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Your chance to say how you’d like to see Central Ealing develop

As with West Ealing, Central Ealing has a neighbourhood forum. The Central Ealing Neighbourhood Forum is working on a plan for the centre of Ealing Broadway. They want to hear from as many people as possible about the issues and options that could be covered in their plan for the area. To help them with their planning they have put a survey online   Please do take a few minutes to complete it and give your views on the issues and options.  There’s a bit of background to the Forum and its work below:

‘The Central Ealing Neighbourhood Forum was set up in 2012 to give local people and businesses a voice in changing our town for the better. It brings together residents, community groups, businesses and other key stakeholders, aiming to make Ealing a vital, thriving and sustainable centre. Under the Localism Act, the Forum has the power to create a local plan. This means that all of us can have a greater say in how our area should change and develop over time, whether we live, work, shop or study here. It can affect where shops, offices, housing and community facilities should be, and how they should look and feel. A neighbourhood plan is mainly about how land should be used and developed. Its policies can influence decisions on future planning applications. But in putting it together, the Forum can also stimulate projects which help to build a stronger, more inclusive community.

To create the change we want to see in Ealing, CENF is creating a Neighbourhood Plan. The Neighbourhood Forum (local residents and businesses working together) is overseeing the delivery of the Plan.  Everyone can take part.  It’s free to all who live, work, study or just visit here to join and to contribute ideas.  The Forum wants to hear from you now.  We’ve just launched our second round of discussions, called “Issues & Options”, on what should be covered in our Plan. Do have a look at the choices we have set out under a number of topic heads.  You may think we’ve missed some obvious things, or have got the wrong idea about what people want.  Let us know, so that we can consider all ideas before the next stage of policy development.’

You can keep up to date with the Forum and its work by signing up as a member of the Forum at http://eepurl.com/p8405, or visit their website, and follow them on Facebook/CentralEalingForum or Twitter @EalingForum.

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Visit the WEN Abundance stall at the Hanwell Carnival this Saturday

Saturday is the longest day of the year so there’s plenty of time to come and visit our Abundance stall in the Artisan Food Tent at the Hanwell Carnival this Saturday from 12noon – 6pm.  We’ll have elderflower cordial, lemon and elderflower marmalade, and a selection of chutneys on sale.  All our produce is made from locally sourced ingredients and hand-made in small batches.

There’s loads more to enjoy at the carnival:

  • craft tent
  • dog show
  • children’s activities
  • live music
  • sports zone
  • animal zone …and much more

Full details here

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Prize-winning crime writer talks about her experiences of Southall – Weds 18th June 6.30 @ Paperback Coffee

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Paperback Coffee is a fairly new coffee shop on the South Ealing Rd close to the junction with Popes Lane. It’s well worth a visit in its own right but on Wednesday 18th June they have award-winning crime writer Lilian Pizzichini talking about her experiences of Southall as recounted in her memoir Music Night at the Apollo.

Wednesday 18th June 6.30-8pm

 

Wildly original and imaginative and disturbing, it remains in one’s consciousness like a very vivid dream. The evocation of place is brilliant and also of sensation” –  Francis Wyndham – See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/music-night-at-the-apollo-9781408815991/#sthash.q2SEiWha.dpuf
Wildly original and imaginative and disturbing, it remains in one’s consciousness like a very vivid dream. The evocation of place is brilliant and also of sensation” –  Francis Wyndham – See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/music-night-at-the-apollo-9781408815991/#sthash.q2SEiWha.dpuf
Wildly original and imaginative and disturbing, it remains in one’s consciousness like a very vivid dream. The evocation of place is brilliant and also of sensation” –  Francis Wyndham – See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/music-night-at-the-apollo-9781408815991/#sthash.q2SEiWha.dpuf
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Tea Darling to open vintage style cafe at Horsenden Farm on Saturday 14th June 12-3pm

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Tea Darling at the West Ealing Pop-Up shop

Tea Darling, the vintage style tea room, was a huge success when it opened for a two week stint at the pop-up shop in West Ealing. It has now linked up with Accession, the  social enterprise, which runs the Community Shop in West Ealing, to open a cafe at Horsenden Farm in Perivale. During the day the farmhouse/vintage style cafe will offer a quintessential tea and home-made cake service in a child friendly environment. In the early evening it will be a space that local community groups/parents can hire for just about anything.

