It seems that, on the whole, this is what you want.
71.43% have voted for yes, all the time.
There really isn’t a lot to say now.
It seems that, on the whole, this is what you want.
71.43% have voted for yes, all the time.
There really isn’t a lot to say now.
The following website will allow you to download a PDF of the boundary changes in Greater London or, indeed, any other part of the United Kingdom.
The change for Finchley is the amalgamation of Finchley & Golders Green, and Hendon.
The dates for the new Tube Strikes are:
Between 21.01 hours on Sunday 19th June 2011 and 03.00 hours on Monday 20th June 2011.
Around half of all Tube drivers are members of the RMT, and all of these members have been ‘instructed not to book on for any duty’ between the said dates.
Between 21.01 hours on Monday 27th June and 11.59 hours on Tuesday 28th June.
Between 12.00 hours on Wednesday 29th June and 11.59 hours on Thursday 30th June.
Between 12.00 hours on Friday 1st July and 21.00 hours on Friday 1st July.
There’s no point in going into the reasons as the RMT Union strike at the drop of a hat. Let’s hope, like last time, they are called off. But each time they are called off, it means a loss of revenue to TFL and they will find another way to claim back their losses.
From us.
Vy Nam Cafe
371 Regents Park Road
London N3 1DE
A taste of Vietnam
Recently we took a colleague to the Vy Nam Cafe in Ballards Lane for lunch – my husband was attracted to the 20% discount on the menu for lunchtime meals.
Our colleague, who was Asian, thought their food extremely good and we all thought their glass topped tables, with plastic plants between the glass and the base of the table top, looked very attractive and something I’d never seen before.
We arrived there about 12.30 and by 1.00 the restaurant was virtually full – most of the clientele were Vietnamese – it is always a good sign when the establishment’s own people frequent the business – and the place was abuzz with conversation producing an extremely lively atmosphere.
Our friend had lychee juice and we had wine while we waited for our meal. We certainly didn’t have to wait long – I have never seen food appear so quickly. The portions were very generous and we didn’t really need to have had both a dish of rice and one of noodles with vegetables to accompany the food. My chicken dish was mouthwatering and delicious and my husband and our friend enjoyed their king prawn dish. We also thought prices were extremely reasonable for such excellent fair.
We left feeling very happily replete and will definitely return soon – you can see their menus in the link at the top of this post.
I have recently come across a new community website called Streetbank run by four young people who have come up with an interesting concept.
This is a community website where people can offer to lend neighbours mundane items of equipment, such as a ladder, a lawn-mower and other garden tools, or even a fish kettle for those who want to cook a whole salmon for a garden party once or twice a year.
In addition, most of us have various objects around the home that we should throw out but feel they might be worth something to somebody – here’s a chance to offer them here.
The third, and up to now, the final idea is if you have a knowledge of something, an opportunity to share it with your neighbour, such as maths or science skills, repairing lawnmowers, or writing a complaint letter for someone.
You also have to select an area distance around your house, and that area is all you will ever see on the website. If you live in a city area or town centre, you may choose the 1 mile radius as I have done in Finchley, my local area. If you live in the country, you might choose the largest 10 mile radius and if you live in an urban sprawl, the middle choice of 5 mile radius might be your best bet.
This is an ingenious method as you don’t get inundated with “noise” or offers way too far for you to go and borrow, or too far for anyone to trust lending to you.
You can also send and receive messages without the other person knowing your email address to ensure privacy, although once you set up to deal with someone you can exchange phone numbers, addresses etc. For example, if someone wants to borrow one of my items, I will only deliver but never let them collect – so I know where they live.
If you run a club, society or just want to broadcast something there is a page you can go to just for that purpose.
The final good idea is, you can’t join until you offer someone something. So forget it if you don’t want to give, and only want to take. This is not for those people.
We need three volunteers, one each in N2, N3 and N12 to keep an eye on their postcode area. To let the office know when a company closes and a new one opens in its place, to source likely small business with branches in Finchley only who might be interested in joining us, and to source any not-for-profits in the areas which aren’t on the FinchleyCommunity.co.uk website.
What we are really asking for is researchers, if you want to actually call and talk to various of these shop owners and organisations secretaries, that would be a bonus from our point of view but not essential.
Who would volunteer. It would be someone who has a love of community and would love to see Finchley grow into a tightly knit area where people are willing to get involved. This is a long term project as we, in London, have, on the whole, lost the community spirit and recreating it may take years. You would be welcome to attend our once a month Editorial Meeting but it is not a requirement of the job and you will be able to please your self.
How to apply: In the first instance, send an email to andrew.taylor@finchleycommunity.co.uk with your phone number and the best time to call.
I have lost the Finchley Arrow newspaper from my log in and they don’t know how to get it back for me. Fortunately Pam (my wife who is also our proof reader) also has access to the account so, in the interim, I am posting using her account.
We will have something different from July.
Andrew Ampers Taylor
It has taken TFL so many years to come up with such a simple solution to keep the underground safe, but still avoid hidden bombs!
About time London Underground!
More bins on London Underground for a tidier Tube
· London Underground increases the number of bins on the Tube by 25 percent
· Two thirds of all litter left on Tube is recycled
· Campaign in conjunction with Mayor of London, Metro and Keep Britain Tidy
London Underground (LU) has launched a campaign, in partnership with the Mayor of London, Metro newspapers and Keep Britain Tidy, to encourage Tube customers to dispose of their litter. More bins have been installed so you can now access a bin on any journey on the tube. The aim is for a tidier and more pleasant Tube to travel in and to help LU to recycle more waste.
The campaign, part of the Mayor Boris Johnson’s commitment to make travelling in London more civilised, will run across the Tube network as well as in the Metro newspaper and will encourage passengers to use the 1,600 plus bins that are in, or within walking distance of, the 270 Tube stations.
To help, LU has recently installed an additional 166 bins on the network, taking the total to 800 and making it easier for customers to get rid of their rubbish. LU regularly monitors stations to ensure that high levels of cleanliness are maintained and recent figures have shown an improvement at over 70 percent of the stations where the new bins have been installed.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London said: “Time and again passengers have said they want more bins so they can dispose of their rubbish and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We can all do our bit to ensure we use these sparkling new bins, which will mean a more pleasant journey to work and a great first impression of London for tourists to the capital.”
Richard Parry, Strategy and Commercial Director, London Underground, said: “We know that our customers appreciate a litter free Tube and we have an army of cleaners who regularly patrol the network collecting rubbish. However we also believe that providing more bins will make it easier for our customers to get rid of their rubbish and over the last few months have increased the number of bins on the network by 25 percent.
“All rubbish placed in any of our stations bins is sorted and we recycle everything that we can. Over the years LU has made every effort to recycle waste and we now recycle over two thirds of rubbish left on the Tube network.”
