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Unique events and hospitality at historic Linden House Photo by Matthew Power
Linden House Riverside, a charming four-storey riverside event venue and private members club was surrounded, in Georgian times, by an area called Seagreens. The most famous owner of Seagreens was Louis Weltje, the continental head cook to the Prince of Wales.
When the fans become players In the heart of Hounslow is the Gtech Community Stadium, the fortress of Premier League side Brentford F.C. To walk onto the green expanse of this field is limited to the stars of the games and the top level staff. But for the 2nd year running, Hollywoodbets and Brentford F.C. have hosted the Hollywoodbets Supporters Cup, a thrilling event for 25 fans to not just step onto the pitch, but compete in an exciting game. This encounter is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans who have followed and supported the Bees into top-flight football. The members of the Brentford Fans Team (BFT) were granted the opportunity to feel like a 1st team player for the night. Before standing in the tunnel to the strains of “Hey Jude”, the team were given the ultimate Brentford fan experience. This included walking through the players’ entrance; having their own cubby in the change rooms with their own personalised shirts and hearing their names called out on the pitch by the Voice of Brentford, Peter Gilham. Lead by Fifa Officials, the BFT and their Manager, Former Brentford player and current ambassador, Marcus Gayle, took to the field to meet their opposition, the Hollywood All Stars.The Hollywood All Stars consisted of legends Paul Gibbs and Sam Woods; Brentford F.C. staff; Hollywoodbets staff and sponsored team representatives from Wild Dogs 7s Rugby Club and Twickenham Cricket Club. The stellar squad proved to be too strong for the BFT, with the score ending 8-2 in their favour. The Manager of the BFT, Marcus Gayle, was all smiles as he handed out medals and awards and proved to be a sport after singing “Happy Birthday” to a proud mother in attendance. Hollywoodbets wishes to convey its gratitude to everyone who made the Hollywoodbets Supporters Cup a resounding success. The memories that were made will be treasured forever. Come on, you Bees!
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Although the exact date of the construction of Linden House may never be known, it is first recorded as a named dwelling in 1795. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a Dutch merchant named Isaac le Gooch may have built Linden House as early as 1685. Although Linden House was used as a private dwelling for much of the 18th and 19th century the Victorian era brought major changes to the area. By late Victorian times the house became home to St. Katherine‘s College for Girls and this occupation lasted until at least the outbreak of the First World War. In 1913 the Directors of the local bakery firm J. Lyons & Co bought Linden House as its sports and social club.
During the Second World War Linden House was used for various purposes to support the war effort, before reverting to a clubhouse use in 1946. Lyons remained in occupation until at least 1956 and the building subsequently transferred to Council ownership. In 2001 the house was purchased and is now run by the London Corinthian Trust, a registered charity that promotes water sport and the preservation of this landmark. The London Corinthian Sailing Club and the Sons of the Thames Rowing Club boat from Linden House. These associations help to give Linden House its unique character and atmosphere as a venue and part of the role of the London Corinthian Trust is to support the upkeep and preservation of this architectural jewel by hiring out its rooms and facilities and offering hospitality services. West London Chambers will hosting a Christmas event for the Women in Business group at Linden House in December and we hope to host a summer event there in 2025!
UK businesses donate 1.8 million items to local charities via nonprofit platform A Good Thing Nonprofit platform A Good Thing has been doing exciting things in west London for a year now: it has been 12 months since the Heston in the Loop project was launched – a collaboration between ReLondon and the London Borough of Hounslow aimed at reducing waste and creating a sustainable neighbourhood. The A Good Thing platform allows businesses right across the UK to give things away to local charities. A huge range of things have been donated: in 2023, 1.8 million different items were rehomed with wonderful charities via the app. Everything from bags of cement, lanyards and stationery to laptops, socks and furniture. And 2024 has opened even busier: in the first few months of the year, double the number of matches were happening via the platform. Businesses up and down the country are loving the simplicity of being able to give away things they no longer need via the easy-to-use online platform. Sometimes these are items that have been sitting in warehouses or garages for months – or even years! – waiting for a solution. And now they can be rehomed in minutes via A Good Thing.
A really fruitful source of donations in recent months has been the hotel world: in November 2023 a Heston hotel signed up with A Good Thing as a result of the Heston in the Loop project, and many other hotels right across London quickly followed. The platform has now seen duvets, shaving kits, baby buggies, sofabeds, artwork, bowls, mattresses and hundreds of pillows from London hotels all rehomed with brilliant local charities in the past month or so. To cap off this latest exciting period, and in recognition of the great work A Good Thing has been doing in the circular/sharing space, in March the charity was delighted to be awarded the Digital Leaders Impact Award 2024 in the Circular Economy category. www.agoodthing.org.uk