Norwood Forum is a volunteer-led organisation covering the south-east area of the London Borough of Lambeth: West Norwood, Gipsy Hill and Tulse Hill.
We aim to celebrate our wonderful neighbourhood and its vibrant, diverse, but cohesive community whilst making a positive difference to the quality of life for people who live and work here.
Register for our regular newsletter, dedicated to connecting the local community.
Norwood Forum Committee members
Our committee members are annually elected at our summer AGM, held usually in June or July.
All can be contacted by email to: info@norwoodforum.org
Our congratulations to two of our committee members Tom Palmer and Pete Elliott on their recent success at the Lambeth local elections when they were elected as local councillors.
Tom will serve the West Dulwich ward and Pete will serve the Gipsy Hill ward.
They have tendered their resignations from our committee and we wish them every success in their new roles.
Jane East, Co-Chair
I have lived in West Norwood for 14 years, though until 2019 was working in international development, so spent long periods away. Since returning home, I have worked for The Cares Family, which builds social connections through intergenerational friendships, and Public Voice, which mobilises local residents to help improve public services. I am now a manager in the NHS. As a passionate advocate for community and citizen voice, I hope I can use my work experience for good in my own neighbourhood.
Odilon Couzin, Co-Chair
Odilon has lived in West Norwood since 2017 but has family ties going back more than 20 years. He has many years of experience working in the voluntary sector, including in literacy, emergency relief, HIV treatment, harm reduction and health access advocacy. Most recently he has focused on Indoor Air Quality. He is a strong proponent of solar power and an avid cyclist, though still trying to get used to London traffic.
Sue Osborn, Treasurer
Sue has lived in West Norwood for almost 40 years. She was a Chief Executive in the NHS for 30 years and then became the Chief Executive of a charity providing supported living services for adults with autism. She undertook autism design work with the Royal College of Art and became a Fellow in recognition of the work. She has been a school governor in Lambeth for almost 10 years and is now the Chair of the local Lansdowne Turney Federation which provides education for students with autism.
Noshir Patel
Noshir has lived in Norwood for the last 40 years. He trained originally as a research neuroscientist and subsequently worked as a manager in the NHS. He is currently retired and enjoys living in Norwood and would like to help make it a more lively and thriving community. He is currently involved in several local groups and amenity societies including the Norwood Forum and the Friends of Brockwell Park.
Anne Crane
Anne has lived in the area for the past 21 years with connections going back more than a quarter of a century through a local school which both her daughters attended. She is a chartered town planner currently working for Transport for London but who started her career in the Lambeth Planning Department. Anne is Chair of the Norwood Action Group and is active in her street Residents’ Association. She wants to make Norwood an even better place in which to live, work, shop and spend leisure time – and to protect what is good and try to prevent what could be harmful to the area.
Dr Andrew Johns
I have lived and worked in South London since entering Guy’s Medical School in 1972; and I have lived in West Norwood for over 30 years. My family and I have found it a marvellous, varied and friendly place to live. I was a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist at the Maudsley for over 30 years with experience of complex mental health care in community and hospital settings; involving working with prisons, police and the courts. I continue to do part-time medicolegal work. My main interests are spending time with family and friends, opera and literature. I am convenor of my street neighbourhood watch. I hope to use my knowledge of health issues to improve working links with a range of local resources.
Gloria Orosungunleka
I moved to Norwood in 2011. I have enjoyed seeing the changes in Norwood and enjoy participating and seeing changes on behalf of the people in Norwood. As a trade union activist, I believe that the workers are the union and are stronger together in their outcomes. I believe that the community in Norwood has grown from strength to strength with togetherness, and believe that all people who live, work, study and visit Norwood have and will continue to have their views heard. I enjoy seeing the community thrive and look forward to seeing Norwood grow further to being a wonderful, exciting cultural hub. I am currently involved in the faith community and currently attend a church in Brixton. I enjoy reading and exploring the local community.
Philip Virgo
South Londoner born and bred, returned in 1996 after 23 years exile north of the river (Thames). My objective is to help those much younger than me to make West Norwood a better place in which to grow up and grow old, with safe local access (including for those with limited mobility) to health and welfare facilities, care and support for young and old and to education, training and employment opportunities.
Bryn Lockwood
I am a transport planner with background in public transport planning and developing ‘active travel’ projects to make it easier for a greater number of people to walk and cycle for everyday journeys. I have become familiar with the challenges of delivery of changes in the public realm, but also of the benefit of these once they are in place and bedded in, and of the importance of making these changes and ensuring the local community are part of the process of determining how these are shaped, implemented and especially the finer details of these.
I have lived in Tulse Hill and West Norwood area for over twenty years and feel very much part of the area and the community.
Previous experience of working with Norward Forum as a member of the community steering group for the Tulse Hill Gyratory redesign project – which unfortunately did not get delivered at the time, though I am delighted that more recently the community campaign Transform Tulse Hill has emerged with the same ambition.
Anita Hall
I have been lucky to live in and around West Norwood for over 16 years; my children are growing up, and I now have some time to get more involved in the Norwood Forum.
I have volunteered in communities for most of my life. Locally, this has included work supporting young people with their studies, helping at the Friends of Gipsy Hill’s events and Friends of Norwood Park action days, litter-picking and helping to care for local community green spaces.
My day job includes scientific research and teaching and mental health first aid and instruction, and I am currently completing a course in community orchard care and management. I am happy to bring any useful experience I have to the Forum’s work.
Jackie Meldrum
Jackie is chair of the Lambeth Horticultural Society, based in West Norwood, and is keen to promote gardening for benefits of both wellbeing and the local environment in a neighbourhood with a higher % of garden space than much of Lambeth. Jackie has lived in Lambeth most of her adult life and brought up her children here. Jackie contributes to the work of the Forum with her appreciation of the communities and networks in West Norwood gained during her past years representing the area as a Lambeth councillor.
Nicklav Bekder
Nicklav has lived in Norwood for the past 10 years but has been in the wider area for over 20 years, contributing as a community connector and also as a wellbeing practitioner.
She has interests in promoting positive psychological wellbeing (advice and activities) and has worked in a variety of sectors, all related to Improving Health, including in Tech and the NHS. Nicklav looks forward to seeing how the Norwood Forum evolves and develops over the course of time and hopes her contributions will equally create lasting positive impact for the community and the committee.
Jacinta Waters
Born in Australia, I travelled to London in 1990 and quickly realised that London was the place I wanted to make my home. I have lived and worked in West Norwood for over 30 years and have, alongside my husband, brought up two children in the area. I trained as a teacher in Australia and have worked locally, at Hitherfield Primary School, for most of my career. I retired 3 years ago, having spent my final decade or so in post as the Deputy Head and then 'Head of School'. I have a strong interest in developing communities. In particular, I would like to find ways to encourage children and young people to increase their agency by engaging with decision making processes within their community.
Norwood Forum · c/o The Old Library · 14-16 Knights Hill · London, SE27 0HY · United Kingdom