Upstairs the chic furnishings in the main dining room will include this fab conversation chair and private dining & function rooms can be reserved for corporate groups or friends and family to privately dine or watch their favourite TV program as a group!

Opening at the weekend (watch this space for more info), the gastro pub will serve rustic European seasonal food sourced from select quality farms and fish suppliers alongside an excellent real ale, craft beers and a fine wine selection. As well as pub favourites doors will open early for breakfast and a grab-and-go menu.

The now-renamed Railway (work in progress) – more pics here of the refurb work

The Fallow Deer vintage tea room has been open just over a week now and has been packing in locals curious to experience the 1940′s ambiance, breakfasts, brunches, lunches and sweet treats. Fresh, locally sourced produce is used to create different cakes daily, special dishes as well as traditional Victoria Sponge to accompany a proper good old cup of tea served in ornate china.

Greggs Bakers closed on the 1st of June, leaving this unit empty along with Dreams opposite. After the recent occupation by squatters, the landlord has now submitted plans to turn the office space above the ex-Bottoms Up into dwellings, leaving the retail unit available to let.

Moiduls restaurant might soon need a trophy cabinet to hold all of the awards won recently – in addition to Best of Richmond’s ‘Most loved businesses in town’, they have been proudly displaying awards for ‘Best Asian Restaurant in London 2012′, ‘Best South Asian Restaurant, London Suburbs’ and ‘BCA Caterer of the year 2012′.
Shambles have also recently won Employer of the Year Award 2013 for supporting local apprentices in Richmond upon Thames.

Recently granted planning permission, Halfords Autocentre in Teddington Business Park was opened by Vince Cable on the 7th of June and the business has already taken on two apprentice staff. Perkins Health replaced New Generation on Broad Street six months ago and now have new signage to show the new name – they offer beauty, slimming and health services.

Retro have produced this fabulous video with head chef and Vincent waxing lyrical about what makes their food and ambience so special and how their general philosophy is quite simple – ‘fun’! Food at Retro is unique, seasonal, traditional french cuisine with a modern twist and on the last Tuesday of every month high-profile jazz musicians from Ronnie Scotts play at their jazz nights and the West End visits the this part of South West London.
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The fight against the proposed Sainsbury’s at the Calligaris site is still continuing, Richmond Council have pushed the date for this committee hearing until possibly the 11th or 25 of July. In a separate case also in the Conservation Area, Richmond Council have acted to enforce planning regulations, asking owners of Canta Napoli to restore the previous shop-front to the building of townscape merit before the end of June or face a fine of £10,000, potentially threatening the survival of this businesses.

On Saturday the 15th of June 2013, a ‘Pop Up Emporium’ will feature local makers, bakers ‘Pop Up Emporium craft fair with a wide range of carefully sourced goods from local makers, bakers and designers with some vintage and pre-loved items too. If you wish to exhibit then there are stalls available – contact Marina via mischiefnmayem@hotmal.co.uk.

Teddington Village Fair returns this year but with a fresh makeover. Teddington Lions who ran previous fairs have now disbanded but are still helping out the Teddington Society who have taken up the challenge to give this popular day a fresh reboot. In aid of local charities, along with Dexters-sponsored drinks tent, rides, gifts & goodies, shop, charity and information stalls there will more involvement from local businesses and due to generous local sponsors.

Scarabeus and Little Angel aerial theatre will be performing a spectacular aerial theatre & puppetry on wires above the ground (great for the little ones). Be sure to attend this family fair on 16th of June 12-5pm and as it’s also Father’s Day, combine with a dinner somewhere nice like the Wharf that has a special Father’s Day set menu.

Budding rocket scientists will be pleased that it’s not long now until the NPL Water Rocket Challenge – water powered rockets will be soaring over Bushy House grounds on Wednesday 19th June (spectators welcome) – schools event at 1pm and open competition from 6pm.

The weekend of 22nd/23rd of June is pretty jam-packed! In addition to the Playwam summer party on Saturday at Homehead Care Home Gardnens, Teddington-based artists will be opening their doors to the public as part of the borough’s ArtHouse Open Studios and the Landmark Arts Centre will see the return of the Midsummer Art Fair for contemporary visual art all weekend.

Following on from the popular Watersports Open Day for rowing clubs at Trowlock Way, on Saturday 22nd June Tamesis Club are hosting an open day where you can have a go at sailing on the Thames or just visit to relax on the lawn (with a spot of badminton) or clubhouse, 11:30 till 5pm with BBQ at 1pm.

This month’s jazz night at The Retro is on 25th June and include a smooth blend of jazz guitarist Nick Page and the usual quality food and drink! On Thursday 27th Jun Shambles will be hosting a ‘meet the author’ session with local comedian Viv Groskop, author of new book “I laughed, I cried” from 8pm.

