Meridian Magazine September 2013

50,000 COPIES DELIVERED EVERY MONTH SINCE 1996

SEPTEMBER 2013

Arrive in style! with Meridian’s wedding tips

Don’t miss our

EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT HOMES

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BEAUTY

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FASHION

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INTERIORS

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SHOPPING

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EDUCATION 04/09/2013 11:30

Topic

020 8852 8383 joneslanglasalle.co.uk

Vanbrugh Hill, SE3 A beautifully presented five bedroom Victorian house situated in this popular residential road, close to Royal Greenwich Park and Maze Hill mainline station providing easy access to the City and West End. Properties of this size are rare to come to the market and this property must be viewed to be fully appreciated. EPC =

£1,200,000 Freehold

The Paragon, SE3 Set in one of Blackheath’s most prominent landmarks The Paragon is a substantial Grade I Listed, three bedroom apartment overlooking the heath. The property is bright and spacious throughout with its own private access and also benefits from views across the Heath. EPC =

£875,000

Leasehold

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8 Montpelier Vale, Blackheath SE3 0TA

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blackheath.sales@eu.jll.com 04/09/2013 11:31

020 8858 9986 joneslanglasalle.co.uk

Colomb Street, SE10 An unusually spacious two bedroom mid terrace Victorian house located in this sought after street in East Greenwich. The property is conveniently located for access to Maze Hill main line station and the shops, bars and restaurants of Central Greenwich are a short walk away. EPC =

£495,000 Freehold

Ashburnham Grove, SE10 This three bedroom two-storey property with lower ground floor was built circa 1850 and sits within a mid-Victorian street of small-scale terraced houses of varying designs. Today the property is locally listed by the Royal Borough of Greenwich as a building of architectural and historic interest and sits within the Ashburnham Triangle Conservation Area. EPC =

£950,000 Freehold

22 College Approach, Greenwich SE10 9HY <p1-11_Front of Mag_September 2013.indd 3

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greenwich.sales@eu.jll.com

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Topic

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2013

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LOCAL NEWS Win a meal at Locale Win App Store & Google Play gift cards

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FEATURE The River Gardens launch in Royal Greenwich

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INTERIORS Feature Floors The future is handleless...

Win Bosch Food Processor

COVER: Jamie Clayton www.jamieclayton.com

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FASHION Changing seasons Win £100 voucher for Oska

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HEALTH & BEAUTY Ask the Expert Win a full course of hair removal at Day Spa Blackheath Walk-in Clinics

DISTRIBUTOR : London Letterbox 020 8940 0666

50

,000

s copie

ered Delriyvmonth!

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EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Local Schools’ round-up Parenting News and Views

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WEDDINGS Wedding Planner - benefits Arrive in Style - wedding transportation

eve

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FOOD & DRINK

Meridian magazine is published monthly with a genuine distribution of 50,000 to selected residential properties and businesses within the borough of Greenwich and in Blackheath, Westcombe Park, Charlton, Eltham, Lee, Docklands, Canary Wharf, Bromley, Chislehurst, New Eltham, Hither Green and Kidbrooke. Copies also go to Greenwich Tourist Information Centre, libraries and leisure centres, pubs, restaurants and hotels. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part (including advertisement designs) without prior written permission will result in legal action. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily shared by the editor or the publisher.

Restaurant news & reviews

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EVENTS & LISTINGS This months listings including: Greenwich Theatre’s ‘On Stage’ Local art and design courses

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PROPERTY Biggest ever returns for landlords

Meridian Line Publishing Ltd 8 The Village, Charlton SE7 8UD Tel: 020 8319 0555 Fax : 020 8319 4555 Email : enquiries@meridian-magazine.co.uk Publisher: Joy Johnston Editor : Valerie Breese Art & Production Director : Marta Siolkowska Assistant Manager: Claire McKinson Display Sales: Cheryl Voller, Emma Forbes Classified Sales : Mia Tattan Contributors : Claire Allen, Michael Breese, Emma Lewis, James Hadrell

Work Experience: Tazmin Aldis Printing : Garnett Dickinson Distribution : London Letterbox Meridian’s chosen charity 2013

w w w. m e r i d i a n - m a g a z i n e . c o . u k facebook.com/meridianmagazine

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MeridianmagLDN

04/09/2013 15:29

www.devernois.fr

Celebrate the arrival of our Autumn Collection with a special Champagne event from Friday, September 27th to Saturday, September 28th. And, with a late night opening until 8pm on Friday 27th to make your life that little bit easier.

www.meridian-magazine.co.uk l 5 42 Tranquil Vale, Blackheath SE3 0BD (T) 020 8318 5998 Mon - Sat: 10am-6pm Sun: 11am - 4pm

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04/09/2013 15:33

local N E W S Cracking!

Gromit the dog has taken up guard duty at the Greenwich Tourist Information Centre in Cutty Sark Gardens. The animated favourite will be encouraging visitors to make the most of the many attractions the borough offers. Greenwich’s Gromit and seven others like him are being used by VisitEngland to inspire people to take a holiday at home this year. VisitEngland in partnership with Aardman Animation asked people to design a “mini” Gromit that embodied their favourite place in the UK. Samuel Hayward 15, from Bournemouth designed Greenwich’s Gromit. Later they will be auctioned off as part of Wallace and Gromit’s charity appeal.

Twinkle Park

Twinkle Park Trust has been awarded a grant of £30,000 by The Veoilia Environmental Trust towards the installation of a toddlers’ play area in the gardens. It is being installed as part of work to ensure that all sections of the gardens are accessible to the general public and also providing for different age groups with activities.

Twinkle Park Trust Co-ordinator, Carol Kenna, says, “This grant is great news and means we can push the project forward and install new play equipment in the gardens.”

Improvement Scheme

Appeal to Acquire Two Major Works by George Stubbs

The £5.2m redevelopment project for Bromley North, in partnership with Transport for London and the Mayor’s Outer London Fund, encompasses Market Square, High Street North and East Street. Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the project with a complete break in works for Christmas 2013 trading.

The Market Square is the key to re-connecting the village back to the town centre while the High Street will become a safe, comfortable, and most importantly, enjoyable place to walk through to increase the footfall that it needs to stimulate its re-vitalisation. East Street will have a new order where cars share space with people and pedestrians take priority to set the scene for a thriving precinct with outdoor dining, an active night time economy and specialist food retail.

Visit: www.bromley.gov.uk/bromleynorthvillage.

The National Maritime Museum announced a £1.5M appeal to acquire two oil paintings, Kongouro from New Holland and Portrait of a Large Dog, by the celebrated British artist George Stubbs (1724– 1806). Paintings completed after Cook’s first voyage to Australia were the first depiction of a kangaroo and a dingo in Western art.

The museum has already secured £3.2M from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and £200,000 from the Art Fund, which will go towards the acquisition of the works as well as much-needed conservation work and a public programme, which will bring these remarkable works to the widest audience possible.

September 2013

Should the appeal be successful they will initially go on display in the Queen’s House, Greenwich in 2014. The public can donate to the appeal via mobile phone by texting STUB35 to 70555, online via JustGiving or in person at the Museum.

Visitors to the Museum can also see the paintings, which are on public display in the Sammy Ofer Wing throughout the fundraising campaign.

Win a meal at Locale Music Nights - Locale restaurant and cocktail bar in Blackeath Village returns with its autumn music programme kicking off on 26 September with the Night of the Musicals. A 3 course dinner in the company of West End compere Jamie Anderson who hosts a glittering evening of highlights from the musicals accompanied by guests from the world of musical theatre. Then in October it’s a celebration of songs from Hollywood with the ‘Songs from the Secret Screen’ with the infamous Champagne Charlie. The season finishes on 14 November with a fabulous evening of burlesque with Topsy Redfern one of the top performers on the burlesque circuit. For details and reservations call Locale on 0208 852 0700. 1 Lawn Terrace, Blackheath, London, SE3 9LJ. One lucky winner can win Dinner for 2 (value £58) alongside a line up of Derek Nash, Geoff Gascoyne and Dave Newton on 17 October.

Simply send your name, address and daytime telephone number to Meridian magazine (Locale), 8 The Village, Charlton, SE7 8UD. Or email your details to competition@meridianmagazine.co.uk by 30 September.

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DESIGN

Exceptionally designed and engineered kitchen furniture.

0845 544 0743

|

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www.fiestadesign.co.uk

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29-31 Leith Hill, Orpington BR5 2RS

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04/09/2013 15:35

The River Gardens launch in Royal Greenwich London & Regional, T together with Jones Lang LaSalle launch an exciting new residential opportunity in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, SE10.

he River Gardens is a vibrant new quarter stretching 300m along the banks of the River Thames offering contemporary luxury waterside living set within a beautifully landscaped 12 acre site.

The development has been designed by internationally acclaimed award winning architects Squire & Partners, and is a collection of contemporary buildings featuring cutting edge design with an emphasis on space and natural light, both inside and out.

Positioned elegantly on the infamous elbow of the River Thames, the River Gardens faces the impressive London skyline looking out over

the financial centre of Canary Wharf, with views stretching from the O2 Arena in the East, to the City of London and beyond, offering residents an everchanging dynamic view.

Inspired by Sir Christopher Wren’s Old Royal Naval College and the famous squares of Belgravia, The River Gardens has been designed around 4 carefully considered beautifully landscaped garden squares providing residents with a tranquil yet inspiring environment in which to live. The contemporary architecture of the development features apartments of exceptional scale, each one maximising the impressive river front views with floor to ceiling windows and generous glass balconies.

Your local legal experts…

Specialising in: All aspects of Family law • Litigation and Employment Law • Residential & commercial conveyancing •Lease extensions • Collective freehold purchases • Corporate work • Planning law • Wills and the administration of estates •Lasting powers of attorney

Beverley Morris

Geoff Cohen

Angela Stanton

Peter Anderson

Huw Jones

Christine Bolam

Martin Hopkins

Tony Stafford

Richard Hutson

Shirley O’Neill

Beverley Morris & Co.

35 Montpelier Vale, Blackheath Village SE3 0TJ

SOLICITORS incorporating Peter Egan & Co. T: 020 8852 4433 F: 020 8463 9494

62 High Street, Lewisham SE13 5JH

E: enquiries@beverleymorris.co.uk

Also at Hamilton House, 1 Temple Avenue EC4Y 0HA (By appointment only)

(ground floor offices –adjacent to Montpelier’s delicatessen )

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Feature Granite Apartments, the latest building available this month comprises of 131 1, 2 and 3 bedroom luxury residences which are the largest in Royal Greenwich. Each apartment has been finished to the highest specification with Italian custom designed kitchens, large en-suite bathrooms with under floor heating, a video entry system and pre-wired satellite TV connection designed to create sophisticated contemporary London living maximising both space and light throughout.

The River Gardens boasts excellent leisure facilities that include a private gym, tennis/ games court and swimming pool, a dedicated concierge, an on-site business centre and crèche, together with cafes, bars, restaurants and retailers that add ambiance to this exciting vibrant environment.

The development also provides residents with extensive secure underground car parking and ample bike parking.

Located in one of London’s most enviable postcodes, Royal Greenwich is now amongst

the capital’s most desirable addresses.

With its historic streets, parks, shops, bars and restaurants radiating a community feel together with the historic World Heritage Site - Maritime Greenwich and an ever-growing leisure and social offering, The River Gardens offers cosmopolitan London living at its best.

Residents also benefit from excellent transport links, including a regular river boat service and direct links into London’s West End where they can enjoy the many theatres and vibrant nightlife that London has to offer, together with the infamous shopping destinations of Oxford Street and Bond Street.

Prices start at £300,000 leasehold Contact: The River Gardens marketing suite on +44 (0)20 3747 6111 or visit www.therivergardens.com Location: Banning Street, Greenwich, SE10 London & Regional with Jones Lang LaSalle Launching 19 September 2013

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Friendly and reliable garage • Tyres • Clutches • Tracking • Computer diagnostics from £35 FREE MOT with our Silver or Gold Service

SEPTEMBER MOT OFFER! CLASS 1 AND 2 £25.00 CLASS 5 £59.55

CLASS 4 £35.00 CLASS 7 £58.60

FREE HOME PICK UP SERVICE for all servicing and car repairs

0208 305 9636 | www.motfactory.co.uk 145 Nathan Way, Thamesmead SE28 0AB

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Your local design & build company

Local Builder

• All aspects of building work undertaken • Timber and double-glazed windows and doors, including sash windows overhauled, repaired and replaced • General roof repair, including slate, tile and felt • Gutters, soffits and fascias in traditional timber or uPVC • All aspects of decorating • Plumbing and carpentry • Plasterboard ceilings and walls

Free estimates and a guaranteed personal service References and recommendations available on request

OAP discounts for all works John Franklin Building Maintenance & Property Development Telephone 01322 446 895 Mobile 07904 515 737

Extensions | Lofts | Basements Refurbishments | Design & build service Complete design & build service from initial conception through planning to final completion 67 Cressingham Road SE13 5AQ 020 8318 5001 / 08456 802 341 www.meridianconstructionservices.co.uk

We manufacture and install Timber Windows & Doors, specialising in box frames & sashes, casement windows and doors / frames. These can be made in both modern or traditional styles, double glazed to comply with current building regulations, or single glazed for renovation projects.

Please contact us for a non obligation quote.

We welcome your enquiry! www.greenwichjoinery.co.uk

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www.indiajane.co.uk

Furniture • Lighting • Accessories • Soft furnishings 3 Blackheath Village Blackheath London SE3 9LA T +44 (0)20 3137 5300

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Interiors

Feature Floors On Trend - Stained Wood Flooring

By Valerie Breese

D

o you frequently browse home design websites or flip through décor magazines?

You’ll notice that the latest interior design trends lean heavily toward dark hardwood and engineered wood floors. This type of stained wood flooring provides instant drama in any room.

