Draining of Tufnell Green Park

Parents around Tufnell Green Park should hopefully see their washing load slashed as the playing fields are set to be drained and levelled.

Sodden water logged pitches have long plagued the local park, often leaving the fields in an unplayable condition.

Yet a £130,000 cash injection from Sport England and Islington Council looks finally to bring this to an end.

The investment comes as part of the Olympic Legacy Project.

The work is set to be completed by late 2012.

WWI memorial theft

St Mary's church

Residents in Lewisham have been shocked by a theft of a World War 1 memorial. The plaque was stolen to be sold as scrap metal.

Julian Watson, former warden of St Mary’s Church where the plaque was stolen, has called the theft a “huge loss” for the congregation.

The 2011 Poppy Appeal has been launched this Thursday ahead of Remembrance Day in two weeks time and members of the community hope that the day will be remembered for the right reasons.

Closure of Ladbroke House

London Metropolitan have recently announced the closure of their historic Ladbroke House Building in Islington.

The closure is the result of austerity measures introduced by the university in response to government cuts.

Laura Gray was at London Met investigating.

Fur fury

by NYCArthur

The issue of fur is an ever contentious issue and there seems to be no let up in anti fur advertising and protests. CAFT UK, the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, will hold their annual anti fur week from the 19^th – 26^th November culminating in a protest march through London. 

Over the past decade fur has become more and more fashionable with celebrities being photographed day after day wearing fur and using it in their personal fashion lines.  

With fake fur goods littering the high street many would think that the popularity of real fur may have diminished and a report by CAFT recently claims that 80% of the population is against the fur trade.

In Angel market, Islington, North London there is a daily market and there is no shortage of real fur to buy. 

There seems to be a divide in opinion over whether people would wear it and traders can only report improved sales in fur. They are very reluctant to talk about the topic , so although the trade of fur is ever present and is in no way hidden it is still an uncomfortable subject.

Spooky Boat Rides

Image from the Canal Museum

Unsure of how to spend your Halloween weekend -  the London Canal Museum may have just the spooky solution. 

They are hosting a two day event of haunting boat trips up and down the canal. The boats will be filled with ghosts, ghouls and goblins ready to scare you silly. It is a family friendly event and only parties with children can book tickets. 

It is £10 for adults and £8 for children. The 19^th century old brick building will be transformed into a den of things that go bump in the night. 

It will be jam packed with creepy monsters and skeletons and plenty of witches  - both friendly and not so – ready to greet you. 

So with the weather looking fit for halloween – rain and storms expected – this could be the alternative to trick or treating this year.

Ebony Horse Centre opens

http://www.ebonyhorseclub.org.uk/

At the end of a residential street in Brixton, South London, is a unique community project which is helping young people to learn valuable skills. 

The Ebony Horse Centre was officially opened today by the Duchess of Cornwall and was attended by local councillors, volunteers and local children. “Its a great day” said  organiser Jess Stubbs, “but its been a very long journey.” 

The centre has eight stables, a floodlit arena, paddock and stable yard. 

The Ebony Horse Club was originally set up by Ros Spearing nearly fifteen years ago to give young people in South London the opportunity to learn to ride. “It started with me, five kids and a minibus but it just grew and grew until we had to have something more permanent” she tells me. 

The project, which cost £1.7 million to put together, was funded by Sports England.

Biking in city centre: no piece of cake

If you're a one-gear city rider or a Boris Biker, the chances are you've had to ride through the centre of London. And as our reporter Thomas Lowe found – microphone in one hand and handlebars in the other – it’s not an easy street to get down.


Transport for London and cycling campaigners have met at City University to talk about how to get more of us riding in London central. According to Alexandra Goodship from TfL, 40% of Londoners have access to a bike, but only 19% ride regularly.


The largest number of bike rides happen in the centre of London and making this area more bike-friendly presents the best opportunity to get more people on bikes. But it is here, in the heart of the City where cycling is most dangerous. Cyclists often complain about buses, taxis and pedestrians forced together on the road.


Tom Bogdanowicz of the London Cycling Campaign says that there are ways to get around difficulties of inner city cycling issues on streets like Oxford Street. He says that using side streets and linking them together is one way to make it easier for cyclists.

Breaking News

The canon chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral has announced his resignation.

He said on Twitter:

It is not yet known whether his resignation relates to the Occupy London protest outside St Paul's.

For our special report on Half Term at the protest, tune in to City Now at 12pm today.

Siva's Story

Clarence Road Shopkeeper Siva Kandiah has won the Independent Community Retailer of the Year Award.

Siva made headlines when his shop was stripped bare in the Hackney riots, but customers and residents raised £30,000 to support his Help Siva campaign and he was able to re-open two weeks later.

To find out more about Mr Kandiah's story, tune in to City FM at 12pm and check out his website.

Thursday's show

Image by Shellmush

As always, we have all the latest news and sports, and special reports on:

• Fur sold in Islington
• Occupy Half Term - families join the protest in central London
• The opening of a squatted social centre in Dalstan
• An interview with the Independent Community Retailer of the year
• Diwali celebrations across London

And lots more!

Tune in to City FM at 12pm and keep checking the website for more