John Leitch, Executive Director at Metro, said: “We want to support green behaviour among our readers and increase the amount of recycling by Tube travellers. It’s fantastic to be working with London Underground to achieve this and we’re delighted that they are using Metro’s innovative design in this campaign.”
This has arrived in my inbox and it is urgent.
artsdepot open 2011
artsdepot is passionate about art and artists and the annual artsdepot open, now in its seventh year, is a celebration of creativity. Submissions are encouraged from both emerging and established artists. The exhibition is a fantastic opportunity for gifted visual artists to have their work prominently displayed and promoted in artsdepot, and for audiences to experience and buy a diverse and vibrant range of art.Faulkner has spent the past 18 months as Manager at Ware FC of Ryman Division One North. He guided them to safety in 2010 despite the side being nine points adrift in the relegation zone when he took over.
Last season Ware reached two cup semi-finals and improved dramatically in the league as they finished comfortably mid-table.
Faulkner has previously managed Brimsdown Rovers, Cockfosters and Broxbourne Borough, and has coached at Luton Town’s Academy.
Faulkner said on joining the club “Wingate & Finchley have a great set-up and a very good squad of players, who I am looking forward to working with. Dave (Norman) has a very good management team alongside him and I’m sure I can compliment them.”
Faulkner joins with a good background knowledge of all the squad and their abilities, in particular centre-forward Murat Karagul with whom he has worked twice before.
Faulkner added “Our first goal for this season is to build on last year by stabilising us as a Premier League team, and then look for good runs in the FA Cup and Trophy.”
By Ron Smith our cultural correspondent
Photos by Chris Hurwitz Bremner
Trinity Church (Nether Street – near Tally Ho) was the perfect venue for this final charity concert in aid of Diabetes UK, held on Saturday 28th May. Eighty Finchleans enjoyed a wonderful evening of superb music and song which was performed by truly gifted and accomplished young talent, too many to mention, who delighted us with their skilful performances on a variety of instruments
The programme included pieces of Classical music by ten of the Youngsters which included a very mature performance on the Cello by Anoushka Sharp, and a brilliant performance of Chopin Etude No 4 in C sharp minor (piano) by Tiffany Cheng.
The Adults performed Classical and Pop including Japanese songs by Apparei with Hideaki Domon on guitar, and Norikazu Saruyama (vocal), whilst Kofi Karikari gave a powerful exhibition of Percussion instruments and wonderful rhythm.
The evening ended after three hours with all the performers and the audience singing “HEY JUDE” by the Beatles.
A vote of thanks was made to Chris Hurwitz Bremmner at Trinity Church for the use of it, and his great support and help in organising the events over the month.
Thanks were also given to Maki Asano who organised the show with help from Shino and many other helper. Entrance was only £5 and the event raised £400.
The donations will be sent to the children’s music group in Kesennuma in Miyagi, Japan to buy new instruments to replace the ones destroyed and lost in the Tsunami and Earthquake.
Or was it “Another day older and deeper in debt”? No matter as what I am trying to say is, it is the end of May and I have just posted June’s editorial to 1 Editorial which you can find right at the top of the page. Whilst I am in “reminder” mode, remeber, I posted the June events a few days ago at 3 Events, also along the top of this page.
London Underground
Blackfriars Tube station on the District and Circle lines will be closed until late this year for Thameslink redevelopment works.
Cannon Street Tube station on the District and Circle lines will be closed every weekend until mid-2012 for redevelopment works.
Farringdon Tube station on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines will be closed all weekend for Thameslink works.
The Circle line will be suspended all weekend due to line upgrade work at Edgware Road.
Bond Street station on the Central and Jubilee lines will be closed before 6am and after 11pm on Saturday and before 7am and after 11pm on Sunday due to major escalator refurbishment work
The District line will be suspended all weekend between Earl’s Court and Kensington (Olympia) and between Edgware Road and Wimbledon due to line upgrade work and track replacement work.
The Hammersmith & City line will be suspended all weekend between Baker Street and Hammersmith due to line upgrade work.
The Jubilee line will be completely suspended on Sunday morning until 8.15am. Between 8.15am and 9.30pm the line will be suspended between West Hampstead and Stanmore, and after 9.30pm it will be suspended between Waterloo and Stanmore due to line upgrade work.
The Metropolitan line will be suspended on Sunday between Aldgate and Uxbridge due to track replacement work.
Northern line trains will not stop at Tottenham Court Road until late November due to station improvement work.
The Piccadilly line will be suspended on Sunday between South Harrow and Uxbridge due to track replacement work.
The Victoria line will be suspended all weekend between Highbury & Islington and Brixton due to track improvement work.
by Pam and Andrew Taylor
Every now and again – a few times each year – we receive an invitation to a wine tasting at Majestic’s warehouse, 204 Ballards Lane (N3 2NA)
Their phone number is 020 8346 5852 we should warn you that the wine tastings are only for customers and their guests
We always try and go to these wine tasting evenings as it’s a good way to discover new wines and we meet some really pleasant people there.
We don’t have a car any more, so we pop along to check out the wines and, as Majestic are in the EasyFundraising scheme, we order on the Internet when we get home and they deliver to us free of charge.
Because Majestic are, in principle, wholesalers, you have to buy a minimum of twelve bottles per order. However, recently, they have reduced the minimum to six bottles, but you have to collect if you buy in this smaller quantity.
There were less of visitors this time, although admittedly, we do tend to go earlier, before we have dinner which also avoids the crowds and we get more time talking to the experts.
The evening did prove to be very sociable, even earlier on, and we were also able to promote the Arrow.
There was some delicious cheese, salamis and French bread supplied by Vallebonna, Italian and Sardinian food and wine, in Wimbledon. The cheeses and meats certainly assisted with our enjoyment of the various wines. We tried wines from New Zealand, France, Italy, Chile and even the Lebanon. There was one particular wine everyone seemed to rave about, including us. This was the “Saint Clair” Pinot Noir 2009 from New Zealand which was on offer at £14.39 a bottle. The lowest price on the tasting was at £4.79 (Concho Y Toro Sauvignon Blanc from Chile) and the most costly was a £17.99 (Chateau Musar 2003 from the Lebanon). Yes we were also surprised at such a costly Lebanese wine!
The staff were extremely friendly, knowledgeable and helpful and we are pleased that they always start the evening off for everyone with a small glass of champagne.
If you ever receive an invitation to a wine tasting, I recommend that you give it a try. However, you have to bear in mind that “You have to be in it to win it” as invitations can only be sent out if they have your address. Go to their website at www.majestic.co.uk and click the register button in the top right corner. You will receive special offers at the beginning of each season, and three or four times a year a special invitation to an evening’s wine tasting. They have been known to hold a professional wine-tasting, with an expert, where we all sit down at a table for a few hours.
