ISSUE NO.99
FREE FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK IN BRENT
FEBRUARY 2010
The future at their fingertips Pupils lead the digital revolution
Contents Features
12 15 16 18 21 23 25
Teaching technology
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Inside further education college’s new building
Welcome to The Brent Magazine
IT learning Computer charity trains borough’s residents
Suburban wonder Museum’s Trobridge exhibition to open
Technology champions
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Brent schools win IT awards
A hi-tech help Technology helps people live independently
Digital innovation Gadgets help Brent Council’s services
Screen success Schoolboy’s winning animation
Regulars Update
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Brent people
James Diamond Editor The Brent Magazine
All in a day’s work
BDU 6153 01.10
4 9 11 26 29 30
Secret history Competitions Time out
Issue No. 99 February 2010 The Brent Magazine contacts Distribution queries and editorial 020 8937 1068 tbm@brent.gov.uk Advertising 020 8937 1097 advertising@brent.gov.uk Published by the London Borough of Brent, Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley Middlesex.
This month The Brent Magazine is looking at how technology is transforming our lives. We are profiling some of the most up-to-date facilities for technical education at the College of North West London. The college’s new technology building is ensuring that youngsters and people in work can get the very best in vocational education. Technology is also helping people through systems such as Telecare. It is helping to make sure vulnerable people can live in their own home independently. Brent’s schools have also adapted to new technology and are winning IT awards for their work. For those who may feel left out of the technological revolution a charity in Alperton is helping to train people. Finally, Secret History shows that at least one important development in computing began in Dollis Hill.
16 The London Borough of Brent does not accept responsibility for any goods or services offered by advertisers. Publication of an advertisement does not imply recommendation by the council of goods or services advertised. Printed on 100 per cent recycled paper. Please use your local paper bank when disposing of this and other paper.
One Stop Service 020 8937 1200 www.brent.gov.uk The Brent Magazine is available in large print and on audio tape. Please call 020 8937 1106 Cover image: Children at Anson Primary Photographer ISABELLE PLASSCHAERT
UPdate
Occupational therapy users to be surveyed Residents who receive occupational therapy equipment or a minor adaptation after being assessed by Brent Council are being surveyed in February. A random sample of people who have received services between 1 September and 31 December last year will be sent a survey questionnaire by Brent Council. It must be sent back by the end of February,
and all replies will be treated in the strictest confidence. The survey is being carried out by all councils that provide adult social services, and the Department of Health will be reviewing the findings to assess the quality of adult social services across England and Wales. Users’ responses will not be disclosed to any other body, except to the Department Of
Children singing at the Brent Chanukah event
QPR sets youngsters’ reading goals
Queens Parks Rangers will get youngsters reading with special events at Kingsbury Library Plus from 27 February. Community coaches will be at the library in Kingsbury Road on Saturdays to deliver its Kick into Reading programme. The sessions will feature reading activities in the library followed by sports in nearby Roe Green park, and are for children aged eight to 12. Children who attend two sessions will get two tickets for a QPR home game; those who attend all five sessions will get a one-week voucher for the QPR soccer school in the Easter holidays. The Saturday sessions will be on 27 February, and 6, 13, 20, 27 March from 11-12noon, visit www.brent.gov.uk/libraries or call 020 8937 3520.
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Health but only in an anonymous format. If you are a service user and receive your survey form and letter, please take the time to complete the survey and return it in the reply paid envelope by 28 February at the latest. For more email Paul Chennell at Brent Council on paul.chennell@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 4143.
New hostel seeks volunteers A hostel being built in Willesden is seeking volunteers to run its activities for homeless people. The hostel in Pound Lane, developed by charity St Mungo’s in partnership with Brent Council, is scheduled to open after Easter this year. It needs volunteers to run benefits and job advice, cooking, citizenship and exercise classes, and health and wellbeing activities.The hostel will also have a community café for service users and local people. Jacqui Randle, St Mungo’s Volunteer Services Coordinator, said: “We need volunteers to support the community cafe, helping out in the reception areas and advice service. “We would also love to hear from complementary health practitioners and local people interested in supporting the various wellbeing activities and groups the project will offer.” Email St Mungo’s at volunteerservices@mungos.org or call 020 7902 7966/7965.
Alperton’s green goddess
Brill evening celebrates Brent Chanukah Five hundred people enjoyed an evening of music, songs and drama at Brent Chanukah Festival. The event, held on Chanukah’s sixth night in December at Brent Town Hall, was part of Brent Council’s celebrations of the Jewish Festival of Light. It included beat boxer Daniel Brill and friends giving a modern twist to the traditional song ‘Moats Tzur’, choral singing by pupils at North West London Jewish Day School led by Ben Savory and directed by Rabbi Ronen Broder, and a play by Michael Sobell Sinai School pupils. A Menorah, designed by pupils from Preston Park
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Primary School, was lit at sunset and pupils from the school visited Wembley Synagogue in Forty Avenue, during Chanukah. The synagogue took part in Brent Chanukah by holding an open day and has recently organised visits from schools, colleges and Cub groups and is keen to receive more. “It was a wonderful festival for the whole community and I thank everyone who helped make Brent Chanukah such a success,” said Mayor of Brent Councillor Jim O’Sullivan. Contact Wembley Synagogue at office@wembley synagogue.org or call 020 8904 6565.
A pupil’s vision of making her school greener has won her a prize at the London Student Awards. Jothikka Amaralingam came top in the science category for a proposal calling for more cycling, walking to school and the use of motion-sensor light bulbs at Alperton High. She said: “I can’t believe I won. It’s such a great achievement for me. It’s really inspired me to continue achieving in lessons.” The competition was open to all London Year 9 and 10 students and covers art, music, drama, creative writing, business and science.
UPdate
Tributes paid to late councillor
Top prize won by youngsters at annual parade
Brent youngsters triumphed at the New Year’s Day Parade 2010 thanks to their display of colourful costumes made from recycled goods. They beat 21 other boroughs to win the prestigious Let’s Help London Challenge and a
New honours for Brent residents Brent people have been honoured by The Queen in this year’s New Year’s Honours List. They include former Mayor of Brent Ahmad Shahzad who received an OBE for services to black and ethnic minority people. He represented Willesden Green ward for many years until 2006 and was mayor from 20042005. Margaret Baxter from Kilburn also received an OBE for her services to the voluntary sector. Mary Turner, who is president of the GMB union and is an officer for the trade union in Brent, received an MBE as did Stonebridge-born footballer Jason Roberts for his charity work in the UK and Caribbean.
prize of £7,500 will be donated to the Mayor of Brent’s charity appeal. Brent’s display wowed the 500,000 parade spectators with colourful birds, trees and flower costumes. Brent’s winning entry was organised by Brent Youth Volunteers and was created by the young people working with Harlesden-based carnival company Mahogany, and was funded by vinspired. They made the costumes from recycled items such as plastic cans, newspapers, cans and tin foil. Thirty-three children from Alperton School, Claremont
Pupils taking part in the parade with the Mayor and Mayoress of Brent
A former councillor who represented Brondesbury Park and Barnhill wards has passed away. Bill Duffin was a councillor from 1987 until the late 1990s when he stood down, but was re-elected in 2002 for another term. He was a governor of Kingsbury High School and chaired the old Housing Committee on Brent Council. Bill was an accountant by profession and a keen cricket and football fan. Well-wishers are asked to donate to St Luke’s Hospice Kenton, call 020 8382 8000.
High, Preston Manor High, Lyon Park Primary and Barham Park Primary School got involved. Mayor of Brent, Councillor Jim O’Sullivan, who attended the parade on 1 January, said: “What a fantastic way to start 2010. The highest praise has to go to the young people for their creativity, dedication and enthusiasm. Thank you to everyone who took part.”
Chief Excutive Gareth Daniel, Council Leader Paul Lorber and Director of Environment and Culture Richard Saunders.
Bye-bye birdie
Greenhouse gas is sliced Brent Council is pledging to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by ten per cent by the end of 2010 after signing up to the 10:10 Campaign. The campaign commits organisations to reduce emissions significantly in an attempt to control climate change. Brent Council Leader
Councillor Paul Lorber said: “It is important Brent Council leads the way in taking action on climate change. Even small actions will make a difference.” A cake cutting marked the start of the commitment and it was later given to Cricklewood Homeless Concern where it was served as dessert.
