The Forum.

The Erith Riverside Gardens are a lovely place to visit, and to sit and watch the world go by. Recently the gardens have been the home of some free yoga sessions. The next free sessions are being held on Saturday the 7th September 11-12pm. Then on Saturday the 14th September from 11-12pm, and finally an evening session on Monday the 23rd September from 6.30 - 7.30pm. Bring along a yoga mat and wear suitable loose clothing. Before anyone asks, no, I will not be participating!

Now for some rather sad news, that I have to admit I did see coming. Erith Town Forum have decided to disband. A message was sent to a number of local people, including myself, on Friday afternoon. The message reads in full thus:- "Erith Town Forum Management Committee met today. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the Forum. After much careful thought both prior to and during the meeting it was decided that now is the appropriate time to close Erith Town Forum since it no longer has sufficient voluntary officers able to give time and attention to make sure it can be as active and useful to the community of Erith as it has certainly been in the past. We are extremely proud of the achievements of Erith Town Forum over many years. Another consultative group has come into being “The Erith Think Tank” who aim to do many of the things the Forum have done in the past but using new modern methods of communication and generally operating in a different way. You will find details of their activities through The Exchange, the organisation now refurbishing the old Carnegies Library for use as a community hub. The funds raised by the Chairperson of Erith Forum from local business and larger charities over the years have been spent to organise events for senior citizens, young people and the community as a whole, together with the cost of hiring the Veterans Club for regular meetings and secretarial services. There is a small amount of money left in the accounts and the Management team recommend that this be divided between 2 charities – the Erith Food Bank and Evergreen, both of whose services are in greater demand than ever. In case you are in doubt as to who Evergreen serve, it is largely the older generation who are sick, returning from a hospital stay or simply lonely. These people need help to keep their homes clean and tidy and company to keep them mentally stimulated. We have sent a note to all Members of the Forum inviting them to comment on the above and await their reply. Meantime we would like to thank you for your contributions and regular attendance at Forum meetings and events over many many years, and hope you will be able to get to the Think Tank meetings and enjoy participating in their activities". To learn more about the Erith Think Tank, and to join in with its activities, click here. 

Back in July I wrote at some length about the threat to the two metre VHF amateur radio band. A proposal had been submitted by France to make the Aeronautical Mobile Service the primary users of the 144-146 MHz (2 Metre VHF) band and demote the Amateur Radio Service to secondary users - effectively removing them from the band. Thanks to concerted efforts by the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) and other European amateur radio societies, At 144MHz, after a major effort, the 144 to 146MHz frequency range was successfully withdrawn from the French WRC-23 aeronautical proposal. This hot topic had been the subject of detailed submissions by the IARU, France and Germany. This excellent result for amateur radio occurred in parallel to a number of other proposals being adopted to support aeronautical interests. The upshot of this is that the 2M amateur band is saved and can continue being used exclusively by licenced amateur radio operators. 

Here is a message from Caroline Field of Orbit Housing Association:- "Orbit and Wates invite you to join us to celebrate the completion of Erith Park and launch of Arthur Street regeneration. Our community fun day, organised with residents of Erith Park  celebrates the new community.  We are building homes here, not just houses, and that means working together to create a lasting community legacy. We would love to welcome you to show our appreciation of your contribution to the new community of Erith Park – and our future vision for Arthur Street. Join us for a day filled with fun activities and entertainment for all. It’s the weekend so feel free to bring family members if you wish. Food and drink vans will be available on the day. Saturday 14th September 1-4pm. Community Room, Adamson Court, Dell View Road, DA8 3FG". Caroline also wrote to me to explain the recent decision by Bexley Council to reject the initial plans for the demolition of the old Arthur Street Estate, which I covered in detail last week. Caroline writes:- "As you know the planning committee resolved to give consent for the demolition of Arthur Street and the building of our new development.  What people often don’t realise is that there are other processes to go through before a planning consent is confirmed and you can actually start work.  Some of these processes involve lawyers so they can take some time.  We plan to start work on structural demolition at the end of September and we are still hoping to get our main consent confirmed by then. However, as is normal in these circumstances, we submitted a simpler application to cover the demolition as a back up.  This is what the Council have refused". It would appear that the decision from Bexley Council is a minor blip, and not the major problem that some had envisaged. The regeneration of the Arthur Street Estate is much needed by hundreds of local people. 

