Work in a school? This event is especially for you

Book HERE

Message from the organisers:

There's definitely cause for celebration when we have the world's best teacher, Andria Zafirakou in our midst!  It's time to recognise the great work that so many are doing, day in day out, with children and young people in Brent and beyond.  Are you one of them?  Then you need to be at this event!  Let us show you some appreciation! 

What is the event all about?

A chance for educational professionals and anyone that works with children in Brent, Harrow and the surrounding areas to come together as a family and celebrate their contribution over a buffet dinner, whilst helping a worthy children's cause!
This event is both a networking opportunity for teachers and others in the field and a fundraiser for a successful holistic education charity project (Gift a Smile) looking to connect with UK schools. 

The International Association for Human Values along with the Art of Living Foundation are putting on this event to raise awareness of their children and youth programmes (ART Excel for 8-12 year olds and YES! Youth Empowerment Seminar for teens) and free holistic school provision in the developing world via the unique Gift a Smile programme.  Please do visit: http://www.iahv.org.uk/project/gift-a-smile/ to find out more.

EduGreat! would not be possible without the kind donations of local residents and businesses who will also be recognised on the day. Thank you!

FAQs

What's the order of the evening?
5 - 5.30pm Connect with Colleagues
5.30 - 6pm Presentations
6pm - 6.45pm Vegetarian Buffet Meal
6.45pm Raffle Prize Draw
7 - 8pm Live Music Performance 

Do I need to attend the event from beginning to end?
Please time your entry between 5 - 5.30pm so that presentations are not disturbed, however, it is entirely your choice how long you stay on for.

Are children welcome?
YES! This is a family friendly event and craft activities courtesy of Holistic Happy Birthdays and Scribble Arts have been organised to keep them entertained! 

Is alcohol/smoking permitted?
Strictly NOT.

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?
Wembley Park Tube on the Met and Jubilee lines is just a 2 min walk away.
Side Road parking off Chakhill Rd or use the Asda car park on Forty Lane (free for 3 hrs).
Pay n Display parking on Bridge Road/Wembley Park station car park available too.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?
Please call or msg: 07946 542 876

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Let's save paper - just show the eventbrite confirmation received on your phone.

Hurry to tell the FA about how Spurs at Wembley has impacted on you

From Danes and Empire Court Residents' Association

We have been asked by the FA to provide feedback to a study they are conducting on the impact of Wembley Stadium, and of Spurs on the local area, London and the Nation. Specifically, they would like input on the questions below, so please provide your feedback AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (i.e. before Friday) as we will be meeting at this point.

What are the positive and negative impacts of Wembley on local residents and local businesses, and your views on the impacts of Wembley stadium with a focus on Tottenham Hotspur, and whether there have been any positive or negative developments as a result of the increased occupation?

What has been done since the start of the season to address any negative issues and how that has worked out?

What future initiatives you would like to see in place for the benefits of local stakeholders?

Answer the Questions HERE before Friday 13^th April.

Incidentally this is a comment on the Stadium made in 1986 by a nine year old as part of the Domes Day project (see side panel):

Sometimes I hate Wembley Stadium  because when there is an event like a match on there are nearly always hooligans hanging about.   I live near the Stadium and nearly  every Saturday there’s a match on and lots of people hang about the “Harrow   Tavern”, which is a public house in  front of our house.  I hope that Wembley Stadium buy  security cameras to catch all the hooligans.   The time when I like Wembley is when   there are no hooligans and the match is a friendly game. Concerts like the Live Aid one are held there as well. Next to Wembley Stadium, in the car park, there is a market which is held every Sunday. H.P.( Aged 9yrs)

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Kilburn's Tricycle goes potty

Indhu Rubasingham, Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre, , announced this morning that the well known and respected Tricycle Theatre, known affectionately as 'The Trike' by locals, has been renamed the Kiln Theatre. She said:

This is an opporunity for us to be really proud. A name can't do anything itself. It goes hand in hand with our ethos, or mission statement and our programme. This is the time to do different things.

The theatre has reopened its doors after an extensive refurbishment and fundriasing programme.

Kiln Theatre website HERE

UPDATE Friday April 13th

Since the announcement there has been much criticism of the change on social media.

A petition to reverse the name change can be found HERE  

We Are Dollis Hill; No Nazis Here Vigil Against Racism and Anti-semitism

There was a good turn-out at tonight's vigil in Hamilton Road, Dollis Hill, after the discovery of Nazi graffiti at the weekend.

