Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6

+ Chris Ezekiel on the power of the human and the NHS Page 12

Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

inside issue 19

The Fudge Patch - Yifang - Igor Mitoraj The Krios Of Sierra Leone - Bonnie MacBird Third Space - Balfron Tower - Husk Brewing Air And Grace - The Grapes - Timber Lodge The Stage - Bird - Puzzles

how Samantha Yap is helping tech firms to tell their stories

message Innovation – Pages 12-13

unblocking the

celebrating the best of Canary Wharf, Docklands and the new east London people - events - treasure - property - nonsense

Image by James Perrin – find more of his work at jamesperrin.com or via @millerjamesperrin on Insta

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read

fortnightly find

this issue’s Tiger Treasure

14 days later

plan your life from Nov 6-Oct 23 where? Museum Of London Docklands West India Quay EVENT | HerStories Aimed at “disrupting the narrative on black women in London”, this symposium features Adeyemi Michael, Belinda Zhawi and Know Your Roots. Nov 9, noon-4pm, £3, museumoflondon.org.uk

feast your eyes on these

After purchasing this delightful ceramic vessel, there’s absolutely no reason not to introduce a lengthy tea ceremony into your daily office routine. For best results and maximum work avoidance, start at around 4pm with a 15-20 minute “selection of the bags” phase followed by a 30-minute discussion about appropriate water temperature. Pour, eventually Tea Pot, £10 Go to uk.flyingtiger.com

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Bird’s epic Original Waffle Burger

Celebrating the Krios of Sierra Leone at Museum Of London Docklands

where? East Wintergarden Canary Wharf

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SPORT | Canary Wharf Rowathon Team and individual challenges will run during the day in aid of Hope And Homes For Children. Sign up now, get fundraising and train away. Nov 7, from 11am, £20-£100, canarywharf.com

Yifang serves up bubble and fruit teas alongside coffee

where? Boisdale Of Canary Wharf Cabot Place

taste test

COMEDY | Rory Bremner This isn’t deja vu or a misprint. Following a sell-out gig on October 14, the impressionist and comic is back on the Wharf for more topical gags. Nov 14, 7pm, from £20 (no dinner), boisdale.co.uk

to do on November 6 or before

Whether it’s tots of grog or delicious sips of spiced, dark spirit, Museum Of London Docklands’ After Hours Tour And Rum Tasting on November 6 at 6.30pm is a different way to see the galleries for £32 including a cocktail museumoflondon.org.uk

The Original Waffle Burger, Bird, Wharf Kitchen, £12 In case everybody hasn’t heard about the Bird, it’s one of the many street food kiosks to be found at Wharf Kitchen in Jubilee Place. It’s also home to the Wharf dish most likely to grace whatever remake of Man Vs Food appears on our screens next, namely The Original Waffle Burger. This £12 behemoth sees two huge pieces of buttermilk-fried chicken, draped in American cheese, bacon (although this is optional), BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, hot sauce and maple syrup, sandwiched between two freshly griddled waffles. It’s the kind of lunch where you can hear your arteries clogging as you

speak the words to the operative at the till. Obviously, at £12, it’s far too much for a single stomach and is clearly priced for two to share. But that’s no reason not to accept the challenge. And God is it good. The juicy flesh of the bird encased in an almost magical, crisp casing, the sweetness of the syrup and the unforgiving punch of the hot sauce. The waffles are surprisingly competent in the role of burger bun, although I’d be lying if I said the last few mouthfuls weren’t a struggle. Best eaten after a fast day or two. Go to birdrestaurants.com Jon Massey

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Editorial email stories@wharf-life.com call 07765 076 300

we want to hear from you

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Discover the art of Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj at One Canada Square

the joy of six Every fortnight Wharf Life covers six areas surrounding Canary Wharf to bring you the best of what’s going on beyond the estate From Page 41

need something fixed?

Visit Michal Rovner’s Transitions in Crossrail Place and zone out canarywharf.com

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Our editorial team works hard to ensure all information printed in Wharf Life is truthful and accurate. Should you spot any errors that slip through the net or wish to raise any issues about the content of the publication, please get in touch and we will investigate.

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Canary Wharf

on the radar

doing the deals

get more for less in and around the Wharf

need to know

4440

Open at last, Awakn in Jubilee Place promises to guide users through its seven pillars to elevate their minds and bodies through a selection of fitness classes including Gladiator and The Triple. Single sessions are priced at £22 awakn.co.uk

48 It’s early yet, but before your festive season fills up, place December 10 in your diary for the annual Canary Wharf Carols And Candles Service at East Wintergarden. Doors 5.30pm, tickets £2 and all proceeds go to charity. Oh come ye... canarywharf.com

In a bid to get Wharfers hooked Sweat By BXR is offering four boxing and sweatbox classes for £40 to be used within a month of the date of your first class sweatbybxr.com

42

Husk looks for cash to realise its Taproom dreams in Royal Docks

Why Bonnie MacBird chose the Isle Of Dogs as a location in her novel

£6 44

How Claire Burrows created footwear brand Air And Grace in a bid to answer the needs of women and went on to sell 25,000 pairs a year from her Bermondsey-based firm

Visit Spier’s Salads in Reuters Plaza and get a hot bourgignon pie (meat or veggie) with your choice of two salads on the side for a mere £6 spierssalads.com

presents...

Come and join Sipsmith at The Gun to try some hot ginny tipples inspired by the Thames Frost Fair's of London's past. Here you'll be able to enjoy some classic winter warmers in the comfort of our traditional riverside 17th century marquee. We look forward to seeing you soon, and please get in touch for any enquiries about booking this space for your festive parties.

LAUNCH PARTY Friday 8th November 2019 Free entry 27 Coldharbour, London, E14 9NS gun.events@fullers.co.uk | 0207 519 0075

www.thegundocklands.com

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legal matters

by Kirsty Tufrey

Q

Months Jon spent trying the facilities at Third Space

What might happen to EU nationals in the UK in the event of Britain crashing out of Europe without a deal?

show your working out

what it’s like to become a member at Canary Wharf’s Third Space

How our assorted box of 12 doughnuts looked after it arrived (pretty While not earlyit’s in the always quite morning in this quiet, ata dedicated tending Third company van) Space offpeak is ideal for those keen to explore its extensive facilities

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Kirsty Tufrey is a solicitor at Kidd Rapinet LLP based at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs with extensive experience of immigration matters Go to kiddrapinet.co.uk or follow @KiddRapinetLLP on Twitter or @kiddrapinet on Instagram

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training wheels

ith Brexit still very much up in the air, as the present deadline (at the time of writing) of October 31 approaches, a burning question on the minds of many is what will happen to EU and EEA nationals, along with their family members, in the event of a no deal, whether that’s at the end of the month, the end of a transition period, or after an extension to the process granted by the other member countries? There is little long term clarity but if the Government is unable seal a deal for the UK, it appears in principle those already in the UK before the cut-off point will be treated differently to those arriving after. The EU Settlement Scheme is open to those in the UK now and, under current conditions, those who will arrive before October 31. For these individuals, an application is required under the scheme before the end of 2020. The proposed position for post exit day arrivers would be somewhat different with a no deal situaGiven the lack of tion. They would still be entitled to enter certainty for the future and remain in the UK, taking active steps to however, under the current rules, the EU seek advice and make Settlement Scheme the relevant application would not apply to these individuals and if is advisable they wished to remain Kirsty Tufrey, Kidd Rapinet in the UK for more than a year they would need, before then, to make an application under a temporary system known as European Temporary Leave To Remain (Euro TLR), which would only afford successful applicants the right to remain for a fixed period of three years. What happens after that is still, at this point, uncertain. It seems that, although it is unlikely to be implemented right away, employers and landlords may need to eventually find a way to distinguish between those relevant individuals who arrived in the UK before exit day and those that subsequently arrived and it is perhaps sensible to consider now any evidence which should be retained, to prepare for what might be to come. Given the lack of certainty for the future, for the EU nationals and family members, regardless of ultimate result of the negotiations, taking active steps to seek advice and make the relevant application is advisable.

y three-month trial period at Third Space in Canada Square came to an end on October 17. Having set out with the aim of attending every day, out of a possible 92 sessions, I managed 82, splitting my time between the two fitness programmes given to me by the club’s trainers, attending classes, swimming and cardiovascular exercise on the treadmill or cross trainer. I’ve swum in the region of 23,000m, discovered Yoga – settling on a preference for Vinyasa for its challenging sequence of ever-changing positions – and completed 48 gruelling sets in Third Space’s Lift class on Saturday mornings. So what have I learnt and what effect has working out had on my body? In the interests of science and, frankly, because I’m too lazy to make too many alterations to my existence I resolved early on not to change my lifestyle other than the increase in exercise. My outgoing health snapshot taken on the club’s InBody machine on my final day reveals I’ve lost around 3kg in weight, the percentage of my body that’s made up of fat has dropped by just over 3% and, crucially, the fat clustered around my organs has fallen by 9%. Away from the number crunching, I feel fitter than I’ve been in years, possibly than I’ve ever been. I feel as though I have more energy and, judging by my clothes, my body has

clearly changed shape. My shoulders are larger and my paunch noticeably less present. I’m also able to touch the floor beyond my toes bending over and strengthening work to my arms and upper body and calves has seemingly removed a couple of niggling pains. While progress is steady rather than breakneck, it’s a satisfying transformation with the only negative consequence being a total addiction to Natural Fitness Food’s protein shakes as a post-workout treat. Alternating intense and easier sessions has helped keep the workload manageable and I still feel like I’m scratching the surface in terms of the facilities on offer. More importantly, doing this level of exercise has also had a positive psychological impact. In addition to the sense of triumph felt after completing a tricky class and actually managing all the reps suggested, the power of Yoga to relax and clear one’s mind is extraordinary. If I were a large company in Canary Wharf I would be thinking about the productivity benefits offering my staff the time and flexibility to exercise with comparable regularity might yield. Having now joined, assuming I maintain the workrate, membership works out at about £6.20 per session. And that’s before you even take the savings on shower gel into account. Go to thirdspace.london Jon Massey

Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

buy me

bucket list

this fortnight’s must-have item

write me

words you didn’t know you need

traim

verb, fictional, Anglo Saxon To distress or cause inconvenience to someone travelling on the railway through inflexibility of ticketing rules or by the cancellation of a service at the last minute, as they attempt to make a crucial journey

