West Hampstead Life

Author: Sponsored Post

Mobile hair & beauty provider swishes into West Hampstead

At this time of year, when it’s grey and freezing cold, any excuse to stay inside is a good one. We all indulge a little more in the convenience of just being at home – ordering a delivery from a favourite restaurant, doing a yoga class at home not the studio, or curling up on the sofa to watch a film instead of going to the cinema. And lucky for us, 2015 is set to be the year of the on-demand service – with start-ups offering everything from easy food delivery, to on-demand laundry pick-up and on-demand pet care.

One of the most exciting to come to West Hampstead is CitySwish, offering on-demand massage, beauty and hair, direct to your doorstep in as little as an hour’s notice. There’s no need to have any of the equipment or to have a large space available as CitySwish therapists can work anywhere from the kitchen table to a hallway! Book online and have someone show up with everything needed to relax, pamper, style you to perfection. And with a very simple pricing scheme (£60/hour for massage, £45/hour for beauty), CitySwish is certainly providing some competition for the high street!

While CitySwish started its operations in Kensington and Chelsea (where it has seen huge success), the idea was born in West Hampstead where Leisha Olandj, one of the co-founders, lives. Now that CitySwish has expanded its reach to include West Hampstead, it hopes to become a core West Hampstead staple. Leisha is generously offering all West Hampstead Life readers a 20% discount for any bookings made before the end of February. Book online at www.cityswish.com and use code WHLife to try it out.

Website: www.cityswish.com
Treatments: Massage, Hair, Beauty (nails, waxing, spray tan)
Where: They come to you!
Discount: Use coupon WHLife to receive a 20% discount through February.

January 26, 2015
Train to teach in West Hampstead

With excellent employment prospects, good starting salaries and highly rewarding work, becoming a teacher is a viable option for those with degrees either looking to go back to work or changing careers.

LDBS SCITT, one of the UK’s most dedicated teacher training institutions, has recently relocated to West End Lane. Providing a highly personalised teaching approach with trainees spending more time in school classrooms, its employment rate for graduates has been 100% over the past four years.

There is a growing demand for teachers in London, particularly in inner city schools. Once employed, newly qualified teachers earn a minimum of £27,000 with the government planning to introduce £70,000 salaries for top-performing teachers. With a range of benefits including a substantial teachers’ pension and school holidays, teachers also gain an incredible sense of satisfaction from seeing the difference they make as their pupils progress and strive to reach their potential in life.

LDBS SCITT’s new premises on West End Lane

To become a teacher, those who have three years work experience can train via the School Direct programme in a local school whilst earning a salary, or study for a PGCE.

Why West Hampstead?

“With its thriving village feel, West Hampstead is popular amongst educated professionals and young families who may be interested in switching to a teaching career and the idea of giving something back to society and the community,” says LDBS SCITT Programme Director Liz George. “We attract high-quality graduates from varied backgrounds and our school-centred teacher training leads our trainees to become successful, confident, effective teachers who often go on to teach in their local primary or secondary school.”

Liz George, LDBS SCITT Programme Director

LDBS SCITT is hosting Open Days on November 13th and January 15th for those considering a career in teaching.

Katy Forsdyke, Headteacher of Hampstead’s Christchurch Primary School, adds, “Many career changers are now retraining as teachers via School Direct, a one year, school-led route into teaching. Providing entirely ‘on-the-job’ training, the programme allows you to gain the qualifications and skills required to becoming a teacher whilst working in the school.”

Teaching requires excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to speak confidently in public so it’s a good idea to get some classroom experience to ensure this is the right career choice for you. Contact several schools in your area to find out where you can volunteer as there may be a waiting list, or you can attend one of our Teacher Taster days held every month.

Sponsored post

October 20, 2014
Support your local charity by partying on Camden Beach

Photo credit: Stuart Leech

Just a hop, skip and jump away from West Hampstead this August you’ll discover the Roundhouse’s Camden Beach. Think 900 square meters of the finest sand, rooftop gardens, beach huts and deck chairs… if you can’t get to the beach, the beach is coming to you.

If you fancy being the first to dig your toes into the sand then why not head to the Camden Beach Opening Party on Friday 25 July and enjoy an unforgettable night all whilst supporting your local charity?

The Roundhouse has played host to music legends such as Paul Weller, Prince and Elton John. What fewer people know is that the Roundhouse is a charity that improves the lives of over 3,000 young people each year by providing space, mentoring, equipment, projects and performance opportunities to unlock their creative potential. 45% of these young people are from the local area, and 60% of these young people are facing a social and economic disadvantage.

