October 2009 Archives

Homework clubs in Westminster's libraries are thriving as people seek to save money by not paying private tutors.

Tutors can cost between £20 and £50 an hour, so parents are instead turning to free after-school homework clubs, taught by expert library staff and volunteers.

Westminster drivers will for the first time be able to pay to park their cars just by waving a credit or debit card at a meter.

The new "wave and pay" technology, which is being trialled by Westminster Council, scans the cards with a magnetic reader attached to the parking machine, similar to an Oyster card.

Mums in Westminster are to be given a helping hand to get back into work.

Any mum in the borough who is currently not working or works fewer than 16 hours a week can come along to a free session at Cardinal Hume Centre, in Arneway Street, Pimlico, for help and support.

People who have made a difference to the Westminster community can be recognised for their achievements, through Westminster Council's annual neighbourhood leadership awards competition.

Nominations can be made in four categories - changing the lives of younger people, changing the lives of older people, helping people live a healthier life and making the community feel safer.

A Pimlico feline proved she was no scaredy cat in a national competition to find the perfect Halloween witch's moggie.

Minkie, who can regularly be seen prowling Page Street, has made a shortlist of the 13 spookiest cats out of 1,100 entrants from across the UK.

A car club scheme in Westminster is to be extended to include vans and delivery vehicles, saving motorists thousands of pounds a year in hire costs.

The commercial vehicles will be introduced to Westminster Council's car club fleet as part of the authority's commitment to providing a cost effective and environmentally friendly transport solution in the borough.

A nursery in Pimlico is to be transformed into a new multi-million pound 'hub' offering services for families across Westminster.

The building in Bessborough Street, which currently houses a nursery run by the London Early Years Foundation and healthcare clinic, is in desperate need of refurbishment.

Wicked witches and ghostly ghouls will be invading a Pimlico art gallery this Halloween.

On October 31, Tate Britain, in Millbank, is holding a free family festival with activities ranging from trick or treat costume workshops to spooky storytelling.

More than £600,000 will be pumped into creating almost 100 jobs for young unemployed people in Westminster.

The cash, given to Westminster Council by the government's Future Jobs Fund, will create jobs in a variety of sectors including childcare, clerical and hospitality for 18 to 24-year-olds who have been out of work for at least nine months.

The work of a Victoria animal hospital will be highlighted in a television appeal to be broadcast on Sunday.

Presented by actress Felicity Kendal, and her cocker spaniel George, the BBC1 appeal will raise awareness of the Blue Cross Animal Hospital, in Hugh Street, one of the UK's leading animal charities, which helps thousands of sick and homeless animals every year.