Surbiton shines at Paris Olympics
#03: Kingston Hospital to merge, local pride at Olympics, 500 new local jobs, caravans on common, EU’s first-of-its-kind biodiversity regulation, Shakespeare for a fiver, ‘The ick’ and more.
START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
🌳 EU approves first-of-its-kind law that aims to restore Europe’s damaged ecosystems and boost biodiversity. Environmental organisations have celebrated the law’s passing, with The Nature Conservancy’s Noor Yafai calling it “a momentous day for nature". WWF EU too described it as “a huge win for the EU’s nature, citizens and the economy”.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
🥇 LOCAL PRIDE AT PARIS OLYMPICS: Only five days in and Team GB have made their best start to Olympics for over 120 years. With a perfect symmetry of six gold, six silver and six bronze medals (as of Wednesday evening), GB Olympians have created unforgettable moments on every surface – water, clay and tarmac. The moment to top it all came on Wednesday morning with the women's quadruple sculls featuring our very own Surbiton High alumna Lola Anderson winning gold in a nail-biting photo finish. Her story is truly inspiring. As a child she had written a note in her diary that one day she’d like to row and “if possible win a gold” at the Olympics but decided to scrunch up the piece of paper and bin it. Her dad fished it out of the bin and kept it for years, until 2019, before his sad passing, he gave it back to Lola to remind her of her dreams.
🏢 500 NEW JOBS, AFFORDABLE WORKSPACE: Kingston Council in partnership with coworking experts TownSq has opened Town Square Kingston, a new affordable workspace and enterprise hub. Located on the ground floor of the John Lewis building on Kingston riverside, the new joint venture is expected to create 500 new jobs and boost local economy. Whether you are startup or have a new business idea, looking to collaborate with others or simply in search of affordable workspace, Town Square Kingston is a great place to start.
🏥 KINGSTON HOSPITAL AND HOUNSLOW & RICHMOND COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE JOIN FORCES: Kingston Hospital is planning to merge with Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare later this year. Their joint strategy explains how the merger would benefit patients and help build stronger healthcare teams. The new name for the merged organisation will be Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust. Have you say here.
🍾 NO BOOZE, LESS CHICKEN: Last week we brought you news of the Met Police’s objection to a local chicken shop’s application to extend its opening hours. We can confirm Kingston Council has now rejected that application. Residents of Tolworth have also submitted petition opposing a local food and wine shop’s plans to sell booze from 7am to 10pm. We will keep you posted on any updates.
🚐 CARAVANS ON HAM COMMON: Some 35 caravans have pitched up on Ham Common on the border of Kingston and Richmond. Pictures of inflatable toys in pond and rubbish strewn across the green have appeared in the media. Residents have taken to Nextdoor, a neighbourhood app, to express their anger. In the meantime, Richmond Council is going to court today (Thursday) to seek an eviction order.
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
🗳️ HOW DID YOUR MP VOTE: In line with Liberal Democrats party’s support for the removal of two-child limit, both of the local MPs, Ed Davey and Sarah Olney voted on an amendment to the King's Speech which called for the immediate scrapping of the two child limit to Universal Credit. However, the amendment was rejected by MPs and the two-child benefit will remain in place. Remember, you can subscribe to a newsletter from your MP through their website and keep an eye on how they are delivering on your priorities.
🗳️ LOCAL POLITICS: As with the two local MPs, the Liberal Democrats also hold overall control of Kingston Council. The council’s website provides details of every elected councillor, the council’s plan, policies, finance and budgets as well as its calendar of meetings and how residents can take part in local democracy and hold elected members to account.
🏊♀️ STILL TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE NEW LEISURE CENTRE: Now that the general election is firmly behind us, Kingston Council is continuing with its planned engagement on the new leisure centre for Kingston town centre. And while the in-person public engagements have come to an end, residents can still express their views to the council until 4th August 2024 through this online survey.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
🎭 MUCH ADO: The Globe Theatre’s Shakespeare summer season kicks off shortly with tickets from as little as £5. There’s plenty to choose from including the “fantastically, artfully odd” The Taming of the Shrew, “hugely compelling” Richard III or the “sun-drenched spectacle” of Much Ado About Nothing. At £5 per ticket, expect to stand. Comfy shoes and one of those unfolding-umbrella-chairs would both be good choices!
😟 SCHOOL’S OUT: To help parents with the stress of keeping their children engaged over the holiday period, there is a whole bunch of activities across the borough for under 5s through to teenagers.
Connected Kingston – family activities
Achieving for Children – activities for children from pre-school to teens
Summer Family Activities Play Trail – activities across the borough including Chessington, Kingston, Surbiton and Tolworth and Maldens and Coombe.
👩🏽🏫 TEACHER OPEN EVENT: The River Thames Boat Project is hosting a Teacher Open Evening on Wednesday 11th September. Already working with a number of primary schools in the borough, the project provides educational school trips on a converted Dutch barge, Thames Venturer, for children aged 5-11. Workshops include science, geography and environmental education, bringing the national curriculum to life with hands-on learning.
🐦 LONDON WETLAND FROM £3: Watch rare birds and animals, take on a wobbly bridge or delve into ponds at the London Wetland Centre. With the aim of making the centre more accessible, they’re offering massively discounted tickets to anyone who is in receipt of Universal Credit. Adults pay £5 and kids just £3.
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
💂 31 THINGS TO DO IN LONDON: If you you’re not jetting off to even warmer climes this weekend, here are ’31 best things to do in London’ courtesy of Condé Nast Traveller. Some of our picks from the list include dancing the night away at Indian barbecue restaurant Brigadiers, catching a family-friendly show, The Gruffalo, at the Lyric Theatre or sipping an ice-cold drink at the Joia Rooftop Bar on top of the now glitzy Battersea Power Station. Then again, be frugal and just have a nose around one of London’s newest hotels, The Peninsula.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but still like
💗🏝️THE ICK: Just as the Bard changed the language, fans of Love Island (that concluded a few days ago) too will recognise the dating show’s impact on the English language! ‘The ick’ is its latest contribution to the Cambridge Dictionary this year. Just in case you are unfamiliar with the term, it means “a sudden feeling that you dislike someone or something or are no longer attracted to someone because of something they do”. Here are 20 other words or phrases from the show including ‘Muggy’ (nothing to do with the weather), ‘Factor 50’ (not a sunscreen lotion) and ‘Sauce’ (not something you have with your chips).
🧙♂️ HOGWARTS EXPRESS CANCELLED: Disappointment for Harry Potter fans as they are told not to go to King’s Cross for Back to Hogwarts Day this September. For many years, fans dressed in robes and waving their magic wands have gathered at the fictional Platform 9¾ to count down the departure of the Hogwarts Express. The staff at the station have traditionally complied, making hoax tannoy announcements and displaying information on the departure board. However, Warner Brothers Discovery, owners of the film rights to the Harry Potter movie series, have said that there will no event, departure board or countdown at the station this year.