20 years of Friends of Windmill Gardens brought back to life

The 27th September was a night to remember at the Windmill Centre. Our 2023 annual talk saw a tour de force from vice chair and Friends long-term member, Nick Weedon. He had the audience on the edge of their seats, craning forward to see images of themselves in his superb curations of the archives of Friends of Windmill Gardens going back to 2003 and beyond.

To see the state of the Windmill before its current restoration brought a lump to the throat of many, whether they had joined the journey back at the start or had hitched a ride more recently. We heard more about the enlightened policy of Lambeth Council to empower the Brixton Area Forum, which the Friends grew out of. Other key supporters that got a name-check for their support, both moral and monetary included the Blenheim Gardens Residents Management Organisation, Magdalen Rubalcava, Richard Santheri, the Windmill pub and past chairs Steve Double, Adrian Garden and Jean Kerrigan.

All in all it was an evening of nostalgia, joy and reflection on what an incredible achievement it has been by the Brixton community to bring the Windmill back to life.