Lucie Bloomfield, 14 from Isleworth, has always been surrounded by music, her mum being a piano teacher and her dad an opera singer, “music was always inside our house, I wanted to try it out for myself”. From a young age she began with a few lessons
As an A Level art student I’m always trying to broaden my experiences of different forms of art. One area of art I think is lacking within the school curriculum is life drawing. Life drawing allows for a sense of freedom which I don’t feel in other
The recent increase of police standing on street corners have come to the attention of many passers-by. More police are situating by busy roads – especially where there seems to be more cyclists. Many more police have been situated at road junctions
There is little seasonal goodwill in the life of Walton & Hersham boss James Cameron right now, more a double dose of frustration. The Swans last outing in Ryman Division One South was a 4-0 hammering at home to Sittingbourne on December 28
The New Year’s Big Bang By Jamie Tomkinson The 2014 New Year’s celebration saw more than 250,000 people line the banks of the Thames, waiting for the New Year to come. When Big Ben struck midnight the sky was lit up with hundreds of fireworks
Litter has now become a common site all over the local area despite the introduction of more bins, is there still more to be done by the council to advertise against litter and to create a deterrent to stop people from littering in the streets, paths
Kingston AC & Polytechnic athlete Phoebe Law turned bronze in to gold at the Surrey Cross Country Championships on Saturday. The 16-year-old clocked 22 minutes 48 seconds to win the U17 girls race in Dorking – 12 months after finishing
A "disturbing" stalker who bombarded a woman with messages on Facebook and sent flowers and chocolates to her workplace has been slapped with a restraining order and suspended jail term. Piers John Woodward, of Worthing, Sussex, who also traced
In December nearly 7000 young people in Croydon took part in voting for new Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) and Deputy MYPs to represent the borough in 2014. This year, the newly-elected MYPs and DMYPs will speak for youths aged 11-18 years old
This is the face of the man detectives are trying to track down after a burglary in Purley. Three suspects smashed the rear patio door of a home in Foxley Lane but fled after being disturbed by the occupant. The crime happened on October 8
Aspiring solicitor and enthusiastic debater Phoebe Wakefield, 17, speaks about her interview with Eddie Mair on Radio 4, which led to her appearance on Newsnight last October to represent the voice of the teenage generation. How did it come about
The Post Office wants to know what people think of plans to merge the two Sutton town centre branches. Plans to merge the High Street post office in the St Nicholas Centre and the Grove Road branch are being put out for a 12-week public consultation
Wandsworth Councillors have rejected a bid by a Battersea off licence to sell alcohol 24 hours a day. Last night members of the licensing committee turned down an application from the Battersea Food and Wine store, in Falcon Road, which would have
Flood-hit communities along the Thames have been warned of further floods but properties by the River Mole look set to escape further damage. Light rain is forecast for Friday evening in Leatherhead as flood victims continue to clean up in the
Hercules Wimbledon senior men’s coach Maurice Sharp attributed their gold medal performance at last weekend’s Surrey county cross-country championship to the club’s all-embracing ethos. Ben Toomer, Liam White, Kieran White, James Davis, Robert
A motorcyclist died and a driver was arrested after two crashes seconds after each other in Warlingham. A man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the scene following the collision between his Honda bike and a Smart car in Old Farleigh Road,
A flood victim who ran an animal rescue has spoken of the trauma of having to rescue her children and animals from the recent floods. Four of her 15 guinea pigs drowned in their hutches in the garden Minchin Close when the River Mole burst its
We live in a world where you can now watch television in 3D, on a phone, or even sneakily at work on your computer screen. But yet there remains a handful of people in southwest London - and thousands more across the UK - who remain committed to
Ali Brogdon is swapping his Wimbledon Hockey Club shirt for the three lions of England to take on the best in the world. With clubmates Henry Weir, Michael Hoare and Phil Roper, Brogdon is part of the England squad going for glory in the finals
Croydon police is searching for new recruits to advise them what to do. If you think you are up to the job then you are invited to join the independent advisory group (IAG), which gives advice to the borough’s top cops. The aim of the
A three-legged Staffie from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home who counts Michael Buble as a pal has found a happy home after two months at the charity. Eight-year-old Buddy was spotted by the Saluk family, from Erith in Kent, after starring on ITV’s
