The Slice Tower Hamlets spring/summer 2022

ISSUE 02 SPRING/SUMMER

GOING OUT

SHOPPING

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HERITAGE

CULTURE

TOWER HAMLETS

FREE MAGAZINE

SURVIVING THE KRAYS

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Rolling through summer WHAT’S ON

Rahemur Rahman and more T H E S L I C E M A G A Z I N E .C O. U K

Urban Makers

Spring Makers Market Ecology Pavilion, Mile End Park E3 5RP May 14th and 15th ~ 11 - 5pm

Free Entry

Over 50 different designer makers each day Workshops - Mini Makers Craft - Delicous Food - Cake - Coffee - Cocktails

CONTENTS ISSUE 02 SPRING/SUMMER 2022

War. What is it good for?

T

from the editor

here are some things we take for granted in our society. The ability to travel.

Freedom of choice. A place to call home. Then along comes a war and we are all reminded of how fragile these things are.

One loss of freedom in particular gives me pause for thought. The loss of a free press; that is to say, the freedom to publish content without interference from the state.

In March of this year, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin introduced a law that says anyone found guilty of spreading information that contradicts the Kremlin’s official narrative of the invasion of Ukraine would be punished by a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

This prompted the BBC and other foreign media to suspend reporting in the country. Russia also blocked Facebook, Instagram and restricted Twitter, stopping everyday people from exercising their right to freedom of speech. An entire nation is silenced.

As someone who works to share stories and opinions, and believes the respectful exchange of ideas – in all their glorious diversity – is one of the keys to bridging the gaps in our society, I find this news disquieting.

Of course, it can be argued that

the press in democratic countries is only relatively free but even that relative freedom allows us to print this magazine that you hold in your hand and to publish local stories and opinions from our community without punity. Without fear.

A free press is part of a larger right of free expression, one of our human rights. In this issue, Russian-Ukrainian national Veronica Morozova speaks freely about the invasion; Nancy Kray speaks freely about being a victim of the Kray twin’s world of crime and abuse, and Rahemur Rahman speaks freely about being a gay son in a Bengali family.

It’s easy to take these freedoms for granted but, following Putin’s recent clampdown on media, we are reminded to be appreciative of the freedoms we enjoy in our society. For me there is an extra shot of gratitude in being able to share this issue with you.

War. What is it good for? In Motown singer Edwin Starr’s words, ‘absolutely nothing’ but it does remind us to be grateful.

Tabitha Stapely Editor-in-Chief

Inside this issue

CONTENTS

ABOUT US The Slice is an independent news and culture magazine for Tower Hamlets published by Social Streets C.I.C, a social enterprise building a new model of local journalism.

We are powered by our members who contribute to our content. We also provide opportunities in the creative and media industries to local people including trainee schemes.

Our online platforms include Roman Road LDN, Whitechapel LDN, Bethnal Green LDN and Poplar LDN. Want to be part of your local community? Email us at hello@theslicemagazine. co.uk.

MASTHEAD Editor-in-Chief Tabitha Stapely Partners Manager Emily Cramer Designed by Katie Wilde @Detailsbylil Published by Social Streets C.I.C

CONTACT US SliceMagazine.co.uk Social Streets C.I.C 470-480 Roman Road London E3 5LU 020 3972 4988 hello@theslicemagazine.co.uk

FOLLOW US

04 / WHAT’S ON 08/ NANCY KRAY 20/ RAHEMUR 22 / BIG BEAUTY 24 / MARIE DICKINS’ PDSA 30 / THIS IS HOME THE SL ICE  03

What’s On

11 - 21 MAY 2022

1 MAY 2022

Ballet Black: Double Bill

THEATRE ROYAL STRATFORD EAST

Queen’s Yard Summer Party

Ballet Black is returning to Stratford East with two brand new works. The first ballet is choreographed

by Gregory Maqoma and features an original score

by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante. The second show on the bill is directed by Ballet Black’s Founder, Cassa Pancho, exploring the inspiration behind the formation of the company.

Visit Stratfordeast.com for more info.

HACKNEY WICK

A whole day and night festival will be taking over 16 venues across Hackney Wick this early May bank holiday featuring live music, independent food and drink, and a local art, culture and wellness programme. From breakbeat and techno, to house and disco, Hackney Wick will be alive with tunes to welcome the summer.

Visit Queensyardsummer.party for more info.

London House Cats Choir present Platinum Sounds POPLAR UNION

4 JUN 2022

CLOSES 12 JUN 2022

Rachel Jones Say cheeeeese CHISENHALE GALLERY

Whitechapel artist Rachel Jones is displaying her first solo exhibition

CLOSES 14 JUN 2022

at the Chisenhale Gallery this spring.

Working with painting, installation and performance, Jones’ work examines modes of expression that can be seen and sensed rather than uttered.

Visit Chisenhale.org.uk for more info.

Simone Fattal: Finding a Way

WHITECHAPEL GALLERY Internationally acclaimed artist Simone Fattal is exhibiting in the UK for the first time, displaying watercolours, collages, and sculptures of clay and bronze.

Imagining the brick-lined gallery to be a giant kiln, Fattal creates a procession of her characteristic ceramic figures embarking on a spiritual and physical metamorphosis.

Visit Whitechapelgallery. org for more info.

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1 - 25 JUN 2022

Starcrossed

WILTONS MUSIC HALL What if Romeo and Juliet had told a different story? Reimagining Shakespeare’s verse for the modern age, Rachel Garnet’s new play offers a fresh twist on the world’s most well-known love story, unveiling the passion of a forbidden romance forged in strife, stifled by circumstance and silenced by history.

Participants of an 8-week vocal course with London House Cats Choir will have their time to shine performing as part of the choir’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations at Poplar Union. Dendê Nation will also be gracing the stage with their AfroBrazilian style drumming for a night fit for the Queen herself.

Visit Poplarunion.com for more info.

WHAT’S ON

Bow Open curated by art collective Baesianz BOW ARTS

How do we enrich our lives and sustain a positive, healthy mindset? This is the question at the heart of London-based art collective Baesianz’s curation of

this year’s Bow Open, investigating the rituals 13 MAY and routines of - 7 AUG individuals and the 2022 community that provide us with joy, growth and grounding.

Visit Bowarts.org for more info.

Grand Union Orchestra 40th Anniversary Show Grand Union’s Fortieth Anniversary Show at the Hackney Empire features Grand Union’s star performers from every major global musical tradition as well as performances from the Youth Orchestra, on stage together for the first time since lockdown with promising artists from the next generation. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the orchestra will be releasing a dance-inspired Greatest Hits album too.

Visit Grandunion. org for more

14 - 15 MAY 2022

28 MAY 2022

Urban Makers Spring Market

Last Night On Earth

ECO PAVILIION MILE END PARK

TROXY

Returning to the Ecology Pavilion for its 7th year, Urban Makers Spring Market will feature 50 different ethical and sustainable designers each day, selling homeware, art, toys, clothing and much more. There will also be a full range of workshops and a selection of drinks and food to feast on.

Visit Urbanmakers.co.uk for more info.

Legendary DJ Sasha is back in town for a rare record label showcase at Troxy to celebrate 10 years of Last Night On Earth. A platform for future artists and established names, the night will celebrate the music, unity and expression that has made the label what it is today.

Visit Troxy.co.uk for more info.

East End Canal Festival

ART PAVILION MILE END PARK

W O RD S P O LLY N A S H

26 JUN 2022

Building on the East End Canal Heritage Project, the festival will showcase stories and photographs of the Regent’s and Hertford Union Canals over the last two centuries. A host of other activities include boat trips, art workshops, tea stalls and more, set to the music of a live steel band.

