Matt Smith is a journalist working for The Chiswick Calendar.
Originally from Saint Helens in the north-west of England, Matt has been living in west London for going on five years and is based in Brentford.
Matt is also studying Politics at Birkbeck University in central London.
Dog owners are being told to keep their pets on a tight rein after a deer was fatally wounded during an attack in Richmond Park on 1 October. The owner of the dog responsible has been convicted of causing / permitting an animal they were in charge of to injure another animal in a Royal […]
Image above: Isleworth Library; Google Streetview A new site went live on Tuesday 19 January for asymptomatic testing at Isleworth Library, Twickenham Rd, Isleworth TW7 7EU, which may be the nearest one for some people living in south Chiswick. Another, at the Wellington Day Centre 292 Staines Rd, Hounslow TW4 5BA went live on Monday […]
Image above: Site of new Covid testing site for people who have Covid symptoms; Google Maps A new site for testing people who have symptoms is planned to open soon in the car park at Welstead Way W4 1NH in the Stamford Brook area of Chiswick. It will be built on Monday 25 January, with […]
Ealing Council’s Planning Committee have approved an application by developers to build ten towers, including one which is 25-storeys high, in South Acton. The development will provide 852 new homes. The ‘monster tower’ development on Bollo Lane was approved by ten votes to three, despite more than 600 residents objecting. The 25 storey block will […]
LB Hounslow now has the highest Covid-19 infection rate in London, with 914 people per 100,000 having the virus. More than 100 residents have died of the disease this month. In a joint statement on the escalating situation in the borough, Council Leader Steve Curran and the Director of Public Health, Kelly O’Neill said: “Though […]
The NHS has launched a new national booking system for appointments for Covid vaccinations. In Chiswick, an email went out to local residents from NHS Hounslow CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) on Monday 18 January about it. The trouble is that GPs received the email at the same time as the public and they are left […]
Image above: incense stick Firefighters have issued advice on using incense and candles safely after a fire at a house converted into flats on Burlington Gardens in Acton. Part of a five-roomed flat on the second floor of the building was damaged by a fire apparently caused by unattended burning incense sticks. The Fire Brigade’s […]
Four suspected members of an Albanian organised crime group have been charged with money laundering and drug offences after £340,000 in cash £400,000 worth of cocaine was seized. Officers from the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service unit, arrested the men on Wednesday (13 January) at addresses across London […]
Some Chiswick residents are facing long waits for their post, as Royal Mail battles with “challenging circumstances” brought on by Covid-19. The postal service have said some areas of the UK will see a reduced service, due to workers being off sick or self-isolating. Local residents are complaining of a huge backlog of post which is […]
Above: Photograph by Marianne Mahaffey Train services across the country, including those which service Chiswick, will be reduced by up to 72% of pre-pandemic levels. The changes will come in place gradually over the next few weeks and passengers will be asked to check before they travel whether their regular service is running. The rail […]
A total of 1056 Hounslow residents have had a Lateral Flow rapid Covid-19 test during the first week of the service going live in the borough, with more seizing the chance to book tests online. Lateral Flow rapid tests are for all residents, but especially key workers to detect if they have the virus and […]
The sight of journalist and broadcaster Jeremy Vine on a penny farthing has become quite normal in Chiswick. Chiswickians are far too cool to stare at someone just because they’re on TV, but the vision of a tall figure going past on a Victorian contraption does make people do a double take, and laugh and […]
Chiswick School starts testing programme Staff at Chiswick School have this week started administering coronavirus testing to its staff and students. Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson announced on 15 December that secondary schools would be required to provide mass testing for students from the beginning of the Spring term. They’re using the Lateral Flow Tests, the so-called […]
The Leader of Hounslow Council, Cllr Steve Curran has led tributes to Cllr Poonam Dhillon, who died recently following a short illness. “It is with great sadness that we learnt at the weekend of the sudden death of Councillor Poonam Dhillon after a short illness. This has been a tremendous shock to Cllr Dhillon’s family, […]
Parents of children who attend nurseries, as well as members of staff, face a “worrying time” according to the head of the National Day Nurseries Association. On Monday (4 January), the Prime Minister announced the closure of all primary and secondary schools, with the exception of children considered vulnerable and those of key workers, as […]
LB Hounslow are now offering rapid, asymptomatic COVID-19 testing to help reduce the spread of the virus in the borough. Hounslow currently has a very high rate of infection. Data published on Wednesday 6 January shows that 49 people died of COVID-19 in LB Hounslow in December. That’s almost twice the number who died in […]
Image above: Christmas at Kew THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED AT 10.00AM ON FRIDAY 8 JANUARY Kew Garden’s Christmas trail has been cancelled for the remainder of January, due to the national lockdown. The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew have said that all ticket holders have been contacted. Christmas at Kew recommenced for just a […]
The Mayor of London said Ministers needed to “get a grip” on foreign nationals arriving in the UK, in order to stop the spread of Covid-19. Sadiq Khan said it is too easy for travellers to enter the capital, and has demanded stricter quarantine measures and more rigorous testing regimes from the Government. He said […]
Prime Minister announces third national lockdown
Primary schools Primary schools in LB Hounslow, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham are amongst those forced delay the start of the new term in the latest Covid-19 restrictions announced on Wednesday 30 December. Children of key workers and those defined as vulnerable will still be able to attend. The closure of primary schools will be […]
Watermans in Brentford has surpassed their fundraising target, pulling the struggling arts centre back from the financial brink. Watermans suffered a body blow to their finances due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite securing a lifeline grant from Arts Council England and opening as soon as it safely could after the last lockdown, there was no […]
Image above: One of the photographs in the exhibition, by Jacinta Cook A group of amateur photographers who are based in Brentford have put their photography exhibition online, having had their work on show to an empty room for most of the year. The ‘Better Pictures’ group meet once a week and take pictures all […]
A Christmas jumper hunt is to take place between 19 – 29 December in Bedford Park. Jumper hunters must spot over 45 Christmas jumpers which are hidden around the roads of Bedford Park. The winner gets a £20 voucher for Snap Dragon toy shop on Turnham Green Terrace. Maps cost £3 and are available to […]
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