Uncover: NEASDEN

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NEASDEN Uncover A avel-guide an unknown wn you should get know Uncovers EVER edition 1 st Uncovering places you’ve never heard of JANUARY 2015 1

description

Constructing branding for towns that have none

Transcript of Uncover: NEASDEN

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NEASDEN�

Uncover  

A travel-guide to an unknown town you should get to know

Uncover’s EVER edition 1st Uncovering places you’ve never heard of

JANUARY 2015

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SAMA  FEKRI,  EDITOR  

Welcome to the first edition of Uncover. Uncover’s aim is to construct branding for towns and cities that have little - to no branding, yet deserve much more recognition. I live in a little town called Neasden, located in the North West of London. It isn’t very known at all (anyone outside of North west London will definitely have never heard of it) – and the people that have heard of it, have heard only negative things. Neasden is thought to be a little ghetto; A cursed little town full of trouble and sadness. Maybe at first glance it is…but I know, having lived in Neasden for more than 3 years now, that Neasden is a secret paradise. People just haven’t given the place a chance. It’s reputation had been tarnished so bad that no one wanted to advertise in Neasden Shopping Centre (the heart of Neasden) and the estate agencies were finding it difficult to sell and rent out houses in Neasden. If only people knew all the magic Neasden has to offer…they’d never want to leave. Sometimes one must open his/her eyes and heart to really see what’s going on. Let me take you on a journey to uncover this little town and help you see the marvelous in the everyday. Get your Tourist Gaze on please!  

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Neasden  sunset  

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A few years ago when I was doing my GCSE’s a young man was stabbed to death on my road in Neasden outside the Ox and Gate pub by a gang of boys for no clear reason. There are still flowers laid in his memory on the corner down the road where he lost his life.A couple of years later when I was doing my A-levels there was a day where one of the girls from the lower school didn’t show up. We later found out her house had gone up in flames over night and the fire had literally consumed her family. Her mother and two younger siblings burnt to death in that house in Neasden. She survived and so did her dad. Her face has been ruined forever though. I remember crying my heart out. I didn’t know her, but I’d seen her around, and it was so tragic and it felt surreal. I visited the burnt down house the next day. I will never forget it. I went to a school on Crest road, in Neasden of course. It used to be called ‘John Kelly Girls/Boys Technology School’. The school had the worst reputation. I remember my friend telling me she was in the mosque one day, and she had started to speak to a woman there, who was being very nice to her. Things changed drastically when my friend told the woman that she attended John Kelly Girls; the woman was visibly disgusted and she ended the conversation right there. Similarly, I remember going to buy lunch for my family from the local chicken shop in Neasden shopping centre (Neasden Parade). I was having a conversation with a lovely old woman and the shop owner whilst I was waiting for my food. Everything was fine until the woman started talking about how awful John Kelly’s Girls and Boys were and how their parents must hate them for sending them to such an awful school. I remember feeling embarrassed and upset. I took my food and left the shop as quickly as possible. I have to be honest, my school was pretty bad. I have some wild memories of the things that went on in that place. I remember my first day, I walked into the building and I was looking for the reception to ask them where I should go.

As soon as I set foot inside the building I saw a girl arguing with a teacher. The teacher was begging the student to put her drink away and go to her lesson since lunch time had come to an end. The girl refused and she then threw her drink over the teacher. I stood there, watching, mouth open. I was young and at the time the only thing I was interested in was how the girl’s friend thought she was so brave and ‘hard’ for doing what she had done. Of course if I had the mentality that I have today I wouldn’t approve at all, but as a naïve 15 year old, I was in awe. When I was doing my GCSE’s in year 11, I remember there was a group of Irish girls and boys and a group of Portuguese boys and girls that had started new at our school. They never seemed to get along and they were always threatening one another. One day, on a Friday afternoon I saw crowds of students running towards the school gates. It was Friday and it wasn’t a strange sight as such (it was common for students to have a fight afterschool on Friday afternoons in my school), but that day was different. I ran out my art class to see what was going on, on my way to the gates I came across a teacher who was running back into the building. She was in tears and her clothes were ripped. I was so shocked. Who would do such a thing? I looked up and I saw police helicopters hovering over my school. ‘What in God’s name?!’ , I remember thinking. It was the Irish students and the Portuguese students fighting and it had gotten way out of hand. They were throwing stones and their parents had come to join the fight…I heard some of them had knives.Now the police is always in Neasden, even until this very day. So you see, it doesn’t surprise me that people think Neasden is an awful place. I’m sure you probably think it is too after reading this and it isn’t even half of what I’ve experienced. But that’s not the whole story…

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Uncover the stories..