Visit Friendsofregentscanal.org for more info.

14 - 15 MAY 2022

HACKNEY EMPIRE

23 JUL 2022

23 JUL 2022

The Great Get Together QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK

Marking 10 years since London’s Olympic Games, The Great Get together will celebrate the community of East London and reminisce about the famous summer of 2012. The festival will showcase everything the Olympic Park has to offer and inspire local people about what the next 10 years has in store.

Visit Queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk for more info.  THE SL ICE  05

discov The app that will help you

T HE S L ICE  0 6

ver

PARTNER CONTENT

ALDGATE IS A SCENE THAT IS BEING MADE AS WE SPEAK AND A NEW APP WILL HELP YOU DISCOVER ITS SECRETS

East London’s last undiscovered corner

PH OTO G RA P HY TO M H A IN S

W

ondering where the last undiscovered part of East London is?

You’ve probably travelled through it a hundred times on the way into London. Long overlooked as an adjunct to the City, Aldgate is fast becoming a desirable place not just to live, but also as a place to visit, and it’s easy to see why.

Sweeping either side of the A11, the main artery in and out of the historic East End, Aldgate offers that intoxicating London mix of cobbled back lanes lined with Dickensian buildings, smart new housing developments planted with pretty blossom trees, world famous streets markets and a gritty urban backdrop loved by street artists. All minus the tourists. For now.

As the financial districts have spread out, so they have left room for neighbourhoods to emerge in places such as Aldgate and Cheapside. Those in the know are striking out from the well-trodden East End haunts to seek out the less-well known but equally cultured attractions of these new city villages.

A spot of people watching in the blossom-filled Aldgate Square. A pretheatre drink at Wilton’s Music Hall Mahogany Bar. The latest exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery, adjacent to Aldgate East station. A spot of meditative reflection at picturesque St Botolph’s Church. The drop-dead cool Curzon Aldgate (who knew!). Some clever buys at Petticoat Lane Markets.

The modern wing at the Grade II listed Toynbee Hall. And of course there’s the Tower of London (did you know Tower Hamlets residents can visit for just £1?).

And you won’t find it hard to top

of a day trip to Aldgate with a good meal. Thanks to being fringed by neighbourhoods of impeccable gastronomic pedigree, Aldgate is developing its own foodie scene. To the west is the fine dining of the City of London; to the north the street food culture of Spitalfields Market and Middlesex Street, and to the east the global cuisines of Brick Lane. As these increasingly popular foodie strips struggle to contain the ever-growing East London restaurant scene, so they spill over into Aldgate.

Petticoat Lane Markets is a must. Not just for the ‘rag trade’ fabric shopping but for the food. Of course we all know that Petticoat Lane no longer exists; the roads to seek out are Middlesex Street, Wentworth Street and Goulston Street.

Visit on a weekday and you’ll see that this is THE place in London for lunch.

Smart city workers have animated conversations about the stock market over an Argentinian steak sandwich at outdoor street tables fringed by market stalls. It couldn’t be more London.

The best thing about these new City corners is that there’s nothing too manicured or designed about it. It’s a scene that is being made as we speak.

That does mean that it can be hard to navigate if you don’t know where to go and you don’t want to get caught on the wrong side of the Aldgate Gyratory.

Newly launched app In The City plots the top attractions, shops and restaurants in Aldgate and across the City of London, and is a great way of getting the most out of this emerging neighbourhood, whether you’re living or working there or just visiting for a day trip. There are already over a 100 places listed to visit.

For the bargain hunters, the app lists the latest discounts and deals offed by local businesses. Currently, both Cento

alla Torre and Clayton Hotel on New Drum Street are offering 20% off food and Barcelona Tapas Bar & Restaurant is offering 25% off food. Sfoglia Bologna is offering a complimentary Aperol Spritz with any pasta dish and Blue Orchid Hotel is offering up to 20% off a traditional afternoon tea. And there are plenty of other discounts too from the likes of Hotel Chocolat, The Body Shop, Molton Brown and Oliver Bonas. What better way to support our local economy as it emerges blinking in the sunlight after years of pandemic winter?

Set-up by local business improvement districts Aldgate Connect, EC Partnership, Cheapside Business Alliance and Fleet Street Quarter in partnership with the City of London Corporation, In The City also features a blog featuring local tips and suggested itineraries and also invites local bloggers to share their content.

With app in hand (use the QR code, left, to download it) a brand new experience is just round the corner.

This article is funded by ERDF. 

THE SL ICE  07

Nancy Kray:

Surviving the fallout of Britain’s most notorious

mobsters

After 21 years silenced, Nancy Kray - the niece of East End gangster twins - shares what it means to survive a legacy of criminality and abuse.

WORDS LILY WAKELEY / PHOTOGRAP H S A NDR EW LEO

U

nless you have slept walked through the last few decades, you’ll know about the Kray twins. For many East End residents, this nefarious duo have left indelible scars that run deeper than mere urban myth. With two decades gone since their deaths their legacy endures.

But it is less likely that you’ve heard about Nancy Kray. Daughter of Charlie Kray, the twins’ older brother, Nancy is one of the last surviving custodians of one of the world’s most notorious families.

I first met Nancy at one of Maureen Flanagan’s charity raffle events, held in December 2021 at The Blind Beggar.

Flanagan - proposed to by Reggie Kray three times - keeps the Krays’ charitable interests alive, selling their memorabilia to raise funds for the NHS. Among the lively crowds that fill this haunted tavern were skinheads in sharp three-piece suits and glamorous women in sequins and hot pink, dancing to the smooth jazz voice of East End celebrity Gary Driscoll.

But sitting unassumingly in the quiet of the pub’s garden was Nancy. Nancy now uses a wheelchair and, with long dyed black hair, deviates from the friends and family’s memories of her when she last appeared at her brother Gary’s funeral in 2000.

‘After that we never saw her again’, explains Flanagan. ‘Not until she called

T HE S L ICE  0 8

Nancy Kray, survivor not victim

 He used to sing ‘Over the Rainbow’ to me.

BETHNAL GREEN

me last year, introducing herself and asking if I would welcome her back.

I was suspicious at first - I get a lot of people claiming to be people they aren’t, you see, clinging onto the coattails of long gone stories.

But very soon I realised this really was our Nancy, and told her she would always be welcome’.

Nancy was first admitted to a psychiatric ward in 2000, shortly after Gary’s death. She spent the next 21 years in and out of care, undergoing electric shock therapy, which ‘eased the pain for a short while, but only so much, because still no one believed what had happened to me. I had another breakdown in 2007, where I spent two years in Bethlem Royal’.

It is perhaps no wonder: what happened to Nancy is extraordinary and devastating.

Charlie claimed to be a peripheral figure to the Firm. He was allegedly involved in booking the theatrical talent for their network of West End clubs. Nonetheless, in 1968 he was charged with helping his brothers dispose of Jack McVitie’s body, whom they had murdered. He served 10 years. Then in 1997, convicted of smuggling £39 million worth of cocaine into the country, he spent another twelve years in prison.

But Nancy’s memories of her formative years in the Kray household have been safely fortified by a resolute wash of happiness.

She speaks softly while dreamily recalling her father: ‘He was the best dad in the world. He used to sing ‘Over the Rainbow’ to me whilst I was falling to sleep. He taught me that to be a real Cockney I had to learn to enjoy my pie and mash with liquor at Manzes.’

Nancy’s older brother Gary was disabled from birth so ‘he was my big little brother. He didn’t know how to play with his toys, so I showed him.

We had our own sign language to communicate.

We used to get my dad to come upstairs where we played tricks on him! We were inseparable.’

