Wow - Ealing's Olympic Torch Event Was Fantastic

Tonight in Walpole Park for the lighting of the torch was an amazing end to the day. It appeared that there was more than 8000 people in the main area on Walpole Park. With a large number also watching the large screens it reminded me of a music festival Sunday.

When Tom Thacker ran through the park many nearly missed the event - he was running pretty quick - and then he lit the torch to end a great day where many families had so much fun in Walpole Park as well as the many thousands of residents who lined Ealing's streets.

The hot weather made the day perfect. A real moment to treasure. Myself and some friends got a photo with a fake Olympic Torch (we can pretend we held the real one!). A friend's son had his photo taken and so I hope for them and the many other kids that the day will be remembered. Lots of fun, music, food and other entertainment.

A well done to those who organised the event.

Some of the many thousands of park visitors

Some of the musical entertainment

Me trying to smile despite the sun in my eyes!

Tom Thacker Lighting the Torch

After Tom had lit the Torch

Me with a torch (not the real one sadly)

We are looking forward to the Olympic Torch Relay in Ealing

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will see both hot weather, touch wood, and the Olympic Torch Relay when it makes its journey through Ealing tomorrow afternoon.

Christopher Bury holding the Olympic torch

About a year ago myself, leaders of the other two political parties and the Mayor of Ealing, selected those to carry the torch. I was very proud to sift through the applications and select those residents who have given so much to Ealing. The torch bearers will be Brentside High School pupil, Sydney Richards and Southall charity worker and volunteer, Tom Thacker. I hope they have a great day.


The Torch Relay moves at approximately 4 mph and the torch bearers are accompanied by a convoy of vehicles from the Olympic Games organisers, sponsors and the police. Ealing Council have stated the approximate timings for the relay route through Ealing:

17:00: Northala Fields
17:16: Leaves Northala Fields
17:19: Kensington Road
17:25: Lady Margaret Road
17:47: Southall High Street
17:50: Uxbridge Road A4020
18:05: Hanwell
18:15: West Ealing
18:32: New Broadway A4020 (Ealing Town Hall)
18:34: High Street B455
18:37: Ealing Green
18:39: St Mary's Road
18:44: Church Lane, Ealing
18:45: Culmington Road
18:47: Lammas Park Gardens
18:48: Walpole Park

An evening of free family entertainment will be held at Walpole Park to celebrate Ealing being one of only six London boroughs chosen to host the Olympic torch in an over-night stopover. Ealing Council has arranged for a giant screen to be set so that people without tickets will be able to watch the action from the stage. The screen will be in a different part of the park and although no tickets are required to get into the area capacity is limited to 6,000.


Gates to Walpole Park will open at 4pm. Music, dance and other performances will begin at 5.30pm. The Olympic Torch will arrive at approximately 6.50pm and the event is due to finish at approximately 7.30pm.

Get there early [practice for when the Olympic Games starts] and have a great evening if you are going.

Why Ealing Council needs to Defer the St Albans Church Planning Application

In the past week we have seen the planning report and today we had the site visit by Ealing Council's planning committee who will decide whether to convert St Albans Church into ten luxury flats.

There were lots of residents who wanted to ask questions about why the site cannot be used for community purposes.

Residents at the St Albans Church Planning Site Visit (21st June)

Sadly the report about this matter contains a number of errors and it also not does contain a fair balance of viewpoints from those who have come up other community uses for the site. To many residents I spoke to today, things smelt wrong. The main points of criticism are:

• The report was written BEFORE the consultation period had ended!
• The last site visit lasted over an hour but this one (remember there are many new Councillors who are different) lasted only about 25 minutes.
• No report from the Council's Conservation Officer so the planning committee will not be aware of all the salient issues.
• There are three alternative (and community) uses for the site but these are not detailed properly. Details of the viability of alternative uses are not show so the planning committee will be given a fair impression about the alternative schemes.
• Opposition comments from organisations like large Residents' Associations are NOT PRESENT in the report.
• The report states that a nursery will be present however the Council have strangely said they are not to enforce a condition so that a nursery or equivalent would be guaranteed to be present in a few years time. What is likely is that if approved a nursery would appear and then that use of the proposed two storey building would alter to allow for expensive rented property.
• A number of statements, including one on page 24, from the developer about the non viability of community use are given as being fact when that isn't true. This gives the impression that everything coming from the developer is true and everything coming from the community is omitted. Not good democracy. 

The planning committee on this matter need to ensure that NO possible community use is possible before they can allow a change of use for housing. This clearly isn't the case and I detail some of the errors in the planning report. It does appear that the Council are actively omitting documents from Residents Groups or other bodies who have come up with viable alternatives such as a Theatre and a church at the expense of assuming everything is factually true from the developers statements.


So in summary, the report should be re-written and postponed to a planning committee in August or September. Anything else and the planning committee are not being given the correct and fair set of facts to make a decision about this important site.

