March in London is as busy as ever – and, as always, it’s a great place for a family day out. With Mother’s Day and a host of other festivals and events, there’s a lot happening in the capital. March is a lovely time of year being the first month of spring, a time when we will start to see all of the plants growing and things coming to life within our community and the wider world, which is why we think it’s a brilliant time to be celebrating our green spaces.

We are pleased to be planning to be working with Queens Park community Council this month on a community litter Pick. So, if you’re interested in coming down with your school and doing some community service and making our area a better place for everyone, please get in touch with us and we will book in your slot so you can come and join in and help us contribute to the conditions in our local environment and taking action to make it a better place for us all.

If getting out into the open is something you’re interested in, there are lots of exciting opportunities coming up this spring. We are very near Kensington Gardens, being just a 36 bus ride away from us, on Friday the 17th of March from 12 am to 1:30 pm. You can go on a guided tour of the gardens walking around the venue, discovering its hidden stories and statues and learning about its history, you can book tickets for this on the royal parks website at £12 each.

Visiting Kensington Gardens and playing in the beautiful Diana Memorial playground is completely free as is taking in culture at the Serpentine Gallery, or making friends with the ducks and swans. So, make sure you take a chance to get down there if you can, and celebrate the beginning of the growth period for UK plants and creatures during this, the first month of spring this year.

Since we’re talking about being outdoors and enjoying the beginning of the spring, how about booking yourself a visit to the Sky garden visits are free and you can visit between 10 am and 6 pm during the week and 11 am and 9 pm on weekends. The venue offers amazing views of across London and the there is plenty to see and do.

On the 22nd to the 23rd of this month, we will all be going to celebrate the beauty and educational value of film with over 1000 of us going to into film festival showings this year. We will be going twice as usual and in March we will be watching Matilda, Raya and the Dragon and Fireball in different venues across London. Going to the cinema is a great way of experiencing new learning and exploring new topics together while getting out and about in London so we are really excited and thankful for into film for allowing us to take part.

The deadline for the Puss-in-Boots competition is the 3rd of March and the children from Queens Park and Hallfield School have taken part in this. So, by the end of March, we will be closer to knowing what the winning entrants look like (as the winner will be chosen on the 3rd of March); they will recite receive a whole list of amazing prizes which will be delivered directly to their school.

If you get to go with your class to one of the amazing screenings, You can write a review for the review 500 competition where you could also win prizes here, you would write a 500 word or less review of the film you have watched and submit it to your children’s university coordinator and they can upload it and enter it online for you (or send it to me and I will do it for you). It’s a great way to practice your analytical writing skills and to share your opinions.

 The 31st of March is another competition deadline as it is the Poetry by Heart deadline. All through March, will be encouraging schools to get active and engaged with the art of performance poetry. There’s a great selection of poetry for you to pick from on the website. So get on board and take a pick from the great selection of poems to choose from that are suggesting for this year’s competition. Then, all you have to do is practice the poem, learn it by heart and bring it to life with your acting skills. The lucky winners, who are picked by the judges after submitting their videos, will get a chance to perform on the great stage at the Globe, which will be an amazing experience for anyone who is interested in literature and acting. We can’t wait to see everyone’s performances.

We are really pleased to announce that we have another therapy dog with us now at WCU, who may be visiting your schools with their friend and owner Goo who will be visiting and running wellbeing sessions in schools and nurseries near you.

Street Photography Workshop for Children Aged 8-11

NAS Charity would like to present a street photography workshop, a unique initiative designed for children aged 8-11 to explore their community through a lens on the stretch between Church Street Library down to the Kurdistan Bakery. No experience with photography is required. The programme is free for the children to join, and lunch will be included. The programme will be conducted by professional photographer CJ Swaby and the children will each have access to DSLR cameras.

Where and When:

•             Date: Saturday 2nd March; Saturday 9th March; Saturday 16th March

•             Time: 12pm - 4pm

•             Location: Church Street Library, North Westminster

Booking:

Places are limited to a maximum of 10 children per workshop. Please book via email admin@nasgroup.org.uk or by sending a WhatsApp to 07761838177. Please note that no one will be allowed in without a prior booking.

World Wildlife Day

World Wildlife Day is celebrated annually on the 3rd of March in support of animals and plants across the world. The event was proposed by Thailand and was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly during its 68th meeting. The General Assembly reaffirmed the natural value of wildlife and its various contributions, including ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic, to sustainable development and human wellbeing!

