Podcasts about royal borough

The Land Use Bylaw is the rule book that regulates development on private land in the city and the last time it was comprehensively reviewed and rewritten was 1986. The Land Use Bylaw Renewal project is an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a city and establish regulations to shape the future of Lethbridge. This presentation will examine how the Land Use Bylaw shapes where we live, work, and play, and how the new Land Use Bylaw will be created. This is a great opportunity to ask any land use-related questions and share your past experiences and ideas for the future. Speakers: Genesis Molesky and Ross Kilgour Genesis works as a community planner with the City of Lethbridge and has 8 years of experience in land use planning. She completed her undergraduate studies in urban and regional planning at the University of Saskatchewan. In her role with the City of Lethbridge, she works on all levels of long-range planning projects from guiding parcel-specific redevelopment proposals to developing neighbourhood and city-wide planning policy documents. Ross earned his degree in Urban & Regional Planning in Edinburgh, Scotland. He then worked in London, England, first as a planner for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea before moving to the private sector with Firstplan Ltd. After immigrating, Ross joined the City of Lethbridge where he is a Senior Community Planner, focusing on the redevelopment of older neighbourhoods and the City's heritage program. Ross' passions in urbanism include sustainability, equity, planning/zoning reform, and enabling walkable neighbourhoods.

Our latest episode comes from a rather unexpected venue: a former Chelsea Flower Show garden! Now located in London's Notting Hill, it's where we meet Danny Clarke, garden designer, TV presenter, and self-confessed tree hugger. As we explore the public woodland-themed garden, Danny explains how it tells the stories of injustice against humans and nature. He created the garden as part of his work with Grow2Know, a charity dedicated to making nature more appealing and accessible to a wider audience. It's a subject close to his heart and as he tells us about his childhood and the meaning behind his moniker, The Black Gardener, his passion is clear. Danny finds comfort and joy in nature: the sound of birdsong, the smell of tree bark, the texture of soil. And he's doing his utmost to help as many people as possible, regardless of background, to find that joy too. Don't forget to rate us and subscribe! Learn more about the Woodland Trust at woodlandtrust.org.uk Transcript You are listening to Woodland Walks, a podcast for the Woodland Trust presented by Adam Shaw. We protect and plant trees for people to enjoy, to fight climate change and to help wildlife thrive.  Adam: Well, today I'm off to meet someone much closer to home than normal. I can do it on the tube rather than going on the train. I am meeting Danny Clarke, who is a British garden designer who shot to fame in 2015 as BBC's Instant Gardener. Since then, he's been on our screens with a host of popular garden makeover shows and horticultural advice. He joined ITV's This Morning's presenting team, and he is now a member of Alan Titchmarsh's Love Your Garden team as well. In fact, in addition to all of that, he helps run a charity known as Grow2Know which, whose heart I think really lies in reclaiming space and reconnecting people with nature and each other. And it's one of those projects I think I'm going to see him at really very centrally, in London, in Notting Hill, where they have tried to bring some green space, some nature right to the heart of the city, and include all the local communities.  Danny: My name is Danny Clarke. I'm a garden designer and TV presenter.  Adam: Lovely. And we are meeting in what is now fashionable Notting Hill, wasn't always the case when I was growing up around this area, actually, so, but but we're we're in an urban garden that is your design.  Danny: Well, not the whole garden, not the whole space. I mean, this is Tavistock Square. Yeah, uh, but we've, um, kind of elicited a section of it to rehome our Chelsea Flower Show garden from 2022, which is which actually is a Grow2Know project, of which of which I'm a director of.  Adam: So I what wanna know about Grow2Know. But you you've already mentioned the garden and we're standing right by it. So. Well, why don't you describe it to begin with. So people get a sort of visual image of what it is we're standing next to.  Danny: OK, so basically your corten steel structure, it's dominated by a corten steel structure. And that's supposed to represent two things, a) the mangrove restaurant, which was a place that was owned by a West Indian immigrant in the late 60s/70s that was brutalised by the police. And so it's telling that story. And it's also telling the story of man's injustice to nature. So what we see here really is a corten steel structure, which represents the roots of a mangrove tree. And as you can see, it looks quite brutal and and and the top where the trunk is, it's actually been severed, which actually represents what, you know, man's kind of lack of, shall we say, I don't know, respect for nature.  Adam: So it's it's a political, I mean, it's an interesting installation, if that's the right word, in that it's it is political in this with this sort of small P, not party political, but it's sort of reflecting the societal challenges that this area certainly went through. But you it's interesting, you talk about the trunk, is it is it also a tree? I mean this is a sort of tree podcast. Is there a reference in that as well?  Danny: Yeah, that's a reference to the tree, so that the reference to the tree is that it is a mangrove tree alright, so mangrove and mangrove restaurant. Yeah, so it's kind of a play on words, if you like. So we're telling it's really about storytelling. So we're telling two stories here. We're telling the story of man's brutality against man and man's brutality against nature.  Adam: Wonderful. So you run this organisation? What's it called again?  Danny: It's called Grow2Know. I don't actually run it, I'm a director, so I'm I'm I'm it's so it started well, it started soon after the Grenfell fire in 2017.  Adam: Which is also I mean this is not far from here as well.  Danny: It's not far from here. It's just up the road. And I was horrified by what unfolded like many people were. And I felt quite powerless. So I thought, you know what I'll do? I'll get in touch with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where the tower resides and see if I could help in some way, maybe use my expertise as a garden designer to maybe build a small, I don't know, small garden and I spoke to our head of greening guy called Terry Oliver. There's lots of emails flying backwards and forwards. And he was eulogising about this young man called Tayshan Hayden-Smith, 19, single father and who lives near the tower who knew people who perished in the flames. And he turned to gardening or guerilla gardening. I don't know if you know what that is? It's gardening without permission.  Adam: Well, yeah. A friend of mine does that actually near where I live, and sort of grows plants, actually vegetables and potatoes in the street trees. I'm I'm going I don't wanna eat your potatoes! But anyway, I get it. It's an interesting sort of little subculture, guerilla gardening.  Danny: He was just drawn to it. I think it's probably because his mum used to was into nature when Tayshan was very young and she used to point things out to him. Like, look at that tree, isn't that wonderful? Look at that sunset, isn't it lovely? And this, this kind of instilled into his sort of consciousness. And he just naturally just felt he needed to just go out and find a piece of land, community space, pick up litter, syringes, maybe go to the garden centre, get some fading plants and just pretty the place up as best he could, and he got a lot of healing from that and people will be attracted to him. So there'll be this conversation going on. Sometimes people will stay for a minute, then go off again. Others will probably stay and help him along the way. You know? You know, to to transform the space as best they could. And he got a lot of healing from that.  Adam: And and and you, you and your colleagues sort of created this charity around.  Danny: So so no, no. So o what then happened was that I... he wanted to know if I'd like to meet this guy, and I'm thinking to myself, you know, I've been meeting a guy that's got all sorts of issues that I might not be able to deal with. But I had this outline of him, and when I met him, there was none of that. He's the most amazing, well-put-together, guy – young man – I've ever met really. And I, cut a long story short, became his mentor, and we've just been on this fabulous journey ever since. And this is part of it. So one day, Tayshan said to me, he'd like to form a nonprofit. We didn't have a name for it at the time, but it did become Grow2Know, and and he wanted to show the wider, more people wanted to make it nature more inclusive, and he because he got so many benefits from it, he wanted the other people to enjoy, you know, the curative effects of gardening and being in nature – cause we all know it's good for the mind, body and soul. So that's how Grow2Know was born. But we've actually sort of gone on from that now. We're more than just a a gardening collective. We're more pace-making, change making. We're out there to sort of change the narrative, if you like. And we're kind of an activist group and we're just trying to make nature more appealing to a wider audience.  Adam: And how how are you doing that? I mean, you've clearly got this garden here. But in trying to sort of bring urban communities closer to nature, how are you doing that?  Danny: Yeah. Bring, bring, bring communities closer to nature.  Adam: And how do you do that?  Danny: By having spaces like this. So we've got spaces, quite a few spaces that we've converted in this area and this is just one of them. So it's about bringing people into nature and making it more diverse and more accessible. And in many ways, that's what we're about.  Adam: And so I'm interested in in your view about urban communities, youth communities, diverse communities.  Danny: That we're all drawn to nature. You know, we, we we all needed part of it in our lives. That's what lockdown taught us, that it was very important for us.  Adam: So it's not a challenge for you to bring them into your world. You think they're already there?  Danny: No, the people are already there. It's it's just giving them access to these spaces. I mean, for example, excuse me, in the north of Kensington where, let's say it's less affluent than the South, people have the equivalent of one car parking space of nature or greenery that they can access. In the South, which is a lot richer by the river, you know, you've got the like, well, the Chelsea Flower Show is actually by the Thames River, and where people like Simon Cowell and David Beckham have properties, so you get an idea.  Adam: Yeah. Yes, yes, yes.  Danny: We all know how wealthy that area is. They've got on average half a football pitch of nature they can access, or greenery. So that tells its own story and and the life expectancy between the people in the north of the borough and the south of the borough, there's a 15 year difference, so you're expected to live 15 years longer if you live in the south than you are in the north.  Adam: It is and I hadn't thought of that before you said that, but it is an interesting part of London, this, because Kensington has this sort of reputation of being very posh and everything and the David Beckhams and the what have you. But it is a very divided sort of part of London, isn't it? With the very rich and really the quite quite poor and disadvantaged as well, all within the same borough.  Danny: It is, there's a big difference and I think you'll probably find it's the biggest, there's a bigger disparity here than any other borough in in the country.  Adam: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting. So also, oh, well, why don't we have a walk? We'll walk through through your garden whilst we're talking about this. So also just tell me a bit about, so we we you you very eloquently describe the the the metal sculpture we're we're sort of walking under now, but a bit, the planting as well. So you've got sort of beds of bark here which make it look very nice.  Danny: Yeah. So we're we're kind of going with the woodland theme cause as you can see there's lots of trees around here, cause I'm I am a bit of a tree hugger and I love trees. That's my thing.  Danny: And we didn't want to, I mean, the, the this garden, although it was our Grow2Know show garden at Chelsea, we haven't actually transformed it in that form. It's the planting is completely different because if we did that, it would jar with what's around. So we've gone with the space. So although yeah, it's all good.  Adam: It's all quite green and evergreen.  Danny: So the actual structure is the same, but that's all that's that's that's similar. Every, everything else is different. And of course we've had to adapt it as well because the garden that we had at Chelsea had ponds. So for health and safety reasons, we couldn't have that here. So we've gone with the woodlandy theme and so there's rhododendrons, there's ferns.  Adam: I was gonna say quite a lot of ferns and some also some big stones here as well, which sort of nice, nice bit of sculpture.  Danny: Yeah. That that's a bit of a coincidence really, because.  Adam: Because they're just there.  Danny: These were already here, but believe it or not, we had stones this size in our Chelsea Flower Show garden. We didn't transport them from there to here. These were already here and we've just kind of re- sort of jigged them. Re-placed them. Just to make it all look a bit more appealing. But we actually had these at Chelsea as seats in the central area underneath the structure. But now they're actually sort of dispersed in the beds and they make great features and and having them there actually helps move the eye around the space.  Adam: Yeah. So I mean what, ecology and and concerns about the environment. Clearly a a big issue at the moment. What what's your sense about how the people you work with and and talk to feel about that and engage with it? Are you optimistic about that engagement and and what difference that might make? That was that was my phone. I'm sorry, I should have should have put that on silent.   Danny: I'm working with amateurs Ruby! Ohh.   Adam: Yeah, I know, I know. I know. You know what? When I'm out with the film crew, you have to buy the round of drinks if that, ‘whose phone went?' Right, you're buying a round the, yeah, we're we're we're right by the...  Danny: Yeah, well, and it's and it ain't cheap.  Adam: OK. I'll put it on silent now. That'll teach me. What was I saying? Yeah, so. Yes. I wonder whether you're optimistic about that reengagement? Cause the way you're talking about it is very positive actually. Everything you've said is very positive. Is that I, I want to get a sense of is that because you're a positive guy and you or, you know, you're trying to look on the positive side, or you genuinely feel no, no, this, you know, these communities are engaging and that's a great thing, not just for them. But for nature, because if people support nature, nature's got a sort of pal hasn't it.  Danny: Yeah. And I think people are engaging and and do you know what? I mean I'm all for getting young people involved in nature as much as I possibly can. I think that's very, very important. I think we gotta get them out at a a very early age, the earlier the better because then it sort of stays with you for the rest of your life. If you are not sort of involved in it at young age then you're not, you're less likely to be interested in it later on in life. But I think people generally are engaged in nature. They do need a bit of green. Yeah, I think we're naturally drawn to it. I know when we put it, for example, installing this garden here, the amount of people that are coming out and saying what a wonderful job we were doing. And you know this sort of thing is much needed in this space. And it's also by doing this, it's encouraged the cause. This is a council owned area. It's encouraged the council now to reconfigure the whole of this area to sort of give this more of a sense of place.   Adam: I mean, it's interesting you say that. I have to say my experience is not that, it's that young people I meet and I don't meet as many as probably you do, so I will accept that maybe you have a more expert view on this. But my experience is that younger people are engaged with the politics of nature like they're very into green politics maybe and talk about it, but you don't see them a lot in the woodlands.   Danny: Oh, absolutely.  Adam: It's actually older people I see in the woodlands and it's the young people are sort of politically going, yeah, yeah, that's cool. But actually, I don't see them at these sort of events and they might grow into that. But so is that I I'm just wondering whether you recognise that or you think no, no, that's not what you see. They are actually out there and I'm just seeing, you know, a sort of different view.  Danny: I think I think they are. I think they are out there. Obviously there are a lot of young people aren't kind of, don't, aren't as engaged with nature as say I was when I I was a lot younger. I mean you don't see them outside sort of playing around, kicking the ball, climbing trees like we would do, going off of bike rides into the fields.  Adam: Are you a country boy, then are you? Or you grew up in town?  Danny:  No. In fact, my my childhood was very I I moved around a lot cause my dad was in the army. So lived in Belgium, Germany, Malta, all those sort of places. But we were never encouraged to be indoors. We were always thrown outside. I mean, I remember even at the age of 8 or 9 just disappearing for all day. My parents would never know where I was. But you know, I'd I always came home. I never came to any harm. But I think these days I think parents are kind of very worried that that something might nefarious might happen to their children and and the kids aren't given the freedom that we were given, which is a shame. So they're not exposed to nature as much on their own. I mean, I do see kids going around with their parents on walks and stuff like that, but it's not quite the same as being able to explore on your own. You know, children naturally want to sort of push the boundaries. We really need to let kids do their own thing, explore more. It's a growing experience and you know, and we all need it. We all need to be out and about and you know, listen to the tweet, I mean, tweeting of the birds, you know, feeling, feeling the wind on our on our faces, the warmth of the sun on our skin, all those things that you know, just feeling the texture of the soil, the texture of the bark on the trees. It's lovely. I love doing that. When I hug a tree, you know. Just to smell the bark. It's lovely. It's comforting. And that's because I was exposed to it when I was a child. And you know it, it gives me those fond memories and and because of that it's it's very calming and and and a great stress-buster.  Adam: I follow you on on Instagram. You got a good Instagram following and your Instagram handle, if anyone wants to do that, is?  Danny: The Black Gardener  Adam: The Black Gardener. So that, which itself is an interesting sort of handle. So you're making, I don't know, is that just a random handle or are you making a point about, oh I am the black gardener. That's that's a statement.  Danny: *laughs* Well I am. I am what it says on the tin.  Adam: No, no. But look I'm a bald, I'm a bald reporter *laughs*. My handle isn't bald reporter, right? So it feels like you're saying something about that that's important. And I just...  Danny: It is it is, it is important.  Adam: Unpack that for me. Why is, why did you choose that, why is that connection to gardening, to nature and the lack community and your heritage? Why is that important?   Danny: It's important because there are few black people who are in my industry, so that's why I'm The Black Gardener. So I got the idea from a guy called so, The Black Farmer.   Adam: Yeah, famous range of sausages.  Danny: That's right and I saw that he was having success with his name and the reason he calls himself The Black Farmer, cause at the time he's the only black farmer in the country, so hence The Black Farmer. Black gardeners, professional black gardeners are as rare as hen's teeth. So I thought to myself, why don't I call myself the black gardener?  Adam: But why? Why do you think it is then? Cause that goes back to our earlier conversation. About sort of other diverse communities.  Danny: It could be some psychological reason, maybe from the days of slavery. Where working the land is seen as servile. Parents don't want their children to be working the land. They want their children to do something respectable like be a doctor or lawyer or something like that, so they tend to veer them away from doing something which is connected to the land, and and I think maybe that could be a reason, I mean I did have a conversation with somebody via Twitter in the States about it, and she said it's the same there. People of colour tend not to want to go into land-based industry. I mean I've I've only ever and this is only about two months ago, I saw my first black tree surgeon. Yeah, and and you know my plant wholesalers. I've spoken to them about it and they said, you know what, we've got thousands of people on the books and they can only count on one hand the amount of people of colour who are actually in the land-based industry. But also you you've gotta see it to be it as well, you know.   Adam: What do you mean?   Danny: Well, what I mean is if people see me in this space, then it's gonna encourage them to be in this space.   Adam: I see, it normalises it more.  Danny: It it normalises it more. I mean, I I go into the countryside. I mean, I'm a member of the National Trust, RHS. And I go and visit these great gardens and I walk around. I'm obviously in nature, and I very rarely see people of colour. I I I was in, where was I? Sissinghurst, a little, Sissinghurst Gardens a while back. And I must have been there for a good four or five hours. And I was the only person of colour who was walking around that space. So I I want people to see me in those spaces and that hopefully will encourage them to think, well if it's for him, why can't I go there as well.  Adam: Yeah, very cool. So I mean addressing, I mean that community and or anyone who's sort of listening to this podcast then. What would your message to them be about, maybe about that you've learned from your experiences engaging with gardens and trees and nature that you'd encourage them to do, or ways of getting involved, any anything you'd want to say to them?  Danny: Just just go out and enjoy the space, you know? Don't be put off because you feel it's not for you. It's for everybody. I mean, nature shouldn't have any boundaries. It's there for everybody to enjoy and you get the benefits from being out there. It's it's it's all good for us. I mean I would really like to see more people engaged in gardening or horticulture as a way of earning a living. Because for me it's it's not a job. It's just what I do. It's what I enjoy. I've got a real passion for it. I love it and I like to see other people, whoever they are. It it doesn't have to be a colour thing. It it, I'm talking about young, old, I'm talking about gay, straight, whatever, whoever you are, it's there for everybody to to enjoy.  Adam: Brilliant. Well, it's been a real treat meeting you. Thank you very much indeed. Under your wonderful sculpture in your garden in the centre of London.  Danny: Yeah, you're most welcome.  Adam: Thank you very much. Remind me of your your your social media handles.  Danny: It's The Black Gardener. I'm I'm on Facebook and I'm on Threads.  Adam: On Threads, now there's something I haven't heard for a long time!  Danny: Yes. Yeah *laughs* So there you go. There you go.   Adam: Right, The Black Gardener, thank you very much indeed,   Danny: You're most welcome.  Adam: Well, thank you very much for listening to that and those bangs you might have heard in the background were a sign that we should go because that was the the local bin men coming along to collect the rubbish *laughs*. Anyway, thanks for listening. And wherever you're taking your walks, be that in real life or just with us on the Woodland Walks podcast, I wish you all happy wandering.  Thank you for listening to the Woodland Trust Woodland Walks. Join us next month when Adam will be taking another walk in the company of Woodland Trust staff, partners and volunteers. And don't forget to subscribe to the series on iTunes or wherever you are listening. And do give us a review and a rating. If you want to find out more about our woods and those that are close to you, check out the Woodland Trust website. Just head to the Visiting Woods pages. Thank you. 

