Yates.

Thanks to a couple of enterprising Maggot Sandwich readers, more information has come to light regarding the former White Hart pub in Erith High Street. It turns out that the building is now owned by a company called Dhadda Estates Ltd, whose registered address is at 95 Woolwich Road, Upper Belvedere. The company are actually the builders that refurbished and extended the former pub building, originally for The Wellington Pub Company, but it would appear that they liked the building so much, and could see the clear commercial opportunity that the historic local building offered, that they purchased it from Wellington. From what a couple of readers have told me, Dhadda Estates specialises in refurbishing and converting former pub buildings. The White Hart is a locally listed building within the Erith Riverside Conservation Area. It was built in 1902 to rehouse a White Hart pub that had operated on the site since at least 1715. The main part of the building has been converted into a number of self contained apartments, but the ground floor, former bar area is still looking for a new use. Local rumours have included it becoming a Gelato parlour, but at this point nothing seems to be clear; Bexley Council merely state that:- "There are plans to put the building to use once again, with a new café or restaurant on the ground floor and flats in the upper storeys". The general consensus is that the conversion work to the locally listed building has been carried out sensitively and to a high standard of workmanship. It will be interesting to see how the phase two of the project is undertaken - that is the low rise apartments which are to be constructed in what used to be the pub garden, adjacent to the existing retirement apartments in Riverside Court. 

You may recall that last week I mentioned that Bexley Council had published the final version of their growth strategy document, and that I felt that it had a number of mistakes and erroneous assumptions. One fact the growth strategy document makes amply clear in several places is that it thinks that the long suggested but subsequently abandoned plan for a river crossing between Lower Belvedere and Rainham is now back on. The document makes a number of references to the crossing. To expand:- There is a degree of polarisation of opinion regarding the necessity of extra river crossings; Latest estimates have London’s population growing by 1.5 million in the next 15 years, with South East London already taking on vast new housing developments - Erith alone has Erith Park, Tower Hill, the currently under way redevelopment of the former Riverside Swimming Baths site, and the large development at Erith Quarry. The combination of all of these new homes will mean an influx of several thousand new residents to the area. Proponents of the river crossing scheme believe more road links linking the north and south banks should be built sooner rather than later to accommodate the extra traffic the new residents will bring. There is also a discrepancy between crossings in the West and East of London – there are twenty six Thames crossings between London Bridge and Kew Bridge to the west, while there are only eleven from Tower Bridge to the Dartford Crossing in the East. I have mentioned the proposals to build either a bridge or a tunnel that would link Lower Belvedere with Rainham in Essex on several occasions before. Both options have plusses and minuses. There are a number of factors to consider if building a bridge at Belvedere:- 1) It would be close to major working wharves and would therefore require a high and long span, which could increase the cost to be similar to the cost of a tunnel at Belvedere. 2) Pedestrian / cycle facilities could be accommodated, although users would be exposed to poor weather. 3) Being further from the London City Airport, there is more flexibility on the type of structure that can be built than at Gallions Reach (there is a legal restriction of fifteen metres on the height of any structure located a kilometre or less from an airport). Conversely a tunnel would have its own issues:- 2) It could be a similar cost to a bridge. 2) It would have little or no impact on shipping. 3) It potentially has less of an impact than a bridge on local properties and the future development of the area, particularly after construction. 4) It would be less susceptible to poor weather than a bridge. 5) A pedestrian and cycle tunnel could be considered less attractive to users than a bridge. My suggested solution would stretch between the Ferry Lane roundabout, South of Rainham town centre and the A2016 Bronze Age Way / Picardy Manor Way roundabout in Lower Belvedere. In effect, this would connect the A13 and Rainham in South Essex with the A2 and M25 via Bronze Age Way, and the South Circular via the A2016 Eastern Way towards Woolwich. This coincidentally is pretty much the same route that the the official crossing solutions (both tunnel and bridge) would take. It could also have the added bonus of connecting Rainham and Belvedere railway stations via a regular bus service through the tunnel. My vision would be of a structure very similar in size and scope to the existing Medway Tunnel which links Strood with Chatham in Kent. The Thames tunnel would use the same kind of immersed tube construction that the Medway Tunnel does – that is, sections of prefabricated reinforced concrete tunnel sections are sunk into the river, joined together, then the water is pumped out. This relatively new method of construction is well suited to shallow and medium depths of water, and creates tunnels which are both very strong and relatively cheap to construct. Unlike the Medway Tunnel, I would hope that the Lower