Village Raw - ISSUE 3

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018
FREE
VILLAGE RAW
STORIES FROM CROUCH END, EAST FINCHLEY, HIGHGATE, MUSWELL HILL AND SURROUNDING AREAS
Art Trails and Tales: Ben Wilson’s art – a chewing gum diary of our times / Evolution and Sourdough: Michelle
Eshkeri discusses business, baking, and balance / Love and Chaos: Boogaloo Radio summons up the maverick spirit
of punk / Art and Soul: The restorative work of Studio 306 Collective / OmVed Gardens: In pictures.

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CONTENTS
THE RAW
The latest local happenings
and things to do
ART TRAILS AND TALES
Ben Wilson’s art – a chewing gum
diary of our times
ART AND SOUL
The restorative work
of Studio 306 Collective
MADE BY DESIGN
Two makers explore different
approaches to manufacturing
OMVED
A picture profile of
Highgate’s OmVed Gardens
EVOLUTION AND SOURDOUGH
Michelle Eshkeri discusses
business, baking, and balance
BOOGALOO RADIO
Boogaloo Radio’s chemistry
of love and chaos
EDITORIAL
We’re really excited to bring you issue three of Village Raw. We’re now far away from
the luxury of our Kickstarter comfort blanket and into the realm of, “You’re on your
own, mate.” Except we aren’t, really. Lots of people have joined us and supported
us - from our contributors, subjects, numerous distribution points, through to
our subscribers. This is amazing, and we appreciate every single one of you. Partly
because it shows that you like and want the mag, but also because we’re not very
good at chasing adverts. We’re also not very good at replying to emails, it seems,
so we apologise to anyone we haven’t replied to yet – we just weren’t expecting
the amount of emails and suggestions we’ve received. You’re on our list…
So the leaves are starting to fall, the days are certainly a little crisper, and
we’re beginning to think about what makes us warm and cosy as we start to
snuggle up and nest in. The smell of freshly baked bread always connects us with
fond memories of home – the main difference with Margot Bakery’s bread is that
it’s the smell of sourdough, not yeast. It’s the community that surrounds places
like this, and the power of saying “hello”, that our essayist explores. Ben Wilson
has always embraced the warmth of community and continues to document our
lives on small painted chewing gum splats. Art is also a way through to recovery,
which we explore with the various crafts of Studio 306. In our makers piece we
explore two very different approaches to manufacturing, and our new sustainability
columnist asks us to consider how we use the resources around us. OmVed
Gardens also invites us to explore our interaction with the natural world, and
Boogaloo Radio shares their vision of being both local and global. While their DJs
and presenters settle into the warmth of the Boogaloo studio, the soundtrack
for this issue of Village Raw is supplied by local acts The Woods and GeeJay.
David and Luciane
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THE WOODS
Muswell Hill musician Johnny
McFazdean’s musical textures
GEEJAY
The Stroud Green duo discuss
their journey into music
LIVING LOW WASTE
Emma Ross begins a new column
exploring sustainable living
VILLAGE ESSAY
Saying hello by Lulu Socratous
VILLAGE GREEN
When nature takes over
EDITORS
Luciane Pisani
David Reeve
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Luciane Pisani for Studio Moe
COPY EDITOR
Emily Spurling
CONTRIBUTORS
Lito Apostolakou, Dan Bridge, Thomas Broadhead,
Sabrina Dallot-Seguro, Kate Kuzminova, Katrina
Mirpuri, Carla Parks, Emma Ross, Dan Snell, Lulu
Socratous, Woozy Machine Tatoos.
ADVERTISING
ads@villageraw.com
PRINTING
Printed in East Finchley by JG Bryson
Tweet us twitter.com/VillageRawMag
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Follow us instagram.com/villageraw
Contact us hello@villageraw.com
Subscribe villageraw.com/subscribe
Village Raw October/November 2018
Cover image by Thomas Broadhead
and Sabrina Dallot-Seguro
Designed and published by
Studio Moe Ltd.
© 2018 Studio Moe Ltd.
All rights reserved. Reproduction
of any contents of Village Raw
magazine without prior permission
of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
THANKS TO:
Pamela Anomneze, Chris Arnold, James Atkinson,
Dorothy Barrick, Julie Bland, Rachael Booth-
Clibborn, Thomas Broadhead, Charlotte Broadribb,
Hope Brotherton, Bernard Butler, Amanda Carrara,
Adriana Conde Betts, Kim Crockett, Jenn Crothers,
Chris Currer, Terry Dillon, Michelle Eshkeri, Peter
Hale, Gina Jane, Tami Jarvis, Karen Leason, Jeremy
Leslie, Jacob Lobo, Caroline MacAskill, Edmund
May, Alan McGee, Johnny McFazdean, Joshua
Myers, Nati Morris, Gerry O’Boyle, Claire Pearce,
Alicia Pivaro, Joan Podel, Mathew Sawyer, Studio
306 Collective, Huw Williams, Ben Wilson and all
our subscribers.
03