With discounts of up to 30%, get the Wharf’s free to visit Winter Fashion Event booked in ● Bargain List Get ahead of the bargain hunters by making sure Canary Wharf’s Winter Fashion Event is lodged snugly in your diaries. Three days of discounts will descent from November 29-December 1 with reductions of up to 30%, a host of special offers, pop-up lounges, giveaways and fashion shows. Participants include The Kooples, Maje, Sandro, Reiss and more canarywharf.com

● Beats List See singer Alexander O’Neal play a set of his hits to satisfy even the most ardent of fans on November 20, 21 and 22. Expect plenty of Hearsay and tracks from his four decades performing across the world boisdale.co.uk

● Biz List Pop down to the Community Gallery in Canada Place and find out how Ravensbourne University has been supporting the work of startups through its incubation programme. Runs until November 12 and is free to view canarywharf.com

read me

a classic to take the edge off your day The Master And Margarita, £7.99 Waterstones, Cabot Place Not an ill-conceived Doctor Who episode where an evil time lord opens a cocktail bar only serving tequila-based drinks and cheese and tomato pizzas due to a spelling error, but Mikhail Bulgakov’s sinister tale of the devil coming to Moscow in a sharp suit. Expect an unlikely cast of writers, biblical figures, a long fellow and a gun-toting cat in this extraordinary work first published in 1966, 26 years after the writer’s death. waterstones.com

Webbing Holdall in grey, £99 Ted Baker, Canada Place You can fit a lot of Ted Baker clothes in this bag or whatever swag you desire really. Everything about it says calm, controlled, organised. Obviously this is you

octothorpe noun, real, modern English

Quite how hashtag became the preferred noun for a # symbol, we will never know, but back in the 1970s people were apparently referring to them as octothorpes. This probably delayed the internet taking off for about a decade #omg

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

by Jon Massey

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curating the tale of the

2016, returning in 2018 to present it to the board who “knew a good thing” when they saw it and decided to give it space for a year in its Sugar And Slavery gallery. The museum’s higher education programme manager Melissa Bennett together with Iyamide who founded The Krios Dot Com, have created a display examining the dress, architecture, language, lifestyle and tradition of the Krio people. “They are the descendants of various African-Americans, Caribbean people and Africans, who were previously enslaved, that the British resettled in Sierra Leone from 1787,” said Iyamide. “They were also black Nova Scotians who had fought in the revolutionary war and, because the British lost that war, they had to repatriate people, otherwise they would face re-enslavement. So a lot of black loyalists were sent here. “The second wave was in 1792 and they actually founded Freetown, which is the capital of Sierra Leone, and the name speaks for itself.” The first attempt to establish a colony in Africa was the work of the Committee For The Relief Of The Black Poor, tasked with

krios

how Museum Of London Docklands is exploring Sierra Leone’s links to east London and the wider world e want the next generation to know about it – let people learn something that isn’t ebola or civil war,” said Iyamide Thomas. “This exhibition has always been a goal of mine. I’m from Sierra Leone and I’ve always thought that it was important to showcase that country’s history and its links to Britain.” The Lewisham resident, chemist and history enthusiast first pitched the idea of a display exploring the largely untold history of Sierra Leone’s Krio people to the Museum Of London Docklands in

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Download our FREE guide to MAKING A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY (LPA) Book a consultation with Gemma Hughes today on 020 7205 2896 or email ghughes@kiddrapinet.co.uk

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Months The Krios Of Sierra Leone will be in place at the museum

resettling 1,000 impoverished Londoners with black ancestry, especially those living in the East End. Only about 400 people took up the offer, however, with scepticism about its motives rife and after departing from Deptford, things took a negative turn. “The first group were not received so well,” said Melissa. “So the British abolitionists who had decided to resettle them made an agreement with the Temne king, but his son did not honour it and a lot of them ended up settling in other places. Some of them settled in the former slave fortress, because it had the security to protect them. “Making the journey was a last resort for a lot of them. Many were homeless, living on the streets and had come to London after fighting in the American War of Independence.” The first colony failed with Granville Town, its main settlement, ransacked by the Temne who took some of the Black Poor into slavery. When the British returned they found only about 64

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In the end there was a high level of tolerance. There were quarrels – don’t get me wrong – but overall it worked Iyamide Thomas, The Krios Dot Com

original residents still living in the area. The next wave of settlers in 1792 had more success however, with the Sierra Leone Company relocating black loyalists from Nova Scotia, who had earned their freedom by fighting for the British against the Americans. “In Nova Scotia, they were treated badly,” said Iyamide. “It was cold, so they thought: ‘Let’s go somewhere warm’.” Melissa added: “This was much more successful, because there were more people who had been resettled. They were very good at house-building – and they were more resilient.” Adding further to the Krio mix, around 600 Jamaican Maroons arrived in 1800 having been deported first to Nova Scotia from Trelawney Town. They were joined in Sierra Leone by groups of liberated slaves, freed by the Royal Navy enforcing the abolition of the international slave trade in 1808. Through intermarriage, the result was a culture that fused Christianity with African and western tradition. Melissa said: “It was quite a struggle initially, but some Krios were able to be very successful, and a lot of them were able, by working together, to accumulate property, become quite successful merchants, and even challenge the white British merchants who dominated that area before.” Iyamide said: “It was a mix. The villages all had British names, like Gloucester, Sussex, Leicester and Glasgow. Victoria Park, in the centre of Freetown, was named after Queen Victoria after her jubilee celebration. “People sometimes forget that some of the liberated Africans,

Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

Iyamide Thomas, left and Meilssa Bennett, stand beside a traditional Krio dress

who were on board the slave ships were actually indigenous to Sierra Leone, but when they went back, they were mixed into that soup. There were struggles – some thought they were better than others. People from the same ethnic group quarrelled, never mind the mix. “But in the end there was a high level of tolerance. There were quarrels – don’t get me wrong – issues that were stirred up by the British, for example, but overall it worked. Now the Krios are doctors and lawyers – they also went into commerce, although not really into politics.” The exhibition reveals the Krios were also ahead of the curve socially. “ t was the first place where women voted, even before the UK,” said Iyamide. Melissa added: “Education was also important. The first girls school was established in Sierra Leone in 1849.” “They’d established a boys’ school, beforehand,” said Iyamide. “But they found that they needed to educate the women.” The first Anglican bishop in Western Africa Samuel A ayi Crowther – was also Krio, ordained in . Another notable

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descendant is actor Idris Elba, whose father was from Sierra Leone. Melissa said: “We’ve had really, really good feedback on the exhibition. “There’s a real sense of pride in the museum and the celebrations. One of my colleagues’ mum is Krio and she told me that her mum was so overwhelmed by the fact that this was even happening and was quite emotional about it. “There’s been quite a lot of people who have felt that way. At the launch we had lots of people coming in traditional dress, with lots who had never worn it before,

An image showing the interior of a girls school in Sierra Leone from the museum’s own collection

but had bought it ust for the launch to represent their culture. “I think Wharfers should come and see it as the display is very grounded in this area and it’s good to know about the place you’re working in and its connections to the wider world and the people you’re living with. I was surprised by how much we actually had in the Museum related to Sierra Leone, because we certainly weren t struggling to find stuff. You can do it in a lunch hour.” Iyamide added: “It may be that you’re working with someone who is Krio. “If you’re among people whose culture is being celebrated, don’t you think that you should go and see it? “How people deal with the legacy of slavery is complex, but people from Sierra Leone and the Krios, rather than let it consume them, overcame it and got on with things. “I’m glad we are having this exhibition – it’s a wonderful thing for the museum to help me.” The Krios Of Sierra Leone will be on display at the museum until September 27, 2020. Entry is free. A series of events is planned during the year to celebrate the Krios, centered on the exhibition.

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

sliced fruit and an ambition to tackle plastic – what’s not to like about newly arrived YiFang?

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Stores YiFang currently operates in London with more planned for the UK

by Jon Massey

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ou wait for ages for a Taiwanese beverage company, then two come along at once. It’s been a matter of weeks since T4 opened its bubble tea outlet in Crossrail Place with the store now attracting a steady line of tapioca enthusiasts. So it’s probably a fair bet YiFang, which recently launched in Jubilee Place – nestled between jeweller David M Robinson and Reiss – can expect a similarly enthusiastic welcome. Although the newcomer serves bubble tea, it’s a business with a different emphasis to T . i ang is all about fresh fruit. I sat down with the company’s head of brand strategy, Chris Yang, to talk infusions and history. “YiFang today is one of the few brands that only uses fresh fruit,” she said. “The story came from the founder’s great grandmother. “They were farmers in Taiwan and they always had left-over pineapples, ready to ripen or having ripened too early. “It’s really a story of innovation. Instead of having all those pineapples sitting there wasted, she decided to make jam and added it to cold tea as a drink. “I guess the tea, having a bit of caffeine and sweetness in it, was very good for her husband working in the field on a very hot summer day. “So that’s how it all started, and the recipe was passed on in the family for ages, and the founder’s heart is obviously there. “That’s why, instead of calling it bubble tea, we call it fruit tea and that’s how the brand started in Taiwan in 2016.” Canary Wharf is the company’s sixth store in London with branches set to open in Bloomsbury and Oxford in the coming weeks. Internationally it operates in Canada, the USA, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and China. Its outlet on the estate includes both a small seating area – unusual for bubble tea chains and a coffee station for those who prefer hot brown caffeine in the morning. Chris said: “Customers can expect very good tea. A lot of fruit tea back home would be like hot

fresh something

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Canary Wharf

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Here you can actually taste the tea and that’s quite interesting because it cuts through all the sweetness and has a really nice balance Chris Yang, YiFang

uice you can t really taste the tea, ust a lot of uices. “ ere you can actually taste the tea, and that s uite interesting because it cuts through all the sweetness and has a really nice balance, which is what like about the fruit tea. “What they can also e pect is the ud ip, which is our best selling item. t s the fruit with brown sugar and tapioca pearls. “ very day, each store, depending on its opening time, will brew its own ud ip ingredients for the drink. The pearls are dried, so they need to cook them with the brown sugar. “ t can be a bit confusing because different stores may have different times for the ud ip. “Because it s our best selling item, get messages every day on nstagram about when the best time is. or anary Wharf, it

should be available after noon. t s really cra y but people will wait for it. ne person on nstagram said she waited for minutes for ud ip in hinatown. “ think a really good product can convince people that they should sacrifice their time. “With the fruit tea we basically have apple, pineapple and passion fruit. All of these are cut fresh every day. “As for the coffee, think the company feels it s a good accompaniment to the tea. t s a culture thing, isn t it “ n the morning people might want a hot coffee instead of a cold drink and, perhaps, a pastry. “ ou can grab a tea in the morning, if you re up to it but

a lot of people maybe feel that a coffee would be better at that time. We are trying to accommodate different consumers and their needs. “ et s be honest this is anary Wharf, so maybe everybody needs a coffee, or two. Also on hris mind is the brand s image in terms of sustainability. ruit and bubble teas are plastic heavy at present with big straws, plastic cups and film lids thermo sealed onto them. “ ur most liked photo on nstagram is of a glass tumbler, and that says a lot, she said. “ ve said to my , this is what people want, so we need to change it. We have a big shipment Continued on Page 10

