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The Barnes Village Bugle June 2021

The Barnes Village Bugle

June 9, 2021

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Two steps forward and one step back

Government announces funding deal for Hammersmith Bridge repair but Hammersmith & Fulham Council brands it  'political game playing'

At  last, after two years of appeals for funding, the government has announced a financial package for the repair of the bridge. The government has pledged to cover one third of the cost (currently estimated at around £100 million by Hammersmith & Fulham) and TfL is expected to fund a further third (funded out of the recently announced £1billion government bailout).

 

However, the fly in the ointment is that the remaining third of the cost needs to be stumped up by Hammersmith & Fulham Council, which says it simply doesn’t have the money.

 

Also, concerningly, the government pledge doesn't guarantee that funds will be made available to open the bridge to cars and buses. The government statement on the TfL bailout says "we expect to draw up a memorandum of understanding between Her Majesty’s government, TfL and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to fund the reopening of Hammersmith Bridge – initially to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic and, depending on cost, to motorists."

 

Speaking on BBC Radio London, Hammersmith Bridge SOS’s Julia Watkins said this expected 33% contribution is over twice the percentage of contribution that has been requested of other councils towards majority-government-funded infrastructure projects. She said “The government is bizarrely asking the council for 33% when (with) any other similar project in the country the council is asked for 15%.”

 

Steven Cowan, the leader of the Labour controlled council, described the offer as “party political game-playing” and indicated he was not prepared to foot the council’s share of the bill if it meant hefty council tax rises for residents.

 

Hammersmith SOS’s spokesperson, however, dismissed claims that the council would have to charge its residents an extra £800 in council tax, saying that council tax revenues can’t be used to fund infrastructure projects.

 

It is increasingly looking as though the only feasible way that the council can make any contribution towards the repair costs is by borrowing against the promise of future toll revenue for traffic crossing the bridge.

 

A toll can only be charged with government permission and it seems the Department for Transport is not yet satisfied with the toll proposals put forward by Hammersmith & Fulham Council as part of its ‘Outline Financial Plan’. Despite eight meetings being held between DfT officials and H&FC council officers, the Chair of the Bridge Task Force Baroness Vere of Norbiton says the council’s proposal "needs further development as it does not contain sufficient analysis to make an assessment of the toll’s revenue viability”.

 

These latest developments, which leave the prospect of an agreement on repairing the bridge in limbo, have been met with dismay by local campaigners. 

 

In her Radio London interview Hammersmith Bridge SOS’s Julia Watkins said “All we get is squabble, squabble, squabble and finger pointing…It’s now been two years since the bridge closed and the closure has had a devastating impact on people’s lives. We feel we are pawns in a dispute between Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the Government… and both sides are as bad as each other.”
 

Could the September start date for the ferry coincide with the re-opening of the bridge to pedestrians?

TfL revealed last month that it is aiming for an early September start to the new ferry service between Barnes and Hammersmith and that it is already holding consultation meetings with local schools about the service. However, it is also looking possible that the bridge could be re-opened to pedestrians and cyclists later this year. The trade magazine New Civil Engineer has reported that engineers will be meeting to discuss the potential to re-open in the coming days.

 

Re-opening to cyclists and pedestrians can only be sanctioned by the board for the ‘Case for Continued Safe Operation' (An independent board reporting to Hammersmith & Fulham Council*). It has previously been reported that decision will be taken after a report on the safety of ‘chain knuckles’ is published at the end of June. It is not known how long the scrutiny of the report will take. Previously, the CCSO has stated that “a failure to set a date for remedial works must mean continued closure of the bridge, as indefinite use of temporary measures is not acceptable.” 

 

It is not known whether the announcement of the government/TfL package will give the CCSO sufficient confidence in the likelihood of stabilisation works commencing to agree to the bridge being re-opened. 

 

If the bridge is re-opened to pedestrians, it seems logical that there would be minimal use of the ferry. However, given that it cannot be guaranteed that any re-opening to pedestrians will be permanent, the ferry will be available as a back-up option if the bridge needs to be closed again for repair works.

 

*  The CCSO is made up of engineers from Mott MacDonald, WSP, Xanta  and representatives from the council itself.
 