Veteran foster carer Birdie McDonald has retired after 33 years of looking after children in Brent. She has cared for more than 100 children and received an OBE in 2006. To mark her retirement Birdie received an engraved vase and flowers from staff at Brent Council. “Many children recall happy memories of the time they spent living with Birdie; adults greatly value the life skills they gained from their time in her care. The esteem in which she is held is a testament to her commitment,” said Placements Officer Dyelia Morgan. Visit www.brent.gov.uk/fostering or call 020 8937 4538 for more about Brent fostering.
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UPdate
Have your say on children’s hospital services in Brent The NHS is consulting about a proposed reorganisation of children’s hospital services in Brent. It has organised a public meeting on 11 February for residents to hear about the plans. The proposal is for two new consultant-led paediatric assessment units at Northwick Park and Central Middlesex Hospitals and the centralisation of overnight children’s care at Northwick Park. Six beds at Central Middlesex Hospital would close at night, meaning three children a day might need to be transferred to Northwick Park’s department.
The paediatric units will open from 10am-10pm, seven days a week, allowing children to be seen by a senior doctor quickly. Central Middlesex would continue to provide outpatient and day care for children at the Rainbow Centre. Northwick Park and Central Middlesex would have urgent care centres next to their A&E departments to treat children and adults with non-life threatening injuries and illnesses. “We believe this proposal will provide children with better care than they receive at the moment, by ensuring that children receive
Youngsters’ project is on a roll
Holly Leathers and Jasmin McCarthy-Jones roller skate
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A new project is giving young people the opportunity to get active and socialise after school. The Young People’s DropIn has attracted more than 135 school pupils since it started last year. It is on Monday evenings at Kingsbury High School in Princes Avenue, and was set up by Brent Council’s Kingsbury Locality Partnership Board with £10,000 from the Neighbourhood Working Team. The drop-in for 13 to 15 year olds runs food and film classes; and sports taught by coaches such as roller skating, basketball and tennis. “It has provided students with a safe place to meet, and is encouraging and nurturing an interest in sport. Many of the young people who attend would normally shy away from football and tennis,” said Kingsbury High School assistant headteacher Ita McNamara.
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the right care at the right place and time,” said Chief Executive of NHS Brent Mark Easton. “This is the way children’s services are developing and we are pleased to be bringing best practice to our local community.” The deadline for responding to the consultation is 4 April 2010; the public meeting will start at 6pm on 11 February at Patidar House, 22 London Road,Wembley. To view the consulation document visit www.brentharrowchildren.nh s.uk or for more information email children@nwlh.nhs.uk or call 020 8869 3701.
Leo’s cymbal of success Leo Isreal-Governdale won a drum kit in a prize draw after getting a ticket on a half-term holiday programme at the Bridge Park Leisure Centre in Harrow Road, Stonebridge.
Leo with his mother Marie Isreal-Governdale, area manager Catherine Fourcampe and Councillor Irwin Van Colle.
Meals are still mobile
A delighted Magnol Innis was one of many residents to receive meals on wheels in the recent icy weather. Staff overcame snow and ice to make sure everyone got their regular meal and an extra 200 people also received a meal from the service because they had problems getting to the shops or
day centres. Service drivers began rounds early and worked longer hours to complete deliveries. Some delivered on foot because vans could not get through the snow. Council contractors deliver 160,000 meals a year to residents who qualify for the service, call 020 8937 1200.
Roll up for disco in Stonebridge A roller disco is boggieing down to the Bridge Park Leisure Centre on Fridays from 12 February. The discos, for youngsters aged 12 to 16, will be at centre in Stonebridge from
6-9pm, costing £6 for children. Family events are on 26 February and 19 March, costing £9 for adults, to attend download a form at www.brent.gov.uk/sports or call 020 8937 3707.
UPdate
Park’s playground takes off
A climbing mound featuring a mosaic bird on its peak has opened at Gladstone Park. It was built under the Playbuilder scheme which gave money to Gladstone Park Consultative Committee
Chalkhill gets creative
Musician playing Sufi drums
in partnership with Brent Council to create the climbing area. A fitness course and zip slide were installed last year, and are all popular with children.
Free street safety classes for NW10 residents NW10 residents concerned about personal safety can attend free workshops to improve their street safety on 8 and 10 February. The workshops include practical advice on legal rights and what is recognised in law as reasonable force, verbal responses to attackers,
avoiding dangerous situations, ‘breakaway’ techniques and services for victims. The Street Safe classes will be led by a trained instructor from the National Federation for Personal Safety. They have been organised by Rucklidge Avenue Residents’ Association and funded
by Brent Council’s Neighbourhood Working Team, and will last about one hour; classes will be held in the day and evening at the Salvation Army Hall in Manor Park Road, Harlesden, email streetsafe@fsmail.net or call 07733 995 589.
Creative workshops will be starting up at Chalkhill Community Centre from 6 February. Classes include Sufi drumming, and arts and crafts on Saturdays at 11.30am, and storytelling for mother-toddler groups. They will be led by textile artist Rezia Wahid, Sufi musician Khaled Hakim and performance artist Alia Alzougbi from arts organisation Silk Roads. All workshops will be at the centre in Chalkhill Road, Wembley, visit www.silkroads.co.uk or call 07954 601 372.
Make a date with green community festival An Environmental Community Festival is being held on 25 February, featuring a speed dating-style event for groups involved in green issues. The event, organised by the council’s Brent Sustainability Forum, is for community groups, colleges, individuals and businesses to let others know what environmental work they are doing. At the speed dating-style event, stall holders will get five minutes to promote projects and to request the forum’s support. Residents who are interested in the environment, but do not wish to run a stall, are also invited to attend. “The forum is a resource for residents and the wider
community to gain help for all types of environmental projects. I urge anyone who is out there getting on with projects to get in touch; we’re here to help out,” said Ines Carvalho, Sustainability Forum Coordinator. The festival will be from 5pm-6.30pm in committee rooms 1-3 at Brent Town Hall on Thursday 25 February. After the festival the forum will hold a project selection session from 6.30-8.30pm, also open to the public. To book a stall or attend the festival, email ines.carvalho@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 5326 before 15 February.
Stephanie Gray from Brent Friends of the Earth and environment consultant Ian McCubin at an environmental event last year.
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BRENTpeople Arafa Salam won a competition to name a website for young people to be set up soon by Brent Council.
What is the website’s name? The website is going to be called B my voice.The name is clever and an excellent play on words.The B stands for Brent, but people can also read it as ‘be’, meaning that it is for young people to express their voice. I didn’t think up the name, but I chose it out of quite a few different options and won an iPod shuffle, which is great.
How did you get involved?
For more information on B my voice, visit www.brent.gov.uk/youthweb
I saw the competition on my school’s website www.kingsburyhigh.org.uk which I read a lot. I am also a member of Brent Youth Parliament, representing my school, and the new website was discussed at a parliament meeting and at Brent Youth Matters 2 forum. Officers from Brent Council came in and showed the parliament members different designs and talked about the names which had been thought of.
Who will use the website? The website is for anyone aged up to 19 in Brent. It should be about making young people aware of activities, events and opportunities going on in the borough. There should also be an interactive hub for giving young people advice. I hope it will be a good resource for people to get in touch with each other.They can also find out about anything they are interested in such as sports or a youth club in the borough.
Do you use new technology? Yes, a lot. I use the internet all the time because it’s really useful for my studies. At the moment I’m studying four A-levels: biology, chemistry, German and maths, and I want to study medicine at university. I listen to German radio stations online through the internet, and maths I use specialist maths websites as well for my studies. It is really good socially as well, I like going on YouTube and social networking sites.
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Technology for safety Bhavna Bilimoria is overseeing the introduction of ContactPoint – a computer-based directory of contacts to help safeguard children in Brent. ContactPoint will help professionals to work together for the benefit of children and in Brent its introduction is being overseen by Bhavna Bilimoria. It is a computer-based directory listing the names, date-of-birth, address, parents or carers, GP, and school of children aged up until the age of 18. ContactPoint is not just being introduced in Brent, but all councils in England. “The system will help professionals to do their jobs better and will allow services to work together more closely to help children, young people and also their families,” explains Bhavna. “Previously, there was no immediate way of finding out if other services are in contact with a child. ContactPoint will be quicker and easier for professionals to communicate with each other. So, for example, if a child moves from another borough into Brent, professionals will be able to find out straight away by looking at ContactPoint who has worked with or supported that child in the past.” Brent Council
For more information visit www.brent.gov.uk/contactpoint or email contactpoint.team@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 4979/4971.
must introduce ContactPoint by law, and Bhavna is leading a team in the Children and Families Department which will make it fully operational across Brent by April. It has been developed as a response to the Laming Enquiry into the tragic death of Victoria Climbie in 2000, which found that different agencies who work with children and young people had not had sufficient communication with each other about Victoria.