They would then go on to designate the 3rd of March as World Wildlife Day, in order to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora. The event also aims to recognise the important role of the Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the survival of species!

Read on to find out the answer to 'why is World Wildlife Day celebrated?', the World Wildlife Day theme, and discover some fabulous World Wildlife Day activities and resources to use with your students!

Why is World Wildlife Day Celebrated?

World Wildlife Day is celebrated in order to raise awareness of the extraordinary diversity of wildlife and marine life that we have today. With how the world is changing through expansion of human settlement and the reduction in habitat through things like climate change, it's essential to remind ourselves of the wonders of wildlife.

Unless we take drastic measures to prevent further extinctions, this diversity of wildlife will diminish further and further, and it will never recover.

What is the World Wildlife Day Theme?

Every year, World Wildlife Day has a different theme. In 2018, the World Wildlife Day theme was ‘Big Cats: Predators Under Threat’ and in 2019 ‘Life Below Water: For People and the Planet’. In 2023, the theme was 'Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation'.

In 2024, World Wildlife Day falls on the 50th anniversary of the formation of CITES. The organisation centres itself around partnerships that help to ensure sustainability and preservation of species. Working with local and international authorities including the UN, private sectors, non-governmental organisations and more, CITES have established partnerships across the world that work together to conserve the ecosystem.

On March 3rd 2024, World Wildlife Day will celebrate the bridges that have been built between CITES and various organisations, as well as their contribution to sustainability, conservation, and biodiversity.

Hi everyone it is such a joy to be working with you all and this new year is proving to be exceptionally exciting. We are in the Year of the Dragon from this weekend onward and I am told that this is especially good for planting and growing as it is a wooden dragon year.

We have been planting and preparing a lot ourselves and green spaces continue to be one of our most exciting project themes. Thanks to out kind supporters Axis and St John's, we have been able to continue to work on and regenerate our own forest school at the BT Gardens. We have also launched our very own forest school site and will have volunteers from Finastra joining us in the near future to carry out maintenance and further upgrades. We also now have an after-school gardening club and are looking at ways to further green our spaces with Change X.

We are excited to see the opportunity for a project with Renata arising, designing and story telling inspired by her great books all about Hector the dog and look forward to workshops happening in your schools soon. Any work produced will be proudly shared here, I can't wait! We also have two design and art challenges Amazing Mazes and our Dino Design where we are asking you create an poster supporting climate crisis awareness.

Not only that we also have The Fourth Plinth and Younger Writers competitions to get involved in meaning that there are lots of opportunities to get creative and express yourselves.

Lelia, from Axis Training is back! Its great to know that she will be visiting you all to help you train yourselves up should you be around if any emergencies happen ,it's not about being directly involved but sometimes just being a calm voice who knows what to suggest can make all the difference and certainly helps you to feel more confident if accidents should occur. We love her fun sessions so book yours quickly they will go fast.

Lurky and Gizmo are still doing their Dog Mentor Duties and we would love to see more doggie helpers in schools ,if you have interested school teachers, who have furry friends already ,please ask them to contact us for training with Jenny from the Dog Mentor.

I had a great time at BETT this year and am looking forward to working with the Omiston Trust and a great video resource service from Ireland. Global Academy were there too and we look forward to collaborating with hem in the near future. 

Welcome back everyone ,here we are in April already!

April is a lovely time of year being the second month of spring, a time when we will start to see all of the plants growing and things coming to life within our community and the wider world, which is why we think it’s a brilliant time to be celebrating our green spaces.

March in London was busy as ever – and, as always, it’s been a great place for a family day out. With Mother’s Day and a host of other festivals and events, there was lot happening in the capital and we hope you all had a great time together.

We are pleased to be planning to be working further with Queens Park community Council this month on another community little pic.so if you’re interested in coming down with your school and doing some community service and making our area a better place for everyone, please get in touch with us and we will book in your slot so you can come and join in and help us contribute to the conditions in our local environment and taking action to make it a better place for us all.

If getting out into the open is something you’re interested in, there are lots of exciting opportunities coming up this spring. We are very near Kensington Gardens, being just a 36 bus ride away from us, You can go on a guided tour of the gardens walking around the venue, discovering its hidden stories and statues and learning about its history, you can book tickets  for trails and activities as they come up ,as they did in March, on the royal parks website at £12 each.

