chloe11

Another recommendation for Benchmark. Tom and his team converted our loft at the beginning of this year and did an amazing job. 2 new bedrooms and an en-suite in 5 weeks! His work is to a very high standard, particularly the finish which is outstanding. His team are friendly and respectful, I didn't even notice they were here half the time which was great with young kids around. If you have ever had a bad experience with builders, Tom and his team totally restore your faith, nothing was ever too much trouble and issues were dealt with immediately. We love our new extension and I would not hesitate to recommend Tom to anyone thinking of doing a loft conversion.

I can happily recommend Craig, he came the next day to sort a truly awful flea situation and within 12 hours they had gone. Don't bother with any recommended sprays, they don't work, just get Craig in!

Thanks to the enormous generosity of the community, we are now able to open the Ruskin Park paddling pool this summer and potentially next summer. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-ruskin-park-paddling-pool A group of volunteers has been formed to clean and re-paint the pool on weekend of 23/24th April and we are in need of an industrial jet wash machine. Does anyone have one they could lend us or rent for cheap? Please PM if you can help out. Many thanks

Hello, I have recently had a window seat made in the the bay windows and I am looking for someone to make the cushion for it. Does anybody have any recommendations? Thanks Chloe

I am looking for someone to fit a satellite dish and box. It's a Fransat box so please PM me if you can help. Fixed price quotes please. Herne Hill. Thanks Dan.

I am urgently looking for a Facepainter to work at a Fostering Information day at Wimbledon Library this Saturday 24th May from 11 - 2pm. Please PM me if you have availability. I need someone who is CRB checked and has their own liability insurance. Many thanks

I am looking for a man and a van to pick up a sofa from South Ken between 3-4 this afternoon Please call if you can do it: 07900 210472

Ray Coman at Coman & Co, on Upland Road.

Hello fellow residents We are embarking on a side return for our Victorian terraced property and would love to hear any personal recommendations for building companies. Also we are new to this kind of work so is there anything we should be paying particular attention to prior to the build: contracts, insurance etc. The most important questions to ask etc. Your help and guidance will be gratefully received! Thank you

Thanks so much for your attention and explanation to this Cathy, I too was duped into queuing in the freezing cold to collect my reserved items, I feel rather stupid now! Whoever this person is, they went to soooo much effort writing down all of those items and responding to all those people separately, they must have a lot of time on their hands! It's very sad really. You can see why we all thought it was a marketing ploy - a very successful one at that. Either someone was having a laugh or it was written by another seller trying to increase people through the door, all very confusing but I do hope it doesn't affect any future Peekaboo sales. I'm sure it won't.

Thank you very much for your comments. It seems the main concerns are around working and the impact on current family life. To answer a few questions, you can work and foster but it will limit the age range of the young people you will have in your care. If you work, it will need to be flexible so that you have the time to devote to the child in your care. If you have a full-time job you may prefer to choose to be a short break/ respite carer which could be a good introduction to the world of fostering. Local Authorities pay around ?400 per week per child, more if you are an experienced carer or look after sibling groups. I think it's important to note that although it should never be looked at as a money making scheme, people should be rewarded and put in a comfortable financial position to take on this role especially if they are giving up a job to do so. Some carers see it as career meaning they could utilise the skills they had gained through being a parent to their own children and doing a job at home whilst still being a mum/dad. One carer I know had been a nurse but the long hours meant she was missing out on her children growing up. She wanted a professional career working from home. Others do see it as 'calling', the reasons are all individual. I wonder whether a campaign that was focused on current Foster Carers could be more beneficial? If you were given examples of Foster Carers and their situations and an insight as to how a fostered child fits around current family living. I know that many foster carers decided to go for it because they knew someone who was already doing it. It doesn't seem so scary then. Thanks again everybody for your comments and please feel free to keep them coming!

Hi All I am running a campaign alongside local government to promote fostering and I would really like to get your views on fostering if you would be willing to share them. Particularly around certain aspects of fostering that would hold you back or put you off. Have you ever started the process and pulled out along the way? Have you had any good/bad experiences with fostering? Any views or comments would be much appreciated. Thank you

Signed.

Hi there, a fellow East Dulwich resident has her own business in paraben and chemical free baby toiletries, I use them on my baby and toddler and they are really lovely and 100% natural, her website is: www.worldofcreatures.com

We would welcome a good Japanese restaurant, always on the look out for fresh sushi, think it would be a great addition to the Lane.