January 2022 - The Chiswick Calendar

Customers of Chiswick’s Leyland DIY store raise £2,263 for Macmillan

January 31, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: Leyland DIY store, Chiswick High Rd

The decorating and DIY chain Leyland SDM has handed over a bumper cheque for £111,683 to Macmillan Cancer Support after fundraising events across its 32 London stores.

A significant proportion of that amount – £50,000 – was raised through the company’s ‘Do it For London’ campaign, which encouraged customers to donate at least £1 when buying products at the end of last year.

Customers in the Chiswick High Rd store were amongst the most generous, contributing £2,263.

Macmillan said the donation would help them to continue to support cancer care professionals and the thousands of Londoners with cancer who may have faced disruption to their treatment or appointments due to the pandemic.

Jonathan Jennings, CEO at Leyland SDM, said:

“We are delighted to be able to make this huge donation to Macmillan, which is the result of three campaigns run across our stores.

“The generosity of our customers has been astounding and we are extremely grateful to them for getting involved so wholeheartedly. It’s a cause which is clearly very close to people’s hearts.

“Over the course of the year, we have had the pleasure of meeting people who have been helped by Macmillan, as well as Macmillan representatives, and it’s been humbling and inspiring to hear their stories.

Images above: Macmillan cancer support charity

Covid caused major disruption to cancer care services

Macmillan is the UK’s leading cancer support charity, with an ambition to do whatever it takes to help people with cancer live life as fully as possible. Covid-19 has put enormous physical and mental strain on people living with cancer, many of whom have experienced isolation, anxiety and even disruption to their treatment.

Robert Moon, Head of Relationship Fundraising at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

“We are extremely grateful to Leyland SDM and its generous customers for this tremendous donation.

“The coronavirus crisis has created major disruption to cancer services in the UK, leaving many people facing an anxious and uncertain time whilst waiting for their treatment and care to resume. Concerns about delays in receiving treatment, alongside increased emotional distress and financial uncertainty have left many feeling desperately anxious and alone.

“Macmillan’s Online Community gives people living with cancer the opportunity to connect with experts, share their experiences and find emotional and practical support from others in a similar situation. The Online Community can be used anonymously, in confidence and from the comfort of home and Leyland SDMs incredible support could help run the Macmillan Cancer Support Online Community forum for eight and a half months.”

Anyone in need of cancer support can call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, which is open seven days a week, 8am-8pm, or visit Macmillan’s Online Community. Those who are experiencing cancer symptoms should contact their GP as a matter of urgency.

Macmillan cancer support online community

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Devonshire Day Nursery employees receive bonuses of up to £1500

January 31, 2022/by Matt Smith

Image above: Devonshire Day Nursery, off Devonshire Rd in Chiswick

Devonshire Day Nursery in Chiswick were “delighted” to start the year with a tax-free dividend from their company, after scoring high marks in an Ofsted visit.

Employees who ‘contributed to the company’s success’ received payouts of up to £1500 by the nursery’s parent company, Childbase Partnership. Pro-rata payments were made to part-time workers and those who started working midway through the financial year.

After the Devonshire Day Nursery, off Devonshire Rd, were awarded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, employees became eligible for the bonus. Staff were said to be excitedly making plans for how they’d spend the extra money, ranging from long-awaited holidays affected by pandemic to new computers to help keep in touch with distant family members living abroad.

The company sent out over £2.2 million in total to its employees.

Childbase Partnership is employee-owned and has 45 day nurseries in the South of England. It was rated ‘the gold standard for business excellence’ in the prestigious European Business Awards 2018.

The nursery, which is for children aged six weeks to five years, was awarded its high score by Ofsted for its ‘innovative learning through play programmes in four imaginative, age-appropriate rooms’. The fully-enclosed garden is divided into a variety of separate special interest areas, where children can role play or plant, tend and harvest herbs.

Image above: Devonshire Day nursery employees pose with their learner driver stickers

‘Extremely grateful’ say employees

Nicole Johnson, Hayley Blissett and Sara Lates work at Devonshire Day Nursery. The three said they were putting money towards driving lessons.

Sara, an 18 year old apprentice, said:

“I am extremely grateful for the dividend payment as being able to drive is an essential life skill which I can gain thanks to this extra income. £900 can fully cover the cost of learning to drive and paying for both theory and practical tests, it’s a lot of money”

The nursery’s manager, Emmy Avery, said the dividend was the perfect antidote to post Christmas blues and reminded everybody their opinions and ideas with regards to the business mattered. She said:

“There is a real excitement in nursery following the bonus payment and it’s lovely to be reminded that our input is truly valued. We are personally invested in giving our children the best possible nursery experience and start in life, and happy and engaged staff help children to grow in confidence and realise their full potential.”

A cosy playroom for babies also has access to a separate, canopied and astro-turfed area providing out door, safe, clean play and crawling all year round.

Individuality is respected and celebrated by highly trained and experienced staff dedicated to achieving the best outcomes for each and every child at this warm and friendly nursery.

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Police hunting three men after stabbing on N207 bus in Ealing

January 31, 2022/by Matt Smith

Images above: CCTV image of one of the three stabbing suspects

Police are hunting for three men after an 18-year-old was stabbed on a bus in Ealing.

Detectives have released CCTV images of the three men they would like to speak to in connection with the stabbing, which took place on a N207 bus on December 29.

At the scene officers found an 18-year-old man suffering a stab injury. They administered first aid until the arrival of the London Ambulance Service who then took the victim to a central London hospital, where his injuries were deemed to be not life-threatening or life-changing.

Police enquiries established the victim was approached by three males, aged in their late teens to early 20s, on the upper deck of the bus before being stabbed.

The three suspects got off the bus by the Nationwide bank and were captured on CCTV walking in the direction of West Ealing.

Detectives investigating the stabbing have released CCTV images of three men they would like to identify and speak to in connection with the incident.

The police are asking anyone who recognises the men, or has information about the incident, to call 101 or Tweet @ MetCC quoting CAD 447/29DEC.

Image above: CCTV image of the other two suspects

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Chiswick musicians Vanessa Rose and Sandy Burnett playing Jazz at George IV

January 31, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Images above: Vanessa Rose and Sandy Burnett

This week’s Jazz at George IV session – the Greg Davis trio – features two well-known Chiswick musicians.

Vanessa Rose, when she’s not all glammed up singing in central London’s top jazz venues, can be spotted taking her teenage boys to football at Rocks Lane or to school at the West London Free School in King St.

Originally from Hammersmith herself, she won a music scholarship to Pimlico School, which kick-started her career.

“When I was younger I did dance music. I started doing session singing and just sort of fell into jazz” she told The Chiswick Calendar. Pre-Covid she used to sing at the Polish Centre POSK in Hammersmith sometimes, with her father Willie Garnett, a well-known drummer on the jazz scene, performing with the Willie Garnett Big Band.

“There is no genre I haven’t been influenced by” she says. “It’s literally from Mozart to Madonna”. She is currently writing her own songs, working with a Drum and Bass artist.

This Thursday, 3 February, she will be playing an atmospheric mix of classic jazz standards and Latin grooves with the Greg Davis trio. Always in demand to play at top venues such as the Chelsea Arts Club the trio will be featuring Greg Davis on tenor sax, Cliff Charles on guitar and Sandy Burnett on double bass.

“Expect Cole Porter classics alongside sultry Bossa Novas by Antônio Carlos Jobim”

Sandy is also a long term Chiswick resident. A musician and broadcaster, he is equally at home with classical or jazz music and describes himself as “an evangelist for music”.

He has travelled all over the world lecturing and leading music tours. Over the past couple of years he’s developed the Listening Club – a series of weekly meetings over Zoom in which he explores some of the masterpieces of classical music. He’s in the middle of a six week course now, exploring the music of Elgar and Ravel, sampling exotic scores by Rimsky-Korsakov and Debussy.

On Thursday he’ll be playing his double bass in a ‘magical musical melange’ loosely described as ‘classic’ jazz.

“Expect Cole Porter classics alongside sultry Bossa Novas by Antônio Carlos Jobim” he says.

“The Boston Room is a perfect place for laid back Jazz” Sandy tells The Chiswick Calendar. “The layout means no one in the audience is ever too far away from the performers but they also have their own space”.

He, like Vanessa, is looking forward to playing locally.

Tickets here: Jazz at George IV – Greg Davis Trio with Vanessa Rose

£13 / £11 for Chiswick Calendar Club Card holders

Venue: the Boston Room of George IV, 185 Chiswick High Rd.

Doors open 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

The Chiswick Calendar had a chat with Sandy on video in 2018, when he talked about how he mixes classical and jazz music in his professional life.

Video above: Sandy Burnett talking to The Chiswick Calendar in June 2018

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Urgent search appeal for missing 14 year old girl

January 31, 2022/by Matt Smith

Image above: missing girl Larisa

Police in Ealing have made an urgent plea after a 14 year old girl went missing from West London.

Larisa was last seen in Brentford at around 8.00am on January 28. She is known to visit Harrow, Edgware and Wembley.

In a picture released by the police, she is seen in her school uniform with long curly brown hair.

