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Aug - Sept 2018 ISSUE 45<br />
Diversity of talent...<br />
Shirley J. Thompson<br />
Ali Jacko<br />
Kate Conway<br />
Hackney Wick FC<br />
K.B. Morris<br />
LifeSpace<br />
and more!<br />
Deep summer is<br />
when laziness finds<br />
respectability.<br />
- Sam Keens<br />
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2 LOVEEAST
Welcome to your local magazine<br />
Dear neighbour<br />
When thinking about a headline for the cover, the<br />
word 'diversity' sprang to mind, which is hardly<br />
surprising, considering the fact that East London is<br />
perhaps one of the most culturally diverse places on<br />
the planet, never mind London. Out of that diversity<br />
comes a wealth of talent and I'm really pleased<br />
to showcase some extraordinary East Londoners<br />
whose talents enrich, entertain and educate us, as<br />
well as motivate and spur us on to become better<br />
people ourselves.<br />
I'm a passionate football fan so it was fun to cover<br />
the Hackney Wick FC charity match, 'United Against<br />
Knife Crime' this past June (it's a tough job, but<br />
hey, someone's gotta do it, right?) Regular readers<br />
will already know about HWFC from Julie's 2015<br />
interview with Bobby Kasanga, so this was an ideal<br />
opportunity to see the club in action as well as find<br />
out what they are up to these days - which is quite<br />
a lot.<br />
Sean Gubbins is back with another Hackney Walk<br />
and we welcome two new writers, Sue Whitehead<br />
and William Wilde, who delve into music and<br />
drama with some great interviews. Additionally, I<br />
had the absolute pleasure of talking with Shirley J.<br />
Thompson, who is such a positive role model for<br />
young people and young women in particular.<br />
As usual, our What's On and What to do with the<br />
kids pages offer a myriad of things to see and do,<br />
and regular contributors, Bell from Bow, Roger<br />
Love, Vinarius and Diana Warrings provide some<br />
reflection, fitness and yum for the tum.<br />
What more can I say except 'prepare to be inspired'!<br />
Cheers,<br />
Kaz<br />
karen@chomp.me.uk<br />
07590 609 557<br />
@LoveEastMag<br />
@loveeastmag<br />
loveeast.london<br />
Cover image: © Lia Koltyrina/Shutterstock.com<br />
I N S I D E<br />
East life<br />
4<br />
14<br />
20<br />
Culture<br />
10<br />
30<br />
Community<br />
9<br />
24<br />
History<br />
31<br />
Regular features<br />
17 Bell from Bow<br />
Saluting East London's<br />
innovative composer, Shirley<br />
J. Thompson<br />
William Wilde with kickboxer<br />
turned singer, Ali Jacko<br />
Q&A with LifeSpace's<br />
Georgiana Klinke<br />
18 What's on - August & September<br />
22 What to do with the kids<br />
26 Eating in - and out<br />
29 Wine guide<br />
33 Roger Love<br />
Sue Whitehead interviews<br />
playwright and writer K.B.<br />
Morris<br />
William Wilde talks classical<br />
music with Kay Conway<br />
Introducing Faraday School's<br />
new Headteacher, Claire<br />
Murdoch<br />
Hackney Wick FC hosts<br />
a charity match with a<br />
difference<br />
Sean Gubbins walks us<br />
through Hackney<br />
To advertise in LoveEast Magazine, please call 07590 609 557 or email karen@chomp.me.uk for further information. PLEASE NOTE: Ad artwork and copy<br />
deadline for the Oct/Nov edition is 28 th August (please allow an extra few days if design is required). LoveEast Magazine is produced and published by<br />
Chomp Creative Limited. Chomp Creative Limited cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, nor endorse companies, products or services that<br />
appear in this magazine. © LoveEast Magazine 2018, all rights reserved. No reproduction can be made without permission. This publication is manufactured<br />
from ECF pulp sourced from certified or well-managed forests and plantations, printed using vegetable-based inks. Be kind to the planet; please recycle.<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 3
East life<br />
4 LOVEEAST<br />
We salute composer, artistic director, conductor,<br />
musician and academic Dr Shirley J. Thompson,<br />
whose symphony, New Nation Rising, a 21st<br />
Century Symphony was the precursor to the<br />
2012 Olympic opening ceremony<br />
Shirley J. Thompson has so many career highlights, it's difficult to know<br />
where to begin. Currently Reader in Composition and Performance<br />
at the University of Westminster she is also an innovative composer,<br />
and is known for fusing classical and contemporary genres, as well<br />
as integrating dance, spoken word and visual art into many of her<br />
works. She has worked across a variety of artistic mediums, including<br />
composing and musical direction for television, theatre, opera,<br />
ballet and, of course, symphony. As she says, "My music defies all<br />
categorisation; my desire is to make classical music relevant to its<br />
time. Like everything, music evolves".<br />
A ground-breaker on so many levels, she was the first woman to<br />
compose and musically direct music for a major drama series at the<br />
BBC and has been nominated for, and won, a plethora of awards from<br />
esteemed organisations including the Arts Council and Southbank<br />
Centre. She has several times been named in The Powerlist, a list of the<br />
most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the<br />
UK, and is there again, in this year's Top 10. The Metro listed her as "one<br />
of the most inspirational Black British Women" and we certainly agree -<br />
what an incredible role model for today's young women. If ever there were<br />
an #Artskicker, she is it.<br />
A native East Londoner, Shirley was born and raised in Stratford, where<br />
she still lives. Her musical journey began with playing the violin for youth<br />
symphony orchestras in London as well as choral singing with local<br />
choirs. She later studied musicology at the University of Liverpool and<br />
specialised in composition at Goldsmith's College. She soon landed<br />
her first major commission for her chamber orchestral work, Visions<br />
with the Greenwich International Festival, and was nominated for the<br />
Woman of the Year award in recognition of her contribution to the<br />
arts for her score for the opera, A Child of the Jago. To commemorate<br />
100 days of Barack Obama’s Presidency, Thompson was<br />
commissioned by the South Bank Centre to compose the<br />
poignant Voice of Change (2009) performed by Principals of the<br />
BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.<br />
A cultural activist by nature, Shirley has been a prolific contributor to East London's cultural landscape<br />
as well as leading on issues of diversity in the music industry over many years, having devised innovative<br />
arts education programmes including the Newham Symphony Schools Spectacular, which provided<br />
music education for children ranging in ages from 7-17 years, and which laid the groundwork for what<br />
eventually became the national education scheme, Every Child A Musician. She has served over the past<br />
several years on several national arts institutions including the Arts Council and is a member of BASCA's<br />
Classical Executive Committee.
East life<br />
The story behind New<br />
Nations Rising and<br />
the Olympic opening<br />
ceremony<br />
Originally commissioned for<br />
the Queen's Golden Jubilee<br />
in 2002, Shirley's symphony,<br />
New Nation Rising, a 21st<br />
Century Symphony is a<br />
celebration of London's<br />
1,000 year history (sound<br />
familiar?) and was performed<br />
and recorded by the Royal<br />
Philharmonic Orchestra. It's<br />
also acknowledged by many<br />
as the conceptual influence<br />
behind the 2012 Olympics<br />
opening ceremony.<br />
What advice would you give to<br />
aspiring artists and creatives?<br />
“Be tenacious and be gracious.”<br />
In keeping with Shirley's<br />
talent for integrating artistic<br />
practices, the symphony<br />
encompassed two choirs,<br />
solo singers, a rapper and<br />
dhol drummers alongside an<br />
orchestra. "If Bach were alive<br />
today I'm sure he'd be doing<br />
similar things" Shirley says.<br />
A 2004 Guardian article,<br />
"Composer tipped for<br />
Olympic theme" wrote<br />
about Shirley "being touted<br />
as uniquely qualified to<br />
mark what is being sold as<br />
the most culturally diverse<br />
Olympics ever" adding that<br />
Shirley was tipped as the<br />
preferred choice to become<br />
the composer for the 2012<br />
Olympic Theme. Sadly, this<br />
was not to be, and any selfrespecting<br />
East Londoner<br />
would have to wonder why.<br />
Check out Shirley's website for a<br />
more comprehsive view of what<br />
she's accomplished, which is<br />
nothing short of amazing:<br />
shirleythompson.com<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 5<br />
Images courtesy of Shirley J. Thompson
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LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 7
Skin & Sanctuary: Victoria Park’s Beauty Queens<br />
Live beautifully. For those living and<br />
working in the vicinity of Victoria Park<br />
this has never been easier thanks to new<br />
cosmetic clinic Skin & Sanctuary, opened<br />
by Hackney resident cousins, Sonia Rishi<br />
and Dr Saira Vasdev.<br />
Live beautifully is the cousins’ ultimate goal for<br />
clients of Skin & Sanctuary and just stepping into<br />
their elegantly designed clinic on Victoria Park Road<br />
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Gracefully decorated in an Instagram worthy shade<br />
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calm and welcoming demeanour.<br />
A tour around the two individually designed<br />
treatment rooms reveals just why this clinic has<br />
the potential to disrupt the world of aesthetics<br />
traditionally dominated by Harley Street. Saira’s<br />
treatment room is light and airy with a map of<br />
Hackney on the ceiling; a quirky visual feature<br />
accompanying the state-of-the-art equipment<br />
used by Skin & Sanctuary’s Lead Aesthetic Doctor to<br />
achieve her signature results.<br />
‘Facial Queen’ Fatma Gunduz’s treatment room<br />
is the complete antithesis to the lightness and<br />
brightness of the rest of the clinic but somehow it<br />
just works. A mid-century inspired orange chaise is<br />
set against palm tree wallpaper to create a space<br />
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after a facial by Fatma you float back down to Sonia’s<br />
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Skin & Sanctuary specialises in advanced cosmetic<br />
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To do as much as they can to move you on your<br />
