Hacks (Season 2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review by Andrea Carnevali
Explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old. Available to watch on Amazon Prime and Sky.
You may remember how back in April I talked about the first season of this fantastic multi-award-winning TV series. I loved every second of it and the short-episode format made it possible to binge like there was no tomorrow.
Needless to say, it left me (like many other viewers) craving for more. Now I’m happy to report that the whole second season is available on Amazon Prime and you know what? It doesn’t disappoint.
Once again the balance between the comedy and the emotional beats is pitch-perfect and the unpredictability of some of the storylines makes this immensely enjoyable.
Jean Smart seems to have been born for this role and not for a single second do you think she’s acting. Her rich character, possibly based on Joan Rivers, has so many layers that it’s just a joy to watch it developing before your eyes: vicious, spoilt, ruthless and then a second later charming, vulnerable and incredibly sweet.
She’s already won an Emmy last year, but I cannot see a world where she doesn’t win it again.
As for the rest of the cast, there’s not a weak link (possibly an improvement on the previous series when any time spent away from the main storyline felt a little bit like padding).
This season may start a bit slow but still manages to be constantly surprising, deliciously funny and very touching. One of the best comedies ever to grace our TV screens.
In the last few days, despite the fact that this latest season has what looks like a proper ending, they’ve announced that Hacks has will come back for third round. Great news, as far as I’m concerned. I could watch this for months and never get tired.
So, if you haven’t got into yet, trust me do it now, you won’t regret it.
Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick
Hacks (Season 2) is available to watch on Amazon Prime and Sky.
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Image above: Hounslow Highways and Thames Water working to repair the sewer and clear the debris on Turnham Green Terrace over the weekend
Sewer repaired after sinkhole opened
Turnham Green Terrace has reopened following work carried out by Hounslow Highways and Thames Water to mend the sewer damaged when a sinkhole opened in front of the tube station last week.
The hole opened on Wednesday 22 June and the road was quickly blocked off. By 10pm on Tuesday night there were two large Thames Water trucks parked up beside it and the hole was boarded over.
Engineers from Thames Water had to clear the debris from the sinkhole and make the area safe before starting work to repair a sewer main. Contractors from both Thames Water and Hounslow Highways continued to work weekend.
Image above: Hounslow Highways and Thames Water working to repair the sewer and clear the debris on Turnham Green Terrace over the weekend
Quick fix
“We are really pleased” Cllr Guy Lambert, Cabinet Member for Highways, told The Chiswick Calendar.
“We thought it would take longer. When Acton Lane was closed we thought it was going to be a week and it took over a month.”
Thames Water used new technology to reline the sewer pipe from the inside, he told us, rather than having to dig up the road to relay a whole section of pipe.
He has now told Hounslow Highways to take away all the plastic bollards which are still lying around.
Image above: Hounslow Highways and Thames Water working to repair the sewer and clear the debris on Turnham Green Terrace over the weekend
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Rugby star to walk length of River Thames through Chiswick
Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio will set off on an 18 mile fundraising walk along the River Thames this Friday (1 July), in support of the RNLI and their corporate partner, Aquapac.
This year marks 20 years of the RNLI having a lifesaving presence on the Thames since it set up lifeboat stations at Tower, Chiswick, Teddington and Gravesend. They were opened in 2002 as a result of the enquiry on the Marchioness Disaster in 1989 which claimed the lives of 51 people including Lawrence’s sister, Francesca.
In 2004, Lawrence officially named the RNLI’s lifeboat ‘Legacy’ in memory of the victims of the Marchioness disaster, which served at both Tower RNLI and Chiswick RNLI lifeboat stations.
In the past two decades the charity’s four lifeboat stations on the Thames have launched a total of 16,605 times, aided over 5,000 people and saved over 600 lives.
Lawrence will walk form from Wood’s Quay Westminster to Teddington. He said:
“I’m wholeheartedly supporting my mother, Eileen’s, legacy today as she was instrumental in campaigning for change on the Thames and the creation of a rescue service. Eileen would have been very proud of the continued efforts of the RNLI and its incredible teams. She always used to say to me “leave people in a better place than when you arrived”.
“Along with other emergency services and organisations, the RNLI for the last 20 years have been saving lives in London. Supporting this event to help them continue this work is something close to my heart.
“We are here to acknowledge, 33 years later, Thames river boat design, water safety and rescue are in a far, far better place than they were the day of the disaster due to my mother’s inspiring campaigning.”
Funds ‘vital’ for RNLI to continue lifesaving service
The challenge aims to raise funds for the RNLI, to help the charity continue its vital lifesaving service, and deliver important water safety advice to help the public stay safe. The RNLI and Aquapac are fundraising and raising awareness about water safety and are working together to prevent drowning throughout 2022.
Wayne Bellamy, Chiswick RNLI Station Manager, said:
‘We are delighted to have the support of Lawrence and our partners Aquapac for this fundraising challenge. As a charity, we rely on donations to deliver our lifesaving service so every penny raised through this challenge will support us to continue this work.
‘Our aim is to save everyone so that nobody has to suffer losing a loved one through drowning.’
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In the near future, convicts are offered the chance to volunteer as medical subjects to shorten their sentence. One such subject for a new drug capable of generating feelings of love begins questioning the reality of his emotions. Streaming on Netflix.
Spiderhead is a futuristic state-of-the-art prison, with no bars, or cells, or orange uniforms and where inmates are free to roam around. They also agree to be tested with experimental drugs which enhances their feelings, emotions and often their libido, in exchanged for a shortened sentence.
It seems an intriguing set-up for this new Netflix thriller. Add to that, a stylish look, reminiscent of Ex-Machina, two of the biggest stars of the moment (Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller) and director Joseph Kosinski at the helm, the man behind the latest Top Gun Maverick, which is currently still breaking all sorts of box office records.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, apparently quite a lot.
Spiderhead is based on a short story and after a while the limitations of the source material begins to show as the film gets repetitive, runs out of ideas and start to wobble.
Not even the two charismatic leads, however watchable (though maybe miscast: I wonder what would have happened if they had switched their roles) can save the film from feeling a bit derivative and superficial.
The film is overblown and inert at the same time. The twists are anticlimactic, badly handled and fairly predictable and the payoff at the end is so bland and generic that all you’re left with is a sour taste in your mouth and the feeling that they have missed an opportunity (or possibly two) and that you’ve just spent 1 hour and 47 minutes of your time and by this time tomorrow you’ll hardly remember what it was all about.
Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick
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Images above: the burnt-out shop at 112 Chiswick High Road
Shop’s manager says he “lost everything”
A fire has destroyed schoolwear shop Billings & Edmonds on Chiswick High Road.
Staff from Angie’s cafe next door told The Chiswick Calendar the fire started around 3.00am on Wednesday (29 June). By the time Angie’s opened at 7.30am the fire had been extinguished.
London Fire Brigade have cordoned off the pavement immediately in front of the shop.
A workman was removing burnt wooden panels from the damaged storefront on Wednesday, replacing them with plywood.
Neighbouring businesses were not damaged by the blaze.
The shop’s manager is understood to have told witnesses on Wednesday morning he “lost everything” as all stock was destroyed or damaged.
The fire’s cause is yet to be determined.
Billings & Edmonds has three other stores in Harrow, Eton and Bromley and is just coming up to its busiest time of year when people by uniform over the summer holidays for the next academic year..
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PC Emeri Ratucoko appears in court charged with assaulting woman in Kingston bar
A serving Metropolitan Police officer based in west London appeared in court this week, after being charged with sexual misconduct.
PC Emeri Ratucoko, who is attached to the Central West Command Unit – which covers the Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea boroughs, was charged on Monday 30 May with sexual assault and a public order offence.
He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (28 June).
Ratucoko was charged following an investigation led by officers from the Met’s South West Command Unit. The investigation began after a woman reported she was sexually assaulted at a bar in Kingston in February 2022.
PC Ratucoko was off-duty at the time of the incident.
He has been placed on restricted duties while criminal proceedings are ongoing. In his reduced role he has no face to face contact with the public and no involvement in the investigation of sexual offences.
PC Ratucoko joins a string of Met Police officers based in west London who have been charged with criminal offences or disciplined for misconduct over the past few months.
Image above: Met Police officers
Number of cases of police misconduct and criminal behaviour in West London this year
Since the start of the year a number of criminal cases involving police in west London have come to public notice.
January – West London borough police commander Chief Superintendent Paul Martin was sacked for gross misconduct which included sexist bullying and misuse of police funds. Another senior officer was also dismissed.
February – two serving Metropolitan Police officers, one of them from West Area Command Unit, charged with sending grossly offensive messages on a public communications network, accused of sharing the messages in 2019 with police colleague, the now-convicted rapist and murderer Wayne Couzens.
June – a serving officer pleaded guilty guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour. PC Mathew Cooper, who is attached to the Central West Command Unit will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, 31 August.
There are many other cases involving criminal and discreditable conduct by Metropolitan police officers who have appeared in court or have been subject to police misconduct hearings, involving officers in other parts of London too.
Image above: Scotland Yard
Met Police placed into special measures due to “systemic failings”
The policing inspectorate has made the unprecedented decision to place the Metropolitan police into “special measures” following the uncovering of a litany of new “systemic” failings in fighting crime and serving victims.
In a report on Tuesday (28 June) Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary found 14 fresh significant failings adding to the pile of scandals which has damaged public confidence in the UK’s largest police force.
The force was found to be failing to meet national standards, and also making errors on stop and search with the grounds for one quarter of stops not recorded, meaning scrutiny of whether they were justifiable was now impossible. It is thought nearly 70,000 incidents have gone unrecorded.
HMIC also cited a series of scandals: from the murder of Sarah Everard by the serving Met officer Wayne Couzens; the strip-searching of children; stop and search controversies; and grossly offensive attitudes among officials revealed by messages exchanged between officers at Charing Cross police station.
In a statement the Met said:
“We recognise the cumulative impact of events and problems that the Met is dealing with. We understand the impact this has had on communities and we share their disappointment.
“We are determined to be a police service Londoners can be proud of. We are talking to the Inspectorate about next steps.”
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5749059480_f180f147fd_b.jpeg6831024Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-29 10:00:242022-06-30 15:45:27Another west London police officer charged with sexual misconduct as Met put into “special measures”
Brentford’s Watermans art centre has been awarded National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Almost £100 million of vital funding has gone to communities across England over the last three months supporting local and grassroots projects.
The substantial investment has been awarded to more than 3,000 community groups and projects across the country, enabling them to bring people together and provide the tools and support they need to better prosper and thrive.
Grants awarded range from £300 up to £1.7million and have been made in direct response to community needs, including employability, mental health, supporting young people and building connections to tackle loneliness.
Watermans have not revealed the amount which they have been awarded.
Management ‘delighted’ to receive funding
Sharing the news on Twitter, Watermans said:
‘‘We are delighted to share that we have received #NationalLottery funding from @TNLComFund!
‘‘We aim to inspire communities through creativity and the arts, and we believe the arts must be for all, so thank you to National Lottery players for helping #MakeAmazingHappen!’’
John Mothersole, Chair of England Funding Committee at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:
“This is a significant investment of almost £100 million of funding across England, helping to address issues and create opportunities at the heart of communities. Thanks to National Lottery players, our funding is being used by local groups and charities to power charge their projects, unleash potential and make a positive difference to people’s lives. We’re proud to support them.”
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/150826_them_watermans_555.jpg537865Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-29 09:30:322022-06-30 10:39:56Waterman’s arts centre gets National Lottery funding
Image above: Michael Maughan; photograph Metropolitan Police
A 27 year old man who raped his victim repeatedly and threatened to take her to Epping Forest and kill her has been jailed for 18 and a half years.
