January 2010 Archives

A PRAYER meeting to remember the estimated 150,000 victims of the Haiti earthquake will be taking place on Wednesday.
Residents are invited to the multi-faith memorial at Harrow High School, Gayton Road, Harrow, at 7.30pm, to pay tribute to the disaster that struck the Caribbean nation on January 12.
The meeting is co-sponsored by Harrow councillor and London Assembly member for Harrow and Brent, Navin Shah, in his personal capacity, Rabbi Kathleen Middleton, of Harrow's Middlesex New Synagogue, Mary Hale, former chairwoman of Harrow Interfaith Council, and Dr Shuja Shafi from the Muslim Council of Britain.
There will be a collection made to contribute towards the emergency and rehabilitation work in Haiti.
Mr Shah said: "It's natural for Harrow's community to come together in the spirit of solidarity when a country and a community has suffered so badly.
"We'll be paying our tribute and remember all those who've lost their lives and suffered in Haiti from the earthquake.
"Whilst we'll be collecting funds at the meeting I'd urge everyone in our community to help the Haitians generously."

FILM enthusiasts have lobbied Harrow's multiplex cinema to show a wider range of films after the Observer highlighted that a locally-shot movie could not be seen here.
Members of Harrow Film Society wrote to the Vue Entertainment to complain about the limited range of flicks that appear at its nine-screen picturehouse in St George's Shopping Centre, St Ann's Road, Harrow.
They often have to go out of their way to travel to the Swiss Cottage Odeon in Swiss Cottage, north-west London, if they want to see anything other than blockbuster releases and not only are the transport costs higher but the tickets are more expensive too.
As if to typify the friends' frustration, a film called 'Nowhere Boy' about musician John Lennon's formulative years in Liverpool was partially shot in Pinner yet was disappointing not being shown at Harrow Vue.
Following the Observer's story, the company did eventually organise showings but only for one week and only during the daytime.
Society co-founder Gina Lane said: "It was a good response, but not if you are working all week.
"They also showed 'La Traviata' and 'The Road'. We were amazed to have three really good films in the same week."
Harrow Film Society, which during the 1980s organised screenings of independent films at Harrow Arts Centre in Hatch End, told Vue it welcomed the response to 'Nowhere Boy' and asked for the cinema to continue this policy.
Society co-founder Claudia Mernick explained: "It's been so frustrating over the years.
"Films like 'Che', 'Frost/Nixon' and 'An Education' just never come here.
"We always have to go elsewhere to see it. Harrow really loses out."
n The society is urging other Harrow residents to make representations to the Vue Corporation by visiting www.myvue.com/corporate and clicking on 'Comment'.

WORK has begun on a kiosk that will allow police officers who patrol Harrow town centre to spend more time on the beat.
Members of the nine-strong town centre team, jointly funded by Harrow Police and Harrow Council, currently have to return to their office at West Street Police Station, West Street, Harrow on the Hill, in order to complete paperwork and record crimes.
But the new £150,000 glass-sided structure, nicknamed the iPlod and to be located outside BHS in St Ann's Road, will provide four desks for wireless laptop working and act as a drop-in centre for officers on patrol.
The building is being fabricated off site and will be lowered into place by a crane in mid-March.
This week engineers began the six week long task of preparing the foundations.
Councillor Susan Hall (Conservative), the council's portfolio holder for the environment, said: "We believe putting a police base into the heart of a shopping street provides extra reassurance to residents and is a sign of our commitment to providing cleaner and safer streets.
"This new base is a really practical and wireless base that officers can drop in and out of while on patrol. It means that officers will spend the maximum time possible on the beat."
Harrow's borough commander Chief Superintendent Dal Babu said: "This is excellent news for the borough. The town centre team has already made a big difference in terms of reducing crime in the town centre.
"Having a police base located in the heart of the town centre will mean that the team are even more visible and should help to reduce crime even further."