And as I reflect on these last few years, well there are many so exciting moments in our journey: the launch in 2009 (Oh my god it really is happening!), the 1st year anniversary (Oh my god we are still going!), the 2nd year relaunch, the new notes and our new Pay by Text service (Oh my god, it works!).

And many things I have loved, and still love, about being involved with the B£, including:  being part of such bold and visionary bunch of people who decided that it was high time we reclaimed some control over our money; the empowering feeling you get when you are able to decide where your money goes and who it benefits;  getting to know for the first time the community in which I have lived for many years, and the realisation of the amazing wealth of talent which is right on my doorstep! Discovering quirky new places and interesting businesses; seeing the evolution of some incredibly worthwhile social enterprises and community initiatives (e.g. Brixton Energy, Transition Town Brixton, Cycooldelic Revoutions, the Remakery, Velocal, IRMO, Makerhood, the Market Traders Federation, Brixton People’s Kitchen, the Vida Walsh Centre, to name only but a few) and ultimately feeling part of something important, bold and bigger than myself.

And I never cease to be amazed by the commitment and drive of the many people I have come into contact with through the Brixton Pound, and who often voluntarily embark on initiatives that seek to better the community in which they live, to create connections, to engage, to support local enterprise and skills, to help promote a more inclusive and sustainable way of life. Truly inspiring stuff, and necessary, and it is all happening right here! Times are achangin, and it’s not all doom and gloom.

So there is much to celebrate you see. I hope you’ll be able to join us on Thursday 3rd May for some drinks and also introductions of new B£ team members and to find out the latest exciting developments and partnerships ahead.

The venue: Kaff Bar, 64 Atlantic Road. The time: from 6pm till late. It is election day of course, so get your votes in and come join!

And if you can’t make it, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you all and I wish you the best of luck in all your pursuits.

With love, respect and admiration.

Annalisa

These are very much the concerns of Move Your Money, a new campaign launched last week , at the onset of the banking bonus season.

Move Your Money UK seeks to use consumer power to both raise awareness around and support mutually owned, ethical and socially useful banking providers, such as credit unions, building societies, community development finance institutions. It wants to see a financial system that works for people and society, it seeks to engage the public with the financial system and to promote an open and constructive dialogue between the two.

The B£ is delighted to support the Move Your Money campaign, as it is very much in line with our own aims of empowering people to reclaim control over their money through their spending decisions (a local currency enables just that!), and through supporting ethical banking providers (such as the London Mutual Credit Union on Acre Lane) who will reinvest into local communities, small businesses, and those who are financially excluded.

You can check out the Move Your Money campaign here, and also see a very funny video about some high street performers…Lastly, you can read more about our Brixton based ethical bank, the London Mutual Credit Union, right here.  (Place your cursor over any of the bold text and a link will appear).

Will you move your money?

Kaff's cool counter's mural

So with Christmas now really and truly out of the way…well we decided to postpone our Christmas party until mid-January when we thought we would be in serious need of cheering up.  But let’s just remove the ‘Christmas’ and focus on the ‘party’!

We hope you and your friends and loved ones can join us on the night, Thu 19th January from 6:30pm at Kaff Bar.

Kaff Bar are both on our paper and electronic currency schemes, so plenty chance to play with your phones on the night.

There will be DJs and some finger food, and more importantly a great crowd of Brixton residents and businesses to socialise and network with.   We shall also be  at hand to sign up any newbies onto our amazing Pay by Text service, for which you get a 10% automatically added to your account every time you top it up.

Other than that, it’ll be an informal evening of drinks, nibbles, chats and DJ’s spinning their tunes.

We look forward to seeing you then!

The local businesses and residents coming on board in support of the Brixton Pound has been nothing short of revolutionary: it shows their tremendous dose of good will and vision, and a desire for a fairer economic system in which the diversity of our high street is defended and encouraged.

This is a little piece of history which we are humbled to be part of, but the sort of thing that often still goes on unrecognised, and which is at risk of fading away in the aftermath of the recent sad turn of events which saw riots and looting within (but not only) our local community.

But, just as before, the Brixton Pound is still hard at work highlighting that Brixton is a thriving, creative and progressive place to live and work in. And luckily our beautiful Brixton Pound notes, featuring important people in the history of Brixton as voted by the public, and designed by a local artist, still offer a stunning reminder of all things great about our local area.

