Digest: Brazen thefts, broken balconies and, yes, it's really hot out there...
Here's your Monday update from NewJournal+
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GUITAR PICK
YOU often see the word ‘brazen’ in newspaper crime stories, but what better word is there for the CCTV footage shared this week by Camden Guitars, the music shop in Chalk Farm Road? Keep your eyes on the bottom right hand side of the shot. It is alleged that the man seen here browses the guitars hanging from hooks, pulls one down and then simply walks out with it.
“The criminals – they don’t even wear masks anymore,” says store owner Deicola Neves, who has questioned how seriously police are taking thefts from shops.
“They don’t cover their faces. They don’t even run because they know there is no one trying to catch them.”
If you’re being hawked a guitar on social media sites or you’re a pawn shop being offered one, the stolen Yamaha looks like this.
GRAVE DECISION
THE row at Highgate Cemetery shows no signs of slowing down and we are continuing to get letters every week over its plans for a new building close to people’s last resting places.
Now grave owners are going as far as saying that plots in the east section were “mis-sold” and they do not want the gardeners’ block to be so near to their loved ones. Two hundred people are buried in the area known as ‘the Mound’, a spot which relatives say costs thousands of pounds for a grave and came with the promise of peace and tranquility.
Some grave owners are saying they were never notified of the planning application for the proposed building, submitted by the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust.
There is some hope for the protesters, however, as the Trust said this week that they had “decided to pause to take some time to reflect and consider how its plans may be adapted to incorporate the feedback received.”
THE MISSING VERMEER
HERE’S a plug for Tom Foot’s crime caper feature we published over the weekend. The nephew of a man who stole a priceless Vermeer from Kenwood House in Hampstead is making a new drama about his uncle’s life. The painting was pinched by David Knight, who later agreed a deal with the police to return it safely to a secret location – a churchyard in Smithfield. There’s so much more to Mr Knight’s story, however, so bookmark Tom’s feature as one to read with a cuppa.
ROYAL FREE TROLLEY CRISIS
FRONTLINE NHS staff have told the Camden New Journal that a shortage of patient trolleys is leaving them struggling to cope in the Accident and Emergency department of the Royal Free Hospital.
They say the trolleys keep breaking down and a lack of funds mean that the broken equipment is not being fixed. Sources say that the breakages are coming from overuse as patients are more frequently being cared for in the corridors of the Pond Street hospital.
The broken trolleys are now piled up like an "elephants' graveyard" in the lower ground floor of the hospital, according to staff.
Bosses at the hospital do not deny that the hospital is very, very busy but a Royal Free spokesperson has refuted the account from our insiders, saying there are only six awaiting repair.
BALCONY REPAIRS
BUILDERS are starting repairs on a newly built council block on the Maitland Park Estate following reports that chunks of masonry were falling from the walls and balconies.
Tenants say there has been a complete lack of concern over standards over the buildings that were only rebuilt three years ago. Fears that something could go wrong have only been heightened after last week's tragedy which saw a 58-year-old fall to his death from a balcony on a council estate in Swiss Cottage.
Camden Council say they have no concerns over the balconies at Maitland Park, but an emergency repair team will get started on the cosmetics.
Meanwhile, scaffolding has now been erected around Campden House on the Harben Road estate, where investigations are ongoing into the fatality earlier this month.
MICHAEL’S LEGACY
THE family of a police officer who collapsed and died whilst on duty are calling for mandatory heart health checks for those working on the front line.
Michael Bruce was only 48 when he passed away earlier this month, leaving behind a 10-year-old son. His ex-wife is campaigning for regular checks to be in place to try and prevent another family from experiencing a similar tragedy.
Tributes were paid to Mr Bruce, who arrived in Islington from Trinidad, and lived on the Elthorne Estate before moving to Archway. Colleagues described him as a "hugely popular man", who was humble, friendly, and the life and soul of the unit. Friends and family have now raised more than £8,000 to help look after Mr Bruce's son, and bring his body back to Trinidad.