Visiting Kensington Gardens and playing in the beautiful Diana Memorial playground is completely free as is taking in culture at the Serpentine Gallery, or making friends with the ducks and swans. So, make sure you take a chance to get down there if you can, and celebrate the beginning of the growth period for UK plants and creatures during this, the first month of spring this year.

Since we’re talking about being outdoors and enjoying the beginning of the spring, how about booking yourself a visit to the Sky garden visits are free and you can visit between 10 am and 6 pm during the week and 11 am and 9 pm on weekends. The venue offers amazing views of across London and the there is plenty to see and do.

On the 22nd to the 23rd of March, we were able to celebrate the beauty and educational value of film with over 1000 of us going to into film festival showings this year. We will be going twice as usual adding to our March trip in November '23, It was great to see :Matilda, Raya and the Dragon and Fireball in different venues across London.

Going to the cinema is a great way of experiencing new learning and exploring new topics together while getting out and about in London so we are really excited and thankful for into film for allowing us to take part.

The deadline for the Puss-in-Boots competition was the 3rd of March and the children from Queens Park and Hallfield School have taken part in this. So, by the end of April, we will be closer to knowing what the winning entrants look like (as the winner will be chosen on the 3rd of March); they will recite receive a whole list of amazing prizes which will be delivered directly to their school.

If you did get to go with your class to one of the amazing screenings, You could write a review for the review 500 competition where you could also win prizes here, you would write a 500 word or less review of the film you have watched and submit it to your children’s university coordinator and they can upload it and enter it online for you (or send it to me and I will do it for you). It’s a great way to practice your analytical writing skills and to share your opinions.

 The 31st of March was another competition deadline as it was the Poetry by Heart deadline.

All through March, we encouraged schools to get active and engaged with the art of performance poetry. There was a great selection of poetry for you to pick from on the website and you can still explore and practise for next year throughout April -July. So get on board and take a pick from the great selection of poems to choose from that were suggested for this year’s competition so you'll be super-ready for the next.

Next year it will all begin again, and then all you have to do is :practice the poem, learn it by heart and bring it to life with your acting skills. The lucky winners, who are picked by the judges after submitting their videos, will get a chance to perform on the great stage at the Globe, which will be an amazing experience for anyone who is interested in literature and acting. We can’t wait to see everyone’s performances.

We are really pleased to announce that we have another therapy dog with us now at WCU, who may be visiting your schools with their friend and owner Goo. Gizmo will be visiting and running wellbeing sessions in schools and nurseries near you from April onwards so it's a super start to the April term.

 The second of May is the Coronation Bank Holiday and many of our friends are celebrating Ramadan currently. This start of the April half term  is Earth Week and by the time we are in May we will have enjoyed  3 Bank Holidays, meaning two short-weeks during school time and a bank-holiday during the Holidays (29th April) so there are plenty of opportunities to get out and about and discover London and further afield in the brighter ,spring weather. So don't forget to record your spring adventures and share them back with us!

March is actually a busier month than you might think, there are lots of dedicated days In March to celebrate along with the start of spring.

We are looking forward to finding out our competition results and seeing the Dream Arts Performance. We will have picked our Queen’s Park Primary Poetry by Heart Entry and be closer to launching our community art project too.

March 8 is International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of women’s achievements, and this special day intends to showcase the women that make businesses thrive. We love the idea of encouraging everyone to start their own businesses and projects so we would love to hear your ideas.

First Friday in March is Employee Appreciation Day.

On this day everyone shows that they appreciate employees and those that help us, perhaps you could create a poster that highlights the work of a special helper in your life.

March Brings Daylight Saving.

Daylight Saving affects everyone in the world the time here in the U.K will change by a whole hour so we will get more daylight during the spring and summer.

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish Public Holiday. Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland

International Day of Awesomeness.

Celebrated on the 10th of March. Celebrate your awesomeness or that of someone you know. What makes you and them special? Give someone a shout out and be awesome by making someone feel awesome too.

March 21 is the First Day of Spring.

The start of spring is a big deal, especially for businesses, since spring is normally thought of as the time for renewal. Go for a walk or plant something this is the perfect time to see something flourish and grow.

3rd Wednesday of March Companies that Care Day.

