The Roundabout Kids meet once a month at the Book Club in Shoreditch to talk business and to make friends. Pic: Vishal Ladwa

In Shoreditch a monthly meeting called the Roundabout Kids has started to bring young entrepreneurs working in the the tech scene at the Silicon Roundabout together.

Alex Nguyen and friend Vishal Ladwa thought it would be a good idea to have meetings for young professionals who want to start up their own business on the internet or already run one.

23 year-old Vishal told East London Lines that it is an opportunity for like-minded people “who have the same passions for start ups and technology” to come together and talk about their ideas.

The meetings also offer a chance for young people to get involved in the tech scene and the start up culture, something that Vishal says “can be very daunting.”

The Roundabout Kids poster. Pic: the Roundabout Kids

Through sharing ideas, Vishal says it is also a chance to improve their business prospects:

“It’s a way for people to learn more about the industry, to meet people with the same interests and to make friends.”

East London Lines went along to this month’s meeting and spoke to Meera Trivedi, a 24 year old PR agent. Meera said being a part of the Roundabout Kids offers a great chance to see what is going on in the start-up scene, to “share ideas” and to get reliable advice:

“If you want an upfront answer, I’m sure they’ll give it to you. They’ll say what doesn’t work and people will give you other ideas.”

As well as talking business, the meetings are an opportunity to socialise.

The Roundabout Kids happens in Shoreditch for people working in the Silicon Roundabout, but the attendance grows, and Vishal hopes it could “pop up in other boroughs.”

The venue is currently the Book Club in Shoreditch. Tickets need to be brought in advance from here.

Pic: Free2Learn

The training centre Free2learn has opened a new branch in Lewisham. Their four-week courses aim to receive more than 1500 attendees in 2013.

Gabriel Cherfcovic, Free2learn’s Curriculum Manager, said: “30 per cent of the people attending our courses will find a job straight away, while 20 per cent will still need our help”.

According to London’s Poverty Profile, Lewisham ranks one of the highest boroughs affected by youth unemployment and Lewisham Strategic Partnership states that it is the 15^th most ethnically diverse local authority in England.

Cherfcovic claims: “The courses target all types of people, with different experiences, ages and  origins”.  He said that the reason to open a branch in Lewisham was because they “found a gap in opportunities for unemployed people to be trained”.

The centre aims to keep more than 10 people on staff, of which “50 per cent will be local”, Cherfcovic says.

Eastlondonlines spoke to some of Lewisham’s local residents, and it seems that they are willing to receive this new training centre with open arms.

Jessica, 19, unemployed, said: “I am looking for a weekend job. At the moment no one is hiring so I think the new training centre will be really good. They will help me find a job and build up my CV”.

Jack, 26, is employed and thinks that “it will help unemployed people, especially the young, to find a job. People need support in finding work and a new training centre will provide that.“

George, 32, “I was made redundant over a year ago and have struggled to find a work since. I know a lot of other people are in the same position. This centre will give us all a place to go to for advice and opportunities, and we will be able to meet employees as well”.

Free2learn has also a branch in Hackney  that opened two years ago,  and has trained 3000 people to a “high rate of employability”. They hope to have a similar result in Lewisham.

Plans for Old Street Roundabout. Pic: 00:/

David Cameron and Boris Johnson have announced plans to transform ‘Silicon Roundabout’ into “Europe’s largest indoor civic space”.

The government will invest £50m in a regeneration project that aims to transform the centre of Old Street Roundabout into a hub dedicated to startups and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the Urban Age Electric City Conference in Shoreditch yesterday, Cameron said: “This amazing new space will provide entrepreneurs and startup businesses with the facilities and the spaces they need to succeed but which, individually, they might not be able to afford themselves.”

Designed by architects 00:/, in collaboration with Hackney and Islington councils, the new building will house classrooms, auditoriums, flexible office space and a 3D printing lab, as well as exhibition spaces and workshop zones.

Designers’ plans for the area say: “The paradox of ‘Silicon Roundabout’ is that it is simultaneously the centre-piece of the tech enterprise story in east London, but at the same time a conspicuous and embarrassing void.

”[The hub] aims to do for Tech what the Barbican Centre and the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern have done for the arts. This would include tech expos, live events, public talks and cultural pop-ups.”

Matthew Evans, co-director of Hoxton Mix, a creative space provider in Shoreditch, welcomes the development.

He told Eastlondonlines: “At the moment, the billboard on the roundabout is one of the highest-grossing billboards in the UK, but the revenue from it isn’t going into Tech City.

“If the plans are the same as those we have seen, then I think it will definitely benefit the area.”

The announcement of the multi-million pound project was accompanied by news that seven large international firms are committing to Tech City, including Microsoft, KPMG and IBM.

