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| The runners in Fryemt Way, Kingsbury Photo: Philip Grant |
It was a cold Spring morning but possibly ideal weather for running a half marathon. I was in time this mormning to see the runners emerge from The Paddocks to stream off down Salmon Street with only a few locals, including whole families, lining the route to cheer them on. However the few did manage to make plenty of supportive noise which the runners seemed to appreciate.
One Salmon Street resident told me that she enjoyed watching the runners. "They are all ages, all shapes and sizes, all types, just normal people," she said, waving to a young Somalian woman in hijab and track suit who was trotting by.
A neighbour, who was unable to drive out of Pilgrim's Way to go and see her mum for Mothers' Day because of the road closures, was patiently waiting at the roundabout, but said that despite her frustration she admired what the runners were doing.
6 comments:
Local residents turned out on a chilly morning to encourage the runners today.
Yet our councillors have approved a budget that means there is no funding to send teams of Brent youngsters to the London Youth Games. What encouragement is that giving to sport in our borough?
Philip Grant.
Philip - what would you cut to save £54 million?
Dear (Cllr.?) Anonymous at 10:57,
I accept that I was not faced with the responsibility of making those decisions. However, if I had been in that position, I would have increased Brent's Council Tax by 1.99%, to bring in an extra £700k - £850k pa (depending on whose figures you accept). This would have been more than enough to fund the £25k cost of sending a Brent team to the London Youth Games each year. Taking part in these Games encouraged young people to participate in a whole range of sports.
Cutting this funding sends a message to young people in the borough that Brent doesn't care about them, or about encouraging their participation in sport. The long term costs of that message, both socially and in health terms, will outweigh the the financial "savings" made to the Council's budget. The same is true of the cut in funding for the Welsh Harp Environmental Education Centre - another minimal "saving" which was not worth the long term costs it will bring.
The fact that the freezing of Council Tax was based on a 'political judgement', rather than a sound economic one, only adds to my concerns over the unnecessary element of the cuts in the Cabinet's budget, which members of the Full Council felt they had to rubber stamp earlier this month.
Philip.
Ok you've saved £850K what about the other £53 million?
Ridiculous that London Youth Games funding has been cut. To anonymous (Cllr), your £54 million point is invalid, because Phillip has not opposed the other Brent cuts, just the Youth Games' cut, and he has found a way to fund it, and then get an extra £800k. Just do not complain in 30 years time when Brent has massive levels of obesity, because councillors will regret cutting this and other youth sport projects, and then pretending to be working on the front line by giving pointless deals to children at sports centres.
I ran this race (came 5th lady) and live in Kingsbury. I'd love to see more running groups in the area. We have such great green spaces near us and it's a really cheap way to keep fit. Why not a ParkRun in Roe Green Park?
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