Macfarlane Road Residents' Association Meets 29 Jan 2019

Mark your calendars - the Macfarlane Road Residents' Association is meeting up again on 29 January.

What is the Macfarlane Rd Residents's Assocation? It's a local residents' group that gathers quarterly in Shepherd's Bush to try and improve our local neighbourhood. Our next meeting is on 29 January, so if you're a local and you'd like to get involved, come along and have your say.

Central Line Strike on Friday

Central Line is on strike again on Friday

Fancy some last-minute Christmas shopping in Central London this weekend? Don't bank on it.

Tube drivers on the Central Line are on strike again, from 9pm on Friday, December 21, and continuing into Saturday until Midnight.

St Stephen's Needs Your Help This Christmas

St Stephen's Newsletter Sunday 16 December 

St Stephen's church on the Uxbridge Road is looking for volunteers to help out this Christmas.

In particular, the church is looking for volunteers on monday at 11am to help out with a Christmas lunch for the elderly, and later at 5pm, for a Christmas dinner for rough sleepers.

No Christmas Lights Again for Shepherd's Bush

Christmas Lights at Westfield

Uncle Scrooge would be proud of our local Council, who once again have failed to find any money to put up Christmas decorations on Shepherd's Bush Green.

Every year, Westfield puts on a sparkling display to pull in the crowds.

Engine Idling is Now Illegal in Shepherd's Bush

One of the many gripes that comes up at residents' meetings in our neighbourhood is cars and lorries running their engines while they are parked, belching pollution into the air while their vehicle is stationary.

Recently, our Council has followed the example of Westminster, and have found a way to issue fines for drivers who run their engines while sitting motionless in the street. 

So, good news then for anyone who likes breathing clean air.

Council to Spend £350,000 on Shepherd's Bush Green

Waterlogging on Shepherd's Bush Green in 2016

According to an article in MyLondon (formerly GetWestLondon) in November,  Shepherd's Bush Green is to get a £350,000 makeover to solve the problem of waterlogging on the Green.

Waterlogging is definitely a problem, and a number of people have mentioned this over the years, that - especially in winter - the Green can get badly waterlogged.

Candelit Carols at St Stephen's on Sunday

On Sunday 9th December St Stephen's Church on the Uxbridge Road is hosting a candle-lit carol service.  It's a very informal event; there is no need to book ahead and all are welcome. 

The event is part of the excellent community work done by St Stephen's; a church with a broad and diverse congregation, welcoming people from all parts of our neighbourhood.

The service starts at 5pm. After the service there will be mulled wine and mince pies.

London’s "Busiest Foodbank" Needs Donations

According to our Council, our local food bank, the Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank, is officially London’s busiest. Which, of course, isn't really something to be proud of.

Worse news is that the Foodbank urgently needs  help to meet the increasing demand from local people in need.

Over the last two years, the number of families fed by the Foodbank has apparently more than doubled, and "supplies of essential items are running low".

St Stephen's Christmas Fair Saturday 15 December

St Stephen's School on the Uxbridge Rd is hosting a Christmas Fair on Saturday 15 December from Noon until 4pm.

St Stephen's is an excellent local school, rated by the Sunday Times in 2017 as the fifth best primary school in the UK. Parents fight to get their children in, and one of the best things about the school is the energetic fund-raising carried out by FOSS - the Friends of St Stephen's.

The St Stephen's Christmas Fair is always busy and always popular, with, as you'd expect, tons of stuff for children and families. Donkey rides are rumoured for this year, along with all the traditional seasonal festivities.

DIMCO Applies for 7 Day Entertainment License Until 1am

DIMCO Buildings - an entertainment venue?

The DIMCO Buildings, The Grade II listed former bus shelter which lies (slightly incongruously) at the heart of the Westfield shopping centre, have applied for an entertainment license from our council.

If you would like to comment on the application, you can do so at the official site. Once you register a view, you will be notified of the time and date of the hearing and, if you feel strongly, you can attend the hearing and offer your views.

Albertine "Best Place to Drink" at LBHF Business Awards

Allegra McEvedy and her "Albertine" team

Our local Shepherd's Bush wine bar, The Albertine, recently won the "Best Place to Drink" at our Council's Business Awards.