Boris Johnson said: “The time is right to lay solid foundations in Tech City for London’s digital revolution, and this list of major new firms committing to the area is a testament to the confidence leading tech entrepreneurs have in the capital.”

Emphasising their plans to connect with Shoreditch’s startup community, a Microsoft spokesperson told Eastlondonlines: “Our plans are to reach over 5,000 startups, students, designers and artists each year through innovation days, peer-to-peer advice and development support.”

“We will also create packages of support for developer apprentices and are working on a new apprenticeship [programme] to support young people in and around Tech City.”

Other investing companies are also planning to develop links with young people. Barclays and Ravensbourne have announced a new creative partnership that will see students taught about technology and design as well as provided with placement opportunities at the company. University College London, partnered with Cisco and and DC Thompson, are opening IDEA London, an online academy focusing on career training and development.

Dubbing the redevelopment the “Silicon Roundabout Hub”, Boris Johnson said: “It will provide not only a vital resource to nurture upcoming technology and creative superstars from around the world, it will drive huge investment into the capital and help create thousands of jobs.”

Pic: Stock.xchng

Hackney is one of only four areas in the UK where women earn more than men, according to new figures released by the Office of National Statistics.

The median annual salary for women in Hackney is higher than that of men. On average, the annual income for women in the borough is £30,760, compared with £30,565 for men, a difference of 0.6 per cent.

Nationwide, the overall gap in salary earnings between men and women decreased from 10.5 per cent in April 2011 to 9.6 per cent in 2012, but the majority of men still make more than their female colleagues.

The success of Hackney women as higher wage earners has been debated by leaders of the community.

Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington attributes the numbers to education.

She said: “We all know that if you are to earn a good wage you need a good education. Girls in Hackney’s schools have been doing better and better in terms of attainment in recent years and this now appears to be paying dividends.”

But Dr Jane Holgate, a senior lecturer in work and employment relations from Stoke Newington, argues that the dominance of public sector employment in the area might be behind the figures.

In a statement to the Hackney Gazette, Holgate said: “The main employers in the borough are the council and Homerton Hospital which, because they are public sector, have more pay equality.”

Another possibility is the higher rate of unemployment among men in Hackney. The ONS released research earlier this year that revealed 9.2 per cent of men in the borough claim Job Seeker’s Allowance compared to 5.5 per cent of women.

Hackney also had the highest rate of male claimants in London in February 2012.

Siobhan Lockhart

Pic: London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman launched the second round of community grants that will aim to help disadvantaged people get back into work and learning.

Not-for-profit small to medium voluntary sector groups based in Tower Hamlets are eligible to apply for grants between £5000 and £12.500.

Under the first round of grants, more than 1000 economically inactive people were helped to look for work or further learning. Projects funded in the past have included food cooperatives and a community café.

Tower Hamlets Somali Organisation Network, which works with the local Somali community, is one of the voluntary groups that benefited from the grants last year, with funding of £6250.

Mustafa Ibrahim, a THSON member, told EastLondonLines: “We have been using the grant to increase employability in the Somali community. We’ve offered programmes to teach people how to complete applications, how to write a CV. Basically how to get a job.”

Ibrahim said that about 12 people have been employed so far with the help of the grant, although it is at an early stage and the project is not finished.

A council spokesperson said: “Tower Hamlets has a thriving voluntary and community sector, with over 1,000 organisations staffed by dedicated people and volunteers, all working for the benefit of the local community.”

The Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Service will be offering free community grant application workshops through October.

Steve White of the THCVS told EastLondonLines: “A lot of people don’t like the bureaucracy side, but THCVS is here to help them. There’s a lot of support from us.”

“They will be regulated by the European Social Fund, which is quite strict. So that will be good for the organisations.”

The voluntary sector groups that wish to apply must have been established before September 30 last year and have an income of less than £150.000 in the previous financial year.

The programme, funded by the European Social Fund, will be matched locally with money from Tower Hamlets and administered through London Councils.

Two rounds of funding will be available, both consisting of £405.000, with the deadline for applications being November 5.

Pic: Alex Folkes/Fishnik.com

Businesses in east and south London are divided over the government plans to invest one billion pounds in a ‘business bank’ for small and medium enterprise loans.

EastLondonLines contacted local firms about whether the proposals address the problems they face and how crucial loans are to their survival.

Business secretary Vince Cable announced the so-called ‘business bank’ at the Liberal Democrat party conference on Monday, saying it could break the credit freeze at major banks and get money flowing to small enterprises.

Judy Riley, of Nick Bell Design in Haggerston, said: “It is very, very difficult for a small business to start up or get any kind of lending unless they have had a really successful year.

If there is some kind of pot of money where a small business can go to, to borrow money, without going to the bank – which is basically boxes needing ticking – then that would help.

Bespoke furniture designer and manufacturer Karl Rees is in early stages in his business and yet to require external investment.

