South Kilburn: A story of resistance and community - Saturday January 25th - Kilburn Square

 

I popped into the exhibition this afternoon as I am not sure if I can make the talk tomorrow afternoon. The exhibition goes back as far as the slum clearances of the 1950s and tells the story of a strong community engaged in resistance to plans for their area which again and again have been imposed often with negative results.

1959 Willesden Corporations ets conditions for rehousing after slum clearance

1985 challenging the Council's public relations leaflet. If it wasn't for the typewritten copy printed on a Roneo or Gestetner printer the tenant's reply could have been written yesterday.

Leaflet against the infamous ballot on regeneration

In the middle of it all has been Granville Community  Kitchen fighting for and recording the loss of community assets. Empowering people through food!

 

The community spirit that refused to be silenced is clear in a range of photographs and event advertising.

 EXHIBITION DETAILS

Location: Metroland Studios, 91 Kilburn Sq, London NW6 6PS
(Behind Kilburn Market) off Kilburn High Road
 

Go down the alley next to Argos and you will see us across the square. Ring the bell to get in.

Saturday | 25 January 2025
Community Soup Session: 1-5pm

Talk: Regeneration History of South Kilburn: 12-3pm

Sunday | 26 January 2025
Workshop: Weaving Our South Kilburn: 2-3:30pm

South Kilburn: Capri Jiang: Unravelling Regeneration: Stories of a Community - Exhibition and Events

 

From Granville Community Kitchen

The hidden stories and voices behind South Kilburn’s regeneration programmes, exploring themes of displacement, resilience, and community activism. 

VENUE: 

Location: Metroland Studios, 91 Kilburn Sq, London NW6 6PS 

(Behind Kilburn Market) off Kilburn High Road

Go down the alley next to Argos and you will see us across the square. Ring the bell to get in.

Exhibition 22– 26 January 2025 12-5pm

Events:
Wednesday | 22 January 2025
Launch 6-8pm
Echoes of South Kilburn – Opening Performance: 6:30pm

Saturday | 25 January 2025
Community Soup Session: 1-5pm
Talk: Regeneration History of South Kilburn: 12-3pm

Sunday | 26 January 2025
Workshop: Weaving Our South Kilburn: 2-3:30pm

MetrolandCultures is pleased to host our neighbour and artist Capri Jiang to present work featuring a visual timeline of archives and an installation uncovering narratives of loss and resistance while inviting visitors to envision South Kilburn’s future together.

Communal spaces are essential for fostering connections and building a sense of community. Accessible and versatile community spaces play a crucial role in nurturing solidarity and resilience within neighbourhoods. However, over the past few decades, regeneration programs have resulted in the widespread loss of multipurpose spaces. This, coupled with rising rent, poor construction quality, and the uncertainty of future costs, has created a precarious environment for residents, forcing many to relocate and destabilising community life.

In response to these challenges, residents and organisations have mobilised to protest and resist the master plans driving this upheaval. This exhibition emerges from that context, shedding light on the untold stories of the community impacted by these regeneration programs. It highlights how individuals, organisations, and the collective community have been stripped of their voices, their right to adequate living spaces, and their ability to sustain a vibrant community spirit. At the same time, it showcases their resilience and efforts to fight back against these injustices.

Through this exhibition, you will explore the realities of the regeneration programme from the perspectives of individuals, organisations, and the urban landscape. The narrative unfolds through a visualised timeline of community archives and a woven cityscape installation. Visitors are invited to actively participate by contributing to the co-creation of a blueprint for the future of South Kilburn.

About Capri Jiang

Capri Jiang is a London based designer and researcher using design as a language to co-create with people. Capri is also the Project coordinator of Granville Community Kitchen – at the heart of its community in South Kilburn the kitchen is a place of repair, resilience, resistance and safety. GCK works within a healing justice framework with activities promoting the holistic repair and wellbeing of community. GCK’s activities respond to the needs of a diverse South Kilburn community, building resilience by building the capacity of people from marginalised groups, and challenges oppression, power and privilege.

https://granvillecommunitykitchen.org.uk

Get behind the Granville Community Kitchen Triathlon Team fundraiser - if you can keep up with them!

 

The Granville Community Kitchen is so important to our local area that Oi, Michelle and Georgea wanted to raise awareness and funds for their work.

 

They have formed a Triathlon Relay team to train and take part in Blenheim Palace Triathlon on 11th Sept.

 

This involves training to do a 800 metres open-water swim (Oi), a 13km bike ride (Michelle) and 5.4km run (Georgea). They will be joined by an amazing 189 people from across our community, fundraising for vital local causes.

