Your Magazine (spring 2014)

Issue 12 | Spring 2014 News, events, culture and lifestyle in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

YourMagazine #lbhf

Our stitch in time

Going underground

‘X’ marks the spot

Time to join the great local sewing revolution PAGES 56-57

Bill Bailey says flyunder no laughing matter PAGES 14-17

Your guide to the council and European elections PAGES 64-69

T U C X A T COUNCIL LL YOUR COUNCIL TA X BI

CUT BY 3%

PAGES 13, 48-49 AD RE S IL TA DE E OR M FOR

THE FINAL WHISTLE FOR HERO DERYCK PAGES 76-77

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Issue 12 Spring 2014

Contents Council tax cut by 3% again 13

Cover story

76

After a heart attack, Deryck Fill changed the landscape for local school sports

Your bills have fallen 20% in the past eight years

The flyunder. Can you dig it? 14 Experts say tunnel scheme could pay for itself

Church appeal gets its peal 22 All Saints ring in the changes with new belfry

Super Frankie Lampard

25

Chelsea FC star rocks up to sign his new kids’ book We went crazy!

Prince hit the O2 Empire

Check out the new library

A cut above.

Why a custom kitchen always beats the chains

26

Hammersmith Library is looking grand again

Stage call for Lyric works

27

New theatre will put community at its heart

25

K West clean up at awards

28

Staff fold, tuck and hoover their way to gold

Fulham park’s paths a glow 33

The future is now.

The area’s biggest regeneration schemes are explained

Green space at William Parnell goes blue

Taking stock on the tube

34

New trains for District Line commuters spell relief

42 PUBLISHED BY Hammersmith & Fulham Council www.lbhf.gov.uk EDITOR Geoff Cowart 020 8753 6597 geoff.cowart@lbhf.gov.uk PRODUCTION EDITOR Tim Harrison tim.harrison@lbhf.gov.uk ADVERTISING John Naylor 07768 440 987 john.naylor@lbhf.gov.uk

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19

DESIGN Alison Tilley and Michael Stafford By:design 020 8753 3926

New taste of Brackenbury

36

Legendary neighbourhood restaurant is reborn

Crime falls to lowest levels

40

Criminals run scared as parks police get filming

Traders sure as eggs

60

Deals, deals, deals at North End Road market

WHAT’S ON 6 pages of days & nights out 50 From De La Soul performing their classic album 3 Feet High and Rising to the Easter trail challenge at Fulham Palace, there is plenty on locally to enjoy

PRINT Hammerprint hammerprint@lbhf.gov.uk 020 8753 2235 DISCLAIMER: We thank our advertisers for supporting Your Magazine, but H&F Council does not accept responsibility for goods or services offered by advertisers.

The 160th Boat Race comes to the Thames as parties are ready to rock the riverbanks in Bishop’s Park and Furnivall Gardens

SPORT Exclusive interview Kieran Richardson

75

The defender helped West Brom escape relegation.

Now he hopes to do the same with Fulham FC

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 3

John Parnham’s Children’s Fun Fair in partnership with

NeW rides

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News In your area

Newsboard What’s happening in Hammersmith & Fulham

Whole Foods opens with a charity bang

Mother’s day fun down at Ravenscourt Glasshouses Want to make a home-made gift for your mum? Or grandmum? If so, families are invited down to the Glasshouses in Ravenscourt Park to make an all-natural herbal

gift. The Hammersmith Community Gardens Association host a drop-in session, no booking required, on Saturday, March 19, from 10am to 3pm. For more details, visit hcga.org.uk

Treasure trove of museum pieces under review by the government The future use of Blythe House in West Kensington as a storage space for three national museums is being assessed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The Victoria & Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the British Museum all store artefacts at Blythe House.

“The DCMS is working with the Government Property Unit to assess the current use of Blythe House as government seeks to provide a long term, cost effective solution for museum storage and conservation facilities,” said a DCMS spokesman.

The British Museum holds more than two million items at the former Post Office Savings Bank headquarters. And the Science Museum has more than 170,000 objects at Blythe House.

6 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

The site of the former legendary Blue Elephant Thai restaurant will open its doors again in Fulham Broadway as a new twostorey supermarket specialising in all natural food, drinks and beauty supplies.

The American-owned Whole Foods Market chain will be donating five per cent of its first day’s taking to charity on April 10 as it shows off its new glass-fronted store. The supermarket has chosen H&F Mayor Frances Stainton’s selected charities, with the money divided between The Opportunity Fund for Fulham, The Daisy Trust, Albert & Friends Instant Circus and Walking for the Wounded.

Thinking locally, the store will source its food, drink and beauty products from 70 suppliers – all of of first day’s whom are based within the takings to go M25. This includes five to charity food and drink companies based in the borough, such as Firefly health drinks, the Cool Chile Company, The Oil Merchant, The Fresh Pasta Company and the Mirabilia Olive Leaf Tea Company, as well as Hammersmith-based Sipsmith spirits maker and natural health and beauty supplement maker, Organic Burst.

More details at www.wholefoodsmarket.com

5%

HAFAD renamed An organisation working to develop a fair society for disabled people is aiming to expand its reach with a new name.

Action on Disability is the new name for HAFAD – or Hammersmith & Fulham Action on Disability. Director Kamran Mallick explained the name HAFAD was well known, but created a perception the service was limited.

“We want our services to be accessible to any disabled person, as part of our goal of tearing down the barriers in society.”

Visit www.actionondisabilityorg.uk

Young people on their way to award success More than 75 young people picked up bronze and silver awards for their efforts along the way to a Duke of Edinburgh award. Each award was presented by Andrew Christie, H&F Council’s head of children’s services, at Hammersmith Town Hall last month. Currently in the borough, more than 350 young people are enrolled in the programme, while 150 completed the awards in 2013. There are 14 local centres

offering the voluntary programme of activities, ranging from volunteering to outdoor expeditions. Andrew said: “I was impressed by all of the young people from H&F who clearly worked incredibly hard to earn their certificates.

I have no doubt that if they apply the same passion and commitment to every challenge they face, they will go on to achieve even more success.”

Brandon Walters-Steele receives his award from H&F’s Andrew Christie

The Met Police has copped 600 new Apple iPad Minis to help officers across London share information and reduce time in the office.

And they’ve chosen officers in H&F to trial 200 of the devices from the autumn. Costing more than £200m, a Met spokesman said: “We’re going to use technology to stop crime, arrest offenders or help victims.”

Photo © Joel Ryan/Invision/AP

Fringe comes to Fulham

Local lad, Will, scoops Bafta gong Local boy done good Will Poulter (pictured above) has scooped the Rising Star Award at this year’s Baftas. The 21-year-old actor – who grew up in Hammersmith – was handed the gong at the star-studded Bafta ceremony on February 16 after the public voted for him ahead of Dane DeHaan, George MacKay, Lupita Nyong’o and Léa Seydoux. In 2013 he appeared in film we’re the Millers, with Jennifer Aniston, and will this year star in four films, including Ealing Studios’ Kids in Love with Cara Delevingne.

Previous winners include: James McAvoy (2006), Eva Green (2007), Kirsten Stewart (2010) and Tom Hardy (2011).

Artistic innovation is the name of the game at an intimate new theatre that has launched in Fulham. The London Theatre Workshop unveiled its 65-seat ‘Home’ venue on March 10, after almost two years of planning. The theatre – which fills the first floor of the space above the Eel Brook Pub, at 65 New Kings Road – has already launched its debut season, which runs until July.

The first production – Ordinary Days (pictured inset) – features music and lyrics from composer Adam Gwon, in its outing until March 29. “We have got an eclectic programmer for our first season,” explained artistic director Ray Rackham, who founded the company in 2012 with creative producer Sarah Shelton. “This is the

first fringe theatre dedicated to presenting fully-staged productions as well as having its own workshop arm.” The first season will also include Ah, Wilderness, musical A Catered Affair, a celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s love songs, Just Another Love Story, and a new piece of writing about film-star Judy Garland.

For more details, email info@ londontheatreworkshop.co.uk

LIGHTS, CAMERA, HOOPS! QPR fans may soon be walking past the stadium and settling in cinema seats to watch their team. A documentary film about the football club’s century in White City is being made, giving an introduction to movie-making to 40 young people who are being recruited and trained in different aspects

of production. The Story of QPR will have its premiere at Rangers’ Loftus Road stadium this summer, before being screened in London cinemas, community centres and schools.

The film focuses on fans’ feelings about the club, and its links to the local community as they explore new stadium plans.

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 7

News In your area

Hoops stars of future to hail from W6 Former Hammersmith student Steve McQueen won the Oscar for best picture The future of British basketball is in our hands!

After UK Sport slashed British Basketball’s funding before the 2016 Olympics in Brazil – from £8m to zero – it’s down to the stars of the future to get the national game back on track. With help from Sport England’s £10.5m pot of cash for local basketball schemes, Ravenscourt Park enjoyed new courts, nets and backboards in 2012.

“Hopefully, over time that Sport England investment will feed through to the national team and we will have many more British NBA stars in the future,” a UK Sport spokesman said.

McQueen makes it an Oscar success Former Hammersmith student Steve McQueen leapt into the air at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles after his acclaimed film 12 Years a Slave won the Oscar for best picture.

McQueen, 44, attended Hammersmith and West London College in the late 1980s, where he did art A-level.

He went on to win the Turner

Prize, the biggest award in the British art world, before focusing on the cinema.

The west Londoner is the first black filmmaker to win the best picture Oscar. The film also won awards for best screenplay and best supporting actress.

It tells the story of Solomon Northup, who was born a free man but was sold into slavery in

19th century Louisiana.

Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, as McQueen’s A-level alma mater is now known, said it was “extremely proud” of its ex-student’s success. “Steve’s success is a testament to the vibrancy and creativity of the young people of west London,” said a spokesman.

The Hammersmith Community Gardens Association is hosting a volunteer gardening day in Loris Community Garden on Sunday, April 6, from 11am-3pm. Local residents are invited to stay at the Loris Road, Hammersmith, garden for an hour – of for the entire day!

Tasks will include adding new plants to borders, pruning, weeding and clearing the pond. For details, visit hcga.org.uk

Dame Sally says goodbye Dame Sally Coates is moving from her role as principal of Shepherds Bush’s Burlington Danes Academy in September after reviving the school’s fortunes.The talented head (inset) – who turned Burlington Danes, part of the ARK Academies group, from special measures to Ofsted outstanding in five

8 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

years – will move to school group United Learning.

Dame Sally has been appointed Director of United Learning’s southern academies and will oversee its 15 secondary academies and free schools, including Wilberforce Primary in W10 and Paddington Academy.

WHO LET THE DROGS OUT? Ex-Blues idol Didier Drogba (inset) will get a standing ovation when Galatasaray face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge… even if he scores against his old club.

Drogba returns to SW6 in the Champions League on Tuesday March 18 having left Chelsea in 2012 after scoring 100 goals. The striker, who turned 36 last week, will be hoping to

help his new club beat the Blues after the first leg of the double-header ended in a 1-1 draw in Istanbul.

“It will be great to have him back,” said former team-mate John Obi Mickel.

“He’s a big player with a big personality.” Chelsea fans’ websites have been buzzing with anticipation about Drogba’s visit. It was a mark of supporters’ affection for the Ivory Coast forward that they took banners to Turkey in February proclaiming: Drogba… Legend!

Rahima is voted new youth MP

From coq au vin to cocoa

From left, Daanial Chaudhry, new MYP Rahima Begum and Mina Mahdi

Brunswick Club joy

Harriers to coach new track stars of future Thames Valley Harriers have launched a coaching programme aimed at introducing youngsters to the sport. The althetics club in the north of the borough at Wormwood Scrubs is promoting Kids on Track to persuade seven to 11-year-olds to put down their games consoles and get active. Headed by the club’s Sarada Nag, the programme mixes gentle competition with fun training. The target is to triple the number of west London children taking up athletics.

New Saturday morning coaching sessions dovetail with another weekend programme – a joint venture with Queens Park Rangers – which is already proving popular with older children. “We are delighted that so many children in the community are taking up athletics and that we can continue to encourage them,” said TVH chairman Michael Parker.

Michael Dunning is mobbed by proud Brunswick Club kids

The Brunswick Club for local boys and girls in Fulham has been in celebratory mood after chairman Michael Dunning was named in 2014’s New Year’s Honours list. After receiving his British Empire Medal award, Mr Dunning will be heading to Buckingham Palace for a special garden party celebrating his four decades of commitment to the Brunswick Club.

“I was very surprised,” said Mr Dunning, who received a letter from the government’s Cabinet Office late last year to

a pupil at Lady Margaret School, is a keen debater, and hopes to use her skills in the role.

Standing in the election process for the first time was Daanial Chaudhry – a 15-yearold from Shepherds Bush – who is involved with the Borough Youth Forum and h&f buzz magazine since moving to the area last year. His manifesto included plans to develop better links between young people and local employers, as well as raising the UK minimum wage for apprentices.

Artist Georgina Allen’s inspiration is drawn from wild, dramatic Welsh landscapes, and from the objects she finds while walking her dog, Maud, through Fulham parks.

Some will be on display at her fourth solo show at the Piers Feetham Gallery at 475 Fulham Road, directly opposite the main gate to Stamford Bridge, from March 26 to April 17.

Trained at Chelsea School of Art (she graduated in 1987), she was part of a British Council young painter touring exhibition in Spain in 1991, and has had shows in London, Oxfordshire and Wales.

share the news of his award form work at the club, which was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1949.

Mr Dunning first became involved with the Brunswick Club, in Haldane Road, in the 1970s. Now, 40 years later, he has the title of chairman and trustee under his belt, and regularly attends the club’s committee meetings, as well as joining in with activities such as the annual trip to Hindleap Warren Outdoor Education Centre in East Sussex.

From left, Adam Wilson, Tim Anoom and Harper Maury enjoy the session

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 9

Still Life 11, oil on board, by Georgina Allen

First it was meat. Now it’s chocolate for Shepherds Bush resident and Ginger Pig cookbook co-author Fran Warde (above). The local cookery writer will give a short talk about her sweet new creation written with Joanne Harris, The Little Book of Chocolate, at 7pm on March 20 at the Greyhound Pub in Becklow Road, Shepherds Bush.

The event, sponsored by the Askew Business Network, is free. Doors open at 6pm.

Future politicos battled it out to be elected Hammersmith and Fulham’s Member of Youth Parliament – with Rahima Begum taking on the mantle for the coming year. Having already served as deputy MYP for a year, 16-year-old Rahima plans to campaign on votes for 16-yearolds, as well as promoting the local borough youth forum.

The Phoenix High School student was elected on February 27 and will attend national UK Youth parliament meetings, including a House of Commons debate in November. Rahima will be supported by the elected deputy MYP, Mina Mahdi, who capitalised on her strong links in the community to win the spot. Mina, 16,

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News Music Hub

Main image © Paul Sanders; right © Andy Paradise

Jordan, 15, joins Jake Bugg on the big stage A 15-YEAR-OLD Fulham pupil joined singer/songwriter Jake Bugg on stage at the Royal Albert Hall for a sell-out concert.

Jordan Show, 15, who attends Hurlingham and Chelsea school in Peterborough Road, was flanked by nine other young vocalists during Bugg’s Albert Sessions concert last month as they sang backing vocals for his tune Broken.

The west London teenagers all take part in the council’s Music Hub, which offers young people the chance to learn from, and be inspired by, professional artists.

Jake said: “I thought the kids sounded great. Their accompaniment was exactly what I imagined for the choir part, and they nailed it.”

Jake Bugg plays the Albert Hall, with (inset) his teenaged choir

1950s vintage fashion is not just for pin-up ladies

By Helen Clarke

B

y day Bethan Soanes is a booker at a Shepherd’s Bush-based modelling agency, and by night her life is no less glamorous. When the clock hits five, Bethan becomes Bettina Scarlett, a 1950s starlet, who’s on a mission to bring a bit of glamour to west London.

Bettina’s Mid-Century Market returns to the Hammersmith Club in Rutland Grove next month, and this time she’s hoping to get the boys in on the action too. “I think that men often think vintage fairs are just for women, but the Mid-Century Market is just as much for them; they can buy some records, have their hair done, and buy some great quality reproduction 1950s clothing.”

For some vintage nuts, the word ‘replica’ can send a shiver down the spine, but not for Bettina. The 24-year-old is more concerned about style than authenticity.

“Some vintage markets can end up a bit like jumble sales; you really have to rummage through,” she said.

Vintage cups and fashions are the pick of the market goodies.

Above right, Bettina Scarlett

“I organised the first Mid-Century Market last December because I wanted to promote high-quality vintage and reproductions.”

The 1950s look is more than just a hobby for Bettina, it’s a way of life. The former pinup model is never seen without her signature red lipstick. “I just don’t feel comfortable in modern clothes – I’ve tried but I just can’t do it!” she added.

Of course the market is not just about clothes; there are lots of other treats lined up to help you step back in time, including a vintage tea room, a pop-up barber’s, retro hair salon and beauty parlour.

“The last event was great; it was really nice to see people hanging around afterwards and socialising, rather than rushing in and out.

“The venue is beautiful, it really suits what we’re doing, so I hope that anyone who’s curious about what we’re doing will come and have a look.”

The Mid-Century Market takes place at the Hammersmith Club in Rutland Grove on April 12, from 10.30am-4pm. Entry £3. For more details, visit www.bettinascarlettpresents.co.uk

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 11

News Council tax 20% lower

Elton’s studio sold for flats THE SHEPHERDS Bush recording studio where Elton John, Queen, Phil Collins, The Jam, Coldplay and Oasis all laid down tracks has been sold for flats for approximately £7.5million.

Town House Studios in Goldhawk Road was constructed by Sir Richard Branson in 1978 and was later acquired by EMI during its purchase of Virgin Studios Group in 1992.

The Sanctuary Group then bought the studios from EMI in 2002, but they closed in 2008 after Sanctuary was snapped up by Universal.

An upgrade in 2000 marked the end of the famous stone room in Town House 2 where Peter Gabriel’s third solo album (pictured below right) was recorded in 1980.

But the good news for music fans is that a studio will be created in the basement, while the rest of the site becomes 11 new flats, spread across the building’s 33,000sqft.

H&F Council granted planning permission for the project, last year but the sale was only announced in the last month.

The studios sit just across the street from the new development at 248 Hammersmith Grove, which is currently under construction and will see 63 new flats built on the site of the old car wash and garage.

The most successful Town House track was Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight, which was recorded there in 1980.

