Ilford Recorder - Text only page

News

Five charged following High Road robbery

FIVE men have been charged with robbery after a bank customer was allegedly mugged after withdrawing more than £34,000 in cash. The victim went to a bank in High Road, Ilford, on Tuesday and withdrew £34,400, which he put in a JD sports shop carrier bag....

Post-mortem taking place over mystery death

A POST-MORTEM is taking place this morning as detectives try to establish the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in Ilford yesterday. The 61-year-old was found suffering cardiac arrest in Albert Road, Ilford, at 1.45am. He was taken to hospital...

Uproar over 'yellow peril' for neighbours

COUNCIL chiefs are facing a parking backlash after residents saw red over plans for yellow lines. Homeowners in Perth Road, Ilford – which links Ley Street with Gants Hill roundabout – hit out at Redbridge Council s idea to paint single and double yellow...

Mystery of dead man, 61

TWO women are being quizzed by detectives after a man died in the early hours of this morning. The 61-year-old was found in Albert Road, Ilford, at 1.45am, suffering cardiac arrest. He was taken to hospital and died at 3.15am. A 39-year-old and a 66-year-o...

Blaze hero James joins honoured firemen

A MAN who scaled the walls of a blazing building to rescue a family from the flames has won a bravery award, along with four firefighters. Ilford businessman James Grant was joined by Ishaq Noor Abdulrahim and Craig Murphy, both of Ilford fire station, Da...

Drink driver fails in bid to sell alcohol

A CONVICTED drink-driver has failed in his bid to land a licence to sell alcohol. Denis Sadiq applied to Redbridge Council for a personal licence, needed to permit him to sell alcohol at a shop or bar. But his application was knocked back after police ra...

Blaze brings High Road to a standstill

ILFORD High Road was brought to a rush-hour standstill today after a flat above a salon shop caught fire. Four fire crews attended the scene at Maz Hairdressers, close to Winston Way roundabout, just after 8am. Traffic was diverted away from Ilford High R...

Road horror leaves boy in fight for life

A SCHOOLBOY is fighting for his life after being knocked over in the road, in front of shocked classmates. It is feared that the 15-year-old could be paralysed, after the accident in Eastern Avenue, outside Newbury Park Tube station, at about 4.15pm on Th...

Tributes paid on anniversary of teenager's death

THE heart-broken family and friends of Jack Large gathered yesterday to pay tribute to the teenager on the anniversary of his death. Dozens of mourners gathered at Forest Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Forest Road, Hainault, as the headstone of 14-year-...

Day centre will close

A DAY CENTRE which provides support to adults with learning disabilities will be closed down next year, despite concerns that users will lose touch with their friends. The Chadwell Centre, Gresham Drive, Chadwell Heath, will be decommissioned by July 1....

Letters

Everyone gets a cross in park vote

IT IS good news that the Mayor of London has short-listed Fairlop Waters and Goodmayes Park as two of a number of Priority Parks. Grants of £400,000 will be awarded to parks that receive the most public votes. Voting closes on January 30 and each person...

Views in brief

I WENT to see the lights switch-on in Barkingside High Street on Saturday and did not know whether to laugh or cry. Not a Father Christmas, an angel, snowman or reindeer to be seen. What a pathetic waste of money. To make matters worse, the shops that wan...

Council must play part in making town safer

IN reply to Cllr Vanessa Cole (Recorder, Nov 20), who was responding to my letter concerning the council s failure to prevent Ilford from becoming a rougher place. It is great to know some councillors read the Recorder and the issues raised by the public...

There are many fabulous young people

I MUST praise some young people and their responsible outlook. I am clearly disabled and borrowed a trolley from a nearby Iceland store, with approval. But due to the rain, I couldn t return it as quick as I intended to. I had just emptied the rubbish b...

Where's the fanfair for Oaks High?

HOW lovely to see a new school opening in Redbridge. Your story on page 2 last week stated that the Redbridge Mayor led a troupe of dignitaries to the event. It is a great shame, therefore, that Oaks Park High School in Newbury Park is still awaiting its...