The Dead Parrot Society comedy night returns on the 28th of June – £10 will guarantee a thorough rib-tickling from over half a dozen talented stand-up comedians at the Royal Oak.

Along with Hampton Wick Station and the Park Hotel, Teddington station celebrates it’s 150th anniversary this year! On Sunday 30th Jun 2013 there will be celebrations to commemorate the event including a model steam railway and history exhibition & memorabillia at St John’s Ambulance hall, pony rides, unveiling of a plaque by Vince Cable at 12pm and guided history walks of Teddington in the afternoon. Also nearby The Park Hotel will be helping the celebrations by hosting a Family Fun Day including facepainting, ice-cream, bouncy castle, cake stall, BBQ and prizes!

There’s much more happening in June and over the summer months – check out the Events page for full listings.

Organised by the Teddington Society, the event has been going strong since 1973 and is not to be confused with Richmond Borough In Bloom which will be judged seperately. Map of the gardens is below or download the printable list.

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Hundreds will take this rare opportunity to visit the much-loved and well-pruned gardens around Teddington on the day whilst raising funds community gardening projects at Strawberry Hill House and Bushy Park. Refreshments and plants will be for sale in some gardens, entrance fee of 50p per garden.

The Teddington Bells will be ringing at St. Mary with St. Alban Church (Ferry Road) 2-2:30pm and 3-3:30pm. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation there will be a Festival Choral Evensong at 6.30pm after which The Bishop of Kensington will dedicate the 3 pairs of new Jubilee Doors. Councillor Clare Head will be touring gardens from 3:30-6pm and then also attending the dedication service for the new Church doors.

There have been two incidents already in Bushy Park where dog walkers have been charged by deer and unfortunately one in Richmond Park that led to a dog being trampled to death.

Royal Parks always remind park users that although deer are mostly very docile during other times of the year, during birthing (May-July) and rutting seasons (September-October) they behave very differently. Royal Parks now advise that dogs are walked outside of the park during these times.

General advice to park users is to always keep 50 metres away from deer, in addition, dog-walkers should keep a much longer distance even when dogs are on the lead and well-behaved. If a dog is charged, its best chance of escaping unharmed is actually to drop the lead so it can run away to safety.

Up to 10 successful candidates, whilst receiving in-house training for BTEC in Applied Science and NVQ in Laboratory Associated Techniques will assist in designing and building experiments, running tests, taking measurements analysing results, producing reports and presentations from this process.

This is not a graduate scheme, closing date for applications is 3rd June 2013  28th June 2013. The successful candidates could start work as soon as July and be part of a close-knit professional team, working alongside world leading scientists and laboratory technicians.

You can find more details and apply online here – telling the NPL why would like to be considered for an apprenticeship in 500 words.

Notices from the occupiers in the window state that “This is not a ‘residential’ building within the meaning of section 144, legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders Act 2012 because it was NOT designed or adapted, before the time of our entry, for use as a place to live.

The provisions of section 144 are therefore not applicable to this building or to our occupation of it… we live in this property, it is ours and we intend to stay here.” Full text here.

Solicitors acting on behalf of Marcus King, managing agents for the building, have begun action to evict the squatters.

Squatting is only a criminal offence if in a residential building. In commercial ones, this is a civil matter that the owner is responsible for, although police will assist any home owners or landlords by attending any eviction if a court is obtained.

[Update 21/05/2013] A notice has been posted for a hearing court date on the 30th of May.

[Update 23/05/2013] The Bottoms Up unit was today secured overlooked by PCSOs – new secure doors and shutters have been installed. Squatters continue to occupy the offices above.

[Update 25/05/2013] Approximately 30 police officers with body armour and police dogs attended the squat this morning just before 6am following an incident on Friday night. The back door that squatters were using to enter the offices is now boarded up and ‘occupied’ posters have been removed. Neighbours had reported a loud party on Friday that lasted until 2:30am on the roof terrace.

Park Lane Stables pony rides (with Build-A-Bear)

The parade itself will start at approximately 12:30pm from Teddington Gate, heading up towards Diana Fountain where a huge gathering of stalls and attractions will be available near the children’s playground throughout the day.

