View this email in your browser

The kindness of strangers

When the team at local charity FiSH came up with the idea of making a Christmas Goodie Bag for the charity’s elderly and isolated users across Barnes, Mortlake & Sheen, they had no idea how many people would come together to make the idea a reality.

 

And when new volunteer Kathryn Gerrits-Rumble joined FiSH in October and asked how to help, little did she know that a few weeks later her garage would be overflowing with donations, and that 370 goodie bags would be assembled and distributed by an army of volunteers.

 

Kathryn says “FiSH already knew that their volunteer cooks were going to produce mini-Christmas cakes for every bag, and that the children at St Paul’s Junior School were going to write an individual card for each recipient, but I thought I would approach other people for donations and I was so touched by those that contributed.

 

“I live in Archway Street and the first thing I did was to ask members of our street WhatsApp group if they could spare any Lindt Lindor chocolate balls if they were buying them for Christmas. That weekend the doorbell wouldn’t stop ringing and we amassed a huge number of boxes of chocolates. Our lovely local shop i-local told us they had completely sold out. One of my neighbours who is a gardener donated large sacks of holly which we used to make little Christmas favours together with cinnamon sticks and ribbon donated by The Flower Room on White Hart Lane.”

 

The cakes and chocolates were joined by tea cakes donated by the OSO Café, tea from Orange Pekoe and Malcolm from Two Peas in a Pod donated a clementine for each goodie bag.

 

“We also wanted to include toiletries in each bag” says Kathryn ”and i-local started the ball rolling with a donation of hand sanitiser (plus masks and gloves), a company called Friendly Soap also donated 30 kilos of off-cut soap which we broke up and repackaged.

 

“Our local hairdressers were also brilliant. We got donations of men’s shampoo from Crate the new male grooming business on White Hart Lane, and for the ladies, donations came from Miller’s on Upper Richmond Road and from freelance hairdresser and make-up artist Andrea Knott. Tadas from Head Spa heard about the project from one of his clients and gave two enormous containers of shampoo which we were able to decant into smaller bottles.”

 

The bags, which were donated by Sheen's Thai Restaurant Asiatique, were then decorated by the boys at St Paul’s Junior School and then finished off with crackers donated by Waitrose and a booklet with crosswords and word games put together by FiSH’s in-house designer Deborah. It took a team of eight volunteers to put together all the bags which were distributed by FiSH’s volunteer drivers.

 

“People didn’t know that they were going to receive them” says Kathryn "so it was a complete surprise. Our volunteer drivers came back with stories of people bursting into tears at their doorstep when the packages were delivered.”

 

For Kathryn it was a hugely rewarding experience. “We only moved to Barnes last year and I had barely got to know anyone by the time lockdown came. Our street WhatsApp group means I’ve now got to know so many of my amazing neighbours and it has also been lovely to connect with other FiSH volunteers.

 

“My lovely daughter Sophie helped with the soap, my husband has been hugely patient with the loss of garage space. For me, it was something I could do in memory of my mother who died this autumn. I’m from Australia and Covid travel bans meant I couldn’t get home to be with her or to get to her funeral. I thought about her a lot as I put together the bags” says Kathryn.

 

Those who received the bags couldn’t have been happier and FiSH has been overwhelmed with messages of thanks like this one “We are very grateful for the surprise gifts delivered to my mother and I. We are amazed and delighted – it will probably be the only gift we receive this Christmas.”

 

Micky Forster FiSH's Director says, ''We're hugely grateful to all the local retailers who so generously donated items for the bags and to all the volunteers involved in assembly and distribution. It's been a great team effort''. 

 

If you would like to volunteer for or donate to FiSH you can find out more on their website. Currently the charity needs people happy to undertake shopping and car drivers to take people for vaccinations and other medical appointments. They are also really close to reaching their £10,000 Covid appeal target and would be really grateful if any Bugle readers inspired by this story could help them raise the remaining 3% that they need.

A shot in the arm

Over 150 Bugle readers responded to last month’s call for volunteers to help with the Covid vaccination programme based at Essex House Surgery and Town Centre Manager Emma Robinson is currently putting together a rota for volunteers who are helping the vaccination process to run like clockwork.

The programme at Essex House is actually the result of collaboration between The Glebe Road, Essex House, Sheen Lane and Richmond Group medical practices who have all worked together to help plan the programme and to invite all their highest risk patients. Staff from all the participating surgeries are manning the clinics to help deliver the vaccine. 

