UP FRONT
Ending FGM
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The Gruffalo is here. The council’s
much-anticipated opening of
Horsenden Hill’s Gruffalo trail took
place over the summer and you can now
enjoy following the route and seeking out
the wooden sculptures of five of the book’s
characters: Mouse, snake, fox, owl and, of
course, the Gruffalo. Each was carved by
chainsaw artist Dan Cordell. Information
boards along the trail have been designed
with the aim of encouraging children to
learn more about their local woodland and
the plants and wildlife to be found there.
2
A 24-hour service on the London
Underground was due to start
in August on two Tube lines, on
Fridays and Saturdays, including the
Central line which runs through our
borough. This autumn, Transport for
London (TfL) then will expand the service
to more lines, including the Piccadilly,
which also passes through our borough.
TfL has said British Transport Police
officers will be patrolling the stations
during the night to make passengers feel
safer. Visit tfl.gov.uk
3
Fielding Primary School children
are the latest local pupils to enjoy a
fun way to brush up on their cycling
skills and get to school by hopping on a
‘bike bus.’ Lead cyclists pick up children
along the way and then the group cycles
to school together. As well as organising
the bike bus, the council’s school travel
team arranged for 36 pupils at Fielding to
complete levels one and two of ‘Bikeability’
cycle training. The tuition, by Cycle Training
UK instructors, covers safe cycling and basic
bike checks. Other schools with bike buses
include Hambrough and Three Bridges
primary schools in Southall; and Christ the
Saviour and Drayton Green primary schools
in Ealing. Visit www.ealing.gov.uk/cycling
speedread
4
around ealing
Autumn 2016
A campaign was
run this summer
to raise awareness
of female genital
mutilation (FGM)
and the damage it
does to girls.
There are thought to be a number of girls and women living in the
borough who have had varying types of FGM done to them in their
family’s native country. Yet, it is illegal in the UK and considered as
child abuse.
If anyone you know has been affected by FGM or needs more
information, contact the Acton African Well Woman Clinic on
020 8383 8761 or Ealing Children’s Integrated Response Service
(ECIRS) on 020 8825 8000 option 2.
We spoke to a woman who experienced FGM in Somalia as a child,
Sagal. She said: “There is a little girl sitting at home who’s had this done
– who might need help to understand, or have questions that need
answering – and I want her to know there’s help out there.
“For families living in the UK, outside of their ancestral homelands,
continuing with the practice of FGM can be a way for them to keep a
strong link to their traditions. This practice has to stop. Ten years ago, there
wasn’t enough information out there – now there is thankfully a lot more.”
Read the full story at ealingnewsextra.co.uk/features/fgm
Bank holiday collections
There will be no changes to rubbish and recycling collections
over the August bank holiday. Collections will take place on
Monday, 29 August as normal. See page eight for more details.
Now the borough has moved to a system of
alternate weekly collections, collection days
will not change when there is a bank holiday,
even over Easter. The only changes will take
place over the Christmas and new year period –
and residents will be informed about how those
changes will affect them closer to the time.
You can check your collection schedule
at www.ealing.gov.uk/bins