Wharf Life Feb 12-Mar 26

+ Aspen tower homes launch as Isle Of Dogs scheme hits the market Page 15

Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

inside issue 27

Third Space Spa - Joygernaut - Telford Homes Rhubarb Ghetto - Maureen’s Pie And Mash - Puzzles Josie Long - New Body Osteopathy - Higgins Homes 10 Park Drive - Stratford Circus - Big Drop Brewing Co

Formula E unveils hospitality ahead of races at Excel Royal Docks - Pages 52-53

track ready for the

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

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

read

fortnightly find

this issue’s Tiger Treasure

14 days later

plan your life from Feb 26-Mar 11 where?

Cubitt Steps Bridge Canary Wharf

feast your eyes on these

Who wouldn’t want to eat from the belly of a happily snoozing cat? This little chap is ready to cuddle your cornflakes or wrap his whiskers round your Weetabix and the best bit is, you won’t be irritating him – he’ll likely kip through the whole affair. How do we know? Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair, under porridge, Shredded Wheat or napping under something sweet Bowl, £3 Go to uk.flyingtiger.com

06

ART | The Clew Those who missed out on Winter Lights 2020 can still get a flavour of the experience by visiting this ongoing installation by Ottotto. Bright red circles.

Ongoing, daily, free, canarywharf.com

The Pearson Room’s huevos rancheros delivers a complex interplay of textures and flavours – not bad for a breakfast

where?

Across the estate Canary Wharf

10

SEE | The Vitality Big Half The half-marathon returns to the estate for a third year as 13,000 runners compete. Expect activities along the route and charity cash to be raised.

Mar 1, 9am-noon, free to watch, thebighalf.co.uk

How a relaxing massage can be good for mind and body

Why City lawyer to alcohol free brewery owner is a Big Drop

where?

East Wintergarden Canary Wharf

taste test

Huevos rancheros, The Pearson Room, Canada Place - £11 SPORT | Canary Wharf Squash Classic Squash returns to the glass court at the East Wintergarden as the world’s best players vie to become Classic champions.

Mar 8-13, waiting list, canarywharfclassic.com

to do before February 26

Read free romantic stories as Canary Wharf’s network of tale dispensers gets a Valentine’s Takeover until February 16. Available free in one, three or five-minute editions in Canada Place, Jubilee Place and Cabot Place canarywharf.com

With Veganuary finally over, I’m back on the occasional egg. Yes, I know, I know, all those chicks, those barns.

But breakfast. My eternal quest (until I actually bite the bullet and eschew the yolks and whites for something altogether more sustainable) for the best huevos rancheros continues.

The Pearson Room offers a fair stab. Piled high in rustic fashion, recalling this dish’s origins as a traditional mid-morning Mexican farm snack, the plate is tidily presented.

The crispy little tortillas offer a pleasing foundation for the earthy, thick and spicy beans to build on –

supporting the eggs perfectly and offering a sensible counterpoint in terms of texture in the mouth.

While the guacamole initially looks a little lost hiding under its crowning tortilla, there’s depth to its flavour and, despite the animal fats in the star of the show, the whole thing feels remarkably clean.

The heat from the beans and the slowly melting cheese prevents the dish from coming across as too healthy, though.

Just as well – Mexican farmers need serious fuel for a day toiling in the sun.

Go to thepearsonroom.co.uk Jon Massey

get in touch

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

we want to hear from you

12

Why seeing an osteo is about more than getting your back put right

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 44

need something fixed?

Try the Beyond Meat Burger at Brewdog in Churchill Place brewdog.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.

want more? @wharflifelive

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spot check one to try

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Canary Wharf

on the radar

doing the deals

get more for less in and around the Wharf

need to know

50%

Here’s something else to look forward to – cocktail, coffee bar and restaurant Grind is set to arrive in Canary Wharf. Already a success in other areas of London, including Greenwich, rumour has it that January 2021 will see it open up grind.co.uk

44 Check out Wellness Summit 2020 at East Wintergarden on Feb 29 – an all-day event featuring exhibitors including LycaHealth and the Harley Street Fertility Clinic alongside plenty of exercise and mindfulness activities wellnesssummit 2020.sched.com

Head to Goldsmiths in Canada Place for discounts of up to 50% on selected diamond jewellery – ideal if you’ve the cash to splash on spoiling goldsmiths.co.uk

50

We find out what’s under Mark Heywood’s Rhubarb Ghetto

Comedian Josie Long talks kids, childbirth and her latest show

25% 46

Why a plate of pie and mash at Maureen’s in Poplar is as true a taste of the East End as you’re ever likely to get – not to mention their delivery service for all your Cockney snacks

Birleys Sandwiches is offering a quarter off its vegan deli menu until February 28 in Cabot Place, Canada Place and Churchill Place. Extend that Veganuary birleysandwiches.co.uk

#RunToTheGun For A Riverside Lunch!

Book via the website www.thegundocklands.com

27 Coldharbour, London, E14 9NS gun.events@fullers.co.uk 0207 515 5222

Capeesh Sky Bar, 4 Pan Peninsula Square, Isle Of Dogs, London, E14 9HN

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

Canary Wharf

words you didn’t know you need

pasticipate

buy me

this fortnight’s must-have item

verb, fictional, from Latin

To cause one’s mouth to water by placing an order on Deliveroo (other last-mile services are available) for pasta from the likes of Scarpetta on the Wharf or Emilia’s Crafted Pasta in St Katharine Docks

bucket list

write me

erf

noun, real, from Dutch The word every developer should know – a plot of land, typically inherited. This is not simply a corruption of Earth when fed through Cockney dialect, but an import from the Netherlands that gained traction in the UK

Sign up to test the depths of your knowledge and raise some cash for charity - entry is £2 ● Buff List Enter the World’s Biggest Quiz at 6.30pm on March 11 at Davy’s in Fisherman’s Walk, test your knowledge, raise cash for Action Against Hunger UK and be in with a chance of winning a Pol Roger Champagne reception and a fivecourse meal for 12. Register a team by email via events CWF@davy.co.uk. The grand final is set to take place on October 6 davy.co.uk

Whistles Coat, £159 (from £265) Waitrose, Canada Square ● Bar List Do your ears a favour, slip out of the Wharf to Limehouse and make the most of Jamboree as it wraps up its residency in Three Colt Street .

Expect live music of all descriptions, a fine selection of beverages and decor that nails the accordion to the wall, literally jamboreevenue.co.uk

Slip into the deep warm folds of this statement winter coat and remain snuggly as the seasonal winds gust around you. Ideal for napping in on the Tube

● Bite List What’s better than fresh cuts of fish and rice in pretty little packages from Sushi Daily in Waitrose?

The same thing cheaper. Visit the Canada Place stall at circa 9pm and you’ll find the leftover products priced to sell waitrose.com/sushidaily

read me

a little death in the afternoon Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises, £7.99 Waterstones, Cabot Place Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel portrays British and American expats as they travel from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights. A demonstration of his “iceberg theory” of writing, the novel features characters based on those in his circle during a real-life trip to Spain and is an exploration of love, death and the power of nature to restore. Light for lunch waterstones.com

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

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E N J OY 2 0% O F F A L L M A S S A G E T R E AT M E N T S

Third Space Canary Wharf spa offers a wide variety of treatments. Relax, unwind and re-energise today.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT 0 2 0 7 9 7 0 0 9 1 2 | T H I R D S PAC E . L O N D O N /S PA * New customers only. Ts & Cs apply

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

how Third Space Spa offers a vast selection of facial, massage and other beauty treatments

20%

Discount Third Space Spa is currently offering on a pair of Elemis treatments in February

by Jon Massey

T

here’s something of a theme to the features in this issue of the paper.

While the malls and walkways are packed with obvious attractions, some of Canary Wharf’s best products and services are a little more tucked away.

Take Third Space Spa, for example on the floor above Waitrose in Canada Square. Snugly located behind the climbing wall at Europe’s largest health club, this facility is open to members and non-members alike with a serene corridor of treatment rooms leading off its bright reception area. Spa manager Adele Rowley has been at the helm for more than four-and-a-half years, ready with a smile to welcome guests and to draw on her 25 years of experience to ensure they get the results they’re expecting.

“We offer a range of facials,” she said. “We have Murad facials which is a cosmeceutical skin care brand – that means it has doctorgraded ingredients in a cosmetic product – to deliver a very quick, visible result.

“Then we have Elemis, which is one of the leading British skincare brands on the market.

“We deal with vegan skincare, down to resurfacing, lifting, re-plumping – essentially if you want anything to do with your skin, my highly expert team will look after you.

“We also offer aesthetic treatments, podiatry, manicures and massage, ranging from sports massage to more relaxing treatments.

“If you’ve suffered a slight injury, for example, I have 11 different sports therapists who can look after you. We offer acupuncture, cupping, shiatsu and lymphatic drainage massage.

“Sports massage isn’t just for people with sports injuries, of course, it can be for people who do a lot of computer work and are hunched over all the time and we see a lot of that in Canary Wharf.

“Third Space Spa offers the perfect environment to help those people to unwind and release the lactic acid which is causing that tight tension in the muscles.

space Spa manager Adele Rowley is ready to welcome Third Space members and other guests to the Canada Square facility

finding that

for relaxation

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

“

Men should absolutely be coming here. Skin care isn’t just about making you look pretty, it’s about relaxation too.

It’s great for de-stressing Adele Rowley, Third Space Spa

“ ven gentler massages offer people the chance to relax and switch off for a short time. “ classic massage is good for unwinding and mental awareness it’s time out ust for you.

“Then, if you’ve got an in ury, or a tight muscle, or you’re suffering from migraines or sciatic nerve issues, it will be our sports therapy teams who can help.

“We’ve got guys who are highly uali ed in mixed martial arts, for instance, so they’d be the perfect people to see if you do that type of sport.

“There’s certainly a lot of crossover with the rest of Third Space. bout of our clients are members. Typically the other work close by, often hearing about us through word of mouth.

