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PCA Newsletter 21 - May 2007 |
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Pride In
Pitshanger Awards
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Ever thought that you would like to reward someone
in our community for being a real treasure or a quiet champion?
Well, now’s your chance. The PCA committee is seeking
nominations so that we can make awards of £100 each to people
who deserve some recognition for what they have achieved in or
given to the Pitshanger community. We have two age
categories: 16 years or under, and over 16s, and intend to make
one award in each category. To nominate someone, simply write a
short summary setting out why their achievement and/or
contribution to our community should be appreciated. Get a form
from the website
here or contact the PCA secretary, Debbie Edwards, on 0870
908 7744 or email
debbie.edwards@pitshanger.org.uk. Responses by 14th June,
please, as nominees will be announced at Party In The Park. |
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Party In
The Park 2007
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Goodness! Is it that time
of year again? The PCA Events Team is counting down
the days to Sunday 24th June and the big summer
party, sponsored by John Martin Estates. Gates open
at one o’clock, the opening ceremony is at 1.30 and
the event will close at 9 pm. There will be old
favourites – the Stage Show, old-fashioned Carousel
(sponsored by the Pitshanger Traders), music in the
Beer Tent with the Buick Hill Band, the food hall,
stalls and sideshows – together with the second
running of our talent competition, Pitzhanga Popstar. |
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Village Vet, who organize the dog
show, have promised to re-instate the canine chaos
of the Sausage Race after its omission last year,
and Fit For Sport are putting on ‘The Pitshanger Schools
Challenge’, in which local schools compete over an
obstacle course whilst being liberally doused with
wet sponges (adults can have a go afterwards if
they’re that stupid). This year, admission is by
programme (£1), available at the park entrance. |
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Help!
Help! Help!
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Animal
Magic
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Chief Steward Doug Winter needs
helpers for Party in The Park. There are jobs to
suit all shapes and sizes: site erectors, traffic
marshals, programme sellers, drinks stalls and food
area helpers. If you can give an hour please call
Doug on 8998 7758 or e-mail
doug@pitshanger.org.uk.
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This is a bit different! North Ealing
School Summer Fete, on Saturday 30th June, has some
great family entertainment based on an ‘Animal
Magic’ theme. There will be donkey rides and a
petting zoo, and Nick Spellman – “The Animal Man” –
will be doing three shows mixing magic with the
chance to get close to live exotic animals.
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Fun Run
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The Third Annual Pitshanger Fun Run took place on
Sunday 13th May. The dismal conditions didn’t deter
most competitors, and Christpher Dettmar set a fast
time of 17.09 minutes in winning the 5 kilometre
race for the second year in succession. In the 2.5
km event, the fastest under 7 was Thomas Atkinson in
15.01, best under 10 was Joseph Duckworth in an
excellent 10.52, and first home in the under 13s was
Duncan Pinder in 9.18. Magnificent achievements all
round. Thanks to organizers Fit For Sport, sponsor
John Martin Estates, and to the many stewards
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and police who braved the weather to
make this, as third-placed runner Milton McIntosh
commented afterwards, “a good fun event”. Full
results will be published on the PCA web site
here. |
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Streets
for People Latest
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Blooming
Pitshanger
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As reported in April’s Newsletter, the
public meeting on the Council’s “Streets for People”
proposals generated a great deal of interest and a
wide range of opinions. Picking up on a number of
sensitive areas exposed by the meeting, the PCA has
launched a questionnaire to probe local opinion more
thoroughly. As well as reporting the results back to
PCA members, we will present them to the Council
with the aim of influencing further development of
the Streets for People proposals.
Local residents and traders will also
get a chance to look at the Council’s outline plans
in more detail, and submit their own ideas, at a PCA-organised
design workshop. This will take place on
Saturday 9th June from 9.30 am to 12 noon at
North Ealing Primary School.
You can follow the debate on
Pitshanger Voice
here.
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Hanging baskets are set to return to
Pitshanger Lane this summer, with the help of the
16th Ealing (St Barnabas) cub pack. With a
remarkable display of green (or possibly brown)
fingers, the cubs have already stocked the baskets
and are now nurturing them to maturity before they
are hung in Pitshanger Lane during June. To help the
baskets survive and prosper through what we hope
will be a warm summer, we now need some volunteers
to water them on a rota basis. If you can help with
this, please contact PCA Secretary Debbie Edwards on
0870 908 7744 or email
debbie.edwards@pitshanger.org.uk.
