Wharf Life July 3

+ Yogesh Patel clears up the issues around ground rent Page 4

Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

inside

as Crosstown Doughnuts begins its sweet assault on the Wharf’s tastebuds, we talk flavour with founder JP Then

London Craft Beer Festival Stratford Summer Screen Landmark Pinnacle The Blair Academy Greenwich Market London Bubble Telford Homes Keith Prowse Ryan Savage Third Space Farmstand Launch22 Madison Refinitiv Puzzles

treat pick up a

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

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read

fortnightly find

this issue’s Tiger Treasure

14 days later

plan your life from Jul 17-31 where?

Canada Square Park Canary Wharf

GIG | Nashville Meets London Headlined by Lauren Alaina, the county music festival is back in the square, so get those cowboy boots dusted off and polish your stetson.

Jul 27, 2pm-10pm, free, canarywharf.com

feast your eyes on these

Peer over the top, bring text into focus or even open your own optician – Tiger has gone for reading glasses in a big way. There are cheeful plastic frames in a wide variety of styles and colours to suit whatever outfit you’re wearing, usually with a selection of strengths to fit your prescription Reading Glasses, £4 Go to uk.flyingtiger.com

04

Farmstand’s sausage and egg bagel costs

Just how tough is working out with Owen Farrell at Third Space?

£4.25 with ketchup

where?

Westferry Circus Canary Wharf

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STAGE | Outdoor Theatre Sit in the middle of a roundabout, eat a picnic and watch free theatre, namely The Legend Of King Arthur (22nd) and Much Ado About Nothing (29th) Jul 22, 29, 7pm, free, canarywharf.com

Catching up with JP Then as Crosstown Doughnuts opens up

where?

Cabot Square Canary Wharf

EAT | Lunchtime Street Food From July 18 to September 5, there will be a weekly street food market in Cabot Square with 15 different traders from Karousel plying their treats.

Thursdays, 11am-3pm, free to visit, canarywharf.com

to do before July 17

Join a free, three-hour Wildlife Photography Masterclass with acclaimed snapper Nick Dale, brush up on your techniques and maybe create entries for Canary Wharf’s Wildlife Photography Competition. July 12, 10am-1pm canarywharf.com

sausage and egg bagel

Farmstand, Cabot Place

The Canary Wharf branch of Farmstand has emerged from behind its hoardings following a brief interlude in service and is back with a breakfast menu from £2.99 and a lunch menu based around a box concept where customers pick a base, a main and two sides from £6.95.

I was in the mood for a bagel when we swung by, however, and the egg and sausage with Farmstand ketchup proved the greatest temptation.

Opting to have it comprehensively toasted, the result was a warm, almost crispy breakfast sandwich.

While the eggs were a little dry and its creator had been a little easy on the sauce, the whole affair was made more than worth it by the presence of the rich, flavourful sausages.

Juicy, spiced and perfect to fill an early morning hole with some protein on the side.

Wharf Life Tip: Say you’re “a Farmstander” at the till when purchasing on or before July 7 and you’ll get 50% off food in celebration of its reopening.

Go to farmstand.co.uk Jon Massey

get in touch

correct us

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

we want to hear from you

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Refinitiv leads the way as a sustainable partner to CWG

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 42

need something fixed?

Visit Secret Rivers at the Musuem Of London Docklands for free museumoflondon.org.uk

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 diary date

Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

on the radar

doing the deals

hit the Wharf’s malls and restaurants for less

need to know

50%

Prepare to throw some shapes, swing, paso doble and quickstep as Crossrail Place Roof Garden plays host to Dance Fever on August 2, 9, 16 and 23 at 12.30pm, 5.30pm and 7pm– the free sessions will include tuition and hands-on practice canarywharf.com

42 Isn’t it time you got into lawn bowls? Fortunately Festibowl is set to arrive in Montgomery Square from August 6-23 offering an accelerated version of the classic game intended to appeal to a younger audience. Bookings for four people and up festibowl.co.uk

Selected lines at Calvin Klein Underwear are up to half price off at its Cabot Place store as its summer sale gets into full swing. Time for some new smalls? calvinklein.co.uk

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Get £8 off entry to the London Craft Beer Festival in Wapping

How Ryan Savage can help you achieve the fitness goals you want

50% 50

How Charlie Blair is combatting loneliness by bringing hip-hop dance to new audiences following her win in UEL’s E-Factor competition

Another summer sale – this time it’s perfume store Miller Harris in Cabot Place, which is offering up to half price discounts on selected fragrances millerharris.com

Live action theatre in the Gin Garden Food available £16 + admin fee

Friday 12th & 19th July Tickets available online www.thegundocklands.com

27 Coldharbour, Coldharb rrbour, rr, London, E14 9NS gun.events@fullers.co.uk gun.eve vvents tts@ @ffu fulll ers r .co.uk rs 0207 519 0075 7 75

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legal matters

by Yogesh Patel

Q H

I’m considering purchasing a leasehold property but I’m unclear on what ground rent is. Can you enlighten me?

istorically, ground rents would not have been the subject of much contention, if any. It was usually a fixed term contained in a lease stipulating a relatively low or nominal sum paid by a leaseholder to a freeholder (also known as a peppercorn rent when the ground rent is zero) representative of the value of the ground that was being let.

This position has changed in recent years and we now see leases containing clauses that result in rent escalation at certain intervals or increases in accordance with a particular formula and index linked to the Retail Performance Indicator for inflation.

Some leases may even stipulate a doubling of ground rent every 10 years. These types of rent-escalation provisions are usually found in leases for new-build properties and can result in leaseholders being locked into paying onerous and – at times - crippling sums of money.

There are various adverse consequences of stark increases in ground rents and having them at high levels. Some leaseholders may find their properties are rendered unsaleable as many lenders refuse to grant mortgages where there are unreasonable ground rent provisions within a lease.

“

What you can do Until the Government has finalised its proposals for reform in this area – bearing in If you have a doubling mind that reforms may not be retrospective – if ground rent clause in you have a doubling your lease, you could ground rent clause in your lease, you could appeal to the good appeal to the good nature of the freeholder nature of the freeholder or developer or developer and ask for the clause Yogesh Patel, Kidd Rapinet to be removed or varied by deed.

A clause that stipulates that ground rent should rise against RPI is much more favourable than a doubling clause, for example.

Prevention is better than the cure As the age-old saying goes: “Prevention is indeed better than the cure.” If you are buying a leasehold property, your solicitor has a duty to advise you on the terms contained within the lease and their effect. If your solicitor also acts for your lender, they must also report to the lender on whether any increases in ground rent may materially affect the value of the property.

When we are instructed on a purchase, we carry out a robust and thorough analysis of the terms contained within a prospective buyer’s lease and provide a written report containing a clear breakdown of what it all means for the buyer. As a result, our prospective purchasers are fully advised on what they are entering into and are equipped with all the information to make an informed choice.

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

Minutes Owen’s workout lasts when using the facilities at The Yard in Third Space

England Rugby captain Owen Farrell has teamed up with Third Space to create a workout ahead of the World Cup, which starts in September

push it’s time to

yourself

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Canary Wharf

by Jon Massey

T

hird Space bills itself as more than just a gym.

While the extensive, luxurious facilities at its expansive Canary Wharf branch make that an obvious point, it’s also true in a deeper sense. As a brand designed to appeal to those who want the very best in health and fitness, it’s able to offer its members access to expertise and insight at the very top.

Little surprise then, that its latest collaboration is with a man who fits that bill ahead of the Rugby World Cup. Having played for England since 2012, he was named captain of the national side last year.

Working in collaboration with elite trainer and former rugby pro Luke Worthington, Owen has created a workout for The Yard at Third Space and my companion and I had the chance to try it out in a class setting under the gaze of arguably the best player in the world.

Intended to give a flavour of the sort of training the fly-half and sometime inside centre does to support his uncompromising game, which is all physicality, big hits and unrelenting forward movement, the high-intensity class started with a warm up.

Under the supportive guidance of master trainers Luke Barnsley and Kate Maxey we squatted, jogged on the spot and made planks on command until joints were lubricated and the blood was flowing.

Then it was straight into sets of kettlebell exercises broken up with various lunges and yet more planks.

Having only a single class at Third Space under my belt, I’d opted for what I’d assumed would be unchallenging weight. And while I did manage around 70% of the reps (by any reasonably gener-

pump up

exercise regime Can you handle Owen’s punishing workout? ● Kettlebell goblet squat, three sets 10 reps ● Kettlebell deadlift, three sets, 10 reps ● Reverse kettlebell lunge, three sets, 10 reps ● Single-leg kettlebell deadlift, three sets, 10 reps ● Assault bike, three sets, 15Kcals ● Sled push (pictured), 30kg , 20m, three sets

ous estimation), within 10 minutes the sweat was pouring.

Each return to the floor for a plank felt like a blessed relief, broken only by Luke’s cheerful countdown to the next punishing set. Yet, seemingly possessed, I found my body obeying, as Kate expertly worked her way up and down the participants correcting form here and offering encouragement there. Owen got involved too, demonstrating the moves and giving advice.

With the first section over, we were split into teams – I was named captain, obviously an administrative error and a title that turned out to be largely ceremonial.

Perhaps Luke took pity on me, placing Owen on my team for the final third of the workout.

The collective goal was to burn as many calories as possible with participants alternating between furiously pedalling on the assault bikes and pushing weighted sleds 20m and back.

All strategy went out of the window as soon as we started, with my companion on the bike and myself, another team member tackling the sled and Owen offering moral support.

Hitting the uprights of the weighted metal carriage initially turned out to be OK. Up the course I went and then back at respectable speed.

But after a stint on the bike things became much tougher. My speed decreased exponentially until my final push was barely at crawling pace.

Watching Owen breezily dash up and down the track propelling the sled before him multiple times as though it were on ice was a clear indication of his condition. Insight into the levels of training needed to sustain a career as a sportsman in peak condition, perhaps.

His efforts probably tipped the balance in our favour as my team was named victorious – but in truth we’d all achieved what we’d set out to. Though I knew my body had gone far beyond its comfort zone, the burst of euphoria was immense, enhanced significantly with a post-workout protein shake from Third Space’s on-site branch of Natural Fitness Food.

As the life-giving liquid slipped down, it was an opportunity to reflect. There’s a reason why the club is so popular. Not only is it the breadth of the facilities – climbing wall, swimming pool, a wealth of fitness equipment – it’s the warmth of Luke’s greeting in The Yard, the positive atmosphere and the feeling everyone wants you to reach your goals.

Membership at Third Space starts at £153 per month.

