April 2009 Archives

THE Perry Parsons Big Band are performing a concert at a church to help raise funds for a new heating system.

The swing and jazz band are performing free of charge at Ruislip Manor Methodist Church, in Torrington Road, on May 9.

The church is celebrating its 75th anniversary in June and earlier this year, the original heating system, which was 73 years old, finally broke down and a new one has been installed at a cost of more than £21,000.

The concert is starting at 7.30pm and tickets can be bought for £5 on the door or in advance by calling 020 8868 7852. There is no charge for children 16 or under.

SPORTING celebrities turned out for the launch of London's first Specialized Concept Store.

Former footballers, Geoff Thomas and John Salako, and former cyclist, Brian Smith, attended the official launch of the store, formerly Action Bikes, in High Street, Ruislip, on Monday (27).

About 90 people turned up for the event, including a whole host of people from the cycling world, as well as regular customers of the store.

The three celebrities were there to help promote the opening of the new shop and also to promote London-Paris Cycle Tour in June, an event being sponsored by Specialized which they are all taking part in.

Brian Smith was also there to pick up his bike ready for the cycle to Paris.

Paul Miller, 31, owner of the store, said: "It was a really successful night and everyone enjoyed themselves.

"The shop is still the same as when it was trading under the name Action Bikes in terms of who works here, how it is run and the quality of service, but it's a nicer place to be.

"We have expanded it out the back and it has been massively busier already."

Bike Week starts on June 13 this year.

A CHURCH went barking mad for pets on Sunday (26) with a slightly unusual service.

St Mary's Church, in The Fairway, South Ruislip, held an animal service for all creatures great and small as part of its golden jubilee celebrations.

An array of pets, including a budgie, a tortoise, a fish, dogs and plenty of furry creatures were brought along to the service to be blessed by the Reverend Nicholas Wheeler.

Church warden, Sue Morris, said: "About 60 people and about 25 pets turned up, which was more than we expected considering we have never done this before.

"It went really well and we were delighted with the response. We even had some people we had never seen before.

"All the animals were well behaved and the dogs joined in a little bit with the singing of the hymns.

"It's not uncommon to do animal services, especially in the country, but we have never done one before. We decided to do it because people love their pets and they want to give thanks for the pleasure and companionship their pets give them.

"It was a beautiful sunny day for it too."

The church is also holding a flower festival every day next week and a jubilee fair on Monday (4) to mark the 50th anniversary of the church on Saturday (2).

A BENCH has been unveiled as a tribute to Councillor Solveig Stone who died of cancer in July last year.

The unveiling of the memorial bench today (Mon) at King George Gardens, in Bury Street, Ruislip, was attended by her husband, Mervyn Stone, of Hawtrey Drive, Ruislip Manor, her grandson and members of Hillingdon Council.

The late Mrs Stone was first elected as a councillor in Hillingdon in 1998 for the West Ruislip ward and served as cabinet member for education, youth & leisure from May 2002 until May 2006.

She was also a member of the Education Committee and Ruislip/Northwood Planning Sub Committee, chairman of the Youth and Leisure Sub Committee and was Heritage, Culture and Arts Champion.

Councillor Ray Puddifoot, leader of the council, said: "Solveig Stone served Hillingdon Council and the residents of the borough with dedication and distinction over many years.

"She was a real character and truly a people's champion with the ability to mix both passion and compassion when representing the views of residents.

"The memorial bench is a way to provide a lasting memory, so that all the community can remember her."

CROWDS swarmed to Ruislip Gardens on St George's Day to watch a huge parade organised by the local pub.

About 300 people took part in the parade on Thursday (23) from RAF Northolt in West End Road to The Bell pub and another 700 people came to watch.

The army, navy and air force from the RAF base all took part along with the local scouts, a Queen look-alike in a Bentley and the Yiewsley and West Drayton Band.

David Misseldine, 64, is the entertainment manager for The Bell and this is the second year he has organised the parade with his partner and pub licensee, Rosemary Ramsden.

He said: "It was fantastic and it was much bigger than last year.

"After the ceremony the brass band played Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem and everyone sang along. We then had a disco and old English pub songs were played like Roll Out The Barrel, which was excellent.

"It started at 7.30pm and went on until midnight. There were loads of kids who loved it and people in their 90s who adored it. We held other activities throughout the day as well like a massive barbecue.

"We managed to raise £1,624 for the Royal British Legion in Eastcote.

"We decided to hold the parade last year because everyone celebrates St Patrick's Day but no one celebrates St George's Day. One of my regulars brought it up and I thought it was a good idea so we set up a little committee of six of us to plan it."

STUDENTS at Ruislip High School have joined Transport for London's latest campaign to help reduce the number of teenagers killed or seriously injured on London's roads.

A stencilled image featuring the outline of a figure was placed in the grounds of the school, in Sidmouth Drive, Ruislip Gardens, on Thursday (23) to urge teenagers to think about the issue of road safety.

The stencil strapline 'Think! Look out for your mates' aims to put road safety in the forefront of teenagers' minds.