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8 LOVEEAST<br />
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Don't forget about your eyes. The delicate eye tissues<br />
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Invest in a good eye cream or gel to diminish dark<br />
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Community<br />
Victoria Park resident, Claire Murdoch, is the new Head Teacher at<br />
Faraday Prep School at the iconic Trinity Buoy Wharf. Here, she<br />
offers insight into her new role.<br />
Images courtesy of Faraday School<br />
What is the best thing about working in primary schools?<br />
I have been lucky enough to work in some really remarkable schools; ones that have lead the way in their<br />
educational beliefs and creative approaches to learning. Faraday is no exception. It is packed with eager, bright<br />
and interested young children who are encouraged to follow their own path whilst exploring a knowledge-based<br />
curriculum. As a teacher, the best thing is seeing the progress made by the pupils and witnessing their successes<br />
when the hard work pays off!<br />
What are you particularly looking forward to at Faraday?<br />
Everyone at Faraday has been incredibly welcoming and the staff team has<br />
a clear drive and common goal. Working in an environment with passionate<br />
educators is vital when providing a first class education and being<br />
surrounded by diverse, engaged children ensures that this is possible. I feel<br />
very privileged to be joining such a supportive and close-knit community.<br />
Faraday School must have one of the most unusual locations of any<br />
primary in London, with a rooftop playground and views to the O2, what<br />
inspires you about the location?<br />
The location truly is awe-inspiring. I recently ascended the steep, spiraled<br />
staircase of the lighthouse at Trinity Buoy Wharf with my young niece<br />
- what a unique experience! It has spectacular views across the docks<br />
and is currently filled with the enchanting sound from the Longplayer art<br />
installation. Like many places in and around the wharf, it is like stepping<br />
back in time and offers a great juxtaposition between the old and the<br />
new. You can imagine why the scientist Michael Faraday chose this space<br />
for his famous experiments all those years ago, and with regular scientific<br />
investigations taking place at Faraday School, we hope the area will inspire<br />
the new, young scientists of the future!<br />
What is your favourite book/story for primary school children?<br />
A good book can be a really fantastic tool for discussion, investigation or<br />
debate. Stories such as Dandelion by Lizzie Finlay for example, can help<br />
to empower very young children to embrace who they are and support<br />
them in exploring their feelings. Alternatively, The Girl with the Ponytail<br />
by Laurence Anholt, remains firm favourite of mine and I would happily<br />
recommend this series to parents who want to share stories of artists with<br />
their little ones.<br />
We hear you have an arts background. How important are the arts in<br />
schools?<br />
The arts allow children to explore all areas of the curriculum in a practical<br />
and ‘hands on’ way. You can teach discrete technical skills alongside<br />
the importance of freedom and experimentation, allowing the pupils to<br />
experience how these skills work together to drive creativity and success.<br />
Finding links between art, maths and science can also be really exciting.<br />
At Faraday, they have a very popular animation club after school, mixing<br />
technology and art, where the children make fantastic short films. There is<br />
one about Michael Faraday and his lighthouse that is really worth a watch!<br />
Faraday School, Old Gate House, 7 Trinity Buoy Wharf, London<br />
E14 0FH Tel: 020 77199342 | faradayschool.co.uk<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 9
Culture<br />
Playwright and author K.B. Morris talks to Sue Whitehead<br />
about swiping left, writing and the changing London<br />
landscape<br />
The path to true love is often an electronic one these days, with numerous mobile apps<br />
and websites available to help with the search for a soulmate. Where once there was a<br />
stigma, online dating is now more commonly regarded as a practical, modern tool for<br />
busy people.<br />
Yet despite knowing all this, I find it awkward to<br />
ask playwright and author, K.B. Morris, whose<br />
new play is about the subject, whether she has<br />
personally dated online.<br />
"Oh goodness yes." she<br />
quickly responds when I<br />
finally ask. "I've been on<br />
some horrendous dates.<br />
The dates in the play are<br />
fictitious, but yes, I drew<br />
on those experiences".<br />
The play, O.L.D: Online<br />
Dating, explores how<br />
users in the ‘swipe<br />
left’ dynamic can feel<br />
overlooked, objectified<br />
and disposable. Each<br />
date the central<br />
character, 30-something<br />
Kate, goes on, is a<br />
metaphor for the bigger,<br />
darker aspects of living<br />
in London and the<br />
challenges this city can<br />
throw at us. If loneliness<br />
is a crowded room, size<br />
that up to London level<br />
and we can probably all<br />
recall feelings at some Image courtesy of K.B. Morris<br />
point of loneliness,<br />
isolation, impermanence and difficulty keeping up<br />
with how quickly our environments change.<br />
The play’s character, Kate, turns to online dating<br />
after deciding to take control of her life and find<br />
a relationship. Each date ends in Kate returning<br />
home to her empty flat with only “Lexa”, her home<br />
computer system, to talk to and listen to her woes.<br />
"The play is about what it's like living in London”<br />
explains Morris “We've never been so connected<br />
before with social media, yet Kate feels<br />
disconnected and lonely.<br />
“Kate is on the tramlines<br />
of life, at the start of the<br />
play. She feels she ought<br />
to be in a relationship<br />
but she's approaching<br />
this without really<br />
knowing herself. She's<br />
looking for other people<br />
to define her and that's<br />
the play's conclusion:<br />
you can't live your life<br />
like that. It's your life and<br />
you must live it, own it.<br />
Modern technology can<br />
connect us but where<br />
we’re getting it wrong is<br />
people are looking to it<br />
for answers it can't give.”<br />
Morris's issue with online<br />
dating is with its crude<br />
yes/no approach to<br />
potential suitors. "There<br />
is this constant swipe left<br />
(if you don't like the look<br />
of someone) on mobile<br />
phone dating apps. It<br />
doesn't give people a chance. Where before you<br />
might meet someone (in person) and just sense<br />
something about them, some connection that<br />
would make you want to see them again and then<br />
things would go from there. We now have this<br />
'switch on' mentality. We want it immediately - like<br />
a McDonald's!'<br />
10 LOVEEAST
Culture<br />
In one scene in the play, Kate the central character<br />
has a meltdown and pours her heart out to the<br />
woman she is on a date with. Her reaction? To get<br />
on her phone and start looking for the next date<br />
while the meltdown is in mid flow. "People have<br />
their own lives Kate" the date tells her "and they're<br />
looking for others who can add to theirs in some<br />
way…".<br />
Morris began writing 20 years ago. In 1997 she<br />
joined a City Lit creative writing course and in<br />
the same year she was shortlisted for the London<br />
Short Writing Prize. Since then, Morris has written<br />
three novels and her fourth is doing the rounds<br />
with publishers and agents.<br />
The play is something of a departure from Morris’s<br />
normal writing style. She describes her novels as<br />
‘dark and intense,’ each taking years to write, while<br />
the play is lighter, often funny and all 10,000 words<br />
were written in one week.<br />
“It just came out - I wrote night and day and didn't<br />
go back to edit until I'd written the whole first<br />
draft.<br />
"My friend read it and said it was like reading a<br />
completely different writer’s work compared with<br />
my novels.<br />
“You should always write. I read an interview about<br />
an American playwright who started in community<br />
theatre and is now successful, who said you never<br />
know who or how what you’ve written will connect<br />
with someone on the night and that’s stuck with<br />
me ever since. People are mistaken if they think<br />
they are going to be struck by the muse. You just<br />
have to keep at it. On my fourth novel I had the<br />
words ‘you can rewrite this’ written in the margin<br />
to remind me to just push on. We should be kinder<br />
to ourselves and just get on with setting down our<br />
ideas, knowing we can polish them up later."<br />
From her home in Bow where she writes, Morris<br />
has observed some of the themes explored in the<br />
play such as gentrification and high house prices.<br />
The result is, for many millennials - including the<br />
play's character Kate - that owning property and<br />
putting down roots is often a dream, while high<br />
rents and temporary lets are the reality. “House<br />
prices have quadrupled in this street in 10 years<br />
and there are now Mercedes cars parked outside.<br />
With gentrification you can argue there is less<br />
Modern technology<br />
can connect us but where<br />
we're getting it wrong is<br />
people are looking to it for<br />
answers it can't give.<br />
crime and the environment is more pleasant but I<br />
have friends in west London and their whole street<br />
is the same – sterile and samey. The artists in this<br />
area have already been priced out and are leaving.<br />
You need to be in London for the creative hub, the<br />
network, to sell your work."<br />
Such a changing environment also posed a<br />
challenge for finding cheap rehearsal space for the<br />
play.<br />
“School hall hire here has been contracted out to<br />
a private company and it’s £100 an hour. We need<br />
to hold 5-hour rehearsals. There’s no way I can find<br />
£500 a time.’ Thankfully a creative colleague put<br />
Morris on to a community space in Leytonstone<br />
which was within budget.<br />
“I read in Time Out the other day about there being<br />
a pop-up theatre going around Tower Hamlets<br />
and other parts of London and just pitching up,<br />
rounding up an audience and performing on the<br />
spot. I love that idea."<br />
I ask if Morris knows where I might catch some<br />
pop-up theatre but she says she’s only read about it.<br />
“Never mind, I’ll look online later….” I say, without<br />
thinking.<br />