Our Special Guest this week is Lord Ben Houchen, Mayor of the Tees Valley to discuss the English Devolution White Paper published by MHCLG before Christmas. The proposal gives Mayors new responsibilities for strategic planning and much more. Latest News Update on planning related matters. Decision of the Court of Appeal dated 11 December 2024 which deals in great detail with the service provisions relating to Section 288 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 relating to the statutory right of appeal after an Inspectors decision by way of Section 78 and a detailed examination of the requirements in law relating to both lodging the proceedings in court and service under that statutory provision. This is a seminal decision for anyone who is or might be involved in planning appeals litigation. Decision of an Inspector dated 9 January 2025 which deals with the service of an enforcement notice by Royal Borough of Greenwich relating to a 15 storey and 23 storey residential blocks requiring the demolition of the building in which the Inspector upheld the notice but crucially allowed the retention of the buildings by materially amending the requirements of the notice. Decision of an Inspector dated 7 January 2025 which deals with a significant solar farm proposal for 47.28 MWp in Mid Suffolk District Council in which the Inspector granted planning permission by concluding that the proposal was supported by the planning balance and that the proposal accorded with the development plan as a whole and the appeal should be allowed. Visit our Website: hwgpnfy.com #HWGPNFY

As the sun rises, the local council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are responsible for helping families try and find their loved ones and arranging accommodation for those who have just escaped Grenfell Tower.But as the situation spirals out of control, lost keys, “dehumanising” processes and slow support for residents lead to frustration and confusion.Presenter: Kate Lamble Producer: Josephine Casserly Production coordinator: Janet Staples Audio engineers: James Beard and Gareth Jones Story consultant: Simon Maybin Editor: Penny Murphy

Judith Diment is Dean of the Rotary Representatives to the United Nations and International Agencies leading a team of 30 Rotary “Ambassadors.”   She led Rotary delegations to COP26, COP27 and COP28. Having worked in marketing and communications for over 30 years, including heading PR at the Natural History Museum in London, she also volunteers for many organizations and charities in Great Britain and around the world.    A recipient of the Rotary Service Above Self Award,  she served as President of Windsor St George Rotary Club and was District Governor of Rotary District 1090. Elected a Councillor for Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, she was also awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire by HM Queen Elizabeth for services to charity. rotary-rn.org Co-Hosted with the Rotary Districts & Clubs International Online Mega-Meeting Exchange Platform! See the video and ask questions of future guests at:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theworldismycountry.com/club⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music by: „World Citizen“ Jahcoustix feat. Shaggy, courtesy of Dominik Haas, Telefonica and EoM Check out the film on World Citizen #1 Garry Davis: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theworldismycountry.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Endorse the ban on Nuclear Weapons: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theworldismycountry.com/endorse⁠

Cllr Anthony Okereke the Leader of the Council of the Royal Borough of Greenwich joins us for the latest instalment of the Better Places podcast. Anthony provides great insight into the past decade of growth in the borough and the measures his local authority is taking in enhancing its town centres, creating new places, the Royal Borough's Cultural Hub, and renewing its estates to meet the increased demand for housing.

In Hitting the High Notes episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals. And, so that Listeners can get to know people a little better personally, for every project or stage of their career Sam also asks his guests for a piece of music that reminds them of that period. Think of it as town planning's equivalent of Desert Island Discs. Unlike Desert Island Discs you will not hear any of that music during the episode because using commercially-licensed music without the copyright holders permission or a very expensive PRS licensing agreement could land Sam in hot water, so, when you have finished listening, you will have to make do with YouTube videos and a Spotify playlist, links to which you will find below. Sam's guest for this episode is Nick Kilby, founder and now Chief Executive Officer of Cratus Group, who kindly took the time to meet Sam at Soho Radio Studios in early April 2024. Nick trained as a Stage Manager and Lighting Designer at Mountview Theatre School and worked in the early 1980s as a stage manager at the Edinburgh Festival and the National Theatre. Having produced his own shows Nick then got into cinema management, including the first Imax at the Trocadero Centre. He then got into politics and in 2006 was elected on to the Royal Borough of Kingston Council, which led to being asked about campaigning and lobbying. After being involved with the Abbey Mills ‘Mega' Mosque at the end of the 2000s Nick then founded Cratus. As Nick takes Sam through his six projects they talk about the keys to successful engagement and the role of the councillor in that. They talk about how consultants are only as good as the client lets them be; about what it really means to build communities; and they talk about localism and a certain Mr Eric Pickles.  Some accompanying reading. All The Lonely People – Mike Gayle https://www.mikegayle.co.uk/my-books/all-lonely-people Want to build? Better hire a good lobbyist https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/want-to-build-better-hire-a-good-lobbyist-rc6gsg7qs (£) My Favourite Building: Sam Stafford – The Piece Hall https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/117312-prop-my-favourite-building-sam-stafford-the-piece-hall Some accompanying viewing. You See Me Laughin': The Last of the Hill Country Bluesmen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiW3oPv1vZc Some accompanying listening. McCartney: A Life in Lyrics https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/mccartney-a-life-in-lyrics Nick's Spotify playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0bwjKHMaDAsodUAddsBpyr?si=0gPfuF0QTzSdwastIl-w9w&pi=e-D-xwFvBMToSz&nd=1&dlsi=dfe4a97887be4cb4 There is Power in a Union - Billy Bragg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbzxemJZIc We can Work it Out -The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-0if-ca6CE Elgar Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61: 11. Andante - Nigel Kennedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLD0jOyTnwU A Father Now from 3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down - Original Off Broadway Cast https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nlSUmGk0G9IMZQDCW2uVCm3eZlrr8yD6U Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuS5NuXRb5Y Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMZvAbk1kXQ 50 Shades T-Shirts! If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that... 'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'. Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html

On Monday 18 March 2024 Kingston Association for the Blind (KAB) launched their new Queen's Promenade recorded Audio Described Guide. KAB has been working for the past 2 years with VocalEyes to produce an interesting guide full of history, facts and descriptions to make the walk accessible and inclusive.  Through the new guide blind and partially sighted people will be able to stroll along Queen's Promenade beside the River Thames and listen to descriptions of historical buildings, local landmarks, and the Thames riverside ending with a chance to discover a new sensory garden too. Odette Batteral, Chief Executive of Kingston Association for the Blind explains to RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey about how the guide came about, a flavour of some of the 10 stop on the guide and how KAB hope the guide will open up the history of the local area to blind and partially sighted people. The Queen' Promenade recorded Audio Described Guide  has been made possible with grants from The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames and Sport England to encourage people to stay active and well while enjoying walking outdoors along the riverside. A big thanks for the kind support of the Kingston Historical Society, the Friends of the Queen's Promenade and KAB members who helped with the wonderful stories and testing of the audio tracks. To find out more about the Queen's Promenade recorded audio Described Guide and listen to the guide too do visit the following pages of the Kingston Association for the Blind's website - https://kingstonassociationforblind.org/advocacy/ (Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)

དབྱིན་ཡུལ་གྱི་ Royal Borough of Greenwich གྲོང་སྡེར་བོད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་དར་བསྒྲེངས་འཛུགས། The post དབྱིན་ཡུལ་གྱི་ Royal Borough of Greenwich གྲོང་སྡེར་བོད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་དར་བསྒྲེངས་འཛུགས། appeared first on vot.

Nikita Sandhu and David Hossack discuss a recent Employment Tribunal case where it was found that the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames discriminated against a trans employee by “deadnaming”.

Nikita Sandhu and David Hossack discuss a recent Employment Tribunal case where it was found that the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames discriminated against a trans employee by “deadnaming”.

On your knees, serfs: we're back in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and this time we're in the company of Noomi Rapace. Equally at home starring in blockbusters and indie flicks, the Swedish-born actor has very much made London her home. The 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' and 'Constellation' star joins Joe on a well-heeled wander through west London, taking in posh crisps, distressed denim and Joe's Muppet-esque attempts at speaking Swedish. Catch Noomi in 'Constellation' on Apple TV+ from February 21. Like the podcast? Stay on top of all things London with Time Out's truly excellent newsletter, Out Here. Production, editing and sound design by David Clack at Perfect Loop Productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lethbridge's existing Land Use Bylaw has served our community since 1986. During this time, several amendments have been undertaken to this Bylaw to address market demands and resident aspirations. However, since its creation almost 40 years ago it has not undergone a comprehensive renewal. The Land Use Bylaw sets out the rules for what kind of building or activity can take place on private property and outlines the process for issuing Development Permits that give approval for new buildings and activities. In July 2023, the City of Lethbridge initiated a project to comprehensively renew its Land Use Bylaw to address current issues faced by the community. This is a three-year project with an anticipated completion in 2026. Phase 1 of this project focuses on addressing Land Use Bylaw regulations related to various social uses such as housing with social support and social services. This presentation will provide a full overview of this project and questions will be encouraged following the presentation. Project webpage: https://getinvolvedlethbridge.ca/lub Speaker: Ross Kilgour Ross Kilgour earned his first-class honours degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was awarded the Royal Town Planning Institute Award for the Top Final Year Graduate. He then worked in London, England, first as a planner for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea before moving to the private sector as a planning consultant with Firstplan Ltd. After immigrating to Canada in 2013, Ross joined the City of Lethbridge where he is now a Senior Community Planner, focusing primarily on the redevelopment of Lethbridge's older neighbourhoods and the City's heritage program. Ross' specific passions in urbanism include sustainability, equity, planning/zoning reform, and enabling active transportation and walkable neighbourhoods. His research has been published in Planning Practice and Research journal.

The Berkshire Football Stories podcast chats with Shay Bottomley, the man behind the Move Us Or Lose us petition aiming to force a Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead Council rethink over the shelving of Maidenhead United's proposed move to Braywick Park. Move Us Or Lose Us petition: https://rbwm.moderngov.co.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=2185&RPID=10971467&HPID=10971467 Protect open space and Maidenhead United: https://rbwm.moderngov.co.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=2186&RPID=10971467&HPID=10971467 Watch the podcast by subscribing to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@footballinberkshire?sub_confirmation=1 Berkshire Football Stories is supported by The Curious Academy: A skills hub running a Sales Academy, Digital Skills Bootcamp and Data Analytics training in Reading. Find out more at https://www.thecuriousacademy.co.uk/ The podcast also supported by our friends at TicketPass, the ethical ticketing company that donates 50% of its booking fee to charity to empower the people that matter: event organisers and attendees. Find out more at: https://ticketpass.org/our-mission You can also find us at www.footballinberkshire.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/fiberkshire Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/footballinberkshire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiberkshire/ KEY MOMENTS 0:00 Intro #podcast #nonleague #berkshire #favase

Concilio's Managing Director Nick Dines sits down with the Co-Chairs of the London Housing Directors'Group, Joanne Drew, Strategic Director for Housing and Regeneration at Enfield Council and Jamie Carswell, Director of Housing and Safer Communities at the Royal Borough of Greenwich

Visit www.ThinkTenacity.com for more information about  this Health Inequalities International Seminar | Making Time for Black Mental Health EventsRoyal borough of Kensington and Chelsea sponsored podcast series:Opened by: CLLR Aarien Areticllr.aarien.areti@rbkc.gov.uk 

Dr Nigel Fletcher is a political historian and has taught at King's College London since 2017. He is the co-founder of the Centre for Opposition Studies and has previously worked as a political adviser and a councillor in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. His book, The Not Quite Prime Ministers: Leaders of the Opposition 1783–2020 brings together profiles of the opposition leaders who didn't quite make it to No. 10. In this episode, Nigel shares some of the outrageous stories in the book, including a James Bond-esque tale about Hugh Gaitskell. He also reflects on parallels between different leaders and explains why opposition is so important.   Get your copy of The Not Quite Prime Ministers here: www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/the-not-quite-prime-ministers Music Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkorama Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Episode #84 with Yemisi Mokuolu, who is an award-winning and highly regarded independent producer and creative industries business consultant. She is the founder and CEO of Hatch Ideas, which develops and promotes African arts and artists. She is also an independent producer and has produced some of London's largest African arts festivals. HATCH works across the creative, cultural, and social sectors, bringing to life initiatives that have the potential to drive inclusion and diversity, generate greater wealth for communities, and improve social environments. Clients include Arts Council England, BBC London, City University, the Department for Industry & Trade (UK), Historic England, Kings College London, the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and Social Enterprise London.What We Discuss With YemisiWith two decades of experience under your belt, you started this journey when Africa's creative and cultural industries weren't really getting much attention. What did you see then that other people were missing?Are you surprised by what Africa's creative and cultural industries have achieved so far?You recently co-authored the book chapter "Finance for Creative and Cultural Industries in Africa". What were some of the key themes and findings of the report?In your opinion, what are some of the key challenges faced by Africa's Creative & Cultural Industries, and how can they be overcome?Can you share examples of how the creative and cultural industries in Africa have positively impacted local communities and economies?And much more...Full show notes and resources can be found here: Unlocking Africa show notesDid you miss my previous episode where I discuss Harvesting Connections: Unveiling Strategies for Boosting Regional Food Trade in Africa with Daniel Njiwa? Make sure to check it out!Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps!Connect with Terser on LinkedIn at TerserAdamu, and Twitter @TerserAdamuConnect with Yemisi  on LinkedIn at Yemisi Mokuolu, and Twitter @IdeasHatchSupport the showDo you want to do business in Africa? Explore the vast business opportunities in African markets and increase your success with ETK Group. Connect with us at www.etkgroup.co.uk or reach out via email at info@etkgroup.co.uk

