Cally Festival is go in Bingfield Park!

Posted on July 7, 2007 by William Perrin

Patriic and the Cally Community Health volunteers have done a brilliant job and completely transformed Bingfield Park into a community festival – there is music, BBQs, ethnic foods, bric a brac, a bucking bronco, trumpeters from the Age of Enlightenment, Housmans Books, the Guides, Breathe Easy a huge rock climbing wall tower and a youngsters play area and even lovely sunny weather.  And KingsCrossTV is making films and will be posting them through the afternoon.  First one here.

Some more short films at the following links (takes you to YouTube): the production crew and directors
Bric a Brac ladies
Islington Trefoil Guild
Breatheasy
Housmans

Posted in Arts and Entertainment | Leave a comment

How to keep your eye out for unpleasant “Planning” surprises”

Posted on July 5, 2007 by Stephan Schulte

Islington_logo I’m sure you’ve all, at one time or another, wondered why you were not notified about a Planning Application on your street.  Well there IS a way for you to know – without depending upon any notification – it’s Islington Online Planning area that is part of the Council’s website.  Just go to https://www.islington.gov.uk/Environment/Planning/Online/ and you will be able to browse all the applications submitted each week.  The online area will also give you links to the actual application, and usually any plans that were submitted, and, after the decision, any "Conditions" that were imposed if the application was approved.

It’s a very good tool to maintain awareness of what’s going on around you.

Posted in Planning, Licensing and Regulation | 1 Comment

Cally Festival – Saturday 7 July, 1200-1700 Bingfield Park, free entry

Posted on July 5, 2007 by William Perrin

Callyfestival Saturday afternoon sees the return of the Cally Festival to Bingfield Park, off Bingfield Street (map).  This is a great community event for everyone in Kings Cross with loads of stalls and entertainments all for free, including a bucking bronco!  Patriic at the Cally Community Health Project is the driving force.  There will be marquees in case of a monsoon.  But as it is very local you can nip out between the showers.  The music should be great see the piece below from the festival’s MySpace site click here.

‘DO you think you have talent? Prove it at the cally festival. Saturday 7th July at Bingfield park near Kings cross. MC vs Rapping competition. Street dancing competition ££ to be won. No Entry FEE. This Year Cally Community Health Project is holding a festival for all the community in the Cally area. Everyone from all area’s are welcome to attend. This event is free to attend. The main eye catcher for the Day will be the Music Stage. Attending will be DJ Ironik, London Urban collective and Local Schools in Islington.

‘This event is expecting an audience more than 4000. As our previous Festival held in 2004/5 had more than 3000 people attend. So If you feel you have talent then be sure to enter The Rap Vs Mc Competition and Street Dancing competition (££’s to be won) for winners. and the Judges will be the Crowd! All about the peoples choice. So Bring your friends to support your talent.

‘There is no age restrictions so feel free to come and watch or perform. Competitions will be held Between 3-5pm. Be there or be square and if you really want to see a few upcoming Top artists be sure to get there for 12 as we Have DJ Ironik (www.myspace.com/DJironik) and London Urban Collectives performing between 12-3pm. So Don’t miss out!’

Posted in Community Health and Welfare | Leave a comment

Kingscrossenvironment.com one year old today……..

Posted on July 4, 2007 by William Perrin

Iluvkxlrg It was a year ago today that I set up this site after a conversation with Tom at MySociety.  I had no idea the torrent of local activism we would unearth and celebrate.  It has been great fun over a year to work with committed local volunteers, officials and politicians to sort out local issues and make Kings Cross a better place to live.  I have really enjoyed the sense of a community coming together more visibly than before.  Thanks go to everyone who has helped make things better locally and worked with the site – especially Stephan, Sophie, Paul, Lisa, Stuart, Alistair, Diana, Phil, Sarah, Alison,  Antonia and many many others for contributions to the site and support.

Between us as a community we have changed the way people think about and act towards Kings Cross.  Particular highlights for me that  have had big coverage on the site include the epic planning disputes on the Railway Lands and refurbishing Kings Cross station, endless street waste issues, the Cemex concrete plant, Tudorvale construction noise, many ASB problems and the occasional naughty squirrel.

The first post is here.  Am pondering with Stephan where to take this site next.  Following a suggestion from Gema I set up an ‘I love Kings Cross‘ group in Facebook where Sophie seems to be running riot – fifty people are discussing the best and worst things about Kings Cross, where to eat etc. 