 

Barnes comes alive this June

The sun has come out, freedom is around the corner (hopefully) and suddenly Barnes is a hive of activity. Whatever your passion - film, theatre,  music or books - there's an event with your name on it. The OSO is back in full swing, as is The Olympic and if that wasn't enough there are two fantastic festivals - the award winning Children's Literature Festival which will be running on Saturday June 26 and Sunday June 27  - and the increasingly prestigious Barnes Film Festival. Check out the What's On section at the bottom of the Bugle to get full details.
 

Come into the garden

After having to run as an online only event last year, the brilliant FiSH Open Gardens event is back with a bang in 2021.


The event alternates between Barnes and East Sheen, and this year it’s East Sheen’s turn to host on Sunday July 4. There is a whole plethora of beautiful gardens to enjoy, from the small but beautifully formed gardens of Model Cottages to grand gardens in Christchurch and Fife Roads. There’s also plenty of interest for fruit and vegetable growers as the Palewell Park Allotments will be opening its gates.


Teas and refreshments will be served at All Saints Church and there will be a Pimm’s tent at End House in Fife Road. Garden enthusiasts taking refreshments at All Saints Church will also be able to tap into garden advice from Auntie Planty, aka Valerie Munro, the renowned horticulturist who will be on hand to dispense useful tips. 


Tickets are £10 per person (under 16s are free). Available online from the FiSH website at www.fishhelp.org.uk or call 020 8876 5528 to pay by credit or debit card. Tickets can also be obtained in person from the FiSH Office at The Barnes Green Centre or from Waitrose in East Sheen on the weekends 26, 27 June and 3rd July between 10am-2pm. 

 

The event is made possible through the work of an army of volunteers and this year they will be joined by boys from St Paul's Boys Senior School. The boys will be helping with the event in advance by taking phtos and shooting some video to help publicise the Open Gardens project, and then on the day, acting as stewards.


Micky Forster, Director of FiSH says ‘’Open Gardens is a wonderful outside community event made possible by residents kindly opening their gardens and by the army of volunteers who give up their time to make it happen. We are extremely grateful to everyone involved. Do come and enjoy the day.’’ 
 

Supermarket sweep

Supermarket chain Lidl has announced it is looking to double its total number of UK stores, including eight new sites in Richmond.


The chain, whose Head Office is in Wimbledon, is interested in opening 99 more stores in London alone and is actively looking for suitable spaces.


In Richmond, it is searching for space in Richmond Town Centre, Barnes, East Sheen/Mortlake, North Sheen/Kew, Ham/Kingston - North, Twickenham, Teddington, and Hampton/Hampton Hill.


Quite where it will find the 0.8 acres it needs for a stand alone store in Barnes is hard to fathom but we could find ourselves with a new branch of Lidl nearby in Sheen or Mortlake.


Already coming to Barnes is the Co-op, which is currently renovating the old NatWest bank on Castelnau. The new Barnes Co-op is due to open this autumn.
 

Celebrating freedom

The OSO Arts Centre and the BCA are working together to bring a series of fantastic outdoor events to Barnes Green this summer. Subject to agreement from the Council, the festival will take place over five Saturday dates in July and August bringing residents of all ages together in a safe environment to enjoy a film, a play or live music under the stars on the beautiful Barnes Green.  The festival will start on 24 July and there will be something to enjoy every two weeks culminating with the Barnes Food Festival in September.  To register your interest and be the first in line for tickets, visit: www.osoarts.org.uk/summer-festival.
 

Strictly for the birds

Next time you pass Barnes Pond and hear birdsong spare a thought for the lonely male Sedge Warbler who can be found on most days singing his heart out on the pond’s reed bed.


In the absence of a bird version of Tinder his only means of attracting a female is through his constant twitter. Sadly there seem to be no females around to answer his call.


This is only the second time a Sedge Warbler has been seen on the pond, so it’s a rare sight.  You can, however, find breeding pairs of Sedge Warblers both at the London Wetland Centre and at the Leg o’Mutton reservoir.


Another excitement for local bird watchers is the sighting on Beverly Brook of a Little Egret (see left in picture above). 
 