Michael Maughan was described in court as mounting a campaign “of the most appalling treatment many in this court may ever have seen”.
His victim, described as a vulnerable young woman, was slapped, punched and beaten by him as well as raped.
They stayed at hotels in Chiswick and Hammersmith in April 2021. He would take her car keys to prevent her leaving.
Finally she told a friend, who alerted the police. She disappeared to try and escape from him and he came looking for her at a beauty salon she used in Edgware, abusing the staff and scaring one long term member of staff so much she resigned.
Acting on a tip off police went to an address in Effingham Rd, Haringey in May 2021, where they found both Maughan and his victim, who was in some distress.
He pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour, multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, causing actual bodily harm and kidnap and false imprisonment.
In her summary before sentencing, HHJ Kaul QC said she found Maughan to be dangerous, particularly in regards to sexual relationships with women. He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for parole.
Detective Superintendent Sharon Brookes, from the West Area Command Unit, said: ‘It cannot be underestimated just how dangerous an offender Maughan is.
‘What he put the young victim through is utterly appalling – it is something no person should ever have to endure.
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Michael-Maughan.png544971Bridget Osbornehttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngBridget Osborne2022-06-28 19:07:432022-06-28 19:10:01Violent and ‘dangerous’ man jailed after assaulting woman in hotels in Chiswick and Hammersmith
Events leading up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre on Tasmania in an attempt to understand why and how the atrocity occurred. Out next Friday in selected cinemas.
I came into this pretty blind, not knowing anything about the film, nor the subject matter, but if you have a little bit of knowledge of recent history, or better Australian history, it won’t take you long to piece together where all this is going.
Retrospectively I wish I had known, so I would have been a bit more prepared for the grim journey I was going to take.
This is indeed a deeply unsettling, intensely depressing and yet coolly presented drama about the events that preceded one of the saddest days in Australian history, when back in 1996, 35 people were killed and 23 others were wounded in a senseless shooting rampage.
As you can imagine, this is not a walk in the park: the film unravels slowly through the months and weeks that preceded the unspeakable tragedy and it’s told from the point of view of the shooter himself: a deeply disturbed loner, with some obvious intellectual disabilities, which are never quite explained.
He doesn’t have a job nor any social life and still lives with his parents at the age of 28. It is clear that the young man is also emotionally empty, he lacks empathy and doesn’t seem to understand the consequences of any of his dangerous actions, whether he’s playing with fireworks in front of children, or driving recklessly almost crashing against other cars.
But before you say “hold on a second, why should I watch a film about a killer?”, let me tell you what a splendid job the filmmakers managed to do in carefully balancing the depiction of the events, with forensic authenticity, while at the same time keeping the violence completely off-screen and most importantly without glorifying the shooter.
The film is clearly not interested in the actual mass shooting; it is more a quiet and naturalistic character piece than anything else.
Even the killer’s real name is never mentioned: the title itself Nitram, is his name spelt backwards and that’s how he is called throughout.
Caleb Landry Jones’s mesmerising central performance is very low key, terrifying as subtle and perfectly calibrated, like the rest of the film, which never gives easy answers and never tells us what to think or feel.
And so whatever is going on inside the killer’s head we will never really truly understand. In the end, despite all the tragedies and sadness around him, the audience still feels a certain revulsion rather than pity.
Unsurprisingly Landi Jones won the best actor award at Cannes last year; the rest of the cast is equally strong.
Once the final captions appear during the end credits, they reveal not just the harrowing scope of the tragedy, the biggest mass shooting in Australian history, but we are also told that it took less than two weeks after the shooting for Australia to reform its gun laws. The government ended up buying back and destroying more than 640,000 arms.
A message which resonates even louder today, just a few days after the latest horrific mass shooting in the elementary school in Texas. All of which makes this film not just incredibly topical, but also more poignant and even more infuriating.
Whether we needed this film or not is another story, but given the fact that it’s now been made and it does exists, I cannot see how it could have been any better. It is a very powerful piece of film making with an urgent and very topical message.
Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick
Nitram is available in selected cinemas, including Chiswick Cinema, from this Friday.
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Image above:Ealing Central and Acton MP mixes vinyl records live at the Ealing Project in Ealing Broadway (Credit: Roger Green)
By Finley Harnett, Office of Dr Rupa Huq MP
More than 200 guests enjoyed an evening of DJing and live music at the soon-to-open Ealing Project in Ealing Broadway this week as Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq used the venue to celebrate her and her son’s 50th and 18th birthdays in style.
Rupa and Rafi welcomed guests to the brand new underground cultural hub on the High Street ‒ formerly the site of the Broadway Boulevard club ‒ for their joint birthday knees-up on Wednesday (22 June).
Partygoers were treated to live music featuring sets by former Cleveland councillor Sitarah Anjum, who sang Bollywood favourites, and theEaling-based covers band Primary Scream, who sang rock and pop classics. Guest vocals were provided by former Ealing borough councillor Valerie Vaz MP and Kevin Brennan MP, who sang versions of Mustang Sally and Teenage Kicks, while Jeff Smith MP DJed.
The musical talent performed against a backdrop of a slideshow of old Huq family photos and a video featuring panoramic shots of the borough put together by local filmmaker Mo Nabbach titled This is Ealing. Revellers enjoyed locally-sourced drinks and snacks from local caterers, from Park Royal-based Dina Foods’ Middle Eastern savouries and Sweetland’s baklava to HT Drinks’ lager.
Events reached a climax with the unveiling of a large cake, made by Kool Cakes of Southall, featuring a Saturday Night Fever-inspired poster that was used for the event (see below).
Attendees at the “Wednesday Night Fever” themed event included well-known Ealing faces, including Huq’s sister Konnie, the former Blue Peter presenter and author, her husband Charlie Brooker and BBC journalist Rory Cellan-Jones. Neighbouring MPs Ruth Cadbury, Dawn Butler, and Ealing native Stephen Kinnock also made the trip, as well as Tijinder Singh, lead singer of the 90s rock band Cornershop.
Image above:Ealing rockers Primary Scream play to a packed house at the Ealing Project (Credit: Roger Green)
“Eat, drink and be merry… for tomorrow there may be another election” – Rupa Huq
Accepting her birthday cake on stage, the MP said she was “totally overwhelmed” by the response to her party. She gave thanks to all the live performers and to Preston Benson, the founder of the developer Really Local Group which is behind the Ealing Project. “Eat, drink and be merry”, Huq joked, “for tomorrow there may be another election, who knows?”
Huq, or DJ Dr Huq as she is otherwise known, later told us, “After two years of lockdowns, it was great to see so I many family and friends, new faces and old faces, back together again for myself and Rafi’s milestone birthday shindig. And what a venue to mark the occasion! The Ealing Project will be a fantastic venue for the whole community, reinvigorating Ealing’s cultural scene with live music, independent cinema, and local art.
“They say you should ‘stress test’ systems before they go live so it was great to have people from my 50 years and my son’s 18 try out the brand spanking new Ealing Project. It was a night to remember for all the right reasons with the same warehouse vibe many of us enjoyed back in the 90s.”
The MP headlined the event with a turn on the turntables, playing songs from her vinyl collection such as the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army and the Prodigy’s Firestarter.
Image above:The poster for Rupa and Rafi’s ‘Wednesday Night Fever’ party (Credit: Finley Harnett)
Ealing Project “delighted” to open their doors
Preston Benson said:
“The Ealing Project were delighted to open our doors for this special birthday event. It was heartwarming to meet so many long-standing residents of Ealing and to hear their ideas on what they would like to see in their brand new 3 screen cinema, live music and exhibition space first.
“Rupa and Rafi have set a high bar for future events but we are confident that the residents of Ealing will give them a run for their money in the coming weeks and months!”
Alistair Young, guitarist for Primary Scream, said:
“As an amateur musician it was a fantastic experience to help Rupa and Rafi celebrate their birthdays in such an innovative & much needed cultural space in Ealing Broadway. Rupa has championed Ealing’s music heritage, live performance and film over many years and it was exciting to see a new destination & gathering space start to turn up the volume.”
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/BD8C0B704BB04552AD4DA8C69F841944.png401601Guest Bloggerhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngGuest Blogger2022-06-28 10:34:272022-06-30 10:38:53Ealing Project launches with birthday celebration for Rupa Huq MP and her son
The Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, has outlined the Council’s Corporate Plan, setting out its ambitions and high level priorities for the next four years.
In his report, Ambitious for Hounslow, which will be delivered to Cabinet next week (Tuesday 5 July) to be ratified before being put to the full Borough Council two weeks later, Cllr Rajawat takes into account ‘a changed economic outlook’, ‘the commitments the new administration made to local residents’ in the May elections and ‘new organisational priorities’:
‘The last two years hit the borough hard – a slowing economy, falling wages, rising numbers of people relying on benefits. The pandemic also highlighted pre-existing problems in Hounslow, including structural weaknesses in the borough’s economy, and deep inequalities where those with the least were adversely affected the most’ he says.
In a period of higher inflation, lower living standards and a stagnating economy, the Council’s chief ambition is now ‘to prevent need arising’, ie. supporting people ‘before they reach crisis’.
While the economic situation presents is urgent, there are also longer-term problems to address he says:
‘The effects of the pandemic on children’s education, for example … We are working to address learning loss.”
The Council is investing £900,000 to help the borough’s school children get back on track. The Council is also working on a wider package of support for young people entering the world of work.
‘We must also urgently address the climate emergency, building on our Climate Emergency Action Plan and show how ‘green’ can make a positive difference to residents and businesses’ he says.
Better outcomes and financial savings
The report introduces the One Hounslow Finance Strategy, ‘pulling together all known factors affecting the financial health of the Council over the medium term, planning for the unknown factors where feasible.’
Cllr Rajawat says in order to maintain financial balance over the medium term while delivering on the Council’s promises, ‘our change programme will seek to deliver better outcomes and financial savings for the Council’, savings which he describes as ‘significant.’
He places great emphasis on partnerships with businesses and the community, not just as ‘passive recipients of services’ but as active ‘co-creators’. He promises ‘we will always consider value for taxpayers’ money.’
Relationship with residents ‘redefined’
He writes of a ‘redefined relationship with residents’ in which the council focuses on ‘inspiring and empowering residents, businesses and others to have their say to improve and influence Council decisions and services.
‘Delivering the Corporate Plan will see a radical overhaul of how we work with the borough we serve. A focus on collaboration means that we look to the widest range of people and perspectives as we engage, collaborate, and co-produce.
Need for urgency
Cllr Rajawat says the Corporate Plan makes it clear there is no time to waste:
‘The cost-of-living crisis and the climate emergency are already clear and present dangers to Hounslow’s economic, social, and environmental wellbeing and require a robust response from the Council and the wider borough.’
Reorganising the way housing is bought by the Council to let at a social rent
One key change is that the Council is taking back some aspects of the provision of social housing from Lampton Investment360.
Lampton Investment360 is one of a number of companies in the Lampton 360 group set up in 2012 with the objective of ‘trading local authority functions in order to generate financial surpluses and return those to the council’. It is a company wholly owned by the council and with an aim of returning value to the council.
Lampton Investment360 buys homes in the market and lets them for social rent.
Lampton Investment360 has acquired over 400 homes over the last few years and plan, subject to market conditions, to continue to buy about 200 per annum over the next few years. These are let to people on the council housing list, but they are not council houses.
The GLA announced the ‘Right to Buy Back’ scheme last year and the council, having worked up a proposal in partnership with Lampton, applied for grants under this scheme in December 2021 to secure 555 homes for homelessness clients and those in severe housing need, which was to have been managed by Lampton Investment360.
The GLA has approved grant funding to the Council of £43 million but only if the housing was owned by the Council as a Registered Social Landlord, so Hounslow is taking back in-house some of the work that was to have been done by Lampton Investment360.