£50 pen-alty over the top

I LIVE in a controlled zone and recently provided a visitors ticket to a driver. The ticket was filled in correctly but because I marked off the relevant squares with a ballpoint biro instead of scratching off, I was fined £50, which I consider way over...

We will be hit by ID cards for foreigners

THIS month the government begins issuing what it calls ID cards for foreigners . What does this mean for Redbridge? First affected will be students and those marrying Britons. The plan is that gradually residents from outside Europe will be fingerprinted...

Facts missing on mobile masts

CLLR GARY Staight missed some key facts from central government guidelines (Recorder Letters, November 6) indicating the need to contact schools and colleges before installation of a mast at, or near, their premises. Redbridge College is less than 100m fr...

Grief over Christopher's murder never goes away

HERE I am again, now 12 years later and still no one has had the courage or fortitude to inform the authorities the name of the person responsible for the murder of my brother, Christopher Lombard. Christopher was shot dead on December 1, 1996. You all re...

Write to save library

WE were shocked and horrified, as I m sure many residents of Gants Hill were, to read in last week s Recorder that our library is under threat. We are told that the council is looking for a site for the new polyclinic. Let them look elsewhere. What about...

Hammers

New shirt sponsors announced

WEST HAM UNITED have announced a long-awaited shirt sponsorship deal with Isle of Man based bookmakers SBOBET. The partnership with the online betting company will see the logo worn by the first team-replacing the squad numbers used since late September -...

Upson sparks

WEST HAM defender Matthew Upson has hinted that he may leave Upton Park in the summer if the club sell key players in the January transfer window, writes NEIL TRAINIS. The 29-year-old, who has recently become a fixture in the England squad under Fabio Cap...

Rob keeping himself in Capello’s thoughts

WEST HAM goalkeeper Robert Green has insisted he can do no more than maintain his form for his club as he attempts to finally catch the attention of England coach Fabio Capello, writes NEIL TRAINIS. The 28-year-old turned in another impressive performan...

Franco keen on signing young Juventus star

WEST HAM manager Gianfranco Zola has admitted he is keen on signing Sebastian Giovinco from Juventus after reports linked the young attacking midfielder with a move to Upton Park, writes NEIL TRAINIS. Zola has his doubts as to whether the 21-year-old can...

New contracts a sign of intent

THERE was some news to smile about at Upton Park this week as striking duo Freddie Sears and Carlton Cole signed five-year contracts with the east London club, writes MATT DINER. England under-19 international Sears hit the headlines back in March, with a...

Monday's big match preview

West Ham v Spurs Monday, December 8, 8pm Upton Park THE return of Harry Redknapp to Upton Park should generate apprehension in West Ham ranks, as the manager, who has made his name in football for pulling rabbits out of hats, continues to rejuvenate Tot...

It’s Barnsley in the FA Cup

THE HAMMERS will take on Barnsley at Upton Park in the FA Cup third round. The tie will be played on the weekend of January 3/4, and former two-time winner, manager Gianfranco Zola, is delighted that his side will be kicking off their campaign at Upton Pa...

A point well made by the battling Hammers

Liverpool 0 West Ham United 0 GALLANT Hammers left Anfield bruised and battle-weary, but with their heads held high as they returned south with a hard-fought point for their superb endeavours, writes DAVE EVANS. It may not have been their first victory at...

Another twist in the Tevez saga

WEST HAM face the prospect of shelling out at least £30m to Sheffield United as compensation in the wake of the Carlos Tevez affair after the High Court granted a temporary injunction preventing the east London club taking their case to the Court of Arbit...

Valon’s de-Light!

SUNDAY S match winner Valon Behrami believes the win over Sunderland has eased pressure on beleaguered manager Gianfranco Zola, writes MATT DINER. The Hammers picked up a deserved three points at the Stadium of Light, due to the midfielder s first half s...

Sport

Sweet victory after ten years of trying

A LONG-AWAITED team victory for the Havering Mayesbrook senior men and Lauren Deadman s individual senior victory were the highlights of the third round of the Essex Cross Country League, which took place on Saturday. It was a case of quality rather than...