Swanderful

Our brand new swan family is thriving, and their daily perambulations to Beverly Brook are quite a spectacle. However, as the cygnets are very young we are all being asked to keep our distance. The male swan will be in full-on defence mode at the moment and those getting too close to the cygnets are at risk of being aggressively charged at by their father.

 

Common Keeper Russell Greaves says it’s not a good idea to get too close to wild creatures. Only this week he had to advise someone who had placed themselves between the parents and the cygnets on the grass in order to take photographs that they were putting themselves at danger and putting the swans under stress.

 

Also not advisable is letting young children swim or paddle in the pond as some parents have been seen doing this week. Apart from this not being good for the wildlife it’s potentially dangerous for the children too. The pond contains a very high concentration of bird faeces and according to Russell it could also possibly harbour Weill’s disease spread by rat urine. Yuck!
 

Covid in Richmond

With the final exit from lockdown currently hanging in the balance it is interesting to look at our own local Covid statistics. As the graph above shows we are well past the peak but over the past few weeks recorded cases in Richmond have stopped receding and started to grow once more - albeit from a very low base. In the week ending May 27 41 cases were reported, nearly double the number of the previous week. This has risen to 58 cases in the week ending June 3.
 
 

Literature Festival volunteers win major award

Our brilliant Children’s Literature Festival has been honoured with The Queens Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. 

 

The Festival was founded by local families in 2015 and, unlike Hay or Cheltenham, for example, it is the only top tier literature festival to be completely organised and delivered by unpaid volunteers. The Festival is still led by the original families but they have since been joined by more than 150 volunteers, aged from 8 to 80, from every Barnes school, charity, church and community organisation. Founder and Director Amanda Brettargh describes the Festival as "literacy lovingly wrapped in community."

 

"It takes a village to produce London’s largest dedicated children’s literature festival and I'm just bursting with pride for our 'Red Apron Army' who give their time and work so hard to bring the magic of reading and writing to children and families."she says.

 

From the start the Festival's commitment has been that every child should have the opportunity to experience live literature, so they provide their Primary Schools Programme free to every state maintained school in London.  

 

In 2019 they provided more than 5,000 free places at author events for primary school children from all over London, from as far away as Waltham Forest. Following the complete closure of the Hammersmith Bridge in 2020, the Festival has received Arts Council funding for a further 2,000 free places for primary schools in Tower Hamlets on Thursday 17 and Friday 18 June.

 

The Festival has also received a special citation for its work during the COVID-19 crisis. With schools and libraries closed, and many families struggling with working at home and remote learning, Barnes became the first children's literature festival to go virtual after the lockdown began back in March 2020 attracting more than 40,000 viewers from 46 countries over the six days.

 

The Festival is one of 241 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year.

 

Representatives from the Festival will receive the award crystal and certificate from the Deputy Lieutenant of Richmond later this summer and two volunteers will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May next year. 

 

The Barnes Children's Literature Festival (presented in partnership with the BCA, St Paul’s School and the University of Roehampton) returns to Barnes Green from Thursday 17 to Sunday 27 June 2021.
 

Pasta Master

Barnes’ own Michelin starred chef Phil Howard has a reputation for serving beautiful pasta dishes at his restaurants. At the two Michelin starred restaurant The Square one of his signature dishes was Crab Lasagne and at Elystan Street his Truffle Strozzapreti has seldom left the menu.


Now, pasta lovers can enjoy Phil’s pastas in their own home with the launch of a brand new delivery venture based in a kitchen just by Barnes Common.


The new business is called Otto – the Italian for eight- as at any given time you can choose from 8 different pasta dishes. The menu includes gluten free choices and at least one vegan dish, and each box of pasta comes with a cheffy secret - pasta water or pasta stock.

 

Howard says "Adding pasta water to a sauce comes naturally to Italian cooks, as they know it really enhances the final dish. The pasta water is the matchmaker in the marriage of pasta and sauce. It emulsifies the sauce and merges the flavours of the dish’s two components, making the whole greater than the sum of the parts. We make our pasta water super-concentrated so when you use it to cook your dish you are imparting real flavour and texture to your sauces. It’s amazing the difference it makes!" 


