Cor blimey geeza mate. Just been perusing the Lambeth Council website and it looks like the Clapham Common Fireworks Display is a no show this year At least, at this point in time, Lambeth Council’s events calendar lists only Streatham Common and Brockwell Park firework displays.

Last year Love Clapham went to a roof just outside the Battersea Park firework display. Yep, always looking for a freebie. It was good but it wasn’t Clapham.

We’ll find out more in case it is on, stay tuned Clappers. We’re going undercover to investigate this tragic turn of events for you. Because we love you.

However in recent months we’ve been hearing some worrying things about this group. First, refusing various events on the common and restricting the number of festivals that would appeal to the vast number of young people living in and around Clapham that bring in a lot of business to the area. On the one hand this is good, we don’t want too many events, on the other hand, there have been noticeably fewer this year with negative consequences on the local business economy, not to mention bolstering the vibrant hub of youth Clapham has become.

Paula Radcliffe and Carl Lewis supporting the Nike fuel station

Today we learnt that this group had been instrumental in refusing the extension of a hugely popular temporary building funded by Nike (it would never have happened without this funding) that was encouraging sports and fitness activities. Yes there was a commercial aspect but its positives far outweighed this necessity. The Nike building was a cool, convenient temporary ‘event’ on the common that really created a buzz among a wide number of people. It couldn’t stay there forever but was there really harm in extending its stay?

Finally, we’ve also learnt today that the domes erected on Clapham Common recently by Sky for the auditions for Got To Dance are next in the firing line. As the most popular site about Clapham we can assure you that there has been huge excitement from thousands of local residents about being chosen as the location for this popular programme and cultural event. Being selected for this show should be celebrated as a highlight in the history of the common.

You can read recent updates from the group on their website.

Other concerns we’ve had about Clapham Common over the years include: the multimillion pound refurbishment of the bandstand – it needed a tidy up but could this money have been better spent? What plans are there to improve facilities across the common for all groups? And something The Friends of Clapham Common are getting involved in: what’s happening to Clapham Old Town? These concerns are obviously aimed at the council as much as anyone else involved in the common.

Clapham is a lively, multicultural, diverse area. It’s important to respect and represent all views and people when making decisions about the use of our public space.

It’s obviously a fine balance and you can’t please everyone but we have to pose the questions: have Friends of Clapham Common gone too far? Are they truly representing the wider views of the local area? Have you ever been asked your opinion on these important decisions? Have you ever tried to join their committee? How would you improve Clapham Common?

Did you see what we did there Clappers? Instagram + Clapham = InstaClap. Yes! It’s our all singing, all dancing, all clapping live feed of Clapham Instagram photos direct from YOU. If you tag an Instagram pic with #Clapham, it will instantly appear on LoveClapham’s InstaClap feed. Hashtag awesome. Go to the InstaClap feed now and start adding your own photos. We’re already hooked on the latest things going on right now…

Hey Clappers! Long time no blog, eh? To help you make the most of living in the area and those last few drips of summer sun, we’ve launched our new Clapham Chat area. For long-terms Clappers, you’ll see that it’s much simpler to use. You can even login with Facebook or Twitter so you never need to remember a bloomin password again. Please don’t hate us because it’s blue… it will become pink soon.

If you were passing by Clapham Common yesterday, you may have noticed Katy Perry and Rihanna enjoying a rather civilized British picnic together! However… on slightly closer inspection, it appears that the two girls were infact lookalikes posing for the Breast Cancer Care’s summer campaign – Strawberry Tea.  Photographs of the pair soaking up the sunshine, catching the tube and hitching a ride in a black cab were all snapped by celebrity lookalike photographer Alison Jackson, who’s famous for her spoof images of people such as Wayne Rooney, Borris Johnson and The Royal Family. Pictures will be used to promote the Breast Cancer Care’s Strawberry Tea campaign, running from June 1 to August 31.

Check this out Clappers! It’s a man, on a rope, on Clapham Common, jumping around like a loon! We’ve seen a lot of cool things on the common but this is among the coolest.

