Enjoy the summer – wish you were here!
Archive for September, 2011
Postcard from Queen’s Park
Friday, September 30th, 2011New Shoots
Friday, September 30th, 2011
A mass-brawl and a child thrown into the canal marked the start of a bad week for young people in Queen’s Park, North Westminster. The week ended with three girls wounded by shotgun fire in what is reported to have been an indiscriminate cycle-by shooting.
Weeks earlier a group said to be from the rival South Kilburn estate drove menacingly by our youth club, with what appeared to be a shotgun out of the window aimed at frightened children inside. No shots were fired that time but the fear it instills cuts deep. Muggings, kidnappings and stabbings have become all too common in the last two years, but the community is now starting to respond. (more…)
Free draught proofing workshops and materials
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 
Queen’s Park Forum and Westminster City Council are offering free workshops on draught proofing and energy efficiency awareness. The materials you will need to draught proof your home are free for Queens Park and Harrow Road residents. The workshops are open to anyone who would like to come. For more information click here
We have been working with Parity Projects to promote the benefits of energy efficiency. They can provide you with a Home Energy Masterplan which they feel is one of the best and most comprehensive products out there for those wanting to find out more about improving the energy performance of their properties (see ParityProjectsMasterplan). These are NOT free, however, this summer they have been trying to do some market testing to improve certain aspects of the process and are offering a 20% discount to people that participate in the project (see ParityProjectsConsultation). This offer is on a first come first serve basis but if you are too late and you mention Queens Park Forum you will qualify for a 5% discount.
Talk of the Town
Monday, September 19th, 2011
The latest press on the subject of urban parish councils can be found on the BBC News website and a full page feature in last Wednesday’s Guardian (see links below).
From government ministers and whitehall mandarins, to community champions and 1000s of Westminster residents, the Campaign for a Queen’s Park Community Council is what everyone is talking about.
Councillors and Council Clerks from parishes elsewhere in England have come to meet with Queen’s Park residents to pass on their experience and offer their support. One Councillor from Milton Keynes said of the Question Time event held at the Beehoven Centre last Thursday: “It was a really good evening. Some Parish & Town Council’s could learn from the enthusiasm and energy that was there last night”. Stevenage Council Clerk Linda Larter who has a staff of 150 said, “you have 9,000 Council Clerks behind your campaign, it’s really excellent.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have also offered their support to the Queen’s Park Campaigners, a spokesman for the DCLG said: “As the tier of local government closest to their communities, parish, town and neighbourhood councils have a key role to play in our vision for localism and the Big Society, and the Localism Bill will enhance the role of these local councils to help shape their communities. Where people want a new local council, they should be able to have one and we wish the people of Queens Park well in their bid to create a new neighbourhood council.”
For links to press coverage so far…
Dave Hill’s London Blog (May 2011)
Local Government Chronicle (May 2011)
Westminster Chronicle (May 2011)
Saturday Singalong …
Monday, September 12th, 2011
Job opportunities
Monday, September 12th, 2011Open House this weekend
Monday, September 12th, 2011
Open House London celebrates all that is best about London’s buildings, places and neighbourhoods and is coming to Queen’s Park this Saturday.
Tours of Queens Park Low Carbon Zone will explain how WCC plans to reduce emissions in the area by more than 20%. The tour will visit several different properties including a Victorian cottage in the Avenues refurbished to reduce carbon emissions by 60-80% and Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4+ properties under construction.
Tours depart Queen’s Park underground station at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm to book your place email gogreen@westminster.gov.uk
Queen’s Park Family Fun
Friday, September 9th, 2011
This Sunday 11th September there is a whole lot of fun going on in the other Queen’s Park, NW6.
A fun packed day of entertainment including a dog show, acrobatics, eagles and vultures, African drumming, theatre plus food and live music promises something for everyone.
Click here for more information.
Free draught proofing workshops
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
Are you interested in learning how to draught proof your sash windows before winter sets in? Draughts are often a problem in older homes such as those in the Avenues and in the other Victorian properties in Queens Park. You could be wasting a lot of money keeping your home warm in winter. Its actually quite easy and cheap to fix the problem.
Queens Park Forum and Westminster City Council are providing FREE courses to learn how to draught proof your windows and doors and providing FREE materials for participants. The course will cover;
- how to deal with different draughts e.g. windows, doors, chimneys, etc.
- basic DIY skills – how to measure, cut and install draught proofing
- where to get materials (including FREE materials)
The dates and times are as follows;
Saturday 15th October 10.30am to 12.30pm
Thursday 20th October 10.30am – 12.30pm
Tuesday 25th October 6.30pm to 8.30pm
All workshops will take place at the Beethoven Centre, Third Avenue, W10 4JL.
To sign up for a workshop or to discuss it further please contact Allison at Queens Park Forum on 020 8964 8024 or email allison@pdt.org.uk
