Archive

  • Darts Ladies through to quarter-finals

    HJF Dartford Ladies 2 v 2 Kent Magpies Dartford won 6-5 on penalties Kent Regional Womens Cup - 1st Round DARTFORD Ladies' good fortune continued with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory to clinch a quarter-final place in the Kent Regional Womens

  • League's top scorer does the business for Os

    Bromleians Sports 1 v 5 Orpington British Energy Kent County League, Division 1 (West) THE usual aroma of ammonia and the sight of a pile of rotting fruit greeted us to Scrubbs Farm for this "first-leg" of a double-header between two neighbouring

  • Issues will go down to the wire for Burnt Ash Hockey Club

    Burnt Ash 1st XI 12 v 1 Mid Sussex 1st XI South Hockey League IN THE fight to avoid relegation Burnt Ash secure a valuable and mammoth win. It was a tale of two halves with Burnt Ash ending the first period 2-0 ahead following goals from Mike Gillett

  • Blackheath Ladies are the champagne champs

    Blackheath 25 v 3 Ipswich Women's South East League One BLACKHEATH are the champions of South East League One. While the champagne is tentatively put on ice until the May play-offs for promotion to Premiership Two there is still a lot to celebrate

  • My my, to Waterloo, club Blackheath did surrender

    Blackheath 17 v 34 Waterloo Rugby Union National League Two DESPITE the brave efforts of the Blackheath players, Waterloo used every trick in the book to consolidate their claim on the second promotion spot in the league, writes Jack Kay. Blackheath

  • Where were you when new team were born?

    THIS weekend marks an historic moment in rugby as the Old Elthamians Ladies RFC take to the pitch for the very first time. Formed in January, the team will take on Tonbridge-Juddians Ladies at Old Elthamians RFC, Foxbury Avenue, Chislehurst, on March

  • Andy is off to Australia

    ELTHAM-BASED bowler Andy Thomson has been named in the England team for the Commonwealth Games. Andy, who plays for Blackheath and Greenwich Bowls Club, will start preparation with a two-week training camp in Australia. He will play in the triples with

  • Warriors miss out on European Cup spot

    THE London Street Warriors skater hockey team have failed in their bid to join the elite clubs in the European Cup after falling in the play-offs. Held in Sheffield over two days the play-offs pit the top four teams from both the national and premier

  • Charlton record back-to-back wins

    Horsham 15 v 22 Charlton Park Rugby Union London 4 SE League CHARLTON recorded back-to-back wins by overcoming Horsham. The hosts took the lead with a converted try but Kevin Martin scored a try for Charlton and Barry O'Keeffe kicked the conversion

  • Supersub Williams keeps Lions’ hunting down Owls

    Millwall 2 v 1 Luton Town Coca-Cola Championship For more pictures, click on Millwall Pictures MILLWALL had substitute Marvin Williams to thank for keeping alive their slim hopes of Championship survival. The youngster scored the winner with almost

  • New Den News

    CO-EDITOR of fanzine No One Likes Us Keith McKay tells it how it is: Hailed as the new messiah when he scored in two consecutive games at the start of the year, Marvin Williams once again displayed the raw talent that could potentially change the course

  • Your chance to help us identify vandals on buses

    POLICE have turned to News Shopper's award-winning Shop A Yob campaign in an attempt to track down bus vandals. Officers working on Operation Bustag a scheme run by the Met Police and Transport for London aimed at clamping down on bus yobs believe

  • Fleet work out with the ladies

    GRAVESEND and Northfleet recently demonstrated their support of the girls and ladies game through the Supporters of Tomorrow scheme. The scheme encourages participation in schools and support of clubs by providing free coaching sessions and equipment

  • High-kicking kids achieve martial arts belt perfection

    STUDENTS from Swanscombe Kickboxing Club performed a clean sweep of grading successes to move up the martial arts ladder. The club, run by Ross Young, teaches skills including locks, holds, strikes and submissions as well as technique and etiquette.

  • Athletes are proving their worth all over the county

    ATHLETES from across the county are putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the spring marathons with a series of races around Kent. At the Ashford 10k Swanley AC's Chris Barber, recently crowned most improved runner in the Kent Fitness

  • The Old Gs march on relentless

    Old Gravesendians 34 v 5 Bexley Powergen Rugby Leagues Kent 2 DESPITE changes to the team Old Gs maintained their unbeaten league record and were out of sight by half-time, writes John Oxtoby. The first score came after five minutes of Old G pressure

  • Are the play-offs slipping through Darts’ fingers?

