Around Ealing Spring 2014 | Page 39

WARD FORUMS Fun forums Some people may think of ward forums as serious affairs, dealing with matters like transport and crime. They are, but they also help to fund, and organise, fun events and celebrations too. L ocal councillors and residents join forces to come to decisions about your neighbourhood at ward forum meetings. Whenever they can, they tend to back events that bring the community together. This summer, the carnivals in Hanwell and Greenford in June, and the Acton Carnival in July, have received funding to help the organisers put on these popular events, as well as providing opportunities for local traders to sell their wares and home-grown entertainers to display their talents. The theme for this year’s carnival in Acton is the ‘Spirit of Acton’, celebrating Acton’s heritage. Other events receiving support and funding in recent times have included: ■ Acton Christmas Fair ■ Ealing Autumn Festival ■ Hanwell Hootie ■ Hanwell Winter Fair ■ Kings and queens for the day, in Northolt ■ Norwood Green Village Day ■ Perivale Festival of light and sound event. On a smaller scale, people organising street parties to meet and get to know their neighbours have been supported by ward forums – with more than 15 helped in the past two years. HAVE A SAY Each of our borough’s 23 ward forums has an annual budget to spend on local improvements and community events. The residents who attend the ward forum meetings help to recommend how that money should be spent. You can influence how your local forum spends its money this year. So, come along to your next forum and meet your ward’s newly-elected councilors. You can see who your ward councillors are, and how to contact them, on pages 41-43 of this magazine. Also, keep an eye open on future editions of Around Ealing for the details of forum meetings. MORE INFO ■ Visit www.ealing.gov.uk/ wardforum ■ Contact your neighbourhood coordinator: Acton and Chiswick – Kofi Nyamah, 020 8825 5818 Ealing and Hanwell – Tan Afzal, 020 8825 6426 Greenford, Northolt and Perivale – Evelyn Gloyn, 020 8825 8021 Southall – Dennis Frost, 020 8825 5453 around ealing Summer 2014 39