Prefinished in an array of stain colors, dark stained hardwood offers a no-fuss finish that’s durable and affordable.

Staining wood floors also allows homeowners to mimic a certain type of wood. Are you looking for the atmosphere of a beautiful oak, but want a modern herringbone pattern? Choose a more flexible wood

species with an oak-toned stain. Stain a lighter colored wood in cherry or opt for a walnut brown on something other than walnut. Stain colors offer more flexibility than natural tones.

Most designers agree that stained flooring offers more warmth than natural floors. Stain tends to bring out the wood patina and accentuates the grain, adding character and a cozy feeling in any space. Perhaps this quality makes stained wood flooring trendier in today’s contemporary marketplace, creating just the right combination of traditional and modern.

Naken Interiors, the online interior design boutique, has a brilliant collection of engineered hardwood flooring that is available in a myriad of bright colours.

Always striving to offer consumers something different for the home, Naken has introduced the Rainbow Flooring range to help homeowners turn their home into something out of the ordinary.

Hardwood floors are very popular, offering practicality and a chic look. But isn’t it time for something a little more exciting? Naken offers the best of both worlds

with its engineered hardwood flooring. Delivering all the functionality of a hardwood floor, it features a bold dash of colour that makes an inspired style statement.

THE FLAME RED ELITE WOOD FLOORING (£68.40 PER SQUARE METRE) MAKES A FIERY ADDITION TO THE HOME.

FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE TRADITIONAL, THE PURE WHITE ELITE WOOD FLOORING (£69.84 PER SQUARE METRE) IS IDEAL. ITS NEUTRAL COLOUR BRINGS AN AIR OF SOPHISTICATION THAT IS THE PERFECT CHOICE FOR THOSE SEEKING A MORE CLASSIC STYLE.

Lordship Lane Carpets Ltd East Dulwich 131 Lordship Lane SE22 8HU 0208 693 8728

Blackheath

lordship flooring Co. Brigade Street (next to Côte restaurant)

SE3 0TW 0208 852 8109

carpets wood amtico rubber concrete cork sisal marmoleum woven runners customised runners vinyl and woven vinyl bespoke rugs

free estimates

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blackheath flooring studios ltd

local family run business 133 lee road blackheath SE3 9DS

classic & contemporary flooring carpets, rugs, sisal, coir, seagrass, wood solid & engineered boards, laminate, rubber, amtico, moduleo, vinyl. for a free estimate call today 0208 297 9600 blackheathinteriors.com blackheathinteriors@gmail.com

for all of your home, whatever you need we are here to help with our expert knowledge & experience.

THE SERVICES WE OFFER ARE VARIED AND INCLUDE:

Graham Davies One man exhibition

EMILE AZAN

• Full project co-ordination including management of trades and suppliers

29th Sept - 13th Oct

• From a simple design consultancy, individual rooms to a full renovation and remodelling • Individual aspects from storage solutions, lighting, design, colour and furnishing advice

137 Lee Road Blackheath SE3 9DS 0203 302 7376 www.studio61london.com

www.chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk

Contact Emile for a free consultation 020 8473 1363 | 07956 020 273 T 020 8473 1363 M 07956 020 273 E emile@chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk emile@chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk

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BATHROOMS AND KITCHENS DESIGNED, SUPPLIED, INSTALLED

Ce ar leb s o ra f b tin us g in es s!

ye

Computer Aided Design Supply Only or Installation Service Available 42 Whitehorse Hill Chislehurst BR7 6DL

020 8467 3100 www.aqueousdesign.net 16 l www.meridian-magazine.co.uk

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Quality every step of the way

A J Rogers & Sons 41 College Road Bromley BR1 3PU 0208 460 5734 www.ajrogersandsons.co.uk

Est 1966 facebook.com/ AJRogersAndSons @AJRogersandSons

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R.B. INTERIORS Kitchens Bathrooms Bedrooms Established 2004

From supplying a door to a complete installation including ďŹ&#x201A;ooring, plumbing, plastering & all electrical work FREE no-obligation planning & design service Visit our showroom at: 3 Church Road, Farnborough, Kent BR6 7DB Open Tuesday & Friday 9.30am to 3pm; Saturday 9.30am to 1pm. All other times by appointment

01689 862 417 sales@rbinteriors.co.uk www.rbinteriors.co.uk

The Dovetail Joint Ltd

Bespoke Kitchens Bedrooms Studies

Wood

Steel

Paint

Corian

Glass

Granite

Tel 020 8291 5578 Unit 15, Forest Hill Business Centre, Clyde Vale, Forest Hill, London SE23 3JF www.thedovetailjoint.co.uk

info@thedovetailjoint.co.uk

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Interiors

The future is handleless...

Says Tony Witcombe of Rooms

R

To view Rooms vast range of handleless doors visit their showroom, 49 Mottingham Road, London SE9 4QZ. Tel: 020 8857 5699.

The extremely popular and ultra-contemporary Lucente door is being taken to another level as we present it in a range of chic hand painted colours. This statement handleless door offers an air of simplicity, creating the perfect kitchen in any home.

Rooms are offering special introductory prices on this new range during September and October.

Bosch Food Processor Mum46A1GB Thanks to a variety of accessories, the Bosch MUM46A1GB proves itself to be more than just a food mixer! With a durable and attractive anthracite

ooms Kitchens in South East London has a reputation for being ahead of the field in design and new technology. The company have now just introduced their handleless kitchen in satin colours to boost their already very popular gloss ranges.

‘We now consider we have the largest selection of handleless kitchens’ says Marketing Director, Tony Witcombe recently. He added, ‘That handleless and flat slab doors account for over 60% of their current turnover and this trend is increasing all the time.’

and silver finish, this mixer houses a powerful 550W motor. The continuous shredder offers 3 stainless steel discs: a reversible slicing disc, a reversible shredding disc and a grating disc.

Other accessories include: • Dough hook, beater and whisking attachment • Liquidiser • Citrus press • Accessory holder.

The stainless steel bowl has a generous 3.9L capacity, while 4 speed settings offer you choice when preparing culinary delights. The multifunctional arm provides extra flexibility and has special gearing as well as 3 drive positions.

For a chance to win this fantastic Bosch Food Processor worth over £150.

Obtain your competition entry form by visiting roomskitchens.co.uk or email info@roomskitchens.co.uk.

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Autumn is creeping in at...

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am - 6pm Sun 11pm - 4pm Tel: 020 8852 9774 OSKA, 20 Montpelier Vale, Blackheath, SE3 0TA

www.oska-blackheath.co.uk

blackheath

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Fashion

Changing seasons When ‘real’ clothes, as opposed to catwalk statements, hit the high street.

OSKA: WWW.OSKA-BLACKHEATH.CO.UK

Autumn is creeping in at Oska Blackheath. . . .

Oska’s Autumn-Winter 2013 collection has a soft character which is illustrated through its colours which are colour graded up to a light pastel: berry, shades of raspberry, smoky blue, lush nuances of green, and a warm shade of honey. The neutrals are sophisticated shades of taupe, complemented by melange flannels; the combination of black and winter white is rich in contrast. To complement our Oska collection we also carry Annette Gortz, Crea concept, Rundholz black label, Mycrapac coats and Mashiah arrive.

Oska have offered one lucky reader the opportunity to win vouchers to the value of £100 to spend in store. Simply send your name, address and daytime telephone number to Meridian magazine (OSKA), 8 The Village, Charlton, SE7 8UD. Or email your details to competition@meridianmagazine.co.uk by 30 September.

Terms and conditions apply.

LONDON FASHION WEEK: FELDER FELDER AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

DEVERNOIS: WWW.DEVERNOIS.FR

T

he colours and colour pairings for A/W13 have been unveiled and it’s a combination of burnt/autumnal colours, specifically pinks, oranges and reds which work well with charcoal, navy and black. In keeping with the overwhelmingly minimalistic and grown-up looks displayed on the catwalk, bright clashing colours have been eschewed to make way for subtler pairings with a hint of fun.

Layering is key for this season, particularly structured belts and jewellery worn over silks and flowing trousers. The look is obtainable by contrasting man-made structured shapes with natural, fluid materials and it’s simple to recreate from the high street. Go for silk tops and trousers, with wool jumpers (mixing textures is a must), worn with latticework metal belts and accessories.

Oversized shapes are huge, from cocoon coats, to wide leg voluminous trousers and billowing skirts.

Shoulders are dropped and lines are curved, mix your oversized shapes with slim line tailoring to avoid looking shapeless.

Waists were being accentuated by all kinds of different types of belts, corsets and textiles. It was also seen in the very construction of coats, jackets, dresses and jumpers - all tailored to emphasise the shape of the body by focusing on the smallest part: the waist.

If you buy anything for autumn, make sure it’s a lady-like dusky pink coat, like the ones shown by Jil Sander and Topshop Unique on the catwalk. Dusky pink is the perfect foil to all the slate grey and inky black/navy set to hit the streets for the seasons ahead. In the slightly more affordable category, John Rocha has designed a beautiful pink coat for the Designers at Debenhams range.

Both London Fashion Week and London Collections: Men, were all about unisex clothing so feel free to pillage your boyfriend’s/husband’s wardrobe as required!

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BLACKHEATH BOOTCAMPS

Lose Inches, Increase Fitness and Improve Your Body Shape in 4 Weeks Mon, Weds & Thurs @ 6, 7 or 9.30am 12 x 45 min sessions £150 new / £120 returning Bootcampers Mon & Weds @ 7.30pm 8 x 45 min sessions £100 new / £80 returning Bootcampers START DATES: SEPTEMBER 2ND SEPTEMBER 30TH OCTOBER 28TH NOVEMBER 25TH

Taster/top-up sessions once a month

0788 422 1343 www.natashag reenpersonaltraining.com info@natashagreenpersonaltraining.com

Day Spa Blackheath Nails | Shellac | Tanning | Dermalogica Microdermabration | Massage | Laser Eyelash extensions | Waxing | Tinting OPEN: Mon - Fri 10am - 8pm Sat 10ap - 6pm, Sun 11am - 3pm

Visit our @DaySpase3

for special offers Day Spa Blackheath

020 8297 2799 | 147 Lee Road, Blackheath, London, SE3 9DJ

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Health & Beauty

Ask the Expert Autumn health & beauty tips and advice Stop the rot!

Benecos – Natural beauty

We still have a population who don’t drink water when they’re thirsty Children in England generally have good oral health and around 70 per cent are completely free of tooth decay. However we know that decay rates are higher in deprived areas and that’s why we are focusing on a more preventative approach to dental care. (Prevention is better than cure). As a parent it is your job to make sure your children attend the dentist regularly.

Dentists working in some communities are working with fundamental problems such as children not being taken to see a dentist, not being provided with toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste and being fed irregular diets heavy with sugary and acidic food and drink and as a result some children are ending up with multiple fillings or even extractions before they are even 10 years old.

A range of factors including diet and a failure to brush properly causes tooth decay in children. However, one of the major issues is the popularity of fizzy drinks and sugary, acidic fruit juices, and that wonderful saying “if you’re good I will get you some sweets”. Try not to give sweets or sweet drinks as rewards.

The name Benecos stands for good cosmetics in Latin and their natural beauty portfolio incorporates high quality, reasonable priced natural make-up, natural nail polish and natural skincare products.

Make-up trends this autumn will take on a dark, sultry but ultimately wearable theme. Coppery orange shades are a key on-trend and versatile look for this season. Benecos Natural Baked Eyeshadow in Mokka, £6.95 (right) will recreate the looks seen on the catwalks by the likes of Givenchy and J. Mendel.

Rejuvadetox Based on holistic dietetics, the Rejuvadetox weight loss technique is designed to allow the body to heal itself through assisting absorption, re balancing and internal healing. Unlike other slimming programmes, it is the internal congestion within our bodies that Rejuvadetox focuses on. With each year that passes this toxic waste makes our bodies so much more inefficient and sluggish and weight loss so much more difficult to achieve.

DESIGN SERVICES

Case Study, Sarah Skinner “I have battled with my weight since my early 20s but 14 years ago when I became pregnant with my son I put on four stone. I went from a size 12 to a 20 and never really lost the weight. I suffered from depression due to my weight and had tried Weight Watchers and Slimming World but always put it back on.

Seven years ago I wanted to have another baby but was having difficulties. I was advised to give up smoking, which I did, but the weight piled on again. I had a gorgeous little girl but continued with depression. It was a vicious cycle of wanting to loose weight but I was comfort eating as I love chocolate!

In January of this year a miracle happened, I met Vanessa of Health’s Angels. She really listened and talked to me and for the first time I understood what I was doing to myself.

HERE ARE SIX TIPS FOR LOOKING AFTER YOUR CHILDREN’S TEETH! • Parents should brush their children’s teeth twice a day; children are not able to brush on their own, until they have the manual dexterity to write their name, or at age seven.

• Children should start going to the dentist as early as possible.

• Ensure your dentist applies fluoride Varnish • Children should only be given fizzy drinks and juice as a treat at the weekends.

• Stick to milk and water during the week.

• Restrict sweets to mealtimes only.

Helping your children eat a balanced diet will reduce the risk of tooth decay in later life.

Smile Impressions, 54 Micheldever Road, London SE12 8LU, Tel: 020 8852 4055, info@ smileimpressions.com

I started Rejuvadetox, I was sceptical as it was a lot of money to me but I loathed myself and I was so low I had to do something. Also I am the sort of person who wants things to happen yesterday. In just four weeks I had lost a stone and really saw a difference. This has really spurred me on as it was not just the weight loss; it was the support I got too, and also the realisation that this was a journey not a quick fix. At this point my eating habits changed, and so did my life. I gave up smoking again and have joined a gym. I’ve lost a total of two stone and I’m down to a size 14 and feel great; I have increased confidence and I’m feeling sexy again. My goal is to get into a size 12 and now I know I can do it.