Go to thirdspace.london for more information or to arrange a tour of the club’s facilities

Owen’s workout involves kettlebell exercises and conditioning work with the assault bike and a weighted sled

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

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10k

Number of doughnuts Crosstown produces and sells on a daily basis in London

by Jon Massey

E

JP co-founded Crosstown Doughnuts in 2014 and has just opened a branch in Canary Wharf’s Jubilee Place

Images by Holly Cant – find more of her work at hollycant.com or via @hollycantphoto on Insta

dinburgh-born, Australia raised JP Then comes with a quiff of epic proportion, a twang in his accent and an infectious smile. Even though I catch him early on a riday morning a few days before the opening of the th branch of Crosstown Doughnuts in Canary Wharf’s ubilee lace, he appears full of energy, life filling his face as he talks about the brand he cofounded.

E cept his original intention wasn’t to sell doughnuts at all.

I had this idea of doing something with specialty coffee, so I did quite an elaborate business plan, said .

I was lucky to meet some very interesting and successful people along the way.

One of those was future business partner and co-founder Adam Wills – one of three men who created Gourmet Burger Kitchen in .

I met Adam in , said .

We got along really, really well.

Over the course of about a year, we got to know each other and what started as a concept about specialty coffee morphed into what is now rosstown.

“It was about what could we pair with speciality coffee – where we saw a gap in the market as well. And that was coffee and doughnuts.

What really sparked me doing that business plan was a trip to ew ork. It’s an ama ing city, very vibrant, with a huge amount of energy, and there were a few concepts there about coffee, but I ended up leaning towards the rosstown idea.

Frankly bored by a job as an economist in risbane, he moved to London and worked in business consultancy and brand strategy for a fashion label before deciding to create a business.

I’m not a baker by trade – I did economics and finance at university, said . I founded the company because I wanted to do something different. I was never quite satisfied being an employee.

We started in , when myself and Adam, the two founders, opened up as a market stall, in eather ane up in arringdon. uckily enough, people really liked our handmade doughnuts.

They are all about quality – everything’s handmade at our bakery, all the ams, compotes, gla es and fillings. Everything’s done from scratch.

The real point of difference about rosstown is that it’s a premium product and a great eating e perience.

If we had to try to summarise

Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

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Canary Wharf

hole filling a

in the market

as Crosstown Doughnuts opens its doors on the Wharf we talk tech and coffee with co-founder JP Then what it was that we started, it’s about having a moment away from the madness – a great eating experience not only for yourself, but also to share. That’s why we do boxes, which are really popular with the o ces and that’s one of the big reasons why we’re opening in Canary Wharf as we already know we have a great potential customer base here.” branding up “My experience in brand strategy informed the business in a huge way,” said JP. “We do everything in-house, so the branding is done by us – I designed the logo.

“I’m not a trained graphic designer, but I’m into Illustrator, and I came up with the brand and its identity. It hasn’t changed one bit since we started it and it’s really interesting we haven’t had to do a re-brand.

“The way we split the business is that we co-run it. Adam is very much the guy who has the expertise in the product, the bakery, the operations and we co-manage the headquarters and the o ce.

“My role is anything that touches the consumer – retail, digital and brand. It was never planned like that – we never set out to take on defined roles.

“At the start you just do absolutely anything and everything, but we obviously play to our strengths.

“

If I had to try to summarise what it was that we started, it’s about having a moment away from the madness JP Then, Crosstown Doughnuts

“Adam has a huge reputation in the food industry. He’s been in London for more than 20 years – that’s his expertise.

“I’m really lucky that I have a business partner with such strong relationships to create this with.

“We’re on a journey together, and you have to lean on each other a huge amount, particularly as you try to re-invent yourself, however many times a month, to keep up with what the consumer wants, which is probably the biggest challenge – how quickly the food industry changes.

“I remember when it was innovative to accept contactless payments on the market stall – that was amazing. Now we have shops that are cashless.” fulfilling expectations “Canary Wharf is the biggest shop we’ve ever done – this is branch number 11,” said JP. We’re making a significant play for drinks as well as doughnuts, so this is the first shop with two coffee machines because it’s got more space and more seating than our other locations.

“We’ve been delivering doughnuts to Canary Wharf since we started from online orders.

“As we’re next to Wharf Kitchen, we’re hoping we can tempt some people who are grabbing their lunch that might want a treat in the afternoon.”

Crosstown’s doughnuts are created daily at its Battersea bakery, with staff working a single shift from 7pm through the night to keep up with demand. The firm’s in-house logistics team then distributes more than 10,000 sweet treats to its branches and other outlets. on the menu rosstown offers a wide range of flavours such as passionfruit and blueberry, Canadian maple and Continued on Page 8

Crosstown’s vegan lime and coconut offering is a spirulina doughnut filled with custard and topped with a citrus glaze and vanilla crumble

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Canary Wharf

continued from Page 6 pecan and blueberry and peanut brittle as well as the more exotically named Brooklyn Blackout and lime and coconut. Individual doughnuts are typically £3.50 or £3.95 for the fancier varieties. But it’s boxes that are the popular option priced from £15 for six or £32 for 12. There are also extensive vegan options available.

“Probably about three years ago we started doing vegan doughnuts, and that really stemmed from the demand and from questions we got,” said JP. “We were getting inquiries on a daily basis and we wanted to be as inclusive a company as we could.

“We didn’t want people who are non-vegans coming into the shop, and watching their friends eating a doughnut and not enjoying it.

“We spent a huge amount of time refining to create a vegan sourdough base and replaced the dairy and the eggs with seeds, oat milk, and a range of other ingredients.” a technological edge rosstown also has a flavour of tech about it, making use of JP and Adam’s own online ordering platform Slerp.

“The shop in Canary Wharf is laid out differently, compared to the others,” said JP. “We have a dedicated online pick-up counter, where people can pre-order doughnuts directly through our website.

“If you’re upstairs in one of the o ces, you can pre-order online and they’ll be ready for you to collect pre-packed. You can also do on-demand delivery, direct from our website.

“Crosstown has been the guinea-pig for an online ordering platform, which specialises in same-day delivery. The difference is that Slerp is not a marketplace and we’re not a delivery company.

“It’s about empowering brand

“

We like to move fast, but we have to, to keep up with what the customer wants. Ours are very progressive, opinion leaders JP Then, Crosstown Doughnuts

owners and operators to have a direct channel to the consumer, so they can own the relationship, own the data, and ultimately drive sales from their own channel.

“We’ve done tens of thousands of orders through Slerp and we’re in a great position, where we have that direct-to-consumer channel, that’s not so reliant on third-party marketplaces.

“We run it in parallel with other platforms such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo, so people can use those if they prefer. We want to embed ourselves into Canary Wharf and people are used to using those apps, which is great.

“We used all the things we learnt from Crosstown to come up with the idea for Slerp. We are very innovative, particularly for an SME – I think that innovation is at the heart of our culture.

“We like to move fast, but we have to, to keep up with what the customer wants. We see our customer base as very progressive, opinion leaders and early adopters.

“We’ve had to re-invent ourselves several times over, despite the fact we just sell doughnuts and coffee.

“Things are dynamically changing all the time, it’s challenging. People are at the heart of any business, and getting people to buy into that change is di cult.

They really have to be brought into what we’re doing.

“We’re so conscious that we’re a small business and it doesn’t matter that we’re an independent.

“We don’t have external backing from private equity, for example, but that doesn’t change the perception that we’re competing against people who are massive companies with huge amounts of money behind them.

“We still have to meet the customer’s expectations, and that’s probably the hardest challenge.

“We have to play to our strengths and we can be a bit more reactive because we’re not bogged down by huge infrastructure pressures that come with larger organisations. As for the rest of 2019, I don’t think there’ll be another shop. We really want to focus on the digital aspects of the business.” erhaps with a coffee and doughnut in hand.

Go to crosstowndoughnuts.com

Crosstown offers a wide range of flavours with doughnuts made fresh every day

19022_LCY Press Adverts_02d.pdf

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26/06/2019

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London City Airport is consulting on a new draft master plan London City Airport has published a new draft master plan, setting out a framework for how the airport can respond to continued demand for air travel in a sustainable and responsible way between now and 2035.

What we are seeking views on

Delivering this growth could provide 2,500 additional jobs locally and contribute ÂŁ2 billion to the UK per year by 2035, as well as leading to even greater investment in our communities.

We want to hear your views on the draft master plan. The 12 week consultation period from 28th June to 20th September 2019 is a chance for you to have your say and for us to take account of feedback before finalising our future framework.

Greater flexibility to operations at the weekend and in the first and last 30 minutes of weekdays

We support more people getting to and from the airport by public and sustainable transport.

Maintain the speed, efficiency and convenience that passengers love

What this draft master plan will not consider A new runway

The operation of any noisier aircraft than at present

Operating any night flights between 10:30pm and 6:30am

An increase in the airport’s noise contour limit

We want to hear from you.

The 12-week public consultation will commence on 28th June and run until 20th September You can visit www.londoncityairport.com/consultation for more information and to respond online or download forms. Forms can also be found at consultation events, which are listed below. Freepost is available.

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Canning Town Library Date: Wed 10th July Time: 16:30 - 19:30 Rathbone Market, 18 Barking Rd, Canning Town, London E16 1EH 5 minutes walk from Canning Town station

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Date: Thu 12th Sep Time: 15:30 - 19:30 Southern Grove, Mile End, London E3 4FX 5 minutes walk from Mile End station

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Making best use of our existing runway to accommodate demand for up to 11m passengers per year by 2035

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The airport has experienced significant growth in demand, with passenger numbers up 42% in the past five years, driven by population growth and the continued success of East London. The population of Newham alone is expected to grow by 31% by 2035. The airport is no longer just for the City, Canary Wharf and financial districts, and is attracting an equal proportion of business and leisure passengers. It is time to consider how to respond to continued demand.

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The creation of up to 2,500 jobs locally by 2035

Greater proportion of new generation aircraft that are quieter and create fewer carbon emissions

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Royal Docks Learning and Activity Centre

Date: Sat 14th Sep Time: 10:00 - 16:00 Albert Road, London, E16 2JB 5 minutes walk from King George V station

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Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

Canary Wharf

by Jon Massey

R

efinitiv has stuck its head above the parapet as far as local sustainability goes. Earlier this year, it was unveiled as one of two flagship partners in anary Wharf roup’s reaking The lastic Habit campaign (the other being organ Stanley . ormed in October when Thomson Reuters sold a ma ority stake in its financial and risk unit to private equity firm lackstone roup, it’s a young brand setting out its stall but a global company employing more than , people worldwide and serving , institutions in countries.

It provides financial data and infrastructure designed to allow institutions across the planet to trade smarter, faster, overcome regulatory challenges and scale intelligently .

So why get involved with the Wharf’s initiative Head of sustainability at Refinitiv since its creation months ago, had this to say.

