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The Victoria Hall DOES NOT NEED SAVING, help Ealing people rather than mouldering victoriana

The Victoria Hall (part of the Old Town Hall) DOES NOT NEED SAVING, it is a piece of uneconomic Vistoriana (of questionnable architectural merit as Charles Jones who designed and builtit apparently started off training as an architect, but ended up qualified as an engineer) that without the investment of several million poinds cannot be used for anything other than as a draughty Victorian hall. As libraries close, disabled centres disappear, mental health support disappears we are left with a bunch of second-rate activists looking for a cause. Hey, if we need a theatre then put a plan together, raise the money and build one, if it is economically viable as the acitivists claim then they should put their money where their mouths are, get a great big mortgage, put up their houses and business as collateral and make a fat profit, if it is not profitable then why are the people of Ealing being asked to underwrite a fools errand?If the plan was to turn it into half-way housing, short term social housing, a disabled support facility, a multi-media library resource facility, even a soup kitchem, so many things that people could get behind to hekp others in Ealing, however, a subsidised entertainment facility with a bar?To me it makes more sense to shed the overhead of this relic (having preserved its architectural heritage (such as it is) which is happening, move on and spend the money saved from not having to maintain this decaying facikity along with the money earned through renting it out to a hotel into something USEFUL, social housing, a libray, a much, much better option

Mark Julian Raymond ● 2440d22 Comments ● 2433d

MindFood - all our nature-based courses are FREE!!

Happy New Year from everyone at MindFood! For anyone who doesn’t know us yet, we are a small local charity (reg. no 1185639) running nature-based courses that help people to tackle stress, depression, anxiety and isolation. All our sessions are FREE, run 6 days a week, and we can sign you up right away...so why wait to feel better : )Our Growing Wellbeing courses are a fun and informal way to reconnect with nature, learn how to grow food, and pick up tips and techniques to improve wellbeing, like mindfulness. Participants can take home veg they’ve helped to grow, and can even join a free trip to Kew at the end. Here are the upcoming dates:Wed 22nd Jan 10.30-12.30 at Cleveley Crescent AllotmentsFriday 24th Jan 1-3.30pm at Cleveley Crescent Allotments (W5 1DZ)Tues 25th Feb at Horsenden Farm (UB6 7PB)We’ve chosen to run the Cleveley Crescent courses at around the same time to allow participants to swap into another session in the same week if they can’t make their usual one. This makes it easier to complete the whole programme - so these sessions are ideal for anyone juggling tricky work or care commitments. It’s even possible to join in week 2 if timing’s are tight.We also run Naturally Creative sessions at Horsenden on Thursdays 10-12, which combine mindful nature-based activities eg a walk or a forage (or both!) and an opportunity to develop your creative side with sketching, making collages, willow-weaving, and more...Every Saturday, we have Plot to Plate sessions at the Farm from 10-12 - they’re the ideal way to de-stress after a busy week, and a great way to meet more of your community.And finally, look out for details of our Seed Swap event in February - you’re sure to pick up a bargain, and some unusual finds. Follow us on facebook, or sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with our latest news.To sign up or find out more, just email Lucy at info@mindfood.org.uk

Lucy Clark ● 2434d0 Comments ● 2434d

MindFood - all our nature-based courses are FREE!!

Happy New Year from everyone at MindFood! For anyone who doesn’t know us yet, we are a small local charity (reg. no 1185639) running nature-based courses that help people to tackle stress, depression, anxiety and isolation. All our sessions are FREE, run 6 days a week, and we can sign you up right away...so why wait to feel better : )Our Growing Wellbeing courses are a fun and informal way to reconnect with nature, learn how to grow food, and pick up tips and techniques to improve wellbeing, like mindfulness. Participants can take home veg they’ve helped to grow, and can even join a free trip to Kew at the end. Here are the upcoming dates:Wed 22nd Jan 10.30-12.30 at Cleveley Crescent AllotmentsFriday 24th Jan 1-3.30pm at Cleveley Crescent Allotments (W5 1DZ)Tues 25th Feb at Horsenden Farm (UB6 7PB)We’ve chosen to run the Cleveley Crescent courses at around the same time to allow participants to swap into another session in the same week if they can’t make their usual one. This makes it easier to complete the whole programme - so these sessions are ideal for anyone juggling tricky work or care commitments. It’s even possible to join in week 2 if timing’s are tight.We also run Naturally Creative sessions at Horsenden on Thursdays 10-12, which combine mindful nature-based activities eg a walk or a forage (or both!) and an opportunity to develop your creative side with sketching, making collages, willow-weaving, and more...Every Saturday, we have Plot to Plate sessions at the Farm from 10-12 - they’re the ideal way to de-stress after a busy week, and a great way to meet more of your community.And finally, look out for details of our Seed Swap event in February - you’re sure to pick up a bargain, and some unusual finds. Follow us on facebook, or sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with our latest news.To sign up or find out more, just email Lucy at info@mindfood.org.uk