“I was working in a chip shop four days a week with no clear idea on how to access jobs within the music industry or how to turn my passion for music into a career. I’m now working as a Promotions Manager for a record label – if it wasn’t for the support of the Roundhouse this wouldn’t have been possible.” BoDee

The Roundhouse is hosting this party to raise vital funds so they can continue to provide life-changing opportunities for people like BoDee. The evening will feature DJ sets from Roundhouse Ambassadors Eliza Doolittle and Lliana Bird, performances from Roundhouse Emerging Artists, and a whole host of surprises on the night. Tickets start from £55 and include drinks, food, entertainment and access to the after party: so grab some friends, book now and feel good while you party this summer.

Sponsored post

June 30, 2014
Expectant parents bond over balls of wool

As a regular reader of West Hampstead Life, I’ve become a big fan of it. And one of the things I find most interesting and impressive is its ability to bring people together, in person.

The legendary whampgathers are so popular they sell out within hours. But these ‘not geeky, not cliquey’ nights out aren’t just testament to the website, they’re a great example of how people really want to hang out with their neighbours, and feel part of a community. We may be told that social networking is taking over our social lives, but here in West Hampstead, old school face-to-face interaction is winning out.

My company, Bump and Baby Club, provides antenatal classes, and I’ve noticed it’s with this community spirit that people come to us. Life events don’t often get much bigger than having a baby, and expectant parents, especially women, want their neighbours with them as they embark on the journey.

I am always looking for new and interesting ways to bring together local parents-to-be, so recently jumped at the chance to team up with the unique and wonderful Village Haberdashery on Mill Lane, to offer a special event exclusively for pregnant ladies. In March we’ll be holding a morning of knitting for beginners (and all levels), where everyone will learn to make, and leave with, an extremely cute baby hat for their little one. (Full details below).

Over the coming year I plan to introduce events for new parents – nights out, weaning workshops and baby massage classes, so watch this space!

Meanwhile, here’s to the future of real-life socialising with our neighbours, group hangovers, group sleep deprivation, our babies becoming buddies, and many good times ahead!

Event: Knit a Baby Hat
Experienced knitting teacher, pattern designer and mum, Camilla Miller, will teach beginners how to knit by making an adorable roll-brim baby hat. Learn all the knitting basics, including how to cast on and off, how to knit in the round and how to decrease.
Venue: The Village Haberdashery, 47 Mill Lane, NW6 1NB
Date and time: Saturday 22nd March, 10am-1pm
Price: £50 (£40 if you’ve taken or signed up to Bump and Baby Club’s antenatal course)
Book here: http://www.thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk/classes-and-workshops/knit-a-baby-hat-for-mums-to-be

No previous knitting experience necessary. Yarn and knitting needles provided. Receive a 10% discount on any purchases you make in the shop on the day.

For information on West Hampstead antenatal classes, please see www.bumpandbabyclub.com

Sponsored post

February 27, 2014
Free tasting at Finchley Road’s newest coffee house

Set along the Finchley Road heading towards the O2 Centre is Remon, a little artisan bread and pastry bakery and coffee house that specialises in rare hard-to-find coffees and fine teas, authentic Sicilian Cannoli – traditional sweet ricotta cream pastries – and Arancini (risotto rice balls).

The shop has a mostly rustic appearance, yet you soon discover the quality of the breads and pastries.

Freshly-baked pastries

The coffee is pretty good too, we’re very knowledgeable about our coffees, which are sold as beans, or ground or to drink on the premises. Our house blend is a strong smooth mix of Central American and African Arabica beans, which will change regularly to keep up with the variations that come from every fresh batch of coffee.

Remon Coffee House is offering a free coffee and tea tasting morning this Sunday, February 23rd, between 10am and midday. This will include a professional tasting of some of the rarest coffees, including Jamaican Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona coffee, and teas such as Gushan silver needles and other first flush white/herbal and black teas.

A selection of Remon’s specialist loose tea

The event will let us welcome the local community into our coffee house to taste the many varieties of coffees and tea we offer. We hope it will establish us firmly amongst the finest coffee houses in London. We look forward to seeing you there.

For further details please see our Facebook page or come visit us at 225 Finchley Road, NW3 6LP.

