Page 1 – Contents
Page 14 – Under the Stars
Page 17 – Newham’s seaside
Page 24 – Safe to cross
The Newham Mag
Issue 321 // 31 July – 13 August 2015 // Every fortnight
Back to the stadium – Thousands enjoy Great Newham London Run (p18)
Page 2 – ADVERTISEMENT
UNDER THE STARS - FOUR NIGHTS OF FREE LIVE OUTDOOR MUSIC
THURSDAY 13 AUGUST
MAXI
PRIEST
ASWAD
JANET KAY
FRIDAY 14 AUGUST
SUKSHINDER SHINDA
JASSI SIDHU
HUSSNAIN LAHORI
ETERNAL TAAL
HOSTED BY DJ MOSES & TOMMY SANDHU
RAJA KASHIF & RUBAYYAT JAHAN
SATURDAY 15 AUGUST
HOT CHOCOLATE
CLEM CURTIS & THE FOUNDATIONS
SOUL LEGENDS TRIBUTE SHOW
SUNDAY 16 AUGUST
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA FEAT. LAURA WRIGHT
FIREWORKS FINALE
Central Park, East Ham, E6 Gates Open 6.30pm
Visit www.newham.gov.uk/uts
@NewhamLondon #NewhamUTS newhamevents
No parking on site, please use public transport. You may be searched as a condition of entry.
No glass bottles or dogs allowed on site. Programme subject to change. Celebrating 50 years of Newham.
Page 3 – CONTENTS
After the excitement of the Morrisons Great London Newham Run and Swim (p18), the next exciting dates in our summer calendar are the free Under The Stars concerts (p14) and Tommy Sandhu, one of the hosts of the Asian music night, explains why he’s looking forward to getting back on stage (p12).
There are great prizes on offer in this issue, with a Rugby World Cup giveaway (p9) and the chance to take advantage of the great facilities at the Lee Valley Velopark (p11).
Elsewhere, we’re celebrating Newham’s best athletes (10), encouraging residents to get into rowing (p27), and helping kids keep on reading throughout their school holidays (p23). And if you need to unwind, there’s two great beaches on offer just minutes from your door this summer (p17).
Don’t forget, the new What’s On In Newham app can help you keep track of everything happening in your local neighbourhood, and right across the
borough (p8).
Councillor Clive Furness
Mayoral Adviser for Adults and Health
Keep in touch with Newham Council via:
www.newham.gov.uk
@NewhamLondon
www.facebook.com/newhamcouncil
To contact the Newham Mag team email or call 020 3373 1517
PUBLICATIONS OFFICER: Maxwell Baker
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Andrew Baker
To advertise in the Mag call Julie Madell on 07890 529 090
If you do not receive the Newham Mag at home, or know someone who doesn’t, please call 020 3373 1517, write to The Newham Mag, West Wing, 4th Floor, Newham Dockside, Dockside Road, London E16 2QU, or email
Publication of an advert in the Newham Mag does not constitute endorsement of any goods or services offered. The Newham Mag is printed on 100 per cent recycled paper by Garnett Dickinson Print Ltd and distributed by Letterbox Distribution.
Regulars
04 NEWS – two pages of news from across the borough
06 MAYOR’S VIEW – news from Sir Robin Wales
20 NEWHAM IN PICTURES Mayor’s Newham Show in photos
24 WORKING LIVES – Newham’s crossing guards at work
28 OUR NEWHAM – competitions and community news
30 KIDS CORNER – pictures and puzzles for our younger readers
32 WHAT’S ON – fives pages of activities and events, most of them free
Features
08 ‘APPY DAYS – launching the What’s On In Newham app
09 WIN WITH PARKLIVES – enter our draw for Rugby World Cup tickets
10 SPORTING TALENT AIMING HIGH – the success of the High Performance Programme
11 LEE VALLEY VELOPARK – win great sporting prizes
12 HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS – Tommy Sandhu hosts Under the Stars’ night of Asian music
14 UNDER THE STARS – get set for Newham’s biggest concerts
17 LIFE’S A BEACH – the seaside comes to Newham
18 A GREAT WEEKEND – the Morrisons Great London Newham Run and Swim
23 SUMMER READING CHALLENGE – keep your kids reading over the summer break
27 LET’S GET READY TO ROW – new watersports courses for residents
Pages 4-5 – NEWS
Boost on homes front
Sanctuary Housing, one of the largest housing associations in the country, has completed a new mixed tenure development in Canning Town.