Thames tunnel would permit the use of bicycles via a raised cycle / walkway kept physically separate from the vehicular traffic. As previously indicated, by the time any tunnel of this nature had been constructed (which I understand normally needs an Act of Parliament) the level of harmful pollutants emitted by vehicles will be far lower than the levels now, and many of the cars may well be zero emission via either conventional batteries, Hydrogen fuel cells or possibly other zero emission technologies. What do you think? Please leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Dana Wiffen, Chair of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association has issued the following appeal to Maggot Sandwich readers:- "Message to all Erith Neighbourhood Watch members - do you know your DWO's? DWOs are your Dedicated Ward Officers of which there are normally 2 PCs and 1 PCSO. All Coordinators should know their DWOs and we appreciate that some do and some don't. We together with Bexley Police are working to encourage DWOs to visit our members especially when they are cocooning around a burglary in your road/area. We also ask if you could try to introduce yourselves. A good way of doing this is at one of their regular 'coffee with cops' or similar meetings which are detailed in their Ward updates below. They will pleased to meet with you and make you feel welcome. We are hoping that all our Coordinators will get to know their Ward Officers over the coming weeks. Please let us know how it goes. Appeal for new co-ordinators. Over the last 3 weeks of January 2018 Erith has had burglaries in the following roads that have no NW-Cover, if you are interested in joining NW please contact by Telephone: 0208 284 5537 or email: bexwatch-office@btconnect.com. They are Queen Street, Carlton Road, Christchurch Avenue & Chandlers Drive. If you live in any of the above roads please consider joining Neighbourhood Watch in an effort to reduce this sort of crime in your road". The weekly Neighbourhood Watch local safety and security updates will appear later in this edition. 

Another former pub / wine bar is being transformed, after years of being left empty and abandoned. Readers with a good memory may well recall that when Bexleyheath Broadway was rebuilt and pedestrianised in the early 1990's, after the opening of The Broadway Shopping Centre in 1984, some new retail and bar / restaurant units were created on each side of the re-routed Mayplace Road West. On one side a block including The Furze Wren pub, TK Maxx and some other retail units, and on the other side of the road is located Bexleyheath bus halt and a large, purpose built bar / restaurant building. The building was originally occupied by Yates Wine Lodge - an Oldham based pub chain with most of its outlets in the North of England. Yates is the oldest pub chain in the UK, with the first branch opening in Oldham in 1884. In earlier times, it invented its own range of drinks which it called Blobs, which consisted of sweet Australian wine and brandy, sugar, lemon and hot water. The pubs were the first to be visited on a "pub crawl", they were the first port of call on a night out. It was most popular on Fridays and Saturdays, and many were quieter in the early week; the pubs were not often seen as family pubs, though were regularly the start of a hen night or stag night or just the start of a "pub crawl". The reasoning being that "The Blob" was an affordable and easy start to the night, with its cheap (comparatively), high alcoholic content and being hot, it didn't take many to get the consumer "in the mood". Yates in Bexleyheath was OK during the daytime - a bit like a trendier version of Wetherspoons, but at night it was a nightmare - under age drinkers and people binge drinking before getting the free mini bus to a nightclub in Swanley. I recall waiting at nearby bus stop after a Friday night cinema visit in around 2004; two women, who were apparently mother and daughter were fighting in the street - it turned out that they were both having a relationship with the same man. This was fairly typical of a night at Yates; It got so bad that the bus stops in Mayplace Road West were closed on a Friday and Saturday night, and Yates and The Furze Wren (then called Lloyds) opposite had different closing times enforced by magistrates to try and stop fights when the places turned out. One local commented at the time:- "Don't think a single punter in there hasn't got any Burberry in their wardrobe. Regular 2-pot screamers getting into fights and girls (yes girls!) getting glassed - Nice!" Another Bexleyheath local commented:- "Yates is an awful place. Just a large, sterile drinking den with no atmosphere worth mentioning. The food is mediocre at best and the bar staff make you feel like you should be privileged your getting served by them. The clientele are the type that wouldn't know a decent pub if it came up and poked them in the eye. One good point is that places like this attract the scum and keep them out of the decent pubs in the area." I could not have described the place any better. In 2005 the central Yates company was subject to a takeover by the Laurel Pub Company, and the Bexleyheath Yates was sold off - it had become unprofitable after it introduced a £5 entrance fee on Friday and Saturday evenings, and the bar on the first floor had been closed down. It re - opened some time later, rebranded as RSVP Bar - as you can see in the photo above - click on it to see a larger version. This struggled on for a couple of years, but never recaptured the popularity of Yates when it was first open. The RSVP Bar seemed to make most of its money by selling alcopops to teenagers, and many of its former customers