At a Death Café people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.
Our objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.
A Death Café is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.
Death Cafes are always offered:
On a not for profit basis
In an accessible, respectful and confidential space
With no intention of leading people to any conclusion, product or course of action
Alongside refreshing drinks and nourishing food – and cake!
Death Cafés have spread quickly across Europe, North America and Australasia. As of today, we have offered 14675 Death Cafés in 82 countries since September 2011.
Death Cafés already exist in other parts of London, but none are, as yet, south of the river.
James Booth will be hosting five finger-style folk guitar workshops in the middle room at the Bonnington Centre, starting on Thursday October 13th 2022.
The workshop will be from 5.30 – 7pm and is suitable for all intermediate players (but not complete beginners) who would like to learn a range of finger styles and songs.
You should bring a guitar, a capo and your fingers.
The workshops will continue on Thursdays October 27th, November 10th, December 1st and December 8th.
James has been playing since he was 17 and will mainly be using the music of Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Ralph Mctell, Bob Dylan, Don McLean and others to illustrate different styles and techniques.
Workshops are free and donations encouraged to the Bonnington Centre.
This is part of a series of workshops for the local community supported by the Bonnington Centre.
Autumn has arrived and many of us will perhaps struggle to eat and heat our homes properly during the coming cold season. Any tips that you might offer to ease such pressures will be welcome for the next newsletter.
We are happy that membership has increased due to feedback from our first newsletter. Do continue to invite friends, neighbours and colleagues to enrol.
The building has received much care and attention from committed volunteers. The windows to the cafe have been renovated and details burnished with an appropriate glistening gold. The kitchen remains ‘in process’ and any help would be much appreciated. Please read the current BCCA ‘Wish List’ on the Café window. We will be happy to receive anything you can donate.
The therapy rooms continue to gain healthy bookings and members of the community have proposed various healing treatments that they would like to offer. Craniosacral Therapy is one example and is offered free of charge by a last year student of CTET as part of essential training (a donation towards the Centre welcome) for more info and booking please email to bcc-cranio@gmail.com
October brings also the arrival of…
The Death Café
Everyone is welcomed on Monday 10th October from 10am to 11am for tea, cake and conversation, sharing ideas toward a potential regular Death Café at Bonnington Centre as a local resource. Contact: 07906916524 for further enquiry.
Every Friday from 2pm to 4pm come join us at the Café for natural rythmn and syncopation at our DRUM N’ KITCHEN UTENSIL sessions. Open to all comers of all ages and rhythmicity. Bring your own drum or percussive instrument if you can and an item of food/drink (non alcoholic) to share if you wish. Most importantly bring yourself friends, family, associates to enjoy and delight in seriously silly syncopations.
Donations welcomed. Contact BCCA Admin for details.
Spaces for Hire
Soon improvements to our online booking system will make the booking process easier. The Centre offers a variety of fine homely spaces for hire, with toilet and catering facilities at amongst some of the lowest rates in London.
BCCA Membership
Membership to the BCCA currently remains an astonishing £1 per year!
Is your membership up to date? We are encouraging all past BCCA members to renew, and inviting new friends and associates to become members.
We will soon enable easy online membership enrolment. In addition to the existin £1 annual membership, a £25 life-long memmbership will be available.
The given BCCA ‘Area of Benefit’ is Vauxhall Grove, Langley Lane and Bonnington Square. Full members must reside within this area and are able to vote at Annual General Meetings and can gain various discounts and advantages relating to room hire and other activities. Associate members are those who live outside of the given ‘Area of Benefit’. They cannot vote at AGMs but are able to attend and speak at meetings, and also gain discounts and other advantages.
All new Members are automatically added to the BCCA mailing list.
BCCA team members will soon be visiting all homes in the area of benefit with hardcopy membership forms for those who prefer personal contact (be sure to keep £1 coin handy!).
Reopening of the Café including its garden and kitchen is now imminent as a daytime community resource hosting regular recurring and one-off workshops, clubs, events and evening cousine. The Café will continue to host exhibitions of local and associate artists.
Evening Café use will restart afresh as an exciting venue for vegetarian and vegan cooks with a deliberate emphasis on participation of hosts from the local community, whilst remaining as ever open and welcoming to all-comers from far, wide and beyond!
The Café will serve as a homely accessible venue for daytime activities that will cater for the creative expression, needs and preferences of local people. Evenings will be dedicated to serving good hearty and healthy affordable vegetarian and vegan cuisine with an emphasis on local cooks.
The Bonnington Centre Community Cafe Cooks list is, and will remain open for anyone who would like to cook and host an evening at the Cafe.
Email Fabio, BCCA Community Cafe Administrator at bcca@btinternet.com to register your interest as a cook or as an exhibiting artist.
Online Local Resources
Here are some links to online health talks and charitable trusts that may be of interest to you.
Women’s Health Talks | Chronic pain, Osteoporosis, Menopause, Breast Cancer 4th and 5th October from 6.30pm to 8.00pm register online via phone 07932 999385 or Eventbrite https://tinyurl.com/streathamwomen
BCCAs current part-time Administrator is Maria who works at the office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11am. Maria’s times at the office are posted on the front door of the Centre every week.
If you are interested in organising a community oriented activity and/or in using any of our available spaces for your personal projects please contact BCCA Admin for further information.
Monday October 3rd 2022 to Friday October 28th 2022
Art workshop Sunday 23rd Oct 11am-4pm. To book please call Beth on 0751 572 2694.
BETH HIGGINS has lived in Vauxhall since 1985. Her work is influenced by experimentation, colour, shape, symbolism and texture. She mainly
works in an abstracted representational style and often uses a bird motif in works. Her drawings are more
pictorial, inspired by her local environment of Bonnington Square and Vauxhall Park.
TESS STONE studied Illustration at Camberwell School of Art, now part of the University of the Arts. She is an experienced Illustrator having undertaken commissions for publishing, editorial, greeting cards, and wrapping paper in both the UK and USA.
Don’t miss Tess and Beth’s contribution to the ‘Lambeth Open’ this Saturday and Sunday 1st and 2nd October at the Bonnington Centre Community Cafe gallery.
The exhibition will continue until the end of October 2022
At a Death Café people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.
Our objective is ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.
A Death Café is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.
Death Cafes are always offered:
On a not for profit basis
In an accessible, respectful and confidential space
With no intention of leading people to any conclusion, product or course of action
Alongside refreshing drinks and nourishing food – and cake!
Death Cafés have spread quickly across Europe, North America and Australasia. As of today, we have offered 14675 Death Cafés in 82 countries since September 2011.
Death Cafés already exist in other parts of London, but none are, as yet, south of the river.