Please sponsor and encourage our team on this page! 

 

Granville Community Kitchen is run by the community for the community. The kitchen offer the South Kilburn community a place for repair, resilience, resistance and safety, while the Community Garden educates local people in how to grow food. The Kitchen also provides food aid to hundreds of people every week beyond south Kilburn.

 

More about the 189-strong Kensal Tri Team is HERE

Granville Community Kitchen to launch 'Good Food Box' scheme in Kilburn in October

 

Some of the produce will come from the Granville Community Garden

Granville Community Kitchen is bringing all the goodness of the farmers market to you from Ocober.  We are making healthy food affordable for everyone by working with farmers, market gardeners and food producers at home and abroad.

We are offering fresh, seasonal local food and ethically sourced produce from here and abroad to ensure every culture has access to food

The Good Food Box is a radical weekly veg bag scheme, run by Granville Community Kitchen. Every Wednesday we pack bags of fresh, organic veg ready to feed households all over Kilburn. We charge two different prices for our veg bags (depending upon your ability to pay) so that nutritious fresh veg is available to the whole of the community. We offer foods from your culture, allowing you to access veg appropriate to your culture. We make sure to buy more directly from farmers so that they are guaranteed a fairer price. Every pound you spend with us is an investment in your local community.

For information and to register  visit:

 http://granvillecommunitykitchen.org.uk/good-food-box/how-it-works/

'Talk & Walk' urban food growing spaces with Granville Kitchen today

'Talk and Walk' event at Granville Community Kitchen Urban Food Gropwing is holding this event today as part of London National Park City Week:

28 July 2018 2pm – 3.30 pm

Meet at the Granville 140 Carlton Vale, NW6 5HE

Granville Community Kitchen invites you on a tour of three inner city growing spaces where you will be able to get involved in growing activities. Granville Community Kitchen is a community-led initiative for the South Kilburn community to access healthy, affordable and sustainable food and grow community!

Don't let them rip the heart out of South Kilburn - meeting Wednesday

From Granville Community Kitchen

 I am really sorry to tell you that the South Kilburn Trust and the RCKa Architects have 'responded'  to our outrage at the loss of the community Main Hall in Granville Plus Centre to a business hub. 

When the community  protested that it was losing the only large public space in the area, they have  responded by taking all the community space in the basement to  create a large 'event space there. 

This event space will have no kitchen. They say this can be hired by the community so is a 'community space'

THIS IS NOT COMMUNITY SPACE!

That means the community lose the Granville Community Kitchen (GCK) and all the other spaces in the basement. It is said the Community Kitchen can go in the 'living room'  kitchen on the ground floor. This space is open to anyone who comes into the building. This means that community groups, groups of parents and children, and vulnerable groups will have not have safe and dedicated space. Our children will not be allowed to be children with no space to play freely or safely. Anyone adult or child with lots of energy will have to be quiet and careful of their behaviour as they may disturb the business users. 

It means the needs of business users are placed first, over the community who have been using the building for generations!

Community users and Business users have different needs! They need separate spaces!

If the building loses it's sense of community purpose THAT IT WAS BUILT FOR it is no longer a community building!

The Mayor of London of London says that London is for All. He speaks of social integration and economic fairness. Where is the social integration in destroying the fabric of the Granville Community Centre and pushing the community out?  Where is the economic fairness if community is not given the opportunities to learn, to gather, to be supported, to express, to celebrate, to mourn? Economic fairness cannot be achieved without the social values that community bring.

Is this the legacy that the GLA, South Kilburn Trust and Brent truly want? One of reinforcing social inqualities? Of widening the gaps between the haves and the have nots? Of increasing social isolation of vulnerable people? Of not investing in the future of  our children and young people? Of having people go hungry? Of valuing money instead of people?

The Granville is the HEART of the South Kilburn community. Rip it out that heart and it dies!!

WE CAN STILL CHANGE THEIR MINDS!

What can you do?

Come to Granville, Carlton Vale, NW6 5HE

This Wednesday 14  June 

3pm - 8pm 

Voice your anger about this! Tell them you want seperate community spaces where we feel safe and that we control.. We want the  original purpose of the building prioritised and kept.

You will need to write it down but people will be there from GCK to help.

Please come and TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS to come too!

-- 

You can find Granville Community Kitchen at

The Granville Plus Centre, Carlton Vale, NW6 5HE

http://granvillecommunitykitchen.wordpress.com

or  follow us at

@GranComKitchen

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