Since my piece on the potential new Micro Pub in Welling which I covered last week, a reader who wishes to remain anonymous Emailed me to inform me that planning permission has just been given for The Bolthole in Falconwood Parade, Welling. This will be another Micro Pub. The writer and I share the opinion that this may be one too many in the Welling area, and we share concerns that the opening of a third micro pub in a relatively small catchment area may lead to the market becoming over saturated. On the other hand, there is a large residential community around the Falconwood area, which might well support the venture. Regarding the application, I notice that another local resident has submitted an objection on the Bexley planning website. The person has submitted the following comments:- "This application should be refused and the applicant asked to apply as a public house (not a Micropub). Micropubs should not serve lager as the applicants have suggested on their website. The area is not suited to a venue that will supply large quantities of lager, creating antisocial behaviour to residents and children playing nearby. The alternative is strict conditions that say all beer sold must be unpasteurised and therefore conform as real ale whether served on draught or in bottles/cans. This can be tested and will prevent the sale of mass-produced lagers. If the applicant is to be allowed to serve fizzy lagers, they should be required to have door staff as a condition of the licence between 1800 and 2300 on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and bank holidays". on top of this, another local resident has submitted the following, which I was not aware of, until now:- "After your comments about lager on your blog it did make me wonder. This area The Green in Welling has a history of anti-social behaviour. There is a covenant on all our property deeds that no intoxicating alcohol should be sold on this estate, but we have two restaurants who sell same but to customers, and three off-licences so I presume nobody takes any notice of these things now, as it was in 1936. I did mention it to the Planning Officer". What do you think of this situation? Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

I am a big fan of Google's Chromebook computers. Chromebooks run a cut down version of the Linux operating system called Chrome OS, and the only locally installed application on the simplified computers is the Chrome web browser. All "apps" run on the machines are actually web based applications that are remotely accessed; whilst the machines do have a limited amount of local storage, users are strongly encouraged to store their data in encrypted form in the cloud.  I have had a Google Chromebook by Samsung - (the photo above is my own model) since 2012, and I have been very satisfied with it - especially considering their inexpensive price. Most Chromebooks cost between £179 and £279, though it is possible to spend considerably more, though personally I can see only limited benefit in getting a pricier model, as most of the "heavy lifting" of any computing is not done on the Chromebook itself. but on the server in the cloud. Chromebooks are basically terminals onto the net. As long as you have a good WiFi or a 4 / 5G connection, you are good to go. Google's Chrome operating system has proved to be extremely robust and secure, though it has to be said it has far less to do than a "full fat" desktop / Laptop operating system such as Windows 10. I bought my Chromebook back in 2012, when they were a relatively knew phenomenon; I paid £229 for it - which I thought was little enough that if it did not work for me, little money would have been wasted. On the contrary, I found it to be an excellent tool with long battery life, a decent screen and most important to me - an excellent keyboard very similar in style to a MacBook Pro. I spend most of my time online typing, so keyboard quality is something very important to me - and also the reason that I am not a fan of tablet computers - I am primarily a content creator, rather than a content consumer. I recently encountered an issue which I had been half expecting, but which nevertheless came as somewhat of an unpleasant surprise. I powered up the Chromebook one evening recently, and a pop up notice appeared on screen, which said:- "This device will no longer receive the latest software updates. Please consider upgrading". I did a bit of research, and the current Chromebook will continue working, but it will not get functionality and security updates in future. This is not too bad really - the machine has been a workhorse for seven years, so it really does not owe me anything. If I want to continue using it with continuing updates, I can install a full Linux operating system on it. Saying that, I do like Chrome OS, and looked at possibly getting a brand new Chromebook at some stage in the future. One thing I discovered was that buying a brand new Chromebook does not guarantee you will get six and a half years of updates to it from Google. Support from Google for Chrome OS on a device lasts from the moment that particular model is released by the manufacturer, not from when the end user purchases it. Every Chromebook has an "Auto Update Expiration (AUE) Date" after which the operating system is unsupported by Google. If you happen to buy your Chromebook late in the product's life cycle, you may be surprised how soon the AUE date arrives. You can see the AUE dates for the whole range of Chromebooks listed in order of the manufacturer by clicking here. Would this put you off buying a Chromebook? What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

