Think of Peckham, and news stories on knife crime and failing schools might pop in to your head. It’s undeniably one of London’s troubled areas, but there’s actually a lot more going on in SE15.

Take The Spike Surplus Scheme, a community-led organisation that’s been offering “affordable and free-where-possible services to the local community” for ten years.

Sounds pretty wonderful doesn’t it? The problem is that Southwark Council are demanding a cool £500,000 by the end of August for the building, otherwise it’s going to have to close.

Incorporating “a stunning community garden with free permaculture courses for all; a rehearsal and professional recording space for local bands and artists; a collaborative music production studio; a dojo used for yoga, martial arts and the like, with a weekly drop-in wellbeing clinic offering complementary therapies; a video production space; ‘camera obscura’; a cinema and much more” The Spike is a great example of people coming together to create something meaningful and accessible for its local community - so how can we stop it from disappearing?

1108 people have already signed the petition asking Southwark Council to reconsider the auction of the property and pledge to assist the project in the future. You can add your name here. Recent TrustedPlaces interviewee Jon Barrenechea showed us the power of local awareness raising; only by standing up for our rights as citizens and consumers can we help preserve our communities in to the future.

Photo credit: Spike Surplus Scheme by coconinoco (CC License)

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