We have now put the June events up on our events page, look along the top of the page for 3 Events.
And, of course, as this is only the 27th, we have left on the May events between the 27th and the 31st. In fact there are six different events to go to tomorrow so you can’t say there is nothing on offer in our growing community.
If you are holding an event and you’d like it written up in the newspaper, why not invite a journalist and photographer to attend? You never know, we might be able to twist one of our volunteers arm to attend! And, the publicity, even after the event, may draw more members to your group.
However, we would prefer it if one of your group could take the photographs and write the articles rather than you having to give us complimentary admission. We have so few volunteers we find it hard to stretch ourselves at the best of times. In fact, if you jot down a series of notes, Andrew can easily weave them into an article for you.
A RIGHT ROYAL RECITAL by Ron Smith
A marvellous evening of songs and arias, was performed at St- Mary-at-Finchley Parish Church, London N3 on Saturday 21 May 2011
“Churches together in Finchley” are a gathering of more that a dozen churches embracing six denominations from every corner of Finchley. It has been around as an organisation under a variety if titles for about 40years, and Christian Aid is one of the many actions.
The songs were sung by Rachel Weston, and Carl Gombrich. The piano soloist, and accompanist was Yukiko Osedo,
The recital started at 6pm approx, after 180 people aged from one year old through to very senior persons, were treated to a delightful programme of songs from Rogers and Hammerstein , Sondheim, Verdi, Gilbert and Sullivan ,and a delightful rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody sung by Rachel and Carl .
Carls version of the Mikado was brilliant, and a thrilling performance of The White Cliffs of Dover by Rachel and Yuki, had most of the audience in full voice, which ended a superb evening.
You can find out more about Rachel Weston at www.rachelwestonsinger.com she is married to Carl Gombrich who is the Director of the Arts and Sciences (BASc) undergraduate degree programme at the University College London (UCL)
Carl has sung in over 30 major operatic roles with various National Companies. He is also on the committee of Friends of Avenue House in Finchley.
I had spoken to a lot of people in the past about Lodge Lane Market and had been told “Don’t go there as it is just a lot of tat.” So we never got there. Until a couple of months ago when we found ourselves nearby on a Friday morning, and decided to take a look for ourselves.
I have to admit, although there wasn’t a lot to interest us with most of the stalls, there were three which we found interesting enough to go back week after week after week.
First of all there is a tremendous fresh fish stall run by a lovely cheerful Jamaican. They have all sorts of fish; crabs, whole salmon, bream, sole and trout to name just a few. We buy all our fish from him now and the prices are far better than Tesco.
Then there is a butcher and he has a very large van, more like a lorry! And he has all sorts of cuts available, and his barbecue sausages are just great. Once again, his prices beat all the supermarkets and even his eggs are only £1 for ten. Tesco eat your heart out.
Last, but certainly not least, is the vegetable stall. There are quite a few servers behind the counter there as there is always a crowd wanting their produce. Excellent prices and Tesco must have noticed, from our loyalty card, that we are giving their vegetable counter a continual miss!
One man aged 42 from the Finchley Area was arrested on Saturday 20th May 2011. This man was questioned at a North London police station and subsequently released on bail pending further police enquiries.
On the Wednesday the 25th May a 16 year old youth, also from the Finchley area, was arrested in connection with the burglary of a synagogue and will be questioned about the series of offences. This youth is currently detained at a North London police station.
Detective constable Paul Richardson of Barnet CID said. “Anyone with information about these crimes concerned should contact Detective Constable Paul Richardson of the Barnet aqusiitve crime unit on 0300-123 1212 or phone CrimeStoppers anonamously on Tel 0800 555 111 Please remember to quote reference number 2412835/11
What is the cloud?
This is a question that is not on everyone’s lips, unless they are executives in large companies or in the IT industry, but more and more people are wondering what it is all about.
Basically it is both just another word for having your computer servers in another location and run by other people and a new system for having others own and provide the software for running the programs in your business.
Those of you with a Google Gmail address are using the “cloud” for their email. Those who use Gmail and who are a little more adventurous, will have noticed they can write documents whether on a word processor, a spreadsheet or a power-point type of presentation, all within their Gmail account.
In addition, you can store your diary, your photographs, and even have a website up there. What’s more, for the individual reader, this is all free and if you have a computer crash and haven’t backed up – it will still all be there on the cloud.
There is no danger of losing the data on Google as if they lost your data, the entire Google empire would collapse.
This, then, is your basic introduction to the cloud. Although there are companies such as Amazon and other big players which offer cloud facilities for larger companies, if you understand what is available in Gmail, you should have a very good idea of what the cloud is all about.
We, at the Finchley Arrow, use a more professional version of Gmail called “Google Apps”. This allows us to embody our email, document processing etc. all under our own domain of FinchleyArrow.co.uk. By using this in an organisation where everyone works from home, if anyone gets a virus, or has a crash, and hasn’t backed up, the newspaper can carry on as everything is situated on the cloud.
Dropbox
There is another organisation’s product I am slowly rolling out to all our people, and this is also on the cloud. It is called Dropbox. Dropbox is a simple product which, when you download it, attaches itself to your file lister or explorer (Windows Explorer if you use Windows) and when you drag a file to it, it saves it on the cloud. What makes this product so valuable is that you can share a file with others if you send them a permanent link, or even a complete folder.
We intend to set up two folders to be shared by all of the team. When they write an article, all they need to do is drop it in the folder marked FA-Copy and it will immediately appear in my box. We will have another folder called FA-Photos and our picture editor will have access to that folder. If I want to share a folder with my friend in South Africa, he will only see the folder I share with him; he will not see the two newspaper folders.
Dropbox gives users two gigabytes free and if I recommend anyone, they will not only give me an extra 256MB, but they will also give the person I recommend an extra 256MB as well. I have already built up to four free gigabytes. There will be a link below which will allow you to get the two gigabytes free, and also the extra 256MB.
If you want to store all your data on Dropbox, then the prices are pretty reasonable. Pro 50 (50GB) costs $99 a year, and Pro 100 (100GB) is $199 a year. Bear in mind that these are in US Dollars which, at the time of writing, work out at £60.78 and £122.17 respectively. I am seriously thinking about subscribing to the Pro 50 service.
The service is available for Windows, Mac and Linux users and they also have mobile apps for smartphones.
Finally, go to http://db.tt/yGpRzQi if you not only want to download the free Dropbox application so you can use the free two gigabytes of storage, but want the extra 256mb for using the Finchley Arrow link.
Barnet Police officers are looking for a man suspected of committing a series of indecent exposures to women in the N12 area.