As a regular commuter on trains between East Croydon & Reigate, I would like some answers from Southern Rail to my questions about the service they are providing. It’s my opinion your service (both the trains and the customer services) have
Two robbers in balaclavas stole a large quantity of cigarettes from the back of a delivery van this morning. The men entered the van while it was being unloaded at Sainsbury’s petrol station in Kiln Lane, Epsom, at about 7.40am. The pair fled
A flood warning for Kingston has been issued by the Environment Agency this morning. Areas set to be affected include the Thames between Raven’s Ait and Teddington Weir, the Hogsmill River, Kingston Bridge and Steven's Eyot following heavy downpours
Sutton & District AC’s U15 teams were in action at the Surrey county cross-country championship at Denbies Vineyard, Dorking, last weekend. The girls team, led over the 4.2km course by Georgia Bell (28th, 18 minutes 58 seconds), finished fifth
Work by Kingston Council to map drug-related litter left around Surbiton Health Centre uncovered no reports of used needles being found. The mapping was ordered in the wake of an acrimonious meeting last year concerning the drug rehabilitation
A nursery has come under fire for failing to report safeguarding allegations about a member of staff. Ofsted inspectors criticised the Learning Tree Pre-school in New Addington for not complying with child protection conditions and said "ineffective
Firefighters rescued a woman from "under the wheels" of a car this morning. An air ambulance was called out after the incident in Rutland Close, near Longmead Road, Epsom, at about 5.40am. An Epsom fire station spokesman said: "This morning
A man who took to the streets of Kingston with billboards in search of love landed a date after bracing the wind and rain outside the Bentall Centre. Good-looking Gerald Abrahams, 39, of Roebuck Road, Chessington, caught the public imagination
Sutton’s schools are set to get over £42m to help fight the school place crisis over the next three years. The borough will get £42,761,492 from the Government up to 2017 but MP Paul Burstow says he does not think it will be enough to build an
Controversial plans to build a 4700sqm Tesco, a four-storey hotel and 269 flats on a Tolworth brownfield site will finally come before councillors. The site, next to Charrington Bowl, would also include a restaurant, café, and more than 200 parking
Watching online porn is a popular pastime for Croydon people – in fact they watch more of it than almost anyone else in the country. According to viewing figures released by Pornhub, the average visit by a Londoner to the adult website lasts nine
If there is one person in the Crystal Palace ranks who knows the value of putting in the hard work behind the scenes, it’s full-back Jonathan Parr. The 25-year-old Norwegian international, who joined the Eagles from Aalesund in 2011, has been on
A man was airlifted to hospital after falling from a building in Walton yesterday. Police, paramedics and the air ambulance were called to Hepworth Way at about 1.30pm on Wednesday, January 8, after reports someone had fallen from a roof. A
Firefighters rescued a teenage girl after she got stuck in a playground swing in a Surbiton park. The girl got stuck in Alexandra recreation ground at about midday yesterday, Surbiton white watch firefighters said. The swing was left intact
Investigations have been carried out at care homes following 120 safeguarding alerts last year. Members of the public and inspectors flagged up concerns about 71 care homes across Sutton. A number of care homes and providers were investigated
An extraordinary meeting was held to discuss recommendations on changes in care after three adult deaths and a serious incident involving pressure ulcers, it has emerged. The Sutton Safeguarding Adults Board held an ‘extraordinary meeting’ on October
Firefighters rescued 10 people - including a pregnant woman - from a fire in a block of flats this morning. A nine metre ladder was used to get an adult and two children, believed to be aged around eight and 10, from the first floor of the four
Boris Johnson has asked the Government if police can be given new powers to use water cannons on London's streets by this summer. London's Mayor said the water cannon was necessary to break up riots like those seen in 2011. Each cannon would cost
Victims of the Holocaust and more recent genocides will be remembered with a public candle lighting ceremony. This will take place in the foyer of Croydon Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon, on Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27 at noon.
Teenagers had to phone home for help when they became trapped in a lift in a multi-storey car park in Purley last night. One of the three youths used a mobile phone to call their parents who then phoned the fire brigade on Wednesday, January 8.
