| Policing in our park - an important consultation |
Some of you may have received the announcement, below, from Gibbs Stephen of Hammersmith & Fulham Council. We shall be responding formally on behalf of The Friends, but the more respondents the better, so please take part. We have always been proud to talk about the safety and security of Holland Park, but we readily acknowledge that it is due to the active and constant presence of the RBKC Parks Police that we can boast of such an excellent record. Please put on record your appreciation of their work and the need for it to be maintained in the future. Our glorious park is of little benefit to us if it is not safe and secure.
"The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are consulting on the policing service in parks, cemeteries and open spaces in the Boroughs.
In April 2013, the councils will bring together the two existing parks policing services under a single management.
We would like to know what you think about safety in parks, as well as the current parks policing services in the Boroughs, as this will help us plan our new joint service covering the parks, cemeteries and open spaces in both Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The consultation runs from 23rd April to 20th May 2012.
The survey can be accessed from here: www.lbhf.gov.uk/parkspoliceconsultation
If you have any questions regarding this consultation please use the above e-mail address above or alternatively call 0208 753 5999 to contact us."
(Spring 2012)
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Chess in Holland Park
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Members will have seen the outdoor board of granite slabs installed on the lawn between the dahlia and sundial gardens. Stone enches for spectators are on their way by slow boat from China and the Friends are investigating a possible gift of chairs for the players. Meanwhile the pieces are put out daily, as long as it is not raining, and their use is free and no booking is required. The Borough was inspired to install the board by a generous offer from the experienced players, some of them grand masters, who have long used the café tables for their games, to give instruction to young players on Saturday mornings, in particular Jason Kuchak who runs a masterclass. They wanted to provide opportunities to play face to face rather than alone at home with a computer.
Overlooked by The Black Queen, our picture shows the Mayor, Councillor James Husband, and Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown being advised by Samir Samadov who won the English Primary Schools Chess Association's most recent under-9 competition. He has also been the runner up in the British under-8 championships. Samir and his family come from Russia (where else?) and had been living in Lancashire for two years before moving to London. He was thrilled to find new chess contacts in Holland Park.
[Summer 2011]
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