From the Editor.

Guess who? I'm not exactly surprised to be the Dame Nellie Melba of Wimbledon Park Residents' Association. Remember her, she kept on announcing her retirement, only to reappear for "positively her last performance" As this went on for over a decade, I hope that the similarity stops there. I'm back in the Editor's chair because for some reason, no-one to date has come forward to take over the role. It really is a pleasant task, especially as Ceri puts in many hours of background work. As he says, now that we are old hands at assembling the Newsletter it's not easier, but far quicker. In the past, we've had non-committee members who have helped out, so, if you are thinking of taking over, it needn't be too time-consuming.

As you'll see from this edition, things appear to be going well locally. The new committee has some excellent ideas and covers a wide range of expertise that is amazing in so small an area.

Best wishes for the Festive Season. In my letter to Father Christmas, I've put "New Editor" as the number one item on my gift list.

             Liz Baker

Wimbledon Park Community Hall  Project

2000 was a sad year for Wimbledon Park. In the space of a week we lost a library and a bank - institutions that had been in our community for over 50 years.  But now we must look to the future and decide what is needed to regenerate the area.
Those of you who attended the AGM and Civic Forum meeting heard of plans for Wimbledon Park Hall ( 170 Arthur Road). We would like to turn this into a resource for the entire community. The plan is to refurbish the building or rebuild on the site. Architects' plans for a 3 storey building have already been drawn up. The project would be funded by a mixture of public and private finance.

This is where you come in. We want to know your vision for this Centre; what facilities would you like to see there?

Please email your suggestions to: communityhall@wimbledonpark.com or put your suggestions in writing to Paresh Modasia at the Chemists 124 Arthur Road (mark the envelope Community Project) by end December 2000. A special feature incorporating the best suggestions will be in the next Newsletter.

We would particularly like to hear from residents who have particular skills or expertise that they can bring to this exciting project, especially in the fields of fundraising or project management. Do join us at our next meeting, details of which will be posted on our noticeboards.

Help us to make Wimbledon Park a good place to visit, as well as live in.