Bexley London Borough Blog » News

Local talent shines on the Mic.

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:36:12 +0000

joshua smith from upper belvedere has been given the big thumbs up by judges at the Open Mic UK auditions. Along with the other most impressive acts, joshua has made it through to the Regional Finals and will now be performing at the live stages of Open Mic UK 2010.

Open Mic UK 2010 is the exciting national talent competition which searches for the UK’s best singers, singer/songwriters, rappers and vocalists of all genres who perform either covers or original material.

One contestant who has evidently caught the judge’s eye is local talent joshua smith, now competing for a place in the National Final at the O2 in London and the chance to grab a break through recording contract. Thousands of hopefuls entered nationwide and hundreds of auditionees queued patiently on the day for their turn to impress the judges. But it was joshua smith that wowed the panel and has now been given an opportunity to prove that they are the best on the Mic in the region. Those who made it through the audition stage will now take part in a live Regional head to head battle alongside the best talent in their area. They’ll be performing in front of hundreds of audience members and a professional judging panel to win a place at the National Grand Final.

Chris Grayston head of A&R at Future Music comments “We are searching for an act that not only has the live ability to impress an audience, industry judges and A&R associates, but an act that has the potential to become a professional recording artist. The standard was high last year and this year looks set to be even better.”

The competition is divided into age categories; Under 18, 18-25 and 25 and over; all types of singers, vocal performers, groups and acoustic singer/songwriters are invited to enter Open Mic UK.

There’s over £50, 000 in prizes up for grabs this year and the overall winner of Open Mic UK 2010 will be offered a recording contract, with up to £30, 000 investment! They’ll also have the opportunity to tour across the UK.

There are plenty of development opportunities available to acts taking part courtesy of ICMP, who will be offering songwriting courses and master classes throughout the competition. The latter stages of the competition will also provide acts with the opportunity to impress many guests from record labels, agencies and the entertainment industry as well as judges from National Radio, BBC Introducing and Regional Press.

The winners will not only get to perform on stage at the 02, but they will be thrust into the media spotlight through television, radio and print media and all winners will be invited on the Open Mic UK Tour, which boasts 100 gigs across the country.

For more information go to the website www.openmicuk.co.uk Or better still come down and support your local talent performing; you can purchase tickets from the website www.openmicuk.co.uk or on the door subject to availability or from Bob.

Help clean the Thames at Erith

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:49:17 +0000

Volunteers needed for Thames21’s fifth Cleaner Thames Challenge

Thursday 12 – Sunday 15 August 2010

Thames21, London ’s leading waterways charity, once again challenge Londoners to give up a couple of hours of their time and help clean and green London ’s River Thames.

Championing cleaner rivers and canals is at the heart of Thames21’s work and we rely on more than 8,000 volunteers every year to help improve London ’s 400 mile network of waterways.

Every year the charity coordinates a four-day series of volunteer events to bring together those who want to do their bit to improve their local environment. This year – the fifth year of the Cleaner Thames Challenge – the foreshores at Brentford, Isle of Dogs, Fulham and Erith have been selected.

Each site currently has an accumulation of plastic bags, shopping trolleys, traffic cones, tyres and all manner of other litter items that sadly end up in our waterways and ultimately in the wider marine environment.

Volunteers will be given all equipment, including boots and gloves, along with supervision and support during the clean-up.

Chris Coode, River Programmes Manager, Thames21, said:

“We’re expecting hundreds of volunteers to join in and help make practical improvements to London ’s foreshores. These environments are often seen as abandoned spaces that damage some of London ’s greatest views instead of the most unique and fascinating open spaces London has to offer. Please join us and help make a lasting difference.”

Volunteers are invited to do as much or as little as they are willing and are advised to wear old clothes. Volunteers should turn up at one of the following locations and times:

SUNDAY 15 AUGUST

ERITH

Meet: Erith Yacht Club, Anchor Bay , DA8 2AD

Time: 10.30am – 1.00pm

Map: http://bit.ly/daSL8v

Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Please contact us in advance if you have any access requirements.

Foots Cray Lions

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 05:46:12 +0000

Local junior football club, Foots Cray Lions, hosted one of the largest football tournaments in the country last weekend.

The tournament was held at Cleeve Park School, Sidcup, where more than 800 boys and girls from 75 different teams competed in the two day event.
As one of the largest teams in the borough, Foots Cray Lions were able to enter 16 teams of thier own and were joined by teams from as far away as Thurrock and Maidstone, as well as local teams from Bexley and South East London.

All of the competitions were played in a tremendous spirit, with the new FA Respect codes of conduct being well observed by players and spectators alike. There were notable wins for the home club in the Under 11 competition and for Crystal Palace Ladies in the girls tournament, while Crayford Arrows were awarded with the fair play trophy in the youngest, under 6, age group.

The Club would like to thank all the parents who gave up their time to volunteer and help make the tournament such a great success.

Thames Barge Match 2010

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:01:36 +0000

On Saturday 3rd of July, I was fortunate enough to take part in the Thames Barge Match aboard the sailing barge Repertor.

Repertor was built in Mistley in 1923 for the company “Horlocks”

The first Thames Barge Match was in 1863. The early Thames sailing barge matches started and finished in Erith – which was at that time a very important town on the Thames.

Anyway here are some pictures of the day.

Sailing Barge Xylonite – My Grandfather sailed on this barge as mate (or second hand) after the second world war. He also worked on the sailing barges Oxygen, Hydrogen and the last barge he worked on was a barge called Lancaster. The Lancaster sank fully loaded in Anchor Bay Erith in around 1954. Grandad and the barge’s skipper got off her ok – but it put him off of working on Thames barges and he never sailed again.

The Sailing Barge Melissa. Overhauling Repertor shortly after the start in the Lower Hope. slipping along in very light airs

Decima and Reminder ghosting along in almost no wind. Decima has her punt slung down in the davits trying to catch a little more air

Repertor at close quarters – rounding the outer mark. At this stage it was neck and neck with all the Staysail class barges reaching the outer mark together

Heading for home now – and beating against the westerley wind back to Gravesend

Dance School Open Day! Saturday 11th September 10am-1pm

emilyjade — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:29:25 +0000

FREE CLASSES AND PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCES!

Emily Jade Theatre Arts is a brand new school established by an experienced and professional teacher. We endeavour to provide training of the highest standard, helping every child to achieve their full potential in all disciplines. Whether the aim is to have fun learning and developing new skills, or to pursue a professional career in the world of Dance and Musical Theatre, we aspire to meet the needs of every child.

All classes at EJTA are taught by fully qualified and highly experienced teachers, and our Patrons are very highly regarded. Dance classes for children aged 2 ½ -8 are currently available, and expansion on this is planned for the near future. Classes in Drama and Musical Theatre are also to be added shortly.

St Lukes Church Hall

Westmount Road

Eltham

London

SE9 1XX

10am-11.30am Children aged 2 ½ – 5 years.

11.45am-1.00pm Children aged 5 – 8 years.

Contact Emily Jade:

website: www.emilyjadetheatrearts.com

email: info@emilyjadetheatrearts.com

Tel: 02083189581

Mob: 07753346307

Pre register to guarantee a place or just turn up at the open day!