OPEN Ealing Poetry evening this Wednesday at 8pm

 

OPEN Ealing launches its first ever OPEN Poetry evening on Wednesday 15 February 2012, 8pm

A reading with SJ Fowler, Christodoulos Makris, Marcus Slease and Cherry Smyth, plus OPEN-mic session.

In what we hope will be the first of a regular poetry series at OPEN Ealing, join us for an evening of readings from our guest poets – and yourselves. Everyone is welcome to come along, whether to perform or simply listen. Admission is free.

SJ Fowler (www.sjfowlerpoetry.com) is the author of three poetry collections, Red Museum (Knives, Forks and Spoons Press, 2011), Fights (Veer Books, 2011) and Minimum Security Prison Dentistry (AAA, 2011). He is the UK poetry editor of Lyrikline and 3:AM Magazine. He is a full-time employee of the British Museum and a postgraduate student at the Contemporary Centre for Poetic Research, University of London.

Christodoulos Makris is the author of the collection Spitting Out the Mother Tongue (Wurm Press, 2011) and the chapbook Round the Clock (Wurm Press, 2009). A chapbook / artist’s book with title Muses Walk – his contribution to the project ‘An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street’ – is due out in March. He was Dublin regional editor for Succour magazine, and ran the Poetry Upfront series of readings and events in north Co Dublin. For more go to http://yesbutisitpoetry.blogspot.com

Marcus Slease was born in Portadown, N. Ireland in 1974. His latest publications are from Smashing Time (MIPOesias Chapbook Series, 2012), Hello Tiny Bird Brain (Knives Forks and Spoons, 2011), Balloons (Deadwood Press, 2011), and Godzenie (BlazeVOX, 2009). He has lived all over the world including: Seoul Korea, Katowice Poland, Greensboro North Carolina, Ogden Utah, Seattle Washington, Ankara Turkey, and Milton Keynes England. His current home is in London where he teaches English as a foreign language. He blogs at Never Mind the Beasts: www.marcusslease.blogspot.com

Cherry Smyth’s debut poetry collection When the Lights Go Up was published by Lagan Press in 2001. A pamphlet, The Future of Something Delicate was published by Smith/Doorstop in 2005, and a second poetry collection, One Wanted Thing, was published in 2006. Her stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Anchor Book of New Irish Writing (2000) and Scealta: Short Stories by Irish Women (Telegram, 2006). She lives in London. See more at www.cherrysmyth.com

OPEN Ealing, 113 Uxbridge Road (opposite the fire station and on the corner with Culmington Road)

Tel: 0208 579 5558

Website: www.openealing.com

 

West Ealing – Dean Gardens update

Dean Gardens – Action Group update (January 2012)

We held the fourth Joint Action Group meeting today – this note summarises the up to date situation.

Since the earlier JAG meetings that started after the incidents in September, there has been considerable activity as we have previously reported.  We are now entering the phase where Dean Gardens is being rehabilitated into “day-to-day policing” rather than the “special measures” that we have seen.  This does not mean that the Police and Council eyes will be taken off the ball, but rather that we need to use our resources appropriately.

The police, council, and charities will continue to work closely together.  Patrols will continue to be made around the local retail outlets, off-licences and cafés in the area to ensure that there is minimum temptation – particularly in relation to alcohol consumption.  ASBOs will continue to be put to the courts (already a considerable number have been put in front of the courts and more are to follow).  These will curtail the known irresponsible troublemakers and the new ones on whom intelligence has been built since the intense joint action programme started.  The JAG meetings will continue – but will be held less frequently.

In summary:  Dean Gardens is being rehabilitated and is returning to normality as a safer place, day and night, a green space in West Ealing that is a central part of our neighbourhood.  As I have said before, of course we cannot guarantee this and therefore as residents we must all continue to watch and help.  If you are aware of any anti-social behaviour or drug related incident, you can report it by ringing 101 (this number is for all calls to the police other than emergencies – for which please ring 999).  101 will get you through to the Metropolitan Police who will pass the details to a duty officer in Ealing for collation by our intelligence team.

If you have any additional queries, you can contact our local Walpole Police SNT on 020 8721 2949 or email me at patrickchapman@btconnect.com.

Thank you.

Patrick Chapman, Walpole SNT Focus Panel Chair 27th January 2011

-3.5c and we were still up for pruning our West Ealing Orchard

Oh yes we at WEN Abundance and Ealing Transition are a hardy lot!  We braved the freezing cold on Saturday 4th February to be part of a pruning workshop at our lovely little Orchard at Walmer Gardens. The London Orchard Project are doing a fantastic job helping us and brought in an expert to guide us through the day.

With some dedicated volunteers and support – including Jon Skoyles, Ealing Park Ranger, this Orchard has undergone a complete transformation. It will take a couple more years of pruning, planting and caring for the place but we know it will be worth bringing this place back to life.

Next up is the beehive Ealing Transition will be setting up around April – I’ll let you know exact dates when confirmed should anyone be interested in coming along.

Here are some pictures of the day (click to enlarge).