The 44-home Quayside House project in Tarling Road has been developed with Newham Council and the Greater London Authority. It includes social and affordable rent and shared ownership properties.
The social rent homes are being made available to people on Newham’s housing waiting list.
Councillor Andrew Baikie, mayoral adviser for housing, said: “This high quality development will provide much needed affordable homes for Newham residents.”
Have say on Crossrail improvements
Residents are being asked for views on improvements they would like to see around Manor Park Station when Crossrail arrives in 2017.
A public consultation is taking place until 4 September. More than 6,000 consultation packs have been sent to residents and businesses. You can also comment in person at Manor Park Library. Experts will answer questions at the library on 27 August from 6-8pm.
To have a say visit www.newham.gov.uk/crossrail/manorpark or email with the subject line of Manor Park.
Littlewood sculpture all set
A sculpture of legendary theatre director Joan Littlewood is to be unveiled outside the Theatre Royal Stratford East on 4 October.
Councilllors on Newham’s Strategic Development Committee have granted final planning consent for the bronze, which commemorates the pioneering director who died in 2002.
International artist Philip Jackson, famous for the Champions sculpture in Upton Park, is creating it based on a famous photograph of Joan sitting on rubble outside the theatre in 1967 when the area was being developed.
Rugby will be just the ticket
Picture caption: Cllr Desai and Mayor Sir Robin Wales unveil one of the designs
Ticket designs for fans attending the five matches at the former Olympic Stadium during Rugby World Cup 2015 have been revealed.
Newham Council have been allocated 500 tickets to be passed on to residents to watch some of the world’s greatest rugby players for free in September and October, including current champions New Zealand whose captain Richie McCaw is pictured on one of the ticket designs.
The council are allocating the tickets to residents, organisations, and schools across its eight Community Neighbourhood areas. Also benefiting is East London Rugby Club, based in Memorial Park, West Ham.
Councillor Unmesh Desai, mayoral adviser for crime and anti-social behaviour, helped unveil the ticket designs. He said: “We are delighted to have been able to ensure as many Newham residents as possible can attend matches as well as acknowledging our unsung heroes and organisations that play such an important part in their community.”
Reserves are brought to book
Picture caption: The Mayor receives a copy from Mr Barber
Newham Council has been presented with an historical record of the volunteer military Reserve forces within the borough and across London from 1908 to the present day.
Stepping Forward is a detailed reference guide of all units, including G Company 7 Rifles in West Ham, historical listings of Reserve Forces centres and locations of memorials to the fallen.
The Queen’s representative in Newham Deputy Lieutenent John Barber presented a copy to Mayor Sir Robin Wales, members of G Company 7 Rifles and youngsters from various uniform cadet services. It will go into the council’s heritage archive while others will go to Newham’s libraries. Only 712 have been produced.
Sir Robin said: “This unique record will be important for young and old keen to learn about our volunteer military heritage. It is a valuable memory of all those from Newham who volunteered to serve in the Great War and thereafter and who continue to serve.”
Lesson in right values
Picture caption: The Mayor and Cllr Alarice with pupils
Youngsters from Year 6 at East Ham’s Cleves School and Plaistow’s Tollgate School came together to present poems and pledges to Mayor Sir Robin Wales about the importance of British values.
Sir Robin was invited by pupils to a special assembly at Cleves to hear them sing songs representing the countries of the British Isles including Greensleeves (England), Mary Mack (Scotland), Danny Boy (Northern Ireland), and Land of My Fathers (Wales).
British values has been a major topic in the schools this term. The pupils have visited the Council Chamber at East Ham Town Hall and the House of Commons to see how local and national government works. The trips were arranged by school governor and Newham councillor Aleen Alarice.
The youngsters have also designed their own coat of arms. Sir Robin said: “It is great to see everyone’s good work in bringing people together.”
Pupils make all the right moves
Picture caption: Cllr Clark watches the tournament
More than 200 children squared up and showed they had all the right moves when taking part in the Newham Primary Schools Summer Chess Championship.