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Recycle It
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The PCA is working with the Rotary Club of Hanwell &
Northfields (who despite their name are based at the
Brentham Club) to set up recycling points for old
spectacles, mobile phones, used stamps and toner
cartridges. Glasses will be sent to Vision Aid
Overseas for use in the developing world where new
spectacles are beyond the reach of most people.
Mobiles will go to Water Aid who will receive money
from the recycled metals and components in the
phones, and stamps and toner cartridges will
generate income for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
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You’ll find collecting bins in
Brentham Furnishers, The Pitshanger Bookshop,
Brendons Estate Agents and the Brentham Club from
the beginning of June. Please donate what you
can, and publicise the scheme among your friends and
neighbours. For more information on Rotary go to
www.hanwell-northfieldsrotary.org.uk. |
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Are You
Under 6 Months Old?
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No More Excuses
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If so, please point this out to your
parents. As Doctor Oliver Dale puts it, the request
is “a little unusual”. Oliver, a Specialist
Registrar in psychiatry now training in
psychotherapy, is looking for a family with an
infant to take part in an ‘infant observation
course’. This involves a one hour visit a week for
up to two years (with breaks for holidays) to see
what is going on in baby’s world. All details of the
observation will be kept confidential, and members
of Oliver’s supervision group maintain strict client
anonymity in their discussions. Oliver offers
excellent credentials and his training is supervised
by the British Association of Psychotherapists.
Contact him at
oliver.dale@wlmht.nhs.uk.
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Look, we’ve been sitting here by the
front door for the last 8 weeks waiting for your
membership renewal to drop through the box. How many
more times have we got to tell you? It’s in the pile
by the telephone! What? You’ve put it in the green
box!? Luckily you can download one from the PCA
website
here, or better still contact Pam Walker at
pam.walker@pitshanger.org.uk or 8177 9999 – and
if it goes onto answerphone don’t blame her: she’s
got pretty stiff from all that sitting.
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Tram
News
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Save Ealing’s Streets, the group leading local
opposition to the tram scheme, remind us of the imminence of
three key stages in the planning process. The first of these,
the presentation of the business case to the Transport for
London board, is expected on 27th June. SES believes the next
stage, application under the Transport and Works Act to the
Secretary of State for Transport for approval of the scheme,
will occur three to six months later although they note that the
timetable has already slipped repeatedly. However,
TfL’s budget for the Tram is set to grow to £8 million in
2007-2008, which strongly suggests preparation is underway for
that application. The timing is important because the objection
period following the application is only six weeks long, and for
objectors to have standing at Public Inquiry – the third key
stage – substantive objections must be lodged during the
six-week window. |
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Ward
Action Day
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May 1st saw a high visibility action day in
Cleveland Ward, conducted by the ward Safer
Neighbourhood Police Team in conjunction with
Council staff. Among other achievements, 5 tonnes of
fly tipping waste was collected, 30 square metres of
graffiti were removed, 6 vehicles were seized for
having no insurance or tax, and one person was
arrested for theft of petrol. A feature of the day
was the involvement of year 5 pupils from North
Ealing Primary School who spent the morning with the
team looking for graffiti and damage in Pitshanger
Park and
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the Pitshanger Lane area. North
Ealing Headteacher Bob Fletcher commented: “Our Year
5 pupils really enjoyed the morning. It was a
pleasure for them to meet and work with other
adults. They appreciated the importance of caring
for their local area and above all they saw the
importance of working together to accomplish a
task.” |
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Joyride
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Follow
Ups
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Paul Cook, architect for the
forthcoming building works at the Brentham Club,
will be celebrating his success in achieving
planning permission for the development by bringing
his band ‘Joyride’ to the club on Friday 1st June.
The evening will also mark the launch of the club’s
‘Buy A Brick’ scheme, designed to help finance the
project, details of which will be in the next
newsletter. Proceeds from the evening will be
earmarked for the refurbishment of the hall, which
club chairperson Jenny Arnell expects to take place
in August. Out will go the 1970’s ceiling, carpet
and lighting; in will come new lighting, flooring
and – wait for it! – air conditioning. Admission
(open to non-members) is £5 and the evening starts
at 8 pm.
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Into the eclectic mix of local authors
we must stir Martin C Harris who has produced a
comprehensive overview of UK ice rinks which has
been very successful, and who is currently working
on another book about ice hockey.
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