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Great Hackney Wick Flea Market 27.03!!

Yet again the Hackney Wick Flea Market was a great success! It seems to be going from strength to strength!

The most notable change at today's market was the amount of food stalls. In fact - coupled with the Stour Street market - there are more than enough amazing bakers, brewers & BBQers to take on Broadway Market further down the canal!!

Wouldn't that be a fantastic weekly event?! Imagine Hackney Wick Village Green (opposite St Mary's Church) hosting all the incredible food stalls that are currently in these 2 great markets?! People would travel for miles around to come & enjoy delicious food near the largest Artists Quarter in the world!!

Many thanks have to go to Man Hon for always putting on such a brilliant day for all of us!


See also: http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-great-success.html
http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-sat-2710.html
http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2009/12/hackney-wick-flea-market-xmas-special.html
http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2010/03/hackney-wick-flea-market-sat-2703.html
http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-brilliant.html

Meg Hillier in Hackney Wick!!

Our elusive MP will be in our neck of the woods this Saturday 27th March! For too long now - many of us thought she was just a photo on an ID card - but no - she is real - and will be at the Hackney Wick Community Centre - in the flesh!!

Could the small fact that there is an election looming have anything to do with this?!

As many of you know - the fact that Ms Hillier is a junior minister (for ID Cards) means that she cannot personally raise our concerns in the House Of Parliament. According to the excellent interview with our fave blogger - Blood & Property - she does represent us - sort of behind the scenes though.

There's a relief - and there were we thinking she was only concerned about moving up a few political ladders - with us - her constituents - scrambling around the feet of the ladders.

Anyhow - the day is predominantly about the Hackney Wick Time Bank - but as it's a few weeks to go before the election - I'm sure she wouldn't mind answering a few questions from her constituents huh?!

Please check out Blood & Property's amazing interview here: http://bloodandproperty.blogspot.com/2010/03/meg-hillier-answers-blood-and-property_22.html

Hackney Wick Flea Market - Sat 27.03

One of the most community spirited people you're ever likely to meet here in Hackney Wick - Luk Man Hon (Yes! him of http://www.vinylpimp.co.uk/ fame!) is putting on yet another Hackney Wick Flea Market in the doomed Main Yard Gallery.

Please see: http://hackneywick.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-brilliant.html
http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/hackney-wick-flea-market-great-success.html

......... for a flavour of past successes - but please also come down to be a part of the rapidly changing landscape of the Wick before the Olympic Juggernaut obliterates everything in its path!

Luk Man Hon encapsulates everything Hackney Wick needs in its residents just now. He runs his own very successful business, knows everyone in the Wick, always has time for a chat (even late last night in the checkout queue) - and still finds time to get as many people from Hackney Wick together for these brilliant events.

Events are what Hackney Wick needs many more of just now. We all love getting together for a relaxed chillout session - just enjoying our Hackney Wick with friends!

Hackney Wick Time Bank Launch - Sat 27th March

Want to plant some seedlings for your neighbour? Maybe get your plumbing fixed in return?

Good guitarist? Give lessons to someone else. Can't reach your top windows - borrow an extra long ladder?

Please come along to the Hackney Time Bank Launch at the Wick Community Centre this Saturday 27th March between 11am & 4.30pm.

There will be smoothie making, henna tattoos, food, fun football - plus bring along any broken bicycles and get them fixed for free by the Bike Dr!!

For more information contact Gemma McGrath on 0208 829 4683 - or gemma.mcgrath@familymosaic.co.uk

Come on Hackney Wick - let's get sharing & making The Wick a lot nicer to live in!

Hackney Wick Masterplan Community Meeting

A huge thanks to Helen Goodsell of Hackney Council for arranging this great meeting for Hackney Wick. We all got to meet many of the people who can make our lives a lot easier. From the parking department to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC).

Rev Alan Piggot from St Mary's in the Eastway - started the meeting off by putting into context the journey we have all been on the past few years. Then Charlie Forman from the Olympic Team in Hackney Council introduced us to the main speakers - Neil Walker from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) - who are actually running the Olympic Games & Sarah - one of the Pathfinder volunteers - who help LOGOC run the games.


