Chuka Umunna MP

To mark the retirement of Keith Hill, who has been MP for Streatham since 1992, he is hosting an event to bring together and celebrate the continued success and achievements of local organizations and the people of our area.

Celebrating Streatham will feature ‘Streatham Presents…’: a talent contest judged by local celebrities rapper Speech Debelle, who won the 2009 Mercury Music Prize, and singer Leo Ihenacho from The Streets.

It is being held at Dunraven School on Saturday 27 February 2010 between 2.00pm and 6.30pm.

The event will showcase the talent of local performers to the wider community and hopes to challenge the negative perceptions of both Streatham and young people, which are too often put forward by the national media.

From 2pm local community groups, businesses and charities, will be hosting stalls (including food), running workshops and activities such as face painting and T-shirt making. These include local Scout groups, Streatham-based charity Spires, local chocolatier Paul Gregory who specialises in chocolate sculptures, businesses like Perfect Blend and a street dance demonstration class led by local entrepreneur Jerome Barnes of Streetbreakers.

From 4pm, performers in ‘Streatham Presents…’ include local schools, youth groups such as Clapham Youth Centre and The Palace Project, as well as Gloria Bailey MBE’s Make a Difference group from the Streatham Darby & Joan Club. Prizes will be awarded to the winner and one runner up. The top prize will be the opportunity to record a music video with the Generation Next Foundation, which has experience in producing short films as a major area of its work with young people.

The event is free and those wanting to attend can obtain tickets by emailing their name and address to tickets {at} streathamlabour.org(.)uk. Due to limited availability, people should book early to avoid disappointment and those attending who are under the age of 18 and not part of a group will need to be accompanied by an adult.