O.L.D: Online Dating will be showing as part<br />
of The Camden Fringe on Sat 25 th and Sun 26 th<br />
August at The Water Rats theatre. Tickets can<br />
be purchased on the Camden Fringe website.<br />
camdenfringe.com<br />
thewaterratsvenue.london<br />
The Water Rats<br />
328 Gray's Inn Rd, Kings Cross,<br />
WC1X 8BZ<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 11
Please Call - 07805 612127 or<br />
email - michellecrawford123@gmail.com<br />
And check out our web page -<br />
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12 LOVEEAST
Feeling good in your own skin<br />
We all know someone with sensitive skin but<br />
it’s not easy to find the product that not only<br />
works but is also completely natural, crueltyfree<br />
- and smells great. This is where Sootheme,<br />
holistic skincare based in Bow, comes<br />
in. Suzie Hacker, a certified aromatherapist,<br />
founded Soothe-me after first developing an<br />
aromatherapy body oil to ease anxiety and her<br />
dry sensitive skin and then a face cream for<br />
her mum’s Rosacea. “I know what it feels like<br />
to live inside unhappy skin, having suffered<br />
from both eczema and acne, I began Sootheme<br />
as a natural alternative to mass-produced,<br />
synthetic skincare which caused my skin<br />
allergies.<br />
As demand from friends and family grew,<br />
I developed more products - we now offer<br />
around 30 and I am proud to say 4 of them<br />
have received awards!’ Soothe-me products<br />
are hand-made in small batches using<br />
only natural & vegan ingredients, featuring<br />
signature essential oil blends and herbal<br />
tinctures. Like health-food for your skin as<br />
they’re rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants<br />
- and kind to the planet as they<br />
are toxic free and packed in eco-conscious<br />
packaging. With as many ingredients<br />
as possible sourced from UK<br />
suppliers, Soothe-me products<br />
are great for you and as green as<br />
possible.<br />
As an aromatherapist, Suzie understands<br />
how important it is for her products to smell<br />
fantastic. ‘I wanted to create a range with<br />
memorable scents, using aromatherapy to<br />
evoke good feelings, ease anxiety, uplift or<br />
calm. Customers now know and buy them<br />
because they love the smell.’ The range is<br />
impressive – from the aptly named ‘Gorgeous<br />
cream’ with Rose and Frankincense to<br />
hydrating hydrosol mists and purifying clays<br />
for facemasks. Following her pregnancy and<br />
the birth of her son, Suzie developed a range<br />
for pregnancy and babies, including ‘Dry Skin<br />
Fix’ cream for eczema, award-winning ‘Super<br />
Baby Oil’ and ‘Bumps & boobs’ pregnancysafe<br />
oil.<br />
New for 2018 is their ‘Earth Kind Glitter’ range<br />
in 5 sparkling shades this guilt free glitter is<br />
100% biodegradable, great for festivals and<br />
parties.<br />
Suzie also runs natural skincare workshops<br />
locally where you can learn to make your own<br />
simple skincare.<br />
To find out more about Soothe-me skincare<br />
products, Workshops, Suzie’s Baby<br />
Massage Classes and Bespoke<br />
Skincare Consultation Service go<br />
to www.soothe-me.com<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 13
East life<br />
William Wilde meets<br />
Ali Jacko, East London<br />
kickboxer turned singer<br />
Ali Jacko is an East End-based kickboxing champion who<br />
also gets involved with community projects, and in<br />
recent years has turned his attention to music.<br />
He puts his success in anything he does down to his<br />
steadfast confidence and determination, whether in<br />
sport or creating a new song. Jacko talked to me about<br />
his shift from the kickboxing ring to the recording<br />
studio, and how he does his bit to help out in the local<br />
community.<br />
I was<br />
classed as the<br />
underdog for a<br />
long time in the<br />
fighting game,<br />
but I kept on<br />
winning.<br />
“I didn’t think I was going to get into kickboxing, but<br />
I always wanted to be a martial artist because of Bruce<br />
Lee and so on,” he says. In 1978 he found himself on the same<br />
flight to Bangladesh, where his family is from, as legendary boxer<br />
Muhammad Ali.<br />
Muhammad was walking around the plane to say hello to the<br />
starstruck passengers and started playfighting with young Jacko.<br />
As is characteristic of his confidence, Jacko gave the veteran boxer<br />
a good punch back, which made Muhammad stand back in shock<br />
before he placed his hand on Jacko’s head to let him know there<br />
was no harm done. “How could you hit Muhammad Ali?” Jacko’s dad<br />
asked in bewilderment.<br />
“I was classed as the underdog for a long time in the fighting game,<br />
but I kept on winning, ” he explains. Jacko won his first British &<br />
International Kickboxing & Martial Association title in 1990, having<br />
only started training four years earlier. “I refused to lose a fight,”<br />
he says. He went on to win the World Martial Arts Organisation<br />
European kickboxing title in ’96, and became world champion again<br />
in 2000 with a World Kickboxing Network win.<br />
During one qualifying match, Jacko had a previous forearm injury<br />
requiring 22 stitches, but was so determined to fight he wrapped<br />
it up and carried on. Even with blood flying around the ring like a<br />
wayward garden hose, he managed to win the match with two legs<br />
but just one hand.<br />
He’s done plenty since then, including setting up The CA Foundation<br />
in 2011, in memory of his father, Chamak Ali. The charity's overall<br />
Images courtesy of Ali Jacko<br />
14 LOVEEAST
East life<br />
The songs are all very<br />
personal, but saying that,<br />
they all relate to almost<br />
everyone on the planet<br />
tragic circumstances years ago, while I Found Love<br />
is about his current wife. Working Man is a selfreflective<br />
look at his own approach to hard work<br />
and care in the community.<br />
Ali sees songwriting and performing as a way to<br />
express himself and share what’s dearest to him,<br />
and in addition to music and the CA Foundation,<br />
he has several causes close to his heart. He has<br />
explored the possibility of setting up an arts event<br />
to help the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster<br />
and the London Bridge terrorist attack., and while<br />
the funding is a challenge in the charity sector, it’s<br />
something he’s determined to help with.<br />
aim is to provide support for those who are living<br />
in poverty so that they can access healthcare<br />
services and education for their children.<br />
In 2015 he began to turn his attention to music.<br />
Although his family were unsure at first, Jacko<br />
loved the idea of singing and songwriting, initially<br />
creating a cover as a test. He hasn't looked back,<br />
and in fact was a finalist in the 2017 Music Week<br />
Awards.<br />
Of his tunes, which fall into the rock, pop and<br />
blues genres, almost all have the unifying theme<br />
of love. “They’re all very personal, but saying that,<br />
they all relate to almost everyone on the planet,”<br />
he says. This extends to familial love, such as the<br />
brilliant You Are The Reason, which was written<br />
for his daughter. What If I LOVED You Like That<br />
explores the pain of having lost his partner in<br />
Ali is driven, passionate and a prolific songwriter<br />
who seems to work virtually seven days a week.<br />
When he's not writing songs and making music<br />
videos, he enjoys spending time with family in<br />
Forest Green, including the latest addition, who is<br />
just under a year old, and being involved in local<br />
projects.<br />
I came away from my conversation with Ali<br />
Jacko having a strong sense of how he’s been so<br />
successful in two very different domains. Looking<br />
forward, he’d love to go to America and other<br />
countries to spread the word on his work. “My goal<br />
in music is to win a Grammy,” he says. Given his<br />
talent and past achievements, that’s not hard to<br />
imagine at all.<br />
Ali is currently releasing one<br />
single each month throughout 2018.<br />
For more information, images or to<br />
request an interview contact Matilda at<br />
Fifth Element PR on 0207 722 0000 or<br />
email: Matilda@fifthelement.biz<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 15
East life<br />
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16 LOVEEAST
Bell from Bow<br />
Celine Bell reflects on September's hidden<br />
opportunity for change<br />
Every January we see the same tired ‘New<br />
Year: New You’ messaging. It pushes us to<br />
get to the gym, to change jobs, to start a<br />
new chapter, to turn over a fresh leaf. It’s an<br />
outpouring of clichés to an audience that<br />
is still hungover and broke from Christmas,<br />
getting back into the swing of the commute<br />
and the day job after mince pies and too<br />
much Baileys.<br />
How many of those new year resolutions<br />
are cast off by grey February? And how<br />
much harder is it to get back into the swing<br />
of work, with its deadlines and targets and<br />
spreadsheets and meetings, when you’ve got<br />
the added pressure of a gym class to fit in<br />
around the supermarket list, finding missing<br />
mittens and taking the cat to the vet?<br />
For me, it’s not a time to start afresh. For a start, it’s too cold and dark. I want to hunker down with<br />
Netflix, eat hearty warming foods and stay at home. It’s infinitely preferable to polishing my CV or taking<br />
a HIIT class. And besides, there are still the dregs of Baileys to finish off.<br />
September has a very different vibe. This year my son starts school. I remember my mother dreading<br />
the August scramble round Woolworths to get new stationary, the trip to Clark's for shiny new shoes and<br />
the new haircut that ensured you looked slightly startled in front of the school gates. With Woolworths<br />
long gone and the Ocado order bringing pencil cases as well as pizza and pineapples, it’s a less stressful<br />
end to the summer, and I intend to enjoy the preparation with my excited four-year-old.<br />
After the love-bomb of the royal wedding, a hot, hot summer and the excitement of the oh-so-near<br />
football, it’s probably time for a new schedule. The school run will become the new norm, and bring with<br />
it new faces. My son will try new sports, and learn an instrument. And perhaps I should take his lead and<br />
try something new.<br />
Parenting gets you stuck in a rut. Everything changes with the arrival of a first baby, and it’s easy to lose<br />
spontaneity. This back-to-school season let the browning of the leaves inspire you to make your own<br />
