Author: Blake Foster

Five children from the West Essex Inclusion Project’s Monday multi-sports group attended the event on Wednesday, June 25. The initiative aims to promote inclusion and recognise the achievements of young athletes with disabilities. Inclusive sports group chosen for guard of honour at England vs India match (Image: West Essex Inclusion Project) The chosen children were given the honour of forming the guard of honour, serving as flag bearers, and acting as mascots ahead of the England vs India match. This opportunity acknowledged their dedication and the impact of the West Essex Inclusion Project. The Monday multi-sports sessions, which started in…

Phoenix Community Housing held the event on July 8 for the Melfield Gardens development in Lewisham, which was attended by Goldsmiths, University of London staff, and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People, Lord Richard Best. The Passivhaus standard development consists of 30 affordable homes for people aged over 55, and two flats for Goldsmiths students. Phoenix celebrates Melfield Gardens: sustainable homes bridging generations (Image: Melfield Gardens) The students are offered this accommodation at a lower cost in exchange for volunteering within the community. Resident-led landlord, Phoenix Community Housing, said this development will “positively”…

Chan’s Restaurant was opened in 1947 by Mr Chan and sold to Peter Wan in 1970. Peter’s son Stephen took over in 2000 and continues to run the business until July 23 when the doors will close for the final time. “This place is like a family,” Stephen told the Recorder. “It’s a community restaurant – people who came and ate here when it first opened, their children and grandchildren are now eating with us. “I’ve seen babies grow into adults and have kids of their own – I’ve watched generations grow up.” MORE NEWS: New cafe ‘will breathe life’ into east…

The venue was opened by Highgate’s staunchest ‘people power’ campaigner Nicky Gavron and the birthday bash took place almost a year after the former Deputy Mayor of London died aged 82 last August. Gavron co-founded Jacksons Lane in 1975 and was its champion, and also successfully campaigned against the controversial widening of the Archway Road. Her political career mirrored Jacksons Lane, spanning five decades. A commemoration plaque was unveiled to honour Gavron’s contribution to north London’s vibrant arts scene. The festival kicked off with a circus parade along Archway Road with performers on stilts ‘walking tall’ in her memory. A community barbecue shared food and stories…

Councillor Mark Reed was found in the early hours of Saturday morning (July 5) at his home in Brentwood. Councillor Reed, who represented Hutton South since 2009, had also been heavily involved in amateur dramatics at Brentwood Theatre before leaving in 2017 after 16 years. In 2018, he produced Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Brentwood Centre, which featured Chesney Hawkes as Joseph. He was Brentwood mayor between 2015 and 2016 and chairman of Brentwood & Ongar Conservatives when Brentwood MP Alex Burghart was chosen as the Tory candidate for the 2017 general election. MORE NEWS: Family pays heartfelt…

Oak Road Surgery, also known as Dr Rana Chowdhury practice, in Oak Road has been deemed ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the second time this year. Inspections were carried out in March and April following the practice being put into special measures in January. In the most recent findings, the practice was rated ‘inadequate’ in the ‘safe’ and ‘well-led’ categories. It scored ‘requires improvement’ in the ‘effective’ category and scored ‘good’ in the ‘caring’ and ‘responsive’ assessment areas. The findings were published on July 3 and CQC inspectors found the leadership of the practice unable to demonstrate their “capability to deliver consistently high-quality…

The incident happened in North Road near East Road just after 7.40am today (July 9). Officers and London Ambulance Service crews attended and found a man unwell. He was pronounced dead shortly after. His next of kin have been informed. The death is being treated as non-suspicious. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: “On Wednesday, 9 July at 07:42hrs police were called by the London Ambulance Service to North Road, Colliers Wood following a medical incident. “Met officers attended the scene and sadly, despite the best efforts of paramedics, a man was pronounced dead. His next of kin have been…

The station, which is served by Southeastern trains, was listed by the Government among 50 other stations across the UK that have been earmarked for step-free access upgrades. Currently, there is no direct step-free access to platform 2 at Kidbrooke station. Passengers who do not want to go up stairs and across the footbridge have to walk more than 300 metres over a road bridge to access this platform. It is likely that any upgrade of the station would see lifts or ramps installed. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that a feasibility study for the upgrade works at the…

Chandos Way and Britten Close Estate in the Garden Suburb ward in Golders Green could see 15 homes added to the 220 home estate. The planning application, which has been submitted by B & C Crestpearl, states a single-story rooftop extension, built across the nine existing blocks, will house the additional flats. Beginning in 2018, previous versions of the extension plan were turned down with issues over uniformity and “significant bulk and height” which would be “out of proportion” highlighted. The “top heavy” design potentially reducing natural light into other homes was another concern. Now, the developer has said this…

But while director Tinuke Craig and movement director Ingrid Mackinnon create tense, pacy storytelling, they are let down by Dominic Cooke’s clunky adaptation, which teeters into melodrama. It’s a shame because Corinna Brown (Heartstopper) and Noah Valentine (Waterloo Road) make a poignant pair of star crossed lovers in a flipped world where dark skinned Crosses are privileged and white skinned noughts systemically oppressed by a brutal state. Malorie Blackman’s YA bestseller is set in a dystopian Britain where black skinned people are privileged and white skinned people are oppressed. (Image: Manuel Harlan) Blackman’s novel raises issues of segregated schooling, a stacked judicial system and armed struggle, which carries echoes…