Stour Space Designers Market a Great Success!

Today was the first Stour Space Designers Market - and everyone agrees that it was amazing!!

Thanks to all the talented artists who took part - the whole of Hackney Wick was greatly impressed with all your designs.

Watch this space for more news of any future markets.

Check out http://hackneywickartgallery.blogspot.com/ for more pics.

Hackney Wick Flea Market - Sat 27.10

The next Hackney Wick Flea Market is on again this Saturday in 2 locations this time!!!

Locations - Main Yard Gallery, 90 Wallis Road, Hackney Wick, london E9 5LN and the Stour Space Designers Market


This message from the unstoppable Man Hon Luk:

Hey you,

Unlike Brick Lane Market, one will need determination and desire to be at these
two markets in Hackney Wick this Saturday.

Beside the overground is not running (Until late May), Wallis Road market is
located on the second floor of a building that is scheduled to be demolished
very soon, while at Stour Space you will find yourself unable to escape the
continuous consumption of mulled wine.

There are over 20 stalls from home made foods to hula hoops, already signed up
for Flea market, though there are still space if you wish to join us. At Stour
Space Designers Market you will see the best up and coming talent from London
based Designers/Makers!!

So if you feel you are up to it, please invite ALL your friends through Facebook
for

Hackney Wick Flea Market - http://www.facebook.com/l/62b7f;bit.ly/axvcOw

Stour Space Designers Market - http://www.facebook.com/l/62b7f;bit.ly/c7lqVt

Best of luck finding the strength to see us this Saturday,

Hon AKA Vinyl Pimp

Towpath Tidy 2010

We've just had a brilliant invitation to help clean up the canal with British Waterways.

I know some of us have been invovled in these annual clean-ups before - but we need many more volunteers to help out this year. It is always a lovely fun-filled day - and we get to meet many more of our neighbours from up & down the canal!

Felicity McClintock from British Waterways says: Hackney’s event will cover the stretch from Leabridge Road (Princess of Wales Pub) through to the towpath opposite you on Saturday 13th March.


*********** Towpath Tidy London 1st to 14th March 2010 *****************

We are calling on volunteers to come and help us spring clean our waterways.



Volunteers are needed to put on their boots and take part in British Waterways’ Towpath Tidy 2010 – coordinated activity days which will take place along targeted stretches of the capital’s waterways between Monday 1st and Sunday 14th March 2010.

Everyone is welcome, with activities ranging from litter picking, planting, painting and graffiti cleaning, floating litter removal to cutting back towpath vegetation.

To find out how you can get involved and to register for one (or more) of the events, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Fishwick on

mob 07917 424590, email: karen.fishwick@britishwaterways.co.uk




or visit www.waterscape.com/towpathtidy




to visit all Towpath Tidy listings and locations in the country. You may also want to follow Towpath Tidy on Twitter and Facebook.



Eight London locations

Brent Reservoir (Monday 1st March)
Bishop’s Stortford, Stort Navigation (Monday 1st March)
Ealing (3 sites), Grand Union Canal, Paddington Arm (various dates)
Hackney, River Lee Navigation (Saturday 13th March)
Kingsland Basin, Regent’s Canal (Saturday 13th March
Slough Arm, Grand Union Canal (Wednesday 3rd March)
St Pancras, Regent’s Canal (Saturday 6th March)
Stockley Park, Grand Union Mainline Canal (Thursday 18th March)


Please note numbers may be limited at some locations depending on works and facilities so it is important you let her know if you would like to join us.

If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Felicity McClintock
Water Quality & Environment – Project Coordinator
Lower Lee Valley Waterways

British Waterways London
1 Sheldon Square, Paddington Central, London W2 6TT
Mob: 07 500 226 139

www.waterscape.com




Come on Hackney Wick - let's get the other side of the canal all cleaned up as well!!

Hackney Wick Station Closes for 4 Months!!!