One of the most widely known companies to have a historic association with Erith was Callender's Cables, formerly known as The Callender Bitumen, Telegraph and Waterproof co. Originally the company was primarily concerned with the production of bitumen and waterproof damp course material for the building trade, with cable making little more than a side line. The rapid growth in telecommunications in the late Victorian era led to cables becoming the company's main product, and in 1896 the firm was reorganised as The Callender Cable and Construction co, which was later changed to British Insulated Callenders Cables, or BICC. By 1965 the Erith based factory was the principal manufacturing facility for the world's largest cable group - the production area covered some 65 acres and provided employment for 1,300 local workers. Callenders were one of the main manufacturers of PLUTO (Pipeline Under The Ocean). Callenders also contributed much to the area of culture and the arts; Callenders Cableworks Band, which was started in 1890 as a Salvation Army band. Some members wanted to play a wider variety of music, so the band was relaunched as a temperance promoting popular music band. Callender's employees included at least a hundred instrumentalists who spent their leisure time in four band groups. The Senior Band consisted of 31 picked men: this was the band which broadcast on BBC Radio. There was also the A-band, the B-band and a learner's class of beginners from school age onwards; the A- and B-band members and the learners could all be promoted upwards as their skills developed and vacancies occurred. There was also a degree of "poaching" of skilled instrumentalists from other bands, not necessarily local to the area; It was kept quiet at the time, but in August 1925 when the St Hilda Colliery in South Shields temporarily closed, seven members of the colliery band, which was undoubtedly one of the best in the UK at the time, were all offered positions working at Callenders, even though they were miners, not cabling engineers. It is understood that their "day jobs" were nominal at best - making the tea or doing a bit of sweeping up - they were actually recruited primarily for their musical talents, and the prestige that they would bring to the company. This "poaching" of the best musicians from other brass bands carried on over the next ten years or so - a period when the Callenders Cableworks Band were considered the very best in the country. They became popular around the country and gave many public performances, and had a regular feature on pioneering radio station 2LOduring the early days of radio. The Band's first broadcast was from radio station 2LO on 27 February 1925. By 1932 the Band had twice toured all stations of BBC Radio, and they were to broadcast there twice again in April of that year, by which time they had broadcast 72 times on radio. By 16 December of that year, they had broadcast 80 times. They aspired to performing music which was "out of the rut of marches, operatic selections and other pier head pieces." They performed on 5 March 1932 at the Queen's Hall, London. On the afternoon and evening of Sunday 20 March of the same year, they performed at the opening of the new art deco frontage of the Central Bandstand, Herne Bay, Kent. On 18 December 1932 they took part in a special BBC Radio programme in which most of the music had been composed especially for them. Under the name of Callenders Senior Band they recorded Colonel Bogey, Entry of the Gladiators, Le Grenadier, Les Huguenots (parts 1 and 2), Three Dale Dances and Triana on 78 rpm disks. They recorded A Sailor's Life (Descriptive Fantasia), parts 1 and 2, conducted by Tom Morgan, on two Broadcast Twelve disks. Broadcast Twelve Records was a United Kingdom based record label introduced in 1928 to partner the regular "Broadcast" brand records introduced in 1927. These brands replaced the Aco Records label. The manufacturer of the discs were the Vocalion Gramophone Company. "Broadcast" discs were 8-inch (later increased to 9-inch) and "Broadcast Twelve" discs were 10-inch 78rpm gramophone records, but with small labels and a fine groove pitch so they would play as long as regular 10 and 12-inch discs respectively. They ceased production in 1934. The label was a subsidiary of the British branch of Vocalion Records. In brass band competitions over the years they had 25 wins, 11 second places and 3 third places. For some years they took part in the Elthorne Band Contest which started in 1919 at Elthorne Park. The competition had four sections with many entries, and a massed band concert. They won the competition on 20 May 1924 and 3 May 1925, and again on 7 June 1930. The band was disbanded at the start of World War 2, and reformed at the end of the war; though it never regained the prestige it had once held - and in any case brass band music was losing favour with the listening public. The band struggled on until 1961, when it was finally wound up due to a lack of members. Ironically the history of the band is now starting to come to the fore again, and interest in what Callenders did in the early decades of the twentieth century is now starting to grow.

