Event brings together fathers and sons

This weekend the Arc church in Forestgate held an event called 300 Men in One Place, aimed at fathers and sons.

I thought it would be a men-only do, but it turns out that women were allowed to attend as observers.

Although I did not go, I understand this Fathers day event was an interesting evening. There was music, food and a number of speakers.

Ray Lewis, London’s Deputy Mayor for Young People, gave a talk on why its important to have fathers around for their children. His father deserted him when he was young, so one can understand why this topic is close to his heart.

Lewis also slammed ‘extreme feminism’. I’m not sure how the ladies who attended as observers took this bit in though.

Any guarentee Olympics diggers are safe from more bombs?

Who would have guessed that folk in the Bow and Bethnal Green area were living above a huge (1,000kg or 2,200lb) bomb?

Certainly not me; and it’s unlikely that many construction workers did either – until one of them stumbled upon the massive World War 2 bomb?

The digger was clearing the site for the 2012 Olympics. The bomb was then denoted by the army.

But it doesn’t end there; according to the BBC, an army spokesman said it was “impossible” to say how many unexploded World War II bombs remained in London and that more could be discovered as construction work takes place in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

This, of course, is not good news for the construction workers who must now go to work with a barrel of bravado packed alongside their sandwiches and flasks.

But, seriously, how safe are these workers? Now that it is officially known that more bombs could be discovered as these men prepare the site for the big games, what is being done to prevent them stumbling across more lethal devices?

How about the 2012 Olympics committee donates a small share of its millions (erm ... billions?) to the army to work on a prevention strategy?

Romford traders cabbages and big screen woes?

There’s few dull momments at Romford market – noisy traders outdoing themselves as they holler prices, shoppers darting about and bustling for a bargain.

For traders and shoppers alike, there’s going to be more to look forward to with new plans to have a giant screen right in the market square.

Havering Council, who is behind the plan, says it’s part of its strategy to ‘re-energise the historical Market Place.’ Excuse my ignorance, but I’m a bit baffled by how a market place can be re-energised. Any explanations out there?

No doubt it means well. From what I gather, the screen will show big football games and top events, making the market place a shopping and cultural venue.

Some of these big screens, Havering Council says, can also allow members of the crowd to participate in interactive games and compete against people in other towns using the advanced technology. Impressive.

I’d like to know if these screens will be used for advertising. Will the Council invite companies to advertise their goods and services on these screens for a whopping fee?

The big screens may suddenly turn from being a terrific form of entertainment to a daylight horror for traders if Tesco advertises its cabbages for £1 when they are selling them for twice as much.

What’s life like for fathers who stay?

Some men chose to walk away from their children while others feel cirucmstances lead them to do so.

What happens to these fathers varies: some remarry and play a role in their chidlrens’ lives while committed elsewhere; others never look back and some may vanish only to reappear later on in life.

But what about those fathers who do stay?

Rikki Beadle-Blair’d play Familyman (pictured), currently showing at Theatre Royal in Stratford, shows that those who stay and help the mothers raise the children can face challenges, especially in the age of liberal parenting.

But regardless of the challenges, it is a fulfilling role – and the child stands to gain most out of it.

Today, many young people in the boroughs this side of town are brought up by single mothers, a difficult experience for both the children and the mothers, some of who have to do two jobs to provide for their family.

Growing up in the rough estates, some boys from such backgrounds are turning to gang leaders to play the father role in their lives.

As an article in the Voice shows, boys in these ends need fathers.

Safe buses, but what happens to the troublemakers caught?

Bus journeys are likely to be more bearable from now on, with the news that teams of hundreds of uniformed police will patrol London’s stations and routes to tackle crime and other anti-social behaviour.

The Met says 440 uniformed officers will be used to establish the new teams. Each team will be made up of one sergeant, one police constable and seven police community support officers. They will be supported by 1,600 special constables.

According to the BBC, there were 5,701 reports of crime on buses in 2007, compared to 3,666 the previous year.

I would like to think we’ll see some of the new teams at Barking, Stratford and, please please, Ilford.

At this stage it is unclear what will happen to the culprits that get up to no good on buses and trains. Will the police teams slap them with the normal on-the-spot fine or arrest and jail them, if necessary?

Already the Telegraph has put dampers on the latter prospect – it reports that for every 50 youngsters arrested for carrying a sharp knife, only one was jailed.

Now, if youngsters are let off for carrying knives, how much more for being rowdy or violent on a bus?

It has been said that if they are teenagers, they will lose their right to free travel. But how can that be effective when you get routes like the bendy bus 25, where commuters can get on and off without paying?

However, notwithstanding the hazy bits of this new development, it’s still a welcome move to know that we’ll have police on the trains and buses in these parts of town.

Happy riding!

Odd couple going interesting places

A friend of mine was at the Global Day or Prayer event yesterday. She tells me there was a special appearance of – surprise, surprise – Boris Johnson, London’s new mayor.

He told the estimated 25 000 Christians that he has appointed Ray Lewis of the Eastside Young Learning Academy as his deputy youth mayor.

Who is Ray Lewis? He is the man who believes he can change black boys in East London who are about to be expelled from school.

He founded the award-winning Newham-based organisation to help instill discipline in the boys and he encourages them to get academic qualifications.

At the onset, Ray and Boris do not appear to have anything in common: Ray was raised by a struggling single mother while Etonian Boris had a more comfortable and financially secure upbringing.

Whereas Ray was ordained a church minister, Boris has had a less pious history.

But several black boys have been killing each other in various parts of the city, East London included. The problem is so serious that it is demanding people of completely different backgrounds join hands and do something about it quickly.

In their joint effort, this odd couple will take each other to different places and different people – a mass prayer meeting today and who knows where tomorrow?

Booting out cyberbullying in our schools

If for anyone else, life may become more bearable for children in school playgrounds and classrooms with the launch this week of an anti-bullying pack.

The kit is designed by Tower Hamlets Council to equip schools in East London to tackle bullying.

It provides tips on how to spot bullying and what help can be given to those that are affected by it.

The concept is not new – most schools already have anti-bullying policies in place and teachers and prefects alike can usually spot it.

So why spend money on duplicating a policy and dishing it out as novel?

It could be because there are new forms of bullying that parents (or even chidlren themselves) are not aware are actually classified as bullying and can cause serious distress to victims.

Helen Jenner, the Service Head for Early Years Children and Learning at Tower Hamlets Council (whoa … what a long title!) says that: ‘New forms of bullying like cyber-bullying have emerged in recent years, and it’s important that schools know how to identify these problems and deal with them if they occur.’

Now what is this cyber bullying?

Like me, you may suspect is involves the internet. Correct.

The department for Children, Schools and Families defines it as:

“an aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself.”

This booklet will certainly teach mischievous children in our schools that making fun of someone on YouTube or bombarding them with nasty texts for the fun of it is not acceptable.