The investigation started after the first victim reported to police that a man in a car had stopped to ask her for directions to East Finchley and that, as she was explaining the route to him, he had exposed his genitalia and was masturbating.
This incident happened on Southover, N12 at 08:30am on Wednesday 18th May 2011 and the man then drove off at speed towards Totteridge Lane N20.
The victim stated that the man was well mannered and she believed, due to the way he had conducted himself during this incident, that it was not the first time he has done such a thing.
The second incident occurred on Sunday 22nd May 2011 at 6:50pm on Hillcourt Avenue, N12. Again a man stopped in a vehicle and asked a woman for directions to East Finchley. Once more, as the woman got close to the vehicle to speak with him, she noticed that he was masturbating. The man had then laughed and driven off towards West Finchley Tube station.
Both victims described the man as white, in his thirties, with short dark blonde or light brown hair. He was of large build and spoke with an English accent. The man was driving a small blue or grey vehicle.
DC Sandrine Manceau, the officer in charge of the case from Barnet CID said: “The grossly indecent behaviour of this individual is amplified by the fact that he is committing these crimes in the vicinity of schools and has clearly started doing so with some frequency. We would like anyone with any information that may help the investigation to contact us immediately, especially if you may have been a victim of this man yourself, or have any further details as to his identity.”
Anyone with any information is asked to call Police on 0300 123 1212 or CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 2412126/11
Summer is approaching as are the school holidays when parents pull out their hair trying to find things to do with their offspring! To help out we are going to be running a series of articles on family days out that are in easy reach of Finchley.
Set in the beautiful countryside around London Colney ‘The Willows Farm Village’ offers a great day out for all of the family. The fairground area especially the rides tend to be aimed mainly at younger children however, the activities will appeal to children of all ages, (I’m 60 and loved it).
As you enter the gates there is a barn with ‘Captain Chickens Egg Dodge’, this is a paint-ball type game firing soft woollen eggs from cannons, and will probably thrill the dad’s even more than the kids. Continuing around the barn, there are piglets, Guinea pigs, goats and many other cuddly animals.
On leaving the barn there is a fairly sizeable children’s fairground as well as farmyard animals on display. This is also where you get the stunning scenery of the Colne Valley. Although the river running along the bottom of the fairground is only a stream at this point, there are two lakes behind this that are open for fishing and provide some lovely walks. There are also a number of other country walks that you can take from the farm.
Among the amusements are a workout play area, Frisbee golf, tree house adventures and Tristan the Runaway Tractor, (a commentated tour of the farm.
Among the farmyard animals on display, there are a number of unusual animals on display including Reindeer, Wallabies, Tortoises and my particular favourites Alpacas, a relative of Llamas. There is a falconry containing exotic species, including owls and vultures. They have daily flying displays some of the birds
The farm also specialises in educational activities in a fun way. As well as the falconry display, they have farmyard ferret fun, sheep-stakes, animal handling and much more.
The farm itself has a number shops in the grounds, including a fab farm shop.
Although this may sound a bit pricey, compared to other better known tourist attractions such as London Zoo, Madam Tussaudes or The London Eye, there is so much to do that I thought it good value for money.
There is a reasonably priced cafe/restaurant in the farm village, a McDonalds as you enter London Colney and at least three nice pubs, all do food in London Colney proper.
Getting there by public transport.
Bus 84 goes from New Barnet Station to St Albans and can be picked up in High Barnet from the bus-stop opposite High Barnet Station.
Monday to Friday every 15 minutes, Saturday every 20 minutes but Sunday is only an hourly service and runs about half past the hour every hour. The journey from Barnet takes approximately 30 minutes.
Alight at the first bus stop as you enter London Colney, walk back to the roundabout, turn right and follow the signs. Be careful of the roads in this area, they are a bit dodgy.
If you know of any great family days out that are within in fairly easy reach of Finchley and would like us to cover this then contact don.pepper@finchleyarrow.co.uk or even better, if you would like to have a go at writing about your favourite family day out, contact the editor at andrew.taylor@finchleyarrow.co.uk.
I know it is a minor league, and your editor not sure what readers feel, but isn’t it great that our Finchley team is doing so well? Football is not my scene – it’s the wrong shape ball – but that doesn’t stop your editor feeling proud that we are moving up the ladder. The following was taken from their excellent press release:
After winning the Treble of promotion to the Ryman Premier Division, the Ryman League Cup and the London Senior Cup, there were plenty of awards to be handed out to many worthy candidates.
The varying Player of the Season Awards went to defenders Ahmet Rifat and Daniel Nielsen, ageless goalkeeper Gavin King and winger Gary Burrell. Another defender Ajet Shehu took the Young POTY award.
In a rare award, the Asher Rebak Award for Exceptional Achievement was handed out for only the third time in its history, and was given to David Norman for managing the side to an unprecedented Treble.
The Under 18 Player of the Season gong went to starlet Liron Mannie, who recently signed forms to play in the Ryman League with the first team and is sure to have a huge influence within the club next season. Sam Robbins took the award for the FLEX player of the season.
The full list of 2010/11 Award Winners are as follows:
Board of Directors Player of Season – Ahmet Rifat
Managers Player of Season – Daniel Nielsen
Supporters Player of Season – Gavin King
Players Player of Season – Gary Burrell
Top Goalscorer – Leon Smith
Club Person of Year – Aron Sharpe
Young Player of Season – Ajet Shehu
Asher Rebak Award for Exceptional Achievement – David Norman
U18s Player of Season – Liron Mannie
U18s Most Improved Player – Andy Ward
FLEX Player of Season – Sam Robbins
FLEX Most Improved Player of Season – Henry Akinsuyi
U16s London Player of Season – Cameron Saul
U16s London Most Improved Player of Season – Oliver Gnandi
U16s Herts Player of Season – Mica Wellington
U16s Herts Most Improved Player of Season – Thomas Magnitis
U15s Player of Season – Ciaran Power
U15s Most Improved Player of Season – Jamie Nelson
U14s Player of Season – Andrew White
U14s Most Improved Player of Season – Mehmet Ismail
U13s Player of Season – Ronaldo Jones
U13s Most Improved Player of Season – Stephen Garr
I noted the word Free in the title and thought our readers might be interested in these guided walks, here is the TFL press release.
Spring into Summer guided walks are back for the fourth year running, giving Londoners a chance to enjoy some of London’s best attractions, parks, rivers, canals and open spaces.
The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) are encouraging everyone to come out in numbers on the weekend of Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May and enjoy one of 58 free walks led by expert guides. These walks explore London’s Strategic Walk Network, which is a series of seven leisure walks in and around London.
There is a walk for everyone regardless of their age or ability. The walks range from 1.5 to 11 miles. They range from hidden gems in the City to walks totally off the beaten track along lovely leafy lanes.
