Kingston and 3 other London NHS trusts tell people to ‘stay away’
#24: Surbiton 6th among UK train stations for most bike thefts, Kingston Hospital reaches 86% bed occupancy, Kingston and 3 other London NHS trusts tell people to ‘stay away’, Kingston Council reveals more details of Kingston 2025 celebrations, council meeting to discuss Canbury Place Car Park planning application, Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 in Kingston, free bike marking this Saturday at Kingston train station, KCAH’s Winter Night Shelter, Harry Hill back in Kingston, rare all night opening at the National Gallery for Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers, and more.
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START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
👷♀️ The inspiring female engineer breathing new life into Yemen’s ancient capital: "There is a common language between me and the buildings. In every house I try to preserve. I feel that the city is grateful to me, and I am grateful to the city because it has taught me a lot”, says Yemeni engineer Harbia Al-Himiary, describing her relationship with the Yemeni capital. This is an inspiring story from a place that has been a warzone for over a decade.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
🚑 Kingston and 3 other London NHS trusts tell people to ‘stay away’: Four London NHS trusts including Kingston Hospital tell people to 'stay away' as hospitals are 'extremely busy'. Others include Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and Hillingdon Hospitals Trusts. This warning comes amid wider pressures on hospitals across the UK where some have declared critical incidents. Trusts have reminded patients to choose the right care before visiting them. Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust informed residents through its X/Twitter account on 7 January: “Our emergency department at Kingston Hospital is very busy today. If you need urgent care, you may be seen more quickly at our urgent treatment centre (UTC) at Teddington Memorial Hospital.” It also pointed people to its ‘urgent medical help’ page on its website.
🏥 Multiple London NHS trusts reach bed occupancy rate of over 90%, Kingston 86%: NHS services are under significant strain as 11 out of 22 London hospitals reach over 90% bed occupancy rate, according to data analysed by MyLondon. With bed occupancy rate of 86%, Kingston sits 15th in the table. NHS leaders warn the pressure on hospitals is ‘nowhere near letting up’ this winter.
🚲 Surbiton 6th among UK train stations for most bike thefts: Analysis of British Transport Police data by MailOnline shows a depressing picture of bike thefts from UK train stations. With 64 reported incidents of stolen bikes in 2023, it places Surbiton station as the 6th hotspot for bike thefts among the country’s train stations. Our neighbours Twickenham and Teddington were just below at 8th and 13th positions with reported bike thefts for 2023 of 56 and 44 respectively.
🚲 Free bike marking this Saturday at Kingston train station: While it may not stop the theft of your bike, it may make its recovery easier if your bike has unique markings imprinted on it. With perfect timing, given incidents of bike thefts detailed above, Kingston Police are offering free bike marking this Saturday 11 January. Cycle over to Kingston train station between 12pm and 2pm.
👑 Kingston Council reveals more details of its forthcoming Kingston 2025 celebrations: To celebrate the 1100th anniversary of the crowning of King Athelstan in Kingston, the first King of a United England, the council has revealed a packed programme of events and activities that will explore the town’s past, present and future. While festivities won’t begin until May 2025, you can view details of some of the planned activities here.
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
🏗️ Kingston Council meeting to discuss Canbury Place Car Park planning application: A revised planning application for a new major development at the site of Canbury Place Car Park has been submitted to Kingston Council. The proposed development will have a significant impact on the local area as it includes permanent changes to traffic flow affecting surrounding roads. A meeting to discuss the planning application is set to take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 14 January. Residents can take part in person or online. We would encourage people to attend, particularly those living in North Kingston. Full details of the planning application are available here. And the full meeting agenda and relevant reports are available here.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
🎄 What did you think of Christmas in Kingston this year? Share your feedback for chance to win Rose Theatre voucher: Kingston First’s mission is to ensure Kingston is a thriving and attractive environment to do business in, as well as a vibrant and exciting destination for people to visit, shop, learn, live and work in. Among other things, they are responsible for the Christmas Market and lights and for creating a festive feel to the town. They would like to ask residents and visitors of their views on Christmas in Kingston this year. If you’ve visited Kingston over the festive period, you can take part in their survey and have a chance to win £100 Rose Theatre voucher. The survey is here – best of luck!
