COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

N E W H A ME D I T I O N

GOLDENGIRL

CChhrr iisstt iinneeOOhhuurruuoogguu

ggooeess ffoorrgglloorryy

Cook & Partners

Solicitors

SPONSORED BY

HARD TIMESYoung people‘let down byOlympics’

INS

IDE SLEEK

SUCCESSCollege studentswin big at AfroHair & Beauty

BIG BOTHERVictor Ebuwa:

Newham’sversion of marmitep23 p34 p35

22 � THE VOICE JUNE 21 - 27, 2012

Newham Supplement sponsored by

This hardcover coffee-table book of just under 200 pag-es opens with the visit of a member of the royal family, Princess Margaret, for Independence celebrations in 1962 and closes with the visit of Prince Harry in 2012. The production of the book is a joint venture between The Gleaner Company and Kingston-based Ian Randle Publishers.

For just £25 plus p&p you can order your copy now by calling Marlene at 020 7510 0340Our Proud To Be Jamaican commemorative tee-shirts which have the now iconic front page of August 6 1962 can also be purchased for £15 (men) or £12 (ladies) plus p&p. Sizes range from XL – S. Colours available are yellow or white.

Order now while stocks last.To place your orders call us at:020 7510 0340 or email marketing@gvmedia.co.uk

50 Golden Moments

1962-2012 commemorates

Jamaica’s achievements over

the last 50 years since gaining

Independence in 1962.

Using black and white/colour

photographs, as well as images

of newspaper pages, the book

chronicles five decades

of life in Jamaica.

Jamaica:

Cook & Partners

Solicitors

Q: Apart from Bolt,which athlete are you

looking forward to seeing?

RS – Asafa Powell. Everyonehas forgotten about him but Iknow he has been traininghard to give Bolt a race and arun for his money.

AA – Just Bolt to be honest.I really want to see if he canstill win given the pressure heis under. Also I would love tosee him break his worldrecord.

EJ – I’ve seen Asafa Powella few times at Crystal Palaceand it would be great to seehim do well at the Olympicgames.

EG – Asafa Powell. I want tosee if Jamaica is going to com-pletely dominate the sprinting.I like Powell’s style and itwould be nice for Bolt to getsome competition.

Q: Do Jamaican athletesget enough credit?

RS – I think they do sincethe emergence of Bolt.

AA – In the sprint and therelays I think they do. Theyhave definitely put theCaribbean on the map.

EJ – Usain Bolt has – he’sliterally on every advert. But Ibelieve it has taken a lot oftime. People like Merlene Otteynever got that kind of recogni-tion, so it has definitelyevolved over time.

EG – I don’t think so, no.Particularly when it comes tomedia and sponsorship com-pared to other countries.

Q: Do you think DavidBeckham should be on

the Team GB football team?

RS – No, his days are fin-ished. In my opinion he is justliving off his name now.

AA – He should be a coachor a motivator, his role shouldbe to inspire the youngstersnow because his time is over.His injuries and age are not inhis favour.

EJ – He was instrumental ingetting the Olympics so I thinkit would be a good idea, even ifhe is just on the bench. I thinkit would be the right thing todo as I believe he should bepart of London 2012.

EG – Absolutely not.Beckham should be looked upon

as an iconic hero, not a playeranymore. It’s time to move onand not take him in the team.

‘BOLT NEEDSCOMPETITION’ THE VOICE’S OLYMPICS CORRESPONDENT, NATASHA HENRY, WENT TOTHE HEART OF LONDON 2012 TO FIND OUT WHAT THE GOOD PEOPLE

OF STRATFORD THINK OF THE UPCOMING SPORTS SPECTACULAR

Roma Smart, 37, personal trainer

Edina Jackson, 28, journalist

Eulan George, 26, marketing agent

Adeleke Adelano, 33, student

JUNE 21 - 27, 2012 THE VOICE � 23

Sponsor Newham SupplementCook & Partners

Solicitors

By Lizabeth Davis

AGOVERNMENT deci-sion to axe a weeklygrant for college stu-dents, has left those

from low-income familiesstruggling with no lifelineowing to a shortage of paidwork, a Newham teenagerhas said.