This day is a celebration of companies that care about the well-being of their employees and others. We are supported by many great companies like this. Who is your favourite place to visit with us? Perhaps you could write them a review or thank you?

March 31 is Easter.

Easter is a major holiday in the world, we will be running a two week Club during this Holiday so check the tab to download the sign up and secure your place. They will go fast!

March 15 is Everything You Think is Wrong Day.

This day recognizes that not everything will go alright and that everyone will have a bad day once in a while. Share a story that explains a day when something went wrong for you and more importantly how you dealt with it to help others.

March 16 is Everything You Do is Right Day.

Everything is Right Day is another March celebration, but the twist here is that this day is meant to be used for celebrating a good day. What was the best day you’ve had recently? Share it with your family or class and plan your next great day together.

March 26 is Make Your Own Holiday Day.

March 26 offers anyone the opportunity to declare and celebrate their own holidays. Feel free to create an explanation of a holiday you create. If you share it with us, through your coordinator, we will post it here online,

 Dream Arts

Coordinator’s Blog

Dream arts Experiment is a great program where our students can learn weekly from leading professionals, create their own work and develop your dance, acting and singing skills.

Every weekend Dream Arts Creative Labs enable 7-19 year olds to explore and unleash their talents. Our skilled professionals encourage members to devise their own work – from new musicals to short films and radio plays and we attend every session at WCU.

We also fund spaces for interested WCU students and fund additional programs..

If you are interested in taking part in one of these creative and fun sessions you can get involved by attending one of the sessions below

Dream Arts Experiment on Saturdays from 8 October 2022

The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith St, SW1P 3BU, 10am-1:30pm

Ages 7 - 12 devising and performing their own original musicals

Dream Arts Experiment on Sundays from 9 October 2022

City of Westminster College, Paddington Green, W2 1NB, 10:30am-2:30pm

Ages 7 - 12 devising and performing their own original musicals

Dream Arts Performance Company Immersive Theatre Project

City of Westminster College, Paddington Green, W2 1NB, 1pm-4pm

Find out more at https://www.dreamarts.org.uk/projects/experiment/

What a Fun Finish to December and a Great Start to the New Year!

Here we are in 2023 and already we have lots in store for everyone at W.C.U.

We are setting out additional activities in keeping with themes we would like to promote each month. Being New Year we are focussing on goals and new skills and we are so pleased to be able to be looking forward to Apple Field Trips already. We can’t wait to see the animations and art work that gets produced while our students learn new ITC skills and look forward to sharing it here.

It doesn’t matter how young you are there’s always room to set some new, achievable and positive goals for the year. Even if you aren’t at school yet you might consider some new routines such as these New Year’s ideas for pre-schoolers

• I will try hard to clean up my toys by putting them where they belong.
• I will let my parents help me brush my teeth twice a day.
• I will wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
• I will try new foods when I can, especially all different colours of vegetables.

Adults set New Year goals too and a recent survey showed the top 5 goals they chose this New Year in 2023

• Exercise more – 52%
• Eat healthier – 50%
• Lose weight – 40%
• Save more money – 39%
• Spend more time with family/friends -37%

Exercise was the 2023 most popular idea for goals, with a focus on body and health for the adults who responded. During our free holiday club held to finish-off 2022 with fun, we certainly got plenty of opportunity to move and work-out while enjoying the festivities in London.

25 of us spent three whole days of climbing, exploring, building and play at Brent Cross with the Topsy-Turvy family and we had an amazing Circus show and workshop with the Seagulls Circus Project. We learned many different challenging and impressive physical circus skills with them and loved every minute.

Our friends at City Hall sent us all heathy, cooking kits and we made Vegetarian Noodles and Chocolate and Pear Cake, which were great fun and we shared with our families at home. The community food project operated throughout the holiday into the New Year with parcels delivered and 40 trays of food collected from us on-site. We also supported the Avenues with their community Christmas meal and will be working with them further in this New Year.

 We believe that for all of us no matter our age self-care, kindness and new learning are not just great and manageable New Year Goals but excellent goals for life, so have a think about which goals/activities speak to you and would best improve your daily routines and give them a try. We would love to hear your stories and how it works out for you in 2023, and can add them to our youth voice and blog/vlog spaces as we do here, if this is something you’d like.

We also took part in a London Trail based on a national art project in February-July '22, The World Re-imagined ; our globe was part of a public trail of discovery in central London in Victoria Library and we were so excited to get to see it. The trail was a great way to get out and about and discover London.