She remembers spending time in the Krays’ nightclubs. ‘It’s where I was safest because they could always keep an eye on me’.

However, it turned out this wasn’t enough to protect her from violence, which took an evertightening stranglehold on the family.

At only two and half Nancy was seriously harmed by an adversary to the Krays, who would in time become her long-term abuser.

She was sent to her mother’s family in Aldershot, Hampshire at the age of eight following her father’s first prison sentence, and a subsequent custody battle. Nancy was separated from her brother and her father, both of whom she rarely saw again.

Nancy’s removal from the care and protection of her father made her catastrophically vulnerable to other Kray-related depravities.

The man who’d abused her when she was younger reappeared and continued to abuse her

throughout her adolescence. Despite several attempts to run away, Nancy’s reports were met with incredulity, and she was repeatedly returned to the household where the events she endured sentenced her to a lifelong battle of PTSD. The former threat of his coercion casts a long shadow and Nancy is unwilling to disclose any more information about this man despite him now being dead.

For Nancy, time is demarcated by life before and after the abuse. Merged with the memories of being removed from her father, this stop in time marked the end of her childhood and the start of institutional harm.

At the age of nineteen, Nancy had the first of her two sons, Anthony. ‘I prayed and prayed to have a family of my own because mine had been taken away. When he was nearly three I made the choice for him to be adopted. I was constantly on tippy-toes under the duress of my abuser and I couldn’t handle the stress of it. I gave him up to save his life’.

Not long after her second son Luke was also adopted.

The fact that the abuse of a child went unnoticed is an unthinkable miscarriage of justice. However, overshadowed by the more lauded type of criminality carried out by the Firm, it is perhaps unsurprising.

Up to 93% of child and teen victims of sexual assault know their perpetrator according to a study by Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. The media’s glamorisation of the Krays arguably asphyxiated the imaginative space and responsibility of care towards the victims hurt in plain sight closer to home.

This unfurling of events has blurred the categorisation of ‘baddies’ and ‘goodies’ for Nancy. When asked whether she feels sidelined by the media driven narrative of victimhood, Nancy pauses before responding with resounding strength: ‘Yes, I have been. But I’m a survivor not a victim.’

It was only a year ago that Nancy’s experiences of abuse were finally accepted; an acceptance that has revolutionised her ongoing recovery.

‘It’s understandable that I wasn’t believed, because people with disorders often suffer from imaginary ideas. But this has finally brought me freedom - freedom from the nightmares of it all.’

The final acceptance of Nancy’s experiences has given her the capacity to look to a future built on her own dreams rather than the ghosts of her past.

She speaks adoringly of Flanagan, grateful for her allyship and for the welcome back to the world from which she had all but disappeared.

Her son Anthony is now 37 and back in touch. In fact, Nancy was preparing for him to come and stay a few days after our conversation.

‘I’m finally going to be able to explain everything to him.

I’ve been jittery and all over the place all day! I’m full of nerves and excitement.’

Nancy’s legacy is a potent one, and one that we should leverage above the riffraff of mobster glamour and whodunit fanfare. She teaches us that the fallout of the Krays’ criminality is far greater than what first meets the eye. Their victims are generational, and their presence courses through the very fabric of the East End and beyond.

Nancy Kray is no longer left to the margins of history. She is the figurehead of her own nascent but burgeoning Kray narrative: the one of survival.  Originally published on Bethnalgreenlondon.co.uk

THE SL ICE  09

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7am-11pm Every day

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ROMAN ROAD

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P a i a r r o t THE REVIVAL OF ROLLER-SKATING HAS BROUGHT OLD AND YOUNG, BEGINNER AND PRO SKATERS TOGETHER TO DANCE THEIR TROUBLES AWAY. AND VICTORIA PARK IS THE PLACE TO BE.

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‘THE ONLY DAY I DON’T SKATE IS WHEN IT’S RAINING,’ SAYS TRE RODERICK FORDE.

T

hough he dabbled in ice-skating as a child, Tre Roderick Forde is one of many who dusted off their skates during the lockdowns and joined in, side by side, with East London’s already wellestablished community of skaters.

Attracted in part by the nostalgia for childhood joys that has seeped into our consciousness over the past couple of years, roller skating is a low cost, socially distanced activity for the warmer months.

With its smooth-tarmacked paths and welcoming vibes, Victoria Park is the ideal spot to feel the breeze blowing past or dance in the sun, attracting skaters from all over London.

Gathering in Victoria Park on Saturday afternoons with their camping chairs, music system and colourful, often customised quadskates, this is simultaneously a tight-knit community and porous, undefined group.

‘It just takes one friendly person to bring you into the community,’ says Indija Anderson, a dancer based in Hackney Wick who also started skating during the lockdown, and was waved over to join in a routine.

While Victoria Park is perfect for street skating – its wide external loop is the ideal long flat surface on which to pick up some speed – jam skating is what we’re here for today. Like many passers-by, we sit down on the grass and enjoy the show; an audience is always welcomed.

A more technical type of skating that involves precise footwork, routines and choreographed moves, jam skating could easily be classed as a form of dance, though ‘put on a pair of skates for eight hours and you’ll believe it’s a sport,’ says

T HE S L ICE  1 4

Roderick Ford.

Unlike competitive sports, however, there’s no sense of one-upmanship.

It’s both an independent activity where individuality is celebrated with customised skates and bright outfits, as well as a community where moves are constantly swapped and taught.

‘No-one’s too big for you here. You know that saying, “you’re only as strong as your weakest link”? We want to see everyone progress here,’ says Roderick Ford.

This supportive nature is what makes the community feel like a family.

Leigsha Peter from Romford, has been skating as an adult for over a decade, but remembers skating as a child with her uncle, too. She runs the Instagram account @mym8skates, showcasing some of the best moves in London.

‘Skating is a big family, we’re all about teaching and helping each other’ she says.

‘It doesn’t matter your age or where you’re from, so long as you’ve got skates on,’ says Peter.

Roller-skating has a long and rich history in black British culture, with roller discos first becoming popular in the 1960s among black and LGBT people as a safe space for selfexpression and escapism.

The lockdown boom brought new fans to skating, but this is no recent fad. Across the Olympic Park, the old

 It’s like a family here.

PH OTO G RAPHS A BOVE T RE, C ENT R E, IN T H E RED T-S HIRT LEF T L EIGH SH A PETER COVER VANDO VAR ELA

Stratford Shopping Centre has been a special place for skaters from across London to gather and skate since the 80s. An indoor pedestrian thoroughfare open 24-hours a day, its smooth mall floors are the perfect surface for wheels.

‘My dad skated there in the 90s and that’s what got me into skating. It’s important to remember the people who paved the way for this,’ says Roderick Ford.

Erbi Rassim, brought up in Hackney, now living in Kent, works as a dance instructor teaching salsa and tango. ‘Skating’s not too different from dancing so it took me a few months to get back in the swing of it.’

Rassim often travels up from Kent to this spot in Victoria Park, where he can learn new moves and relax with like-minded skaters.

‘It’s like a family here. They don’t skate in Kent, it’s boring, they’re too worried about falling over.’

Everyone here today has a love for Victoria

Park, and the group is careful not to play music louder than many of the birthday parties or gatherings held in the People’s Park, and they make sure to leave the area as they found it at the end of the day.

This is one of a handful of places that’s suitable for wheels, without potholes, cars or other sports dominating the space.

‘We want more spaces to skate in,’ says Roderick Ford. ‘Just give us one court, you know, when you’re thinking of building more tennis courts, only four people at a time are going to use it.