Speaking at The VoiceCommunity Conversation inthe east London borough lastmonth, 17-year-old CareemReeves came forward to sharehis concerns.

He said the withdrawal ofthe Education MaintenanceAllowance (EMA) from thestart of the 2012-2013 aca-demic year was a mistake andrisked putting students’futures in jeopardy.

Careem, who lives inStratford with his mother,told how he had been happyto receive the grant which he

used to cover travel expensesand stationery costs.

“As soon as I came to col-lege we [peers] all applied forit and certain people got it. Ifyou had a low income you’dget it and if you didn’t have alow income you wouldn’t getit,” he explained.

He said the £30 weekly sumwas also an incentive for stu-dents to maintain good atten-dance and be punctual asthose who didn’t werepenalised. “If you were fiveminutes late you would loseout,” Careem said.

He said he was furious overthe decision was made to dis-continue the scheme, and puta new bursary system put inits place.

“With the new system,the bursary is a loan, youcan borrow it but you haveto give it back as soon aswe start working. It’s notright to put young people

in debt, so I am angryabout that,” he added.

The EMA scheme closed tonew applicants on January 1,2011, and has been replacedby school, college and train-ing providers bursary funds.

Students facing financialhardship can receive up to£1,200 a year once their cir-cumstances have beenassessed.

Careem said: “I have afriend who sometimes doesn’tgo to college because shedoesn’t have the money totravel, and her mum can’tgive it to her because shedoesn’t have it.

“She gets the bursary butit’s not enough. It’s only £30a month, not a week like itwas before, so the money fin-ishes fast.”

To make ends meet, thetravel and tourism studentwas obligated to look forpart-time job.

But despite Stratford play-ing host to the London 2012Games and promises of oppor-tunities for residents, he saidfinding work in his boroughwas increasingly difficult dueto an influx of outsiders com-peting for local jobs.

Unemployment amongyoung people is also at arecord high, with boys fromAfrican or African-Caribbeanbackgrounds worst affected.

He said: “I applied andnever got through anywhere,which was disheartening,” heexplained. Instead, he earnsmoney helping out relativeswith odd jobs.

In the future, he hopesNewham Council makes cre-ating jobs a priority.

“Once I finish my course, Iam going to have to look forwork abroad, because theredoesn’t seem to be much inthis country for me unlesssomething is done”, he said.

DOUBLE BLOW: 17-year-old Careem Reeves complained studentshave been stripped of the EMA and struggling to find paid work

‘THERE’S NOTHINGHERE FOR YOUTH’17-year-old Careem Reeves says that the London 2012 Olympics has failed todeliver on its promise of opportunities and jobs for cash-strapped students

AdmissionsOpen Days

Find out more about our programmes in

Youth Work

Attend one of our 2012 Admissions OpenDays on 27 April, 15 June and 13 July

“The whole ethos of the College has been excellent. It has been nurturing, supportive andhelpful.” Current student

020 7540 4902 registry@ymca.ac.uk www.ymca.ac.uk

199 Freemasons Road, Canning Town, London E16 3PY

� We offer a comprehensive range of youth work programmes from level 1 to 7

� We are the only specialist youth work College in the UK with over 40 years experience of delivering excellencein youth work training

� Our undergraduate programmes have been consistently commended by the National Youth Agency

� Our Degree programmes are awarded in association with Canterbury Christ Church University

� Over 1000 students choose to study with us every year fromdifferent backgrounds

� New MA in Youth Work and BA (Hons) Education and Learning,and Social Pedagogy available for 2012!

“ The YMCA is always an easy to approach College andflexible in the way that it engages with us. Our staff intraining always comment on the warmth and quality ofthe learning environment.” Statutory Sector Employer

College youth work programmes include:� BA (Hons) in Youth Work and Community

Learning and Development (JNC recognised)� PGDip/MA in Youth Work and Community

Learning and Development (subject to validation)� Level 2 and Level 3 courses in Youth Work Practice� Certificate in Supervision Studies

Bus: 241 325 (stop outside the College). 5, 147, 262, 276, 330 and473 stop nearby. Tube: The nearest stations are Custom House (DLR) or Canning Town (Jubilee Line & DLR). Road: The College issituated just off the A13 dual carriageway

YMCA George Williams College is unique.Join us!