How the flats will soon look and, below left, today’s scene

UK’s biggest council tax cut means your bills are 20% lower Latest 3% cut makes H&F the third cheapest in the UK, reports Rob Mansfield

W

hile a third of local authorities are proposing council tax rises this year, Britain’s biggest council tax cut has been agreed.

Bills will be three per cent lower in Hammersmith & Fulham from April 2014 and 20 per cent lower than eight years ago. The cut, which was agreed last month, means local taxpayers will pay the third lowest council tax in the UK – while residents’ satisfaction with services has reached an all-time high.

Thirty per cent of local authorities are planning to increase council tax for 2014-15 while 65 per cent of authorities are set to freeze and four

per cent intend to cut, according to the families by delivering quality services at Local Government Chronicle. the lowest possible cost.”

It is the seventh year out of eight that The council also points to how it H&F Council has cut its share of the bill has shared management posts with – which will now be £735 for a Band neighbouring boroughs to halve its D taxpayer from April 2014. The last historic £176million debt. While tax See pages time council tax was lower in the has been falling, the council has 48-49 borough was in 1999. retained its weekly, and in some for more Cllr Nicholas Botterill, H&F cases twice-weekly, bin collections. details Council leader, said: “By agreeing the According to the council’s 2013 biggest council tax cut in Britain we are annual residents’ survey, satisfaction easing the cost of living by driving down bills. with council services has climbed to “We have saved local taxpayers £848 over 74 per cent (up from 66 per cent in 2012), eight years, which is the price of a small while the percentage of people who say family holiday. It is essential that councils the council provides value for money do all they can to help hard-working remains at 61 per cent.

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 13

Transport Hammersmith flyunder

£1bn flyunder looks to be self-funding

How the riverside would look in Hammersmith without the flyover and with new flats

Experts’ feasibility study reveals the benefits of burying busy road, reports Rob Mansfield

A

tunnel replacement for Hammersmith Flyover could take just three years to build and release around £1billion worth of former highway land to help pay for the works.

These are the key findings of H&F Council’s ‘flyunder’ feasibility study which was discussed at a transport select committee last month.

Following repeated high-profile closures, council transport experts have worked with Channel Tunnel engineers Halcrow to explore ways of burying Hammersmith’s ageing flyover, and have come up with three possible options. The alternatives vary from 1 mile to 2.5 miles long and are likely to

14 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

cost between £218million and £1.7billion.

The shortist option would involve digging a ‘cut and cover’ tunnel 15 metres beneath the surface between just opposite Furnivall Gardens in the west and Hammersmith & West London College in the east. The advantage of this approach would be that 100 per cent of the current 90,000 vehicles which use the flyover every day would use the new tunnel. This option would also free up swathes of land currently occupied by the elevated A4 in Hammersmith town centre and remove Hammersmith’s ‘Berlin Wall’.

The second and third options for longer tunnels would both involve using tunnel boring machines, similar to ones currently being used to dig Crossrail, to burrow 25

metres underground. Both options would start at Sutton Court Road in the west with the second option emerging at North End Road and the third option – and longest tunnel – emerging at Earls Court Road.

The longer tunnels are likely to cost more than £1bn and less traffic would be likely to use them, according to the report.

Eighty-nine per cent of respondents back

This detailed report spells out three possible ways to replace Hammersmith Flyover with a flyunder

Before

The current look of Hammersmith

After

How the landscape could look

some form of tunnel replacement and both long and short tunnels are geo-technically feasible in the thick band of London clay beneath Hammersmith. However, some people are not in favour of a tunnel replacement for Hammersmith Flyover as they believe more should be done to encourage drivers out of their cars.

Opponents say that with TfL spending ÂŁ60million repairing the flyover a tunnel replacement is not necessary.

The degree to which Hammersmith town centre can be reimagined is partly dependent on the removal of the flyover, but the severance caused by Hammersmith Gyratory would also need to be addressed.

Traffic analysis suggests the longer the

tunnel is, the less traffic is likely to use it.

The addition of north/south junctions would increase east/west tunnel use but considerable environmental and economic issues would also arise.

Current estimates indicate that redevelopment on land freed up by a tunnel through Hammersmith town centre could achieve around £1billion – some of which could pay for the flyunder.

As well as assisting in the delivery of an A4 tunnel, redevelopment could provide substantial benefits including new homes, jobs and improved open space.

Better, more pedestrian and cycle-friendly connections between Hammersmith and the River Thames and opportunities to

Bill Bailey, a flyunder fan

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 15

Transport Hammersmith flyunder unravel the Hammersmith Gyratory could also be possible.

“This detailed report spells out three possible ways to replace Hammersmith Flyover with a flyunder,” says Cllr Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council leader. “From a shorter tunnel that would act as a catalyst to transform our divided town centre to something longer stretching into neighbouring boroughs, we now know there are at least three ways to tear down Hammersmith’s Berlin Wall.

“Each of the options has pros and cons but we are now clear that they are possible and, in some cases, may even be self-financing.”

Hammersmith resident and popular comedian Bill Bailey, who attended the select committee, said: “I’ve lived in Hammersmith for 30 years and the traffic needs to be addressed. A flyunder would have enormous benefits for not just traffic but also for a much-improved town centre environment.”

The study, which will include feedback from the transport select committee, is set to be finalised by March 2014 – when it will be presented to Transport for London (TfL) which owns and manages the A4.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “A presentation came in from H&F Council.

They’ve been working for months on this idea of creating a new town centre.” It adds up. It’s a most fantastic scheme. We’re going to tunnelise the flyover. What was interesting was even the hardened TfL engineers looked at all this – they’ve been very sceptical – and they thought it was a great scheme.”

Meanwhile, TfL is continuing its works to repair the flyover with some overnight and partial closures of the flyover needed as well as local road closures and diversions.

For more visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/flyunder

Before

Hammersmith today, looking west

After

How a new flyunder could look as motorists approach Hammersmith town centre

The hall was packed for the transport select committee meeting last month

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 17

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News University Boat Race

Party in the park for the 160th Boat Race Council sets up familyfriendly fun in borough parks to give you the best view of the annual Thames rowing contest, writes Geoff Cowart

W

here will you watch the boat race? If you like to see the start of the action, head to Bishop’s Park, Fulham, on Sunday, April 6. It’s one of the best vantage points and, if the past 159 races are anything to go by, it can be won or lost at the start.

It’s where a clash of blades in 2001 led umpire Rupert Obholzer to call for a restart.

For thousands of revellers who head to south Fulham, H&F Council will again host family-friendly fun in Bishop’s Park, with beer and food tents flanking giant screens where you can catch all of the action.

Keep an eye out for Will Jones in the Cambridge boat. The 20-year-old rower is an ex-Latymer Upper pupil. The 6ft 4in boatman now attends Jesus College and is one of the youngest rowers on the team.

At the midway point in Hammersmith, thousands more will flock to Furnivall Gardens to see how the crews are faring.

Giant screens will let punters see the start of the race and then watch the rowers round the bend by Craven Cottage and head towards Hammersmith Bridge and the push to the Mortlake finish line. As in Fulham, the Hammersmith party will have familyfriendly events, as well as beer and food tents.

If you are watching at home, watch for twotime Boat Race winner and former Oxford crew member Matthew Pinsent.

The Olympic legend and Hammersmith dad-of-three is commentating for the BBC. After last year’s stint as umpire, he is certainly up on the rules!

The parties in the park run from noon-7pm on race day. Entry is free.

The race starts at 6pm.

For more details, visit theboatrace.org or call the council’s events team on 0845 337 0314 or email events@lbhf.gov.uk

Cambridge supporters get behind their team

Oxford’s Patrick Close celebrates at the end of the race in 2007 © Action Images/Matthew Childs Livepic

Cambridge's Engelmann Thorsten celebrates with the trophy in 2007 © Action Images/Andrew Boyers

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 19

-

Transport Barclays Cycle Hire scheme

Fulham resident Caroline Wolff with one of the new bikes

Journeys double in just two months More people are taking to two wheels as the cycle hire scheme catches on across the borough, reports Geoff Cowart

B

usiness is booming for the new Barclays Cycle Hire bikes in the borough! Since they were installed across Hammersmith & Fulham in December last year, the number of journeys has more than doubled.

In the first month of the scheme, 13,000 journeys were made in the borough. But in January, the number of cycle hire journeys doubled to more than 26,000 – an average of 866 journeys a day.

Councillor Victoria Brocklebank-Fowler, H&F Council’s cabinet member for transport and technical services, said: “The statistics show that residents, workers and visitors in our borough are really enjoying the new bikes.

“I have no doubt that more people will get rolling as the weather improves, and this could help reduce congestion on our roads, which is the main goal of our Get H&F Moving campaign.”

There are now around 1,700 of the distinctive blue bikes at around 60 docking stations in the borough, including at busy locations such as BBC White City, Olympia Exhibition Centre and Charing Cross Hospital, and near the train stations at Imperial Wharf and West Brompton.

There are also stations near the parks of Eel Brook Common, Parsons Green and South Park, and at tube stations including

Ravenscourt Park, Putney Bridge, West Kensington and Barons Court.

The most westerly docking station is at Ravenscourt Park tube station in Hammersmith.

The first half hour of every cycle hire is free, so it’s ideal for short journeys.

H&F Council has contributed £2million towards the scheme using money that developers pay to the council to reduce the impact of development and contribute to community improvements, as part of their planning permission.

For more information on cycling in H&F – including how to take part in cycling courses to learn how to ride or to build confidence, and how to maintain your bicycle – visit lbhf.gov.uk/cycling To see a map of docking stations, and for more information on the council’s Get H&F Moving transport campaign, visit www.lbhf. gov.uk/getmoving Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 21

News Church appeal

Bong! The bells ring out again

600-year-old bells

Restoring the 600-year-old bells at All Saints Church in Fulham has been a labour of love for its congregation, who raised the £500,000 needed for the work, writes Nick Skoric

T

he sound of the All Saints church bells have reverberated through Fulham for almost 600 years.

And vicar Joe Hawes hopes they remain the heartbeat of the community for another 600 after the church celebrated their restoration.

Following a two-and-a-half year slog to raise just over £500,000 to undertake sorely needed work to the tower and bells, it was time to hold a party.

Despite being in the midst of winter, the congregation, which included Hammersmith & Fulham mayor Frances Stainton, enjoyed a chilly barbecue on the day in which the church bells were blessed in a mass led by the Bishop of London.

It is amazing how all the community pulled together to save this piece of local history There was even a bell-shaped cake to feed hungry mouths, cooked by Sarah Jones of Fulham’s Magic Sprinkles Cake Company in honour of the big occasion.

The church tower at the Putney Bridge end of Bishop’s Park has been silent since June last year, but at the end of this month, the historic bells will swing back into action.

All Saints Church went through the heavy action of both world wars with the people of Fulham, its bells ringing out in the name of royal coronations and local weddings, and to celebrate the end of the Second World War in 1945.

The bells have seen countless moments 22 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

in the history of Fulham – the village – and after the corrective surgery carried out in Whitechapel, they looked and sounded as good as ever.

However, in order for the restoration work to be done, every member of the church had to do their part, from the youngest brownie girls all the way up to the most senior pensioners.

Volunteer Rachel Oglethorpe, 47, said: “Everyone has rolled up their sleeves and got involved in the fundraising.

“The youth club set up a car wash in the vicarage, the brownies held a cake sale and the elderly hosted a bridge tea event.

“It is amazing how all the community pulled together to save this piece of local history and now it is time to celebrate after all the hard work.”

Project manager John Barrett, 48, used his years of experience managing air traffic to ensure the bells came down just as safely as they went back up.

John has lived in Fulham for the past 25 years, and says he could not imagine a Fulham skyline without the beautiful All Saints tower.

“The tower and bells were in desperate need of work and no one wanted to lose them due to wear and tear so we had to get our heads down for the last nine months when the real work was needed,” he said.

“The bells have been part of the Fulham landscape for so long now and with the blessing today they will hopefully be around for many more years to come.”

With all the efforts that the All Saints congregation has put into raising more than half a million pounds to ensure a bright future for the bells, and the church, this celebration is one to savour.

k the d old mar ! Young an rances F or Celebration ay m with H&F ulham restoration hurch in F ll Saints C A at n to Stain

The impressive tower will now ring out with the peal of bells again

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 23

Register to vote Go to www.lbhf.gov.uk/RegisterNow

News Star spotting in H&F

Prince rocks the Empire!

© Jenn Five

By Geoff Cowart

T

he pavement in Shepherds Bush on a cold Sunday morning in February isn’t the best place to spend your time. But that’s where thousands of music fans gathered, newspapers and coffees in hand, waiting for the doors of the O2 Empire to open and for Prince to perform. The 55-year-old American musician whipped up a frenzy as he announced surprise gigs, from Camden to the Bush, seemingly on a whim.

Once inside, fans were treated to an evening of new tunes alongside his band 3rdEyeGirl, complete with a romp through his back catalogue. With all three tiers of the Empire packed, it was up to Prince to dazzle as he romped through When Doves Cry, Purple Rain, Sign O’ The Times, I Would Die 4 U or How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore? By the end, he quipped: “Y’all expect a lot for 10 pounds!”

Prince and his 3rdEyeGirl group performing at the Shepherds Bush Empire on February 9

Chelsea star shows off a bit of magic CHELSEA STAR Frank Lampard dropped

by Westfield to sign copies of the fourth instalment in his Frankie’s Magic Football series, Frankie vs The Mummy’s Menace.

The series tells the story of a group of friends who are whisked off on incredible adventures by a magical football. Aimed at over-fives, Frank launched the series last summer. One of the first in the queue was the aptly named Frankie Collins, eight. Book five, Frankie vs The Knight’s Nasties, is expected in April.

Frankie Lampard signs for (inset) Frankie Collins, 8

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 25

News Refurbishments push ahead

Library takes shape

Work is underway at Hammersmith Library as H&F Council’s deputy leader Greg Smith talks to contract manager Alan Young

Impressive 1905 building is being brought back to life to create one superblooking new library, writes Delyth Bowen

T

he £2.7million refurbishment of Hammersmith Library is now underway. The historic building, in Shepherds Bush Road, has been temporarily closed since October 2013 to undergo major improvements – which are set to be completed in the summer.

The improvements include more study space, Wi-Fi, self-service terminals, more books and new areas designed for young children, teenagers, relaxing and reading, and studying. The new-look library will take the best aspects of the 1905 Grade II-listed building, like its architecture and interior design, and merge it with the modern technology of the 21st century, says H&F Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Greg Smith.

Residents can still visit the temporary library at 181 King Street in Hammersmith and the borough’s other libraries in Shepherds Bush and Fulham – all of which are open throughout the works.

For details, visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/libraries 26 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

Heavy metal! A look inside the Lyric as construction work picks up

By Geoff Cowart

Vast metal girders are now in place as the Lyric’s new drama, dance, film and TV studios take shape behind the scaffolding that wraps around the King Street building

THE CURTAIN was briefly lifted on the Lyric Theatre’s £16million upgrade last month.

As well as building a large two-storey extension to the west of the theatre, the existing building is having its first major facelift in 30 years with H&F Council contributing more than £3m.

With the opening of the Lyric’s new cafe last month, the Hammersmith theatre is working on building its new drama, dance, film and TV recording studios, a 60-seat cinema and a new bar. The Lyric also hopes to become one of the most sustainable cultural buildings in London with a natural roof, almost 100 per cent LED lighting and reclaimed furniture.

Jessica Hepburn, executive director of the Lyric, said: “This is the largest cultural development of its kind to take place in west London for decades.”

NEW PLANNING COURT WILL SPEED UP GROWTH PROPOSALS TO establish a specialist court to swiftly deal with major planning application disputes will aid efforts to create new jobs, homes and business opportunities, says H&F Council leader Cllr Nicholas Botterill.

Welcoming proposals announced as part of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which will see specialist judges employed to deal with disputed schemes within

fixed time limits, Cllr Botterill predicts the changes could also save taxpayers’ money as these judges would be better placed to quickly dismiss groundless and expensive judicial reviews.

“Most reviews involving the council ended up being costly, unnecessarily lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful challenges that only resulted in delaying the delivery of important infrastructure and

development projects,” Cllr Botterill said.

The Government wants to establish the new planning court by this summer.

It estimates that 400 planning cases a year will be resolved more quickly by being fast-tracked for hearings with the specialist judges. It also means individuals and campaign groups would have to take on some financial risk should they wish to pursue a judicial review.

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 27

News Housekeeping Olympics

Asbo for teenage thief A TEENAGE thief has been slapped with a two-year antisocial behaviour order (Asbo) after eagle-eyed council officers saw him on CCTV stealing from a black cab.

Unemployed Ricky Newman (pictured), from Aspen Gardens, Hammersmith, was filmed by council CCTV cameras smashing the window of the London taxi in Bishops Avenue, Fulham, before stealing a bag from inside.

After the theft was reported to the police, its officers viewed the footage and arrested the 18-year-old within two hours.

Police also ran an appeal in the Taxi newspaper to try and locate the black cab owner – and were soon contacted by a 37-year-old taxi driver from Sutton who was confirmed as the victim in the case.

Newman, who pleaded guilty to theft from a motor vehicle, was sentenced at West London Magistrates’ Court last month. He was given a two-year Asbo, a community order with curfew and told to pay £25 costs. He was also ordered to pay £20 compensation and a £15 victim surcharge.

REMEMBER TO REPORT IT SINCE THE launch of the new ‘H&F Report it’ mobile phone app last year, hundreds of examples of fly-tips, graffiti, broken glass and dropped cigarette butts have been reported to the council to clean up – all at the touch of a button.

Eagle-eyed residents and workers in H&F can download the free app on to their smartphone, take a snap of the problem on public land – including roads, pavements, parks and other public spaces – and send it to the council.

GPS signals find where a resident is reporting from and the exact location of the incident. The mess is then cleaned up – usually within 24 hours of the report coming through to the council.

Visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/ myaccount to submit a report, or see the current status of any reports you have made. You can also report suspected fly-tipping, or alert the council to a litter issue, on 020 8753 1100 or email cleaner.greener@ lbhf.gov.uk

28 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

K West cleans up at national hotelier awards How quickly can you make your bed? These experts from Shepherds Bush have just been named the top sheet-folders in the UK. Nick Skoric watched in awe

The winning team (from left): K West Hotel’s Turka Popova, Tamara Pacochova, Ana Andrade, Ivelina Hristova and Gabriella Korzonek

A

The Millennium Hotel, Stamford Bridge, took part dramatic last-minute recount (from left): Klaudia Horvath, Agata Kulba, mascot gifted a group of Shepherds Stamford, Petra Hadbavna and Agnaraska Zavislan Bush hotel workers the UK Hotel Housekeeping Olympics.