But twenty of us could be skating in that space. And we’re just asking for one.’  Originally published on Romanroadlondon.com

THE SL ICE  15

MEMBER’S DIRE C SHOPS & SERVICES SNAP SNAP is a colourful, independent store on Roman Road, in the heart of East London. We sell contemporary greeting cards, and gifts including books, jewellery, candles, stationery, homewares, prints, frames, balloons and more.

Open six days a week.

465 ROMAN ROAD, BOW, E3 5LX. SNAP-STORE.COM

SYMPOSIUM A family-run restaurant, wine bar and deli, with a focus on Italian produce, including gourmet panini on the lunch menu. Offering organic, biodynamic, orange and minimal intervention wines alongside craft beers. Book us for a private party.

363 ROMAN ROAD, BOW, E3 5QR. SYMPOSIUMLONDON.CO.UK

FOUR CORNERS Are you aged 14-25 or over 50, live in Tower Hamlets and are interested in learning about photography? Into Focus is a free 12-week course with rolling recruitment, taking place at Four Corners.

121 ROMAN ROAD, BOW, E2 0QN. FOURCORNERSFILM.CO.UK

VALERIAN SPICER Ex-international boxer, now a personal trainer and cofounder of The Spicer Method I offer one-to-one training and group fitness training as well as online boxing and mindfulness sessions.

CRANBROOK COMMUNITY FOOD GARDEN Designed and built by residents from the Cranbrook Estate and surrounding areas in 2009, the garden offers weekly activities include learning about organic gardening, food growing and composting.

MACE STREET, LONDON E2 0RB

FACEBOOK.COM/CRANBROOKCOMMUNITYFOODGARDEN

FRIENDS OF MEATH GARDENS A community association established to make Meath Gardens better for our community and wildlife. We hold regular volunteering events to plant trees, shrubs, and bulbs and other tasks to make Meath Garden a beautiful space for everyone.

SMART ST, BETHNAL GREEN, E2 0SN. FACEBOOK.COM/ FRIENDSOFMEATHGARDENS

FRIENDS OF MILE END PARK FOMEP is an independent group for those who care about our park so everyone can enjoy it. We organise monthly litter picks in the park on the second Sunday of the month and seasonal activities such as bulb planting. Get in touch for more information.

MILE END PARK, BOW, E3 5TW. FOMEP.ORG.UK

INTOUNIVERSITY A local learning centre offering educational programmes that support young people to achieve their aspirations. We’re looking for mentors and volunteers, so get in touch to make a difference in your local community today.

ST PAUL’S CHURCH, ST STEPHEN’S ROAD, BOW, E3 5JL. INNTOUNIVERSITY.ORG

MILE END AND BOW AREA. THESPICERMETHOD.COM

COMMUNITY GROUPS BOW FOOD BANK Bow Foodbank supports over 700 Tower Hamlets families every week with emergency food for those in crisis. More than 300 local volunteers run our foodbanks at Bow and Bethnal Green. We welcome support via LocalGiving and donations of food are always welcome.

BROMLEY-BY-BOW COMMUNITY CENTRE, ST

?

LEONARD’S STREET, E3 3BT. BOWFOODBANK.ORG

WANT TO ADVERTISE IN OUR NEXT ISSUE? T HE S L ICE  1 6

ROMAN ROAD TRUST Working to improve the Roman Road area for the benefit of residents, businesses, and regular visitors.

Also transforming The Common Room into a brand new community building for Roman Road - volunteers needed.

BOW, GLOBE TOWN AND MILE AREA. ROMANROADTRUST.CO.UK

SUNNY JAR ECO HUB A local community organisation offering sustainable living workshops and DIY craft kits. Eco-friendly living can save you money and benefits our health and the environment. Get in touch to find out more or to enquire about volunteering.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS. SUNNYJARECOHUB.COM

The Slice is a magazine specifically for the Tower Hamlets borough.

GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR PARTNERSHIP TEAM TO BECOME A MEMBER AND DISCUSS PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS TO A LOCAL AUDIENCE.

HELLO@THESLICEMAGAZINE.CO.UK

RING

CLASSIFIED

CTORY

SPONSORED BY HACKNEY BRIDGE, A COMMUNITY OF LOCAL MAKERS, CREATORS AND TRADERS.

RETAIL

FOOD & DRINK

ONYX An inclusive beauty salon set up by Hackney born and bred sisters, Celica and Leonie, specialising in hair and nails.

HACKNEY BRIDGE KITCHENS An indoor street food market that’s home to eight incredible local street food start ups. Including Bakes N Stuffingz, Tamila, Made In Puglia, Hanoi Chay, Filigrillz, Rainbo, Bovine Burger and Simply Hooked.

OPEN TUES TO FRI FROM 12PM, SAT & SUN FROM 11AM

INSTAGRAM.COM/ONYXHAIRANDNAIL

GETUP YESTERDAY Founded by husband and wife Jess and Ed, visit the GetUp Yesterday store for the finest vintage clothes in all of East London!

INSTAGRAM.COM/GETUPYESTERDAY

CURFEW GROOMING A stylish barbers blending modern hair architecture with traditional barbering and grooming services.

INSTAGRAM.COM/HACKNEY_BRIDGE

HANGAR BAR Serving up drinks from near and far - including Mammoth Beer who brew at Hackney Bridge! Join them for Happy Hour, Tuesday to Friday from 3 to 7pm, when selected drinks are 2-4-1.

INSTAGRAM.COM/HANGARBARHACKNEY

INSTAGRAM.COM/CURFEW_GROOMING

THE ROASTING SHED Visit the Roasting Shed (opposite Mossbourne Riverside Academy) for specialty coffee and treats.

INSTAGRAM.COM/THEROASTINGSHED

BLACK DAHLIA A brand new tattoo studio run by tattoo artist Aitor Mendez, who specialises in neotraditional and realism designs.

INSTAGRAM.COM/BLACKDAHLIAHACKNEY

WICKED BIKE REPAIR If your bike needs a little TLC (including repair or service), visit Umberto and his team at the independent Wicked Bike Repair!

ENTERPRISE THE GOOD GROWTH HUB Offering career opportunities, training and skills to 18 to 30 year old East Londoners and diverse, new talent to local businesses.

INSTAGRAM.COM/GOODGROWTHHUB

ZHERO Using their fleet of 100% electric vehicles and high capacity cargo-bicycles, Zhero provide greener logistics for businesses across London.

INSTAGRAM.COM/WICKED_BIKE_REPAIR

THE YOUNG & FREE A deluxe kidswear brand, all designed and hand made from their studio at Hackney Bridge.

INSTAGRAM.COM/THEYOUNG_AND_FREE

CAKE CULT A plant-based bakery that turns oats, almonds and more into the most delicious vegan sweet treats.

INSTAGRAM.COM/ZHEROLONDON

MAMMOTH BEER A microbrewery brewing up the finest small batch beers in East London.

INSTAGRAM.COM/MAMMOTHBEER

BORKWOOD & CO. A bespoke carpentry and joinery workshop - designing and building all things bespoke furniture, from fitted wardrobes to kitchens, flooring and more.

INSTAGRAM.COM/BORKWOODANDCO

INSTAGRAM.COM/CAKECULTLONDON

JOIN THE HACKNEY BRIDGE COMMUNITY

We have spaces available for artists studios, workshops, retail spaces, restaurants or café.

FREE EVENTS SPACE Looking for a space to host a

group, event or club? It’s free for local community groups and charities.

EMAIL WILL@HACKNEYBRIDGE.ORG TO BOOK A TOUR AND FIND OUT MORE. EAST BAY LANE, E15 2SJ, NEXT TO THE COPPER BOX ARENA WWW.HACKNEYBRIDGE.ORG INSTAGRAM.COM/HACKNEY_BRIDGE

THE SL ICE  17

PARTNER CONTENT

A

s climate change looms large, it can be hard to think how we as individuals can make the small changes that will make a difference. Car use for example. We all want to reduce those short journeys in urban areas that we know cause the worst air pollution, but car habits can be hard to break.

