The Use Your Loaf squatted social centre in Deptford, South London, is still open and functioning, despite attempts to illegally evict us and being taken to court. On Wednesday 11th August we went to court but managed to get the case adjourned for 7 days due to the ‘confusion’ about who really owns the premises.
Use Your Loaf has been squatted since early 2002, run by a locally based collective on a voluntary basis, with events, cafes, meetings, film nights, free information, music and games and more...
The 300 year old partially listed building we occupy is allegedly owned by a property company, Glen International. In late July they attempted to illegally evict us, but we saw them off. They then took us to court to get possession.
In court, however, we replied to their claim by questionig the status of Glen International as a legit company, and pointing out that their claim didn’t contain proper legal evidence that the solicitors/barrister had authority to act, from a bona fide director. The Judge agreed. He seems to have come across Glen International before, and not be entirely sympathetic to them. He adjourned the case for 7 days for them to produce a proper witness statement from a director, not the unsigned fax the barrister could muster. So we go back to Woolwich County Court n Wednesday 18th August.
Glen International is a shady company, registered in Liberia, which can be traced to a mysterious bloke called Barry Shelton, operating from Jersey. The alleged accountants/agents who tried to kick us out, SK Thakrar, claim to act on behalf of Glen International, but we have now seen evidence that Glen International is in fact an umbrella company for the various dubious property holdings of members of the Thakrar family. These folk, based in Woolwich, are very dodgy. They seem to be infamous among councils, courts and their various creditors, solicitors of theirs who they haven’t paid etc, all over South East London. It’s all very confusing and comical/unsavoury.
We are continuing to look into the windy strands of this business, but we don’t know what will happen on the 18th. But we will carry on resisting, through the courts and otherwise.
Please continue to support Use Your Loaf. We have events coming up. Show up and make us happy. If you want to host your own stuff here while we are here, get in touch.
WE WANT MORE THAN JUST THE CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE!
The Collective
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday 13th August, 7pm onwards: Cafe. Cheap food, good beer, scintillating conversation, plus a meeting around 9pm to discuss the future of the Centre. Come on down.
Saturday 14th. 12.00 - 3.30pm. Secondhand booksale. Books, records, plus nice cakes. Drop in, chill out.
Wednesday 18th, 7pm. Collective meeting. All welcome. To discuss the day in court and the future.
Friday 20th. Cafe.
Saturday 21st, 8pm on. Acoustic music night. Come and play, sing, hum, whistle or just to relax and listen.
Wednesday 25th, 7.30pm. Writers and readers’ night. Read your stuff or listen to others.
Use Your Loaf, 227 Deptford High St, London, SE8.
How to get there: BR: Deptford. Tube: New Cross. DLR: Deptford Bridge.
Buses: 47, 53, 177, 188, 199, 225, 453.
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
Keep up the good work guys...
12.08.2004 15:42
Nice one.
Alex
Homepage:
http://www.setforthbyone.com
Mysterious Bloke called Barry Shelton
28.10.2006 21:11
The Jersey Law Reports, bear in mind the only thing slower than a judge is a law reporter, have recently put online a judgment from the Royal Court, Jersey's Court of Appeal, from October 2005.
Barry has been a naughty boy.
Rumour has it that an English High Court judge might say some rather unpleasant things about dearest Barry early in 2007.
The Grim Reaper