Saturday 15th August 2026
It started at 9 when I met fellow ward Councillor Steven Jefferies to film a segment for our little video supporting the Beckenham Public Hall, which is up for sale again. Sadly left unmaintained for decades, it's now reached the point where repairs are too expensive for Bromley Council to afford, and a renewed attempt is being made to sell it off. We think this a shame as this Grade 2 listed building was intended for community use and selling it off will be a loss for the people of Beckenham. I know I only had a couple of lines but my worry was that I'd forget them and freeze. Can you hear me trying to control my panic? I guess I'll get used to this.
Then on to our bi-monthly Councillor Surgery in Waitrose, where a couple of residents turned up for a chat. One of the queries was not about a place in our ward so we passed on the details of the relevant councillors; I have followed up the other query with the council this afternoon.
From there we hotfooted it to the Fire Station which was holding one of its regular family open days. I was astonished by the turnout: the queue of families wanting to have a go on the fire engine stretched out of the station and around the block at one point.
Other displays there included resuscitation dummies for CPR practice. Apparently the Fire Brigade use "Nellie the Elephant" as a rhythm song rather than "Staying Alive' which they find a bit too near the knuckle.
I had always wanted to slide, Bridget Jones-style down the firemens' pole but sadly I don't think they actually use it anymore. It's still on display in the station though, so I quickly took my chance and had a go. There was some suggestion that posting this picture might open me up to opponents as being unserious but I think it does no harm to spread a bit of fun and positivity and, you know, they'll say what they want, however I present myself, won't they?
Next a quick change into a floral frock suitable for my Residents' Association garden party to which I was invited as a Councillor and neighbour. I even managed to win a prize in the raffle and generated another piece of casework along the way.
What a week it's been!
Member comments