“It’s nice to let people know who haven’t heard about us that we’re here we’re a hidden gem.”

A

dele, who ran spas in Hampton and eathrow before joining Murad and working across southern England to help others grow their businesses, said the number of men opting for treatments was increasing. “ en should absolutely be coming here,” she said. “Skin care is not ust about making you look pretty, it’s about relaxation too.

“There’s a lot of facial massage – pin-point massage – that is great for relieving tension and de-stressing, as is shoulder massage, arm massage, face, shoulder and decolletage massage. lot of guys come in for waxing they have their backs done and we also offer laser treatments.

“We do manicures for men too and eyebrow shaping. ots of men take a a great deal of pride in their appearance, so they should get themselves in here.

“We’ve also had a couple of guys book in for our targeted tightening treatment it’s a new, clinically proven body treatment by lemis, with an incredibly deep massage and tightening products on the body to tighten the skin. “ xercise may tighten the muscle, but the skin needs tightening as well, otherwise you may end up with loose skin you don’t want. We’re de nitely

seeing more guys than we used to.

Typically they’re booking for manicures especially if they’re doing a lot of presentations, because there may be a lot of hand movements involved and that’s where the focus is.

“The next step up is often facials if you’re presenting to a boardroom of people, you will want to look your best.

“Massage is the most popular treatment, of course. ut everyone needs to look after their skin you need to get into a good routine. “ ou may want to brighten the skin, to lift it or reduce any pimples.

“We do spa packages, whether for members or non members, where we do vigorous salt scrubs, body wraps and lava shell treatments – a heated porcelain shell applied to the body to help relaxation.

“Whether male or female, people often come in here uite tense and anxious you can see it in their shoulders. “ good of what we do is about repair and recovery. eople need to relax, let their muscles go and switch off their minds.

“We know people are going to walk out of here feeling a lot better you can see it in their faces and their bodies.”

With a vast array of beauty treatments, massages and facials on offer, prices range from as little as for some manicure options to more than , for a face lift with Threads. Those simply looking for a massage, however can expect to pay around for a minute session. dele said “In terms of massage, people should ideally be looking to come once a week if it’s for general relaxation.

“If you’re suffering from a sports in ury, tense tron muscles, migraines, then any time from once to twice a week, but your therapist will always recommend when they want to see you.

“There are packages available online, and sometimes we’ll have special offers too.

“The best place to track them down is on our website – thirdspace.london all the deals are on the rst page.” urrently on offer for ebruary bookings is a discount on both lemis’ Thousand lower etox Wrap or its Targeted Toning Tightener.

The former features a nutrient-rich detox wrap aimed at stimulating the elimination process so clients feel invigorated.

It costs for minutes for non members. The Tightener is either minutes or , costs . or and promises a powerful blend of massage and detoxifying clay to reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Continued on Page 8

A typical treatment room at Third Space Spa in Canary Wharf, although the lights are usually much lower to promote relaxation

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

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Canary Wharf

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Minutes is the minimum length of a classic massage treatment at Third Space Spa

treatment test

Classic Massage, 50 minutes, £80 (non-member)

B

efore trying the 50-minute classic massage at Canary Wharf’s Third Space Spa, I sat down with beauty and massage therapist Shannelle Williams to find out a little more about the treatments she administers.

What can people expect from a relaxing massage?

They are aimed at anyone who wants to come for a relaxing session – and we have a range of oils depending on what the client wants to go for.

What if I’ve never had a massage before?

We’ll try to find out what areas you’d like to concentrate on.

If it’s your first time, I would recommend that we do the whole body, so you can experience the whole massage and see how it feels.

Normally people don’t realise what tensions they have until we do the whole massage and it really helps to give their immune systems a boost.

massage focus

How can people expect to feel afterwards?

That does depend on what they’re going for. If they are going for a relaxing masage, then they might drift away and feel deeply relaxed.

If they’re coming for a deep tissue massage, and they really want you to get in there, then they might be feeling a little

sore. Ideally I’d like them to feel relaxed, though.

Does it hurt?

I wouldn’t say people will feel a horrible pain and we’ll always work with clients to get the pressure right, but there should be a feeling of release. There might be some ‘good’ pain as the muscles relax.

Why book in?

Massage treatments are very beneficial. Having one is a good thing. It’s good for your wellbeing, good if you’re feeling stressed and good for your immune system.

What’s your background?

I’m from London and I’ve lived here all my life. I was brought up in Crouch End and now live in Green Lanes.

I’m a beauty therapist, but I do a lot of massage as well, offering treatments such as a lymphatic massage and a deep tissue massage.

I’ve been a therapist for about 10 years and, as I progressed in the industry, I got more experience with the massages.

Back and shoulders are my favourites, because they are usually the most problematic areas for people. Come for a treatment and try it out.

Go to thirdspace.london for more information Jon Massey

T

“

Eventually I was left in a warm, comfortable bed without a care in the world Jon Massey, Wharf Life

here are many worse ways to spend a Monday morning than lying flat under a succession of thick towels on a massage table at Third Space Spa. Massages have always been problematic for me.

Deeply relaxing on the one hand, while a source of tension on the other, thanks to the fact parts of my body are profoundly ticklish.

Fortunately, having communicated this to Shannelle, she managed to achieve a balance of pressure and constant touch that minimised any discomfort and allowed me to slip into the deep, forgiving sensation of a long, full body massage.

The session began face down, swaddled in towels with long strokes working the back and shoulders.

The constant repetition of movements became hypnotic and I slipped into something of a trance, almost sedated by the scent of the oil and the firm manipulation of my muscles.

After a while time ceased to mean very much at all and it was a significant effort to even turn my body over when the time came for the front of my limbs to be massaged.

Eventually, I was left, eyes covered with a warmed mask, knees slightly raised, in a warm, comfortable bed without a care in the world.

Jon Massey

Above, beauty and massage therapist Shannelle Williams says a session on the table can have a range of benefits including a drop in stress and a boost to the immune system

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

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THURSDAY 9 APRIL 2020 EAST WINTERGARDEN

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN Nominate your favourite individual or team now to be sure they’re in with a chance of winning.

CATEGORIES SPORTS PERSONALITY • JUNIOR TEAM SENIOR TEAM • GROUP VOLUNTARY COMMITMENT

For a nomination form please email melanie.goldstein@canarywharf.com, call 020 7537 5123 or visit canarywharf.com.

Nominations close Friday 21 February 2020 canarywharf.com

yourcanarywharf

canarywharflondon

#CWGSPOTY

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

how a City lawyer made the Big Drop beer he wanted – without the alcohol or the awful hangover

£1m

Investment Rob is looking for as Big Drop launches its crowdfunding campaign Rob Fink founded a non-alcoholic brewery in 2016 and believes Wharfers could benefit from strategic use of his products

by Jon Massey

B

eer drinkers in Canary Wharf who have recently completed Dry January by sipping bottles of watery Becks Blue may have been missing out.

Had they investigated the shelves of Holland And Barrett or sought refreshment at All Bar One, however, they might have caught a sip of a brand on the rise.

The Big Drop Brewing Company was co-founded by former City lawyer Rob Fink in 2016 after he took a break from alcohol and found himself at a loss as to what to drink in the pub.

Surrounded by craft beers of every hue and flavour in strengths from 4% and up, he realised there was an opportunity to quench the thirst of drinkers who liked the taste of ale but would rather do without the after effects of a signi cant session.

Joining forces with old school friend, band mate and designer James Kindred, he set about creating a beer that would perform in the mouth without the ABV. “James stayed in Ipswich, had his own companies doing social media, websites and branding for food companies, whereas I moved to London, went to university and became a lawyer,” said Rob. “I set up my own rm with another guy called Fenchurch Law, specialising in insurance – we’d sue insurance companies when they didn’t pay claims. It’s still there and is very well regarded.

“We founded that in 2010 – my partner, David Pryce, would do legal work and I would do business development. Working in insurance in the City in 2010 meant a large part of that would involve going to the pub.

“That’s where a lot of marketing, networking and business development happened so that’s where I’d be in the afternoons, most days.

“Then, in , I had my rst son and, after a while, it became abundantly clear that what you can’t do, if you want to be a 21st century dad, is spend all afternoon in the pub then come home, bathe your new-born child, put him to bed and then wake up in the night, change the nappies and contribute.

“So I decided to stop drinking

rising low

alcohol

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

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

11

Innovation

altogether. I tried to cut down, but, when you’re in the pub for ve hours, you end up drinking too much anyway, regardless of whether every other pint is non-alcoholic.

“I didn’t drink for about six or seven months, but I was not in a position where I could say that I was not going to the pub, because that was part of my ob.

“So I’d habitually order a non alcoholic beer, because you can’t drink cola, lemonade or orange uice for ve hours you feel a bit peculiar.

“The problem with alcohol-free beer is that fundamentally it wasn’t very good. There wasn’t a flash of inspiration, but I would nd myself standing in great pubs, looking at the bar and thinking ‘I can buy craft beer from around the world, in every style, in every strength from to or more’.

“I’m going into some pubs and they’ve got different taps but when I ask for an alcohol free beer, I’m given the same, not very inter esting, mass produced product. “ aybe years ago, we had the craft beer revolution and it completely transformed what beers were available in pubs. “ ow, in most of the decent pubs that you go into, the range is incredible, but it became apparent to me that craft breweries had ust not innovated in alcohol free beer at all.

“I think the reason is that the people who were starting these craft breweries wanted to make alcoholic beer, because they were seeing all these innovations in the S and they wanted to drink those beverages in the . “ obody started their craft brewery because what they really wanted was an alcohol free beer, until I put my hand up and said I do this is what I want at this particular point in my life’.”

H

e’s clearly not alone. ig rop sold more than million bottles of beer last year and wants to sell million in . ut its product range isn’t aimed at non drinking youngsters, it’s for people like ob. “ ig rop is aimed at people who like beer, and we don’t target a particular gender or age demographic,” he said.

