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Riot-hit Seba Electronics shopowner promises to donate any recovered goods to charity

The owner of Seba Electronics in West Ealing, whose shop was badly hit by the summer riots, has promised to donate any goods recovered by the police to local good causes.  See story at Ealing Gazette online here – http://westealing.ealinggazette.co.uk/2012/03/riot-hit-shopkeeper-promises-t.html

I’ve bought various TVs and other items from Seba over the years and the owner, Mr Sehgal, and his family run a brilliant shop with excellent customer service. I’ve also heard him talk about the impact of the riots and looting and he is just extraordinarily forgiving – a remarkable man and one West Ealing should be very proud of.

 

 

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Free talk tonight at OPEN Ealing 7.30pm

 

Tonight (Monday) at OPEN Ealing Sean Michael Pearce, curator of a new exhibition OPEN Ended, will talk about the exhibition and give people a guided tour.
OPEN Ended is a group exhibition which  explores the different media including sculpture, painting, print – and materials usually found on a building site. Pearce has selected works from people who have inspired him but which also work well together.

There is more information about this exhibition at www.openealing.com.  The talk starts at 7.30pm. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

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Peacocks in West Ealing now shut

Just noticed that Peacocks has shut down in the high street. Dean on the flower stall said it shut down suddenly on  Friday. I know it’s been bought by Edinburgh Woollen Mill and some stores are likely to close down permanently. I hope the West Ealing store is just shut temporarily as it will be a loss to West Ealing let alone to everyone who was working there.

 

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New gym in West Ealing

Tucked away almost out of sight at the top of the building at 2 St James Ave that backs on to Sainsbury’s is a new gym – Just Add Exercise. I wanted to find out more about it as it’s right at the top of my road and I was curious about its seemingly sudden appearance!

I met Matt Hook the owner and he was kind enough to show be round and explain his plans. At its heart is a gym area with a range of equipment from spinning bikes and treadmills to resistance machines with weights plus all sorts of other equipment to get you toned and fit. He offers a personal training service along with nutrition and weight loss advice, sports massage and physiotherapy.

Sitting alongside the gym is a 1,000 sq ft area for various exercise classes and, interestingly, drama. For as well as exercise this space hosts The Artists Theatre School on Saturdays when drama classes are run for all age groups. The Artists School was founded by Amanda Redman and classes are given by professional working artists.

Matt explained that it the gym is in part of what was once the Primary Care Trust offices above Sainsbury’s but some 3,000 sq ft  had become vacant a while back. This is well over twice the space at his previous gym in Ealing Broadway and obviously allowed him to expand his services. It has taken him a while to complete negotiations for this space but even after being open for barely a week it felt well established.

Peak gym membership is £18.50 a month and personal training is in addition. There are regular Pilates classes run by  Pilates Corps. They offer classes Mondays to Thursdays at a range of times across the day and the classes cost between £8 and £12 depending on how many you book and seniors (which probably now includes me!) get a discount.

So, welcome to West Ealing and more information can be found on their website – www.ealingpersonaltraining.co.uk or call 020 8567 8577

 

 

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OPEN Ealing Poetry evening this Wednesday at 8pm

 

OPEN Ealing launches its first ever OPEN Poetry evening on Wednesday 15 February 2012, 8pm

A reading with SJ Fowler, Christodoulos Makris, Marcus Slease and Cherry Smyth, plus OPEN-mic session.

In what we hope will be the first of a regular poetry series at OPEN Ealing, join us for an evening of readings from our guest poets – and yourselves. Everyone is welcome to come along, whether to perform or simply listen. Admission is free.

SJ Fowler (www.sjfowlerpoetry.com) is the author of three poetry collections, Red Museum (Knives, Forks and Spoons Press, 2011), Fights (Veer Books, 2011) and Minimum Security Prison Dentistry (AAA, 2011). He is the UK poetry editor of Lyrikline and 3:AM Magazine. He is a full-time employee of the British Museum and a postgraduate student at the Contemporary Centre for Poetic Research, University of London.

