Making hay while the sun shines in Fryent Country Park

I had the first class of the Autumn term in Fryent Country Park today.  The Year Ones were studying seeds and seed dispersal and eagerly searched for seeds and fruits in the meadows and hedgerows of the park and found them in great abundance, although the squirrels seemed to have had all the acorns.

They enjoyed watching a pair of kestrels hovering while hunting over Gotsford Hill and were excited by toads, tadpoles and newts as children have been for centuries.

Walking back across the fields from Kingsbury to Wembley I found hay making in progress.  Few realise that Fryent Country Park is a certified organic farm for hay which is sold off contributing to park expenses. Harvest was delayed by bad weather and sodden ground difficult for tractors to negotiate. Hay prices have gone up as a result but today's crop looked in pretty good shape.

Enjoy the pictures below and reflect on how fortunate we are to still have a little Middlesex countryside in our borough.

This is  a black and white photograph of my Aunt Muriel hay making at Bush Farm in 1942 complete with horse and cart. Today's baling machinery is much more advanced than her pitch fork but the hay left to dry before baling would be familiar.

Anyone wanting to book a class or club trip to Fryent Country Park should go to the Brent School Without Walls website HERE

Northwick Park accounts for 92% of all redirected A&E admissions

Doubts about Northwick Park Hospital  A&E Department's ability to cope now, let alone when other NW London A& E departments are closed have been reinforced by data published after a Freedom of Information request.

Between February and August 16th 2012, there were 49 requested redirections of patients to other hospitals. Of these 45 were from Northwick Park, usually to Central Middlesex which is of course ear-marked for closure. In addition Northwick Park transferred to Ealing, St Mary's, Hammersmith, West Middlesex and Hillingdon. 92% of all redirections were from Northwick Park. Hillingdon and West Middlesex had two planned redirections each. Central Middlesex none.

DCMS not to intervene in Brent library closures

Library campaigners will be disappointed to hear the the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has decided not to intervene in the Brent library closures.

The letter can be accessed below:

Navin Shah: Expecting Harlesden people to use Northwick Park A&E is 'absurd' '

Navin Shah, Londoin Assembly member for Brent and Harrow has published this statement on the closure of Central Middlesex Accident and Emerency unit.

I marched on Saturday (15th September) with local residents to keep Central Middlesex Hospital open.

The NHS plans to demote four hospitals in North West London. The proposals recommend the closure of Accident and Emergency departments at Ealing, Central Middlesex, Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals.

This would mean Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and Ealing will be without A&E departments, and will affect the provision of health care in North West London. Other departments at risk in the affected hospitals include intensive care, emergency surgery, paediatrics and maternity units.

Neither closing A&E at Central Middlesex Hospital, nor restricting its opening hours makes any sense. From personal experience I can vouch for how overwhelmed and over-stretched the A&E at Northwick Park Hospital is.

Since the very restricted opening of Alexandra Polytechnic the demand on A&E at Northwick Park Hospital has greatly increased. It is absurd to expect residents from the Southern parts of Brent like Harlesden to use Northwick Park Hospital given the, very poor public transport links. I would like this ill conceived closure proposal to be withdrawn, until this happens I am committed to fighting the closure plans to save local health services for the local community.

By Navin Shah AM