Bears Ice Cream Opens in Ravenscourt Park

Yay! Ice cream!

Bears Ice Cream has opened up in Ravenscourt Park at 244 Goldhawk Rd, W12 9PE. Started up by the head chef of our local gastropub The Anglesea Arms, Bears ice cream isn't just your average ice cream parlour.

The ice cream is Icelandic in style, which apparently means it comes in just one flavour - vanilla - which can then be customised with all sorts of extra goodies.  Think Mr Whippy, but done really really well. You can add chocolate, or fruit - tons of yummy extras.

Phase 2 of TV Centre Revealed at "Public Drop-in" on 27 April

TV centre - as proposed by Stanhope

Stanhope, the developers who are masterminding the huge new build taking place on the old BBC TV site on Wood Lane, are organising a "public drop-in" to view plans for Phase Two of TV Centre.

The drop-in will take place on Wednesday 27 April at 6pm in the new Television Centre Marketing Suite - the new building opposite Wood Lane Station on Wood Lane.

Shepherd's Bush Police Station Terrorist Target

Shepherd's Bush Police Station

It's odd to think of Shepherd's Bush as a terrorist target. Why would anyone, let alone Islamic State, want to blow up Shepherd's Bush police station?

But recently a group of men were convicted of doing exactly that. Tarik Hassane and Suhaib Majeed were found guilty of "conspiring to commit a terrorist murder". Two other men, Nyall Hamlett and Nathan Cuffy, were found not guilty of conspiracy but pleaded guilty to firearms offences.

Jamie Oliver Cookery School Opens in Westfield on 4th May

Jamie Oliver has announced the opening of a new cookery school at Jamie's Italian in Westfield. Fans of the celebrity chef can now book classes at the Jamie Oliver Cookery School, scheduled to open on May 4th.

The Jamie Oliver Cookery School "will provide lessons for everyone, whether you’re a complete beginner or a kitchen pro."

Pop-Up "Silent Cinema" Comes to Television Centre This Summer

This summer White City developers Stanhope are hosting a pop-up "silent cinema" on the roof of the old car park on Wood Lane. Silent Cinema will run for six weeks, run by Electric Cinema (of Notting Hill and Shoreditch fame), and will be managed by Incipio Events.

But don't worry, "silent cinema" doesn't mean there is no sound; it just means there is no noise to disturb the neighbours.  Audience members will be provided with noise cancelling headphones to ensure there is no disturbance to local residents.

Silent Cinema will open to the public Wednesday to Sunday for six weeks between 22 June and 1 August 2016; on Mondays and Tuesdays there will be private viewings only.  Films will end no later than 11.30pm.

Former Hammersmith Society Chair Launches Clean Air Petition

London Fog - how it used to be

Rosemary Pettit, former chair of the Hammersmith Society, has launched a petition to clean up London's air. The petition is titled: "Mayor of London: Clean Up London's Air", and aims to persuade whoever wins in the May elections to prioritise the improvement of air quality in London.

Rosemary was appointed by our Council to be chair of the the Hammersmith & Fulham Commission on Air Quality last year.  Her position is non-political and she takes no position on who should win in May.

Foodbank opens at Hub 75 in Shepherd's Bush

Growing numbers of people in our neighbourhood struggle to make ends meet, and a new foodback has opened on Bloemfontein Road to help out. 

Run by the Council, and the Thrussell Trust, The Hub @ 75 in Bloemfontein Road aims to help relieve poverty in Shepherd's Bush. 

London Mayoral Election - Not a Close Race?

By now voters in Shepherd's Bush will have received their polling cards for the London Mayoral Election on 5th May - now just five weeks away. If you haven't received a polling card, you're probably not on the Register.

You may even have seen a few posters springing up for one of the candidates in your neighbours' window, and friendly canvassers knocking on your door urging you to vote for their man. However, for those who like an exciting election, this one does not look to be a close race.  According to a recent piece in the Evening Standard, Labour's Sadiq Khan is a clear eight points ahead of Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith.

Support Your Local Farmer's Market!

Brook Green farmer's Market - every Saturday

Here in Shepherd's Bush we have an excellent farmer's market - it takes place every saturday morning from 10am until 3pm in Addison Primary School on Bolingbroke Road in Brook Green.

Much of the produce is organic and locally sourced and you can meet the farmers themselves and have them explain to you what "free range" and "organic" really means.

Right Now at the Bush Theatre is "Unmissable" - Says Time Out

"Right Now" at the Bush Theatre

"Right Now" is playing - right now - at the Bush Theatre, and has been described by Time Out as "unmissable".

The Bush Theatre will be closing soon for a full renovation, and won't re-open until 2017 at the earliest.  So anyone wanting to soak up some culture in the Bush this year better move fast. Prices start at just £15.

Humans of Shepherd's Bush No 9

"I'm an English teacher at a secondary school in Shepherd's Bush. Or at least I was - until recently.  It is the best job in world. The challenging end of the state education sector has been my home for sixteen and a half years. The camaraderie, comedy and quiet conscience it breeds are priceless. And the 'kidz' are great. 