Otto also sells antipasti and for dessert there’s a rather good espresso brownie on offer.


The new venture has been getting rave reviews from food bloggers and customers and has a 5 star rating on review site TrustPilot.


To begin with Otto is only delivering to select postcodes in West and South West London so we in Barnes are lucky enough to be some of the first people who can try the service.
 

Two wheels good

Normally St Mary’s annual secondhand bike sale takes place on Barnes Fair day, but this year in the absence of Barnes Fair the bike sale team are coordinating their event with the Barnes Food Fair on September 18. It's a fabulously useful initiative which raises thousands of pounds for charity.

 

If you have a bike you would like to donate or sell (the bike team will sell it for you in return for a share of the profits) then August is the time to hand over your bike to the St Mary’s Team. This gives them time to give every bike a service and spruce up before sales day.


Please see www.barnescharitybikesale.co.uk for more details or contact bikes@stmarybarnes.org for further information.
 

The heart of the matter

While central Barnes has two emergency defibrillators to hand (at Barnes Pond and by The Olympic Cinema) there is less provision in Little Chelsea. This had led to an appeal for funding by the White Hart Lane Clinic who have offered to place a defibrillator outside their premises on White Hart Lane.


The clinic says that in South West London alone there are 200 deaths per month (One every 4 hours) from sudden cardiac arrest.

 

Thankfully, defibrillators allow everyday members of the public to become life-savers when it is most unexpected, and although the chances of having to ever use a defibrillator are very slim, having those resources in place is truly invaluable. 

 

Every minute’s delay giving CPR and defibrillation reduces a victim’s survival rate by 7 to 10 per cent and therefore, quick action is absolutely vital as without immediate treatment, 90-95 per cent of cardiac arrests prove fatal!

 

With the help of the Barnes Community Association (BCA) www.barnes-ca.org  and The Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT) www.communityheartbeat.org.uk , and  the team at the clinic have started the process of providing an external accessible defibrillator at the White Hart Clinic. As with everything, this unit will need funding. The target for the provision and installation of the unit is £1920.00. Currently they are around a third of the way. You can donate by clicking the button below.
Help get Little Chelsea a defibrillator
 

Like a big pizza pie

Local restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas has opened a new restaurant on the Lower Richmond Road just by Putney and Barnes Commons. 


Flour + Water serves pizza and cocktails inside in an airy restaurant space and outside in a canopied garden complete with topiaried olive trees.


The new restaurant came about after the team from her award-winning Putney restaurant HomeSW15 ran a pop-up in the garden space before indoor restaurant dining once again became possible. The pop-up was such a huge success that a brand new restaurant has been born.
 

Your family tree

Before the Edwardian building boom hit Barnes our streets were home to numerous market gardens and remnants of those commercial gardens survive in many of our back garden spaces.


The team at the Friends of Barnes Common are interested in recording all the old orchard trees that are a legacy of the market gardens of Barnes. Many of these old trees are vital for local wildlife and it is important that they are recorded and cared for.


Conservation Manager Will Darnell wants to create a map of the old orchard trees in private gardens, and can organise getting your tree DNA tested if you do not know what variety your fruit tree is. This is an important ecological research and social history project and its success depends on collecting as much data as possible – and by volunteering their trees for research Bugle readers can be a huge help.


Contact Will if you would like to know more, have an old fruit tree or want to be involved in any way.
 

Check out Chakra

Chakra, the new restaurant that has just opened on the corner of First Avenue, is Barnes’ first fine-dining style Indian restaurant. It’s the third Chakra to open and joins its sister restaurants in Kensington and Kingston.


The focus is on North Indian cooking featuring robust dishes from the Punjab.
Signature dishes include, Pani Puri, Paneer Kathi Rolls and a whole variety of tandoori dishes from chicken wings to vegetables cooked in the tandoor oven. Curries include Anglo Indian Gun Powder Chicken Curry and Hyderabadi Special Dum Ki Lamb Shank. 

