July 2009 Archives

THE renovation of a historic walled garden is going well but more volunteers are need to help speed up the work.

The Friends of Eastcote House Gardens were awarded a grant of £24,000 for renovation of the walls and planting within The Walled Garden, in Field End Road/High Road, Eastcote.

The group of volunteers meet on the third Thursday of each month at 9.30am and to speed the work along they are holding an extra gardening session on September 5 between 9.30am and 12.30pm.

Refreshments and tools will be provided and volunteers should meet in the Eastcote House Gardens car park.

Call Lesley Crowcroft on 020 8866 8436 for more information.

THREE men have been charged with committing ABH in Eastcote.

Lee George Luke, 24, of Trevor Crescent, Ruislip, Rikki Arthur Floyd, 21, of Northolt, and Jabey Alan Bathurst, 21, of Brook Close, Ruislip, were all charged with committing actual bodily harm (ABH) in Field End Road on March 7.

They were also charged with using or threatening unlawful violence and Bathurst was also charged with another count of committing ABH.

Floyd and Bathurst are due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on August 28 and Luke is due to appear today (29).

TWO gun-wielding men threatened a barman before making off with money they had stolen from the pub's cash office.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information following the robbery at The Manor pub, in Field End Road, Eastcote, on Friday night.

The police were called to the scene after two men, armed with a hand gun, entered the pub dressed in black clothing shortly after 1am on Saturday.

They went into the pub's cash office and verbally threatened a male member of staff, pointing the gun at him moments before stealing a quantity of cash before making off.

Both suspects are black aged between 20-30 years old. One is of a lighter-skin tone and is described as having a spotty complexion. One wore a balaclava and the other wore a jumper pulled up to eye-level.

No one was injured, there were no arrests and the weapon was not recovered.

A teenage male was taken to hospital in a non life-threatening condition after the London Ambulance Service were called at 1am, but it is unclear if this was related to the robbery.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Flying Squad at Barnes on 020 8247 7931 or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A JUNIOR school show was transformed with eye-catching scenery thanks to some talented sixth form art students.

When the students from Queensmead School, in Queens Walk, South Ruislip, were asked if they could paint the scenery for the Year 6 show at Field End Junior School, in Field End Road, Eastcote, they were keen to volunteer.

Andy Child, assistant head at Queensmead, said: "We teach the students to help out as much as possible in their community because we believe in trying to make a positive impact on others' lives."

Eight students helped out for two days painting different sections of the "Piper Rats" scenery and finished before the deadline.

"We're proud of what we've achieved and truly thank Field End for giving us the opportunity for this amazing experience," said Michelle Choi, one of the Sixth Form helpers.

A TEENAGER has been charged with stealing from a supermarket and breaching his anti-social behaviour order (ASB0).

Jimmy David Burnett, of Woodlands Avenue, Eastcote, was charged with stealing six bottles of Bell's Whiskey to the value of £110 from Sainsbury's, in York Road, Uxbridge, on July 6.
Burnett, who turns 20 on Saturday (25), was also charged with damaging five spirit bottle security tags at the store.

He also broke his ASBO by shouting and swearing at members of the public at the store.
He is due at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on August 4.

A COMMUNITY centre helped to raise £1,500 for charity at a fête.

Eastcote Community Centre, in Oak Grove, Eastcote, held the fête on Saturday (18).

Half of the money raised will go towards Michael Sobell House, a hospice based at Mount Vernon Hospital in Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, that provides palliative care to terminally ill patients.

The other half will go the Northwood and Pinner Community Unit at Mount Vernon Hospital.
One of the community centre's cleaners had excellent treatment at this unit before she died.

WORRIED parents whose children have to dodge traffic on a dangerous road to get to school are still waiting for a zebra crossing despite years of campaigning.

A 73-signature petition was submitted to Hillingdon Council requesting a crossing between Ferncroft Avenue and Woodlands Avenue, on Field End Road, Eastcote.

