Emily wows crowds at Bedford Park (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Emily wows crowds at Bedford Park

10:32am Friday 17th June 2005

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BBC London presenter Emily Maitlis proved a great hit with the crowds last weekend when she opened the 39th Green Days fte in Bedford Park, Chiswick. She also judged the children's fancy dress competition.

"Emily was terrific and lots of people told me how much they enjoyed her speech," said Father Kevin Morris of St Michael & All Angels Church, which organises the Bedford Park Festival. "She was very natural with all the children and got Green Days off to a wonderful start."

Thousands enjoyed the sunshine over the two days, watching the bands and football, drinking beer and Pimms, eating strawberries and ice cream and browsing in the craft marquee. The funfair and the stalls did a roaring trade on both days and there was hardly any litter, as the crowds responded enthusiastically to an appeal to "Keep Green Days Green".

"Our Zero Waste' recycling project was a remarkable success," said Torin Douglas, one of the organisers. "We encouraged people to recycle all their waste by putting it into the right bins, and they really entered into the spirit of it. No less than one tonne of rubbish was sorted for recycling - including 180 kilos of waste food 99.9 per cent of the total.

"We're very grateful to Ealing and Hounslow councils, Grundon Recycling and West London Composting, who provided the skips and bins free of charge, and to the team who organised all the sorting Rima Jones, Oliver West and Colin Nears and pupils from Latymer Upper School."

Emily Maitlis posed for photographs with children who had taken part in the fancy dress parade, on the theme of Roald Dahl. The winners received books and tokens from Waterstones in Chiswick High Road, and all entrants received a Fouberts ice cream voucher and a certificate.

Prizes were also presented for the Turnham Green Terrace Treasure Hunt, sponsored by Waterstones and the estate agent, Fletchers, and supported by 21 of the Terrace traders. Children had to spot Roald Dahl books in the shop windows and say which was their favourite and why. 54 children entered.

The winner of the first prize - tickets to the new Roald Dahl Museum in Buckinghamshire - was Isobel Warren (6) of Belmont Primary School. Her favourite book was Esio Trot and her winning entry was written backwards. She liked the book because "eht sdrow era sdrawkcab dna s'ti ynnuf!".

The runners-up, who receive Walt Disney goody bags, were: Ella Forster (9) from St Michael Steiner School; Stella Wharmby (7) from Orchard House School; Emma Tritton (10) from Orchard House School; Claudia Fordham-Moss (9) from Chiswick & Bedford Park School; Leila Ashrafy (9) from Wendell Park Primary School; Toby Murley (10) from Blossom House School, Wimbledon; George Whear (9) from Larmenier & Sacred Heart Catholic School; Thomas Whear (7) from Larmenier & Sacred Heart Catholic School; Harriet Baldwin (10) from Notting Hill & Ealing Junior School; Ellie Baldwin (6) from Orchard House School.

Another highlight was the children's five-a-side football competition, sponsored by the estate agents Bushells. In the under-13s contest on the Saturday, the winners of the Bushells Cup were ACFC, who beat the Black and Blue Bruisers in the final, 5-2. The winners of the younger competition on the Sunday were John Betts Juniors.

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