We then heard from Emma Wheelhouse - from the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) - who is responsible for seeing that the Wick gets a good result after the Games.

Naturally - most of what they said was all spin. Unfortunately they still haven't got past this spin (which can take ages!) phase yet. We heard that the real decisions are only going to be made in a few months time. But the most important thing is that they have now introduced themselves to us.

The rest is up to us. We need to make them aware of anything we want them to do. They are our servants. We are all paying their wages - and we are the ones living next to this huge park. We need to tell them what we want.

With this in mind - I brought up the catering facility with Neil again - and he promised that some sort of answer soon about all the plans, timings, mitigation etc included in the original email. Watch this space.

I the also asked Emma (again - again) - what was going to become of the footprint of the catering facility in legacy mode. All the plans still have a green open space directly opposite Leabank Square - but she still insists that the planning is in process - and that nothing has been decided yet.

Again - I stressed upon her our absolute desire that we have it returned to Arena Fields (all be it - much reduced) - so that when the Gainsborough School Footbridge is re-built - it lands on a green open space. She is still spouting the same regurgitated answers we have heard many times before - but says that the planning is to be decided early next year (2011) and we should know more then.

Please remember to include Charlie Forman, Boris Johnson, Tessa Jowel & Meg Hillier in all your correspondence over this subject. We need them to impress on the OPLC that although we lost the lovely Arena Fields - but we can have some of it back in its original place!!

All in all - we had an enjoyable day networking - although the Olympic part was the same old same old - just a few new faces.

• It was good to talk to Robert Kavuma from Environemntal Health about the noise before 8am on the Arena Fields Road.
• The roads department was still undecided about the Controlled Parking Zone for the Wick just now.
• It was brilliant chatting to Felicity from British Waterways - always positive.
• Alan also spoke a bit more about the re-submitted plans for St Marys as well.
  

Helen - once again - thank you so very much for getting this all arranged. You & the whole Hackney Council team made a big difference to the way we are all feel about this corner of your borough.

See also: http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/03/hackney-wick-masterplan-community.html

Towpath Tidy 2010 is Great Fun!!

Thank you to all the staff of British Waterways who turned out to make the Lea River Towpath more lovely for all of us Hackney Wick residents!

Along with some local volunteers - the rails were repainted, litter picked up, junk lifted out of the Lea - and immense fun had by all.

Please see: http://www.waterscape.com/features-and-articles/features/towpath-tidy-2010 for more news on future Towpath Tidy days.

For more pics from today - please see: http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/03/towpath-tidy-2010-such-great-fun.html

Thanks British Waterways!!

Say Good-Bye to Matchbox Toy Factory - Lesney's

The historic Matchbox factory - Lesney Industries Ltd - is going to be completely demolished this week.

I know 2 separate residents here in Leabank Square who used to work there - and a whole lot more in the wider Wick. If you want to say your goodbyes to this iconic building - a few of us will be taking a few flasks of tea to the towpath opposite - tomorrow at 3pm.

Even if you never worked there - you would almost definitely have pushed around a Matchbox car as a girl or boy. If you still have one or two - why not bring it along to show the rest of us.

The Matchbox name started in 1953 as a brand name of this British toy company - Lesney Products (named after its co-founders Leslie and Rodney Smith), which had been founded in 1947 as an industrial die casting company.

I know we are all going to welcome our new neighbours who will occupy the new creative/residential development - but it is still a sad time for some of us.

See a few more pics at:

http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/2010/02/last-chance-to-see-lesneys-matchbox.html

Hackney Wick Flea Market a Brilliant Success!!

A massive thank you to Man Hon Luk for organising today's Hackney Wick Festival in the Main Yard Gallery!

Not only was it a great success - but it was a lovely way to say goodbye to the awesome building. Of course we all know just how rapidly Hackney Wick is changing - but it is always sad to lose a venue where we have all had loads of fun.

If you missed today's Market, here's a flavour - plus a few more pics at http://leabanksquare.blogspot.com/