changes.<br />
Best of luck from all at LoveEAST to all those<br />
starting on new school adventures in September!<br />
ABOUT CELINE<br />
Mum from bow, gin addict, perma-knackered, fan of food,<br />
coffee and cheese. Follow Celine for more adventures in<br />
parenting:<br />
@bell_from_bow<br />
@bell_from_bow<br />
bellfrombow.com<br />
LOVEEAST JUNE - JULY 2018 17
What's on<br />
See this<br />
The Influence Project,<br />
Photographic exhibition showing<br />
pioneers of R&B, funk, soul,<br />
Afrobeat and hip hop by Alexis<br />
Chabala and producer Lorayne<br />
Crawford, On thru 22 August at<br />
Somerset House, The Strand,<br />
WC2R 1LA; somersethouse.<br />
org.uk<br />
The Mind's Eye, work by<br />
patients from Homerton<br />
Hospital's Regional Neurological<br />
Rehabilitation Unit, On thru 30<br />
August at Hackney Museum,<br />
1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ;<br />
hackney.gov.uk/museum<br />
Read this<br />
Maps of London & Beyond<br />
by Adam Dant<br />
Wonderful collection of Dant's<br />
humourous, thoughtful and<br />
beautifully detailed drawings<br />
The Corners by Chris Dorley-<br />
Brown<br />
A celebration of East London<br />
street corners via painterly<br />
photographs that draw you in.<br />
Markets<br />
Roman Road Market, street<br />
market selling mostly affordable<br />
or discounted women’s fashion<br />
and homewares incl French<br />
Connection & TopShop, Mon/<br />
Tues/Thurs & Sat, Roman<br />
Road, E3 5ES; info & times:<br />
romanroadlondon.com<br />
Broadway Vegan Market,<br />
Saturdays 10 - 6pm, London<br />
Fields Primary School, Westgate<br />
Street, London, E8 3RL;<br />
broadwayveganmarket.com<br />
Growing Communities<br />
Farmers Market, Saturdays<br />
10am - 3pm, St Paul's Church,<br />
Stoke Newington, N16 7UY;<br />
growingcommunities.org/market/<br />
Walthamstow Farmers Market,<br />
Sundays 10am - 2pm, Town<br />
Square by Selbourne Walk<br />
Shopping Centre, E17 7JN; lfm.<br />
org.uk/markets/walthamstow/<br />
Aug<br />
WED 1 Aug<br />
Life Drawing sessions every<br />
Wednesday,7.30pm at Stour<br />
Space, Green Gates, 10 Stour Rd,<br />
E3 2NT, all materials included,<br />
£10; hackneywicklifedrawing.<br />
bigcartel.com, contact:<br />
hackneywicklifedrawing@<br />
hotmail.com<br />
FRI 3 Aug<br />
Book sale and more! Fundraising<br />
for Homerton Hospital, 10am -<br />
4pm, Main Reception, Homerton<br />
Hospital, Homerton Row, London<br />
E9 6SR<br />
SAT 4 Aug<br />
Heart of Hackney History Walk,<br />
Trace Hackney’s story from Saxon<br />
settlement to city borough,11am-<br />
1.15pm., Meet steps of Hackney<br />
Town Hall, Mare St., E8 1EA,<br />
£10 (£8 conc.); Details/booking:<br />
walkhackney.co.uk/heart-ofhackney-walk-2/<br />
Victoria Park Day, 11am-4pm,<br />
festival featuring live music,<br />
rides, arts and crafts etc.<br />
the day, located around the<br />
Bandstand; info: victoriapark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
SUN 5 Aug<br />
Music from the MINGUS Elastic<br />
Band, Vicky Park Bandstand,<br />
2-6pm. info: victoriapark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
TUES 7 Aug<br />
Knit & Natter at Signorelli's,<br />
Bakery, East Village, E20, all<br />
abilities welcome; info on their<br />
FB page: @E20Knit&Natter<br />
WED 8 Aug<br />
Sara Pascoe Warms Up at the<br />
Backyard Comedy Club, 8pm,<br />
£8 / £6 conc, 231 Cambridge<br />
Heath Rd, E2 0EL; info & to book:<br />
backyardbar.co.uk/event/sarapascoe-warms-up/<br />
THURS 9 Aug<br />
Summer of Art at Mile End Arts<br />
Pavilion, 12noon-4pm, creative<br />
workshops for all ages, FREE<br />
for all the community to attend;<br />
0207 364 5227 or mileendpark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
Ladies who Latte, relaxed, free<br />
networking, 10.30am-12.30pm,<br />
Bumplin Westfield; info: rachel@<br />
rachelkmiller.com<br />
SAT 11 Aug<br />
Triangle Market, 10am - 4pm,<br />
Church St. Triangle, West Ham<br />
Lane, E15 3HX; info: Hanna<br />
Ivansson on 07448 860 820 or<br />
triangleactiongroup@gmail.com<br />
Kingsland History Walk,Walk<br />
through four ancient parishes<br />
along Hackney’s western fringes,<br />
once the hunting ground of kings,<br />
to Newington Green, 11am-<br />
1.30pm, Meet Dalston Junction<br />
Station, E8 3DL, £10 (£8 conc.);<br />
Details/booking: walkhackney.<br />
co.uk/kingsland-to-newingtongreen/<br />
Victoria Park Summer Tree Walk,<br />
10.30am – 12.30pm; Learn how to<br />
identify the many types of trees<br />
in the park during the summer<br />
months; booking required: 020<br />
7364 4504 or victoriapark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
SUN 12 Aug<br />
Triangle Market, fresh produce,<br />
craft, performers etc.,10am<br />
- 4pm, Church St. Triangle,<br />
West Ham Lane, E15 3HX; info:<br />
triangleactiongroup@gmail.com<br />
THURS 16 Aug<br />
Victoria Park Meadow Safari,<br />
10.30am – 12.30pm; explore<br />
our meadow areas, flowers and<br />
mini beasts; booking required:<br />
020 7364 4504 or victoriapark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
Under the Stars, Central Park,<br />
East Ham thru Sun 18 th ,<br />
highlights include Levi Roots<br />
(Thurs) Soul II Soul (Sat) & The<br />
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra<br />
(Sun) FREE; info: newham.gov.uk<br />
The Sun Ra Arkestra, doors 7pm<br />
at the Union Chapel, Compton<br />
Terrace, London, N1 2UN; info &<br />
to book: unionchapel.org.uk<br />
SAT 18 Aug<br />
Pet First Aid Training with a<br />
PDSA nurse, 10am – 2pm, course<br />
attendees receive a certificate<br />
of attendance & refreshments;<br />
booking required: 020 7364 4504<br />
or victoriapark@towerhamlets.<br />
gov.uk<br />
Abbey Gardens Market, fresh<br />
produce, craft & performers,<br />
20 Bakers Row, E15 3NF; info:<br />
abbeygardens.org<br />
SUN 19 Aug<br />
Pub Quiz at The Plough<br />
and Harrow, 419 High Rd,<br />
Leytonstone E11 4JU, 7.30 -<br />
11.00 pm £1; info: facebook.com/<br />
ploughE11/<br />
Lost & Found Art Sessions,<br />
a walk in Vicky Park with<br />
Chisinhale Gallery artists in<br />
residence, meet at The Hub,<br />
11am; info: joelle.Copeland@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk or yasmin@<br />
chisenhale.cu.uk<br />
SAT 25 Aug<br />
Family summer & craft fair, 12<br />
noon - 4pm,Stoke Newington<br />
Methodist Church, 106A Stoke<br />
Newington High St., N16 7NY.<br />
info: Suzanne Asphall on 07956<br />
905 730 or designsbysuzanne01@<br />
hotmail.com<br />
O.L.D: Online Dating, part of The<br />
Camden Fringe, The Water Rats,<br />
328 Grays Inn Rd, Kings Cross,<br />
WC1X 8BZ, also Sun 26 th ; Tickets<br />
& info: camdenfringe.com<br />
FRI 31 Aug<br />
North Millfields Ultimate Funfair,<br />
thru 3 rd Sept, (Fri/Sat/Sun:<br />
1-10pm, Mon: 3-10pm), North<br />
Millfields, Leabridge Road, E5<br />
9RB; Info: irvinleisure.co.uk/<br />
upcoming-funfairs/ or contact<br />
George Irvin on 07773 322 160 /<br />
george@irvinleisure.com<br />
18 LOVEEAST
What's on<br />
Sept<br />
SAT 1 Sept<br />
Bird Barmy Army, 10am-12.30pm,<br />
meet at The V&A building for a<br />
guided tour to find out about Vicky<br />
Park’s feathered friends led by the<br />
park's resident ornithologist. No<br />
need to book; info: victoriapark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
De Beauvoir History Walk, Smart<br />
stuccoed 19 th century villas, mad<br />
houses, factories and canals,<br />
Meet Haggerston Station, E8 4DY,<br />
11am-1.15pm, £10 (£8 conc.);<br />
Details/booking: walkhackney.<br />
co.uk/de-beauvoir-walk/<br />
An evening with Tom Allen,<br />
7.45pm at the Union Chapel,<br />
Compton Terrace, London, N1<br />
2UN; info & to book: unionchapel.<br />
org.uk<br />
SUN 2 Sept<br />
Hackney Record Fair, 11am - 6pm,<br />
Hackney Arts Centre, 13 Stoke<br />
Newington Rd, N16 8BH; info:<br />
Mark Farhall on 020 7747 2590 /<br />
hackneyfleamarket@gmail.com<br />
Leytonstone Street Fest,<br />
Leytonstone Town Centre, E11, 12<br />
noon-6pm, free<br />
TUE 4 Sept<br />
Knit & Natter at Signorelli's,<br />
Bakery, East Village, E20, all<br />
abilities welcome; info on their FB<br />
page: @E20Knit&Natter<br />
Romeo and Juliet with<br />
Handlebards all female troupe<br />
on the front lawns at the Geffrey<br />
Museum, 7-9pm, £5 - £15 in<br />
advance, £17 on door; to book:<br />
handlebards.com/tickets/romeojuliet-the-geffrye/<br />
WED 5 Sept<br />
Life Drawing sessions every<br />
Wednesday, 7.30pm at Stour<br />
Space, Green Gates, 10 Stour Rd,<br />
E3 2NT, all materials included,<br />
£10; hackneywicklifedrawing.<br />
bigcartel.com, contact:<br />
hackneywicklifedrawing@<br />
hotmail.com<br />
THUR 6 Sept<br />
Mile End Ultimate Funfair, thru<br />
16 th Sept, (Mon -Thurs: 3:30<br />
-9pm, Fri: 3.30 -9:30pm, Sat: 1<br />
-9:30pm, Sun: 1-9pm), Mile End<br />
Park; info: irvinleisure.co.uk/<br />
upcoming-funfairs/ or contact<br />
George Irvin on 07773 322 160 /<br />
george@irvinleisure.com<br />
FRI 7 Sept<br />
Twelfth Night with Handlebards<br />
all male troupe on the front lawns<br />
at the Geffrey Museum, 7-9pm,<br />
£5 - £15 in advance, £17 on door;<br />
to book: handlebards.com/tickets/<br />
twelfth-night-the-geffrye/<br />
SAT 8 Sept<br />
20th Anniversary Lee Hurst &<br />
Special Guests at the Backyard<br />
Comedy Club, 8pm, £16 but see<br />
website for Super Early and<br />
Early Bird prices, 231 Cambridge<br />
Heath Rd, E2 0EL; info & to book:<br />
backyardbar.co.uk/event/20thanniversary-lee-hurst-specialguests/<br />
Last Night of the Proms<br />
MON 10 Sept<br />
Learn The Alexander<br />
Technique,10:15 -11:45am,<br />
Clissold Park Tennis Pavillion, 3<br />
Queen Elizabeth's Walk, N16 0BF,<br />
check website for course dates,<br />
prices, etc.: hilaryking.net or<br />
contact Hilary King on 020 7254<br />
9206 / alextech@hilaryking.net<br />
Introduction to Ceramics with<br />
Su Leaver, Mondays 7 - 9.30pm<br />
thru 15 th Oct, 7-9.30pm at Space<br />
Studios, £185: eventbrite.co.uk/e/<br />
introduction-to-ceramics-6-weekcourse-tickets-47996243055<br />
Lean On Me: Jose James<br />
Celebrates Bill Withers, Doors<br />
7pm at the Union Chapel,<br />
Compton Terrace, London, N1<br />
2UN; info & to book: unionchapel.<br />
org.uk<br />
WED 12 Sept<br />
Ed Vulliamy: When Words Fail, at<br />
The Wanstead Tap, 7.30pm; info<br />
& tkts: thewansteadtap.com<br />
THURS 13 Sept<br />
Ladies who Latte, relaxed,<br />
free networking, 10.30am<br />
-12.30pm, Bumplin Westfield;<br />
info: rachel@rachelkmiller.<br />
com<br />
SUN 16 Sept<br />
Memoryscape History Walk,<br />
10:30am-12:30pm, Victoria Park,<br />
recorded audio trail around<br />
the park with community park<br />
rangers; info & to book: 0207<br />
364 4504 or victoriapark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk.<br />
