Author: Blake Foster

Located at Harlow Retail Park, the new shop is the first of three new UK stores in the company’s new smaller format. The compact shops are intended to provide a faster, simpler customer experience, with a wide range of furnishings and small furniture available for same-day purchase and food options for customers wanting a quick bite. The store was opened on Thursday, July 24, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Harlow MP Chris Vince, Harlow Council leader Cllr Dan Swords, and the store’s staff. The Harlow store will now be open for customers to explore, with its compact layout designed for ease of navigation and…

Officers were called to Walton Road at 4.41am on Wednesday, July 23, following reports of a body. Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service also attended. The man, believed to be in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. A crime scene has been established on Walton Road and extended into nearby streets while police investigate the circumstances. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that the death is being treated as category 3 – sudden and not expected. A post-mortem examination will be arranged. Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting CAD 1022/23JUL.To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers…

Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters have been tackling the blaze in Heron Crescent since 1.30pm (July 24).  The roof of a two-storey derelict building is alight. Heron Crescent Sidcup derelict building fire: Live updates Residents are advised by the brigade to keep windows and doors closed due to large amounts of smoke being produced. Drivers can expect some traffic disruption on Main Road. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.  A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: “The Brigade received the first of eight calls at 1.31pm and Control Officers have mobilised crews from Orpington,…

A large fire broke out behind Clemence Road, which backs on to Beam Parklands, at around 6:30pm on Monday, July 14. It was tackled by more than 120 firefighters. Council leader Dominic Twomey said the fire would have spread to people’s homes if it was not for fire breaks that maintenance workers had cut into the grass in recent weeks. He said: “The very fact that our team – our frontline maintenance team – worked incredibly hard over the last months to put in the fire breaks that were acknowledged by the London Fire Brigade and others that stopped these…

The news comes amid reports that Cote Brasserie owners Partners Group are seeking new investors – with the less profitable of their 70 plus restaurants said to be at risk of closure. This week the chain shut its bistro in Muswell Hill Broadway, where favourite menu items included French onion soup, steak frites, tuna Nicoise and croque monsieur. A note on the restaurant’s website reads: “Sadly, we’ve now closed the doors to our Côte Muswell Hill restaurant. “With many other Côte restaurants in and around the London area, this isn’t really goodbye – instead à bientôt.”   Reaction to the news on the Muswell Hill Residents’ Association Instagram page…

Patsy Bloom was invited by Jewish Care to open the wing herself at its Sandringham centre in Stanmore, having raised £2.5 million for the organisation. She unveiled a ‘dedication board’ quoting her own words: “From the Swinging 60s to my swinging 80s — and I’m still here!” Patsy’s business success began as publicist for the 1960s ‘Swinging London’ fashion icon Mary Quant. But the 84-year-old today is more known for launching Pet Plan insurance back in 1976, after facing mounting bills for her shih tzu dog Jamie’s illnesses, and for being named ‘Business Woman of the Year’ in 1992. Her business…

On Saturday, July 26, audiences can watch The Bad Guys 2, with screenings at 9.50am, 12.20pm, 2.50pm, 5.20pm, and 7.50pm. The Fantastic Four: First Steps offers more options with showtimes at 10.45am, 12.15pm, 1.45pm, 3.15pm, 4.45pm, 6.15pm, and 7.45pm. How to Train Your Dragon will be screened at 9.40am and 1pm. Fans of Superman can catch the film at 10.10am, 1.10pm, 4.10pm, and 7.20pm. Jurassic World: Rebirth, rated 12A, has two showings at 4pm and 7.10pm. Smurfs will be available for younger audiences at 9.50am, 12.30pm, 2.50pm, and 5.10pm. The Wild Robot has a single screening at 10am. On Sunday,…

The advice comes before the start of free clinics across the capital, aimed at offering support to those affected by the condition. Throughout August, the clinics will be held in various Nationwide branches, including Sutton, and will be managed by specialist dementia nurses known as Admiral Nurses. These clinics will provide confidential, face-to-face guidance in a safe and private setting, covering various aspects of dementia. This includes concerns regarding memory issues, understanding a diagnosis, the progression of the condition, and assistance with financial and legal matters. Ruby Guild, Admiral Nurse at Dementia UK, said: “We’re looking forward to returning to…

Paul Perry, of Hilltop Gardens, repeatedly abused the victim in the 1980s. Kent Police began looking into the now 58-year-old after the offences were reported in 2019. Perry, who was the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order due to his previous convictions, was arrested in December that year and was later charged. He was found guilty at Canterbury Crown Court after denying three counts of gross indecency with a child and one count of indecent assault. Perry was jailed last Wednesday (July 16). In acknowledgement of Perry’s juvenile age when some of the offences were carried out, and the law…

The week-long strike action by British Medical Association (BMA) members comes as the NHS faces one of its busiest summers in recent years, with a spike in emergency admissions driven by heatwaves and increasingly complex patient needs. Resident doctors – those who have completed their initial medical degree and are now in postgraduate training or gaining experience in non-training positions – were awarded an average 5.4 per cent pay rise for this financial year, following a 22 per cent increase over the previous two years. However, the BMA says wages are still around 20 per cent lower in real terms than in 2008…