Yet, I have decided to take a six month career break. I was due a rest, but the real trouble is the current government's education reforms. The issues are: pace, people and pounds - the change is too fast.  The best teachers and leaders are bowing out due to the growing pressure. And now, silly sums of money are about to be spent "academising" all schools.  I hope to find my way back to an English classroom again, but right now I am seriously concerned about our schools."

Walking Tour of Shepherd's Bush on Saturday 16th April at 10am

West London Walks - just £5!

Until the late 19th century Shepherd's Bush was just a collection of fields, but that doesn't mean we lack history.  For those who want to explore the rich history of our neighbourhood and the neighbourhoods around us, Caroline MacMillan of West London Walks offers a series of personally led walking tours.  Her walks are "informal, and full of interesting and unusual facts".  Her walking tour of Shepherd's Bush takes place on Saturday 16th April at 10am.

Muslims and Christians in Shepherd's Bush Come Together to Help The Homeless

Homelessness has been a problem in Shepherd's Bush for many years. As long ago as the turn of the 20th Century, Hammersmith MP Sir William Bull was appalled to see Shepherd's Bush Green become "home to destitute unemployed sleeping rough".

Homeless suffer from a life expectancy that is "30 years less than the general population", according to Bob Mayo, vicar of St Stephen's church on the Uxbridge Rd.

And things are not improving. Numbers of homeless people "have increased by 30% over the past 20 years". However, our local communities are coming together to try to help out, with inter-faith co-operation from Christians and Muslims.

In a new joint project, St Stephen's and an Islamic charity, the Al-Khair Foundation, have come together to provide sleeping bags as part of their "Keep Britain Warm" campaign.

Reginald D Hunter at Bush Hall on Friday 8 April

Bush Hall

Reginald D Hunter is an American-born stand-up comic, based in the UK - and he's coming to Shepherd's Bush.

Hunter is the lead act at Bush Hall Presents With… a regular monthly comedy night at Bush Hall on the Uxbridge Road. The show takes place on Friday 8th April, and is titled Bush Hall Presents with Reginald D Hunter. 

Hunter was raised the the US state of Georgia, lives in London and is a regular guest on Have I Got News For You?. He was described by the Sunday Times as "one of the most brilliantly unpredictable comics in the country". 

Market Traders Win in Court of Appeal - Market Development Stalls Again

Shepherd's Bush Market

The Court of Appeal has overturned the decision of minister Eric Pickles to uphold a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on a row of shops on Goldhawk Rd, adjoining Shepherd's Bush Market (see photo below).

Market traders are now celebrating the ruling, which overturns the High Court ruling made in August 2015 by Mr Justice Dove, and effectively blocks the development from going ahead.

What Does a Councillor Do, Exactly?

Harry Phibbs is one of the Conservative councillors for Ravenscourt Park Ward in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. He was described by Chris Underwood, author of the original Shepherd's Bush blog (and no fan of our former Conservative Council) as "genuinely good....Top Tory".

Harry writes the Hammersmith and Fulham Forum blog, where he posts regularly about the latest issues and seeks, as he puts it to 'hold the Council to account".

We asked Harry to talk about being a Councillor in Shepherd's Bush, what Councillors do, what life is like in opposition, and what are some of the challenges and opportunities in our neighbourhood.

Play Football Opens In Hammersmith Park

Play Football has opened its new football pitches in Hammersmith Park, after a long battle with local residents over the future of the park.

The event was not widely publicised, but you can see what you missed in the flyer to the left.

The new Five-a-side facilities include a cafe, and toilets which are open to all park users.

Hammersmith Park has been the subject of a long dispute over its future, after the last Council administration granted Play Football a long lease to operate a number of paid-for football pitches, at the same time removing the existing sports facilities.

Shepherd's Bush Market Hangs in the Balance

Royal Courts of Justice

The Shepherd's Bush Market traders were in the Court of Appeal last week to contest the latest High Court decision in the ongoing legal battle over the future of the Market.

They have been locked in a five year battle with developer Orion over the future of the site.

The most recent event in this long-running legal dispute occurred almost a year ago, in July 2015, when market traders appealed the 2014 decision by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to uphold a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) over the site.

Charity Book Sale at the Defector's Weld on Monday 18th April

Shepherd's Bush educator Toni Sharpe is hosting a charity booksale upstairs at the Defector's Weld pub on Shepherd's Bush Green on Monday 18th April at 6pm.

Come along and recycle the books you no longer want, and buy some new (-ish) ones too.

Books will be sold on at 20% of list price, or 15% for students. All proceeds are going to good causes.

Mayoral Candidates Support The Hammersmith Flyunder - But Will It Actually Happen?

Hammersmith Flyover. Photo: Wikipedia

Both of the two main candidates for London's Mayoral Election  (the election is to be held on 5 May 2016) are supporters of the proposed Hammersmith Flyunder - the new tunnel which may in time replace the current Hammersmith flyover.

The Flyunder is a hugely ambitious scheme that, if it goes ahead, has the potential to alter permanently the face of Hammersmith. But will it actually ever happen?