The bike doesn’t carry enough shopping; you don’t have time to walk to several shops on the high street; it’s too awkward to lug shopping on and off tubes and buses. Driving to the supermarket or booking the ‘wellknown supermarket’ van to deliver the shopping seems easier.

Sometimes though, something rolls along that is just the right solution at just the right moment in time. While eco-minded pioneers have been using cargo bikes to ferry children to school for a while, they started making a regular appearance during the lockdowns.

Supermarket deliveries became impossible to book, high street shops had to pivot their services, and suddenly the cargo bike was the best option to solve tangible, local delivery problems for both consumers and businesses. And of course they reduced air pollution, a climate issue that came to the fore during the global pandemic.

Fast-forward to now and cargo delivery bikes have become ubiquitous and can be seen delivering everything from fresh pasta to magazines.

In January, housing association Poplar HARCA, Tower Hamlets Council and developer Telford Homes launched a pilot project in partnership with cargo delivery specialists Zedify to encourage a more diverse range of shops to offer cargo bike delivery, thereby stimulating high street recovery post-pandemic.

Felicity Scott of Poplar HARCA, says: “Every delivery made with Zedify is one less journey made by a car or van and is helping to make the air in our area cleaner.”

Zedify was launched in 2018 by Rob King and Sam Keam to improve city delivery systems. ‘Our zero-emission electric cargo bikes are better for the environment than cars and vans.

They also help to cut congestion and create safer streets, all whilst enabling residents to shop local with convenient home deliveries, straight to the doorstep’ says Tomos Jones, regional manager for Zedify London.

With Low Traffic Neighbourhoods being implemented as we speak, cargo bikes may soon be the quickest option too. While cars and vans now have to negotiate one-way systems, cargo T HE S L ICE  18

 Mokbul Hussain from Medina Bazar

Cargo without carbon:

the rise of

ELECTRIC BIKE DELIVERIES Zedify on why city cargo bikes can support our high streets and tackle climate change. bikes are permitted in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, cycle-only streets and making use of cycle lanes.

During the pilot, which runs to the end of 2022, local businesses can access Zedify’s services at a 50% discount (there are limited places left so, if you’re a business, apply now).

Medina Bazaar on Chrisp Street Market in Poplar is a family-run convenience stores that sells nearly everything and is always open for last minute shopping needs. They now offer a delivery service that will deliver bulk shopping to local residents who find it hard to get to the shops.

Until now, Medina Bazaar offered home deliveries in their van adding to air pollution. They now use Zedify’s cargo bike service. ‘I had three jobs today at three different times and Zedify were able to collect and deliver the goods for me. This means I don’t

have to work so late!’ says owner Razia Khatun.

Shops and traders currently on Zedify’s books are varied and include food deliveries from the likes of Paul’s Deli, Gift Sourdough Bakery and Peckover’s Butches to home supplies from Thompson’s DIY, Redwoods Florist and Pets Paradise, along with dozens more, all offering Zedify’s same day and next-day delivery at no cost to the consumer.

One of the silver linings of the local pandemic was a reconnection with our environment, both on a local level of community and global level of climate change. Cargo bikes are part of the new reality that will help us stay connected to both.

If you’re a shopper looking for free home delivery that doesn’t harm the planet, ask your store if they can drop your goods to your door with Zedify. 

Taste

TOWER HAMLETS

High Street HOME

ON THE

Discover the best independent shops and eateries near you.

1

BENGALI LAMB & POTATO CURRY This curry is a heart-warming meal perfect for dinner parties but also as a comfort food on drizzly days.

PH OTO G RA P HY F RO M B RI C K LA N E CO O K B O O K

I N G R EDIE NTS: • 4 garlic cloves • 5 cm piece ginger, roughly chopped • 1 kg lamb shoulder on the bone, cut into 3 cm pieces • 2 medium onions, sliced • 1 bay leaf • 1 stick cinnamon • 6 peppercorns • 4 cardamom pods • 4 cloves • 1 tps mustard seeds • 1 star anise • 2 tsp salt • 5 tbs vegetable oil • 1 tbs ground coriander • 2 tsp each of ground turmeric, ground cumin, chilli powder, paprika • 1 tsp garam masala • 1 tomato, chopped • 700 g potatoes, quartered • 3–4 whole green chillies • 2 tbs chopped coriander M ET H OD : Crush the garlic and ginger to a paste and place with the meat in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onions, bay, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, mustard, seeds, star anise, and salt.

When the lamb begins to release its juices, place the lid on and leave to cook on low heat for 30 minutes.

Turn up the heat to medium and add the oil, stirring through to coat all the meat.

Add the ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, chilli powder, paprika, and garam masala. Cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly.

Mix in the chopped tomato and 100ml water. Cover and cook on medium heat for ten minutes, checking it regularly and giving the odd stir. Stir in the potatoes and chillies and cook for five minutes.

Add hot water to just cover the meat and potatoes and shake the pan gently to mix.

Bring to the boil and simmer on medium-low with the lid on for 20 minutes or until the potato pieces are soft and tender. Check the seasoning and sprinkle over the chopped coriander just before taking off the heat.

Serve with rice, vegetables, or naan bread.

This recipe is featured in Dina Begum’s Brick Lane Cookbook.

BENTO BAB COMMERCIAL STREET

If you have not seen Bento Bab nestled on Commercial Street, you may have heard of the Korean street food restaurant on TikTok. Open since 2019, Bento Bab saw an influx of customers flocking to its premise since a video of one of its customers reviewing the food went viral on TikTok. Lining the restaurant walls, you will find posters of the globally popular band BTS, with their Billboard #1 Hot 100 songs booming in the background.

Adding to Whitechapel’s cultural melting pot, its menu features a wide range of Korean street foods from tteokbokki (spicy rice cake), kimbap (cooked rice and vegetables, fish and meat rolled in dried seaweed), and Korean fried chicken. Vegans may want to pass.

2

The owners of the recently opened restaurant Charista have given up their respective jobs to serve the East End the Bengali home-cooked food that they themselves were craving.

Charista has carved out a strong and unique identity near to the Indian curry houses of Brick Lane. With sleek interiors and a varied menu, it is more than just home-cooked food.

Ease into the meal with a cardamon rich cup of chai nashta, with spices and tea leaves from ‘the gardens of Bengal’.

The kati rolls’ paratha bread is so flakey and chewy it will conjure you into momentary silent stupor. But it’s punch of sweet tamarind will keep you wide awake.

Just in time for the dhooder milk cake.

Read the full review by Gulistan Elidemir on Whitechapellondon.co.uk

3

GREENWICH PENSIONER POPLAR

The Pensioner makes everyone feel welcome.

Kirsty the redheaded barmaid darts around chatting to everyone with a porn star martini in hand, while a friendly tuxedo cat lounges on the sofa. The pub is newly renovated, with a few old photographs on its pristine olive green walls.

There’s a TV playing noiselessly in the corner that gets cranked up on match days, and a small beer garden outside where you can catch the sun.

The place is a melting pot of students, faithful locals and the occasional Canary Wharf businessman, with their craft beers ranging from around £3.50 to £7.50 a pint and their crispy stone baked pizzas coming with options for vegan cheese or a gluten free base.

Read the full review by Helen Brown on Poplarlondon.co.uk

CHARISTA BETHNAL GREEN

Read the full story by Lily Wakeley on Bethnalgreenlondon.co.uk

4

E3 VEGAN ROMAN ROAD

Landing on Roman Road in February, E3 Vegan’s utilitarian coffee shop doubles up as a fine dining establishment every Friday night, hosting seven-course supper clubs for up to 20 guests.