VILLAGE RAW
THE RAW
VILLAGE ALLSORTS: Things to look out for in the neighbourhood, with a
hyperlocal focus on Hornsey. Words by Katrina Mirpuri.
Muswell Hill
Creatives market
COURSES/EVENTS/MARKETS: We’d like to do more with courses, events,
markets, etc. While we work out how we’re going to do that, here’s some coming
up over the next few months. Words by David Reeve.
Muswell Hill Creatives
Pop Up and Winter Market
Meet the makers at the pop up at the
Victoria Stakes pub on 13-14 October, 12pm-
6pm and the Winter Market in St. James
Square on 24 November, 10.30am-4pm.
www.muswellhillcreatives.com
Apple Day 2018
A celebration of apples – with pressing,
juice tasting, produce, talks, kids activities,
and a café at Hornsey Vale Community
Centre, 3pm-6pm, 20 October.
www.transitioncrouchend.org.uk
Haringey Youth Festival
You can support local performers at the
festival which is taking place in Northumberland
Park. There will be workshops on
spoken word, gospel, mime, and the festival’s
finale. The performance runs from
3.30pm-6pm, 27 October.
www.twitter.com/haringeyfest
The Winter Designer/
Maker Fair
Handmade in Highgate offers a chance to
visit the Highgate Literary and Scientific
Institution, and to meet and check
out the wares of some of the UK’s best
designers and makers. 2-4 November –
check website for times.
www.hand-made-in-highgate.com
The Stroud Green Winter Fair
Craft stalls featuring some of the best
local makers, cakes, and a winter raffle.
24 November, 12pm-5pm at the Stapleton
Tavern.
www.stroudgreenwi.co.uk
Artists Winter Fair
East Finchley Open Artists hosts the winter
art and craft fair, with charity partner
Art Against Knives, at the Finchley Youth
Centre, 24-25 November, 11am-5pm.
www.eastfinchleyopen.org.uk
A Very Merry Muswell
Muswell Hill’s St James Square will see
choirs, singers, local makers, and plenty
of seasonal food and drink with the tree
lighting ceremony at 4pm. 1 December,
2pm-5pm.
www.muswellife.com
The Crouch End
Festival Xmas Market
Over 30 craft stalls, food, mulled wine,
music, choirs, children’s entertainment,
Santa and much more. The festival closes
with the tree lights being turned on by a
local celebrity. 1 December, 11am-5pm.
www.crouchendfestival.org
Myddleton Road Winter Festival
The festival will have 50 stalls, bars, live
music, a Santa’s grotto, fun fair rides, a
lantern parade, and a light switching on
ceremony. 2 December, 11am-5pm.
www.myddletonroadmarket.co.uk
PHOTOS BY DAVID REEVE AND LEWIS SLAYDEN (THROUGH THE WOODS).
Through the Woods The Three Compasses Heron Hawker
Ex-Pig and Butcher chef Chris Slaughter
and partner Steve Williams, owner
of Crouch End’s Nickel, are the brains
behind Crouch End’s new supper club,
Through the Woods, which focuses on
vegetarian and plant-based food. After
the initial success of his first club, Chicken
of the Woods, Chris has progressed
to provide locals with a permanent culinary
establishment situated right in the
heart of Hornsey. The restaurant will be
open three nights a week, from Thursday
to Saturday, with dinner starting at
8pm. It welcomes 18 diners each night
for a single sitting experience which explores
fresh, seasonal foods on a dense
and lavish tasting menu. All the produce
is sourced locally within an impressive
nine-mile radius from the restaurant. Ingredients
from Enfield, Ally Pally Farmers’
Market, local allotments and even from
the chef’s very own garden are used to
create the mouth-watering dishes. The
menu also features one meat dish which
always comes from a high welfare farm,
meaning meat-eaters can also enjoy
honest and fresh food. Spaces are limited,
so make sure you book ahead.
www.throughthewoods.london
Having recently undergone a facelift,
Hornsey’s well-known local now promises
even more beer, food and fun under
new management. The vibrant coloured
windows and spacious seating give the
pub a warm and homely feel, making it
perfect for large or small groups. The
drinks selection is broad and particularly
impressive on the beer front. They offer
a selection of craft beers and real ale
from local independent brewers, as well
as a great selection of gin and whiskey.
The food menu offers indulgent pub grub
along with fantastic vegetarian and vegan
options and smaller sharing plates,
which are a great option if you’re taking
part in their weekly quiz night. The pub’s
events calendar is action-packed with
DJs and events for Halloween and Christmas,
most of which take place in the large
upstairs function area. The space is also
available to hire for private events and
parties, making it a great spot for the
community to use and enjoy. With this, as
well as the quirks like the table football or
the giant wooden sculpture that watches
over the pub, it’s clear that The Three
Compasses is worth a visit.
www.threecompasses.pub
Hornsey’s streets have been given an
injection of oxygen after the opening of
plant shop Heron Hawker. Having relocated
from its last home in Wood Green’s
Blue House Yard, the shop moved to its
current location next to Priory Park in
April. Unlike conventional plant stores,
Heron Hawker pays special attention
to terrariums - a growing trend in the
plant world. With evening workshops
running twice a month, Heron Hawker invites
plant enthusiasts to enjoy a glass
of wine and learn how to build their own
personalised terrarium, which they can
then take home and enjoy. In addition to
this, they offer child-friendly workshops
and special events such as Halloween
pumpkin-carving. The shop’s aesthetic is
earthy, with a broad selection of plants
and cacti coming in all shapes and sizes.
Beautiful ceramics and a mixture of new
and recycled decorative glassware hang
from the ceiling and grace the shelves,
making it perfect for a mix-and-match
purchase. With plants starting from £2,
Heron Hawker is the perfect place to fuel
your plant addiction as there’s a little
something for everyone inside.
www.heronhawker.com
04 05