The cleaners from the K West Hotel in Richmond Way were left biting their nails “The joy on their faces is priceless. They until the judges went over the score sheets really deserve the win and we cannot wait to one final time after a closely fought battle come back next time to defend our title.” with their local rivals from the Jumeirah Earlier in the day, the teams battled it out Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge. in the vacuuming contest and the toilet roll Winners Gabriella Korzonek, Ivelina competition at the Drake Suite in Fulham’s Hristova, Tamara Pacochova and Turka Stamford Bridge stadium.

Popova pipped their west London neighbours H&F mayor Cllr Frances Stainton to the national honours by just a few points presented the winners with their medals after a spell-binding bedmaking display. and was proud to see a local business Teams were made to change the sheets take the win. “The K West girls put on a on a bed in the fastest time and then add marvellous display against a tough group of a little bit of their own creative touch to competitors and it was lovely to see the big impress the judges. The K West girls used smiles on their faces at the end of the day. a sprinkling of confetti to make sure They have proudly represented the borough their bed stood out from the rest of the and emerged victorious against hotels from competition and their manager could not across the country,” Cllr Stainton said. have been happier.

The UK Hotel Housekeeping Olympics K West housekeeping manager Ana is held every two years and was organised Andrade said: “I am so proud of the girls.

by West Kensington resident Anne They did an amazing job beating some tough Britton. Anne is chairman of the UK Hotel competition from across the country. It has Housekeeping Association and executive been a fantastic day we will never forget. housekeeper at the Carlton Tower.

AIM FOR THE BEST JOB FAIR at the Wharf Rooms, Imperial Wharf, Thursday 20th March, 11 – 4pm

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Free cycle training* is available for people living, working or studying in Hammersmith & Fulham. The sessions are arranged at a date, time and place to suit the trainee and are tailored to the trainee’s level of experience. *There is a booking fee of £5, refundable to claimants/unwaged.

Private tuition in safe, confident road cycling for adults and families.

A two-hour, one-to-one cycle training session for anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough Bikes can be provided for complete beginners Female and male instructors will train anywhere in Hammersmith & Fulham

For more information visit: www.lbhf.gov.uk To book a session contact Bikeworks on: 020 8980 7998 Email: enquiries@bikeworks.org.uk

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News Benefit fraud

Let there be light for park paths GLOW-IN-THE-DARK paths will soon be lighting up a dimly-lit park in Fulham as Hammersmith & Fulham becomes the first London borough to embrace a new approach to lighting public places.

Starpath, which is a spray-on coating that can be used on any solid surface,

works by absorbing UV rays during the day and then expelling them at night – creating a blue glow that lights up the surface. H&F Council has asked Starpath’s makers – Pro-Tek Surfacing – to apply the product to the main commuter route through William Parnell Park in Fulham.

Starry, starry night.

How the new path will look

Not only will Starpath brighten up the dimly lit park’s path at night without needing to resort to traditional, costly lighting, its application process helps repair and reinforce surfaces on to which it is sprayed. The finished surface is also non-slip and water-resistant.

Fake Greek comes acropolis as benefits scam unravels

A

n illegal immigrant who created a false Greek personality, using counterfeit documents, to swindle taxpayers has been sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Afghani national Shahid Altaf used a fake Greek passport, driving licence and ID card to fleece taxpayers out of more than £63,000 in a seven-year-long deception.

Altaf, of Uxbridge Road, W12, used the dodgy documents to actively impersonate Filippos Sparveris so he could claim housing benefit, council tax benefit, parking permits and a single-person discount to which he was not entitled.

But a joint investigation between H&F Council fraud investigators and the UK Border Agency discovered Altaf’s ploy and he was arrested in October 2013.

The passport, driving licence and Greek ID card were verified as fakes by the UK Border Agency and, in an interview under caution, Altaf admitted that he was not

Filippos Sparveris. A search of Altaf’s home also uncovered numerous other documents using his Greek alias.

Altaf, who was previously imprisoned in 2003 for the theft of a credit card in the name of Filippos Sparveris, was charged with seven counts of fraud and pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court last month.

Cllr Greg Smith, H&F Council deputy leader, said: “Scheming Shahid Altaf was using fake documents to live a big fat lie.

“But this imposter’s scam now lies in ruins. Once Altaf has finished serving at Her Majesty’s pleasure I hope the UK Border Agency will be successful in deporting him from these shores once and for all.”

After pleading guilty Altaf was sentenced to 16 months in prison at a hearing at Kingston Crown Court on January 20.

Altaf is an illegal over-stayer, according to The UK Border Agency, and will be deported unless an appeal to the Home Office is successful.

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 33

News District Line upgraded

All change for District line as new trains roll out with the keys Claire Ansbro in Becklow t fla w to her ne rds Bush, he ep Gardens, Sh the council by ilt which was bu

As slick, smart, gleaming new carriages appear on the District line Rob Mansfield hops on an S-stock train to experience the wider future of tube travel

New chance for home ownership

By Ian Mason HARD-WORKING tenants in H&F are being given even more help getting on the housing ladder following the launch of the council’s right-to-buy-part scheme.

The home-ownership scheme offers the sitting tenant the opportunity to buy a minimum 15 per cent share of their home. This helped Shepherds Bush resident Claire Ansbro buy her first home in Becklow Gardens.

The scheme, recently backed by the Mayor of London, also enables the tenant to receive a proportionate amount of the right-to-buy discount when purchasing a share of their home.

They can then buy a larger share of the property whenever they wish, continuing to do so over time until they own it outright.

Cllr Andrew Johnson, H&F cabinet member for housing, said: “The scheme has incredible potential as it could give many tenants who are not yet financially able to buy their home outright the chance to do so bit by bit, over a period of time that suits them.”

Under the scheme, council tenants will pay a mortgage on the 15 per cent of the house they own, while paying rent on the remainder of the property.

The council is now set to consult tenants about details of the newly launched right-to-buy-part pilot project.

For more information about right to buy part, including whether you’re eligible to take up the offer, email h&fhome-buy@ lbhf.gov.uk or call 020 8753 6464 34 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

Wider, more efficient carriages mean an 18 per cent capacity boost

F

ed-up District line commuters – particularly in Fulham – are set to find their morning tube journeys a little bit easier after the first of a new generation of bigger and better trains were rolled out last month.

The changes come after H&F Council called for longer trains and better trains as the first ‘S-stock’ trains have started running on the Wimbledon to Edgware branch – the most overcrowded tube line in west London.

The new S-stock trains are wider than the old stock and are seven carriages long instead of six, meaning there is considerably increased capacity – about 18 per cent – on the line.

The new trains, which are built by Bombardier in Derby, are all air-conditioned and have lower floors to ease accessibility for disabled people and parents with buggies.

Passengers can walk the whole length of the train, so it is easier to get to the least crowded parts, and this also improves passenger safety and security, according to Transport for London.

CCTV also enables the driver to see into every carriage while track-to-train video

links give the driver a better view of the outside of the train before leaving a station.

H&F has the highest proportion of tube users in the capital with 39 per cent of residents travelling to work on the underground, according to the 2011 census.

The District line is also used by more than 700,000 people each day. At peak times the Wimbledon branch of the District line operates at 92 per cent of capacity, with some trains operating over capacity and many passengers unable to squeeze on at busy times at stations such as Parson’s Green and Fulham Broadway.

Cllr Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council leader, said: “Any Fulham resident who has tried to board a District line train during the morning rush hour will know that it is sometimes physically impossible.

“These bigger and better trains, which will add capacity and generally make life more comfortable for commuters, come as a very welcome relief.

For more details on the council’s Get Moving campaign, visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/getmoving

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Food New restaurants in Hammersmith

A dynamic creative hub The heritage is impressive, and the results at The Brackenbury live up to the owners’ impressive lineage, writes Magda Ibrahim

S

ome restaurateurs might sneer at the thought of 16-hour days, dredging drains and tearing rampant ivy from walls. But the ingrained influence of 20 years at the River Café means that for Ossie Gray, being hands-on is synonymous with running a successful restaurant.

That ethos is paramount at The Brackenbury, in its latest incarnation under Ossie’s watchful eye, alongside partners Humphrey Fletcher and Andy Morris.

“It has been a labour of love,” explains Ossie. “This is a small business with a fabulous history and reputation, and we know everything about this place.

The three of us have done everything ourselves; I have cleaned almost every drain and spent days clearing ivy. It is the best way of knowing your business and making sure everything runs smoothly.”

The trio reopened The Brackenbury in January 2014 with the vision of creating the same buzz of a neighbourhood restaurant that the eatery enjoyed in its heyday, when it was owned by Kate and Adam Robinson, now based in South Africa.

Most recently run as a Filipino restaurant – Port of Manila – Ossie, Andy, and head chef Humphrey took the keys on November 30 and have been living and breathing

There is a lot of talk about local communities – but the feeling is so genuine here. The interest from locals has been amazing 36 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

The Brackenbury since then.

Determined to engage with the community, the team even brought steaming cups of ribollita – a hearty Tuscan soup – out to revellers during a Christmas party organised by the nearby Andover Arms pub.

“There is a lot of talk about local communities – but the feeling is so genuine here,” explains Ossie, who has lived in the area for two decades, having originally bought a place in Cardross Street with his sister Lucy Boyd, head gardener at Petersham Nurseries, in the 90s.

“The interest from locals has been amazing, although sometimes it feels like you can’t do anything around here without people knowing.”

With a spirits shelf stocked with bottles including gin and vodka from the independent Sipsmiths distillery – three streets away – the local theme runs throughout The Brackenbury. But with a menu that included orange, fennel, radicchio and roasted Marcona almond salad, and iced ParisBrest, with hot chocolate sauce, on the day Your Magazine visited, it is clear the foodie influences have a much wider footprint.

Not only have Humphrey and Andy cooked at Kensington Place, the River Café, Glasshouse, the Anglesea Arms and Providores between them, but Ossie’s passion for Mediterranean cuisine is apparent.

His name may be familiar – and the likeness between Ossie and his late mother Rose Gray is immediately apparent. Rose’s passion for simple, honest food – shared with River Café partner and great friend Ruthie Rogers – clearly runs through Ossie’s veins.

“I had the most incredible relationship with both my mother and with Ruthie,” reveals Ossie, who worked as the River

Café’s general manager for 20 years, and focused on sourcing wine and olive oil after starting his career at Bibendum wine merchant.

“The way I saw it, these were two incredibly dynamic, colourful, creative ladies who had an amazing partnership, and my job was to facilitate that creativity.”

While The Brackenbury is very much its own place, with a sense of independence and the stamp of each of the three partners, there is no escaping the formation of its character.

From Adam and Kate Robinson’s input dating back to 1991, to a short ownership by chef Rowley Leigh and Nick Smallwood, who founded Kensington Place, and now with Ossie, Humphrey and Andy at the helm, the mix of personalities shines through.

Even the olive trees flanking the patio out

The Brackenbury reopened in January

Business partners (from left) Ossie Gray, Andy Morris and Humphrey Fletcher.

Inset left, the late Rosie Gray of River Café fame

front tell of the restaurant’s heritage.

“Everyone knows each other in the industry, and nowadays the value of sharing ideas is much more recognised than 25 years ago, when there was a more protectionist outlook,” points out Ossie.

“However, people do try to put you in a box in terms of type of cuisine, which is something we all talked long and hard about. We are cooking the food we love, which sounds a bit cliched, but it is based on our experiences, where we have worked, and what we have done.”

For Ossie, that means regional Italian, French, and seasonal British produce.

And, of course, that sense of comfort, taste and passion. It isn’t unusual to see one of the partners chatting to diners seated on the comfy terracotta banquettes – or perhaps dipping fresh sourdough in a dish of Salvapiana extra virgin olive oil, sourced near Florence.

“The restaurant business is about heart,” concludes Ossie. “That is our passion.”

The Brackenbury is at 129-131 Brackenbury Road, W6 0BQ. For information call 020 8741 4928 or visit www.brackenburyrestaurant.co.uk

MORE NEW W6 EATERIES TO TRY

Guadeloupe 184 King Street, W6 0RA 020 8001 0854

Sanbao Chinese Kitchen 188 King Street, W6 0RA 020 8741 2428

Launched by Tatiana and Ruddy Virat on January 12, this cosy restaurant is a sunny antidote to the grey skies outside with its tropical island murals and enticing aromas.

Former Ebookers and Air France employees Tatiana and Ruddy hope to bring a taste of Guadeloupe to Hammersmith in their first foray into the restaurant business, with dishes including crepes, salt cod, plantain and bread fruit gratin.

Scallop and egg soup, braised spare ribs and fried morning glory sound good? Then head to the inviting environs of Sanbao for some traditional Chinese fare.

Headed up by Mingdong Pax – a former chef for Neds Noodle Bar in Bayswater – this little spot opened on January 8 and is the perfect option for a lunchtime hit of tasty Chinese dishes, ranging from soups, noodles, meat, seafood and vegetarian choices.

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 37

Friendly atmosphere, good food and an extensive wine collection.We would like to think Lala is simply unrivalled!

Sporting a cafĂŠ, deli, restaurant and bar, conveniently placed in the heart of Hammersmith, Lala is the perfect destination for a quiet meal for two, family gathering, business meeting, after-work drink or pre-theatre eat.

For guest lists, events, promotions and parties in the basement, call us on 07976 511579 or email info@lalaw6.com

2-4 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9DY For restaurant table bookings call 020 8600 0200 or email reservations@lalaw6.com

Arts H&F ArtsFest 2014

New arts fest launched Musicians, artists, writers and performers will surely make the first ArtsFest a party to remember, reports Magda Ibrahim

A

n arts festival to celebrate the ‘cultural richness’ of Hammersmith & Fulham is set to launch in the borough this summer.

H&F ArtsFest is the brainchild of a group of community-minded folk, who want to give a boost to the expansive range of creative venues and ventures in the area, and is supported by H&F Council. Led by chair Cathy Robertson, the ArtsFest team have been working closely with innovative local bodies to develop the festival, which will take place on June 8-15.

“We would love to take on the look and feel of bigger festivals,” says Cathy, who first got a taste of community involvement in her local Fulham Neighbourhood Watch scheme a decade ago.

“We definitely don’t see this as being a one-off, and we are very focused on promoting the cultural richness of the borough, whether theatre, music, dance, film, arts and literature.”

Riverside Studios, the Lyric and Bush Theatres, Instant Circus, jazz venue The 606 Club, and Nomad Books have already signed up to be part of the new festival, and Cathy hopes each year will see it grow.

“We had the initial discussions in June last year, so it has been a busy few months, and we are all very committed to the arts,” she adds. “It is about celebrating what we have here in the borough, and shining the spotlight on the wealth of internationally acclaimed venues and arts heritage.”

As well as promoting a directory of all the

The H&F ArtsFest runs from June 8 to 15

Cathy Robertson (left) launches H&F ArtsFest, along with H&F mayor Frances Stainton (centre) and Cllr Greg Smith (right)

arts-focused activity taking place during the week, ArtsFest 2014 is set to include at least two live events of its own, to launch and close the festival. Meanwhile, a dedicated website, and social media channels, will help promote the arts programming taking place from June 8-15.

“We are very excited by what is a very integrated campaign to boost the profile of the arts to not only those who are already fans, but other groups, and even those outside the borough,” says Cathy.

Cllr Greg Smith, deputy leader of H&F Council and cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “This new festival is an opportunity to promote, celebrate and enjoy the talents of the performers, musicians, writers and artists living and working in the borough today.

“H&F is full of excellent venues to relax and enjoy art and there is a huge choice of things to do, so we hope our residents really get behind ArtsFest and support it.”

TARDIS interest just keeps on growing EARLS COURT’S TARDIS – the distinctive blue police call box at the Earls Court Road exit of the station – is becoming as photographed as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

Interest in the box has soared following the 50th anniversary of Dr Who, with Google Street View joining in the fun by making it

possible to look inside the police box.

Visitors to the area are always astonished to see that The Doctor has clearly landed outside the tube, and queue to have their photos taken with it. This particular model was built in 1996 by London Underground’s track team carpenters at the Lillie Bridge

depot. It was opened on April 18 by the then Kensington mayor, Cllr Paul Warrick.

Where the Doctor’s real TARDIS has a flashing blue light on top, the Earls Court model has a CCTV camera, keeping an eye on the street and tube entrance.

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 39

Crime New statistics published

Crime down to an all-time low

Crime falls by 15%

Hammersmith & Fulham is safer thanks to ‘fantastic’ co-operation between police, council and residents, writes Rob Mansfield

C

rime is down to a historic low in Hammersmith & Fulham after falling 15 per cent last year, according to the latest Met Police figures. There were 3,295 fewer crimes in Hammersmith & Fulham in 2013 compared to 2012. Overall there were 19,250 crimes recorded in H&F in 2013 compared to 22,545 crimes in 2012.

A detailed breakdown of the stats reveals personal robberies are down 21 per cent, with burglary falling 18 per cent, or 337 offences.

There were 1,789 fewer thefts while car crime decreased 21 per cent. Violent crimes such as assault, harassment and use of an

offensive weapon fell by 278 offences.

The news comes as H&F Council continues to spend £1.3million a year for three squads of extra town-centre beat bobbies, with local businesses adding a further £350,000 a year. The additional cash means the borough has 42 more police officers than it otherwise would.

The council is also deploying the latest in CCTV and mobile camera technology to target and deter offenders.

The council’s state-of-the art CCTV command centre at Hammersmith town hall streams images from more than 800 cameras 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Around 500 incidents are captured each

month, leading to around 100 arrests on average.

Cllr Greg Smith, H&F Council deputy leader, says: “Crime is at an all-time low in H&F and continues to fall thanks to the fantastic joint working between residents’ groups, such as neighbourhood watch, and various council and police teams.

“Extra beat police combined with a comprehensive network of CCTV cameras and good work from the council’s neighbourhood wardens and parks police teams mean H&F is now safer than ever.

“We will continue to relentlessly target the criminal minority and are determined to drive crime down further.”

A policeman showing off a portable CCTV camera to Cllr Greg Smith at Hurlingham Park, Fulham

40 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

‘Smile – you’re on camera’ parks criminals told

D

ogs defecating and fighting, litterers, time and often lead to defendants entering drunks and other instances of an early guilty plea. antisocial behaviour could be Cllr Greg Smith, H&F Council deputy significantly reduced in west leader, said: “A picture is worth a thousand London parks after council officers were words, and video footage is much more issued with hi-tech body-worn cameras. effective in securing convictions than verbal Council parks police officers across accounts, which can be challenged.

Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal “Dog poo, littering and other forms of Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are being antisocial behaviour could soon be a thing supplied with lapel-worn cameras – in a of the past in our parks. first for London.

“My message to anyone thinking of The councils say the move, which will causing a problem in our parks is: smile – enable officers to capture court-ready you’re on camera and we will see you evidence at the touch of a button, in court.” will help cut crime and antisocial The parks police team, which Cameras behaviour in 87 parks and is 33 officers strong and used to open spaces, and speed up operates 365 days a year, also capture co prosecutions. urt utilises a GPS-tracked digital Parks Police will wear the radio system which allows evidence Revealmedia RS3-SX body-cam controllers to follow the system – which is an all-in-one, location of staff on computer weather-proof, high-definition maps and ensure the nearest unit video recorder with integrated is dispatched to an incident. In the evidence management software. event of an officer needing urgent assistance, Parks cops will wear the pager-sized there is a ‘red button’ which can alert other gadgets attached to their shirts to record staff to the location where help is required. any incidents while on duty. The move is There are 87 parks and open spaces in expected to capture much-needed evidence the two boroughs (54 in Hammersmith & and reduce paperwork and bureaucracy.

Fulham and 33 in Kensington & Chelsea) The hi-tech gadgets are able to capture – including 23 award winning green-flag high-quality footage at night, and will come parks, which are nationally recognised as with a date and time on all videos. being some of the best open spaces in the The council says the cameras, which cost UK. Parks in both boroughs have also been taxpayers £300 each, are a huge moneyawarded the Mayor of London’s prestigious saver because they save court preparation safer parks award.

The Revealmedia RS3-SX body-cam system

Borough commander set to leave for the Met

fighter Lucy D’Orsi ‘Relentless’ crime

THE POLICE chief who helped deliver H&F’s lowest recorded crime rates is set to move on after three years of relentless crime-fighting.

Chief Supt Lucy D’Orsi is to leave her role as H&F Met Police borough commander to take up a new posting within the Met. Cllr Greg Smith, H&F Council deputy leader, said: “Lucy has been a hugely successful borough commander who has worked extremely closely with the council to drive down crime to its lowest ever level.

Lucy’s will be a hard act to follow but I am confident that, if we continue to innovate and

work closely together, we can go from strength to strength.”

Chief Supt D’Orsi said: “It has been my pleasure to command such a fine bunch of officers and staff, meet so many local people and partners and tackle the issues facing the borough over the last few years.”

Her successor, Gideon Springer, currently based at Brent, is set to take up his role this month.

For more visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/crime

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 41

Regeneration New developments in H&F

The future is here!

The borough is riding high on investment as regeneration projects take shape, creating new jobs, homes and opportunities. Here’s your guide to major developments on the horizon

By Rob Mansfield

F

rom a brand new urban quarter in Earls Court to a world-beating scientific research campus in White City, exciting developments across Hammersmith & Fulham are set to make the borough a major contributor to the capital’s economic growth over the next decade.

Major developments in the pipeline include a possible new 40,000-seater sports stadium, linked to the nation’s first high-speed rail interchange, at Old Oak Common, while thousands of new jobs and homes are set to be created as part of the £8billion Earls Court regeneration scheme.

In Hammersmith the Lyric Theatre is being expanded and improved while the area around Hammersmith Town Hall will be transformed with a new civic square and cinema linked to new council offices and homes.

Meanwhile, the iconic BBC TV centre is being revitalised with refurbished TV studios, a new media business hub and 1,000 new homes.

Overall more than 250 acres of land are earmarked for regeneration in H&F which is unparalleled for the borough which sits in a strategic location on the transport routes between the City and Heathrow.

Cllr Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council leader, said: “Hammersmith & Fulham is a borough of opportunity, where the council works really hard to ensure that residents have access to some of the best local facilities while encouraging new homes and jobs to be created.”

42 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

1 3

2

Location of planned developments in the borough

4

1 OLD OAK Swathes of industrial land are set to be transformed after Old Oak Common was named as southern England’s main high-speed rail station.

Around 24,000 homes and up to 55,000 jobs could be created after the Government signalled the go-ahead for HS2 – the £50billion rapid rail link between London and the north.

A new generation of high-speed trains will stop at a major new interchange station just north of Wormwood Scrubs creating a catalyst for regeneration in the area as access is dramatically improved.

A third of all HS2 passengers are expected to transfer at Old Oak Common to London Crossrail and the Great Western main line.

HS2 is set to make Old Oak Common Britain’s best-connected railway station while a possible new 40,000-seat sports stadium could also add impetus to the area’s transformation.

Queens Park Rangers have unveiled plans for a mixed-use district focused on a new stadium and leisure complex to the north of the Grand Union Canal.

New homes 24,000

New jobs 55,000 Artist’s impression of how the Old Oak interchange could look

New facilities

The nation’s first high-speed hub station; a new 40,000-seat sports stadium

2 HAMMERSMITH Developers are pumping millions of pounds into Hammersmith town centre with The Lyric building a two-storey extension behind the theatre to house state-of-the-art facilities.

The Kings Mall shopping centre is enjoying a renaissance as high-profile new shops open and a modern new-look entrance is built. Hammersmith Grove’s nine-storey office opened this year and its 11-storey counterpart, to create new student accommodation on the former Hammersmith Palais site, is starting to take shape.

St George has permission to build 418 new homes, offices and shops on the former Kings Mall car park and updated designs for a new-look civic square and new homes, office space and a cinema around the historic old town hall have been approved.

Meanwhile, 1,000 new jobs are set to be created locally as customer science specialist DunnHumby moves into the former Access Self Storage site at 184 Shepherds Bush Road.

New homes 614

New jobs 1,000+

New facilities

Three-screen community cinema; expanded Lyric Theatre; a new town square

Artist’s impression of the new town hall square, King Street

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 43

Regeneration New developments in H&F

3 WHITE CITY White City is set to be transformed as a new scientific research campus, space for media businesses, a new department store, hotels, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities are all set to be developed over the next 20 years.

Under-used industrial land will be opened up and transformed into new public squares and open space, allowing people to move freely through the area.

Around 6,000 new homes and more than 10,000 jobs will be created in a major expansion of the Westfield shopping centre, including a new John Lewis department store.

Early work has begun on the redevelopment of Television Centre, which will include refurbished TV studios, a media business hub, 1,000 new homes, a cinema, gym, restaurants and cafes.

Imperial West will be a major new campus for Imperial College London, spanning 25 acres either side of the Westway, including a £150million research and translation hub, homes and accommodation, a public square, leisure facilities, shops and a conference centre.

New homes 6,000

New jobs 10,000 Artist’s impression of the futuristic new look for White City

New facilities

Public squares and open space; state-of-theart new scientific research campus

4 EARLS COURT Over the next 15 years the area is set to see a major transformation with nearly 7,600 homes planned with the creation of four urban ‘villages’, each with their own distinct character and linked by a new high street.

The redevelopment area is a 77-acre site which includes the demolition of Earls Court 1 and 2 exhibition centres, Transport for London’s Lillie Road depot and West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates.

The £8billion of investment coming into the area includes a two-hectare park and three garden squares, a new leisure/sports facility, improvements to the three tube stations (Earls Court, West Brompton and West Kensington), and a new north-south thoroughfare called The Broadway, a new community/cultural venue and a health hub with a GP surgery attached.

New homes 7,583

New jobs

9,500 (36,000 temporary)

New facilities

Replacement homes for eligible residents living on West Kensington and Gibbs Green estates; community hub; health hub; leisure/ sports facility; major upgrades of local tube stations; two hectares of green public open space (equivalent to three football pitches)

Artist’s impression of part of the new-look Earls Court

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 45

New Year, New Career in Fostering Many of us get to this time of the year and start to think about a new career, but are stuck, as to what the next step is?

Fostering a child is one of the most rewarding jobs anyone person could do. This is why ,The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster City Council joined their fostering services in April 2012 to provide a dedicated service for fostering across the three west London local authorities.

Foster carer’s play a valuable role in the development of any child placed with them but this challenging and fun role not only brings joy to the child placed but can have a positive impact on their own children.

Our foster carers benefit from:

Ann-Marie Henry’s Story So it’s now two months since being back to work from being on Christmas break. Its funny how you begin to realise you are ready for a new challenge and change of career, but what to do next? As a single mother of three school age children, working at my children’s school is more than ideal.

Although I have years of experience of working with and raising children I don’t have a recognised qualification in childcare, so getting another job in this field is going to be hard.

I know you can begin to see my dilemma right? But when you know you can do more to give back to society it’s hard to figure out what’s next. There are some practicalities that just won’t work for my lifestyle and family and I am beginning to feel quite stuck. So on Tuesday I talked my dilemma through with my

friend Paula. She is a foster carer working across three West London Boroughs and she advised me to really consider fostering. To be honest it is not something I had thought I could do but the more and more she explained what she does on a daily basis, I could really see myself doing it.

Although then the next hurdle crept in; I simply just don’t have a spare room? My friend said that yes, ideally you do need a spare room but if you live locally and are willing to do this full–time then you could become a baby carer! So I have now booked to go to an open evening to find out more but I am so excited with the prospects of doing this. I just think it is the right time in my life for this change in career where I can really give back to society and I am really positive about the journey that is ahead for me and my family.

• Fantastic training and support - the saying it takes a village to raise a child and our team supports you through the process of being approved as a foster carer which continues once a child is placed with you.

• 24/7 Support Services – Our out of hours service ensures that you are supported even in emergency.

• Foster carers can earn up £440 per week – this is split into an allowance for the child and a fee for the foster carer.

• Becoming part of a professional network – Our foster carers benefit from being part of an extended network of professional foster carers. Our carers meet regularly to share good practice and help up to date with legislation changes.

All photographs are posed by models.

Below are some of our foster carers and their experience of fostering:

Brekti Russom

Foster Carer for the three West London boroughs “I love children but I don’t have my own.

I wanted to make a positive difference for young people and especially teenagers.

At the beginning, getting to know each other is not always easy but then you become like a family. Most come back for Christmas and we have still have time together. Two of the boys are now doing degrees and I am very proud. To see them achieve in their lives makes me feel very happy and I would encourage anyone to do it. My friend is also a foster carer now!”

Fostering is an amazing and rewarding. Carers receive a variety of supports including financial support for the amazing work they do so why not join our network of Foster carers today.

If you are interested and want to know more information about fostering for our three West London Boroughs don’t hesitate and call us today on 0800 169 3497 or emailing us at fostering@rbkc.gov.uk or join us at our next information event.

Sophie Glandon

Foster Carer for the three West London boroughs Sophie talks about what a positive experience caring for a child impacted her own children’s lives saying “ I had to think about how best to explain to my children why I was becoming a foster carer. I explained that sometimes mummies can’t look after their babies,” she said.

They reminded her that several of their own school friends were in care.

“They were really excited the day I brought Daniel home; they love him,” said Sophie, 37. “I thought the novelty might wear off, but it hasn’t. The only thing they said they wouldn’t do was pooey nappies!”

Daniel, now eight months old, has been with the family since July. “My 11-year-old daughter likes to give him his last bottle, before bed.”

Daniel’s favourite time of the day is mid-afternoon, when Sophie puts him in the buggy and goes to collect her own children from school. “When we go to meet them at the school gates, his little legs kick and his arms go!”

Start your new career in fostering today?

Come along and find out more about becoming a foster carer at our information events:

Wednesday 26 March 2014 10am to 12pm and 6pm to 8pm

Westminster City Hall 64 Victoria Street London SW1E 6QP Booking is not required Freephone 0800 169 3497 Fostering@rbkc.gov.uk

So if you have ever thought about fostering and you have got the energy, space and time in your lives to foster please get in touch with us on 0800 169 3497 or email us on fostering@rbkc.gov.uk

Your new career is only but a phone call away.

For more events visit

www.lbhf.gov.uk /fostering www.rbkc.gov.uk/fostering www.westminster.gov.uk/fostering /adoptionandfostering

Your council tax bill has been cut by 3% Your council tax bill will be reduced by 3% from April the seventh cut in eight years.

The cost of council tax has tumbled by 20% during that time, taking us back to a level last seen in 1999.

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SAVING ArouNd £7 mIllIoN per yeAr IN debt repAymeNtS

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are mor popular e than ev er befor and our e pupils h av some o e been achievin f the be g st gCse results in London .

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What’s on Spring

Get busy ➔ Learn how to make a bee skep Fulham Palace, 5 April Book on 020 7736 3233 Bee Talk and habitat workshop Fulham Palace, 10 April Email alice.hemming@groundwork.org.uk

What’s on VENUES

CINEMA

Barons Court Theatre Beneath the Curtain’s Up pub 28a Comeragh Road W14 9HR 020 8932 4747

14 & 15 Mar Double bill of To Kill A Mockingbird (PG) at 6pm and 12 Years A Slave (15) at 8.40pm, the acclaimed tale of Solomon Northup’s plantation life, at Riverside Studios

Bush Hall 310 Uxbridge Road W12 7LJ 020 8222 6955 www.bushhallmusic.co.uk Bush Theatre 7 Uxbridge Road W12 8LJ 020 8743 5050 www.bushtheatre.co.uk Eventim Apollo 45 Queen Caroline Street W6 9DZ 0844 2494300 www.hammersmithapollo.co.uk Fulham Palace Bishop’s Avenue SW6 6EA 020 7736 3233 www.fulhampalace.org Lyric Theatre Lyric Square King Street W6 0QL 020 8741 6850 www.lyric.co.uk O2 Shepherds Bush Empire Shepherds Bush Green W12 8TT 0844 4772000 www.o2shepherdsbushempire. co.uk Polish Jazz Café Posk 238-246 King Street W6 0RF 020 8741 1940 www.jazzcafeposk.org Riverside Studios 1 Crisp Road W6 9RL 020 8237 1009 www.riversidestudios.co.uk Under The Bridge Stamford Bridge Fulham Road SW6 1HS 020 7386 3327 www.underthebridge.co.uk 50 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

award-winning Sleeping with the Fishes, which won best short animation. Followed by a Q&A session. Starts at 7.45pm, tickets £9.50 (£8.50 concs) 25 Mar Riverside Studios screens the winner of the Italian

online documentaries competition at 8pm (£9.50,

16 Mar

£8.50 concs)

Keaton’s 1927 classic from the silent era, digitally restored, at Riverside Studios at 3pm. £8.50 (£7.50 concs)

26 Mar Double bill of films at Riverside Studios, featuring The Passenger (PG) at 6.30pm, followed by Wake in Fright (18) at 8.50pm

The General (U), Buster

16 Mar

The Epic of Everest (U),

a remarkable 1924 film about a expedition to the mountain, with music by Simon Fisher Turner.

Riverside Studios, 7pm, £8.50 (£7.50 concs)

17 & 18 Mar George Clooney double bill, with Good Night and Good Luck (PG) at 6.45pm and The Monuments Men (12A) at 8.40pm at Riverside Studios. £9.50 (£8.50 concs)

27 Mar

Stop-Over, a debut

documentary by film-maker Kaveh Bakhtiari about a group of illegal Iranian immigrants, stranded and struggling to survive in Athens. 8pm at Riverside Studios, with tickets £7 (£5 concs)

19 & 20 Mar Double bill at Riverside Studios featuring Frances Ha (15) and Osage County (15), with times at www.riversidestudios.co.uk 21 & 22 Mar A Matthew McConaughey double bill at Riverside Studios, with The Paperboy at 6.30pm and Dallas Buyers Club at 8.45pm 23 Mar

Three Colours triple bill

(book separately), featuring Blue, White and Red, starting at 3.40pm at Riverside Studios 24 Mar

Bafta shorts. Eight

outstanding short films, running for a total of two hours, at Riverside Studios, including the

28 & 30 Mar

Peaks surrealism. Starts at 10am on the Saturday and concludes at 5pm on the Sunday, with the complete seasons one and two screened, plus David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Tickets £27.50 from www.twinpeaksukfestival.com 30 Mar Federico Fellini’s Eight and a Half (15) at 2pm at Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12 (020 8222 6955). Stars Marcello Mastroianni, made in 1963.

Then at 4pm, Roberto Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful. You have to be a member, but it’s simple to join via the website www.bushhallmusic.co.uk 31 Mar Double bill featuring The Salt of Life and Rome Open City, both 12A, at Riverside Studios, from 7pm 1 Apr

Nymphomaniac Part 1 (18),

8pm at Riverside Studios.

Part 2 is being screened on April 8, and you can see both of the Danish films for £15

2 & 3 Apr Joaquin Phoenix double bill at Riverside Studios with Walk The Line (12A) at 6pm, then Her (15) at 8.45pm. £9.50 (£8.50 concs)

The Invisible Woman (12A), Ralph Fiennes directs the story of Charles Dickens’ affair with a younger woman, at Riverside Studios, 8.55pm. £8.50, £7.50 concs 28 & 30 Mar

Great Expectations (PG),

the 1946 classic directed by David Lean, at 6.30pm (£8.50, £7.50 concs) at Riverside Studios 29 & 30 Mar

Twin Peaks: Into The Night. Riverside Studios is

taken over for 31 hours of Twin

4 & 5 Apr Jim Jarmusch double bill, with Ghost Dog (15) at 6.15pm and Only Lovers Left Alive (15) at 8.45pm, at Riverside Studios

➔29 & 30 Mar

Get ready for 31 hours of peak-time viewing: Twin Peaks: Into The Night Riverside Studios

6 Apr

16 Apr

at Riverside Studios, the enchanting tale of a childhood in a Sicilian cinema

8pm at Riverside Studios, followed by a Q&A with the author, Alek Popov

6 & 7 Apr

17 Apr Alone, a documentary about three sisters who live alone and rely on villagers and family members to survive. A DocHouse presentation at 8pm, with tickets £7 (£5 concs), at Riverside Studios

Cinema Paradiso (PG)

The Counterfeiters (15) and The Book Thief (12A) in a double bill at Riverside Studios 8 Apr

Nymphomaniac Part 2 (18)

at 8pm, Riverside Studios.

See April 1 9 Apr

Lake Placid (15) at 8pm at

Riverside Studios. A 1999 flm, as part of the bad film club, with a running live commentary 10 Apr

The Rocket (12A), at 8pm at Riverside Studios; the tale of a 10-year-old in rural Laos

11 & 12 Apr Wes Anderson double bill at Riverside Studios, with Moonrise Kingdom (12A) at 7pm and The Grand Budapest Hotel at 9pm 13 Apr

Gone With The Wind (PG) at Riverside Studios – the American Civil War classic, 1.30pm 13 Apr Palestinian double bill at Riverside Studios; A Space Exodus and Flying Paper 14 & 15 Apr

War and Peace (12),

spread across two evenings, at Riverside Studios

Should your event be included here?