Attend our 2012 admission open day on 13th July

24 � THE VOICE JUNE 21 - 27, 2012

Newham Supplement sponsored byCook & Partners

Solicitors

By Elizabeth Pears

WHEN NEWS brokeof a young manwho used hismobile phone to

record police officers allegedlymaking racist remarks towardshim the country was horrified.

The officer, PC AlexMacfarlane, has since beencharged and will go on trial onJune 29.

What many do not know, isthat it was to NewhamMonitoring Project (NMP) thatthe young man turned for sup-port following his arrest.

For Estelle du Boulay, thedirector of the charity, it wasevidence of the ongoing“racism embedded in the policeforce that goes on behind closeddoors”.

To tackle the problem, theproject has trained up 90 volun-teers representing a cross-sec-tion of the community who willbe deployed on the streets tocarry out legal observation or, inother words, policing the police.

Some of the recruits areteachers. Some come from alegal background. Some areactivists. “It’s been phenome-nal”, du Boulay said who hasbeen working with NMP for 15years.

She added: “Volunteers willbe there to observe any kind ofinappropriate behaviour or mis-conduct, monitor arrests forunfair or illegal treatment.

TREATMENT“We are particularly con-

cerned with the treatment ofyoung people, people from vul-nerable backgrounds or BMEbackgrounds as these are theareas where there is dispropor-tionate contact.”

Volunteers also hand outlegal advice to communities tolet them know their rights.

She added: “It’s a difficultand unprecedented project asmost people do legal observa-tions on protests you know aretaking place at a fixed location.This work will rely on people

using their eyes and ears.” A lot of the training focuses

on correct stop and search pro-cedures, which is often the firstcontact people have with thepolice.

Du Boulay explained: “It’s anissue of great tension. We teachthe volunteers how they canassist by standing nearby, ortalking to people afterwards.

“We do think this project is ofbenefit to everybody. Humanrights abuses tend to arise at bigevents like the upcomingOlympics.

“Often in dealings with thepolice, there is an imbalance ofpower. Young people who arestopped can get defensive and

may not always be calm. Anobserver can be a powerfulpresence.

“Most importantly, it’s pre-

ventative not just reactive. It’sat the heart of why we were setup – so the community has arole in the policing process.”

History: Newham Monitoring Project (NMP) was formed31 years ago out of local campaigns against theracist murder of teenager Akhtar Ali Baig in EastHam, after statutory agencies failed to respondadequately.

The project’s aim was to monitor both racistattacks and the statutory response to them in

order to campaign effectively around relatedissues for justice and change.

At the time, the harassment of the black com-munity by police meant that police racism andthe criminalisation of African and Caribbean peo-ple also became central to the organisation’sagenda.

It offers a 24-hour emergency service for vic-tims of racist violence and police harassment.

INVOLVED: Campaigner and director of Newham Monitoring Project teaching observation techniques

POLICINGTHE POLICEThe self-funded Newham MonitoringProject has been holding officers toaccount since it was set up in 1981

Sponsor Newham SupplementCook & Partners

Solicitors

By: Juliana Lucas

COMPETING IN London2012 will hold specialsignificance for TeamGB’s Christine

Ohuruogu, who was born andraised in the east London bor-ough.

The 400m sprinter, who tookhome gold at the Beijing Olympicsin 2008, was born to Igbo Nigerianparents in Newham.

Along with eight siblings – oneof whom is Victoria Ohuruoguwho is also a budding athlete – the28-year-old was raised less thanone mile from the Stratford sta-dium where thousands will watchher defend her title.

She is Britain’s only defendingtrack and field champion.

In a recent interview with Zestmagazine, Ohuruogu recalledchildhood memories.

“I remember burning around thearea on my bike with my brother,looking for adventure,” she said.“When I was growing up theStratford site was just industrialland covered in factories.”

She added: “I belong to the

community – it’s my home andthis summer the world’s biggestsporting event is going to be onmy turf. For me, this is really per-sonal. There are a few Team GBathletes who hail from eastLondon – but I’m proud to say thatmy family home is closer to thestadium than any of the others.

