Author: Blake Foster

The monthly Wembley Park Farmers’ Market will return to Market Square on Sunday, July 13, from 9am to 6pm. With more than 25 traders, the market offers a wide range of fresh produce and artisan goods. Shoppers can expect to find farm-reared and organic produce, vegan treats, Mediterranean goods, home-grown plants, organic wines, Italian deli goods, and homemade pies among other items. The same day, BOXPARK Wembley will host The Kids’ Table, a day of complimentary, creative activities for children to enjoy. The activities will run from 12pm to 4pm in Olympic Way, the road leading to Wembley Stadium. Children aged three…

The fire service was called to Field Farm Road around 4.30pm yesterday (July 1). Around 60 firefighters in eight fire engines from Wennington, Hornchurch, Ilford and surrounding fire stations tackled the blaze.(Image: Yedis Drone Shots) The flames covered a hectare of shrubland – or 10,000 square metres. New Road was closed and Upminster Road North and Rainham Road experienced heavy traffic as a total of 21 people called in the fire.(Image: Yedis Drone Shots) Crews remained on scene throughout the evening to damp down hotspots. The fire came amid a heatwave of historic highs in the UK with July 1…

North London Grammar School (NLGS) took part in the International Greenwich Olympiad (IGO) 2025, which began on Monday, June 23 with an opening ceremony at Oxford Town Hall, welcoming more than 500 students and 186 supervisors from 53 countries. Over the course of the week, students presented 356 projects across 13 categories to a panel of more than 175 expert jurors. Councillor Andrew Gant joins students for Olympiad’s grand Oxford opening (Image: North London Grammar School) A spokesman from North London Grammar School said: “The International Greenwich Olympiad offered a unique platform that profoundly impacted its participants by fostering creativity, critical…

The London Cancer Hub donated the sports equipment to the school in Sutton as part of its commitment to social impact and community support. Aviva Capital Partners’ contribution will provide hundreds of students with opportunities for structured physical activity and informal play on the school’s multi-use games area. Read more:  The resources will support PE lessons, break-time activities, and occasional community group use. Joe Cutress, director of sport and wellbeing at Harris Academy Sutton, welcomed the donation. He said: “We’re grateful for the ongoing support from London Cancer Hub, Aviva Capital Partners, and Socius. “With no grass fields on-site, our…

Developer BexleyCo Homes wants to build 33 homes on the site at 89 High Street. Part of the façade of the existing building, which is locally listed, would be retained, with the rest demolished. Two new shops would also be provided as part of the scheme, as well as a roof terrace for residents. The site contains Erith Post Office, as well as the former Sorting Office and yard. The developer said: “Retaining both the south and east elevations, which contain almost all of the design interest of the building, would retain almost all that gives the building its character.…

Cllr Sheila Bain chose the hospice in Havering-atte-Bower as one of her two official charities during her year as mayor, which finished in May. It follows the passing of her brother Ian, who died at his own local hospice. “I know what incredible work Saint Francis does in caring for those with life-threatening illness,” Cllr Bain said. “I heard first-hand from families at a commemoration service at Brentwood Cathedral last year about their experiences of this hospice.” Cllr Bain, who represents Wanstead Park on Redbridge Council, nominated Saint Francis and Guide Dogs for the Blind as her two official charities as…

Clair Norris, who played the role of Bernadette (Bernie) Taylor, saw her final scenes air last night (July 1). The actress’ exit marks the final nail in the coffin for the Taylor family, who have now all left the show. Breaking her silence on the exit, she said the role, which she first took on in 2017, was the “best” and that it “changed my life”. The Longest-Running UK Soaps BBC EastEnders star breaks silence after on-screen soap exit Bernie left on screen alongside her cousin, Felix Baker, after a theft storyline played out. It was revealed Bernie had been stealing…

A funded training programme has launched in Epping through a partnership between the Institute of Swimming and Places Leisure, ahead of the opening of the new Epping Leisure Centre later this year. The centre will offer around 130 swimming classes per week, supported by newly trained instructors from a specialist academy. The programme allows would-be swimming teachers to become qualified for just £85—significantly less than the usual £1,000 cost. Mathew Nicholson, contract manager at Places Leisure, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing swimming to the new Epping Leisure Centre. “As we launch our new Learn to Swim programme we need to…

Kelvedon Hatch Community Primary School, in Brentwood, got the grading in all five assessment areas following an inspection by Ofsted on May 14 and 15. The inspection report, published on June 30, praised the “warm and friendly” atmosphere at the school and the way pupils “focus, engage and are interested in their learning”. Ofsted noted the impact of the school’s “revised behaviour policy” and the success of initiatives like “Funky Fridays” which encourage pupils to dance their way into school to improve attendance. Pupils at Kelvedon Hatch Community Primary School with headteacher Victoria Townsend (Image: Kelvedon Hatch Community Primary School) READ MORE: How Havering primary…

The shop at Kew Retail Park already has a food hall, but the clothing and home departments take up significantly more floorspace. However, M&S has said that it now wants to more than double the size of the supermarket to “enable the full range” of its products to be sold. The food hall would include a “walk-around cheese barge” as well as a larger bakery section, according to a planning application submitted to Richmond upon Thames Council. The upgraded supermarket would also sell Plant Kitchen and Gastropub product lines, and offer customers manned or self-service checkouts. Although M&S is not…