Can we have (and achieve) a bold vision for carer support?Sarah McClinton, Director of Health and Adult Services at Royal Borough of Greenwich, joins James to chat about everything from her career in social care through to innovation strategies and CQC assurance. Tune in for an episode packed with inspiration for carer support and nuggets of wisdom that you won't find anywhere else!"My advice would be to be bold and to think about the opportunities. And create the space for the thinking. And so one of the things I think is really important is co-production with carers. What it is that they need and what they want. And I think that's part of building a business case, if you like as to what is going to make the difference. We know that supporting carers is actually really fundamentally vital in terms of enabling people to continue to care. And that relatively small amounts of money can make a big difference which ultimately saves lots of money down the line."(00:00) - Hello and welcome (00:50) - What's coming up in episode one of Carer Catalysts? (02:26) - Introducing Sarah McClinton - How have you spent your career? (05:12) - Are there echoes in how we disrupted existing services during the Covid-19 pandemic from how we responded to HIV and AIDS? (06:12) - Has the idealism from the start of your career rubbed off with the grubby reality of getting things done? (08:13) - Why is it important to innovate for unpaid carers? (10:30) - Do we just need to fund existing services properly? (12:46) - How do we make sure we're giving proper attention to unpaid carers when there are so many competing priorities? (17:05) - What outcomes mark success for innovation? (20:30) - How can we make sure that everyone gets the benefit of innovation? (23:33) - Are there any examples of innovation that you've been really inspired by? (25:40) - What advice would you give to someone looking to do something transformational for unpaid carers in their local authority? (28:08) - In your career have there been any moments where you've wanted to do something, but making it happen felt a bit too much? (32:25) - What are the implications for CQC assurance for local authorities? (35:46) - How do you make sure that you're abreast of the latest developments? (39:13) - Key takeaways from the conversation with Sarah (00:00) - Chapter 17 ----The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.

