Leitrim to host celebrations on Ukraine's Independence Day
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New Statesman
6 days ago
- New Statesman
Why are Britain's park barbecues going private?
Photo by Roger Cracknell / Alamy One of my most-pedalled summer cycle routes is through the Olympic Park in east London. This leads me into what is known as East Village: gentrific-ese for the redeveloped area that served as the Olympic Village in 2012. It has since transformed into an eerie residential district of glassy-eyed housing blocks, lilypad blobs of green and a local economy powered by dynamic croissant pricing. On these bike rides, dodging toddlers and frightened Italian greyhounds in polo necks, I grew fond of one innocuous strip of grass on the eastern fringe of the park. In 2014, the year I moved to east London, communal brick barbecue pitches were installed there for anyone to use on a first-come-first-served basis, for free. Suddenly, there was some joyous chaos to the place. All hungry life was here. Sprawling, messy gatherings for football clubs, Pride parties, iftars, Ukrainian Independence Day, Sizdah Be-dar, asados, braais, first birthdays and 50th ones. Grandparents snoozing on camping chairs in the shade; kids wielding corn-on-the-cobs as big as their heads; dads with tongs. London united in that primal, pan-cultural impulse to light a fire and grill things over it. But by 2022, all four barbecues in the area had gone; there are no plans to reinstate them. Get Living, the build-to-rent developer of East Village, had them removed after reports of loud music, littering and illegal parking. In the pandemic era, a quiet backlash against al fresco gathering crept through the country, such was the local distaste for outsiders – often with no gardens and nowhere else to go – visiting national parks and beaches in record numbers at that time. In 2020-22, barbecue stands in Southend, Somerset and across London were all removed. As far as I can tell, from an informal survey of London parks, there are only two grill plinths left. This scalpel to our civic life is subtle but scarring – a 'minor social symptom', as George Orwell put it in his 1944 Tribune article 'As I Please', when lamenting the railings being put up around London's parks and squares. Years earlier, they had been removed for the collection of scrap-iron, but also as a 'democratic gesture' to a war-weary public in need of green space. Freedom was the point. 'The parks were improved out of recognition by being laid open, acquiring a friendly, almost rural look that they had never had before,' Orwell wrote. 'Many more green spaces were now open to the public, and you could stay in the parks till all hours…' From pay-to-book football pitches to fob-access playgrounds, Britain's communal amenities are vanishing from council budget spreadsheets. Barbecue stands are a standout example this summer, as it becomes clearer each year that this is a hot country now, and our infrastructure is falling behind. Where the public realm retreats, private enterprise gallops in. A start-up called EverGrill now charges users for the electric hotplates in north London's Paradise Park £10 for 30 minutes of cooking time via an app. Its Germany-based founder is asking other councils to instal stands. He aspires to Uber's Lime bike scheme – for example, making users take a photo to prove they have left the hotplates in a decent state. 'In case they don't behave, or they don't clean, we can charge,' he told me. When I asked him if paid time slots change the nature of a barbecue – laid-back and open-ended affairs with many dishes to prepare at different speeds, inevitably with lots of semi-competitive hovering – he accepted it did, but 'in a positive way'. 'You get a better service, because you know you can have it to yourself… It optimises the resource.' For councils, the upside is a third party incentivising maintenance and order, while maximising use. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Yet despite handwringing over vandalism and littering – common excuses made by the bureaucrats ridding their parks of such features – such 'democratic gestures' of free leisure have always been possible. Bournemouth, for example, bucked the national trend in 2021 by installing 29 electric barbecues across its beaches for anyone to use in the summer months. Burgess Park in the south London borough of Southwark redeemed itself last year by installing three free electric hotplates to replace its six beloved grills – described by the food writer Jonathan Nunn as 'home to a thriving barbecue culture… This wasn't sausages and burgers on a Tesco box, but jerk chicken, large rumps of picanha, ribs, suya, eaten and shared in groups of dozens' – which were closed off in 2020. When 'minor social symptoms' begin riddling your neighbourhood, they shouldn't be ignored. Public parks – and our freedom to access them at leisure – are 'comparatively modern and hard-fought developments', warned Travis Elborough, a writer nicknamed the 'hipster Bill Bryson', in his 2016 book A Walk in the Park. 'The roots of even the humblest neighbourhood park or recreation ground lie in age-old battles over land and liberty.' The patrician concept of 'rational recreation', an aim to control working-class leisure time by promoting sport and self-improvement, characterised the Victorians' creation of public parks. By that era, the enclosures – a process of fencing off common land for manorial ownership – had largely been completed. Peasants could graze cattle freely on 'the commons' before these began. We may have lost that right, but our freedom to grill beef patties from those poor old cows is still, just about, in play. [See also: How anti-migrant politics came for Deliveroo] Related
