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 Do You Agree with the Voting so far in the
EN Magazine Local Business Awards
EN Magazine would like to recognize the success and contribution of local businesses in the area, and has launched the EN Magazine Local Business Awards 2012.
The aim of these awards is to give the readers of EN Magazine, the opportunity to vote for, and tell other readers about their favourite local businesses. By voting in these awards you have the opportunity to show your support for the businesses in your area: from restaurants to hairdressers, local tradesman to opticians, we hope that we have given you the chance to vote for and support your favourites.
The categories for the awards are and the current top 3 companies in no particular order are:
• your favourite local restaurant
Beautiful South
La Caverna
Winchmore Hill Tandoori
• your favourite local take away
Rocky Reef Fish and Chips
Saathi
Enfield Tandoori
• your favourite local pub/bar
Kings Head
The Stag
Cricketers
• your favourite local cafe/coffee shop
Baskervilles
Fairies of London
My Coffee Stop
• your favourite local independent food store
Holtwhites Bakery
Smiths Butchers
Deli on the Green
• your favourite hairdresser/beauty salon
James Whitaker
Pure Enfield
Emma Claire
• your favourite local home furnishings or home supplies store
Vic Smiths Beds
Papylon
Drapemasters
• your favourite local tradesman (Plumber, Electrician, Builder etc)
Associated Response
Curtis & Sons Builders
Plumbingwise
• your favourite local professional service (Estate Agent, Solicitor, Financial Advisor etc)
Autosure
Lancaster Dry Cleaners
DV8 Creative Solutions
• your favourite local health service (Dentist, Doctor, Optician, Acupuncturist etc)
Good Looking Optics
Danny Cox Sports Massage
Keats Compimentary Practice
• your favourite local sports facility, gym, local attraction or visitor activity
Millfield Theatre
Capel Manor
Southbury Leisure Centre
To vote for your favourite local business in each or all of these categories visit www.enmagazine.co.uk.
Alternatively you can send your nominations to us at EN Magazine, 63 High Street, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 5AS
The deadline for entries is 31st May
Sponsored by 
£1.3bn Meridian Water plans unveiled
Enfield launches consultation on 200 acre waterfront eco-development
Enfield Council has unveiled a masterplan for the regeneration of a 200 acre (82 ha) area alongside North London’s Lee Valley Regional Park – to be known as Meridian Water.
The proposals will create a new mixed-use waterfront community and one of the capital’s largest regeneration and investment opportunities. When completed it will be one of the biggest eco-developments in the UK.
The masterplan, developed LDA Design, seeks to build 5,000 new homes and create 3,000 new jobs as well as three new schools and a range of supporting community facilities, a new high street retail core and diverse parklands.
It has been designed to create a new opportunity for canal and riverside living in London by revitalising the valley’s waterways, improving parkland and recreational space and reconnecting the area with the resources of the Lee Valley Regional Park.
The proposals also set ambitious targets for sustainability that include plans for a comprehensive district heating network supplied by waste heat.
Meridian Water will also deliver improvements to public transport including a central transport hub linked to Angel Road Station, redirected bus routes and proposals for improved rail services on the line connecting the area to Liverpool Street and Stratford.
Public consultation on the masterplan will run until 3 August and will seek views from local residents, businesses, community groups, investors and other stakeholders as the plans evolve.
Enfield Council's Cabinet Member for Business and Regeneration, Cllr Del Goddard, said: "Meridian Water is the most significant contribution to the transformation of Edmonton and it will play a significant role in driving the expansion of North London for decades to come. It will overcome years of decline and will create a fantastic waterfront development that people will be proud to call their home.
The Masterplan, which will be finalised at the end of the year, makes one of the largest contributions to the legacy of the Olympics. This will be one of the biggest development opportunities in the UK and the whole project will provide a massive boost to Enfield, London and the South East."
Colin James, Director of Urban Design at LDA Design, said: “This masterplan is the first step towards bringing forward Enfield Council’s vision for creating new high quality, energy efficient housing and breathing new life into employment areas.
“With an emphasis on sustaining strong business and economic growth, these plans are set to revitalise the site and create opportunities to attract new investment and facilities with a particular focus on green industries.
“As well as ensuring the proposal is commercially viable, we have taken inspiration from the waterways of the Lower Lee Valley as the plans have developed, and the aim here is to give people the experience of waterside living and working while being in easy reach of the rest of the city through better transport links.”
Copies of the proposals can be found at www.enfield.gov.uk/meridianwater
A brace of silver medals for England’s Denise Payet!
 Denise Payet came back with both a Team and Individual Silver Medal from the British Primary Schools International Championships which was held in Largs, Scotland last weekend!
Denise, who attends George Spicer Primary School in Enfield and trains at Ellenborough Table Tennis Club, helped England Girls to a silver medal on Saturday with wins over Scotland (7-3), Guernsey (10-0) and Wales (9-1). Ireland won gold winning all their games 10-0 with all their girls looking unstoppable.
However, Sunday’s individual event saw Denise break Irish dominance by beating beat Kate Mahoney (3-2) in the quarter- finals followed by tournament favourite Rebecca Finn (3-0!) in the semi-finals, in what was probably the best performance of Denise’s career to date. In the final, Denise narrowly lost to Kate Whelan (11-8 in the fifth game).
When asked for his reaction, Club Coaching Officer, Nick McCoy said: “It is fantastic that the club’s junior section is thriving so much and Denise’s success gives all young girls locally something to aspire to. She is a testament to the success of the club and a credit to her school”.
APPRENTICES WIN PRESTIGIOUS IDEAL HOME’S MEDAL
Congratulations to the Apprenticeship team at Capel Manor College for winning a silver medal at the ‘Ideal Young Gardeners of the Year’ competition, which is now in its second year. The five Apprentices and staff joined forces to create a garden to be proud of.
The design and build project was led by Tom Wheatcroft, Senior Gardener, who initially started at Capel Manor College as a student just 5 years ago.
He said “I am a perfect example of how the training and outstanding facilities at the College can lead you to a professional occupation in horticulture. I have the pleasure of working on a variety of gardens on the 30 acre estate and this was my first experience at a competitive level of this scale. It was great to see how the team worked together on a tight timescale and produced a medal winning garden. Some of these apprentices had no experience in horticulture prior to joining the College and look at them now. I am so proud of their achievements and the garden perfectly showcases what Capel Manor can actually achieve.”
During the approaching week to the opening of the 2012 Ideal Home Show the Apprenticeship team worked enthusiastically and with great gusto to build the competing garden outside the Earl’s Court event.
Named ‘Dancing with Daffodils” the Idyllic garden features willow hedges using saplings cultivated in the college gardens and hand woven by the apprentices themselves. The garden also features plenty of daffodils, having been inspired by the William Wordworth’s poem of the same name.