Officers looking for Larisa are urging anyone with information about where she is to get in touch either by calling police directly on 101 or calling organisation Missing People on 116000.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said:

“We would urge anyone with any information on her whereabouts to call police on 101, tweet @MetCC or call @missingpeople on 116000 and quote our ref CAD 2325/28JAN.”

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Former west London police officer charged with rape

January 31, 2022/by Matt Smith

A retired Metropolitan Police officer who was stationed in west London has been charged with rape, attempted rape and indecent assault. Former PC Stephen Kyere, 53, will appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, (1 February).

The charges relate to an incident in Teddington in April 2004 when the officer, then attached to Hammersmith and Fulham police, was off duty. Former PC Kyere was charged in January 2022 following an investigation by officers at the South West Command Unit.

He retired from the Met on 19 March 2021. The Met said misconduct matters will be considered following the criminal process.

The force added that specialist officers are providing support to the victim involved in the allegation, saying this will continue during and following the court process.

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Ealing woman jailed after pleading guilty to manslaughter of her child

January 31, 2022/by Matt Smith

Image above: Alijah Thomas

A woman who lived in Ealing has been jailed after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of her daughter.

Martina Madarova, 41, lived in Leyborne Avenue close to South Ealing station. She appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday (28 January) charged with the murder of her five-year-old daughter Alijah Thomas.

At the hearing, Madarova entered a plea of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility. The plea was accepted by the court and Madarova was sentenced at the same hearing to five years’ imprisonment.

Police were called at 12.56pm on Tuesday, 14 September following concerns raised for the welfare of the address where Madarova lived. Met Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended but despite their efforts, five-year-old Alijah Thomas was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination was carried out two days later. The cause of Alijah’s death was compression of the neck.

Martina Madarova was arrested at the scene and was charged on Wednesday, 15 September with murder. She appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 16 September where she was remanded in custody.

‘Every day I have to live through the loss of my daughter’, says father

Alijah’s father said:

“No words could ever explain or put into context how I have felt since Alijah was taken from us. There is no escaping this situation, every day I have to live through the loss of my daughter and the impact it has had on us. This has changed our lives.

“I am not only suffering the loss of my daughter but I have also lost my partner in these tragic circumstances. Martina was more than just a partner, she was my best friend and my soul mate. This is a case of mental health. There is no hatred towards Martina.”

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Shirley of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said:

“This has been a truly harrowing investigation that involved the loss of an innocent young life at the hands of a loved one.

“I sincerely hope that Alijah’s family are comforted by the knowledge that Martina Madarova will now receive the help that she needs. Our thoughts are with them today.”

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West Middlesex Hospital suffers from weekend power cut

January 31, 2022/by Matt Smith

West Middlesex Hospital suffered a power cut on Friday (28 January) which affected some of the hospital’s critical services.

Issuing a statement on the outage on Twitter and Facebook late morning on Friday, the hospital said it was ‘affecting A&E, imaging, urgent treatment centre and theatres’. They added:

‘We’re working with engineers to resolve this issue. Further updates to follow. Unfortunately, outpatient services may be impacted. You’ll be contacted directly with further information’.

Power was restored by 7.20am on Saturday (29 January), which they reported on Twitter: “We’re pleased to update the power outage has been resolved. All services running as normal.”

Chelsea and Westminster Trust, which manages the hospital, would not elaborate on the extent to which services had been impacted when we called them to ask. Were operations cancelled? Was anyone being operated on at the time? What happened?

All hospitals have emergency generators which kick in when there are power cuts so no equipment which is essential to maintaining life loses power. Presumably the back up system worked fine.

The hospital, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, serves the boroughs of Hounslow, Richmond-upon-Thames, and Ealing. It has over 400 beds.

Medic ‘turned away’ during outage

The Evening Standard reported that a medic had been turned away from a service she was trying to use on Friday due to the outage.

On social media she said:

“Got turned away from the imaging department at my local hospital because they had a power cut”.

A spokesperson for the NHS trust told The Chiswick Calendar:

‘We’re delighted that the power at West-Mid was restored. We are thankful to all our staff who worked tirelessly to resolve the issue.

‘We already updated the general public (check our West Twitter/FB), but will not be commenting any further, as this matter is now resolved.

What happened between 11.46am on Friday and 07.20 – how the staff coped, how many patients had their treatment cancelled or postponed – we are apparently not allowed to know.

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You’ll have to be organised to see the Chiswick House camellias this year

January 31, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: The heritage camellias in the conservatory at Chiswick House

This year’s show to be “low key”

The camellias in the conservatory at Chiswick House will be less admired this year. Normally the heritage plants are on show for several weeks and visitors can stroll through the conservatory admiring the different varieties in all their glory. This year the viewing will be more “low key” Chiswick House director Xanthe Arvanitakis told The Chiswick Calendar.

Chiswick House is having to keep the wings of the conservatory closed to the public as they are in need of conservation repairs. The rotunda will be open for just two weekends – 25 / 26 February and 5/6 March, so you can admire the flowers close-by and stand and look at the length of the conservatory from that central point.

Image above: The heritage camellias in the conservatory at Chiswick House; photograph Anna Kunst; close up pale pink camellia

You can also take a tour of the camellias outdoors. (Fun fact – camellias actually do better outdoors, which is something the gardeners at Chiswick House only found out when a WWII bomb shattered the glass of the conservatory and exposed them to the outside air).

There will be a pop-up shop where you can buy heritage camellia plants and other camellia related merchandise, and you can use your Chiswick Calendar Club Card for a 10% discount in it.

Chiswick House is talking to Hounslow Council, which owns the conservatory, about plans for its restoration.

Video above – Interview with the head gardener in 2015, Geraldine King, about the collection’s history and the 2015 show

A status symbol introduced by the 6th Duke

Chiswick’s rare camellias are one of the oldest collections under glass in Europe. Brought by ship from China, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years, they were a luxury commodity and a symbol of status. At the time of the 6th Duke, people thought they needed to be housed under glass. Queen Mary, wife of King George V, was a great admirer of camellias at Chiswick and visited regularly to see them.

These extraordinary plants were in danger of being lost as the Conservatory fell into ruin in the late 20th century. Three local members of the International Camellia Society stepped in to look after them and saved the historic camellias. Today, the collection comprises 33 different varieties, including examples of many of the earliest varieties introduced to Britain – Chiswick House gardeners believe some of their collection date back to the 6th Duke’s 1828 collection.

Visiting-the-Camellias-©-Jon-Perryweb home

Image above: Heritage camellias in the conservatory at Chiswick House; photograph Jon Perry

Camellia Talk

On 5 March at 3:00pm Nadege Forde-Vidal will give a talk about the Camellia Sinensis, also known as the tea plant, and the way this has crossed boundaries between art, medicine, religion, horticulture, trade and social behaviour for centuries.

Book tickets here: A global sensory experience through time

Image above: The rotunda of the conservatory at Chiswick House; March 2020; close up dark pink camellia

Camellia Competition

On 26 February, Chiswick House is delighted to be hosting the popular International Camellia Society annual camellia competition. This year, you are being invited to bring in your most beautiful bloom. Click here for full details and how to enter.

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Traineeships for 16-18s to enter employment, training or further education

January 31, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: training session at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust

Brentford Football Club’s Community Sports Trust is running a new 12 week programme starting in February designed to help young people aged 16-18 enter employment, training or further education.

Spaces are available on the full-time course, which offers 15 hours a week of work placements, 12 hours a week of ’employability’ training, and workshops aimed at providing young adults with the life skills they need to be independent. Sessions include money management, knife crime, first aid, health and nutrition.

The course also offers a Sports Leaders qualification and functional skills in English and Maths for those who have not passed GCSE level 4 / Grade C.

Brentford FC Community Sports Trust say their course offers young people the opportunity to improve their confidence and communication skills and supports their progress on the career of their choice, with opportunities to learn from industries including hospitality, youth work, IT and sports coaching.

Find out more about the programme here: Brentford FCCST Traineeship Programme

For more information email: kbaden@brentfordfccst.com

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Andrea’s film review – Flee

January 29, 2022/by Andrea Carnevali

Flee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by Andrea Carnevali

Flee tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time. Flee comes out on 11 February. (You will also be able stream it on the Curzon website).

Who would have thought that the best film I see in months would end up being an animated documentary?

Flee tells the extraordinary story of Amin, though we are told at the start of this that in order to protect the characters some names might have been changed. He is a refugee from Afghanistan who was forced to leave in 1989 when he was just a child, together with his mother and siblings.

The film is told through of a series of very intimate interviews and recordings made by his old friend, Jonas Poher Rasmusse, also co-writer and director of the film.

“Close your eyes” Jonas asks Amin right at the beginning. Slowly memories which have been locked up for 20 years start trickling out: harrowing tales, small and poignant details, mixed with thoughts, doubts, fears and regrets.

At times it almost feels like we are listening in to some very personal sessions with Amin and his therapist. And as the stories finally come out in the open, the film beautifully visualises them with a simple but warm and evocative animation.