The Council is also building homes through its House Building Programme, as is Lampton360 via its Lampton Development arm, many of which will be provided as council homes.
Climate Emergency Action Plan – Infrastructure Strategy
The Council is working on a broad front to enhance the borough’s environment, says Cllr Rajawat:
‘Our Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy will be submitted to Cabinet in the autumn. Both the Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan and the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy will also follow later in the year – clearly demonstrating a commitment to a cleaner and greener Hounslow.
Health and Wellbeing
Work is also underway to develop a new Health and Wellbeing Strategy, he says:
‘This will draw on learning from the pandemic. It will be about more than ensuring equitable access to, experience of and benefit from health and care services, it will be about prevention and early intervention, creating opportunities for people to live healthier, happier and wealthier lives.’
The Strategy will come before Cabinet later this municipal year (ie. by the end of April 2023).
‘Ambitious for Hounslow’
The Hounslow Labour Party local election manifesto promised a borough which would be ‘ greener, healthier, cleaner, thriving, safer, and liveable.’
The report is called ‘Ambitious for Hounslow‘ because Cllr Rajawat says:
‘We were ambitious for Hounslow before – delivering both pre-pandemic and during Covid – and were recognised as Council of the Year in 2021.
‘We are ambitious for Hounslow now – supporting the borough’s economy, protecting those who need our help, making the case for Hounslow, and fighting against inequality and for our
residents during a cost-of-living crisis.
‘We will be ambitious for Hounslow in the future – transforming what we do and how we do it to deliver a fair, green, and more equal borough where people from all walks of life can thrive.’
In conclusion he says:
‘We believe passionately in public service and the ability of the Council to be a force for good in the communities we serve.’
A Greener Hounslow
The Corporate Plan sets out promises to:
plant 20,000 more trees and gow more wildflowers in our parks
reduce carbon emissions by 50%
invest £5 million on parks and open spaces
generate 25% of the energy the Council uses
achieve 45% of the borough classified as Green Infrastructure
ensure all council housing meers the Energy Performance Certificate Band B ‘or is as energy efficient as practically possible’
improve our resilience to flooding
To achieve those aims:
The Council’s Estate Investment Plan ‘will create and maintain decent and safe homes and estates where residents are proud to live’
The Parks and Green Infrastructure programme will ‘improve local biodiversity’ and ‘help create a sense of ownership and community involvement’
Low Carbon Neighbourhoods will offer ‘a cutting edge approach’ to becoming a Net Zero Council and Borough by 2030
A Healthier Hounslow
The Council promises to:
improve the borough’s air quality by providing safe walking and cycling routes and good public transport options
develop low carbon neighbourhoods
roll out more than 2,000 additional electrical vehicle charging points
support our most vulnerable residents to live as independently as possible for as long as possible
work with the NHS to integrate health and social care ‘ensuring services are designed around residents’
promote increased physical activity for all
intervene early to support children’s mental wellbeing and prevent crisis
Supporting those aims:
Adult social Caresystem reform programme will ‘ensure we are doing the right things in the right way’
Children and Young People’s Mental Health programme will ‘ensure the right support is in place for those who need it’
Health and Care Integration and Independent Living work will ‘ensure citizens receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place’
A Cleaner Hounslow
The Council promises to:
reduce fly tipping rates by at least 25%
introduce a special waste service across the borough
maintain our roads
invest £2 million in pavement improvements
encourage more people to recycle more of their waste
Supporting those aims:
Cleaner, Greener programme, which will see more street planting, improved street cleaning and a renewed focus on stopping fly-tipping and littering
Enforcement Review to look at ‘ how we best tackle the poor behaviours that blight neighbourhoods’
Waste and Recycling Plan will set out ‘how we will encourage people across Hounslow to reduce their environmental footprint and increase the amount they recycle
A Thriving Hounslow
The Council promises to:
ensure all young people and their families have access to the support, education, training or employment they need
continue to pay at least the London Living Wage and encourage local businesses to do the same
address the effects of the pandemic on young people’s learning
give under 5s access to high quality early-years education
build digital inclusion to help people make the most of work and skills development opportunities
provide an enhanced offer for care leavers
work with partners to create and support access to good work
provide business support to help firms launch and grow
Council programmes supporting those aims:
what it calls Prosperity and Place is a strategy ‘that will see us work with communities as we collectively create vibrant, thriving, healthy places
the Youth Skills and Employment Guarantee will ‘support young people from 14 to 25 years old, helping them enter higher education and good-quality, reliable work’
the Children’s Model of Care will see a single point of contact ‘connecting families with what matters to them’ in early years
the Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) programme ‘will help people have the best possible start in life’
A Safer Hounslow
The Council promises to:
invest over £15 million to create safer neighbourhoods and tackle anti-social behaviour
protect vulnerable residents by reaching out to those most at risk of being affected by crime
implement an early intervention approach to reduce serious crime among young people
reduce violence against women and girls
support victims and those affected by domestic abuse and violence
keep people safe in their own homes by conducting regular building safety reviews
Council programmes supporting those aims:
Safer Communities strategy sets out how we are making this aspiration a reality
Building on our White Ribbon Town status shows not only that we won’t tolerate violence against women and girls but also that we are actively mobilising communities, altering social norms, and increasing awareness of the issue
Children Affected by Domestic Abuseprogramme provides help to any school-aged child and their non-abusive parent in Hounslow
Safer Communities operational team will bring organisations together and, working alongside communities in their local neighbourhoods, will help keep younger residents safe
A Liveable Hounslow
The Council promises to:
build 1,000 council homes
buy 1,000 more social rent homes for the borough’s residents
invest £300 million in improving the quality of our housing estates
ensure our neighbourhoods have ‘liveability’ at their heart
make the best use of council buildings across the borough
develop better ways of engaging and working with residents, communities and businesses
create more opportunities for local people to contribute to decision making locally
do all we can to alleviate the cost of living crisis
support asylum seekers and refugees
‘keep in local’ and build community wealth
Council programmes supporting those aims:
Radical Overhaul of Engagement will ‘raise the bar, ‘transforming how we listen to, and work with, local communities’
Transforming Housing Tenancy Management programme will ‘overhaul how we work with tenants’
Future Asset Strategy and Locality Model will ‘ensure we have the right buildings in the right locations’
Council House Building Programme building low-carbon Council homes and securing more homes for local people and for those in need
Correction
This story has been updated with a correction. In the earlier version we wrongly stated that the building of social housing was being taken back in-house. There is no change to the arrangements for building. We confused the work done by Lampton Development360 (building) with the work done by Lampton Investment360 (buying homes in the market and letting them for social rent). The way work is divided between Lampton Investment360 and the Council will change, not the relationship between Lampton Development360 and the Council.
“We need to do better” says Hounslow Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat
Before the publication of the Corporate Plan documents, Cllr Rajawat gave an interview to The Chiswick Calendar in which we asked him about some of the manifesto commitments. I put it to him that the Council was already breaking some of its pledges for example, bringing the Council closer to individuals by working with the community.
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Our-Partners-graphic_crop_web.jpg760701Bridget Osbornehttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngBridget Osborne2022-06-28 00:04:452022-06-28 19:29:31Hounslow launches Corporate Plan for the next four years
LB Hounslow publishes its Corporate Plan setting out strategy for the next four years
Hounslow Council’s Corporate Plan – the realisation of how they mean to turn their election manifesto into action over the next four years – has been published in advance of the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 5 July.
A key headline is that the Council has taken back in-house some of the work that was to have been carried out by LamptonInvestment360, a wholly owned subsidiary.
Lampton Investment360 buys homes in the market and lets them for social rent. These are let to people on the council housing list, but they are not council houses. In order to secure £43 million of grant funding from the Greater London Authority the Council is having to reorganise how the work is divided between Lampton Investment360 and the Council.
In his report Ambitious for Hounslow the newly elected Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat highlights the Council’s number one priority in this time of economic crisis: ‘to prevent need arising’, ie. supporting people ‘before they reach crisis’.
Interview with the new Leader of Hounslow Council, Shantanu Rajawat
Shantanu spoke to The Chiswick Calendar a few days before publication of his report, about his ambitions for the new administration elected in May.
“I want to try and bring the Council closer to individuals” he told me. “The pandemic has been an opportunity to reassess how we work with the community. I want to increase that.”
The Council now has a Community Solutions team, he said, which sets up at different locations around the borough with pop up stalls to answer questions about how the Council can help residents.
I had not meant to bring it up quite so early in the interview; he had only been Leader for two and a half weeks after all, so I thought I would at least give him a chance to explain his goals before I started in on the criticism, but just last week we reported on how the Council failed to help with a very simple request from a community group – a perfect example of how they are doing the very opposite of what he was suggesting.
A group of Chiswick residents who are hosting Ukrainian refugees organised a picnic as a networking opportunity for refugees to speak to others in their own language and swap experiences and information – a chance to find out about how to get a National Insurance number / Oyster card / bank account and where to access English lessons for free as well as socialising.
The organisers wanted the Council to extend the picnic invitation to all Ukrainian refugees in the borough – just the sort of community initiative you would think the Council would be pleased to assist. The answer came back that they could not contact refugees directly to let them know about this or any other community initiative because GDPR, data protection regulation, forbade it.
Image above: Picnic for Ukrainian refugees in the gardens of Chiswick House
“We need to do better”
I put it to Shantanu that has become such a clichéd response from a bureaucracy they may as well have said: “talk to the hand”; it was unacceptable.
“My understanding is that we are not able to use the data from the Government to contact refugees direct other than for very specific purposes” he told me, such as to check out the suitability of their accommodation.
The real question therefore is why had they not had the wit to create their own database as they came in contact with refugees so they could pass them useful information.
“In their defence they are a fairly new team. I have tasked officers to look at why we don’t have a database. If we don’t have one, we should do. I accept we probably need to do better and we will do. That’s a direct instruction.”
Getting back to his general theme, he talked about “passing on the power” and “getting in amongst the communities willing and able to take action.
“They have a very defined idea of what that place looks like. We need to understand that.”
Images above: Low Traffic Neighbourhood signage on Hartington Rd in Grove Park
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – “There are probably compromises we can make”
Again the perfect cue. Residents groups in Grove Park and Strand on the Green have a very clear idea of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme that has been introduced – it is confusing, it is divisive and the end result is that many Uber drivers now refuse to pick up or drop off beyond the point where the signs say “access only.”
A survey by the two main residents groups, the Grove Park Group and Strand on the Green Association found the vast majority wanted traffic restrictions to stop commuters cutting through the area adding thousands of vehicles a day to residential roads, but they also wanted changes to make the system more understandable and user friendly.
Was the Council prepared to make any changes to the traffic restrictions in Grove Park and Strand on the Green?
“We will stick to the broad principles. We need to move towards low carbon neighbourhoods … but we need to look at the signage and talk to local residents and look at the best way to improve it.”
What form would talking to local residents take? A public meeting?
“I’m not against a public meeting but with so many different views we shouldn’t just be listening to those who should loudest. Maybe we will do something hyperlocal, door to door perhaps. There are probably compromises we can make.”
When?
“Ideally very shortly after the summer. We will use the summer to think about how we do it in an effective way.”
One recurring problem is that satnavs continue to direct the unwary through the area. Had the Council done all it could to inform those who programme them of the changes? That is something he would check, he said.
Supporting children and young people
Shantanu campaigned during the local elections on a promise to support children and young people better.
“Lily Bath is now the Cabinet Member with responsibility for that and is working with officers to provide cradle to adulthood support.
“We are very proud of our Ofsted reports – all our schools are either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ ”
But he tells me, he is very worried about the effects of the pandemic on children.
“I am keen to promote viable apprenticeships and that starts with the Council – Lampton, [which looks after housing, recycling and green spaces]; Hounslow Highways.”
