Picnic on Blackheath marks society's 75th anniversary (From News Shopper)

Picnic marks 75 years of the Blackheath Society

7:30am Friday 29th June 2012 in Lewisham By Mark Chandler

AROUND 300 people took part in a picnic to mark the 75th anniversary of London's oldest amenity society.

The Blackheath Society event on June 24 started with rain but, once the sun started shining, crowds of people descended on the heath to get involved.

Chairman Howard Shields described the early weather as "a biblical storm", but said the celebration reminded him of previous public events like the old bike and kite festival.

He said: "We'd very much like to see more events like these on the heath."

The society was founded in 1937 and has fought several high-profile battles since then over the heath's future.

Among the day's highlights was the unveiling of the Blackheath 'hub' - a spot in the middle which details some of the area's history.