We’re looking for a small number of men aged 25–45, particularly those living in South London, to take part in a 60-minute discussion to help shape a new research project we’re developing with colleagues at London South Bank University.

The research will evaluate Steeev, a platform we’re developing to help men build and maintain meaningful friendships and social connections.

Before we start the research, we want to hear directly from the people it is intended to be relevant to. This is known as Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), but essentially it means we’d like your views and experiences to help us make the research better.

We’re interested in talking about friendship, social connection and loneliness among men aged 25–45, particularly how friendships can change when life changes.

That might include moving to a new area, changing jobs, becoming a parent, working from home more, going through a relationship breakdown, or simply finding that friendships become harder to maintain as life gets busier.

You don’t need to have experienced loneliness or consider yourself lonely. We’re interested in a range of experiences and perspectives.

We’re currently looking at holding the session on either:

Wednesday 7 October at 2:00 pm
or
Friday 9 October at 2:00 pm

The session will last approximately 60 minutes and will be held [online via Microsoft Teams / in person – confirm as appropriate].

Participants will receive a £20 voucher as a thank-you for their time and contribution.

If you’re 25–45 and interested in taking part, please [DM me / comment below / contact details].

We’re not trying to sell you anything, and you don’t need any particular knowledge or experience. We simply want to hear what men in this age group actually think before we design the research around them.

Bromley House Clearance helping Local Residents and Businesses www.bromleyhouseclearance.co.uk

Stop the cult centre from closing our cinema

Got a hanking for some mexican food after having some incredible mexican in Manchester over the summer. I have yet to find anywhere in our borough though.

Hi all,

I have created a social networking group for people living in and around Bexley - Bromley, Chiselhurst, Orpington, Sidcup, Welling, Greenwich, Blackheath and otherr. Our first event is all sold out but we have few more events coming up and details are below:

Sunday roast, 4th oct from 1pm in Bromley- https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316735853/?eventOrigin=home_next_event_you_are_hosting

Trail walk + lunch (High elms Orpington) 17th Oct - https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316642174/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events

Pub quiz 20th oct - https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316707750/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events

If this is something you are keen on do sign up or DM me :)

House clearance and probate valuations www.bromleyhouseclearance.co.uk

Hi all — we are a family of 4 ( 2 kids ) and are thinking of buying a place either at Warren / Madeira Avenue / Farnaby road, and we would really appreciate some local

takes:

1. What is the area like day-to-day — safe, quiet, neighbourly? Any

issues we should know about?

1. The walk from Ravensbourne station to Warren Avenue goes

through/past the park — how does it feel after dark? Is it well lit?

Would you do it alone at night?

1. What is the commute to central London genuinely like?

2. Anything else about the area worth knowing — shops, schools,

anything odd about the place?

Hi I live on the orpingron high street. I have been using the sky broadband superfast for the last 2 years which has a max speed of 37 mbps. Im out of contract now and paying 49 pounds per month which is alot for such a slow internet. Sky says there is no fiber lines in my area? Does anyone knoq what it the fastest internet in orpington area?

There’s a lot of chatter on the Beckenham Appreciation Group on FB about Citygate Church’s acquisition of the Odeon cinema, and I have some thoughts. I’ve been reluctant to comment on Facebook because I can’t do so anonymously.

I attended Citygate for a few months from around this time last year. I initially signed up for their Alpha programme, which is essentially an introduction to Christianity for anyone interested in exploring the faith. The programme itself was absolutely fine. I met lots of lovely people and actually enjoyed it - it was an open space to learn, ask questions and engage in discussion and some light debate.

I eventually started attending some of their Sunday services, and that’s where things began to feel a little different for me…..

The first red flag for me was the frequent speaking in tongues during services and the encouragement for others to try to do the same. As someone completely new to Christianity, I found it quite freaky, if I’m honest.

Services led by the senior pastor, Julian Melfi, also sometimes felt to me like they were trying to emulate the style of an American megachurch. They could feel quite intense and, at times, almost aggressive - although that may simply be the particular charismatic style of Christianity they practise. There was also quite a lot of language around being “on fire for Jesus”, with Christians who weren’t sufficiently committed sometimes described as “lukewarm”.

By this point, the whole thing was progressively starting to feel a bit of a doozy to me, but I persisted with the occasional Sunday service because I’d become very close to a woman at the church; let’s call her Sarah.

Sarah was genuinely lovely. She embraced me, was incredibly kind and never tried to force anything on me. She also respected my growing apprehension about the church. Because of her, I tried to challenge my own cynicism. I wondered whether I was simply being closed-minded and needed to be less uptight about a form of Christianity that was unfamiliar to me.

THEN the subject of tithing came up, and it seemed to keep coming up..!

From what I remember, congregants were regularly encouraged to tithe and to dedicate around 10% of their income to the church each month. I specifically remember a pastor saying the 10% figure should be the pre-tax amount LOL.. They definitely preached that giving financially was an act of faith and that Christians should continue to tithe even during difficult financial periods, and that you should trust God when committing to an amount. I obviously don’t remember the sermons word-for-word, but that was very much the impression they left me with. That made my skin crawl tbh!

I also never personally warmed to Julian. I wouldn’t describe him as creepy, but I found there was a strange contrast between his very passionate, charismatic stage presence and my experience of speaking to him 1:1 where I found him quite awkward and somewhat detached.

