News, comment and features

Earlier this month Andy Barker, in his role as Chairman of Fox Lane and District Residents' Association (FLDRA), attended the one of the Partnership Board meetings that are being held as part of the consultation about the Cycle Enfield ("Mini-Holland") scheme. This meeting relates to the section of route between Green Dragon Lane in the north and Broomfield Lane in the south. The yellow lines show an alternative to creating cycle lanes along Green Lanes. If this option is chosen, TfL will.......

“I never thought I would hear a passenger say to me bring back First Capital Connect."  A quote from Anthony Smith, Chief Executive of the transport watchdog Passenger Focus, emphasizing how poor has been the performance of the Govia consortium since it took over the Great Northern and Thameslink routes last September. Govia's bad start - three to four per cent of services failed to run in the first twelve weeks of the new franchise - proved to be only a prelude to its appalling.......

Caught up in train disruption to/from London Paddington or to/from London King's Cross on Saturday 27 December? The rail industry must establish what went wrong and take steps to stop it happening again – that is a given. Passenger Focus, the independent watchdog, wants to know how well things were handled from a passenger perspective – in terms of information, of the alternative arrangements, of how you were looked after. Passenger Focus will use this feedback to provide a.......

The Green Lanes Business Association (GLBA), which works on behalf of businesses in Palmers Green (mainly shops), has released the text of a letter which it sent to the Mayor of London's Cycling Commissioner in December. The beginning of Mr Georgiou's letter to the Cycling Commissioner (click on the image to view the complete original letter)The letter from GLBA Chairman Costas Georgiou was sent to the Cycling Commissioner, Andrew Gilligan, and copied to a number of local and national.......

Maybe you used to play a brass instrument at school and would like to return to playing or have never played anything and would like to learn to play? Here's your opportunity!  London Metropolitan Brass set up a beginners band a year ago and since then have taught over 40 people to play, free-of-charge.  We are very active within the local community, having played over recent weeks in East Finchley, Crouch End and Bounds Green Bowls Club. If you'd like to come down and join in the fun, we.......

The Charity SpEC is looking for volunteers to help it set up Speaking English with Confidence clubs in Enfield.  It has arranged five training sessions at the Civic Centre in Enfield Town (Silver Street EN1 3XA) during February.  The sessions are at: 9.30am Tuesday 3rd February 9.30am Thursday 5th February 9.30am Monday 9th February 9.30am Thursday 12th February 9.30am Tuesday 17th February It is essential to attend all five sessions. Do you have a genuine commitment to.......

A project to create an attractive wetlands habitat from a previously underused green space has been shortlisted for support from the Mayor of London's Big Green Fund. Firs Farm, the open space to the south of Firs Lane on the Winchmore Hill/Edmonton border, has up to now  been associated mainly with football pitches and dog walking (though earlier in its history it was used as a shelter for prisoners of war).  However, its transformation is already under way, thanks to collaboration.......

The Ruth Winston Centre is starting 2015 with activities to get members singing and dancing and a couple of events that will be of interest to the wider public. FREE SALSA – the dance that is, not the tomato based side dish. Jorge is back on Wednesday 7th January 2015 Be here at 11.45am for one hour of moves, music, a great vibe and learning them Latin moves. Membership to the Centre applies for this class, new members always welcome. Memory Lane Sing-a-Long Café – next session is.......

An urgent call to Enfield Gentlemen from Simon Gilbert! The Enfield Community Singers, a rising star in the local choral firmament, urgently require male singers to augment our already splendid sound. Following another standing ovation at Mount Carmel and St George’s Church in December, the choir is already planning concerts well into the spring of 2015. However, we are restricted for the more ambitious pieces of music without the strong male base that these pieces require. So,.......

Since the Govia consortium took over services on the Great Northern routes out of Moorgate and Kings Cross in September 2014 there has been little sign of the promised improvements in service.  There have been more of the delays and cancellations that we are familiar with from the bad old days of First Capital Connect and the usual half-hourly service in Christmas week. Some of the problems can, of course, be laid at the door of Network Rail, but employing enough drivers is clearly Govia's.......

Talkies Community Cinema, the Palners Green-based pop-up cinema, has been going from strength to strength.  Talkies has been able to keep ticket prices down to £5, but overheads have been rising steadily and Talkies has now set up a scheme called Friends of Talkies.  By becoming a Friend, you will be able to help maintain the cheap tickets policy while taking advantage of special benefits, such as priority booking for popular shows. Tricia Sharpe will be looking after Friends of Talkies. .......

A briefing given to a meeting of Enfield Council's Health Scrutiny Standing Workstream held on 17 December has provided more details of the Royal Free Hospital's plans to redevelop the Chase Farm Hospital site. As previously reportedOne of the presentation slides (to see the complete presentation, click on the image), most of the existing buildings will be demolished and the land will be used for housing and a new primary school.  A new, more compact hospital building will be constructed on.......