Two Great Ideas. . . .
If ever there is an omen for bad weather, it’s holding a garden party for 60 people. And the forecast wasn’t good for the afternoon of the 19th July. But fortunately for us, the Met Office got it wrong and wherever the rain fell, it didn’t fall on Sycamore House.
For those members who don’t know Sycamore House, it provides sheltered and retirement housing where the residents have worked together, under the watchful eye of head gardener, to create an award winning garden. Last year it won a Bronze for Large Community Garden from the London Garden Society.
So, for BRA’s first summer event, we couldn’t have found a better location. Tucked away in Sycamore Road, this beautiful hidden oasis with its unique, calming atmosphere was the perfect spot to enjoy some homemade scones, tea, sandwiches and the odd glass of Pimms.
Once again, its success was down to our superb events team of Christina Smyth and Joanna Thomas who with help from Tanya Mcfeely and Brianna Joss of Bective Leslie Marsh, plus various BRA members and Catherine Lehane of Hammersmith United Charities made the gathering worth doing again next year. Or at least, that’s what some of the residents want! The money raised will be donated to HUC, which is a non-profit making charity, to help fund other social events.
It was good to meet and talk to some of the residents, many of whom have lived in the area most of their lives. They have many stories to tell, which is something that interests local resident and BRA member Imran Ahmad. His day job is as a music composer, but he has also come up with the brilliant idea of recording local Brackenbury residents’ personal histories and life stories and putting them a CD for their families.
But these recording could also be shared with our community by being posted on the BRA website. It would create a superb oral history of Brackenbury to add to the pictorial one we are continuing to build. It is a beautiful and poignant way of people to share their life stories, not only for their family, but also for future generations to listen to.
Imran would like to hear from anybody who would be interested in getting involved in this project. Or knows somebody who might want to take part. His contact details are +44 (0) 7967 329 802 or through his website imranahmadmusic.com