Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11

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Yogesh Patel on whether a Help To Buy ISA is worth it Page 4

Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

how T4 is aiming to corner the market for Taiwanese bubble tea in Canary Wharf with its message of authenticity Canary Wharf – Pages 9-11

inside

Greenwich Comedy Festival The Star Of The East Our Lady Of Kibeho The Mayflower Anna Somaiya Alex & Matteo Third Space Sibos 2019 The Open Puzzles KPMG

tea time for

celebrating the best of Canary Wharf, Docklands and the new east London people - events - treasure - property - nonsense

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

read

fortnightly find

this issue’s Tiger Treasure

14 days later

plan your life from Sept 11-25 where?

Crossrail Place Roof Garden Canary Wharf

STAGE | The Tempest The female wing of The Handlebards return for a mono-gender take on Shakespeare’s magical classic. Such stuff as dreams are made on...

Sept 13, 7pm, free, canarywharf.com

feast your eyes on these

A mere tenner is all that’s necessary to fill your office, home, garden or garage with glorious shimmering bubbles. Who can resist chasing after a soapy orb as it soars and dips in the breeze? A breathtaking distraction for toddlers, an amusement for dogs or a moderately interesting talking point for adults – surely worth 1,000p from anyone’s bank account.

Soap Bubble Machine, £10 Go to uk.flyingtiger.com

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The exhibition includes

How joining Third Space can knock a kilo of fat off in less than a month

work by the Recycle Group with a

where?

Boisdale Of Canary Wharf Cabot Place

virtual reality app

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GIG | Vanessa Haynes The Incognito lead singer, who’s worked with Van Morrison, Chaka Khan, Billy Ocean and Lulu brings an injection of funk and soul to the Boisdale stage.

Sept 18, 9.15pm, from £25, boisdale.co.uk where?

Canada Square Canary Wharf

How KPMG is helping the NSPCC with a twoyear pledge of support

catch this

Body+Soul, One Canada Square, until October 6, free

SCREEN | Blade Runner / The Terminator The last films in Canary Wharf’s new late screenings feature sci-fi classics from Ridley Scott and James Cameron. Tears in rain.

Sept 17, 24 9pm, free, canarywharf.com

to do before September 11

In place until September 10, make sure you don’t miss Expressions With Art exhibition at the Community Gallery in Canada Place’s Jubilee Work featuring work by those suffering stress, loneliness or social isolation canarywharf.com

Head to the lobby of Canary Wharf’s totemic tower for an exploration of whether the soul can be captured through the medium of sculpture.

Curated by public art curator Keith Watson, the exhibition features the works of eight hyper realism sculptors.

“Artists, while perfectly capable of copying figures from life, have taken that as just the first step to develop their ideas and feelings,” said Keith.

“They have worked to bring the character and personality of the person or their own emotions into the process of making.”

Visitors will be able to see works such as Warren King’s Shaoxing Husband And Wife – a pair of lifesized figures from a Chinese village where generations of his family

once lived, made abstractly of only cardboard and glue used in relation to the connections the artist is trying to reconstruct, severed when his grandparents left the place some 50 years ago.

Another highlight is Recycle Group’s use of virtual reality, where viewers can hover their Recycle Group app in front of the works to see them come alive. This immersive technique is intended to prompt viewers to consider how technology has changed society and if machines can ever have their own feelings.

Expect bronze, wood, ceramic, resin, coal and 3D printing to be on display, the result of the artists attempting to pin down the soul. canarywharf.com Jon Massey

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Editorial email stories@wharf-life.com call 07765 076 300

we want to hear from you

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KPMG’s Anna Somaiya talks IT’s Her Future and diversity

the joy of six Every fortnight Wharf Life covers six areas surrounding Canary Wharf to bring you the best of what’s going on beyond the estate From Page 36

need something fixed?

Pop to Carluccio’s to check out the chain’s new look and grab penne giardinera carluccios.com

Advertising email advertising@wharf-life.com call 07944 000 144

Our editorial team works hard to ensure all information printed in Wharf Life is truthful and accurate. Should you spot any errors that slip through the net or wish to raise any issues about the content of the publication, please get in touch and we will investigate.

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Canary Wharf

on the radar

doing the deals

hit the Wharf’s malls and restaurants for less

need to know

free

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is set to arrive in Canary Wharf on September 29 from 9.30am. Expect well dressed chaps astride well-tuned motorcycles in support of the Movember Foundation. Ladies are also welcome gentlemansride.com

38 Anyone walking around Reuters Plaza with a towel wrapped round their head won’t have noticed that The Alchemist is taking over the bar formerly known as Smollensky’s. Expect wild cocktails and chicken in little baskets when it opens thealchemist.uk.com

Kids get free raisin or tea bun at Ole And Steen in Crossrail Place with any purchase made. Offer available all day, every day. Just don’t let them eat too many oleandsteen.co.uk

46

Trump and a dystopian UK arrive at The Space for The Open

Visions, genocide and miracles are all centre stage in Stratford

20% 44

We take a look at Sibos as the financial services event arrives in London for the very first time, pitching up at Excel in the Royal Docks from September 23-26

With Jones Bootmaker’s sale already in full swing, the brand has decided to offer an extra 20% off listed prices at its Canada Place store jonesbootmaker.com

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

3

legal matters

by Yogesh Patel

Q I

Months Jon has to try the facilities at Third Space

I’m thinking of making my first property purchase – is a Help To Buy ISA really worth investing my hard-earned cash in?

n a recent talk delivered to young lawyers I was surprised to learn many were not aware of the government assistance available to them as first-time property buyers – particularly some of the easier options. I began to wonder how many others could also be missing out.

Millennials generally come out of further education with student debt meaning it will take them a long time to save a realistic deposit. So many first-time buyers are assisted by their parents or other family members with their deposits. This is particularly true of London where property rents and prices are the highest in the country.

The easiest bonus for first-time buyers to earn is the government top up to their savings of 25%.

The money has to be in a Help To Buy ISA, which are widely offered and operate in much the same way as any other ISA or savings account subject, of course, to some restrictions.

The Government will pay a 25% bonus on savings up to £12,000, capped at £3,000. Unlike other schemes you do not have to pay it back, it is a sum to help towards a property, paid at the point of purchase. The Help To Buy ISA is also a tax-free product and interest is earned on the savings, although not on the bonus amount.

Savings are limited to £200 a month, plus up to £1,000 lump sum when the account is opened.

This means that it will take between four and five years to qualify for The Help To Buy ISA the maximum bonus – hence the savings comes within the should be started category of low hanging well in advance of any property purchase. fruit. There’s no real As the saying goes – downside to having all good things come to those who wait – or such a savings account in this case those that Yogesh Patel, Kidd Rapinet plan. Whether buyers are paying from their salary, being assisted by family members or a combination of both, they have plenty of time to drip feed the savings so there is no large capital outlay.

Naturally there are some restrictions but these are tailored towards first-time buyers. The home purchased must have a price of up to £450,000 (or up to £250,000 outside London) and it should be the only property owned and where you intend to live. Other benefits are that if buying a property with someone else who is also a first-time buyer, they can also get a Help To Buy ISA meaning the bonus could be up to £6,000. Holders are not locked into the product and can withdraw the money from the account at any time.

The 25% bonus is claimed by a solicitor or conveyancer when a property purchase is approaching completion.

The Help To Buy ISA comes within the category of low hanging fruit in terms of initiatives for first-time buyers. There’s no real downside to having such a savings account.

show your working out

what it’s like to become a member at Canary Wharf’s Third Space

Yogesh Patel is a partner at Kidd Rapinet LLP based at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs with extensive experience in property matters Go to kiddrapinet.co.uk or follow @KiddRapinetLLP on Twitter or @kiddrapinet on Instagram

training wheels

“

A

part from a four-day break for a short trip to Italy, I’ve now been going to Third Space in Canada Square every day for a month. My workouts have varied – some classes, and some sessions completing the eight-exercise programme prepared for me by a trainer at the outset of this experiment.

Not especially fit to start with, in lieu of rest days, I’ve rediscovered swimming, purchasing a pair of £20 goggles and gradually increasing to 50 lengths of the club’s 23m pool.

I’ve also tried Yoga for the first time, both slow Yin and more intense Hatha to break up the gym sessions.

The class highlight so far has been Sweat X – a barrage of intense interval training on the treadmill interspersed with mandatory burpees, dumbbell wielding and press-ups – where participants wear Bluetooth headsets through which orders and beats are received in equal measure. While not quite the visceral experience of an hour of Barry’s, this 45-minute alternative feels just as effective and is only one of a vast array of classes to choose from – making the club clearly better value when the full, faultless facilities are taken into account.

Unexpected consequences of attending every day include the fact

How our assorted box of 12 doughnuts looked after it arrived (pretty Third earlySpace’s in the facilities morning in include very a dedicated extensive companyfree van) weights areas, a vast crossfit space called The Yard as well as all the exercise machines you can imagine

I’ve only showered in my flat a handful of times (thanks to the joy of having a steam room on tap and the Cowshed products), I’m addicted to Natural Fitness Food protein shakes and my stress levels have noticeably dropped.

This is partly due to discovering Yoga, which is an excellent way to spend an hour releasing the pent-up anxiety of producing a fortnightly publication. It’s started creeping into my warm-downs too.

Beyond that though, I took a second InBody snapshot of the makeup of my body to assess my new regime’s impact. Following a month of exercise and with no other changes to diet or lifestyle, I’ve lost a kilo of fat, gained some lean muscle and have slightly improved my metabolic rate.

My overall score has increased by a point (now 68 out of a 100) and all my stats are heading in the right direction.

The one I’m most excited by, however, is my visceral fat score – the clumps of lard around my vital organs – which has fallen 6%, dropping me much closer to the safety zone than when I started. With a couple more months to go, I’m determined to try more classes now my basic level of fitness has risen.

Stay tuned.

Go to thirdspace.london Jon Massey

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

buy me

bucket list

this fortnight’s must-have item

write me

words you didn’t know you need

drithe

verb, fictional, Anglo Saxon To fidget, stretch, crane one’s neck and attempt to reach one’s acnestis (see below) repeatedly while sat at one’s workstation.