He told EastLondonLines that access to loans will prove essential to deal with the high cost of machinery and of renting in Hackney.

He said: “I think we need to follow example of Germany where the economy is based more on small a medium sized businesses – they have better access to loans and advice from local banks rather the way in this country where business is faceless and you have to conduct it over the phone.

“Better help from local business managers at your local bank would be more helpful.”

But Trevor Reeves, director of Croydon’s House of Reeves, which was grievously damaged in last year’s riots, voiced disappointment that the government was not bringing mainstream banks to book after the bailouts of 2008.

He said: “I think it’s clear that the money they put into the banks over the last 2 or 3 years wasn’t done correctly if they have to set up their own bank. Either it wasn’t thought out as much as it should have  been, or they haven’t got the control of the publically-owned banks that they should have.”

“The banks are supposed to be lending – they’ve blatantly ignored the government, so the government are saying, oh, terribly sorry, we’ll set up our own bank. It’s blatant capitulation, really. Who’s controlling who?”

Reeves said the plan would not help his shop because it had no plans to expand and a good relationship with its bank.

He said: “Given what we’ve been through over the last few years, it’s not really at the forefront of our lives! We’re just trying to stay on your feet.”

Geoff Moss, who runs the web design and consultancy firm Four to the 4 in New Cross, said that while access to finance is a pressing concern, but information and other practical help is also crucial.

He said: “Advice is always important for people, but sometimes its about access to funding and investments. Very often there are attempts to help businesses financially and very often businesses simply aren’t in direct  contact with the people who can inform them on how to go about that.

“Its not just having the revenue in place, its about having the connections to small businesses so they are actually given a helping hand securing it.”

The full details of the plan have not yet been released, but its aim is to help SMEs expand by providing easier access to loans which commercial banking system – which Cable called “broken” – will not provide.

Cable, said: “For decades, British industry has lacked the sort of diverse, long-term finance that is quite normal elsewhere. We need a British business bank with a clean balance sheet and a mandate to expand lending rapidly and we are now going to get it. “

Pic: Kake Pugh (Creative Commons)

Shops in the historic Allders Mall are clinging on to life after the giant department store which houses them closed its doors on Sunday.

Firms housed in the mall running through the Allders building will stay open for business after negotiations between Croydon council and the landlord, Minerva, secured their near future.

But the fate of the 10 businesses and 40 employees given a reprieve will ultimately depend on Minerva, which is looking at proposals to remodel the 500,000 square foot building for retail use.

Virginia Coughlan, director of Coughlan’s Bakery in the mall, said: “We think it’s great that the mall will remain open, everyone is really happy. We’ve been here for 32 years. “

The bakery, which was the first business to open in the space, employs 19 people.

Croydon council told EastLondonLines: “It will look like a tunnel running through the middle of a very large building, separate from the store that closed. The Mall will remain a walk-through between North End and George Town.”

The council has pledged to keep the shop fronts looking attractive to shoppers, but stressed the uncertainty surrounding the future of the building.

What Minerva do with the site will depend on the future of the neighbouring Whitgift Shopping Centre, which is embroiled in tussle between mall operators Hammerson and Westfield.

In November 2011, the Whitgift Foundation announced that Westfield would take over the centre, but in March this year the Foundations co-owners signed an exclusive agreement with Hammerson.

Hammerson stepped up the battle on Monday September 17 by buying a 25 per cent stake in the site.

While the twin property giants duke it out, the shops huddled inside Allders’ giant carcass should be safe for the time being.

Vidhi Mohan, cabinet member for communities and econoic development, said: “This is an excellent outcome for the traders because they haven’t had to relocated, and it’s good for customers and the surrounding business. “

Mohan added that the negotiations with the landlord will continue to ensure that the mall is kept open and well maintained in the future.

Allders Department Store, built in 1862, and the third-largest of its kind in the UK, went into administration in June and finally closed its doors over the weekend after failing to find a buyer to bail it out. Around 800 people lost their jobs.

The council, together with the Allders Staff Suport Group, including local jobcentres, is planning to open a one-stop training and employment advice shop in the Whitgift Centre for staff affected by the closure. Council leader Mike Fisher said the cllosure had been a “tremendous loss for the community.”

A spokesperson for the council said it was in talks with all relevant parties to find meanwhile uses for the empty space.

Along with the closing of Allders Department Store, around 800 people have either lost their jobs or have been relocated with the help of Croydon Council. Mike Fisher, leader of Croydon Council, said: “Allder has been unable to keep up with the competition in the modern retail market.” Fisher added that the closing down of the department store is a “tremendous loss for the community.”

A bed bug.

Tower Hamlets has the highest number of infestations of bed bugs, mice, cockroaches and others pests in the country according to a new survey.