Channel 5’s TV Gardener, David Domoney, joined forces with the Prince’s Foundation to host the 2012 competition, which took place on the opening day of the Ideal Home Show. The show was officially opened by HRH Prince of Wales who was also on hand to present the medals to the wining teams.
Apprentice Sam Simper, 18 from Enfield Town joined the Apprenticeship scheme a year and a half ago.
He said “Taking part in the competition was a great experience, I had never done anything like this before and meeting Prince Charles was amazing. After leaving school I joined a sports college but I soon realised it wasn’t for me. My friend told me about Capel Manor and I haven’t looked back since. I love it here and my goal is to start up my own landscaping business”.
Steve Dowbiggin, Principal and Chief Executive said “I am very proud of Sam and the team for achieving the award. Apprenticeships are great way to earn as you learn and our successful apprentices never have trouble finding work. At present everyone is focused on 16-18 year olds having to stay on in education, but apprenticeships and colleges are ideal for those who have out grown school”.
LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN ............ NOAH’S ARK RECEIVES FINAL PLANNING PERMISSION
Noah’s Ark is delighted to announce that it has been granted Final Planning Permission by Barnet Council for the development of a children’s hospice at the nature reserve, Byng Road, Barnet.
The 8 acre nature reserve, located at the edge of the urban development of High Barnet, will offer families access to local amenities, whilst finding the hospice a quiet place for reflection and refuge, when needed.
The reserve is an important environmental site for the local community and its development and ongoing maintenance forms part of the charity’s lease agreement. Noah’s Ark is committed to working with the London Wildlife Trust and Friends of Barnet Countryside Centre to ensure the continuing development and maintenance of the reserve. The hospice and reserve will be a very special place serving all in the local community.
Noah’s Ark has created, and continues to develop, an innovative range of flexible services designed to meet the individual needs of the families it supports. The charity is currently providing practical support within families’ homes – through its Family Support Volunteer Programme, Specialist Carers Service and Play Specialist Team. To date, Noah’s Ark has supported over 130 families.
In order to complete the ‘circle of care’, a hospice building is needed to complement the charity’s community work and provide new, in-house services.
The hospice will ‘root’ its service and enable it to become both a base for the community team and an important hub for partnership working in children’s palliative care.
At a recent Parent Consultation the charity took the opportunity to discuss plans for the hospice building with families. Some families already use a hospice but look forward to having one nearer their home. “The biggest happiness will be to get rid of the A406! My daughter gets irritated when she has to sit too long and starts kicking and so on – this distracts me from my driving”, said one parent.
Whilst Noah’s Ark plans the next phase (which will include the launch of its Big Splash Appeal later this year to raise funds for the build), its focus continues to be on its flexible community-based services.
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF WINCHMORE HILL AND THE COMMUNITY AT THE N21 FESTIVAL
Winchmore Hill – 16th-23rd June 2012
To celebrate the centenary publication of ‘Winchmore Hill - Memories of a Lost Village’ by the writer and artist Henrietta Cresswell, http://www.n21.net/ the online community website, is promoting the N21 Festival in the heart of Winchmore Hill which will take place from the 16th – 23rd June 2012.
The N21 Festival will recreate the ‘Fancy Fair’ that was famously held on the Green in the 1850’s, uniting the local residents who ‘flocked en masse’ to the colourful, band playing event. Then, all monies raised from the many stalls that lined the Green was spent on building the first national school in the area, now known as St Paul’s Primary School. Today, all proceeds from the non-profit grand event will be donated to local charities*.
Henrietta was the daughter of Dr John Cresswell, who arrived to the area in 1842 at the age of 24. He served the local community as the general practitioner for fifty years and Henrietta’s book is a captivating account of life in this leafy village in the late 1800’s. Today, 100 years later, the charming descriptions of the cottages at Ford’s Grove, the bakehouse, the wooden stables, the daily omnibus, the blacksmith’s forge, the coming of the Railway and the elder blossom that lined the streets, still evoke delightful memories of bygone years.
The N21 Festival will be held over a period of eight days and will be a mixture of cultural and fun activities culminating in the Fancy Fair on the whole of The Green. It aims to not only rekindle the neighbourly spirit of the past by bringing together people of all ages in the area, but will recreate some of the events that took place during the original ‘Fancy Fair’, albeit 21st century versions. For example, a drawing and photography competition, art exhibition, jazz evening, poetry extravaganza, staged concert, orchestral concert, vintage tea dance, garden parties, historical walks, hog roast and lots more.
Grandparents, parents and children are invited to participate whether independently or via their local association, business, school or club. Businesses in the N21 region will also contribute to the occasion by sponsoring many of the events and providing volunteers throughout the week.
Play a part in the creation of a new artwork for Forty Hall & Estate!
One of Forty Hall’s artists in residence Amelia Crouch is looking for people to help her with her project. She wants to find out how people in the local community around Enfield feel about and use their houses. Is your house a private space or a social space? If you could add any room to your house what would it be?
There are two ways that you can help Amelia. You can take a short survey about your house and the area you live in. This takes 5-10 minutes and can be found online.
She is also looking for individuals or small discussion groups of up to 5 people who would be willing to talk to her in person during w/c 19th March. This takes about an hour and can be arranged at a venue to suit you.
Please contact Amelia by email or call 07817527615 if you can help with this. She would like to talk to a range of people of different ages, circumstances or backgrounds so whether you are an individual or run a group who might be able to help please get in touch.
About her own house Amelia says: “If I could add an extra room to my house it would be a garden! Often I used to dream about discovering extra rooms in my house but I have recently moved to a bigger place and now I just wish I had more outside space.”
Her favourite room is her office/studio which is the room where she is most creative. It is quite a private room where she doesn’t really like having guests. In the rest of the house she is happy to have visitors but feels she has to hoover and tidy up first! What will the outcome be?
Responses will help Amelia to make a new artwork to be shown at Forty Hall & Estate when the Hall reopens to the public. Everyone who takes part will be invited to come and see the exhibition where they will also be able to look around the newly refurbished Forty Hall and the work of 2 other artists which will also be on show.
This project is part of a series of artists’ residencies, inspired by Forty Hall & Estate that are running in 2011-12. Amelia is researching changing ideas about home and privacy from the Medieval period (when Elsyng palace stood on the Forty Hall estate) right up to today.
Be part of the action in 2012
Enfield Volunteers – we need you
As the borough gears up for the London 2012 Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Enfield Council with the Volunteer Centre Enfield are appealing to residents and businesses to volunteer and become part of the action.
Cllr Bambos Charalambous, cabinet member for Leisure & Olympics, said, “For most people, the Olympic and Paralympics Games happen in their own country once in a lifetime. So for those of us in London this year’s Games and other events are a great opportunity to take part in some way with a local event or volunteer.