This versatility is what lies at the core of E3 Vegan’s vision. Run by Bow couple, Marc Joseph and Jordan Kaplan, the cafe’s owners are determined to show that there’s more to vegan food than mock meat.

Another part of the café’s ethos is to leave as little trace as possible; its drinks are sourced from Bow’s East London Liquor Company and food from nearby Spitalfields Market. It is hoping to expand its services this summer by adding a delivery service, all done on bicycle.

Read the full review by Polly Nash on Romanroadlondon.com  THE SL ICE  19

RAHEMUR RAHMAN: Child of the rag trade RAHEMUR RAHMAN, THE FIRST BANGLADESHI FASHION DESIGNER TO SHOW AT LONDON FASHION WEEK AND BE EXHIBITED AT THE V&A ON WHY HE DEDICATED HIS COLLECTION TO RAG TRADE WORKERS.

T HE S L ICE  2 0

‘A

ll of my garments have a Poplar seed in them, so that when the apocalypse comes and all the natural fibres decompose, that seed will have a bed of soil and it can grow,’ Rahemur Rahman says.

At first glance, Rahman seems like the last person who would fret about the apocalypse. His wide smile lights up his face like a lantern, and he talks so excitedly his words bubble out of his mouth to the rhythm of his breath.

But Rahman knows how to use hardship to seed growth.

Six years ago, he left Poplar in East London after his family stopped speaking to him when he came out as gay, and he only returned at the beginning of the pandemic.

‘I didn’t want to run away anymore,’ he says firmly. ‘And I’m never going to leave again.’

Over the last six years, Rahman became the first Bangladeshi fashion designer to show at London Fashion Week and, more recently, to be exhibited at the V&A - his collections are part of the Fashioning Exhibitions: The Art of Menswear exhibition, open until November 2022.

But back in East London, his past surrounds him. ‘When I got suspended from school, I did a stint at a pupil referral unit right around the corner,’ he reminisces while sitting in his spacious, brightly-lit studio at Poplar Works.

Rahman embraces every part of his identity, past and present, giving him a serenity that is infectious to be around.

‘I’m still in the Bengali community and I’m still very much Muslim,’ he says. ‘But the second I came out, I came into my own and everything I was doing really flourished.’

WO RD S HE LE N B RO W N PH OTOG R A PH Y LA I S UL HO Q U E

CHILDREN OF THE RAG TRADE

Despite their strained relationship, Rahman dedicated his last collection to his father who worked as a tailor in the rag trade, the immigrant-run clothing manufacturing business that provides cheap labour for the fashion industry.

‘When my dad came to Brick Lane, they would make a mezzanine in the house and put sewing machines on every level. There would be a narrow bed where they would all sleep, and it would be a 24-hour sweatshop,’ Rahman says.

Rahman remembers his parents warning him never to get too comfortable, always fearing the flat that housed their family of 11 could be taken from them in an instant.

‘It’s because of the way they were treated in the UK,’ Rahman says. ‘I grew up seeing my dad and his friends go out to fight racist white people who were trying to throw stones and spit at us as we were coming back from school.’

‘I still get that feeling, like I’m always on the edge of everything disappearing, and my friends from the area feel it too.’

Researching the working conditions of the rag trade gave Rahman and his friends a deeper empathy for their parents.

‘When we were children, we would translate letters for them, or take them to the doctor. We almost became carers,’ Rahman says. ‘They didn’t have time to learn the language, they were just trying to put food on the plate.’

‘We all had a really emancipatory feeling realising we’re just children of the rag trade and we need to celebrate that, because we have a different lived experience.’

The collection uses fabrics block printed with natural dyes by artisans at Aranya in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

‘I’m trying to change what “made in Bangladesh” means,’ Rahman says. ‘We have this Eurocentric idea of craftsmanship, like everything has to come from Italy. But actually, Gucci get all their embroidery done in India, most brands get their work done in South Asia.’

Rahman wants to decolonise craftsmanship by celebrating Bangladeshi heritage techniques such as

POPLAR

embroidery, weaving and block printing.

Using fabric offcuts Aranya has been saving for decades, Rahman made a patchwork textile of archival block printed scraps, artfully sewn together with seams zigzagging across the hem and falling in a half moon shape across the small of the back.

His block prints on tailored denim ripple like reflections on water, a geometric print which was bought by the V&A museum for their archive.

BRINGING FASHION TO THE COMMUNITY

A series of mentors aided Rahman’s ascent in fashion, which began when he stumbled into a workshop at the Brady Arts Centre when he was a teenager.

Rahman believes people need to be encouraged to aim higher. ‘My dad always said that when I finished at St Martin’s we should open up a tailoring shop on Brick Lane,’ he says. ‘For him, that was the highest point. Nobody in those factories was ever told they could be a designer.’

Being the first Bangladeshi fashion designer at London Fashion Week was a bittersweet landmark for Rahman.

‘It’s mad to think I was the first in 2019, when the Bengali community pretty much made the fashion industry to begin with, through being very cheap slave labour,’ Rahman says.

Rahman’s heritage and lived experience of Poplar and the Isle of Dogs helps him to empower local people through practical and collaborative workshops.

‘I did this project once which worked really well,’ Rahman says. ‘It was a sewing circle, but I also taught the women, who make clothes already, how to do tax and invoices. They already know how to run a business, they just don’t understand the formalities of it all.’

Having forged a path for himself as a workingclass Bengali designer, Rahman can now use his privilege to help diversify the fashion industry.

‘If I hadn’t gone through everything I’ve gone through, I wouldn’t be able to open the doors that I can now,” he says. ‘And now that I’ve opened the door, it’s like, Everyone, come in!’  Originally published on Poplarlondon.co.uk

 Items from AW19 can be viewed at the V&A

T HE SL ICE  21

ROMAN ROAD

 More is more on the Roman.

Why people are flocking to Roman Road for the

big beauty look Big hair, strong brows, deep tans, long talons – more is more on Roman Road.

W O R DS SIVA TH A N G A R A JAH

L

ess is more, as the saying goes. But not on The Roman.

Long before celebrities such as the Kardashians sported bold brows, skyhigh eyelashes, long talons, and overt designer gear, East Enders already owned this look. It could be said that the Kardashian style is the global spin on the Cockney flair.

Such a look creates an unapologetic air, a ‘take me or leave me’ attitude that has endured for decades in the East End; it encapsulates the fiercely independent Cockney spirit. This unabashed confidence leads to a desire for bigger, brighter, bolder looks, and Roman Road, with its enduring Cockney culture and fashion market, is at the heart of this style.

Famed for its glamorous women’s fashion, Roman Road Market was the place to be seen. ‘Going down the Roman’ has been a tradition for generations, and, in the knowledge that you would inevitably bump into someone you know, men, women and children would dress up for the occasion. The aisle between the stalls was the people’s catwalk.

While the heyday of dressing up to go ‘down the Roman’ may no longer be a thing, many, it appears, still want to look their best, especially for market days on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

On a typical market day, there seems

T HE S L ICE  2 2

to be an unwritten glam competition.

Women will glow in jewellery, the sun bouncing off their gold and silverware as they stroll between the stalls. This is often complemented by a caramel tan and statement big hair.

And, to accompany this, Gucci loafers, Louis Vuitton purses, Christian Dior handbags… whether they were bought from nearby designer store Zee & Co or were cash-in-hand knock-offs, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it makes heads turn.

So, how would a Roman Road beautician describe the area’s beauty scene? ‘Oh, it’s the bigger the better!’

