Musicians play at the Victorian fancy fair at the Thames Tunnel. Photo: Melanie Macleod

Over the weekend the public had a “never again chance” to take a step back in time, and look into the future… of the East London Line.

The Thames Tunnel, which will form part of the new East London line, opened for the public to walk through for the first time in 145 years.

The tunnel was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and hailed as the eighth wonder of the world upon its construction in 1852. As the finale to the East festival, the tunnel opened its doors to the public with a Victorian fancy fair and guided walks through the tunnel.

The Thames Tunnel stretches 396 metres under the river, from Rotherhithe to Wapping, Tower Hamlets, was built in the Victorian era and is believed to be the first tunnel to have been built beneath a navigable river.  Brunel Museum Director, Robert Hulse, said the tunnel is “the birthplace of the tube system”.

In 1869 it was converted from a thriving shopping arcade and entertainment centre into a railway tunnel for the East London underground line. This year the Thames Tunnel will see trains running through it once more as the redeveloped East London Line goes live once more.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “We are delighted that the works on the East London Line are working so well to time that we have been able to put them on hold for two days so that the public will get this never-again chance to walk through the Thames Tunnel.

“Brunel’s achievements taught us that it is vital to invest in transport infrastructure, the benefits of which are preserved for Londoners for generations to come.”

The fancy fair harks back to Victorian times, when the tunnel captured the imagination of the city, attracting exotic dancers, sword swallowers and tightrope walkers. Speaking to visitors, Robert Hulse described the scenes of yesteryear: “Imagine this echoing with laughter and screams of delight, and parties of people. This is a Victorian rave, this is vaudeville, a party place.”

The modern day fancy fair, held at the Brunel Museum, Rotherhithe, boasted Victorian Strongmen, jugglers, acrobats and fire eaters, steams organs and Brunel themed cocktails and jellies.  Visitors were also treated to model painting and authentic Victorian costume and photography at the event.

Lawrence Wakefield, 21, a musician from Lewisham, said: “This event is a great way to get a feel for the Victorian era, I especially liked the Victorian strongmen – they were really entertaining and energetic. The Brunel museum was good too, really informative about the tunnel.”

Anyone wishing to find out more about the tunnel and Brunel’s other works can visit the Brunel Museum, on Railway Avenue, Rotherhithe.

Photo:Francesca Waite

Boxing national hero, Amir Khan visited the Double Jab gym in Forest Hill, Lewisham on Friday. The Olympian, 23, met with young people who train at the gym: slogan, ‘Jab Don’t Stab’.

Amir Khan was in the local area, working on  a new television show called ‘Justin Lee Collins: Good Times’ which was being recorded in The Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley,  so  Double Jab manager and  coach, David John, invited him over to meet the young boxers. (more…)

Photo:Ewan-M

Plans to sell a building used and owned by the Hackney Empire in order to pay back its spiralling deficit were greeted with anger by local residents at a stormy public meeting last night.

Many of its supporters said they were  ‘shocked’ by the announcement that the building at 117 Wilton Way will be sold off in a multi-million pound deal with developers the Thornsett Group to build affordable housing. Speakers heckled the panel of theatre and Arts Council officials. (more…)

Photos by Artemis Ignatidou

A major fire which broke out early Thursday morning  gutted a restaurant and an office block in Shoreditch in East London.

The blaze broke out at about 4 am at the Sosho restaurant on Tabernacle Street, on the border between Shoreditch and the City of London and fire engines were still at the scene on Friday.

The flames quickly spread up the four-storey office building, engulfing half of the roof.

London Fire Brigade said 20 fire engines, four aerial appliances and around 100 firefighters attended the scene. There have been no casualties and it is not thought anyone was trapped in the building. (more…)

Photo: Midwives aim to stay a helping hand pablogv2004

Hundreds of people attended a protest march yesterday in support of the pioneering Albany Midwifery Practise  - closed down by Kings College Hospital earlier this year.

The ‘Reclaiming Birth Rally called for the re-opening of the Albany  practice as well as the adoption of their maternity model as a standard. The practise was the only independent group of midwives to offer personalised continuous care to women on the NHS.

The organisers say the march, which went from Lambeth to a rally in Whitehall, was an opportunity for bodies like the Royal College of Midwifery and National Childbirth Trust as well as parents to lend their support  for the Albany midwives

The Albany Mums, a group of mothers who received pregnancy care from the Peckham-based practise said in a statement: “We believe that a widespread adoption of the Albany Midwifery Model is the answer to many of the problems that currently beset the UK’s maternity services. That’s why the Albany mums will be calling for an ‘Albany for All.’