Our anary Wharf o ces are one of our main global hubs as a business, so I think it’s important that in these main centres, we walk the talk, he said.

If you look at the work that anary Wharf roup is doing, I think it’s fantastic. It has a real opportunity as a micro-city to set the bar high, which I think it’s doing in terms of behaviour. ou can see what’s happening all around us on the estate as you walk into work and when you buy food at lunch, for e ample.

We didn’t want our employees to have that e perience on the Wharf, getting to work and e periencing a change as soon as they go through our doors.

That e perience ars – we absolutely wanted to make sure that, where possible, we can work with people like anary Wharf roup and the local communities around us to affect change together.

When it comes to sustainability we’ve talked a lot about the need for collective action. One of our pledges as a business is to continuously lighten our operational footprint, another is to reflect and support the communities we operate in – we are ticking both of those bo es by becoming a flagship partner in the campaign. ou also look to what’s important for our employees. In multiple surveys over the last si months, when it comes to sustainability, tackling plastic waste is and by far the number one concern.

So, when you’ve got this opportunity to work with an organisation, which I think is really best in class with what they’re trying to achieve, it delivers Continued on Page 12

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Flagship partners in Canary Wharf Group’s Breaking The Plastic Habit campaign unveiled so far – Refinitiv and Morgan Stanley

Refinitiv head of sustainability Luke Manning says its both an exciting and daunting time to be tackling plastic and other environmental problems in Canary Wharf and beyond in the wider world

why Refinitiv chose to become one of Canary Wharf Group’s flagship partners in its Breaking The Plastic Habit campaign

flag flying the

Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

I F YO U WA N T T H I S Y E A R TO DON’T JOIN AN O R D I N A R Y GY M .

T H E YA R D , C A N A R Y W H A R F LONDON’S LARGEST FUNCTIONAL T R A I N I N G S PAC E .

NOW OPEN.

CANADA PL ACE, LONDON E14 5ER T H I R D S PAC E . L O N D O N

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Key pledges Refinitiv has made on sustainability to put it at the heart of its brand Refinitiv has set itself a number of goals as it

aims to make its operations more sustainable

from Page 10 delivers what our employees want us to do, it hits two or of our three main pledges – I think it’s a no-brainer, to be perfectly honest, so we’re absolutely delighted to be a flagship partner. The question really is why wouldn’t we?”

Another reason for entering into the partnership, for Refinitiv, is to raise awareness and hopefully encourage other Wharf-based businesses to do likewise. That’s an outcome Luke sees as extremely positive for the overall endeavour of minimising unnecessary plastic on the estate and beyond.

“I think the presumption is that more and more flagship partners will come on board and you start to become part of an ecosystem, saying This is important to us – we want to remove this stuff’, he said. lastic is the first step on the journey, and one which is top of my priorities at the moment. If we work collectively on this, how can we solve this problem?

We want to do it. The other flagship partner, organ Stanley, wants to do it.

“We have our own ideas, but when you meet and you talk, you share that best practice, you draw on those learnings. It’s only going to make our approach stronger, it’s only going to make it better. or us, being a flagship partner means being part of something bigger, part of a collective, and sometimes it’s economies of scale.

“If you look at something like the compost club that Canary Wharf is running at the moment, you think that, when you have an opportunity like that, can you also drive operational effectiveness and savings from it as well?

Then you’re doing it for more than one reason, not just because it’s the right thing to do. It’s a real blend.

The main thing, however, is collaboration – a rising tide carries all boats – that’s what we really want here with something like reaking The lastic Habit. It’s both e citing and also daunting.

The former, because it feels like, finally, there’s real collective action and a collective appetite to do something and to do it quickly.

The latter, because the window of opportunity to solve all of this is decreasing in si e.

“You feel like it’s got the world’s attention, but with that excitement comes an urgent sense of the nature of the task ahead.

“I think the excitement comes when you just feel that actually, the way we’ve been living over the last 200 years is going to have to change radically, and it’s going to change for the better.

The daunting bit comes from thinking: ‘Can we actually do it?’

There are times when you think we’re really making big headway,

Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

13

Canary Wharf

and then you see a report like the one that came out recently about the level of emissions going up and up quicker than they have in the last decade, you realise the task we have ahead of us.”

A

s a business, Refinitiv has three clear pledges of its own that inform its approach to sustainability. Luke said that, while his team wasn’t growing in size at present, the number of connections it had to different parts of the business was increasing.

“When we think about sustainability, we look at it through two lenses, he said. The first is us as a business – how we operate and measure our own impact.

“The second is how we drive wider sustainable behaviour beyond the boundaries of our own footprint.

The first one is about being responsible with our own resources and we have three pledges.

“Firstly, we want to continuously lighten our environmental footprint and that’s where Breaking The Plastic Habit comes in.

“The second pledge is to support the communities in our region, making sure that we have a really positive impact across the world, with all of our different o ces.

“This concerns the things our own employees are passionate about – what are the local activities where we can make a difference above and beyond the day job?

“It’s also making sure we have the right things such as diversity and inclusion in our approach.

“The third pledge is we want to start putting sustainability at the heart of our offering.

We have a number of different products that play into this space, such as our environmental, social and governance data, which is used in sustainable finance or World Check, which is used when it comes to reusable supply chains, and in our case that will include things like modern day slavery.

“Essentially we make sure that we stand up as a responsible business, and secondly we ask what sort of impact we can have through our data, our products, our expertise and our analytics.” uke said Refinitiv’s role could be used to shift funding to sustainable initiatives by going beyond financial metrics to take into account environmental and social factors.

He said: “Like any investment, for you to make a choice where you’re going to spend money, you need to be able to compare it to other options out there, and that’s where the data comes in.

“It provides some transparency into the question of what would you invest in and why.

“You compare across those different products. A good example of our risk products is World Check, which screens supply chains and, within that, an element will be making sure that there’s no modern-day slavery, for example, and that’s something that links directly back to our development goals.

“We also use our expertise, not just our products. We sit on a few key task forces out there – run by the European Commission and the United Nations There are many different reasons why you would want to focus on sustainability.

The first and overriding one is that it is the right thing to do – not just for us but for everyone.

“We need to be very clear now as businesses, that, first of all, we are sustainable and secondly, that we’re playing our part in making the world a more sustainable place.

“That’s a given. We want to make sure that there is a planet for humanity to carry on living on.

“Secondly, there is a demand from our own employees to do these things.

“People will now come and join a business because of it – you hear this more and more in the induction process.

“When people come for interview here, they want to know what we stand for as a business, what do we do, what is our role in dealing with these environmental questions and threats that we all face.

“Attracting and retaining the best talent that is out there is essential and they will absolutely demand this.

“We’re a new brand and, of course we’ve got a 160 years of heritage from our Reuters days, but for Refinitiv it’s really impor-

tant that we put sustainability at the heart of what we stand for and articulate our values.

“I think that’s important when you come to build a brand. When you look at the direction of travel in the finance sector that we play in, it’s clear as far as I’m concerned that the product will become more sustainable itself and will need to support sustainable initiatives.

“We want to make sure that our data is playing a role in that trend and that transition.”

I

n terms of boots on the ground, Refinitiv has set itself a series of goals based on its three pledges, designed to ensure the business as a whole is heading in the right direction.

“When it comes to our pledges and our goals, we want to be carbon neutral by 2020 and we want to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2020 as well,” said Luke.

“There’s a third goal too – and I’m quite deliberate about this – we want to reduce our own carbon omissions by an average of 10%, every year for the ne t five years. ow, I put the first two in one bucket, and the third in another.

The first two are mitigation – what can we do at the moment to achieve those goals? We’re going to get there through carbon offsets – renewable energy credits.

“That’s asking what the immediate thing we can do now to have the most impact is. Reducing our own omissions runs in parallel to that, and that’s actually us becoming a more sustainable business and that’s something that takes time. You can’t just suddenly switch to renewable energy directly, overnight, because that just won’t happen.”

“The third one for me is the

Time for a change: Luke says one of the key questions is how to de-carbonise capitalism

“

We need to be very clear now as businesses that we are sustainable and we’re playing out part in making the world a more sustainable place Luke Manning, Refinitiv

most exciting one, however, because that’s the one that shows that we as a business are starting to change – that our behaviours are altering. Again, that can’t be achieved through one single thing – we have to create multiple initiatives and aggregate up.

“That could be anything from the way we recycle, to reducing water usage or consolidating data centres.

“It might be replacing our lighting with LED bulbs – those big, global, centrally led initiatives – or it can be things our employees do in terms of behaviour, or tackling plastics, for example.

“That might be not using single-use plastics and giving employees their own multi-use mugs, as a lot of corporations are doing now.

“It’s an aggregation of lots of different activities, and that’s the only way we’re going to hit those goals over the ne t five years.

It’s a robust target, but we’re confident we’re going to do it.

As a parting shot, I asked Luke what one thing he’d do to boost sustainability in the world.

He said: “I’d give people the opportunity always to look at the big picture and not to get too dragged down into the day-to-day fire-fighting and fi ing of things.

“If we could free up people’s time so they had the ability to innovate and use their expertise to drive greater social impact, that would be fantastic – to ask themselves, what is the wider impact of what I’m doing?

“Everyone has to get on with their jobs, and they’re employed by a business, and it’s their responsibility to create value.

“But what does value mean?

There’s financial value, economic value, but there’s also social impact and to get everyone to think about that, you wonder whether you could unlock something special.

“The big thing we’re up against from an environmental perspective is, how do we de-carbonise capitalism? For the last 200 years capitalism has been very carbon-intensive. If we all do it together then that’s where you really do start to accelerate progress.”

For more go to refinitiv.com or breakingtheplastichabit.co.uk

14

Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

Corporate Services

Keith Prowse works with some of the most iconic venues in the UK, including The Championships, Wimbledon where The Lawn’s sumptuous menu is designed by Albert Roux OBE, son Michel Roux Jr and granddaughter Emily Roux

Twickenham’s iconic pitch

if hospitality has a name, it’s Keith Prowse Advertising Feature

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Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

Innovation - Technology

virtual viewpoint

by Chris Ezekiel

by Jon Massey

C Chris purchased Joey and, despite being just a super calculator on paws, formed a bond with him

T

here’s much talk about artificial intelligence and machines becoming self-aware, rising up and coordinating attacks against us. This is rubbish. We are as far away from this as we are from comprehending the miracle of life or understanding the beginning of space and time. I was recently listening to a TED talk by MIT scientist Andrew McAfee. He summed it up perfectly by saying he would start worrying on the day his computer becomes aware of his printer.

Although computer memory and processing speeds are growing exponentially, computers are still just super calculators.