Prices: £25 per 40 minute session, Book 5 treatments and get one FREE Health’s Angels, 23 Bourne Road, Bexley Village, DA5 1LW, 01322 555600.

Red lips and semi-stain pinks will also be bang on-trend this autumn, just in time to create a sexy ‘vamp’ look for Halloween. The catwalk models at Emporio Armani and Oscar de la Renta have been sporting red hues of lipstick, whilst semi-stained pink lips were popular at Christian Dior and Miu Miu. Benecos Natural Lipstick in Marry Me, £6.95 (right) – a bright cherry inspired red for a super sexy look. Benecos lipsticks are formulated with organic jojoba to moisturise and protect. Available to buy from www.benecos.co.uk and independent health and beauty stores nationwide.

Day Spa Blackheath Laser hair removal has been around since the 90s when it was discovered that patients undergoing laser treatment for tattoos, port wine stains and pigmented lesions had stunted or no hair growth in treated areas. The popular Polaris Yag Laser uses a pulsating beam of light, which passes through the skin and damages the hair follicle, blocking the growth of hair. Laser hair removal is extremely effective and people can usually expect lengthy hair-free periods. (please see ad on page 24) To win six sessions of laser treatment on two small areas or one medium sized area Simply send your name, address and daytime telephone number to Meridian magazine (Day Spa), 8 The Village, Charlton, SE7 8UD. Or email your details to competition@meridianmagazine.co.uk by 30 September.

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Health

Twelve months after the sporting achievements of Team GB, it seems many who have been inspired to take up a sport have ended up with a sports injury.

The injuries have been blamed on poor preparation or an understanding of health and fitness levels.

A recent survey* conducted by BMI The Blackheath Hospital’s Minor Injury Service has revealed that, one in five orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists say they have seen an increase in sports injuries following last year’s summer of sport.

Of the sports injuries treated since then, running proved to be the most common with 55% of those surveyed saying they have treated a patient for a running related injury. The survey highlighted the importance of seeking expert advice before taking up a sport and being at a reasonable fitness level before you begin is also recommended.

Carole Sibley, Clinical Manager at BMI The Blackheath Hospital’s Minor Injury Service commented: “Over the last 12 months we have been incredibly inspired by British sporting heroes and so it is no surprise that people want to take up sport.

“However for beginners, those who haven’t exercised for some time or those trying something new they need to be careful and more self-aware.

Whilst we encourage people to stay fit and healthy, it is crucial when starting out to take necessary precautions which includes taking the advice of experts – either their doctor or from those who work in the sport they intend to perform.”

The Minor Injuries Service at BMI The Blackheath Hospital offers rapid access to cost-effective diagnosis and treatment for minor accidents, injuries and ailments on a walk-in basis, with no appointment necessary. Located next to Blackheath Station, the unit offers a calm and relaxed environment where you will be seen by experienced nurses and qualified doctors usually within 15 minutes of arriving.

BMI The Blackheath Hospital, Open Monday to Friday 7am – 8pm and Saturday & Sunday 8am – 5pm. For further information please call 020 8297 4519 or visit bmihealthcare.co.uk/blackheath/mis *Survey of consultant orthopaedic surgeons, physiotherapists or sports physicians conducted by BMI Healthcare in April - June 2013 (herstmonceux)

THE BLACKHEATH HOSPITAL

BMI The Blackheath Hospital.

Increase in sports injuries

The Barkantine The Walk in Centre is an open access service for patients needing urgent access to primary care and who cannot access their normal GP services.

The service is for unregistered patients, patients working away from their own local GP (commuters) and for people visiting the area from other parts of the UK and abroad. The WIC is open from 8am – 8pm, 7 days a week including all Bank Holidays and in most cases patients will be seen in under an hour.

Barkantine Practice |121 Westferry Road | London E14 8JH Tel: 020 7791 8080 Ext: 8236 | Fax: 020 791 8080 | www.barkantine.nhs.uk

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MERIDIAN E D U C AT I O N S U P P L E M E N T

Our guide to the best in education www.meridian-magazine.co.uk locally l 23 <p28-49_Education Supplement_September 2013.indd 29

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Education

Educating post 16 Another record-breaking year!

Geology, History and Modern Foreign Languages Travel, Tourism and Hospitality.

Choosing what and where to study post 16 is a big decision. Come and visit the campus to experience first-hand our friendly and welcoming school: where all students are encouraged to aspire and work for the highest possible achievement; where all students have equal access and everyone is treated with fairness and respect.

Shooters Hill Post 16 Campus, Red Lion Lane, London SE18 4LD, 020 8319 9427, www.shootershill.ac.uk

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hooters Hill is celebrating its record-breaking set of 2012 -2013 exam results for ‘A Levels & BTEC: the best in our 12 year history.

• 99.4% pass rate at A2.

• 9% increase in *A-C at A2.

• 5% increase in *A-C at AS. • Average point score of 644 for A Levels.

• 10% increase in our BTEC point score to 633.

• 30% *A-B at A2 205 year 2, Level 3 learners graduating this summer.

• Record numbers going on to University.

Mark Vincent, Head Teacher statement: “Another record-breaking year for the Shooters Hill Campus! The best in our school’s history! Over two hundred of our level 3 students have successfully passed their qualifications and will now be going into work or to University. I am so proud of the talent and hard work shown by our students and staff. It’s a really positive day for our local community.”

Details of courses that we still have availability on are as follows: Music A level, BTEC Level 3 Health and Social care, BTEC Level 2 Science, BTEC Level 2 Health and Social Care, Geography,

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Education

You can achieve anything you want Creating opportunities

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an you? Well, perhaps not; after all, the ability to win the high jump is increased if you have the right body morphology, excellent surgeons tend to have brilliant brains and manual dexterity, and the best teachers have an incredible love of their subject and a determination to inspire those around them to share that passion. So, the foundations to the excellence that has to be there are talent, but the greater proportion of the output must be the result of commitment, had work and dedication. It must also be the result of being in an environment which offers choices, encourages experimentation and excellence and allows pupils to do what is right for them, not the timetable or the teachers, but what is right for each individual pupil at their stage on the learning journey.

Many schools create opportunities for pupils to try new things; they may have fabulous teachers to inspire the pupils’ learning, great resources to support the pupils’ progress and, hopefully, the environment and values that create an ethos of courage and ‘having a go’. In such an environment pupils will have a wide diet of co-curricular activities alongside their academic work. These activities will bring transferable skills into the classroom and the pupils’ progress will be rapid, on all fronts. In such an environment, every pupil can choose their own route, every subject has equal status and every pupil’s individual dreams are encouraged. This allows the pupils to be free in their choices and strong in their decision making.

In my school two very bright girls (each with 4 A* grades at A level) took a brave decision last autumn; they turned down excellent University offers in Mathematics (at Durham) and Chemistry (at Oxford) to follow their hearts and to study Music. In an excellent school the choice to study Music (or indeed any subject) is embraced and supported; the pupil making that choice is made to feel that all subjects are as important as each other, regardless of the perception by observers, if they are the right subject for the individual to choose.

We advise pupils – do what you love and what you are good at. They are usually the same thing, and they lead our leavers, along with a big dose of hard work and inspiration, to the most amazing futures; to where they can achieve anything that they set their mind on.

Louise Simpson, Head, Bromley High School Open Events: Saturday 28th September 2013, 9.30am-1.00pm; Sixth Form Open Evening Monday 7th October 2013 from 6.45pm. Please contact the school via our website: www.bromleyhigh.gdst.net or our admissions office on admissions@bro.gdst.net or Tel 020 8781 7000 to arrange a visit.

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Education

An Education for life... ...in a changing world

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owadays the range of choice for young people at 16 can seem bewildering. This article can only give you an impression of all that the Sixth Form at Bethany has to offer. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss your needs and aspirations and the ways in which we can work together to meet them and help you prepare for your future. Francie Healy, Headmaster

Choice is important, and at Bethany we have a wide selection of courses available to choose from. Pupils, to a great extent, have the freedom to select any subject from the options available and full guidance on option blocks is issued in March each year. The Head of Sixth Form takes an active interest in each pupilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress and is on hand to offer tailored support and guidance.

At Bethany we view the Sixth Form as a gateway to university life and the workplace beyond. In addition to the challenges of A and AS Level courses, as well as competing for all important university places, our Sixth-Formers are continuing their journey towards leading independent and fulfilling lives.

At the heart of Sixth Form life lies The Orchard, a purpose built house that becomes the home of our boarders in their final year at Bethany. The house has a wealth of facilities to offer, including individual en-suite study bedrooms for boarders, study rooms for all Year 13 day pupils, state-of-the-art cooking and

laundering areas, as well as a large common room, conservatory and garden area. It is truly a social hub and regularly hosts events and functions.

Support and guidance is provided by an individual Tutor and full written progress reports are sent to parents five times each year. The Tutors, along with our Head of Careers, are also on hand to guide pupils through university entrance procedures to ensure best results.

Our Sixth Formers complete their time at Bethany having been on a remarkable journey, and leave our gates for the final time as confident, self-assured, well-rounded young men and women, ready to embrace the challenges that lie ahead. www.bethanyschool.org.uk, 01580 211273

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Education

Ever-changing world Preparing students for success

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e are living in times of exponential growth and schools have the challenge of trying to educate young people for jobs that don’t yet exist and to solve problems not yet identified with technology not yet invented. A* grades, on their own, are not sufficient to prepare them for working in a globalised economy with economic turbulence, and an exponential rate of change. At Blackheath High School, we are very conscious of this and do our best to ensure that our girls have all the opportunities

and encouragement needed to develop the qualities, skills and competencies that they will need to be successful and happy in the future.

We believe that our holistic approach to education, which delivers a broad, all-round education, leaves students with not only excellent GCSE and A level grades but also with skills and personal qualities, such as confidence, enterprise, adaptability, resilience and courage, all of which will help them to make a success of their adult lives.

Adaptability will be important because the school children of today are likely to change jobs, and possibly careers, several times during their working lives. Interestingly, the top 10 in demand jobs today didn’t even exist in 2004. They will also be competing in a global workplace and need to bear in mind that there are more Gifted and Talented students in China than the whole population of the UK. It is essential to instil qualities of resilience and enterprise in our young people and even our youngest pupils have a mantra ‘be brave and strong, when little things go

wrong’ and, throughout their school life, our girls are taught to think outside of the box, try new things and face challenges that push them out of their comfort zone; with much support and encouragement.

The rapid pace of change is fuelled by developing technology and it is also important for schools to ensure that their pupils have the necessary ICT skills to help them prepare for success in the global workforce of the future.

Lisa Laws, Headteacher www.blackheathhighschool.gdst.net Admissions: 020 8853 2929 f.nichols@bla.gdst.net

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Education

High achievers celebrate “Our girls have once again achieved great results and we are very proud of them. They have had the determination to succeed and will surely continue to further success in their chosen career paths.”

Kathryn Pullen, Headteacher.

A Level success For the second consecutive year Sydenham High School GDST has seen an increase in the number of students gaining top grades at A Level, along with its consistent 100 per cent pass rate. This is bucking the trend nationally.

Seventy-eight per cent of Sydenham High girls achieved A*/B grades, versus 72 per cent in 2012, with over a third securing A*/A in their subjects.

There was also celebration for confirmed university places for the girls taking courses ranging from medicine, physiotherapy and environmental science to law, history, politics and psychology as well as a clutch of places on prestigious art foundation courses. In addition to their A Levels, a high proportion of Sydenham High’s final year

students take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and over half those taking this challenging course achieved A*/A grades. The school is a centre of excellence within the Girls’ Day School Trust for teaching the EPQ, which allows students to pursue independent areas of study supervised in a similar way to a university dissertation or thesis.

The AS results also bode well for next year’s A Level candidates; over half secured at least 2 A grades.

A* high flyers lead GCSE Heavy showers failed to dampen proceedings as Sydenham High School GDST celebrated more of its high flying students – this time for their GCSE results.

Despite tougher marking being implemented nationally, the school achieved some remarkable

all-round performances with an increase in both passes per pupil and points per candidate.

Sixty-seven per cent of students gained A*-A grades and 26 per cent achieved specifically A*s, with four girls - Elinor Blair, Emma Christensen, Alex TerrieuxTaylor and Christina Wimpory – all achieving the magic number of ten A* grades.

The top performing subject areas this year were: Maths, Statistics, Science, History, Latin, ICT, Drama and DT. The school caters for girls from a wide range of social and educational backgrounds so the fact that the percentage of A*-B grades increased to 93% and the mean number of A-C grades also increased was further testimony to the school’s success in helping to bring out the very best in every student. www.sydenhamhighschool.gdst.net

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Education

History travels Shaping the next generation of historians

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PICTURED ABOVE ARE JULIE CUMMINGS WHO GOT 100% ON TWO OF HER PAPERS AND 97% OVERALL AND MOLLIE SKEVINGTON WHO GOT 100% ON HER RUSSIA PAPER.

olfe’s History Department, one of the school’s most popular academic subjects, is celebrating, having achieved some of the best results in the country. 88% of students received an A or better and 71% the top grade of A*. It was part of a successful set of results which saw over three quarters of Year 13s gaining A* to B grades and around 70% of the students getting into their first choice university. Over half the class in History scored 100% in their examination on Russia, a paper widely thought by teachers in the prestigious Russell Group to be one of the hardest sat by school-aged pupils anywhere in the world. Every student secured at least a B. Mark Dawe, chief executive of exam board OCR praised both staff and students. "This tremendous achievement is a tribute not only to some brilliant teaching but also to the tenacity of these young adults. It is a pleasure to be associated with schools like Colfe's."