A fit of drithing is guaranteed to annoy one’s colleagues and is brought on by too much sitting

Expect terror, physics and relaxation from Darkfield’s trio of pop-up performances ● Brave List Darkfield pitches up as a multi-sensory theme park at Montgomery Square from September 16-21 with three immersive shows in shipping containers. Coma invites audiences to lie down and slip into a collective dream for half an hour, Flight explores Quantum Mechanics in a 40ft-high box and Seance tests the psychology of groups of 20 for 20 minutes at a time from £5, canarywharf.com

● Brush List Head to Crossrail Place Roof Garden for A Dotty World: A Yayoi Kusama Inspired Paint Jam Takeover. Pay £25 (including two drinks) and have at five themed stations with your brushes from 6pm-9pm on September 12. canarywharf.com

Striped Shirt In Blue, £89 Ted Baker, Canada Place This casual find is perfect for the return of the summer heat with a relaxed but smart feel with wide bold stripes and polka dot detailing. Barbecue into evening

acnestis noun, real, from Greek

The part of an animal’s skin it cannot reach to scratch, usually located between the shoulder blades. While bears often make use of trees to gain relief, humans tend to resort to a variety of wands or the kindness of strangers

● Boggle List We’ve teamed up with New Scientist Live to offer readers 10% off tickets to the science and technology show at Excel in Royal Docks. Simply enter the code WHARF10 when booking for the superb October 10-13 event newscientistlive.com

Help your loved ones to help you kiddrapinet.co.uk/understandinganlpa

read me

something edifying for those tired eyes

You can’t control what the future holds, but you can control who makes decisions on your behalf.

Machines Like Me, £18.99 Waterstones, Cabot Place This fortnight we’re looking forward to tucking into an alternative future – one where Britain lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher is battling Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing has made a breaktrhough in artificial intelligence.

Ian McEwan examines love triangles and understanding in this recently released, subversive tome. Of course, there’s no shame in waiting for it to come out in paperback. waterstones.com

Download our FREE guide to MAKING A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY (LPA) Book a consultation with Gemma Hughes today on 020 7205 2896 or email ghughes@kiddrapinet.co.uk

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

“

Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

how KPMG staff are pouring time, cash and skills into the firm’s partnership with the NSPCC

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Years KPMG has partnered with the NSPCC to focus its charitable efforts

by Jon Massey

W

ith great power comes great responsibility – a phrase popularised in Marvel’s Spider Man comics, but bandied about by British politicians as early as the 1800s and even Winston Churchill in 1906.

While KPMG UK vice chair, head of Brexit and industrial strategy, James Stewart, isn’t even a fan of heights (although he has abseiled from the top of the company’s Canary Wharf building), his views are similar to those of the fictional web crawler.

We meet at the professional services firm s Canada S uare offices, more or less half way through its two-year partnership with the NSPCC. KPMG has pledged to raise £1.5million for the charity during that period.

“I have the privilege of leading our partnership, because the power of this organisation to do stuff and help is ust enormous,” said James.

“The reason we do it is that we can marshal our resources to make a massive impact for a charity and the societal benefits it is focussing on.

“We’ve had previous relationships with charities like Barnardo’s, for example. “ e all do stuff as individuals – I chair a small charity. But it would be completely irresponsible, in my view, not to harness the sheer power of this organisation with everything it can bring – the skills, the fundraising and the volunteering – and use it in the way that we are.”

While the company has many long-standing relationships with charities, it’s employees have been the driver behind its decision to focus on a single organisation for a set period.

“Most recently the staff made it very clear that they wanted a single national charity to support,” said James. “It came back from a survey so we then ran a competition that culminated in a staff committee choosing three charities before it went to a staff vote.

“We encouraged people to vote

James Stewart wants KPMG to leave a lasting impact on the NSPCC as well as raise a significant sum of cash for the charity over the two years

legacy leaving a

With fundraising we set a target of £1million for the two years, but I’ve upped that now to £1.5million and we’re at £800,000 a year in James Stewart, KPMG

by giving a pound for each ballot, which then went to the winning charity. That was the NSPCC – the vote was in June 2018 – and they became our national charity for two years.

“We have some very simple objectives – to improve the lives of children in this country, particularly supporting Childline, which is run by the NSPCC and the Speak Out Stay Safe school service they operate.

“We do four things – we raise money, provide volunteers, provide pro bono support and we’re in the process of doing some joint thought leadership.

“Pro bono is basically us using our expertise to help them in what they do. For example, we have run two days with our cyber team, where they held workshops to look at internet safety.

“They looked at six devices connected to the internet and tried to hack them and they managed to access all six within an hour.

“One of the devices was a video baby monitor, another was a drone, so this was working with the NSPCC to make children more safe in a connected world.

“Our support could also be something as simple as project management.

“On the volunteering side it might be providing marshals at one of their events or supplying people to help with a big dinner.

“The more tangible thing is providing Childline and Speak Out with volunteers.

“Childline, founded by Esther Rantzen, is called a ‘call line’, but it’s mostly messaging now.

“Everyone at KPMG gets six days volunteering time and we increase that for some of the bigger things. Volunteering for Childline is a big commitment – four hours a week, and not for the faint-hearted.

“There’s a big initial: ‘Is this right for you?’ session, and then there’s full training.

“Speak Out is going into schools, particularly primary schools and teaching children about what is right and what is wrong.

“It’s looking for volunteers to run those assemblies. Again, there is full training.

“What I like about those assemblies is that they’re prevention rather than cure, looking at what is

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

inappropriate behaviour from an adult, and then what is the mechanism for going to a teacher, or a family member, giving children all that information so, if something does happen, they know what to do and it can be caught early.

“With fundraising, we set a target of £1million for the two years, but I’ve upped that now to £1.5million and we’re at £800,000 a year in, which is great.

“For that we do everything from someone running a cake sale, to sending 50 volunteers to China to walk the Great Wall for a week.

“That was very challenging, and a lot of people who signed up for it were the younger members of staff and they had to raise a lot of money – £3,000 each – as well as train for it.

“I have done two events so far – the first was abseiling down this building and I’m not good with heights. We had 115 people doing that, and I went down with the CEO of NSPCC. I’d psyched myself up for the first step off the building and I did not look down once. As you go past you’re seeing people working at their desks.

“It got harder the further down we got because, as the rope gets longer, the merest twitch makes it more difficult to control.”

T

he flagship fundraising event for the partnership so far saw James and more than 400 participants undertake some or all of a 14-day bike ride with two routes stopping at all of KPMG’s offices nationwide, both ending in Canary Wharf on July 3.

Titled the Wheely Big Cycle, the event covered more than 2,000 miles, raising at least £155,000 for the NSPCC.

in numbers

KPMG’s Wheely Big Cycle ● More than 400

participants across the UK took part ● 14 Days to complete the longest of the two routes from Scotland down to London ● 22 KPMG offices visited during the two weeks ● More than 2,000 miles covered by the cyclists with those riding the whole 14 days travelling more than 1,000 miles on two wheels. ● Around 100 cyclists rode the final legs of the two routes into Canary Wharf ● At least £155,000 raised for the NSPCC

“The aim of the ride was to bring people together across the firm,” said James. “ e have offices around the country, so I was very keen that we found something to do that connected all of them.

“There s a hell of a difference between an event where offices send teams and one that involves visiting every office.

“The design brief was to find something that would be a national event. So we came up with the idea of creating a cycle route that connected all those locations – not an easy thing to do, because we have a lot of sites.

“We designed this route which started in Aberdeen and lasted a fortnight, with the first seven days being the ride to Manchester, then taking in an office in Norwich, which was a three-day detour.

“Logistically, we had to create a second route, coming up from Plymouth and both joining up on the last day.

“Participants could do anything from half a day to all 14 – seven people did that. I did Aberdeen to Manchester, and my wife signed up for four days, and then I did the last day as well.

“Somebody sent me an email afterwards that said that it was a great event because, in cycling, it’s the stronger ones who are the leaders. In this context the stronger ones tended to be the younger ones, so we had graduates ordering around partners, which was a great dynamic.

“Cycling is a bit like walking, it’s quite sociable because you’re riding alongside someone and you ride with different people at different times.

“I think I learnt more about the firm in a week than in the previous eight years.

“The other thing was that we either had a departure point at an office, lunch at an office or an arrival point at an office. ll of them arranged events to coincide with those.

“We had a memorable ride into Edinburgh on a Saturday. Coming in on the airport road we passed the Royal Highland Show – we’d arranged to have lunch in a pub so staff could bring their families along – but as we arrived in the middle of Edinburgh, we ran into the Pride march.

“So there was this wonderful sight of KPMG staff in NSPCC branded lycra, weaving their way through the thousands of people taking part. That was a real highlight for me, actually.

“The 14-dayers cycled over a thousand miles, which was a massive achievement. It was a real physical challenge for me too, but I didn’t go at it unprepared and I absolutely loved it. The feedback we got included things like: ‘Best thing I’ve ever done in 30 years’.

Continued on Page 8

Some of KPMG’s cyclists arrive in Canary Wharf to mark the end of the 14-day Wheely Big Cycle event

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

from Page 7 “Everyone wants to do it again and there was a feel-good factor, with a real mixture of age and gender. It was great.

“On the final day we all met at Westferry Circus, dressed in NSPCC Green and about 100 people cycled into Canary Wharf, which was very powerful.

“We’re already thinking about next year, but the thing that I’m aware of is that cycling for even half a day – 40 miles – is not for everybody, so there might be some walking, which we could do in parallel.

“We might even do a big walk into London, so that, if we had a walk arriving at the same destination as a cycle ride.

“What I liked about it was that there’s nothing like an A to B, and there’s a story around it, with the route connecting all the offices, and people could follow what was going on.

“I think we’ll probably raise around £160,000, but we have to expect it to be harder in the second year. It’s still way above what we raised previously for a national charity.”

115

People participated in a charity abseil off the top of KPMG in Canary Wharf

James prepares to abseil off the top of KPMG’s Canary Wharf building

James Stewart, KPMG

N

ext on the agenda is Row 100, a sponsored rowing challenge scheduled to coincide with City Giving Day on September 24, organised by the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, a charity Canary Wharf Group is also now deeply involved with.

“The challenge is where you have a team rowing 100,000m on a Concept Two rowing machine and that will happen in a number of offices this September,” said James.

“Also over the course of the next year I want to push the volunteering – we’ve done all right, but we could do better and secondly I want to leave a legacy with the NSPCC. The volunteers will undoubtedly be a legacy.

“Individuals will have formed attachments to the NSPCC and, in their own capacity, will continue to support it.