All walks start and finish either at or within easy reach of public transport. To find out more about the walks and to register interest, people can visit www.walklondon.org.uk or email info@walklondon.org.uk
The weekend follows Walk to School week which schools across London have been taking part in and is part of a wider programme of walking activities and initiatives TfL are supporting this year to encourage Londoners to explore the city by foot.
TfL is investing over £250,000 this year to support walking in schools, including the promotion of Walk once a Week, the Big Walk once a week, School Travel Plans, and the recruitment of pupils as Junior Road Safety Officers to promote road safety.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Walking is a fantastic way to enjoy and discover all the lovely places and hidden historical gems London has to offer. You will be in the hands of experienced guides on these walks who will take you through spectacular sights and sounds as well as the changing landscape of our great city.”
A huge amount is happening to make London a more walkable city with improvements to London’s streets through the Great Outdoors Programme; creating more shared public spaces and improving signposting to make London an easier place to explore. This weekend’s walks are one of three annual guided walking weekends organised by Walk London and supported by TfL. The 58 guided walks cover seven different routes across London, connecting some of the Capital’s best attractions, parks, rivers, canals and open spaces.
The walks will cover sections of the seven ‘Strategic Walk Network’ routes which are:
Ben Plowden, Director of Better Routes and Places at TfL, said: “London is full of exciting places to see and what better way to discover the city than on foot. Spring into Summer weekend gives people the chance to unearth gems in the Capital.
“Around a quarter of all trips in the Capital are now made by foot and we are making extensive improvements to the walking environment.”
Jim Walker, Walk England CEO, said: “Nearly 10,000 people enjoyed these free walks last year. It seems the secret is out – London is a great city to get around on foot. Join us on the free walks this May and get an introduction to what everyone else is already walking about!”
One of our journalists, Don Pepper sent this in as two elderly friends of his had a nightmare journey with National Coaches the other day.
Golders Green bus station closed on the 16th May for refurbishment and is going to be closed for about eight weeks.
There are alternative bus stops around the area but National Coaches are being diverted outside of the area.
There is a shuttle service between Golders Green Station and the temporary coach stops, but this is quite complicated, time consuming and may mean you having to walk some distance with heavy luggage. I strongly advise that if you were planning to travel by National Coaches either to or from Golders Green, that you change your plans and use Victoria Coach Station instead. The 82 bus runs from North Finchley, down Ballards Lane all the way to Victoria.
With all the weather forecasts indicating we are going to have a very warm June and July, this will be a blessing for most of us who like to visit the grounds.
Jo & Al’s Café
65 Ballards Lane
London N3 1XP
Popular Café Jo & Al’s, is to take over the running of the Kiosk in the Grounds of Avenue House. The Kiosk, which has been shut since last Autumn, will reopen in the next week.
Until the end of last year the Avenue House Estate Trust operated the Kiosk itself. Trust Chairman Andy Savage explained that the Trust then decided to franchise out the operation of the café in order to keep its own resources focused on the running the House and the Estate. He said: ‘The Trust sought bids from several possible franchisees. The combination of the Trust’s well-publicised problems in the early spring, and the consequent loss of the first possible proprietor, meant that, regrettably, we were unable to see the Kiosk open for Easter. However, I think that we have been most fortunate to get Jo & Al’s as our new franchisee. Albert Bejerano has built a very popular business at Ballards Lane, with his excellent coffee and cakes, and we look forward to seeing him repeat this success at Avenue House.’
Jo & Al’s proprietor Albert Bejerano said: ‘I had hoped to get to operate this Kiosk for some time. All the most successful parks have their own café, and I am sure that we will be able to repeat this success at Avenue House Estate. As well as the Kiosk itself, I will be opening the refurbished tea room in about a month’s time, and I will be offering an increasing range of products through the summer. I look forward to operating the Kiosk for a long period of time.’
Three people have been sentenced to a total of 48 months in prison for their part in the taking of £100,000 worth of possessions from a residential premises on Windsor Road, N3 on October 6, 2010.
On 4th May 2011 at Wood Green Crown court found the following guilty of:
Darrell Neequaye and “suspect 2” committed the high value burglary where a safe was stolen containing a large sum of money, jewellery and watches.
The victim of the burglary told police that he had gone to work that day and returned home to find the doors to the back of his property had been forced open and his home ransacked. A safe, which would ordinarily have required five or six people to carry it, had been stolen along with the contents, £50,000 cash which the victim stated were his employees wages. The safe also contained his wife’s jewellery and two Cartier watches. A further £5,500 was stolen from bedside drawers.
An operation was conducted by officers from Colindale Police Station using various intelligence sources to connect the defendants to the offence.
Only a few hours after the burglary “suspect 2” was seen holding large quantities of money and wearing one of the stolen watches on his wrist.
On 23rd October 2010 “suspect 2” was charged with the burglary after large quantities of items of stolen property were found at his address during a search.
Also found were several pairs of trainers of which one pair matched footprints found at the scene of the crime, and two wheelie bins were seized with all of their contents and conveyed to Colindale police station, where they were searched and found to contain approximately thirty-eight (38) items of property which have been identified as belonging to the victim, stolen during the burglary. Items relating to another burglary were also found.
He remains on remand for burglary at another location.
A further search warrant was executed at the home address of Darrell Neequaye on 26 October 2010. Police found documents relating to the purchase of over £3000 worth of watches and jewellery, bought on the day following the burglary, and photos of Neequaye holding items of stolen property.
On 29 October a warrant was executed at a location on Brahms Road, Basingstoke the home address of Neequaye’s girlfriend, Hannah Burling. Details relating to several bank accounts in Ms Burling’s name were identified which had received substantial cash deposits that could not be explained. Burling was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
A money laundering investigation ensued revealing almost £17,000 going through the account, and the purchase of an Audi A3.
Neequay was caught on CCTV with Burling depositing and withdrawing money from the account at a bank in Basingstoke.
Crime Squad Detective Inspector Yvonne Brown said: “This has been a complex and challenging investigation requiring a lot of skill and patience by the investigating officers. Many items of property were recovered, each piece painstakingly examined, documented and enquiries made to trace it’s origin. I am immensely proud of my team whose sheer determination has resulted in these convictions”.
“This group were organized in their criminal activities, and although they took a very large amount of money and jewellery, they will not be allowed to benefit financially. I am confident their arrest has prevented other offences”.
“The effect of burglary on victims can be traumatic and long-lasting. This result demonstrates the resolve of Barnet Police to continue to use all available tactics and resources to prevent and detect burglary, and those who cause harm to our community”.
Dear Editor,
I have to admit, when you published the newspaper initially, I wasn’t very happy with it, as I never liked it when it was published on PDF files (whatever that stands for) but since you started published the news in the present format I much prefer it.