Add to the What’s On listings by emailing information, as early as possible, to geoff.cowart@lbhf.gov.uk

Mission London (15) at

19 & 20 Apr Scarlett Johansson double bill with Hitchcock (12A) at 6.30pm and Under the Skin at 8.35pm, at Riverside Studios 22 - 25 Apr Kids’ Easter film week at Riverside Studios, with a string of children’s films including Mr Peabody & Sherman, The Lego Movie, Tinker Bell the Pirate Fairy and Walking With Dinosaurs.

Two screenings a day, with free popcorn and drink

bill at Riverside Studios. Start time: 7pm

COMEDY 16 Mar Head to the Twice as Nice comedy club at The Grove pub at 83 Hammersmith Grove to catch Nish Kumar and Al Lubel, introduced by MC Bobby Freeman, with support acts Christian Reilly and

Sam Deards 23 Mar

Luisa Omielan and Benny Boot perform at the Twice as

Nice comedy club, upstairs at The Grove, Hammersmith Grove.

Entry is £5 online, £7 on the door, and doors open 7.30pm.

Past acts include Omid Djalili and Joey Page

24 Mar

Suzi Ruffell, Work in Progress, at Riverside Studios, plus Josh Widdicombe. Suzi is on at

8pm. £5

25 Mar Mock the Week writer Tom Craine, a popular fixture at the Edinburgh Festival, performs at 8pm, followed by Ray Peacock at 9.10pm at the Riverside Studios 26 Mar Comedy double bill at Riverside Studios with Ahir Shah at 8pm and Tiff Stevenson at 9pm.

Suitable for 16+, £5 27 Mar

Paul McCaffrey and Hayley Ellis, the Manchester comic, share a stage at Riverside Studios

CINEMA

24 - 27 Apr

The 12th Kinoteka Polish Film Festival, See panel

27 Apr The Rule Britannia day at Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12.

You have to join the Bush Hall Film Club, but it’s easy online (www.bushhallmusic.co.uk).

At 2pm, Orlando (PG), Sally Potter’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s witty novel. Then at 4pm, the 1970 Nicholas Roeg and Donald Cammell film Performance (18), starring Mick Jagger 28 Apr Terry Gilliam double bill, with Brazil (15) at 6.10pm and The Zero Theorem (15) at 9pm 29 & 30 Apr

The Selfish Giant and Starred Up (18), a double

Ticket to the Moon

24 - 27 Apr

The 12th Kinoteka Polish Film Festival sees a string of

dramatic and stimulating Polish films screened at Riverside Studios, including Papusza, about a gypsy poet; Traffic Department, a murder mystery; The Girl from the Wardrobe, a saga about friendship; Jack Strong, a spy thriller; Loving, a relationship drama; Life Feels Good; AmbaSSada, a curious war drama; and Ticket to the Moon, a military tale. Visit www.riversidestudios.co.uk for times and tickets Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 51

What’s on Spring

➔23 Mar

Twice as Nice comedy club: Luisa Omielan Upstairs at The Grove

28 Mar Double bill of Tom Neenan, a writer of ghoulish comedy, and Bec Hill entertain at Riverside Studios

20 Apr

Vikki Stone and David Trent are on stage at Twice as Nice, the Grove, Hammersmith Grove 27 Apr Twice as Nice presents Andy Zaltzman and Carl Donnelly in The Grove, Hammersmith Grove

EXHIBITIONS, TALKS & TOURS 14 Mar - 23 Apr 29 Mar

Ian Stirling, one of Scotland’s hottest newcomers, and Ed Gamble, at the Riverside

30 Mar Comedy Warhouse at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, with Richard Blackwood, Slim, Curtis Walker, Janet Kay, Sandra Cross. Doors open 7pm 30 Mar

Jarleth Regan and Steve Hall are on the bill at The Grove, Hammersmith Grove, in the Twice as Nice comedy club, which has been going strong on Sunday nights for the past year and a half

30 Mar Jay Foreman’s Disgusting Show for Children, suitable for all ages, at Riverside Studios. Your £5 ticket includes

Exhibition at Fulham Palace tracing the

development of the gardens of the imposing buildings which were home to successive bishops of London for 1,000 years.

Paintings, photographs and archaeological finds are on display, and entry is free 16 Mar

Museum drop-in day at

Fulham Palace, where visitors will be able to handle artefacts and try on period costumes.

Free, no booking needed, but children must be accompanied 18 Mar

The secrets of Fulham Palace revealed during a

historical tour costing £5 per person. Begins at 2pm

Clever Peter: The Dreams Factory and The Beta Males. Starts 5pm

6 Apr Catch Damian Clark and Henry Paker at Twice as Nice, the laid-back Hammersmith Grove Sunday evening pub comedy club. Also on the bill, Holly Burn, Edd Hedges and MC Sam Deards. More at www.twiceasnicecomedy.com 52 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

Crisp in the palace’s Jessie Mylne education centre. £8 (£5 concs) by calling 020 7736 3233. Stephen discusses managing the gardens at Winfield House, the official residence of the US ambassador in London, set in 12 acres of Regent’s Park 29 Mar - 20 April

The Elusive Line, an

exhibition at Riverside Studios featuring works by Sophia Burns, Steven Porter, James Reynolds and Natalia Davis.

Free entry 30 Mar

Walk round the moat of Fulham Palace, at 2.30pm.

Keith Whitehouse, chairman of the Fulham and Hammersmith Historical Society, takes visitors on a guided tour of the excavated mile-long moat.

The £5 fee will be used to support new digs in the palace grounds

Horticultural Diplomacy

education centre in Fulham Palace, 6.30pm, with Mark Patterson. Free, but booking is essential, by emailing alice. hemming@groundwork.org.uk 16 Apr

Seed-planting event for

Easter, allowing children to create their own plastic bottle greenhouses. £2 per child at Fulham Palace 16 Apr Talk by Caroline Ware about

gardening at the Natural History Museum. It is the

sixth talk in the head gardeners lecture series organised in the Jessie Mylne education centre of Fulham Palace. Starts 6pm. £8 (£5 concs). Book on 020 7736 3233

Historical tour of Fulham

Palace starts at 2pm. Meet in the palace museum. No booking needed. £5 5 Apr

Learn how to make a bee skep, with Martin Buckle,

basket-maker and skep expert, in time for the swarming season.

The workshop, at Fulham Palace, runs from 9.30am-5pm, and booking is essential.

The cost is £40 (discounts for palace volunteers). Book on 020 7736 3233 7 Apr

is the topic of a talk by Fulham Palace head gardener Stephen

Bee Talk and habitat workshop at the Jessie Mylne

2 Apr

Talk about the trees of Fulham Palace, and plans

19 Mar

10 Apr

for future planting. Michael Lear will speak from 2pm. £8 (£5 concs) in the palace Jessie Mylne education centre. There will be a chance to look at the ancient evergreen oak, estimated to be at least 450 years old

20 Apr Fulham Palace garden walk at 2pm, £5, no booking necessary. Meet at the museum 20 & 21 Apr

Easter Trail at Fulham

Palace, with clues leading to a chocolate prize. £2 per child, with all children having to be accompanied 23 Apr

Creepy-crawly hunt in

Fulham Palace gardens at 2pm.

Suitable for five-12s. Meet by the Bishop’s tree in the garden. £2 21 Apr - 3 May Exhibition at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith

➔21 Apr - 3 May

Cartoonist, graphic artist and designer: Henryk Tomaszewski Riverside Studios

marking the centenary of Henryk Tomaszewski, a

cartoonist and graphic artist from Poland, best known for his poster art. The show is part of a biggest exhibition being staged in Warsaw

MUSIC 14 Mar From The Jam presents That’s Entertainment at Under The Bridge at Stamford Bridge, featuring Bruce Foxton from the original Jam line-up, joined

by Russell Hastings on

guitar, playing the Jam’s back catalogue on acoustic guitar.

Tickets via www.ticketweb.co.uk are £20, and include a Q&A session with the audience 15 Mar

The Biblecode Sundays

16 Mar

Mike and the Mechanics, supported by Live Nation,

at the Eventim Apollo. See Mike Rutherford live, nearly 30 years after the group formed.

Tickets £44.75

return to Under The Bridge for a concert, having launched their album New Hazardous Design there in the autumn.

Tickets £10.95

Thomas Dybdahl plays Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12.

Doors open 7.30pm, tickets £14 18 Mar

27 & 28 Mar

at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, 8pm, as part of a UK tour 18 Mar

Lissie plus Norma Jean Martine at the O2 Shepherds

Bush Empire. Doors open 7pm 20 Mar

Big Country were formed

Pat Metheny Legendary jazz guitarist and bandleader Pat Metheny has rounded up his best band in decades, recorded a stunning new album (called Kin) and is on his way to the Hammersmith Apollo this summer. The 59-year-old Missouri-born musician recorded his debut album Bright Size Life for ECM Records in 1975 and has gone on to win 20 Grammys during his illustrious career.

So what can we expect from his Apollo gig on June 11? “I’m pretty happy playing really loud or really simply, or constructing a really dense environment or playing free – whether it’s acoustic or electric,” says Pat with a smile. Whatever he serves up, prepare for fireworks. Tickets from £11.50. Visit www.eventimapollo.com

Bush Hall, Uxbridge Road.

Tickets £8. Also on the bill, Patrick Duff, The Bright Ones and Nuisance

Bill Haley’s Comets; celebrating 60 years of Rock around the Clock (the rock ‘n’ roll song with the biggest world sales of 50 million) with several of the original Comets at Under The Bridge, SW6, at 8pm.

Instead of Bill, the vocals are handled by Gina Haley, the legend’s youngest daughter.

Tickets £27.50

Rebecca Ferguson appears

Pat Metheny and his Unity Group

26 Mar

Menswear appear at

27 Mar

16 Mar

MUSIC

supported by Jungle Doctors and Passport to Stockholm.

Entry £5. Book online at www.bushhallmusic.co.uk

back in 1981 by Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson.

Adamson took his own life 20 years later, but the surviving members have reformed and are back, at 7pm at Under The Bridge, beneath Stamford Bridge stadium’s east stand. £25 20 Mar

We Are Scientists, supported by Superfood and The Heartbreaks, at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire.

Tickets £19.12 via www. o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk 21 Mar

Half Man Half Biscuit

at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. Doors open 7pm 22 Mar Bush Hall in Uxbridge Road, W12, presents Swiss Lips,

Band of Skulls at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire 28, 29, 31 Mar

Status Quo play the Eventim Apollo. Tickets from £40.75 29 Mar

Kunle Ayo, the celebrated

South African guitarist, plays Under The Bridge in Fulham Road. Tickets for the 8pm show start at £22.50 2 Apr

Ayo at Bush Hall, 310

Uxbridge Road, W12. £13.50.

She has now sold a million and a half records in 40 countries, and has just brought out a live album, Ticket To The World. Call 020 8222 6955, or visit www.bushhallmusic.co.uk 4 Apr

The Rezillos hit the British

rock scene in 1976, with a shared love of 60s garage rock, and found fame with a satirical swipe at Top of the Pops.

Now they’re back, at Under The Bridge. Tickets £17.50 Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 53

What’s on Spring

➔29 Apr

Catch the American songstress on her UK tour: Krystle Warren Bush Hall

Call 020 8222 6955, or check on the website. Tickets £17.50 12 Apr

The Pharcyde, live and rapping at Under The Bridge in Fulham. Doors open at 8pm, tickets are £25 from www.underthebridge.co.uk 14 Apr

Hollywood Ending are the

5 Apr

Erin Harpe, a vocalist/guitarist

whose roots are in vintage Mississippi delta blues, plays the Brooks Blues Bar in the basement of Jazz Café Posk in the Polish Cultural and Social centre, 238 King Street, Hammersmith, as part of his UK debut tour. Accompanied by Jim Countryman on bass. Entry £10, with doors opening at 8pm 5 Apr

Pankaj Udhas, one of the

most popular Indian singers of all time, plays the Eventim Apollo, with the ticket prices of £29.25 to £78.75 reflecting the huge interest from west London’s Asian communities 6 Apr

Medeski Martin & Wood, plus Nels Cline, at Under The Bridge in Fulham. Tickets for the augmented trio’s evening are £27.50, with Resolution 88 providing the support 6 Apr

Susan Boyle, the global

Showcase Live selection for Under The Bridge in April, with Tyler Wilson on lead.

Tickets £11 15 Apr

James Walsh plays Bush

Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12.

Tickets are £13.50, and doors open at 7.30pm 15 Apr

UB40 are back, at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, following the success of their comeback album Getting Over The Storm. Doors open 7pm 16 Apr

Ian McNabb and Cold Shoulder are at Under The Bridge in Fulham at 8pm.

Ian played with The Icicle Works. Tickets £17.50 16 Apr

Steve Forbert at Bush Hall,

Uxbridge Road. £17.50. Singer/ songwriter Steve had his first hit in 1979, and is still writing, having released 14 albums 17 Apr

singing sensation, is at the Eventim Apollo, with tickets starting at £43.25

Citrus Sun plays jazz-based

10 Apr

19 Apr Thirtieth anniversary concert of

Simone Felice, backed by Dan Whitehouse, performs at Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12. Simone is touring in support of his new album, Strangers, which is about to be released. Felice is a singer, songwriter and poet.

54 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

music at Under The Bridge, Fulham, with tickets £26

The Men They Couldn’t Hang, at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire 19 Apr

Adam Ant performs his debut

1979 album Dirk Wears White

Sox in its entirety, then adds a long encore of hits. Supported

by New Killer Shoes.

Tickets from £33.75 24 Apr

Krystle Warren plays Bush

Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12.

Tickets £15. Krystle toured with Rufus Wainwright, and has produced a new album, Love Songs – A Time You May Embrace. Doors open 7.30pm 29 Apr

Beverley Martyn at Bush Hall, 7.30pm. £15. The appearance coincides with the launch of her new album, The Phoenix and the Turtle

THEATRE 14 - 22 Mar A story of revenge, power and corruption as part of the innovative Secret Theatre Company programme of unexpected shows at the Lyric.

Show 4’s tickets are £15, with a free post-show Q&A session after the performance on Thursday March 20. 7.30pm.

Tickets: 020 8741 6850 14 - 22 Mar Medea – the tale of a woman living her life on the edge.

Euripides’ timeless tale of the mother who kills her own children is performed by the Theatre Lab company at the Riverside Studios, with Anastasia Revi in the director’s chair. Live music, and a post-show discussion with the team after the show on Wednesday March 19.

Tickets £17 (£14 concs) via 020 8237 1111 or online

Should your event be included here?

Add to the What’s On listings by emailing information, as early as possible, to geoff.cowart@lbhf.gov.uk

14 - 30 Mar

Picasso’s Artful Occupation. Writer Ian

Buckley (who wrote the popular comedy The Tailor’s Last Stand, performed in 2013) returns to The Barons Court Theatre, beneath The Curtain’s Up pub at 28a Comeragh Road, W14.

It imagines the surreal duel between Picasso and occupying Nazis in Paris in 1940. £12 (£10 concs). Box office 020 8932 4747 14 Mar -12 Apr

We Are Proud to Present,

by Jackie Sibblies Drury, the European premiere of her hit play, directed by Gbolahan Obisesan. It tells the little-known story of the first genocide of the 20th century. Tickets £19.50.

Box office: 020 8743 5050, or visit www.bushtheatre.co.uk 15 Mar

The Frog & The Princess.

Perfect entertainment for ages 4-8 at the Lyric, where tickets are £8, shows are at 11am and 1pm, and the running time is under an hour. A fun-filled retelling of the traditional Frog Prince tale by the Brothers Grimm, using puppets 16 Mar

Workshop production at the Riverside Studios, on the theme of Abuse. Up to 20 participants can join, with tickets £20. Runs 11am-2pm, culminating in a short devised piece

16 Mar Studio show of Commodity by Natalie Katsou at 5pm, followed

➔15 Mar

Go on, give us a kiss: The Frog & The Princess Lyric Theatre

by The Woman of Patras by George Chronas at 6pm and The Seventh Garment by Eugenia Fakinou at 7.15pm. Tickets £5, or £10 for the day. Book on 020 8237 1111 17 Mar It’s all very well planning a show, but how do you finance it? A masterclass on fundraising is being run at the Lyric, 7-8.30pm, aimed at anyone aged 18-25 who dreams of putting on a production.

Four professionals will talk about applying to trusts for cash and making money go further. The event is free, but you have to book in advance at www.lyric.co.uk 22 Mar If you’re curious, and under 3, this is the show for you!

‘Curious’ explores everyday objects in a delightful theatre introduction at the Lyric, with shows at 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm. It lasts 25 minutes, plus 15 minutes free play. Tickets are £8 from the Lyric 29 Mar

Town Mouse, Country Mouse is a puppet production

for 4-8s at the Lyric, with shows at 11am and 1pm. Tickets are £8, and it runs for 45 minutes as Dickory the town mouse exchanges ideas with Hickory the country mouse 1 Apr

Dialogue Theatre Club

at the Bush Theatre, 8pm.

Discussing the show We Are Proud To Present, led by Guardian writer Maddy Costa and Jake Orr, artistic director of A Younger Theatre. Free 1 Apr

Dead… but Happy, by Marc Ermisch, at the Barons Court Theatre below the Curtain’s Up pub near Barons Court tube, W14. British premiere of a play by a German playwright,

translated into English. TuesSun, 7.45pm. £12 (£10 concs).

020 8932 4747

MUSIC

8 -13 Apr Sheridan’s The School for Scandal is revived at the Barons Court Theatre beneath The Curtain’s Up pub at 28a Comeragh Road, W14. The play has been brought forward to the present day, drawing on themes of tabloid journalism and celebrity. 7.30pm shows. £12 (£10 concs). Call the box office on 020 8932 4747

De La Soul

De La Soul 16 Apr -10 May

Dorian Gray, at Riverside

The year was 1989 and rap was reeling from the scorched-earth sonic assault of Public Enemy. Enter New York City’s Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove, Pasemaster Mase and producer Prince Paul.