Lucy Clark ● 2434d0 Comments ● 2434d

Discover Me! open day today at Oaktree Acton

Your friendly local church, Oaktree, are putting on a number of events which might be of interest to people in the community on the theme of “Discover Me!” There will be an open day TODAY Saturday 11th January from 11am to 4pm at the Oaktree Centre at 216, High Street, Acton W3 9NX when people can come along and find out more / sign up – everyone very welcome!The groups will be running for 9/10 weeks from the end of the month and are as follows:West London Wellbeing CourseThis is a fun 9 week course covering themes such as move eat sleep relax - actions that can increase our health and happiness. There'll be a mix of video, individual and small group chat, and lots of fun.Sign up up on Eventbrite: bit.ly/38Poo03  The Enneagram HubWe will look at the 9 personality types, not for teaching an intellectual understanding, but for transformation and growth as a community, experiencing the Enneagram together.The Parenting Children CourseFamily life is under great pressure today and parents face bewildering choices about how to parent effectively. Discovering we are not alone in the challenges we face and picking up ideas from other parents can make a huge difference. We can all learn how to make even the happiest family better. The Parenting Children Course and The Parenting Teenagers Course were developed to equip parents and carers of children with long-term strategies and practical tools to build a healthy family life. Here is an introductory video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY8thZ_W2gYThe Marriage CourseA seven-session course designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a stronger marriage. There is food, a practical talk, and a time for private discussion between you and your partner. There is no group work. It will help you build strong foundations, communicate more effectively and resolve any differences well. Here is a video flyer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qba2wYpXgUs&feat…Finding God in PoetryPoetry allows one to see into the soul of another person, to see what is weighing on their minds and on their hearts, and can open doors to feelings that are sometimes suppressed until that door is opened" (Robert Brewer)This group is an invitation to reflect on these deepest thoughts and feelings, and to learn more about God and His relationship with us. No prior knowledge of poetry is required. Just a willingness to slow down, reflect and explore! Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/finding-god-in-poetry-tickets-87530340605The Bible CourseThis is a Bible Society course that uses a storyline to show how the key events, books and characters fit in the Bible. You get to see how the Bible applies to your life.If anyone is interested but can’t get to the open day today, feel free to PM me via the site.

Prabal Ray ● 2439d1 Comments ● 2438d

Recycle Your Cooking Oil  and Stop Feeding the Rats

Ealing started offering a free collection of cooking oil from businesses several years ago.  It now seems that residents can recyle their cooking oil too.  You only have to see the photographs of the sewers to realise why the rats like it down there and why this is a good idea!Here is the Council Press Release regarding this."Ealing slick at cooking oil recyclingPublished 7 January 2011An Ealing Council recycling centre is top of the tables for waste cooking oil collection. Greenford Recycling Centre has collected the most cooking oil for recycling in London, and the second highest volume in the country. In the last two years, residents have deposited a massive 6,110 litres at Greenford, and another 1,950 litres at Acton making a total of 8,060 litres.Just one litre of used cooking oil can be converted into a new green fuel called LF100 to produce enough clean electricity to make 240 cups of tea. The total amount collected in Ealing is enough to power eight homes for a year or an energy-saving 20W light bulb for each Ealing resident for five and a half hours*.Residents can dispose of old cooking oil at Ealing Council’s Reuse and Recycling centres in Acton and Greenford. The waste cooking oil is recycled by Living Fuels - part of the British group Renewable Energy Generation - to produce a green fuel to power electricity generators which feed into the National Grid.Pouring cooking oil down the sink is a problem for a number of reasons - it clogs up drains and sewers, is hazardous to wildlife if it is allowed to seep into the water table, and it wastes precious unused energy.Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for Transport and Environment, said: “It’s great news that residents have taken to waste oil recycling with the same enthusiasm that they have shown for all our other recycling services. I would encourage everyone to save used cooking oil left over from cooking, and take it to their nearest recycling centre. Not only will this produce clean and green electricity, it will also save drains from getting blocked.“So, do an extra bit for the environment and make recycling your used cooking oil one of this year's resolutions." Acton Re-use and Recycling Centre in Stirling Road, Greenford Re-use and Recycling Centre in Greenford Road, and Southall Re-use and Recycling Centre in Gordon Road are open Mon-Sun, 8am-5pm (between 1 April-30 September) and 8am-4pm (between 1 October-31 March). Further information on recycling in Ealing is available. * Based on statistics from the Centre for Alternative Technology. "

Philippa Bond ● 5703d11 Comments ● 2442d