instead went across the road to the increasingly successful Furze Wren - which was / is operated by Wetherspoons. RSVP Bar closed and the building was empty for over a year, before a company took over the building with plans to turn it into an Afro - Caribbean restaurant. They spent ages on building work, with little progress towards opening being apparent. The whole restaurant project soon collapsed when a Nando's branch opened directly opposite it on the corner of Mayplace Road West and Geddes Place. Since then the building has been empty and apparently abandoned, with only a couple of faded posters and menus from the ill fated Carib Restaurant in the windows to remind passers by of the failed project. Very soon after the building was left empty, thieves broke into the electricity substation at the back of the structure, and stole most of the copper wiring and pipework from the building. It has now been several years since anything happened to the building. I was passing it by on Tuesday morning on my way to a meeting when I noticed builders in the place, and some positive signs of activity. After some research, I have discovered that the building has recently been sold for just under £1.5 million to law firm McMillan Williams. The solicitors are having the ground and half of the first floor of the former bar / restaurant converted into client facing office space. The remainder of the first floor, and all of the second floor will be sublet to another organisation in due course. I am pleased that the landmark building is finally being put back into productive use - it has been an eyesore in the centre of Bexleyheath for far too long, and in many ways I am surprised that it has taken such a long time for it to be returned to use. After all, it is in the centre of Bexleyheath; it has excellent road connections with the A2 and the M25 and is only a short train ride from central London. If you want decent food and a superbly kept and served pint of real ale, the building is only ten or so minutes walk from the Robin Hood and Little John in Lion Road. 

I was expecting some critical comments following on from my observation last week that for me personally, mobile phones have more negative aspects than positive ones, and that this is the reason that I don't have one. In fact quite the contrary happened - I had a number of messages from readers who agreed with me, and one who even envied me for not having one. Whilst this was going on, I was sent the cartoon that you can see above, which dates back to 1926. As you can see it was amazingly prophetic in its predictions in respect of the potential problems that being constantly in telephone contact could bring - and indeed have, as we now know. The cartoon was originally published in the Daily Mirror; it was drawn by a man who went on to become known as "The father of the British strip cartoon". His name was William K Haselden; He was the second of five children of Adolphe Henry Haselden and his wife Susan Elizabeth (née Kerridge). Haselden's parents were both English but met in Seville, where his father was director of the Seville Gasworks. Haselden's father died during a family holiday to England in 1874, and the remaining family stayed in England, settling in Hampstead. The young William's education at a private school was cut short due to the family's financial problems, and he left school at the age of 16 with no formal artistic training. He worked unhappily as an underwriter at Lloyd's in London for thirteen years before some of his sketches were accepted for the periodical The Sovereign. When this ceased publication a few months later, he obtained some freelance work on the Tatler and St. James's Gazette. After approaching the offices of Alfred Harmsworth in 1903, Haselden managed to obtain a full-time post on Harmsworth's new venture, the Daily Mirror - a newspaper that was at the time aimed at an almost exclusively female readership. Here he remained until his retirement in 1940. At the Daily Mirror, Haselden originally started with political cartoons, but soon settled into his trademark style of gentle, conservative social commentary reflecting on middle-class fashions and manners. His cartoons usually consisted of a single frame divided into a number of panels, for which he has been viewed as the father of British strip cartoon. Haselden often lampooned social and technological trends of the time by making bold predictions about how the future would transpire, including fashion, mobile camera phones and feminism. His daily cartoons on the fads, fashions, foibles and follies of the age soon earned him a large following. His style was gentle, subtle and his tone conservative. His targets were the upper middle-class householder and his family, and he was greatly exercised by the advances made by women, their careers, their voting rights and their increasing independence from the corset, both the physical and the metaphorical one of male domination. A viewpoint with which at the time the majority of his readers would have approved. From 1906, Haselden contributed to Punch as a theatrical caricaturist, retiring in 1936 due to increasing deafness. Haselden spent most of his working life resident in London, but from the mid-1930s spent more time at the family's holiday home in Aldeburgh, Suffolk to where he eventually retired. He died of natural causes on Christmas Day, 1953. His obituary in The Times recalled the hallmark of his work as its "unfailing amiability". Its editorial of the same day complimented his work as a sourcebook for the social historian, adding that "the man who could avoid the cartoonist's two pitfalls of cruelty and insipidity was no small artist, even in a small field".