“Payroll giving, continued individual support and volunteering generally are all examples of a legacy we can leave.

“I also think that, when you’ve been a partner for two years, there will be a continued association.

“But you can’t underestimate the power of focus in a partnership, and I think that’s what you do.

“Staff choose a charity and then you apply a focus on how you can help that charity. It’s the power of that focus that really reaps massive benefits.

“We will do more events, more fundraising and find all sorts of things to do. Next year we will hit

“

The NSPCC has been amazing to work with as a partner. We have both benefitted, which is a great place to be

Staff celebrate the end of the Wheely Big Cycle, which raised at least £155,000 for the NSPCC with participants riding more than 2,000 miles in the process

and exceed our target. The NSPCC is a charity I’ve got to know well.

“It deals with very difficult issues that people don’t really want to talk about.

“The stats are alarming – someone contacts Childline every 24 seconds, but their funding only allows them to answer about a third. To sort out the important ones, they have a triage system.

“Something like two children out of every primary school class suffer some kind of abuse.

“The stats on child abuse are alarming and the NSPCC does an amazing job to prevent and support children if something happens.

“In addition to that it is very active in terms of research, policy advocates, influencers in some really key areas like internet safety.

“It has been amazing for us to work with as a partner. We have both benefitted, which is a great place to be.”

One of the benefits to KPMG of engaging in work both with the NSPCC and with charitable organisations in general is the effect on its profile.

“I think corporate social responsibility is a vital part of any firm,” said James. “There are two aspects to CSR – firstly, any external supplier or client will expect us to have a policy.

“The more important thing though, is that if we want to recruit talent, this is one of the things we get measured on.

“To people who want to join our organisation, our partnership with NSPCC makes a big difference, and quite rightly.

“We have the power to do these things, and if we don’t do them, people should look at us and ask why the hell we aren’t? They wonder whether we’re an organisation they want to join?

“It’s the same with sustainability.

Firstly, if we have a capability and power, we should use it – secondly, our staff want to do it and, thirdly, we have an enormous amount of fun doing it.

“It’s about bringing people together. That’s the main objective behind the cycle ride and the other fundraising activities we’ve organised for this partnership.”

Go to home.kpmg for more information

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

Alan Wu is operations manager for T4 UK and is passionate about delivering the taste he grew up with to customers

by Jon Massey

B

ubble tea. If you re not already familiar with this Taiwanese refreshment, now is the time to get on board.

Canary harf is set to get not one but two units serving it up in the malls. To the south of the estate i ang has its hoardings up around the gap left by the departure of postrophe in Jubilee Place. ut first on the scene is T which implies Tea or ou . ith branches in both estfields, Glasgow, Guildford, Nottingham, Coventry, ournemouth, ristol and Oxford it s a business that clearly sees opportunity and takes it. On the harf, by the time this article goes to print, T should be trading from the former CPR SS unit in Canada Place, located as you walk from aitrose to Crossrail Place in the malls.

There it promises an extensive array of beverages based on mixing and matching four base teas. novice in this area, I asked T K s operations manager lan u for some guidance.

“T originated in Taiwan,” he said. “The brand has been doing business there for about years now and we are all over the world with locations in merica, sia and urope such as Spain, for example, where bubble tea is a big hit. “ efining bubble tea is uite difficult, but I ll give you the simple version. “ hat makes ours authentic is, first of all the tea itself and the bubble, which is like a topping inside the drink.

“Typical toppings are tapioca, coconut elly and aloe vera although there are many different types.

“The tea is very important because that is the base. e offer four main types of teas – arl Grey, oolong, royal tea and green tea.

“The special one is the royal tea, a premium tea brewed only in Taiwan. It s so refreshing and light and it s very good when you mix it with fruit. or the rest, you can pretty much mix and match with any type of tea base. “ ubble tea is very big in

a flavour

infusion T4’s Canary Wharf shop is in Canada Place past Chop’d and iSmash towards Crossrail

Taiwan. e see coffee everywhere here – they drink it in all locations and at all times. In sia it s the other way round – more people drink bubble tea there than coffee. “ e are very used to drinking tea in the morning so we re slowly trying to introduce that here in ritain, because it too is a tea nation. “ e feel that it has not grown in popularity so much because no one knows how to make tea correctly – putting tea bags in hot water is not how you do tea. One of the ways we are different is that we hand brew all of our tea.

Continued on Page 10

Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

why T4 wants Wharfers to give a morning cup of tea a go as it opens its Taiwanese store

1k

Cups of bubble tea served

by T4’s Westfield Stratford City branch

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

From Page 9 “We do not use tea machines, because they will never achieve the same result as hand-brewing. “ ifferent types of tea leaves need different treatment – they are fragile, so, if you burn them with boiling water, you destroy all the nice flavour of the tea. The longer or shorter you put the tea in the water, it changes the flavour.

“Sometimes it can become very dark, very bitter; sometimes it’s very watery.

“It is a science, and it’s very different from doing coffee, for example.

“Some bubble tea providers do their tea in coffee machines. They chop the tea into bits and then put them in the coffee machine, with the hot water going through – that’s not brewing.

“It s very painful to see, because we don’t do that at all in Taiwan and that will never give you the right amount of flavour. “ ach of our teas has a different brewing time – some of them are minutes, some of them are minutes, and they are all at different temperatures as well.

“We have more than 30 years experience of this.

We understand the tea and we also have our own tea plantations, so we grow our own tea and we import it from Taiwan.”

With classics such as Pearl Milk Tea and a slew of brightly coloured options on the menu, lan said T s approach was to offer exactly the tastes and flavours found in bubble tea s country of origin. “ hat really sets us apart is that we are the only brand in the UK that is attracting both key demographics – we have uite a lot of western customers and local people but we also have oriental and Chinese people,” he said.

“There are several reasons for that. irst of all, our products are really authentic for people who grew up with bubble tea, and when they taste it, they know.

“Then the brand image is very important. e are more mature and this is why we are going into places like Canary harf, estfield and many other business districts.

“We attract an older customer because bubble tea is not ust for kids – we’re not like other brands that are a bit more colourful.

“They also introduce a process called popping, which is not originally from Taiwan, but is a

T4 offers a wide range of teas including Elegant Lady Rose Tea, left and Pearl Milk Tea, above right. In the Canary Wharf shop a series of wooden blocks carry the names of popular beverages, below left. Below right, Kan Chang will oversee the store

westernised version, with artificial syrups inside – it s very colourful, very fun to look at – but we wouldn’t do it.” or lan, the whole process is something he takes much more seriously – there’s a sense when talking to him that the uality of the tea is a matter of personal pride.

“What drew me to tea was the passion of opening my own shops,” he said. “I was working for companies before, but never felt I was really achieving anything, because you re always part of something else.

“I m the type of person who will always go the extra mile to do stuff, but I felt like I wanted to own something I could really take care of and dedicate my passions and my time to.

“So I looked at many different possibilities for opening a shop, and I looked at bubble tea, because I grew up with it and it s a very popular product. “ hen I looked at all the prod ucts in this market, I felt that I was responsible for educating people about the real deal in the UK, when it is really painful to see all the products that are ust not authentic. If people think they don t like it, perhaps they’re just not tasting the real thing. “ e have had a lot of feedback from our customers – are repeat clients and they know our product is a bit different. They also become tea experts themselves.

“We have customers who come in, and maybe today’s tea has been sitting there for a bit longer than usual – we change our tea and tapioca every four hours to keep the tea fresh – but towards the end of those four hours, you can taste a little bit of difference. “ ou have to be uite expert to pick that up. e are happy, because we have customers who really appreciate the product, and we do our best to keep the standard very, very high.

“That’s one thing that really sets us apart. It doesn t matter which T4 you go to, all over the world, or what time you go to it, or who makes the tea, they will always taste the same. “ ith bubble tea the differences are huge and that is down to training and the passion about the product, which keeps the standard very high.

“Our training process is six weeks minimum for anyone to really understand and be able to keep the same standard. very new shop owner will go through this process.

“I don’t believe there is anything else, anywhere else in the UK like us, and we have worked very hard to achieve that.

Wharf Life Aug 14-28, 2019 wharf-life.com

11

Canary Wharf

“

P36

We try Sunday lunch at The Star Of The East in Limehouse, 10 minutes’ walk from the bustle of Canary Wharf

Different types of tea leaves need different treatment – they are fragile so, if you burn them with boilng water you destroy the flavour Alan Wu, T4

“It’s not just about your product – it s also about your staff, your team members, and this is a very new product for many people, so we ll need to educate and give out the best advice.

“Canary harf has always been at the top of our minds because it s a mix of everyone here.

“It s also good to enthuse the business people here – don t have a cup of coffee – try something a bit healthier, a cup of tea in the morning.

“The mixed demographic here matches what we are going for – we want this store to be very successful from day one.” lan and his team, which includes former Morgan Stanley employee Kan Chang who will oversee T s harf branch, should be perfectly satisfied if this latest opening replicates the business done by its Stratford flagship.

“If you go there and take a picture, you will be ama ed – we are worried we are occupying other people s space, because of the ueue, which is ridiculous,” said lan. “It received the est Retail award last year and was voted the most popular shop in the centre.

“It s very pleasing most of people who work there are also repeat customers. They buy in the morning, because they know that it s a bit uieter. “ e always try to work very fast, but with such a high uantity it s sometimes difficult to keep up, and it s really reaching its maximum capacity. “ e are generating more than , cups a day, so it s a very fast operation, but unfortunately there s still a bit of a ueue and there s a waiting time at peak times, such as a Saturday. “ e really appreciate the customers who are willing to ueue up. There are other options for them, but they d rather wait for or minutes to get the real thing. e also have an open operation area, so people can see what we re doing – it s a bit like people watching cocktail making, but we re doing that for tea. e don t have anything that s pre mixed – everything is prepared fresh.” ubble teas at T typically cost around . . Classic teas are available from .

Go to t4.co.uk for more information

4 - 8 september 2019 national maritime museum

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GCF_2019_Poster_3.5.indd 1

23/07/2019 11:07

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

40%

virtual viewpoint

by Chris Ezekiel

Proportion of KPMG’s technology workforce who are women, up from 26% since 2015

Augmented reality: Technology is helping humans change their realities through digital devices

I

t feels like we’re living in the era of Fake Everything. Whether it’s fake news or fake lips, or other fake body parts, we’re becoming more and more detached from reality.

