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Reporting on the serious stuff is a skill that all journalists need to learn, it is not just the structure of a story but the ability to spot one and have good news sense. I've written national news for The Big Issue and local news for publications that include the Kingston Courier, Islington Gazette, Hackney Gazette and the Hampstead and Highgate Express

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hackSpace digital art workshops come to Kingston's Bentall Centre –

Kingston School of Art and the Bentall Centre join forces to bring interactive technology workshops and demonstrations to the specially set up ‘The Lab’ this month. The hackSpace events happening at the weekends in May are open to all ages and include free workshops that can be booked online. Pablo Adrian Grattoni, Digital media & hackSpace manager said: “hackSpace is a physical computing workspace where people with common interests, often in digital art or electronic art can interact play, le

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hackSpace digital art workshops come to Kingston’s Bentall Centre | Kingston Courier

Children eagerly await The Lab opening for a hackSpace weekend photo by Catherine Wiltshire Written by Catherine Wiltshire on May 20th 2019 Kingston School of Art and the Bentall Centre join forces to bring interactive technology workshops and demonstrations to the specially set up ‘The Lab’ this month. The hackSpace events happening at the weekends in May are open to all ages and include free workshops that can be booked online. Pablo Adrian Grattoni, Digital media & hackSpace manager said:

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Kingston council sets out its vision for the borough –

Kingston Council has unveiled its four year corporate plan ‘Making Kingston Better Together’ which sets out its vision and ambitions for the borough. The 27-page report details the desired priority outcomes the council wants to deliver and how it will monitor progress. Councillor Liz Green, leader of Kingston Council, said: “Our new Corporate Plan includes our priority outcomes – what we want to achieve for the borough. We are determined to work with residents, businesses and local strategic p

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Kingston council sets out its vision for the borough | Kingston Courier

Kingston Council has unveiled its four year corporate plan ‘Making Kingston Better Together’ which sets out its vision and ambitions for the borough. The 27-page report details the desired priority outcomes the council wants to deliver and how it will monitor progress. Councillor Liz Green, leader of Kingston Council, said: “Our new Corporate Plan includes our priority outcomes – what we want to achieve for the borough. We are determined to work with residents, businesses and local strategic p

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Kingston’s Apple Store to hold ‘Family Camp’ digital skills sessions –

Apple at Kingston’s Bentall centre is holding ‘Family Camp’ to teach adults and children new digital skills during the Easter holidays. The camp which will run the free sessions between 8 – 22 April 2019 for adults and children of all ages as part of ‘Today at Apple’ sessions that were rebooted earlier this year. Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail, said: “Since the beginning, Today at Apple has been about educating and inspiring the communities we serve. These new session

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Kingston Shopping Centre will get first changing places service toilet –

Kingston council and the Bentall centre have joined forces to improve disabled facilities in Kingston with plans to install the area’s first changing places service toilet. The plan is to install the toilet by the summer and the decision to do so was in part down the Bentall Centre manager. Sam Eastwood, Bentall Centre director, said: “For us, an important part of development is to ensure the centre is accessible and comfortable for all to use.” The new changing places toilet will be equipped

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Kingston Shopping Centre will get first changing places service toilet | Kingston Courier

Kingston council and the Bentall centre have joined forces to improve disabled facilities in Kingston with plans to install the area’s first changing places service toilet. The plan is to install the toilet by the summer and the decision to do so was in part down the Bentall Centre manager. Sam Eastwood, Bentall Centre director, said: “For us, an important part of development is to ensure the centre is accessible and comfortable for all to use.” The new changing places toilet will be equipped

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Kingston’s Apple Store to hold ‘Family Camp’ digital skills sessions | Kingston Courier

Apple advisor teaches kids to use a sphero. Photo by Catherine Wiltshire Apple at Kingston’s Bentall centre is holding ‘Family Camp’ to teach adults and children new digital skills during the Easter holidays. The camp which will run the free sessions between 8 – 22 April 2019 for adults and children of all ages as part of ‘Today at Apple’ sessions that were rebooted earlier this year. Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail, said: “Since the beginning, Today at Apple has been

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Benefits freeze and Brexit uncertainty continues to leave families on brink

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns that failure to scrap the cap’s final years will leave parents juggling bills just to survive Families in poverty will have to endure another year of frozen benefits from today despite the rise in the cost of living. More families are expected to fall into poverty as a result of the government’s continued freeze on benefits and tax credits until 2020, despite declaring austerity over. Campbell Robb, chief executive of the independent Joseph Rowntree Founda

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Online tool aims to help reunite missing homeless people with loved ones

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has helped fund the Missing People Matching Tool to help outreach workers locate people who have been lost from their families The Mayor of London has helped to fund a new online tool designed to assist outreach workers in identifying rough sleepers who have been reported missing. The ‘Missing People Matching Tool’ run by the charity Missing People has received £62,000 from the Mayor who hopes to reunite homeless people with loved ones. Sadiq Khan said: “It is crucial

