This post on Money Saving Expert implies that insurance will cover people who have have suffered damage – traders or individuals, house or car. Uninsured may qualify for crisis loans or other compensation. But you might need to move fast…http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/insurance/2011/08/london-and-uk-riots-the-financial-help-available
West Ealing – bloodied but unbowed
Plainly we need a miracle. One man stood in West Ealing Broadway all night and witnessed what happened. He described a scene of random violence and looting. Police cars sped through, presumably too outnumbered to dare to stop, as 2-300 young people, masked and hooded, went on a frenzied spree hurling paving stones into shop windows. The shop that sells fancy trainers was the first to go. Blockbusters was smashed open and emptied; Play Stations walked out and became currency on the street. Seba Electronics was emptied – one of the few remaining independent electronics shops owned by a gentle man who writes inspiring sayings on the wall outside. What will he do now? The Bargain Store – rugs, mobile phones, luggage – was broken into. Cash Converters put up a brave label, saying they’d be back.
The man who bore witness, Mike Sylvester, who runs Sylvester’s Hair and Beauty, just stood outside his plate glass window all night – and he’s planning to do the same tonight. ‘Weren’t you frightened?’ I asked him. ‘Not really,’ he said. ‘I just kept saying “don’t set fires”. You have to be careful. One young guy tried to stop them trashing Blockbusters and his face ended up covered in blood.’ Mike worries that young people are simply very angry and don’t care what they do.
Mike, and people like him, are a ray of light. One person said that Southall shops remained safe because the families that own them came out in force to stand guard.
We asked the people at the Bargain Store what help they needed, as they rushed to board up their shop – still wide open to the world at 7pm. They said it was enough we thought about them. We asked the Afghani veg and fruit shop, as they brought down the shutters early, what we could do for them. They said prayer was the only answer and gave us free bananas to thank us. All we could do was walk and talk. Mike said that things like Family Day on 24 September (a ‘new’ West Ealing tradition that started last year) are more crucial than ever. Meanwhile, he’s performing his vigil tonight again. I can’t help feeling it would have been worse last night without him standing there, an almost silent witness – a symbol of patient sanity, of adulthood. I hope he stays safe. I wish I was brave enough to take him a cup of tea.
All we keep asking is ‘What can we do?’
West Ealing and Ealing Riots – WEN gallery link.
Monday night and Tuesday morning saw looters attack a number of shops in the West Ealing shopping centre. The looted shops include Seba Electronics, Blockbusters, Goldmine jewellers (next to Swami newsagent), mobile phone shops and London Joggers. Many shops had their windows smashed including Wilkinson’s, PDSA charity shop, Salvation Army shop, Barclays Bank, Santander and more.
Photos showing the damage in West Ealing and Ealing Broadway can be seen in our album: 2011-08-08-West Ealing and Ealing Riots.
Can’t sleep at 2.10am – Riots in West Ealing email exchange
Allan,
I agree about having a public meeting.
I can’t relax either.
I can’t compare this to anything that has happened in the whole of my life.
Surely troops will have to be deployed soon if this is repeated later today.
Anger? Just who do we get angry with? The government. The previous government. The Police. Ourselves – for allowing things to get in this kind of mess.
I guess the bankers will still get their £million bonuses.
Eric
PS I’m 67 today – it’s going to be a low key birthday
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There is a police presence now, so that is good. People are still making their way past them. Some of them caught buses and carried their goods away with them. The problem with this situation is that I don’t know what’s happening just a few buildings down the road so can’t relax and go to bed. Can we have a public meeting in support of the local people? It is all right for some for the youth to be angry, yet what about people like us? How do we get to express our anger?
Talking about Ealing on the news now.
Allan,
Yes awake.
Tesco Express is (or was) on the north east corner of Haven Green.
Sad to say I’ve been predicting rots in the streets for a while but in my wildest dreams I never expected this.
Very very worrying.
Take care – you are much nearer to this than I am. I spoke to my son near you to stay indoors.
Eric
Hi, Eric. Are you awake and following what’s going on on the high street? Several hours ago bunches of police cars were flying past, mainly towards the east. But once the hordes started coming down the roads carrying their goods from Blockbuster etc and since – a couple of hours now, I don’t know if there is a police presence in West Ealing or not. Now the Panasonic shop has been ransacked. There still seem to be young guys turning up in the side streets, covering their faces and then heading onto the main street or easy pickings. I would just like to know if there are any police in West Ealing. I haven’t bothered phoning anyone because what’s the use. Just keeping a lookout for break-ins and fires nearby.
