Happy New Year from us all (two) at Around Dulwich! Traditionally a time to make good resolutions, many of us will have sworn off booze, biscuits and bad habits for the foreseeable future. Some of us may even see out the whole week before returning to our old, comfortable ways.
This time last year, I rejoined Slimming World in a mince pie induced panic and following a big night-in on the Rioja with the editor of this very magazine, I had also vowed never to drink red wine again. I caved on the diet a month later – it’s crisps, I just can’t seem to resist crisps – but not a drop of red wine has passed my lips since. Unfortunately, an increased white wine and Prosecco intake has made up for this shortfall, especially over the silly season where glasses of fizz were being topped up like treat bags at Halloween #hiccups.
The drinks were certainly flowing at the annual Dulwich Charity Lunch in aid of Link Age Southwark. The event was held at The Palmerston again and thanks to the generosity of local businesses, £2,500 was raised for this wonderful charity supporting over 500 isolated, older people living in Southwark.
The East Dulwich Christmas Cracker attracted over 7,000 visitors to our high street. Festive fun included performances from local bands, choirs and theatre groups, competitions, a food market and special appearances from Father and Miss Christmas.
The Lordship pub has been buzzing since it changed hands and provided the perfect festive backdrop for many Christmas drinks parties. The new menu features hearty homemade dishes and is reasonably priced. I can also highly recommend the Viognier…
Meanwhile, mince pies and mojitos were on offer at the East Dulwich WI Christmas party at EDT.
Anyway, back to January. The lights have come down, tree needles have dropped and recycling bins runneth over with empty bottles. It is grey and cold and everyone is dry, or trying to be.
I gave up making resolutions a few years ago and instead started to choose a theme to guide me through the year to come. 2016 was my year to ‘say no and let it go’, which had varying levels of success! I have not yet decided my theme for 2017 (at time of print), but at this moment ‘say no AND PUT THE CRISPS DOWN’ is a serious contender.
If you have resolved to exercise more in 2017 then it is worth mentioning that the weekly parkruns in Peckham Rye and Dulwich Park are free to enter and open to all standards of runners.
Southwark residents are also able to swim and gym for free at Dulwich Leisure Centre. Visit www.everyoneactive.com/southwarkfreeswimandgym/ for terms and conditions.
Wishing all our readers a peaceful and prosperous new year.
As always, you can find details of all local news, events and ticket information over on our events page. You can also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @arounddulwich.