What I find interesting today is our emotional connection to machines. One of the biggest fads of the 1990s was the Tamagotchi, a handheld digital pet, created in Japan that saw owners raise a creature from an egg by feeding it and giving it attention.

I have to confess I’m guilty of developing an emotional attachment I have to confess I’m to a machine. In the early 2000s, I bought a guilty of developing an Sony Aibo robot dog.

Joey, as he became emotional attachment known, sought to a machine. In the attention, played on his own, did tricks, early 2000s, I bought a and when he was tired Sony Aibo robot dog (low on battery) took himself back to his Chris Ezekiel, Creative Virtual charger for a sleep.

Just a cute-looking super calculator, he seemed to have a personality until his lithium-ion battery expired forever and he went to machine heaven.

The bond we have with our smartphones today is often stronger than with pretty much anything else in our lives – just consider the anxiety we feel when we’ve temporarily misplaced them or their batteries are running low.

Much of our lives are already played out in the digital world.

And the rise of alternative and augmented reality blurs the lines still further.

Our emotional attachment to machines makes them more human-like, a self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps.

“

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

ould Launch22 be part of the future of the high street? The charity incubator and coworking space recently opened the doors of its second location in Chrisp Street arket, filling vacant units.

Opened in partnership with housing association Poplar Harca, which is currently engaged in a project to regenerate the area, building 649 homes and doubling its commercial space, Launch22 extends to around 3,000sq ft of space with desks for more than 47 people, breakout areas, meeting rooms and an events space, with a rolling programme of gatherings.

But this is more than turning defunct shops into o ces. Through its scholarship and incubator programmes it’s about supporting people who want to start businesses and develop their ideas, in turn driving footfall for local firms and seeding areas with companies that will, hopefully, generate jobs in the future.

I caught up with head of operations Tom revite and centre manager ederico iccinini to find out more.

“Launch 22 started in the summer of 2014,” said Tom, who joined the organisation as an intern due to his fascination with startup culture.

“We were set up to support entrepreneurs and creatives from all walks of life, traditionally doing this by offering three core services – workspace, mentoring and events.

“We’re a registered charity, so we have a model whereby a certain number of members will pay to use the space. The revenue we generate from that goes straight back into the programmes and schemes we run.

We focus specifically on individuals – we’re sector-agnostic when it comes to what kinds of business are started, but we try to support individuals who are facing some sort of barrier.

“In the early stages of starting a business, there are a lot of common skills, experiences and issues that people need and face.

“Our scholarship and incubator programmes are specifically designed for that.

The former is completely free. or three months an individual gets access to the workspace, they get dedicated mentoring from our roster of different mentors, they get unlimited access to our events and wider network, all with the aim to help them either grow the business they’ve ust started, or to get it off the ground.

“Commercial pressures are very hard – something like of startups fail within the first year

3,000

Square footage of Launch22’s recently opened facility at Chrisp Street Market in Poplar

Tom Previte and Federico Piccinini (P40) are transforming Poplar with the opening of Launch22 in Chrisp Street Market

patch

22 business, regeneration and ideas in Poplar

– and that’s an average. Imagine what it’s like for somebody that’s had a setback – an e -offender, a former asylum-seeker or someone who has been long-term unemployed on benefits.

“Our incubator programme, is much more structured and lasts three months – somebody applies then we move to a thorough interview process. Once they’re accepted, we run two to three workshops per week, focused on their business development and ideation and others around their skills. ederico added We had several different kinds of businesses last time – one was health and beauty, another property and another one was a restaurant – there’s a big variety.

Continued on Page 41

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Innovation - Technology

Images by Holly Cant – find more of her work at hollycant.com or via @hollycantphoto on Insta

from Page 16 Rather than assessing the business ideas in great depth, Tom and Federico said the programme was more concerned with the people developing the idea.

“If you’re supporting that type of individual, you want to see somebody that’s got the right kind of motivation – that they’re doing it for the right reasons and they are open to feedback,” said Tom “For us, the idea is not so important because it will change. Maybe the core concept will still be there in five years’ time, but the way it’s worked out will be different.

“We’re looking at the individual’s willingness to work hard, their motivation, their reasons for doing it and their openness to change as the most important things.”

With a location in King’s Cross already up and running, the decision to open a second facility in Poplar was multi-faceted.

Tom said: “It’s a really good location – 10 minutes’ walk from Canary Wharf and yet the areas are so polarised, so different.

“

You can’t over-estimate how much people put on the line when they start a business – that’s sometimes under-appreciated Federico Piccinini, Launch22

“We’d like to see if we can, in some way, bridge that divide between the corporate world and this area, which is up-and-coming.

“We were actually reached out to by Poplar Harca, because they’d seen what we’d done, and some of the programmes we were working on, and I think it matched some of the ambitions they had for the area. They’re going to be redeveloping it and that change will mean a lot of the businesses around here are going to need to adapt and develop – something we’re able to help with.

“Also, there really isn’t anything else here that’s supporting entrepreneurship and starting a business, so we thought the area needed that too.”

Federico added: “It’s nice when we can help out those local businesses – there are some small changes we can bring to Poplar.

“We have been here for a few weeks and we’re also new to the area, so we’re still embedding ourselves. That will take some time, a few months at least.

“We are looking for tenants, so if there are any other startups or small businesses looking for a different kind of space to work in, then they should come and check this out. We have different membership types, paying members can use it as a fle ible space for five or days per month or take a fi ed desk.

“If someone wanted to work by themselves, or had a small team and wanted to use this space, then that’s a possibility as well.

“What we’ve found is one of the most important things for people starting out, in addition to being in a space where you’ve got free tea, coffee and free wi-fi, is that they are surrounded by other likeminded individuals “You can’t over-estimate how valuable that is. Just being there and sitting ne t to somebody else, knowing they’re si months into a new venture is quite motivating.

If you’re having a bad day, then there are people to talk to – you’re not sitting at home, holed-up – and you don’t have any e cuse to distract yourself. A change of scenery can be a really big benefit.

“You also can’t over-estimate how much people put on the line when they start businesses – that’s sometimes under-appreciated.

“Most are giving up potentially well-paid jobs or they’re risking security for themselves and their families to start something and create a better life. Its high-risk, but high-reward, too.” rices for fle ible access at Launch22 in Poplar start from £100 plus VAT. Those interested in applying for either the incubator or scholarship programmes should contact the team.

Go to launch22.co.uk for more information

Launch22’s two-storey facility is located in Vesey Path, with large plate glass windows encouraging interaction

what does a Launch22 facility bring to an area?

O

ur events are quite a big draw,” said Tom. “When we come into an area, we open up a space, which looks fancy and quirky and, for someone walking along the high street, they might look and see something, perhaps, alien and intimidating, but what we want to do for an area like Poplar is a lot of outreach.

“We’ll go to all the retail shops, tell them who we are, what we do and how they can get involved with us.

“We’ll be running things like pitch nights, workshops, fireside chats and even down to little pop-up events.

“We had one a few weeks ago, which was titled Sustainability In The City and we had a coffee company that had been on one of our previous incubator programmes.

“They came down, and then there was also a business providing a healthy alternative to cows’ milk and that participated too.

“Things like that are open

Launch22 in Poplar is filled with indoor plants to the general public, so that’s one draw we bring.

“Then we have our spaces themselves and we tend to drive a lot of traffic to them eventually. In King’s Cross, for example, we’re on a residential street in a former church. We have about 45 startups and 60-odd members and people are being drawn into the area, going to the local restaurants, shops and cafes “It draws people in from a different demographic.”

The space offers fixed desk membership as well as flexible options for those who only need a few days a month

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3

Days Tobacco Dock will be taken over by drinkers attending the London Craft Beer Festival

by Jon Massey

I

t’s fair to say the London Craft Beer Festival has grown a bit. Set to return to Tobacco Dock from August 9-11, ticket holders will be able to sample nearly 500 brews, hear live music and consume large quantities of street food (priced separately) during five timed sessions spread across the weekend.

At six times the size of the original event six years ago, there’s a sense it wasn’t quite the ride We Are Beer co-founder Greg Wells was expecting.

But he seems more than happy with the result and very much at home with the backdrop of the Wapping venue’s honey-coloured brickwork behind him. beginnings “It started back in 2013, with me and my business partner, Dan,” said Greg “I was working as a brand strategy consultant, but I had done a lot within food and drink. “ Dan was my university friend, who had an arts and culture space he’d just opened – a nightclub – and I was just super excited about what was happening with the modern beer revolution.

“Guys from the UK were looking at the US – breweries like Camden Town, Beavertown and The Kernel were just setting off. So we thought How can we get involved?’ They hadn’t really done events and they needed it, because there was a gap in the market and we believed we could do something e citing, different and fresh, and that’s how it began.

The first one was , people, brewers, one sponsor and we did the food. We went to Ginger Pig and got loads of meat and steak for everyone.” building up Greg said the festival had grown in line with the explosion of the craft beer market, regularly selling out with demand unwavering.

“We met Logan Plant, founder of Beavertown, for example, when he was still fermenting beer in someone’s garage,” said Greg. “It’s only six years ago and now they’re on the shelves in M&S up and down the country – it’s the same with Magic Rock and all these brands.

“It’s a cliché, but it was a right time, right place, sort of thing. Maybe that does us a disservice, but that’s the nature of it. It’s been an exciting ride, growing up with these brands, businesses and entrepreneurs that we aspire to be like, in a way.

We didn’t anticipate it taking off in the way that it has. At the start we were big believers that there was massive change afoot and so we threw ourselves in. Now that it’s running, you can pull back a bit and it’s quite amazing.

“If you look across the whole of the food and drinks base, the brands and businesses that are exciting everyone have all come from nowhere in the last five- years, because of their vision.

“They invest in the product, which makes food and drink much better for us. It’s good, we’re happy, and there’s still more to come.” the seventh show In addition to more than 80 breweries attending, the festival will offer an increased number of food options and a plethora of sounds including DJ sets from Friendly Fires, Alexis Taylor of Hot hip and aiser hiefs as well as performances by Zombie Disco Squad and Ultimate Power.

“It’s a great way to explore and discover stuff, said reg. There is 100% a beer for everybody and you’re going to find that here.

“Once you’ve found that one, you’re going to find a whole bunch of other ones like it.

“We design the festival with a £45 entrance fee and all the tastings are included. You meet the brewers, talk to them, and that’s what it’s all about.

“If someone’s not been before, it’s a great way to find things out, it’s a festival to be enjoyed.

It’s young, exciting, and something to be proud of – a booming part of the economy, bringing manufacturing back into city centres, reinvigorating barns and farms, doing all of the stuff

“

It’s modern and you want your businesses to live out the values of your politics – that’s a big part of craft Greg Wells, We Are Beer

that’s great, and we try to bring all that together in one big weekend of fun.” different drinkers “Attendance at our festival is about 40% women and growing,” said Greg.