King’s royal effort

ILFORD AC athletes were in action in round three of the Essex Cross Country League at Hylands Park, Chelmsford on Saturday. Leading the way was the club s talented under-13 star Thomas King, who continues to improve with his best performance in the leagu...

Depleted Ilford in title triumph

FOR the second successive Saturday, Ilford s walkers suffered due to unavailabilities but still had enough in hand to clinch the Enfield League title for the first time in three years, having narrowly lost out to their hosts Enfield & Harringey AC in 2006...

Lauren in running to retain her title

HAVERING MAYESBROOK S Lauren Deadman took a step towards retaining her Essex League individual title with a victory in the second round of the Essex Cross Country League. Against a strong senior women s field in Hockley, Deadman led from start to finish...

Steve flys the flag

A DEPLETED Ilford AC squad contested the annual long-established Belgrave Harriers Open 7 Miles Walk at Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon, where Steve Allen flew the flag for the club. The chances of retaining their 2007 team trophy was slim following a ser...

Youngsters bring home the medals

ILLNESS and injury could not deny Havering Mayesbrook at the weekend, as four young athletes teams brought back medals from the London Championships at the ever-challenging Parliament Hill course, Hampstead. Three silver medals were earned by both the un...

Bree gets the vote as she leads ladies home

ILFORD AC impressed despite having only 15 athletes on view in the London Regional Cross Country Championships held at Parliament Hill Fields, Hampstead Heath. The lack of athletes was most noticeable in the junior races, where Liam Leddy was first up in...

Brilliant Bree leads the way home for the ladies

ATHLETES from Ilford AC were in action on a busy weekend of racing which produced some exciting action. Saturday saw round two of the Essex League at Hockley Woods near Southend and on Sunday it was the Essex 10k championships at Melbourne, Chelmsford. Of...

Ilford pair are just first class

ILFORD AC duo Malcolm Muir and Robin McNelis produced first class performances at the Stebbing 10-mile road race, an event which attracted a record field of over 500 runners. Muir, the current champion, knew his previous year s supremacy was always going...

Brussels dreams sprout for Gerrard

NEWHAM & ESSEX BEAGLES athlete Keith Gerrard is confident of a British call up to the European Cross Country Championships in Brussels later this month. The athlete s excellent recent form continued as he came home fourth in 29.37 among a field of 395 run...

Farah leads the way but this time it’s Sam out in front

WITH their big names running in Liverpool, Beagles runners put in a sterling performance in the latest round of the London Metropolitan League last weekend, with Sam Farah in particular impressing. Farah came home in fourth (28.03) in the third race of th...

Brilliant Bower is the Beagles star

TOMMY BOWER was the pick of the Newham & Essex Beagle athletes at the London Regional Championships at Parliament Fields on Saturday. Bower put in a sterling performance to claim fifth place in the under-15 boys competition in a time of 14 mins 44 secs....

Gerrard is in awesome form

BEAGLES runner Keith Gerrard continued his fine form at the weekend as he battled to a fabulous fourth place at the McCain UK Cross country challenge series in Gate-shead. Gerrard helped Newham & Essex Beagles to a superb second place in the English cross...

Sam the man is a muddy marvel!

NEWHAM & ESSEX BEAGLES men s team continued their excellent start to the London City Runner Metropolitan League coming top of Division Two for the second meet in a row. Kevin Skinner and Sam Farah were the big points earners as they finished closely behin...

Macho man Wadi is international choice

PEACOCK heavyweight Wadi Camacho celebrated his England call up in style with an impressive win for a visiting squad of boxers in the Channel Islands on Friday when they beat their hosts Guernsey by a 5-3 margin. Heavy-hitting Camacho celebrated his ABA c...

Lynes drawn for Colin in a fight for his future

COLIN LYNES faces his British light welter title showdown fight with Manchester rival David Barnes at Dagenham s Goresbrook Leisure Centre on Friday night, knowing his fighting future is on the line. Lynes (right), a member of local trainer Paul Cook s st...

The Price is right for Billy!

WEST HAM club boxer Billy Price took a shortcut to success on the Hastings show on Saturday with his success against Ray Aylett (Margate). Price showed his improvement, as he found the target with a battery of blows to stop his rival before the end of the...

