Join the Queen of the spoken word this Saturday 7.30pm at OPEN Ealing

Zena Edwards, Queen of the spoken Word Saturday 20th December

When:Saturday 20th December
Where: Green Man Lane Cafe, Singapore Road, W13 OEP

Doors open at 7.30pm
Tickets: £10 available on the door
(Concessions £8; Green Man Lane residents £5)
There’s an amazing opportunity to see Zena Edwards, Queen of the Spoken Word, when she performs at Green Man Lane Cafe on Saturday. “She’s a poet of consummate skill who effortlessly melds hip-hop grooves with a worldly Afro-centric wisdom.”

This month Zena is supported by:
Leeto Thale, a published poet and “renaissance man” who is currently the resident poet at the Arc Gallery where he is cultivating the synergy between art and poetry. His writing predominantly covers art and social commentary.

Marcina Arnold, professional singer and recorded artist whose rich and versatile voice enables her to cross genres. With Celtic & South African roots combined with her exposure to jazz, blues, soul & world music at a young age this fusion is present in her voice and writing.

Larry Bartley has become one of the most sought after bass players on the London jazz scene with an identifiable sound that announces his presence.

The evening won’t be complete without you. If you are a poet and would like to share your work, or just want to read your favourite poem. You are warmly invited to join Zena and her friends on Saturday 20 December for an amazing evening of poetry and music.
If you just want to sit back and soak up the ambience – you are in for a pre-Christmas treat – wine, mince pies and the like!

 

Learn More about Zena here:

 

Give a gift that counts with Juice Cube

 

The newly opened social enterprise Juice Cube (opposite Daniels) is a hub for helping homeless people this Christmas.  Here’s how we can help:

‘Christmas is a time where many of us gather round the Christmas tree with the loved ones and sing the Christmas songs. Unfortunately for the homeless folks, Christmas is also a time where they have to battle the cold weather and the emotional turmoil of loneliness. We thought it is important to provide warm and safe accommodation to these folks during Christmas period, and show them a little love, remind them that they are not alone.

So we’ve partnered up with a few homeless shelters to spread a little bit of kindness during this season of giving. We will be handing out free clothes, serving foods and suspended juice (click on suspended juice to find out more or buy one here!) at the homeless shelters. We’d like to invite you to join us and spread some kindness either by giving us your time and volunteering (if you wish to volunteer, drop us an email at info@juice-cube.co.uk to find out more) with us on the selected day, or by giving us any free clothes or food that you would like us to pass to the homeless folks on your behalf. We are collecting the items listed below at our juice bar at 191, Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W13 9AA.

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop in at our shop, or contact us via email at info@juice-cube.co.uk, or simply give us a call at 020 8810 1297.’

Vintage cabaret this Saturday at OPEN Ealing 7.30pm

Viv Dubois

 

Saturday 13th December 7.30-10pm

Vivian Dubois and Tom Collins are a dramatic cabaret act like no other. Using song, story and playful anecdote Viv and Tom will guide you through the different worlds they inhabit. One minute you may be in occupied France, serenaded by Edith Piaf, the next, in a dimly lit bar in downtown New Orleans, soaking up the sounds of Fats Domino or Louis Armstrong. Originating at Shaker & Company’s monthly immersive theatrical event ‘Vaudeville Emporium’ in Euston, the vaudevillians will introduce and support the main guest act.

Green Man Lane Cafe, Singapore Road, West Ealing

 

For one evening only – Photo exhibition at OPEN on Monday 8th Dec 6-9pm

Digital photography exhibition at OPEN

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Work on display Monday December 8th – 6-9pm

Students on OPEN Ealing’s Monday evening digital photography class are about to have an opportunity to show off what they’ve been learning. For the last ten weeks a group of enthusiasts have been honing their skills and learning how to get the best out of their digital cameras. And the last Monday session of the autumn run will see them displaying some of their work at the Green Man Lane Café, from 6.00pm on December 8th.

The show, entitled Life in the Queen of the Suburbs,will cover themes such as A Child’s-Eye View, Colours of Ealing, Enduring Ealing and Northfields Noir.

Running the course have been two professional photographers associated with the University of West London, in St. Mary’s Road. Monika Drzewicz has made a name for herself on the British photography scene after arriving in Ealing from her native Poland a few years ago. She has exhibited all over the country, including at Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing, and drew particular attention with her Solitude and Fallen Angels series of quirky studio-based portraits http://www.monide-photography.com . Lauren Rooney began her career in fashion photography, but has now moved on to taking commissions from clients such as carmaker Porsche http://www.misspanther.com/ . Some of their work will be on view too.

