Welfare rights campaigners from Boycott Workfare and Unison among others gathered outside the Brixton Rd offices of A4e, a private company which runs the government scheme to get people back into work.

They brought out cake, party hats and bunting and held a party after employment minister Chris Grayling announced on Tuesday that the Mandatory Work Activity contract with A4e in south-east England would end.

Liz Wyatt from Boycott Workfare said: “We’re here to talk to people about their rights. We’re here because we disagree with Workfare and the privatisation of welfare it represents. It’s about bullying and forcing people to work for free. With one contract down, we thought we’d have a party and celebrate.”

A4e is currently the subject of a police investigation into allegations of fraud relating to government schemes.

The welfare-to-work scheme was launched by the government in May 2010 and has come under fire for its compulsory unpaid work placement schemes, often in high street stores.

The BCA was left with no building company to carry out the work of converting Raleigh Hall, Windrush Square, when Killby & Gayford collapsed in April.

They are now in the process of interviewing other building companies on the original shortlist. This will push back the opening until July 2013, assuming everything goes to plan.

Vivek Malhotra, Project Director of the new heritage centre, told the Brixton Blog: “It’s a shame it happened, but what can we do? The construction industry is going through hard times and they were an established firm. We were upset about it, but you have to move on.”

The BCA had first planned to open in time for the Olympics, but this had already been delayed to April 2013.

The BCA, which has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund among others for the project, will not know how much the setback has cost them until they have chosen the new contractor.

The free basketball festival will be held at Windrush Square on June 30, followed by a ticketed event at the O2 Academy (aka Brixton Academy) in the evening.

A full-sized basketball court, complete with bleachers, is to be installed in the square. There will be athlete clinics in the morning for young basketball players and then from 1pm onwards, 3-on-3 competitions for the public. An all-star GB team will also play a five-aside match against ‘Team Nike’ and DJs from Choice FM, Wah Wah nails and Nandos will be on hand to keep the crowds happy.

The evening event at the Academy will feature hip-hop bands, UK dance crews and the final of the UK slam dunk contest. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Luol Deng foundation, named after Brixton’s biggest sports star and face of the Brixton Pound £10 note.

The choice to stage the event in Brixton confirms its place in the hearts of many as the home of UK basketball. The Brixton Topcats is the longest-running London basketball team with many of its former players now playing for Team GB for the Olympics.

Luol Deng is currently suffering from a torn ligament in his left wrist and there is heated debate in the US about whether he should play in the Olympics for Britain this year. Deng is under growing pressure from the Chicago Bulls to pull out of the games, for fear playing will harm his long-term career.

2 Days in New York

The best – or at least most purely enjoyable – film of the year to date comes to the Ritzy this week in the form of Gareth Evans’ The Raid. It’s an Indonesia-set martial arts thriller with a brilliantly simple premise – police squad raid a tower block to eliminate evil drug kingpin who lives at the top – and it rips by in dazzling fashion. The (numerous, hyper-violent) fight scenes are breathtaking; the narrative is sharp and twisty; the choreography, editing and scoring are first rate; and there is even room for a sprinkling of sociopolitical context. Do not miss.

Also new is Julie Delpy’s 2 Days in New York, her sequel to the Paris-set original. Having split with her partner from the first film, Marion (Delpy) now lives in New York with her son Lulu (!), hipster DJ boyfriend Mingus (Chris Rock), and his daughter from a previous relationship. They’re snowed under with work, but their relatively happy union is put under the most pressure by the arrival of Marion’s family of egregious French stereotypes. Do you think maybe there will be jokes about sex, cheese and garlic? Yeah it’s that kind of film. Rock is unexpectedly great in a straight man role as Mingus, and the film’s heart is totally in the right place, but it just ain’t that funny.

Last week, I pontificated as to whether Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film The Dictator would signal a proper return to form after the patchy, passable (and frankly misanthropic) Brüno. Sadly, the answer is a big, swinging no. This patchy tale of a pompous despot stranded in New York is flabby despite a slim running time, wildly unfocused in its satirical targets, horribly mean-spirited, and most criminally of all, terminally unamusing. This melange of shock tactic and designer satire might have felt cutting edge five years ago, but the comedy world has moved on. Oh, and Team America skewered the silliness of dictators with far greater wit, style and daring.

On Wednesday, the Ritzy are getting involved in the one-day-only stunt screening of Nazis-on-the-moon fiasco Iron Sky. Though described by Little White Lies’ David Jenkins as “beyond crud”, it does feature a ripe turn from cult legend (and shaved George Galloway lookalike – trust me) Udo Kier, so might be worth a shot. Just make liberal use of the bar first.