 

The man behind the beautifully designed new restaurant Arjum Varna says 

“I’m so pleased that Chakra is opening in Barnes, It’s an area that  not only much needed a fine dining Indian restaurant, but one which I personally wanted to have a presence in. It will attract families from the local area along with discerning customers who love quality Indian food yet don’t want to travel too far out to get it. “
 

Going with the grain

Chakra isn’t the only new business that has opened in Barnes this month, the High Street now has a brand new ‘zero waste’ shop in the form of EnGrain. What once was a very down-at-heel shop close to the Coach & Horses is now a beautifully designed emporium where you can buy all manner of cereals, rice, nuts and pasta direct from eco-friendly dispensers eliminating the need for wasteful packaging.


Also on offer are cleaning products and toiletries which can be pumped directly into your own containers. And as well as refillable products the shop also sells gadgets and beauty products that are aimed at reducing plastic waste.
 

A prescription for happiness

A new scheme announced last month called Blue Prescribing will allow up to 300 people experiencing poor mental health and with limited access to water in natural settings the chance to take part in a six week, wetland nature-based health programme at The London Wetland Centre - beginning this summer and running for a year.  
 
The initiative has been set up in response to a growing body of evidence that being in nature can reduce psychological stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression and that access to blue and green space is associated with better health outcomes. 
 
The Blue Prescribing project will see participants take part in hands-on, nature-based activities in a ‘watery’ natural setting to help improve their mental and physical wellbeing, with the effects of the project being scientifically evaluated. 
 
The scheme is a joint project between the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) and has been funded by health specialists Simply Health. The project’s aim is to enable people to continue independently exploring nature to improve their long-term mental health.
 
The project follows a pilot programme of similar design for people diagnosed with anxiety or depression carried out at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. Here, participants' levels of stress and anxiety were reduced through regular, guided access to wetlands, with the group overall moving up a clinical mental health grade from below average to average.
 

From grim to glam - guerilla gardeners spruce up a corner of Barnes

The patch of concrete that the Church Road Garage occasionally uses to park cars, can hardly be described as one of Barnes’ most beautiful spots, but all of that is about to change thanks to some guerilla gardening by generous neighbours.

 

A wisteria has been planted against the wall and a row of lavender plants now sit at ground level. Lavender thrives in poor soil and full sunshine, so before long a once-unlovely corner will have a touch of  Provençal charm. 

 

Bob from the Church Road garage was surprised and delighted to find the new planting when he turned up for work last week. “It just makes you smile” he said.
 

Green transport trial starts in Barnes

If you have been wondering what the new bay that’s just been marked out on the corner of Nassau and Church Road is for, wonder no longer. It’s for the new electric bike and scooter hire scheme that’s being trialed across Richmond starting this week.


E-scooters are still currently illegal but users of hired e-scooters being trialed in this scheme will be exempt from prosecution (unless they commit a traffic offence).


The trial is being designed to enable a better understanding of if and how the e-scooters can be safely accommodated as part of London’s wider transport network. All users will need to have at least an official provisional driving licence and offences can be treated as motoring offences. Geofencing technology will be used to limit the speed that scooters can travel at.


To say the trial is controversial is an understatement. Proponents say the scooters will help prevent climate change and say they are a solution to traffic congestion. Opponents say that scooters are a danger to their riders and can, when not ridden properly, be a menace to pedestrians and drivers alike. 

 

Although e-scooters are currently illegal there is no shortage of people buying them and the lack of police on the ground means that often the law can be broken with impunity. 

 

Illegally ridden scooters are also, as we reported in last month’s Bugle, increasingly being used by petty criminals to carry out street robberies.

 

It’s a thorny issue but those supporting Richmond’s scheme feel the benefits well outweigh the potential downsides and point out that they have taken great lengths to discourage anti-social use of the hire scooters.

 

Councillor Alexander Ehmann, Chair of the Transport and Air Quality Committee, said:

 

“Long after the Covid health crisis is behind us, we will still have to grapple with Climate Change and the challenge of pollution in our Capital. For the sake of our health and the climate, we cannot afford to sleepwalk into a car-led recovery.

 

“That is why this Council is supporting trials of less polluting modes of transport such as e-scooters and e-bikes. Providing options like e-scooters & e-bikes is a positive way to encourage people to seek alternatives to the car.