“I was at the Great British Beer Festival in west London – it was men with slightly misogynistic T-shirts and lots of beer taps. It was very twee.

“Then we took the train round to Camden Town, and it was a mixed, young crowd. The food didn’t even compare. The beer was diverse and flavourful, the contrast couldn’t have been more stark.

“It’s not about ditching one for the other. It’s something brand new happening, from a gender point of view and from a quality point of view. The taste of mass lager is not great, and a lot of people have been put off by that.

“There’s no reason why beer should have been gendered and the craft brands are totally different. They’re

Greg says he’d love to do more than one festival a year at Tobacco Dock but organising events for 12,000 people is exhausting

not all guys, guys, guys. They have fantastic artwork, great flavour “Beer was always made by women until it became a valuable commodity and then blokes took over, but its definitely back and there are lots of women in the scene. If you come to the festival, a lot of the people behind the bars, the brewery teams will be women.

“We did a beer last year with Pressure Drop and invited 30-40 female brewers together to make a point about that. We have made it a big part of our pledge to be as inclusive as possible.

We have a thing – everyone’s welcome – and we have a big LGBTQI following and that’s really important.

“We’re working with an ex-colleague of ours, who is trans and runs the Queer Brewing Project and all the proceeds from that will go to LGBTQI charities. It’s modern and you want your businesses to live out the values of your politics – that’s a big part of craft.” still expanding “We’ve grown now,” said Greg. “We have a show in Edinburgh, we have one in Bristol and we’re just starting one in Birmingham this year.

“Demand keeps growing and we had a big chat the other day about the rise of fitness and health – that millenials aren’t drinking.

“But if you look at the actual stats, while beer is going down, premiumisation is still going up, and that’s where we sit – I can’t see that trajectory changing. People are drinking less but better. There are more people out there to drink good beer.

“There are vast tracts of the country craft beer doesn’t touch and we’re always chipping away at that. The big thing for us has been the connection to food. It’s quite rare these days to go into a pub and see the old line-up of John Smith’s, Guinness and a few versions of the same mass-produced lager. The restaurants are really taking it seriously too. They are looking at beer, and want their lists to be on a par with their wine offering. There’s lots of innovative things that are going to happen.” personal taste While Greg happily posed with a pint of Meantime for our interview, we couldn’t resist asking him what he drinks himself.

“I still love ale, and particularly the American pale ales,” he said. “But there are two types of drink I really like. Firstly a clean, dry, crisp lager, that’s really well made – there’s a brand called Braybrooke, which I’m a huge fan of. Secondly, I really like mixed fermentation beer, the stuff that’s slow, sits in barrels with wild yeast, more akin to fine ciders or natural wines.

READER OFFER: et off tickets with code wharflife19 when booking Go to londoncraftbeerfestival.co.uk

Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

43

Wapping - Limehouse - Shadwell

On Tobacco Dock: “As a venue it is just right for us and we’ll never move, because that warren-like effect – going in and finding

14 days later

plan your life from Jul 17-31

the beers – is great.”

where?

Wilton’s Music Hall Wapping

EVENT | Pop-Up Vintage Fair Expect sounds from Miss Jones Trio, rails filled with ladies and menswear dating from 1920s-1980s, retro homeware, posters, collectables, curiosities.

Jul 25, 4.30pm-9.30pm, £3, wiltons.org.uk where?

Troxy Limehouse

GIG | Wurlitzer Concert King of the keys Michael Wooldridge is all set to blast out on the pipes of the Limehouse venue’s majestic cinema organ in mighty fashion.

Jul 23, 6pm, £15, troxy.co.uk where?

Jamboree Limehouse

how We Are Beer were in the right place at the right time to launch a craft beer festival

GIG | The Voice Of Santur And UD An evening of Persian, Kurdish and Arabic music is presented by Peyman Heydarian and Bassel Saleh with songs and music from Iran and Syria.

Jul 17, 7pm, from £8, jamboreevenue.co.uk

crafty

to do before July 17

time for a

celebration

Images by Holly Cant – find more of her work at hollycant.com or via @hollycantphoto on Insta

Martin Izzy And Friends promises to deliver music, wine and song at Wilton’s on July 12 from £7.50 featuring Mr Prendergast, Ms Smith and hangers on including former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger. Doors 7pm wiltons.org.uk

spot check worth a visit Stop in at Vicinity by Tower Bridge for uncomplicated drinks with a view vicinitylondon.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

44

Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

30

riverside recipes

by Matt Colk

Minutes of personal training potential clients can expect from Ryan

Expecting nothing in return Ryan simply offered me and my companion some tips at the free gym in Sir John McDougal Gardens, turning our workout into a free personal training session Hot and spicy: Matt’s linguine all’arrabbiata

T

his pasta sauce is said to be one of the easiest of the all and for me (and my dad Bob) it’s the best. Its name translates as “angry pasta” in reference to the intense spice and heat of the sauce, which can be adjusted to taste. The hotter the better in my opinion. Traditionally served with penne, I think this dish needs the tenderness of fresh linguine...

Ingredients (serves 4) for the pasta 500g 00 pasta flour 450g egg yolk 30g polenta A pasta machine with linguine attachment for the sauce 2-3g dried chilli flakes

1 fresh chilli chopped 2 cloves fresh garlic finely chopped 400g tinned tomatoes 200g fresh tomatoes 40ml olive oil 4g cracked black pepper 5g Maldon salt 10g fresh basil leaves Parmesan cheese

Method To start the dough, if you have a food mixer add the flour and, while this is spinning, pour in the egg yolk until you get a thick breadcrumb-like texture. If this happens before you use all the yolk, stop pouring.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface then knead until fully combined. Cover in cling film, then leave to rest for 30 minutes.

When rolling the pasta, don’t rush. Take your time and the outcome will be fantastic. With your pasta machine, roll the dough through the thickest setting then fold it back in on itself and pass it back through. Do this around three or four times until you can see the dough come together and all the flour is combined.

Once you have a nice smooth square piece of dough, roll it back through the machine going down a notch every time until you have a long, thin sheet of pasta. Then roll it through the linguine attachment and lay the pasta on a clean surface and dust with some polenta to stop it sticking together. Roll it round your hand into portions and leave to one side.

For the sauce gently heat up the oil then add the finely chopped garlic, making sure you don’t get any colour. Add the chilli flakes, the fresh chilli and the fresh tomatoes and cook slowly for around five-10 minutes until the tomatoes break down. Add the tinned tomatoes and cook until the sauce thickens and season to taste with sugar if necessary.

While this is gently simmering bring a pan of salted water to a rapid boil and drop in the pasta – cook for around 1-2 minutes. Check every 40 seconds to see if it’s ready – still firm when bitten is best. Drain and add the sauce. Mix well and serve immediately with fresh basil and slivers of Parmesan.

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

one good turn

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Isle Of Dogs - Poplar - Blackwall

why Ryan Savage is keen to get as many people moving in Canary Wharf and on the Isle Of Dogs as he is able to

by Jon Massey

M

y companion and I, having resolved to shift some excess weight, were on the second of our jogs to Sir John McDougal Gardens to use its free outdoor gym when we met Ryan Savage.

Having started to use the hand bike, a tall smiling figure invited me to try squatting a little to improve the experience.

A little while later, he approached again – pretty odd given London’s classic standoffishness. Calmly, he explained he was a personal trainer whose class had been cancelled and asked if we’d like a free 20-minute session. We accepted and he put us through a firm but gentle workout making extensive use of the gym equipment with a little boxing and some push-ups on a bench thrown in for good measure.

Having been a personal trainer for about 15 years at Virgin Active in Canary Wharf, Ryan set up his own business two-and-a-half years ago and can regularly be found putting groups and individuals through their paces on the Isle Of Dogs.

“I’m down here most days between noon and 2pm, weekdays and some Saturday mornings as well,” said Ryan, who grew up in Poplar and Limehouse but now lives in Essex.

“I’m always happy to do half-hour sessions for free, just to give people some ideas. Personal training is not for everyone, but if I can plant a seed to give someone ideas for how to start their own fitness journey then I’m happy.”

Although he’s content to make use of the equipment in the park, Ryan’s fitness coaching brand Phenofit is all about exercising outside and making use of the environment to create a gym anywhere he wants. It’s an antidote to lives increasingly spent inside staring at screens.

“People can expect more energy,” he said. “After a session with me, they’ll have a more productive afternoon “I’ve got so many clients who say that and it’s just because they’re getting that fresh air and not the recycled stuff you get in office blocks.

“Some days people hardly get to see natural daylight, so anyone coming to me for a session will get a vitamin D boost too.

“I get that – with a lack of natural light and 10-12 hours with reconditioned air, you’re bound to be lethargic. So it’s hard to get started. I understand that and I really empathise with people – especially if they’ve not trained for a while, trying to find the inclination to make it happen can be tough.

“So come down with a friend, or just start walking around the Wharf and get some fresh air.

“Now’s the time. Don’t let the weather affect you – we even train in the rain. It’s all about getting some movement and changing the mindset.

“You work hard, so you need to have a fit body to keep up with that. My sessions are designed to give you something that’s going to take you out of your comfort zone instead of just doing the things you like in the gym.

“It’s about functional fitness.

You can tell me that you like to run or do the bench press, so I’ll not let you do that, I’ll try to get you to do push-ups so you’re applying the muscles you like to work in a functional way.

“Obviously we do lots of bodyweight stuff. As I walk around, I see opportunities. For example, you can do whole sets with swings – body rolls and pushes – within the parameters of safety, of course, and if no-one’s using them.

“I also use tennis and badminton, functional movement with ladders – anything and everything to try to get people moving.”

The free session we tried was a good example of Ryan’s approach. Following a quick assessment of our abilities he set about loosening us up with resistance bands, had us crawling back and forth on the ground and

“

My sessions are designed to give something that’s going to get you out of your comfort zone instead of just the things you like Ryan Savage, Phenofit

gave us a mini-boxing workout on pads affixed to a footbridge.

“Have some fun with your fitness,” said Ryan, who has signed up to run the London Marathon for the third time next year on behalf of his daughter’s school.

“Not everyone enjoys exercise and everyone has something they don’t like, so my job is to find out what you do like and then to make you want it to be part of your lifestyle.

“There’s an exercise and a fitness regime for everyone. Just walking or moving, anything that elevates your heart rate a bit counts. Moving your muscles so that you’re toning and shaping them is crucial. If you don’t move, you lose it.

“What happens as we get older is that we sit more – we get less

14 days later

plan your life from Jul 17-31 where?