“We have already established a cultural festival and the Edmonton Carnival, but I know that many people will want to welcome the Olympic torch into the borough on 25th July, encourage their children to take part in school sports and above all enjoy the Games. I do want people in all parts of the borough to have a chance to take part.”
The best way to do this is to register an interest with the Enfield ‘Family of 2012 volunteers’ which is a database of people who want to get involved with anything going on in Enfield during 2012 that is linked to the Olympics and Olympic values.
And there are many ways that residents can make a contribution to Enfield’s activities and to the Games.
This includes:
- Stewarding events in the build up to the Games and helping with administration;
- Working on Enfield’s Tourist Information desk at the Dugdale Centre;
- Helping with Enfield’s own school torch relay event in May 2012;
- Volunteering at the re - opening celebrations for Forty Hall, chosen as the borough’s iconic 2012 Games building.
- Supporting the Enfield Festival and contributing to it. It starts in May 2012 to the end of September 2012. Anyone with a special skill, sports talent, singers and dancers could be taking part.
Cllr Charalambous added, “This is a busy year with over 100 events throughout the borough involving voluntary groups. We also have a small fund for the Big Jubilee Lunch street parties on 2nd and 3rd June for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. So let’s look forward to a summer of fun and pleasure.”
The social action network www.i-volunteer.org.uk is being used to recruit volunteers to the ‘Enfield 2012 Family’.
To find out more contact Meera Vasudevan 020 8373 6348 email
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or 020 8379 1461 email:
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Chickenshed to Perform At Dickens Celebrations
Chickenshed Theatre is delighted to be invited to join a celebrity cast in The Royal Theatrical Fund celebration of Charles Dickens’ bicentenary year in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen on Tuesday 14 February.
Charles Dickens was instrumental in founding The Royal Theatrical Fund (formerly The General Theatrical Fund Association), the profession’s oldest charity, and was the first chairman in 1839. The Queen, as patron of The Royal Theatrical Fund, will mark Dickens’ Bicentenary by attending a theatrical performance entitled Mr Dickens and the Actors by Philip Franks at the City of London’s Guildhall.
The stellar cast will include Derek Jacobi in the title role of Charles Dickens and Samantha Spiro as Queen Victoria. Other cast members include Samantha Bond, Stephanie Cole, Matthew Kelly and Eddie Redmayne.
Charles Dickens, considered one of the greatest writers of the 19th century, is as famous on-screen and on-stage as on the page. He wrote his first of many plays when only ten (in 1822), was a keen amateur actor and had warm relationships with many leading actors, such as Macready.
Following the performance, members of Chickenshed Theatre will join other Organisations for a private reception at Buckingham Palace where memorabilia from the Royal Collection of Dickens will be on display. The reception, hosted by Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, celebrates the bicentenary of Dickens birth.
Enterprise Enfield Business Awards 2011
Enfield Enterprise and the Enfield Business Community celebrated local business success at a gala dinner on Thursday 3rd November.
There were four awards categories for companies to enter. The high calibre of entries was whittled down two finalists in each category.
The RSA Trust Business of the year award (Businesses trading over 2 years)
Winner
Pressbay Ltd
www.pressbaymotors.co.uk
Third Door Ltd
www.thirddoor.co.uk
The RSA Trust Green Business of the year Award
Winner
Zinfinity
www.zinfinity.co.uk
Runner Up
Junk Junk LLP
www.junkjunk.co.uk
The RSA Trust Start Up Business of the Year Award (Businesses trading under 2 years)
Winner
Halo Dogs Ltd
www.halodogs.co.uk
Runner Up
Just Like Mum Ltd
www.justlikemum.com
Enfield Retailer of the Year sponsored by Enfield Council
Winner
Papylon
www.papylonlondon.co.uk
Runner Up
Holtwhites Bakery
www.holtwhitesbakery.co.uk
Car Dealership peddels a two wheel solution to transport!
Cycling in the UK is more popular than ever. Hoards of cyclists of all shapes and sizes are a common site on London’s roads as many people enjoy the benefits of this exciting activity; regular cycling can help you to lose weight, reduce stress, improve your health, save you money and it’s kind to the environment. Stephen James has seen an increasing number of its customers express an interest in cycling, so it’s taken the plunge to become the first BMW dealership in the country to feature a full bike shop: Stephen James Cycles.
Stephen James Cycles is situated on the first floor of Stephen James’ BMW showroom in Enfield (Lincoln Road Junction of A10). Easily accessible and with convenient parking, Stephen James Cycles is open to everyone. The store offers a wide selection of bikes, parts and accessories from leading manufacturers in an environment you’ll love spending time in.
The range includes models from BMW and TREK including the Tour de France winning Madone, state of the art mountain bikes as well as fitness, recreational and even electrically assisted bikes to give you a helping hand as you build your stamina.
Try out the cycling simulator in store, ride an Alpine pass or find out if you’re the next Chris Hoy on the virtual velodrome. Alternatively, relax whilst you enjoy a complimentary drink and browse through the products. Stephen James Cycles’ staff have a depth of experience in the bike industry as well as state of the art equipment to help you find your ideal bike.
Discover the perfect bike for leisurely rides with friends, choose and be fitted to a new machine for pedalling your way to fitness. You’ll be amazed at the weight of the performance road bikes and you can borrow demonstration bikes for the weekend to help you make your decision. The affectionally named ‘arsometer’ will even help you to find your ideal saddle to maximise your comfort!
With bikes ranging from £350 to well over £3000, including a wide range of children’s bikes and with a full cycle workshop for repairs and servicing, no matter what the age or manufacturer of your machine, whether you’re an an experienced cyclist of yet to turn your first pedal, Stephen James Cycles is committed to helping you enjoy cycling more.
Joinery Company Rebrands and Opens New Showroom
The Joinery Company London has been providing homeowners in North London and the surrounds, with custom-made joinery for more than 20 years.
North Londoner Robbie Pritchett has been a joiner for over 20 years, and his passion for producing bespoke handcrafted timber pieces is truly unique. Robbie and his team of qualified timber joinery craftsmen offer an unrivalled service that enables clients to find the perfect fit to match your style of home, from a Victorian terrace to a contemporary new home. Be it a design you choose from our showroom, or perhaps you have a photograph from a magazine you’d like replicated, they also accept doodles! The Joinery Company London can make this happen for your home.
 With a showroom and workshop now on site, Romarc Joinery has recently rebranded to ‘The Joinery Company London’. The new space offers the opportunity to experience a selection of the finished products in the showroom plus see how we work behind the scenes.
Robbie and the team continue to offer the high-quality workmanship that they’re known for - from made to measure traditional and contemporary kitchens, to sash windows and home furniture.
Kitchens:
We offer handmade, bespoke, made to measure kitchens in contemporary or classic traditional styles. Our kitchens are handcrafted by experienced craftsmen, using the raw material of your choice, be it solid oak through to sprayed mdf (matt or gloss), in any colour.