The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said the borough registers 80 infestations per 1000 people, the highest in the country.

In the study of over 390 local authorities Tower Hamlets had more than twice the number of infestations of mice than the next highest area, Southwark.

Richard Moseley, the technical manager for the BPCA said: “This doesn’t mean they [Tower Hamlets Council] are doing anything wrong. They have a very active pest control department and until recently provided a lot of free pest control services.”

Historically the authority offered free pest control services to all residents. However, recent budget cuts have forced them to begin charging for some pest control services.

Those on state pensions, residents of Tower Hamlets Homes and approved social housing providers will continue to receive pest control services at no cost, as will anyone needing a call out for rat infestation; all other residents will be charged for pest control services.

Charging for pest control services is a worrying trend across the UK, the BPCA said: “There’s a very real possibility that there could be an increase in pest activity.”

Tower Hamlets also has the highest levels of over crowding of all local authorities in the United Kingdom, a factor which Moseley says contributes to these high levels of infestations: “Where you have high density housing and occupation, in such areas you’re going to see a higher incidence of call outs and infestations.”

The authority is seeking to reduce its overcrowding problem.

A spokeswoman for Tower Hamlets said: “The report recognises that London has very high infestation rates and so it follows that the council’s service will be under great demand.”

“Charging for pest control services was introduced in August 2011. However, pest control still remains free to many residents.”

Hackney also featured highly in the report, recording in the top ten areas for bird, mouse, cockroach, ant and ‘other mammal’ (foxes, rabbits and moles) treatments.

By Emma-Jane Burgess

A much-loved Italian restaurant in Lewisham Shopping Centre has closed after 25 years.

Ponti’s Italian Restaurant traded for the last time last Sunday.  The company, which runs a number of other restaurants around London, was forced to close the establishment after the centre’s management did not renew their lease.

Customers were in tears at news that their regular meeting spot will no longer be available. Susan Covington-Baker, a housewife from Eltham, said: “It’s a shame really that it’s gone. It is a real shame for the community because this was a meeting place, a real focal point for many. Where do we go now? There aren’t many places like this.”

Another woman, who was moved to tears, but who preferred not to give her name said: “I think it’s terrible, sad. It is isn’t it because it is so popular. They are so polite. The service is excellent you know…. I have been coming here for a long long time.”

Ponti’s had been in Lewisham for more than 25 years and had operated from the same premises for over 22 years.

For those who dined regularly at the restaurant the closure came as a shock. many finding out only when they arrived on Monday morning to locked gates and a number of farewell cards sitting on the counter.

Ponti’s director Philip Inzani said: “It’s really sad to close the restaurant but our lease has come to an end and therefore it’s time to move on. We are very sad to be leaving but there really wasn’t any alternatives because of the structure of the centre.”

It is unclear what Lewisham Shopping Centre intend to do with the space. A spokeswoman for the Centre said the future use of the tenancy was still to be decided.

By Lauren Buljubasic

Architects impression of the new building

Developers are proposing to put a 39-storey skyscraper as part of a major new development of homes and shops on a site where remains of one of Shakespeare’s early theatres have been discovered.

Investigations by archaeologists from Museum of London Archaeology, on the site by Ploughs Yard on Curtain Road, have unearthed remains of The Curtain Theatre. The theatre was home to William Shakespeare’s company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, before they settled at the Globe. The theatre staged several of Shakespeare’s plays including Romeo and Juliet, and the stage was immortalised as a “wooden O” when Henry V premiered there.

Archaeologists believe this may be one of the best examples of an Elizabethan theatre in the UK and include the walls forming the gallery and the yard within the playhouse itself.

Neil Thornton, of the Horse and Groom pub, which sits just above the old theatre entrance, was very excited by the new discovery: “it’s a fantastic find, Shoreditch is a really cultural place and it’s great to see the old merging with the new.”

The remains will be preserved on the site along with an exhibition about Elizabethan theatre. John Drew, of the architectural company Pringle Brandon Drew, told the Architects Journal: ”Having uncovered an internationally important archaeological discovery, we have the unique opportunity to create a centrepiece which is accessible to the public and provides facilities to showcase The Curtain Theatre’s cultural importance.  We will be working closely with the Museum of London Archaeology and English Heritage throughout the process to safeguard this amazing find.”

Plans on the 0.8 hectare site also incorporate 400 residential units, two office buildings and 3,600 square metres of shopping. There are also parts of a nineteenth century brick railway viaduct on the development site, which will be preserved with shops and cafes within the arches.

Chris Thomas from MOLA, who is leading the archaeological work, said: “This is a fantastic site which gives us unique insight into early Shakespearian theatres. We are delighted that Plough Yard Developments plan to preserve the remains in place and open them up to the public as there are few similar sites across the UK.”

By Oliver Shaw