The Council also has influence over those it does business with – Heathrow for example.
“We insist on the London living wage in all our procurement contracts.”
Image above: British Airways Airbus A321-231; Photograph Anna Zvereva
Low wage economy
Two years ago, when the Covid pandemic was at its height, LB Hounslow published a report into its performance during the coronavirus emergency and its plans for recovery. The economic effects would be “significant and damaging” said Chief Executive Niall Bolger in the report.
“Aviation won’t recover for five to ten years” Council Leader Steve Curran told The Chiswick Calendar. “We have 42,000 residents whose jobs are reliant on aviation. That’s a third of the borough.”
Economic forecasting for London placed Hounslow as the second to worst affected borough in the whole of London, because of its reliance on the aviation industry for jobs. How was that looking now, I asked Shantanu.
“The airlines are recruiting. My sense is that while things are on the correct trajectory they are moving slowly.
“It was good to see Terminal 4 reopened a couple of weeks ago.”
But, he said, “I am worried about it being a low wage economy. It feels to me like we’re in a low wage economy and I don’t think the government of the day is going to do anything about it.”
British Airways staff at Heathrow voted on Thursday (23 June) to strike over the summer over pay. Around 700 workers were balloted in largely customer-facing roles, including assisting passengers and handling baggage because, the GMB union said, BA failed to roll back a 10% pay cut imposed during the pandemic.
I spoke to him before the strike decision, so was not able to ask him about the strike, but he spoke about the limits to the Council’s influence.
“Where we have direct control, such as in the procurement process, we are already insisting on a London living wage, but ultimately we can’t compel other businesses to comply with it.”
“We are working with the Chamber of Commerce to make it clear businesses should do so for their own benefit.”
“I’m up for the challenge”
Publishing the Corporate Plan outlining how he intends to put the Labour Party’s manifesto into action he said:
“I think we did a really good job over the last eight years under Steve Curran. We’ve got some really good plans. I would like to do some tangible stuff on the climate emergency…
“I’m up for the challenge and if at the end of four years people feel they have been listened to, I feel that will be a success.”
When the Cabinet meets on Tuesday 5 July the Leader of the Opposition, Chiswick Riverside councillor Peter Thompson will join Shantanu and his Labour colleagues. The Council is comprised of 62 councillors – 52 Labour and ten Conservative. Under Cllr Steve Curran’s leadership the Opposition Leader was not invited to Cabinet but Shantanu feels it is right that he is.
Although the Leader of the opposition will not have voting rights, he will have a seat at the table as decisions are made.
“We have nothing to hide”.
The Chair of the Scrutiny Committee will also be invited.
Correction
This story has been updated with a correction. In the earlier version we wrongly stated that the building of social housing was being taken back in-house. There is no change to the arrangements for building. We confused the work done by Lampton Development360 (building) with the work done by Lampton Investment360 (buying homes in the market and letting them for social rent). The way work is divided between Lampton Investment360 and the Council will change, not the relationship between Lampton Development360 and the Council.
The Chiswick Calendar CIC is a community resource. Please support us by buying us the equivalent of a monthly cup of coffee (or more, if you insist). Click here to support us.
We publish a weekly newsletter and update the website with local news and information daily. We are editorially independent.
https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Cllr_Shantanu_Rajawat_leade-1.jpeg610500Bridget Osbornehttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngBridget Osborne2022-06-27 23:48:042022-06-28 19:27:31“We need to do better” says Hounslow Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat
Local vegan food cafe Parlé Pantry welcomes the new market
Chiswick will be home to a new Vegan market this Sunday (3 July), alongside the Chiswick Flower Market. While the flower market will occupy its usual position in Old Market Place, outside the George IV pub, the vegan market will have 20 stalls running east along the south side of the high road from Devonshire Rd towards Hammersmith, open from 10am – 4pm.
Front and centre will be Parlé Pantry, Chiswick’s only totally vegan food establishment, with a stall selling salads (Mediterranean couscous and falafel / red cabbage), potato borek, their take on a New York deli sandwich, pastries and cakes (almond / carrot / banana) and tarts (apple / tomato – gluten free).
Sisters Dee and Ruken have been running their cafe on the corner of Cranbrook Rd since 2018. All their food is freshly prepared daily with a large variety of gluten-free and sugar-free options to cater for all dietary requirements. If you have a Chiswick Calendar Club Card you can use it to claim your 10% discount at the market stall as well as in the cafe.
The cafe will be open on Sunday as usual, from 8.30 – 5pm. The stall will be further down, along with a mix of traders selling everything from sweets to wellness supplements.
“We’re really excited about it” Dee told The Chiswick Calendar.
Image above: Halva from Sesame Kingdom (Vanilla / Pistachio / Chocolata)
Ethical coffee, bamboo toothbrushes and ‘the best Halva in the world’
Among the other traders will be Bake4Lov LTD, selling desserts: Macarons, Petit Gateau, Mousses, Cheesecakes, Jamaican Ginger slices and lots more. The Brew Crew Coffee Co. will be selling its ethically sourced coffee ‘directly from farms and cooperatives, or from fellow social enterprise importers who put the farmers first’.
Ecohaven sell products such as bamboo toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and safety razors that are sustainable, recyclable, zero waste, and plastic free, while The Vegan Soap Company London sell vegan friendly soaps made from all natural ingredients (too early for Christmas presents?)
Sesame Kingdom sells what it describes modestly as ‘the best Halva in the world’, while La Cena sells ceramic plate / graters for chilli, nutmeg, garlic and anything else that might need grating.
Image above: Grater plates from La Cena
The Super Hot Chilli Company
I spoke to Steve Goring from Redhill in Surrey, who runs The Super Hot Chilli Company. Usually he grows his own chillies, but he is replacing his polytunnel this summer, so he will be selling chillies imported from Spain and Rwanda as well as some grown locally.
A chef who has previously run his own restaurants, he started The Super Hot Chilli Company during lockdown.
“I was so bored I started making sauces – the best chilli sauces around” he promises.
He will have chilli sauces, jams, chutneys and pastes for sale as well as fresh and dried chillies. Concerned about the company name, I asked him whether they were all super hot. They’re not, he said, which led to a very interesting conversation about scoville heat units – the measure used to assess the heat of a chilli.
His mildest is a Red fire flame from Rwanda, at 10,000 scoville heat units. His hottest is a Trinidad Moruga scorpion, at 1.5 million scoville heat units.
(Fun facts: chillies can do real damage. The Bhut Jolokia at 1.14 million has been used to make tear gas. The hottest chilli in the world is the Carolina Reaper at 2.2 million. He has one on display but doesn’t sell them. A talking point, no doubt, a discussion I intend to continue on Sunday).
Images above: Vegan burger, pies, kebabs, cakes and desserts from previous markets
“Bringing something new and interesting to the High Rd” – Ollie Saunders
The traders have been selected by the Vegan Market Co, which puts on vegan markets in more than 50 locations in towns and cities across the UK. They have been invited by the Chiswick Flower Market to share the area in which they are licenced to hold a market.
Director Ollie Saunders said the vegan market would be “bringing something new and interesting to the High Road.”
He told The Chiswick Calendar:
“It’s a trial – it’s new and we hope interesting – and we’re keen to hear what people think.
“At the Jubilee market we decided to experiment with hiring a carousel and offering free rides. From about 10am every horse had a child on it until we closed!”
Founder of the Vegan Market Co., Lewis Beresford said:
“We are so excited to be in Chiswick for the first time. We work hard to find the country’s leading vegan producers, from street food vendors and bakers to ethical clothing and cosmetic producers.
“We also work with many local businesses and can’t wait to give all of these fantastic producers the platform they deserve and introduce them to the wonderful people of Chiswick.”
Photo by Frank Noon
Image above: Chiswick Flower market; photograph Frank Noon
Chiswick Flower Market celebrates Pride
In a last hurrah for Pride month, which has seen a programme of events throughout June, the flower market will have the rainbow flags out. The Pride in London parade is this Saturday in central London and the flower market will be joining forces with the West London Queer Project, who have a programme of events in the Boston Room at George IV on Sunday.
They are holding a special event for LGBTQ+ parents and their children and a Pride Party in the George IV from 3pm with a barbecue in the garden and a performance from the “riotously funny” (The Independent) Crayola the Queen at 8pm.
Chiswick School Choir and Steel Band will be back at the market by popular request, along with Jasmine Earl and her Disney songs, Kenta with his Japanese music, and guitarist Alistair Pope.
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There is a new Pilates studio opening in Chiswick, right in the middle of the High Rd, above the Mexican grill Chipotle, in July.
Called The Proud Project, owner Christina Fell is proud of it, as it is the first business she has owned and run herself.
“It’s a huge project for me” she says, surrounded by unfinished walls and floors, with new equipment still its wrapping “and I am already proud of it”.
The name is actually an acronym of ‘Pilates right on ur doorstep’ but the name is also meant to inspire us to be proud of our bodies and proud of ourselves for working out:
“My overall ambition is to make people feel a lot better.”
Christina, (30) originally from Liverpool, qualified as a Pilates instructor seven years ago, having worked in property before that.
“I was an immediate convert” she tells The Chiswick Calendar. “I hated PE at school and didn’t take part in sports days but I joined a gym at 22 and talked to a woman who suggested I try Pilates and I was an instant convert, I quickly became obsessed with Reformer Pilates and the instant benefit you get from it.”
She will be teaching both Reformer and mat Pilates as well as Yoga.
Images above: Reformer Pilates studio
Develop your core strength
The studio space is perfect. There is plenty of room, with lots of light coming in from the arched windows facing the High Rd.
I was not the first to remark that the Reformer Pilates machines look like mediaeval torture machines, with the frame for you to lie on to push against and the straps.
“It is daunting when you see the machines but it develops your strength really quickly and gives you instant relief from stress. It’s really good for making you aware of your body. You need to teach your mind to become aware of which muscles you’re using.”
Christina has taught Pilates in Liverpool and in Miami and would probably still be in the States if it weren’t for the small matter of extending her work visa. It was working in Miami which convinced her she wanted to own her own business.
“I landed in London from Miami in 2018 and met a friend for dinner who introduced me to west London. She had a spare room in Shepherd’s Bush and I joined Ten Health and Fitness and worked with them for three and a half years.
“They have a fantastic branch in Chiswick, but there are plenty of people wanting classes so I decided to give it a go. I am really passionate about the benefits of movement for living a pain free life and just your head space.”
Images above: Christina; studio in different stages of construction
Looking forward to being part of the Chiswick community
She has been working on the space for seven or eight months now and has got to know the neighbours:
“Being in Chiswick is a huge bonus. I really want the studio to be part of the community.”
Coming from Liverpool a sense of community is taken as a given, but she says people’s perspectives in London have shifted during the pandemic:
“We thought nothing of travelling an hour to see a friend but when you couldn’t do that and you didn’t know your next door neighbour people realised how siloed their lives were.”
She is not the only business hoping to capitalise from an increase in ‘localism’. She herself does cross-training in Hammersmith and says she would love to collaborate with sports clubs:
“Reformer Pilates gives you increased efficiency of movement, it focuses on your core muscles so you know what movements you should avoid for injuries. It gives you flexibility, mobility and is great for rehabilitation.”
Good to do, in other words, in combination with other fitness programmes or sports such as boxing or athletics.
She also likes to enjoy life:
“It’s not all about having a lean and mean six pack (though I’m pretty sure she has). It’s about balance, lifestyle, living your best life for as long as possible.”
When the studio opens on 18 July she will be offering personal training with one to one attention as well as classes – a Reformer Pilates beginner class for the essentials and mixed ability classes in both Reformer and mat Pilates and for Yoga. Three different instructors will teach Vinyasa and slow flow Yoga.