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Celebrating Ukrainian independence
Winnipeg POINT DOUGLASRIVERGROVE Ukrainian Independence Day is both a display of Ukrainian culture and a show of support for Ukraine as its war with Russia stretches into a fourth year. Organizer Maryka Chabluk extends an invitation for all to attend the celebrations at Access Centre (48 Holland Rd.) in West St. Paul on Sunday, Aug. 24 for a full day of food and entertainment. But get there early, Chabluk advised, as the first two events were filled to capacity. The free, family-friendly event opens at 1:30 p.m., with programs at 3 and 5 p.m. Prayers for Ukraine are scheduled for 2:30, and a flag unfurling at 4. A zabava, slated for 6:30, promises music, dancing, and sing-alongs. Please bring a chair or blanket and enjoy kids' activities, soccer, a bouncy castle, Ukrainian food, and 35 vendors, along with a beer garden. Supplied photo Ukrainian Independence Day will be celebrated at Access Centre (48 Holland Rd.) in West St. Paul on Sunday, Aug. 24 with a full day of food and entertainment. Chabluk said Independence Day was established in 1991 following the Soviet Union's dissolution, when 92.3 per cent voted for freedom. The agreement was signed on Aug. 24. 'We were very excited that Ukraine had the opportunity to govern itself and was no longer under the auspices of the USSR,' Chabluk said. 'We acknowledge that day and continue to hope that Ukraine maintains independence and has its own government.' Chabluk said Ukrainian newcomers' spirits are buoyed when they see they are part of a community dedicated to preserving Ukrainian culture. Independence Day celebrations help newcomers integrate into the Ukrainian-Canadian community. 'Craft vendors have become popular,' Chabluk said. 'They have become a lifeline and connection for people who sell these crafts in addition to their day jobs. Mriya, a newcomer youth choir, and Vodohrai, a newcomer adult choir, are also performing. 'It's a nice opportunity for them to continue in the talents they brought with them and to support each other.' The 4 p.m. flag unfurling promises to be a highlight. Chabluk has ordered a huge flag that the crowd will unfurl as they sing the Ukrainian national anthem, Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy i slava, i volia. An overhead drone will capture the moment. Supplied photo Ukrainian Independence Day will be celebrated at Access Centre (48 Holland Rd.) in West St. Paul on Sunday, Aug. 24 with a full day of food and entertainment. 'It's a very emotional opportunity to say we stand with Ukraine and are heartbroken with what exists there now,' Chabluk said. 'Prayer for Ukraine has also become an important part of this day. Peace is what everybody longs for.' As much as Chabluk and the organizing team give to Independence Day, they get plenty back. During the first celebrations, the groups sang Christmas carols, the same ones taught for generations. An already strong connection was further deepened. Mondays A weekly look at news and events that matter in your communities. 'Even though we were once thousands of miles apart, we can still share something special,' Chabluk said. Come for the food, entertainment and fellowship. Buy some traditional food to take home. While there's no charge, feel free to donate to defray costs. 'We're very thrilled to have everybody join us,' Chabluk said. 'We're doing our best to unite the Ukrainian people, whether they've been here three, four, or five years, or they've just arrived. Supplied photo Ukrainian Independence Day will be celebrated at Access Centre (48 Holland Rd.) in West St. Paul on Sunday, Aug. 24 with a full day of food and entertainment. 'We're united as one family.' Sponsorship opportunities are available. To learn more, contact the Ukrainian Canadian Congress at or 204-942-9348. Tony ZeruchaEast Kildonan community correspondent Tony Zerucha is a community correspondent for East Kildonan. Email him at tzerucha@ Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Irish Independent
21-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Leitrim to host celebrations on Ukraine's Independence Day
Community groups in Leitrim will host a vibrant celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day bringing together local communities through culture, music, and tradition.