Volunteers are helping with parking, looking after coats and walkers for elderly patients, taking down details of those who have attended for vaccination, and also helping in the observation area where those who have been vaccinated are asked to stay for 15 minutes before leaving.

We’re very lucky to be hosting a local vaccination hub in Barnes and that’s thanks to both the way our local surgeries collaborate and to the layout of the Essex House surgery which allows for both parking and a one-way flow of patients in and out of the surgery.

If you haven’t yet volunteered you can still register your interest by clicking here.

Covid cases soar in Richmond

Covid cases in Richmond have been accelerating at an alarming level as the graph above shows. When the last Bugle came out our rate per 100k was 84.3. Last week it was 634.4. That’s a 750% increase. There were 1,256 positive tests in the week up to Christmas Eve compared with 167 in the week ending December 3. Back at the beginning of the month Richmond was the borough with the lowest rates in London but we’re now getting closer to the London average figure.

All of which highlights the urgent need for all of us to follow the Tier 4 guidelines and give everyone a clear berth in shops, transport and on pavements and tow paths.

Walk/Don't Walk

H opes were raised last month that pedestrians and cyclists might be able to walk over Hammersmith Bridge some time in 2021, with the release by the Department of Transport of reports in to the bridge’s condition made by cast iron expert Professor Norman Fleck and by engineering firm Aecom.

 

According to a report in 'The Times', they concluded that the risk assessments from engineers Mott McDonald which led Hammersmith and Fulham Council to close the bridge to pedestrians were “conservative” and that previous assumptions about its complete closure should be revisited.

 

Professor Fleck’s report said “The immediate provision of a small sum of money would allow for immediate remedial action to be taken” and “that work could be completed in a timeframe of weeks and at a modest cost.”

 

At the heart of the matter is the presence of micro-fractures in the bridge’s supporting pedestals, believed to have been caused by stresses induced by seized roller bearings elsewhere on the bridge. 

 

Examinations of two of the pedestals, together with acoustic monitoring, led to the complete closure of the bridge in August after it was believed extreme heat had caused one of the fractures to worsen.

 

Cast iron, although strong, can fracture alarmingly and this led to worries about a potentially catastrophic bridge collapse occurring while pedestrians were crossing.

Professor Fleck’s report examines the dangers posed by the microfractures and looks at how they can be mitigated. It also reveals that some of the fractures discovered may even be casting defects that have been around since the bridge’s construction.

 

The Aecom report also sheds doubt on whether the increase in the size of the crack was due to hot weather and further observed that the crack may actually be quite shallow. 

 

The release of the reports, without the Task Force being given prior opportunity to review them, led to accusations that the Task Force Chair Baroness Vere was spinning the story to the media. Hammersmith and Fulham Council Leader Stephen Cowan is reported as having  said “'It's fair to say that a number of Taskforce members questioned the Government Taskforce's Chair, Baroness Vere, about the professionalism of sending papers so late while spinning the story to the media well beforehand.”

 

Councillor Cowan also refused to consider reopening the bridge until being given the go-ahead by specialist engineers on the Continued Case for Safe Operation Board which constantly reviews such matters to protect public safety. 

 

The Times quotes him as saying “The bridge was closed because world-leading specialist engineers strongly advised the badly corroded suspension structure faced catastrophic failure,” he said. “If the bridge collapsed, as they advised it could, it would have been a national disaster.”

 

He is also quoted in the Daily Mail saying that the government has refused to take on legal responsibility for a decision to reopen the bridge to pedestrians.

 

Both the Fleck and Aecom reports say that no decisions regarding reopening the bridge to pedestrians should be made until after work has been carried out to blast clean and examine all of the bridge’s pedestals (only two have been revealed so far) and other mitigation measures are put in place (more monitoring and internal reinforcement of the pedestals). The blast cleaning and examination of the remaining pedestals is expected to be complete by April and no time frame has been published for adding strain gauges and reinforcement.

 

You can read the Aecom and Fleck reports by clicking on the links below. Mott MacDonald’s reports on the bridge fractures are not publicly available. The Magazine New Civil Engineer requested a copy of Mott MacDonald’s 2019 report under a Freedom of Information request but this was turned down by Hammersmith & Fulham Council on the grounds of security risk.