All through the ages we have striven to make ourselves more beautiful – the history of cosmetics spans at least 7,000 years.

Physics being one of my passions, I’m constantly grappling with what reality is. Does the tree falling in the forest really make a sound when there’s nobody there to hear it? A bit too deep for this column, perhaps, but as a race humanity is on a fast-paced course to change the meaning of what is real.

Drugs distort our perception of reality and we’re in the midst of a prescription drug abuse crisis.

Opium and cocaine use have hit record highs.

Technology is playing a significant part in the fake-race too. The internet is still in its Wild West days.

Alongside fake news Unable to face there are fake people and companies reality we are using conning money out of people, fake reviews of advances in science products and restauand technology, rants and conspiracy theorists trying to together with art, rewrite history. to change it The internet provides a global stage for crazy Chris Ezekiel, Creative Virtual people to peddle their ideas, which vulnerable people feed on.

Augmented Reality (AR), where virtual objects are superimposed on the real world, is now emerging. Smartphones are starting to deploy Time-Of-Flight cameras that can resolve distance between the camera and each point of the image, which will result in an explosion of AR applications.

One day we may all wear contact lenses that overlay our preferences on the real world. Unable to face reality, we are using advances in science and technology, together with art, to change it. For better or worse? I’m on the side of keeping it real. That’s unless my contact lenses show West Ham leading the Premiership.

“

Chris Ezekiel is founder and CEO of customer engagement solutions specialist Creative Virtual based at Cannon Workshops on West India Quay Go to creativevirtual.com or follow @creativevirtual and @chrisezekiel on Twitter

Anna heads KPMG’s IT’s Her Future programme, which aims to attract more women to work in technology at the firm and to empower and strengthen the skills of those already employed there Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

13

Innovation - Technology

by Jon Massey

T

here’s a statistic that’s weighing heavy on the mind of Anna Somaiya and it’s 17%. That’s the proportion of women employed in the UK’s burgeoning IT sector. It s a figure that’s falling despite the growth in the number of jobs. It’s also the galvanising force propelling her to take action.

Anna, who works as IT transformation director in solutions and digital at Canary Wharf-based KPMG, was recently presented with the Champion For Women Award 2019 by networking group Women In Banking And Finance in recognition of creating and leading the firm s IT s er uture programme.

Founded in 2015, the initiative aims to make careers in technology more attractive to women and empower and strengthen the skills of those already working in the sector through training, access to networks and opportunities for professional advancement.

“One of the most important things I did when I started IT s er Future was write the strategy, take it to the board and get it signed off,” said nna. “So very uickly the programme became an action group, not a network, because I didn’t want people just talking about things.

“I wanted them to act, even if that was only for 10 minutes every day. Collectively we have done lots together to make those baby steps, which lead to big changes.

“I also decided to baseline our numbers in 2015 so, if anyone said to me hat difference is this making?’, I could say let’s just look at our numbers.

“Today the proportion of our headcount for professional women in technology has gone from 26% to 40%. Our graduate recruitment has gone from 36% to 54% year-onyear being females, so it’s helping to build that pipeline. Our attrition rate for women working in tech – those leaving the firm each year – has dropped from 13% down to 3% a year.

“It’s no good just bringing women in if in that pinched middle – when women are thinking about having families and creating that work-life balance – we’re losing a lot of women.

“It’s really important we have programmes, like mentoring, that look at how we can retain those people but also give them that extra push to go for promotion or go for career enhancement opportunities, rather than letting them think that path is too difficult, because of balancing children, family and work.”

That success has been driven by a desire for KPMG to ensure it is

future how to change the

KPMG’s Anna Somaiya on diversity, why women should try tech as a career and her plans to ignite interest in the sector attracting and retaining top talent and delivering the best possible service to its clients. “ usinesses need diversity,” said Anna. “If we’re really going to help our clients, we need a mixture of people. We are part of the problem and the solution.

“There is a big difference between organisations that truly believe in the difference that diversity and inclusion make to their clients, communities and colleagues versus the ones that only feel they need to be seen to be doing something.

“At KPMG the people at the top sponsor it and those at the bottom work up to make it happen – the two come together for the bigger benefit of what we need to do to make that step-change.

“There are very rarely any barriers or problems, and when I put the case forward for having full time resource for IT s er Future as well as a budget we had no issues. The firm is really behind it, backing it not just with volunteers but with real dedicated resource to make change happen.”

Part of the programme has involved looking at the way KPMG presents its technology roles to job hunters.

“We have gone through the process of looking from vacancy, all the way through to on-boarding – the entire thing – to make sure it changes,” she said.

“If I think about vacancies, we used to have technology job descriptions that were 3,000 words,

“

Business needs diversity.

If we’re really going to help our clients we need a mixture of people. We are part of the problem and the solution Anna Somaiya, KPMG

a ridiculous length, using language such as: ‘You need to be the best candidate to come and join the best teams with the best clients,’ rather than more growth-mindset sentences such as: ‘Come and join a fun-loving team, where your skills will be developed and nurtured to reach your full potential’.

“We used to have 20 mandatory re uirements and we now only have three mandatory and two desirable, which has opened up the talent pool, because women will typically look through that list and say: ‘I can’t do all of that, I’m not going to bother to apply’.

“We want them to be thinking: ‘Actually that doesn’t sound so prescriptive, maybe I can do this’.

We’ve worked really hard on that area and we’ve also spent a huge amount of time making sure we give information out to candidates so they get a feel of what it’s like to work in technology.

“Our recruitment teams say:

‘It’s so much easier to recruit men, because women ask many more uestions and go backwards and forwards’. So, to help that, we’ve done two things – firstly, we say ere s a recruitment pack .

“From that pack you get a feel of what it’s like to work at KPMG technology, our culture, the types of work we do, the skills we look for. It talks about real people working flexibly.

“At director level, I work two and a half days a week, so my story is part of that. People can look at it and say: ‘Ah, you can progress, but you can also work flexibly . e ve got stories of women who have gone on maternity leave, come back and worked three days a week, for example, in client-facing roles.

“The second thing we’ve done is to talk about our diversity, how women will get supported, things like mentoring and our learning and development tools, so people don’t feel they have to know everything from day one, that they’re actually there to reach their full potential. That’s really helped.

“We’ve had feedback from candidates to say that no-one else is doing this and it’s really distinctive, because, before they come to the interview, they’re already starting to feel a bit more comfortable about what KPMG is.

“The big four professional services firms are daunting, let s be honest, so they need softer touches around them.

Continued on Page 14

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Innovation - Technology

“Another thing we’ve done is, encouraged hiring managers to try to get diverse interview panels – which is not always that easy – and asked them to tell candidates if they like them, regardless of the rest of the panel.

“Secondly, because women don’t always ask everything they want to know during interviews they will likely leave with many unanswered questions.

“The answer to that is to arrange a conversation between her and someone who’s in her peer group and working for the company, to let her know that it’s apart from the interview and that she’s already very successful in the process so she can feel comfortable in asking as many questions as possible.

“On a personal level, I came from industry, a mother of two, and I thought: ‘Is the consulting life going to be for me? Am I going to be moved from pillar to post?

Am I never going to take my children to school?’

“I met a guy, Chris Middlehurst, who sat down with me and we talked it through, and he convinced me to come and join KPMG. That extra mile really does matter.” ith the firm willing to expend that extra effort and then support new arrivals with a buddy system for the first days and a mentoring programme, it’s perhaps small wonder that KPMG is bucking the national trend.

Anna, however, whose background in technology has seen her work for Honda and F1, is keen to go further.

“The biggest thing for me, and my focus for the next two to three years, is that figure of ,” she said. “Demand for technology is growing everywhere, whether it’s traditional accountants’ roles, they’re now looking for technologists, but the supply of diverse digital talent is not there.

“As demand grows, it’s a bit like what happened in when the numbers dropped from to – the proportion of women in tech will just continue to fall.

“We have to start early – talking to children, parents and schools to make sure they recognise at a very, very early age, the importance of these careers for the future.

“Technology is disrupting every sector, every industry and they need to start thinking and encouraging girls to be brave, to start developing those critical thinking skills. Not just playing with dolls, but hammering nails, playing with Lego. Getting them STEM toys for Christmas and birthdays and helping them explore their curiosity and creative skills, making sure schools are not only teaching

“

Image by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

from Page 13

17%

Current proportion of technology roles in the UK that are filled by women. A statistic that’s falling

By next year, across Britain, from nursery to university, I would love to see a national event – an intervention where children think differently about technology Anna Somaiya, KPMG

Anna wants to see a national event created to target

Those interested in contacting Anna about IT’s Her Future or issues around diversity can email her via anna.somaiya@kpmg.co.uk

the next generation and raise awareness of technology with awards to recognise achievement

90 Days that KPMG’s buddy system runs from when an employee joins the business

technology safety but that they’re driving curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills at a young age. A career in the sector actually involves a lot of soft skills too, which women are very, very good at. They should realise that they’re really at a competitive advantage, but, because they don’t know that, they don’t come into technology.

“That’s really the bigger focus for IT’s Her Future. We’re doing really well at KPMG and that’s going to continue. But we won’t be able to shout about our KPIs in the future if we don’t start early.

“That does mean making national industry movements – working with our competitors, suppliers and clients – all coming together to stop trying to do things in our silos.

“I would love to see that, by next year, across Britain, from nursery through to university, we have a national event – a bit like World Book Day – an intervention where children think differently about technology.

“When 14 and 15-year-old girls come into KPMG as part of our Juniors Programme for IT’s Her Future, they’re telling me they have little understanding of tech-

nology because no-one’s been to their school or it’s not encouraged, that’s very sad.

“By that age they’ve already started making GCSE choices so it’s too late.

“But imagine if all the way through their lives they’d had regular interactions with a national event, there’s a chance more and more will start to think about technology.”

Anna said she would like to see awards given as part of the national event, celebrating the work of diverse teams from all backgrounds and genders collaborating to solve problems using technology and recognising curiosity, innovation, knowledge and the ability to deal with ambiguity on an equal footing with coding skills.

While stressing this is very much her idea at this stage, she said she hoped KPMG would give its backing to such an initiative alongside many other businesses and organisations.

“It’s my passion and I’m working really hard to make it happen,” she said. “This is about joining forces and making a national movement, it’s not about

competition. We’ve all got budgets, we’re all putting money behind things, but because we’re all doing it in our silos, we’re not making the impact that’s absolutely needed.