• Traditional Fairground ‘Galloper’ Carousel plus other rides and stalls
• Arena displays, showing historical military re-enactments and riding displays
• 50s – 60s Band
• Historical re-enactment groups from the Ancient Greeks and Vikings, English Civil War, WW1 though to the Gulf War
• Military Vehicle camp and stationary vehicle display reflecting Bushy Park’s wartime history
• Classic cars, motorcycles and cycles
• St. John Ambulance and Police information and advice
• Displays about Bushy Park’s wildlife and history, Pony rides, Lift up a tree, The Friends of Bushy and Home Parks, The Horse Rangers Association, Sports Clubs, NPL, etc.
• A number of local charities’ information stands and fund-raising activities
• Refreshment kiosks

The parade include Claire Lomas, the paralysed London Marathon walker, who is part way through cycling 400 miles around the UK on her special hand-bike. It will will also feature :

• Historical Re-enactors
• The Horse Rangers’ Band
• Veteran and Companion Cycles
• Classic Cars
• Motorcycles and Military Vehicles
• City of London Police Horses

Chestnut Avenue will be closed to through traffic from 12.15pm to 1.30pm on the day in order to allow the parade. The car parks will also be closed to entry and exit during this period.

At an awards ceremony this week there were five finalists who were chosen because they had shown excellence in all areas across the retail spectrum over the last year, including range of gift, product knowledge, customer service, shop environment, marking and display.

The Loft were extremely pleased and honoured to walk home with the trophy for winning Independent Gift Retailer of the Year for London! The trophy will now take pride of place in their window display.

Staff at a In-toto are enjoying a double celebration this month after reaching two impressive milestones.

The In-toto Kitchens Teddington showroom, run by husband and wife team Paul and Louise Wheeler, is now 25 years old after setting up in The Causeway in 1988 and is one of 45 successful In-toto franchises across the country. To prove the quality and experience provided by the Teddington team, celebrations are also underway for kitchen designer Greg Varney, who has recently created his 1,000th kitchen!

In-toto Teddington’s Paul Wheeler (left) and designer Greg Varney (right)

Mr Varney, who has been working in the industry for nearly 30 years, is now seeing some customers return to him for a second kitchen design having been so impressed with their first experience of In-toto.

Early methods used to design kitchens used to involved moving pieces around on a magnetic board, but kitchen designs are thankfully all computerised now! The fitting team can also project manage kitchen installations and related building work.

Firemen just before 6pm told a crowd of onlookers that the fire couldn’t be controlled by initial efforts so hoses were being prepared to supply water from outside of the park.

Hoses from several fire engines were connected to cover the distance of just under half a mile from the water main in Park Road/Sandy Lane.

Billowing smoke could be seen behind the fence surrounding the storage area at the back of the Pheasantry Cafe – a bank of built up material containing tree stumps looked to be the source.

Initially ramps were put over the hoses in Park Lane to allow cars to pass, buses were stopped and passengers had to disembark. Cars were then also asked to turn around and find alternative routes. Chestnut Avenue was closed from the Teddington end but cars were allowed to leave via the Hampton Court Gate which was still open to allow cars in and out of Diana Fountain car park.

[Update] TFL reported that the road was re-opened by 8:35pm. The fire was 100 tonnes of peat that caught alight from a “controlled fire”.

This work will form part of the Parks Improvement Plan II which aims to improve parks and open spaces across the borough. This work and consultation has been driven directly from the results of the All-In-One survey where locals were asked what they like best about their local area – with open spaces and parks being the top answer.

Click here for more details on the proposals

The current Elmfield Garden design is 30 years old and based on Hidcote, Lawrence Johnston’s famous garden in Gloucestershire. Depending on feedback, updated plans could see grass mounds levelled, additional trees, picnic tables, benches, flowering areas and bike stands.

The Jubilee Gardens design was based on a woodland and trees planted here have grown to the point that too much shade was preventing planting underneath – now stripped back and waiting for confirmation of final plans. The seating area could be extended and include new planting. You can add your feedback for either scheme via this online survey by the 3rd of May 2013.

Heathrow likely Easterly departure routes with a 3rd runway

From its humble beginnings in the 1940′s when a small airfield near a small hamlet “Heath Row” was earmarked for a larger airport, combining military and civilian flights. The risk of landing into the prevailing wind (flying westwards) over such a large city was justified at this location because it was linked to an ideal spot to cater for long-range troop-carrying planes, so war-time powers were used to requisition the land.

Heathrow is now one of the world’s biggest and busiest airports but studies have shown that more capacity is needed in the South of England to keep up with demand. On Saturday, 27th April thousands attended a cross-party rally held to protest the potential West London expansion.

Plane spotted taking off over Teddington, a common sight when the prevailing wind direction changes (approx third of the time)

Richmond Council seeks to involve local people in decision-making in the development of ideas and issues that affect the borough and they are asking that voices “Be Heard” on the potential expansion of Heathrow Airport with the borough’s first local referendum. If you missed the ‘Have Your Say’ information stand on Broad Street, there will be a further one at Chestnut Sunday on the 12th of May – the deadline for this vote is 16th May.

Last week every eligible voter in the borough should have received a ballot card with instructions on how to vote on this issue by post or online. There are facts and estimates concerning the proposals online for you to consider before you vote and you can request a lost or missing ballot card by Thursday 2nd May.