We had a great half term and hope you did too! During the half term holidays some of our lucky club members got a chance to visit The Cyber Academy at Trend Micro. The Cyber Academy is exclusively designed for children aged 7-10 years old.

Each episode at the Cyber Academy targets specific cyber safety topics with key learning objectives. For more information visit https://www.trendmicro.com/internet-safety/for-kids/cyber-academy

The day will be action packed full of learning, fun, and meeting others.

On the day, we covered topics such as – passwords, 2 factor authentications, security, kindness online, time online, safety settings, camera safety and healthy habits.

A snippet of our great day can be seen below:

10 - 10:30 – Welcome the kids, introduce everyone and have an icebreaker game

10:30 -11:00 – First episode of their choice

11:00-11:30 – Tour of the office/ Have some hot chocolate and pastries

11:30-12:00 – Second episode of their choice

12:00 – 12:30 – Play an educational game such as Kahoot

12:30 – 1 Third episode of their choice

1-1:45 – Lunch Time

1:45- 2:15 – Fourth episode of their choice

2:15- 3 - Activity sheet with prizes.

Check out our Holiday Video to see the project in action 

Finastra's Black History Month Project

We loved visiting our friends at Finastra last week where we took part n financial education and shared our spoken word work on diversity ,role models and equality. It was an amazing day with some really talented writers.

Green Week and Community

Saturday 24th September marked the first day of this year’s Great Big Green Week and we’re getting ready for a number of events across the ward.

On Tuesday 27th we had professionals from QPCC and Paddington working with Queen’s Park Primary school students, leading a letter writing activity where the young people were asked to detail their hopes for the future Thanks to Millie Kent OF QPCC. On Wednesday 28th there was a community carbon literacy training session at the Beethoven centre as part of the compulsory training for QPCC councillors from 6-8pm.

 Thursday the 29th saw community gardening sessions led in Queen’s Park Gardens by HCGA from 10am-12noon.This was then followed by a free, community lunch from 1-3pm in St Jude’s Hall. At the event students presented their letters in person to the councillors present.

The rejuvenation of currently unused wasteland will provide a green community space for the use of local residents and school. By gating and fencing the space the project will be able to create and safe and manageable green space (100m2) for general community and education use.

The proposed community land is now repurposed thanks to the hard work of reverend David Ackerman, our kind sponsors Axis and the volunteer team from Finastra, having been currently untended and unused it is now a safe and welcoming space. Taking over management of the land and securing its perimeters has helped create and invaluable community resource through the development and maintaining of community partnerships the local residents will have access to safe and managed green space and a program of activities and outreach .In turn, the partnerships and cohesion achieved will generate awareness and understanding of local community, habitats and ecology and foster and promote ecological awareness ;embedding better future practises within the wider community. Thank you all so much.

By introducing new planting and zones within the land the space will contribute positively to local air quality and general community wellbeing; tending and rejuvenating the space will allow for community and physical activity again creating positive community outcomes while improving local access and spaces.

October will see the first sessions taking place on the land.

The space will serve the local community and 3 nursery schools while being a key resource for WCU, encouraging outdoor activity and social and ecological awareness.

Arts Projects

We took part in a national art project in February-July '22, The World Re-imagined this year and our globe is now part of a public trail of discovery in central London. This is a great way to get out and about and discover London. https://www.theworldreimagined.org/learning-globes/

We already have a second globe and are looking forward to getting even more WCU schools involved this academic year. October saw the restarting of Arts award in schools with Hallfield School already taking part. This year we hope to visit even more schools and help students begin their Art Award Journey. To celebrate we will be renting out a gallery space and publicly exhibiting students work thanks again to Axis.

Hermione Wood Wall Hangings Project

Hermione is working with us again and we are so pleased ,She is Finishing the Hallfield Quilt and will be available to deliver in WCU schools throughout ’22-’23.

We are off on our first Young Ambassadors trail this week and can't wait to share the experience.

