September 2008 Archives

Teachers at a Hounslowv special needs school are turning sleuth in the hope of tracking down 'disgraceful' thieves who plundered turf from their recently laid lawn.

Staff at Marjory Kinnon School, in Bedfont, were horrified when their beautifully-rennovated play area was targeted by callous crooks just three days after it was finished.

Site manager Pat Clark said: "The kids had only been back at school two days when the turf started disappearing. They took a load on September 4 and then came back a few days later for some more.

A frail pensioner was taunted and robbed by a young boy who rammed his mobility scooter and then made off with his wallet and walking stick.

The 87-year-old was driving his scooter along Imperial Road, by the Green, in Bedfont, when a boy aged around 10 started driving into the back of him on a mountain bike on Tuesday, September 16.

Book worms will be in for a treat next time they drop into Feltham Library as they can now check out, check in and renew all their favourite reads for themselves.

A new self-service system at the library, in The Centre, Feltham, means late returners need never again face the stern gaze of an angry librarian.

A vicar and nurse couple from Bedfont are nursing their sore calves and appreciating their home comforts after completing the long cycle ride from Poland to Lithuania.

Geoff Price, the vicar of St Mary's Church, and his wife, Hope, said they were delighted to have made it through the sponsored journey for Marie Curie Cancer Care, the charity where Hope has worked for 24 years.

The couple, who describe themselves as 'not really cyclists', said they had found the months of training 'arduous' but had enjoyed the trip itself.

They may be miles away from open waters but 7th Feltham Sea Scouts are still going strong after 70 years.

The group, which still offers fun activities for kids aged six to 18, have organised a huge gathering this Sunday to mark their 70th anniversary in the town.

Cub Scout leader Mike Parsons said: "All former members and friends of the group are invited to join the celebrations to meet the current generation of young people and leaders, and share memories and photographs."

Angry petitions and cross-party support from MPs and councillors have not been enough to save Feltham Jobcentre.

Despite widespread opposition, staff at the centre, in Feltham High Street, have been told by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that they will close in three months meaning jobseekers from the west area will now be forced to travel to Heathrow or Hounslow to claim benefits.

Autumn appears to have arrived early in Bedfont thanks to an army of foreign bugs that are attacking trees from Feltham to Chiswick and turning their leaves brown.

Leaf-miner moths arrived in the country from the Balkans six years ago and have been spreading at a rate of knots ever since - but before this year they were never seen in Bedfont. Their larvae attack horse chestnut trees, turning leaves brown much sooner than would normally happen.

The family of a schoolgirl who was stabbed in the head by an old woman on her way home are appealing for urgent help from the council finding a new home.

The Harker family were forced to move from their flat in Wellington Road, Bedfont, after the shocking attack in Hatton Road left 11-year-old Natalie too terrified to return home.

She was targeted by a knifewielding 70-year-old, who is still being kept at a secure mental health facility in Ealing, as she made her way home from Bedfont Junior School on June 12.

A much-loved clubhouse in Bedfont could finally be returned to its former glory after work to repair fire damage started earlier this week.

Residents have already waited over 14 months for builders to arrive at the community-run building in Kilross Road.

A new cheerleading club is looking for local girls to shake their pom-poms and provide some noisy support at Staines FC's home games.

The group, who will be called The Swanettes, will be headed by Lauren Hutchinson, a senior fitness consultant at The Thames Club, in Staines.