October 2009 Archives

UNSUNG heroes are invited to step into the spotlight as the Uxbridge Gazette and Leader series, together with Uxbridge College, is once again seeking inspirational people who have made an outstanding contribution to the community.

The eighth annual Local Heroes awards, which launches today (28), acknowledges the hard work, dedication and courage shown by ordinary people from Hillingdon borough who have put others first or overcome adversity.

There are five categories in this year's awards: Outstanding Young Person, Star Carer, Community Champion, Courageous Citizen and Fabulous Fundraiser.

Entry is open to anyone who lives, works or volunteers in the borough, so if you know someone who deserves credit for doing a good deed, nominate them now!

The closing date for entries is Monday, December 14, and the judging panel will make its decision on the following day.

Short listed nominees are invited to attend a gala awards night with music from Perry Parsons MBE and The Vyners Swing Band, held on Thursday, January 28 at Hayes Community Campus in Coldharbour Lane, Hayes.

Category winners will each receive a trophy and £250 cash, and the person named overall Hero of Hillingdon will pick up an extra £500. Runners up will each receive £50.

Last year's awards saw Multiple Sclerosis sufferer, Nimira Patel, crowned a Hero of Hillingdon, after voluntarily running Little Angels playgroup at Harlington Baptist Church in High Street, Harlington.

She was also recognised for her efforts to support others in the community by offering a listening ear and giving helpful advice, as well as looking after people's children and making sure they get something to eat.

Choose from the following categories:

Outstanding Young Person: Anyone aged 16 or under who has made an outstanding achievement or impressive effort, supported others or enthusiastically taken part in sports or an event.

Star Carer: Someone who has selflessly looked after a friend, relative, neighbour, or others.

Community Champion: An individual, group or organisation which has helped or supported the community.

Courageous Citizen: Someone who has triumphed over adversity, achieved something against the odds, or shown courage or determination.

Fabulous Fundraiser: An individual, group, organisation or business which has raised money for a deserving cause.

Email Gazette reporter Siba Matti at sibamatti@trinitysouth.co.uk with the name of the category and contact details for both the nominee and the person who is nominating. Alternatively, see the Gazette each week for a nomination form.

*Please note that, under competition rules, staff from the Uxbridge Gazette and Leader series, and students and staff from Uxbridge College, cannot be nominated.

AN EASTCOTE man has been charged with racially aggravated assault.

Yong Sheng Wang, 36, of Field End Road, allegedly assaulted a man at Alfa Cars, in Victoria Road, Ruislip Manor, on July 19.

He is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on December 22.

A RUISLIP man has been charged with drink driving and crashing into another car while disqualified from driving.

Dene Francis Buxbaum, 43, of Linden Avenue, Ruislip Manor, was charged with committing the offences in Oak Grove, Eastcote, on August 23.

He was also charged with driving without insurance.

He is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on December 14 for trial.

A COURAGEOUS student has been the first to climb five mountains in Central Asia as part of a team he got together at his former university.

Edward Lemon is just 21 years old but he has already climbed mountains in the Alps and in Peru and has now successfully completed five ascents in Kyrgyzstan, joined by three other brave students.

Edward lived with his parents in St Lawrence Drive, Eastcote, before moving to London to do a degree in war crimes at King's College London, when he was 18.

He has now moved to Scotland to do a postgraduate degree in Middle East and Central Asian Security Studies at the University of St Andrews.

He came up with the idea to head to Kyrgyzstan because the country is 80 per cent mountainous and very few people have climbed there.

He said: "The country has only been open to tourists since it became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991 so there's lots of unclimbed mountains there.

"I wanted to do something adventurous to finish university and I wanted to be the first to do it. It probably doesn't appeal to everyone but I wanted a challenge and it was definitely that."

The former Bishop Ramsey CE School pupil had his first climbing experience when he was in 5th Ruislip scouts and four years ago he climbed in Peru, where he achieved his Duke of Edinburgh's gold award, so he was well equipped for this trip.

He said: "The ascents weren't too difficult, but it just took lots of planning and we had to get the money together.

"We got a £1,000 grant from the Royal Geographical Society and we got some money from some various other places. We also got quite a lot of free kit but we had to put in about £1,500 of our own money each. It was about £8,000 altogether."

The trip lasted 24 days and the team returned in August, but there was a slight hitch at the start of the trip.

Edward said: "On the way there our driver dropped us in the wrong place. He could only speak Russian and I didn't know the Russian for 'don't drop us off here', so we had to walk 30km to our base with 200kgs of kit between us.

"It took us 10 days to walk there at an altitude where there was only about 60 per cent oxygen in the air so it was pretty intense."

The team climbed five mountains altogether, the highest being 5014m, and Edward even named one of the peaks after his mum, Hilarie.

He said: "We had been told the weather there was very questionable so getting to the top of the mountains was the highlight. If a storm had blown in we wouldn't have been able to climb anything. Survival was our priority so we weren't going to take any stupid risks.

