The London Buzz – 23rd December 2024

Today’s London news round-up:

Hackney social inclusion project The Crib has started a £50,000 fundraiser due to funding cuts, in a desperate bid to keep its doors open. Hackney Citizen

In pictures: London’s Christmas lights seen from the sky BBC News

Croydon residents have called for ‘community use’ of the Wandle Park café after fears that the council’s plans to reopen it next year will fail. News Shopper

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has released CCTV footage of a man who was clipped by a train while he was waiting at London Blackfriars station as part of efforts to urge passengers to get home safely this festive period. BBC News

The Lord Mayor of Westminster is to become a Papal Knight – the highest single honour that can be bestowed on a lay Catholic by the Vatican. Catholic Herald

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has waded into the long-running row between the Jewish community and the Metropolitan Police over the Met’s refusal to divert pro-Palestinian demonstrations away from central London synagogues. Jewish News

An east London weightlifting gym faces imminent closure after almost 100 years due to being handed an eviction notice by a council. BBC News

Sadiq Khan has faced questions over his office’s decision to end funding for an online platform which alerted Londoners to crimes in their area and provided advice from police. Haringey Community Press

A touch of creative magic has seen a giant gingerbread house appear in a Hornchurch park. Barking Post

Peckham’s biggest redevelopment in a generation: What is happening to the Aylesham Shopping Centre and why are tensions so high? Southwark News

Scrapping a controversial new incinerator midway through development would be the “worst possible outcome” for the London Borough of Camden and the six other boroughs that use it, says the North London Waste Authority (NLWA). Fitzrovia News

Waltham Forest Council has confirmed that a fresh developer has agreed to complete construction of the Patchworks housing scheme which had stopped in October 2023 Waltham Forest Echo

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And from ianVisits:

Smithfield and Billingsgate Markets may survive with new market buildings

Mobile phone coverage expanded southwards on the Northern line

The King’s speech will come from central London’s Fitzrovia Chapel

Royal rhinos, knitted wombs and anal surgery — Versailles comes to the Science Museum

A dinosaur’s head has appeared inside Crystal Palace railway station

London’s Alleys: Grotto Passage, W1

Some things to do in London tomorrow:

Christmas Eve meat and turkey sale – Free

The annual Christmas Eve morning auction of loads of large portions of meat and turkeys.

Winter Carriage Rides in Bushy Park – £16.50

Enjoy a magical horse drawn carriage ride in the beautiful Bushy Park…


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