Your chance to help shape the future of the centre of West Ealing – come along to the Drayton Court on Tuesday at 6.45pm

West Ealing Neighbours is a big supporter of the new West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum (WECNF).  WECNF became a designated public body on 27 March 2013. The forum is a collection of people who live, work or have an interest in the centre of West Ealing who are working together to create a 15 year plan for the area. WECNF operates under the auspices of the 2011 Localism Act.

The public launch and first Annual General Meeting of the forum starts at 6:45pm on Tuesday 18 June at the Drayton Court Hotel in The Avenue. A 12 person Management Committee will be elected at this meeting.

Everyone is welcome to attend the launch/AGM.

You can apply for forum membership and find our more about the forum here

Would you be interested in a business and co-working space in West Ealing? Tell us what you think of the idea


A group of local people is  conducting a feasibility study to find out whether a business and coworking space or hub is viable and will contribute to the regeneration of West Ealing. We have been busy collecting views from a wide range of people and organisations – University of West London, local residents’ groups, businesses and members of the West Ealing Centre Neighbourhood Forum.

The next step in our research is finding out what the local community feels about this idea, what types of businesses would potentially use the hub and what is important to them.

Your feedback would be much appreciated. If you can spare the time, please visit our web site and complete ourshort survey.

The deadline for collecting results is 14th June.

New Community Shop opens in West Ealing – a cut above your average charity shop

 

Photo0367

I dropped in just after noon for the official opening of this new charity shop in West Ealing and it was jam packed with people looking, buying and enjoying the free food for the launch. The dressing of the shop window, its design, lay out and feel make it a cut above the average charity shop. A lot of thought and effort has gone in to making it look and feel like a good quality commercial retail shop. It has two main offers – a picture framing service and good quality second hand clothes.

The shop is near the traffic lights at the Eccleston Road junction and is run by Accession, a local social enterprise, and one of its aims is to ‘offer skills training and employment pathways into the mainstream job market, supporting the economically inactive and marginalised parts of the population for whom traditional employment training programmes and routes into work may not have succeeded. Prominent amongst this group are people with severe learning difficulties, people with enduring mental health needs and people on the autistic spectrum. Accession will also work with long term unemployed people from outside these groups.’

On this showing, this Community Shop will be a very welcome addition to West Ealing and help attract more shoppers to this end of the high street.

 

Spare a thought for the Ealing charity team cycling through the night on Saturday

 

When you’re getting ready for bed this coming Saturday night (8 June), spare a thought for 25 hardy cyclists pedalling through the night to raise funds for an Ealing-based development charity.

Uganda Development Services (UDS) is sending a team to take part in Nightrider, an annual overnight charity bike ride around the streets of London. The 100-kilometre route takes in the sights, including Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. There are also a couple of challenging hills .. at Alexandra Palace to the north and Crystal Palace in the south.

UDS, based in The Lido, Mattock Lane, works to alleviate poverty in rural Uganda. It runs an education and training centre to provide local people with literacy and computer skills. It also offers farmers training in agricultural techniques, and supplies villagers with smokeless ovens and water tanks. Last year, with 17 riders, UDS managed to raise £20,000 towards its work. This year, with a team of 25, they’re aiming for £30,000.

If you’d like to give, you can sponsor one of the riders here: http://www.justgiving.com/HelenPNightrider2013

The good news is her employer matches your donations pound-for-pound.

If you’d like to cheer the team on, they’ll be setting off from Crystal Palace at 10.30pm on Saturday and returning around dawn on Sunday.

UDS is also taking part this year in Nightrider Paris, overnight 21-22 September, and still has some places available if you fancy a night-time ride around the City of Light to raise some money for a worthwhile cause.

Launch of Community Shop in West Ealing on Saturday 8th June 12-2pm – fashion show, story-telling, food and more

Do come along to launch of the 2nd Accession Community Shop, 134-136, West Ealing Broadway.

Recovery Hub

 (How the shop used to look)

Up near the junction with Eccleston Road this long-closed shop has been brought back to life as a community shop by a local social enterprise which works with marginalised long-term unemployed people. The shop is run by the social enterprise Accession and aims to give people the skills to help them gain employment. The shop will sell various quality donated goods, offer a picture framing service and more.

The launch is on Saturday 8th June from 12-2pm

The event will feature:

– fabulous fashion show
– local DJs
– customising clothes workshop
– children’s story telling
– yummy food & drink
– opportunity to browse the collections & shop

We hope to see you there to celebrate the opening of Accession’s second Community Shop!

Great day out at Big Picnic in Dean Gardens

Big Lunch 2

Photo0363

The weather was near almost summery and everyone semed to enjoy the first ever Big Picnic event in Dean Gardens. It may all have been a bit last minute but that didn’t matter. We had live music, circus skills acts and magic for children. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen and I’m sure we’ll do it again next year and build on what was a very successful first such venture.  Watch a very short video here

Watch out for our details of this year’s Family Day where we’re planning to have a food and music festival in Dean Gardens in addition to activities in St James Ave, Melbourne Ave and Leeland Road. It’s all due to happen on Saturday 21st September.

Big Lunch 3

‘The Wish Tree’ where everyone was invited to leave their wish for what they want for West Ealing.