Bathrooms:
Bathrooms can often be a tricky size to get quite right. Perhaps you’re working with an unusual shape, or wanting to improve upon an existing space. Our handmade bespoke units for bathrooms will fit the bill, with our popular sink units and toilet units designed to make the most of even the smallest room.
Furniture:
The beauty of bespoke timber joinery is you can have exactly what you wish for. Our made to measure furniture range includes TV units, bookcases, dressers, dining tables, coffee tables and sideboards. Robbie and his team of qualified timber joinery craftsmen offer you an unrivalled service that enables you to find the perfect fit to match your style of home, from a Victorian terrace to a contemporary new home.
Our popular wedding gift service enables you to design a unique piece for the happy couple, with past commissions including an engraved coffee table and a bookcase made of solid oak.
Wardrobes:
You can’t beat a made to measure wardrobe. The Joinery Company London specialise in wardrobes to wow, and can build into the most difficult of spaces. The interiors can be fitted out as per your specifications, leaving you with the perfect selection of drawers, shoe racks, double hanging and mirrors.
Doors:
It takes just eight seconds to decide whether or not you will buy a house, according to the latest research. And at least four of them will be spent waiting at the front door. Here at The Joinery Company London, we offer the design and production of exterior and internal doors. All doors are crafted in our on-site workshop, in a material chosen by you, and if you’d like, designed by you too.
Windows:
The Joinery Company London specialises in double glazed sash windows, that replicate the traditional ones we all know and love, but with double glazed modern technology. Pricing is dependent on size, however to give you an indication, based on a double glazed unit of 5ft x 2.5ft, the cost would be £850 per window (including draft excluders). We also offer other window units including french doors and casements. As with everything we create, our windows are made to measure, giving you the perfect fit every time.
Workshop/Showroom:
Robbie and the team produce all joinery work on-site in our Crews Hill workshop, so you can view the production of your commission in action.
Visit our new showroom and workshop in Crews Hill to experience a selection of our finished products plus see how we work behind the scenes.
The new showroom and workshop is at
Unit 7
Culver Garden Centre
Cattlegate Road
Crews Hill
EN2 9DS
Tel: 0208 363 3011
Opening hours:
Monday - Saturday 9.30am - 5pm
Sunday - 10am - 4pm
Are we being ruled by a
"CONalition"?
EN Magazine responds to the decision to close Chase Farm A&E and Maternity Units
Enfield residents are waking up this morning to the news that The Secretary of State has decided to ignore them and close the A&E and Maternity units at Chase Farm Hospital.
The Prime Minister, when in opposition pledged to reverse the plans to close Chase Farm hospital when he visited the hospital in 2007 – was this an outright con to win local votes?.
I have followed the fight to keep Chase Farm Hospital fully open over the last few years and have seen nothing that has made me believe this is the right decision.
I am off the opinion, although the government denies this, that this decision is about money. I believe the local Health Trust has over spent on developments of Barnet Hospital and North Mid Hospital and the only asset it has to offset this is the land at Chase Farm Hospital, which it has already tried to partly sell off!
The population of Enfield is predicted to increase by 40,800 over the next 20 years (14%) with the biggest increases being in the 0-14 and 50+ age groups. This will create extra demand on health services locally.
However the one place where there is space to build and expand hospital services is to be downgraded. How long before the builders move in?
I was very pleased to see Enfield Council and Local MP Nick de Bois openly saying that this is the wrong decision and hope that they will join forces and do what ever they can to try and overturn this decision.
Douglas· Lee
Publsiher
EN Magazine
New BMW 1 Series
Saturday the 17th September, Stephen James will launch the new BMW 1 Series with revised engines, more striking design, roomier cabin and improved technology.
While this model may mark the entry point to BMW ownership, the German firm hasn’t cut any corners. Not only is it roomier than before, it’s cheaper to run, too, thanks to a new range of engines – including a 116d that will arrive next year, with 74mpg and 99g/km of CO2. This will be the first BMW to drop below the 100g/km barrier, and give exemption from road tax. It will be a hit with company car drivers and private buyers who are keen to cut their tax bills.
The first difference you will notice is the front with the large ‘kidney shaped’ front grille and with bigger lights on the front and back. This latest edition has grown in most dimensions over the first 1-series: it is 85mm longer overall, and sits 30mm longer. Front and rear tracks grow by 51mm and 72mm respectively. BMW has kept the height identical but found 17mm extra width and delivers 21mm more rear legroom. Luggage grows 30 litres to 360 litres with the seats up, and 1200 litres with the seats down.
The New 1 Series is more eco-friendly, with reduced CO2 emissions and improved economy across the range. This is helped with Auto Start Stop technology, which is now standard in both manual and automatic versions. There are five variants available at launch: two petrol engined-models, and three diesels.
The 118d and 120d use the same 2.0-litre diesel engine, but produce 143bhp and 184bhp respectively. Even though the more powerful version promises 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds, its CO2 output is as low as 119g/km, while fuel economy is 65mpg.
Completing the range is a new generation of twin-turbocharged direct-injection 1.6-litre petrol engines – available as the 118i with 170bhp and the 116i with 136bhp. For the first time in this class, the 1-Series is available with an optional eight-speed auto. As well as offering smooth, quick shifts, the new gearbox promises stronger efficiency than the manual models.
Three normal and five metallic exterior paint colours are available. Other additions to the standard specification include a leather-covered steering wheel, chrome exhaust and keyless start.
There are two range-topping versions the Urban and Sport. The Urban is more luxury focused, getting a wide choice of exterior styling options including white wheels, wing mirrors and trim, and a slatted grille. The Sport models have different alloys, revised bumpers and M-Sport suspension.
In the meantime, the line-up comprises of revised versions of existing engines which are now quicker and more eco-friendly.
Come and see us at Stephen James Enfield, or give us a call on 020 8443 8443
Enfield Council Statement on Government's decision to close Chase Farm Hospital A&E and maternity services.
Doug Taylor, Leader of Enfield Council, said: “The Secretary of State said he would listen to Enfield’s residents and he has not. Closing the A&E and maternity departments at Chase Farm Hospital is a slap in the face for local people who overwhelmingly support retaining these services.
“Enfield Council believes these services meet a genuine need in Enfield and their closure would have devastating effect on healthcare in our borough.
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“Enfield Council will continue to fight for residents best interests and lobby tirelessly for these services to be retained.
“Enfield’s population is predicted to increase by 40,000 over the next 20 years and birth rates are predicted to increase by 8.3 per cent in coming years, so there is a desperate need for the Chase Farm Maternity and A&E units to be retained to meet future need.
“I would urge the government to reconsider this decision and listen to what the people of Enfield have said, namely that they value their local hospital and believe it provides vitally important healthcare to those most in need.”
