Whoever thinks today’s kids aren’t interested in books were proved wrong this summer by the hundreds of Hackney children who took part in The Reading Agency’s national reading challenge – The Reading Voyage – at their local libraries. During the holidays, children aged 4-12 have been reading up to six books, talking about them with library staff and collecting stickers for an achievement folder.

At the end of the challenge each child received a certificate or medal, with some 320 excited, enthusiastic readers attending a borough-wide awards party at Stoke Newington Library’s Gallery in Edwards Lane on 2 September, where they were entertained by celebrated children’s poet and author, local resident Michael Rosen.

Stoke Newington Business Association formed March 2005, is holding a Public General Meeting at the Old Fire Station, Leswin Road on Tuesday 1 November @ 7.30 pm, entrance free. Find out about what SNBA can do for the business community of Stoke Newington. New members welcome. For more information telephone 0870 777 SNBA (7622) or email info@stokenewington.org.uk .

Welcome to TimeLine, a new, free monthly magazine for Stoke Newington, devoted to the area’s local past and present history. ‘The plan is to use it to connect people to each other in the spirit of the old borough motto Respice Prospice’, says editor and publisher Camilla Loewe, ‘by encouraging people of all ages to explore the area and learn about the lives of past and current residents.’ With funding from UnLtd, which awards millennium funds to social entrepreneurs, and sponsorship from local traders, the start of term saw issue 3 distributed to the area’s primary schools. Also available from Hackney libraries, the Museum and some Church Street shops, the magazine has a growing club of young History Detectives keen to discover, as Camilla puts it, ‘stories of extraordinary people in an extraordinary place’. TimeLine, PO Box 44684, N16 0XY and ebones@blueyonder.co.uk.

New shops in Church Street include McGeko which stocks an intriguing and eclectic range of Indonesian arts, crafts and furniture, and Born, where Totem used to be, which looks like a haven for all local young mums. Both will be reviewed in our next issue.

London’s first ever accessible and innovative ‘Mile of Art’, with up to 500 talented artists exhibiting along this straight trail through Broadway Market and London Fields between Hackney City Farm, Goldsmiths Row, and the Hackney Empire, takes place on Sunday 2 October.

Consisting of a wide selection of fine artwork by new and established artists and designers, this event will include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, printmaking and textiles etc, and it will provide an opportunity to meet the artists.
While most of the art will be for sale, to visit the Mile of Art is free, and will be a day out for you and your family to enjoy the unexpected beauty and character of this once infamous pocket of east London. At 12.30 pm the Mile of Art will be officially opened by Hackney’s own Patrick Hughes, who is famous for his ‘Multiples’ from the third dimension. Other VIPs will be enjoying the day as honoured guests. For information visit www.broadwaymarket.co.uk.

The award - winning Stoke Newington Bookshop is promoting a month of author events at the shop during October. Authors attending include Jenny Éclair, Anthony Adolph, Travis Elborough, Aggie Mackenzie, Justine Picardie, Iain Sinclair, Michael Rosen, and Peter Moore. There is also a special children’s event on the 20th of the month, with Sally Gardiner. Expand your cultural horizons and join in the activities at your local bookshop. Full details appear on page 9 of this issue.

Due to the success of the last N16 Fringe (see previous two pages), we are intending to promote a mini ‘Fringe at Christmas’ weekend to be held at three venues in Stoke Newington between 9-11 December. Further information will be posted on our website www.n16fringe.co.uk in early November. Be there or be square.

What is happening at Clissold Leisure Centre? As a member of the Clissold Leisure Centre’s Users’ Group, a diverse and committed group of people giving up our evenings to try to ensure that improvements and repairs that are planned benefit everyone, I should be able to tell you all about it, shouldn’t I? Sadly, I know no more than you, dear reader.

We have been told that, in addition to ‘repairs’ there are plans to spend a further £1.2million on ‘improvements’ such as the removal of the ‘excuse for a flume’ to create an introduction to swimming area. There will also be improvements to the changing rooms but we understand that this is also the subject of some further controversy. Seating in the training pool will have to be around the new, safer, pool-deck. The idea of a balcony for pool-viewing has been rejected. In my opinion this is pitiful and unsustainable and will lead to all sorts of filth from street-shoes on the poolside being washed into the pool in
which we and our children swim.

LBH expect these works to cost £6.3million and get Clissold reopened – for that you could buy a nice new little leisure centre! We have haven’t been shown any drawings or plans but we have met with the contractor’s clerk of works who had an impressive CV and inspired confidence. If I am absolutely honest, I don’t feel able to report any action that I have taken at the meetings that has advanced the case for local people or even the members of our swimming club yet.

I was on holiday and unable to attend the last meeting but it spent time discussing a disability report and trying to sort out the terms of reference for the group itself. Quite why every group that Hackney creates has to spend so much time reinventing the wheel and sorting out its terms of reference after its creation instead of performing its duties floors me, but the rules will govern the group after the centre re-opens.

Up to now, one of the problems for everyone involved has been the often repeated phrase, ‘due to legal action in progress’. As, I think, all disputes have been resolved this should no longer get in the way and we can get some information. In addition, new plans for the Lido in London Fields (that we have also not been shown), a consultation on
re-opening Haggerston Pool, the lack of a swimming strategy for the borough and staff re-organisations within LBH all mean that that it is very hard to get any information or
to see where we are headed with leisure facilities and the promotion of sport in the borough.

On what I see as a very positive note, the council has dispensed with the services of Leisure Connection who they misguidedly contracted in 2002, under a secret agreement, to manage many of the borough’s sports facilities for 15 years. This must have been an expensive divorce but I think it should mean a better service for all of us and be a new start for our ageing facilities. I feel a change-over to Greenwich Leisure for 18 months while a contract is developed can only be good for users and the shell-shocked staff, and LBH must be congratulated for biting the bullet on this one. The LBH council staff involved in this project that I have met with inspire confidence in a way that I can’t remember for many years but, of course, we will all have to wait a little longer to see some results before we give our final verdict. There is a sporting event planned down the road in about seven years that we can soon start working towards!