It has come to my attention that we will shortly be losing a well known and very popular local figure. Rob Radcliffe, who has been the vicar at St.John's Erith - Bexley's oldest church - since 2011 is about to move on. He's heading off to the Isle of Man, where he was born, to take charge of four churches in the island. The official Church of England announcement reads:- "Bishop Peter is pleased to announce the appointment of The Revd Mark Radcliffe, currently Vicar of St John the Baptist, Erith, as the new Vicar of Malew and Santan, succeeding the Revd James McGowan. Mark was born on the Isle of Man but with both of his parents serving in the British Army, his childhood saw him living in different locations across the globe, including a spell in Singapore. Prior to ordination Mark worked for various organisations as an Information Technology Officer and was also an active member of St Philip and St James’ Church in Walderslade, Kent, where he served on the PCC, Diocesan Synod and Bishop’s Council. Mark also spent time as the Lay Chair of Rochester Deanery as well as chairing the Diocesan Youth Committee. Mark began training for ministry at Cranmer Hall, Durham, in 2005 before being ordained deacon in 2008 and serving his Title in the Parish of St John the Evangelist, Welling. Revd Mark took up his current position as Vicar of Erith in the Diocese of Rochester in 2011 and has overseen a growth in school outreach work that culminated in over 800 young people attending the most recent Christmas Carol services. Mark is 56 years old and in his spare time he enjoys walking and reading military history and science fiction books. On his appointment the Revd Mark Radcliffe said, ‘I am looking forward to spending time getting to know the congregations of the parish and the local communities that they serve whilst trying to discern God's plans for our shared future’. Commenting on the new appointment, Bishop Peter said ‘I am delighted to welcome The Revd Mark Radcliffe to the Diocese of Sodor and Man.  Mark brings with him substantial experience of parish ministry and a desire to reach out across the entire community with the Gospel and with a ministry of care.   I thank Wardens, Parish Officers, and colleagues for sustaining the life of the parish through the period of Interregnum, and I express my gratitude and happiness that we have been able to appoint a new Vicar so swiftly.  I now look forward immensely to welcoming Mark into our diocese and into the Southern Mission Partnership.  Thanks be to God.’ Please pray for Mark as he prepares to move to the Island and please also pray for the people of St John the Baptist, Erith, as they prepare for a period of vacancy". In case you were wondering, Rob will be using the first name of Mark when he moves to his new post. I have no idea why. I will miss my occasional chats with him; we used to discuss old computers and military history, of which he is a great enthusiast. Rob is a Maggot Sandwich reader, and I hope he will continue so to do after his move to pastures new. I wish him well in his new parish.