Headteacher John Goulborn said: "We fully support this campaign as a way of improving road safety and travel awareness issues for all age groups and especially making the vulnerable secondary age group a priority.

"Evaluation of these sorts of projects shows they have an impact with students - making them better informed and more aware of the need for care and consideration when travelling."

Seventeen young people were killed or seriously injured in the borough in 2007.

The striking campaign posters, which feature young people lying on the road as a result of a road collision, will be displayed around the borough to ensure the message reaches as many young people as possible.

TRADERS in the Ruislip area took part in a networking event to help keep business thriving in the high street.

Ruislip Chamber of Commerce held the event in Costa Coffee, in High Street, Ruislip, on April 20.

About 30 people from businesses in the area took part in the event as a way of getting to know each other and to meet members of the chamber of commerce.

CROWDS turned out in force yesterday (Sun) to cheer on the scouts, cubs and beavers taking part in the St George's Day parade in Ruislip.

The Ruislip Eastcote Northwood District Scouts marched from Ruislip Manor to Ruislip as part of probably the largest contingent of scouts of all ages in honour of St George, the Patron Saint of Scouts.

The march started in Linden Avenue and was led by the award winning band of the 114 (Ruislip and Northwood) Squadron Air Training Corps to Churchfield Gardens, in Eastcote Road.

David Horchover, the honorary publicity executive for the scout district, said: "The day was perfect for this annual event when all members of the movement renew their scouting promises, and it was estimated that close to 500 people took part in the march,with many more in attendance."

TWO local music acts have made it through to the area final of a competition to win £20,000 to help release their single.

The IC1's, a five-member band from Ruislip, Eastcote and Harrow, and Me and the Beast, a duo from Eastcote and Maidenhead, will both be competing at the Beck Theatre, in Grange Road, Hayes, on May 3 for a place in the national final.

The Live and Unsigned competition is the UK's national music competition for unsigned acts to compete live. With over 10,000 registrations for the second year running, it is the biggest music talent search for original acts in the UK.

The IC1's describe themselves as an Indie rock band with a bit of Brit pop and they played their first gig in an Oxford Street bar in September last year.

Member Robin Hayes, 27, of Flamborough Road, Ruislip Manor, said: "We don't compare ourselves to any other acts out there because we have got our own individual style."

Me and The Beast are an electro pop duo who have been performing together since October last year.

Carly Cunningham, 25, of Woodlands Avenue, Eastcote, is the lead singer of the duo and Ashley Bull is the producer/song writer.

He said: "We have been compared to Depeche Mode and Duran Duran but Carly's vocals are really uplifting and she has been compared to Kate Bush and Bjork.

"If we won the competition we would like to put the £20,000 purely into publicity."

Go to www.meandthebeast.com to find out more about the duo or for more information on how to audition for next years competition or to book tickets for the area final visit www.LiveandUnsigned.UK.com.

EIGHTIES idol Paul Young is coming to the borough to do a one-off gig with his band Los Pacaminos, at new music venue, Tropic at Ruislip. Charlene Mitchell talks to him about his decision to start up the Tex-Mex outfit back in 1995.

"I had a record deal for 10 years with CBS and when it came to the end of the contract they didn't renew it so I decided I wanted to be off road for some time", said Paul.

"I didn't like the feeling of having to gig when I had an album to promote so I decided to start a band so I could play any time I felt like it.

"I decided on Tex-Mex music because it was so far away from what my career was all about and I didn't see the point in starting a band that did exactly the same music.

"I chose Tex-Mex because it's a style that I like a lot. All he guys in the band have played with me at one point or another and we thought it would be a laugh.

"I thought I would do it for a couple of years and then get another solo record deal but we found out we enjoyed it far too much and none of us wanted to stop. The reviews for our first album were really good as well so we knew we were getting it right.

"We play to lighten everyone's mood and we feel much happier when we come off stage.
"The personalities in the band fit like a jigsaw. When we all get together it's a great mix and they're all excellent players.

"We do a lot of talking in between songs which no one seems to do these days. People don't communicate with their audiences enough and I think we sometimes do it too much."

Paul still does a lot of solo shows and was playing in Germany and Portugal earlier this week.

He said: "People can't understand how I can do more than one thing but that's the thrill of it - to be able to take one hat off and put another one on.

"When I started the band I told the guys the reason I was starting it was because I wanted to be in a band.

"I didn't want it to be all about me so we split the song duties. It's been great for me because I get to play the guitar more and I'm much better than I was 10 years ago. It's added more strings to my bow.

"When I went solo it was the most successful part of my life and sometimes I love being the centre of attention but sometimes I just love being with my mates.

"Sometimes we have to put the band on the back burner because I am on tour a lot but we play as and when we can."

Los Pacaminos are playing at Tropic at Ruislip, Ruislip Social Club, Grosvenor Vale, on May 8. Jet Harris is also playing at the venue on May 1.

Go to www.tropicatruislip.co.uk to find out more or to buy tickets, or you can just turn up on the night at 8.30pm to buy tickets on the door.