VILLAGE RAW
ART & CULTURE
In tune with the environment in which he works, Ben Wilson uses
discarded chewing gum to create a trail of artworks which are
colourful snapshots of people’s life stories.
Words by Lito Apostolakou. Photos by David Reeve.
ART TRAILS AND TALES
Short-lived or lasting, public and private, exposed and hidden,
Ben Wilson’s thousands of miniature pictures painted on chewing
gum are embedded on trodden surfaces all over: from the
pavements of Muswell Hill to the metal treads of the Millennium
Bridge opposite Tate Modern; from the footpaths of Berlin to
rocks in Senja, Norway, north of the Arctic Circle. “The Chewing
Gum Man” has been written about in the New York Times, the
Telegraph, the Guardian, the Evening Standard, the Independent,
and in several online publications. He has been featured
on the BBC and in short film documentaries, all waxing lyrical
about the way he transforms discarded chewing gum blobs into
minuscule works of art. Ben Wilson has been called a street artist,
an environmental artist, an outsider artist, or simply “The
Chewing Gum Man”, but he is nonchalant about labels. “It’s a bit
like being a joker or a jester,” he says. “You’d think I’m that but
in fact I’m this! I suppose that for the last 14 years people have
been photographing me and I have been photographing people.”
For Ben, it is the creative process that matters, and how it
relates to and interacts with the environment he works in and
the people he encounters. He is very aware of the social function
of art and its impact on the expression and improvement
of collective experience. His practice has very much to do with
ideas not imposed on but formed by the environment he inhabits
as a working artist. “If you care about the environment you
are working in, it changes what you do,” Ben says. “The main
ingredient is love.” The importance of interacting with the environment
has informed his work from the very beginning of his
art journey, when he started creating wooden sculptures which
evolved, were destroyed, and grew again. It was in Barnet’s Hadley
Common, a relic of ancient woodland, that Barnet-born Ben
created his first chewing gum piece – a face – and soon after,
a picture of a Westie dog, Eddie. Embarking on the creation of
the chewing gum art trail full-time in 2004, Ben found himself in
an environment where he had to negotiate the boundaries be-
tween public and private space, and the complex dynamics of
people’s desires and expectations.
Reclining on the pavement, blowtorch in hand, Ben melts the
discarded, flattened chewing gum and shapes it to the desired
size. Using acrylic enamel, he paints on it anything from detailed
landscapes and intricate patterns to portraits; sprays it with
lacquer; and heats it up again to transform it into a solid disc
not much bigger than a 50p coin. The process can take hours or
even days to complete, and Ben’s presence on the street usually
causes a small crowd to gather - people either curious about
the occupation of the man with the paint-splattered overalls,
or eager to place requests. The pictures he creates can be very
personal – memorials to lost friends and family, friendship vows,
love proclamations, marriage proposals – and often contain
symbols that only the person who put in the request can decipher.
“When I’m outside it’s so social,” Ben delights. He engages
with the physical environment he works on and, at the same
time, with the mental environment of the people he creates the
pictures for. It is a complex dynamic.
“I’m painting on something that has been thrown away -
that’s there because people feel disconnected and they don’t
care what they do, so they just spit it out.” Ben sees his art as
using a thoughtless action, a product of people’s alienation from
their environment, and turning it around to mean something different
and connect with people and their lives. This is public art
giving expression to individual meaning which, at the same time,
becomes part of the collective experience. It is art performed in
public, under people’s feet: public but hidden in plain view, its minuteness
concealing it, its hidden meanings making it opaque. It
is art that connects the uniqueness of the individuals that make
up the collective with invisible threads – a trail of tales. There is
something very intimate about using a material discarded from
people’s mouths carrying their genetic footprint and transforming
it through art to carry their personal stories.
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VILLAGE RAW
ART & CULTURE
This is also art performed on a surface that became no-man’s
land. Ben wanted to bypass bureaucracy and the controlled spaces
of galleries and similar institutions to create art, and he confronted
the heavy hand of the law as the surface he painted on became
disputed territory. Ben had to learn all about jurisdiction when
the City of London contested his right to use pieces of discarded
chewing gum as canvases. He has been arrested more than once
for obstruction and criminal damage and has gone through the
legal system twice. With the support of the local community, and
even of Barnet police, Ben has managed not only to be exonerated,
but to have his chewing gum canvases sanctioned as legitimate
spaces on which to do art. Deemed waste, and thus not part
of the public or private property on which it’s found, chewing gum
was freed from the constraints of authority. Ben says, “Creating
a picture on chewing gum is finding common ground on a space
which is not under the jurisdiction of local or national government
- a space where something can happen in a spontaneous way.”
But of course there are constraints. Ben has to be in tune with
the human environment when painting on chewing gum: “You’ve
got to be careful because you are dealing with people’s lives and
doing something which is very personal. You’ve got responsibilities.
You open up, but there are boundaries.” Ingrained in the life of
the neighbourhood he works in, he gets to know different people
and their stories and he has been in some “mad, frightening, un-
comfortable and funny situations” negotiating the boundaries between
what people wished him to paint and what he felt comfortable
with painting. He understands the disaffection some young
people have with the urban environment, their feelings of exclusion
and their need to assert their presence with graffiti tags. “People
have to be part of the environment. We have a voice as well!” After
14 years working on the streets, he waves away the abuse he has
sometimes suffered, the frightening situations he’s been in and
the “intense times” he has gone through, and asserts that “there’s
a funny side to everything”. He says that most people are positive
and that he has had some amazing interactions over the years.
Muswell Hill-based Ben has worked in different parts of London:
from Barnet, North Finchley, Friern Barnet and Crouch End
to Muswell Hill, Holloway, Archway, King’s Cross, Mornington Crescent
and Tottenham Court Road. He has also worked and exhibited
in Europe and the USA. Currently, Ben can be found on the
Millennium Bridge on Mondays from early in the morning until the
evening, and he works in Muswell Hill on a Wednesday. Ben lives
with his family and he is the carer for his elderly mother while he
finds time to do gardening (“I’m a keen gardener - it goes through
generations”) and work on his ongoing wooden sculptures. At the
same time, he is working on a project he started in 2014 which he
has kept largely under wraps - he has been creating a series of
tiles which he places in undisclosed locations.
The creation of the tiles involves a more introverted process
– it is “a subconscious diary”. Exploring shadow and pattern,
Ben paints black and white pictures on tiles without having a
preconceived idea of what they’ll be before he starts the process;
instead “just seeing what happens when I start working”.
Some are very personal and specific to him, as “they relate to
different members of my family and the feelings that I have”.
Again, their placement has to do with the interaction with the
environment, but also with the concept of “giving art away for
people’s enjoyment”. The creative process involved in the tile
series may seem like more of a private conversation with one’s
self and less social than the chewing gum art, but engaging with
the environment and intervening in public space remain among
Ben’s overarching preoccupations. Combating the alienation of
humans from the space in which they live, his art imprints people’s
uniqueness on impersonal structures by inserting individual
or personal material gestures into public spaces.
Ben Wilson defies labels and definitions and remains as detached
from established institutions as he has become integral
to the environments in which he works. He intervenes in the
urban spaces he engages with - not as an outsider, but as a
receptacle and transmitter of the collective threads of meaning
that run through them. He is a teller of tales, a painter of secrets
which are hidden but we all know they are there.•
Opposite page: Ben with his
diary tiles. This page: Ben with
one of his wooden sculptures.
Below: A selection of archive
photos of Ben Wilson constructions.
Ben tends to shy away from social media, and the internet in general, but you can find
more photos on our website: www.villageraw.com/benwilson
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VILLAGE RAW
COMMUNITY
ART AND SOUL
Nestled in the heart of Wood Green, the Studio 306 Collective helps
people get on their feet by making things with their hands – and
it has had some royal recognition.
Words by Carla Parks. Photos by Dan Bridge.
ADDITIONAL PHOTO: DAVID REEVE (BOTTOM LEFT).
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” It’s a quotation
adorning mugs, T-shirts and tote bags everywhere. But while the
expression is overused, it seems to have been coined especially
for Pamela Anomneze. A whirlwind of positive energy, Pamela
is the heart and soul of Studio 306 and is its project manager.
Housed in an institutional-looking building in Wood Green, the
studio, a series of small rooms and an office, helps people recover
from mental illness through art.
Inside, the walls are covered with bright textiles. There are
shelves filled with ceramics, from delicate tea lights to Christmas
decorations in the shape of stars. A display case contains
necklaces, earrings and bracelets, beautifully wrought in
sterling silver and twinkling under the overhead lights. Standing
nearby is a selection of greeting cards with detailed hand
drawings set against fluorescent backgrounds - an explosion of
blues, oranges and yellows. “These are all places in Haringey,”
Pamela says, pointing to one of the greeting cards, a drawing of
Alexandra Palace.
Everything inside the studio is made by students of the collective
– people who’ve been diagnosed with the likes of depression
or bipolar disorder. There are also “makers”, former students,
who make items to sell. If they want to work on personal
projects at the studio, the makers are given an hour for every
hour worked for the collective. Wearing a polka dot scarf and
matching jewellery, Pamela is a walking advertisement of their
work. It’s her firm belief that making things helps give people a
“sense of fulfilment and accomplishment”.
Sitting down in her office, Pamela tries to distil what the
collective means to her. “Let’s help people who have nobody to
even fall back on, people who feel, ‘Is life worth it?’. I just believe
that life can be worth it for anybody. There is no useless
human being in this world. It’s just that they haven’t been given
the opportunity to be involved, to learn, to even belong. There
are people like that out there.”
In a film made for the Big Issue, one of the students explains
what this place means to her: “Some of us might have isolated
ourselves in the past and this is a chance to be part of the community
again.” She adds, “It’s a place where we aren’t going to
slip through the cracks and be forgotten about.”
That Studio 306 does invaluable work is without question,
but the project has had some setbacks. Cuts to council funding
for mental health meant that they lost a larger space at the
Chocolate Factory in Wood Green, where they’d been based for
years. The council does pay for Pamela’s wages, as well as wages
for four specialist tutors in four disciplines: sewing, screen
printing, ceramics and jewellery. However, they don’t cover the
cost of raw materials or the studio’s full rent. A community interest
company since 2011, Studio 306 funds itself through
what is made and then sold at markets, in shops, and online. It’s
a lean operation.
Pamela’s goal is to become self-sustainable; to increase
the tutors’ hours to more than one day a week; and to own the
space where they’re based. In October, they’ll move to the old
Wood Green post office. A positive thing which has already come
out of their hard work is some hard-won recognition. Pamela,
who is trained in community mental healthcare, was invited to
the royal wedding and did the rounds on news outlets. On the big
day, she wore an elegant necklace, designed by the team. It was
auctioned off after the wedding to raise money.
Whenever Pamela talks about the work she does, she’s quick
to point out that it’s a team effort: “We are all one family. Everybody
who has a link with us, as far as I’m concerned, is part of
the 306 family.” Pamela attributes the collective’s success to
“passionate” people, such as sewing tutor Sharon Williams.
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VILLAGE RAW
“Let’s help people who have nobody
to even fall back on, people who
feel, ‘Is life worth it?’. I just
believe that life can be worth it
for anybody. There is no useless
human being in this world. It’s
just that they haven’t been given
the opportunity to be involved, to
learn, to even belong. There are
people like that out there.”
Clockwise from top left:
Pamela and her favourite egg
cup, Michael making cushion
covers, Sharon in the sewing
room, hen door stops.
Sharon’s working on a large, felt advent calendar that will go on
sale soon. “There’s so much to do, you can’t get it all done in
one day,” the tutor says. They also have volunteers to help. One
of them, a masseuse, was so impressed with their work that she
volunteered to be their cleaner.
Pamela – a proud Haringey resident – is well known in the
local area. When she walks down Wood Green High Road, she’s
often stopped by people in the street. “It’s not because of the
royal wedding,” she clarifies, “but because they are people I
have helped.” She estimates that she’s worked with thousands
of people over many years. Some from Studio 306 have gone on
to have successful businesses themselves. “It’s the satisfaction
of going from nothing to something,” Pamela says. “We are
blessed – we are truly, truly blessed.” Blessed, it would seem,
with some extraordinary people. •
Studio 306 sells their products through The Big Issue Shop and local markets and
shops. To find out more about Studio 306, visit: www.studio306.co.uk
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS: DAVID REEVE (TOP LEFT AND TOP RIGHT).
12