Council recommendations to the Independent Reconfiguration panel.
1. The secretary of state should require further DoH analysis of the strategic options produced by Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital Acute Trust which indicate costs and viability of alternative options to the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy. Local residents favour strategic option 1.
2. Specifically, the Secretary of State should use the data produced by Barnet and Chase Farm Trust on the viability of full maternity and paediatric consultant led services on both Chase Farm and North Middlesex sites.
3. The Secretary of State should ensure that 24/7 Consultant led Accident and Emergency services are retained on the Chase Farm and North Middlesex Sites. In doing so additional primary care and community services, could assist with demand management and should be explored as part of this option.
4. The Secretary of State should consult with the Hospital Trusts about joint arrangements across the hospitals to address workforce concerns, clinical issues and maximise patient services and patient choice.
5. The Secretary of State should ensure the future financial sustainability of NHS services in Enfield by undertaking an urgent and transparent review of the funding formula for local PCTs
6. In the absence of Foundation Trust status the Secretary of State should take action to safeguard receipts (revenue and capital) from the Chase Farm site for reinvestment in front line NHS services in Enfield and at Chase Farm
7. The Secretary of State should also ensure the future financial sustainability of NHS service in Enfield by providing funding to mitigate the impact of the Private Finance Initiative debts on local hospitals
8. The Secretary of State should recommend to the emerging Enfield GP Consortium, that as it becomes established, it has as a leading priority the engagement with local stakeholders about how to build a future long-term consensus for service delivery and genuine innovation.
9. The Secretary of State should ensure that priority must be given to improving the quality and availability of primary and community based services at the Chase Farm site.
10. The Secretary of State should recognise the benefit of local management of hospital services.
Council motion
Enfield Council has been a consistent commentator on the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy. In November 2010, the Full Council, with cross party support, agreed the following motion in response to the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy Review:
1) Patients and residents should be key in planning future facilities and their voice should be heard as the primary stakeholder in healthcare.
2) No decisions should undermine the quality and
viability of North Middlesex Hospital.
3) The future of Chase Farm as a viable hospital must be guaranteed, providing the services that local people need, want and ask for.
4) Proper investment in our hospitals must be guaranteed.
5) Adequate funding must be made available by Central Government.
6) There can be no compromise of patient safety
in planning facilities.
7) In the longer term, Enfield residents want good value services at both the Enfield hospitals and there should be joined up thinking and working that ensures this occurs, which might result in a closer relationship than the current one.
http://www.hertslink.org/buildingfutures
 Home Secretary backs "I Love Enfield" campaign
A poster campaign started by a local printers after the riots in Enfield Town has been backed by Home Secretary, Theresa May.
Fast Signs, of Colman Parade, Southbury Road, started giving away free the "I Love Enfield - Keep Smiling" posters in an effort to boost morale among shops and businesses in Enfield Town after the violence and looting of last Monday. Dozens of the posters are now on display in shop windows, helping to show that Enfield is getting back to normal and is 'open for business' once again.
Enfield North MP Nick de Bois said, "These posters from Fast Signs are a great example of the way people in Enfield have responded in such a positive manner to the dreadful events of last week. I think people want to focus on the good things to come out of this, and see the posters as a symbol of something optimisitc".
Fast Signs, whose own shop window was shattered during the riots, are considering continuing the posters after an initial 100 print run in order to raise money for a local charity.
Home Secretary Theresa May gave her backing for the campaign after visiting Enfield last Friday.
Local MP’s fighting to STOP knife crime
Enfield North MP, Nick de Bois has written a joint letter with Southgate MP David Burrowes to Prime Minister David Cameron, calling for the government's tough new crime policies to also apply to under 18s.
The government has outlined plans to create a new offence of using a knife to threaten or endanger a life, which will carry a mandatory six month prison sentence for those found guilty. However, Nick has raised in Parliament the fact that the new policy will not apply to those under 18 years of age.
EN Magazine is backing this campaign. “More and more young people are carrying and using knifes in our local community and we feel that members of the public should not have to face the treat of knife crime from anyone what ever their age.”
If you would like to support the campaign you can download a petition document here
http://www.nickdebois.com/downloads/petition-to-house-of-commons--youth-knife-crime.pdf
Tourist Information Centre Launch –
 Enfield’s first Tourist Information Centre makes its debut at the Dugdale Centre on Tuesday 6th July.
And welcoming all visitors to the centre are two bright graduates, Lucia Okenve and Naveenia Virasami, who have been trained to a high standard in customer care and have learned all about Enfield’s unique cultural attractions and hidden treasures.
They also have a sound knowledge of central London and Hertfordshire and will be able to help all visitors with information about specific places of interest, transport details, shopping areas and hotel accommodation.
Cllr Bambos Charalambous, cabinet member for youth, leisure, culture and Olympics, said, “This is a much needed service in the heart of Enfield Town. It is easy to find near to Enfield Town station and major bus routes, and provides information about all the main attractions to entertain, as well as our home grown businesses and services throughout the borough.
“It will be a hub for all kinds of information and will be a great help to anyone who wants to enjoy the borough but does not know how to get around or what to see.
“Visitors include Enfield residents, their friends and families, other Londoners, UK domestic visitors and international visitors mainly from North America, Europe and China. Our information officers will make them all very welcome.”
An added interest at the centre is the shop which is showcasing the creative talent in Enfield with tasteful handmade products for sale by Enfield crafts people and artists.
This includes: ceramics by Steve Harrison, jewellery and accessories by Monica Grande, jewellery and candles by Cher Morresey, aromatherapy products by Zuleikha Assenjee, heritage and walk guides from The Enfield Society, and paintings and prints by Geoffrey Wright.
Centre manager, Eleanor Hunter, says, “This is a rare opportunity for visitors to buy original handmade products and for artists and crafts people to sell and advertise their skills in the heart of Enfield Town. If local artists want to sell their work through this shop they should contact me on 020 8379 3755.”
‘Visit London’ project manager, Lael Scheckter, said, ”Enfield is establishing a firm base to introduce new people to North London and we welcome the great efforts being made to promote its arts and museums and the work it is doing with local arts and crafts people. The Tourist Information Centre will provide a high profile for the borough and add greatly to the London image.”
A Day Out In London
April 2009
London is very difficult to leave. You could spend a lifetime there, let alone a holiday, without getting bored. But London isn’t England: there’s so much to see and do beyond the extremities of the Underground that some longer day trips are de rigueur. The same routes that bring millions of commuters into the capital daily can be used to advantage as highways to adventure. We’ve selected ten of the best and, within minutes of breakfasting in the capital, visitors can be on their way to a stately home, seaside resort or historic city, confident they will be back in time for the nightlife.