It is incredibly effective and after a while you forget you’re watching an animation and the power of the storytelling suck you completely.

At times this reminded me of another animated documentary from 2008, Waltz with Bashir, in which the Israeli director was using a similar technique to try to remember his own traumatic experience as soldier during the war in Lebanon.

But Flee is an even more intimate piece of work, as Amin not only talks about his harrowing experiences as a refugee, but also about his ordeal as a gay man in Afghanistan and eventually his coming out moment to his family.

It is a powerful and unforgettable coming of age story. A work of beauty, deeply touching, thoughtful, profound, constantly inventive and a real masterpiece in storytelling, joining seemingly detached tales in a coherent narrative and an emotional journey.

I have to be honest, by the end I was an absolute blubbering wreck, but it was also a rewarding watch, full of light and hope too.

Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick.

Flee comes out on 11 February. (You will also be able stream it on the Curzon website).

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Andrea’s film review – The Eyes of Tammy Faye

January 28, 2022/by Andrea Carnevali

The Eyes of Tammy Faye ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by Andrea Carnevali

An intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. Out in cinemas from 4 February.

Andrew Garfield has been a really busy man but he’s now enjoying the fruits of his work.

His recent performance in Netflix’s Tick, Tick Boom! has been earning awards left and right (he’s going to be nominated at the Oscars, mark my words). His “surprise” appearance in Spiderman No Way Home (yes, the cat is out of the bag now, and we are allowed to talk about it) has made everyone on the internet hungry for more of him as Peter Parker.

And now with The Eyes of Tammy Faye there is going to be even more awards buzz, though mostly directed towards his co-star, Jessica Chastain. And rightly so.

She’s absolutely astonishing as the controversial televangelist Tammy Faye who, together with her husband Jim Bakker created a massive religious empire, with its own TV network and theme park, aimed at spreading the Gospel of God, or at least their version of it.

In the process they turned religion into a tax-free-and-get-rich scheme which eventually funded a lavish lifestyle.

Based on a fascinating documentary with the same title made in 2000, the film charts their rise and fall from humble origins to mega-stars and then the subsequent fall from grace.

But unlike the documentary, which clearly condemns the hypocrisy of the couple and their criminal activities, here director Michael Showalter (do watch his excellent comedy The Big Sick from 2018) tries to go for a much more sympathetic approach, especially towards Tammy.

Her depiction as a genuine soul is slightly undermined by the film’s comedic tone as if the film is struggling to decide whether it wants you to laugh at Tammy for her eccentricity, her chirpy voice and her clown-like make-up or feel sorry for her naivete being with a lying husband.

Garfield once again pulls out a great performance as the deeply troubled, sly and gay (or possibly bi) closeted Jim, and although his make up as an older man later in the film is not completely convincing, his final apology on TV is spectacular.

The rest of the cast is excellent too, including Cherry Jones who plays Tammy’s mother and Vincent D’Onofrio as Jerry Falwell, the mega televangelist with more skeletons in the closet than a character from Scooby Doo.

But the film really belongs to Jessica Chastain who elevates to film to a Must-See right from the first scene. Her brassy and yet nuanced, warm and compassionate performance, under heavy layers of prosthetics and even heavier make-up, which make her unrecognisable, is not just Oscar-worthy but one for the history books in my view.

Visually, the film is an explosion of all that is kitsch from the ‘70s and ‘80s, from the flamboyant clothes (fur coats and elephant pants galore!), to the gaudy décor (plenty of chintz and chandeliers) and so much hairspray that you can almost smell it (unless you’re wearing a mask if you watch this in the cinema).

So, in the end, however frothy, conventional in its construction and a bit superficial on the whole, I thought this was very entertaining and I had a ball with it!

Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is out in cinemas from 4 February.

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Hope that 533 bus route Chiswick stops may be reinstalled

January 27, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

The new Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance has agreed to meet with South West London Assembly Member Nick Rogers to discuss reinstating the Chiswick stops on the 533 bus route.

The meeting comes after local Conservative councillors joined with Nick Rogers and over 300 residents to petition the Mayor of London to reverse cuts to the 533 service which would have removed all Chiswick bus stops on the route.

Adrian Haberberg, who is in his late 60s and lives along the A316, launched the petition in June last year in the hope of generating enough support and awareness for the route’s planned diversion, so as to persuade the mayor’s office to reverse the change.

He wrote to The Chiswick Calendar saying the route was a “god send”. He couldn’t understand the reasoning behind the move, to told us.

The 533 route was altered to include three stops along the A316 following the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, but these stops were then removed in July 2021. Residents, local Chiswick councillors and South West AM Nick Rogers objected to the cut from TFL, arguing that the additional stops made areas that were previously poorly accessible much easier to reach for Chiswick residents.

“I was disappointed when TFL cut the 533 route stops in Chiswick, especially given the importance of offering alternative, sustainable modes of transport to residents if we’re to encourage them to use their cars less frequently,” said Nick Rogers, Conservative South West London Assembly member.

“I’ve received dozens of emails and letters from constituents in Chiswick concerned and disappointed about TFL’s decision to cut the route, so I’m delighted that we’ve now been able to secure a meeting with the Deputy Mayor in order to look at reinstating the Chiswick stops.”

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Paediatric doctors seek to reassure parents over vaccines for 12-15 year olds

January 27, 2022/by Matt Smith

Paediatric doctors working in west London have sought to reassure parents unsure about vaccinating their children that they should have them vaccinated.

NHS North West London hosted an online discussion on Wednesday, 26 January for young people, parents, guardians, carers, teachers and school nurses to provide information about the vaccine and immunisation programme.

The panel included consultant paediatricians Dr Liz Whittaker and GP Dr Hermione Lyall, as well as a parent whose daughter, who was not clinically vulnerable, had suffered from a severe Covid infection which resulted in her hospitalisation. The session also included questions from the public around potential side effects from vaccination.

The hour-long webinar began with Dr Whittaker presenting Covid-infection, serious illness and death data among young children. She highlighted that England had some of the best data in the world showing how many children were admitted to hospital with Covid-19. Out of 11 million children in England, 3.6 million who were estimated to have tested positive, 5,830 were hospitalised and 251 went to the Paediatric ICU.

Almost 700 children were admitted with PIMS-TS, a rare inflammatory condition brought on in children post-infection, and of these children 309 were sent to Paediatric ICU.

Dr Whittaker said children from non-white backgrounds and those with chronic illnesses were more likely to end up in intensive care as a result of catching Covid.. Though admitting only a “tiny proportion” of children out of the whole population are admitted to hospital because of Covid, she stressed preventing these admissions through vaccination would be “fabulous”.

Images above: a child suffering from PIMS-TS, a post-Covid infection long-term illness

Vaccine reduces risk of infection illness PIMS-TS

Dr Whittaker elaborated on the side affects of PIMS-TS, symptoms of the illness can present as red rashes on the surface of the skin, bloodshot eyes, a cough, vomiting, abdominal pain, sore throat, headaches and diarrhoea.

Citing vaccination data from the American Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Dr Whittaker highlighted how between July and December 2021, vaccination reduced the likelihood of 12-18 year olds developing PIMS-TS by 91%. The same CDC data revealed that 95% of adolescents hospitalised with with PIMS-TS were unvaccinated and no vaccinated patients who were admitted needed life support.

The CDC data summarised that vaccination was the best protection against PIMS-TS.

Further data presented by Dr Whittaker showed vaccination largely prevented the development of long Covid in adults, though there was no accompanying data presented for adolescents.

Image above: Anna Down and her daughter Alex

“Athletic” child who swam regularly hospitalised with Covid

The session included GP Anna Down and her daughter Alex sharing their experiences after Alex was hospitalised with Covid.

Despite being in none of the risk categories, Alex caught Covid in September 2021 as part of a big outbreak at school where over half of her year tested positive with the illness.

While a “big proportion” of those children were unwell and missed several days of school, Alex was admitted to hospital eight or nine days after being infected and subsequently to intensive care where they met Dr Whittaker. Alex had “significant Covid infection” and spent over a week in hospital, not making it back to school properly until January 2022.

Anna said:

“By way of background, she’s a competitive swimmer, she’s the fittest person we all know and has no underlying health conditions. It’s great she’s back to where she was and back to competing in terms of swimming. But it was a pretty tough few months and a tough time in hospital.”

Alex said she was frustrated she and her friends hadn’t been given the option to get vaccinated sooner, wishing she could have avoided the ordeal entirely. Following the guidance, Alex was vaccinated 12 weeks after infection as soon as she was eligible.

Image above: a graphic taken from BBC news used in NHS presentation

Benefits vs risks

Dr Whittaker went on to discuss the benefits and risks of vaccinating children.

Per 1 million first doses, two intensive care admissions are prevented and 87 hospital admissions are prevented. Per one million second doses a minor increase of 0.16 intensive care admissions are prevented and six hospital admissions are prevented.

Vaccine risks include up to 34 cases of myocarditis per million doses. Myocarditis is a rare heart inflammation side effect associated more-so with the Pfizer vaccine.

