An estimated 200 people attended Lewisham’s first ever Assembly held in Sydenham’s Naborhood Centre on Thursday, 6 March.
Chris Best, Lewisham Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “I was absolutely thrilled by the number of residents, traders and community representatives who turned out for Sydenham and delighted at the diversity of people who clearly wanted to be involved. People of all ages were really keen to get stuck in, to have their voices heard and to get things done. It was extremely exciting.
“The idea of these Assemblies is to provide a relaxed and informal setting for local people to let the Council and other service partners know what they think and what they want. If by doing this we can also help and facilitate communities to organise and do things for themselves then even better. We want to build closer and stronger relationships with everyone who cares about the place in which they live.”
At the Assembly, chaired by Chris Best as the Sydenham Ward Councillor, people joined in round table discussions to give their views on living in Sydenham – both good and bad. They then discussed possible solutions and who could make these happen.
Volunteers from the community, including two young people, agreed to form the Sydenham Assembly Coordinating Group to help plan the next Assembly meeting in June.
About two thirds of the 100 people who completed the evaluation forms agreed the Assembly allowed them to learn more about local issues and influence decisions about their local area. They said it would help build good relationships between neighbours and encourage people to trust and respect each other.
Community quotes
“A great idea to meet neighbours and share views. Hopefully the people of Sydenham will have more say in what happens in our area.”
“The table discussions were a good idea - really informative with people giving honest views and positive suggestions. I look forward to the next Assembly meeting.”
A summary of the main issues raised at the Assembly will be posted on the Sydenham Assembly webpage and will be used to help build Sydenham’s priority plan at the next meeting. This will then be submitted to the Council for action.