David Oliver. Photo courtesy of Kerstin Winterkamp

World number one hurdler David Oliver believes a sell-out crowd at next week’s Aviva London Grand Prix could set the stage for his maiden World title, but warned fans it’s now a race against time to secure seats for his clash with Olympic champion Dayron Robles and European and Commonwealth champion Andy Turner on 5 August.

The American record holder, also the third fastest hurdler of all time, is one of the favourites to land the coveted IAAF World Championship gold medal in Daegu next month after a whirlwind 15 months where he has won 32 out of 34 races.

However, in his path for glory in both South Korea and at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre next week, stands Beijing gold medallist and World Record holder Dayron Robles, the Cuban athlete who has inflicted one of Oliver’s two defeats this season when recording his first victory over the American in more than three years with a win in Paris.

And with only a final few tickets remaining for Friday to see the 110m hurdles competition, in addition to Asafa Powell in the 100m and Mo Farah in the 3000m, Oliver has urged athletics fans in London not to miss out on what he insists will be one of the showpiece events at next year’s Olympic Games.

He said: “I love competing in the UK, I’m really excited to get back there and get back on the track and run the best I can. This year has been great for me so far and I’ll be hoping to keep my good form in London.

“The field will be good in London, it will be great to get back up against Dayron [Robles] again, he’s had a great season and I always look forward to competing against him because he is the best and it will be a true test of where I’m at in my last competition before Worlds.

“One year out from 2012 I want to get a good result in London. I want to leave the city in good form and with a great feeling for when I return next year. The World Championships are obviously on the cards and this will definitely be preparation for that so I’m not going to be holding back, I want to get a good result.

“I hear that the Saturday is sold out now but there’s still some tickets left for when I’m racing so I’m really hoping that people get out and buy tickets so it’s a packed stadium for the race. I think the 110m hurdles is one of the most interesting events out there at the moment, there’s a field packed full of talent and every race is a great one.”

Like Oliver last year, Robles has enjoyed one of his finest seasons to date this campaign and until his last race in Barcelona – where he hit a hurdle in a freak accident and finished last – he had won every race he had entered.

He goes head-to-head with Oliver once again this Friday in the Samsung Diamond League bout in Stockholm, the last before they clash on UK soil next Friday, and is keen to test himself against the best in a world class Aviva London Grand Prix field that will also include world number four Aries Merritt.

The event is also a good opportunity for Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland star Turner to notch another victory over Robles after the Cuban’s calamity in Spain and also test himself against good friend and frequent training partner Oliver.

Turner is in outstanding form after a top performance at the SPAR European Team Championships in Stockholm in atrocious weather, followed by a personal best of 13.22secs in Lausanne just last month, and the Sutton-based hurdler believes he has a big performance stirring within him and has set his heart on putting in a strong performance in front of his local fans.

“It’s going to be great competing at the Aviva London Grand Prix, it’s one of my favourite meets on the circuit as I love to race in front of a home crowd. There’s a high level field racing so it will definitely be a tight one. David and I have raced a few times this season but it will be great to add Robles to the mix as well.

“It’s unbelievable that we’re now only one year away from 2012, it’s really going to hit home when we’re lining up before the race and I really hope that I get some good support from the crowd.

“I’m happy with how 2011 has gone so far.  I know I have a big performance in me and am feeling positive about the second half of the season.”

Oliver, Robles and Turner join an all-star cast of British and international athletes set to head to the Aviva London Grand Prix. Mo Farah (3000m), Asafa Powell (100m), Mark Lewis-Francis (100m), Jenny Meadows (800m), David Rudisha (800m), Abubaker Kaki (800m) and Kim Collins (100m) will all be joining them in action at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Friday 5 August, while Christine Ohuruogu (400m), Sanya Richards-Ross (400m), Phillips Idowu (triple jump), Felix Sanchez (400m hurdles), Dai Greene (400m hurdles), and Carmelita Jeter (100m, 200m) will take to the track on the sold-out Saturday for the final Aviva Series contest of 2011.

