23 April 2007

Apologies. It's been far too long but the real world got in the way. Apologies also for missing the blog meet, glad to see it went well. Gutted to miss out meeting many of you and saying hello again to some of you. Next time (sigh). Onwards!

ITV gets local in Lewisham with Local London Online TV.

Strike threat over post office closures in WH Smith

The Royal Mail is facing the threat of a strike today after announcing that scores of flagship Post Offices are to close with services transferred to WH Smith stores. The Post Office said that following a trial in six areas, a further 70 so-called Crown Post Offices are expected to move to the high street stores group by the end of summer next year.

The full list of the 70 Crown Post Office branches announced today to be relocated into nearby WH Smith stores include:

Bexleyheath, Bromley, Charing Cross, Forest Hill, Lewisham, Woolwich.....

Vision of the future

SIX sites in Lewisham have been earmarked as “major development opportunities”, attracting extra jobs and houses.

Three areas in Deptford – Convoys Wharf, Deptford town centre and Seagers Distillery – plus Lewisham and Catford town centres, and Millwall, have been named in the Lewisham regeneration strategy.

Lewisham joins slavery apology calls

The Mayor of Lewisham, Steve Bullock, has joined calls for British institutions to apologise to the descendants of slaves for their involvement in the ‘evils’ of the slave trade, at a commemorative service hosted in Lewisham Town Hall last weekend.

Bullock told The Voice that he had a personal responsibility to find a way to “express the sorrow and regret so many of us share.”

‘Despicable’ theft of crematorium’s roof

THIEVES have stolen the roof from a crematorium. Part of the copper roof was discovered to have been taken from Lewisham Crematorium on the morning of April 10, when workers returned after the Easter break.

Obese Lewisham residents too fat to be cremated

Rising obesity levels have caused crises in some crematoriums which are finding many coffins are now too big to fit in standard sized furnaces.

Some councils have been forced to invest up to £130,000 (Dh949,000) in outsize incinerators able to cope with expanding waistlines.Among them is Lewisham council, which has ordered a 44-inch furnace from the United States.

Lewisham worst place to raise a family?

Reader's Digest polled 1,162 parents with children under 16 and asked them to rate the characteristics of family-friendly locations - giving these a rating from 1 to 10, depending on their importance.

The factors were then weighted depending on the importance parents gave to them. Reader's Digest also used official data, such as Home Office crime figures, and Land Registry house price figures, to rank each area.

'WORST' FAMILY PLACES
399. Oxford, Oxfordshire
400. Lewisham, London
401. North Lincolnshire
402. Rother, East Sussex
403. Kingston upon Hull
404. Haringey, London
405. Hastings, East Sussex
406. North East Lincolnshire
407. Waltham Forest, London
408. Reading, Berkshire
Source: Reader's Digest

09 April 2007

Shoe fetishist feels like a 'monster'

A SHOE fetishist says he felt like a "monster" when he realised the impact his high heel muggings had on his female victims. Omar Abd-el-Gowad got a sexual thrill when he pounced on strangers in the street and ripped the shoes from their feet, it is claimed.

The 26-year-old crept up on a seventh victim, who cannot be named, in New Cross on November 9 last year as she returned home with a friend, prosecutor Toby Fitzgerald said on Tuesday.

Lewisham Primary Care Trust denies forcing nurses to take Easter break

Lewisham Primary Care Trust has hit back at claims by the GMB union of a possible shortfall in nursing cover over the Easter break. The union’s sister organisation, the Community & District Nursing Association (CDNA), said its member nurses were being forced to take a holiday over Easter by the trust’s HR team – leaving a potential shortfall in nursing cover.

Demand for answers on 'bankrupt councillor'

LEWISHAM Labour group is calling for answers over the position of a former Liberal Democrat councillor. Labour group chairman Councillor Alan Hall demanded a statement over Councillor Sera Kentman's status at Lewisham Council's Annual General Meeting following her expulsion from the Liberal Democrat party.

FBI investigate discount shop credit card scam

SHOPPERS at discount shop TK Maxx could be victims of the world's biggest credit card scam affecting 45 million people. The FBI are currently investigating stores in Dartford, Bexleyheath, Bromley, Charlton, Lewisham and Farnborough.

Colleges meet their match

"The CBI has won the debate and there's an open market in training," says Dame Ruth Silver, principal of Lewisham College, in south-east London. Lewisham is one of many colleges that have been talking to neighbours - in its case, Greenwich College and Bexley College - about the possibilities of snuggling up.

04 April 2007

MPs visit Lewisham College

The Chancellor Gordon Brown and Education Secretary Alan Johnson visited the college to meet the students and learn more about how young people are being equipped with skills necessary for the future.

Girl collapses at play centre and later dies

A FIVE-year-old girl has died after collapsing at a children's play centre. The youngster was playing at Gambado, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham, when the incident took place on March 22. Paramedics then took over and took her to Lewisham Hospital, High Street, Lewisham, where she was pronounced dead.

Arrest in 'bankrupt councillor' inquiry

A LIBERAL Democrat councillor who was expelled from the party is believed to have been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and perjury. News Shopper previously reported Cllr Sera Kentman, who is alleged to have used different names, was the subject of a police investigation.

Campaigning to save derelict pub

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save a derelict pub from demolition face another battle. Developer Renewal Beckenham Ltd was refused planning permission to knock down the Green Man pub in Bromley Road, Catford, to make way for 54 flats.

Election battle for Army major

CONSERVATIVES in Bexley and Bromley have chosen a Territorial Army major and prolific blogger to fight for their London Assembly seat. James Cleverly, from Lewisham, was chosen to run in the election at a meeting at Sidcup Rugby Club, Sydney Road, Sidcup, on March 21.