Thusha: A story to shame us all

I work in Stockwell, South London. It's an area I spend most of my daylight hours in and I know it quite well having been there for over four years. It's also an area that has problems that make the challenges we have in Shepherd's Bush seem like small fry.

The last shooting we had down there involved two men on a motorbike spraying another man with a submachine gun from a passing motorbike, and you regularly see police swoop on groups of local youths who dont have much to do apart from hang around.

It's the sort of place where you kind of get used to seeing some fairly depressing stuff.

But in March last year an incident took place at one of our local shops which plumbed new depths. This was the shooting of a 5 year old little girl who was playing inside, the shop being owned by one of her family. One gang was attacking another, again with guns, and this time they just opened up inside the shop and Thusha was shot through the back, leaving her paralysed.

But this little girl was not about to accept doctors' views that she would never walk again, and BBC London today released a film which shows her taking steps with the aid of a frame. She's started back at school and tells the BBC correspondent Guy Smith that she likes maths, because she finds it easy. She wants to be a doctor.

But most of this film, inspirational though it is, also reveals something that it doesnt really go into. For sure the family are being basically let down by their Council who have not transformed their housing. But I imagine after this publicity that might rocket swiftly up Redbridge Council's priority list.

But what is really shameful, surely, is what gets passsing reference in the BBC film - that Thusha's family are only really getting the support they need because of people's fundraising efforts, such as the policemen and women who investigated the shooting, who themselves have done a sponsored mountain climb. Why on earth should this girls' family have to rely on public charity? Shouldn't they receive everything they need for the rest of her life? Wouldnt that be the mark of a civilised society?

So I asked Guy Smith this evening, who tells me that if Thusha had been a victim of a road traffic accident she would have been entitled to millions because of the involvement of insurance companies. But victims of crime are only ever entitled to a maximum of £500,000. Which is hardly a great deal when you are only 5 years old and face a lifetime of adjustments and care.

Are we really saying as a country that this is acceptable? 

You can donate to the Thusha appeal here.

Hospitals public meeting: Watch the vid

The bods at H&F Council's press office have put together a short film of highlights from the public meeting held last tuesday at the Town Hall over NHS North West London's plan to shut down the hospitals of this borough to save money. This is a plan actively supported by Chelsea & Westminster and Middlesex hospitals in neighbouring Kensington & Chelsea and the "consultation" has all the hallmarks of a government fix.

As may be evident from the tone and rather arrogant assertions from those defending the plans. Watch it and weep! And then get ready for the march on October 6th - details here

MPs row over hospital closures

Greg Hands has been accused of "hollow" support for the campaign to halt the closure of Charing Cross hospital by our own MP Andy Slaughter this afternoon. Responding to the revelations that Chelsea & Westminster hospital has been actively campaigning for the closure of both hospitals in Hammersmith & Fulham in order to save their own skins, Mr Slaughter has been vocal in his condemnation of what he called "divisive and cynical" tactics.

Today he went a step further and had this to say in a broadside against neighbouring MP Greg Hands, whose constituents use both Chelsea & Westminster as well as Hammersmith hospitals:

“The campaign on the Friends of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital which still lists Mr Hands as a vice-president is disgraceful – it is actively encouraging patients to vote for an option that closes a “rival” hospital. 

His position (and Malcom Rifkind’s) as a vice-president of the Friends - which is still advertised on their website - lends MPs’ support to this campaign, and wittingly or not, appears to endorse it. 

The really wicked thing about this is that the Trust is deceiving people into voting for the closure of Charing Cross by dressing it up as a vote merely to keep Chelsea and Westminster open. People will be angry when they realise the trust is trying to dupe them like this – and an MP should not be anywhere near such a dishonest campaign – except to condemn it loudly. 

Constituents in all three affected areas who have heard his half-hearted support for the apparently doomed Charing Cross hospital, will be shocked to learn that he is not explicit in his condemnation of this campaign to close Charing Cross.

He should immediately and publicly dissociate himself from this cynical attempt at divide and rule. Without this, protestations of support for Charing Cross Hospital have a very hollow ring.”

But Mr Hands is having none of it. He told me today that:

“Keeping the A&E at Chelsea & Westminster is vital. The hospital has every right to argue its case, but I would have preferred them to have joined me in arguing against the whole consultation. 

“As I reported in my email bulletin last week, I met the senior management of the hospital and told them this plainly. I believe Chelsea & Westminster will be badly affected if Charing Cross Hospital is downgraded. It will have to deal with a big influx of patients from Fulham and beyond. 

“My constituents need and use both A&Es. That’s why I have also been a Friend of Charing Cross Hospital for the last 14 years, repeatedly defending it against attacks of this kind. 

“All parties locally have joined me in fighting to keep A&E services at both hospitals. This is a battle we need to win.”

Meanwhile the march to save our hospitals in H&F will be taking place on 6th October, and the organisers have had to make a couple of changes to the route and timings, so here they are again:

The march will start from Shepherds Bush Green, assembling in Rockley Rd and will proceed to Lille Road Rec for the final rally.

Assemble from 11am; Leave Rockley Rd 12noon, arrive Lillee Road about 1pm. All details, including a map, are here

Wormholt Park - the first hundred years by Peter Trott

Local resident, Peter Trott, has written a book about the forgotten history of Wormholt Park in Shepherd’s Bush. The book has been published by local residents group, Friends of Wormholt Park.

When it opened in 1911, Wormholt Park was at the heart of community life. Old photographs reveal the story of festivals, galas, sports and the role the park played in the war effort during World War II.