Shanee faces French test

FLYWEIGHT Shanee Martin s plea for tougher opposition is answered on Saturday night at York Hall Bethnal Green when she faces highly rated French rival Nadia Hockmi. Hockmi has twice gone the distance with undefeated Armenian Killer Queen , Susi Kentikia...

Marsh rocks rival to make it a win-treble

The thrilling battle between Newham rivals headed the bill at York Hall on Friday night when Matthew Marsh retained his British super-bantamweight title with a majority decision over Rocky Dean after 12 hard-fought rounds, writes LEN WHALEY. It was the th...

Wadi is at his best for victory

Peacock heavyweight Wadi Camacho punched out one of his best-ever wins when he outpointed Irish international choice Jimmy Sweeney at Croydon on Friday night. Heavy-hitting Camacho rocked his rival with powerful shots, on his way to a good points win whil...

Last chance for Audley?

Audley Harrison believes Martin Rogan s charging bull style will make him look good when they meet on Saturday 6 December at the ExCeL Arena in Docklands. The 2000 Olympic Champion knows he has to sparkle against the rough undefeated Belfast fighter, or...

Frost is so hot!

NEWHAM BC middleweight Joe Frost slammed his second win of the month when he impressed on the Fitzroy Lodge BC show on Friday, outpointing St Pancras boxer Dave Pagian. The north London club hope supplied tough opposition, but it was Frost who slammed hom...

Hooray for Henderson!

JAKE HENDERSON, the 15-year-old Newham BC prospect, scored a repeat win over Dale Youth Club hope Charlie Puddle on his rival s home show on Thursday night. The Dale Youth boxer requested the revenge chance but once again, it was Henderson providing the...

Seven-up for super Sonny

SONNY EDWARDS, the unbeaten Newham BC prospect, made it seven straight wins with a points success against a home club rival on the Farnham Warriors BC show in Surrey on Friday. Classy Edwards, younger brother of the club s European schools champion Charli...

Godrey switches and makes news!

HAINAULT ROADS CLUB rider Paul Godfrey s decision to take up Cyclo cross, the off road version of road racing, paid dividends when he recorded an admirable 12th at the East Anglian Daily Times Cyclo Cross League race. This version of racing involves some...

Anthony and Jack land top award

TALENTED sports stars from the borough were honoured at the 2008 Sports Award at Castle Green on Saturday. The guest presenters were Kevin and Vinnie Mitchell, Dagenham-based boxing champions, who were joined by over 300 guests to celebrate the sporting...

Youngsters making quite a racket!

TWO Redbridge squash players were celebrating after excellent results at the Essex Closed Tournament in Kingswood, Basildon. Fraser Linning won the under-11 boys event, while seven-year-old Elise Lazarus, was runner-up in the under-11 girls tournament....

Charlie is a grand lad!

SWIMMER Charlie Dentith collected a cheque for £1,000 this week after scooping the big prize in the Ilford Recorder and Renault London East s search for an Olympic Star. The 13-year-old Oaks Park pupil from Barkingside was accompanied by his family to col...

Super Deeming is on the Mark!

ADVERSE weather conditions on Sunday put a dampener on the Captain s Drive-in at Woodford Golf Club, but that did not stop Mark Deeming from producing an eye-catching display. Despite a snow flurry, the newly-elected captain – recently-retired police insp...

Michael's miles ahead of rivals

THERE was some exciting action at the Captain s Charity weekend at Woodford Golf Club on Saturday. The competition was a stableford off full handicap and was won by the club s lowest handicap golfer, Michael Everitt, with 39 points from his handicap of fo...

Handy Andy

WOODFORD Golf Club s November medals were won by a long-standing member and a relatively new recruit. Andy Chilton, playing off 11, came home with a gross 78 – the lowest in Division One – to register a net 67 and gain the prize on count-back from Mark R...

Romp for ladies

EAST LONDON LADIES put in a quality performance as they hammered Southend 4-0. The hosts had good possession throughout the first half and looked dangerous each time they attacked, resulting in a 2-0 lead at the break. In the second period, the game cont...

