Free led rides through Ealing’s most beautiful spots this Sunday

Ealing Council is hosting two days of free guided bike rides from Hanwell on Sunday, 25 June and from Northolt on Sunday, 2 July.

Called Ticket to Ride, the events are an opportunity to explore Hanwell, Northolt, Greenford and Southall as part of a group, led by experienced, qualified cycling instructors. Cyclists of all levels are welcome, but the rides are likely to be of particular interest to family groups, nervous riders, or people who want to return to cycling.

Rides set out every hour, on the hour, between 10am and 3pm. On Sunday, 25 June, they will start from Churchfields Recreation Ground near the band stand. And on Sunday 2, July they will set out from the café at Northala Fields.

Each ride is less than 10 miles long and takes between two to three hours to complete. The route will take in canal towpaths and green spaces. Cyclists can choose to ride only part of the route if they prefer.

There will be free ‘Doctor Bike’ maintenance checks throughout the day, as well as free bike security marking. There will also be refreshment breaks along the way.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport, environment and leisure, said: “I love cycling and Ticket to Ride is one of my favourite events of the summer. It’s a wonderful way to take a closer look at the greener parts of the borough and to explore some of our beautiful cycling routes.

“It is a fun event for all the family and last year more than 300 cyclists of all ages took part. So if you haven’t been on a bike for a while, or you just fancy a lovely day of cycling with friends and family, come along and join in. We’d love to see you there.”

Residents can register their interest for the event online at www.ealing.gov.uk/cycleride.

Alternatively, just turn up on the day and join in with the next available ride.

More information about cycling in Ealing is available at www.ealing.gov.uk/cycling.

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Green Living Day comes to Walpole Park

Cllr Mahfouz taking part in a previous Compost Giveaway

Local residents can find out about how to live more sustainably and reduce their impact on the environment at a green living event next month.

Taking place at Walpole Park, Ealing on Saturday, 6 May from 10am until 2pm, the event will be packed with useful recycling and composting information and woodworking and carving demonstrations. It will also include a compost give away, seed and plant swaps, and children’s green crafts including weaving with dogwood.

The compost giveaway will begin at 8 am – two hours before the main Green Living Day event – and residents may take up to two loads of compost until noon, after which it will be unlimited. This is in order to ensure that everyone gets a fair opportunity to collect compost.

Representatives from the Friends of Pitzhanger Manor House & Gallery and Walpole Park; Transition Town, Ealing and Northfields allotments will also be on hand to talk to residents about their work in the local community.

Dr Bike will be running a session where local people can get help and advice on all things cycling, as well as a free basic service for their bike.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for environment, transport and leisure said: “I encourage local residents to come down to wonderful Walpole Park next month for Green Living Day. The event will include fun activities for the family and provide really useful information on helping our environment through the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle.

“We will always fully support residents to recycle as much as possible and since the launch of the council’s alternate weekly collection service last year, we have seen recycling rates rise six percentage points. We are meeting our ambitious target of recycling more than 50 per cent of household waste a year ahead of schedule, at a time where rates are falling nationally and across London.”

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Hanwell Zoo now open!

Visitors from the borough and beyond are invited to experience the wonderful animals at the newly renamed Hanwell Zoo this spring. Previously called Brent Lodge Animal Centre, the zoo is entering an exciting new era, and will continue to play an important role in both conservation and the local community long into the future.

Hanwell Zoo, often known as ‘the Bunny Park’, is located in Brent River Park where local people have enjoyed the animal centre for more than 40 years. The change of name has been made to better reflect its array of wildlife, which stands at an impressive 42 species and there are even more new additions planned for later in the year.

Visitors can see a huge range of different creatures, from familiar favourites like meerkats and lemurs, to brilliant new additions including unmistakable capybaras, beautiful Javan peafowl and flamingos.

They join dozens of other species including red-crowned cranes, tropical frogs, pygmy goats, kune kune pigs and the zoo’s resident porcupine. Tamarin monkeys, frilled-neck lizards and alpacas are also due to arrive in the near future.