Sponsored post

February 19, 2014
Favourite Christmas scenes from TV this year

Sponsored post

It may be too early to think about Christmas for a lot of you, but we’ve already chosen our favourite festive scenes for 2013. That’s right, we’ve watched them all a few times, shed a tear, laughed out loud, got choked up, and totally got hyped up for Christmas.

The Christmas TV scene is a massive milestone; while people moan that it’s way too early and they don’t want to begin thinking about preparations, some of the big brands and TV clips are dictating this for you. When you see the Coca Cola truck for example, Christmas is here. This is the point of no return.

The companies are so competitively trying to create the biggest emotional connection with the audience that their scenes are created by movie directors, cost millions and end up looking cinematically brilliant. So sit back with a mulled wine in your Christmas jumper and embrace our top Christmas ads to look out for this Christmas.

Sainsbury’s crowd-sourced documentary
This year Sainsbury’s have gone above and beyond the call of duty and created a full-length feature film. The have teamed up with Academy Award winning director Kevin Macdonald to create Sainsbury’s Christmas in a Day: a documentary following the lives of British people on Christmas Day 2012.

Macdonald called on the public to film their day, from the extraordinary though to the ordinary, to make this honest, funny and emotional film. The Sainsbury’s film teasers are trailers for the full-length feature, which will be released on November 29th online. The snippet of other people’s lives on this unique day of the year shows what is really important to us all: family and friends (and the Christmas spreadsheet). Stock up on tissues, and watch the video now.

Sky Magical Moments advert
Sky have released a series of adverts this Christmas all centring on their ‘magical moments’ tagline. The airport, family and love storylines are all set to the beautifully evocative piano composition by Jonathan Goldstein.

Watch as aeroplanes are delayed, lustful eyes meet across a crowded room only to be rejected, and a teenage daughter feels left out of family festivities. Then witness the moving moments that bring everyone back together at the end with a few Sky Movies playing in the background. This tugs at the heartstrings throughout, making it a winner in our eyes.

Boots secret gift bringer
There’s always something touching about a determined gift-giver. We all fell in love with the small boy in John Lewis’s 2011 advert, ‘The Long Wait’, who couldn’t handle the wait to give his parents their present. And in this Boots advert it’s no different.

We watch a moody hooded teenager storm out of the house, only to run around the snowy streets giving anonymous gifts to unexpected recipients.

He hides behind walls and hedges as he leaves gifts on doorsteps and watches for a reaction. Giving reasons for the gift such as: ‘because you looked after my Nan’ and ‘because you helped me get a B in Maths’, you can’t help but love the cheeky chap.

And with a great upbeat soundtrack of Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy, you may feel more of a warm tingle than choked up emotion, but it certainly does the job of bringing festive cheer.

December 12, 2013
Connecting parents-to-be at JW3

by Alex Kohansky

I have never appreciated my local community more than during the few months following the birth of my first baby. At a time when it’s a struggle to leave the house, and often the biggest adventure of the day is a walk down the road, it really matters where you live, and who lives near you.

My husband and I had met eight other couples at antenatal classes – we all lived locally, our babies arrived within a few weeks of each other and, as our worlds were completely changing, we connected.

While this support network was invaluable (as well as a lot of fun), we were pretty much all in agreement about the shortcomings of the antenatal course we had taken. We felt we weren’t well prepared for all the different possibilities of labour and birth or how to look after a newborn, and some of us thought we hadn’t learnt anything that we didn’t already know. And it wasn’t just us; we all knew people who’d had similar experiences with other antenatal courses.

So last year I decided to go on a mission to create a course with content as valuable as the friendships made. I hunted down the most popular antenatal experts in North London and we put together classes that gave people the information they really needed in a non-judgemental, unbiased and engaging way, without forgetting one of the main reasons they choose to attend – to meet other people.

We started running our course in Highgate and Muswell Hill and are now very excited to be expanding to my home-turf, West Hampstead, as we’ve been chosen by JW3 to provide their signature antenatal course.

Unlike most other antenatal courses, ours includes baby first aid training. We also include an indulgent afternoon tea for the girls (on a date after the course has finished), a beer for the boys (while the girls are learning about breastfeeding), and a reunion once all the babies have joined the party!

In addition, women signed up to our antenatal course receive free monthly pregnancy yoga classes with West Hampstead’s number one pregnancy yoga instructor, Bec Minor.

This Sunday we’ll be at JW3’s Baby Fair (24th November, 10am-4pm). So if you’re interested in what we do, have a look out for Bump and Baby Club and come and say hi! Otherwise, you can find us at bumpandbabyclub.com.

Sponsored post

November 22, 2013