“If you don’t like beer, then you’re not going to like what we’re doing, because we brew beer, it ust so happens that it’s without the usual alcohol.

“The way I now drink alcohol a lot less than I used to in the ity is partly how I use ig rop.

“The ustralians have a wonderful term although they don’t use alcohol free beer yet because it’s not really a thing there at present. They’ll have a beer and then a soft drink, then a beer, and

“

If I’m meeting business contacts at lunchtime, I know I can have a couple of Big Drops and get the psychological benefit of having a beer Rob Fink, Big Drop Brewing Company

they call the soft drink the wedgie’ a wedge between the two, so I think about it a bit like that. “ ur market is a whole range of people it’s me, it’s my dad, it’s people who are driving, anyone who isn’t drinking, or wants to drink a bit less on a particular occasion, who might think ,I can have a lemonade or I can have a beer, so, I’ll have a beer, one that tastes great and is alcohol free’.

“I’ve even heard of people who mix ig rop with alcoholic beers to create a beer shandy that isn’t sweet. ou’re drinking something that’s about .

“I might drink ig rop during the week and have a different beer at the weekend.

“I am not against alcohol. I very much en oy a glass of red wine with Sunday dinner or a beer or two if I go to the pub with my friends. I’ll have a gin and tonic on a hot summer’s day that’s ne.

“I like to see it as increasing choice for consumers, and increasing the portfolio of drinks that you may consider as part of your repertoire.

“If we’re talking about the hospi tality trade, I think consumers are increasingly realising they don’t have to put up with what they’re being offered.

“It’s not good enough for them to go up and say I’m not drinking what have you got ’ and be offered a lime and soda.” ebruary marks another chapter in the company’s story. It’s the month that ig rop unveils its re brand, moving away from artwork inspired by its Suffolk roots to a bolder, more colourful identity reflecting its increasingly international reach.

The company is also launching a crowdfunding campaign via the Seedrs platform as it seeks to expand its global operation. leverly, the structure of the company means unlike many craft beer operations, it’s not held back by having its own brewery, instead contract brewing in batches with a range of partners. onse uently it’s free to grow both without the need to invest in expensive kit and bigger premises and being rela tively unencumbered in terms of logistics as it can create its product where needed either in the or overseas through subsidiaries to

help avoid any existing tariffs or those that may arrive with rexit. ob said “While some brands such as eantime in reenwich or amden Town are linked to places, our selling point is the alcohol level so we don’t need to talk about provenance in the same way.

“It’s not ust about trade tariffs there’s also a sustainability perspective to this. We already have utch and anadian subsidiaries and we’ll be starting to brew in Sweden in the next few months. The uestion is Why do I need to brew my beer in the , put it on a freighter and ship it to anada when I can brew it in Toronto where it’s sold ’.

“It’s also the fact that any brewery I’d have been able to afford when setting up the company would have been very small unable to keep up with demand.

“If our forecasts are right, we shall be one of the ’s biggest inde pendent craft breweries in the next three years.”

For that growth to happen, obviously, more people have to buy the beer

Big Drop’s Galactic Milk Stout delivers depth via lactose and costs £1.49 in Holland And Barrett

so what can Wharfers expect when supping the brand “Maybe you’re going out for a business lunch or a social meeting, but you still have to go back to work in the afternoon,” said ob.

“I’m now and I know that, if I have a beer at lunchtime, I do feel it I’m less productive.

“But if I want to go to meet my friends or some business contacts, then I know that I can have a couple of ig rops and get the psychological bene t of having a beer the pop of the cap, the of the carbonation, the smell of the hops without the impact on productivity.

“I push that all the time. eople may say It’s not uite beer, is it ’ and I say o, it is’. That psychological effect isn’t the alcohol, it’s your brain releasing dopa mine because you’ve told it you’re drinking an alcoholic beverage.

“If you order a Big Drop, you know perfectly well that you’re getting a non-alcoholic beer but that feeling and the sensation are still there.”

Go to bigdropbrew.com or bigdropbrewing.seedrs.com

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

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

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

12

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

£75

Price for an initial consultation for an adult at New Body Osteopathy.

Follow-up sessions cost £65 Osteopath and massage therapist Vina Panesar is on hand to help Wharfers with their ailments whether caused in the gym or just by too much time sitting at a desk

how sessions at New Body Osteopathy could see those long-standing niggles banished

by Jon Massey

C

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

anary Wharf is full of surprises. Behind the glass and steel revolving doors at street level lie bright reception desks, often deliberately anonymous so they can bend to a range of tasks and represent a diverse blend of organisations.

Who would have guessed, for instance, that those suffering neck pain might nd relief on the rd floor of anada S uare ut that is exactly the location of New Body Osteopathy – reachable with photo ID after a brief stint negotiating passage past iti’s security.

Founded by former Reebok Sports lub personal trainer oe undell in , the company has maintained a constant presence on the estate. It moved from the health club to espoke ycling in rossrail lace before relocating to its present premises. It also operates from the resham Street branch of espoke in the ity.

In April its east London operation is set for another move, taking root at the heart of the Wharf on the th floor of ne anada S uare. head of the rm’s next Wharf move, I took time to chat to osteopath and massage therapist ina anesar to nd out a little more about the practice and how its services can help those working and living locally.

“Osteopathy takes a whole-body approach to injury,” said the east London resident. “You might have an injury in your neck, for example, but the problem may be rooted elsewhere, so we like to look at the body as a whole unit.

“We also believe that the body is its own healer we’re here to facilitate that healing process by trying to promote the body’s natural healing properties.

“We try to encourage people to take control of their own treatment.

“Most people come in for neck ailments, back injuries, sports injuries, such as hips, knees, ankles or wrists. eople think we typically treat backs, but we actually treat a whole range of stuff across the body and osteopathy can also help with pregnancy, which can

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

bring on a range of ailments, when there’s a change in weight and body shape.

“People might contact us about a sports injury that they’ve had, everyday niggles or a particular problem that’s not resolving on its own.

“Then we’d book an appointment, do a case history rst and assess that person physically.”

Initial consultations at New Body Osteopathy last between 45 minutes and an hour with follow-up treatments taking between 25 and 45 minutes. ina said “The patient will ll in a consultation form, then their osteopath will ask them questions about their issue – how it started, when it started and whether they’ve any previous injuries – just to make sure that it’s safe to treat them. Then we’ll assess their range of motion and their posture before moving onto treatment.

“That can be a number of things including soft tissue techniques and different kinds of massage to help relieve muscle tension, joint mobilisation to move joints around to release them and dry needling, which focusses on muscle knots and trigger points and isn’t based on Eastern medical practices – there’s no chi involved.

body a whole

of work

“Knots are when muscles contract and stay in their shortened position instead of re-lengthening.

“The muscle bres then tighten in the local area and you get a reduction in the blood supply and it starts to feel sore – that’s when you get a niggle.

“It happens when the body contracts like it’s sensing a threat and the muscle tightens to protect a certain areas.

“In some cases, it stays in that trauma response and it can do so for some time – it’s really a defence

mechanism. The steel laments we use when dry needling are very thin – you might not feel them at all or maybe just a tiny pin-prick.

“There’s no liquid, nothing is being injected. When you insert the needle into the knot, you’re trying to create a pooling of blood that brings fresh oxygen to the area, to get rid of any toxins that have built up and to encourage the muscle bres to return to their original length.

“Sometimes I nd people have had knots for a very long time, and they’re stubborn. In Canary Wharf

you see a lot of people working at desks who suffer with stiff necks and lower back issues.

“You can develop knots from the same posture. It’s not just something that happens through exercise. I also work as a massage therapist at New Body Osteopathy and I see knots that are stubborn, but dry needling can provide that little bit more help and speed the recovery process along.” eyond the sessions offered, Vina said patients could have a profound effect on their progress outside the treatment room.

“I always encourage people to help themselves,” she said. “I always say the treatment is 30 minutes or an hour of your entire week and you de nitely need to be doing things at home.

“Treatments have a layering effect each time you come back in, having done your exercises – it helps you to move forward.

“People often ask me: ‘What’s the perfect posture?’ and I always say there isn’t really one because sitting in one place for too long can become very tiring.

“I always encourage my patients to move, especially with the sort of work that they do around here, which can be very stagnant. So, Continued on Page 14

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

Canary Wharf

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Maximum number of minutes people should be sat at their desk without moving Images by Matt Grayson – find more of his work at graysonphotos.co.uk or @mattgrayson_photo on Insta

from Page 13 every 30 minutes, just get up, walk around, do some neck circles, do some shoulder circles, get a drink of water and just change position.

“Some people have sit-to-stand desks, which are quite nice and I’ve had a few patients who have really bene ted from that.

“Sitting for too long and standing for too long – both can be very tiring. Having the option to continuously move really works.”

Vina studied sports exercise and rehab at Middlesex University and it was working with osteopaths during a placement in Canada that sparked her interest in the eld, prompting her to pursue her studies on returning to London.

“One of the reasons I am so passionate about this job is that it is so encouraging to see people come in with a lot of pain, and then walk out three or four sessions later feeling really good,” she said.

“Sometimes people come in feeling that they’ve hurt themselves and it’s the end of the world and there’s no way out and you can restore their faith that they can get better and you can help that condition.

“It’s very satisfying to feel that you’ve helped that person’s life in some way.

“The main treatments offered here are osteopathy and massage, and they are different.

“As I do both, some people come in for 30 minutes of osteo treatment followed by half an hour of massage and they get the added bene ts of both, but they are two separate treatments.

“We also offer referrals to consultants and imaging, such as MRIs or X-Rays, for example, if patients need them.

“If someone has back pain, we would typically expect to see a change within four to six weeks, but if there’s been no improvement, then we have to consider a referral. We are able to write to these consultants and refer the patient on.”