For a Saturday afternoon screening, the Ritzy staff have chosen Nic Roeg’s utterly chilling Don’t Look Now, a 1973 adaptation of a Daphne du Maurier story starring a magnificently coiffured Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as grieving parents in Venice. It features sex, death, blind twin sisters, and it’s bloody upsetting. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

To cheer yourself up, why not bring your baked beans along to Sunday’s fart-along screening of classic 70s comedy Blazing Saddles (it might not actually be a fart-along screening, but it’s worth trying to see if the ushers tell you to be quiet). And that’s not all. It’s followed by a rare big screen outing for the anarchic Airplane aka the daddy of spoof movies. Though it’s influenced the likes of Scary Movie 5, Vampires Suck or Not Another Date Movie, it’s very much the Nirvana to their Puddle of Mudd, and should be seen at all costs. I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.

There’s other stuff on, like The Source, Dark Shadows, and even 1968 Olympics Black Power saltuer John Carlos speaking in person, but I’m out of time here. Click the link below for more listings info.

All films showing at the Ritzy Cinema, Brixton Oval. Book tickets here.

Ashley Clark runs the film blog Permanent Plastic Helmet. You can follow it on Twitter @PPlasticHelmet and/or him @_ash_clark.

Thursday 17 May

Today’s top tips are all based around the outskirts of Brixton – go on, we dare you…

Take One: ‘The Thing About Men’ @ Landor Theatre

A musical comedy opened at the Landor Theatre this week. ‘The Thing About Men‘ is, funnily enough, all about men and their ‘innermost thoughts and desires’. The theatre is situated on the first floor of the Landor pub – OK, it’s technically Clapham but not far to go.

‘The Thing About Men’ at Landor Theatre, £18, 7.30pm, 70 Landor Rd

Take Two: ‘Patience (After Sebald)’ @ Whirled Cinema

A beautiful film following in the footsteps of W.G.Sebald,whose novel ‘The Rings of Saturn’ tracked him walking through East Anglia – more than travelogue, both the film and the book are multi-layered essays on history, landscape, life and loss. Director Grant Gee recorded the voices of major writers and artists discussing Sebald’s ‘Rings of Saturn’ and plays them over ethereal views of the walk Sebald himself would have done.

Patience (After Sebald) at Whirled Cinema, 8.30pm, 259-260 Hardess Street

DELAYED: New playground is part of £4.5million Brockwell Park improvements

A new £500,000 playground in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill, will open on June 1, Lambeth council have announced.

The opening of the play area, replacing an older one near Arlingford Gate, was due to open at the beginning of May but was delayed the even to allow the grass to grow.

Despite council pleas for parents to keep their children off the area until the official launch, Herne Hill resident Rob Blackie said the apparatus was already being used by families.

Sally Prentice, Lambeth council cabinet member for culture, leisure and the Olympics, said: “This new playground will be another great new facility for families and children to use in the borough. It is part of a wider project to dramatically improve facilities at what is already a fantastic park. We are looking forward to the playground opening for business this summer.”

It is part of a number  improvements at Brockwell Park funded by a £3.5million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as £1million from Lambeth council.  Railings are being replaced, paths relaid and toilets repaired. The ponds are also being improved with new bridges and pagodas added, and a tree planting scheme is under way.

TOWERING SUCCESS: The team with Charlie at the top of the Brixton fire tower

A group of seven Brixton teenagers will take on a life-changing challenge when they complete a series of gruelling physical trials for charity.

Under the guidance of Sky Sports presenter Charlie Webster, the youngsters will tackle five physical components including a Northern Line stair climb, Boris Bike relay and paddle boarding at the Olympic Park in 48 hours between 8 and 10 June.

The “magnificent seven”, who come from estates around Brixton, all take part in the St Matthews Project, the sports organisation for which they aim to raise £15,000 for football facilities.

The Running for a Life team at the Sky Sports News studio with Charlie

Last week the intrepid Running for a Life team joined Charlie and Sky TV cameras to train at the seven-storey tower at Brixton Fire Station more usually used to prepare firefighters for tower block blazes. They also enjoyed a visit to the Sky Sports studios to get a taste of life in front of and behind the cameras.

The project is already having a massive impact not just on the seven teenagers involved but their families and those around them. Speaking after sprinting the to the top of the seven-floor tower, Harvey Uter, 17 said: “I volunteered for the project because I saw it as a good way to change your life.

Harvey Uter, 17, says he has had to learn to learn self discipline and teamwork

“This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. I have lost a lot weight while training and it has made me responsible for how I train and what I eat.

“We’ve had to work as a team, and do individual training so we don’t let the team down. This is down to us.”

Charlie Webster, who used to live near Railton Road, set up Running for a Life after seing the transformational influence of sport on her own life.

She told the Brixton Blog: “I was brought up in Sheffield in a similar place to these guys.  I had a lot of childhood issues too. My mum was a teenager and we didn’t have much money – it messed me up quite a bit and I had a lot of issues.”

But it was when she joined a running club, aged 11, that Charlie began to believe in herself.  “I wouldn’t be where I am without sport, it improved me in so many ways,” she added.