Myocarditis presents itself as mild chest pain and breathlessness and young people who are unlucky enough suffer from it. Dr Whittaker noted that children tend not to be in hospital for very long should and are often prescribed ibuprofen and discharged. As a precaution doctors also recommend no vigorous exercise for up to three months.

The second highest risk group, as reported in American data, was 12-15 year old males who had a 45.7 out of 37 million chance of reporting a case of myocarditis. While stressing she did not want to diminish the cases of illness as reported in American data, Dr Whittaker said the risk of contracting Covid and its associated complications was much higher than those associated with vaccination.

She added vaccination is a way for many to return to “normal life” as well as be increase confidence among families with vaccinated children as they would have an extra layer of protection with the additional benefit of decreased risk of infection and transmission.

Parents were concerned about fertility

Parents attending the webinar quizzed the doctors about their concerns about the affect the vaccine could have on fertility.

Giving only her first name, Eve asked:

‘Has sufficient research been done on the impact on hormonal development and fertility with respect to vaccinating 12 yr old girls?’

To which Dr Whittaker replied:

“Obviously this is a huge concern for many people. There has been lots of anecdotal data about the impact of vaccines on periods, and people having bigger gaps between their periods, there’s the natural conclusion that might have an impact on fertility. I think as well the fact it’s called an MRA vaccine, it sounds like DNA, that itself can cause a lot of worries about impact on fertility.

“The UK Obstetric Surveillance System and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology have been doing research into this because it is obviously hugely important to understand. We know that many things can influence your periods, including being unwell, having infections, being stressed. We’re human and those things affect our hormones.

“But they haven’t seen any evidence, from this vaccine or any other vaccine, that causes an impact on fertility to date. There is not biological plausability as to how that would happen either. You can’t scientifically explain how the vaccine would impact on fertility, but you can explain how it would impact on your periods because we are human and we respond to things like that.”

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New IKEA opening in Hammersmith in February

January 27, 2022/by Matt Smith

IKEA will be opening new store in Hammersmith next month.

The Swedish store, known for for its affordable furniture, unique appliances and meatballs will be opening on 24 February in the former Kings Mall shopping Centre.

The store will have have an entry on King St, which is the first time UK customers will be able to shop for IKEA products a high street. Normally customers would have to travel via car to a larger store, typically usually on the outskirts of a large town or city. The store will be the first of its kind in the UK, and only the eighth of its kind globally.

Being a smaller store, this IKEA will focus on home accessories and soft furnishings, while larger home furniture pieces will be on display and can be ordered for home delivery or delivery to nearby collection points. The shift towards smaller format, inner city stores comes as more of IKEA’s business shifts online. Digital sales grew by 73% last year and now account for around £1 in every four spent with the shop.

The premises will be roughly one quarter the size of a regular IKEA store, with 4,000 product lines on display and 1,800 available to take away on the same day.

Despite the reduced store size, The Swedish Deli, and the IKEA staple meatballs, will be available. The deli will serve hot and cold traditional Swedish food, including smörrebröd open sandwiches, Nordic chicken caesar and Swedish mazarin. Variations of IKEA’s traditional meatballs, including plant balls, will also be available.

Images above: store entrance inside the former Kings Mall shopping centre, the Swedish Deli (Images taken from IKEA)

New store ‘accessible, affordable and sustainable’, says IKEA boss

Peter Jelkeby, country retail manager and chief sustainability officer at IKEA UK & Ireland said:

“As shopping habits evolve and city centres continue to be redefined in the wake of the pandemic, this new store format marks the next step in our business transformation as we strive to make IKEA more accessible, affordable and sustainable.

“For the first time, Londoner’s will be able to take the tube to an IKEA store, pop in, grab a yellow bag and buy all the home furnishing accessories that make a house a home. They will also be able to explore the whole range, for delivery to a convenient collection point or directly to their home.”

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Developers introduce height cap after Ealing tall buildings statement

January 27, 2022/by Matt Smith

Plans for the regeneration of Friary Park in Acton are being changed to cap the height of the buildings.

Developer Mount Anvil and housing association, Catalyst, say they are responding to Ealing’s Tall Buildings Position Statement.

They say they will work with experts from the council and the Greater London Authority on the revised scheme, which would retain all of the outside space and amenities.

The joint venture aims to build an additional 106 affordable homes in phase one.

The scheme received planning permission in 2019 for 990 homes, with 45% of them classed as genuinely affordable. Communal areas and outdoor spaces would be included, and are not expected to be changed by the height cap.

LB Ealing recently promised to stop the “spread of skyscrapers”, issuing new guidance to developers stressing the need for more affordable housing and more sustainable buildings. It defines tall building as “those that are substantially taller than their neighbours and/or which significantly change the skyline”.

Image above: 25 storey ‘monster tower’ next to the Bollo Lane railway crossing in Chiswick

‘We have listened to concerns’, say developers

Marcus Bate, a Mount Anvil director, said:

“Our business is built on collaboration and listening.

“We’ve listened to concerns about the proposed increase in height to the four tallest buildings at Friary Park and we are collaborating closely with Ealing’s planners to find a better solution, which achieves the same community benefits.”

Richard Smith, of Catalyst, added:

“Community-oriented communal outdoor spaces and enlarged balconies for all homes are going to really enhance the lives of Friary Park’s residents.”

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Hounslow to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month with arts event

January 27, 2022/by Matt Smith

LB Hounslow is hosting an online arts event on Tuesday 8 February to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month. The event will look at queer history and heritage and various guest speakers are lined up for the occasion.

It will take place from 5.45pm to 6.45pm. Tickets are free, and the event will be held online.

Hounslow residents will also be able to submit their artwork to the borough’s adult education tutors, who will choose a selection to display at an exhibition scheduled for June 2022.

The online event aims to foster artistic talent in the borough and offer a platform to display local residents’ work. Entrants need not belong to the LGBTQ+ community to submit artwork.

The theme, Politics in Art: ‘The Arc is Long’, will involve portraying the long fight for equality and struggles of LGBTQ+ community against homophobia as well as the empowering and championing of rights for the queer community. All entries will be judged on their composition, originality, technical ability, adherence to the theme and suitability for inclusion in exhibition.

Entrants must be over 18 and must declare any conflicts of interests, such as knowing a member of the judging panel. Other entry requirements include submitting work that has not already been exhibited, avoiding the use of religious or party political symbols, brand logos, slogans and nudity. Group entries will be accepted.

Image above: Freddy Mercury, previously a Hounslow resident, and his blue plaque in Hounslow (BBC News)

Council hopes to ‘nurture artistic talent’ in the borough

Guest speakers include artist Rowan Frewin, museum curator Amy Dobson and Councillor Katherine Dunne.

There is a rich heritage of art in Hounslow to discuss as Amy Dobson, a curator at Gunnersbury Park Museum, explains:

“We want to celebrate local LGBT+ icons like Freddie Mercury and Charles Robert (CR) Ashbee as well as contemporary artists like Rowan Frewin. Everyone knows Freddie as a global rock legend, but he was from Feltham and studied art and fashion, while the hugely influential designer and architect CR Ashbee grew up in Isleworth. Equality is a political issue and has long been expressed through art of all kinds.”

Covered_bowl_by_Charles_Robert_Ashbee,_Guild_of_Handicraft_London,_1900,_silver,_enamel,_mother-of

AWG87427 Portrait of Charles Robert Ashbee (1863-1942) 1903 (charcoal and chalk) by Strang, William (1859-1921) charcoal and coloured chalk on paper © The Art Workers’ Guild Trustees Limited, London, UK Scottish, out of copyright

Image above: Covered bowl, designed by Ashbee, 1900; portrait of Ashbee by William Strang, 1903

CR Ashbee (1863 – 1942) was a prime mover of the Arts & Crafts movement. He is variously described as an ‘entrepreneur’ and ‘social reformer’ as well as a designer and architect. As a craftsman his work included metalwork, textile design, furniture and jewellery.

His family’s dynamic was interesting and illustrative of the time: a conservative father irritated by “the excessive education” of his daughters and his wife’s support of suffragism, from whom Charles, not only gay but a socialist, became estranged.

Cllr Dunne will open the event and is Hounslow Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities. She said:

“I’m looking forward to celebrating LGBT+ History month with this event. We are proud of our diverse communities in Hounslow and we will try and offer a unique learning experience to attendees.”

It's here! My new zine 'A Potted Trans History' will be available from my Etsy from Saturday and from a selection of independent bookshops very soon. Each page features illustrations and information about trans history #LGBTHM21 #LGBTHM pic.twitter.com/WvDRvUPG3v

— Rowan Frewin (@Rowanasaur) February 11, 2021

Above: Rowan Frewin’s artwork posted via their Twitter

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Andrea’s film review – Parallel Mothers

January 27, 2022/by Andrea Carnevali

Parallel Mothers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by Andrea Carnevali

The story of two mothers who give birth the same day. Out this Friday in selected cinemas, including Chiswick Cinema.

As I was watching Parallel Mothers I was reminded of how much I adore Pedro Almodóvar’s work. I’ve seen most of his films and with the exception of the rather silly I’m So Excited! I’ve pretty much liked all of them.