Go to newbodyosteo.com for more information or to book a consultation

“

Sometimes people come in feeling that they’ve hurt themselves and it’s the end of the world.

It’s very satisfying to feel that you’ve helped them Vina Panesar, New Body Osteopathy

Above, left and right, Vina treats a patient with a variety of techniques including a machine called the thumper that delivers an intense, deep massage

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

43

Innovation

4 virtual viewpoint

by Chris Ezekiel

I

’ve always been fascinated by trees. They give us life by absorbing harmful gasses and releasing oxygen. One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for four people. The oldest tree in the world has seen more than 5,000 winters. The average human lifespan in the UK is about 80.

They might not communicate at the speed of light like us humans via the internet, but with all the time in the world, what’s the hurry?

Trees don’t need to rush around trying to fit a million things into a single day. It’s pretty amazing to think that there are some alive today that were around towards the end of the Stone Age, others that date from a time when Jesus Christ walked the Earth or that were mere saplings when Christopher Columbus first arrived in America.

There’s something mystical, father-like, even God-like about trees. For those who read my last column, don’t worry, I haven’t taken any magic mushrooms.

Trees have mastered the wind to carry their whispers. I believe Go to the forest on a all living things windy day, close your are connected, in a way physics eyes, listen to their doesn’t yet understand. whispering chatter I believe that so and take some time to called coincidences and synchronicities switch off are manifestations Chris Ezekiel, Creative Virtual of a connected universe and trees, with their potential to live forever, might be the organic glue that holds everything together.

As well as giving us life, they hold the secrets of extending our lifespans and maybe one day making us immortal.

Next time you pass a tree, give a thought to its history and all the things it’s seen and experienced.

Go to the forest on a windy day, close your eyes, listen to their whispering chatter and take some time to switch off from the rest of the world.

Engage in some contemplation, and discover that sometimes a slower pace can be beneficial.

Beautiful, majestic trees hold the secrets for a longer and happier human life.

“

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

People’s daily oxygen needs can be met by the supply form a single, large tree

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

how a walk beneath a road led Mark Heywood to write a play reflecting on the rapid pace of change in the East End

5

Days Rhubarb Ghetto will play at Vault Festival Mark’s latest work, Rhubarb Ghetto deals with the effects of regeneration on east London

by Laura Enfield

A

n underpass is a place most of us hurry through rather than linger. But writer Mark Heywood didn’t see a dark, dodgy tunnel. He saw a connection between two seemingly different worlds.

“Near my building there’s an underpass below The Highway,” said the 44-year-old. “It connects the road down to the river and the old part of Wapping, which has cobbled streets, really nice pubs and warehouse conversions. On the other side, there’s a high rise covered in gra ti on the fringes of Shadwell.

“It always struck me when I walked past every day that, in terms of property values and opportunities, it’s an astonishing juxtaposition on that single stretch of the road.”

Mark, who was previously a corporate high flyer for ma or banks in anary Wharf but now runs production company Inkjockey, began thinking about how to dramatise the “turf-war” in London and the gentri cation that has seen council estates become neighbours to luxury flats, hipster coffee shops and urban allotments.

He said: “If you live in London long enough you see housing estates get knocked down and replaced with new-builds and I wondered – where do those people go? Because they are never replaced with 100% social housing. What does this say about London?”

He decided to bring the conversation to the stage via Rhubarb Ghetto after a particular piece of artwork caught his eye near his home at Free Trade Wharf. “ ne day I took a different route through the park by the river and there was a piece of gra ti that read Where’s the East End gone?’ and I knew that was the story,” he said.

Mark spent months workshopping the idea with two actors and the result is a one hour, one act play that will get its rst performances at Vault Festival in Waterloo from February 12-16.

It centres around Billy, a gang leader tying up loose ends before going into hiding, and Scarlet, the mother of their 15-year-old son. The parents look back over their 20-year relationship and discuss choices and lost opportunities and ask whether the side of the underpass we live on de nes our future Mark developed the roles with the actors Damian Lynch, currently starring in Comedy About a Bank Robbery in the West End, and Izabella Urbanowicz, who has toured the UK with The Night Watch. They are both from families who emigrated to

pass notes

“

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

the capital and Mark drew on this when creating the play.

He said: “Damien is a descendant of a aribbean family and I abella is from Polish descendants, born in London and still lives here. It’s been really interesting to reflect on their experiences of what being part of those families is like.”

But it is Mark’s own experience of ondon gentri cation and being ”squeezed out” that drives the play.

Born in Oldham, he studied history at Nottingham University. While running a theatre company, he was talent-spotted for background work on Coronation Street.

When that dried up, he landed a job on the Year 2000 project with Royal Bank Of Scotland and moved to the capital in 1997.

He went on to head up risk management teams for some of the biggest rms in the capital, including UBS and Barclays.

“We dealt with things like terrorism, cyber attacks, extreme weather events, res and bombs I became fairly successful,” said ark. “ lot of the stuff I now write for TV is about that corporate world.”

But one obstacle he never saw coming was the property boom south of the river.

“When I used to travel from ermondsey to anary Wharf I would

One day I took a different route through the park by the river and there was a piece of graffiti that read: ‘Where’s the East End gone?’ and I knew that was the story Mark Heywood, Inkjockey

get on the Jubilee Line at 7am and there would be no one there. My wife and I moved there in 2004 and rented because it was affordable. ut when we decided to buy, the regeneration and all the bars and restaurants that had moved in meant we could in no way afford to buy.

“It happened so fast. Within the space of 18 months we had been priced out of the area. It makes you realise that if it can happen to people with a relatively healthy income – what must it be like for people aged 19 who are graduating? How will they afford to buy That explosion of regeneration came out of nowhere.”

The couple ended up in Wapping

and ark went back to drama, rst as a novelist. He has written a series of historical crime ction books with eter ewar, under the pseudonym Mark Dewar.

Through Inkjockey he has also co written a T pilot that is being lmed in anada, shot a pilot Brunette Baby – about a section of the Met police that tries to flush out online paedophilia, and is working on audio-drama The End Of The Line about women who don’t have children. Everything, however, has been put on hold for Rhubarb Ghetto.

“I’m in denial about all the other deadlines I’ve got, because this is all-consuming,” said Mark, who has a screenwriting MA from Royal Holloway and studied at New York Film Academy in Los Angeles in 2016. e wrote the play speci cally for ault Festival and was delighted when it was accepted. Audiences will be immersed in Rhubarb Ghetto’s world before it even starts as entering The Vaults means walking through a gra ti covered underpass in Leake Street, Lambeth.

“I went to Vault Festival a couple of years ago to see Izabella in a show and walked into the venue and knew that was where we had to do it,” said Mark. “We can hear the rumble of trains and tra c

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

45

Wapping - Limehouse - Shadwell

14 days later

plan your life from Feb 26-Mar 11 where?

Wilton’s Music Hall Wapping

STAGE | Return To Heaven The Mark Bruce Company present their latest show that sees two adventurers go beyond time and death. Expect dance, grace and horror.

Feb 28-Mar 14, 7.30pm, from £18, wiltons.org.uk where?

Troxy Limehouse

and that is all part of the soundscape of the show.”

He added: “When I was writing this I did have in my head that to some, gra ti is a scourge and to others it’s art. It’s important we try to understand why people do this to buildings. Are they trying to say something? Is it art?

Could you buy it and sell it? What would anksy say It’s a ne line and the answer is entirely down to you and how you have been conditioned to think about the world.”

The title is taken from a line illy’s char acter has in the play about middle class families growing rhubarb in allotments under the DLR. Mark said: “It was a way of trying to capture a sense not of gentri cation, but that there are parts of London where you can buy very expensive coffee and rhubarb gin that six months previously you wouldn’t have gone to because they were no go areas. It was an attempt to juxtapose both sides of the tunnel.

“The word ghetto’ is not to suggest the other side is a no go area but to imply the likes of Billy are threatened by this seemingly unstoppable momentum of people like him being squeezed out. He believes he is in a turf war for the part of London where he grew up and is worried he will lose.

“He is accused of being a hypocrite. He has made money from people who live on what he would call the posher side’. e’s happy to take their money but would prefer it if they lived somewhere else. So he is hugely conflicted and flawed we tease that out during the course of the play.”

In contrast, Scarlett is happy on her side of the underpass and believes, rich or poor, we’re are all ust trying to get on.”

Damian Lynch and Izabella Urbanowicz star as Billy and Scarlet in Mark’s play, inspired by an underpass that links Wapping and Shadwell, below

And so does Mark. He touches on the human stories behind the Grenfell disaster, the Mark Duggan riots and the Windrush generation in Rhubarb Ghetto and said at its heart the play was very much about the connection between people. “ illy’s mother is in a care home and, while he is upset about the turf war and gentri cation, he’s most upset and scared by the fact he cannot help her,” said Mark. “ e can throw money at it but he can’t bring her back. nd he’s trying to deal with the fact she can’t prove she’s able to stay because papers have been lost.

“So really it’s all about family and what happens when that starts to fall apart. It’s about the fact that things move so fast that we only really have each other and we really need to stay together to deal with it. It doesn’t matter what side of the street we live on.

“Writing this made me look at things differently. I’ve started to notice how uickly things get lled in and developers can move in, buy a patch of land and throw up a block of flats. What started as a story on both sides concludes that if we don’t keep an eye on this there won’t be sides anymore, it will all be the same.” “ ut I nd it fascinating the extent to which things can and do co exist.

Wapping has all these warehouse conversions and luxury apartments and then I walk down the high street and see ussey’s butchers and the grocers, a corner shop and they are all independent.

“We can happily co exist. In a way we are all trying to get along and live a life in the middle of this madness.”

Performance times for Rhubarb Ghetto vary. Tickets start at £5.

Go to vaultfestival.com or inkjockey.co.uk for more details

GIG | Perfect It’s got to be... Perfect. One of Poland’s most popular rock bands pops over to take the stage at the Limehouse venue to play their back catalogue.