    Dartford 0 v 1 Enfield Southern League Division One East For more pictures, click on Non-League Pictures DARTS' best home league gate of the season saw an enthralling encounter against high-flying Enfield, writes Mike Brett-Smith. Parading the

  • Unlucky 13 for Dartfordians on coast

    Folkestone 13 v 0 Dartfordians Rugby Union London 3 SE League DESPITE an impressive start the trip to Folkestone was ultimately a bad one for Dartfordians. Danny Wall had scored for the visitors but his joy was cut short as the referee ruled there

  • Sidcup facing relegation despite new-found spirit

    Sidcup 19 v 24 Lewes Rugby Union London 2 South League SIDCUP welcomed Sussex side Lewes after a break from the league when they played rivals Old Colfeians in the Kent Plate competition, a game they lost 35-12. The home side travelled to Lewes in

  • Athletics coach wins cash to further his teachings

    AN athletics coach who re-mortgaged his home twice to fund training for his proteges has been named among a magnificent seven to get a special cash windfall. John Powell, who has coached with the Belgrave Harriers since 1993, was named by UK Athletics

  • Can the Wings keep on flying?

    Hayes 1 v 3 Welling Nationwide Conference South WELLING climbed to sixth in the Nationwide Conference South after a comfortable win at struggling Hayes. Goals from Matt Bodkin, Jamie Day and Danny Kedwell secured the three points and maintained the

  • Valley View

    TWO goals from England international Eniola Aluko gave the Charlton's women's team success in the Premier League Cup final on Sunday, the 2-1 win against Arsenal handing the Addicks the trophy for the second time in three years. Julie Fleeting pulled

  • Captain Marvel uses his head as VCD reach final

    Whitstable 0 v 1 VCD Athletic Kent Senior Trophy Semi-Final VCD Athletic are through to the final of the Kent Senior Trophy after a deserved, if ultimately tense, victory over Whitstable Town. A powerful header from skipper Paul Foley on 70 minutes

  • Bromley make it eight unbeaten

    Bromley 2 v 1 Heybridge Swifts Ryman Premier BROMLEY recorded straight win number four with the scalp of another top-four side. Having beaten Staines Town and Hampton and Richmond recently, the Lillywhites beat Heybridge Swifts thanks to a last-gasp

  • Cray are bashed up good

    Bashley 3 v 2 Cray Ryman Division One CRAY'S outside hopes of reaching the play-offs suffered a setback in Hampshire, writes Jerry Dowlen. A hat-trick by Bashley's 21-year-old leading scorer Richard Gillespie ended their five game unbeaten run.

  • Beckenham fall down Wells in Kent Senior Trophy semi

    Beckenham 0 v 1 Tunbridge Wells Kent Senior Trophy Semi-Final A LACKLUSTRE Beckenham display was no match for a solid Wells performance, writes Ian Muir. Beckenham started brightly producing three clear cut chances in the first 15 minutes. The visitors

  • Storm play above themselves to reach League Cup semi-final

    Storm2 50 v 46 Stratford Players Wheelchair Basketball League Cup Quarter-Final STORM2 Wheelchair Basketball team overcame higher division opposition to reach the semi-final of the League Cup. In a thrilling match the third division south side beat

  • Players Wanted

    For all areas - For players in Bromley borough call 0906 739 0327 - For Bexley, Dartford and Gravesham boroughs, call 0906 739 0329 - For Lewisham & Greenwich boroughs, 0906 739 0331 - Calls are charged at £1 a minute but listings are free. -

  • School premieres new musical

    A SCHOOL production, opening tonight, transforms a classical Greek comedy into a contemporary musical. Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School are performing their new version of The Frogs by Aristophanes. The text has been adapted by Lin Woodacre, who

  • Can Kent Club remain unbeaten?

    KENT Club Netball Club (KCNC) look set to win the North West Kent League (NWKL) for the second successive year. With just two games left they remain unbeaten and three points clear of their nearest rivals Wealdon1. But with five points for a win available

  • Theatre: Legendary adventures brought to life

    A FAMILY show recreates an epic saga of gods, men and monsters. The ancient Greek legend of Jason and the Argonauts is brought to life at Greenwich Theatre next week. Jason and his crew aboard the Argo face countless perils in their quest for the Golden

  • Rugby is a game of two halves

    Beckenham 24 v 35 Sutton Rugby Union London 2 South League IT WAS a frustrating day for Beckenham fans as their heroes lost to Sutton and Epsom after a lacklustre first-half performance. Thirteen points adrift at the break, Beckenham improved after

  • Trio honoured in London Sports Award

    THREE devotees to the world of disabled sport have been named winners of the London Sports Awards. Mandy Pullen and Kay Salter from Orpington and Andrew Martin from Lewisham received the awards in recognition of their achievements in, or services to,

  • White Hart, Church Road, Upper Norwood

    Drink 5/5 Decor 5/5 Food 4/5 Price 3/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Staff 3/5 SLOGAN T-shirts are traditionally sold alongside food outlets in the USA. I got crabs at Big Joe's Bethesda Crabshack', Not only the food sparkles at the Silver Diner' and other gems are

  • All Blacks, England and now Langley Park Boys?

