Trial by Jeory

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Voting is now open for the Total Politics Blog Awards 2011. Voting is here. This site is listed in the Total Politics blog directory here.

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Today’s East End Life has a small item on p9 headlined “Name that gate”. A fuller version is on the council’s website here:

Competition launched to name new gate in Vicky Park

Residents have the chance to leave their mark in history by naming a new feature at Victoria Park.

Victoria Park is one of London’s most important historic parks and is currently undergoing a multi-million pound makeover.

Tower Hamlets Council, Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund have secured £12million to carry out an extensive programme of works to improve the park for residents and future generations to enjoy.

The refurbishment includes creating a new community centre on site, building a new island to house a Chinese pagoda, construction of two attractive bridges leading to the island, improvements to the play areas and makeover of the Old English Garden.

This is the biggest investment in the open space since its creation in the 1840s.

The Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, visited the park today to unveil the newly refurbished Canal Gate and laid the final glass slab of the Jubilee Greenway Walk.

The Greenway Walk is a route that starts in Victoria Park and links the Olympic Park with London’s heritage sites and parks. It is intended to mark the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The Mayor also launched a competition to name a new entrance which has been built in Grove Road.

The park currently has 31 gates which are named after famous people, local landmarks or have a royal connection for example Royal, Crown, Queens, Bonner, St Augustines, St Marks, St Agnes and Gunmakers.

The Mayor said: “Victoria Park has a rich history ranging from its role as the People’s Park hosting political meetings and rallies to recreation, live music and sport and will be playing a key role in the Olympics as a live site.

“The competition is a chance to find a unique name which pays homage to the popular park and its royal links.  It is the borough’s royal links and distinctive history, which marks it out as a leading contender to be the UK’s next city.”

Tower Hamlets is bidding for city status as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

To enter the gate competition, you can email your suggestions to dave.hime@towerhamlets.gov.uk or by post to Victoria Park, St Marks Office, Cadogan Terrace E9 5DU by September 16.

The park’s refurbishment is due to be complete by April 2012.

It’s great to see the Mayor taking such an interest in Victoria Park, especially after the council pimped most of it out for a third of this summer by boarding it off for a month of music festivals.

I’ve no idea who will choose the winning name, but let’s hope it’s not his cabinet member for culture, Rania Khan, who at a council meeting last year dismissed residents’ concerns about the number of festivals in the park by sniffily observing that those who live nearby are middle class white people.

I’d guess that Queen Elizabeth Gate might be contender; or the Jubilee Gate.

Or maybe it will be the Shiraj Haque Gate?

What are your suggestions?

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