His bold colours, his attention to décor and costumes, his love for dipping into excessive kitsch and camp and, most of all, his insightful depiction of women through melodramatic stories, full of humour and often convoluted (and slightly contrived) plots have cemented Almodóvar’s name not just in Spanish cinema, but in the history of cinema full stop.

This film, like many of his previous ones, is centred on a story born from some crazy coincidence. Many of the director’s trademarks are present too, including Penelope Cruz, in one of her best performances since Volver from 2006. Watch out also for newcomer Milena Smit, because she is wonderful too.

About half an hour into this, little cynical that I am (so full of myself!), I thought I knew exactly what I was watching and I could see the director building up towards a revelation which to me was so obvious that for a moment I almost lost confidence in the whole film.

Then, all of sudden, the film took an unexpected turn, and then another one… and another… and another. At which point I really had no idea where it was heading to and I found myself drawn in more and more, emotionally moved and fascinated in equal measure. That’s when I realised I was loving being in the company of these women and I could have watched hours and hours of this film.

Parallel Mothers is constantly surprising, as it shifts left and right through a series plot twists and revelations which in the hands of a less experienced director could have felt fake and over the top.

I’m being very cagy here, because the less you know about what happens in the film, the better. Let me just say that it’s a story about motherhood and family ties… and let’s leave it at that.

Slightly less successful is the amalgamation of a secondary plot about an excavation of a mass grave where victims were buried during the Spanish Civil War.

This is a part of history the director is very passionate about. It was the subject of a powerful documentary he produced in 2018 called The Silence of Others, but while clearly the link between the two storylines is still about ancestry and connection with families, and however moving the final scene was, I couldn’t help feeling that this part was a bit forced and should have belonged to another film altogether (which would definitely have been just as strong).

Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick.

Parallel Mothers is out this Friday in selected cinemas, including Chiswick Cinema.

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Andrea’s film review – Leopoldstadt

January 26, 2022/by Andrea Carnevali

Leopoldstadt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by Andrea Carnevali

Tom Stoppard’s critically acclaimed new play Leopoldstadt is a passionate drama of love, family and endurance. Relayed to selected cinemas as National Theatre Live.

I was lucky enough to see Tom Stoppard’s Olivier Award-winning Leopoldstadt just before Covid forced all theatres in London to shut down after the first lockdown.

If you missed this then or are unable to find any tickets for any of the next seven-week run at the Princess of Wales Theatre in the West End, then this Thursday is your chance to go and watch it Live at the Cinema.

The working title for this was The Family Album which perfectly encapsulates what the play is about: sketches of a story of a Jewish family (the Merz) across six decades from 1899 to 1955 in a house in Vienna.

Needless to say, given the time span and the fact that we are in Vienna, their journey will go from the high reaches of society, though the horrors of the first and second world wars and the Holocaust.

The play might be set over one hundred years ago, but its power and relevance reverberate today as it gets darker and darker as we move through the ages.

We first we meet the wealthy Merz family as they celebrate Christmas in 1899. It is a warm and unexpectedly funny start and while at times it’s easy to get lost among the many members of the extended family – you might be excused for not remembering who everyone is at each given time, but also some of them are rather sketchy – it’s impossible not to spot early subtle hints of anti-Semitism. There is talk about the way Jews are being treated in universities and work places, seemingly still irrelevant and semi-concealed within an apparent cheerful and festive atmosphere.

Once we hit 1938, the spectre of war changes the tone and it’s where the play really started to we work for me.

It’s a tense, harrowing and poignant watch: a painful reminder of what should really never be forgotten.

The scene in which Austrian soldiers storm into the house on Kristallnacht is as tense as any anything one might be watching in a cinema, though clearly it can only scratch the surface.

Without giving too much away, the epilogue in 1955, with only few lucky survivors serves a haunting and final tribute the many generations we’ve lost in the Holocaust.

Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick.

Leopoldstadt is on at Chiswick Cinema on Thursday 27 January and Thursday 10 February.

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Mind Matters – Two years of COVID how are your relationships?

January 25, 2022/by Guest Blogger

A number of very welcome announcements have been made recently to highlight the role of talking therapies (counselling and psychotherapy) and the range of services available for young people and adults. In this article I thought it worth shining a light on our relationships.

The pandemic has brought many changes that have impacted upon relationships – home working and schooling, lockdowns, reduced social contact, fewer holidays, loss and bereavements, more time or less time together – so something that can be said with certainty is that our relationships have experienced change.

Having relationships is crucial to our health, as is the health of our relationships and, as we approach the two year anniversary of COVID now is a good time to reflect on how they have changed.

There is such potential for us to look out for and be helpful to each other as we continue to navigate our way round, through and out of the pandemic but often whilst people notice changed behaviours in themselves and others they do not know what to do with their experience. The result of this is that often opportunities are missed to reduce each other’s suffering or catch spiralling negative patterns of behaviours.

Often people say they understand each other until such a time when they say they don’t understand each other as though a switch has been thrown. In reality understanding is always by degree and we have approximate levels of understanding that are either tolerable or not.

For example, you have a friend who is always late, it is something that the two of you laugh about and then one day you are late, they are furious and suddenly you both realise it is not the relationship you thought you had, you no longer trust that there is understanding.

The desire for understanding in our closest relationships comes from a need for both security and safety – often closely associated with the idea of loving or being loved. Naturally those closest to us are the people most likely to be relied upon in an emergency and in emergencies nothing is more important than clear communication and understanding – it is nothing less than a need born out of a drive for survival. Potentially it all starts from birth – if understanding does not exist between us and our primary carers then we risk death – therefore the first thing we do as babies is fight for understanding.

How we do this varies depends upon what we learn in our attempts to gain attention – is it more effective to be noisy or quiet, happy or sad, laugh or cry, eat heartily or refuse food, be well or sick, tidy or messy, dependent or independent, creative or practical – the list is endless. Therefore what we learn in the early days is the closest we come to having an approach to life and relationships that is “hardwired”. Simply put, we are good at doing or being in ways for which we have felt the existence of understanding.

The implication is we need to challenge our assumption we understand and are understood around the most basic of concepts. For example, love. How love is expressed varies enormously across cultures, communities and families. Just ask your friends how love was shown to them as children and you are likely to get a wide variety of responses from food, fun, time together, talking, not talking, sharing, giving, taking, education, discipline, fairness, holidays the list is endless.

Another good example is how people are looked after when sick. In some cultures it is common for everyone to visit sick friends and relatives, in others the patient is cared for by being protected from visitors. Neither is right or wrong but someone who is used to visitors when sick will feel neglected and uncared for if their partner tells everyone to keep away as they need rest!

Fundamentally a shared language can be all we need to build and maintain healthy relationships and understanding. It sounds basic however, the single most important idea to hold onto is understanding is not something we achieve before focussing on something else, understanding is a constant process of interaction that helps us to maintain sufficient understanding as change happens. In my experience relationships break down due to the conversations that have not been had rather than those that have.

Here are some basic rules:

Words like “love” are short cuts – use them at your peril. Instead, never assume that the word means the same to you as others.
It requires commitment from all parties to develop an understanding.
If you feel hurt by something that your partner does or says then (as long as it is not physically or emotionally abusive) it is likely that your defences and theirs are revealing a conflict of understanding. Do not assume that the intention was to hurt you, instead say how you felt and ask if that was what had been intended. Likewise ask how you have been experienced and what the other person thought of your intention.
Never underestimate the possible impact of change, difficult times and stress. Anything that changes your routines or patterns can bring stress that triggers defences – at difficult times in life you might find it difficult to recognise each other. Look out for bereavements, fertility issues, children arriving and leaving, career changes, health challenges and traumatic events.
Remember that relationships are co-created and the most resilient ones are those where there is an expectation that how they are going will always be open to discussion and scrutiny, with feedback always being welcomed and offered.
Finally, if you are struggling then do not hesitate to seek professional help. If you’ve had a conversation more than once then you are not having it, so try something different. Many people seek help when it is too late – when there is too much misunderstanding and hurt and not enough energy and commitment left in order to make the changes required.

—

Nicholas Rose
Psychotherapist, Counsellor, Couples Counsellor and Coach

UKCP registrant, MBACP (accred), UKRCP
PGDip, MA, Adv Dip Ex Psych

Nicholas Rose & Associates
Counselling, psychotherapy and coaching for children, adults, couples and families.

nicholas-rose.co.uk

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New Backgammon group at the Steam Packet at Strand on the Green

January 25, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: Kate Burness

A new backgammon group is starting up in Chiswick. Kate Burness is organising monthly games at the Steam Packet pub on Strand on the Green on the first Wednesday of the month, starting Wednesday 2 February.

Kate, who lives in Grove Park, became interested in the game when she was living in Monaco in 1976.

“I got in with a group of people who played it” she told The Chiswick Calendar.

She was soon organising a tournament in which top players earned big money. Film star Omar Sharif and Princess Mary Obolensky were among the players.

During Covid lockdowns she started playing again, but online, which isn’t nearly as much fun, she says, as playing in person.

