Brockley in transition: the year in review

So as the year draws to an end and the seemingly endless cycle of freezing temperatures and snow carries on it seems like a good time to reflect on some of the things that the group have been up to throughout the year. Note, there's a deliberate slant towards the things we've been up to rather than talking about Brockley generally but if you do want to read about that then take a look at a good round up on Brockley Central.

Hilly Fields Orchard

We were hoping to have planted the orchard by now but we had to postpone the planting due to the recent weather however, Saturday 15th January is the new date for your diary so please come along between 11am – 1pm.

Members of the group have also undertaken orchard management training organised by the London Orchard Project and will be looking to train others up to help with maintenance after the planting.

Fruit Harvesting

Inspired by projects such as Sheffield’s Abundance project where unwanted fruit is collected and distributed we decided to map and collect Brockley’s unwanted fruit and redistribute to local people and refuge centres. A number of harvesting events took place and the whole project was very successful. Time Out online even featured us as one of London's best harvesting projects! Plans are afoot for next years harvesting where hopefully Brockley's fruit may manifest itself in a more preserved form...watch this space!

Brockley Common Planting

We held working days to transform a barren piece of wasteland into something more productive which could be used by the local community. This culminated in being part of the Brockley Cross Action Group's tenth anniversary celebrating the hard work done by the local community in transforming the area around the station.

Hilly Fields Fayre

This year we decided to take a slightly more proactive role in the Fayre by helping to organise a number of stalls alongside our own with organisations that have environmental interests at heart such as Global Action Plan, Frendsbury Gardens and Lewisham Waste Initiatives.

Other things we've been up to...

Alongside Transition Westcombe we took part in discussions with local supermarkets to discuss how they could cut their carbon footprints. We also got Brockley's local Costcutter shop to take part in Plastic Bag Free Day.

Continued to support such initiatives as 9 Carrots culminating Mr Lawrence Wine Bar becoming the first 9 Carrots project to reach its target; Frendsbury Gardens who continued to blossom with their useful workshops; St. Saviours Community Garden which keeps on growing and helped to stem the plight of Brockley's bee population following the workshop we had with Capital Bee last year.

Finally, we hope you've enjoyed taking part in any of the activities we've been involved in this year and hope that you will continue to support us as we will continue to support the local community by being as proactive and educational as we can!

Have a happy new year!

9 Carrots help Mr Lawrence see the light

9 Carrots reports that Mr Lawrence Wine Bar in Crofton Park has managed to hit its target of changing its light bulbs from old style incandescent bulbs to energy efficient ones in just 3 months!

Mr Lawrence said: “We all want to do our bit to help the planet, of course, but this scheme is a great incentive to really look at how we can save energy. I'm delighted to be the first business to reach the target and make a green upgrade. We're proof that the scheme really works!”

Transition Brockley member, Fran Rogers who helped sign the wine bar up to the 9carrots scheme, said: “We're always hearing advice about how we should save energy as individuals, but we need to get businesses interested in sustainability too. Transition Brockley sees the 9carrots scheme as a great way to get businesses involved.”

Mr.Lawrence has asked 9carrots to advise him on how else he can save energy, and is now looking at installing solar panels. Hear about his new target and how other businesses are going green by signing up for updates.

Transition Brockley bumped into Annesley from 9 Carrots last week before the monthly Lewisham Green Drinks held at Mr Lawrence Wine Bar. Annesley had been trialling some of the new light bulbs with Mr Lawrence but unfortunately there are a few teething problems as the current dimmer switch system doesn't support the bulbs they were hoping to install however they are hoping to overcome these fairly soon.

To find out more about what 9 Carrots is and how they are working with local businesses see here. Other local businesses signed up to 9 Carrots include:

The Shop on the Hill
EXP Chinese Takeaway
Royal Tandoori Indian Takeaway
Cafe Crema (New Cross)
Marquis of Granby pub (New Cross)

Hilly Fields Fayre - just days away!

This years Fayre at Hilly Fields organised by the Brockley Society is just days away! This year Transition Brockley have been co-ordinating a 'green' themed area with a number of local environmentally-themed participants including Global Action Plan, Lewisham Waste Initiatives, Lewisham Sustainable Resources Team, Frendsbury Gardens and 9 Carrots alongside our own stall which will have information on all the things we have been involved in. You can find out more details about the Fayre and view the programme here Come along and say hello!

Transition hits Hilly Fields Fayre!

This years Hilly Fields Fayre will be graced with an environmentally themed area with Transition Brockley leading the way by co-ordinating other like-minded people such as Global Action Plan, 9 Carrots, and Frendsbury Gardens to join up and raise environmental awareness in Brockley.


Also expected is home-made ice cream using eggs from some of TB's members' own chickens alongside a wide range entertainments, activities and other stalls.


The Fayre is on Saturday 19th June and is one of the highlights of the local calender so do come along!

9 Carrots comes to Brockley!

Throughout the last year we've been working in conjunction with 9 Carrots to help sign up businesses in Brockley to take part in an iniative aimed at improving local businesses' environmental impact.


To find out more about what 9 Carrots is and how it works see here


Already signed up in Brockley are:


Mr Lawrence Wine Bar - aiming to replace all light bulbs with low energy light bulbs
The Shop on the Hill - aiming to replace current lighting with low energy lighting
EXP Chinese Takeaway - aiming to replace halogen light bulbs in main restaurant area
Royal Tandoori Indian Takeaway - aiming to buy an electric car to replace their current petrol-powered car


So if you're using one of these shops then remember to ask your 9 carrots receipt!