I put my email address in the “Keep in the loop” list and it was nice getting a reminder every month but as the “news” was often out of date by then, I took the plunge and added my email to the list which notifies me every time a new article is published. I find this particularly useful for news of transport problems, and local crime. But, I have to admit, I now read everything to do with Finchley as soon as it is published.
And wonders of wonders, my husband has also started to read it, after I showed him some of the articles. He even made a small donation through your donate button.
Margaret C. N3 3xx
[Editor: Thank you for those few kind words, this is only the third “thank you” we have received in three years so you’re a star! Others can add their name to the list and they can do this by clicking the link at the top of the third column (on this page) and adding your email address. Those who understand “Atom Feeds” may prefer to be notified that way. PDF stands for “Printer Definition File”, an Adobe creation. And last but certainly not least, please thank your husband for his donation, it wasn’t that small!]
By Pam Taylor (photos by Andrew Taylor)
Gordon Road Allotment plant sale took place this morning. The place was heaving with visitors when we arrived at half past ten.
All the people walking out past us were laden down with trays filled with plants. We have friends coming to stay next weekend and they particularly asked me to get some runner bean plants, but unfortunately I was out of luck – the hot, dry weather had killed most of their seedlings, although they were hoping there would be some available next weekend. If they do not sell everything today, then they said they will probably be open next Sunday, so why don’t you pop in.
I managed to find a plant which I’d never heard of (Stachys macrantha ) and the lady selling it very kindly showed me a photo of it in flower – I call that service! It only cost £2 and when I looked it up on the Internet I discovered that it’s an Asian wild flower. The sale was a gardener’s heaven with so many flowering plants, vegetables and herbs for sale at very reasonable prices.
It’s such a shame that they forgot to put their sale into our events page, but I hope that this serves as a reminder for you to call in next Sunday just in case and also to look out for their sale next Spring.
They even have their own café on the allotment…
And their own loo, this is a new French invention that doesn’t need water or plumbing but is scientifically healthy and clean…
And a happy punter winds her weary way home…
On Saturday Mike Freer, MP (Finchley & Golders Green), opened the Finchley Art Society’s (FAS) Spring Exhibition at Trinity Church in Nether Street. As you can see from the photographs below, there was a huge turnout for this first day event. Mike Freer commented on the high standard of art at the exhibition and, whilst the potential buyers milled around enjoying the paintings, partaking of nibbles and drinks, against the very pleasant tinkling of ivories in the background, the team were constantly complimented at the large turnout and excellent paintings.
If you missed the opening day, which was announced in our events page, all is not lost – opening times are Monday to Thursday and Saturday 9am-10pm, Friday 9am-6pm and Sunday 2-6pm. The last viewing day of the exhibition is Sunday 29th May so there is plenty of time.
Please look in our Events page as there are lots of other events going on at Trinity Church during the two weeks of the exhibition, including painting demonstrations on 14th and 21st May.
Like most successful occasions, events only run as smoothly as clockwork when a lot of hard work has been put in behind the scenes, and the Society is no exception, so our team certainly deserve their photograph here.
Further photographs:
During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. “Absolutely,” the professor said. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. ~Joann C. Jones
Surely, I thought, this would come under what we are hoping to achieve in Finchley – which is Community Spirit.
Community spirit isn’t just being a volunteer, it is saying a cheerful good morning to a neighbour. It’s pushing their mail all the way through the door when you know they are away. It’s getting some shopping for a sick neighbour. And, of course, it is knowing everyone’s names, even those who you may consider beneath you. Remember, the only person who you should look down upon is someone you are offering a helping hand up!
I looked on Google for some more sayings that fit this bill – but as an act of kindness, for those who consider this all poppy-cock – there are only additional sayings beyond this point and you can move on now. But others may like to read on.
The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines. ~Charles Kuralt, On the Road With Charles Kuralt
We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. ~Epictetus
One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind. ~Malayan Proverb
Being considerate of others will take your children further in life than any college degree. ~Marian Wright Edelman
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo Buscaglia
A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses. ~Chinese Proverb
There is no effect more disproportionate to its cause than the happiness bestowed by a small compliment. ~Robert Brault,
Be thoughtful of others and you will not be shy, for they are incompatible addictions. ~Robert Brault
The best way to knock the chip off your neighbour’s shoulder is to pat him on the back. ~Author Unknown
Because that’s what kindness is. It’s not doing something for someone else because they can’t, but because you can. ~Andrew Iskander
If thou art a master, be sometimes blind; if a servant, sometimes deaf. ~Thomas Fuller
If we cannot be clever, we can always be kind. ~Alfred Fripp
One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him. ~Booker T. Washington
The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John E. Southard
Getting money is not all a man’s business: to cultivate kindness is a valuable part of the business of life. ~Samuel Johnson
The more sympathy you give, the less you need. ~Malcolm S. Forbes
Always carry with you a little reasonable doubt, should you meet someone who needs to be found innocent. ~Robert Brault,
There are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile. ~Attributed to both Zig Ziglar and Dr. Kenneth McFarland
Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. ~James Matthew Barrie
Don’t cast a shadow on anyone unless you’re providing shade. ~Terri Guillemets
I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again. ~William Penn
The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own. ~Benjamin Disraeli
Something that has always puzzled me all my life is why, when I am in special need of help, the good deed is usually done by somebody on whom I have no claim. ~William Feather
I soothe my conscience now with the thought that it is better for hard words to be on paper than that Mummy should carry them in her heart. ~Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl
Britain may have lost the contest but England were the real winners.
43 countries voted, and 41 of those voted in English not French.
France, of course, voted in French, and the Belgian representative was a Walloon (a French speaking Belgian) so naturally, did as well, but no one else did.
Out of the twenty-five groups singing, 21 sang in English, three sang in their home language (Serbia, Spain, and even the French singer sang in his home language which was Corsican). Those adept at mental arithmetic will notice I have missed one out. This was the Greek entry and this was sung half in English and half in Greek.
Without wishing to denigrate France, a country I love and visit often – especially Paris where I worked between 1959 and 1962) surely there is a case now to drop French from the languages required to host the show, making it just English and the language of the host country? This would be fairer to the people in the country who are hosting the show.
We have received an email about this and have checked it with the famous website that scotches most of these warnings, called Snopes.com
If you get a message that Osama Bin Laden has been captured or hanged, I am sure you would ignore it as we know he was shot. However, be on guard.
Never, ever, open any attachment unless you know the person who sent the email. If you use Google GMail then you wouldn’t get it as if there is a virus, Google send you a note warning you, but then allows you to download it but at least you will be warned. If they know it is a genuine spam or malware, they will send it to your spam box anyway (with the virus stripped out of course).