SHAPING CANARY WHARF I NORTH QUAY

Public Exhibition North Quay, Canary Wharf Canary Wharf Group is preparing new proposals for the development of North Quay, part of the Canary Wharf estate. We would like to invite you to a public exhibition to see some of our emerging ideas for the site. Please come along and have your say. Date, Time & Location

Tuesday 5 November, 3pm – 7pm London Marriott Canary Wharf Hotel, 22 Hertsmere Road E14 4ED Thursday 7 November 3pm – 7pm Idea Store Canary Wharf, Churchill Place E14 5RB

Nestled between jeweller David M Robinson and Reiss in Jubilee Place, YiFang serves up fruit tea, bubble tea and coffee at its new store

Saturday 9 November, 10am – 2pm St Matthias Community Centre, 113 Poplar High Street E14 0AE If you can’t make it to our exhibition, you will be able to view the information on our website after the events at: group.canarywharf.com/planning/north-quay/consultation

Contact Us For further information or if you have any questions please contact consultation@canarywharf.com

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Canary Wharf

from Page 9 of glass tumblers coming. They’re at sea now and should be arriving within two months. “Paper straws are coming as well, and everything is ready, also our paper cups. What we are trying to do is reduce the plastic as much as possible. I believe that, as from April next year, nobody will be allowed to use these things because of the policy change, so that will come to an end. We’re changing small things and this is a good way to start, but it will take time. “This is a good change here, and I’m really proud that this country is doing that. It can be harder in Asia, back home, because people’s awareness levels are not that high. “People can bring their own cups although there are some details which we have to overcome. “For example, if you bring a cup that is too small, then the ratio of tea to fruit can be di cult to gauge, so bring a big cup. We will give you a discount for doing it as well.” Chris said the current rise in popularity of Taiwanese beverages was an extension of their popularity in Asia. “Every time I go back, I see new brands and it’s crazy,” she said. “You can go to a high street and you can see four different stores opening beside each other – how do you choose? “The competition is tough and I think that shoppers and consumers are not easy to satisfy, so if you have just one brand of drinks they won’t want to try something else, and that gives rise to competition. “I guess, here in the UK you have all these students coming in and they’re no strangers to these products, so it gives companies confidence to develop more brands here. There are now maybe different bubble tea firms and we re hoping that, in Canary Wharf, because you have so many o ces around here, we can get people hooked on it, so that they can come every day.” Teas at YiFang typically cost under with its agship fruit tea (including pineappple jam) priced £4.55 in regular. Teas start at £2.95. Go to yifangtea.co.uk for more information

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We’re hoping that, in Canary Wharf, because there are so many offices here, we can get people hooked so that they can come every day Chris Yang, YiFang

Chris says students familiar with fruit and bubble teas give companies confidence to open stores in the UK

Images by Matt Grayson – find his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

mall stop

see the Rangoli artwork

After grabbing a fruit tea, why not head along into Jubilee Place and see the Rangoli, created by Leicester Belgrave Mela Arts from coloured powders in celebration of Diwali. Traditionally intended to encourage the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity – Lakshmi – to enter a home, the work will be in place until October 27

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virtual viewpoint

decrypt

by Chris Ezekiel

on a mission to

by James Drury

Josephine Ezekiel with staff at The Royal London Hospital following her operation

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unning a software company that combines artificial intelligence and humans to automate customer service for some of the world’s largest organisations like HSBC and BT, I often wonder what roles computers and robots will play in the future. I was recently at a conference where the presenter quoted a survey that found people were more trusting of robots performing surgery than cutting a person’s hair. I think that says a lot about how we value our appearance compared to our wellbeing. There’s no doubt computers and robots will automate more and more jobs. But I don’t buy into the view that AI will take over the world and destroy us. My mum recently spent some time in hospital, and I always find it a humbling experience to see the dedicated doctors and nurses working so hard to look after our loved ones. Medicine, like the rest of society, is in the The combination midst of a scientific and technological of humans and revolution. Operations like knee replacements machines working have become quite seamlessly together routine. Gene therapy, for example, is revoluwill drive the future tionising medicine. of healthcare The NHS is investing in 90-tonne machines Chris Ezekiel, Creative Virtual called cyclotrons that deliver proton beam therapy, which is a form of radiotherapy that destroys cancer cells with pinpoint accuracy. With all this technology, though, we must not forget about the importance of the human element – just like customer service, the combination of humans and machines working seamlessly together will drive the future of healthcare. To all the incredibly dedicated staff on ward 10F at the Royal London Hospital and the surgical team, I want to say a big public thank you for your amazing work in looking after my mum in such a caring way. Our NHS is truly the best in the world.

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Chris Ezekiel is founder and CEO of customer engagement solutions specialist Creative Virtual based at Cannon Workshops on West India Quay Go to creativevirtual.com or follow @creativevirtual and @chrisezekiel on Twitter

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onfused by cryptocurrency? Bamboozled by blockchain? You’re not alone – but a Canary Wharf-based PR company is planning to change that. YAP Global works on projects in these two buzzy – if occasionally mysterious – areas, led by founder Samantha Yap. She says her goal is not only to generate quality media coverage for her clients, but also to help educate people more widely about the benefits of blockchain. “Journalists are on the front line trying to get information out there about these sectors,” she said. “We see ourselves as a bridge between quality journalism and startups.” With its stories of overnight millionaires and market volatility, Bitcoin remains the most talkedabout cryptocurrency. The gains that were made by some speculators spawned considerable interest in other formats from speculative investors looking to make a quick buck, and there are numerous trading platforms. However, high volatility means the markets can be susceptible to significant movement on rumours or misinformation. “There can be a lot of rubbish out there,” said Samantha. “We want to act as a filter, to help the media tune out the noise. “We see ourselves as a resource for journalists as well as our clients. Reporters feel they can come to us regardless of whether it’s to do with companies we work with or not, because for us it’s about ensuring there is a reliable source of information there.” With public understanding limited, general sentiment about blockchain and crypto tends to be pegged to the price of Bitcoin. When Bitcoin goes up, the newspapers and TV channels start paying attention, reporting on stories of sudden riches. Then, when it drops by 20% there are front page stories speculating about whether the bubble has burst. “The thing is that when it dropped 20%, Bitcoin was up by 1,000% so it’s proportionally not

very significant, said Samantha, citing this as an example of why being better informed will help greater understanding of these technologies. A former journalist for Singapore-based Channel News Asia, Yap’s passion for blockchain and cryptocurrency was born when she moved home to Melbourne, Australia, and took a job in PR. Her interest was so great, she went as far as setting up her own cryptocurrency, Yapcoin. “It had no value,” she said. “But it was fun to launch, and I became obsessed with the sector.” A move to London in 2017 with her husband saw Yap applying for a few jobs, but she found the PR portfolios too broad. “I wanted to focus on my passions fintech and crypto, she said. So, in what will be a familiar story for many entrepreneurs, fate took a hand in what happened next – a number of startups contacted her on LinkedIn, looking for communications support. She quickly developed a roster of clients in her favourite sectors. “Back in 2017 there weren’t many journalists covering crypto,” she said. “Even Bloomberg covered it as part of a wider tech beat, while financial news publications were only doing one or two stories. It meant I could build relationships with the handful of reporters that were covering it. “Then Bitcoin hit $20,000 and the world suddenly started paying attention to crypto.”

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AP Global was born. Two years on, Samantha has two full-time employees and aims to expand the team to six by the end of the year. The firm is based at anary Wharf s tech accelerator, Level 39, and has clients including Ethereum wallet interface, MyEtherWallet, open-source privacy coin ZCoin; and blockchain-based health data tokenisation platform, HIT Foundation. “I bring my journalism background to the PR world,” said Samantha. “We help emerging tech companies communicate. “Because it is so technical, often there’s a gap between what

startups are doing and their ability to explain it in an easy-to-understand manner. “These are highly intelligent people and they’re so deeply into the technical side of things, but there’s a jargon that needs to be broken down. That’s where we come in. “As a firm we tell stories that build a narrative. And we make sure that when we’re writing a press release, it’s a real news story. “When trying to get media attention, it’s important to remember to give them a story and not just try to sell the product. So when we work with our clients, we think about how a journalist would look at what they’re trying to say.” Proponents say one of the key benefits of blockchain is the fact that it offers complete privacy but also the security of knowing that you re dealing with verified information. Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal and more widespread concerns about companies storing huge amounts of personal information about the way we use the internet, it offers a wide range of applications including money exchange, voting systems, online transactions, games, social networks and more. “The overnight millionaire stories are good for raising awareness of crypto, but I encourage more journalists and people to look beyond that and get more of an understanding of how this technology can be used,” said Samantha. “There are two sides to this world – there’s the speculative side, where people trade cryptocurrencies but there’s also the other side which is blockchain technology and how it’s being applied to supply chain management and traceability – such as in clothing manufacture or in contracts.” One thing is certain. As these technologies mature, more and more companies are beginning to use them. With a proliferation of apps and startups getting off the ground, it won’t be long before all of our lives will be touched by them – so YAP Global’s mission is especially timely. Go to yapglobal.com for more information

Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

13

Innovation

Image by James Perrin – find more of his work at jamesperrin.com or via @millerjamesperrin on Insta

Samantha launched her PR firm YAP Global in 2017 having been sought out by tech companies looking to communicate with the media

wharfsplaining

get up to speed on blockchain and crypto

blockchain

This is a new way of storing information on the internet. The database of information is shared across a network of computers, meaning no one person or organisation can interfere with it or shut it down. Using blockchain, transactions between people are completely secure, plus a record is kept of what happened. Strong computer codes prevent changes being made to records of transactions. Blockchain transactions cut out middlemen, such as banks, or the land registry, which is inspiring tech companies to create new apps using it.

cryptocurrency

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We want to act as a filter, to help the media tune out the noise

Built on blockchain technology, these use cryptography to verify transactions. While they work in a similar way to banking – you log transactions on a ledger, and each person has their own individual identifier – they don’t rely on central institutions and are anonymous. Advocates see them as creating a fairer economy, with money controlled by the people not big organisations. Users get a public key and a private key, both of which are a string of letters and numbers – lose the latter and you lose access to your funds. The best-known are Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin.