Protesters jeered as councillors gave planning permission for a new health centre to be built in Belmont last night. Sutton Council's development control committee granted permission for developer Assura to build a state-of-the-art new medical
Laura Robson’s preparations for the Australian Tennis Open lay in tatters after she pulled out of last weekend’s Hobart International with a persistent wrist injury. The 19-year-old from Wimbledon also had to withdraw from the Auckland Open – the
Matt Hopper is not sweating on receiving an international call because earning his Quins spurs has been tough enough. The 28-year-old has been in impressive form for his club this term and a shortage of fit English-qualified centres means a
Former Rose Theatre artistic director Stephen Unwin has claimed the lack of funding through the Arts Council was one of the reasons he decided to quit. Mr Unwin left this month after six years at the venue, although he returns in February to direct
Rose Theatre chief executive Robert O’Dowd said he was disappointed but not surprised after the venue made public a loss of more than £200,000 last year. The deficit - revealed in the 2012/13 annual accounts of the Kingston Theatre Trust, which
Eagle Eye is back for its first show of 2014 as Crystal Palace prepare to face Tottenham on Saturday. Croydon Guardian reporter Andy Bloss is joined by the Five Year Plan Fanzine’s online editor Matt Woosnam and Crystal Palace’s head of communications
London's Air Ambulance has launched a campaign to help fund a second helicopter to give more injured people a fighting chance of survival. Statistics show the service treated 1,819 patients last year, with 65 of them being in the Croydon area,
A new project has launched to help steer young people away from gang activity. Wandsworth Council has been awarded £100,000 by the City Bridge Trust to launch a Get Young People Working (GYPW) programme in Wandsworth. The scheme, which will
An elderly man from Walton collapsed and died after coughing up blood hours after returning home from hospital, an inquest heard. Robert Paterson, 84, of Stonebanks, was released from St Peter’s Hospital on February 22, 2013, following a two day
Businesses in Surrey have pocketed almost £1m a day for the past year, thanks to a pledge from Surrey County Council (SCC). Figures reveal that 4,300 companies based in the county secured £363m of contracts from the council after initiatives were
Chief Secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander paid a visit to Sutton to see some of the pioneering cancer research taking place in the borough. Mr Alexander visited the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust on
Princess Alice Hospice received full marks in its latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection. The unannounced inspection took place on December 9 and the Esher hospice met the standards in the five inspected areas. Organisations inspected
A Boxing Day sales queue ‘disturbance’ was not shoppers fighting each other to get bargains but a bust-up between a Next bouncer and a customer. Kingston police posted a tongue-in-cheek tweet, including the hashtag “#letmeatthosebargains”.
Valentine’s Day is only five weeks away, where millions of couples will celebrate their love for each other through all kinds of gooey romantic gestures. But here in Kingston we do things a bit differently, and show our appreciation not just for
There is less than a week to the deadline for next year’s school places. Surrey County Council, which handles applications for state schools, closes the application cycle for the September 2014 infant, junior and primary schools on Wednesday, January
Three development plans for greenbelt land in and around Cobham will be discussed at a public meeting. Set up by the Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust, Cobham and Downside Residents’ Association and Cobham Chamber of Commerce, the meeting
2014. A new year commences, which only means the holiday season has passed. Soon the joyous Christmas decorations will be taken down and the festive spirit that was in nearly everyone I knew will be replaced with a plain old setting and forlorn attitudes
Every day, hundreds of people flock to see ‘the View from the Shard’, which offers breath-taking 360 degree views for almost 40 miles. Its 73 storey modern monolith is clearly the highest thing in London, and although some might say it is not exactly
Christmas Eve Mass service at the local Church For years Mum has been banging on about going to Church as a family on Christmas Eve, every year the same persistent nagging, every year the same outcome. We don’t go. It is not out of spite or laziness
In a jarring moment of special effects and triumphant ethereal music, the eleventh bows out and his body appears to resurfaces, the new doctor emerges. “Kidneys! I’ve got new kidneys! I don’t like the colour!” says the twelfth doctor. Well
Ealing council has thought to have made a decision that would affect many locals. A mosque known as Ahmadiyya Muslim Community located in Southall on 11 Boyd Avenue has been granted planning permission to be extended. This extension includes constructing
From October up until Christmas, E4’s hit reality TV show Made in Chelsea has littered screens across the country on a Monday night, however as this series comes to a close, could the values of gossip, confrontation and drama that it endorses to its
Jaqueline Jossa, star of the hit soap; Eastenders, made an appearance at Queen Mary’s hospital and St Helier hospital. The Eastenders star spent time in the children’s ward with children ranging of ages from just 3 weeks old to 14 years old saying
The holidays are a time for overindulging. Whether it is nuts, chocolate or a huge turkey, most are prone to piling on the pounds over the short Christmas holiday. With all these fat rich foods being bought and eaten in exuberance, some surrey residents
Mayor Penny Shelton and Ekow Daniels (Tiffin) At 10am, right in the heart of Kingston upon Thames, in the Guidhall – I had the privilege of interviewing Mayor Penny Shelton about her life, he career, her challenges, and her advice to young
Undoubtedly, thousands of adolescent children will be nearing the end of their respective exam-awarded courses. Whilst this may not be entirely relevant until early summer for their actual exams, many schools across the country have begun the arduous
