NewsletterAlexandra & AinsworthTenants & Residents Association NEWSLETTER

www.alexandraandainsworth.org

Spring - Summer 2016

Your Tenants and Residents Association

Annual General MeetingWednesday 11th May - Tenants Hall

Doors open at 7.15pm - meeting will start at 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Supporting Residents: The TRA work with Camden Council to ensure they deliver the best possible service for us. Together we have regular walkabouts around the estate to identify areas of concern and we look at issues that affect us all.

Would you like to join us? Are you interesting in things that will effect you like the better homes? The heating? Motorbikes riding and parking on the estate walkways?

Janet Jack1934 - 2016

Janet Jack, our very own landscape architect, died recently on the 31/3/2016 at the age of 81.Janet Jack graduated in architec-ture from the renowned Architec-tural Association before focusing her talent on landscape architecture.She is survived by her husband Bill.

The Alexandra Road park was com-pleted in 1979 and was Janet’s first large project.Many of you will recall the planting and playgrounds that filled Neave Brown’s walls and spaces at that time.Janet was also very involved with the architects who worked on the recent Heritage Lottery restoration and was delighted to attend the opening event in September of last year - a lovely day when the park looked glorious.A heartfelt” Thank you” to Janet Jack from all of us for our beautiful park.

Do you remember when the estate looked

like this?If you do let us know.Do you have any old photographs of the

estate?We would love to see

them.Who took the photo of the kids on their bikes? Third photo down on

the right?

Park NewsSpring is finally here and our Alexandra Road Park is looking georgeous.The buds are appearing in our many trees and birds are busy looking out for a good nesting spot.Soon our landscape will be transformed once again into a leafy green space.The snowdrops planted by the “friends” of the park in the “ bowl” were the first flowers to appear this year followed by the lovely purple crocus on what is now the Crocus bank near the Abbey Road entrance.By the time this newsletter comes into print the little daffodils on the sunny side of the bowl will be out ( courtesy of some Spring sunshine)Not all is well however and there have been a number of complaints to the dog wardens about dogs mess, many from responsible dog owners themselves and many from parents whose children would like to play on the grass but feel they are unable to.Thanks to everyone who puts their litter in the special bins - please note house-hold bags should still go down to the rubbish as these bins are not designed to take the regular stuff.In terms of events Claude has been leading a very successful elders walk through the park despite some severe weather! These walks are followed by tea in the hall.The Heritage Lottery Fund who financed the park restoration stipulates that all sections and age groups must be pro-vided for and therefore It is anticipated that the “mound” will be designated a “ quiet area” for our elders and for anyone who wishes to sit and have some peace and tranquillity.This is what Janet Jack, our original landscape architect, wished for this area.Elizabeth

From Jenny....Summer is just around the corner, which means that it’s time to start making plans for the summer holidays. You can start your summer season off with a gentle walk and chat with the Ainsworth & Alexandra Community Forum or with some free physical exercise classes and get fit and toned for the beach. The best part is that every month, there will be at least one activity that will appeal to you - be it an outdoor kids play day, a picnic, a music festival, a film evening, a sport challenge, a yoga class or a gardening workshop. You can come and get involved with all these events and more. Keep an eye open for details on the park’s notice boards or following @AlexandraRdPark on twitter.If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact me on 020 7974 2367 or email me at: jenny.kurktchieva@camden.gov.uk. And last but not least, if you’d like to organise an event or are interested in volunteering experience, please get in touch. Jenny Kurktchieva Alexandra Road Park HLF Activities Co-ordinator

Filming Up-date

Judo and Shinbudo Club on the Estate

Since our last newsletter your Film board have been busy as ever working in conjunction with Camden Council and Film Fixer to ensure that all of the projects that are shot on our Estate are licenced and legal, as well as making sure that the cast and crews behave properly and that we as residents are not hugely inconvenienced.Large professional or commercial shoots are charged a fee which funds multiple events provided for the residents by our wonderful TRA but we do allow small student/art projects to shoot here as well without the fee. However all shoots need certification from the correct channels so if they are causing disturbance or you are unsure as to whether they should be shooting or not, please do not be afraid to ask them for their licence. If you do not want to do this you may always call the Film Fixer 24hr hotline 0791 900 2115So far this year amongst other things we have had Tinie Tempah shooting for his