“I can only imagine the roar ofthe crowd when the British ath-letes walk into the stadium. It’sgoing to be a once-in-a-lifetimeexperience – and I can even walkhome afterwards.”

Ohuruogu studied linguistics atUniversity College London andgraduated in 2005. As well as herathletics training, she also playednetball as an undergraduate.

Her first victory was a bronzemedal in the 400m at theEuropean Junior Championshipsin 2003. The following year,Ohuruogu became the AmateurAthletics Association (AAA)champion, was a semi-finalist inthe 400m at the Olympic Games inAthens, and also took part in the 4x 400 m relay team, finishingfourth.

Fresh from her 4x400m relay

victory at the World IndoorChampionships, Ohuruogu iswarning her 400-metre rivals thatshe is ready to peak again on herhome turf.

The Olympic champion said: “Itis comforting to know that I go inas defending Olympic champion. Idon’t have to prove anything toanybody because I havealready done it.”

Earlier this month, sheclocked a time of 50.69– the fastest she hasever recorded ahead ofa major championship,and she is said to bevery happy with herform ahead of herOlympic defence.

“I felt good before Beijing,I had won the WorldChampionships in 2007 and wasvery confident. If I am fit andhealthy going into a competition, Iknow I will run well.

“My lasting memory of theOlympic Games will be the feelingof achievement and the satisfac-tion of doing what I had beenworking for with my coach LloydCowan for many years.”

HOME DEFENCE The Voice profiles Newham’s famous sporting daughter

HOMECOMING: Christine Ohuruogu will defend her title in the area where she grew up

JUNE 21 - 27, 2012 THE VOICE � 33

34 � THE VOICE JUNE 21 - 27, 2012

Newham Supplement sponsored byCook & Partners

Solicitors

Why make a Will?What happens if I don’t?

If you don’t make a Will and you die,your property and assets, wherever theyare in the world, are shared out in linewith arbitrary legal rules.

Very likely, this will not be the same aswhat you would like.

If you make a Will you are in charge ofwho gets what.

Who “WILL” carry out my wishes?

In your Will, you name someone you trust (called your 'Executor') to make sure yourmoney and land ends up with the right people. It can be a relative, but doesn't have to be.It can be more than one person. Many people prefer to appoint a lawyer to act as theirExecutor, which takes the pressure off family members.

Do I need a separate Will for each country?

Many people think you have to make a separate Will for each place where they ownland or assets – one for England, one for Jamaica, for example. This is not required, andis often a very bad idea as the different documents can accidentally clash with each other.If you have already done this please check whether you need to and that the result,legally speaking, is what you wanted!

A Will made in the UK can deal with property anywhere in the world, and will be recog-nised by the Courts and laws of all Commonwealth countries, and vice-versa.

Will I have to pay Death Duties?

With current house price levels, more people than ever before will have to pay UKInheritance Tax.

Assuming that you are resident in the UK when you die, whatever you leave to your wifeor husband is tax free, but otherwise any property you have worth more than £325,000will usually be taxed at 40%. (2012/13 figures).

Rules on taxation for overseas money or property are complicated and can depend notonly on where it is, but sometimes on how long it was that you lived in different places.It's not easy to generalise, but the Caribbean countries tend to charge a Transfer Tax onland rather than taxes on inheritance, and these are mostly around 6% to 7?% of thevalue of whatever houses or land you leave.

The money for all these taxes has to be found before any of your property can bepassed on to those you want to benefit. Sometimes this means that assets have to besold, instead of reaching those they were meant for.

There are often ways to avoid or reduce the potential tax bill perfectly legitimately, or ifyou can't, you may need to think about insurance to cover the bills.

In every case the answer is to plan in advance, so you are in control and have peaceof mind that your money, goods and property will go where you want.

What should I do next?

See a qualified lawyer (a solicitor or attorney). There are other people who claim to be able to prepare Wills: but they are most unlikely

to have any knowledge of the special requirements of customers with property abroad.