While doing the spring bulb planting earlier this week - the main topic of conversation was the closure of Hackney Wick Station -and several other along the line!

I did a lot more homework - and although the exact date is still being kept a secret - it will be happening just after the turn of the year.

So - Leabank Square - lets do a short review.......

Public Transport more or less shapes this part of Hackney Wick. Besides us being the 'This Bus Terminates Here' end of numerous bus routes - we are also one stop (Stratford) from the end of the North London Line. We are too far away from the new East London Line (nearest station will be Dalston) for it to be too viable to start travels. And then there are the ever changing bus stops that keep being dug up for very long periods of time.

Most Hackney Wick residents do not have a car - and are completely at the mercy of public transport - and some of us have been very active in keeping the tenuous links still passing by Hackney Wick. Now it seems that the most reliable travel link will be taken out for at least 4 months!!

Of course it is necessary to lengthen the platforms in preparation for all the Olympic traffic - but what we were all discussing was - if it was absolutely necessary to completely close the station?

Can't they somehow keep the station open at peak-times - and work during the middle part of the day? Couldn't they keep one side's platform open while they work on the opposite one? Could they not erect temporary platforms & steps further along the tracks? Oh we had many wacky ideas - best of all was Tony offering his paid services to piggy-back passengers down the embankment!

I'm sure they are going to lay on replacement buses - but we already have them on Sundays - and all know what an absolute joke they are!

So - the only suggestions we can all offer are:

• Join us cycling residents for regular shopping trips


• Start planning alternative arrangements now


• Get Tescos to deliver your groceries - and charge the £5 delivery cost to TFL


• Notify all your friends and families - so that they can use alternative travel arrangements


• Get to know a local taxi firm a bit better


• Gather a few more take out leaflets for days you just can't make it to the supermarkets

.......... there! Just a few we managed to come up with in between planting next springs daffodils. Please send any more suggestions to us all if you come up with brighter ideas!

Olympic Park cuts off Hackney Wick

I'm not in the habit of bigging up any of Murdock & Co's newspapers - but this excellent article is well worth reading. Rest assured - by reading it online he doesn't make too much more money!

But it deals with the loss of Carpenters Road. This was the road we all used to get to Stratford from Hackney Wick. Sure it was a cycle hazard - I remember a wheel come rolling out of one of the dodgy breakers yards - and just missing my son on his tag-a-long!

But it was so crucial to get to the library, the brilliant Discovery Centre, the cheaper markets, the ever-changing Stratford Shopping Centre - and of course the station.

But the along came the Olympics and cut us off. Ever since - there has been an eroding friendship effect between the two old East End neighbours. The Greenway is still an alternative to cycle along - but it regularly gets closed for some or other construction reason.

That just leaves the North London Overground. But soon into 2010 - this too closes for 4 months while the platforms are lengthened on a few stations!!

It is as if the options for visiting friends and old neighbours are being slowly taken away from all of us by the ODA. Anyway - please read this article - and see what you think - please feel free to comment on either this blog - or the linked Times one.

See: http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article6876150.ece

Save the Hackney Empire

Okay - so I know it's not exactly Hackney Wick - but so many of us Wickers go to the Hackney Empire - that it feels a part of the Wick somehow.

Right - so the news is that it will shut for 9 months after the year-end panto season. This will save them some money - and they should be able to open again - this time next year in a better financial position.

Please write to any influential people you know - to make sure this does actually happen. Start with our 3 councillors: Christine Boyd http://www.hackney-labour.org.uk/5c076b27-97af-78b4-0516-cb341f6369bb, Chris Kennedy http://www.hackney-labour.org.uk/620a0b40-6bc0-b644-35b5-3fb384425db2?PageId=67e1b71c-c673-c5f4-753b-3921b61df196 and Jessica Webb http://www.hackney-labour.org.uk/620a0b40-6bc0-b644-35b5-3fb384425db2?PageId=f66efe97-cc07-bd74-a923-c760106c09fd.