VILLAGE RAW
RAW MATERIAL
MADE BY
DESIGN
One looks to the future,
while the other harks
back to the past.
Two talented designers,
working out of their
homes, have very
different approaches
to manufacturing
their products.
Words by Carla Parks.
On the face of it, Huw Williams and Adriana
Conde Betts don’t have much in common.
One is from Oxford, the other from Brazil.
One studied industrial design, while the
other trained as an architect. One works
with plastic, the other with leather. One
uses modern technology, the other uses
a craft handed down through generations.
But both love design and have recently
started selling to consumers who
appreciate their attention to detail.
In just one year, Huw quit his steady
job, set up his own shop and started selling
unique objects he’s made with a 3D
printer bought for only about £110. His designs
include pots, planters, pens, clocks
and ring holders - all made in his studio
in Bounds Green, which is also his home.
“I get a lot of love from the local area,”
says Huw, who started selling his wares at
Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market in January.
“It was cold,” he laughs. Since then,
the 25-year-old has been experimenting
and adding to his collection for his shop
Studio Nilli. He’s had customers from as far
away as Trinidad and Tobago and Australia.
A current favourite piece is a wooden-legged
planter which takes inspiration from
the mid-century modern style.
Huw, who studied industrial design at
Brunel, has always liked making things. As
a child he used to make enormous paper
“It’s not so much a science as
it is an art form, because you
do have to finesse something
out of this code.”
ented,” she explains. Some of these details
include adding a tag to the shoes
with the name of the person who made
them. Adriana wants the shoes to feel
fun, so she uses bright colours for the
lining which contrast with the high-quality
leather.
To make each shoe, Adriana employs
traditional techniques. Using “lasts”, a
mechanical form that has the shape of
the human foot, she tests out the integrity
of her designs. She sometimes even
covers her daughter’s old shoes to see
how a new design might look. “I want to
PHOTOS BY DAVID REEVE (STUDIO NILLI, TOP LEFT AND RIGHT) AND KATE KUZMINOVA (YAYA LALA, TOP RIGHT AND BOTTOM LEFT).
Opposite page: Huw
Williams working on
designs while the
3D printer builds
a pot layer by layer.
This page: Adriana
Conde Betts designing
a shoe in London,
while they are
handmade in Portugal.
keep the process quite organic,” explains
the former architect, who lives in Muswell
Hill. When she’s happy with the design,
she sends it to the manufacturer to make
a prototype.
Prototypes are a common feature of
3D printing. Huw’s printer was assembled
and modified through a process called
RepRap - which stands for replicating rapid
prototyper. Essentially, it’s a machine
that prints a significant number of its
own parts automatically, thus replicating
itself. The first of its type appeared at the
University of Bath in 2005 and many copies
have been made since because the
designs of the project are open source,
available to anyone who has an interest.
To make an object, Huw designs a 3D
model on a computer using a computer-aided
design (CAD) package; he takes
it into another programme which slices it
into layers and writes the code; and then
he sends it to print. There is some tweaking
to be done too, and the products are
finished by hand. “It’s not so much a science
as it is an art form, because you do
have to finesse something out of this
code,” he explains. A large planter will
take just over an hour and half to make.
Adriana’s shoes are intricate and labour-intensive,
but that’s part of her
philosophy – to make them feel personal,
crafted with love and attention by
a human being. With their vintage look,
she says they are reminiscent of an era
more focused on quality and time. “I want
the consumer to understand that someone
made these shoes from nothing into
something and then it became theirs.”
She believes we’ve become disconnected
from the process of how things are
made and then sold to us. Too much is
mass-produced, argues the Brazilian.
“I want the consumer to
understand that someone made
these shoes from nothing
into something and then it
became yours.”
Huw is also focused on producing small
quantities, but his method is a quick way
of manufacturing one-offs. The products
are printed in bioplastic, meaning that the
material is made from renewable biomass
such as corn starch and sugarcane. It’s biodegradable
if taken to an industrial composter.
In an effort not to produce waste,
he’ll make earrings and cufflinks with
some of the plastic left over.
Even though Huw’s products are
technically made by a machine, he points
out that it’s still him behind every design.
“I use digital design and manufacturing
aeroplanes out of newspaper. Inspiration
comes from everywhere, he says, and
he loves sketching his ideas and seeing
them develop.
It’s the same for Adriana, who designs
children’s shoes which are then made by
skilled artisans in Portugal. One of her
shoe designs, Trinity, was inspired by a
visit to a church called All Saints Margaret
Street. Like Huw, she runs her business
Yaya Lala from her home. Always a
creative person, Adriana spotted a gap in
the market after having her daughter in
2009. “Our focus is on being detail-oritools
to help produce my work, but I think
the connotations that go with ‘handmade’
still apply. Great skill, time and
love have gone into making a product,
and that’s what a lot of people appreciate
about something handmade. There is
always a story, someone’s idea, process
and final result.”•
Huw will be at the RHS Urban Garden Show,
26-28 October. He sells via Etsy at: www.studionilli.com;
and Kettle’s Yard at: www.kettlesyard.co.uk
Adriana’s shoes are available at: www.yayalala.com
14 15