She will be offering classes seven days a week, from as early as 6:30am until 8:30pm.
Whether it’s the first time you’re stepping inside a gym or you’re a seasoned athlete, her mission is to enable all ages, shapes, genders and sizes to feel confident and comfortable with movement.
Once they are established Christina is looking to rent out rooms for one on one physiotherapy and massage sessions and to broaden the range of classes to include breath, sleep and mobility classes.
Image above: The Proud Project studio entrance on Linden Gardens
Opening offer
The Proud Project W4 is offering the first 100 new members an unlimited 30-day pass for £150, available to purchase now and valid from 18 July 2022 onwards.
30-day pass is available on all in-studio group classes and valid from and including the date of purchase for 30 days and is non-refundable and cannot be shared between multiple members. A member can book one in-studio class per day. Not valid for one-to-one appointments. A member may not attend any session at the studio without first booking and paying for a relevant session. Members will be charged for a session where cancellation or the rescheduling of a session is not made online or notice of the same is not received in person by a studio worker at least 12 hours prior to the booked time for group classes. Sessions are booked on a first come-first served basis.
Club Card offer
Club Card holders can enjoy a single drop-in session free (usually £30) by using the code PROUDCLUB at checkout on The Proud Project W4 site at any time from the opening date of 18 July.
The Proud Project
227-229 Chiswick High Rd
Chiswick W4 2DX
The Chiswick Calendar CIC is a community resource. Please support us by buying us the equivalent of a monthly cup of coffee (or more, if you insist). Click here to support us.
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ProudProject4_Web-1-scaled.jpg7801200Bridget Osbornehttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngBridget Osborne2022-06-27 17:26:592022-06-27 18:04:18The Proud Project – New Pilates studio in Chiswick
What’s new and good to read this month? Jessica Bloom has a look at what’s on offer and chooses Four Treasures of the Sky, Joan and The House of Fortune.
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
‘A propulsive and dazzling debut novel set against the backdrop of the Chinese Exclusion Act, about a Chinese girl fighting to claim her place in the 1880s American West’
Daiyu never wanted to be like the tragic heroine for whom she was named, revered for her beauty and cursed with heartbreak. But when she is kidnapped and smuggled across an ocean from China to America, Daiyu must relinquish the home and future she imagined for herself. Over the years that follow, she is forced to keep reinventing herself to survive.
From a calligraphy school, to a San Francisco brothel, to a shop tucked into the Idaho mountains, we follow Daiyu on a desperate quest to outrun the tragedy that chases her. As anti-Chinese sentiment sweeps across the country in a wave of unimaginable violence, Daiyu must draw on each of the selves she has been-including the ones she most wants to leave behind-in order to finally claim her own name and story.
At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.
Images above: Four Treasures of the Sky front cover, author Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Joan by Katherine J. Chen
‘A stunning and ambitious feminist reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc, Chen’s sumptuous historical saga follows the titular protagonist’s path through fifteenth-century France with thrilling pace and rich characterisation.’
Girl. Warrior. Heretic. Saint?
France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is in hiding. Yet out of the chaos, an unlikely heroine emerges.
Reckless, steel-willed and brilliant, Joan has survived a childhood steeped in both joy and violence to claim an extraordinary – and fragile – position at the head of the French army. The battlefield and the royal court are full of dangers and Joan finds herself under suspicion from all sides – as well as under threat from her own ambition.
With unforgettably vivid characters and propulsive storytelling, Joan is a thrilling epic, a triumph of historical fiction, and a feminist celebration of one remarkable – and remarkably real – woman who left an indelible mark on history.
Images above: Joan front cover, author Katherine J. Chen
The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
The House of Fortune is the sequel to Jessie Burton’s million copy bestselling The Miniaturist. Set in the golden city of Amsterdam in 1705, it is a story of fate and ambition, secrets and dreams, and one young woman’s determination to rule her own destiny.
Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the theatre, Walter, the love of her life, awaits her, but at home in the house on the Herengracht, winter has set in – her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea’s birthday, also the day that her mother Marin died, the secrets from the past begin to overwhelm the present.
Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam’s most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed – perhaps this will set their fortunes straight. And indeed, the ball does set things spinning: new figures enter their life, promising new futures. But their fates are still unclear, and when Nella feels a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck, she wonders if the miniaturist has returned for her.
Images above: The House of Fortune front cover, author Jessie Burton
Jessica Bloom
Jessica Bloom is a bookseller at her family bookshop, ‘Bookcase London’, an independent bookshop open in Chiswick since 1993.
See Jessica’s and Anna Klerfalk’s book choices from previous months here.
Support The Chiswick Calendar
The Chiswick Calendar CIC is a community resource. Please support us by buying us the equivalent of a monthly cup of coffee (or more, if you insist). Click here to support us.
We publish a weekly newsletter and update the website with local news and information daily. We are editorially independent.
Image above: proposed buildings at Oxford Court and Garth Court (left to right)
LB Hounslow are set to approve the demolition of two garage blocks in Chiswick to make away for affordable housing.
A planning application was submitted to the council for the demolition of 23 single storey car garages at Oxford Court, Wellesley Road to make way for a three storey building to provide nine flats. A second application has been submitted for the demolition of 12 single storey garages at Garth Court to build a part-three, part-two-storey building to provide two houses.
Hounslow planners are recommending the planning committee grant both applications on Thursday (30 June), subject to conditions, despite “significant public objection” to the proposed building at Oxford Court. The Garth Court application, which received six objections, is being considered on the same date following a call in from Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillor Joanna Biddolph.
Both buildings are designed and located to ensure they would not detract from the character and appearance of the area, planners say. They add the new homes would not “unacceptably harm neighbours living conditions” or, in the Garth Court case, impact on the Turnham Green Conservation Area.
Planners say both buildings would be highly sustainable, with the Oxford Court build achieving a 92% reduction in emissions and the second set of homes achieving net-zero carbon with the proposed energy strategy.
Both proposals are part of the ‘Chiswick Small Sites’ project. For the project, LB Hounslow have identified multiple small sites, including garage sites, owned by the Council that have the potential to be redeveloped for affordable homes. The council hopes the project will provide “good quality, affordable homes for people on a range of incomes”.
Images above: existing site (Photo: Google Maps), the proposed structure at Oxford Court (Photo: Chiswick Small Sites)
Oxford Court, Wellesley Road
The site is in the Chiswick Gunnersbury ward (previously Turnham Green ward) and consists of a roughly rectangular shaped plot of land located to the east of Oxford Road North. There are 23 garages arranged parallel within the 1,200 sqm site, on the northern and southern site boundaries.
Residential properties are densely packed surround the site, which is partly why the planning application has received so many objections.
To the south is Oxford Court, which contains 36 homes across two, three storey buildings. To the north there are are three-storey semi-detached properties on Oxford Road North. The garden of one of these homes runs along the site’s northern boundary. To the east and north east there are multiple three-storey flat buildings within Chaseley Drive, a gated community with 61 dwellings.
LB Hounslow consulted 396 neighbouring properties by letter in October 2021 and site notice was posted in December 2021. LB Hounslow received 39 objections in total, including fears of overdevelopment of the subject site and local ares; increases in noise pollution; disturbances during construction; loss of daylight/sunlight, privacy, outlook and an increased sense of enclosure; increased stress on local parking, harm to highway safety and loss of trees.
Planners have largely dismissed these concerns and say the site is located in a residential area and is considered a suitable location for additional housing. They say logistics plans will be put in place to minimise noise and disruption to neighbours during construction and cite impact assessments regarding daylight loss and overdevelopment concerns.
The loss of garages, planners say, “would not result in an unacceptable amount of displaced parking”. They also say despite two trees being cut down, a further seven will be planted.
Images above: Garth Court existing site (Google Maps), 3D model of proposed building (Photo: Hounslow Democratic Services)
Garth Court
The site is on the corner of Garth Rd and the A4 (Ellesmere Rd) to the east of Sutton Court Rd and houses 12 single storey garages in two rows of six. The 370 sqm site is surrounded by predominantly residential buildings, with a mixture of two-storey, detached and terraced properties as well as three-storey flat blocks.
The garage site is bordered on its northern side by the flank wall of properties on Garth Road, to the west by 1-6 Garth Court. A line of (mostly conifer) trees, along the grass verge, extends the full length of Garth Court. There are two Norway Maple trees at the front and side of the site.
Proposals for the site involve demolishing the existing garages and in their place erecting a part-three-storey, part-two storey building comprising a semi-detached pair of houses.
The new building will consist of a two-bedroom, three person dwelling on the northern half and a five-bedroom, six person dwelling with associated cycle storage, landscaping and waste and recycling storage at ground floor. Each home would have its own front and rear garden as well as a private balcony on the first floor.
LB Hounslow notified 28 neighbours letter on 18 January and a site notice was posted on 3 March. Six objections (from three properties) were received.
Local residents objected to the application with similar reasons to the Oxford Court proposal. One person took issue with the Small Sites Programme and objected to affordable housing being built. Others said the design would harm appearance of the area; the height would impact neighbours and their privacy; the loss of garage parking would increase traffic; the loss of trees would harm local ecology and consultation period was insufficient.
Planners have again dismissed these concerns in their report to the committee. Planners say the building’s design is considered acceptable and would not unacceptably affect neighbour’s living conditions. “Acceptable” levels of parking would be maintained after building and six replacement trees will be planted in place of one tree which will be removed. Planners also highlighted that statutory consultation requirements had been met.
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/4c49ec07-7e12-4026-938e-56212ffb3650.webp8791020Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-27 14:06:262022-06-28 00:25:53Garages in Chiswick set to be replaced with affordable housing
Image above: Lindsay Elder and John Renard at the unveiling of the defibrillator at The Elder Press Cafe
Life-saving device installed “hopefully never to be used”
A community defibrillator has been installed at The Elder Press Cafe in Black Lion Lane, after one of the cafe’s regulars suffered a heart attack.
John Renard went into cardiac arrest 100 yards from the Hammersmith cafe after a regular Saturday morning 10km run by the river in August 2019. He says had it not been for one of his fellow runners providing immediate CPR, and the emergency services getting to the site within six minutes with a defibrillator, he would not have survived.
The cafe, on Chiswick Mall, is the running group’s regular meeting place for a post-run coffee as it is close to the start and finish of their weekly run.
As there were no public access defibrillators close to where John fell ill, or along the towpath, John and his running friends agreed with the Café’s owner, Lindsay Elder, to raise money to get a defibrillator for her café.
The fundraising took place over spring as organisers worked with the specialist national charity The Community Heartbeat Trust, who have installed hundreds of defibrillators across the country.
“They could not have been more helpful and guided us on what defibrillator to get and how to commission it” said John. The defibrillator is now installed in the courtyard at The Elder Press Café, the details have been added to the National Defibrillator Database and it is active, “hopefully never to be used” John added.
Image above: John Renard (centre) and The River Runners at the start of their fundraising.
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Man stabbed to death named as Karamjeet Singh Reel
The victim of a murder in Hounslow town centre has been named as Karamjeet Singh Reel from Hounslow.
Police were called at 12.30am on Saturday (25 June) to reports of a seriously injured man in Staines Road, Hounslow.
Officers arrived at the scene with London Ambulance Service and found 31-year-old Karamjeet Singh Reel suffering stab injuries. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Karamjeet’s next of kin have been informed and formal identification has taken place. Karamjeet’s family continue to be supported by specialist officers.
A post-mortem examination took place at Uxbridge Mortuary on Saturday, 25 June and gave cause of death as a stab wound.
Police appealing for information
Detective Chief Inspector James Shirley, Specialist Crime, said:
“Our investigation continues at pace to unpick the events that led to Karamjeet’s murder. While we are making progress we still need to speak to anyone who was in the area of Staines Road in Hounslow in the early hours of Saturday, 25 June and saw the events that led to Karamjeet being attacked.