    Langley Park Boys 38 v 10 Bishop Wordsworth's Daily Mail Under-15 Vase quarter-final A SCHOOL'S under-15s rugby team is on the verge of playing in a national final at Twickenham after a thumping quarter-final victory. Langley Park Boys School beat

  • Selhurst Shout

    PALACE N PROUD: The Palace matchday programme has won its second award in as many weeks after taking the Football League Programme of the Year Award at Sunday's inaugural Football League Awards incorporating FourFourTwo's Top 50 Football League Players

  • A rogue and a Dubliner

    Host of BBC Two's Mock the Week, Dara O'Briain is fast becoming TV's face of Irish comedy, with appearances on everything from Never Mind the Buzzcocks to Have I Got News For You. As his national tour visits the area this month, he talks to James Rampton

  • Palace crystal clear losers to resurgent Leeds Utd

    Crystal Palace 1 v 2 Leeds Utd Coca-Cola Championships CRYSTAL Palace boss Ian Dowie could not sugarcoat a defeat at the hands of fellow play-off contenders Leeds United. Jobi McAnuff's 90th-minute curler was scant consolation as Robbie Blake and

  • Robber takes phone and £800

    POLICE are appealing for help to catch a robber who attacked a 60-year-old man. The victim was walking along a public footpath near Bridge Road, Orpington, at about 1.40pm on February 16 when he was hit on the back of the head. His black holdall bag

  • Community dance showcase

    A CELEBRATION of dance this week will showcase young people's talents, from primary school children through to the over-16s. The Greenwich Dance Agency (GDA) runs dance clubs and youth projects in many of the borough's schools. GDA director Brendan

  • The World's Fastest Indian (12A)

    IN THE leap from Hannibal Lecter to speed demon pensioner, you could be forgiven for thinking Anthony Hopkins is suffering some sort of late-life crisis. In what must be his least-showy performance ever, Hopkins plays the sweet, slightly muddled Burt

  • Primary pupils lining up to tackle rugby league

    A SCHOOL has drafted in a professional rugby player to drum up support for the sport. Blenheim Primary School, Blenheim Road, Orpington, is being helped by a player from London's Harlequins Rugby League Club. Pupils aged between eight and 11 years old

  • Take chance to hear talk on towers

    THE history of the Martello towers dotting the coastline of the south east will be revealed in a talk by David Sleep at Bexley Village Library on March 22. Mr Sleep became fascinated by the towers as a child when his parents took him and his sisters

  • Out to help kids communicate

    AS MANY and one in every 10 children has a problem with speech. And youngsters have been singing songs and making masks to raise cash for other children who find it difficult to communicate. The children, from the Chatterbox nursery in Main Road, Sidcup

  • Rockers fear the sound of silence

    ONE of Shopperland's pedigree indie bands is re-releasing their latest single on Monday after disaster marred its launch last month. Soundcode, who hail from Bromley, Lewisham and Orpington, say they are a four man, one computer outfit. They use their

  • Disease found in changing rooms

    PARK footballers have been forced out of their changing rooms after traces of Legionnaires' disease were found in the water supply. A routine test of the water at the sports changing rooms in Charlton Park, Charlton, found traces of Legionella Pneumophila

  • Seeing the light on using solar power

    PUPILS are relying on panel power as part of a £35,000 scheme to turn two schools green. Merlin Primary School, Ballamore Road, Downham, and Stillness Junior School, Brockley Rise, Forest Hill, have had solar panels fitted to their roofs. The scheme

  • Swimming clubs need accreditation

    COMPETITIVE swimming clubs could lose training time if they fail to get accredited. Greenwich Leisure Limited is currently in talks about only allowing swimming clubs with the Amateur Swimming Association's (ASA) seal of approval to book pool time in

  • Booking in for fun time at school

    CHILDREN enjoyed dressing up as Snow White and Cinderella as part of World Book Day. The event, which has been running since 1997 and is organised by the Booksellers' and Publishers' associations, saw 40,414 UK schools take part. Storyteller Mary Dickinson

  • Cooking up healthy meals

    CALORIE-CONSCIOUS students and parents enjoyed a three-course meal to celebrate the end of a six-week healthy eating programme. Eltham Hill Technology College for Girls, Eltham Hill, Greenwich, teamed up with its catering company, Scolarest, to run a

  • Youngsters highlighting changes with mural

    A GROUP of young people have painted a mural to pay tribute to the changing face of east Greenwich. The idea for the mural, funded by English Partnerships, originated after a community meeting about the demolition of the Greenwich District Hospital site

  • Art news

    PETTS Wood artist Dora Tuttiett, whose paintings have appeared in many of the area's galleries, has chosen a pub as her latest exhibition venue. In the 1950s Dora studied art at Bromley College and then specialised in oil painting at the Royal Academy

  • Fearless five go for a skydive

    Me and four friends are due to do a tandem skydive on April 1 to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This may be April Fools' Day, but I assure you this is no joke! For those of you who don't know what MS is, it is a chronic, unpredictable neurological

  • Lewisham Irish Festival

    AN ANNUAL festival is bringing the sights and sounds of Irish culture to Lewisham with music, comedy and children's events. The Lewisham Irish Festival 2006 starts this Saturday with a parade of floats, marching bands and troupes of traditional dancers

  • Car boot sale raises cash for hospice

    A POPULAR car boot sale held to raise money for charity has kicked off again after its winter break. The Gravesend District Lions run the monthly car boot sales at Milton Place car park in Milton Place, Gravesend. All the cash received from letting