The book explains the meaning of the name Wormholt, the combination of the old English Worme or Wyrm and Holt indicates it was once a snake infested wood. The park opened on 27th June 1911 and an open air lido was opened alongside the park in 1923. A bandstand was built in the park in 1931 and a bowling green was opened in 1936.

The Second World War saw the park dug up and turned into allotments and shelter trenches. The post war years saw the rebirth of the park when it became the centre of the community with school sports days, grand Bank Holiday galas and even a giant tented theatre.

By the early 1980s the park was in decline and the swimming pool and the bowling green had closed. When the new century began the park looked sad and neglected. In 2009 a small group of friends got together to campaign for better maintenance and facilities and to encourage greater use of the park by local residents. Word of their work spread and the Friends of Wormholt Park were formed in 2011.

The author, Peter Trott, has lived in Shepherds Bush all his life and is fascinated by local history. Peter has spent many hours in the archives unearthing old photographs and put on displays for local street parties to celebrate the Golden Jubilee in 2002, the Royal Wedding in 2011 and the Diamond Jubilee this year. Peter was asked to help with the park’s centenary celebrations in September 2011. Peter’s history timeline and photographic display proved so popular that the Friends of Wormholt Park asked him to write a book about the park. A year later the book has been published.

The Friends are a voluntary group and Peter gave his own time researching and writing the book. All proceeds from the sale will go to the Friends group. Books are available from local outlets in Shepherds Bush displaying posters.

The launch party for the book was held on Thursday 20th September 2012 at the Hummingbird Café. The Friends group would like to thank local estate agent Winkworth for sponsoring the launch.

More "supersewer" scare tactics from H&F

Oh dear, here we go again. Last night's Evening Standard, while reporting the great news that a lost Busher has been found wandering in the Alps somewhere, also carried dire warnings that the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel, or "supersewer" as it's known to its critics, is likely to shut the Hammersmith Bridge and cause travel chaos for millions.

Remind you of anything? Perhaps the equally dire warnings that Furnival Gardens, a beautiful stretch of green next to the Thames, was about to be ripped up by evil Thames Water. Or maybe the one about a "stink hole" being installed in Ravenscourt Park. Or how about the dark prophesies of homelessness stalking the good people of Hammersmith who, we were warned, faced losing their homes to this rapacious utility company.

The thread that linked all of those doom laden scenarios was that they were bullshit. Worse still, the Council knew them to be so but still decided to come out with them as they spent large sums of public money on all manner of PR activity to lambast the idea of the tunnel, and 'stand up for local people'. You'd never have guessed there were local elections on at the time.

Now we hear that, on the basis of a quick look at Thames Water's plans, there *might* be an issue with the bridge and that *maybe* it might have to close. Given the track record of this council on this issue you may wish to postpone your panic just yet.

Meanwhile, the completely inadequate sewers we have at the moment under our feet continue to belch out record levels of raw sewage into the river. They do so every time there is heavy rain. And we haven't had much of that this year, have we? Here's someone who spends most of his life dealing with the consequences of that:

Saturday fun day at Wormholt Park

This Saturday afternoon Wormholt Park will be having a fun day with a serious purpose. The park, which is being steered back to some of its original glory by the Friends of Wormholt Park community group, will be hosting face painting, food stalls and a range of local stalls like they did at the start of the local community market there earlier in June this year.

But it will also be a chance for you to have a look and give your views on the proposed changes to the park that the group have been working on with the Council - there are a range of options to think about. Here's the Chair of the group in an open letter to residents: 

Dear Friends 

We’ve reached the next exciting stage of developing the new design of Wormholt Park and as Chair of the Friends of Wormholt Park I’d like to encourage you all to let us and Hammersmith and Fulham know what you think. 

This Saturday 22nd September from 2-5pm there will be a Fun Day event in the park where there will be music, stalls of delicious refreshments, a range of inflatable games including the bungee run, an assault course and football shoot out, plus a soft play area for toddlers and a face painter.

The Friends committee and our red gazebo will be there and most importantly there will be a marquee where you can view the proposed designs for the park, which were created by the Council-appointed landscape architects based on all the consultation feedback they’ve received from us, local residents and community groups. 

You’ll have an opportunity to talk through and discuss the designs with Hammersmith and Fulham and the architects’ staff and say what your preferences are and why. You’ll have a few different 2D models on show with different layouts, along with some representations and choices on the design detail associated with the various activities that may take in the park. 

We’ll be posting the consultation boards and feedback forms on the Friends website too, so if you don’t get a chance to pop in on Saturday, you’ll still be able to view and comment on them. 

See you in the park this Saturday – weather forecast is for sunshine! 

Vanessa
Chair – Friends of Wormholt Park

Fun day starts at 2pm on Saturday - and yes, the weather is set to be sunny!

Assault at Walkabout

On September 16th some of you may have seen that the Walkabout, which has had its problems with drunken violence on more than one occasion, was taped off by the police. I've now had the lowdown of what took place and it is thus, according to a police spokesperson:

"..an incident which happened around 2130 on the 16th September. Police were called to a male outside the Walkabout, who was staggering around with a bloody face and police found a pool of blood on the floor. 

The man was being treated by an off duty Doctor after a Security Guard found the male on the floor. 

The victim had a cut to his eyebrow, swollen nose and blood over his hands. The Ambulance Service attended and the male appeared to lose consciousness. He was placed on a spinal board and relayed to Hospital where he was found to have a broken nose, possible fracture to his thumb and cuts. 

The male was also believed to have consumed an amount of alcohol. If anyone has any information they can contact A/DS Kent in the CID at Hammersmith Police Station on 0208-246-2446".