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A free exhibition called Before and After Windrush: 350 years of Black People in Lambeth is being held in Brixton to celebrate the presence of Black communities in the borough over the last 350 years.  Hosted at Lambeth Town Hall the show will feature the work of the photographer Harry Jacobs which provides an extraordinary visual record of the Black community in Brixton between the 1950s and the 1990s.
His distinctive studio portraits of families posed in front of an unchanging backdrop were to be found in houses across South London and back in the Caribbean. Over 500 of his photos are included in the exhibition, in a reconstruction of the walls of images that used to cover all the wall spaces of his studio in Landor Road. Despite the significance of the voyage of the Empire Windrush in 1948, there had already been many Black people living in Lambeth, and the second half of this exhibition explores the evidence for this earlier community to be found in Lambeth council’s historical archives. The content includes former slaves and servants who were being baptised in Lambeth parish church in the eighteenth century, African princes and sons of chiefs who were being educated in Clapham and the mysterious, unnamed ‘Black Woman of Brixton Causeway’ who was struggling to bring up her child in Lambeth in the 1720s. Before and After Windrush has been curated by Lambeth Archives as part of Lambeth Councils celebrations for national Windrush Day on June 22. Cllr Sonia Winifred, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Equalities & Culture, said: “We are proud to be able to draw on our rich and varied archives to put on this interesting and engaging exhibition. Multiculturalism and the history of our Black communities in Lambeth goes back much further than most people probably realise. “I am welcoming all our residents to come along to the town hall and take this opportunity to learn more about our collective history at the same time as enjoying some beautiful exhibits and photography.” Before and After Windrush: 350 years of Black People in Lambeth is showing at Lambeth Town Hall from June 5 to July 5 from Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm. Source: Lambeth Council, 30 May 2019  Paul Wayne Gregory is part of the brand-new TV series the Extreme Chocolate Makers' on Channel 4. The series will run for two weeks at 5.30pm. Paul has over 20 years’ experience in the catering industry, starting out as a baker and then becoming a main kitchen chef but found his true love in the pastry section. He moved to Ireland to work in the Michelin star restaurant, Restaurant Peacock Alley and then headed the pastry section in all of Conrad Gallagher’s restaurants. Returning to England, Paul worked for the Searcy’s food service group where his plated dessert won the front cover of the cookery book ‘London on a Plate.’ This book was compiled of London’s newest and hottest rising chefs. With the desire to increase his knowledge, Paul moved to France to work with Mousier Jean Valentine, classmate of the legendary pastry chef Michel Roux. Here Paul worked in the pastry shop and followed the Grand Master in his style of classic patisserie; it was here Paul developed the love for working with chocolate and knew one day he would open his own chocolate business. With the desire and passion still burning and as Paul says, “I needed a finishing school”, he moved to Spain to work for world renowned pastry and chocolate master Oriol Balaguer, “And here I found myself." Back in England Paul had no intention of starting his business just yet, but with no job and no money, “I had just spent almost 2 years working for free, friends who had now become head chefs asked if I could make chocolates for them, so I started working from home creating chocolates at night and looking for a job in the day. 2 years later, I said to myself, well, I’m in business aren’t I”. He laughs. With no formal business skills, Paul under took a short business course which he says, “Being dyslexic, I could not make head or tail of it. Forecasts, projections etc - I’m a chef! But the one thing I knew from travelling and working in all those high end establishments is, quality sells itself.” “I took all of those skills and moved into an industrial unit, no investor, no money, it was a huge risk! But what I did have was a burning desire to show the world what I meant by "indulgence is everything" and at the end of the day, everyone has to start somewhere.” In less than 6 years, the desire and passion truly speaks for itself:
Greatest Personal Achievement “The Pure Indulgence Chocolate box. This took 5 years in the making; in 2006 we launched the range so now I could not change the flavours inside the box. In that year we won an Award of Excellence for the range. Now, every chocolate in the box has won an award individually: 8 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze. the reason I say it’s an achievement is because it’s easy for me to compete 36 chocolates and put the winners in a box, but to bring out the box first and then compete each chocolate thereafter is a completely different story altogether - I do not think I will do this again it nearly killed me”!  Work Achievement
“It was great to win all the awards we have achieved and making chocolates for the Queens 80th birthday was a true honour. But I still think the working achievement has to be our clients. Our clients who have been with us from the start, I would like to thank them all for their loyalty and support, thank you all”. My Passion What I had was a burning desire to show the world what I meant by “indulgence is everything” and at the end of the day, everyone has to start somewhere. So, in less than 7 years, my desire and passion truly speak for themselves! My Art One of the most recognised talents that Paul has, is his ability to mould and manipulate chocolate to create artistic masterpieces. Paul has created custom chocolate art that mimics both the human form, machines, paintings and abstract art. Source: https://paulwaynegregory.com  DENTAA AMOATENG MBE was the recipient of the Chairman Award at The African Diaspora Awards (T.A.D) Committee and Panel.
The T.A.D ceremony celebrates, honours and recognises the high achievements from those within the African Diaspora Community. The awards dinner took place at the Albermarle Suite at The Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair on 15th March, where Amoateng received the highest award available at the event, which was presented by Conrad Mwanza, Founder and CEO of the African Diaspora Awards as well as Pumela Salela, CEO of Brand South Africa. Speaking on her win, Amoateng said: “I am thrilled and privileged to be chosen for the T.A.D’s honorary award for services to the community. The conversations we have raised tonight are such important ones, it is imperative that we recognise and celebrate incredible African talent across the diaspora – my voice is only one, but we must come together and champion our own excellence and break through the glass ceiling.” The GUBA founder was awarded the T.A.D’s Honorary Award for her services to community development and her immense contribution to key initiatives in communities that have impacted a positive change throughout the UK and Ghana. Through this, she has an unrivalled experience and influence in business and within the diaspora circles. Other award winners on the night included Clive Conway, Chairman of Tutu Foundation, Mavis Amankwah, CEO of Rich Visions and Taponesa Mavunga of Sony Music. Source : The Voice online, 19th March 2019 World’s greatest micro-sculptor, Willard Wigan, releases details of Sutton Coldfield Exhibition21/2/2019  Dr Willard Wigan MBE, the world’s leading micro-sculptor, is to bring new UNBELIEVABLE work to Sutton Coldfield Town Hall this April. His pieces of art, some smaller than a full stop in a newspaper, cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are presented in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin and displayed under specially constructed microscopes. ‘Willard Wigan Through The Looking Glass’ will run from April 1-26 (not 7th) at the charity trust venue and is a joint project between the Town Hall and the Birmingham based artist. The micro-sculptor, who recently broke his own world record for the world’s smallest sculpture – a baby set inside a human hair – has just completed a new Alice in Wonderland sculpture for his Sutton Coldfield visit. A pop up cafe will be available featuring art from the Sutton Coldfield Society of Artists, with activities available for school and youth groups.  There will be a launch evening on Monday April 1, featuring a meet and greet with the artist, canapés and welcome drink, plus tours of the Town Hall.
‘An Evening with Willard Wigan’, featuring a talk by the artist, Q&A and entry to the exhibition will take place on Thursday April 11. Town Hall exhibition organiser Julie Rennison said “Willard has a huge affinity with Birmingham, having held his first exhibition in the city that has become his home, and having had such huge crowds at venues such as the Library of Birmingham." Willard, who has a permanent exhibition at The Broadway Museum in the Cotswolds, will follow his Sutton Coldfield show with a tour of the USA around the Trinity Galleries chain. Source: Phoenix Newspaper 21/2/2019 |
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