 

“We know that some residents will have concerns about safety and the way these vehicles are used. I can reassure them that we will be vigilant throughout this e-scooter trial and we’re committed to taking action if any issues arise.

 

“Introducing new technology to our streets is rarely easy, but it is crucially important. Richmond residents will be amongst the vanguard of those testing and assessing these vehicles. On behalf of the Council, I’d like to express my gratitude for residents’ co-operation during this exciting trial.”
 

Have your Wetland picture published

Photographs from the brilliant local photographer Andrew Wilson often grace the Bugle so we are excited to hear about his next local venture a book all about the London Wetland Centre called ‘Wild About the Wetlands’.


Covering a year in the life of the Wetland Centre, the book will be full of Andrew’s own stunning photography but he also wants to include images taken by Bugle readers who are Wetland Centre fans.


He says “I can’t be there all the time and I would love to hear from any of your readers who might have seen something interesting or rare on a visit, for which they hopefully have some photographic evidence (it doesn’t have to be brilliant, but something would be great). A lady very kindly sent me a picture the other day of a Godwit, which was fabulous.”


If you have a photo which you think could be featured in his book do get in touch with Andrew by emailing him at aw@unity-publishing.co.uk
 

Skate and scoot event planned at Vine Road

One element of the much-anticipated transformation of the Vine Road recreation area will be the introduction of a perimeter pump track to be used by skateboarders and scooterists.


To meet up with the local boarding community and to encourage the next generation of skateboarders, the team at Vine Road are holding a special Skate and Scoot event on Sunday June 13.


Between 1pm and 4pm there will be qualified boarding instructors on hand to help participants learn new tricks. And what’s more everyone who comes will help design and build ramps to be used in this summer. The event is completely  free and food and soft drinks will be available to purchase all afternoon from the Vine Road pop-up café.
 

Oh brothers

Harrodian pupils and young entrepreneurs The Battersby Brothers have featured often in the Bugle as they combine their business ventures with fundraising for FiSH.


In the winter time they run a Christmas tree sales service and in the summer you will find them mowing lawns and offering pressure washing to time-pressed local gardeners. They give a percentage of all their profits to FiSH and last year they raised over £2,000 for the charity.

 

They are hoping to raise even more money this year by walking the Pennine Way in aid of FiSH. Sixteen-year-old Will and fourteen-year-old Ned will be joined by their father James to walk 435km from Edale in Derbyshire to in Kirk Yetholm on the Scottish Boarders. The epic journey will take 16 days.

 

All money donated will support FISH in in its efforts to fight loneliness among the elderly community. They boys will also be writing a blog for their adventure -


The Director of FiSH Micky Forster says: “In a year when fundraising from events has been so uncertain because of the pandemic, we really appreciate Ned and Will along with their Dad, James undertaking this amazing trek for FiSH. There is nothing trivial about walking 435 kilometres in 16 days! We wish them the best of luck and hope that the weather will be kind, their boots strong and that blisters won’t happen. We are hugely indebted to them. “

 

You can help Ned and Will in their fundraising efforts by clicking here.
 

Rising star captivates the Barnes Music Festival

All of the volunteers involved in this year’s Barnes Music Festival  - which finished last week – described it as a hugely emotional experience. Many of them found the emotional response to seeing performers and audiences alike having been reunited by their love of live music after months of deprivation hard to put into words.


The Festival’s biggest coup was the appearance of rising young Russian pianist Daniel Khiratonov. One audience member said ‘This was one of the most elating, exhilarating, sensational concerts I have ever been to.  Sheer genius from this young star, and to be treated to five encores, each more ‘virtuoso’ and complex than the other was just out of this world. Thank you, this evening has been transformative.’

 

Other highlights included the award of  the Barnes Young Musician of the Year 2021 to very promising fourteen year old clarinettist Mila Mitrovic, and the appearance of pop up musicians who brought the Festival into Barnes, playing outside care homes, community centres, shops and churches, and in front gardens for the delights of neighbours! 
 

