Part Time vacancy in the Open Age cafe

Local Community

Café Assistant at New Avenues

Open Age are looking for a friendly and welcoming individual to assist them in their new Café at Open Age’s Queen’s Park and Harrow Road hub at New Avenues. .

The role:   Mondays and Fridays 10am-3.30pm (Temporary @ £9.75 per hour)

Providing a warm and friendly welcome to users of the café as well as assisting members in any inquiries they may have about Open Age activities.

Daily set up/set down of the café including chairs, tables, coffee machines and any other equipment. Serving hot drinks and keeping the Café in a tidy and hygienic manner by adhering to food hygiene and safety regulations.Cash handling – Taking payment from members, counting the takings and ensuring the float is correct. Informing the Centre Manager or Facilitator when stock needs replenishing. Assisting the manager with any administrative adhoc tasks as required.

What are they looking for?

A friendly, enthusiastic and reliable person. Basic numeracy skills/Cash handling. Passion for working with the public, particularly the older generation. Good food hygiene skills, hard working and capable of using own initiative.

Please contact Claire Hoggan on 07713 567050 or choggan@nullopenage.org.uk for further details or an application form.

Come and join us for the autumn clear-up!

Queen's Park Gardens, Wildlife Area

After last session’s miserable weather we need to redouble our efforts this Saturday.

We will meet in the Wildlife Area of Queen’s Park Gardens. If you can’t find us there, look out for our chalk board. You are welcome for as little or as long as you would like.  Please wear sensible footwear and warm clothes and we will provide tools, guidance and chocolate snacks.

More info here.
wa sun mist2

Join the events working group

Local Community

Join the events working group (and help organise the winter festival!)

Queen’s Park Community Council events are organised by the events working group, made up of community councillors and residents, and the QPCC Community Development Officer (Lindsey). This working group helps plan, organise and run the events, which includes getting to decide what happens!

We are looking for residents who want to join the events working group. The next event to plan is the annual Winter Festival which is on Saturday 9th December 2017 (poster above). Last year there was wreath making and donkey rides amongst lots of other festive activities.

Are you good at planning events? Do you have good ideas about what we could do? Do you want to meet other people in the community? Then join us! You can offer as little or as much time as you like and we promise it will be fun!

 

Air Pollution Update

Environment, Local Community

Air Pollution in Queen’s Park (article taken from the Queen’s Park Community Council Newsletter)

Report by founder friend and regular gardener, Ray Lancashire.

Queen’s Park Community Council’s first citizen science air pollution project was conducted in June 2017, funded by QPCC with support from community volunteers and in partnership with the London Sustainability Exchange.

Twenty diffusion tubes were mounted on street lamps, for one month, around the Queen’s Park ward, paying particular attention to stretches of Harrow Road and Kilburn Lane, outside Queen’s Park and Wilberforce Primary Schools, and Queen’s Park Library. These areas are used by adults and young children on a daily basis.

Low-tech acrylic diffusion tubes were used to collect ambient Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) from the air. The tube’s cap contains an absorbent which absorbs NO2 produced by motor vehicle exhaust gases expelled by cars, buses and lorries. After a one month period the tubes are taken down, the concentration of NO2 absorbed is analysed and a mean average total is arrived at. This figure is used to compare the levels of NO2 against annual limits laid down by the European Union.

The European Union’s annual legal limit for NO2 is 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air. The results show Harrow Road has higher NO2 levels than the EU legal limit (40 µg/m3) and in some cases double the legal limit. Research suggests that prolonged exposure to NO2 has an adverse effect on health and reducing life expectancy.

Although Kilburn Lane shows lower levels of NO2 it is still above the legal limit. It is worth noting that Queen’s Park and Wilberforce Primary Schools are both above the EU legal limit even though they are located away from main roads.

This report has been distributed to your Westminster City Ward Councillors. To view the map of the findings, please visit the QPCC website.

Queen’s Park Community Hub

Football Academy, Local Community, Queen's Park Gardens, Tennis Club

The Queen’s Park Community Hub launched last month and has got off to a great start.  With sport activities in the park and learning events including language sessions at their new premises in Kilburn Lane, there is something for everyone and the list is growing all the time.

The sessions in blue text are run by QPG Community (hello@nullqpgcommunity.com). The sessions in green text are run by QPG Sports Hub( info@nullqpgsports.com).

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Apples and Pears Festival

Community Gardening, Rose Garden

Our next session will be on 14th October, 2017 between 10am and 1pm. Do join us for a little or as long as you can manage.  More details here.

We will be tidying as autumn begins to set in and foliage dies off.

Ulla and Cathy are holding an event in the Rose Garden at the same time. You could take a look in on both of us!

South East Queens Park 20 mph Trials

Environment, Local Community, Wildlife Area

New speed limits are rolling out across Westminster. This trial is bringing 20mph roads to the areas surrounding 38 schools, enabling the council to consult local schools, residents and businesses to judge its effectiveness before changing the limit on more roads. The program is aiming to increase walking and cycling by making vulnerable road users feel safer.

A reassuringly large area to the east of the Avenues and going into Maida Vale (from Bravington Road to Lanark Road) are included in Westminster’s 20mph trials over the next couple of years.

Also parts of Droop Street and Dart Street will be trialed. You may have already noticed the old  30mph signs have been covered over and some illuminated detector ‘slow down’ signs are already in place. The 20mph limits are being implemented in areas highlighted by a road safety review and as a result of residents’ requests for speed restrictions.

Local schools, businesses and residents views will also be sought before, during and after the 20mph trials. This will give better understanding of their impact and inform the next step.

You can read more about it here and download a map.