 

Blue Monday, St Nectaire and other fabulous cheeses available locally

Months ago I wrote about subscribing to Claire Rosser’s Hanwell-based W7emporium monthly cheese service. Shortly after that Brent opened Cheddar Deli in Northfield Ave and, blow me, we now have two fabulous local cheese suppliers. That’s pretty good going for West Ealing/Hanwell.

I’ve subscribed to Claire’s monthly delivery service since it started and it’s always a pleasure to open up the neatly packed paper bag with its cheese selection.  Last week we got six cheeses including the delicious St Nectaire from the Auvergne. I’m half way through the Bleu D’Auvergne and my wife has eaten the Camembert without me ever getting to taste it – never mind!  We’ve yet to try the mature cheddar and Leicester. And whatismore, Claire is planning to open a shop in Hanwell this spring and more news of that when it’s open.

Talking of open, at OPEN Ealing we have a monthly First Friday event when we have the opening of two new gallery exhibitions. For this we offer wine and cheese and this time the cheese has been coming from Cheddar Deli. Brent sells a fantastic variety of cheeses, is hugely knowledgeable about the cheeses he stocks and it’s a pleasure to hear him talk about where they come from and what they taste like.

I hope both succeed as that’s got to be good for both West Ealing and Hanwell.  Do please try them out and both have Facebook pages:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/w7emporium/223601020990051

http://www.facebook.com/CheddarDELI

 

 

 

 

 

Tango lessons, poetry evening, Zumba, free music and more at OPEN Ealing in February

February sees OPEN Ealing launch its first ever OPEN Poetry evening on Wednesday 15th along with the opportunity to learn the tango – what more could you ask for?  Well, actually, there’s also our regular First Friday free music this Friday followed in the evening by the launch of ealingfaces – an exhibition of portraits of local people. I was going to get my portrait painted but never did quite manage it!

First Friday music on February 3rd 12.30-1.30 with the Tribulus Quartet playing an oboe quartet and a piece by Benjamin Britten.

OPEN Poetry on Wednesday 15th February at 8pm  entrance free.  Readings by four poets and an open-mic session. More  here

Tango lessons – if there is enough interest in learning to dance the tango OPEN will put on lessons on Friday evenings. Find out more here

And if it’s Zumba you’re looking for we have five Zumba classes a week on different days and at different time and you can follow one of the Zumba teachers on Twitter @ZumbaShaf

 

 

 

Ealing Transition looking for people to help it tell its story

Ealing Transition is a focal point for practical community action on peak oil and climate change. It now has 1200 members and is looking for volunteers to help it tell its story:

Telling the Transition Story

Are you a storyteller, a journalist, blogger or film-maker? Could you get Ealing Transition into the headlines? We need a team to start magnifying the effect of our work, making our website work harder, using social media to its greatest potential, making presentations to groups around the borough etc. Contact steering@ealingtransition.org.uk if you think you can help.

OPEN Ealing is looking for an architect to help with plans for new home in West Ealing

OPEN Ealing will be moving to new premises in the heart of West Ealing in late March/early April. We have identified suitable promises and agreed terms with the landlord. We now need to find a friendly architect who can donate some of their time and skill to help us draw up plans for the building. We will need to make changes to the building’s current internal layout and work out how to make best use of the 8,000 or so sq ft. Is anyone up for the challenge?  If so, please email info@openealing.com and we’ll be delighted to talk to you about the project and our plans for the new building. This is a huge opportunity for OPEN Ealing to make a major contribution to life in West Ealing, so it’s crucial we get this step right as we plan to make West Ealing  our permanent home. You can find out more about OPEN on our website at www.openealing.com

Hope to hear from someone soon!

 

Man knocked down at West Ealing’s Lido Junction

A man was knocked down at the Lido Junction this Friday lunchtime. Luckily it does not sound as if he was too seriously injured but it comes barely two days after the Council announced the public’s overwhelming support for plans to put in pedestrian crossongs and make the Lido Junction safe to cross.

The online Ealing Gazette has the story – http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/ealing-news/local-ealing-news/2012/01/20/pedestrian-64-knocked-down-at-dangerous-crossing-64767-30166693/

We look forward to the inplementation of this scheme and, at last, making this junction safe to cross so there are no more such accidents.

 

Overwhelming public support for plans to make West Ealing’s notorious Lido Junction safe to cross

The public consultation about the plans to put pedestrian crossings at the Lido Junction in West Ealing has met with overwhelming local support.  90% of those completing the consultation were in favour of the plans to make the Lido Junction safe to cross.  We await the decision on whether or not to put in the loading bay and parking bays in Drayton Green Road.

This is a major breakthrough for West Ealing and our thanks to the Council, TfL, all our colleagues who worked on the report two years ago and to everyone who said ‘yes’ in the consultation.

The works should be carried out this year so, after 5 years of lobbying, we are within sight of at last making the Lido Junction safe to cross.

The Council’s press release can be read at – http://www.ealing.gov.uk/news/article/294/lido_junction_gets_thumbs_up_from_residents