  • Drivers’ lunacy to blame for crashes

    FED-UP drivers say "nutter" motorists are to blame for hundreds of crashes on the A2. News Shopper recently reported how a string of serious accidents had sparked more calls for transport chiefs to take action and save lives. Since April last year there

  • Chance to win tickets for exhibition

    RESIDENTS can win free tickets to the Ideal Home Exhibition by answering questions on recycling. Dartford Council has eight pairs of tickets for the show at Earls Court, London, between March 9 and April 2. The competition's questions are based on the

  • Booking in for fun time at day nursery

    CHILDREN raided the fancy dress box to become their favourite fictional characters at an event held to celebrate books. The 80 children went to Dimples Day Nursery, Green Street Green Road, Dartford, dressed as characters such as Goldilocks and Little

  • Start listening

    IS IT my cynicism or are we fast approaching council elections? There seems to be a spate of concerns from our so-called Gravesham representatives regarding decisions being made. We are now going to be consulted on matters about town parking, which Councillor

  • Clueless about our town centre

    IN REPLY to Sara Reed's letter Last Thing We Need (News Shopper, February 22) my letter was totally sarcastic. It seems Dartford Council is utterly clueless about what it wants to acheive with the town. The council has a deluded vision of a pavement

  • To the point

    PARKING PROBLEMS: Elizabeth Scott of St Dunstans Road, Gravesend, (Letters, February 15) will be lucky if her dropped kerb stops people parking across her gates. I have it all a garage, a driveway, gates, a dropped kerb and white lines in the road and

  • Educate drivers to stop crashes on A2

    I READ your story A2 Crashes Must End (News Shopper, February 22), noting the sentiment something must be done. Nothing more need be done than to educate the wayward drivers currently on the road and make the test more relevant to current driving conditions

  • First-class service at Queen Mary’s

    I FOUND a lump in my breast in early December and my GP referred me to Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup. Two weeks later, I went to the Kent Women's Wing, 18 years to the day I gave birth to our eldest daughter, Sarah. The clinic I attended provided a

  • To the point

    DEBATE NEEDED: It was interesting reading Mr Raval's letter Be Proud Of Diverse Faith (News Shopper, February 22). I agree with the writer the cartoons were distasteful but so was the march in London with its banners calling for bloodshed. No English

  • Support calls for ice rink

    I THOUGHT I would send a comment about the front page on the question of an ice rink (News Shopper, February 22). Having driven past this eyesore which used to be the swimming pool, I feel we should now say to the council it has had long enough to decide

  • Council should oppose mayor

    WHEN the present London mayor led the Greater London Council, Bromley Council won a court action against the imposition of a rate levy to subsidise his cheap fares policy, which was deemed illegal. By comparision, forcing London council tax payers to

  • Help couple pay for clean-up charges

    I AM writing in regard to the article Couple Fail To Pay For Plot Clean-up (News Shopper, February 22) describing how Pieter and Rita Grootendorst were charged £2,270 by Bexley Council to clear their allotment plots,which were forcibly closed down. There

  • We need to act to save water

    THE tearing up of front gardens and the laying down of block paving is making the water shortage worse. In many cases the rain is diverted straight down the drains instead of into the ground, where it would help to raise the water table. All block paving

  • Why should rest of Britain pay?

    I APPLAUD the letter from W J Beazley, Good Games, in support of the London Olympics (News Shopper, February 22). It is refreshing to hear someone in favour of the Olympics who does not mind helping with a financial contribution. I for one will be celebrating

  • Olympics set to go over budget

    I NOTED a letter from W J Beazley of Bexleyheath headlined Good Games (News Shopper, February 22) inferring members of the Bexley Borough Pensioners' Forum were a miserable bunch for resisting the Olympic levy imposed on all Londoners by Ken Livingstone

  • I've lost my wallet

    I've mislaid my wallet. Black leather with money in it. I know it's in the house but where? - Susan, Adelaide Graham says ... I see a three-drawer cupboard and I think it has slid down the side of this.

  • Chemists open on Sunday, March 12

    BIGGIN HILL Waitrose, Main Road. 10am to 1pm. BROMLEY Boots, The Glades. 11am to 5pm. ORPINGTON Sainsbury's, Locksbottom, Farnborough. 10am to 4pm. PENGE Boots, 5 Colman House, Penge. Noon to 5pm.