Sunday 14th November 2010
[qype id="197033"], Dulwich Common, SE21 7LD

10am to 4pm
Entrance £7 on the day
www.modernshows.com
Free Parking up to 200 spaces
Vintage style entertainment and delicious food at the entrance to the show

Artists Dinos Chapman and MIKE NELSON and furniture’s finest Sheridan Coakley, Matthew Hilton and Russell Pinch shop here.  Top collectors and curators like Camilla Nicholls and Bruce Haines swell the ranks. The original show gets bigger and bigger with eighty plus dealers and designers showing a mixture of vintage and modern that has design aficionados drooling.  Because we keep prices low for designers and dealers showing it’s the only event on the design calendar the design world  has to pay to get into but they pay with a smile on their face and a flick of their difficult glasses, bless em.

Dealers new to Midcentury.Modern:

Lucy Bates Vintage Fabric, Kicsi Haz Eastern European 50′s design, SkinFlint retro and vintage lighting, Matt French original film posters from the 50′s to 70′s. Still Life, Das Programm Braun and Deiter Ram, The Modern Danish Warehouse, Tuderhoff, Twentieth Century Antiques from Edinburgh, House Inventory, AnouskaHunter, Havenworkroom.

Regular Midcentury Show dealers include

Rocket Gallery, 52 Metres, Ex-20th, Blue, Firefly House, Designs of Modernity, Molly Meg, Retropolitan, Ruby in the Dust, Homescape, Cha,Cha,Cha, Inge Conner, Haji & White, The Modern Warehouse, Orange & Brown, ID, Park 59, Sarah Potter, Pink Flamingos, Deborah Hurst, Fandango, Inretrospect, Fragile Design, Zeitgeist, metroretro, C20C, Twentieth Century Interiors, Omnipod, Vera Da Silva, ID Design, 20th Century Collectables, Molecula, Wunderkammer Books, Mark Parrish, Post War Design & before, Pure Imagination, Emma Mason British Prints, Travel On Paper, Tony Wilson, Tim Smith-Vincent Interiors, Cha-Cha-Cha, Richard Wallis Antiks, David Lyon, DAD Design, Emma Loves Retro.

Contemporary designers include Chris Eckersley’s bright new furniture line, Assemblyroom, Jonathan Field, Michelle Mason, Paperboy, Curiosa, David Matthews jewellery, Pli Design, Sitting Firm, People Will Always Need Plates, Jenny Duff, Ruth Green, Maria Hatling,Richard Catchweasel, Lubna Chowdhary, Victoria Delany, Karen Downing, Sophie Cook, Eleanor Pritchard, Dare Studio, Monique Stewart wallpaper LAUNCH,  Yasmin Dilekkaya ceramics LAUNCH, Sally Nencini, Fanja Ralison, Dicky Bird, Needles and Hooks, Tina Vlassopulos, Rennie Seaside Modern Book LAUNCH, and Coal Design
Bark Furniture, Styling and Salvage, Alexena Cayless, A Little Bit of Art, Yasmin Hussein, Sarah Perry, Pli Design,

CRYSTAL PALACE is to stage a second international film festival again next year – and it has already attracted 18 entries within 10 days and a year to go.

Next year’s festival will take place later in the year in September, Neill Roy  of film festival organisers Harlequin Productions told the latest meeting of Crystal Palace and Norwood Chamber of Commerce.

“It was a massive learning curve for us staging our first festival but the response from the audiences was incredibly positive and the turn out was very encouraging. The high quality of films that made the finalists helped make the event the success it was.” He said the festival was being held later next year because in July – when this year’s festival had been staged – the weather was too warm in the main venue.

“We are also aiming to attract sponsors, hopefully big name sponsors to increase the whole experience of the event, building up year by year into a very large event for Crystal Palace.”

