Clubs/societies

A SECLUDED - and largely forgotten - walled retreat that has seen better days could be given a new lease of life.
Bernays Gardens, at the corner of Old Church Lane and Church Road in Stanmore, is being given a makeover and hopefully a new second entrance opposite St John's Church in Old Church Lane if recent plans submitted by the Stanmore Society's chairman John Williams are approved by landowners Harrow Council.

A CLUB is hoping to encourage more people to get in to golf and shake off the "elitist" stereotype.

Stanmore Golf Club is holding a 'Get into Golf' open evening on Wednesday August 1 between 5pm and 9pm.

PARALYMPIC experts took sporty children through their paces as part of a specialised gym open day.

The Aspire gym, at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, welcomed more than 60 children from seven local schools to take part in activities and encouraged disabled children to get involved in sports.

AN ARCHITECT said he "could not think of a less suitable site" for housing than a Tube station car park that has suddenly been touted for redevelopment.

Transport for London (TfL) wants to earmark the open air site besides Canons Park station in Donnefield Avenue, Edgware - which is run by NCP and offers 156 spaces and two disabled bays - for new flats.

FUTURE tennis stars made a racquet at a club in Edgware last weekend.

On Saturday April 21 budding young players took part in free tennis coaching sessions at The Drive Lawn Tennis Club.

ANGRY neighbours of a school and a football club are worried traffic jams and parking shortages will become commonplace if the two are allowed to host events at the same time.

Families living next to Krishna-Avanti Primary School and adjacent William Ellis Playing Fields - home of Belmont United Youth FC - in Camrose Avenue, Edgware, believe scenes witnessed recently when scheduled soccer matches clashed with a school open day could be replicated week in, week out.

The outgoing chief executive of Stanmore-based charity Norwood celebrated her long career at a Downing Street reception last week.

Norma Brier was invited to 11 Downing Street, the home of the chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, along with staff and supporters of Norwood, which provides support to adults with learning difficulties.

COACHING during winter evenings will now be a possibility after a Stanmore tennis club won permission to build floodlights.
Six lights will be placed around the middle two of the four courts at The Elms Tennis Club in Pynnacles Close to enable practise between mid-October and April between 5pm and 9pm.

A LOBBYING group for Stanmore and Edgware pensioners that is working with less than a quarter of the funding of its predecessors is to meet next month.
Three separated organisations with a combined subsidy of £60,000 - the Partnership with Older People panel, the Older People's Reference Group and the Harrow Pensioners' Forum - were replaced with a single body, the Harrow Older People's Assembly, and a grant of just £13,000 from Harrow Council, at the end of last year.

A POPULAR performing arts school in Stanmore celebrated its 50th birthday last week with its founder returning to the helm for the landmark.

Having started up the Beverley School of Performing Arts at Queensbury Methodist Church Hall on January 11, 1961, Vivien Batchelder has not looked back.

Despite calling time on her role as principal 18 months ago, the 72-year-old, known as Miss Pear to her pupils, came out of retirement just days before the anniversary to be back running the school.

Teaching elsewhere in the 1960s Mrs Batchelder heard about the availability of the hall in Beverley Drive from a parent with a hairdressers in the area.

She began with 51 children aged between three and 10 years old and each class cost just 2s and 6d.

The school has continued to grow in the last 50 years with more than 200 children on the books today with many pupils going on to have great success at major ballet companies, West End Theatres and on Broadway.

The school teaches a wide range of dance from tap and modern to ballet and jazz as well as drama and singing and Mrs Batchelder still runs a number of classes each week.

Speaking about its long running success and her time there she said: "I decided to take retirement about 18 months ago because my daughter returned with her two young children from an eight year spell in Australia.

"I was getting calls everyday from the principal anyway so when my grandchildren went back to school after Christmas I decided to go back.

"It has been my job for 50 years but it has also been my hobby.

"It has been so fantastic to build a connection with all the children over the years, many of whom I am still in contact with, and hopefully it will continue to run for another 50 years, although, obviously, without me.

"I got married just a year after I opened the school so the pupils at the time knew me as my maiden name Miss Pear and that has just always stuck.

"I think some of the younger children would struggle with Batchelder although having said that I still get called Miss Banana and Miss Peach."