As mentioned in previous posts, there was no Plumstead Make Merry this year. This is primarily due to central government cuts in local authority funding, which have meant that Greenwich Council have cut the funding on which the Make Merry has depended on for its infrastructure. So, instead of a festival this year, and to continue our fundraising efforts to ensure that we have a festival in 2012, there was a ‘Not the Plumstead Make Merry’ event on Saturday 11th June 2011 – the day the festival was due to take place.

It took place from 12 noon to 5pm, and was held in and around the Greenwich Rugby Club Pavilion on Plumstead Common (Old Mill Road, London, SE18).

We invited people to come along to the Common from 12 noon, during which time we had children’s entertainers on-hand to keep the spirits high in this celebration of our community, including ‘Run Fun Starz’ who were running Sports Day style events, the ‘West Kent Boys Brigade’ who had an inflatable battle zone, and Riverdale Sports who ran some 5-a-side football matches and fitness and training skills.

From 1pm the Plumstead Integration Project showed films in the Rugby Club and from 3pm was live music and entertainment in the Rugby Club, featuring local acts including ‘Adam Tunji’, ‘Sarcastic Fringehead’, ‘The Acapella Punk’, and ‘John Morum’.

In all, the event was a resounding success and we raised quite a bit of money for the 2012 Make Merry. Thank you to all who attended, performed and/or supported us. Photos from the event have now been uploaded to the ‘photos’ section of the the website.

Our forthcoming benefit bash was featured in the News Shopper…

Plumstead Make Merry to hold fundraising bash at Greenwich Rugby Club Pavilion

7:40am Friday 8th April 2011

By Mark Chandler

A FUNDRAISING event is being held for a festival which was cancelled after Greenwich Council cut its funding.

The Plumstead Make Merry Association hosts a benefit bash on April 16 from 7.30pm at the Greenwich Rugby Club Pavilion, Plumstead Common.

Entry will cost £5 at the door and all proceeds will go towards supporting the festival – the longest-running in Greenwich. There will be karaoke, disco and fun and games.

Organiser Doug Harper said: “We could spend our time and energy complaining about the cuts and campaigning against them – but we won’t. There are many other cuts happening within the borough and nationally.

“Instead, we are dedicated to ensuring that a Make Merry will take place next year.”

For more information email plumsteadmakemerry@yahoo.co.uk, visit the Facebook site or go to plumsteadmakemerry.com [sic]

Click here for the original article (link)

It is with great disappointment and regret that the organising committee for the Plumstead Make Merry have to announce that there will not be a Make Merry on Plumstead Common this year. Due to central government cuts in local authority funding, Greenwich Council have been forced to cut the funding on which the Make Merry has depended on for its infrastructure. The committee is made up of local people who all volunteer their time and efforts for free, we do not make a profit, and proceeds from our tea tent and stalls are spent on staging, marquees, sound equipment and on providing free activities for children.

The Plumstead Make Merry has been held on Plumstead Common every year for the last 32 years. It is the most eagerly awaited local event, and the longest running event in the borough. Last year, over 6,000 people visited the festival. We, the Plumstead Make Merry Committee are devastated that there will not be a festival this year, and we know that we are not alone in this feeling.

The Plumstead Make Merry is an important event in the community calendar. We provide a unique opportunity for local charities, voluntary organisations and small businesses to raise awareness of the services, products, information, advice and guidance that they have to offer. As well as this, the Plumstead Make Merry strives to ensure that everyone in our diverse community has the opportunity to be involved.  Our funding cut will have an impact on everyone that lives in Plumstead, and beyond.

The Plumstead Make Merry is a celebration of our vibrant, talented and diverse community and will be a great loss to thousands of people. Generations of families have attended the event but due to our lack of funding will not be able to do so this year.  The summer of 2011 in Plumstead won’t be the same this year without the Plumstead Make Merry.

However, we will rise above the cuts. We could spend our time and energy complaining about the cuts and campaigning against them – but we won’t, there are many other cuts happening within the borough and nationally, instead, we are dedicated to ensuring that a Make Merry will take place next year. We are appealing to you, the community, to help us.

Throughout the year we will be fundraising and making sure that the Plumstead Make Merry stays in the hearts and minds of local people. Don’t forget the Make Merry, it’s an event put on by local people for local people, it is your celebration of our community.

We are determined to show that the community is bigger than the cuts, and that we can survive. We appeal to everyone to support our fundraising events so that the 2012 Plumstead Make Merry will go ahead, whatever happens with the budget cuts.

We have a great night of entertainment planned for Saturday 16^th April 2011 when the ‘Benefit Bash for the Plumstead Make Merry’ will take place in the Greenwich Rugby Club Pavilion on Plumstead Common, (Old Mill Road, London, SE18).  Entry will cost just £5 at the door and all proceeds will go towards supporting the festival. There will be live music, karaoke, disco and fun and games.  The fun starts at 7:30pm, and we hope to see you all there!

The next event is on Saturday 11^th June 2011 – the day the Plumstead Make Merry was due to take place. It will also take place at the Greenwich Rugby Club Pavilion on Plumstead Common, and for a small donation of £5 you can expect a day and evening of non-stop entertainment.