18 year old Bea Waller, from Greenwich, topped the class with a remarkable 388 UMS points from a possible 400. She said, “We were encouraged to do independent research and extra reading and that certainly improved my knowledge.” Outgoing Head of History Andrew Foster, said, “I’m so happy for the students because they have learned that success is not pre-determined. Through hard work they have become formidable historians capable of independent research and performing under pressure. We are planning to keep this group together in some form in order to support their progress, albeit remotely, through university. As well, our Year 12 students are already talking about how they intend to emulate these achievements in 2014.

“We have had fantastic results in History over the last few years due to the hard work of both the students and the staff, but this really is something special. The new head of department John Patterson is one of the best teachers of A-Level Russian history in the country and I think that this has proved it.”

Headmaster of Colfe’s Richard Russell said, “Students throughout the 6th Form have much to celebrate. The results are a four year high for the school and I am really proud of the achievements of the Year 13 students and it is particularly satisfying that so many of them have got into their first choice universities.”

Horn Park Lane, SE12 8AW, 020 8852 2283, www.colfes.com

COLFES HISTORY STUDENTS TRAVELLED TO RUSSIA IN FEBRUARY

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THE EDUCATION CENTRE • Pre-test for selective entrance examinations • 11 plus preparation • GCSE • AS/A Level

enquiries@theedcentre.co.uk 0208 318 2106 www.theedcentre.co.uk

OPEN DAYS Saturday 21 September Wednesday 25 September Wednesday 2 October Wednesday 9 October Wednesday 16 October 9am - 12pm Contact us today to confirm which date you would like to attend.

Another year of outstanding GCSE results:

90% 5+ A*- C grades

with 72% including English and Maths 50% A*-B grades Eltham Hill, Eltham, London, SE9 5EE | 020 8859 2843 | www.elthamhill.com | info@elthamhill.greenwich.sch.uk 38 l www.meridian-magazine.co.uk

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Education

A day in a life of: A training teacher

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f our trainees who finished in July 2013, 100% have secured their first teaching post, with the majority of them within schools from Bromley Schools’ Collegiate. A year on a teacher training course with Bromley Schools’ Collegiate, sees you placed into two different schools, learning on the job with encouragement from experienced teachers, and supported with specific training sessions from experienced teachers and educational professionals who will train you to support the needs of all learners in your classroom.

First Placement - For the first few weeks of training in your first placement you will observe qualified teachers in the classroom and developing your understanding of the craft of teaching. This understanding of teaching

will develop into how students learn over those first few weeks, and will be the focus of weekly mentoring sessions with the outstanding teacher who will be mentoring you.

As your confidence improves, you will then be planning and delivering short starters and plenary tasks to the classes you are assigned to, under the supervision of your mentor. These enable you to develop your skills further, ready to take whole class teaching within the first two months of your course.

During the last weeks of your first placement, which ends at Christmas, you will be teaching 4-6 hours of whole class teaching per week. The rest of your time will be spent observing a range of other teachers, planning lessons and undertaking reading and research for the PGCE which runs parallel to your teacher training course.

Second Placement During your second placement (starting in January in a different school) you will be continuing to plan sequences of lessons and widening your experience of teaching different age groups and abilities, but with an increasing number of lessons each week. It is over the coming months that you will be finishing your PGCE assignments and submitting evidence to the

online E-portfolio, demonstrating that you have met the standard required to qualify as a teacher.

In May and June you will prepare for your final assessment observations and complete the E-portfolio for review. The final assessment is carried out by a senior mentor from one of the Collegiate schools in conjunction with your school mentor. This whole day final assessment checks the competence of the trainee against the national standards for teachers.

Support Throughout your training year, your progress will be monitored closely and additional appropriate support offered, if needed. Additional professional and personal support is put in place to any trainee at risk of failing their course, to ensure every opportunity has been given to for them to reach the required standard.

Then, at the end of the course in July, you will be become a newly qualified teacher (NQT), where you then enter a year of further support from your employing school to ensuring your further development into an outstanding teacher.

By Derek Boyle Bromley School's Collegiate: www.bscteach.co.uk

100% success rate in trainees securing a teaching post for September 2013

Outstanding Teacher Training Provider “I think this school-based training provided is excellent and I would recommend BSC to others” Trainee July 2013

• Infant, Primary, Secondary teacher training • Our School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) was awarded “Outstanding” status by Ofsted, recognising the highest quality in teaching training provision.

We are now recruiting trainees in all phases starting September 2014 If you are interested please contact us 020 8300 6566 | administrator@gradteach.co.uk | www.bscteach.co.uk

Bromley Schools’ Collegiate c/o Beaverwood School for Girls, Beaverwood Road. Chislehurst BR7 6HE

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If you live in or near the south east of London and would like to know more about Apprenticeships at Shears Academy, call Carole now on 020 8461 3504 or email her at: carole@shearsacademy.co.uk. Shears Academy www.shearsacademy.co.uk

Guide to Apprenticeships You can earn while you learn!

If you are just starting out in your hairdressing career and are looking for Apprenticeships in Customer Service and Hairdressing, Shears Academy have the right apprenticeship tailored to suit you.

Apprenticeships are free for 16 – 18 year olds!

There are also limited places for 19 – 24 year olds, although a contribution from applicants will be required. To qualify for eligibility for funding, you have to be employed (at least 16 hours per week), leading to at least 30 hours per week. As an employee,

you will receive your normal salary, the National Minimum wage (NMW) for Apprentices is £2.65 per hour, going up to £2.68 per hour in October, but you may be paid more than this if you are committed, hardworking and have good customer service skills.

The Shears education team are experts in Hairdressing training; with their heritage of over 45 years in a salon environment offering excellent hairdressing skills and top-class client care; they will teach, motivate and inspire you to reach your full potential. Just bring your passion for hairdressing and client care and the Shears education team will do the rest. They deliver specialist one-to-one training in English and Maths Functional Skills, and will also teach you your employment rights and responsibilities and much more .

SHEARS ACADEMY

W

hen it comes to leaving school, most people think they have to go in to further education or give up training and go straight into work – both options come with their own pros and cons, but if you’re tempted by both, you might be interested in an Apprenticeship.

Are you 16 - 18 and interested in a career in hairdressing or barbering and wish to earn while you learn?

Octob

We have salons waiting to employ you!

intake er enrol ling

NOW

!

Stylist: Chris De Faria, Shears Achiever nhf Photo shoot, January 2013, London

Experience not necessary but commitment essential CALL CAROLE NOW ON

020 8461 3504

Apprenticeships are a brilliant way to learn, directly from the people that know best - hairdressers

Private bespoke courses are also available tailored to your success, simply call Dawn to book an appointment 40 l www.meridian-magazine.co.uk

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Education

Touring the world with purpose Awareness development

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upils at Eltham College are fortunate to have a team of dedicated teaching staff who are prepared to organise interesting trips across the globe, so that no matter what area of interest a child has, there is an opportunity to go away and reach out into the world. Understanding different cultures is an important life skill and travel to foreign lands is a good way of developing a child’s awareness.

For example, over the last year Eltham College has sung on the East Coast of the USA in Washington, Philadelphia and New York, played rugby in Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Cook Islands as well as cricket in South Africa, trekked in the foothills of Mt Kinabalu Borneo, and visited a school in Tanzania.

Whilst these journeys far and wide have an element of fun and enjoyment, each trip also has important community service and charitable aspects built in to

them. The choir sang in churches and to communities in Armish settlements in the States, the sport tours raised funds for charity and taught local children cricket in Soweto and rugby in the Cook Islands. In Borneo the pupils built water towers as part of a rainwater-harvesting project for the locals, and in Tanzania they helped improve a school’s facilities and taught English to the pupils.

The school in Kisasa, Tanzania, has a special relationship to Eltham College. Over the last two years we have supported it with a member of our staff who has provided a voluntary service teaching the pupils there and assisting with the development programme.

This has been supported with several Old Elthamians spending six months at a time working alongside her, together with regular visits in the October half terms by our current students – 24 are planned to visit this year. So far they have created a library and laboratory,

providing the resources for both, and constructed a running track. They have also provided English conversation classes as well as formal debates, and organised drama and sporting activities. The school has raised funds for the provision of desks in the Primary School and to complete new classrooms. We hope that another member of staff will go out to take over this programme in the future.

Eltham College is proud of its foundations as the School for the Sons of Missionaries. The ethos of serving others permeates the school and the Houses are named after famous missionaries – Livingstone, Carey, Williams and Moffat.

Even in the twenty-first century Eltham College strives to maintain that culture where serving others comes first.

Eltham College, www.eltham-college.org.uk

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Education

ISI commendation Pupils exuding confidence Sports Scholarships - Improvements to the King’s Rochester Sports Centre, which is also open seven days a week to the public, are continuing this Autumn and will include new Technogym equipment and the first phase of a major tennis court rebuild. To mark the opening of the King’s Rochester Sports Centre last year, Principal, Jeremy Walker introduced a wide range of Sports Scholarships available to talented sporting 11, 13 and 16 year olds.

A

t the end of the last academic year the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI) rated King’s Rochester “good” or “excellent” in every area across King’s Senior, Preparatory and Pre-Preparatory Schools. The ISI compliments King’s that “from the youngest to the oldest... pupils exude confidence and happiness because of the excellent provision the school makes to promote their personal development.”

Academic Success - There were smiles all round again at King’s Rochester when A Level and GCSE envelopes were opened in August. 33% of all A Level passes were in the coveted A* and A brackets, with 10% at A*. 66% of all results were at A* to B with the Grammar Stream (top 40% of the cohort) attaining an average of 464 UCAS points (where an A* is worth 140 points). Results at King’s are even better than last year’s high standards and particularly impressive in the light of a drop in grades across the country. As a consequence, King’s pupils are heading off to some of the best universities in the country with 43% going to the Russell Group and over half to the Top 30 UK Universities (The Sunday Times League Table).

Principal, Jeremy Walker, who has just completed his first year at the helm of King’s, said, “This has been another impressive year for our A Level results. But, as a high-

achieving, broad-ability school we are just as interested in the value we add to a pupil’s results. Our recent inspection report commented that our “pupils’ academic results are achieved due to the exceptional quality of the relationship with their teachers." This has, again, been borne out by an even better set of results than last year."

And GCSE pupils at this broad-ability school achieved an impressive 43% A*/A and 70% A*-B grades in 2013, which makes this year’s results some of the best in the last five years. Mr Walker commented, “Our hardworking pupils and their teachers deserve hearty congratulations again this year. Our 2013 results have witnessed a clear increase in the numbers of A* and A grades achieved.

This is particularly pleasing in a year when the press has reported that GCSE results could be affected by changes to exams, with top grades becoming more difficult to attain. I am delighted to report that we at King’s Rochester have noticed no such trend. Well done to all concerned!”

To find out more about King’s Rochester, visit the school at the next open day on Saturday 5 October, 9.30am – 12 noon. Principal Jeremy Walker will speak at 9.45am. Further information available from the Registrar, Mrs Lynne Davies (01634 888590) admissions@kings-rochester.co.uk www.kings-rochester.co.uk

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04/09/2013 15:59

Education

Back to school!

Round-up

Welcome to YES! Now is the time to give your child a head start.

At Young Education Services we can help pupils fulfill themselves academically. Founded in 1991, YES employs a group of fully qualified and experienced teachers and graduates, dedicated to improving educational standards by offering private tuition tailored to pupils’ specific needs. We offer courses in a wide range of subjects to children aged between 4 and 16, at our centre in Greenwich.

To book or find out more please call 0208 858 9180 or see our website www.youngeducationservices.co.uk, where you can also view a selection of our testimonials too.

Breaside Celebrate Outstanding Examination Results Breaside Preparatory School in Bromley was honoured to welcome Ms Elizabeth Truss, Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education (below), at the end of last term. Ms Truss visited the School’s Kindergarten and Pre-Prep and was very impressed with the learning environment in which the youngest pupils are accomplishing so much.

Amazing Art Eltham Hill School hosted a special private viewing of Fine Art, Photography, Textiles and Product Design produced by Eltham Hill School students. Over 90 people attended the event including the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor Angela Cornforth who said of the event, “It was a brilliant opportunity to visit Eltham Hill School and see the great art work students have produced.”

Breaside prepares pupils from 2½ to 11 years for both Grammar and Independent Senior Schools in a caring and nurturing environment. Once again, SATs and 11+ entry results for 2013 were outstanding with pupils gaining places to Grammar Schools including St Olave's, Bexley, Chislehurst and Sidcup and Wilmington and Independent Schools including Dulwich College, Trinity and Bromley High, with many gaining academic, creative and sports scholarships.

Fast becoming the school of choice in the Bromley area.

Babington House School is an independent day school in Chislehurst for girls aged 3-16 and boys aged 3-11 years. It is an outstanding school in very way. The boys and girls receive first class education in a supportive and academic environment.

We select children on their academic ability and potential, as well as personal qualities and we achieve excellent results. Babington House benefits from small class sizes of no more than 20 pupils and a strong sense of community.

Madeleine Griffin, Eltham Hill School Principal, said, “We are extremely proud of the amazing art work our students have done for this exhibition. It is really nice to celebrate their achievements with this private viewing.”

Eltham Hill, London SE9 5EE, Tel: 020 8859 2843 www.elthamhill-greenwich.com

DESIGN SERVICES

Year 7 student gets on her bike!

The School’s latest “Outstanding” Ofsted report stated that, “Pupils are articulate and confident, their behaviour is outstanding, and they are extremely enthusiastic about their learning and about the exceptional breadth of learning opportunities in the outstanding curriculum”.

GCSE Exam Success – a reason to celebrate!

Students at Babington House School in Chislehurst saw their hard work rewarded with excellent GCSE results. The delight was evident when pupils received their results, with every pupil at Babington House achieving at least five GCSE’s at grades A* to C. 68% had A* to B grades. Samantha Leighton was one of the year’s star performers with 9 A*s including IGCSE Maths.