Flipping the script, the team dropped one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time in 3 Feet High and Rising. Twenty-five years later, the trio will perform the album at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on May 1. Visit www.02shepherdsbushempire.co.uk

Studios. Oscar Wilde’s gothic fairytale, adapted by Linnie Reedman with music and lyrics

by Joe Evans, about the man who descends into the depths of London’s underworld. This Ruby in the Dust production is a revival of an acclaimed version. Tickets £18.50 (concs £16). Book online at www.riversidestudios.co.uk 22 - 26 Apr

After Dark at the Magic

Theatre, at the Barons Court Theatre below the Curtain’s Up pub, W14. Created by Richard Leigh, who has performed more than 1,000 times in the Magic Cavern at the theatre. Close-up magic. £12 (concs £8). 8pm 29 Apr -11 May

Antigone by Jean Anouilh

at Barons Court Theatre, W14.

The production is in French.

Tues-Sat 7.30pm, plus matinees. £14 (concs £12).

Book at 020 8932 4747

The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde Ya mama’s so... complete this verse! Or head down to hot Fulham venue Under The Bridge on April 12 as they bring their tonguetwisting smooth California rhymes to the stage. Following in the footsteps of De La Soul, the leftfield rappers have always combined their effortless skills with a sense of humour, penning out-there songs such as ‘Ya Mama’, ‘Splattitorium’ and ‘On the DL’. And the guys are promising tunes from their debut album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. Visit www.underthebridge.co.uk Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 55

Crafting Sewing Bee creates a buzz

Top right, The Great British Sewing Bee’s judges, May Martin from the Women’s Institute and Savile Row’s Patrick Grant.

Right, a customer enjoys A1 Fabrics in Goldhawk Road. Below, Jennifer Banner, clothes-making tutor at the Macbeth Centre

“The trend for people sewing is growing, particularly with the younger generation”

56 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

Let’s stitch!

Hatters aim for Ascot

Goldhawk Road has established itself as the crafty centre for top dressmakers and canny fashion students, writes Magda Ibrahim

H

ooked on haberdashery?

Fanatical about fabric? Then visiting the shopping haven of the crafting cognoscenti – Goldhawk Road – is a must.

With fabric stores strung along the street, and hidden in Shepherds Bush Market, it’s a mecca for students, amateur crafters and professional dressmakers alike.

Now the teams behind TV’s The Great British Sewing Bee have been out in force in the area, hunting for local talent to appear in series three of the BBC2 stitching contest.

As the Sewing Bee returned to screens last month for a second outing, testing contestants stitching, design and patternmaking, the producers want to find new sewers to enter the next series.

“The TV show has definitely had an impact,” says Anitto Nagpal of Fabric World, 49c Goldhawk Road. “But the real draw of the area is the number of shops.

Yes, it’s competition, but we all stock different fabrics, which attracts customers who know they will find what they want.”

From A One Fabrics, with its upstairs haberdashery department, to Flamingo Textiles and Brilliant Fabrics, every taste is catered for.

Anitto, who has worked in the area 15 years, says the current trend is for natural fibres such as cotton, linen, wool and silk, every customer is unique. Every shop is packed with inquisitive stitchers, from students to professional designers.

UK Textiles owner Jaspal Paul, whose shop at 45 Goldhawk Road is an Aladdin’s Cave of coloured, patterned, embroidered and plain rolls of fabric, has had teams from Doctor Who and the Harry Potter films come in to search for the perfect material.

“Five years ago things were different,” he explains. “But now everyone knows Goldhawk Road and we see students from as far afield as Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds. They are sent here, then on to Berwick Street, but Goldhawk is better.”

H&F Council runs 15 courses covering subjects upholstery and soft furnishings to clothes-making and pattern cutting.

Daytime, evenings or weekends, sessions have grown in popularity, says H&F arts and crafts programme manager Jane Sutton.

“There might have been a tradition in the family of clothesmaking, and people become curious then get hooked,” explains Jane. “Often people find they are not a regular size that is available in the shops, and want to make their own clothes that are a perfect fit.”

Upholstery is popular, with ‘an element of recycling, or turning something bought from an auction or sale into a special piece’.

“We get a real mix of ages, although evening classes are popular with people in their 20s and 30s, many of whom have a good job but sit at a desk all day and want to do something with their hands,” adds Jane.

UK Textiles’ Jaspal agrees: “The trend for people enjoying sewing is growing, particularly with the younger generation.

Anything that helps create a new generation of sewers is a good thing.”

H&F craft courses restart in the summer term from April 28. Visit www.hfals.co.uk/art-craftdesign for more details or call 0845 839 7912 To enter the next Great British Sewing Bee, email sewing@loveproductions.co.uk before midnight on March 16

WHEN DAPHNÉ Polliot and Audrey Penin moved from France to London, little did they know their imaginative hat designs would soon be gracing heads at Royal Ascot. The pair – who met through friends after moving to west London – set up Poppins Millinery to stream their creativity in a hands-on fashion.

Daphné, 37, a former archivist for a historical magazine, and Audrey, 30, who worked in marketing, now spend time sourcing fabrics, buttons and accessories to adorn the hats they create in their studios in Fulham and Hammersmith.

“Each hat can take up to 12 hours to make, plus the time for designing, and finding materials,” says Daphné.

“Haberdashers are more common in France, so we sometimes travel to Paris to find a particular button, or fabric.”

Having trained at GRETA Paris, then Kensington and Chelsea College, the duo launched in 2012, with the first outing of their designs at Royal Ascot last year.

“We had a lot of fun – and some great feedback,” adds Audrey. “We now hope to bring our hats and fascinators to Chelsea Flower Show, Hurlingham Park’s Polo in the Park, and back to Royal Ascot.”

Whether a flirty veiled number, the wide-brimmed and iconic ‘Audrey’ design, or even a macaroon-filled cake-stand headpiece, Daphné and Audrey insist that there is a hat for everyone.

“Many people say hats don’t suit them, but there is a shape to flatter everybody,” says Audrey. “When a lady tries on her hat after all that time spent designing and fitting, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

For more information visit www.poppins-millinery.com

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 57

Art Victor Pasmore Victor Pasmore, Riverside Gardens, Hammersmith, c. 1944 Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London © Victor Pasmore Estate

Victor’s view An abstract artist who worked in W6 is as intriguing today as he was 70 years ago, writes Tim Harrison

A

bstract artist Victor Pasmore spent many a day perched on the river bank in W6, capturing the misty gloom of a late winter’s day. Among his most acclaimed works are the stark, minimalist Hanging Gardens of Hammersmith, and this – an atmospheric painting in the Arts Council Collection – entitled Riverside Gardens, which beautifully captures the season.

Its precise location is shrouded in as much mist as was clearly swirling around on the day in question.

Is that Hammersmith town hall emerging from the gloom in the background?

Could it have been painted from a boat in the river off Furnivall Gardens? Or is the building on the left sited closer to Hammersmith Bridge?

If anyone recognises the view, we’d be mightily intrigued to hear from them.

The oil painting, thought to date from 1944, was done when Pasmore – then 36 – was on the brink of gaining recognition as one of the leading British abstractists. It was part of a series of moody paintings of the Thames in Chiswick and Hammersmith, characterised by leaden skies and muted tones.

His style at this time has been likened to Whistler and Turner… and it even bears comparison to 58 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

Monet’s overcast views of Waterloo Bridge.

But what was Pasmore doing painting the Thames in 1944 when there was a war on? He was a conscientious objector during the 1939-45 conflict, a stance which led to a four-month prison sentence.

Pasmore appealed and won exemption from fighting.

In his late 20s, in 1937, Pasmore founded the Euston Road School of Drawing and Painting, while holding down a job in the public health department at London’s County Hall.

A year later he went into painting full-time, married Wendy Blood (a frequent model for his pictures) and had two children.

Ironically, conscientious objector Pasmore’s London studio was severely damaged during a bombing raid. In the mid 1960s he moved to Malta, where he lived and worked until his death in 1998.

Interest in his work – especially his abstracts – has steadily grown. Signed limited edition prints now fetch around £5,000 each.

Some of Victor Pasmore’s works appear as part of the ‘Kenneth Clark and the Death of Painting’ exhibition at Tate Britain from May 20 - August 10. For details visit www.tate.org.uk

If anyone recognises the view, we’d be mightily intrigued to hear from them

Art News

Walt Disney reads the writing on the wall as Miley Cyrus rolls into town

A

n eye-catching piece of art sprung up late one night across the street from Walt Disney’s Hammersmith headquarters last month.

The small work of stencilled graffiti depicts former Hannah Montana star Cyrus atop a wrecking ball and colliding with the Disney logo while a disapproving Mickey looks on.

Wrecking Ball is the hit single from her fourth album Bangerz, which was released last summer. The artwork is just around the corner from the Hammersmith Apollo where Cyrus appeared in 2008.

The day after it appeared the artwork proved popular with passers-by, with most taking pictures of the graffiti with their camera phones.

Shepherds Bush muralist gets landmark show

Mickey looks on disapprovingly as Miley swings

ARE YOU a fan of the striking mural by street artist Phlegm in Devonport Road, Shepherds Bush? The urban muralist has taken his art overground, with a London exhibition at the Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch. Large-scale installation The Bestiary, created in wood, clay and plaster, was on show until March 4.

For more information visit www.howardgriffingallery.com or call 07892 932 487

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 59

Community Market life

Bargain hunters’ paradise

60 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

To celebrate the 125th anniversary of North End Road market, Tim Harrison dives in and feels the vibe on the street

Shoppers on the fresh fruit and veg stall

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 61

Community Market life

F

ew shops survive 20 years, never mind 50. But North End Road Market has traded for 125 years, and boasts a reputation for the keenest prices in west London Fruit and veg still dominate the six-day-a-week stalls which dot the eastern pavement of the Fulham street, from Walham Grove in the south to Lillie Road in the north. But the market is also great for haberdashery, knitting wool, colourful clothes, greetings cards, lingerie and costume jewellery.

You still see traditional green handcarts with red wooden wheels, piled high with melons and bowls full of bananas, but most stalls are trestle tables blanketed in artificial grass, self-contained trailers or metal-framed structures with stripy plastic awnings shielding traders from the traffic, passing by inches away.

A good tip is to join a queue. Bargainhunters do their homework, and have even been known to dip into the black wheeled Hammersmith & Fulham Council trade waste bins between the stalls for bruised rejects.

markets, he argues, otherwise you end up with gaps between the stalls. His solution?

Declare a month rent-free to give the market a boost and attract new stalls, then plug the market more through papers and websites such as Gumtree. “More stalls will bring in more people,” he insisted.

Ray Truss’s family have had a stall at the Fulham Broadway end for 60 years, and he recalls the centenary celebrations back in the 80s. Saturdays are by far the busiest day, but the growth of betting shops, charity shops and pound shops in the street has, Ray says, hit trade in recent years.

“There aren’t enough quality shops, which means there aren’t enough quality shoppers,” he said, adding that Saturday parking restrictions from 2-4pm in side streets had had a serious effect. “They should change the parking regulations; we all keep saying that,” he said.

Another long-term trader, Peter Johnson, agrees. He welcomes the 125th anniversary of the North End Road stalls, although his passed-down family wisdom is that there has actually been a market in the street since the 1700s.

Price performers

The best prices are on the stalls themselves, but you can also get great deals – especially for African, Middle Eastern and Caribbean fruit and veg – at the North End Road shops.

On a recent visit, £1 would buy either eight large vine tomatoes, a dozen bananas or four large avocados, while £2 would cover 12 nectarines or a box of 20 juicy peaches.

And the area’s finest, cheapest butcher, Dickenson’s, is at the heart of the market, at number 365.

Mohanad Alkazzaz’s stall is packed from Tuesday to Saturday with shellfish, sprats and bright-eyed plaice, glistening salmon and pert sardines. With fish shop competitors yards away, his is one of the UK’s cheapest locations for seafood.

Nine beautiful sea bass – NINE – cost a tenner! Mo has run the stall for three years, and says that the bream and sea bass are by far his best sellers. No market would be complete without a moan, and Mo has some strong views about how the area could be better promoted and supported.

“The recession has hit the market,” he said.

“There are not as many traders as there were 10 years ago, when it was fully booked.

But we’re surviving, although it’s hard working 17 hours a day.”

Keeping the market going needs an understanding of the psychology of

62 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

...one of the cheapest locations for seafood in the whole of the UK. Nine beautiful sea bass cost a tenner!

He’s now 72, and reckons his family have been market-trading for 150 years. Three generations of Johnson now work at North End Road, with Peter jnr and his son Alfie also on duty. “People still want the market,” he said. “This may be a million-pound house area now, but there are still lots of council estates and this is the cheapest market around here.”

He also backs calls to shake up carparking costs. “There should be a good hourly rate on Saturdays,” he said. “All high streets are suffering because parking charges are exorbitant.” Everything seems to be a quid on Peter’s stall, be it a pair of butternut squash or a bowl of sweet potatoes.

Clothing seller Nita Gohil has just celebrated her fifth year of trading at North End Road, following on from her husband’s 15 years on a stall. “The market’s really good,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of regular customers. I do every Friday and Saturday, and my daughter helps me here as well.”

Her stall specialises in lightweight clothing, most sourced from the UK, India and China. “We sell all sorts of ladies’

clothing and lingerie, and no one else is doing that here,” she said.

I am the egg man

A popular North End Road fixture is Joe, the Egg Man. Joe Ford has run his little egg wagon for two decades, near the junction with Anselm Road. “My wife took the stall over from my auntie,” said Joe, who sits in state behind mounds of duck, quail and goose eggs, large free-range chicken eggs and £1-for-six bargain eggs. “In holiday time the market can be quite quiet, but Fridays and Saturdays are always busy.”

Joanne James has run an accessories stall for three years, with brooches, badges and bangles, and says the market is entirely price-driven.

“People want things for a pound,” she said. “I enjoy it here. You get to meet a lot of people, and you’re independent; there’s no one hassling and pushing you, and no boss over you.”

At Mandy Hurren’s stall you are deafened by the shouts… and impressed by the queues. “Strawberries, two a pound,” rings out, announcing the recent two-punnets-for-a-quid deal.

She has been at North End Road for 36 years, with her fruit and veg bowls among the best bargains to be had.

“Thirty years ago there were 90 stalls here, but now you can count the number of families on the fingers of two hands,” she said, arguing that past policies on handing down trading licences to direct blood relatives had been counterproductive.

“If someone works for us for 20 years, we still can’t transfer the licence to them,” she said.

Overall, though, she’s a big fan of the market and the area. “We’re lucky here,” she said. “There are a lot of big council estates, and it’s the people who live there who shop.”

She believes that west London’s ‘melting pot’ factor has helped the market, because so many people who have settled in the area from far-flung countries have grown up with street markets as a way of life.

She feels parking rules on Saturdays should be tweaked. The no-parking rule from 2-4pm was introduced because it is the traditional start time of Chelsea football matches, but by using flip-over signs, the restriction could be limited to the handful of occasions when the Blues actually kick off on a Saturday at 3pm. In the whole of 2013 there were only six such afternoons.

The thing most customers say about North End Road Market is that it’s authentic.

What you see is what you get. The approach is straightforward. Keep it cheap, pile it high and the customers will turn up.

We’re all being urged to eat our five-aday, and replace processed food in our diet with fresh produce. So if you haven’t been for a while, or you’ve got into the routine of weekly supermarket shopping, give it a try.

As you part with a pound coin and fill your bag with avocados, I defy you not to walk away with a smile on your face.

GET TING TO KNOW

YOU...

MAGGIE McQUADE hery Maggie McQuade / Haberdas

Nita Gohil / Clothing

12iv5etrshary

ann h End t r o N f o ket r a M d Roa

azzaz / Fre Mohanad Alk

MAGGIE (pictured left) has been running her busy haberdashery stall for three decades, and remembers going over the road to the pub with many of the other traders for a celebration party for the market’s centenary.

It’s not just a street market, she says, it’s a meeting place. With her stall groaning under the weight of thread reels, safety pins and curtains, she is not only a point of contact for sewing stars and knitters, but a sounding board too.

“I’m the Marge Proops of the area,” she said. “People come to me and tell me their stories.” Among those who have flocked to North End Road to buy from Maggie’s stall are officials from nearby Stamford Bridge, who turned up to buy blue and white ribbons to tie to the handles after Chelsea won the Europa League trophy.

“It’s true,” she insisted. “When Chelsea won that European cup, they draped it with blue and white ribbons from my stall!” Apart from ribbon, the big seller is knitting wool, with many friendships forged among knitters queuing for yarn.

“There are some real characters around here,” said Maggie. “A lot of people meet here, buy wool and socialise. Most people around here still support the market; new people to the area love it, and the market is for all sorts – rich or poor. Everyone loves a rummage!”

She’s one of a select bunch of traders who can walk to work. A Parsons Green resident, she moved down to London from her native Liverpool in the mid 70s, and sent her children to Holy Cross school.

A former winner of the best stall prize at North End Road market (“I think they stopped doing that cos I kept winning it!”), she attaches great importance to the ‘flash’ – the carefully arranged eye-catching backdrop to the stall that (hopefully) makes customers stop in their tracks.

I’m the Marge Proops of the area, people come to me and tell me their stories

sh fish

She believes that a successful stall involves going the extra yard for customers. If they want something, she’ll do her best to get it, and if the curtains or lace lengths need altering to fit a customer’s windows, she’ll often find herself busy with the sewing machine into the night.

“I get here at 6am, and I leave at 6pm,” she said.

“I have Sunday and Monday off, because Sunday is church and roast dinner. I love it here, and I’ll only leave the market when they take me away in a box!”

Joe Ford / The egg man

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 63

Guide to council and European Parliament elections 2014

Guide to council and European Parliament elections 2014 Council and European Parliament elections are happening on May 22 – do you have a vote?

This guide has been published by the local returning officer, who has a legal duty to encourage electors to take part in elections. She and the electoral services team are totally impartial and their job is to make sure the election process is open and fair, and is run according to electoral law.

Council elections On May 22, you can vote for local councillors who will represent your ward for the next four years. Each ward in Hammersmith & Fulham elects three councillors, except for College Park & Old Oak ward and Palace Riverside ward, which elect two each.

Who can vote in a council election?

You can vote at this election if you are:

3

a British, Commonwealth or Irish citizen, or a citizen of any European Union (EU) country

3

aged 18 or older on May 22, 2014

3 and you are registered – your name is on the voters’ list.

7 Overseas electors cannot vote in council elections.

For more info: www.lbhf.gov.uk/registernow

Guide to council and European Parliament elections 2014

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Remember to have your say on May 22

Guide to council and European Parliament elections 2014

European Parliament elections Decisions made in the European Parliament affect all of our daily lives. The UK returns 73 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

London is a single electoral region and it elects eight members. Voters will be electing their representatives by a form of proportional representation. You can find more information about the work of the European Parliament at www.europarl.europa.eu.

