ECJ

If you don't have any plans tonight, how about a live online comedy show featuring the fabulous Mel Giedroyc plus Kerry Godliman, Isy Suttie, Ria Lina, Elis James and James Gill. Just ?5, all proceeds to Ruby's Live Kindly Live Loudly Fund with Children's Cancer & Leukaemia Group, in memory of local girl Ruby Fuller, who died of leukaemia aged just 18. We're fundraising to support research to improve outcomes for young people with blood cancer. Details here: https://www.livekindlyliveloudly.co.uk/post/always-be-comedy-evening-8pm-22-january

We've handed them over to the police now. We concluded that you'd need a bit of training to spot the fakes, hence the idea of having one person in change of checking and changing ?20 into ?10s.

At last week's Charter Christmas fair, there was a conman using fake ?20s (and trying to use fake ?50s). We rumbled him but failed to stop him getting away (and also failed to get a photo, which we're kicking ourselves for now!) The fake notes were hard to spot (we only realised after he bought 2 hot dogs in quick succession with 2 x ?20 notes); they have holograms and strips but the colouring of the Queen's head is a bit different; you can only really tell in bright light and when you have a real note to compare it to. Apparently one way round this is to have a 'bank' at the Fair where people can change their ?20s for ?10 notes and the person doing the changing knows how to spot a fake. That's what we'll be doing next year!

There is a campaign to encourage people not to leave their engine idling - see https://idlingaction.london/ (LB Southwark is one of the boroughs taking part). They sometimes run action events where they target an area with lots of people leaving their engines running, and handout leaflets about the harmful effects of this. (It's illegal to leave your engine idling unnecessarily - see https://www.confused.com/on-the-road/driving-law/stopped-parked-engine-running-idling-breaking-law-police-fine)

Re; catchment for the Charter - it's approx 1.8km from the school (but not fixed as it depends who they get applying - basically 180 places for the kids who live closest to the school).

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We're in the process of choosing a secondary school for our daughter and I'd love to hear people's views/experiences. We're in the catchment for the Charter, which we've looked at and seems great; but know various people locally planning to fork out for Jags/Alleyns (if they can get a place). Are these schools really worth ?14-15k a year more than the Charter!? (Not that we could afford them anyway - but interested to hear what people think!) How does Kingsdale compare? All views/experiences gratefully received!