Humans of Shepherd's Bush - Number 11

Mike Walsh - childhood in Little Percy St

"I lived on Little Percy Rd in the 1940s; it was a street surrounded by bombsites but it was still our playground for street football, cricket & marbles.

The only trouble though was the chance of smashing a window, or being told by an angry neighbour to go and play in the park. But when we went to Ravenscourt Park with our football gear there was a problem.

All the signs read Keep Off The Grass, so if we put our ball down and kicked it around, a big man in a brown uniform with a bright metal badge pinned to the hat on his head would come marching along in his new leather boots and his little walking stick which had a spike on the end (used to retrieve sweet wrappers that had been left on the grass) & shout, "Go on, out of it, gone on away with you. Don't let me catch you around here again!"

Humans of Shepherd's Bush - No 6

I’ve lived in Shepherds Bush for twenty-two years but early this year I left the Uxbridge Road to walk to the North Pole for the Prince's Trust.  

The idea started as a drunken plan after I was given five years to get back into shape after a back operation.  Having done that I felt I should honour the idea. We raised £250K for charity.  And now that I am back in the Bush I have many stories to tell!

The Bush Telegraph 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.

Humans of Shepherds Bush - No 3

"My dad was known as Wally Biscuits because this stall was called the Bush Biscuit Box. He started in 1933 and was on the stall until 1991 when I took over and it became Laura's Fruit and Nut Box.

It has been open non-stop all that time, apart from during the war when biscuits were rationed so it was closed.  Dad signed up and when they asked him what he could do he said that he was good at fixing things, so they put him on the air strip at Swindon to fix Wellington Bombers.

After the war he was offered the chance to go and work for Boeing in the US but he chose to come back and re-open the Biscuit Box.  It was so funny because no one on the market ever knew his real last name.  No-one knew anyone's last name, because everyone was known by what they sold."

Humans of Shepherds Bush - No 2

"One day I got a call asking me how much I would sell 100 helium red balloons for and I said £100. About an hour later, without any sort of warning, the crew from The Apprentice for kids turned up to buy the balloons. They tried to beat the price down but I only went as far as £95.

When the TV show came out loads of people saw it and came to say well done to me because the other team had managed to get the balloons for £75. I was so pleased as I did better out of the deal. Also because my team won even though they paid more for my balloons. It was fun. "

The Bush Telegraph 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.

Humans of Shepherd's Bush - No 1

Human No 1

"My car is a mini cab eleven months of the year, but for one month we drive home to Morrocco.  I love that country, but I prefer to be here because I like that all cars have MOT and it is all more organised.  Did you know that more people are killed in Morrocco from accidents on the road than from anything else? I hate it. 

The UK is good because there is order and you know that the cars are all checked and no one is going to steal it either - well, probably not at least!

I have been in the UK since 1996 and its a great country - even if it is a bit freezing - but I know that I can get to Morroco in two days.