“The system will help professionals to do their jobs better.” In Brent professionals such as children’s social workers, headteachers, and health workers will be able to use the system. It can take time for a professional working with a young person to find out who else might be helping them. ContactPoint will speed up the process by giving professionals instant information on all the other services involved with that child. However, only users who have an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check, and are trained and set up with secure passwords can access the system. For extra security details of children at risk of significant harm can also be shielded on ContactPoint. “Everyone who uses it must comply with the Data Protection Act,” says Bhavna. “There has to be a specific reason for looking at particular details of a child in the borough – they are not allowed to simply start looking at random and will be monitored." Parents can request to see the information held about a child by writing to the ContactPoint team.
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Where technology towers The College of North West London is leading the way in technical training and education thanks to its state-of-the-art technology building. 12
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“We are a progressive college, embracing new technology, and exceptional in what we do.” To step into the Telford Building is sometimes like leaping a long way into the future. The building, home to the College of North West London’s Faculty of Technology, is one of the most advanced centres for technical training anywhere in the country. It opened last year at a cost of £13 million; today 3,000 students are trained in everything from bricklaying to engineering on the most up-to-date equipment around. “The building is the most exciting building we have seen on the site for more than 70 years,” says Pat Leavey the Head of the Technology Faculty at the college. “It is a fantastic state-of-the-art facility which will allow the integration of construction and engineering provision to meet current and future industry needs. The design of the building is very pleasing, but what makes it unique is the interior; the way workshops are set up and fitted out for a vocational curriculum is not replicated anywhere else in the country in this sector. To have all these
facilities for construction and engineering in one building is, we believe, unique in this sector, and very exciting for the industry.” Classrooms are designed for teaching construction and engineering crafts, including mobile gas rigs, interactive whiteboards, automated teaching screens, microphone sound systems, focus cameras and IT screens. The cameras enable the students in classrooms to observe what is being taught in the practical class areas. It has auto mechanical engineering on the ground floor with modern garage workshops which are big enough to fit buses. Also on the ground floor are ‘trowel trades’ where plastering and bricklaying are taught. The engineering rooms have up-to-date lathe machines. The second and third floors are for teaching gas and refrigeration, plumbing and air conditioning courses. Despite its hi-tech environment it has been named after the 18th century civil engineer Thomas Telford.
Tutors are developing new technology to teach the curriculum. Students on the gas heating and ventilation courses can practise installation in a ‘virtual bungalow’ before going into the workshops. One course is even piloting Second Life – a virtual world accessible on the internet – to teach a plumbing qualification. “It has proved very popular,” says Martin Biron, Head of the Construction School. “The college has its own Second Life ‘island’ where I meet up with the students’ avatars. It is like any other classroom; we can even look inside a heating system virtually and they find out how it works. That is done outside of college and it suits the students as it’s flexible.” “Every year more and more students are coming to us as more technologically savvy; as well as pens and books they will bring along a mobile or Blackberry,” he added. For courses at the Telford Building visit www.cnwl.ac.uk email cic@cnwl.ac.uk or call 020 8208 5050.
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For free graffiti removal contact StreetCare on 020 8937 5050 and we will send one of our specialist graffiti removal teams to tackle the problem. StreetCare offers a first time free graffiti removal service to all private and commercial property owners in the Brent area. Initial removal is free, subsequent removals are available at a subsidised and reduced rate.
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Technology champion Peter Nelke is here for anyone who might think a search engine is a slightly unusual model of railway train. He is business secretary of Middlesex ITeC – an Alperton-based charity which offers computer training. Peter has been a board trustee since 1991, and in 2009 won a Brent Community Champions Award for his voluntary work. The awards, open for nominations until 3 March, honour people who give up their time to assist others. “We improve people’s life chances by training them in information technology,” he says. “Learners represent a spectrum of need such as children outside mainstream education, unemployed people or women wanting to return to work. Others might be residents who feel excluded from IT such as older people or those with low literacy. “Without IT skills it’s very hard to start a career or progress these days. Society has changed: there are fewer manual jobs and employers want to see evidence of skills.” Peter, who is a retired physics teacher and former Brent councillor, helps to organise courses and does some teaching. The charity, which has three full-time staff, mainly teaches Microsoft packages. Two
key courses are computer training for over 55s – a six-week course for older learners which includes using the internet and email – and the second is a tailored programme for 16 to 25-year-olds living in Brent. He estimates that last year 120 Brent residents successfully completed courses at Middlesex ITeC.
“Learners represent a spectrum of need such as children outside mainstream education.” “Older people have a lot to offer,” adds Peter. “It is never too late to learn; I once taught an 85-year-old student. Older people are taught here to use the internet and email, allowing them to send pictures and messages. They train in our special IT suite, and get a boost from socialising and meeting new people. It helps we have a good pupil-teacher ratio, often six students per teacher, which compares to Eton!” The charity celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. Until 1983 it was known as Brent Information Technology Exchange and was based in Stonebridge.
The trustee of a charity offering information technology and computer training to residents has been honoured for his voluntary service. Peter joined in 1991 as a councillor representative, but stayed on after leaving the local authority. “I was very pleased to win the award last year,” adds Peter. “It’s very rewarding to see someone who was struggling coming here and become so positive.We have had several students who have left school with few or no GCSEs, but blossomed at our IT academy. They generally secured college places to study for qualifications; one was recognised by Microsoft UK with Middlesex IteC also winning an award.” Visit www.mitec.org.uk, email training@mitec.org.uk or call 020 8900 0505; the community champions awards are at www.brent.gov.uk/ communityawards or email dipti.bhatt@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 3673 for further information.
Peter Nelke by Isabelle Plasschaert
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Visionary of Brent Museum’s major new exhibition opening this month celebrates the life of architectural pioneer EG Trobridge. The thatched cottages in suburban Kingsbury could fit snugly into any village in rural England. They are well-known as the work of Ernest George Trobridge – a pioneer of domestic architecture in the 20th century who lived and worked for many years in Kingsbury. In addition to the cottages, the area also has distinctive houses he designed with crenellated roofs, mock turrets, Tudor gates, and twisted chimneys. To mark this architectural legacy unique to the borough, Brent Museum is holding the exhibition ‘EG Trobridge: Visionary of the Suburbs’ to run from 18 February to 24 September. It features new designs by Trobridge which have recently come to light, photos, and recorded memories of residents and family members who have lived in his houses. Trobridge and family outside Hayland
“He was a man of strong convictions who believed that not only the rich but ordinary people should have a nice house to live in” In addition, there will be family workshops including storytelling, drawing, and printing inspired by Trobridge’s architecture between February and September, all at Brent Museum. For adults there will be talks on Trobridge by academics such as Graham Paul Smith on 25 March, and Gavin Stamp on 22 April. Local historian Philip Grant is leading a walking tour of the Kingsbury area on 15 and 19 May, and 19 September. Trobridge was born in Belfast in 1884. His father, George was a gifted painter
and the head of Belfast School of Design. Ernest moved to London aged 24, and in 1915 moved to Haydon House, Hay Lane, Kingsbury, to flee the First World War’s Zepplin raids. The exhibition explains how in the war he thought up the idea for the timber-framed houses. “It was his solution to the post-war housing shortage,” explains Brent Museum’s curator Joe Carr. “The beauty of the system was using elm wood which was plentiful and cheap. Chimneys, supporting columns and fireplaces were built in brick and tile, and the thatched roofs had a water sprinkler system in case of fire.” In 1922 he exhibited a patent house at the Ideal Home Exhibition, in Olympia. He later bought ten acres of land at the junction of Kingsbury Road and Slough Lane. Under a Ministry of Labour
scheme he employed ten men who had been disabled serving in the war to build the houses. The Ferndene Estate was finished in 1922; its cottages cost £600 which at the time were ‘about 20 per cent cheaper than brick.’ He built more of the houses in Stag Lane and Buck Lane. Many of these can still be seen in Kingsbury, including Hayland in Kingsbury Road that he lived in from 1922-1942. By the 1930s, when building materials were more plentiful and housing subsidies were no longer available, Trobridge’s style changed accordingly. He used less timber-framing and he built more flats than houses. The rising cost of timber and the more plentiful supply of bricks influenced Trobridge’s new unorthodox design ideas. “The buildings are remarkable for the fine quality of the brickwork of the chimneys and columns, such as the flats in Old Church Lane, Kingsbury,” said Joe. “Others have turrets and battlements such as those in Wakeman’s Hill and Buck Lane. His designs incorporated historical types, illusion, humour and even insecure looking structures.”