OMVED
The Highgate Bowl had
hosted a garden centre
since the 1940s but,
in 2013, it closed
down. The neighbours
successfully fought off
a planning application
to build homes on the
site - and what eventually
manifested was something
completely different.
Photos by Thomas Broadhead
and Sabrina Dallot-Seguro

VILLAGE RAW
VILLAGE RAW
OmVed Gardens opened its doors in May 2017, in time for
the Chelsea flower show. The turnaround time in which the
glasshouses were refurbished and the landscape remodelled
was surprisingly quick - work was completed in just six weeks.
The name combines the two Sanskrit words om and ved, which
owners Karen and Lekhu Leason have come to realise means
learning from everything - or, as Karen alternatively
translates: “You don’t get to choose what or how you learn.”
The landscaped gardens and wild flowers play host to a
plethora of wildlife. People are invited to interact with it,
and one another, in a number of ways - through art, music,
food and discussion. OmVed’s scope is both local and global
and it welcomes collaborations with a wide network of groups
and individuals.
You can find out more about OmVed Gardens and their events at: www.omvedgardens.com
4

VILLAGE RAW
EVOLUTION AND SOURDOUGH
Raised in both the UK and Australia, Michelle Eshkeri didn’t follow a
conventional path towards opening Margot Bakery in East Finchley. She
tells Village Raw about finding balance, evolution and the rhythm of life.
Interview by Luciane Pisani and David Reeve. Photos by Kate Kuzminova.
Meringue mice
I have a book – it’s an Australian Women’s Weekly from the 80s –
and it’s got these meringue mice in it. I couldn’t ever make them
because, as a kid, I didn’t have the piping bags. I would make
the other things in the book, but really wanted to make the meringue
mice – they represented an unfulfilled desire. I try not to
indulge my enjoyment of slightly kitsch baking too much, but I’m
a little bit fond of things that are fun – that have no particular
value other than the challenge and enjoyment of making them.
Seeing if you can make something is part of the joy of baking. I
did end up making the meringue mice.
Baking cakes
I moved to London and worked as a nanny for a while. I was getting
a bit tired of that - I was 26 or so and I thought, “What am I going
to do?”. A friend of mine’s mother-in-law had a friend who had
just opened a cake business and she was making small cakes and
selling them to Selfridges – beautifully made cakes. She gave me
a job and I worked with her for six months. I went to work for Konditor
& Cook for a year, and then started my own business making
cakes from 2008. The cake recipes and other things I developed
myself, in my own style. But then I had children, so I just kept it
ticking along so I could work from home. Always with the view of
scaling it up in the future – I was just waiting for the right moment.
Crazy or brave?
It’s enormously expensive to open a bakery. It was an old post
office, then a convenience store. The place was in a complete
state – mould, rising damp, rotting floorboards. One of the walls
wasn’t supported. The wiring hadn’t been touched since the
60s. The landlord did some of the work but I completely rewired
it. We did top to bottom plastering, and we completely replaced
the shop front. I’d never worked in a bakery to even know how to
lay out a bakery. I had an architect who helped enormously and
I couldn’t have done it without her. I had to invest an enormous
amount with no real certainty that I could make it work. I’ve never
employed people before; I’ve never run a business before;
and I’d never seen more than one loaf of bread come out of an
oven before. The jury’s still out on whether it was crazy or brave.
Finding balance
I didn’t see my children for quite a lot of the first year, but now
I pick them up from school four days a week. My husband helps
me a lot because we split work – he probably does more than I
do right now. But then it’s the ebbs and flows of life. The first
five years I was at home and he was at work, so it’s all good. And
it’s been good for the children to have some time when they rely
on him emotionally – he’s a big part of their lives. I’m heading
towards balance.
20
21

VILLAGE RAW
FOOD AND DRINK
The sourdough way
Sourdough is a natural way of leavening bread, so it doesn’t
come from commercially produced yeast at all. For sourdough,
you put some flour and water together, give it a bit of warmth,
keep refreshing it and you start to concentrate those yeasts
and bacteria to a level where they’re strong and behave predictably.
You feed them like pets or children but all they need
is water and flour. This starter goes into the bread. You retain
a little bit which goes into the next day’s bread and, if you feed
it, it goes on forever. Sourdough, because it’s a fermentation
process, breaks down the gluten and releases more of the nutrients
that are in the flour. It’s better for you. It doesn’t sound
that appetising, but part of the digestion process has already
been completed before you eat it, so your body doesn’t have to
work so hard to break down the compounds. It has health benefits,
but the main reason I make sourdough is that it tastes so
much better than any other kind of bread I’ve ever tasted.
Preserving food
I’ve started doing some lacto-fermentation of chillies and
things, where you put them in a salt solution and they ferment.
I also have Kefir grains – it’s so interesting, and once you start
it’s very hard to stop. It’s all of those traditional methods of preserving
food. One of my bakers made a bread last week which
we’re putting on the regular baking list this week because it’s
so good. He tried it when he went to the Dolomites. They used to
bake bread just a few times a year. They’d have the rye harvest,
put lots of rye flour in the bread, and bake it in such a way that
they could keep it for months and months. A lot of techniques
like lacto-fermentation are ways of preserving the summer harvest,
such as the cucumbers and the cabbage, so that you’ve
got them through the winter. Methods that got lost – certainly
no member of my family baked a loaf of bread or preserved anything,
except for a batch of chutney in Manchester. And there’s
health benefits and other benefits: flavour; eating more seasonally,
and locally; thinking about what you’re eating; and creating
less waste.
Evolution
You know they say you can’t change above the age of 30 – I used
to believe that was true, but now I’m thinking it isn’t. I’m not
a natural manager of people. I started off with no experience
and often got things very, very wrong. I was too demanding, too
impatient, or thought that people should just do things because
I would do it that way. I think that every day I am trying to be
better and do better so that other people do well in this place.
It’s good for the customers and for the staff. I’m not there yet,
but it’s teaching me something about myself and about human
nature because what is the value? Is it the value of just how
much money you make, or whether in five years I could sell the
business for x thousands of pounds? Or is the value in creating
something which is better because I gave more of myself to it?
To be proud of it, I have to learn from my mistakes and get better
and better. I think by the time that I’m 50 I’m going to be so well
rounded. I can’t wait! (laughs).
The price of bread
For a long time, the price of bread was set by the government.
They couldn’t put it above a certain level because in the traditional
British diet bread was a staple. In some countries it’s rice
or beans. People feel like bread should be cheap, and the supermarkets
have played on that. They’ve kept the price of bread
artificially low even if they’re making a loss on it – to get people
into the supermarket to do their £100 shop. It’s altered the true
value of bread and people’s willingness to pay the money for it. I
don’t think that will change except by good bread and good bakeries
starting to talk to people about the differences between
supermarket bread and handmade bread – and that can also
mean yeast bread, because you can make good yeast bread.
What I would like to do is find a way to make it more accessible –
to find a way to make a loaf of bread that’s less labour-intensive
and can be made alongside the other breads. I’ve not worked
out the answer to that question yet but that’s something that’s
been at the back of my mind since I opened.
The rhythm of life
I talk to the community all day long. I think that’s probably the
main thing that I do. I’m here, the bakery’s here, and I watch people
in the shop and they connect here. People have worked it
into their daily lives. This place has inserted itself into the way
people move – at least in this little corner of East Finchley. It’s
become part of people’s rhythm of life.
Who’s Margot?
Bakeries are traditionally very masculine places full of people
throwing sacks of flour around – they’re not places where women
have worked. I wanted to find a bit more balance with this
bakery. For me, a woman’s name best conveyed the type of bakery
I was trying to make – something softer and a bit more feminine.
I thought Margot worked on multiple levels: it’s a woman’s
name; it’s a French name, so gave an impression of patisserie
and things made well; and my grandmother and my husband’s
grandmother had names related to the name Margaret – they
were both women I loved very much. •
Find out more at: www.margotbakery.co.uk
Inside the bakery:
With its open plan
set up, it’s always
possible to see the
bakers at work.
22
23