Aecom report
Fleck report
New Civil Engineer

The £64 million question

The prospect of a swift resolution to the money wrangles over the repair bill for Hammersmith Bridge seems to be receding with the news that the government has requested that Hammersmith and Fulham Council should fund 50% of the repair costs – leaving the council with a bill of £64 million pounds.

 

Despite owning and therefore having legal responsibility for the bridge, the council has consistently maintained that it does not have the funds to cover the costs of its repair.

When the bridge was initially closed to traffic in April 2019 the council looked to TfL to help fund repairs (the cost of which at the time was estimated by the council at £40 million).

 

Now, 20 months later, the bridge is closed to pedestrians, TfL’s coffers are empty (it relies on fare income, of which there is currently precious little) and it is the government that is expected to pick up the bill. 

 

£64 million is a big ask from the government to a council that raises £90.5 million per year in council tax, and funds its total annual budget of £140 million through council tax, business rates and other grants. 

 

Without cutting costs the council has very little room for manoeuvre. Its council tax rates are low compared to other boroughs – the fourth lowest council tax rates in the country apparently. 

 

It is also currently by statute not able to raise council tax for non-social-care costs by more than 2%. This means that even if the entire 2% annual rise were allocated to Hammersmith Bridge (as opposed to covering inflationary costs) it would take many decades to raise £64 million via this route.

 

However, it is worth noting that the council has found money within its current budget to go towards the bridge as its website says it is “currently paying £2.7 million per year to stop additional and dangerous deterioration.” 

 

Baroness Vere, the Chair of the government Task Force, has pointed to the council’s £257 million reserves as a possible source of funding for the bridge. However, in response, Hammersmith & Fulham Council states that its auditors say that its reserves are low in comparison with other councils and should not be depleted. It also appears that large amounts of its reserves are ring fenced for schools and housing.

 

The targeting of its reserves has led to a firm response from the council leader Stephen Cowan who is reported as having said “We need to shoot this fox, that we could take the money out of our reserves. It’s an ignorant and stupid suggestion based on a lack of knowledge about our reserves… it’s part of a political shenanigans.”

 

Nevertheless, it looks as though the government is expecting the council to cover the costs potentially through a combination of reserves and money borrowed against future toll income from the bridge.

 

Of course, it could be that the £64 million demand is the opening gambit in a negotiation in which both sides appear to be playing hardball.

 

Hammersmith Council has given examples of how much funding government has provided to councils for large bridge repairs elsewhere in the country pointing out that the government has funded between 77 and 94 per cent of bridge upgrades in areas such as Northumberland, Cleveland, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Dudley this year.

 

In a situation where the government is asking for a huge amount of money and the council has, as yet, made no public commitment to pay anything towards the major repair bill it is hard to see how a swift resolution might be forthcoming, potentially consigning those who rely on the bridge to years of travel misery.

 

The only chink of light the Bugle can see in this situation is a quote from a government spokesperson in the Times article which revealed the £64 million demand. This, for the first time, revealed that the leader of Hammersmith Council Stephen Cowan “has committed to submitting a funding proposal on how a local contribution might be raised.” That’s the good news. The bad news is that the spokesperson went on to say “To date we are yet to receive this proposal and we cannot seek funding or move forward with further works on the bridge until we have that.” 

Let there be light

As we revealed in last month’s Bugle, commuters and school children using the towpath on the south west side of Hammersmith Bridge as a walking and cycling route have been having to navigate their journeys in total darkness. Up until now Richmond Council has said there were difficulties in installing lighting due to issues with disturbing wildlife. However, it seems lighting might now be on its way.

 

A tweet from Richmond Councillor Alexander Ehmann has revealed that after considerable & painstaking work by the council’s Ecology and Transport Officers that the council have ordered six dimmable 2700k solar light units for the area around Harrods Wharf & a further 200m of way-finding lighting in areas raised by local residents. 

We don’t know when they will be installed but will keep you posted on further developments.

 

The fact that Richmond Council has found eco-friendly lighting and is funding its installation has led local campaigners to urge Hounslow council to do the same in the unlit Duke’s Meadows across the river.

Towpath closure reversed

Walkers and joggers using the towpath from Barnes to Hammersmith in the week before Christmas were surprised to see that they were unable to exit onto Castelnau forcing them to retrace their steps back to where they came from.

