FOSKD Newsletter May 2014

April has been a busy month for FOSKD with a fantastic level of membership renewals and a good number of new members joining, thank you all so much for your support! One of the big news stories in the Dock this month is about the St Katharine Docks Medical Practice. Many of you will have heard the shocking news that the Surgery is under threat of closure due to NHS funding cutbacks. Dr Sarit Patel is highly regarded by his 1600 patients, 91% of whom have said that they would recommend him. Your Committee have been actively discussing with Dr Patel how we might best support him and we have been in contact with our MP & local Councillors as well as representatives of NHS England. For more information on how you can help support your local Doctor, please see the item in the News section below.

Sue Hughes, Chairman, FOSKD

Forthcoming social events

A Guided Tour in Spitalfields with Dan Cruickshank

May 19th A Guided Tour in Spitalfields with Dan Cruickshank. You will have already received the booking form for this special event – with only 25 places available it's sure to fill up quickly. Members fortunate enough to secure a place will enjoy seeing Dan's beautifully restored Georgian house as well joining him on a walk around the surrounding historic area.

Return visit to The Royal Foundation of St Katharine in Limehouse

On 4th June we will make a return visit to The Royal Foundation of St Katharine in Limehouse. The Master, Mark Aitken, who is a member of FOSKD, has kindly agreed to give us a talk about the fascinating history of this "Royal Peculiar" which was originally founded in St Katharine Docks in 1147 consisting of a medieval chapel & hospital which were demolished in 1825 to make way for the building of the Docks. This will also be our summer party & with luck, if the sun shines, we can look forward to a glass or two of Pimms in their beautiful hidden garden! Booking details will be circulated in early May.

NEW DATE for our visit to the Brooklands Museum
for the Concorde Champagne Day

July 2nd is the NEW DATE for our visit to the Brooklands Museum for the Concorde Champagne Day (the date originally planned was 7th July but this is when the Tour de France comes to London making travel anywhere difficult that day) So on 2nd July a party of up to 30 guests will take the 0930 train from Waterloo with our own Routemaster bus to collect us at Weybridge station. Enjoy a glass of bucks fizz to start the day in the historic Members' Bar whilst listening to an introductory talk about Brooklands. You will then have time to visit the historic collections of cars, planes & motorbikes and visit the Concorde Simulator where all British Airways pilots trained. Then once on board Concorde you will be served a glass of champagne while you enjoy the "flight", be able to visit the flight deck & view the rear cabin exhibition. Over lunch we will have a talk by former Chief Concorde Pilot, Capt. Mike Bannister. Return to Waterloo will be at approximately 1700. The cost of this very enjoyable day trip will be £65.00 (not including drinks with the meal). Please save the date & you will receive booking information in due course.

Annual General Meeting

Sept 23rd is the date for our Annual General Meeting which will be held in the Dickens Suite of the Dickens Inn at 7pm. Formal Notice will be sent to members at the beginning of September.

News from around the Dock

SAVE OUR SURGERY!!

So what can you do to help ensure that the St Katharine Docks Practice continues to provide first class medical services for so many of us? There are two things you can do now please. Firstly, log on to NHS Choices at www.nhs.uk On the home page, go to "Comments" and enter the postcode E1W 1UA to take you to the St Katharine Docks Practice review area. You will be asked to rate elements of the service provided and leave your own comments. The ratings awarded from these comments really do count, so please take a few minutes to show your support.

Secondly, the Practice needs more patients to register to ensure it is financially viable. So please spread the word amongst your friends and neighbours – if they are not registered with a local GP then suggest they contact the Practice on 020 7488 3653. Over the next few weeks we will up-date you on the situation and let you know other ways in which you can help. Dr Patel and his team are very grateful for the support already shown.

Closure of Commodity Quay Boardwalk

McLaren have had to close the boardwalk until the end of May when construction works are due to be finished. We have asked that the pontoon in front of International House remains open later in the evening to allow access around the Dock. This has been agreed and the pontoon will be staying open until 10pm during this period.

Venture Cup powerboat race boats to arrive in St Katharine Docks

The Venture Cup powerboat race boats to arrive in St Katharine Docks on 4th June The Venture Cup is the ultimate offshore powerboat race, featuring 30 international teams. It will re-trace the most famous powerboat race in history – the London to Monte- Carlo race of 1972. Starting from the Merdian line at Greenwich on 7th June, over two weeks the fleet will race for over 2,750 miles in pursuit of this epic challenge. www.ventureoffshorecup.com

Clipper Race update

The Clipper Race yachts are due to return to St Katharine Docks for the exciting finish of their round the world race on 12th July.

Election Day is Thursday 22nd May

Remember to use your vote in the local elections on 22nd May - vote for the Mayor you think will run our Council fairly and the Councillors you want to represent our Ward.

Jazz at Café Rouge

Café Rouge are hosting different Jazz groups on the last Friday of the month at 7.30pm. Reserve a table on 020 7702 0195

Strada are now open for breakfast

Strada are now open for breakfast – if you make a reservation online your first breakfast is free! www.strada.co.uk/italian-restaurant/st-katharine-docks

Concessions

We have added a number of new concessions to our members discount scheme, including Shepherds Markets' Friday Good Food Market. Stall holders will give 10% discount on presentation of a current membership card. Please see the Concessions page of our website www.foskd.org for details of all our concession partners.

Contact us

Should you require any further information, please feel free to contact us at contactus@foskd.org