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Greenwich news and information

Prayer Space opens on Greenwich Peninsula

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Prayer Space

A multi-faith prayer space has opened on Greenwich Peninsula near to the O2.

The space was formally opened at the end of October by the Mayor of Greenwich. It exists to provide a quiet space for prayer as well as being used for regular worship events. Services are held weekly by Church of England, United Reform Church, Muslim and Baha’i worshippers.

The purpose built facility also includes an office, disabled toilet and ablutions room for foot washing.

The building is the result of an agreement between the developer, Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Limited, and Greenwich Council. The local faith groups that use the building are contributing towards the ongoing cost of managing it.

The prayer space, which is open daily, is also home to chaplaincy services on the Peninsula which are provided by volunteers to local businesses and organisations.

Rev’d Malcolm Torry, Co-ordinating Chaplain of Greenwich Peninsula Chaplaincy, talks to Greenwich.co.uk about the new Prayer Space.

Greenwich doctors sued over “tragic” death

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TWO Greenwich doctors have been sued by the family of a man who died after being prescribed a “dangerous combination” of drugs.

The family of Theo Osgerby were awarded £500,000 by the High Court on Friday after the judge found that the two GPs, Dr Subathira Ratnarajan and Dr Don Hettiarachchi, had been negligent in their treatment of him.

Both doctors were practicing at the Woodland Surgery in Woodland Walk, off Trafalgar Road, when they treated Mr Osgerby.

Mr Osgerby had been prescribed three different drugs which each had the effect of lowering his seizure threshold. He suffered a fatal seizure in 2005, aged 29, and was found by his daughter at their home.

Judge Lissack said: “Tragic is an overused word but it seems to apply in this case for the error upon error that was made in his care, which has been accepted by the defendants in these proceedings.”

Daily Photo: 11/11/2010 – Fallen Tree

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fallen-tree

Thanks to Fergal for sending me this picture of a fallen tree at Glenister Green. It has come down in today’s high winds and landed right by the pedestrian crossing on Woolwich Road near the junction near Annandale Road.

Fergal writes, “It’s clear from the broken stump that the tree was riddled with rot, which makes me wonder if any of the other trees there are in the same condition and likely to come down with the next big storm.”

fallen-tree-2

Mayor of London visits new Ravensbourne College

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Boris Johnson

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, visited the new Ravensbourne College next to the O2 this morning.

The Mayor met with students, staff and business leaders from the creative industries and was given a tour of the college’s state of the art facilities.

In his short speech to invited guests, Boris praised the “amazing” college, describing it a “beautiful, beautiful building.” He credited Michael Heseltine for “initiating the transformation… of this patch of ground in North Greenwich”.

Boris also commented on the new cable car proposal which would connect the O2 with the Royal Docks, saying it would be “named after Vince Cable” and would allow him to “reflect on the importance of the banks” from high above the Thames.

Leader of Greenwich Council, Councillor Chris Roberts, paid “huge tribute” to Robin Baker for his leadership during the college’s move to Greenwich Peninsula and praised the “completely new and revolutionary ways of learning and teaching” on offer at the college.

Ravensbourne director, Robin Baker OBE, pointed out that this was not an opening but one of a series of events to celebrate with stakeholders, to which the Mayor replied that he was happy to declare “the college even more open than it was a few moments ago.”

Listen to the speech by Robin Baker OBE, director of Ravensbourne College
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Listen to the speech by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
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Listen to the speech by leader of Greenwich Council, Chris Roberts
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Chris Roberts and Boris Johnson

Darryl from 853 was also there and has his own write up.

Thames cable car planning application submitted

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Planning applications have been submitted to Greenwich and Newham councils by Transport for London for the construction of a new cable car system across the Thames.

The new scheme would provide a new direct transport link between the O2 and the Royal Victoria Dock, carrying up to 34 gondolas over 50 metres above the Thames.

Each gondola will be able to carry up to 10 people, creating “improved improved cross-river connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists”.

