Transition in Brockley - An open letter

 We hope you’re enjoying the summer and making the most of the sunny weather in your gardens and beyond! The reason for the email is to remind everyone of current activities and take stock of where we are and also try to drum up some more interest in the group and the transition movement in Brockley/Lewisham in general. I think it’s fair to say there has been a bit of a lull in the transition movement in Brockley and Lewisham in general in the last couple of years however there is still plenty going on.

What are we doing at present? 

The garden down at Brockley Common next to the station continues to thrive and much credit must go to Valerie and her assistants for maintaining it and ensuring that it continues to compliment the excellent work of the Brockley Cross Action Group. We also have a book group who meet regularly and of course there is still involvement with the orchard at Hilly Fields. Other projects that are still bubbling in the background but without much actual action at present include: Brockley Gardenshare and fruit harvesting. It’s also worth mentioning the newly-created South East London Community Energy group who are a separate group from us but exactly the sort of thing that the transition movement is all about. All projects mentioned could do with extra pairs of hands so just because the flowers are blooming and the apples hanging from the trees don’t assume that we couldn’t do with extra help! 

As a group we haven’t been meeting regularly for the last year or so which reflects the changing nature of members lives and interests. As many of you know one of the founding members of the group, Fran, passed away earlier this year and the absence of her enthusiasm and determination has been a great loss. It would be good to get regular meetings up and running again and to build on the work that has been done previously but in order to that we desperately need some new faces and people who can dedicate the time and effort to projects. We receive many emails from local residents and others expressing an interest in getting involved but unfortunately this rarely manifests itself in anything other than a passing interest and whilst we’re grateful for that, ultimately at the heart of the transition movement is the need for action and the act of doing! At present there is a core group of perhaps 5 people who all have busy lives and can’t necessarily dedicate the time required to keep the momentum going.

If you are interested in getting more involved in one of our projects, starting a new one or just want to offer opinion then please let us know! You can respond to this email (suggest direct responses rather than copy all in) or comment on the blog where this will be posted up as an open letter. Conversation and debate is a step in the right direction and if it leads to a continuation the groups activities then it will have been worth it. So, friends, local residents, interested passers by - this is your chance to help reinvigorate the transition movement in Brockley!

We hope to hear from you and spread the word!