Streetlight upgrade to cut electricity bill by £750k, announces Kingston Council
#37: London’s first woman bus driver celebrated with blue plaque in Kingston, update on Gala Bingo Hall fire, Chessington World of Adventures to open new themed land, former councillor appointed Honorary Alderman of Kingston, Idris Elba to be next London Mayor? Outdoor cinema returns to Canbury Gardens, Kingston 2025 less than three weeks away, Kingston resident and funnyman Erich McElroy tours UK, Celebrate Chessington, Kingston’s Green Careers Fair, sleepover at the National Gallery, Boat Race, and more.
START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
England’s non-woodland trees mapped for first time: Using laser detection and satellite imagery, tree scientists at the Forest Research agency have built a comprehensive picture of non-woodland trees across England. Their mapping reveals trees outside woodlands make up 30% of nation’s tree cover. Importantly, this groundbreaking work will help identify locations of nature depletion allowing conservation groups and local authorities to target tree planting efforts more accurately. The interactive map is available here and a downloadable version is available here.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
London’s first woman bus driver celebrated with blue plaque at Kingston Cromwell Road Bus Station: A huge thanks to ianVisits newsletter for highlighting the blue plaque installed at the recently redeveloped Cromwell Road Bus Station. Unveiled back in December 2024, the plaque celebrates London’s first bus driver, Jill Viner, who qualified in 1974. Based at the now defunct bus garage in Norbiton, Jill drove route 65 between Chessington and Ealing. Today the route is slightly truncated, now running between Kingston and Ealing. Jill retired in 1993 and died in 1996.
Streetlight upgrade to cut electricity bill by £750,000, announces Kingston Council: Kingston Council announced this week near completion of its programme to upgrade all the borough’s streetlights to modern standards. Most of the existing lamp posts on the borough’s streets have had their old lamps swapped with modern LED equivalents, with the remainder switched by early 2026. Some old lampposts near the end of their life have also been replaced with new posts with LED lamps. To date, around 9,000 street lights across the borough have been brought up to date, says a statement from the council. As well as reducing carbon emissions, the council confirmed to Love Kingston the upgraded streetlights will cut its annual electricity bill by £750,000.
Update: Gala Bingo Hall fire: The Gala Bingo Hall fire on Sunday 16 March that saw around 150 firefighters attend the incident in Kingston is being treated as a crime scene according to a member of the North Kingston Forum team who spoke with the police. The building has been declared structurally unsafe and the integrity of the entire building is now under question. No one can enter the site until it has been declared safe. Love Kingston has contacted Jericho Estates, the company that has been working on development plans with the building owners, but has not yet had a response.
All 32 London boroughs call for urgent shake-up in the way London is run: Leaders of London's 32 boroughs say the way London is run needs an 'urgent update' and have made a united call for ‘seat at the table’ in new devolution settlement, reports ITV News. Unlike other authorities such as Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, London boroughs have no formal decision-making role within the Greater London Authority at City Hall. With an annual budget of almost £21bn, the Mayor of London is responsible for public transport, policing and housing across all boroughs. London currently relies on voluntary collaboration between the Mayor and the boroughs and as the government prepares to publish its English Devolution Bill, the 32 boroughs have asked for more devolution.
Chessington World of Adventures to open new themed land: At a Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday 26 March, Kingston Council approved a planning application from Chessington World of Adventures that will see it build a new themed land including a part indoor and outdoor rollercoaster and indoor children's ride. As part of this redevelopment, some of Chessington's oldest rides and buildings and a neighbouring glamping site will be removed, reports MyLondon. Construction work is expected to start this year and be completed by 2027. Detailed plans including architectural drawings of the proposed new themed land are available here.
Former councillor appointed Honorary Alderman of Kingston: Julie Haines served as a councillor for both Cambridge and Coombe Vale wards between 1986 and 2006. During her time at the council, Julie chaired the Social Services Committee and was involved in a number of important community campaigns. These included securing four new pedestrian crossings in her ward, saving New Malden Post Office from closure, and supporting the creation of a teaching pool at the Malden Centre.
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
Idris Elba 'emerges as Labour’s top choice to replace Sadiq Khan as London Mayor: TV and Hollywood star, and a Londoner, Idris Elba has emerged as a frontrunner to become Labour’s next candidate for Mayor of London following his recent high-profile work tackling knife crime, reports The Standard. Current mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is widely expected to step down at the next mayoral election, having served two terms.
With a budget totalling almost £21bn, London Mayor is responsible for policing, transport and housing as well as culture and influence over the capital’s economy. The role’s responsibilities cover all 32 London boroughs including Kingston. One of Khan’s most recent actions affecting Kingston residents is the disbanding of Royal Parks Police that patrols Richmond Park along with other parks.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
Outdoor cinema returns to Canbury Gardens, North Kingston: Kingston International Film Festival brings outdoor cinema back to Canbury Gardens on Sunday 4 May 2025. This year’s event features a number of classic movies starting with Chicken Run at 1.30pm, Charlie Chaplin’s Sunnyside & Buster Keaton’s One week at 3.30pm, and Grease at 6.30pm. Food and drink is available to buy or you can bring your own picnic. From personal experience, blankets and camping chairs are very useful! More information and tickets are available here.