Who can vote in a European Parliament election?

You can vote at this election if you are:

3

a British, Commonwealth or Irish citizen

3

aged 18 or older on May 22, 2014

3

you are registered – your name is on the voters’ list

3

a citizen of any other European Union (EU) country.

If you are a citizen of an EU country and are living in Hammersmith & Fulham, you can choose where you vote. If you want to vote for London’s MEPs you have to add your name to the European Parliament Voters List.

We have already sent a registration form to every EU citizen and a reminder along with your confirmation letter. If you need another form please call the electoral registration helpline on 020 8753 4466 or email electoral.services@lbhf. gov.uk, or download one from www.lbhf.gov.uk/ registernow.

For more info: www.lbhf.gov.uk/registernow

Guide to council and European Parliament elections 2014

How do I register?

The council’s electoral services team is writing to all households in H&F to confirm who is included on the electoral register.

If your name is missing from this letter, you still have time to be included and register for the elections. The last day to register to vote is May 6.

Simply follow the instructions in your letter or go online to download a voter registration form from the council’s website at www.lbhf.gov.uk/registernow.

If you have recently moved, and not re-registered, it is very likely that you still have a vote at your old address so please contact us to check.

Contact us Write or visit: Electoral Services, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, London, W6 9JU. Email: electoral.services@ lbhf.gov.uk Web: www.lbhf.gov.uk/ electoralservices Fax: 020 8753 2007 / 2229 Minicom: 0245 271 3892

Telephone helpline:

020 8753 4466 Open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (7am to 10pm on polling day)

You CANNOT vote if you are not registered but there is still time to register!

Remember!

The last day to register to vote is May 6 Remember to have your say on May 22

Guide to council and European Parliament elections 2014

Ways to vote In person

By post

There are 59 polling stations in the borough.

These are usually in local schools or other community buildings. Each station covers its local neighbourhood.

Instead of going to the polling station, you can vote by post.

You have to fill in an application form – available at www.lbhf. gov.uk/registernow or phone the helpline to request one.

Your application must reach us by 5pm on May 7.

We aim to send out postal voting packs on Friday May 9, by first class post.

Please remember – if you sign up for a postal vote, you will NOT be able to vote in person at a polling station.

However, you can hand in your completed voting pack at Hammersmith Town Hall, or any polling station in your electoral area on polling day.

You have to vote at the polling station for the address where you are registered. You cannot vote at any other station.

Your poll card will tell you where your polling is.

Stations open at

Stations close at

7.00am

10.00pm

Postal votes must reach us by 10.00pm on May 22 (election day).

B REPLY ENVELOPE

Freepost PAM 4028 Electoral Services ith & Fulham London Borough of Hammersm King Street London W6 9JU

Join the electoral services team – become an active citizen You do not have to work for the council to help us support local democracy. Each year (September to November), we recruit about 200 canvassers to deliver voter registration forms and visit non-responders. And at a full borough wide election there are hundreds of jobs to be filled – helping with deliveries, issuing and opening postal

For more info: www.lbhf.gov.uk/registernow

Guide to council and European Parliament elections 2014

Poll cards By proxy A proxy is someone who votes on your behalf. If you have a proxy vote, you may still vote in person yourself, as long as your proxy has not already voted for you.

However, you cannot do this if your proxy has arranged to vote for you by post.

You have to fill in an application form telling us who your proxy is.

This must reach us by 5pm on May 14.

If you have a medical emergency or learn you cannot go the polling station because of work reasons after 5pm on May 14, you can appoint an emergency proxy. You will have to fill in an application form that must reach the council by 5pm on May 22 (election day).

Every registered elector gets an official poll card, but we try not to send them to people who we know have moved or died. The card shows when, where and how to vote in person. It will also say in which elections you can vote at on polling day. There is also a map showing where your polling station is.

Poll cards will be delivered in April. For extra privacy, your poll card will come in an envelope.

The poll card is for information only, and you do not need it to vote. As long as you are registered, you can simply give the polling station staff your name and address.

Postal voters will be sent a letter confirming details of their postal voting arrangement.

Application forms are available at www.lbhf.gov.uk/registernow or you can phone the helpline.

votes, working in polling stations and counting votes.

Full training is given, and all jobs are paid on a fee basis.

We are very keen to increase the number of local residents on our team. If you would like to join the team visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/ electoralservicesrecruit.

Remember to have your say on May 22

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Feedback

We want to hear from you!

Send your comments to: press.office@lbhf.gov.uk, write to: Hammersmith Town Hall, Room 39, King Street, London W6 9JU or go online to www.lbhf.gov.uk and leave your comment.

We reserve the right to edit comments. Anonymous comments will not be considered but names and addresses can be withheld upon request.

My Journey Emma Hutchinson The Music House for Children Shepherds Bush

I

n 1994, I launched The Music House for Children to provide musical experiences for children and young people. And 20 years later, our mission is the same. We still want to provide high-quality music learning combined with a sense of personal achievement.

By learning and performing, other skills could be mastered – such as speech, reading, confidence, creativity and the ability to adapt these skills in life.

Now we’ve got concert space for workshops and concerts – and even our new restaurant next door!

The journey also reflected a dream to establish a real, charitable school for music learning and performance. Local residents expressed a desire for accessible, high-quality music that was for everyone. And so in 2000, my husband Charlie and I bought Bush Hall (with no benefactor or bank support) and like a rocket we took off.

Now, we’ve got concert space for workshops, concerts and storytelling shows.

And even our new restaurant venture next door! But our commitment to young people, especially with disabilities, autism and deafness, has not changed.

Last year, The Music House for Children was refurbished to reflect an increasingly diverse community and client base, to create a spacious new studio space.

Most importantly, it’s designed to make some noise and have some fun. And we’re certainly not done yet.

Crime is falling locally but are also we failing our young people?

Your article (H&F tops London league for biggest fall in crime, December edition) was fine, good news, but I was saddened at the choice of photograph to illustrate it. I take issue particularly with the caption (‘You’re nicked, my son. Crime rates in H&F borough have fallen 16%’).

I’m sure it will have struck a chord with unthinking readers who do not wish to tangle with the complexities of youth crime and its causes – stereotypes are so much more comforting. If you and they had regularly visited Feltham Young Offenders, as I have, I think a more nuanced view would prevail. The caption is ironic, for if the (posed?) youngster shown had indeed been the policeman’s son he would probably not have been in that situation.

Name and address supplied (Editor’s note: The picture is not posed.

It was taken on a night out with local police in Hammersmith’s King Street and shows a real arrest being made by a local Met Police officer in 2009.)

Flyunder is a great idea and shorter tunnel will cost much less I think a tunnel is an excellent idea (Residents back the concept of burying the A4 in a flyunder, December edition) and from what I have read the shorter option would seem preferable, not to mention far less expensive and time-consuming to build.

But I am no traffic management expert!

Edna Joyce Via email

Air quality means long tunnel options only for flyunder please

The council has a legal obligation to improve air quality in Talgarth Road (Residents back the concept of burying the A4 in a flyunder, December edition) especially the Gliddon Road and North End Road junctions.

Burying the cars and their fumes is an opportunity the council must not miss and the longer tunnel option is the best.

Dr L Monzon Via email

‘We have Olympia but that is not enough’

Let’s try and put the borough back together again with flyunder

Wonderful idea (Residents back the concept of burying the A4 in a flyunder, December edition)! Hammersmith would no longer be cut off from the river, the whole borough would benefit from more space and lack of noise. But the new housing must be built at a low level. Just do it, don’t hang around!

Mary Gibson Via email

We need to build a lot more homes to make them truly affordable

I work full time and earn £25,000 a year.

Will I be able to afford one of these ‘affordable’ homes? (Earls Court: A new district for London, December edition) No. I can’t even afford an ‘affordable’ home in Dagenham. New homes are positive and so this is a small step to the hundreds of thousands of new homes London and the South East needs. But the government needs to build far more and stop the majority of London homes going into the hands of property speculators when local people are desperately chasing a too-small supply of unaffordable houses.

Tim Via email

What west London needs is a new exhibition centre

We need a new exhibition centre in west London (Earls Court: A new district for London, December edition) otherwise everything will move east. We have Olympia but that is not enough.

Michael Wale Via email

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 71

Environment Super sewer

Residents unite against plans for super sewer Angry residents queue up at public meeting to highlight the health risks of siting major excavations in a built-up area, rather than in alternative parkland, reports Rob Mansfield

F

urious Fulham residents turned out in force to explain to Government planning inspectors why Carnwath Road is wholly inappropriate for major sewer drilling. More than 250 residents packed into Hurlingham and Chelsea School last month to explain to the inspectors why Government ministers should reject Thames Water’s plans.

The inspectors, who will make a recommendation to ministers later in the spring, need to decide whether the potential blight to thousands of lives in Fulham should be allowed to go ahead or whether Thames Water needs to go back to the drawing board.

Thames Water had originally earmarked less than two per cent of a vast open space in Barn Elms for its super sewer dig but switched to Carnwath Road following pressure from south of the river.

Scores of residents took their turn to spell out why it would be completely wrong for Thames Water to be allowed to start 24/7 excavations in a built-up area when the alternative site in Barnes, which would negatively affect far fewer people, is still available.

Numerous residents highlighted the severe and prolonged stress that uninterrupted noise, dust and increased river and road traffic would have on vulnerable residents – especially the elderly

Philpot Square, Carnwath Road

72 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

and young. Residents warned of a ‘health time bomb’ if the works – which will be the second largest infrastructure project in the UK after Crossrail – are allowed to go ahead in the built-up residential area.

Carnwath Road resident Graham Thompson said: “I live 20 metres away from the dig site and, if it goes ahead, Thames Water are going to destroy this community with their noise and pollution. Residents around here can do without this nonsense – especially when there is an alternative site available at Barn Elms.”

Thames Water argues that their current plan is the best solution to stop diluted rain water and sewage from overflowing into the River Thames when it rains heavily, but speaker after speaker disagreed.

Residents argued Thames Water is irrational in putting playing fields before humans and that the reasons given for switching to Carnwath Road were ‘highly dubious’.

The council says there are at least 2,500 people living within 250 metres of the dig site, with some people’s homes just 15 metres away – including the local Philpot Square estate. Residents living near the potential construction site voiced concerns about 24/7 noise, dust and air pollution for around eight years, potentially affecting the health and well-being of residents.

Five schools are within 700metres of the site with one school, Thomas’s in Hugon Road, just 100 yards away. Local parent Edward Ray said: “Thames Water’s plan is ludicrously badly thought out. Why should kids be expected to try to learn 100 yards away from a major construction site?”

The clogging-up of already congested residential streets with HGV traffic and people being trapped in their homes, or forced to sell up at a discounted rate, were also highlighted by various speakers.

Cllr Nicholas Botterill, Hammersmith & Fulham Council leader, said: “This is

The inspectors need to weigh up the huge human costs

not some hypothetical debate about the use of a small proportion of open land in Barn Elms versus a so-called brownfield site in Fulham. This is about the lives of thousands of people, many of them vulnerable, who face a very real threat to their usual pattern of life if Thames Water’s plans go ahead unchanged.

“The inspectors need to weigh up the huge human costs and terrible infringements on thousands of people’s lives against the relatively small inconvenience to some recreational activities if the dig site was switched back to Thames Water’s original choice at Barn Elms.”

Thames Water argued that a switch back to Barnes would delay delivery of the super sewer and add costs. However Cllr Botterill added: “It would be a perverse decision and an outrageous breach of natural justice if the sound arguments that have been made tonight were ignored because a switch back would be too inconvenient for Thames Water.

“It is their problem that they made the wrong choice when picking Carnwath Road and it is they who need to sort out their mess. Inconvenience to Thames Water is not a reason to push on with an irrational and unjust choice.”

Resident John Snellson, of Brier Street, added: “Thames Water should stop paying lip service to procedure and listen to the quality of thought in our arguments.”

For more visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/supersewer

Share your views, email press.office@lbhf.gov.uk

Your shout

By Nick Skoric

Amanda Toyne, 70, Peterborough Road

Residents gather at the meeting

“I have been to all the meetings with Thames Water and they have no consideration for the residents and their opinions. They listen to the public at these meetings and then at the end they say we are going ahead with the project anyway. There are so many reasons why the super sewer should not be here in Fulham, from the noise to the damage to air quality. Traffic is already at a standstill on Wandsworth Bridge Road, so what will happen when the work starts? I am astonished Thames Water puts the welfare of bats and wild orchids on the Barn Elms site ahead of families in Fulham.”

Hasan Suker, 50, Lilyville Road

Sally Slingsby, 84, Crondace Road

“I am totally against this super sewer idea. It seems like this issue has been dragging on forever now, but we are no nearer to a solution. The site is going to be a building site for years, so I have no idea how the local residents are going to cope with all the disruptions to their everyday lives. Let’s hope everyone involved comes to their senses and abandons the idea of a super sewer in Fulham.”

Demetrious Adams, 28, Buer Road

Cllr Nicholas Botterill

Young protesters make their voices heard

“With the way the property market is going in Fulham at the moment I am not surprised Thames Water want the site here.

They will be adding a valuable property site to their portfolio so we the residents need to put a stop to this greed that is motivating their choices. Thames Water have no conscience. They are not concerned with how the lives of the local people will be affected. The people of Fulham need to make it clear that they will not stand for a super sewer on their doorstep.”

“Thames Water have been given alternatives to the Fulham site and greener ways of fixing the sewage problem which cost less money, but they do not want to know. They have made up their mind. It just seems hopeless right now. The council and residents have fought the decision but nothing seems to work.

I understand the super sewer has to go somewhere but why choose a heavily populated area along the Thames? Local people’s quality of life is not on Thames Water’s mind.”

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 73

Fulham v Everton (H) Sunday 30th March, 1:30pm

Tickets on sale from ÂŁ40 adults and ÂŁ20 juniors Buy online at fulhamfc.com/tickets or call 0843 208 1234 All tickets are subject to availability. Terms, conditions and booking fees apply.

Sport Kieran Richardson “It was one of the greatest moments of my career playing in that team”

THE GREAT ESCAPE?

Kieran Richardson © Action Images/Peter Cziborra

INTERVIEW Fulham FC defender Kieran Richardson was part of the West Brom team that pulled of the great relegation battle escape in 2005 on the final day of the season. Now he says history can repeat itself as the Whites attempt to dodge relegation, writes Nick Skoric

K

ieran Richardson is no stranger to the relegation battle – he knows exactly what it takes to avoid the drop. The Fulham defender was involved in the West Brom team that pulled off the great Premier League escape back in 2005 under Bryan Robson on the final day of the season despite being bottom of the league at the start of play.

Richardson went on to score in the 2-0 win over Portsmouth alongside former Fulham striker Geoff Horsfield to join Baggies folklore as well as make history – becoming the only team in the Premiership era to ever beat the drop after being in last place at Christmas.

The scenes at the Hawthorns that day of the former Manchester United man being held aloft by the crowd will stay with him forever.

“It was one of the greatest moments of my career playing in that team and hopefully I can do that for Fulham as well,” said the 29-year-old.

“I have been in this position before and I am confident in my team-mates and my manager. The signs are there for the last few games that we are showing better positives and hopefully we can kick on.”

After 13 years in the top-flight, Fulham have the scars from previous relegation scraps that they survived and it could go down to the wire once again this season.

Which no doubt led to the hiring of German manager Felix Magath last month. As the third manager this season, former Bayern Munich coach Magath will rely on his reputation for arriving at teams late in the season and boosting their results.

Under the stewardship of current England boss Roy Hodgson, Fulham salvaged their

Premier League status with just 14 minutes left of the 2007-08 campaign thanks to a Danny Murphy header against Portsmouth.

The Whites stayed up by the skin of their teeth courtesy of a superior goal difference over Reading who went down with the same tally of points as Fulham.

The following season, the boys of SW6 went on to record their highest position in the Premier League, finishing in seventh place and qualifying for Europe.

So Richardson feels the team must stay positive if they are to get through the basement battle in the coming weeks.

“You can’t think about going down.

You have to be very confident. You have got to take each game at a time and not think about the other games,” he added.

“We have a lot of experience in our changing room and a lot of ability, so I don’t see why we can’t do that.”

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 75

Sport Deryck Fill retires

FINAL WHISTLE FOR LOCAL SPORT INSPIRATION The man behind the Mayor’s Cup will leave the field after a decade organising London’s most popular primary school football tournament

By Tim Harrison

T

he man who is the face of primary school sport in the borough has decided to hang up his whistle at the end of the season. Deryck Fill took on the running of youth sport in Hammersmith & Fulham a decade ago.

For the past 10 years he has co-ordinated the Mayor’s Cup – London’s most popular primary schools’ football tournament – encouraging and inspiring boys and girls to take part, and meticulously updating the scoresheets and league tables.

He also flew the flag for skittleball, turning a largely unknown sport into one of the most enthusiastically supported in west London.

But this season’s competitions will be his last, as the 65-year-old finally gets round to enjoying a delayed retirement.

Ten years ago, the former teacher suffered a heart attack, and took early retirement on health grounds.

But Hammersmith & Fulham Council officials, anxious not to lose his experience and know-how, persuaded him to take on the part-time role of sport co-ordinator for primary schools.

When Deryck leaves in July, his place will be taken as sports co-ordinator by Calum Fairley, the head of Lena Gardens primary school in Hammersmith.

“Ten years is enough, and I ought to retire,” he told Your Magazine. “Calum will take over my role; we go way back, 30 years or more, and he will do a very good job. He’s helped 76 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

me judge athletics, and he’s been a keen supporter of sport and youth activities.”

Will Deryck miss being involved in grassroots sport? “Of course I’ll miss it,” he said. “This will be my last Mayor’s Cup, and my involvement will finish at the final in July.”

His love of sport was cultivated as a nipper at the now-defunct Sloane School, a Chelsea grammar school, where he adored cricket in the summer, while spending his Saturday afternoons on the terraces at Craven Cottage, admiring the ball skills of the great Johnny Haynes.

He later did teacher training, starting his career in North Ken and getting involved in football and cricket, including 30-over matches on Wormword Scrubs.

In 1969, he first encountered a littleknown sport called skittleball; an easy-toplay, easy-to-learn team game which suits girls as well as boys, and lets those of all abilities compete on level terms.

“That’s when I picked it up,” he recalled.

“It’s simple enough for a Year 3 child to play, the success rate is very good, and you don’t have to be Ronaldo!” Deryck had also got involved in the west London forerunners of today’s successful Mayor’s Cup primary schools’ football tournament, as well as swimming, athletics and junior rugby.