🕊️ Kingston commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day 2025: Join local community on Sunday 26 January from 1.30pm-4.00pm to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day 2025. Taking place at Glenmore House, Surbiton, this year Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia. Full details are here.
🌲 Want to help improve biodiversity in your local area? There are many ways to play your part in improving the biodiversity in your local area in 2025. You can adopt an existing flower bed, create a new bed for planting in a communal space, help with the maintenance of trees, and so on. Luckily Kingston has a number of local community groups passionate about biodiversity and protecting and preserving the environment – here’s a list of groups covering the whole of the borough. Join one today and play your part in improving your local area.
🛏️ Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness need volunteers for its Winter Night Shelter programme: KCAH’s Winter Night Shelter programme runs from January through to March providing emergency accommodation to those experiencing homelessness in the borough. They are looking for volunteers to help deliver this much needed service. KCAH also has a number of paid roles. For information on how you can volunteer or to apply for paid roles, visit KCAH website.
🛏️ Refer anyone experiencing homelessness to Streetlink for immediate help: StreetLink is a platform that connects people rough sleeping in England and Wales to support provided by local authorities and charities. If you’re concerned about someone you’ve seen on your local streets, here’s how you can help. Use this link to Streetlink to refer someone and they will notify the local outreach team who in turn try to locate the individual, assess their needs and offer support services. It’s quick, free and could save a life.
😂 Harry Hill back in Kingston: Harry Hill will be trying his new stuff in Kingston at the Fighting Cocks this Monday 13 January. Tickets are available at the time of writing this but you’ll need to hurry!
🏃 2025 dates for Cancer Research UK's Race for Life London events: We know you lovely Kingston residents are a pretty active bunch. With three parkruns (Bushy, Kingston and Richmond) just a hop from each other, 100s of you gather every Saturday morning to run, jog or walk 5k. So, whether your new year’s goal is achieving Couch to 5k or beating your PB, with Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life you can also help beat cancer. Entries for Race for Life events are now open and there are plenty of events right here on our doorstep including Kingston and Kempton Park, 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids, and Richmond, Old Deer Park, 3k, 5k. For a full list of events across London (and UK) visit Race for Life website here.
SPORTS DAY: Stuff about enjoying your local teams
⚽ Chelsea Women: Chelsea return to action this Sunday 12 January following the winter break to host Charlton Athletic Women in the Women’s FA Cup. When the two sides last met in 2020 in the same competition, the Blues were resounding winners with a 0-4 victory. The league will return next week where the Blues remain top with an unbeaten record so far this season.
⚽ Kingstonian FC: With last week’s game against the league leaders postponed due to the weather, Kingstonian visit tenth-place Rayners Lane this Saturday 11 January. This does mean a two-week gap since Ks’ last competitive game – let’s hope match fitness is not an issue on Saturday! Come on the Ks!
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
🎭 Plan your cultural fix for 2025 – 25 best things to do in London this year: From world-class museums to once-in-a-lifetime sporting events, Time Out has mapped out your cultural calendar with 25 best things to do in London in 2025. Just a few of the highlights include a visit to the V&A’s new east London archive, contemporary dance at the new Sadler’s Wells theatre, Women’s Rugby World Cup Final at Twickenham, Cate Blanchett in Chekhov masterpiece ‘The Seagull’ and a rare opportunity to watch sumo wrestling at the Royal Albert Hall.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but still like
🎨 Van Gogh special all-night opening at the National Gallery: For only the second time in its history, the National Gallery will be open throughout the night from Friday 17 to Saturday 18 January. Tickets are now available for one final chance to see the sold-out show Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers.
