Uganda charity evening at Louis'

Louis' restaurant on Osborne Road will hold a charity meal on Monday evening (21st May) to raise money for an upcoming Mission Direct school project in Uganda.

A three-course dinner will be served, accompanied by live music from a Blues Brothers tribute duo.

Mission Direct is a charity organisation that sends volunteers to build homes, classrooms and clinics in countries such as Uganda, Brazil, Cambodia and Kenya. In Uganda, Mission Direct focuses on children and education and the charity evening at Louis’ will raise money to help build a school in Uganda.

The three-course menu is £28 pounds per person and £10 pounds from every meal will go towards the charity’s project.

Northumbria policewoman Elizabeth Pullan, who has connections to both Louis’ and Mission Direct, is behind the event. Pullan worked for the company that owns Louis’, Scalini’s and Osbornes for 10 years, but left her position in 2009 to join the police force. This is Pullan's first year volunteering for Mission Direct.

As for the decision to hold the charity evening at Louis', Pullan told JesmondLocal: “I still have a lot of friends at Louis’ so it made sense to have the event there.”

Pullan and five of her family members will travel to Uganda on 5th July with Mission Direct. Pullan says the charity hopes to use the money raised at Louis’ to not only build a school, but also a bakery and piggery.

Both Louis’ and Pullan have worked with charities in the past. Louis’ has worked with Cash for Kids and Pullan helped host an event at Jesmond restaurant Firenze in aid of breast cancer last year. The event raised £19,000 pounds.

When asked about her motive to help raise money to build a school in Uganda with Mission Direct, Pullan told JesmondLocal: “I just wanted a new challenge this year.”

Louis’ will open its doors for dinner at 6pm, with the live music starting around 8 pm. Reservations are recommended (0191 281 4545).

You can view more images of the work in Uganda in this slideshow by Mission Direct:

The big questions from the election is why did so few people vote? Turnout was only 1,679 in South Jesmond, compared with nearly 4,000 in 2010. We don’t know the reasons, but this a problem nationally, though the turnout is particularly low in South Jesmond – perhaps because there are so many students here. From observation of the media and comments I have heard, I’d say there are three reasons:

1. Lack of awareness: nationally, the news focus was on the London mayor. Do local people, particularly the young, know much about the local council? Do they know who their councillors are and what they do? From talking to medical students, the answer is no.

But perhaps the council does not make it easy.

2. Cynicism about politics and politicians: I was shocked to read a report of a young Newcastle woman who, asked about the election, said –"I’m not being ageist, but don’t ask me, ask those old people over there, they’re still into that kind of thing." This is extremely disturbing, and a contrast to France, where 80% voted in the recent presidential election. Recent political scandals make cynicism understandable, but to me, this can only be changed by voting.

3. No big issues: on the doorstep, many people often say that they don’t have particular concerns about their neighbourhood. Of course some groups do have concerns – residents near Osborne Road don’t like the noise and heavy drinking, the elderly and those without cars want a better bus service, permanent residents don’t like houses in multiple occupation, and park users want to see better maintenance. Bin collections also feature. But overall we don’t find big concerns being expressed. That probably reflects the overall high income levels of this community. Issues tend to be about what people DON’T want rather than what they do want – they are against library charges, against closing the post office, and against building on the green belt.

Can we increase support and democratic interest in changes for the better? I believe we can. The council is very keen to involve more local people and groups in decision making around their community. This includes areas where cuts might be made. But I see this as a great opportunity for residents to become genuinely involved in local decisions. This will require new methods such as social media, the web and video interviews. There needs to be a reaching-out to young people and marginalised groups to help them to take part and contribute. Let's see this happening before the next local election in two years.

Tony Waterston stood as Green Party candidate in South Jesmond at the last local election

Photo by Steve Brock.

The unveiling was carried out by Newcastle Lord Mayor Geoff O'Brien, along with the Hardy family whose sons Will and Alex have both played for the club from a young age. A commemorative plaque was also presented to mark the occasion.