“I would ask anyone with information, no matter how insignificant you think it may be, to get in contact with my officers – it could prove to be a crucial piece of the wider picture that enables us to identify whoever is responsible.”
Anyone with information or any witnesses yet to speak with police are asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote ref 189/25Jun.
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Local historian and member of the the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society, Wesley Henderson-Roe, has won a national award for writing an article about the evolution of retail on Chiswick High Road.
The article compares two surveys of shopping Chiswick High Road, one in 1936 and one in 2020. He picked 1936 because he found a survey of shops on Chiswick High Rd from that year amongst his late father’s papers and decided to base a survey of his own on it in 2020.
Wesley grew up in Chiswick and is now able to spend time doing history research after a career in teaching and theatre. His father William Roe was Vice-Chairman of the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society for many years. He went to work for estate agents Tyser Greenwood at 386 Chiswick High Rd in 1934 when he was just 14.
The award was made by The British Association for Local History and announced at their recent Local History Day. Wesley’s article was selected from more than 300 articles from across the UK.
A shop which just sold umbrellas and many independent, family owned businesses
Wesley said the article was inspired by his father William Roe:
“It was borne out of finding the original hand-typed list”, Wes told The Chiswick Calendar, “My father had, over a period of time, gone down the High Street and listed each premise by number, and by name, and by proprietor and what they sold.
“In 1936 there were interesting things like an umbrella shop”, he laughs, “They just sold umbrellas! Whereas in the modern age, everything is combined into bigger premisses with more products.”
Image above: Chiswick High Road at the end of the 19th Century
His father’s survey showed:
“The proliferation of small independent shops as opposed to big names, or very few of the names we would find familiar now. In many cases, the little privately owned shops, multiple were owned by the same family.
“It was a completely different world, I mean the comparison of the two seen side by side… just shows how things have changed in the sense of the makeup of the type of premises in a modern high street. Far more utilities now, mobile phones and things like that.
“At the beginning of 2020 we were just going into lockdown so there were a fair few due to reopen, many of which probably didn’t. So, it might actually be interesting to follow it up in a few years and see what’s happened.”
Image above: Chiswick High Road in the 21st Century; photograph Anna Kunst
Wes “astounded and pleased” to have won
Wes said he was surprised to find out he had been short-listed for the award, not realising the journal was peer-reviewed.
“I was astounded and pleased because I didn’t know the articles in the local journal were reviewed by an umbrella body, if that’s the correct terminology. So it came as a surprise that I’d not only been shortlisted for the short article category, I’d actually won!”
James Wisdom, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society’s Chairman, said:
“The Society is very proud of our Journal and of the local historians who contribute its rich content. We are very pleased indeed for Wesley and delighted to have been able to publish this award-winning article. Even more, we are thrilled to have had Awards for articles in two successive Journals.”
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Wes-Henderson-Roe-portrait-BCLHS-630x951-1.jpeg951630Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-27 09:11:342022-06-28 08:48:07Local historian wins national award for Chiswick High Rd retail article
Image above: view of proposed development from Essex Place (Picture: Corstorphine + Wright Architects and KIPC)
Modern-looking development would replace existing mid-20th century build
A planning application has been submitted to demolish Chiswick Terrace, which runs from 1-15 Acton Lane, to make way for a five storey mixed-use building.
The existing site is behind the Old Packhorse pub and includes businesses such as Chiswick Dental, Chiswick Camera Centre, Chiswick Security, G-Force Hair, Planet Solutions, Tree of Life Framing, The You Clinic and national bathroom chain CP Hart.
Located between Acton Lane and Essex Place, the proposed development site comprises of approximately 0.12ha of land and is occupied by six, three-storey, flat roofed, linked buildings constructed in the middle of the 20th century with nine flats above the shop unit.
The replacement building would match the height of the Old Packhorse and echo the triangular design. It would be stepped down as it approaches the pub with a roof terrace and balconies looking south. The developers say this arrangement would reinstate the Old Pack Horse as a keynote building.
Nine dual-aspect two-bedroom flats will be included in the scheme – two to each floor and a single, fully accessible, unit on the ground floor. The access to the apartments is proposed to be from Essex Place via a lobby served by a concierge with both lifts and stairs are provided to enable fully accessible accommodation.
Four levels of office accommodation would be provided to the right-hand side of the building, as viewed from Acton Lane.
Image above: proposed structure (top), existing site (bottom)
Current building “not attractive” says leaseholder
Shops along the existing site have been given the option to surrender their lease.
Shop units would continue to be situated on the ground floor of the new development with offices and flats above and a gym in the basement. The offices would be closer to the Old Packhorse. There would no longer be loading areas for the shops at the rear but more retail space would be provided facing Essex Place with the shops on Acton Lane getting deliveries from a new loading bay.
Andy Sands of the Chiswick Camera Centre said :
“Our plan is to accept an option to surrender our lease and then find new premises locally to move into. We have no plan not to continue our business going forward as we have been an established business locally for a long time. I
You can make a comment and see more details about the proposals on the the planning section of Hounslow Council’s website. Search for reference P/2022/1138.
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/chiswickterraceessexplacecgi.jpeg420630Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-27 07:50:162022-06-28 07:50:39Chiswick Terrace to be demolished to make way for 5-storey block
A basketball scout discovers a phenomenal street ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to get back into the NBA. Available to watch on Netflix.
I think you’ve probably guessed by now that being a typical movie nerd, prevents me from also being a sport obsessed. Given the choice I’d always pick a day in a dark cinema, rather than even just an hour in a gym.
Indeed my relationship with sports in general has never been a particularly strong one: in my youth I must have tried all sort of activities and sports looking for the right one (tennis, athletic, karate, football, volleyball… and so on) and I’ve always found myself quitting after a few months. I haven’t got the patience, nor the interest.
All this long preamble is to tell you that basically I don’t go out actively seeking sport movies to watch and when I do, most of them leave me rather cold.
There are some obvious exceptions of course: Rocky, The Fighter, Field of Dreams, Karate Kid, Senna, Rush (in no particular order), films where “sport” only serves as the background to the more interesting drama taking place.
Hustle, the latest film from Netflix starring Adam Sandler, falls into this category.
For many the name Sandler alone is enough to make them squirm and turn off. Many still consider his filmography as the “pit of the unwatchable”. Who can blame them, many of his comedies hardly register above the ‘mediocre’ on Rotten Tomatoes.
However if you have been paying attention, you might have spotted a few hidden gems here and there, particularly in the last few years. In 2019 his Uncut Gems was an incredibly tense tour-de-force, in which he was able to show his acting chops like rarely before. In fact many think his performance should have earned him at least a nomination at the Oscars.
Now, three years later, Hustle turns out to be a perfect vehicle for him to express his sweet and likeable everyman persona (he is really charming in this film), while at the same time to showcase some of his best acting to date.
In Hustle Sandler plays Stanley Sugarman, a talent scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, who spends his life travelling around the word looking for the next star in basketball. In Spain he comes across Bo Cruz, a streetball player with a troubled past who plays like a god.
The film is certainly not re-inventing the wheel, in fact the parallels with Rocky and many others are difficult to miss, but it still manages to spin the old familiar tropes of the underdog story into something that resonates and keeps you hooked even if you, like me, don’t know anything about basketball and couldn’t really care much either.
And for all those who are able understand and appreciate the game of basketball better than a profane person like me, this will be a great experience as they’ll be able to spot the huge number of cameos appearances from A-list stars.
But what makes this work, despite your knowledge (or lack of it) of basketball, is that underneath, it is actually an inspiring, feelgood and unexpected crowd-pleaser with a charming and engaging performance at its centre. What’s not to like.
Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick
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Service to be reinstated mid-July at reduced frequency
Local residents and councillors have won their battle to reinstate stops for the 533 bus route in Chiswick, after a year-long campaign.
Transport for London amended the route to remove all the stops in the Chiswick area in July 2021, saying that the bus needed to operate as an express service to Mortlake Cemetery. TfL said this was to provide more capacity for passengers travelling to and from the south side of the River Thames, following the closure of Hammersmith Bridge.
Many local bus users argued transport provision was already inadequate and received support from local politicians including Cllr John Todd and London Assembly Member Nick Rogers. Local resident Adrian Haberberg organised a petition calling for the cut to be reversed, which was signed by over 300 residents.
Mr Haberberg told The Chiswick Calendar in June last year that the route was a “god send” for him. He is in his late 60s and lives beside the A316.
The service was introduced following the closure of Hammersmith Bridge to provide alternative access for people travelling between Hammersmith and Barnes along the A316.
All stops to Chiswick will now be reinstalled and bus will resume stopping in Chiswick on Saturday 16 July, though not to its original timetable. The frequency of the service will reduced to every 17 minutes from every 15 minutes.
Images above: Conservative Cllrs Jack Emsley (left) and John Todd (right), Conservative Assembly Member Nicholas Rogers
Local Conservatives welcome decision
South West London Assembly Member Nicholas Rogers welcomed the decision by TfL to reinstate the Chiswick stops:
“This U-Turn by the Mayor of London is incredibly welcome news for residents in Chiswick who deserve a public transport network that works for them. If we are going to encourage residents to use their cars less frequently in London, it is vital that there are alternative, sustainable modes of transport. I’m delighted that TfL has listened to residents and reinstated this important public transport link.”
Jack Emsley, Conservative Councillor for Chiswick Homefields said:
“This is great news for residents in Chiswick Homefields who have been fighting against the Mayor’s decision to cut the 533 service ever since it was announced last year. Better public transport provisions will play a major part in improving our local air quality, giving residents a sustainable alternative to car use.
“I’d like to pay a big tribute to Nick Rogers for his work in raising this at the London Assembly and lobbying TfL to reverse its decision on behalf of our community.”
TfL said:
“We hope that by reinstating all of the stops between Chiswick and Mortlake Cemetery on route 533, more people will be encouraged to use the service, and complete their journeys on foot or by cycle.”
Image above: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
Lack of “proper” funding for TfL could see cuts to further bus routes
In 2021, 41 bus routes were cut across the capital by TfL. In 2021, Geoff Hobbs, Director of Public Transport Service Planning at TfL, said:
“Buses play a crucial role in connecting the city, and we keep our bus network under regular review to ensure we best meet evolving customer demands and deliver value for money.”
TfL is in an ongoing funding struggle with Sadiq Khan wrestling with the Department for Transport for a long-term funding arrangement.
The Mayor said an 18 per cent reduction in bus services, proposed as part of a managed decline scenario if TfL doesn’t get a “proper” funding deal, would mean 100 bus routes being cut or 200 bus routes having less frequent services.
The Mayor said:
“TfL has been forced into these bus changes because the government won’t provide a fair funding deal. The truth is there could be even worse to come. Buses could be cut by almost 20 per cent, and Tube services by 10 per cent [without a deal]…The government needs to stop playing politics with TfL.”
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/busroute533.jpeg420630Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-27 07:23:022022-06-28 07:35:38Campaigners succeed in reinstating 533 bus stops in Chiswick
Ethically sourced health and beauty range – ranked within the Top 10 ethical health & beauty brands – made in Acton
It is amazing what enterprise you discover that is going on within your immediate neighbourhood. Rannesh and Ria, creators of Fushi wellbeing, live literally a street away from me in Chiswick. A friend of mine who lives locally swears by their products – an ethically sourced health and beauty range – but had no idea either that they were based here.
The husband and wife couple gave up highly successful jobs, Ranesh as an investment banker, Ria in corporate marketing, when they saw an opportunity to set up in business together 14 years ago.
They have built the Fushi brand and the product range to the point where they now have 150 products made at their base in Acton, which they sell to more than 300 independent health shops, including Planet Organic and Windfall in Chiswick, and also to big chains such as Holland and Barrett and lately to Boots.