Charlie prepares to time Harvey on his tower challenge

The television personality said she wants to combat the consistently negative view of Brixton portrayed in the media. She said proudly: “Here are seven young people who are from the same place as those who cause the trouble that you see in the media. But these are the ones we should be promoting.”

To sponsor the seven inspirational youngsters visit their Local Giving page. You can keep up to date with photographs and videos on a dedicated Facebook page.

Further details about the Endurance Weekend will be published on the website.

As the recession hits, more people are in need of support according to the Foodbank organisers, who come from a coalition of 18 south London churches.

The Brixton Foodbank, located in St Paul’s Church on Ferndale Rd, supports refugees and homeless people as well as more unusual customers – an unemployed surveyor in debt and a man who had separated from his wife and was living in his office.

Ben Goodyear, one of the organisers of the Foodbank, said: “We’ve seen a massive increase in clients since the recession. Between both foodbanks we’ve seen an exponential increase – last week between the two we served 110 people, whereas when we started it was only a few a day.

“It’s a real mixture of people who come to the Brixton Foodbank. We get people who have been in benefits mix-ups, asylum seekers and refugees, people just out of prison and people who might be working but still struggling.”

The Foodbank are also able to point people in the direction of other services that might benefit them, such as homeless charities.

The Foodbank depends on donations from schools, churches, shops and individuals. Frontline workers such as doctors and health visitors issue those in need with a Foodbank voucher which can be exchanged for a food parcel in Brixton or Norwood.

The Brixton Foodbank is located in St Paul’s Church, 184 -188 Ferndale Road, Brixton and open on Tuesdays from 10.30am – 1.30pm and Saturdays from 11am to 2pm. People in need can obtain vouchers to exchange for food from their GPs, social workers, teachers, faith leaders and other care professionals.

If you wish to donate, have a look at this shopping list and drop your food at St Paul’s church at the time stated above or at St Luke’s Church, Knights Hill, SE27 Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 3pm or at any Sunday service 10.30am. To contact the Foodbank or if you wish to volunteer, email norwoodfoodbank@btinternet.com. You can also find more information here. 

GOING GREEN: Founders (from left) Maria, Jean and Therese

By Letisah Grosvenor

An organisation that supplies locally-grown organic vegetable bags has opened its first collection point in Brixton.

Local Greens, based in Herne Hill, delivers the weekly bags in an electric van to locations around south London, and Brixton residents can now pick up veg bags at the Blue Star House, Stockwell Road.

Dreamt up by two Herne Hill mums, Therese and Jean, along with marketing professional Maria, the not-for-profit project is mainly run by volunteers. It hopes to prove the perfect anecdote to the creeping rise of the “local” supermarkets popping up on every street corner.

LOCAL ROOTS: Lettuce destined for a South London Salad

Implementing a scheme where individuals collect their vegetables, rather than having them delivered, means more money can go direct to the farmers and with the closest less than 11 miles away, some veg has even been harvested on the day of collection.

Since launching last September in the Herne Hill and Dulwich area, the collective has amassed more than 120 customers. Boxes start at £7.50, compared with the market leaders Able & Cole (£9.00) or Riverford Organics (£10.35). Similar to their competitors Local Greens’ emphasis is placed on the value of produce; they shun the use of pesticides or preservatives and champion the idea of fresh, seasonal goods.

But why bags and not boxes, we thought it was all about “veg boxes”? Well, the minimal packaging keeps costs down, the bags are easier to carry, 100% recycled and can be reused.

Blue Star House is the Lambeth council office situated opposite Brixton Academy. Customers will be able to collect their orders every Thursday between 3.30 and 8pm or Friday between 7am and 8pm.

Local Greens have also just introduced the South London Salad. A network of locals grow all the salad within a 2.5-mile radius. You can’t get much closer than that unless you were to attempt growing your own.

This is a non-profit scheme that highlights the power of community, so if you’re looking for the field to fork experience and live in Brixton, or any of the other Local Green areas, then give them a try. Or better yet, join in!

For more information visit Local Greens. Letisah blogs at www.wildehart.com.

Tuesday 15 May

Take One: Gringo Star @ Windmill Brixton

Pop and mo-town from the Atlanta band Gringo Star, playing at Windmill Brixton tonight. Have a listen to some of their music here and see what you think.

Gringo Star at Windmill Brixton, £5 advance and £6 door, 8pm

Take Two: Science in the Pub: ‘The Science of Star Trek’ at Upstairs at the Ritzy 

God, how we love the idea of the Science in the Pub nights at Upstairs at the Ritzy. Trekkies, keep calm, for this evening Dr Byford will be dissecting the science of Star Trek. Open to all, not just Star Trek fans.

Science in the Pub: ‘The Science of Star Trek’ with Dr Byford at Upstairs at the Ritzy, free entry, food/chats from 6pm, talk at 7.30pm