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UK charity launches first ever radio station for the homeless

The radio station will train 40 young homeless people to digitally broadcast their stories, and how operate a radio desk and present, record and edit digital podcasts A youth homelessness charity has secured funding to launch the UK’s first ‘Radio Station for the Homeless’. The charity Accumulate received the startup funding from Nesta as a part of its Amplified programme designed to encourage creative digital ideas that generate positive social outcomes. The project is the brainchild of Mari

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Councils doubt government will hit target of ending rough sleeping by 2027

A think tank survey finds that 61 per cent of local authorities reckon the lofty ambition is unlikely to be met The government’s target to eradicate rough sleeping by 2027 will not be met according to over 40 per cent of councils, a new survey finds. Research by the New Local Government Network [NLGN] think tank showed that councils are far off meeting their 2027 target – particularly in towns and cities. Amongst predominantly urban councils, 61 per cent think they are unlikely to eradicate r

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Westminster council rolls out autism toolkit to support vulnerable homeless

The strategy not only wants to deal with the problems for homeless autistic people, but help prevent homelessness in the first place Autistic people are at significantly higher risk of being homeless according to new research. But even though people experiencing homelessness were found to be over ten times more likely to show signs of autism, there is little autism-specific support in homeless services. This led Westminster City Council to team up with several charities and people with lived

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New water fountain set to help reduce plastic waste in Kingston –

A brand new water fountain has been opened to the public in Kingston Town Market Place as part of Kingston Council’s bid to lower plastic waste including single-use bottles in the borough. The fountain, which is the first of many to be installed throughout the borough, was officially unveiled by Councillors Caroline Kerr and Jon Tolley on March 22nd. Cllr Kerr was pleased to be a part of the fight to save the environment and said: “I am delighted Kingston is playing a role in helping reduce pl

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Kingston graduate creates book to help children receiving kidney transplants –

A Kingston graduate has teamed up with current students and university academics to create an interactive book aimed at helping young children through the difficult process of having a kidney transplant. Georgina Potier, 36, who created the innovative book called ‘My New Kidney’ was under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital until she was 18 after being born with multicystic kidneys. Potier wanted to use her own experiences to help other children who would go through a kidney transplant, l

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Kingston graduate creates book to help children receiving kidney transplants | Kingston Courier

Prototype of the ‘My New Kidney’ book Photo by Georgina Potier A Kingston graduate has teamed up with current students and university academics to create an interactive book aimed at helping young children through the difficult process of having a kidney transplant. Georgina Potier, 36, who created the innovative book called ‘My New Kidney’ was under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital until she was 18 after being born with multicystic kidneys. Potier wanted to use her own experiences to

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New water fountain set to help reduce plastic waste in Kingston | Kingston Courier

New Fountain Unveiled in Kingston Town Market Place. Photo by Kingston Council A brand new water fountain has been opened to the public in Kingston Town Market Place as part of Kingston Council’s bid to lower plastic waste including single-use bottles in the borough. The fountain, which is the first of many to be installed throughout the borough, was officially unveiled by Councillors Caroline Kerr and Jon Tolley on March 22nd. Cllr Kerr was pleased to be a part of the fight to save the envir

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Village's 'safety fears' amid rise in antisocial behaviour and graffiti

Belsize Village residents are worried about their safety after a spate of anti-social behaviour in the area, including a rise in graffiti. Resident Marko Milovanovic noticed the tags across the area while walking from England’s Lane to the village on Sunday. He said: “They are obviously not a Banksy-type graffiti and they do make me feel less safe because someone is clearly able to vandalise other’s property over and over again without any consequences.” The graffiti began to appear a month ag

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Business of the Week: Judy Green's Garden Store, Hampstead

Judy Green’s Garden Store is a hidden gem tucked away in Flask Walk, Hampstead. The store has been open for 24 years after owner Judy Green chanced upon the perfect space for her business. “This shop was literally available on the day I came into Hampstead to look for somewhere,” she told the Ham&High. “I saw it and I thought: ‘That’s fantastic – maybe it could be the one.’” The key to the garden store’s long life is moving with the times – and the seasons. Judy said: “Anything to do with pl

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Exmouth Market businesses help out homeless people with 'Take One Leave One' coat rail and pledge cards

Exmouth Market businesses help out homeless people with 'Take One Leave One' coat rail and pledge cards The business community surrounding Exmouth Market has come together to give rough sleepers warm clothes, hot meals, haircuts, Oyster cards and more. A “Take One Leave One” rail has been left outside of Holy Redeemer church, in the Clerkenwell market street so that people can leave warm clothes for those who need them. The organiser Stefan Simanowitz, first got the idea a year ago. He told

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