Ready to uncover a world of opulence and culture? Promise me you'll tag along as we journey through the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, soaking in all the grandeur and history this area has to offer. From royal parks to high-end boutiques, and from architectural wonders to quaint cafes, we'll guide you through Kensington and Chelsea's hidden treasures. This episode is not just a guide, it's a full-fledged experience - a perfect blend of laughter, luxury, and learning. Get ready for a tantalizing tour as we answer listener questions, explore the vibrant community, and embark on a gastronomic adventure, all in the heart of Kensington and Chelsea.Can't resist a good story? Neither can we! So, we're bringing you the captivating history of Kensington, the not-to-be-missed nightlife scene, and an unforgettable dining experience at Jacuzzi. We'll walk through picturesque lanes leading to majestic landmarks like Kensington Palace, the eccentric Churchill Arms pub, bustling Harrods, and the renowned Royal Albert Hall. We'll also delve into Sos Kensington Books' extensive collection and admire the art and design at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's a veritable feast for culture vultures and history buffs!Want to make your London trip a breeze? We've got you covered. We share handy tips and essential information every traveler to London needs - from the most convenient ways to pay for transportation to the best times of year for classical music. We also give you insights on top venues for chamber music and advise on which activities to book in advance. With our practical tips, you'll be navigating London like a local in no time. Join us for this joyride as we laugh, learn, and luxuriate in the wonders of Kensington and Chelsea.Link: Step Free Access Tube Map (TFL)London Asked and Answered Travel Guide Discover London's iconic landmarks vibrant culture and hidden gems with this insightful travel guideDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showGOT QUESTIONS ABOUT LONDON?Send me your question(s) for a chance to be answered live.Whatsapp: +44 7700 1822 99 (Text & Voice)E-Mail: hello@londonasked.comWeb: https://londonasked.com/ask FOLLOW MEFacebook: @londonaskedInstagram: @londonaskedTwitter: @londonasked JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUPhttps://facebook.com/groups/londonasked LEAVE A REVIEWPlease leave a review wherever you're listening to this podcast. PRE-ORDER the London Asked and Answered: Your Comprehensive Travel Guide Book or eBookhttps://guided.london/book © 2023 London Asked and Answered; Sascha Berninger Ready to dive into the ultimate London adventure? Subscribe now to unlock exclusive content and join us in uncovering the city's best-kept secrets, insider tips, and unforgettable experiences. Don't miss out on the journey of a lifetime – hit that subscribe button and let's explore London together! https://plus.acast.com/s/london-asked-and-answered. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, Founder of Rubber Cheese.Download the Rubber Cheese 2022 Visitor Attraction Website Report - the first digital benchmark statistics for the attractions sector.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends July 31st 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://twitter.com/ChelsPhysicGdnhttps://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/https://twitter.com/FSampershttps://www.linkedin.com/in/frances-sampayo-6a4939100/ Frances Sampayo is the Deputy Director of Chelsea Physic Garden. In her day to day role she leads visitor experience, learning & public engagement, volunteering and interpretation. Ensuring that these areas are central to the organisations strategic vision.  Frances has worked for galleries, museums, heritage attractions, palaces, and now a botanic garden. She brings to life completely unique events at each site, ensuring they are rooted in people. This includes visitors, staff and collaborators. For Frances, the places she works often have many barriers for visitors, and programming offers the chance to break these down. You may not feel a botanic garden is for you, but why not start with a music night instead? The more complicated and creative the event, the better.  Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. In today's episode I speak with Frances Sampayo, Deputy Director (Visitor Experience) at the Chelsea Physic Garden.We discuss the transformative journey the garden has been on with it's public programming calendar, and the exciting and unexpected outcomes that's brought the organisation.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on itunes, Spotify and all the usual channels by searching Skip The Queue.Kelly Molson: Frances, it's so lovely to have you on the podcast. Thank you for coming to join me. Frances Sampayo: Oh, thank you so much. A longtime listener. So thrilled to be here. Kelly Molson: Always lovely to hear. Well, will you be thrilled after the icebreaker questions? Who knows? Let's go. Right, I want to know, when you go out for dinner, are you a starter and a main kind of gal or main and a pudding, or all three? I mean, you can have all three. Frances Sampayo: I think it's pudding, especially if it's Tiramisu. That's it. Decision made. Kelly Molson: Okay, so Tiramisu is on the menu. That's the one you're going for. That's it. That's the focus.Frances Sampayo: Yeah, I'd probably just have that over the main, to be honest. Kelly Molson: Do you know what? There is a pudding. Yeah. So there are pudding restaurants, though, aren't there, where you can go and yeah, there's one in Cambridge. I walked past it last week while were in town and it's basically just puddings. Frances Sampayo: Oh, great. Kelly Molson: You can have a main pudding, a starter pudding and a pudding. Frances Sampayo: I will never go there. That's too dangerous for me. But, yeah. Kelly Molson: Open invite to come and join me. I would go crumble all the way. Frances Sampayo: Oh, nice. Kelly Molson: Okay, good. If you had to pick one item to win a lifetime supply of, what would you pick? Frances Sampayo: Probably something really boring like sunblock, because I am so pale to that. That would be really handy for me. Kelly Molson: Well, we should all wear sunscreen. Very important. Doesn't matter about being pale. More important to not have skin cancer. Frances Sampayo: Very true. Very true. Kelly Molson: Okay, good. Final one. If you could be any fictional character, who would you like to be and why? Frances Sampayo: That is a great question. I would love to probably go into, like, a Regency novel, but I wouldn't want to be a main character. I'd probably just want to be someone on the sidelines who gets to see everything and just kind of fly on the wall and kind of see everything that's happening in these amazing worlds.  Yeah, that would be great. I like it. Yeah. Kelly Molson: What's the draw to that kind of era? Is it the architecture? Is it the clothing? Frances Sampayo: Can I give a real kind of sector answer? Kelly Molson: Absolutely.Frances Sampayo: Part one would be we so often use as filming locations, so there's a lot of Regency dramas. That would be great to see something like this happening in one of these spaces. And the second is, I once duty managed a kind of 18th century themed party at a site I worked where everyone was in fancy dress from the era. And it was amazing sharing people were just sheivelling as the evening went on, stockings were falling down, men had rouge on, all of those amazing things. And just seeing that come to life was amazing. So I'd love to kind of get to see it kind of happening in actual Regency time period, as opposed to just kind of as an event in the 21st century. Kelly Molson: I love that. Really kind of sets the tone for what we're going to talk about today as well, the events. All right, that was an excellent answer. Thank you. Right, Frances, what is your unpopular opinion? Frances Sampayo: So I'm not a fan of false Jeopardy, which is a big component of reality TV, particularly cooking shows, where someone will take a bite of food and then just the camera pauses for what feels like five minutes and they do all the close up shots of everyone looking really tense, and I just, "Oh, I hate it". So I know it's something very popular, it's in all the reality TV shows, but I always skip that bit, look at my phone or do something else. Kelly Molson: Just get on with it. Just get on with it. Frances Sampayo: Get on with it. Kelly Molson: Or you don't we don't need the drama or the tense. Frances Sampayo: Just put this poor person out of their misery. And you think it's better than anything, like, I could have ever even imagined I cooked. And you just dragging this poor person's emotional journey out. So, yeah, just think just get over it. Just do it. Tell them whether it's good or not. Kelly Molson: I like it. Yeah, I would like that. I'd just like to know yes or no. Don't keep me hanging around. It's like it causes more anxiety than you need it to be. Kelly Molson: I'm definitely one of those people. If someone says, can we have a chat on Monday? I'm like, can we just do it now? Do we need to wait over the weekend? Is it good or is it bad? Because I will just think about this continuously now for the week. So let's just get it out of the way. Frances Sampayo: Let's do it now. Yeah. My team liked me to do if I book in a catch up. We had to catch up, good thing. Catch up, constructive thing, just to help.Kelly Molson: Yeah, that's really useful.Frances Sampayo: Because, again, it is that forced Jeopardy thing of, "Yeah, oh, no, I've got to wait the whole weekend and I don't know what this meeting is about". “It's a good thing. Ten minutes. It's fine, don't worry.”Kelly Molson: That's a really good positive tip, isn't it? Yes, but what if it's not a good day?Frances Sampayo: Then I'll call it something else. Kelly Molson: Okay. Catch up. Not okay. Frances Sampayo: Yes, catch up. It's all gone wrong. Kelly Molson: Okay, that is an excellent tip, I can say that. Share that with the team after our call. Thank you. We've got so much to talk about today. I'm really excited about this chat. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about what they can expect at the Chelsea Physic Garden and then just a little bit about what your role is as well? Frances Sampayo: So Chelsea Physic Garden is a four acre garden. We're in Chelsea, as the name suggests, and we've got over four and a half thousand plants that you can come and see. So we've got a living collection. Most collections in museums are behind glass, but us is living, we have to take care of it and we've got an amazing team of gardeners that do that. So we call ourselves London's oldest outdoor classroom because we've always been a place for people to come and learn about plants. So we've got a really fantastic learning team, but we've also got a really dynamic engagement programme, which helps people connect in different ways to plants, because it can be quite intimidating, I think, particularly if you grew up in a city you don't know much about nature, you might not have had a garden. Frances Sampayo: So we've got a really dynamic programme, giving people lots of different entry points. This year, we turned 350. So in September, we're opening glass houses that have all been restored with support of the National Heritage Fund. So if you're going to come and visit and you've got a restoration project coming up, September is a great time to come to the garden. But we always say, whatever day you come, that's the best day to come, because you're going to see something no one else gets to see, because flowers can change one day to the next 1 hour to the next. So it's a really special place to come and just connect with nature, really. So that's a bit about the garden now, a bit about my role. I've got quite a broad role. So we're a small site, we're a small team. Frances Sampayo: And I think when you have a small site and a small team, you get jobs that actually have quite a lot within their remit. So I, as Deputy Director of the organisation, was brought in to bring a cohesive visitor experience across the site. And that meant I lead different teams that look after all of our people touch points. So visitors learning, public engagement volunteers and then everything that sits behind that holistically to give people a great visit or to support them in a different way. So safety, security facilities interpretation, that comes under my remit as well, because it's supporting that visitor experience ultimately. So it's quite a kind of unique role. It's really dynamic. Every single day is different. Can go from planning our ten year strategy to what's going to happen in the next ten minutes because the toilets have all overflown. Frances Sampayo: So it's really dynamic role and just like the garden. So it's great fun here. Kelly Molson: Yeah, it sounds it as well. So I think that when we spoke a few weeks ago, I came away from the call just thinking, wow, the remit of what you have there is quite phenomenal, the different things that you can be doing all the time. But I also thought, what a privilege it must be to be there, because, like you say, it is a living museum and it just must be incredible to see it change, literally on a daily basis. Frances Sampayo: Yeah, it's amazing. So we're recording this just after our Easter weekend, and I had a great time on Sunday, were out in the garden helping people do their Planet Hero trail to learn about how to be more sustainable. And the tulips just got a little bit of sun and suddenly they all opened up and they were just really expressive, dancing kind of around, and then a cloud came over and they all closed up again and you just think, I don't have a garden, I didn't grow up with a garden, grew up in a flat. And so you just get to see things that you never get to see before. Frances Sampayo: And it's been a real privilege to get to learn how the garden operates over the year and to see there are plants now that I think I can't wait until May, because I'll get to see that in flower and it's really amazing. Kelly Molson: Wow. Well, that's kind of what we're going to talk about today, because as an organisation, you've been on a bit of a transformative journey with your public programming, and a lot of that is about kind of education and getting people to kind of understand what you have there and how things grow and how that all works together. But I kind of want to just go back and talk about, what the starting point for this journey? How did that come about, where did that start? Frances Sampayo: Yeah, and it really has been a journey. So I joined the garden back in 2018 and we had a really established programme of walks, talks and workshops. So quite a formal learning programme. And it was really great, really established, always sold well. And I went on a conference with LEAF, which is the London Environmental Education Forum, and as I was talking to people, they heard I was from Chelsea Physic Garden, and they go, “Oh, I love that workshop you do. We do one similar.” And I started to understand that actually, our programme had been an inspiration point for a lot of people, which is great, we love a bit of professional learning, but of course, that's our competitors. Frances Sampayo: So that was a starting point for me to think, we need to think about something new and then we have the kind of emergence of the experience economy. And we had retailers on the King's road, like Anthropology, running wreath making sessions, floristry sessions. And it really alerted me to the fact that, actually, if we didn't diversify our programme, if we didn't start thinking a bit differently, not only were our competitors going to catch up, but actually other sites that we would never have thought of as competitors because of the new kind of economic model. So, yeah, it was a really important moment for us to start thinking differently. Kelly Molson: That's crazy, isn't it? Because that's the comparison that was made quite a lot, I think, during and after the pandemic, is that attractions, you're now competing with things like Netflix, and you would never have considered that before. So that's really interesting to hear you make that kind of comparison to retail. And that's not something that I would have considered before either. Frances Sampayo: No, it was amazing. I wanted to sign up for a lot of these in person classes. I'm the kind of heritage person and I'm being taken by the retail model, so I've got to try and bring it back. So, yeah, that was a big starting point. And, yeah, as you say, kind of Netflix. You can sit and watch, you could sit on YouTube and just watch a plant grow and on a time lapse for 20 minutes and you say, “Oh, no, actually, you want to get out into nature. So how are we going to get those people here?”Kelly Molson:  Yeah. So what kind of objectives did you set for the programme? Frances Sampayo: So I've got to be honest, I'm not the best at kind of setting formal objectives, particularly, I think, because this programme was really around culture change and I think whenever you bring people into doing a cultural shift within an organisation, they're going to bring new ideas. So I didn't set kind of formal objectives and say, we're going to achieve 20% increase in this or that. I've done that in other areas, but it didn't feel right to do that with our public programme. So what we did instead was talk about giving people more kind of creativity to create new programmes. So kind of, what can we do that's new that we haven't done before? What have you always really wanted to try but haven't been able to? Because this is the time for us to try and fail and learn and adapt. Frances Sampayo: And actually, what sits behind that the kind of team don't always pick up on, is you're introducing a feedback cycle and you're saying, actually, we're going to evaluate everything. And we haven't necessarily had that culture where we listen to what people responded to within our sessions that they liked, that they didn't like. So we wanted to start that feedback loop and then ultimately, we wanted to future proof our programme. So we need new audiences, we've got to diversify our model, become financially sustainable. So those are the kind of key areas I really wanted to push, but I didn't kind of set them as specific objectives. They all kind of developed naturally as more people get involved, we're able to expand the ambition. Frances Sampayo: And now, five years on, we've got our own public programme manager, so it's really become embedded and they're going to again challenge us and push us up a whole other level. So it's been really brilliant to let it grow, but set a kind, of course, I guess, for how we want to deliver it and how we want to change. Kelly Molson: I'm really interested to know what's changed. So what was a kind of typical programme previously and what does your programme look like now? Like, how brave have people been? Frances Sampayo: Yeah, we've been pretty brave. It's been a big change. So I think the first area where there's really been a shift is moving away from an academic forum. So being a learning space for 350 years, that really carried into our learning programme and all of our public programmes. So even sessions where were getting people to do botanical soap making, that started with a formal lecture, really, about what the botanicals were you were going to use, why they were so brilliant. So we've really shifted away from that and we put that same information into our sessions, but not in a formal way. It's much more informal, much more exciting, and people learn through connecting with the plant itself, as opposed to being told with a presentation and some slides, this is how brilliant lemon is, or things like that. Frances Sampayo: So that shift away from the academic has been really fundamental, but you might not necessarily notice that kind of straight away with the session that's more in terms of the content. We've also looked at our accessibility, so we've got a broader range of price points now, a broader range of length of sessions. So we used to have sessions that were a full day or a half day and that was it. Now people are a lot more time poor, so we've got some sessions that are an hour, some that are 2 hours, a full day or even multiple days, but people can select now what they want and there's a much better variety. So we're seeing we get a lot more visitors come onto a kind of two hour session instead of a four hour half day. Frances Sampayo: And our youth panel also talked to us about the different price points and making the journey a lot easier to buying a ticket. So we've got lower price points now. And also you don't have to buy a ticket to the garden on top of buying a ticket to an event, which has been a big shift. So those are kind of some behind the scenes things, which are pretty bold, but not the kind of glamorous thing. But in terms of that kind of more dynamic programming, we did a lot during the pandemic because of being an outdoor attraction, so we had some ideas that were kind of on the back burner that were able to bring forward. So were able to launch Plant Fair when outdoor retail returned, which was brilliant. Frances Sampayo: We were able to introduce a series of concerts on the lawn called The Lawn Session, so those music nights have stayed, and also Family Theatre, which we hadn't done before in the garden, so we now do that every year. So were able to bring in some really new programming, which was really bold for us as a site, because we hadn't really connected with those audiences or felt like audiences that would go to a music night would come to the garden. So that was really great fun. But the most bold programme we launched was our Dash of Lavender programme, so that's LGBTQ plus History Month celebration, and that happens in February. So we've got an exhibition in the garden and then lots of different events, from poetry nights to drawing workshops. Frances Sampayo: And this year, our volunteer guides also got involved and they launched tours around the garden to tell people more about LGBTQ history and horticulture, which was really fantastic, because that, again, is an example of growing support for the programme bit by bit, and people saying, “Okay, now I understand what this is. I want to get more involved.” And we've been supported through that by an amazing partner called Sixto, who runs Queer botany, who's just a great presence within the sector and doing amazing things. I'm sure everyone wants to work with them now, which is really frustrating for us. Frances Sampayo: We love Six, though, but, yeah, that's been the kind of most dynamic programme that we've introduced and has had the biggest impact, but because we'd done all of those smaller steps, that it felt like a really natural progression for the site to do this and it's been really accepted and understood. Whereas previously, if we'd said we're going to do a History Month celebrating LGBTQ plus individuals, people really wouldn't have understood it. So it's made a huge impact. Kelly Molson: That is phenomenal to hear. It's really interesting. As you were talking, we just go back to the start of this section where you were talking about the soap making, and I thought, “Oh, that sounds really interesting. I'd probably like to do that.” But I probably wouldn't have booked onto the previous incarnation of it because I would have thought, "Maybe this is just a bit not for me". I'm kind of doing it because I'm interested in the fragrances and how you make them and that kind of side of it. I'm not sure I want to be lectured about the botanicals themselves, so it might put me off, so I guess it might put a lot of other people off. So have your audiences changed since you introduced the new programme? Kelly Molson: And it would be interesting to know if you set out and defined what you wanted those new audiences to be and how if you've achieved that. Frances Sampayo: Oh, great question. So we did do some kind of planning of new audiences and who we wanted to engage, but we also wanted to make sure we brought our existing audience and our members kind of along with us and make sure that they felt really taken care of. So, in terms of our existing audience, particularly our members, they're 50% of our visitor profile post pandemic, and they're predominantly white, female, cisgendered, able bodied, or potentially have kind of corrected sight through using glasses. They're retired. So that's our kind of core audience, if you will. So we wanted to make sure that we really supported them as well, so they have had some new benefits introduced, like a quiet hour at the garden in the morning, so kind of private access before everyone else comes in. Frances Sampayo: We also started running coffee mornings for them, social isolation is a really big challenge within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. So we've got some older members of our membership community, so that helps them get involved. And they also get early access to a lot of our member events or a lot of our public programme events. So they feel like they're getting a lot of special treatment, but it's a lot of stuff that we would have been doing anyway. And I think that's helped them kind of come with us on the journey as we've brought in a lot of new audiences. So people under 40, families, people living within walking distance of the garden within a 30 minutes catchment, that's actually really quite a disruptive audience to bring in against that traditional model. Frances Sampayo: So we've got people who live in Wandsworth, Lambeth, Vauxhall, all really local to us, who wouldn't see the garden as a place for them. We've got people living in Battersea who are part of the new, amazing community in Battersea with all these developments, but they've got the park right next to them and we're on the other side of the Thames, so why do they want to come here? So it's really helped us establish we are here for local people. We've got things that interest under 40s, we've got things that interest families, but throughout all of that, we've really considered how we're going to bring our core audience on that journey with us. So, yeah, we've tried to balance it, but it has really changed. Kelly Molson: Were you worried about how, when you talked about what your existing kind of demographic was for your members and your audience, were you quite worried about how they might react to some of the new ideas that you were bringing in? Frances Sampayo: I wasn't really worried, if I'm completely honest. I think I knew that we were going to take care of them and I knew that some people would appreciate that and some people would really enjoy coming into the garden for a quiet hour in the morning or coming to a coffee morning. So I knew that some of the visitors that are part of that membership community would really enjoy that. And I thought, if they don't, that is kind of up to them to self select and not come to the garden. But ultimately we have to change because you can't exist for 350 years by standing still. And I think that is quite brave, I think, to say that. And it's not dismissive of our kind of core audience or our existing audience, it's just saying there's space for everyone, there's space for more people here. Frances Sampayo: And if you're not okay with that, you've got your quiet hour, you can come then. We're trying to accommodate you. But actually, if you want to come to Chelsea History Festival weekend, where we've got circus performers and a military band in the garden, come along to that. That's great. You're going to really have a good time if you want. So we kind of accepted that we might lose some visitors and I, unfortunately, sometimes get complaints from people about, "I've ruined the garden or I've ruined the atmosphere", but for every complaint I get like that, I get 20, "I would never have come here if you weren't doing this. And I discovered the garden because you had a poetry evening and I thought that was amazing, or I came on the lawn sessions for a date and now I'm coming back to see the collection in the day." Frances Sampayo: So it really is worth it and you just have to be kind of resilient and true to what you're doing and why and stick to it, because we're kind of here for people and we want as many people to enjoy the garden as possible. So there has to be a bit of disruption and a bit of change.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I mean, we all like to say that we don't like change, though, don't we? You're always going to get somebody who really don't like change and it's really uncomfortable for them, but you can't stay the same for those people. How do you think? Because this has all happened over quite a short period of time, really, hasn't it? I mean, we can throw COVID into the mix and I think it goes without saying, really, that everybody became a bit braver during that time, because it was a time of, "Well, let's just try it. What else could go wrong?" Right? But what do you think that you've been able to kind of change and adapt so quickly? Frances Sampayo: Yeah, so I think it's all about people. We've got a really amazing team here and they're really committed to what we're doing. I kind of label it as persistent, professional radicalism, which people enjoy, but that's kind of what we're doing. We want to make change, so we have to be persistent. We'll consider the fact that some visitors might not like it, but others will, and we've got data to support us and then we're kind of radical because that's just what we're doing, being really bold as we approach things. And this team of people that I get to work with, really kind of support that and want to work in that way. At the start, weren't all saying we're being radical at work and we're being really bold. People weren't necessarily comfortable with that. Frances Sampayo: So there were a lot of conversations that needed to have with people around, giving them permission to explore new things and say, "What are you excited about that we've never done in the garden before, that you think would be really cool that you'd want to come to, or what do you want to do?" And gradually people started understanding that actually there was permission for them to try new things and to work in new ways. So one of the learning team really wanted to learn more about podcasting. So brilliant. There's a training course on podcast. You go on that, you tell me why it would be good for the garden and if you can convince me, I'll back you up and we'll make sure that we kind of get this going and get you the equipment you need and the space you need. Frances Sampayo: So were able to do that and now we've got a really great podcast that's available in all good podcast places that you can listen to about the garden and it helps people that aren't here connect with it. And that just came from a mad idea from one of the teams saying, "Actually, I'd really like to learn a bit more about this, and were able to just kind of go with it." So empowering the team has been really key to that. And then also for me, I'm really lucky that our director, Sue Medway is really supportive of kind of what we're doing. And our trustee board as well have kind of become used to me coming in and saying, “Oh, we're now teaching children how to make broomsticks for Halloween.”Kelly Molson: It's such a great idea.Frances Sampayo: So it's so great and it's a sustainable way of using twigs, things like that. So we use all kind of organic well, all materials from the garden. They learn how to make them and yeah, cool, they get to pretend that they've got magic powers and can fly around the garden, but also they can take that home, they can help with the housework, they know a bit more about sustainable cleaning, don't have to buy a new broom. So there's all kinds of things that we're doing and people have just kind of accepted now that we're going to do things a bit differently. And when they open their kind of board papers, there might be something a bit mad in there, but they really enjoy it. So it's great. Kelly Molson: That is a brilliant idea and it kind of sums up the ethos of the whole place, right? You're teaching children to do something really fun with the things that you have there and they're learning about sustainability. It's absolutely perfect. Yeah, I really love that. I should probably book onto that podcasting workshop that you talked about as well. Add that to my list of things to do. When we talked a few weeks ago as well, I think you mentioned, I think you kind of mentioned, like, the 80 20 rule that we talk about quite frequently. About 80% of what you do is kind of in fixed once the programme is decided, but you have that kind of 20% of flexibility where if something is relevant, you can go, “Hey, we've got a little bit of space here, let's put something on.” So it's nice to be able to have that level of flexibility and kind of agileness about what you do. Frances Sampayo: Yeah, definitely. So, again, when I first joined, actually, that was something that were kind of not confident in. So by November, the whole following year would be planned and then the walks, talks and workshops, leaflets that were produced would talk you through the whole year. So we'd printed the whole year in advance. That was it. This is the programme, we're sticking to it. So now we kind of print only kind of two or three months in advance. And we also use QR codes a lot to say just check our website for what's happening. And that really gives us the space to be agile. So we now programme 80% and then it gives us that space that if you pick up a really amazing phone call from someone, can do an event. Frances Sampayo: We get a lot of really interesting artistic projects, we also get some really amazing kind of sell out events and it's actually we've got to have capacity to run that event again because it was so popular. So, yeah, that's been a really big shift, is just having that kind of 80 20 and it also helps the team with capacity management, I think, because sometimes when we get approached for things like we had this really amazing approach for kind of a shadow puppet theatre to come into the garden and it was a really interesting opportunity for us. It would have been a bit of a kind of learning curve, but we just didn't have capacity. Frances Sampayo: And it was really good to be able to say to the team, “Actually, we've already factored in five new events in the next four months, so do we think that we can build this one in as well? Because those are five new events that we haven't run before.” So it just made us a bit more kind of structured in our decision making process of what we could take on and couldn't. And so that went on the back burner and we said we potentially be available in the future. But yeah, it just makes us have decisions that are kind of really grounded, I guess, from what I'm saying. It seems like we just say yes to everything, but sometimes we do say no and think about whether something's right for us or whether we've got capacity for it. And 80 20 has really helped. Kelly Molson: Yeah, that felt like a considered no, not a reflex no, but actually with other things that we have on, we don't need to do this right now. We'd love to, but we don't need to. And that's a good position to be in, to be able to make that kind of decision. I would love to know what you've learned about it all and what's the one thing that surprised you the most about the process that you've been through? Frances Sampayo: Well, I've learned a lot. It's been a really amazing journey and obviously I've learned a lot just about our collection and from our horticultural team. But aside from that, it's really been about listening to people that your team are going to make you better, they're going to make your programme better, and sometimes you have to listen to challenge and critique just as much as you have to listen to positivity. I think that gives you a lot to learn from. And again, that's that feedback cycle and loop from earlier, I think it's really important to be excited and that makes your team excited about things and want to go the extra mile and put in the energy that it takes to get these things off the ground. Really about empowerment, that's been the key to the success, is just having an empowered team. Frances Sampayo: And I think particularly recently, I've been reflecting on just how important it is to be grateful. And I think I've learned a lot about being grateful not only to the team, but also to our visitors and our audiences that come here and the fact that they've chosen to come to us and making sure that we're grateful for that. So those have kind of been some recent learnings that I've been reflecting on. And then in terms of surprise, well, I think something that I wish I could have used as my answer to your earlier question about objectives and kind of what you set out to achieve actually came as a surprise to me. Frances Sampayo: So we've had at least three staff members and more volunteers cite the public programme as the way that they discovered the garden and also as part of their motivation for joining and wanting to apply. Yeah, so it's been really interesting, and I wish that I'd kind of gone into it at the beginning and kind of said, "Well, yeah, well, this is going to lead to an increase in applicants for jobs and diversity of applicants for jobs", but I just didn't really consider it as an outcome. And it's been great. And actually, one of our Cafe team who cited the Dash of Lavender programme as a motivation for joining went so above and beyond. During Dash of Lavender this year, they had the inclusive pride flag all over. Frances Sampayo: We had a whole range of lavender themed, like macaroons and desserts, and they really took it to another level, because they felt like we, as an organisation, were accepting of this programme and therefore would just really support them to deliver what they felt was their interpretation of the programme. And we did, even if that did mean having to have lavender themed macaroons every day, which is a really hard life. Kelly Molson: That sounds really tough. Frances Sampayo: Oh, no, what a shame. But, yeah, it was just brilliant because they really took it and ran with it and that just makes us better and hopefully our visitors will enjoy that as well. But, yeah, that was completely unexpected. Kelly Molson: That's such an amazing outcome, isn't it? And like you said, completely unexpected that they've really taken ownership of it. They've taken ownership of the programme and put more into it than you ever could have imagined. Frances Sampayo: Yeah, because I could never have done that. And I think I'm really lucky every single day here, because I work with such amazing people. I get to say, "Oh, brilliant. I get to represent everything that people have done and achieved and come up with". And that's just one of those completely unexpected outcomes, which is delicious and great fun. I think they even created a cocktail for out of hours events that transformed. So the cocktail started pink and then they poured in a blue gin and then it turned into a lavender colour. Kelly Molson: They really thought about it. Frances Sampayo: It was amazing. And then the visitors that came here, it's just such an added benefit. So, yeah, creativity comes from everywhere and it's brilliant to see.Kelly Molson: That is brilliant. Yeah, that's another question, actually, is unexpected outcomes. So that was one of the unexpected outcomes, which you had no idea that it could have been an objective that was achieved. But there's been some other things that have come out of this as well, hasn't there? Can you tell us a little bit about them? Frances Sampayo: Yeah, and it comes back to that idea that 80 20 and just having space to pick up the phone and have those conversations. So we do a lot more working in collaboration than we've ever done before. And I think it's maybe because we've caught people's attention as a partner and people are interested in what we're doing now, not just from that kind of LEAF forum, but a lot more dynamic organisations, not just kind of botanically rooted organisations. So many plant puns. I have to apologise, it's just what. Happens when you want to kit. Kelly Molson: We're pun agnostic on this brilliant show.Frances Sampayo: Yeah, one of my favourite activities that we've launched is the Chelsea History Festival, which we run in collaboration with the National Army Museum and the Royal Hospital, which are our neighbours along the Royal Hospital road. And the three of our sites are really different. We have really different audience bases, but we've come together for this week long festival each year and because of that, we've had a military band in the garden that would never have happened if we didn't collaborate and weren't open to collaborating. We've seen a real kind of increase in visitors because of that. And what's been interesting is a lot of visitors go to the National Army Museum because they have a soft play, so there's a lot of families that go there who now come here afterwards, and so they're actually going to both sites.Yeah. Kelly Molson: Oh, that's great.Frances Sampayo: Whereas before, they might have just gone to the Army Museum and not known that were here. So it's really brilliant for us to be doing that work in partnership. And the Royal Hospital are doing more and more to open up. Obviously, their primary function is to be a care home for the Chelsea Pensioners, that's their priority. But they are doing more to connect with the local community and so we're able to facilitate that, maybe host some things for them and just continue to work as a trio of sites as opposed to three independent institutions, which is really exciting moving forward. I think it's really going to change how we all operate. And so that's kind of one collaboration that we just wouldn't have happened if weren't open to working in that way. Frances Sampayo: And we've also launched Crossing the Floors with David Hingley, who's been on the podcast. I'm sure many people know that initiative to kind of link up front of house teams to get experience of working in different sites. Kelly Molson: Such a great idea. Frances Sampayo: It's such an amazing idea. And we're kind of completely different as a site, as an outdoor site. So a lot of people working in places might never have got to come to an outdoor site before. And they get to kind of see how we programme things, how we deliver activities in a very different way, very seasonal way, as opposed to kind of exhibition, programme driven. So that's been really interesting. And, yeah, other collaborations have just come from picking up the phone. We do a lot of work with the University of Westminster now to help blind and partially sighted people have a multisensory experience in a botanical garden, which doesn't sound you think? Well, yeah, of course it's multisensory being in a garden, but actually, you can't touch a lot of our collection. A lot of it's poisonous. Frances Sampayo: It's going to do you a lot of harm if you touch it. So, yeah, how do we kind of layer that in a safe way? So there's so much that can come from collaborating with different sites and, again, that just is going to improve everything we do here and we learn a lot. Kelly Molson: That's so good, isn't it? And I guess all of those things, by changing the programme, you've changed the profile of the garden and you've raised your kind of perception, or changed the perception of it to so many different audiences. And now those audiences will go to the attractions and the places that are next door to them, and yet you don't suffer any visitor loss from that. And likewise, because they're now coming to two of the different ones on the same day, it's just perfect. Frances Sampayo: Yeah, it's great. And hopefully in the future we'll be able to keep building on that as three sites and continue to work together. We're an independent charity, so every kind of penny we earn, we have to earn ourselves. NAM have got a different funding model, as have the Royal Hospital, so we've got a lot to learn as well from each other as organisations of how we approach things and what we need to consider, so it's even better for organisational learning as well. It's just going to help elevate everyone. And as you said earlier, I think people became a lot bolder following the pandemic in terms of sharing and wanting to help each other, whereas before were all very isolated, so that's really helped things. Kelly Molson: It's brilliant. Thank you for coming on to share this with us today. It's been so lovely to talk to you about it. We always ask our guests to share a book that they love, so have you prepared something for us today? Frances Sampayo: Yes, so that was a really hard question and I thought about the book that I've gifted the most. So last year I read Black Tudors by Miranda Kaufman. I don't know if anyone's recommended it previously. Kelly Molson: No, I don't think so. Frances Sampayo: So it's a really fantastic history book. And as someone who's worked at sites with kind of Tudor history in the past, it completely blew my mind to hear about how dynamic the range of black people were in Britain and beyond in the Tudor times, because we really don't get to hear about that. I think, kind of in traditional academic circles. So it's a great read and I think I gifted about five copies of it last year, so I think people would it's just brilliant and I hope someone gets to enjoy it. Kelly Molson: Well, listeners, as ever, if you want to listen, if you want to win a copy of Frances's book, you know what to do. Head over to our Twitter account. And if you retweet this episode announcement with the words, I want Frances's book, then you might get the chance for us to gift you us to gift it to you, not Frances. She can save her pennies. Thank you so much for coming on. It's been such a pleasure. I don't know, you've sold it to me. I mean, I want to come and make a broomstick and some soap. Frances Sampayo: Yeah, soap and a broomstick. Kelly Molson: That's like my perfect day out. Frances Sampayo: That's our tagline for 2024, actually. Just visit garden. Soap and a broomstick. Kelly Molson: Sold. I'll order my ticket in advance. Thanks, Frances. Frances Sampayo: Thanks, Kelly. Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