VILLAGE SOUNDS
LOVE & CHAOS
With jingles from the likes
of Johnny Depp, Nick Cave,
Andy Bell and Bez, Boogaloo
Radio summons up the maverick
spirit of punk.
Words by David Reeve. Photos by Dan Bridge.
Nestled at the back of Highgate’s The Boogaloo, where the old
bin shed used to be, is a radio studio. Boogaloo Radio began life
on the back of a beermat, when station manager Jenn Crothers
and landlord Gerry O’Boyle were chatting about their disillusionment
with radio.
“It wasn’t very well thought out,” admits Jenn. “We just kind of
did it.” Gerry’s background founding the infamous Filthy MacNasty’s
Whiskey Café and then The Boogaloo had set him up with a solid
contact book that he opened for the radio station. “What we wanted
to do was create a radio station that used our pub’s history and
mythology and connections,” says Gerry. “That’s 25 years of rock
and roll history there, and the radio station allows us to share that.”
Bernard Butler steps out of the studio, where he’s been discussing
music with co-host Mark Kingston, AKA The King, and
guest Colin MacIntyre. “I’ve known Gerry for a long time,” Bernard
says. “Years and years ago I used to do a pop quiz here with
The King.” Gerry sent him an email asking if he’d be interested
in presenting a show. “I’d never done anything like this before,”
says Bernard. “I’m a musician – I’m on the other side. But it was
a good time to get involved.”
Since launching, a whole host of names have dropped into
the studio - whether as presenters or as guests. “We had Johnny
Marr talk through the whole The Queen is Dead album,” says
Jenn. “Mickey Beans brought in Elly Jackson and, on the same
day, we had Stefan from Placebo.” Other presenters and guests
have included actors David Morrissey, Kit Harington and Amanda
Abbington, and musicians Holly Johnson, Shane MacGowan,
Siobhan Fahey, Darryl McDaniels, the Libertines, and Romeo Stodart.
It’s not all big names, though - and presenter Jack Donato
Brown, who presents the long running hip hop show Exhibit J,
was plucked from the Boogaloo kitchen. It’s an eclectic mix that
mirrors the nature of the radio station. “We don’t stick to any
one genre,” says Jenn. “We encourage diversity on the shows.
24
25

VILLAGE RAW
VILLAGE SOUNDS
“You’re not looking for just that genre or just that
thing you want to listen to instrumentally or vocally
– you can go anywhere with it. You find that seeps
into what you do and you find yourself less bigoted.”
ADDITIONAL PHOTO: DAVID REEVE (TOP RIGHT).
Opposite page: Inside
the studio with
Bernard Butler, Colin
MacIntyre, and The King.
This page: Bernard
Butler checking
the playlist.
Instant photos of the
growing Boogaloo family.
We encourage playlists from the heart, so we would never tell
a presenter what they have to play.” Ex-Creation Records boss
Alan McGee agrees: “I love Boogaloo – it’s completely unfiltered.
They don’t tell you what to talk about, they don’t tell you what to
play. It’s as good as you’re going to get.”
While all of the presenters bring their own music, some have
gone the extra mile to unearth hidden gems. Warner Chappell
UK’s Mike Smith and Rob Owen requested a cassette player after
discovering demo tapes, from bands including Ride, while they
were clearing out the Warner basement. Ace Records’ founder
Ted Carroll, who presents the So Many Records, So Little Time
show, regularly roots through his collection of 45s, 78s and other
records and recently played a rare Nat Hall record that he’d
just sold for £1000. It’s this freedom to rummage through any
aspect of music, past and present, which seems to be engaging
and attracting the presenters.
Alan McGee has become a regular after finding that presenting
a show really reignited his love of music – especially 70s
glam and punk. “The guy I had on my show just now was a guy I
had on my record label in the 80s – a guy called Lawrence from
Felt. It was great.” You can sense the passion and energy with
which Alan approaches his show. Bernard finds it similarly inspiring,
as a musician, a producer – and for him personally. “When
you’re doing a radio show, you have to find a very broad sweep
of music,” he says. “You’re not looking for just that genre or just
that thing you want to listen to instrumentally or vocally – you
can go anywhere with it. You find that seeps into what you do
and you find yourself less bigoted.”
So how do you start a radio station from scratch? As a live
music venue, there were a lot of cables and other equipment lying
around. Funky Junk and Audio Gold both lent their expertise,
and an honest email to Audio-Technica resulted in two state-ofthe-art
broadcast microphones, a turntable, and four pairs of
top-of-the-range headphones. The University of Westminster
donated a compressor, which Bernard Butler installed. And then
there’s the former bin shed which has slowly evolved into a studio.
“Every week it improves,” says Jenn. “We got soundproofing,
we got a carpet, we got a roof – that was really exciting.”
To date, they’ve brought in around 75 presenters – most of
them local to the area. Boogaloo Radio’s reach is global, though,
with a big following in the UK, Japan, Australia and the USA. It
helps that they’ve made it refreshingly easy to listen to the station.
You just have to download the app and click the big play
button – no need to register or sign in. Similarly, the website has
a play button, albeit positioned slightly more discreetly in the
top right corner. But perhaps the best and most social way to
listen is to pop by the pub itself. “You have punters in the beer
garden making requests,” says Jenn. The scope and volume of
the radio shows, and the reaction of listeners suggests another
type of locality to Gerry: “Even if they’ve never been in to the
physical pub, we’re welcoming people to the Boogaloo family.”
The Boogaloo website contains a 360-degree walk-through
where, in a similar way to Google Street View, you can click arrows
to walk through the pub, down the corridor, through the
back yard, and into the radio station. It’s noticeable that while
the pub hasn’t changed, the studio has already developed significantly
since the 360-degree photos were taken. “It’s not a
slick production by a long shot. Me and Gerry are making it up as
we go along. If we didn’t love it, it wouldn’t exist. It’s 24/7 chaos
with a lot of love chucked in.”
•
Use your device to download the Boogaloo Radio app, or visit: www.boogalooradio.com,
where you can also watch livestreams.
26 27