Poplar Union Poplar

COMEDY | Gobby Jodie Irvine writes and performs a playlist of five parties each with awkward encounters showing just what it means to grow up loud.

Jul 18, 7.30pm, £9, poplarunion.com where?

The Space Isle Of Dogs

STAGE | Parenthood A comedy musical intended to take you through the highs and lows of parenthood – follow our couple as they embrace those sleepless nights.

Jul 23-27, 7.30pm, £12.50, space.org.uk where?

The Space Isle Of Dogs

active and you get injuries from not moving. Gaining an awareness of your body is so important for preventing injuries.

“I’m lucky, I’ve got two young kids so they’re my coaches – Lola and Maya who are seven and five. They’re both into football so we have a kickaround in the park. I also scoot around, cycle and do weight training to keep fit.

“Most of my work is based around Canary Wharf and South Quay and I’m always on the lookout for spots to exercise.

“There are no excuses not to train. I want people to come and get involved.

“They can come and try on their own, bring a friend or even the whole team from the office.

I even do remote training via video. We do all different days and times – check us out.”

Go to phenofit.co.uk or find Ryan on Insta @phenofit for more information or to book a free taster session

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

STAGE | Liszt Affair Ticket holders can expect an evening of modern dance, poetry and piano music featuring the works of Schubert and, naturally, Franz Liszt.

Jul 20, 7.30pm, £17.50, space.org.uk

to do before July 17

Head to The Space on July 13 and 14 for Opera Scenes – a fully staged show featuring parts of Candide, The Medium and Sir John In Love from students at Morley College.

Doors 7.30pm and 8pm respectively, £8 space.org.uk

spot check For food and drink dockside, try Pepper Saint Ontiod on the Island peppersaintontiod.com want more? @wharflifelive

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Years since Jonathan Petherbridge was appointed as creative director at the London Bubble theatre company

by Jon Massey

T

Under Jonathan’s creative direction, London Bubble asks what theatre is and who it can be made with?

Image by Holly Cant – find more of her work at hollycant.com or via @hollycantphoto on Insta

here’s a point during my interview with Jonathan Petherbridge when I start wondering whether our conversation is theatre. I’m asking questions, he’s sharing stories.

There’s a photographer present who might act as an audience if she wasn’t busily editing the pictures she’d just taken.

Such a dalliance is entirely appropriate given the subject matter. Jonathan is creative director at London Bubble, a company that proudly announces on its website: “We challenge how theatre is made and who it is made with.”

O ine, its base of operations is a converted sacking warehouse in Elephant Lane, opposite The Ship pub in Rotherhithe. Inside are rehearsal studios, o ces and a fully equipped workshop. But its facilities are simply a backdrop for the company’s activities as it goes about making work with children and adults of all ages, questioning more or less everything about the medium it works in.

Originally conceived in 1972 as a touring company to bring theatre to London’s outer boroughs, it all began under canvas.

The first director refused the ob unless they bought her a venue, because she didn’t want to go to primary schools and village halls,” said Jonathan. “At that time they had a tent and my then flatmate was involved in putting it up and taking it down. That was my first encounter with London Bubble.

“They went to the outer boroughs and the London Arts Council, which was funding it, was going: ‘You’ve got to take Ibsen and Shakespeare’. But the people didn’t want that. They saw a tent and they wanted a circus.

So the company got into its first argument with the Arts Council, and then there was an issue about whether they would have a beer tent. The Bubble became this weird hybrid company that sat between the people and the Arts Council, – a war zone or an experiment between the two.

“About 10 years ago the Arts Council rebuilt the company to make theatre with people.

“We no longer have a regular grant from them – all our funding comes from different pro ects, trusts and foundations for different and specific reasons.

“I got involved when they were looking for a creative director, almost exactly 30 years ago – applied and, weirdly, got the job.

“Ever since then I’ve been trying to make it work, trying to bring together these strange relationships.”

Jonathan arrived as creative director in 1989, a few years after the company had relocated to its present home in Rotherhithe, taking advantage of efforts by the London Docklands Development Corporation to regenerate the area. Perpetually evolving, it’s an organisation driven by questions.

Jonathan said: “The company is fantastic, constantly experimenting, constantly asking: ‘What is theatre? What can theatre do for society now?’.

“For some people, theatre is useful for entertainment – taking you out of yourself, going to watch something and possibly dressing up. or us, it’s slightly different it’s an opportunity for people to come together, to tell each other stories, maybe to make something together, then to perform that to other people, or share it with them.

“Maybe we’ll enjoy doing that and we’ll make connections. aybe we’ll build our confidence, maybe we’ll get better at something, maybe we’ll say something that might be of interest to others.

“Or we might come up with a suggestion that could make our community work in a better way – there are infinite possibilities.

That’s what underpins everything we do.”

In 2019, this looks like a diverse collection of projects working with people of different ages to create theatre. These are too numerous to list comprehensively here, but are mostly contained within Jonathan’s impressive and colourful graphics of their inner workings.

“We have a lot of projects,” he said. “When I came here, I wanted to find out the right techniques to make meaningful work with particular age groups.

“What we were doing then was something like a play in a day, or a play in a week. We wheeled out a formula and I felt it was a bit superficial.

The first thing we did was to make an alliance with a very famous practitioner called Augusto Boal, who did something called the Theatre Of The Oppressed.

“Forum theatre was very radical in the 1990s, particularly if you made a piece of work with people who were oppressed. So, we might get a group of journalists or a group of photographers and we’d

“

I hope theatre is about asking questions, and rehearsing answers and then contesting those answers in a way that uses your body Jonathan Petherbridge, London Bubble

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Rotherhithe - Bermondsey - Deptford

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making theatre

not have the agency or the physical resources.

It’s a different technique, and they make beautiful work, for example, we focussed on what their hands had seen. They wrote a poem and then it became a song, and then a piece about their hands.

“They were talking about them as things that can hold babies, washing, putting men in uniform.

Out of their biographies had come something to perform.”

Another project has seen London Bubble open a workshop space for older men – the Rotherhithe Shed – inspired by similar facilities in Australia.

“In that country they had an issue around older men who were quite isolated and had problems with mental health and self-medication,” said Jonathan “So they opened these sheds where men could just come along and do something, continuing to work with their hands and meet as mates. So we thought, let’s try it.

It’s not just for men, but it’s pretty popular, and sometimes they take on specific tasks such as making something for the Illuminate Rotherhithe procession, which we do every year.

“Last year they made a whale, and the year before they made a huge octopus with paper and lights – it was beautiful.”

London Bubble, which now makes around 70% of its output with people but does put on more traditional shows too, is also about bringing the generations together.

Jonathan said: “I would like it to grow in this area so more people have opportunities to use theatre, to enhance well being and to bring us together, because at the moment society needs it. We need live connection.

“About 300 yards from our base, the captain of The ayflower and members of the crew are interred at St Mary’s Churchyard.

“Next year marks the 400th anniversary of the leaving of the ship, which was registered in Rotherhithe. So, it’s going to be a big deal, so we wanted to do an inter-generational project, so we started with research. I hope theatre is about asking questions and rehearsing answers then contesting those answers in a way that uses your body and expression” So far there have been research sessions, a visit to Southwark Cathedral and The Measuring (where 132 people were put on the footprint of the boat at Surrey Docks Farm). Watch this space for a final performance at the cathedral in 2020.

London Bubble’s spaces are available for hire for creative endeavours. Its experts are also available to work with companies to bring theatre into the workplace.

Go to londonbubble.org.uk for more

POP

talk to them about the issues they were encountering, we’d do some research into that and then we’d get together about six or seven and make a show that uses a model of those problems. Then we’d take it out to the National Union Of Journalists, for example, or to other groups and we’d play it.

“Then we’d play it again, inviting the audience to stop the action and suggest solutions and then have them come up and enact their suggestions. It was great fun – very interactive.

“You’d end up with endless possibilities and you’d have all the wisdom in the one pool. That’s really a very interesting technique for young adults and it works really well with kids, maybe 13 upwards, or with adults upwards of 30 or 35.” hildren were also very much on the company’s agenda and it began what is now its Speech Bubbles project, aimed at kids who have trouble speaking or communicating.

Inspired by the work of American teacher and researcher Vivian Gussin Paley, who encouraged children in her class to come to her and tell her stories and then, later on, turn them into performances.

“The class all have an opportunity to be the author, the actor, the audience – it’s theatre,” said Jonathan.

“Basically, they come up with issues that really matter to them.

We built that into Speech Bubbles and its 10th anniversary is in November. It works with children who are referred to it because they have had a problem communicating – for some reason, they are not learning, they are not socialising, they might be electively mute.

“The sessions are a very fun and very structured way of inviting children to tell stories, write them down and act them out. It has a huge impact on those children.

“We’ve had a couple of studies done on it that show its impact on their emotions, their happiness, and their academic attainment.

We’ve also had a cost benefit analysis done on it, which shows that it is extremely good value for money, and it makes a big difference to earnings in later life.

“When children feel school’s too hard, because they’re not listening or paying attention or they might not be confident enough to oin in, this removes that blockage. For a lot of children it can be very good.”

While some of the company’s projects are focussed on the young, others are built around older people.

“That is really the baby of the litter,” said Jonathan. “We’re developing how we make pieces of work with older people who may

creative director of London Bubble Jonathan Petherbridge talks infinite possibilities and constant evolution

14 days later

plan your life from Jul 17-31 where?

The Albany Deptford

MUSIC | Comfortable Classical The City Of London Sinfonia wind quintet present a programme of works by Arnold, Milhaud, Berio and Parker for this soothing lunchtime concert.

Jul 29, 1.30pm, £5, thealbany.org.uk where?

St Mary’s Church Rotherhithe

GIG | Hanitra The Madagascan singer, songwriter and guitarist brings her trio to Rotherhithe to perform songs from her latest album Lasa. An homage to women.

Jul 17, 7.45pm, £14, tunedin.london where?

Canada Water Theatre Rotherhithe

STAGE | Film Lines And Poems Themed around 2018 Marvel blockbuster Black Panther, the evening sees poets such as JJ Bola, Will Harris and Theresa Lola respond.

Jul 30, 7pm, £8, thealbany.org.uk

to do soon

Check out Empyre – a show for all ages at The Albany on July 17 at 7.30pm. Wake The Beast, Circus Zambia and Barefeet Theatre to tell the tale of an emperor with an elaborate wardrobe and a crisis. Tickets, £14 thealbany.org.uk

spot check worth a visit Find pies aplenty and all the meat you need at WH Wellbeloved in Deptford wellbelovedbutchers.com want more? @wharflifelive

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Wharf Life Jul 3-17, 2019 wharf-life.com

£5.50

Cost of a veggie lunch from the street food stall

14 days later

plan your life from Jul 17-31 where?

