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Local discussion: Stroud Green Neighbourhood Day this Saturday?

1 to 53 of 53

  1.  
    • CommentAuthorwisteria53
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2009
     

    From Richard Wilson's feed on the Politics page:

    Stroud Green Neighbourhood Day is this Saturday (24th) 2pm-4.30pm. It takes place in the area on top of the hill near the Library - Mount View Road, Granville Road, Stapleton Hall Road - and the streets in between.

    It's organised by the Stroud Green Residents Association, who I've never come across before. They use Yahoo Groups rather than a blog like Stroudgreen.org

    • CommentAuthorkatiejane
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2009
     
    Wow - they've not done a very good job publicising it - unless of course (now in Mount Pleasant Crescent) we're still out of the catchment .
    • CommentAuthorwisteria53
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2009 edited
     

    Maybe so (I'm around the corner on the Villas) - Stroud Green Road probably isn't in Stroud Green either.

  4.  
    What exactly happens at a neighbourhood day?
    • CommentAuthorwisteria53
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2009
     

    There's only what Lib Dem Richard Wilson has on his website http://www.richardwilson.me.uk:

    Get along to Stroud Green Neighbourhood Day April 23rd, 2009

    Stroud Green Neighbourhood Day is this Saturday (24th) 2pm-4.30pm. It takes place in the area on top of the hill near the Library - Mount View Road, Granville Road, Stapleton Hall Road - and the streets in between.

    I was away for the last one, so I will be attending for the first time. But I’m told its quite fun and eclectic, with residents putting out stalls on the street and at the church hall with bits and peices to buy - and there are free refreshments. A tour of Granville Road Spinney is planned at 2.45pm (a great little green space that not many people realise exists).

    The neighbourhood day is organised by the Stroud Green Residents Association (SGRA) and is all about bringing local people together. So please come along and help create some community spirit in Stroud Green!

    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeApr 25th 2009
     

    I'm glad the tour is at 14.45, at least it should be wrapped up in time for bed.

    • CommentAuthorDuncan
    • CommentTimeApr 25th 2009
     
    Well I'd need a good night's sleep, Tosscat, after touring the whole of Granville Road Spinney and travelling many tens of yards back home from the upper east side ...
    • CommentAuthorDavid
    • CommentTimeApr 25th 2009 edited
     
    We are Ninja

    Suppose I'm being negative here but having walked around the streets earlier and being quite bemused at the general focus of a Stroud Green day centred around that little section of streets rather than, you know, the centre of Stroud Green, I can safely say other than a slight community feel around the library due to cake and police the rest was a rather odd display of intermittent insipid middle class front lawn sales.

    It was like Dibley without the Vicar. I'm starting to think SGRA is a bit like Councillor David Francis Matthew Horton MBE's council meetings too, except less relevant to Stroud Green.

    • CommentAuthorDuncan
    • CommentTimeApr 26th 2009
     
    The triangle?
    • CommentAuthorShaunG
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2009
     

    What does a front lawn sale look like (middle class or otherwise)? You mean like a car boot sale in your front garden? I don't think I've ever seen such a thing (apart from in Toy Story 2).

    • CommentAuthorDavid
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2009
     
    We are Ninja

    Exactly like Toy Story, but less stuff and more twee. I shouldn't be negative, at least they're trying something, it just felt so far removed from what Stroud Green really is.

    • CommentAuthorgraeme
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2009
     
    I happened to walk down the top of SHR past the library, and yes was a bit surprised by the home-spun nature of it. Was pleasant enough saying hello to a couple friendly folk in their front gardens, but that was about it. I do that anyway.

    Guess it's got to start somewhere, but given the size of what could be considered Stroud Green, it felt like a missed opportunity. A shame.
  13.  
    In my opinion a 'better' neighbourhood day would be to:

    1) Close a couple of the streets to traffic
    2) Have stalls for local crafts
    3) Have the police, local councillors and businesses there to hear what their community wants
    4) Something for the kids (clowns, games, music, cake)
    5) Something for the adults (clowns, games, music, drink)

    They seem to have a lot of street parties on Victoria Terrace, I suppose it's ideal as it's a cul-de-sac and there's the large courtyard which backs onto Oxford Road too.