The launch of this exciting new step for Tea Darling is on Saturday 1th June from 12noon – 3pm.  The nearest tranport is either the tube at Perivale Station or the 297 bus. Free parking is available.

Accession is a social enterprise which offers skills training and volunteering opportunities for people with learning difficulties and/or enduring mental health issues.

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Please stop dumping rubbish in Melbourne Ave… again

 

 

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Above: Flytipping on Thursday morning

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Above: Flytipping on Saturday morning

Saturday morning and yet another dumped bed plus a microwave for company this time.

 

(Thursday morning: I couldn’t believe my eyes this morning when I saw a bed base and mattress dumped on the little patch of grass on the corner of Melbourne Ave and Leeland Terace.  Almost every single morning I see rubbish dumped here, mostly next to the Council bin. It’s normally cleared away very quickly as part of the regular bin emptying round but this was the final straw!  We had a pile of wooden shelves dumped there a week or so ago and now this bed.  I’ve reported it to the Council and I’m sure it will be cleared away very quickly.  My complaint is absolutely not with the Council. In my experience they are very good at clearing away fly tipping once it’s been reported.  My complaint is with whoever dumps this and just doesn’t care about our neighbourhood. Please stop dumping your rubbish and get the Council to collect it or take it to the Greenford recycling centre.)

 

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Pop-Up market in front of Sainsbury’s West Ealing today and Friday

There will be a pop-up market in Melbourne Ave by Sainsbury’s from 11am -4.30pm today and tomorrow (Thursday and Friday).  It’s backed by the newly established West Ealing Business Improvement District and is part of the ‘Love Your Local Market Campaign’.

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Do please come along on one of the days and have a look. I know there’s a stall selling vintage inspired dresses and on Friday we will have our Abundance stall there selling the first of this year’s delicious elderflower cordial along with apple juice, lemon and elderflower marmalade and more locally sourced and made products.

 

 

 

 

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Drop in to the OPEN Ealing shop for a chat and a first-class cup of coffee

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The OPEN Ealing shop in Drayton Green Road has been transformed in to a bright and relaxing cafe, open from Monday-Saturday 10am-4.30pm.  Working in partnership with OPEN Ealing Geoff and Gita have created a lovely space with the aim of giving people the chance to drop in for a first class cup of coffee or tea and have a chat with them or whoever happens to be there at the time.  I’ve dropped in twice and bumped in to people I know and had a thoroughly enjoyable half hour. It’s got the potential to be just the sort of community hub and meeting place West Ealing needs.

In the evenings OPEN Ealing will be continuing with its arts activities and events, so it’s great to see the shop being put to good use all times of day.

What is more, Geoff and Gita really care about the quality of their tea and coffee so have sourced some of the very best for you to drink.  Do drop in if you’re nearby and try it out.

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The Grosvenor packed for its opening night

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A group of us went for dinner to The Grosvenor on its opening last night (Tuesday).  We expected it to be busy but it was packed- luckily we had booked a  table.  The decoration, inside and outside, has been carefully thought through with the highlight colour being the green from its stained glass.  It’s interesting how they have refurbished it with many original features retained.  They have created a very pleasant atmosphere which worked well both when it was packed out last night and at luchtime today when we dropped in for a drink and lunch when it was much quieter, though a steady trickle of people dropped in, perhaps curious to see what it looks like.

I’m very wary of attempting to review its food as the first night was a bit of a dry-run to see how it all worked.  Even so, I can say that all six of us thoroughly enjoyed our food and would very definitely go again.  We also all thought the staff in the dining area did a great job with a real sense of enjoyment and that helps create a very pleasant experience.

A lot of thought has been put in to the refurbishment and the owners have put in a hefty investment to transform this once run-down pub.  The choice of colours works well, the stained glass windows are now a stand out feature and the tables in the dining area have been cleverly set up at various angles, and not too close together, to avoid any sense of being jammed together.  All in all, I’d definitely recommend you go and try it for yourself.  It’s got off to a fantsastic start and has the potential to be a great success and an asset to our local community and beyond.  I wish it every success and we will certainly be going back soon.

Details of booking a table etc are on their website