Legal AdviceCook & Partners

Solicitors

Sponsored by

Email: lawyers@itjamaica.com • Web: www.cookpartners.com

Tel: 0208 655 4466 • Fax: 0208 656 7755

Cook & Partners

Solicitors

For professional advice call us or contact us by email on

By Juliana Lucas

SETTING A perfectexample of thestudent becomingthe master, two

budding hair stylists fromeast London outshoneexperienced rivals at therecent Afro Hair andBeauty Live show.

Deon Duncan andMaxine Garrison both wonfirst prizes in their respec-tive style-offs, sponsoredby beauty firm Sleek,despite still being in train-ing at Newham College.

The pair are both cur-rently enrolled on a Level 2hairdressing course at theeast London institution.

Garrison, 43, venturedinto the creative side ofhairdressing followingyears of managing a salonafter a friend suggested shemight have talent.

Undaunted by her lack ofexperience, she told TheVoice she had only one mis-sion when she entered theColour Me Beautiful cate-gory – to win.

SELF-BELIEFGarrison said: “I have a

lot of confidence and self-belief, so if I say I am goingto compete then it’s becauseI think I can win.”

Sleek judges at theBusiness Design Centre, inIslington, were wowed bythe funky red and bluemohican she created in justunder 45 minutes.

She received a certificate,trophy, £500 cash, and hairextensions for future looks.

Garrison said: “I’m gettingmarried soon, so I plan touse the money to hire a sil-ver champagne limousine.”

Upon qualification,Garrison hopes to use herskills to create out-of-the-box looks for fashion showsor for television dramas.

Duncan, who entered theFantasy Dream Weavingcategory, created an avantgarde look inspired by theQueen’s Jubilee.

All preparation was donebeforehand with final touchups done before stage show-case and catwalk demon-stration judged by the audi-ence.

The aim of this sectionwas to showcase creativity,volume, imagination andthe diversity of style rangesthat can be achieved usingSleek hair products.

FANTASY: Deon Duncan (left) and the dream-like hair design thathelped her win

PUNK ROCK: Stylist Maxine Garrison poses with her model

WEAVE GOTTHE X FACTORNewham College hairdressing studentssteal the show at Afro Hair and Beauty Live

Q: You grew up inForest Gate and now

live in Stratford. How hasthe area changed over theyears?

A: When I was growing upthere was a rubbish bus stationthat was like the Byker Groveyouth centre. Now there’s asexy one instead, a train sta-tion with international links, aWestfield, two cinemas and aselection of hotels for thosesaucy late-night encounters.Stratford has grown exponen-tially

Q: What do you likebest about the area?

A: It’s a genuine meltingpot. In Stratford, there’s agreat blend of cultures. You’vegot the old East Enders,Somalis, eastern Europeans,Africans, Pakistanis – andeveryone seems to get along.We even do business with eachother.

Q: Was it always likethat? Did you face

any discrimination inschool?

A: When I was in school, Iwas the only Nigerian down forthe cause. Even though you hadguys called Ade and Femi inyour year, they would try andtell you they were American.We got rinsed though – mainlyfrom the West Indians. Iremember names like African‘bubu’, black attack, midnightand chocolate face. Now, if youask my son, where he’s from, itdoesn’t even matter that hismum’s West Indian, he is proudto say he’s Nigerian. He wantshis jellof rice.

Q: You went to StBonaventure in

Forest Gate. What wasthat like?

A: I am still a legend; some

kind of a god over there. Wegot the best of both worlds: itwas rough like all boys schoolsare, but the academic aspectwas second to none. Theteachers really cared aboutmaking sure we got the besteducation and they taught usto value it. Thank God, I didn’tgo to Rokeby. I don’t knowwhat it’s like now, but backthen it was like Prison Break.I’m not kidding. Half of thatschool’s alumni appear onCrimewatch.

Q: It has been said youwere quite the foot-

baller. Or is that just amyth?

A: Myth? Ok, I’m not therampaging midfielder I used tobe but I played at youth leveland against pros who are nowplaying at international level:Scott Parker, John Terry,Ashley Cole, Bobby Zimoraand Jermain Defoe who wentto my school. I actually turneddown a contract withColchester United before Iwent to Brunel University andthey offered it instead to someguy called Lomana Lua Luawho grew up around the cor-ner from me. He’s a goodfriend of mine. He went on toget bought by NewcastleUnited for about £2.5millionand earning £60k a week. I, onthe other hand, went on tolead a wildly mediocre life as aZ-list celebrity.