"Getting picked up at the end and being able to eat fresh fruit and vegetables after living on pasta, porridge and vitamin tablets was the other highlight. I lost about 9kg while I was there.

"There were definitely hard moments during the trip when I just wanted to give up but we pushed ourselves to our limits. The last hour or so I was almost hallucinating, but if it was easy everyone would have done it."

Edward is not sure what challenge to set himself next, but he is thinking of returning to Kyrgyzstan.

He said: "I also have ideas to go to Pakistan but because of the dodgy political situation there at the moment it might not be the best idea.

"We have discussed Everest but it's quite expensive and I wouldn't want to do it by the normal route because it's too busy.

"Unless I get a debilitating illness I will definitely keep it up. I suppose it's that sense of freedom that I love about it. I like being on control of my own fate and I just love being in the mountains."

A TEENAGER has been found guilty of assaulting a man outside a pizza shop.

Sam Chapman, 18, of Dulverton Road, Ruislip, was charged with assaulting Sarbjeet Singh Shina, causing him actual bodily harm (ABH), outside Village Pizza, in Field End Road, Eastcote, on May 9.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge but yesterday (22) a jury at Isleworth Crown Court found him guilty.

He will be sentenced on November 20.

A RUISLIP man who allegedly assaulted a man at a pub and stole a bottle of alcohol from another pub is due to appear in court.

Richard James Osborne, 32, of Oxford Drive, was charged with assaulting the man at Captain Morgans pub and stealing a bottle of Cinzano from the RE Bar, in Field End Road, Eastcote, on July 12.

He was also charged with two counts of affray and failing to surrender to custody.

He is due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on December 22.

CARING students at Haydon School are the first in the world to achieve a qualification which will enable them to help other pupils with their problems.

Today (22) the 19 students, who study at the school in Wiltshire Lane, Eastcote, will complete their last day of training to achieve the Student Practitioner of EmoTrance qualification.

EmoTrance stands for emotional transformation, and it helps the students to identify where emotions are being held in the body. The emotions can build up like a pressure cooker and can lead to outbursts of anger, frustration or crying.

The students were already peer mentors at their school running open clinics for other students for them to talk about their problems, such as bullying, exam stress and home life situations.

There are many Adult EmoTrance Practitioners worldwide in 21 countries but this new qualification is the first of its kind.

The trainer, Kim Bradley, from Emotional Freedom Training, said: "It has been an immense privilege to teach such young minds these skills that they will be able to use for the rest of their lives.

"EmoTrance is all about becoming the master of your emotions and not at the mercy of them. Being put in the driving seat of your feelings at such a young age is a fantastic gift".

As well as 19 students receiving such an accolade, 15 teachers were taught the basics of the technique for handling day to day stress and feeling overwhelmed with work, as well as handling difficult people including students and their peers.

THE emergency services were called to Eastcote after an elderly lady fell over.

The London Ambulance Service sent a single responder and an ambulance crew to Field End Road at about 10.30am on Saturday (17).

A woman, reported to be in her 70s, was taken to Northwick Park Hospital with head injuries.

WORK on the development of the former RAF Eastcote site is quickly moving on.

Members of Eastcote Residents' Association (ERA) meet up with the site manager every month to get a regular update on the work.

Planning permission to build 385 homes on the site, now called Pembroke Park, in Eastcote Road, was granted in March last year.

The site is divided into a northern and a southern section by a fenced public footpath.

The developers George Wimpey, part of Taylor Wimpey, want to add another 15 homes to the site. These are mainly in the northern section.

A public exhibition was held to put forward these new proposals on Monday (12).

Chris Groom, chairman of ERA, said: "The proposals were not well defined or demonstrated but included further flats, in existing proposed blocks, at third floor level overlooking Eastcote Road and Pretty Corner with raised roofs and dormers.

"Generally it would appear that the proposals were not well received and would raise the density of properties above the agreed maximum of 50 units per hectare.

"We understand that formal proposals will be submitted to Hillingdon Council within two to three weeks.

"We hope that the current new proposals are amended to reflect the views of local residents expressed at the public exhibition."

The main roads within the northern site, together with the main underground services, are nearing completion and on Tuesday (20) the entrance road to Highgrove House is due to be reopened and the current road division through the sales office area removed.

The developer is still waiting for the go ahead to start road works in Eastcote Road to provide an amended junction, traffic island, pedestrian crossing and revised road markings.

Work continues in the southern section with many of the homes nearing completion.

Work on the biomass plant, which supplies heating/hot water to all the assisted housing in the southern section, is due to start on Tuesday (20) and should be completed by Christmas.

Some of the homes in the southern section should be occupied before Christmas.

EASTCOTE Residents' Association are holding an open forum for residents to question their councillors and the committee members.

The forum is being held on November 10 at 7.30pm at St Lawrence Church Hall, in Bridle Road, Eastcote.

The guest speakers will be the Hillingdon Council's head of planning, principal traffic engineer and a transportation team member.