News in Brief July 2009
Day-Mer fun in the park
The sound of a 5,000-strong crowd reverberated around Clissold Park for the closing event of the 20th annual Day-Mer Culture and Arts festival.
The celebration of the Turkish and Kurdish culture highlighted some of the finest the community – both locally and internationally – has to offer. It also brought the curtain down on its two weeks of music, dance and drama performances in Hackney and north-east London.
Among many of the activities on offer on the balmy festival day were a panel discussion on the democratisation of Turkey, hosted by Aydin Cubukcu, Hayat TV chief editor; guests and politicians speaking on key issues; and book signings from journalists and thinkers, including Faruk Eskioglu. There were also performances from traditional folk dancers and contemporary music groups.
A Day-Mer spokesperson said: “It was good to see so many people from different communities come together. People seemed to really enjoy the festival and we’d like to thank the hundreds of volunteers.”
Day-Mer offers cultural, social, and economic support to Turkish and Kurdish people living in London. For info visit: www.daymer.org
Send a winning peace design
Young people can ‘Team up for Peace’ and be in with a chance of seeing their design displayed on T-shirts and banners at this year’s Hackney Peace Walk.
The competition, organised by Team Hackney, is open to groups of between two and four teenagers. The winning design will reflect their interpretation of peace in Hackney, and will be worn by hundreds of walkers on 19 September.
The brief is simple – create a , striking and colourful design that sends a positive message about peace, unity and friendship in the borough. Each member of the winning group will receive a £50 Love2Shop voucher, and will get an opportunity to work with professional designers.
The closing date is 21 August. Designs need to fit onto an A4 sheet of paper. Groups should also include a brief explanation of the thinking behind their design, plus names and a contact address and telephone number. For more info call: 020 8356 3334. Entries can be dropped off in any Hackney Library; or at Room 117 in Hackney Town Hall. They can also be emailed to michelle.flood@hackney.gov.uk
New training hub for teachers
A new £4.5million training hub has been unveiled by The Learning Trust.
The Tomlinson Centre – named after former chair of The Learning Trust, Sir Mike Tomlinson – will provide training courses and events for education professionals, as well as offer high-end teaching technology.
Alan Wood, Chief Executive of The Learning Trust, said: “The trust is extremely proud of Hackney’s educational attainments in recent years, and we want to show our appreciation for the fantastic job our teachers are doing by providing them with world-class training resources.”
Sir Mike, who recently retired, said: “I am extremely passionate about the benefits this centre will bring.”
The launch also featured the results of a competition open to students throughout Hackney, which are currently on display at the centre. The winning entry was by Shannon Morgan Mee, 18. Renowned portrait painter Paul Benney, who judged the competition, praised the breadth of artistic flair in the borough at the centre’s opening ceremony.
“There is clearly a wealth of artistic talent to be found in Hackney, and this is just a snapshot,” he said.
CCTV snares three criminals
The Council’s CCTV cameras helped bring three criminals to justice in one week in July.
A convicted sex offender was seen breaking the terms of his ASBO; a vandal was spotted damaging a car; and a man on the run from police for serious firearms offences was also caught. The cameras also helped recover four stolen cars – two of them belonging to Hackney residents – after CCTV operators spotted them and followed them on camera, guiding police in to catch them.
Earlier this month, the judge sentencing the killers of innocent teenager Shaquille Smith pointed to how CCTV footage had helped identify them. The Hackney CCTV Service team leader who was on duty that night identified the group as looking suspicious, and zoomed in on them, capturing vital images minutes before the fatal attack. These images were used by police to identify the attackers.
Last year, CCTV operators played a role in 773 arrests and helped recover vehicles worth over three quarters of a million pounds. In 2007/08 CCTV footage was used as evidence in over 900 cases. Cllr Alan Laing, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “CCTV cameras are helping make the streets of Hackney safer and – equally important – they help make people feel safer, too.”
Noisy restaurant loses licence
A restaurant owner has lost his premises licence after repeatedly playing loud music that brought complaints from his neighbours.
Mike Bannerman-Hull, licensee of the Gye Nyame Restaurant in Morning Lane, E9, lost his appeal against the Council’s decision to revoke the licence. At a hearing at Thames Magistrates Court on 9 and 11 June, the Court upheld the Council’s decision and awarded costs to the authority of £2,334.50.
The Council’s Noise Pollution team visited the premises on a number of occasions following complaints from residents.
When the Noise Pollution team visited,the music was so loud that they could not hear each other above the noise. They had to leave the room in order to discuss the case.
Cllr Alan Laing, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “Cases like this show that licensees won’t get away with selfish, anti-social behaviour.”
Which park’s most picturesque?
Is London Fields your favourite green space? Or perhaps Springfield Park? Why not take some photos and enter the Postcards from the Park competition?
It is the second year of the competition, organised by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and Big Lottery Fund, in partnership with charity GreenSpace. The aim is to encourage people to enjoy their parks, while capturing images of what they most love about them.
This year special categories include people at play, wildlife and heritage. All winners will have their photos exhibited at a London gallery, and photos will also be made into postcards and distributed at Lottery-funded venues. The closing date for entries is 3 August.To enter, visit: www.postcardsfromthepark.org.uk
Survey says ‘Yes’ to Hackney
A new Government Minister made Hackney his first official visit to launch the results of a national survey on what residents think of where they live.
John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, paid a visit to London Fields Lido on 23 June, meeting Council staff working in parks, libraries, street cleaning and recycling, as well as Chief Executive, Tim Shields, and Mayor Jules Pipe.
The Minister was there to launch the national Place Survey results, which in Hackney was based on nearly 1,500 questionnaires filled in and returned to independent polling company Ipsos Mori last year. The survey is used by councils nationwide to plan investment in services from what residents have said is important or needs improving.
In Hackney, the survey showed that 72 per cent of residents are satisfied with their local area as a place to live, up from 60 per cent two years ago. Since then, the Council has invested more than ?1.6 million in street cleaning and graffiti removal, £4.8m with partners in improvements to parks, and over £5 million in youth activities.
Mayor Jules Pipe said: “Surveys like this are important because they help us deliver the services residents tell us they want and need.”
Library goes self-service
Borrowing from Homerton Library has never been easier following the introduction of self-service technology.
The library is the first in Hackney to install the new system that allows users to scan items in and out like an Oyster Card and pay for them via the system and receive a print out of borrowed items and when they are due for return. The system will help cut waiting times for people wanting to borrow and return books, and free up library staff to provide more help to customers.
CLR James Library in Dalston will be the next library with RFID in July, followed by Hackney Central Library in September. All of the borough’s libraries will have the system by 2010.
For more information about Hackney Libraries, call: 020 8356 2539 or visit the Libraries page.
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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