We've long been fans of the Albertine, owned and run by celebrity chef Allegra McEvedy, who bought the Albertine a few years back, resurrecting an old family story in the process: the wine bar was originally founded by her Mum, back in the 1970s.

Today, the Albertine isn't just a great boozer, it has lovely food as well. Congratulations to Allegra and her team on a well-deserved win.

Council Threatens the Shepherd's Bush Blog

Hammersmith Bridge - overdue repairs

This morning brought a little excitement to my inbox, being threatened by our Council for - according to them - getting Monday's story about Hammersmith Bridge wrong.

Russell Butt, a "Communications Officer" at LBHF, complained that my story is wrong, and that LBHF, far from postponing repairs to the bridge, is "actively trying to drive the works forward and keep costs to a minimum, so to imply the council has deliberately slowed them down is wholly inaccurate".

Hammersmith & Fulham Historic Buildings Group AGM 29 Nov

Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group are having their annual AGM at the refurbished Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, on Thursday 29th November.  Drinks at 6.30pm, and the meeting starts at 7pm. Anyone who is interested in the history of our neighbourhood - and its preservation - is welcome to come along and get involved. The historic fabric of our neighbourhood is under constant threat - last year we lost the lovely Art Deco Cineworld in Hammersmith - replaced by a big hole in the ground after our local Council killed the development, without any apparent plan for what might replace it.

Hammersmith Bridge Repairs Delayed Yet Again

Hammersmith Bridge

Hammersmith Bridge Repairs are to be delayed again, as our Council kicks the long-postponed repairs into the long grass.

And, as anyone who has ever postponed repairs to a leaky roof knows, the cost of the proposed works keeps on rising, as do the costs of continuing to patch up the problem.

Papers presented to the council's leadership on November 5 showed that the provisional price-tag has risen to £36m from the 2014 estimate of £25m.

Kite Studios Winter Event: 24th of November

Kite Studios Winter Fair

Kite Studios are having their annual Winter event on the 24th of November.

The event aims to raise money for the Kite Studios' sponsorship fund, which goes towards providing subsidised art and craft classes for children and also towards community art projects. 

The event runs from 2pm until 10pm at Kute Studios at 2B Bassein Park Road, just off the Askew Road. 

Included are all sorts of craft workshops, as well as handmade gifts for sale, and food and drinks.

You can buy tickets in advance at www.kitestudios.org or just turn up on the day.

The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story about our neighbourhood, email us at shepherdsbushblog@gmail.com

Free Bicycle Marking Today at Shepherd's Bush Green

Free Cycle Marking today from 4pm

Today at Shepherd's Bush Green from 4pm to 6.30pm our local police are marking bicycles - for free.

What happens is they bind a non-removable marker to your bike and add it to a national register.

If it gets stolen, your bike can (in theory at least) be much more easily returned to you. Plus, anyone thinking of stealing your bike might think twice if it's registered.

Tube Strike Wednesday 7 November

Central Line is on strike on Friday

London Underground station staff on both the Central Line and the Piccadilly Line are to go on strike on Wednesday 7 November.

The planned Piccadilly Line strike will be a little later on the same day, starting in the afternoon.

Fireworks on Friday 2 Nov and Sat 3 Nov

Fireworks on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd November

Our Council is hosting a fireworks display in early November, not to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, but to "bring the love to our popular fireworks displays in Hammersmith & Fulham this year".

The evening is branded as "H&F Loves Fireworks".

Poor old Guy Fawkes is getting gradually edited out of our national traditions. But then, perhaps it's not so surprising that an annual event to celebrate the burning of Catholic bomb plotters may, after a good long run, finally have had its day.

Dinner & Auction at St Stephen's Thurs 22 November

On Thursday 22nd November St Stephen's Church on the Uxbridge Rd is hosting a dinner and auction in aid of the Roof Fund.

Tickets for dinner are £20 each, and includes a Middle Eastern buffet.

St Stephen's is hosting the dinner to raise money for the decaying Victorian roof, which is in need of replacement - to find out more, see the official site here.

Your Chance to Vote on Hammersmith Park Playground

Hammersmith Park Playground is getting a makeover, and our Council has decided to let the public decide which design should win. 

Now is your chance to vote. Follow this this link to the official LBHF site, and have your say.

There are three designs to choose from, which you can see at the official site and also below.