Sophia Chishty exclaims.

Chishty, 38, is the owner of Glow, on Roman Road Market. She is one of the 26 beauty salons that have settled along the road’s 2.8km stretch. That is almost one beauty shop for every 110 .

Chishty says 70% of her clients are from the East End, with the majority aged between 16 and 35, although she notes older East Enders are beginning to ask for eyelash and eyebrow treatments to achieve a younger look.

The remaining 30% come from further afield, attracted by the Roman Road’s big beauty look. With pride, Chishty tells me that one client even comes from Spain, sometimes as frequently as ‘once a month’, to get her eyebrows done on Roman Road.

Roman Road’s Nuova Beauty Bar owner Francesca Marcantonio, 39,

remarks that ‘East End culture is ‘look at me”. Everyone’s quite “look at me” on this road, aren’t they?’

Like Chishty, Marcantonio says that Roman Road beauty is ‘loud and out there. Brighter, bigger, bolder’.

Hair is also big business on Roman Road. Tony’s Hair Stylist has been trading on Roman Road for over 60 years. Aysha Iqbal, and her husband Riz, from Mile End, took over Tony’s from its previous owner over a decade ago. They are known for elaborate hair designs loved by gypsy brides.

Iqbal’s clients are both East End based or come from Kent and Essex.

She also receives a lot of custom from the nearby Traveller community in Hackney Marshes.

But for Chishty, there is also a deeper reason for the fierce street look that Roman Road is known for; that this outward bravado is, in fact, a form of armour that offers protection from the difficulties faced.

Chishty confesses that ‘we do live in an environment which is quite harsh; Tower Hamlets is one of the poorest boroughs in the UK. So people like to get up in the mornings, put a bit of slap on, do their hair and look good and feel good about themselves.’

She adds with a knowing smile, ‘And sometimes, you have to fake it till you make it.’  Originally published on Romanroadlondon.com

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W OR DS V ICTOR I A M I LLER

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Maria Dickin and the PDSA:

The St Francis of the East End One woman in Whitechapel overcame all odds, including a World War, to found the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a veterinary charity set up to treat animals whose owners can’t afford veterinary fees. The PDSA started operating in 1917 from a clergyman’s cellar and has now treated over 20 million pets.

T

he charity is one of the UK's leading veterinary pet services today with 48 well equipped clinics across the country, helping over 1.7 million families who need financial help to treat their pets.

However, not many people realise that the PDSA was set up by one pioneering woman, Maria Dickin.

Founding a charity during the First World War posed many challenges.

Doing so as a woman with no connections or wealth made it even harder. Undeterred, and powered by an indefatigable belief in animal

T HE S L ICE  2 4

W OR DS G UL I STA N ELIDEM I R

welfare, Dickin overcame these obstacles to help those in need.

A social reformer and animal welfare pioneer, she felt a strong sense of duty towards those who came from underprivileged backgrounds and worked to provide free services for those who couldn’t afford the fees.

A local of the East End, Dickin was born in 1870 in Hackney. She was the eldest of eight children and the daughter of a Wesleyan minister.

Raised on her family’s modest living, this gave her the sense of duty to support her family.

In her memoir, The Cry of the Animal, she recalls the painful

experience of losing her pet, which inspired her to establish the PDSA. ‘The suffering of my own dog became not only symbolic of all the animal misery I was witnessing in our slums, but also of the vaster world of animal pain whose cry nobody seemed to hear.’

Defying social conventions of 1890s Britain, Dickin was not afraid to be a working woman. Before setting up the PDSA, she opened a successful voice production studio in Wimpole Street, Marylebone, but had to give it up after she got married in 1899.

With her knowledge and passion for the social problems of the period,

WHITECHAPEL

P HOTO G R A PHY W IT H K IN D PE R MI S S I O N F RO M PD S A A RC HI V ES

‘Bring your sick animals.

Do not let them suffer.

All animals treated.

All treatment free.’

she became a volunteer in the slums of London, helping women and children who were suffering horrific poverty during World War I. When visiting their homes and streets in the slums, she witnessed the neglect the animals were enduring.

‘I was amazed and horrified to see the sufferings of these animals. In the streets were many dogs and cats walking on three legs, dragging along a broken or injured limb; others nearly blind with mange or covered with sores; nearly all looking dejected and miserable and searching for food in the gutter,’ Dickin recalls in her memoir.

She also explains how the war dominated all funds and public services and how she received criticism for putting her energies into helping animals.

‘I fully recognise that from what might be called a commonsense point of view, no worse time could have been selected to begin any fresh work than the year 1917.’

But the way Dickin saw it, keeping animals was essential for humans, and especially for poor people. Those who were working as greengrocers, fishmongers, hawkers of wood, depended on a donkey or a pony in order to make a living. However, these people on low incomes, who needed animals the most, were also the ones who could not afford to pay for a vet.

Despite the discouragements from those around her, equipped with her compassion to help the less fortunate, she tramped many miles of the East End day after day to find a suitable location for her practice.

Finally, she came upon the kindness of a clergyman whose nature as a fellow animal-lover gave Dickin the opportunity she sought.

She hung a notice outside her thirteen feet square, dark and rundown cellar that read:

Not having any medical experience herself, she was fortunate to secure the services of a well-known animal practitioner to help her.

On its first day of opening, the dispensary attracted only four patients.

However, among these patients, it was the owner of a limping donkey whose astonishment at the PDSA’s genuine free services led to an avalanche of cases. For his daily work he trekked for miles and acted as a publicity agent telling all he met what the PDSA had done for him, emphasising its free charge.

The PDSA’s services turned out to be overwhelmingly in need, with people bringing in their pets even during air raids. This demand led Dickin to upgrade from the cellar to a shop and four rooms in Whitechapel, opposite the People’s Palace on Mile End Road.

By 1921, the PDSA had seven clinics across London, treating 40,000 animals a year. With the goal to travel outside of the capital, the iconic PDSA horse-drawn caravan was transformed into a travelling dispensary, designed to make a tour around Britain and collect animals who needed help.

Further success allowed the PDSA to open their first clinic outside London

in Salford in 1923. Following this, the PDSA Sanatorium was established in Ilford in 1928 allowing Dickin to train more PDSA practitioners.

When World War II broke out, the PDSA was in a position to help the animals falling during the second war.

During the Blitz, PDSA Animal Rescue squads helped over a quarter of a million pets injured or buried in the rubble.

As part of her mission to raise the status of animals in society, Dickin established the PDSA Dickin Medal in 1943, which acknowledged outstanding acts of bravery displayed by animals serving with the Armed Forces or Civil Defence units in any theatre of war, worldwide. It was recognised worldwide as the animals’ Victoria Cross.

The awards still continue to this day, with the Gold Medal established in 2002 and the Order of Merit award established in 2014.

The most recent recipient of the PDSA Dickin Medal was posthumously awarded to a French Navy Commando dog, Leuk, a Belgian Malinois, for his life-saving actions while on duty.

The PDSA continues to grow today.

Alongside treating pets, they are one of the leading authorities on pet health and wellbeing. Their work ranges from educating the public about pet obesity to surveying the state of Britain’s pet nation and raising the status of animals by celebrating their contribution to our lives.

Dickin’s life’s accomplishments for services to animals would take her on to being awarded an OBE in 1929, and raised to a CBE in 1948 before her death on 1 March 1951.

Originally published on Whitechapellondon.co.uk

The PDSA’s horse drawn wagon

T HE SL ICE  25

EAST

The enduring appeal of living in the

END

Butler & Stag on the resilience and post-pandemic recovery of East London’s housing market.

When Tower Hamlets’ housing market dropped by 26% at the start of the pandemic, some wondered if the move to remote working would change the property market forever.