What she has in mind for Chiswick is far more down to earth:

“We want people who would like to learn how to play and improve their game. It would be good to have a bit of knowledge of the game. If there are any really good players we will put them together but we hope people will move round and play with different people.”

There will not be any structured tournament format or prize pools – just an evening of social backgammon. There is no cost and the evenings will start at 6.30pm. Kate is in touch with the Ealing backgammon group but as far as she is aware there is no other group in Chiswick. She would like to encourage some younger people to give it a try.

The Steam Packet is a member of The Chiswick Calendar Club Card scheme, offering card holders 15% off food and drink, seven days a week.

You will need a backgammon board. Bring your Chiswick Calendar ClubCard and most of all she says, be Covid safe. She asks that people who come have taken a recent test.

To find out more, join the Facebook group. Alternatively, if you aren’t on Facebook, email kate at backgammonW4@btinternet.com to be kept up-to-date by email.

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James Bond and Harry Potter among rare editions of Paul Gallico’s books being auctioned

January 25, 2022/by Guest Blogger

Guest blog by Chiswick Auctions

James Bond and Harry Potter among rare editions of Paul Gallico’s books being auctioned at Chiswick Auctions.

Paul Gallico (1897 – 1976), was one of the great storytellers and writers of the 20th century. Journalist, novelist, screenwriter, he was born in New York and died in Monaco but spent much of his life living in Saltram in Devon.

Gallico is known for writing a number of major books and films of the mid-20th century – he is probably best known for The Snow Goose, and for The Posiedon Adventure as well, with film adaptions of this made in 1973 and 2005 – and now, in 2022, we await the latest film adaptation of one of his books – Mrs Harris Goes to New York.

At Chiswick Auctions we are delighted to be able to be offering, on 27 January, Paul Gallico’s library and Estate – including a fascinating range of Gallico’s output, as well as personal notes, press cuttings artefacts and personal effects including his trusty typewriters, his war correspondent Abercrombie & Fitch flying jacket, many papers, books, press cuttings and notes.

This a fabulous opportunity to be part of the continuing story that was, and is, Paul Gallico a writer whose presence and works continue to entertain us, inspire us and entertain us so many years after his death.

Paul Gallico launched his writing career in 1919 with an interview of American champion boxer Jack Dempsey and, having asked to spar with him, Gallico then went on to describe how it felt to be knocked out.

From this start, his writing career continued to grow, moving to more general journalism then on to fiction and then selling his stories to film studios such as Walt Disney. He also found time to be a war correspondent during the Second World War.

Image above: Film poster for Dr No

Gallico, Bond and Potter

But Gallico is more than his books and films – arguably, without Gallico’s writings, enthusiasm and encouragement we would not have two of the biggest cultural phenomena of our times: Harry Potter and James Bond.

Gallico was a good friend of Ian Fleming, at the time a journalist working with him on the Sunday Times. Wanting to move out of journalism, Fleming sent an initial typescript of his first book Casino Royale to Gallico asking if it was publishable – Gallico replied to Fleming ‘The book is a knockout!’ He then helped to promote Fleming to an initially unresponsive American public. The rest is history.

And J K Rowling? In 2002 she stated that Gallico’s Manxmouse was one of her favourite books and the “Clutterbumph” that appears in Gallico’s book bears some resemblance to the “Boggart” character Rowling went on to create for the Harry Potter series – a being that manifests itself into whatever the viewer most fears.

Image above: Collection of Harry Potter books

Gallico and friends

Gallico also had many friends in the arts world and we have in the sale Gallico’s archive of correspondence with notable figures, ephemera and newspaper clippings, including:

Dame Laura Knight (1877 – 1970): four letters, three with autograph drawings: ‘As for Jennie, she also lives. What a superb imagination you have. It springs into reality in every book.’
David Niven (1910 – 1983): two letters: ‘Dear Mr Gallico, Yours of 17 Feb received, read and deeply resented. […] you, unless my memory fails me, once tried to take the bread out of poor ailing Jack Dempsey’s basket. Also Lennie Lyons is a c*nt… though you don’t have to quote me’; ‘[…] the other in Paris with that ugly old Italian broad – Sophia Loren!’
Sir Noël Coward (1900 – 1973): letter: ‘I was riveted by ‘Poseidon’ from beginning to end […] I didn’t actually read it hanging upside down from a glass chandelier but I was certainly hanging from the chandelier for several days after […]’

Images above: Casino Royale; Diamonds are Forever; A Burnt-Out Case

Other notable items for sale – James Bond, Harry Potter, Graham Greene and others

The sale also includes:

Ian Fleming – Casino Royale

First edition, first issue. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author to ‘Paul [Gallico] from Balzache. 1953’, 1953.

Est £18,000 – £22000

*** An extremely good copy of the author’s first novel to one of his best friends; Fleming had asked Gallico to read the first typescript. Here the blokey wordplay play on Balzac ‘balls/ache’ reflects literary jokery. (They were known as great drinking buddies!)

Ian Fleming – Diamonds are Forever

First edition, first impression, presentation copy from the author ‘To Paul, who spread his wings over my first-born’, 1956

Est. £12,000 – £18,000

*** This copy has a warm and personal inscription, referring to Fleming’s first novel Casino Royale that Gallico was instrumental in getting published

Graham Greene – A Burnt-Out Case

First edition, inscribed ‘For Paul Gallico – arrears for gratitudes to Antibes………? from Graham Greene’, 1961

Est. £1,000 to £1,500

This is a fabulous opportunity to be part of the continuing story that was, and is, Paul Gallico – a writer whose presence and works continue to enthral, inspire and entertain us so many years after his death. We also have many other items for sale that are books and items that are sure to interest and intrigue – we look forward to you joining us on 27 January 2022 for this important sale.

chiswickauctions.co.uk

This page is paid for by Chiswick Auctions

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Sondheim tribute at Chiswick Playhouse

January 25, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: Posters from some of Stephen Sondheim’s musicals

Isn’t He Something – 3-4 February

On Friday 3 and Saturday 4 February Chiswick Playhouse stages a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, the American composer and lyricist who died in November.

Four singers will perform songs from his musicals, which included Follies, A Little Night Music Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods. He also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story, to Leonard Bernstein’s music.

Sondheim is credited with having “reinvented the American musical”, choosing themes which tackled “unexpected themes that range far beyond the [genre’s] traditional subjects” and composing music and lyrics “of unprecedented complexity and sophistication”.

Images above: Stephen Sondheim with Leonard Bernstein in 1978; photograph Weissberger; Stephen Sondheim as an older man – picture Sky News

An interview with Charlie-Jane Jones

I spoke to Charlie-Jane Jones, who is producing Isn’t he Something in association with the Playhouse and is performing in the show.

Q: Why put on Isn’t He Something?

A: This is a show I’ve been working on for quite a while. I started on it in spring 2021, six months before he died. I just love his music. It bridges musical theatre, opera and plays. It’s such intelligent work.

Q: What’s in the show?

A: There’s a huge selection in the show, something from all 16 of his musicals. There are four of us performing: Beth Clarence, Ifan Jones, Tom Elliot Reade and myself. We all trained at the Royal Academy of Music.

Q: Pick two songs and tell me why you’ve chosen them.

A: One of the most beautiful duets he wrote is Move On from Sunday in the Park with George. Dot and George are characters from the early 1900s and we see them at various points in their lives. The duet comes towards the end of the show and she sings to him:

“Anything to you do, let it come from you,
Then it will be new, give us more to see”

It just captures the whole sentiment of when you feel that what you do isn’t good enough and it’s a reminder that if you’re true to yourself it’s ok.

The other song I’d choose would be Isn’t He Something from Road Show, his final major work which he wrote in 2008. It’s not the most well known of his songs. It refers to a lady talking about her son, but it gives us the title of our show.

Q: What has been your involvement with his work?

A: I worked on two of his shows while I was in training – two roles that were challenging and interesting. I played Dot, the lead character in Sunday in the Park with George and I played Lynette Squeaky Fromme, one of the assassins in Assassins, which was about the actual or attempted assassinations of American presidents.

Charlie-Jade Jones with Tom Elliot Reade

Image above: Beth Clarence, Ifan Jones, Tom Elliot Reade and Charlie-Jade Jones; Tom and Charlie-Jade in Sunday in the Park with George

Cast

Beth Clarence

Training: The Royal Academy of Music

Theatre Includes: Thursford Christmas Spectacular (Thursford Collection), Lucky Stiff (Union Theatre) Lead Vocalist for The Queen Victoria (Cunard).

Charlie-Jade Jones

Training: The Royal Academy of Music

Theatre Includes: Love Story (Cadogan Hall), Parade (Frogmore Paper Mill), State Fair (Cadogan Hall), Thursford Christmas Spectacular (Thursford Collection), Anything Goes (Cadogan Hall).

Ifan Jones

Training: The Royal Academy of Music

Theatre Includes: Fiddler On The Roof (Frinton Summer Theatre), The Hired Man (Union Theatre), Bernstein’s Mass (Royal Festival Hall), Tom’s Midnight Garden (Birmingham Stage Company), Thursford Christmas Spectacular (Thursford Collection).