Q: Do you regret goinginto Big Brother?

A: Not at all. I never reallyplanned on doing it, but I hada friend who kept on audition-ing and couldn’t get in. I toldhim it would be easy, so Iauditioned for a laugh and gotin. I thought I’d last maybe aweek or two because up untilthat point, mildly intelligentpeople went on it. When I saw

the pond life I was stuck with,I thought: “I might get to staya little longer”.

Q: There can be a lot ofpressure being “the

black contestant”. Didthat ever bother you?

A: I couldn’t give a stuffwhat people think. I do thebest for myself and try not toembarrass my family. Blackpeople are too hard to please.Half want to see you do good,and the other half don’t wantyou to because there’s nothinggood in their own lives. Theyare enemies of progress. Thosepeople aren’t there when mylittle boy needs food so I don’t

consider them at all. If peopleenjoy me - great. If they don’t- I couldn’t give a monkeys.

Q: It’s fair to say youwere one of the most

memorable contestants.Why do you think that is?

A: I am up for a laugh anddon’t take myself too seriously.I can get on with anyone if ifeel like getting on with them.I’m an everyman.

Q: And what’s with thehat?

A: I’m constantly havingbad hair days. If you see menow I look like the wild man ofBorneo.

Q: What are you up tonow?

A: I have just finished doingmy first film. I’ve gone intoacting now, innit? You can’tfight your destiny for great-ness. On a serious note, I’m nottrying to win no Baftas aroundhere. I’ve started with a char-acter that’s not dissimilar tomyself and when I get moreexperience then I’ll start tack-ling things like different emo-tions, trying different looks - Imight even take my hat off.

Q: What’s the filmabout?

A: It’s called Hunting forHubbies - an independent flick

about money-grabbing golddiggers who only date richmarried men. My charactergets caught up in the mire andit all ends in tears. That’s all Ican tell you. It’s directed byYinka Idowu of Rex Vision.They used to direct musicvideos, but have moved intofeature films. It’s going to dothe rounds at the film festivalsand I’ll let you know when thescreening is.

Q: Are you excitedabout the Olympics?

A: It’s a drain on all ourresources, but why not, eh?Actually, I might go on holidayfor a bit and watch it on TV.

Sponsored Newham SupplementCook & Partners

Solicitors

JUNE 21 - 27, 2012 THE VOICE � 35

SPOTLIGHT: Victor Ebuwa is venturing into films

NOTORIOUSV-I-CHE BECAME A HOUSEHOLDNAME - FOR ONE SUMMER, ATLEAST - THANKS TO ANEXPLOSIVE PERFORMANCEON REALITY TV SHOW BIGBROTHER. NOW LIFELONGEAST LONDON BOY VICTOREBUWA IS PREPARING TO MAKEHIS FILM DEBUT IN A INDYFLICK ABOUT GOLD DIGGERS.

| THE VOICE JUNE 21 - 27, 2012 36

Cook & Partners

Solicitors

www.cookpartners.com››

&&&› Buying and Selling› Surveys and Valuations› Land Registration› Realtors (Estate Agents)› Property Management› Making a Will› Inheritance and Probate› Family Land› Birth/Marriage/Death documentation

If you would like to email us an outline of your problem, we will try to respond within 48 hours, Monday to Friday.

We also offer

COMPLETELY FREEadvice on any matter relating to Caribbean property lawup to 45 minutes per visit.

Call or email us to arrange this: we may need to see documents you have, or copies of them, before we can help.241 Lower Addiscombe RoadCroydon SurreyCR0 6RDUK

Tel: 020 8655 4466Fax: 020 8656 7755lawyers@itjamaica.comwww.cookpartners.com

Who we are and what we doWe are a team of lawyers experienced in both England and Jamaica and at home in either jurisdiction.We specialise in helping people in the UK who have property-related legal business in the Caribbean.As well as our offi ce in London we have a base in Kingston, better to serve customers in both countries.

›

www.cookpartners.comAuthorised and regulated by Solicitors Regulation Authority no 45440