A programme of entertainment greeted Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, when he opened Evelyn Early Childhood Centre in Grove Street, Deptford.
The festivities, on Friday 20 July, celebrated the spirit of partnership that characterised the Sure Start programme, on whose success the centre is founded.
The event also highlighted the generosity of the local community, which has for many years welcomed families from different cultures and backgrounds.
The mood was set for the 80 guests with an exuberant performance by Pantastic, a steel band featuring three young Deptford musicians.
From that point on, speeches were slotted in between parades and displays by community groups. As Sir Steve Bullock said, “There is a wealth of talent in the local community and we are fortunate that some of these talented people - of all ages - are here today to support what is a genuinely community-owned initiative.”
Adult talent was represented by Resourceful Parents, who wore masks made by local children and Brazilian costumes made from recycled materials. Two talented A level students, Bhanuja Karuna and Peithra Selvanayagam, representing the younger generation, closed the entertainment with traditional Tamil dances.
But the oohs and ahs were reserved for the children. First arrivals were four young Vietnamese children, all proudly wearing traditional dress, which they showed off to the guests.
Finally, the Mayor led out from the on-site nursery a group of under-fives wearing African dress and banging drums. This followed an African workshop in the nursery, organised by Clyde Early Childhood Centre’s WALE project.
The children then presented the mayor with a basket of fruit for his return journey and a picture of an apple tree to remind him of their fruit and vegetable garden that is being planted.
Jane Shepherd, Associate Director of Children and Young People's Services from Lewisham Primary Care Trust, which managed the former Sure Start, spoke warmly about the imaginative co-operation between all the agencies involved which had helped to make the community-led project so successful.
Finally, co-chairs Peter Ho and Laurentina Risch, both of whom had worked hard during the five years of Sure Start for a new building to house the support services, told the 80 guests that their dreams had come true with the opening of Evelyn Early Childhood Centre.
One of the borough’s seven flagship early childhood centres, providing wide-ranging services across education, childcare, family support and health, Evelyn Early Childhood Centre is the home of Orchard Grove Nursery, which has places for 70 children. It also includes rooms for community activities and a garden for the use of local families.
For more information, call in at the centre at 231 Grove Street in SE8 or ring our Children's Centres, Childcare and Play team.