Tom Elliot Reade

Training: The Royal Academy of Music

Theatre Includes: The Choir of Man (European & Australia Tour), The Commitments (UK & International Tour), Lucky Stiff (Union Theatre), Judy! (Arts Theatre).

Isn’t He Something is on at Chiswick Playhouse Friday 3 and Saturday 4 February. Book tickets through the Chiswick Playhouse website.

chiswickplayhouse.co.uk

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Women of Pensionable Rage at the Chiswick Playhouse

January 25, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Women of Pensionable Rage opens tonight (Tuesday 25 January) at Chiswick Playhouse. Judy Buxton’s one woman show brings you three characters who’ve been round the block and then some.

There’s Linda – outraged that she is reduced to playing panto at the Palace theatre in Fleetwood rather than the Palace Manchester – Julie, whose eternal regret is that she did not pick up the phone – and Miriam, downtrodden no longer.

The leisurely start draws the audience in as Judy gets into character before your eyes, selecting a wig, a necklace, earrings and a jacket before striding into the spotlight to unveil her first character.

Linda is a TV soap star whose one-nighter with a fellow celebrity left her with a daughter and a contemptuous dislike for gay men who, while they’re in the closet, think they may as well try a bit of the other. A call from her agent, who had booked her into a panto run without even asking her first, prompts a torrent of embittered rage.

Returning to her make-up table to select another wig, jewellery set and jacket, Judy becomes Julie, the redhead in the poster with the strategically placed tattoo. She’s a landlady of holiday lets in Fleetwood, with a gay son who is a hairdresser by day and a drag artist by night. On the day he makes a trip to London’s Soho with his mates – 30 April 1999 – she is busy. The phone won’t stop ringing and she still has four beds to turn down, so she takes it off the hook, and has to live with the consequences for the rest of her life.

Selecting her final wig, necklace, earrings and jacket for her last character, Miriam, Judy becomes the suburban housewife, Miriam, who has ‘lost’ her husband. “I’ve not lost him, he died” she says savagely as she ushers her well-meaning neighbours out of the door after the funeral. It’s not as if she’s misplaced him in Tescos or the local garden centre. Irritated by the well-meaning platitudes, it is only when they have all gone that she is able to give vent to her real feelings: relief that he is gone, after a lifetime of abuse. Now she has a chance to live her own life.

Writer / director Anna-Lisa Marie explores the emotional baggage of three characters, all women of a certain age. I expected them to be linked in some way, their stories intertwined, but all they share is their emotions: bitterness, frustration, sadness, rage. Only the last one has found happiness, in a rather unconventional way.

Actor Judy Buxton brings her considerable experience to the characters. She herself has worked extensively in television and theatre, in everything from School for Scandal, as Lady Teazle, playing opposite Sir Donald Sinden at the Haymarket, to pantomime, though her CV doesn’t reveal if she has ever sunk as low as Fleetwood!

Women of Pensionable Rage is on at the Chiswick Playhouse from Tuesday 25 – Saturday 29 January.

Book tickets through the Chiswick Playhouse website.

chiswickplayhouse.co.uk

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Experience cinema as you would have nearly 100 years ago

January 25, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: Poster for Buster Keaton’s silent film The General; Donald MacKenzie

While Chiswick Cinema is showing the latest releases with the most spectacular special effects, a couple of miles down the road in Brentford, The Musical Museum is showing films as they were nearly 100 years ago.

Famed for their Wurlitzer organ, the museum has invited Donald MacKenzie, the renowned organist from the Odeon Luxe cinema in Leicester Square, to come and accompany Buster Keaton’s silent romantic comedy The General on Sunday 13 February.

Buster Keaton’s cinematic masterpiece centres on his two loves… his gal, Annabelle Lee and his locomotive, the General. This spectacle of the silver screen premiered 95 years ago in February 1927. The train wrecking scene cost $42,000 – the most expensive single shot in the history of the silents.

I find it quite amazing that in these days of digitally remastered sound, surround sound and suchlike you can still go and see a bloke at an organ recreating the atmosphere of the film’s thrills and spills live, just as an audience would have experienced it almost a century ago.

How does someone choose that as a career? Donald MacKenzie started playing music to films at the age of 14, finding it quirky and interesting. A musically gifted child who got his first professional job at 14 playing the organ at church, he has now been playing the organ to audiences at the Odeon in Leicester Square for 28 years, entertaining people before the films start.

He travels widely accompanying silent films, often in cathedrals, and has a repertoire which includes Phantom of the Opera, Nosferatu, Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last! and Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid.

“I love the freedom of expression in improvisation” he told me. “The film is the manuscript. You haven’t got a musical text to follow.”

He watches a film several times to get it into his head and takes his cues from the screen.

He was very lucky, he told me, growing up in Paisley, to have been able to borrow films from the Scottish film archive, which the local music society played on a 16mm projector.

The Musical Museum in a former church houses the private collection of the late Frank Holland, enhanced and added to over the years by enthusiasts and opened to the public in its current form in 2008 with the help of a National Lottery grant.

Its collection of working instruments, displays and interactive exhibits tell the story of how music has been recorded and reproduced, from mechanical inventions to the present day. Its prized possession is the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ in the concert hall.

Donald is a regular performer at the Musical Museum. Tickets for The General, at 2.30 on Sunday 13^th February, are £17.50 and include a glass of prosecco. Book through the website: www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/whats-on or call them on 0208 560 8108.

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Student from Chiswick raises money for clean water charity by climbing Mt Kilimanjaro

January 25, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: Mt Kilimanjaro

Sarah Delabriere, a student at the London School of Economics who grew up in Chiswick, is raising money for the clean water charity Dig Deep by climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. Where Dig Deep work in Kenya, eight out of every ten people lack access to clean water, safe toilets and good hygiene.

Sarah’s fundraising target is £2,700, half of which goes towards covering her expedition costs, the other half goes to the provision of clean water, sanitation and good hygiene. She is taking on the challenge with three friends this summer.

“Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the most impressive sights in Africa and climbing it is one of the all-time great achievements” she says. “It is the largest freestanding mountain in the world and the trek encompasses terrains from jungle to glacier. Reaching the summit and watching the sun rise over the vast African plains truly is the experience of a lifetime.”

Dig Deep’s purpose is to collaborate with the Kenyan government, local businesses and communities, to transform the provision of clean water, sanitation and good hygiene in Bomet County – one of the most challenging and least resourced areas in the country.

Most residents live in rural communities and spend hours every day walking to collect dirty water or find a safe place to relieve themselves.

To support Sarah’s fundraising, use the QR code above or go to her Dig Deep fundraising page here.

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More restaurants due to open on Chiswick High Road

January 24, 2022/by Matt Smith

Image above: The Italians, 454-456 Chiswick High Rd

The Italians and The Sushi Co

Two more restaurants are due to open on Chiswick High Road: the popular cafe and deli The Italians is planning to take over the former site of the Vietnamese restaurant Caphe Guests, two doors down from its current premises, to open a pizza restaurant and wine bar and The Sushi Co is planning to open on the site which was previously The Flight Centre.

Last week the owner of Annie’s on Strand on the Green, Lorraine Angliss, confirmed she would be taking over site previously occupied by Bill’s restaurant.

The Italians already serve pizza from their existing premises at 454-456 Chiswick High Road, but last year staff shortages brought on by the pandemic and Brexit meant the restaurant was without a pizza chef. The restaurant still has vacancies for pizza chefs, which have been open for three months.

Pianta, the Italian plant based restaurant which opened at the end of last summer in Turnham Green Terrace, has been forced to close because their Italian chef left and they could not find another one.

Image above: the now-closed Vietnamese restaurant Caphe Guests

Too many restaurants?

The Sushi Co. has ‘now hiring’ advertisements out front for managers, chefs and front of house staff. Lorraine Angliss told The Chiswick Calendar she was opening another branch of Rock & Rose, a cocktail bar and restaurant similar to the one she has in Richmond.

Two weeks ago the owner of Betty in Barley Mow Passage, Steve Novak, told LB Hounslow’s licensing panel Chiswick was over-subscribed for lunchtime eateries, as many office workers were still working at home. He said what Chiswick needed now was a late night place.

Chiswick not only has a lot of restaurants, but a lot of top quality ones. Republic, the Indian restaurant opposite The Italians, was added to the Michelin Guide in December, bring the number of Chiswick restaurants in the guide to five.

Image above: The Sushi Co is planning to open on the site which was previously The Flight Centre

See all the restaurants, pubs and cafes in The Chiswick Calendar’s Club Card scheme here.

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Rare first edition of Harry Potter book up for auction in Chiswick for £30K

January 24, 2022/by Matt Smith

Images above: Lot 109 from Chiswick Auctions – a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling’s first book set in her wizarding world, will be auctioned on Thursday (27 January) at Chiswick Auctions. It is expected to fetch £30,000.

The book is one of the most sought-after books in the world, as only 500 were printed in the first run, 300 of which were sent to schools and children’s libraries. Hardcover first editions of the first Harry Potter book are characterised by a print line that reads 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and credits ‘Joanne Rowling’ instead of ‘JK Rowling’.