  • Getting on his bike to help deaf charity

    A UNIVERSITY student is set to ditch his books and cycle 280 miles to raise cash for charity. Andrew Breen, who studies history at Greenwich University, is preparing to cycle across Cambodia in south east Asia with his deaf friend Carl Morris, 29. The

  • Chemists open on Sunday, March 12

    BLACKHEATH, CHARLTON & GREENWICH Sainsbury's, Horn Link Lane, Greenwich. 11am to 5pm. P Logan, 209 Trafalgar Road, Greenwich. 6pm to 7pm. ELTHAM, KIDBROOKE, MOTTINGHAM & NEW ELTHAM Boots, 96-104 Eltham High Street, Eltham. 10am to 4pm. Dickinson's

  • Pancake fundraising event is far from flat

    PENSIONERS had a flipping good afternoon cheering on staff at a sponsored pancake tossing challenge. The 40 members of Dartford Age Concern celebrated Shrove Tuesday at their day centre in Meadowside. They egged on nine members of staff who had been

  • Chemists open on Sunday, March 12

    GRAVESEND & NORTHFLEET Pender Pharmacy, 2 Milton Road, Gravesend. 11am to noon and 6pm to 7pm. SWANLEY Village Pharmacy, 15 Main Road, Hextable. 11am to noon. DARTFORD & GREENHITHE Asda, Station Road, Greenhithe. 11am to 5pm. Boots, South Mall, Bluewater

  • Register now if you want to vote in May elections

    PEOPLE have just days left to get their names on the voting register if they want to have a say in May's borough elections. The deadline for getting your name on the register in time is March 13. Bexleyheath and Crayford MP David Evennett was among

  • Oh so quiet to help charity

    TONGUES stopped wagging at one primary school as the Big Hush spread through every classroom. Children at Foster's Primary School, Westbrooke Road, Welling, were taking part in a sponsored silence to raise cash for Macmillan Cancer Relief. The Big Hush

  • Club to help new mothers

    CROOK Log Leisure Centre has launched classes to help mums keep in shape. The new club offers gentle exercise for mums-to-be to help keep back pain, leg cramps and fatigue at bay. There are also classes to help mums get back into shape after giving

  • Chemists open on Sunday, March 12

    NORTH BEXLEY, BARNEHURST, ERITH & THAMESMEAD Soka Blackmore Chemist, 2 Pembroke Parade, Erith. 6pm to 7pm. Safeway, 2 Twin Tumps Way, Thamesmead. 10am to 4pm. 7 Day Chemist, 175a Bellegrove Road, Welling. 9am to 11pm. NCC Chemist, CWS Store, 71-79

  • Dog left covered in blood by pole

    A CARER has criticised the council for not taking immediate action after an exposed metal pole on Dartford Heath tore into her dog's leg. Margaret McDiarmid's dog Lady needed emergency vet treatment after the piece of metal ripped into her skin. Lady

  • Bid for bargains and raise cash for church

    AN AUCTION will be held to raise funds for a £1.5m church redevelopment project. Emmanuel Baptist Church, Windmill Street, Gravesend, is holding the auction on March 25. It will open for viewing at 6pm before the auction starts at 7pm. All the lots

  • Centre asking for friendly helpers

    PEOPLE with spare time are being asked to offer their friendship to others in need. Volunteer Centre Dartford is looking for people to befriend lonely people who are over 65 or disabled, housebound or isolated. The volunteer would visit the person in

  • Community service for benefit cheat

    A BENEFIT cheat has been given 100 hours' community service after failing to tell a council he had found a new job. Ronald Gray, of Balmoral Road, Sutton-at-Hone, claimed £1,253 in housing benefit and £812 in council tax benefit between October 2004

  • Clearer memories

    A JEWELLER is restoring war memorials to their former glory. Andrew Marshall, owner of Lumar Jewels, High Street, Gravesend, is raising funds to repair war memorials. The first memorial Mr Marshall repaired was unveiled at a ceremony in Milton Church

  • Secrets on show at exhibition

    RESIDENTS will be able to discover the hidden secrets of their borough at an archaeological exhibition. Curators at Dartford Borough Museum, Market Street, are putting the finishing touches to Under Your Feet, an exhibition of Dartford's history. The

  • Good sports hoping for nominations

    THERE is still time to nominate teams and individuals for awards celebrating last year's sporting achievements. The Dartford Sports Awards recognise talent in sport across the borough. There are prizes for sports clubs of the year, coach of the year

  • Man jailed for three months after punching his girlfriend

    A 23-YEAR-OLD who smashed three car windscreens after punching his girlfriend has been sentenced to three months in prison. Samuel Wells, of Church Manorway, Abbey Wood, was involved in an argument in Dartford town centre on December 4, 2004. Following

  • Centre says sorry after parking fine

    MANAGEMENT at the Priory Shopping Centre have apologised after the centre was accused of "legalised mugging" by an angry family. Mr Oxtoby wrote to News Shopper after his daughter's car was clamped when she left her vehicle for several minutes while

  • Meeting to discuss cleaner air

    A PUBLIC meeting will be held to discuss the challenge of climate change and action being taken on air pollution. Kent County Council Dartford Local Board will meet at 7pm on March 15 at Holy Trinity Primary School, Chatsworth Road, Dartford. Representatives

  • Call for volunteers to give children summer holidays

    HOST families are wanted to give children affected by the Chernobyl disaster a summer holiday in the UK. Gravesend-based charity Concern for Chernobyl Children brings children from Belarus, an area greatly affected by the disaster, for a four-week break

  • Centre’s full house

    A YOUTH centre has opened after months of hard work by police community support officers (PCSOs). The Gaff, Barn End Lane, Wilmington, was officially unveiled to VIP guests including Andrew Wells, High Sheriff of Kent. The site was formerly an empty

