“These are places where your social imagination is made, so you get to meet people who are not like you-
class wise, race wise, faith wise. For me the richness of life is taken away, when these spaces are taken away.”
Last Friday evening saw the Granville Centre in Kilburn host the #SaveGranville campaign where author Zadie Smith pledged her support to the community centre. Unfortunately there are plans for it to be demolished as a result of local Council ruling.
Backed by the council, the community centre stirred fond memories within Zadie as she recounted how her Jamaican mother worked there and the centre being a place she studied in. Zadie told the audience about her childhood in Kilburn, discussed the topic of gentrification and the importance of community spaces whilst giving an enriching reading about the local area and a snippet from her new book, 'Swing Time'.
A Q&A session followed where guests asked questions ranging from Zadie's opinion of the presence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.K to the origins of her inspiration for writing, to which she amusing answered “the inability to do anything else. I can’t add, I don’t understand science”. Recent developments in American politics also came to the fore with Trump clearly being a pressing issue. Zadie discussed how she was “excited about the possibility of journalism at this moment, especially because Trump is such a sensitive child when it comes to journalistic scrutiny- this has presented a real opportunity for journalism to have effect.”
July 2016 saw the ruling decision of Brent Council cabinet demolishing Granville and Carlton community centres, which persists as the only heritage sites in Kilburn. The centre has existed and served the local community for more than 100 years- providing free meals, recycling clothes, running programs and so on- prevailing as a backbone for the local community and for those in need.
Ran by Dee Woods who is the UK Ambassador for Slow Food and BBC Cook of the Year 2016, the centre was originally built as a Presbyterian mission hall in the 1880s for the community and has remained a venue for the masses. It was the first of its kind to run free breakfast programmes, meals and classes for children and single mothers.
The importance of #SaveGranville could not be uttered enough.
In attendance of the event, Councilor Neil Nerva of the Labour Group claimed the plans to demolish the centre has yet to be confirmed. According to Nerva, the decision to demolish Granville Centre can be overruled with a scrutiny meeting being set up for December 1st where recommendations will be made to Cabinet.
Sign the petition here and please circulate.
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