Wednesday 2 May 2018

Celebrating North Tottenham - an event at Coombes Croft Library in 2018

Celebrating North Tottenham was on June 30, 2018. It was held at Coombes Croft Library in Tottenham, London N17. Below are some photos from the day:

There was some wonderful food! This was Ebi's stall.

You can see Holly Casio's zine making workshop behind the high table plus other stalls in the background.

It was great to see everyone chatting together.

Although it was very warm the talks were all well attended (see the original post further down for information about them).

At the end James Massam gave a powerful performance of his poetry.

I made a Trojan Horse for the event, it will stay in the library for a couple more weeks.

Some of the messages written on the horse during the event. Many people wrote of their love for the area and its people.

It was a lovely surprise to find some zines from Holly Casio's workshop posted into the horse.

I found some messages inside the horse as well. Coombes Croft Library plus many of the nearby shops, homes and businesses may be demolished to make way for a fans' walkway from White Hart Lane Station to the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium - part of a Haringey Council development known as High Road West. If the demolitions go ahead it is likely that many local people, who can't afford the new rents or property prices, will be forced out of the area.


The original post about the event




Celebrating North Tottenham will be taking place at Coombes Croft library (opposite the new Tottenham Hotspur Football Stadium) on June 30, 12-4pm. Click here for a link to a Google map.

Information about the event is regularly updated and new items are being added.

Activities for Children
  • Story time and songs with Eleni.
  • Reading Corner.
  • Art table.
Activities for all ages: Children, Teenagers and Adults
  • A free drop-in zine workshop led by Holly Casio. An introduction to the world of zines, looking at some examples of zines and finding ways to tell stories about our lives, homes, and communities. Participants in the workshop will create mini 8 page zines using collage, drawings, and writing. There will also be a chance to look at and buy some of Holly's zines.
  • What do you love about north Tottenham? Write or draw on the Trojan horse or post a letter or a drawing into it. Letters and drawings will be displayed the library and online. (See the end of this post for a drawing of the Trojan horse that's being made for the event.)
Performance poetry by James Massam

Food and Drink
  • Baklava.
  • Rum cake and sorrel drink on Breadline's stall.
  • Vegan/vegetarian and Caribbean food on Ebi's stall:
    a selection of patties, suya plantain, kale salad, sweet potato and daal curry, Quinoa or brown rice, avocado salad, puff puff, banana cake and summer time juices (infused water is free)
    About Ebi (Earth Based Ingredients): we provide home cooked vegan and vegetarian fusion foods with a twist. Our menu offers Gluten, egg, and dairy free options. Seasoned to perfection. We can also offer meat versions for the reluctant tastebuds. Click here for more information.
Talks in the Meeting Room
All talks are free and unticketed but be on time to get a seat - the room is quite small.

  • At 12.15: Haringey Welcome will talk about their campaign for refugees and migrants.
  • At 1.00: Tottenham Community Press will talk about their role in the local area and the broader subject of community media more generally. They will also offer those attending an opportunity to suggest story ideas for future issues and they will feedback on previous issues they have published.
  • At 1.45: Mark Panton, author of "Tottenham's Trojan Horse?", will be in conversation with Faruk Tepeyurt, member of Peacock Industrial Estate Small Business Community, to discuss
  • At 2.30: Margaret Burr will talk about Priscilla Wakefield - a Tottenham Quaker, feminist economist and writer who died in 1832.
  • At 3.15: Breadline London help families to develop a more manageable and sustainable lifestyle. They will talk about their taster sessions.
Things to Buy
  • Breadline London's handmade cards.
  • Holly Casio's zines.
  • "Tottenham Trojan Horse?" book.
  • Plants from Wards Corner Community Coalition.
Information Stalls (and free giveaways)


Birkbeck, University of London - prospectuses, leaflets and giveaway merchandise will be available.

Breadline London (a small community group who support families to raise themselves out of the cycle of hardship and poverty through education and the creation of small businesses). Breadline are on Facebook and Twitter.

Discovering Tottenham - chat with the editor and sign up for the newsletter. You can also pick up free copies of issue 1 and 2 of the printed magazine. Supplies of issue 1 are limited so drop by early if you want one!

Haringey Advice Partnership (provides free information, advice and guidance on a range of issues affecting people living in Haringey)

Haringey Welcome (a refugee and migrant campaign)

One You Haringey (a public health project that aims to support Haringey residents) - will give Carbon Monoxide Tests. People who smoke can get information about cessation services that they offer. They will also test people who don't smoke as this can identify any person who may be inhaling carbon monoxide released from faulty boilers.

Our Tottenham network of individuals and community groups.

Tottenham Community Press.

Tottenham Trees (Part of a global movement to protect our natural heritage) will have free postcards available on the Our Tottenham table.

Please come back for new information about the event.

Come along and write or draw on the Trojan Horse or post your letters or drawings into it.

"Tottenham's Trojan Horse?" can be bought online at Big Green Bookshop and crazypanda.bigcartel.com. Click here for more information about the book.