  • Pub loses appeal for longer opening hours

    A PUB has had its controversial plans for longer opening hours sunk following opposition from hundreds of residents. The Horse & Groom pub, Leyton Cross Road, Dartford, applied to open until midnight during the week and until 1am at the weekend. But

  • Birthday budget is ‘over the top’

    A COUNCIL leader has admitted £50,000 earmarked to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday may be "over the top". Dartford Council leader Councillor Jeremy Kite was forced to reconsider the allocated budget for the June event at a budget meeting last week

  • Children’s promises can help their mum to win prize

    CHILDREN are being asked to make nominations for a competition trying to find the area's most deserving mums. The Mother's Day Promise competition wants youngsters to nominate a parent with a story to tell. It could be a battle against cancer, career

  • News In Brief

    POLICE COVER: Sevenoaks Council is supporting a change in police cover from two forces to one. Currently police cover is provided by North Kent Police and West Kent Police. The council wants West Kent Police to cover the whole borough. The move would

  • Opposition to longer hours

    A RESTAURANT'S application for extended opening hours has been met with opposition from police and residents. Greenwich Council's licensing sub-committee has received nine objections for the Marble Restaurant's application to serve alcohol until midnight

  • Borough earns fair trade award

    GREENWICH has gained Fairtrade Borough status in recognition of its support of ethical trading. The borough has received the award from the Fairtrade Foundation, which helps Third World traders get a better deal from western countries. To gain the status

  • Team to tackle bad behaviour

    SCEPTICAL residents in Sidcup are waiting to be convinced policing will improve in their area after April 1. At a meeting called by Lamorbey Residents' Association to discuss policing, they were told what to expect when Safer Neighbourhoods policing

  • Water firm says pipe ban looks ‘increasingly likely’

    WATER firm bosses say hosepipe bans will probably come into effect this summer. London supplier Thameswater says hosepipe and sprinkler bans are likely to be slapped on residents due to last year being the third driest since records began in 1897. In

  • Son’s body discovered by parents

    A BINGE DRINKER who never got over his younger brother's death five years ago was discovered hanged by his parents. An inquest into the death of Stuart Simpson, 42, heard how his father Robert and his mother discovered their son's body at their home

  • Youngsters have flipping good time

    YOUNGSTERS threw caution to the wind as they gripped their frying pans tight in their hands, ready for an annual British tradition. Watched by fellow pupils, the children from Barnes Cray Primary School, Iron Mill Lane, Crayford, were taking part in

  • Members praised for their help with fundraising sale

    A WOMEN'S worship group held a bring-and-buy sale to raise money for a church. The Women's Fellowship is a devotional group based in Northfleet United Reformed Church, Dover Road, Northfleet. The 22-strong group meets regularly for singing, speaker

  • Tyre slasher hits 40 cars in street

    CAR owners will have to pay out up to £8,000 after the tyres of 40 vehicles were slashed. Residents in Bostall Lane and McLeod Road, Abbey Wood, got up on March 3 to discover their car tyres punctured. Most vehicles had the two tyres closest to the

  • Resourceful way to help pupils

    A PRIMARY school pupil is learning extra skills thanks to an extended schools programme. Alfie Milner, nine, from Charlton Manor Primary, has benefitted from teaming up with Year 11 pupils from Thomas Tallis Secondary School, Kidbrooke Park Road, Greenwich

  • Police use powers to shut off-licence

    POLICE have used new powers under the Licensing Act to prevent an off-licence selling booze to under-age youngsters. The powers enabled officers to shut TJ's Superstore, Northend Road, Slade Green, despite having no first-hand evidence. They were reacting

  • Fines for poor school attendance

    PARENTS are being warned they face a fine of up to £100 if their child does not attend school regularly. Bexley Council says fixed penalty notices will be used for a range of unauthorised absences from school, regardless of whether the children live

  • Go online for parish history

    HISTORY lovers can learn about their town or village through an online resource with more than 10,000 images. The Here's History Kent website provides a wealth of information on the heritage of individual parishes. Archaeology surveys, historic maps

  • Inspection success for school

    A SECONDARY school is celebrating the sweet smell of success following its latest Ofsted inspection. Catford Business Enterprise College, Bellingham Road, received a "good" rating from inspectors last month, recognising its "significant" improvement

  • Call to unite after attacks on centre

    AN IMAM is calling for greater unity within the non-muslim and muslim community following two racial attacks at an Islamic centre. Shakeel Begg, from Lewisham and Kent Islamic Centre, is supporting Greenwich Islamic Centre in its fight to find the culprits

  • Free Condom Cards for college students

    STUDENTS will be able to get their hands on free condoms as part of a sexual health campaign. More than 1,000 students at Lewisham College are set to receive a Condom Card which will give them free access to the contraceptives at the college and in sexual

  • Kids left hooked by boxing scheme

    YOUNGSTERS have been given the chance to be trained by top-class professional boxing coaches. Children living on Deptford's Milton Court, Evelyn and Pepys estates have been attending training classes for the past three weeks at Frank Maloney's Fight

