Tue 16, Oct 2007

Fight world famine, eat out

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Be safe, be Cabwise by Monica Porter. Thursday, 13 December 2007 With the approach of Christmas and the New Year – when more people take late-night taxis and minicabs than at any other time – a campaign is under way to raise public awareness of CABWISE, a service providing Londoners with a safe way of getting home from anywhere in the capital.

Women are still being sexually attacked by cab drivers in London, so it’s good to know that no one ever again has to get in an illegal cab.

CABWISE was launched two years ago by the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, the Metropolitan Police Service and Transport for London (TfL), and it’s a simple but effective concept.

You text the word “HOME” to the CABWISE number, 60835, and the service uses mobile phone technology to locate the area that you are texting from.

It then texts you back with phone numbers for a black cab company as well as two local licensed minicab firms, which is particularly handy if your are out in an area you aren’t familiar with.

Texts are charged at 35p per enquiry plus the standard cost of a text message on your mobile network. (The service is not yet available on the Virgin and 3 mobile networks.) In 2001, TfL started licensing private hire, including minicab services, and now all minicab operators, drivers and vehicles must be licensed by TfL.

Minicabs must always be booked through an operator; those which tout off the street are illegal even if they operate from a licensed minicab firm. The only cab or taxi you should get into on the streets of London is a black cab or a pre-booked licensed minicab.

There are now over 45,000 licensed vehicles on TfL’s constantly growing database, making it easier for the police to crack down on touts and their criminal activities, and to monitor the standards of the minicab trade.

Since CABWISE was introduced, there has been a continuous rise in the number of text requests, with more than 13,000 last Christmas alone. And crucially, there’s been a drop of around 65 per cent in the number of cab-related assaults.

Underpinning CABWISE is the long-running Safer Travel at Night initiative. This partnership between the Mayor, TfL and the Met combines increased policing activity with better late-night public transport and more effective industry regulation. It has cut the number of women willing to get into an illegal cab from 18 per cent to 4 per cent.

Commander Shaun Sawyer, of the Met, says his force is committed to supporting the Safer Travel at Night campaign: “It’s important that people out and about in London over the festive season enjoy themselves without putting themselves at risk, and make safe choices for their journeys home.”

Safety tips
Use only licensed minicabs or taxis
Plan your journey home at the start of the evening
Only black cabs can be hailed in the street. Minicabs must be booked through a licensed minicab operator
When booking a minicab, ask for the name of the driver who is picking you up and the make and colour of his vehicle
Always tell someone you are leaving the party to go home
When the driver arrives ask him to confirm your name and destination. Make sure it is the taxi or minicab you ordered
Try to share with a friend. Sit in the back with your mobile phone switched on and don’t do anything you don’t want to do
Never let friends get into an illegal cab, as the driver could be a sexual attacker. A legitimate minicab has a yellow licence disc on front and rear windscreens
If you feel threatened by the driver, tell them to stop. If the driver refuses, use your mobile to alert the police

Fight world famine, eat out by Julia Buckley. Tuesday, 16 October 2007 If you ever needed an excuse to eat out in London, you might just find one this month.

Today is World Food Day – and to mark it, 171 London restaurants are taking part in a month-long initiative where you can donate to the cause as part of a meal. It certainly beats feeling guilty about marking the day by spending oodles on an expensive meal out.

The initiative is part of Fight Hunger, Eat Out month. It lasts throughout October and has been organised by Restaurants Against Hunger (RAH) – the largest campaign across the UK food and drinks industry, established in 1998.

The money made by RAH is fed into the international umbrella charity, Action Against Hunger, which fights hunger and malnutrition affecting 850 million people worldwide. The restaurants taking part in the initiative include top notch eateries such as St John, Locanda Locatelli and Caldesi, as well as the likes of Yo! Sushi and Carluccio's.

"Hunger is the most punishing of all deprivations," says Antonio Carluccio, who is donating 50p from every penne giardiniera (the most popular dish) sold at his chain of restaurants. "As a company that is passionate about food, it's important for us to give something back to those without access to such a basic necessity."

All the restaurants involved are finding different ways to contribute. Locanda Locatelli is adding a discretionary £1 to every bill while Sloane haven Boisdale is throwing a canape and champagne tasting event on 30 October, hosted by Ready Steady Cook chef Ross Burden, at its Bishopsgate branch. Entry is free, but they reckon donations, a raffle and an auction on the night will raise about £20,000.

All the money raised will go direct to Action Against Hunger. The charity hopes to raise some £250,000 in total. will be raised for the cause.

Your comments

Guest_Leigh says: Restaurants adding adding a discretionary ÃÂ£1 to every bill??? thats not restaurants taking part but customers being made to contribute. Restaurants should donate 25% of the bill towards the cause not make customers pay extra. Tuesday 04 December 2007 11:51 Mark as offensive

It’s a fruity time of year by Jessica Fellowes. Friday, 05 October 2007 Within the M25, I doubt you’ll find many people who can champion the countryside quite as enthusiastically as me.

Last weekend on a casual stroll through Suffolk, I came across what seemed to be a motorbike racing driver resting on the side of the road.

Further along was Farmer John, astride a child’s tractor. Just around the corner was Doctor Who and his Dalek, propped up against the village signpost. All of them had straw poking out of every crevice. Yes, this little village was celebrating harvest time with a scarecrow festival.

At this time of the year you can really enjoy the fruit of the countryside and go a’gathering.

The countryside looks beautiful. The leaves are beginning to turn yellow already, there are pocketfuls of conkers to collect, and there is an abundance of food.

Apples are the easiest to find. In fact, there are so many of them, that I got a few for a stew from a basket outside a Bramley cottage. Apples get the yokels excited. There’s a whole day devoted to the 3,000 British varieties on 21 October.

If you want to make a sweet cider with your apples, this is the best time to pick them, too. If you’re content just to look at them, and then buy them picked, go to the very pretty Brogdale orchards in Kent, where they do guided tours through their vast fruit-growing collections.

If you’d rather grow than pluck, then there is a national initiative this weekend to get everyone gathering seeds. You can even get free seed hunting bags from organisers, The Tree Council. That way, you can have your own harvest next year.

Get Picking

October fruit and veg includes: Jerusalem artichokes, celery, damsons and apples

Find a pick-your-own farm: visit www.pick-your-own.org.uk

21 October is Apple Day: see www.commonground.or