But, in East London at least, property prices have bounced back quickly. We ask what was behind the East End’s recovery and if this property boom is here to stay?

Athos Kleanthous, Branch Manager of Butler & Stag’s Bow office, says that buyers are attracted to the variety of the East End: ‘In East London, we have the financial centres of Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf, the creative hub in and around Hackney and Hackney Wick, and tech businesses previous centred in Shoreditch, are now scattered across a larger area of the East,’ he explains.

Establishing their Bow office in 2015, Butler & Stag has become a familiar feature on our high street, occupying the corner office on Roman Road. In the last seven years they have sold and let thousands of residential and commercial properties all over East London.

According to Kleanthous, East London’s green spaces, and picturesque canals are important pull factors to the neighbourhood, which has attracted significant investment since the construction of Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2012.

‘The Olympic Park was a huge regeneration project transforming a rundown area into a usable space,’ says Kleanthous: ‘Since then, the surrounding areas, Fish Island and Hackney Wick, where there was even more wasteland, has now become a city within a city attracting a whole heap of new investments.’

The past seven years, since Butler & Stag arrived on Roman Road, have been anything but predictable for local businesses, not least the real estate industry. Brexit and Covid presented unprecedented changes for the property market, seeing Europeans and lockdown-weary Londoners leave the country’s capital.

The sector has since picked up and there has been no shortage of buyers and tenants to fill the void of people moving out of the city. In fact, last year Butler & Stag reported a 59% rise of people looking to buy in the capital,

T HE S L ICE  2 6

as well as a 40% rise in new properties coming to the market.

According to Kleanthous there has also been a flood of restaurants and bars to East London in recent years, as well as a big growth in the creative and tech industries. ‘It’s a cool place to live, being unique, cosmopolitan and vibrant compared to other parts of London,’ he explains.

Reacting to unforeseeable changes in the marketplace in recent years has forced Butler & Stag to be proactive and resilient. When they opened as a London agency in 2012 their vision was to grow the brand from East to West London. But shortly after the opening of their second office in Bow in 2015 the London market began to slow down, and the company decided to expand eastward, opening branches in Theydon Bois and more recently in Chingford.

‘We noticed a trend over the last 20 years of people migrating from East London to Essex. It’s a natural progression for families who want to be close to London while feeling like they're in the countryside, and that part of Essex gives them that,’ Kleanthous explains: ‘A lot of people say that Essex is the new East London.’

With the robust recovery of Tower Hamlets’ property market since the pandemic, business has never been so good for Kleanthous and his team, and it’s clear this is down to their experience and expertise in the sector.

According to Butler & Stag, staging

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your property prior to selling is one of the best investments you can make and can add up to 10% to the value of your house. ‘We advise our customers on styling and finishing their house before putting it on the market,’ says Kleanthous. ‘Presentation is everything and it’s really important to showcase your property so it stands out,’ he explains: ‘It’s very off-putting if someone walks into a property and there’s clutter or it doesn’t smell nice, it really alters the perception of the property.’

A strong sense of community is also important to Butler & Stag, which helps them better understand the local market and offer a more personal service to customers in the area. Put simply, they like to give back!

As well as sponsoring St. Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, they also support Chisenhale Primary School, putting on fundraising events with stalls and

games for the children. A particular favourite was their Guy Fawkes event last November, with a fireworks display that was the talk of the playground the following day.

Guided by a desire to improve the local surroundings and put their clients’ best interest before the fee, the employees at Butler & Stag are working hard to change any negative perceptions about estate agents. By investing heavily in staff training they have built an enjoyable working environment and a strong office camaraderie, which in turn enhances their customer service.

Whilst offering the qualities of a traditional estate agency brand, Butler & Stag has their ear to the ground when it comes to current trends and priorities of the community.

They are proud to be an environmentally friendly company too, with a commitment not to bombard their customers with junk mail through the letterbox. You might have even seen some of Butler & Stag’s staff cycling or using the electric scooter to get to property viewings. If you do, be sure to give them a wave. 

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together; that’s such a massive thing for me because, a lot of times, people don’t know anything about Ukrainian culture.

Over the years, I’ve learned to perfect the most famous Ukrainian dish, borscht. My grandma has a really good recipe that I’ve used over the years, and I remember the first time I cooked it was when I was really homesick at uni.

If I have friends coming to stay for the weekend, I Tell us about your will always make childhood best a big big big pile friend? of borscht. It’s a My childhood beautiful red colour best friend was this topped with dill. Dill girl when I moved is a very big part of to Prague. She’s our cooking. I love Estonian, her name dill, that’s the smell is Kaisa. We ended of home to me. If I up friends because could summarise of our shared love one thing that just for the Spice Girls. brings me back to She would be Sporty Hackney Wick resident Veronica Morozova on Ukraine, it’s the Spice and I would be her early life in Kyiv and Prague, Ukrainian smell of dill.

Baby Spice. We were What does the cuisines and her love of the East End. just such huge fans, East End mean to and we’d listen to CDs you? and dance around Pleasantly chaotic. the living room, she To me, the East End is the epitome of in Adidas tracksuits and me in a baby invasion of Ukraine? city life. Its people are unashamedly blue crop top, really cringe.

The fact that my mum’s Russian themselves, you know, like, ‘this is us, We loved our music; besides Spice and I speak Russian, it just felt really take it or leave it’, which is why I like it Girls, we exchanged Britpop CDs, like confusing but it’s forced me to think here.

Blur or Oasis. about my values. Ukraine is defending There’s a confidence in that, the What cultural habits and rituals its right to be a democracy and choose attitude of ‘we’re not gonna change for traditions have you retained? its own fate. I can’t not stand for anyone’. Although obviously, there is Ukrainian culture was so enmeshed sovereignty and democracy versus an gentrification and stuff inevitably does in the Soviet Union so I’m doing a lot of authoritarian regime. change, but I do think people, mostly, relearning about Ukraine’s history and Russia was always dominant and try to preserve that uniqueness of it as literature. But I feel conflicted because so it was easier to tell people, ‘Yeah, much as they can.

I don’t want to abandon my mum’s I’m half Russian’, so they would I see a direct line with being Russian side. understand my heritage. Whereas Ukrainian.

We really want to preserve I love wearing a vyshyvanka, which now, if I say I’m Ukrainian, people our Ukrainian-ness, and we’re fighting is a Ukrainian national embroidered have a really good idea of who we are to be ourselves and we don’t want to top. I wear it at special times of the and what we stand for. I’m not going be taken over by anyone, we want year, like New Year. There’s even a to be embarrassed about the fact that to decide our path, and we’re also Vyshyvanka Day which is celebrated my mum is a native Russian or that unashamedly Ukrainian. I really value on the third Thursday of May, that’s I’m a Russian speaker. But I definitely those traits. People are just like, ‘We’re how important our national dress is. I want to amp up my Ukrainian side Ukrainian. You’re not going to tell us bought mine in Kyiv six years ago, and because, finally, I’m proud so proud to what to do.’ So, I think there’s a parallel it’s just really beautiful. Every time I be Ukrainian. there with the East End as well, you wear it, everyone’s like, ‘Where’d you What is the best way to bridge know, and we’re gonna try as much as get it?’ cultural divides? we can to just be who we are.  How do you feel about the Russian Food can really bring people  Wearing her Ukrainian vyshyvanka.

yiv-born Veronica Morozova, 32, lives in Hackney Wick with her six-yearold son, Lucian.

Morozova moved to London in 2008 to study media at Goldsmiths University of London, and is now a freelance copywriter and journalist.

Half-Russian and half-Ukrainian she speaks to us about early life in Eastern Europe, Borscht, and the East End.

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