EG Trobridge
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the suburbs Brent Museum’s exhibition details his designs for houses with fortified garages which he submitted for planning permission in 1938. The designs were never built. However, the designs show the garages would provide protection from 560lb bombs, gas attacks and fire with 80 seats and 12 seats in a gas-proof compartment. In May 1938 he submitted another application to add a fortified garage to Hayland in Kingsbury. The exhibition also explains how Trobridge was influenced by the Swedenborgian Church. The church is traced back to Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), a Swedish scientist, philosopher and theologian. He was concerned with the idea of a universal language and the difficulty of describing psychic events scientifically. He proposed a system of ‘correspondence’ so worldly, spiritual and divine ideas could be unified. “It gave him an understanding of a balance between nature and architecture,” added Joe. “His houses reflect Swedenborgian symbolism such as a sheltering roof, focal hearth, stylised entrances and asymmetry.
Highfort Court in Wakeman’s Hill
good quality affordable housing for the people who needed it most.” As a lifelong vegetarian he refused to take insulin which he needed for his diabetes as it was made from slaughtered cattle. Sadly, he died in 1942 from his condition. ‘EG Trobridge: Visionary of the Suburbs’ is from 18 February to 24 September, for full listings of family workshops, talks and walks visit www.brent.gov.uk/museum or call 020 8937 3600 for more information.
“He was a man of strong convictions who believed that not only the rich but ordinary people should have a nice house to live in. His designs provided
Hayland in Kingsbury
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Education with byte Brent schools are winning awards for their innovative projects to promote e-learning in the classroom. Brent schools are enjoying spectacular success in using information technology and two in particular can now be ranked as among the best anywhere in the country. Recently, Preston Park Primary School was voted Primary School of the Year and a project by Anson Primary School scooped the award for Most Innovative School Project at the xe-Learning Conference Home Access Awards. The awards are organised by the e-Learning Foundation, a charity which aims to bring technology to children. Anson Primary’s scheme NW-2b-Friends is a social networking project and educational site that allows pupils to communicate with one another online whilst at the same time teaching them all about internet safety, appropriate and inappropriate online behaviour and the issues involved around copyright. It was developed in-house at the school by the ICT team Simon Pile and Brooke Penrose. “We were thrilled to have received an award for NW2bFriends from the e-Learning Foundation,” says Brooke. It’s been a great few months for Anson and we're looking forward to meeting more ICT challenges for our pupils in 2010.” It was the second award for the school this year after previously
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winning an excellence award from BECTA – the government agency which promotes the use of technology in learning. “At Anson we teach the children the skills that will prepare them for the technological changes which are inevitable in the 21st century, skills which give them confidence, inspire them and keep them safe in an online world,” said Simon. Preston Park Primary won its award for pioneering homes access through developing its Managed Learning Environment, a website that allows pupils to access information about lessons over the internet. It is also running in nine other Wembley schools. “Preston Park is thrilled to have been awarded the Home Access School of the Year in recognition of the achievements of our 21st Century Home Learning Scheme. Our children take great pride in having their own mininotebooks and it is wonderful to see the children using them to access these resources during break times as well as in lessons,” says Preston Park Primary’s ICT co-ordinator, Daphne Anazodo. “What’s more, feedback shows that children are also spending more time with their parents and carers sharing what they have learned during the school day and also helping their parents develop their e-skills.”
Preston Park Primary pupils, left; Anson pupils and Brooke, right.
For further information on the Home Innovation Awards, its categories and winners, visit the e-learning foundation website at www.e-learningfoundation.com.
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My hi-tech friend
New technology is allowing vulnerable and older people to live independently in their own homes. Words ORLA SEDZE
It is palm-sized technology, but a massive help to many older and vulnerable people. Telecare is a system using sensors and alarms installed in residents’ homes to notify a carer, family member or emergency call centre if the person is having problems. Its sensors can detect an overflowing sink or a bath; gas ring left turned on; fire; or even if a person has fallen and can’t get up. A Telecare pendant worn around the neck or wrist means a person can alert an emergency call centre where a member of staff will talk to the person in his/her home and check they are OK, or quickly send out help. So far 800 people in Brent are benefiting from Telecare, including Cecilia Sam who had it installed in 2006 after a serious illness which made her unsteady on her feet. “It gives you the reassurance that you are not alone,” she says. “I used to be so cautious about getting around, but I am so confident now that I have my little friend.” She was determined to stay in her home and keep up her busy social life despite the illness, so the system proved to be the perfect solution for the retired BT manager. “Two years ago I fell down, I didn’t hurt myself, but I pressed my pendant just in case,” she added. “Immediately, someone from the call centre spoke to me and checked I was OK, then they called my daughter to let her know of my fall and she was here – just like that.”
“It gives you the reassurance that you are not alone.” Telecare also includes medication dispensers to remind clients to take their tablets; epilepsy sensors placed in clients’ beds or property sensors which can detect if a client has left their home or a door open, and temperature monitoring in the home. Anyone can apply for Telecare in Brent but they must meet substantial or critical adult social care criteria after an assessment to receive it for free; if not then they must pay for the system to be installed. “If you want to carry on with your lifestyle then get Telecare; my little friend makes me very happy – it’s just a pity I can’t go out with it,” added Cecilia. To apply for Telecare email Brent Council at customer.service@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 4300, for more information on Telecare call 020 8937 4208. Cecilia with her Telecare pendant. Picture by Emma Harpin
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Take it to Abbey Road (NW10) Brent reuse and recycling centre, Abbey Road, Park Royal NW10 7TJ
www.brent.gov.uk/recycling 020 8937 5050
Letting our voice be heard, say no to female genital mutilation. It is estimated that over 24,000 girls under the age of 16 years old are at risk of female genital mutilation in England and Wales. Brent Council will be marking International Women’s day on Wednesday 10 March 2010 with a conference discussing female genital mutilation.
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This free event will be held at: Brent Town Hall, Committee Rooms 1,2 and 3, Forty Lane, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 9HD 10-3pm, registration begins at 9.30am and is open to all Brent residents. Book early, as places are limited. Please email your full name and contact number to corpcommunications@brent. gov.uk or call 020 8937 1106 to reserve your space.
Text messages are being used by many council services such as building control, planning, schools, sports, transport and revenue and benefits to communicate with residents more effectively. For example, texts are being used to give updates on applications and to inform parents of school closures in adverse weather conditions.
eLibrary service allows users to access a range of eBooks and eAudio from home. Brent Council in conjunction with the London Libraries Consortium provides over 1,800 items for users to access. Simply log onto llc.lib.overdrive.com and borrow a maximum of five items in addition to normal borrowing limits. Remember to have your library card number and pin handy.
Twitter is a micro blogging website that Brent Council uses to update residents on breaking news and local events. Be the first to be in the know by following Brent Council on www.twitter.com/Brent_Council
Brent Council’s digital delivery Brent Council is using new technology to improve services as SHARON DONOVAN discovers.
Self-service machines
have been installed in Willesden,Tokyngton, Neasden and Kingsbury Libraries so far and are due to be in all Brent libraries by the end of the year. The new technology enables residents to carry out their own transactions – borrow, return, renew and reserve books, CDs and DVDs.This reduces queuing time and allows for increased customer and staff interaction.
Virtual tours allow users to have a 360°
view of Brent Council sport facilities such as Willesden Sports Centre and Vale Farm.This means you can decide whether you want to join a sports centre without having to visit it in person. Log onto www.brent.gov.uk/virtualtours
The council has developed a series of gadgets and widgets for its website that provides easy access to some of its local information like finding your nearest library through a postcode search. Currently, we have two available; one for iGoogle (compatible with any computer that has a web browser) and the other for Mac OS X. These have recently been improved to include data from NHS Choices so that you can find your nearest doctor, dentist, hospital, optician or pharmacy. For full details on how to download the gadgets, please visit www.brent.gov.uk/gadgets
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Pay your 2010/2011 Brent Council Tax by Direct Debit Direct Debit is the simplest way to pay
Gives you peace of mind
your Council Tax. It saves time, is more convenient and gives you greater control over your money. Direct Debit is the preferred payment method for over 50% of Brent council tax payers because it provides so many advantages.
Payments are made automatically ensuring bills are never forgotten. For those already paying by Direct Debit, do not cancel your current mandate as it will remain active for the 2010/2011 financial year.
