Outdoor Table Tennis Returns to Westfield

Outdoor Table Tennis returns to Westfield Square

Outdoor Table Tennis has returned to Westfield, with two all-weather table tennis tables popping up just outside Westfield Square, next to the orange Upside-Down-House, opposite the White City Bus Station. 

Many thanks to the good folks at Westfield, especially Andrew Phyllis and Matt Coppins, for bringing back this free outdoor community resource. 

The two outdoor all-weather tables were originally donated by Table Tennis England, and offer the chance for anyone with a bat and a ball to come and play for free.

Labour Holds Hammersmith and Fulham

Congratulations to our local candidates Mercy Umeh and Zarar Qayyum who have been re-elected as councillors for Shepherd's Bush Green Ward.

Overall, the Labour Party has maintained control over our local Council, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, bucking the national trend.  

Flyers from both Greens and Lib Dems claimed to have a polling lead, but these claims turned out not to be true. There was no "Turquoise Wave" here for Reform, and the Conservatives remain the main opposition party to the ruling Labour administration. 

Today is Election Day in Shepherd's Bush

Candidates in Shepherd's Bush Ward

Today is Election Day in Shepherd's Bush, and in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

Voters in Shepherd's Bush Green Ward can choose from a number of candidates (see left).

Shepherd's Bush Green is a very safe ward for Labour.  In 2022 the two Labour candidates, Mercy Umeh and Zarar Qayyum, were returned with large majorities. 

Will this year be different? It's hard to say. Both Greens and Lib Dems claim to be ahead in the polls, if you believe the leaflets they have pushed through local letter boxes.  They cannot both be right. 

Remembering Claire Hickey of Greenford Timber

Our local community was saddened to learn of the passing of Claire Hickey, a familiar and much-loved presence at hardware store Greenford Timber on Uxbridge Road.

Claire died on 17 April 2026 after a long battle with cancer, leaving behind many friends, neighbours, and customers who knew her for her warmth, kindness, and steady presence.  

Anyone in Shepherd's Bush with a DIY project will have met Claire; her hardware store Greenford Timber at 328 Uxbridge Rd somehow manages to have everything in stock, despite its modest size.   

One local resident said "Claire was incredible, she could always lay her hands on whatever you needed, even when you didn't know yourself". 

Summer Table Tennis is back at TV Centre

Outdoor Table Tennis is back at TV Centre on Wood Lane; the owners of upscale housing development and TV Sound Stages are putting up a big screen for visitors to watch summer sports, and have also provided two outdoor  tennis tables for summer entertainment. 

Children are welcome, and TV Centre even provide free table tennis bats and balls - though it's advisable to bring your own.  

Local Elections - Who Will Win in LBHF on May 7?

LBHF Seats by Ward - Wikipedia

On May 7th we have local council elections, and all 50 seats on our council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham are up for grabs. The question is - who will win?

LBHF has been Labour-run since 2014; Labour currently holds a commanding majority.  At the last election in 2022, Labour won 40 of 50 seats, with the Conservatives taking the remaining 10 seats, mostly in the leafier southern wards in Fulham. Take a peek at the map to the left to see the spread of votes. 

Despite a more difficult national picture for Labour, local projections still suggest the party is likely to retain control in LBHF. 

Pollcheck.co.uk suggests that, while opposition to Labour is strong, the opposition vote is split between the four challenging parties - Conservative, Reform, Lib Dem and Greens. 

Uxbridge Rd Tree Planted - and Promptly Vandalised

Local residents' campaign to Fix The Uxbridge Road has had something of a setback as one of the new trees on the Uxbridge Rd has been vandalised.

The campaign to Fix The Uxbridge Road has been working with our local council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to take action to improve our local street scene.  One of the few tangible results of that campaign has been the planting of new trees. 

Unfortunately (and not for the first time) one of the newly planted trees has been destroyed.  

Our council will no doubt be back, most likely in the next tree planting season, to replace it. But this summer a broken tree on the Uxbridge will be a melancholy reminder that the campaign to Fix The Uxbridge Road will be a long one, likely with many setbacks. 

Lib Dem Candidates Elsie and Fergus Want Your Vote on 7 May

Elsie Gisslegård and Fergus Ustianowski

Local council elections will be held on May 7th. We invited local candidates Elsie Gisslegård and Fergus Ustianowski, who are standing for the Liberal Democrats, to say why local people should vote for them on May 7th. 

"We moved to Shepherd’s Bush because we love it here. We walk the dog on the Green every morning, shop on Uxbridge Road, and feel the same frustrations every other resident does. The litter that lingers, the paths that feel unsafe after dark, the sense that nobody in the council is really listening.

New Trees Planted on Uxbridge Road

Local residents' campaign to Clean Up The Uxbridge Road appears to have scored a small victory in the form of new trees being planted along The Uxbridge Road. 

The campaign has been working with our local council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to take action to improve our local street scene. 

Uxbridge Road has long felt neglected; just walking up the street can feel like an obstacle course, dodging rubbish, panhandlers, and graffiti-covered phone booths. 

