Jennifer Blake

I am a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 6. Growing up in Trent House on the Peckham Rye Estate and attending Ivydale Primary School gives me a great understanding of what it’s like to grow up in Peckham Rye.

In 2004 due to my own life experience as a young person I set up a project called the Eternal Life Support Centre (ELSC). The project’s aim is to work with young people involved in knife and gun crime to provide emotional and psychological support. We help to reintegrate them back into society by offering information and practical support; enabling individuals to develop and gain self-confidence, rebuild relationships between their peers, parents and the community as a whole.

I am also a community independent advisor to the Metropolitan Police in critical incidents and a qualified high-risk gang mediator. I am passionate about keeping the community safe and have held many events bringing hundreds of people from the community together in order to prevent violent crime.

Through the work that I do in the community I have received many awards recognising my achievements, including Community Champion Award from Mothers Against Gun Crime, Community Hero Award from the Damilola Taylor Trust, Southwark’s first Peace Award, Ambassador for Peace Award and the Directorship Award, to mention but a few.

In my spare time I enjoy listening to music, watching movies, cooking and spending time with my family.

Alastair Bowman

I have lived in Southwark for nearly twenty years, and have been living in Nunhead for the last six.

As an economist and teach Economics & Statistics at City University, I really enjoy helping young people gain a better understanding of the world around them. I believe passionately in an economics that benefits ordinary people, where we are not enslaved to the market but served by it. Having also recently completed a Masters degree in Social Research, I have the acquired the skills to evaluate the challenges people face in their day-to-day lives, and to determine effective solutions that benefit the wider community.

I am chair of Camberwell & Peckham Liberal Democrats and believe in our distinctive approach to politics that decentralises power and puts people back in charge. As a Liberal Democrat, I want a fairer, freer, greener Britain, and as a local resident I think the best place to start is in Nunhead and Peckham Rye.

When I’m not teaching or working in Peckham Rye, I like playing bridge and going to the theatre.

Laurie Eggleston

I graduated from Sheffield University in 2005 and have since worked for various financial firms in the UK and internationally. I have family in south east London and have seen it change over the years. After moving to Peckham 2 years ago, I quickly took an interest in local issues after seeing that Labour weren’t prepared to address the decline in Peckham.

A strong believer in ‘community politics’, where local people are empowered to create their own solutions to local problems, I see this as the way forward for Peckham to revitalise itself. I am excited by the energy in Peckham Rye, of local people wanting to be involved in improving their area, and by the emergence of talented local artists and musicians. Southwark is a great place to live and very popular with young people – and I want to be a strong voice for younger people in Southwark.

I am also a steering committee member of Southwark Rail Users Group, which fights for and defends the needs of rail passengers in our area.

Outside of work and local campaigning, I enjoy climbing, hiking, the gym and live music.