  • Funding boost to deal with sticky situation

    LEWISHAM is one of 15 councils in England to have won funding to deal with the sticky problem of chewing gum. The Government will split £600,000 between Lewisham and 14 other authorities to pay for anti-chewing gum campaigns. They will encourage people

  • Looking out for Army recruits

    SOLDIERS are to pay a visit to talk to people interested in a career in the Army. The Tigers, from the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, will be at the Thamesmead Trust, Joyce Dawson Way, Thamesmead, from 9am to 5pm on March 13. It is part of the

  • Tyre slasher hits 40 cars in street

    CAR owners will have to pay out up to £8,000 after the tyres of 40 vehicles were slashed. Residents in Bostall Lane and McLeod Road, Abbey Wood, got up on March 3 to discover their car tyres punctured. Most vehicles had the two tyres closest to the

  • Police appeal to find sex attacker

    POLICE are hunting a man responsible for two sexual assaults. The man was travelling on a number 75 bus from Lewisham to Croydon at 9.30am on February 4. He sat next to an 18-year-old woman and began chatting to her before sexually assaulting her.

  • Bargain hunting for perfect pitch

    A SCHOOL has held a jumble sale to raise funds to repair its playing field. Clare House Primary School, Oakwood Avenue, Beckenham, held the sale in aid of the pitch, which gets waterlogged in the winter and dry and cracked in the summer. Works to improve

  • Young people’s positive activities on show

    Youngsters put on a display of Thai martial arts, Muay Thai boxing, to showcase the skills they learnt in a Government programme. Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) is a Government initiative, working in partnership with Connexions South London

  • ‘A dream come true’ as Dad’s Army remembered

    A COUNTRY park is to get its 15 minutes of fame in a television documentary about the Second World War. Jubilee Country Park, Blackbrook Lane, Bickley, will feature in Channel 4 programme, The Real Dad's Army. Due to be screened on March 13, the park

  • Students know their onions at school

    HEALTHY pupils have spent a week learning about the benefits of eating and living well. Students at Pendragon School made tasty smoothies, healthy dishes and got to the root of what minerals are in vegetables. The activities at the secondary school

  • Branson backing our campaign for justice

    BILLIONAIRE entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has joined News Shopper's Justice for Paul campaign. Two-year-old Paul Gallagher was fatally injured when he was struck by an unmanned speedboat which mounted a beach in the Bahamas in 2002. Almost four

  • DNA kit scheme making its mark

    RESIDENTS are set to benefit from a crackdown on crime by having their personal belongings DNA marked. More than 500 homes in the Woolwich Dockyard Estate are at the centre of a pilot scheme run by Greenwich police. Officers from the Woolwich Dockyard

  • Ban and community work after failing breath test

    A 38-YEAR-OLD man has been disqualified from driving for two years and given 100 hours' community service for drink driving. Rajesh Kumar, of Kent Road, Gravesend, was arrested last year after giving a breath test reading of 99 the legal limit is 35

  • Sentenced after going on the run

    A TEENAGER and his friends forced a 13-year-old to perform sex acts on them. He has now been jailed for four-and-a-half years. Hassan Suleiman, now aged 20, and his three friends kidnapped the girl and her 15-year-old friend after getting off a bus

  • Branson backing Justice for Paul

    BILLIONAIRE entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has joined News Shopper's Justice for Paul campaign. Two-year-old Paul Gallagher was fatally injured when he was struck by an unmanned speedboat which mounted a beach in the Bahamas in 2002. Almost four years

  • More arrests over £53m robbery

    A BACK street car repair yard in Welling has been revealed as the secret hiding place for up to £9m in cash, stolen in Britain's biggest ever robbery. In a fast-moving investigation, as a 43-year-old man arrested at the yard in connection with the find

  • ‘Scum’ preyed on elderly pair

    Vulnerable pensioners are being warned to treat every doorstep caller as a suspect following the latest bogus caller strike on a 97-year-old woman. Age Concern Gravesham chief executive Annette Davies has hit out at deception burglars, calling them "

  • Reverend ready to retire after 30 years of service

    PARISHIONERS and church leaders have paid tribute to a retiring reverend who bid farewell to his flock after more than 30 years of service. More than 140 people visited Deptford Town Hall to pay tribute to the retiring Rural Dean of Deptford, the Reverend

  • ‘Outstanding’ school praised by inspectors

    A SCHOOL for excluded children has been given the thumbs-up in its latest Ofsted inspection. Newham Pupil Referral Unit, Newhaven Gardens, Eltham, was marked as "outstanding" for its care, support and guidance to its 123 pupils. Pupils' personal development

  • News in Brief

    BRICK ASSAULT: Information is needed after a serious assault in London Road, Swanley, on February 27 at 1am. Five men were in a car when a window was smashed, cutting one passenger. As the other men came out of the car, one was punched and another hit

  • Drowning mystery

    MYSTERY surrounds the death of a man whose body was found in the River Thames. Levier van der Hoven, from Lewisham, was found dead on the shoreline of the river near Caledonian Wharf, Tower Hamlets, on February 19. Police believe the 20-year-old South