Now for the aforementioned local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly, Barnehurst ward:- "We have had two reported burglaries this week both in Marden Crescent, The first occurred overnight on the 1st February where a shed was broken into by suspects forcing the locked shed door, no property was taken. The second occurred on the 1st February between 8am – 12 Noon where a suspect has apparently gained entry to a property through an unlocked window and taken £1000 cash from within. Please be vigilant and make sure that all doors and windows are locked when leaving your home, even for a short period of time. I am pleased to inform you that all the animals seized from our warrant with the RSPCA last week are reported as doing well. The investigation is ongoing and I will update you all with any further news when I am able Please join me at Hall place car park on Tuesday 13th February at 1pm to discuss any local issues that you may have. Thank you to all our twitter followers who now number over 400, we would like a lot more so please spread the word and follow us @MPSBarnehurst for news on what you team are up to and up to date crime prevention advice". Belvedere ward:- "Update on what we’ve been up to: On Friday the team located a stolen bike on Picardy Street. Items were found in the bike which have been submitted for forensic analysis; CCTV enquiries were also conducted. We will welcome any information that will aid our investigation to come forward regarding a person on a damaged black moped in the Picardy Street area. The bike was displaying a registration of LJ55LYA – there are images of the bike on our Twitter page: @MPSBelvedere . On Monday PC Green conducted the search of some unused garages that appeared to have been lived in. PC Green & PC Holmes interviewed a male on Tuesday in relation to 2 racial public order offences. PC Green will be looking to progress with the matter and deal with the suspect suitably. PC Green & PCSO Worrall also held a crime prevention surgery at ASDA on Tuesday. On Wednesday PC Green attended Belvedere Junior School to talk to parents about Online Safety and Sexual Awareness. PCSO Worrall was making efforts to sign more roads up to Neighbourhood Watch. PC Rob assisted in the arrest of a male who was found in possession of cannabis. More updates on what we have been up to can be found on Twitter: @MPSBelvedere and Facebook: Belvedere Police". Brampton ward:- "Brampton Ward continues to be one of the safest Wards in the Borough with only two crimes affecting residents directly. There was a theft from motor vehicle in Long Lane where the victim had a bag containing valuables including a purse and laptop taken from the car along with other items. The bag was later discovered with most items including the laptop returned to the owner; unfortunately the purse was not recovered. Please if you can do not leave anything of value on show in your car. There was also an attempted distraction burglary in Sheldon Road where a male dressed in a high vis jacket knocked on an elderly resident’s door. He claimed to be working for the water board and demanded entry, fortunately the victim refused and the man made off. Enquiries made to Thames water showed that there were no operatives in the road at the time of the incident. Thames Water also assured us that they will always show ID and that there is a number to ring to check if they are at your door". Christ Church ward:- "Unfortunately we have had three residential burglaries reported recently. One burglary was reported in Lewin Road. The suspect broke a rear window at the property to gain entry. Another burglary occurred in Woodlands Road and on this occasion a side window was broken to gain entry. Both of these burglaries occurred on the 31/01/2018. The third burglary occurred on the 02/02/2018 in Oaklands Road, whereby entry was gained through a rear window. On the 02/02/2018 a report of a theft of motor vehicle in Chapel Road was received. On the same day there was a theft of number plates from a vehicle on Woolwich Road. Criminal Damage to a dwelling was reported on the 31/01/2018 on Woodlands Road, a window had been smashed. Also criminal damage was reported along Oakland’s Road where a CCTV camera was damaged. A robbery was reported on the Broadway on the 02/02/2018 near Barclays Bank. In the area of Nationwide Bank an elderly female had cash taken from her bag on the same day. Two theft of purses where reported also on the 02/02/2018. One of these incidents happened inside Peacocks and the other was an elderly female outside the Conservative Club. In relation to this particular incident investigations are on-going. On the 04/02/2018 a report was received for a theft of a mobile phone from Arcadia Lounge Bar. The team are conducting patrols along Hawthorn Road & Methuen Road and the surrounding streets. Residents have reported drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in the area. This information has come direct from the residents to us but so