Working together to make West Ealing a better place for residents, businesses and visitors.
150 days of community in West Ealing (2014)
150 days of community in West Ealing (2014)
The following articles were published by West Ealing Neighbours in 2014. They remain here for historical purposes and the reader should be aware that much of the information is no longer valid.
Many of us who live and work in West Ealing think that it’s a great place to live, work and play. But not everyone shares that perception. One often hears negative comments. With these negatives in mind, we’ve created a new project and we want you to get involved. We call it 150 days of community in West Ealing.
Launched on the 14th of February this is our project to everyone to tell us all the big and little acts of community that go on in and around West Ealing.
You don’t need to do anything you don’t normally do, in order to join in. We just want you to share your acts of community and kindness over the next four or five months with us. All the things that make you smile!
A bit like Facebook, you just share certain things with your neighbours. These are the things we might count as ‘building social capital’ – but we often take for granted as ‘just life’.
You can share, via images, videos, text, twitter, facebook, email, blog. A few words, a story, a picture or a video clip, a useful link, is all that’s needed. You might be recording something momentous or something very ordinary, something that happened to you or something that you witnessed.
We’re defining our area quite loosely – anything that happens in West Ealing and its ‘borders’ – Ealing Broadway, Hanwell, Pitshanger, Northfields, South Ealing. We’d love to hear from all of you!
To inspire you’ve we’ve created a non-definitive list of ideas for things that create ‘social capital’. We’ve already got 150+ ideas, and there are seven a week that you can use to inspire you. You don’t have to do all of them in any given week, or any of them – you can even skip ahead (or back) and do some of the other 143! You can also send in uncategorised ‘evidence’, too and we’ll tag it and organise it.
We’ll put together all of your contributions into a great big online list, so that by end, we can all see the great things that we do, and even more importantly, can do, in West Ealing.
I was by the spirits looking for sherry, in Sainsbury’s, and I smiled at a lady next to me and said ‘I’m going to make a trifle and I only want a small sherry’ so she proceeded to suggest many things I could put in this trifle. She said, ‘Have you got any whisky at home’, I said ‘I don’t know, I’m at my daughter’s’, she said ‘phone her up and ask her.’ I decided eventually just to use fruit juice.This was one of two conversations in West Ealing Broadway this morning.I also obtained at least five smiles from different people! – Margaret,a visitor to West Ealing, aged 89, who likes the Broadway!
Andrea 1:29pm Feb 19 Anyone want to be Royalty for the day? Join in with Hanwell Carnival!
Carnival Royaltyhanwellcarnival.co.ukWe are searching for our Carnival royalty for 2014. Apply today!
Fancy a night out? Come and join us next Friday for our annual quiz and curry night. Please inbox me if you would like a ticket, but be quick they are selling fast…. -Tiffany 11:45am Feb 25
Post something supportive on a local social media site
We had two community fundraisers at Christ the Saviour School yesterday. Donuts for Dads breakfast, inviting Dads and carers that otherwise wouldn’t get to drop their children at school as they need to get to work and a year 5 and 6 bake off. We had 150 for Donuts and 28 teams for the bake off. Lots of smiles, lots of humour and I felt blessed to be part of an amazing school with the most lovely children. Made my valentines day. – Diane
Shops wise – definitely pretty ropey. For 22yrs now I have hoped it would get better. Coldershaw road however is a brilliant place to live – We have a FB page that is used to organise social “street meets”, where any neighbours can turn up & chat, share a glass & food. People talk to one another/look out for each other. I hope that the refurbishment of the Grosvenor Pub will finally give us a decent place to meet up, & for W7 Edge to continue performances, a short walk away from home. You never know, it might catch on! – Jeanie
The little Gold Mine jewelry store in West Ealing Broadway where kind staff have reconnected bits of chain and put my elderly watch back together without charging. You can however donate instead to one of the charities they support. Well worth a mention on WEN.
– Virginia, 1:49pm Feb 21
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Hi Gill, I think this is a great idea – Katherine, 9:38am Feb 19
It might be worth contacting them directly. I also think it might be worth rewording some of the posts about the idea slightly. Rather more “we love WE because…” rather less “some people think WE is a dump, we disagree because”. Don’t for a minute want to disparage any of the work that’s been done so far. Like I say, I think this is a really great idea and gives us the opportunity to celebrate all the things we love about W Ealing and shape its future. – Katherine, 1:22pm Feb 19
Having recently moved to Acton I have found your community page amazing! So fantastic in fact that my husband & I have set one up for Acton For all committed to improving the standard of living & community spirit of Acton & the surrounding areas – ‘Acton CASA – Cleaner and Safer Acton’ Please add yourself/friends to the brand new group, we need all the support we can get… Thank you!
