'You can't stamp us out' - Save New Cross post office protest

A good turn out this morning for the protest to launch the Save New Cross Post Office campaign. As mentioned here before, the busy community facility is threatened with closure.

EastLondonLines reports, 37 Post Offices around the country are under threat, with the Communication Workers Union estimating the loss of around 300 staff on top of 2,000 post office workers who lost their jobs in 2016.

Save New Cross Gate Post Office

A campaign has been launched to save New Cross Gate post office. There's a petition which states the case clearly:

'On the 10th January 2017 the Post Office Limited proposed to close 93 Post Offices. Among those they wish to close is New Cross Gate Post Office located at 199/205 New Cross Road, SE14 5DH.

New Cross gate Post Office provides a vital service to the local community and beyond, and to lose such services will gravely impact those who need this local post office most. Among those will be pensioners and vulnerable people. This is a high demand, busy and heavily utilised Post Office.

New Cross Gate Post Office is located in a central location in New Cross, at a major public bus interchange, where for local savers there is no alternative banking facilities.  It is used by a wide demographic of ages for postal services, saving, making payments, currency, passports service, as well as many other key services. In this part of New Cross there is no other banking or saving institutions, which adds to reason why the Post Office at New Cross Gate would be a severe loss.

We the undersigned call on Paula Vennells, Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to revoke  the plans to close the vital New Cross Gate Post Office'.

On Saturday 28th January the campaign will be publicly launched with a demonstration outside the Post Office from 10 am to 11 am. 

Robert Dellar Memorial

Writer and mental health activist Robert Dellar sadly died last month (December 2016)  just after his 52nd birthday.  Robert was one of the founders of Mad Pride, which brought a new defiant energy to the mental health service users in the noughties, putting on punk gigs and festivals as well as  protests. More recently he was active in its successor, the Mental Health Resistance Network, campaigning in particular against the increasingly punitive benefits regime for people with mental health problems and other disabled people. 

Dellar was one of the editors of the book 'Mad Pride: a celebration of mad culture' (2000) and published an autobiography 'Splitting in Two – Mad Pride and Punk Rock Oblivion' in 2014. He put out numerous fanzines and for many years edited the newsletter of Southwark Mind (later Southwark Association for Mental Health). 

The wake for Robert, who lived in New Cross, will take place next Tuesday 24th January at the Ivy House pub (Stuart Road) at 2.30 pm, following the funeral service at Camberwell New Cemetery at 12.15. People are invited to donate to the costs of the funeral and party/wake.

More detail on Robert's life here.

New Carrie Fisher/Princess Leia Mural in Peckham

There's a new Carrie Fisher/Princess Leia mural in Peckham, 'The Rebels' Princess' was painted by Artful Dodger yesterday just a few days after Fisher's death. It is located on the outside of the former Walmer Castle pub.

The same artist has done another Star Wars themed piece near to Peckhamplex Cinema, showing Prime Minister Theresa May as 'Grand Admyaral' with little Boris Johnson on her shoulder.

Artful Dodger previously used the Walmer Castle site last October for this 'Gentrify This' piece.

Carrie Fisher/Princess Leia has previously been stencilled on Deptford High Street, not sure who by - this photo was taken last May 2016.