He said the Westow House pub on the corner of Westow Hill and Crystal Palace Parade was a very good venue. But as the festival got bigger and bigger the pub would not be big enough and eventually they would like to hold the festival in Crystal Palace Park and/or in a cinema if it eventually opens.

“But that would be a couple of years down the line” he told the Chamber meeting at the Yak and Yeti Nepalese restaurant on Church Road.

He revealed that Crystal Palace-based Harlequin Productions had also submitted ideas to Channel 4 and the BBC four an hour-long programme showing films from the festival.

For further information about the festival go to cpiff.co.uk

On Sunday 10^th October, Crystal Palace will welcome over 1000 runners who are taking up the challenge to Run 10K for Cancer Research UK, to help beat cancer. The National Sports Stadium will be opening its gates to play host to the start of the race, with participants and supporters gathering trackside, to warm up and reflect on the cause, before the horn sounds, and the challenge begins.

The course will then pass the Bandstand, ruins of the former Crystal Palace and Crystal Palace History Museum before heading up to the very beautiful flower gardens at the top of the park. The route then returns back down to the park before heading down past the old ski slope and through the ‘forest’ and in to the Victorian Jurassic Park.

Cancer Research UK’s Run 10k, supported by Tesco, is a series of 20 fundraising events which will take place throughout the UK this autumn. Cancer Research UK is hoping that 50,000 men and women will come together to raise over £5 million to help fund the charity’s life saving work.

The organisers are keen to show that most people can take part in a 10k run with just a little bit of training. Research shows that being physically active can reduce the risk of cancer and just 30 minutes of moderate activity a day, five days a week, can have a positive effect on your overall health. Specially designed training advice is available to download via the Charity’s Run10k website www.run10k.org, tailored for everyone from novice to accomplished runners.

The Event Manager for the Crystal Palace Run 10K, Louise Needham, said: “This event is a great opportunity to have fun, get fit and raise money to beat cancer. We are encouraging men and women of all running abilities to sign up to Run 10k in London. Although the distance might sound like a challenge, lots of people can achieve it with a little bit of training and the Run 10k website provides the perfect place to pick up tips.

“Every day, around 74 people are diagnosed with cancer in London. By taking part in Run 10k, and supporting Cancer Research UK’s crucial work, people in London could make a big difference to cancer patients here on their doorstep. So our message to local people is: raise it, run it, beat it so that we can continue our life saving work.”

Cancer Research UK spent nearly £154 million last year in London on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research. Cancer Research UK researchers at Hammersmith Hospital have a strong track-record in research to improve treatments for cancer. They are currently working to understand how and why some breast and lung cancers become resistant to treatments and how they can best tackle this to improve survival in people with these types of cancer.

Rosannah Dawood, National Event Manager for Cancer Research UK said:

“Everyone has a different reason for entering Run 10k. Many are new to running and are trying to get fit whilst others take part to beat their personal best time. Some use the event as a focus while they are coping with cancer treatment or coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. Whatever the reason, everyone crosses the finish line with a huge sense of achievement knowing how far they have gone to help beat cancer.”

As well as the participants, these events also rely on the excellent work of a team of dedicated volunteers, who help on the day with everything from registration, setting up the course, handing out water and goodie bags, and marshalling along the route. If you are interested in helping out on the day, please email louise.needham@cancer.org.uk for more information.

To enter Cancer Research UK’s Run 10k visit www.run10k.org. Entry for the Crystal Palace event closes on Tuesday 5^th October.

The fireworks event for 2010 will continue in the fine tradition of previous displays that began in Crystal Palace Park on July 12 1865. The inaugural event involved a competition between British firework makers and from then regular shows were staged until 1936 . Over 2,000 displays have now been been held on the site! Not surprisingly some people see Crystal Palace is the home of the fireworks display.

Like last year, the event will have two displays: at 7:00pm the first show starts specifically aimed at children, with lots of colours and less noisy bangs; the main show starts at 8:30pm and will be set to music.

Prices
Adults: 14 yrs plus £5
Children: 5 to 13yrs £3
Under 5′s: free.