-Laura
I need some emergency advice please! I just tripped coming up the stairs carrying a full paint can and managed to tip white paint all over the light brown carpet. Agh! I have mopped up what I can and it is slowly coming out but any advice as to how I can get it gone completely. Thanks :). -L
Don’t use nail varnish remover on emulsion. – A
Get all you can off with a filling knife then lots of hot water with shampoo then dry it so it don’t go out of shape and if you need a painter let me no as I’m one good luck –-I
As well as Tea Darling, there was Fiona Daly who is a dressmaker and does bespoke soft furnishings etc. Her facebook page is characreative. I asked her if she could reshape a tweed jacket I have and she did a fantastic job. You would not tell it has been altered and now it fits me perfectly! I would recommend her.
Eight or so neighbours (almost) spontaneously turned up at the pop-up vintage tea-room on Sat March 8th and drank tea, ate cake and chatted. It’s strange that it’s extraordinary but above all, it’s just brilliant. Thank you ‘150 events’ for making such simple things possible.
-Gill, 10 March
Attend a talk or event at Ealing library – bring a friend
Anyone up for a community project? Love nature? Want a good reason to chat with your neighbours and work together?
TITLE: #BeeFriendlyAlleyways :
OBJECTIVE: make our alleyways beautiful wildlife corridors as well as functional routes, talk to your neighbours, work together and share your progress online.
BEEWARNED: You need to (collectively) own the alleyway and can check via Land Registry if that is the case. It’s not Guerilla Gardening if you own it! This project is all about the privately owned alleyways across Northfields.
Of course there is a double meaning: you’ll need to work with your neighbours (or meet them for the first time!) and in some cases lend the less able a hand. It could also lead to conversations about how to better secure these routes that burglars often use.
I’ve already cleared my section and plan to document and share progress with you (it looks like a muddy path right now!). We will need to make sure we plant the right species and I’m sure we can find some suitable experts to help with that.
I’ll be trailing this via @New2Northfields on Twitter using the hashtag #BeeFriendlyAlleyways and hope lots of people fancy having a go.
Talk to your children about the different faiths in West Ealing
Talk to people about voting, and encourage it
Persuade a local restaurant to have a designated “meet people” table
Host or go for dinner before or after a town meeting
Take dance lessons with a friend
Say “thanks” to public servants – police, firefighters, bus drivers, councillors, waste recyclers, street cleaners.
Ealing hospital.
Just some unsolicited opinion[n] for you all.
Unfortunately we’ve had to bring our little one into Ealing hospital for a little bit of treatment, and having heard and read bits and pieces of negative comments and being aware of the bigger issue of it being closed/ services being removed, we were a little concerned about how we’d find it. We have been given the best care I’ve ever experienced. Efficient professional staff who can’t do enough to let you know what’s going on and why. I really couldn’t ask for more.
– Jayne
Week 11 (wb 2 May)
Fight to keep essential local services – your A&E post office, police station, school, etc.
Become a school governor
Gather a group to clean up a local park or cemetery
When somebody says “government stinks,” suggest they help fix it
Turn off the TV, put down your phone or tablet, and talk
Hold a neighbourhood barbecue (if wet in the hall)
Bake biscuits for new neighbours or work colleagues
Elodie
3:24pm Feb 22
After the success of their pop up shop in our drive in November, our children (7 and 9) have decided to have another one today. They have been baking all morning and are selling fairy cakes and banana cake. Cakes are going fast at number 89 Coldershaw.
Jeanie
3:57pm Mar 7
You know it is good to live somewhere when a Coldershaw neighbour leaves sweet smelling spring flowers on your doorstep
Use public transport and start talking with those you regularly see
Ask neighbours for help, and reciprocate
a local friend has just spent the night with a woman who came out of hospital after an operation, is a single parent & needed help & support as she had no one else to turn to.
-Jeanie, 11 March
Go to a local live music event
Week 13 (wb 16 May)
Call an old friend/relative
Offer to share your table for lunch
Accept or extend an invitation
Talk to your kids or parents about their day
Smile (in an unthreatening way!) at strangers
Log off and go to the park
Ask a new person to join your group for a dinner or an evening
Week 14 (wb 23 May)
Host a bring and share meal or participate in one
Volunteer to give someone a lift
Say hello when you spot an acquaintance in a supermarket
Host a movie night
Exercise together or take walks with friends or family
Open the door for someone who has his or her hands full
Say hi to those in lifts
Invite a friend to go for a walk
Offer to look out for your neighbour’s home while they are away
Organize a fitness/health group with your friends or colleagues
Recycle more
Week 21 (wb 26 July)
Sign up for pottery classes with your children or parent(s)
See if your neighbour needs anything when you go to the supermarket
Ask to see a friend’s family photos
Join groups (e.g., arts, sports, religion) likely to lead to making new friends of different race or ethnicity, different social class or bridging across other dimensions
If you have too much produce, talk to West Ealing Abundance about what you can do with the excess