    Whenever they have these parties and feel a little curious as I can hear the laughter and music from our kitchen, but I've neverhad the courage to wander over in case they throw me out for being an 'Oxford Roadie' and not part of the Victoria Terrace party crew.
  14.  
    I always get invited. I've never been cos I'm always away. I think the main Vic Terrace party thrower has moved operations to party at the Sugar Lounge. I'm always away for those too.

    Someone got run over and killed leaving the Vic Terrace street party two years ago.
  15.  
    Neighbourhood Day - it's all about getting to know your neighbours, that's all! Everyone in the area is invited to do whatever they want to do in their front garden and meet their neighbours as they stroll around. There are no rules. It's fun, yes, f-u-n, fun, remember?

    So please stop the whining and moaning and either 1. join us next year or 2. start your own neighbourhood day!

    PS next year I'm planning to do karaoke, so do come along and have a go, if you're not too "bemused" by the whole thing. You'll find me in Mountview Road (I won't post the number here as I don't want the Stroud Green Anarchists Collective putting a brick through my window).
    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeApr 28th 2009
     

    Don't worry Mark, us Upper East Siders are under-represented on here.

    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeApr 28th 2009 edited
     
    We are Ninja

    Hello mark, welcome to the site.

    You'll find more than most of your neighbours on here. Whilst I'm sure everyone is welcome, not everyone was invited, because I think all people were saying is that they hadn't heard of it.

    I guess there's a pretty untapped demand for stuff like this.

    • CommentAuthorDavid
    • CommentTimeApr 28th 2009 edited
     
    We are Ninja

    Sorry I was bemused by it all, Mark. As I said above, at least you're trying something, I was just expecting something else.

    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeApr 28th 2009 edited
     
    We are Ninja

    You're mostly bemused by the fact that you were barred from joining the SGRA yahoo group.

    Any group that wants to be welcoming always asks for a full name, address and telephone number when signing up to a Yahoo Group.

    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeApr 28th 2009
     
    We are Ninja

    Reading the minutes of Stroud Green Residents Association (possibly only marginally less boring than the Chelsea-Barcelona stalemate) I was staggered and disgusted to find that the Stroud Green Neighbourhood Day had PUBLIC FUNDING of £500!

    When will this council gravy train for fatcats ever end? My council tax/back in my day/political correctness gone mad etc etc. We could keep this site going for two or three years for that money.

    • CommentAuthorDavid
    • CommentTimeApr 28th 2009
     
    We are Ninja

    No wonder there was no money left for RISE.

  22.  
    Ok, now I'm appalled as well.

    No offense to the people living on Mount View Road, but I never even considered that area to be part of Stroud Green. Surely that's Crouch Hill.

    We live on Woodstock Road, which is actually off Stroud Green, yet as far as I know, this little community gathering wasn't publicised in our area. Was it even publicised on the actual Stroud Green Road?

    Obviously the organisers weren't interested in meeting the people living at the other end of SG.
  23.  
    Oh, and Andy, you should totally seek public funding for this site. It adds a lot of value (I hate that phrase) to SG.
    • CommentAuthorShaunG
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     
    Hard to tell what element of the indignation here is ironic, and what real. I can't believe we're really getting proprietorial about the name Stroud Green are we? People who live on those roads can't help the fact that it's known as Stroud Green (it's the name of the Council ward too I think).

    And as for public funding, I believe there's a street party being organised for Perth Rd some time soon, and I wouldn't be surprised to find that there's Council funds in there somewhere. I daresay if SG.org ever organised a real-life event the Council might well offer support.
    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     

    and so the gauntlet is thrown down.

    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     

    I love RC's 'degrees of SGness' argument. She's always indignant Shaun and it's always genuine - it's because she stays up too late drinking rubbish coffee.

    Are not the borders SG road/Crouch Hill, Mount View Road and the tracks? Hence the triangle?

    • CommentAuthormapsa
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     
    I wouldn't start a beef with us Upper East-siders. The council bankroll our weapons cache too.
    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     
    We are Ninja

    @ tosscat - that made me laugh. I'm sure r_c would be a lot calmer if she could get a decent flat white, Noo Yawk style.

    And with Haringey Social Services in disarray and needing serious investment, general economic collapse and global pandemics to prepare for, I'm not sure that I could in good conscience take any money from the Council. Especially not for putting a trestle table in my front garden, let alone a stupid website like this.