Samantha Yap, YAP Global

Proudly supported by

how YAP Global aims to demystify blockchain and cryptocurrency for journalists and the public as the technologies take off

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

Canary Wharf

by Jon Massey

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erhaps without knowing it, the vast majority of Wharfers will be familiar with the works of Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj. Whether its the gigantic severed visage of Testa Addormentata in Bank Street beside the entrance to the West Wintergarden, the armless half-man, half-horse Centauro in Montgomery Square by 640East or the broken face of Centurione I that dominates Columbus Courtyard, his monumental works are some of the most potent and easily recognised of the estate’s extensive collection. Fitting then, that Canary Wharf is hosting an exhibition of photographs of his sculptures at One Canada Square, drawn from the 44 cities that host his work and structured around co-curator Dr Beata Klocek Di Biasio’s monograph The Works Of Igor Mitoraj, A Dialogue Between Art And History. Quoting from his colleague at the collection’s recent launch, co-curator Professor Bohdan ichalski offered some thoughts on the best way to approach the works celebrated. He said: “She wrote: ‘Little do I care what the artist has in mind, I am more grateful to him for moments of contemplation of beauty, which a certain Italian critic called God’s shadow on the Earth’.” The exhibition also has a personal connection to Canary Wharf Group executive chairman Sir George Iacobescu, a personal friend of Mitoraj who died a little over five years ago. At the launch he recalled how the loan of a piece from the sculptor helped secure the deal to bring what was then the Financial Services Authority to Canary Wharf before the estate went on to buy the pieces it owns today. He said: “I’m going to always be partial because we were very good friends and part of my life is linked to him and these sculptures. “I have a house in Italy very close to his and we were friends for 25 years. He was maybe a 10th and a 20th century sculptor. He combines the past and the present.

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He was maybe a 10th and a 20th century sculptor. He combines the past and the present. It’s a beauty that will stay with us forever Sir George Iacobescu, Canary Wharf Group

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Works by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj in Canary Wharf’s permanent collection of art

Testa Addormentata by Igor Mitoraj can be seen in Bank Street in Canary Wharf

earth

god’s shadow on the

Igor Mitoraj’s sculpture is celebrated with a free exhibition in the lobby at One Canada Square

Centauro in Montgomery Square

It’s a beauty that will stay with us forever. “Every time I see his works – I have one in my garden – I think of him and feel he’s with me and my family. “Maybe his works are Roman, maybe Greek or maybe they are about our broken reality and our awed lives. None of his sculptures are full, they are all broken you can see nothing is finished. “I once asked him what it means and he said Nothing, you think about it’.” Presented with the support of The Polish Cultural Institute In London, the exhibition examines a cross section of Mitoraj’s work, which combines antiquity with a postmodern sensibility. Always focused on the human figure, his sculptures feature fractured bodies, missing limbs and incomplete busts, often revealing hollow centres. Born in Germany in 1944 to a Polish mother and a father of Polish extraction serving in the French army, he studied art in Poland and then Paris. Periods in Mexico and France followed before he set up a studio in Pietrasanta in Tuscany. He eventually returned to Poland in 2003. Igor Mitoraj: A Dialogue Between Art And History runs in the lobby of One Canada Square until November and is free to visit. Go to canarywharf.com for more information

Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

39

Creative Space

this space is yours

play the most imaginative game of noughts and crosses you can – no prizes given – share your doodles with @wharflifelive or #keepittoyourself (our preferred option)

WORKING TITLE

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

41

Wapping - Limehouse - Shadwell

free

The price of Monday night entry to Jamboree in Three Colt Street Whiskey Moon Face and Dakota Jim or some mish mash of the two perform at Jamboree

14 days later

plan your life from Nov 6-20 where? Wilton’s Music Hall Wapping

STAGE | Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory return to Wilton’s for this production of the Bard’s classic directed by Elizabeth Freestone. Demons abound. Nov 12-23, times vary, from £12.50, wiltons.org.uk where? Troxy Limehouse

why the seductive charms of Jamboree loom large in Limehouse as live venue delivers on atmosphere by Jon Massey

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n older gentleman waltzes with a female bartender. A couple chat in French. Pizzas from takeaways best left undiscovered are munched. Soaring above it all, the aching vocals of Louisa Jones cry out as she sings to her accordion. This is Jamboree on a Monday evening and it’s quite glorious. Defining the crowd is impossible. Expats mingle with young professionals, alternative types and those with the cut of dedicated musos. Entry is free (although there is a door charge for most nights) and it’s a place with a significant quantity of soul. We’ve all come to listen to Whiskey Moon Face and Dakota Jim, who’ll be back at the venue on October 28. With bass, guitar, accordion and vocals it’s not immediately clear what style they’re going for. There’s a bluesy, folky, gypsy jazz feel, shot through with songs that wouldn’t seem offensive issuing from a French chanteuse. It’s high quality. Louisa’s potent voice is matched by the rapid wrist action of the guitarist and the stately thumping of Jim’s bass. But the main reason to go to Jamboree transcends the performance. It’s a place imbued with so much charm it’s impossible not to be seduced. Whether it’s Muffin The Mule mounted in a tableau, the accordions nailed about the bar or the general dressing of junk that lies all around, the feel is comfortable and unusual – a succession of random objects that together are more than their sum. Backed up by a well-run, well-stocked bar, this place is a must for anyone going out in the area. Go to jamboreevenue.co.uk

COMEDY | Pam Ann Returns Not an airline typo but the air hostess alter-ego of Aussie comedian Caroline Reid promises politically incorrect gags and barbed wit. A delightful flight. Nov 15, 7pm, from £27.50, troxy.co.uk where? Jamboree Three Colt Street

GIG | The Colt Street Four The London Swing Carousel presents regular jazz and blues, this week featuring old-time swing. Live music starts at 8pm. Strictly no dress code Nov 14, 7pm, £5, jamboreevenue.co.uk

to do at the Tower As the yellow and black tiger stripes of the previous bar recede, Jamboree makes merry with nightly live music

Invade the Tower Of London for Wicked Women (running free with entry from Oct 28-Dec 23) and discover all about Elizabeth Barton and Alice Wolfe, weekdays, and Catherine Howard and Jane Boleyn, weekends hrp.org.uk

spot check worth a visit Hire a Moo Canoe from Limehouse Basin and explore London’s waterways moocanoes.com want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

discovering the pivotal role of the Isle Of Dogs in Bonnie MacBird’s latest Holmes caper by Elisabeth Newfield

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anger surrounded author Bonnie MacBird when she visited the Isle of Dogs to research her latest Sherlock Holmes novel. Drowning and sinking played on her mind as she traversed the slippery foreshore and dodged piles of ancient shipbuilding otsam for a pivotal scene in The Devil’s Due. But the perilous journey was nothing compared to the brush with death that inspired her to take up the great detective’s narrative in the first place. “I had cancer and became very ill,” said Bonnie, who had spent 30 years working in Hollywood as an actor, producer and screenwriter, penning, amongst other works, the original script for the 1982 film Tron. She found a lump in her breast shortly after starting a career break and said facing her own mortality forced her to transform. “ m completely fine now but it was a very tough year and I realised, m finite. she said. “That was a wake-up call, a good one in a sense.” Bonnie underwent a “rough” 18 months of treatment but her cancer was subsequently found to be in remission. “When I recovered I had this moment where I realised I had been given my life back,” she said. “I had this freedom to choose what I wanted to do and I realised I wanted to write a novel. “I knew it could take a couple of years and thought about who I wanted to spend the time with. Immediately I knew it was Sherlock Holmes.” The San rancisco native first fell in love with the English detective aged 10. “I read one story and then had to read them all,” said the Stanford graduate. “Even as a little kid I liked the notion that he was smarter than everyone else but he was still kind of an outsider. And not only was that alright, he was thriving. “He also had someone who really understood him and that friendship, even then, spoke to me. I think everyone from time to time will feel excluded but if you have that one friend, that gets you then

that makes life so much nicer. Also, I found them funny. Humour is very high on my list and find the originals hilarious.” Determined to capture the spirit of Sherlock, first created by nglish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in , the alifornian ew , miles to London in 2012. She booked into the Holmes Hotel London “as a lark” but stayed and ended up writing most of her first book Art In The Blood, published in , in a room overlooking Baker Street. “It sounds very romantic but in fact it looked over Chipotle, which is an LA restaurant,” said Bonnie, who describes Sherlock as the world s “first superhero . Book two Unquiet Spirits followed in 2017 but neither novel was set in London so, for her third outing, she decided to focus on the city synonymous with the consulting detective. “This one takes place entirely in the city in 1890,” said the former Hollywood screenwriter, who visited the British Library and Wellcome Collection for research purposes. “There are a series of bizarre murders and very early on it is discovered the victims are part of this secret society. “Holmes and Watson are taken all over the city and through the different spectra of society. They go from glittery Mayfair to dive bars in Spitalfields. “I wanted to make sure they went to the most interesting places in London. I started to read old newspapers and walk around the city to try to pick places that hadn’t really been done before in print. “One of the most exciting ones was the Isle of Dogs and the foreshore there. I hadn’t seen that before and I wanted to go down but not by myself.” Bonnie decided she needed her own Watson, so contacted Elliott Wragg, senior community archaeologist at Museum Of London Archaeology and field o cer for the Thames iscovery rogramme, which has included investigations into a child’s skeleton found at Burrell’s Wharf. The history e pert took her on a tour of the foreshore where shipbuilding ourished in the s, starting at The erry ouse pub, which features in the book. “It was very strange, magical and a little scary,” said Bonnie, who bought her first pair of wellies for the occasion. “It’s hard to walk there. There are two different textures – really vicious sticky mud that sticks to your feet – I asked if there was quicksand there – and the other section of it close to the walls is ust a great mound of stuff remnants of hundreds of years. “There are still pieces of silkwood where they would roll the ships into the water, there are tonnes of iron bits, nails, bolts, just

all kinds of stuff. And mi ed into this are Roman coins, pottery and advertising from the 1970s. “Then there is the tide. ou could easily drown if you’re not paying attention. I could not move quickly because of the footing and we went quite a way in, I didn’t think I could run if I needed to get out uickly. The Thames at the time of Sherlock, around 1889, was so polluted that if you fell in you would get sick and die. So there was a lot of danger in addition to drowning.” Her heart-pounding experience inspired the chapter Into The Mud, the most pivotal and thrilling scene in The Devil’s Due, during which Holmes and Watson brave the mire to investigate the death of a shipping magnate. “It unlocks the rest of the murders,” said Bonnie, who also spoke to Alan Kean, author of Strange And Unusual Tales From The Isle Of Dogs. “ lliott gave me a lot of fine details of what it was like at that time and I think I got the best sequence in the book from that.”