Please see website for further details.

‘Save the Velodrome’ Campaign launched September 17  with an open invitation to a public meeting.

An alliance of residents and cyclists has been formed to save a former Olympic stadium from closure. The Herne Hill Velodrome is the oldest cycling track in the country and the home of the 1948 Olympic Cycling Championships. But now it faces closure due to deterioration and lack of funding. There is no alternative track in London for the hundreds of children who ride and race there. In the past, that has included Bradley Wiggins, the three-time Olympic gold medallist, who began his competitive cycling career at Herne Hill.

The Campaign is the brainchild of Hillary Peachey, a local resident whose children use the site regularly. She says, “It seems shameful that, with 2012 approaching, London cannot even sustain the facilities it has. That is why we are calling on Londoners as a whole to save this precious resource.”

The Campaign kicks off with a public meeting at Dulwich College at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 6th October. But Londoners are asked to register their support on www.savethevelodrome.com

Campaigners aim to secure the future of the site and make it a viable long-term facility for all, including local residents and schools. Hillary adds, “We are going to find a viable, sustainable and environmentally sensitive solution. The only given is that it must be cycling-led, inclusive and work for the entire community.”

The agenda for the public meeting is to:
• raise awareness of the plight of the facilities;
• hear suggestions for the future proposed regeneration;
• review potential plans.

Peter Cattermole, whose club runs the site currently, says, “If you came here on a Saturday and saw hundreds of kids bombing around the track, you’d think it would be criminal to lose it. Anyone who cares about kids, cycling or the environment should come to the public meeting.”

To stay open, the Velodrome will need corporate and private funding, together with volunteer support. The campaigners are hopeful of getting it. “Cycling is one of the most popular sports in the country. If we pull together, we can save this amazing place for future generations,” says Hillary.

Details of public meeting:

Wednesday 6th October
7.30pm to 9.30pm
Great Hall, Dulwich College
Dulwich Common, London SE21 7LD

Roll up, roll up it’s just three weeks until the next Sell It Mama! event held from 11am Saturday 9 October at Christ Church, Highland Road SE19. There will be over 20 stalls selling quality second hand clothes, books, toys, prams, equipment and maternity wear.

Don’t forget, pregnant ladies can “bump” the queue half an hour earlier at 10.30am for a preview before the crowds descend. Please come and take advantage!

The fabulous Tilli Twins from Gobble Gobble and Amy from C is for Cake are both back again to tempt you with savoury and sweet delights

Local entrepreneurial mums such as Silouette Jewellery, Phoenix Cards, Usborne Books, Happy Holly Daisy and beautiful knits from Knitted by Pam will all be showcasing at next month’s event.

And for the kids there’s FREE taster sessions with Diddi Dance (11.30am), Monkey Music (1.30pm) and Waggle & Hum (2.30pm) and Face Painting with Party Poppy throughout the day

Gipsy Hill

Sell It Mama! is back in Gipsy Hill on Saturday, 5 March 2011 – bookings now open. Contact rachel@sellitmama.com to secure your stall.

Sell It Mama! & SE London mumpreneurs Network

Once again Sell It Mama! has teamed up with The South East London Mumpreneurs Network to bring another mumpreneur networking lunch to the Exhibition Rooms on Tuesday 28 September.

Guest speaker Lois Cook – Founder of www.angelsden.co.uk will be sharing her story with local mumpreneurs giving them tips and advice on how to get funding for their business.

Lois is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and small businesses to help them to achieve their potential and sees funding as the major obstacle facing many of them. She founded Angels Den, with Bill Morrow, in 2007 in frustration at the lack of available funds for entrepreneurs who wished to grow their businesses.

Angels Den exists to help entrepreneurs and SME owners get the investment they need to take their businesses into high growth.

