Dalston Square’s Cookin’
….Starts here. 😉
With with post, we are asking for your help in the shape of feedback. Over the past month there have been, as I am sure you are all fully aware, 4 film screenings in the Square by The Lost Picture Show, as part of the Dalston Children’s Festival. To accompany the screenings, small-scale barbecue catering was made available, selling beef (half was halal) and veggie burgers. This was basically a test-run to see if this was something that could be rolled out during other screening events, without causing a nuisance to residents. Before getting the go-ahead, a surprising number of factors were looked at: Everything from ensuring the food providers were registered with the council’s food safety department, to hygiene issues, to cooking smells swirling around the Square (not much chance of that with the Square’s wind-tunnel effect), to fire risk.
The grounds for providing catering are fairly clear: To add to the sense of fun and draw extra participants to the event, as a test to see if food provision is even popular, and as a revenue stream to help subsidise these free-to-attend events as the council are keen to provide more involvement with film club members (costumes, activities etc.) which,of course, all costs money.
So please let us know your opinion. Good idea? Was the catering a nuisance to you? Were there any issues that showed themselves after the event? Maybe just a complete success? Let us hear the good and bad (hopefully all good). This is your chance to have a say regarding events planned for ‘your’ Square. If reading this through email, simply click on the blue ‘Comment’ button at the bottom of the email. If reading this on the website, the comment button is in the small print immediately below this post. We look forward to hearing from you.
More news coming very soon.
Dalston Square Residents' Association 
Hi Mark Just to say thanks very much for asking these questions – it will be very helpful to know what everyone is thinking – good or bad! (Also just to remind you, there is an acrobatics event coming up in Dalston Square on Sat 22nd June from 2-5pm, by Mimbre, a local street theatre company that has an international reputation. The event will include free workshops for kids and two performances – but no food this time!) Thanks again and best wishes, Lucy
Thursday, 13 June, 2013 at 5:21 pm
Great idea – builds a sense of community (need the weather for it though)
Thursday, 13 June, 2013 at 5:39 pm
The films were way too loud!! The sound was echoing and bouncing around up and down the square – our little one was struggling to sleep and it was bothering us as well.
We didn’t complain because we thought it was just a one-off for the summer, but if this was to become a more regular sort of event then we’d definitely have some concerns. Any sort of music / movie event will be very disruptive to residents.
Thursday, 13 June, 2013 at 5:42 pm
I think the movie event was an excellent idea. It put the square on the map as a fun place to meet and bring people together. I think the projects on the square had something for everyone. My kids enjoyed all the children’s festival projects. I have heard there is a food market on the radar……Well done
Friday, 14 June, 2013 at 9:50 pm
Hi
I attended the residents meeting with Consort a few months back when they failed to explain the budget and promised action in 2 weeks. Since then I have heard nothing at all and wanted to know if the DSRA are in dialogue with them and what is going on and will there be a follow up meeting as promised. I haven’t paid my service charge until I know what and whom I am paying is competent.
Any info would be helpful!
Asif
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, 13 July, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Hi Asif. I did cover this in my most recent post (‘Sub-Committee Reports’), sorry you missed it. Here is the direct link: https://dalston-square.com/2013/06/17/sub-committee-reports. Just as an update to that though, I can confirm that on the 2nd July, after further delays on Consort’s part, we finally received Consort’s finalised 2013/14 budget. Our team will now go through it with a fine tooth comb in preparation for the first meeting to actual discuss and question this proposal. Please remember that all the people in this sub- committee are residents with full-time jobs in the financial/property management sector who are trying to fit this in around their own working lives: Approving dates that all/many can attend is tricky. Rest assured though that these neighbours are putting in the work and effort to ensure we ALL get a fair deal from Consort. Thanks guys.
Saturday, 13 July, 2013 at 5:54 pm