Yogalime Mums and Bumps Club

Introducing our Mums and Bumps Club. We had our first meet up last weekend and a jolly time we had too!  Sabrina, who is in her later stages of pregnancy shared that she really enjoyed herself and ‘it was great to hear the birth stories, tips on colic and feeling that there is a support network, knowing that everyone is going through the same thing.’ The Club builds on relationships forged in our Pregnancy and Postnatal Yoga classes and has been created to bring women together, enabling experiences to be shared, learning, nurturing friendships and creating local support networks.  It offers an opportunity for mums…

One Housing Groups’ Plans to raze the Isle of Dogs Estates – Birthing Behemoth

I don’t say this in jest, One Housing Group (OHG) plans to extinguish the Isle of Dogs Community as we all know it and create something altogether unreasonable.  Plans are in tangible form – welcome to ‘Project Stone’. Project Stone relates to four Housing Estates all at the heart of the Island Community – The Barkantine, St Johns, Samuda and Kingsbridge Estates.  The Estates were originally part of the Tower Hamlets Council Housing Stock and following privatisation measures are now owned and managed by OHG. At an open public meeting called by the labour party yesterday at the St John’s…

Tower Hamlets on Fire at Defend Democracy

Tapas means ‘to burn or create heat’ and there was certainly that at an emergency rally in Mile End to defend democracy in Tower Hamlets last night, following Eric Pickles announcement to send in commissioners to oversee the running of Tower Hamlets Council (THC). A diverse community attended including the media, residents and supporters of Mayor Lutfur Rahman – there was no end to the number of people entering the hall throughout the evening.  All seats were taken and 100’s were happy to stand at the perimeter.  This was a coming together of community. Neither was there a shortage of…

Black History Month Exhibition by Tower Hamlets Community Housing

Walking through Whitechapel recently, I came across an Exhibition organised by Tower Hamlets Community Housing to mark Black History Month.  The Exhibition runs from 20th-31st October 2014, between 10am-4pm and is located at THCH Head Office, 285 Commercial Road, London, E1 2PS. I share some images below from the Exhibition. I look forward to the day, when diversity in the UK need not be remembered one month of a year, when migrant communities are accepted and included as part of Great Britain and where their existence, remarkable history, accomplishments and contributions to humanity and the World at large, are taught to children at school and…

Island Councillors’ Back SELMO Supporters Fight against One Housing Group

**URGENT ACTION – An open meeting for all Samuda Estate residents and SELMO Centre users is on Thursday 30th October at 6.30pm at the SELMO Centre – Please come along.*** Labour Councillors for Blackwall and Cubitt Town, Dave Chesterton and Candida Ronald have come out in strong support of the Samuda Estate Tenants and Residents Association – SELMO (Samuda Estate Local Management Organisation) in its ‘properly constituted form’ against One Housing Groups (OHG) actions of de-recognition and attempt to remove SELMO from occupying and managing the community centre at the heart of the Samuda Estate – The SELMO Centre. I…

mcm comic con 2014 london

MCM Comic Con Hits London Excel

On Saturday I observed huge amounts of activity around Londons Excel Centre and realised MCM Comic Con was in town.  Of course, I had to go down to see all the wonderful costumes, people in character and say hello (with camera in tow).  What I loved about this experience was the energy, one of acceptance, body confidence, and how friendly participants were in sharing their passion with others for this genre. The MCM London Comic Con is a multi-genre fan convention focusing largely on manga, video games, cosplay, animae, sci-fi and popular media from Japan, the UK and USA. Below, I share…

One Housing Group plans to takeover SELMO Centre

Dialogue with One Housing Group over their attack on SELMO (Residents Tenants Association of the Samuda Estate) E14

**URGENT ACTION – AN OPEN MEETING FOR ALL SAMUDA ESTATE RESIDENTS & SELMO USERS IS ON THURSDAY 30TH OCTOBER AT 6.30PM – PLEASE LET EVERYONE KNOW – PLEASE ATTEND – THIS IS IMPORTANT*** Last week I shared news of Samuda Estate Supporters, rallying against One Housing Groups (OHG’s) derecognition of SELMO – The Residents Tenants Association (RTA) of the Samuda Estate and their Notice to Terminate SELMO’s occupation of the SELMO (Samuda) Centre – a Community Centre on the Samuda Estate. SELMO was formed in 1991 and in July 2013, the OHG’s Executive Management Team notified SELMO that they had…

Samuda Supporters rally against One Housing Group Plans to Evict and De-recognise SELMO

On the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets E14, less than a half a mile away from the tall high rises of the Canary Wharf Estate, resides the Samuda Estate – comprising of 505 homes, originally part of the Tower Hamlets Council Housing Stock and home to approximately 1,500 people. As someone who has been working with local residents on the Estate – the essence of community, helpfulness and friendliness with humility, levies warmth that is difficult to match elsewhere.  Here lies a well established community of Islanders. In 1991 or thereabouts, the Samuda Estate Local Management Organisation (SELMO) was established…

Community parents, bumps and babies in E14

Supporting New Parents on the Isle of Dogs

On Monday I popped into Café Forever on the Isle of Dogs in London E14, to meet with the ‘Bumps and Babies’ Group – part of the Community Parents initiative.  The group aims to support people when they become a parent or are new to the area.  It’s open to mums and dads and expectant mums and dads. Cafe Forever is a ministry of London City Mission which ‘exists to share with the people of London, the transforming love of God in Jesus Christ, and to enable them to join his church.’ Speaking with some of the parents attending, I gained…

The Exchange Project for Parents

I am excited to share news about the Exchange Project which has been running for 8 years, sharing items used in raising children between the ages of 0-10 years.  The idea is simple and it is beautiful.  Exchange items you do not need for items you do. We live in a world of excessive consumption.  The impact of our demands can be observed, felt and are lived globally for example with child labour, slavery, workers working in dangerous conditions, and the negative impact of production and waste upon the environment and nature.  This consumption is also driven by waste, our waste.  So…