VILLAGE RAW
VILLAGE ART & CULTURE SOUNDS
THE WOODS
In The Woods you will
find Scottish producer,
vocalist, and multiinstrumentalist,
Johnny
McFazdean’s handcrafted
world of haunting
vocals, mesmerising
folktronica, and
textured beats - sure
to lure you in deep.
Interview by Dan Snell.
Photo by David Reeve.
What’s your name and what do you do?
My name is Johnny McFazdean, and I play
music under the name The Woods. I grew
up in south-west Scotland on a farm in
Galloway. I’ve been in London for two
years now, but before that I was in Edinburgh,
and before that I lived in Sydney.
Why music?
I have always gravitated towards music
- I was that kid who was constantly whis-
tling or singing. I’ve always had music in
my head and it’s the natural way for me to
express myself.
Is being a musician a gift or a curse?
A gift. Definitely.
However, I’ve been channelling a lot of
time and energy into music and it’s easy
to become dangerously obsessed - but I
love being a musician.
What’s your background?
What’s your vibe?
Things started way back when I was aged
nine - I got a scholarship to sing in the
King’s College Choir. Music was everywhere
from dawn until dusk.
After university, I found myself in an
exhausting job which squeezed music
to the peripheries of life. Then, one day,
I picked up a guitar in a charity shop,
feeling that I needed it for the sake of
my sanity. I taught myself to play and
was soon writing songs. I’m now using
synthesisers, keys and beats, as I like to
harness a variety of textures to create
ambient, atmospheric music.
Who’s the most important influence on
your music?
I love musicians who push the bounda-
ries to create unique sounds and break
moulds. Soweto Kinch, for example, tells
amazingly colourful stories by combining
jazz and hip-hop.
What’s your most memorable live experience?
I’m in awe of the quality and diversity of
music here in London but there is a saxophonist
called Shabaka Hutchings. I saw
him play live and he seemed to glow, even
alongside amazing musicians.
What’s your favourite part of the process?
Not the end, that’s for sure. But that
first spark of melding sounds, when two
things come together, is the best part of
the process.
Do you have any favourite venues?
I love The Finsbury and its intimacy. I’ve
also played The Ned, which is an old bank.
It’s a cavernous place with an unreal
echo – totally opposite to The Finsbury,
but equally enjoyable.
What are you working on now?
I’ve been working on new material which
I’m excited to release. Following Armchair
Expert, there will more EPs and live shows
in the next few months, so stay tuned!
What outside of music contributes to
your musicality?
I like to cycle deep into woodlands. These
environments are certainly shaping my
music alongside the urban London noise.
Name a piece that blows your mind.
Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
Its Hebrew lyrics and rhythmic, choral
sounds really stuck with me. It’s an incredible
piece.
Where do you like to hang out?
Cha-Cha-Cha Vintage is a favourite of
mine. It’s a mecca for creativity with vintage
pop-ups, film festivals, music and a
real community vibe. It’s brilliant! •
Find out more about The Woods on his website:
www.musicfromthewoods.com
We filmed live versions of his track Twilight Tales and
his interpretation of Joe Lee’s Rock by Boy Blue.
You can view these on our website at:
www.villageraw.com/thewoods
GEEJAY
Gina Jane left rural
Gastard to pursue a
singing career in London.
Here, she met Stroud
Green musician Jacob
Lobo – and together, they
formed the duo GeeJay.
While GeeJay has only
been performing for less
than a year, they’ve
already supported Plan B,
and been played on BBC
Radio 1Xtra.
Interview by David Reeve
and Luciane Pisani.
Photo by David Reeve.
Why music?
Jacob Lobo: When I create or play music,
it’s really therapeutic. It allows me to be in a
different mental space. So whatever mood
I’m in, I’m able to channel those energies
into something else – so if I’m feeling down
or emotional, I can channel that into music.
Gina Jane: For me, it all happened when
I met a singing teacher and she started
doing scat singing, which I was totally confused
about. But she said: “No no no – just
try.” And I did and literally fell in love.
How do you write your music?
Gina: It normally comes from a jam-derived
basis. We just start playing a piano riff and
always press record. The recorder is our best
friend – otherwise, I don’t think we’d have
any tracks. In that moment – we like to call
it channelling – you can never remember
what happened, although you know what
happened was good. Then we go back and
write down the number of the parts we like.
What do you write about?
Gina: The latest song, Oh My, is about
times of change. It’s not really obvious.
Jacob: It’s more metaphorical.
Gina: There are so many houses being built
that no one can afford, and music venues
are constantly being closed down. Where’s
all the creative energy going to go and
what’s the next generation going to do?
What’s your favourite part of the process
of creating music?
Jacob: I like the very beginning when the
ideas are coming out, and the very end
when you’re doing final tweaks and can
take a step back.
Gina: Performing it. I think performance is
very different from when you’re listening to
the music. You have a job and a role to entertain
with the performance side.
Where are you in your career?
Jacob: We’re laying foundations. It’s really
hard to plot out where it’s going to go – especially
in the music industry. There are a
lot of gatekeepers.
Gina: It’s up to you as the artist to get your
team together and work. And work and work
– otherwise it’s not going to happen. I’d rather
it be that way around than have someone
come to us saying: “Do this, do that.”
How would you define your music?
Gina: The first genre would be soul. And
then it’s a mix between jazz and hip-hop.
Jacob: A fusion.
Gina: It changes every time we make a different
song as well.
Name a song that blows your mind.
Jacob: Natural Mystic by Bob Marley. It’s a
song that really resonates with me.
Gina: Green Eyes by Erykah Badu. It’s a
ten-minute song that changes with the
whole mood that you explore when someone’s
broken up with you. You have to listen
to the lyrics but also how the composition
changes to reflect those moods.
Tell us about Stroud Green.
Jacob: I was born on Florence Road. I love
the area. I feel there’s a sense of community.
And we’ve got really good food.
Gina: Jacob is a pizza man. He’s going to
look like a pizza if he’s not careful.
Jacob: Pizzeria Pappagone. But we also
tried a place called Jerkmaica.
Gina: The chicken roti is fantastic.
Jacob: And Itto – a pan-Asian fusion restaurant.
Just next to Common Ground.
Gina: Really nice gyoza.
It seems like you’re almost salivating?
Jacob: Yeah, we’re real foodies. •
You can find out more about GeeJay on their website:
www.geejay.uk
We filmed a live performance of Blink which you can
view on our website at: www.villageraw.com/geejay
28
29