Teams from 14 schools took part at the Old Town Hall in Stratford, with East Ham’s Hartley Primary School eventually crowned champions. There were also individual medals for the top players across the primary school year groups.
Councillor Ken Clark, Cabinet member for public affairs, launched the tournament, which was the second as part of Newham Council’s Every Child a Chess Player programme in partnership with the Chess in Schools and Communities organisation. The scheme is taking the game to schools, libraries and community centres.
Councillor Clark said: “Chess is a fun skill that young people can learn. It improves their concentration and cognitive skills. Giving children opportunities to do things they enjoy builds their resilience and that’s what we’re about.”
Fly-tipper caught on camera
Picture caption: Fly-tipper on CCTV
05
A fly-tipper admitted dumping rubbish in a street in East Ham after being traced back to his home by Newham Council enforcement officers.
CCTV cameras caught the man dumping four black bags in Dukes Road at 4am on 7 July. Using the details of the vehicle he was in, the officers went to his home in East Ham and issued him with a fixed penalty notice of £80 and made him pay the £150 costs of clearing and disposing of the rubbish.
Councillor Unmesh Desai, Cabinet member for crime and anti-social behaviour, said: “This should be a warning to all fly-tippers that we are watching and when we find you, we will make sure you pay the price. Quick action by our staff has not only cleared the fly-tip, but also tracked down the culprit and taken him to task.” If you want to report fly-tipping visit www.newham.gov.uk/flytipping
Pages 6-7 – MAYOR’S VIEW WITH SIR ROBIN WALES
We’re back in the stadium
Picture caption: Starting the Newham Run with Paula Radcliffe and Brendan Foster
Picture caption: The transformed stadium
Picture caption: The swimmers in action
The Morrisons Great Newham London Run and Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games showed how lucky we are to have the magnificent world class former Olympic Stadium in our borough.
Seeing and hearing it in full swing again for the first time since it closed for transformation work was a fitting way of marking the tenth anniversary of London being awarded the Olympics and Paralympics.
I laced up my trainers and joined 17,000 others, including more than 1,500 Newham residents who took part in the Great Newham London Run for free, to be the first to take to the famous track once more. The atmosphere around the whole course in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was electric but I can truly say nothing beat running into the transformed Stadium and the euphoric moment of crossing the finishing line. It was a very proud, if tiring, feeling to know we had been on the same track as greats such as Mo Farah, Christine Ohuruogu, Usain Bolt, David Weir and Hannah Cockroft.
The buzz for both the Great Newham Run and the Anniversary Games brought home why we were prepared to put our money where our mouth is and invest in the Stadium on behalf of Newham residents.
We agreed from the outset to provide a fixed £40m loan investment, which is repayable so we expect no long term cost to the council. In addition we secured benefits for Newham residents including free tickets, community athletics, community days in the Stadium and jobs.
If it wasn’t for our support, what might have been a 25,000-seater stadium after the 2012 Games is becoming a fantastic multi-purpose stadium for athletics, football, rugby, motor sport and concerts amongst a whole range of activities.
Almost 7,000 residents will be going to the Stadium for free in 2015 alone. During the Anniversary Games that included more than 1,500 variously from people who have found jobs through our employment service Workplace, residents who make a contribution to what’s going on where they live, people on our activity programmes, the Newham Volunteers and others. This adds to the 4,000 in the Stadium for free at the Great Newham London Run and another 500 nominated by our community neighbourhoods teams, rugby programmes and schools, to attend matches during Rugby World Cup 2015.
The staggering thought also is that a minimum of 4,000 residents will be attending West Ham United league games from the 2016/17 season onwards. On top of this we have secured year-round access for school clubs to a new floodlit community track that will also be home to Newham and Essex Beagles athletics club, ten exclusive mass participation events in the Stadium per year for Newham residents, a training and education centre in the Stadium, and 75 per cent of jobs created at the Stadium will go to Newham residents. However, our ability to continue to make this kind of investment in the future of our borough and residents will be severely restricted due to the continued deep cuts in our funding from the Government. Despite being one of the most deprived boroughs in the country, Newham is being hit the hardest by those cuts and other increasing cost pressures.