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he hopes her writing conveys the thrill she feels when walking around the city, where she now lives most of the year in a Victorian building round the corner from, you guessed it, Baker Street. Her love for Sherlock has seen her become a member of fan groups the Baker Street Irregulars, The Adventuresses f Sherlock olmes, The ondon Sherlock Holmes Society and the Curious Collectors Of Baker Street. She even visited the set of BBC drama Sherlock when it was filmed there and met stars Benedict Cumberbatch and artin reeman. “I loved that programme, especially the first couple of series, because they were so true to the original and it’s so beautifully cast – those two guys just nailed it,” said Bonnie. “I wasn’t real fond of the Will errell version recently but loved Jeremy Brett in the 1990s – he did a wonderful Sherlock Holmes and I became really good friends with the man who directed the first two or three episodes of that.” The author said she has been

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I wanted to make sure they went to the most interesting places in London. I started to read old newspapers and walk around the city Bonnie Macbird, author

pleasantly surprised at how well people have received her literary homages to the super sleuth, all of which are standalone adventures. “There s a lot of Sherlock out there, she said. “These are a little different in certain ways and they seem to have found an audience. “My aim has been to sound like Conan Doyle and not negate anything in the original writing. “I set out these lines in the sand to emulate the author but make it a novel and develop characters, but only to a point. Holmes will never have a romance in my books, that’s just not his character. He’s not a romantic figure. “And he had to do deductions. One of my pet peeves is people who just recycle Conan Doyle’s deductions because that’s cheating. “Obviously Holmes and Watson have one of literature’s great friendships and that was the first and foremost thing to capture. The relationship between the two men is fun and a nice antidote to the bullshit that is going on in the world today.” Bonnie said she expected criticism from men as a female writer taking on a male character but none materialised. “ eople are people to me and all the characters in my head have equal weight and I can get inside their heads whether they are male, female, heroes, villians, kids or old people,” she said. “My job, as well as my gift as a writer, is to be able to embody the minds and feelings of people very different from me. If all we could write were people like ourselves how boring would that be?” The author, who is already 30,000 words into book four, due out in autumn 2020, and has a contract for a fifth, said her screen writing background made her the perfect match for “stretching out” Sherlock’s short story escapades. “In each of the originals, Conan Doyle presents a case and it’s solved at the end,” said Bonnie whose previous two novels have been translated into 17 languages. “Holmes is the smartest man in the world, right? So if it’s too simple, the book will be done by page . ll have three different plots but I’ve combined them and there’s a little more meat on the bones. Conan Doyle was different from the other writers of his time – he used a lot more dialogue and that made his characters really come alive. “As a former screenwriter that is natural to me – I really can hear the voices in my head. And he used what we call narrative drive, which makes you turn the page.” While she wouldn’t say no to working in Hollywood again, the

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Sherlock Holmes novels published by Bonnie MacBird Bonnie says

her heart-pounding experience on the Island’s foreshore inspired the pivotal scene in her latest novel The Devil’s Due

Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

43

Isle Of Dogs - Poplar - Blackwall

devil a setting for the

former Universal Studios feature film developer, who won two mmy Awards as a producer in the s, said her former profession could be unhappy at times and she prefers writing novels. “ n movies everything is a group thing, she said. “ n the good side, working in a team can be energising, but often writers in ollywood are not treated well. “ our work is put through the mill and si people rewrite it and you are lucky if anything of yours stays in. n movies you are very e pendable. Bonnie may in part be referring to her work on Tron, the cult classic science fiction film directed by Steven isberger in which a software engineer played by eff Bridges is sucked into a computer mainframe. “The movie as it came out was not really close to what wrote, said Bonnie. “The original concept for Tron had to do with a cra y pi a delivery boy that wrote for obin Williams. “ e had not yet become a star but had seen him live doing some improv when was covering comedy for niversal Studios and was inspired by him. tried to get him his first deal at niversal but then left and wrote Tron for him. “ eff Bridges ended up playing the character and fortunately brought some humour to it as they had taken all the gags out. Although her idea was almost totally obliterated, Bonnie discov ered something even better during the e perience her very own, real life Sherlock olmes. “ was doing research for Tron, as do now, and went to ero ark, said Bonnie. “This was before personal computers and met the man who invented the term personal computer and was responsible for putting together with his group most of the inter face we see now with overlapping windows and all that. “They were the first to create a cohesive interface and then Steve obs got a demo from the same person in the same month that did and then, of course, that became the acintosh. “And the person who gave the demo Alan ay, who is my husband, said Bonnie. She went on to base the character of Tron computer programmer Alan Bradley, played by Bruce Bo leitner, on her husband. And it seems she has managed to turn her literary love affair with Sherlock into a romantic ending after all. “ y husband is a computer scientist and super, super smart so kind of feel like m married to Sherlock olmes, said Bonnie. “ guess that makes me Watson because m a writer. The Devil’s Due is published by ollins rime lub, priced . . Go to macbird.com for more

14 days later

plan your life from Nov 6-20 where? Poplar Union Poplar

GIG | Psychedelic Soul Sessions The Peter Edwards Trio present an evening of new material inspired by Miles Davis’ electric period and the music of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters. Nov 16, 7pm, from £7.50, poplarunion.com where? Craft Central Isle Of Dogs

BUY | Winter Market A chance to pick up seasonal gifts from maker members and participate in a selection of craft workshops (for a fee). Refreshments available. Nov 16-17, from 11am, free entry, craftcentral.org.uk where? The Space Isle Of Dogs

STAGE | Can-Can Cabaret Kelli Baleta takes old-style cabaret and applies a contemporary twist. Audiences should expect drag, dance, song and a dash of razzle dazzle. Nov 17, 7pm, £15, space.org.uk

to do before November 6

Catch Anna Nicholson at The Space as four madcap characters take the stage, engaged in the process of working out how to Get Happy. The performance runs on November 3 at 8pm. Tickets cost £14 space.org.uk

spot check Try a bite or two at Il Bianco at New Providence Wharf for classic Italian cuisine ilbianco.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

by Elisabeth Newfield

14 days later

plan your life from Nov 6-20 where? Canada Water Theatre Rotherhithe

GIG | Turya Singer-songwriter Nicki Wells bills herself as having been born in south London but growing up in the foothills of the Himalayas. Expect Indian classical. Nov 14, 7.30pm, £10, thealbany.org.uk where? The Albany Deptford

CONCERT | Randolph Matthews The vocalist and his ensemble present Walter Tull In B Major, a composition centred on the first British-born black army officer. Nov 20, 7.30pm, £10, thealbany.org.uk where? Little Nan’s Bar Deptford

EVENT | Little Nan’s 90s Singstar Partaay! All Saints, Destiny’s Child, East 17 and, naturally Backstreet will be back at this opportunity to belt out a few floor fillers from 20 years ago. Nov 6, 7pm, free entry, littlenans.co.uk

to do before November 6

See Evros: The Crossing River at The Albany from November 5-6 – an immersive play that brings the audience into the tales of families as they seek refuge. Doors 7.30pm, tickets £14. Expect music and physical theatre thealbany.org.uk

spot check worth a visit Find beer and bonhommie aplenty at Hop Stuff ’s The Taproom in Deptford hopstuffbrewery.com want more? @wharflifelive

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fter two decades in the footwear industry Claire Burrows was tired of sitting in rooms full of men intent on selling women blisterinducing stilettos. Raised in the shadow of the emerging Canary Wharf skyline, she had risen from One Canada Square tour guide to managing director of worldwide footwear retailer Aldo before she hit 40. But after years rapidly climbing the ladder with brands such as ce, urt eiger and it lop she wanted to slow down and find a pace and fit that was comfortable for her and her peers. “I wanted to do quality women’s footwear that we actually wanted to wear, because a lot of the footwear industry is dominated by men,” she said. “Once I got up to a senior level in footwear I would look around and be the only woman in the room fighting the case for the shoes that I really wanted. “But instead it was a whole load of stilettos which are great but not what we need to run around town in. I wanted to do something that I thought other women wanted to wear.” So she founded independent shoe label Air race from a kitchen table in December 2013 with the aim of making shoes “by women, for women”. Today she has an all-female team of five and their lovingly designed trainers, boots and espadrilles, filled with a patented blend of memory and recovery foam, have hit their mark. They’ve graced the feet of celebrities such as ern otton, Amanda Holden and Helen Mirren and the company reported an 800% rise in profits in anuary. The brand is stocked in 30 bouti ues across the but around 80% of sales are online. To cope with demand Claire has hired a part-time designer and head of operations and, at the start of October, moved her headquarters to Bermondsey Street and outsourced distribution. “ ur last o ce was ne t to a graveyard which was nice and