Posted in How to get things done locally | Leave a comment

Hoodies – the positive side

Posted on July 3, 2007 by William Perrin

Cyp_window1_closeupLocal young people have put on a brilliant art exhibition at 334 Caledonian Road.  They have taken the demonised ‘hoodie’ and used it to express the influences on modern young people.  The hoodies (papier mache and collage) make a huge impact.  Photographic flash emphasises the shadow of the empty head spaces and give a sinister air that is offset by the hope and optimism of the magazine cut collage that coats them.  When you see the hoodies up close up in real life the shadow isn’t there – the camera flash brings it out.   To me this contrasts the press reporting of young people with the reality when you meet and talk to them face to face.

Cyp_window3_yp I was delighted to go to the opening, the exhibition ‘Through the ArtFlat Window’ is at 334 Caledonian Road: CYP ArtFlat at Cally334 thru 27July 2007, Mon- Fri 10am-5pm For further information contact: Gill Calvert, Senior Manager Copenhagen Youth Project 07921 467 208 Eloise Calandre, Exhibitions Co-ordinator Copenhagen Youth Project 07852 284 538334.  Brilliant work again by the underfunded Copenhagen Youth Project if anyone would like to volunteer or donate get in touch with Gill.  Eloise provided some photos that I have put up in a gallery here.

Beats the Gagosian hands down.

Posted in Arts and Entertainment | Leave a comment

No Dumping, and other funny Council Notices

Posted on July 2, 2007 by Stephan Schulte

No_dumping For this article, I’ve only included one funny notice.  Just click the picture to get a better view.

There are several of these notices on Caledonian Road.  Why, I don’t know, because as the pix shows no one heeds them.  Up to £50,000 fine it states, surely that’s a joke too – and that’s the trouble.

Why does the Council (and Government in general) create these threats to tackle bad behaviour – and threats they are becasue in spite of all the warnings, no one prosecutes.  Surley instead of constantly going after illegal parkers there is a lot more money to be made (if £50,000 fines are really possible), by going after JUST THE FOLKS THAT DUMP STUFF ON THE CALEDONIAN ROAD!

I’m sure you all get my drift.  Work the laws we have and well see progress.  Constantly complain that we don’t have enough laws…and nothing will ever get done.

I welcome comments from all "officials" out there.

Posted in Street Tipping, Mess, Trash | 3 Comments

Dealing with problems on our streets

Posted on July 2, 2007 by William Perrin

Pembroke_streetTackling tipping, broken streetlights, graffiti, vandalism was what got me involved in community activity in Kings Cross.  Some weeks I feel like an urban Bill Oddie on ‘TrashWatch’.  There are loads of ways to tackle this – when i first arrived, Stephan I think gave me a list of about 30 phone numbers he used at the Council to get things done.  Contact Islington was a big improvement – pulling together these numbers into one phone No and one email.  After some teething troubles it now works well I find, or at least a lot better than the previous system.

Recently I have been trialling the independent FixMyStreet (formerly Neighbourhoodfixit).  It allows you to click on a map and automatically reports the problem to the right Council.  There is an interesting side effect in that a picture builds up on a map of where the problems have been over time.  Some internet magic with RSS feeds allows me to keep an automatic rolling list of local problems in the top left hand corner of the http://www.kingscrossenvironment.com web pages.  I find that problems get dealt with by the Council as well as those reported direct to Contact Islington.

Posted in How to get things done locally | Leave a comment

Launch of Safety First at the House of Commons

Posted on June 28, 2007 by Sophie Talbot

Ecpoccupation A coalition to decriminalise sex work and prioritise all women’s and children’s safety. Jointly hosted by Baroness Vivien Stern, former chair of the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, John McDonnell MP, long-term supporter of the ECP’s work and recent contender for the leadership of the Labour Party. Wednesday 11 July 4 – 5.30pm. House of Commons, Committee room 11.

The tragic murders of five women in Ipswich caused an unprecedented outcry.  Many people demanded change so that everyone is protected from attack, whatever their occupation or lifestyle. Criminalising consenting sex — sex workers or clients – is now seen to push prostitution underground, making women more vulnerable to violence and exploitation. Yet policies of ASBOs and zero tolerance recently introduced in Ipswich, and in place around the UK, replicate those in place at the time of the murders. 

Initiated and co-ordinated by the English Collective of Prostitutes, the Safety First Coalition is being launched to decriminalise sex work, prioritise safety and look at viable economic alternatives and resources for women who want to leave prostitution.

Posted in Current Affairs | 2 Comments