To book contact rachel@sellitmama.com

For more information visit: S.E.LondonMumpreneurs or book online

Rachel D’Cruze | Sell It Mama!
….recycling quality baby goods

m. 07747 097 168
e. rachel@sellitmama.com
www.sellitmama.com

EXHIBITION: Crystal Palace, Antenna studios, Haynes Lane, SE19 3AN
ALBUM LAUNCH: COMPUTERS RULE THE EARTH (+Remixes)

COMPUTERS RULE THE EARTH !!!

Launching 25th of September 2010AD Computers Rule The Earth, lands amid a tide of breathtaking remixes from the eponymous original. Having allowed a multitude of cooks to create the broth, the new album gives a massive stage for the sound to perspire.

In conjunction with the launch, Jakob Kaye, the creative behind Computers Rule The Earth, is simultaneously launching a symbiosis of music, art and science, which is taking place is at the renowned Antenna Studios, South London. Mr Kaye, managing director of the studios will displaying his arresting work attesting to the exponential rate of change, in our human society by the advance of technology until October 28th.

Featuring exquisite works etched on mirrors, which provide haunting images of a past technical golden age, that evoke the emotions of the soul as well as an appreciation of the finest of an age gone by. Crystal Palace prior to its catastrophic fire is captured by the artist and can been seen in the images attached.

Visitors to the exhibition and album launch are more than invited to come as ‘visions of the future’. Lara Tarrroni, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts prop and costume maker, will be on hand to make you a designer cyborg.

Live electro acts will be on from five PM, featuring essential spaceman The Sonic Manipulator, recently of DoubleDotDash label has lavishly sent Fields of Barley to introduce the maverick cosmic musician. Licensed bar from 2-8PM serving cocktails and PanGalactic GargleBlasters.

Doors Open: 14.00hrs

Contact: Antenna Studios, Jakob Kaye

07757144369

Jakob@AntennaStudios.co.uk

Venue: www.antennastudios.co.uk/

On Sunday 26^th September at 6 p.m. in the Holst Hall, James Allen’s Girls’ School, East Dulwich Grove, the James Allen Community Orchestra (JACO) will be giving a concert in aid of local charity Dulwich Helpline.  There is now a well-established partnership between the two organisations and this will be the orchestra’s seventh concert in respect of this.  Tickets priced at £7 (Concessions – £5) can be obtained by sending a stamped-addressed envelope and cheque (payable to “JAGS”) to “Music Department, JAGS, East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8TE”.

JACO is a vibrant high-calibre orchestra made up of local professional and non-professional musicians.  They currently perform twice-yearly, and they always play major works from the orchestral repertoire.

Dulwich Helpline, founded in 1993, is a small local charity providing friendly volunteer support for over 300 isolated older people living in Dulwich and neighbouring areas.  Through their team of excellent volunteers, they offer practical help with escorted shopping, gardening, odd jobs, and transport.  They also provide social and emotional support through befriending visits, and a variety of activity and friendship groups.

The charity has recently introduced a Friends Scheme and if you’d like to become a Friend of Dulwich Helpline, please contact them for a Friends form on 020 8299 2623.  You will receive their quarterly Newsletter and will be kept up-to-date on their various events.

Contact details: 020 8299 2623; info@dulwich-helpline.org.uk; www.dulwich-helpline.org.uk

Following the great success of last summer’s playday in Westow Park they will once again be holding a playday on Wed 25th August between 1-4pm. The following activities will be on offer:

• 5 a side football tournament- get your teams ready!!
• Dr Bike clinic- bring your bikes for a service
• Display and taster sessions from Blaze Gym club. Kickstars and Ku Shu Kwan: Chinese kickboxing
• Arts & crafts activities
• treasure hunt
• bubble play
• cakes for sale

All children, young people and families are welcome to come and join in the fun, bring a picnic. They will also be sharing plans and news on the re-development of the playground.

They will be running this event with the support of Barnardo’s, Croydon council and the community police team. Friends of Westow Park would welcome any offers of help on the day to set up and clear up afterwards so please see our website for more details www.friendsofwestowpark.com.