Now for the weekly local safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly the report from Barnehurst ward:- "Since the last weekly update there have been no crimes to report. This is great news however we continue to remind residents to double lock front doors, check windows are closed securely and ensure your vehicles are safe with no items left out on show. PC Arif and PC Tom Smith have been carrying out proactive patrols targeting hotspot areas. Police Community Support Officers Cathy and John have been out on foot patrol engaging with local residents and carrying out reassurance visits to vulnerable residents. Street a week was carried out in Taunton Close where residents had the opportunity to speak to officers about local issues. The next community contact session will be held in Barnehurst Golf Club on Tuesday 10th September 2019 at 11.00am. We look forward to seeing you". Belvedere ward:- "Last week, there was damage caused to the window of a residents vehicle in Brigstock Road overnight from Wednesday 21st to Thursday 22nd August. It appeared to be an attempt to gain entry to the car which had been parked in Halt Robin Road. Having completed door to door enquiries, we have been unable to establish any witnesses or possible leads as to who may have been responsible. If anyone has any information in relation to this incident, please contact the team. Earlier in the month, there was a catalytic converter removed from a vehicle in Eardley Road. Again, this took place overnight (seemingly in the small hours of the morning). We are in the process of viewing CCTV in relation to this incident. Anyone that may have any information, again please contact the team". Bexleyheath ward:- "There has been one report of a burglary on the ward as well as an attempted burglary reported. Wednesday 21/08/2019 Burglary– Iris Avenue Bexleyheath – Happened overnight and entry was gained via the side extension. Wednesday 21/08/2019 – Attempted Burglary along Martens Avenue Bexleyheath. Suspects tried to gain entry on rear door of property and happened between midnight at 2am.  A Theft of motor vehicle was reported on the Tuesday 20/08/2019 along Market Place Bexleyheath between 3.40pm & 4pm. Also on the Wednesday 21/08/2019, there was a report of a theft from motor vehicle near Albion Road Bexleyheath. There was also a report of a purse stolen from the victim’s hand bag, purse was discovered stolen whilst shopping on the Broadway on the Wednesday 21/09/2019". Crayford ward:- "It has been a relatively 'Q' week for crime in Crayford this week. However, we did have a residential burglary and a robbery. The burglary took place on bank holiday Monday, 26th August between 14.00-15.20 in London Road. Entry was made by smashing windows to gain entry. Among the items stolen was a Louis Vuitton handbag and contents including an annual train pass, photography equipment, an air rifle and sentimental jewellery belonging to the victim’s elderly Mother. The robbery took place near Greggs in Crayford Road on Tuesday 20th August between 19.10-19.20. Three IC3 males were seen to follow the two victims from Town Hall Square, past the library and Sainsbury's and out to Crayford Road where they had their property stolen. Items stolen include a laptop and bag containing work related paperwork, currency, keys and fobs to home and vehicles, a watch, a sports bag. The victims believe they were targeted due to the nature of their jobs. A white Range Rover Evoque number plate LM16XGY was stolen from Inglewood Road between 15.30 on Friday 23rd August and 08.50 on Saturday 24th September, the owner still has the keys. A catalytic convertor was stolen from a black Toyota Prius Plus on Friday 23rd August between 11.40-12.10 whilst parked at Hall Place car park. Number plates were stolen from Dale Road on Tuesday 27th August between 16.30-21.45, EU64SXJ should be on a white Ford Transit with L and Q markings on. A black and blue TREK bicycle, model 4300 D 13 was stolen with all accessories from the bike shed outside Crayford BR Station on Tuesday 27th August between 07.55 – 17.05. We cannot stress enough the importance of locking doors and windows securely when leaving your property, even for a short time. Make your home look like it is occupied, consider a burglar alarm or CCTV, ring door bells are brilliant too. Please look at www.met.police.uk/burglary for lots of useful tips and advice on keeping your home safe and secure. Our next community contact session will be held on Wednesday 4th September at Sainsbury's Café between 16.00-17.00, please feel free to come along for an informal chat".