Co-chair Olwyn Hocking told JesmondLocal: "The need for this entrance was crystal clear. Having to walk up two flights of back entrance stairs to get in was unacceptable. This major change was always on the list and we are very grateful to everyone who helped achieve this."

Will Hardy, who lost both his legs and half his left arm to meningitis, has been a regular player at the club for nearly eight years and welcomed the arrival of a new entrance not just for its convenience but also for the way it improves Newcastle Cricket Ground aesthetically.

Will said: "The club definitely brings the community together. People come here to socialise, play cricket and enjoy themselves. This entrance will just improve all of that."

Will and his brother Alex both won awards for bowling and batting performances at last season's Junior Wasps Presentation Night and say they are delighted  with the way the club has gone from strength to strength in recent months. "Newcastle Cricket Club is one of the reasons I started playing cricket so it is good to see it getting better," Will said.

Alex was keen to emphasise how beneficial the entrance would be to players and told JesmondLocal: "It was really tough for us to get all our kit through and this has just made things so much easier for everyone at the club."

You can view here some of the photographs taken by Steve Brock.

The students there appear as happy and productive as the staff are enthusiastic.

The college organised a number of events for this year's Jesmond Community Festival, including technology drop-in sessions, a raffle and a horticultural knowledge exchange. I popped along to Friday's horticultural event and, on a sunny May afternoon, the college's John Gardner took me round. Hear what he had to say and view our slide-show below:

The entries ranged from snapshots of Jesmond Dene’s serene landscapes, to festival-inspired moments and shots of some of Jesmond’s most iconic buildings.

Chris Coleman of Jesmond Methodist Church, one of the key organisers of the event, commented on the quality and diversity of the exhibition, saying that the entries demonstrated the community’s high engagement. He told JesmondLocal: “The conception behind the exhibition was simply to try and capture a sense of the community of Jesmond in photographs and celebrate it.”

Coleman expressed his satisfaction and appreciation to all participants. Watch our audio-slideshow to get a taste of the exhibition's photos, accompanied by visitors' comments.

Photo by scjody, under Creative Commons Licence

Chairing the debate was Peter Breakey, a law lecturer from Northumbria University who had a busy time keeping the peace during intriguing yet passionate exchanges between the two sides of the panel. The panellists in favour of faith schools were Pat Wager, head-teacher of Sacred Heart High School in Fenham and Reverend Bryan Vernon, a senior lecturer at Newcastle University. Against faith schools, the panellists were Dr Philip Nathan, chair of the North-East Humanists and Roger McAdam, the education officer for the North-East Humanists.

The debate often swayed off-track and and into a vaster argument concerning religion itself, a topic that panellists were never going to agree on. However, the evening did provide food for thought regarding faith schools. Nathan argued that faith schools failed to allow for proper integration of students in a society which is becoming more diverse, and suggested that imposing the beliefs of others on pupils of other religious backgrounds for just attending a certain school could be detrimental to integration. McAdam pointed to Northern Ireland as an example, arguing that this showed the dangers which segregated faith schools can hold for a community.

Vernon argued that faith schools have been an historical part of our society, and continue their role in developing better education. Wager argued that sending a child to a faith school was a matter of parental choice and there was never an imposition of one religion on any child - something Nathan and McAdam disputed on the grounds of the schools selection process.

What became clear during the debate was that the faith schools of old - schools which many within the audience had attended - had come a long way in attempting to liberalise their teachings and methods. Wager went out to explain how faith schools in the UK have performed better, on average. She also used statistics to argue that faith school allowing for greater diversity than non-faith schools.

Nathan and McAdam questioned the level of inclusion that faith schools brought to a community, particularly with regards to homosexuality and other religions. McAdam spoke of his own experiences of going to a Church of England primary school, before moving on to a much larger grammar school, where he seemed foreign to his Roman Catholic class-mates. He recalled how de simply did not understand them.

Central to the opposition’s argument was the notion that young people should have the choice to choose for themselves whether to take part in prayers during assemblies or chapel services, as is the case in some schools.