“In years time that should be – I would even take . t present, it s set to fall further. Recognising that means we have to take action now.

“This national event has to be a business-led campaign. It’s not putting the pressure back on the schools or the Government – we have to be part of that solution.

“If we need skills, like problem-solving and critical thinking – not just coders – then we need to get that message out there. That’s what a national event would be about – allowing conversations around technology to happen that don’t necessarily happen today. nd that s the firm responsibility of businesses. This is a call to arms.

“For me, it’s about changing perceptions – tech’s for everyone but we’re not getting that message out and I think that’s really unfair to the children who are our future.”

Go to home.kpmg or wibf.org.uk for more information

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35

Creative Space

this space is yours

give us your data free and we’ll exploit it for profit, you know, like the internet – share your doodles with @wharflifelive or #keepittoyourself (our preferred option)

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Advertising Directory - Acknowledgements

find our advertisers’ messages here Chase Evans print Pages 1, 26-27 online chaseevans.co.uk

Telford Homes print Page 23 online telfordhomes.london

The Gun print Page 3 online thegundocklands.com

Berkeley Homes print Pages 24-25 online berkeleygroup.co.uk

Kidd Rapinet print Pages 5, 15, 30 online kiddrapinet.co.uk

Vantage Properties And Management print Page 28 online vantage-uk.com

New Scientist Live print Page 7 online newscientistlive.com

Berkeley Homes print Page 31 online forbury-blackheath.co.uk

Greenwich Comedy Festival print Page 11 online greenwichcomedyfestival.co.uk

Galliard Homes print Page 34 online galliardhomes.com

L&Q print Page 20 online thamesstreet.co.uk Notting Hill Genesis print Page 21, 29 online nhgsales.com Kitchener Barracks print Page 22 online kitchenerbarracks.com

be part of the Canary Wharf conversation To advertise in Wharf Life call 07944 000 144 or email advertising@wharf-life.com

Wharf Life is published by Massey Maddison Limited, printed by Iliffe Print Cambridge and distributed by Willis News Distribution. Copyright Massey Maddison Limited 2019

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

37

Wapping - Limehouse - Shadwell

£18

The base price of a Sunday roast at The Star Of The East in Limehouse

A gem facing out onto East India Dock Road

14 days later

plan your life from Sept 11-25 where?

Wilton’s Music Hall Wapping

STAGE | Old Stock: A Refugee Story Music, dark humour and a shipping container take on the hot topic of immigration and multiculturalism as Romanians hit Canada.

Sept 18, times vary, from £12.50, wiltons.org.uk where?

Troxy Limehouse

located 10 minutes’ walk from Canary Wharf The Star Of The East is well worth a visit for the food

by Jon Massey

S

unday roasts come in various forms.

There’s the home-made variety, oft cited as a favourite by homesick offspring, the Toby Carvery approach of quantity over quality and the Genuine Find.

This elusive beast is the kind of meal that exceeds expectations, necessitates the loosening of belt buckles and demands (repeated) return visits.

Nestled between shabby shop fronts on East India Dock Road where Limehouse meets Poplar, The Star Of The East isn’t an obvious draw. It’s charming facade has been gaudily adorned with a dull pink stone and gold-lettered pub sign that says anything but promising.

Head through the doors of the Old Spot Pub Company-run establishment, however, and it’s a different story. Plush leather with just the right amount of faded grandeur awaits.

Bright and breezy staff are quick off the mark with a greeting, a sign of the service to come. My companion and I retire to the recently astroturfed non-smoking area out back.

Drinks arrive swiftly and I opt for roast beef (£18) which comes with seasonal vegetables.

Greedily, I add cauliflower cheese (£3), stuffing and pigs in blankets (£3.50 each), for the purposes of editorial research and to test my digestive system.

Initially we mistake my plate for a burger, so high is it piled with spuds, meat and a decent, crisp Yorkshire pudding.

It’s far too much food, but each little dish proves a delight, the pork of the stuffing balls and miniature sausages a pleasant

GIG | Gusttavo Lima The Brazilian star brings his blend of updated sertanejo folk from the South American countryside to London’s Limehouse.

Sept 15, 6pm, from £55, troxy.co.uk where?

Tower Bridge Tower Hill

Resplendent roast beef distraction from the main. The star of the show though is the beef. Tender, pink and juicy, it’s cut thick and worth the cash. The very antithesis of bland, grey slices that have spent too long under the heat lamp.

Placing my nitpicking hat on, reserved for the very best experiences, the base of the Yorkshire could be a little less crunchy.

But overall, this pub qualifies as a Genuine Find.

Not least because of the rich, spicy plate of pizza my companion enjoys. While not the equal of the resplendent roast, it holds its own across the table, implying the kitchen has significant depth.

The only way to find out, of course is to return and to order more dishes to make absolutely sure.

Perhaps next time I’ll go a little easier on the sides, which can only make the walk home achievable.

Go to thestaroftheeast.co.uk

MUSIC | Bascule Chamber Concerts Curated by Iain Chambers, this series of concerts makes use of the vast chambers inside Tower Bridge and includes one with a talk by Dan Cruickshank.

Sept 18-22, times vary, £30, totallythames.org

to do before September 11

Join violinist Tom Moore at Jamboree in Limehouse for Fiddle Workshop Day from 10.30am-6pm on September 1. Tickets cost £35 and the workshops are suited to intermediate and advanced players jamboreevenue.co.uk

spot check worth a visit Try The Narrow for great views over the Thames while you dine gordonramsayrestaurants.com want more? @wharflifelive

38

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

riverside recipes

by Matt Colk

by Elisabeth Newfield

W Turn these ingredients into a delicious chicken dish in less than half an hour

A

s chicken is the UK’s most popular meat it is worth having a couple of quick recipes that you can put together in under 30 minutes.

For this dish, I’m using daikon, which is a type of radish. If you don’t fancy it you can easily replace it with some cabbage, spring greens or carrots.

Ingredients (for one serving) 1 chicken breast 100g daikon 80g mushroom 80g new potato 1 chilli (or two if you like it hot) 1 sprig rosemary 1 clove garlic 100ml veg oil 100g butter Salt Pepper Method First pre-heat your oven to 200ºC. Now get all of the veg prepared – peel and slice the daikon into thin julienne strips. Slice the potatoes in half, dice the garlic, roughly chop up the mushrooms, and dice the chilli.

Heat up a pan with half the vegetable oil, add the sliced potatoes. Cook on a medium heat but be careful not to give them too much colour.

In a separate pan heat up the other half of the veg oil then seal the chicken breast, skin side down for five-minutes. Lightly season, then put the chicken in a hot oven for five minutes, then remove, ensuring it is cooked through. To the pan you sealed the chicken in, add the chopped garlic, chilli, mushrooms and daikon. After three or four minutes, add the butter to the pan.

Once it has completely melted and thickened the sauce, add the potatoes and keep on the heat for a further two minutes. Plate the veg, slice your chicken breast, place on top and enjoy.

Matt Colk is head chef at The Gun in Coldharbour, Blackwall. Owned and operated by Fuller’s, it offers dining, drinking and relaxation by the Thames Go to thegundocklands.com or follow the @thegundocklands on Instagram and Twitter

riter and director Florence Bell thought she was dreaming up an absurd future when she wrote dystopian drama The Open. But she underestimated Donald Trump.

News the US president wants to buy Greenland is scarily close to her play, set in 2050, in which he has purchased the UK and turned it into a giant golf course.

It features themes of national identity, human rights and the endurance of love as three friends battle oppression.

Florence said: “It’s really scary because I’d imagined this far-fetched dystopia and then I saw that and realised it was uite a real possibility.

“It’s really profound and speaks for the play this is the world we live in – where big business is so powerful it could just come along and buy an island.

“That thing of corporate interest becoming more powerful than government is a scary thing.”

Ivo H Daalder, a former ambassador to NATO under Barack Obama, has even described Trump’s real-life proposal as “the unthinkable notion of buying and selling territory as if we’re talking about a building or golf course”.

And on the day of our interview the furore increased after former reality TV star President Trump cancelled his trip to Denmark in reaction to his idea being shot down.

He lashed out at Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen and said: “I looked forward to going but I thought that the Prime Minister’s statement that it was an absurd idea was nasty. You don’t talk to the United States that way, at least under me.”

Florence, who grew up in Kingston-Upon-Thames and now lives in Peckham, said: “That’s unbelievable. It becomes a diplomatic thing and starts to skew relationships between countries because he’s not allowed to do exactly what he wants. It s uite extraordinary.”

As an actor Florence has appeared in The Bill, Doctors and is

“

It feels good to turn my anger and discontent into a fully-formed play. It feels like a certain kind of activism in itself Florence Bell, Brave New World

due to star in an upcoming episode of the BBC’s Strike, based on the JK Rowling’s (Robert Galbraith) novels. She does not appear in The Open and has instead used it as a chance to expand her writing, directing and producing skills.

It started out as a 10-minute short she wrote in response to Trump’s presidency and the EU Referendum result in 2016.

“When Trump was elected I just thought: ‘What the hell is going on?’ – It was a dramatic year,” said the 31-year-old.

“The play is the worst case scenario that could come out of those two events.”

Florence has previously campaigned against the Transatlantic Trade And Investment Partnership, a deal being negotiated behind closed doors between the EU and US that would allow corporations to sue governments.

She said: “I felt coming out of Europe and that big alliance left us a bit vulnerable to the US and its big corporate power.

“Trump suddenly being president made that even more of a scary possibility in that we might be at the mercy of the US.” The Sussex University graduate, who has been to protests about student fees and climate change, has spent three years developing The Open which features a fictional Great British Golf Course. It is her first full length play and the first full length production by Brave New Word, a new writing showcase and collective she founded with Emma Magnus in 2015.

“It’s absolutely a culmination of all my experience,” she said.

“It feels really good to turn my anger and discontent into a fullyformed play. It feels like a certain kind of activism in itself.”

Ironically, she has never been to a protest against Trump and said it is dangerous to turn him into a figure of ridicule or even give him too much attention at all.

She said: “The people who love Trump revel in that stuff. The more outrage he causes the better and he feeds off controversy.

“I sort of feel like I just want to ignore him until he’s not president any more. The play takes his influence uite seri ously because he is a signifier of the world we live in.