Lost & Found Art Sessions - a<br />
walk in Vicky Park with Chisinhale<br />
Gallery artists in residence, meet<br />
at The Hub, 11am; info: joelle.<br />
Copeland@towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
or yasmin@chisenhale.cu.uk<br />
TUES 18 Sept<br />
Private View for Heidi Bucher<br />
Survey Exhibition, 6-8 pm at<br />
Parasol Unit, 14 Wharf Road, N1<br />
7RW, continues thru 9 De.c; info:<br />
parasol-unit.org<br />
SAT 22 Sept<br />
Rompas Reggae Open Decks,<br />
1pm-11.50pm at Grow, Canal<br />
Side, Hackney Wick E9 5LN,<br />
FREE, turn up with your records<br />
& add your name to the wall for<br />
a 20 min DJ session, also has a<br />
record stall & food; grow-hackney.<br />
squarespace.com/events/<br />
WED 26 Sept<br />
Luna Cinema at the Geffrey:<br />
Labyrinth starring David Bowie,<br />
doors 6pm, film 7.30 start, £16.50<br />
adults/£12 kids 3+15; info &<br />
to book: thelunacinema.com/<br />
geffrye-museum<br />
Comedy at Hackney Empire<br />
featuring Mike Epps, 7.30pm, £29<br />
+ booking fee; info & booking:<br />
hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/<br />
mike-epps/<br />
SAT 29 Sept<br />
Shacklewell History Walk,<br />
Hackney’s forgotten village, Meet<br />
Dalston Junction Station, E8<br />
3DL, 11am-2pm, £10 (£8 conc.);<br />
Details/booking: walkhackney.<br />
co.uk/shacklewell-walk/<br />
Abbey Gardens Harvest Festival,<br />
fresh produce, craft, performers<br />
etc., 12pm - 4pm, 20 Bakers Row,<br />
E15 3NF; info: abbeygardens.org<br />
Lithuanian comedy act ‘Katleris<br />
ir Stonkus’ at Hackney Empire,<br />
7pm; info, prices & booking:<br />
hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/<br />
katleris-ir-stonkus/<br />
Sun 30 Sept<br />
Make Your Mark on Vicky Park -<br />
help our Community Park Rangers<br />
carry out some conservation,<br />
11:30am-1:30pm, meet at the<br />
Outdoor Classroom, near St<br />
Agnes Gate, Gore Road, E9, no<br />
need to book; info: victoriapark@<br />
towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
DIY Art Market, 11am-6pm,<br />
Hackney Arts Centre, 13<br />
Stoke Newington Rd, N16<br />
8BH, info: facebook.com/<br />
events/157728371544672/<br />
We know that<br />
in September,<br />
we will wander<br />
through the warm<br />
winds of summer's<br />
wreckage. We will<br />
welcome summer's<br />
ghost.<br />
- Henry Rollins<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 19
East life<br />
We catch up with expert<br />
organiser Georgiana Klinke,<br />
owner of LifeSpace<br />
What inspired you to start LifeSpace?<br />
I have always loved organising and tidying - I never<br />
had to be asked to tidy my room as a child! In fact,<br />
when I told one of my primary school friends that I<br />
had started LifeSpace London her response was “if<br />
ever there was a perfect job for you this is it!"<br />
After a career of almost 20 years in Human Resources<br />
in the City and abroad, I know what it’s like trying<br />
to juggle working full time with raising a family, not<br />
to mention finding time for hobbies and interests:<br />
everyone needs a little help sometimes. So I founded<br />
LifeSpace London so that I can pass on my knowledge<br />
and experience to help others feel more in control of<br />
their lives and not the other way round.<br />
Describe a typical 'day in the life’.<br />
Working with different clients is amazing as even<br />
though the work might be similar, everyone’s lives and<br />
therefore needs are different. But a ‘typical’ day would<br />
start with me arriving at the client’s home with a plan<br />
for the day: I always warn people that we will have to<br />
make a mess before we can tidy up!<br />
We start by working systematically to group similar<br />
items together (this can be a real eye opener as<br />
clients sometimes find that they have, for example,<br />
3 kettles which they didn’t realise they had!) and go<br />
through these, allocating all items either to a ‘keep',<br />
‘donate' or ‘remove’ pile. I try to limit the number<br />
of items which end up in landfill by using tried and<br />
trusted outlets for unwanted belongings which have<br />
been used and still have life in them for someone else<br />
to benefit from.<br />
The client and I work together as it is very much a<br />
joint process: nothing is thrown away without the<br />
client’s permission, and I ask lots of questions about<br />
how the client uses items, the rooms, their routines so<br />
as to make the most efficient suggestions for how to<br />
organise and style their space to suit their lifestyle. I<br />
can also help with ideas for how to display treasured<br />
possessions, the best types of storage to suit the<br />
space (I always carry a tape measure and will follow<br />
up with carefully chosen options that will fit) or how<br />
20 LOVEEAST<br />
to plan a daily routine<br />
to be more efficient<br />
once I have left.<br />
At the end of the<br />
process, I will take<br />
donations to a charity<br />
/ good cause of the<br />
client’s choosing,<br />
as well as any items<br />
which are going to<br />
be thrown away,<br />
leaving the client with<br />
an organised space<br />
where every item has<br />
a place.<br />
Have you ever had a really challenging project?<br />
I find the most challenging projects are those that<br />
might seem the most simple at first sight: this might<br />
be someone who has a shopping addiction or has<br />
difficulty throwing anything away.<br />
I once worked with a client who felt completely<br />
overwhelmed and had no idea where to start. I had<br />
to climb over boxes and bags just to get into the<br />
house, but as we talked, they really opened up about<br />
how the clutter made them feel, and by starting to<br />
remove items straight away, they could see some of<br />
the clouds lift. By the end of the first session, one<br />
room had been transformed and they couldn’t wait<br />
to get started on the next one. It’s amazing what a bit<br />
of help and support (not to mention an extra pair of<br />
hands!) can do. I think that my previous career in HR<br />
has really helped me to work with different clients to<br />
draw out how I can best help them with whatever is<br />
going on in their lives right now.<br />
In your experience, what's the hardest object or thing<br />
for most people to part with?<br />
Definitely their children’s possessions: be it artwork<br />
or baby clothes, it represents the end of an era, and<br />
the acknowledgment that time moves fast and people<br />
grow up and move on. It can also represent unfulfilled<br />
hopes and dreams that can be very difficult to come<br />
to terms with.<br />
Images courtesy of LifeSpace
And the easiest?<br />
Electrical items: technology changes so quickly that things become obsolete very fast, and I’m sure that we have<br />
all been guilty of buying or being given a bread maker / electric juicer / foot spa on a whim, which then gathers<br />
dust at the back of a cupboard! These items often take up a lot of space too, so getting rid of them gives an instant<br />
result and the momentum to keep going and do more.<br />
Do you have a favourite room to work with?<br />
I love tackling any room, but if I had to choose a favourite it would probably be the sitting room / living area,<br />
as there is nothing better than coming home at the end of the day and being able to sit down without being<br />
surrounded by piles of clutter or children’s toys which prevent you from being able to relax in your<br />
own home. I always find it fascinating to hear the client’s personal stories<br />
about where their treasures came from and what they mean to them.<br />
What's the best part of the job?<br />
Seeing the client’s face once the result has been achieved! People have said<br />
that it is a life-changing process, and I don’t think you can underestimate<br />
how much difference changing even one room can make to someone’s<br />
attitude to home, their way of life and ultimately sense of happiness. When<br />
one client said that now they could invite friends over for a meal which<br />
they hadn’t felt able to before, it just about summed up for me how much<br />
I love this job!<br />
Best de-cluttering tip?<br />
Put things away after you’ve used them, even if you use them every day.<br />
That way you always know where they are and won’t spend time hunting<br />
for them. Even 5 or 10 things soon become 15 or 20 if not put back and the<br />
effects are cumulative: if things aren’t put away the clutter will soon start to<br />
gather again!<br />
Georgiana also<br />
offers space<br />
planning, home<br />
staging and moving house<br />
services.<br />
TO FIND OUT MORE<br />
lifespace.london<br />
@LifeSpaceLondon<br />
@lifespace.london<br />
LifeSpace.London<br />
0203 598 7506<br />
georgi@lifespace.london<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 21
Parks and Outdoors<br />
Bow Creek Ecology Park in Docklands wildlife haven<br />
in the urban environment with a variety of wildlife from<br />
newts and water scorpions to flocks of wading birds:<br />
visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/nature/naturereserve/bow-creek/<br />
Clissold Park has a paddling pool, fountains, tennis court<br />
and skate-park plus an aviary and animal enclosures,<br />
multi-use games area and dog-free play area: hackney.<br />
gov.uk/clissold-park<br />
Homerton Grove Adventure Playground is a free, open<br />
access playground and youth service for children 6+ to<br />
run, jump, make noise & have fun. Once registered and<br />
settled, they can be left to play. Under 6's welcome if<br />
supervised: hackneyplay.org/homerton-grove/<br />
Shakespeare Walk Adventure Playground in Stoke<br />
Newington is a free, open access playground offering<br />
a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. Once<br />
registered and settled, they can be left to play. Under 6's<br />
welcome if supervised: wapa.org.uk/about.html<br />
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park runs a variety of clubs<br />
and events including Bow Beasties Wildlife Club and the<br />
Forest School: fothcp.org/kids<br />
The Tumbling Bay Playground in the north of the<br />
Olympic Park has rock pools, tree houses, wobbly bridge<br />
etc.: queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/thingsto-do<br />
Victoria Park is running loads of events incl: Teddy Bears'<br />
Picnic, Bard Barmy Army, Summer Tree & Memoryscape<br />
Walks, Pet First Aid Training & The Great Potato Pulling<br />
Competition. Check out their list of summer events for<br />
details, dates, times etc.: towerhamlets.gov.uk<br />
Wild Kingdom at Three Mills Green encourages<br />
natural play where children can climb over (purposely<br />
placed) fallen trees and build their own dens. Also has a<br />