The O2 Arena Peninsula

SPORT | Dillian Whyte v Oscar Rivas The boxers slug it out for the number one heavyweight spot in the WBC competition. Whyte seeks to retain, Rivas the challenger.

Jul 20, 4.30pm, from £69.75, theo2.co.uk where?

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich

where?

Up The Creek Greenwich

COMEDY | Imran Yusef The fresh-faced 39-year-old headlines two dates at Greenwich’s most well established comedy venue, with support from Ian Smith.

Jul 19-20, 7pm, £15, up-the-creek.com

early bird

Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has a show at The O2 on November 28 following the release of forthcoming solo album Why Me? Why Not in September. Tickets go on sale on July 12 at 9am theo2.co.uk Visit Greenwich Peninsula’s latest park The Tide and let the art wash over you greenwichpeninsula.co.uk want more? @wharflifelive

I opted for a £5.50 vegetarian box – more than enough for a 2pm feed. A stretchy disc of trip to Greenwich injera is expertly folded into Market is always the cardboard container (no tinged with excitesingle-use plastics here) and ment. Not only does then covered with lentils, it boast a splendid spinach, chick peas and carrots. selection of street The only decision I’m asked to food, from decadent churros to make apart from choosing the neatly piled empanadas, you base is whether I’d like some never know what you might find hot, tangy chilli sauce on top. on its stalls.

This turns out to have a similar I’m still kicking myself for not flavour to an Indian lime pickle purchasing an original Fender and is tart and spicy in equal Jazz Bass Guitar for the imposmeasure. sibly cheap price of £75, spotted Despite the hearty portions, a few years ago. And while sat in the sun in the courtevery visit brings yard adjacent to the with it the crushing market the food feels blow that this light and healthy. instrument isn’t Vegetarian, the there waiting for box doesn’t miss me, it’s also an the flesh of the opportunity for chicken or beef, fresh discovery. the calm flavours The latest of of the main these finds is the dishes intercolourful Ethiopian playing pleasantly and Eritrean street with the extremely food of Addis Taste. potent chilli.

The Addis Taste The three women Best of all is the cooking behind this final act where once food stall bright yellow stall the majority has produce a selection been consumed, it’s of vegetarian dishes and meat time to eat the sauce-soaked stews served in boxes with either injera. This ritual is a delicious rice, couscous or sour, pancakecleaning up, tapping into all the like injera bread. clear-plate, clear conscience mentality.

And there’s hardly any waiting around – as the dishes are simply bubbling away, waiting to be served, this is a walk-up and takeaway deal.

Best of all is the final On a summer’s day, there are act where once the few better options for lunch in Docklands. majority has been For more information about Addis consumed, it’s Taste, follow @addistaste on Twitter, Facebook or Insta. time to eat the Go to greenwichmarket.london sauce-soaked injera for more about the market and its packed events programme Jon Massey, Wharf Life

by Jon Massey

STAGE | Ex-Batts And Broilers Gail and Gemma are two chickens in a cage, saved from battery and broiler farms. Here they compete for your affections but who will get to be free range?

Jul 17, 7.30pm, £13, greenwichtheatre.org.uk

spot check one to try

why grabbing a simple bowl of food from Addis Taste is a pure pleasure

A

“

The vegetarian box from Addis Taste is a mixture of dishes served on a bed of injera

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Greenwich - Peninsula - Woolwich

bright eat

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Year Charlie has been in business already – she has won space at UEL’s Royal Docks campus for the next 12 months

by Jon Massey

T

he Blair Academy is not some thinktank-fuelled further education joint intended to solve the problems of the Middle East and erase the memory of the Iraq War. or is it a fictional school for the magically inclined that smashes together the famous witch and Hogwarts in a bid to tap into the desires of tweens.

It’s the brainchild of Charlie Blair, the woman who recently won the E-Factor – the University Of East London’s annual competition that sees entrepreneurs from its student body or pool of recent graduates compete for a grant of £6,000 towards starting their business.

Having watched her pitch, it’s little surprise that since winning she’s graced TV screens, addressed a panel at the Houses Of Parliament about fostering entrepreneurial mindsets in schools and been invited to speak to Oxford University students at its London campus.

She’s articulate, clear and, crucially, has the ability to move people with what she’s saying and it’s all about the power of hip-hop.

“The Blair Academy is for children and adults in the UK and it’s all about combatting loneliness through dance and we’re one year old,” said Charlie, who holds a BA in Dance: Urban Practice from UEL – a course she selected after deciding psychology wasn’t for her, despite five unconditional offers from various universities.

“I’m a hip-hop head – a massive fan – and for me historically it has been a way to engage people who have been marginalised by society, it has always been a culture that has given a voice to those who feel they have been stripped of theirs. So, when I decided I was going to work with marginalised groups, it made perfect sense for me to bring the two together and use hip-hop as an art form.

“When I started, I made an ignorant presumption that older people are the loneliest, so I started running the dance classes in care homes.

“Hip-hop has a really good inter-generational aspect to it – a lot of the older adults I work with have never heard of it before, but by the end of their first class they’re genuine fans of its percussive nature and they go away and talk to their children and grandchildren about it, who are always surprised.

“They’re like: ‘You’ve been doing a hip-hop dance class, Really, nan?’.

“So it’s really got the potential to bring older adults into what this generation is excited about, it really celebrates individuality and promotes difference, so, for my work, it fits perfectly.”

Having been homeless herself, she

was keen to expand her business beyond care homes and the elderly to touch other sectors of society.

“It dawned on me loneliness doesn’t discriminate at all and it was really naive of me to believe older people were the only really lonely ones.

“So I’ve transitioned into hostels as well, because I was homeless when I was 19, living in a branch of the YMCA, and it was always a sector I wanted to reach.

“After that, it grew into parent and baby classes, for adults with young children who were lonely. I also do community events, which just encourages people to come together, so we put on brunches, lunches, and I now do a night with a live DJ at a trampoline park. People come and bounce together, in a weird and wonderful way.

“It’s all about bringing people together who probably wouldn’t usually meet and probably wouldn’t dance to hip-hop.”

L

ike all good ideas, Charlie drew on her own experience to identify a niche, before going on to develop it into a concept for a profit-making business albeit with certain aspects of a social enterprise.

“I used to care for my nan who had stage four lung cancer and we lost her at the end of last year,” said Charlie.

“She had an exercise plan which she hated, but she loved Elvis, so I encour-

Charlie runs dance classes and believes in the transformative power of hip-hop in her efforts to combat loneliness

“

One day I couldn’t get Elvis to work, so I said: ‘Nan, you’re going to have to use the music on my phone’, which was hip-hop Charlie Blair, The Blair Academy

aged her to do exercise to his music and I created this whole programme for her. One day I couldn’t get Elvis to work, so I said: ‘Nan, you’re going to have to use the music on my phone’, which, of course, was hip-hop. She was really into it at age 67, so I thought, maybe there was something in it – after all there is no reason older adults can’t engage with it. I went online, rang every care home in Walthamstow where I live – told them I had this crazy idea and asked if I could come in and do it and they let me. People make the assumption I go in with 20 massive rappers who are really aggressive, but hip-hop culture in its entirety is about so much more than just the gangsta rap element, that many associate it with.”

Charlie has also brought transferable skills from other jobs to her business – including directness learnt as a charity fundraiser on the telephone, financial skills from working with one of her UEL lecturers at dance studio Studio B

and even administrative nous from a position at Stratford Circus that turned out to be a some distance from the creative role she’d imagined.

All of the different obs I’ve done, from working on a stall at Walthamstow Market at 14, being a cleaner and a carer, have all helped in starting the company,” she said. “I really love to learn and to try my hand at anything and everything – to do it to the best of my ability.”

A

t the suggestion of a former lecturer, she decided to enter the E-Factor, made it through to boot camp with 25 other businesses from an original pool of 100 and wound up taking away the top prize.

“Boot camp was totally transformative for me, as a person and as a business owner,” said Charlie.

“They stripped my business apart and made me build it up again, which was exactly what I needed, because I hadn’t had any professional input at that point. Everything was based on my skillset and what I knew.

“To have other people feeding in, saying: ‘Have you thought about this?’ was just great. I also felt more self-assured as a business owner, because I had never studied business and, if you want to go for funding and investment there is a lot of lingo, and acronyms, and I didn’t know any of them.

“I was completely overwhelmed by winning and had to apologise, because I didn’t know I was going to be that emotional. It hit me on a personal level and also on a business level, because I needed it so much. It’s been a year of really hard work and sacrifice – I’ve been sleeping on the floor, I don’t have an oven in my house – all these little things you do without in the hope that it’s going to be worth it.”

In addition to the cash, Charlie also won a year of co-working space at UEL’s Knowledge Dock, based at its Royal Docks campus.

O ce space is also going to be huge,” she said. “At the moment I live in a studio flat, where I sleep on the floor, so everything happens on that floor. I sleep there, eat there, and work there, and I find it really hard to switch off and get a balance, because I’m ust surrounded by my work all the time.

“The whole business is in that space.

Being able to come out into a separate space is going to be massive for me.

“Now it’s all about sustainable growth. With the money I can recruit more instructors – it’s about scaling the profitability and the social impact.

“I am investing in people. I’m also hoping to develop a franchise model so everyone I went to UEL with, for example, could open Blair Academies in the areas they are from.”

Go to theblairacademy.com or follow @theblairacademy on Insta

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Canning Town - Royal Docks

move

Images by Holly Cant – find more of her work at hollycant.com or via @hollycantphoto on Insta

the power to

winner of UEL’s e-factor Charlie Blair talks homelessness, hip-hop in care homes and building her business from the ground up

14 days later

plan your life from Jul 17-31 where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

EVENT | The Holy Ghost Festival Of Life Join the Redeemed Christian Church Of God for praise and prayer under the direction of its general overseer Pastor EA Adeboye, if you’re so inclined.

Jul 19, 7pm, free to attend, excel.london where?

Excel Royal Victoria Dock

listen up

What Charlie’s spinning Five tracks taken from Charlie Blai personal playlist readers may wis r’s h to add to theirs: ● Bonez - Still Winning ● J Riley - Complicated ● Kings Cvstle And Alcynoos - Jus t Friends ● Melii - See Me ● Lloyle Carner - Sail Away Freestyl e

EVENT | London Triathlon Join around 11,000 participants run, swim and cycle, watched by 30,000 spectators for the biggest event of its kind in the world. In east London, natch.

Jul 27-28, 9am-5pm, various prices, excel.london where?

