The Kingsbury Swimming Pool Story – free talk at Kingsbury Library on Monday 31 March (+ an Ace Café talk on 21 March)

  Guest post by local historian Philip Grant

 

Lining up for a schools swimming race in the 1960s.

 

If you haven’t lived in the Wembley area for more than 35 years, you may not be aware that there was once a public swimming pool in Kingsbury’s Roe Green Park. The full story of this popular local “lido” from the 1930s, which even hosted some international competitions, will be shared in an illustrated talk at a free Kingsbury Library “coffee morning”, from 11am to 12noon on Monday 31 March (tea, coffee and biscuits available from 10.45am).

 

As can be seen from the photograph above, Kingsbury’s pool was an outdoor one. It was built by Wembley Borough Council. After that became part of the London Borough of Brent in 1965 there were plans (several times!) to build an indoor pool alongside it. This extract from a Council document shows one of the proposals. 

 

Extract from a Brent Council report in 1966.

 

Despite the ‘modern thinking’, Kingsbury not only failed to get an indoor pool, it eventually lost the swimming pool it already had! You can find out how this came about, and what replaced the pool, in my talk. As well as some nostalgia (and there will be time at the end for those who wish to share their memories of the pool), the talk reflects some of the 20^th century’s social history. You will be very welcome if you wish to come along (see poster below), and you can reserve your free place here.

 

Poster for the talk, showing a few more of the many illustrations.

 

Another example of local social history is the Ace Café, by the North Circular Road at Stonebridge. Its story will be celebrated at Wembley History Society on Friday 21 March, from 7.30 to 9pm, when Mark Wilsmore, who resurrected and runs this iconic venue, will be giving a talk on “Ace Times Then & Now – A Cafe and a Culture”. The meeting is at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Church Lane, Kingsbury, NW9 8RZ, and visitors are welcome (a donation of £3 towards costs is requested).

 

I look forward to seeing you at one, or both, of these local history talks!

Philip Grant.

100 Ace Cafe bikers deliver Christmas presents for Sufra foodbank clients. You can help Sufra too.

 

There was some speculation on social media from people who witnessed 100 bikers dressed as Santa and other Christmas characters speeding in convoy across the borough.

 

All was revealed in the Sufra Foodbank's latest Newsletter:

 This is what Christmas at Sufra NW London  is all about: a community of concerned, compassionate people from all backgrounds, faiths and cultures, coming together to give hope and joy (as well as lots of food and professional support) to people in crisis. It’s inspirational to witness.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us so far – including 100 Santas from the Ace Café who delivered presents on their motorbikes at the weekend. What a sight!

As I write this, Fahim, Nina and Prince are rallying our amazing volunteers to start prepping 600 Christmas meals (with free-range chicken and all the trimmings), which will be delivered by another set of speedy volunteers to families in need on Christmas Day (yes, really!) along with Christmas presents for all the family. Many of these will go to isolated asylum seekers confined to tiny rooms in contingency hotels.

Meanwhile, YOU have all stepped up too: we’ve hit the halfway mark in our Winter Appeal, which will unlock the Lady Fatemeh Trust’s match funding. This is brilliant news for our guests – thank you for all your support, especially LFT!

Even more great news: The Beta Charitable Trust have generously agreed to match fund the next £15,000 you donate, which means THEY WILL DOUBLE EVERY PENNY YOU GIVE – so please keep giving so that we can help more people like Adam...

Adam’s Story of Hope

Adam (not his real name) found himself homeless and destitute after a series of unfortunate life events that were not his fault. When he arrived at Sufra – cold, hungry and devoid of hope – he was too embarrassed to ask for food or help. Oddly, he started to fix our broken toilet instead. Turns out he was once an excellent plumber.

We provided him with a regular supply of food and arranged emergency accommodation to get him off the streets and keep him warm and safe. Our Advice Team also applied for a grant to get him the tools he needed to start earning a living wage again. We even found him some paid work.

Adam still volunteers to fix all our dodgy plumbing, but he also has a well-paid job and has just signed a lease on a decent flat.

He called Fahim the other day and told him, “I’ll never forget what everyone at Sufra did for me. I had lost all hope and would have never rebuilt my life without you guys. God bless you all.”

The Tip of the Iceberg

We hear touching stories like this every week at Sufra. It’s what keeps us going.

But Adam is just one of the hundreds of people who will come to Sufra for emergency food and support this winter – and we can’t give them hope without your help. 

Please click here to donate to our Winter Appeal.

Section 35 Dispersal Order authorised for Ace Cafe and nearby areas until 14.59 on Sunday

 The Brent Independent Advisory Group  Brent IAG) has issued the following information:

Section 35 DISPERSAL has been authorised by Insp O'Connor from 15:00 16/07/21 to 14:59 on 18/07/21 CAD 4275/15July refers. 

The areas covered are ACE Cafe and surrounding areas Harlesden, tube Station, Craven Park, Hillside, North and East of Northfields Estate due to expected Anti Social Behaviour over the next two days. Dedicated officers have been resourced to be in attendance for both nights. Thank you for your continued support by passing on this information and for helping to keep our communities safe.

Background Information on Section 35 Dispersal Orders HERE

'See you at the Ace!' - hear about the iconic cafe's revival February 8th Preston Community Library

Opposite the Preston Pub which is on Preston Road/Carlton Avenue East

My late brother David, more than 50 years a motorcycle fanatic, would have loved this. I still remember (with terror) riding pillion with him on the mountain roads of Northern Thailand where he lived his last years.