So if you haven’t got your Brixton Pound notes yet, this is your chance to own the Brixton Pound First Edition collector’s set, before the notes expire at the end of September and our second edition is unveiled. You can purchase our First Edition collector’s  set on line by clicking here.

Please make your order by Friday 30^th September 2011 – and guarantee yourself a little piece of history!

All proceeds are reinvested in the Brixton Pound, a Community Interest Company (CIC 07635113), that supports local independent businesses and a stronger and more sustainable local economy.

Lunch for a Fiver at Lounge Bar

Today sees the launch of the Brixton Pound ‘Lunch for a Fiver’ deal. Local independent shops and market stalls in the Brixton area are offering a lunch deal for just five Brixton Pounds or less.

You can experience the wonderful and diverse array of local produce that Brixton has to offer while supporting your local shops and community. Using your Brixton Pounds, you can get oodles of noodles in Satay Bar, juicy jerk chicken from Refill, delicious ciabattas from Rosie’s Café, fresh sandwiches from Duck Egg, Fish and chips from Olley’s or  falafel and hummus salad from Lounge Bar & Café…the list goes on! All for just five Brixton Pounds or less!

Download the ‘Lunch for a Fiver’ flyer here to find out all the deals and local shops in the offer.

“The Lounge Bar and Restaurant is proud to be part of the ‘Lunch for a Fiver’ deal. It is a great scheme which benefits local shops and traders by bringing in more trade to the local economy and at the same time providing a delicious bargain for the local community. The Brixton Pound scheme has supported local independently owned shops in Brixton for the past two years and has helped preserve the independence and much loved diversity of the Brixton.” Clover, Manager, Lounge Bar & Restaurant, Brixton.

The Brixton Pound is money that sticks to Brixton. It helps to support local shops, traders and

B£ Issuing Points

the local community to ensure a diverse and vibrant local economy.  You can exchange pound sterling into Brixton Pounds at the B£ issue points listed – or simply ask for your change in Brixton Pounds when you visit one of over 200 independent shops and market stalls in the Brixton Pound scheme. Look out for the Brixton Pound sign in shop windows.

The Brixton Pound works like a gift voucher, acting as an incentive for people to spend their money locally in any of over 200 independent shops and market stalls in the Brixton Pound scheme.  So take advantage of this generous offer and support your local shops; get your Brixton Pounds and bag a tasty bargain!

Kiss-Red by Julian Barras

That Brixton is a place for art is no longer a secret, and the proof is in a very successful Urban Art Fair now in its tenth year.

On Saturday 16^th and Sunday 17^th July, the leafy and rather sleepy Josephine Avenue is to turn once again into London biggest alfresco art fair, with over one hundred and fifty photographers, printers and painters exhibiting.

Entry is free and prices range from under a tenner to over a thousand pounds – so whatever your budget, this is a truly affordable event for all art lovers.

The fair will also show how the love for art and the love for a vibrant and diverse local economy can go hand in hand, with numerous artists accepting our beautiful notes.

So do look out for special offers and discounts available to anyone paying with Brixton Pounds, and do take a sneak preview at participating artists below. Sadly we are unable to upload pictures for everyone of them, but check out their websites, you will find some amazing pieces, including photography, print, painting and mixed media.

• Robert Kellard – check discount on the day
• Katherine Jones,  www.katherine-jones.co.uk – check discount on the day
  

  Vases I by Jo Oakley

  
  

• Clare Johnson, www.clarejohnson.co.uk – 10% discount
• Julian Barras, www.julianbarras.com – 10% discount
• Orson Kartt, www.orsonkartt.com – check out website for discount available
• Mark Thompson, www.perronet.com - 15% discount
  
• Martin Grover, www.martingrover.com – 10% discount
• Ben Oakley, www.benoakley.com – check discount on the day
• Jo Oakley, www.jooakley.co.uk – check discount on the day
• Staffan Gnosspelius, www.gnosspelius.com – 10% discount
• Adam Hemuss, www.hemussart.com – 10% discount
• Tess Stone – check discount on the day
• David Taylor, www.artwanted.com/davidtaylor – check discount on the day
• Thona Samba, www.artreview.com/profile/Thona – check discount on the day
• Paola Mikov, www.paolaminekov.com – check discount on the day
• Melanie Paice, www.melaniepaice.com – 10% discount
• Angelique Hartigan, www.angelique-hartigan-artist.co.uk – 10% discount
• Jaykoe, www.jaykoe.com - 10% discount
• Oleg Marat -  check discount on the day
• Grazyna Rafei – check discount on the day
• Shashi Patel – check discount on the day
• Tamar Lev-On and Dotan Bahat,  www.tamarlevon.com – check discount on the day

The B£ team will be at the event on Saturday morning  -  if you are visiting Saturday afternoon or Sunday, please ensure that you have some B£s with you. This is your chance to bag yourself some unique artworks by local artists, and to help make  Urban Art Fair 2011 the biggest yet. Don’t miss out!

