Dear Barnes... is a new and exciting community anthology, which will be written entirely by local people to capture the spirit, identity and culture of Barnes between its pages. And in order to do this, we are asking people to write to us with their memories, stories or observations....by hand! Any style of writing is welcome, whether poetry, stories, stream of consciousness, letters, ditty's or monologues – although the subject must be about Barnes. So if you are an aspiring author, a potential poet or a latent lyricist we would love to hear from you.

Over 3,000 people attended the first ever Barnes Food Fair on October 1st and gave it rave reviews all round.

The nearly sixty stands selling artisan foods ranging from watercress muffins to smoked duck and English wines had all but sold out by the end of the day, and hundreds of people staged impromptu picnics on beautiful Barnes Green enjoying the fantastic food and the sunny weather.

As well as some wonderful food stalls, visitors also enjoyed cookery demonstrations from Michelin-starred chefs and were given vouchers to save money at Barnes' small local food shops.

There have been many changes down at the shops lately and most are for the better, despite all the doom and gloom about retail in the media. Take a trip for yourself around Barnes and see all the changes.

A group of local residents and shop-keepers, concerned at the decline of Barnes High Street, are investigating the possibility of opening a community owned, professionally run supermarket that complements the existing shops and services and caters to the needs of the Barnes community. 

You can have your say by filling in the questionnaire which is available online here.

You may also be interested in the recent story in the Richmond and Twickenham Times.

THE IDEA

• It began in the USA. Park Slope in Brooklyn (foodcoop.com) is one successful example.
• The first British example is The Peoples' Supermarket in Lamb's Conduit Street, WC1 whose web site is at www.thepeoplessupermarket.org
• There are other commercial stores with similar principles such as Unicorn Grocery Manchester, Hubbub delivery service, and True Food Reading.

Barnes High Street has been in steady decline for a number of years and with the closure of One Stop 10 months ago it is now in a critical condition.

Some local residents and shop-keepers are investigating the possibility of opening a community owned, professionally run supermarket that complements the existing shops and services and caters to the needs of the Barnes community. Local people will have the opportunity to become members, participate in decision-making, work in the shop and receive a discount on shopping.

For more information on the background to the idea, please click here.

Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire (online here) as the views and aspirations of the local community are key to progressing the ideas.

With sixty specialist food and drink suppliers signed up, together with local restaurants and businesses, the Barnes Food Fair (www.barnesfoodfair.com) is all set for a successful launch on Saturday, October 1 2011 on Barnes Green.

 The fair will be open between 9:30am and 5.30pm with exhibitors' stalls in a marquee near the pond. At the same time, the adjacent Barnes Green Centre will play host to celebrity and Michelin-starred chefs Philip Howard and Bruno Loubet who will share their culinary expertise along with writer Jane Hornby, wine expert Gwen McCann and author and cupcake expert Helen Nathan.

Television broadcaster and BBC's The One Show reporter Gyles Brandreth will open the Food Fair at 10am.

Tickets cost £3.00 and are available from Rose House, the BCA headquarters on Barnes High St, or from fair sponsor Savills estate agents, also on the High Street. Entry to cookery demonstrations is £5.00 extra. Proceeds from the Fair will go to a long-established Barnes cause: the Barn Elms Sports Trust (BEST), the charity set up to raise funds for the much-needed regeneration of the Barn Elms playing fields.

As many people know by now, Thames Water propose to construct a 14 mile long tunnel under the bed of the Thames to help prevent sewage and stormwater overflows from entering the river. On closer examination of all the facts, as we have been able to unearth them, the BCA is now by no means certain that Barn Elms is the most suitable place for a main construction site for the Tunnel.

Local resident Natalie Whitlock has set up the Barnes Book Club and holds monthly meetings covering a wide range of books from the classics, chic lit, sci-fi to biographies. Suggestions for books are welcome too.

The details are in our 'Take Part' section here.

If you are interested in joining do get in touch with Natalie at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 07796 675 950.

The new Barnes Philosophy Club has just held a successful second meeting.

News of changes to shops in Barnes is one of the most popular elements of this site, and those interested in the campaign to support Barnes' shops might find Retail Champion Sue Nichol's blog interesting reading.  She regularly updates the blog with news and interesting information such as footfall counts, the results of her research questionnaires, and articles on retail trends. To find out more visit:

http://retailsue.wordpress.com

 

Bringing the buzz back to London's high streets

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today (August 3rd) awarded almost £10m of funding from his Outer London Fund to 20 boroughs, including £1.2m of funding for Richmond, to help them bring the buzz back to their high-streets and boost their local economy. A further £40m from the Fund will be awarded later this year.

Barbara Underwood has spotted the following item from the consumer organisation Which? and writes:

"Subscribers to Which? magazine have been sent a booklet "Your guide to tried and tested traders and services near..." and then it states whatever area - this one of course says "Barnes High Street". The scope goes as far afield as Putney. It was very interesting to see that the Real Cheese Shop, The Barnes Fish Shop, The Hardware Stores and Londis all received 5 stars in the ratings (being the highest Which? score).

June 15, 2010 - Foodie website Foodepedia has given The Depot a rave review praising the ambience, the staff and most particularly the roast beef "the best I've ever had in London" said the reviewer. To read more go to  Foodpedia.