They are now at the point where they are looking for investors to take the business to the next level.
“The popularity of alternative health has taken off” says Rannesh. People want vegan, cruelty free, organic products and are willing to seek them out through websites such as the Good Shopping Guide and Naturismo.
“Ayurveda is the new hot trend for the next three to five years according to the beauty and wellness industry.”
It is something of a watershed moment that Boots contacted them to buy a range of herbal supplements, including Ashwagandha, a blend of compounds of the root of the Ashwagandha plant with coconut oil and lemon balm that is recommended for stress relief. Ashwagandha is also credited with providing rejuvenating properties that are especially beneficial when recovering from illness.
Ashwagandha is an ‘adaptogen’, a word that is bandied about a lot in wellbeing conversations.
“It’s not quite clear how they work” says Ria, “but somehow they help the body adapt to physical and emotional stressors.”
3,000 years of Indian traditional knowledge
Rannesh and Ria have grown up with the knowledge of the properties of herbs through Ayurveda, the traditional medicine system with historical roots going back 3,000 years in the Indian subcontinent. Considered ‘alternative’ in London, it was second nature to Ria’s grandmother, with whom she spent some years growing up in Kenya.
“My grandfather was interested in Ayurveda. He was living an Ayurvedic lifestyle. The idea is that you understand your body type and you focus on keeping your body in balance – prevention, not cure.
“My grandmother used to make hair oil using Amla, Indian gooseberry, which is full of vitamin C, blended with sesame seed oil or coconut oil and infused with rose petals. Every Friday night was hair oil night when she would massage the oil into my scalp.”
Rannesh is from Leicester and his family are from Uganda.
“My grandfather was diabetic, so instead of orange juice he would drink carrot juice with ginger.”
I asked what was good for arthritis. “Turmeric juice” came the immediate response – a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, which I should drink with orange juice.
“We talked to our families a lot” says Rannesh. The result is that Fushi (which means ‘eternal life’) was recently awarded Best Sustainable Wellness Brand (2021 Hip & Healthy Sustainability Awards) and is ranked within the Top 10 Ethical Health & Beauty Brands (The Good Shopping Guide).
They are certified organic by the Soil Association, their products are plant based, cruelty free and vegan. To be as Earth-friendly as possible, all products come in recyclable glass bottles, avoid excessive packaging (over 95% of their range come without outer boxes) and Fushi uses recycled packaging for deliveries.
Where to find Fushi products
Their range covers skin, hair and bath products, supplements, nutrition, mood boosters, detox cleanse and sleep products, particular wellness concerns and essential oils for the home. Some of their bestsellers are Turmeric juice, Aloe Vera juice, Ashwaghanda and ”Really Good Hair Oil’.
They make everything on the premises of their workshop in Acton and are looking for £3 million from private equity or venture capital to meet their aim of attaining a turnover of £10 million within the next three years.
They are just about to launch on Amazon Europe, but more importantly, as you are reading this on The Chiswick Calendar, they have joined The Chiswick Calendar’s Club Card scheme, offering an exclusive 20% for Club Card holders with the code chiswickwellbeing20 when ordering online.
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From his childhood in Tupelo, Mississippi to his rise to stardom starting in Memphis, Tennessee and his conquering of Las Vegas, Nevada, Elvis Presley becomes the first rock ‘n roll star and changes the world with his music. Out in cinemas.
Right from the very beginning, you know you are watching a “Baz Luhrmann’s production”: even the Warner Bros logo at the start is made up in gold, surrounded by all the kitsch, flamboyance and extravagant excess which have always been a trademark of the director’s filmography, for better or worse.
If you’ve seen his Romeo + Juliet (a film I actually adore) or Moulin Rouge, you’ll know what I am talking about: Luhrmann pushes on all cylinders, using, as ever, every single trick in the film-maker’s handbook. Every single second of this film bursts with his flashy style and exuberance.
The editing is so frenetic that the overall effect can certainly feel overwhelming, from speeded-up segments, slow motions, split screens, graphics and captions, as well as the use of different film formats which at times gives it a “period” look.
On the downside, the film feels almost like the trailer for a movie about Elvis, well a very extended one, since it’s two hours and 40 minutes. I remember after about 20 minutes I thought to myself “when is it actually going to start?” and then it dawned on me that that was the way it was going to be until the end.
It can feel slightly overwhelming to be honest and ironically at times it can play against the actual drama and emotions that the film is trying to depict: things happen so quickly and you’re so bombarded with visuals and sound, that you hardly have the time to feel sorry for the characters, even in the most dramatic moments (deaths etc).
I probably counted three or four short moments in the whole film when it finally allowed itself to be a little bit quiet, slower, the music stopped and I started feeling something…
It did get a little bit better in the last act, when maybe even Baz himself was a bit tired and decided to slow down a bit and eventually develop his character a little bit more.
But it’s also worth pointing out that if it weren’t for of all this “ultra-style” and this assault on the senses, the film wouldn’t be very interesting.
Indeed the story is pretty basic and follows the usual biopic tropes, seen in most films of this kind. It’s very episodic, and quite cliché-ridden as well, starting with your typical “let me tell you a story” device and crammed with a lot of expositionary voice-over, supposedly told by Tom Hanks’ character, a rather indecipherable (not sure whether intentionally so) Colonel Tom Parker, (Elvis’s agent). However we often see moments in the film during which he was not present at all… so how is he telling us about them? Go figure.
Indeed, despite the very long running time (which surprisingly goes by pretty quickly), the film skips quite fast through the rise to success and his filmography (probably an issue with copyrights there), while choosing to focus on the relationship between Elvis and his manager (a Tom Hanks against his typecast).
I have to say, I could have done with fewer renditions of songs and more original, but then again, that’s Baz Luhrmann for you.
Aside from all that, the real star of the film is Austin Butler. He is Elvis! He looks like him, he speaks like him, he moves like him and he sings like him. A real revelation and hopefully the first of many starring roles for him.
To conclude, yes, it’s indulgent, frenetic, all over the place, bloated, but also electric and highly entertaining.
Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Elvis-6_web-scaled.jpg6731200Andrea Carnevalihttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngAndrea Carnevali2022-06-26 12:12:402022-06-26 12:17:22Andrea’s film review – Elvis
Tube workers vote to strike again… but Mayor hints at resolution of dispute
London Underground workers voted on Friday (24 June), to strike again, after a week’s action which has seen tube and rail services disrupted across the capital.
More than 90% of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members who voted decided to withdraw their labour in the coming months, according to the union.
Workers say they are campaigning to protect their pensions, improve working conditions, and prevent job losses. Transport for London (TfL) have announced plans to cut 600 jobs and reform the pension scheme that Mayor Sadiq Khan has described as “generous”.
A date for the next strike, or batch of strikes, is yet to be set.
Hopes to an end to the dispute, which has led to four Tube strikes in three months, have risen after Sadiq Khan signalled he accepted union demands not to cut staff pensions.
The mayor said he was “not persuaded” that the Transport for London “final salary” pension scheme, which cost TfL £401m in contributions last year, needed to have its benefits curtailed.
Image above: Heathrow
Rail strikes could continue until Christmas, British Airways workers vote to strike
June has seen biggest rail strikes more than 30 years, with three 24-hour strikes across the national rail network across over a dozen train operators, including South Western Railway, which services Chiswick station.
The strikes may go on for some time and as the cost of living bites more widely there are indications they may spread across the public sector.
The rail strikes are expected to be followed by disruption at key airports, including London Heathrow, after British Airways workers voted on Thursday (23 June) to strike during the peak summer holiday season as they demand a return to their pre-pandemic salaries.
A total of 700 British Airways staff are set to strike during the summer holidays, when demand from travellers is expected to be near pre-pandemic levels.
The unions said the action was due to a 10% pay cut imposed during the peak of the pandemic not being reinstated.
The RMT has suggested that strikes on the railways could continue until Christmas.
Image above: London Underground
Final Night Tube strikes this weekend
Tube drivers on the Central and Victoria lines have been walking out between 8.30pm and 4.29am every Friday and Saturday night since January.
The RMT union said the dispute was about protecting the work/life balance of Tube drivers. Workers claim the new night rosters are being imposed on drivers.
London Underground said drivers would only be rostered to work up to four night shift weekends per year and TfL defended the changes as “a positive change for the organisation and our staff” which has led to “no job losses”.
The last batch of these strikes ends this weekend on Sunday, 26 June. Tube customers are being urged to check before travelling on these lines between 7.00pm and 6.00am on Friday and Saturday nights.
TfL said during the strikes this Friday and Saturday they expect a good service on the Victoria line, a regular service on the Jubilee line (at least three trains per hour) and a regular service on the Central line(at least two trains per hour through central London).
Images above: TfL Chief Andy Byford and Sadiq Khan, RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch
TfL chief “disappointed” at prospect of further Tube strikes, while RMT laud “fantastic result”
Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer, said:
“We are disappointed that the RMT has achieved a mandate for further strike action. As a result of the pandemic and its impact on TfL finances, we have to become more efficient.
“There are no proposals to change pensions or terms and conditions and our proposals will ensure any reduction in roles is achieved through vacancy management, in line with our no compulsory redundancy agreement. We’re calling on the RMT to continue working with us.”
After the vote, RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said:
“This is a fantastic result for our members and proves that the arguments RMT has been making is endorsed by tube workers.”
“TfL and the Mayor of London need to seriously rethink their plans for hundreds of job cuts and trying to take hard-earned pensions from workers who serve the people of London on a daily basis,” Mr Lynch added. “He should not be trying to sacrifice our members’ pensions and jobs to fit within budget restraints laid down by Boris Johnson.”
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Tube-train-home.jpeg515772Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-24 15:28:582022-06-25 15:58:58Further strikes likely for rail, London Underground and airports
Transport for London’s funding from the Government to keep transport running in London has been extended yet again, after negotiations were unable to agree a formal settlement by today’s (Friday 24 June) deadline.
The Department for Transport’s fourth funding settlement of the pandemic, which took government support to £5 billion, ended on Friday. According to a letter seen by the Evening Standard, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has extended the current package for two-and-a-half weeks, until 13 July.
Sadiq Khan has warned “massive” cuts to London Underground and bus services are “imminent” as the government’s temporary funding for Transport for London draws to a close and negotiations between the mayor and the Department for Transport collapsed.
The London mayor says that without a long-term funding plan, Londoners will see a 10% reduction in Underground services, equivalent to an entire Tube line, and the loss of more than 100 bus routes.
On Thursday The London Assembly has today amended a motion at Mayor’s Question Time to call on the Government to provide a fair and sustainable funding settlement for TfL.
Image above: City Hall home of the London Assembly
Signifiant cuts to tube and bus services likely without long-term funding
Elly Baker AM, who proposed the amended motion in the London Assembly said:
“With just over 24 hours to go until the deadline, it is both very concerning and disappointing that the Government has not yet put a funding deal on the table for TfL to consider.
“Over the last few years, there has been an overwhelming chorus of calls for ministers to provide TfL with a fair and long-term funding deal coming out the pandemic.
“Without this and with any further delay, we will see significant cuts to tube and bus services and key infrastructure projects being shelved.
“Londoners are already seeing the impact of this and simply can’t afford another short-term, sticking plaster deal”.
Short-term bail outs unsustainable, says Sadiq Khan
Speaking at a TfL bus garage in East Ham on Thursday, Mr Khan said:
“More short-term extensions with no promise of any additional long-term funding simply doesn’t cut it.”
“For months now, I’ve been asking to start constructive negotiations with ministers so that we can agree to a fair and sustainable funding deal for TfL,” Mr Khan said.