Save time Spread the cost Paying your council by Direct Debit allows you to spread the cost over an agreed period and allows you to choose a payment date, from one of four in a month* that is most convenient to you. *(1st, 12th, 17th or 28th)
Direct Debit takes the hassle out of bill payment. You don’t have to queue at your bank or fill out a cheque each time.
Phone us now to set up your Council Tax Direct Debits
Brent Council Direct Debit Hotline 020 8937 1790
CEROC is a fusion of Jive and Salsa. Great fun, easy to learn and you don’t need to bring a partner. Tuesdays 8pm-11pm
Free beginners dvd with this voucher
Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley HA9 9HD Also at West Drayton and Uxbridge Tel: 020 8933 4350 or 07860 250961 Email: alanandsue@clubceroc.com Info: www.clubceroc.com Cut out this voucher for free life membership and free admission for the first week and free DVD. (New members only)
LOCAL BUILDERS established 25 years • loft conversions • extensions • roofing • bathrooms • refurbishments • plumbing boilers • power flushing • electrical rewires • locksmith • and much more Call for a free quote Dom McGowan 07931 550 242 • 020 8438 8827 Email d17dom@yahoo.co.uk
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Health
Health and Nutrition company requires full-time and part time consultants to teach healthly living to the public. Positions available as trainees, sales and cook show hosts. Management trainees also required. Training provided. Excellent package and bonus incentives.
Contact Sati on 0795 643 8157/020 8601 7145
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In partnership with :
Screen winner An anti-bullying film inspired by the experiences of a boy from Brent has been honoured with a top industry award. Many children outside of Brent may be familiar with the voice of a 12-year-old called Shyres Sutherland. He is the voice which narrates a short film called ‘Marcus’ Story’ about the subject of bullying.The film was one of a series called ‘See Something, Say Something’ which was recently named Short Form winner at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) children’s awards, which looked at bullying through the eyes of young people. The series was created for the children’s television broadcaster Nickelodeon, and has also been shown on the BBC2 current affairs programme ‘Newsnight’. Last year it also picked up an award from Unicef – the children’s body of the United Nations.
Shyres narrates his own experience of bullying in the animated film, which was made by media company Bold Creative.The film’s producers worked with the 12-year-old and other youngsters who are part of Brent Council’s Junior Youth Inclusion Programme. ‘Marcus’ Story’, which is told entirely from a young person’s perspective, sees the animated character Marcus encouraging young people who have been involved in bullying behaviour to think about the consequences and is a revealing insight into the social factors and pressures that can often lead to bullying. “Being involved in an award-winning film might sound glamorous, but the Junior YIP young people who helped to make ‘Marcus’ Story’ worked really hard. For more than a month they met the film-makers after school to identify and develop anti-bullying ideas that could be used in the film. They showed great dedication and commitment and we are very proud of all of them,” said principal young inclusion officer James Salter. “Shyres deserves all the credit he has received for creating Marcus. He is a very gifted young man and his success says a lot about the hidden talents of Brent young people.” Involvement in the film was a part of a wider body of antibullying work that the programme is delivering, including sessions on healthy relationships and learning activities. For more on Bold Creative visit www.boldcreative.co.uk.
Above: Shyres Sutherland Opposite: stills from ‘Marcus’ Story’
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A giant among computers The world’s first programmable computer was invented in Dollis Hill during the Second World War. 26
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SECREThistory
The Colussus II machine rebuilt in 2007 courtesy of National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.
The machine was the size of a small room, weighed more than one ton and operated with 1,500 separate valves. Not what many people today associate with a computer. Colussus was invented in 1943 at a research centre in Dollis Hill and is recognised today by some experts as the world’s first programmable computer. However, the story of Colussus and why it was built there by inventor Tommy Flowers were secrets for many years. Thomas Harold Flowers was born in the East End and left school in 1922 to work for the Post Office as an engineer. He worked in its laboratories to develop an automatic telephone exchange; in those days the Post Office ran the post and telephones. In 1933 the General Post Office Research Station was built in Dollis Hill and Tommy was stationed there, working on the problem of long-distance dialling. He came up with the idea of using valves to help transmit the human voice over a long distance. In 1939 the Second World War broke out. Tommy worked on radar for the Royal Air Force for several years. However, in 1942 he came to the attention of Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire – then home of the Government Code and Cypher School. Its code-breakers, led by mathematician Alan Turing, were helping the Allies’ war effort by deciphering codes employed by the
German military. They only had a slow and unreliable machine known as Heath Robinson to process the information. Archives at Bletchley Park, now a museum, describe how Turing enlisted Flowers to help. Flowers warned the flaws in Heath Robinson could not be overcome – a different machine altogether was needed. He proposed replacing mechanical switching units with valves – exactly how he developed dialling technology at Dollis Hill in the 1930s. However, the top brass at Bletchley Park were sceptical, arguing it would take too long to be developed and went on using Heath Robinson. Flowers later described in an interview held in the Imperial War Museum’s archives how he overcame doubts. “It made it very difficult for me to guide Bletchley Park because they had no process to guide them,” he said. His idea for a machine was not commissioned, but Flowers did not give up. He worked in his own time with a team of 50 others at Dollis Hill on making the components. They worked day and night on the machine, using his idea of valves. By December 1943 a prototype was ready and demonstrated at Bletchley Park. The machine was named Colussus and even though it was not recognised as such at the time, even by Flowers, it was the world’s first programmable computer. Colussus was a giant machine. Information was fed into it on a keyboard and 1,500 valves helped it process 5,000 characters a
second – an incredible speed. Bosses at Bletchley Park were impressed and ordered ten to be made by 1 June 1944. The machines played a role in D-Day – the Allies’ invasion of mainland Western Europe – on 3 June 1944 when they deciphered the Nazis’ plans to deal with any invasion. Flowers’s work was recognised at the time. He received an MBE and £1,000 for his invention. However, Colussus was a state secret and Flowers had signed the Official Secrets Act. The ten machines were used throughout the rest of the war in Europe, but in 1945 Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered all ten machines be destroyed. Tommy worked at Dollis Hill until 1965 when he retired from the Post Office. He went back to work on the telephone technology, but could not talk about Colussus. It was not until the 1970s that information about it came out of archives in the United States. His work was reassessed by experts who said it was the first programmable computer. Flowers died in 1998. At the old site of the research station, which is now housing, a road is named Flowers Close in his honour. However, his machine still lives on. In 2007 Colussus II was rebuilt at Bletchley Park and functioned perfectly. Visit www.bletchleypark.org.uk, or www.iwm.org.uk for more information
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FREE Rapid HIV Testing “Better to know than not to know!” KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. KNOW YOUR STATUS. RESULTS WITHIN 1 HOUR COMMUNITY HEALTH ACTION TRUST Room 10-11, Moran House, 449-451 High Rd, Willesden, London NW10 2JJ Telephone: 020 8830 3392, Fax: 020 8451 0135 MONDAY - FRIDAY: 10am - 5pm Saturdays or out of hours by appointment only
MONKS PARK CLINIC Monks Park, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 6JE Telephone: 020 8453 5900 TUESDAY: 10am - 5pm Bus routes: 18, 112, 226 & 440 Nearest tube station: Stonebridge Park (Bakerloo Line)
Bus routes: 460, 260, 266, 297, 6, 52, 98, 206 Nearest tube stations: Dollis Hill (Jubilee Line) Neasden (Jubilee Line)
For further information, visit www.knowyourstatus.com
Brent Council One Stop Customer Services We are here to help you with any council enquiry. If you need a council service, information or you want to complain or make a suggestion, phone or email us first:
One Stop online www.brent.gov.uk/oss
Photos: www.JohnBirdsall.co.uk
customer.services@brent.gov.uk
One Stop telephones
020 8937 1200*
General customer service enquiries
020 8937 5252* Environmental Health
020 8937 4300
020 8937 1790*
Adult and Children Social Services
Council Tax
020 8937 1234
020 8937 1800*
Switchboard and Emergency Out of Hours
Housing and Council Tax Benefit
020 8937 5050*
020 8937 1993*
StreetCare
For people with a hearing impairment
Calls may be monitored and we may telephone you to help us improve services.
