Working together to make West Ealing a better place for residents, businesses and visitors.
Rain? What rain? Thanks to Ealing Winter Night Shelter and Ralph of King Ralph who provided the entertainment on Saturday.
The craft market, and its music, will reconvene in March. To stay in touch, subscribe to this blog or email westealingneighbours@gmail.com
Our final craft market of the season takes place as ever outside Blockbusters in West Ealing Broadway (the western end on the south side of the Uxbridge Rd) from 10-3pm on Saturday December 22nd, 2012. Pick up some last minute presents that no one else will have from our local artisans. Subscribe to this blog or email westealingneighbours@gmail.com to stay informed about ‘next steps’ in the market.
December 22nd has music in the music gazebo. We will host carolling from the Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter and local man ‘Ralph’ of King Ralph, will sing us out…till next time, probably the first Saturday in March 2013. Stay tuned.
Craft market music programme for Dec 22nd:
12-1pm: The Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter carolling crew sings for us. ECWNS http://www.ecwns.org.uk/home/ helps some homeless people to get off the streets and begin the journey to finding their own home. It also enables people who are on the edge of rough sleeping to avoid hitting the streets. ECWNS stands in the gap by providing for the most basic and essential needs for homeless people – sleep and food. A person who has been made homeless faces enormous risks as a rough sleeper including substance abuse, poor physical and mental health, and acts of criminality.
1pm-2pm: Ralph of King Ralph will sing us out. ‘King Ralph are an acoustic trio from the Brentford borderlands. They can usually be found at local festivals and other events in the area playing their original punk-folk and other people’s songs in similar style. Sometimes they let Ralph out on his own, where he can be found in local pubs like the Grosvenor singing for free a pint, or the Brewery Tap paying for his beer like everybody else. You can hear some of the songs at myspace.com/kingralphmusic. Contact Helen Martin Promotions (philandhelenmusic@gmail.com) for bookings and info.’
A spectator said, ‘Am I dreaming? I think I’ve just seen a donkey in the high street.’
Dina the donkey paraded in West Ealing broadway and helped tell the old, old, good-news story. There was music, too, outside Blockbusters in the craft market. (Video links are below.)
Note: Dec 22nd is our last craft market of the year so don’t miss out, come and find some unique locally made bargains to complete your Christmas shopping. More info from: westealingneighbours@gmail.com
Local youth club talent: Westside Allstars – video; Meetman and the Butchers – video
Local classical singer, Romeo, with mellow sounds full of ‘heart’: video
Local singer, Maria, with a show-stopping voice: video
Local band, Mobile Clones, make the audience happy: video
Local voices and instruments, with Slightly Mysterious carols: video
Come along with your family this Saturday (15th December) to meet Dina, a real live donkey, in the Nativity in the Market, organised by St James Church. Dina and the nativity players will start off their tour of West Ealing in Dean Gardens at around 12.15pm, make their way to visit the farmers’ market in Leeland Road for 12.30, then donkey willing, a walk around the streets and on to Melbourne Ave for around 1.45pm. In Melbourne Ave the players will perform the first part of the nativity play before their final stop in St James Ave and the craft market for 2.15pm where they will complete their performance. Everyone can join in and take part in this family event, sing carols and take part to celebrate and enjoy being part of our local community.
Also this week at the craft market in St James Avenue will be a local opera singer who will start off in Sylvester’s barbershop just round the corner, the Westside performers from the nearby youth club and ancient carols with local voices and instruments. More details on this blog.
Another December Saturday means another craft market in cheery West Ealing – next door to Blockbusters on West Ealing Broadway. On Dec 15th it will be packed with action including youth bands, opera, the reuturn of a favourite band and the Nativity with live donkey. Come with camera – and shovel – and don’t forget to buy some delightful local crafts to give to your loved ones. (More market/music on Dec 22nd, too – then we subside till March 2013.)
Programme for December 15th
11.30-12.30: The Westside youth centre is fielding a great hour of local young people ‘doing their thing’. Westside says: ‘Cross Culture presents a showcase of Ealing’s undiscovered young talent. Musicians of all genres emerge into the limelight fresh from rehearsals at Westside Young People’s Centre’s studio aiming to impress and inspire. The performers have been taking part in a project called Bandform funded by the Youth in Action programme in partnership with Ealing Council’s Youth & Connexions Service. The project seeks to make music a mechanism for youth empowerment, integration and participation.’
12.15 (at Sylvester’s) then at the market 12.30-1.30 (update): Sadly ‘The Four Wise Men a barbershop quartet can’t now make it, but West Ealing’s local talent has stepped in, as follows: local resident and classical singer, Romeo Kherkhenlidze will start with a few songs to gladden the heart at Sylvester’s the local barbers, and then on to the market where he will give us more, followed by local group The Mobile Clones (diminished – it was late notice!) who give us their irresistible brand of community warmth, all wrapped up in song.
1.30-2pm: Slightly Mysterious Carols from a fusion of St James’s church worship team and the local folk scene.
