All 72 deaths at Grenfell were avoidable
#08: Grenfell Inquiry, Kingston Council to sell car park, gold medallist in Kingston, local restaurant/café hygiene ratings, Lauren James scholarship, mass–karaoke at the Rose, Grand Designs at the Rose, Jack Dee in New Malden, Kingston Hospital governors elections, state pension to rise, Heritage Open Days, UK Parliament Week, Mercury Prize winner and more.
START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
🐣 PUFFIN NUMBERS INCREASE ON FARNE ISLANDS: Puffin population on Farne Islands off Northumberland has been declared “stable” following fears that bird flu might have had a more devastating effect. In fact, the population of the endangered species has increased by 15% since 2019 with around 50,000 breeding pairs now on the islands. During the avian flu outbreak in 2022 and 2023, about 10,000 birds on the islands perished.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
💚 ALL 72 DEATHS AT GRENFELL WERE AVOIDABLE: That is the damning verdict of the chairman of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Sir Martin Moore-Bick. Seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the seven-volume report is scathing in its condemnation of all those who failed the residents of the building through ‘incompetence’, ‘dishonesty’ and ‘greed’. These include the government, Tenant Management Organisation, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, manufacturer of the cladding, architect, principal contractor and subcontractors, amongst others.
Over the six years it has taken the Inquiry to produce the report, an unedifying merry go round of buck passing has meant that, to date, no one has been held responsible for the 72 men, women and children who perished in the fire. Criminal charges, if at all, are unlikely to be brought before the end of 2026, almost 10 years after the tragedy. For survivors and bereaved families, the search for accountability still has a long way to go.
🚶♀️ GOLD MEDALIST LOLA ANDERSON JOINS KINGSTON HOSPITAL CHARITY’S MEMORY WALK: Surbiton’s very own superstar Lola Anderson, who won a gold medal in the women’s quadruple skulls at this year’s Paris Olympics, will join Kingston Hospital Charity’s special Night to Remember memory walk to raise money to support bereaved families at the hospital. Lola, who was born at Kingston Hospital will be walking in memory of her Dad, who was treated for cancer at the hospital three years ago. She will be joined by fellow Team GB rowing mate, Holly Dunford who won a bronze medal in the women’s eights. The event takes place on the evening of Saturday 7 September and, if you really hurry, there is still time to register and take part in the walk.
⚽ CHELSEA STAR LAUREN JAMES LAUNCHES SCHOLARSHIP: Chelsea and England star Lauren James has launched ‘LJ10 Scholarship’ in a bid to increase diversity in women’s football. Launching in September and aimed at young girls from minority backgrounds in football, the programme will help up-and-coming youngsters to navigate the early years of their careers. Budding stars can contact Lauren through the email address shown on her Instagram page and can also watch the star at Kingsmeadow, here in Kingston, as Chelsea Women host Feyenoord Women in a pre-season friendly this Saturday 6 September.
🏗️ KINGSTON COUNCIL TO SELL CATTLE MARKET CAR PARK TO DEVELOPERS: The massive 600-space car park near Kingston town centre and adjacent to the now demolished Kingfisher Leisure Centre has been put up for sale by Kingston Council. The site is marketed by an estate agent as a ‘development opportunity’ and the council is said to be ‘open to considering any proposals from developers which align with its vision of the town centre’.
🍕 HYGIENE RATINGS FOR KINGSTON’S TAKEAWAYS & RESTAURANTS: Ever wondered how your local takeaway or restaurant rates on the Food Standards Agency’s hygiene scale? Here’s a handy tool where you can find out where your favourite ranks and whether it’s time you switched to a new favourite! Kingston Council conducts regular food hygiene inspections as part of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme and awards a score between 5 (‘hygiene standards are very good’) and 0 (‘urgent improvement is required’). Shockingly, only 57% of Kingston’s ‘takeaways/sandwich shops’ score 5 and ‘restaurants/cafés/canteens’ are marginally better with 63% attaining the same score. Why would anyone visit an eatery with less than ‘very good’ hygiene standards?!
🏥 KINGSTON HOSPITAL GOVERNORS ELECTIONS: Kingston Hospital is seeking nominations from local residents for Council of Governors elections. Playing a vital role in helping ensure hospital and its services are run effectively, governors have a direct influence on strategic decisions. An interest in healthcare and a desire to improve local health services for the good of the whole community are some of the key ingredients to be an effective governor. There are currently nine public governor vacancies open for election, representing Kingston, Richmond, Elmbridge, Merton and Sutton. Nominations close on Thursday 3 October 2024. As a local resident, you can also register to vote in the elections.
💷 STATE PENSION TO RISE BY OVER £400: While the government may have cut the winter fuel payment for most pensioners, it appears that it is reluctant to rock the boat further and is likely to stick to the triple lock that should see a rise of over £400 a year in state pension. This not-so-subtle sleight of hand, take away the winter fuel payment with one hand and give back with higher pension with the other, means the overall increase in income on state pension is likely to be £100 to £200.