Made in Chelsea mega babe, Emily Blackwell joins Vicky on this week's episode of The Secret To. Emily reveals all about life in the Royal Borough from cast drama, relationships, breakups and why is Miles her favouriteMIC castmate? Plus, Vicky and Emily share the highs and lows of growing up on reality TV. You won't want to miss this episode. You can can keep up-to-date with Emily on Made in Chelsea and her Instagram, here. Follow The Secret To on Socials:

Claire has been waiting for three years for her council to make adaptations to her home so that she can live in comfort, have a family life and keep danger to a minimum. She talks to Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey about the frustration and how it affects her wellbeing as a wheelchair-using person with MS. Last week, Loose Women's Sophie Morgan shared her thought that Blue Badges could surely become digitised after her car was broken into and her badge stolen. It provoked an unexpectedly unpleasant response and Sophie returns to talk about online hate aimed at disabled women. And fearless documentary-maker, Livvy Haydock, talks to us about disabled gangsters and her own diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, MS. Presenters: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey Producers: Keiligh Baker, Beth Rose and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by: By Dave O'Neill Assistant editor: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose Since the recording, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead have responded to the question of why adaptions to Claire's house, featured in the podcast, have not been done three years since applying under Disabled Facilities Grant. They explain residents are at the centre of their decision making processes and they try to assess and complete work as soon as possible but some houses aren't readily adaptable, that engineers need time to explore solutions creatively and that the pandemic has affected some cases. Find us on Twitter @bbcaccessall And you can listen to the very latest episode by telling your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Access All".

Ross Kilgour and George Kuhl will provide an overview of the City of Lethbridge's heritage program. Why should we protect Lethbridge's heritage? How does the City's heritage program work today? And how will the upcoming new Heritage Management Plan change things? Speaker: Ross Kilgour and George Kuhl George Kuhl is a graduate of the University of Lethbridge with professional roots in urban and regional planning. As a planner with the Oldman River Regional Planning Commission, George worked on City of Lethbridge projects and an array of rural and small-town projects for over 21 years providing him with invaluable community development experience. He became Senior Development Officer for the City of Lethbridge in 1997 and led the Planning Department for nearly 7 years before becoming the Downtown Revitalization Manager. In 2004, George was advisor to City Council's Downtown Revitalization Steering Committee (DRSC); his role evolved to becoming the Heart of Our City Master Plan Project Manager. George continues to be an advisor to the Heart of Our City Committee as well as several City project steering committees. He brings his passion for those he has visited in Europe and North America to this presentation. Ross Kilgour earned his first-class honours degree in Urban & Regional Planning from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was awarded the Royal Town Planning Institute Award for the Top Final Year Graduate. He then worked in London, England, first as a planner for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea before moving to the private sector as a planning consultant with Firstplan Ltd. After immigrating to Canada in 2013, Ross joined the City of Lethbridge where he is now a Senior Community Planner, focusing primarily on the redevelopment of Lethbridge's older neighbourhoods and the City's heritage program. Ross' specific passions in urbanism include sustainability, equity, planning/zoning reform, and enabling active transportation and walkable neighbourhoods. His research has been published in Planning Practice and Research journal.

Join the conversations with us at London Property, where we use our experience, expertise, and deep-rooted relationships to connect super-prime property owners and tenants with handpicked experts. You can apply for our exclusive membership, or to be on our curated experts directory here: https://londonproperty.co.uk/en/ .In this podcast, we are in conversation with Karim Bazzi. Karim has been buying the best prime London properties for 20 years at all budgets. Specialist in the Royal Borough of of Kensington and Chelsea but also good experience in St Johns Wood, Marylebone, Brook Green. Karim is a Spears 2022 recommended buying agent and a "tremendous dealmaker". He also partnered with Homes One Interiors to offer a one-stop solution.As always, we love to hear your feedback and comments. Come and join the conversation with us on social media or via email at ask@londonproperty.co.uk.Interviewer - Farnaz Fazaipour | Property Investment & OwnershipInstagramTwitterYouTubeLinkedInFacebookBuzzsprout

Nathan & Luke discuss the latest political developments, London parliamentary selections and are joined by Cllr Cem Kemahli - Lead Member for Planning, Place and Environment in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea to talk about planning and development in the Royal Borough. 

This episode for Black History Month 2022 is hosted and presented by members of our Black History Month steering group GPs. They explore lived challenges, expectations and successes experienced.  They consider how we can we dispel myths and misconceptions about this career path for young Black males and what we hope to see in the future. Guests Dr Michael Ajeleti @DrAjeleti Dr Ajeleti graduated from Kingston University with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science. After his degree, he worked as a science teacher in Blackheath Bluecoat C of E School and later became deputy of the department. Dr Ajeleti undertook his teacher training at Canterbury Christ Church University, obtaining Qualified Teacher Status. He received the grade ‘outstanding' for his role as a teacher, and Ofsted recognised this. During this time, he was still determined to pursue a career in medicine, graduating from the Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. Dr Ajeleti graduated at the top of his class and is currently a GP trainee in Kent, Surrey & Sussex deanery.  Raised in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Dr Ajeleti has made it his duty to encourage young people to get involved in medicine and other healthcare professions. As the co-founder of Modern Day Medics, he aims to help prospective medical students from BME backgrounds to reach their full potential Dr Shamarah Mathurin-Charles (Host) @doctorsham_ Dr Abdul Zubairu @DrAbdulZubairu Abdul Zubairu is an NHS GP partner at a practice in Merseyside. He is Honorary Secretary for Mersey RCGP Faculty and is the Equality and Diversity lead. He is also the Medical Director for the local GP Federation. Abdul has a role for the GMC setting questions for the PLAB exam. Abdul is also a qualified coach and enjoys coaching other Individuals to develop and reach their potential on areas such as conflict, resilience, teamwork and leadership. Modern Day Medics Modern Day Medics is a non-profit organisation run by a group of diverse medical students and junior doctors with a united passion to help prospective BME students achieve their medical school aspirations and provide a network for current medical students and junior doctors. Modern Day Medics aims to support and encourage all BME students wishing to study a medical degree and to aid them through this journey. They also aim to improve networking amongst current BME doctors and provide the support needed to succeed through medical school. Instagram: moderndaymedics Facebook: M.D. Medics Twitter: @MDMedics Linkedln: Modern Day Medics Email: info@moderndaymedics.com RCGP mentoring scheme RCGP Black History Month 2022 programme of activities Please note that the views expressed in these conversations are that of RCGP members and may not represent RCGP views or policy.

Jimmy & Nath chat to friend of the show Andrew Jenner (former Mayor of the Royal Borough) about Queen Elizabeth II. Subscribe on LiSTNR: https://play.listnr.com/podcast/jimmy-and-nathSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The oligarchs who made their way to London in the early 2000s and changed it presented themselves as embodiments of the new Russia; members of the global elite, and arms-length beneficiaries of Vladimir Putin's new order, not slaves to it. Those were the terms on which Britain let them in, but it was mugged.To access the first four episodes now subscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts or join Tortoise as a member. Visit tortoisemedia.com/londongrad and use the code Paul50 for half price membership for £50 per year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Find out more on our website: https://bit.ly/3xtsVSO What do we imagine when we think of an eco-house? An insulated, solar-powered new-build? An old building recycled for a new use? City livery company, the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects (WCCA) supported by the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) plans to launch a competition to build a temporary pavilion in the heart of the City of London, in Paternoster Square, to inspire people to consider the future of sustainable living. While the brief is highly flexible, the starting point is the house – architects are being asked to consider living, dining, kitchen, bedroom and circulation spaces. The pavilion is intended to explore new ways of building; the challenge for participants is to combine new thinking in architecture with the latest technologies to create a memorable, inspiring structure. With its high-profile location in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral, the project is expected to draw an impressive calibre of submissions and attract national and international attention. The pavilion, which will be installed for three months in 2023, is likely to welcome more than 100,000 visitors and could be relocated to other cities as part of a touring programme. The catalyst for the initiative has been the Mayor of the City of London's Climate Action Strategy, along with the WCCA's ongoing sustainability theme. The City has a history of enlightened patronage when it comes to environmental leadership and design – the square mile features some of the UK's most advanced buildings and is home to world-leaders in green finance. The WCCA aims to unite the two, while showcasing its public activities and role in promoting high-quality architecture. Chris Dyson will introduce the competition, the remarkable site and opportunities for leaders in sustainable finance to get involved. This is being driven on behalf of Chris' Architects Livery WCCA, for which he will be master in September 2022 through to September 2023. The proposed site is in front of the new hall designed by Christopher Wren, The Temple Bar [TBT] in paternoster square. Speaker: Chris Dyson is an architect, principal of Chris Dyson Architects and Upper Warden of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects. Before setting up his own practice in 2004, he was a Design Director at Farrells and a senior designer at Sir James Stirling and Michael Wilford Associates. His firm, Chris Dyson Architects is an award-winning studio based in Spitalfields with a reputation for intelligent conservation work, sensitive building design and creative collaborations with artists. Recent projects include a large scheme within Bishopsgate Goodsyard, the renovation of Tracey Emin's former studio, a new building for Harrow Arts Centre and the mixed-use Albion Works in Hackney. Chris is also a design advisor to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Corporation of London.