Cheddar Deli of Northfield Avenue will be on hand too giving you an opportunity to taste Brent Wilkinson’s recommendation of what cheeses to have this Christmas. If you are a lover of cheese, or a patron of Cheddar Deli, you will be delighted to have an opportunity to taste the selection and discuss the finer points of cheese with Brent.

All are welcome to come along, try some cheese, and perhaps get inspired by the work on display.

Date: Monday 8th December 2014
Time: 6-9pm
Where: Green Man Lane Café, Singapore Road, West Ealing W13 0EP
Admission: Free

Follow @Openealing on Twitter, OPEN (West Ealing Arts) on Facebook.
www.openealing.com

Public exhibition of new plans for Ealing Broadway shopping centre Sat 29th Nov 11-3

There’s an exhibition  and public consultation on plans to develop and refurbish Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre on Saturday 29th November from 11am – 3pm. Full details on their website

Below is a brief summary of the proposals we will be discussing:

  • Improving the town hall / public plaza to host events;
  • Refurbishing 54 Broadway (Crystal House) to create a new entrance to the Centre;
  • New homes for rent above shops at 54 Broadway;
  • Future improvements to International House, to first-class office space standards;
  • Upgrading the car park, including modern lighting and card payment facilities.

 

Seven day GP access for Ealing Patients

I thought this was worth publicising.  The whole question of whether or not Ealing Hospital’s A&E dept remains is highly charged.  My own experience of Ealing Hospital A&E earlier this year was excellent but it makes sense to try to encourage people to use a GP service for straightforward problems and take pressure off A&E.


Seven day GP access for Ealing patients

Ealing residents are now able to access GP services 7 days a week, thanks to a new service launched by NHS Ealing Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

People who feel unwell on Saturdays and Sundays should call NHS 111 for medical help and advice. If the trained 111 adviser thinks they need to see a GP, they will be directed to the nearest open practice.

The GP weekend opening service is an alternative to A&E for people with non-life threatening illnesses or injuries. GP practices are working as local groups to offer this service, with practices taking turns to open at weekends.

Dr Mohini Parmar, chair at Ealing CCG said: “We have introduced this service as part of our drive to encourage people to use the correct service for their need.

“We know that many patients attend A&E when their GP practice is closed, even if they don’t have a life-threatening illness.

“We want to encourage patients to be seen in primary care for non-life threatening illnesses, so hospital services can prioritise those who are seriously sick or injured.

“We hope that if people feel they need to see a GP over the weekend they will call 111 in the first instance and go to one of the local GP practices, rather than going to A&E with an illness or injury that can be treated by a GP or pharmacist.”

The new service is part of Ealing CCG’s out of hospital strategy, which aims to bring care closer to home and into a local, more familiar environment for the benefit of the patients.

Using this service will not affect your registration at your own GP practice.  If you are not registered with a GP, you can still call 111 and they will help you access the right service for your needs.

Calls to 111 are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and are free from landline and mobile phones.

The story of Hanwell’s Jim Marshall ‘the father of loud’ BBC4 Friday 28th Nov 10pm

Photo of Jimi Hendrix from Marshall Amplifiers website

British rock music owes much to Jim Marshall and his amplifier shop in Hanwell.  Dubbed ‘the father of loud’ he came up with an amplifier that combined volume and distortion.  Marshall amplifiers were used by all manner of 60s rock guitarists  from Pete Townsend, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page to Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton and many, many more. Make a date to  watch Jim Marshall’s story  ‘Play it Loud – The Story of The Marshall Amp’on BBC4 this Friday at 10pm.  Have a look at Marshall’s website for more about their history.

The hugely successful Hanwell Hootie is now an annual celebration of Hanwell’s proud contribution to British rock music and it’s sponsored by Marshall Amplifiers.

Council has to slash its expenditure

The need to make hefty cuts in Council expendture has been flagged up for some time.  The Council needs to save £96 million by April 2019 as a result of reduced central government funding.  This will affect every single one of us from fortnightly waste collections and reduced road gritting to possibly closing the Solace mental health drop-in centre in West Ealing and 400 redundancies amongst Council staff.

We’ll come back to this in more detail but for now the Ealing Today website has a useful summary of some of the cuts that may be made.