🏖️ SURVEY SHOWS PARENTS NEED A BREAK AFTER THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS: This may not come as a surprise if you’re just breathing a sigh of relief after successfully getting your little ones off to school be it clad in massively over-sized uniform to start their new term. In fact, according to a survey, almost half (49%) of parents feel like they need time out to recover from the school holidays. If that’s you, here are 10 me-time ideas for parents from netmums.
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
It’s UK Parliament Week from 18-24 November…
🇬🇧 EXPLORE HOW PARLIAMENT WORKS: Order your UK Parliament Week activity kit and explore how UK Parliament works and how you can get actively involved in democracy. The free resource kit including a booklet, a ballot box and a card game is a great fun way for the whole family to build knowledge about UK Parliament. Last year over 1.6 million people took part in UKPW all over the country.
✔️ BOOK A WORKSHOP FOR YOUR COMMUNITY: Have you ever wondered how members of the House of Lords get their jobs? Do you want to share your experience as a community with a select committee? Do you know what happens when you sign a petition? Book a workshop for your community group for an interactive session with the Outreach Team and get answers to these and many other questions and discover how Parliament works.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
🎤 MASSAOKE LIVE: It’s karaoke on steroids. It’s 80s v 90s. It’s MASSAOKE – UK’s biggest mass- karaoke. Grab your air guitar and virtual hairbrush, pull up your spandex and lucent leg warmers and head down to the Rose Theatre on 13 September for a dazzling, high-energy live music show supercharged with videos, giant sing-along lyrics and rock star poses!
🏠 GRAND DESIGNS’ KEVIN MCCLOUD AT THE ROSE THEATRE: Join Kevin McCloud MBE at the Rose Theatre on 12 September to celebrate Grand Designs at 25. The evening is billed as a nostalgic look back at the series and fan-favourite episodes featuring ambitious builds, massive overspends and disastrous delays. You can even ask about your own design dilemmas!
🤣 JACK DEE (SECRET GIG) IN NEW MALDEN: He may not wear a smile but he certainly knows how to make us laugh. Jack Dee is trying out new material for a new tour that will soon be filling massive theatres around the country! Billed as a ‘special guest’, check out his shows at The Royal Oak, New Malden on 12 and 13 September.
❓ THE MAYOR OF KINGSTON’S QUIZ NIGHT: Impress your friends and fellow Kingston residents at the Mayor’s Quiz Night in aid of The Mayor’s Charitable Trust, Habitats & Heritage. Taking place on 11 October, you can sign up as a team of six or contact the Mayor’s office to join another team.
🏛️ HERITAGE OPEN DAYS: Billed as ‘England’s largest festival of history and culture’, Heritage Open Days are here again, 6 to 15 September. Organised with the help of thousands of volunteers across the country, it’s your chance to see hidden places, try out new experiences and celebrate the nation’s history and culture.
🎸 LIKE GOOD GRAMMAR? Banquet Records continues to bring top acts right to our doorstep. Here are just some of the big names appearing in Kingston this September – Rex Orange County, Nilfur Yanya, London Grammar and Snow Patrol. Check out Banquet Records’ website for tickets and availability.
😀 FULL OF LIFE FAIR 2024: 27 September sees Twickenham Stadium host this year’s Full of Life Fair, the annual celebration of residents in later life, as well as carers. It’s a perfect event to discover details of a wide variety of local information, resources and activities available to help live more physically active, healthy, socially connected and independent lives.
SPORTS DAY: Stuff about enjoying your local teams
⚽ KINGSTONIAN FC: Last Sunday saw the Ks crash out of the FA Cup with 1-4 defeat to Chichester. Having conceded four goals in the first half for a second week in a row, it was a tough day at the office for the team. The focus now is on the FA Trophy as the Ks host Eastbourne Town at home this Friday.
⚽ CHELSEA WOMEN: In preparation for the start to Women’s Super League in a couple of weeks’ time, Chelsea Women host Feyenoord Women for a friendly at Kingsmeadow this Saturday 7 September. Tickets are on general sale now.
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
🎭 10 BEST NEW LONDON THETARE OPENINGS: As autumn approaches and evenings get colder and cosier, there’s nothing like a night at the theatre. Theatreland knows this and has planned a feast for us to enjoy – here are 10 best new London theatre openings in September.
✏️ LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL: London Design Festival returns to the capital from 14 to 22 September. Now in its 22nd year, the festival celebrates and promotes the city as a design capital on the global stage drawing on the country’s greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to deliver an unmissable celebration of design.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but still like
🎶 MERCURY PRIZE – LISTEN TO ENGLISH TEACHER: We know you are a very cultured bunch with wide ranging taste in music and the arts. So, hot on the heels of the Booker Prize shortlist last week, we bring you the freshly crowned 2024 Mercury Prize winning album This Could Be Texas by English Teacher. You can listen to it and the other 11 nominated albums on BBC Sounds.