This week, the Inquiry examined how central government responded to the aftermath of the disaster while continuing to hear about London-wide emergency response arrangements. The Chief Executive of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea took two days to ask for emergency help from other London councils, after being “leant on”. An email written by then Prime Minister Theresa May contained damning criticism of RBKC's response, describing their actions as “utter uselessness”. The British Red Cross said there was confusion over responsibilities between them and the council. Meanwhile this week the government announced that it was rejecting two of the recommendations made by the Inquiry back in 2019. Presenter: Kate Lamble Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper Researcher: Marcia Veiga Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones Editor: Hugh Levinson

This week we heard different views from senior managers as to how the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea coped in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. We discovered that the chief executive initially rejected offers of support because he had “great confidence” in the council. And the inquiry heard reports that - on the night after the fire - some residents who had been evacuated from nearby buildings ended up sleeping in their cars or in parks because the council failed to inform them about alternative accommodation. Presenter: Kate Lamble Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper Researcher: Marcia Veiga Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones Editor: Nicola Addyman

The Inquiry continued to hear evidence about the immediate aftermath of the fire. Rebecca Blackburn, a former Contingency Planning Officer for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, described scenes inside the town hall as “pandemonium”. Her boss told the inquiry he regrets that he didn't speak up about weaknesses in the council's emergency plans and accepted he was too late in making some decisions about the response to the disaster. Survivors and relatives described chaotic scenes trying to find information about their loved ones and callousness in their treatment by the council. Presenter: Kate Lamble Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper Researcher: Marcia Veiga Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones Editor: Hugh Levinson

This week, the Inquiry moved on from the technical discussions of the building regulations and the role of central government to focus on the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. Bereaved, survivors and relatives gave emotional evidence about their experiences directly after the disaster, saying they were “treated like criminals” with the authorities apparently most concerned about the possibility of rioting. They struggled to find officials on the ground in the hours after the disaster and there was little if any information available about who had died and who had survived. Many said they received poor support, including grossly unsuitable accommodation, causing more trauma. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea admitted to numerous failings including in communication, accommodation and training. Presenter: Kate Lamble Producers: Sharon Hemans and Kristiina Cooper Researcher: Marcia Veiga Sound Engineer: Gareth Jones Editor: Hugh Levinson

What can we learn from the UK's largest residential fire since World War Two, in which 72 people died? The Grenfell Tower disaster happened in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, one of London's wealthiest areas. As a result of catastrophic decision-making — both by those responsible for maintaining the building and those responding to the fire — what should have been a containable fire turned into a blazing inferno. In this episode, I explore how those decisions were made and what we can learn from a human risk perspective. My guest, Gill Kernick, is a former resident of Grenfell Tower who works in high hazard industries to develop safety, leadership and culture. She's also the author of a book called Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters.In this, the first of two parts, Gill and I discuss Grenfell and the human risk lessons that provides.In Part Two, we talk about the other disasters she explores in her book and what we can learn from them. Links to the topics we discuss:Gill's website - https://grenfellenquirer.blog/GIll's book - https://grenfellenquirer.blog/catastrophe-systemic-change-the-book/The Grenfell Tower Fire Wikipedia entry - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fireA BBC explainer on Grenfell - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40301289The Piper Alpha Disaster - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_AlphaACM Cladding - https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/ACM_claddingThe Grenfell Tower Enquiry - https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/The Lakanal House Fire - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakanal_House_fireConservative politician Jacob Rees-Mogg's comments on the Grenfell Tower residents' 'lacking common sense' in following the Fire Brigade's instructions - https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/special-shows/ring-rees-mogg/grenfell-survivors-demand-apology-jacob-rees-mogg/UK Prime Minister Theresa May's reaction to Grenfell - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44440479
Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn's reaction to Grenfell - https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/he-leader-need-jeremy-corbyn-10629102Deepwater Horizon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill

Balázs Csuvár leads the delivery of our innovation projects, solving challenges through the integration of new technologies and holistic thinking. His recent projects have included the Smart Mobility Living Lab: London, Project Endeavour, D-Risk and the fleet electrification strategy for the Royal Borough of Greenwich. In this episode, Robert and Balázs discuss how London and more specifically Greenwich, is embracing the future of electric and autonomous cars.   There are four reasons to go to  www.fullycharged.show.  Fully Charged Live tickets, local and International event tickets are available there. If you are looking for wonderful suppliers and firms that pass the strict Fully Charged guidelines for sustainability and technology, check them out on our fabulous A-Z guide. Merchandise - We have a brand new selection of sustainable merch on there to. And don't worry all sales profits go straight back into making the show better. Lastly, Patreon - a huge thank you to all our Patreon supporters, without your help we simply wouldn't be able to keep you informed with all our content we make. So if you would like to support us, Patreon might be a good fit. But as always no pressure to do so.    So if you have been, thank you for listening.

In this episode Zak and Ant visit our new refurbishment project in Westminster, Nick discusses his marketing tips and Freddie gives us three more interior design tips. Nu projects: 020 7731 6841 #nu's DNA for being a luxury construction brand began over 12 years ago, founded by Nick Jeffries he brought his entrepreneurial mindset, drive & expertise to the design and construction of prime London residences. Building luxurious properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for high profile individuals, #nu designed projects fast became synonymous with luxury bespoke, seamlessly finished projects, exclusively designed and managed from concept to completion. With offices in West London, #nu can cater for all of our international client's needs from luxury interior design services to construction & fit-out projects, we even offer comprehensive aftercare for those clients who want our ongoing #nu facilities package. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nick-jeffries-nu-projects/message

This week the inquiry saw the closing of one module and the beginning of another. The opening statements for module six looked at how local and national policies guided the work of firefighters on the night of the fire. In the closing statements for module three, we heard about how the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Tenant Management Organisation carried out their duties regarding Grenfell Tower. Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Researchers: May Cameron and Nathan Gower Studio Mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Hugh Levinson

Andrien Meyers is a Councilman in the City of London Corporation as well as a Head of Pensions Investments at the London Borough of Sutton and Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.  He is a Non Executive Director of Resonance Limited as well as a strategic business advisor to bfinance. Our conversation starts with his upbringing in India, and moves through his move to the UK, his early career in accounting and how he was attracted in to the investment area.  We talk about what it means to be a steward of capital in the public fund area. We talk through his investment beliefs, such as what responsible investing means to him, his conviction in asset management and the importance of accurate measurement and reporting. Passionate about financial literacy, Andrien describes the after school program that he has helped create that focuses on "fusion skills" such as Resume Writing, Interview skills and Presentation Skils. We move then to speak about his work on the Anti-Racism Taskforce for the City of London, of which Andrien is a member and discuss how delicate and sometimes nuanced actions take have to be, especially in a place as laced with history and tradition as the City of London.  This podcast is brought to you with the kind support of Pluscios Capital, a women-owned, WBENC certified investment management firm based in Evanston, IL. With over 60+ years of combined investment management experience, co-founders Constance Teska and Kelly Chesney are committed to the development of bespoke investment solutions on behalf of institutions and intermediaries. In addition to broadly diversified core and catalyst solutions, Pluscios provides hands on product development support and custom solutions with a focus on diversity-led and emerging managers.

September brings with it a brand new episode of The Local Authority Podcast as Nick Golding, the editor of LGC leads a conversation about 'Levelling Up'. What is it, what does it mean, and what would we like it to mean? Joining Nick this month is the chief executive of St Helen's Council, Kath O'Dwyer, the leader of the council at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and FutureGov's principal consultant, Adam Walther. The group talk all things 'levelling up'. Is the sheer number of funding streams available to councils a problem? Does 'levelling up' policy fairly reflect the varied challenges faced in different areas of the country? What would we like for the phrase to mean and what are the direct impacts of it for people in their places and communities?  All this and more is on the table in this month's episode of the podcast.

Jacob Sam-La Rose is a poet, performer, educator and editor who has performed and taught internationally.His work has been published in several anthologies, including Identity State: New British and Irish Poets (2010); Penguin's Poems for Love (2009); City State: New London Poetry (2009); and Michael Rosen's A-Z: The Best Children's Poetry from Agard to Zephaniah (2009); and journals including Sable LitMag, Trespass magazine and X magazine. His debut pamphlet collection, Communion (2006), was a Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Choice and his first full poetry collection, Breaking Silence (2012), was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize (Best First Collection)..He runs workshops in schools and other institutions, and has developed programmes for poets and writers of all ages, being particularly well-known for his work with city-wide, national and international youth 'slam' poetry initiatives and for his advocacy for positive impacts of new technology on literary and artistic practice and collaboration. He has led workshops and seminars at Botswana University and for the Ministry of Education in Malaysia through the British Council.He has undertaken many commissions and projects and has worked with organisations such as the National Theatre, The Barbican, London Open House, Glyndebourne, The Roundhouse, The Royal Festival Hall and Apples & Snakes, also being a former poet in residence at BBC London and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. He has been Artistic Director of the London Teenage Poetry Slam since 2003, and helped establish the first youth slam programme in Finland. In 2008 he established the Shadow Cabinet - pairing emerging literature in education artists with established professionals.  This interview was conducted during the period of the full lockdown.Support the show (https://www.interactstrokesupport.org)

Mark visits The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames. He takes a trip on a river boat, rides the longest single truss escalator in the world and spends an evening in and the suburb of New Malden, home to the largest population of South Koreans outside Korea where he samples the delights of Kimchi and sings in a Noraebang. Mark Steel's seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents. Written and performed by ... Mark Steel Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Stirling Producer ... Carl Cooper A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2016..

Colchester - The oldest recorded town in Britain Mark Steel returns for a seventh series of the award-winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents. "The oldest hot cross bun in the world was baked in Colchester" Mark visits the Essex town of Colchester and walks through the streets where 'Emperor Claudius once rode triumphantly on the first elephant in Britain', before Boudicca burnt the place to the ground, that was. He visits 'Jumbo', the town's iconic, Victorian water tower and he delves into the history of Colchester Zoo. Mark also discovers how several nursery rhymes have their origins in Colchester and he investigates the town's rivalry with Chelmsford. In this series Mark visits Stockport in Greater Manchester, Colchester in Essex, Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, Lynton in North Devon and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Written and performed by ... Mark Steel Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Stirling Producer ... Carl Cooper A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2016. .

"Welcome to Stockport - Home of Stockport College" Mark Steel returns for a seventh series of the award winning show that travels around the country, researching the history, heritage and culture of six towns that have nothing in common but their uniqueness, and performs a bespoke evening of comedy for the local residents. In the first programme, Mark visits the Greater Manchester town of Stockport, once the centre of the hatting industry. He takes a trip on the infamous 192 bus, visits the world famous hat museum and tries to get to the bottom of how one of its suburbs ended up with an infestation of marauding peacocks. In this series Mark visits Stockport in Greater Manchester, Colchester in Essex, Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, Lynton in North Devon and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Written and performed by ... Mark Steel Additional material by ... Pete Sinclair Production co-ordinator ... Hayley Sterling Producer ... Carl Cooper A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2016.

Creative ConversationsEpisode 1: Pepe Francis MBE Welcome to Creative Conversations, a podcast series where Morley College students and Morley Radio volunteers meet with local role models in the creative industries, they will tell us first hand their career paths and how they got to where they are today, hopefully inspiring the next generation of creatives who live and study in the borough, as well as our listeners. This podcast is brought to you by Morley Radio and The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. We're honoured to be launching “Creative Conversations” with a series of episodes highlighting the achievements of Black creatives in our community as part of celebrating Black history month. Our first guest is Pepe Francis MBE, leader of champion steel band group, Ebony, which he formed in 1969. Ebony have gone on to win the Panorama competition 22 times to date – and Pepe's work for the youth and community led him to receive both an MBE from Prince Charles in 2011 for his Services to Steel Pan Music as well as the Mayor's Award for his voluntary work in Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Pepe is currently Director of The Notting Hill Carnival Trust Enterprise and has been the President of The British Association of Steel Bands for over 30 years. Creative Conversations is brought to you by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Morley Radio. For more Black History Month news and events, please visit www.rbkc.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/events/black-history-month as well as following us on: Twitter @RBKC @RBKCculture @MorleyRadioInstagram on @kensingtonandchelsea @MorleyRadioFacebook @MorleyRadio Find out more about Pepe's work

The smoke ventilation system was “another story of incompetence and indifference” according to a lawyer representing a group of bereaved, survivors and residents. Building Control fire regulations expert Paul Hanson from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was asked whether he'd given proper scrutiny to plans for the smoke ventilation system in Grenfell Tower. Legal representatives for some bereaved and survivors claimed that some parts used were of the lowest possible quality, something the system designer denied. Meanwhile Tenant Management Organisation Chief Executive Robert Black and Repairs Direct boss Graham Webb faced questions over the fitting and maintenance of fire doors. Presenter & Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Editor: Jasper Corbett Studio Mix: Gareth Jones

It goes without saying that government and public services have changed substantially in the past decade. So too have the demands on public sector leaders, who are navigating their organisations through a period of unprecedented change required to meet rising demand and increased complexity of demand – all against a challenging backdrop of austerity, the COVID-19 crisis, demographic changes and what is arguably the big one – climate change. Then, of course, there's the impact of technology on the way we work, how organisations deliver services and how citizens expect to interact with those services. This changing and challenging landscape raises questions around the skills leaders of public sector organisations need – and how these skills are shifting, which is what we talk about in this podcast. Discussing this in more detail are a trio of individuals who combine an understanding of executive leadership excellence and the skills required to successfully lead organisations – from both academic and public sector delivery viewpoints. Ioanna Rossi is Strategy and Partnerships Officer at the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and Lecturer on sustainable and ethical environmental management at Ravensbourne University London. Andy Cook is Ravensbourne's Vice Chancellor, and Paul Sternberg is Director of Postgraduate Studies and Principal Research Fellow at Ravensbourne. Key talking points from this podcast include: The evolution of leadership skills across the public sector – and any gaps that exist The impact major events such as COVID-19 and the climate emergency have had on leadership Why public sector leadership skills need to be aligned with sectors including the third sector The ‘power skills' needed by today's leaders The measures leaders can take to ensure they have the necessary skills As discussed in the podcast, Ravensbourne University London and Agilisys have launched a strategic partnership to design and deliver a high-level executive programme for senior leaders across the public sector. We are seeking your views on this programme and would welcome your views on how new approaches to public sector leadership and development can be supported. The questionnaire takes no longer than 5 minutes to complete and can be found here.

Trellick Tower is a Grade II* listed tower block on Cheltenham Estate in Kensal Green which was designed in a Brutalist style by architect Ernö Goldfinger and opened in 1972. The base of the tower is renowned as a centre for urban arts and is another example of one of London's legal ‘Graffiti Halls of Fame', where graffiti artists can paint without the risk of arrest and, consequently, have a safe space to hone their skills. In the Autumn of 2020, it was revealed that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council were taking steps to implement a new development onto the grounds of the Trellick Tower which would leave the graffiti hall of fame at risk of destruction. In response to the plans, Anna Gudbrands created a documentary film, ‘Trellick: The Writing is on The Wall' highlighting the importance of both the tower and the Graffiti Hall of Fame. 

“I think we lacked a little humanity”. The inquiry heard from elected councillors at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Councillor Quentin Marshall said the council “could have done better” after it emerged he sent an email saying he was “not massively sympathetic to general ‘it's all terrible' complaints” about the refurbishment works at Grenfell tower. Leader of RBKC Nick Paget-Brown and Councillors Rock Feilding-Mellen, Sam Mackover and Judith Blakeman also gave evidence. Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Researcher: May Cameron Studio Mix: Gareth Jones

“Getting out of this building by the stairs is extremely difficult”. The Director of Housing, the Executive Director of Operations and the Head of Housing Commissioning at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea gave evidence. The inquiry heard how some recommendations after another high rise cladding fire weren't implemented, and that the council did not collect data on how the Tenant Management Organisation, which ran Grenfell Tower, performed in terms of fire safety. Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Researcher: May Cameron

This episode is with Ian Thomas, the Chief Executive of the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames. The interview is in two parts: A lot of the conversations I have had so far on the podcast have focused on “people” services (community care, social care etc.). The first part of today's interview is all about what makes Kingston a really exciting and vibrant “place” – the public sector infrastructure needed, the commercial vibrancy and the inward investment needed and the importance of attractive and safe public places. In the second part of the interview, we go back to Ian's previous life as the Director of Children's Services (DCS) in Rotherham. Rotherham was the scene of one of the most well know and horrific child sexual exploitation scandals this country has ever seen. Ian became DCS there in 2015 and worked with police and others to recover from this. Ian describes how this was achieved. I really enjoyed this conversation with Ian and I hope you get as much from it as I did.

The Government has made significant commitments to meet global sustainable targets, daily we hear of a new scheme or initiative that helps the UK move towards providing solutions around climate change and a more sustainable future. But what role does local government play in supporting businesses and constituents at the coal-face (no pun intended!). In this podcast we hear first hand from Donna Stimson, passionate environmentalist and Cabinet Lead for Climate Change and Sustainability in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. Filled with honest and practical advice (and inspiration) - Tune in to hear about how local government and government align - and some of the initiatives, support and advice that will inspire you . For more information about Heal Rewilding visit https://www.healrewilding.org.uk/ Enjoy the podcast - and any comments, questions, ideas, suggestions… get in touch. Due to the COVID19 situation, our podcasts are currently being recorded purely via online conferencing platforms, we apologise for any minor sound quality issues.