Tesco Express Ealing Broaway gone. Where’s that? Think I saw some of the kids carrying bottles past mine. ONLY 5 POLICE ON SCENE IN EALING!!!!
Riots hit ‘Queen of the Suburbs’
Woken up by my 5 year old son at 3.00am this morning saying ”Mummy there are helicopters everywhere” the reality hit me that the rioting had come to the ‘Queen of the Suburbs’. I held my son in my arms with my heart beating fast genuinely scared at the thuggery and wanton organised violence that has now spread to West London.
West Ealing high street badly damaged in night of looting
I walked up to the West Ealing shopping centre about about 6.45am this morning to see rubbish and glass strewn everywhere. The main targets seem to have been banks and shops with goods that were deemed worth looting and that’s what it was – looting.
I couldn’t count the number of shops with smashed windows and one of my favourite shops, run by one of the nicest men in our community, Seba Electronics had had its shutter ripped down so the looters could get in and steal the goods.
I just hope that the looting isn’t the final straw that finishes off any of our local businesses. Times are more than tough enough without looting by people who don’t care about our neighbourhood or anyone’s else’s neighbourhood.
David Highton
Success at WEN Abundance first blackberry pick
A small team of us went out to pick blackberries on what was a very pleasant Sunday evening. Bitterns Field, Brent River Park did not disappoint. Lots were ripe and a lot more to come. Plenty for jam making and I’m sure we will be going back to get more soon.
Some pictures of the evening..
Volunteers and musicians needed for OPEN Ealing
OPEN Ealing is looking for volunteers to help on its reception between 11am and 5pm daily in August and then also between 5-9pm from September. We are also looking for musicians who are interested in playing at our monthly lunchtime events starting in September.
This month we are busy with our 5 weeks of children’s workshops each weekday between 11am and 5pm. Then from September we will launch our autumn schedule for adults which includes a range of evening activities on most evenings in the week so need help on reception between 5pm and 9pm.
Reception is the public face of OPEN Ealing and the role covers:
- registering children attending the workshops
- registering adults attending classes and workshops
- booking in people wishing to attend the workshops and classes
- dealing with enquiries from the public both in person and on the phone
We are also looking for musicians who are interested in playing at our forthcoming series of monthly Friday lunchtime events. We can pay expenses and provide lunch. We are keen to have a wide range of music from classical, folk, jazz and more.
If you’re interested in volunteering please call us on 020 8579 5558 weekdays from 10am to 5pm or just drop in and visit us at 113 Uxbridge Road (opposite Ealing fire station). We’d be very happy to show you round and explain more about OPEN Ealing and the reception role.
David Highton
Pirates invade West Ealing
Sand castles, spectacularly coloured fish and a pirate ship – all a result of OPEN Ealing’s first week of summer holiday worshops for children.
With the beach theme for our first week we started off with a bang when we were oversubscribed for the first afternoon workshop which saw sand and PVA glue come together in weird and wonderful ways to create some imaginative sand sculptures.
Then on to elaborate and beautfully deocorated fish which would grace any aquarium and we faced fierce rivalry with two teams beavering away to become pirates for the afternoon. They ended up with their own pirate ship painted with a skull and crossbones on our specially constructed indoor beach.
Our only disappointment was that no one turned up to our two interactive storytelling sessions for under 6-year-olds. I think that may be down to us not explaining that it was much more than just storytelling. It would be mixture of storytelling and making all sorts of beach themed items like starfish and shells.
Anyway, I for one welcomed the sight of a cool glass of wine as we relaxed at the end of a busy but enjoyable first week of summer workshops.
David Highton
Abundance goes out to the local community
The Abundance team were contacted by Nuria Rodriguez from Catalyst Housing about a foraging and jam making event for residents of Windmill Park Estate, Southall.
Our resident expert, Elizabeth went along with the group to pick blackberries to turn into delicious blackberry jam back at the community centre. Everyone had a go and the children loved the tasting at the end!
We will be looking forward to more events this year.
Here are a few pictures of the day – Click on the pictures to open them.
