HUNDREDS of balloons were released to mark the official opening of City of Westminster College's Paddington campus.

They were released from the top of the atrium in the £102million building, which opened to students last September, in a ceremony attended by staff, governors, students and Lord Victor Adebowale CBE.

Lord Adebowale, chief executive of social enterprise Turning Point, unveiled the plaque last Thursday and was taken on a tour of the campus, which has open plan teaching areas, specialist workshops, laboratories and studios, a sports hall and theatre.

AN ARTIST who popularised the modern-day limerick is the latest to be person honoured with a green plaque in Westminster.

Edward Lear lived at 15 Stratford Place between 1853 and 1869 and called his poems 'nonsense ryhmes' that often began with the phrase 'there was an old man from' and were hugely popular with Victorian children.

His plaque was unveiled at his former Westminster home on Saturday (12/5) - the day that would have been his 200th birthday - as part of the council's Green Plaques Scheme commemorating buildings associated with people who made lasting contributions to society.

Councillor Robert Davis, council deputy leader, tried his hand at a limerick as he payed tribute to Lear this week.

He said: "Edward Lear was one of the finest artists of his generation and anyone who has ever raised a smile to a cheeky limerick has Lear to thank for his creativity in popularising the poem.

"He travelled extensively and worked all over the UK and Europe, but it is here at Stratford Place in which he spent most of his time in London.

"It is fitting that we pay tribute to him today on what would have been his 200th birthday and mark his contribution. Or as Lear himself might have said: 'There once was a man named Lear, who lived in a spot close to here. This plaque unveiled today, is a fitting way, to pay tribute on his two hundredth year.'"

Lear was born in Holloway and released his first publication 'Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots' at the age of 19 in 1832 and travelled Europe writing several books, including Sketches of Rome (1842) and Illustrated Excursions in Italy (1846).

His limerick collections include A Book of Nonsense (1846), Botany and Alphabets (1870) and Laughable Lyrics (1876) and his bicentenary is being celebrated with exhibitions and lectures across the world.

And he becomes the 97th person to honoured with a plaque in the borough and joins an illustrious list that include Oscar Wilde, TS Eliot, Jane Austen and the Bee Gees.

POLICE were out in force in Trafalgar Square as they continue their crackdown on crime in the West End.

Thirty-two Mounted Branch officers and horses joined beat officers for a street briefing last Friday (11/5) as part of Operation Trafalgar.

It was a visible reminder of their campaign to reduce anti-social behaviour at the weekend with up to 400 extra officers deployed in the area on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

Oxford Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Soho and Picadilly are some of the hotspots that will be targeted during the campaign.

THE first newly-built theatre in central London for 30 years will open in Victoria in September.

St James Theatre has risen from the site of the former Westminster Theatre, in Palace Street, after millions of pounds of private investment helped transform it into a new centre.

Designed by Foster Wilson Architects, it will include a 312-seat theatre, and a studio space to hold comedy nights and live music including jazz and cabaret, with the first performance scheduled for September 25.

"St James Theatre will be a vibrant addition to the London cultural scene offering an unusual location for conferences and special events, with the bar and brasserie open for all-day dining," a spokesman said.

"Additionally the theatre has been fitted with state-of-the-art multi-media broadcast facilities which will be used to broadcast performances on the venues own BSkyB satellite TV channel."

The first season, produced by artistic director David Gilmore and his assistant James Albrecht, will be announced next month.

To find out more visit www.stjamestheatre.co.uk.

EXTRA money is to be spent tackling domestic abuse and offering support and advice to victims in Westminster.

Westminster City Council has declared the issue as one of its key priorities this year and increased funding from £450,000 to £600,000 to launch a number of new initiatives.

The new strategy, called Breaking the Silence, will target all forms of domestic violence from psychological abuse and violence to honour-based violence and genital mutilation while covering both male and female victims.

