Category: News

Wildlife in and around Eastcote.

It’s spring….
…….and Ruislip woods is full of wood anemones and bluebells.
The woods anemones arrive first, beautiful and delicate white, star like, flowers that open wide in the sun and off a sweet-smelling scent. Large sections of the forest floor are covered with them; which is amazing given that this plant is very slow to grow – six feet in a hundred years!
The wood anemone is also the county flower of Middlesex – when the suburbs were built, woods, such as Ruislip woods, were by-passed and preserved allowing the wood anemone and other plants to continue to bloom.
Don’t touch this flower though, it may be beautiful, but it is also poisonous to humans.
The bluebells create their own carpets, but can also be seen amidst the wood anemones – an artistic and joyous splattering of white and deep blue. Nearly half the world’s bluebells are found in the UK, and conservation organisations have worked hard to protect the English bluebell from the Spanish bluebell. The Spanish bluebell, which is lighter in colour with flowers on both sides of the stem, grows more quickly and therefore can out-compete the more delicate English bluebell. It takes 5 to 7 years for a bluebell colony to establish and, akin to the wood anemone, please don’t pick them – they are not poisonous, but it is illegal to do so.

Outdoors Activity

What Spring flowers have you noticed growing in your area? See if you can find some of the attached spring flowers

Which is your favourite? You can paint or photograph it and email to webteam@eastcotera.co.uk and we will put them up on our website.

Alternatively you can use the photo of wood anemones and bluebells to create your own picture. Try using different media to create your own style.

Indoors Activity

Try making some of the flowers you see using materials such as tissue paper/card/paper and wire.

If you need help with this there are plenty of tutorials on the internet such as: https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/folding-paper-flowers-8petal.html

Diana Williams, local resident who helps with ‘Classroon in the Woods’

Eastcote House Gardens is open

Yes, Eastcote House Gardens is still open including the Walled Garden.

However when the Council Green Spaces team are working in the Walled Garden they lock the entrance gate to ensure social distancing whilst they work. Generally they plan to work, at various times, in the Walled Garden, on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

ERA Committee Meetings and AGM

March 2020 Committee meeting was conducted by email

April 2020 Committee meeting will be a virtual meeting on Zoom

May 2020 Committee meeting will be a virtual meeting at which the paperwork for the AGM will be produced and circulated to road stewards.  This paperwork will then be ratified at the Open Forum Meeting in November.

Please email the chairman if you wish to attend

Eastcote War Memorial Gardens

This picture was taken on 25th March (during a permitted outdoor walk),

it is great pity that by the time this health emergency is over most of the radiant colours will have faded.

I have thanked LBH Green Spaces and FEHG for producing such an uplifting display.

Stay safe.

Jeff Duley
Eastcote Royal British Legion

Coronavirus

ERA does not presume to know enough about the current epidemic to be able to offer advice.

A corona virus webpage has been set up on the Council website, which will be regularly updated. https://hillingdon.gov.uk/article/3745/Latest-advice-on-coronavirus

Our local councillors have informed us that the Council are working with ‘Hillingdon for All’, to manage the volunteer effort that will be needed.  www.h4all.org.uk.

If you have local information to share that would help other local residents please tell us about it so we can pass it on: https://www.eastcoteresidents.org.uk/news/news-quick-entry/

 

Shopfronts

From time to time, here is some planning content that provides a design and a critical appraisal framework.
The now archived document ‘Shopfronts’ from London Borough of Hillingdon has some good guidance on Shopfront Design.
In section 8.5 Advertisements Advertisements are defined as the fascia, lettering, any signage within the ‘signable area’ and above this in the upper floors of buildings, and posters and advertising materials affixed to windows.

Fig 1 Shows Acceptable Examples of corporate lettering
adapted to suit its position.

TfL announces planned services to support London’s critical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

  • TfL to run a reduced service to enable London’s critical workers to make essential journeys
  • From this Friday, there will be no Waterloo & City line.
  • Until further notice, on Friday and Saturday nights there will be no all-night ‘Night Tube’ service or the all-night ‘Night Overground’ service that currently runs on the East London line. This is to ensure the resilience of the regular Tube and Overground services. Late services on both the Tube and Overground will continue to run for essential journeys.
  • London buses will operate fewer services, but TfL’s extensive night bus network will continue to provide critical workers with a reliable night option on Friday and Saturday nights and throughout the week.
  • Everyone urged not to use public transport for anything other than essential journeys

Following the Government’s advice to stop non-essential social contact, the Mayor of London has asked Transport for London (TfL) to make a number of changes to services to ensure a safe and reliable service to enable London’s critical workers who need to make essential journeys. The Mayor of London and TfL are urging all other customers to follow the Government’s advice and not make anything but essential journeys.

From tomorrow, up to 40 London Underground (LU) stations that do not interchange with other lines will be closed until further notice. Anyone who needs to make essential journeys should check http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ for live travel updates before they travel.

From this Friday morning (20 March), there will be no service on the Waterloo & City line. On Friday and Saturday nights there will be no all-night ‘Night Tube’ service or the all-night ‘Night Overground’ service that currently runs on the East London line. Available staff will be redeployed to ensure the resilience of the regular Tube and Overground services. Late services on the Tube and Overground will continue to run, with trains running late into the night on all days for essential travel only.

From Monday 23 March, TfL will gradually reduce the frequency of other services across the TfL network to provide a service for critical workers to get to where they need to – ensuring that remaining services are not overcrowded. TfL is aiming to run Tube trains every 4 minutes in Zone 1, with the possibility that this will reduce further.

Similarly, from next week until further notice, London Overground, TfL Rail, the DLR and London Trams will run fewer services.

On the bus network, from Monday 23 March until further notice, a service similar to a Saturday will run. TfL’s extensive night bus network will continue, to provide critical workers with a reliable night option.

Following the decision to close many schools completely, TfL will review which school buses should still run and which should be amended at a later date.

Although these are the services TfL plans to run, if fewer staff are available further measures may be needed. TfL is working closely with the Government and other agencies and keeping all services under review.

London’s Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown MVO, said: “The advice from Government is clear – people should now only be making journeys that are absolutely essential. We and our staff are doing everything we can to ensure that people who need to make essential journeys can continue to do so.

“To make sure we can do that there will be a number of changes to the services we provide, including suspending the Night Tube and Night Overground, suspending the Waterloo & City line and closing some stations to ensure we can staff key locations. Night bus services still continue to run so that people making critical journeys can get to where they need to at all times.

“Everyone should follow the advice of Public Health England to ensure they are doing everything they can to stay safe and limit the spread of the virus.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “People should not be travelling, by any means, unless they really, really have to. Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary, and that means they should be avoiding using the transport network unless absolutely necessary.

“London will get through these extraordinarily challenging times, and ensuring the capital’s critical workers can move around the city will be crucial.

“Frontline staff across our health and care service – as well as those ensuring Londoners stay safe and can access food and other essentials – should be commended for their hard work. We owe it to them to do whatever we can to help them do their jobs effectively.

“I’m urging Londoners to only use public transport for essential journeys. Everyone should follow this and the other advice to help keep themselves and each other safe.”

Fewer Santander Cycle hubs will be open in central London. To see available Santander Cycle Hubs, visit https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/santander-cycles/find-a-docking-station?intcmp=2321or download the Santander Cycle app.

Cycle route maps can be found here: https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/cycle?intcmp=40402

Walking times between Rail and Tube stations can be found here: www.tfl.gov.uk/walking.

Customers are asked to please check before they travel and allow more time, re-planning their journey if necessary if that journey is absolutely essential.

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