Forest Row Open Day

Yesterday saw the opening of the Forest Row Centre, in Lodge Lane, Collier Row, Havering Park Councillor Andrew Mann was on hand as one of the Charity Trustees overseeing the centre to show local residents around the building.

Approx 500 plus residents attended on the day, to take a guided tour and look over the facilities on offer, apart from a free cup of tea and a sandwich; there was the chance to see some of the user groups in action, from dance shows and gymnastic displays, to jive dancing and the Collier Row juniors Football Club.

Havering Mayor, Cllr Georgina Galpin was on hand to meet and greet visitors to the centre long with cutting the cake, pictured with the three Charity Trustees, Phil Butler, Jacky Taylor and Cllr Mann cutting the cake.

Cllr Mann, who was a former Forest Lodge Schoolboy, has spoken of his delight at the centre finally opening. He said “Ever since I was elected in 2002, I have been working with the committee of FLAC (Forest Lodge Activity Centre) and the Collier Row Junior Football club to make this centre happen; I have had probably 100 meetings with both, the committee, planners council officers, developers and local residents to achieve this dream”

Cllr Mann was rewarded for his involvement with both organisations as they become one, to for the Forest Row Centre, that has now been registered as a charity, and he has now become one of the three charity trustees to oversee the running of the centre during the duration of its 25 year lease.

As you would imagine, the open day was crawling with Conservative Councillors and even an M.P and his assistants, they have even produced a leaflet suggesting it was all down to the Conservative Council for building this centre.

So Cllr Mann has set the record straight he said “For over 5 years, ever since I was first elected in 2002, I have been involved with this project. I have attended hundreds of meetings in that time, yet Tory Councillor Geoff Starns has you believe, along with his new colleague Sandra Binion that they have built this centre, almost single handily, you would think they had laid the bricks themselves.

In those five years, Geoff Starns has not attended one single meeting at Forest Lodge, not one in over 5 years, you have to wonder how he has the front to claim credit for anything in Collier Row, let alone this centre, as for his accolade, Sandra Binion, she has popped her head into the centre about half a dozen times in 18 months”

That said, the centre is fantastic, it is all down to the hard work and dedication to a small band of people that run the old FLAC building and Collier Row Juniors, they deserve all the credit for the commitment to stick at it over the years, and now they have their reward.

Cllr Andrew Mann