Councillor Nickie Aiken, council children, young people and community protection leader, said: "Domestic abuse is often, by its very nature, a hidden problem that can take many different forms including emotional abuse as well as physical violence. Figures also show that domestic abuse is a common thread running through up to 80% of the UK's troubled families and is also a regular factor in young people's involvement in gangs and serious youth violence.

"Abuse in the home is one of the hardest issues to talk about and it often takes tremendous courage for victims to come forward, seek support, and talk about their experiences. But we want to reassure women, men and young people in the Westminster community who have suffered or witnessed abuse that we are ready to listen, and will do everything we can to ensure this important step is safe and as easy as possible."

The council will work with the police, health service and community groups to roll out the new scheme.

It will include a new domestic violence court in Westminster, to be launched in July, with alternative entrances for victims in order to protect their safety and identify and extra training for Westminster Domestic Violence Forum workers.

New domestic violence surgeries will also be rolled out to provide a one-stop service for victims and a befriending service will be created to link survivors able to offer advice to current victims.

A greater emphasis will also be put on GP referrals and expanding outreach work throughout the community.

"I am pleased Westminster is able to raise the bar nationally by shining a light on this vital issue and channelling extra funds into our prevention and intervention work, but it's also important to highlight the importance of more sustainable funding to take this work forward," added Ms Aiken.

"I urge Whitehall and the Mayor of London to lock in a longer term funding commitment to help local authorities better tackle domestic abuse in their communities."

AN OFF-duty Westminster police officer was killed in a road traffic collision in south London.

Inspector Preston Gurr was returning home from night duty in the borough when his red Honda motorcycle was involved in a crash with a silver Mercedes C180.

The incident happened just before 7.30am on Saturday, April 28, in Mitcham.

Mr Gurr came off the Honda, sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Mercedes stopped at the scene but was not arrested.

Mr Gurr, whose brother also serves with the Metropolitan Police, is survived by wife Debbie and children Aidan and Kym.

Officers from the Road Death Investigation Unit at Hampton Traffic Garage continue to investigate.

l Did you know Inspector Gurr? Email your tributes to gregburns@trinitysouth.co.uk.

RESIDENTS took to the polls last week to vote in their new Hyde Park ward councillor last Thursday.

Conservative candidate Antonia Cox won the seat by a landslide with 1,448 votes with second-placed Labour hopeful Jack Gordon receiving 563 votes.

She replaces ex-Westminster Council leader Colin Barrow who stepped down from his post earlier this year to spark a by-election.

The election took place on the same day Londoners took to the ballot box to vote for the Mayor of London with Boris Johnson winning a second-term at City Hall.

Voters in West Central, that covers Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, proved to be supporters of Mr Johnson and he received 104,020 votes - nearly 60 per cent of all votes.

The ward also re-elected Conservative Kit Malthouse as their London Assembley member after his 73,761 votes beat Labour candidate Todd Foreman's 44,630 votes to win.

A Westminster student took part in a sight-saving mission to Vietnam when he joined the world famous ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital.

Mujtaba Hairan, 16, from Westminster Academy, was part of a sponsored internship offered by ACS International Schools Foundation and ORBIS, an international charity improving access to eye care in developing countries.

The programme aims to provide a unique learning opportunity for the four students taking part, with all of them travelling with a team of ophthalmologists.

Paddington Academy has been recognised for its diversity and success in promoting community cohesion.

Last year, the school was given the Cultural Diversity Gold Award by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, but this year has gone one better by achieving the more prestigious Diamond Award.

It was given following a visit by a team of assessors, who spoke to staff and students about what it is like to be a part of the academy.

Tenants on housing benefit who were threatened with being uprooted and moved 130 miles north were given a reprieve when Westminster Council ruled out the idea.

The authority was among several west London councils considering proposals by Smart Housing Group to rehouse 150 tenants, who are subject to housing benefit caps, in either Derby or Nottingham.