Hayley’s a real golden wonder

STRATFORD JUDOKWAI players put in a solid performance in the National British Judo Championships, but one individual stood out from the rest. Hayley Willis won all five of her contests on maximum points in the under-36kg class to claim both a gold medal a...

Pamela in action at Birmingham

PLAISTOW youngster Pamela O Brien took her first tentative steps into the tough world of kickboxing at the weekend and showed that she has got what it takes to excel in the sport. The 13-year-old is a member of the Mantis Kickboxing Club in Forest Gate, r...

What's On

The Secret Life of Bees (12A)

IN 1964 South Carolina, 14-year-old Lily is haunted by the memory of her dead mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a town that holds the secret to her m...

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

ALL the loveable Madagascar characters are back – Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins. Left marooned on the distant shores of the island, the New Yorkers have hatched a plan so cra...

The Express (PG)

BASED on a true story, following the extraordinary life of college football hero Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy. His fight for equality and respect forever changed the face of American sports, and his story cont...

Transporter 3 (15)

JASON Statham returns as former Special Forces mercenary Frank Martin who has relocated to Paris to continue his business of delivering packages without questions. Only this time someone else is making up the rules as Frank faces a race against time to s...

The Girl in the Park (15)

TRAUMATISED by the disappearance of her three-year-old daughter 15 years ago, Julia Sandburg (Sigourney Weaver) has cut herself off from anyone once near and dear to her, including her husband Doug and her son Chris. But when she meets Louise (Kate Boswor...

Changeling (15)

LOS Angeles, March 1928: On a beautiful Saturday morning in a working-class suburb, single mother Christine Collins says goodbye to her nine-year-old son, Walter, and leaves for her job as a telephone operator. But when she returns, she is confronted wi...

What Just Happened (15)

WICKEDLY funny Hollywood satire WHAT JUST HAPPENED (15) boasts an all-star cast. Robert De Niro is Ben, a film producer trying to juggle his work and private life in tinsel town. He is trying to balance the tug-of-war of having two ex-wives and two differ...

Four Christmases

VINCE Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star in FOUR CHRISTMASES, a comedy about the annual difficulty faced by couples. Do you spend Christmas Day with his parents, or yours? Brad and Kate s parents are all divorced, which means they struggle to visit all fo...

Body of Lies (15)

LEONARDO DiCaprio and Russell Crowe team up in Ridley Scott s new thriller, BODY OF LIES (15). Roger Ferris, one of the CIA s soldiers in the war on terrorism, is assigned an intense espionage mission to infiltrate the cell of a master terrorist. In order...

Blindness (18)

A MAN is suddenly struck blind while driving home from work. One by one, the people he encounters – his wife, his doctor, even the good Samaritan who gives him a lift home – in due course suffer the same fate. As the contagion spreads, and panic and paran...

Win The Annual 2009

THE Annual is back, bringing together all of the freshest and most influential beats and mixes of the year. And we are giving away three copies. Ministry of Sound s flagship album is packed with the biggest and best tracks that have been ripping the scene...

Skream sets the pace with music to run to

DUBSTEP hero Skream follows in the footsteps of those other darlings of the Shoreditch club scene, Simian Mobile Disco, by releasing a 30-minute bespoke piece of music for the Nike+ Sport Music project. And the track could just help you lose some weight e...

Rascal and Prodigy to tour

TWO of Essex and east London s biggest dance acts are to join forces next year for a UK arena tour. Braintree dance-rockers Prodigy have announced details of the tour, which will have award-winning Stratford MC Dizzee Rascal in support. It s debatable w...

MOBO star at independence celebrations

MOBO Award-winning hip-hop artist Chipmunk is due to perform at Zambia s 44th independence celebrations at The Rex Music Arena, High Street, Stratford, on Saturday. Chipmunk, real name Jahmaal Noel Fyffe, catapulted to fame on the underground grime circui...

Diversity key for Shahin

IT S BEEN two years in the making, but award-winning Gants Hill singer Shahin Badar finally releases her debut solo album next week. Shahin has enjoyed a critically-acclaimed career already, enjoying a number one hit with The Prodigy – the multi million-s...