Southfield Police cycle marking event - Sat 28th July

The Southfield Police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) are holding a cycle marking event between 11am and 3pm on Sat 28th July on Acton Green Common.

If you have a bike they will mark it so that if it is ever stolen then it will be registered and then if recovered the police can get it back to you. This is done using a marking system that is invisible to the eye. My bike has a similar DNA type of marking so if nicked then the criminals can be more easily arrested and charged with theft.

Go along, even if just to see the police team who are friendly and can give you lots of crime reduction tips. For free!

An open letter to the top boss of Transport for London buses

Today on the bus home from my cricket game, was another disaster, from a customer perspective. I got the 607 at about 9.30pm from outside Shepherds Bush tube station and sat down then part way home it stopped and waited, then waited and waited at the bus stop.

The people who were getting on had done so and no-one was getting off. There was no communication from the driver via the microphone or him getting out of his cabin. It then turned out that the bus had hit a vehicle in front of him. Doh!

So after about 10 mins we set off for part two....and I got home in one piece.

Last week again coming from Shepherds Bush and there was a loud bang. This time the large left side wing mirror had literately fallen off! This time all the passengers were forced to get off and struggle to get on other 207 / 607 buses.

Bus this is only two recent examples. I have lost faith in TfL buses. I think that all their drivers should be retested and be trained so they know how important communication is with passengers especially when things go wrong.

Here are my main gripes:

1. Bus drivers being rude when a customer's Oyster card does not appear to be read correctly by the reader
2. Drivers not wanting to give instructions to tourists who are not familiar with which bus might be the best for them to get to where they are going to
3. Wing mirrors falling off. Who is inspecting the buses each night or week? Sounds like no-one is.
4. Drivers stopping to allow for a gap between buses when clearly there is a large gap as I have missed the last one over 30 minutes ago! Perhaps these drivers are having a rest without wanting to say so?
5. Drivers crashing in to other vehicles? How often does this happen? I saw one bus driver touch a cyclist to its left and luckily the cyclist was pushed towards a car which it used to avoid toppling over.
6. The same driver in the fifth comment also (about 5 minutes earlier) allowed a lady put her bag on the bus, but then when she and the small child she was holding, were trying to get on the bus it drove off! It took a persistent passenger to get the driver to stop. The driver was then rude to the passenger. People like this who endanger the lives of cyclists should not be driving.

That is just 6 that come to mind. I can probably think of about 100 more if I had more time. So this open communication to Transport for London buses is clear. Train drivers so they communicate properly with customers and get rid of those who are causing accidents.

The Tory and Labour coalition who are against Lords Reforms

In a recent vote on Lord's reforms we saw a large number of Conservative MPs join the Labour party to stop any real chance of reforming the house of Lords.

In the vote, the MP for Ealing, Central and Acton (Angie Bray) showed that she is not in favour of democracy by voting against Lords Reform. I suppose she thinks it is better for politicians to be chosen by Prime Minister or take their role because their mother or rather passed them the baton. Shame on her.

After the vote she was sacked as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (bag carrier) of Francis Maude. What she doesn't appears to understand is that only if you have a more representative Lords can democracy really have the respect of voters. I feel lucky to have been voted in three times running by the residents of Chiswick and Acton. I see them as my employers.

 The key to a good Lords is one where it is made up of people who are expert in certain areas and are different from those who are in the Commons (MP). This will promote debate and scrutiny. Having more elections would also more ensure that Lords were thinking of the voters when they do their job.

Despite Labour always having a go at the current coalition they forget that this week they made a coalition with the Tories to stop Lords Reform. Shame on Labour and the Conservatives who voted against the reforms.

Liberal Democrats want to see power more devolved instead of being restricted to a small number of rich families which are not representative.

Review of Theatre Studio West's Romeo and Juliet

I am no Shakespeare expert but when I was asked if I wanted to go to see Romeo and Juliet at Ealing's Questor's Theatre I said yes straight away.

The person who created this production, Julie Saunders, is someone who has oodles of energy and she really is someone who gives it all to making something work. I wasn't disappointed!

Questor's Theatre, Ealing

Just before the show started a number of teachers were checking all the kids, who had been invited, to see they were present and seated. Julie is someone who works with many local groups involving many kids and teens.

She really is someone who puts in so much to those who will follow her as the next generation.

I understood this would be no normal portrayal of Romeo & Juliet. When the lights dropped the music spoke volumes.

The steel drums game away a cultural influence that makes something safe into something that is more dynamic and lively.

The costumes were fantastic; bright, colourful and shone through. The age of the actors and actresses who spoke was as low as early teens to adults and it gave a real "tick in the box" that Ealing has so many good and young artists.


What came across was a different perspective of a story most people have seen or heard about, but the different language use, the youthfulness of the cast and the accents used to add humour to a serious subject, made the night well worth while.

If I was a judge on a TV entertainment panel show then I would give them 9 out of ten!