As a Member, you will receive at least two printed newsletters and regular email updates each year, outlining our activities, and giving you the opportunity to participate in our campaigns. Members are always encouraged to take an active part in the work done by the committee – come along and see if you can help.
The membership year runs from 1st Jan, and only costs £6 for individuals, £8 for couples or families, and £15 for organisations. Additional voluntary donations always welcome.
Hammersmith Community Gardens Association is a local charity that has been operating on a site in Ravenscourt Park since 2004. The existing glasshouse structures have been refurbished twice but are at the end of their life, and existing facilities are limited or inadequate for use in winter. They are looking to raise £115,000 for new glasshouses, and so far have pledges of £48,000. The Hammersmith Society recently agreed to make a contribution.
Pledges can be made via https://www.spacehive.com/31651, they need to raise all funds by 12th August to complete the campaign and unlock additional Mayoral and Council funding. Pledges will not result in money being taken unless the total amount is pledged.
HCGA provides a range of activities from school visits, volunteer gardening sessions for people including refugees and those with health and learning difficulties. Pop up Yoga is held twice weekly, with the glasshouses acting as headquarters for the wider organisation.
The new glasshouse will be configured for maximum use. A large central space that can be used for meetings, concerts & workshops leading out on to the walled garden. To facilitate this vision they have negotiated a 25 year lease on the site, with full planning permission.
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Members of the Committee visited our 30th Annual Award Nominations on Sunday 19th May and shortlisted them. They’re all shown on the nominations page in their categories, with a selection here.
If you would like to comment on them, or make suggestions for winners, please use the comment form on the above page, or on Instagram.
Award winners will be announced at the AGM at Olympia on 12th June.
Members, guests, and friends will be warmly welcomed.
We’re pleased to announce that The Hammersmith Society is now on Instagram.
We’ll post images of our Award Nominations and Winners, as well as other relevant images, aiming to widen our appeal throughout Hammersmith as part of our celebration of 30 years of the Awards.
Our page is here: https://www.instagram.com/hammersmithsoc
Please follow us, and comment on the nominations there or on our nominations page.
This year’s Award Nominations are open – winners of Awards and wooden spoons will be announced at the AGM at Olympia on 12th June. Members and their guests will be warmly welcomed at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
Please do nominate your choice – see our awards page to understand the process and the various award categories, and to review/comment on the list of existing nominations which are being added to the website as they come in. Nominations close on 15th May.
It would help us if you can send us a photo with your nomination.
The Council has launched a 12-week consultation on the future of Linford Christie Stadium at the edge of Wormwood Scrubs here. The present stadium is dilapidated but heavily used by Thames Valley Harriers athletics club and other local groups. the options offered are:
Wormwood Scrubs Pony Centre (photo: © David Hawgood)
This will be a highly charged debate with competing demands. On the one hand, H&F Council like all other councils is facing a severely squeezed budget. On the other, Wormwood Scrubs is a green lung for west London with a special character that has been described as “more wild than tamed” . Placing a 45,000 seat sport and entertainment venue at its very edge will bring huge numbers of people to a place which is used and valued for quiet recreation, low-key amateur sports, dog-walking and bird watching, and its designated Local Nature Reserve areas.
The Hammersmith Society’s response to the consultation is here:
Hammersmith Society – consultation response.pdf
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Hammersmith Highline location (photo: Hammersmith BID)
We’re intrigued by the possibility of a linear park or alternative use for the disused part of the District Line viaduct between the Kings Mall flats and the new Sovereign Court, as proposed by Hammersmith BID and West London Link (known for the Flyunder concept) as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2019. Inspired by the New York highline and the Promenade Plantée in Paris that preceded it, there’s a competition open for ideas – details here. The project has it’s own Twitter page, where you can follow progress.
Given the challenges of the location and some of the similarities, we’re attracted to the new tropical roof garden above the Crossrail station at Canary Wharf as a source of inspiration, but the site will lend itself to many interpretations, so do please take part if you have ideas.
Former garage, Wellesley Ave (photo:yell.com)
Developers appealed against the decision of the Council to refuse permission for the development of substantial office accommodation on the site of the former Aston Martin garage. Local residents had objected to the proposals on a wide number of grounds. They also regret the passing of the garage which was generally a well mannered and friendly neighbour.
The appeal was dismissed after careful consideration by the Inspector. The major reasons given were:
Several committee members attended the latest Heathrow Consultation held on 24th Jan. A more detailed article will appear in the next Newsletter, but in the meantime the essential take-aways are summarised in the graphic shown, short-cutting the 26 consultation documents.
“Arrivals-1 for the northern runway”
This shows one of the most problematic proposed new arrivals flight paths “Arrivals-1 for the Northern runway” (used 75% of the time for early mornings), overlaid with a “heat map” of the Society’s membership. Make no mistake, the majority of members would be directly overflown at 2000-3000ft. The “Arrivals-2” option is worse for some members, with overflights between 2000-2500ft in the southern part of Hammersmith.
We urge you to respond to the online questionnaire answering “neither – prefer no expansion” to most questions, or use appropriate detailed responses largely the same as Chiswick’s, see: http://chatr.org.uk. You must do this by 4th March.
Currently, no Hammersmith residents are directly overflown, and those living North of King Street (the majority of our members) hear rather less of the early morning arrivals along the river that plague those living further South, particularly in TEAM mode between 6-7am as described here.
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@MrTimDunn @thegardenstrust Geneva, 1961 from an old home movie
— Hammersmith Society @(HammersmithSoc) 1 day ago
@TfL Great, but the high value/higher tech bits (chassis, batteries, motors, controls) arrive "fully assembled from China" on a transporter, the low value bit (stairs, seats, windows etc) are made in Yorkshire. Not our kind of levelling up!
— Hammersmith Society @(HammersmithSoc) 5 days ago
Did you know all our summer holiday activities for young people are FREE and include a FREE meal, so no child goes hungry? Take a look at the fun that's been happening across H&F so far. Events run until 26 Aug. Find the full schedule of activities here: lbhf.gov.uk/children-and-y…
— Hammersmith Society @(HammersmithSoc) 1 week ago
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Campaigning for sixty years