RA Fold Canning Town

CLUB | Craigie Knowes The Scottish label brings Glasgow’s finest to east London including the eponymous DJ, No Moon, Carl Finlow and Eluize. An early shout for this one Jul 19, 10pm, from £8 online, residentadvisor.net

to do before July 17

Move fast as July 6 sees ABP London taken over by French street theatre troupe Transe Express with Cristal Palace to close Greenwich And Docklands International Festival. Free, 9.30pm. Expect to dance festival.org Charlie took an idea sparked from a dance session while caring for her nan, built it into a business and has now won UEL’s E-Factor

spot check worth a visit The Oiler Bar is ideal for watching watersports and sipping beer in the sun thecrystal.org want more? @wharflifelive

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business district IQL is set for summer with a free programme of screenings

by Jon Massey

themed activities provided during the final day.

ovies, opera and sport are coming to International Quarter London (IQL) for its Stratford Summer Screen season. Located next to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the screenings are the latest in a series of cultural events organised by the business district.

Taking over The Spark and Endeavour Square at IQL daily from 10am, the free season runs until September 8, featuring films, a live broadcast from the Royal Opera House and celebrations of Wimbledon and the Tour De France. Highlights include:

Jul 18 - magical menagerie Fantastic Beasts: Crimes Of Grindelwald Catch the latest extension to the Harry Potterverse with this screening from 6.30pm.

M

Jul 4 - new balls please Wimbledon While matches will feature on the screens throughout the tournament, real enthusiasts can catch a screening of Wimbledon at 6.30pm too.

Jul 6 - kids stuff Peppa Pig Episodes will be screened from noon until 4pm and there will be a puppet show – Heart At Sea at 3pm. Peppa herself will make an appearance.

Visitors can catch

There will also be three evenings of music on July 12, 19 and August 9 dedicated to ceilidh with Cut A Shine, jazz with Swing Patrol and brass with Brasstermind respectively.

Lendlease Europe project director for IQL Andrew Tobin said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to a packed programme of Stratford Summer Screen events.

“There will be something for everyone at what is becoming the go-to neighbourhood destination in east London.”

LCR development director Adrian Lee said: “IQL is fast becoming one of the most exciting cultural destinations in the capital, offering truly unique experiences for those who visit, live and work there.

“We’re also looking forward to welcoming people to Stratford to enjoy an eclectic mix of film, music, sport and food and drink at Summer Screen.”

IQL is a £2.4billion joint venture project between Lendlease and LCR. For more information go to internationalquarter.london

Fantastic Beasts

Jul 15-28 - cycle killer Tour De France Again, the Tour will be broadcast throughout its run, but July 28 is a chance to celebrate all things about the race with cycling-

We’re looking forward to welcoming people to Stratford to enjoy an eclectic mix of film, music and sport at Summer Screen Adrian Lee, LCR

Aug 29 - dancing queen Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again My my, how could we possibly resist another sequel? Released in 2018 to critical acclaim, this tops up viewers on everything the first film did.

Sept 7 - building blocks The Lego Movie 2 Notice a theme emerging?

Another secondparter arrives, this time for kids, and promises building workshops on the side.

Jul 9 - winning singing The Marriage Of Figaro On screen at 7pm, Mozart’s chronicle of Figaro and Susanna’s wedding will be beamed directly to Stratford from the Royal Opera House. Expect ice cream and fizz.

“

Aug 17 - primitive primate Early Man Enjoy family fun centred around Nick Park’s tale of cave man Dug and sidekick Hognob as they unite their people in an epic quest to defeat the bronze age. Expect family-related, clay modelling activities.

free

Cost of attending any of the events that form Stratford Summer Screen

magic movie

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53

Stratford - Bow

Pedal power: Jessica Keenan Wynn, Lily James and Alexa Davies mount up for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which will be

14 days later

plan your life from Jul 17-31

shown in Stratford on August 29

where?

Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford

COMEDY | Shoot From The Hip The improv act return to Stratford with their latest show – Absolute Carnage – promising unplanned costumes, unwieldy props and unhinged games.

Jul 19, 8pm, from £10, stratfordeast.com where?

Stratford Circus Stratford

GIG | E15 Jazz Sessions Guitarist Cameron Pierre brings his trio to the Circus, fusing jazz, reggae and calypso. Backed by drummer Livio Polisano and organist Pete Whittaker.

Jul 19, 8pm, from £10, stratford-circus.com where?

London Stadium Stratford

SPORT | Anniversary Games 2019 See some of the world’s top track and field athletes compete including Yohan Grasse and Andre De Grasse as the stadium’s history is remembered.

Jul 20-21, 11am-4pm, from £10, britishathletics.org.uk

to do before July 17

Catch up and coming actors as they strut their stuff solo at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Monologue Slam is an industry showcase on July 15 and costs £10 with actors doing either one or three minutes stratfordeast.com

spot check try this place out We ate breakfast there last issue, give it up for Hand Cafe at East Village @CafeHand on Twitter want more? @wharflifelive

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Advertising Directory - Acknowledgements

find our advertisers’ messages here Chase Evans print Pages 1, 24-25 online chaseevans.co.uk

Higgins Homes print Page 27 online higginshomes.co.uk

The Gun print Page 3 online thegundocklands.com

Berkeley Homes print Pages 28-29 online berkeleygroup.co.uk

Kidd Rapinet print Pages 4, 17, 38 online kiddrapinet.co.uk

Vantage Properties And Management print Page 30 online vantage-uk.com

TfL print Page7 online tfl.gov.uk

Folio London print Page 31 online foliolondon.co.uk

London City Airport print Page 9 online londoncityairport.com

Landmark Estates print Pages 32-33 online lmlondon.com

Third Space print Page 11 online thirdspace.london

Telford Homes print Page 35 online telfordhomes.london

Keith Prowse print Page 15 online keithprowse.co.uk

Galliard Homes print Page 40 online galliardhomes.com

Ivy House Residential print Page 26 online ivyhouseresidential.com

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

without these people, Wharf Life would not have been possible Graeme Bellenger, John Garwood, Jon Dyer, David Galman, Natasha Maddison, David Campbell, Matt Grayson, Kerry Hill, Stephanie Massey, Sarah Leaman, Steve Grieg, Phil Wetz, Camille Waxer, Lucy Merritt, James Vellacott, Lyndon Nunn, Camilla Maddison, Philip Wild, Michelle Vellacott, Andy Shaw, Andrew Scott, Paula Voong, Nadia Maddison, Gary Pring, Edwin Chiu, Annamaria Maddison, Mike Televantou, Chris Ezekiel, Steve Askari, Michael Massey, Andy Shrimplin, Gooch Heer, Rudy Wong, Nick Preston, Steven Herd, David Massey, Ian Li, Andrew Brown, Jean Paul Toerien, Mark May, Ranald Macdonald, Mustafa Topkaya, Simon Spann, Enza Capodici, Mathew Heaton, Kim Wiper, Sophie Watt, Louise Howell, Victor Huang, Phillip Maddison, Spencer Fortag, Dan Smith, Richard Carroll, Randeep Thethy, Toby Wilson, Joel Rayney, Lana Marshall, Olivia Curle, Laura Warren, Rebecca Wood, Maria Tognarelli

thank you Jess Maddison co-founder and commercial director Jon Massey co-founder and editorial director

@wharflifelive

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

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Creative Space

this space is yours

is it a car? a cart? a carriage? you decide – share your works with @wharflifelive or #keepittoyourself – don’t like, subscribe or comment

WORKING TITLE

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SUDOKU

Crossword - Sudoku

Tough

4 3 9

3 1

1

Previous solution - Medium

1 5 4 3 8 6 9 2 7 Sudoku 2 a8break 6 from 1 7 that 9 phone 5 3 4 Take 3 7 9 2 4 5 8 6 1 How 7 to1 play 8 9 3 2 6 4 5 To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 2 such 7 that 5 8each 3 row, 1 9column and 3x3 box one4to6nine contains every number uniquely.

5 9 3 6 1 4 7 8 2 3 find 5 strategies, 4 2 7 hints 1 9and6tips online You8can at sudokuwiki.org 9 4 1 5 6 3 2 7 8 6 to 2 play 7 8 9 1 4 5 3 More

7 8 3 9 2

5 3 2

5

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

4 1 2

5

6 9

4 3 1

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

Notes

© 2019 Syndicated Puzzles

7 6 1 7

3

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

1.

1.

. .

10.

11.

13. .

17. .

21.

22.

23.

But a king doesn’t slow down to do it (4,2,4) Throw away a fight ( uts off one’s retirement ( , One who keeps a family servant? (8) One may win it by a head (4) Fixed form of denial (6) The usual thing a shop receives from people (6) For centuries they ignored America (4) rimes one flies from perhaps (8) Trios changing to Italian food (7) Where to do some shooting in the mountains ( There’s no demand for this article of mail (4,6)

2. .

4. .

6.

9.

12.

14.

16.

19.

20.

Notes

Best, strange as it seems ( Working again in a new partnership? (8) States differ - so do these (6) Genuine old Spanish coin (4) ive generously when there’s a whip-round (4,3) Nightwatchman! (10) Tore stamps out?

He must have done sometimes (10) He favours dictation above all his subjects (8) I’m old-fashioned, there’s no getting away from it (7) Go away and plead with one (6) Good shot, but not quite a winner ( The boss has a lot of horses (4)

Quick Across 1. .

8.

10.

11.

13. .

17.

18.

21. .

23.

Well-worn (10) Adhere ( Quiver (7) Undo (8) Catalogue (4) Rota (6) ower ( Close (4) Deceiver (8) Uniform (7) Attire ( Trust (10)

Down .

2.

3.

4. .

6.

9.

12.

14.

16. .

20.

Robber ( Record (8) Sacred song (6) Ale (4) Refuse ( Happening (10) Undertaking (10) Indebted (8) Act of Parliament (7) Threaten (6) In that place ( Competent (4)

Across: 1 Threadbare; 7 Cling; 8 Tremble; 10 Unfasten; 11 List; 13 Roster; 15 Nether; 17 Near; 18 Impostor; 21 Equable; 22 Dress; 23 Dependence.

Down: 1 Thief; 2 Register; 3 Anthem; 4 Beer; 5 Rubbish; 6 Occurrence; 9 Enterprise; 12 Beholden; 14 Statute; 16 Impend; 19 There; 20 Able.

Across

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

Cryptic Solution

Cryptic

beating the

Across: 1 Work to rule; 7 Scrap; 8 Stays up; 10 Retainer; 11 Toss; 13 Nailed; 15 Custom; 17 Maps; 18 Felonies; 21 Risotto; 22 Range; 23 Dead letter.

Down: 1 Worst; 2 Repaired; 3 Tastes; 4 Real; 5 Lash out; 6 Astronomer; 9 Postmaster; 12 Autocrat; 14 Impasse; 16 Begone; 19 Inner; 20 Stud.

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

Quick Solution

No. 421