far we have not received any further information from other sources, I.E.101 On the 15/02/2018 at 11:00hrs the Christchurch team shall be available outside the Bowling Alley, Bexleyheath, conducting a bike marking event. The team shall be offering free bike marking to the public in conjunction with Bike Register. Please feel free to pop along and if you wish bring your bike along to get it registered. On a daily basis, the team conducts targeted ASB patrols around the ward in known area’s which have been highlighted via information and intelligence. At this time these patrols are mainly in the area of the Broadway, including ASDA and the car parks on the ward". Colyers ward:- "We are pleased to report that Colyers have had no reported burglaries this week. However there were 2 theft from motor vehicles and 1 vehicle interference. Of the 2 theft from vehicles, one was in the early hours of Saturday 3rd February in Coniston Road Bexleyheath. Two males were seen searching a car and were cashed away empty handed by an eagle eyed resident. The other was in Eversley Road sometime between 2pm Sunday 4th February and 8am Monday 5th February, the side passenger window was smashed and the Satnav stolen. Lastly, sometime between midnight and 9am on Monday the 5th February in Appledore Avenue a car window was smashed and the vehicle searched but nothing taken. Our next Community Contact Session is on Monday 12th 1pm in Cupcakes Bakery on Colyers Lane". Erith ward:- "PCs Gill and Tom have been across the ward in plain clothing and made an arrest. New NHW members in Tower Road, Morris Drive. Anti-social behaviour took place in both McDonalds and Dominos. The CCTV has been viewed for both and we are looking at identifying those involved, Drugs found in Compton place. PS Young has been patrolling the ward in the CCTV van and on motorbike January Recap: Your Erith team executed 2 search warrants & found a drugs factory. We conducted weapon sweeps on several estates, finding weapons & drugs. We have reduced and are continuing to reduce ASB and associated crimes in hotspot areas". Lesnes Abbey ward:- "Burglary - No Burglaries. However remain vigilant at all times. Remember lock windows and doors.  Motor vehicle crimes - On Friday 02/02/18 between the hours of 06:00am and 04:20 pm a motorbike parked in the car park behind Wilton Road was damaged; Overnight of Sunday 04/02/18 and Monday 05/02/18 a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road had bodywork dented. The victim had been visiting friends. Dates for your diary. All are welcome - Monday 12/02/18, a Community Contact Session will be held at the Bostall Library Community Group, King Harold's Way between the hours of 11:45am until 12:45 pm. An opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to–face contact to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer; Police surgery on Tuesday 13/02/18 4:00pm until 5:00pm at the Bostall Library Community Group, King Harold's Way; Half term event: Kite making event for children on Tuesday 13/02/18 between the hours of 10;30 am until 3:00pm. Location : Lesnes Abbey Lodge, Lesnes Abbey Ruins, New Road, Abbey Wood, SE2 0QJ. Any Burglary or Motor Vehicle Crime prevention information wanted, please contact the Lesnes Abbey team on the details above". North End ward:- "Only one crime of note this week. A family had racist comments made to them in Dale View on Friday evening. A suspect has been identified and this is an ongoing investigation with all the correct reassurance etc put in place. After recent calls regarding cannabis being smoked in the stairwells at Grange House, we have been and knocked on every door in the block giving reassurance, gaining intel and giving all residents our team contact details to report any further issues. Patrols will continue inside the block. Last Thursday myself and PC Telfer got some lunch from Morrison’s in Erith, as we left a male was outside smoking cannabis. He was promptly stopped, his joint seized and then issued with a cannabis warning. Luckily, lunch wasn’t ruined! The following day, in Frobisher Road, PC Telfer stopped another male who had cannabis on him and after several checks, it was discovered he had already had a cannabis warning so he ended up with a £90 fine. Maybe next time he will not be so vocal. At our ward panel meeting last Thursday, the residents chose, Drug Issues, Robbery and ASB as the ward promises for the next 3 months. Our surgeries and street briefings will now be call Community Contact Sessions (CCS). These will take place at least one per week and they are now a chance for members of the public to come and report crime on top of the usual chit chat and confidential intel reporting". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Good news this week officers from the team arrested a male youth for possession of cannabis and possession of a weapon following a stop and search. Home visits are still being conducted to parents of youths coming to Police attention in and around Bexley Road. There were two commercial robberies in the Brook Street area this week on the same evening of Thursday February 1st February. The robber made off with cash and cigarettes having threatened staff in two separate premises with a knife. One criminal damage to a bedroom window in Nurstead Road last Friday evening. A double glazed window was cracked and the victim believed a beer bottle was thrown at it .A transit van was stolen from a driveway in Parsonage Manorway overnight between Sunday February 5th to Monday February 5th. A tyre was stolen from a parked car in Becton Place on Sunday February 4th and also criminal damage to a motorbike parked on a drive in Hurlingham Road. One attempted burglary reported this week but it is unclear exactly when this took place. The victims had left ladders in their garden which had been moved and an attempt was made to force the kitchen window open. Thankfully entry was not gained. Our next drop in Police Surgery will be held at the Library in Mill Road Erith this Friday February at 4pm. All are welcome to attend. We have had a report of of two males in Horsa Road impersonating police officers over the last week. This took place on the afternoon of Tuesday January 23rd. The males were in plain clothes and stated they were conducting arrest enquiries, they had a warrant holder with a gold coloured police badge but no ID card. Please check all credentials of any callers carefully. A genuine caller will not mind waiting outside while a phone call is made to check their identity, particularly is an appointment has not been previously booked. Please also be vigilant of any suspicious telephone callers. On Saturday January 27th an elderly resident in Horsa Road received a call from a male claiming to be from BT. The male insisted that there was a problem with the internet speed and tried various tactics to persuade the gentleman to part with money to resolve the problem. Thankfully the gentleman reported the call to police and did not answer any further calls from the number. On Sunday January 28th overnight in to Monday 29th a Ford Fiesta was stolen in Northumberland Park. The victim still has the keys and there is no tracker fitted to the vehicle. On Monday January 29th, also in Northumberland Park, a vehicle had the back window smashed in. Entry was not gained and nothing was taken; On Wednesday January 31st a caravan was broken in to in Little Heath Road and a battery charger was stolen; One Burglary in Ling Road between Saturday January 27th between 7.30pm and Sunday afternoon of January 28th. The victim went to Bexley Road to get a takeaway and left his wallet in his coat in the house. He discovered his wallet missing the following day. Unfortunately the victim did not lock his front door properly. Please always check that your UPVC door is locked properly by putting the handle up and locking the door with the key. --- A vape shop in Brook Street had goods stolen to the value of over £100 on the evening of Tuesday January 30th. Three youths distracted the shopkeeper and stole the items before running away. The team held a coffee with cops event at the Tea on the Pantiles teashop on Saturday January 27th and will continue these at various locations across the ward". Thamesmead East ward:- "31/01/2018 Muskovy House, Kale Road, 17:00 – 1030am, Vehicle Interference. Person(s) unknown have smashed the tailgate window on her car possibly in an attempted entry into the vehicle although Victim does not think any entry gained and is confident no property stolen from the vehicle; 02/02/2018 Manor Close SE28 02:00 – 09:00am - Residential Burglary. The door is a UPVC sliding door with a large pane of glass, door frame had been bent away from the door in two places. As if a tool had been prizing it away. Entry not gained; 03/02/2018 Argali House, Kale Road 17:00 – 17:20 Theft Of Motor Vehicle Unknown suspect has stolen the victim's vehicle from outside her home address. On 07/02/2018 the team attended a meeting at Sporting Club Thamesmead with Fiona Hamilton (Thamesmead Communities Manager) from PEABODY to discuss partnership working at both The Link in Bazalgette Way SE2 and The Sporting Club. Fiona informed the team there are some exciting activities over the half Term holiday check out the clubs Twitter page on @SCThamesmead. Date for your diary: Tuesday 13th February 2018 14:15 – 15:15hrs Thamesmead East Police Surgery. Crime prevention advice – Remove any personal belongings from your motor vehicle. If you lock your car using a remote key fob please try at least one of the door handles to confirm it's locked before you walk away. Always lock your car when unattended, even for a few moments. Never leave items in view in your car or home. Keep your purse or wallet secure".

The end video this week shows some footage taken at the Erith Model Railway Society show at Longfield Academy on the 28th January 2018. Please feel free to leave a comment below; alternatively you can Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.