The zoo’s butterfly and reptile house has been renovated as part of the improvements, with visitors able to walk amongst free-flying butterflies. A brand new playground featuring a sandpit and slide is also set to open within the zoo area in the coming weeks.  This is in addition to the existing Brent Lodge Park playground.

From April 1 there will be a small charge to visit Hanwell Zoo and visitors can get annual season tickets and membership packages at great prices.  A day entry is priced at £2.50 for adults and £1 for children over three, with children under three able to visit free-of-charge. A year-long season ticket costs £15 for adults, £10 for senior citizens, people registered as disabled and children over three.

Visitors can also enjoy beautiful parkland surrounding the zoo, including an arboretum, maze and renovated café in the surrounding park, which will remain free to visit.

Cllr Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for environment, transport and leisure said: “I’m delighted to see the new Hanwell Zoo opening its doors to visitors this spring. It’s a much loved facility and a real gem to have in the heart of our borough.

“Over the past few years, the zoo has been transformed with the renovated, larger and more modern habitats for the fantastic animals that live there. The expanding collection of animals is adding to the familiar family favourites. The arrival of meerkats, lemurs and now flamingos and alpacas, alongside the renovated butterfly and reptile house mean this is a fabulous destination for all to enjoy.

“The council has worked to secure the future of the zoo meaning it will continue its vital conservation work, and valuable education programmes within the community.”

Visit www.hanwellzoo.co.uk for further details.

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Storm Doris Update for Ealing

UPDATED: 21:12 24/12

Details on fallen trees around the borough and action Ealing Council is taking to deal with them.  This post will be updated with the latest information.

Currently across the borough, we now have had 51 (formerly 37) reports of fallen trees.  Each incident is assessed and prioritised:

Priority A: Trees/branches that present an imminent risk to the public and those blocking major roads (10 incidents) – ALL NOW CLEARED

Priority B: Trees/branches that present an unreasonable risk to the public and those blocking roads and footpaths (21 incidents) – 3 to be done tomorrow

Prioirity C: Trees/branches that present an unreasonable risk but are away from roads and footpaths (12 incidents)

8 other trees reported and being inspected.

4 teams have been working on behalf of Ealing Council today targetting the Priority A incidents.  These have now all been cleared.

Work on Priority B incidents have mostly been completed and the three remaining trees will be completed Saturday.

Priority C and any D incidents will be started once all over the above has been cleared.

Remember, there are still many hazardous trees across the borough and the Council urges the public to be extremely cautious around these obstructions.  Aside from the obvious fallen trees and branches there are potentially many broken branches caught within the tree canopies so please exercise appropriate caution.  At this stage it looks like the clean up will take up the majority, if not the whole of next week too.

If you wish to report a damaged tree or other incident to Ealing Council, you can now do so using the new Ealing 24/7 app from the Apple and Android App stores, searching for “Ealing 24/7”.

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Ealing’s hits record breaking recycling rates

Ealing continues to buck the national and city-wide trend of falling recycling rates.

The council is thanking residents for their continued hard work in helping the borough improve its recycling rates, which have risen by an impressive six percentage points since its successful alternate weekly collections service was launched in June.

The latest figures show the council is already meeting its target of recycling more than 50% of the borough’s household waste by 2018. Recycling rates have increased to 51.41%, up from 45.35% in 2015-16.

The tonnage of food waste recycled from homes across the borough has seen an increase of 54% compared to the same period last year, with 4676.74 tonnes recycled between June and January.

The council has changed the way household waste is collected last June, making it easier for residents to recycle. As a result of the changes, paper, plastic tubs and bottles, metal tins, foil, cans, glass, cardboard and much more can now be put straight into the blue wheelie bins without sorting. These are collected on alternative weeks, with rubbish stored in the black wheelie bins collected fortnightly, with green food waste collected every week.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport, environment and leisure said: “Thank you to everyone who’s doing their bit to help us boost our record breaking recycling rates in the borough. We continue to buck the trend of falling recycling rates across London and England and I’m delighted that we’re well on course to hit exceed our ambitious 50% recycling target by 2018.