The Clapham area is now completely spoilt for choice when it comes to markets. From posh nosh to fresh flowers, we Clappers have it all. Given the number of chain supermarkets and restaurants in the area, it’s no wonder the Clapham markets are increasingly popular with local residents. We want choice dammit! With three markets in the direct vicinity and others close by, there really is no excuse to shop local and benefit from better quality.

Venn Street Market
(Clapham High Street)

The newest market in town, now found by the cinema on the recently spruced up Venn Street by Clapham Common tube. Open every Saturday from 10am – 4pm, this market is a great pit stop for a quick lunch plus some tasty morsels for the evening’s dinner.

Northcote Road Market
(Clapham Junction)

One of the most successful and longest running markets in the area, located in the yummy mummy valley of Northcote Road. It’s open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, selling everything from fresh fish to freshly baked pizza to go. Lots of flowers and cupcakes too. Of course, there are plenty of little cafes, restaurants and the odd antique shop to keep you entertained too.

Abbeville Farmers Market
(Bonneville Primary School, Bonneville Gardens)

Tucked away just off of the South end of Abbeville Road is this wonderful local treasure selling only farm grown produce. Open every Sunday from 10am – 2pm, they sell a small but perfectly formed selection of meats, baked goods, cheese and other unique products for a reasonable price. Don’t miss out on this one.

Art + Cake
(Clapham High Street)

Next to the main Sainsbury’s on Clapham High Street is a recently renovated and rather snazzy glass fronted church. On the first Saturday of every month, from 9.30am – 6.30pm, the church plays host to a mini market featuring local artwork to buy and lots of cakes and other crafts. Lots of fun and the cake is awesome.

Got a Clapham market tip? Please share it in the comments below.

Here’s a date for your diary Clappers, the Clapham Common Fayre 2012. Every year the Holy Trinity Church on Clapham Common is transformed into a hub of community with local produce and entertainment. Last year there were even donkeys! It’s great fun and we highly recommend you make time for it on Saturday 16th June from 11.00am. The church itself is such an important local landmark, it really is fab that the fayre is run each year.

On receiving an email invitation for a session with The Running School in Battersea, I was intrigued at the concept, so accepted and booked myself in for a Saturday afternoon slot. I must admit I was slightly sceptical, wondering what I could be taught about a skill most of us acquire from a very young age. My session trainer Amy has an impressive CV, having qualified in Physiotherapy she’s worked within the NHS, Ministry of Defence and with the GB Paralympic Cycling Team – so I was definitely in safe and experienced hands! After a chat about my overall health, physical activity and running experience, I was straight on the treadmill. Amy filmed me running at a steady pace from behind and from the side (this is the point where I decided choosing to wear lycra was a bad idea!). Then it got technical – time for my Biomechanical Movement Assessment  during which we watched the video 2 clips of me running and I was assessed looking at everything, from posture, to leg circling, gait and technique. It’s definitely an eye opener and oddities in my running style were highlighted which I wasn’t aware of at all. Amy gave me some tips there and then and suggested that to improve speed and running style I take a further few sessions. The Running School welcomes all levels of runners from either end of the ability and experience scale. So if you’re a beginner or a marathon runner and you want to improve you’re running I would recommend dropping them a line.

With a cast headed up by Natalie Day (Les Misérables, Queens) as Edwin Drood, Victoria Farley (Les Misérables, Barbican) as Rosa Budd and Daniel Robinson (Jekyll and Hyde Tour) as John Jasper with former Coronation Street star Wendi Peters as Princess Puffer, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this exciting adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood was coming to the West End. But no … it’s on our doorstep!

Based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a compelling and comical play within a play following the exploits of the Theatre Royale Music Hall Company. Wendi Peters, best known for playing Cilla Battersby-Brown in Coronation Street, is delighted to be returning to the stage as the Princess Puffer. LoveClapham caught up with her and here’s what she had to say:

“The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a wonderful mix of Music Hall, murder, mystery and

musical Theatre all rolled into one evening. I’m really enjoying being in my 1st

musical for 15 years, although some of the dance routines are scaring me a little !!

We have a wonderful company of 13 actors and 5 musicians and guarantee you a fun

evening with an ‘X Factor’ ending … The audience decide the outcome and the

murderer !! Hope to see you all there …. Best wishes and ‘VOTE FOR ME ‘ !!!”