Barriers were erected by workmen carrying out structural assessments of Hammersmith Bridge but it quickly transpired the contractors who were working for TfL and Hammersmith & Fulham Council had not sought permission from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to block off the route.

Local campaigners, Hammersmith Bridge SOS, quickly flagged the issue with Richmond Council who intervened to restore access. See tweets from Councillor Alexander Ehmann here .

Ferry by Feb? Probably not

A recent report in the Daily Mail raised hopes that a ferry could be up and running as early as February referring to a statement from TfL commissioner Andy Byford in which he is quoted as saying "We are working at pace to ensure that a ferry is provisioned, is secured, and we've run a procurement process, we've issued the documents, such that we can get a successful bidder confirmed by February so that a temporary ferry link can be provided over the river on that critical crossing."

However, the Bugle believes the February date indicated by the Daily Mail might be a tad optimistic as it is only once the successful bidder has been awarded the ferry franchise that the building of temporary infrastructure such as ticket booths, pontoons and waiting areas can begin. Local campaigners who have been following the situation closely have been anticipating a March/April commencement for the ferry service. 

Very just rewards

If one thing makes Barnes stand out, it is community spirit. With every issue of the Bugle we put together we’re amazed at what can be achieved when people volunteer to help the community.

 

This year, for example, despite having to close because of lockdown, the team at the OSO started a community kitchen that supplied 10,000 meals to those that needed them most. And the OSO itself is an example of what the community can do when it gets together to make things happen. Thanks to volunteers, it is a thriving arts space, a venue for art classes, ballet lessons and more. It’s also simply a lovely café and meeting space in the heart of our village.

Behind the OSO team is the indefatigable Simon Danciger, the chair of the Board of Trustees. He’s one of those people who puts his hand up to help, rolls up his sleeves, and inspires others to join him by dint of his sheer enthusiasm. He’s a serial volunteer having previously been Chair of the governors at East Sheen Primary and Richmond Park Academy and he became an OSO Trustee in 2012 when it was going through a financially difficult period.

 

Simon’s selflessness has now been justly rewarded with an honour (an MBE) in this year’s New Year’s list. He says “It has been a joy to play a part in the regeneration of the venue and in particular to see how the OSO has now become an integral part of community life in Barnes, more so than ever since the Crisis Kitchen during lockdown. The award is for all the staff, trustees and volunteers who have poured so much passion and energy into the arts centre. While our theatre doors are temporarily shut, we have a fabulous new season waiting in the wings!”

Better by design

Tantalisingly hidden behind closed doors, the OSO is now sporting a very impressive new look, an alluring combination of theatrical red velvet and mid-century Scandi cool. 

 

The stunning transformation is the vision of B3 Designers, a company responsible for some of London's most beautiful hospitality spaces as well as residential projects. 

 

They worked on the OSO's transformation as a pro-bono project and B3's founder and Creative Director Mark Bithrey says “We needed to create a dramatic difference on a limited budget. The design needed to be low-cost and high-impact.” 

 

The designers' scheme features bold curtains, stylish tables and chairs, new signage and a beautifully revamped bar/café counter.

Simon Danciger, The OSO's Chair of Trustees, says “Thanks to a capital grant from Richmond Council, the vision of B3 designers and our brilliant build team, we have transformed the OSO. Everyone who visited the arts centre before the latest closure has been astonished by the quality of the upgrade to the building. Now we can’t wait to exit Tier 4 and reopen our doors!”

When is a goose not a goose?

Picture: Andrew Wilson

A new brood of Egyptian goslings has been delighting visitors to Barnes Pond this week and here they are above, captured in all their fluffy loveliness by local photographer Andrew Wilson. However, Andrew has pointed out that they are not goslings at all. Apparently, they are ducklings. Who knew? Here’s the explanation.

Property prices boom in Barnes

According to the Evening Standard, property prices in Barnes have gone up by 11% in the past year. The paper says that the price rises are being fuelled by buyers leaving central London in search of more space. It describes Barnes as a “bona-fide urban village which is a little more affordable than neighbours like Fulham across the river and Richmond.” 

 

Copyright © 2020 barnesvillagebugle.co.uk  All Rights Reserved.

 

The Bugle is a member of the IMPRESS regulation scheme. To find out more go to our website.

 

If you want to unsubscribe from the Bugle click here.