Seaside delights: Brighton. It was the fun-loving Prince Regent, later King George IV, who made this resort fashionable, building the exotic, oriental-style Royal Pavilion as his pleasure dome in 1822. Brighton hasn’t been out of fashion since. City
and seaside combine in a heady mixture. Go out to sea without getting your feet wet by strolling along the pier. Renowned for its shopping and nightlife, Brighton’s population is predominantly young, its pace frenetic.
Centres of learning: Oxford, 60 and Cambridge. Two of the world’s oldest universities are north-west and north of the capital respectively. Oxford was founded in the 12th century, beating its rival by a few decades. At both, you can go punting along the river, though the bicycle is the preferred means of transport. Neither has a central campus: Oxford – the ‘city of dreaming spires’ - has 39 separate colleges; 31 make up the University of Cambridge. Stroll around the quadrangles or ‘courts’ at selected times – usually in the afternoons (times vary). The cities have remarkable museums: Oxford’s Ashmolean is the grand-daddy of museums, dating from 1683; Cambridge has the Fitzwilliam. Walk streets trod by innumerable famous folk: from J.R.R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll (Oxford) to Charles Darwin and Maynard Keynes (Cambridge).
Spa city: Bath. The Romans were quick to make use of the hot thermal waters gushing out of the rock that Bath stands upon. Tour their bath, then bathe in modern thermal pools (complemented by wide ranging spa treatments) at the Thermae Spa. Long fashionable, the city is full of elegant 18th century neoclassical architecture which has earned it World Heritage City status from UNESCO. Just 20 km west is a bigger neighbour: Bristol, with its landmark suspension bridge across the Avon Gorge; a lively arts scene; a new shopping hub, Cabot Circus; and the world’s first iron-hulled ocean liner, SS Great Britain.
Midsummer night’s dream: Stratford-upon-Avon. This Heart of England market town put itself on the map in 1564 when poet and playwright, William Shakespeare was born. Tour his birthplace and other properties linked to the Bard. A new Royal Shakespeare Theatre is set to open in 2010; in the meantime, it’s possible to take in a performance at the Courtyard Theatre. Nearby is Warwick, location of an iconic castle that brings medieval England to life, with all its chivalry, romance - and gore.
Viking stronghold: York. Thanks to a fast train service, this historic walled city 337 km north of London is within the realms of day-trip territory. Attractions include a Minster church filled with rainbow-coloured stained glass; shopping along medieval cobbled streets, a chance to step back a thousand years to the city’s Viking past at the Jorvik Centre; museums; regular festivals and daily ghost walks. A café culture is epitomised by Betty’s, where tea and cakes is a gastronomic experience.
Royal castle: Windsor. While York is many leagues beyond the capital, Windsor is almost next-door. Its focal point is world’s largest and oldest inhabited royal castle, towering above the Thames. The preferred home of the monarch, you will know when Queen Elizabeth II is in residence as the Royal Standard flies from the ramparts. Don’t miss Queen Mary’s intricate doll’s house with its working lifts and water system. An exhibition of treasures, marking 500 years since King Henry VIII’s accession, runs until April 2010. Cross the bridge into Eton, famed for its boys’ school which has tutored 18 British prime ministers: see the exclusive graffiti on the desks!
Home most stately: Woburn Abbey. Home to the Dukes of Bedford for 400 years, Woburn is a feast of art and extravagance, embellished with fine furniture, old masters, gold, silver and porcelain. The tradition of afternoon tea reputedly originated here, circa 1840, and you can partake too, in the Duchess’ Tea Room. Outside, deer roam a spacious park, and there’s a new exhibition of monumental sculpture.
Green and pleasant land: the Cotswold Hills. Think picture-perfect towns and villages of golden stone, tea shops, and countryside of rolling hills and meadows, dotted with gardens and historic houses. One, Snowshill Manor, contains a collection of artefacts so large its eccentric owner was forced to live in an adjacent cottage. The region sweeps in a wide arc north-eastwards from Bath and is best seen by car or on a bus tour. Towns such as Chipping Campden, Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water are deservedly popular. So delightful that many celebrities, from Kate Winslet to Liz Hurley, choose to live hereabouts.
Luxury training: Orient-Express British Pullman. A train of opulent carriages with starched tablecloths, polished mahogany decor, and white-suited attendants, pulls out of London’s Victoria station every few days. It heads for day-trip destinations including gardens of Kent and Sussex, Hever or Leeds Castle, with everything arranged, including fine dining as the countryside flashes by. Decadent perhaps, but a great way to celebrate a special occasion. Journey times are by train unless otherwise stated.
What to do in your garden in mid-summer
I’m writing this at the end of June, after a hot, dry week in the gardens at Capel Manor and on my allotment. I’ve been asked to pass on some watering advice as a lot of plants are beginning to flag in the heat: the strong breeze has made things dry out even more quickly. We typically only get 20 to 22 inches (50 – 55 cm) of rain per year in the Enfield region which is the same as Beirut, which we tend to think of as a desert region! Other parts of Britain get two or three times this amount, so we need to water our plants more than other areas. It has certainly felt like this in the past couple of weeks as newly planted areas need a lot more water than just the small amount of rain we’ve had to keep them alive.
If you mulched your plants as advised in this column in early spring your established plants should be holding up well in the recent dry spell. Newer plantings of either bare-root or pot-grown plants are more likely to be suffering as their roots may not have spread out enough to reach the available water. The other problem areas are plants in containers, pots and hanging baskets, where there is little compost in relation to the amount of plant material they contain. The root run is obviously restricted to the container and the plants’ leaves tend to prevent any rain we do get reaching the compost’s surface, compounding the problem. Compost tends to shrink in containers making re-wetting tricky and potentially wasteful of both time and water. I’m now going to suggest some ways of making the watering process more efficient and easier.
This time of year is when we are often away on holiday for a week or more so unless you have a gardener or a kind neighbour to water for you some of your plants will suffer whilst you are away. The most vulnerable are hanging baskets as they typically contain a large number of bedding plants which grow quickly and need lots of water. I’d recommend setting up an automatic irrigation system running off a battery-powered timer: this is available from most garden centres as a starter kit for a reasonable price. The timer fits onto a mains tap and a pipe of typically 12mm diameter is conected to reach near to the hanging baskets that need watering. Smaller diameter pipes (4mm) are then conected to the feeder pipe and lead to micro jets or misters placed in the hanging basket, more than one may be needed if the basket is a large one. Depending on whterh you used water-retaining gel in the compost mix or not, you will need to water every other day or daily in the hottest weather. The best time to water is in the early morning before the sun becomes too strong: set the timer for 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning for 5 minutes to start with and keep an eye on things for a few days to check that enough water is reaching the plants. Watering in the morning means that evaporation losses are much lower and unlike evening watering the foliage doesn’t stay wet for too long so reduces fungal problems.