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My earliest memory of shoes is my mum taking me to Clarks to buy pairs for school, which I always hated because they were so boring Claire Burrows, Air & Grace

quiet, but there wasn’t a lot going on,” she said. “Now we are a little bit starry-eyed being in Bermondsey Street where there is so much. It’s a little bit strange being here again as it must be 18 years since worked here at urt eiger and I used to walk past this spot every single day. “Never would have e pected at that point that I would be setting up my own brand and working out of that space. Being here has kind of invigorated us all and is a breath of fresh air. “This is also where I met Michelle, our head of customer services, because she was a receptionist at urt eiger, so there is quite a bit of history here and I know the area really well because I used to live in Butler’s Wharf.” In fact, Claire gave up her Thames side at when she uit her ob to found Air race si years ago, renting it out to save cash and working from her boyfriend ason s kitchen table in ast Dulwich. “It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done,” she said. “I put all my savings and then some into it, I’ve invested around £10,000 in total, ma ed out my credit cards, did all the normal startup stuff. It was quite the daring step for the woman who loathed shoe shopping as a child. “My earliest memory of shoes is my mum taking me to Clarks to buy pairs for school, which I always hated because they were so boring,” said the Londoner who moved to the Isle Of Dogs from Liverpool aged 10. It wasn’t until the ondon ollege f ashion graduate landed her first ob at ce in that she discovered a love for shoes. “That was when it had 14 shops and there were four of us in the buying team,” said Claire. “We did everything and I learned footwear product development and design on the job. “I fell in love with shoes there and the camaraderie and getting stuck in and creating stuff was what I really enjoyed. “The footwear industry is really ama ing in the because it s really small and close-knit and find it really friendly and not massively competitive. Once you have been immersed in it there’s no getting away and it takes a hold.” After a three-year stint at Oasis she landed a role as senior buyer for urt eiger in , guiding its rebranding and development of the brand. She first broke away from the pack in 2003, setting up her own footwear supply business but it was hit hard by the collapse of customers such as aith, olcis and Ravel. Claire, who now lives in Catford, landed back on her feet, however,

with a role at it lop as head of development where she designed a shoe that sold $25million worth of pairs. Two years later she had risen to managing director at Aldo but was miserable. “I was travelling back and forth to Montreal a ridiculous amount and there was no work-life balance for me at all.” she said. “I had fallen out of love with fast fashion and I decided I wasn’t happy and was going to leave. “I didn’t really have a plan and I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I knew what I didn’t want to do.” Her founding philosophy for Air race was to bring all her e perience together to create shoes that are “made beautiful for busy feet”. “ verything we do is from scratch,” said Claire. “We create absolutely every shoe and incorporate our footbed comfort technology, so it’s a long process. We are definitely not fast fashion. “Slow fashion is trendy now but it’s where I started from over five years ago. t came from my long background of working in the footwear industry and being an absolute shoe addict but having a wardrobe full of shoes that I never wore. I was totally disillusioned with fast fashion and feeling kind of displaced by the High Street. I would it around different stores but there wasn’t one that I thought: f go in there ll find a great pair of shoes that would be great quality, comfortable and I will love them’. “They were all made in China or uncomfortable. It’s nice to buy designer shoes but I can’t always afford for a pair so that seemed to be a gap in the middle.”

U

nparalleled comfort was her starting point and Claire partnered with a footwear technologist to design an insert that would become the basis for all her shoes. She said: “We came up with a solution that we call Tender Loving Air which has been patented. It’s three different layers of memory and recovery foam in different densities combined into a wedge. “Once we had that I worked everything else around it but it still took loads of testing and the best part of a year to get to the point where we could go to the factory and start producing the first shoes. Things weren’t all plain sailing, however. Being ahead of the curve meant often that people did not understand her slower-than average approach. “There have been plenty of lows, she said. inding the right manufacturing partner was the hardest thing. We tried to work with three factories before we

Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Rotherhithe - Bermondsey - Deptford

25k

The number of pairs of shoes Air & Grace sells annually after six years in business

tender loving

found the right one and that took a good year and a half of my life. “At times I thought it wouldn’t happen because I was running out of money. Sometimes I thought I was crazy for believing in it and it was hard to keep going when I was coming up against so many challenges. Even now I go up against challenges daily but at least I have got a team and we can all rally together and support each other and have a bit of a giggle. But back then it was just me and I had to be quite tough. “I’m a Capricorn though and we are meant to be stubborn goats, loyal and hard-working and I would say that sums me up.” Her big break came in 2014 when she won the Metro’s competition for the UK’s best new retail brand, securing £150,000 investment and additional funding from judge Michael Acton Smith. The business went on to win Best Independent Business of The Year at Stylist Live 2018, The Footwear Friends award for innovation, Smarta’s One To Watch and the UKFT Buyers Den competition securing distribution in John Lewis.

air B Claire, founder of Bermondsey-based Air & Grace says her customers are happy to invest in slow fashion and spend a bit more for products that last

Cru Leopard and Dotty Print and Trainers, £179 Cru Black Star Trainers, £169

how Claire Burrows has created an empire of shoes built around style and comfort

ut Claire had to overcome more hurdles en route to success. Her launch at Spirit Of Christmas in Olympia in November 2014 almost didn’t happen at all. “The delivery went late by a week, which meant our shippers couldn’t guarantee they would get the shoes there in time,” she said. “The only way to do it was for my boyfriend Jason to hire the biggest van he could find and drive it all the way to Portugal to meet me and then we drove it all the way back with 1,000 pairs of shoes. We set up and then started selling shoes the next day. We were very tired at the end, but it was a really good successful launch and many of the people who bought that very first week became loyal customers and I still know a lot of them.” The brand which has been based in Dalston, Brixton and West Norwood, offers shoes priced from £159. “Our customers are people who want to look good and feel comfortable running around town but care about what they wear and how it’s made,” said Claire. “They are happy to spend a little bit more to buy an investment piece and understand it will last them from season to season. “That’s really the common denominator, people who care about the ethics and being responsible.” Ballet pumps, loafers and boots were the building blocks for the brand but its shoes really began to y off the shelves when the trainer

trend took ight. Sales now sit at around 25,000 pairs a year but look set to rise thanks to six styles of boots launched this autumn, including a metallic red cowboy boot, suede knee high boots and various hiker boots. New designs are driven by what the team want to wear, and can take years to perfect. “One of our strengths is that we are a very female-heavy team who know what we are looking for and we live and breathe it,” said Claire who has hundreds of pairs of shoes in storage because she now only wears Air & Grace. “I must have about 50 pairs. I’m a walking advert,” she said. “Me and the team really do embody the Air & Grace customer. We say that we are by women for women and that’s really true. So when it comes to new designs we think what is it that we’re lusting after and also what will stand the test of time?” “Then we do loads of testing. It’s why my factories in Portugal and Spain get quite upset with me because they are not necessarily used to it taking so long to develop a shoe. We won’t launch anything until it’s been worn for a good couple of weeks and then refine it. If it doesn’t pass the test then we do the whole process again. “At first it was a bit of a struggle with the factories because they didn’t necessarily understand what we wanted to do and it’s a lot more cost for them. But now they see the benefit. Her next challenge is a vegan range, a move that’s timely for the inevitable Veganuary purge. “We are launching it in the middle of January but it’s not the easiest thing to do,” said Claire. “Normally a vegan leather alternative is a plastic which isn’t kind to the environment or durable so it wouldn’t be right for our quality USP. So we have been really careful to make sure we are sourcing materials responsibly.” Given her inspiration for Air race, will we ever find her running around in a pair of high heels? “Yes,” said Claire. “We have been working on heels for three years now. That is my Holy Grail – to make a heel that is comfortable. “It has escaped us so far but it won’t forever. We won’t do it until we are 100% comfortable with it and they are high heels you can rave about and dance all night in.” Go to airandgracelondon.com or follow @airandgrace on Insta

Starlight White Leather Boots £279

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

by Jon Massey

14 days later

plan your life from Nov 6-20 where? The O2 Arena Peninsula

GIG | Björk The Icelandic singer-songwriter brings a digital theatre piece Cornucopia to London, based on most recent album Utopia. Expect a flute septet too. Nov 19, 6.30pm, from £43, theo2.co.uk where? Greenwich Theatre Greenwich

STAGE | Lest We Forget Home Truths presents a play set between 1914 and 1919 as a black British soldier and a white Northerner fall in love in turbulent times. Nov 8-10, times vary, £13, greenwichtheatre.org.uk where? Cutty Sark Greenwich

MUSIC | BBC Singers Sofi Jeannin and the BBC Singers perform choral arrangements of orchestral classics under the hull of the ship. Expect larks to ascend and Nimrod. Nov 10, 7pm, £18, rmg.co.uk

to do before November 6

T

he first thing to learn about atrick yde is that everyone calls him atch. This is crucial for understanding the name of his shop in reenwich arket The udge atrick wouldn t make nearly as much sense. And while on the surface that s about as serious as our interview gets, there s a drive to the man who opened his business in as an antidote to travelling around the country managing fudge shops primarily a bid to have some where to hang out with people. t s a reminder, perhaps, that commercial enterprise need not be opened with the sole goal of profit. “ have made fudge since was , and now m , and it s a strange thing to have done, said atch. “ worked for a company called udge itchen, which is a fantastic little firm. “When was had a ob at its ambridge branch and it was a really fun time. d never really had a ob before that, ust some bits and bobs, and ust got to muck around, play with sugar, have fun and be weird. “Then went to drama school and became an actor. uring my time studying continued to work in my time off and, when became a fully edged actor, did a lot of resting. “ udge itchen was really kind to me, because had no money, and asked if wanted to go to the ood ood Show ust for a week in Birmingham. So did that, and then they asked me if wanted to go and help at the dinburgh udge itchen during the ringe, and that seemed a really good idea to me as an actor. “ uring that time decided acting was rubbish so became a stand up comedian. was pretty rubbish at that as well, but not as rubbish as the acting, so did that for a couple of years and that

Slices ready to sell

Pop to Greenwich Theatre on November 2 and discover stand-up comedian and mathematician Matt Parker’s numerical near-misses and statistical anomalies, presented as Humble Pi. Doors 7.30pm, £16 greenwichtheatre.org.uk

spot check one to try Find The Moon exhibition in the National Maritime Museum until January 5 rmg.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

“

It’s silly and it’s meant to be. In the end, it’s only fudge; it’s not that serious. It isn’t going to stop global warming or Brexit, unfortunately. Patch Hyde, The Fudge Patch

allowed me to work at the udge itchen more. ended up working pretty much full time there, going round the country to different shops, helping them out and doing gigs, which was uite a fun and manic period of my life. “Then realised that liked selling fudge more than anything else, so stopped being a performer and ended up managing the retail shops of udge itchen there were seven. “ or about eight years travelled round the country, making sure that its branches made money, the staff were happy, and everyone was making good fudge. “But was living in ondon, and they didn t have any shops here. didn t feel like commuting out to ambridge for two days, or going up to ork. “So thought would get loads of debt and open a fudge shop this is it. y plan was to take the principles of udge itchen, make fudge in front of people, be nice to them, have fun and make it more of an e perience than ust a shop. atch and his team make a colourful array of traditional slab fudge, poured onto a custom built marble table and worked into loaves. Slices around g cost or three for . “ oming to The udge atch is meant to be fun, said atch. “ want it to be a little break from the seriousness of the world. “ ou come in and you can get as many samples as you want as well as watch the fudge making.