New authors announced for Barnes Bookfest

Three new authors have been added to the line-up for this year's Barnes Bookfest. The Guardian's Hadley Freeman will be talking about her family memoir 'House of Glass', local author Bernard O'Keefe will discuss his new novel 'The Final Round' and Shakespearean actor Michael Pennington will perform extracts from his show 'Sweet William' and read from his autobiography 'In My Own Footsteps'. Tickets go on sale in July. 
 

Choral scholarship announced

Saint Michael & All Angels, Barnes, has announced that applications are open for up to three choral scholarships (ATB) to commence in September, or as soon afterwards as possible. They are particularly looking for young singers who may be studying at local schools and colleges. 


 This is a wonderful opportunity to encourage young singers who wish to develop their choral abilities with an experienced choir and under the guidance of a skilled Director of Music.


You can find more details on their website.
 

Charity vacancy

A small long established locally run charity – The Atlhone Trust  - which provides assistance for adopted children with special needs is looking for an Independent Examiner. A small gratuity will be payable. Anyone interested should contact the Treasurer, John Auber, on 07976 282812 or the Chairman, David King-Farlow, on 07496 653542.
 

Apply for a marketing role at The OSO

The OSO is recruiting for a salaried part-time 20 hours per week Marketing & Membership Manager. Responsible for all communications including print and social media with the goal of growing the OSO audience and visitors. Would suit someone living locally with marketing experience who would love to get involved with our local theatre.  Click here for more information. The deadline for applications is  June 14th.
 

What's on in June?

There is an embarrassment of riches on offer this June from theatre, to cinema, to festivals. Read on below to find out more.

Plays, piano lounges & a spring fair at the OSO

Every Wednesday night at The OSO there's a lovely relaxed Piano Lounge. Hang out in the OSO's beautiful bar and listed so some great musicians. This month there's jazz from Yosi Marshall and Sheena Edwards, violin virtuosity from Eric Fauss & Grig Cuciuc and piano bar professional Sofia Kirwan Baez will be taking listeners on a journey from classic jazz ballads to pop anthems.

Elswehere at the OSO live performance is back. There's theatre with the The Co-op a play about a dysfunctional acting agency, and story telling and poetry from Game of Thrones actor Gary Pillai. 

And if you fancy a spot of shopping the OSO is holding its Spring Fair on June 19th. Th organisers promise 'Beautiful articles for your home, gorgeous jewellery and accessories, , luxurious skincare and hampers, imaginative gifts for those you love and much more! '

Find out more about what's on at the OSO by clicking here.

Cinema is back at The Olympic

There is no shortage of fantastic films to be seen at the Olympic right now, from family favourites like Peter Rabbit 2 (currently breaking box office records) and Cruella, to Oscar winners like The Father, to art house smashes like First Cow to the feelgood British comedy of the summer Dream Horse. 

 

Find out what the Olympic is doing to make your experience at the cinema covid safe here.

Bonus talk at the Literary Society

Despite all the travails of lockdown the Barnes Literary Society  has carried on regardless, and members were treated to a whole range of talks on video. This June there will be an actual live talk at St Mary's Church and it's a real treat.

 

Author Natalie Haynes is also an accomplished stand up comedian so her talk is bound to be entertaining.

 

She's fascinated with the classical world and her latest book Pandora's Jar focuses on women in Greek myths.

A treat for film lovers at the Film Festival

JUNE 17-23

Last year, out of necessity, the Barnes Film Festival went virtual. This year it's back in real life but there's plenty to enjoy online too.

 

The Festival is a must-go event for anyone who loves film and it's particularly helpful for young people who want to pursue a career in film. There's a competition element with entrants from across the world and a series of workshops covering everything from pitching TV and film projects to learning about visual effects.

 

Many of the films are free to view online but to view the interviews and  workshop sessions you can buy a festival pass for just £10.

 

Highlights include:

 

Opening night: Drinks reception at The Olympic followed by screening of LIMBO a new film by Ben Sharrock. Tickets available on The Olympic's website.

 

George MacKay: BFF festival patron and stalwart George MacKay discusses the complexities of filming during lockdown, his film and filmmaker inspirations and the future of cinema.