Mar 1, 6pm £31.90, troxy.co.uk where?

Half Moon Theatre Limehouse

KIDS | ToooB Aimed at babies aged 6-24 months this introduction to theatre features a curious, friendly, shapeshifting creature who’s ready to play.

Feb 29, times vary, £7, halfmoon.org.uk

to do before February 26

Musician Bethany Stenning brings her folk project Stanlæy to Jamboree on February 21 for its All The Wild Folk evening. Support comes in the form of Urban Meadows. Doors at 7pm, tickets from £6 jamboreevenue.co.uk

spot check worth a visit Check out The Star And The Stalker on Feb 20 at The Cruising Association heroworshipping.com want more? @wharflifelive

46

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

by Jon Massey

F

rom its own-brand chilli vinegar, the jellied eels, salt beef beigels to its signature pie, mash and liquor, there can be few places offering a flavour of the East End as authentic as Maureen’s in Chrisp Street Market.

But the food at the Poplar establishment is only part of the story. isit on a Tuesday and you’ll nd Maureen Patterson herself on the premises, still keeping a watchful eye on proceedings after more than 50 years in the business. As we chat in a corner of the immaculate, tiled shop in Market Square a brisk stream of customers les through the door.

Some sit down fork and spoon in hand (no knives, naturally) for a traditional plate – the mash scraped down one side beside a pie sat in a generous pool of fresh green liquor. Others pop in to grab takeaway orders from the ceaselessly industrious counter.

Everywhere there’s chatter – as friends talk over the clatter of cutlery and staff greet their regulars. Judging by the hugs and friendly words, I’m prepared to believe Maureen knows almost everyone coming into the shop, asking after relatives, catching up.

“It all started when my husband, Dave got called up to do his National Service,” said Maureen.

“He already knew someone who was in and they told him to come in the cookhouse so he cooked for hundreds of men in the army.

“When he came out, he got a job with Tate And Lyle in Silvertown.

Then my dad, who worked at the docks over in Millwall got him in there, but Dave didn’t like it. Then all of a sudden, he said he wanted to open his own cafe.” inancing their rst business in partnership with a friend who remortgaged his house to lend them the money, they opened in Walthamstow – making a name for themselves with freshly made pies using Dave’s still secret recipe for pastry. A relocation of the business to Poplar followed and, today, that legacy lives on in the current shop, now run by the couple’s son Jason and daughter-in-law Karen.

Following a move out to Essex

“

Jason was six weeks old when we first took him to Smithfield Market.

He’s 49 now and he still minces the meat at the shop Maureen Patterson, Maureen’s

Family business: Maureen with son Jason and a fresh batch of his meat pies ready to be served with mash and liquor

how Maureen’s in Poplar’s Chrisp Street Market serves up a traditional taste of the East End whether you’re in London or much further afield

Above, the main event, pie mash and liquor ready for a lucky diner to tuck into. Left, a salt beef beigel from Maureen’s

and Dave’s death a few years ago, Maureen continues to work a day a week.

“Every Tuesday I’m up at 4am to come here,” she said. “Dave always made sure he got his pies right – he always said that he wouldn’t serve people food that he wouldn’t eat himself.

“Jason was six weeks old when we rst took him to Smith eld Market to buy meat. He still bakes his own pies – he’s the only one who knows Dave’s recipe – and he gets his meat from Smith eld.

He’s 49 now and he still minces the meat at the shop.

“In the end it’s only a meat pie and potato the difference is the liquor. Put a bit on and it’s nice.”

The shop also sells traditional jellied and stewed eels as well as salt beef beigels with pickles and mustard.

“I’d like a pound for every eel I’ve gutted,” said Maureen. “You take one, cut its head off and then slit it from the right spot on its

body. It’s just getting them that’s the trick. When we started doing salt beef we bought it ready-salted but the price kept on going up so Dave said he would have a go at doing it himself.

“You put the beef in brine and leave it there for so many days, and then you steam it. Then you slice it up and put it in the beigels.

They’re lovely and Jason gives a lot of meat.”

While Maureen’s is unquestionably a taste of east London, that’s not to say it’s inward looking.

Catering to an increasingly diverse customer base, it has introduced a delivery service shipping products locally, to Essex, Kent and nationwide overnight. Worldwide, there’s even the option to have products sent by FedEx It’s also a way for regulars who have moved away to continue to en oy the flavours they’ve left behind without having to travel.

Maureen, who used to eat pie and mash twice a day, said:

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

£25.99

Cost to ship four pies, four portions of mash and liquor nationwide through Maureen’s delivery service

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

47

Isle Of Dogs - Poplar - Blackwall

pies Maureen delivers a plate of pie and mash at the Chrisp Street Market shop in Poplar

baking

14 days later

plan your life from Feb 26-Mar 11 where?

The Space Isle Of Dogs

for the people

Maureen’s also sells merchandise

Karen Patterson puts the finishing touches to a plate of pie and mash

“There’s one couple I’ve known for years who moved out, but they get buses to come here from Crayford.

“They have salt-beef sandwiches, and we wrap them all up for her and they take them home to have that night. It’s surprising how far people will travel.

“One day I was doing the washing up, when someone said: ‘There’s a young lady wants to see you’.

“They’d heard about us in Australia and they were doing a tour and had made sure they came here. I had my picture taken with them – a really nice couple.”

Having run a business catering for the needs of so many for so long, it’s perhaps little surprise Maureen has fans across the globe.

She said: “Once when I was abroad in Miami, as we were going in the hotel, someone said: ‘That’s Maureen over there’. We had the same thing in Spain – I was looking in a window, and someone said ‘Hallo, Maur’. I can’t get away for ve minutes but it’s lovely when they give me a cuddle.”

Further change is on the horizon, as Poplar Harca refurbishes the market – an opportunity perhaps to enshrine local businesses like this.

With increasing business in the deliveries department, however, Maureen sees it as simply the passage of progress.

“We’ve got a lovely place and it all started with £100,” she said.

“We took a gamble when our partner took that second mortgage out and it paid off.

“To anyone thinking of starting a business I’d say you’ve got to work hard. But put it this way – I’ve had it good here all these years with so many lovely people coming into the shop.

“The East End is changing, it has a different way of carrying on. It’s a changing community here now with lots of different nationalities coming in, but they’re really nice

people. I’ve seen huge change in Poplar – a lot of the East Enders have moved out.

“I used to know everybody, but people die and people move on. I was 23 when I started the business and I’ll be 77 this year. And while the demand for eels is lower than it was, it’s still not bad.

“Years ago, pie and mash was cheap – working mothers used to give their kids a couple of bob and they used to come here.

“We used to have loads in and while they used to give the sh and chip shop lots of cheek, they’d come in here and I’d talk to them like adults. They were like little gentlemen for me.

“These days maybe pie and mash is seen as more of a treat than it was then.”

More unusual now, perhaps, that in an era of fried food and burger joints there’s still clearly a market and a place for a bright, clean shop selling a classic London staple for a price that will leave you change from £4.

Astonishing perhaps, that the cost isn’t higher given the sheer weight of history purchased with each plate. Maureen’s may not be the oldest shop of its kind in London, nor the most traditional in terms of decor, but it serves food that’s rich in soul, with a smile and an extra large splash of liquor.

Perhaps that’s why, in a changing world where the world’s foods are at the lips of Londoners’ within minutes should desire and a few strokes of the phone combine, that pies from Poplar are enduringly popular – cutting through like a good splash of homemade chilli vinegar.

Let’s hope the good cheer and welcoming nature of Maureen’s carries on for many years to come.

They’re so accommodating they’ll even serve a pie with gravy while smiling, if their customers absolutely insist.

For more information go to maureenspieandmash.co.uk

STAGE | Emerge Festival Shining a spotlight on emerging dance and physical theatre work, this two-week programme showcases 10 fresh, exciting works.

Until Mar 7, 8pm, £15, space.org.uk where?

Mthr Isle Of Dogs

MUSIC | DJ Reuben Why not combine the beats this master of the decks is spinning with a swift round of 2-4-1 drinks (selected beverages), available daily 5pm-7pm?

Fridays, 6.30pm, free for guests, mthrlondon.com where?

Poplar Union Poplar

MUSIC | Grand Union Re:Generation Band Join tabla maestro Yousuf Ali Khan for a day-long workshop aimed at those aged 12-18 designed to fuse the diverse sounds of the East End. Unify.

Feb 19, 10am-5pm, pay what you feel, poplarunion.com

to do before February 26

See Trickle Down: A New Vertical Sovereignty by artist Helen Knowles at Arebyte Gallery on London City Island until February 26. Drop a £1 coin in and watch a series of scenes of auctions. Runs noon-6pm arebyte.com

spot check worth a visit Check out UPT Fitness on the Isle Of Dogs for exercise, massage, Yoga Follow @uptfitness on Insta want more? @wharflifelive

48

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

£10

The cost of a ticket to Joygernaut at Canada Water Theatre, but what price kindness?

how Andy Craven-Griffiths drew on his life to create a play aimed at spreading some kindness

by Laura Enfield

I

t’s been Cool To Be Kind for a while now. But does putting the slogan on T-shirts and Instagram posts mean we’re getting better at it? What does it actually mean to be kind? And does it make us happier? Writer Andy Craven-Grifths is hoping to provide some of the answers with his rst play Joygernaut.

The one-man show, which he wrote and stars in, brings together 18 months of research into the psychology, sociology and biology of kindness, along with 1,000 stories of selflessness gathered from across the country.

It returns to the question made famous by Friends – is there such a thing as a truly altruistic act?

Are we really all there for each other like Chandler, Monica, Rachel, Ross, Joey and Phoebe, or just out for ourselves?

“The play came from a desire to argue against the idea that we are all red in tooth and claw and essentially sel sh, which seems to me to be the dominant ideology pushed by TV and advertising,” said Andy.

