Countdown to Christmas Day 6 - Climate Chaos Wave and March

Concern over the environmental future of the globe has been rising steadily.

The reality is no-one knows where this is going but it clear that we have a responsibility to act. That's why Copenhagen talks are so important and the pressure on politicians is so intense.

For my own part I was proud to join Nick Clegg MP and the Liberal Democrats in the wave and march today from Upper Brooke Street down to Westminster.

http://www.hampsteadandkilburn.org.uk/index.php

Countdown to Christmas Day 5 - The Forgotten Parish 13 of Hampstead

The transformation from worship to residence is not an entirely uncommon feature in vast tracts of the country...

Here in Loudon Road, South Hampstead, we have a charming concernsion for parish 13

You can read more here
http://474towin.blogspot.com/2009/03/forgotten-parish-13-of-hampstead.html

Countdown to Christmas Day 4 – Belsize Square Synagogue

February saw the 70th anniversary of Belsize Square synagogue - from a Berlin-German tradition it's a truly inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.

I found the spiritual elements sincere and real and have found the music CDs quite cathartic at times of pressure and reflection.

Countdown to Christmas. Day 3 - Environment Survey

As the Copenhagen summit draws ever closer, climate change has returned to the top of the agenda. In February, over 1,300 local residents responded to my environment survey, with many identifying better recycling facilities and improved transport links as the changes they would like to see in Hampstead and Kilburn.

You can see the results of the survey here

Countdown to Christmas Day 2 - Preventing Crime in Hampstead and Kilburn

Crime is a very real issue for many residents in Hampstead and Kilburn. In January, I raised the concerns of residents in Swiss Cottage about street lighting and crime prevention with the Borough Commander, Dominic Clout, and Camden Council’s then-Head of Community Safety, Tony Brookes.

Read more on this issue here

I am always keen to help and campaign on behalf of local residents and businesses - so if you have any issues of concern which you think I might be able to help with, then get in touch!

Ed Fordham's Countdown to Christmas Day 1

In the 24 days leading up to Christmas, I will be recapping some of the campaigns and issue I have been involved in throughout 2009.

Ed Fordham’s Countdown to Christmas Day 1 – Protecting our civil liberties

Back in January I was working hard to highlight the impact of clauses in the Coroners & Justice Bill on personal liberty. Sadly, the Labour Government failed to reflect the views of it's political tradition and have, during the bill’s passage through parliament, pursued an increasingly authoritative tone and stance... shameful really.

Read more on this issue or read my letter to Glenda Jackson

Is this it Mum?

Not long after I was selected here in Hampstead and Kilburn my mother let it slip that she has wanted to attend Kilburn School of Needlework, but my grandparents could not afford the fees, and I've often wondered where that was.

I was more recently reading a history of an educational establishment and reflecting on my own experience of higher and further education and wondered if in fact whatever Kilburn School of Needlework was, whether it has been over the years federated into what is now the College of North West London. Any clues out there?

Now of course this is the old building in Esmond Road, Kilburn, grand and imposing - the workmanship is impressive, the detail lavish and the quality very high.

You can see from main pinnacle that it was topped off in 1903 and was clearly a premier building for it's time - the post Victorian era was a key building time in Britain - especially for local schools and municipal facilities.

Now on the needlework theme I have found this: http://tiny.cc/D65kg

"In 1893 Willesden local committee for technical education organized classes in Willesden town hall and in 1896 Middlesex C. C. bought the St. Lawrence institute in Priory Park Road, Kilburn, and placed it at the disposal of the local committee which opened it as Willesden Polytechnic. By 1898 there was an enrolment of 1,571, and a new building was opened in Glengall Road, Kilburn, in 1904. A needle-trades school for girls was established there from 1910 until it moved to an annexe at the Hyde, Edgware Road, in 1952; it closed in 1962."

The new College of North West London website proudly boasts:

In September 2007 the College of North West London moved into its new Kilburn Centre, a prize-winning bespoke building in the heart of Kilburn.

Extensive use has been made of oak and stainless steel to create an ultra-modern building that is both stylish and durable. All classrooms are fitted with interactive whiteboards and the entire building incorporates a wireless network.

Not only does the new building provide students with up to the minute facilities and technology, it is also environmentally sound, with a number of controls and features that lessen the impact on the environment.

Due to its innovative ‘green’ credentials, which include a central atrium to maximise natural light and exterior fins to minimise solar glare, the building was entered in a national design excellence competition of the Royal Institute of British Architects and won second prize.