You can donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/remembering-mike-and-supporting-micah
PRISON SITE CHARGES
EYE-WATERING service charges could mean a long-awaited women's centre risks being left empty as no charity could afford to move in, campaigners have warned.
A 10 year campaign to establish the centre on the site of the former Holloway prison has hit a new road-block as developer Peabody has estimated that anyone looking to operate the centre would likely have to pay £375,000 in service and maintenance costs.
Director Sophie Compton said that this meant any charity was being "set up to fail", and the costs could mean that the legacy of Holloway prison — which helped many women rebuild their lives — was at risk. Community Plan for Holloway have called on Peabody alongside Islington Council to rethink how the building ought to be run.
The two organisations have said they are working towards a solution that would secure funding for charities hoping to work out of the building.
ICYMI ROUND-UP
HAMPSTEAD artist Sean Scully turned 80 today and a whole host of famous faces flocked to Hampstead Heath for his birthday celebration, including Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar, Top Boy actress Lisa Dwan, and actor Russell Tovey
EDUCATION chiefs warned that state schools in Camden have been hit harder than any other borough in the country by funding cuts. They said that there was a two-tier system emerging, as well as a crisis in supporting children with additional needs.
A FISH and chip shop owner served his final customers after four decades in the business. Harry's fish and chip shop near the Elthorne Estate shut its doors on Friday, but not before residents celebrated with a party and lots and lots of orders of what he's famous for.
OLD ravers are being called upon to donate clothing and artefacts from their heyday for a new exhibition that celebrates Islington's place in the 1980s club scene. It comes as Ray Kinsella launches his new book documenting the rise of the acid house, house, rave, and jungle scenes in the borough.
RESIDENTS are objecting to a bio-chemical lab planned for Judd Street, King’s Cross. They are anxious about potential fumes being emitted from a new complex mapped out for the current offices of the RNIB. More in this week's Camden New Journal.
PLUS: Celebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi handed out a prize in his name in the garden of Keats House in Hampstead;
The annual Alma Street Fair saw hundreds gather in NW5 to celebrate their community with music and talks on local history;
Islington Council topped the list of councils taking action to tackle the climate crisis;
Stonemasons have been spotted scaling a spire in Barnsbury as work to restore the St Andrew's church continues;
St Mungo's care home near Holloway has been given a £200,000 makeover that includes an arts and crafts space;Midfielder Thomas Partey has left Arsenal at the end of his contract but the Gunners are signing Christian Norgard from Brentford;
Posh gelato parlour Urban Chocolatier has won permission to keep the lights on until 2.30am as it moves into Kentish Town Road, Kentish Town;
Parents have spoken out against the "alarming" cuts being made at Capital City College, which has a campus in Angel;New Mayor of Camden Eddie Hanson talked about his life including arriving on his own from war-torn Sierra Leone as a teenager;
Make sure you have the Camden Mela in your diaries – the annual celebration in Coram’s Fields takes place on Sunday July 13.
And our special bikes edition last week saw cyclists encourage others to use two-wheels with trends showing collisions are decreasing.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN REVIEWING
DAN Carrier spoke to Martin Adeney about his diary account of the years he spent running the Highgate Cemetery.
MUSIC editor Roisin Gadelrab gave us a rundown of all the events that can stave off the Glastonbury FOMO or keep the fun running if you've returned from Somerset.
THE CNJ’s co-founder Angela Cobbinah went to the Aubrey Williams exhibition at the October Gallery in Bloomsbury.
OUR columnist Harrington went to see Olivia Rodrigo in Hyde Park as part of the BST concerts – pick up our sister paper the West End Extra later this week for that review or check online.
LAST UP
YOU may have noticed it’s been pretty hot out there today. Photographer Simon Lamrock loves to get his heat-seeking camera out for sweltering moments like this. For those who have been complaining about the conditions on London’s buses, this one looks particularly painful at Euston.
Keep cool everyone!
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