Funk Dome brother

NOTTING Hill Carnival legend Norman Jay and Masters At Work producer Kenny Dope Gonzales guest at Bobby and Steve s latest five room promotion at SeOne on Saturday. Norm, the first modern day club DJ to be awarded an MBE, and Gonzales will be joined on th...

Win tickets to Sleeping Beauty on Ice

SLEEPING Beauty takes to the ice this month as Lee Valley Ice Centre presents the traditional family pantomime on skates. The ice rink, in Leyton, will be transformed for five spectacular performances of Sleeping Beauty on Ice from December 19 and we hav...

Step back in time to Dickens' world

DICKENS World is a new, innovative and exciting indoor theme park based on the life, books and times of one of Britain s best loved authors, Charles Dickens. It takes visitors on a fascinating journey into Dickensian England as they are immersed in the u...

Win family tickets to London Aquarium

THE London Aquarium is one of Europe s largest displays of global aquatic life. With more than 50 living displays and 500 different species, nowhere else in central London can visitors come face to face with nature s perfect predators. Journey through th...

Inspired to write by disabled grandsons

WHEN Michael Foley took over full time care of his severely disabled twin grandsons, it could easily have spelled the end of his lifelong ambition to become a published author. Instead, it was the very thing that pushed him to fulfil his dream, and now si...

Win a trip to the circus

BILLY Smart – it is a legendary name among circuses, brought back to life in 2004 after a gap of more than 30 years. The new-look Billy Smart s Circus comes to east London at the end of the month, setting up home at Chingford Plains from October 28 to Nov...

Hardeep's Indian meal deal

RUSTLING up toad in the hole without any sausages was not exactly what Hardeep Singh Kohli had in mind when he decided to tour India showcasing British cuisine. There are 1.2 billion people and not a single sausage, he says. It was a pretty unique toad...

Win trip to Hop Farm and night in a hotel

THERE will be fun and laughter at The Hop Farm Family Park, Kent, this Halloween and Guy Fawkes, with plenty to do for all the family. And we are giving readers a chance to win a family ticket ticket, plus one night s accommodation at The Maidstone (Water...

Outlook is Sunny for Bollywood dancer

A CHAMPION dancer is on his way to becoming a Bollywood star. Sunny Patel, 18, of Vicarage Lane, Stratford, was crowned winner of the national Bollywood Dance Championship in July. For his prize, he will be flown out to India to visit Bollywood film sets...

Comedy Andy-man

HE co-wrote the hit TV comedy Drop the Dead Donkey, and has appeared in quiz shows Have I Got News For You and QI. And on Saturday, comedian Andy Hamilton came to east London to perform a stand-up show. Ahead of his performance, he spoke about his experi...

Year-long programme kicks off

From 22 May, artist Bernd Krauss new commission brings a live link of East London s skyline and a series of workshops for the local community and art-lovers alike. The Street is a major year-long programme of site specific artist s commissions from the...

Britfunk gets an Ayre-ing

IT S the season to be merry for jazz funk fans, with the return of The Britfunk Special this weekend at the Jazz Cafe, and the announcement of eight shows there by Roy Ayres across the festive period. Headlining the Britfunk shows at the Camden venue on F...

Win ultimate Christmas album

CELEBRATE the end of the year with Christmas Jukebox – the perfect festive collection of songs to get you in the party mood and everyone dancing whether it be on the dance floor, the living room or the office! From Christmas classics to the top 40 chart h...

Zara jams for her bread

FORMER Brit School student Zara McFarlane is hosting an intriguing showcase on the last Sunday of each month at the refreshing Rich Mix venue in Bethnal Green. Soul-jazz vocalist Zara, of Dagenham, studied musical theatre for two years at the famed Brit S...

X man Andy to perform at The Broadway

HE wowed more than nine million X Factor viewers each week. His debut album,The Impossible Dream, made chart history, selling 176,689 copies in its first week and reached platinum status. He sold out The Royal Albert Hall, and he represented the UK this y...

Jazz king Kenny Ball marks 50 years at the top

A GOODMAYES-born jazz legend is set to wow crowds when he celebrates 50 years of success with his band. Kenny Ball has spent almost all his life living in the Ilford and Hornchurch areas, growing up in Mayesbrook Road and going to Mayfield School. Now 78...