“The fact that he has risen to the top says more about us than him.”

The Open will be performed at The Space on the Isle Of Dogs from September 24 to October 12.

Set 30 years in the future it revolves around three main characters born in the present day and

30

Years into the future that Florence Bell’s first full-length play is set

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39

Isle Of Dogs - Poplar - Blackwall

The Open stars Priyank Morjaria, Tom Blake (pictured as Patrick), Heidi Niemi and Emma Austin Inset, the cast read through the script under Florence’s direction

making America

grate again

Called Wanda, Notes On A Scandal reveals what life could be like for with Judi Dench and television the next generation. shows such as Heartbeat, Midsomer “It starts off with two golf Murders and Shameless. caddies stationed at a hole and “They both really inspired me,” they haven’t seen anyone in quite said Florence who still works some time and it’s a bit eerie part-time in her mum Rosalind and weird,” said Florence. “The Georgeson’s improv theatre school person who comes into that is Dragon Drama.

Jana, Patrick’s European girlfriend, Florence said her play is really who has been stationed at a big about connections between people, hospitality centre on the coast. including the audience.

“All the land is the golf course “As serious as the subject matter and the cities and big towns are might be it’s important to make now luxury centres for people people laugh and to have a lightwho come to play. British people ness to it, which I think it does,” get decent jobs being caddies and she said. “But I really want people people without a British passport to take something away from it. work in hospitality, which is based “It is absurd and a bit tongue in on the current situation where our cheek but the themes are things restaurant industry is dependent that are beginning now and if we on EU nationals. are not vigilant about the way our “Jana has escaped and come country is being run and the attito get Patrick to tell him that tudes we have towards each other, nobody is being paid, they are then this could easily happen as basically slaves and people who we have seen with Trump and rebel are disappearing. It’s a pretty Greenland. These possibilities are dark imagining of the far right taking over. Those centres real.

“If we let big business are like concentration reach the point it’s as camps. Obviously it’s happened before. powerful as govern“It is quite dark ment we won’t have but the relationships any rights. If we between the characcome out of the EU we need a deal that ters are quite funny.

Arthur is an obsessive protects workers rights. jobsworth and Patrick “I feel passionately is a depressed romantic Florence Bell who is always trying to about protecting that. It’s a play about activism and I guess I wander off.” want to promote activism in other There is also a very personal people instead of inaction and story behind the character of Jana. people feeling everything is OK.” “My girlfriend is European She scrapped her original she’s from Latvia and we were ending as it was too depressing in bed on the morning of the and hopes her new conclusion will Referendum result,” said Florence. inspire her audiences.

“We were woken up by my “I was running and listening Grandma, totally in shock, to some old school Fatboy Slim knocking on the door, saying we’d and thinking about people raving lost. It was such a horrible feeling and coming together and had this being so close to someone who’s moment of revelation,” she said. an EU national – this feeling that “So I discovered an ending our country had given this great where everyone works together. gesture that felt really anti-EU. It “I definitely hope that will was heart-wrenching.” happen in real life. I think the Florence also has a special, six answer to all this stuff is connec degrees of separation, connection tions between people. to The Space.

“I’m not a massive hippy but Her grandfather Tom Bell, who at the end of the day we do all died in 2006, was also an actor and have to work together. All through appeared with Sir Ian McKellen history we only have the rights we in the original 1979 Royal Court have because people fought for production of Bent – a play about them. If the play has one particular the persecution of gays in Nazi message, that’s it.”

Germany. Sir Ian is a patron of The The Open runs at 7.30pm on Space, where The Open will debut. dates at The Space between “I might reach out and see if he September 24 and October 10. is interested in coming along,” said Tickets start at £12.50 with a 20% Florence. discount for bookings made by rama is definitely in her blood September 11. as her other grandfather is Tom Go to space.org.uk for more Georgeson, also an actor who has information or to make a booking appeared in the likes of A Fish

how real-world events have given Florence Bell’s The Open a chilling, new frame of reference as she gears up for its premiere

14 days later

plan your life from Sept 11-25 where?

Saint John’s Community Centre Isle Of Dogs

Dance | TangoE14 Can’t make Argentine Tango For Dummies for free at Crossrail Place Roof Garden on August 30? Never fear. TangoE14 hosts regular Island sessions.

Saturdays, times vary, £5, tangoe14.wordpress.com where?

Trinity Buoy Wharf East India

GIG | Blues And Roots Ensemble Bassist Ed Babar (perhaps giving his rendition of The Elephant) leads this group who specialise in playing the works of Charles Mingus.

Sept 11, 6pm, £12.50, trinitybuoywharf.com where?

The Space Isle Of Dogs

STAGE | Fan The Flame - A Fundraiser Artists perform at this showcase in aid of The Kindling Collective’s debut production When The Rain Stops Falling. Expect all original material.

Sept 15, 2pm, £25, space.org.uk

to do before September 11

You’ll need to be quick, but book into Jazzgir on August 31 or September 7 and you’ll find Kiwi jazz and pop singer Mandy Meadows crooning away as a backdrop to dinner. Check times with the venue jazzgir.co.uk

spot check Don’t miss out on cocktails at Capeesh Sky Bar right at the top of Pan Peninsula capeesh.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

where would you like your brand to be seen

delivering to Docklands

15,000 copies every fortnight

Image by Victor Huang

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Rotherhithe - Bermondsey - Deptford

£11

What we paid for a generous cheese board with six varieties, crackers, grapes and chutney Where better to pass a close, hot, August evening than The Mayflower in Rotherhithe?

14 days later

plan your life from Sept 11-25 where?

The Albany Deptford

STAGE | Audition (A Work In Progress) Combining contemporary circus, dance, theatre, “fierce acrobatics” and “stunning visual”, this is an exploration of individuality and extremity.

Sept 15, 6.30pm, pay whatever, thealbany.org.uk where?

Surrey Docks Farm Rotherhithe

ancient and glorious The Mayflower offers dark wood, fine ales and an excellent cheese selection

by Jon Massey

I

s there a better way to spend the lazy hours at the end of hot Bank Holiday Monday than sprawled outside a pub by the Thames, letting the breeze wash over you?

If looking for a venue for such an activity – which can be replicated on a Sunday without too much difficulty – then The Mayflower in Rotherhithe ought to be on your radar.

This ancient pub, which claims to be the oldest on the Thames, is all dark wood, dribbly candles and decorative curiosities on the inside with a riverside terrace out back and a narrow alley of tables alongside. It’s the kind of building that looks like it was thrown together from timbers unwanted by the boat builders of yore.

Popular on the evening we visit, we’re immediately drawn to the cheese list. With 11 to choose from and the hottest Bank Holiday on record to contend with, we opt simply for a mystery selection of six, picked by the expert bar staff.

The board arrives swiftly and it’s generous even between two with a good pile of crackers, some grapes and an overflowing pot of chutney.

The cheeses themselves are British, ranging from hard to soft. Perhaps it’s the pint of Mayflower Scurvy ale, but I have trouble catching their names. It doesn’t really matter.

The staff do their job well, delivering a selection with something for everyone from soft, gooey tang to imperious, Parmesan-like solidity.

While the refreshments are splendid, the real draw is the pub’s interior. Dating back to 1550, it’s a riot of mismatched furniture

The six cheeses with chutney

TRY | Beekeeping Taster Session Tour the hives, indulge in a Q&A and get hands-on with the farm’s bees. Bee suits and boots provided, all participants need is a pair of socks.

Sept 14, 4pm-6.30pm, £35, surreydocksfarm.org.uk where?

City Hope Church Bermondsey

GIG | London Klezmer Quartet The all-female group promise a 10th anniversary concert of “beguiling and seductive” music with inventive arrangement and original tunes.

Sept 25, 7pm, £14, tunedin.london

to do before September 11

that comes together perfectly in a warm, cosy snug of wit, whimsy and history.

With a soundtrack of soul, comfortable seating and friendly, efficient bar staff it should be top of the list for anyone trooping round the watering holes of Docklands.

Just expect some competition. This place hasn’t been in business for more than 450 years without knowing its onions and there’s an enthusiastic crowd of regulars and tourists to contend with.

But then, where else can you see the departure point of the Pilgrim Fathers and indulge those turophile tendencies to such great effect?

Go to mayflowerpub.co.uk for more information

Catch Terence Malick’s Days Of Heaven at Deptford Cinema on September 7. Richard Gere and Brooke Adams star in this tale of love and murder painted on a canvas of cinematic beauty. Doors 5pm, £6.50 deptfordcinema.org

spot check worth a visit Keep tabs on the cinema offering at Sands Films in Rotherhithe sandsfilms.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

£20

Cheapest tickets available for shows at the five-day festival.

The top rate is £25

The Greenwich Comedy Festival takes place in the grounds of the National Maritime Musuem.

For more information go to greenwichcomedyfestival.co.uk

joy filled with

stewart lee

tony law, felicity ward, kiri pritchard-mclean Sunday, September 8, 2.45pm – A master of the art of stand-up, Stewart Lee returns to the festival as headliner on the final day. Expect a quick-fire barrage of one-liners and oodles of observational material and you’ll be in for a disappointing afternoon. He’s not one of the Russell comics.

Support comes from Tony Law and Edinburgh Comedy award-nominee Felicity Ward. Kiri PritchardMcLean hosts. Tickets from £20

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

43

Greenwich - Peninsula - Woolwich

as Greenwich Comedy Festival returns we pick the headline acts that should be in your diary between September 4 and 8

14 days later

plan your life from Sept 11-25 where?

The O2 Arena Peninsula

josh widdicombe

ivo graham, rosie jones, ed gamble Thursday, September 5, 6pm – Since starting to perform in 2008, Josh Widdicombe has made a significant dent on the public’s consciousness with stints on pretty much all the major panel shows on TV and regularly performs on radio. A master of observational comedy, expect an evening of light relief.

Support comes from Ivo Graham and Rosie Jones with Ed Gamble as master of ceremonies. Tickets from £20

GIG | Muse Matt Bellamy and co play the tent as part of their Simulation Theory world tour. Expect pitches to be shifted, lights to flash and large skeletal projections.

Sept 14-15, 6pm, from £51, theo2.co.uk where?

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich

nish kumar

bridget christie, steen raskopoulos, lou sanders Friday, September 6, 6pm – Nish Kumar is top of the bill on the festival’s third night. Host of viral hit The Mash Report and star of Taskmaster, QI and Mock The Week, his act should be a powerhouse of no-frills stand-up. That’s what you get from a Rose d’Or winner.