“The cult of the individual is rhetoric that allows and encourages people to behave badly and be sel sh, which is in the service of selling things – a capitalist ideology that’s been celebrated and accepted as the truth of how humans are.

“That wasn’t my experience.

I grew up in a family of seven siblings, ve of whom were adopted.

My mum doing that is one of the kindest things I can imagine.

“We also grew up having to share, so I saw proof of kindness all the time and felt how good it was to be kind.”

Born and raised in Leicester, the 36-year-old began performing spoken word poetry aged 19 and won Glastonbury Poetry Slam and BBC Radio Three’s Verb New Voices in 2016, which “pushed” him towards writing a play.

He started creating Joygernaut in early 2018 and has done a handful of shows

in Leicester, York and Nottingham to help re ne it.

He is now bringing the third and nal version to anada Water Theatre in Rotherhithe on February 27. It centres around an advertising executive beset by “toxic masculinity” and sel sh behaviour until a series of events changes his life.

Andy, a philosophy graduate, who is studying for a PhD in playwriting, said the work combined his creative talents with his scienti c view of life.

“I’m a scientist as well as an artist,” he said. “That’s how I understand the world. I did loads of research on psychology sociology and evolutionary biology and everything I found supported what I felt and had experienced growing up – that kindness is good for us.

“It improves your immune system and makes you healthier physically but also mentally. Our bodies have evolved for kindness.

“If you hug someone, it releases oxytocin, makes you more generous and likely to do more kind things.

“Happiness doesn’t come from the material gain we are all taught to seek.

“The American dream is based on getting more money, buying more stuff, getting above other people, but what makes us happy is human relationships.

“And I can’t see anything that makes us closer to people more uickly than selflessness.”

The idea of exploring the bene ts of kindness crystalised after he read Alan Watts’ The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, which Andy said talked about us all being “peaks in the same universal consciousness”. nother big influence was Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, which contains the Roman’s ideas on stoicism.

“The popular idea that it

means just grinning and bearing it is wrong,” said Andy. “It is a very joyful philosophy about your mind and the way you frame things being the one thing you can control – not the rest of the world.

If you try to do that you will fail and be unhappy.”

His process for creating Joygernaut included gathering 1,000 stories from the public about acts of kindness and cruelty.

They included a seven-year-old girl setting up a food bank at her school after seeing a mother only able to afford lunch for her son and a woman who, on nding a man collapsed by the canal, laid down in the mud with him to keep him warm until the paramedics arrived.

“Kindness is a complex and huge idea,” said Andy.

“Stories show people are more cynical than me but there’s hope because they want to believe in kindness.”

He also read up on psychology, sociology and evolu-

good for the sake of doing

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Rotherhithe - Deptford - Bermondsey

tionary biology to ensure his show was grounded in facts. I wanted to make something that argued for kindness but had none of the fluffy, hippy ideas that a lot of people who do believe in kindness subscribe to,” said Andy.

“I also didn’t want it to be a religious thing – be good and God will reward you. I’m an atheist and wasn’t buying that. I wanted to show that to be good was good in itself.”

These are ideas he rst started developing as lead singer of iddleman, a band formed in 2006 who were hailed as the next big thing. Their 2011 debut album produced the song Spinning Plates in which Andy talked about plans to do great things being stalled by the daily grind and said: “Just consuming’s not enough, I know there’s more to it”.

A quick Google reveals the band won the 2009 Futuresound competition, toured ermany and appeared at Reading Festival.

But they also had to deal with the darker side of the industry – a management deal gone bad and a second album that failed to make waves. Suddenly Andy’s quest for a more meaningful approach to life comes into sharp focus.

“The character in Joygernaut isn’t me,” he said. “ ut he is my view of the world and there are de nitely traits of mine in there.

“Part of the joy of writing is teaching myself because then I have a better chance of growing and changing.

“The play made it very obvious to me that I have always wanted to win, partly because of the rush but also because you are seen and probably valuable.

“Until writing this I had never boiled

“

I wanted to make something that argued for kindness but had none of the fluffy, hippy ideas that a lot of people who do believe in it subscribe to Andy Craven-Griffiths, playwright

it down to that – I just thought I wanted people to like me – but when I had that realisation it felt quite a small thing to want.

“In arguments, it would be more important to win than to nd an accord and move on.

“With rexit, most people who are arguing are doing it to prove to themselves they are right, not to improve things.

“There have been moments like that and then I’ve realised it doesn’t matter and questioned why I need others to admit I’m right?

“I have a perfectionism for the same reason of wanting to seem important to other people.

“But recognising that through the play has made it easier to let things go and be slightly less workaholic and more fun seeking.”

H

e has not worked with his bandmates for three years because he’s “been too busy” but would love to get back in the studio now they have all had a chance to mature.

“We probably will do stuff again,” said the eeds resident, who teaches creative writing and performance in schools.

“We got to the stage of doing live sessions for BBC Radio One and Six Music but it never got to the stage where we could quit our other jobs.

“We will probably do a third album which will be the best thing we have ever done because it has to be. We are all a lot more relaxed about it now because we have different life experiences.”

Moments such as playing at Maida Vale and South

by Southwest Festival and touring Germany with the band are among his career highlights.

“Stage diving onto thousands of people is something I will never forget and will always want more of,” said Andy. “But moments in my play where Andy’s play features an I feel genuinely connected are advertising executive beset better.

“It’s less by ‘toxic masculinity’ and adrenaline,

selfish behaviour until a

series of events changes his life

reworks and exploding colours and more alive. It’s the most real I ever felt. That feeling of being connected is something we can all access fairly easily if we are willing to be vulnerable.

“It happens outside of performance – when you fall in love and stay up all night telling each other secrets, when there’s a crisis and you help someone, or when you are kind.

“Being seen doesn’t have to come from being above others or achieving things.

“I’m not saying I didn’t try to do brilliant things but that an essential part of my happiness needs to come from connection to people.”

Andy said people often felt overwhelmed by bad news because humans had evolved to give negative things more priority.

“One of the most surprising things I discovered in my research was about why the worst sometimes seems worse than it is,” he said. “It’s because when good things happen they don’t require action.

“Our brains are evolved for ght or flight, so when something negative happens, adrenaline kicks in and we have to do something.

“People who didn’t prioritise negative things and respond would get eaten by a tiger or beaten by others. The ones who reacted passed on their genes.” e argues, however, that we can overcome this “natural instinct” by practising kindness.

“Linked to that is the neuroplasticity of the brain and reprogramming ourselves through repetition,” said ndy, who for the last two and a half years, has written down ve or six acts of kindness from each day and stored them in jars.

“It makes the good more visible to us because we learn to expect and see it more. I feel how much more quickly it changes my mood and clari es my thoughts.

“Early on I was faking it because I wasn’t in the habit of spotting all the good things. Now it’s a lot easier and switches my mood a lot more uickly.”

He added: “We would all love to wake up every day and naturally feel good and be happy but, for me, it’s not that easy. Partly it’s fully accepting I need to do a certain amount of work to maintain a happy disposition. I also read the right things and do yoga, meditation.

“That stuff makes me happier for more of the day rather than just looking forward to a Friday night.

That’s a poor way to live your life.”

Joygernaut is set to be performed at Canada Water Theatre on February 27 at 8pm. Tickets cost £10.

Open mic sessions will take place in the cafe before the show from 6.45pm led by poet Tyrone Lewis.

Go to thealbany.org.uk for more information

14 days later

plan your life from Feb 26-Mar 11 where?

Canada Water Theatre Rotherhithe

MUSIC | CLS The Maple Tree Members of The City Of London Sinfonia offer a short, relaxed concert inspired by soaring birds, great trees, buzzing bees and warm firesides.

Feb 28, 1.30pm, pay-as-thou-wilt, thealbany.org.uk where?

Deptford Cinema Deptford

FILM | Bonsai Based on poet Aljandro Zambra’s novel, this drama is laden with melancholy and romance as a South American Buster Keaton explores first love.

Mar 4, 8pm, £6, deptfordcinema.org where?

Finnish Church Rotherhithe

GIG | Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno The Newcastle-based Kenyan musician brings the instruments and sounds of East Africa to the peninsula for an evening of traditional music.

Mar 5, 6.30pm, £14, tunedin.london

to do before February 26

Join Tricity Vogue at The Albany for Cabaret Playroom on February 25 – a festival of miniature guitars, exotic artists and unexpected acts. Starts at 8pm, pay-as-thouwilt shall be the whole of the law thealbany.org.uk

spot check worth a visit Sample a Halo Burger at Butlers Wharf Chop House, available until February 24 chophouse-restaurant.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

how Josie Long’s latest show sprung from her positive birth experience and being a parent

by Laura Enfield

B

eing a working mum is an intense juggling act.

I know because I have a 14-month-old and a constantly shifting list of chores in my head. So the fact Josie Long wrote her new show Tender while her daughter was around the same age as mine, is impressive.

“Thank you, I really appreciate that,” said the stand-up cheerily, despite being awoken at 6am that morning by her now 20-month-old who insisted it was time to get up.

“It was a really particular time when I still felt I was in the maternity space, sleep-deprived and still breastfeeding and fraught and tense. I wish I’d written down more speci cally what happened when – but in that sense, the show is good because it is re-enacting stuff.”

Coming to Blackheath Halls on March 14, Tender aims to reveal the intense exultation she felt at becoming a parent coupled with her fears about climate change.

“It’s about how you bring someone into the world when everyone around you is telling you it’s the end of the world – so it’s cheery,” said Josie.

“What I wanted to capture is that when you rst have a baby your heart is blown so wide open and you are so vulnerable and tender and fragile and anxious.

“You are in a bubble that’s so small and the emotions are so heightened but also the last couple of years I have been thinking about climate change and there is this massive chaos outside.

“It’s trying to reconcile with both those things and get a path through that’s got a bit of positivity and joy in it.”

The start of her journey was something of a shock itself, revealed the Sidcup born stand-up who took to the stage at 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17.