Kingston 2025 – less than a month to go! Kingston 2025, celebrating the 1100th anniversary of the crowning of King Athelstan in Kingston, the first King of a United England is just three weeks away. A programme of public events, exhibitions and performances kick start at 12pm Saturday 3 May. Mark the date in your diary and join your community in a summer of celebration.
Easter adventure with Alice in wonderland at the Bentall Centre: Take the whole family on an adventure at the Bentall Centre this Easter with Alice in Wonderland-inspired installation, workshops, interactive walkabout performers, and creative wreath-making. From now until 19 April.
Community groups funded to celebrate diverse cultures of the borough: 11 community groups have been funded to celebrate the diverse cultures of the Royal Borough of Kingston as part of the Kingston 2025 programme. Some of the community groups include:
‘On the Origin of King Athelstan School’ Heritage Project – Story Storks
Creative Sewing Project for Refugees – RBKares
Interactive environmental activities – Citizen Zoo
Kingston Growing Together Celebration Event – New Malden Town Centre Partnership
Kingston Association for the Blind – volunteer training to improve accessibility to events
Melody of Memories (senior citizens choir) – Voices of Hope
Decca Records and The Sound of Music Story- New Malden Residents' Association
Kingston resident and funnyman Erich McElroy at Crack Comedy in Kingston: Local comedian and resident host at Crack Comedy in Kingston and Wimbledon, Erich McElroy is almost half way through his UK tour with a couple of pit stops in Switzerland and Ibiza. Arriving from Seattle long before any tariffs made his import into UK economically unviable, Erich is now a Brit. And he’s funny. You can catch him at Crack Comedy on Richmond Road or see him at one of his London gigs.
Celebrate Chessington this May: Kingston residents and visitors are invited to Celebrate Chessington on Thursday 29 May at Churchfields Recreation Ground. A great family day out with fairground rides, face painting, music, BBQ and entertainment.
Best children's theatre in London this Easter: From tiny tots to older kids, Time Out brings you the best shows for kids of all ages and the whole family. Choose from The Percy Jackson Musical, Matilda the Musical, Chicken Licken, CBeebies Rainbow Adventure, The Koala Who Could, The Paper Dolls, and more.
Kingston’s Green Careers Fair: Here’s a great free-to-attend careers fair showcasing a wide range of local and regional green and sustainable job opportunities, along with employability support and access to green skills training courses. Taking place at the Guildhall on 24 April, it’s a perfect opportunity to explore new pathways, meet employers, and receive one-to-one support. Book your free place here.
SPORTS DAY: Stuff about enjoying your local teams
Chelsea Women FC: With the international break affording Chelsea a well-deserved break, the Blues return to a busy week of action. This Saturday 12 April they host Liverpool in the semi-final of the Women’s FA Cup and next Sunday 20 April they travel to Spain to take on Barcelona Femeni in the Women’s Champions League semi-final. Quadruple still firmly in sight.
Kingstonian FC: Last couple of months have not been easy for Ks’ supporters. Ks were contenders for automatic promotion not long ago. But with four consecutive league defeats, now they’ve slipped to fourth and hover just three points from dropping out of the playoffs. But with four games to go, it’s still all to play for although visiting the league leaders Farnham Town this Saturday 12 April may not be where they pick up three points. But we can hope. And believe!
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
Win a once-in-a-lifetime stay at the National Gallery: In a global first, the National Gallery is giving one very lucky individual a unique opportunity to sleep alongside the world's most famous artists on Friday 9 May 2025. In celebration of the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing, you’ll be the only person in the world to wake up to C C Land: The Wonder of Art and explore it before the crowds arrive. You’ll also enjoy dinner for you and a friend although it’s unclear whether or not your friend will be allowed to stay overnight too. Enter here for a chance to win. Now the big question is, if you do win, who will you take with you?
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but thought you’d still find interesting
Boat Race returns this weekend amid concerns over water quality: One of the world’s oldest and most famous amateur sporting events, the Boat Race brings 195 years (and counting) of rivalry to the River Thames in Putney on Sunday 13 April. First raced by crews from Oxford and Cambridge University in 1829, the score for the men’s race currently stands at 87 wins for Cambridge and 81 for Oxford, with one dead heat. With 47 wins, Cambridge women too currently lead Oxford women with their 30 wins. Cambridge won both the men’s and women’s Boat Race in 2024.
However, race organisers say water quality is an "ongoing concern", reports the BBC. Environmental charity River Action says results from water-quality testing show levels of E. coli bacteria almost three times above the Environment Agency's threshold for "poor" bathing waters.
If you do fancy watching the race in person, you can do so along the famous course that stretches over 4.25 miles between Putney and Mortlake. Analysis of this year’s teams is available here.