    • CommentAuthorReg
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     

    I'm assuming this was Haringey money? If so, I should have gone. As a LB Islington resident (that identifies more with the SG ward than my Tollington ward), I would have been quids in...

    @Andy/Dave, have you approached the likes of FinFuture to see if there might be support in their coffers?

    • CommentAuthorJoeV
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009 edited
     
    Sorry if this came up in another thread but I've been wondering: what is the proper pronunciation of Stroud?

    Is it Str-ooo-d as in ‘oooh la la … I love living here’

    Or

    Str-ow-d as in ‘OOOH! I was just stabbed'
    • CommentAuthorReg
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     

    Us norf landoners would av it as neither. Straad Green. Mate.

  32.  
    Tosscat, I wasn't serious. Would it help if I used emoticons to indicate tone of voice?

    But it is a bit silly that Stroud Green Day doesn't include Stroud Green Road.

    Not that I'd go to a community day in the first place... There's a reason why we're all here rather than out there, making friends with the neighbours.

    You're right about the rubbish coffee, though. Trying to force myself to leave the house and go to Good for Food...
    • CommentAuthorDavid
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009 edited
     
    We are Ninja

    For nothing more than clarity, these are the Stroud Green Ward borders as per the Met:

    Ward

    But with it chopping out quite a few of our landmark restaurants and pubs, while technically correct for the ward, I don't see it as the living borders of Stroud Green. This site and others have naturally reached across the three main wards of Stroud Green, Hill Rise & Tollington (with a bit of Crouch End & Finsbury Park thrown in) and incorrectly I suppose I was expecting a representation of that.

    That said, my tax goes into that 'Making the Difference' budget, I live within the ward, even applied to be a member of the SGRA yahoo group - I only wanted access to a picture of some unwanted kittens I was considering saving - and I still only found out about this neighbourhood day from a post on this site. It leaves me genuinely curious what £500 went on, as it clearly didn't go on publicity and there wasn't that much cake flying around.

    And I do wonder what happened to those kittens.

  34.  
    i'm not sure it's the rubbish coffee (i make the coffee in our house and it's good but too strong for lil r_c). i blame the diet bloody redbull she insists on ordering from tescos. where's my sugar high?
    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     

    I can't stand the smell of Red Bull, let alone drink it.

    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     
    We are Ninja

    I genuinely love Sugar Free Red Bull. It tastes like the future.

    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2009
     
    We are Ninja

    Thanks for the idea Reg. I don't want any government money. We're doing OK without it.

  38.  
    it tastes like the cancer i'm probably getting from the artificial sweetener. what's wrong with ingredients i can metabolise?
    • CommentAuthormarkpack
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2009
     
    Please excuse this priggish interlude, but if it's anything like other similar local events, it gets publicised as widely and as well as people volunteer to help out so the answer of course is to volunteer to help out next year :-)
    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2009
     
    We are Ninja
    I disagree Mark. £500 buys stacks of local publicity (flyers? shops?) and none of the members on this site, 95% of whom are a thrown brick from this area, had heard of it.

    Posting it on the site would have been free as well.

    Though I applaud the lovely phrase "priggish interlude".
    • CommentAuthorhelenriley
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2009
     
    I organised the Neighbourhood Day which has caused some consternation on this site. I thought it might be useful if I outlined the thinking behind the event, its aims and the costs incurred.

    I put on the first Neighbourhood Day last year. It’s a small, simple idea - encourage people to do something in their front gardens - sell or give away old toys / books / plants / crafts / cakes - which would, in turn, encourage passers-by to walk around the area, stop and say hello.

    The problem I found last year is that while I was happy to put in the time necessary to drum up interest in the event and to use email resources to publicise it and so on, it was costly to print enough colour posters. Although I run the event under the auspices of SGRA, (a residents association) it has no funds.

    So after last year’s event I successfully applied for funding from the council’s Making a Difference grant programme to run this year’s event to ensure that I could pay for posters and to provide free refreshments – and other additional things I considered at the time such as entertainment.

    I was allocated up to £500 from the Making a Difference budget, but in the end I decided to keep things small and a local unicylist took on entertainment duties for free. Other volunteer help included a poster design and people offering to serve the refreshments.

    To advertise the event I postered the roads lited below, asked people to use their own email groups etc and contacted local papers.

    The cost of putting on the event came in at under £200 – for poster printing, balloons and refreshments at two locations, Holy Trinity Church and a front garden on Stapleton Hall Road.

