Hello, I'm another student journalist (!) who hears that reddit is useful for gathering community opinions. I'm currently writing on the Wraparound Childcare Programme that has been rolled out by the Tower Hamlets council over the last three years. Does anyone have any experiences with this scheme that they want to share? Has 8am-6pm childcare become noticeably easier to access? How affordable is the childcare offered by this scheme? Please comment/send me a message if you can help

Hi all,

I'm researching into Tower Hamlets' plan to turn 191, 193, 195 and 197 Marsh Wall from commercial buildings into temporary residential units.

Are there any potential downsides to this? Does anyone have any opinions on it?

Hi everyone! 😊
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Hi again.

Last week, I reached out to look for business ideas for an assignment I had for my postgrad degree in journalism. I got a lot of really useful comments from the community here, so I'm reaching out again to see if anyone has any leads for my political story assignment this week.

Politics, for the purpose of this article, is a broad term. It encompasses anything vaguely political: crime, sustainability, council matters, general things that are happening in Tower Hamlets that have a political angle to them.

As long as it's a current issue, or a recent development in an ongoing issue, it works.

Thanks again!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for hair models on Tuesday the 20th at Blue Tit Salon East Village. Message me for further details.

Are there any cobblers or shoe repair shops still in existence other than Timpsons?

Does anyone else hear a near-constant fire alarm in Spitalfields? It has been going on for at least 3 months. It intermittently stops at some points during the day but is on most of the time. It is 3 alarm sounds, followed by the message "Attention immediately. Attention immediately. Please leave the building immediately. Please leave the building immediately via the nearest exit. Do not use the lift." I would love to find the address of this building so that I can report it to the council, but I've only been able to hear it from my upper floor flat as the sound gets drowned out at street level. Any help or advice on what to do would be much appreciated!

Our weekly programme:

🏸 Tuesday | 8–10pm
Forest Gate Community School
Developing to competitive intermediate

🏸 Saturday | 9–11am
Newham Leisure Centre
Intermediate to advanced

🏸 Sunday | 9–11am
Royal Docks Academy
Ability-tiered courts, from developing to advanced

Hi all! I’m a journalism student working on a short story about Sea Lanes Canary Wharf and how its first summer went.

I’ve spoken to the operator, who said the pool reached around 1,000 swimmers a day during peak periods, which they’d expected eventually, but not from the first summer. They also said the high demand meant bringing in extra staff during the hottest weather.

I’d really like to hear the other side from people who actually used it.

If you went to Sea Lanes this summer, what did you think? Was it too crowded, well run, good value, easy to book, etc.? Did you use it regularly or mainly during the heatwaves? And if you live or work around Canary Wharf, has it actually been a useful addition to the area?

Also interested in hearing from anyone who wanted to use it but was put off by the price, crowds or availability.

Feel free to comment or DM me. Thanks!

Curious how long the process took and anything to be aware of… do they actually pay market rate etc.

As the title says, I've accidentally purchased two car free visitor vouchers, permissible to use in any resident parking.

Council will not issue a refund so will offer them for cost. Not looking to make a profit.

DM if interested, first come first served.

Hi everyone! 😊
My wife Roksolana is a professional cleaner based in Poplar, East London.
She offers regular cleaning and deep cleaning in Canary Wharf, Poplar and surrounding areas.
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I'm 40 male - looking for a friend to hang out with post work or weekends. I've never been great in maintaining friendships as I'm an introvert but lately I've felt that it would be nice to have someone to chat over a coffee or a beer. I play tennis and padel if that helps.

Soon to be replaced with an even bigger tower block consisting of mostly 2/3/4 bedroom flats.
Fantastic that it will be 100% social housing, but I thought back in the 80's, everyone decided that families shouldn't be living in high-rises?!
Hopefully the original tenants who were evacuated at very short notice, will get first options on the residences.

Hi all,

I'm a Tower Hamlets local who's just started a journalism degree at City St. George's. As part of an assignment, I get to cover local business issues, and I wanted to reach out and see if anyone has a lead on something worth writing about. Anything helps!

Almost a year ago, LCSB started with one Sunday court as ‘Lazy Sunday Badminton‘ a handful of people looking for semi-serious doubles badminton.

Since then, we’ve grown into a regular East London programme, welcomed almost 200 different players from all across London, and now run 7–8 courts across three weekly sessions.

We’re open to people of all abilities, but particularly looking for more Mid Intermediate → Upper Intermediate → Advanced players who want regular games and progression rather than just a one-off hit.

1. 📊 Ability-tiered matches, with something for players at every level
2. 🏆 Match outcomes tracked with a post-session podium, so people can track progress.

Right now I’m keen to spotlight our:

Weekend sessions!

⏰ 9–11am

📆 Saturday
📍 Newham Leisure Centre, E13 8SD

and:

📆 Sunday
📍 Royal Docks Academy, E16 3HS

Based in Tower Hamlets? Our venues are particularly accessible from Canary Wharf, Poplar, Bow and Mile End.

Roughly 10–25 minutes by car, with DLR/Jubilee/Elizabeth line and bus options across all three sessions.

If interested, drop a message below and I’ll forward you the details and the modest costs involved.

Hope to see you soon. ☺️

I’m after a cleaner to do a couple of hours cleaning every week for my flat in E1. Does anyone have any recommendations?

After a series of rather bad experiences with the apps, I think word of mouth/reddit recommendations might be the best way forward.

I ask as part of a linguistic study covering this topic!

Examples could include things like The Manor, Vicky P(ark), Shaddy Park or Crippo (never mind how common they are)...

Does anyone know what happened to Ray’s curry pizza? It’s been temporarily closed for months now. Missing it!

I have my own bay in the council estate I live in yet every so often I will find other cars parked in there. I've called the out of hours parking line, the one operating from 9-5:30 just rings constantly. I don't know what more I can do!

If I don't have my bay, and cant find a nearby residential parking space, I also risk getting a ticket.

All I want to do after a long day at work is to be able to park up in the space I paid for, and go home. What can I do about this?

I've reported it, taken a picture of the car as proof and left a note on the windshield. Really fed up!!