Edwin Drood runs from April 11^th to 5^th May at the Landor Theatre , Clapham North. Tickets start from £10.

Happy summer Clappers! Well, almost. It’s still a bit chilly but the sun’s out, the flowers are in bloom and we at Love Clapham HQ are feeling it. There have been quite a few developments around Clapham over recent months leading us into what promises to be a better summer in Claps than ever. Here’s the roundup…

WHSmith has opened on Clapham High Street, which might not seem like a huge deal but it’s significant as the first big brand shop to open since Boots took over from Woolworths a couple of years ago. Given that Clapham High Street has very limited shops compared to bars and restaurants, we’re happy about this.

Of course, the new Clapham Leisure Centre has been open for a few months now and is being heavily used – a great success after eighteen months without it, albeit with mixed feedback from our loyal readers.

Venn Street has really transformed the Clapham High Street area. Bringing a weekly market on Saturday’s with very high quality produce and snacks, but most noticeably for pedestrianising the road creating a community hub. We love it.

As you’ll see in the previous posts there’s huge debate about the bus station situation in Clapham Old Town – should more busses be stopping in one of Clapham’s prettiest spots?

Finally, Love Clapham has been hit with a series of stray cats, luckily they’ve all been re-homed. But where are they coming from?!

MP Kate Hoey and a small group of residents are vigorously lobbying TfL bosses for a LIVE bus station in the square in the heart of Clapham Old Town. This scheme will involve up to six live bus stands with platforms, shelters, signage and commercial lighting, taking up the majority of the square and leaving the Old Town Square open to development as a transport hub. Save Clapham Old Town has set up a site and Facebook page in an effort to try and stop these plans going ahead, by making Clapham residents aware of how it will change the area and asking people to sign their petition.

They are very supportive of the overall Regeneration Project that will widen pavements, slow traffic, improve crossings and  generally better public spaces, however they are against the plans to put 6 live bus stands in the square. Please have a look at the plans and let us know what you think.

Is this your cat, or do you recognise him? He arrived in our back garden near Clapham North, between Edgeley Road and Clapham Manor Street, on Saturday night and hasn’t left – which makes us think he may also come from an end terrace. He’s relatively large, fairly fluffy and very friendly, wanting attention – we believe he’s male but not confirmed. Has a deepish miaow, a tortoiseshell coat on top and all white underneath. While he seems in relatively good shape, he’s clearly been outside for a while with a scratch on his face that’s healing. He’s miaowing a lot

Update: we’ve now taken him to the vet and onto Battersea Cats and Dogs Home where he is currently housed and being cleaned up should you recognise him or want to adopt him. He is lovely!

Clapham has been without a swimming pool for over a year but the new leisure centre (which looks something like the above drawing) is open. And dagnamit, it’s only got a swimming pool with a moving floor to change its depth! This probably entitles Clappers to say we have a ‘state of the art’ leisure centre. It also has a large gym area and a sports hall above it. Fabulous. For those of you going “whaaa? A new leisure centre? In Clapham?” you can find it on Clapham Manor Street next to the equally healthy KFC. Have you been yet, what do you think? Tell everyone below…

My boyfriend’s had a tough old year, His father passed away, I’d really like to cheer him up, Especially Christmas Day.

 His sport is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, He is a British Champ,  But torn a tendon in his knee, His winter’s looking damp.

He teaches kids in Battersea, Including those with special needs, Then heads off up the Lavender Hill  To get his special feed.

His diet is clean and fresh and whole, Junk food goes in the bin, He eats at Wholefoods every week, That’s why I’d like to win!

Want to get in the festive spirit without travelling any further than Clapham? … Abbeville Road will be playing host to the 2011 Christmas Feté  which takes place from 4pm to 9pm on Thursday 15th December. Local shops will extend their trading, with stalls out on the pavements offering fabulous Christmas specials, along with plenty of complimentary food and drink. There will be treats on offer such as mulled wine, mince pies and roasted chestnuts and musical entertainment including carols by candle light.  Festive fancy dress is encouraged, with prizes for the best boy/girl/dog (yes really!) outfits.  And don’t forget to stop by Santa’s grotto…