See Queen charity concert on big screen

QUEEN and Paul Rodgers played a spectacular one-off concert in support of an anti-Aids campaign and the Vue Cinema, Dagenham, is offering fans a chance to see footage on the big screen. Let the Cosmos Rock will be screened on World Aids Day, Monday, Decem...

Bands team up for Parkinson's disease gig

A CONCERT is being staged by three bands from the east London and Essex area to raise vital funds for the Parkinson s Disease Society on Saturday/ Ella & the Fellas, 3rd Rock Revolution and Blackwater Phoenix play at Music Tek, Rainham Road South, Dagenha...

MOBO winner Yolanda has the sax factor!

AWARD-winning saxophonist Yolanda Brown has had to use all her time management skills to juggle her studies wIth her critically-acclaimed music career. Yolanda, of Gants Hill, scooped a prestigious MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) Award recently for Best Jazz...

After the Mis-Teeq has gone

FORMER Mis-Teeq star Sabrina Washington took evasive action when her girlband experience ended in 2005 – she hot-footed it to Miami and spent a year sunbathing! Now she s back in London, and understandably refreshed for new challenges ahead, including per...

Film captures life on tour

HE S been on tour with Oasis, Babyshambles and The Streets, so Josh Bagnall is fully qualified to make a feature length film about life on the road with a rock band. Cameraman Josh has written and is co-directing, producing and filming his debut movie, Ro...

A mini return to the sixties

GRAB your mini-skirts and mod suits – and a bit of tinsel and some mistletoe! A cast of 10 fab singers and musicians reproduce the golden hit highlights of the Swinging Sixties, in Hold Tight, It s Christmas Sixties at the Kenneth More Theatre, Oakfield...

Beauty makes her debut

A CHARMING prince, a beautiful damsel in distress, a wicked fairy and a man dressed as a woman. It could only be panto season. Sleeping Beauty opens at The Broadway theatre, Barking, today (Thurs) for a 48-show run and marks the professional debut for 21-...

G&S Christmas Carol a marvellous spectacle

A CHRISTMAS Carol in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan? Gayden Wren has rewritten the lyrics to a number of G and S hits and incorporated them into a lively show based on Dickens classic morality tale – with highly entertaining resul...

Witch out! It's behind you

IN 2007 Darren Hart thrilled audiences as the loveable Buttons in Theatre Royal Stratford East s Olivier Award-nominated pantomime, Cinderella. And he is set to work his magic again this year as the lead character in Hansel and Gretel. Hansel, in the Ho...

Panto season's here - oh yes it is!

PANTO season is here, and The Broadway, Barking, kicks things off with Sleeping Beauty on Thursday. Will Prince Valliant, from the Kingdom of Barking and Dagenham, be able to save Sleeping Beauty from the not-so-nice fairy s spell, or will she remain in be...

This show's not for the chop

FROM the opening scene, an atmospheric rendition of the French national anthem, last week s offering by Ilford Operatic and Dramatic Society at the Kenneth More Theatre was gripping. And what immense fun it was. Well sung and acted, and wildly funny. Sacr...

Tomorrow's man today

FOR a generation of children in the mid- 70s, Mike Holoway was a hero – child star of a hit TV series and teenage pop star. Now the Dagenham boy who managed to bridge the difficult gap from child actor to West End musicals star, is bringing his own show t...

College looks at role of songs in war

BARKING College students bring their new production, War Song, to The Broadway theatre, Barking. War Song revives the tunes that were popular during past wars and weaves them into scenes depicting the harsh reality of conflict. The songs are a mix of p...

Tired end to national tour for Intent to Murder

LESLIE Sands play, Intent to Murder, is not the best written play to make it to the boards. But it does have a fast-paced plot with plenty of twists and turns, and Bruce James Productions ended its national run with th...

Satisfying blend from WSO

A BLEND of the familiar and unfamiliar makes a satisfying concert programme. At Saturday s concert by Woodford Symphony Orchestra, the unfamiliar was represented by Schumann s Manfred Overture, the familiar by one of Mozart s best known piano concertos,...

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