Breaside is committed to achieving the very best for each individual child from Kindergarten through to preparation for secondary transfer at the end of Year 6. Executive Principal, Mrs Karen Nicholson, said “We are delighted with our 2013 examination results and wish our leavers every success in the future”.

Corelli College Year 7 student, Jakaterina Sinakova (below), recently came top of the class and beat off challengers from a host of schools across London to win the Rollapaluza Sustrans School League Year 7 girls final. The challenge is an exhilarating spectacle and several classes of Year 7 & 8 students joined in the qualification rounds at Corelli College as part of a nationwide initiative to encourage students to cycle.

Jakaterina showed great determination to be crowned champion and as a reward for her winning efforts, had her photo taken with Olympic and World gold medal winning track cyclist, Steven Burke. However, if that was not enough she will also be presented with a brand new mountain bike by Sustrans.

Corelli College, Corelli Road, Blackheath SE3 8EP Tel: 020 8516 7977, www.corellicollege.org.uk

41 - 43 Orchard Road, Bromley, Kent, BR1 2PR Tel: 020 8460 0916

For further details contact Tel: 020 8467 5537 or email: alee@babingtonhouse.com

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04/09/2013 16:00

Education

A Brilliant Future For The John Roan School

T

he John Roan School was lucky enough to be one of the last schools in the country to secure funding through the previous government's BSF Programme. Building work started in earnest in July 2012, and staff and pupils will be moving back into the refurbished Maze Hill listed building in the summer of 2014, and the stunning new state-of-the-art building on the Westcombe Park site in September 2014.

Years 7, 8 and the 6th Form will be based in Maze Hill so that every Year 7 student can have a 6th Form mentor.

Years 9, 10 and 11 will be based on the Westcombe Park site. Year groups will remain at 210 students, enabling pastoral care to continue to be outstanding. The 6th Form will double in size to 350.

John Roan's superb sports facilities in Kidbrooke Park Road are ten minutes

drive away, and the school has its own outward bound centre in Braithwaite in the Lake District which every student is able to visit.

Headteacher Des Malone adds, "We are all delighted with this summer's continuing upward trend in GCSE results, along with our 'outstanding' rating for A level performance.

Furthermore, in surveys 96% of students give a high satisfaction rating with the school, as do 94% of parents, and these figures are consistent year on year. We have over 300 years of history, a track record of Oxbridge and Russell Group University entrants, and a brilliant future."

The John Roan School is a coeducational, Specialist School in Science and Mathematics. For school news, admission criteria and Open Days information, visit www. thejohnroan.greenwich.sch.uk or call 020 8516 7555.

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Education

Op Mornen ing

9th N ov 10.00 2013 -12.0 0

The Pointer School (Blackheath)

First Class Examination Results Organic Food Christian Evangelical in ethos Breakfast Club & After-School Care Large variety of outdoor and PE activities ‘The Brazilian Kickers’ teach football the Brazilian way Numerous Extra-Curricular Activities (Fencing to Horse Riding) Holiday Club (Christmas, Easter, Summer and half-term) OFSTED: OUTSTANDING IN ALL AREAS

19 Stratheden Road, Blackheath SE3 7TH 020 8293 1331 secretary@pointers-school.co.uk www.pointers-school.co.uk 46 l www.meridian-magazine.co.uk

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04/09/2013 16:02

Education

Making an informed choice Single sex education

C

hoosing a school is a huge responsibility and one that can cause significant stresses for even the most confident parents. Single sex education tends to be something we have an inbuilt preference for or against but, in an increasingly competitive world, parents would do well to check their own pre-conceptions and look at the benefits that individual schools can offer. As a Boys Only school Bickley Park experiences those benefits on a daily basis.

As individuals we all learn differently. Teacher training nowadays focusses very heavily on delivering lessons that suit all learning styles, ensuring all lessons have visual, auditory and kinaesthetic elements. However, there are gender stereotypes all around us that influence the extent to which boys and girls will take

part in activities and even their perceptions of how well they will achieve in certain areas. Allowing boys to try new things and encouraging them to take part in curriculum areas that girls would be more naturally drawn to, means our pupils are actively engaged in areas as diverse as Drama and Poetry, Charity Fundraising, Hiking, Choir and Scientific Enquiry.

Single sex education does more than challenge gender stereotypes. It allows boys to develop at their own pace, building lasting friendships and relationships with the guidance of a significant male staff who act as excellent role models within the school community, something few primary schools now offer.

Boys leave us at 13 as confident young men, ready to finish their education at their next school with a clear idea of who they are and what they want to achieve.

At Bickley Park School we also have a broad curriculum for boys to enjoy which includes a wealth of sports and activity to ensure even the most active children are fully engaged in the school day. We have an extensive after school clubs programme featuring many boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; favourites such as Warhammer Club, Karate and Golf. Life at our Prep School is hectic but rewarding and at annual Prize-Giving it is wonderful to see the Best Cricketer Award be picked up by the same boy who moments earlier enjoyed applause for his efforts in Home Economics.

If you think Bickley Park School life would be ideal for your son then please get in touch with us info@bickleyparkschool.co.uk or come along to our next Open Morning on Friday 11th October from 9.15am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12pm.

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04/09/2013 16:02

Young Education Services Give your child a head start At YES we can help pupils fulfil themselves academically

Now Booking for the new Autumn term We are now a mock exam centre for 11+ exams.

Not sure of your child’s ability?

Worried about your child’s academic progress?

Book a formal assessment with us.

TUTORS & VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED

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04/09/2013 16:04

Parenthood

Parenting news and views Working Mothers - Getting Ready to Return to Work

A

DESIGN SERVICES

lthough you are bound to be very busy during your maternity leave, it is important to allow yourself some time to prepare for your return to work. In the couple of weeks before your return to work date, give yourself some time to address any concerns you may have about being a working mother.

This is a huge change in your life, so in order to make the transition as smooth as possible, you will need to research and resolve any potential issues, such as: Childcare - A major issue for newly working mothers is the provision of responsible, affordable childcare.

If you are lucky enough to have a friend or family member that is able to look after your baby on a regular basis, be sure to value their time. If you need to locate a childminder or day nursery, check first at your local children's information service, then ask other working mums or women at your mother and baby group for recommendations. Give your baby or child some practice runs in their new childcare environment before you go back to work. Most nurseries and childminders will have a system set up for introducing new starters, but you'll need to be able to slot some time in to make sure you get the most out of this, and your little one is not too upset by the new surroundings.

Get Prepared - Understand your own particular flash points of stress and prepare yourself. If, for example, you are keen for your baby to only eat organic food you have made, batch cook and freeze in portions way ahead of your first day back to work. If you are concerned about arriving to work on time, do a trial run between home, the childminder and your workplace.

Talk to Your Employer - If you are sticking to the

agreed return date, you do not officially have to contact your employer before you go back to work, but many women feel more relaxed about it if they have at least stayed in touch through the odd email or phone call during their maternity leave. You could perhaps arrange to have a coffee one afternoon in the week before you return, or have a half-day on your first day, if possible.

Treat Yourself - If finances allow, treat yourself to a new haircut or suit (or both!) before you go back to work. If you are conscious of your baby weight, invest in some good quality light support underwear to give you a boost of confidence in your first few weeks.

Finally, as the day arrives and you have prepared the baby’s food, have a great new haircut and are going to arrive on time, make sure you have a towel or cloth over your shoulder as you say goodbye to your baby - both for dabbing possible tears and to ensure you do not arrive on your first day with baby sick on your shoulder.

It’s Party Time

Ottie & the Bea are celebrating their 3rd birthday on 14 September from 2pm onwards. With lots of treats and surprises in store plus a free Okido workshop (pre booking essential on 020 8465 5318). Dresscode: Party as there will be prizes and at 5pm cake!

Ottie and the Bea, 12 Old Dover Road, Blackheath Royal Standsard, SE3 7BT.

Offers a wide range of products for infants and parents • High-quality wooden toys and furniture • Specialists in organic and fair trade toiletries, suitable for all the family • Organic cotton clothing for children from birth up to 12 years old • A range of baby carriers • Home guard security gates for windows

52 Greenwich Church Street SE10 9BL (Near Cutty Sark) I 020 8858 6690

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04/09/2013 17:03

P

PHOTOS: HENRIK ANDERSON

lanning a wedding should be a joyful and fun experience, yet so many couples get overwhelmed with the stress of research and struggle to stick to a budget.

Wedding Planners should be an added value rather than an added cost. They are there to save you valuable time by completing extensive research.

Wedding Planners can use their extensive list of suppliers to negotiate the best deals and rates on the couples behalf which can save couples money. They are there to give you genuine and honest advice when your friends and family are “scared” to!

They will keep you informed and up to date on trends, sample sales and all things weddings. They can advise on cost effective ways to style and decorate your wedding.

A Wedding Planner will keep you on or under budget, using their years of experience and skills to advise on budget friendly solutions.

Do’s and Don’ts when planning that special day!

• Have a realistic budget and stick to it - probably the most difficult part for any bride.

• Be flexible with your date and day of week you choose to have your wedding on.

• Keep things simple, don’t get over whelmed with the smaller, finer details as these can be the things that might cause unnecessary stress closer to the Big Day! • Spend your budget wisely and on the important things, which will make it a memorable day for you and your guests.

• Be strict with your guest numbers.

• Always keep the grooms involved – they have good ideas too!

• Start a mood board it will help with inspiration and ideas.

• Most importantly enjoy every moment!

• Tan Truth & Lauren’s Way spray tan • NEW Tropical Truffle 60min spray tan • Anti-wrinkle injections (Botox) • Gelish & OPI gel colour 21-day • • • • • • • •

Manicures (from £15) OPI Manicures & pedicures 250 watt sunbeds retuned to 0.3 EU regulations Creative acrylic nails Swedish and aromatherapy-style body massage Dermalogica facials Waxing and eyelash extensions Unisex salon Free parking close-by

PK EVENTS is a unique wedding planning consultancy designed to save couples the stress and financial strain associated with planning a wedding.

Led by the couple’s needs and tastes, PK Events use their little white book of fabulous wedding professionals to shortlist suitable suppliers into an easy-to-choose package for their brides and grooms.

PK Events believes in taking the hassle out of wedding planning, leaving the couple with the enjoyment of making the exciting choices.

With the stressful aspects of wedding planning, such as negotiating contracts and working out logistics taken care of, PK Events planners have one aim in mind: to make their couples’ dream day into a reality within the budget they want to spend.

The PK Events team are passionate about weddings and understand that every wedding should be as unique as every couple. The flexible service means you can benefit with assistance in research, negotiation and contracting, budgeting and planning. The team are also here for when couples just need that little bit of advice or guidance, no question is too small and no problem too big for this dynamic team.

Being pragmatic, approachable, professional and friendly comes naturally to all at PK Events. They recognise the importance of building a relationship with each couple and will do all they can to ensure that the big day runs smoothly and is enjoyed by the happy couple and all their guests.

PK Events will help make your day as special as it can be, so contact the team today to discover how they can help you and your wedding. www.lovepkevents.com info@lovepkevents.com 07703 294 519

A Wedding Planning Consultancy who provides easy and budget-friendly choices for the busy Bride and Groom.

We take the stress out and put the fun into Wedding Planning.

For all your research, inspiration, styling, budgeting and advice needs contact PK Events.

www.lovepkevents.com | info@lovepkevents.com 07703294519

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PACKAGES AVAILABLE FROM £19.50 SEE IN SALON FOR DETAILS

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0208 858 4836 123a Charlton Road SE7 7EZ

(Opposite Blackheath Rugby Club)

15% off beauty treatments when mentioning MERIDIAN throughout September

info@blisski.com | www.blisski.com *T&C apply.

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04/09/2013 16:07

Weddings

Arrive in Style Valerie Breese suggests ideas for the ultimate wedding transportation

Weddings in The City an unmissable event

W

hen it comes to your wedding day, you want everything to be perfect. Everyone wants to arrive in style and in a way that fits with the wedding theme. There are many different ways to transport yourselves or your guests to the ceremony or reception for you to consider.

Pre-register for Weddings in the City now and receive all the latest information as well as a free gift bag on the day by emailing info@ greenwich-inc.com Wedding Fair on Thursday 26th September from 5-10pm at Tompkins Restaurant, 4 Pan Peninsula, Canary Wharf E14 9HN.

TOMPKINS

DESIGN SERVICES

Go retro with a vintage camper van - For a more laid back style of wedding car, the VW campervan is an ideal way to arrive at your ceremony. Not only can you use the camper on your big day, but you can also hire it to escape on your honeymoon. The funky camper looks great in wedding photos and gives a more relaxed vibe. Perfect for beach weddings or as an alternative to traditional cars.

Hop on your own London bus - The iconic image of the red London Routemaster bus is synonymous to English culture, and hiring one for your wedding transportation is a great way to honour the tradition of days gone by. These wonderful buses make light work of ferrying your guests from the church to the reception as well as looking great in the wedding photos.

Choose an open or closed top bus, depending on the weather and use of the vehicle. Whatever you decide on your guests are sure to be enchanted.

Feel like a celebrity in a Supercar - Petrol heads will love arriving in one of the world’s most powerful and expensive cars. As with the classic car, hiring a supercar allows the bride and groom to experience something that’s usually reserved for the rich and famous. These spectacular cars look great in wedding photos and can make you feel like a million dollars on your special day.

Say beep, beep in a little tuk tuk! - If you’ve ever been abroad (or to Covent Garden) and experienced a tuk tuk ride, you’ll know what fun they can be. Now these cute little cars are available to hire for your wedding day. Make your guests smile and arrive in one of the colourful vehicles or even hire a fleet to transport your guests to the reception venue.

Or like Daisy Bell in the song Daisy, Daisy ‘on a bicycle built for two!’ - Adding style and originality to your wedding with an unusual transport idea will make it fun for you and your guests as well as a wedding to remember…

INC. GROUP will be unveiling its City collection of three stunning venues that really will make for a wedding like no other.

