Went on lovely 6.8 mile circular walk on Sunday courtesy of the Chiltern Society (check here for free download of map and route).
Started with a little climb out of Wendover into its famous woods and Boddington Hill fort. A little busy at ti…Read more…
Happy 4th July & 128th anniversary of the election of Keir Hardie to West Ham South
Hat tip Keir Hardie Society “Today in 1892 was the start of the election (they went on for weeks then) which saw James Keir Hardie elected as the MP for West Ham South. He campaigned for a shorter working week, better housing and jobs for the unem…Read more…
“Landlord licensing can help protect our communities”
“Before I became the cabinet lead for Housing Services in May 2018, I had worked in inner City housing for over 25 years and thought rather arrogantly I had seen it all. The squalor, deprivation and human misery I have seen while out with our licensing…Read more…
Heol yn Arwain at y Fferm / Road to the Farm by Kyffin Williams
Gorffennaf / July 2020 Calendar by Welsh Landscape Artist, Kyffin Williams. The National Library of Wales
(hopefully soon I will be walking along similar tracks in Wales)Read more…
“East Ham War Pensions Committee: Your Fight Is Our Fight”
Historic photo of dependants of World War One ex-service men protesting against cuts to War pensions in 1919. The authorities claimed that the local East Ham War Pensions committee did not follow the “rules” and gave out too generous benefits.
Homes at the Heart
An excellent campaign for a social housing led response to Covid-19 launched by the National Housing Federation supported by over 60 organisations (including the biggest UK Housing union UNISON)
1. No return to rough sleeping ● In the short term, we ne…Read more…
“Starmer overtakes Johnson as preferred choice for prime minister”
Fantastic news. A long way still to go…
“Labour leader Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson as the public preferred choice for Prime Minister, according to the latest Opinium poll for The Observer.
Starmer is preferred to lead the country by 37…Read more…
Essex Way: Great Waltham to Little Leighs circular walk
Off message but another fantastic country walk along the Essex Way (and back to starting point by alternative route). Got a little wet a couple of times but mostly bright sunshine, refreshing breeze and blue skies.
We hardly saw a soul during the…Read more…
Labour Leader Keir Starmer MP on Armed Forces Day 27.6.20
Keir Starmer
Today is #ArmedForcesDay2020 and I want to say thank you to our serving personnel, their families and our veterans.
I’m proud of my country and proud of those who serve itRead more…
Newham Rough Sleeper (Mini) Street Count June 2020
Pictures from last night’s Newham Rough Sleeping (mini) Street count with Councillors, Council officers and 3rd sector partners going out during the night to count how many rough sleepers there are. Usually this is done every two months.
Due to C…Read more…
Newham Unlocked – Showcase your creativity and tune in
This is really exciting. “26 June 2020 – Some of the creative talent bubbling away in Newham is set to be unleashed from this week in the first of a series of online videos that will feature residents of all ages showcasing their creativity and highlig…Read more…
Join UNISON
Join UNISON today – “We’re proud to be the UK’s largest union, giving support to over one million members. Wherever you work, your decision to join UNISON means everything to us. Thank you to each and every one of you – our public service champion…Read more…
Private Thomas Highgate – the First to be Shot at Dawn (2020 update)
Early in 2014 I posted here on a controversy in the village on Shoreham in Kent on whether to add the name of Private Thomas Highgate to its War Memorial. 19 year old Thomas was the first soldier to be shot for desertion by the British army autho…Read more…
Windrush Day 2020
“This year there is an even greater need to mark #WindrushDay, which encourages commemoration, recognition and celebration of the contributions of the Windrush generation and their descendants. Visit: https://newham.gov.uk/WindrushDay for stories, fil…Read more…
Remembering Sarah Chapman – Matchgirls strike leader
Picture of Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz and myself placing flowers at the grave of Matchgirls strike leader, Sarah Chapman.
Today family members and supporters were asked to place ‘A Flower for Sarah” either on her grave itself or “virtually” on social…Read more…
Happy Summer Solstice!
Its the longest day and why some might think it is a little sad that from tomorrow the days will slowly start to be shorter, I celebrate the UK’s changing seasons and while I love the British summer (“Sunshine with a chance of showers”) I look forward …Read more…
“Stop outsourcing the UK’s response to Coronavirus”
Considering that without a doubt, the outsourcing (privatisation) of our public services has contributed to our horrendous UK death toil from Covid (poorly resourced care homes run by private equity funds; privatised hospital cleaners, cooks and porter…Read more…
Tribute to Vera Lynn (1917-2020)
“Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz has today offered condolences of behalf of the residents of Newham to the family and friends of forces sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn who died today at the age of 103.Mayor Fiaz said: “Dame Vera was the girl next door who galvanised the…Read more…
Become a Newham Covid-19 Health Champion
Become a Covid-19 Health ChampionNewham Council are really pleased to launch the Covid-19 Health Champions network, a new initiative that will empower thousands of Newham residents to remain up to date on the latest advice, so that they can be kept inf…Read more…
UNISON National Delegate Conference 2020 (Not)
This is great picture of our UNISON Presidential team. From left is Senior Vice President, Sian Stockham (Support Care worker Wales); President, Josie Bird, (Local Government Newcastle) and James Anthony (Nurse in Birmingham).
James tweeted the photog…Read more…