    Incidentally, I received help and advice from several people at the council including members of the local neighbourhood team and I would encourage anyone who has an idea for the area to approach them. They are keen for community input. As is the safer Neighbourhoods Police team.

    Neighbourhood Day, by the way, was called just that - it wasn’t Stroud Green Neighbourhood Day. The posters etc announced it as Neighbourhood Day and then listed the streets involved - Mountview Road, Stapleton Hall Road, Granville Road and the roads inbetween - Elyne, Albany, Addington, Quernmore and part of Oakfield.

    I chose the area because it’s where I live, because there seemed to be natural cut-off points for the border and because the area, though not massive, contains some ‘institutions’ such as a church and library which would get involved.

    The local police team also attended the event and two local councillors helped out with a book giveaway. Craft workers were represented by jewellery makers, soft furnishings and pottery that I know of, and there were lots of book and toy stalls. One of my neighbours sold sizeable plants for £1 a pot and some other people played roadside games. I did a small golf game in the garden, sold jam and gave children chalk so they could decorate the pavement. Many of the stallholders - alhtough there are no rules as such about this - were passing any money they made to charities.

    Overall, it was all very low key, as it was intended to be - and we enjoyed good weather - although obviously, this sort of event is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

    I had quite a lot of positive feedback with people thinking of staging street parties on their own roads and someone saying they would plan a similar event in their part of Stroud Green (I don’t know which part, I’ll leave ‘border issues’ to other people).

    I will probably offer to run the event again on the same roads although there is no funding for next year, so volunteer help would be appreciated.

    I hope this post is helpful.
    • CommentAuthorDuncan
    • CommentTimeApr 30th 2009
     
    Surely SG defined by being just on the "wrong" side of the border ...
    • CommentAuthorBernie
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2009
     

    Thanks Helen. It's a lovely idea and my son who is 6 and me sold books and made a bit of cash. My kids leafleted the doors on top of Oakfield where we live and like the day. Talking to people and being out on your street! Just like when I was a kid. I'll be involved again next year and help you promote again.

    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2009
     

    I live on the upper east side and saw the posters, sorry helen, I´ve not read the whole thing (it´s a very long post and it´s 2am) but I did skim it and saw á local unicyclist´ in there somewhere.

    I´ve seen the unicyclist in question and he creeps my out some, I´d rather opal eye popped round with flyers.

    I´ll read the rest at some point, and then I may be more constructive, although I doubt it.

    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2009
     

    did you have the bayleaves helen?

    I´ve run out of the ones the mount view person was giving away and I think yours were 50p a pop - could i get some soon?

    • CommentAuthorgraeme
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2009
     
    Thanks for taking the time to post that Helen, appreciated.
    • CommentAuthorDavid
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2009
     
    We are Ninja

    Makes more sense now Helen. Clearly the association of SGRA and a neighbourhood day has caused much confusion. So did you only take £200 or is the other £300 now stashed for next year?

    • CommentAuthorandy
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2009 edited
     
    We are Ninja

    Leave it now guys.

    • CommentAuthortosscat
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2009
     

    andrew, are you that cynical?

    i wasn't taking the piss.

    • CommentAuthorDuncan
    • CommentTimeMay 2nd 2009
     
    @Bernie: Maybe we should have a late Sunday afternoon walk like the Italians do.
    • CommentAuthorkatiejane
    • CommentTimeMay 3rd 2009 edited
     
    Surely if you're given a £500 grant, you spend £500 don't you?

    Sounds okay to me otherwise - maybe we could do something for Lower Stroud Green next year - I'm picturing a sound system and some cans of red stripe.

    Just one further thought. Were community relations really that much better a generation ago? We've just moved from a flat where we knew everyone in the block, and would stop to have a chat to about half of them. One offered to babysit when we had an emergency, and they were all happy to take parcels in for us when we were out.

    Within 24 hours of moving to a new street we'd met about five people who lived on the street, one of whom bought us a bottle of wine to christen to new house.
    • CommentAuthorBernie
    • CommentTimeMay 4th 2009
     

    @Duncan Would we have to dress up as smartly as the Italians? I don't have the shoes.

  53.  
    @Bernie take yourself down to the Nags Head and pick up a nice pair of Frank Wrights from shoe zone. treat yourself, you deserve it

1 to 53 of 53

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