Parents of children at Newnham School, in Newnham Avenue, and residents of the area are in favour of the proposal but they cannot agree on its position.

Parent Gabby Fullbrook, of Ferncroft Avenue, said: "It has long been recognised that Field End Road is dangerous. The accident toll is evidence enough to support this.

"Children and their parents have to utilise the existing traffic island at the top of Ferncroft Avenue as a refuge when they are crossing to get to school."

A zebra crossing was planned as part of a Local Safety Scheme drawn up by Hillingdon Council last year, but it was never installed due to a small number of objections.

A petition meeting was held last Wednesday (15) to look at three possible sightings for the crossing and Councillor Keith Burrows, cabinet member for planning and transportation, decided to go with option three.

Officers now need to look at this option, which is to install a crossing at the southern arm of Ferncroft Avenue, before reporting back to Mr Burrows.

Ms Fullbrook said: "In my view option three seems to be just a poor effort to appease a few residents who object to having a crossing outside their front doors. Surely if you live on a main road bus stops and crossings are to be expected.

"Consulting on option three will inevitably cause further delay and if access is to be hindered in the service road and if an arm of Ferncroft Avenue is to be closed there will doubtlessly be objections from residents in that affected section of Field End Road.

" All this option is doing is pushing the perceived problem down the road.

"I wonder which will be first, a crossing or a fatality."

Another parent, Mel Hindhaugh-Willis, said: "We are disappointed with the result of the meeting. This has taken over a year to get here and in that time one little girl from our school has been knocked down."

A SUCCESSFUL police operation to catch drivers without insurance lead to five cars being seized and even an arrest for possession of an offensive weapon.

The automatic number plate reading operation was carried out by Cavendish Safer Neighbourhoods Team on Wednesday (8) afternoon in Field End Road outside Field End School.

Sergeant Bob Iliffe, who was in charge of the operation, said: "The five vehicles seized for no insurance were towed away and we also had several other motoring offences including no driving licence, using a mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt.

"We also had an arrest for an offensive weapon. The guy had a truncheon believe it or not.

"It was a really good result and we were only there for three hours.

"We did have one get away from us though and we had to get the helicopter out. We recovered the car but the guy got away. We believe it was possibly a stolen car and we think we know who he is.

"We try and run these operations every two to three months in different locations around the ward. The main purpose is to catch people with no insurance so we can get those vehicles off of the road."

A PUBLIC consultation into the development of an office block in Eastcote is being held.

The exhibition and consultation on Initial House, in Field End Road, Eastcote, is being held at the building on Friday (10) from 4pm to 8pm and on Saturday (11) from 11am to 3pm.

A previous application to build 54 flats and offices at the site was refused by Hillingdon Council in July last year.

AN ASPIRING barrister who spontaneously entered a beauty pageant has made it through to the semi-final stage.

Fran Millman, of Hawthorne Avenue, Eastcote, was at the Clothes Show in London in May with her friend when they saw a stall for the Teen Queen UK competition.

She said: "My friend decided to write her name down and she told me to do it as well.

They took our photo and then a couple of weeks later I got a call saying I had got through to the next round.

"I had to go and have my photo taken with 100 other people and then I got picked to be in the top 50 for heat 11 of the competition.

"So now I just need to get everyone I know to vote for me because the top three in each heat make it through to the final next month."

The 17-year-old is currently studying for her A levels in law, psychology, media studies and sociology at Haydon School, in Wiltshire Lane, Eastcote, and is hoping to become a barrister.

She said: "I've never entered a beauty pageant before and I didn't even think I would get through to the first round because I've always thought of myself as being average looking. I don't see myself as anything special.

"I am doing my A levels at the moment so I'm trying to concentrate on them but if I got through to the finals it would be quite flattering and it would be amazing if I won."

To vote for Fran call 0901 656 1515 and press 33 or text her full name to 84205. Voting closes on July 31.

For more information go to www.missteenqueenuk.com.