traditional maypole swing and trampolines:<br />
visitleevalley.org.uk/en/content/cms/nature/naturereserve/three-mills-island/#wild-kingdom<br />
Inclusive Adventure Playgrounds<br />
Designed for young people with disabilities/additional<br />
needs and supervised by trained, CRB checked staff, &<br />
offer a variety of activities for stimulating & inclusive play<br />
in a setting that supports the child's requirements and<br />
also gives support to their families.<br />
Hackney Adventure Playground, Clapton<br />
FB page: @KIDSAdventurePlayHackney<br />
Terence Brown Ark, Canning Town<br />
theaaazone.com/terence-brown-arc.html<br />
Splish Splash<br />
Here's a handy way to find a pool near you: swimming.<br />
org/poolfinder/ - just put in your post code and voilà!<br />
Laburnum Boat Club offers kayaking and canoe lessons<br />
for all abilities plus narrow boat trips along the Regent’s<br />
Canal: laburnumboatclub.com<br />
Vicky Park Boating Lake has regattas and sailing with<br />
model boats on Sundays and you can also hire a little<br />
dinghy to row around the lake from regalboathire.co.uk<br />
Tennis & Rugby<br />
Tennis lessons for children aged 4+ with Ross Askell (and<br />
a tenner off your first session if you mention LoveEast!)<br />
Ring Ross on 07974 801 439 or email raskell48@hotmail.<br />
com for info.<br />
Try Time Kids Rugby, Victoria Park opposite the Victoria<br />
Band Stand, Saturdays at 10am & 11.15am from 8th Sept to<br />
15th Oct; info: trytimekidsrugby.com/victoria-park T: 01252<br />
794 150 / danielled@trytimekidsrugby.com<br />
22 LOVEEAST
Horse Riding<br />
Aldersbrook Riding:<br />
aldersbrookriding.co.uk<br />
Lee Valley Riding Centre:<br />
leevalleypark.org.uk/go/horseriding/<br />
Docklands Equestrian Centre:<br />
docklandsequestriancentre.com<br />
Arts 'n Crafts<br />
Play, Performance & Pastimes at the Geffrye, Creative<br />
workshops & hands-on activities for families with children<br />
aged 2 – 16, Sessions include Nursery Rhyme Time for 2 – 5<br />
year olds, digital workshops for children aged 8+, digital<br />
workshops for children aged 11+, drop-in craft workshops,<br />
Geffrye Explorers and family-friendly tours of our restored<br />
Almshouse. Check the what's on section at geffryemuseum.urg.uk<br />
for dates & times.<br />
Nordic Summer Family Days at the Museum of Childhood,<br />
Thursdays thru 30August, 11.00-16.00, storytelling and<br />
craft activities; free, drop-in, All ages; info: vam.ac.uk/moc/<br />
events/nordic-summer-family-days/<br />
Drama & Live Performance<br />
Yardlings Big offers free theatre making for 4-6 yr olds<br />
and Yardlings Bigger for 7-11 yr olds at The Yard: theyard.co.uk<br />
Also, check out their Yard Card for discounts<br />
and offers.<br />
Disney themed drama, dance and games as well as<br />
storytelling also: art/drawing workshops with Kids Party<br />
Acadamy. Various dates in August - check website for<br />
deets: kidspartyacademy.co.uk/latest-news.html<br />
Teletubbies Live at Hackney Empire, 18 & 19 August,<br />
tickets range from £11 - £17 + booking fee. Info, times &<br />
booking: hackneyempire.co.uk/whats-on/teletubbies-live/<br />
Hello! We are Little Artists London.<br />
We plan and deliver fun and creative art<br />
parties too. Tell us a little bit about your<br />
event and request our party event package.<br />
t: 07882 396 557<br />
info@littleartistslondon.com<br />
@littleartistslondon<br />
www.littleartistslondon.com<br />
Be sure to check times/availability via the<br />
websites or contact details provided.<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 23
Community<br />
Music and football come<br />
together for Hackney Wick<br />
FC's United Against Knife<br />
Crime Charity Match<br />
A lot has happened with Hackney Wick FC, aka The<br />
Wickers, since Julie's September 2015 interview<br />
with the club's founder and absolute force of nature,<br />
Bobby Kasanga. Most recently, the club hosted a<br />
charity football match, United Against Knife Crime,<br />
on a hot summer's evening at the London Stadium<br />
Community Track. The match brought together an<br />
all-star line-up of Rap and Grime artists to compete<br />
against the club in order to raise both awareness and<br />
funds for The Wickers Charity.<br />
Grassroots at its finest<br />
I must preface this by saying that I'm a passionate<br />
football fan and have a particular fondness for<br />
community and grassroots football, so attending<br />
the match was a real labour of love for me. It was<br />
a fantastic evening, with plenty of goals, a penalty<br />
shootout and an atmosphere that can only be<br />
described as festival-like and upbeat.<br />
One of the best things about watching grassroots<br />
football is that you can be within inches of the action.<br />
Yes, your Chelsea, West Ham, Spurs and Arsenal may<br />
play prettier football, but there's something really<br />
invigorating about being at the coalface and feeling<br />
the passion of the players, and this match gave all that<br />
and more.<br />
As I headed to the ground, I was thinking about the<br />
weather, as it was quite a hot day. 25 degrees in the<br />
shade, not a cloud in the sky and gloriously beautiful,<br />
actually - if you happened to be hanging out at<br />
Olympic Park or sitting in a beer garden somewhere.<br />
Running around on a pitch in that heat for 90+<br />
minutes, on the other hand, is hard work, and I really<br />
felt for the players. It didn't seem to be an issue for<br />
either side though, and I was impressed with that.<br />
Before the match and at halftime, Bobby and the<br />
players/artists were being interviewed by the press;<br />
ordinarily they would be cordoned off from the<br />
general public, but no, not these guys. Instead, they<br />
were happy to mix with the crowd, answer questions<br />
and have pictures taken, making time for everyone<br />
who approached them. It really added to the<br />
Images: Tod Kavonic<br />
24 LOVEEAST
Community<br />
Charity Match Referee, JJ.<br />
atmosphere, and drove home<br />
the point that this really IS a<br />
community club.<br />
More than just football<br />
Founded in 2015, the club<br />
has gone from strength to<br />
strength, and now boasts 16<br />
youth teams - including girls’<br />
teams - encompassing 160<br />
youths, as well as two semi-pro<br />
adult teams with 70 members,<br />
and it's just been announced<br />
that another adult team will be<br />
formed in the autumn. Quite an<br />
impressive track record. They<br />
also provide sessions for children<br />
with additional needs, so it can<br />
truly be said that HWFC are a<br />
completely inclusive club.<br />
What makes this club stand out<br />
is the fact that it's about more<br />
than just football. There is a firm<br />
commitment to being a positive<br />
influence in the lives of the<br />
players and in the community<br />
generally, as well as a strong<br />
ethos of paying it forward<br />
through various volunteer<br />
activities.<br />
The Wickers Charity<br />
The club has also established<br />
The Wickers Charity, whose<br />
aim is to combat and tackle<br />
gun, knife and gang culture<br />
by providing a safe space for<br />
members to develop life skills<br />
and be mentored by and learn<br />
from positive role models. With<br />
increased reports of knife crime<br />
and gang activity - as I write<br />
this, the news is again talking<br />
about yet another tragic loss<br />
of life - the charity seeks to<br />
use preventative measures by<br />
implementing options that can<br />
deter young people from the<br />
dangers that surround them<br />
before it’s too late. They also<br />
provide talks in schools about<br />
peer pressure and antisocial<br />
behaviour, and hold health and<br />
wellbeing workshops.<br />
They also run The Hub, which<br />
is open on Thursdays from<br />
5.30 - 7.30pm and caters<br />
for 6 - 18 year olds. Sessions<br />
include educational workshops,<br />
mentoring and counselling as a<br />
means of advancing educational<br />
and employment opportunities,<br />
and pathways into work as<br />
well as recreation and leisure<br />
activities, all of which provide<br />
an alternative to entering a life<br />
of crime.<br />
The Wickers Charity is enhancing<br />
community cohesion by offering<br />
an alternative to our youth and<br />
creating opportunities for them,<br />
educating and instilling positive<br />
values and growing positive<br />
young role models. That can only<br />
be good. Take a bow, Wickers -<br />
you do us proud.<br />
Read Julie's interview with<br />
Bobby Kasanga to learn about<br />
the inspiration and story behind<br />
HWFC: issuu.com/e9magazine/<br />
docs/loveeastsept2015web<br />
Our ultimate<br />
goal is to bring<br />
the grassroots<br />
community<br />
together and<br />
improve quality<br />
of life for our<br />
supporters and<br />
stakeholders using<br />
football as the<br />
catalyst for this<br />
transformation.<br />
TO FIND OUT MORE<br />
hackneywickfc.com<br />
@HackneyWickFC<br />
@hackneywickfc<br />
@hackneywickfc<br />
Enquiries<br />
Niaman.hackneywickfc@<br />
gmail.com<br />
Community development<br />
Brian.hackneywickfc@<br />
gmail.com<br />
Home ground<br />
The Old Spotted Dog Ground,<br />
212 Upton Lane, E7 9NP<br />
Office<br />
138B Amhurst Road, E8 2AG<br />
The Wickers Charity<br />
St Mary-of-Eton Hackney Wick<br />
The Vicarage, 95 Eastway,<br />
London E9 5JA<br />
020 8506 6033 (general)<br />
07811 149 579 (Operations<br />
Mgr)<br />
thewickerscharity.org<br />
@WickersThe<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 25
Eating In<br />
Ingredients:<br />
300g Sweet potato<br />
200g carrots<br />
400g butter beans<br />
1 small to medium size whole garlic<br />
bulb<br />
200g cherry tomatoes<br />
1-2 small red onion<br />
1 lemon - juice and grated zest<br />
1-2 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary<br />
and thyme<br />
3-4 tbsp olive oil<br />
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper<br />
150g feta or goats cheese crumbled<br />
50g tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds<br />
200g rocket or lambs lettuce<br />
1/2 pomegranate<br />
Sea salt and freshly ground black<br />
pepper<br />
Serves 2 - 3<br />
Diana Warring's Sweet<br />
Potato Summer Bake<br />
with Feta, Pomegranate<br />
& Fresh Herbs<br />
During the summer we all prefer to spend more<br />
time outside than in the kitchen - that's why I love<br />
summer bakes. They're quick and easy to prepare<br />
and taste delicious hot or cold. This fibre-rich sweet<br />
potato bake, with lots of fresh tomatoes, garlic, red<br />
onions, thyme and rosemary, is topped with salty feta,<br />
refreshing pomegranate and toasted pumpkin seeds.<br />