“The council remains committed to helping households recycle more and to do their part for the environment. These latest figures show that by working together with residents we can make a real difference.”

Residents can check their collection day and find out what they can recycle at www.ealing.gov.uk/bins.

Residents are also reminded that to recycle batteries and textiles, items should be bagged and placed on top of, or next to their bin.

Green food waste bins can be ordered at www.ealing.gov.uk/reportit.

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Recycle that Christmas Tree

For the sixth year running Ealing Council is making it easier for residents to do the green thing and recycle their real Christmas trees.

A free kerbside collection service will operate between Wednesday, 28 December and Friday, 27 January for residents to have their real Christmas trees taken away for recycling. Trees will be collected every week on the same day as the refuse and recycling collections. Residents can go to www.ealing.gov.uk/recycling to find their collection day over the Christmas period.

Trees left out need to be smaller than 20cm in diameter and all the decorations should be removed. Those higher than 6ft will need to be cut in two before they can be collected.

Residents can also take real Christmas trees of all shapes and sizes to a number of drop-off points across the borough until Sunday, 12 February. Once again, trees must have all decorations removed.

Christmas tree drop-off points:

• Acton Green Common
• Acton Park
• Berkeley Fields (Berkeley Avenue)
• Churchfields, Hanwell (car park)
• Cleveland Park
• Ealing Central Sports Ground (Horsenden Lane South)
• Ealing Common (Junction of Grange Road and The Common)
• Elthorne Park (Boston Road)
• Islip Manor Park (Eastcote Lane car park)
• North Acton playing fields
• Perivale Park (Cowgate Road)
• Pitshanger Park
• Ravenor Park (Oldfield Lane South and Ruislip Road)
• Rectory Park (Parkfield Drive)
• Southall Park (Green Drive)
• Southfields Park
• Spikes Bridge Park (West Avenue)
• Springfield Gardens (Rosemont Road)
• Walpole Park (Lammas Park Gardens)

In addition, the council’s re-use and recycling centres will continue to accept garden waste, including Christmas trees, for composting. These centres are located at Stirling Road, Acton and Greenford Road, Greenford.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, cabinet member for transport, environment and leisure, said: “Whether it’s excess food waste, packaging, or your Christmas trees – we are making it easier for you to recycle on your doorstep.

“This Christmas and New Year let’s have something else to celebrate as a borough as we look to increase our record recycling rates even further.

“All of the trees that we collect get turned into nutrient-rich compost so it’s a great way to get your new year off to a green start.”

For more information on recycling in Ealing, go to www.ealing.gov.uk/recycling.

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Residents urged to take care in cold snap

A weather warning has been issued for London with very low temperatures and heavy frosts expected over the next few days. Residents are being asked to take care in the cold snap and to look out for elderly neighbours.

The Met Office has issued an alert about cold weather, with the lowest temperatures expected to occur between 6am on Wednesday, 4 January and Friday, 6 January.

Council gritters are on standby and will be sent out to grit primary routes across the borough to keep main roads moving whenever freezing conditions are forecast. Drivers are also being asked to take extra care.

The council is also asking residents to be good neighbours during the cold weather by checking that elderly or vulnerable people in their area are safe, warm and have essential supplies.

Residents who are concerned about keeping their homes warm can call Ealing Council’s Cold Weather Support in Ealing (COSIE) helpline to receive tips and information on how to keep their homes warm and their energy bills down. Additional support is also available for those who are struggling to pay their energy bills. Residents can call the COSIE Freephone number on 0800 083 2265 between Monday-Friday, from 9.30am until 5.30pm.

Anyone who is concerned about someone sleeping rough during the cold weather – or at any other time – can report it using the national Streetlink website http://www.streetlink.org.uk/ or by calling 0300 500 0914. The information will be sent to the local St Mungo’s outreach service, which is contracted by the council to contact and help rough sleepers (people who are sleeping outside such as in doorways, disused vehicles or stairwells).  Please give as much information as possible about the location at which the person is sleeping.

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