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CURSED?

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- The girl that survived the Neasden fire is now strong and happy, her smileinfectious and inspiring.-  Despite the reputation of the school, many students from John Kelly Girls/boys

have made it to University (including myself).

- John Kelly (now: Crest Academy) has been transformed and the old buildings are in the process of getting knocked down. New, bigger buildings with better facilities are to replace them.

Hope  &  change  

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Neasden: making it big  

                                                                                   a place filled with love, nature, spirituality and art

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The truth is Neasden is a special place with a tainted reputation. It’s not the nicest place in London I agree, but I think that’s what makes it so special. This town with all it’s struggles and troubles has produced beautiful and great things/people. The people of Neasden have a lot of potential. You could say Neasden is a lucky town. Many people start out in Neasden thinking their life is going nowhere and yet they end up making it bigger and better than they could have ever imagined. Neasden is the place where people begin their journey, where ever they may go in life, it is Neasden where they were made and where it all started…Many probably don’t know, but the very famous English actress, model and singer ‘Twiggy’ was brought up in Neasden! Neasden, the so called ‘cursed little ghetto’ produced a Vogue cover girl!Also, I bet you didn’t know that the internationally known Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley lived in Neasden, did you? Actor Jeremy Piven, winner of Golden Globe award and three consecutive emmy awards said ‘let’s go to Neasden’ when filming for the Mr Selfridge series in London.And Guess where Lady Sovereign started out? YES, NEASDEN! That’s where her Musical career started. In this little town you thought wasn’t worth much.Lady Sovereign was signed by Jay Z and her song ‘Love me or hate me’ became the first song by a British rap artist to EVER reach number one MTV’s TRL. Not bad for a girl from Neasden huh?

TWIGGY

Bob Marley

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Neasden’s parks are definitely Neasden’s best attractions. Despite it not being a very large town, Neasden has two huge parks (namely Gladstone Park and Welsh Harp) with each unique things to do and see.

Beau%ful  whale  carving  in  Gladstone  park.  Symbol  for  community    and  protec%on.  

Secret  Flower  Garden  in  Gladstone  park  

Family  friendly  Gladstone  park  in  Neasden  

Welsh  harp  –  romanVc  views  

Welsh  harp  acVviVes  

Nature    

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NEASDEN ROMANCE

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Neasden made Headlines when Utbal proposed tohis Girlfriend in Gladstone park byspelling out ‘Will you marry me?’ with 900 tea lights in the Middle of Gladstone Park. The spectacle was even capturedfrom air by helicopters!

Now that’s something special. Have you fallen in love with Neasden yet?

Love  

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Neasden’s pride:  NEASDEN  TEMPLE  

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This isn’t just any temple. This Glorious piece of architecture is Neasden’s Pride and joy. This traditional place is one of Neasden’s main attractions, Showcasing beautiful Fireworks on Diwali and holding various events, opento all: all year round. The temple was featured in Time Out and London-Pass as a must visit London tourist attraction.

Spirituality  

“Biggest  Hindu  Temple  outside  India:  The  Shri  Swaminarayan  Temple  in  Neasden,  London,  UK,  is  the  largest  Hindu  temple  outside  India.  It  was  built  by  His  Holiness  Pramukh  Swami  Maharaj,  a  92-­‐year-­‐old  Indian  sadhu  (holy  man),  and  is  made  of  2,828  tonnes  of  Bulgarian  limestone  and  2,000  tonnes  of  Italian  marble,  which  was  first  shipped  to  India  to  be  carved  by  a  team  of  1,526  sculptors.  The  temple  cost  £12  million  to  build.”  

In the Guinness World Records 2000!:

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(  ConstrucVng  branding  for  Neasden  isn’t  complete  without  some  iconic  posters  to  make  it  more  memorable  )  

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(  ConstrucVng  branding  for  Neasden  isn’t  complete  without  some  iconic  posters  to  make  it  more  memorable  )