The combination of ingredients brings you the taste of<br />
summer and is nutritious. Feel free to add your choice<br />
of greens, herbs and summer berries for some extra<br />
fibre, vitamins, antioxidants and freshness.<br />
Method:<br />
1. Preheat the oven at 180C. Peel the sweet potatoes and carrots and<br />
cut into 2cm size cubes. Peel red onions and cut into wedges. Peel<br />
garlic cloves or cut the bulb in half. In a small bowl mix 2-3 tbsp olive<br />
oil with 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Zest<br />
and then juice the lemon.<br />
2. Place the sweet potato and carrot cubes, onions, garlic and whole<br />
cherry tomatoes in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle the cayenne oil and 1<br />
tbsp of lemon on top and give everything a good stir. Make sure that<br />
all the vegetables are coated with the oil. Bake for 45 minutes in the<br />
oven until nicely soft and caramelized.<br />
3. In the meantime, drain the beans and set aside. Rinse the rocket and<br />
prepare the pomegranate. Next, remove the rosemary and thyme<br />
leaves from the sprigs and roughly chop the rosemary. The thyme<br />
does not need chopping.<br />
4. After 30-35 minutes add the beans and 1/2 the fresh herbs to the<br />
vegetables, stir well and bake for another 15 minutes.<br />
5. Serve the baked vegetables on a bed of rocket, with crumbled feta,<br />
pomegranate, the rest of the herbs and a touch of lemon zest.<br />
Because the feta is quite salty, Leave it to your guests to season their<br />
portions to taste at the table.<br />
Enjoy!<br />
ABOUT DIANA<br />
Diana Warrings is a qualified BANT registered nutritional therapist & well-being chef. She lives between London and Berlin<br />
where she works as a nutrition consultant, health writer, recipe developer and personal chef to international private and<br />
corporate clients.<br />
Check out Diana's healthy food blog, IrmaGreen.com for recipes, resources and inspiration.<br />
Image: Diana Warrings<br />
26 LOVEEAST
Eating Out<br />
Hackney native and professional chef Aidan Brooks<br />
launches Eleven98 - pop-up dining with a difference<br />
I recently had the pleasure of attending the press launch for Eleven98, in a lovely flat in Homerton, along<br />
with seven others. The evening began with a quirky, refreshing cocktail, and continued on with what can<br />
only be described as a unique – and delicious, nine-course tasting menu, complemented throughout by<br />
distinctive drinks pairings.<br />
Similar to supper clubs, some of Eleven98's events are held in<br />
people’s homes, while others are held in established eateries such as<br />
their recent pop-up at the Well Street Kitchen. Each experience is<br />
different, providing interesting and unusual food combinations and<br />
menus are driven by what's in season.<br />
What makes Eleven98 truly unique is that ingredients are sourced<br />
almost exclusively in Hackney from independent, organic shops<br />
and urban agricultural growers, including Growing Communities in<br />
Stoke Newington and St Mary’s Secret Garden in Haggerston. Aidan<br />
also forages in the borough and his recently renovated garden is an<br />
additional source. His ethos of<br />
sustainability comes full circle<br />
with any food waste donated<br />
to his next-door neighbour’s<br />
wormery, which converts it to<br />
compost.<br />
Images: TOP: Aidan Brooks, BOTTOM LEFT and RIGHT: John Sargent<br />
Eleven98 offers an experience<br />
easily comparable with any<br />
fine dining restaurant, yet at a<br />
fraction of the price, and it’s not<br />
just the food that makes this so.<br />
It’s the experience itself; original<br />
settings, a relaxed and convivial<br />
atmosphere, excellent and<br />
attentive table service with cutlery changed between each course,<br />
drinks poured and food artfully presented on a beautifully laid table.<br />
A dab of butter perched on a smooth stone next to your bread plate,<br />
fresh flowers on the table… these little details matter because they all<br />
contribute to the experience.<br />
It's fine dining Hackney style - highly recommended for an original<br />
and memorable experience.<br />
About Aidan Brooks<br />
A trained professional chef, Aidan was born and raised in Hackney<br />
and has over ten years of restaurant experience, including helping<br />
to launch Nuno Mende's famed Viajante, the East End's first ever<br />
Michelin-starred restaurant. He is passionate about good food,<br />
sustainability and, of course, Hackney. Future plans include guest<br />
chef residencies and collaborations with friends old and new.<br />
COST<br />
A very reasonable £55 per person<br />
includes a bespoke, multi-course<br />
menu with drinks throughout.<br />
TO FIND OUT MORE<br />
eleven98hackney.com<br />
@eleven98hackney<br />
@eleven98hackney<br />
@eleven98hackney<br />
GET IN TOUCH<br />
aidan@eleven98hackney.com<br />
07538 046 604<br />
Eleven98 donates a portion of its<br />
profits to three local charities:<br />
Hackney Foodbank, St Joseph's<br />
Hospice and ecoACTIVE.<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 27
EAST SIDE<br />
TUESDAY, 18 SEPT<br />
Nat Steel -<br />
vibraphone<br />
and band<br />
£7<br />
TUESDAY 25 SEPT<br />
Award winning<br />
Liane Carroll with<br />
Roger Carey and<br />
Clive Fenner<br />
£10<br />
Tuesdays, 8.30pm - 11pm<br />
Leytonstone & District Ex-Servicemen’s Club<br />
2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone, E11 3DB<br />
(behind the Red Lion)<br />
eastsidejazzclub.blogspot.co.uk<br />
28 LOVEEAST
Our resident vintner Eugenio Ciccarelli<br />
introduces us to Terrific Timorasso<br />
The wine guide<br />
In the mid 90’s I agreed to do my final dissertation at Turin University on a rare grape variety on the brink of<br />
extinction, which a few viticulturists (Walter Massa in particular) were trying to revive: Timorasso.<br />
With my second-hand Citroen AX, I drove around the hills<br />
surrounding Tortona town in the region of Piedmont (in the<br />
Northwest of Italy) working with local wine producers to better<br />
understand the oenological characteristics of the then, literally<br />
unknown wine, and draw its sensorial profile.<br />
What I stumbled upon was one of the most interesting and<br />
exciting Italian white grape varieties, able to produce truly<br />
terrific wines with a high level of acidity and concentration<br />
and a great ageing potential. For its level of complexity and<br />
intensity, the Timorasso wine style, in fact, is more similar to<br />
some outstanding French whites (Viognier, Chenin Blancs) than<br />
their Italian counterparts.<br />
to replant this<br />
ancient grape as<br />
well as and the<br />
quality of the<br />
resulting wines<br />
being widely<br />
recognised and<br />
often receiving<br />
important<br />
awards,<br />
Timorasso can still be considered a rarity around the world, especially in<br />
the UK.<br />
Vinarius, in its continuous search for the underdogs - small producers,<br />
little known appellations or rare grape varieties that can deliver great<br />
quality wines at an affordable price - couldn’t miss this old and reliable<br />
friend and we've just started an exclusive collaboration with one of the<br />
best producers: Luigi Boveri (pictured).<br />
His winemaking interpretation of Timorasso enhances the purity and<br />
full character of the grape: skin contact maceration followed by a lees<br />
ageing and “battonage”, and with strictly no oak ageing. The “Filari<br />
di Timorasso” shows a bright, golden colour with grapefruit, apricot,<br />
honeycomb, white flowers and a touch of nuttiness that form an intense<br />
aromatic profile. Powerful & fresh on the palate with an attractive<br />
minerality and an incredibly long finish. A wine that can be enjoyed now<br />
or cellared for another five years. A must for any wine lover!<br />
Things have changed dramatically in the last two<br />
decades and from less than 20 acres in the 90’s there<br />
are now around 370 acres of total Timorasso vineyards.<br />
But despite<br />
the fact that<br />
more wineries<br />
have decided<br />
VISIT US<br />
536 Roman Road, Bow E3 5ES<br />
OPENING HOURS<br />
Mon: 12pm - 7pm<br />
Tues - Fri: 12pm - 11pm<br />
Sat: 10am - 11pm<br />
Sun: 10am - 10pm<br />
Food is served Tuesday to<br />
Sunday from 6:00 pm.<br />
We take reservations for private<br />
and corporate parties and wine<br />
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GET IN TOUCH<br />
store@vinarius.london<br />
020 3302 0123<br />
SOCIAL MEDIA<br />
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vinarius.london<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 29
Culture<br />
William Wilde meets Kate Conway, the driving force behind<br />
The Hackney Proms and Suzuki Hub<br />
Hackney resident and native Londone Kate Conway has forged a remarkable career as a professional violinist.<br />
As part of The Hackney Proms and Suzuki Hub groups, she helps spread a love of classical music to those who<br />
wouldn’t usually engage with the genre. Kay talked to me about how these projects make music accessible to all.<br />
Having learned the violin under the Suzuki method,<br />
which her mother passed on to her, Kate has taught<br />
in schools as well as through Suzuki Hub, being the<br />
Director of the Suzukian Schools Initiative. “It was<br />
developed in Japan in the 1950s. Dr Suzuki’s approach<br />
to education is that every child is able, and that we can<br />
teach talent, rather than looking for it and developing it<br />
where it’s already found,” she explains.<br />
Taking a similar approach to the<br />
idea that children innately absorb<br />
language, the Suzukian method is all<br />
about harnessing their sponge-like<br />
capacity for learning. In addition<br />
to classes, students practice for<br />
half an hour each day and listen to<br />
the provided recordings. Another<br />
difference to traditional music classes<br />
is that parents attend lessons with<br />
their children and learn how to best<br />
support them in their practice at<br />
home. Students can start as early as<br />
four years old.<br />
“Positivity is so important. The<br />
environment in which the child<br />
is brought up at home and in<br />
the lessons is paramount to their<br />
success.” Suzuki Hub, based in<br />
Shoreditch, is a family-run venture,<br />
with involvement from Kate’s wife, Ella, and brother,<br />
Rick, and there’s a real sense of engaging with the<br />
community. It’s a fun and effective way to learn an<br />
instrument, while maintaining a rigorous approach to<br />
practice.<br />
Another vital part of the Suzukian philosophy is to<br />
never turn anyone away. Kate recalls one severely<br />