The theme of the Saturday event was plants, gardening and growing – so we joined a number of local growers displaying their green and colourful wares on the square, such as the most gorgeous strawberries from the Sunday Farmers Market!

The day was an opportunity to be out talking to people, mingling with local growers and organisations, and generally encouraging the support of local sourcing, trade and production. Thanks to all who stopped by and for the many words of encouragement. Thanks to all the volunteers on the day, and last but not least thanks to Stuart the Watchman (Watch repairer extraordinaire, on Pope’s Road) for lending us his extremely cute barrow – the envy of many a trader on the day.

Look out for the B£ team next at the Brixton Windmill event on 10th July, from 1pm to 5pm in Windmill Gardens. Lots activities are in store for families and children, with wind power the theme of this year’s event.

The B£ latest outreach initiative, funded by the Walcot Foundation, seeks to reconnect people to the labour market via work placements within their local business community, thus helping to expand people’ social networks, reduce their social isolation and increase their knowledge about  local opportunities.

The team is now talking to businesses, community groups and social enterprises to identify potential work placement openings. The team is also talking with organisations, which might be able to refer candidates to the scheme.

For example, we are exploring ways of linking time bank members to work placement opportunities, and are working with the  Timebank Lambeth Southcentral to make this happen. Time banks enable residents to share their time and skills, and by doing so accrue time credits that can be spent on services they need. E.g.: you may do one hour of gardening in exchange for one hour of baby sitting, etc. No money is exchanged and everyone’s time is equal, therefore one hour of your time earns you one time credit to spend when you need. Click here to learn more.

So whether you are a local business or organisation with a potential work placement opportunity, or whether you are an organisation supporting those who are unemployed, we would like to hear from you.

Please get in touch to find out how the scheme could benefit you, contact Annalisa Dorigo at: projectmanager@brixtonpound.org.

This exciting development will facilitate B£ exchanges and circulation, it will raise the profile of LMCU, to be promoted amongst over 1000 B£ users and 190 B£ businesses, and will also boost LMCU’s reserves, enabling it to make more loans to local people.

So from today anyone can get hold of B£s from the branch, where the B£ Sterling backing is also held.

And if you are business, the branch will serve also as an exchange hub, therefore enabling you to change B£s in to sterling.

The LMCU exists to provide their members with financial services at fair rates. Once legislation passes through parliament, businesses will also be able to become members of LMCU. To find out about the organisation’s ethos, and how to become a member, read here.

A special thank you to Lakshman Chandrasekara, CEO of LMCU, Roy McLeod, LMCU Director, and Stephanie Butcher, Lambeth Town Centre Director, for their ongoing support and vision in making this happen. Thank you also to everyone else who joined us in celebrating the launch of this exciting new partnership.

And to all of you out there, whether working or living in Brixton, we hope that you too will soon be able to make the LMCU your bank of choice.

Ivan and his team at Hair Focus gave Brixton Pound supporters some gorgeous haircuts and makeovers at unbeatable prices, helping us raise a whopping £320.

However, for those of you who could not make it this time, worry not. Your tresses will still have the opportunity to get the Hair Focus treatment. The salon runs special offers all the time, and who knows, we may even be doing another fundraiser there soon…

So pop into Hair Focus, only five minutes walk from Brixton tube station, on Overton Road, in a relaxed setting away from the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

The salon has been offering haircuts and makeovers for three years, and is a favourite of returning customers and Brixton Pound supporters. Go once, and you won’t look back – you’ll get a super-relaxing head massage as your hair is washed by friendly stylists using quality Italian hair products. You can find Hair Focus on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/fy5bPj

And for all those dog lovers out there, you may even get a glimpse of the gorgeous four-month old puppy Sandia (‘sandia’ means ‘watermelon’ in Spanish) who will no doubt charm you with her clumsy puppy energy.

So from the Brixton Pound team, a huge thank you to Hair Focus and all those who came down to support us on the day!

All proceeds will help the Brixton Pound promote local trade and production, and a stronger local economy.