To learn more about this trio of venues, come along to Tompkins Wedding Open Day where you will find all the best wedding suppliers in the Canary Wharf area gathered under one roof from photographers and florists through to entertainers and wedding planners. It will allow you a sneak peek at Tompkins restaurant and bar, itself one of the City’s most stunning wedding venues with its incredible waterside terrace, the largest in Canary Wharf. Guests at the event will be able to enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbly on arrival whilst sampling some of the venue’s great dishes.

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04/09/2013 16:08

Beautiful bespoke cakes for weddings and occasions, based in the heart of Greenwich

020 8465 5534 nazan@daisycakes.co.uk www.daisycakes.co.uk

Opening hours 9.30am - 4.30pm

ÂŁ200 off Wedding Packages!

Book by 30.09.13

(closed Wednesday & Sunday)

07988 793 929 | www.preciousredphotography.co.uk

020 8325 6930

Blairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bridal Ltd

3 Walden Parade Walden Road Chislehurst Kent BR7 5DW We are here to help you with your special day.

Vast range of beautiful Wedding gowns, Tiaras and Veils You can simply buy on-line or book an appointment to come and see us. (We are near the M25, M20, M2, Bluewater & Brands Hatch)

01474 873 046 www.blairsbridal.co.uk

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04/09/2013 16:09

DEVONPORT HOUSE • Licensed for civil ceremonies and partnerships • Capacity for 10 - 120 guests • 99 bedrooms • On site car parking • Courtyard and lawn, ideal for photographs • Special summer and winter Wedding Packages to meet your budget

Royal Borough of Greenwich

RECEIVE £250 BAR SPEND when you confirm your big day with us! *Quote DEVWED14. applicable for weddings taking place from now until 28/02/14

Devonport House, King William Walk, Greenwich, London SE10 9JW 020 8269 5420 | devonportsalesteam@deverevenues.co.uk | www.devere.co.uk

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04/09/2013 16:09

High quality hairdressing with a relaxing yet professional atmosphere within our spacious and glamorous salon.

Our stylists are waiting for you with their knowledge and experience to create a look that is tailored to you and your lifestyle.

With a large range of services and products for men, women and children, we simply wish to give you an experience to remember.

20%OFF Opening offer!

020 8852 9989 | enquiries@haywardgolding.co.uk 424 Lee High Road, London SE12 8RW

Bringing a taste of Mediterranean to Bromley From contemporary Greek to delicious Italian, Aqua Bar & Grill offers an exciting Fusion of modern Mediterranean cuisine and impressive cocktails in a relaxed and friendly environment.

LET’S DO LUNCH

COME DINE WITH US

STEAK NIGHT MONDAY NIGHTS

TRADITIONAL SUNDAY ROAST

Monday - Saturday Lunch Menu 2 Courses - £12 3 Courses - £15

50%

OFF ALL STEAKS

Monday - Thursday Set Menu 2 Courses - £15 3 Courses - £18

2 Courses - £15 3 Courses - £17

25% OFF food bill with This Voucher Valid for a la carte menu only. Expires 30.09.13

New Blackheath restaurant coming soon!

Book your table now

020 8460 2346

4-6 Market Parade, East Street, Bromley, BR1 1QN

www.aquabarandgrill.co.uk

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04/09/2013 16:09

Food & Drink

Restaurant news & reviews stone pizza oven, seafood, fish, and oven-roasted, pantossed or grilled meats. Simple food cooked perfectly.

We shared two Salumi Misti; salami di Milano, Prosciutto di Parma, and a dark, narrow, dry salami with Borettane onions pickled in balsamic vinegar and toasted focaccia.

A fine starter, and not too big.

FERRARI'S It all went swimmingly until I knocked a glass of beer over the table. We had only just sat down, but Ferrari’s own Mercedes, our waitress, took it all in her stride and whizzed away the mess, she’s a class act.

We went as a family, but didn’t manage to eat as much as Italians may; however we really enjoyed it. If you follow the full Italian meal procession of courses, Antipasti (starters), Il Primo (the first course), Il Secondo (main), Vegetale or Contorni (sides), Formaggi, La Frutta e I Dolci, with wine and coffee to ‘round things off’, you will have eaten a lot of food. The menu celebrates the best of classic Italian cooking, using exceptional quality fresh ingredients from local suppliers including London’s Borough Market. The main dishes include much-loved favourites, freshly made pastas, Napolitano-style pizzas baked in an authentic

For once, my daughter chose a fillet steak from the daily specials menu, rare and juicy with roast potatoes.

It looked big at 250g, but that didn’t last long. It kept her happy and quiet for a while. She said it was ‘the best ever’ which says a lot about the quality of the meat and the cooking. Her Mum settled for fresh pasta with a sauced, sliced chicken breast also from the specials menu. The waiter flourished grated Parmigiano Reggiano ‘from Parma,’ he said proudly sprinkling it on the pasta. Sliced through for presentation, the chicken was perfectly tender and melted with the pasta and the sauce in the mouth.

I chose lamb rump, a large cut of meat partly sliced through to show the glow of a rose finish. Set on mashed potatoes with a dark, rich gravy, stewed red and yellow pepper slices, thinly sliced grilled aubergine and courgette, it was just what I needed, perfect.

It left no space for cheese or their claim of ‘all you can eat Chocolate mousse’ shame, but we wouldn’t pass up Italian ice cream or good espresso. We were not

By Michael Breese disappointed.

Ferrari’s, 39 East Street, Bromley, 020 8464 8877

MORDENS WINE BAR is proud to be hosting Charity Coffee Morning event raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support on Friday 27 September which improves the lives of people affected by cancer, providing practical, medical, emotional, financial support and pushing for better cancer care. Mordens is welcoming friends, families and business within the local community to join them for a fun packed Coffee Morning alongside thousands of events occurring across the nation on this day.

Entertainment starts at 11am with LIVE music from guitarist and singer Tim Barton, complimentary Tea and Coffee will be served until 2pm and delectable cakes will be on sale. Top raffle prizes have been kindly donated from the local businesses so come along and win a Tapa’s meal for 2 at Tziganos and many more exciting prizes.

To make a donation or simply bake a cake for the cake sale please contact info@mordenswinebar.co.uk or donate via www.justgiving.com/MORDENS or Text: MORD99 £2, £5 OR £10 to 70070. Mordens, 7 - 9 Montpellier Vale, Blackheath, SE3 0TA 0208 852 0492, www.mordenswinebar.co.uk

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04/09/2013 16:10

Food & Drink

A brasserie with star quality As a publisher of magazines in Mayfair, Chelsea, Belgravia and Marylebone, journalist Erik Brown knows some of London’s leading chefs and has entertained in the finest restaurants in the West End. Now he finds he’s blown away by a brasserie in Blackheath.

Photos: Chapters all day dinning

I

t’s noon on one of the warmest days of the year and already a group of young women, perhaps a dozen of them, are sipping champagne and gossiping around a long table in the Blackheath restaurant Chapters.

“They’re starting early,” I whisper to manager Jo Shaw.

She smiles and says, “They’re just finishing actually.

They were here for breakfast.”

That’s just one of the things that makes Chapters special. Customers start turning up at 8am, keen to bag one of the outside tables facing what Head Chef Alex Tyndall calls “the big, green beach outside”.

The specials on the day I dropped by included Jospergrilled new season rump of lamb with pearl barley risotto and oyster mushrooms in a samphire and red wine sauce (£17.25). There was a full brasserie menu, a kids’ breakfast menu (featuring milkshakes and smoothies), a kids’ lunch and dinner menu (featuring kids’ cocktails like Guava Collins), an adult breakfast menu, an afternoon menu (from 3-6pm), a set menu promotion with a twocourse lunch for £12.95, and a special offer lunch of Josper-grilled onglet steak and trimmings and a bottle of wine for two people at just £29.95. I’ve rarely seen a restaurant trying harder to please its customers.

By that time, Alex and his team of eight chefs and two kitchen porters have already been at work for an hour.

If they’re lucky they will have finished before midnight the day before – if not, they’ll have left and started work on the same day, grabbing just a few hours sleep along the way. For the kitchen brigade of eight chefs and two kitchen porters, delivering the special Chapters experience requires enthusiasm, dedication, creativity and blisteringly hard work.

This isn’t one of those chain restaurants in which a handful of kitchen staff assemble nice-looking meals from pre-packaged ingredients on a kind of kitchen production line.

The people in Chapters’ kitchen are professional chefs, cooking to order, changing the specials daily – sometimes twice a day – and continually developing the food. Suppliers of fish, meat and veg are all local, and the menu follows the seasons.

Standards are incredibly high. Alex trained at Chapter One in Locksbottom, Farnborough, with the affable Michelin-starred chef Andy McLeish – and still works with Andy on the development and evolution of dishes, especially on the fine-dining elements that creep into the brasserie regularly.

And so my guest and I settled into our leather banquettes under the Parisienne-style globe lights and settled down to our meal.

Pan-fried scallops with celeriac and apple purée and a chorizo jam (£9.95) were as good as I’d had anywhere in the West End, and better than I’ve had at any restaurant out of the centre. Chorizo jam? Whoever thought of that should get a medal; it was amazing.

Grilled fillet of mackerel, beetroot carpaccio, pickled fennel and walnut dressing (£6.50) was delicious.

Mackerel is one of my favourite fish, but it needs to be just-out-of-the-sea fresh and cooked with care. This was perfect. My guest had a warm salad of lamb shoulder, edamame beans, watercress, mint and pine nuts as a main (£9.95), and crooned ever so slightly over the mint and lamb combination.

I had a bloke’s dish of premium USDA corn-fed rib-eye steak from Greater Omaha (£25.25) with – I’m afraid – triple-cooked chips. The steak was one of the best I’ve ever had, so different in flavour from grass-fed meat, and so tasty that I barely used the peppercorn sauce I ordered with it. The chips were huge, crisp and light.

Even so, there were some left over.

Eton mess with strawberry sorbet, meringue and cream (£7.25), and mango parfait with almond tuile and kalamansi sorbet (£6.50) followed – both quite splendid.

My guest didn’t drink wine, and I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Fault Line 2012 from Marlborough, New Zealand (£8.40) – absolutely perfect with the scallops.

And so, while it is possible to get upmarket fish and chips and sausages and mash at Chapters, you can also order Josper-grilled boneless quail with choucroute, cashew nuts, carrot and vanilla purée as a starter (£6.95), and be forgiven for imagining that you were dining at one of Mayfair’s top restaurants.

The range of food on offer is startling; it’s easy to see why eight chefs are needed in the kitchen.

julienne strips of orange peel. It was startlingly good: Michelin-quality cooking in a local brasserie.

Watching one of the waiters kiss the hands of two women on departure, we began to understand why this charming, iconic, Blackheath restaurant can pull in 400 diners on a Saturday, and between 300 and 350 on a Sunday.

There is, quite simply, nothing quite like it in the area.

And if Alex Tyndall doesn’t one day pick up a major award – even a star – then I’ll eat every one of the eight menus I left Chapters with after the meal.

Given the quality of the food in this restaurant, they’re probably quite tasty.

Chapters All Day Dining, 43-45 Montpelier Vale, Blackheath Village, London, SE3 0TJ. 020 8333 2666 | www.chaptersrestaurants.com

Just after the starter, Alex had slipped in an 'amusebouche': Josper-grilled, honey-glazed quail with a mangetout salad, carrot purée, honeyed pecans and

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This months listings

On stage

ONGOING » Art, Drama, Music, Language & Wine courses. One-to-one instrumental & vocal tuition for all age groups, plus a range of courses. The Conservatoire, Lee Road Blackheath, SE3.

Info: 020 8852 0234 or info@conservatoire.org.uk » Blackheath Decorative & Fine Arts Society.

Stimulating lectures and intriguing outings. Fourth Thursday of the month except Aug and Dec 2.30pm. www.artsinblackheath.org.uk St Mary’s Hall, Cresswell Park, Blackeath SE3. » Greenwich Decorative & Fine Arts Society.

Monthly lectures at King William Court, Room 315, University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, SE10. 8pm on 2nd Monday of the month, except April & August. Refreshments from 7.15pm. 020 8852 6248 or www.gdfas.org » Greenwich Market. Tues - Collectables & crafts.

Weds - Food market with local producers & organic produce. Thurs & Fri - Antiques, collectables, arts & crafts. Weekends & Bank Hols - Arts & Crafts & Food. 10am-5.30pm, www.shopgreenwich.co.uk 020 8269 5096. Greenwich SE10. » Guided Walk in Maryon Wilson Park. With an animal park & deer enclosure. 1.15pm & 3.30pm Animal tour every Mon Wed & Fri. Free. Maryon Wilson Park, Thorntree Road, Charlton, SE7. » Kids Knitting & Crochet Workshops.

This Summer holidays Every Fri & Sat 11am1pm. Special discount £8/2h session (quote:MERIDIAN) Book online at www.knitshop. co.uk or call 020 8144 4523, Boutique Outlet, 326 Lee High Road, Lee Green SE13 5PJ. » Learn Tarot Cards. Develop your intuition and communication skills. Private tuition and workshops with an experienced reader. Email: marieclaire@tarotgift.com | www.tarotgift.com Tel: 07791 139 380, 020 8293 1737. » Sing it out. Stress-relieving singing group for local people. All abilities catered for. First session FREE. Evening sessions Wednesday 8pm. Mother & baby sessions Thursday 1.30pm. Maze Hill area.

E:toria@singitout.co.uk or call: 07747 794 321.