If you get emails frantically warning you about anything horrible, you can usually check with www.snopes.com which will then inform you whether the story is true or false. A lot of people deliberately try to slow the Internet down this way. Every minute of the day there are literally millions of emails flying around because people send these on to everyone they know without checking first.
Finchley Church End Safer Neighbourhoods Team has bid farewell to Sergeant Alison Preece who has joined the Safer Transport Team, and a big welcome goes to Sergeant Aidan Russell who has taken over at the helm.
Sergeant Russell, from Tipperary Ireland, has been in the Metropolitan Police since 1989 serving in Holborn, Camden and now Barnet. He has seen a wide range of departments too with time on response teams, doing community policing and being in charge of a schools team. In May 2011 he transferred to Barnet on promotion as a sergeant where he was assigned to response Team 5 giving him plenty of challenges with a variety of incidents and emergencies.
When asked about his aims and objectives in his new post in Finchley Church End Aidan says: “My aim is to work closely with the community on my ward, reassuring them and gaining their trust and confidence. I hope, with the help of my team to contribute to making the area a better and safer place to live/work in. I hope to achieve this by increasing the SNT links with the community, with more proactive and high viability policing and by making best use of the various police teams on the borough. I intend forging closer links with my colleagues in Barnet’s Special Constabulary.
“I consider myself fortunate to have been posted to such a pleasant ward as Finchley Church End. I will listen to the concerns of the residents and act accordingly. “
One of the ward’s priorities is tackling burglary and the sergeant had a taste of that on his first day in the new post: “I enjoy patrolling the ward on foot, which I feel is the best way to get to know my community and gain their trust and respect. On his first day on foot patrol in Church End he already caught a burglar, who was attempting to break into a house in N3.
“I am grateful that my senior management team in Barnet has given me to opportunity to be part of Finchley Church End SNT. Being an SNT Sergeant has long been a personal ambition, and is one I intend putting to great use on the ward.”
As part of our intention to be “partisan politics” impartial, we published an article yesterday which showed the Conservative led Barnet Council in a bad light, so to balance this, we now show what the Conservative led City Hall has managed with road safety in London.
New figures published by the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) show how road safety in London has improved dramatically over the last ten years exceeding both Government and City Hall targets.
In the same week that the United Nations declared 2011 to 2020 a Decade of Action for Road Safety, the new TfL figures reveal how deaths and serious injuries on London’s roads have dropped by a staggering 57 per cent over the last decade.
This trend is continuing. Last year, the first time since records began in the 1970s, the number of fatalities fell below 150 to 126, which represents a 32 per cent reduction compared with 2009, and a 49 per cent reduction since the mid to late nineties.
What’s more, figures recently published by the Department for Transport (DfT) show that London is considerably below the national average in terms of fatalities at 24 per million people, compared to a UK average of 38 per million.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “London’s roads are now much safer than they were a decade ago and the Metropolitan Police, London Boroughs and Transport for London all deserve praise as other countries look to our lead. But there is still much more to be done, especially around the safety of cyclists on our streets, and that is exactly why we continue to fund road safety schemes across the Capital. A great deal has been achieved in the Capital but if we are to continue to reduce casualty levels we must not lose our focus in this important work and I welcome the UN’s Decade of Action.”
Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: “Road safety is something that TfL takes exceptionally seriously. The £14.8 million we will be directly spending on road safety schemes across London during 2011/12 will look to build on the tremendous achievements we have achieved in the last ten years, as well as further reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the Capital’s roads every year.”
Although this story refers to Hendon, I thought it could well interest people in Finchley as Hendon is only a few stops on the 326/143 bus.
The Hendon SNT has had a big success in the fight against one of their ward priorities, namely drugs. A large cannabis factory with tens of thousands of pounds worth of plants was raided yesterday, 11 May 2011 and one man was arrested on Southfields Road, Hendon. Over 200 plants have been seized and thousands of pounds worth of electrical equipment and growing material has been removed from the premises.
EDF engineers attended to make the property safe.
The cannabis factory was confirmed to officers by a fly-by from the police helicopter which indicated significant heat being given out from the two story property.
Officers from the Priority Intervention Team, the Hendon Safer Neighbourhoods Team and the Barnet Borough Intelligence Unit raided the premises at 11:40am. Hendon SNT Sergeant Steve Peyton said: “The amount of drugs we have taken off the streets today presents a significant victory in two of our ward priorities. It also serves as a message to those who would produce and distribute drugs on our wards that we are always watching you, and you will never be safe in our patch.”
Although football isn’t my sport (wrong shape ball) I think it is terrific that our Finchley team, based in Summers Avenue, North Finchley, is doing so well here is their press release. Note that I always put press releases in a lighter colour and indent them to show that it wasn’t our hard work!
Tuesday 10th May 2011 – London Senior Cup Final – Wingate & Finchley 3-1 Hendon
Wingate & Finchley came from behind in this London Senior Cup Final, to beat Hendon and complete an historic Treble including promotion to the Ryman Premier Division and the League Cup.
Both sides were slightly depleted, Hendon through injuries and Wingate’s squad shattered from the two extra-time matches of the last five days. On the pot-holed dusty pitch it was Hendon who dominated the opening stages and took the lead in the 14th minute with a scrappy goal bundled home from a near-post corner by Greg Ngoyi.
Wingate responded immediately from this setback, and the Hendon centre back James Parker should then have been sent off for cynically hauling down Murat Karagul when through on goal, but the referee was too afraid of giving such an important decision so early in a cup final.
The lively Karagul then equalised on the half hour mark. Receiving a ball upfield from Jones he showed strength to hold off his marker, and from close range swivelled and volleyed low through the helpless goalkeeper.
The game was deservedly level again, but Hendon’s Scott Cousins was the second player who was lucky to stay on the field after an over-the-ball challenge on Ola Williams on the halfway line which brought only a booking.
Both sides found life tricky on the embarrassingly horrendous football pitch, as it was clear that both sets of players were more comfortable playing a passing style of football.
The Blues then took the lead ten minutes after the break. Lewis Jones worked hard to press and close down the Hendon right-back, who lost all confidence in reading which direction the ball may next move off the surface, and the ball broke for the onrushing Sam Sloma. He forged into the box and showed great composure to slot the ball at the near post under goalkeeper James Reading.
Wingate sat back well and the defensive line of Marc Weatherstone, Paul Wright, Ahmet Rifat and Daniel Nielsen forced the Hendon strikeforce into mistakes time after time. Then on 70 minutes, as the green army were committing men forward, Lewis Jones all but sealed the trophy for Wingate & Finchley finishing off a great counter-attack. A superb run down the right from Williams attacking two players, took him into the area where a low cross found Jones who diverted the ball in at the near post from ten yards.