Our local judo club (whose website is available at https://shinbudo.wordpress.com) has been growing and developing in ways that even the most optimistic

of us would have not envisaged, when establishing it in 2014. We now have some 50 members, 30 of which train on a regular basis. We run 2 weekly classes, all taught by outstanding black belt judo coaches, including a women-only self defense class, taught by two female instructors (on Thursdays 6:45-7:45, costing £4 only for members). Hard work and dedication are beginning to show in terms of both progress and achievement in competitions, which is always extremely rewarding and satisfying. On 12 March 2016, some of our children had their first go at competitive judo, in the extremely coveted London Area Judo Comp organised by the BJA, at the University of East London. Our neighbour Nia Lough won a hard fought silver in the u36Kg 3rd mon category, and so did her sister Tisha in the tough u57Kg 3rd mon category winning against some extremely tough and much more experienced opposition, and only missing gold due to injury. Jonas Sellar and Mo Hammeda placed third in their respective weight and belt categories, which was an amazing result considering they have been training for less than a year. We are doing well, but most certainly not sitting on our laurels. We are hoping to secure a permanent training venue and invest in a sprung floor and new mats, so as to develop further our club and our junior judo competition team. We are hoping to be able to count on the Council’s support and assistance, so please keep signing our petition! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/future-dojo-shinbudo-london We would like to take this opportunity to thank our coaches, local councillors, the TRA, and all local residents, for their ongoing support. More soon! Nicola

festival tour video wall, a possible return from The Kingsman crew and interest from Steven Speilberg.In other news a low budget independent British film which used our tenant’s hall as a fight studio with the help of the TRA and our Shinbudo Judo Club is now on cinematic release in the UK and VOD, check out the trailer http://vimeo.pandoricamovie.com/

Luke

The TRA and Friends of Alexandra Road Park websites are kept updated so please have a look for all the latest news

www.alexandraandainsworth.org www.friendsofalexandraroadpark.com

Hi Folks,Having just had this experience, I thought I should like you know what is “doing the rounds”.I had a phone call last Friday from someone calling themselves DC Charlie Mitchell from the Fraud Squad at Hammersmith Police Station, advising he had apprehended two boys who had used my bank card and had spent £2,800. This man knew my name and address. He was very, very plausible until he volunteered to ring my bank for me. Alarm bells rang for me as I know these people have open lines and use their own men. I told him I would never give my pin number or other numbers to him. I asked him how I could get in touch with him and he gave a number of 161. When I told him I would talk to my Bank personally he put the phone down. This obviously was a scam. I rang the fraud department at my Bank who checked everything for me and he congratulated me on not giving any numbers out. I then went up to my Bank and saw the Branch Manager who also checked my account and said that all was ok and again he congratulated me on not giving any numbers away.You must be made aware of these people that try scams and NEVER, EVER, give out any personal numbers or information.

Joy

Fraud - Alert Alert!

Tenants HallTimetableTuesdays: Dynamic & Flow Yoga Class* 7pm - 8pmCost: £6 or £25 for 6 classes. Just turn up.Movement Class5 - 6pm (4 - 14 year olds)Cost: £3 for regular members aged 4 - 12 and £4 for members aged 13+

Wednesdays:TRA Meetings 7.30 - 9.30pmEvery 2nd Wednesday of the month except August.