“I was planning to become a mum but a year later than it happened,” said the 37-year-old.

“My partner and I moved in together in the middle of 2017 and decided to start trying in a year’s time. I knew it might take a while and wanted to just enjoy that year

900

Young people have been mentored

by Arts Emergency, the London-based charity Josie co-founded in 2013

inspired by motherhood

Josie Long is coming to Blackheath Halls on March 14 with new comedy show Tender

Image by Giles Smith

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Greenwich - Peninsula - Woolwich

“It’s wonderful to be around someone who is so excited to be here.

“I’d be happy for her to watch a recording of this show when she’s older because it is a very loving show and is about trying to cope with how much love and care I feel in the face of big scary global events and politics.

“Before, I was concerned about climate change but, since having her, I’m obsessed.”

Even before becoming a mum Josie was trying to make the world a better place for the next generation with charity Arts Emergency. o founded with eil ri ths in 2013, it aims to help young people overcome barriers to participation and success in higher education and the creative and cultural industries.

“It is just going from strength to strength,” said Josie, who will be actively collecting donations for

“

Birth isn’t a nightmare.

It can be difficult and complicated but it’s a thing people do because they are champions

Josie started doing stand-up comedy when she was 14 the charity while on tour. It’s gone from mentoring for eight young people to 900, from one college to about 40, mostly in London and from the two of us to 11 members of staff.

“In the next ve years we will roll out to more cities with the goal to mentor 4,000 students. So it’s just building and building and I’m really proud of it.

“It is based on a really clear, important idea, which is that the cultural sector in this country is dominated by people from one background – the wealthiest – and that doesn’t make the best art and is a chronic, massive waste of the most talented people in our society.

“The only way we will change that is from the ground up so we want to create an alternative old boy’s network.

“We have about 7,000 people in it as it stands and they are there for the young people, to answer

14 days later

plan your life from Feb 26-Mar 11 where?

Bathway Theatre Woolwich

Josie Long, comedian

Image by Idil Sukan Draw

of freedom. The next week I got pregnant. It was so harsh.

“I felt thrilled but daunted. It was like being in the centre of a hurricane and you are just trying to work out what’s going on as well as weathering it.

“I have polycystic ovaries and was always told it would be super hard to conceive and might not happen. So I think I got a bit lax.

But basically, don’t trust an app if it says you are only fertile in a certain week.”

Josie, who has lived in Hackney for the last 13 years, also said not to trust society’s image of a woman brimming with health while cradling her baby bump.

“I hated being pregnant the whole time,” she said. “I felt like I had been conned by culture – told I would be glowing and having cakes and I was so grumpy and annoyed.”

In contrast she found the birth an amazing experience, quite unlike the stereotype of women panting and screaming in agony.

“When I was younger I’d only seen male comedians slagging off birth and I wanted to redress that a bit and share my experience in a joyful way,” said Josie, who used a technique called hypnobirthing before and during labour and eased the pressure of contractions by relaxing in a pool.

“I had a really positive birth and came away feeling really empowered and not at all traumatised,” said the three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee “When you get pregnant people run up to you and take great joy in telling you how awful it will be and how you won’t be able to cope with the pain.

“Actually birth isn’t a nightmare.

It can be di cult and complicated but it’s a thing people do because they are champions and I was proud of myself and felt incredible.

“Everyone who gives birth should feel like a fucking lion afterwards.”

Josie and partner Jonny Donahoe performed a comedy show about becoming parents in 2018 which they subsequently turned into a podcast, Josie And Jonny Are Having a Baby (With You!).

The mum-of-one confessed she was so busy preparing to push her daughter out she forgot to read any parenting books and still hasn’t because “who has time?”.

But she said her philosophy on raising her daughter is to “cuddle and love her a lot and pay her attention”.

Josie said she’s tried to make the show interesting for even those who don’t have or want kids while respecting her daughter’s privacy.

“I de nitely thought about which lines I didn’t want to cross. I would never share my daughter’s name or photo but I do share some stuff, little things she does.

questions and give them opportunities to ensure they can build a career and have the chances that their privileged counterparts get.

“We have had people go to elite universities and start their careers in journalism and a board member who went through the mentoring and now works at a prestigious literary agency in London. We are gradually in ltrating the cultural sector and that will only increase.” osie is mostly hands off with the charity these days, as her time is generally spent looking after her daughter.

She developed Tender in an “intense” two-week period last summer while battling sleep deprivation – the “worst part of parenting”.

“It has been brutal but I think it’s helped the show because it’s about that intense, utterly odd and weird feeling – like you are clinging on to the day, to a semblance of normality, when you haven’t slept for more than 45 minutes at a time in two months.”

On the plus side, becoming a mum has made her a much more con dent performer.

“I think it’s because childbirth is so big and I came out of it feeling like I could do anything,” said Josie, whose dream audience would be a group of new mums out for the rst time, drunk on half a glass of wine.

“Looking after someone day to day does breed con dence and that grows the more that you do it.

“There was a period when I was scared about whether anyone would listen and if I could cope.

“But what’s great about stand-up is it changes with you.

Whatever you are thinking and feeling, you bring to the stage and can perform like that.

“I remember a gig recently – some people were being dicks in the back and I dealt with them really swiftly and said I wasn’t having any of their nonsense.

“Everything is tempered now by the fact I’m a mother. I’m tired, I have no time to deal with this shit.”

Josie Long: Tender is set to be performed at Blackheath Halls on March 14 at 8pm. Tickets cost £16 Go to blackheathhalls.com or josielong.com for more information

STAGE | The Man Who Left Is Not...

The Man Who Came Home presents theatregoers with a story of resilience, hope and change based on interviews with soldiers and their wives.

Mar 3, 8pm, £13.50, greenwichtheatre.org.uk where?

The O2 Arena Peninsula

GIG | The Script The Irish alt-pop trio are back with themes of hope and positivity on their Sunsets And Full Moons tour supported by Becky Hill inside the tent.

Feb 29, 6.30pm, from £29.50, theo2.co.uk where?

Cutty Sark Greenwich

STAGE | I, Elizabeth This new play, written and performed by Rebecca Vaughan examines the woman behind the crown and is staged inside the hull of the famous ship.

Mar 5, 7.20pm, £17, rmg.co.uk

to do before February 26

See Mark Farrelly in The Silence Of Snow at Greenwich Theatre on February 21 – a kinetic show examining the dazzling success and chaos of playwright Patrick Hamilton’s life as his world collapses. Doors 7.45pm, £16 greenwichtheatre.org

spot check worth a visit Find The Gentleman Baristas in Icon at The O2 for tasty food and coffee thegentlemanbaristas.com want more? @wharflifelive

52

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

how hospitality specialist Keith Prowse can still secure grandstand seating with its racing packages

by Jon Massey

W

e all know the “E” in Formula E stands for “electric”. But as I chat to Nick Gratwick, it quickly becomes clear it may just as well stand for “excitement”.

The head of events and development at hospitality specialist Keith Prowse is responsible for putting together high-end packages to satisfy fans of the sport and ensure all those who sample them go home thrilled. It’s a role he’s relishing.

“I’m massively excited – you can probably tell from how I’m talking,” said Nick. “We develop new products all the time and to see customers going into those environments is so rewarding.

“We start by brainstorming and end up with far too much content so we have to make sure we understand the demographic we’re pitching to and that we’re giving them what they want. It’s also about ensuring we’ve got room to grow.”

While this is the rst time eith Prowse has worked with Formula E, it’s well known in the capital for its offerings at Wimbledon and Twickenham, for example, and has a background in Formula One hospitality.

With standard grandstand tickets sold out for the two-day London E-Prix at Excel – set to take place on July 25 and 26 – its packages are the only way to catch the action. While its offer includes the ultra luxury oss Emotion Club for £1,850 plus tax, Nick is especially keen to showcase its other options.

“We’ve developed two other concepts, both located in Excel’s Platinum Suite, which will be renamed the Boulevard Suite for Formula E,” he said. “The rst is the nergy oom – it’s your base for the day and it’s absolutely ideal.

“We envisage customers coming in there, to have the food and drink offer and to unwind. It’s buffet driven because of the nature of the sport.

“There are so many different races throughout the day, so we want to give people the freedom to go backwards and forwards as many times as they want and always have something on offer some really decent drinks and food.

“Guests can sit in the space with like-minded people and there will be

2

Days of action as Formula E completely fills Excel in Royal Docks over a July weekend

races ready for the

The Formula E London E-Prix will see drivers tackle a course that winds its way around and then inside Excel on July 25 and 26

An artist’s impression of the Energy Room facility that will be created at Excel for Formula E

Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

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Royal Docks - Canning Town

Keith Prowse head of events and development Nick Gratwick

a bit of a buzz about it too. We’ll be doing quite a bit in terms of adding interest to the rooms, whether it will be content from drivers or information on races past.

“It should really speak to those people who are really engaged with the sport or who want a taster of what it’s all about. The great thing about this is also that we’ve managed to obtain amazing grandstand seats for Energy Room guests – they’ll see drivers come shooting out of the pits and straight into the rst two turns.

“Guests will walk over a small link bridge, so you’ll walk over the track and into their seats. The seating will all be inside Excel, so it doesn’t matter if it rains – having this in an indoor arena is going to be quite powerful.”

Keith Prowse is also keen to tap into the high level of interest among younger people – something Formula E has actively driven by hooking up the races to social media, for example.

Nick said: “The next level up is our Hub Package. Guests will walk in, there will be a live DJ and, although you can imagine it will quite dark in the room, we’re going to uplight it and downlight it with funky colours – it’s going to feel alive.