2.15-3.15pm: The Nativity – there will be Herod on a stepladder, there will be Dina the donkey (touring West Ealing beforehand – look out for the mobile sound wagon) – the old, old story portrayed in the market place – and you (bring a teatowel or crown or sheep onesie, grab a passing songsheet and just make sure you’ve got that camera!)
For more info: westealingneighbours@gmail.com
Thanks to all lovely volunteer players, singers, sound people – you made it a great afternoon. More on Sat Dec 15th (with nativity and live donkey) and Sat Dec 22nd (outside Blockbusters, in W Ealing broadway). Here are a couple of video ‘moments’. Enquiries: westealingneighbours@gmail.com
I managed to catch some of Jacob and Goliath’s session at Saturday’s craft market and was mighty impressed with this young local band. A great new addition to West London’s alternative/indie folk music scene. Three of the band members braved the cold, blew on their icy guitar picking fingers and really put their hearts in to their music. Lead singer Jacob Simpson has got a very striking voice and already has an impressive stage presence. You can see a recording of a part of their session at the market on a later post on this blog. Watch out for them and find out where they’re playing next on their Facebook page.
Next Saturday we have carols, local folk band Oddfellas and the dynamic gospel choir Singology- more information on the next post down on this blog.
We’ve got quite a programme for our market on Dec 8th – as well as the opportunity to buy a few pressies at our lovely craft stalls right next door to Blockbusters, you’ve got all this locally generated music to warm your heart… (And there will be more of similar goodness to come on Dec 15 and 22nd.)
December 8th, music line-up:
12-1pm: ‘This Tangled Web’ combines with Beavers and Scouts to bring us carols. This local charity was established in February 2010 by one survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Kate Swift made it her mission to let other survivors know that they are not alone through creating peer support groups and giving talks to local colleges and groups to raise awareness and understanding.
2-3pm: The Singology Gospel Choir is an ‘ongoing community choir project that covers London, Essex and Kent. We opened our door to Ealing in September 2012 and the group has blossomed nicely. On the 8th December in the Market Square you will see the work of local tutor Aleksandra Zembron brought to life in what promises to be an exciting upliftng performance from the newly formed group. To get involved, sign up now at www.singology.com‘
If there’s anything in West Ealing you want to talk to us about or ask us you’re very welcome to come and have a coffee with some of the commitee members this Saturday morning at Silva Cafe on the Uxbridge Road opposite Kwik Fit. We’ll be there from 11.30-12.30. There’s a lot of ideas buzzing about on how to make the high street better and many of us are very worried about plans to shut the A&E dept at Ealing Hospital and what that means for us all. We’d love to hear your views and ideas on these and anything else about what’s happening in West Ealing.
And don’t forget, you can get your Christmas shopping off to a great start at the first of our Christmas craft markets in St James Ave on Saturday morning accompanied by some top class live music from 12 noon. See here for the details of the music.
It’s local, it’s outdoors and it’s live – that’s music in the craft market in West Ealing on every Saturday in December. This community experience comes free – with 20+ stalls of goodies on sale from local craftspeople in the open space just next to Blockbusters in West Ealing Broadway.
Line-up for Saturday, December 1st:
12-1pm: Harmonica Lewinsky performs music hall, TV theme tunes and cockney rock to audiences as far away as Sainsbury’s and Tesco Extra in Hanwell. He is CRB checked and gives 10% of his income to British Gas. No animals have suffered in the making of his music, although several humans have ended up in Ealing Hospital A&E.
1-2pm: Questors Choir Hi – we’re Questors Choir – we’ll be singing carols at the Craft Fair on Saturday. Our aim is to help the event go with a swing, and bring a smile to the faces of shoppers and stall holders alike. We’re a mixed voice ensemble and we’ve been singing in Ealing for over 25 years. If you like what you hear, why not come to our concert next Saturday? It’s on the 8th December at St John’s, Mattock Lane. Musical director Philip Norman has put together a mix of traditional carols, with plenty of opportunities for audience participation, plus some Christmas choral pieces by Handel, St Saens and Eybler, and a few all-time Christmas hits too. If you enjoy singing, Questors Choir welcomes singers of all abilities. We have a good blend of experienced singers and newcomers who’ve only just started with the choir. Our repertoire is deliberately varied, from Baroque and Classical to Contemporary choral works, and folk songs. All of us share one passion – a love of choral music performed in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Visit www.questorschoir.org.uk .
2-3pm: Jacob & Goliath A West London-based folk/alternative band. “Like James’s Tim Booth, Jacob Simpson (lead singer of J&G) possesses a rare and subtle ability to mine deep soulfulness from rough scraps of emotion,’ writes music critic Jon Wilde. “The yearning quality in his voice is both bold clarion call and whispered confession. Jacob & Goliath inhabit a sonic landscape that is equal parts earthy folkiness and propulsive pop”.
A glimpse into the future:
The good news is this happens every Saturday in December – a new show, more crafts, more community. So, don’t go to Westfield – stroll up the road!