One Stop local offices
• Town Hall 28
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• Brent House
• Harlesden
• Willesden
*Telephone us Monday to Friday from 8am-8pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm
COMPETITIONS
Win your 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium An escorted tour of Wembley Stadium makes an exciting day out for the whole family. Stroll into the player's dressing room and walk through the tunnel towards the hallowed turf, then climb 107 steps, standing triumphantly in front of the royal box and see the FA Cup. For Brent residents, we have four pairs of tickets for the Wembley Stadium tour. For a chance to win, send in the correct answer to the following question:
What sport is being played at Wembley Stadium on 28 August? Send or email your answers to Wembley Stadium competition at the address below. For information on event times visit: www.wembleystadium.com/events Competition Terms and Conditions • Only one entry per person allowed • Prizes/tours must be redeemed within 12 months of receiving confirmation • Children under 16 must be accompanied on the Stadium Tour by an adult and have consent of their parent/guardian • No cash alternatives for any prize will be offered • Employees of Wembley Stadium and their families are not eligible to enter. Prize winners must adhere to Wembley Stadium Tour’s terms and conditions, available at www.wembleystadium.com/tours • All prizes/tours are subject to availability and pre-booking is required.
Wembley Stadium Event Calendar 13 Feb 2010 28 Feb 2010 3 Mar 2010 28 Mar 2010 10 and 11 Apr 2010 17 April 8 or 9 May 2010 15 May 2010 16 May 2010 22 May 2010 29 May 2010 30 May 2010 19 June Date tbc 28 August 2010 4 September 8 September 10 and 11 Sept 9 October 13 October 31 October
Event starts
Saracens v Worcester Warriors Carling Cup Final England Friendly Johnstone’s Paint Trophy FA Cup Semi Finals Saracens v Harlequins FA Trophy / Vase FA Cup Final Conference Play Off Championship Play Off League 1 Play Off League 2 Play Off Green Day The FA Community Shield Rugby League Challange Cup Final Potential England Euro 2012 qualifier Potential England Euro 2012 qualifier Muse Potential England Euro 2012 qualifier Potential England Euro 2012 qualifier NFL - Broncos vs 49ers
3pm 3pm 8pm TBC TBC 3pm TBC 3pm TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC 3pm
This events calendar is correct at the time of going to print and is subject to change and updates. More events are expected to be booked for 2010 – these will be added to the calendar as and when confirmed. Please visit www.wembleystadium.com/events for the very latest information.
Win tickets to the X Factor Tour at Wembley Arena With more than 16 million people tuning in each week, The X Factor was bigger and better than ever last year. Every show was packed with tuneful talent, crazy characters and superb songs. Now’s your chance to witness the action live as the finalists go on tour around the UK and arrives at Wembley Arena on 20 February. The artists taking part and getting ready to rock crowds across the nation are Lucie Jones, Stacey Solomon, Joe McElderry, Lloyd Daniels, Jamie Archer, Olly Murs, Danyl Johnson and the infamous John and Edward. The Brent Magazine has one pair of tickets to give away for the evening performance at Wembley Arena on 20 February, to be in with a chance of winning, please answer this question:
Who won last year’s X-Factor? Send your entries on a postcard with your name, address and daytime telephone number to: The Brent Magazine, Room 9, Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley HA9 9HD or email competition@brent.gov.uk (add name of competition to subject line). The deadline for competitions is Friday, 15 February. Stadium competition winners: Helen Winders, Kevin Browne, S Culpan, Julie Sinclair Masters Snooker competition winners: Peter Dew
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TIMEout
What’s going on… The essential guide to music, drama, sport, workshops and much more. Find out what’s going on in Brent during February 2010. To get your event listed email tbm@brent.gov.uk or telephone 020 8937 1068. CHILDREN AIR CADETS Mon and Thurs 7pm 406 Squadron Willesden 020 8451 0406 ALPERTON CHILDREN CENTRE Mons 9.30-12noon citizens’ advice, 10-12noon childminding; Tues 10-12noon family support, 10-1pm job advice (appointment only), 1-3pm pop in and play; Weds 10-12noon music speech therapy, 1.30-2pm story speech therapy; Thurs 9.30-12.30pm baby health clinic (appointment only), 12.30-2pm cooking; Friday 9.30-12noon citizens’ advice, Ealing Road, Alperton 020 8937 3860 ARTALIKE Sats 10am term-time; Sats 10-noon ARTTEEN 7-14 £5, Kensal Rise call Wilda on 07946 755 847 ART CLASSES Mini Picassos for children aged 4-6 yrs and 7-11yrs; toddler Picassos 15 months-3 yrs, Gracelands Cafe, 118 College Road Kensal Green, 07903638817 CHURCH LANE CHILDREN’S CENTRE Mons 9.30-11.30am twins club, 2-4pm baby club; Tues 1.30-3pm cooking 9.30-noon citizens’ advice by appointment; Weds 9.15-10.45am and 11-12.30pm stay and play, dietician; Thurs 9.3011.30am family workshop with crèche; Friday 9.3010.30am rhyme time and speech therapy by appointment, 9.30-noon citizens’ advice by appointment, Fryent Primary School, Church Lane, Kingsbury 020 8937 3890 FAWOOD CHILDREN’S CENTRE Mons, Tues & Fris 9.3011.30am under 5s pop in and play, Weds 9.3011.30am childminder’s network, Fawood Avenue NW10 020 8965 9334
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DANIEL’S DEN Mons 1-3pm, Thurs 9.3011am, 11.30-1pm, Tues 10-noon St MIchael and All Angels Church, Hillside, StonebrIdge, Fris 9.30-11am, 11.30-1pm St Michael’s Church Hall, St Michael’s Ave, Tokyngton Tues, 1-3pm, Gladstone Park Primary School, Dollis Hill www.danielsden.org.uk DRAMA WORKSHOPS Sats 7-16 yrs Duddenhill Centre, NW10 07958 653 725 GIRLS’ BRIGADE Weds 5.15-8.30pm for five-year-olds and upwards, Queensbury Methodist Church, Beverley Drive 07961 321 237 GOALKEEPING SCHOOL Mons 6-7pm 7-11 yrs, 7.15-8.15pm 12-18yrs JFS, The Mall, Kenton £5.75 07931 359 323 HATHA YOGA Mons 5-8yrs 5pm, 12 weeks £42, Willesden Green Library 07764 159 318 LITTLE BEEPS MUSIC AND MOVEMENT Mons 10.30am Willesden Community Hospital, Weds 10.30am Salvation Army Harlesden, Fris 10.30am dad-led session at Willesden Community Hospital 07976 379 520 MINI-SOCCER Suns Year 3 9.4510.45am Year 4-Year 6 10.45-12noon Uxendon Manor School, Vista Way, Kenton, 6 weeks £30, call George Lappas 07957 229 518 MUM AND TODDLER Thurs 10-noon, Preston Mall Community Centre, Kenton £2 020 8204 1148 PARENT AND CARER TODDLER GROUP Thurs 9-10.30am 50p Barham Primary, Danethorpe Road, Wembley 020 8902 3706 PARENT AND BABY WALK Tues, 10.30am Roundwood Park, NW10 07958 292 524
JANUARY 2010
