The Friends of Trumble Gardens, in partnership with Thornton Heath Community Action Team, have been working hard to improve Trumble Gardens.
We have held several action days that the community has supported and behind the scenes, we have funded improvements to the run down park hut. The council also has plans to extend the playground.
To commemorate all our hard work and celebrate our culturally diverse area we have arranged Desmond Dekker Day, a free community event for all to enjoy! We have some pretty exciting stuff lined up! Keep reading!!
Mural painting
Firstly, as part of the celebration we came up with the idea of painting a mural on the park hut, paying tribute to the legendary Reggae and Ska musician Desmond Dekker who spent his last days in Thornton Heath.
We are delighted to announce that Bareface, behind the Dare to Dream mural opposite the station, has designed it for us. We’d love for the community to come together to paint it.
Timings wise, mural painting will take place from 10am-12:30pm at the Ranger Hut, followed by food and live music, finishing at 4:30pm.
Music
1pm: Desrene Dekker will be performing some of her father’s classics, accompanied by the very band members who once shared the stage with the legendary Desmond Dekker himself.
And if that’s not enough, Desrene will also be reading a poem penned by her father while living here in Thornton Heath.
The fantastic DJ Beatnik Rubaine will take to the decks between bands, keeping the energy high & the dance floor alive.
3-4.30pm Reminisce Reggae Band will be bringing our favourite reggae and ska classics to life.
(Timings may change slightly)
Food
We’ll have some seriously tasty BBQ’d Caribbean food from @blazingfiresjerkshack available for purchase, along with cake & refreshments, but we’d also love, love, love it if you could bring along a favourite dish to share with the community.
How you can help
Please tell everyone you know (and don’t know!) about Desmond Dekker Day. Shout about it from the rooftops!
Volunteer as a steward, help with setup, and support throughout the event. Even just an hour would really help us out.
Be one of the two volunteer first-aiders on site
Leave your artistic mark! Pledge to join the volunteers painting the Desmond Dekker mural
Bring a dish to share
Come along and enjoy yourself!
If you would like to get involved, please get in touch: action@thorntonheath.net
See you on the 19th!