Follow David Harrison on @DaveHarrison43

Photo by by smlp.co.uk under Creative Commons Licence

The thieves made off with several expensive items including a silver and black Tag Heuer Fomula One watch, a black Canon camera, a silver Sony Vaio laptop, a Nike holdall and a variety of personal documents.

A Northumbria police spokesman said: “A variety of items were stolen during this break-in, worth a considerable amount of money. Anyone who has been offered the distinctive Tag Heuer watch in suspicious circumstances should contact police immediately, along with anyone who was in the area at the time and can help with information.”

Anyone with any information relating to the burglarly or the whereabouts of the property can contact Northumbria Police on 101 ext 69191.

Follow Dave Harrison on Twitter @DaveHarrison43

This afternoon's (10th May) meeting will begin at 5pm in the Exhibition Park Café, which is located in the centre of the park. Organisers say the aim of the meeting is to enlist the help of people who care about the park and would like to volunteer to make the park even better. They say everyone is welcome to join the meeting and find out how they could get involved in some of the big or small projects that are taking place in the Park.

There will be a chance to meet other volunteers and discover what has been done in the past too

Jobs to do in the park include helping to plant and manage gardens; taking photos and graphics; reporting wildlife sightings and park needs; helping to design or make an island in the lake; keeping others up to date online through the Exhibition Park website, Facebook and (of course) JesmondLocal; joining an Exhibition partners group; helping to run the café; and delivering newsletters and helping to keep in touch with other volunteers.

For further information, email Frances Hinton: frances_hinton@yahoo.com

Sarah Capes, Jesmond Dene ranger and organiser of this taster session, told JesmondLocal that the idea behind this activity is to encourage more volunteers to get involved with preserving and protecting the Dene.

Earlier this month, 60 volunteers attended a pond dipping session.

Volunteers from different backgrounds and ages provide their services on a regular basis at Jesmond Dene, as well as the other four Ouseburn parks.

But the summer months see the highest frequency of volunteer participation from local residents and students.

Capes told JesmondLocal: “This project benefits the community and school groups, and fosters community ties. Working with the volunteers has been so satisfying. It’s one of the best parts of this job.

“I hope more events like this are going to take place and that they can be more accessible to the public.”

Watch our video of the event:

L to R: Chris Boyle, Felicity Mendelson, Tony Waterston. Photograph by David Whinham

South Jesmond councillor Chris Boyle lost out to Labour rival Felicity Mendelson, who brought about a massive swing to Labour.  The party’s share of the vote more than doubled since the last time the seat was contested, rising from 21% to 47%.

Mendelson praised Labour colleague David Hardman for the work he had done to help her campaign.

“I think the swing in this ward owes a lot to the work that David Hardman has done as the Labour councillor in South Jesmond,” she said.

“It’s been a really good day for Labour, nationally as well, so we feel that we’re on the right track.”

Chris Boyle said he was disappointed, but that he had “really enjoyed” representing the people of Jesmond over the last nine years.

“I’ll carry on working in Jesmond, supporting my colleague Tom Woodwark, who I think is an excellent councillor. Now my personal baton has passed over to Felicity and I wish her well with that,” he said.

Green Party candidate Tony Waterston polled 210 votes.

It was a different story in North Jesmond, where incumbent Peter Breakey won 978 votes, comfortably beating his nearest rival, David Hickling of Labour, with 523.  Breakey increased his share of the North Jesmond vote from 52% the last time the seat was up for election, to 56%.

The number of votes was significantly fewer for all parties, however, with a much reduced turnout compared to 2008.

David Hickling was upbeat despite his defeat, saying that Labour was “still the main opposition to the Liberals in North Jesmond”.

The Liberal Democrats have endured a national backlash, so far losing 388 councillors. Labour has so far gained 739 seats nationwide, with Ed Miliband hailing it as a sign the party is “winning back people’s trust”.

Voters in Newcastle also rejected the proposition of introducing an elected mayor to the city.