September 2008 Archives

The credit crunch may be making many people anxious but a former movie actor claims it has saved his life after forcing him to crash diet.

Terry Smith, of Hanworth, who featured in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves alongside Kevin Costner (right), weighed in at a hefty 29 stone and at just 41 had been forced to apply for a disabled permit because he struggled to walk to his car after becoming hooked on junk food.

Now the married father-of-one has lost four stone in three months after rising prices forced him to cut down on food and alcohol and save £100 a week from his food bill.

Awareness of climate change and the need to protect the environment is growing and is not restricted to any one section of the community.

On Saturday, October 4, Hounslow Friends of Faith is bringing together speakers and displays from different faiths to challenge and inspire people to do their bit for the environment.

Everyone at Oriel School in Hanworth is beaming with pride this week after hearing two much-loved members of staff have been nominated for a national award.

Linda Ellis and Rose Tunley, who both work at the Oriel Primary School, in Hanworth, have reached the finals of The National Awards for School Support Staff.

Violent youths who brutally knifed two partygoers in Hanworth this summer will go unpunished unless the teenagers who were there start telling the truth.

This is the claim of Det Insp Jeff Minns, who is leading the investigation into the double stabbing. He said his officers were powerless to move the case forward until revellers from the ill-fated party on July 19 admitted exactly what they had seen.

"We've spoken to almost everyone who was there and followed up lots of enquiries but unless people start naming the people they actually saw holding knives we won't be able to charge anyone for the stabbings," said DI Minns, of Hounslow CID. "I know people are scared but they don't need to be - we can protect them."

They may be miles away from open waters but 7th Feltham Sea Scouts are still going strong after 70 years.

The group, which still offers fun activities for kids aged six to 18, have organised a huge gathering this Sunday to mark their 70th anniversary in the town.

Cub Scout leader Mike Parsons said: "All former members and friends of the group are invited to join the celebrations to meet the current generation of young people and leaders, and share memories and photographs."

The Cub Scouts, aged eight to 11, were the first section to appear in Feltham, forming in 1938 and probably meeting at St Dunstan's Church. They were later joined by Beavers Scout, for 6 to 8-year-olds, Scouts aged 11-14, and Explorer Scouts, aged 14-18.

The scout groups all meet weekly during school term times and enjoy sailing and canoing on the Thames and at Bedfont Lakes.

The 70th birthday celebration will be on the September 21, from 2pm, at the Scout Hut, in Ludlow Road, Feltham.

For more information about scouting, volunteering or the reunion call Mike Parsons on 020 8844 1140 or email mike.parsons@7thfelthamscouts.co.uk

Angry petitions and cross-party support from MPs and councillors have not been enough to save Feltham Jobcentre.

Despite widespread opposition, staff at the centre, in Feltham High Street, have been told by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that they will close in three months meaning jobseekers from the west area will now be forced to travel to Heathrow or Hounslow to claim benefits.

A DWP spokesperson said: "Our intention at this time is to close Feltham Jobcentre by the end of December 2008. This decision is a consequence of the development of alternative channels for our customers to access our services.

Are you a young person aged between 16 and 25? Go wild with London Wildlife Trust! Come and hang out with friends, meet new people and learn some wild new skills.

We are looking for young people to help manage and improve Crane Park Island Nature Reserve. Come and experience outdoor practical activities like bushcraft, willow weaving, coppicing, river clearance and wildflower meadow management. You could also organise and run events at the reserve and even become a Reserve Warden for the day!

As part of our Hard Times series where we work out how to live for free in London, web editor Lucy Proctor braved the wilds of Crane Park Island in Hanworth, Hounslow, to learn fire making and foraging from London's answer to Ray Mears.

As our guide Enric Cucarella from the Pyrenees lays out his array of survival gadgets and exotic fungi on the damp floor and the River Crane burbles in the background, civilisation seems far further than half a mile back through the park to Hanworth.

The bushcraft devotee learned his tricks from his boss while training as a London park warden, who picked it up on a two-week course with Mears himself. Now the 28-year-old runs corporate team building activities on the nature reserve and teaches youngsters what a knife is really for on youth days.

Free bikes are being given away to residents of Hanworth's Butts Farm estate as part of an innovative scheme to help them save money, get fit and turn the area green.

Around 60 bikes will given to people living on the estate on a short term loan in a bid to persuade them to make 50 per cent of their journeys on two wheels.

Two-goal hero Adam Bark scored from the halfway line as Beesotted's second string edged out Hanworth Park in a 12-goal thriller.

Bark's brace, coupled with strikes from David Knowles, Paul Heffernan, Stephen Poole and an own goal, saw the Bees race into a 6-1 lead.