Corbett Community Library October newsletter

SPECIAL EDITION TO CELEBRATE OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY!

This October we’re incredibly proud to be celebrating 10 years as a volunteer-powered community hub. We are celebrating with a month long programme of free and low-cost activities with a focus on arts, heritage and community. Everyone is invited and welcome to take part!

See full details of our celebratory events below and how to give £10 for 10 below!

Programme of our Fun Palace activities - follow 'Here' link in text below for details

Corbett Community Fun Palace

Saturday 3 October – 10am – 5pm FREE

A Fun Palace is a FREE event made by local people for their own community. At Fun Palaces people come together to share their skills, passions, and interests, and to show the world just how brilliant and packed full of geniuses their community is!

Come along and try your hand at making a bug hotel, a mono-print or a mosaic light catcher. Watch a show, visit the mis-information desk or choose a tune on the Human Jukebox, which will be packed with local talent all day. Everyone is welcome!

We are so excited that @humitamal_dmaria will be serving up Ecuadorian delicacies! This great local business will be serving 100% homemade Tamales, Humitas and more, alongside library favourites, Sourdough Bakery and @mont58coffee

For more info and to book free tickets to bookable workshops see Here

Find out more about this nationwide initiative on the Fun Palace website.

Celebrate Our New Community Mosaic!

Saturday 3 October – 3pm

Join us at our Fun Palace for the unveiling of our beautiful new mosaic, created by Tamara Froud and Wendy Dean with the local community and funded by Arts Council England.

Celebrating the diversity, heritage and cultures of the Corbett Estate and the wider Lewisham community, the mosaic will be permanently installed in the library foyer as a lasting celebration of creativity, connection and belonging.

Join us under the dome for the big reveal, featuring:

Short speeches from library patron Peter Ranken, lead artist Tamara Froud, and Rosamund Kissi-Debrah CBE
Music, refreshments and cake
A first look at the new mosaic
A film capturing the project and the people behind it

Come along and celebrate this wonderful new piece of our community!

Artist PechaKucha

Wednesday 21 October 6:30-8pm FREE

Join us for an inspiring evening of creativity, conversation and community at our first ever PechaKucha Night, showcasing the work and stories of local artists.

Whether you're an artist, art lover or simply curious about the creative talent in the local area, come along to discover new work, hear the stories behind it, and meet other members of the local arts community. We will be running a reasonably priced bar.

If you would like to present at the PechaKucha please email us.

Download your slide template here.

Tickets for this event are FREE, but spaces are limited.

Book Here

Disco Under the Dome

Saturday 24 October – 7-11pm

Join us as we celebrate our actual birthday with a night of classic 70’s disco music, dancing, and community spirit! Ten years ago, on this very day, the Corbett Community Library reopened under the care of local volunteers.

We'll provide the atmosphere and a reasonably priced bar; DJ Jonny A will spin the tunes —you just need to bring your dancing shoes! 70’s dress, think Studio 54, encouraged!

Anyone is welcome, invite your friends and family.

Book Here

The Public Good – A Contextual History of the Catford Community Library

Wednesday 28 October – 6:30-8pm FREE

We are delighted to welcome architectural historian Jon Wright, Chair of the Archibald Corbett Society, who will share a fascinating insight into Andrew Carnegie, his philosophy, and the architectural legacy that our library is part of.

Doors open at 6.30pm and the talk starts at 7pm. Includes a reasonably priced bar.

Tickets for this talk are FREE, but spaces are limited.

Book Here

'Art Makes People Powerful' is a signed limited screen print by Bob and Roberta Smith

Charity Art Auction

Friday 30 October 6:30-10:30pm

Join us for our hugely popular biennial Art Auction, showcasing the incredible talent of local and international artists. Browse a vibrant collection of paintings, prints and sculptures.

We are delighted to have 40 pieces of artwork on offer, most of which are original and donated by local, artists and others that are pre-loved works.

If you can’t make the auction on the night we will be offering alternative ways to bid for the following artworks; a signed, limited edition, no.23 screen print (pictured) by Bob & Roberta Smith, currently unavailable to buy anywhere else and prints by Carne Griffiths, Anna Bieluszko and Yvonne Divine. We will be sharing more information about this process on social media but if interested please contact us.

Link to art auction Instagram.

Book Here

Limited Edition Tea Towel

For sale at the library throughout October

Local artist Corinne Alexander has designed and created this limited edition tea towel to celebrate our 10yr anniversary! These high quality, bespoke tea towels are available to buy at the library throughout October for £14 each, £24 for 2.

Corinne Alexander is a British homeware brand built around intricate, food-inspired illustration. Designed and drawn by Corinne locally and available as limited-edition prints and high-quality British-made homeware.

Can you give £10 to support our next 10 years?

For the past ten years, Corbett Community Library has been powered by its community. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we're inviting everyone who loves the library to donate £10 to help secure the next TEN years.

Together, we can keep this welcoming community space thriving for generations to come.

Ways to Donate

At the library using our donation terminal
At the library reception desk or in one of our collection tins
Online: https://corbettcommunity.org.uk/donate/

Donate here

Halloween Spooktacular

31 October 5-7pm

Experience the library after dark, with spooky activities and treats! £3 entry per child, pop in on your way trick-or-treating in your best costume!

Interview with Nicola

Why did you decide to volunteer here? Once my daughter went to secondary school I decided I wanted to do something just for me. Couldn’t decide between joining a choir and volunteering at the library, and I’m glad I plumped for the library! Also I’m obsessed with books (my day job is in publishing) and love being surrounded by them. My daughter later ended up volunteering herself…

What’s your favourite thing about volunteering here? The people, the atmosphere, and feeling like I’m doing something useful in my local community. And stamping books. And letting children stamp their own, which they always love!

Can you sum up the library in three words? Fun, welcoming and essential.

Why would you recommend the library? I’d recommend visiting the library as there is always something going on, from book clubs to yoga to Jackynory, not forgetting all the wonderful books. It’s just a lovely place to be. And I’d recommend volunteering there too – everyone is so lovely and I’ve always enjoyed it.

Nicola will be running the badgemaking stand at our Fun Palace on Saturday 3 October – come and check it out!