Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
A new batch of London Tube strikes have been announced.
Set to take place by members of the Aslef union, the dates of the two 24-hour walkouts are set to be Monday 8th April and Saturday 4th May.
Rail services will also be affected with staff across 16 rail companies including c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway main line and depot drivers, and SWR Island Line.
The strike is taking place due to a “long-running dispute” over working conditions, as Finn Brennan of Aslef says: “They want drivers to work longer shifts, spending up to 25% more time in the cab, and to remove all current working agreements. It's about getting people to work harder and longer for less”.
Crazy News
A banker who turned to broadcasting is now turning to politics, opting to run for the 2024 London Mayoral elections for his own party - London Real.
Brian Rose decided to run because “it's very hard for me to watch the city I love just spiral further down”.
Rose has already had history within the elections as he finished seventh in the 2021 elections.
The priority for his campaign is improving crime rates, saying: “Crime is skyrocketing in this city - there are stabbings, murders and thefts happening all the time and we need to put a stop to it because it is turning London into a laughing stock” and also wants to scrap the Ultra Low Emission Zone.
He believes that people should vote for him because he: “brings a fresh perspective with my business background”.
Happy News
A man has donated 100 wedding dresses to a British Heart Foundation charity shop in Sidcup.
56 year-old Adrain Chapman gifted the new dresses to commemorate the work of his business partner, Steven Sin.
Sin who was a Malaysian fashion designer spent a year designing each of the one-of-a-kind wedding dresses. Most of the dresses are valued between £700 and £1500 each and were sold at a British Heart Foundation wedding fair earlier in the month.
Sin who died of a heart attack aged only 54 in 2022 had planned to launch his own bridalwear collection, but Chapman wanted to give someone “some enjoyment from them”.
Charity shop manager, Sally Todd, says: “A handful of lucky brides found the dresses of their dreams but we still have lots of gorgeous dresses left. These are available at our Sidcup shop and all the money will go towards funding life-saving research”.
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