A few words from Greenwich Theatre's Artistic Director, James Hadrell

I and countless of my colleagues in the theatre world were saddened last week when it was reported that Damon Intrabartolo had died suddenly at his home in Arizona, aged just 39. Although not widely known in this country, and primarily employed in the US as an orchestrator and composer for films like X-Men 2 and Superman Returns, Intrabartolo was the awardwinning composer of BARE, an electrifying musical telling the story of a group of students wrestling with identity, sexuality and religion at a co-ed Catholic boarding school.

It is often asked, by theatre audiences and critics alike, where the next great original musical is likely to come from. The West End is enjoying something of a resurgence at the moment and new shows are appearing and doing well, but it is adaptations like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The Bodyguard that dominate, not original stories. All too easily, producers turn to books or films that we know and love to deliver them a box office success when the most exciting productions could come from completely new stories.

In the case of BARE, Intrabartolo worked with writer Jon Hartmere Junior to create a new story and an original piece of theatre, strong enough to succeed without resorting to adaptation or imitation. The production premiered on 14 October 2000 in Los Angeles, and this year London audiences will get the chance to see what Intrabartolo created, when the European premiere production of BARE is remounted at Greenwich Theatre, almost 13 years to the day since it was first produced.

And that’s not the only new musical headed for Greenwich this season. With Sell A Door Theatre Company presenting Sincerely, Mr Toad (not taking the obvious path and setting The Wind In The Willows to music, but rather telling the much darker story of the writer behind those famous characters), the Flanagan Collective presenting a work in progress showing of new folk musical BEULAH and the River People unveiling the dark gyspy opera RUMCULLS AND RAGWATER, anyone interested in finding out where the next great original musical is going to be born could do a lot worse than head to Greenwich this Autumn.

EVERY MON » Rotary Club of Lewisham & Penge. Local businessmen and women giving help locally, national and internationally. We meet at 7pm for a dinner, with speakers on a variety of subjects.

Contact Peter Earll 020 8303 3361 or Alan Davis 020 8467 2032. Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley.

Bare, Greenwich Theatre from 9-27 October; for tickets, or this season's schedule, visit www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk or call the Box Office on 020 8858 7755.

2ND TUES OF EVERY MONTH » The Blackheath & Greenwich Amnesty Group. Monthly meetings. 8pm. St. Margaret's Church, Lee Terrace, Blackheath SE3.

» Blackheath Morris Men. Practice 8.45-10pm.

St Marks Church Upper Hall, Greenwich South

» Lunchtime Concert. 1pm – 2pm. Free.

Charlton House, Charlton Rd; SE7 020 8856 3951. » Tangoworkout. Classes connecting Tango with health and well being, for men and women.

7.15pm - 9.15pm. Beginners and intermediate classes. £7. West Greenwich Community Centre, 141 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8JA.

2ND SAT OF EVERY MONTH » Forest Hill Farmers’ Market. 9.30am-2pm.

Forest Hill Pools, Dartmouth Road, SE23 3HZ.

EVERY SUN » Blackheath Farmers’ Market. 10am-2pm.

Blackheath Station Car Park; Blackheath SE3.

THIRD SUN OF EVERY MONTH » Eltham Farmers’ Market. 10am-3pm. Passey Place. Off Eltham High St, Eltham SE9.

EVERY SUN & 2ND TUES » Blackheath Quakers. Meeting for worship.

10.30am-11.30pm every Sunday, and 1pm-1.30pm on 2nd Tues of each month. Visitors are welcome.

For more details, including room hire on 07908 587 695 or email quakerhall@aol.com. Quaker Meeting House, Lawn Terrace, Blackheath SE3 9LL.

UNTIL 15 SEPT » Visions of the Universe. Visual trip through our solar system with photographs of the Moon, Sun, the planets and distant galaxies. 10am-5pm. £8/£7.

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich SE10.

UNTIL 30 SEPT » Ping! London. A street ping-pong project funded by Sport England, which aims to get people playing social and competitive table tennis. Free.

Collect bats & balls from the Old Brewery Green space at the Old Royal Naval College, SE10.

UNTIL 6 OCT » Current Exhibition. Featured artists: Peter Luty (Until 22 Sept) Elaine Marshall (24 Sept-6 Oct). Tues–Sun, 10am–5.30pm. 020 8858 1569.

Greenwich Printmakers Gallery, 1A The Market, SE10 9HZ.

» Impressions of Greenwich & Blackheath.

Varied and exciting artwork from Blackheath Art Society artist in the Royal Borough. Work will be for sale. 10am-5pm. Free. Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre, King William Walk, Greenwich SE10.

UNTIL 24 NOV

GREENWICH THEATRE

EVERY THURS

EVERY FRI

UNTIL 1 NOV

EVERY WED » Keep Fit & In Shape + Line Dancing. 10am 12 noon. Donation £5 to Cancer Research UK. 020 8852 7127. Kingswood Hall, Kingswood Place, off Dacre Park, Lewisham SE13. » Woolwich Singers. A community choir. No audition required to join. The aim is to sing together and have fun! Call Wendy 07812 477 778. £2 per week, refreshments provided. 6.30pm-8pm.

The Clockhouse Community Centre, Defiance Walk, Woolwich Dockyard, Woolwich SE18 5QL.

Street SE10. Free. Contact John on 020 8461 2440. www.blackheathmorris.com » Rotary Club of Greenwich. For like-minded business people to meet & help the community.

Fred Nunn 020 8858 6410. Charlton Football Club, Floyd Rd; Charlton SE7 8BL.

» Amazon Adventure: Vicious Fishes & Other Riches. A mix of hands-on activities, colourful artwork, scientific research, and live specimens makes this exhibition a fun, interactive experience for visitors of all ages! www.horniman.ac.uk. Open daily 10.30am – 5.30pm. The Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23.

BARE - PRODUCTION

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Listings continued UNTIL 31 DEC » Globe Trotting: Ethnographic Fans. Drawing from The Fan Museum collections this exhibition offers fascinating insights into fan culture and fan production from a pan-global perspective. Tues-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 12noon-5pm. £4, £10 family. The Fan Museum, 12 Crooms Hill, Greenwich SE10 8ER.

The Story of the Heath

TUES 10 SEPT » Blackheath Townswomen’s Guild. History of Capital Punishment. Speaker John Mills. 2pm. Boys Brigade Hall, Reynolds Place, Blackheath SE3.

TUES 10 SEPT – 27 APR 14 » War Story: Supplying Frontline Afghanistan.

Brand new material recently collected in Afghanistan by the War Story team including photos, film, home videos and interviews reveals the challenges of supporting the armed forces on the frontline. 10am-6pm. 020 7416 5000. Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ.

WED 11, 18 & 25 SEPT » Tapestry Group. Enjoy sewing and would like to get involved with this project at St. Alfege. 10am1pm. Caton Room, St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ.

WED 11 – 27 SEPT » Sharing Heritage: A Photographic Celebration of Greenwich. A visual celebration of Greenwich as a World Heritage Site plus other London World Heritage sites. Steven Lawrence Gallery, Queen Anne Court, University of Greenwich, ORNC, Park Row SE10 9LS.

Last November the Blackheath Society won a £7,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop a new digital archive called The Story of the Heath and volunteers are digitising 1,500 images of the Heath from its collection of 15,000. The Society will be celebrating with a special exhibition entitled the Story of the Heath to be held in Blackheath Halls.

The exhibits, drawn from the Society’s extensive photographic archive of Blackheath, will cover themes such as prospects and views, sport and entertainment, notable buildings on the Heath and law and order. A time line, ending with the 21st century, will run round the displays on the ground floor of the Halls, bringing historical events involving the Heath to life.

Local schools are involved in the project, depicting social activities on the Heath today. Children at John Ball and St Margaret’s have carried out their own research and some of their material will be included in the exhibition.

24-29 September. Free. 020 8463 0100. Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, SE3 9RQ.

» Ramble. Crystal Palace to Dulwich Village. A 4 to 5 mile Linear walk, mostly down hill. Meet at 10.30am at Crystal Palace Station. Walk finishes in Dulwich Park. Contact R.Sullivan on 020 8850 4417 for more info. New members welcome. Goldsmiths Rambling Club. » Nunhead Cemetery Woodland Trail Tour.

One of the seven Victorian cemeteries in London with stunning architecture and views. Much of the cemetery is dominated by thick woodland with wildlife. For info see www.fonc.org.uk. 2.15pm-4pm.

Meet at Linden Grove Entrance, Nunhead. » Jazznights Ensemble: Dave Silk & Friends.

7pm. Free. www.jazznights.co.uk. Best Western Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley BR1 4JD.

MON 16 SEPT » Charlton & Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society. Members’ Autumn Flower Display & Vegetable Competitions. 7.45pm. Visitors £1 per meeting. Charlton House Community Centre, Charlton Village SE7 8RE.

TUES 17 SEPT » Busy Bees. Creative play and stories from around the world. 10.45am, 11.30am & 12.15pm.

Free session passes from the Info desk. Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, SE23 3PQ. » Greenwich Industrial History Society. Terry Scales. An illustrated talk on The Rise and Fall of the Pool of London. 7.30pm. Non-members £1. The Old Bakehouse, Bennett Park, Blackheath SE3.

WED 18 SEPT » Tea Dance. Come and spend a magical afternoon dancing in the friendly atmosphere of Blackheath Halls compered by Mr. Wonderful Dancing. 2pm-4.30pm. £5 includes light refreshments. 020 8463 0100. Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, SE3 9RQ.

THURS 12 SEPT » Lunchtime Recital. Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. 1.05pm. Free. St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ.

FRI 13 – 28 SEPT

THURS 19 SEPT

» Mythmaker. An exhibition of paintings by Vanilla Beer. 10am-5pm. Sat & Sun 10am-4pm. 020 8465 5968. The Greenwich Gallery, Peyton Place, Greenwich London SE10 8RS.

SAT 14 SEPT » Party Time: At Ottie and the Bea. Celebrate their 3rd birthday with lots of treats and surprises in store! Free Okido workshop (booking essential) Dress code ‘Party Time’ there will be prizes. 2pm onwards. 020 8465 5318 www.ottieandthebea.com.

12 Old Dover Road, Blackheath Royal Standard, SE3 7BT. » Charlton Society. Charlton Factories – their history. Speaker Mary Mills. 2.30pm. Charlton House, Charlton SE7 8RE. » Bexleyheath Mooonlight Walk (Ladies only).

Celebrate the work of the Greenwich & Bexley Hospice with a sponsored walk. £10 per person will include a very special Moonlit Walk t-shirt. For more information call 020 8319 9230 or email info@ gbch.org.uk. 10pm start. Circular route starts at Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath. » Bird Watching Walk. Meet in the farmyard for a bird watching walk around the farm. Wear sturdy footwear and suitable outdoors clothing.

Call for info 020 8319 8900 or email wildlife@ thewoodlandsfarmtrust.org. £2 adults, £1 under 18. 2pm. Woodlands Farm Trust, 331 Shooters Hill, DA16 3RP.

SUN 15 SEPT

New After School Club After 2 years of bugtastic nursery classes, holiday workshops, birthday parties and under 5s clubs, Theatrebugs Greenwich is proud to announce the launch of its first action packed, all singing, all dancing, all acting, After School Club, that will really knock your socks off! For 3.5 to 6 year olds, and a different theme each term, we squeeze lots of fun, games, drama, song and dance into a 1 hour jam packed class. They'll have a bucket load of fun while you watch their focus and vocabulary improve, their confidence bloom and their imagination soar! They will jump into our magical stories and become pirates, sharks, hedgehogs, fairies, princesses and maybe even dinosaurs, who knows what could happen! Your child gets the attention they deserve from fully trained, enhanced CRB checked teachers.

Every Friday from 13 September, (unlucky for some, but not for us!) 4pm-5pm at the Elsie Marshall Memorial Hall, Vicarage Ave, St. John’s Park , Blackheath SE3 7JT To sign up email binabrown@theatrebugs.co.uk or call 07531 804 242

» Curator’s Tours. Join curator Jessica Lewis for a tour of the Cutty Sark, where you will discover the secrets of her success and learn about the recent conservation project. 10am-5pm. £12 adults, £6.50 children. Near Greenwich Pier, Greenwich SE10. » Lunchtime Recital. Trinity Laban. 1.05pm.

Free. St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ.

THURS 19 SEPT – 16 NOV » The Menier Chocolate Factory. The European premiere of Nicky Silver’s play The Lyons. Tue-Sat 8pm, Sat & Sun matinees 3.30pm. £25 - £37.50.

Box office 020 7378 1713. The Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU.

FRI 20 SEPT » Bach to Baby: classical concert series for baby and you. With award-winning concert pianist and founder of Classics with my Baby, Miaomiao Yu. 10am – 11.30am. Adults £10. For more info visit www.bachtobaby.com. St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ. » Blackheath Quaker Meetings. Monthly talks in celebration of their 50th Anniversary. Peace and reconciliation: a personal account of conversations with Idi Amin, Revolutionary Guards, Col. Gaddafi and Hezbollah by Terry Waite. 7.30pm. Quaker Meeting House, Lawn Terrace SE3 9LL.

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FREE DRINK!

with this voucher - Valid throughout September 2013

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Listings continued » Horniman Lates: Fashion Late. As part of Forest Hill Fashion Week featuring live catwalk shows showcasing local designers. A fashion market in the conservatory, masterclasses and more. 6pm-9pm. £3 Over 18s only. Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23.

SAT 21 SEPT » Crypt Tour. Part of the Open House weekend.

11.30am. Need to book in advance 020 8853 0687. St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ. » Lunchtime Recital. River City Saxes, Valerie Fry. 1.05pm. Free. St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ. » The Chislehurst Ball. Hosted by Mark Wright, plus special celebrity guest, live music and all the fun of the fair. 7pm-2am. £75 or £95 with food. For Tickets & info 07814 755 416 or www. thechislehurstball.co.uk. Old Elthamians, Foxbury Ave, Perry Street, Chislehurst BR7 6 HA. » Boxing: Saunders Vs Ryder. British Middleweight Title showdown. Doors open 5.30pm. £43.50. www.better.org.uk. The Copper Box Arena, Loop Road, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stratford E20.

