UP FRONT
Bunny
Park’s
lemurs
This family of lemurs has
moved into Brent Lodge
Animal Centre in Hanwell.
It is the first time lemurs have been
kept at the centre in its 41 years and
yet another endangered species the free-to-enter community zoo is
dedicated to conserving. In their native Madagascar, lemurs are losing
habitat and being hunted for bush meat and the illegal pet trade.
Mother Fi and her daughters Tia and Vana now live in a specially
designed enclosure featuring plants native to Madagascar.
The enclosure would not have been possible without the help of many
volunteers and community groups.
Katie McGawley, the keeper who designed the enclosure, said; “The
lemurs are an important addition to the park and we’re sure they will
prove to be very popular. We hope to inspire and educate tens of
thousands of young visitors.”
Talk of the town hall
A scheme to transform Ealing Town Hall has moved a step closer.
The east wing would be retained for council use, including the
historic council chamber where councillors debate, the mayor’s
parlour and the marriage suite.
Nine areas, including the Victoria Hall, will be available for public
hire. As part of the agreement, community groups would continue
to be offered a discount to hire the rooms during off-peak periods.
The west wing would be reconfigured to become a hotel with
a restaurant, health and fitness centre, roof terrace and a ground
level cocktail bar with a bistro leading out to Dickens Yard.
The council has selected the developer Mastcraft as its
preferred partner on the project and, if the necessary planning
permissions and consents are granted, the work could be
completed in 2019.
Read the full story at ealingnewsextra.co.uk/features
1
A simple, painted track around a
Greenford primary school playground
is helping pupils to get fit and have
fun by encouraging them to run, jog or
walk a mile a day for up to 15 minutes.
By running or walking around the circuit
three times, pupils and staff at Stanhope
Primary School in Mansell Road clock
up one mile. This will contribute to the
nationally recommended activity levels
of at least 60 minutes of activity every
day for five-18 year-olds. Ealing Council’s
highway contractors, Murrill Construction,
which is more used to painting lines on the
borough’s roads, donated their time and
materials to create the track. Headteacher
Sahreen Siddiqui said: “Staff and pupils
are extremely enthusiastic about taking
part and we have already started to see
improvements in children’s fitness levels.”
2
Featherstone High School’s science
and maths teacher Elena Samson
has won a National Silver Teaching
Award. It is one of just 55 such awards
presented in the country. Elena will now join
fellow silver award winners at the UK final
of the Teaching Awards in October, where
10 Silver Award winners will be picked out
to receive a Gold Plato Award. Elena is
the third Featherstone teacher in six years
to receive a silver award, following John
Andrews in 2014 and Jon Elkon in 2010.
3
Elthorne Park High School’s under-16
girls’ football team were crowned
national champions at the national
football league festival, in Wembley before
the summer holidays.Two other girls’
football teams from the school won other
competitions recently, too – the undersevens became Ealing schools champions
and the under-14s Middlesex champions.
speedread
around ealing
Autumn 2016
9