Beavers Released in Hammersmith Park

Hammersmith Park Beaver Dam

Beavers have been released in Hammersmith Park (known locally as "The BBC Park"), and already they are making an impact on the local ecosystem.

Residents visiting Hammersmith Park this morning may notice discreet new fencing around part of the lake. 

It forms part of a carefully managed pilot to reintroduce Eurasian beavers as a natural flood-mitigation and biodiversity project.

Ukraine Open House Returns on Friday 13th March

On Friday 13 March 2026 The "Ukrainian Open House" is returning to the Quaker Meeting House at 30-32 Bradmore Park Rd, W6 0DT from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

These Open House events are open to everyone - with Ukrainians being especially welcome.

Other attenders include local volunteers, a number of local Councillors, the Ukrainian Embassy, the LBHF Refugee team, the Red Cross and the EERC (East European Resource Centre).

The Open House events offer opportunity to meet friendly faces and talk to English people who know the local area as well as to Ukrainians who are learning navigate their way around the UK and how the various systems work.

There is also a WhatsApp support group to get regular updates.

All are welcome. The event is free.

Hammersmith Bridge - Closed Forever?

Hammersmith Bridge - closed since 2019

Hammersmith bridge remains closed to vehicles (though not to pedestrians and cyclists), and despite many years of discussion it seems that no progress on re-opening it has been made, and no viable solutions found. 

The cost of full repairs remains huge, and no money appears to be available to fund it. 

Our local MP Andy Slaughter wrote the following update in his latest newsletter: 

"Hammersmith Bridge remains one of the most important unresolved transport issues affecting west London, and an issue I am continuing to raise with government at all levels.

Macfarlane Place Wins Hammersmith Society Award

Macfarlane Place wins Environment Award

Macfarlane Place on Wood Lane has won an Environment Award at the 2025 Hammersmith Society Awards, held last week at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith. 

According to the Hammersmith Society wesbite: "Finely detailed brickwork is the feature in this new development on the corner of Macfarlane Road and Wood Lane opposite Westfield, designed by Maccreanor Lavington for Peabody Housing Association. 

Campaign To "Fix Uxbridge Road"

Fix Uxbridge Rd 

In 2025 a campaign was launched by a number of Shepherd's Bush residents to clean up the Uxbridge Road, hoping to persuade our council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham to take action to improve our local street scene.  

We invited campaign organiser Noor to share her thoughts on what the "Fix Uxbridge Rd" campaign is all about, and what it hopes to achieve.

 

Uxbridge Road Jewelery Robbery

Uxbridge Rd Jewelery shop robbed

The Uxbridge Road jewelery shop which was the subject of a ram raid robbery in 2019 has been robbed again, with thieves apparently breaking in last night while local residents (including me) were asleep.  

The criminals appear to have cut their way through the protective steel shutters and then smashed their way through two glass windows.

Morrisons Comes to Shepherd's Bush

Morrisons New Location on Wood Lane

Grocery giant Morrisons looks to be joining the local retail landscape in Shepherd's Bush, with a new shop set to open on Wood Lane.

The new premises is to be a Morrisons Daily and will located at "Unit H2 Macfarlane Place, Wood Lane, London W12 7FR.

The new shop will be open from 7am until 11pm daily.  

Farewell to Table Tennis at Westfield

Table tennis outside Westfield - in happier times

If you’ve passed by the bus station outside Westfield White City recently, you may have noticed something missing. The all-weather table tennis tables, once a quirky fixture of the concourse, have quietly disappeared.

For years, the tables were a rare bit of public fun in an otherwise functional transport hub.  Commuters, kids, and the odd shopper laden with bags could be spotted sticking around for a quick game.  They made the bus station feel less like a waiting room and more like a community space.

New Hotel Proposed for Shepherd's Bush Green

Proposed hotel on Shepherd's Bush Green

A new hotel is being proposed for the west side of Shepherd's Bush Green, located next to two existing hotels - the Dorsett (formerly the Shepherd's Bush Pavilion) and the Hoxton (formerly the Shepherd's Bush Post Office). 

The new proposed hotel is be built on the side of the current disused building, which until a couple of years ago was a Barclays Bank, but has since sat empty and boarded up. You can find the consultation online here. 

Secrets of The Bush - Shepherd's Bush Cricket Club

Shepherd's Bush has many secret places; but few are more tranquil - and unexpected - than the Shepherd's Bush Cricket Club. 

Located at the north end of Bromyard Avenue, just off the Uxbridge Rd (and, technically, in Acton) the SBCC has been hosting cricket matches in our neighbourhood since 1882.

Free Sunday Appliance Repair at Livat Hammersmith

Our local council the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham now hosts free monthly appliance "repair parties" at the Livat shopping centre in Hammersmith.  

So, rather than landfill that faulty printer, toaster or desklamp, you can take it down to King St on a Sunday afternoon while your local Mr Fixit takes it apart and gives it a new lease of life - completely free.

You will find the LBHF "repair party" opposite the new IKEA on the King St mall, near Sainsburys.