April 2011 Archives

SEARCH for a bargain and help raise cash for charity at a monthly market coming Rickmansworth next Saturday (16).

The Little Fox Market, which officially launched in March, will feature local stallholders selling organic and responsibly-sourced food and drink, fashionable clothing and footwear, jewellery, gifts and photography.

This month's event will also include a barbecue, Easter themed fun and crafts for children and a seated massage area.

HOMEOWNERS trying to create their perfect property can take advantage of free advice next Thursday evening (14).

Four Rickmansworth-based entrepreneurial companies are teaming up for the Move and Improve event, at Batchworth Park Golf Club, in London Road.

They will provide expert guidance on finding a dream home, securing finance and building options, plus ideas for interiors and gardens.

The event begins at 6.30pm. Spaces are limited so advance booking is essential. Email nickybryden@clearplanpm.co.uk or call 01923 896550 for more information.

THE devastating overnight fire at the Globe Bar in Rickmansworth is being treated as suspicious, police have confirmed.

The Gazette reported this morning how the bar, above Villa Romana restaurant in the High Street, was gutted by a fire for the second time in less than three months.

A crew of 31 firefighters raced to the scene at about 2.24am and spent about two hours tackling the blaze. No one was injured.

A police guard is currently the venue and Northway remains closed while investigations are being carried out.

Motorists are being warned about traffic disruption but are asked to be patient.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious or has information about what happened is asked to call police on 0845 3300 222.

SPRING flowers planted to provide a splash of colour in Northwood have once again been targeted by 'petty-minded' thieves, sparking outrage among residents.

Miniature daffodils in a memorial horse trough at the corner of Rickmansworth Road and Copse Wood Way, were stolen last Thursday (March 31).

Less than a year earlier six out of seven pots of tulips in the decorative trough were taken on April 13, as reported in the Gazette.

A BAR in Rickmansworth has been gutted by a fire for the second time in less than three months.

A crew of 31 firefighters in six fire engines raced to The Globe Bar, above Villa Romana restaurant in High Street, at about 2.24am this morning (6), to find the building well alight.

TWO pupils from a Northwood school have etched their names in the history books after presenting the first ever youth budget to the Treasury.

Michael Shneerson and Laurence Xu, both students at Merchant Taylors' School, pitted themselves against 248 teenagers in the Chance to be a Chancellor competition.

The annual contest gives young people the opportunity to express their views about the country's finances.

A SCHOOL in Croxley Green is the first in Three Rivers to achieve academy status.

Rickmansworth School, in Scots Hill, officially became an academy on Friday (1), meaning the school is now free from local authority control but will remain state-funded and may receive additional support from private sponsors.

The school is one of four schools in Hertfordshire to convert last week. It must now manage its own budget and purchase services which otherwise would have been paid for via Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), the local education authority.

RESIDENTS and parents are celebrating after a new zebra crossing was approved on a notorious accident blackspot road in Northwood.

Work to install the pedestrian crossing in Rickmansworth Road, close to the junction with Maxwell Road, began last Tuesday (March 29), after Hillingdon Council responded to concerns from residents, parents and police.

In the past seven years there have been more than 12 crashes on the busy stretch, which has a very high volume of traffic, including three bus routes.

A LONG-term friend of a man found dead in his car in Croxley Green has spoken of his shock at the news.

Jan Podgorski, 46, was discovered by a member of the public in his silver Toyota Yaris in All Saints Lane at about 9am on Sunday, March 27.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and police have confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious. The matter will now be dealt with by the county coroner.

Pal Keith Joseph, who lives in Chorleywood, told the Gazette: "Jan and I have known each other for more than 20 years, and I was the reason he was in this area.

A MOTHER-of-two from Mill End says she will be left 'severely out of pocket' in the wake of school transport spending cuts.

The Gazette reported last week how hundreds of parents will be forced to tighten their belts after Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) approved plans to slash free travel for pupils.

From September 2012, free transport will only be offered to those who are statutorily entitled, disabled or eligible for free meals. The service will also be limited to the nearest qualifying school.

Georgina Bowman-Smyth, of Middleton Road, says the decision will leave her struggling to make ends meet.