PIONEER EXPLORER SCOUTS Weds 8-10pm for 14-18 years, Stember Hall, Leighton Gardens, NW10 01582 703121 SEA TRAINING CORPS Thurs 7.15-9.15pm Sea Pirates 7-9 yrs; Thurs 7.15-9.15pm juniors; Mons and Fris 7.159.30pm Sea Cadets; Mons and Fris 7.159.30pm Marine Cadets; youth group for boys and girls, Cool Oak Lane, NW9 020 8205 4492 www.seacadet.org SING AND SIGN CLASSES Mon-Fri, for babies 6-18 months. Willesden Green & Kensal Rise 07790 955 576 SOCCER SCHOOL Sats 10am-12pm, ages 5-14. Newfield Primary School, Longstone Ave, Harlesden, £28 for 5 weeks. 07863 165 737 WELCOME CHILDREN’S CENTRE Mons 10-12noon stay and play (over 18 months), 1.30-2.30pm Music 4 Babies, 1.30-3.30pm well baby clinic (appointment only); Tues 10-12noon special needs group, 1.30-3.30pm first time parents’ group, 2-3pm citizen’s advice (appointment only); Weds 10-12noon parenting, 10-12noon childminder’s network, 1.30-3.30pm stay and play (under 18 months only), 5.45-6.45pm light fitness class (booking only); Thursday 10-12noon stay and play (booking only), 10-12noon baby weaning and cooking fortnightly (booking only); Friday 9.30 -11.30pm baby clinic (appointment only), 10-12noon cook and eat (booking only), 10.3011.30am citizen’s advice (appointment only); Sats stay and play fathers’ group (2nd and 4th Saturday of the month), 116 Chaplin Road, Wembley 020 8903 9541
SOCCER TRAINING Fris, 6-8pm, for children, first session free Capital City Academy NW10 mdipaola@cyworks.co.uk TREE TOPS CHILDREN’S CENTRE Mons 10-noon childminders’ network, 2- 4pm stay and play; Tues 10-noon healthy eaters, citizens’ advice (appointment only) 1.30-4.30pm, under ones’ club 2-4pm; Weds 10-noon, 2-4pm stay and play, 3 and 17 Feb 10-12.30pm stay and play for special needs; Thurs 10-noon, stay and play with speech therapist, noon-12.30pm one-to-one with speech therapist, 2-3 pm music and movement, 3-4pm stay and play; Fris 9.3012.30 citizens’ advice (appointment only), 10-noon and 2-4pm stay and play, 10-noon meet the dietician, Kings Edward’s Park, Doyle Gardens NW10 020 8838 3901 WILLESDEN SURE START CHILDREN’S CENTRE Mons 1.30-3.30pm dropin nutrition, Mons 1.303.30pm Tues 10-noon and 1.30-3pm stay, play and learn, Weds 10.30-noon Baa Baa Babies, Thurs and Fris 9.30-12.30am citizens’ advice bureau (appointment only) Fris 10-noon parents’ talk. Willesden Centre for Health and Care Sure Start Children’s Centre, Robson Avenue NW10 0208 459 7256
COMMUNITY ACE CAFÉ 7 Feb 10-5pm 59 Club Day, 21 Feb 10-5pm Overland Adventure Tour Bike Day (bikes) 13 Feb 11-4pm Fiesta meet, 20 Feb 11-4pm Land and Range Rover Meet27 Feb 4-8pm All American Cruise-In (cars) www.acecafelondon.com BRENT PENSIONERS FORUM 3 Feb 10-12noon Brent Town Hall 020 8998 0564
Chinese Kickboxing. See: Sport
BRAHMA KUMARIS 4 Feb 7-8.30pm ‘Facing Change’, 11 Feb ‘Fall in Love with Yourself’ 78.30pm, 18 Feb ‘Spiritual Genealogy’ 78.30pm, 25 Feb ‘The Young Ones’ 7-8.30pm (all free) 65-69 Pound Lane, NW10 020 8727 3350 gchenquiries@uk. bkwsu.org BRENT AND HARROW NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WIDOWS 9 Feb 8pm talk by Wiltshire Farm Foods, 23 Feb 8pm talk about charity Cancer Together call Rhona, 76 Marlborough Hill, Harrow 020 8969 3198 CHALKHILL COMMUNITY CENTRE Mons women’s keep fit 10-11am £3, toddler group 11-2pm, over 50s keep fit 2-3pm £1.50, karate 6-7pm £1.50, genesis 5-7pm; Tues Somali group 10-1pm, toddler group 10-2pm, taekwondo 4.30-6.30pm, groundworks 5.307.30pm; Weds 50s keep fit 10-11 £1.50, playgroup 11-1pm, salsa 6.307.30pm £3; Thurs women’s keep fit 1011am £3, pensioners’ group 1-3pm, table tennis 5-7pm, keep fit 7-8pm £1.50; Fris Muslim women coffee morning 9.3011am, archery 5-6pm, line dancing 6.15-7.15pm £3, WICC church 7.15-9.15pm; Sats taekwondo 9-11am, Somali group 10-2pm, WICC learning club 10-2pm; Suns Somali group 10-2pm, WICC church and learning club 10-2pm, 113 Chalkhill Road, Wembley, 020 8385 1836 bookings@chalkhill communitycentre.org GALLERY IN THE PARK Mon-Fri, 9-3pm café and training for people with learning disabilities, Wembley, 07833 374 696
DANIEL’S DEN TABLE TOP SALE 6 Feb noon-4pm St Michael’s Church Hall, St Michael’s Ave, Wembley 50p/20p entry tables selling toys, clothes, household goods, book a table for £10 in advance, call Linda 07983 130 434 www.danielsden.org.uk MIDDLESEX ITEC Free computer training for over 55s if on recognised benefit, plus training for young people, unemployed; Alperton House, Bridgewater Road, Alperton 020 8900 0505 training@mitec.org.uk www.mitec.org.uk MOSAIC Weds, for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people aged under 19 07931 33668 NORTH WEST LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY GROUP Mons 8.30pm, Tenterden Sports Centre, Preston Road, Wembley 07941 707884 OVER 50S DISCUSSION GROUP Tues 11-12.30pm The Gallery, Willesden Green Library 020 8452 8739 ST LUKE’S HOSPICE Feb 6 from 7pm Spring Quiz Night St Gregory’s High School tickets £12.50 call Mita 020 8382 8063 mvaghji@stlukeshospice.org 13 Feb charity abseil down Northwick Park Hospital hospice supporters will drop 100ft for charity 020 8382 8023 WOMEN’S INSTITUTE NORTH WEST LONDON 4 Feb 7.30pm upstairs North London Tavern, 375 Kilburn High Road NW6 nwlwi@hotmail.com
CRAFT FLOWER ARRANGING Weds, 8pm Kingsbury Horticultural Association, The Pavilion, Old Kenton Lane Allotments 020 8205 3457
TIMEout WEMBLEY QUILTERS 2nd and 4th Fris, 7.30 -9.30pm, Perivale Community Centre, Horsenden Lane 020 8902 9934
DANCE ADULT BEGINNERS BALLET COURSE Weds evenings 3 Feb - 31 Mar 2010 The Corrib Rest, 76-80 Salusbury Rd, NW6 6PA 07956 260108 www.balletforyou.co.uk ADULT AFRICAN DANCE Weds 7.30-8.30pm £5 Willesden Sports Centre 020 8955 1120 ADULT STREET DANCE Tues, 7.30-8.30pm, £5. 15 New Bridge Park Complex 020 8937 3730 ARGENTINEAN TANGO
Thurs, 7.30-9pm, beginners, 9-11pm The Cricklewood Pub, NW2 www.corrientessocial club.co.uk BELLY DANCE Tues 8.30-10pm NY Pilates Studio, Lonsdale Rd NW6 020 7372 3490 Mons 7.30-8.30pm, Fitness First Wembley, £8 drop and £40 for 6 weeks 07855 362 849 www.hayaam.com CLUB CEROC Tues 8-11pm Brent Town Hall, Wembley www.clubceroc.com LINE DANCING Fris 6.15-7.15pm, free, beginners, Chalkhill Community Centre, 113 Chalkhill Road, Wembley 020 8976 1099 MAMBO CITY Mons, 7.30-8.30pm Cuban Salsa £6 St Joseph’s Social Club, Empire Way, Wembley jean@mambocity.co.uk SALSA Fris 7.30-8.30pm Willesden Sports Centre Thurs 8.15-9.30pm £4.50, Vale Farm Sports Centre 07961 281 989 SALSA AND KAZOMBA Thurs, 8pm class, 9pmmidnight dancing £5 Club Casa Nossa, NW10 07723 696 318
Rammstein. See: Music
SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING Mons 8-10pm, £2 Youth Centre, Church of the Ascension, Wembley 020 3078 0018 SELF EXPRESSIVE DANCE Tues 8-9.30pm, £7.50, Holy Innocents Church Hall, Bacon Lane 020 8205 6751 TEA DANCE Mons & Weds, 1.30-4.30pm, £3, Brent Town Hall, Wembley 020 8937 6206