Erith ward - no reports this week. Northumberland Heath ward:- "Search warrant executed on Saturday 24/8/19 at Hind Crescent. Items of interest were found and enquiries are ongoing. Officers are working around the clock to bring criminals to justice. If you are concerned about police activities in your area or you would like to speak with an officer please contact us. If you have any information you would like to pass to police related to criminal activities please contact Crimestoppers anonymously on freephone 0800555111. A set of number plates has been taken from a parked and unattended vehicle in Belmont Road. If you happen to see registration number S800TTP please contact police so further enquiries can be made. Should you wish to protect your vehicle from this type of offence drop us a line and we may be able to provide appropriate anti-theft devices". Slade Green and Northend ward: -"On Friday 23/08/2019 number plates were stolen overnight from a vehicle in Cornwallis Close. Please let us know if you require any anti theft screws. There was an attempted theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle in Alexandra Road around 2.30pm on Saturday 24/08/2019. Fortunately the suspects were approached by a neighbour and drove off.  A pushbike was stolen from a garage in Brompton Drive in the last week. It was noticed missing by the victim on Sunday but they hadn’t been to the garage area for a few days so it is unclear at this point when the theft occurred. CCTV enquiries are ongoing. Unfortunately the victim does remember that they did NOT lock their garage leaving it insecure. Please please always lock all your property. A moped was stolen from a drive in the afternoon of Monday 26/08/2019 in Bridge Road. Enquiries are ongoing". Thamesmead East ward:- "Burglary: No burglaries this week. Crime Prevention: Close and lock all your doors and windows, even if you're going out for a few minutes. Photograph and keep a detailed inventory of each item of jewellery and keep it in a separate place. Remain vigilant at all times; Theft from Motor Vehicles: Overnight of Wednesday 21/08/19 and Thursday 22/0819 a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road was broken into, a laptop and various other items stolen. At 5:00am of the Friday 23/08/19 vehicle parked in St Edmunds Close broken into, bag left in passenger footwell, however nothing taken as suspect believed to have been disturbed by another resident. Overnight of Friday 23/08/19 and Saturday 24/08/19 a vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road, had the rear passenger quarter light window smashed, untidy search ,nothing believed to have been taken. theft from a vehicle parked in Hartslock Drive overnight of Sunday 25/08/19 and Monday 26/08/19, the driver’s window was smashed, a wallet containing various bank cards and cash taken from the driver’s side door pocket; Another vehicle parked in Wolvercote Road, broken into during the early hours of Monday 26/08/19 - the driver’s window smashed, an untidy search, nothing believed to have been taken; Overnight of Sun 25/08/19 and Mon 26/08/19 a vehicle parked in Maran Way broken into and a laptop and sat-nav taken; Overnight of the Sat 24/08/19 and Sun 25/08/19 a vehicle parked in Northwood Place broken into, a wallet containing bank cards/travel card /store cards left in glove compartment stolen .Sometime between 7:00am and 6:00pm of the 26/08/19 a company vehicle parked outside Argali House, Kale Road, had the driver’s side window smashed and a sat-nav stolen; A vehicle parked in Redpoll Way between the hours of 4:00pm and 10:15pm of the Monday 26/08/19 was broken into and a wallet containing a bank card and a driving licence stolen; Criminal Damage to Motor Vehicles - A company vehicle parked in Dalberg Way had a window broken. Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention - coins for the car park, sunglasses or other items that can earn quick cash are irresistible to the opportunist thief. The cost of replacing a window is often much more than that of what’s stolen. Tell family, friends and neighbours. Good News: Excellent work by PC Pruden resulted in a male being stopped and searched, he was found to be in possession of a Class 'A' drug and cannabis, the male is now serving a custodial sentence". West Heath ward:- "We are pleased to say that there have been no burglaries reported over the last week. We are however still suffering from motor vehicle crime on the ward. One attempted theft from motor vehicle in Bedonwell Road on Wednesday August 21st between 11.25pm – 11.30pm. A male was seen attempting to try to open the victim’s door without success. The male then walked away without gaining entry;Tools worth approximately £500 were stolen from a van in Long Lane overnight between Thursday 22nd August 9pm – Friday August 23rd -8am; An attempt was made to steal a motorbike in Madison Crescent on Sunday August 25th at 11.45pm. A male was seeing dressed in motorbike clothing and wearing a helmet. The suspect was disturbed by the victim banging on the window the male made off on the back of a silver scooter. The team have been working flat out this week conducting arrest enquiries and assisted with the policing at the Notting Hill Carnival over the bank holiday weekend. The next drop in police surgery will be held at the Bostall Library in King Harolds Way on Monday September 2nd between 12-1pm. All are welcome to attend". 

The end video this week shows the first day of service of  the new 301 bus route, which runs from Beresford Square in Woolwich via Plumstead, Thamesmead and Abbey Wood on its way to its termination at Bexleyheath shopping centre. The journey in real time takes approximately thirty five minutes. The producer of the short video has sped up the footage so that the journey only takes five minutes, and is accompanied by some pretty awful and distracting music for some unfathomable reason. You can always turn off the audio. Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.