The scheme, which TFL believe will become a “visitor attraction in its own right”, consists of a station in North Greenwich, a station at Royal Docks and a number of steel towers with the two main towers both rising to about 85 metres in height.

The station at the Royal Docks would be the “drive station” where the system’s electric motor is housed. The Greenwich station would be the “return station” and also home to the gondola garage.

TFL are proposing that the Greenwich station be built a few hundred metres from the O2 on hard standing that is currently used for visitor coach parking.

The cable cars, considered to be “one of the most reliable forms of public transport in the world” according to the planning application, could be in operation by the time of the London 2012 Olympics.

A fare structure has not been devised yet but TFL plan to integrate the cable cars into the Oyster system and are forecasting suggested single fares at £2.50 for Oyster PAYG users and £3.50 for other users.

When news of the scheme first emerged in July, Nick Raynsford MP told Greenwich.co.uk that the scheme was a “nice little project” which would be good for tourism, but it wouldn’t address the “much wider problem” of the “absolutely hopeless cross river links” in the area.

Titanic Exhibition at the O2 Bubble

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Hundreds of artefacts retrieved from the sunken Titanic are on display at a new exhibition at the O2 in North Greenwich.

The story of the Titanic is well known: the largest ship ever made crashing into an iceberg just a few days away from the completion of its maiden voyage across the Atlantic and leaving only 706 survivors from the 2,223 people aboard.

But “Titanic: The Artefact Exhibition” gives visitors a glimpse into the personal stories of those who were on board that fateful journey. The exhibition lays out the circumstances by which many of the passengers came to find themselves aboard Titanic, such as the teacher from Dulwich College, Lawrence Beesley, who was on a £13, second class ticket, hoping to visit his brother in Toronto.

Or Leah Aks who was separated from her baby son after the collision, only to find another another survivor was claiming the baby as their own when she eventually tracked him down aboard the rescue ship, Carpathia. The baby was only reunited with Leah after she described his birthmark to the ship’s captain.

As you make your way around the exhibition, you will see hundreds of artefacts recovered from the wreck which lies over 2 miles deep, about 900 miles off the coast of New York. As well as the relics, there’s a nice interactive element: an ice wall which you are an encouraged to touch to get a sense of the sub-zero temperatures of the ocean that many passengers were cast into.

Each visitor to the exhibition receives a White Star Line Board Pass with real passenger details on it. As you leave the exhibition, you can look through a list of names to see if your boarding pass belonged to a survivor or not.

The exhibition is layed out chronologically, starting with its design and construction and ending with details of the recovery expeditions by the RMS Titanic company which is putting on the event.

For a chance to see the artefacts, some of which are extraordinarily well preserved, and to learn more about the Titanic, a trip to the exhibition is recommended.

The exhibition runs from November 5th 2010 until May 2011.

Boarding Pass - Titanic Exhibition
Boarding pass given to visitors – each one has a real passenger’s details on the reverse.

Titanic Exhibition

Hundreds of Au Gratin dishes were found, perfectly preserved.

Titanic Exhibition
Vehicle used in recovery expeditions.



Greenwich Police appeal for help to find man on the run

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Police are appealing for information regarding the whereabouts of a man they want to speak to, following an investigation led by detectives in Greenwich.

Officers want to speak to Carlos Hutchinson, 40, from Greenwich, in connection with a kidnap, which took place in August 2010.

On the 25th of August 2010 police received several emergency calls related to a young man who was badly injured and had been bundled in a car in Pinto Way, SE3 and taken to an address in Greenwich.

Following the kidnap, 11 people were arrested; the victim was found alive two days later. All arrested are currently on bail pending further enquiries.

DC Neil May from Greenwich CID said: “We urge members of the public to contact us if they have any information about Carlos Hutchinson. We are keen to speak with him as soon as possible in order to complete our enquiries. We will treat all information given to us in the strictest confidence.”

Greenwich Police are keen to hear from anyone that knows Carlos Hutchinson or knows of his whereabouts.

Members of the public are asked not to approach Mr Hutchinson, but to call police on the following numbers; Plumstead CID on 0208 284 9416 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.