Christodoulos Makris is the author of the collection Spitting Out the Mother Tongue (Wurm Press, 2011) and the chapbook Round the Clock (Wurm Press, 2009). A chapbook / artist’s book with title Muses Walk – his contribution to the project ‘An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street’ – is due out in March. He was Dublin regional editor for Succour magazine, and ran the Poetry Upfront series of readings and events in north Co Dublin. For more go to http://yesbutisitpoetry.blogspot.com

Marcus Slease was born in Portadown, N. Ireland in 1974. His latest publications are from Smashing Time (MIPOesias Chapbook Series, 2012), Hello Tiny Bird Brain (Knives Forks and Spoons, 2011), Balloons (Deadwood Press, 2011), and Godzenie (BlazeVOX, 2009). He has lived all over the world including: Seoul Korea, Katowice Poland, Greensboro North Carolina, Ogden Utah, Seattle Washington, Ankara Turkey, and Milton Keynes England. His current home is in London where he teaches English as a foreign language. He blogs at Never Mind the Beasts: www.marcusslease.blogspot.com

Cherry Smyth’s debut poetry collection When the Lights Go Up was published by Lagan Press in 2001. A pamphlet, The Future of Something Delicate was published by Smith/Doorstop in 2005, and a second poetry collection, One Wanted Thing, was published in 2006. Her stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Anchor Book of New Irish Writing (2000) and Scealta: Short Stories by Irish Women (Telegram, 2006). She lives in London. See more at www.cherrysmyth.com

OPEN Ealing, 113 Uxbridge Road (opposite the fire station and on the corner with Culmington Road)

Tel: 0208 579 5558

Website: www.openealing.com

 

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West Ealing – Dean Gardens update

Dean Gardens – Action Group update (January 2012)

We held the fourth Joint Action Group meeting today – this note summarises the up to date situation.

Since the earlier JAG meetings that started after the incidents in September, there has been considerable activity as we have previously reported.  We are now entering the phase where Dean Gardens is being rehabilitated into “day-to-day policing” rather than the “special measures” that we have seen.  This does not mean that the Police and Council eyes will be taken off the ball, but rather that we need to use our resources appropriately.

The police, council, and charities will continue to work closely together.  Patrols will continue to be made around the local retail outlets, off-licences and cafés in the area to ensure that there is minimum temptation – particularly in relation to alcohol consumption.  ASBOs will continue to be put to the courts (already a considerable number have been put in front of the courts and more are to follow).  These will curtail the known irresponsible troublemakers and the new ones on whom intelligence has been built since the intense joint action programme started.  The JAG meetings will continue – but will be held less frequently.

In summary:  Dean Gardens is being rehabilitated and is returning to normality as a safer place, day and night, a green space in West Ealing that is a central part of our neighbourhood.  As I have said before, of course we cannot guarantee this and therefore as residents we must all continue to watch and help.  If you are aware of any anti-social behaviour or drug related incident, you can report it by ringing 101 (this number is for all calls to the police other than emergencies – for which please ring 999).  101 will get you through to the Metropolitan Police who will pass the details to a duty officer in Ealing for collation by our intelligence team.

If you have any additional queries, you can contact our local Walpole Police SNT on 020 8721 2949 or email me at patrickchapman@btconnect.com.

Thank you.

Patrick Chapman, Walpole SNT Focus Panel Chair 27th January 2011

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-3.5c and we were still up for pruning our West Ealing Orchard

Oh yes we at WEN Abundance and Ealing Transition are a hardy lot!  We braved the freezing cold on Saturday 4th February to be part of a pruning workshop at our lovely little Orchard at Walmer Gardens. The London Orchard Project are doing a fantastic job helping us and brought in an expert to guide us through the day.

With some dedicated volunteers and support – including Jon Skoyles, Ealing Park Ranger, this Orchard has undergone a complete transformation. It will take a couple more years of pruning, planting and caring for the place but we know it will be worth bringing this place back to life.

Next up is the beehive Ealing Transition will be setting up around April – I’ll let you know exact dates when confirmed should anyone be interested in coming along.

Here are some pictures of the day (click to enlarge).