December 2011 Archives

In early 2010, three neighbours living on a communal garden in North Kensington approached the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation wanting to 'do something' to help local charities working for youth and education.

They recognised how fortunate they were, compared with the huge disadvantage of many living close by.

After investigating 17 charities, together we selected four which met their criteria. Based on these, they approached other friends in their neighbourhood, eventually bringing together 11 people ready to commit £5,000 each to a fund they established - the Grove Trust.

Pupils from a North Kensington school took matters into their own hands to try and stop drivers from double parking on the road outside.

Youngsters at Bassett House Primary School in Bassett Road designed and distributed leaflets to raise awareness of the dangers of double parking.

Controversial plans for a new school and leisure centre in North Kensington have been given the go ahead by Kensington and Chelsea Council.

The cost and design of the buildings was agreed upon by the cabinet last week, and the scheme will cost a massive £57.8m in what the council describes as 'one of the most deprived parts of the Royal Borough.'

Neighbours of the site, where the current Kensington Leisure Centre is, have criticised the council for not consulting them properly on the plans, but officers have more recently been working closely with residents on the scheme.

A 90 year-old woman from Earls Court is in a critical condition in hospital after a collision with a people carrier.

The woman, who lives in Philbeach Gardens, was hurt on the westbound carriageway of Cromwell Road in Kensington, outside Holiday Inn, at around 11am on Wednesday December 14.

A £1.5m appeal for a new surgical robot at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has smashed through the half way mark thanks to a massive donation.

GlaxoSmithKline this week gave the Pluto Appeal a cheque for £500,000, taking the running total up to £880,000 so far, well past the halfway mark following its launch in June.

The hospital is hoping to buy a surgical robot named Pluto, which will allow surgeons to perform intricate surgery on babies and children with more precision, quicker recovery times, shorter hospital stays and smaller scars.

Hundreds of visitors enjoyed an evening of Christmas carols and readings in Kensington including a contribution from Jamie Laing from reality show Made in Chelsea.

Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, councillor Julie Mills, hosted the concert at Our Lady of Victories Church to raise money for four charities working with isolated older residents - Age Concern, Open Age, the Second Half Centre and the Pepperpot Day Centre.

The congregation gathered on Monday December 12 to hear festive readings from author Sebastian Faulks, Jamie Laing, actress Claire Bloom, Chelsea Pensioner Marjorie Cole and

Residents of an extra care housing scheme in North Kensington enjoyed a morning of Christmas carols and songs performed by youngsters from a nearby school.

Pupils from St Thomas' CofE Primary School in Appleford Road visited residents at James Hill House in Kensal Road on Wednesday (14).

They visit the housing, run by Octavia, every year, and perform a selection of festive songs.

Kensington and Chelsea Council has refused to pay its staff at least the London Living Wage.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has set the minimum wage for Londoners to be able to get by at £8.30 an hour, but at a meeting on Wednesday (7) the council voted down a motion to pay its staff at least that amount.

The motion was brought by Labour Councillor Todd Foreman, who said that some of the council's staff were not being paid the London Living wage.

A 25 year-old exercise fanatic has died after being found unconscious in the pool of a Kensington health club.

Elsa Carneau was found face down in the water having had a suspected heart attack at the £145-a-month Virgin Active club in Old Court Place.

Emergency services were called to the gym at about 7pm on Saturday December 3, and they tried to resuscitate the French national, before she was taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Three hundred santas descended on Kensington Gardens helping to raise around £20,000 for hospice care.

The Santa Fun Run on Sunday (11) helped raise vital funds for Help the Hospices, a national charity for hospice care, with participants donning full santa suits, complete with a beard, belt and hat, to run, jog or walk the 5km route.

Katy Sprake, fundraising events manager at the charity, said: "The Santa Fun Run has been an unforgettable way to celebrate Christmas in London, while making a difference to seriously ill people and their families across the UK."