How else do you get everyone of all races and ages into Chalton Street, and struggle to avoid a cluster of councillors and local MPs?
START did at the Somers Town Festival this Saturday. MP Kier Starmer, the Deputy Mayor, an ex-Mayor Pearly Queen and all our councillors were in one place to give prizes at the ‘Somers Town Now’ Photo competition awards to winners of all ages – from 8-year first prize winner Mordecai Watson to a pensioner who won third prize, as well as the Regent High People’s favourite.
There was something for everyone with a Bengali music stage, African Drumming village, live music main stage with an anti HS2 singalong, a reinvented Big Brother celeb Becki debut, blues, a young dance performance, surreal performance art, free massage, vintage make up, henna,acupuncture, performance ‘The Plan’ from Small Green Shoots, Somers Town Futures, New Horizon fresh juice, Chilean empanadas, the British Library, science from the Francis Crick, Then and Now Somers Town photo exhibition from the History Club, a very British singalong with Pearly Queens, as well as consultations and community stalls.
The favourite? Probably the bubble man trumped all, proving that simple pleasures are best!
Huge thanks to Steve Denholm of START for pulling out all the stops this year, but as he warns:
It may be the last year we have the Festival before they dig up Chalton Street’
Some of those photos will be history before we know it. Somers Town enjoys itself while we can!