At the other end Hendon hit a post from a tight angle wide on the right with one of their only meaningful shots of the second half, whilst for Wingate Leon Smith was substituted on and nearly made an instant impact with a shot at the near post which the keeper Reading did well to get his whole body behind.
The regimented side knew just how to hold on to a lead – something they have had a lot of practice doing in recent weeks having won 9 and drawn 1 of the final 10 games at the business end of the season – and they played out the final moments with extreme professionalism, sealing a quite incredible Treble of honours that goes down in history as the Club’s most successful.
Lineup: King, Weatherstone, Wright, Fowler (Henry 46), Nielsen, Rifat, Williams (Smith 75), O’Brien, Karagul, Jones, Sloma (Laird 80). Subs: Cooper, Burrell.
Man of the match Murat Karagul, who scored the side’s opening goal, said “We’ve won this treble in our club with a fantastic atmosphere, and we are already looking forward to next year and taking the Premier League by storm.”
Manager David Norman said: “an incredible end to a fantastic season. This evening’s game showed how much work and effort the staff and players have given this year. Having secured promotion after two strenuous matches, six changes were made to the starting lineup. This evening’s result shows the quality in depth of the squad we have assembled here at Wingate, and we will all enjoy the break and focus on consolidation in the Ryman Premier.”
BBC News just reported the Union have said the strike has been suspended.
May I suggest those who are religious pray this evening.
Accouding to the electronic version of the Daily Telegraph a little while ago, ”
Bob Crow: ‘Tube strikes still on’
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow denies that a series of walkouts by London Underground workers have been called off.”
This is sheer madness. I refer to the different information coming out from both sides, not the strike which we won’t take sides on. Somebody is lying. It can only be the London Transport negotiating team or Bob Crow. I don’t know which. Do you?
According to a Telegraph Electronic News article just this moment:
A series of planned strikes by Tube workers in a row over the sacking of two drivers has been called off, London Underground has announced today.
The article went on to say
Mike Brown, LU’s managing director, said: ”As we’ve always said, there are established mechanisms in place to deal with individual disputes, and that is the process that has been followed here.
”Following a meeting with the RMT leadership this morning, the RMT have withdrawn their threat of industrial action, and we have avoided significant disruption for London.
We will keep this under review in case it changes.
After Barnet Police’s first Property Road show displayed fantastic success, reuniting several victims of crime with their possessions, a further event has been organised to try and repeat the success.
The next event is happening on 14 May 2011 at the Edgware Library opposite Tesco on Hale lane between 9:30 am and 5pm. (221 bus from North Finchley)
At the last event, held in Golders Green in December, a woman recognised a jewellery box at the road show as being one stolen from her house earlier last year.
Officers confirmed her details and a further 22 items were restored to the victim from the same burglary which had not been exhibited at the show.
This included the medal she had been awarded when she graduated from University 60 years ago that she had spoken to us about.
A person has already been convicted of burglary in connection with this matter. The items now restored to her, had been found by a member of the public discarded in a park within a mile of her house – presumably on the exit route taken by the burglar.
The aim of the event is to give victims of crime the opportunity to look at recovered goods believed to have been stolen, but which had not been linked with a specific crime and see if they recognise them.
Acquisitive Crime Manager DCI Iain Raphael said: “This is a real opportunity to try and re-unite the victims of crime with their prized possessions.
“It is sadly a frequent occurrence that we retrieve property which we know has been stolen, but cannot find the rightful owners.
In many cases it is also clear that the property is valuable not just in the monetary sense, but also emotionally, so it is a real shame to see it sitting in our property store or going to auction down the line”
Transport for London and developer Treasury Holdings are starting a public consultation to hear local residents’ views on the proposed private-sector funded 3km extension of the Northern line from Kennington to Battersea Power Station. The public consultation starts today (Monday 9 May) and finishes on Friday 17 June.
The Mayor’s Transport Strategy supports an externally funded extension of the Northern line to support development in the surrounding area. The Tube extension is part of a package of transport measures that would enable the regeneration of the GLA’s wider Opportunity Area which covers Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea.
When I first saw this I thought, “Great! They’re connecting Mill Hill East with Edgware” but alas this is not to be. In 1935, there were plans for the Northern line (then known as the Morden-Edgware Line) to connect Finchley Central with Edgware, and to extend further to Bushey Heath and a new depot at Aldenham. Thus creating three extra stations at Brockley Hill, Elstree South and Bushey Heath.
The work was started but shelved during the second world war, but a lot of the land is still available, but an equal amount has been built over so I fear these plans will never come to fruition. After the war, the introduction of the Metropolitan Green Belt meant that residential houses couldn’t be built on the land so the need for stations was removed. Whatever happened to the green belt – Elstree is a thriving communities.
The Trustees of the Avenue House Estate Trust are pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Savage, Executive Director of the Railway Heritage Trust, to the role of Chairman of the Avenue House Estate Trust, following the retirement of Bill Tyler in March this year.
Andy is a long-term Finchley resident, and member of the Trust. He brings to the Trust a lifelong experience of voluntary work in the heritage sector, particularly through his involvement with the Ffestiniog Railway. In his present post he is responsible for awarding grants to improve the condition of listed buildings on the national railway system. He has held a number of senior positions in the rail industry, and was, until the end of 2009, Deputy Chief of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, part of the Department for Transport
Andy says: ‘I am honoured to be appointed to this post, and would like to pay tribute to the work of Bill Tyler, who has led the Trust for a decade, most recently through the crisis caused by the loss of tenants. Now that the Trust has got over the worst of these problems, I look forward to working with my fellow Trustees, the staff of the Estate, and the Friends of Avenue House to develop the Estate for the benefit of the people of Finchley. My prime aim is to rebuild the Trust’s business and reserves. I am sure that we can achieve this, and that the Estate has a bright future.
I would also like to particularly thank our Estate Manager, Janett Durrant, for her ongoing work for the Trust, especially in such a difficult time, and for agreeing to remain with the Trust until the end of September, despite her wish to retire. This has given us time to find a worthy successor to her, and we hope to announce an appointment shortly.’
Avenue House is a grade 2 listed building, and is set in grounds of some 10 acres in the centre of Finchley. The Estate was left to the former Finchley Urban District Council by Henry Stephens, the ink manufacturer, in 1918. It is now run by the Avenue House Estate Trust, on a 125 year lease from the London Borough of Barnet. The Trust maintains the Estate and operates it for the benefit of the people of Finchley, in line with Stephens’ wishes. It does this with virtually no revenue support, using the income from letting rooms in the house, and donations, to cover the maintenance and operating costs of both the house and the grounds. The Trust opens the grounds to the public free of charge during daylight hours every day of the year.