MARCH CHARITY FUNDRAISING AT THE URC

Saturday 6th March 

• Coffee Morning with Coin Mountain 10am to 12 noon. 
  Chat over a cuppa, buy some home-made cakes and bring your spare coins to add to the mountain. 
• URC Quiz Night Doors open 7.30pm for an 8pm start. 
  £8 a head, including fish / sausage / chicken and chips or a veggie option. 
  Bring your own drinks and nibbles.  Teams of up to six people (come as a team, or we can group you together on the night).  Entries due officially by 1st March but contact Kate or Jeremy Day on 01895 673446 or Kate1Day@aol.com to see if there are places left. 

Saturday 27th March

• Jumble Sale 10am to 12 noon
  Admission FREE  (NB change of date from that previously advertised)
  Please bring items to donate to the Church Hall on Friday 26th March, 4pm – 7pm, or phone Richard Piper on 01895 634348 if you need them to be picked up.

 

BRIAN’S ON THE CASE!

The local Ickenham Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) has a new leader and he’s a man determined to lead by example.  Following Steve Manuel’s long and loyal stint, Brian Walters has taken over the mantle of Chairman of Ickenham’s quarterly NHW Coordinators meetings. 

Brian, who lives in Swakeleys Road, is an ex-policeman who knows the district and its people inside-out.  He’s tackling his new role with great zest and has already been instrumental in helping to solve crimes in Ickenham, working closely with Ickenham’s Safer Neighbourhood Team (Police Sergeant Dougie Noble in particular). 

Like Ken MacGregor, who coordinates NHW throughout the borough, Brian is a great believer in the scheme.  Brian and Ken’s ambition is to get every road in Ickenham to join in.  So if your road isn’t already a Watch member and you think it makes sense, contact the NHW office on 0208 246 1869 or email all@hillingdonnhw.com.  They can also advise about whom to contact regarding security of your property, alarms, etc. 

Other useful numbers to note: dial 999 (if you are witnessing a crime in progress) or dial 0300 123 1212 (in order to report suspicious occurrences).  Brian himself can be contacted at bw014i 7079@blueyonder.co.uk.

 

HILLINGDON CHORAL SOCIETY  AND ORCHESTRA Leader Kate Turner Conductor Peter J Williams Saturday 13th March at 7.30pm St Paul’s Church, Thurlestone Road Ruislip Manor Requiem ~ Rutter Gloria ~ Vivaldi Soloists: Alison Renvoize (Mezzo Soprano) Lynne Hirst and Anna-Louise Costello (Sopranos) Tickets £10 (Children £3) from Pro Music International, Ickenham or 01895 674223 / 020 8582 0931 www.hillingdonchoralsociety.org.uk (A donation supporter of ICN)

 

 

Readers of February’s ICN may have thought that our Ickenham Hall was unique but, until 1963, there were two – the other being a railway locomotive!  Great Western Railways had a policy of naming their engines and, in the thirties, when introducing a new design, they hit upon the notion of calling them after existing buildings with the name ‘Hall’. 

The first of the line was named Adderley Hall (Engine No. 4901) and there was an Albert Hall (No 4983) but as more and more were produced, they had to search further afield among smaller buildings for suitable names.  Designed by Charles Collett, a total of 259 ‘Halls’ were eventually produced at Swindon. 

Ickenham Hall (No. 5944), like its siblings, was a Class 4-6-0, which means it had a four wheeled bogey at the front, six big driving wheels and no trailing wheels.  It was built in March 1935, spent most of its service in the West Country, and was withdrawn in April 1963.  Regrettably, it was subsequently scrapped. 

The heading above is a photograph of the original nameplate, now adorning the wall of a front room somewhere in Hillingdon.  The owner paid £20 for it, but such is the popularity of railway memorabilia, he believes it could today be worth up to £10,000.  He’d never part with it though!