autistic student who may have found more traditional<br />
music learning a challenge. “Henry was completely<br />
non-verbal and he could not make eye contact with<br />
anybody. Now he comes to group lessons every week,<br />
he can play piano to grade seven, he’s doing jazz<br />
improvisation with one of our teachers, and he can play<br />
the violin really beautifully.”<br />
His mum entered Kate for the Classic FM Music<br />
Teacher of the Year Awards, for which she got a<br />
special mention in the Special Education Needs Music<br />
30 LOVEEAST<br />
Image courtesy of Kay Conway<br />
category. “The thing about music is if you can play<br />
classical music, you can play anything else. Our kids<br />
who’ve learned classical up till their teenage years<br />
are going to be able to go and play grime with no<br />
problems.”<br />
Subsidies are offered for those who can’t afford the<br />
full price, too. In a similar way to youth sports clubs,<br />
one big advantage is to give kids something to be<br />
passionate about, to focus their<br />
attention on something positive.<br />
Kate believes music can help<br />
disadvantaged children forge a<br />
happy path through life. “It’s the<br />
kids who literally are in danger of<br />
becoming gang members because<br />
they’ve got nothing to do.”<br />
Kate’s other main project is her<br />
involvement in The Hackney Proms,<br />
with the band three4 (which also<br />
includes Emma Dogliani, soprano,<br />
and Stuart Wild, on keyboard). With<br />
four concerts a year held in different<br />
London venues, they put on a variety<br />
of gigs with a relaxed ambience. “I<br />
feel like when we took on Hackney<br />
Proms, I wanted to continue to<br />
build on this idea of using music as<br />
a social cohesion project.”<br />
Some shows are more focused on traditional classical<br />
music, and others incorporate different styles, such<br />
as an upcoming gig on 7 th October with She’Koyokh,<br />
a Balkan/Turkish ensemble band. Kate explains how<br />
some people are intimidated by classical music shows.<br />
“They feel either so put off, or it’s live music and they<br />
don’t know what to expect. It’s not only a financial<br />
barrier.”<br />
The gigs are affordable and offer a superb introduction<br />
to classical music performances. You can have a drink<br />
at the bar and enjoy the show in a relaxed setting,<br />
so it’s less formal and intimidating. “I would say the<br />
majority of people living in Hackney have a really<br />
strong sense of celebrating diversity and actively<br />
thinking; that’s a good thing,” she explains.<br />
Check out Suzuki Hub at suzukihub.com and The<br />
Hackney Proms at hackneyproms.co.uk.
WalkHackney's Sean Gubbins on<br />
Well-Watered Hackney<br />
As this year’s summer may turn out to be the driest<br />
ever, perhaps we will take less for granted water, which,<br />
after all, gave Hackney its name. At the end of an<br />
English place name ‘ey’ denotes a watery connection<br />
viz. Ely, Lundy, Sheppey. Hackney’s coat of arms has<br />
around it a border of waves representing the borough’s<br />
waterways, principally the River Lea, London’s second<br />
largest river which forms Hackney’s eastern border.<br />
We have Shaclkewell, Well Street and, in Shoreditch,<br />
Holywell Lane, close by what were St Agnes le Clair<br />
wells, off Old Street. These wells were tapped for ale<br />
brewing, though not, one hopes, at the<br />
same time as they were “frequented”,<br />
according to John Stow in 1598, by the<br />
“youth of the city in summer evenings,<br />
when they walk forth to take the air.”<br />
Stamford Hill is named after a sandy<br />
ford used to cross the Hackney Brook,<br />
which flowed along the line of today’s<br />
Grazebrook Road. Stonebridge Common is<br />
where a small stream was crossed which,<br />
for some distance, ran east as a boundary<br />
between Hackney and Shoredicth<br />
parishes. Ponsford Street is a renaming of<br />
Bridge Street, which took folk south out<br />
of Homerton, across the Hackney Brook.<br />
Spring Hill runs beside Springfield Park,<br />
where sometimes springs still bubble up.<br />
The Hackney Brook, which flowed from<br />
its source in the hills of north London to the Lea<br />
at Hackney Wick, had disappeared into London’s<br />
underground sewage system by the 1860s. At times it<br />
could flood to 70 foot, be two feet deep and was the<br />
site of more than one tragic drowning. As it flowed<br />
through its valley at the bottom of Clissold Park, it<br />
was used to fill ornamental lakes. Following its course<br />
downstream can still be seen, at the north-east corner<br />
of Abney Park Cemetery, the mound now no longer<br />
surrounded by water but once an islet where the<br />
divine, Dr Issac Watts, would contemplate.<br />
Also running through Hackney are two man-made<br />
waterways. The oldest is the New River, completed in<br />
1613, to bring water from Hertfordshire to the growing<br />
City of London. Meandering along the 100 foot<br />
contour, it flowed into Clissold Park, on a ridge above<br />
the Hackney Brook, and then followed a sharp bend<br />
One of the ornamental lakes,<br />
once fed by the Hackney<br />
Brook, in Clissold Park.<br />
A New River Company plaque<br />
which can still be seen in<br />
some roads.<br />
History<br />
west again to flow out towards the New River Head in<br />
Islington. Two hundred years later the Regent’s Canal<br />
was dug through the fields of Haggerston. South of<br />
London Fields, it is crossed by the Cat and Mutton<br />
Bridge. The bridge existed before the canal, spanning<br />
one of the many streams that criss-crossed wellwatered<br />
Hackney. The stream ran down the side of<br />
London Fields but was drained with the coming of the<br />
canal. Another stream was the Pigwell, which emerged<br />
near Dalston Junction and ran along the south side of<br />
today’s Graham Road, to join the Hackney Brook.<br />
Today we can enjoy the open waters<br />
of Stoke Newington’s East and West<br />
Reservoirs because in the 1980s local<br />
campaigners successfully fought off plans<br />
to develop them for housing. Constructed<br />
in the 1830s (some say lined with the stone<br />
of old London Bridge), they were to store<br />
water before it was pumped by the New<br />
River Company to be filtered prior to<br />
distribution.<br />
The New River Company supplied water<br />
for homes in the western parts of Hackney<br />
and Stoke Newington. Still to be seen on<br />
a few roads are the plates bearing the<br />
NR stamp. The east of the borough was<br />
supplied by the East London Waterworks<br />
Company. They took over an earlier<br />
operation which had constructed a<br />
reservoir, now know as Clapton Pond, to hold water<br />
pumped from the Lea.<br />
When the rains come this summer and challenge<br />
Thames Water’s drainage system, maybe water will<br />
flood once more across the road at the bottom of the<br />
Narrow Way. It won’t be the Hackney Brook breaking out<br />
from its conduited confinement. But it will be a reminder,<br />
as the water congregates in the valley of Hackney’s river,<br />
of what once flowed through these parts.<br />
Looking for something to do one weekend?<br />
Intrigued to find out more about Hackney?<br />
Look up walkhackney.co.uk and pick a walk<br />
that takes your fancy. The next two are in this<br />
edition's What's On section. I look forward to<br />
welcoming you on one of my walks.<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 31<br />
Images courtesy of Sean Gubbins
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Wellness<br />
Images courtesy of The Refinery E9<br />
Roger Love talks to Zoe Bertali of The Refinery E9 about its eclectic<br />
mix of fitness classes and her mission that drives the studio<br />
Tell us about yourself? I was a sales<br />
director for a marketing agency, but I always<br />
knew I wanted to get out of the corporate<br />
environment and away from the 9 to 5. I have<br />
been practising yoga for 18 years and started<br />
teaching it five years ago while still in full-time<br />
employment. I have always been passionate<br />
about the benefits of yoga and a healthy<br />
lifestyle. It's all about balance these days and<br />
making sure we have the tools to cope with<br />
modern life.<br />
It is important to carve the time out for<br />
yourself to declutter the mind and the<br />
body. When opening The Refinery, it was really<br />
important to us to build not just fitness studios<br />
and therapy rooms that would help people get<br />
in the best physical and mental shape, but also<br />
a community of like-minded people.<br />
What classes do you offer? We have more<br />
than 100 classes a week from Dynamic, Power,<br />
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body conditioning, and cardio and HIIT to<br />
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hypnotherapy and sound healing.<br />
Who are your teachers? We have amazing teachers and staff working with us - all with the same goal - to get<br />
you in your best shape in mind, body and soul. Even Marley the cockapoo makes an appearance occasionally -<br />
he has been known to throw out a Downward Dog or two on cue.<br />
What makes your studio different to others? We had been to lots of places where it was pretty intimidating<br />
entering the space - not sure if you were wearing the right gear or if you were good enough to be in the class.<br />
We want people to feel comfortable and included at any stage of their wellness journey so they stay committed<br />
to it - whether they are just starting out and have never attended a class before, or are experienced and looking<br />
for the best instruction. Life can get so serious, so we want people to have fun and make friends at the same<br />
time as finding a bit of headspace.<br />
Describe your classes in three words: Fierce, fun and fabulous!<br />
What kind of person will like them? Everyone, I hope!<br />
Who would hate them? I would hope no-one.<br />
What makes you most proud of your studio? Our fantastic clients, staff<br />
and teachers.<br />
What's the most memorable moment you've had at The<br />
Refinery E9? Opening the doors and welcoming clients for<br />
the first time - it was magical. We still have loads of them<br />
coming today three years on so we are so grateful and feel<br />
pretty lucky.<br />
THE REFINERY E9<br />
14 Collent St. E9 6SG<br />
info@therefinerye9.com<br />
therefinerye9.com<br />
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Roger Love Is a personal trainer<br />
based in Netil House E8.<br />
lovelondonfitness.com<br />
LOVEEAST AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2018 33
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