This week the inquiry will hear evidence from residents, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Tenant Management Organisation. Groups affiliated to the bereaved, survivors and residents have called for the inquiry to investigate the role race and class played at Grenfell. In this episode relatives of residents who lived in the tower explain why they think it's important for the inquiry to explore whether discrimination and class played a role in the deaths of their loved ones. Presenter / Producer: Sharon Hemans Studio Mix: Gareth Jones

How can you use tech to serve every citizen? Clare Sudbery talks to Kit Collingwood about the Royal Borough of Greenwich's new tech strategy.

I’m joined today by Elliot Newton. Elliot is the Biodiversity Officer for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the co-founder of Citizen Zoo, a social enterprise aiming to inspire Kingston residents about the wonderful natural wonders that surround us. What’s unique about Elliot is how he and his team are engaging with our community to improve local green spaces and nature reserves. And be sure to listen to the end, where Elliot shares with us how you can get involved in local conservation projects as well. So whether you’re interested in knowing more about rewilding and conversation, or would like to know more about what it takes to run a successful community project, then I hope you enjoy this episode of the Inside Kingston™ podcast.   ~ LINKS & RESOURCES ~ Elliot Newton - LinkedIn Citizen Zoo - Website    ~ YOUR HOST ~  Hi, I'm Amyr Rocha-Lima. I’m a partner at Holland Hahn & Wills, a financial planning and wealth management firm based here in Kingston. As an active member of our business community, I want to help other businesses get their story out there and see them succeed and flourish.   ~ HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ~ If you know someone who should be a guest on our show, and has a great story worth sharing, please feel free to get in touch. I would also love it if you would give us a review and a 5-star rating. We work hard to bring on some great guests, and getting a review from you is one way to help the podcast rate well, so others can find and enjoy the show.

#GivingTuesday 1st December 2020 The Spokesmen Cycling Podcast EPISODE 262: Baron Bird: “Bikes are the future” SPONSOR: Jenson USA HOST: Carlton Reid GUEST: Big Issue publisher Baron Bird of Notting Hill in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea TOPICS: The Big Issue publisher Baron Bird of Notting Hill loves bicycling. He lives 7 miles from Cambridge and when visiting he cycles there. His latest Big Issue project is a docked bike share scheme for smaller cities using electric bikes fettled and hired out by unemployed people and others who may be vulnerable and in need of a way of improving their lives. Lord Bird has had a fascinating life so far — a life enriched by art and what he calls social kindness — and he's clearly not ready to put his feet up under his ermine robes just yet. The Big Issue is still sold by those living in poverty but, because of Covid, no longer from the street. Lord Bird discusses the various other ways you can now help out Big Issue vendors but first we talk about Giving Tuesday and Taking It Away Wednesday, with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea set to dismantle the well-used cycleway on Kensington High Street. Lord Bird slammed this decision saying "bikes are the future." LINKS: https://twitter.com/johnbirdswords https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bird,_Baron_Bird https://www.bigissue.com https://www.the-spokesmen.com https://www.jensonusa.com/thespokesmen

Tomáš Libertíny is an artist and designer, who was born in Slovakia but currently lives and works in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He burst into the wider consciousness with his Honeycomb Vase during Milan’s Design Week in 2007. For the extraordinary piece, Libertíny constructed vase-shaped beehive scaffolds and, essentially, let nature take its course, in a process he dubbed ‘slow prototyping’. The beeswax work took one week, and approximately 40,000 bees, to create. It is now in MoMA’s permanent collection in New York. Since then, the designer has worked with a range of other materials, including paper, which he turned on a lathe, ink from Bic biros, and hand-welded layers of stainless steel, as well as refining the Made by Bees series. He has had major solo exhibitions in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Brussels, while his pieces are in the permanent collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Corning Museum of Glass and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, to name just a handful.In this episode we discuss: becoming a chat show host over lockdown; his love of literature; the importance of copying; and how exactly art is like a cat (while design is much more like a dog). But mostly we talk about his relationship with bees – why he came to work with them in the first place, and how they are about to collaborate on architectural-scale projects. Find out more about Tomáš here And sign up to my newsletter hereSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/materialmatters?fan_landing=true)

I’m joined today by The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Councillor Margaret Thompson. Councillor Thompson qualified as a paediatric nurse and has held a variety of specialist posts in hospitals and in our community.  What’s unique about Councillor Thompson is her perspective on human resilience, having witnessed how - with the right support - looked after children can grow past their own difficulties. And be sure to listen to the end, where Councillor Thompson shares with us a line from a beautiful Dylan Thomas poem. So if you’re interested in knowing more about our current Mayor then I hope you enjoy this episode of the Inside Kingston™ Podcast.   ~ LINKS & RESOURCES ~ Mayor of Kingston upon Thames - Website   ~ YOUR HOST ~  Hi, I'm Amyr Rocha-Lima. I’m a partner at Holland Hahn & Wills, a financial planning and wealth management firm based here in Kingston. As an active member of our business community, I want to help other businesses get their story out there and see them succeed and flourish.   ~ HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ~ If you know someone who should be a guest on our show, and has a great story worth sharing, please feel free to get in touch. I would also love it if you would give us a review and a 5-star rating. We work hard to bring on some great guests, and getting a review from you is one way to help the podcast rate well, so others can find and enjoy the show.

Staff from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Tenant Management Organisation, which ran Grenfell Tower, gave evidence this week. The Inquiry heard that the TMO broke European procurement rules; they admitted they had secret meetings to discuss savings on the refurbishment and asked the architects Studio E to limit their fees in order to reduce competition in the tender process. Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Researcher: May Cameron

In this episode Merlin Fulcher and Arman Nouri are joined by Emma Dent Coad, former Labour MP for Kensington to discuss why architecture and housing is so political. Dent Coad -- who remains a councillor at Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea -- will discuss how the stories of the Trellick and Grenfell towers reflect the failure of politics to safeguard the notion of public housing as a public good.The debate will cover topical issues stemming from the present housing crisis such as micro-apartments, help to buy and estate regeneration while also revealing the limited lived experiences of MPs who seek to address our present challenges. It will ask whether a new generation of visionaries could be the solution, and how the story of Barcelona shows one way forward... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon Cash, the Grenfell Tower Project Director at Artelia, told the Inquiry he felt uncomfortable about how part of the project's tender process to employ a design and build contractor was carried out. He said he was not aware that Rydon, the main contractor, had been told they were in pole position to win the tender before the tender interviews had taken place. Neil Reed, also from Artelia, told the Inquiry that he thought some of Rydon's work on the refurbishment was poor. The Inquiry also heard evidence from John Allen, head of Building Control at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. John Allen denied there was a culture of bullying in the Building Control department. He thought John Hoban, who gave evidence last week, had adequate support. Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Researcher: May Cameron

Evidence at the Inquiry this week was dominated by the first witness from the building control department at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. John Hoban was the building control surveyor responsible for the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower. He told the Inquiry he was overworked due to funding cuts at the local council. He said he knew nothing at the time about the fire performance of the combustible core to the panels, and that he did not notice incorrectly installed cavity barriers. He admitted that this was below the standard of a reasonably competent building control surveyor. Installers of the cladding, Osborne Berry, admitted that some of their workmanship such as the incorrectly installed cavity barriers was unacceptable. The Inquiry also heard from Mark Dixon, Director of SD Plastering, responsible for installing the uPVC window surrounds. Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble Producer: Sharon Hemans Researcher: May Cameron

To launch our brand new WeLoveW8 Podcast Selma and Luis go out into the community to interview Stall Holders, MP's, local residents and even the Mayor of Kensington at the launch of the brand new High Street Kensington Farmers' Market. Opening Times - Sunday 10am - 2pm https://www.lfm.org.uk/markets/high-street-kensington/ Follow us on Instagram WeLoveW8 Email us podcast@kensingtonbusinessforum.co.uk A new WeLoveW8 Podcast is available every Thursday The Kensington Business Forum are pleased to present the brand new We Love W8 Podcast with Selma and Luis. Each week, we will be speaking to business owners, key stakeholders and the local residents of London W8 to learn about the Royal Borough and discover what it's like to live and work there. Join us every Thursday by downloading the We Love W8 podcast from Apple, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Radio Public, Pocketcasts and other platforms.

Loyd Grossman discusses his new book and saving our culture and the Royal Borough opens its Physic Garden and National Army Museum for its annual History Festival. We're reading: An Elephant in Rome : Bernini, the Pope and the making of the Eternal City by Loyd Grossman, £19.99 We're going to: The Chelsea History Festival www.chelseahistoryfestival.com until 27 th September We're visiting: The National Army Museum www.nam.ac.uk and The Chelsea Physic Garden www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk for numerous live events during The Chelsea History Festival – BOOKING ESSENTIAL We're scrabbling to get the last seats for: Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre – till 27 th September www.Openairtheatre.com ENO's Drive & Live : Puccini's La Bohème at Alexandra Palace till 27 th September www.eno.org Produced and Edited by Alex Graham

"he composed 11 James Bond soundtracks"

We discuss Build, Build, Build and the New Permitted Development opportunities available to extend property up and out, plus changing commercial property use classes, finding plots of land and how to increase the value of your property through development. ABOUT KINGSLEY HUGHES Co-founder of Designscape Consultancy Ex-Urban Design Advisor to the Royal Borough of Greenwich Has expert knowledge of the planning process as he has worked in Planning Departments Designed buildings in many cities throughout the world The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/introduction/made TO CONTACT OR FOLLOW KINGSLEY HUGHES https://www.designscapeconsultancy.co.uk ✉️ DON’T MISS AN EPISODE. SUBSCRIBE https://mycastleproperty.co.uk/subscribe

This weeks episode is dedicated to understanding how Lucia created self-discovery through art, where she is guided through art-making processes to explore and understand who she is through her own work. Lucia uses her intuition, her mind, & her subconscious self to let the rhythm of the music lead the way to express her creative flow that reflects in her emotional healing. Lucia uses art as an expression to understand her conscious and subconscious mind, We discuss how art is a way to get clarity on what emotions we are holding back, Lucia’s art is an expression of her emotional and psychological needs. Through her work, she is supporting a number of mental health institutes dealing with dementia, autism and vulnerable groups. Lucia is currently the artist in residence at artFix London and exhibits her works at the Black Heath Conservatoire. Listen out for: Art is used to releasing emotional energy The lack of female role models and representation of women artist Female heroes breaking glass ceilings How using intuition, mind, subconscious to evolve through and emotional healing How we can get involved to help support local artist and support refugees About Lucia… Lucia has painted scenery for different theatre productions (The Gate Theatre /The Young Vic/The Jermyn Street Theatre) and painted theatre costumes for productions of Beauty and the beast /Riverdance and Cats. Lucia has exhibited regularly at Blackheath and Charlton and North of London at the Menier Gallery (London Bridge) and The Espacio Gallery (Bethnal Green). She has taught students rudimentary expression with experimental methods in gesture and freedom at the Strand, King’s College, London. Most recently she has lent her talents to the Royal Borough of Greenwich facilitating artworks with local communities, culminating in a successful exhibition of printmaking, sculpture and installation at the Woolwich centre library. Like this episode? Leave us a review on Apple iTunes Podcast. Tag us @Bizgees or @Arts4refugees on Instagram Links/people mentioned in the episode: Social Media: Instagram: @onmyway.tothetate Instagram: @jazbaa_coaching Email: info@artfixlondon.com Website: https://www.artfix.org.uk/lucia-colella-solo-exhibition/ Links/people mentioned in the Episode: Website - https://www.bizgees.org/ Arts4refugees: https://www.arts4refugees.com/ Instagram - @Art4refugees

In this episode, the #Youth Voice Pioneers discuss the concern that Care Leavers often have their voices undervalued and undermined across all so many sectors - education, justice, social care, volunteering, benefits, employment etc. In this podcast Care Leavers from Dorset, Royal Borough of Greenwich, Wandsworth and Herefordshire talk with guest speakers on how to help!

Listen to a recording of our first webinar with our great guest speakers: Rachel Maclean MP, Minister for Transport Decarbonisation and CEN Alumna Selaine Saxby, CEN MP for North Devon and Chair of the APPG on Cycling Laura Round, CEN Councillor for Pembridge in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Nicholas Boys Smith, Founding Director of Create Streets, Commissioner of Historic England and an Academician of the Academy of Urbanism. Lockdown has drastically reduced transport emissions as people have stayed home to protect the NHS. This has led to noticeably cleaner air, with quantifiable health benefits, including reports of improved outcomes for those who have suffered from Covid and related respiratory issues. In the short term, many will be encouraged to turn to active travel such as cycling and micro-mobility solutions like e-scooters for their socially distanced commute. Long term, there is an opportunity to change the way we travel, particularly how we get to work, and lock in the cleaner air and the better health outcomes it brings. The shift away from the internal combustion engine and the adoption of active travel are also vital steps on the road to net zero. With this in mind, the Department for Transport recently published a high-level vision for the future of transport and have sought ideas from across society and the economy on how to decarbonise our transport system. The response to Covid-19 could help accelerate the strategy's ambition for ‘public transport and active travel [to] be the natural first choice for our daily activities'. From the provision of cycling infrastructure and layout of roads, to planning decisions over new housing developments and bus policies, local authorities have a key role to play in making our communities cleaner, greener, and healthier places to live. Although local and metro mayor elections have been postponed until next year due to Covid-19, there is now a vibrant debate on how best to transform urban and suburban areas, so that the pollution doesn't come back as our economies reopen.

This was an interview I did with The Founding Network discussing the methods I use to build the Nu brand and the problems we may have had during the lockdown, For more information head over to www.thefoundingnetwork.com A little bit about me... My journey to becoming a key person of influence in the West London design and build construction industry has been challenging and has tested me at every level, but one thing has never changed; I have never given up on my dreams to become the go-to person in my sector. 10 years ago when nu was founded, Nick Jeffries brought his expertise to the design and construction of prime London residences. Building luxurious properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Mayfair & Westminster for high profile individuals such as Kylie Minogue, David Gandy, Nicky Clarke and Binky Felstead. Projects designed by Nu Projects fast became synonymous with bespoke, seamlessly finished projects, exclusively designed and managed from concept to completion. I hope you like what you see and please hit the subscribe button to show you, love. Regards Nick --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nick-jeffries-nu-projects/message

Today the 30th April I was extremely happy to be invited to talk on my friend James O'Keefe's new PodCast which will be launching very soon. A little bit about me... My journey to becoming a key person of influence in the West London design and build construction industry has been challenging and has tested me at every level, but one thing has never changed; I have never given up on my dreams to become the go-to person in my sector. 10 years ago when nu was founded, Nick Jeffries brought his expertise to the design and construction of prime London residences. Building luxurious properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Mayfair & Westminster for high profile individuals such as Kylie Minogue, David Gandy, Nicky Clarke and Binky Felstead. Projects designed by Nu Projects fast became synonymous with bespoke, seamlessly finished projects, exclusively designed and managed from concept to completion. I hope you like what you see and please hit the subscribe button to show you, love. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nick-jeffries-nu-projects/message

In this episode we talk about; Creating Social Media Content At Scale Building Your Brand Standing Out From Your Competition Don't Consume Content Content For A Construction Company 10 years ago when nu was founded, Nick Jeffries brought his expertise to the design and construction of prime London residences. Building luxurious properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Mayfair & Westminster for high profile individuals such as Kylie Minogue, David Gandy, Nicky Clarke and Binky Felstead. Projects designed by Nu Projects fast became synonymous with bespoke, seamlessly finished projects, exclusively designed and managed from concept to completion. At Nu, we believe that the key to achieving customer satisfaction is through exceptional service. That’s precisely why Nick compiled a team of dedicated, talented, and professional experts who are committed to excellence in all they do. These experts have become the backbone of the company and have allowed nu: to full fill our clients’ remodelling objectives in the most efficient manner. Nu projects limited 10-12 Fulham High Street Fulham London SW6 3LQ Call 020 7731 6841 info@nuprojects.co www.nuprojects.co --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nick-jeffries-nu-projects/message