 

Isobel Waller-Bridge: A Q&A session with the  film and TV composer, Isobel Waller-Bridge, known for Fleabag Autumn de Wilde's adaptation of "Emma".

 

Bastille singer Dan Smith: discusses his film club Distraction Tactics with fellow film geek Charlotte Macleod.

 

Interview with Larry Smith: The London born cinematographer Larry Smith is know for his work with Stanley Kubrick, Tom Hooper and Nicolas Winding Refn. Smith made his directing debut with the 2015 film Trafficker.

 

Closing night:  Drinks reception at The Riverside Studios followed by a screening of Granada Nights last years Barnes Film Festival best feature film. Tickets available from Riverside Studios.

Find out more on the Festival's website

Our amazing Children's Literature Festival

JUNE 26-7

From Julian Clary to Julia Donaldson, star names are out in force at this year's Barnes Children's Literature Festival. They are just some of the amazing authors and illustrators who will be appearing in live events, reading and talking about their work and interacting with their biggest fans - young readers.

 

The Festival takes over Barnes for the weekend and you will find events of all types popping up all over the place.  There are workshops and performances galore and the Festival has everything you need to keep children entertained (and adults too for that matter as the talks are brilliant).

 

A new venue this year is the London Wetland Centre and many of the big ticket appearances will be held in a marquee at the Wetlands large enough to accommodate safe social distancing.

 

The new Wetlands marquee will also be used in advance of the Festival as part of the events brilliant primary school outreach programme.

 

Highlights include the return of Sir Michael Morpurgo to Barnes with his new book A Song of Gladness, former Children's Laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson who will be talking about how she created her characters Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather. Gruffalo illustrator Alex Scheffler will also be returning, as will Lauren Child and there will be a rare festival appearance by the doyenne of British book illustrators Helen Oxenbury.

 

Festival Director Amanda Brettargh says "It's really a wonderful feeling to be welcoming the Wetlands to our Festival family and to be working with them to reach more children and families with the magic of literacy, literature - and nature - than ever before." 

 

She says the Festival has adapted its programme, and adjusted the capacity and layout of each venue, with all measures in place to make the experience as safe as possible.

 

"We've got plenty of room to move here in Barnes and we're confident we can deliver the maximum amount of book fun and keep families, our authors, illustrators, performers and volunteers safe," she adds.

 

 "It's time for normal festival life to resume and it's also time to get those kids back in the room for some fun with books,' she says.

 

The Festival is presented in partnership with the University of Roehampton, the Barnes Community Association (BCA) and St Paul's School.

Tickets are on sale now on the Festival website.

And coming next month a wonderful art exhibition

Van Gogh copied Delacroix, Sargent copied Velasquez

Following in the tradition of learning from the Masters, five artists are setting out to explore classic works of art. Rather than copying slavishly the idea is to create their own direct response whilst retaining a sensitivity to the originals.

The exhibition at St Mary's Church which is in conjunction with the Friends of St Mary's Church Barnes showcases over 50 pieces of individual affordable art work, which can be viewed from 7th-13th July with a private view 8th July from 6.30-8.30pm.

About the Bugle

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At the Bugle we endeavour to simply report what's going on in Barnes in as comprehensive and entertaining a way as possible. We have no agenda apart from spreading the word about the huge number of genuinely interesting things happening in and around Barnes and sharing information about local campaigns and news events.

If you have a story you would like to see featured in the Bugle do email us by clicking here.

We can't guarantee that we'll run it, but if we think it's going to be interesting to our readers then we'll publish your information.

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The Bugle is a labour of love, not a profit-making venture. We pay to send it out and our mailing costs are covered by the fantastic support we get from Winkworth and our other advertisers. We'd love to get more advertising as that would at least go some way into covering the costs of our time, so if you advertise with us you'll not only be reaching a large audience you'll be keeping a local resource going.

At the Bugle we endeavour to check information for accuracy to the best of our abilities. However we are reliant on information provided to us by third parties. On occasion, dates and times of events may be subject to change and we would urge Bugle readers wishing to attend events, or use a service mentioned to verify information in advance. Where possible we provide links to websites to allow readers to double check the most recent information available, as details can be subject to change.

 
 

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