West Hampstead's swine flu outbreak

Beckford School in Dornfell Street is closed because of an outbreak of swine flu. 

According to the school's website, there are six confirmed cases - with a number of pupils and staff unwell.  The school is expected to be closed until Monday 22nd June.

According to the Ham & High, people showing flu-like symptoms are advised to stay at home and contact their doctors although there is no need for others in their households to isolate themselves unless they also show symptoms.

Advice is available from the Health Protection Agency or Camden Council.

West End Lane Books online

 
West End Lane Books
Originally uploaded by Pashmin@

 

My previous post on West End Lane Books prompted a contribution from the shop alerting us to their recently revamped website.

There's a new blog (providing information about new stuff in the shop and - we're promised - other items of bookish interest), info about a two for £10 promotion, and - my favourite - the foundations of an archive of their stylish window displays.

Later on they'll be offering recommendations and an online shop.

Put West Hampstead on the map

West End Lane, NW6

Short notice but the people behind Open Street Map are in the area tonight and are looking for volunteers to help add detail to the maps of West Hampstead, Kilburn and Queen's Park.

Open Street Map is a kind of open source version of Google Maps, which means that anyone can edit it and contribute to its accuracy. A group of volunteers will be going round local streets from about 6.30 tonight and are inviting people with local knowledge to join them.

They'll round off the evening with a drink in the Black Lion pub on Kilburn High Road from 8pm.

If you want to take part, contact Shaun McDonald on 07879 610632.

More details on the Open Street Map wiki.

Now open

Tesco, West End Lane

West Hampstead's new Tesco store finally opened on West End Lane. And it's been doing very brisk business as far as I can tell.

Wild Flowers for Fortune Green

Poppy

The Friends of Fortune Green are organising a day of sowing seeds of wild flowers. If you want to help create some colour on the Green, you can take part in either of two sessions this Sunday, 5th April.

Mark Stonebanks of the Friends of Fortune Green says:

"The seeds we will be sowing are pictorial meadow seeds which includes some wild flowers and is a sort of sythensised flower meadow (but we are just restricting it to a single flower bed). This is just a trial to bring some colour to the Green for the summer. It should bloom for several weeks of successional flowering and be in full flower by the Jester Festival (which by the way will be the 4th and 5th July)."

Volunteers are asked to turn up either between 10am and noon or 2pm and 4pm.

Local heroes

Sid James
Originally uploaded by Julée

The Carry On star, Sid James, used to live at 21 Lymington Road, West Hampstead - a fact which has prompted one local resident to suggest that the footpath between West End Lane and Lymington Road be named in his honour. (See comments on this photopage.)

It's also been suggested that the path that runs from West End Lane to Finchley Road be named after the rock'n'roller Billy Fury, who recorded many of his hits at the Decca studios in Broadhurst Gardens.

The suggestions have been prompted by Councillor John Bryant's call for ideas to name three paths in the area that currently are without names. The suggestions forthcoming for the path between Broomsleigh Street and West End Lane are on the more prosaic side - including Beckford Way and the Black Path (a long-standing informal name for the footpath).

According to the Camden New Journal, Councillor Bryant is drawing up a shortlist to be put to public consultation.

But we were in! (Update)

The Royal Mail is keen to hear from anyone who has had problems with "Sorry, you were out" cards being left when they were at home.

Several readers have contacted Northwest 6 to share their experiences of missed deliveries in response to this post last month.

A Royal Mail spokesperson told us:

"There are no reported problems delivering parcels or other large items in the West Hampstead area. Postmen and women should and do ring the doorbell or knock at the door if they have an item which cannot fit through the letterbox. There may be cases where a householder does not hear this, particularly as it takes longer to write out the card than to deliver the item itself. However, we are very happy to investigate the customer's complaint and would ask them to contact our customer services team on 08457 740 740."

Parking changes proposed for Mill Lane area

Mill Lane, West Hampstead

Camden Council are consulting on changes to the pay and display scheme in the area around Mill Lane.

Most of the changes proposed would convert existing residents' bays into shared use bays - which means they could be used by pay and display visitors as well as residents' permit holders. There are also plans to reduce some of the pavement space on Mill Lane to give easier loading access for local shops.

Some redundant bays would be removed: a disabled parking space in Ravenshaw Street would be changed to residents' parking; and the doctors' bays on Sumatra Road would convert to shared use now that the GPs' clinic has moved to the new West Hampstead Medical Centre in Solent Road.

I've not been able to find online access to the consultation. But all residents and businesses in the area should have received a paper consultation form. If you haven't you should contact Colin Roberts at Camden on 020 7974 5106, or email colin.roberts@camden.gov.uk.

You have until 6th April to submit your views.

Get a tree for free

If you have room in the patch of West Hampstead that you call your own, you can get a free tree to grow in it.

Camden Council will be giving away saplings this Saturday on West End Lane.  The plants include hawthorn, rowan, silver birch and crab apple trees. 

Advisors will be on hand to tell you how to care for your tree as it grows.

The tree giveaway will be outside West Hampstead library on Saturday between 11am and 1pm.

More details.

Round-up

Emmanuel School, a church school on Mill Lane, has put forward proposals to double in size by building on the site of the Mill Lane Open Space across the road.  Four houses on Mill Lane and a nursery in the Open Space would be demolished.   More details from the Camden New Journal.

Parents and children in West Hampstead have been warned to be extra careful about being approached by strangers.  Beckford School has been on a state of high alert after a man who had been spotted a few times hanging around Mill Lane approached one of the children.  The Ham & High has details.

And Cycle Surgery has reopened in West End Lane after a fire forced it to close in January.  The shop has been completely refurbished and has special offers to celebrate its return to business.