“We re a bit rough and tumble with the customers at this, et this down you . t s silly and it s meant to be. t s uite nice that we have people who come in every day, ust to say hello and eat a sample of fudge, hang out and tell us about their sore knee. t s like a little club, which, maybe, has community benefits. “ n the end, it s only fudge it s not that serious, it doesn t matter. m aware of that and m not so confused about the world that think if The udge atch ceased to e ist, it would make much difference, apart from to me. “ udge isn t going to stop global warming or Bre it, unfortunately. t s ust going to make everyone be a bit happy. “ y customers should leave happy, whether they buy fudge or not, they should have a oyous e perience.

W

hile atch is undoubtedly a skilled host and the fact his shop is packed with supplies for other market traders as favours speaks volumes for his community credentials when it comes to his product he s also something of an evangelist. t s an attitude born of more than two decades e perience of making fudge that s taught him to respect the classic avours, albeit with a healthy dash of e perimentation. “All of it is vegan, said atch. “ try to be conscious about what eat and reduce my own impact on the world, but the vegan thing is because it tastes better. “A lot of fudge is uite sugary and uite greasy and has an acrid avour, like burnt milk. f you cook milk over , you re going to corrupt the avours. Bad fudge will taste of fudge and a hint of chocolate or a hint of vanilla. “What you re trying to do is to make it taste only of chocolate or salted caramel, for e ample. t s like ice cream the base is the base, and avour is the king. “So thought, maybe the problem is the dairy. With good fudge, you re always trying to reduce it anyway there s no condensed milk in the traditional product, ust cream. “ thought would try some other things. made soya milk fudge and it wasn t very nice. Then tried rice milk, oat milk, ha elnut milk and they re all fine. But then found hemp milk. “While oat milk is very good, hemp milk doesn t corrupt the avour at all. nce you cook it and cool it, it tastes the same, which is genius that s what you want. “So, everything stands out, and it s proud it was a light bulb moment for me. t s slightly frustrating, because hemp milk, of

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Greenwich - Peninsula - Woolwich

21

Years Patch has been making fudge, culminating in his hemp milk-based products

Patch Hyde blends silliness, hemp milk, sugar and flavourings to create something singular and joyous in Greenwich Market

treat a sweet

Images by James Perrin – find more of his work at jamesperrin.com or via @millerjamesperrin on Insta

all of them, is the most expensive, but that s fine, it doesn t matter. “ t s also ama ing stuff The ood emp ompany tell me farming hemp is good for the world, it s positive for the soil and the plants e tract four times more from the atmosphere than trees. We use beet sugar because that comes from Britain and the carbon footprint is lower but we won t go sugar free. udge is a treat don t want you to eat loads, ust a little bit. “ n terms of avour, what works in ice cream works in fudge. There s a temptation to get really stupid with it but you have to have chocolate and vanilla, all those things. While atch, who often runs from his eytonstone home to work in reenwich sometimes fuelled by fudge , has recently started taking orders online, his company is the antithesis of an aggressive startup. “ y plan for the future is to ust do this forever it s enough, he said. “ ore shops would be more stress. ve tried that, running a company with multiple sites and going all over, which is fine, but you lose control. don t want to relin uish that. “ might make a little bit more money, but would have to spend more time on administration and want to make fudge. ortunately finding out whether his products suit is simple. The udge atch offers free samples and will often offer customers warm fudge straight from the marble or even fro en varieties on occasion. “ or people who want to do this kind of thing, said atch, who runs the shop with fellow udge itchen graduate ean uc. “ ou ve got to en oy it. ou re not a chef, or a small business owner, you re ust someone who wants to hang out with people. “ ou ve got to make people like you and the backwards and forwards of that interaction. f you can t afford fudge, you can always come and try it for free and you don t have to buy anything. “ m ust hoping those people get addicted to fudge, make some money and then come back and buy some. Go to thefudgepatch.co.uk

The Fudge Patch

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how Royal Docks’ Husk Brewing intends to grow steadily to keep up with ever rising demand by Jon Massey

C

hristiaan Van Der Vyver has got a problem. The coexistence of Husk Brewing’s Taproom in the same space he uses to brew its beer is becoming increasingly untenable, thanks largely to the success of the venture he established with his wife, Marta, under a Royal Docks railway arch in 2015. “We’re getting busier, so we’re struggling to keep up with the brewing,” said Christiaan. “On a Friday, setting up the Taproom, you lose a whole day and, on Monday, you lose a half day for clearing up. “When you’re squashed into three and a half days of brewing a week, it just doesn’t work. “On Saturday we ran out of beer, and even on Friday we couldn’t open, because I was still brewing that evening. That’s one of the problems we have – we need to brew enough beer to keep open, and that’s where we need to change.” In some senses, it’s a nice issue to have the partial fulfilment of the opportunity Christiaan saw a little over four years ago. “We opened on October 1, 2015, and we got a brewing licence in December,” said the South African. “Initially there was a lot pain, I think. t s a totally different game when you have to upscale stuff. “I’d always brewed beer at home and that had taken over our at in Dalston – I’d worked in the restaurant trade and we thought we’d give it a go. But it’s very different when you give beers to your mates and they say: ‘Ah, this is so tasty’ as opposed to when you’re selling it, because people are so much more critical. “Then, four years ago, there was a massive shortage of American hops, so when we started, we had four different beers designed, and when placed my first order to buy hops, I was told: ‘You’re joking, you won’t get anything like that for at least three years’. “You have to contract in advance, and you can only contract once you’ve been buying from them for a year. So you have to end up buying all the crap that nobody wants and that’s already four or

five years old, so then you have to re-design everything from scratch again. It’s only about a year since we could get any of the things we wanted. t was di cult to get into the industry in the beginning, because the market was quite saturated. “Then there’s location. You can come together with other breweries, because if someone’s already had a brewery there for a while, and had a market there, then you can tap into that. “The thing is that we didn’t have that much money in 2015 and Bermondsey, at that point, was becoming very expensive already, so you’re pretty much paying for your footfall. “So we thought, let’s try something different, and always found this area really interesting, because it had been derelict for so long and when we moved in there, they were starting to build the Royal Wharf development and others, but there wasn’t anything around. “We knew that there was loads of regeneration coming into that area, so it was like a game of: ‘Well, we’ll open there and we’ll know that for at least the first two years we’ll only be able to sell outside the area in different parts of London, because we wouldn’t be able to sell around here’. “The thing I also like about the area is that you’re not gentrifying it, where regeneration means kicking everybody out. This was barren land where you’re building a whole new community. “Two years ago we started doing open days once a month and that got pretty popular, so we thought: ‘OK, cool, let’s get a premises licence,’ because more and more people keep moving into the Canary Wharf area and other new developments, so there are more people and more of a trade locally. So we got a licence and currently open every Friday and Saturday.” With new landlords promising to renovate the front of the units in North Woolwich Road, which Christiaan believes will see more venues open and further increase footfall, the future looks bright for Husk. To that end, he and Husk investor Gareth Bannister have launched a crowdfunding

“

On Saturday we ran out of beer and even on Friday we couldn’t open because I was still brewing that evening. That’s one of the problems we have Christiaan Van Der Vyver, Husk Brewing

campaign to transform the unit’s mezzanine into a permanent Taproom serving craft beer and burgers. They are hoping to raise a total of £10,000 by the end of October. Christiaan said: “It will make a big difference, because we want to open five days a week and give people even more. “So, we’re putting in 10 taps, we ll have five of our beers, a couple of guest beers and three different cocktails on tap and act like a proper full bar. “We’ve spoken to a few of our friends who are local artists over in The Silver Building and they’re going to do an interior for us. “What we’re going to try to do is change it every six months, and have a different artist do something fresh on the walls and we’ll hang up some artwork too so people can buy it if they wish. “It’s a great way of showcasing local artists and getting involved in that side of the local community. “We’ll also put in a proper kitchen. A good friend of mine, is head chef at Hawksmoor and has designed a burger menu for us. “I’ve found you can’t get a decent burger in this part of east London – everybody’s just doing pizza – so that should give us some additional income via the home delivery market. We won’t stop doing our monster toasties though.”

£10k

The figure Husk is looking to raise to complete its Taproom transformation

Husk Brewing owner Christiaan Van Der Vyver, left, and investor Gareth Bannister, are keen to convince beer lovers to crowdfund a new and improved Taproom at the Royal Docks business

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areth, who works as a project manager, discovered the brewery after moving to the area and was inspired to get involved. “I was a craft beer fan already, so I went the extra mile and googled places to go to find somewhere a bit different, he said. “I was going to Bermondsey all the time – I did the Bermondsey Beer Mile – but where I am in Custom House, there is absolutely nowhere to go, no social chill-out space at all. “So I came along to Husk – it was still occasional open day at that stage – and I was blown away by the community feel. “It was really nice, you could get on with everyone really quickly, know one another by first names, and the beer is incredible. “It was a really cool, chill-out space to bring friends and even family. So I bought some shares about a year ago now. “People in the area are starting to realise that there are places like this to go to. “Lots of people are moving in and there are new developments all over it s kicking off, but there are very few places to actually go out. People think they have to go into the centre, to Stratford, or somewhere else.” Part of the Taproom’s success

Competing interests: The Taproom on a busy evening

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Canning Town - Royal Docks

taps open up the

Images by Matt Grayson – find his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

Christiaan and Gareth stand in the midst of Husk’s brewing paraphernalia

is likely down to the style of beer Christiaan chooses to brew. “I brew the type of beer that I like to drink,” he said. “I like sessionable beers, that you can drink pint after pint of. “ love having a lot of avour in a beer, but it should still have that balance and have a bit of background to it as well, not just a hop-forward taste. “I like to experiment with different stuff, like the ilkshake Pale that we do now – it’s a different style altogether from the more traditional stuff, which we ve done up until now. “It has lactose in it, because yeast can’t digest it, so that imparts a milkiness and sweetness to the beer. Then you add vanilla to it – with the two together, that’s why it s called ilkshake. “Our Saison has always been one of the most popular beers and our IPA is pretty popular and goes really well. “But the ilkshake is what people seem to be going crazy over. A lot of people who come here are so happy because they can get something different. Their idea of craft is often to buy something in from a big brewer. “A lot of locals have come to us and said: ‘I’ve found your beer ama ing, and they finally have something different. The planned expansion should give Christiaan the facilities and, crucially, the time for more experimentation rather than simply trying to satisfy demand with tried and tested recipes. “ d like to brew more different types of beer,” he said. “We’re always on the verge of not being able to produce quite enough. “The future’s looking good – things were a bit daunting, but now, since this summer, it’s started picking up. A lot more people are moving in and they’re doing a lot more events in this area. “We are a community brewery. The main thing about the place is that people who visit will find themselves sitting in the middle of where everything happens. “By transforming the upstairs section of the unit, everybody can just look down on the brewery and they will still feel that they’re right in the middle of things.” Husk’s approach is also in contrast to others in craft beer world as firms take on massive debt to buy extensive brewing facilities, only to find there isn t quite the market for the huge quantities of beer they’re brewing. “This is a sustainable way of doing it, with slow growth rather than trying to get too big too quickly and fail,” said Gareth. “We want to be in the community for a long time.” For more information about Husk or its crowdfunding campaign go to huskbrewing.com