Annie Francis from Independent Midwives UK said the aim of the ‘Reclaiming Birth Rally’ was not just about support of the Albany midwifery practice. “It is the model of the Albany that we are supporting. All evidence shows that it’s the gold standard of midwifery.”

The hospital said the closure was for safety reasons following the death of a week-old baby whose birth had been supervised by an Albany midwife. The practice said the death was unrelated to the involvement of the midwife.

Tinchy Stryder at St Matthew Academy Photo: Ed Robinson

Rapper Tinchy Stryder swapped the bling for the blackboard in Lewisham today in support of the government programme to deliver personal finance in schools.The Bow singer took a teacher role in a special class at St Matthew Academy. (more…)

The East London mosque. Photo: Ibán

Tower Hamlets Council is falling under the control of extremist Islamic groups, according to allegations made in a television documentary.

However, the claims were strongly rejected by some local politicians and the group at the centre of the claims, the Islamic Forum of Europe, which said they aimed to incite Islamophobia.

According to the film, ‘Britain’s Islamic Republic‘, made by journalist Andrew Gilligan, the IFE, a community organisation with links to the East London Mosque, has ’secretly infiltrated the Labour Party’ in Tower Hamlets, and is ‘already exerting influence’ on the running of the borough. Tower Hamlets has the highest proportion of Muslim voters of any local authority in the country.

The film claimed that although the IFE ‘presents itself as a beacon of tolerance’, in reality it ‘houses a fundamentalist organisation’ allied with terrorist sympathisers and advocating the imposition of sharia law on both Muslims and non-believers.

The IFE  said the  film’s content amounted to ‘media slurs.’ The group said that it categorically condemned violent extremism, adding: “The suggestion that there is anything sinister about [its] engagement with normal democratic processes, or that the IFE is bent on political ‘infiltration’ is untrue, inflammatory and socially divisive.”

During the documentary Gilligan presented a dossier of what he said was evidence of the group’s political influence and radical intentions. This included anecdotal accounts and pamphlets produced by the IFE, but also undercover filming at the mosque. In one scene, an individual allied with the organisation is heard to claim that: “Our brothers have gone into those positions of influence… council positions.”

Local Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick, who represents Poplar and Canning Town, also criticised the IFE saying: “They are acting almost as an interest organisation.”

Tower Hamlets Labour  Party has been placed under ‘special measures’ by the Labour Party nationally following concerns about its membership numbers and status of some members. The move places restrictions on its independence as a local party.

A Labour Party spokesperson said last year: “We’re concerned about people joining for the right reasons and are trying to prevent organisations filtering in who may try taking over the party by signing up and ousting existing members.”

In the programme, Lutfur Rahman, the leader of Tower Hamlets council, was asked to respond to these allegations. He said: “Those are internal party matters.”

Local journalist Ted Jeory, formerly of the East London Advertiser, claimed a councillor had privately told him: “We’re petrified by these guys. They’ve got us by the balls.”

Kevan Collins, the chief executive of Tower Hamlets Council,  said the council took the allegations ‘very seriously’ and would investigate anything which potentially breached its regulations or any aspect of the law.

He continued: “If we were to be made aware through the police or Home Office of any issues with any group, we would act swiftly to cease any relationship with that group (as we did recently with the banning of Islam4UK).”

Even before being broadcast, the programme had already provoked heated responses among members of the public. Around 70 comments, many of them attacking the film, had already been posted on its page on the Channel 4 website yesterday afternoon, several hours before it was due to be shown.

Among the critical responses was that of ‘Abdul’, who saw Islamic political involvement as a Catch-22. He wrote: “If ur a muslim and dont go into politics your not integrating, and if you do go into politics your an extremist. Mr Gilligan and co what should the muslims in Britain do? [sic]”

Others disagreed with the programme’s portrayal of the IFE, claiming that its work is for the most part beneficial to the community. User ‘SM’ wrote: “There may be bad eggs within the IFE – like any big organisation – but the amazing work they’ve done (especially in one of the poorest boroughs of London) stands testament to the strength and overwhelming good the IFE are known for.”

Photo: Monday Club D'n'B

A Hackney nightclub that has earned an international reputation among clubbers is facing the threat of closure because of police concerns about noise, drug abuse and misuse of its drinks licence.