SAT 21 & 22 SEPT » Open House London. Visit buildings that are not usually open to the public. Numerous locations.

See www.londonopenhouse.org for more details. » Claire Swindale Exhibition. New edgy collection of silk scarves; photography in silk. Sat & Sun 11am-6pm. Free. The Ben Oakley Gallery, 9 Turnpin Lane, Greenwich Market, SE10 9JA.

SUN 22 SEPT » Behind the scene. Tours of the original Horniman museum building by architect Charles Harrison Townsend. (BSL interpreted) 2pm & 4pm.

Free. Book online at www.horiman.ac.uk. Open daily 10.30am – 5.30pm. The Horniman Museum, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23. » Crypt Tour. As part of the Open House (as 21/09) weekend, 2pm. Book in advance 020 8853 0687. » Post Avant-Grade Marginality. Round table discussion with mathematician and art critic Tony Mann and artist Peter Clossick. 3pm. 020 8465 5968. The Greenwich Gallery, Peyton Place, Greenwich London SE10 8RS.

MON 23 SEPT » Autumn Concert: In aid of Action Against Hunger. An evening of words and music, classical and cabaret conducted by Elinor Corp. The Centenary Company, £12 at tables of 10. 07970 866034. 8pm. Nelson Room, Trafalgar Tavern, Park Row, Greenwich SE10 9NW.

WED 25 SEPT » Tapestry Group. Enjoy sewing and would like to get involved with this project at St. Alfege. 10am1pm. Caton Room, St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ.

TUES 24 SEPT » The Lunch Market. Inspired by outdoor markets around the world, The Lunch Market offers a range of global cuisine where hungry visitors can choose from more than 30 stalls offering an array of delicious savoury and sweet treats from local producers. 11am-3pm. Wood

Through My Eyes Studio 61 was launched by photo-artist John Watts, in April 2011, and is a gallery space dedicated to showcasing an eclectic mix of local talent and selling original and limited edition artworks including paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures. This summer, Studio 61 presented Through My Eyes, an exhibition focused on works by the man behind the gallery – works that he explains are “not limited to specific genres – every subject has potential – I try to get the viewer to see the subject from a different perspective by showing them an image that is greater than that captured by the camera.” Viewers were able to see John’s contrasting and vivid images; of dancers, nudes, and city scenes capturing his lifelong home of South London. Many exhibitions are to take place at Studio 61 later this year for other local artists such as landscape painter, Graham Davies, in September.

The Cajunbarn: Sarah Savoy & the Francadians Top Cajun dance band with one foot in the honky tonk and the other in the juke joint! Louisiana-born Sarah Savoy is the eldest daughter of the legendary Marc and Ann Savoy and sister of Wilson Savoy of the Pine Leaf Boys.

Friday 13 September.

7.30pm £12. 020 8850 2893 www.cajunbarn.co.uk.

The Blackheath Newbridge Working Man’s Club, 22 Charlton Road, Blackheath SE3 7HG.

Impressions of Greenwich and Blackheath Blackheath Art Society, in partnership with the ORNC, is showing new and vibrant paintings, prints, photographs and other artwork by talented local artists in the upstairs gallery at Discover Greenwich, Cutty Sark Gardens, SE10 9NN, from 7 September to 1 November. The gallery is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Entry is free. BAS Members will join ORNC staff in Discover Greenwich encouraging visitors to take part in the Big Draw on Monday 28 October from 11 am.

Wharf, short walk from Montgomery Sq. across from the pontoon footbridge, E14.

THURS 26 SEPT » Lunchtime Recital. Trinity Laban. 1.05pm.

Free. St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ. » Blackheath Decorative and Fine Arts Society.

Perhaps you too always suspected you had hidden artistic ability. So find out more: join us and listen to what Barry Venning, Associate Lecturer for the Open University, has to say about Outsider Art in his talk: True Originals. 2.30pm following the Annual General meeting at 2pm. Visitors £5. www.artsinblackheath.org.uk. St Mary’s Church Hall, Cresswell Park, Blackheath SE3. » Music Nights. Locale restaurant and bar kicks off its autumn music programme with the Night of the Musicals. A 3-course dinner in the company of West End compere Jamie Anderson for an evening of highlights from the musicals accompanied by guests from the world of musical theatre. For details and reservations call 020 8852 0700. Locale, 1 Lawn Terrace, Blackheath SE3 9LJ.

FRI 27 SEPT » The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. Coffee, home-made cakes and raffle to be drawn by the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

10.30am-12.30pm. All proceeds to Macmillan Cancer Support. The Friends of Charlton House.

Charlton House, Charlton SE7.

SAT 28 SEPT » Ramble. A 5-mile walk along East London canals, including views of Olympic Stadium.

Meet at 10.30am at Limehouse DLR/BR Station.

Contact R.Sullivan on 020 8850 4417 for more info.

Goldsmiths Rambling Club. » Woolwich Antiquarians. Another Glimpse of the City of Rochester. Speaker Jim Marrett. 2.15pm.

Charlton House, Charlton SE7 8RE. » Diamond Anniversary of Church Restoration 1953. As part of the celebrations; 1.05pm Lunchtime recital, Gerard Cousins – guitar.

Afternoon 1950s tea party in the church hall and 7.30pm concert, Syzygy Saxophone Quartet, Dominic Childs. Everyone is welcome to the events. Visit www.st-alfege.org for more info.

St Alfege Church, Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich SE10 9BJ.

TUES 1-6 OCT » The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair. A source of unusual and eye-catching antiques, 20th century design, works of art and textiles. www. decorativefair.com for times. £10 Inc. catalogue and re-admission. Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park SW11 4NJ. » Badminton London Grand Prix. Part of the Badminton World Federations Grand Gold event series. See talent from across the globe compete to take the title. 10am-10pm. Adult £11, concs £7.70. www.better.org.uk. The Copper Box Arena, Loop Road, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stratford E20.

THURS 3 - 28 OCT » Exhibition: Oil Paintings, Pastels & Drawings of the Darenth Valley. Cristiana Angelini will be showing a selection of work inspired by the river Darent in Kent. 020 8463 0100. Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, SE3 9RQ

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Local Courses

Art and design courses Learn to paint, draw and photograph people, visit artists’ studios and much more...

A

s the trend for hobbies and learning new skills continues, one college is offering a huge range of new art and design courses in Blackheath. On 9 September The Conservatoire in Blackheath will be launching 200 courses in partnership with City Lit: London’s largest college for adults, meaning the area will enjoy a much broader art and design offer than ever before. Whether it’s to develop skills, find a new hobby, de-stress or just to shake things up, The Conservatoire offers lots of ways for locals to make more of their free time.

Students will be able to explore art history, take a life drawing class, experiment with papermaking, find out about garden design and even learn how to frame a picture – as well as enjoy more typical art and design courses, including: drawing, illustration, painting, photography and printmaking, etc.

An exceptional bonus for students will be that some of the classes, including ‘The Blackheath drawing course’, will take place in The Conservatoire’s stunning north facing Victorian studio - a light, bright and inspirational place to learn. Over the summer this

historic building was kitted out with top of the range equipment, including new print presses.

Sydney Thornbury, The Conservatoire’s Chief Executive, said, “We aim to be the cultural and creative heart of the community. The Conservatoire is a space where a diverse range of people can come together and share the transformative experience of making art. We’re now looking forward to welcoming more people to enjoy these exciting subjects.”

The Conservatoire – near Blackheath railway station - was founded in 1881 and is part of London’s oldest purpose built multi arts complex. Courses start in November but students can enrol from 9 September, by visiting www.citylit.ac.uk/blackheath City Lit offers over 4,000 short courses to over 30,000 people in Covent Garden, as well as the new courses at The Conservatoire, and The Conservatoire offers a varied schedule of high quality music, art, drama and cultural classes for adults and children.

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Classified NIGEL STRETTON-DOWNES SINCE 1972

SPECIALIST DECORATOR - CITY & GUILDS COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR - ASSESSOR Mobile: 079564668988 Telephone:020 8776 5649 Email: info@stretton-downes.co.uk Web: www.stretton-downes.co.uk 42 Cambridge Road London, SE20 7XL

To book your classified ad call 020 8319 0555

NATURE’S FEED 100% ORGANIC

HORSE MANURE COMPOST Also Rich Sieved Country Soil and Compost Mixed Instant Growth | Double Growth | Blooms Everything grows - just add water. £6 per bag (15 bags) 75 litres Compost/40 litres soil or 1/2 price loose - 2 tons - equal to £3 per bag Delivery included. No extras. London/home counties

020 7607 0689 | www.soil-compost.co.uk

R&D

Cleaning Services

✓ Domestic cleaning ✓ Business premises ✓ Office cleaning ✓ Ironing

Contact Ruth at: 0203 663 0151 0780 988 9272 ruth.onah@yahoo.co.uk

John’s Roofing Tiling • Slating • Flat roofs Guttering • Soffit fascia Friendly local guy, Competitive prices No job too small FREE estimates

01322 431 685 07957 495 365

MARRON ELECTRICAL SERVICES Free quotes 020 8185 0288 or 07961 359 328 enquiries@marronelectrical.co.uk

07702 983 627

www.marronelectrical.co.uk

Commercial / Domestic Interior & Exterior Painters and Decorators

Complete bathroom and kitchen installations FULLY QUALIFIED

020 8650 3928 / 07958 436 343 www.edendecorating.co.uk

FREE QUOTES

07940 158 572

info@expressplumbing.org

FREE QUOTES - ALL WORK GUARANTEED

All major credit cards accepted

GARDEN SERVICES FENCING - TURFING - TREE WORK HEDGE CUTTING - PATIOS CLEARING OVERGROWN GARDENS GARAGE CLEARANCE GENERAL GARDEN MAINTENANCE Fully insured - Free estimates

Call: 07796 343 722

YOUR AD HERE 50,000 copies delivered every month!

• Free design • Affordable prices

Call: 020 8319 0555

OUTSTANDING TUTOR AVAILABLE • An engaging, current and motivated teacher with over a decade of experience • Improving grades through appropriate challenge

07813856128

Simonwhite444@gmail.com

Painter & Decorator Interior & Exterior

RQH GARDENCARE Planning fo Autumn

Seasonal garden planning, preparation and maintenance: • Garden tidy up • Bulb planting • Border planning and preparation • Turfing and fencing

020 8856 7694 | 07909 661 806

TAYLOR MAINTENANCE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE Extensions l Decorating Plumbing l Electrics l Carpentry No Job Too Small!

Professional and Reliable References Available l Free Quotes

07595 675 601 | 020 3648 3868 www.taylormaintenance.co.uk info@taylormaintenance.co.uk

Vinita Mothersole B.Sc., M.Ch.S

Very clean, tidy, friendly & reliable 15 years experience Very competitive prices Rooms from £80

HCPC Registered Chiropodist/Podiatrist

Call Tim for a Free quote

184-186 Westcombe Hill, Blackheath SE3 7DH

020 8671 1425 I 07858 937 873

020 8293 5380

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Come and try our range of Yamaha, Kawai, Kingsburg, Lippmann, Steinberg and the beautifully crafted Barber pianos.

Expert workmanship and friendly service

Lilly Nails

BY SELVI

Mobile nail treatments in the comfort of your home

For more information please contact Julian Barber on 020 3645 3930 or at julian@pianolobby.co.uk

• New and replacement roofs • Slating • Re-pointing • Flat roofs • Tiling • Small repairs including clearing out gutters • New UPVC facias, soffits and gutters • All aspects of building trade undertaken

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Property

Biggest Ever Returns Orchard & Shipman has a lot to offer to Bromley Landlords

W

e have over 25 year's experience providing professional property services to our customers, currently managing over 2,500 properties on behalf of Landlords and Investors in England and Scotland.

The quality of our service and the values we adopt with all our customers has allowed us to generate vast amounts of word of mouth referral business.

Subsequently, our portfolio of properties is expected to grow considerably over the coming 12 months due to the increased awareness of our brand and services leading to huge demand. With that in mind, we’re continually looking at how we can improve our proposition to Landlords in every way to ensure that we truly deliver the very best return possible on our Landlords investments, allowing them to sit back and

relax knowing that their properties are in safe hands.

Our mission is to remove the hassle of letting property; searching for tenants, managing the legalities of leases and co-ordinating maintenance and repairs – these are all taken care of. We are committed to maximising the return on our Landlords properties.

Our unique Landlord offering consists of many attractive incentives, currently including a financial offer towards the cost of works required to bring the property up to standard.

ADDITIONALLY, WE OFFER… Guaranteed rental payments - Paying rent directly to our Landlords each month whether their property is tenanted or not allows our Landlords peace of mind when it comes to worrying about loss of income from potential voids between tenancies.

No agency fees - Unlike many property companies, there are no additional costs to for our service; no agency fees, legal fees or management fees.

Also, no inventory charges, or administration fees and no council tax charges or utilities costs during periods without tenants.

Long-term leases - We offer long term leases of up to 5 years.

No Management fees - Our fully managed service ensures regular property inspections along with a comprehensive repairs and maintenance service to protect our Landlords properties over the period of their lease.

Working in partnership with Local Authorities - our property leasing

model is unique and our proposition to Landlords is highly attractive.

Put simply, we offer unbeatable incentives to Landlords in the private rental market and procure their properties to provide flexible and effective housing solutions to an extensive list of pre-qualified tenants supplied by the Local Authorities.

We’re currently working with The London Borough of Bromley Council and would be delighted to talk to any Landlords in the surrounding area who are keen to find out more about our latest incentives.

If you are considering letting your property in the Bromley area or would like to discuss investment opportunities, please call us on 020 3301 5593 or email us enquiries@orchard-shipman.com

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