West Ham fans and the East end

Last night I dashed off to a shop in Upton Park only to find it was closed. As ususal, the traffic on Green Street was something else. The many West Ham fans who spilled onto the narrow pavement didn’t help matters.

But I can’t complain … West Ham is very much a part of East London, as seen on this clip above made by a fan.

Acting the part

And now, time for some serious play. Budding actors are being offered the chance to get cracking on their talent with the help of profressionals.

Hackney Empire is running a free perfomance workshop for teenagers who want to bring out their best in different aspects of performance and theatre. At the end of the week, they will perform in a show in front of an audience.

Call 0208 510 4507 to be part of the action.

Just how safe are Ilford’s streets?

It's getting more dangerous to walk around Ilford at night – some have said even in the afternoon one needs to be careful.

The place is the bedrock of Redbridge, with its busy shopping mall, banks and several companies operating from here. It also has several pubs and bars, and it was just outside one such joint, the Blue Ice bar, that a man was shot.

This week the police said they are offering a reward of £20 000 for imformation leading to the arrest of the person who murdered Syed Mehdi (pictured).

It is believed the suspect, described as a black male, approached Syed on foot before firing shots from a handgun. He made off in a direction unknown.

I lived in Ilford a while ago; back then you could walk around at night and not expect anything dangerous.

I did not mention that the area also has a large police station? I’d like to think the officers are working on making Ilford as safe as it used to be – or almost.

Parents of poor kids not getting work

Almost half the children livng in parts of East London come from families where the parents are not in a job and are living on benefits.

According to the recently published End Child Poverty report, areas like Bethnal Green, Bow and Barking rank high on the London list. The impact for the children is that many of them have a grim chidlhood.

There is a possibility that these children, in addition to the difficulties they face in their young lives, may grow up with no role models to inspire them to get out of the gutter and get a good job.

As to why these parents are not in a job is another matter, but I don’t think their situation will change anytime soon.