens party. Sounds good!

I thought Santa could get about in any type of weather and with the trains running this weekend he had more transport options than just the buses and reindeer. Let's hope he can make it to Forest Hill by the 25th, otherwise there will be many upset children in our local pubs.

There are still lots of local shops in Forest Hill well worth a visit for some local Christmas shopping including the artists studios. Karavan is closing down and has some excellent bargains (I didn't want to mention it as I wanted to get there first), and there are plenty of places to get lunch while shopping - Lemon Grove, Dartmouth Arms, Capitol, All in One, and many more.

Just because Lewisham Council has been put off by the rain, does not mean we have to be. I'll see you all in Forest Hill at the weekend!

On the other side of the other railway, Catford outdoor Christmas celebrations are still on:
Saturday 8 December 4pm ? 5pm
Outside Broadway Theatre
Come to Catford's big Christmas lights switch-on by the Christmas tree outside the theatre. Mingle with characters from Aladdin, sing carols and enjoy free mulled wine and mince pies, before seeing the switch-on by one of the Panto celebrities at 4.30pm
http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/Business/Town...atford.htm

So if you want a soggy mince pie and wish to watch drenched zzz-list celebrities using a light switch, you know where to go. (No doubt I'll get accused of being anti-Catford again).

[I received the following this morning, and have invited Julie Sutch to register on the forum.]
--------

Hi Webmaster

Can you please place the text below on to the website for me

Unfortunately due to adverse weather conditions for Saturday the Forest Hill Christmas Celebrations has been cancelled. We looked at a number of options including moving the event to another location but none of them were feasible.

For further information and for future / alternative Christmas events, please log onto http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/christmasshopping

Many thanks for your assistance in this matter.

Regards

Julie Sutch
South Lewisham Town Centre Manager
Sydenham Library
Sydenham Road
Sydenham
London SE26 5SE
Tel & Fax: 020 8699 1064
Email: Julie.Sutch@lewisham.gov.uk
Web: http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/towncentremanagement
http://www.southlewisham.towntalk.co.uk

I know some of you are trying to be positive,( thats you,Michael) but I have to say this is all still a bit poor.

Lets be clear, December is winter . What did the Council expect, 7 hours of sunshine and a min temp of 30 degrees?
If it were not overambitious and a little unseasonal to start with, the basic celebrations ie the tree switching on plus Santa ought to have gone ahead regardless of predicted rain.

I see no reason why some of these events could not still be transferred to the library which is opening next week. Is it really that so unfeasible to arrange?

Sorry Ms Sutch, and LBL, a big Yuletide '''' to you. Try harder next year.

Most events read

"If wet in village hall."

A colleague told me that the Mayor of Dartford attended a ceremony to switch on their Christmas lights, but the lights did not come on.
End of ceremony!
Impressive?

bad weather stops Xmas market??
Is this all a bad joke?

I know some of you are trying to be positive,( thats you,Michael) but I have to say this is all still a bit poor.

Lets be clear, December is winter . What did the Council expect, 7 hours of sunshine and a min temp of 30 degrees?
If it were not overambitious and a little unseasonal to start with, the basic celebrations ie the tree switching on plus Santa ought to have gone ahead regardless of predicted rain.

I see no reason why some of these events could not still be transferred to the library which is opening next week. Is it really that so unfeasible to arrange?

Sorry Ms Sutch, and LBL, a big Yuletide '''' to you. Try harder next year.

I agree, it's a very poor show. They really should have made some kind of contingency arrangements - like some sort of shelter/marquee? It does seem rather obvious....

Had a brief chat to a woman who was putting the 'cancelled' sign up on the notice board in front of the station - she said that the cancellation was due specifically to the forecast of gale-force winds, and that the station master had insisted on the cancellation (the activities, btw, were to be in the car park at the front of the station, not the Perry Vale side). She said something like, "The perils of having it in front of a train station," or something.

She sort of indicated that the station master was afraid of the planned marquee uprooting and blowing across a passing train...I think.

That would be the same station master that puts up signs about fictitious works to gates to cover for covert passenger counts???

How about using the square in front of the post office? No risk to trains threre. This time next year it will be another vacant unit.....