Welcome back to a new academic year

Here we are at the start of a new term already full of exciting plans and opportunities while welcoming the autumn season here in the U.K. Harvest Festival, Guy Fawkes’ Bonfire Night, and Halloween are all great reasons to celebrate in the autumn months and we already have confirmation of the annual QPCC free Firework Display. Gates to the park will open at 5.15pm with the show scheduled 6-6.20pm.There will be road closures and security in place to keep the event safe. The following roads will start to be shut to traffic from 4pm onwards:

Ilbert Street – between Galton Street and Third Avenue

Fourth Avenue – between Ilbert Street and Enbrook Street           

Third Avenue – between Kilravock and Caird

Bruckner Street – between Lancefield Street and Third Avenue junctions will be resident access only. It’s exciting seeing that preparations are already underway and the display is a great free resource for residents and visitors alike. There are also lots of free community clubs and opportunities too at the local parks and librarys. Below are the most Local September to October events:

Story time at Church Street Library (in-person)

Location:

Church Street Library

67 Church Street

London

NW8 8EU

United Kingdom

Next event date and time:

Starts on

Friday, 30 September 2022 at 10:30am

Ends on

Friday, 30 September 2022 at 11:15am

See more dates

How to book:

To book a place, contact Church Street Library

Free

Children and young people’s Story Time

Come along to the library for this weekly story time. This session is especially for the under 5s and their parents and carers.

Booking a place in advance is essential as numbers are very limited.

Shared reading group at Paddington Library (in-person)

Location:

Paddington Library

Porchester Road

London

W2 5DU

United Kingdom

Next event date and time:

Starts on

Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 6:00pm

Ends on

Thursday, 29 September 2022 at 7:45pm

See more dates

How to book:

There's no need to book a place, just turn up.

Free

Adults’ shared reading group

Adults’ Shared reading groups bring people together through great literature to talk, laugh and share.

Just drop in and enjoy listening to a story or poem – there's no pressure to talk or read.

Toddler time at Queen's Park Library (in-person)

Location:

Queen's Park Library

666 Harrow Road

London

W10 4NE

United Kingdom

Next event date and time:

Starts on

Friday, 30 September 2022 at 10:30am

Ends on

Friday, 30 September 2022 at 11:00am

See more dates

How to book:

To book a place, contact Queen's Park Library.

Free

Children and young people’s story and song sessions

Join us for this fun weekly session of songs, rhymes and stories for the under 5s and their parents/ carers.

Only limited places available, so booking is essential.

Lego Club at Queen's Park Library (in-person)

Location:

Queen's Park Library

666 Harrow Road

London

W10 4NE

United Kingdom

Next event date and time:

Starts on

Friday, 30 September 2022 at 4:00pm

Ends on

Friday, 30 September 2022 at 5:00pm

See more dates

How to book:

To book a place, contact Queen's Park Library

Free

Libraries

Children and young people’s Lego Club

Join us at the library for our weekly Lego Club. The club meets every Friday during term time.

This event is suitable for children aged 5 to 12, children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by a grown up.

Only limited places are available, so booking is essential.

About the event

Location:

Paddington Recreation Ground

London

W9 1PD

United Kingdom

Paddington Dog Show

Next event date and time:

Starts on

Saturday, 1 October 2022 at 10:00am

Ends on

Saturday, 1 October 2022 at 4:00pm

How to book:

No need to book, just turn up on the day. The event is free to attend, but we'd ask for donations to our charity partners if you can afford to do so.

Please pre-register if you'd like to enter your pooch into one of the categories

Free

The dog show is informal, fun and open to all ages. As part of our programme of Silver Sunday events, we want to especially encourage our older residents, their family, friends and neighbours in the community to take part.

Prizes to be won include Waggiest Tail, Best Yearling (12 to 24 months), Best Veteran (9 years and over), Best 6 legs (dog and owner) and the dog the judges would most like to take home.

The proposed timings of the day are as follows:

12pm to 12:20pm, Waggiest Tail

12:20pm to 12:40pm, Best Veteran

12:40pm to 1pm, Best Yearling (12-24 months / any breed)

1pm to 1:20pm, Best elderly hander

1:20pm to 1:40pm, Best 6 legs

1.40pm to 2pm, Best groomed dog or bitch

2pm to 2:20pm, Best junior handler

2:20pm to 2:40pm, Dog the judges would most like to take home

Our Animal Welfare Champion, Cllr Jessica Toale will also be joining us to help with the judging

To give us an idea of numbers and help with planning the day, please register your dog if you would like to enter the dog show and let us know whether you have any questions,

There is also a children’s architecture club running from QP library in conjunction with QPCC the advert for which is included  below .