SUSTAINABLE VILLAGE
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LIVING LOW WASTE
Words by Emma Ross. Photo by Yasmin Anne Photography.
We design Village Raw.
We can also design your print / digital / video project.
connect@designstudio.moe / www.designstudio.moe
I’m so excited to be Village Raw’s sustainability columnist.
I’m a mother of two leading a (practically) plastic-free
life in Muswell Hill, on a mission to make low-waste living
easy and accessible for every single person. I want
to dispel the myth that reusable items are the domain of
eco-warriors and tree-hugging hippies, or that green living
requires expensive gadgets and hours of extra time. I
want to be just one of the many parents who brings their
child to nursery in cloth nappies; I want to show the financial
savings to be made; the effect that being a more
conscious consumer can have on our mental health; and
I want there to be a whole queue of people lining up with
their containers at the Sainsbury’s deli counter.
For me, my journey (and it really is a journey) started
when I was pregnant with my first child and I received
an email probably longer than any other email I’ve ever
received listing the “newborn essentials”. I was incredulous
that something as small as a baby could require
simply so much stuff – and at what cost, exactly? Then I
attended NCT classes, as some of you reading this might
have done or be doing, and the section on cloth nappies,
quietly shoehorned in at the end, really piqued my curiosity.
Could there be a less wasteful, more resourceful
way of doing this parenting malarkey? One that didn’t involve
specific plastic bath kneeling pads or throwaway
plastic baby bottles?
Flashforward nearly four years and, no, I don’t have
a miniscule “trash jar” of all the rubbish our family creates
in one year; I’m not vegan; and I’m certainly not a
scientist or an environmentalist (these are all wonderful
things, by the way). What I am, though, is very passionate
about leaving this world in a good shape for my children
and carving out a type of parenting that doesn’t
necessarily involve plastic tat (which sticks around forever
on this planet, even if your kid might use it fleetingly).
We produce and use 20 times more plastic today
than we did 50 years ago – how much longer can this go
on? I believe that now is the time for individuals to take
responsibility and to buy in – mentally and physically –
to living a less wasteful lifestyle.
In this column, I’ll be sharing tips and tricks on
leading a sustainable life: from where to find the best
package-free coffee (W Martyn) to shouting about our
wonderful Haringey’s reusable nappy incentive scheme
(they give parents money to spend on nappies!). I’ll be
covering food and drink, grooming, parenting, cleaning
products, travel, entertainment amongst other things,
so join me here, in every issue, to for tips on leading a
more sustainable lifestyle, one compost pile at a time.•
To follow Emma’s blog visit: www.mamalina.co
31

VILLAGE ESSAY
SAYING HELLO
Words by Lulu Socratous.
Illustration by David Reeve.
Human connection is the core of our existence. We are
all looking for a way to connect, constantly bombarded
with requests on multiple digital platforms. If you’re anything
like me, your mind is buzzing with unanswered
texts and emails. I feel connected out, overwhelmed by
it all - preferring a cuppa and lie down.
But what about real human-to-human connection?
Are you as connected to the people you walk past every
day? We naturally want to smile and talk to each other.
Yet, in those initial seconds of seeing a stranger, we rationalise
ourselves out of it for fear of seeming crazy.
Talking to someone we don’t know can feel scary because,
in doing so, we open up and become vulnerable
without the protection of our screens.
We often talk about loneliness in our vulnerable
communities. Yet lack of connection in our busy world
is something that affects all of us. This is something
I learned during my recovery from cancer. Most days I
was unable to leave the house, let alone travel around
London attending the social events once filling my diary.
With friends and family at work, the days soon became
lonely. Days spent with screens left me desperate
for tangible and meaningful interactions. It was this
need to get out of my own head that made me start doing
a very un-London thing – I started saying hello to the
people around me.
Without the need to rush anywhere, I was able to
stop and talk to the people I once ran past. I had the
oportunity to engage in real conversations with neighbours.
On the run lattes were enjoyed leisurely in local
coffee houses, where I got to know the staff and talk to
other customers. There was something intriguing about
the people sitting around me – why were they there
having a coffee in the middle of the day? I discovered a
whole other world of people closer to home which I never
saw before.
Getting the words out before the fear kicked in led
to some of the best conversations of my life. I met
new parents, the unemployed and retired. I met writers,
part-timers, entrepreneurs. People having time off,
visitors, and those who’ve lived here since before I was
born. Interesting folk all around me, alone during the day,
also seeking human-to-human connection.
I noticed a difference in my mood on the days I ventured
out. Listening to other people’s stories helped
my own wellbeing. During those recovery days, I shared
tears, laughter and even hugs with complete strangers.
This wasn’t about attending organised events. This
was about the daily satisfaction of connecting with each
other, sharing small moments away from the screen -
the moments that make us feel most alive.
It’s the day when you’re feeling pants and, on popping
out to buy milk, someone smiles at you. That moment lifts
your mood and kickstarts the happy endorphins scientifically
proven to be released when we smile back.
Connection is addictive. My hellos went from coffee
tables to shops. Retailers, usually too busy during weekend
visits, welcomed company during a quiet Monday
afternoon. I started to feel part of something bigger
than me. Right on my own doorstep.
Having since returned to city life, I keep a strong local
connection. Visiting the friends who once let me sit
in their shops for a cup of tea; I say hello to strangers
in queues; and leave the house five minutes earlier on
Tuesday to chat with George, who keeps our street clean.
My hope is that after reading this, you too feel inspired
to take that small risk in saying hello. It’s such a
small, yet powerful, life-changing habit. But I warn you –
it’s highly addictive, and it will spread happiness. •
instagram.com/luluandme.co
33

VILLAGE GREEN
Nordland Landscapes
North London’s garden and landscape construction specialist
0203 623 1361
www.nordlandlandscapes.co.uk
PHOTO BY DAVID REEVE
TOLLY WANTS A BATH
For weeks, Muswell Hill’s shop windows displayed posters
stating Tolly Wants a Bath. There was to be a three-day
fair to fundraise for the construction of a new swimming
bath at Tollington School.
Everything going spare was collected from the locale
to help the fundraiser and the fair, alongside other fundraisers,
successfully raised enough to construct the pool,
which opened in 1933. It had been a community-wide effort
over a number of years. In 1967, Tollington became Creighton,
and in 1983 Fortismere School. Thousands of children
learnt to swim in the pool, which was used for nearly 70
years, before it was closed down in the early 2000s.
Nature has since taken over, and the pool and surrounding
area has become a haven for wildlife, with visitors
including ducks and a heron. Wouldn’t it be great to
see it brought back to life as a pool again, serving the
school and the community?
To advertise in the
December/January
issue of Village Raw
magazine contact
ads@villageraw.com
34

ILLUSTRATION BY @WOOZYMACHINETATTOOS