After he left full-time teaching following the heart attack, Deryck was snapped up as part-time sports co-ordinator in Hammersmith & Fulham, turning the Mayor’s Cup into one

of the most keenly fought and well-supported tournaments in any London borough.

“Every school in H&F has heard of the Mayor’s Cup; it’s a very successful competition, and it’s a wonderful confidencebuilder with great kudos for the children taking part,” he said. “It’s also an opportunity for children who are not necessarily gifted academically to shine.”

Deryck is passionate about the need to involve borough youngsters in competitive team games, for their health and for the benefits and recognition it brings to their schools.

One thing both the Mayor’s Cup and the annual skittleball tournament teach youngsters is the importance of using space on a pitch, moving into good positions rather than simply chasing the ball in a pack.

“Run into space!” is Deryck’s familiar touchline bellow as he watches youngsters going through their paces. He is also convinced that early co-ordination and teamwork skills learnt at skittleball help young players when they graduate to football in later years.

Deryck became a grandfather recently, and he and his wife aim to spend more time getting to know their granddaughter.

He also plans to try to improve his golf (“I play it badly once a week at Leatherhead”), visit more National Trust and English Heritage properties in Britain, attend concerts and Royal Academy shows… and take a few holidays.

From the Mayor’s Cup to tag rugby, Deryck Fill has been at the heart of school sport

“This will be my last Mayor’s Cup, and my involvement will finish at the final in July” Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 77

Sport Boxing

GROVES LANDS HIS REMATCH

By Nick Skoric

F

ulham-born world title contender George Groves has a soft spot for Sands End ABC – he grew up in the streets nearby and is the ambassador to the boxing club.

When he gets a chance, Groves pops down to the gym in Peterborough Road to see how the future local talent is getting on.

Kickboxing sensation Sam Ryan, 18, recently switched codes and showered the Fulham club in glory after she clinched the national ABA championships in her first ever boxing competition.

Sands End founder Richie Powers recently left the club to head coach George Burton and local resident Roy Reid as he goes on to work for the ABAs. Groves went on to clinch two ABA titles during his amateur days as he represented Dale Youth ABC. The Saint still trains down at the North Kensington club from time to time as he looks for a permanent gym.

Groves began his journey to a world crown locally as a junior kickboxer dominating the British amateur scene as he represented Fulham Kickboxing Club in Lillie Road under head coach Dennis Maycock.

78 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

Best friend, Jason Stevens, met a young Groves at the Fulham club and can be seen carrying his belts into the ring before bouts.

Now the Fulhamite is one step closer to realising his dream of a world title fight under the floodlights at Stamford Bridge.

The avid Chelsea fan wears his beloved club’s crest on his shorts every time he steps into the ring and it will be no different when he squares up with Carl Froch on May 31 in their eagerly anticipated rematch for the WBA and IBF world championship belts.

The west London prizefighter grew up just down the road from Stamford Bridge and has now become a box-office hit himself since his first clash with Froch.

In a few months’ time, Groves will perform in the biggest fight of his career in a sport stadium but unfortunately for the Saint it will not be in SW6.

“I used to go and watch the Blues as a kid down at the Bridge and still try and get down there now when I have the chance. With Mourinho back, special things are happening with Chelsea this season. A Chelsea league win or even a Champions League victory in May capped off by me knocking Carl Froch out to take the world title belts home would be the sort of stuff dreams are made of,”

Groves exclusively told Your Magazine.

“I have been itching to get this rematch agreed and even turned down a huge amount of money to secure the best possible fight deal for my career. I want to be in charge of my destiny and now I am so close to fulfilling my journey to becoming a world champion which I have wanted ever since I was a kid.”

And the Saint could have clinched his precious world title had it not been for the controversial stoppage in his last fight with Froch after flooring the veteran champ in the first round back in November.

But on the other side of the coin, people argue Froch looked to be on the ascendancy and on his way to stopping Groves.

“This rematch just had to happen. It would have been a massive injustice to all boxing fans across the country. People paid to see a conclusive ending to the fight and they did not get that last time but this time they will. Froch is dreaming of Las Vegas while I am plotting his takedown. The end is nigh for Froch,” added Groves.

Follow our local champion on Twitter @StGeorgeGroves

SAM RYAN TOP BOXER

Sam the ch amp

By Nick Skoric

S

George Groves in action against Carl Froch © Action Images/Andrew Couldridge

he came, she saw, she conquered.

With three first-round knockouts, Sam Ryan was crowned a national champion in her first ever boxing competition. Sam is no stranger to the brutal warfare of the ring. The 18-year-old has ruled the domestic kickboxing scene for the past two years and decided to give boxing a shot.

Just like her hero and close friend George Groves, H&F’s own pro boxer is on the brink of a world title. Groves followed the same path into the paid ranks with a title-filled record on the kickboxing circuit before going on to win the ABA honours three times.

Sam has followed the Saint since the early days of his professional career, going to every fight with dad Alan, mum Lorraine and little sister Emma. “Without my family, I would not have been able to achieve what I have in both the kickboxing and boxing world. They have been there every step of the way,” said Sam. “George is a real inspiration. He was a kickboxing champion, so was I. Then he dominated the amateur boxing scene, and after my title win I hope I can do the same.

I have only had a few boxing fights despite already being a national champion, so I have a lot still to achieve in the sport. I just want to get my head down and train to become a better fighter and hopefully the wins will continue.”

The Sands End ABC fighter added another champion to the Fulham club’s roll

of honour after Beau Tuvey clinched the ABA Novice championship back in 2012.

But Sam has not had such an easy transition into the boxing ring after having to leave behind long-term kickboxing coach Jason Stevens.

“Jason has trained me since I was a kid.

He taught me so much not only in the ring but out of it too. We are the best of friends.

Together we fought all across the country and left our mark on the kickboxing scene,” added Sam. In her days at the Scorpion Kickboxing club in Peterborough Road, Fulham, Sam held every title from the British to the European belt and usually fought women twice her age, but still managed to emerge triumphant.

With that same hunger and determination, Sam could easily do the same in the boxing ring. You heard it here first.

The winner celebrates

From left, Jason Stevens, Sam Ryan and George Groves

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 79

Sport Dodgeball

YIKES! WHOA!

H T E G D O D WEHEY!

ARRGHH!

“Dodgeball is a sport everybody can play and enjoy together.

It really is a social sport which everyone seems to want to try” 80 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

GRRR!

!

S I H T

The Artful Dodgers: Colette G St-Onge, Jessica Kenney, Laura Jackson, Alex Lindsay, Scott Huggins, Russell Watson, Steve Stewart, Andrew McLennan

Fancy trying a fun and social sport that anyone can play?

Dodgeball could be the answer

By Nick Skoric

EEEK!

he latest craze to hit the streets has kids scrambling to school at 7am to play games before class, and adults dressing as grapes to compete! Dodgeball, a game traditionally feared by puny teens in gym classes in the States, is taking the borough by storm.

The rules are simple. Eliminate opponents by striking them with a ball to win. The team with the most players left on court at the end is victorious. It is not as vicious as it may sound (it is a spongy ball) and has even been dubbed the most sociable sport around.

The Fulham dodgeball league is in full swing at the Chelsea Academy in Lots Road with competitions throughout the year. Teams play an eight-week season culminating in a final, with the next one just around the corner as the current campaign concludes on April 3.

A new season begins in April 24 with a fresh chance to be kings of the dodgeball court. Go Mammoth has run the Fulham league for 18 months now and has seen enthusiasm grow.

“Dodgeball is a sport everybody can play and enjoy together. It really is a social sport which everyone seems to want to try out at the moment, as it is something different to what you’d have played at school,” said Emma Saunders of Go Mammoth.

“Last year, we had a team covered from head to toe in balloons and green face paint called the Purple Grapes in our fancy dress week, which was lots of fun as the balloons began to burst during the game. It really is a lot of fun.”

Pupils at Langford Primary School in Gilstead Road, Fulham, attend a 7am breakfast club to play dodgeball before class.

Richard Powers, who threw Fulham back into the boxing scene with the success of his Sands End Club, is now on to another knockout idea. From an initial 10 kids coming to the breakfast club, Richard now has 30 youngsters bounce into his early morning session.

He is also offering free dodgeball sessions for all U18s every Wednesday at the newly refurbished Hurlingham and Chelsea School in Peterborough Road.

“I want to give the kids a reason to get off the street and enjoy themselves with a good game of dodgeball. It is great because absolutely everyone can play it,” said Richard. “The kids just seem to love the game and cannot get enough of it. It really is the kids’ favourite sport at the moment.”

The founder of GetSetGoSport, he has taken the sport to all primary and secondary schools in the borough and the kids just want more. So he launched the Fulham Hawks junior dodgeball team, which is the only one in the area and is one of just three junior squads in the entire capital.

“We want the kids to enjoy a new sport that brings them all together in a fun and friendly environment. It is one of the most sociable sports out there and once you have given it a go you will understand all the hype.”

For more information on local dodgeball visit www.gomammoth.co.uk or Fulham Hawks Facebook page Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 81

Property Handmade kitchens

Crafted to perfection The days of the artisan carpenter aren’t over, but you need to know where to find them, writes Tim Harrison

82 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

Y

ou need to squeeze a 350mm cupboard alongside the sink, but the big kitchen fitters only do 400 or 600 sizes. You yearn for the days when carpenters could create something tailormade for your needs.

Well, guess what! Carpenters haven’t disappeared… they’re just slightly harder to find in a world dominated by the screaming sale and discount adverts of the big kitchen guys such as the 200-showroom Magnet, Ikea, Wickes and Homebase.

And it’s a myth that an individual carpenter service is always more expensive than a factory fitted kitchen. The little guys are more accountable, will see projects through from design to manufacture to installation… and they will always give you a tailored, personal service.

Take Hammersmith craftsman Joshua Tait, whose stable-door workshop front in Ravenscourt Square is open to let anyone peer in to watch the cabinets being made.

“A bespoke kitchen isn’t necessarily hugely expensive compared to the premanufactured kitchens, and with them you’re restrained to their standard sizes,” he said.

What does he think are the advantages of going to a one-branch local carpentry firm?

“Someone like me takes a much more personal approach, and we see the project right through to the end,” he said, adding that if there was a need for a peculiar-sized cabinet to fill a difficult gap, it wouldn’t just be lazily plugged with an ugly wine rack.

“The big companies do offer deals on appliances, but they’re often tied in to deals with particular makers,” he said.

Someone like me takes a more personal approach, and we see the project right through to the end

Joshua Tait cuts materials to bespoke sizes in his open workshop

Joshua uses higher-quality materials than the big multiples to create the carcasses of the cabinets. The factory makers will typically use chipboard with a melamine finish on a £10,000 kitchen, while he will use solid plywood. “I’ve never had any problems with plywood, but I’ve seen chipboard that’s broken before it’s even been fitted,” he said.

Generally, bespoke carpenter kitchens aren’t limited to the pre-measured chipboard units churned out in continental factories, and with an individually built kitchen, the maker installs it.

Rooms come in all shapes and sizes, so standard units aren’t always a snug fit.

Carpenters can tweak sizes as they go, so there’s greater flexibility.

The big makers will deluge you with small-print terms and conditions, they are notoriously bad at dealing with returns (with John Lewis one of the few exceptions), and it is almost impossible to get things fixed afterwards. As a result, many people who Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 83

Property Handmade kitchens

have gone down the big fitted kitchen route swear they’ll never again do it.

Joshua’s expertise begins at the design stage, helping customers turn ideas into reality, and sharing advice accumulated over years.

“We always offer a personal touch,” he said.

“I wouldn’t necessarily be able to look at a cabinet and say ‘That’s a Joshua Tait’, but we do make things from start to finish,” he said.

Another interesting local maker is Sola Kitchens of Munster Road, Fulham. Founded by designer Sofia Bune Strandh, it was created out of a personal need.

Arriving in London from her native Sweden, and needing a new kitchen in her flat, she was unable to source the kind of quality she was used to back home.

“I’m used to solid wood and good quality, and I couldn’t find anything here,” she explained. “So I bought in Sweden and had it shipped over. My friends saw it, and they wanted one too.” Sola launched in 2006, with Sofia initially combining it with work as a 84 | YourMagazine Spring 2014

city solicitor. Now she is full-time, and the company is seven-strong.

Sola (the name comes from the first two letters of her name, and the first two of her original business partner) specialises in bespoke, well-designed kitchens and interiors from sustainable forests. Sofia works with the Swedish manufacturer Lidhults Kök, which has been making solid wood interiors since the 1940s.

“Most Swedes only buy one new kitchen in their entire life,” she said. “The average lifespan of a Swedish kitchen is 18-20 years, compared to 5-7 years in the UK, so a Sola kitchen may well be your first and last!”

It seems an astonishing gulf. “The main reason is about how the property market works in Sweden,” she said. “We don’t have the same ladder; one-bed flat, two-bed flat, three-bed flat, small house, bigger house… it’s not like that. People buy a house in their 30s, do it up and live there the rest of their life.”

Kitchens range from £20,000 to £150,000, with an average price being about £30,000-£35,000 for

The average lifespan of a Swedish kitchen is 18-20 years, compared to 5-7 years in the UK, so a Sola kitchen may well be your first and last!

Clockwise from top left: Joshua Tait takes a personal approach; Sofia Bune Strandh brings Swedish quality to Fulham; two solid-wood Swedish kitchens from Sola; Joshua getting hands on

units, appliances, worktops, splashbacks, VAT and installation. “A lot of kitchen prices in the UK are inflated because of brand names,” added Sofia, who is in the running for several 2014 design awards.

“Our kitchens are not cheap… but they are not

Sola Kitchens in Munster Road, Fulham

expensive if you compare with brand names.”

Local accountability counts for a lot. If the customers live just round the corner, a kitchen firm will care about its reputation and will go that extra mile to offer good service.

“Our customers get a designer who works with them until the very last handle is fitted,” said Sofia at Sola. “We’re very much part of the community.”

Most small carpentry firms will not have a vast, glitzy showroom to maintain, and unlike the big boys it should be able to arrange to take you to a kitchen which it has fitted in the area. When comparing prices, make sure you do compare like with like. Is VAT included? Are the worktops included? Are appliances extra? The cabinetry makes up around half the kitchen price, so focus on the quality of the build.

When it comes to style popularity, Hammersmith and Fulham splits 50:50 between ‘modern’ and ‘classic’.

Firms say that the most popular request these days is for ‘a traditional kitchen with a modern twist’.

Joshua Tait is located at 1a Ravenscourt Square, Hammersmith W6 0TW. Call 07531 784 093 or visit www.joshuatait.com Sola Kitchens is located at 121 Munster Road, Fulham SW6 6DH. Call 020 3004 0898 or visit www.solakitchens.com

Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 85

Avonmore Mansions, W14 Share of Freehold

£2,200,000

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135 Hammersmith Road, London, W14 0QL 020 7602 6020

353 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW 020 7602 2233

• www.tatesestates.co.uk • mail@tatesestates.co.uk

Property News

Now please don’t take a fence...

Hew Stevenson, of Shoots and Leaves, believes there are certain boundaries in life, and that neighbours can, and should, get on

G

arden fencing. Stifle the yawn if you can! Chances are you have a fence somewhere in your garden and many of you will have had to deal with your neighbours at some point when replacing or repairing them.

I am frequently asked about the laws or rules governing fencing: Who owns what fence? Does it state ownership on my deeds?

Who should pay for the fence? How high can we go? What’s the best type? Do I need a landscaper or fencing contractor? Do I need a party wall agreement? I shall try and answer these questions and dispel the myths.

Very rarely does it clearly state ownership of boundary fences on the deeds and although traditionally it was believed that you gave the ‘good’ side of the fence to your neighbour and that the left hand fence was yours, this is largely a myth! Nowadays the view is often taken that if you’re paying for the fence you should get the ‘good’ side and if it’s unclear on ownership then a good dialogue with your neighbours is probably the best way to settle it and a sharing of the cost.

In terms of height, you are permitted to go to a finished height of 2m or 6ft 6 inches (from ground level) in the back garden and this is including any trellis. You may require planning to go any higher. ‘Ground level’ may sometimes be a bit ambiguous but you certainly can’t raise the ground level and then put a fence on top!

I am frequently asked about the laws governing fencing. I shall try and answer these questions and dispel the myths With front gardens, the rules can vary and you may also require additional consent if you are in a conservation area. Generally speaking you can go to a height of at least 1m to the front boundary.

You will, of course, frequently see higher fences, well in breach of the regulations, and strictly speaking owners could be enforced to reduce the height. In reality, it’s usually only your immediate neighbours that are most likely to take issue.

To me, to you. Make sure posts are well secured with concrete

The two most common forms of fencing are either a panel fence, where standard panels are erected between either timber or concrete posts, or ‘closeboard’ or ‘featheredge’ fencing (slightly more expensive) where the fencing is constructed from separate components, the vertical boards overlapped and nailed on to three parallel rails to the reverse side.

There are a number of common faults with fences and these are easily avoided if you choose a reputable company. Fences should really be erected with ‘gravel boards’ to the base, either timber or concrete and usually about 150mm high. These boards run beneath the main body of the fence or panel and prevent it from sitting directly on the earth. Omit these boards and you very quickly get rot to the base of the panels, significantly reducing the life span of the new fence.

Of course, the gravel boards do themselves rot over the years but these can be easily replaced without the need to address the remainder of the fence.

Posts need to be well secured and we generally sink them 600mm in to the ground with concrete to ensure a good fixing. If the posts are loose then every time there is a strong wind the post will move and damp may rot the posts until they break and collapse.

We prefer to use 100mm posts rather than 75mm for the simple fact they offer some

additional rigidity and there is little in the price.

With closeboard fencing, the three horizontal rails to the reverse side can be either notched in to the posts or secured with a rail repair bracket. Although the notched rails are perhaps more aesthetically pleasing they also form the weakest point in the fence, which is why the repair brackets came to be. We prefer to use the brackets and not compromise the thickness of the rail, especially when you consider the fence is often then obscured with planting.

As the fence forms a common boundary, a party wall award may be required but if possible an amicable agreement with the neighbours can avoid the expense.

When appointing someone to repair or replace your fencing some plant knowledge can be very useful as it should ensure that your precious borders are protected and the climbers cut back correctly. More often than not, the old fencing and trellis panels can be broken out and the planting retained largely intact then wired back on to the new fence for support.

Shoots & Leaves has been in Hammersmith for 14 years, and specialises in garden design and construction Spring 2014 YourMagazine | 87

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