“We’ve had zero engagement from the Transport Secretary, and we’ve yet to see any proposals for a long-term funding deal.”
He said TfL has been left with no choice but to begin “imminent” preparations for a state of managed decline.
“Time is running out and that is why I am once again urging the government to meet with me so that we can finally agree a sustainable, long-term funding deal that will protect not only London’s economic recovery, but that of the whole country,” Mr Khan added.
Transport Secretary accuses Mayor of “burying his head in the sand”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused the mayor of “burying his head in the sand” and not providing “vital evidence required to progress talks”.
He said DfT officials have met TfL on a regular basis to try and agree the deal and “to suggest anything else is simply not true”.
Mr Shapps later posted a letter to Mr Khan on Twitter, in which he accused the mayor of “untrue” statements and a campaign of “scaremongering and threats”.
Among his suggestions for TfL to save money were introducing more bus priority measures and reforming pensions. He said that the government would be open to a longer-term commitment to funding on the condition of a “reset of the relationship” with City Hall.
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The_Palaestra_building_London_2006-01-20-scaled.jpg9001200Matt Smithhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngMatt Smith2022-06-24 14:07:522022-06-27 14:12:26TfL given another funding extension as Mayor warns cuts imminent
Image above: Thames Water engineers on site Wednesday evening; photograph Nick Raikes
Road closed for a week – ten days
A sinkhole has opened up in Turnham Green Terrace outside the tube station.
It was noticed on Wednesday evening (22 June) and the road was quickly closed by Hounslow Highways. Turnham Green Terrace will remain closed from the junction with Chiswick High Rd to the mini roundabout at the junction with Bath Rd while engineers from Thames Water investigate.
By 10pm on Tuesday night there were two large Thames Water trucks parked up beside it and the hole was boarded over.
“My guy from the flower stall rang me to say the road have been closed” said Spencer Wheeler, owner of Wheelers Garden Centre, which is right next to it.
“Apparently the hole is 20 foot deep” he told The Chiswick Calendar
“They say the road is going to be closed for a week to ten days while they mend it.”
Asked about how it was affecting the business, he said:
“It’s not the best. What with the train strikes and now road closures, but what can you do? You can’t do anything about it. It’s obviously quite serious.”
Thames Water have told The Chiswick Calendar their teams have been working on the site to clear the debris from the sinkhole and make the area safe before commencing work to repair a sewer main.
Image above: The sinkhole when it was first noticed
Image above: Thames Water engineers on site Wednesday evening; photograph Nick Raikes
The Chiswick Calendar CIC is a community resource. Please support us by buying us the equivalent of a monthly cup of coffee (or more, if you insist). Click here to support us.
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https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Sink-hole-2_web.jpg8641151Bridget Osbornehttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngBridget Osborne2022-06-23 12:09:572022-06-25 08:42:40Sinkhole appears in Turnham Green Terrace
Obi-Wan Kenobi ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Review by Andrea Carnevali
TV miniseries exploring the Jedi Master’s untold story. Ten years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi has to save young Leia after she is kidnapped, all the while being pursued by Imperial Inquisitors and his former Padawan, now known as Darth Vader. Available to watch on Disney +
The original concept for this series has been in the making for many years. Originally it was meant to be a stand-alone film, then after the Box Office failure of Solo it was pulled off and shelved until it slowly morphed in this new six-parter series on DisneyPlus.
Given how bad the previous Star Wars TV series was (I’m referring to the abysmal The Book of Boba Fett), let’s just say that the Force needed to be particularly strong with Obi-Wan Kenobi in order to regain some trust among fans.
This is also the first time a live action series has positioned itself between the “infamous” prequels (though today they’re regaining some support from those who were children back when they were first released) and the original films (now known as Episode IV, V and VI).
So “Obi-Wan” has a lot of work to do: it needs to please fans of both trilogies (not an easy task) without alienating the other half; it needs to add more details about a time-span which we’ve never seen before and also needs to feel “essential”, since we all know that everyone we care about eventually survives.
I must say, I came to it very suspicious, for all the obvious reasons… but left pretty satisfied on the whole, by the time the final episode aired last night.
I don’t think it completely succeeded in avoiding that feeling of redundancy and I’m sure if you sat down at the start of the first episode and thought hard about it, you might even be able to plot it all from start to finish, but at the same time, it manages not to ruin the memories of what we hold dear about the original films, nor mystique by giving us information nobody cares to know.
In fact it even retcons some of the weaknesses of episode II and III by adding a little bit of context through some welcome flashbacks.
Production design-wise, the series has more of that inhabited, rusty and old look of the original trilogy (IV-V and VI) than the prequels, but at the same time it doesn’t discard those films either and even gives fans of those films a few unexpected surprises, which have been wisely kept very secret: watching the last episode last might we all cheered aloud at the return of one particular character.
Ewan McGregor by now inhabits the role of Obi Wan to perfection and I’m sure the fans would have been able to spot many similarities to the Obi-Wan played by Sir Alec Guinness. For example, if you are a nerd like me, you’d find impossible not to spot how the last line of this series “Hello there” is spoken in exactly the same way as the first line in 1977 Star Wars by Guinness.
What the series does particularly well is how it handles the character of Darth Vader, who after all is still one of everybody’s favourite baddies in film history, and how it builds on his relationship with Obi-Wan. It all leads to acceptance to the fact that his old friend Anakin is now well and truly gone and now Darth has replaced him, something which feels possibly even more poignant if you’ve seen the surprisingly good animated series The Clone War.
Overall Obi-Wan Kenobi is skilfully made, the pace is fairly brisk and the action scenes while not really ground-breaking are all perfectly good, but even though there are individual good elements in it (and I did enjoy watching it), it’s probably all the above-mentioned slavishness to adhere to fans’ demands and the lack of any real new interesting character or storyline (as opposed to what the Mandalorian had given us), which eventually makes this a rather uninspiring and overall not very interesting exercise.
Fun yes, but undemanding and not very original.
You can watch the whole series on Disney+
Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick
Obi Wan Kenobi is available to watch on Sky and Now TV.
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Senior officer commends victim for reporting domestic abuse
A serving Metropolitan Police officer has pleaded guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour.
PC Mathew Cooper, who is attached to the Central West Command Unit, pleaded guilty to one count of controlling and coercive behaviour without violence at Aldersgate House on Monday, 20 June.
A second count of controlling and coercive behaviour with violence will be left to lie on file. He will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, 31 August.
PC Cooper, who was in training at the time of the offences, was initially arrested at his home address on 9 December 2020. He was taken to a police station where he answered no comment to all the questions put to him.
He was placed on restricted duties and was subsequently charged by postal requisition on 7 June 2020.
Detective Chief Superintendent Owain Richards, who is in charge of policing for the Central West area, said: “I commend the strength and courage the victim showed in reporting this officer’s behaviour and in supporting the investigation.
“I would urge anyone who is the victim of domestic abuse, whether physical or psychological, to report their experiences to the police. We have specially trained officers who will take their concerns seriously and support them throughout the judicial process.
“PC Cooper was off duty when these offences happened, but that does not change the seriousness of his actions.
“Serving as a Met officer is a privilege and we expect our officers to behave to the highest standards in their professional and private lives.
“When an officer fails to meet those standards, they can expect to be investigated and face the consequences of their actions as has happened in this case.”
Following his admission of guilt at court, PC Cooper will now face a misconduct hearing at the earliest opportunity.
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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, you can read No. 1: The Letter here
No 90: The Repair Cafe
A friend is about to open a Repair Café. This is a place where you take along your broken memorabilia and while sipping a spiced persimmon smoothie or almond milk cortado watch your past being restored to working order by a handmade, locally grown artisan.
The idea is based on the BBC TV programme ‘The Repair Show’. It seems like a good idea to me because there’s so much all of us can repair, reuse, and recycle. I know from recent experience.
This month we’ve been voiding the loft, the basement, the chests of drawers and the boxes Which Hide on Top of Cupboards and the boxes which hide inside them like Russian dolls.
We’ve even cleared out the drawer which lies beneath our King Size bed, where we have not dared go since we heard strange noises coming out from it after the week that Lehman Brothers went bankrupt.
‘Do you think it’s a bunch of investment bankers fleeing from Justice,’ I asked.
‘No. It’s a mouse. Do something about it,’ said my wife.
*
The point of this month’s Purge of Purchases Past is that we’re preparing the house for a top to toe makeover in preparation for the Era of Empty Nesting. Everything which no longer has a purpose or has lost its meaning must go.
The Favourbrook waistcoat which I married in, which is now half a waistline too small: gone. The sofa so soft and low to the ground that the only way out of it is by a forward role: gone. And last, but by no means the least traumatically, my wife’s much-loved collection of Sainsbury’s till receipts from the late Nineties, which she has been saving in the hope that The National Archives would buy them from her one day.
Stalin would have quivered at the scale and ruthlessness of what we’ve done to our possessions this last four weeks.
Unfortunately, the Repair Café has come too late for most of our laissez faire letting go. But there must be some things which we could take along to café Repair. I wonder if there’s anything the new Repair Café won’t have a crack at. Sex toys? Boris Johnson’s lies? The Battleship Potemkin?
‘No problem, sir. But it may take a while. Someone brought in the Mary Rose last week and the dry dock is going to be busy with that till the autumn.’
*
‘Do you think they can repair jokes?’ I ask my wife. ‘Old Les Dawson gags. Sepia tinted Benny Hill sketches. Stuff that with a woke rework over could rejoin the comedy circuit.’
A gentle sigh escapes her lips, no more despairing than the final beat of an exhausted butterfly.
‘Isn’t that what ‘UK Gold’ is for? To let old men like you watch all the sexist, racist stuff which used to pass for a sense of humour again.’
‘I think it’s called ‘Dave’ now?’
‘I don’t care what it’s called. And there’s certainly no way I want to listen to any reupholstered Jimmy Carr jokes.’
*
I’m sitting in her old bedroom moving the last of my mother’s remaining possessions into two piles.
The pile beyond repair includes pictures of people I don’t recognise. There’s an old diary from five years ago where she’s made notes to herself commanding things: Go to Dentist. Call Doctor. Your birthday! In retrospect they all look like signals that she was coming to terms with dementia long before we realized it. The diary was a crutch as much as any walking stick.
In the other pile I’ve put aside three items to take to the Repair Café. An old oil painting of hers which shattered into 40 pieces one night, years ago, and which just might be repairable. Next to it is an old bent silver salt cellar and a box camera so ancient I think it might be the first object I remember from my childhood. It is now the only tangible thing left from that time. Everything else from then survives only as flash fiction.
I look at the repair café pile and wonder if even this is worth trying to repair. There’s not much that she loves that she doesn’t have with her in the Nursing Home already. A few happy photos and paintings, a green velvet jacket which she wore to our wedding and which she insists on wearing every day as if it helps remind her of a better day.
A book of Chekov short stories now unread. Will these repaired objects make any difference? Whom am I doing this for? Not her. Dementia is a form of minimalism and she, the only object of any value, is damaged beyond anything the Repair café can offer.
Read more blogs by James Thellusson
Read the next in the series – Man in the Middle 90: Merci Beaucoup
The Chiswick Calendar CIC is a community resource. Please support us by buying us the equivalent of a monthly cup of coffee (or more, if you insist). Click here to support us.
We publish a weekly newsletter and update the website with local news and information daily. We are editorially independent.
https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.png00James Thellussonhttps://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/TCC-white-on-white-1.pngJames Thellusson2022-06-21 08:35:482022-07-11 18:37:55Man in the Middle 90: The Repair Cafe
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Prioritising people in need
Wesley Henderson-Roe
Speaking at a TfL bus garage in East Ham on Thursday, Mr Khan said:
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused the mayor of “burying his head in the sand” and not providing “vital evidence required to progress talks”.