The vigil was addressed by Rabbi Baruch Levin and Muahmmed Butt, leader of Brent Council as well as members of the local community.

The message was clear that we were united against such attempts to divide the community and had learnt from history what happened if such ideas and movements were not opposed.

The hearts on the bus stop and messages on the pavement were reclaiming our streets.

Rabbi Baruch Levin and Muhammed Butt

Almost 2/3 London construction workers don't know asbestos can cause cancer

This may be of interest following the Paddington Cemetery asbestos controversy LINK (From Construction News)

A third of construction workers don’t know that asbestos can cause cancer – in London it’s almost two-thirds.
 

These two statistics staggered me when I read the findings of an asbestos awareness survey by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), published on Monday.

This was part of IOSH’s No Time To Lose campaign, which aims to raise awareness about occupational cancers caused by diesel exhaust fumes, silica dust, solar radiation and asbestos.

You would expect any contractor health and safety programme worth its salt to make sure workers know the dangers of asbestos, are familiar with onsite asbestos registers, and have clear guidelines on what to do when faced with the stuff.

But it seems the message isn’t loud and clear everywhere, with 40 per cent of workers surveyed by IOSH saying either that asbestos risks were not regularly reinforced, or they had never been told about them in the first place.

This failure to inform was reflected in the findings that one in three workers did not check asbestos registers on site, while 15 per cent didn’t even know they existed.

Part of the reason for this ignorance seems to be rooted in the idea that asbestos is an old problem, with the substance being banned for use in new buildings in 1999.

I have to confess, I was in that camp until yesterday. I assumed, given the publicity around it over the past few decades, pretty much everyone – let alone construction workers – knew the dangers.

The stats say otherwise.

Around 5,000 people die from asbestos exposure every year, with construction workers accounting for 66 per cent, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

Within this, 20 tradespeople a week are killed by mesothelioma – a particularly horrible form of cancer that Mesothelioma UK director of services Liz Darlington calls “a death sentence”.

Given the number of workers dying every week due to asbestos, is it really getting the attention it deserves?

It’s true that many sufferers were exposed decades ago, when asbestos was widely used in lagging, insulation boards, fibre concrete, tiles, gaskets and other products.

But we still have a legacy of more than half a million commercial and public buildings containing the deadly mineral. On top of that it’s estimated that more than a million residential properties could contain asbestos

So it is clearly still an ongoing problem for people working on site. If we get complacent about it, then the deaths – which are completely preventable – will continue far into the future.

Speaking to people at the No Time To Lose launch, the lack of awareness primarily affects small and micro companies as well as sole traders.

IOSH is now calling on everyone in the industry to help it reach these organisations. To do this, IOSH has produced workplace posters, information cards for workers, action flowcharts and other general information that is freely available at notimetolose.org.uk.

So even if your company is up to date on the risks and managing them well, make sure the same is true of other subcontractors and partners you work with.

By the time IOSH does its next survey, everyone should be aware of the dangers.

Thanks to David Price, reporter, Construction News 

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Thumbs up for Shakshuka at the Roundwood Park cafe

I popped into the Roundwood Park Lodge cafe for lunch today with a friend. There was a warm welcome and time taken to describe the dishes on offer. The cafe serves a mixture of traditional meals, with a special children's menu, and Middle Eastern dishes prepared by the Egyptian chef.

We chose the shakshuka which was freshly prepared and very tasty:

There is plenty to tempt you if you are just popping in for tea or coffee:

The cafe has had a makeover but still attracts families. Children are able to use the attached play area or the toy corner in the cafe while their parents relax and chat.

Highly recommended!

Successful Neighbourhood CIL bids to be announced soon by Brent Council

Given the controversy over Community Infrastructure Levy I asked Brent Council for the outcome of the most recent round of bids for CIL funding for Neighbourhood projects.  They have responded that provisional offers have been sent out but they are waiting for the last few funding agreements to be signed and returned.  Once these have been received a full list will appear on the Brent Council website HERE under the spending section.

Meanwhile here are the results of the First Round of bids which I first published in February. It is noteworthy that quite a few of the bids seem to be from Council departments or  their arms length services. It is interesting to see the awards that volunteers library campaigners have won following Brent Council's closure of half of the borough's libraries in 2011 LINK. In addition to the grants listed below Cabinet approved £267,983  to Preston Community Library and Hub.

Help empower Brent migrants by becoming a volunteer English teacher