Clubbers across the capital are bracing themselves to fight for the renowned Shoreditch venue Plastic People against a move from the Metropolitan Police to have its licence reviewed, which could put its future in doubt.

The club, which is located on Curtain Road, was established 16 years ago and has since been described by reviewers and punters alike as boasting the best sound system in the country.

But the Metropolitan Police have made an application to Hackney Council to have the club’s licence reviewed on the grounds that the owners have not done enough to prevent crime and noise disturbance to neighbours.

Councillor Alan Laing, Hackney Council cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “Police concerns about Plastic People include issues around poor management, including the lack of a proper search policy, reports of open drug use inside, and alcohol served out of the hours authorised by its licence.”

After a four-week consultation period ends, the case is likely to be referred to a licensing sub-committee where evidence will be heard and the future of the licence will be determined.

The club management is hopeful that a compromise can be reached.

“This does not mean that all hope is lost and that Plastic People has come to its end,” said manager Bernard Koudjo in a statement.

“However, it does mean that we must do all we can to co-operate with the police and Hackney Council in order to ensure that we can keep the best dance music venue in London open for all to enjoy,” he added.

Local residents and businesses are invited to make their views known to the council, but Mr Koudjo urged club-goers who do not live in the vicinity to hold back on making complaints to the police and council, until a newly created committee called Friends of Plastic People can organise themselves to represent the venue.

In the meantime, a Facebook campaign called Keep Plastic People Alive has been established, and has attracted more than 10,000 members.

Members who had joined shared memories of the club online. “No other club is better,” said one commenter, while another said: “We aren’t the only ones that love this place – the industry folk do too.”

Plastic People is famous on the underground music scene for its eclectic mix of music events, including renowned dubstep night Forward.

Locally-based music promoter Takahiro Nakayama, a regular at the club, said: “I think it’s fair to say there’s a problem with noise. But the people who go to Plastic People don’t really take drugs – they are serious music people, and often don’t even drink. I think we should keep Plastic People alive because it’s a really great place for music lovers.”

International music acts such as Four Tet have also expressed their support for the venue with a mix entitled ‘Much Love to the Plastic People’, available online.

This threat of closure to  the club comes just weeks after it was announced that the shutting down of popular Shoreditch venue The Foundry would go ahead despite public outcry over plans to have it demolished.

Photo by armisteadbooker

Sainsbury’s recycling facility at  their Sydenham branch is one of the first stores in the country to collect energy-saving light bulbs in addition to portable batteries.

The supermarket has partnered with light bulb recycling specialists Recolight.  Sainsbury’s is the first retailer to offer joint recycling of batteries and bulbs, following a successful pilot in late 2009. The scheme has been rolled out across 200 of the company’s larger stores nationwide.

Sainsbury’s Environmental Affairs Manager Jack Cunningham spoke of his hopes for the scheme: “We’re going a step further than most retailers by offering to recycle energy-saving bulbs in addition to batteries.”

“People want to recycle light bulbs but are often unsure of where the nearest recycling facilities are. Our recycling points will be visible to millions of customers every week, and we hope that this will help to increase recycling rates in the UK.”

The partnership is an important move towards providing consumers with a wider range of options to make recycling low-energy light bulbs as easy as possible. By combining the collection of both batteries and light bulbs, Recolight can use the same transport infrastructure for both products, helping to reduce CO2 emissions.

Petra Holden, 34, of Sydenham, is delighted the scheme is running at the Sainsbury’s Savacentre: “It’s really handy they’ve started running the facility, otherwise I know I’d just throw them away. It’s always good to do what you can for the environment.”

Jamie Taylor, 48, of Catford, also hopes the recycling facilities will be successful. He said: “I’m glad Sainsbury’s have taken the lead, hopefully the other supermarkets will follow. I’ve just disposed a load that I had – maybe Sainsbury’s should advertise it a bit more so people will know about it.”

The scheme uses specially-designed collection containers, situated in the recycling areas of larger stores. All light bulbs and batteries collected will be sent for recycling at approved treatment facilities.

Nigel Harvey, the Chief Executive of Recolight, a non-profit organisation, said: “We have already had considerable success keeping commercial lamps out of landfill. Working with Sainsbury’s will help us to significantly increase the number of consumer lamps that are recycled. Research has indicated that consumers will recycle energy-saving light bulbs if they have access to suitable drop off points. Sainsbury’s stores provide an excellent location for these joint collections.”