  • Perfect pitch for store

    A NEIGHBOURHOOD store has become the first in Bexley to trial a new device aimed at stopping youths from congregating outside. Called the Mosquito, the box, mounted on the shop's external wall, releases a high-pitched sound which can only be heard by

  • Couple lose everything as blaze engulfs flats

    A COUPLE'S lives have been turned upside down after a fire gutted their home. Henry and Kirsty Latham had gone out for something to eat in Bexleyheath on February 26 when they received a text from a friend. It was then they discovered their block of

  • Funny girl, 48, dies

    COMEDIENNE Linda Smith has died from cancer at the age of 48. Born and brought up in Erith, she was a familiar voice to listeners of BBC's Radio 4. She regularly appeared on the News Quiz and in her own series, Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting

  • Trust must answer donation questions

    WELL done for publicising the threat to Greenwich Market (Traders Receive Support, News Shopper, February 1). While there may be some warm words from the Greenwich Hospital Trust we need to remember the trust is always going to fall back on its familiar

  • Volunteers sign up to help police

    A TEAM of 30 volunteers could be on its way to boost police services in Bexley. This was how many people turned up to an open morning at Belvedere police station in Nuxley Road, to find out more about becoming a police volunteer. Already Bexley police

  • Officers welcome new residents

    POLICE in Thamesmead are hoping to use the area's estate agents to help them pinpoint newcomers to the town. The Safer Neighbourhoods policing team has already been working with Gallions Housing Association in a pilot scheme to visit new tenants. During

  • Three cleared of ice cream scam

    A POLICE officer and two council officials have been cleared of involvement in a conspiracy to make thousands of pounds from selling ice cream at a top tourist spot. But an ice cream seller who pleaded guilty at the start of the trial at Middlesex Guildhall

  • Public consulted

    NICK Hill has missed the point (Campaigner Calls For Speed Hump Inquiry, News Shopper, February 15). Catford South Labour councillors campaigned for traffic calming across the area in response to pressure from residents. The council worked hard to secure

  • News in Brief

    FUNDING ADVICE: Experts are offering Bexley's voluntary and community groups advice and help on how to bid for funding outside the borough. A workshop, organised by the council's Areas of Opportunity programme, is being held on March 17 at the civic offices

  • History behind Shooter’s Hill

    HAVING read Tales Of Shooters Hill (News Shopper, February 22) it is the first time I have heard the origin of its name came from its associations with crime. The origin which I and many others have been led to believe is in fact quite the opposite.

  • Councillors clash over new budget

    ELECTIONEERING for the borough elections in May is under way as Labour and Tory councillors clashed over the council's budget for the coming year. After abstaining on the budget vote for the past three years, the Tories who are two seats short of control

  • To The Point

    ON THE UP: Regarding New Logo Is A Gimmick (News Shopper, February 22). Councillor Drury says he wants "action" to improve Eltham Town Centre. But when Greenwich Council set its budget, the Tories had no plans for Eltham Town Centre or the Coronet site

  • Scheme springs into action

    ENTHUSIASTIC traders and council chiefs are behind a joint venture to give the borough a spring appeal. With just 13 days to go until the onset of spring, both Woolwich Road and Trafalgar Road in Greenwich have been graced with 30 floral hanging baskets

  • OAP ill after chemist’s drug error

    A CHEMIST who caused a pensioner to be violently ill when he prescribed her the wrong drugs, has escaped with a reprimand. The woman was left with nausea and diarrhoea after pharmacist Rashmikani Patel gave her anti-depressants instead of anti-cholesterol

  • Multi-cultural centre gets bright new look

    A MULTI-FAITH resource centre has reopened its doors following a £12,500 revamp. The South London Multi-Faith Multi-Cultural Resource Centre has moved to a bigger room in the Professional Development Centre, Kilmorie Road, Forest Hill. The council-funded

  • Candidates pledge pool support

    Lewisham mayoral candidates are pledging their support to the Save Ladywell Pool campaign. Reporter SAMANTHA PAYNE spoke to them about their plans for the pool if they win the elections. Since it started in July 2004, the Save Ladywell Pool campaign

  • We should have say on Ken’s suspension

    How alarming to think someone who we have democratically elected can be removed so swiftly without the slightest need for consultation by us. We were responsible for choosing Ken Livingstone to represent and manage London and therefore we should judge

  • Not a time to party

    Was the decision to continue with Mardi Gras in New Orleans really the right one? I find it hard to believe with hurricane season about to start again and thousands still living in devastation, singing and dancing in the streets was appropriate. Surely

  • Street’s killer story

    I am interested to see where the writers of Coronation Street take the Eileen and Eddie storyline. For those who don't watch, Eileen was having a relationship with convicted murderer Eddie. Having served his time in prison for killing Emily's husband

  • High cost of being soft on litter louts

    Why do people think it's OK to drop litter on the streets? I find it shocking to see children and adults empty their pockets or discard packets without the slightest concern about the mess they are creating, especially when they are standing next to a