St John's Church has installed their flowers of the commonwealth stained glass window to celebrate diversity and is a great place to visit to learn about local history.

Our Globe is on tour too now ,if you follow the city trail you can see your own work on public display in central London.

So as you can see it’s a wonderful time to get out and about, explore, crunch those leaves beneath your feet, enjoy the autumnal sunset-like colours and try something new.

Next Monday is Odd Socks Day

Odd Socks Day marks the start of Anti-Bullying Week and this year it's taking place on Monday 15th November. We've got everything you need to celebrate what makes us all unique and spread kindness this year. Odd Socks Day is supported by cBeebies presenter and ABA patron Andy Day and his band 'Andy and the Odd Socks'.

Most importantly, Odd Socks Day is designed to be fun! It’s an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique!

There is no pressure to wear the latest fashion or to buy expensive costumes.  All you have to do to take part is wear odd socks to your school, at work of at home, it couldn’t be simpler!  Odd Socks day will take place on the first day of Anti-Bullying Week each year to help raise awareness of bullying. We would like to invite participating schools and workplaces to ask participants to make a £1 donation - or any donation you think appropriate - to support us in continuing to coordinate the week every year.

You do not have to raise money to take part - the most important thing is the message of Odd Socks Day - and any money raised for us is a bonus! Make sure you encourage other schools in your local area to get involved!

Last year over 5 million children, 1,000s of parents, 100s of workplaces and lots of celebrities and infuencers got involved. We even had Ant and Dec, Emma Willis, Craig David, Sir Mo Farah and Annamarie donning their odd socks! Don't miss out highlighting the important issue of bullying in such a fun way.

You could even design or make your own odd socks!

https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/odd-socks-day/what-odd-socks-day

Graduation Time...but not as we know it!

I am sure there is no need to remind you of this "unprecedented year" and the corresponding changes to all our lives.  Covid restrictions has of course changed Westminster Children's University graduations.

But, that does not stop us from celebrating the amazing resilience, creativity and skills of our students and

despite lockdowns, home schooling, social distancing..etc more than 1081 CU students will graduate.  Our students have not only participated in a whole range of activities but they have adapted to online activities totalling 111,000 hours.  This is a massive 30,000 extra hours on previous years.

Graduations are taking place now all over the borough and the team have organised a range of school assemblies and fun days instead of Kensington Hall.  Along with receiving certificates students can enjoy ball ponds, circus sills, and other fun activities.

We have everything waiting, certificates, gowns etc

Is your graduation ceremony already booked, if not please get in touch with us soon.  Take pictures and send them to us so we can publicise WCU graduations 2021!

How does it feel to be back at school?

March 8^th all school children back at school!  Hurrah!

This is a great thing as all children should be allowed to be free to play, meet their friends and have fun!  That is a child’s right.  But at the same time some children may feel nervous or anxious after being stuck at home for so long without the normal routine.

Luckily children at Queens Park at other WCU schools are able to speak to their teachers and well-being staff about how they are feeling and these people can listen and help pupils get back to school.  If any parents or pupils feel nervous they should speak to a teacher or find out who the well-being officer is – we are always here to help

In the news

Meghan Markle is of mixed race heritage.  Her mother is an African American and her father is white.  Today many children in Britain have parents that come from different countries and cultures.  What do you think about this?  Is it good for the world to have people with a mixed background?  Why?

Eulina joined WCU a year ago in 2020.  Eulina had previously worked with older children so it was a bit of a shock to work with Primary school children, but she has simply loved the energy, creativity and enthusiasm of primary school children. 

Eulina works closely with Stella Wilson to create and organise social, cultural, sporting and educational activities for the young people who belong to the university.  Eulina believes that given the opportunity a child can do anything! She says, when she was young she had lots of teachers who told her she can do anything.  They said she can travel the world and go to amazing places like India and Australia.  They told her she would meet interesting people who had different life to her own, such as a Sherpa in Nepal or a monk in Vietnam.  Eulina took their advice, she did well at school and was able to do all these things and meet fantastic people. 

So, along with the rest of the WCU team Eulina wants to encourage young people, through WCU activities, to learn, question, explore have fun and to boldly go and do things they thought they could not do or go!

Eulina joined WCU a year ago in 2020.  Eulina had previously worked with older children so it was a bit of a shock to work with Primary school children, but she has simply loved the energy, creativity and enthusiasm of primary school children.