Containers and pots can also be watered using this system and I’ve had up to 20 pots and containers watered at home using just one timer and feed pipe with lots of misters connected to it with no problems.
Other ways of making pots and containers easier to water are to stand them in saucers which act as a reservoir of water, or group them together in gravel trays which you can fill up before going on holiday. Move your pots to a shady are if possible and cover them with horticultural fleece to reduce evaporation. Pots should have a watering gap between the top of the rim and the compost’s surface of 1.5 to 3cm depending on the pot size (plastic pots usually have a moulded rim: if you fill with compost to the bottom of the rim this leaves the correct watering gap) and the best method is to fill the pot with water to the brim, leave 5 minutes and repeat, to ensure thorough wetting. If a small pot is completely dried out then try dunking it in a bucket of water for quick results.
Recently planted bedding plants will only have shallow roots and will need extra water until they settle down. If you have a sprinkler licence then a sprinkler is a good way of watering a large area evenly and thoroughly, otherwise spot water with a hose or watering can. Spot watering is best for larger plants as just the soil around the plant needs to be watered and the bare soil will stay dry and this will help prevent weed seed germination. Water the soil rather than the leaves to prevent leaf scorch and make the watering more efficient. It is better to water thoroughly once a week than give plants a light water daily as light waterings can evaporate before the water reaches the plants’ roots. A quick scrape back of the soil will tell you how moist the soil is under the surface and how far the water has travelled into the soil. You will probably be surprised at how dry th soil is despite the watering you have just done. Ideally water in the early morning but lots of us don’t have time to do that so the evening will be fine: do watch out for slug and snail problems as they will be attracted by the damp soil and head towards your plants, so control them suing your favourite method.
Other watering equipment you might see at the garden centres include pop-up sprinklers for lawns (I don’t water my home lawns and they always recover in the autumn when the rain increases) and porous soaker hoses made from recycled tyres, which I have found tend not to work in hard water areas such as ours as they block up with limescale too easily. Small pumps are available which can be used to run a hosepipe from your water-butt (this is legal even during a hosepipe ban) which is quicker than using a watering can.
On to other things in the garden!
Well we did warn you that we might see some frosts in May, and the middle of the month saw an overnight low of -5C in Capel Manor’s Walled Garden. The same day a year ago had 7C as the minimum so that’s a 12C drop – no wonder it felt cold! Fortunately things have warmed up now and the new plantings for the Queen’s visit have settled in well. We’re especially pleased with the new roses which are flowering well and putting on lots of new growth. Our routine maintenance includes removing the dead flowers (dead-heading) to encourage new flowers to develop, and checking for pests and diseases. The worst problems we’re seeing at the moment are black spot, powdery mildew and aphid build up. If the damage looks as it’s going to get too great then pesticide sprays are available: try to find one that won’t harm the bees as they have suffered a sharp decline in numbers in recent years. Dead-heading will encourage repeat-flowering on a lot of garden plants eg dahlias so is worth doing unless you want to save the seed heads on the plant for winter interest, and many of them do look good with the frost on them in the winter sun.
On to some jobs to do in your garden over the next couple of months.
We’re cutting the lawns at Capel weekly now, but if the dry weather continues we will raise the height of cut another notch to help prevent the grass from being stressed so much. Cutting the grass and edging the lawns is one of the quickest ways of making a garden look tidier. Some of the tall or floppy plants in the herbaceous borders need staking to keep them looking tidy, and if you do it now they will soon grow enough to hide their supports. Many spring-flowering shrubs can be pruned now: do check in a good gardening book though to make sure that you won’t be removing next year’s flower buds if you prune incorrectly. It is worth doing this though to keep the shrub in shape and healthy.
Onto the kitchen garden!
A lot of soft fruit will be ready to harvest soon and needs protecting with netting to prevent birds taking your crop. This applies especially to cherries and redcurrants, but once they have eaten them they will move on to the other fruit! Apples and pears need thinning out to give better sized and healthier fruit. Aim for clusters of no more than 4 fruit, removing the short-stalked “King Fruit” and removing misshapen or damaged fruitlets, and a spacing of 10 – 15cm between clusters. Stone fruit such as plums and peaches also need thinning: plums in a similar way to apples and peaches to 10 – 15cm between fruits. Gooseberries need to be thinned: typically remove half of the fruit to allow the remaining crop to reach a larger size. The thinnings can be used for crumbles and pies!
If you planted potatoes you might be lucky enough to be able to take a crop from your first earlies: mine have been delayed by a couple of weeks due to the heavy May frost cutting the foliage right back despite earthing them up. Pinch out side-shoots on tomatoes if they are a cordon variety but not a bush type. There is still time to sow quickly maturing crops such a stump-rooted carrots, lettuce, raddish etc.
A final tip: a few minutes a week with a hoe in this dry weather quickly kills off weed seedlings and keeps beds and borders weed-free.
Happy Gardening!
Martin Day
‘History on the sly’ with Guy Fox London Children’s Map
When cartoonist Kourtney Harper imparted the story of Guy Fawkes to her young nephew, he asked her why a fox would want to bomb Parliament. It was through this naive misunderstanding that another type of history was made - the birth of Guy Fox.
In 2000, Kourtney went on to establish Guy Fox History Project Limited, an educational London charity that engages children with local history through art workshops. They have a simple mission: To create innovative activities and publications that encourage children to explore the neighbourhood around them, with its eponymous cartoon fox figure and revealing tag line, "history on the sly".
To help fund community projects, Kourtney decided produce and sell the Guy Fox London Children's Map ISBN 9781904711049 £2.95, an easy-to-use, highly illustrated, simplified yet accurate graphic pocket map. It features over 150 child-friendly attractions in London. "The first edition of the London Children's Map sold out in six months," she says, "and we have recently published the 10th Edition”, and also a French translation! Kourtney has found that the map can really help children and young adults understand and get excited about their London experience and help develop independent, inquiring minds and boost self confidence . . . and it comes with free stickers!
The Guy Fox London Children's Map is sold at many London tourist attractions, at good bookstores, and online and now at the new Enfield Tourist Information Centre at the Dugdale Centre, staffed Tues-Fri 11am-3pm.
Guy Fox also publish a Family Newsletter three times a year; it features family-friendly events and activities across London which is free to download www.guyfox.org.uk
Guy Fox History Project receives no government or statutory funding. If you would like to get involved get in touch!
*To win a copy of the Guy Fox London Children’s Map, please send in on a postcard including your name, age and postal address the answer to the following question, 3 winners will be drawn at random by 30th July 2010.
What was the date of the official opening of Tower Bridge?*
Healthy eating in the school summer holidays
All parents want the best for their children but in the long summer holidays how can you ensure that their diet stays healthy and nutritious providing them with everything they need for now and their future.
