Classroom Chaos

A STAGGERING £1,300 from pie flinging and classroom mayhem was raised by pupils for charity.

Bizarre mini-events including student leg waxing competitions and mixed netball played by boys dressed in PE skirts and girls sporting oversized boxers, took place at Kingsbury High School, Princess Ave, Kingsbury, on Friday.

The event was organised by sixth form students at the school for local charities St.Luke’s Hospice and Grove Park Special Needs School, as pupils donated cash to either join or watch the playful antics.

A ‘pie-a-teacher’ auction was voted being the most entertaining event, as pupils got their revenge on teachers by smearing whipped cream on their face.

Mr Atul Patel, 36, Head of Faculty for Business & Social Services, managed to attract the highest bids collecting £20.

He said “Today is all about letting your hair down and not forgetting that it’s all for a worthy cause.”

For further information on KHS, visit http://www.kingsburyhigh.org.uk/index.phppage=/home.html

Attack by Eggs

TWO youths speeding along Kingsbury Road on Tuesday afternoon pelted eggs at a dog and his owner, for their own amusement.
Jason Leigh, 25, was covered in the sticky substance whilst walking his Labrador on the pathway opposite Kingsbury Park, when hit by eggs chucked by the pranksters who sped off in a black Volkswagen Golf.
Both were unharmed but Mr. Leigh was startled by the flying objects saying “It could have been stones or bricks, which could have turned into a more serious situation.”

Festival Brightens All

HUNDREDS of Hindu Bengalis headed to Wembley last Friday, to celebrate the festival of lights Diwali.

Devotees were in high spirits at Dennis Jackson Hall, but some were dissatisfied that this symbolic event is only established in two London venues, Camden and Wembley.

This means many travelled for miles through heavy traffic to see a glimpse of this marvel.

Camden holds a vibrant parade for this religious occasion attracting huge crowds. However Wembley is following close behind struggling to fit numbers in its small building.

Priest Nirmal Murkherjee said: “The turnout is always massive, and we only have a small hall. I’ve been doing this for 20 years at the same place, and visitors are always increasing each year. We need a larger location”.

Despite the congestion, the event was bustling with repetitive tribal chanting and lengthy conch playing welcoming all different religions to revel in the delights of the ceremony.

Damien Leeson, 28, from Coventry said: “I love the atmosphere because it’s so different and everyone respects each other’s beliefs”.

In Bengali culture Hindus worship their native goddess Kali Ma during Diwali, which represents the joyful reunion of gods Rama and Sita after villain Ravana holds Sita captive for 14 years.

Halls are hired to pay homage to Kali Ma as meat is served for its holy food offering which is strictly forbidden in Hindu temples.

For further information visit http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/diwali_feature/

and http://www.goddess.ws/kali.html

Gas Alarm in School

GAS leakage forced a disabled school in Kingsbury to close down, when builders failed to spot its location.

Workmen mistakenly broke an underground water pipe connecting to Hay Lane Special Needs School, whilst building a new sixth form for the disadvantaged last Wednesday afternoon.

This affected the running of hot water not being available, an essential need for the school which caters for mental and physically impaired children between the ages of 4yrs to 18yrs.

Staff raised the alarm when they smelt gas in the corridors of the fifty-room building and notified the head teacher promptly who took immediate action by informing the builders to switch the gas mains off.

Headmistress Jenny Drake, 50, said: “Once the water supplies had stopped, I realised it must have been caused by the builders. Fortunately no-one was affected by the gas”.

Builders had been working for four months constructing a sixth form college joining Hay Lane Special Needs and neighbouring Grove Park School, on a massive field located behind the two disabled institutions.

They initially tried to locate the gas leak but it was impossible and decided after two days to renew the damaged pipes as the only appropriate solution.

Construction deputy manager Rob Reeson, 36, from Kenton said: “Usually it’s common that pipes burst on a building site. We always try to be safe and in this case we made a small blunder”.

Builders say a further two week’s work on the pipes is needed until the students can safely return to resume everyday activities.

Classroom assistant Jackie Smith, 28, from Kenton said: “Our main priority is the safety of the children and they were not at risk”.

The recent development of the new college is funded by Brent Council and is expected to be completed by the end of May 2008.

A Challenging Speech

ACCLAIMED journalist Sarfraz Manzoor enthralled an audience with a daring speech on race diversity, last Tuesday.

The 36-year old guardian columnist tackled controversial questions on second generation Muslims living in Britain from members at Brunel University, as part of their ‘One World Week’ event.

His comments stimulated plenty of questions from the responsive group on why various race relations are divided, which met with a positive debate.

Manzoor took time out from his busy schedule to relish the opportunity in attending ‘One World Week’, an annual event held at the university for people from diverse backgrounds to integrate and learn about other cultures.

On his view on British-Asian Muslims, Manzoor remained impartial and said: “Some second generation Muslims should branch out more, because in effect they can be pigeon-holed in the background”.

However he defended his opinion by adding: “Perhaps there may be a greater fear of bringing people together after the 9/11 attacks, which dominates their fears of pushing themselves forward”.

Despite the journalist’s forthright comments triggering an intense argument, his challenging views inspired ideas from the group.

One audience member, wanting to remain anonymous, responded: “We need to look forward, not back, and talk about race issues. You can’t have progression in society if everything is boxed-up”.

The discussion generated a positive feedback from students and staff members who attended and approved of the journalist’s approach to raise the importance of sensitive topics.

Third Year Social and Political student Raizia Quereshi, 22, said: “Everyone is entitled to a liberal response and should take a risk on it.”

For further information on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, visit his website:

http://www.sarfrazmanzoor.co.uk/

and news on Brunel's one world week:

www.brunel.ac.uk/news/events/cdata/oneworldweek2007

Supermarket Attack

A TERRIFIED man escaped from serious injuries after a youth attacked him at a supermarket car park in Colindale, on Monday night.

Student Rob Clement, 22, was left with a bruised arm and swollen neck after being hurled across the concrete ground by the youngster, when refusing to purchase alcohol for him from Asda.

His injuries could have been far worse had he not protected his face with his hands when he hit the floor by the sudden blow.

The incident happened as the London business student was walking unaccompanied from the car park towards the cash machines, inserted outside the walls of the shopping store, when the youth suddenly pounced on him.

Mr. Clement, still recovering from shock said: “He came out of nowhere. I was on my own and he must have seen me walking towards the cash machines. That’s when he got his chance”.

The attacker, who is thought to be in his early teens, 5ft 6, and wearing a grey Nike hooded top, became abusive when Mr. Clement persistently rejected his offer to buy four cans of Budweiser for him.

Although politely answering no for the third time, the youth lost his temper and took a massive swipe at him before he fled.

Employees and customers from the 24 hour open Asda store were alarmed by the sudden attack, leaving many frightened to enter the usually busy car park alone.

Part-time photo assistant, Shezad Parker, 19, said: “There are kids roaming around everywhere. It’s not safe to walk out the door nowadays because you just don’t know what will happen”.

Police are treating this as an unprovoked attack and are appealing to any witnesses to come forward by calling 0208 757 348 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A Touch of France

BAGUETTUES and fine wine invaded Watford this afternoon, as the French Market mesmerised buyers with a lavish display of home-grown products.

With 30 various stalls set up of French delicacies presenting 50 kinds of cheese, ham, olives and wine from separate cities in France, customers saved a plane fare to relish these mouth-watering traditional items.

Market assistant Piers Sontaine, 43, from Paris, said: “It’s a great novelty for us to bring our home-grown products here and show the British what authentic quality French food is, not like the supermarket brands.”