UPdate
Future is brighter for Brent’s school buildings Brent Council will receive up to £80 million to rebuild and refurbish secondary schools in the borough. The money is from the government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which has also been given to 11 other local authorities. It will be spent on redeveloping all secondary schools but the first priority will be to rebuild Alperton High, Cardinal Hinsley, Queens Park and Copland Community School, and then to later work on Wembley High School. Building refurbishment will be followed up by further
improving learning opportunities in schools. The money was awarded last month after a successful bid by Brent Council. Councillor Bob Wharton, Lead Member for Children and Families, said: “I am thrilled for the children and young people of Brent that we are now able to deliver on our promises to improve their schools. It’s been a long race but we have reached the finish line.” Brent Council will now consult with schools, residents and others about its plans, visit www.brent.gov.uk/bsf
Mucking in for park’s trees Young people planted trees in Brent River Park to mark National Tree Week recently. Twenty field maple and alder trees were put in the ground, and volunteers then wrote environmental pledges on giant leaves tied
to trees with edible ‘shoe laces’. Young Friends of Brent River Park member Cassandra Cheng said: “We hope the newly planted trees will be still flourishing when we plant new ones next year.”
Nilma Maide, Ayesha Patel, Cassandra Cheng, Rebecca Evans, Jayna Mistry. Picture by Lucy Williams.
Climate change pledge launched The Brent Climate Change Pledge has been launched with school pupils among the first to sign up. Roe Green School children joined up when the initiative was unveiled at Brent’s Climate Change Strategy event last month.
They signed up with Brent Council Leader Councillor Paul Lorber and Ben Coles, director of Groundwork London, who both spoke at the event. The pledge is five actions such as using public transport, recycling more,
cutting energy use, and eating seasonal food which local people can do to help limit climate change. Visit www.brent.gov.uk/ climatechange or call 020 8937 5326.
Left to right: Ben Coles, Councillor Paul Lorber, pupils Naveen Ramchandani, Saran Sritharan, Jennika Vadher, Ali Reda, Thulsi Easwarakumar, Dimple Parmar, Bilal Abbasi, Harsh Chudasama, Mahima Vekaria.
Dishing out the presents Meals on Wheels staff gave a Christmas plant to resident Peter Rouse and 600 other service users. Staff will also be working on Christmas day to ensure people get a traditional lunch of turkey, vegetables and Christmas pudding, or kosher, Halal and vegetarian dishes. Brent Council’s contractors Apetito deliver 160,000 meals a year to residents who qualify for the service, call 020 8937 1200.
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THE BRENT MAGAZINE
JANUARY 2010
Find out about club’s future Two consultation events are taking place at Roundwood Youth Club on 14 and 16 January about plans to turn the building into a new centre. The architect will be on hand to speak about his designs, and there will be feedback sheets for people to leave comments before a planning application is submitted in February.
The new £5 million building in Longstone Avenue, Harlesden, will replace the club by 2011 and will have an IT suite, café, workshop, climbing wall and performance area. The consultation events are from 5-8pm on 14 January and from 10-1pm on 16 January, email taiwo.adedeji@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8965 3475.