This copy is being sold by a private owner who has been in possession of the book since it was bought in 1997. It is described as having ‘a faint crease’ to its back cover and ‘very light just visible wear to cover edges’.

Standard first editions sell for anything between thousands and £20 depending on their condition and the print run. You can also get as much as £1,800 for first editions of the 1999 deluxe edition and early versions of the Australian and US print runs (where it’s called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – printed in 1998).

The auction house is also selling a collection of children’s books including a signed copy of the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and a signed copy of Newt Scamander: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, which are each expected to fetch around £700.

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Chiswick Empire House apartments almost ready to go on sale

January 24, 2022/by Bridget Osborne

Image above: CGI of how Empire House will look when finished; Great Marlborough Estates

Great Marlborough Estates, the developers who have taken over the Empire House site on Chiswick High Rd, say they will be ready to start selling apartments there within a few months.

The area has suffered from planning blight, with units from the Old Packhorse pub on the corner of Acton Lane as far as the Wild Bunch cafe standing empty for several years. Previous owners Lendlease sold the site to Great Marlborough Estates last September.

READ ALSO: Last business standing

Image above: New façade, with retail units facing the High Rd; CGI Great Marlborough Estates

The one-acre site has planning consent to provide 137 residential units. Two of the directors of the firm came to the Chiswick Area Forum on 18 January and gave a presentation showing how the site would look, with 66 one and two bedroom apartments in Empire House, 46 apartments and four townhouses at Essex Place and a further 21 apartments to be developed at the corner of Essex Place and Acton Lane.

Great Marlborough Estates director Dean Clifford told the meeting they were looking to create “a contemporary look and feel” to the development, designed by award-winning Assael Architecture. Empire House will have a new façade, with retail units facing the High Rd. All the homes will have access to private outdoor space such as a balcony or garden, as well as to communal roof terraces.

Image above: ‘Contemporary look and feel’; CGI Great Marlborough Estates

They aim to reduce carbon emissions by using solar panels and air source heat pumps and say they will provide a new ‘pedestrian-friendly and welcoming space’ where currently there is the “rather unlovely” delivery lane on the boundary between the Empire House development and Sainsbury’s land.

In a nod to the site’s history, they are calling one of the apartment blocks ‘Stoll House’, after Sir Oswald Stoll, founder of the Stoll Moss theatre company, and another block ‘Adelaide House’ after his mother.

Stoll worked with theatre designer Frank Matcham on the creation of the Chiswick Empire theatre, which opened in 1912 as a venue for variety and music hall. Many famous entertainers performed there, including George Formby, Laurel and Hardy, Chico Marx, Peter Sellers and Liberace, but the theatre was demolished in 1959. It was recently commemorated in a collage by Sir Peter Blake.

Image above: Rooftop garden overlooking Turnham Green; CGI Great Marlborough Estates

Great Marlborough Estates was set up by Dean Clifford and his partner Grant Lipton 15 years ago. They have an impressive track record of developing residential sites in London, including the refurbishment of Regents Crescent on Regent’s Park into flats, the refurbishment of Grade II listed buildings in Fitzrovia and on a much larger scale, a new town centre for Vauxhall, designed by Zaha Hadid’s firm of architects.

They have “a very experienced team” working on the Chiswick Green project, Mr Clifford said. “We believe it will be a positive addition [to Chiswick].”

Contractors are currently carrying out the ground works. There will be a series of completion dates, the latest in the fourth quarter of 2023. They have not released prices for the apartments yet, but plan to set up a sales office on Chiswick high Rd in the next couple of months.

Image above: CGI of how an apartment in Empire House, with the spire of Christ Church seen through the window; Great Marlborough Estates

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Man in the Middle 81: Fathers and Sons

January 24, 2022/by James Thellusson

Man in the Middle is the fictional diary of a Boomer coping with the demands of an ageing mother with dementia, his millennial children and his own impending obsolescence. Bowed down by Brexit, Covid and self-pity, all he wants is more ‘me time’. Will he succeed? Or is he destined to be stuck forever in No Man’s Land in the war between the generations?

If you’d like to begin at the beginning and missed the first instalment, you can read No. 1: The Letter here

No 81: Fathers and Sons

I’ve turned my back on my son and am staring out of the window of his fourth floor flat on the Exeter university campus. It’s the start of his second term.

Behind me, he is unpacking his suitcases and watering his cacti, which somehow have survived the Christmas season. I guess that’s what cacti are good at.

Below me, Exeter is submerged under fog. A few church spires hold their heads up above the damp mist, but the rest of the city is wrapped in a grey shroud. The city is as lifeless and lost as Boris Johnson drowning in the miasma of his own deceit.

I’m gazing out not because I’ve become a twitcher but to recover my breath. The lift was out of order and I’m out of condition, so lugging myself and one of my son’s bulging suitcases up four flights has done me in. My cheeks are flushed and my chest is heaving like a lifeboat on a wild sea.

I don’t want my son to notice how unfit I am, so I’ve turned my back on him and am refilling my aching lungs by quickly sucking in small sips of air like a hummingbird daintily sucking up pollen. I hope I can recover my breath while preserving my dignity as the Pater Familias.

‘Is you?’ he asks.

‘Is what me?’

‘The sound like an old donkey with emphysema,’ he says.

‘Probably the pipes in your bathroom,’ I say. ‘The plumbing in student accommodation is notoriously noisy.’

*

My wife suggested we travelled on the train together.

‘It’ll give you the chance to talk to each other,’ she said.

‘About what?’ I said, racking my brains for anything we might want to talk about required me to go to Exeter on a train on a Saturday.

‘You know. Father and son things,’ she said.

‘Like cricket?’

‘No. Important things.’

‘Don’t tell me you haven’t told him about the birds and the bees, yet?’

She shrugs.

‘This could be one of those moments when you could be helpful to him.’

‘You mean carry his bags for him up that hill?’

‘No, to show you care about him as he takes another step towards independence.’

‘My mum and dad never came to see me at university,’ I say. ‘I would have been appalled if they’d even suggested it. Not cool.’

‘You’re always saying your father never spent any quality time with you. This is a chance not to make the same mistake.’

My memory of my student days is that I stayed away from the parental nest and was as socially distanced as it was possible to be. I was an ungrateful, non-homing Pidgeon who came back only when the clothes basket became too gamey.

However, it’s not often my wife admits she thinks I could be useful, I’m happy to do as she suggests and book a return ticket to Exeter St. David’s.

*

‘Did you spot the shoe?’ asks my son.

He’s finished unpacking and is standing next to me pulling the window ajar. I notice he’s an inch taller than me. Somehow, he seems to be a bigger person here.

‘What shoe?’

‘That shoe,’ he says pointing at the yellowsole of a running shoe lying upside down in a puddle on the roof of the nearest universitybuilding.

‘Whose is it?’

‘Dunno. It’s been there since I got here.’

A seagull lands next to the shoe and takes a peckat it before flying away, disgusted by the taste of rotting rubber.

The shoe reminds me of a book I read about the

Night Climbers of Cambridge, a group of prankster toffs dedicated to climbing onto the roofs of colleges at night and leaving inappropriate stuff on them – like cars, chairs, clocks and shopping trolleys. Lord Byron was one, apparently.

‘Probably someone was just having a laugh,’ I say.

‘Probably,’ he says.

My heart beat is down to normal.

‘Do you want to see the mad stuff people put in their bedroom windows? We’ve got a cardboard Pope, a hundred Ed Sheerans and, of course, beer walls.’

‘Beer walls?’

‘A beer wall is when you stack empty beer bottles in your window until you block out the daylight.’

‘OK. Let’s go,’ I say.

‘Sweet,’ he says. ‘But you have to be quiet out in the corridor. The rest of the flat is still asleep.’

‘You can’t be serious. It’s 1pm?’

‘This is early. No talking until we’re outside.’

He posts a picture of himself onto his flat’s WhatsApp group so they know he’s returned. We tip-toe downstairs.

*

We walk together around the campus. It’s the first time I’ve done that with him and although we don’t talk much, it feels I’m part of his world if only for an hour or two.

We wave at the cardboard pope and laugh at the number of Ed Sheeran face masks hanging in the windows. But he so unattractive I say.

Best of all is windows walled up with empty green beer bottles so no meaningful amount of sunlight could enter.

‘Even your cacti wouldn’t survive in a room like that,’ I say, and he laughs.

‘Can you imagine the smell in there?’

*

An hour later I’m boarded back on the train to London. A brief hug at the station is enough for both of us and then he’s turned and is tramping back up the hill to his flat. And his mates. And his new life.

Somerset slides by. It’s a flat watery place: barren trees, pig pens and hedge rows sharp as steak knives.

Before Tiverton, we pass a junk yard where a few men and boys are admiring old farm

equipment and running their hands along the rusted sides of the various lots. I wonder if their farmers and sons out for the day, like me.

‘How did you get on?’ asks my wife.

‘He called it home. Twice. Otherwise, it was great.’

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