14 days later

plan your life from Oct Nov 6-20 where? Excel Royal Victoria Dock

EVENT | Coffee Shop Innovation Expo Get the latest in latte at this event covering every aspect imaginable of the billion dollar coffee shop industry. We like beans to biofuel best. Nov 19-20, 10am, free (ticketed), excel.london where? Excel Royal Victoria Dock

EVENT | Skills London The UK’s biggest jobs and careers event for those aged 15-24 aims to provide young people with inspiration and the opportunity to make connections. Nov 15-16, 9.30am-4pm, free (ticketed), excel.london where? RA Fold Canning Town

CLUB | Leon Vynehall The deep house specialist arrives in east London for a seven-hour stint on the decks for his 10th appearance with Percolate. Timed tickets. Nov 8, 11pm-6am, £20, residentadvisor.net

to do before November 6

Pop down to the Royal Standard in Silvertown on November 1 for a fancy dress bash in celebration of Halloween. Entry is free for the party, which runs from 7pm-midnight and features DJ G Smallz royaldocks.london

spot check worth a visit Find wines and slick service at La Barrique beside Excel’s main entrance labarrique.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

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Advertising Directory - Acknowledgements

find our advertisers’ messages here Berkeley Homes print Wrap online forbury-blackheath.co.uk

Vantage Properties And Management print Page 24 online vantage-uk.com

Chase Evans print Pages 1, 34-35 online chaseevans.co.uk

Ballymore print Page 25 online goodluckhope.com

The Gun print Page 3 online thegundocklands.com

Kitchener Barracks print Page 26 online kitchenerbarracks.com

Harley Street Fertility Clinic print Page 5 online hsfc.org.uk

SiteSales print Page 27 online site-sales.co.uk

Kidd Rapinet print Pages 6, 15, 40 online kiddrapinet.co.uk

Berkeley Homes print Pages 28-29 online berkeleygroup.co.uk

Capeesh print Page 7 online capeesh.co.uk

Southern Homes print Page 31 online bowrivervillage.co.uk

Canary Wharf Group print Page 9 online canarywharf.com

Higgins Homes print Page 31 online higginshomes.co.uk

Ted’s Grooming Room print Page 11 online tedsgroomingroom.com

My London Home print Pages 36, 37 online mylondonhome.com

The London Community Awards print Page 13 online londonimpactawards.com

Galliard Homes print Page 38 online galliardhomes.com

National Landlord Investment Show print Page 22 online landlordinvestmentshow.co.uk

be part of the Canary Wharf conversation To advertise in Wharf Life call 07944 000 144 or email advertising@wharf-life.com

Wharf Life is published by Massey Maddison Limited, printed by Iliffe Print Cambridge and distributed by Willis News Distribution. Copyright Massey Maddison Limited 2019

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Stratford - Bow - Hackney Wick

£10.50

Price for scrambled egg on toast with bacon, sausage and mushrooms Cool, but not in a good way, breakfast at Timber Lodge was not quite the joy it might have been

14 days later

plan your life from Nov 6-20 where? Stratford Circus Stratford

DANCE | London K-Pop Showcase DGC Dance returns to Stratford for its 16th bi-annual student showcase, this year celebrating the sounds of Korean pop. See more than 75 dancers perform. Nov 9, 5pm, from £12, stratford-circus.com where? Stratford Circus Stratford

why execution lets down the food at Timber Lodge Cafe in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park by Jon Massey

E

ven on an unpromising, wet Monday morning, the solidity of the building that houses Timber Lodge Cafe on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a warm, inviting power. It’s easy to imagine that the wood, glass and steel pavilion, located just south of the Tumbling Bay playground, looks as fresh and modern today as it did five years ago when the cafe opened, despite the thousands of parents and children that must have poured through it. The decorative touches inside are all natural wood and warm, composite stone, a comforting, clean and functional space. And on the morning we visit, the service is pleasant and friendly. Despite being the only people in the place, however, our cups of tea are all but depleted when our cooked breakfasts finally arrive. My companion’s selection of eggs on toast with smashed avocado and smoked salmon is generous and satisfactory. But my version with the veg and fish replaced with orders of beans, sausage and mushrooms is a disappointment. While the portion is large, beans have become bacon on the plate and, while this is a forgiveable sin, it’s impossible to ignore that the majority of ingredients are at best luke warm and at worst cold. With little pats of butter melted to liquid, it’s a plate that’s inexplicably been left to cool somewhere, presumably while the piping-hot scrambled eggs are cooked. The result, a flaccid mess. I eat it, naturally, but resent parting with £10.50 for the pleasure. So nearly a gem. Go to timberlodgecafe.com

STAGE | I Ride In Colour And Soft Focus, No... Longer Anywhere, sees Jamila Johnson-Small’s Last Yearz Interesting Negro create an interdisciplinary landscape of dance, trance, video and queerness. Nov 8, 7pm, from £13, stratford-circus.com where? Copper Box Arena Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park EVENT | XO19 Celebrate all things XBox over three days complete with first looks, hands-on gameplay of the biggest and best new titles and a few surprises Nov 14-16, times vary, £POA, xbox.com/en-GB/x019

Timber Lodge doubtless looks as good today as it did when it opened, all warm wood and welcoming modernism

coming right up

Join Ballet Black as it celebrates its 18th anniversary with a triple-bill at Theatre Royal Stratford East from November 6-9. Ingoma, Pendulum and Click! all kick off at 7.45pm with tickets starting at £10 stratfordeast.com

spot check worth a visit Visit Grow in Hackney Wick for food, drinks, sounds and a view over the canal growhackney.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Oct 23-Nov 6, 2019 wharf-life.com

SUDOKU

Crossword - Sudoku

Easy

5

9

Previous solution - Very Hard

8 7 3 4 2 9 1 6 5 Sudoku 5 a1break 9 from 6 7 that 3 phone 8 4 2 Take 6 2 4 1 8 5 7 9 3 How 7 to8 play 6 3 1 4 5 2 9 To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 2 such 9 that 5 8each 3 row, 7 6column and 3x3 box one1to4nine contains every number uniquely. 3 9 5 7 6 2 4 1 8 3 find 1 strategies, 5 9 7 hints 6 8and4tips online You2can at sudokuwiki.org 4 6 8 2 3 1 9 5 7 9 to 5 play 7 8 4 6 2 3 1 More

1

4 2 1 6 8 3 6 3 4 3 2 8 9 5 7 1 7 8 3 2

You can find more Sudoku puzzles and a wide selection ofTo others available in apps and books at str8ts.com. This complete Sudoku, fill the board Sudoku is supplied by Syndicated Puzzles. by entering numbers 1 to 9 such

9 8

4

5

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely. Notes

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Sudoku you’ll really like ‘Str8ts’ and our other puzzles, Apps and books. Visit www.str8ts.com

crossword Down

1. 9.

2.

See 10 Across Where the sailing directors can be found (2,5) 10. & 1Ac. Everybody similarly affected, as fellow voyagers are (3,2,3,4,4) 11. The French money used by Caesar (5) 12. I will be in the screen adaptation without any pretence (7) 13. The result of an explosive account? (6) 15. A female out of breath (6) 18. A place yielding mineral resources could be topical (4-3) 20. Lower the foundation right (5) 22. Measures the sticks round the ring (5) 23. Manila’s disturbed, especially if they’re wild! (7) 24. Surely this charge is not described as outgoings (8,3)

Notes

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 14. 16. 17. 19. 21.

Familiarity is assumed by the monk (5) The dyer breaks down in tears (7) Unpretentious style by a good man (6) Processed meat will provide muscular strength (5) One involved in strange mental a iction There’s no earthly parallel for this achievement (5,6) Having been taken by force! (5,6) The squad also interrupts the scheme (7) Regular current recession (3-4) Squeeze out the stock (6) It’s a problem for the model (5) A graduated measure for a balance pan (5)

Quick Across 1. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 15. 18. 20. 22. 23. 24.

Stage make-up (6-5) Copy (7) Scatter (5) Railing (5) Hand bomb (7) Gloss (6) Slumbering (6) Burdensome (7) Fish (5) Oust (5) Unyielding (7) Shakespeare play (2,3,4,2)

Down 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 14. 16. 17. 19. .

Rule (5) Non-professional (7) Vigour (6) Passage (5) Relate (7) Paris landmark (6,5) Yam (5-6) Group (7) A reverse (3-4) Attack (6) Excel (5) iraffe like animal

Across: 1 Grease-paint; 9 Imitate; 10 Strew; 11 Fence; 12 Grenade; 13 Lustre; 15 Asleep; 18 Onerous; 20 Trout; 22 Evict; 23 Adamant; 24 As You Like It. Down: 2 Reign; 3 Amateur; 4 Energy; 5 Aisle; 6 Narrate; 7 Eiffel Tower; 8 Sweet-potato 14 Species; 16 Set-back; 17 Assail; 19 Outdo; 21 Okapi.

Across

whether you’re cryptic sleuth or synonym solver in it for quick wins, this should satisfy

Cryptic Solution

Cryptic

beating the

Across: 1 The same boat; 9 On board; 10 All in; 11 Latin; 12 Sincere; 13 Report; 15 Bertha; 18 Coal-pit; 20 Baser; 22 Roods; 23 Animals; 24 Entrance fee. Down: 2 Habit; 3 Stainer; 4 Modest; 5 Brawn; 6 Ailment; 7 World record; 8 Under arrest; 14 Platoon; 16 Ebb-tide; 17 Strain; 19 Poser; 21 Scale.

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

Quick Solution

No. 831