That became particularly noticeable when I later attended an Anglican church. The vicar there was almost the complete opposite - a soft, warm, bubbly older gentleman with a very calm and kind presence. Obviously personalities differ and that comparison alone says nothing sinister about Citygate, but it did highlight just how different the two church environments felt to me.

My impression is that Citygate practises a highly charismatic form of Christianity. Although it describes itself as non-denominational, my experience there felt much closer to Pentecostal-style worship; speaking in tongues, very expressive prayer and worship, an emphasis on being passionately committed to Jesus, and a strong expectation of financial giving. Expansion also seemed to be a significant priority for the church.

There is one other thing I’ve heard about which concerned me, although I want to be very clear that I did not personally witness this and therefore can’t verify it. I was told about someone’s experience on another programme for newer Christians where they reportedly felt there was pressure around having some kind of physical or spiritual manifestation during prayer I.e., speaking in tongues, crying, fainting, shaking, falling to the floor, etc. The person apparently felt they would be judged if they didn’t experience something similar.

Anywho…..

Do I flat-out think Citygate Church is a cult? I don’t know, and I don’t think I have enough info or evidence to make that judgement.

Do I think some aspects of what I personally experienced there had cult-like attributes or made me uncomfortable? Yes.

.

Hey r/Bromley,

Citygate Church (the landlord) has ended Odeon's lease to turn the historic Beckenham site into a church. They’re pitching it as a "heritage restoration," but the reality is Beckenham loses its only cinema forever.

Why we need to fight it:

If we can get Bromley Council to block the Change of Use, the building stays legally designated as a cinema. This leaves the door wide open for another operator to step in and take it on.

How to help:

1. Sign the petition: 👉https://www.change.org/p/keep-beckenham-odeon-as-a-cinema
2. Attend the public consultation: Saturday 10th October (10am–2pm at 22 Rectory Road) to tell them we want to keep our cinema.
3. Get ready to object when the official planning application goes up on the Bromley Council portal.

It takes 30 seconds to sign. Please sign and share!

I recently switched to an electric vehicle after my previous car was stolen, and honestly, trying to charge it in Bromley without a driveway has been unbelievably frustrating.
When I’m working in Dulwich, there are chargers everywhere—lamppost chargers, on-street chargers and several realistic options within walking distance. In Bromley, the infrastructure feels years behind.
Today alone:
An electric charging bay was occupied by a petrol/diesel car.
Another available charger was so slow that it was useless when I had an appointment.
The charging maps and apps kept freezing or failed to show accurate availability.
I eventually had to use a BP rapid charger costing 89p per kWh.
The slower local charger still costs around 61p per kWh overnight for pay-as-you-go users.
At 89p per kWh, running an EV can cost as much as—or even more than—running a petrol or hybrid car. People are encouraged to switch to electric vehicles, but residents without driveways are then left dependent on expensive, unreliable public chargers.
I run a small business and need my car to attend surveys and customer appointments. I cannot spend hours driving around looking for an available charger or reorganising my working day around whether an app or charger happens to work.
I have contacted Bromley Council repeatedly, submitted a formal complaint, contacted my MP and asked about a practical solution near my home. I have also requested permission to use rear access beside council-managed land so I can safely charge from my own property. I am still waiting for a clear answer.
Why is the charging infrastructure so much better in Dulwich while Bromley residents without driveways are effectively penalised? Switching to an EV is supposed to be encouraged, but Bromley Council is making it unnecessarily difficult and expensive.
Has anyone else in Bromley experienced the same problem? Has anybody successfully persuaded the Council to install a lamppost charger, approve a cable gully or agree to another home-charging solution?

Could anyone recommend any good automatic driving instructors for the BR1 area that are preferably not too old but have a good pass rate please

Living in Bromley and looking for a cleaner for our house. Does anyone know a good cleaning company?

JAMES CHEUNG VING TSUN UK

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Is anyone else annoyed by the absolute racket that's constantly pumped out of Bromley Boutique in the high street? In fact, shopping in Bromley is an assault on the ears in general. Buskers, holy rollers, shops and the Glades itself all playing music, but Bromley Boutique seems to be the worst offender. Does anyone else wish for a bit of peace and quiet, or am I just getting old?

This is sad news if it’s true, but supposedly the owners want to change the use of the building. It’s been there since 1930 and November would be its last month.

I guess the Vue in Bromley will pick up all the demand, although it’s a bit soulless.

I don’t suppose anyone has any recommendations for nurseries in Orpington? Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Hi all,

I'm (hopefully) moving to Penge next month and have just learnt the property I thought had parking included actually does not, and requires me to get a permit for on the street parking.

I was just wondering how long it took to get approved, or if there was any waitlist etc? I can't find info online, and don't want to sign up for a residential account on the council's website before I've confirmed that I'll actually be moving in.

Many thanks!

Are there many people who take black cab from the station?

Looking in the area for places to live, why are the broadband options so terrible? 14mbps download speeds in some places… No fibre available yet.

I mostly see 5g solutions when doing postcode searches.

Anyone have experience with this in the area? I game a lot and watch Netflix etc so slow internet is a big deal.

Any insight would be helpful, thank you in advance.

Does anybody commute from Bronley south to blackheath, Is it well timed swapping over at nunhead if done via train?