DRAMA CHAMELEONS Mons and Thurs 8pm, amateur dramatics Neasden Methodist Church, NW10 07968 965 038 DRAMA WORKHOUSE Tues & Weds 8-10pm, adult workshops, Dudden Hill Centre, NW10 07958 653 725 EAST LANE THEATRE CLUB 11-13, 17-20 Feb 7.45pm ‘Out of Order’ by Ray Cooney tickets £9 (in advance) box office 07762 622 215 MADHATTERS Weds 8pm amateur dramatics, Stables Arts Centre, Gladstone Park, Dollis Hill Lane. 020 8452 5239
FARMERS’ MARKET Suns, 10-2pm, Salusbury Road, School, Queens Park www.lfm.org.uk KENSAL RISE MARKET Sats, 10-5pm, outside Minkie’s Deli, Chamberlayne Road, NW10 07807 057 808 KINGSBURY WALKERS Weds 1.55pm, Meet Bush Farm, Slough Lane and Salmon Street junction. 020 8907 2836 ROE GREEN WALLED GARDEN Tues, Thurs, Sats 10-2.30pm gardening and wildlife work in the garden, organised by Barn Hill Conservation Group 020 8206 0589 WELSH HARP CONSERVATION GROUP 10 Jan 10am winter birds walk, starts Cool Oak Lane Bridge 020 8447 1810
EXHIBITIONS BRENT ARTISTS RESOURCE Until 4 Feb daily 2-6pm, preview 21 Jan 6-9pm, ‘Minimalism Massimo’ minimalist works by Carl Andre, John Baldessari, James Ireland 020 8459 1421 www.brentartists resource.org.uk
ACE CAFÉ 6 Feb 7-11pm Joe Meek Society with The Triumphs, Bobby Rio, Robb Shenton, 13 Feb 9-2am Gene Vincent Tribute Night withThe 56 Sessions and DJs Bill Guntrip & Big Beat Kris Entry £10 over 18s, 14 Feb 7pm Valentine dinner and party with DJ Bill Guntrip www.acecafé-london.com GUITAR LESSONS Mon-Thurs, Kensal Rise contact Udi 07528 016 583 www.udiguitar.com JAZZ Suns 8-10pm, Hugo’s, Lonsdale Road, Queen’s Park www.jazz7.co.uk 020 7372 1232 PIANO LESSONS Mon-Sun, all grades from beginner to advanced, £20 per hour, Cricklewood, call Edgardo Plasencia 020 8450 1067 WEMBLEY ARENA 2-3 Feb 7.30pm Strictly Come Dancing, 4 Feb 7.30pm, Rammstein 2021 2.30pm/7.30pm X Factor Live Arena Square, Engineers Way, Wembley www.livenation.co.uk
SPORTS & LEISURE
ENVIRONMENT BARN HILL CONSERVATION GROUP 7 Feb 10am tree planting and hedgerow management, meet at lay-by near Valley Drive and Fryent Way junction; 14 Feb 10am Beane Hill hedgerow and path maintenance, meet at Fryent Country Park entrance; 21 Feb 10am tree planting and hedgerows, meet at country park entrance near Salmon Street roundabout; 28 Feb 10am frog spawn survey and hedgelaying, meet at Bush Farm 020 8206 0589 BRENT FRIENDS OF THE EARTH 2 Feb 7.30pm, Labour and Trades Hall, 375 High Road, NW10 07793 244 408
MUSIC
AEROBICS Weds, 8-9pm, £4 Father O’Callaghan Centre, Hay Lane, Kingsbury 07861 377 214 Minimalism Massimo
STABLES GALLERY 4-28 Feb Ruma Nowaz’s abstract painting, collage, and photography, Gladstone Park, Dollis Hill Lane 020 8452 8655
LOCAL HISTORY WEMBLEY HISTORY SOCIETY 19 Feb 7.30pm ‘The History of Neasden’ by Len Snow, St Andrew’s Church Hall, Church Lane, Kingsbury 020 8205 3263 WILLESDEN HISTORY SOCIETY 17 Feb 7.30pm ‘Willesden Images’ by Jean Linwood Scout House, Strode Road NW10 020 8965 7230 cliffwadsworth@ btinternet.com KINGSBURY LIBRARY PLUS OVER 50S CLUB 23 Feb 10.30-noon ‘Ernest Trobridge: Kingsbury’s Extraordinary Architect’ by Philip Grant, Kingsbury Library Plus, Kingsbury Road 020 8937 3520
ATLANTIS SWIMMING CLUB Weds, Wykeham Primary School, Thurs, Grove Park School, adults & children 07958 422 660 BRENT DOLPHINS Tues, Weds, Fris, Suns, Willesden Sports Centre, Mons, Thurs, Suns, Vale Farm Sports Centre, children’s swimming club 07805 611 956 bdsc@talktalk.net BRENT PARK WALKS Group walks around parks to keep fit, call Sports Service 020 8937 3707 BRONDESBURY BOWLING CLUB Evenings and daytime including free tuition, Chatsworth Road 0208 438 0302 BROTHERS PEARSE CAMOGIE CLUB Ladies hurling club, beginners and experienced players welcome, contact Mary Cahill 07904 685 276 www.brospearse camogielondon.com
CHINESE KICKBOXING Sats, 3-5pm, Willesden Sports Centre, Donnington Road, 07835 244 398 www.wushukwan.com BRIDGE Fris pm Dennis Jackson Centre, London Road 020 8902 5331 WOMEN’S FUN FITNESS CLASS Tues 8-9pm Kingsbury Baptist Church hall, Slough Lane, NW9 £4 07944 523 260 CENTURY BOWLS CLUB Daily indoor and outdoor bowls, new members welcome free coaching available, all-weather green, social actitivities, Logan Road, Wembley 020 8904 3261 GEMINI SWIMMING CLUB For adults and children with disabilities. Gemini Pool, Kingsbury. Call Jean on 020 8452 6912. KEEP FIT WHILE U SIT Mons 1.30-3.30pm. Improve joint mobility, muscle strength and flexibility, £4, first visit free. Queensbury Methodist Church, Beverley Drive. 020 8537 0229 PRESTON PARK BOWLS CLUB New members welcome, free coaching and loan of bowls Preston Park Recreation Ground, Carlton Avenue East 020 8933 9358 020 8427 1590 QUEENS PARK HARRIERS Tues & Thurs 7-8pm, Willesden Sport Centre www.queenspark harriers.org.uk SUDBURY COURT BADMINTON CLUB Thurs 8-10pm, The Mall, Kingsbury 020 8904 6698 TAEKWONDO Tues 6-9pm, Thurs 6-7.30pm, Ealing Road Methodist Church 07832 447 763 TAG RUGBY Suns 11am, training for 7-11yrs, boys & girls, Gladstone Park, Kendal Road entrance Kilburn Cosmos RFC 07971 475 240 TAI CHI Tues, 6.30-9pm beginners 8-9.30pm advanced, Islamia School, Salusbury Road, NW6 07939 043 580 Weds 1.30-2.30pm, 55 yrs and over, beginners £2, Fitness First, Kingsbury 07957 185 367
FEBRUARY 2010
VENUES BRENT MUSEUM BRENT MUSEUM High Road, NW10 020 8937 3600 THE BRENT ARCHIVES Ist Floor, Willesden Green Library Centre, NW10 020 8937 3541 archives@brent.gov.uk THE PAUL DAISLEY HALL Forty Lane, Wembley, Middx HA9 Box Office 020 8937 6206/6203 THE STABLES GALLERY ARTS CENTRE Gladstone Park, Dollis Hill Lane, London NW2 020 8452 8655 Thursday – Sunday 11am-6pm TRICYCLE THEATRE CINEMA AND GALLERY 269 Kilburn High Road,London NW6 Theatre Box Office 020 7328 1000 Cinema Box Office 020 7328 1900 Disabled access to auditorium and cafe induction loop in auditorium Minicom 020 7625 5105 WEMBLEY ARENA Box Office 0870 060 0870 www.livenation.co.uk/wembley
LIBRARIES Barham Park Library Harrow Road, Sudbury, Middx 020 8937 3550 barhamparklibrary@brent.gov.uk Cricklewood Library 152 Olive Road NW2 020 8937 3540 cricklewoodlibrary@brent.gov.uk Ealing Road Library Ealing Road, Wembley, Middx 020 8937 3560 ealingroadlibrary@brent.gov.uk Harlesden Library Craven Park Road, Harlesden, London NW10 020 8937 3570 harlesdenlibrary@brent.gov.uk Kensal Rise Library Bathurst Gardens, NW10 020 8937 3660 kensalriselibrary@brent.gov.uk Kilburn Library Salusbury Road, London NW6 020 8937 3530 kilburnlibrary@brent.gov.uk Kingsbury Library Plus Kingsbury Road, Kingsbury, London NW9 020 8937 3520 kingsburylibrary@brent.gov.uk Neasden Library 277 Neasden Lane, London NW1 020 8937 3580 neasdenlibrary@brent.gov.uk Preston Road Library Carlton Avenue East, Wembley, Middx 020 8937 3510 prestonlibrary@brent.gov.uk Tokyngton Library Monks Park, Wembley, Middx 020 8937 3590 tokyngtonlibrary@brent.gov.uk Town Hall Library Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley, Middx 020 8937 3500 townhalllibrary@brent.gov.uk Willesden Green Library High Road, Willesden, London NW10 020 8937 3400 willesdengreenlibrary@brent.gov.uk THE BRENT MAGAZINE
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