News from the twin town – October 2022
Food Saviours
Two students from Barking and Dagenham have won an award with their business idea to save unsaleable food. It is mainly about apples that have grown crookedly or whose size does not fit the trade. The two buy them and make chips out of them with the help of air dryers. With the addition of chocolate or salted caramel, the taste is enhanced.
Winning the prize is not just about the honour, but a contract with a distribution company is part of it. And the two have already made it onto the shelves of the Selfridge’s supermarket chain.
Giant statue for a footballer
In Plymouth, in front of the Argyle Stadium, a statue of footballer Jack Leslie, over three metres high, has been erected. He was a much-respected hero on the pitch in the 1920s and 1930s, scoring 137 goals in 400 appearances for Plymouth. But before joining Plymouth Argyle, he started his career with Barking FC.
There had been a campaign demanding a memorial for Leslie for years. It was not just about the memory of a great sportsman, but mainly about an incident in 1925, when he was nominated for the national team. But when the selection committee discovered that his candidate was not white, the nomination was rescinded. Leslie was the only coloured player in the first division for many years.
Darren Rodwell wants to enter parliament
Barking and Dagenham’s Leader of the Council has announced his intention to stand for a parliamentary seat at the next election. The previous MP Dame Margaret Hodge, in office since 1994, does not want to stand again. Rodwell led the Labour Party in the last election campaign and won all council seats with it.
He never wanted to be a politician. But when the National Party won twelve seats in 2006 and announced its intention to completely “take over” the city, he got involved. In 2010, he joined the council and since then has stood for a complete realignment of local politics.
Millions for medicine
The National Health Service has pledged £15 million for the expansion of a diagnostic centre at Barking Community Hospital. Construction of the facilities has already started. The new centre is part of a project for the whole of North East London in which 39 million will be invested to cut long waiting times.