Support comes from Bridget Christie, Steen Raskopoulos and Lou Sanders plus host Daniel Kitson.

Tickets from £20

sara pascoe

nina conti, phil wang, andrew maxwell Saturday, September 7, 1pm – Surreal, saucy and razor sharp, Sara Pascoe is a comedian at the height of her powers. Slick, controlled and hilarious, her act rides through the everyday outrages of modern life adding a flourish of magical realism and, sometimes, an impression of a penis.

Support comes from ventriloquist Nina Conti as well as Phil Wang with festival favourite Andrew Maxwell overseeing proceedings. Tickets from £20

STAGE | Whaddya Know - We’re In Love The Foundry Group invites travellers aboard the SS Freedonia for this mad-cap Marx Brothers tribute featuring a girl in a green velvet gown. Swinging.

Sept 17, 7.30pm, £16, greenwichtheatre.org.uk where?

Peninsula Square Peninsula

EVENT | A Greener Future For the London Design Festival, Arty Globe, Tailor & Forge, Ben Oakley Gallery and M1Art will be showcasing works with an environmental bent.

Sept 14-22, daily, free, greenwichmarket.london

to do before September 11

david o’doherty

tim key, olga koch, ed gamble Saturday, September 7, 7pm – The wielder of the tiny electronic keyboard returns to the festival for the umpteenth time with a sackful of charm, wit and gentle meditations on the world. Just don’t confuse him with Chris O’Dowd.

Support comes from cult comic poet and Alan Partridge co-star Tim Key and rising talent Olga Koch.

Mock The Week resident Ed Gamble will run affairs as host. Tickets from £20

Pop along to Sample on September 7 from 11am-7pm for the usual mix of designers, makers, crafts, street food and DJs curated

by Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway. The market is free to look around greenwichpeninsula.co.uk

spot check one to try Try The Yacht for river views and a wide choice of drinks and food greeneking-pubs.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

by Jon Massey

S

ibos is set to arrive in London for the first time in its history. illed as the world s premier financial services event, around , business leaders, decision makers, speakers, exhibitors and people working in fintech are expected to descend on xcel from September .

Organised by elgium based financial messaging services provider Swift, which serves in excess of , institutions in more than countries, the conference and exhibition offers an opportunity for its community and those of relevance to it to meet in the flesh. e asked Swift s head of Sibos, Chantal an s, to give us an overview of the event and why the co operative has chosen to bring it to Royal ocks. “ e describe it as the annual global meeting place for the financial industry, and that includes all of the sector s stakeholders, from established banks to challenger banks, software providers, fintechs, consultancy organisations and Swift itself,” said Chantal. “ verybody that has a stake in the financial industry and everybody who is looking at the way financial services are evolving can take four days out of their busy agendas to meet face to face. “ e are communicating online so much that those personal interactions have that rare and premium uality. Sibos allows attendees to set the agenda for the rest of the year.

“Those attending can expect all the ingredients people are used to – a top uality exhibition, which will be the biggest ever because it s completely sold out, a conference programme that is building on an existing and much appreci ated recipe, but also with some novelties, so we re really trying to evolve Sibos as well to match people s mindsets and re uirements. “ e really want to create an immersive experience, where we re merging the exhibition with the conference and where we are trying to facilitate new ways of networking, because they are the three key ingredients people come to the event for. It s to meet business contacts, expand new business opportunities, to learn and gain an understanding of how the industry is going to evolve, what the new trends we should be watching out for are and then it s about networking.

“Over the four days, people want to connect, exchange experiences, share best practice, meet with old friends and make new connections. “ e re going to have people from all around the world – that s one of the things that makes it uni ue. It s a global confer ence, so you re not ust going to meet your peers from your city, country or region. “ e have managing directors, presi dents and C Os, so they make up uite a senior audience.

“If you can gather the decision makers, sometimes short cuts can be made in long winded processes, so that s what makes Sibos attractive for other delegates. “ e have an increasing number of fintechs who are interested in innovative

“

Delegates attend

We are very glad this time Sibos is happening in London and we can see the excitement – the figures are ramping up at a very high speed

Sibos 2018 in Sydney

Chantal Van Es, Swift

collaboration. That s also interesting for all the software providers and financial services providers, from the very big to the very small, because they know that the discussions they can have there, they cannot typically have elsewhere with the level of decision makers present. “ lso people are there very often to learn, and perhaps ust want to go to one conference a year, so they can stock up on knowledge of the new trends.”

T

he theme of this year s conference is Thriving In yper Connected orld, with speakers focusing on the ability of financial services providers to identify, develop and strengthen the right connections in order to succeed and grow. “ hen we start Sibos, we have a set of pre defined themes, but at the end, we have a number of key themes which come to the surface,” said Chantal who also organised the previous event in Sydney.

“Over those four days, in the discus sions, you keep hearing the same themes being highlighted by speakers so when Sibos ended last year, we had already started to prepare the themes for this year.

“It became obvious to us that the finan cial industry is undergoing a significant transformation.

“This one was uite easy to decide on because we see new players, new regula tions, new technologies and we see a lot of innovations from the incumbents as well.

“So we have new generations and new customers coming on board. e also have old customers who are developing millennial mindsets and we see a political shift, so that we have a whole interesting mix of factors. “ e re piloting a couple of new things, and we re looking forward to seeing how those will be appreciated.

“There will be Talent Thursday, because we know talent is increasingly scarce. e

also know the industry is attracting new generations of future talent, so we are inviting them to come through our family of exhibitors. The content will be tailored to their interests and uni ue networking experiences that they won t be able to find anywhere else.

“One of the other things we are doing is creating a scholarship for young female talent – the Sibos Talent ccelerator Route Star . “ e are giving promising young women the opportunity to benefit from a dedicated programme, that will take them to private mentoring lunches and networking events and give them private insights from senior industry figures on how to progress and shape their careers.

They will also curate some of the content.

“I think it s ust a good, normal practice overall. iversity of profile is a great thing for any leadership discussion – for any thoughts and sharing of experiences – because it always enriches the discussion.

“It s great to hear from people with different perspectives around the world and from those with different profiles. “ nother thing we re doing is thinking what really matters to the next generation, and we uite uickly arrived at anking or etter orld – green financing and ethical banking.

“On Thursday we ll have a focus on that on the Spotlight stage, with lots of people from the industry sharing an update on initiatives they re already undertaking to foster diversity, green financing and financial inclusion, so that s also some thing we re looking forward to.”

as Sibos hits London for the first time we get an overview of the conference and exhibition

docks the power

in the

ith a history dating back to , the arrival of Sibos at xcel in Royal ocks is also of no small significance to the exhibition and conference centre. ead of business development, confer ences and events Jane ague said “ e re delighted to be hosting Sibos, the world s premier financial services event.

“This is a particularly pertinent event for ondon given our global standing as a financial and technology hub and xcel s proximity to the city s financial districts, making us the ideal location.

“This is the first time this peripatetic event has come to ondon. Swift s choice was the result of a collaborative approach between ondon s convention bureau, key city stakeholders and the business community, along with a team from xcel committed to securing the event for ondon. osting Sibos underpins the evergreen status of ondon and xcel as the home of world leading events.” damant that the looming spectre of rexit had nothing to do with hosting Sibos in ondon, before it travels to oston, Singapore and msterdam over the next three years, Chantal was full of praise for the practicalities of the venue. “ henever we select a location, there s a long list of criteria, destination and venue specifically and, very often, it s practical reasons – it s pragmatic,” she said. “ e are very glad this time it s happening in ondon and we can see the excitement – the figures are ramping up increasingly at a very high speed. e see the appetite and the interest. xcel meets all our re uire ments – it s close to the centre of ondon and is easily accessible. “ e might indeed return to ondon in future, but we ll first go through this one, poll our customers to get their input and their ratings and based on all these factors, we ll make a decision then.

“Our ambition is to make the best, biggest and most ama ing Sibos ever, so we re counting on every body s input and support to make that happen.”

Go to excel.london or sibos.com for more information

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canning Town - Royal Docks

14 days later

plan your life from Sept 11-25 where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

EVENT | The Hospitality Design Show / Hotel 360 Discover what’s happening at the cutting edge of the hospitality and hotel industries with this double-header. Free tickets must be booked.

Sept 18-19, 10am-5pm, free, excel.london

Chantal Van Es says Sibos has evolved over time, constantly fine-tuning

where?

Outside The Crystal Royal Victoria Dock

its offering to the needs of its community

DANCE | Guru Dudu Silent Disco Tours Dance-walk in the Royal Docks with a commentary from a grooving guide and uplifting tunes from the 1970s-2000s. Booking essential due to limited space.

Sept 14, 21, times vary, free, royaldocks.london where?

Thames Barrier Park Pontoon Dock

STAGE | A Midsummer Night’s Dream See Shakespeare’s most magical play brought to life amid the flowers and plants of the park. Picnics and blankets are encouraged. Plus workshops.

Sept 14-15, 11am and 4pm, free, royaldocks.london

to do before September 11

Australian band HRTK are set to play RA Fold in Canning Town on September 6 off the back of their latest album, set for release this month. Support comes from Ossia and Trevor Jackson Doors 9pm, tickets £15 residentadvisor.net

spot check worth a visit Cafe Bonnane is ideal for a fry-up on a visit to the Thames Barrier Park find it at E16 2FN want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

by Jon Massey

W

how Our Lady Of Kibeho highlights the vital importance of listening during troubled times

stage

e’ve tried to be as objective as possible in the way that we depict this story, because what so interests Katori is allowing the audience to make up their own minds,” said James Dacre, director of Our Lady Of Kibeho.

Katori all s play, first produced in New York in 2014 and staged earlier this year at Northampton’s Royal And Derngate theatre where James is artistic director, is set for a fresh run at Theatre Royal Stratford East from September 25November 2 under his stewardship.

It tells the true story of a young girl who in 1981 at Kibeho College in Rwanda claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary warning the country would become important to remember throughout is ell on arth. t first she was ignored by that it wasn’t until 2004 that the Vatican her friends and scolded by her teachers, officially certified the events that occurred but then other girls had similar visions in Kibeho as being miraculous. and the impossible appeared to be true.

