We love it when local people stay in touch with one another, and one of the chattiest communities we’ve come across recently are the folks at the East Dulwich Forum.

Never heard of the place? The birthplace of author Enid Blyton, East Dulwich is situated in South East London between Peckham and Sydenham, surrounded by green space and packed with independent bars, shops and eateries - all while being less than 15 minutes from London Bridge by train. We were astounded at the response we got for last month’s video interview of Heather from vintage and modern secondhand shop ChiChiRaRa, and a quick glance at the messageboards shows just how passionate the Dulwich locals are about their area.

With six separate sections to the forum there’s a lot going on, with most of the conversation happening in the ‘General ED Issues/Gossip’ and ‘Wanted, Offered and Recommendations’ areas. Posts range from the straightforward to the surreal with celebrity sightings and shop openings and closures provoking lively debate.

Do you need to get rid of some furniture? Want to know where to find a good handyman? Or are you just looking for some new friends? The East Dulwich Forum provides practical, friendly advice with a sense of humour - just the sort of thing we like.

Some of you have been telling us all about your favourite East Dulwich hangout spots including The Bishop, Blue Mountain Cafe and Hisar but we want more! What do you think of the place? We’d love some of the East Dulwich Forum folks to get involved over here too - why not sign up and start telling us about all the great places we’re missing?

Photo credit: shop fronts by fear and boozing in a lost vagueness (CC License)