“We’re going to put a bit of a tunnel going in, which you walk through,

the packages

hospitality at Formula E Keith Prowse is offering a range of hospitality packages for the London E-Prix at Excel on July 25 and 26. Prices exclude VAT and are single day rates per person ● Boss Emotion Club places include all day fine dining, complimentary drinks, a pit lane walk, garage tours and designated premium trackside viewing - £1,850 ● The Hub Package embraces the family friendly nature of Formula E with each adult guest able to bring a child aged three-15 at no extra cost. The space features grazing food stations, afternoon snacks, a drinks reception, a complimentary bar, grandstand seats overlooking a chicane, gaming stations and interviews by celebrity guest presenter Jake Humphrey - £495 ● The Energy Room Package offers guests a healthy and informal space to refuel and unwind over the course of the event with a two-course buffet, complimentary drinks, grandstand seating with views of the pre-grid show and the pit lane exit - £295

“

We have to make sure we understand the demographic we’re pitching to and that we’re giving them what they want

14 days later

plan your life from Feb 26-Mar 11 where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

Nick Gratwick, Keith Prowse

and there will be portraits of all the different drivers. The music will be high and you’ll feel the anticipation, the buzz. Then we’re putting in different elements, such as a car that will sit in the centre.

“People who are technical will want to get an understanding of the technical parts of that, or of the race, we’ve got something for them.

“We’re also promoting hospitality for children – saying that these two things are not mutually exclusive – so we’re doing a package where people can buy one adult space and they can bring in an under-15 at no extra cost.

“It will be child-friendly but there will be a competitive edge.

For example, there might be some simulators so we can have a bit of competition. If I took my son along, I’d race him and we’d chalk up lap times.

“We’re also having a host here as well and we’ve ust con rmed T presenter Jake Humphrey who’ll do some compering in the room “We’re trying to create something for everybody. Part of my job is making sure that throughout the day we’re constantly changing and doing something slightly different so that we’re keeping people engaged.

“Early morning when they arrive, they can grab breakfast, grab their tickets and go and have a look in the llian illage the exhibition that runs alongside Formula E. “When they come back, we might change the music and have different people being interviewed

by Jake on-stage – technical people or celebrities. There’s going to be a bar, there’s going to be food and there’s the opportunity to roam around as well.

“There’s nothing quite like this currently on the market. It’s the best of both worlds – you don’t have a lot of formality as it’s the weekend and that’s a big trend with all sports at the moment.

“We say to guests: ‘Here’s your itinerary, you come back as many times as you want, spend as much or as little time in this space as you want, but there’s going to be something changing and evolving all the time, which we hope will captivate you’.” ccess to the llian illage is included in all packages.

Go to keithprowse.co.uk or call 020 8843 7699 for more details of the packages on offer. Go to fiaformulae.com for more on Formula E

EVENT | The Baby Show The biggest event of its kind sees more than 200 brands exhibiting as they display their wares for an wave of new mums, dads and their charges.

Feb 28-Mar 1, 9.30am, £17.50, excel.london where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

EVENT | Futurebuild 2020 A showcase of innovation in the built environment, this event brings together 27,000 people in an effort to be a catalyst for change.

Mar 3-5, 10am, free (registration), excel.london where?

RA Fold Canning Town

CLUB | 10 Years Of Neighbourhood Celebrate a decade in the game with DVS1, Freddy K, Grain, Tasha b2b, Alienata and Cadans at an event set to run all through the night.

Feb 29, 11pm, from £18, residentadvisor.net

to do before February 26

Don your best cosplay (or don’t) and pop over to FanFest London 2020 at Excel from February 22-23 for a host of celebs and like-minded people championing whatever they’re into. Doors 10.30am, from £25 excel.london

spot check worth considering Apply for a London City Airport Community Fund grant by April 24 londoncityairport.com want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

Advertising Directory

find our advertisers’ messages here Chase Evans print Pages 1, 38, 39 online chaseevans.co.uk

Telford Homes print Page 25 online telfordhomes.london

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Vantage Properties And Management print Page 24 online vantage-uk.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. Copyright Massey Maddison Limited 2020

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Stratford - Bow - Hackney Wick

14 days later

plan your life from Feb 26-Mar 11 where?

Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford

STAGE | I Think We Are Alone Frantic Assembly celebrate their 25th anniversary with a delicate, bitter sweet play about our fragility, resilience and the need for love and forgiveness.

Until Mar 21, times vary, from £10, stratfordeast.com

Still I Rise is performed by an all-female cast and channels Maya Angelou

diary dates for Stratford Circus shows and events

by Jon Massey

new season

A

s 2020 gets into its stride, arts centre Stratford Circus has unveiled its spring and summer season, so we thought we’d pull out a few dates for organised readers to put in their diaries.

Stratford Circus director Tania Wilmer said: “From theatre to cabaret to a pop-up shop that supports the grief processes, this season demonstrates the breadth of our programme at Stratford Circus Arts Centre.

“We’re proud to be presenting such a variety of high quality performances and artistic experiences in collaboration with a range of artists and companies that people of all ages and interests can enjoy.”

WHARF LIFE’S TOP PICKS Madam Butterfly February 18, 7pm Opera Up Close transpose Puccini’s classic to 1980s Japan and retell the story from the perspective of an east Asian woman My Mother Said I Never Should March 6-7, various times Billed as a moving and funny exploration of the lives of four generations of women in one family, Fingersmiths present this play in British Sign Language and spoken English Still I Rise March 11, 7pm This call to arms by Tribe is performed

where?

Stratford Circus Stratford

KIDS | Igloo Kids aged up to three are invited to join Ira and Sadie as they attempt to build an igloo without any snow. Performance lasts 30 minutes plus play.

Feb 28-29, times vary, from £8, stratford-circus.com

by an all-female cast and channels the resilient, unapologetic nature of the iconic poem by Maya Angelou through dance, pounding beats and stirring classical arias Dust March 28, 11am and 2pm One for kids aged four-nine, Half Moon Theatre and Z-Arts present this joyous reminder about just how playful the world can be Rendezvous In Bratislava April 23-24, 7pm Dynamite Island traces connections across national, historical and political borders via contemporary cabaret performances and live music from a five -piece band

where?

The Nunnery Bow

MAKE | Letterpress Printing Workshop Join Russell Frost – the founder of east Londonbased Hooksmith Press and learn to set words by hand using beautiful wooden type.

Mar 10, 6.30pm, free drop in, bowarts.org

to do before February 26

Meet Me A Tree May 12-13, 11am and 3pm This multi-sensory journey by Hurly Burly takes kids aged two and under through a year in the life of a tree, with song and relaxing music This Grief Thing June 17-28, noon-6pm, 10am–5pm Sat At a time when many people find death almost impossible to talk about, This Grief Thing aims to open up conversations about loss with a temporary shop on Stratford High Street hosting “grief gatherings” and offering pay what you decide items for sale. Entry is free – people are encouraged to just drop in Go to stratford-circus.com for more information, prices or to make a booking

ParaPride invites everyone to participate in LGBT+ History Month Takeover at Stratford Circus on February 21 for a gender-bending showcase of disabled, queer performers hosted by Son Of A Tutu. Doors 7pm, £13 stratford-circus.com

spot check worth a visit Check out the food at recently opened Figo in Stratford – lunch for £7.90 figorestaurant.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Feb 12-26, 2020 wharf-life.com

SUDOKU

Crossword - Sudoku

Easy

1

Previous solution - Very Hard

7 5 3 4 8 2 9 6 1 Sudoku 9 a4break 2 from 7 1 that 6 phone 5 3 8 Take 8 6 1 5 9 3 7 4 2 How 6 to9 play 5 8 3 7 2 1 4 To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 4 such 1 5 6 row, 8 7column and 3x3 box one3 to2nine that9each contains every number uniquely.

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

2 5

5 7

3 7 7

4

6 8 9

1 8 8 5

4 2

8 8

7 9 3 4

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

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

Notes

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

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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

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Irritable if made to go inside to give evidence (7) Sayings of modern times (6) Try to make a little yarn go a long way? (4, 3) Weaken the spirit (6) They don’t play principal parts (6) Thoughtless advice to those who are overworried (8) narrow de le left for getting from one country to another (8) Equip a girl with ships (6) Friend tucked in, showing relish (6) A dramatic attempt to include the elderly (7) Stern test or transaction (6) Is present and listens (7)

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Didn’t lack a place to land sh They suit their customers (7) Learnt, perhaps, what the charge for hiring is (6) Hip seams split by stress (8) It’s not hard to hold out (6) Sources of print? (6) Expressed at even greater length (8) Turned to trade, perhaps (7) High church feature (7) Where the Ark went fast (6) Chew up a thousand sh Most air services provide these flights

Quick Across 4.

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Entertaining (7) Hebrew prophet (6) Grain-store (7) Deprived (6) Unfold (6) Located (8) Armed force (8) Charge (6) Famish (6) rmy o cer Manipulate (6) Liberate (7)

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Prolix (7) Oscillate (7) alm bre Robber (8) Tendons (6) Usual (6) Tautens (8) Astraddle (7) Came in (7) Summon (6) Enthusiasm (6) Ceremony (6)

Across: 4 Amusing; 8 Elijah; 9 Granary; 10 Bereft; 11 Unwrap; 12 Situated; 18 Garrison; 20 Onrush; 21 Starve; 22 Colonel; 23 Handle; 24 Release Down: 1 Verbose; 2 Vibrate; 3 Raffia; 5 Marauder; 6 Sinews; 7 Normal; 13 Tightens; 14 Astride; 15 Entered; 16 Invoke; 17 Furore; 19 Ritual.

Across

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

Cryptic Solution

Cryptic

beating the

Across: 4 Testify; 8 Adages; 9 Spin out; 10 Dilute; 11 Agents; 12 Careless; 18 Passport; 20 Armada; 21 Palate; 22 Tragedy; 23 Ordeal; 24 Attends.

Down: 1 Haddock; 2 Tailors; 3 Rental; 5 Emphasis; 6 Tender; 7 Founts; 13; Expanded; 14 Rotated; 15 Steeple; 16 Ararat; 17 Mangle; 19 Stairs.

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

Quick Solution

No. 927