“So it wasn’t until then the Catholic In total seven girls claimed to have the Church viewed the happenings through visions with one continuing to see the similar eyes as it had major miracles Virgin Mary until 1989. Public devotion such as Fatima and Lourdes, which have linked to the visions of three of the girls become part of the narrative of 19th and was approved by the Catholic Church 20th century Catholic history. through Augustin Misago, Bishop Of “It was the best part of 22 years after Gikongoro in 1988. the events occurred that they were In 1994, during the 100 days suddenly elevated onto the following the assassination of world stage into the public’s dictator and president of consciousness once again.

Rwanda, Juvénal Habya“Meanwhile they’d taken rimana, up to 1,000,000 on a certain kind of folklore Rwandans were killed in Rwanda, not only within by their fellow citizens the district in which they including about 70% of the occurred, but across the Tutsi population as well as country. moderate Hutus and Twa. In “What we now know from some cases, the killings were history is that there was a terrible carried out by the next-door James Dacre conflict in that country years later, neighbours of the victims. and that Kibeho itself, a small village, The small town of Kibeho was itself experienced some of the very worst the site of two massacres, the first at instances of that genocide – it’s a site of the parish church in April 1994 and the extraordinary tragedy. second a year later when 5,000 refugees “That, of course, does give a weight to who had taken shelter there were shot by the visions that these young women had soldiers including one of the girls, Marie and the future that they talked of.”

Claire, who’d experienced the visions, Playwright Katori, known for her work and her husband. on Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and TV The authenticity of the visions was show Starz, wrote the piece after visiting declared by the church in 2001. In 2004 Kibeho and meeting one of the visionthey were certified by the atican as aries, Anathalie. miraculous.

“It’s a story we have to approach with great care, nuanced thought and integrity,” said James.

“Put simply, the synopsis is that, in 1981, at Kibeho College, a young girl called Alphonsine claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary who spoke to her of a coming conflict and this young girl was initially disregarded by her friends and ostracised by her community.

“Then another student, Anathalie, saw the same vision, and then another, Marie Claire, saw it, and another and another.

“So what we kind of see is a group of young people finding a voice and challenging the received wisdom of the adults around them, and also challenging the cultural climate in which they live, with its contorted politics, its prejudices, its corrosive political culture, and being ignored.

“One of the things which has been

bringing visions to the

“Really the spirit of this play which Katori embodies is the importance of listening to young people, the ones who are going to inherit the future we are creating for them,” said James, who premiered Katori’s The Mountaintop in Northampton.

“I think that one of the things that so drew Katori to this particular story as a kind of allegory for the way in which we live now, not just in rural Rwanda, but in London or in New York, is the power to heal divisions, whether they are political, cultural, religious or racial, but also the importance of inter-generational dialogue – what it means for adults to listen to young people as much as young people to listen to old people.

“What has been so thrilling about the process we went through earlier this year in creating the piece, and now we are embarking upon it again, is the collabo-

“

What has been so thrilling about the process we went through in creating the piece is the collaboration between young and experienced actors James Dacre, Director

Ery Nzaramba and Leo Wringer in Our Lady Of Kibeho

ration between a group of young actors, some teenagers or in their early 20s and some of the most experienced actors in British theatre.

“This is a very rich rehearsal room where some of our company have decades of their career behind them, whereas others are just stepping into the professional arena for the first time.

“The weight and balance of Katori’s play is the sum of its parts piece, where every person’s perspective is of equal significance and every person s character is of equal importance. What this play is advocating is the importance of being in a room and listening to one another in troubled times.”

For James, the move to Stratford is a chance to continue developing the work he and the cast began in Northampton.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity always for a writer, director and creative team to return to a production,” he said.

“First time around we worked on the piece and developed it at extraordinary speed and we’re enormously proud of what we created, but we’re certain that there are ways in which we can continue to develop it further.

“When we begin rehearsals next week, it’s going to be with a very fresh perspective, and we’re really hoping to build upon what we created earlier this year.

“Every member of our creative team has lots of new ideas, things that they have learned from watching the piece in front of audiences.”

So what can people expect when they sit in their seats in Stratford?

“The work has changed a lot, even in six months, so we’re really interested in trying to reflect the political and cultural shifts of the last six months,” said James.

“We’ve seen a lot of change in the Catholic Church, and one of the major themes in the piece is faith, spirituality and religious expression.

“The current pope has issued more decrees in the past year than many of his predecessors did in the course of their whole careers, so there’s a renewed approach to church history within the Catholic tradition, which means that we’ve had to rethink some of the ways we think about faith and worship.

“A central part of the project has always been music, particularly song, and we’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with a leading composer, Orlando Gough, and his long-time musical collaborator, Michael Henry.

“Together, they have created a huge number of songs as well as music that plays throughout the piece. The songs are sung in both Kinyarwanda as well as English and Italian, and they draw on a very rich palette of religious music.

So that’s really the beating heart of our production.

“It’s like a wonderful thriller and at times it has the intensity of a horror story, but it’s brilliant. Katori’s brilliant way with dialogue is at the centre of the play – her wonderful sense of humour – that and the truly uplifting music that has been created for the piece.”

Our Lady Of Kibeho is at Theatre Royal Stratford East from September 25-November 2. Tickets start at £10.

Go to stratfordeast.com

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

47

Stratford - Bow

3

Girls from Kibeho have had their visions of the Virgin Mary officially recognised as miraculous by the Vatican

14 days later

plan your life from Sept 11-25 where?

Roof East Stratford

FILM | Notting Hill Settle down as Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant celebrate Horse And Hound magazine supported by a start turn from Rhys Ifans and a London backdrop.

Sept 13, 7.30pm, £14.95, rooftopfilmclub.com where?

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stratford

EVENT | Chase The Sun 5k And 10k Jog, sprint, hop or cartwheel, the choice is yours with these evening races through the Olympic Park.

Entrants must book their place before showing up.

Sept 11, 7pm, £22, runthrough.co.uk where?

Westfield Stratford City Stratford

SIGNING | Dougie Poynter The McFly songwriter and bassist will be popping into Stratford for 30 minutes to sign copies of his book – Plastic Sucks! You Can Make A Difference.

Sept 14, 2pm, copies sold in store, waterstones.com

to do before Sept 11

Michelle Asante, right, returns as Sister Evangeline in the Stratford production of Our Lady Of Kibeho

Don’t miss the World Para Swimming Championships , set to take place at the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford from September 9-15 with the likes of Ellie Simmonds competing. Tickets from £5 britishswimming.org

spot check worth a visit Try Tonkotsu at International Quarter London for ramen tonkotsu.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

48

Wharf Life Aug 28-Sept 11, 2019 wharf-life.com

SUDOKU

Crossword - Sudoku

Easy

3 2

9 2

4 6 4 7

Previous solution - Very Hard

3 1 9 5 2 7 4 6 8 Sudoku 8 a5break 6 from 1 9 that 4 phone 2 3 7 Take 7 4 2 8 6 3 5 9 1 How 9 to7 play 5 4 3 8 1 2 6 To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 such 6 that 5 2each 9 row, 7 3column and 3x3 box one4to8nine contains every number uniquely.

6 2 3 7 1 9 8 5 4 9 find 8 strategies, 3 7 1 hints 6 4and5tips online You2can at sudokuwiki.org 1 6 7 9 4 5 3 8 2 5 to 3 play 4 2 8 6 7 1 9 More

5 8 3 2 8

9 7 6 5 4 3 6 7 5

7 2 9 1 4 2

that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

Notes

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

6

You can find more Sudoku puzzles and a wide selection ofTo others available in apps and books at str8ts.com. This complete Sudoku, fill the board Sudoku is supplied by Syndicated Puzzles. by entering numbers 1 to 9 such

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Sudoku you’ll really like ‘Str8ts’ and our other puzzles, Apps and books. Visit www.str8ts.com

crossword Down

4.

1.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

18.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

Maintains grips on a higher plane? (7) The United Nations are still rough (6) No amateur temple, but unconsecrated (7) Permit Prince Henry to be deadly (6) Not a return for the unmarried (6) Top marine performer? (8) Nude is upset at telephone call lasting (8) Where the screen is for showing, not hiding (6) Maintain it stares around (6) No wonder it’s cheap – there can be no profit in it (7) Bath, or a place in Tasmania (6) Hide in part of Mediterranean island (7)

Notes

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

19.

Injured girl with sword (7) Lent car for the middle (7) Instruct to live as one of a pair to advantage? (6) Hut on wrecked pier was destroyed (8) Send over the edge to displease? (6) Hang loose dunderhead on corner (6) The Utopian has his own catalogue of notions (8) Inspire the fellow to be a burning opponent (7) Disturb it going in an entrance (7) He was pious but unpunctual, and he washed his hands (6) What the hen in the pub gave the mendicant? (6) Firing into the air as a result (6)

Quick Across 4.

8. .

10.

11.

12.

18.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

Unavailing (7) Powerless (6) Stiff hair Contend (6) Soak (6) Explode (8) Waterfall (8) Lower (6) Austere (6) Attribute (7) Purpose (6) 100 years (7)

Down 1.

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

19.

Exterior (7) Recount (7) Split (6) Harsh (8) Diminish (6) Unite (6) Forefather (8) Sailor (7) Law (7) Fame (6) Small village (6) Be present (6)

Across: 4 Useless; 8 Unable; 9 Bristle; 10 Strive; 11 Drench; 12 Detonate; 18 Cataract; 20 Debase; 21 Strict; 22 Quality; 23 Intent; 24 Century.

Down: 1 Outside; 2 Narrate; 3 Cloven; 5 Strident; 6 Lessen; 7 Splice; 13 Ancestor; 14 Mariner; 15 Statute; 16 Repute; 17 Hamlet; 19 Attend.

Across

whether you’re cryptic sleuth or synonym solver in it for quick wins, this should satisfy

Cryptic Solution

Cryptic

beating the

Across: 4 Upholds; 8 Uneven; 9 Profane; 10 Lethal; 11 Single; 12 Starfish; 18 Enduring; 20 Cinema; 21 Assert; 22 Bargain; 23 Hobart; 24 Secrete.

Down: 1 Cutlass; 2 Central; 3 Behalf; 5 Perished; 6 Offend; 7 Dangle; 13 Idealist; 14 Fireman; 15 Agitate; 16 Pilate; 17 Beggar; 19 Upshot.

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

Quick Solution

No. 827