Leader of Redbridge

To celebrate the success of the recently completed new buildings at Loxford School of Science and Technology, I attended a special showcase day there on Wednesday (25 August).

This is one of the Borough’s most innovative school building projects as it was the first school in Redbridge to benefit from Building Schools for the Future funding.

During the showcase day I had the pleasure of touring the new school and saw first-hand the fantastic facilities that the students can now benefit from.

I was particularly impressed with the spacious and high-quality learning environment which has been created as well as the joint drama and sports provision. Many of school walls are decorated with the students’ fantastic artwork which I have asked to have displayed in the Town Hall.

The new school caters for 1,500 11 to 16 year olds with a 500 place sixth form. This builds on the number of places the old school caters for to meet the growing demand for school places in the south of the Borough.

As some of you may have already heard, I, along with Councillors Chaudhary, Patel and Jeyaranjan are organising a fundraising dinner for the Pakistan Flood Disaster Appeal.

The committee have decided to hold the fundraising dinner which will also include an auction and a raffle on Friday 24 September from 6.30pm at Redbridge Town Hall.

Our Guest of Honour will be The High Commissioner of Pakistan Mr Wajid Shamsul Hasan.

Pakistani authorities are reporting as many as 20 million people have been affected by the floods and tens of thousands of villages remain under water. Millions are desperately in need of aid, proper shelter, food and clean drinking water.

We have a large Punjab community in the Borough which represents a significant proportion of the population so it is important that we act now. We want the community to come together to show support for our friends, neighbours and colleagues in this Borough many who have family and friends affected by this disaster…

Tickets are £20 and you can buy them by calling 020 8708 2121.

I was very honoured to have been invited by the Association of Jewish Ex-service men and women (AJEX) to a Remembrance Ceremony which took place at Marlow Road Cemetery, East Ham on Sunday 22 August. Also in attendance was Councillor Mrs. Ruth Clark, Deputy Mayor, and Carl her Consort, Councillor Ashley Kissin and Mike Gapes MP.

I recognise the commitment of those who have put their lives at risk for their country. This important and moving Remembrance Ceremony raised awareness of the sacrifices made by these brave people and to support the families who have lost loved ones.

The Service was conducted by the Reverend Shlomo Kreiman and supported by members of AJEX and National Chairman.

On Wednesday morning, I enjoyed an early breakfast at The Redbridge Chamber of Commerce’s Networking Event.

This was held at McDonald’s Ilford and hosted by one of its long standing Executive Committee Members, Jimmy Shah, the restaurant proprietor.  I would like to thank him for his hospitality and also my thanks to Julie Woodward, Chairman of the Redbridge Chamber of Commerce, for organising it.

Over 20 entrepreneurs from a range of businesses in the Borough including national store chains to local corner stores attended the event to exchange views and experiences and to discuss mutual business issues. It was exciting to see local businesses scheduling time to network and promote active partnership.

Over the years, I have seen how the Chamber consistently helps businesses grow and gain recognition within our Borough.   I look forward to future networking events so that entrepreneurs and our Council can continue to support each other to shape business ideas into reality.

Taking part in the Mayor of London's Sky Ride

I had the pleasure of taking part with my family in the Mayor of London’s Sky Ride on Sunday (15 August) hosted by Redbridge Council.   It was a great event and it was fantastic to see so many people and families enjoying a day out cycling together on the traffic- free streets.

There was a great atmosphere throughout the day  Along the route,  there was a variety of entertainment to enjoy including music and  BMX displays and a wide range of bikes from rickshaws to unicycles.  The Sky Ride entertainment village at the Redbridge Cycling Centre provided free drinks and bike mechanics to assist with any repairs or punctures.  Families and the local community really came together and embraced this unique opportunity to see the Borough in a different way.

The route took cyclists on a 13km ride from the Redbridge Cycling Centre through Hainault and Barkingside and back to the Cycling Centre

The day reminded me how much fun can be had from cycling and I managed to complete the route in 2 hours but with regular pit stops.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Diversity festival in Loxford which was organised by Bashir Chaudhry, Chairman of the League of British Muslims.

I thoroughly enjoyed the event which brought together representatives from all corners of the Borough and was a great example of Redbridge’s diverse community coming together to celebrate an enjoyable, fun- packed day out.  This successful multi-cultural event had good food, music and a variety of entertainment and activities on offer for everyone to enjoy.

On the day, I was pleased to be able to address the attendees and also able to mention my plans to set up a Committee to raise funds for the flood victims in the Punjab.  This is a cross-party initiative and more information will be available soon.

At the Frenford Youth Club Summer Jam

I attended the Frenford Youth Club’s Summer Jam last Sunday (8 August) with Lee Scott MP and we took part in table tennis, football practice and cricket.
The event offered lots of sports, activities, dance acts and music.

What impressed me most about the day was the sheer volume of young people who came together to organise the event.

Around 70 volunteers between the ages of 16 and 25, the majority of whom are from the Borough, were involved in a range of tasks to make the day possible, including stewarding, hosting stalls and supervising activities.

The event celebrated the club’s achievements over the last 80 years and its move to the former Port of London Authority site in The Drive, Ilford at the end of the year.  The sports activities were great fun and it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, thanks to all those who were involved in organising it.

Last Friday, Lee Scott MP and I had the pleasure of visiting the Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme (LOCSP).Voted Community Club of the Year for 2009, LOCSP, has been closely working with disadvantaged young people in the Borough.

I heard first hand how the community club is working with young people who are traditionally excluded from mainstream sports, leisure and education opportunities.

I enjoyed seeing the football stadium and playing basketball with some of the young people. I also saw the club’s range of innovative and creative sports and educational projects which include football, cricket, athletics and tag rugby.

I was impressed to see that the community club has excellent partnerships with Youth Offending Teams, Drug Action Teams and Kickz which help make a positive difference to our community by encouraging 11-18 year olds to participate in positive activities like football.

I look forward to seeing how LOCSP progresses and to going back at some point in the future.

The Redbridge pin badge for London 2012

Two new schemes have been launched to give thousands of people a unique opportunity to play a part in the Olympic Games in 2012 through volunteering initiatives.

I think they provide a great opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and be able to say you were involved in the Olympic Games and it would be good to see Redbridge residents benefiting.

The London Ambassadors Programme, launched by The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is searching for 8,000 people to volunteer to give help and advice to visitors arriving in 2012.

The London Ambassadors will be at stations, streets, parks and airports of the capital during the Olympic and Paralympic Games a total of 53 days in total.

I know we have lots of people in the Borough with knowledge and pride in their  local area and London in general and I’d encourage people to apply.  For more information, visit the London Ambassador website.

The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has also launched their Gamesmakers scheme, with applications for general volunteers opening in September.

Up to 70,000 Gamesmaker volunteers will be needed during the Games and opportunities include drivers, uniform distributors, ticket checking and airport welcoming.

All general volunteers will be given full training and you will also be given a special Games Maker uniform which can be kept as a souvenir after the event.

For more information and details of how to apply, visit the London 2012 website.

At the opening of Redbridge's newest library in Seven Kings

I had the pleasure of joining Seven Kings residents in opening their new temporary library earlier this week.  A shop on the  High  Road has been transformed into a library for local residents with more than 5,000 books, free wireless internet and four computers.

Since Cabinet  agreed in September 2009 to fund a temporary library in Seven Kings, local residents, Council officers and Councillors have been working together to make sure this library works well for the community.

At library working group meetings, residents have had their say on opening hours, location, which books to stock and regular activities to hold.

It will also be the first library to open on a Sunday following community demand and  I have no doubt that this will be a very well used facility.