In this episode we talk about; handling extreme setbacks in life - London construction industry business Nick Jeffries & Luke Mears 10 years ago when nu was founded, Nick Jeffries brought his expertise to the design and construction of prime London residences. Building luxurious properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Mayfair & Westminster for high profile individuals such as Kylie Minogue, David Gandy, Nicky Clarke and Binky Felstead. Projects designed by Nu Projects fast became synonymous with bespoke, seamlessly finished projects, exclusively designed and managed from concept to completion. At Nu, we believe that the key to achieving customer satisfaction is through exceptional service. That’s precisely why Nick compiled a team of dedicated, talented, and professional experts who are committed to excellence in all they do. These experts have become the backbone of the company and have allowed nu: to full fill our clients’ remodelling objectives in the most efficient manner. Nu projects limited 10-12 Fulham High Street Fulham London SW6 3LQ Call 020 7731 6841 info@nuprojects.co www.nuprojects.co --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nick-jeffries-nu-projects/message

Join your host Emma and her clown Barbara talking all things Events.   How do you put on a successful cultural event?  Why are events important?  Why do you need resilience to create and impact? Follow Yemisi Facebook: @ideashatch Instagram: @ideas.hatch @findingyemisi LinkedIn: Yemisi Mokuolu Twitter: @ideashatch @findingyemisi About Yemisi Mokuolu An accomplished independent producer and arts consultant. Trading under the name of Hatch Events, Yemisi works within the Creative and Cultural industries producing independent films, arts seasons and large-scale events. She also provides audience development, arts promotion and business development support within the Creative and Cultural Industries. She has produced arts seasons and festivals for clients which include; Amnesty International, BBC, Cutty Sark, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Shoreditch Trust. She has delivered business support programmes for clients which include; Arts Council England, British Council, CIDA, London Development Agency, NESTA and Royal College of Arts. She has provided arts marketing and audience development support to organisations which include; Barbican, Ovalhouse, Royal National Theatre, Southbank Centre and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Her focus is the development of the Creative Industries across Africa. She has delivered a number of development programmes at industry and practitioner level. The most recent being, the "UK-Nigeria Creative Partnership", commissioned by British Council to foster collaborations between the Film, Fashion and Music industries in Britain and Nigeria. However, Yemisi is best known for managing a promotional platform called Out of Africa - credited as "Your first stop for news on African arts and events", the Out of Africa platform promotes and profiles African arts in the UK via live events, newsletters, blogs, tweets and Facebook posts. Out of Africa events have been held in venues which include; Carnaby Street, riverside Southbank Centre and Indig02. Attracting festival audiences of between 10,000 - 30,000 and concert audiences of between 250 - 800. Yemisi is currently co-producing "Oliva Tweest" - the world's first Afrobeats Musical and Asa Baako - One Dance festival in Ghana, which is now in it's 8th year - www.asabaako.com

Three years ago, IR35 came into effect in the public sector. This April, the same changes will affect the private sector. Jes Ladva, Head of the Government Practice at Odgers Interim, speaks to Anthony Francis, former HR Relationship Manager at the Royal Borough of Kingston and Munira Kachwala, former Head of HR Commissioning at Harrow Council, about how they prepared their organisations for IR35 and what firms in the private sector can do to prepare for the same changes coming in April.         Presenter: Jes Ladva, Partner and Head of the Government Practice, Odgers Interim

Megan Phelps-Roper’s grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church. The church is notorious for its preaching against gay people, Jews, Muslims and for picketing the funerals of American soldiers and the American Holocaust museum. Megan has now changed her views and her life. She tells us what made her preach hate and what led to her eventual transformation. A new Netflix documentary charts the rise and fall of one of the worlds foremost Yoga “Gurus’” Bikram Choudhury. The film first traces how Choudhury built his “Bikram” empire of hot yoga studios, training celebrities and amassing devotees. However Bikram has been accused by some followers of sexual assault and his empire appears to be unraveling. Journalist Julia Henderson, a former Bikram devotee herself, uncovered some of the allegations against him and speaks to Edward about what she found. A couple who were rejected by their local adoption service because of their Indian heritage have won their legal discrimination battle. Sandeep and Reena Mander sued The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council after they were turned away from Adopt Berkshire three years ago. We hear their reaction to decision And Professor Keith Brown, Director of The National Center for Post-Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice speaks to us about his new report on how Christian organisations can be better prepared when working with the vulnerable people in need of care. PRODUCERS: RAJEEV GUPTA PETER EVERETT EDITOR: AMANDA HANCOX

We take a trip to the Royal town of Windsor on our way to Legoland

I’m joined today by Ian Thomas. Ian is the Chief Executive of the Royal Borough of Kingston, heading up the team that aims see the development of a better Kingston for residents, visitors and business. What’s unique about Ian is how he combines his experience in the private sector and voluntary sector, with his 30 years local government experience, aiming to unite communities and form strategic partnerships.  And be sure to listen to the end, where Ian talks about the importance of having mentors throughout his career, the benefits of coaching when leading a team and also describes some of the initiatives that are underway in our borough. So whether you’re interested in knowing more about the role of the chief executive in our borough, or would like to know more about how you could get involved in local government, then I hope you enjoy this episode of the Inside Kingston™ podcast.   ~ LINKS & RESOURCES ~ Royal Borough of Kingston - Website Ian Thomas - LinkedIn    ~ YOUR HOST ~  Hi, I'm Amyr Rocha-Lima. I’m a partner at Holland Hahn & Wills, a financial planning and wealth management firm based here in Kingston. As an active member of our business community, I want to help other businesses get their story out there and see them succeed and flourish.   ~ HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ~ If you know someone who should be a guest on our show, and has a great story worth sharing, please feel free to get in touch. I would also love it if you would give us a review and a 5-star rating. We work hard to bring on some great guests, and getting a review from you is one way to help the podcast rate well, so others can find and enjoy the show.

  Robert Morgan – Editor of Primary First and NAPE National Council. Robert has 12 years’  experience as a primary school teacher from schools in Torfaen, Southwark and Bexley. He was a mathematics, assessment and history coordinator, a teacher governor, well-being officer and an assistant headteacher. He was appointed to the University of Greenwich in 2007 as a senior lecturer in Education & professional Studies. Robert’s doctoral (EdD) dissertation explored the perceptions of trainee teachers working with teaching assistants. Robert is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and external examiner at the University of Wolverhampton. Robert is the vice-chair of SACRE for the Royal Borough of Greenwich, chair of the Agreed Syllabus Committee for the same borough and a trustee of the Compass multi-academy set of schools, also in Greenwich.             The National Association for Primary Education speaks for young children and all who live and work with them. This includes parents, teachers, governors and all those interested in primary education. NAPE is a non-political charity and works tirelessly to support teachers in the classroom as expressed in their ‘Value of Membership’ Document. NAPE leads the Primary Umbrella Group of thirty primary subject associations and unions and gives teachers and schools a voice at governmental level at consultative meetings with ministers for schools. For full details of how they can support you please visit their website at  nape.org.uk  (https://nape.org.uk/)  

The inquiry heard from Nickolas Leyton and Michael Rumble, officials from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council. They both were present at the scene on the night of the fire. Robert Black was chief executive of the council's tenant management organisation at the time of the fire. He told the inquiry that he remembered very little from events on the night, saying he was “a spare part”. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley Contact us via email: grenfellpodcast@bbc.co.uk

The third day of opening statements. The inquiry hears from lawyers for the resident in whose flat the fire started, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Tenant Management Organisation which managed Grenfell Tower

IDG's Editorial Director Matt Egan was joined by CIO UK Editor Edward Qualtrough for a special edition CIO 100 reflection and debrief, discussing themes from the CIO 100 and featuring interviews with a dozen CIOs who were at the 2018 CIO 100 celebration reception in April. As well as hearing from 2018 CIO 100 leader David Henderson (Global Radio Director of Technology and Operations), Qualtrough discussed the CIO 100 initiative, and during panel debates Gartner research director Ian Cox made an impassioned diversity plea and Addison Lee CIO Ian Cohen spoken about the importance of authenticity. We also caught up with Science Museum Director of IT Jason Oliver, Leeds Building Society CIO Tom Clark, Sidra Medicine CIO Joanna Smith, CYBG CIO Fraser Ingram, Royal Borough of Greenwich Finance Director Kevin Gibbs, Scottish Local Government Chief Digital Officer Martyn Wallace, City University CIO Claire Priestley, Northwood & Wepa CIO Paul Boardman, Transport Systems Catapult IT Director Alex Farr, Knights Brown's Peter Williamson, and Compass Group UK & Ireland CIO Fiona Humphreys. Listen to their musings on the CIO 100 themes, authenticity, diversity - and the value of CIOs getting together at an event like the CIO 100 to share their opportunities, experiences and challenges.

This week, we discuss an alert from the NCSC, US DHS and FBI, a £120,000 fine for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and a data breach at IKEA's TaskRabbit marketplace.

NOEXCUSETALK PODCAST: On This Episode we discuss the Grenfell Tower fire occurred on 14 June 2017 at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of public housing flats in North Kensington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, West London Subcribe to NOEXCUSETALK PODCAST

The Grenfell Tower fire occurred on 14 June 2017 at a 24-storey, high tower block of public housing flats in North Kensington, West London, England. The Metropolitan Police has said that 58 people are currently missing presumed dead, including 30 confirmed dead. The BBC says it understands that the number dead could be "around 70". The local community are raising £2,000,000 to Help the families of Grenfell Tower, West London who have been devastated by a fire which has destroyed their homes and taken loved ones. Please donate here https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/familiesofgrenfelltower I'm joined by political activist, writer and Notting Hill sage Ishmail Blagrove about where the community, London and the country go from here. Grenfell Tower lies in the wealthiest locality in the country, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The average income is over £100,000 and the average property is sold for close to £2,000,000. David Cameron and Roman Abramovich both own a house there. The... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We have a very special show for you today both in terms of people and organisation. Firstly, we have two guests joining us today in the form of David Barrie, David has created and managed several ventures that have been credited with raising £300m+ of new investment through public-private partnerships. In 2013, David proposed to the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea a seed investment in the foundation of the new Wild Blue angel investment network. David is joined by his investment director Deepali Nangia, who has enjoyed a career spanning the heights of Wall St to the financial hub that is London to founding a business in India. Now the second element that is slightly unusual today is the organization that David founded, Wile Blue Cohort an angel investment network with a specific hyper location focus on West London investing in business close to home. Today's Episode Covers: 1.) How did David and Deepali make their move into the world of investing? 2.) What was the impetus behind the founding of Wild Blue? What were the benefits and then once decided, what were the steps to take to legitimize the process? 3.) A group is like a product, the value is in the users, so how did David and Deepali attain the initial user base? What were the member acquisition channels? How important was the hyperlocality to the success of the angel network? Can you have long distance angel networks that are super effective? 4.) What is the investment thesis, with the social responsibility aspect, how do David and Deepali manage to balance the financial returns with social impact? 5.) What does success look like to David and Deepali with Wild Blue? What potential pitfalls will be encountered and how will David and Deepali combat them? Mentioned Today: Deepali and David's Fave Blog: CB Insights, Term Sheet by Dan Primacy Wild Blue Most Recent Investment: HomeTouch As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com

Cultural policy is seen as essential in helping to regenerate previously unfashionable areas of east London and right across the capital. Every neighbourhood seems keen to emphasise its credentials as a creative, artist-friendly hub and no urban space is complete without short-let ‘pop-up’ shops and restaurants, temporary cinemas or urban beaches. Supporters argue that such playful, small-scale interventions can help ‘citizens take ownership of their city’ and engender a community spirit seen as sorely diminished after the 2011 riots. Yet others are more sceptical about the merits of such schemes, seeing them as invariably corporate-sponsored examples of ‘hipster gentrification’, which undermines rather than bolsters civic engagement, with even the creatives of east London’s Tech City complaining development of the area will change its ‘unique character’. While many artists claim to be committed to being friendly with residents and helping to improve neighbourhoods, the sceptics argue that they are, knowingly or unwittingly, helping gentrification. CityLab magazine recently called it ‘Artwashing’: getting an area cleaned up before properties are bought up cheap, with existing residents removed and flats sold for the highest price possible. Some hail the rise of artist-led cultural initiatives as a radical challenge to both the problems of austerity and the perceived stifling sanitisation of contemporary public life. Are playful, small-scale interventions and urban explorations a challenge to the sanitised city, or merely part of it? To what extent do they provide a means to nurture the urban realm and engender community spirit? In any case, is gentrification inevitable? Speakers Alan Miller co-director, NY Salon; co-founder, London's Truman Brewery; partner, Argosy Pictures Film Company Emma Dent-Coad leader, Labour Group, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council; design and architecture journalist Feargus O’Sullivan Europe correspondent, CityLab James Stevens strategic planner, Home Builders Federation Chair David Bowden coordinator, UK Battle Satellites; columnist, spiked

This podcast was recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival at the Barbican in London on Sunday 21 October, 2012 From Boris Island to the Dale Farm gypsies, no building project seems too big or small to fall foul of the UK’s notoriously stringent planning laws, which sometimes seem to exist to prevent development rather than manage it. In contrast to China, which delivers new development equivalent to a country the size of Greece every six months, the UK planning system seems to be in a permanent state of denial. The Thames Gateway, High Speed Rail 2, Heathrow’s third runway, Battersea Power Station redux, Green Belt housing and even Eco-Towns have all run up against a wall. Perhaps the biggest issue is in housing, where building languishes at the lowest levels since the First World War. By some estimates, five million people are waiting on housing registers. According to Shelter, the younger generation bears the brunt with a fifth of 18- to 34-year-olds living with their parents because they can’t afford to rent or buy a home. At Inside Housing, Colin Wiles argues the need to build three million new homes on greenfield land in the next 20 years. But few others seem willing to countenance actually increasing housing stock. The charity Intergenerational Foundation argues the problem is ‘under-occupation’ and that elderly people should be encouraged to move out of their ‘big houses’ to make room for larger families. Eight ‘radical solutions’ to the housing crisis discussed on the BBC News website included curbing population growth, forcing landlords to sell or let empty properties, and banning second homes. Meanwhile, the likes of the National Trust, the Countryside Alliance and the Campaign to Protect Rural England campaign against any liberalisation of planning. More broadly, many people distrust developers, fearing they will scar the countryside and destroy our architectural heritage. Some ask why has planning lost its way and what happened to the big visionary plans of the past. David Cameron wants us to rediscover how ‘to build for the future with as much confidence and ambition as the Victorians once did’. But will cutting ‘red tape’ and simplifying the system be enough? Does the new ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ merely reinforce the ‘green tape’ that is already a barrier to development? What are the smart ways to deliver good urban development? Is the solution better top-down planning, more bottom-up planning, or something else altogether? Speakers Professor Kelvin Campbellmanaging director, Urban Initiatives; author, Massive Small: the operating system for smart urbanismPenny Lewislecturer, Scott Sutherland School of Architecture, Robert Gordon University; co-founder, AE FoundationPaul Minersenior planning officer, Campaign to Protect Rural EnglandDaniel MoylanThe Mayor of London's Aviation Adviser; Conservative councillor, Royal Borough of Kensington and ChelseaChristine Murrayeditor, The Architects' JournalChair: Michael Owens commercial director, Bow Arts Trust; owner, London Urban Visits; formerly, head of development policy, London Development Agency

On June 12, 2011, Jeremy Edge will begin a 190-mile walk from Belmont Park to Saratoga Racecourse. Jeremy, from London, England, was formerly an elected Councillor for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and is currently a regular contributor for HRTV. This walk is just one of many waysJeremy wants to give back to horse racing, and his hope is that it will raise bothawareness and funding for the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund (PDJF) and for Anna House, the early childhood education center that for benefits the children of the backstretch workers at Belmont Park, sustained by the Belmont Child Care Association (BCCA).   This unique fundraiser will challenge his physical limits and demonstrate the personal commitment of one person to put first those in our horse community who need assistance. Walkathon Pledge Form.   You can find Jeremy on Facebook at Jeremy Edge and Belmont Child Care Association at Belmont Child Care Association.