Follow us on Twitter @LovePaddington, to be the first one to find out what we’ve got in store for you on 7th of July at Westbourne Summer Festival 2013.
Over the next few weeks, we will be gradually revealing the acts that will be performing on the stage. And not just that! We will also be posting about the brilliant attractions, workshops and the beach decorations that will be appearing at the festival.
Get involved and find out everything through our Twitter page.
This year’s theme has been decided and the Westbourne Summer Festival is being transformed into a beach with a real ‘live’ beach to help create the mood.
Come along and enjoy ‘Costa del Westbourne’!
Westbourne Summer Festival is back this year with more fun for all. Expect live music, performance, activities for young and older, delicious food and plenty of local information. So put Sunday 7th of July in your diary, and watch this space for more details closer to the time.
This year’s festival will be part of series of events taking place in north Paddington, under the umbrella of Paddington Festival, which will combine film screenings, stand-up comedy, dance, music and much more over the summer period between 15th June and 31st of August. For more information and the programme of events check the website paddingtonfestival.co.uk
Westminster Cinematic Arts (WCA), a non -profit organisation dedicated to using the arts for social change, has recently teamed up with Father Henry, vicar from St Mary Magdalene Church, to produce a 30-minute documentary film exploring the value of spirituality in helping people combat loneliness and depression.
“The spirit in you” is the fifth film on the issues of loneliness, isolation, social exclusion and depression. You can watch the film during one of the screenings, on a DVD, internet or on Community Channel TV. Some of WCA films can be hired in five Westminster libraries – Queens Park, Maida Vale, Church Street, Paddington and Pimlico libraries.
A preview of the documentary was screened at St Peters Church on 11th May 2013 and the premier will be held at St Mary Magdalene Church on 28th June 2013 as part of the Paddington Festival 2013.
The redevelopment of the Torquay House site is progressing. The tower crane is erected and the work on the ground is nearly complete. The next step is the erection of a concrete frame.
To minimise work on the site, and hence disruption to neighbours, as many elements as possible will be manufactured off site. This will reduce construction time, deliveries, CO2 emmissions, noise and dust, however most days there will be a morning and an afternoon delivery to the site.
A banksman will be in the road directing the vehicles, which will not be allowed to wait in Torquay Street and will be asked to attend the site when they can go straight into the segregated unloading area.
If you have any queries please contact the Galliford Try Project Team on 020 7604 8830.
The latest phase of improvement work is just coming to an end at St.Mary Magdalene’s Church. English Heritage has provided the bulk of the funding for these major works to the Grade 1-listed Westbourne landmark.
The church has been given a complete new electrical installation, to replace the old system which was condemned as unsafe in the late 1990s, and a fabulous new lighting system, with custom-built Victorian-style chandeliers. The chandeliers, designed by church architect Colin Kerr, had to be approved by the London diocesan authorities as well as English Heritage before they were hand-made in a Soho workshop. The chandeliers incorporate uplighters which enable the church’s amazing painted ceiling to be seen better than ever before.
At the same time as the electrical works were being done, major drainage works were carried out on the north side of the church, to bypass Victorian drains that had become blocked or damaged by tree roots, and to carry away increasing amounts of ground water. The effect of the new drains has become obvious inside the building within weeks, as the north wall has begun to dry out. The drainage work was essential before any improvement work could be done in the crypt beneath the church, which had been liable to flooding.
The next phase of work at St. Mary Magdalene’s includes plans for a new building between the church and the neighbouring primary school, which will enable level access to the crypt as well as the main floor of the church, allowing the building to be used much more widely by the local community. A bid for funding for this next phase of the work is being made to the Heritage Lottery Fund this summer.
Westminster Academy has been awarded an Ofsted rating of ‘Outstanding’ following its inspection in March. This excellent news is testament to the recent successes achieved by the Academy, with 75% of students achieving 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths in 2012 compared to 17% of students in 2007.
Ofsted Inspectors spent two days at the academy, visiting a wide range of lessons and speaking to students and staff. They examined all aspects of Academy life and observed improvements in every area since the last visit two years ago when the Academy was graded Satisfactory (Ofsted 2010). The report states: “This is an outstanding school. (…) teachers have outstanding subject knowledge and plan interesting activities which motivate students”. Westminster Academy Principal Smita Bora was praised for the school’s commitment to ensuring every student is treated as an individual and given the support they need to achieve their potential.
The Sixth Form at Westminster Academy offers the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and a wide range of vocational courses. In recognition of the improvements students have been making and the generosity of the sponsors, the Academy is offering three Dangoor Challenge scholarships worth £15,000 each for the first three students to gain a university place at Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial College from August 2015.
Ofsted was also impressed by the variety of ways in which Westminster Academy prepares students for the future: “Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is greatly enhanced by an outstanding range of extra-curricular activities. As a result, students have high aspirations for their futures”.
10th Anniversary Celebration
Thursday 16th May
4.00 pm – 7.00 pm
At Westbourne Park Baptist Church
Corner of Porchester Road and Westbourne Park Villas, London W2 5DX
There will be activities and games for
all ages, information about the
charities activities and food and refreshments throughout
Everyone welcome
St Mary Magdalene is not just a church, but also a historic building of national importance, right in the middle of Westbourne beside the canal. PDT and the church are currently fundraising to create a new centre for arts and heritage, which would provide activities for all sections of the community in North Paddington.
We would like to invite you to take this special opportunity to see for yourself the splendid interior of the building, with a guided tour to explain its historical and architectural importance, and information about our plans.
Tea and cake will be served!
Everyone welcome.
Because of a flooding problem affecting properties in Maida Vale, Thames Water wants to build a new sewage pumping station underneath Westbourne Green.
If it goes ahead this will mean two small permanent buildings and two hatches on the ground, but during the digging of the pit, which may last 14 months, a large part of the Green will be taken over for the work compound, and will be unusable by residents.
The pumping station is clearly needed but Westbourne Forum and local councillors have been pressing Thames Water to find another site. This neighbourhood is already under stress in many ways. Conditions such as housing overcrowding and very high numbers of children and young people (the highest in Westminster) make access to open space all the more important. Parents at local schools have been signing our petition and our campaign featured on the front page of the Westminster Chronicle.
Thames Water insists that Westbourne Green is the site that would involve the least disruption, and will be applying for planning permission for the scheme. If they go ahead Westbourne Forum is asking as a minimum that:
We encourage you to email the planning team raising these three points: northplanningteam@westminster.gov.uk, quoting the Unique Property Reference Number: 010033523844
