Portraits From Penge: SE20 Magazine
It's been a little while.
“I’m not sure this will be the most interesting interview.”
This was Belinda's opening gambit as she and I sat in Caffé Casbah with her young granddaughter.
Over the next hour or so, however, I'd learn about her history with the Trade Unions, a lifetime in Penge, and what continues to drive her to fight for her local area.
What Is It About Penge?
I've talked at length about why I started writing about Penge; to try and capture that special something we've found here. I am not the only one though. Multiple people are running social accounts, blogs and, in Belinda's case, a magazine, extolling the virtues of Penge.
But why?
“We need more to bring us together,” she said, gently rocking the pram by her side. This sense of connection, community, and belonging is something that would come up repeatedly in our conversation, and not just about Penge.
“We have this lovely sense of community, loads of great local businesses, and yet people don't realise what's right in front of them.
“We have events happening, charity fundraisers, new businesses opening - you name it! But people have no means of finding out about them. That was my first push to get started with SE20 Mag.”
SE20 is far from just a listings guide though. Local businesses adorn every page, affordable adverts (we’ll get back to that) promoting new services and new companies, and editorial is sprinkled throughout highlighting issues or activities relevant to local folks.
“People have been so complimentary about the magazine, which is incredibly touching, but the real compliment is them telling me about the businesses they've discovered because of my work. That's exactly what it's for, so I'm very proud of that.”
That's a word that comes up a lot when talking to Belinda. Pride in her family and its lifelong connection to Penge, pride for her history fighting for worker's rights, and pride for the work she does for the area.
One of the things she does is the magazine's goal and tagline: ‘Making Advertising Affordable.’
As someone with a fair share of experience with paid adverts and editorial, seeing someone open the door for more affordable advertising for small businesses is heartwarming. This is especially true when, as Belinda tells me, many of the businesses she works with in Penge don't even have a social media presence.
“Many people's first language isn't English, so expecting them to have a social media presence, let alone an active one is too much to ask. So I try to make advertising with me as affordable as possible to give people that option.”
The Challenges Facing Penge
Belinda's experience and history with Penge allow her to articulate the challenges facing our high street with more clarity than most, though I'm sure her worries are found up and down the country:
“The biggest challenge, as with most high streets, is online,” she tells me. “It’s a huge challenge. People buy convenience online, and I suppose the challenge is getting the message out there that these businesses know their business.”
I tell Belinda that I'd recently been to the opening of Carnival Coffee on the high street, who continue to go above and beyond in every interaction I have with them.
“Exactly! They have that extra layer of service, or Solitaire Jewellers who’ll sit down and talk to you, learn about what you want and need, or Southey who can chat to you about how they brew etc. You simply don't get that online!”
Regular readers will recognise Belinda's words from my sit down with Twang Guitars. The personal touch is the high street's greatest strength though, Belinda worries, “People have forgotten what it is to walk into a shop and ask someone for help.”
The second challenge is intrinsically linked with the first. “Footfall on Penge High Street just isn't what it used to be,” Belinda said. “People have to know you're there, people have to see you. It's why the area works so hard on the Dinosaur Trail, or Pengemas, or Pengefest. Everything is designed to try and get people into the shops.”
Then there’s the Blenheim Centre, which I’ll reserve for its own piece.
The Power of Social Media
One thing that came up in my first interview with Southey Brewing Co was the existence of some local social media accounts that helped generate a bit of buzz for them in the early days. The name that cropped up with them, Bridge House Theatre, and Twang Guitars, was the Penge Tourist Board.
Much like Belinda's work, and I suppose mine, they shine a light on the area's history, the comings and goings of businesses etc, to their thousands of followers.
I wonder, though, if businesses feel a pressure now to feature in these outlets? Is there such a discernible impact that these people are missing out on?
“I’m not sure there’s a pressure,” said Belinda. “I would perhaps flip this round. It’s lovely when they do get mentioned on these platforms, and everyone is always very happy when that happens. I see it when I’m doing content, and see how happy people are when they get that promotion.” She reminds me again that many people don't have social media, so being mentioned (or not) feels of no concern to them.
The Changing Tides
Even in my relatively short time here, you can feel Penge changing. The makeup of the high street changes slightly over time, though the changes have been far more stark over Belinda's time here. “We used to have a furniture shop, suit shop, a bakery, a co-op, a dentist above the co-op, all sorts! The place was absolutely buzzing, and it's been sad to see many of those big businesses go.”
She pauses.
“You have to have change, you know? I just really don't want us to lose any of these local businesses, but I think we will. People are getting older, families might not want to take over the running of them. There are the online challenges we talked about, and I just worry that if we lose too many we won't have a high street at all.
“Just look at how the pubs have gone, it has a massive impact on the community. Maple Road used to have a thriving market, but so many of those shops became houses that it simply can't exist anymore.”
Belinda has been passionate throughout our conversation, but the threats facing the area, and the reality of what might be coming, bring it out further.
“None of us want that change. But hopefully, all these little schemes and initiatives, including SE20 Magazine, might just help to slow it down.”
If you’re interested in working with Belinda, or advertising in SE20 Mag, check out this link to learn more about the benefits and costs.
If you enjoyed this piece, please check out my interviews with Southey Brewing Co, The Bridge House Theatre, and Twang Guitars. Also, please consider subscribing, sharing this piece, or dropping me a comment suggesting a place I could speak to next.
I love this Max. You write so well!
Hi Max, Penge festival is coming up in June and the programme of events is now live- if that’s of interest as a topic the timing would work well? Let me know if if interest?