UP FRONT
Dance for
freedom
A musical collaboration
between young people
from South Acton estate
and the war-torn Kivu district of
eastern Congo has resulted in the
release of an album.
The album, called Acton2Kivu: Dance for Freedom, is a melting pot of
different musical genres. It can be bought from the Bollo Brook Youth
Centre or a download is available from the www.bandcamp.com
website. It costs £7 and all money raised will go to a charity in Kivu
called Congo in the Picture, which works with young people living
with the daily threat of war and violence and tries to keep them away
from joining armed gangs.
Youth workers from Ealing Council’s Bollo Brook Youth and Community
Centre on South Acton Estate originally made contact with the charity
and then involved the young people who use the centre. They then
co-operated over the internet with those in Kivu to make the music.
To bring home the dangers of life in Kivu, while the album was in the
final stages of production one of the Congolese performers was killed
during a raid on his village.
Colin Brent manages the Bollo Brook Youth Centre. He said: “The
conflict in Eastern Congo is often called the ‘forgotten war’, but our
project might help to raise some awareness and some money.”
Kashindi Pierre is the project manager for Congo in the Picture.
He said: “For the Congo, this project is very important because it
embodies the goals we have set for advocating peace through many
activities, including music.”
Dementia cafes
People with dementia, and their friends and families, can attend
one of three regular dementia cafes for support and socialising:
Michael Flanders Centre, Acton, 10am–4pm (monthly), call
020 8825 7875 – next one is Sunday, 29 March; Ealing Town
Hall 7–9pm (every two months), call 020 8568 4448; Greenford
Community Centre 2–5pm (monthly), call 020 8580 1057. For
information on other support visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk
or www.dementiaconcern.co.uk
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2
During the Easter period your recycling
and refuse collection days may change.
Take a look at the advert on page 42.
The Independent Health Commission
examining the NHS reducing local
hospital services is holding public
hearings, including one in Ealing on 21
March. See What’s On (page 51).
3
Thousands of you recently
contributed to the council’s latest
residents survey about how the
council is doing, and what your area is
like. The results were published as Around
Ealing went to press. It was carried out at
the end of 2014 by independent experts,
involving a cross-section of more than
2,300 people. View the results at
www.ealing.gov.uk/consultations
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5
The annual Hanwell Hootie music
festival returns on 28 March. Turn to
page 37 for more details and a video.
Is there a local issue you would
like councillors to look into? If so,
this is your chance to put forward
a suggestion for the council’s scrutiny
panels for 2015/16. If you live or work in
the borough, you can submit ideas until
Friday, 1 May. Topics must affect a number
of people (not just an individual). Call
020 8825 7497, email [email protected]
or post to Scrutiny Unit, Perceval House,
14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W5 2HL.
6
The council’s cabinet has approved
plans for a 20-unit pre-fabricated
homes scheme in Bordars Walk,
Hanwell, to better house homeless
families temporarily, rather than staying
in ‘bed and breakfasts’ while they wait for
somewhere to live. Subject to plann