Save Our Cinema rally

Like many people in Walthamstow, I attended the Save Walthamstow Cinema rally at the Town Hall. The planning application made by UCKG was rejected, and the story of the night was the community spirit around E17.

I can genuinely say that I don’t think I’ve ever felt more part of a community than I did last night. I was at the Town Hall from about 7ish and I didn’t get into the Committee meeting. To be honest, I sat through enough Planning Committee meetings to last a lifetime when I was a councillor!

"UCKG: Some Like It Not"

I was part of the 100 or so people who stood outside the Assembly Hall for over 2 hours, chanting and showing our support for the EMD as a cinema. It was amazing that most people stayed around, getting updates via Twitter and text on events inside the meeting, and when the decision was announced it felt like a massive communal victory. The atmosphere at the unofficial after-party in the Rose & Crown was fantastic, and I felt very proud and privileged to be part of the E17 community. It was great to meet a lot of people that I’ve spoken to on Twitter and Facebook, and a high-five to everyone who came up and said hello!

"Stowscene Hearts EMD", photo by @goronwy66

There are lots of cool blogs with more details about last night. The Just a Normal Girl in London blog has got a great account of the rally. Callaghan’s Laughing has some good photos from the rally.  The Scoop and BBC News both have reports on last night’s events. Finally, @radiokate has got some awesome Audioboo clips from the event. To keep up to date with the campaign, check out the Save Our Cinema site. Susan Murray has guest blogged about the event on Walthamstow Scene here.