STAY GREEN Brookfield Crescent Biodiversity project

Hearty goodness

From Brent to Bowl is a new community cookbook developed by Brent residents and budding chefs, featuring dishes from around the globe, with a focus on tackling climate change by reducing food waste and using up leftovers. Get your free e-book copy now at www.brent.gov.uk/frombrenttobowl or borrow a copy from any Brent library.

Sky’s the limit for Brent 2020 podcast star

Rising star Suprina Thapa knew from age 17 that she wanted to be a presenter.

A seventeenth birthday present from a Virgin Experience day unlocked her passion for presenting. After a rigorous audition for international media platform Vice, Suprina was chosen as one of the presenters of the ‘VENT Weekly’ podcast.

The podcast hit the right note with audiences going on to win Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards, an achievement that Suprina calls ‘mind-blowing’.

Suprina, of Nepali heritage, has seized every opportunity that came along since and presented behind the scenes for Brent 2020 London Borough of Culture events, interviewing the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and then hosting Beyond Brent 2020, Legacy.

The Wembley local has now bagged a role presenting new Sky Arts show ‘Unmuted’. Suprina added: “My first foot in the door was with Vice, without the competition I wouldn’t have had access and it made me realise my passion and helped hone my skills.”

Crocheting it all together to brighten up street trees

Willesden resident Flick Thorley has become a star in the community with her cosy crocheted designs that decorate the trees on her street.

Flick, who is originally from New Zealand and has lived in Willesden for 25 years, said: “As a neighbourhood group, we decorate the streets at Christmas with fairy lights in the hedges and front gardens and the trees on the streets with lights and tree decorations.

“After Christmas, I decided to dress up the stakes around the trees with yarn to bring more colour to the street, then everyone asked me to do the same for them. The requests and compliments kept rolling in from passersby, as I put them up, so I continued.

“I love bright colours and I researched the best type of yarn to use to avoid it rotting quickly.

“I love living in the borough and feel lucky to have lovely local green open spaces, like Gladstone Park minutes away, Paddington Old Cemetery where we walk our three dogs and the Welsh Harp.”

MY COMMUNITY Kenton locals transform wasteland into bio diversity garden

Aderelict patch of land in Kenton has been transformed into a vibrant new biodiversity garden. The community around Brookfield Crescent, including children from Uxendon Manor Primary School, came together to turn the strip of wasteland into an area bursting with plants, wildlife and nature. The Mayor of Brent, Councillor Lia Colacicco attended the ribbon-cutting before exploring the new flowers, plants and newly painted mural created by Positive Arts.