There is always so much in the news about healthy eating nowadays including most worryingly childhood obesity, but having a healthy child doesn’t just mean maintaining a healthy weight. There are so many other aspects of human development that are influenced by the type of foods your child consumes. Babies and teenagers in particular are growing and developing at a phenomenal rate. This needs to be supported by a whole variety of vitamins and minerals alongside a specific balance of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, fibre and water.
Strong healthy bones
Asking a youngster to start thinking about osteoporosis is like asking them to invest their pocket money in a pension! However in both instances it is best to start young and investing in bone strength is more likely to give better returns than investing in the stock market! Our bones are built up in our youth and once we hit our thirties their strength starts to decline. In order to avoid problems later on, one of the best things we can do is eat a diet full of calcium plus other minerals which help calcium to do its job. Calcium is found in dairy foods but also in green leafy vegetables, broccoli or seeds such as sesame or sunflower. Adding seeds to mueslis or using them as snacks is a good way to include these important foods in our diets. Tahini is made from sesame seeds and can be eaten with pitta bread or vegetables for dipping and may be something your child enjoys particularly if they already like the more well-known hummus.
If foods are unfamiliar, introduce them one at a time not altogether so there are lots on the plate that the child does not recognise. Also remember that foods can sometimes be easily disguised and added to pasta sauces, mashed potatoes and other things with which they are already familiar.
Vitamin D is vital for the functioning of calcium. Getting your children out in the fresh air can help to naturally increase vitamin D levels and improve bone strength. Vitamin D will be very limited during the winter months but can be stored in the body so it is particularly important to build up stores during the summer months.
Exercise is also good for building strong bones – just the normal childhood games involving running and jumping as well as the more structured kinds such as football or dancing
Fizzy drinks on the other hand are bad news because they can cause calcium to be lost from bones decreasing their strength. Intake of fizzy drinks should be limited. In preference use fruit juices diluted with water, or just encourage the drinking of plain water.
Brain food
Before the age of three the brain is developing particularly fast. Over half of the human brain is made from fat but a diet high in saturated fats (ice cream, biscuits, cakes and fried foods) is not the right kind. The best source comes from oily fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel. These are all good on wholemeal toast for quick meals at home both in summer and winter. Once again the oils need other nutrients to help them convert to those “little grey cells”. Good choices would be pumpkin seeds, avocadoes, wholegrains (brown rice, pasta or bread). These could all form part of packed lunches on family days out over the summer.
Boosting immunity
Many parents find that that once their children are at school or nursery, they start to pick up one bug after another with a constant round of coughs, colds and sore throats. The immune system of a young child has not yet developed and this one of the reasons why infections can occur so often.
Many of the foods mentioned above can also help to boost immunity. In addition berries, oranges and grapefruits are full of vitamin C which is vital for the immune system. Kids can help making smoothies which include these fruits. Try mixing them with plain probiotic yoghurts which are also good for helping the digestive system to keep healthy because of the friendly bacteria they contain.
Establishing a good relationship with food
Establishing a relaxed relationship with food is very important and for this reasons I suggest making sure that your child is following a good balanced diet for, let’s say, 80% of the time. Don’t worry too much about the other 20%. I believe that if you are too strict about foods you can create a worse situation later on with them rebelling and binging once they are out of your clutches. You can’t control what they eat all of the time, particularly once they are out and about with their friends over the summer months.
It may also be best not to call foods “bad” or use terms such as “being good” in relation to food intake. Foods should also not be used as “treats” or as bribes or rewards. I advise this because it seems to help avoid setting up a pattern of comfort eating later in life which can lead to gaining weight and other health problems. There are plenty of other things that can be used for rewards – magazines or comics for example or trips to the park or swimming pool – even better!
Try to replace sugary snacks with healthy alternatives – hummus and carrots or cucumber for example. Apples are excellent choices and great for energy levels. Including these in packed lunches is just as easy as biscuits or sweets.
Encourage children to help you in preparing foods. They usually love to be involved in cooking and over the summer holidays there should hopefully be far more time for such activities.
The British Museum
The world-famous British Museum exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times from around the world. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures, and the mummies in the Ancient Egypt collection. Entry is free but special exhibitions require tickets.
Tate Modern
The impressive Tate Modern is Britain's national museum of modern art. Housed in the former Bankside Power Station beside the Thames, the gallery displays major works by Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso, Rothko, Dalí, Pollock and Warhol, as well as contemporary work, exhibitions and installations. Entry is free but special exhibitions require tickets.
National Gallery
The National Gallery houses one of the greatest collections of Western European painting in the world. With art works ranging from 1250 to 1900, inside the National Gallery you can see work by Botticelli, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Caravaggio, Canaletto and Stubbs. Entry is free but special exhibitions require tickets.
Natural History Museum
As well as the permanent (and permanently fascinating!) dinosaur exhibition, the Natural History Museum boasts a collection of the biggest, tallest and rarest animals in the world. See a life-sized Blue Whale, a 40-million-year-old spider and the amazing new Darwin Centre. Entry is free but special exhibitions require tickets.
The London Eye
The London Eye is a major feature of London's skyline. It is the world's highest observation wheel, with 32 capsules, each weighing 10 tonnes, and holding up to 25 people. Climb aboard for a breathtaking experience, offering you unforgettable views of more than 55 of London's most famous landmarks – all in just 30 minutes!
Science Museum
From the future of space travel to asking that difficult question, "Who am I?", the Science Museum makes your brain perform Olympic-standard mental gymnastics. See, touch and experience the major scientific advances of the last 300 years; don't forget the awesome Imax cinema. Entry is free but some exhibitions require tickets.
Victoria & Albert Museum
The V&A celebrates art and design with 3,000 years worth of amazing artefacts from around the world. A real treasure trove of goodies, you never know what you'll discover next: furniture, paintings, sculpture, metalwork, and textiles, the list goes on and on… Entry is free but special exhibitions require tickets.
Madame Tussauds
At Madame Tussauds, you'll come face-to-face with some of the world's most famous faces. From Shakespeare to Britney, you'll meet influential figures from showbiz, sport, politics and even Royalty. Sing along with Kylie; strike a penalty with Rooney or receive a once-in-a-lifetime audience with Her Majesty the Queen.
The Tower of London
Take a tour with one of the Yeoman Warders around the Tower of London, one of the world's most famous buildings. Discover its 900-year history as a royal palace, prison and place of execution, arsenal, jewel house and zoo! Gaze up at the White Tower, tiptoe through a medieval king's bedchamber and marvel at the Crown Jewels.
National Maritime Museum
One of the world's greatest maritime museums, the National Maritime Museum contains models, paintings and trophies from every continent. Find out about the traditions of maritime London, recall the romance of great ocean liners, and study the controversial history of trade across the Atlantic. Entry is free but special exhibitions require tickets.
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