Thursdays:Restorative Mixed Yoga Class* 10am - 11amCost: £6 or £25 for 6 classes

Fridays:Somali Sure Start Creche10am - 12pm (term time only)Fun and friendly mother and baby/toddler support group. The wider community is welcome where space allows. For more info email info@somaliculturalcentre.orgJudo 4.30 - 5.15pm (5 - 7 year olds)5.15 - 6.15pm (8 - 12 year olds)6.15 - 7.30pm (13+ to adults)Cost: £3 for regular members aged 4 - 12 and £4 for members aged 13+You are more than welcome to just turn up and watch, or even better join a class. Please feel free to email us with any questions to shinbudo.london@gmail.com or for more info you can visit our new website www.shinbudo.wordpress.com

Saturdays:Your Co-op Shop - SHEF10am - 12pmCome and get your fresh boxes of organic fruit and veg right here on your doorstep from the SHEF Coop. This is non-profit making. Everyone is welcome, come and have a chat and a coffee! For more info go to www.shefcoop.org.uk

Park - ARPEventsOpen Squares and GardensSaturday 18th June - all dayWe have been asked to take part in this great event. We will be showing people around the park and having refreshments in the tenants hall. We will be looking for volunteers to help so please check the notice boards for information.

Activities Wednesdays: Mums Bootcamp 11 - 12pm.Cricket 4.30 - 6pmSaturdays: Bootcamp 10am - 11amOutdoor Yoga 11am - 12pm

Sundays:Dance Fit 11am - 12pm.

All these activities are regular and free. They take place in Playground 2. The map by the notice boards will tell you where that is!

Free Courses at the Shell CentreTechnology for Work and LifeGet into LearningBasic Computer SkillsUsing New MediaManaging MoneyPreparing for EmploymentFor more informaiton on these courses call 0207 372 7021 or 07986 897629 or email shell@shakonline.co.uk

ARC Youth ClubTuesdays - Thursdays 3:30pm onwards

Socialise : Be Inspired : Get Qualified : Have Fun : Unwind after school or col-legeTrips, residentials and fun days.Play pool, table tennis, play station and more!Professional recording studio where you can learn how to produce your own music and get a qualification in music production or event planning. Receive advice on college, apprenticeships and employment.Got any questions? Call 0207 624 8935 or email arc@shakonline.co.uk or visit our website www.shakonline.co.uk

Blue & Pedro

Hi my name is Blue Burke and I am the head gardener on Alexander and Ainsworth Estate. I am on the estate for 3 days a week and Pedro Magalhaes, your static gardener is on the estate for 5 days a week. Together we maintain all the gardens, planters on the estate and the park from August when it is handed back to us. I’ve been working in horticulture for 10 years and it is a passion of mine.

My role at A&A is to liaise with local residents and Camden authorities to make sure the estate looks as good as it can.

I attend all the Project Managment Stakeholder Group (PMSG) meetings where I take on board residents suggestions of how we can make the estate look even better.

We both look forward to working alongside the residents at Alexander and Ainsworth. Please feel free to stop and talk to us if you see us about on the estate as we are always happy to talk gardening with anyone who is interested!

Blue Burke Head Gardener Tel: +44 (0)791204477Email:blue.burke@ocs.co.uk

Dawn Chorus WalkEleven people braved the elements at 5 am on the 24 April to hear the Dawn chorus in Alexandra Road Park. The walk was led by birder Andrew Peel of the RSPB.It wasn’t only us humans that wanted to stay in bed out of the rain as there was less birdsong in the air than usual: even so after listening carefully we heard Blackbirds, Crows, Black headed gulls, Robins, Bluetits and others against the sounds of the city.The loudest song of all came from the tiny brown Wrens who I’m happy to say are still resident in the park despite us not having quite so much Ivy this year, which they love to roost in.This was our third annual Dawn Chorus Walk but our first in the restored park.It was nice to get into the warm of the tenants hall as dawn broke at 05.45 where breakfast awaited us.It was also good to meet people who hadn’t taken part before or who were new neighbours.The sun came up and it turned out to be a lovely sunny morning but there is something very special about being out in the quiet of the early morning amongst the trees before the day begins.Elizabeth