Then work you way up to the Prime Minister if you have to - but please get them to do or say anything to make sure that the Hackney Empire gets to re-open. Sometimes these temporary closures have a way of becoming permanent - and the more of us that keep the pressure on the decision makers - the better chance there is of making people stick to their word.

Any ideas for what we might want from a future Hackney Empire posted up here as comments - will be passed on to the board at the Hackney Empire.

Historical Tour of Hackney Wick

As if the Hackney Wick Festival and the Hackney One Carnival aren't enough to satisfy you this weekend..........

Find out about the history of people and places in Hackney Wick with on a guide tour this Saturday (September 26).

In a joint event between Hackney Archives and the Hackney Society, a tour guide will take residents around places of interest starting at Gainsborough Primary School in Berkshire Road from 2pm.

Some of us went on this tour in the spring and it is absolutely fascinating to see where plastic was invented, see the drawings of the original Hackney Wick Mansion (I know!) - and see just what Atlas Wharf used to look like.

But there are many more very interesting facts to be experienced - so please come along the Gainsborough School at 2pm. Actually - if you get there a bit earlier - you could pick up a hot dog at their barbie - as part of the Hackney Wick Festival!!

Hackney One Carnival 2009

Hackney Wick Festival - Saturday 26th Sept!

Hackney One Carnival - Sunday 27th Sept!!

What an amazing weekend in stall for all of us in just a couple of days time!?

The very next day after our own festival - is the incredible Carnival down the road - starting at the Town Hall in Mare Street - and processing along to Hackney Downs park!! The fun starts at 11.30 am - but pretty much lasts all day long - so please get there.

If its anything like as good as last year - you are going to have the last great blast of Summer this weekend!!

See you at both the fantastic days out!!

Many More Lovely Neighbours coming!!!

We all absolutely love living along the Lea River Navigational Canal - it's what makes The Wick so special.

You simply cannot fail to notice the humongous Olympic Park growing on the other side every day. But what of any new developments our side? The Fish Island end has the fantastic Omega Works complex on the corner of Regents & Lea Canals - leading on to the Artists District down to the Old Peanut Factory.

And the Leabank Square end is soon to have two brand new developments!

About 10 minutes walk along the tow-path - the Paradise Park development will open any day now. This is where the old Victorian dock built at the height of Empire - had a glass works, Indian rubber factory and carbolic acid plant. More recently it housed QTV. It was quite squalid until the new development - but should bring a lot more cyclists & ramblers along the Lea.

And more closely - the Old Matchbox factory - Lesney's to you & me - is soon to be pulled down and replaced with many great artists live/work units managed by London & Quadrant. This is sure to pull in some more amazing talent to the Wick - and should be completed in time for the Olympics as well.

Speaking of which - there is huge pressure being put on to the Olympic Legacy Company to convert the International Press Centre & the International Broadcast Centre into similar artistic artistic units.

The long & short of it all - dear readers - is that Hackney Wick is set fair to be the most incredibly vibrant artistic community in the entire UK!

There is not going to be any more hooked-up, networked and artist friendly place on the planet! So if we think we have it lucky to live here now - just wait a few short years - and we'll be living amongst even more great neighbours!

Hackney Wick Guerilla Gardeners Strike Again!!

With only a few short weeks to go to the Hackney Wick Festival 2009 - our VERY friendly Guerrilla Gardeners have delivered a stunning raised bed for us!

Thank you to everyone involved!!! You have really made this little corner of the Wick beautiful!!

Please - Hackney Wick - go for a lovely stroll over the weekend - and spend a few minutes on the new wide corner of Berkshire Road & Wallis Road. There's a fragrant bay tree surrounded by loads of busy lizzies & pansies!

Hackney Wick Guerrilla Gardeners - we all love you!!!

See Also:

http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2009/09/hackney-wick-guerilla-gardeners-strike.html

http://hackneywickgarden.blogspot.com/2009/09/hackney-wick-guerilla-gardeners-strike.html